ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF INCOME PROTECTION CHOICES FOR WEST TENNESSEE CORN PRODUCERS

Farmers need information about the expected value and variability of net revenues for alternative crop insurance and futures hedging strategies to manage risk. Specifically, the model will determine which risk management strategies are most desirable under various levels of risk aversion. The unstable futures basis relation in the data used in the simulation model contributed to increased variability of net revenues. In general, none of the crop insurance or hedging strategies markedly reduced variability of net revenue and relative riskiness when compared with the cash strategy. Revenue Assurance strategies were the most effective at setting a floor on net revenues. As a result, Revenue Assurance products may perform well for extremely risk averse producers.Marketing, Risk and Uncertainty,

Symmetry Analysis of Multiferroic Co_3TeO_6

A phenomenological explanation of the magnetoelectric behavior of Co_3TeO_6 is developed. We explain the second harmonic generation data and the magnetic field induced spontaneous polarization in the magnetically ordered phase below 20K.Comment: Phys rev B Rapids, to appea

Intersexual conflict influences female reproductive success in a female-dispersing primate

In group-living mammals, individual efforts to maximize reproductive success result in conflicts and compromises between the sexes. Females utilize counterstrategies to minimize the costs of sexual coercion by males, but few studies have examined the effect of such behaviors on female reproductive success. Secondary dispersal by females is rare among group-living mammals, but in western gorillas, it is believed to be a mate choice strategy to minimize infanticide risk and infant mortality. Previous research suggested that females choose males that are good protectors. However, how much female reproductive success varies depending on male competitive ability and whether female secondary dispersal leads to reproductive costs or benefits has not been examined. We used data on 100 females and 229 infants in 36 breeding groups from a 20-year long-term study of wild western lowland gorillas to investigate whether male tenure duration and female transfer rate had an effect on interbirth interval, female birth rates, and offspring mortality. We found that offspring mortality was higher near the end of males’ tenures, even after excluding potential infanticide when those males died, suggesting that females suffer a reproductive cost by being with males nearing the end of their tenures. Females experience a delay in breeding when they dispersed, having a notable effect on birth rates of surviving offspring per female if females transfer multiple times in their lives. This study exemplifies that female counterstrategies to mitigate the effects of male-male competition and sexual coercion may not be sufficient to overcome the negative consequences of male behavior

Screen-printed potentiometric Ag/AgCl chloride sensors: Lifetime performance and their use in soil salt measurements

Silver – silver chloride electrodes (Ag/AgCl) for the detection of chloride ions were fabricated using thick-film technology. Five different formulations were prepared and chloride responses were investigated over time. Almost identical and near Nernstian responses were observed over the first 162 days with an average chloride sensitivity for all formulations of -51.12 mV ± 0.45 mV per decade change in chloride concentration compared with a value of -50.59 mV ± 0.01 mV over 388 days for the best two formulations. After 6-months continuous immersion in tap water, pastes formulated with a glass binder began to exhibit a loss in sensitivity whilst those formulated from a commercial thick-film dielectric paste remained functional for the best part of a year. This difference in lifetime performance is attributed to the inclusion of proprietary additives in the commercial paste aiding adhesion and minimising AgCl leaching. The mechanical and chemical robustness of these electrodes has been demonstrated through their ability to detect changing levels of chloride when immersed in soil columns. This particular capacity will make them an invaluable tool in the fields of hydrology, agricultural science, soil science and environmental science

CAY10593 inhibits the human P2X7 receptor independently of phospholipase D1 stimulation

The P2X7 receptor is a trimeric ATP-gated cation channel important in health and disease. We have observed that the specific phospholipase D (PLD)1 antagonist, CAY10593 impairs P2X7-induced shedding of the \u27low affinity\u27 IgE receptor, CD23. The current study investigated the mode of action of this compound on P2X7 activation. Measurements of ATP-induced ethidium+ uptake revealed that CAY10593 impaired P2X7-induced pore formation in human RPMI 8226 B cells, P2X7-transfected HEK-293 cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Concentration response curves demonstrated that CAY10593 impaired P2X7-induced pore formation in RPMI 8226 cells more potently than the PLD2 antagonist CAY10594 and the non-specific PLD antagonist halopemide. Electrophysiology measurements demonstrated that CAY10593 also inhibited P2X7-induced inward currents. Notably, RT-PCR demonstrated that PLD1 was absent in RPMI 8226 cells, while choline-Cl medium or 1-butanol, which block PLD stimulation and signalling respectively did not impair P2X7 activation in these cells. This data indicates that CAY10593 impairs human P2X7 independently of PLD1 stimulation and highlights the importance of ensuring that compounds used in signalling studies downstream of P2X7 activation do not affect the receptor itself

Follicle Structure Influences the Availability of Oxygen to the Oocyte in Antral Follicles

The ability of an oocyte to successfully mature is highly dependent on intrafollicular conditions, including the size and structure of the follicle. Here we present a mathematical model of oxygen transport in the antral follicle. We relate mean oxygen concentration in follicular fluid of bovine follicles to the concentration in the immediate vicinity of the cumulus-oocyte complex (COC). The model predicts that the oxygen levels within the antral follicle are dependent on the size and structure of the follicle and that the mean level of dissolved oxygen in follicular fluid does not necessarily correspond to that reaching the COC

Thin-film flow in helically wound rectangular channels with small torsion

Laminar gravity-driven thin-film flow down a helically-wound channel of rectangular cross-section with small torsion in which the fluid depth is small is considered. Neglecting the entrance and exit regions we obtain the steady-state solution that is independent of position along the axis of the channel, so that the flow, which comprises a primary flow in the direction of the axis of the channel and a secondary flow in the cross-sectional plane, depends only on position in the two-dimensional cross-section of the channel. A thin-film approximation yields explicit expressions for the fluid velocity and pressure in terms of the free-surface shape, the latter satisfying a non-linear ordinary differential equation that has a simple exact solution in the special case of a channel of rectangular cross-section. The predictions of the thin-film model are shown to be in good agreement with much more computationally intensive solutions of the small-helix-torsion Navier–Stokes equations. The present work has particular relevance to spiral particle separators used in the mineral-processing industry. The validity of an assumption commonly used in modelling flow in spiral separators, namely that the flow in the outer region of the separator cross-section is described by a free vortex, is shown to depend on the problem parameters

An Overview of the Karst Areas in British Columbia, Canada

Karst is a three-dimensional landscape that occurs in soluble bedrock (typically limestone, marble, dolostone, gypsum or halite) and is defined by a solutionally weathered surface, a subsurface drainage system (where conduit-flow dominates), and underground openings and caves. Karst can host unique flora and subsurface fauna, as well as a wide range of other scientific, recreational and cultural values. Karst and potential karst areas underlie approximately 10% of British Columbia (BC), but the distribution and extent of this landscape has yet to be fully explored and delineated. Some of the most extensive and well-developed karst areas occur within the forestedlimestone areas of coastal BC, such as on Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii, where numerous surface karst features and caves are known. Karst in the interior plateau regions of British Columbia is less well known, being in part covered by thick deposits of glacial materials. Alpine karst regions are most apparent in the Rocky Mountains where there are limestone plateaus, karst drainages and cave systems that have close connections to past and present glacial systems. Mapping of karst is a critical component for any land-use or resource development activity in all regions of British Columbia, as the environmental impacts on karst and its associated values are potentially significant. The regional distribution of karst in BC is not well mapped, with only an office-based reconnaissance karst potential map (1:250,000-scale) and a related database completed in 1999. A renewed effort should now be made to better map karst across British Columbia using digital bedrock mapping data released in 2017, combined with more recent satellite imagery and improved field knowledge.RÉSUMÉLe karst est un paysage tridimensionnel qui se présente dans le substrat rocheux soluble (généralement calcaire, marbre, dolomite, gypse ou halite) et est défini par une surface altérée par dissolution, un système de drainage souterrain (où l’écoulement par conduit domine) et des ouvertures et cavernes souterraines. Le karst peut abriter une flore et une faune souterraine unique, ainsi qu’une grande variété d’autres ressources scientifiques, de loisir et culturelles. Les zones karstiques et potentiellement karstiques constituent environ 10% de la surface de la Colombie-Britannique, mais la répartition et l’étendue de ce paysage n’a pas été complètement explorées et circonscrites. Certaines des zones karstiques les plus étendues et les mieux développées se trouvent dans les calcaires des zones calcaires boisées de la côte de la Colombie-Britannique, telles que l’île de Vancouver et l’archipel de Haida Gwaii, où l’on connaît de nombreuses caractéristiques karstiques de surface et des cavernes. Le karst des régions des plateaux intérieurs de la Colombie-Britannique est moins bien connu, étant en partie recouvert d’épais dépôts de matériaux glaciaires. Les régions karstiques alpines sont plus apparentes dans les montagnes Rocheuses où se trouvent des plateaux calcaires, des bassins de drainage karstiques et des systèmes de cavernes étroitement liés aux systèmes glaciaires passés et contemporains. La cartographie du karst est une constituante essentielle de toute activité d’utilisation du terrain ou de développement des ressources dans toutes les régions de la Colombie-Britannique, car les impacts environnementaux sur le karst et ses bénéfices associés sont potentiellement importants. La distribution régionale et les caractéristiques des karsts en Colombie-Britannique ne sont pas bien cartographiées, avec seulement une carte de reconnaissance du potentiel karstique établie par une étude de bureau (à l’échelle de 1/250 000) et une base de données associée, complétées en 1999. Il faut aujourd’hui améliorer la cartographie de karsts en Colombie-Britannique en utilisant les données numériques de cartographie du substrat rocheux publiées en 2017, combinées avec des images satellite plus récentes et à une meilleure connaissance du terrain

Anomalous dynamics of cell migration

Cell movement, for example during embryogenesis or tumor metastasis, is a complex dynamical process resulting from an intricate interplay of multiple components of the cellular migration machinery. At first sight, the paths of migrating cells resemble those of thermally driven Brownian particles. However, cell migration is an active biological process putting a characterization in terms of normal Brownian motion into question. By analyzing the trajectories of wildtype and mutated epithelial (MDCK-F) cells we show experimentally that anomalous dynamics characterizes cell migration. A superdiffusive increase of the mean squared displacement, non-Gaussian spatial probability distributions, and power-law decays of the velocity autocorrelations are the basis for this interpretation. Almost all results can be explained with a fractional Klein- Kramers equation allowing the quantitative classification of cell migration by a few parameters. Thereby it discloses the influence and relative importance of individual components of the cellular migration apparatus to the behavior of the cell as a whole.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl