1,863 research outputs found
Manager\u27s Perceptions of Alcohol Server Staffing and Training Methods
Over-consumption of alcoholic beverages is a concern of managers of hotels and motels with a club/lounge, restaurant, and tavern. The authors surveyed members of two industry associations in Oklahoma to ascertain alcohol server training methods and managers\u27 perception of the value of such programs
POTENTIAL FARM-LEVEL IMPACTS OF PROPOSED FQPA IMPLEMENTATION: THE TENNESSEE CASE
This research estimates farm-level impacts of a potential ban on organophosphates and carbamates under the FQPA. Insecticide expenditure and first- and fifth-year yield impacts are estimated for five Tennessee representative farms. Results indicate that within five years, the ban could reduce net farm income on Tennessee farms by 16 to 46 percent.FQPA, organophosphates, carbamates, insecticides, farm-level analysis, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy,
ESTIMATING PRICE VARIABILITY IN AGRICULTURE: IMPLICATIONS FOR DECISION MAKERS
Using a stochastic version of the POLYSYS modeling framework, an examination of projected variability in agricultural prices, supply, demand, stocks, and incomes is conducted for corn, wheat, soybeans, and cotton during the 1998-2006 period. Increased planting flexibility introduced in the 1996 farm bill results in projections of significantly higher planted acreage variability compared to recent historical levels. Variability of ending stocks and stock-to-use ratios is projected to be higher for corn and soybeans and lower for wheat and cotton compared to the 1986-96 period. Significantly higher variability is projected for corn prices, with wheat and soybean prices also being more variable. No significant change in cotton price variability is projected.POLYSYS model, Price variability, Stochastic simulation, Crop Production/Industries,
Expert Testimony on Proximate Cause
Expert testimony is common in tort litigation, especially on issues of standard of care and cause-in-fact. Rule 704 of the Federal Rules of Evidence and its state counterparts abolished the prohibition of testimony on ultimate issues, leading to the possibility of expert testimony on the often crucial issue of proximate cause. The situation is easy to imagine. After counsel has qualified an expert witness and elicited an opinion that the particular act or omission caused the injury in question, counsel might very well be tempted to inquire whether the witness has an opinion as to whether the act or omission was a proximate or legal cause of the accident. Or, counsel may merge the two lines of inquiry and ask whether the act or omission proximately resulted in the accident or injury to the plaintiff. The inquiry seems harmless. The term proximate is commonly understood to mean only near or close to. The question is not innocuous, however. The issue of expert testimony on the question of proximate cause implicates several restrictions on expert testimony that survive the broad permission of Rule 704, and touches upon the serious issue of the proper roles of expert and fact-finder in the application of law to facts. The few published cases that have considered the issue of expert testimony on proximate cause are split.\u27 The question arises far more often, however, than is indicated by the relative scarcity of reported decisions.
This Article addresses the usefulness and propriety of expert testimony on the issue of proximate cause. After briefly defining the concept of proximate cause, this Article argues that expert testimony on proximate cause is inadmissible under Rule 704, despite the general admissibility of testimony on ultimate issues. In addition, opinion on proximate cause is inadmissible because it fails to clear the separate hurdles of Rules 702\u27 and 4036 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. A technical expert on standard of care or actual cause is not qualified to opine on the issue of proximate cause and thus fails the expertise test of Rule 702. Furthermore, even the testimony of a genuine expert on the issue of proximate cause should be excluded because such testimony fails the helpfulness test of Rule 702. Finally, expert testimony on the issue of proximate cause is inadmissible under Rule 403 because its probative value is substantially outweighed by the possibility that such testimony will confuse the issues and mislead the jury
A comparison between microsatellite and single-nucleotide polymorphism markers with respect to two measures of information content
Using the Genetic Analysis Workshop 14 (GAW14) simulated dataset, we compare microsatellite and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in terms of two measures of information content, the traditional entropy-based information content measure, and a new "relative information" measure. Both attempt to measure the amount of information contained in the markers about the identity-by-descent (IBD) sharing among relatives. The performance of the two information measures are compared based on their variability and ability to predict change in the LOD score (ΔLOD) as map density increases for SNP markers. Although in a linked region, LOD scores are correlated with measures of information, we observe that none of the measures predict the LOD score itself very well. In an unlinked region, the LOD score is not related to either measures of information. The information content of microsatellite markers with 7.5-cM spacing is slightly higher than that of SNP markers with 3-cM spacing. At these map densities, microsatellites are found to be uniformly more informative than SNPs irrespective of their level of heterozygosity. For SNPs, we found that as the level of heterozygosity increases, the information content increases. As reported in all other previous studies, we also found that high-density SNPs have higher information content compared to low-density microsatellites. Performance of both the two information measures considered here are similar, but the relative information measure predicts ΔLOD as marker density increases better than the traditional entropy-based information measure
Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Meeting, Southern Soybean Disease Workers (March 8-9, 2006, Jackson, Tennessee)
Contents
Southern Soybean Disease Workers 2005 treasury report
Southern United States Soybean Disease Loss Estimates for 2005. Compiled by SR Koenning
Virulence in Phytopbthora sojae Isolates to Soybeans with Rps8 Resistance. DA Smith, TS Abney, and JG Shannon
New Sources of Resistance to SCN in Soybean. PR Arelli
Soybean Disease Management in Louisiana. B Padgett, MA Purvis, and BW Garber
Efficacy and Profitability of Foliar Fungicide in the Absence of Soybean Rust. M Newman and W Percell
Fungicide and Insecticide Combinations for Enhancing Soybean Health and Yield. RP Mulrooney and RW Taylor
Overview of Soybean Rust Monitoring in the US. JC Rupe
Yield Enhancement of Probable Asian Soybean Rust Control Fungicides. JB Blessitt, DH Poston, GL Sciumbato, CH Koger, and N Buehring
Occurrence of Disease and Insect Pests in Select Sorghum and Soybean Rotations in Mississippi. ST Pichardo, RE Baird, and HN Pitre
A Preliminary Evaluation of Spore Trapping Technology for Phakopsora pachyrhizi. EP Mumma, RW Schneider, CL Robertson, CG Giles, JJ Marois, and DL Wright
Influence of Host Genotype and Soybean Cyst Nematode on Charcoal Rot of Soybean. TM Dorton, JP Bond, ME Schmidt, CM Vick, and AK Gregor
Comparison of Disease Assessments of Soybean Genotypes in the Presence of Charcoal Rot. A Mengistu, RL Paris, JR Smith, and JD Ray
Twenty Years of Soybean Variety Testing for SDS. C Schmidt, J Klein, M Schmidt, and J Bond
SCN-Resistant Soybeans Offer a False Sense of Security to Producers. R Heinz, LE Sweets, and MG Mitchum
Roundup Ready and Conventional Soybeans with Broad Resistance to SCN HG Types. JG Shannon, JA Wrather, DA Sleper, HT Nguyen, and SC Anand
A Review ofReniform Nematode Resistance on Soybean. RT Robbins
Effect of Seed Treatments on Soybean Stand and Yield in Arkansas, 2005. JC Rupe, CS Rothrock, TL Kirkpatrick, ML Rosso, and AJ Steger
Inheritance of Resistance to Phomopsis Seed Decay in Soybean PI 360841. SE Smith, P Fenn, PK Miller, and P Chen
Proceedings of the Southern Soybean Disease Workers are published annually by the Southern Soybean Disease Workers.
Text, references, figures, and tables are reproduced as they were submitted by authors. The opinions expressed by the participants at this conference are their own and do not necessarily represent those of the Southern Soybean Disease Workers.
Mention of a trademark or proprietary products in this publication does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or endorsement of that product by the Southern Soybean Disease Workers
Using a resource effect study pre-pilot to inform a large randomized trial: the Decide2Quit.Org Web-assisted tobacco intervention
Resource effect studies can be useful in highlighting areas of improvement in informatics tools. Before a large randomized trial, we tested the functions of the Decide2Quit.org Web-assisted tobacco intervention using smokers (N=204) recruited via Google advertisements. These smokers were given access to Decide2Quit.org for six months and we tracked their usage and assessed their six months cessation using a rigorous follow-up. Multiple, interesting findings were identified: we found the use of tailored emails to dramatically increase participation for a short period. We also found varied effects of the different functions. Functions supporting seeking social support (Your Online Community and Family Tools), Healthcare Provider Tools, and the Library had positive effects on quit outcomes. One surprising finding, which needs further investigation, was that writing to our Tobacco Treatment Specialists was negatively associated with quit outcomes
Morphologies and Spectral Energy Distributions of Extremely Red Galaxies in the GOODS-South Field
Using U'- through Ks-band imaging data in the GOODS-South field, we construct
a large, complete sample of 275 ``extremely red objects'' (EROs; K_s<22.0,
R-K_s>3.35; AB), all with deep HST/ACS imaging in B_435, V_606, i_775, and
z_850, and well-calibrated photometric redshifts. Quantitative concentration
and asymmetry measurements fail to separate EROs into distinct morphological
classes. We therefore visually classify the morphologies of all EROs into four
broad types: ``Early'' (elliptical-like), ``Late'' (disk galaxies),
``Irregular'' and ``Other'' (chain galaxies and low surface brightness
galaxies), and calculate their relative fractions and comoving space densities.
For a broad range of limiting magnitudes and color thresholds, the relative
number of early-type EROs is approximately constant at 33-44%, and the comoving
space densities of Early- and Late-type EROs are comparable. Mean rest-frame
spectral energy distributions (SEDs) at wavelengths between 0.1 and 1.2 um are
constructed for all EROs. The SEDs are extremely similar in their range of
shapes, independent of morphological type. The implication is that any
differences between the broad-band SEDs of Early-type EROs and the other types
are relatively subtle, and there is no robust way of photometrically
distinguishing between different morphological types with usual
optical/near-infrared photometry.Comment: Submitted to the ApJL. A version with full-resolution figures, all
GOODS data and all GOODS collaboration papers may be found at
http://www.stsci.edu/science/goods
Association Between Residential Greenness and Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Background Exposure to green vegetation has been linked to positive health, but the pathophysiological processes affected by exposure to vegetation remain unclear. To study the relationship between greenness and cardiovascular disease, we examined the association between residential greenness and biomarkers of cardiovascular injury and disease risk in susceptible individuals. Methods and Results In this cross-sectional study of 408 individuals recruited from a preventive cardiology clinic, we measured biomarkers of cardiovascular injury and risk in participant blood and urine. We estimated greenness from satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index ( NDVI ) in zones with radii of 250 m and 1 km surrounding the participants' residences. We used generalized estimating equations to examine associations between greenness and cardiovascular disease biomarkers. We adjusted for residential clustering, demographic, clinical, and environmental variables. In fully adjusted models, contemporaneous NDVI within 250 m of participant residence was inversely associated with urinary levels of epinephrine (-6.9%; 95% confidence interval, -11.5, -2.0/0.1 NDVI ) and F2-isoprostane (-9.0%; 95% confidence interval, -15.1, -2.5/0.1 NDVI ). We found stronger associations between NDVI and urinary epinephrine in women, those not on β-blockers, and those who had not previously experienced a myocardial infarction. Of the 15 subtypes of circulating angiogenic cells examined, 11 were inversely associated (8.0-15.6% decrease/0.1 NDVI ), whereas 2 were positively associated (37.6-45.8% increase/0.1 NDVI ) with contemporaneous NDVI . Conclusions Independent of age, sex, race, smoking status, neighborhood deprivation, statin use, and roadway exposure, residential greenness is associated with lower levels of sympathetic activation, reduced oxidative stress, and higher angiogenic capacity
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