Financial Information Base of Participants in FSA Borrower Training

The article presents the results of a survey designed to assess the financial records knowledge of farmers in FSA training. Questions are asked about which records farmers are currently keeping and how they use those records and financial information. Results suggest farmers are keeping track of mainly cash expenses and are not developing much analysis from their records. Farmers do appear to appreciate the importance of financial records, however. FSA borrower training can help borrowers improve their financial record knowledge to make better farm business decisions. Also, the 2-day format of the workshop seems to be successful at providing detailed financial information

Estimating the Supply Curve for Nutria Pelts From Coastal Louisiana and the Impacts Associated with Declining Prices

Nutria harvests vary with price. As pelt prices declined, nutria populations - and wetland degradation have risen. This paper develops a nutria supply model to predict harvests at various prices which are incorporated into a wetland loss model to determine how alternative incentive programs affect changes in wetland degradation.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Partitioning the Mechanical Cost of Human Walking: Unveiling Cost Asymmetries for Bionic Technologies

Biomechanics studies over the past 150 years, suggest that animals, including humans, move at speeds that “optimize” their cost of transport. These optimizations can be metabolic, mechanical, or a mixture of the two; however, the consensus on the relationship between metabolic and mechanical cost has been muddied by our current conceptualizations of mechanical cost. Our prior considerations in assessing mechanical cost of transport for animal locomotion often rely upon the exchange of potential and kinetic energy for a rising and falling center of mass that is supported by rigid legs. As a result, our understanding of the mechanical costs associated with two-legged walking, especially the like that of humans, remains incomplete. Established approaches model only the mechanical cost of the step-to- step transitions, and often neglect or minimalize the cost dynamics that occur during steps. In an effort to rectify our current assumptions about mechanical cost, I examine the walking gaits of people through the lens of a quantitative approach that considers every instance of the walking stride as a whole. Direct measurement of ground reaction force and center of mass velocity vector geometries provides an opportunity to quantify the fundamental mechanical cost of transport dynamics that are inherent to human walking. The novel aspect of my approach allows for the partitioning of the human walking stride into steps (single support periods) and step-to-step transitions (double support periods). My approach allows us to better ascertain each support periods’ respective contributions to the overall mechanical work that is inherent to moving our body weight over a unit of distance in two steps – i.e. the mechanical cost of transport. My studies on human volunteers include experimental perturbations of walking speed and I also consider the effect of foot-ankle prosthetic devices on people with below-the-knee amputations. After establishing mechanical cost of transport dynamics on able-bodied volunteers walking at different speeds, I compare these results to the walking gaits of people using non-motorized, dynamic prosthetics and found that while mechanical costs of transport did not greatly differ between the two groups, the distribution of mechanical cost throughout the walking stride for prosthesis users was quite asymmetric. These cost asymmetries often resulted in “hot spots” of mechanical cost that have the potential to be rectified through mechanical intervention in the form of mechanical tuning or robotic prosthetic applications. I show this potential through the experimental examination of a prototype, powered prosthesis that was designed to emulate human ankle dynamics at different walking speeds. The results of the robotic intervention showed a 12%-17% decrease in overall mechanical cost of transport for prosthesis users versus their walking gait solutions on their traditional, non-motorized prosthesis. The results of this mechanical cost analysis along with stride partitioning to identify asymmetrical cost distribution is a key innovation for the analysis of human locomotion and has potential to bolster the foundation for future consideration of mechanical cost of transport dynamics in people using prosthetics, and in the development of robotic and movement assistance technologies

Down-regulation of human topoisomerase IIα expression correlates with relative amounts of specificity factors Sp1 and Sp3 bound at proximal and distal promoter regions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Topoisomerase IIα has been shown to be down-regulated in doxorubicin-resistant cell lines. The specificity proteins Sp1 and Sp3 have been implicated in regulation of topoisomerase IIα transcription, although the mechanism by which they regulate expression is not fully understood. Sp1 has been shown to bind specifically to both proximal and distal GC elements of the human topoisomerase IIα promoter <it>in vitro</it>, while Sp3 binds only to the distal GC element unless additional flanking sequences are included. While Sp1 is thought to be an activator of human topoisomerase IIα, the functional significance of Sp3 binding is not known. Therefore, we sought to determine the functional relationship between Sp1 and Sp3 binding to the topoisomerase IIα promoter <it>in vivo</it>. We investigated endogenous levels of Sp1, Sp3 and topoisomerase IIα as well as binding of both Sp1 and Sp3 to the GC boxes of the topoisomerase IIα promoter in breast cancer cell lines <it>in vivo </it>after short term doxorubicin exposure.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Functional effects of Sp1 and Sp3 were studied using transient cotransfection assays using a topoisomerase IIα promoter reporter construct. The <it>in vivo </it>interactions of Sp1 and Sp3 with the GC elements of the topoisomerase IIα promoter were studied in doxorubicin-treated breast cancer cell lines using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Relative amounts of endogenous proteins were measured using immunoblotting. <it>In vivo </it>DNA looping mediated by proteins bound at the GC1 and GC2 elements was studied using the chromatin conformation capture assay. Both Sp1 and Sp3 bound to the GC1 and GC2 regions. Sp1 and Sp3 were transcriptional activators and repressors respectively, with Sp3 repression being dominant over Sp1-mediated activation. The GC1 and GC2 elements are linked <it>in vivo </it>to form a loop, thus bringing distal regulatory elements and their cognate transcription factors into close proximity with the transcription start site.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These observations provide a mechanistic explanation for the modulation of topoisomerase IIα and concomitant down-regulation that can be mediated by topoisomerase II poisons. Competition between Sp1 and Sp3 for the same cognate DNA would result in activation or repression depending on absolute amounts of each transcription factor in cells treated with doxorubicin.</p

Carbon nitride as a ligand: edge-site coordination of ReCl(CO)3-fragments to g-C3 N4

IR spectroscopy and model structural studies show binding of ReCl(CO) 3-fragments to carbon nitride (g-C 3N 4) occurs via κ 2 N,N′ bidentate coordination

Bring your own heritage: final project report.

Public libraries have traditionally played a role in the acquisition and curation of local studies collections, and cultural heritage is recognised as a core area of activity for libraries aiming to increase patron numbers (Danish Agency for Libraries and Media, 2010). Developments in digital technologies present libraries with new opportunities to enhance this area of strength and expertise. For example, crowdsourcing, gaming and laser scanning could be used to increase engagement and to enable more people to both access and contribute to these collections (Laing and Scott, 2011; Nicholson, 2013; Czarnecki, 2010). Libraries are increasingly becoming spaces where knowledge is created and shared, and many are making use of collaborative and social technologies to encourage this (Paulus, 2011). Our project was conducted in partnership with Moray Council in Elgin, in the Northeast of Scotland. It has a rich history dating back to the 12th century - but, like many areas, it is facing challenges. The library service in the local authority area of Moray has been threatened with cuts, with four local branches earmarked for closure (BBC, 2013). The main aim of this research was to investigate the opportunities and challenges for libraries to develop their role as facilitators of community heritage curation through the development of IT utilities, such as laser scanning and gaming

Single-nucleotide polymorphism-based genetic risk score and patient age at prostate cancer diagnosis

Importance: Few studies have evaluated the association between a single-nucleotide polymorphism-based genetic risk score (GRS) and patient age at prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis. Objectives: To test the association between a GRS and patient age at PCa diagnosis and to compare the performance of a GRS with that of family history (FH) in PCa risk stratification. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cohort study of 3225 white men was conducted as a secondary analysis of the Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE) chemoprevention trial, a 4-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study conducted from March 2003 to April 2009 to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dutasteride in reducing PCa events. Participants were confirmed to be cancer free by prostate biopsy (6-12 cores) within 6 months prior to the study and underwent 10 core biopsies every 2 years per protocol. The dates for performing data analysis were from July 2016 to October 2019. Interventions: A well-established, population-standardized GRS was calculated for each participant based on 110 known PCa risk-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms, which is a relative risk compared with the general population. Men were classified into 3 GRS risk groups based on predetermined cutoff values: low (\u3c0.50), average (0.50-1.49), and high (≥1.50). Main Outcomes and Measures: Prostate cancer diagnosis-free survival among men of different risk groups. Results: Among 3225 men (median age, 63 years [interquartile range, 58-67 years]) in the study, 683 (21%) were classified as low risk, 1937 (60%) as average risk, and 605 (19%) as high risk based on GRS alone. In comparison, 2789 (86%) were classified as low or average risk and 436 (14%) as high risk based on FH alone. Men in higher GRS risk groups had a PCa diagnosis-free survival rate that was worse than that of those in the lower GRS risk group (χ2 = 53.3; P \u3c .001 for trend) and in participants with a negative FH of PCa (χ2 = 45.5; P \u3c .001 for trend). Combining GRS and FH further stratified overall genetic risk, indicating that 957 men (30%) were at high genetic risk (either high GRS or positive FH), 1667 men (52%) were at average genetic risk (average GRS and negative FH), and 601 men (19%) were at low genetic risk (low GRS and negative FH). The median PCa diagnosis-free survival was 74 years (95% CI, 73-75 years) for men at high genetic risk, 77 years (95% CI, 75 to \u3e80 years) for men at average genetic risk, and more than 80 years (95% CI, \u3e80 to \u3e80 years) for men at low genetic risk. In contrast, the median PCa diagnosis-free survival was 73 years (95% CI, 71-76 years) for men with a positive FH and 77 years (95% CI, 76-79 years) for men with a negative FH. Conclusions and Relevance: This study suggests that a GRS is significantly associated with patient age at PCa diagnosis. Combining FH and GRS may better stratify inherited risk than FH alone for developing personalized PCa screening strategies