ALERT: FARMERS NEED TO SIGN UP FOR ACRE!

Corn, soybean and wheat producers are facing serious financial challenges. And it is even worse for livestock producers, most of who are also crop producers and are therefore eligible for ACRE. Crops are behind in maturity, some areas of the state need rain, product prices have fallen substantially, and USDA Counter Cyclical payments do not start until $2.35 on corn,$5.36 soybeans and $3.40 on wheat. Chances of prices that low are around 10-15%, but at that point ACRE payments would be much, much bigger. Many producers do not understand ACRE and the benefits available; most of the reasons given for not participating are invalid.Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management,

Structural and Environmental Variables Affecting Biodiversity Conservation in Agroforestry Systems in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon

The Northern Ecuadorian Amazon (NEA) is recognized as biodiversity hotspot that contains unique endemic plant species. However, unsustainable agricultural practices, such as more frequent cycles of shifting agriculture (SA), threat the NEA’s forests endurance with negative consequences for biodiversity levels and ecological functions. In this study, I examined the spatial and temporal dynamics of the diversity of native trees across various types of agroforestry systems (AFS) subjected to SA. That is, the degree of existing risk of endangerment of tree species, the rapid change in floristic composition of mature forests converted to AFS, and the recovery pace of forest communities following abandonment. Transforming mature forest communities (MFC) to different AFS leads to a decrease in alpha diversity up to 75%. AFSs preserve 56% of the beta diversity compared to MFC; at least 8% of the species are threatened and the demographic status of 92% species is unknown. MFCs seem to regain their original structure after AFS abandonment. In the second part, I investigated whether AFS reverses the effect of intensified SA in cocoa (Theobroma cacao) agrosystems. I addressed the extent to which multispecific cocoa AFSs buffer the impact of reduced fallows in SA on loss of species. Tree diversity showed a gradual decrease from low to intermediate to high intensification SA in cocoa AFS, with values of 46, 29, and 12 species richness. The absence of fallows in SA affects tree presence, leading to changes in floristic composition in 30% fewer species compared to the beta diversity in cocoa AFSs experiencing long resting phases. Nonetheless, the similar beta diversity between low and intermediate intensification levels of SA suggests a concomitant delay in forest degradation rates. Finally, I examined the extent to which beta diversity in AFS reverses the effect of shorter SA fallow periods in the soil properties of cocoa (T. cacao) agrosystems. Agroforestry systems, combined with SA, shields the negative outcome of intense land-use on the soil’s nutrients. The arboreal cover maintains the soil fertility needed for crop performance and food sustainability. The dominance of certain tree species (Vochysia leguiana, Inga edulis, Cordia alliodora) is essential to support adequate dynamic levels of nutrient cycling with more intense fallow periods, whereas some other species (Virola flexuosa, Chrysophyllum amazonicum, Ocotea bofo) have an apparent effect on soil acidity. I conclude that AFS have the potential for enhancing sustainable forest management and preservation of endangered tree species

Determination of selected hydrocarbon concentrations in reformate using near infrared spectroscopy

Near infrared spectroscopy was used as a quantitative technique employing multiple linear regression and partial least squares regression for determining the concentration of hydrocarbon groups and individual hydrocarbons present in reformate, a refinery process stream. Models were generated for total aromatics, benzene, toluene, total xylenes and individual xylene isomers, ethylbenzene, total paraffins, n-hexane, n-heptane, total isoparaffins, isopentane, 2-methylhexane, total naphthenes, methylcyclopentane, and total olefins. Some models are being used with an on-line instrument to constantly monitor a reformate stream as it leaves the reforming unit, with a standard error of performance of 0.118 volume percent for the prediction of the benzene concentration for a six month period. This technique serves as a faster method which takes less than a minute to perform the operation, whereas the primary methods of gas chromatography can take in excess of three hours to perform. By providing reliable data, this faster analysis can lead to enhanced economics concerning analysis time and can be used on-line for better control of a refinery process

Late Planting Decisions with Crop Insurance: Decision Guidelines for Michigan Farmers in Spring 2011

Michigan has had unusually wet planting conditions in 2011, leading to substantial acreage that has not been planted at this late date. Farmers who purchased crop insurance have many options available to them. This paper addresses the major crop insurance decisions that farmers will face during the next 30 days.crop insurance, prevented planting, risk management, farm management, corn returns, soybean returns, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Risk and Uncertainty,

High-energy, shock-front assisted resonant radiation in the normal dispersion regime

We present a simple yet effective theory that predicts the existence of resonant radiation bands in the deep normal group velocity dispersion region of a medium, even in absence of a zero-group velocity dispersion point. This radiation is evident when the medium is pumped with high-energy ultrashort pulses, and it is driven by the interplay between the Kerr and the shock terms in the NLSE. Accurate experiments performed in bulk silica fully support the theoretical phase-matching condition found by our theory.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Fluorescent ligand for human progesterone receptor imaging in live cells.

We employed molecular modeling to design and then synthesize fluorescent ligands for the human progesterone receptor. Boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) or tetramethylrhodamine were conjugated to the progesterone receptor antagonist RU486 (Mifepristone) through an extended hydrophilic linker. The fluorescent ligands demonstrated comparable bioactivity to the parent antagonist in live cells and triggered nuclear translocation of the receptor in a specific manner. The BODIPY labeled ligand was applied to investigate the dependency of progesterone receptor nuclear translocation on partner proteins and to show that functional heat shock protein 90 but not immunophilin FKBP52 activity is essential. A tissue distribution study indicated that the fluorescent ligand preferentially accumulates in tissues that express high levels of the receptor in vivo. The design and properties of the BODIPY-labeled RU486 make it a potential candidate for in vivo imaging of PR by positron emission tomography through incorporation of (18)F into the BODIPY core

The role of atrial natriuretic peptide to attenuate inflammation in a mouse skin wound and individually perfused rat mesenteric microvessels.

We tested the hypothesis that the anti-inflammatory actions of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) result from the modulation of leukocyte adhesion to inflamed endothelium and not solely ANP ligation of endothelial receptors to stabilize endothelial barrier function. We measured vascular permeability to albumin and accumulation of fluorescent neutrophils in a full-thickness skin wound on the flank of LysM-EGFP mice 24 h after formation. Vascular permeability in individually perfused rat mesenteric microvessels was also measured after leukocytes were washed out of the vessel lumen. Thrombin increased albumin permeability and increased the accumulation of neutrophils. The thrombin-induced inflammatory responses were attenuated by pretreating the wound with ANP (30 min). During pretreatment ANP did not lower permeability, but transiently increased baseline albumin permeability concomitant with the reduction in neutrophil accumulation. ANP did not attenuate acute increases in permeability to histamine and bradykinin in individually perfused rat microvessels. The hypothesis that anti-inflammatory actions of ANP depend solely on endothelial responses that stabilize the endothelial barrier is not supported by our results in either individually perfused microvessels in the absence of circulating leukocytes or the more chronic skin wound model. Our results conform to the alternate hypothesis that ANP modulates the interaction of leukocytes with the inflamed microvascular wall of the 24 h wound. Taken together with our previous observations that ANP reduces deformability of neutrophils and their strength of attachment, rolling, and transvascular migration, these observations provide the basis for additional investigations of ANP as an anti-inflammatory agent to modulate leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions