An Economic Comparison of Composted Manure and Commercial Nitrogen with Imperfect Information

The economic feasibility of fertilizing irrigated grain sorghum with compos ted manure is evaluated using net return budgeting and production function analysis. Although the use of compost is technically feasible, the economic analysis indicates that compost does not comprise a large percentage of the nitrogen source in the profit-maximizing combination with commercial fertilizer.Composted manure, commercial nitrogen, net returns budgeting, production function analysis, irrigated grain sorghum, Crop Production/Industries,

Data-driven Culture: A Transformational Framework

In the context of digital transformation, having a data-driven organizational culture has been recognized as an important factor for data analytics capabilities, innovativeness and competitive advantage of firms. However, the current literature on data-driven culture (DDC) is fragmented, lacking both a synthesis of findings and a theoretical foundation. Therefore, the aim of this work has been to develop a comprehensive framework for understanding DDC and the mechanisms that can be used to embed such a culture in organizations as well as structuring prior dispersed findings on the topic. Based on the foundation of organizational culture theory, we employed a Design Science Research (DSR) approach using a systematic literature review and expert interviews to build and evaluate a transformation-oriented framework. This research contributes to knowledge by synthesizing previously dispersed knowledge in a holistic framework, as well as, by providing a conceptual framework to guide the transformation towards a DDC

Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Spectroscopy of the Nova-like BB Doradus

We present an analysis of the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer ({\it{FUSE}}) spectra of the little-known southern nova-like BB Doradus. The spectrum was obtained as part of our Cycle 8 {\it FUSE} survey of high declination nova-like stars. The FUSE spectrum of BB Dor, observed in a high state, is modeled with an accretion disk with a very low inclination (possibly lower than 10deg). Assuming an average WD mass of 0.8 solar leads to a mass accretion rate of 1.E-9 Solar mass/year and a distance of the order of 650 pc, consistent with the extremely low galactic reddening in its direction. The spectrum presents some broad and deep silicon and sulfur absorption lines, indicating that these elements are over-abundant by 3 and 20 times solar, respectively

Resistant Starches Types 2 and 4 Have Differential Effects on the Composition of the Fecal Microbiota in Human Subjects

BACKGROUND: To systematically develop dietary strategies based on resistant starch (RS) that modulate the human gut microbiome, detailed in vivo studies that evaluate the effects of different forms of RS on the community structure and population dynamics of the gut microbiota are necessary. The aim of the present study was to gain a community wide perspective of the effects of RS types 2 (RS2) and 4 (RS4) on the fecal microbiota in human individuals. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Ten human subjects consumed crackers for three weeks each containing either RS2, RS4, or native starch in a double-blind, crossover design. Multiplex sequencing of 16S rRNA tags revealed that both types of RS induced several significant compositional alterations in the fecal microbial populations, with differential effects on community structure. RS4 but not RS2 induced phylum-level changes, significantly increasing Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes while decreasing Firmicutes. At the species level, the changes evoked by RS4 were increases in Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Parabacteroides distasonis, while RS2 significantly raised the proportions of Ruminococcus bromii and Eubacterium rectale when compared to RS4. The population shifts caused by RS4 were numerically substantial for several taxa, leading for example, to a ten-fold increase in bifidobacteria in three of the subjects, enriching them to 18-30% of the fecal microbial community. The responses to RS and their magnitudes varied between individuals, and they were reversible and tightly associated with the consumption of RS. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that RS2 and RS4 show functional differences in their effect on human fecal microbiota composition, indicating that the chemical structure of RS determines its accessibility by groups of colonic bacteria. The findings imply that specific bacterial populations could be selectively targeted by well designed functional carbohydrates, but the inter-subject variations in the response to RS indicates that such strategies might benefit from more personalized approaches

The Effect of Dust Extinction on the Observed Properties of Galaxies in the Near-Infrared

Galaxies behind the Milky Way suffer size reduction and dimming due to their obscuration by dust in the disk of our Galaxy. The degree of obscuration is wavelength dependent. It decreases towards longer wavelengths. Compared to the optical, the Near InfraRed (NIR) $K_s$ band extinction is only $\approx10$ that of the $B$ band. This makes NIR surveys well suited for galaxy surveys close to the Galactic Plane where extinction is severe. While Galactic obscuration is less prominent in the NIR it is not negligible. In this paper we derive empirical relations to correct isophotal radii and magnitudes of galaxies observed in the NIR for foreground absorption. We simulate extinction in the $J$, $H$ and $K_s$ bands on 64 (unobscured) galaxies from the 2MASS Large Galaxy Atlas \citep{jarrett}. We propose two methods for the extinction correction, the first is optimized to provide the most accurate correction and the second provides a convenient statistical correction that works adequately in lower extinction regions. The optimized correction utilizes the galaxy surface brightness, either the disk central surface brightness, $\mu_0$, or the combined disk plus bulge central surface brightness, elliptical and disk/spiral Hubble types. A detailed comparison between the different methods and their accuracy is provided.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures and 8 tables. Accepted by the MNRAS: Accepted 2009 September 18. Received 2009 September 18; in original form 2009 July 1

The DESI Experiment, a whitepaper for Snowmass 2013

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is a massively multiplexed fiber-fed spectrograph that will make the next major advance in dark energy in the timeframe 2018-2022. On the Mayall telescope, DESI will obtain spectra and redshifts for at least 18 million emission-line galaxies, 4 million luminous red galaxies and 3 million quasi-stellar objects, in order to: probe the effects of dark energy on the expansion history using baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), measure the gravitational growth history through redshift-space distortions, measure the sum of neutrino masses, and investigate the signatures of primordial inflation. The resulting 3-D galaxy maps at z<2 and Lyman-alpha forest at z>2 will make 1%-level measurements of the distance scale in 35 redshift bins, thus providing unprecedented constraints on cosmological models.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, a White Paper for Snowmass 201

Constraint on the time variation of the fine-structure constant with the SDSS-III/BOSS DR12 quasar sample

From the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 12, which covers the full Baryonic Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) footprint, we investigate the possible variation of the fine-structure constant over cosmological time-scales. We analyse the largest quasar sample considered so far in the literature, which contains 13175 spectra (10363 from SDSS-III/BOSS DR12 + 2812 from SDSS-II DR7) with redshift $z<\,$1. We apply the emission-line method on the [O III] doublet (4960, 5008 A) and obtain $\Delta\alpha/\alpha= \left(0.9 \pm 1.8\right)\times10^{-5}$ for the relative variation of the fine-structure constant. We also investigate the possible sources of systematics: misidentification of the lines, sky OH lines, H$\,\beta$ and broad line contamination, Gaussian and Voigt fitting profiles, optimal wavelength range for the Gaussian fits, chosen polynomial order for the continuum spectrum, signal-to-noise ratio and good quality of the fits. The uncertainty of the measurement is dominated by the sky subtraction. The results presented in this work, being systematics limited, have sufficient statistics to constrain robustly the variation of the fine-structure constant in redshift bins ($\Delta z\approx$ 0.06) over the last 7.9 Gyr. In addition, we study the [Ne III] doublet (3870, 3969 A) present in 462 quasar spectra and discuss the systematic effects on using these emission lines to constrain the fine-structure constant variation. Better constraints on $\Delta\alpha/\alpha\$ ($<$10$^{-6}$) using the emission-line method would be possible with high-resolution spectroscopy and large galaxy/qso surveys.Comment: 16 pages, 16 figures. Version published in MNRAS. Analysis enlarged, public catalogue now availabl

Festfutterverzehr und Gewichtsentwicklung von Mutterkuhkälbern

Im Rahmen einer Praxiserhebung wurden Daten zum Festfutterverzehr und zur Lebendgewichtsentwicklung von Mutterkuhkälbern von der Geburt bis im Alter von 305 Tagen erhoben und analysiert. Daraus wurden Schätzformeln zur Gewichtsentwicklung und zum Festfutterverzehr von Mutterkuhkälbern in der Schweiz abgeleitet. Es zeigte sich, dass das Alter und Geschlecht der Kälber sowie der Rassentyp der Mutter die Gewichtsentwicklung von Mutterkuhkälbern beeinflussen. Letzteres dürfte auf Unterschiede in der Milchleistung der Mutter zurückzuführen sein. Kälber mit F1-Müttern (Mast- × Milchrasse) nahmen bis zum 150. Tag 13 % mehr zu als reine Mastrassentiere, in der zweiten Altersphase waren es sogar 23 %. Von der Geburt bis zum Alter von 150 Tagen wurde eine Verzehrssteigerung von 0 auf 3,4 kg TS/Tag Festfutter berechnet, für die Altersphase von 151 bis 305 Tagen eine von 3,5 auf 7,0 kg TS/Tag. Die Formeln zur Schätzung des Festfutterverzehrs von Mutterkuhkälbern beinhalten die Faktoren Lebendgewicht (LG) oder Alter der Kälber sowie in der zweiten Altersphase zusätzlich den Rassentyp der Mutter. Die Milchleistung der Mutterkühe scheint auch den Festfutterverzehr ihrer Kälber zu beeinflussen. Kälber mit F1-Müttern haben ab einem Alter von 150 Tagen wesentlich weniger Festfutter aufgenommen als reine Mastrassentiere. Bis zum Alter von 150 Tagen sind die ermittelten Werte zum summierten Grundfutterverzehr von Mutterkuhkälbern mit den Richtwerten in den Grundlagen für die Düngung landwirtschaftlicher Kulturen (GRUD) vergleichbar. Von der Geburt bis zum Alter von 305 Tagen war der summierte Grundfutterverzehr jedoch um 32 % höher (793 vs. 600 kg TS) als derjenige der GRUD, wobei das LG ebenfalls um 19 % höher war (418 vs. 350 kg). Der summierte Grundfutterverzehr ist aufgrund dieser Differenzen im LG nicht direkt mit den Werten der GRUD vergleichbar