Lake Erie Grape Farm Cost Survey, 2001-2005

E.B. 2006-19This report is a summary of five years of grape costs and returns data collected from Lake Erie Region grape growers for the 2001-2005 seasons. “Concord” and “Niagara” grapes utilized for juice and generic wine accounted for over 90 percent of the survey acreage. About two-thirds of the acreage surveyed was in New York and one-third from Pennsylvania. In recent years, 42 to 49 growers participated, with total vineyard acreage ranging from about 4,400 to 5,200 acres. Average costs per acre over the entire five year period were $1,663, including an imputed value for the operator’s labor. Major cost categories were paid labor ($380 per acre), depreciation ($213), interest ($114), operator labor ($116) and chemicals ($117). Average yield per farm was 6.4 tons per acre with a range of 2.8 to 8.6 tons per acre. Growers suffered through some difficult circumstances (poor weather, declining prices) over the past five years. Juice grape cash market prices tended to drift down over the course of the five years. National Grape members’ returns moved upward through 2004 and then suffered a severe drop in 2005. Some growers had custom harvesting or other farm income not tied to grape prices. Some growers collected income from crop insurance, disaster payments, and/or Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) that helped to buoy income in the face of disappointing yields and unharvested grapes in 2003. However, almost half of the farms who were in the survey for all five years had yields of 7 tons or better. These growers are able to compete with other growing regions such as Washington State. Lake Erie Grape Belt farm managers are responding to lower prices in a variety of ways, including becoming more labor efficient, dropping some poor vineyards (especially leased ones), increasing wine grape production, and increasing farm size

Economics of Drip Irrigation for Juice Grape Vineyards in New York State

R.B. 99-01Grape growers need investment and cost guidelines for drip irrigation to evaluate the economics of getting vines into production as quickly as possible and to avoid periods of drought during the productive life of the vineyard. The benefits of irrigation may include: better vine survival, earlier fruit production, greater yields, more efficient distribution of nutrients, less plant stress, reduced yield variability and improved fruit quality. Research was undertaken to determine drip irrigation investment and annual costs. This project was designed to assist growers in determining the investment, fixed and variable annual costs and expected returns from drip irrigation. Irrigation suppliers provided typical equipment needs and investment costs for various drip irrigation designs. Economic worksheets are provided to assist growers in estimating fixed and variable costs of drip irrigation. The economics of yield data were applied to replicated multiyear irrigation studies to assist growers in determining yield response from drip irrigation. Net present value (NPV) methodology was used to determine the discounted break-even investment results from published responses to drip irrigation. Growers with typical drip irrigation systems and various water sources can expect investments in drip irrigation of $550 to$1,150 per acre with 10 acre blocks of vines. Based upon eight years of data from trials in Fredonia, NY, in the Lake Erie grape belt, average yield increases due to irrigation on establishment and growing of Niagara grapes were 2.8 ton per production year per acre, resulting in a break-even investment of approximately $1,600 per acre. But on established minimal pruned Concord grapes, seven years of data showed a 1.1 ton increase due to irrigation and a break-even investment of only$200 per acre which was well below the total cost of a complete microirrigation drip system. On a new planting of Concords, with droughty soils, the analysis may very well show cost effectiveness. Growers who were interviewed were unable to quantify the benefits and costs of drip irrigation but were pleased with their irrigated yields and brix responses from drip irrigation. This analysis has provided the economic rationale for the investment in microirrigation with some varieties and under certain soil types

Prevalence and Characteristics of Anergia (Lack of Energy) in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome

Anergia, a commonly occurring syndrome in older adults and patients with cardiovascular diseases, is associated with functional and clinical limitations. To date, the prevalence and clinical–demographic characteristics of anergia in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have not been elucidated. We examined the prevalence and clinical–demographic characteristics of anergia in a multiethnic sample of patients with ACS. Hospitalized patients with ACS (n = 472), enrolled in the Prescription Usage, Lifestyle, and Stress Evaluation (PULSE) prospective cohort study, completed assessments of demographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics within 7 days of hospitalization for an ACS event. Current depressive disorder was ascertained using a structured psychiatric interview 3 to 7 days after discharge. Anergia was assessed at baseline and defined using patients' binary responses (yes/no) to 7 items related to energy level. At least 1 complaint of anergia was reported by 79.9% of patients (n = 377) and 32% of patients (n = 153) met criteria for anergia. In a multivariable logistic regression model, anergia was independently associated with being a woman, being white (compared to black), having bodily pain, participating in exercise, having current depressive disorder, and having higher values on the Charlson Co-morbidity Index. In conclusion, anergia is a highly prevalent syndrome in patients with ACS. It is distinct from depression and is associated with modifiable clinical factors such as participation in exercise and bodily pain that may be appropriate targets for intervention

Concurrent and Predictive Relationships Between Compulsive Internet Use and Substance Use: Findings from Vocational High School Students in China and the USA

Purpose: Compulsive Internet Use (CIU) has increasingly become an area of research among process addictions. Largely based on data from cross-sectional studies, a positive association between CIU and substance use has previously been reported. This study presents gender and country-specific longitudinal findings on the relationships between CIU and substance use. Methods: Data were drawn from youth attending non-conventional high schools, recruited into two similarly implemented trials conducted in China and the USA. The Chinese sample included 1,761 students (49% male); the US sample included 1,182 students (57% male) with over half (65%) of the US youth being of Hispanic ethnicity. Path analyses were applied to detect the concurrent and predictive relationships between baseline and one-year follow-up measures of CIU level, 30-day cigarette smoking, and 30-day binge drinking. Results: (1) CIU was not positively related with substance use at baseline. (2) There was a positive predictive relationship between baseline CIU and change in substance use among female, but not male students. (3) Relationships between concurrent changes in CIU and substance use were also found among female, but not male students. (4) Baseline substance use did not predict an increase in CIU from baseline to 1-year follow-up. Conclusions: While CIU was found to be related to substance use, the relationship was not consistently positive. More longitudinal studies with better measures for Internet Addiction are needed to ascertain the detailed relationship between Internet addiction and substance use

A Brain-Computer Interface Based Attention Training Program for Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

10.1371/journal.pone.0046692PLoS ONE710

Multi-ethnic genome-wide association study for atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects more than 33 million individuals worldwide and has a complex heritability. We conducted the largest meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for AF to date, consisting of more than half a million individuals, including 65,446 with AF. In total, we identified 97 loci significantly associated with AF, including 67 that were novel in a combined-ancestry analysis, and 3 that were novel in a European-specific analysis. We sought to identify AF-associated genes at the GWAS loci by performing RNA-sequencing and expression quantitative trait locus analyses in 101 left atrial samples, the most relevant tissue for AF. We also performed transcriptome-wide analyses that identified 57 AF-associated genes, 42 of which overlap with GWAS loci. The identified loci implicate genes enriched within cardiac developmental, electrophysiological, contractile and structural pathways. These results extend our understanding of the biological pathways underlying AF and may facilitate the development of therapeutics for AF