An Analysis of Corn and Soybean Supply Response to Changing Government Programs

An econometric corn and soybean supply response model is provided that endogenously determines program participation. The impacts of a decrease in the target price, an increase in the set-aside rate, and the introduction of a paid diversion are analyzed for the 1985 crop

Retire Our Excess Grain Capacity?

Now, more than ever, agriculture can outproduce market demand. It looks as though some things will stay this way for some time. Agriculture is faced with a problem of output management or supply control, just as are some nonfarm industries. (See Output Management for Agriculture? in the April issue or reprint FS-910.

Self-directed growth of AlGaAs core-shell nanowires for visible light applications

Al(0.37)Ga(0.63)As nanowires (NWs) were grown in a molecular beam epitaxy system on GaAs(111)B substrates. Micro-photoluminescence measurements and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicated a core-shell structure and Al composition gradient along the NW axis, producing a potential minimum for carrier confinement. The core-shell structure formed during the growth as a consequence of the different Al and Ga adatom diffusion lengths.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

Cell Recovery in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid in Smokers Is Dependent on Cumulative Smoking History

Background: Smoking is a risk factor for various lung diseases in which BAL may be used as a part of a clinical investigation. Interpretation of BAL fluid cellularity is however difficult due to high variability, in particular among smokers. In this study we aimed to evaluate the effect of smoking on BAL cellular components in asymptomatic smokers. The effects of smoking cessation, age and gender were also investigated in groups of smokers and exsmokers. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of BAL findings, to our knowledge the largest single center investigation, in our department from 1999 to 2009. One hundred thirty two current smokers (48 males and 84 females) and 44 ex-smokers (16 males and 28 females) were included. A group of 295 (132 males and 163 females) never-smokers served as reference. Result: The median [5–95 pctl] total number of cells and cell concentration in current smokers were 63.4 [28.6–132.1]610 6 and 382.1 [189.7–864.3]610 6 /L respectively and correlated positively to the cumulative smoking history. Macrophages were the predominant cell type (96.7 % [90.4–99.0]) followed by lymphocytes (2 % [0.8–7.7]) and neutrophils (0.6 % [0–2.9]). The concentration of all inflammatory cells was increased in smokers compared to never smokers and ex-smokers. BAL fluid recovery was negatively correlated with age (p,0.001). Smoking men had a lower BAL fluid recovery than smoking women. Conclusion: Smoking has a profound effect on BAL fluid cellularity, which is dependent on smoking history. Our results performed on a large group of current smokers and ex-smokers in a well standardized way, can contribute to bette

Linking Inflammation to Natural Killer T Cell Activation

Immune activation is often associated with inflammation, but inflammation's role in the expansion of antigen-specific immune responses remains unclear. This primer focuses on recent findings that show how specific natural killer T cells are activated by inflammatory messengers, thus illuminating the cellular and molecular links between immunity and inflammation

The N-terminal region of centrosomal protein 290 (CEP290) restores vision in a zebrafish model of human blindness

The gene coding for centrosomal protein 290 (CEP290), a large multidomain protein, is the most frequently mutated gene underlying the non-syndromic blinding disorder Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA). CEP290 has also been implicated in several cilia-related syndromic disorders including Meckel–Gruber syndrome, Joubert syndrome, Senor–Loken syndrome and Bardet–Biedl syndrome (BBS). In this study, we characterize the developmental and functional roles of cep290 in zebrafish. An antisense oligonucleotide [Morpholino (MO)], designed to generate an altered cep290 splice product that models the most common LCA mutation, was used for gene knockdown. We show that cep290 MO-injected embryos have reduced Kupffer's vesicle size and delays in melanosome transport, two phenotypes that are observed upon knockdown of bbs genes in zebrafish. Consistent with a role in cilia function, the cep290 MO-injected embryos exhibited a curved body axis. Patients with LCA caused by mutations in CEP290 have reduced visual perception, although they present with a fully laminated retina. Similarly, the histological examination of retinas from cep290 MO-injected zebrafish revealed no gross lamination defects, yet the embryos had a statistically significant reduction in visual function. Finally, we demonstrate that the vision impairment caused by the disruption of cep290 can be rescued by expressing only the N-terminal region of the human CEP290 protein. These data reveal that a specific region of the CEP290 protein is sufficient to restore visual function and this region may be a viable gene therapy target for LCA patients with mutations in CEP290

Neuropeptidomics of the Supraoptic Rat Nucleus

The mammalian supraoptic nucleus (SON) is a neuroendocrine center in the brain regulating a variety of physiological functions. Within the SON, peptidergic magnocellular neurons that project to the neurohypophysis (posterior pituitary) are involved in controlling osmotic balance, lactation, and parturition, partly through secretion of signaling peptides such as oxytocin and vasopressin into the blood. An improved understanding of SON activity and function requires identification and characteriza-tion of the peptides used by the SON. Here, small-volume sample preparation approaches are optimized for neuropeptidomic studies of isolated SON samples ranging from entire nuclei down to single magnocellular neurons. Unlike most previous mammalian peptidome studies, tissues are not im-mediately heated or microwaved. SON samples are obtained from ex vivo brain slice preparations via tissue punch and the samples processed through sequential steps of peptide extraction. Analyses of the samples via liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry result in the identification of 85 peptides, including 20 unique peptides from known prohormones. As the sample size is further reduced, the depth of peptide coverage decreases; however, even from individually isolated magnocellular neuroendocrine cells, vasopressin and several other peptides are detected