Freedom, Foreknowledge, and Dependence: A Dialectical Intervention

Recently, several authors have utilized the notion of dependence to respond to the traditional argument for the incompatibility of freedom and divine foreknowledge. However, proponents of this response have not always been so clear in specifying where the incompatibility argument goes wrong, which has led to some unfounded objections to the response. We remedy this dialectical confusion by clarifying both the dependence response itself and its interaction with the standard incompatibility argument. Once these clarifications are made, it becomes clear both (1.) that the dependence response does not beg the question against the proponent of the incompatibility argument and (2.) that the dependence response advances the dialectic whether it is developed as a version of Ockhamism or as a version of multiple-pasts compatibilism

Sedimentology, Facies Architecture, and Reservoir Characterization of Lacustrine Rocks, Eocene Green River and Colton Formations, Uinta Basin, Utah

Outcrop and petrographic studies of the Eocene Green River and Colton formations in the Uinta basin, Utah, document the facies architecture and heterogeneity characteristic of lacustrine reservoirs. A southwest-northeast transect of Eocene strata in the Uinta basin records three main marginal lacustrine depositional environments: fluvial, deltaic, and wave-dominated. Heterogeneity exists between and within individual depositional systems. Reservoir rocks of Outcrops One and Two (the flu vial facies of the Colton Formation and the deltaic facies of the Green River Formation, respectively) consist of 2 to 18 m thick lenticular, tabular, or undulatory channel-fill, distributary channel, and distributary mouth bar deposits that are partially to entirely compartmentalized, or encased, by mudstone units. These reservoir analog intervals are dominated by large­ scale heterogeneity, in that sand bodies show a variety of connectivity and lateral continuity. Small-scale heterogeneity exists within these sand bodies in the form of mud chip lag surfaces, large mud clast horizons, and discontinuous finer-grained beds. These features add complexity to the systems by reducing flow transmissibility or acting as flow baffles. The complex heterogeneity characteristic of these reservoir analogs confirms the need for detailed reservoir characterization studies on all scales in order to improve exploration and production efficiency in such systems. Outcrop Three (the wave-dominated facies of the Green River Formation) is dominated by thinner (2 to 4 m) tabular and laterally extensive offshore bar deposits that are compartmentalized by mudstone units. Large-scale heterogeneity is minimized in these reservoir analogs, in that sand bodies exhibit excellent lateral continuity and less complex amalgamation. Therefore, documentation of the smaller-scale heterogeneities (similar to those mentioned in the previous two outcrops) is necessary to better address exploration and production potential in these types of reservoirs. Data collected in this study were utilized in geostatistical simulations and fluid flow models in an attempt to document the effects of reservoir heterogeneity on hydrocarbon exploration and production efficiency in lacustrine basins. Further studies of this type are necessary if predictable classification systems and hierarchies of bounding surfaces are to be derived for lacustrine reservoirs. (152 pages

IceCube Neutrinos from Hadronically Powered Gamma-Ray Galaxies

In this work we use a multi-messenger approach to determine if the high energy diffuse neutrino flux observed by the IceCube Observatory can originate from $\gamma$-ray sources powered by Cosmic Rays interactions with gas. Typical representatives of such sources are Starburst and Ultra-Luminous Infrared Galaxies. Using the three most recent calculations of the non-blazar contribution to the extragalactic $\gamma$-ray background measured by the Fermi-LAT collaboration, we find that a hard power-law spectrum with spectral index $\alpha \leq 2.12$ is compatible with all the estimations for the allowed contribution from non-blazar sources, within 1$\sigma$. Using such a spectrum we are able to interpret the IceCube results, showing that various classes of hadronically powered $\gamma$-ray galaxies can provide the dominant contribution to the astrophysical signal above 100 TeV and about half of the contribution to the energy flux between 10-100 TeV. With the addition of neutrinos from the Galactic plane, it is possible to saturate the IceCube signal at high energy. Our result shows that these sources are still well motivated candidates.Comment: Accepted for publication on JCA

Contamination of Emergency Medical Vehicles and Risk of Infection to Paramedic First Responders and Patients by Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria: Risk Evaluation and Recommendations from Ambulance Case Studies

Contamination of emergency medical vehicles with pathogenic microbes poses a potential threat to public health considering the many millions of ambulance responses that are made globally each year. This risk of infection is to the patients, to their companions who may travel with them, and to the paramedic first responders whose work involves pre- or inter-hospital transfer. This applies particularly to contamination by those infectious disease-causing microbes for which the threat is heightened because of their recognized resistance to leading antimicrobial agents. Determining the risks should facilitate the advancement of best practices to enhance infection control of routine outbreaks and during a major emergency such as a disease pandemic or a bioterrorism event. This may merit the introduction of amended guidelines for ambulance cleaning and disinfection to achieve more effective pre-hospital infection control among the worldwide community of emergency service providers

A Southern Hemisphere radar meteor orbit survey

A meteor radar system has been operated on a routine basis near Christchurch, New Zealand, to determine the orbits of Earth-impacting interplanetary dust and meteoroids. The system sensitivity is +13 visual magnitude, corresponding to approximately 100 micron sized meteoroids. With an orbital precision of 2 degrees in angular elements and 10 percent in orbital energy (1/a), the operation yields an average of 1500 orbits daily with a total to date in excess of 10(exp 5). The use of pc's and automated data reduction permit the large orbital data sets we collect to be routinely reduced. Some illustrative examples are presented of the signal formats/processing and the results of data reduction, giving the individual orbital elements and hence the overall distributions. Current studies include the distribution of dust in the inner solar system; the influx of meteoroids associated with near-Earth asteroids; and the orbital structure existing in comet-produced streams

PROFIT CONSISTENCY AND MANAGEMENT CHARACTERISTICS FOR SUCCESSFUL NORTH DAKOTA FARMS, 1995-2000

Farm profitability varies widely among producers, but the reasons for those differences are not clear as it is generally not known if the same farms are in the higher profit categories every year. Characteristics of the individual producer also vary substantially. Farm size, crop yields, cost of production, debt structure, and land ownership are some of the traits which differ among farms. This study analyzed farm finance data from the North Dakota Farm and Ranch Business Management Program over the years 1996-2000 to determine if the characteristics of profitable farms were different from the characteristics of farms which were not as profitable. A secondary objective was to evaluate if farms remained in similar profit quartiles every year.North Dakota Farm and Ranch Business Management Program, farm characteristics, return on assets, costs, land ownership, debt structure, Farm Management,

2010 North Dakota Agricultural Outlook: Representative Farms, 2010-2019

Net farm income for most representative farms in 2019 is projected to be lower than in 2009. Low-profit farms, which comprise 20% of the farms in the study, may not have financial resiliency to survive without off-farm income. Commodity prices are expected to increase slowly from current levels. Commodity yields are projected to increase at historical trend-line rates and production expenses are expected to return to normal growth rates. Debt-to-asset ratios for all farms except for the low profit farm will decrease slightly throughout the forecast period. Debt-to-asset ratios for the low-profit farms are expected to increase to about 0.70.net farm income, debt-to-asset ratios, cropland prices, land rental rates, farm operating expenses, capitalization rate, risk., Agribusiness,

2004 NORTH DAKOTA AGRICULTURAL OUTLOOK: REPRESENTATIVE FARMS, 2004-2013

Net farm income for all representative farms in 2013 will be lower than in 2004. Low-profit farms, which comprise 25% of the farms in the study, may not have financial resiliency to survive without off-farm income. Costs are projected to increase faster than yields, which will pressure net farm income downward. Cropland prices and cash rental rates are projected to increase slightly in all regions. Debt-to-asset ratios for most farms will increase slightly throughout the forecast period. Debt-to-asset ratios for the low-profit and small-size farms are higher than those for large and high-profit farms.net farm income, debt-to-asset ratios, cropland prices, land rental rates, farm operating expenses, capitalization rate, Farm Management,

2002 NORTH DAKOTA AGRICULTURAL OUTLOOK: REPRESENTATIVE FARMS, 2002-2011

Net farm income for most representative farms in 2011 will be lower than in 2002. Low profit farms, which consist of 25% of the farms in the study, may not have financial resiliency to survive. The new farm bill will provide higher net farm income than a continuation of the FAIR Act. Cropland prices and cash rental rates are projected to increase slightly in all regions. Debt-to-asset ratios for most farms will increase slightly throughout the forecast period. Debt-to-asset ratios for the low-profit and small-size farms are higher than those for large and high-profit farms.net farm income, debt-to-asset ratios, cropland prices, land rental rates, farm operating expenses, capitalization rate, Farm Management,

2009 North Dakota Agricultural Outlook: Representative Farms, 2009-2018

Net farm income for all representative farms in 2018 is projected to be lower than in 2008. Low-profit farms, which comprise 20% of the farms in the study, may not have financial resiliency to survive without off-farm income. Commodity prices are expected to fall from current levels however the final level is unknown. Commodity yields are projected to increase at historical trend-line rates and production expenses are expected to return to normal growth rates after 2009. Debt-to-asset ratios for all farms except for the low profit farm will decrease slightly throughout the forecast period. Debt-to-asset ratios for the low-profit farms are expected to increase to about 0.50.net farm income, debt-to-asset ratios, cropland prices, land rental rates, farm operating expenses, capitalization rate, risk iv, Agricultural Finance, Farm Management, Financial Economics, Land Economics/Use,