Thamodaran. P

Not AvailableUsually, most of the genes are biallelically expressed but imprinted gene exhibit monoallelic expression based on their parental origin. Genomic imprinting exhibit differences in control between flowering plants and mammals, for instance, imprinted gene are specifically activated by demethylation, rather than targeted for silencing in plants and imprinted gene expression in plant which occur in endosperm. It also displays sexual dimorphism like differential timing in imprint establishment and RNA based silencing mechanism in paternally repressed imprinted gene. Within imprinted regions, the unusual occurrence and distribution of various types of repetitive elements may act as genomic imprinting signatures. Imprinting regulation probably at many loci involves insulator protein dependent and higher-order chromatin interaction, and/or non-coding RNAs mediated mechanisms. However, placentaspecific imprinting involves repressive histone modifications and non-coding RNAs. The higher-order chromatin interaction involves differentially methylated domains (DMDs) exhibiting sex-specific methylation that act as scaffold for imprinting, regulate allelic-specific imprinted gene expression. The paternally methylated differentially methylated regions (DMRs) contain less CpGs than the maternally methylated DMRs. The non-coding RNAs mediated mechanisms include C/D RNA and microRNA, which are invovled in RNA-guided post-transcriptional RNA modifications and RNA-mediated gene silencing, respectively. The maintenance and reprogramming of imprinting are not significantly affected by reduced expression of Dicer1 and the evolution of imprinting might be related to acquisition of DNMT3L (de novo methyltransferase 3L) by a common ancestor of eutherians and marsupials. The common feature among diverse imprinting control elements and evolutionary significance of imprinting need to be identified.Not Availabl

Agricultural Policy and Financial Stress

Many farmers are currently facing severe financial stress resulting in asset liquidations, problems in obtaining credit, and even bankruptcy. An important question in policy analysis is the applicability of traditional farm policy approaches to the problem of financial stress in agriculture. This is a particularly relevant question given that the 1983 PIK program was one of the most expensive and largest government transfer programs for agriculture in recent history, and yet many farms are still facing severe financial problems. In this discussion the causes of current financial stress in agriculture and the role of past price and income support, credit and tax policies in mitigating or contributing to this stress will be assessed. Then alternative policy options to relieve the stress will be identified and evaluated. Selected options will be quantitatively analyzed using micro and macro econometric simulation models. Finally, conclusions will be drawn

Private Agricultural Land Base by Producing Areas for Year 2000

A prime resource in the production of agriculture commodities is land. Individuals throughout the United States have become increasingly concerned over the loss of agricultural land to nonagricultural purposes such as urban sprawl, roads and airports facilities and mining etc. Reduction in the agricultural land base due to urban expansion and other nonagricultural uses could result in less agricultural production unless the reduced land base is compensated by other resources in production. Over time, two viewpoints on this issue have surfaced, one group feels the reduction of agricultural land will be a definite threat to agriculture in the future Because once a piece of land is converted for urban build-up or any other use; chances of reclaiming that land to agricultural production are slim. Another group feels that the conversion rate of agricultural land to other uses is not significant enough to affect future agricultural production With increasing research on crop genetics and resource substitutions, compensation for the loss of land can occur. Few studies have been carried out at regional or at national levels that determine the extent of loss of land and its effect on agricultural production. The objective of this study is to estimate the loss of agricultural land in years ahead. These estimates will be incorporated in the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development linear programming models or right-hand-sides. They will serve as production restraints on the agricultural system

Dynamic changes in Sox2 spatio-temporal expression promote the second cell fate decision through <i>Fgf4/Fgfr2</i> signaling in preimplantation mouse embryos

Oct4 and Sox2 regulate the expression of target genes such as Nanog, Fgf4, and Utf1, by binding to their respective regulatory motifs. Their functional cooperation is reflected in their ability to heterodimerize on adjacent cis regulatory motifs, the composite Sox/Oct motif. Given that Oct4 and Sox2 regulate many developmental genes, a quantitative analysis of their synergistic action on different Sox/Oct motifs would yield valuable insights into the mechanisms of early embryonic development. In the present study, we measured binding affinities of Oct4 and Sox2 to different Sox/Oct motifs using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. We found that the synergistic binding interaction is driven mainly by the level of Sox2 in the case of the Fgf4 Sox/Oct motif. Taking into account Sox2 expression levels fluctuate more than Oct4, our finding provides an explanation on how Sox2 controls the segregation of the epiblast and primitive endoderm populations within the inner cell mass of the developing rodent blastocyst. Biochem J 2018 Mar 20;475(6):1075-1089

An econometric model for analyzing regional source and use of funds in U.S. agriculture: an application of random coefficients technique

The purpose of this study is to develop a regional econometric model for analyzing the source and the use of funds in U.S. agriculture. To accomplish this task, a set of behavioral functions for the source and the use of funds are specified and estimated using a random coefficient technique. For the time being, the source of funds equations are estimated through a time trend. Once the model is merged with the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD)--national econometric model, the source of funds will be determined endogenously from other sectors of the national model. Fixed expenditures, production expenditures, household expenditures, and land transfers are the major categories of the use of funds. Various disaggregation of the use of funds are considered for each category of the use of funds. Further, the random coefficient technique is used in the functional forms to capture the ongoing structural changes in U.S. agriculture;The results reveal farm size, user cost of capital, and crop price index are significant variables in fixed expenditure functions; planted acres, prices paid indexes are significant variables in production expenditure equations; net farm income is a significant variable in land price equations;A simulation model for the 11 regions is developed from the estimated functions and tested for its validity. The model is found to be a valid one. Based on policy simulation, a 25 percent increase in price paid indexes has a more significant negative impact in the fixed expenses than in the production expenses. On a similar note, a 50 percent increase in prices received indexes will boost the fixed expenses more than the production expenses. But, a 10 percent reduction in crop planted acres significantly reduces the production expenditures. Further, regional variation in the simulation results are observed. The U.S. agriculture sector can withstand some adverse financial crisis for a considerable time period, and the Corn Belt and the Northern Plains have a higher leverage against the financial crisis.</p

The role of p38-Mapk14/11 as an enabler of primitive endoderm (PrE) maturation and as a sensor of metabolism during mouse preimplantation embryo development

ANNOTATION This thesis describes the role of p38 mitogen activated kinases alpha/beta, also referred to as Mapk14/11 (p38-Mapk14/11), in regulating primitive endoderm (PrE) cell-fate and its sensitivity towards exogenously supplemented amino acids during mouse preimplantation embryo development. This study utilizing various pharmacological inhibitors, gene transcript over-expression and immunofluorescence assisted confocal microscopy imaging, has revealed a novel and pivotal role p38-Mapk14/11 in promoting germane maturation of the blastocyst stage inner cell mass (ICM)into the defined epiblast (EPI) and PrE and its potential requirement under amino acid deprived conditions

Effectiveness of information communication technology in rural insurance

Information and communications technologies are a device set of technological tools and resources used to communicate rural people about to disseminate awareness, create interest and to stimulate enroll intentions of insurance. It has enabled countries to leapfrog traditional modes of service delivery and make manifold improvements in process effectiveness and efficiency. Widespread adoption and application of information communication technology across the different fields of society and the economy is presently considered to be the key factor behind boosting competitiveness and developing an informed society. In general, information communication technology and its tools that people use to share, distribute, information gathering and to communicate with insurance providers, or in groups, through the use of media such as print, visual and interconnected computer networks.Insurance, ICT, effectiveness, rural people, media.

Effectiveness of information communication technology in rural insurance

Information and communications technologies are a device set of technological tools and resources used to communicate rural people about to disseminate awareness, create interest and to stimulate enroll intentions of insurance. It has enabled countries to leapfrog traditional modes of service delivery and make manifold improvements in process effectiveness and efficiency. Widespread adoption and application of information communication technology across the different fields of society and the economy is presently considered to be the key factor behind boosting competitiveness and developing an informed society. In general, information communication technology and its tools that people use to share, distribute, information gathering and to communicate with insurance providers, or in groups, through the use of media such as print, visual and interconnected computer networks

An Econometric Simulation Model for Analyzing the Use of Funds in Corn Belt Agriculture: An Application of Pure Random Coefficient Technique

The purpose of this study is to develop an econometric simulation model for analyzing the use of funds in Corn Belt agriculture. The Corn Belt Region, one of the major regions in U.S. agriculture, constitutes states such as Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio. A set of behavioral functions of the use funds in the region are specified to accomplish this task. Fixed expenditures, production expenditures, and land transfers are the major categories of the use of funds. Further, the behavioral equations are specified by a pure random coefficient technique and estimated by following Zellner's seemingly unrelated technique. Based on the estimated behavioral functions and accounting identities, a simulation system of the use of funds is developed and an ex-post simulation is performed to test the validity of the model. To test its effectiveness, the model analyzes several farm policy alternatives on the use of funds, such as a 25 percent increase in prices paid indexes, a 50 percent increase in prices received indexes, and a 10 percent reduction in crop planted acres over the normal trend of these variables. An ex-ant simulation to the year 1995 is performed under the policy alternatives. Various farm financial indicators, such as production expenditures, fixed expenditures, farm debt, and credit demand are studies under these policy alternatives.</p