Costs and utilization of corn in seven Iowa counties

The demand for information on the cost of producing an acre or a bushel of corn has increased greatly during the past few years. This is especially true in Iowa, where corn is the basic crop. Inquiring individuals are often disappointed when they learn that corn cost data are not available in simple terms of dollars and cents. This is so because they fail to realize the difficulties encountered in attempting to evaluate (measure the quantity as well as the quality of) some of the more important elements of cost. They also overlook the fact that the cost of producing corn depends largely on local soil, climatic and economic conditions and that these factors vary from one section of the state to another

Bankruptcy and Economic Recovery

To measure economic growth or recovery, one traditionally looks to metrics such as the unemployment rate and the growth in GDP. And in terms of figuring out institutional policies that will stimulate economic growth, the focus most often is on policies that encourage investment, entrepreneurial enterprises, and reward risk-taking with appropriate returns. Bankruptcy academics that we are, we tend to add our own area of expertise to this stable— with the firm belief that thinking critically about bankruptcy policy is an important element of any set of institutions designed to speed economic recovery. In this paper, written for a book entitled “Restructuring Financial Infrastructure to Speed Recovery” to be published by the Brookings Institution, we outline the crucial role we believe bankruptcy plays in advancing a robust economy, while also identifying several areas in which we believe bankruptcy law—and practice—could be improved so as to enhance bankruptcy’s role in economic growth, including its recovery from periods of recession. Along the way, we suggest that a standard (and appropriate) baseline metric for successful economic policies, namely employment, if carried outside its macro focus so as to become an independent bankruptcy policy (as it often is), carries with it—usually inadvertently— the potential to undermine bankruptcy’s key role in facilitating economic growth

Dynamic Resolution of Large Financial Institutions

One of the more important issues emerging out of the 2008 financial crisis concerns the proper resolution of a systemically important financial institution. In response to this, Title II of Dodd-Frank created the Orderly Liquidation Authority, or OLA, which is designed to create a resolution framework for systemically important financial institutions that is based on the resolution authority that the FDIC has held over commercial bank failures. In this article, we consider the various alternatives for resolving systemically important institutions. Among these alternatives, we discuss OLA, a European-style bail-in process, and coerced mergers, while also extensively focusing on the bankruptcy code. We argue that implementing several discrete modifications to Dodd-Frank, as well adopting an ambitious Chapter 14 proposal written by a working group at the Hoover Institution is the best way forward for establishing a strong resolution framework

Chandra Observation of an X-ray Flare at Saturn: Evidence for Direct Solar Control on Saturn's Disk X-ray Emissions

Saturn was observed by Chandra ACIS-S on 20 and 26-27 January 2004 for one full Saturn rotation (10.7 hr) at each epoch. We report here the first observation of an X-ray flare from Saturn's non-auroral (low-latitude) disk, which is seen in direct response to an M6-class flare emanating from a sunspot that was clearly visible from both Saturn and Earth. Saturn's disk X-ray emissions are found to be variable on time scales of hours to weeks to months, and correlated with solar F10.7 cm flux. Unlike Jupiter, X-rays from Saturn's polar (auroral) region have characteristics similar to those from its disk. This report, combined with earlier studies, establishes that disk X-ray emissions of the giant planets Saturn and Jupiter are directly regulated by processes happening on the Sun. We suggest that these emissions could be monitored to study X-ray flaring from solar active regions when they are on the far side and not visible to Near-Earth space weather satellites.Comment: Total 12 pages including 4 figure

Vertical pairing of identical particles suspended in the plasma sheath

It is shown experimentally that vertical pairing of two identical microspheres suspended in the sheath of a radio-frequency (rf) discharge at low gas pressures (a few Pa), appears at a well defined instability threshold of the rf power. The transition is reversible, but with significant hysteresis on the second stage. A simple model, which uses measured microsphere resonance frequencies and takes into account besides Coulomb interaction between negatively charged microspheres also their interaction with positive ion wake charges, seems to explain the instability threshold quite well.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures. to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, May 14th (2001

Update of Atlas of Major Texas Oil Reservoirs Data Base and Atlas of Major Texas Gas Reservoirs Data Base

Updating both the "Atlas of Major Texas Oil Reservoirs: Database" (Holtz and others, 1991) and the "Atlas of Major Texas Gas Reservoirs: Database" (Garrett and others, 1991) centered on updating cumulative production data current to December 31, 1992, for reservoirs already in the database and adding new significant-sized reservoirs (cumulative production greater than 1 million barrels of oil equivalent) to the databases. Addition of new reservoirs to the database resulted in the modification of existing plays or the determination of new plays. Play boundaries were also modified to accommodate the additional reservoirs. Oil and gas production data used for the cumulative production update and the determination of significant-sized reservoirs were obtained from Dwight's Energy data. For reservoirs already included in the Atlas databases, annual production values were added to the cumulative production already determined by the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) or reported by the Railroad Commission of Texas. For new reservoirs, the cumulative production values reported by Dwight's Energy data were applied. Oil reservoirs originally listed in both databases because of large gas production were combined and now are listed only in the updated Oil Atlas database.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Lack of influence of commonly used drugs on bioassay indicator organisms.

Many commonly used pharmaceutical agents have been found to inhibit bacterial growth in vitro. Determinations of antimicrobial concentrations in sera of patients taking nonrecognized antibacterial agents could possibly be altered if bioassay systems are utilized for the determinations. We therefore attempted to determine the in vitro effect of commonly used drugs on bioassay indicator organisms. Fifty-one different agents (antihistamines, anticholinergics, central nervous system agents, cardiovascular agents, analgesics, steroids, muscle blockers, and other miscellaneous agents) were tested for inhibition or enhancement of the growth of Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. None of the agents tested exhibited any effect on standard in vitro bioassay organisms. Nortriptyline hydrochloride inhibited the growth of B. subtilis and M. luteus at a concentration of 500 micrograms/ml (zones of inhibition, 14 and 13 mm, respectively), but no inhibition was observed with concentrations of 50 micrograms/ml or lower

Rocks Associated with the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian Unconformity in Southwestern Indiana

Indiana Geological Survey Guidebook 9The purpose of this field conference is to acquaint participants with strata that are associated with the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian boundary in southwestern Indiana. Criteria which aid in distinguishing between Mansfield strata of Pottsville (early Pennsylvanian) age and clastic formations of Chester (late Mississippian) age will receive considerable attention in discussions at evening meetings and on the outcrop. Inspection of limestone and sandstone quarries will afford an insight into the economic products of Chester and Mansfield rocks. Participants may collect fossils at many of the stops.Indiana Geological Survey; Indiana Department of Conservation Department of Geology, Indiana Universit

Guidelines for Managing Large Dairy Herds in Texas.

40 p