Economic problems of low income farmers in Iowa

The basic economic and social maladjustments confronting American agriculture during the preceding two decades have stimulated a variety of studies and a variety of programs intended to correct the discrepancies in income. At first they were centered around methods of raising prices to farmers, often by placing a barrier between domestic and foreign prices, under the assumption that such price changes would correct the major portion of the unfavorable income position of the farm economy. As the programs and researches expanded and proliferated there was a growing realization that such broad, industry-wide approaches did very little to change the distribution of income within agriculture and was at least as likely to increase the range as to narrow it. In consequence an increasing number of special problem groups became the focus for a small coterie of workers; farmers on poor land, in drouth areas, migratory laborers and part-time farmers are a few examples of focal problems. Gradually these separate studies are being integrated into a study of disadvantaged classes of farmers-farmers at the lower end of the income scale. This reorientation promises to have much greater analytical significance since it focuses directly on the problem- low income-and attempts to discover the reasons or series of reasons for their income position, rather than orienting the whole study around one hypothesis

Is B1422+231 a Golden Lens?

B1422+231 is a quadruply-imaged QSO with an exceptionally large lensing contribution from group galaxies other than the main lensing galaxy. We detect diffuse X-rays from the galaxy group in archival Chandra observations; the inferred temperature is consistent with the published velocity dispersion. We then explore the range of possible mass maps that would be consistent with the observed image positions, radio fluxes, and ellipticities. Under plausible but not very restrictive assumptions about the lensing galaxy, predicted time delays involving the faint fourth image are fairly well constrained around 7/h days.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, to appear in the June/03 issue of A

XMM-Newton Observations of Two BAL QSOs: Q1246-057 and SBS1542+541

We report on the results of XMM-Newton observations of two Broad Absorption Line Quasars (BAL QSOs), Q1246-057 and SBS 1542+541. Unprecedented sensitivity of XMM allows spectral analysis of these X-ray weak sources. The X-ray spectral data of these sources can be fitted by a power-law with alpha_X=1.0-1.2 and either a partially covering absorber or an ionized absorber model. Rest frame UV spectroscopy together with polarimetry favors the model with a partially covering absorber with column density a few times 10^22 cm^-2 and a covering fraction of about 0.80. After correcting for absorption, the X-ray loudness of these BAL QSOs appears to be similar to other, unabsorbed quasars. The mystery of X-ray weakness of BAL QSOs appears to be all but solved, with strong absorption being the primary reason. With the available X-ray data, however, the issue of whether BAL QSOs represent highly accreting/ younger population of quasars remains unsettled.Comment: accepted for publication in AJ, 14 pages, 4 figures, 5 table

NICMOS images of JVAS/CLASS gravitational lens systems

We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) infrared images of four gravitational lens systems from the JVAS/CLASS gravitational lens survey and compare the new infrared HST pictures with previously published WFPC2 HST optical images and radio maps. Apart from the wealth of information that we get from the flux ratios and accurate positions and separations of the components of the lens systems that we can use as inputs for better constraints on the lens models we are able to discriminate between reddening and optical/radio microlensing as the possible cause of differences observed in the flux ratios of the components across the three wavelength bands. Substantial reddening has been known to be present in the lens system B1600+434 and has been further confirmed by the present infrared data. In the two systems B0712+472 and B1030+074 microlensing has been pinpointed down as the main cause of the flux ratio discrepancy both in the optical/infrared and in the radio, the radio possibly caused by the substructure revealed in the lensing galaxies. In B0218+357 however the results are still not conclusive. If we are actually seeing the two "true" components of the lens system then the flux ratio differences are attributed to a combination of microlensing and reddening or alternatively due to some variability in at least one of the images. Otherwise the second "true" component of B0218+357 maybe completely absorbed by a molecular cloud and the anomalous flux density ratios and large difference in separation between the optical/infrared and radio that we see can be explained by emission from either a foreground object or from part of the lensing galaxy.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures (original higher resolution figures can be obtained at the e-mail above), to appear in MNRAS (accepted

Generalized N=1 Orientifold Compactifications and the Hitchin functionals

The four-dimensional N=1 supergravity theories arising in compactifications of type IIA and type IIB on generalized orientifold backgrounds with background fluxes are discussed. The Kahler potentials are derived for reductions on SU(3) structure orientifolds and shown to consist of the logarithm of the two Hitchin functionals. These are functions of even and odd forms parameterizing the geometry of the internal manifold, the B-field and the dilaton. The superpotentials induced by background fluxes and the non-Calabi-Yau geometry are determined by a reduction of the type IIA and type IIB fermionic actions on SU(3) and generalized SU(3) x SU(3) manifolds. Mirror spaces of Calabi-Yau orientifolds with electric and part of the magnetic NS-NS fluxes are conjectured to be certain SU(3) x SU(3) structure manifolds. Evidence for this identification is provided by comparing the generalized type IIA and type IIB superpotentials.Comment: 57 pages, references adde

A guide to the South Plains of Texas

A compilation of essays and articles covering history, agriculture, educational institutions, and legends of the historic South Plains of Texas.[139] leaves ; 152 pdf pages.November 1935.Pictorial illustrations by Bess Hubbard.Mimeographed copy reproduced by the students of Lubbock High School with permission and assistance of the Texas Highway Dept.Plains of Texas / A.W. Evans -- The rock house on Blanco Canyon / R.B. Smith -- The story of the famous Old Yellow House Ranch / Lamb county news -- The T-Bar Ranch / R.B. Smith -- U-Lazy-S Ranch / E. Taylor -- The old Mackenzie Trail / W.L Chittenden -- Mackenzie's Indian campaigns on the Staked Plains / M.L. Cox -- Horse bones / R.G. Carter -- Old Man Singer's store / W.C. Holden -- Letter of long ago describes living conditions in days of first settles / M. Witt -- Shanties and dugouts / The Cattleman -- The legend of the sand hills / J. Mitchell -- Three notable landmarks in Lynn County / F.P. Hill -- Descriptions of South Plains cities and towns / V. Upton -- Elevation, population, and highway mileage maps / M.W. Hobbs -- Roadside divertissement / V. Upton

Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis Meeting Report Assessing Human Germ-Cell Mutagenesis in the Post-Genome Era: A Celebration of the Legacy of William Lawson (Bill) Russell

ABSTRACT Although numerous germ-cell mutagens have been identified in animal model systems, to date, no human germ-cell mutagens have been confirmed. Because the genomic integrity of our germ cells is essential for the continuation of the human species, a resolution of this enduring conundrum is needed. To facilitate such a resolution, we organized a workshop at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine on September [28][29][30] 2004. This interactive workshop brought together scientists from a wide range of disciplines to assess the applicability of emerging molecular methods for genomic analysis to the field of human germ-cell mutagenesis. Participants recommended that focused, coordinated human germ-cell mutation studies be conducted in relation to important societal exposures. Because cancer survivors represent a unique cohort with well-defined exposures, there was a consensus that studies should be designed to assess the mutational impact on children born to parents who had received certain types of mutagenic cancer chemotherapy prior to conceiving their children. Within this high-risk cohort, parents and children could be evaluated for inherited changes in (a) gene sequences and chromosomal structure, (b) repeat sequences and minisatellite regions, and (c) global gene expression and chromatin. Participants also recommended studies to examine trans-generational effects in humans involving mechanisms such as changes in imprinting and methylation patterns, expansion of nucleotide repeats, or induction of mitochondrial DNA mutations. Workshop participants advocated establishment of a bio-bank of human tissue samples that could be used to conduct a multiple-endpoint, comprehensive, and collaborative effort to detect exposure-induced heritable alterations in the human genome. Appropriate animal models of human germ-cell mutagenesis should be used in parallel with human studies to provide insights into the mechanisms of mammalian germ-cell mutagenesis. Finally, participants recommended that 4 scientific specialty groups be convened to address specific questions regarding the potential germ-cell mutagenicity of environmental, occupational, and lifestyle exposures. Strong support from relevant funding agencies and engagement of scientists outside the fields of genomics and germ-cell mutagenesis will be required to launch a full-scale assault on some of the most pressing and enduring questions in environmental mutagenesis: Do human germ-cell mutagens exist, what risk do they pose to future generations, and are some parents at higher risk than others for acquiring and transmitting germ-cell mutations?

Improving Genetic Prediction by Leveraging Genetic Correlations Among Human Diseases and Traits

Genomic prediction has the potential to contribute to precision medicine. However, to date, the utility of such predictors is limited due to low accuracy for most traits. Here theory and simulation study are used to demonstrate that widespread pleiotropy among phenotypes can be utilised to improve genomic risk prediction. We show how a genetic predictor can be created as a weighted index that combines published genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics across many different traits. We apply this framework to predict risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in the Psychiatric Genomics consortium data, finding substantial heterogeneity in prediction accuracy increases across cohorts. For six additional phenotypes in the UK Biobank data, we find increases in prediction accuracy ranging from 0.7 for height to 47 for type 2 diabetes, when using a multi-trait predictor that combines published summary statistics from multiple traits, as compared to a predictor based only on one trait. © 2018 The Author(s)