NONFARM INVESTORS AND BEEF BREEDING HERDS -- INCENTIVES AND CONSEQUENCES

Livestock Production/Industries,

Investigation of real-gas and viscous effects on the aerodynamic characteristics of a 40 deg half-cone with suggested correlations for the shuttle orbiter

Parameters were evaluated that might be used to correlate shuttle orbiter aerodynamic data to be used in extrapolating from wind-tunnel to flight conditions. Preliminary calculations indicate that the lee-side forces will have an insignificant influence on the aerodynamic characteristics of the orbiter for moderate angle-of-attack entries; therefore, this work is focused on phenomena which have an overriding influence on windward forces, namely, real-gas (equilibrium and nonequilibrium) and viscous-interaction effects. Analytically determined flow fields previously obtained on 40 deg blunted cones were used as a data source to evaluate various correlation parameters. Inviscid effects were found to be the dominant contributor to the aerodynamic coefficients in the altitude range of 64 to 76.2 km. The most suitable correlation of the aerodynamic forces on these cones is based on local dynamic pressure and local Mach number

Effluent sampling of Scout D and Delta launch vehicle exhausts

Characterization of engine-exhaust effluents (hydrogen chloride, aluminum oxide, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide) has been attempted by conducting field experiments monitoring the exhaust cloud from a Scout-Algol III vehicle launch and a Delta-Thor vehicle launch. The exhaust cloud particulate size number distribution (total number of particles as a function of particle diameter), mass loading, morphology, and elemental composition have been determined within limitations. The gaseous species in the exhaust cloud have been identified. In addition to the ground-based measurements, instrumented aircraft flights through the low-altitude, stabilized-exhaust cloud provided measurements which identified CO and HCI gases and Al2O3 particles. Measurements of the initial exhaust cloud during formation and downwind at several distances have established sampling techniques which will be used for experimental verification of model predictions of effluent dispersion and fallout from exhaust clouds

Benchmarking Treatment Response in Tourette’s Disorder: A Psychometric Evaluation and Signal Detection Analysis of the Parent Tic Questionnaire

This study assessed the psychometric properties of a parent-reported tic severity measure, the Parent Tic Questionnaire (PTQ), and used the scale to establish guidelines for delineating clinically significant tic treatment response. Participants were 126 children ages 9 to 17 who participated in a randomized controlled trial of Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT). Tic severity was assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS), Hopkins Motor/Vocal Tic Scale (HMVTS) and PTQ; positive treatment response was defined by a score of 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) on the Clinical Global Impressions – Improvement (CGI-I) scale. Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlations (ICC) assessed internal consistency and test-retest reliability, with correlations evaluating validity. Receiver- and Quality-Receiver Operating Characteristic analyses assessed the efficiency of percent and raw-reduction cutoffs associated with positive treatment response. The PTQ demonstrated good internal consistency (α = 0.80 to 0.86), excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = .84 to .89), good convergent validity with the YGTSS and HM/VTS, and good discriminant validity from hyperactive, obsessive-compulsive, and externalizing (i.e., aggression and rule-breaking) symptoms. A 55% reduction and 10-point decrease in PTQ Total score were optimal for defining positive treatment response. Findings help standardize tic assessment and provide clinicians with greater clarity in determining clinically meaningful tic symptom change during treatment

The economics and ecology of alley cropping in the mid-western United States

Paper presented at the 12th North American Agroforesty Conference, which was held June 4-9, 2011 in Athens, Georgia.In Ashton, S. F., S.W. Workman, W.G. Hubbard and D.J. Moorhead, eds. Agroforestry: A Profitable Land Use. Proceedings, 12th North American Agroforestry Conference, Athens, GA, June 4-9, 2011.Our research involved examining the effects of alley cropping on insect biodiversity, crop yields, and small farm economics. We have investigated two alley cropping practices: a summer crop of alfalfa with black walnut and a winter crop rotation of canola and wheat with heartnut. We compared both practices at two alley widths to conventionally grown crops to determine which arrangement of crop and tree species produced the greatest return while providing the maximum ecological benefits. In the first practice with alfalfa, we found that alfalfa weevil mortality was significantly higher in alley cropped alfalfa compared to monocropped alfalfa, and that arthropod diversity was greater in alley cropped crops compared to conventionally grown crops. Alfalfa yield from wider alleyways was not significantly different from monocropped alfalfa. In the second practice with canola and wheat, alley cropping winter crops provided less competition with trees for water, nutrients and light while providing many of the same benefits found in the alfalfa-walnut system. Wheat yield was greater in monoculture than in wide or narrow alleyways, and greater in wide alleyways than in narrow alleyways the first rotation but not the second. All wheat treatments in both years produced economically significant returns. Canola yields were not significantly different between the alley cropped and monocropped treatments the first rotation. All canola treatments produced significant economic returns. Insect numbers in canola followed a similar pattern as those found in the alfalfa walnut practice, with more predators and greater diversity in the alley crops compared to the conventional crops. Our data suggest growing winter crops with nut trees can be a viable agronomic practice that provides ecological benefits as well.W.T. Stamps (1), J. Houx (1), L. Godsey (2) and T.L. Woods (1) ; 1. Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA. 2. Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.Includes bibliographical references

Neurocognitive Correlates of Treatment Response in Children with Tourette\u27s Disorder

This paper examined neurocognitive functioning and its relationship to behavior treatment response among youth with Tourette\u27s Disorder (TD) in a large randomized controlled trial. Participants diagnosed with TD completed a brief neurocognitive battery assessing inhibitory functions, working memory, and habit learning pre- and post-treatment with behavior therapy (CBIT, Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics) or psychoeducation plus supportive therapy (PST). At baseline, youth with tics and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) exhibited some evidence of impaired working memory and simple motor inhibition relative to youth with tics without ADHD. Additionally, a small negative association was found between antipsychotic medications and youth\u27s performance speed. Across treatment groups, greater baseline working memory and aspects of inhibitory functioning were associated with a positive treatment response; no between-group differences in neurocognitive functioning at post-treatment were identified. Within the behavior therapy group, pre-treatment neurocognitive status did not predict outcome, nor was behavior therapy associated significant change in neurocognitive functioning post-treatment. Findings suggest that co-occurring ADHD is associated with some impairments in neurocognitive functioning in youth with Tourette\u27s Disorder. While neurocognitive predictors of behavior therapy were not found, participants who received behavior therapy exhibited significantly reduced tic severity without diminished cognitive functioning

Terra preta nova.

Amazonian soils are almost universally thought of as extremely forbidding. However, it is now clear that complex societies with large, sedentary populations were present for over a millenium before European contact. Associated with these are tracts of anomalously fertile, dark soils termed terra preta. These soils are presently an important agricultural resource within Amazonia. They provide a model for developing long-term future sustainability of food production simple carbon based soil technologies in tropical environments, particularly among small holders