Comparing Two Sources of Retail Meat Price Data

The livestock industry uses information on meat prices at different stages in the marketing system to make production decisions. When grocery stores began using electronic scanners to capture prices paid for meat, it was assumed that the livestock industry could capitalize on having these point-of-sale data available as a measure of the value of its products. This report compares scanner price data with publicly available data collected by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Of the two data types, scanner data provide more information about retail meat markets, including a wider variety of meat-cut prices, multiple measures of an average price, the volume of sales, and the relative importance of discounted prices. The scanner data sample, however, is not statistically drawn, and complicated processing requirements delay its release, which makes scanner data less useful than BLS data for analyzing current market conditions.price spreads, meat, meat pricing, scanner data, retail prices, retail meat prices, farm-to-retail, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,

‘Tenderstem’ Broccoli for Export Markets: an Analysis Study on the AgroFood Company

Decision case, horticulture, agriculture economics, broccoli production, protected vegetable production, Agricultural Finance, Crop Production/Industries, Production Economics,

Allometric growth in the Diademodontinae (Reptilia; Therapsida); a preliminary report

Main articleThe hypothesis that many, if not all, of the South African and Zambian specimens, which have been regarded as different diademodontine genera and species, actually consitute a taxonomically homogeneous, ontogenetic growth series is tested. The principles of allometric growth were applied to this sample of fossils, which varied considerably in size and shape. The approach which was followed was exclusively morphometric. The results indicate that these specimens do represent various ontogenetic stages of a growth series of only a single species of Diademodon Seeley.Non

Opportunities for Producing Table Grapes in Egypt for the Export Market: A Decision Case Study

The Barakat Fruit Farm desires to increase their share of the exportable grape market in Egypt. Unfortunately, the grape cultivars currently cultivated by the farm bear fruit after the early market window to the European Union when prices are high. An analysis of the company, competition, consumer, market channel, and conditions, provides insight into possible solutions to the challenges faced by the farm management. Designed for undergraduate classroom use, this case encourages students to think outside of traditional production techniques to arrive at solutions that are viable from both crop culture and financial standpoints.Decision case, horticulture, agriculture economics, grape production, Production Economics, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, Q10, Q11,

Processed Chili Peppers for Export Markets: A Capital Budgeting Study on the AgroFood Company

The AgroFood Company, which currently exports fresh chili peppers to European clients, desires to expand the product mix offered. The company, as it expands its production of fresh peppers for export, has an increasing supply of grade 2 peppers that are unmarketable in Egypt. However, an attractive market for processed frozen chili peppers exists in Europe. To expand their client base, capitalize on a value added product, and minimize product waste, the AgroFood Company desires to develop processing practices for chili peppers produced in Egypt. The AgroFood Company would like to identify its options in the processed pepper market. An analysis of the company, competition, consumer, market channel, and conditions, provides insight into possible solutions to the challenges faced by the farm management. Designed for undergraduate classroom use, this case will provide students with an opportunity to evaluate the merits of business expansion into a high capacity, automated mechanical processing facility for grade 2 vegetables.Decision case, horticulture, agriculture economics, chili pepper production, protected vegetable production, Crop Production/Industries, Food Security and Poverty, Production Economics,

Wash-Out in N_2-dominated leptogenesis

We study the wash-out of a cosmological baryon asymmetry produced via leptogenesis by subsequent interactions. Therefore we focus on a scenario in which a lepton asymmetry is established in the out-of-equilibrium decays of the next-to-lightest right-handed neutrino. We apply the full classical Boltzmann equations without the assumption of kinetic equilibrium and including all quantum statistical factors to calculate the wash-out of the lepton asymmetry by interactions of the lightest right-handed state. We include scattering processes with top quarks in our analysis. This is of particular interest since the wash-out is enhanced by scatterings and the use of mode equations with quantum statistical distribution functions. In this way we provide a restriction on the parameter space for this scenarios.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures, profound revision, exposition is now in flavor notation, one plot and discussion added, numerical error corrected, three plots changed, text polished, main results remain unchanged, reference added,matches published versio

Bone mineral content after renal transplantation

Forearm bone mineral content (BMC), as evaluated by photonabsorption densitometry, was measured in 28 cadaver kidney donor recipients who entered the study 8 weeks postoperatively and were followed up for 18 months. BMC decreased signifiantly (p<0.05) but marginally in placebo-treated patients (n=14) (initial BMC 1.09±0.25 g/cm; final BMC 1.05±0.24). Fourteen patients were prophylactically given 1,25(OH)2vitamin D3 in a dose which avoided hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria (sim0.25 µg/day); under 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 prophylaxis a significant decrease of forearm BMC was observed no longer (initial BMC 0.94±0.21 g/cm; final BMC 0.95±0.21), but the difference between placebo and 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 narrowly missed statistical significance (p=0.066). It is concluded that the decrease of forearm BMC is negligible in transplant recipients with low steroid regimens. The data suggest a trend for prophylaxis with 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 to slightly ameliorate forearm (cortical) BMC loss

A complete one-loop calculation of electroweak supersymmetric effects in tt-channel single top production at LHC

We have computed the complete one-loop electroweak effects in the MSSM for single top (and single antitop) production in the $t$-channel at hadron colliders, generalizing a previous analysis performed for the dominant $dt$ final state and fully including QED effects. The results are quite similar for all processes. The overall Standard Model one-loop effect is small, of the few percent size. This is due to a compensation of weak and QED contributions that are of opposite sign. The genuine SUSY contribution is generally quite modest in the mSUGRA scenario. The experimental observables would therefore only practically depend, in this framework, on the CKM $Wtb$ coupling.Comment: 25 pages, several eps figures. Update corresponding to published versio

Determination of Strong-Interaction Widths and Shifts of Pionic X-Rays with a Crystal Spectrometer

Pionic 3d-2p atomic transitions in F, Na, and Mg have been studied using a bent crystal spectrometer. The pionic atoms were formed in the production target placed in the external proton beam of the Space Radiation Effects Laboratory synchrocyclotron. The observed energies and widths of the transitions are E=41679(3) eV and Γ=21(8) eV, E=62434(18) eV and Γ=22(80) eV, E=74389(9) eV and Γ=67(35) eV, in F, Na, and Mg, respectively. The results are compared with calculations based on a pion-nucleus optical potential