Unaccompanied Homeless Youth in Illinois: 2005

This report was prepared for the Illinois Department of Human Services by Timothy P. Johnson and Ingrid Graf of the Survey Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and coordinated by Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.This document reports the findings from a study designed to (1) assess the needs of unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) in Illinois and (2) provide statewide estimates of the number of these youth in Illinois. For the purposes of this project, an unaccompanied homeless youth was defined as an individual age 21 or younger who, at the time of data collection, was not primarily in the care of a parent or legal guardian and who lacked a safe or stable living arrangement. Wards of the state or youth who had formed stable private living arrangements did not fit our definition.This study included two main data collection efforts: (1) a representative survey of service providers in Illinois who provide assistance to unaccompanied homeless youth and (2) a representative survey of UHY currently receiving services in Illinois

SENSORY AND HEALTH-RELATED FRUIT QUALITY OF ORGANIC APPLES. A COMPARATIVE FIELD STUDY OVER THREE YEARS USING CONVENTIONAL AND HOLISTIC METHODS TO ASSESS FRUIT QUALITY

In a 3 years lasting field study with the ‘Golden Delicious’ cultivar, we compared fruits of 5 pairs of organic/integrated fruit farms. The orchards were similar in microclimate, soil conditions and planting system. To assess inner fruit quality we investigated at the beginning and at the end of cold storage: (i) standard parameters (firmness, sugar, malic acid., mineral content); (ii) sensorial quality by panel tests; (iii) health related components (23 phenolic compounds, nutritional fibres; vitamins); and (v) fruit «vitality quality» by holistic approaches (crystallisation in copper chloride, self degradation tests, feeding preference tests with laboratory rats). The most significant differences were found in year one of the study, and were by tendency confirmed in the following two years. In year one all fruit samples of organic orchards had significantly firmer fruit flesh (14%), a 10 % higher index of inner quality (on basis of sugar and malic acid content and fruit flesh firmness), and 15% higher taste scores than conventional ones. Phosphorus content of the fruit flesh was 31% higher in organic apples and closely correlated (r2 = 0.93) with the index of inner quality and sensory score (r2 = 0.69). No extraction method of Phosphorus in the soil (water, NH4-EDTA, citric acid, CAL) correlated with the P-content in the fruits. However, P in the fruit flesh correlated by r2 = 0.72 with the microbial activity of the soil expressed as the ratio of microbialbound Nitrogen and Carbon in the soil. With a value of 3.85 the Cmic:Nmic ratio was 44.5 % lower (thus more favourable) in organic tree strips. Flavanols, with 65.7 % of the total polyphenol content were the dominant group of polyphenols. The content of flavonols was 22.7 % higher in organic apples in the first year and 15.6 % in the average of the three years. The self-degradation test didn't provide significant differences. Laboratory rats, showed a tendency to prefer IP apples probably due to their advanced ripeness. Thus rat behaviour did not correspond with the sensory panel judgement. The picture forming method provided a correct reproducibility with repeated blind samples before and after storage (r2 = 0.83), and distinguished 100 % correctly organic an IP fruit in the first year. In the second year there was one miss qualification. The average value over three dates of the index for «vitality quality», which was especially created for this study, was 44.6 % higher with organic apples The picture forming methods correlated well with sensory scores and standard quality (r2 = 0.63) in the first year. The study revealed interesting and consumer-relevant differences between organic and integrated apples with standard and holistic methods

Geschmack- und gesundheitsrelevante Qualität von ökologisch angbauten Äpfeln: Eine 3jährige Feldvergleichsstudie mit standard- und ganzheitlichen Untersuchungsmethoden

In a 3 years lasting field study with the ‘Golden Delicious’ cultivar, we compared fruits of 5 pairs of organic/integrated fruit farms. The orchards were similar in microclimate, soil conditions and planting system. To assess inner fruit quality we investigated at the beginning and at the end of cold storage: (i) standard parameters (firmness, sugar, malic acid., mineral content); (ii) sensorial quality by panel tests; (iii) health related components (23 phenolic compounds, nutritional fibres; vitamins); and (v) fruit «vitality quality» by holistic approaches (crystallisation in copper chloride, self degradation tests, feeding preference tests with laboratory rats). The most significant differences were found in year one of the study, and were by tendency confirmed in the following two years. In year one all fruit samples of organic orchards had significantly firmer fruit flesh (14%), a 10 % higher index of inner quality (on basis of sugar and malic acid content and fruit flesh firmness), and 15% higher taste scores than conventional ones. Phosphorus content of the fruit flesh was 31% higher in organic apples and closely correlated (r2 = 0.93) with the index of inner quality and sensory score (r2 = 0.69). No extraction method of Phosphorus in the soil (water, NH4-EDTA, citric acid, CAL) correlated with the P-content in the fruits. However, P in the fruit flesh correlated by r2 = 0.72 with the microbial activity of the soil expressed as the ratio of microbialbound Nitrogen and Carbon in the soil. With a value of 3.85 the Cmic:Nmic ratio was 44.5 % lower (thus more favourable) in organic tree strips. Flavanols, with 65.7 % of the total polyphenol content were the dominant group of polyphenols. The content of flavonols was 22.7 % higher in organic apples in the first year and 15.6 % in the average of the three years. The self-degradation test didn't provide significant differences. Laboratory rats, showed a tendency to prefer IP apples probably due to their advanced ripeness. Thus rat behaviour did not correspond with the sensory panel judgement. The picture forming method provided a correct reproducibility with repeated blind samples before and after storage (r2 = 0.83), and distinguished 100 % correctly organic an IP fruit in the first year. In the second year there was one miss qualification. The average value over three dates of the index for «vitality quality», which was especially created for this study, was 44.6 % higher with organic apples The picture forming methods correlated well with sensory scores and standard quality (r2 = 0.63) in the first year. The study revealed interesting and consumer-relevant differences between organic and integrated apples with standard and holistic methods

Hedging Break-Even Biodiesel Production Costs Using Soybean Oil Futures

The effectiveness of hedging volatile input prices for biodiesel producers is examined over one- to eight-week time horizons. Results reveal that hedging break-even soybean costs with soybean oil futures offers significant reductions in input price risk. The degree of risk reduction is dependent upon type of hedge, naïve or risk-minimizing, and upon time horizon. In contrast, cross-hedging break-even poultry fat costs with soybean oil futures failed to reduce input price risk.biodiesel, hedging, poultry fat, soybean oil, Agribusiness, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Functional requirements for onboard management of space shuttle consumables, volume 1

A study was conducted to determine the functional requirements for onboard management of space shuttle consumables. A generalized consumable management concept was developed for application to advanced spacecraft. The subsystems and related consumables selected for inclusion in the consumables management system are: (1) propulsion, (2) power generation, and (3) environmental and life support