Cauchy horizon stability in self-similar collapse: scalar radiation

The stability of the Cauchy horizon in spherically symmetric self-similar collapse is studied by determining the flux of scalar radiation impinging on the horizon. This flux is found to be finite.Comment: 10 pages. To appear in Phys Rev

Money, Debt and Prices in the UK 1705-1996

This paper constructs a consistent series for the market value of UK Government debt over almost 300 years. We analyse how monetary and fiscal policy affect the path of the price level in the UK. Specifically, the paper examines the interactions between debts, deficits, the monetary base and the price level. Overall, the price level has been closely related to the evolution of the base money supply. Across different sample periods, there is little econometric evidence that fiscal policy has affected the course of the price level (or of the exchange rate under the Gold Standard). Government debt has not significantly affected the base money stock either.Fiscal policy, debt, monetary policy, price level determination.

Evaluating the genetic progress of wheat in NSW, 1992-2009

Intellectual Property Regimes (IPRs) have been justified on the basis that they promote innovation, but it is not always clear that they do so. Empirical studies of IPRs in an Australian context have been limited. Plant variety protection is one form of IPR. The passing of the Australian Plant Breeder’s Rights Act of 1994 has been followed by significant commercialisation of the wheat breeding industry. The purpose of this paper is to consider whether this commercialisation has benefited wheat productivity through varietal improvement. We estimate a linear crop production function, using a random effects Hausman Taylor estimator to evaluate differences in genetic contributions to productivity between public and private wheat varieties commercially released in NSW over the period 1992-2009 using crop varietal data. Results from the Hausman Taylor estimator show that private varieties, on average, have outperformed public varieties over the period, suggesting that Plant Breeder’s Rights has promoted productive innovation in wheat. However, when we consider the best performing genetics of the varieties, public varieties have, in some years, outperformed privately bred varieties.genetic change, technical change, innovation, wheat breeding, intellectual property, Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Shakespeare's dramatic method as a guide for radio writers today

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

THE ECONOMICS OF MILK QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND MILK PRICING IN SIMULATED UNITED STATES DAIRY HERDS

Mastitis is considered one of the most common and costly diseases in the dairy industry. Intramammary infection status at a herd level is measured using somatic cell count (SCC). Understanding the total cost of an elevated somatic cell count can help influence dairy farmers to lower SCC and select management practices to produce higher quality milk. The first objective of our research was to determine if the cost of an elevated somatic cell count to farms can be decreased through the adoption of management practices with varying expenses. Using stochastic simulation modeling, the adoption of three differently priced management practices were modeled in herds with varying somatic cell counts. Results were highly dependent on whether a premium scheme for lower SCC milk was in place and how close a herd’s initial SCC was to a premium level. When herd SCC reduced enough to receive a premium, the total cost of SCC to the farm was dramatically reduced. One management practice that has historically been used in the industry is treating every quarter of every cow with an intramammary antibiotic at the end of her lactation. However, future restrictions of antibiotic use in animal agriculture may pressure dairy farmers to treat only cows with an intramammary infection at the end of the lactation. The second objective of our research was to complete an economic analysis comparing the total cost of dry cow therapy in simulated dairy farms when every quarter of every cow was treated with intramammary antibiotics compared treating only cows with an intramammary infection at end of the lactation. Results from the model indicate the treating every quarter of every cow at the end of lactation was most economically feasible in simulated farms. However, as the cost of a case of mastitis and mastitis incidence decrease, treating only cows with an intramammary infection may become economically feasible. Within recent years, the dairy industry in the Southeastern United States has shown interest in changing the way milk is priced. Currently, dairy farmers in the Southeast are paid for total fluid volume and butterfat, while other areas are paid for milk fat, protein, and other solids yields. The third objective of our research was to determine the differences in milk value using the conventional milk pricing system compared to a multiple component pricing system using cow production records. After examining average milk values, multiple component pricing may result in Southeastern dairy farmers being paid more for their milk

Systematic Scatterometer Wind Errors Near Coastal Mountains.

Satellite scatterometers provide the only regular observations of surface wind vectors over vast swaths of the world oceans, including coastal regions, which are of great scientific and societal interest but still present challenges for remote sensing. Here we demonstrate systematic scatterometer wind errors near Hawaii's Big Island: Two counter-rotating lee vortices, which are clear in the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set ship-based wind climatology and in aircraft observations, are absent in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Remote Sensing Systems scatterometer wind climatologies. We demonstrate similar errors in the representation of transient Catalina Eddy events in the Southern California Bight. These errors likely arise from the nonuniqueness of scatterometer wind observations, that is, an "ambiguity removal" is required during processing to select from multiple wind solutions to the geophysical model function. We discuss strategies to improve the ambiguity selection near coastal mountains, where small-scale wind reversals are common

Population Dynamics Lesson Plan

Students will use the AgentSheets simulation and excel spreadsheet to understand population dynamics, food webs, invasive species, and predator/prey relationships. This focuses students on the topic of predator/prey and invasive species interactions, assesses prior knowledge of the topic, and allows a student to relate new material to previously covered material and to connect material to “real life” examples. This addresses Content Standards 1 and 4, and Content Objectives: C1: Students will be able to (SWBAT) label the food web in the AgentSheets simulation C2: SWBAT: identify two cause and effects of changing a variable within the system C3: SWBAT: complete the worksheet with a 75% or higher. The primary file is a lesson plan, accompanied by supplemental files. In the supplemental zipped files, you will find: Student worksheets Lesson plan Powerpoint presentation

Targeted individual exercise programmes for older medical patients are feasible, and may change hospital and patient outcomes: a service improvement project

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this project was primarily to assess the feasibility of individual exercise programs for older hospitalised patients at risk of functional decline, and secondarily to evaluate impact on discharge outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Design: Cohort service improvement project</p> <p>Setting: 500 bed acute metropolitan hospital</p> <p>Subjects: Patients aged 70 and older admitted to Flinders Medical Centre under the general medical, aged care and respiratory units from June to November 2006, at intermediate or high risk of functional decline, and able to commence exercise within 48 hours of admission</p> <p>Intervention: Functional Maintenance Program (FMP); an individually tailored exercise program to maintain functional mobility, prescribed and progressed by a physiotherapist, and supervised by an Allied Health Assistant (AHA), provided in addition to usual physiotherapy care</p> <p>Outcome measures: Feasibility (number of admissions suitable, commencing and complying with FMP). Impact (length of hospital stay (LOS), Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) referrals and approvals, hospital readmissions within 28 days, and functional mobility (Elderly Mobility Scale))</p> <p>Data Analysis: Descriptive and logistic regression analysis</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 1021 admissions of patients aged 70 or older to general medical, aged care and respiratory units, 22% (n = 220) were identified within 48 hours as suitable for FMP: 196 (89%) commenced FMP within 48 hours of admission (FMP patients); 24 (11%) received usual physiotherapy (usual care patients). Feasibility of individually tailored exercise programs for older medical patients was supported by high uptake (89%), low withdrawal (17%) shown by those who commenced FMP, and good compliance with exercise sessions (70%). Logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant decreased likelihood of referral for nursing home admission (OR = 0.228, 95% CI 0.088–0.587) and decreased likelihood of approval for admission to residential care (OR = 0.307, 95% CI 0.115–0.822) in favour of FMP. Although trends of an average 15.7% LOS reduction, 8% fewer readmissions and improved functional mobility were demonstrated in favour of FMP patients, these results were not statistically significant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is feasible to identify older medical patients likely to benefit from an exercise program to maintain functional abilities, and to commence within 48 hours of admission.</p