bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Choosing to study music: student attitudes towards the subject of music in second-level education in the Republic of Ireland
Authors: McCarthy Carrie , O’Flaherty Joanne , Downey Jean
Published: May 2019

The present study aimed to identify student (16–18 years) attitudes towards the subject of music in second-level education in the Republic of Ireland. The study, framed by an interpretivist approach, employed qualitative data collection methods through interviews and focus groups. Findings indicate that student attitudes to music were influenced by the following factors: their innate interest in the subject, which was strengthened by an existing musical skill or talent, and the perceived use of the subject as a pathway for entry to further/higher education or for a student’s professional career. The findings also suggested that the music curriculum and the teaching style of the music teacher impacted student attitudes as did the appeal of the practical element of the subject, particularly with regard to the practical assessment component. Some interpretations of these findings are explored.
LINGUISTIC ALIGNMENT, LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS, AND THE PRODUCTION OF STRANDED PREPOSITIONS IN RELATIVE CLAUSES
Authors: Kim YouJin , Jung YeonJoo , Skalicky Stephen
Published: May 2019

The current study examined the occurrence and benefits of linguistic alignment in two modalities, face-to-face (FTF) and synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC), focusing on stranded prepositions in relative clauses. It further examined how learner characteristics (i.e., working memory, language proficiency, previous knowledge of the target structure) mediate the effects of linguistic alignment. Ninety-four Korean students were assigned to one of the following groups: FTF alignment, SCMC alignment, FTF control, and SCMC control. The alignment experimental groups completed two alignment sessions, finished three stranded preposition tests, and carried out a running span test and cloze test over three weeks. Results indicated not only that linguistic alignment occurred in both FTF and SCMC modes but also that alignment was facilitated significantly more in the SCMC than FTF interactions. Furthermore, the findings suggest immediate and delayed learning effects in both modalities, and that learners’ prior knowledge of the target structure was significantly associated with the occurrence of alignment.
Adrenal Medulla Autografts in Parkinson's Disease: A Proposed Mechanism of Action
Authors: Riopelle R.J.
Published: May 2019

Concepts emerging from experimental manipulations of neurobiological systems in vivo and in vitro may provide explanations for some clinical observations following adrenal medulla autografting in patients with Parkinson's disease. These concepts are reviewed, and a proposed mechanism of action of adrenal autografts in Parkinson's disease is advanced.
Epilepsy and Driving
Authors: Andermann Frederick , Rémillard G.M. , Zifkin Benjamin G. , Trottier Antonio G. , Drouin Patrice
Published: May 2019

The risk of losing consciousness while driving a motor vehicle and the need to drive a car in today's society are opposing forces at play in determining the fitness and ability of people with epilepsy to drive. We must remember that until some 20 years ago, in Canada and in many other countries people with epilepsy were not allowed to drive. A movement by Canadian neurologists to establish guidelines which would enable people with controlled or remitted epilepsy to drive was headed by the late Dr. Francis McNaughton and by Dr. Guy Courtois. At present, legislation allowing people with controlled epilepsy to drive exists in every province or state of Canada and the United States and in many other countries. The International League Against Epilepsy, the professional society concerned with research, teaching and patient care, has a standing committee devoted to the problems of driving a motor vehicle. The Canadian League Against Epilepsy, the national branch of the International League, has carried the issues raised by driving and by the legislation governing it on the agenda of its annual meetings for the past several years. A committee headed by Dr. Guy Rémillard has compared pertinent laws and rules in different provinces with a view to establishing universally acceptable criteria and guidelines.
Gastrointestinal Bleeding After Craniotomy: A Retrospective Review of 518 Patients
Authors: Muller P. , Jirsch D. , D'Sousa J. , Kerr C. , Knapp C.
Published: May 2019

A retrospective review of the medical records of 518 patients who underwent craniotomy over a 3 year interval was carried out to determine the rate of gastrointestinal bleeding and its relationship to the Glasgow Coma Score. There were 288 [55.5%] males and 230 [44.5%] females in the series; the mean age was 51.5±18.9 years. Forty percent had brain tumours, 18% had subarachnoid hemorrhage, 14% had spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, 19% had head injury and 8% had other diagnoses. Forty-eight [9.3%] of the patients had significant gastrointestinal bleeding, the distribution of which was as follows: hematemesis [37/518], melena [11/518] and/or hematochezia [4/518]. A further 51 [9.8%] had evidence of “coffee ground emesis” only. Of those with a Glasgow Coma Score of <10, 21% had significant GI bleeding while only 7% of patients with a Glasgow Coma Score >10 had such a bleed [p<0.005]. Further analysis showed that the incidence of GI bleeding in patients who underwent craniotomy increased with decreasing GCS. GI bleeding did not correlate with age, sex, steroid administration or casual use of anti-ulcer medication.
Transcarpal Median Sensory Conduction: Detection of Latent Abnormalities in Mild Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: Léan Jacques De
Published: May 2019

The major slowing of nerve conduction in the carpal tunnel syndrome is located in the palm to wrist segment. The aim of this study is to develop a reliable, sensitive and accessible approach to measure transcarpal median sensory nerve conduction. For this purpose, a fast recovery amplifier with a stimulus artifact suppressor was designed by the author. On stimulation of digits II or III, evoked orthodromic sensory nerve action potentials were simultaneously recorded at the palm and at the wrist. Distances were determined with a ruler. Median sensory nerve conduction velocity was estimated from digit to palm and from palm to wrist in 80 healthy hands and 253 hands with a presumptive diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. According to conventional criteria, 131 of the 253 hands from those suspected of carpal tunnel syndrome were thought to have median nerve compression. When transcarpal median sensory conduction velocity was taken into account, the diagnostic yield increased by 18.1%. The described technique provides a simple, sensitive and reliable method of diagnosing mild or early carpal tunnel syndrome.
Evolution of Visual Evoked Potentials in Optic Neuritis
Authors: Heinrichs Irvin H. , McLean Donald R.
Published: May 2019

The visual evoked potential (VEP) latency was either abnormally prolonged or absent in the involved eye of 47 patients with optic neuritis. Twenty-two of these patients with known multiple sclerosis (MS), had similar abnormalities to 25 patients with no clinical evidence of MS. Follow-up clinical assessment and VEP were done 10 to 42 (mean 22) months later in 34 patients. In 15 of 34 patients with no VEP from the involved eye during initial examination, 6 returned to normal, 8 had prolonged latencies and 1 still had no response at follow up. Of 19 patients who initially had prolonged latencies in the involved eye, 6 returned to normal, 11 had prolonged latencies and 2 had no response at follow up. The VEP is helpful in confirming the diagnosis of ON. The examination must be performed when the patient is symptomatic or soon thereafter as 35% of our patients with an abnormal initial VEP had a normal VEP at follow up. This normalization was not related to the severity of the initial VEP abnormality.
Dominantly Inherited Ataxias in Portugal
Authors: Cunha L. , Gonçalves A. , Dinis M. , Oliveira C. , Ferro M. , Vicente A. , Roy M. , Barbeau A.
Published: May 2019

We analysed the clinical features of 82 patients with dominantly inherited ataxia in a cohort survey. All patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for Machado-Joseph disease. The mean age of onset of symptoms was 39.8 (± 12.5) years and the duration of the disease was 9.2 (± 6.7) years. Ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, and fasciculation scores correlated with age of onset and duration of disease. Upper motor neuron scores failed to correlate with age of onset. In a follow-up study we analysed the clinical data of 46 patients two years after the first examination. A paired ttest was used to compare differences between observations. The results are in agreement with those of the cross-section in time, suggesting a deterioration of the symptoms with the evolution of the disease. We conclude that dynamic definition of the disease according to age of onset and duration of symptoms is preferable to subdivision into classical types.
Absence of Gliosis in the Brains of Epileptic Fowl
Authors: Munoz D.G. , McNab B. , George D.H. , Johnson D.
Published: May 2019

Chickens homozygous for the epi gene (epileptics) suffer from spontaneous seizures throughout their life, whereas heterozygous (carriers) are phenotypically normal. Seizures can also be evoked in epileptics by photic stimulation. In addition, epileptic chickens' brains are 25% heavier than those of carriers. We have investigated whether hyperplasia or hypertrophy of astrocytes or increased numbers of astrocytic processes are involved in the development of seizures and the megalencephaly in this model by quantitative comparison of sections immunocytochemically stained for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). No statistically significant differences between epileptics and controls were found in any of seven areas selected for comparison. In this model gliosis is not involved in the development of epilepsy, nor does it result from repeated seizures.
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Normal Angiography: Should the Angiogram be Reviewed by a Second Neuroradiologist?
Authors: Shuaib Ashfaq , Lee Mary Anne , Johns Robert D. , Swanson Harold A.
Published: May 2019

In recent years there has been a tendency to abandon repeat cerebral angiography in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) if the initial angiogram is normal because prognosis is said to be excellent. Our experience does not support such a conclusion. We report our experiences in 25 patients with SAH, who had a normal initial angiogram. Aneurysms were seen in five of 20 cases when angiography was repeated. On subsequent review of the initial angiograms, the aneurysm was apparent in four of the five cases. When these four initial angiograms were shown to a second observer, unaware of the results of the second study, three of the four aneurysms were correctly identified. We suggest that if, under strong clinical suspicion of SAH, the angiogram is reported as normal the study should be reviewed by a second neuro-radiologist before proceeding to repeat angiography.
Basilar Artery Blood Flow in Subclavian Steal
Authors: Bornstein Natan M. , Krajewski Adam , Norris John W.
Published: May 2019

Subclavian “steal”, when blood siphons from one vertebral artery to the other, has been suggested as a cause of brain stem ischaemia and stroke. We investigated 33 patients using transcranial Doppler to determine the direction and velocity of basilar blood flow. All patients had severe subclavian stenosis with reversed vertebral blood flow in the ipsilateral artery previously demonstrated by extracranial Doppler. Basilar flow was normal in direction in all cases, but its velocity was significantly increased (p<0.0008) compared to age- and sex-matched controls. These findings, in conjunction with previous observations using extracranial Doppler techniques, suggest that subclavian steal is little more than a harmless haemodynamic phenomenon.
Lupus Anticoagulant, Antiphospholipid Antibodies and Migraine
Authors: Hogan M.J. , Brunet D.G. , Ford P.M. , Lillicrap D.
Published: May 2019

The records of fifteen patients referred for neurological assessment and found to have lupus anticoagulant or elevated anticardiolipin antibodies were reviewed. The mean age for females in the group was 29.4 years and for males was 35. A diagnosis of migraine, either as an acute or chronic problem, was made in 10 (66%) of these patients. Seven of the 15 patients had ischemic stroke and two patients had other thrombotic complications associated with lupus anticoagulant. Three of the nine female patients with migraine had histories of spontaneous abortions. All migraine patients experienced transient or more prolonged neurological deficits with their headaches. An association between lupus anticoagulant and migraine can only be suggested. Data on the incidence of migraine in patients with lupus anticoagulant in the general medical population does not exist. Furthermore the prevalence of lupus anticoagulant in migraine sufferers is unknown. Therefore further studies are required to investigate this possible association.
Dermatomyositis and Granulomatous Myopathy Associated with Sarcoidosis
Authors: Lipton Jeffrey H. , McLeod B. Daniel , Brownell A. Keith W.
Published: May 2019

A previously healthy, 21-year-old female presented with acute dermatomyositis. Chest X-ray revealed bilateral hilar adenopathy, and mediastinal lymph node biopsy demonstrated noncaseating granulomata compatible with sarcoidosis. The patient improved spontaneously. The significance of bilateral hilar adenopathy in association with dermatomyositis and implications for management are discussed.
Recurrent Intracranial Hemorrhage in an Adult with Moyamoya Disease: Case Report, Radiographic Studies and Pathology
Authors: Kaufman Mark , Little Brian W. , Berkowitz Bernard W.
Published: May 2019

Moyamoya disease is an unusual vascular disorder highlighted by progressive bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion and collateralization of intracranial blood flow. Recurrent multifocal cerebral ischemic events and isolated intracerebral hemorrhage are known to occur in this disorder. We report a 52 year old man who over a nine year period had four apparent intracranial hemorrhages. Serial angiograms demonstrated the evolution of moyamoya disease. Pathologic examination confirmed multiple vascular lesions, including two that were clinically silent.
The Dystonias
Authors: McGeer Edith G. , McGeer Patrick L.
Published: May 2019

Dystonia is a difficult problem for both the clinician and the scientist. It is sufficiently common to be seen by almost all physicians, yet uncommon enough to prevent any physician from gaining broad experience in its diagnosis and treatment. Each case represents a difficult challenge even to the specialist. The basic scientist is faced with investigating a disorder that is without relevant animal models and which is so rare that obtaining suitable tissue for study is a major obstacle. Dystonia may be idiopathic, or associated with lesions from many sources, including a variety of rare diseases. If idiopathic, it may be genetically transmitted or sporadic. If genetically transmitted, it may be generalized or focal, with symptoms varying in different members of the same family. It may be refractory to treatment, or it may respond to any one of a number of individual drugs that have very different mechanisms of action. For idiopathic dystonias, no clear method of genetic transmission has been established and no consistent pathology identified.
An Accurate Motion Compensation for SAR Imagery based on INS/GPS with Dual-filter Correction
Authors: Chen Linzhouting , Liu Zhanchao , Fang Jiancheng
Published: May 2019

Current Motion Compensation (MOCO) methods using Inertial Navigation System (INS)/Global Positioning System (GPS) integrated systems have provided an important advance in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery, but most of these methods only work well over a short imaging period. With the development of high-resolution SAR that provides image gathering over long periods, the need for higher levels of INS/GPS performance than normally available is desired. The higher requirement of INS/GPS for SAR MOCO is two-fold: (1) the accurate knowledge of location information, and (2) the smoothness of relative change in navigation error. In this paper, we design an INS/GPS architecture with dual-filter correction to obtain accurate absolute velocity and position measurement information with smooth low relative error noise over a long image gathering period. Real SAR data experimental results show that the proposed method effectively improves the MOCO performance of INS/GPS with long SAR imaging periods, in which the SAR azimuth resolution reaches 1·45 m, which is very close to the design value of 1 m.
Reducing Nutrient Application Rates for Water Quality Protection in Intensive Livestock Areas: Policy Implications of Alternative Producer Behavior
Authors: McSweeny William T. , Shortle James S.
Published: May 2019

High rates of commercial fertilizer and animal manure application on cropland have been identified as an important cause of ground and surface water degradation in many areas of the country. Suggested remedies are often based on the idea that fertilization levels are economically irrational for the individual farmer. The received wisdom is that farmers could simultaneously improve their own economic well being and reduce the degradation of the ground and surface waters by fertilizing only to meet crop nutrient needs. Rather than assuming that farmers act irrationally, this study examines the fertilization problem on a mixed crop-livestock farm from the perspective of a risk-averse farmer coping with two key uncertainties: crop yield response to nitrogen applications and the nitrogen content of manure. The effects on fertilization decisions by such a farmer of various policy prescriptions for reducing surface and ground water pollution are examined. The results underscore the importance of understanding producer behavior for the design of economically sound policy.
A Computable Economic Threshold Model for Weeds in Field Crops with Multiple Pests, Quality Effects and an Uncertain Spraying Period Length
Authors: Marra Michele C. , Gould Thomas D. , Porter Gregory A.
Published: May 2019

A model is developed to determine the minimum weed population where a decision to apply a postemergence herbicide would be profitable. The economic threshold model accounts for changing economic conditions, the effect of weeds on crop quality, the effect of multiple weed species on yield and quality, and uncertainty about spraying period length. The model is uncomplicated enough for microcomputer or programmable calculator applications. An example of weed threshold calculations for round white potatoes is given.
Nonrobustness of Dynamic Dual Models of the U.S. Dairy Industry
Authors: Howard Wayne H. , Shumway C. Richard
Published: May 2019

The robustness of dynamic dual model results across functional forms is examined for the U.S. dairy industry. Modified generalized Leontief (GL) and normalized quadratic (NQ) functional forms are compared by examining their consistency with properties of the competitive firm, estimated rates of adjustment for cows and labor, tests of technological change, and elasticities. Homogeneity and symmetry are maintained in both models. Convexity is not rejected by the GL and is not seriously violated by the NQ. Absence of technological change is rejected by both models, but quality indexes on labor and cows fully embody technological change occurring within labor and cows in the NQ but not in the GL. Policy-relevant elasticities differ greatly between the functional forms. Dynamic dual models are found to be non-robust in important ways to choice of functional form.
The Potential Impact of Ice-Minus Bacteria as a Frost Protectant in New York Tree Fruit Production
Authors: Love John , Lesser William
Published: May 2019

Ice-nucleating bacteria, which are known to occur naturally on many crops and have been associated with frost damage, may be subject to control with genetically engineered bacteria, dubbed “ice-minus” bacteria. Ice-minus technology is designed to depress the critical temperature at which frost damage begins by displacing the natural population of ice-nucleating organisms. A trial product has been tested in the field with strawberries. Although tests with bacteriacidal compounds have suggested other mechanisms for controlling the critical temperature in deciduous fruit crops, ice-minus may prove to be effective. This analysis examines the possibility of ice-minus being adopted by New York tree-fruit growers and the likelihood of it causing a major economic impact on the state's fruit industry. Based on the climatology, phenology of fruit trees, and the record of actual frost damage in New York, the need for ice-minus is apparently not great enough to conclude that its adoption would cause a significant impact on New York fruit production.
Using USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Arrivals to Determine the Distribution of a State's Production
Authors: Beilock Richard , Portier Kenneth M.
Published: May 2019

This paper examines the problem of transforming information on fresh fruit and vegetable Arrivals to U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas into a distribution of products to larger geographical regions. Three methods for the regional distribution of Florida-grown produce are compared. A new method, which takes into account regional population sizes in the allocation of an area's produce to the region, is shown to produce allocations similar to those obtained through trucker surveys. Finally, the new approach is applied to produce from other areas, and allocations to regions compared to that obtained using the Arrivals data only.
Attitudes and Household Characteristics Influencing Solid Waste Generation: A Household Garbage Analysis
Authors: Epp Donald J. , Mauger Paul C.
Published: May 2019

A survey of household decision-makers and an analysis of their garbage was used to suggest factors affecting the weight of household contributions to municipal solid waste. Iterative regression was used to build a model from the data that is hypothesized to explain garbage weight. Food expenditure, environmental attitude, consumption of soft drinks in plastic bottles, and cats in the household were significant for all households. Self-sufficiency and energy-conscious behavioral scales also affected the subgroup with female householders having an educational level of high school graduation or less.
Cooperative Versus Individual Approaches to Treatment of Contaminated Groundwater by Rural Residents in the Northeast
Authors: Klinko Deborah K. , Abdalla Charles W.
Published: May 2019

Point-of-use/point-of-entry treatment can provide an affordable means for rural residents on private wells to remedy groundwater contamination. Cooperation among homeowners was hypothesized to be a means of further reducing treatment costs due to quantity discounts and avoidance of dealer mark-ups. Data obtained through a mail survey of water treatment firms was used to test this hypothesis. Individual and group purchase, installation and maintenance costs and manufacturer and dealer costs were compared using analysis of variance. Results indicate a cooperative treatment approach may provide benefits due to quantity discounts but little potential exists for savings via direct manufacturer purchase.
Gender's Role in Manuscript Acceptance: Sex in the Journal
Authors: Harper Carolyn R. , Willis Cleve E.
Published: May 2019

Women authors fare poorly at the hands of referees in some economics journals, especially when the review process is not blind. Using data on the 155 manuscripts submitted to the NJARE for publication during the period 1984–88, we found no evidence of differential referee acceptance rates for manuscripts with female and male lead authors.

Thus it is quite possible that the name “Miss” transmits through the board or division some vibration which is not registered in the examination room.

Virginia Woolf

Three Guineas
Emerging Issues in Food Marketing and Distribution in the Northeast
Authors: Hallberg M. C.
Published: May 2019

Food marketing and distribution encompasses a vast array of economic and regulatory activity. In the most recent product of NC-117, the authors argue that: “The food manufacturing and distribution industries are the primary orchestrators of the food system. Not only do these industries perform essential tasks themselves, but they also have significant influence over the rest of the food system: backward on agricultural production and forward on consumers.” (Marion, p. 432) It is tempting to draw a more complete path diagram with which to emphasize ways in which consumers, farmers and other entities, including regulators, influence and are influenced by these “primary orchestrators”. I will, however, follow the lead of the NC-117 committee and concentrate on these “primary orchestrators” in the Northeast.
Toward a Development Policy for Rural America
Authors: Barkley Paul W.
Published: May 2019

Rural America can only be defined as non-urban America. It includes nearly all of America's land area and is home for over one-fourth of the nation's people. Although some rural areas are very prosperous and even in the not-so-prosperous regions, some individuals and families have succeeded in their economic endeavors, there seems always to have been an inordinate amount of poverty and a slow erosion of opportunity-generating activity in many or, more likely, most rural regions.
Toward a Development Policy for Rural America: Discussion
Authors: Smith Stephen M.
Published: May 2019

The issue of a rural policy—whether or not we have one, what one should look like, should we have one—has been discussed more specifically in the mid-1980s. This is a result of the general economic crisis that has affected rural areas, and the realization that agricultural policy has only a limited impact. Professor Barkley has provided us with a valuable and interesting context within which to examine the need for and content of a rural development policy. His paper should force us to raise such questions as:

1.

Have the ways we dealt with rural problems, i.e., our rural policy, changed in any substantial way?

2.

Have we had any successes, and substantially affected rural problems?

3.

Or, do we continue to propose the same solutions to the same problems?
Negative Milk Supply Response Under Constrained Profit Maximizing Behavior
Authors: Tauer Loren W. , Kaiser Harry M.
Published: May 2019

A conceptual model is formulated that shows that a downward sloping supply function may exist for a profit maximizing firm facing a cash-flow constraint. The necessary requirement is that at least one factor must be a non-cash input. The model is tested using analysis of variance on two groups of producers from farm record data, one group facing a binding budget constraint the other group not. The results indicate that farms facing a cash flow constraint increase output more than farms not restricted by a cash flow constraint in response to a price decrease.
Probability Distributions of Crop Prices, Yields, and Gross Revenue
Authors: Tew Bernard V. , Reid Donald W.
Published: May 2019

This study shows that the price-yield correlation is a major influence in determining the skewness of revenue. Therefore, normality for revenue may not be rejected even if the price and/or yield distributions are significantly skewed. Analysis of cotton revenue for Mississippi shows that this can be the case empirically when the correlation between price and yield is moderately negative and the relative variability of yield and price is not too high. Hence, for crops produced in their major production regions where negative correlations between prices and yields are the greatest, revenue distributions may have a greater tendency toward normal.
A Farm-Level Analysis of Soil Loss Control: Modeling the Probabilistic Nature of Annual Soil Loss
Authors: McSweeny William T.
Published: May 2019

The Conservation Compliance provision of the Food Security Act of 1985 requires all farmers who farmed highly erodible land prior to the passage of the Act to have a locally approved conservation plan fully implemented by 1995 or lose eligibility for numerous farm programs. Soil loss estimates of various crop, tillage practices, and conservation practices, however, are stochastic in nature. A farm planning model is suggested that allows for stochastic soil loss estimates. The model is compared to other models used in farm level soil conservation studies. The model shows promise as a more acceptable tool in that the farm plans are more likely to be acceptable to the farmer.
Groundwater Protection Policy and Agricultural Production: A Recursive Stochastic Analysis
Authors: Baker Brian P.
Published: May 2019

Contamination of groundwater by agricultural practices presents a dilemma between protecting a vital resource and maintaining a valuable part of the economy. Policies to balance these objectives are presented. In addition to an historical baseline, policies that ban certain pesticides, taxes and subsidies, and control cultural practices are also considered. A model is developed to reflect the current state of agriculture in Eastern Suffolk County. This model consists of a recursive programming component, which has input for it generated by a stochastic model of Colorado potato beetle pest dynamics and management strategies to control those pests. While income is reduced by banning pesticides, the reduction is small when compared with the improvement in environmental quality. Further efforts to reduce pesticide use resulted in a reduction in potato acreage and incomes, as well as yields. Analysis concludes that improvements in both farm income and environmental quality could be achieved through the adoption of subsidies for low-input conservation crops.
Modeling to Generate Alternatives in a Multiperiod Context: Apple Growers and Alar
Authors: Kimball Martha A.
Published: May 2019

Farm management decision making would be enhanced if solutions to farm problems were offered as a set of feasible alternatives, rather than as a single “best” solution for achieving favorable results. A farm manager could evaluate an array of alternatives against the farm's unique characteristics, which frequently are difficult to quantify and model, and select the most efficient action for the farm. Often, when agricultural economists use optimization, a single optimal solution is presented, with the corresponding best method for implementation. If the optimal solution is not appealing, the farmer does not move toward more efficient practices because alternatives are not offered. It is possible, however, to eliminate black-and-white solutions and increase the choices offered to operators. Two techniques for this are the examination of nearly optimal solutions (NOS) and modeling to generate alternatives (MGA).
The Single Index Market Model in Agriculture
Authors: Gempesaw C. M. , Tambe A. M. , Nayga R. M. , Toensmeyer U. C.
Published: May 2019

This study illustrates the differences in empirical results due to data measurements and estimating procedures when applying the single index market model in agriculture. Gross and net return betas along with systematic and unsystematic risk proportions are estimated and found to be different. The stochastic coefficients model is used to show the difference in beta-risk estimates compared with the traditional fixed coefficients OLS procedure. A third estimating technique, weighted least squares/Prais Winsten method, is also proposed.
A Model to Explain Participation in New York's Agricultural Districts and Use-Value Assessment Programs
Authors: Boisvert Richard N. , Bills Nelson L. , Bailey Elizabeth
Published: May 2019

Logit regression models are estimated to identify factors affecting decisions to enroll farmland in New York's agricultural districts program and participate in the use-value assessment program. The results suggest that the districts law is consistent with preserving the best farmland at the rural-urban fringe and that the decision to enroll in agricultural districts affects in a recursive fashion the decision to participate in the use-value assessment program. Short-term monetary gains are the overriding considerations in applying for use-value exemptions. This may lead to additional erosion of the tax base via tax preferences for agricultural land.
The Optimal Quantity of Land in Agriculture
Authors: McConnell K. E.
Published: May 2019

In 1952, when T. W. Schultz declared that land had lost its place as a unique factor of production, he was certainly right about U.S. agriculture. For the almost four decades since Schultz's prophetic analysis, output of U.S. agriculture has increased steadily while the exploited land base has slightly decreased. Land has not proved a constraint to production. Many varieties of technical change have kept the marginal product of land from falling, despite its increasingly intensive use.
Rational Roots of “Irrational” Behavior: New Theories of Economic Decision-Making
Authors: Opaluch James J. , Segerson Kathleen
Published: May 2019

The neoclassical paradigm has proven to be a rich approach for evaluating a variety of issues for individual and social decision-making. However, an increasing body of literature suggests that actual behavior systematically violates the neoclassical utility model. This paper reviews a number of alternative models for decision-making. Results from the literature show several examples of apparently “irrational” behavior that can be explained in terms of these alternative motivations. The paper also extends the received literature by examining in some detail the implications of one such model which is based on the psychological feeling of ambivalence. The paper demonstrates that ambivalence has the potential for explaining the appearance of intransitive choices, the use of rules of thumb in decision-making and the large discrepancies between stated willingness-to-pay and willingness-to-accept, all of which have been observed in various settings. There are potentially great rewards from innovative research that expands the neoclassical paradigm to incorporate additional motivational factors in decision-making.
Dairy Supply and Factor Demand Response to Output Price Risk: An Econometric Assessment
Authors: Luh Yir-Hueih , Stefanou Spiro E.
Published: May 2019

The model of production decision making for the expected utility maximizing firm under output price uncertainty is applied to a panel Pennsylvania dairy operators. The model generalized duality implemented in this paper has the advantage of generating a system of supply and variable factor demand functions that consistently account for the presence of output price risk. The application to Pennsylvania dairy operators indicates that output price risk measured by the second and third moments of individual operators’ historical output price series is not an important factor in production decision making. In addition to not maximizing expected utility, these operators are not expected profit maximizers.
Contingent Valuation of a Public Program to Control Black Flies
Authors: Reiling Stephen D. , Boyle Kevin J. , Cheng Hsiang-tai , Phillips Marcia L.
Published: May 2019

Contingent valuation is used to measure the benefits of a proposed public program to control black flies. Respondents’ reported values are analyzed from three perspectives: data outliers, consistency between respondents’ reported values and their perceptions of black flies, and the temporal reliability of the values expressed by respondents. The results suggest that the estimated contingent values are plausible even though a majority of respondents expressed a value of zero dollars for the black fly control program.
Off-Farm Employment Decisions by Massachusetts Farm Households
Authors: Lass Daniel A. , Findeis Jill L. , Hallberg M. C.
Published: May 2019

The off-farm labor participation and supply decisions of Massachusetts farm families were estimated in a model which allows for joint decisions. The hypothesis of joint off-farm participation decisions by operators and spouses was rejected. However, there was some evidence that the hours supplied by the farm operator was dependent upon the decision by the spouse to work off-farm. Farm operators were found to respond to both family and farm characteristics in making participation and supply decisions. Spouses respond to the characteristics of the farm and family in participation decisions while family characteristics determined hours worked by the spouse.
The Saturday Leisure Club: A Means of Facilitating the Integration of the Disabled
Authors: Gow Lyn , Balla John
Published: May 2019

Providing out-of-school recreation programs for the disabled enables them to use their free time productively and provides a means by which they can be integrated into the community. Although the need to foster integration of the disabled is internationally acknowledged, in Australia there is a dearth of out-of-school recreation programs for the disabled in Australia where such integration can be promoted. To remediate this deficiency in the Illawarra Region, “The Saturday Leisure Club” was piloted to ascertain its feasibility and suitability. Non-disabled siblings of the disabled were included in this program, in order to achieve a first stage of integration, and to provide them with an opportunity to meet other siblings of the disabled so that they might discuss their socio-emotional difficulties with one another. Questionnaires were completed by parents of participants and the co-ordinators of the program after a 4-week pilot run in order to evaluate the aims of the Club and to assess the success of this pilot project. In addition, time samples of the pilot run were recorded on videotape so that a more objective evaluation of the success of integration of the disabled with their non-disabled peers could be obtained. To do this “integrative” and “isolative” behaviours and “positive enotional experiences” were measured by a specially designed checklist. Results of the questionnaires showed that, according to the parents and co-ordinators, the aims of the pilot run were achieved and the program was a success. Further, the analysis of the videotapes showed that there was an increase in “integrative” behaviour over the four weeks of the pilot run. As a consequence, the program was continued and the ultimate aim, of providing a permanent leisure program for under 18 year olds in the Illawarra Region, N.S. W., where integration of the disabled could be fostered, was fulfilled.
Media in Special Education
Authors: Hallinan Peter
Published: May 2019

Film and video play an important part in shaping our attitudes and increasing our understanding of children with special needs. Media of quality are now widely available in Australia, and the article discusses how this may be obtained by teachers. In this first of a series of occasional articles, media which introduces the field of special education are briefly reviewed in an annotated bibliography.
INCOMPLETENESS VIA PARADOX AND COMPLETENESS
Authors: DEAN WALTER
Published: May 2019

This paper explores the relationship borne by the traditional paradoxes of set theory and semantics to formal incompleteness phenomena. A central tool is the application of the Arithmetized Completeness Theorem to systems of second-order arithmetic and set theory in which various “paradoxical notions” for first-order languages can be formalized. I will first discuss the setting in which this result was originally presented by Hilbert & Bernays (1939) and also how it was later adapted by Kreisel (1950) and Wang (1955) in order to obtain formal undecidability results. A generalization of this method will then be presented whereby Russell’s paradox, a variant of Mirimanoff’s paradox, the Liar, and the Grelling–Nelson paradox may be uniformly transformed into incompleteness theorems. Some additional observations are then framed relating these results to the unification of the set theoretic and semantic paradoxes, the intensionality of arithmetization (in the sense of Feferman, 1960), and axiomatic theories of truth.
Characterization of a waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) population from Illinois resistant to herbicides from five site-of-action groups
Authors: Evans Cody M. , Strom Seth A. , Riechers Dean E. , Davis Adam S. , Tranel Patrick J. , Hager Aaron G.
Published: May 2019

Experiments were initiated to characterize a waterhemp population (CHR) discovered in a central Illinois corn field after it was not controlled by the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitor topramezone. Field experiments conducted during 2014–2015 indicated that acetolactate synthase (ALS)-, protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO)-, photosystem II (PSII)-, and HPPD-inhibiting herbicides and the synthetic auxin 2,4-D did not control the CHR population. Laboratory experiments confirmed target site–based resistance mechanisms to ALS- and PPO-inhibiting herbicides. Herbicide doses required to reduce dry biomass 50% (GR50) were determined in greenhouse dose–response experiments, and indicated 16-fold resistance to the HPPD inhibitor mesotrione, 9.5-fold resistance to the synthetic auxin 2,4-D, and 252-fold resistance to the PSII inhibitor atrazine. Complementary results from field, laboratory, and greenhouse investigations indicate that the CHR population has evolved resistance to herbicides from five sites of action (SOAs): ALS-, PPO-, PSII-, and HPPD-inhibiting herbicides and 2,4-D. Herbicide use history for the field in which CHR was discovered indicates no previous use of 2,4-D.
Adaptivität von Sprachförderung im Kita-Alltag
Authors: Beckerle Christine , Mackowiak Katja
Published: May 2019

Zusammenfassung. Der Beitrag untersucht Unterschiede im Sprachförderhandeln pädagogischer Fachkräfte in der Interaktion mit Kindern, die sich stark in ihren Sprachkompetenzen im Deutschen unterscheiden. Ziel ist eine erste Annäherung an das Thema der adaptiven Gestaltung von Sprachförderung im Kita-Alltag; dazu wurden 61 videografierte dyadische Bilderbuchbetrachtungen analysiert. Die Ergebnisse belegen, dass die Fachkräfte in der Interaktion mit Kindern mit Deutsch als Zweitsprache und unterdurchschnittlichen Sprachtestleistungen im Deutschen insgesamt mehr Sprachfördertechniken einsetzen als mit Kindern mit Deutsch als Erstsprache und durchschnittlichen Sprachtestleistungen. Dies lässt sich auf den vermehrten Einsatz von korrektivem Feedback (auf grammatikalischer Ebene) und Modellierungstechniken (den Wortschatz betreffend) zurückführen. Zudem zeigt sich in der Sprachförderung der Kinder mit geringeren Deutschkompetenzen bei einigen Fachkräften der Einsatz spezifischer Strategien, die an den jeweiligen Sprachentwicklungsstand des Kindes angepasst sind; in anderen Interaktionen hingegen ist das Sprachförderhandeln weniger adaptiv, was den Bedarf an Professionalisierung für Fachkräfte in diesem Bereich bestätigt.
A genome-wide association meta-analysis of prognostic outcomes following cognitive behavioural therapy in individuals with anxiety and depressive disorders
Authors: Rayner Christopher , Coleman Jonathan R. I. , Purves Kirstin L. , Hodsoll John , Goldsmith Kimberley , Alpers Georg W. , Andersson Evelyn , Arolt Volker , Boberg Julia , Bögels Susan , Creswell Cathy , Cooper Peter , Curtis Charles , Deckert Jürgen , Domschke Katharina , El Alaoui Samir , Fehm Lydia , Fydrich Thomas , Gerlach Alexander L. , Grocholewski Anja , Hahlweg Kurt , Hamm Alfons , Hedman Erik , Heiervang Einar R. , Hudson Jennifer L. , Jöhren Peter , Keers Robert , Kircher Tilo , Lang Thomas , Lavebratt Catharina , Lee Sang-hyuck , Lester Kathryn J. , Lindefors Nils , Margraf Jürgen , Nauta Maaike , Pané-Farré Christiane A. , Pauli Paul , Rapee Ronald M , Reif Andreas , Rief Winfried , Roberts Susanna , Schalling Martin , Schneider Silvia , Silverman Wendy K. , Ströhle Andreas , Teismann Tobias , Thastum Mikael , Wannemüller Andre , Weber Heike , Wittchen Hans-Ulrich , Wolf Christiane , Rück Christian , Breen Gerome , Eley Thalia C.
Published: May 2019

Major depressive disorder and the anxiety disorders are highly prevalent, disabling and moderately heritable. Depression and anxiety are also highly comorbid and have a strong genetic correlation (rg ≈ 1). Cognitive behavioural therapy is a leading evidence-based treatment but has variable outcomes. Currently, there are no strong predictors of outcome. Therapygenetics research aims to identify genetic predictors of prognosis following therapy. We performed genome-wide association meta-analyses of symptoms following cognitive behavioural therapy in adults with anxiety disorders (n = 972), adults with major depressive disorder (n = 832) and children with anxiety disorders (n = 920; meta-analysis n = 2724). We estimated the variance in therapy outcomes that could be explained by common genetic variants (h2SNP) and polygenic scoring was used to examine genetic associations between therapy outcomes and psychopathology, personality and learning. No single nucleotide polymorphisms were strongly associated with treatment outcomes. No significant estimate of h2SNP could be obtained, suggesting the heritability of therapy outcome is smaller than our analysis was powered to detect. Polygenic scoring failed to detect genetic overlap between therapy outcome and psychopathology, personality or learning. This study is the largest therapygenetics study to date. Results are consistent with previous, similarly powered genome-wide association studies of complex traits.
Postmortem transcriptional profiling reveals widespread increase in inflammation in schizophrenia: a comparison of prefrontal cortex, striatum, and hippocampus among matched tetrads of controls with subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar or major depressive disorder
Authors: Lanz Thomas A. , Reinhart Veronica , Sheehan Mark J. , Rizzo Stacey J. Sukoff , Bove Susan E. , James Larry C. , Volfson Dmitri , Lewis David A. , Kleiman Robin J.
Published: May 2019

Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD) arise from complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Common genetic variants associated with multiple psychiatric disorders suggest that shared genetic architecture could contribute to divergent clinical syndromes. To evaluate shared transcriptional alterations across connected brain regions, Affymetrix microarrays were used to profile postmortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), hippocampus, and associative striatum from 19 well-matched tetrads of subjects with SCZ, BD, MDD, or unaffected controls. SCZ subjects showed a substantial burden of differentially expressed genes across all examined brain regions with the greatest effects in hippocampus, whereas BD and MDD showed less robust alterations. Pathway analysis of transcriptional profiles compared across diagnoses demonstrated commonly enriched pathways between all three disorders in hippocampus, significant overlap between SCZ and BD in DLPFC, but no significant overlap of enriched pathways between disorders in striatum. SCZ samples showed increased expression of transcripts associated with inflammation across all brain regions examined, which was not evident in BD or MDD, or in rat brain following chronic dosing with antipsychotic drugs. Several markers of inflammation were confirmed by RT-PCR in hippocampus, including S100A8/9, IL-6, MAFF, APOLD1, IFITM3, and BAG3. A cytokine ELISA panel showed significant increases in IL-2 and IL-12p70 protein content in hippocampal tissue collected from same SCZ subjects when compared to matched control subjects. These data suggest an overlapping subset of dysregulated pathways across psychiatric disorders; however, a widespread increase in inflammation appears to be a specific feature of the SCZ brain and is not likely to be attributable to chronic antipsychotic drug treatment.