A chloroacetamide herbicide by application timing factorial experiment was conducted in 2017 and 2018 in Mississippi to investigate chloroacetamide use in a dicamba-based Palmer amaranth management program in cotton production. Herbicides used were S-metolachlor or acetochlor, and application timings were preemergence, preemergence followed by (fb) early postemergence, preemergence fb late postemergence, early postemergence alone, late postemergence alone, and early postemergence fb late postemergence. Dicamba was included in all preemergence applications, and dicamba plus glyphosate was included with all postemergence applications. Differences in cotton and weed response due to chloroacetamide type were minimal, and cotton injury at 14 d after late postemergence application was less than 10% for all application timings. Late-season weed control was reduced up to 30% and 53% if chloroacetamide application occurred preemergence or late postemergence only, respectively. Late-season weed densities were minimized if multiple applications were used instead of a single application. Cotton height was reduced by up to 23% if a single application was made late postemergence relative to other application timings. Chloroacetamide application at any timing except preemergence alone minimized late-season weed biomass. Yield was maximized by any treatment involving multiple applications or early postemergence alone, whereas applications preemergence or late postemergence alone resulted in up to 56% and 27% yield losses, respectively. While no yield loss was reported by delaying the first of sequential applications until early postemergence, forgoing a preemergence application is not advisable given the multiple factors that may delay timely postemergence applications such as inclement weather.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic disease that disproportionately affects Indigenous Australians. We have previously reported the localization of a novel T2D locus by linkage analysis to chromosome 2q24 in a large admixed Indigenous Australian pedigree (Busfield et al. (2002). American Journal of Human Genetics, 70, 349–357). Here we describe fine mapping of this region in this pedigree, with the identification of SNPs showing strong association with T2D: rs3845724 (diabetes p = 7 × 10−4), rs4668106 (diabetes p = 9 × 10−4) and rs529002 (plasma glucose p = 3 × 10−4). These associations were successfully replicated in an independent collection of Indigenous Australian T2D cases and controls. These SNPs all lie within the gene encoding ceramide synthase 6 (CERS6) and thus may regulate ceramide synthesis.

Studies were conducted in 1997 and 1998 to evaluate the efficacy and economics of glyphosate-resistant and nontransgenic soybean systems. The three highest yielding glyphosate-resistant and nontransgenic soybean cultivars were chosen each year for three Mississippi locations based on Mississippi Soybean Variety Trials. Treatments within each cultivar/herbicide system included nontreated, low input (one-half of the labeled rate), medium input (labeled rate), and high input level (labeled rate plus an additional postemergence application). In 1997, all systems controlled hemp sesbania by more than 80% but nontransgenic systems controlled hemp sesbania more than the glyphosate-resistant systems in most instances in 1998. High input levels usually controlled pitted morningglory more than low or medium inputs in 1997. In 1998, both systems controlled pitted morningglory by 90% or more at Shelby; however, at other locations control was less than 85%. Soybean yield in 1997 at Shelby was more with the glyphosate-resistant system than with the nontransgenic systems at medium and high input levels, primarily because of early-season injury to a metribuzin-sensitive cultivar in the nontransgenic system. In 1998, soybean yield at Shelby was more with the nontransgenic system than the glyphosate-resistant system, regardless of input level, due to poor late-season hemp sesbania control with glyphosate. Net returns were often more with the glyphosate-resistant system at Shelby in 1997. Within the glyphosate-resistant system, there were no differences in net return between input levels. Within the nontransgenic system, low input level net returns were higher compared to medium and high input levels due to higher soybean yield and less herbicide cost. At Brooksville, using high input levels, the glyphosate-resistant systems net returns were $55.00/ha more than the nontransgenic system. Net returns were higher with the nontransgenic system compared to the glyphosate-resistant system at Shelby in 1998, regardless of input level.

Weather derivatives are a relatively new form of financial security, providing firms with the ability to hedge the impact of weather related risks to their activities. Participants in the energy industry have employed standardized temperature contracts trading on organized exchanges since 1999, and the availability and use of non-standardized contracts designed for specialized weather related risks is growing dramatically. The primary goal of this paper is to consider the potential design and use of a weather contract to hedge the risks faced in viticulture as measured by bioclimatic indices. Specifically we examine the Winkler and Huglin bioclimatic indices over a 43 year period for the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada's largest wine producing region, and identify a mixed jump diffusion stochastic process for cumulative growing season index values. We then employ Monte Carlo simulation to derive a range of benchmark prices for a “short condor” contract employing the Huglin index as the underlying variable. The results show that valuable hedging opportunities can be provided by such contracts. (JEL Classification: G13, G32, Q14, Q51, Q54)

The perceptron learning algorithm quite naturally yields an algorithm for finding a linearly separable boolean function consistent with a sample of such a function. Using the idea of a specifying sample, we give a simple proof that, in general, this algorithm is not efficient.

Let and be sets of functions from domain X to ℝ. We say that validly generalises from approximate interpolation if and only if for each η > 0 and ∈, δ ∈ (0,1) there is m0(η, ∈, δ) such that for any function t ∈ and any probability distribution on X, if m > m0 then with m-probability at least 1 – δ, a sample X = (x1, X2,…,xm) ∈ Xm satisfies

We find conditions that are necessary and sufficient for to validly generalise from approximate interpolation, and we obtain bounds on the sample length m0{η,∈,δ) in terms of various parameters describing the expressive power of .

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) is one of six instruments on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) with the objectives to determine the global topography of the lunar surface at high resolution, measure landing site slopes and search for polar ices in shadowed regions. The LOLA laser transmitter is a passively q-switched cross-Porro resonator. The flight laser beryllium bench houses two oscillators (a primary oscillator and a cold spare). The two oscillators are designed to operate sequentially during the mission. The secondary laser will be turned on if the primary laser can no longer provide adequate scientific data products. All components used in the laser have space flight heritage. In this paper we will summarize the development effort of the LOLA laser including the material choice, design criteria and contamination control as applied to the flight laser build.

Although the elderly are thought to be at increased risk for acquiring nosocomial infections (NIs), the degree of risk has not been carefully quantified. We determined the decade-specific risks of NIs. The rate was constant at approximately 10 per 1,000 discharged patients from birth to 40 to 49 years. Thereafter the rate rose logarithmically and peaked at greater than 100 per 1,000 discharges after 70 years. Of all NIs, 64% occurred after 60 years of age. Yet, this elderly group made up only 23% of hospitalized patients. In conclusion, while the elderly comprise a small fraction of hospitalized patients, they account for the majority of nosocomial infections.

Two of the tryptophan pools in the body and their associated fluxes, as defined by multicompartmental analysis, were studied in patients with unipolar affective disorder, bipolar patients (manic) and control subjects. The 2 pools were tentatively associated with extra- and intracellular compartments. The investigations were performed fasting and may have been mildly stressful. Under these conditions the concentration of tryptophan in plasma and perhaps amounts in the extracellular space were reduced in unipolar depression, with intermediate values after recovery. Some model parameters were lower in females than males. The results in unipolar affective disorder were interpreted in terms of a previously presented hypothesis that this illness may result in an idiosyncratic response to stress in which patients are unable to maintain normal amounts of tryptophan in the body. In manic patients extracellular levels of tryptophan were unchanged but intracellular and total quantities of ‘freely available’ tryptophan may have been reduced.

Depressed patients (unipolar) were given one of the following combinations in an attempt to test aspects of the ‘amine hypothesis’ and to find a preferential therapy: (1) clomipramine; (2) clomipramine and tryptophan; (3) desipramine and clomipramine, and (4) desipramine and tryptophan. Treatment (2) should have given optimal potentiation of 5-HT neurones and (3) and (4) should have acted similarly on both serotoninergic and adrenergic pathways. In no group was there any evidence of accelerated recovery, indicating that the process of conversion to normal mood may be more complex than suggested by most versions of the amine hypothesis.

The study of tryptophan metabolism using compartmental analysis suggested differences between males and females, and between control subjects and patients with affective illness, patients treated with tricyclic drugs, and those established on lithium therapy. The total mass of tryptophan in the body may be reduced in people prone to affective disorder, and in depressed patients (ill and well) turnover of tryptophan seemed to be reduced. The reduction of concentration of tryptophan in compartment S2 in affective illness could affect protein synthesis.

In this study we have compared certain personality variables in alcoholic individuals, depressed subjects and in controls.

Folate (RBC, serum, CSF) and B12 (serum and CSF) and 5-HIAA and HVA (CSF) concentrations were measured in patients with senile dementia. Those with RBC folate < 130 ng/ml. were given folate/B12 in a double-blind crossover trial. (1) Amine metabolites and folate were unrelated. (2) CSF folate levels rose significantly but slowly on ward diet only independently of the period of intensive replacement. (3) There was no clinical improvement over the 24 weeks of observation but in view of the biochemical findings the period of study may have been too short.