Many areas of the US recently endured a severe drought and management strategies to cope with the lack of forage production varied. A multi-period mathematical model is presented that estimates the outcomes of two common producer responses to changes in precipitation, partial liquidation and purchasing hay, given fluctuating cattle prices over a long term planning horizon. Results were further summarized with regression analysis and selected elasticities were calculated to reflect the sensitivity of outcomes to variability in precipitation and livestock prices. Although little impact was seen from utilizing additional hay as a strategy during drought, producers who follow this strategy are in a position to market more animals immediately post drought in general, resulting in better long run financial outcomes. Elasticity estimates suggest that profitability is more sensitive to variability in prices but that optimal choices of management strategies are more sensitive to variability in precipitation.

This article investigates the variables that affect the award oftenure in political science departments in the United States. Weexamined two dependent variables: (1) whether a department hasdenied tenure in the past five years, and (2) whether a positivedepartmental tenure recommendation has been reversed by highercollege or university authorities during the same period of time.Five clusters of independent variables were evaluated: (1)college/university and departmental characteristics, (2) theprocedures employed to evaluate tenure cases, (3) the instrumentsused to assess teaching, (4) service expectations, and (5) researchand publication standards. We found that the most important factorsaffecting departmental decisions to deny tenure were whetherteaching and substantive publications were treated as equallyvaluable qualifications, the number of articles a candidatepublished, and the candidate's level of commitment to advising.Interestingly, reversal decisions by higher authorities were notstrongly affected by any of the variables in the analysis.

A new allele of microphthalmia (mi) in the mouse was discovered among the progeny of a male that had been treated with the potent mutagen ethylnitrosourea. Homozygotes have white coats, mildly defective bone resorption and small eyes (about 60% of the normal size) with very little pigmentation. The iris and retina are abnormal, there is no vitreous body and iris pigmentation is restricted to a rim around the pupil. No haematopoietic defect was detected. Genetic studies showed that the mutation is linked to lurcher (Lc) on chromosome 6 and crosses with Miwh/ + and mi/ + mice indicate that the mutation is allelic with these two alleles of the microphthalmia (mi) locus. We designate the new allele microphthalmia-defective iris (midi). Some midi/+ heterozygotes (including the original mutant animal showed a bright ‘red-reflex’ when light was shone directly into the eye and this may have been caused by reduced choroidal pigmentation. Otherwise midi/ + mice appeared normal. The midi/mi compound heterozygotes had white coats, small eyes, and small teeth; bone resorption was more severely defective than in midi/mi homozygotes. The osteopetrosis was corrected by treatment of midi/mi mice with parental mi/ + bone marrow which suggests that the defect is intrinsic to midi/mi marrow cells. The coats of midi/Miwh compound heterozygotes were white; the irises were more symmetrical and iris pigmentation was less severely reduced than in midi/midi homozygotes but pupil dilation appeared to be restricted. Partial complementation occurred in the midi/Miwh compound heterozygotes with respect to eye size, which was usually near normal.

We report a case of severe visuo-spatial neglect consequent upon right-hemisphere stroke. At the time of testing, the patient had no visual field cut and no significant hemiparesis. Conventional testing on cancellation tasks with the right hand revealed reliable left neglect, but performance was significantly improved when the left hand was used. Investigations of (manual) line bisection showed normal performance with the right hand but right neglect when the left hand was used. Right neglect was also observed on a purely perceptual version of the line bisection task. We argue that the attentional vectors of the cerebral hemispheres can be modulated by (perceptual) task-demands and by (motorie) response demands. (JINS, 1996, 2, 412–418.)

Scholars continue to argue about whether Ignatius' epistles give evidence of one or two groups of opponents. It is the claim of this article that Ignatius confronted a single group. We will best understand the characteristics and heritage of its members first by taking care not to overemphasise the systematic character of their thinking about Jesus, and second by setting their Christology within the context of Jewish speculation about divine mediator figures and the varieties of ‘Christian’ beliefs about Jesus. The article also compares Ignatius' positions with characteristics of Jewish Christianity and suggests that the intensity of his polemic may owe more to what he shared with this group than to the differences between them. The article concludes with some observations about the difficulties inherent in the term ‘Jewish Christianity’.

Pythium oligandrum is a parasite of cultivated Agaricus bisporus. Infection results in significant yield reductions and a disease referred to as ‘black compost’. In this study, P. oligandrum isolates were isolated from New Zealand mushroom composts, and their ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ITS nucleotide sequences obtained from New Zealand P. oligandrum isolates were compared with those previously identified P. oligandrum isolates and 23 described Pythium species. Although New Zealand P. oligandrum isolates had high ITS nucleotide identity with internationally identified P. oligandrum, the order of nucleotides in some regions varied when compared with other Pythium species. These varied nucleotides within the ITS region were used to design PCR primers (P.OLIG.F1 and P.OLIG.R04) for the specific amplification of a 384-bp fragment from P. oligandrum DNA. P.OLIG.F1 and P.OLIG.R04 were used to identify a major source of P. oligandrum inoculation on a New Zealand mushroom farm. Application of this diagnostic test will assist farming strategies implemented to prevent future P. oligandrum outbreaks. Furthermore, results presented identify a need for species resolution between P. oligandrum and P. hydnosporum.

An outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by Norwalk-like virus occurred in two areas of the hospital: area 1, consisting of three adjacent and interconnected wards, with mostly elderly patients; and area 2, an acute ward in a separate building with elderly patients. In area 1, 40 patients and 20 staff were affected; in area 2, 18 patients and 14 staff were affected. Infection control measures were instituted in consultation with the government health authority. These measures did not appear to affect the course of the outbreak, but may have prevented spread to other wards.