Identifying Communication Gaps in Ohio's Beef Supply Chain

Ohio has a unique infrastructure: a large urban-rural interface, active beef industry, and several small meat processing facilities, which provide opportunities for food animal producers to engage in value-added marketing strategies. Information regarding where discrepancies lie between the various links of the beef production chain and market drivers of locally produced beef will help producers and processors make more informed decisions on production and marketing strategies and thus, enhance their economic sustainability and success. Producers, especially, could benefit from increased revenues, which may help Ohio retain its number of small family farms. A series of surveys conducted in association with previous market research projects and feasibility studies in Ohio were used to compare responses regarding market drivers and perceived priorities of beef characteristics that were important to consumers by each of the various segments of the supply chain (consumer – processor – producer). Similar questions were identified among the surveys and were evaluated to recognize trends among responses. In regard to the attributes consumers find most important in beef purchases, processor awareness was hypothesized to be greater than producer awareness due to closer proximity to the consumer in the production chain. Results indicate that consumers rank freshness as the greatest priority in making purchasing decisions of locally produced beef while processors and producers ranked taste as the greatest priority. Across all three groups, tenderness and price ranked second and third, respectively. This study indicates that Ohio producers and processors have a different perception of important features for locally produced beef than consumers. Thus, there is opportunity to realign and improve awareness of Ohio consumers' primary focus areas concerning beef products, as well as the potential to adjust marketing strategies to improve sales for locally produced beef in Ohio.No embargoAcademic Major: Animal Science

Quantum random walks in optical lattices

We propose an experimental realization of discrete quantum random walks using neutral atoms trapped in optical lattices. The random walk is taking place in position space and experimental implementation with present day technology --even using existing set-ups-- seems feasible. We analyze the influence of possible imperfections in the experiment and investigate the transition from a quantum random walk to the classical random walk for increasing errors and decoherence.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Spin-spin interaction and spin-squeezing in an optical lattice

We show that by displacing two optical lattices with respect to each other, we may produce interactions similar to the ones describing ferro-magnetism in condensed matter physics. We also show that particularly simple choices of the interaction lead to spin-squeezing, which may be used to improve the sensitivity of atomic clocks. Spin-squeezing is generated even with partially, and randomly, filled lattices, and our proposal may be implemented with current technology.Comment: 4 pages, including 4 figure

A Quantum Scattering Interferometer

The collision of two ultra-cold atoms results in a quantum-mechanical superposition of two outcomes: each atom continues without scattering and each atom scatters as a spherically outgoing wave with an s-wave phase shift. The magnitude of the s-wave phase shift depends very sensitively on the interaction between the atoms. Quantum scattering and the underlying phase shifts are vitally important in many areas of contemporary atomic physics, including Bose-Einstein condensates, degenerate Fermi gases, frequency shifts in atomic clocks, and magnetically-tuned Feshbach resonances. Precise measurements of quantum scattering phase shifts have not been possible until now because, in scattering experiments, the number of scattered atoms depends on the s-wave phase shifts as well as the atomic density, which cannot be measured precisely. Here we demonstrate a fundamentally new type of scattering experiment that interferometrically detects the quantum scattering phase shifts of individual atoms. By performing an atomic clock measurement using only the scattered part of each atom, we directly and precisely measure the difference of the s-wave phase shifts for the two clock states in a density independent manner. Our method will give the most direct and precise measurements of ultracold atom-atom interactions and will place stringent limits on the time variations of fundamental constants.Comment: Corrected formatting and typo

Bose-Fermi variational theory of the BEC-Tonks crossover

A number-conserving hybrid Bose-Fermi variational theory is developed and applied to investigation of the BEC-Tonks gas crossover in toroidal and long cylindrical traps of high aspect ratio, where strong many-body correlations and condensate depletion occur.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX including 2 figures, uses epsfig. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Threshold of a random laser based on Raman gain in cold atoms

We address the problem of achieving a random laser with a cloud of cold atoms, in which gain and scattering are provided by the same atoms. In this system, the elastic scattering cross-section is related to the complex atomic polarizability. As a consequence, the random laser threshold is expressed as a function of this polarizability, which can be fully determined by spectroscopic measurements. We apply this idea to experimentally evaluate the threshold of a random laser based on Raman gain between non-degenerate Zeeman states and find a critical optical thickness on the order of 200, which is within reach of state-of-the-art cold-atom experiments

Bosons in cigar-shape traps: Thomas-Fermi regime, Tonks-Girardeau regime, and between

We present a quantitative analysis of the experimental accessibility of the Tonks-Girardeau gas in the current day experiments with cigar-trapped alkalis. For this purpose we derive, using a Bethe anzats generated local equation of state, a set of hydrostatic equations describing one-dimensional delta-interacting Bose gases trapped in a harmonic potential. The resulting solutions cover the_entire range_ of atomic densities.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

All Optical Formation of an Atomic Bose-Einstein Condensate

We have created a Bose-Einstein condensate of 87Rb atoms directly in an optical trap. We employ a quasi-electrostatic dipole force trap formed by two crossed CO_2 laser beams. Loading directly from a sub-doppler laser-cooled cloud of atoms results in initial phase space densities of ~1/200. Evaporatively cooling through the BEC transition is achieved by lowering the power in the trapping beams over ~ 2 s. The resulting condensates are F=1 spinors with 3.5 x 10^4 atoms distributed between the m_F = (-1,0,1) states.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Alcohol-related expectancies are associated with the D2 dopamine receptor and GABAa receptor B3 subunit genes

Molecular genetic research has identified promising markers of alcohol dependence, including alleles of the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) and the GABAA receptor ￢3 subunit (GABRB3) genes. Whether such genetic risk manifests itself in stronger alcohol-related outcome expectancies, or in difficulty resisting alcohol, is unknown. In the present study, A1+ (A1A1 and A1A2 genotypes) and A1- (A2A2 genotype) alleles of the DRD2 and G1+ (G1G1 and G1 non-G1 genotypes) and G1- (non-G1 non-G1 genotype) alleles of the GABRB3 were determined in a group of 56 medically-ill patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence. Mood-related Alcohol Expectancy (AE) and Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy (DRSE) were assessed using the Drinking Expectancy Profile (Young and Oei, 1996). Patients with the DRD2 A1+ allele, compared to those with the DRD2 A1- allele, reported lower DRSE in situations of social pressure (p=. 009). Similarly, lower DRSE was reported under social pressure by patients with the GABRB3 G1+ allele when compared to those with the GABRB3 G1- allele (p=.027). Patients with the GABRB3 G1+ allele also revealed reduced DRSE in situations characterized by negative affect than patients with the GABRB3 G1- alleles (p=. 037). Patients carrying the GABRB3 G1+ allele showed stronger AE relating to negative affective change (for example, increased depression) than their GABRB3 G1- counterparts (p=. 006). Biological influence in the development of some classes of cognitions is hypothesized. The clinical implications, particularly with regard to patient-treatment matching and the development of an integrated psychological and pharmacogenetic approach are discussed