bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Noninvasive carotid artery elastography using multielement synthetic aperture imaging: Phantom and in vivo evaluation
Authors: Nayak Rohit , Schifitto Giovanni , Doyley Marvin M.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Vascular elastography can visualize the strain distribution in the carotid artery, which could be useful in assessing the propensity of advanced plaques to rupture. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that sparse synthetic aperture (SA) imaging can produce high quality vascular strain elastograms. However, the low output power of SA imaging may hamper its clinical utility. In this study, we hypothesize that multi‐element defocused emissions can overcome this limitation and improve the quality of the vascular strain elastograms.

Methods

To assess the impact of attenuation on the elastographic performance of SA and (multi‐element synthetic aperture) MSA imaging, we conducted experiments using heterogeneous vessel phantoms with ideal (0.1 dB cm−1 MHz−1) and realistic (0.75 dB cm−1 MHz−1) attenuation. Further, we validated the results of the phantom study in vivo, on a healthy male volunteer. All echo imaging was performed at a transmit frequency of 5 MHz, using a commercially available ultrasound scanner (Sonix RP, Ultrasonix Medical Corp., Richmond, BC, Canada).

Results

The results from the phantom results demonstrated that plaques were visible in all strain elastograms, but those produced using MSA imaging had less artifacts. MSA imaging improved the elastographic contrast to noise ratio (CNRe) of the vascular elastograms by 14.58 dB relative to SA imaging, and 9.1 dB relative to compounded plane wave (CPW) imaging. Further, the results demonstrated that the elastographic performance of MSA imaging improved with increase in (a) the number of transmit‐receive events and (b) the size of the transmit sub‐aperture, up to 13 elements. Using larger sub‐apertures degraded the elastographic performance. The results from the in vivo study were in good agreement with the phantom results. Specifically, using a defocused multi‐element transmit sub‐aperture for SA imaging improved the performance of vascular elastography.

Conclusions

The results suggested that MSA imaging can produce reliable vascular stain elastograms. Future studies will involve using coded excitations to improve the CNRe and frame‐rate of the proposed technique for vascular elastography.
Burden of illness and healthcare resource use in United States patients with sporadic inclusion body myositis
Authors: Capkun Gorana , Callan Aoife , Tian Haijun , Wei Zhongyuan , Zhao Changgeng , Agashivala Neetu , Barghout Victoria
Published: May 2017

Introduction

We analyzed the burden of illness of sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) patients and the costs to the healthcare system.

Methods

A retrospective cohort analysis of 333 sIBM patients aged ≥ 50 years was performed using United States (U.S.) claims data. sIBM patients were matched in a 1:5 ratio to randomly selected individuals with ≥1 healthcare encounter within the year of index date.

Results

sIBM patients presented with higher rates of disease‐ and muscle‐related conditions, such as myalgia, myositis, muscle weakness, dysphagia, pneumonia, and falls. Use of healthcare resources, including physical therapy, office visits, emergency room (ER) visits, and hospitalizations, was greater in sIBM patients. This was also reflected in significantly higher overall healthcare costs in the sIBM population driven mainly by more all‐cause office visits, all‐cause ER visits and hospitalizations.

Conclusions

sIBM imposes a substantial burden on U.S. patients in terms of additional healthcare usage and associated costs. Muscle Nerve 56: 861–867, 2017
Effects of an abbreviated obesity intervention supported by mobile technology: The ENGAGED randomized clinical trial
Authors: Spring Bonnie , Pellegrini Christine A. , Pfammatter Angela , Duncan Jennifer M. , Pictor Alex , McFadden H. Gene , Siddique Juned , Hedeker Donald
Published: May 2017

Objective

To determine the effects on weight loss of three abbreviated behavioral weight loss interventions with and without coaching and mobile technology.

Methods

A randomized controlled efficacy study of three 6‐month weight loss treatments was conducted in 96 adults with obesity: 1) self‐guided (SELF), 2) standard (STND), or 3) technology‐supported (TECH). STND and TECH received eight in‐person group treatment sessions. SELF and STND used paper diaries to self‐monitor diet, activity, and weight; TECH used a smartphone application with social networking features and wireless accelerometer.

Results

Weight loss was greater for TECH and STND than SELF at 6 months (−5.7 kg [95% confidence interval: −7.2 to −4.1] vs. −2.7 kg [95% confidence interval: −5.1 to −0.3], P < 0.05) but not 12 months. TECH and STND did not differ except that more STND (59%) than TECH (34%) achieved ≥ 5% weight loss at 6 months (P < 0.05). Self‐monitoring adherence was greater in TECH than STND (P < 0.001), greater in both interventions than SELF (P < 0.001), and covaried with weight loss (r(84) = 0.36‐0.51, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Abbreviated behavioral counseling can produce clinically meaningful weight loss regardless of whether self‐monitoring is performed on paper or smartphone, but long‐term superiority over standard of care self‐guided treatment is challenging to maintain.
Evaluation of crosslinking and surface coating on the moisture resistance of freeze‐dried clay aerogel
Authors: Zhao Yan‐Wen , Gu Yi‐Zhuo , Huang Pei
Published: May 2017

Moisture resistance, referring to the stability of compressive strength and thermal conductivity against the exposure of moisture, is critical to thermal insulation products. So far, seldom reports placed their attentions on the comprehensive investigation of crosslinking and surface coating on the performance of freeze‐dried clay aerogel for the purpose of thermal insulation. In this study, the strategies of crosslinking and surface coating have been applied on freeze‐dried PVA/clay aerogel, respectively. Both strategies are demonstrated to be effective on the improvement of the moisture resistance of aerogel. In comparison, surface coating endows aerogel with higher compressive strength, thermal resistance and thermal stability owing to the well‐preserved house‐card structure and rigid silica layers on the surfaces of laminas and bridges. The current results indicate surface coating has a great potential in the preparation of freeze‐dried aerogel for the purpose of thermal insulation. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:3810–3816, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
The outcomes and prognostic factors of fetal hydrothorax associated with trisomy 21
Authors: Yumoto Yasuo , Jwa Seung Chik , Wada Seiji , Takahashi Yuichiro , Ishii Keisuke , Kato Kiyoko , Usui Noriaki , Sago Haruhiko
Published: May 2017

Objectives

To determine the characteristics, outcomes, and prognostic factors of fetal hydrothorax (FHT) with trisomy 21.

Methods

A nationwide survey was conducted on FHT fetuses with trisomy 21 delivered after 22 weeks' gestation between January 2007 and December 2011 at perinatal centers.

Results

The 91 cases of FHT with trisomy 21 included 28 (30.8%) diagnosed in utero and 63 (69.2%) diagnosed after birth. The natural remission rate was 6.6% (6/91). Thoracoamniotic shunting was performed in 14.3% (13/91) of cases. The survival rates of the hydropic, nonhydropic, and total cases were 47.0% (31/66), 84.0% (21/25), and 57.1% (52/91), respectively. The crude odds ratio for death was 8.2 (p = 0.003) for fetuses diagnosed at 26–30 weeks of gestational age (vs ≥30 weeks), 5.9 (p = 0.003) for hydrops, 4.0 (p = 0.04) for bilateral pleural effusion, 0.68 (p = 0.42) for associated cardiovascular anomalies, and 2.1 (p = 0.26) for thoracoamniotic shunting (vs no fetal therapy).

Conclusions

The prognosis of FHT with trisomy 21 was not very poor, but it was still worse than that of primary FHT. Hydrops, an early gestational age at the diagnosis and bilateral effusion, but not associated anomalies, were risk factors for death. Fetal therapy showed no survival benefit for FHT with trisomy 21. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Innovation in Asia: Finding the Real Fish
Authors: Heeg Robert
Published: May 2017

Against a background of strong innovation and a rapid uptake of all things online, can the region's market research and analytics sector keep pace?
Top tips on how to succeed and how to fail with machine learning
Authors: Redmore Seth
Published: May 2017

A checklist to save you time and trouble
What's hot and what's not
Authors: Bowman Jo
Published: May 2017

We talk to clients in three different business sectors on the challenges that they face and which research innovations will help them.
How researchers used analytics to crack the cultural code
Authors: Chakrapani Chuck , Leger Jean‐Marc
Published: May 2017

The French and English Canadian case study
Design of HAWT airfoils tailored for active flow control
Authors: Pereira R. , Timmer W.A. , de Oliveira G. , van Bussel G.J.W.
Published: May 2017

This study describes a methodology for designing airfoils suitable to employ actuation in a wind energy environment. The novel airfoil sections are baptized wind energy actuated profiles (WAP). A genetic algorithm‐based multi‐objective airfoil optimizer is formulated by setting two cost functions: one cost function for wind energy performance and the other representing actuation suitability. The wind energy cost function compares the candidate airfoils' performance with ‘reference’ wind energy airfoils, considering a probabilistic approach to include the effects of turbulence and wind shear. The actuation suitability cost function is developed considering horizontal axis wind turbines active stall control, including two different control strategies designated by ‘enhanced’ and ‘decreased’ performance. Two different actuation types are considered, namely, boundary layer transpiration and dielectric barrier discharge plasma. Results show that using WAP airfoils provides much higher control efficiency than adding actuation on reference wind energy airfoils, without detrimental effects in non‐actuated operation. The WAP sections yield an actuator employment efficiency that is two to four times larger than those obtained with reference wind energy airfoils, at equivalent wind energy performance. Regarding geometry, and compared with typical wind energy airfoils, WAP sections for decreased performance display an upper surface concave aft region, while for increased performance, a convex upper surface aft region is obtained. The present study emphasizes that there is much to gain in designing airfoils from the beginning to include actuation effects, especially compared with employing actuation on already existing airfoils. The results demonstrate the potential of including actuation effects in the airfoil design process, thus enabling novel horizontal axis wind turbines control strategies. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamic interaction of plates in an inhomogeneous transversely isotropic space weakened by a crack
Authors: Amiri‐Hezaveh A. , Moghaddasi H. , Karimi P. , Ostoja‐Starzewski M.
Published: May 2017

The problem of axisymmetric vibration of a flat thin rigid circular plate located inside a vertically exponentially graded, transversely isotropic material of infinite extent is addressed by means of a displacement potential method. The contact condition on one side of the foundation is assumed to be the perfect adhesion with the media but known to be faced by a penny‐shaped crack at the other side as it occurs in anchors. The mixed boundary value problem is formulated with the aid of Hankel integral transforms and is written in the form of a set of singular integral equations. The analytical procedure for the special case of vertical movement of the rigid plate results in a closed form solution. The solution is pursued numerically for the general elastodynamic case. The physical quantities, such as contact stress on the plate and the stress and displacement fields in the non‐homogeneous medium are obtained for different materials.
Food and feeding ecology of Northeast Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius) off the Bay of Biscay
Authors: Chancollon Odile , Pusineri Claire , Ridoux Vincent
Published: May 2017

As part of a larger project on the feeding ecology of large pelagic predators off the Bay of Biscay, this study analyses the diet of the swordfish, Xiphias gladius. Stomachs were collected from 86 swordfish. The diet was analysed in terms of prey occurrence, relative abundance, reconstituted mass, and size distribution. It consisted mainly of fish, 40.5% by mass (%M) and cephalopods, 59.3%M; crustaceans, 0.2%M, were considered secondary prey. When considering only the fresh fraction to allow for differential digestion rates, these figures were 77.3%M, 22.7%M, and trace amounts, respectively. Lanternfish, including Notoscopelus kroeyeri and Symbolophorus veranyi, were abundant, but paralepidids, Atlantic pomfret (Brama brama), and the squid Todarodes sagittatus, Ommastrephes bartramii, and Gonatus steenstrupi, dominated the diet by mass. The overall prey size range was 11–1420 mm, but sizes of 60–360 mm accounted for 80% of the distribution by number and of 140–760 mm for 80% of the distribution by mass. Intraspecifically, larger swordfish ate larger prey as a result of a change in species composition of the diet. The swordfish appears to show feeding plasticity both between different areas and between animals in the same area.
To Share and Protect: Using Regulatory Focus Theory to Examine the Privacy Paradox of Consumers’ Social Media Engagement and Online Privacy Protection Behaviors
Authors: Mosteller Jill , Poddar Amit
Published: May 2017

Consumers’ personal information often informs retailers’ marketing efforts in terms of creating value in the online marketplace. This study examines four factors related to consumers’ social media engagement and online privacy protection behaviors. Regulatory focus, social exchange, and marketing relationship theories explain the online consumer personal information share-and-protect model developed. Consumers aged 18–64 years across the United States participated in this survey research. The results suggest that while personal privacy violation experience and perceived secondary control of one's personal information are influential antecedents, privacy concerns and trust in social media websites mediate each of these respectively. The findings suggest that promotion- and prevention-related behaviors regarding personal information align with the orientation of the antecedents, indicating that regulatory focus theory shows promise for examining the privacy paradox. We conclude by developing a matrix that integrates regulatory focus and social exchange theories to guide future research.
Sudden Death in a Diver: A Diagnostic Conundrum
Authors: Dougherty Scott , Khorsandi Maziar , Adelbai Myra , Zamvar Vipin , Francis James
Published: May 2017

We discuss the case of an experienced diver who ran out of air during his final ascent while scuba diving. He lost consciousness rapidly after surfacing and despite immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation, could not be revived. On arrival at the emergency department he was noted to have copious amounts of blood in his upper airway and had developed extensive subcutaneous emphysema. Large amounts of air were observed in the central circulation following a postmortem computerized tomography scan as well as pneumomediastinum, a small right-sided hemothorax, and extensive subcutaneous emphysema. We discuss several potential pathophysiological mechanisms that might explain these findings. Finally, we end with a recommendation for an expedient whole-body postmortem computerized tomography scan and autopsy by a suitably qualified pathologist in the investigation of all dive-related fatalities, where possible.
RISK SHARING WITH EXPECTED AND DUAL UTILITIES
Authors: Boonen Tim J.
Published: May 2017

This paper analyzes optimal risk sharing among agents that are endowed with either expected utility preferences or with dual utility preferences. We find that Pareto optimal risk redistributions and the competitive equilibria can be obtained via bargaining with a hypothetical representative agent of expected utility maximizers and a hypothetical representative agent of dual utility maximizers. The representative agent of expected utility maximizers resembles an average risk-averse agent, whereas representative agent of dual utility maximizers resembles an agent that has lowest aversion to mean-preserving spreads. This bargaining leads to an allocation of the aggregate risk to both groups of agents. The optimal contract for the expected utility maximizers is proportional to their allocated risk, and the optimal contract for the dual utility maximizing agents is given by “tranching” of their allocated risk. We show a method to derive equilibrium prices. We identify a condition under which prices are locally independent of the expected utility functions, and given in closed form. Moreover, we characterize uniqueness of the competitive equilibrium.
Efficacy of Vagal Nerve Stimulation for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: Is it the Stimulation or Medication?
Authors: Arcand Jaylynn , Waterhouse Karen , Hernandez-Ronquillo Lizbeth , Vitali Aleksander , Tellez-Zenteno Jose F.
Published: May 2017

Background: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy has been widely recognized as an alternative for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, although modification of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) during VNS treatment could explain the improvement in patients. Methods: We retrospectively assessed the efficacy of VNS in 30 adult patients with epilepsy treated with >6 months of follow-up. The criteria for implantation were the following: (1) not a candidate for resective epilepsy surgery, (2) drug-resistant epilepsy, (3) impairment of quality of life, (4) no other option of treatment, and (5) patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy who fail to be controlled with appropriate AEDs. We assessed sociodemographics, seizure etiology, seizure classification, and AEDs used during treatment with VNS. We assessed adverse effects and efficacy. Responder rate was defined as >50% seizure improvement from baseline. Results: Thirty patients (females, 18; males, 12; age, 35.1±13.3 years) were included. After 6, 12, 24, and 36 months of follow-up, the response rates were: 13/30 (43%), 13/27 (48%), 9/22 (41%), and 8/16 (50%), respectively; none was seizure free. Fifty-seven percent, 33%, 59%, and 81% of patients had changes of medication type or dose at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months respectively. In the majority of patients, the change of medication consisted of an increase in the dose of AEDs. Conclusions: Our study shows that VNS is an effective therapy, although significant changes in medications were done along with the therapy; therefore, the real effect of VNS could be controversial.
Utilizing Strategic and Operational Methods for Whole-Community Disaster Planning
Authors: Franks Stevee , Seaton Ellen
Published: May 2017

Analysis of response and recovery efforts to disasters over the past 2 decades has identified a consistent gap that plagues the nation in regard to persons with access and functional needs. This gap can be highlighted by Hurricane Katrina, where the majority of those killed were a part of the access and functional needs population. After a disaster, many individuals with access and functional needs require assistance recovering but often have difficulty accessing services and resources. These difficulties are due to a combination of issues, such as health problems and the disruption of community support services. We sought to help bridge this gap by focusing on strategic and operational methods used while planning for the whole community. This article highlights the many partnerships that must be fostered for successful whole-community planning. These partnerships include, but are not limited to, local government departments, health agencies, nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations, and other volunteer organizations. We showcase these methods by using a developmental Post-Disaster Canvassing Plan to highlight planning methods that may aid jurisdictions across the United States in disaster planning for the whole community. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:741–746)
The history effect on bubble growth and dissolution. Part 2. Experiments and simulations of a spherical bubble attached to a horizontal flat plate
Authors: Peñas-López Pablo , Moreno Soto Álvaro , Parrales Miguel A. , van der Meer Devaraj , Lohse Detlef , Rodríguez-Rodríguez Javier
Published: May 2017

The accurate description of the growth or dissolution dynamics of a soluble gas bubble in a super- or undersaturated solution requires taking into account a number of physical effects that contribute to the instantaneous mass transfer rate. One of these effects is the so-called history effect. It refers to the contribution of the local concentration boundary layer around the bubble that has developed from past mass transfer events between the bubble and liquid surroundings. In Part 1 of this work (Peñas-Lópezet al.,J. Fluid Mech., vol. 800, 2016b, pp. 180–212), a theoretical treatment of this effect was given for a spherical, isolated bubble. Here, Part 2 provides an experimental and numerical study of the history effect regarding a spherical bubble attached to a horizontal flat plate and in the presence of gravity. The simulation technique developed in this paper is based on a streamfunction–vorticity formulation that may be applied to other flows where bubbles or drops exchange mass in the presence of a gravity field. Using this numerical tool, simulations are performed for the same conditions used in the experiments, in which the bubble is exposed to subsequent growth and dissolution stages, using stepwise variations in the ambient pressure. Besides proving the relevance of the history effect, the simulations highlight the importance that boundary-induced advection has to accurately describe bubble growth and shrinkage, i.e. the bubble radius evolution. In addition, natural convection has a significant influence that shows up in the velocity field even at short times, although given the supersaturation conditions studied here, the bubble evolution is expected to be mainly diffusive.
A Share in the Future . . . Only for Those Who Become Like ‘Us’!: Challenging the ‘Standardisation’ Reform Approach to Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory
Authors: Spillman David
Published: May 2017

The global standardization reform movement in education has seduced many Indigenous education policy makers in Australia, providing a powerful neoliberal discourse to further consolidate their focus on Indigenous educational deficit. A Share in the Future, the latest review of Indigenous education in the Northern Territory is an exemplar in this regard. This paper offers a brief exposition of this review, highlighting how an exclusive focus on comparative statistics and standardised testing of English literacy and numeracy works to maintain the coupling of ‘Indigenous’ and ‘deficit’, reifying colonial power relations and justifying technical and bureaucratic educational approaches, administered and monitored from afar. Such an approach is unable to adequately respond to the relational, cultural and linguistic complexities and nuances of local Indigenous education contexts. The educational assumptions and propositions of A Share in the Future will be juxtaposed with those of the Cross-Cultural Collaboration Project, undertaken in the Northern Territory in 2008, to consider alternative ways of successfully engaging these local educational complexities.
DIVINITY, LAW, AND THE LEGAL TURN IN THE STUDY OF RELIGIONS
Authors: David Joseph E.
Published: May 2017

While histories of ideas in premodern perspectives habitually understood history as divisions of fixed periods, modernists tend to narrate these histories in terms of flowing streams curving through timelines, intersections, and junctions. Crucial moments, accordingly, are turns and returns, shifts and orientations. I am not sure what it takes to diagnose and proclaim an intellectual turn or how to affirm or refute such a phenomenon, but I take the audacious risk and argue that the last couple of decades have seen a “legal turn” in the study of religions—a renewed focus on legal aspects of religion that includes legal concepts, theories, and practices.
Ideological Signaling and Incumbency Advantage
Authors: Peskowitz Zachary
Published: May 2017

This article develops a novel explanation for the incumbency advantage based on incumbents’ ability to signal positions that are ideologically distinct from those of their parties. Using voter-level data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study and controlling for unobserved district heterogeneity, the study finds that voters in US House elections primarily use information about the ideology of candidates’ parties to infer the location of challengers, while they instead rely on information about the individual candidates’ ideologies to place incumbents. In higher-profile Senate elections, the difference between challengers and incumbents is trivial. Decomposing the incumbency advantage into valence and signaling components, the study finds that the signaling mechanism explains 14 per cent of the incumbency advantage in House elections, but only 5 per cent of the advantage in Senate contests. It also finds that a 50 per cent increase in party polarization increases the incumbency advantage by 3 percentage points.
A molecular engineering toolbox for the structural biologist
Authors: Debelouchina Galia T. , Muir Tom W.
Published: May 2017

Exciting new technological developments have pushed the boundaries of structural biology, and have enabled studies of biological macromolecules and assemblies that would have been unthinkable not long ago. Yet, the enhanced capabilities of structural biologists to pry into the complex molecular world have also placed new demands on the abilities of protein engineers to reproduce this complexity into the test tube. With this challenge in mind, we review the contents of the modern molecular engineering toolbox that allow the manipulation of proteins in a site-specific and chemically well-defined fashion. Thus, we cover concepts related to the modification of cysteines and other natural amino acids, native chemical ligation, intein and sortase-based approaches, amber suppression, as well as chemical and enzymatic bio-conjugation strategies. We also describe how these tools can be used to aid methodology development in X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, cryo-electron microscopy and in the studies of dynamic interactions. It is our hope that this monograph will inspire structural biologists and protein engineers alike to apply these tools to novel systems, and to enhance and broaden their scope to meet the outstanding challenges in understanding the molecular basis of cellular processes and disease.
A new paradigm for atomically detailed simulations of kinetics in biophysical systems
Authors: Elber Ron
Published: May 2017

The kinetics of biochemical and biophysical events determined the course of life processes and attracted considerable interest and research. For example, modeling of biological networks and cellular responses relies on the availability of information on rate coefficients. Atomically detailed simulations hold the promise of supplementing experimental data to obtain a more complete kinetic picture. However, simulations at biological time scales are challenging. Typical computer resources are insufficient to provide the ensemble of trajectories at the correct length that is required for straightforward calculations of time scales. In the last years, new technologies emerged that make atomically detailed simulations of rate coefficients possible. Instead of computing complete trajectories from reactants to products, these approaches launch a large number of short trajectories at different positions. Since the trajectories are short, they are computed trivially in parallel on modern computer architecture. The starting and termination positions of the short trajectories are chosen, following statistical mechanics theory, to enhance efficiency. These trajectories are analyzed. The analysis produces accurate estimates of time scales as long as hours. The theory of Milestoning that exploits the use of short trajectories is discussed, and several applications are described.
Social Citizenship, Social Policy and Refugee Integration: a Case of Policy Divergence in Scotland?
Authors: MULVEY GARETH
Published: May 2017

The relationship between Holyrood and Westminster is an evolving one where there is some evidence of policy divergence. Underpinning policy approaches are different views of social citizenship, with the Holyrood approach maintaining elements of the post-1945 welfare settlement. The place of refugees and asylum seekers within these differing approaches is currently underexplored. This article looks at the Scottish and UK Governments’ views of social rights and how they apply to asylum seekers and refugees. It suggests that despite refugee ‘policy’ being at least partly reserved, the Scottish Government has been able to take a different approach from that of Westminster, an approach underpinned by these differing welfare outlooks.
New Approaches to Rural Recreation Planning
Authors: Sargent Frederic O.
Published: May 2017

Outdoor recreation concepts, programs, and planning have developed at a fast rate during the last decade. However, most criteria, standards, and guidelines for recreation planning have been developed for urban areas and have limited relevance to planning in rural areas. It has become evident that rural towns have different needs, requirements, and opportunities, and require distinctly different standards and concepts than urban areas. The goals of rural people, the types of recreation needed and resources available, the financial situation, the leadership, and the land suitabilities all conspire against use of urban standards and indicate the need for procedures and standards designed for rural areas (2).
International Trade and Economic Development History, Trend, and Application
Authors: Al-Shaikhly Falih
Published: May 2017

Classical economists differentiate between international and domestic trade on the assumption that perfect mobility among factors of production exists within a nation. This is a dynamic analysis. It assumes, however, a static model in terms of the immobility of factors of production between nations. J. S. Mill used such an analysis in his discussion of colonies and considered them part of the mother country, e.g. the West Indies was part of England. Mill stated that factors of production moved freely between England and her colonies.
Linkages Between Agriculture and The U.S. National Income and Product Accounts
Authors: Schluter Gerald
Published: May 2017

The role played by agriculture in a developed urban-oriented economy such as the U.S. differs quite markedly from the heavy reliance upon agriculture which one observes in less developed nations. As an economy goes through the various stages of development, the contribution of agriculture to gross national product usually declines in relative importance. Concurrently, an increasingly complex marketing system for agricultural products develops. As transportation, trade, and other marketing services become increasingly specialized and prevalent, the interrelationships between agriculture and the rest of the economy become more numerous and increasingly complex.
Economic Considerations of Extending Unemployment Insurance to Agriculture
Authors: Farrish Raymond O. P. , Seaver Stanley K.
Published: May 2017

Agriculture has been excluded, exempted or by-passed, depending upon one's viewpoint, from much of the social legislation extending back to the 1930's. For many years agriculture was essentially outside of workmen's compensation, minimum wage legislation, child labor laws and the social security system to identify a few. Legislation extending unemployment insurance protection to farm workers has never been enacted but we appear much closer to taking positive action to correct this situation.
Environmental Economics: Challenge to Teaching
Authors: Tobey D. M.
Published: May 2017

Environmental quality, through what some have described as a new Conservation Movement, has captured public awareness in the past three to four years. Public policy decisions affecting the environment are receiving increased attention, and economic information is a crucial input to such policy. We, both as citizens and as professionals, must look ahead and prepare to grapple with environmental problems for years to come.
Productivity in the Food Assembly and Distribution System
Authors: Beiden Sanford A.
Published: May 2017

The focus of this paper is on the system of assembling food products from manufacturers and processors and distributing these products through warehouses to retail stores and eventually to the consuming public. More specifically, the paper attempts to (l) assess the problems in and potential for improving productivity within this system and (2) suggest needed research efforts to achieve productivity improvements.
Using Multiple Listing Service Data to Analyze Determinants of Residential Property Values
Authors: Penn J. B. , Irwin George D.
Published: May 2017

Housing needs in the U.S. since World War II have experienced tremendous expansion and this expansion has been accompanied by a myriad of problems—transportation lags, urban blight and sprawl, decay of central cities, poverty, pollution, racial discrimination, rural slums, and the like.
Problems in Planning and Administration for Development Among the Rural Poor
Authors: Elias Shirley
Published: May 2017

For the past three years I have participated in an interesting experiment conducted by the U.S. Government. The program was experimental in that it was one of the few, perhaps the only, program operated by the Federal Government where a direct federal-local relationship exists. States have no direct authority in the program; the Governor is given only veto power over the federal funds entering the state.
Farm Price Controls-Help or Hindrance?
Authors: Rogers George B.
Published: May 2017

The accelerated rise in food prices - especially those on those of animal origin - from late 1972 to the present time, has thrust to the forefront the question of farm price controls. But opinions differ widely on whether direct price controls at the farm level would be successful, desirable, or practical to administer. In the present situation, the question also involves the issue of whether or not price controls at the farm level are necessary or justified by the present or prospective circumstances. This is especially relevant if the upward movement of key farm prices is likely to be of relatively short duration, and the rise in prices consumers pay for foods can be halted by other means.
Demand Analyses of Selected Potato Products
Authors: Pelsue Neil H.
Published: May 2017

During the past decade about 90 percent of the potatoes utilized for human consumption was used in the form of tablestock or fresh potatoes, frozen potato products, and potato chips and shoestring potatoes. Recent trends in the national per capita consumption of these potato products (Table 1) indicate that consumers have substituted processed potato products for fresh potatoes. In addition, the variety of package sizes for potato products, especially the processed products, has increased during this same ten year period.
Factor-Cost Relationships for Sludge Recycling Through Land Disposal
Authors: Rossi Daniel , Derr Donn A. , Kasper Victor
Published: May 2017

As population increases and per capita consumption rises, secondary effects in the form of pollutants, which originate from the production of goods and services, have become increasingly evident. More of the nation's energies are required to bring about the proper management and utilization of these pollutants. Until recently, most pollutants were considered something to be disposed of at minimum or no cost. Further analysis has revealed that they are to a large extent “misplaced resources.” Many can be utilized, thus reducing the cost of waste management and the use of virgin materials.
Modifying Extension CRD Programs in Response to Agent-Identified Needs
Authors: Seay Edmond E.
Published: May 2017

Debate over how one “does” Community Resource Development (CRD) extension undoubtedly dates back to the moment the field consisted of more than a single practitioner. And the debate goes on. Gratto recently outlined five roles the public policy educator can assume, ranging from one with a pure “process” orientation to one where the subject matter is everything. Another recent publication describes six approaches to community development.
The Incidence of the Cost of Increasing the Capacity of an Urban Water System
Authors: Goode Frank
Published: May 2017

Rural and urban communities alike are adopting, formally or informally, “no-growth” policies. The residents of these communities share a set of beliefs concerning the impact of economic growth and development on their community. These residents also share a set of values concerning what constitutes the good life for them. The “no-growth” policies result because of a conflict between the values held by the residents and their beliefs concerning the impacts of economic growth and development. One of the beliefs shared by many of these residents is that economic growth and development will require an expansion of various public service systems such as water and sewer. In addition, these residents believe that they will be required to pay much of the cost involved in expanding the systems even though they will receive few, if any, of the benefits. In essence, the residents of these communities are concerned with the incidence of the cost of system expansion.
A Systematic Approach to Agricultural Enterprise Data
Authors: Krenz Ronald D.
Published: May 2017

The Commodity Economics Division of ERS has recently embarked on the development and implementation of a systematic approach to the construction and maintenance of agricultural enterprise data. This paper describes this system, its objectives, dimensions, some problems anticipated in its operation and some of the potential direct and indirect benefits expected for the profession.
An Analysis of Small Holder Objectives in the Dominican Republic
Authors: Andrews Margaret
Published: May 2017

The question of the operational objectives of small holder, “peasant” farmers has received considerable attention in the literature of agricultural development and production economics. Justification could not be made for rehashing this old issue, were it not for almost universal incomplete specification by most writers on the subject. No writer denies the dual nature of the peasant household, but few have made a serious attempt theoretically, and even less empirically, to integrate consumption activities into an analytical framework of the small farm.
Town Plan Analysis System
Authors: Sargent Frederic O.
Published: May 2017

The Housing Act of 1954 authorized the federal government to subsidize municipal planning programs. As a result, planning firms produced “comprehensive plans” for rural towns at an increasing rate. After a decade of experience with these HHFA “701” “comprehensive” town plans, it became evident that there was a wide variation in quality and content of the plans. Plans varied from useful tools for guiding growth to useless documents containing no meaningful recommendations. The latter situation resulted when urban planners drafted plans for rural areas based on urban concepts with no significant input by local people. Also, administrators of the “701” program and students of regional planning had no accepted criteria to distinguish an acceptable rural town plan from a useless compilation of data. This situation allowed planners who lacked rural planning know-how to use urban planning concepts to develop nonrelevant “shelf” plans in performance of their “701” contracts. By 1968 this problem was generally recognized. As a result, a research project was developed at the University of Vermont (Hatch 212), to study town plans and planning. The project had two objectives: (1) to evaluate adopted rural town plans by measuring the quality and content of plans, thus separating implementable plans from nonimplementable plans, and plans with considerable content from plans with little content, and (2) to develop planning concepts and procedures relevant to rural areas. This paper is a progress report on the first objective—a proposal of a town plan analysis and evaluation system.
Factors Affecting Poverty in the Northeast, 1960-1970
Authors: Boisvert Richard N.
Published: May 2017

While many people would argue that absolute deprivation has been eliminated from this country, poverty, or relative deprivation, still exists. Recognition of this problem is not new Despite public policies to redistribute income, the public's demand for lessened personal income inequality has never been completely satisfied.
Human Capital and the Engel Curve for Health Insurance
Authors: Chiriboga Douglas A. , Willis Cleve E.
Published: May 2017

Insurance is generally found whenever uncertainty presents itself in economic activity. Adaptation to the existence of uncertainty of treatment and incidence of illness had by 1970 produced 77 percent and 57 percent of the individuals in the United States purchasing hospital and doctor visit insurance, respectively. Corresponding figures for the rural farm population were approximately 10 percent lower in each category. The recognition that a substantial proportion of individuals have failed to protect themselves voluntarily from the financial consequences of illness has lead researchers to develop models of decision-making which explain individual reluctance to protect from adverse consequences in the event of illness.
A Study of Voter Attitudes Toward Different Proposals for the Use of an Undeveloped Island
Authors: Seekins Milton D. , Storey David A.
Published: May 2017

Public concern with decisions about the use of land, particularly if it is undeveloped, is an increasing phenomenon in our society. This is especially true in the coastal zone, where land and water resources are extremely limited in quantity and subject to strong and growing demand, and where there are not only direct interrelationships among the ways adjacent parcels of shoreland and water are used, but also indirect interrelationships among various land and water uses that are effected through complex coastal ecosystems. Since the coastal waters are largely common property resources, there is a particularly strong rationale for concern about the impact of human activities upon their availability, quality, and viability within the ecosystem.
Solar Energy Application for Space and Hot Water Heating Purposes in Agricultural Production
Authors: Van Dyne Donald L.
Published: May 2017

The cost and availability of conventional energy sources currently used as inputs for agricultural production continue to be a very important concern in planning and decision making. Interest in solar energy for use in space and water heating, grain drying, and other areas, has been stimulated because it is technically feasible, abundant, renewable, and nonpolluting. Although it is reasonably reliable and can provide a large portion of the total heat need for many situations, it does require an auxiliary source of energy.
Population and Farmland Values in the Northeast
Authors: Morris Douglas E. , Lindsay Bruce E.
Published: May 2017

Agricultural problems associated with population growth have been analyzed in the Northeast for some time. The loss of cropland and the effect on agricultural output have been documented by Otte and Krause. In addition to the actual loss of agricultural land, changes in land-use, taxation and agricultural input infrastructure continue to be analyzed. Indeed, rural land-use policy researchers in the Northeast have provided national leadership for several institutional innovations, e.g. agricultural districts, transferable development right sales and differential assessments. The Conference on Rural Land-Use Policy in the Northeast held at Atlantic City in 1974 and the on-going regional research project, “Rural Land Use Policy in an Urbanizing Environment” attest to the continued research in this area.
Goals and Results of Federal Milk Regulation: A Reevaluation
Authors: Masson Robert T. , Eisenstat Philip
Published: May 2017

Federal regulation of various commodities is under attack bycritics who take the position that regulation no longer achieves public interest goals. The critics have been more successful in the realm of changing degrees of control by reducing or refocusing regulation than they have been in eliminating regulation. In this paper we take the position that reduction of regulation in the dairy industry would be socially beneficial and consistent with the original goals of the regulation. The policy variable we consider is the amount by which the regulated price for milk for fluid uses is elevated above that for manufacturing (cheese, etc.) uses.
The Relationship Between Economic and Demographic Variables for Nonmetropolitan Northeastern Counties, 1970–1974
Authors: Davis Thomas F.
Published: May 2017

This study analyzes the performance of Northeastern nonmetropolitan counties regarding income, employment, population growth, and net migration, 1970–1974. By comparing these data with comparable data for other Census regions, an economic and demographic picture of the Northeast in a national setting is presented. This comparison shows that Northeast nonmetropolitan counties had smaller income gains than any other nonmetropolitan area, yet, many of the counties experienced high rates of population growth and net migration. This observation runs opposite to contemporary theories that indicate a positive relationship between income and population growth. The final sections of this paper develop criteria for analyzing these observations and offer an explanation for their existence.
Causes of Low Returns to Farm Labor in the U.S.: An Analysis of Factor Market Interactions
Authors: Mason Bert
Published: May 2017

Despite massive off-farm migration and relatively prosperous agricultural years, estimates of returns to factors of production indicate that labor earnings in agriculture remain low. This is primarily caused by farm factor market characteristics and the resulting tendency of any increase in farm income to be capitalized into land values.
An Application of the Bishop-Simpson Method: A Shift-Share Variant
Authors: Lindsay Bruce E. , Martin Susan E.
Published: May 2017

The Bishop-Simpson model, a variant of the traditional shift-share approach, is utilized for investigation of the development of the southern New Hampshire regional economy over time. Emphasis is placed on the strengths of the new technique in counteracting some of the limitations of traditional shift-share analyses. The B and S technique gives a clearer picture than the traditional shift-share approach of the relative advantages and disadvantages for region in terms of its specialization in slow or fast growing industries.
Effects of Population Redistribution in the Northeast
Authors: Beardsley William H.
Published: May 2017

Bangor, Maine's, claim to fame is its statue of Paul Bunyan and my little Company only sells about 2 percent of New England's electricity. Why, then, our interest in population redistribution in the Northeast. Well, it's because we have a capital budget of $180 million for the next decade and for every family of four we expect, but doesn't materialize, we've shot $10,000 of somebody's money. I’d like to tell you how we go about forecasting. In one approach we start with population and build our forecast block by block. In a second approach we start with national projections and back into regional demography almost as a byproduct.