bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crime and Racial Composition in Contiguous Communities as Negative Externalities: Prejudiced Household's Evaluation of Crime Rate and Segregation Nearby Reduces Housing Values and Tax Revenues
Authors: Burnell James D.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. How the level of amenities in surrounding communities affects the residential location decisions of households is considered. The amenities specifically taken into account are the crime and racial composition of the household's community and the contiguous communities. The theory of the household's valuation of neighborhood amenities through a housing value equation is expanded to include how the household's valuation of amenities is affected by the amenities in surrounding areas. An empirical model using data for 71 suburban communities in the Chicago Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area is specified to measure the simultaneous interaction between housing values, crime, and police effort. A revenue equation is included to determine how the household's valuation of crime and racial composition could affect the community's revenue‐raising ability. The empirical results indicate that the crime and racial composition of surrounding communities as well as within the household's community have a statistically significant negative effect on housing values. While the magnitude of the effect is small, the empirical results suggest that households consider the crime rate and racial composition of surrounding communities as negative externalities.
Voting with One's Feet
Authors: Cebula Richard J. , Belton Willie J.
Published: July 2006

Abstract.Unemployment on Indian reservationsaverages close to 45 percent, andwelfarein its various forms is a more significant source of income for reservation inhabitants thanemployment.Given these circumstances and given the very low levels ofhuman capitalpossessed by the American Indian population, there is reason to expect that higher welfare benefit levels would be attractive to Indianmigrants.Based on 1990 Census data, this study empirically finds that, over the 1985–1990 period, American Indians, when making migration decisions, exhibited a strong preference for higher welfare areas. This finding lends support to theTiebouthypothesis of “voting with one's feet” and provides support as well for the establishment of uniform real welfare levels across states.
Voting in the U.S. House on Abortion Funding Issues
Authors: Gohmann Stephan F. , Ohsfeldt Robert L.
Published: July 2006

Abstract.The Supreme Court's ruling inWebster v. Reproductive Health Servicesincreased the political saliency of theabortionissue. Sincepro‐choiceandpro‐lifegroups within the constituencies of U.S.legislatorspaid closer attention to abortion‐related roll call votes after Webster, the legislators’voting behavioron such issues might have changed as a result of the decision. Accordingly, voting model estimates forabortion fundingissues before and after Webster are used to examine changes in the role of legislators’ personal policy preferences and the role of policy preferences among their constituency on voting on this issue. The results show that legislators, to some extent, vote according to their personal preferences on abortion funding issues. Moreover, the influence of personal preferences on voting behavior did not change substantially after Webster, despite the change in the outcome of the vote.
A Socio‐Historical Interpretation of Toxic Waste Sites
Authors: Krieg Eric J.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. At a recent conference in San Francisco, the American Health Foundation reported that “blacks may be more likely than whites to develop lung cancer from smoking” (Boston Globe, 4/11/94, 10). According to John Richie of the AHF, this is the result of biological differences between blacks and whites. The AHF study is currently part of an attack against the alleged tobacco industry's targeting of specific populations in advertising. This type of study is not uncommon. Similar studies have identified race and gender‐based genetic differences that are used to account for differences in public health. However, it is impossible to control for all environmental variables and link causality to genetic composition. Doing so reinforces claims that some people are genetically superior to others and lays a foundation for “scientifically” justified exclusionary policies. The danger in these studies is that they define race as a biological variable and ignore its social components. Recently, Robert Bullard and others in the social justice movement have attacked the definition race as a biological variable and empirically demonstrated the necessity of recognizing its social component. This paper builds on the interpretation of race as a social variable in a two step process. First, it empirically documents the existence of “environmemal nicLsm” in the greater Boston area. Second, it historically analyzes the conditions which have created existing biases.
Keynes’ Investments
Authors: Mini Plero V.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. It is well known that in The General Theory, Keynes is very critical of the stock exchange market, an institution, he says, that “cannot be claimed as one of the outstanding triumphs of laissez‐faire capitalism.” At the same time much of his income was derived from speculation in commodities, stocks and foreign exchange. Some questions raised by Keynes’ way of making a living are addressed. When did his market activities begin? Did he, as some detractors allege, take advantage of insider information? What principles of behavior did he follow in his buying and selling? What was his attitude toward his way of making a living? And, above all do the views expressed in The General Theory reflect the influence of Keynes’ market experience? It is suggested that there is, in fact, a close relation between Keynes’ financial experiences and some of his distinctive economic theories. His experiences, interpreted in the light of his Apostolic‐Moorean beliefs, caused the deeply critical attiiude toward the whole financial system that one finds in The General Theory's chapter 12.
Health Care
Authors: Karsten Siegfried G.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. A broad rational national health care insurance policy for the United States, providing for universal financial access to health care for all citizens, has both “meaning” and “validity” in that it would address actual socioeconomic concerns and could be implemented. It is justified by theories of justice of Rawls and Donaldson as well as by Adam Smith's socioeconomic model. Social consensus in this area accepts the principle of solidarity that individual self‐interests may be better served through collective action, especially if such action is tied to competitive rules. Health care, therefore, is evolving as a public or quasi public good. The basic question no longer is whether the U.S. should have universal health care insurance but what specific health care policy the country should adopt in order to strengthen the market system and to maximize social welfare as effectively as possible.
The Economic Development‐Income Inequality Nexus
Authors: Ogwang Tomson
Published: July 2006

Abstract.The empirical status ofKuznets'U‐curve hypothesis is reassessed using three indicators ofdevelopment; two of which incorporate Basic Human Needs performance yardsticks, and three measures of income inequality. To eliminate the potential bias of the results due to functional form misspecification, a quadraticBox‐Coxmodel ofincome inequalityis specified. When the full sample of developed and developing countries was considered, all the share equations provided strong support for the hypothesis whereas theGiniequations provided weak support irrespective of the measure of development used. The results for the sub sample of developing countries were generally similar to those for the full sample. Thepolicyimplications of these results are discussed.
Alumni Donations and Colleges’Development Expenditures: Does Spending Matter?
Authors: Harrison Willian B. , Mitchell Shannon K. , Peterson Steven P.
Published: July 2006

Abstract

Since college development officers supply recognition to alumni and seek donations in return a model is devised wherein this exercise of market power in the exchange is included. Data for three years is used from eighteen universities and colleges‐public and private, large and small, research and teaching oriented. The findings indicate that schools with higher development costs generate substantially more donations. Several demographic characteristics of the student body were tested. Schools with higher participation in fraternities and sororities have higher giving, while schools with a higher proportion of part‐time students have lower giving. Surprisingly, having an NCAA Division I athletic program has no significant effect on alumni giving. Likewise, alumni donations seem independent of whether a school is public or private, or is or is not a research institution. Finally, the size of a school's endowment has no predictive value, but the level of annual bequests is strongly positively related to alumni giving.
Demographic Change and Entrepreneurial Occupations: African Americans in Northern Cities
Authors: Boyd Robert L.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. In the early twentieth century, the African American (AA) populations of northern cities grew rapidly, whereas the foreign‐born white populations of these cities stabilized. Stanley Lieberson has hypothesized that, in these cities, the resulting shifts in the ethnic composition negatively affected the economic prospects of AAs. The present study shows that the transformation of business enterprise among AAs in the urban North during 1900‐1930 is consistent with this hypothesis. Census data and evidence from historical case studies suggest that the above demographic changes affected two trends: 1) a decline in the concentration of AAs in entrepreneurial occupations which served whites and 2) an increase in their concentration in entrepreneurial occupations serving other AAs.
Enriching Exchange
Authors: Spiliman Lyn
Published: July 2006

Abstract AS economic sociologists have been arguing for some time, markets are not to be abstractly opposed to other social relations but rather to be understood as embedded in them, and indeed subject to the same kinds of analysis as other social relations. However, many accounts of embeddedness explain it in structural terms and still operate with an impoverished notion of culture. On the other hand, relatively few cultural sociologists have considered cultural dimensions of economic action. I first argue that there is a rich agenda for cultural investigation which has yet to be fully exploited in economic sociology, and fascinating work on economic embeddedness which could be enriched with more culturally oriented analysis and research. I go on to distinguish three issues on this agenda which are more often collapsed, arguing that the meaning of markets should be investigated in terms of the cultural construction of objects of market exchange, the cultural construction of parties to market exchange, and the cultural construction of norms of exchange. Distinguishing these three dimensions of market culture is productive because it links apparently disparate types of investigation and allows more precisely specified questions about their relations. Finally, I suggest that norms of market exchange are drawn from a richer symbolic repertoire than is usually imagined: reciprocity and redistribution, as well as market norms, are likely to be important as norms of mundane market action.
Blockage of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase-AKT Signaling Increases Radiosensitivity of K-RAS Mutated Human Tumor Cells In vitro by Affecting DNA Repair
Authors: Toulany Mahmoud , Kasten-Pisula Ulla , Brammer Ingo , Wang Shaomeng , Chen Jianyong , Dittmann Klaus , Baumann Michael , Dikomey Ekkehard , Rodemann H. Peter
Published: July 2006

Purpose: It is known that blockage of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity enhances radiation sensitivity of human tumor cells presenting a K-RAS mutation. In the present study, we investigated whether impaired repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) is responsible for the radiosensitizing effect of EGFR and PI3K inhibition in K-RAS mutated (K-RASmt) cells.

Experimental Design: The effect of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor BIBX1382BS (BIBX) on cellular radiosensitivity was determined in K-RASmt (A549) and K-RASwt (FaDu) cell lines by clonogenic survival assay. Radiation-induced phosphorylation of H2AX (Ser139), ATM (Ser1981), and DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs; Thr2609) was analyzed by immunoblotting. Twenty-four hours after irradiation, residual DSBs were quantified by identification of γH2AX foci and frequency of micronuclei.

Results: BIBX reduced clonogenic survival of K-RASmt-A549 cells, but not of K-RASwt-FaDu cells, after single-dose irradiation. Analysis of the radiation-induced H2AX phosphorylation revealed that BIBX, as well as the PI3K inhibitor LY294002, leads to a marked reduction of P-H2AX in K-RASmt-A549 and MDA-MB-231 cells, but not in K-RASwt-FaDu and HH4ded cells. Likewise, radiation-induced autophosphorylation of DNA-PKcs at Thr2609 was only blocked in A549 cells by these two inhibitors and AKT1 small interfering RNA transfection. However, neither in K-RASmt nor in K-RASwt cells the inhibitors did affect radiation-induced ATM phosphorylation. As a consequence of inhibitor treatment, a significant enhancement of both residual DSBs and frequency of micronuclei was apparent only in A549 but not in FaDu cells following radiation.

Conclusion: Targeting of the EGFR-dependent PI3K-AKT pathway in K-RAS-mutated A549 cells significantly affects postradiation survival by affecting the activation of DNA-PKcs, resulting in a decreased DSB repair capacity.
Pharmacologic Basis for the Enhanced Efficacy of Dutasteride against Prostatic Cancers
Authors: Xu Yi , Dalrymple Susan L. , Becker Robyn E. , Denmeade Samuel R. , Isaacs John T.
Published: July 2006

Purpose: Prostatic dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentration is regulated by precursors from systemic circulation and prostatic enzymes of androgen metabolism, particularly 5α-reductases (i.e., SRD5A1 and SRD5A2). Therefore, the levels of expression SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 and the antiprostatic cancer growth response to finasteride, a selective SRD5A2 inhibitor, versus the dual SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 inhibitor, dutasteride, were compared.

Experimental Design: Real-time PCR and enzymatic assays were used to determine the levels of SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 in normal versus malignant rat and human prostatic tissues. Rats bearing the Dunning R-3327H rat prostate cancer and nude mice bearing LNCaP or PC-3 human prostate cancer xenografts were used as model systems. Tissue levels of testosterone and DHT were determined using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Results: Prostate cancer cells express undetectable to low levels of SRD5A2 but elevated levels of SRD5A1 activity compared with nonmalignant prostatic tissue. Daily oral treatment of rats with the SRD5A2 selective inhibitor, finasteride, reduces prostate weight and DHT content but did not inhibit R-3327H rat prostate cancer growth or DHT content in intact (i.e., noncastrated) male rats. In contrast, daily oral treatment with even a low 1 mg/kg/d dose of the dual SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 inhibitor, dutasteride, reduces both normal prostate and H tumor DHT content and weight in intact rats while elevating tissue testosterone. Daily oral treatment with finasteride significantly (P < 0.05) inhibits growth of LNCaP human prostate cancer xenografts in intact male nude mice, but this inhibition is not as great as that by equimolar oral dosing with dutasteride. This anticancer efficacy is not equivalent, however, to that produced by castration. Only combination of dutasteride and castration produces a greater tumor inhibition (P < 0.05) than castration monotherapy against androgen-responsive LNCaP cancers. In contrast, no response was induced by dutasteride in nude mice bearing androgen-independent PC-3 human prostatic cancer xenografts.

Conclusions: These results document that testosterone is not as potent as DHT but does stimulate prostate cancer growth, thus combining castration with dutasteride enhances therapeutic efficacy.
Establishment in Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Mice of Subrenal Capsule Xenografts and Transplantable Tumor Lines from a Variety of Primary Human Lung Cancers: Potential Models for Studying Tumor Progression–Related Changes
Authors: Cutz Jean-Claude , Guan Jun , Bayani Jane , Yoshimoto Maisa , Xue Hui , Sutcliffe Margaret , English John , Flint Julia , LeRiche Jean , Yee John , Squire Jeremy A. , Gout Peter W. , Lam Stephen , Wang Yu-Zhuo
Published: July 2006

Purpose: Lung cancer is a biologically diverse disease and relevant models reflecting its diversity would facilitate the improvement of existing therapies. With a view to establishing such models, we developed and evaluated xenografts of a variety of human lung cancers.

Experimental Design: Using nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mice, subrenal capsule xenografts were generated from primary lung cancer tissue, including moderately and poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, large cell undifferentiated carcinoma, and carcinosarcoma. After 4 to 12 weeks, xenografts were harvested for serial transplantation and comparison with the original tissue via histologic, chromosomal, and cytogenetic analyses.

Results: Xenografts were successfully established. H&E staining showed that xenografts retained major histologic features of the original cancers. Immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed the human origin of the tumor cells and development in xenografts of murine supportive stroma. Four transplantable lines were developed from rapidly growing tumors (>5 generations), i.e., a small cell lung carcinoma, large cell undifferentiated carcinoma, pulmonary carcinosarcoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Analyses including spectral karyotyping, comparative genomic hybridization, and fluorescence in situ hybridization, revealed that the xenografts were genetically similar to the original tumors, showing chromosomal abnormalities consistent with karyotypic changes reported for lung cancer.

Conclusions: The subrenal capsule xenograft approach essentially provides a living tumor bank derived from patient material and a means for isolating and expanding specific cell populations. The transplantable tumor lines seem to provide good models for studying various aspects of tumor progression and a platform for developing novel therapeutic regimens, with the possibility of patient-tailored therapies.
Exon 19 Deletion Mutations of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Are Associated with Prolonged Survival in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Gefitinib or Erlotinib
Authors: Jackman David M. , Yeap Beow Y. , Sequist Lecia V. , Lindeman Neal , Holmes Alison J. , Joshi Victoria A. , Bell Daphne W. , Huberman Mark S. , Halmos Balazs , Rabin Michael S. , Haber Daniel A. , Lynch Thomas J. , Meyerson Matthew , Johnson Bruce E. , Jänne Pasi A.
Published: July 2006

Purpose: Somatic mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been detected in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and are associated with sensitivity to treatment with gefitinib or erlotinib. Our study explored the relationship between the two most common types of somatic EGFR mutations, exon 19 deletions and the L858R point mutation, and outcomes of patients following treatment with gefitinib or erlotinib.

Experimental Design: Tumor specimens obtained before treatment with gefitinib or erlotinib were analyzed for EGFR mutations. Patients with exon 19 deletion or L858R mutations were identified. The response rate, time to progression, and overall survival were determined for the two groups.

Results: We identified 36 patients with NSCLC and an EGFR mutation who were treated with gefitinib or erlotinib. Patients with an exon 19 deletion had a significantly longer overall survival compared with patients with an L858R mutation (38 versus 17 months; P = 0.04). There were also trends toward higher response rate (73% versus 50%) and improved time to progression (24 versus 10 months) for the patients with an exon 19 deletion, although these were not independently significant in a multivariate analysis. A difference in response rate for patients treated with gefitinib compared with erlotinib was also noted [18 of 23 (78%) versus 3 of 9 (33%); P = 0.04]. No obvious difference in time to progression or overall survival was noted between gefitinib- and erlotinib-treated patients.

Conclusions: Patients with NSCLC and EGFR exon 19 deletions have a longer survival following treatment with gefitinib or erlotinib compared with those with the L858R mutation. Pooling of greater numbers of patients and completion of prospective trials are needed to further define the predictive and prognostic roles of different EGFR mutations with respect to treatment with gefitinib, erlotinib, and other EGFR inhibitors.
BRCA1 at the crossroad of multiple cellular pathways: approaches for therapeutic interventions
Authors: Yarden Ronit I. , Papa Moshe Z.
Published: July 2006

Approximately 10% of the cases of breast cancer and invasive ovarian cancer are hereditary, occurring predominantly in women with germ-line mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. Low expression of these genes in sporadic tumors extends their significance to sporadic breast and ovarian cancers as well. For over a decade since its identification, extensive research has been directed toward understanding the function of the breast and ovarian tumor suppressor gene BRCA1. The long-term goal has been to identify the biochemical pathways reliant on BRCA1 that can be exploited for developing targeted therapies and benefit mutation carriers. To date, no one specific role has been identified, but rather it is clear that BRCA1 has significant roles in multiple fundamental cellular processes, including control of gene expression, chromatin remodeling, DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoint control, and ubiquitination, and overall is important for maintenance of genomic stability. Major findings and potential BRCA1-dependent therapies will be discussed. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(6):1396–404]
Fulvestrant (ICI 182,780) down-regulates androgen receptor expression and diminishes androgenic responses in LNCaP human prostate cancer cells
Authors: Bhattacharyya Rumi S. , Krishnan Aruna V. , Swami Srilatha , Feldman David
Published: July 2006

The androgen receptor (AR) plays a key role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. Targeting the AR for down-regulation would be a useful strategy for treating prostate cancer, especially hormone-refractory or androgen-independent prostate cancer. In the present study, we showed that the antiestrogen fulvestrant [ICI 182,780 (ICI)] effectively suppressed AR expression in several human prostate cancer cells, including androgen-independent cells. In LNCaP cells, ICI (10 μmol/L) treatment decreased AR mRNA expression by 43% after 24 hours and AR protein expression by ∼50% after 48 hours. We further examined the mechanism of AR down-regulation by ICI in LNCaP cells. ICI did not bind to the T877A-mutant AR present in the LNCaP cells nor did it promote proteasomal degradation of the AR. ICI did not affect AR mRNA or protein half-life. However, ICI decreased the activity of an AR promoter-luciferase reporter plasmid transfected into LNCaP cells, suggesting a direct repression of AR gene transcription. As a result of AR down-regulation by ICI, androgen induction of prostate-specific antigen mRNA and protein expression were substantially attenuated. Importantly, LNCaP cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by ICI treatment. Following 6 days of ICI treatment, a 70% growth inhibition was seen in androgen-stimulated LNCaP cells. These data show that the antiestrogen ICI is a potent AR down-regulator that causes significant inhibition of prostate cancer cell growth. Our study suggests that AR down-regulation by ICI would be an effective strategy for the treatment of all prostate cancer, especially AR-dependent androgen-independent prostate cancer. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(6):1539–49]
Effects of the Gap Junction Modifier Rotigaptide (ZP123) on Atrial Conduction and Vulnerability to Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Guerra Jose M. , Everett Thomas H. , Lee Ken W. , Wilson Emily , Olgin Jeffrey E.
Published: July 2006

Background—

Altered conduction is associated with increased atrial fibrillation (AF) vulnerability in canine models of chronic mitral regurgitation (MR) and heart failure (HF). Rotigaptide (ZP123) augments gap junction conductance, improving cell-to-cell coupling. We studied the effects of rotigaptide on atrial conduction and AF vulnerability in the canine MR and HF models.

Methods and Results—

Twenty-one dogs in 3 groups were studied: control (n=7), chronic MR induced by mitral avulsion (n=7), and HF induced by ventricular tachypacing (n=7). Epicardial mapping of both atria was performed with a 512-electrode array at baseline and at increasing rotigaptide doses (10, 50, and 200 nmol/L). Conduction velocity increased in both atria in control animals and MR animals (maximum percentage increase: 24±5%, 38±6% [
P
<0.001, <0.001] in the left atrium and 19±9%, 18±3% [
P
<0.001, <0.001] in the right atrium). Conduction velocity did not change in the left atrium of the HF group and increased minimally in the right atrium (3±3%, 17±5% [
P
=NS,
P
=0.001]). AF duration was increased at baseline in MR and HF animals (control: 16±25 seconds, MR: 786±764 seconds, HF: 883±684 seconds;
P
=0.013). At 50 nmol/L of rotigaptide, duration of AF markedly decreased in the MR animals (96% reduction,
P
<0.001), reducing AF duration to that of control animals (control: 9±11 seconds, MR: 14±16 seconds, HF: 1622±355 seconds;
P
=0.04).

Conclusions—

Gap junction modulation with rotigaptide reduces AF vulnerability in a canine MR model of AF to a level similar to control animals but does not affect AF vulnerability in the canine HF model. This may be a novel therapeutic target in some forms of AF.
Diagnosing Sources of U.S. Seasonal Forecast Skill
Authors: Quan X. , Hoerling M. , Whitaker J. , Bates G. , Xu T.
Published: July 2006

In this study the authors diagnose the sources for the contiguous U.S. seasonal forecast skill that are related to sea surface temperature (SST) variations using a combination of dynamical and empirical methods. The dynamical methods include ensemble simulations with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) forced by observed monthly global SSTs from 1950 to 1999, and ensemble AGCM experiments forced by idealized SST anomalies. The empirical methods involve a suite of reductions of the AGCM simulations. These include uni- and multivariate regression models that encapsulate the simultaneous and one-season lag linear connections between seasonal mean tropical SST anomalies and U.S. precipitation and surface air temperature. Nearly all of the AGCM skill in U.S. precipitation and surface air temperature, arising from global SST influences, can be explained by a single degree of freedom in the tropical SST field—that associated with the linear atmospheric signal of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The results support previous findings regarding the preeminence of ENSO as a U.S. skill source. The diagnostic methods used here exposed another skill source that appeared to be of non-ENSO origins. In late autumn, when the AGCM simulation skill of U.S. temperatures peaked in absolute value and in spatial coverage, the majority of that originated from SST variability in the subtropical west Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. Hindcast experiments were performed for 1950–99 that revealed most of the simulation skill of the U.S. seasonal climate to be recoverable at one-season lag. The skill attributable to the AGCMs was shown to achieve parity with that attributable to empirical models derived purely from observational data. The diagnostics promote the interpretation that only limited advances in U.S. seasonal prediction skill should be expected from methods seeking to capitalize on sea surface predictors alone, and that advances that may occur in future decades could be readily masked by inherent multidecadal fluctuations in skill of coupled ocean–atmosphere systems.
Observational Constraints on Past Attributable Warming and Predictions of Future Global Warming
Authors: Stott Peter A. , Mitchell John F. B. , Allen Myles R. , Delworth Thomas L. , Gregory Jonathan M. , Meehl Gerald A. , Santer Benjamin D.
Published: July 2006

This paper investigates the impact of aerosol forcing uncertainty on the robustness of estimates of the twentieth-century warming attributable to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Attribution analyses on three coupled climate models with very different sensitivities and aerosol forcing are carried out. The Third Hadley Centre Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere GCM (HadCM3), Parallel Climate Model (PCM), and GFDL R30 models all provide good simulations of twentieth-century global mean temperature changes when they include both anthropogenic and natural forcings. Such good agreement could result from a fortuitous cancellation of errors, for example, by balancing too much (or too little) greenhouse warming by too much (or too little) aerosol cooling.

Despite a very large uncertainty for estimates of the possible range of sulfate aerosol forcing obtained from measurement campaigns, results show that the spatial and temporal nature of observed twentieth-century temperature change constrains the component of past warming attributable to anthropogenic greenhouse gases to be significantly greater (at the 5% level) than the observed warming over the twentieth century. The cooling effects of aerosols are detected in all three models.

Both spatial and temporal aspects of observed temperature change are responsible for constraining the relative roles of greenhouse warming and sulfate cooling over the twentieth century. This is because there are distinctive temporal structures in differential warming rates between the hemispheres, between land and ocean, and between mid- and low latitudes. As a result, consistent estimates of warming attributable to greenhouse gas emissions are obtained from all three models, and predictions are relatively robust to the use of more or less sensitive models. The transient climate response following a 1% yr−1 increase in CO2 is estimated to lie between 2.2 and 4 K century−1 (5–95 percentiles).
FGF signalling generates ventral telencephalic cells independently of SHH
Authors: Gutin Grigoriy , Fernandes Marie , Palazzolo Laura , Paek HunKi , Yu Kai , Ornitz David M. , McConnell Susan K. , Hébert Jean M.
Published: July 2006

Sonic hedgehog (SHH) is required to generate ventral cell types throughout the central nervous system. Its role in directly specifying ventral cells,however, has recently been questioned because loss of the Shh gene has little effect on ventral development if the Gli3 gene is also mutant. Consequently, another ventral determinant must exist. Here, genetic evidence establishes that FGFs are required for ventral telencephalon development. First, simultaneous deletion of Fgfr1 and Fgfr3specifically in the telencephalon results in the loss of differentiated ventromedial cells; and second, in the Fgfr1;Fgfr2 double mutant, ventral precursor cells are lost, mimicking the phenotype obtained previously with a loss of SHH signalling. Yet, in the Fgfr1;Fgfr2 mutant, Shh remains expressed, as does Gli1, the transcription of which depends on SHH activity, suggesting that FGF signalling acts independently of SHH to generate ventral precursors. Moreover, the Fgfr1;Fgfr2 phenotype, unlike the Shhphenotype, is not rescued by loss of Gli3, further indicating that FGFs act downstream of Shh and Gli3 to generate ventral telencephalic cell types.
Inclusion Complexes of Cyclodextrins with Benzoquinolines in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Hamai Sanyo
Published: July 2006

The inclusion behavior of cyclodextrins (CDs) towards neutral species of benzo[h]quinoline (BhQ), benzo[f]quinoline (BfQ), and phenanthridine (PT) have been investigated in pH 7.3 buffers. α-CD forms little or no inclusion complexes with BhQ, BfQ, and PT, whereas β-CD forms 1:1 inclusion complexes with these benzoquinolines. In β-CD solution containing propylene oxide or tetrahydrofuran, a ternary inclusion complex is formed among β-CD, the benzoquinoline, and propylene oxide (tetrahydrofuran). γ-CD forms 1:1 inclusion complexes with the benzoquinolines, except for BhQ, for which a precipitation has been observed in the concentration range examined. For BfQ, its excimer fluorescence has also been observed, which is due to the 2:2 γ-CD–BfQ inclusion complex. The equilibrium constants for the formation of the binary and ternary inclusion complexes have been evaluated from the fluorescence intensity changes.
Solid Waste Management for Rural Areas: Analysis of Costs and Service Requirements
Authors: Schreiner Dean , Muncrief George , Davis Bob
Published: July 2006

Federal and state legislation is increasingly making solid waste management an important service provided by rural communities and planning regions. Few systems have been designed for rural areas, and few studies have included data on spatial effects of collection density and transfer distances to disposal sites. Models are given estimating quantity of solid waste generated and costs per ton of solid waste collected, transferred, and disposed for different service areas and alternative technologies. The data can be used to project quantities of solid waste for collection and disposal and to determine optimum site location of disposal facilities in rural regions.
An Analysis of Alternative Grain Distribution Systems
Authors: Ladd George W. , Lifferth Dennis R.
Published: July 2006

A transshipment plant location model is used to determine the number, size, and location of new subterminals, expansions in storage capacity of existing country elevators, the rail network, and the monthly flows of grain from origins to elevators to destinations to maximize joint net revenue of grain producers within a 6 1/2‐county region. A grain transportation system having fewer rail lines would increase joint net revenue. Country elevators incapable of loading multiple‐car trains would be used as storage facilities and transship much of their grain to market through subterminals. Total net revenue varied by 1% or 2% over a wide range of rail abandonment plans.
A Spatiotemporal Quality Competition Model of the Australian Sugarcane Processing Industry
Authors: Ryland G. J. , Guise J. W. B.
Published: July 2006

An activity analysis model is developed to determine the optimum period of production at a chain of sugarcane processing plants and the optimal regional transport network flows of cane and raw sugar. Explicit treatment is given to discrete variations in input quality which affect revenue at each plant location in each time period. Optimal solutions to three market configurations open to a multifacility monopolist—spatiotemporal quality competition, spatial quality competition, and pure competition—are obtained. Results suggest that, for given output, industry net revenues can be increased when explicit consideration is given to input quality variations relative to industry net revenues associated with treating inputs as homogeneous.
The Elasticity of Demand for Hired Farm Labor
Authors: Hammonds T. M. , Yadav R. , Vathana C.
Published: July 2006

Estimation of a supply and demand model of the hired farm labor sector is presented. Elasticity estimates using this technique are compared to estimates obtained through cross‐section and production function models.
Cost Rates of Extending Unemployment Insurance to Agricultural Employment
Authors: Elterich Joachim , Bieker Richard
Published: July 2006

This study uses the results of a regression equation for seventeen survey states to predict the cost rate of extending unemployment insurance (UI) to agricultural employment for each of the forty‐eight contiguous states. The equation included work force and UI system variables as regressors. For the United States, the cost rate averaged 3.3% of taxable payroll and ranged from 0.8% to 8.5% among states. With hardly any exceptions, the extension of UI to agriculture will not threaten the solvency of states' UI trust funds.
Legal and Economic Rights of Holders of Government Allotments
Authors: Pasour E. C.
Published: July 2006

Property rights of holders of tobacco and other crop allotments are explored. A decrease in demand induced by government action resulting in a decrease in allotment value is analyzed from the standpoint of a legal “taking.” Such losses are contrasted with noncompensable losses due to regulatory powers of government.
Economic Impact of Restricting Feed Additives in Livestock and Poultry Production
Authors: Mann Thomas , Paulsen Arnold
Published: July 2006

Effects of feed additive restrictions on meat production have been measured in previous studies. An econometric simulation model is used in this study to evaluate the impact of policy alternatives on costs, prices, and net profits in beef, pork, broiler, and turkey production over a ten‐year period. Under the model, all the restrictive policy alternatives produced wholesale price increases. Simulation estimates of price and production cost increases, however, were lower than previous findings. Health risk reductions may be obtainable at a smaller loss in economic efficiency than previously suggested.
Farm Size, Rural Community Income, and Consumer Welfare
Authors: Heady Earl O. , Sonka Steven T.
Published: July 2006

Decline in the number of farms and the resulting increase in average farm size has been a persistent feature of the change occurring in American agriculture throughout the last three decades. Different farm‐size assumptions are examined and their effect on certain key farm and nonfarm variables estimated. None of the alternatives analyzed provides benefits for all groups considered, and policies which may favor any one of these scenarios involve trade‐offs between the variables discussed.
Optimal Agricultural Pest Management with Increasing Pest Resistance
Authors: Hueth D. , Regev U.
Published: July 2006

The effect of increasing pest resistance to insecticides on the optimal control of a pest population is investigated by constructing a single‐pest, single‐crop management model and analyzing the resulting optimality conditions. Use of insecticides under these conditions results in both monetary costs and user costs. It is suggested that growers do not generally consider these user costs and therefore do not obtain maximum profits. The dynamic formulation of the model results in an extension of the literature dealing with the “economic‐threshold,” which under reasonable conditions is shown to be increasing during the course of the season.
Demand, Supply, and Price Relationships for the Broiler Sector, with Emphasis on the Jack‐Knife Method
Authors: Thompson Russell G. , Sprott J. Michael , Callen Richard W.
Published: July 2006

Parameters of a simultaneous equation model of the broiler sector were estimated by 2SLS, OLS, and JK procedures as proposed by Tukey and Hartley and Hartley. Results indicate that 2SLS and OLS methods may significantly underestimate the standard errors of the coefficients.
Risk Programming: An Aid in Planning Reservoir‐Irrigation Systems
Authors: Conner J. R. , Freund R. J. , Godwin M. R.
Published: July 2006

Risk programming and simulation are used to develop a model which illustrates the effects of risk on farmers' managerial decisions and the optimal design parameters of a reservoir‐irrigation system. Since variations in water availability affect enterprise choice and farm income, farmers' reactions to risk are deemed important.
The Social Profitability of Subsidies for Agricultural Exports: The Case of Ghana
Authors: Haessel Walter , Vickery Edward
Published: July 2006

A framework is developed to estimate the social profitability of export subsidies. The approach indicates whether a definite gain has been obtained even though the new equilibrium is not a first best. A method is provided for measuring consumer surplus when the demand curve shifts as a consequence of the policy. The technique is applied to selected agricultural exports from Ghana. It is found that while the subsidies would be profitable there would also be a heavy fiscal burden associated with the subsidies even though the subsidy scheme may be partly self‐financing.
An Economic Analysis of a Regionalized Rural Solid Waste Management System
Authors: Hardy William E. , Grissom Curtis L.
Published: July 2006

A quantitative model is developed to examine the possibility of cost savings through cooperative efforts in collecting and disposing of solid waste material. Heuristic algorithms are used to determine the best locations for landfills and the best routes for the collection trucks to follow in serving the five‐county study area. The results of the economic analyses indicate that a regional system for solid waste collection and disposal can be justified from a cost standpoint.
System Simulation of Agricultural Development: Some Nigerian Policy Comparisons
Authors:   The Michigan State University Agricultural Sector Simulation Team
Published: July 2006

The generalized system simulation approach can improve information input to the decision‐making process in general. This paper illustrates a particular application to problems of planning and policy making for agricultural sector development. An overview of a simulation model of the Nigerian economy is given, and results of a series of 15 Nigerian agricultural development policy simulation experiments are analyzed in detail. The main conclusion is that, at least for these 15 experiments, a technological transformation of agricultural export crop production is necessary for sustained economic growth. The paper concludes with a discussion of the approach's general applicability.
A Methodology for Investigating the Importance of Government Intervention in Farmers' Decisions
Authors: Just Richard E.
Published: July 2006

A methodology for empirical investigation of the importance of subsidies, price supports, allotments, and diversion programs in agricultural supply response is developed and applied. Inclusion of the interdependent effects of government programs for competing crops is emphasized. Since at least some aspect of the institutional arrangements governing a group of competing commodities is often modified, a substantial part of the paper is devoted to the consistent representation of differing combinations of government program provisions in a single model of supply response. Alternative modifications and interpretations of the model for dealing with highly correlated government program variables are then considered.
United States, European, and World Demand Functions for Coffee
Authors: Parikh A.
Published: July 2006

Import demands for coffee are estimated with single and simultaneous equation techniques for the United States, Europe, and Rest of the World. Predictions were made for the years 1969, 1970, and 1971 with the help of estimated relations; the predictions were compared with actual world import demands for these three years.
Changes in Number and Size Distribution of U. S. Soybean Processing Firms
Authors: Farris Paul L.
Published: July 2006

Rapid growth in soybean processing was accompanied by declining processor numbers between 1946 and 1971. Large firm concentration rose through 1965, then stabilized. Processor size distributions after 1953 tended toward lognormality. Future industry structure may be significantly influenced by public policies affecting competitive viability of intermediate size firms.
Implications of Public School Finance Reform with Local Control
Authors: White Fred C. , Miller Bill R.
Published: July 2006

The nation's present interest in school finance reform concerns elimination of inequities in financing and improvement in the delivery of educational services. This paper examines one of the most popular school finance reform proposals that would allow the local school district to select an appropriate tax effort without directly linking quality of education to the district's wealth. Implementation of this reform proposal would result in a slight redistribution of income to poorer districts but would result in further inequities in quality of educational services.
Crop Yields: Random, Cyclical, or Bunchy?
Authors: Luttrell Clifton B. , Gilbert R. Alton
Published: July 2006

This paper investigates whether changes in weather have random effects on crop yields. The data are yield series of several crops for the United States, individual major producing states, and major producing areas. Statistical tests show little evidence of nonrandomness in these series. There is almost no evidence of cycles or bunchiness prior to 1932, none for national average yields or the weighted average for major producing areas. Since 1932 there is some evidence of autocorrelation; however, this appears to reflect the uneven application rate of high yielding inputs, such as fertilizer and hybrid seed.
Strategy for Pesticide Use: Frequency and Applications
Authors: Talpaz Hovav , Borosh Itshak
Published: July 2006

A pest control model with multiple treatments is presented. Population dynamics and damage rates are temperature dependent with predation affected by pesticide application. Pesticide tolerance distribution is used for constructing the estimated kill function. Mathematical‐numerical optimization is applied, selecting frequency and dosage which minimize control costs and crop damage.
A Welfare Analysis of Long‐Term Forest Products Price Stabitization
Authors: Adams Darius M. , Haynes Richard W. , Darr David R.
Published: July 2006

The prospective welfare and market impacts offederal efforts to stabilize prices of wood products are examined for two alternative strategies involving manipulating Forest Service harvest levels. Generally, these stabilization strategies yield substantial net benefits. Consumers consistently gain, while losses by stumpage producers and by end product suppliers in the South are largely offset by gains in the West.
The Evaluation of the Benefits of Basic Need Policies
Authors: Scandizzo Pasquale L. , Knudsen Odin K.
Published: July 2006

This paper presents a method to quantify social benefits of basic need policies by (a) relating their definition to the degree of fulfillment of accepted social standards, and (b) recasting the analysis of basic need projects within the general framework of shadow pricing in cost‐benefit analysis. An empirical application of this method shows that in poor countries, the attempt at upholding a standard of minimum food consumption for the poor would put substantial premiums on food production over and above world (or domestic supply) prices provided that the increased food supply results in sufficiently higher consumption for the undernourished.
A Comparison of Generating Techniques and Goal Programming for Public Investment, Multiple Objective Decision Making
Authors: Willis C. E. , Perlack R. D.
Published: July 2006

The move toward public decision making based on multiple objective analysis has occurred largely during the past decade. During this brief interval dozens of techniques have been advanced for this purpose. The class of (generating) techniques which do not require prior articulation of preferences and which provide alternative solutions rather than a single optimum is characterized and compared to goal programming. Goal programming, as generally employed, seeks a single optimum solution given an articulated set of targets and priorities on the relevant objectives. Four criteria were used in this comparison and neither approach was found to be unambiguously superior.