bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Target Motad Analysis of a Crop and Livestock Farm in Jefferson County, Florida
Authors: Zimet David J. , Spreen Thomas H.
Published: February 2017

An analysis of a typical crop and livestock farm in North Florida is presented. The analysis incorporates the potential competition and complementarity among crop and beef cattle enterprises. A Target MOTAD model is developed to account for risk in a decision framework.

The results indicate that when income risk is ignored, peanuts, watermelon, and stocker cattle are the only enterprises included in the optimal solution. When income risk is heavily weighted, the optimal solution includes peanuts, watermelon, stocker cattle, cow-calf, and irrigated soybeans. The results suggest that the persistence of cow-calf production may be explained as a stabilizer of income.
Household Nutrient Demand: Use of Characteristics Theory and a Common Attribute Model
Authors: Eastwood David B. , Brooker John R. , Terry Danny E.
Published: February 2017

A characteristics model, which assumes goods generate a common set of attributes but no unique attribute, is described. The model yielded two equations which were estimated. One was a set of hedonic price equations in which the price paid for each food purchased was a function of imputed attribute prices. This set of equations was estimated at the household level. Nutrient demand equations were estimated across households. Imputed prices, income, and household characteristics including location, size, education, age distribution, and race affected nutrient demand levels.
Modeling the Demand for Durable Inputs: Distributed Lags and Causality
Authors: Mui H. W. , Bradford G. L. , Ali M. M.
Published: February 2017

Vector-autoregressive-moving-average (VARMA) modeling was used to identify distributed lag relationships among farm tractor derived demand variables and to provide a basis for formally testing the hypothesis that the price of new tractor horsepower is exogeneous to its quantity demanded. Similar causality tests were used for a number of other explanatory variables, including the interest rate, price of diesel fuel, and price of used tractors. Results indicate that several lagged variables are significant causal factors and that the dynamic nature of the demand structure cannot be ignored when explaining tractor demand.
Control of a Mobile Pest: The Imported Fire Ant
Authors: Carlson Gerald A.
Published: February 2017

Entomologists and other pest control specialists recognize that pest mobility creates difficulties when control is left to individual property owners. Control of mobile weeds, insects or contagious diseases has characteristics of a public good with high exclusion costs and near equal availability to all people in the affected area. If abatement benefits for areas to which the pest is spreading are not considered, there will be under production of abatement. Cooperatives, county abatement districts or state and federal agencies are often set up to administer area-wide abatement efforts. Economies of scale in pesticide treatments, coordination of efforts to limit spatial spread of the pest (quarantine activities) and scale economies in technology to reduce adverse side effects of pesticides are given as justifications for public or large-scale pest control programs.
An Enterprise Competition Analysis of Beef Production in the South
Authors: Nix James E. , Martin Neil R. , Hubbard John W.
Published: February 2017

Enterprise competition among beef, hog and crop alternatives in the South has been recognized by a number of analysts; Potential enterprise adjustments in this region must be evaluated before reliable decisions affecting the beef industry can be made. This paper is concerned with an appraisal of normative adjustments in southern beef production and related enterprises over an intermediate period of time.
The Productivity of Agricultural Research and Extension Expenditures in the Southeast
Authors: Bauer Larry L. , Hancock Curtis R.
Published: February 2017

With current high food prices and increasing talk about a world food crisis, there is renewed interest in production agriculture and in the allocation of resources to agriculture. It would seem, therefore, that estimates of agricultural production functions and their associated marginal products would be useful to those responsible for resource allocation to the agricultural sector. This paper intended to give policymakers information on which to base decisions relative to the impact of investments in agricultural research and extension activities. The level of appropriations to such activities can be considered a proxy measure of technology. Most researchers familiar with this area feel that the total effect of new technology on production does not occur at one momemt in time, but may be spread over a number or years. Considering this, a distributed lag on research and extension expenditures was incorporated into the production function estimated in this paper.
Beef Grading and Imperfect Competition
Authors: Rhodes V. James
Published: February 2017

In September 1974, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it planned to make major changes in its grading of beef. The changes would redefine criteria for eating quality, particularly requiring less marbling for each grade.

The announcement was strategically timely: consumers had been restive over what they regarded as high prices for beef, while the poor 1974 corn crop made it economical to produce less fat in the beef carcass. Moreover, meat, packers and many cattle feeders had been demanding a grade revision which would permit shorter feeding, less waste fat and lower prodduction costs.
Estimating the Structure of Time Lags Between Wholesale and Farm Prices for Cottonseed
Authors: Ethridge M. Dean
Published: February 2017

Previous analysis on annual wholesale marketing margins for cottonseed has indicated a need to establish the structure of short-period time lags between prices for cottonseed products and resulting farm prices for the gin-run seed. In particular, this would help assess large wholesale margins since the beginning of the 1972 crop year, when cottonseed oil and meal prices began an inflationary surge that has resulted in increases of over 100 percent.

Objectives of this paper are: (1) to formulate and estimate the monthly, distribution of lagged response of cottonseed prices to changes in wholesale cottonseed product prices in the United States and (2) to use the estimation results in examining recent behavior of cottonseed prices and wholesale marketing margins.
Professional Diversity in Agricultural Economics: Salvation or Suicide?
Authors: Libby Lawrence W.
Published: February 2017

The theme of my address isdiversityin the profession of agricultural economics. I address diversity as a response, a strategy, not as an end in itself but as a conscious approach by ag economists in land grant universities seeking a useful role in the future.

I chose this theme because I am genuinely concerned about our future in the 1862 and 1890 land grants. I acknowledge up front that not all ag economists work in land grant universities but all have a stake in them as our primary reservoir of human capital. Most practicing ag economists have roots in a land grant university and depend on their products for “new blood” in business or government. My interest in diversity has been influenced by the writings of several prominent ag economists, reviewed briefly below, by recent conversations with Jim Hildreth, John Holt, and Jim Bonnen regarding the future of the land grants and by personal observations of the painful manifestations of tensions within departments in the South and elsewhere as faculty try to position themselves for an uncertain future.
Economic Impacts of Chemical Use Reduction on the South
Authors: Taylor C. Robert , Penson John B. , Smith Edward G. , Knutson Ronald D.
Published: February 2017

A growing segment of society is concerned about a myriad of health and environmental issues related to the use of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. Despite the leveling-off of agricultural chemical use in the 1980s, chemical use in agriculture has come to be seen as a two-edged sword. On the positive side, agricultural chemicals have become the engine for world-wide productivity gains. These chemicals have contributed to increased yields per acre and have reduced waste in storage and distribution. On the negative side, agricultural chemicals are perceived by many to present risks to the safety of the food we eat, to the quality of our drinking water, to the wildlife population, to applicators and to people who inadvertently come into point contact with them.
Changes in Europe and the USSR: An Overview for Southern Agriculture and Agribusiness
Authors: Penn J.B.
Published: February 2017

The world was astonished in 1989 by the initial collapse of socialist institutions and subsequently by the pace at which change swept across the Eastern European region. For a time, even the Soviet Union seemed to be moving toward greater political pluralism, market orientation and the effective end of the Cold War. It is now approaching two years since this political convulsion began (in Poland). This is sufficient time to enable the transition programs to take form, and to permit informed speculation about the potential for their success and, ultimately, how the Eastern European and Soviet situations could affect the farming and food sectors of our economy.
Incorporating Subsistence into a Probit Analysis of Household Nutrition Levels
Authors: Cook Cristanna M. , Eastwood David B. , Cheng Ty
Published: February 2017

Previous nutrient demand and consumption analyses show that several economic and sociodemographic variables are often associated with intakes. However, most of the literature does not account for differences among individuals within households. This study reviewed possible definitions of nutrient differences with respect to nutritional needs. Nutrient levels defined by the Thrifty Food Plan were used as subsistence levels for households in the 1977-78 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey. Probit analysis showed that the usual variables found related to nutrient intakes did not differentiate among subsistence groups. Household life cycle and working female heads influenced whether the household was under its requirement level.
Incorporating Uncertainty in the Analysis of Optimal Beef-Forage Production Systems
Authors: Rawlins Richard B. , Bernardo Daniel J.
Published: February 2017

A risk programming model was developed to evaluate the tradeoffs between risk and expected returns in beef-forage production systems. The specification represents nutrient and intake considerations when allocating forage among cattle enterprises; it also incorporates the various sources of risk facing livestock producers. Efficient ranch organizations were derived for a representative eastern Oklahoma ranch using MOTAD and Target-MOTAD formulations. Diversification of forage enterprises, introduction of cow-calf enterprises, and retained ownership of weaned calves were identified as important responses to reductions in acceptable levels of risk. Results also indicated efficient ranch plans to be sensitive to the risk criteria and producer's willingness to accept risk.
Impact of Reducing Federal Order Class I Differential on Representative Texas and New Mexico Dairy Farms
Authors: Outlaw Joe L. , Knutson Ronald D. , Schwart Robert B. , Holt John , Richardson James W. , Garis Dalton H.
Published: February 2017

The General Accounting Office (GAO) recommended that the USDA substantially reduce or eliminate the extent of price discrimination practiced under federal milk marketing orders. The purpose of this study was to quantify the impacts of alternative means of implementing the GAO proposal on the economic viability of Texas and New Mexico dairy farms. Five dairy farms were simulated for six years under the current dairy policy and five alternative proposals. Results of the analyses indicate that large New Mexico dairies can remain economically viable under all of the alternatives. On the other hand, federal order policy changes would accelerate the loss of equity for moderate size Texas dairy farms.
Catfish Producer Harvest Response to Production and Asymmetric Price Risk
Authors: Branch William , Tilley Daniel S.
Published: February 2017

Harvest response to production and asymmetric price risk was analyzed using an ordinary least squares model. Statistically significant responses to production-quality and output price risk were indicated. Results suggest that alternative pricing strategies designed to reduce risk may alter harvest response and decrease month to month harvest variability.
Functional Forms and Farm-Level Demand for Pecans by Variety
Authors: Okunade Albert A. , Cochran Mark J.
Published: February 2017

Recent developments in the U.S. pecan industry appear to limit the utility of past research. The importance of pecan variety has emerged as an issue which could alter past results. The linear and double-log models previously fitted to all-pecans (averaged) data may be too restrictive and hence, are less useful for variety-specific analysis. Past research also analyzed price turning points using nominal data. This study investigated functional form and data-averaging problems by fitting separate flexible Box-Cox price-dependent models for all-pecans and each variety of pecans (1970/71-1988/89 deflated data). Results indicate: other nuts substitute for different pecan varieties, estimated all-pecans price flexibility is biased and clouds variety-specific flexibilities, and restrictive functional forms are inappropriate.
Effect of Debt Position on the Choice of Marketing Strategies for Florida Orange Growers: A Risk Efficiency Approach
Authors: Moss Charles B. , Ford Stephen A. , Castejon Mario
Published: February 2017

This study examined the relationship between debt position and choice of marketing instrument. Specifically, this study employed first and second degree stochastic dominance, and stochastic dominance with respect to a function to determine whether the efficient marketing instrument changes between debt positions. The results indicate that the choice of marketing instrument does vary with debt position in some marketing periods if the decisionmaker is moderately risk averse.
Efficiency Measures Using the Ray-Homothetic Function: A Multiperiod Analysis
Authors: Neff David L. , Garcia Philip , Hornbaker Robert H.
Published: February 2017

Recent investigations have provided mixed assessments of farm firm efficiency. This analysis examined the efficiency of a homogeneous sample of central Illinois grain farms over a six-year period. A best-practice frontier was constructed using the ray-homothetic function, which allowed optimal farm output to vary with factor intensity. Efficiency measures were found to increase with temporal aggregation. The ray-homothetic approach was found to attribute high scale inefficiencies to larger sample farms in cases where the factor shares did not vary appreciably across farms. The findings suggest that policy recommendations regarding farm efficiency must be made with care.
A Target MOTAD Analysis of Sweet Potato Marketing
Authors: Bauer Larry L.
Published: February 2017

Decisions regarding when to harvest and when to sell sweet potatoes are more complex than for other crops because yields continue to increase after the crop is initially ready for harvest, and sweet potatoes can either be sold at harvest or cured and stored for later sale. The optimum marketing decision, based on expected net revenue, is dependent on yield and prices and their variability, and on costs of storage. A marketing strategy is developed using Target MOTAD and data covering 21 years.
Implications of Crop Insurance for Farmers and Lenders
Authors: Leatham David J. , McCarl Bruce A. , Richardson James W.
Published: February 2017

The effect of the farmer's choice of crop insurance was evaluated on both the farmer's and lender's performance. This was done using whole-farm, Monte Carlo simulation for Texas wheat/sorghum operations. Results indicate crop insurance would be preferred by moderately risk-averse farmers when farm firm failure became an issue or the insurance loss ratio approached one. A lender always preferred the use of crop insurance, especially when the probability of firm bankruptcy was an issue.
The Responsiveness of U.S. Corn and Soybean Acreages to Conditional Price Expectations: An Application to the 1985 Farm Bill
Authors: Shideed Kamil H. , White Fred C. , Brannen Stephen J.
Published: February 2017

Naive and adaptive schemes have been used as proxies for price expectations in previous studies of supply response. Those studies contain mixed formulas of futures, support, and lagged prices as alternative formulations for price expectations. This study uses a conditional expected price which combines both market and support prices into one price expectations measure. It defines the total effect of available information on supply response. The results indicate the potential usefulness of formulating expected prices as conditional price expectations in supply response analysis, with support prices being the conditional set. Under the provisions of the 1985 Farm Bill, significant reductions in corn and soybean acreages are in prospect for 1987-90.
The Packing Simulation Model
Authors: Falk Constance L. , Tilley Daniel S. , Schatzer R. Joe
Published: February 2017

The Packing Simulation Model is a micro-computer application program designed for researchers, extension personnel, bankers, packing managers, or other specialists who plan the operations of a packing facility or simulate its financial performance. PACKSIM produces pro forma financial statements for packing facilities based on flexible crop mixes and packing assumptions. Variations can be made in the product harvest schedule, price, quality, quantity, input costs and requirements, packing efficiency, overhead, and loan terms.
Livestock Futures Markets And Rational Price Formation: Evidence For live Cattle And Live Hogs
Authors: Koontz Stephen R. , Hudson Michael A. , Hughes Matthew W.
Published: February 2017

The efficiency of livestock futures markets continues to receive attention, particularly with regard to their forward pricing or forecasting ability. The purpose of this paper is to present a more general theory that encompasses the forward pricing concept. It is argued that futures contract prices for competitively produced nonstorable commodities, such as live cattle and live hogs, follow a rational formation process. Futures contract prices reflect expected market conditions when contracts are sufficiently close to the delivery month that the supply of the underlying commodity cannot be changed. However, prior to the period when future supplies are relatively fixed, futures contract prices should adjust to reflect the competitive equilibrium, where output price equals average costs of production. Presented evidence suggests that live cattle and live hog futures markets support the rational price formation hypothesis: prices for distant contracts reflect average costs of feeding. Implications for risk management strategies are considered.
Import Demands For U.S. Fresh Grapefruit: Effect Of U.S. Promotion Programs And Trade Policies Of Importing Nations
Authors: Fuller Stephen , Bello Haruna , Capps Oral
Published: February 2017

This study estimated import demands for U.S. fresh grapefruit in Japan, France, Canada, and the Netherlands. Historically, these nations have imported about 90 percent of U.S. grapefruit exports. Four import demand functions were specified and estimated by joint generalized least squares based on the sample period 19691 to 1988IV. Results show that U.S. FOB price, per capita income of importing countries, exchange rates, price of substitutes, U.S. grapefruit promotion programs, and removal of trade restrictions have had an important effect on U.S. fresh grapefruit exports. Analyses suggest that U.S. producers can effectively promote fresh grapefruit in foreign markets, and that trade concessions have an important influence on grapefruit exports.
Market Impacts Of Bovine Somatropin: A Supply And Demand Analysis
Authors: Kaiser Harry M.
Published: February 2017

The potential economic impacts of the introduction of bovine somatotropin (bST) on U.S. milk supply and demand are analyzed using a national model of Class I and Class II milk markets. The results indicate that the introduction of bST will lead to lower milk prices, higher milk production, and larger government purchases of dairy products. Unlike previous economic analyses of bST, this analysis considers both supply and demand effects of bST. The implication is that studies that ignore potential demand-side effects may produce misleading results.
Nursing Home Outbreak of Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infections Caused by 2 Distinct Strains
Authors: Thigpen Michael C. , Thomas D. Michael , Gloss David , Park Sarah Y. , Khan Amy J. , Fogelman Vicky L. , Beali Bernard , Van Beneden Chris A. , Todd Randall L. , Greene Carolyn M.
Published: February 2017

Objective.

To identify factors contributing to a cluster of deaths from invasive group A streptococcus (GAS) infection in a nursing home facility and to prevent additional cases.

Design.

Outbreak investigation.

Setting.

A 146-bed nursing home facility in northern Nevada.

Methods.

We defined a case as the isolation of GAS from a normally sterile site in a resident of nursing home A. To identify case patients, we reviewed resident records from nursing home A, the local hospital, and the hospital laboratory. We obtained oropharyngeal and skin lesion swabs from staff and residents to assess GAS colonization and performed emm typing on available isolates. To identify potential risk factors for transmission, we performed a cohort study and investigated concurrent illness among residents and surveyed staff regarding infection control practices.

Results.

Six residents met the case patient definition; 3 (50%) of them died. Among invasive GAS isolates available for analysis, 2 distinct strains were identified: emm11 (3 isolates) and emm89 (2 isolates). The rate of GAS carriage was 6% among residents and 4% among staff; carriage isolates were emm89 (8 isolates), emm11 (2 isolates), and emm1 (1 isolate). Concurrently, 35 (24%) of the residents developed a respiratory illness of unknown etiology; 41% of these persons died. Twenty-one (30%) of the surveyed employees did not always wash their hands before patient contacts, and 27 (38%) did not always wash their hands between patient contacts.

Conclusions.

Concurrent respiratory illness likely contributed to an outbreak of invasive GAS infection from 2 strains in a highly susceptible population. This outbreak highlights the importance of appropriate infection control measures, including respiratory hygiene practices, in nursing home facilities.
Derived invariance by syzygy complexes
Authors: WEI JIAQUN
Published: February 2017

We study derived invariance through syzygy complexes. In particular, we prove that syzygy-finite algebras and Igusa--Todorov algebras are invariant under derived equivalences. Consequently, we obtain that both classes of algebras are invariant under tilting equivalences. We also prove that derived equivalences preserve AC-algebras and the validity of the finitistic Auslander conjecture.
Determinants of mortality in elderly patients with tuberculosis: a population-based follow-up study
Authors: YEN Y.-F. , FENG J.-Y. , PAN S.-W. , CHUANG P.-H. , SU V. Y.-F. , SU W.-J.
Published: February 2017

Elderly individuals with tuberculosis (TB) are more likely to have a non-specific clinical presentation of TB and high mortality. However, factors associated with mortality in elderly TB patients have not been extensively studied. This retrospective cohort study aimed to identify factors associated with death among elderly Taiwanese with TB. All elderly patients with TB from 2006 to 2014 in Taipei, Taiwan, were included in a study. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with death in elderly TB patients. The mean age of the 5011 patients was 79·7 years; 74·1% were men; 32·7% had mortality during the study follow-up period. After controlling for potential confounders, age ⩾75 years (reference: 65–74 years), male sex, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), malignancy, acid-fast bacilli-smear positivity, TB-culture positivity, pleural effusion on chest radiograph and notification by an ordinary ward or intensive care unit were associated with a higher risk of all-cause death; while high school, and university or higher education, cavity on chest radiograph and directly observed therapy were associated with a lower risk of all-cause death. This study found that the proportion of death among elderly patients with TB in Taipei, Taiwan, was high. To improve TB treatment outcomes, future control programmes should particularly target individuals with comorbidities (e.g. ESRD and malignancy) and those with a lower socio-economic status (e.g. not educated).
An assessment of the microbiological quality of liver-based pâté in England 2012–13: comparison of samples collected at retail and from catering businesses
Authors: McLAUCHLIN J. , JØRGENSEN F. , AIRD H. , CHARLETT A. , ELVISS N. , FENELON D. , FOX A. , WILLIS C. , AMAR C. F. L.
Published: February 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the microbiological quality of liver pâté. During 2012–13, a total of 870 samples, unrelated to the investigation of food-poisoning outbreaks, were collected either at retail (46%), catering (53%) or the point of manufacture (1%) and were tested using standard methods to detect Salmonella spp. or Campylobacter spp., and to enumerate for Listeria spp., including Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium perfringens, coagulase-positive staphylococci including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus spp., including Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae, and aerobic colony counts (ACCs). Seventy-three percent of samples were of satisfactory microbiological quality, 18% were borderline and 9% unsatisfactory. Salmonella spp. or Campylobacter spp. was not recovered from any sample. The most common causes of unsatisfactory results were elevated ACCs (6% of the samples) and high Enterobacteriaceae counts (4% of samples). The remaining unsatisfactory results were due to elevated counts of: E. coli (three samples); B. cereus (one sample at 2·6 × 105 cfu/g); or L. monocytogenes (one sample at 2·9 × 103 cfu/g). Pâté from retail was less likely to be contaminated with L. monocytogenes than samples collected from catering and samples from supermarkets were of significantly better microbiological quality than those from catering establishments.
Residential care in Australia, Part I: Service trends, the young people in care, and needs-based responses
Authors: Bath Howard
Published: February 2017

This is the first of a two-part discussion of the place of residential care services in Australia, which highlights the issues that are likely to influence the development of these services into the future. This paper explores service trends over the past few decades, the current place and focus of residential care services, the nature of the young people being placed into such services, and the imperative for developing a more needs-based approach to service delivery. It concludes with a review of recent calls for the development of therapeutic or treatment-orientated models and the initial steps in this direction that have been taken around the country.
Practice perspectives…: Supporting fathers who have a child with a disability
Authors: Beatty Dianne , King Andrew
Published: February 2017

‘Hey, Dad! For fathers who have a child with a disability’ is a new resource to assist organisations to facilitate a program of group sessions for fathers of children with a physical, emotional or developmental disability. This paper describes the program, the reasons for its development and the reactions to its 2007 pilot.
After the apology: Why are so many First Nations children still in foster care?
Authors: Blackstock Cindy
Published: February 2017

Although the undesirable child outcomes arising from the chronic over-representation of First Nations children and young people in child welfare care have been broadly acknowledged in Canada, research on this critical issue is just emerging. This paper summarizes the North American literature on ethnic over-representation and structural risks to inform future research directions in First Nations child welfare. Comparisons to the situation of Aboriginal children in Australia are also discussed.
Reflections on an international exchange experience in Germany
Authors: Lehmann Jennifer , Baker Steven
Published: February 2017

International travel has long been associated with opening and expanding the minds of those who travel; and exposure to differences in culture, language and environment often has profound effects. Academic travel—visiting an international college or university for the purposes of teaching and learning—adds an additional layer of experience, resulting in exposure to research and teaching which is being filtered and reinterpreted through a different cultural lens. In this reflective commentary, we discuss a number of experiences encountered on a two week academic study trip to Coburg, Germany, in June this year—but first, a description of our travelling party and impressions of the Bavarian region.

We were a party of four from the School of Social Work and Social Policy at La Trobe University, Bendigo Campus—Jennifer returning for a second visit to Coburg University after six years; Steven, a Year 4 Social Work Honours student ready for adventure in an already packed year of activity; Matthew Holmes, an Aboriginal graduate now working for the Department of Sustainability and Environment in Bendigo; and Catherine Cameron, a Year 3 student who was making her first journey outside of Australia. It was early summer in Europe with the fields and trees a lush green, crops growing thickly, the market places smelling of field strawberries and colourful flowers, white asparagus wonderfully juicy and tasty, and NZ apples everywhere! We were generously accommodated by the staff and students of the Social Work course at Coburg University and, in particular, Tina and Nadine provided constant assistance with translation on our visits, which ensured full appreciation of both pleasure activities and for study and teaching purposes.
Shared parenting and parental involvement in children's schooling following separation and divorce
Authors: Brown Thea , Lundgren Alison , Stevens Lisa-Maree , Boadle Jennifer
Published: February 2017

Although the new family law legislation, the Family Law (Shared Parental Responsibility) Amendment Act of 2006, seeks to implement the notion of ongoing and collaborative parenting of children following parental partnership breakdown, separation and divorce, institutional obstacles still prevent the realisation of this policy. The question then arises: can such a model of separation and divorce be achieved? This question is examined through a discussion of a series of studies undertaken by a Monash University research team investigating parents' involvement in their children's schooling following parental separation and divorce. The research, building on a number of small studies carried out in Western Australia, looked at parents' and teachers' views of schools' ability to relate to separated and divorced parents and the wider difficulty of schools managing this family form.
Adopted women become parents A pilot study
Authors: Conrick Jeanette , Brown Thea
Published: February 2017

Becoming a parent and mother is ‘the irreversible crossing of the boundary from being someone's (daughter) to becoming someone's mother’ (Schmidt Neven 1996) and what we know of this transition for adopted women is still primarily anecdotal. Many women adopted during and after the 1970s in Victoria are still in the parenting life stage, and this paper describes the experiences of three of them. The women participated in qualitative, in-depth interviews that were part of a Master of Social Work research study

This article primarily takes a life course approach in eliciting themes of normative family experiences, delay of identity consolidation until the time of childbearing, the impact of search, reunion and divided loyalties, and the negotiation of multiple family systems (adoptive, in-law and birth). The management of these complex phenomena have demanded a high level of skill and effort by these women as they cope with their own emotional reactions, continue to be responsive mothers and assist their children and partners to negotiate new, extended, family relationships.

The study draws attention to and provides insight for practitioners in this hidden area of welfare and indicates the need for further research.
The Effect of Older Age on EMS Use for Transportation to an Emergency Department
Authors: Jones Courtney M.C. , Wasserman Erin B. , Li Timmy , Amidon Ashley , Abbott Marissa , Shah Manish N.
Published: February 2017

Introduction

Previous studies have found that older adults are more likely to use Emergency Medical Services (EMS) than younger adults, but the reasons for this remain understudied.

Hypothesis/Problem

This study aimed to determine if older age is associated with using EMS for transportation to an emergency department (ED) after controlling for confounding variables.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey study was conducted at a large academic medical center. Data on previous medical history, chief complaint, self-perceived illness severity, demographic information, and mode of arrival to the ED were collected on all subjects. Those who arrived to the ED via EMS also were asked reasons why they opted to call an ambulance for their illness/injury. Descriptive statistics were used to quantify survey responses, and multivariable regression was used to assess the independent effect of age on mode of ED arrival.

Results

Data from 1,058 subjects were analyzed, 449 (42%) of whom arrived to the ED via EMS. Compared to adults<55 years, the unadjusted prevalence ratio for the association between age and EMS use was 1.18 (95% CI, 0.96-1.45) for subjects 55-79 years and 1.54 (95% CI, 1.18-2.02) for subjects ≥80 years. After adjustment for confounding variables, age remained a statistically significant risk factor for EMS use (P<.05).

Conclusion

Older age is an independent risk factor for transportation to the ED via ambulance; however, this effect is attenuated by number of chronic medical conditions and history of depression. Additional research is needed to account for confounders unmeasured in this study and to elucidate reasons for the increased frequency of EMS use among older adults.

JonesCMC, WassermanEB, LiT, AmidonA, AbbottM, ShahMN. The effect of older age on EMS use for transportation to an emergency department. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(3):261–268.
RUDYARD KIPLING'S TACTICAL IMPRESSIONISM
Authors: Prentice Chris Ortiz y
Published: February 2017

A story titled “The Impressionists”that was published in 1897 should have something to say about art, but does it? The sixth installment in Rudyard Kipling'sStalky & Co.series, “The Impressionists” follows the antics of M'Turk, Stalky, and Beetle, three cunning boys at a dreary English military preparatory school. Suspecting these boys of cheating on their schoolwork, housemaster Mr. Prout turns them out of their private study into the main house dormitory. For revenge, and hoping to win back their room, Stalky & Co. becomeagents provocateurs. They start a fight in their house and manage to involve the other housemasters’ houses: “Under cover of the confusion the three escaped to the corridor, whence they called in and sent up passers-by to the fray. ‘Rescue, King's! King's! King's! Number Twelve form-room! Rescue, Prout's – Prout's! Rescue, Macrea's! Rescue, Hartopp's!’” (102). The three boys then allow Mr. Prout to overhear a conversation that makes money-lending seem common practice in the houses: “‘Where's that shillin’ you owe me?’ said Beetle suddenly. Stalky could not see Prout behind him, but returned the lead without a quaver. ‘I only owed you ninepence, you old usurer’” (103). Stalky & Co. rile up the other boys by telling ghost stories and spreading slanderous ditties; they turn the house against the prefects and undermine Mr. Prout's authority; and in the end they win back their room, but they are also found out by the headmaster, who mixes corporeal punishment with his admonishments: “There is a limit – one finds it by experience, Beetle – beyond which it is never safe to pursue private vendettas, because – don't move – sooner or later one comes – into collision with the – higher authority, who has studied the animal.Et ego– M'Turk, please –in Arcadia vixi” (117). The boys take the headmaster's attentions as a compliment, and they take his advice. Never again do they stake the school's peace in the pursuit of their own ends.
TONO-BUNGAYAND BURROUGHS WELLCOME: BRANDING IMPERIAL POPULAR MEDICINE
Authors: Kennedy Meegan
Published: February 2017

H. G. Wells's 1908 novelTono-Bungayis a remarkable concoction, binding together characters and setting out of Dickens, sparkling imitations offin-de-siéclecommodity culture and new media, bitter social satire inflected by Wells's socialism, fascination with invention and flight, and murderous imperial adventure. Readers, though often seduced by the wit and precision of Wells's depiction of patent medicines and their advertisements, have not known whether to read the narrative as anti-Bildungsroman, Condition of England novel, science fiction, or imperial romance. It is no wonder that many critics have labeled this novel a failure.
CHARLES KINGSLEY'STHE WATER-BABIES: INDUSTRIAL ENGLAND, THE IRISH FAMINE, AND THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
Authors: Judd Catherine Nealy
Published: February 2017

Charles Kingsley's children's novelThe Water-Babies(WB), written in the spring and summer of 1862, is a politically anxious text. In this essay I argue that althoughThe Water-Babies’ overall structure appears to be chaotic and arbitrary – J. M. I. Klaver, for example, deems the work a “Victorian fantasy crowded with Kingsley's hobby-horses” where he “pour[s] out whatever he had on his mind” (517) – in fact Kingsley's disquietude concerning the Irish Famine, U.S. slavery, and the condition of the British working classes provides a logical framework for the text.
Agricultural Planning Expert: A Model of Farm Enterprise Selection
Authors: Levins Richard A. , Rego Winston T.
Published: February 2017

Agricultural Planning Expert is a software model designed for advising small-scale farmers in southern Maryland. Choosing farm enterprises is modelled as consisting of four activities: suggesting enterprises for consideration, investigating the suitability of enterprises, allocating resources to suitable enterprises, and controlling the overall direction of an advising session.
Economic Impacts of State Parks on State Economies in the South
Authors: Bergstrom John C. , Cordell H. Ken , Watson Alan E. , Ashley Gregory A.
Published: February 2017

The economic impacts of recreational visits to state parks on the economies of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee were estimated using the U.S. Forest Service IMPLAN input-output modeling system. Recreational expenditure data associated with state parks were obtained from the Public Area Recreation Visitors Study (PARVS). Results suggest that recreational spending may stimulate a considerable amount of economic activity in the state economies studied. Hence, future research into the economic development potential of outdoor recreation seems warranted.
An Analysis of Household Expenditures on Nursery Products in the United States
Authors: Gineo Wayne M. , Omamo S. Were
Published: February 2017

This paper develops Engel relationships to identify the determinants of household expenditures on nursery products and specifies their impact on consumer purchases of these goods for subregions of the United States. Household income, the number of single family home construction starts, educational level attained, and age composition of the population were found in influence nursery product expenditures. The economic variables of income and construction starts appear to be key factors affecting nursery purchases. To maintain a competitive edge, industry participants should monitor these variables carefully and adjust their production and marketing plans to meet changing market conditions.
Discussion of Biosecurity, Diseases, and Invasive Species: Implications of Bioterrorism for Agriculture
Authors: Evans Edward A.
Published: February 2017

Both papers in this session illustrate a growing trend among agricultural economists to let go of their comfort zones and move beyond the bounds of the traditional market analysis and a world of certainty into the less familiar and more challenging world of uncertainty. This trend augurs well for the profession and demonstrates the imperialistic tendency of economics to deal with all kinds of issues.
Economic Returns to Entrepreneurial Behavior
Authors: Ross R. Brent , Westgren Randall E.
Published: February 2017

Highly turbulent environments require firms to act entrepreneurially. The returns to entrepreneurial activities are known as entrepreneurial rents. Following the payments perspective, these rents are allocated to the entrepreneurial resources of the firm as factor payments. However, unlike other factor payments, little is known about how to value these types of rents. An analysis of the economics and management literature reveals that entrepreneurial rents are a return to alertness, subjective judgment, asset control, and uncertainty bearing. Furthermore, entrepreneurial rents are noncontractible and temporary. This paper introduces two complementary valuation models that capture these characteristics and that explicitly impute value to various entrepreneurial activities.
Putting Entrepreneurship into Agricultural Economics: Research and Teaching Perspectives—Discussion
Authors: Amanor-Boadu Vincent
Published: February 2017

Two of the three papers presented in this session illustrate the challenges of defining the boundaries of entrepreneurship, and the other extends our perceptions about the concept to encompass interorganizational relationships. Together, they provide a reason to hope that entrepreneurship can enter the language and thinking of agricultural economists and influence our research, teaching, and outreach activities. The work presented by Ross and Westgren and Klein and Bullock provide good reference material for students and scholars interested in the evolution of economists' thinking about entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, they, like many before them, fail to address the pertinent gap in the literature: the boundary of entrepreneurship. But they can be forgiven because they make an implicit assumption about the absence of a clear boundary and proceed to address their core questions: i.e., can we teach entrepreneurship and what are an entrepreneur's rewards?
Re-examining Czerny’s and Moscheles’s Metronome Marks for Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas
Authors: Noorduin Marten
Published: February 2017

Shortly after Beethoven’s death, several of his closest associates provided performance indications for editions of his works. Previous discussions of Carl Czerny’s and Ignaz Moscheles’s metronome marks for Beethoven’s piano sonatas have highlighted the importance of these indications for our understanding of the intended performance practice of these works. Nevertheless, the provenance and meaning of these metronome marks have remained unclear, which has led to some confusion in the literature.

By presenting new evidence, including the discovery of what are most likely the metronome marks intended for the missing sonatas from the first ‘complete’ edition by Tobias Haslinger, the article presents a more complete overview of the indications in these editions, as well as their chronology. In addition, it also discusses to what degree the editors seem to have influenced each other, which indications are most likely representative of Beethoven’s intended speeds, as well as why the metronome fell out of favour later in the nineteenth century. Finally, it discusses the meaning of these metronome marks for modern performers, and how these editions give options to disentangle the author from the text.
Child Perfectionism and its Relationship with Personality, Excessive Parental Demands, Depressive Symptoms and Experience of Positive Emotions
Authors: Oros Laura B. , Iuorno Ornella , Serppe Mónica
Published: February 2017

While adaptive perfectionism ensures good overall performance, maladaptive perfectionism is associated with emotional disorders for which psychological treatment is sought. There are many factors that can explain the development of this disorder throughout childhood. The present study analyzed to what extent the child’s personality traits and excessive parental demands can predict maladaptive perfectionism, and, in turn, also analyzed how this relates to positive emotions and depressive symptoms in a sample of 404 Argentinian children (Mage= 10.30;SD= 1.03). Stepwise multiple regression analyses and Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were performed. Results showed that excessive parental demands, together with high child neuroticism increased the likelihood of developing perfectionism (p< .001) throughout childhood. It was also noted that child perfectionism increased the symptoms of depression (p< .001), decreased feelings of gratitude (p= .018), increased the recognition of self-worth (p= .009) and activated certain aspects of sympathy towards others’ pain (p= .043). These processes linked to perfectionism are discussed, clarifying their effects on children’s mental health.
Evaluation of Dicamba Persistence among Various Agricultural Hose Types and Cleanout Procedures Using Soybean (Glycine max) as a Bio-Indicator
Authors: Cundiff Gary T. , Reynolds Daniel B. , Mueller Thomas C.
Published: February 2017

Synthetic rubbers, synthetic plastic polymers (polyvinyl chlorides [PVC]), polyurethane blends, and polyethylene blends make up modern-day agricultural spray hoses. The objective of this study was to determine whether agricultural hose types would differ with respect to 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid (dicamba) sequestration. Field and greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the sequestration potential of dicamba within five agricultural hose types when cleaned with different cleanout procedures. Rinsate solutions were applied to soybean, which was used as a bio-indicator to test for cleanout efficiency. Differences among hose types and cleanout procedures exist with observations including soybean injury, height reduction, dry matter, yield, and part per million by volume (ppmv) analyte retained. The makeup of PVC polyurethane-blend and synthetic rubber–blend hoses increased retention of dicamba analyte when compared with the polyethylene blend hose. No differences were observed after the addition of ammonia to the cleanout solution when compared with water alone. Differences in a hose type’s ability to sequester the dicamba analyte may have more to do with the hose’s internal chemical composition, manufacturing process, and composition breakdown. Scanning electron microscopy revealed imperfections in new PVC polyurethane and synthetic rubber hoses that eventually lead to inner wall depletion of these hose types. This is in contrast to what was found in the polyethylene-blend hose type, in which the inner wall is smooth and free of imperfections.