bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The human cathepsin H gene encodes two novel minor histocompatibility antigen epitopes restricted by HLA‐A*3101 and ‐A*3303
Authors: Torikai H. , Akatsuka Y. , Miyazaki M. , Tsujimura A. , Yatabe Y. , Kawase T. , Nakao Y. , Tsujimura K. , Motoyoshi K. , Morishima Y. , Kodera Y. , Kuzushima K. , Takahashi T.
Published: July 2006

Minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) play crucial roles in the induction of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and/or graft versus leukaemia (GVL) effects following human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐identical haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Using HLA‐A*3101‐ and ‐A*3303‐restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clones generated from different post‐HSCT recipients, we identified two novel mHag epitopes encoded by the leader sequence of cathepsin H (CTSH) isoform a. The nonameric sequence ATLPLLCAR was defined as an HLA‐A*3101‐restricted epitope (CTSHR/A31), while a decameric peptide featuring a one N‐terminal amino acid extension, WATLPLLCAR, was presented by HLA‐A*3303 (CTSHR/A33). The immunogenicity of both epitopes was totally dependent on the polymorphic C‐terminal arginine residue and substitution with glycine completely abolished binding to the corresponding HLA molecules. Thus, the immunogenicity of this mHag is exerted by differential HLA binding capacity. CTSH is relatively ubiquitously expressed at protein levels, thus it may be involved in GVHD and anti‐leukaemic/tumour responses. Interestingly, however, CTL clones predominantly lysed targets of haematopoietic cell origin, which could not be explained in terms of the immunoproteasome system. Although the mechanisms involved in the differential susceptibility remain to be determined, these data suggest that CTSH‐encoded mHags could be targets for GVL effects.
Economic Effects of Taxes on Land:
Authors: Bourassa Steven C.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Land taxes may not be neutral in their economic impacts due to liquidity effects. Liquidity effects of land taxes may be in the form of holding cost effects or capitalization effects. Holding cost effects may occur when land is being withheld from development for non‐financial reasons, such as the direct benefits of landownership. Capitalization effects may occur when there are imperfections in capital markets which prevent the acquisition of land for otherwise viable projects. Contrary to the analysis by Bentick, no liquidity effects should be expected due to variations in streams of land rent generated by different hypothetical development projects for a given site. Bentick's analysis relies on a misunderstanding of the nature of land rent.
Disseminating Scholarly Output
Authors: Szenberg Michael
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Both editors and authors share in the common recognition of the need for improvement in the speed of the publication process. The current practice of exclusive submissions to scholarly journals causes long delays between the dispatch of a manuscript and its appearance in print that impacts adversely on the careers of many young scientists. This policy is unwise, inequitable, and probably contrary to the wishes of the majority of the members of associations. This is one of the editors’ prerogatives that should be relinquished or, at least, modified in order to provide a more workable, salutary, and balanced relationship between author and editor.
Locating Hazardous Waste Facilities: The Influence of NIMBY Beliefs
Authors: Groothuis Peter A. , Miller Gail
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The‘Not‐In‐My‐Backyard’ (NIMBY) syndrome is analyzed in economic decision making. Belief statements that reflect specific NIMBY concerns are subjected to factor analysis and the structure reveals two dimensions: tolerance and avoidance. Tolerance reflects an acceptance of rational economic arguments regarding the sitting of a hazardous waste facility and avoidance reflects a more personal fear of‐consequences. Analysis identifies demographic characteristics of individuals likely to exhibit these two beliefs. These beliefs also are shown to influence the acceptance of a hazardous waste disposal facility in ones neighborhood when compensation is offered.
spontaneous Social Order
Authors: Foss Nicolai Juul
Published: July 2006

Abstract. This paper relates to the emerging economics/sociology‐nexus, in arguing that economists may have a lesson to learn from the work of the sociologist Alfred Schütz. The problem of coordination, which is the problem of theoretically demonstrating the possibility of spontaneous order in society, is discussed. While conventional economics and classical game‐theory have not solved or even convincingly addressed this problem, it is explicitly addressed by Austrian and neo‐institutional economics. It is argued that these two traditions in some important aspects dovetail with Schützian insights, in that the Schützian analysis of the structures of the life‐world contains a number of pertinent insights into the coordination problem.
Privatization And Economic Restructuring in Poland: An Assessment of Transition Policies
Authors: Rondinelli Dennis A. , Yurkiewicz Jay
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Poland was among the first of the Central European countries to attempt to transform its economy from a centrally planned socialist system to a market‐oriented one. Although its International Monetary Fund‐inspired “shock therapy” approach sought to transform the economy quickly, Poland's implementation of privatization of state enterprises, a keystone of the reform strategy, lags seriously behind other economic changes. Poland's experiments with privatization were derailed by economic, political, social and administrative problems. The lessons of experience from Poland's transitional period during the early 1990s are that the development of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises and the spread of entrepreneurial activity were far more important than privatization of state enterprises in moving Poland toward a market system.
Economics and Restaurant Gratuities: Determining Tip Rates
Authors: Bodvarsson öRn B. , Gibson William A.
Published: July 2006

Abstract IS tipping in restaurants simply a social norm where people tip on the basis of some rule of thumb (15% of bill size for example)? Using evidence gathered from surveys of nearly 700 diners in 7 Minnesota restaurants, it is argued that tipping is both a social norm and a means of rewarding good service. Survey evidence suggests that diners use rules of thumb as starting points and then vary gratuities on the basis of service just received, expected future service, whether they dine alone or with a group, alcohol consumption and location of the restaurant. Tipping may be viewed as a game played indirectly between diners in which each diner contemplates tipping, or not tipping, based on expectations of future service and the tipping behavior of other diners. Tipping is commonplace as long as people expect better service when they tip more and the expected payoff to tipping rises when more people tip, but rare otherwise. Neo‐classical economics is quite successful in predicting tip size as long as diners view tipping as a pecuniary cost of buying service.
Determinants of Youth Suicide:
Authors: Freeman Donald G.
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT Suicide is the third major cause of death among American youths between the ages of 15 and 19 years. This study offers additional quantitative support for the Easerlin‐Holinger Hypothesis that relative cohort size is a significant statistical predictor of youth suicide.
Efficiency and Fragile Speculative Financial Markets
Authors: Davidson Paul
Published: July 2006

Abstract This article explores the relationship between volatility in financial markets, the Tobin tax solution, and an alternative solution requiring a creditable market maker. The discussion includes whether financial markets are inherently unstable and the relevance of bandwagon movements in financial markets.
Market Evolution and Economic Development
Authors: Grabowski Richard
Published: July 2006

Abstract This paper seeks to integrate the concepts of embedded exchange and impersonal exchange via the notion of integrated markets. The more integrated market exchange is, the more likely that each potential actor in the exchange process is linked to a large number of others. As a result, it is less likely that buyers and sellers will choose to cheat each other, and market exchange thrives. Integration occurs as a result of bridging structural holes in social networks and is carried out by entrepreneurial middlemen. Their activities are characterized by significant increasing returns to scale. Thus coordination is likely to be necessary for integrated markets to develop.
Concomitant Analysis of Salivary Tumor Markers—A New Diagnostic Tool for Oral Cancer
Authors: Nagler Rafael , Bahar Gideon , Shpitzer Thomas , Feinmesser Raphael
Published: July 2006

Purpose: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common human malignancy. Circulatory epithelial tumor markers were previously investigated in the serum of OSCC patients but almost never in their saliva, in spite of the fact that there is a direct contact between the saliva and the oral cancer lesion. The purpose of the current study was to examine tumor markers in the saliva of OSCC patients.

Experimental Design: We measured the concentrations of the six most studied epithelial serum circulatory tumor markers in the saliva of OSCC (tongue) patients.

Results: Significant increases (of 400%) in salivary concentrations of Cyfra 21-1, tissue polypeptide antigen, and CA125 were shown. Salivary concentrations of CA19-9, SCC, and carcinoembryonic antigen were increased without statistical significance. A concurrent analysis of the three significantly increased markers revealed sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values of 71%, 75%, 71%, and 75%, respectively.

Conclusions: The increase reported in salivary tumor markers may be used as a diagnostic tool, especially when a concurrent analysis for significantly increased markers is done. Salivary testing is noninvasive, making it an attractive, effective alternative to serum testing, and the possibility of developing home testing kits would further facilitate it as a diagnostic aid, enabling patients to monitor their own health at home and is important for those who live far from their treatment centers and especially for those at risk of developing OSCC.
Physical Activity During Daily Life and Mortality in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease
Authors: Garg Parveen K. , Tian Lu , Criqui Michael H. , Liu Kiang , Ferrucci Luigi , Guralnik Jack M. , Tan Jin , McDermott Mary M.
Published: July 2006

Background—

We determined whether patients with lower-extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) who are more physically active during daily life have lower mortality rates than PAD patients who are less active.

Methods and Results—

Participants were 460 men and women with PAD (mean age 71.9±8.4 years) followed up for 57 months (interquartile range 36.6 to 61.9 months). At baseline, participants were interviewed about their physical activity. Vertical accelerometers measured physical activity continuously over 7 days in 225 participants. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race, body mass index, hypertension, smoking, comorbidities, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, leg symptoms, and ankle-brachial index. At 57-month follow-up, 134 participants (29%) had died, including 75 participants (33%) who wore accelerometers. Higher baseline physical activity levels measured by vertical accelerometer were associated with lower all-cause mortality (
P
trend
=0.003). Relative to PAD participants in the highest quartile of accelerometer-measured physical activity, those in the lowest quartile had higher total mortality (hazard ratio 3.48, 95% confidence interval 1.23 to 9.87,
P
=0.019). Similar results were observed for the combined outcome of cardiovascular events or cardiovascular mortality (
P
trend
=0.005). Higher numbers of stair flights climbed during 1 week were associated with lower total mortality (
P
trend
=0.035).

Conclusions—

PAD patients with higher physical activity during daily life have reduced mortality and cardiovascular events compared with PAD patients with the lowest physical activity, independent of confounders. Further study is needed to determine whether interventions that increase physical activity during daily life are associated with improved survival in patients with PAD.
Disowning Commodities
Authors: Striphas Ted
Published: July 2006

This article explores the changing social function of commodities in the United States by exploring the conditions of possibility of electronic books, or “ebooks.” By juxtaposing the history of printed books and consumer capitalism on the one hand and the history of ebooks on the other, this article maps an emergent configuration of capitalism, technology, and intellectual property law. Together, these histories evidence how the widespread private ownership of mass-produced consumer goods has grown increasingly problematic from the standpoint of capitalist production—an understanding embedded in many, if not most, commercially available ebook texts and devices. In addition to showing how the category of “private property” is destabilized in relationship to ebooks and other digital technologies, this article strategizes how best to articulate a vital, progressive politics in light of changing material and economic conditions.
University‐Agribusiness Cooperation: Current Problems and Prognosis
Authors: Dobson W. D. , Matthes Robert C.
Published: July 2006

Developments discussed in this paper point toward decreased opportunities for cooperation between university agricultural economists and agribusiness officials and economists. The basis for cooperation is becoming substantially lower. In the future operators of small and medium‐size agribusiness firms will need larger amounts of technical assistance to incorporate essential new management techniques. Although this would involve controversial firm specific work, we argue that university agricultural economists should help to provide the technical assistance required by these firms. This cooperative effort should produce public benefits, healthier small and medium‐size agribusiness firms, and support for the agricultural college. Joint effort is needed to improve agribusiness training programs in universities.
Optimal Allocation of Generic Advertising Budgets
Authors: McClelland Edward L. , Polopolus Leo , Myers Lester H.
Published: July 2006

A model is developed for allocating advertising budgets among multiple consumer products marketed in several regions so that total consumer expenditures net of advertising costs are maximized. The model pertains specifically to unbranded commodity advertising where the budget is dependent upon uncontrolled industry production. Time series‐based empirical estimates of consumer sales response to advertising expenditures are utilized as input data in a quadratic programming algorithm. Consumer expenditures under optimum and actual allocations were compared for selected historical budgets of the Florida Department of Citrus to obtain a measure of possible gain from more efficient allocation of advertising funds
Differences in Consumption Patterns of Farm and Nonfarm Households in the United States
Authors: Lee Feng‐Yao , Phillips Keith E.
Published: July 2006

This article examines the hypothesis of differential consumption patterns in farm and nonfarm households, using the 1960–1961 BLS and USDA survey of consumer expenditure data. Comparisons were based on Engel curves for major consumer categories of consumption. Parameters of Engel curves were derived by OLS and TSLS. The results of the comparisons clearly indicate that consumption patterns differ significantly in the two households for the United States as a whole, although the differences are not as marked on a regional basis. The level and stability of income are not important factors contributing to the differences.
Silage‐Concentrate Substitution; Effects on Milk Production and Income Over Feed Cost in DHIA Herds
Authors: Carley D. H.
Published: July 2006

Milk production response was determined with feed inputs and milk production converted to an estimated net energy basis. Differences in cow size, production, butterfat, and feed quality were taken into account. The data resulted in improved explanation of output variation and showed the importance of silage quality on silage‐concentrate substitution.
Optimizing Seed Acreage: Decision Making with Production and Utilization Uncertainties
Authors: Ethridge M. Dean , White Fred C. , Kannan D.
Published: July 2006

Under yield and utilization uncertainties, optimum planted acreage may be estimated using the concept of disequilibrium costs—those costs incurred when production is not matched with utilization. A model to minimize expected disequilibrium cost is formulated and applied to peanut seed acreage in Georgia. Since larger disequilibrium costs result from underproduction than from overproduction of peanut seed, optimum seed acreage increases substantially when allowances are made for existing yield and utilization uncertainties.
Groundwater Management and Salinity Control: A Case Study in Northwest Mexico
Authors: McFarland James W.
Published: July 2006

Policy issues associated with the management of a coastal groundwater aquifer and soil salinity are examined for an irrigation area in northwest Mexico. The primary policy issues are the intertemporal rate of use of the groundwater stock, the allocation of water between irrigation and leaching, and the selection of crops. A management model, cast in a dynamic programming format, indicates that the aquifer should be mined at a rapid rate near the beginning of the planning horizon, gradually decline through time, and converge to safe yield after twenty‐nine years. Further, a larger percentage of total water use should be allocated to leaching to maintain soil salinity at lower levels.
Systems Planning of Economic Development in Eastern Oklahoma
Authors: Nelson James , Tweeten Luther
Published: July 2006

A model which simulates the results of potential policy strategies directed toward alleviating problems of underdevelopment in rural areas is developed and utilized. For each strategy simulated, limited public funds are assumed allocable among various types of development activities (public assistance, human development, job development). Findings indicate that with a 30%–40% annual increase in development allocations, study area poverty can virtually be eliminated in no more than fifteen years. Public assistance and industrialization programs are found to be the necessary bases of potentially successful development plans.
Gordon, Wendell. Economics from an Institutional Viewpoint. Austin: University Stores, 1973, ix + 389 pp., $5.95
Authors: Finley Robert M.
Published: July 2006

Two errors in manuscript preparation have raised questions about the interpretaton of equations (4) and (8). In equation (4), Xjd(t) is the exponentially lagged value of the rate of change of the output of the jth sector and not the value of the output of the jth sector (pp. 523–24). In equation (8), C(t), I(t), and E(t) are vectors of domestic consumption, capital good demands, and exports, respectively, not the total values defined on p. 524.
An Approach to Farm Management Education
Authors: Boehlje Michael , Eidman Vernon , Walker Odell
Published: July 2006

As farm management education programs evolve to serve business‐oriented farm firms, planning, implementation, and control functions become major areas of emphasis. Integration of three computerized management tools—a budget generator, a management game, and LP‐FARM—in a farm management course provided students with practical experience in each management function.
Simulated Beef Feedlot Behavior under Alternative Water Pollution Control Rules
Authors: Forster D. Lynn
Published: July 2006

Rules are being established by federal and state agencies to control water pollution from feedlots. In order to investigate the impact of alternative rules, a simulation model was constructed to represent the behavior of beef feedlots in Michigan and similar states over the 1974–85 period. Individual firm behavior was simulated as the firm formed expectations concerning ex ante production relationships and input and output prices, made decisions based on these expectations, and had its success determined by ex post production relationships and input and output prices. Results indicate that while the alternative rules would not have severe impacts on feedlot production, their impacts would be regressive.
An Evaluation of Short‐Term Forecasts of Coffee and Cocoa
Authors: Dietrich J. Kimball , Gutierrez Alfredo D.
Published: July 2006

Predictive performance of short‐term forecasts of production is evaluated using a technique which minimizes the average squared difference between actual and forecast values. Forecasting errors are decomposed into two components reflecting the forecast system and a residual component. Many forecasts resulted in underestimation and contained large but unsystematic errors.
Dynamic Programming of the Dairy Cow Replacement Problem
Authors: Smith Blair J.
Published: July 2006

The replacement model compares the present values of expected net returns to the keep and replace decisions for cows differentiated as to length of previous calving interval, lactation number, and production in prior lactations. Taking obsolescence explicitly into account, all cows are ranked in order of their future profitability.
Estimating Educational Production Functions for Rural High Schools: Some Findings
Authors: Bieker Richard F. , Anschel Kurt R.
Published: July 2006

This study construed the formal educative process of students in five rural high schools in Kentucky in a production function context. The student was used as the basic observational unit and the curriculum as the basic educative unit. Production relationships were found to be significantly different between curricula.
Strip‐Mined Land Reclamation with Sewage Sludge: An Economic Simulation
Authors: Seitz Wesley D.
Published: July 2006

The economic aspects of a land reclamation, sludge utilization project being operated by the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago are simulated. The variables influencing performance most were sludge transport costs, site preparation costs, the nitrogen budget, cropping system, and source of labor in site preparation.
Individual Income Redistribution and Publicly Provided Irrigation: The Columbia Basin Project
Authors: Infanger Craig L. , Butcher Walter R.
Published: July 2006

The performance of publicly provided irrigation as a method of income redistribution is examined by applying fiscal incidence analysis to a representative area in the Columbia Basin Project. Results indicate the redistributional impact of public irrigation is clearly not in favor of lower income classes.
The Impact of Trade Restrictions on Price Stability in the World Wheat Market
Authors: Shei Shun‐Yi , Thompson Robert L.
Published: July 2006

A thirteen‐region quadratic programming model of world wheat trade is utilized to simulate the effects of unanticipated quantity changes on prices in the world wheat market under different degrees of trade restriction. Three scenarios characterized by different numbers of regions that permit price signals from international markets to be reflected into their domestic markets are specified. As the number of countries whose wheat trade is price responsive increases in the simulations, the percentage change in world price is smaller in response to a shock such as u.s. export controls or an unanticipated change in Soviet imports.
Optimal Stochastic Control of U.S. Wheat Stocks and Exports
Authors: Burt Oscar R. , Koo Won W. , Dudley Norman J.
Published: July 2006

A stochastic dynamic programming model was developed to estimate optimal strategies for U.S. wheat reserves policy using the results of an econometric model which reflects the complex dynamics of supply response. Empirical results indicated that U.S. producers are the beneficiaries of a wheat storage program, while domestic and foreign consumers are relatively small and large losers, respectively. Another result is that wheat storage capacity in excess of 2 billion bushels is difficult to justify economically.
Major Determinants of Ocean Freight Rates for Grains: An Econometric Analysis
Authors: Binkley James K. , Harrer Bruce
Published: July 2006

Econometric analysis of ocean grain rates suggests that ship size and trade volume are of approximately equal importance with distance in determining rates. Use of large ships reduces at‐sea costs and hence the role of distance; but larger ships appear to incur higher port costs, which suggests that efficient port facilities are required for scale economies to be realized. Policies to improve shipping technology and increase trade volume can lead to lower rates, reduce geographic differences among exporters, and thus lead to more competitive markets. This implies that the role of transportation in trade analysis should not be ignored.
Farm Level Economics of Soil Conservation in the Palouse Area of the Northwest
Authors: Burt Oscar R.
Published: July 2006

Control theory is applied to the farm level economics of soil conservation in a model which uses depth of topsoil and percentage of organic matter therein as the two state variables. An approximately optimal decision rule was tested against the optimal rule and found to be excellent; errors in the decision rule were less than one percent within the region in state space of practical consideration. Results suggest that intensive wheat production under modem farming practices and heavy fertilization is the most economic cropping system in both the short and long run in the Palouse Area except under low wheat prices.
An Economic Analysis of Expenditures on Agricultural Experiment Station Research
Authors: Huffman Wallace E. , Miranowski John A.
Published: July 2006

Experiment station research expenditures are responsive to economic and institutional forces. A four‐equation model of resources allocation to state agricultural experiment station research, consisting of demand and supply equations for research, an equation allocating state governmental revenues to station research, and an expenditure identity, is presented. A reduced‐form expenditure equation, derived from this model, is fitted to cross‐sectional data for forty‐eight U.S. states, pooled together for 1960, 1965,and 1970. A large share of the variance in per capita expenditures of state agricultural experiment stations is explained by the variables included in the model.
The Potential Impact of Changes in Income Distribution on Food Demand and Human Nutrition
Authors: Pinstrup‐Andersen Per , Caicedo Elizabeth
Published: July 2006

A procedure is developed to estimate nutritional and food demand implications of changing consumer income distribution. Findings from an empirical application to the population of Cali, Colombia, suggest that changes in income distribution can effectively improve human nutrition, even in the absence of food supply expansions. These same changes also have a large impact on the demand for individual food commodities. In societies where significant changes occur in income distribution, commodity demand projections preferably should be based on individual stratum rather than on average estimates of price and income elasticities.
Rural Banks and Farm Loan Participation
Authors: Barry Peter J.
Published: July 2006

Banking theory is used to develop a static, certainty model for evaluating profitability of farm loan participations for rural banks. Techniques are developed and applied to measure empirically the effects of participations on rural bank earnings attributed to farmer customer relationships and costs associated with demand balances required by correspondent banks. Model results show a decline in optimal levels and profits of loan participations for rural banks as correspondent balance requirements increase and as other parameters adjust to levels reflecting tighter monetary conditions. Participation strategies that may enhance the flow of funds into rural areas are also considered.
A Model for Evaluating the Effects of Thai Government Taxation of Rice Exports on Trade and Welfare
Authors: Wong Chung Ming
Published: July 2006

The implications of Thai government taxation of rice exports through the export premium on trade and welfare are examined by means of a dynamic simultaneous equation model which allows for interactions between the rice production, consumption, and export sectors. Although the export premium may have generated a net welfare gain for Thailand over the 1961–70 period, owing to the highly imperfect nature of the international market, it results in a substantial transfer from the farmers and may have adverse effects on their incentives to adopt modern inputs in paddy production.
Price Behavior on a Declining Terminal Market
Authors: Tomek William G.
Published: July 2006

The relationship of prices of choice steers on the Denver terminal market to comparable prices on the Omaha market apparently was influenced by the sharp decline in saleable receipts in Denver. But price effects of the volume of trading were measurable only when the volume in Denver became extremely small in 1967 and 1968. These results are consistent with defining a thin market place by using sampling concepts. Some subtleties of using Chebyschev's inequality to define a thin market are discussed.
The Impact of Component Pricing of Soybeans and Milk
Authors: Perrin Richard K.
Published: July 2006

Currently, the price that an individual farmer receives for soybeans is not adjusted for oil and protein content, and the price for milk is adjusted for fat content but not for solids‐not‐fat. This study finds that the potential social surplus gains from a change to component pricing of these commodities is small (no more than one to two percent of current commodity value, before deducting the extra costs of such a pricing system). Substantial transfers would occur between component‐consuming groups, while producers as a group would be affected only slightly.
Multiple Input, Multiple Output Production Choices and Technology in the U.S. Wheat Region
Authors: Weaver Robert D.
Published: July 2006

Duality theory motivates a translog expected profit function consistent with multiple products, price uncertainty, preseason climate constraints, acreage control policies, and possibly nonhomothetic technology. Although multiple outputs are allowed, enterprise specific data is not necessary. Instead, time‐series measures of output revenues and expected prices, input expenses and prices, and fixed input flows are employed. Appropriate measures of elasticities of choice, returns to size, and biases in technological change are derived. Results indicated decreasing returns to size, rather limited, though complementary, responsiveness of choices to price changes, and the nature of biases in technological changes.
Flexible Consumer Demand Systems and Linear Estimation: Food in India
Authors: Swamy Gurushri , Binswanger Hans P.
Published: July 2006

Demand equations in real income and nominal prices can be obtained directly by differentiating a cost function in which output is replaced by real income. This derivation is possible because recent advances show that certain index numbers provide close approximation to real income without knowledge of the utility function parameters. Three flexible functional forms corresponding to well‐known flexible cost functions were used to estimate food demand elasticities. Time‐series and cross‐sectional data from ten Indian states for twenty years were used. The estimates provide a complete set of expenditure, price, and cross‐price elasticities for four commodities, some close substitutes.
The School Lunch Program and Nutrient Intake: A Switching Regression Analysis
Authors: Akin John S. , Guilkey David K. , Popkin Barry M.
Published: July 2006

The nutrient impact of the school lunch program is examined, using the basic sample of the National Food Consumption Survey. The results clearly indicate the program's substantial positive effect on nutrient consumption by both low income and high income children. Moreover, the nutrient impact of school lunch participation is shown to be greater for low income children.
Multiattribute Utility Analysis: The Case of Filipino Rice Policy
Authors: Rausser Gordon C. , Yassour Joseph
Published: July 2006

Major uncertainties and conflicting objectives often arise in public policy analysis. This paper advances a framework that is appropriate for public policy problems frequently encountered in agriculture and food systems. Among other possible benefits, its principal value is to provide focus on the major conflicts, trade‐offs, and subjective perceptions among affected groups. It can be used to isolate major disagreements, needed empirical evidence, appropriate degrees of risk aversion, equity value judgments, and consensus solutions. In an empirical setting, the framework is used to evaluate price policy for rice in the Philippines.
Farmland Accumulation and Prices
Authors: Shalit Haim , Schmitz Andrew
Published: July 2006

A model of farmland accumulation is developed to study factors influencing U.S. farmland values. This model stresses the manner in which credit is allocated for land purchases. To secure necessary loans for additional land to expand farm size, the farmer provides as collateral his net accumulated wealth. Thus, land acquisitions are made to increase profits and to provide leverage for further land expansion. Besides income and consumption, the level of accumulated debt is one of the main determinants of farmland prices. Derived demand for farmland is developed, and the pricing equation for farmland is estimated as part of a structural equation model.
Segmented Regression, Threshold Effects, and Police Expenditures in Small Cities
Authors: Stinson Thomas F. , Lubov Andrea
Published: July 2006

Individuals projecting local government expenditures in small cities typically assume that average costs can be represented by a single, smooth, continuous function. This paper discusses why assuming piece‐wise continuity may be more realistic. Segmented regression is then used to test for discontinuities in local per capita expenditures for police protection in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Three distinct segments were found for expenditures in North Dakota and Wisconsin; two for Minnesota. Minnesota and Wisconsin results improved further when cities with declining and nondeclining populations were treated separately.
Dynamic Modeling of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Fishery
Authors: Blomo Vito J. , Nichols John P. , Griffin Wade L. , Grant William E.
Published: July 2006

The impact of alternative management schemes on the shrimp fishery of the eastern Gulf of Mexico is analyzed and compared to a baseline using simulation techniques. The fishery's biological and economic functions are modeled including intraseasonal shrimp growth rates, differences in demand for shrimp by size, and a heterogenous fishing fleet. Using consumer and producer surplus techniques, new fishing regulations appear socially optimal compared to the baseline. A rent‐maximization scheme increases social surplus to its highest level. However, applying such a scheme to one part of the total Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery is not recommended.
Supply Response and Investment in the Canadian Food Processing Industry
Authors: Lopez Ramon E.
Published: July 2006

This paper reports on the estimation of a dynamic model of the food manufacturing industry in Canada. Its major objectives are to analyze the determinants of investments and the production structure of the industry. An important finding of the study is that the hypothesis of instantaneous capital adjustment to changing market conditions is statistically rejected. Capital stock adjustment to optimal levels takes approximately two and one‐third years. Another result is that although the industry is responsive to price changes, a general pattern of inelastic factor demand and output supply prevails in the short run, intermediate run, and even in the long run.
Optimal Market Pools for Agricultural Cooperatives
Authors: Buccola Steven T. , Subaei Abdelbagi
Published: July 2006

Most agricultural marketing cooperatives distribute members' net revenues on a pool basis. The present paper outlines various pool options and provides a framework for identifying privately and collectively optimal pooling rules. Individual members' pool choices are found to vary according to farm enterprise and risk aversion level. A collectively optimal rule depends generally on risk aversion and on the method used to aggregate individuals' expressed preferences. In the instance examined here, however, the collective optimum is somewhat insensitive to assumed risk aversion.
Export Orientation of Nonmanufacturing Businesses in Nonmetropolitan Communities
Authors: Smith Stephen M.
Published: July 2006

Efforts to expand the economic base in nonmetropolitan communities traditionally focus on manufacturing. The case for a nonmanufacturing focus is presented in this paper, and survey data used to determine the actual basic role of these industries in nonmetropolitan communities. Community and firm characteristics are examined by regression analysis to determine factors associated with higher export levels. While only a minority of the nonmanufacturing businesses surveyed were export oriented, these were strongly so. Larger size, nonlocal ownership, and larger nonmetropolitan markets are associated with higher export levels but nearness to a metropolitan market is not.
Food Product Proliferation: A Market Structure Analysis
Authors: Connor John M.
Published: July 2006

The frequent introduction of avowedly novel products is a common marketing strategy of leading food manufacturers. Over half of all new packaged consumer goods are foods or beverages, yet little is known about the amounts, patterns, and causes of product proliferation. Alternative definitions and analytical models of product proliferation are reviewed, focusing on those derived from Hotelling spatial‐equilibrium theory. A simple regression model is used to test the relationship of market structure to the number of new food products introduced. The results verify that food product proliferation is a mode of industry conduct arising from markets characterized by differentiated oligopoly.
Reducing Moral Hazard Associated with Implied Warranties of Animal Health
Authors: Centner Terence J. , Wetzstein Michael E.
Published: July 2006

Implied warranties convey information regarding animal health to livestock buyers. Statutory implied warranties also include insurance coverage for a warranty breach which removes buyers' incentive to mitigate possible damages when a warranty is breached. Nonmitigation of damages created the problem of moral hazard, which led livestock sellers to seek legislative exemptions abrogating implied warranties. A theoretical analysis of the possible inefficiencies associated with legislative exemptions adopted by twenty‐five states is provided and partial insurance is suggested as an alternative to the legislative shift in liability.
Demand for Beef and Chicken Products: Separability and Structural Change
Authors: Eales James S. , Unnevehr Laurian J.
Published: July 2006

Dynamic almost ideal demand systems are estimated for meat aggregates and for disaggregated meat products. Tests for weak separability show that consumers choose among meat products rather than meat aggregates such as “beef” or “chicken.” Therefore, tests for structural change in the meat aggregates may be biased. Tests for structural change in the meat products show an exogenous constant annual 6.4% growth in chicken parts demand from 1965 to 1985 and a 3.5% decline in beef table cut demand after 1974. Increased demand for convenience may explain these changes.
Modeling Food Consumption Decisions as a Two‐Step Process
Authors: Haines Pamela S. , Popkin Barry M. , Guilkey David K.
Published: July 2006

This article evaluates the suitability of tobit analysis of food consumption patterns by comparing results generated by a tobit model and a modification with a two‐step decision process. Two samples of adult women were selected from the 1977–78 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey and the 1985 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. Results show strong statistical evidence for questioning tobit analysis in examining food consumption decisions. Determinants of the decision to consume food within a particular food group often differ from the determinants of how much to consume, particularly for more highly defined food groupings.
Murray River Salinity—An Illustrative Model
Authors: Quiggin John
Published: July 2006

Salinity problems have received increasing attention in recent years. This article addresses irrigation‐related salinity in Australia's Murray River system. Analysis of these problems involves a number of issues which have so far received limited attention in discussions of salinity. These include farmers' incentives to adopt different land management practices and the structure of property rights. This article describes a model, based on concepts of common property, which has been developed to illustrate how different institutional structures can affect farm land use decisions and salinity‐related problems. It is shown that open access solutions imply social welfare losses, and that procedures used in the past are likely to lead to underestimates of these losses.
Provision of and Request for Agricultural Extension Services
Authors: Dinar Ariel
Published: July 2006

Provision of and request for extension services are simultaneously determined by economic, social, and policy variables. This paper examines the allocation of extension services provided to settlements in terms of a demand‐supply model using data from Israel. Results suggest that the amount of extension provided affects the request for extension and vice versa. Other variables influencing the amount of extension services provided and requested are structure, scale, and age of the settlement and its distance from the extension center. The role of a settlement coordinator is of great importance in determining the amount of services provided.
The Value of Stabilizing Fertilizer under Carry‐Over Conditions
Authors: Chiao Yen‐Shong , Gillingham Allan
Published: July 2006

This paper develops a dynamic programming model to examine the effects on yield and profitability of variability in spread of phosphate fertilizer under carry‐over conditions and the value of technology which reduces this variability. The cost of uneven spread is high, if the plant‐available soil phosphorus reserve is low. Therefore, the value of technology reducing variability in spread is high to farmers with less‐developed land where soil phosphorus reserve is low. This value is also high to users of low carry‐over fertilizers, i.e., nitrogen and potassium.
The Conditional Beta Distribution as a Stochastic Production Function
Authors: Nelson Carl H. , Preckel Paul V.
Published: July 2006

The conditional beta distribution is proposed as a parametric model of the probability distribution of agricultural output. A two‐stage maximum likelihood estimation procedure is shown to produce consistent, asymptotically efficient and normal estimates of maximum output and the parameters of the conditional distribution. Application of the procedure to data on corn yield response to fertilizers shows that fertilizers have a significant impact on each of the first three moments of the distribution of corn yield. Corn yield distributions are found to be negatively skewed, implying that above average yields are more probable than below average yields.
Optimal Spatial Management of Agricultural Pollution
Authors: Braden John B. , Johnson Gary V. , Bouzaher Aziz , Miltz David
Published: July 2006

Reducing emissions is not the only way to control agricultural pollution; containing the movement of emissions is another. Theoretical and empirical analyses show that combining containment with discharge reductions can substantially reduce the costs of total and marginal abatement. This justifies more ambitious abatement objectives but will require coordinated action by landowners. Achieving this coordination is a major challenge of agricultural pollution control programs.
Functional Form and the Statistical Properties of Welfare Measures
Authors: Adamowicz Wiktor L. , Fletcher Jerald J. , Graham‐Tomasi Theodore
Published: July 2006

This paper uses Monte Carlo analysis to compare the variance of consumer's surplus for several functional forms for demand. Although the semilog and linear forms fit the data well by statistical criteria, the coefficients of variation for consumer's surplus generated by these forms were substantially larger than for the double log and linear‐log forms. While this paper is framed in the travel cost approach to recreational demand, there are implications for the choice of functional form whenever the measure of interest is a nonlinear transformation of the estimated parameters.
The Choice of Crop Rotation: A Modeling Approach and Case Study
Authors: El‐Nazer Talaat , McCarl Bruce A.
Published: July 2006

Many farming situations involve crop rotations. This has led to many farm linear programming models which explicitly include crop rotation considerations. However, for the most part crop rotations have been modeled using explicit predetermined rotations. An attempt is made to relax this requirement, allowing the model to determine freely the optimal long‐run rotation. The approach is tested on a Northeastern Oregon farm. Data are developed using regression analysis of historical cropping records. Risk‐neutral and risk‐averse formulations are tested. The model develops a plausible set of rotations and does not require the rotations to be predetermined.
Methods for Selecting the Optimal Dynamic Hedge When Production is Stochastic
Authors: Karp Larry S.
Published: July 2006

A dynamic hedging problem with stochastic production is formulated and solved. The optimal feedback rules recognize that future hedges will be chosen optimally based on the most current information. The resulting distribution of revenue is analyzed numerically. This information enables the analyst to select the risk aversion parameter that results in the preferred distribution of revenue.
Describing and Identifying the Complete Set of Target MOTAD Solutions
Authors: McCamley Francis , Kliebenstein James B.
Published: July 2006

For some Target MOTAD applications, only enterprise mixtures associated with a single target level are of interest. However, in most cases knowledge of other Target MOTAD enterprise mixtures provides useful information. The complete set of Target MOTAD enterprise mixtures is the union of a finite number of closed convex subsets. It can be identified by parametric programming. For well‐behaved problems, only two parameters, target income level (T) and expected deviations (λ), need to be varied to identify the set of Target MOTAD mixtures. Data from a problem by Hazell are used to illustrate this technique.
Optimal Replacement Policies for Rejuvenated Assets
Authors: McClelland John W. , Wetzstein Micheal E. , Noles Richard K.
Published: July 2006

The Faustmann‐Samuelson solution for optimal asset rotation is extended to consider both asset rejuvenation and nonconstant prices. A dynamic theoretical model is developed in terms of an optimal control problem with discontinuous control variables, and numerical solution procedures are outlined. The model is applied to layer hen replacement where hen rejuvenation by forced molting is a common industrial practice. Results indicate a sensitivity between the decision to rejuvenate or replace a hen and the egg price cycle, suggesting a mixed rotation strategy.