bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Gene Editing Tools, Like CRISPR/Cas9, on the Public Health Response to Disease Outbreaks
Authors: Pope Samuel M.
Published: September 2016

The purpose of this communication is to explore the implications of genome editing techniques, such as CRISPR/Cas9, on public health–related responses to outbreaks of disease. The recent commercialization of genome editing techniques makes the creation and release of genetically altered pathogens a much easier task, increasing the possibility to the point of needing discussion. Three areas need to be addressed: predictions concerning potential genetic alterations, predictions and implications concerning the release of genetically altered pathogens, and the short- and long-term implications of the release of genetically altered pathogens. Full discourse on these topics among professionals in the area of public health will help to combat harm from the use of any genetically altered biologic weapons. The topics covered here include a review of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique, including a discussion of which possibilities utilize genome editing. We then address predictions about the application of gene alterations in the context of bioweapons. We discuss a few basic concepts about the evolution of an intentionally released genetically altered organism based on circumstances and patterns gleaned from observing nature in the hope that this will aid in the public health response to bioterrorism attack. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:155–159)
Entropy and its variational principle for locally compact metrizable systems
Authors: CALDAS ANDRÉ , PATRÃO MAURO
Published: September 2016

For a given topological dynamical system $T:X\rightarrow X$ over a compact set $X$ with a metric $d$, the variational principle states that $$\begin{eqnarray}\sup _{\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}}h_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}}(T)=h(T)=h_{d}(T),\end{eqnarray}$$ where $h_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}}(T)$ is the Kolmogorov–Sinai entropy with the supremum taken over every $T$-invariant probability measure, $h_{d}(T)$ is the Bowen entropy and $h(T)$ is the topological entropy as defined by Adler, Konheim and McAndrew. In Patrão [Entropy and its variational principle for non-compact metric spaces. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys. 30 (2010), 1529–1542], the concept of topological entropy was adapted for the case where $T$ is a proper map and $X$ is locally compact separable and metrizable, and the variational principle was extended to $$\begin{eqnarray}\sup _{\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}}h_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}}(T)=h(T)=\min _{d}h_{d}(T),\end{eqnarray}$$ where the minimum is taken over every distance compatible with the topology of $X$. In the present work, we drop the properness assumption and extend the above result for any continuous map $T$. We also apply our results to extend some previous formulae for the topological entropy of continuous endomorphisms of connected Lie groups that were proved in Caldas and Patrão [Dynamics of endomorphisms of Lie groups. Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst. 33 (2013). 1351–1363]. In particular, we prove that any linear transformation $T:V\rightarrow V$ over a finite-dimensional vector space $V$ has null topological entropy.
Measurement of negative thermophoretic force
Authors: Bosworth Ryan W. , Ventura A. L. , Ketsdever A. D. , Gimelshein S. F.
Published: September 2016

The rarefied gas flow phenomenon of thermophoresis is studied experimentally on a macroscopic spherical particle with a diameter of 5.1 cm for pressures ranging from 0.01 to 10 Pa (Knudsen numbers$Kn$from 10 to 0.01, respectively). Size scaling with matching Knudsen numbers makes the results applicable to microscale particles such as aerosol droplets at atmospheric pressure. Two sets of measurements are presented. The first set, complemented by numerical modelling based on the solution of the ellipsoidal statistical Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook kinetic equation, is focused on a spherical particle of high thermal conductivity in close proximity to a heated wall. The second set is conducted for the same particle placed in a linear thermal gradient established between two parallel walls. Results show the first reproducible measurements of negative thermophoretic force acting on a spherical particle in the direction from cold to hot, with values of the order of 5 % of the maximum hot to cold force production.
Using School Improvement and Implementation Science to Integrate Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Secondary Schools
Authors: Bohanon Hank , Gilman Carrie , Parker Ben , Amell Chris , Sortino Gabe
Published: September 2016

The purpose of this paper is to describe the integration of tiered interventions and supports in secondary schools, sometimes referred to as multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). The interventions include academic, behavioural, social, and emotional supports for all students. A description of the connections across specific MTSS systems, datasets, and practices is discussed. The article addresses the implementation of MTSS through the lens of school improvement and implementation science. A case example of a school implementing MTSS is provided to highlight the strengths and challenges of MTSS in secondary settings.
Associations between free sugars and nutrient intakes among children and adolescents in the UK
Authors: Gibson Sigrid , Francis Lucy , Newens Katie , Livingstone Barbara
Published: September 2016

This study explored associations between free sugars intake (using non-milk extrinsic sugars as proxy) and nutrient intakes among children aged 1·5–18 years in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008–2012. Dietary records were completed by 2073 children (95 % completed 4 d). Mean free sugars intakes (% energy) were 11·8, 14·7 and 15·4 % in the 1·5–3, 4–10 and 11–18 years age groups, respectively. Nutrient intakes and nutrient density were compared across quintiles (Q1–Q5) of free sugars intake (% energy) within each age group. Energy intake rose from Q1 to Q5 of free sugars, whereas percentages of energy intake from fat, SFA and protein dropped. Associations with micronutrients (mg/d or mcg/d) were mostly non-significant, but among 11–18-year-olds there were significant negative associations with Zn, Se, Fe, Cu, and vitamin A and D. There were stronger negative associations with micronutrient density (mg/mcg per 4·18 MJ) for most nutrients in all age groups. Associations with vitamin C were positive. Results were similar after excluding misreporters. Children aged 4–18 years who consumed average amounts of free sugars or above (>13 % energy or Q3–Q5) had lower diet quality than those consuming <10 % free sugars (Q1), but there were insufficient data to assess diets with 5 % free sugars. High consumers obtained a higher proportion of free sugars from soft drinks, fruit juice and sugar confectionery and less from breakfast cereals. Ultimately, nutrient intakes depend on the total dietary pattern; however, reducing overconsumption of sugary foods and drinks with low nutrient density may help improve diet quality.
Well-Posedness of Second-Order Degenerate Differential Equations with Finite Delay
Authors: Bu Shangquan , Cai Gang
Published: September 2016

We give necessary and sufficient conditions for theLp-well-posedness of the second-order degenerate differential equations with finite delay

with periodic boundary conditions (Mu)(0) = (Mu)(2π), (Mu)′(0) = (Mu)′(2π). HereAandMare closed operators on a complex Banach spaceXsatisfyingD(A) ⊂D(M),α ∈ℂ is fixed,Fis a bounded linear operator fromLp([−2π,0],X) intoX, andutis given byut(s) =u(t+s) whens ∈[−2π,0].
Morphometric and molecular descriptions of three new species of Hysterothylacium (Nematoda: Raphidascarididae) from Australian marine fish
Authors: Shamsi S.
Published: September 2016

Three new species of Hysterothylacium Ward & Magath, 1917, including H. australe, H. kajikiae and H. brucei, from Australian marine fish are described and illustrated by light microscopy followed by genetic characterization of their first and second internal transcribed spacers (ITS-1 and ITS-2, respectively). This is the first study reporting ITS sequence data for adult Hysterothylacium spp. in Australia, which provides an insight into the identification of some of the Hysterothylacium larval types. Alignment of ITS sequences of these species with Hysterothylacium larval types previously reported in Australia showed that fourth-stage Hysterothylacium larval type XI from Seriola lalandi and third-stage Hysterothylacium larval type X from Sphyraene novae-hollandiae are identical with ITS sequences of H. australe, suggesting that these fish are natural intermediate/paratenic hosts of H. australe.
The A-T-menability of some graphs of groups with cyclic edge groups
Authors: CARETTE MATHIEU , WISE DANIEL T. , WOODHOUSE DANIEL J.
Published: September 2016

We show that certain graphs of groups with cyclic edge groups are aTmenable. In particular, this holds when each vertex group is either virtually special or acts properly and semisimply on ℍn.
Traumatic Gerbode ventricular septal defect and third-degree heart block
Authors: Campbell Michael J. , Lodge Andrew J. , Miller Stephen G.
Published: September 2016

We present an interesting and rare case of traumatic Gerbode ventricular septal defect and complete heart block. The multimodality images illustrate the diagnosis well. This case is an excellent demonstration of the diagnostic utility of multimodality imaging.
Hepatocellular carcinoma in the adult Fontan patient
Authors: Conroy Michael R. , Moe Tabitha G.
Published: September 2016

In this study, we describe the case of a 36-year-old woman who was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma on a background of Fontan procedure for tricuspid atresia. She had worsening heart failure in the months before presentation, and early investigations noted derangement in liver enzymes and hepatomegaly. Liver biopsy confirmed a hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a rare but recognised consequence of cardiac cirrhosis in Fontan patients.
A Survey of Disaster Medical Education in Osteopathic Medical School Curricula
Authors: Parrillo Steven J. , Christensen Doran , Teitelbaum Howard S. , Glassman Erik S.
Published: September 2016

ParrilloSJ, ChristensenD, TeitelbaumHS, GlassmanES. A survey of disaster medical education in osteopathic medical school curricula. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(6):581–582.
Spatial Market Integration: Definition, Theory, and Evidence
Authors: McNew Kevin
Published: September 2016

A point-space model of interregional trade is used to define market integration and to explore its implications for modeling spatial price relationships. This analysis indicates that spatial prices are related nonlinearly, contrary to much of the work on spatial price analysis which uses linear models. As an empirical example, corn market integration along the Mississippi River is examined during the Midwest flood of 1993. Higher transport costs during this period significantly reduced the extent of integration and thereby decreased excess demand shock transference across regions.
Seafood Safety Perceptions and Their Effects on Anticipated Consumption under Varying Information Treatments
Authors: Wessells Cathy Roheim , Kline Jeffrey , Anderson Joan Gray
Published: September 2016

This paper identifies factors that influence consumers' seafood safety perceptions and examines how these perceptions affect consumers' anticipated consumption when consumers are provided with additional information relevant to seafood. A recursive system of equations is specified describing consumers' safety perceptions as a function of past experience with seafood, recreational harvest activities, and risk-taking behavior, and describing the influence of safety perceptions on consumers' anticipated demand response to hypothetical information concerning seafood. A telephone survey of randomly selected Rhode Island consumers provided data for the analysis.
Search Theory Risk Preference and Farmland Preservation
Authors: Tavernier Edmund M. , Li Farong , Temel Tugrul T.
Published: September 2016

This paper uses search theory to examine the role that risk preference (RP) plays in farmland preservation. Assuming that the distribution of the offer price is fixed, the analysis indicates that risk-averse agents have lower reservation prices than risk-neutral agents, and that agricultural land held by the former exits farming at a faster rate. The results also show that farmland preservation policies which increase reservation prices have a greater capitalization effect if agents are risk-loving, and that such policies, while effectively protecting the interest of land speculators, may be less effective in serving the needs of farming and farm-held open space.
The Economic Contribution of Agriculture in Delaware
Authors: Tanjuakio Rodolfo V. , Hastings Steven E. , Tytus Peter J.
Published: September 2016

The decreasing share of production agriculture in the U.S. economy in general and Delaware in particular has raised questions about the amount of government resources being spent on the local agricultural sector. A basic question in the debate is: “What is the real economic contribution of agriculture?” This study looks at the economic role of agriculture in Delaware, presenting different perspectives of what agriculture is and what it contributes to the state economy. Based on three definitions of agriculture, the economic impacts as measured by shares to total employment, output, and value added were estimated using IMPLAN, an input-output modeling software. In each economic impact measure, the share of the local agricultural sector to the total Delaware economy ranged from around 2% to 6% in 1991.
Agricultural Policy: High Commodity and Input Prices
Authors: Schmitz Andrew , Furtan Hartley , Schmitz Troy G.
Published: September 2016

Because of high commodity prices, beginning in 2006, subsidies to farmers in the United States, the European Union, and Canada have been reduced significantly. However, significant losses have been experienced by the red meat sector, along with escalating food prices. Because of rising input costs, the “farm boom” may not be as great as first thought. Ethanol made from corn and country-of-origin labeling cloud the U.S. policy scene. Higher commodity prices have caused some countries to lower tariff and non-tariff barriers, resulting in freer commodity trade worldwide. Policymakers should attempt to make these trade-barrier cuts permanent and should rethink current policy legislation to deal with the possibility of a collapse of world commodity markets. Agricultural commodity prices have dropped significantly since early 2008.
Income Stabilization Through Government Payments: How is Farm Household Consumption Affected?
Authors: Whitaker James B. , Effland Anne
Published: September 2016

We estimate the impacts of various types of government payments to U.S. agriculture on different components of farm household consumption. Using 2003 to 2005 data from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS), we show that marginal rates of consumption differ by consumption category and income source, including different types of farm program payments. The results suggest that farm households treat income from different sources as imperfect substitutes and may reserve income from specific sources for specific types of consumption. Implications for the effects of different types of government payments on the farm household are considered.
Measuring Historical Risk in Quarterly Milk Prices
Authors: Ford Beth Pride , Musser Wesley N. , Yonkers Robert D.
Published: September 2016

Various methods have been used to estimate risk indices with historical data. An industry perception of increasing milk price risk over time provides a standard for evaluating several techniques used to measure historical risk. Risk measures from a regression model and an ARIMA model were consistent with the perception of increasing risk.
Policy Implications of Textile Trade Management and the U.S. Cotton Industry
Authors: Shui Shangnan , Wohlgenant Michael K. , Beghin John C.
Published: September 2016

This study investigates the effects on the U.S. cotton industry of textile trade liberalization using a multi-market equilibrium displacement model. The simulation results suggest that textile trade liberalization would induce small changes in the total demand for U.S. cotton but would affect considerably U.S. cotton demand structure, making U.S. cotton growers more dependent on world markets. The welfare analyses reveal that textile trade liberalization would result in a small welfare loss for U.S. cotton producers. As expected, textile trade liberalization also would lead to considerable substitution of imports for domestic production and substantial declines in prices of all textile products.
Efficiency Analysis of Developing Country Agriculture: A Review of the Frontier Function Literature
Authors: Bravo-Ureta Boris E. , Pinheiro António E.
Published: September 2016

This article reviews and critiques the frontier literature dealing with farm level efficiency in developing countries. A total of 30 studies from 14 different countries are examined. The country that has received most attention is India, while rice has been the most studied agricultural product. The average technical efficiency (TE) index from all the studies reviewed is 72%. The few studies reporting allocative and economic efficiency show an average of 68% and 43%, respectively. These results suggest that there is considerable room to increase agricultural output without additional inputs and given existing technology. Several of the studies reviewed have sought to explain farm level variation in TE. The variables most frequently used for this purpose have been farmer education and experience, contacts with extension, access to credit, and farm size. With the exception of farm size, the results reveal that these variables tend to have a positive and statistically significant impact on TE. This paper shows that considerable effort has been devoted to measuring efficiency in developing country agriculture using a wide range of frontier models. Despite all this work, the extent to which efficiency measures are sensitive to the choice of methodology remains uncertain.
The Relationship Between Price Stabilization and Cycles in the Canadian Wheat Market
Authors: Clark J. Stephen , Klein K.K.
Published: September 2016

In this study, moving average price stabilization schemes were analyzed under the assumption of rational expectations. It was shown that moving average price schemes may induce cyclical behaviour into market prices where no cyclical pattern previously existed. Moving average price stabilization schemes are important to Canadian agricultural policy analysis because they are a characteristic of stabilization programs in Canada. Indeed, the Agricultural Stabilization Act, introduced in 1975, and the Gross Revenue Insurance Program, introduced in 1991, use moving average prices to calculate returns to producers.
Almost Ideal Area Yield Crop Insurance Contracts
Authors: Smith Vincent H. , Chouinard Hayley H. , Baquet Alan E.
Published: September 2016

Using yield data for a sample of 123 dryland wheat producers in Montana, the effects of three area yield contracts, including the contract currently offered by the United States Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and two individual yield contracts on individual farm yield variability, are examined. The results indicate that while the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation area yield contract provides all farmers in the sample with some protection against yield variability, a simpler, actuarially equivalent “almost ideal” area yield contract provides substantially larger reductions in yield variability. However, actuarially equivalent individual yield contracts provide levels of protection against yield variability similar to those obtained under the “almost ideal” area yield contract at much lower premiums.
Estimating the Impact of Conservation Reserve Program Contract Expiration on Corn and Wheat Prices
Authors: Garrison Carl O. , Dicks Michael R. , Adam Brian D.
Published: September 2016

The Conservation Reserve Program reduced available cropland in the United States by 34 million acres under the first nine signup periods (1986–1990). Among these are ten million acres with wheat base and four million acres with corn base, which could potentially produce 288 million bushels of wheat and 340 million bushels of corn per year upon contract expiration. The impacts of expiring CRP contacts on the production and prices of wheat and corn in the United States are estimated. Based on past production practices and post-CRP land-use intentions of contract holders, 48.2% of base acres enrolled in CRP will return to production. Under this scenario, wheat prices will decline by more than 7% and corn prices by more than 2% by 2000, unless ARP levels, normal flex acres percent, or target prices are changed.
The Demand for Food Grain in China: New Insights into a Controversy
Authors: Zhang Xiaobo , Mount Timothy D. , Boisvert Richard N.
Published: September 2016

There is a substantial controversy in the economics literature over the magnitude of the expenditure elasticity for food grain in China that is caused, to a large extent, by whether time-series or cross-section data are used in the analysis. A set of reasonable elasticities for a complete demand system is estimated by using a panel of county level data in Guangdong Province for the last ten years. The results show that food grain has a small positive income elasticity, implying that food grain is not an inferior good in China. The reason that consumption per capita has not increased during a period of rapid economic growth in income is that the relative prices of the food and non-food substitutes for food grain have decreased.
Health Knowledge and Consumer Use of Nutritional Labels: The Issue Revisited
Authors: Kim Sung-Yong , Nayga Rodolfo M. , Capps Oral
Published: September 2016

The role of health knowledge in consumer use of nutritional labels on food packages is explored using data from the 1995 Diet and Health Knowledge Survey. Two types of label use models, a binary choice label use model and a level of label use model, are employed with particular attention given to the endogeneity of health knowledge. The binary choice model is concerned with factors affecting the probability of label use. The level of label use model deals with factors affecting the number of food products in which label use occurred. The results show that health knowledge has a significant role in increasing label use.
Agricultural Adaptation to Urbanization in Southeastern Pennsylvania
Authors: Larson Janelle M. , Findeis Jill L. , Smith Stephen M.
Published: September 2016

Most agricultural output in the northeastern United States comes from counties that have experienced significant development. A mail survey, with 300 responses, was conducted in southeastern Pennsylvania to determine farmer adaptation to urbanization in this region. Despite development, traditional agriculture still predominates. Changes in land use were examined using multinomial logit models. Results show that changes in population density and farm preservation policies have an influence, as increased population density reduced total land operated and having land in an agricultural security area increased it. Both differential assessment and agricultural security areas increased the cultivation of traditional, land extensive crops.
The Effects of the Structural Adjustment Program on Deforestation in Ghana
Authors: Benhin J.K.A. , Barbier E.B.
Published: September 2016

This paper is a theoretical and empirical investigation into the impact of the structural adjustment program (SAP) on forest loss in Ghana between the period 1965–95. An optimal control model is used to derive estimable reduced form equations for forest loss, cocoa land, maize land and timber production, which are in turn functions of mainly input and output prices. Piecewise linear and switching regression approaches are used to distinguish between the influence of the post from the pre-adjustment policy impacts on forest land use. The overall results show that cocoa land expansion and timber production, but not maize land expansion, are significant causes of forest loss in Ghana. However, the impact on forest loss in the post-adjustment period was reduced. Changes in the relative output and input prices due to the SAP may have played a significant role in the reduced impact of agricultural and timber related deforestation in the post-adjustment period.
Impacts of the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact on New England Milk Supply
Authors: Nicholson Charles F. , Resosudarmo Budy , Wackernagel Rick
Published: September 2016

A two-equation random coefficients model and two estimates of milk prices in the absence of the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact (Compact) are used to estimate the impact of minimum price regulation for fluid milk products on milk production in the New England states. Estimated responses to price enhancement differed by state for cow numbers, but parameters for milk per cow were not significantly different among states. The amount of increase in milk production attributed to the Compact is estimated at 45 million pounds (about 1% of production) during the first year of minimum price regulation, primarily due to increased milk per cow.
Economic and Political Considerations in Regional Cooperation Models
Authors: Dinar Ariel , Wolf Aaron
Published: September 2016

Cooperation among players requires a realization of economic benefits to all players and a meeting of efficiency requirements through economically driven allocations. Cooperation among political (and sometimes hostile) players may not meet these requirements. Political considerations, usually ignored in economic analyses, can hinder or even block possible arrangements. A framework is proposed that includes both economic and political considerations for evaluating transfers or trades of scarce resources. This method quantifies both the economic payoffs using n-person game theory and the political likelihood of any of the coalitions actually forming, using the PRINCE Political Accounting System. The economic-political approach is applied to a case of a potential water transfer in the western Middle East. Results suggest that incorporating political considerations in the analysis stabilizes the regional solution suggested by economic-related allocations.
Price Discovery in the Egg Industry
Authors: Maynard Leigh J.
Published: September 2016

Formula pricing of eggs is typically based on quotations issued by Urner Barry Publications, and egg producers worry that the quotes are systematically lower than equilibrium levels. Egg Clearinghouse, Inc. (ECI) provides a public forum for cash trading, intended to facilitate price discovery. Evidence from 1994–95 does not suggest that Urner Barry understates producer level prices on average. Granger causality tests indicate a feedback relationship between the Urner Barry quotes and ECI prices, with ECI leading during price upswings. Lead times appear to have fallen since the late 1970s and early 1980s, confirming earlier predictions regarding market efficiency.
Are Agricultural Experiment Station Faculty Salaries Competitively or Monopsonistically Determined?
Authors: Barrett Christopher B. , Bailey DeeVon
Published: September 2016

We examine the determinants of agricultural experiment station faculty salaries and find that productivity pays—as manifest by grantsmanship, publications, and the elicitation of competing offers—with no residual evidence of a negative seniority-salary relationship that could signal university monopsony power. This contrasts with findings in the previous literature on faculty salaries. Moreover, national market salary benchmarks, which may proxy for imperfectly observable productivity, correlate almost one-for-one with individual faculty salaries, with individual deviations from peers’ salaries proving essentially random. This evidence is much more consistent with the hypothesis that experiment station faculty salaries are determined in a competitive labor market than with the prevailing wisdom that they are set monopsonistically.
Multiple Agents, and Agricultural Nonpoint-Source Water Pollution Control Policies
Authors: Smith Rodney B.W. , Tomasi Theodore D.
Published: September 2016

Assuming asymmetric information over farmer profits and zero transaction costs, prior literature has suggested that when regulating nonpoint source water pollution, a tax on management practices (inputs) can implement full-information allocations and is superior to a tax on estimated runoff. Using mechanism design theory under asymmetric information, this paper shows that under the same assumptions, management practice taxes and taxes on estimated runoff are equally efficient.
A Biotic Control Perspective on Nitrate Contamination of Groundwater from Agricultural Production
Authors: Schläpfer Felix , Erickson Jon D.
Published: September 2016

Agronomists consider the continuity and nutrient capturing properties of cover crops as important determinants of nutrient cycling in agricultural systems. Managing for these biotic control functions can help limit nutrient loss and groundwater contamination between main crop harvests. This simulation study highlights the potential role of cover crop management in a welfare economics framework. The objective is to find the optimal combination of nutrient input to the main crop, the extent of off-season cover crops, and crop functional diversity to maximize the sum of benefits from agricultural production and groundwater protection.
Factors Influencing Support for Rural Land Use Control: A Reply
Authors: McLeod Donald M. , Woirhaye Jody , Menkhaus Dale J.
Published: September 2016

The comment indicated that landed wealth (acres owned) should be included as an explanatory variable in the zoning referendum estimation. Land can be construed as an indicator of wealth that may be impacted by land use controls. The reply focuses on study site issues as well as theoretic, empirical, and institutional/social considerations. Responses to land use control referenda depend on the land considered, attitudes toward land use planning and socio-demographic factors, including income. The amount of acres owned was not statistically significant in explaining preferences for land use controls in the case investigated by McLeod, Woirhaye and Menkhaus.
Impact of Food Contamination on Brands: A Demand Systems Estimation of Peanut Butter
Authors: Bakhtavoryan Rafael , Capps Oral , Salin Victoria
Published: September 2016

A 2007 food-borne illness incident involving peanut butter is linked with structural change in consumer demand. Compensated and uncompensated own- and cross-price elasticities and expenditure elasticities were calculated for leading brands before and after the product recall using the Barten synthetic model and weekly time-series data from 2006 through 2008. Statistically significant differences in price elasticities for the affected brand, Peter Pan, were absent. After a period of 27 weeks, this brand essentially recovered from the food safety crisis. Significant differences in price elasticities were evident among non-affected brands. Hence, spillover effects and heightened competition are associated with the recall.
A Meta-Analysis of Environmental Kuznets Curve Studies
Authors: Cavlovic Therese A. , Baker Kenneth H. , Berrens Robert P. , Gawande Kishore
Published: September 2016

An understanding of the empirical relationship between income and environmental quality is evolving through recent studies investigating the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). The EKC represents an inverted-U relationship between income and environmental degradation. However, studies may employ different methods, evaluate different environmental indicators, and use different data, resulting in a broad spectrum of findings and leading to sometimes conflicting interpretations. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the results of existing EKC findings by conducting a statistical meta-analysis, and to predict new income turning points (ITP). Results indicate how both methodological choices and pollutant types affect ITPs. (JEL Q20).
Economic Incentives for Controlling Trade-Related Biological Invasions in the Great Lakes
Authors: Horan Richard D. , Lupi Frank
Published: September 2016

Ballast water from commercial ships engaged in international trade has been implicated as the primary invasion pathway in over 60 percent of new introductions of invasive alien species (IAS) in the Great Lakes since 1960. Recent policies have recognized that IAS are a form of biological pollution and have become focused on preventing new introductions. Given that emissions-based incentives are infeasible for the case of biological emissions, we investigate the cost-effectiveness of various performance proxy-based and technology-based economic incentives to reduce the threat of new invasions of Ponto-Caspian species in the Great Lakes.
Egg Advertising, Dietary Cholesterol Concerns, and U.S. Consumer Demand
Authors: Schmit Todd M. , Kaiser Harry M.
Published: September 2016

A model of the domestic demand for eggs was estimated from quarterly data over the period 1987 through 1995, incorporating an index of consumer dietary cholesterol concerns and generic advertising efforts by the American Egg Board and the California Egg Commission. Empirical results indicated that most of the observed change in egg demand could be explained by dietary cholesterol concerns. Simulating the model in a constant elasticity supply framework demonstrated that advertising efforts over the past several years have resulted in net benefits to egg producers largely when considering inelastic supply responses. However, considering trade bias reduces these benefit-cost ratios substantially.
Implications of Policy Regulations on Land Applications of Poultry Litter
Authors: Govindasamy Ramu , Cochran Mark J.
Published: September 2016

The growth of the poultry industry in Arkansas has exploded in the past decade. As a result, approximately 1.5 million tons of litter are produced every year. Concerns about possible contamination of ground and surface water from land applications of poultry litter have been raised. This paper compares four policy scenarios in terms of their efficiency and practicality to manage land applications of poultry litter. The results indicate that a litter tax per ton of litter applied could achieve the same level of litter control as that of a land tax on litter applications, but at a lower tax rate.
Voluntary Economic and Environmental Risk Tradeoffs in Crop Protection Decisions
Authors: Lohr Luanne , Park Timothy , Wetzstein Michael
Published: September 2016

An indirect utility model is employed for measuring farmers’ willingness to voluntarily accept yield losses for a reduction in environmental risk by decreasing pesticide use. Results support the hypothesis that farmers have self-described risk perceptions that enable them to make assessments of risk-yield tradeoffs. Policies designed to encourage and assist farmers making voluntary pesticide reductions can result in environmental risk reduction.
Benefits and Costs of Natural Resources Policies Affecting Public and Private Lands: USDA W2133 Regional Research Project Legacy and Current Contributions
Authors: Kaplowitz Michael D. , Bergstrom John C.
Published: September 2016

In 1967, a group of resource and environmental economists from across the nation got together under the auspices of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to form a multistate collaborative research project. The goal of this research initiative was to bring together natural resource and environmental economists from across land grant and non-land grant institutions in order to advance natural resource benefit and cost methods, collect primary data on pertinent natural resource policies, and develop applications for extending the usefulness of primary data on the benefits and costs of natural resource policy. Initially given the USDA project identification number WM-59, the Western Regional Research Project: Benefits and Costs of Natural Resources Policies Affecting Public and Private Lands has been a productive intellectual, professional, and policymaking endeavor for more than forty-two years. While the project indentifying moniker has been changed from time to time (from WM-59 to W133 to W1133 to W2133) and there has been the loss, sometimes untimely, of project participants over the years, the group continuously provides opportunities for some of the nation's most engaged resource and environmental economists to work together, share their ideas, provide feedback and support, and advance the state-of-the art in valuation methods and applications.
Environmental and Natural Resource Economists, Great Research, and the National Science Foundation
Authors: O’Connor Robert E.
Published: September 2016

Environmental and natural resource economists could be more effectively engaged in great research on exciting issues in environmental and natural resource management. After identifying possible obstacles to improved research, the article focuses on opportunities and obstacles associated with obtaining funding from the National Science Foundation. Opportunities abound, both ongoing and in the future, for interdisciplinary work involving environmental and natural resource economists. Keys to exploiting these opportunities for funding include a willingness to face rejection, build teams, contact program officers with specific questions, write detailed research designs, and prepare proposals that promise to go beyond narrow incremental advances.
An Internet-Based Tool for Weather Risk Management
Authors: Turvey Calum G. , Norton Michael
Published: September 2016

This paper introduces a web-based computer program designed to evaluate weather risk management and weather insurance in the United States. The paper outlines the economics of weather risk in terms of agricultural production and household well-being; defines weather risk in terms of intensity, duration, and frequency; and illustrates the computer program use by comparing heat and precipitation risks at Ardmore, Oklahoma, and Ithaca, New York.
Modeling Exit and Entry of Farmers in a Crop Insurance Program
Authors: Cabas Juan H. , Leiva Akssell J. , Weersink Alfons
Published: September 2016

This paper examines the factors influencing farmer participation in crop insurance schemes, but unlike previous studies that focus on total demand, participation is disaggregated into entrants and those exiting. Modeling entry and exit decisions separately illustrates that the effect of a given variable is often muted by aggregation. In addition, the approach in this paper distinguishes between price and yield variables rather than total returns and is consequently able to demonstrate that price variables are particularly important for farmers considering enrolling in crop insurance, while yield variables and other risk management opportunities are more important for farmers who have been in the program but are deciding to exit. The result suggests that moral hazard is reduced significantly by calculating the coverage yield level for an individual producer on the basis of a moving average of past yields for that farmer. While yield and its variance are particularly influential in the participation decision for farmers currently enrolled, its significant impact on the insurance decision for all farmers highlights the importance of crop insurance as a potential adaptation strategy to weather events.
Identifying Frequent Seafood Purchasers in the Northeastern U.S.
Authors: Herrmann Robert O. , Rauniyar Ganesh P. , Hanson Gregory D. , Wang Guoquing
Published: September 2016

Factors affecting the frequency of purchase of fish and other seafood for at-home and restaurant consumption by Northeastern consumers were investigated. Cluster analysis identified six groups of consumers with similar perceptions of the attributes of fish. Demographic and cluster membership variables were employed in logistic regressions to identify the characteristics of frequent at-home use and restaurant purchasers. At-home purchase was more likely to be frequent among respondents with white collar occupations, older ages, urban/suburban and New England residence, recreational fishing participation, and membership in one of five attitudinal clusters. Restaurant purchase was more likely to be frequent among whites and among those with higher incomes, white collar occupations, recreational fishing involvement and among members of two clusters with favorable attitudes toward fish; it was less likely to be frequent in households with children age 10 and under present.
Protecting Rural Amenities Through Farmland Preservation Programs
Authors: Nickerson Cynthia J. , Hellerstein Daniel
Published: September 2016

We investigate what farmland preservation programs reveal about the importance of protecting different rural amenities. An extensive content analysis of the enabling legislation of various farmland protection programs suggests wide variation exists in the protection of amenities. An analysis of 27 individual Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs’ selection criteria suggests these programs favor preserving amenities that are jointly provided by cropland and livestock operations. These PDR selection criteria also reveal unique preferences regarding the spatial patterns of preserved agricultural lands. Variation in relative weights given to protecting most parcel characteristics in PDR programs is not easily explained by factors that characterize areas experiencing farmland losses.
Opportunities and Challenges in Cooperative Extension for Agricultural Economists
Authors: Hanson James C.
Published: September 2016

Though there are many challenges facing extension economists, there are significant opportunities to serve rural America and fully participate in our profession. National studies have reconfirmed extension as an integral part of our land grant mission, and a survey of chairs of departments of agricultural and resource economics shows that 87% indicate that there is increased or constant pressure by the public for programing by extension economists. Retirement estimates provided by chairs suggest it is likely that at least one-half of new faculty hired over the next five years will have extension appointments. Perhaps most importantly, there are critical societal issues to which extension economists can make valuable contributions.
Do Sportfish Consumption Advisories Affect Reservoir Anglers’ Site Choice?
Authors: Jakus Paul M. , Downing Mark , Bevelhimer Mark S. , Fly J. Mark
Published: September 2016

Increasing numbers of freshwater ecosystems have had sportfish consumption advisories posted in recent years. Advisories are sometimes issued in lieu of environmental remediation if they are considered more cost-effective than “cleaning up” the resource, but this approach assumes that anglers adjust behavior in response to the warning. Previous studies, however, suggest that compliance with advisories can be quite low. In contrast, this study measures a statistically significant response by reservoir anglers to consumption advisories. In particular, anglers are less likely to choose to visit a reservoir with an advisory than a similar reservoir without an advisory. Furthermore, the economic losses due to advisories are quantified for anglers in two regions of Tennessee.
Open Space and Urban Sprawl: The Effects of Zoning and Forest Conservation Regulations in Maryland
Authors: Lichtenberg Erik
Published: September 2016

Rapid urbanization enhances the desirability of policies for preserving open space but policies intended to preserve open space may extend the urban boundary and create leapfrog development. We investigate this potential conflict between open space preservation and urban sprawl conceptually and empirically using data from the Baltimore-Washington suburbs. In accord with previous theoretical and empirical results, the estimated econometric model indicates that both zoning and forest planting requirements contribute to sprawl by increasing the amount of land needed to accommodate the current number of households. These results point to a conflict between preserving open space incorporated into private building lots or internal to subdivisions and public open space at the urban fringe.
The Bargaining Strength of a Milk Marketing Cooperative
Authors: Prasertsri Peerapon , Kilmer Richard L.
Published: September 2016

As a result of economies of size, food processors are generally large and few in number. These characteristics put processors at a bargaining advantage over independent farmers. Marketing cooperatives were established to counter the uneven bargaining position of individual farmers. This article investigates the relative bargaining strength of one milk marketing cooperative and several fluid milk processors. The Nash bargaining model can be used to analyze the negotiated price in the Florida fluid milk market which acts like a bilateral monopoly. The milk marketing cooperatives have bargained well with the milk marketing processors; The monthly bargaining strength of the Southeast Dairy Cooperative, Inc. (SDC), exceeds the monthly bargaining strength of the processors in all twelve months, ranging from a low of 0.6664 in January to a high of 0.7831 in September. The monthly average bargaining strength across all months for SDC is 0.7326.
The Political Economy of Downzoning
Authors: Adelaja Adesoji O. , Gottlieb Paul D.
Published: September 2016

“Substantial downzoning” is defined as the exercise of police power tosignificantly reducethe legally permitted density on undeveloped land in a community. This contentious practice is typically challenged by those who perceive the action to limit their market opportunities (e.g., farmers and developers), their sympathizers, and others who prefer the status quo. Supporters tend to be those who perceive positive benefits (e.g., environmentalists, conservationists, and homeowners) and those who see it as a supplement to other preservation techniques, based on concerns over such things as growing public costs of land acquisition, limited effectiveness of existing alternatives, or the perceived urgency to act to manage growth.

Given the complexity of the issue and the lack of previous research, this paper develops a conceptual model of the public choice to “substantially downzone” and presents specific hypotheses to be empirically tested, using New Jersey as a case study. The probability of implementing substantial downzoning is found to increase with (i) the amount of open space that remains to be protected, (ii) declining farm population, (iii) recent growth in non-farm population, (iv) recent growth in land values, and (v) the presence of alternative growth management tools. Results also suggest its use as a substitute for other preservation tools when the financial and/or political ability of communities to afford other approaches is limited. Hence, the likelihood of substantial downzoning may increase over time if alternatives become more difficult to implement.
Yield Variability and Agricultural Trade
Authors: Reimer Jeffrey J. , Li Man
Published: September 2016

We examine how changes in yield variability affect the welfare of cereal grain and oilseed buyers and producers around the world. We simulate trade patterns and welfare for 21 countries with a Ricardian trade model that incorporates bilateral trade costs and crop yield distributions. The model shows that world trade volumes would need to increase substantially if crop yield variability were to rise. Net welfare effects, however, are moderate so long as countries do not resort to policies that inhibit trade, such as export restrictions or measures to promote self-sufficiency in crops. Low-income countries suffer the most from increases in yield variability, due to higher bilateral trade costs and lower-than-average productivity.