ECONOMIC SURPLUS AND THE DISTRIBUTIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF DEREGULATING TOBACCO PRODUCTION

Reservations on technical and theoretical grounds in the use of the consumer surplus approach to measure benefits of government programs have often appeared in the literature. Therefore, this paper uses an alternative approach in a case study to estimate the annual economic surplus created in South Carolina from deregulating tobacco production. Impacts of deregulation on cropping patterns and income on representative tobacco farms, and distribution of benefits in the economy are examined. Results of this study indicate that deregulation stimulates the economy and would increase the net value added by $5.8 million in the long run.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering at HERA and related phenomenology

Recent measurements of inclusive deep inelastic scattering differential cross-section in the range 1.5 \gev2\le Q^2\le 30000 \gev2 and 5\cdot 10^{-6}\le x\le 0.65 are presented. Phenomenological analyses performed from these measurements are also described.Comment: 14 page

Do Medicare Advantage Plans Respond to Payment Changes? A Look at the Data from 2009 to 2014

Issue: Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment has grown significantly since 2009, despite legislation that reduced what Medicare pays these plans to provide care to enrollees. MA payments, on average, now approach parity with costs in traditional Medicare.Goal: Examine changes in per enrollee costs between 2009 and 2014 to better understand how MA plans have continued to thrive even as payments decreased.Methods: Analysis of Medicare data on MA plan bids, net of rebates.Findings: While spending per beneficiary in traditional Medicare rose 5.0 percent between 2009 and 2014, MA payment benchmarks rose 1.5 percent and payment to plans decreased by 0.7 percent. Plans' expected per enrollee costs grew 2.6 percent. Plans where payment rates decreased generally had slower growth in their expected costs. HMOs, which saw their payments decline the most, had the slowest expected cost growth.Conclusions: In general, MA plans responded to lower payment by containing costs. By preserving most of the margin between Medicare payments and their bids in the form of rebates, they could continue to offer additional benefits to attract enrollees. The magnitude of this response varied by geographic area and plan type. Despite this slower growth in expected per enrollee costs, greater efficiencies by MA plans may still be achievable

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The cohesin complex mediates DNA-DNA interactions both between (sister chromatid cohesion) and within chromosomes (DNA looping). It has been suggested that intra-chromosome loops are generated by extrusion of DNAs through the lumen of cohesin's ring. Scc2 (Nipbl) stimulates cohesin's ABC-like ATPase and is essential for loading cohesin onto chromosomes. However, it is possible that the stimulation of cohesin's ATPase by Scc2 also has a post-loading function, for example driving loop extrusion. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) and single- molecule tracking, we show that Scc2 binds dynamically to chromatin, principally through an association with cohesin. Scc2's movement within chromatin is consistent with a 'stop-and-go' or 'hopping' motion. We suggest that a low diffusion coefficient, a low stoichiometry relative to cohesin, and a high affinity for chromosomal cohesin enables Scc2 to move rapidly from one chromosomal cohesin complex to another, performing a function distinct from loading

Evolutionary constraints on the masses of the components of HDE 226868/Cyg X-1 binary system

Calculations carried out to model the evolution of HDE 226868, under different assumptions about the stellar wind mass loss rate, provide robust limits on the present mass of the star. It has to be in the range 40 +- 5 solar masses if the distance to the system is in the range 1.95 to 2.35 kpc and the effective temperature of HDE 226868 in the range 30000 to 31000 K. Extending the possible intervals of these parameters to 1.8 to 2.35 kpc and 28000 to 32000 K, one gets for the mass of the star the range 40 +- 10 solar masses. Including into the analysis observational properties such as the profiles of the emission lines, rotational broadening of the absorption lines and the ellipsoidal light variations, one can estimate also the mass of the compact component. It has to be in the ranges 20 +- 5 solar masses and 13.5 to 29 solar masses for the cases described above. The same analysis (using the evolutionary models and the observational properties listed above) yields lower limit to the distance to the system of about 2.0 kpc, if the effective temperature of HDE 226868 is higher than 30000 K. This limit to the distance does not depend on any photometric or astrometric considerations.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

STUDI PENGGUNAAN SERBUK CANGKANG KERANG DARAH PADA PEMBUATAN BETON RINGAN SELULER DENGAN FOAM AGENT PADA APLIKASI DINDING

ABSTRAKPenelitian ini dilakukan penambahan serbuk cangkang kerang darah dengan tujuan agar dapat digunakan sebagai pengganti semen. Serbuk cangkang kerang darah ditambahkan pada benda uji campuran beton ringan sehingga menambah kuat tekan, kuat tariknya meningkat dan resapan airnya menurun. Serbuk cangkang kerang darah yang ditambahkan memiliki variasi penambahan sebesar 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 7% dan 9% terhadap berat benda uji campuran boton ringan. Serbuk cangkang kerang darah dari penambahan variasi tersebut memperoleh hasil kuat tekan beton meningkat pada variasi 5% sebesar 3,54 MPa dengan berat volume tertinggi 1.02 g/cm3 dan resapan air terendah 30,805%, sedangkan variasi tanpa serat atau 0% diperoleh sebesar 3,00 MPa dengan berat volume tertinggi 0.96 g/cm3 dan resapan air 38,155% semua benda uji pada umur 28 hari. Kata Kunci: Beton Ringan Seluler, Foam Agent, Serbuk Cangkang Kerang Darah.ABSTRACTThis research was carried out by adding blood clam shell powder in order to be used as a substitute for cement. Blood clam shell powder is added to the lightweight concrete mixture test specimen so that it increases the compressive strength, the tensile strength increases and the water absorption decreases. The blood clam shell powder added has an additional variation of 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 9% to the weight of the mild boton mixture test object. The blood clam powder from the addition of the variation obtained the results of concrete compressive strength increased in the variation of 5% by 3.54 MPa with the highest of volume weight of 1.02 g / cm3 and the lowest water absorption 30.805%, while the variation without fiber or 0% was obtained at 3.00 MPa with the highest of volume weight of 0.96 g / cm3 and water absorption 38,155% of all specimens at the age of 28 days. Keywords: Blood Clam Powder, Cellular lightweight concrete, Foam agent