35 research outputs found
TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF RURAL WATER UTILITIES
Technical efficiency of rural water utilities is determined using frontier production functions. An indirect production function is developed to model the two-step production process of a local government-controlled firm. Data from 26 rural Nevada water utilities are used to estimate inefficiency in terms of firm-specific variables. A multistep estimation procedure is used instead of single-step maximum likelihood estimation. Model selection tests are used to choose the best model. Privately owned utilities are most efficient; self-governing water districts are the least efficient. Municipal governments operate the most and least efficient utilities.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,
FACTORS INFLUENCING RATES OF ADOPTION OF TRICHOMONIASIS VACCINE BY NEVADA RANGE CATTLE PRODUCERS
Tritrichimonas foetus vaccine has been marketed since 1989 to combat the trichomoniasis disease that causes reproductive failure and considerable economic loss to Nevada ranchers. An ex post technology adoption model is estimated to examine the possible adoption rate, to identify the factors that may influence the adoption behavior, and to test how the probability of adoption for five possible adopter groups would change due to changes in various ranch specific factors. Results indicate that use of computers, veterinary checkup of herd, and herd size influence the probability of adoption. Model results show that cooperative extension programs enhance the rate of adoption.Livestock Production/Industries,
Terzan 5 transient IGR J17480-2446: variation of burst and spectral properties with spectral states
We study the spectral state evolution of the Terzan 5 transient neutron star
low-mass X-ray binary IGR J17480-2446, and how the best-fit spectral parameters
and burst properties evolved with these states, using the Rossi X-ray Timing
Explorer data. As reported by other authors, this is the second source which
showed transitions between atoll state and `Z' state. We find large scale
hysteresis in the almost `C'-like hardness-intensity track of the source in the
atoll state. This discovery is likely to provide a missing piece of the jigsaw
puzzle involving various types of hardness-intensity tracks from `q'-shaped for
Aquila X-1, 4U 1608-52, and many black holes to `C'-shaped for many atoll
sources. Furthermore, the regular pulsations, a diagonal transition between
soft and hard states, and the large scale hysteresis observed from IGR
J17480-2446 argue against some of the previous suggestions involving magnetic
field about atolls and millisecond pulsars. Our results also suggest that the
nature of spectral evolution throughout an outburst does not, at least
entirely, depend on the peak luminosity of the outburst. Besides, the source
took at least a month to trace the softer banana state, as opposed to a few
hours to a day, which is typical for an atoll source. In addition, while the
soft colour usually increases with intensity in the softer portion of an atoll
source, IGR J17480-2446 showed an opposite behaviour. From the detailed
spectral fitting we conclude that a blackbody+powerlaw model is the simplest
one, which describes the source continuum spectra well throughout the outburst.
We find that these two spectral components were plausibly connected with each
other, and they worked together to cause the source state evolution.
(Truncated).Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRA
Production and Inefficiency
The overall purpose of this three-part dissertation is to specify and estimate various components of inefficiency in the production and profit-generating processes. Flexibility in inefficiency-measurement techniques is introduced using stochastic functional forms to overcome the restrictions of the simplifying assumptions used in previous studies. In addition, the profit function approach is used to measure firm specific inefficiency and to view profit inefficiency in the multiple output context. Empirical application of each approach is also attempted. Application of the measurement of the inefficiency component in the first two essays is made using data taken from Indian agriculture. The multiple output model of the third essay is applied to data of the U. S. unit bank taken from the Functional Cost Analysis programme of the Federal Reserve banking system.
In the first essay, a quasi-translog production function is introduced and allocative, technical, and scale inefficiencies are estimated for Indian agriculture with large and small farm divisions. Results obtained contradict earlier conclusions regarding the efficiency of Indian farms.
In the second essay, a Normalized Restricted Profit function is used to estimate allocative, scale, and profit inefficiency for the same set of farms. Empirical results confirm the conclusions of the first essay. Technical inefficiency cannot be isolated in this case, because the impact of technical inefficiency is confounded in the measure of profit inefficiency.
In the third essay, a translog profit function is used to estimate profit and allocative inefficiency in U. S. banking operations