DEVELOPING A SCALE FOR ASSESSING RISK ATTITUDES OF AGRICULTURAL DECISION MAKERS

This study adapts a methodology formulated in the social sciences to develop a scale for measuring an economic agentÂ’s attitude toward risk. The scale assesses risk attitudes by eliciting farmersÂ’ opinions towards risk management tools using a Likert procedure. The methodology validates the scale with a scientific risk attitude measure and compares the scale to the farmersÂ’ self-assessment of their risk attitudes. The resulting scale methodology could be administered to people without the need for personal interviews. The subjects for this study were Midwestern farmers, but the methodology can be applied to any sector of the agricultural industry.Risk and Uncertainty,

BEEF QUALITY: WILL CONSUMERS PAY FOR LESS FAT?

A nationwide retail survey is used to estimate hedonic prices of fat characteristics in beef table cuts. Results show that consumers consistently place a negative value on external fat for all table cuts and on seam fat in chuck and round cuts, but do not consistently value intramuscular fat. These consumer preferences are not transmitted to cattle feeders through price signals, even though the current beef grading system can distinguish carcasses with undesirable fat characteristics.Consumer/Household Economics,

ASSESSING FARMERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD RISK USING THE "CLOSING-IN" METHOD

The 1996 Farm Bill and low commodity prices have regenerated interest in the impact of risk and farmers' risk attitudes on production agriculture. Previous research has used expected utility theory (EUT) and direct elicitation of utility functions (DEU) for eliciting risk attitudes. To overcome the criticism of EUT and DEU, a recently developed technique called the "closing in" method is adapted for eliciting farmers' risk attitudes. This method is applied to Illinois farmers by using a computerized decision procedure, and is validated by comparing the results to the farmers' self-assessment of their risk attitudes and score to a risk attitudinal scale.Risk and Uncertainty,

Performance of an Echo Canceller and Channel Estimator for On-Channel Repeaters in DVB-T/H Networks

This paper investigates the design and performance of an FIR echo canceller for on-channel repeaters in DVB-T/H network within the framework of the PLUTO project. The possible approaches for echo cancellation are briefly reviewed and the main guidelines for the design of such systems are presented. The main system parameters are discussed. The performance of an FIR echo canceller based on an open loop feedforward approach for channel estimation is tested for different radio channel conditions and for different number of taps of the FIR filter. It is shown that a minimum number of taps is recommended to achieve a certain mean rejection ratio or isolation depending on the type of channel. The expected degradation in performance due to the use of fixed point rather than floating point arithmetic in hardware implementation is presented for different number of bits. Channel estimation based on training sequences is investigated. The performance of Maximum Length Sequences and Constant Amplitude Zero Autocorrelation (CAZAC) Sequences is compared for different channels. Recommendations are given for training sequence type, length and level for DVB-T/H on-channel repeater deployment

ECONOMIC RISK AND THE STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FARM BUSINESSES

Using longitudinal panel farm-level data, this study finds that income variability may be materially influenced by farm size. Econometric results suggest that policy analyses and other considerations of the distributional effects of, and response to, income variability for commercial scale family farms may concentrate on farm size and other structural variables.risk, income variability, farm size, financial structure, Farm Management, Industrial Organization,

Audio detection algorithms

Audio information concerning targets generally includes direction, frequencies and energy levels. One use of audio cueing is to use direction information to help determine where more sensitive visual direction and acquisition sensors should be directed. Generally, use of audio cueing will shorten times required for visual detection, although there could be circumstances where the audio information is misleading and degrades visual performance. Audio signatures can also be useful for helping classify the emanating platform, as well as to provide estimates of its velocity. The Janus combat simulation is the premier high resolution model used by the Army and other agencies to conduct research. This model has a visual detection model which essentially incorporates algorithms as described by Hartman(1985). The model in its current form does not have any sound cueing capability. This report is part of a research effort to investigate the utility of developing such a capabilityhttp://archive.org/details/audiodetectional00netaN

FARMERS' VEG RISK PERCEPTIONS AND ADOPTION OF VEG CROP INSURANCE

Producer survey results are analyzed to determine factors influencing value-enhanced grain (VEG) risk perceptions and VEG crop insurance adoption. VEG production is perceived to be riskier than commodity production. VEG types, input costs, and production problems affect risk perceptions. Factors including previous insurance use impact VEG crop insurance adoption.Risk and Uncertainty,