Telescience Testbed Pilot Program

The Telescience Testbed Pilot Program is developing initial recommendations for requirements and design approaches for the information systems of the Space Station era. During this quarter, drafting of the final reports of the various participants was initiated. Several drafts are included in this report as the University technical reports

The Acreage and Borrowing Effects ok Direct Payments Under Uncertainty: A Simulation

We use simulation methods in an expected utility maximization framework to analyze a farmer`s optimal resource allocation in the presence of government payments, decoupled and not. This framework is extended to incorporate the optimal choice of investment levels in the presence of credit constraints. Further extensions include a wealth-dependent interest rate and decreasing marginal yields. We find decoupled payments affect the optimal choices of the credit - constrained farmer though a collateral - enhancement effect, so they do distort production. The 2005 proposal by Senators Grasseley, Dorgan, Hagel, and Johnson to tighten limits on commodity payments is not found to affect payments of the typical Kansas farmer.decoupled payments; credit constraints.

The Acreage and Borrowing Effects of Direct Payments Under Uncertainty: A Simulation Approach

We use simulation methods in an expected utility maximization framework to analyze a farmer’s optimal resource allocation in the presence of government payments, decoupled and not. This framework is extended to incorporate the optimal choice of investment levels in the presence of credit constraints. Further extensions include a wealth-dependent interest rate and decreasing marginal yields. We find decoupled payments affect the optimal choices of the credit-constrained farmer through a collateral-enhancement effect, so they do distort production. The 2005 proposal by Senators Grassley, Dorgan, Hagel, and Johnson to tighten limits on commodity payments is not found to affect payments of the typical Kansas farmer.Decoupled payments, Credit constraints, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade, Q17, Q18,

An evolutionary approach to the representation of adverse events

One way to detect, monitor and prevent adverse events with the help of Information Technology is by using ontologies capable of representing three levels of reality: what is the case, what is believed about reality, and what is represented. We report on how Basic Formal Ontology and Referent Tracking exhibit this capability and how they are used to develop an adverse event ontology and related data annotation scheme for the European ReMINE project

Abatement and Allocation in the Pilot Phase of the EU ETS

We use historical industrial emissions data to assess the level of abatement and overallocation that took place across European countries during the pilot phase (2005-2007)of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme. Using a dynamic panel data model, we estimate the counterfactual (business-as-usual) emissions scenario for EU member states. Comparing this baseline to allocated and verified emissions, we conclude that both overallocation and abatement occurred, along with under-allocation and emissions inflation. Over the three trading years of the pilot phase we find over-allocation of approximately 376 million EUAs (6%) and total abatement at the member state level of 107 Mt CO2 (1.8%). However, due to over-allocation and possible uncertainty about future allocation methodologies, we calculate that emissions inflation of approximately 119 Mt CO2 (2%) occurred, resulting in emissions over the pilot phase being approximately 12 Mt CO2 (0.2%) higher than they would have been in the absence of the EU ETS.Emissions Trading Scheme, Climate Policy, Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

Developing a curriculum of open educational resources for Linked Data

The EUCLID project is developing an educational curriculum about Linked Data, supported by multimodal Open Educational Resources (OERs) tailored to the real needs of data practitioners. The EUCLID OERs facilitate professional training for data practitioners, who aim to use Linked Data in their daily work. The EUCLID OERs are implemented as a combination of living learning materials and activities (eBook, online courses, webinars, face-to-face training), produced via a rigorous process and validated by the user community through continuous feedback

Wealth, Debt, Government Payments, and Yield Performance

We use a large sample of Kansas Farm Management Association farms for eight different crop/practice combinations (dryland and irrigated corn, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat)for 1994 through 2006 to evaluate the determinants of relative yield performance and explore the ability of financial variables to account for some of the remaining unexplained variation. Our hypothesis is that more financially sound farms should be able to implement better production thecniques, thus have better yields. We further test whether decoupled payments can be used to enhance yield performance. Our hypothesis is that payments may be used to boots investment in inputs or equipament that can lead to better yields. Our results suggest this could be the case.yield performance; decoupled payments.

Local Polynomial Fitting and Spatial Price Relationships: Price Transmission in the EU Markets for Pigmeat

We apply nonparametric methods to assess price transmission processes within the EU pig markets. We compare results derived from nonparametric regressions with those obtained using alternative nonlinear threshold models. Results show that nonparametric regressions support the parametric results. However, parametric techniques often suggest a higher degree of price transmission than that implied by threshold models.Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,