THIRD COUNTRY EFFECTS ON U.S. WHEAT EXPORT PERFORMANCE IN ASIAN COUNTRIES

This study examines third country effects on U.S. wheat export performance in Asian countries. An import demand model is developed to analyze the impacts of price competitiveness, exchange rates, and exchange rate volatilities on U.S. wheat market shares. The United States competes with Australia and Canada in the Asian wheat market. Empirical results show that two factors, Australian wheat price and U.S. dollar values against the Asian countries' currencies, have significant effects on U.S. market shares in this region. Furthermore, exchange rate risks between the exporting and importing countries are found to be important.international grain trade, market share, exchange rate, panel analysis., International Relations/Trade,

NOMINAL EXCHANGE RATE MISALIGNMENT: IS IT PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO AGRICULTURAL TRADE?

This paper examines whether exchange rate misalignment negatively affects agricultural trade, compared to other industry sectors. Nominal exchange rate misalignment is obtained from the percentage deviation of real exchange rates from their long-run equilibrium based on the theory of purchasing power parity. In order to explore this issue, a bilateral trade matrix involving trade flows between 10 developed countries is constructed. Using panel data analysis, a gravity model is estimated for 4 industry sectors over the period 1974-1999. The study finds that over-valuation (under-valuation) of the nominal exchange rate negatively (positively) affects export performance of the agricultural sector in particular. In the large-scale manufacturing sectors considered in this paper, exports are not significantly affected by exchange rate misalignment.exchange rate misalignment, agricultural trade, gravity model, International Relations/Trade,

THE EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE VOLATILITY ON WHEAT TRADE WORLDWIDE

A modified gravity-type model was employed to evaluate the effect of exchange rate volatility on wheat exports worldwide. Special attention was given to the econometric properties of the gravity model within panel framework. Short and long-term measures of exchange rate volatility were constructed and compared. Both measures of exchange rate volatility have exhibited a negative effect on world wheat trade and the long-term effect was even larger. This result implies that exchange rate volatility is an important factor in explaining the trade pattern of wheat trade worldwide. Keywords: wheat, export, exchange rate, volatility, gravity model, and panel data.wheat, export, exchange rate, volatility, gravity model, and panel data., International Relations/Trade,

THE EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE VOLATILITY ON WHEAT TRADE WORLDWIDE

A modified gravity-type model was employed to evaluate the effect of exchange rate volatility on wheat exports worldwide. Special attention was given to the econometric properties of the gravity model within a panel framework. Short and long-term measures of exchange rate volatility were constructed and compared. Both measures of exchange rate volatility exhibited negative effects on world wheat trade, with even greater effects in the long-term measure. This result implies that exchange rate volatility is an important factor in explaining the trade pattern of wheat worldwide.wheat, export, exchange rate, volatility, gravity model, and panel data., International Relations/Trade,

EFFECTS OF THE CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD ON THE U.S. WHEAT INDUSTRY

The practices of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) are an important issue in U.S. - Canada trade disputes and WTO negotiations. This study analyzes the CWB?s effect on U.S. producers by reviewing findings from previous research and developing models to analyze CWB wheat exports to the United States and the competitive structure of Canadian wheat exports in the world market. U.S. grain producers could benefit from the removal of the CWB as the United States could become more competitive in export markets. However, elimination of the CWB could also result in an increase in Canadian wheat exports to the United States as Canadian producers near the border could sell directly to the United States to take advantage of market opportunities. The net effect is difficult to quantify. The net benefits may be significant in the short run, but reduced significantly in the long run. Similarly, if Canada reforms its wheat board by eliminating trade-distorting subsidies, the United States may increase its exports and Canadian exports to the United States may increase. The net benefits from reforming the CWB could be greater than those from eliminating it. However, the United States could benefit the most from complete elimination of state trading enterprises (STEs), since they have elements distorting trade flows and the United States competes with several STEs in the world wheat market.Canadian Wheat Board, state trading enterprises, price discrimination, wheat exports, Crop Production/Industries, International Relations/Trade,

Analysis of Slab and Slab Heater Cover in a Compact Endless Cast and Rolling Mill Process using Finite Element Methods

Compact Endless cast and rolling Mill (CEM) processes were developed and used to fabricate steel products such as steel slabs. However, the coiling furnace in this process was very expensive, so a new layout was suggested. As the coiling furnace was removed, the interval among the slab heaters had to be increased. This led to a temperature drop in the slab. The temperature distribution of the slab impacts quality, so new layout was developed. This paper presents a Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation of thermal behavior in the slab employing slab heater covers. All of the simulation results were verified by comparing them with experimental results. The slab moving distance at which the temperature was saturated during the process was determined to consider the steady-state and analyze the temperature distribution of the slab and slab heater. Those results revealed that the efficiency of heat conservation increased by more than 50% using the slab heater cover. Finally, a sensitivity analysis of the slab heater cover was conducted with respect to the cover design. The effects of insulator thickness, the gap distance between the slab and cover, and material parameters such as density, and specific heat were investigated to optimize the design of the slab heater cover to produce the best quality slab.11Ysciescopuskc

Effectiveness of the Novel Herbal Medicine, KIOM-MA, and Its Bioconversion Product, KIOM-MA128, on the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis

This study was conducted to determine if oral administration of the novel herbal medicine, KIOM-MA, and its Lactobacillus acidophilus-fermented product, KIOM-MA128, has therapeutic properties for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD). Using AD-induced BALB/c mice by Ovalbumin and aluminum hydroxide, the effectiveness of KIOM-MA and KIOM-MA128 on AD was evaluated. Oral administration of KIOM-MA and KIOM-MA128 reduced major clinical signs of AD including erythema/darkening, edema/papulation, excoriations, lichenification/prurigo, and dryness. Interestingly, KIOM-MA128 more significantly improved AD-related symptoms including decrease of IgE level in the plasma as well as reduction of scratching behavior, skin severity in the AD BALB/c model. HPLC analysis showed the significant changes in the constituent patterns between KIOM-MA and KIOM-MA128. Our results suggest that both KIOM-MA and KIOM-MA128 have potential for therapeutic reagent for the treatment of AD, and further, the efficacy is significantly enhanced by L. acidophilus fermentation via increases in its indicator molecule

The Influence of Preoperative Bladder Outlet Obstruction on Continence and Satisfaction in Patients with Stress Urinary Incontinence after Midurethral Sling

Purpose We studied the influence of preoperative bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) on postoperative continence rates and patient satisfaction after the midurethral sling procedure. Methods A total of 159 women who underwent the midurethral sling procedure were evaluated. Using the Blaivas-Groutz nomogram, we assigned the patients were assigned to Group I (n=37, no obstruction), Group II (n=89, mild obstruction), or Group III (n=33, moderate to severe obstruction). Continence rates, patient satisfaction, urinary sensation scale and uroflowmetry were evaluated postoperatively. Results There were no significant differences in continence rates, satisfaction, or postoperative maximal flow rate between the 3 groups. Postoperative urgency was improved after surgery in Groups I and II (P<0.05) but not in Group III. Conclusions BOO does not seem to be a risk factor for failure after the midurethral sling procedure. However, BOO may be considered as a potential factor for persistent storage symptoms after the midurethral sling