Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Covered Persons

Estimates how proposed reforms would affect health insurance coverage rates in each state and what percentage of the newly covered would benefit from provisions for Medicaid, subsidies, mandates, and children. Compares rural and urban areas

The detailed characterization of Martian impact craters from the 1/16 degree MOLA global topography grid

We describe a new project to obtain a global characterisation of Martian impact crater morphology from the 1/16 degree MOLA topography dataset. A new mathematical method applicable to both symmetric and asymmetric craters is used

Uninsured Spells of the Poor: Prevalence and Duration

The number of persons in the United States without health insurance, particularly those lacking private health insurance, is increasing. Although there is a large body of research documenting the insurance status of people in poverty at a point in time, the duration of spells without health insurance, and the duration of poverty spells, much less attention has been paid to the dynamics of spells without health insurance among those in poverty. The results presented here, based on data from the 1990 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), conclude that the typical uninsured spell is longer for the uninsured poor (roughly 8.3 months) than for the uninsured nonpoor (roughly 6 months) and that the duration of spells has increased over time. The findings suggest that over 40 percent of the uninsured at a point in time are chronically uninsured and poor or near poor. The cost of obtaining health care is particularly prohibitive for this group, with serious implications for the reform of health care.

Psychological factors affecting equine performance

For optimal individual performance within any equestrian discipline horses must be in peak physical condition and have the correct psychological state. This review discusses the psychological factors that affect the performance of the horse and, in turn, identifies areas within the competition horse industry where current behavioral research and established behavioral modification techniques could be applied to further enhance the performance of animals. In particular, the role of affective processes underpinning temperament, mood and emotional reaction in determining discipline-specific performance is discussed. A comparison is then made between the training and the competition environment and the review completes with a discussion on how behavioral modification techniques and general husbandry can be used advantageously from a performance perspective

Evaluation of the volumetric erosion of spherical electrical contacts using the defect removal method

Volumetric erosion is regarded as a significant index for studying the erosion process of electrical switching contacts. Three-dimensional (3-D) surface measurement techniques provide an approach to investigate the geometric characteristics and volumetric erosion of electrical contacts. This paper presents a concrete data-processing procedure for evaluating volumetric erosion of spherical electrical contacts from 3-D surface measurement data using the defect removal method (DRM). The DRM outlined by McBride is an algorithm for evaluating the underlying form (prior to erosion) parameters of the surfaces with localized erosion and allowing the erosion characteristics themselves to be isolated. In this paper, a number of spherical electrical contacts that had undergone various electrical operations were measured using a 3-D surface profiler, the underlying form parameters of the eroded contacts were evaluated using the DRM, and then the volumetric erosions were isolated and calculated. The analysis of the correlations between the volumetric erosion and the number of switching cycles of electrical operation that the contacts had undergone showed a more accurate and reliable volumetric erosion evaluation using the DRM than that without using the DRM

Characteristics and Production Costs of U.S. Hog Farms, 2004

Hog production in 2004 was characterized by wide variation in the types, sizes, and economic performance of operations. Operations specializing in a single production phase generated more than three times the product value, on average, of those using the traditional farrow-to-finish approach. Low-cost operations tended to be larger, located in the Heartland, and operated by farmers whose primary occupation was farming. Small and medium operations far outnumbered large and very large operations, but large and very large operations accounted for most of the production. Average production costs declined as the size of the hog operation increased, a result of reduced capital costs and more efficient input use. Hog production was highly concentrated in the Heartland, but the largest operations were specialized hog finishing units in the Southern Seaboard.Agriculture, swine, hogs, hog production, hog operations, Agricultural Resource Management Survey, production costs, economies of size, Industrial Organization, Livestock Production/Industries, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis,

FACTORS AFFECTING CONTRACTOR AND GROWER SUCCESS IN HOG CONTRACTING

This study analyzes a national survey of U.S. hog producers within a principal-agent framework in order to examine factors affecting contractor and grower success in hog contracting. Several factors had differential impacts on contractor and grower returns. Results suggest that there may be a role for public policy in ensuring that contract arrangements are conducted fairly.Livestock Production/Industries,

ECONOMIC AND STRUCTURAL RELATIONSHIPS IN U.S. HOG PRODUCTION

Rapid change in the size and ownership structure of U.S. hog production has created new and varied challenges for the industry. This report describes an industry becoming increasingly concentrated among fewer and larger farms, and becoming more economically efficient. These changes have not come without problems. The increasing market control and power concentrated among packers and large hog operations, and the manure management problem posed by an increasing concentration of hog manure on fewer operations, are paramount concerns. Addressing these concerns through regulations would likely impose economic costs that could be passed on to consumers. In addition, the relative mobility of the hog industry means that regulations could result in significant changes in the location of hog production facilities, with ripple effects in local economies. Balancing environmental and economic interests will challenge policymakers dealing with the implications of structural change in U.S. hog production.Hog production, industry structure, structural change, production costs, contract production, manure management, Livestock Production/Industries,