Dimensional enhancement of kinetic energies

Simple thermodynamics considers kinetic energy to be an extensive variable which is proportional to the number, N, of particles. We present a quantum state of N non-interacting particles for which the kinetic energy increases quadratically with N. This enhancement effect is tied to the quantum centrifugal potential whose strength is quadratic in the number of dimensions of configuration space.Comment: 9 pages, accepted by Phys. Rev.

MARKETING MECHANISMS IN GM GRAINS AND OILSEEDS

A number of challenges exist for genetically modified (GM) crop development at the production level. Contract strategies can resolve these challenges. Contracts can be designed to induce legal adoption of GM wheat by varying technology fees, violation detection, and penalties. The primary objective of this research is to analyze contracting strategies to determine terms to minimize technology agreement violation and to induce legal adoption of GM wheat. A simulation model of a crop budget for Hard Red Spring wheat was developed. Results illustrate that contracts can be designed to induce desired behavior. Technology fee, probability of detection, and the level of non-GM premium were the most notable factors influencing adoption decisions.Producer Decisions, Risk, Genetically Modified, Contract Terms, Wheat, Crop Production/Industries,

OPTIMAL TESTING STRATEGIES FOR GENETICALLY MODIFIED WHEAT

A stochastic optimization model was developed to determine optimal testing strategies, costs, and risks of a dual marketing system. The model chooses the testing strategy (application, intensity, and tolerance) that maximizes utility (minimizes disutility) of additional system costs due to testing and quality loss and allows simulation of the risk premium required to induce grain handlers to undertake a dual marketing system versus a Non-GM system. Cost elements including those related to testing, quality loss, and a risk premium were estimated for a model representing a grain export chain. Uncertainties were incorporated and include test accuracy, risk of adventitious commingling throughout, and variety declaration. Sensitivities were performed for effects of variety risks, penalty differentials, re-elevation discounts, import tolerances, variety declaration, risk aversion, GM adoption, and domestic end-user.Segregation, Testing, Tolerance, Genetically Modified, Wheat, Risk Premium, Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

INCENTIVE CONTRACTS TO MEET FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS IN WHEAT PURCHASING

Consistency of functional characteristics in hard red spring (HRS) wheat is a concern confronting sellers and buyers. This research analyzes contract incentives for importers with respect to cost and potential risk of acceptance. A principal-agent framework is utilized to examine contract incentives. In the principal-agent contract, the principal offers the contract, the agent rejects or accepts the contract, and then decides how much effort to apply. All this is subject to risk for the agent and moral hazard for the principal. An example is presented, for which equilibrium contract terms are a base price of 454 cents per bushel for low quality wheat and a premium of 36 cents per bushel if high quality is achieved. The premium for high quality is unchanged as the agent's outside option increases, but increases as the probability of conformance with high effort declines or as the agent's cost of high effort increases. Small changes in several of the parameter values (agent's outside option, agent's cost of high/low effort, principal value for high/low effort, and principal's outside options if the contract was not extended or if the agent rejects the contract) result in the principal not offering a contract.Incentive Contact, Functional Characteristic, Wheat, Principal-Agent, Crop Production/Industries,

Bulk Fuel Distribution Costs For Cooperatives in North Dakota

Economic-engineering cost data and a simulation model were used to analyze the impact of sales density, size of sales area, sales volume, and equipment configuration on costs of bulk fuel delivery by cooperatives. Fixed costs accounted for the majority of delivery costs regardless of sales density or size of sales area, at least for the relevant range of these variables for North Dakota. Increasing the radius of a sales area from 5 to 50 miles increased average costs only $.02 to$.09/gal. Doubling sales by either doubling the size of the sales area or the sales density reduced average total costs by nearly 50%. Thus, cooperatives with excess delivery capacity could achieve significant savings if they consolidate to operate closer to the capacity of delivery equipment. Small storage facilities (say 50,000 gal.) place little or no restriction on operations because deliveries from bulk fuel terminals are reliable and on a timely basis. Therefore, the economic rationale for building larger storage facilities would include speculation on price changes and as a response to future expectations rather than current operating requirements. The impact of the size of load-out pipes (2" or 3") and delivery trucks (2,000 or 4,000 gal.) is significant in some instances. The larger load-out pipes are most economical for high sales densities. Larger trucks have a comparative advantage in large sales areas with lower sales densities.cooperatives, fuel distribution, delivery costs, market area size, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Agribusiness,

Nuclear recoil energy scale in liquid xenon with application to the direct detection of dark matter

We show for the first time that the quenching of electronic excitation from nuclear recoils in liquid xenon is well-described by Lindhard theory, if the nuclear recoil energy is reconstructed using the combined (scintillation and ionization) energy scale proposed by Shutt {\it et al.}. We argue for the adoption of this perspective in favor of the existing preference for reconstructing nuclear recoil energy solely from primary scintillation. We show that signal partitioning into scintillation and ionization is well-described by the Thomas-Imel box model. We discuss the implications for liquid xenon detectors aimed at the direct detection of dark matter

ISSUES IN DEVELOPMENT AND ADOPTION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) WHEATS

Development of genetically modified (GM) wheat varieties is proceeding; however, several critical issues remain the focus of contention. This project summarizes the current state of knowledge on some of these critical issues for commercialization of GM wheats. Background on the evolution of GM Wheats is presented. Then, agronomic adoption and competitiveness of GM crops; research on GM traits in wheat; consumer acceptance of GM crops (a separate section is included on issues related to consumer acceptance of GM crops); regulatory issues and status; international trade; testing, segregation, and identity preservation; and production and marketing risks are examined. Finally, there is a description of the likely marketing system to evolve and a discussion of outstanding issues.wheat, genetic modification, transgenic, marketing, Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,