ESSAYS ON U.S. BEEF MARKETS

This dissertation includes three essays on U.S. beef market. Each essay has looked at this market from a different point of view. The first essay investigates the price adjustment along the different levels of this market. The second essay discusses the impact of food safety incidents on export levels in this market. The third essay considers the environmental loading of U.S. beef market. A summary of each article is as follows. The first essay (chapter 2) analyzes price adjustment of the U.S. beef sector with a focus on the Great Recession. To this purpose, the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) and historical decomposition graphs are applied to monthly data. The results indicate that retail prices have lower speeds of adjustment than wholesale prices. Also, the magnitude of price adjustment in the presence of the Great Recession, as an exogenous shock, is different for each level of the U.S. beef market. It is concluded that, with respect to both the speed and magnitude of the price adjustment, the U.S. beef sector has an asymmetric price adjustment, pointing to the inefficiency of the U.S. beef supply chain. These results have welfare implications for U.S. beef consumers and producers. The primary objective of the second essay (chapter 3) is to quantify the impact of consumer awareness about beef safety on U.S. beef exports. To do that, an index is used to reflect consumer’s awareness about beef safety based on the publicized reports in the media. Quarterly panel data is applied to the top importing countries, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and Canada for the period 2000-2016. Applying the gravity model, results show that a 0.8% reduction in U.S. beef exports arose from the foodborne-disease news. In addition, using impulse response functions derived from panel vector autoregressive (Panel VAR) estimation, results show that the negative impact of a shock in food safety news intensified after three quarters, and then diminished slowly over time. In order to regain consumers’ confidence and to compensate for the economic loss arising from a foodborne outbreak, bilateral cooperation among trade partners seems necessary. Investing in any scheme that minimizes the impact of food safety events, such as disease eradication programs, traceability systems, quality labeling, and third-party certification that conveys the safety message to consumers is suggested. The third essay (chapter 4) has two purposes. First, it quantifies the environmental loading of U.S. beef sector by calculating emission levels over the period 1970-2014. Beef cattle is one of the most emission-intensive sectors, which is responsible for 35% to 54% of total GHGs from livestock. Following International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guideline, this study identifies three sources of emissions, including enteric fermentation, manure management, and manure left on pastures. Second, it provides an understanding of consumption-environmental connection related to the beef industry using time series techniques. Finally, it is suggested that providing information to the public regarding livestock and climate change relationship would be beneficial. This knowledge might help to avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change in the future

Trends and Factors Impacting Healthcare Charges and Length of Stay for Cholecystectomies: A New York State Population-based Analysis

Background: Gallbladder disease confers a significant economic toll on the United States healthcare system. This study aims to characterize current trends and features of the cholecystectomy population and identify factors that influence the length of stay and total charges. Methods: Case information was extracted for laparoscopic and open cholecystectomies from 2013-2016 using the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database. Descriptive, comparative, and multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted on 58,141 cases assessing age group, race, gender, admission presentation, surgical technique, insurance status, year of operation and severity of illness by the length of stay and total charges. Results: Of all procedures, 91.6% were laparoscopic, and 79.4% were emergent on admission. Total procedures trended down, while laparoscopic and emergent cases steadily increased (p<0.0001). Total charges increased during the study period, while the length of stay decreased (p<0.0001). Open and emergent procedures were associated with a higher cost and longer inpatient stays (p<0.0001). Open procedures were proportionally more common among elderly, male patients, and in elective cases (p<0.0001). Emergent presentation was more common in females, non-whites, and younger patients (p<0.0001). Regression model showed that male gender, open operation, Black race, and emergent presentation were independent predictors for a longer stay and greater total charges (p<0.0001). Medicare insurance predicted lower total charges but longer length of stay (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Race, insurance, procedure type, and patient presentation influence hospital charges and stays following cholecystectomy. Understanding these trends will allow policymakers and providers to limit the healthcare burden of cholecystectomy

World Literature: A Panacea for the Colonial Prejudice of English Literature

The present study is an attempt to discuss the importance of “World Literature” for English literary studies in universities and societies around the world. In this regard, this paper shall refer to the stances adopted by various thinkers against the colonial and ideological essence of the English literature in developing countries. In this part, references are made to postcolonial thinkers and the way they have exposed the barbaric nature of colonialism, in that it has, for decades, marginalized the culture and literature of other nations through cultural (neo)colonialism. The next part offers a brief introduction to the history of the emergence of “World Literature” and the ways in which it contributes to bridging the gap between nations across continents and ideological divides. The final section is devoted to a recapitulatory remark vis-à-vis the reorientation of the public’s eyes towards “World Literature” as a panacea for the colonial prejudice of English literature

Assembly, growth and conductive properties of tellurium nanorods produced by Rhodococcus aetherivorans BCP1

Tellurite (TeO32-) is a hazardous and toxic oxyanion for living organisms. However, several microorganisms can bioconvert TeO32- into the less toxic form of elemental tellurium (Te0). Here, Rhodococcus aetherivorans BCP1 resting (non-growing) cells showed the proficiency to produce tellurium-based nanoparticles (NPs) and nanorods (NRs) through the bioconversion of TeO32-, depending on the oxyanion initial concentration and time of cellular incubation. Te-nanostructures initially appeared in the cytoplasm of BCP1 cells as spherical NPs, which, as the exposure time increased, were converted into NRs. This observation suggested the existence of an intracellular mechanism of TeNRs assembly and growth that resembled the chemical surfactant-assisted process for NRs synthesis. The TeNRs produced by the BCP1 strain showed an average length (>700 nm) almost doubled compared to those observed in other studies. Further, the biogenic TeNRs displayed a regular single-crystalline structure typically obtained for those chemically synthesized. The chemical-physical characterization of the biogenic TeNRs reflected their thermodynamic stability that is likely derived from amphiphilic biomolecules present in the organic layer surrounding the NRs. Finally, the biogenic TeNRs extract showed good electrical conductivity. Thus, these findings support the suitability of this strain as eco-friendly biocatalyst to produce high quality tellurium-based nanomaterials exploitable for technological purposes

A study of relation between comparative advantage indices of wheat and support policies by using econometrics approach

Comparative advantage is a term used to describe a production capability with low level output price and minimum opportunity costs. This study was done to evaluate the importance of maintaining comparative advantage for a strategic crop such as wheat in terms of changes and contributing factors over time. In this study data has been calculated and investigated by comparative advantage indices such as Net Social Profit and Domestic Resource Cost for the period of 1984-2010 in Iran. Following a stationary test and an econometrics model the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) was applied to analyze the relation between guaranteed price policy, producer support estimate index and subsidies by comparative advantage indices. Results showed that as producer support is increased, comparative advantage decreased and the use of cheaper price inputs led to less competitiveness although the guaranteed price policy led to an improvement in scale advantage index, but had no positive effect on the efficiency advantage index. This study suggests that there is a need to perform investigations considering the relationship of cost and world market price and a change from direct support of the agricultural sector to indirect support in the form of structural support, and finally with the implementation of targeted subsidy policy, these multiple goals can be achieve

Lights, Camera, Information Literacy: Collaborating to Create Multimedia Materials for Library Instruction

Academic librarians devote their lives to research. Whether it’s providing scholars access to authoritative works or guiding new students through the uncharted territory of online databases and primary sources, librarians are an integral part of the research process. However, lack of time and resources can often restrict librarians’ abilities to apply in-depth research methodologies to evaluate their own institutions. The irony of this circumstance was not lost on the librarians at the American University of Paris, where innovation and collaboration are strong tenets of the institution’s culture. AUP librarians chose to build on their partnerships both internally and externally with faculty and vendors to transform their challenges into a growing study about undergraduate student research behaviors. By administering online surveys to students and following-up with in-person interviews, librarians were able to collect qualitative data about students, their research behaviors, and their opinions about the library’s resources. The paper will provide an overview of results about students and their use of Literati, as well as highlighting what worked well during the collaborative research process between AUP librarians and Credo Reference. AUP librarians and Credo Reference as partners demonstrate the experience of becoming strategic partners, tools for successful collaboration, and lessons learned