Levels or Differences in Meat Demand Specification

We estimated a wholesale demand system for beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and turkey using quarterly U.S. data and a dynamic, CBS system (Keller and Van Driel). The CBS system is a differential system, which means that it might be more appropriately applied in those situations where the data have unit roots. If there are unit roots, differencing the data can improve the properties of the estimates. If the data do not have unit roots, differencing the data might harm the properties of the estimates. We tested the specification of the model's error terms using state-space techniques. State-space units allow one to deal with roots on the unit circle without filtering the data (See Durbin and Koopman). The demand system has only four independent error terms. The state-space model we used could have decomposed these four independent error terms into four errors with unit roots and four with 0 roots. Adding state-space features to the model greatly improved its performance as measured by the likelihood ratio statistics. The estimates imply that the raw demand data have two unit roots and three 0 roots. Our mixed approach improves the properties of the estimates.Demand and Price Analysis,

Protein Binding Sites and Cis-acting Sequences on the West Nile Virus 3\u27 (+) SL RNA

RNase footprinting and nitrocellulose filter-binding assays were previously used to map one major and two minor binding sites for the cell protein eEF1A on the 3’(+) stem loop (SL) RNA of West Nile virus (WNV) (2). Base substitutions in the major eEF1A binding site or adjacent areas of the 3’(+) SL were engineered into a WNV infectious clone. Mutations that decreased, as well as ones that increased, eEF1A binding in in vitro assays had a negative affect on viral growth. None of these mutations affected the efficiency of translation of the viral polyprotein from the genomic RNA, but all of the mutations that decreased in vitro eEF1A binding to the 3’ SL RNA also decreased viral minus-strand RNA synthesis in transfected cells. Also, mutations that increased the efficiency of eEF1A binding to the 3’ SL RNA increased minus-strand RNA synthesis in transfected cells, which resulted in decreased synthesis of genomic RNA. These results strongly suggest that the interaction between eEF1A and the WNV 3’ SL facilitates viral minus-strand initiation. eEF1A colocalized with viral replication complexes (RC) in infected cells and antibody to eEF1A coimmunoprecipitated viral RC proteins, suggesting that eEF1A facilitates an interaction between the 3’ end of the genome and the RC. eEF1A bound with similar efficiency to the 3’ terminal SL RNAs of four divergent flaviviruses, including a tick-borne flavivirus, and colocalized with dengue RC in infected cells. These results suggest that eEF1A plays a similar role in the RNA replication of all flaviviruses

Gray Transceiver: A Multi-Robot Communication Interface and Protocol

The use of multi-robot teams in the Robot Operating System (ROS) has encountered difficulty in advancement because of a lack of effective ways for the robots to communicate. Several attempts towards solving this problem have been made, but these approaches have had trouble with either low fault tolerance or high network load. The Gray Transceiver is an interface and communication protocol for inter-robot communication using ROS. The Gray Transceiver leverages multicasting for reduced network load and increased fault tolerance. Results from simulations, high throughput testing, and live multi-robot evaluations are included. The live mult-robot and simulation evaluations show that it functions properly operating across multiple robots while tolerating faults. The high throughput test shows how the Gray Transceiver operates under high load across a several types of conditions

Complements and Meat Demand in the U.S.

In this study we estimated the price elasticities among meats, vegetables, grains, and potatoes and the impact that different levels of income have on the demand for these commodities. The 2005 Nielsen retail home scan data were used to construct a censored demand system of 14 equations. Results revealed that the uncompensated cross-price elasticities for both low and high-incomes suggest both substitution and complement relationships, while the compensated price elasticities are dominated primarily by substitution relationships. Our findings also revealed that expenditure elasticities among both low and high-income households differ for most commodities.censored dependent variables, meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, sample selection model, two-step estimation, Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries, C25, D12, Q11,

Biodiesel Mandate Laws in Argentina and Brazil: An Estimation of Soybean Oil Foregone Export Revenues

Replaced with revised version of paper 02/22/08.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Evidence Use in Congress: Options for Charting a New Direction; Volume 2

Lawmakers in Congress have expressed a growing interest in the promise of evidence-based policymaking. Bipartisan legislation has been pursued in Congress that would encourage the use of evidence to improve outcomes for key education, health, workforce, and other federal programs. These past legislative initiatives suggest growing potential for the wider use of evidence to better inform congressional decision-making in the future. However, key challenges remain for fostering a stronger culture of evidence in Congress. This stronger culture will be necessary to fully realize the potential benefits of evidence-based policymaking

Recognition, Investigation, and Control of Communicable-Disease Outbreaks in Child Day-Care Settings

As increasing numbers of young children attend day-care centers in the US, the elevated risk of acquiring infectious diseases in this setting has emerged as an important public health issue.1 Outbreaks of infectious diseases occur frequently within the daycare setting,2 and enteric and respiratory pathogens may be readily transmitted to household members and others in the community.1,2 The economic burden of these outbreaks is considerable; for example, parents of children in day care miss an average of I to 4 weeks of work each year to care for their sick children.1 Investigations of communicable-disease outbreaks in day-care centers have provided a wealth of information useful in developing and implementing infection-control policies and guidelines. While documented experiences with outbreaks in day-care settings have been relatively recent, they have rapidly expanded our understanding of reservoirs of infectious agents, routes of transmission, clinical characteristics of illness, risk factors for infection, the effectiveness of interventions, and recognition of pathogens previously not reportable or thought to be unimportant. Outbreak investigations in day-care centers reported in the literature have focused primarily on the etiologic agents listed in the Table. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of methodologic issues pertinent to such investigations

Recognition, Investigation, and Control of Communicable-Disease Outbreaks in Child Day-Care Settings

As increasing numbers of young children attend day-care centers in the US, the elevated risk of acquiring infectious diseases in this setting has emerged as an important public health issue.1 Outbreaks of infectious diseases occur frequently within the daycare setting,2 and enteric and respiratory pathogens may be readily transmitted to household members and others in the community.1,2 The economic burden of these outbreaks is considerable; for example, parents of children in day care miss an average of I to 4 weeks of work each year to care for their sick children.1 Investigations of communicable-disease outbreaks in day-care centers have provided a wealth of information useful in developing and implementing infection-control policies and guidelines. While documented experiences with outbreaks in day-care settings have been relatively recent, they have rapidly expanded our understanding of reservoirs of infectious agents, routes of transmission, clinical characteristics of illness, risk factors for infection, the effectiveness of interventions, and recognition of pathogens previously not reportable or thought to be unimportant. Outbreak investigations in day-care centers reported in the literature have focused primarily on the etiologic agents listed in the Table. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of methodologic issues pertinent to such investigations

Ambiguities in the Cross-Section Analysis of Per Share Financial Data

In analyzing corporate financial data it is standard procedure to adjust the data to reflect the current number of shares outstanding. In this study, we show that this simple ,standard procedure can cause serious difficulties in a financial analysis

A Collaborative Approach in Implementing a Clinical Information System

The biggest challenge and most critical success factor in reengineering projects is persuading the people within the organization to cooperate. This task becomes much more difficult when the major players have a tradition of high independence,are often confrontational to management, and are irreplaceable independent contractors. CIO\u27s in major health care organizations face exactly this situation; further complicated by the fact that the reengineering effort is crucial to the continued existence of the organization. The current health care environment is transforming from a cottage industry made up of specialized craftsmen, into a more industrialized model requiring reporting standards and statistical outcomes for quality and cost improvements. Collaboration with these artisans, call them doctors, entrepreneurs who prided themselves on their individuality, presents a formidable challenge in the development of new organizational information systems. This paper addresses the changing health care climate and the collaborative efforts by a number people in establishing a working environment for the implementation of a physician-driven clinical information syste