A MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS: PATENT POLICY ANALYSIS

In this paper, peculiarities of the process of development of agricultural biotechnological innovations are considered, in particular the distinction between R&D races for gene discoveries and subsequent competition for developing their marketable applications in the form of genetically modified (GM) crops, the results of which determine the payoffs of discovering a gene. A formal two-stage model is specified and analyzed with regard to how different patent protection regimes and other government policies affect firm's R&D strategies and the welfare realized from an innovation. We find that different policy measures affect the outcomes of the two stages of biotechnological innovation differently, which leaves some ambiguity as to which patent protection regimes might be strictly preferable. However, general direction of policy improvement is identified.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Quality Premiums and the Post-Harvest Spot Market Thinness: The Case of U.S. Peanuts

In the paper, we analyze two issues that are important in the U.S. peanut markets: the absence of explicit quality premiums in the crop contracts, and the thinness of the postharvest cash/spot markets, which obstructs the operation of current production support policies. We argue that introduction of quality differentials in the form of either fixed premium or rank-order tournament contracts may kill two birds with one stone by increasing the spot market turnover and providing incentives for increasing crop quality. In addition, this arrangement is likely to reduce the costs of the federal support programs.contracts, tournaments, efficiency, cash markets, peanuts, Marketing,

SIMULATING THE EFFECTS OF ADOPTION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED SOYBEANS IN THE U.S.

The paper models the distributional effects of partial adoption of genetically modified soybeans under the assumptions of imperfectly competitive markets and identity preservation requirements. Our results show the welfare costs of market imperfections and improve understanding the diffusion of innovation in agriculture.Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

A Model of Diffusion of Genetically Modified Crop Technology in Concentrated Agricultural Processing Markets - The Case of Soybeans

In the paper, a dynamic model of diffusion of genetically modified crop technology is developed and simulated using the U.S. soybean market data. The model accounts for factors specific to agricultural markets, such as oligopsony power and strategic interaction among crop processors, growers' characteristics such as adoption behavior, and identity preservation requirements. Simulation results show how these factors affect the magnitude and distribution of the potential gains from genetically modified crops.biotechnology in agriculture, soybeans, innovation diffusion, oligopsony, genetically modified crop, Consumer/Household Economics,

Strategic Behavior and Trade in Agricultural Commodities - Competition in World Peanut Markets

In this paper, we make an attempt to rationalize the strategic behavior of major peanut exporting and importing countries in the framework of imperfectly competitive markets with the focus on the global and inter-American peanut trade. This study is motivated by the fact that liberalizing imperfectly competitive and often distorted markets can have unorthodox effects, in particular increase the incentives to overuse certain trade policies. The results suggest that the South American peanut producers stand to benefit from the reductions in the U.S. peanut production supports but, paradoxically, preservation of a tariff may still be mutually welfare enhancing. In the broader context of global peanut trade, multi-lateral tariff reduction increases the low-cost exporters' incentives to subsidize export production, which benefits the consumers but hurts the higher-cost producers.trade, peanuts, strategic behavior, tariffs, TRQs, subsidies, Crop Production/Industries, International Relations/Trade, F12, F13, Q17,

Financing Constraints and Access to Credit in Post Crisis Environment: Evidence from New Farmers in Alabama

We use survey data to study the level of financing constrains faced by new farmers in Alabama post 2008, and identify who got loans. We find that new farmers are financially constrained but not impacted by the crisis. Lending was collateral driven, although lenders also considered profitability and cash flows.financing constraints, access to agricultural credit, new farmers, Agricultural Finance, Financial Economics, Risk and Uncertainty, G31, Q12, Q14,

Acquired Elliptocytosis as a Manifestation of Myelodysplastic Syndrome with Ring Sideroblasts and Multilineage Dysplasia.

Acquired elliptocytosis is a known but rarely described abnormality in the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Here we report the case of an elderly male who was admitted to the hospital with chest pain, dyspnea, and fatigue and was found to be anemic with an elliptocytosis that had only recently been noted on peripheral smears of his blood. After bone marrow biopsy he was diagnosed with MDS with ring sideroblasts and multilineage dysplasia and acquired elliptocytosis. Here we report a rare case of acquired elliptocytosis cooccurring with MDS with ring sideroblasts and multilineage dysplasia

The Oblate Schwarzschild Approximation for Light Curves of Rapidly Rotating Neutron Stars

We present a simple method for including the oblateness of a rapidly rotating neutron star when fitting X-ray light curves. In previous work we showed that the oblateness induced by rotation at frequencies above 300 Hz produces a geometric effect which needs to be accounted for when modelling light curves to extract constraints on the neutron star's mass and radius. In our model X-rays are emitted from the surface of an oblate neutron star and propagate to the observer along geodesics of the Schwarzschild metric for a spherical neutron star. Doppler effects due to rotation are added in the same manner as in the case of a spherical neutron star. We show that this model captures the most important effects due to the neutron star's rotation. We also explain how the geometric oblateness effect can rival the Doppler effect for some emission geometries.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. v2: minor changes. Accepted by the Astrophysical Journa