Water Management in a River Basin with Downstream Externalities

Most water for agricultural and municipal uses comes from river basins. Traditionally the analysis of trade-offs has been confined to evaluating the marginal value of water in urban and municipal uses. However, return flows from these uses often end up in coastal waters that support downstream shrimp and other fish habitats. We examine this problem by developing a conceptual model of a river basin with multiple uses. We develop equilibrium conditions for water allocation to these alternative uses. A unique feature of this model is that the demand for water may vary due to exogenous conditions, such as drought. We apply this framework to secondary data from a coastal river basin in Georgia to show that only under very unique conditions may this trade-off become meaningful, i.e., upstream water withdrawals may need to be limited to protect downstream benefits. Working Paper Number 2005-001

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION AND GLOBALIZATION IN THE COASTAL FISHERY

Most coastal fisheries in the U.S. and other developed economies are going through a major transition. On the one hand, new technologies such as electronic enhancement to assist trawling have led to a decline in the unit cost of fishing, making it more economically efficient. On the other hand, this improved efficiency has possibly led to increased environmental damage. This has led to conflicts between fishermen and conservation groups. In the past, the main policy issue confronting fishery managers was the task of ensuring that stocks were managed at levels that sustained employment and profits in the fishing industry. However, in recent years, the dynamics of the coastal fishery has changed dramatically. More and more affluent people have settled into coastal areas. Recreational demand has increased faster than demand for commercial fish. Environmental concerns have often become more important than the matter of providing fish at reasonable prices to the urban consumer. This trend has been exacerbated by the globalization of the world fish industry, so that cheaper imports from overseas can now compete with higher cost domestic fish. The paper addresses this problem by developing a simple spatial model of the coastal fishery with two fleets, a traditional higher cost fleet which is environmentally less damaging (e.g., castnetting), and a modern lower cost fleet (trawling) which may have negative environmental effects. As fish move away from inshore breeding grounds to areas offshore, they grow bigger in size, attracting a price premium. The model tries to answer the question: which fleet should fish in what location? This depends on various cost and demand parameters. The optimal spatial allocation of fishing effort is derived when fleets have harvest and capacity constraints. The effect of regulation, for example to preserve inshore fishing grounds for the traditional fleet or imposing environmental taxes on the modern fleet are examined. The effect of imports on effort allocation is discussed. The paper concludes with a case study discussion of the southeastern U.S. shrimp fishery.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Decentralized Sewer Unit Packages as an Alternative for Bulloch County to Manage Fast Growth

Throughout the state of Georgia, rural areas rely on septic tanks to dispose of bodily waste for small commercial, industrial, and residential construction. Septic tanks act as the most conventional system when properties fall outside the service areas of municipal and private wastewater treatment facilities. Bulloch County has a vast number of rural dwellings within its boundaries. Moreover, the County experienced a steady 3 to 5% annual growth over the last several years. Therefore, an examination of alternatives to the traditional septic systems is warranted if the County wishes to maintain continued sustainable growth. This study focuses on the factors driving growth in Bulloch county including: population, housing, commercial and industrial development, subdivision development, assessed property values, and future development projections. Next, we compare two waste disposal systems that could substitute for traditional septic systems: a Small Diameter Gravity System (SDGS) and the Bioclere Onsite Wastewater Treatment System. Working Paper Number 2005-001

UNDERSTANDING TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION THROUGH SYSTEM DYNAMICS MODELING: IMPLICATIONS FOR AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT

This work demonstrates the utility of sophisticated simulation tools in aiding agribusiness managers' decision making. The system dynamics model developed here provides insight into the use of such models to evaluate potential adoption rates and diffusion patterns of yield mapping and monitoring technologies. The model allows for comparative analyses of the possible effects of different profit assumptions on adoption and diffusion.Agribusiness, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Coastal River Basins Water Resource Assessment An Evaluation of Water Use and Availability in Seven Coastal River Basins

Georgia has experienced a persistent drought for the last four years. While the drought conditions have subsided, the need for effective river basin planning continues. Effective water planning for our river basins will ensure adequate resource availability for the immediate future as well as over the long run.Basin planning consists of four primary steps: 1) understanding current and future water demands, 2) understanding existing resources (water supply), 3) anticipating potential shortfalls and other issues that might arise from the discrepancies between supply and demand, and 4) devising policy solutions which adequately resolve items identified in step 3).This report explores the available data for water demands and supplies across the seven river basins that make up the coastal region served by the Coastal Rivers Water Planning and Policy Center at Georgia Southern University. The permit issuing and water use reporting processes have made it difficult to accurately estimate water demand across the region. Moreover, the river data is sparse, sporadic, and insufficient to determine the unimpaired flows for any of our rivers. Our intent is to highlight the areas for future data collection such that our state policy makers may successfully establish river basin water use plans that ensure sustainable economic growth, with minimal environmental impacts. Working Paper # 2003-00

Characteristics of Effective Leaders in Economic Development: An Exploratory Study

Donna K. Fisher, Ph.D., is an assistant professor, School of Economic Development, College of Business Administration, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460-8152. Russell Kent, Ph.D., is a professor, Department of Marketing & Logistics. College of Business Administration, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460-8154. Linda Nottingham, ABD, is an instructor, Central Florida College, Winter Park, FL 32789. J Robert B. Field, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of marketing, Algoma University College, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A 2G4, Canada

Ampullary cancers harbor ELF3 tumor suppressor gene mutations and exhibit frequent WNT dysregulation

The ampulla of Vater is a complex cellular environment from which adenocarcinomas arise to form a group of histopathologically heterogenous tumors. To evaluate the molecular features of these tumors, 98 ampullary adenocarcinomas were evaluated and compared to 44 distal bile duct and 18 duodenal adenocarcinomas. Genomic analyses revealed mutations in the WNT signaling pathway among half of the patients and in all three adenocarcinomas irrespective of their origin and histological morphology. These tumors were characterized by a high frequency of inactivating mutations of ELF3, a high rate of microsatellite instability, and common focal deletions and amplifications, suggesting common attributes in the molecular pathogenesis are at play in these tumors. The high frequency of WNT pathway activating mutation, coupled with small-molecule inhibitors of β-catenin in clinical trials, suggests future treatment decisions for these patients may be guided by genomic analysis

Multi-ancestry study of blood lipid levels identifies four loci interacting with physical activity.

Many genetic loci affect circulating lipid levels, but it remains unknown whether lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, modify these genetic effects. To identify lipid loci interacting with physical activity, we performed genome-wide analyses of circulating HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in up to 120,979 individuals of European, African, Asian, Hispanic, and Brazilian ancestry, with follow-up of suggestive associations in an additional 131,012 individuals. We find four loci, in/near CLASP1, LHX1, SNTA1, and CNTNAP2, that are associated with circulating lipid levels through interaction with physical activity; higher levels of physical activity enhance the HDL cholesterol-increasing effects of the CLASP1, LHX1, and SNTA1 loci and attenuate the LDL cholesterol-increasing effect of the CNTNAP2 locus. The CLASP1, LHX1, and SNTA1 regions harbor genes linked to muscle function and lipid metabolism. Our results elucidate the role of physical activity interactions in the genetic contribution to blood lipid levels