INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT MOTIVATIONS OF U.S. WINERIES

This study used personal and telephone interviews of wine industry executives and observers to examine the foreign direct investment motivations of U.S. wineries. Underlying most winery motivations was the recognition that U.S. wineries sense increasing pressure to offer a competitive range of wines that meet the price/quality needs of consumers and retailers in important markets and market segments. Wineries' marketing plans are often constrained by their ability to obtain adequate grape and juice supplies that meet important price and quality criteria, especially when domestic grape production drops. The importance of product portfolios and the industry's resource dependence have placed tremendous pressures on U.S. wineries to coordinate winegrape and juice acquisitions, especially as retailers consolidate their supply chains. Some U.S. wineries have invested abroad in response to these pressures while others have not. Interview results suggest that foreign investments by U.S. wineries were primarily motivated by the need for greater access to stable or adequate winegrape/juice supplies, the need for more control over the winegrape costs within given quality levels, and the desire to expand wine portfolios.International Relations/Trade,

Transparent display with diffuser-backed microtextured illuminating device and method of manufacture therefor

A substantially planar illuminating device, a visual display and a method of manufacture therefor. The illuminating device includes: (1) a light source (210) and (2) a transparent substrate (220) having a pair of substantially parallel major surfaces (230,240) and an entry point (250) for accepting light from the light source, the substrate functioning as a guide for the light, one of the pair of surfaces textured with a plurality of microelements (260) for scattering the light from the substrate, the microelements having a side wall with a side wall area, the side wall area being a function of a distance of the microelements from the entry point to enhance a uniformity of the scattering of the light over an area of the pair of surfaces.Published versio

The impact of price and yield risk on the bioeconomics of reservoir aquaculture in north Vietnam

A bioeconomic model of reservoir aquaculture in northern Vietnam is used to investigate the impacts of price and yield risk on the level, variability and skewness of expected net revenue and utility. Prices and yields are assumed to follow lognormal and beta distributions, respectively. Net revenue follows a generalized gamma distribution and is found to be very risky compared with similar enterprises elsewhere, mainly due to the relatively high yield risk. This represents the nascent nature of the industry in Vietnam and the opportunity for efficiency improvements. Increasing production capacity (through increasing reservoir size, stocking density, production cycle length and harvest rate) are found to increase profits and decrease the variability of profits. Species diversification was found to reduce the riskiness of the enterprise.bioeconomic modelling, price risk, yield risk, aquaculture, Vietnam, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Medi-Cal Expansion under the Affordable Care Act: Significant Increase in Coverage with Minimal Cost to the State

Since 2011, California has been taking steps towards expanding Medicaid under the Afordable Care Act (ACA) by implementing Low Income Health Programs (LIHPs) in most California counties. Under the "Bridge to Reform" Medicaid §1115 waiver, just over 500,000 California adults are currently enrolled in coverage in advance of ACA implementation using federal and county funds. he vast majority of these LIHP enrollees can become eligible for Medi-Cal coverage under the ACA beginning January 1, 2014, and the remainder will be eligible for subsidies through Covered California (the California Health Benefit Exchange).In early 2013, California legislators will consider bills to implement a key provision of the ACA that would expand Medi-Cal to low-income adults under age 65, including those without children living at home. Lawfully-present childless adults with income up to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level and parents with income between 106 percent and 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level will be newly eligible. Some unenrolled children and parents who are already income-eligible for the program under existing eligibility rules could also enroll due to the minimum coverage requirement to obtain insurance created by the ACA, improved eligibility, enrollment and redetermination processes, and enhanced awareness of coverage options.In this report, we estimate the growth in Medi-Cal enrollment among both the newly and already eligible using the UC Berkeley-UCLA California Simulation of Insurance Markets (CalSIM) model. We discuss the broader impact of the Medi-Cal Expansion in terms of health outcomes, providers and the economy. We estimate the federal and state spending on increased Medi-Cal enrollment, along with the state tax revenues generated by new federal Medi-Cal spending and potential savings in other areas of the budget

Time management displays for shuttle countdown

The Intelligent Launch Decision Support System project is developing a Time Management System (TMS) for the NASA Test Director (NTD) to use for time management during Shuttle terminal countdown. TMS is being developed in three phases: an information phase; a tool phase; and an advisor phase. The information phase is an integrated display (TMID) of firing room clocks, of graphic timelines with Ground Launch Sequencer events, and of constraints. The tool phase is a what-if spreadsheet (TMWI) for devising plans for resuming from unplanned hold situations. It is tied to information in TMID, propagates constraints forward and backward to complete unspecified values, and checks the plan against constraints. The advisor phase is a situation advisor (TMSA), which proactively suggests tactics. A concept prototype for TMSA is under development. The TMID is currently undergoing field testing. Displays for TMID and TMWI are described. Descriptions include organization, rationale for organization, implementation choices and constraints, and use by NTD

A Study of Eastern Illinois University Physical Education Majors Graduates from 1978

The purpose of the study was to determine how many of the 1978 Eastern Illinois University Physical Education majors with teaching certification are presently employed by a school district, not employed by a school district but involved in education, and those not involved in education. Two questionnaires were developed, one for the alumni presently employed by a school district and one for those who are not employed by a school district. One hundred and eleven Physical Education majors who graduated from Eastern Illinois University in the year of 1978 were surveyed by mail. Sixty-nine (62.1 percent) of the one hundred and eleven former alumni responded to the survey. Four of the alumni responded to both questionnaires. Of the alumni presently employed by a school district, forty (55.5 percent) are involved in the elementary, secondary and college level of teaching. Thirty-two (44.4 percent) of the alumni are not employed by a school district. Of the thirty-two, fifteen (20.8 percent) are involved in education through coaching, Sunday school, pre-school, clergyman, graduate school and instructor for the handicapped. Seventeen (23.6 percent) are not involved in education