606 research outputs found
SELF-INSURANCE AND THE UTILITY OF STANDARD RISK MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS
This paper analyzes the potential trade offs and complementarities that exist between intra-year strategies employing annual price and yield risk contracts and inter-year self-insurance strategies involving intertemporal consumption substitution and borrowing, and examines whether standard crop insurance contracts can be made more useful to farmers if offered with a multiple-year horizon.Risk and Uncertainty,
WHEAT BUFFER STOCKS AND TRADE IN AN EFFICIENT GLOBAL ECONOMY
This study assesses storage and trade of wheat in an integrated global economy. Domestic and international linkages are analyzed using a dynamic rational expectations model of the world wheat market. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of endogenizing both storage and trade in studying commodity markets. Results suggest an optimal US buffer stock level of 150 million bushel. Results indicate that past government stockholdings have not followed efficient market outcomes. Private markets likely would perform better in the absence of government market distortions. Results indicate that elimination of the Export Enhancement Program by the US and of export restitution payments by the EU is unlikely to have a major impact on wheat exports from the two regions, but will save millions of tax dollars in both regions.Crop Production/Industries, International Relations/Trade,
Analysis of Performance of Dynamic Multicast Routing Algorithms
In this paper, three new dynamic multicast routing algorithms based on the
greedy tree technique are proposed; Source Optimised Tree, Topology Based Tree
and Minimum Diameter Tree. A simulation analysis is presented showing various
performance aspects of the algorithms, in which a comparison is made with the
greedy and core based tree techniques. The effects of the tree source location
on dynamic membership change are also examined. The simulations demonstrate
that the Source Optimised Tree algorithm achieves a significant improvement in
terms of delay and link usage when compared to the Core Based Tree, and greedy
algorithm
Wheat Buffer Stocks and Trade in an Efficient Global Economy
Exact date of working paper unknown.This study assesses storage and trade of wheat in an integrated global economy. Domestic and international linkages are analyzed using a dynamic rational expectations model of the world wheat market. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of endogenizing both storage and trade in studying commodity markets. Results suggest an optimal US buffer stock level of 150 million bushel. Results indicate that past government stockholdings have not followed efficient market outcomes. Private markets likely would perform better in the absence of government market distortions. Results indicate that elimination of the Export Enhancement Program by the US and of export restitution payments by the EU is unlikely to have a major impact on wheat exports from the two regions, but will save millions of tax dollars in both regions
Implementation and evaluation of the VA DPP clinical demonstration: protocol for a multi-site non-randomized hybrid effectiveness-implementation type III trial.
BackgroundThe Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) study showed that lifestyle intervention resulted in a 58% reduction in incidence of type 2 diabetes among individuals with prediabetes. Additional large randomized controlled trials have confirmed these results, and long-term follow-up has shown sustained benefit 10-20 years after the interventions ended. Diabetes is a common and costly disease, especially among Veterans, and despite strong evidence supporting the feasibility of type 2 diabetes prevention, the DPP has not been widely implemented. The first aim of this study will evaluate implementation of the Veterans Affairs (VA) DPP in three VA medical centers. The second aim will assess weight and hemoglobin A1c (A1c) outcomes, and the third aim will determine the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of implementation of the VA DPP from a health system perspective.Methods/designThis partnered multi-site non-randomized systematic assignment study will use a highly pragmatic hybrid effectiveness-implementation type III mixed methods study design. The implementation and administration of the VA DPP will be funded by clinical operations while the evaluation of the VA DPP will be funded by research grants. Seven hundred twenty eligible Veterans will be systematically assigned to the VA DPP clinical demonstration or the usual care VA MOVE!® weight management program. A multi-phase formative evaluation of the VA DPP implementation will be conducted. A theoretical program change model will be used to guide the implementation process and assess applicability and feasibility of the DPP for VA. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) will be used to guide qualitative data collection, analysis, and interpretation of barriers and facilitators to implementation. The RE-AIM framework will be used to assess Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance of the VA DPP. Twelve-month weight and A1c change will be evaluated for the VA DPP compared to the VA MOVE!ProgramMediation analyses will be conducted to identify whether program design differences impact outcomes.DiscussionFindings from this pragmatic evaluation will be highly applicable to practitioners who are tasked with implementing the DPP in clinical settings. In addition, findings will determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the VA DPP in the Veteran population
Real-time seat allocation for minimizing boarding/alighting time and improving quality of service and safety for passengers
Rail is considered as one of the most important ways of transferring passengers. High passenger loads has implications on train punctuality. One of the important parameters affecting punctuality is the average boarding/alighting time. Organizing boarding/alighting flows not only reduces the risk of extended dwell time, but also minimizes the risk of injuries and improves the overall service quality. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of minimizing the boarding/alighting time by maintaining a uniform load on carriages through systematic distribution of passengers with flexible tickets, such as season or anytime tickets where no seat information are provided at the time of reservation. To achieve this, the proposed algorithm takes other information such as passenger final destination, uniform load of luggage areas, as well as group travelers into account. Moreover, a discrete event simulation is designed for measuring the performance of the proposed method. The performance of the proposed method is compared with three algorithms on different test scenarios. The results show the superiority of the proposed method in terms of minimizing boarding/alighting time as well as increasing the success rate of assigning group of seats to group of passengers
Probable hepatic capillariosis and hydatidosis in an adolescent from the late Roman period buried in Amiens (France)
Two calcified objects recovered from a 3rd to 4th-century grave of an adolescent in Amiens (Northern France) were identified as probable hydatid cysts. By using thin-section petrographic techniques, probable Calodium hepaticum (syn. Capillaria hepatica) eggs were identified in the wall of the cysts. Human hepatic capillariosis has not been reported from archaeological material so far, but could be expected given the poor level of environmental hygiene prevalent in this period. Identification of tissue-dwelling parasites such as C. hepaticum in archaeological remains is particularly dependent on preservation conditions and taphonomic changes and should be interpreted with caution due to morphological similarities with Trichuris sp. eggs
DECOUPLED PAYMENTS IN A CHANGING POLICY SETTING
The studies in this report analyze the effects of decoupled payments in the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act on recipient households, and assess land, labor, risk management, and capital market conditions that can lead to links between decoupled payments and production choices. Each study contributes a different perspective to understanding the response of U.S. farm households and production to decoupled income transfers. Some use new microdata on farm households collected through USDA's Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS), initiated in 1996, and its predecessor survey. These data are used to compare household and producer behavior and outcomes before and after the FAIR Act. Other studies use applied or conceptual models to characterize the impact of introducing decoupled payments. Collectively, the chapters represent an early stage in the empirical analysis of decoupled payments. The studies address many aspects of the payments' household impacts but remaining issues call for additional analysis. As the analytical paradigm changes with the evolution of farm programs, the development of appropriate data and models will improve our understanding of farm program impacts on the behavior and well-being of U.S. farm households, and the agricultural sector.Agricultural and Food Policy,
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