Scale, productivity growth and risk response under uncertainty

SUMMARY: This study focuses on the analysis of the production behavior and risk preferences in the presence of output price uncertainty. Following a theoretical model based on the assumption of maximization of expected utility of profits, the approach used in this study infers information about risk preferences from the production characteristics of the farm. In addition, the nonparametric method of estimating elasticity of scale and technical change eliminates the need to impose a uniform production or cost functions on individual producers. The approach is applied to a panel of dairy farms, which are evaluated for their elasticity of scale and the total productivity growth components of their operations. Estimates of farmers' risk attitudes represented by individual marginal risk premiums are also related to socio-economic attributes of farmers. Overall, farm size plays an important role in explaining productivity and scale differences and has the most significant negative effect on marginal risk aversion. The magnitude of the impact of additions to the farm's dairy herd increases with scale of operations. RESUMEN: El objetivo de este trabajo es el análisis del comportamiento de la producción y en las preferencias ante el riesgo en condiciones de incertidumbre en el precio de salida. Siguiendo un modelo teórico basado en la asunción de maximización de utilidad de los beneficios, el enfoque empleado en este trabajo permite obtener información relativa a las preferencias ante el riesgo a partir de las características de la explotación. Además, el método no-paramétrico de estimación de la elasticidad de la escala y del cambio técnico elimina la necesidad de imponer una producción uniforme o funciones de precio sobre productores particulares. Este enfoque se aplica a un panel de explotaciones lecheras, que son evaluadas en función de los componentes relativos a su elasticidad de escala y al incremento total de la productividad de sus operaciones. Las estimaciones en torno a las actitudes de los productores ante el riesgo representadas por primas individuales por riesgos marginales están igualmente relacionadas con a los atributos socioeconómicos de los productores. En conjunto, el tamaño de la explotación es importante para explicar las diferencias en productividad y escala, y produce el efecto negativo más significativo sobre la aversión al riesgo marginal. La magnitud del impacto de nuevas incorporaciones de cabezas de ganado a los rebaños en explotaciones lecheras aumenta con la escala de las operaciones.Uncertainty, Risk Aversion, Productivity Growth, Productivity Analysis, Q14,

Gene body methylation patterns in Daphnia are associated with gene family size

The relation between gene body methylation and gene function remains elusive. Yet, our understanding of this relationship can contribute significant knowledge on how and why organisms target specific gene bodies for methylation. Here, we studied gene body methylation patterns in two Daphnia species. We observed both highly methylated genes and genes devoid of methylation in a background of low global methylation levels. A small but highly significant number of genes was highly methylated in both species. Remarkably, functional analyses indicate that variation in methylation within and between Daphnia species is primarily targeted to small gene families whereas large gene families tend to lack variation. The degree of sequence similarity could not explain the observed pattern. Furthermore, a significant negative correlation between gene family size and the degree of methylation suggests that gene body methylation may help regulate gene family expansion and functional diversification of gene families leading to phenotypic variation

John Gilderbloom’s Thought-Provoking Strategies About Regeneration and the Language of Planning

Planning is a \u27jargon�-y\u27 field with terminology that oftens distract from the purpose of a project or idea. During a luncheon seminar at Cal Poly, Dr. John I. Gilderbloom, a professor at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, addressed this challenge through his own work, case studies and personal antidotes. He discussed the intricacies of planning and the role played by language in the implementation of projects and community understanding

Spatiotemporal Analyses of Recycled Water Production

Increased demands on water supplies caused by population expansion, saltwater intrusion, and drought have led to water shortages which may be addressed by use of recycled water as recycled water products. Study I investigated recycled water production in Florida and California during 2009 to detect gaps in distribution and identify areas for expansion. Gaps were detected along the panhandle and Miami, Florida, as well as the northern and southwestern regions in California. Study II examined gaps in distribution, identified temporal change, and located areas for expansion for Florida in 2009 and 2015. Production increased in the northern and southern regions of Florida but decreased in Southwest Florida. Recycled water is an essential component water management a broader adoption of recycled water will increase water conservation in water-stressed coastal communities by allocating recycled water for purposes that once used potable freshwater

School Nurse Communication Tool and Efficiency in the High School Setting

Approved May 2020 by the faculty of UMKC in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Nursing PracticeIn a high school health room, the school nurse will see a diverse population of students with conditions ranging from chapped lips to difficulty breathing. The school nurse must possess the ability to efficiently, and accurately understand the presenting problem, past medical history, and medications to quickly return the student to the classroom where academic learning will resume. The purpose of the quasi-experimental, quality improvement, retrospective study was to determine if the use of a school nurse communication tool over a 16 week semester decreased the time in minutes that the high school student was in the health room in a public suburban high school setting. The participants were the high school students that presented to the health room at a public high school within a suburban Midwest city. The sample size was 1475 students. Using the seven-item communication tool, time spent in the health room by high school students was measured at baseline and intervention. The use of the communication tool did not significantly decrease the time in minutes the student was in the health room. The tool served as a guide for the school nurse to provide compassionate care in a safe environment such that the student was returned to class while empowered to make healthy behavior choices based upon health promotion education

The Impact of Cargo Bikes on the Travel Patterns of Women

There are a number of issues preventing the rollout of cargo bikes as a transportation mode in the United States. One concern that has been raised is whether cargo bikes can function as a gender equitable transportation solution in the United States, given documented gender gaps in national bike riding statistics and ongoing inequities in childcare in 2-parent heterosexual households. The research is aimed at reviewing the practicality, enjoyment, and outcome of cargo bike use as a gender equitable transportation solution. This research contributes to new knowledge in gender equitable transportation in 2 ways — a) gender-focused analysis of survey data regarding cargo bikes use; b) extended open-ended interviews with mothers with cargo bikes. Qualitative and quantitative data from surveys and interviews explore the influence of cargo bikes on transportation patterns and follow how behavior, attitude, spatial context, and perception varies between riders. Specific attention is given to the use of cargo bikes by women with children, as this demographic represents a minority group in the bicycle community and a group who could benefit most from the capabilities of a cargo bike design. Research shows, mothers spend more hours a day around their children and take part in more child-related activities. Therefore, the comfort and feasibility of the cargo bike for women with children becomes the topic of exploration to determine whether this mode type is a functional substitution for trips usually made by an automobile. Through the collection of a nation-wide survey of cargo bike riders and in-person interviews with mothers in San Luis Obispo, CA who currently use a cargo bike to transport their children and goods, the research assesses the travel patterns of women and the emotional and physical benefits cargo bikes can provide to this specific demographic. Results show that benefits of cargo bike use include boding opportunities with children and a more enjoyable commute, while barriers to use include ill-performing bicycle infrastructure and time allocation for trips made by the cargo bike, in comparison to the automobile. Mode substitution behavior from the automobile to the cargo bike is geographically and culturally specific, but as results from both parts of the study show, women are receptive to cargo bike use and demonstrate a powerful demographic that has the potential to influence the travel patterns of current and future commuters to shift away from automobile dependency