AN ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF WETLAND MITIGATION IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA

The economic efficiency of wetland mitigation in Minnesota's Red River Valley was examined using the Minnesota Routine Assessment Method on ten wetland case studies to rate the functions of impacted and replacement wetlands. Secondary sources were used to assign dollar values to wetland functions of impacted and replacement wetlands. Mitigation costs for projects ranged from $279 to$4,171 per acre. Estimated annual social values ranged from $207 to$1,027 per acre for impacted wetlands and from $268 to$927 per acre for replacement wetlands. Social values of replacement wetlands exceeded the social value of impacted wetlands in seven cases. Values of replacement wetlands were 1.8 to 4 times greater than the values of impacted wetlands due to 2-to-1 replacement ratios. When society gains benefits from mitigation, public cost-sharing may be appropriate. In one case the value of the impacted wetlands was higher than the value of the replacement wetland. There were insufficient data to evaluate two cases. Results are only indicators of efficiency, since not all social costs and benefits of the impact-mitigation activity are addressed by legislation. These results suggest wetland mitigation policy in Minnesota needs to be reevaluated if efficient use of society's resources is a legislative goal.Wetland(s), mitigation, economics, values, Minnesota, Red River, Wetland Conservation Act, Minnesota Routine Assessment Method, restoration, Land Economics/Use,

AN INQUIRY INTO THE RELATIONSHIP OF WETLAND REGULATIONS AND PROPERTY VALUES IN MINNESOTA

Ownership in property can be thought of as ownership of the rights to the "incomes" associated with different uses of the property. Each potential use has a separate economic value, which can be ranked if put into money terms. The property's market value is usually held to be the highest income on that ranking. Wetland protection regulations might shift the ownership of some of these rights from private to public entities or restrict the exercise of some rights. This can result in a reduction of the property's market value, if the regulation precludes access to the income from the highest ranking use. A regulation can never increase the economic value of a property from the owner's perspective. Whether or not a reduction in property value is considered "fair" is a question usually left to the courts. If it is determined that a regulation has resulted in a "taking" of property, compensation must be paid. The appropriate level of compensation is the difference between estimated pre- and post-regulation market values. The task of the analyst is to estimate those two values, after first determining if the two uses are feasible given other physical, financial, and legal conditions. Because property prices are not determined until there is a transaction, all such valuations are necessarily estimates based on the professional judgments of the analyst. There are not easy ways to determine these values short of costly individual appraisals or extensive market studies. Wetland regulations in Minnesota do result in reduced values for some property owners--as do all land use regulations. Demonstrating that values went down on regulated properties has policy import, however, only if: (1) the examples are so egregious that the Legislature decides to change the enabling legislation to adjust the distribution of the law's benefits and costs; or (2) the sum of measured property losses exceeds any estimate of total benefits, in which case the Legislature might decide to change the law as not in the broader public interest. Should further property value analyses be conducted? Only if the Legislature is very clear about why it wants to do the study. If the concern is one of fairness, then the distribution of a regulation's costs should be examined by using parcel-by-parcel appraisals or by a careful calculation of the economic benefits and costs among different classes of people, classes of property, or regions of the state. If, on the other hand, the concern is that the aggregate costs of the regulation may exceed its total benefits, then broader economic valuation studies are called for. We are not prepared to recommend either approach at this time, because the Legislature has not yet declared what the problem really is.Land Economics/Use,

Adapting Existing Structures to Deep-bedded Systems

Dan Meyer: The problem with renovating old tall barns or machinery sheds into swine structures is that there is too much air volume. It costs too much to heat that much air. These situations usually result in a high mortality rate because pigs suffocate from piling to keep themselves warm. Jeff Hill discussed how turkey barns and shallow-pit, pull-plug liquid manure confinement systems can be renovated for use with deep-bedded swine production

Efficiency of fiscal allocations in site-based empowered schools

This study implemented a two phase concurrent mixed-methods design to generate a greater understanding of how elementary schools with increased autonomy in fiscal decision making allocated their money, how their site-based decisions affected allocative efficiency, and how increased autonomy affected site-based decision making when compared with a set of matched control schools within a large urban district. Phase I compared school site expenditure patterns of site-based empowered schools to demographically matched control schools and to all elementary schools within a large urban district over four years, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08. Expenditure data were collected from the In$ite data base using the categories set by Cooper‟s and Lybrand‟s Finance Analysis Model: a model that uses the downward accounting extension. Also explored was the relationship between fiscal decision making and allocative efficiency through the use of a data envelopment analysis (DEA) which used multiple outputs against multiple inputs to compare levels of efficiency among the four, site-based empowered schools and demographically matched control schools. Phase II consisted of a qualitative analysis of interview questions answered by empowerment and control school principals. If how dollars are spent is a critical factor in maximizing student outcomes, then a critical question becomes „who should make those decisions?‟. An empowerment school concept in a large urban district in the southwest was developed with the belief that involving those closest to the student in making decisions about the fiscal allocation of resources can improve student outcomes. However, the concept of making decisions closest to the client to affect productivity outcomes can only be effective if schools allocate money toward variables that are known to improve outcomes. By looking at schools in a large urban school district, this study provides insight into how schools deemed empowerment and control allocated their dollars, how site-based decision making affects efficiency, and the link between school improvement efforts and fiscal decisions. This study revealed there was little difference in how empowerment schools spent their money when compared with demographically matched control schools and the total number of elementary schools within the district. The empowerment and control schools both showed decreased efficiency when compared with themselves during base line years (2005 and 2006) and with all elementary schools in the district during the study years (2007 and 2008). In terms of site-level decision making, empowerment schools expressed a greater sense of empowerment than did control schools. However, being a site-based empowered school did not ensure that they would make decisions that improved efficiency. While these site-based schools were more aware of issues at the site level, principals did not show awareness of the growing body of literature that connects school based fiscal allocation decisions to educational outcomes

Computerized Data Acquisition in Experimental Applications

This thesis project was intended to provide the University of Central Florida Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Sciences Department with computerized data acquisition (CDA) capabilities. The data acquisition system has been designed for use in laboratory instruction and research experimentation. The development of the CDA system began in the spring of 1987. This development included the acquisition of system hardware and the design of software. The expertise required to carry out this project was obtained by many hours of laboratory experience. This experience was gained not only in university laboratories but also in international studies at the Euratom laboratory in Italy. The CDA system has been used in several graduate and research projects including many interactions with industry. Over the course of these projects, a variety of transducers have been successfully used with the acquisition system. This project has achieved all initial expectations and much more. It has provided the Mechanical Engineering Department with a versatile, powerful, and reliable tool to aid in experimental instruction and research efforts

The Future of Health Behavior Research and Training: A Modified Delphi Study

The purpose of the current study is to assess (1) health behavior researchers’ opinions on significant new foci emerging over the next 20 years, (2) disciplines that can serve as important partners, and (3) adjustments needed for doctoral training programs to prepare researchers for emerging trends. A two-wave modified Delphi procedure was employed to assess opinions and perspectives of current health behaviors researchers. Participants were recruited through email invitations sent to the membership listserv of the American Academy of Health Behavior. In Wave I, respondents generated up to three ideas for each of four prompts: (1) the biggest game changers in health behavior research, (2) the disciplines most important to partner with, and (3) what should be added or (4) removed from doctoral training programs. In Wave II, participants rated the importance of each of the responses generated in the first wave. 39 and 48 people completed Waves I and II, respectively. Wave I yielded 46 respondent-generated items for the new foci, and 28 different partner disciplines. Respondents identified 47 topics not currently covered in health behavior Ph.D. programs, and 8 topics that should be removed from current Ph.D. programs. Seven new foci were endorsed by 80% or more of the respondents, including studying cultures of illness and health, as well as better operationalization of social-ecological models. Seven disciplines were seen as essential partners by at least two-thirds of the respondents, including public health, biostatistics, and public policy. Five additions to doctoral programs were endorsed by 80% or more of the respondents, including stronger research skills, advanced statistical methods, writing, and evaluation. Years since earning a doctoral degree was negatively correlated with a number of suggested new foci, disciplines to partner with, and areas that should be added to health behavior Ph.D. programs. There was a high level of consensus about potential new foci in the field, focusing on population health, stronger scientific techniques, and more research training. There was less consensus on related disciplines’ potential, based on the respondents’ type of work and field. Overall, results have potential to shape doctoral training and preparation of future health behavior researchers

Spherical mirror mount

A spherical mounting assembly for mounting an optical element allows for rotational motion of an optical surface of the optical element only. In that regard, an optical surface of the optical element does not translate in any of the three perpendicular translational axes. More importantly, the assembly provides adjustment that may be independently controlled for each of the three mutually perpendicular rotational axes

Study of factors which modify the development of norepinephrine-induced acute renal failure in the dog

Study of factors which modify the development of norepinephrine-induced acute renal failure in the dog. Previous studies have demonstrated that the fall in inulin clearance which occurs 3 hours after the intrarenal administration of norepinephrine can be markedly attenuated by the prior administration of intrarenal prostaglandin E2 (PGE). Since in the previous studies PGE led to a marked increase in both renal blood flow and solute excretion, we designed the present series of experiments to investigate whether an increase in renal blood flow, solute excretion, or other factors were responsible for the protective effect in the norepinephrine model. Two renal vasodilators, bradykinin and secretin, were evaluated initially. Bradykinin administration prior to norepinephrine administration had a protective effect similar to that previously found with PGE, whereas secretin did not. Both of these vasodilators increased renal blood flow to the same degree, but only bradykinin increased urine flow and solute excretion. The fall in inulin clearance 3 hours after the administration of norepinephrine was also attenuated by two diuretics (mannitol and furosemide) which tended to increase renal blood flow. In contrast, two natriuretic agents, which are also renal vasoconstrictors (chlorothiazide and benzolamide), had no protective effect. Further, chlorothiazide and benzolamide obvicited the protective effect of bradykinin. These studies demonstrate that there are several types of pharmacologic agents which can modify the magnitude of renal functional impairment resulting from extreme renal ischemia. Although the mechanism of the protective effects remain unclear, the findings are compatible with the view that the protective effect noted with PGE, bradykinin, mannitol, and furosemide may be related to an increase in osmolar excretion which occurred with administration of each of these agents. This potentially salutory effect (increased osmolar excretion), however, could be overcome by an agent (e.g., chlorothictzide or benzolamide) which also increased renal resistance prior to the administration of norepinephrine.Etude des facteurs qui modifient l'évolution de l'insuffisance rénale aiguë par la norépinéphrine chez le chien. Des travaux antérieurs ont démontré que la chute de la clearance de l'inuline qui survient 3 heures après l'administration intra-rénale de norépinéphrine peut être atténuée de façon importante par l'injection intrarénale préalable de prostaglandine E2 (PGE). Puisque dans les travaux antérieurs, la PGE a déterminé une augmentation importante à la fois du débit sanguin rénal et de l'excrétion de substances dissoutes, cette série d'expériences a pour but de savoir si une augmentation du débit sanguin rénal ou de l'excrétion de substances dissoutes ou bien d'autres facteurs sont responsables de l'effet protecteur dans le modèle de la norépinéphrine. Deux vasodilatateurs rénaux, la bradykinine et la secrétine ont été initialement étudiés. L'administration de bradykinine préalable à celle de norépinéphrine a un effet protecteur semblable à celui antérieurement observé avec la PGE alors que la secrétine n'a pas cet effet. Ces deux vasodilatateurs augmentent le débit sanguin rénal de la même façon, mais seule la bradykinine augmente le débit urinaire et l'excrétion de substances dissoutes. La chute de la clearance de l'inuline 3 heures après la norépinéphrine est aussi atténuée par deux diurétiques qui tendent à augmenter le débit sanguin rénal (mannitol et furosémide). Au contraire, deux agents natriurétiques qui sont aussi des vasoconstricteurs rénaux (chlorothiazide et benzolamide) n'ont pas d'effet protecteur. De plus, ces deux corps empêchent l'effet protecteur de la bradykinine. Ces études démontrent qu'il y a plusieurs catégories d'agents pharmacologiques qui peuvent modifier l'importance de l'altération fonctionnelle qui résulte d'une ischémie rénale extrême. Quoique le mécanisme de l'effet protecteur reste obscur, ces constatations sont compatibles avec l'idée que l'effet observé avec la PGE, la bradykinine, le mannitol et le furosémide puisse être lié à une augmentation de l'excrétion osmolaire qui est observée au cours de l'administration de chacun de ces corps. Cet effet bénéfique potentiel (l'augmentation de l'excrétion osmolaire) peut, cependant, être annulé par un agent (comme le chlorothiazide ou la benzolamide) qui augmente aussi la résistance rénale préalablement à l'administration de norépinéphrine