Comparing Heterogeneous Consumption in US and Japanese Meat and Fish Demand

This article uses national, quarterly data to conduct an empirical analysis of pre-committed meat and fish demand by US and Japanese households using the Generalized Almost Ideal Demand System (GAIDS). US consumers are found to hold pre-committed demand for beef and pork, while Japanese consumers appear to possess significant pre-committed demand for beef and fish. This provides evidence to partly explain observed differences in Japanese and US consumer reactions to non-price and non-income effects in beef, pork, poultry, and fish. In addition, the first known empirical comparison of how the GAIDS and more traditional AIDS models assess meat and fish demand is offered with both in- and out-of-sample evaluations.US/Japanese meat demand, demand forecasting, food safety, Generalized Almost Ideal Demand System, pre-committed consumption, Demand and Price Analysis,

How Much Do Starting Values Really Matter? An Empirical Comparison of Genetic Algorithm and Traditional Approaches

This research evaluates the impact of using different starting conditions in estimating meat demand systems. Results suggest that as the econometric task becomes increasingly nonlinear, specification of starting conditions becomes increasingly important. This work demonstrates implications of failing to use the best available starting value conditions and how these implications vary with the complexity of the underlying econometric model of interest. Furthermore, this piece proposes a universal approach to be used by all applied econometric practioners to developing appropriate starting values for use in subsequent model estimation.Demand and Price Analysis,

Orbiter structural design and verification

The space shuttle development program provided the opportunity to challenge many of the established practices and approaches used in prior manned space flight programs. The most significant accomplishments and resulting precedents which emerged during the structural development of the space shuttle and the space shuttle orbiter are reviewed. Innovations in criteria, design solutions, and certification are highlighted, and brief comments on the lessons learned are included. Thermal stress, graphite epoxy moisture, window structure, and structural inspection are discussed under lessons learned

Cow-Calf Producer Perceptions Regarding Individual Animal Traceability

This study provides valuable insights into cow-calf producer voluntary participation in the National Animal Identification System and producers’ perceptions of several issues critically impacting the success of voluntary traceability systems. Cow-calf producers believe that the most important issues to the U.S. beef industry in designing a national, individual animal traceability system are monitoring/managing disease, maintaining current foreign markets, accessing foreign markets, and increasing consumer confidence. Furthermore, producers are concerned with cost, liability, reliability of technology, failure of system to meet stated goals, and confidentiality of information associated with these systems.animal traceability, cow-calf, National Animal Identification System, voluntary adoption, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Labor and Human Capital, Land Economics/Use, Livestock Production/Industries, Production Economics, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Q12, Q18, R38,

A Proposed Probabilistic Extension of the Halpern and Pearl Definition of ‘Actual Cause’

Joseph Halpern and Judea Pearl ([2005]) draw upon structural equation models to develop an attractive analysis of ‘actual cause’. Their analysis is designed for the case of deterministic causation. I show that their account can be naturally extended to provide an elegant treatment of probabilistic causation

Potential Applications of MicroRNA Profiling to Forensic Investigations

Within the forensic science community, there is a continued push to develop novel tools to aid in criminal investigations. microRNA (miRNA) analysis has been the focus of many researcher’s attention in the biomedical field since its discovery in 1993; however, the forensic application of miRNA analysis has only been suggested within the last 10 years and has been gaining considerable traction recently. The primary focus of the forensic application of miRNA analysis has been on body fluid identification to provide confirmatory universal analysis of unknown biological stains obtained from crime scenes or evidence items. There are, however, other forensic applications of miRNA profiling that have shown potential, yet are largely understudied, and warrant further investigation such as organ tissue identification, donor age estimation, and more. This review paper aims to evaluate the current literature and future potential of miRNA analysis within the forensic science field

Consumers’ Willingness-to-Pay for Retail Branded Beef Products with Bundled Attributes

With a declining share of the domestic meat market, some beef producers are becoming more attentive to opportunities for value-added products tailored to the desires of certain consumer segments. Using a survey of St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri meat consumers, this study investigates perceptions of and willingness-to-pay for various value-added attributes that could be supplied as retail branded beef products. Factor analysis identifies two alternative attribute bundles as branding strategies based on perceived importance and complementarity of attributes. Nonparametric procedures provide conservative estimates of willingness-to-pay. Parametric methods identify types of consumers willing to pay significantly higher premiums.beef, branding, marketing, value-added, willingness-to-pay, Agribusiness, Marketing, Q13, Q15,

BEEF SPECIES SYMPOSIUM: Economic considerations related to US beef herd expansion

Citation: Tonsor, G. T., & Schulz, L. L. (2015). BEEF SPECIES SYMPOSIUM: Economic considerations related to US beef herd expansion. Journal of Animal Science, 93(9), 4227-4234. doi:10.2527/jas2014-8473Significant attention perpetually surrounds possible changes in breeding herd inventories in the U.S. beef cattle industry. This article outlines economic considerations of U.S. herd expansion. Factors restricting expansion include land availability, increasing production efficiency, operator demographics, capital requirements, and commodity price volatility. Several offsetting factors support herd expansion including unprecedented cow-calf returns, ongoing global beef demand growth, and timing within the current cattle cycle. In addition to these industry-wide factors, several important variations in individual ranch considerations are outlined. The authors' expectations on future herd dynamics are provided, highlighting broader implications for individual operations, industry leaders, and the entire beef-cattle supply chain. The substantial economic impact and importance of the cow-calf sector warrants broader appreciation of these economic factors impacting herd expansion. The future size of the U.S. cattle industry is determined by the individual decisions of over 70,000 cattle owners, making this issue worthy of review by all industry stakeholders

Self-monitoring for improving control of blood pressue in patients with hypertension

The objective of this review is to determine the effect of SBPM in adults with hypertension on blood pressure control as compared to OBPM or usual care