Effects of Market Power on the Size and Distribution of Subsidy Benefits: The Case of Ethanol Promotion

The subject of market power is discussed frequently in debates about subsidies for ethanol production, and structural conditions in the industry create a prima-facie case for concerns about market power. This paper develops a prototype model for determining the production and price impacts and distribution of benefits from the U.S. ethanol subsidy when upstream sellers in the seed sector and downstream buyers in the processing sector may exercise market power. The impact of the subsidy is analyzed within a simulation framework for alternative levels of market power. Results demonstrate that the impacts on prices and output are limited for modest departures from competition. Distributional impacts are much greater. Seed producers and corn processors with market power are able to capture relatively large shares of the benefits from the subsidy. A perhaps surprising result is that upstream oligopoly power exercised by seed producers is prospectively as important in influencing the positive and distributional impacts of the subsidy as the much more frequently discussed and debated prospect that downstream corn processors may exercise buyer power.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Hidden innovation in the construction and property sectors

The construction and property industries have a poor reputation for innovation. Indeed, this reputation appears to be backed by official statistics which projects these industries as being devoid of innovative activity. However, the reputation is undeserved. Official statistics misrepresent the extent and nature of innovation in these sectors. A closer analysis reveals that much of the innovation that exists in the sector is hidden from conventional measures. By its nature therefore, it is difficult to measure the precise extent of this innovation and disaggregate it from general improvement. This opaqueness strengthens the need for policymakers, practitioners and researchers within, amongst others, the surveying sector to go beyond the visible spectrum of innovation and design and implement appropriate policies, knowledge bases and practices which engage and leverage the hitherto hidden aspects of innovation

LITHOLOGIC AND STRATIGRAPHIC COMPILATION OF NEAR-SURFACE SEDIMENTS FOR THE PADUCAH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, MCCRACKEN COUNTY, KY

The Jackson Purchase region of western Kentucky consists of Coastal Plain sediments near the northern margin of the Mississippi Embayment. Within this region is the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP), a uranium enrichment facility operated by the US Department of Energy. At PGDP, a Superfund site, soil and groundwater studies have provided subsurface lithologic data from hundreds of monitoring wells and borings. Despite preliminary efforts by various contractors, these data have not been utilized to develop detailed stratigraphic correlations of sedimentary units across the study area. In addition, sedimentary exposures along streams in the vicinity of PGDP have not been systematically described beyond the relatively simple geologic quadrangle maps published by the US Geological Survey in 196667. This study integrates lithologic logs, other previous site-investigation data, and outcrop mapping to provide a compilation of near-surface lithologic and stratigraphic data for the PGDP area. A database of borehole data compiled during this study has been provided to PGDP for future research and archival. Developments in understanding near-surface geology include the adoption of nomenclature used by the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), which separates the Continental Deposits into two distinct units, the Mounds Gravel and Metropolis Formation, based on their unique depositional histories. Additionally, faulting presented on the preliminary Joppa (IL) 7.5-minute quadrangle map, but not mapped on the Joppa (KY) 7.5-minute quadrangle map, appears to have impacted deposition of post-Eocene sediments at the site. These faults are co-linear to zones of irregularity noted in the Cretaceous McNairy Formation structure elevation map created during this study, thick zones of the Mounds Gravel noted in an isopach map from this study, and contaminant plume maps created previously by contractors

Salmonella contamination in poultry – are we missing a potential reservoir?

2017 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.The objective of this study was to assess presence and characteristics of Salmonella enterica found in synovial fluid of broiler carcasses. Synovial fluid of three individual joints from 500 broiler carcasses was individually sampled (1,500 total samples) from five broiler processing facilities located in the Southeast and Western U.S. The external surface of broiler carcass was decontaminated prior to sampling of the shoulder, coxofemoral, and tibiofemoral joints. Individual samples were enriched, composited, and subjected to rapid PCR-based detection of Salmonella. Individual samples from any positive composites were also enriched before determination of Salmonella presence in the same manner. Positive individual samples were subjected to secondary enrichment before plating onto selective agar for isolation of Salmonella. Salmonella isolates were serotyped before determination of antimicrobial susceptibility. Overall, 1.00% (5 out of the 500 broiler carcasses) of composite samples, and 0.47% (7 out of 1,500 samples) of individual samples were positive for Salmonella. Five of the seven isolates were susceptible to all drugs and determined to be Salmonella Enteritidis. The remaining two isolates, identified as Salmonella Typhimurium, were resistant to streptomycin. To our knowledge, no previous assessments of Salmonella in synovial fluid of broilers has been reported; however, results of the present study suggested that Salmonella may be present in synovial fluid of broilers. Although low prevalence, this information provides valuable insight into potential poultry contamination pathways and warrants further exploration

Creating and Developing New Value Drivers for the Organizational Dynamics Graduate Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania

This thesis presents a comprehensive plan for the University of Pennsylvania Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics (MSOD) program to increase the number of participants who enroll and register into the program. The plan includes strategies to (1) expand opportunities for alumni and current students to help market the program; (2) implement program-specific marketing efforts; (3) create an option of more focused curriculum tracks; (4) develop new educational partnerships with peer institutions abroad; (5) make the program more accessible through financial flexibility; (6) nurture reciprocal learning relationships; and (7) estimate empirically the value of the proposed plan. The thesis will also offer a strategic perspective that will meet the program’s organizational mission and objectives, and will optimize its strength as a premier academic enterprise

Amenities and the labor earnings function

I was unable to copy/paste the abstract, but the paper argues that amenities exert an important effect on wage differentials over space. Indeed, we show that as much has half of the apparent effect of unionization on wages is actually compensation for less desirable climate in locations that are most unionized.amenities; climate; weather; wage compensation; return to unionization

A focus on collaboration: Fostering Australian screen production students’ teamwork skills

Recent research undertaken in Australia and abroad suggests that the development of effective collaboration skills is a significant factor affecting the successful employment of graduate screen practitioners. This article outlines the results of a study that examined student response to the explicit teaching of collaboration skills in an Australian screen production course. The authors report on an empirical research project undertaken in 2015 and 2016 in the Department of Screen Arts at Curtin University, Western Australia. This involved two cohorts of second year screen production students (83 in total), and aimed to foster students’ teamwork skills. The activities and resources shared with students encouraged an interrogation of contemporary models of filmmaking collaboration, the use of group contracts to identify shared values of teamwork and the implementation of activities designed to improve students’ awareness of various collaboration styles. Outcomes were measured by both qualitative and quantitative means through student surveys administered at both the beginning and end of the unit of study. The results of these surveys suggest a change in student attitudes towards collaboration, particularly in regards to the value of communication. The authors aim to disseminate these findings and to encourage further discussion and study in this area. The article builds a case for more attention being placed on the explicit teaching of teamwork and collaboration skills in University screen production courses

Handling Lameness in Cattle

Often cattle suffer extreme lameness when only one claw is affected and there is no involvement of the interphalangeal joints. many times the pain associated with these lesions may be so severe that the animal will not walk to a feed bunk or graze. This inevitably leads to costly weight losses in the feedlot and decreased milk production in the lactating animal. Some examples of these painful single claw afflictions include sole abscesses, nail or rock punctures, and other traumatic injuries

Some Ideas on the Pathogenesis of Neonatal Calf Scours

Neonatal calf scours have been a costly problem for cattlemen for many years. The disease strikes all types of cattle operations although it is most devastating in the intensified cow-calf herd or dairy herd. For the purposes of this paper neonatal calf scours will be defined as that condition of young calves, usually under ten days of age, which is characterized clinically by severe diarrhea and dehydration. with death occurring within a few days if treatment is not begun at the onset and by the absence of lesions characteristic of other diseases