Economic Modeling of Livestock Disease Outbreaks

The paper surveys articles examining the economic impacts of a livestock disease outbreak and focuses on modeling issues. One set of papers considers setting an import barrier when there is a livestock disease risk. They show that the level of a risk-based import barrier is sensitive to the impact of disease on economic welfare. The remaining articles focus on estimates of the economic impacts. An outbreak is modeled in a U.S. agricultural sector model and shows the importance of lost exports and consumer response to the magnitude of losses. The final paper argues for de-composition of the welfare impacts. Lessons for future research include improved links to epidemiological research, improved inclusion of trade, extension to non-agricultural sectors, and knowledge of consumer response.Foot-and-mouth disease, Modeling, Trade, Livestock Production/Industries,

ECONOMICALLY DETERMINED LIVESTOCK QUARANTINE ZONES

This paper examines economic factors present when setting quarantine zones for contagious livestock diseases like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). A conceptual model explores the trade-offs as zone size expands. One trade-off is between the cost of economic activity inside the zone and the benefits of reduced disease spread. There are also agricultural and non-agricultural price effects to consider. Two hypothetical counties are constructed to illustrate the ides. Town or city location is critical to the size. Livestock density is inversely related to zone size with low density regions able to reduce disease spread at relatively low cost.Livestock Production/Industries,

Mapping the Magnetic Field of Flare Coronal Loops

Here we report on the unique observation of flaring coronal loops at the solar limb using high resolution imaging spectropolarimetry from the Swedish 1-meter Solar Telescope. The vantage position, orientation and nature of the chromospheric material that filled the flare loops allowed us to determine their magnetic field with unprecedented accuracy using the weak-field approximation method. Our analysis reveals coronal magnetic field strengths as high as 350 Gauss at heights up to 25 Mm above the solar limb. These measurements are substantially higher than a number of previous estimates and may have considerable implications for our current understanding of the extended solar atmosphere.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, accepted in Ap

Muon spin rotation and relaxation in magnetic materials

A review of the muon spin rotation and relaxation ($\mu$SR) studies on magnetic materials published from July 1993 is presented. It covers the investigation of magnetic phase diagrams, of spin dynamics and the analysis of the magnetic properties of superconductors. We have chosen to focus on selected experimental works in these different topics. In addition, a list of published works is provided.Comment: Review article, 59 pages, LaTeX with IoP macro

Application of phasor measurement units for monitoring power system dynamic performance

This Working Group is a sequel to a previous working group on Wide Area Monitoring and Control for Transmission Capability Enhancement, which published the Technical Brochure 330 in 2007. Since then the synchrophasor technology has advanced rapidly and many utilities around the world have installed hundreds of PMUs in their networks. In this Technical Brochure, we look at the current state of the technology and the extent to which it has been used in the industry. As the technology has matured, it is also important to understand the communication protocols used in synchrophasor networks and their relevant cyber-security issues. These concerns are briefly discussed in the brochure. The applications of Phasor Measurement Units (PMU) measurements reported here are divided into three categories: (a) applications already installed in utility networks, (b) applications that are well-tested, but not yet installed, and (c) applications that are beneficial to the industry, but not fully developed yet. The most common and mature applications are wide area monitoring, state estimation, and model validation. Out of these three applications, wide area monitoring is well established in the industry. The protection and control applications are emerging as evident from the reported examples. The experience of using remote synchrophasor measurements as feedback control signals is not widely reported by the industry. In parallel to this Working Group, Study Committee B5 had a Working Group on “Wide area protection and control technologies.” The Technical Brochure 664 published by this Working Group in September 2016 reviews synchrophasor technology and discusses the industry experience with wide area protection and control. The North American synchrophasor Initiative (NASPI) is another technical group that has gathered and reported a wide range of PMU experiences of industry and researchers. In summary, the field-tested applications presented in this Technical Brochure are a testimony to the confidence of utilities in the synchrophasor technology. The progress in state estimation techniques indicates that synchrophasor measurements will become a standard part of energy management and security assessment systems in the near future

"Give me some space" : exploring youth to parent aggression and violence

A small scale qualitative project, undertaken by an interdisciplinary domestic violence research group involving academic researchers and research assistants, with colleagues from Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS), investigated youth aggression and violence against parents. Following the literature review, data was generated through several research conversations with young people (n = 2), through semi-structured interviews with mothers (n = 3) and practitioners (n = 5), and through a practitioner focus group (n = 8). Thematic analysis and triangulation of the data from parents, practitioners and young people, elicited interconnected and complex overarching themes. Young people could be both victim and perpetrator. The witnessing or experiencing of domestic aggression and violence raised the concept of ‘bystander children’. The impact of young people experiencing familial violence was underestimated by parents. For practitioners, the effects of working with domestic violence was shown to be significant - both positively and negatively

A Survey of Theoretical and Empirical Literature Related to Export Assistance

The literature about export assistance divides such programs according to whether they apply to each unit of a particular commodity exported by the subsidizing country or whether they are targeted toward specific markets. These global and targeted export assistance programs are further distinguished by whether payment of the subsidies is made in cash or in kind. Traditional theory determines global cash export assistance to be welfare reducing for the exporter, while the effect of global export assistance paid in kind depends on the cost of in kind subsidies. Global cash assistance may become a rational instrument for capturing of greater market shares in the future or for satisfying influential political interest groups. Targeted assistance offers potential benefits to the exporting country by directing subsidies toward markets with greater income and substitution effects, leading to greater price responsiveness. However, empirical studies find that targeted assistance offers only small benefits in expanding exports and causes substantial disruptions in trade flows

The Export Enhancement Program: How Has It Affected Wheat Exports

The United States subsidized 50 percent of its wheat exports between 1985 and 1988 under the Export Enhancement Program (EEP) in an attempt to expand U.S. exports and counter European Community export subsidies. The Department of Agriculture uses a complex bidding process to award EEP subsidies to targeted countries. The program grew steadily from 1985 through mid-1988, with wheat accounting for over 80 percent of EEP sales value. Economic analysis indicates that the program raised U.S. wheat export volume, prices, and gross export revenues. But net export revenues rose only slightly once the value of commodities from Government inventories awarded to exporters under the EEP is taken into account

Economic Impacts of Regionalization of a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak in the United States

This analysis examines the economic impact of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and the consequences of regionalization. The results suggest that an outbreak would have serious economic effects. Depending on the regionalization scenario, returns to capital and management in the poultry meat and egg sectors would fall between $602 million and$853 million dollars over 16 quarters. Consumers of poultry meat lose $900 million in consumer surplus in the first four quarters, a decline of 10.7%. Egg consumer surplus falls 17.1%. Regionalization lowers the economic welfare losses for producers because it dampens the export loss