Do Job, Age, and Place of Residence Matter for Gaming Activity? A Study of the Mid-Colorado River Communities

A household survey in the mid-Colorado River communities of Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona examined local residents\u27 gaming activities. A censored regression analysis distinguished between factors affecting gaming participation versus expenditures. Results suggest that gaming behavior can often be predicted with knowledge of individuals\u27 residence, workplace, and other household demographic characteristics. Both local government agencies and casino managers can use the results to make better-informed decisions

U.S. Consumers’ Preference and Willingness to Pay for Country-of-Origin-Labeled Beef Steak and Food Safety Enhancements

The mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) troubles beef exporters to the U.S. This study evaluates the extent that U.S. consumers are receptive to imported steak and their perception of food safety level of beef from various countries. In addition, using conjoint analysis, willingness to pay for strip loin steak from Australia, Canada and the United States is estimated along with several increasingly important food safeties and quality attributes in beef. We find that on average U.S. consumers are willing to pay significantly less for imported steaks.beef, consumer preferences, country-of-origin labeling, conjoint experiment, willingness to pay, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, International Relations/Trade, Livestock Production/Industries,

Willingness to Pay for Imported Beef and Risk Perception: An application of Individual-Level Parameter

The controversy surrounding the Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) has attracted research attentions. A number of studies have reported consumers are willing to pay more for beef labeled with U.S. origin versus beef from unknown or other origins. Despite that, relatively little is known about what motivates consumers’ preference for origin-labeled food products (Lusk et al 2006). Using Individual-Level Parameters following a mixed logit model, we found that U.S. consumers were willing to pay significantly less for imported steak from Australia and Canada compare to U.S. steak. Further, we found that the negative willingness to pay is associated strongly with consumers’ perception of food safety on the exporting country.beef, country of origin, mixed logit, individual-level parameters, stated choice experiment, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Marketing, Q13, Q18,

On the coexistence of stellar-mass and intermediate-mass black holes in globular clusters

In this paper, we address the question: What is the probability of stellar-mass black hole (BH) binaries co-existing in a globular cluster with an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH)? Our results suggest that the detection of one or more BH binaries can strongly constrain the presence of an IMBH in most Galactic globular clusters. More specifically, the detection of one or more BH binaries could strongly indicate against the presence of an IMBH more massive than $\gtrsim 10^3$ M$_{\rm \odot}$ in roughly 80\% of the clusters in our sample. To illustrate this, we use a combination of N-body simulations and analytic methods to weigh the rate of formation of BH binaries against their ejection and/or disruption rate via strong gravitational interactions with the central (most) massive BH. The eventual fate of a sub-population of stellar-mass BHs (with or without binary companions) is for all BHs to be ejected from the cluster by the central IMBH, leaving only the most massive stellar-mass BH behind to form a close binary with the IMBH. During each phase of evolution, we discuss the rate of inspiral of the central BH-BH pair as a function of both the properties of the binary and its host cluster.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRA

Decomposition of coarse woody debris in a long-term litter manipulation experiment: A focus on nutrient availability

The majority of above-ground carbon in tropical forests is stored in wood, which is returned to the atmosphere during decomposition of coarse woody debris. However, the factors controlling wood decomposition have not been experimentally manipulated over time scales comparable to the length of this process.We hypothesized that wood decomposition is limited by nutrient availability and tested this hypothesis in a long-term litter addition and removal experiment in a lowland tropical forest in Panama. Specifically, we quantified decomposition using a 15-year chronosequence of decaying boles, and measured respiration rates and nutrient limitation of wood decomposer communities.The long-term probability that a dead tree completely decomposed was decreased in plots where litter was removed, but did not differ between litter addition and control treatments. Similarly, respiration rates of wood decomposer communities were greater in control treatments relative to litter removal plots; litter addition treatments did not differ from either of the other treatments. Respiration rates increased in response to nutrient addition (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) in the litter removal and addition treatments, but not in the controls.Established decreases in concentrations of soil nutrients in litter removal plots and increased respiration rates in response to nutrient addition suggest that reduced rates of wood decomposition after litter removal were caused by decreased nutrient availability. The effects of litter manipulations differed directionally from a previous short-term decomposition study in the same plots, and reduced rates of bole decomposition in litter removal plots did not emerge until after more than 6 years of decomposition. These differences suggest that litter-mediated effects on nutrient dynamics have complex interactions with decomposition over time

Impact of Communication on Depressive Vulnerability in Deaf Individuals

Mode of communication and perceived communication with mother deserve attention within the mother-deaf child relationship. This study explored the impact of both factors on each other and on the vulnerability of young deaf college students for depressive symptoms using measures revised to meet the language needs of this population. Depression was negatively associated with perceived communication with mother. Mode of communication significantly related to perceived communication with mother, with oral subjects scoring highest. They were also least depressed. Further analysis revealed that subjects communicating with their mothers through signs only and vice versa scored as high for perceived maternal communication as did oral subjects. This suggests that a good match between mother and child in mode of communication positively impacts on the young deaf adult\u27s emotional health