Contributions of Immigrant Farmworkers to California Vegetable Production

A major concern with immigrants coming into the United States is that they adversely affect domestic workers through job competition and wage depression.We study the displacement and wage reduction effects of immigrants in California vegetable production, which is labor intensive, and 95% of the farmworkers in California are immigrants. Our findings show that this concern is not valid in vegetable production because the addition of one new immigrant displaces only 0.0123 domestic workers, and wage reduction is inconsequential. But one immigrant worker increases the vegetable production by $23,457 and augments the productivity of skilled workers, material inputs, and capital by$11,729.employment displacement, immigrant labor, vegetable production, wage effect, Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, J43, J61,

Why do some voluntary patients feel coerced into hospitalisation? A mixed-methods study

This study aimed to investigate factors linked to perceived coercion at admission and during treatment among voluntary inpatients. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Two hundred seventy patients were screened for perceived coercion at admission. Those who felt coerced into admission rated their perceived coercion during treatment a month after admission. Patient characteristics and experiences were tested as predictors of coercion. In-depth interviews on experiences leading to perceived coercion were conducted with 36 participants and analysed thematically. Thirty-four percent of patients felt coerced into admission and half of those still felt coerced a month later. No patient characteristics were associated with perceived coercion. Those whose satisfaction with treatment increased more markedly between baseline and a month later were less likely to feel coerced a month after admission. In the qualitative interviews three themes leading to perceived coercion were identified: viewing the hospital as ineffective and other treatments as more appropriate, not participating in the admission and treatment and not feeling respected. Involving patients in the decision-making and treating them with respect may reduce perceived coercion

ESSAYS IN POLICY ANALYSIS STRATEGIC TRADE THEORY AND THE ELIMINATION OF AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES

The purpose of this dissertation is to advance the understanding of the impacts of trade and domestic policies on production, trade, welfare, and productivity. The first chapter summarizes and extends the New Empirical Industrial Organization (NEIO) literature by showing that the cost function specification plays a crucial role in identifying the market power parameter in both autarky and trade models.The second chapter uses a strategic trade policy framework and the NEIO literature to analyze the oligopolistic competition between U.S. and Chinese apple exporters in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and in their domestic apple markets. A theoretical model is defined and quantitative results are derived for changes in ASEAN tariffs on imports of U.S. and Chinese apples and the latter countries' subsidies. A structural econometric model is estimated and simulated to quantify the effects of changes in the tariffs and subsidies on trade flows, price, and welfare.The third paper develops a strategic trade model based on the new trade theory to analyze competition between Florida and São Paulo processors in the U.S. orange juice market and São Paulo processors in the European orange juice market. Comparative static results are derived to analyze the effect of a reduction in the U.S. and European tariffs on sales and welfare in the United States, São Paulo, and Europe. A structural econometric model is specified, and the NEIO literature is utilized to identify the market power parameters. The estimated structural model is simulated to quantify a reduction in the U.S. and European tariffs.The fourth chapter analyzes the short- and long-run effects of various subsidies by developing a dynamic general equilibrium model with firm-level productivity shocks and endogenous entry and exit. Measurement statistics are specified for welfare, real gross domestic product, and total factor productivity to make the analysis resemble the data-based measurements macroeconomist typically implement. The model is calibrated to a general and widely accepted set of functional forms and parameters. The impacts of the elimination of subsidies are quantified by numerically solving the model for both steady state values and equilibrium transition paths for the above measurement statistics

Differential production cross sections of multiply charged fragments in 800 MeV proton-induced spallation of carbon, aluminum, and nickel

Differential production cross sections for multiply charged fragments from 800-MeV proton-induced spallation of /sup 12/C, /sup 27/Al, and natural Ni were measured at 30 and 90 degrees. The ion fragments were identified by use of time-of-flight, ..delta..E--E detector telescope capable of complete particle identification for energies as low as .25 MeV/nucleon. The very short ranges of the particles of interest required the construction of very thin detectors with minimal deadlayer material. The time-pick-off detectors and gas ionization chamber developed are unique, and represent the state-of-the-art in fast timing for time-of-flight measurements and in construction of thin detectors. The resolutions achieved allowed the cross sections of /sup 3/He, /sup 4/He, /sup 6/Li, /sup 7/Li, /sup 7/Be, /sup 9/Be, /sup 10/Be, /sup 10/B, /sup 11/B, /sup 11/C, /sup 12/C, and /sup 13/C to be determined, along with those of nitrogen and oxygen without isotope separation. The cross sections were found to have weak angular dependence. Consequently, pseudo cross sections were calculated from the 90/sup 0/ data by integrating the differential cross sections from 0 to 25 MeV for each product and multiplying by 4..pi... Pseudo theoretical cross sections were similarly calculated from theoretical differential cross sections. These differential cross sections were calculated by use of a Monte Carlo computer code which incorporated the cascade-evaporation model of high-energy nuclear reactions. Implications are drawn for modifications of the model. The results suggest reducing the transparency of the struck nucleus to pions produced in the cascade stage of the reaction model in order that a higher excitation energy be left for the evaporation stage. Also, there is some evidence that evaporations of nuclear aggregates more massive than /sup 4/He occur. Inclusion of such evaporations should improve the model. 82 figures, 1 table

Production and Moral Hazard Effects of 2014 Cotton Farm Bill Policies

Abstract We develop a model for a representative risk-averse cotton farmer to analyze the impact of crop insurance policies (RP, YP, STAX, and SCO). The model is calibrated and numerically optimized to quantify the effects of different insurance policy combinations on input use, insurance coverage levels, premiums, and certainty equivalent. When the farmer elects only RP, the optimal coverage rate is 80%. Under RP&STAX, the optimal RP coverage rate is 70% and the STAX coverage rate is 90%. RP&STAX is the optimal policy combination based on certainty equivalents. The RP&SCO combination has the lowest impact of input use