The labor market in real business cycle theory

The standard real business cycle model fails to adequately account for two facts found in the U.S. data: the fact that hours worked fluctuate considerably more than productivity and the fact that the correlation between hours worked and productivity is close to zero. In this paper, in a unified framework, the authors describe and analyze four extensions of the standard model, by introducing nonseparable leisure, indivisible labor, government spending, and household production.Business cycles ; Labor market

Technology Transfer in Forest Pest Management: A Case History

The current approach being used in the spruce budworm technology transfer program for the Lake States is described. During 1981-1982, we concentrated on needs assessment surveys and the development and packaging of materials in five areas: general manual, chemical control handbook, silviculture handbook, instruction manual for remote sensing workshops, and technical reports on budworm impact on spruce-fir stands. We present a list of factors that researchers and technology transfer specialists should consider when plan- ning a research and technology transfer program in forest pest management

Disaster recovery in the artifact fields - Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina

Journal ArticleFrom 22-29 September 2005 HEART, one of eight Heritage Emergency Assistance Recovery Teams, arrived in Mississippi to assess collection damage to cultural institutions following Hurricane Katrina

Disaster recovery in the artifact fields - Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina

Journal ArticleFrom 22-29 September 2005 HEART - one of eight Heritage Emergency Assistance Recovery Teams - arrived in Mississippi to assess collection damage to cultural institutions following Hurricane Katrina. Organized jointly by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) and the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), this is a summary of the first Mississippi HEART team's activities

A high-throughput screening method for determining the substrate scope of nitrilases

Nitrile compounds are intermediates in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals such as atorvastatin. We have developed a chromogenic reagent to screen for nitrilase activity as an alternative to Nessler's reagent. It produces a semi-quantifiable blue colour and hydrolysis of 38 nitrile substrates by 23 nitrilases as cell-free extracts has been shown

Aggregation Bias and Input-Output Regionalization: Detail or Accuracy?

Conventional wisdom holds that results from input-output (IO) models with greater sectoral detail are superior to those from models with less detail. However, there is an implicit assumption that the more detailed data are as accurate as their aggregated counterparts. In this paper, we explore the tradeoffs between sectoral detail and model accuracy in the context of IO regionalization, a practical context in which greater sectoral detail is commonly achieved via the imputation of missing values. This reality is especially apparent for increasingly smaller geographical regions where privacy concerns result in more suppressed and undisclosed data. As the number (or share) of disaggregated values that require imputation increases, the disaggregated model results will also deviate further from perfect accuracy. Is there a point at which using an aggregate model with greater certainty – relying on more reported and less imputed data – will provide results that are superior to a disaggregated model with greater potential imputation error and uncertainty? To address these questions, we design and implement simulation experiments founded on the concept of aggregation bias that enable us to evaluate the likelihoods that aggregate models would be superior to their disaggregated counterparts

A TRANSACTION COST ECONOMICS AND PROPERTY RIGHTS THEORY APPROACH TO FARMLAND LEASE PREFERENCES

Numerous theoretical approaches to farmland leasing contract choice have been developed with little consistent empirical support, particularly for the Corn Belt. A unique theoretical approach to explaining farmers' lease preferences is presented, using a combination of transaction cost economics and property rights theory. Results demonstrate that both transactional and certain producer characteristics are important motivators of contract choice.Land Economics/Use,

A COMPARISON OF SUSTAINABLE AND CONVENTIONAL FARMERS IN NORTH DAKOTA

Interviews and mail-out/mail-back surveys were conducted in 1992 with 38 conventional and 41 sustainable North Dakota farmers. The results emphasize the differences and similarities of these two types of farmers. Sustainable farms had more diverse cropping practices and were more likely to raise alternative crops like alfalfa, buckwheat, hay, millet, oats, and rye than conventional farmers. Conventional farmers were more likely to raise traditional crops like barley, sugar beets, sunflowers, and spring wheat. Conventional farmers averaged substantially higher crop yields than sustainable farmers. Three-fourths of the sustainable farmers raised livestock compared with one-half of the conventional farmers. Conventional farmers had greater equity, assets, gross farm income, and net farm income than sustainable farmers. Conventional and sustainable farmers reported nearly the same amount of satisfaction with farming as an occupation, the same stress levels, and the same perceived skill requirements.sustainable farms, conventional farms, organic, North Dakota, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management,

The long-term impact of short-term missions on the beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of young adults

This study investigated the impact that a number of variables within the short-term mission experience had on the beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of Anabaptist young adult mission participants in 24 concepts related to their relationship with God, the Church and world around them. Study participants were drawn from five different Anabaptist denominationally connected short-term mission programs ranging in length from one month to one year. This study used a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, follow-up design with non-equivalent groups as well as a non-randomized control group. The 116 study participants filled out a quantitative questionnaire prior to their short-term mission experience, after they returned from their mission experience and again one year after they returned. This longitudinal aspect of the research design measured the relative impact of variables within the short-term mission experience on participants over time. Methodological triangulation was employed that allowed for a variety of quantitative and qualitative tools to be used in better understanding the comparative impact of the short-term mission experience. The questionnaire, short essay response and interviews all incorporated concepts related to the international and cross-cultural impact of the short-term mission experience that have not been systematically analysed in this kind of study before. Response rates remained very high throughout the three stages of data collection and produced a number of significant findings. These findings included the positive impact during the mission experience of: an extensive pre-trip training experience, longer assignments, cross-cultural assignment location, relationally focused assignments, supportive families and churches, and correlation between repeat assignments and strong interest in future full-time mission work. While the positive impact of the short-term mission experience was significant, the post-trip regression in participants' beliefs, attitudes and behaviours one year after returning from the mission experience was also significant. This regression indicates that inadequate attention is being paid to participant re-entry, debrief and follow-up. Short-term mission agencies, participants and local churches need to view the discipleship impact of the short-term mission experience as ongoing. It is counter-intuitive to invest discipleship resources on returning short-term mission participants; however, the data indicates that is where the most significant discipleship challenges are found.TheologyD.Th