Phase Space Reconstruction and Nonlinear Equilibrium Dynamics in the United States Beef Market

This paper investigates dynamic interactions in the US beef market using phase space reconstruction, which has been developed to analyze nonlinear dynamical systems. This approach provides important and unique empirical insights into consumers behavior in the beef market. Our results from a phase space reconstruction analysis demonstrate distinct differences between intertemporal short run impacts from food safety outbreaks (e.g., E. Coli) and longer run health effects (e.g., cholesterol). Adjustments due to factors such as cholesterol are permanent changes and do not affect the manner by which people consume, while consumers react to food safety scares by adjusting consumption for a short period of time and then returning to their normal steady state cycle of consumption.nonlinear time series, phase space reconstruction, food safety, health effects, Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,

Alignment of patient and primary care practice member perspectives of chronic illness care: a cross-sectional analysis

Polly H. Noel and Luci K. Leykum are with the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA -- Polly H. Noel, Ray F. Palmer, Raquel L. Romero, Luci K. Leykum, Holly J. Lanham, and Krista W. Bowers are with the Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA -- Michael L. Parchman is with the MacColl Center for Healthcare Innovation, Group Health Research Institute, Group Health Cooperative, 1730 Minor Ave 1600, Seattle, WA 98101, USA -- Holly J. Leykum is with the The McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin, 2110 Speedway, Stop B6000, Austin, TX 78712, USA -- John E. Zeber is with the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, 1901 S. 1st St, Temple, TX 76504, USA and Scott and White Healthcare Center for Applied Health Research, 2401 S. 31st St, Temple, TX 76508, USABackground: Little is known as to whether primary care teams’ perceptions of how well they have implemented the Chronic Care Model (CCM) corresponds with their patients’ own experience of chronic illness care. We examined the extent to which practice members’ perceptions of how well they organized to deliver care consistent with the CCM were associated with their patients’ perceptions of the chronic illness care they have received. Methods: Analysis of baseline measures from a cluster randomized controlled trial testing a practice facilitation intervention to implement the CCM in small, community-based primary care practices. All practice “members” (i.e., physician providers, non-physician providers, and staff) completed the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) survey and adult patients with 1 or more chronic illnesses completed the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) questionnaire. Results: Two sets of hierarchical linear regression models accounting for nesting of practice members (N = 283) and patients (N = 1,769) within 39 practices assessed the association between practice member perspectives of CCM implementation (ACIC scores) and patients’ perspectives of CCM (PACIC). ACIC summary score was not significantly associated with PACIC summary score or most of PACIC subscale scores, but four of the ACIC subscales were consistently associated with PACIC summary score and the majority of PACIC subscale scores after controlling for patient characteristics. The magnitude of the coefficients, however, indicates that the level of association is weak. Conclusions: The ACIC and PACIC scales appear to provide complementary and relatively unique assessments of how well clinical services are aligned with the CCM. Our findings underscore the importance of assessing both patient and practice member perspectives when evaluating quality of chronic illness care.Information, Risk, and Operations Management (IROM)[email protected]

Two wheeled lunar dumptruck

The design of a two wheel bulk material transport vehicle is described in detail. The design consists of a modified cylindrical bowl, two independently controlled direct drive motors, and two deformable wheels. The bowl has a carrying capacity of 2.8 m (100 ft) and is constructed of aluminum. The low speed, high HP motors are directly connected to the wheels, thus yielding only two moving parts. The wheels, specifically designed for lunar applications, utilize the chevron tread pattern for optimum traction. The vehicle is maneuvered by varying the relative angular velocities of the wheels. The bulk material being transported is unloaded by utilizing the motors to oscillate the bowl back and forth to a height at which dumping is achieved. The analytical models were tested using a scaled prototype of the lunar transport vehicle. The experimental data correlated well with theoretical predictions. Thus, the design established provides a feasible alternative for the handling of bulk material on the moon

THE ARMORED SCALE INSECTS (HEMIPTERA DIASPIDIDAE) OF ALABAMA, USA

A continuing survey of the armored scale insects of Alabama has resulted in recording 113 species in 47 genera, among the tribes Aspidiotini, Diaspidini, and Odonaspidini. Alabama now ranks second among states in the southeastern United States in number of species of armored scales, trailing only Florida with its 150+ species. Comments on some of the more notable diaspidids, not previously collected in Alabama, are made along with notes on their hosts and distribution in the State

Partisan impacts on the economy: evidence from prediction markets and close elections

Analyses of the effects of election outcomes on the economy have been hampered by the problem that economic outcomes also influence elections. We sidestep these problems by analyzing movements in economic indicators caused by clearly exogenous changes in expectations about the likely winner during election day. Analyzing high frequency financial fluctuations following the release of flawed exit poll data on election day 2004, and then during the vote count we find that markets anticipated higher equity prices, interest rates and oil prices, and a stronger dollar under a George W. Bush presidency than under John Kerry. A similar Republican–Democrat differential was also observed for the 2000 Bush–Gore contest. Prediction market based analyses of all presidential elections since 1880 also reveal a similar pattern of partisan impacts, suggesting that electing a Republican president raises equity valuations by 2–3 percent, and that since Ronald Reagan, Republican presidents have tended to raise bond yields