Mobility in Rural Credit Markets: A Honduran Case Study

In this paper I analyze mobility in rural credit markets. A panel data set of rural Honduran households is used to study credit market transitions; specifically, the dynamic evolution of formal and informal sector participation. Mobility patterns among four different credit market states are analyzed, namely those who have formal sector participation, informal sector participation, participation in both sectors and nonparticipation in rural credit markets. I use a random effects dynamic multinomial logit model which can accommodate unobserved heterogeneity. The main findings are that state dependence plays a significant role in ones ability to borrow.Agribusiness,

An Empirical Investigation of Reputation Loan Size Dynamics in Rural Credit Markets in Honduras

This paper examines the role of two types of reputation - borrower credit history and productivity - in disequilibrium supply and demand models of loan size dynamics in formal and informal credit markets. Using panel data on Honduran households, full- and partialinformation regime switching econometric models yield four principal findings: (1) credit contracts in the formal sector are largely collateral driven and not reputation driven; (2) the informal sector credit contracts are borrower reputation based; (3) the informal sector utilizes positive/negative credit histories in both markets to credibly reward/punish borrowers; and (4) technical efficiency has a positive impact in determining loan size in both sectors on the demand and supply side of the market.

Farmer Health Insurance Cooperatives: An Innovative Solution for Other Americans?

Health Economics and Policy, Labor and Human Capital,

Assessing the Economic Feasibility of Capturing and Utilizing Carbon Dioxide from Ethanol Production in South Dakota

Since the Industrial Revolution, anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have spiked dramatically, prompting discussions on climate change. Mitigating climate change requires significant reductions in global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as CO2 is the most abundant anthropogenic GHG. A process that assists in offsetting the exponential growth in CO2 emissions is carbon capture and storage (CCS). Integrating carbon capture technology into the ethanol industry can provide an economically feasible way to achieve net reductions in CO2 emissions. The proposed work investigates the economic viability of applying CCS technologies to the 16 ethanol facilities in South Dakota (SD) and quantifies the potential reduction in CO2 emissions for the state. A pipeline network is developed within the state, transporting the congregated CO2 to the oil fields in Harding County, SD. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is examined as a storage option as this method provides additional revenue to the CCS operation and creates a more economically feasible option. Sensitivity analyses are performed to evaluate the impact of variations in performance parameters on the system. Results from this study show a positive net present value (NPV) for each CO2-EOR scenario; hence, a CCS operation in SD can be economically viable when combined with the ethanol industry, and the financial benefits from EOR and tax credits are considered. Sensitivity studies show NPV is highly sensitive to oil price and oil recovery rates. Additionally, the modeled CCS system can geologically store 50.44 million MtCO2 in the Harding County oil fields. Thus, over the simulated storage period, 50.44 million MtCO2 are put to beneficial use and prevented from entering the atmosphere

Fostering growth of the rural non-farm sector in Africa: The Case of Tanzania

We use a survey of small rural enterprises from Tanzania to demonstrate quantitatively the economic importance of this sector and to identify participants' characteristics and obstacles to the sector's expansion and productivity. In stark contrast to most of the findings for the formal sector where taxation and other regulatory constraints were identified as key constraints in most of the countries, infrastructure constraints (but not regulatory obstacles) pose a formidable barrier to rural households' participation in rural non-farm and to investment and increased productivity by existing ones. The fact that such constraints emerge as particularly harmful for small enterprises suggests that policies to improve delivery of the public services in question will be important to provide a basis for a flourishing rural non-farm sector which in turn will have an important role for poverty reduction.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Developing AFM Techniques for Testing PEG Hydrogels

Many instruments are used to find elastic properties of biological samples using methods such as tensile and bending tests, but using the atomic force microscope (AFM) is considered a non-destructive method because it can provide repeated local stiffness information without damaging the sample. It additionally allows the sample to be tested in an aqueous environment, which is optimal for soft materials such as hydrogels. The nanoindentation is performed via cantilever, measuring the deflection of the cantilever during the contact of the sample using a laser. Compared to hard samples, testing soft materials can present more challenges when working with the AFM, creating the need for a refined technique.[1] This study will explore ways to improve the accuracy and feasibility of testing hydrogels, which are significant in biomaterials research as they offer the ability to be altered mechanically and chemically to fit the needs of cells.[2] The technique for testing the hydrogels will be refined through a process moving from dry to wet samples, attempting to repeatedly and successfully obtain topography and elastic properties through high resolution topography scans and force curves. References: Radmacher, M., Tillamnn, R.W., Fritz, M., and Gaub, H.E. (1992), From molecules to cells: imaging soft samples with the atomic force microscope. Science. 257: 1900-1905 Flake, M. M., Nguyen, P. K., Scott, R. A., Vandiver, L. R., Willits, R. K., and Elbert, D. L. Poly(ethylene glycol) microparticles produced by precipitation polymerization in aqueous solution. Biomacromolecules 12 (844-850). 2011

The Status of Fishes in the Missouri River, Nebraska: Lake Sturgeon \u3ci\u3e(Acipenser fulvescens)\u3c/i\u3e

Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) occurrences in the Missouri River along Nebraska’s eastern border are historically sporadic and rare. Presently, the wild Lake Sturgeon population in this river reach may be extirpated. A Recovery Program initiated by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has stocked almost 150,000 hatchery-reared Lake Sturgeon into the lower Missouri River at several sites in Missouri. As a result, the number of Lake Sturgeon collected has increased. Since monitoring began in 2003, no Lake Sturgeon have been collected above Gavins Point Dam while 40 fish were collected downstream of Gavins Point Dam. The majority of captures occurred in the lower channelized reach downstream of the confluence of the Platte and Missouri rivers. All fish collected are assumed to be progeny of MDC’s Recovery Program as either they were hatchery marked or their size (mean fork length = 764 mm, range = 602–997 mm) correlated with the expected growth rates. At present, their rarity warrants continued listing as a state threated species

The Status of Fishes in the Missouri River, Nebraska: Lake Sturgeon \u3ci\u3e(Acipenser fulvescens)\u3c/i\u3e

Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) occurrences in the Missouri River along Nebraska’s eastern border are historically sporadic and rare. Presently, the wild Lake Sturgeon population in this river reach may be extirpated. A Recovery Program initiated by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has stocked almost 150,000 hatchery-reared Lake Sturgeon into the lower Missouri River at several sites in Missouri. As a result, the number of Lake Sturgeon collected has increased. Since monitoring began in 2003, no Lake Sturgeon have been collected above Gavins Point Dam while 40 fish were collected downstream of Gavins Point Dam. The majority of captures occurred in the lower channelized reach downstream of the confluence of the Platte and Missouri rivers. All fish collected are assumed to be progeny of MDC’s Recovery Program as either they were hatchery marked or their size (mean fork length = 764 mm, range = 602–997 mm) correlated with the expected growth rates. At present, their rarity warrants continued listing as a state threated species

Influence of medical journal press releases on the quality of associated newspaper coverage: retrospective cohort study

Objective To determine whether the quality of press releases issued by medical journals can influence the quality of associated newspaper stories

Evaluation of an Emergency Department Lean Process Improvement Program to Reduce Length of Stay

In recent years, lean principles have been applied to improve wait times in the emergency department (ED). In 2009, an ED process improvement program based on lean methods was introduced in Ontario as part of a broad strategy to reduce ED length of stay and improve patient flow. This study seeks to determine the effect of this program on ED wait times and quality of care. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all ED visits at program and control sites during 3 program waves from April 1, 2007, to June 30, 2011, in Ontario, Canada. Time series analyses of outcomes before and after the program and difference-in-differences analyses comparing changes in program sites with control sites were conducted