GUIDELINES FOR WESTERN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AUTHORS

This article explains the current editorial procedures and policies of the Western Journal of Agricultural Economics. The contents should be of interest both to readers and to authors who plan to submit manuscripts to the Journal. The current editorial policy of the Journal is discussed, the review and publication process is explained, and detailed guidelines for the proper preparation of manuscripts for the Journal are presented.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

THE VALUE OF PROTEIN IN FEED BARLEY FOR BEEF, DAIRY, AND SWINE FEEDING

The impact of the protein content of feed barley on the costs of feeding beef, dairy cattle, and swine in Montana is evaluated. A model of least-cost feed rations is constructed to analyze the marginal value of additional protein content in feed barley. The results indicate that increasing the protein content of feed barley above 12% will not substantially increase the value of barley to feeders. This implies that the establishment and maintenance of a protein premium in the feed barley market would tend to result in lower average prices for feed barley because the feed value/protein relationship is concave and the market would be sustaining costs that the inherent value of the commodity could not support.Livestock Production/Industries,

The Public Resource Management Game

Use of public resources for private economic gain is a longstanding, contested political issue. Public resources generate benefits beyond commodity uses, including recreation, environmental and ecological conservation and preservation, and existence and aesthetic values. We analyze this problem using a dynamic resource use game. Low use fees let commodity users capture more of the marginal benefit from private use. This increases the incentive to comply with government regulations. Optimal contracts therefore include public use fees that are lower than private rates. The optimal policy also includes random monitoring to prevent strategic learning and cheating on the use agreements and to avoid wasteful efforts to disguise noncompliant behavior. An optimal policy also includes a penalty for cheating beyond terminating the use contract. This penalty must be large enough that the commodity user who would gain the most from noncompliance experiences a negative expected net return.Renewable resources, public resources policy, optimal contracts

A Variable Metric Probabilistic k-Nearest-Neighbours Classifier

Copyright © 2004 Springer Verlag. The final publication is available at link.springer.com5th International Conference, Exeter, UK. August 25-27, 2004. ProceedingsBook title: Intelligent Data Engineering and Automated Learning – IDEAL 2004k-nearest neighbour (k-nn) model is a simple, popular classifier. Probabilistic k-nn is a more powerful variant in which the model is cast in a Bayesian framework using (reversible jump) Markov chain Monte Carlo methods to average out the uncertainy over the model parameters.The k-nn classifier depends crucially on the metric used to determine distances between data points. However, scalings between features, and indeed whether some subset of features is redundant, are seldom known a priori. Here we introduce a variable metric extension to the probabilistic k-nn classifier, which permits averaging over all rotations and scalings of the data. In addition, the method permits automatic rejection of irrelevant features. Examples are provided on synthetic data, illustrating how the method can deform feature space and select salient features, and also on real-world data

Cultural basis of social ‘deficits’ in autism spectrum disorders

There is very little research that specifically looks at how autism spectrum disorders are perceived in various communities. This qualitative research was conducted with parents who had children on the autistic spectrum belonging to four different ethnic communities (White British, Somali, West African and South Asian- 63 in total) and living in the UK. The study found that the importance that the parents give to various social skills varied on the basis of their cultural background and the gender of the parent. This is an important aspect to consider while providing support and services to individuals on the autism spectrum and their family members if the services have to be appropriate for their needs. This consideration would also enable the individuals on the autism spectrum to develop appropriate social skills required within their cultural groups. This is a preliminary study and further research on the topic is required

Wood consumption and pellet production by Azorean Kalotermitidae: Kalotermes flavicollis and Cryptotermes brevis

Existem nos Açores duas espécies de térmitas da família Kalotermitidae: a Kalotermes flavicollis é uma térmita de madeira verde e é uma praga urbana menor. A Cryptotermes brevis é uma térmita de madeira seca e é uma importante praga para mobiliário e estruturas. São analisadas as espécies de madeira consumidas por cada espécie nos Açores sendo descritas diferenças na cor, tamanho, forma, e modo de despejo das partículas fecais. A taxa de consumo de madeira e a produção de partículas fecais para a espécie Cryptotermes brevis foram estudadas em 49 tipos diferentes de madeiras. Verificou-se que duas espécies de madeira produzidas localmente e muito usadas na construção, Cryptomeria japonica e Eucalyptus sp., foram das mais consumidas, indicando a importância do desenvolvimento de um sistema local para tratamento por pressão em autoclave das madeiras. Entre as madeiras menos consumidas (mais resistentes) encontram-se espécies tropicais, como o Jatobá e a Maçaranduba. As partículas fecais que são expulsas das galerias pelas térmitas são a forma mais conspícua de detectar infestações por Cryptotermes brevis, dando bons meios para monitorizar a localização de térmitas, o tamanho da colónia e a sua actividade. Foi verificado que a expulsão de partículas fecais é descontínua. Contudo, alguns períodos de expulsão de partículas fecais são contínuos por alguns dias, com taxas de expulsões de 274 partículas fecais, por hora, com acumulações de até 7,8 gramas num período de duas semanas.ABSTRACT: Two termite species of the family Kalotermitidae occur in the Azores: Kalotermes flavicollis is a dampwood termite and minor house pest. Cryptotermes brevis is a dry wood termite and a major pest of furniture and structures. Records of wood species consumed by each species in the Azores are reviewed. Differences in the color, size, shape, disposal of fecal pellets of each species are described. Rates of wood consumption, pellet production were experimentally studied for Cryptotermes brevis on 49 different wood species. Two wood species that are locally produced and widely utilized for construction, Cryptomeria japonica and Eucalyptus sp., were found to be among the most preferred woods for termite consumption indicating an important need for the development of an effective local pressure treatment system for preserving these woods. Least preferred (most resistant woods) included tropical hardwood species such as Jatobá and Maçaranduba. Fecal pellets expelled from galleries by termites are the most conspicuous evidence of Cryptotermes brevis infestations and provide a potential means of monitoring termite location, colony size and activity. Pellet expulsion was found to be discontinuous. However some bouts of pellet dumping were observed to be continuous for at least several days with rates of pellet expulsion of up to 274 pellets per hour, with pellet accumulations of as much as 7.8 grams over a two-week period

Phylogeny, biogeography and ecology of azorean termites

Three species of termites are currently known in the archipelago (the European dampwood termite, Kalotermes flavicollis, the West Indies drywood termite, Cryptotermes brevis, and the Iberian subterranean termite Reticulitermes grassei). All these three species are "lower termites", that is, primitive species having simple galleries but not well formed nests, tending to be less socially advanced and to occur in more temperate latitudes, generally eating only wood but not other types of cellulose, and all having flagellates in the gut. Kalotermes flavicollis is native to most of the Mediterranean region and was probably introduced in the islands many decades ago through vineyard or orchard stocks. In Terceira Island, K. flavicollis is common in the heartwood of several trees and shrubs along the coast. Its colony members may exceed 1000 but the average colony has 600. This termite has been considered as a minor structural pest in a few houses, but structural infestations by this species only occur in association with moisture due to leaks or condensation. Cryptotermes brevis is the most destructive drywood termite pest in the world. Due to its exceptional ability to withstand wood with low moisture content it is able to attack all kinds of dead and dry wood with a strong preference for sapwood over heartwood. It attacks wood in service including structural timbers, beams, studs, rafters, cladding, flooring, molding, doors, window frames and wooden articles such as carvings, tools, picture frames, musical instruments, looms, bed posts, and almost all forms of wood. Serious infestations of this termite are currently known in São Miguel, Terceira, Faial and Santa Maria Islands. Local research has shown that colony size may range up to about 300 but that average colony size is only 45 individuals. Severe damage results not from individual colonies but from high levels of reinfestation leading to the establishment of large numbers of colonies. Successful colony foundation by this termite is promoted by the widespread occurrence of several anobiid beetles whose exit holes in wood provide ideal entrance holes for termite alates. Reticulitermes grassei, a subterranean termite, has only been found in the Azores Archipelago, in the Horta city (Faial Island) where it has been causing severe damage to a few buildings. Reticulitermes colonies may grow to millions of individuals promoted by numerous nymphoid reproductive’s which develop within colonies. Unlike the other two species, colonies of Reticulitermes may spread by tunnelling through the ground

Handling strategies for termites in the Azores

As térmitas estão perfeitamente estabelecidas nos Açores e constituem já uma praga de dimensões apreciadas nas zonas urbanas. Com base no conhecimento actual, é impossível erradicar as térmitas dos Açores. São conhecidas, actualmente, três espécies de térmitas nos Açores: uma térmita de madeira seca, a Cryptotermes brevis, uma térmita de madeira viva, a Kalotermes flavicollis, e uma térmita subterrânea, a Reticulitermes grassei. Qualquer que seja a estratégia de infestação, todas estas espécies irão causar grandes prejuízos económicos aos açorianos, nas próximas décadas, sendo as formas de combate e gestão diferentes para as três espécies. Com base na investigação científica realizada no último ano, em relação à espécie de térmita de madeira seca, Cryptotermes brevis, torna-se claro que as principais estratégias de gestão passam por: 1) evitar a dispersão das espécies entre ilhas; 2) melhorar as medidas de quarentena para, assim, evitar a entrada de novas espécies no arquipélago; 3) melhorar as técnicas de inspecção e treinar novos inspectores; 4) educar as pessoas para lidarem com a gestão dos insectos alados; 5) tratar o mobiliário com uma série de técnicas recentemente disponibilizadas (Bolhas de gás com CO2 ou N2) ou através do simples uso do frio, bem como do calor do sol; 6) remover as peças de madeira muito infestadas e proceder à sua substituição por peças de metal ou madeira pré-tratada com químicos em autoclave; 7) usar químicos em tratamentos localizados, apenas, quando a infestação tiver um carácter de fraca ou média infestação e ter sempre o cuidado de seleccionar o químico considerado mais adequado com base nos dados experimentais; 8) testar a possibilidade de utilizar medidas de controlo em grande escala, com base no uso de fumigação por gases ou por calor; 9) criar nova legislação.ABSTRACT: Termites are well-established and are serious pest of structural wood in the Azores. Eradication of termites cannot currently be achieved. Three species of termites are currently known from the archipelago (dry-wood termite Cryptotermes brevis, living trees Kalotermes flavicollis and subterranean termite Reticulitermes grassei). Whatever the infestation strategy, all these three species will cause enormous economic impact in the next decades in the Azores, and the types of control that are needed are entirely different for the three. As a result of the scientific research performed with the dry-wood termite Cryptotermes brevis in the last year it is now clear that the main management strategies are: 1) to avoid further dispersal between islands; 2) to improve quarantine measures in order to avoid the entrance in the archipelago of new termite species; 3) to improve inspection techniques and train new inspectors; 4) to educate home-owners to manage alates spread; 5) to treat furniture with newly available techniques (e.g., Gas Bubble with non-toxic physical controls such as CO2, or N2 gas) or simple use of "sun heat" or extreme cold; 6) to remove all highly infested wood and replace it with new materials such as metal parts or pressure-treated wood when (re)building; 7) to use chemicals in spot-treatments only when the infestation is moderate to small and selecting the most adequate chemical based on experimental grounds; 8) to test the possibility of using in the Azores whole-block control usually by gas or heat fumigation; 9) to create new legislation