The residual control roles of cooperative board of directors : a preliminary comparative analysis

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 11, 2009)Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.The governance of economic organizations is complex. The theoretical and empirical literature on organizational governance implies that one form of governance mechanism functions the same for all economic organization, regardless of structure. This dissertation examines how the boards of directors, acting as an internal governance mechanism, differ in perception, behavior, and ability across two unique forms of economic organization. A sample of 115 agricultural cooperative members, who serve on their cooperative board of directors, from 17 unique agricultural cooperatives in the state of Missouri were surveyed. Of the 115 individuals, 33 belonged to new generation patron-investor cooperatives and 82 were members of traditional patron cooperatives. The analysis of this survey data indicates that there are significant differences across organizational structure related to the effort invested by board members toward governing, the level of intellectual and social capital board members possess, and the underlying influences that dictate how governing effort is allocated among various roles.Includes bibliographical reference

The Economics of Regulations on Hen Housing in California

Beginning January 1, 2015, conventional cage housing for egg-laying hens is scheduled to be prohibited in California. We consider the economic implications of the new hen housing regulations on the California shell egg industry. Our data show that egg production is more costly using noncage systems than conventional cages. The main result of the new regulations will be a drastic reduction in the number of eggs produced in California, a large increase in egg shipments from out of state, little if any change in hen housing for eggs consumed in California, and little change in egg prices in California.animal welfare regulation, hen housing, egg supply, egg prices, egg costs of production, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Consumer/Household Economics, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Q11, Q18,

Decision by Sampling and Memory Distinctiveness: Range Effects from Rank-Based Models of Judgment and Choice

To what extent are preferences for risk – and for other economic quantities – stable, and to what extent are they malleable and context-dependent? Judgments and choices are strongly influenced by the context of available options in both the laboratory and the real world (e.g., Parducci, 1995; Sharpe et al., 2008), and this applies both to choices between risky options and more generally (Stewart et al., 2003). What cognitive processes underpin these contextual influences? According to the decision by sampling model (DbS: Stewart et al., 2006), judgments of a stimulus in a context depend solely on the relative ranked position of the stimulus within the remembered or experienced context of judgment. The claim that only relative ranked position matters appears, however, to contradict both empirical data and an earlier model of judgment, range frequency theory (RFT: Parducci, 1965, 1995), according to which the position of a stimulus with respect to the highest and lowest stimuli in the context (its range position) also matters. Here we show that a purely rank-based approach can account for apparent range effects when the relative memorability of contextual items, as independently determined by a memory model (Brown et al., 2007), is taken into account. Such a demonstration is important for several reasons. In particular, it is important to understand whether the skew of a distribution (e.g., the degree of inequality of an income distribution) influences the judgments of items (e.g., individuals ’ own incomes) within that distribution. If judgments are based solely on relative rank (as DbS claims), there should be no effects of distribution skewness – yet such effects are frequently observed. For example, there is a tension between the claim that income inequality within a society influences various indices of societal well-being (e.g., Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009) and the claim that individuals are primarily or solely concerned with the ranked position of their income (Boyce et al., 2010). Here we address this tension directly

Door guard

The door guard of the present invention utilizes an L-shaped bar which binds against the panic bar of the door and against the door frame to prevent the panic bar from being pulled down and thus opening the door. The L-shaped bar has a front and side leg. The front leg has attached to it an upper and lower tab which fits one on either side of the panic bar. The side leg binds against the door frame

Transfer Pricing In Transnational Operations: A Case- And Literature-Based Analysis

This paper represents a combined case- and literature-based analysis of transnational pricing and highlights the difference in the issues and perspectives of the business and academic environments.  Following an introduction to the issue (noting the growing importance of the transfer of goods from one organizational entity to another within a multinational firm), a short case - The Henderson Company - illustrates how a relatively simple announcement can lead to a lengthy and heated discussion that points out the differences in opinion both between the headquarters and the subsidiaries and between the various regional entities themselves.  The analysis of the case reflecting the concerns and perspectives of the members of the international management team (in terms of involvement and partnership, legal and operational concerns, competitive marketing strategy, and evaluation, compensation, and motivational issues) is followed by a literature-based analysis that looks at the complexities of the situation in terms of management, economics, taxation, and finance research.  The paper concludes with the recognition that the issue of transnational pricing is a complex one that needs to be addressed from both an organizational perspective and from an international viewpoint emphasizing the development of ways of more accurately reflecting cost allocations

The Nature of Optical Features in the Inner Region of the 3C48 Host Galaxy

The well-known quasar 3C48 is the most powerful compact steep-spectrum radio-loud QSO at low redshifts. It also has two unusual optical features within the radius of the radio jet (~1"): (1) an anomalous, high-velocity narrow-line component, having several times as much flux as does the narrow-line component coinciding with the broad-line redshift; and (2) a bright continuum peak (3C48A) ~1" northeast of the quasar. Both of these optical features have been conjectured to be related to the radio jet. Here we explore these suggestions. We have obtained Gemini North GMOS integral-field-unit (IFU) spectroscopy of the central region around 3C48. We use the unique features of the IFU data to remove unresolved emission at the position of the quasar. The resolved emission at the wavelength of the high-velocity component is peaked <~0.25" north of the quasar, at virtually the same position angle as the base of the radio jet. These observations appear to confirm that this high-velocity gas is connected with the radio jet. However, most of the emission comes from a region where the jet is still well collimated, rather than from the regions where the radio maps indicate strong interaction with an external medium. We also present the results of HST STIS spectroscopy of 3C48A. We show that 3C48A is dominated by stars with a luminosity-weighted age of ~1.4 X 10^8 years, substantially older than any reasonable estimate for the age of the radio source. Our IFU data indicate a similar age. Thus, 3C48A almost certainly cannot be attributed to jet-induced star formation. The host galaxy of 3C48 is clearly the result of a merger, and 3C48A seems much more likely to be the distorted nucleus of the merging partner, in which star formation was induced during the previous close passage.Comment: 10 pages, accepted by The Astrophysical Journa

A major QTL corresponding to the Rk locus for resistance to root-knot nematodes in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.).

Key messageGenome resolution of a major QTL associated with the Rk locus in cowpea for resistance to root-knot nematodes has significance for plant breeding programs and R gene characterization. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) is a susceptible host of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) (RKN), major plant-parasitic pests in global agriculture. To date, breeding for host resistance in cowpea has relied on phenotypic selection which requires time-consuming and expensive controlled infection assays. To facilitate marker-based selection, we aimed to identify and map quantitative trait loci (QTL) conferring the resistance trait. One recombinant inbred line (RIL) and two F2:3 populations, each derived from a cross between a susceptible and a resistant parent, were genotyped with genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The populations were screened in the field for root-galling symptoms and/or under growth-chamber conditions for nematode reproduction levels using M. incognita and M. javanica biotypes. One major QTL was mapped consistently on linkage group VuLG11 of each population. By genotyping additional cowpea lines and near-isogenic lines derived from conventional backcrossing, we confirmed that the detected QTL co-localized with the genome region associated with the Rk locus for RKN resistance that has been used in conventional breeding for many decades. This chromosomal location defined with flanking markers will be a valuable target in marker-assisted breeding and for positional cloning of genes controlling RKN resistance

A Novel Root-Knot Nematode Resistance QTL on Chromosome Vu01 in Cowpea.

The root-knot nematode (RKN) species Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica cause substantial root system damage and suppress yield of susceptible cowpea cultivars. The narrow-based genetic resistance conferred by the Rk gene, present in some commercial cultivars, is not effective against Rk-virulent populations found in several cowpea production areas. The dynamics of virulence within RKN populations require a broadening of the genetic base of resistance in elite cowpea cultivars. As part of this goal, F1 and F2 populations from the cross CB46-Null (susceptible) x FN-2-9-04 (resistant) were phenotyped for M. javanica induced root-galling (RG) and egg-mass production (EM) in controlled growth chamber and greenhouse infection assays. In addition, F[Formula: see text] families of the same cross were phenotyped for RG on field sites infested with Rk-avirulent M. incognita and M. javanica The response of F1 to RG and EM indicated that resistance to RKN in FN-2-9-04 is partially dominant, as supported by the degree of dominance in the F2 and F[Formula: see text] populations. Two QTL associated with both RG and EM resistance were detected on chromosomes Vu01 and Vu04. The QTL on Vu01 was most effective against aggressive M. javanica, whereas both QTL were effective against avirulent M. incognita Allelism tests with CB46 x FN-2-9-04 progeny indicated that these parents share the same RKN resistance locus on Vu04, but the strong, broad-based resistance in FN-2-9-04 is conferred by the additive effect of the novel resistance QTL on Vu01. This novel resistance in FN-2-9-04 is an important resource for broadening RKN resistance in elite cowpea cultivars

Improving zero-error classical communication with entanglement

Given one or more uses of a classical channel, only a certain number of messages can be transmitted with zero probability of error. The study of this number and its asymptotic behaviour constitutes the field of classical zero-error information theory, the quantum generalisation of which has started to develop recently. We show that, given a single use of certain classical channels, entangled states of a system shared by the sender and receiver can be used to increase the number of (classical) messages which can be sent with no chance of error. In particular, we show how to construct such a channel based on any proof of the Bell-Kochen-Specker theorem. This is a new example of the use of quantum effects to improve the performance of a classical task. We investigate the connection between this phenomenon and that of ``pseudo-telepathy'' games. The use of generalised non-signalling correlations to assist in this task is also considered. In this case, a particularly elegant theory results and, remarkably, it is sometimes possible to transmit information with zero-error using a channel with no unassisted zero-error capacity.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Version 2 is the same as the journal version plus figure 1 and the non-signalling box exampl

Pseudotumor cerebri syndrome in childhood : incidence, clinical profile and risk factors in a national prospective population-based cohort study

Aim To investigate the epidemiology, clinical profile and risk factors of pseudotumor cerebri syndrome (PTCS) in children aged 1-16 years. Methods A national prospective population-based cohort study over 25 months. Newly diagnosed PTCS cases notified via British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU) were ascertained using classical diagnostic criteria and categorised according to 2013 revised diagnostic criteria. We derived national age, sex and weight-specific annual incidence rates and assessed effects of sex and weight category. Results We identified 185 PTCS cases of which 166 also fulfilled revised diagnostic criteria. The national annual incidence (95% CI) of childhood PTCS aged 1-16 years was 0.71 (0.57- 0.87) per 100,000 population increasing with age and weight to 4.18 and 10.7 per 100,000 in obese 12-15 year old boys and girls respectively. Incidence rates under 7 years were similar in both sexes. From 7 years onwards, the incidence in girls was double that in boys, but only in overweight (including obese) children. In 12-15 year old children, an estimated 82% of the incidence of PTCS was attributable to obesity. Two subgroups of PTCS were apparent: 168 (91%) cases aged from 7 years frequently presented on medication and with headache, and were predominantly female and obese. The remaining 17 (9%) cases under 7 years often lacked these risk factors and commonly presented with new onset squint. Conclusions This uniquely largest population-based study of childhood PTCS will inform the design of future intervention studies. It suggests that weight reduction is central to the prevention of PTCS