Determining What's Really Important to Lenders: Factors Affecting the Agricultural Loan Decision-Making Process

Agricultural lenders in today’s environment face many challenges when evaluating the creditworthiness of farm borrowers. To address these challenges, a survey was conducted with financial institutions in Kansas and Indiana where agricultural lenders were asked for their response to hypothetical agricultural loan requests. Each loan request differed by the borrower’s character, financial record keeping, productive standing, Fair Isaac credit bureau score, and credit risk. Lenders provided information about themselves and their financial institutions. The survey data obtained determine the relative importance of financial and non-financial information when analyzing agricultural loan applications. Tobit models are estimated to identify the borrower and lender characteristics that are important in determining loan approval while OLS models are used to investigate the factors that affect interest rates offered to farm borrowers. The results provide a comparison of agricultural lending between two important agricultural states. The results from this analysis also provide lenders with insight on the factors that influence the decision making process of other agricultural lenders.Agricultural loans, Credit bureau score, Credit evaluation, Interest rates

Automatic Target Cueing of Hyperspectral Image Data

Modern imaging sensors produce vast amounts data, overwhelming human analysts. One such sensor is the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) hyperspectral sensor. The AVIRIS sensor simultaneously collects data in 224 spectral bands that range from 0.4µm to 2.5µm in approximately 10nm increments, producing 224 images, each representing a single spectral band. Autonomous systems are required that can fuse important spectral bands and then classify regions of interest if all of this data is to be exploited. This dissertation presents a comprehensive solution that consists of a new physiologically motivated fusion algorithm and a novel Bayes optimal self-architecting classifier that processes the outputs of the fusion algorithm. The fusion algorithm which uses a contrast sensitivity weighted wavelet-based multiresolution analysis is shown to outperform other fusion algorithms in both visual aesthetics and signal to noise ratios. The self-architecting classifier is a Radial Basis Function (RBF) Iterative Construction Algorithm (RICA) that is designed to autonomously determine the size of its network architecture for optimal classification performance. RICA is shown to outperform several neural network algorithms, including a fixed architecture multi-layer Perceptron (MLP), a fixed architecture RBF, and an adaptive architecture MLP. A proof is also presented demonstrating that RICA produces a network which is a minimum mean squared error approximate to Bayes optimal discriminant functions. Finally, it is shown that this combination of image fusion and self-architecting classifier provide an excellent means to detect targets in hyperspectral sensor data

THRESHOLD EFFECTS IN FOOD AND AGRIBUSINESS STOCK PRICE MARKETS

This study investigates the dynamics of agribusiness stock returns and the market return for 22 firms in a switching-regression framework. Threshold levels and regression slopes are estimated and tested. Results indicate how parameters differ for alternative regimes, at what levels dynamic adjustments take place, and the adjustment time involved.Marketing,

The relationship between canine nasal length and second-hand smoke cotinine levels

Second-hand smoke (SHS) has been associated with respiratory cancers in canines, with the predisposed locations determined by the cephalic ratio (head length / head width). Exposure to SHS is frequently measured by analyzing urine or blood samples for the nicotine by-product cotinine. We investigated the suitability of saliva as an alternative source for cotinine analyses in dogs because obtaining saliva is less invasive and cotinine concentrations from SHS exposure are instantaneously measurable in saliva compared to other collection methods. Specifically, we tested for a quantitative relationship between cephalic ratio and the salivary concentration of cotinine. Our null hypothesis was that there is no difference in cotinine concentration in short- and long-nosed dogs that are exposed to SHS. Owners completed a survey about smoking habits, the dog’s exposure to different types of tobacco smoke, dog’s sex, and other variables associated with SHS impacts. Each dog’s body condition and head length and width were recorded. We obtained a saliva sample from the participants’ dogs and analyzed them for cotinine using an ELISA assay. Salivary cotinine concentration was significantly higher in dogs exposed to SHS versus dogs not exposed. There was also a positive linear relationship between cotinine concentration and cephalic ratio. The results did not differ significantly between male and female dogs. Our results supported previous studies reporting that long-nosed dogs accumulate more toxic by-products from SHS compared with short-nosed dogs. Saliva samples may be a useful alternative to more invasive methods when evaluating exposure of some domesticated species to SHS

Go FIGure: Health Literacy and Freshman Interest Groups

Mizzou offers over 100 Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs), ranging in topic from "Discovering Science" to "Social Justice Issues." Groups of 15-20 freshmen are assigned to the same residence hall community, enroll together in three large-lecture courses, and enroll in a pro-seminar course in essential skills for college success. In Fall 2010, three "literacy" projects were piloted within the FIG pro-seminar: health literacy, financial literacy, news literacy. This poster examines goals, sessions, and lessons learned from the Health Literacy pilot. Originally presented at Medical Library Association Annual Meeting 2011 (Minneapolis)

The Practitioner\u27s Corner: An exploration of municipal active living charter development and advocacy

Background: Numerous municipal active living-­‐related charters have been adopted to promote physical activity in Canada throughout the past decade. Despite this trend, there are few published critical examinations of the process through which charters are developed and used. Purpose: Thus, the purpose of this study was to establish greater understanding of active living charter development and advocacy. Methods: Semi-­‐structured interviews were conducted with eight primary contributors to different active living-­‐related charters across Ontario, Canada. Interview questions explored participants’ experiences developing and advocating for an active living charter. Interviews were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Results and Conclusions: Participants consistently described a process whereby an impetus triggered the development of a charter, which was subsequently adopted by regional or municipal council. Continued advocacy to develop awareness of the charter and to promote desired outcomes in the community was valued and the capacity of the working group as well as the local political context played pivotal roles in determining how the charter was implemented. Outcomes were, however, only objectively evaluated in one case that was described – evaluation being a process that many participants thought was omitted in regard to their own charter. This work provides practical guidance for health professionals developing regional active living charters as a component of broader advocacy efforts

Life Among the Muses: Papers in Honor of James S. Findley

Edited volume of papers Preface; Terry L. Yates The Academic Offspring of James S. Findley; Kenneth N. Geluso and Don E. Wilson Annotated Bibliography of James Smith Findley; William L. Gannon and Don E. Wilson Biogeography of Baja California Peninsular Desert Mammals; David J. Hafner and Brett R. Riddle Annotated Checklist of the Recent Land Mammals of Sonora, Mexico; William Caire On the Status of Neotoma varia from Isla Datil, Sonora; Michael A. Bogan Systematics, Distribution, and Ecology of the Mammals of Catamarca Province, Argentina; Michael A. Mares, Ricardo A. Ojeda, Janet K. Braun, and Ruben M. Barquez Similarity Coefficients and Relationships of Wisconsin-Age Faunas New Mexico and Trans-Pecos Texas; Arthur H. Harris Historical Implications and Characteristics of Assemblages of Small Mammals in West-Central Kansas; E.D. Fleharty and Rob Channell Mammal Species of Concern in New Mexico; Clyde Jones and C. Gregory Schmitt Non-Human Mortality, Injuries, and Possible Cannibalism in Utah Black Bears; Hal L. Black Skeletal Architecture of the Forelimbs in Kangaroo Rats (Heteromyidae: Dipodomys): Adaptations for Digging and Food Handling; Kerry S. Kilburn Puncturing Ability of Bat Canine Teeth: The Tip; Patricia W. Freeman and William N. Weins The Effects of Daily and Seasonal Temperature Variation on a Model of Competing Lizard Species; J.S. Scheibe A Comparison of Morphometric Techniques to Distinguish Sympatric Mussel Species (Family Unionidae) with Similar Shell Morphology; Patricia Mehlhop and Richard L. Cifelli Evaluation of Methods for Permanently Marking Kangaroo Rats (Dipodomys: Heteromyidae); Daniel F. Williams, Walter Tordoff Ill, and David J. Germano Influence of Proximity to Rivers on Chipmunk Vocalization Patterns; William L. Gannon Subnivean Foraging by Abert\u27s Squirrels; Richard B. Forbe

Evolution of the Maine Lobster Co-management Law

In fisheries management circles, there is growing realization that traditional ways of managing marine resources are not working and that new approaches to management need to be tried. One of the most promising of these new approaches is co-management, where authority for managing fish stocks is shared between the industry and government agencies. This paper discusses the implementation of the new co-management system, which was initiated in the Maine lobster industry in 1995. The law has clearly been successful; it has been framed in a way to allow lobster fishermen to be able to generate rules to constrain their own exploitative effort. At the same time, a number of problems have come to the fore, not least of which was the fact that passage of one regulatory measure caused problems for certain groups of fishermen who demanded remedial legislation. Thus, the co-management effort in Maine has moved ahead by solving a sequence of problems. But the fact that these problems are being solved places Maine in the forefront of jurisdictions experimenting with new ways to manage fisheries