ESTIMATION OF MODAL DEMAND ELASTICITIES IN GRAIN TRANSPORTATION

Recent legislation in the transportation industry has stimulated a move toward more flexibility in railroad pricing and has consequently provided the impetus for the analysis of transportation demand. Modal demands for grain transportation are analyzed in this paper using a derived demand approach assuming dual relationships between production and cost functions of shippers' distribution activities. Hypotheses were introduced in the empirical specification about the effects of rail car shortages and the introduction of multiple-car rail rates. The model was estimated and hypotheses tested in the case of eastbound wheat and barley shipments form North Dakota.Demand and Price Analysis, Public Economics,

Spectrometer technology recommendations

A typical heterodyne remote sensing system contains three major elements: the antenna, the radiometer, and the spectrometer. The radiometer consists of the local oscillator, the mixer, and the intermediate frequency amplifiers. This subsystem performs the function of down converting the high frequency incident thermal emission signal to a lower intermediate frequency. The spectrometer measures the power spectrum of the down-converted signal simultaneously in many contiguous frequency channels. Typical spectrum analysis requirements involve measurement of signal bandwidths of 100 to 1000 MHz with a channel resolution of 0.5 to 10 MHz. Three general approaches are used for spectrometers: (1) filter banks, (2) Acousto-Optic Spectrometers (AOS's), and (3) digital autocorrelators. In contrast to the two frequency domain techniques, an autocorrelator works in the time domain. The autocorrelation function (ACF) of the incoming signal is computed and averaged over the integration time. The averaged ACF is then Fourier transformed to obtain the signal power spectrum. Significant progress was made in the development of sub mm antennas and radiometers. It is now time to begin research in the development of low power spaceborne spectrometers and to reduce their size and weight. The near-term research goal will be to develop a prototype digital autocorrelation spectrometer, using VLSI gate array technology, which will have a small size, low power requirements, and can be used in spacecraft mm and sub mm radiometer systems. The long-range objective of this technology development is to make extremely low power, less than 10 mW/channel, small and stable wideband spectrometers which can be used in future mm and sub mm wavelength space missions such as the Large Deployable Reflector

Expanding the Domain of Policy-Relevant Scholarship in the Social Sciences

In this paper the author argues that social scientists need to do more to provide policy-relevant research. Rapid technological and economic change raise new issues about how policy should adjust that are not adequately addressed by older and narrower approaches. The author suggests two ways in which the domain of policy-relevant scholarship can be expanded. First, social scientists should be more flexible about the kinds of data they use and the ways they use them. Preliminary data can suggest new hypotheses, which can widen debate, and ethnographic and other qualitative methods can uncover patterns of behaviour invisible in quantitative sources. Second, social theories, concepts and ideas should play a greater role in the policy arena, shaping the way policy actors think about how the world works.social science, policy debates, research approaches

DEMAND FOR WHEAT CLASSES BY PACIFIC RIM COUNTRIES

The transcendental logarithmic function is used to derive demand functions which are estimated for wheat classes imported by Pacific Rim countries. Results indicate substantial differences exist in underlying demand parameters for wheat of different classes as well as across countries. In addition, the expenditure level has important impacts on the distribution of imported wheat classes, and preferences have shifted significantly through time, generally toward higher protein wheats.Demand and Price Analysis,

HEDONIC PRICES IN THE MALTING BARLEY MARKET

An important characteristic in the malting barley market is the multitude of quality variables which affect the value of particular samples. The purpose of this study was to estimate implicit (or hedonic) prices for selected quality factors. An econometric model was used to analyze factors affecting the variability in malting barley prices, and to estimate implicit prices for plumpness and protein. The results indicate that a change may be evolving in the price determination process for malting barley. In particular, the feed grains sector has had increasingly less effect on malting barley prices in recent years.Crop Production/Industries, Marketing,