THE IMPACT OF EQUIVALENCE SCALES ON THE ANALYSIS OF INCOME AND FOOD SPENDING DISTRIBUTIONS

This article examines the effects of different income and food spending adult equivalence scales on estimated expenditure elasticities, on the demographic characteristics of the rich and poor, and on the percentage of household income spent on food by various income quintiles. Empirical results are found to be heavily influenced by the choice of equivalence scales. For example, elasticities varied by over 300%, and the demographic characteristics of the poor varied greatly.Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Quantum Statistics: Is there an effective fermion repulsion or boson attraction?

Physicists often claim that there is an effective repulsion between fermions, implied by the Pauli principle, and a corresponding effective attraction between bosons. We examine the origins of such exchange force ideas, the validity for them, and the areas where they are highly misleading. We propose that future explanations of quantum statistics should avoid the idea of a effective force completely and replace it with more appropriate physical insights, some of which are suggested here.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to American Journal of Physic

Susan Blaylock to Mr. Meredith (1 October 1962)

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/mercorr_pro/1388/thumbnail.jp

ESTIMATING THE VARIANCE OF FOOD PRICE INFLATION

Stochastic index theory views each commodity price change as an independent observation on the rate of inflation that can be estimated by averaging over all prices. Our methodology estimates both the overall rate of inflation and relative price changes along with standard errors.Food prices, Index numbers, Inflation, Demand and Price Analysis,

BOX-COX TRANSFORMATIONS AND ERROR TERM SPECIFICATION IN DEMAND MODELS

This paper analyzes the influence of error-term specification and functional form on a quarterly demand model for beef. The Box-Cox transformation is used to generalize the functional form while the equation error term is postulated to be both heteroskedastic and autoregressive. Results indicated that both functional form and error-term specification can play a major role in elasticity estimation, elasticity behavior, and hypothesis testing.Demand and Price Analysis,

ANALYSIS OF FOOD STAMP PROGRAM PARTICIPATION AND FOOD EXPENDITURES

A two equation model is developed to examine jointly the determinants of household food stamp program participation and program effects on food expenditures. The model is unique in that it postulates that the participation decision is based on a cost-benefit ratio, selected socioeconomic characteristics, and the potential for increasing both food and nonfood expenditures. Data from the 1977-78 USDA Nationwide Food Consumption Survey Supplemental Low Income Sample is used to estimate the model. Findings suggest that households, in making the participation decision place equal value on the potential for increasing their food and nonfood expenditures. However, at the margin, bonus stamp income is found to have more than twice the impact of money income on food expenditures. The model's potential for policy analysis is also examined.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO DEFINING AND ASSESSING POVERTY THRESHOLDS

This paper introduces a new method for defining poverty lines based on an individual' s self-evaluation of the household's present situation. The proposed method focuses on the minimum household income necessary to purchase food supplies evaluated by society to be barely adequate. The method is especially useful for evaluation and comparing poverty thresholds derived from different methods. It is also valuable for comparing the official U.S. poverty guidelines across households of different sizes. The approach can be extended to include estimation of thresholds differentiated by various household characteristics and comparison of thresholds across these characteristics.Food Security and Poverty,

Supernova Resonance-Scattering Profiles in the Presence of External Illumination

We discuss a simple model for the formation of a supernova spectral line by resonance scattering in the presence of external illumination of the line-forming region by light from circumstellar interaction (toplighting). The simple model provides a clear understanding of the most conspicuous toplighting effect: a rescaling or, as we prefer, a ``muting'' of the line profile relative to the continuum. This effect would be present in more realistic models, but would be harder to isolate. An analytic expression for a muting factor for a P-Cygni line is derived that depends on the ratio E of the toplighting specific intensity to the specific intensity from the supernova photosphere. If E<1, the line profile is reduced in scale or ``muted''. If E=1, the line profile vanishes altogether. If E>1, the line profile flips vertically: then having an absorption component near the observer-frame line center wavelength and a blueshifted emission component.Comment: accepted for publication in PAS

L'augment verbal romanç -ez-/-iz-: derivació vs. flexió

Ancient Greek could form denominal verbs by attaching a palatal semivowel to the noun stem and adding the verbal endings, thus creating verbs in -izo, -azo [això, clar, en caracters grecs], etc. Latin borrowed large enough numbers of those with vocalism in -i- so that an independently productive derivational pattern arose in Latin. As with the case of the native Latin -sk- affix, the -iz-/-ez- element developed a flexional role in some varieties of Romance. The derivational function, however, remained dominant and was even propagated to the Germanic languages

Master of Fine Arts

thesisThis thesis has become an intermingling conversation between two threads. On one hand, I write in-depth reflections concerning my creative work, Salad Days, completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Fine Arts in Modern Dance. At the same, this is a personal manifesto. I simply ask myself why I made the choices I did, bringing me from micro-decisions to macro-concepts. I begin with what actually happened, how I approached the presentation of people working through physical and spatial challenges. I give context to my choices of sound, offering the work a specific mood. I am brought to simplicity in the creator's initiative, and how the artist can work towards the possibility of connection, rather than expecting it. This commitment takes me into a discussion on the culture of covenant. Here, I discern what I mean when I use the term covenant, where this was realized in the dancing, and the implications of such commitment. I make a distinction that, because covenant is unconditional, it calls us to live in the space between question and answer, the tension of having ability to learn, but inability to know all. Finally, I will make connections to my past while taking into account Dr. Maria Montessori's theories on education and Dr. Stuart Brown's expertise in play. I take a brief look into the Hebrew Scriptures to reveal this ancient culture's impressions of humanity. This culmination recognizes the essence of work and the culture of covenant to be foundational elements of our nature, the nature of the child, and that this is the call of Salad Days