Capital Use Intensity and Productivity Biases

Measures of productivity growth are often pro-cyclical. This study focuses on measurement errors in capital inputs, associated with unobserved variations in capital utilization rates, as an explanation for the existence of pro-cyclical patterns in measures of agricultural productivity. Recently constructed national and state-specific indexes of inputs, outputs, and productivity in U.S. agriculture for 1949-2002 are used to estimate production functions in growth rate form that include proxy variables for changes in the utilization of durable inputs. The proxy variables include an index of farmers’ terms of trade and an index of local seasonal growing conditions. We find that utilization responses by farmers are significant and bias measures of productivity growth in a pro-cyclical pattern. We quantify the bias, adjust the measures of productivity for the estimated utilization responses, and compare the adjusted and conventional measures.Productivity Analysis,

Utilization of trawl bycatch in Gujarat (India)

Bycatch from trawlers forms a signifi cant quantity of the total marine fi sh landings along the northwest coast of India, particularly in the state of Gujarat, which contributes about 23 percent of the total marine fi sh landings in the country. This paper discusses the composition of this bycatch, its signifi cance in terms of nutritional value, its present utilization pattern and the scope for improvement

Freshwater Mussel Shells as Indicators of Seasonal Occupation of Archaeological Sites: Review of the Method

Seasonal occupation of sites and utilization of resources by aborigines is a subject of growing importance to prehistoric archeologists; however, relatively few satisfactory techniques are available for making the necessary determinations. Recent research in New Zealand has indicated the potential value of bivalve mollusks in subsistence-settlement pattern studies. A method for seasonal dating of prehistoric sites involving growth ring analysis of freshwater mussel shells and the potential application of this method in Ozark archeology are discussed

Asset Utilization and Bias in Measures of U.S. Agricultural Productivity

A common observation is that measures of productivity growth are pro-cyclical, meaning they are higher (or grow faster) on average during periods of economic expansion than during periods of economic contraction. This study focuses on measurement errors related to capital inputs as an explanation for the existence of pro-cyclical patterns in measures of agricultural productivity. Calculating a time series of capital inputs is difficult and prone to errors. Myriad assumptions are required to construct a typical measure of the capital stock, and further, sometimes related, assumptions must be made about the utilization of the stock to derive a measure of capital service flows. We test the hypothesis that unmeasured changes in the utilization of capital can affect productivity measures. This is accomplished using recently constructed indexes of inputs, outputs, and productivity in U.S. agriculture for 1949-2002. We find that utilization responses by farmers are significant and bias measures of productivity growth in a pro-cyclical pattern. The bias is quantified and the measures of productivity are adjusted for the estimated utilization responses and compared to the original measures.Financial Economics,

Pola Strategi Nafkah Rumahtangga Petani Berbasis Sumberdaya Lokal di Desa Mantangai Hilir Kecamatan Mantangai

The objectives of this research are: (1) To examine the pattern of utilization of agricultural resources based on local resources by households as the source of household income. (2) To examine the pattern of livelihood strategy that is determined as the rationality of the decision of the household household in Mantangai Hilir village. The basic method of research using survey method. The determination of research location was determined purposively in Mantangai Hilir Village, Mantangai District. The aims of the first and second research are analyzed by qualitative approach and described descriptively. The results showed that the pattern of utilization of agricultural resources based on local resources by the households of the farmers are sourced from rubber plantations, wetlands/fiels, yard/other garden, forest land, and swamp and river. The pattern of livelihood strategies in the utilization of local natural resources indirectly implements the cost efficiency principle whereby the livelihood strategy pattern is based on the consideration of the rationality of the household decision of the farmer

Constrained Codes for Joint Energy and Information Transfer

In various wireless systems, such as sensor RFID networks and body area networks with implantable devices, the transmitted signals are simultaneously used both for information transmission and for energy transfer. In order to satisfy the conflicting requirements on information and energy transfer, this paper proposes the use of constrained run-length limited (RLL) codes in lieu of conventional unconstrained (i.e., random-like) capacity-achieving codes. The receiver's energy utilization requirements are modeled stochastically, and constraints are imposed on the probabilities of battery underflow and overflow at the receiver. It is demonstrated that the codewords' structure afforded by the use of constrained codes enables the transmission strategy to be better adjusted to the receiver's energy utilization pattern, as compared to classical unstructured codes. As a result, constrained codes allow a wider range of trade-offs between the rate of information transmission and the performance of energy transfer to be achieved.Comment: 27 pages, 14 figures, Submitted Submitted in IEEE Transactions on Communication