Cost benefit analysis of space communications technology: Volume 1: Executive summary

The questions of (1) whether or not NASA should support the further development of space communications technology, and, if so, (2) which technology's support should be given the highest priority are addressed. Insofar as the issues deal principally with resource allocation, an economics perspective is adopted. The resultant cost benefit methodology utilizes the net present value concept in three distinct analysis stages to evaluate and rank those technologies which pass a qualification test based upon probable (private sector) market failure. User-preference and technology state-of-the-art surveys were conducted (in 1975) to form a data base for the technology evaluation. The program encompassed near-future technologies in space communications earth stations and satellites, including the noncommunication subsystems of the satellite (station keeping, electrical power system, etc.). Results of the research program include confirmation of the applicability of the methodology as well as a list of space communications technologies ranked according to the estimated net present value of their support (development) by NASA

Application of remote sensing to state and regional problems

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Benefit-cost methodology study with example application of the use of wind generators

An example application for cost-benefit methodology is presented for the use of wind generators. The approach adopted for the example application consisted of the following activities: (1) surveying of the available wind data and wind power system information, (2) developing models which quantitatively described wind distributions, wind power systems, and cost-benefit differences between conventional systems and wind power systems, and (3) applying the cost-benefit methodology to compare a conventional electrical energy generation system with systems which included wind power generators. Wind speed distribution data were obtained from sites throughout the contiguous United States and were used to compute plant factor contours shown on an annual and seasonal basis. Plant factor values (ratio of average output power to rated power) are found to be as high as 0.6 (on an annual average basis) in portions of the central U. S. and in sections of the New England coastal area. Two types of wind power systems were selected for the application of the cost-benefit methodology. A cost-benefit model was designed and implemented on a computer to establish a practical tool for studying the relative costs and benefits of wind power systems under a variety of conditions and to efficiently and effectively perform associated sensitivity analyses

Cost benefit analysis of space communications technology. Volume 2: Final report

For abstract, see preceding accession

Maintaining Relevance in Agricultural Extension Programming Using Classical Extension Methods: A Social Network Analysis of the Future of Farming Project

Rural Sociology is credited with pioneering social network analysis (SNA) to study the connections between individuals. However, the use of SNA methods has been eclipsed by urban community research and continuations of the original method. This thesis applies traditional SNA to a modern agricultural extension program that is part of a project titled The Future of Farming. The research and extension team that leads the project is working to establish a network of row-crop farmers in Alabama who are willing to engage in peer-to-peer knowledge exchange about climate-smart technologies. Structured similar to classic Gemeinschaft networks, researchers facilitated regional engagement meetings (n = 11), that were mapped to examine the personal ties of farmers across the state. Semi-structured, face-to-face, interviews (n = 41) were sampled to complement the regional engagement meetings by allowing the individual farmers to provide a qualitative account of their ties to other members of the project. The meetings and interviews were video recorded, transcribed, and coded in NVivo. SNA was conducted in R using two measures: scores that represented attendees’ degree of participation during the meetings, and the count of participants’ name-drops (n = 300) during the meetings and their subsequent interviews. Results highlight researcher influence in farmer connectivity, the value of participatory approaches in agricultural extension, and the farmers’ desires to engage with each other. This study serves to further revive SNA within rural sociology and further strengthen applied research methods

Bridging the information gap between beginning and experienced farmers

The demographic of the average farmer is shifting from experienced, generational farmers to beginning farmers with little experience or family background in farming. This has led to a knowledge gap in critical information for beginning farmers that could be contributing to the high fail rate of new farms. This research surveyed both experienced and beginning farmers and asked them to identify areas of educational importance. The aim of this study was to identify areas where beginning farmers may have a knowledge gap in an effort to identify areas where future educational resources should be focused. The results showed that in general, beginning and experienced farmers agreed in the areas of critical importance for farm educational needs. One area where beginning farmers underestimated the importance of resources was in Financial Skills. Understanding and addressing the knowledge gaps for beginning farmers can help to ensure the success of the next generation of farmers

Community Crime and Safety: An Investigation of Gender Differences in the Daily Stress Process

Few studies have investigated the associations between community crime rates and affective well-being, and how that relationship may differ according to gender. Using data from the National Study of Daily Experiences and the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the current study examined gender differences between daily affective experiences, crime rates, and perceptions of neighborhood safety. Although feeling unsafe in one\u27s neighborhood was related to worse affective well-being (i.e., higher negative affect/lower positive affect) and larger affective responses to daily stressors, crime rates were not. Women\u27s negative affect was more strongly tied to daily stressors, whereas men\u27s was more strongly tied to lower perceived neighborhood safety. Findings reveal the importance of understanding factors, such as gender, that impact safety concerns beyond that from crime. They also suggest that increasing visibility within communities might dissuade perpetrators and enhance residents\u27 feelings of safety

Can I Buy My Health? A Genetically Informed Study of Socioeconomic Status and Health

Background A large literature demonstrates associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and health, including physiological health and well-being. Moreover, gender differences are often observed among measures of both SES and health. However, relationships between SES and health are sometimes questioned given the lack of true experiments, and the potential biological and SES mechanisms explaining gender differences in health are rarely examined simultaneously. Purpose To use a national sample of twins to investigate lifetime socioeconomic adversity and a measure of physiological dysregulation separately by sex. Methods Using the twin sample in the second wave of the Midlife in the United States survey (MIDUS II), biometric regression analysis was conducted to determine whether the established SES-physiological health association is observed among twins both before and after adjusting for potential familial-level confounds (additive genetic and shared environmental influences that may underly the SES-health link), and whether this association differs among men and women. Results Although individuals with less socioeconomic adversity over the lifespan exhibited less physiological dysregulation among this sample of twins, this association only persisted among male twins after adjusting for familial influences. Conclusions Findings from the present study suggest that, particularly for men, links between socioeconomic adversity and health are not spurious or better explained by additive genetic or early shared environmental influences. Furthermore, gender-specific role demands may create differential associations between SES and health

Neighborhood Safety Concerns and Daily Well-Being: A National Diary Study

People living in unsafe neighborhoods often report poor health. The reasons for this are multi-faceted, but one possibility is that unsafe neighborhoods create a situation of chronic stress, which may deplete people\u27s resources to cope with the daily stressors of life. How people respond to daily stressors (e.g., with increased self-reported negative affect and physical symptoms) is positively associated with health problems and may thus be one pathway linking perceptions of neighborhood safety to poor health. The current study investigated the relationship between neighborhood safety concerns, daily stressors, affective well-being, and physical health symptoms in a national sample of adults from the Midlife in the United States Study II (n = 1748). In 2004, participants reported neighborhood safety concerns and history of chronic stress exposure. Across eight days, they also reported daily stressors, physical symptoms and negative affect. Greater neighborhood safety concerns were associated with higher negative affect and more physical symptoms, adjusting for other sources of chronic stress. Moreover, lower perceived neighborhood safety was related to greater increases in negative affect and physical symptoms on days during which stressors were reported, even after accounting for established interactions between daily stressors and other sources of chronic stress. Exposure to neighborhoods perceived as unsafe is associated with poorer daily well-being and exacerbated responses to daily stressors, which may serve as an individual-level pathway contributing to poorer health among people living in neighborhoods perceived as unsafe