The Status of Agricultural Economics Profession: Evidence from Graduate Education

Agribusiness,

The Effect of Musical Characteristics, Exposure, and Individual Difference Variables on String Student Musical Preference: Implications for Introducing Western Art Music

This study explores the influences of various musical, environmental, and personal factors on string students\u27 preferences for selections of Western Art Music. The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the information of music preferences by young string students in order to allow teachers to introduce Western Art music most effectively. Participants (n = 498) from northwest Arkansas public school string programs were given the String Student Music Preference Questionnaire (SSMPQ) developed by the author. Part One of the SS~MPQ measured preference for six one-minute selections of Western Art music by Beethoven, Berlioz, Mahle1; Saint-Siiens, and Schoenberg. In Part Two, the researcher collected data on participants\u27 age, gender, musical experience, social influence and listening habits. It was determined that the musical examples with characteristics similar to popular music were most preferred. These characteristics included: fast tempo, steady rhythm, stable dynamics, identifiable instntmentation, and moderate complexity. Age, social influences, and listening habits did not significantly affect preference, while the gender and the live attendance portion of the musical experience variables significantly influenced participant preference

THE GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS OF THE U.S. FOOD-PROCESSING INDUSTRY

Agribusiness,

Demand for quality-differentiated beef in Japan

In this article, we apply a model of vertical product differentiation to the Japanese beef market. We theoretically derive a system of consumer demand functions for quality-differentiated beef in Japan. We choose a particular utility function which is nonlinear in the consumption of the quality-differentiated product and linear in the consumption of all other goods. We employ a seemingly unrelated econometric model to estimate Japanese consumer demand functions for four beef types from the four origins. The empirical results show Japanese consumers prefer domestically produced beef to imported US and Australian. We also find seventeen substitution and two complementary effects among the various origins.vertical quality differentiation, consumer demand, beef, Japan, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis,

AN ANALYSIS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN FEEDER PIG MARKET

Livestock Production/Industries,

THE IMPORT DEMAND FOR U.S. BURLEY TOBACCO IN EUROPEAN MARKETS

International Relations/Trade,

A Stochastic Compartmental Model for Fast Axonal Transport

In this paper we develop a probabilistic micro-scale compartmental model and use it to study macro-scale properties of axonal transport, the process by which intracellular cargo is moved in the axons of neurons. By directly modeling the smallest scale interactions, we can use recent microscopic experimental observations to infer all the parameters of the model. Then, using techniques from probability theory, we compute asymptotic limits of the stochastic behavior of individual motor-cargo complexes, while also characterizing both equilibrium and non-equilibrium ensemble behavior. We use these results in order to investigate three important biological questions: (1) How homogeneous are axons at stochastic equilibrium? (2) How quickly can axons return to stochastic equilibrium after large local perturbations? (3) How is our understanding of delivery time to a depleted target region changed by taking the whole cell point-of-view

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MANAGERIAL HEURISTICS AND ECONOMICS IN PRICING RETAIL MEATS

This study develops a theoretical model of the multiproduct firm which allows for imperfect competition in the output market. Hypotheses are tested for retail meat prices concerning the degree and speed of price transmission, the effects of interfirm competition, and the interrelationship between prices within the store. Empirical results indicated that meat prices within a store were highly interrelated. Further, the firm was found to be very responsive to prices of competitors in the short run, but more responsive to wholesale price changes in the long run.Demand and Price Analysis,