Life Sciences Commons^™

Economic Impacts Of Increased Corporate Average Fuel Economy (Cafe) Standards, Ann K. Hunter-Pirtle

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) mandates that U.S. transportation fuel producers blend specific volumes of ethanol and other biofuels with fossil fuels to spur U.S. biofuel production and to minimize foreign oil imports. Ethanol is more corrosive to auto engines than gasoline, and although vehicles manufactured since 2001 are approved to use up to a 15% ethanol blend (E15) (Naylor & Falcon, 2011), E10 is much more widely available. Ethanol producers therefore face a so-called blend wall at 10 percent—a maximum amount of ethanol that is usable domestically based on the demand for gasoline.

Meanwhile, gasoline demand in the U.S. …

Affluent Populations And Their Effect On Biological Diversity Through The Consumption Of Meat, Electronics, And Motor Vehicles, Melody Flores

Honors College Theses

The human has caused a far greater impact on the planet's biodiversity than any other species in existence, due to the impact of population, afflluence, and technology. This thesis will argue the importance of biological diversity and how affluent populations are reducing biodiversity through the consumption of meat, electronics, and motor vehicles. Aldo Leopold's "The Land Ethic" and Herman Daly's "The Impossibility Theorem", among others, create a rubric evaluating human activities and provide alternative views on economic impossibilities. Consumption is reviewed from an ecocentric perspective, a holistic outlook placing emphasis on the ecosystem. The reader will become cognizant of their …

The 24th Annual Research Conference Abstract Booklet, Nikki Lynn Rogers

University of Gondar Research Conferences

Staff members, postgraduate and senior undergraduate students of the University, invited guests and speakers participated in the conference. The annual conference of the University is meant to share experiences in research activities among juniors and seniors, staff and students, and invited guests. It is also meant to motivate students and young faculty to engage in research and also to initiate and strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations. The findings of the studies and the resulting recommendations are expected to be used in solving the diverse societal problems we have been facing.

Research activities at the University of Gondar are primarily aimed at solving …

Issue Brief: Asset Management For Stormwater, New England Environmental Finance Center, Sustainable Communities Learning Network

Sustainable Communities Capacity Building

Asset management is a strategic approach to maintaining and sustaining infrastructure in order to meet the needs of the community at the lowest overall life cycle cost. This approach helps communities know how and where to prioritize limited funds in order to achieve the greatest benefit. Often applied to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, this method is well suited to managing any assets, including stormwater systems.

This issue brief is intended to introduce local governments to the asset management process and to show how it can be applied in managing stormwater assets. It was adapted from an appendix written by …

Kentucky Forestry Economic Impact Report 2013-2014, Jeff Stringer, Billy Thomas, Bobby Ammerman, Alison Davis

Kentucky Forestry Economic Impact Reports

Forests are a valuable part of Kentucky’s landscape providing signifi­cant resources and opportunities benefi­ting the Commonwealth. One important and veri­fiable bene­fit is the economic contributions of Kentucky’s forest and wood industries. Analysis of these industries indicated a total economic impact of $12.8 billion and 59,000 jobs in 2013. Kentucky is one of the leading producers of hardwood forest products in the south and exports wood products across the nation and the world. This economic impact was generated from forests located in all 120 counties of the Commonwealth providing resources harvested by over 1,800 logging ­firms and processed at 703 facilities …

Environmental Impacts Of The Battery Cage Industry Depicted Through Sculpture, Amber Kraus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the planet’s population increases, so does the demand for mass-produced food products. The result of the increase in demand has been the rapid development of the factory farming industry. A prominent component of the factory farmed by-product industry is the battery cage egg-farming scheme, which has cultivated immense amounts of ecological damage to the hens and environment involved. The damage studied includes: air and water pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and fossil fuel use. The environmental damage is prevalent throughout the Australian state of New South Wales, and the public must be informed.

The visual arts were utilized as the …

Analyzing The Dynamics Of The Artisan Fishing Industry And Lapsset Port In Lamu, Kenya, Valerie Rodden

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The LAPSSET project has the potential to severely impact the artisan fishing industry in Lamu. Through the provision of a perception focused survey and a few one on one interviews with artisan fishermen and key stakeholders in the industry, this study creates a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the fishing industry and the LAPSSET project. The fishermen of Lamu are most concerned about the lack of communication concerning the port’s activities and the blocking of fishing areas during port construction and operation. In general, there is a great sense of fear surrounding the port and the future of …

State Of The U.S. Ocean And Coastal Economies 2014, Judith T. Kildow, Charles S. Colgan, Jason D. Scorse, Pat Johnston, Matt Nichols

Publications

The nation's coasts and oceans contribute much to the United States economy. For the past 14 years, the National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP), now a program of the Center for the Blue Economy at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, has compiled time-series data that track economic activities, demographics, ports and cargo volume and value, natural resource production and value, non-market values, and federal expenditures in the U.S. coastal zone both on land and in the water. A report on the ocean and coastal economies of the United States was released by NOEP in 2009 covering data through 2005. The …

Coastal And Ocean Economic Summaries Of The Coastal States 2014, Pat Johnston

Publications

The following summaries of the ocean and coastal economies were prepared by the National Ocean Economics Program as a companion the State of the U.S. Ocean and Coastal Economies 2014. The U.S. report, its appendices, and these state summary reports are available on the NOEP website at www.OceanEconomics.org/download.

Economic Impact Of The Commercial Fisheries On Local County Economies From Catch In All California National Marine Sanctuaries 2010, 2011 And 2012, Vernon R. Leeworthy, Desiree Jerome, Kelsey Schueler

Working Papers

This report estimates the economic impact of commercial fishing within all California National Marine Sanctuaries (CA NMS) according to the California Ocean Fish Harvester Economic Model (COFHE). The methodology applies county multipliers to estimates of harvest revenue from CA NMS in order to calculate output, income, value added and employment. This report also describes a profile of the commercial fish industry in the CA NMS. CA NMS includes all existing National Marine Sanctuary sites in California: Channel Islands (CINMS), Monterey Bay (MBNMS), Cordell Bank (CBNMS) and Gulf of the Farallones (GFNMS).

The three-year average for 2010 to 2012 finds that …

Technology Use By Businesses In Nebraska: Regional Comparisons, Becky Vogt, Charlotte Narjes, Roger Terry, Connie Hancock

Cornhusker Economics

In September 2013, the Nebraska Broadband Initiative partnered with the Strategic Networks Group (SNG) to conduct an email survey of Nebraska businesses on their use of broadband technologies. Responses from over 800 Nebraska businesses show that broadband is being widely used and is benefitting businesses across the state. This paper will take a closer look at the re-sponses by region of the state. For this report, the re-gion boundaries are defined by the Nebraska Economic Development Districts.

Differential Responding By Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta) And Humans (Homo Sapiens) To Variable Outcomes In The Assurance Game, Audrey E. Parrish, Sarah F. Brosnan, Bart J. Wilson, Michael J. Beran

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

Behavioral flexibility in how one responds to variable partner play can be examined using economic coordination games in which subjects play against a variety of partners and therefore may need to alter their behavior to produce the highest payoff. But how do we study this behavioral flexibility once players have settled on a response? Here, we investigated how responding by rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and humans (Homo sapiens) playing a computerized single-player version of a coordination game, the Assurance game, changed as a function of the variable responses (Stag/Hare) generated by multiple simulations (SIMs). We were interested in whether individuals …

Predictable And Predictive Emotions: Explaining Cheap Signals And Trust Re-Extension, Eric Schniter, Roman M. Sheremeta

ESI Publications

Despite normative predictions from economics and biology, unrelated strangers will often develop the trust necessary to reap gains from one-shot economic exchange opportunities. This appears to be especially true when declared intentions and emotions can be cheaply communicated. Perhaps even more puzzling to economists and biologists is the observation that anonymous and unrelated individuals, known to have breached trust, often make effective use of cheap signals, such as promises and apologies, to encourage trust re-extension. We used a pair of trust games with one-way communication and an emotion survey to investigate the role of emotions in regulating the propensity to …

Technology Use In Agriculture, Rebecca J. Vogt, Charlotte Narjes, Anne Byers, Connie Hancock

Cornhusker Economics

In September 2013, the Nebraska Broadband Initiative partnered with the Strategic Networks Group (SNG) to conduct an email survey of Nebraska businesses on their use of broadband technologies. Responses from over 800 Nebraska businesses show that broadband is being widely used and is benefitting businesses across the state. The complete report can be found online at http://broadband.nebraska.gov/. Seventy of those businesses self-reported being in the agriculture/forestry/fishing industry. This paper will take a closer look at the responses from this industry sector.

Central Bank Of Nigeria Annual Report And Statement Of Accounts For The Year Ended 31st December 2014, Central Bank Of Nigeria

CBN Annual Report

Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the year ended 31st December, 2014. In general, 2014 has been a very eventful and challenging year for the Bank, the country, and the world at large. In the course of the year, the Bank underwent significant changes in its governance composition. In 2014, the global economy witnessed considerable vulnerabilities characterized by fragile growth and weak economic outlook. Global growth recovery was modest and continued to be threatened by strong downside risks, as a result of sharp drop in commodity prices, escalating geo-political tensions, and heightening threats …

Community Vitality Connects Nebraska, Charlotte Narjes, Connie Hancock

Cornhusker Economics

Fostering the future of Nebraska is the underlying mission of the newly formed Community Vitality Initiative (CVI) launched by UNL Extension. The Community Vitality Initiative is focused on expanding partnerships to build communities where businesses thrive, entrepreneurs have access to the resources they need and young people want to return. Currently multi-disciplinary teams include faculty from the Departments such as Ag Economics and the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies and will include faculty from all the University campuses and service providers from outside of the University.

Strengthening Nebraska Businesses, Charlotte Narjes, Anne Byers

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska Broadband Initiative in 2013 launched a new effort to help Nebraska businesses increase their economic vitality by understanding how to more effectively use broadband technologies. Key points of this initiative include:

Benchmarking Data: Gather data through a business assessment to establish initial benchmarks and measure impact.

Providing Resources to Businesses: Help individual businesses understand how they can use broadband to increase their economic vitality, understand their Return on Investments (ROI) and assist them in identifying steps for implementation.

Building Capacity: Build capacity in Nebraska for business coaches (i.e., economic developers, extension educators and Department of Economic Development field …