Using data from the 1991 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), multiple regression-based models predicting 1992 Medicare costs are developed and compared. A comprehensive model incorporating demographic, diagnostic, perceived health, and disability variables is shown to be stable and to fit the data well over the full range of Medicare-covered annual per capita expenses and for a variety ...

Pest management is being confronted with immense economic and environmental issues worldwide because of massive utilization over-reliance on pesticides. The non-target toxicity, residual consequence, challenging biodegradability these synthetic pesticides have become a serious concern, which urgently requires the alternative prompt adoption sustainable cost-effective pest control measures. Incr...

In the actual rule (which we simplify somewhat in the text), Social Security taxable earnings (SSTE) are first indexed (adjusted) to reflect real dollar values by using national average wages for the year the beneficiary reaches age 60. The SSTE is also capped by a maximum value and this cap has increased over time (see Table A1). Once indexed, the 35 highest adjusted SSTE years are selected to...

Producing according to enhanced farm animal welfare (FAW) standards increases costs along the livestock value chain, especially for monitoring certified animal friendly products. In the choice between public or private bodies for carrying out and monitoring certification, consumer preferences and trust play a role. We explore this issue by applying logit analysis involving socio-economic and ps...

The first cluster-based public computing for Monte Carlo simulation in Indonesia is introduced. The system has been developed to enable public to perform Monte Carlo simulation on a parallel computer through an integrated and user friendly dynamic web interface. The beta version, so called publicMC@BATAN, has been released and implemented for internal users at the National Nuclear Energy Agency...