© 1992 by Cornell University 0001-8392/92/3702-0336/$1.00. Tournament models have developed into an important component of the theoretical literature on organizational reward systems. However, with one exception there have been no empirical tests of the incentive effects of tournament models in a field setting. Drawing on a panel data set from auto racing, we show that the tournament spread (pr...

The Mechanical Engineering Laboratory developed a prototype desktop machining microfactory. The microfactory, which will enable considerable savings in terms of energy, space, and resources, is a downsized production system whose size is very small with respect to the dimensions of the products. The desktop microfactory consists of machine tools such as a microlathe, a milling machine, a press ...

The PrP(C) is expressed in many types of immune cells including monocytes and macrophages, however, its function in immune regulation remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we examined a role for PrP(C) in regulation of monocyte function. Specifically, the effect of a soluble form of PrP(C) was studied in human monocytes. A recombinant fusion protein of soluble human PrP(C) fused with ...

As a beef cattle nutritionist, two things have been drilled into to me from early on: 1) the cheapest way to feed the cow is to let her “harvest” her own feed by grazing, and 2) corn is the cheapest source of energy for fed cattle. However, fluctuations in corn and land prices in more recent years have raised questions regarding the truth in these old adages. The objectives of these proceeding ...

This paper presents a simulation analysis on the effects of robust master production scheduling. Up to now, relatively highly aggregated planning models for robust master production scheduling were regarded and the realizability of the planning results was not considered. This paper analyses a more detailed model for master production scheduling than in previous works. The evaluation of the pla...

This appendix provides the detailed analysis of size economies and comparative advantage by area for crop production. A summary of this analysis was presented in chapter 8. The analysis was conducted at the University of Minnesota by Steve Cooke under the guidance of Burt Sundquist. Cooke’s manuscript “Size Economies and Comparative Advantage in the Production of Corn, Soybean, Wheat, Rice, and...

This study uses a generalized stochastic frontier framework to model a multiple-output rice production system and analyses farm-level technical inefficiency of rice farming in Assam, India. Primary data for this study was collected in 2009-2010 from 310 farm-households in four non-contiguous districts of Dhubri, Morigaon, Dibrugarh, and Cachar that are located in different agro-climatic regions...

This paper describes and compares nine methods of assessing the welfare of farm animals at herd level. A distinction is made between two types of welfare parameter: the environmental and the animal-based. The relative weight of these parameters, together with variation in their measurability, explains many of the differences between the methods with which the paper is concerned. To discuss the ...

Drought is a major limiting factor in crop production. Rewatering is a process opposite to drought, allowing plants to recover to their normal physiological state. To understand more thoroughly the set of genes involved in plant response to drought, we comparatively and jointly analyzed the microarray data of drought and rewatering experiments in Arabidopsis. A total of 3833 differentially expr...

Respiratory disease in cattle is often associated with the youngest animals such as calves, heifers or steers (Hartel et al. 2004; Ames, 1997). Most cases appear before the age of two-years old (if not before the end of the first month of life-Crowe, 2001), and respiratory disease is a major cause of losses, particularly in beef cattle production (Prado et al. 2005; Kapil & Basaraba, 1997; John...