The regional policy in China is shifting from solely gross domestic product (GDP) orientation to development that is more balanced between economic growth and ecological protection, as well as achieving equality among regions. Using land use maps and the adjusted value coefficients to assess ecosystem service values (ESV) for the 1980s, 1995, 2000, and 2010, we estimated the ESV in Shaanxi Prov...

This paper proposes an automatic expert system for accuracy crop row detection in maize fields based on images acquired from a vision system. Different applications in maize, particularly those based on site specific treatments, require the identification of the crop rows. The vision system is designed with a defined geometry and installed onboard a mobile agricultural vehicle, i.e. submitted t...

There is a vast literature on robust regression estimators, the bulk of which assumes that the dependent (outcome) variable is continuous. Evidently, there are no published results on the impact of tied values in terms of the Type I error probability. A minor goal in this paper to comment generally on problems created by tied values when testing the hypothesis of a zero slope. Simulations indic...

The paper deals with three approaches to comparing the regression lines corresponding to two dependent groups when using a robust estimator. The focus is on the Theil–Sen estimator with some comments about alternative estimators that might be used. The first approach is to test the global hypothesis that the two groups have equal intercepts and slopes in a manner that allows a heteroscedastic e...

In this article, we propose the Theil-Sen estimators of parameters in a multiple linear regression model based on a multivariate median, generalizing the Theil-Sen estimator in a simple linear regression model. The proposed estimator is shown to be robust, consistent and asymptotically normal under mild conditions, and super-efficient when the error distribution is discontinuous. It can be chos...

This paper studies concentration (i.e. inequality) aspects of the functions of Zipf and of Lotka. Since both functions are power laws (i.e. they are – mathematically the same) it suffices to develop one concentration theory for power laws and apply it twice for the different interpretations of the laws of Zipf and Lotka. After a brief repetition of the functional relationships between Zipf’s la...

This paper utilizes a rank-size function to investigate market concentration in lieu of well-known measures. For comparison, two measures were chosen: Theil’s entropy and the Herfindahl. The empirical results are based on premiums written for twelve lines of property and liability insurance. While the two concentration measures rank the lines for the level of concentration in almost complete un...

This article examines the influence of income distribution in the determination of effective demand in the US. A simple model is developed to simulate the effects of changing income inequality on the aggregate propensity to consume. The simulation results illustrate that income inequality has a substantial negative impact on consumption when household spending is assumed to be income-constraine...

The distinct feature of Bhutan is its special attention to peace, prosperity and happiness for its people. This research focuses on the expenditure inequality for 2007 and 2012 using various measurements including Gini Coefficients, Theil Indices and Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition. The results show that “between” rather than “within” inequality is the major factor contributing to the overall ineq...