Economics is a social science that seeks to analyze and describe the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth. The word "economics" is from the Greek nomos" target="_blank" >^*, "custom, law," and hence means "household management." "management of the state." An economist is a person using economic concepts and data in the course of employment, or someone who has earned a university degree in the subject.

The classic brief definition of economics, set out by Lionel Robbins in 1932, is "the science which studies human behavior as a relation between scarce means having alternative uses." Briefer yet is "the study of how people seek to satisfy needs and wants." Absent scarcity and alternative uses, there is no economic problem.Economics can also be defined as the study of "The financial aspects of human behaviour."

The subject has two broad branches: microeconomics, where the unit of analysis is the individual agent, such as a household, firm (economics jargon for a "business"), or government department, and macroeconomics, where the unit of analysis is the nation state. Another division of the subject distinguishes positive economics, which seeks to predict and explain economic phenomena, from normative economics, which orders choices and actions by some criterion; such orderings necessarily involve subjective value judgments.

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UC Davis News: General Interest

Firearms Microstamping Feasible but Variable, Study Finds
Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
New technology to link cartridge cases to guns by engraving microscopic codes on the firing pin is feasible, but did not work equally well for all guns and ammunition tested in a pilot study by researchers from the forensic science program at the University of California, Davis. More testing in a wider range of firearms is needed, the researchers said. Microstamping technology uses a laser to cut a pattern or code into the head of a firing pin or another internal surface. The method is similar to that used to engrave codes on computer chips. When the trigger is pulled, the firing pin hits the cartridge case or primer and stamps the code onto it. In principle, the spent cartridge can then be matched to a specific gun. In October 2007, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 1471, requiring that all new models of semiautomatic pistols sold in California on or after Jan. 1, 2010, be engraved in two or more places with an identifying code that is transferred to the cartridge case on firing. Similar legislation has been proposed in other states and at the federal level. In March 2008, a report from the National Research Council, part of the National Academies of Science, described microstamping as a "promising" approach and called for more in-depth studies on the durability of microstamped marks under different firing conditions. "Our study confirms the NRC position that more research should be conducted on this technology," said Fred Tulleners, director of the forensic science graduate program at UC Davis. Tulleners is former director of the California Department of Justice crime labs in Sacramento and Santa Rosa. If successfully implemented, microstamping would be one additional piece of evidence for investigators to link various shooting events, Tulleners said. UC Davis graduate student Michael Beddow looked at the performance of microstamped marks in one location, the firing pin. He tested firing pins from six different brands of semi-automatic handguns, two semi-automatic rifles and a shotgun. The firing pins were engraved with three different types of code: a letter/number code on the face of the firing pin; a pattern of dots or gears around the pin; and a radial bar code down the side of the pin. The engraved firing pins were purchased from ID Dynamics of Londonderry, N.H. To test the effects of repeated firing, Beddow fitted engraved firing pins into six Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handguns that were issued to California Highway Patrol cadets for use in weapons training. After firing about 2,500 rounds, the letter/number codes on the face of the firing pins were still legible with some signs of wear. But the bar codes and dot codes around the edge of the pins were badly worn. "They were hammered flat," Beddow said. Tests on other guns, including .22-, .380- and .40-caliber handguns, two semi-automatic rifles and a pump-action shotgun, showed a wide range of results depending on the weapon, the ammunition used and the type of code examined, Beddow found. Generally, the letter/number codes on the face of the firing pin and the gear codes transferred well to cartridge cases, but the bar codes on the sides of the firing pin performed more poorly. Microstamping worked particularly poorly for the one rimfire handgun tested. The researchers did not have access to patented information allowing them to read the bar- or gear-codes, and so could not determine if these remained legible enough to be useful. Codes engraved on the face of the firing pin could easily be removed with household tools, Beddow found. The researchers estimated that setting up a facility to engrave alphanumeric codes on firing pins would cost about $7 to $8 per firing pin in the first year, assuming that such marks would be required on all handguns sold in California, and based on the efficiencies associated with high-volume production costs, Tulleners said. Tulleners said that a larger test of about 3,000 firing pins, from a wider range of guns, would allow for a more "real-world" test of the technology, as called for by the National Research Council report. About 2,000 makes and models of handguns are sold in California, compared with the nine tested, Beddow estimated in the study. A larger study would also help show how useful this technology might be in detecting and preventing crime. AB1471 also requires at least one other internal location for microstamping a number. Microstamping on areas other than the firing pin was not tested in this study. Based on the study's preliminary results with a .22-caliber pistol, where the code on the firing pin was transferred to the brass of the cartridge rather than the softer primer, the effectiveness of such a requirement needs further assessment, Tulleners said. David Howitt, professor of chemical engineering and materials science at UC Davis, supervised the project. The study was funded by a grant from the California Policy Research Center, part of the University of California Office of the President. The report has completed peer review by experts selected by the center, and a paper describing the results has been accepted and scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of the Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners (AFTE) Journal. UC Davis offers a research-based master's degree in forensic science administered as a self-supporting program through UC Davis Extension. Courses are taught by an interdisciplinary group of UC Davis faculty and outside experts. The program currently has an enrollment of about 70 students.
Student-raised Horses and Mules to Be Auctioned
Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
It's "graduation" time for 12 horses and four mules -- bred, raised and trained by animal science students -- that will be auctioned Saturday, June 21, during the 16th annual Horse Production Sale at the University of California, Davis. The auction, coordinated by the students and staff of the UC Davis Animal Science Horse Barn, will feature two weanling, five yearling and five adult horses, as well as three yearling mules and a two-year old mule. Complete pedigree information can be viewed at http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/horsebarn. "All of our horses are from champion bloodlines and have impeccable training and handling abilities," said Nicole Webster, horse barn manager. "We've frequently received comments from previous buyers on how well-trained the foals are." The group will include registered American quarter horses, an American paint horse, warmbloods eligible for registration with the Selle Francais Association and registered mules. A breeding with one of the UC Davis stallions will be auctioned off for the 2009 breeding season. The sale, including a preview of the horses and a barbecue, begins at 3 p.m. The auction is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Detailed descriptions of the horses and the Equine Management Program, as well as driving directions, are available online at http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/horsebarn/ProductionSale/index.htm. The sale is the culmination of a six-month internship for the students serving as foal managers. During the internship, the students learn how to handle and train weanlings and yearlings, as well as provide care for the mares and foals before and after birth. The students also are responsible for fitting the horses for the sale and ensuring that all foals can stand tied, load into a trailer, stand for the farrier, be clipped, and work on a hot-walker. The students also have exercised the horses regularly and exposed the foals to a variety of activities including large crowds, heavy equipment and the show ring. In addition, the students have coordinated details for the sale, including production of the sale catalog, which requires that they research and create the pedigree for each horse, compile performance records and prepare photographs. Proceeds from the sale, which traditionally brings in $20,000 to $30,000, will support the animal science department's Equine Management Program. This program provides hands-on experience for students preparing for careers in the horse industry or for further studies in veterinary medicine or graduate school. Contributing to this event with their time, talents and support are Nutrena, auctioneer Dan Macon, Brenda's Tack Warehouse of Woodland and Western Ranch Feed Store of Vacaville.
SF Mayor Newsom to Speak at UC Davis Commencement
Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700


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