bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE URUGUAY ROUND AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE: ISSUES AND PROSPECTS
Authors: Tangermann Stefan
Published: November 2008

The Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture has created a completely new legal framework for agricultural policies and trade. Its immediate impact on trading conditions will, though, depend on the way in which it is implemented. Much slack was built into the commitments which countries have accepted. For some time to come, actual policies will in many cases not be bound by the new commitments. The constraints on subsidised exports will probably have the most pronounced impact on trade. The many new tariff rate quotas raise a number of implementation issues. Implementation of the Special Safeguard Provisions may lead to unpleasant surprises. However, it would be wrong to assess the Agreement against an ideal world. It is a big step forward compared with past treatment of agricultural trade in the GA TT, and over time it is likely to influence policies more and more.
FACTORS AFFECTING ADOPTION OF IMPROVED MAIZE SEED AND FERTILISER IN NORTHERN TANZANIA
Authors: Nkonya Ephraim , Schroeder Ted , Norman David
Published: November 2008

This study quantifies the socioeconomic factors that affect adoption of improved maize seed and chemical fertiliser by producers in Tanzania. A bootstrapped simultaneous equation Tobit model was used to analyse data obtained from a survey of 246 farmers in Northern Tanzania. The adoption of improved maize seed was positively affected by nitrogen use per hectare, farm size, farmer education attainment level, and visits by extension agents. Fertiliser adoption was positively related to the area planted with improved seed. Larger farms tended to use fertiliser less intensively than smaller farms. Results confirm the importance of recognising the heterogeneity of the farming population not only in terms of differences in the biophysical conditions but also in the socioeconomic, environmental conditions under which they operate. This has important implications in terms of developing different technologies and support systems that take such variation into account. The results also confirm the importance of focusing on producer education as a component in influencing technology and in accepting the concept of a technology ladder in designing technological packages and disseminating extension messages.
ECONOMIC CAPACITY UTILISATION AND PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH IN GREEK AGRICULTURE
Authors: Fousekis Panos , Papakonstantinou Aspasia
Published: November 2008

The rate of economic capacity utilisation of the capital stock and the rate of TFP growth are assessed for the agricultural sector in Greece. The empirical results suggest that capital in this sector has been over‐utilised throughout 1971–93. The mean value of the rate of economic capacity utilisation has been 1.477, that is, 48 per cent above the full equilibrium rate. The average rate of TFP growth per annum under the assumption of short–run capital fixity has been 1.29 per cent, while under the assumption of full equilibrium it has been 1.41 per cent. These results indicate that assuming, incorrectly, full equilibrium biases the annual rate of productivity growth upwards.
MEMBER STATES AND THE PREFERENTIAL TRADE AND BUDGET EFFECTS OF THE 1992 CAP REFORM: A NOTE
Authors: Ackrill Robert W. , Hine Robert C. , Rayner Anthony J. , Suardi Massimo
Published: November 2008

This paper quantifies the Preferential Trade and Budget Effects of the 1992 CAP reform on the member states of the EU. It compares these effects with the pre‐reform situation, assuming a full and instantaneous implementation of the reform. Changed methods of support and modified price support levels produce income redistribution between member states. Three countries, namely France, Ireland and the Netherlands, who are substantial beneficiaries from the CAP, suffer absolute net losses of more than ten per cent by value from the reform, with the greatest impact in per capita terms falling on Ireland. On the other hand, Spain, Greece and Portugal benefit substantially whilst Germany and the UK, the two largest contributors to the EU budget, show a marginal net gain from the reform.
REAL AND HYPOTHETICAL WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION: A NON‐EXPERIMENTAL COMPARISON
Authors: Foster Vivien , Bateman Ian J. , Harley David
Published: November 2008

The contingent valuation method is often criticised for being grounded in a hypothetical market in which respondents are not actually required to make the contributions they claim to be willing to pay. This paper undertakes a non‐experimental comparison of real and hypothetical donations towards the public good of environmental preservation, based on a carefully defined theoretical framework. Evidence is presented which suggests that the mean hypothetical payment obtained from an open‐ended CV mail survey is likely to be at least four times as high as the real payments that would be collected from a comparable charitable appeal. In addition, it is found that in a hypothetical context people are less likely to opt out of making a donation ‐ however, the donations which are made are on average no larger than those that could be expected in a real payment context. The implication is tentatively that the primary effect of the hypothetical context may be to reduce the extent of extreme free‐riding, as opposed to creating incentives for strategic over‐bidding. These results are subject to a number of significant empirical limitations.
THE ALLOCATION OF SUGARBEET PRODUCTION CONTRACTS: AN APPLICATION OF CALIBRATED PRODUCTION EQUILIBRIUM MODELLING
Authors: Fraser Iain , McInnes Andrew , Russell Noel
Published: November 2008

A key feature of the 1995 ‘mini‐reform’ of the EU sugar regime was a commitment by the Commission to review quota levels on an annual basis with a view to making reductions when there is a danger of breaching the GATT export limits. How such reductions might be implemented and the implications at farm level is clearly a matter of some concern. Economists in particular have pointed out that a simple administrative solution based on proportionate reductions could lead to a loss in economic welfare as both more efficient and less efficient producers reduced production. A carefully administered ‘outgoer’ scheme might generate a more efficient outcome. Economists would suggest that it is only market‐type mechanisms, principally those consistent with the notion of marketable entitlements, which automatically allocate production to the most efficient producers. This would be an important aspect of ensuring that UK sugarbeet production could respond to the inevitable competitive pressures arising from GATT. However, the relevance of these notions for policy decision making will depend on the extent of the efficiency gains which might be achieved using the more complex procedures.

This study illustrates one method through which the implications of alternative allocation procedures might be assessed. Data on 1994/95 enterprise‐level outputs and inputs for a sample of sugarbeet producers is used to construct a system of production functions and input demand relationships using the calibrated production equilibrium approach pioneered by Howitt (1995, a, b). This detailed model of arable production on these farms (together with a simple representation of ‘aggregate’ sample‐level demand) is used to simulate the impact of alternative allocation mechanisms on farm income, output and input levels on these farms.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SCALE EFFECTS IN PRODUCTIVITY ANALYSIS: A DYNAMIC DUAL APPROACH
Authors: Fousekis Panos
Published: November 2008

The theoretical and empirical significance of external factors for the productive performance of a private firm has been the focus of a rapidly increasing body of literature. This paper offers a way to adjust the traditional Tornqvist‐Theil index of Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth for public infrastructure as a source of external scale effects. This is achieved through a dynamic profit maximisation model which allows us to distinguish between internal and external scale effects and technical change effects. An application of this model to the agricultural sector in Greece indicates that public infrastructure in the sector has worked towards raising producers' profits. Decomposition of TFP growth into technical change, internal scale and external scale effects suggests that not accounting for the role of public infrastructure results in over‐stating TFP growth in the sector.
ARE FUNGICIDES, NITROGEN AND PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS RISK‐REDUCING? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM SWISS WHEAT PRODUCTION
Authors: Regev Uri , Gotsch Nikolaus , Rieder Peter
Published: November 2008

The importance of short‐run risk in Swiss wheat production is explored empirically by using the moment‐based approach. Marginal contributions of controlled and uncontrolled inputs to revenue variance are estimated and then used to test the hypotheses that chemical pesticides and nitrogen are risk increasing. Fungicides are shown to have a statistically significant risk‐increasing effect on revenue at low levels of rainfall. There is no conclusive evidence that nitrogen and plant growth regulators are either risk‐reducing or risk‐increasing. Comparison of conventional and organic wheat growers shows that while yield variance is lower, revenue variance is higher for conventional growers. This is because the latter are protected from market risks by guaranteed prices, while prices of organic wheat fluctuate highly. This result supports the hypothesis that chemical pesticides and nitrogen may be risk‐increasing inputs, at least in some circumstances.
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES AND CROP DIVERSIFICATION: A POLICY ANALYSIS MATRIX FOR THAI AGRICULTURE
Authors: Yao Shujie
Published: November 2008

This study aims to assess the costs and benefits of the Thai agricultural diversification policy in 1994–96. Three competitive crops (rice, soybeans and mungbeans) are selected in two provinces to study their comparative advantages in terms of a policy analysis matrix. The results suggest that rice is more profitable than soybeans and mungbeans, implying that government intervention may incur efficiency losses. Some sensitivity analyses, however, suggest that potential price changes, increasing water scarcity, and the effects of crop production on the environment are important concerns which may justify government intervention.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND DIRECTION OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS: REQUIEM OR RESURRECTION?
Authors: Carruthers Ian , Kydd Jonathan
Published: November 2008

This paper provides a critical review of the literature of agricultural development economics over the past thirty years, against the background of a contention that the discipline has recently lost some influence on the policy agenda. The literature is discussed in categories which are thematic and chronological: farm economics; project planning; policy reform; environmental economics and the new institutional economics. Recommendations are made as to directions in which the discipline should move forward.
SOURCES OF PRODUCTIVITY CHANGE UNDER TEMPORARY EQUILIBRIUM AND APPLICATION TO GREEK AGRICULTURE
Authors: Mergos George , Karagiannis Giannis
Published: November 2008

This paper provides a decomposition of productivity growth into its components, namely technical change, returns to scale, and disequilibrium effects of quasi‐fixed factors, within a complete theoretical framework for measurement and attribution using the parametric approach. It also provides an empirical application of the framework to Greek agriculture, which has exhibited a productivity slowdown since the late 1970s. The empirical results indicate that technical change and disequilibrium effects are the main factors affecting productivity change in Greek agriculture. The contribution of the scale effect, although positive, has been quite small. The slowdown in productivity growth in Greek agriculture since the late 1970s is attributed mainly to the market disequilibrium effect of capital induced by the decline in gross capital investment.
OPTIMAL MEDIA ALLOCATION DECISIONS FOR GENERIC ADVERTISERS
Authors: Kinnucan Henry W. , Thomas Maria
Published: November 2008

Media allocation rules are derived for generic advertisers under a variety of market structures, marketing technologies and policy settings. The rules indicate that once the budget is set, allocation decisions can proceed strictly on the basis of media‐specific advertising elasticities. The investment decision, however, is more complex. In addition to the media‐specific advertising elasticities, generic advertisers need to take into account the price sensitivity of consumers, supply response, markup behaviour, advertising ‘tax’ incidence, policy setting, and competitive conditions. A general finding is that protection blunts the incentive to advertise collectively, while imperfect competition enhances the incentive.
RETURN ON CAPITAL AND MODEST INFLATION: A NOTE
Authors: Bright Geoff
Published: November 2008

Hill (1984) suggested adjustments to farm accounts to deal with inflation. This note provides further detail as to how inflation may be dealt with to produce meaningful return on capital measures and uses an example to illustrate their construction. The note suggests that, although under current levels of inflation there may be less sense of urgency, timely consideration should be given to making further adjustments to Farm Business Survey data and to presenting several measures of real return on capital.
Input Controls, Input Substitution and Profit Maximisation in the English Channel Beam Trawl Fishery
Authors: Pascoe Sean , Robinson Catherine
Published: November 2008

Studies of input substitution in fisheries have tended to focus on substitution between physical inputs and/or time fished. However, input controls may create incentives for substitution of other inputs into the production process. For example, fishers faced with constraints on access to particular areas of the fishery may substitute physical inputs for fishing location. This was the case with the UK beam trawl fishery in the English Channel. Constraints were imposed on access to particular areas of the fishery through restrictions on engine power. This created incentives for a number of fishers to reduce their engine power to meet the conditions of the input control. The relative contribution of the boat inputs and location in the production process and the potential for substitution were examined using a translog production function. The results suggested that the apparent input substitution was consistent with profit maximising behaviour.
Determinants of Grain Production and Technical Efficiency in China
Authors: Yao Shujie , Liu Zinan
Published: November 2008

A stochastic frontier production function is used to investigate the prospect to bring China's grain production and productivity to higher levels using a panel data set on 30 provinces from 1987–92. Given an irreversible trend of declining agricultural land, the only feasible way to raise total grain output is to increase land productivity if China does not want to rely on large‐scale imports to feed her huge and still growing population. Considerable regional differences in grain yields suggest that there is still a vast potential for raising grain output. The short term solution is to use more land‐augmenting inputs such as fertilisers and irrigation in the medium and low yield regions. However, the law of diminishing returns is in operation as more physical inputs are applied to shrinking land. Growth in grain output in the long term must rely on improvements in technical efficiency.
Working Women and Expenditures on Food Away‐From‐Home and At‐Home in Spain
Authors: Manrique Justo , Jensen Helen H.
Published: November 2008

Spain currently is experiencing rapid cultural and economic changes that influence food markets. In this paper, the selection and purchase of food away from home and at home in Spain are modeled in a two‐stage process using switching regression techniques with explicit accounting for the value of women's time available for household production. The empirical results show that the value of women's time, income, and household demographic variables are important determinants of both participation in the market for and expenditures on food away from home. The paper concludes that high‐income, young families with few children and employed family heads are more likely to consume food away from home and also to spend more than others on food away from home.
Oligopoly Power and Allocative Efficiency in US Food and Tobacco Industries
Authors: Bhuyan Sanjib , Lopez Rigoberto A.
Published: November 2008

This paper computed oligopoly‐induced allocative efficiency losses in 38 US food and tobacco manufacturing industries using conduct, demand and cost parameters estimated with a New Empirical Industrial Organisation (NEIO) approach. Allocative efficiency loss estimates in these industries amounted to $15.2 billion or over five per cent of sales for 1987. Statistical tests showed that these losses are generally higher than previous estimates, possibly due to the allowance of non‐constant marginal costs and revised estimates of demand elasticities and conduct.
Recent Trends in the Historiography of Iran under the Pahlavi Dynasty, 1921–1979
Authors: Schayegh Cyrus
Published: November 2008

This article has two aims. It outlines the historiography of Pahlavi Iran, maintaining that historians have often written about this period from the perspective of the state. It also examines a small number of recent texts that have been instrumental in shifting the historiographic focus on the Pahlavi period: they are complicating our often monolithic view of ‘the state’ as well as its interactions with social groups.
MULTIPLE FtsZ RING FORMATION AND REDUPLICATED CHLOROPLAST DNA IN NANNOCHLORIS BACILLARIS (CHLOROPHYTA, TREBOUXIOPHYCEAE) UNDER PHOSPHATE‐ENRICHED CULTURE1
Authors: Sumiya Nobuko , Hirata Aiko , Kawano Shigeyuki
Published: November 2008

We examined the effects of phosphate enrichment on chloroplasts of the unicellular green alga Nannochloris bacillaris Naumann. The doubling time of cells was similar in phosphate‐limited (no β‐glycerophosphate) and phosphate‐enriched (2 mM β‐glycerophosphate) media. The lengths of cells and chloroplasts were similar, regardless of phosphate concentration. The relationship between the ring formation of the prokaryote‐derived chloroplast division protein FtsZ and phosphate concentration was examined using indirect fluorescent antibody staining. The number of FtsZ rings increased as the phosphate concentration of the medium increased. Multiple FtsZ rings were formed in cells in phosphate‐enriched medium; up to six FtsZ rings per chloroplast were observed. The number of FtsZ rings increased as the chloroplast grew. The FtsZ ring located near the center of the chloroplast had the strongest fluorescence. The FtsZ ring at the relative center of all FtsZ rings was used for division. Plastid division rings did not multiply in phosphate‐enriched culture. The chloroplast DNA content was 2.3 times greater in phosphate‐enriched than in phosphate‐limited culture and decreased in cells cultured in phosphate‐enriched medium containing 5‐fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUr). In the presence of FdUr, only one FtsZ ring formed, even under phosphate enrichment. This finding suggests that excessive chloroplast DNA replication induces multiple FtsZ ring formation in phosphate‐enriched culture. We propose a multiple FtsZ ring formation model under phosphate enrichment.
Evaluation of Quantitative Portal Venous, Hepatic Arterial, and Total Hepatic Tissue Blood Flow Using Xenon CT in Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis—Comparison With Liver Cirrhosis Related to Hepatitis C Virus and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Authors: Takahashi Hideaki , Suzuki Michihiro , Ikeda Hiroki , Kobayashi Minoru , Sase Shigeru , Yotsuyanagi Hiroshi , Maeyama Shiro , Iino Shiro , Itoh Fumio
Published: November 2008

Background/Aims:  Xenon computed tomography (Xe‐CT) is a noninvasive method of quantifying and visualizing tissue blood flow (TBF). For the liver, Xe‐CT allows separate measurement of hepatic arterial and portal venous TBF. The present study evaluated the usefulness of Xe‐CT as a noninvasive diagnostic procedure for measuring hepatic TBF in alcoholic liver cirrhosis (AL‐LC), compared with liver cirrhosis related to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), (NASH‐LC), and hepatitis C virus (HCV), (C‐LC).

Methods:  Xe‐CT was performed on 22 patients with AL‐LC, 7 patients with NASH‐LC, and 24 patients with C‐LC. Severity of LC was classified according to Child‐Pugh classification. Correlations between hepatic TBF, Child‐Pugh classification, and indocyanin green retention (ICG) rate after 15 minutes (ICG15R) were examined. Correlations of hepatic TBF in Child‐Pugh class A to AL‐LC, NASH‐LC, and C‐LC were also examined.

Results:  Portal venous TBF (PVTBF) displayed a significant negative correlation with Child‐Pugh score and ICG15R (r = −0.432, p < 0.01, r = −0.442, p < 0.01, respectively). Moreover, ICG15R displayed a significant positive correlation with Child‐Pugh score (r = 0.661, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, mean PVTBF and total hepatic TBF (THTBF) was significantly lower in AL‐LC than in C‐LC (p < 0.05). Mean PVTBF was significantly lower in Child‐Pugh class A to AL‐LC and NASH‐LC than in that to C‐LC (p < 0.05). Similarly, mean THTBF was significantly lower in Child‐Pugh class A to NASH‐LC than in that to C‐LC (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:  Measurement of hepatic TBF using Xe‐CT is useful as a noninvasive, objective method of assessing the state of the liver in chronic liver disease.
Probability Information in Risk Communication: A Review of the Research Literature
Authors: Visschers Vivianne H. M. , Meertens Ree M. , Passchier Wim W. F. , De Vries Nanne N. K.
Published: November 2008

Communicating probability information about risks to the public is more difficult than might be expected. Many studies have examined this subject, so that their resulting recommendations are scattered over various publications, diverse research fields, and are about different presentation formats. An integration of empirical findings in one review would be useful therefore to describe the evidence base for communication about probability information and to present the recommendations that can be made so far. We categorized the studies in the following presentation formats: frequencies, percentages, base rates and proportions, absolute and relative risk reduction, cumulative probabilities, verbal probability information, numerical versus verbal probability information, graphs, and risk ladders. We suggest several recommendations for these formats. Based on the results of our review, we show that the effects of presentation format depend not only on the type of format, but also on the context in which the format is used. We therefore argue that the presentation format has the strongest effect when the receiver processes probability information heuristically instead of systematically. We conclude that future research and risk communication practitioners should not only concentrate on the presentation format of the probability information but also on the situation in which this message is presented, as this may predict how people process the information and how this may influence their interpretation of the risk.
System Perspectives of Experts and Farmers Regarding the Role of Livelihood Assets in Risk Perception: Results from the Structured Mental Model Approach
Authors: Schoell Regina , Binder Claudia R.
Published: November 2008

Pesticide application is increasing and despite extensive educational programs farmers continue to take high health and environmental risks when applying pesticides.

The structured mental model approach (SMMA) is a new method for risk perception analysis. It embeds farmers' risk perception into their livelihood system in the elaboration of a mental model (MM). Results from its first application are presented here. The study region is Vereda la Hoya (Colombia), an area characterized by subsistence farming, high use of pesticides, and a high incidence of health problems. Our hypothesis was that subsistence farmers were constrained by economic, environmental, and sociocultural factors, which consequently should influence their mental models.

Thirteen experts and 10 farmers were interviewed and their MMs of the extended pesticide system elicited. The interviews were open‐ended with the questions structured in three parts: (i) definition and ranking of types of capital with respect to their importance for the sustainability of farmers' livelihood; (ii) understanding the system and its dynamics; and (iii) importance of the agents in the farmers' agent network. Following this structure, each part of the interview was analyzed qualitatively and statistically. Our analyses showed that the mental models of farmers and experts differed significantly from each other.

By applying the SMMA, we were also able to identify reasons for the divergence of experts' and farmers' MMs. Of major importance are the following factors: (i) culture and tradition; (ii) trust in the source of information; and (iii) feedback on knowledge.
Portfolio Choice and Life Insurance: The CRRA Case
Authors: Huang Huaxiong , Milevsky Moshe A. , Wang Jin
Published: November 2008

Abstract

We solve a portfolio choice problem that includes life insurance and labor income under constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) preferences. We focus on the correlation between the dynamics of human capital and financial capital and model the utility of the family as opposed to separating consumption and bequest. We simplify the underlying Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation using a similarity reduction technique that leads to an efficient numerical solution. Households for whom shocks to human capital are negatively correlated with shocks to financial capital should own more life insurance with greater equity/stock exposure. Life insurance hedges human capital and is insensitive to the family's risk aversion, consistent with practitioner guidance.
Does Insurance Market Activity Promote Economic Growth? A Cross‐Country Study for Industrialized and Developing Countries
Authors: Arena Marco
Published: November 2008

Abstract

Insurance market activity may contribute to economic growth, both as financial intermediary and provider of risk transfer and indemnification, by allowing different risks to be managed more efficiently and by mobilizing domestic savings. During the last decade, there has been faster growth in insurance market activity, particularly in emerging markets, given the process of financial liberalization and integration, which raises questions about the overall impact on economic growth. This article tests whether there is a causal relationship between insurance market activity (life and nonlife insurance) and economic growth. Using the generalized method of moments (GMM) for dynamic models of panel data for 55 countries between 1976 and 2004, I find robust evidence for this relationship. Both life and nonlife insurance have a positive and significant causal effect on economic growth. For life insurance, high‐income countries drive the results, and for nonlife insurance, both high‐income and developing countries drive the results.
Preservation of old‐growth forests: a case study of Big Timber Park, Whistler, BC
Authors: DANIELS LORI D. , YANAGAWA MARIKO , WERNER KARI L. , VASAK LUKE , PANJER JESSICA A. , KLADY REBECCA A. , LADE JANNEKE , BRETT BOB
Published: November 2008

This paper explores the concepts of old‐growth forests, preservation and natural disturbance and demonstrates how contemporary biogeographic theory contributes to successful preservation of old‐growth forests. The case study analyzes the composition, structure, age and growth histories of trees in Big Timber Park, Whistler, British Columbia. Composition. The structure of the forest was diverse and tree ages ranged from 122 to 305 years. The densities of large old Douglas‐fir, shade‐tolerant trees and all snags are indicative of old‐growth forests; however, maximum tree diameters and densities of large snags and logs do not meet quantitative criteria for old‐growth forests. The abundance of tree regeneration and understory vegetation are relatively low. We conclude that some aspects of Big Timber Park are transitional between the mature and old‐growth stages of forest development. In the future, fine‐scale canopy gaps caused by tree senescence and interactions among insects, pathogens and wind are expected to dominate stand dynamics. Forest structure will become increasingly complex, exemplifying the dynamic nature of old‐growth forests. To successfully preserve Big Timber Park and
La préservation des forêts
other old‐growth forests in Canada requires understanding of natural disturbances. Preservation and the criteria and indicators used to measure successful preservation must explicitly include elements of natural change.
MidgEmerge, a new predictive tool, indicates the presence of multiple emergence phenotypes of the overwintered generation of swede midge
Authors: Hallett Rebecca H. , Goodfellow Sheila A. , Weiss Ross M. , Olfert Owen
Published: November 2008

The swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is a pest of cruciferous crops (Brassicaceae) in Europe and North America with high potential for economic impact. Effective timing of insecticide applications for swede midge control is difficult, in part due to a short adult lifespan. Predictive models are often used in integrated pest management programmes to facilitate the timing of control strategies. A European model, Contapré, for predicting adult swede midge emergence was shown to be inaccurate under Ontario field conditions. A new predictive model, MidgEmerge, was developed using DYMEX™ modelling software. MidgEmerge accurately predicts swede midge emergence in both Ontario and Québec. Observed emergence patterns cannot be explained without the presence of multiple emergence phenotypes. MidgEmerge indicates that there are two emergence phenotypes of the swede midge, each completing four generations per year in southern Ontario. A fifth generation of each may become possible with climate change. Evidence of a possible third emergence phenotype is presented. MidgEmerge has the potential to be an important predictive tool to inform and direct integrated pest management practices targeted against swede midge in North America.
Characterization of electrical penetration graphs of Bucephalogonia xanthophis, a vector of Xylella fastidiosa in citrus
Authors: Miranda M. P. , Fereres A. , Appezzato‐da‐Gloria B. , Lopes J. R. S.
Published: November 2008

The sharpshooter Bucephalogonia xanthophis (Berg) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) is a vector of the xylem‐limited bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa (Wells, Raju, Hung, Weisburg, Mandelco‐Paul, and Brenner), which causes citrus variegated chlorosis. Despite the importance of citrus variegated chlorosis, the probing behavior of vectors on citrus and its implications for transmission of X. fastidiosa have not been studied. Here we studied electrical penetration graph (EPG‐DC system) waveforms produced by B. xanthophis on Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck (Rutaceae), and their relationships with stylet activities and xylem ingestion. Electrical penetration graph waveforms were described based on amplitude, frequency, voltage level, and electrical origin of the observed traces during stylet penetration on plant tissues. The main waveforms were correlated with histological observations of salivary sheaths in plant tissues and excretion analysis, in order to determine stylet activities and their precise position. Six waveforms and associated activities are described: (S) secretion of salivary sheath and intracellular stylet pathway, (R) resting during stylet pathway, (Xc) contact of stylets with xylem vessels, (Xi) active xylem ingestion, (N) interruption within the xylem phase (during Xc or Xi), and (W) withdrawal of stylet from the plant. The sharpshooter spent 91.8% of its probing time with its stylet in the xylem, where the main activity was ingestion (Xi: 97.5%). During a probe, the most likely sequence of events is secretion of salivary sheath and pathway (S) through epidermal and parenchyma cells (all individuals), followed by contact with xylem (Xc) (67.6% of all individuals) and ingestion (Xi) (88.3% of those that exhibit waveform Xc). The mean time to contact the xylem (Xc) and initiate ingestion (Xi) after onset of the first probe was 27.8 and 34.2 min, respectively. However, sustained xylem ingestion (Xi > 5 min) was established after 39.8 min, on average. This information is basic for future studies on the transmission mechanisms of X. fastidiosa and in order to establish control strategies aimed at interfering with this process.
Glutathione transferases in bacteria
Authors: Allocati Nerino , Federici Luca , Masulli Michele , Di Ilio Carmine
Published: November 2008

Bacterial glutathione transferases (GSTs) are part of a superfamily of enzymes that play a key role in cellular detoxification. GSTs are widely distributed in prokaryotes and are grouped into several classes. Bacterial GSTs are implicated in a variety of distinct processes such as the biodegradation of xenobiotics, protection against chemical and oxidative stresses and antimicrobial drug resistance. In addition to their role in detoxification, bacterial GSTs are also involved in a variety of distinct metabolic processes such as the biotransformation of dichloromethane, the degradation of lignin and atrazine, and the reductive dechlorination of pentachlorophenol. This review article summarizes the current status of knowledge regarding the functional and structural properties of bacterial GSTs.
The Effects of Alprostadil on Hypothalamic and Amygdalar Function and the Central Expression of Oxytocin: A Potential Central Role of Alprostadil Cream
Authors: Sun Xiangrong , Xu Luo , Zhang Jing , Guo Feifei , Tang Ming
Published: November 2008

Introduction

A specially formulated alprostadil cream, femprox, as an investigational medication has been studied for the treatment of female sexual arousal disorder in several clinical trials. However, few researchers have investigated the mechanism of the alprostadil cream on the central nervous system (CNS).

Aim

The purpose of this study is to investigate the possible central mechanisms of the alprostadil cream used in the vagina of rats.

Methods

The effects of intravaginal application of the alprostadil cream on neuronal activities in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus (PVN) and basomedial amygdala nucleus (BMA) were studied by extracelluar unit-firing recording, and the expression of oxytocin-immunoreactive (OT-IR) neurons and c-fos-immunoreactive (c-fos-IR) neurons in the PVN and superoptic nuclei (SON) was tested by immunocytochemical assay in anesthetized rats.

Main Outcome Measures

The firing frequency of neurons in the PVN and BMA; the expression of OT-IR neurons and c-fos-IR neurons in the PVN and SON.

Results

Our data showed that 70% of the neurons in the PVN and 36% of the neurons in the BMA were excited by application of the alprostadil cream. Compared with the placebo cream, the alprostadil cream administered could significantly increase the expression of OT-IR and c-fos-IR neurons in the PVN of hypothalamus, but not in the SON.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the application of the alprostadil cream could act on the genital nerve terminals to facilitate the neurons of the PVN and BMA in the CNS, and increase the expression of oxytocin in the PVN to induce sex behaviors.
Terahertz Wave Control Using Ceramic Photonic Crystals with a Diamond Structure Including Plane Defects Fabricated by Microstereolithography
Authors: Kirihara Soshu , Kaneko Masaru , Niki Toshiki
Published: November 2008

The fabrication and terahertz wave properties of alumina microphotonic crystals with a diamond structure were investigated. Acrylic diamond structures with alumina particles' dispersion were formed using microstereolithography. Fabricated precursors were dewaxed and sintered in air. The electromagnetic wave properties were measured by terahertz time‐domain spectroscopy. A complete photonic band gap was observed from 0.40 to 0.47 THz, and showed good agreement with the simulation of a plane wave expansion method. Moreover, a localized mode was observed by introducing a plane defect between twinned diamond structures. The localized mode was analyzed using transmission line modeling simulation.
Ceramic Laminates by Gelcasting
Authors: Shanti Noah O. , Hovis David B. , Seitz Michelle E. , Montgomery John K. , Baskin Donald M. , Faber Katherine T.
Published: November 2008

Laminated ceramic composites are appealing for many applications due to their unique and customizable thermal and mechanical properties. Gelcasting is a relatively new, yet commercially proven, near‐net‐shape processing technique suitable for laminate production. A review of gelcasting techniques and a discussion of their application to laminate processing are provided, along with an overview of laminate design and processing concerns. Specific examples of single‐phase laminates produced via gelcasting are provided, including porous/dense alumina and magnetically aligned iron titanate and barium hexaferrite structures.
Fabrication of Precise Fluidic Structures in LTCC
Authors: Barlow Fred , Wood Jared , Elshabini Aicha , Stephens Edward F. , Feeler Ryan , Kemner Greg , Junghans Jeremy
Published: November 2008

A number of emerging applications of low‐temperature co‐fired ceramic (LTCC) require embedded fluidic structure within the co‐fired ceramic and or precise external dimensional tolerances. These structures enable the control of fluids for cooling, sensing, and biomedical applications, and variations in their geometry from the design can have a significant impact on the overall performance of the devices. One example of this type of application is a multilayer cooler developed recently by the authors for cooling laser diode bars. In many laser systems, laser diodes are the primary emitters, or assemblies of these diode bars are used to pump traditional laser crystals such as Nd:YLF. Assemblies of these diodes require large amounts of electrical current for proper operation, and the device operating temperature must be carefully controlled in order to avoid a shift in the output wavelength. These diodes are packaged into water‐cooled assemblies and by their nature dissipate enormous amounts of heat, with waste heat fluxes on the order of 2000 W/cm2. The traditional solution to this problem has been the development of copper multilayer coolers. Assemblies of laser diodes are then formed by stacking these diode bars and coolers. Several problems exist with this approach including the erosion of the copper coolers by the coolant, a requirement for the use of deionized water within the system, and a significant CTE mismatch between the diode bar and the metal cooler. Diodes are bonded to these metal structures and liquid coolant is circulated through the metal layers in order to cool the diode bar. In contrast, the coolers developed by the authors utilize fluid channels and jets formed within LTCC as well as embedded cavity structures to control the flow of a high‐velocity liquid and actively cool the laser diode bars mounted on the surface of the LTCC.† The dimensional tolerances of these cooler assemblies and complex shapes that are used to control the fluid can have a significant impact on the overall performance of the laser system. This paper describes the fabrication process used to create the precise channel and jet structures used in these LTCC‐based coolers, as well as some of the challenges associated with these processes.
Design of LTCC with High Thermal Expansion
Authors: Eberstein Markus , Glitzky Carsten , Gemeinert Marion , Rabe Torsten , Schiller Wolfgang A. , Modes Christina
Published: November 2008

New applications of low‐temperature co‐fired ceramics (LTCC), such as pressure sensors or integrated functional layers, require materials that possess higher coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE). To fabricate LTCC with elevated CTE, two methods of material design are examined: firstly, glass ceramic composites (GCC), which consist of >50 vol% glass in the starting powder, and, secondly, glass‐bonded ceramics (GBC), where glass is added as a sintering aid only. The CTE of GBC is mainly determined by the crystalline component. For GCC, the CTE can be well predicted, if CTE and elastic data of each phase in the microstructure are known. A nonlinear characteristic of the CTE versus phase composition was found with increasing Ecrystals/Eglass ratio and absolute CTE difference between the components. The glass composition and glass amount can be used to compensate the fixed properties of a crystalline material in a desired way. However, because the CTE and permittivity of a glass cannot be chosen independently, an optimum glass composition has to be found. For a given LTCC, it is possible to control the devitrification by shifting the glass composition. In this way, the resulting CTE values can be predicted more exactly and tailoring becomes possible. Different LTCC materials, based on the crystalline compounds Ba(La,Nd)2Ti4O12, ZrO2 (Y‐TZP), SiO2 (quartz), and specially developed glasses, possessing an elevated CTE of around 10 × 10−6 K−1 while showing permittivity ɛr between 6 and 63, are introduced.
Dietary patterns for reducing cardiovascular disease risk among Thai alcohol drinkers
Authors: JEERANUN Klaewkla , DUANGPORN Klaewsiri
Published: November 2008

Aim:  To study alcohol consumption patterns and dietary patterns among Thai people living in provinces with high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Methods:  A cross‐sectional survey was applied using a face‐to‐face interview. A total of 1698 respondents aged 15–59 years participated. Four provinces from northern, central, eastern and southern Thailand as well as Bangkok were selected.

Results:  A total of 724 (42.6%) men and 974 (57.4%) women participated in the study. There were more unhealthy habits associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk in the regular alcohol drinker group than in the occasional drinker and non‐drinker groups. There were differences in diet practices between men and women. Both men and women in the regular alcohol drinker group consumed highly salty food regularly 2.05 and 2.25 times more often than those in the occasional and non‐drinker group. They also regularly added fish sauce to ready cooked food 1.57 and 3.62 times more often than the occasional and non‐drinker group. Men in the regular alcohol drinker group regularly consumed deep‐fried food 1.97 times more often than those in the occasional and non‐drinker group. Men in the occasional and non‐drinker group regularly consumed fibre food 1.69 times more than those in the regular drinker group.

Conclusions:  These results showed that alcohol drinkers also consumed poor diets that may put them at risk of development of cardiovascular disease. Programs aimed at increasing knowledge concerning better nutrition and fostering healthy eating habits among alcohol drinkers are warranted.
What outcome measures do Australian dietitians use to evaluate nutrition education interventions with individual patients?
Authors: CANT Robyn
Published: November 2008

Aim:  To examine outcome measures used by Australian dietitians in evaluating their nutrition education of individual patients.

Methods:  A sequential qualitative—quantitative design was used. First, a purposive sample of 46 clinical dietitians working in Victorian hospitals, community or private practice attended an audio‐recorded focus group or in‐depth interview. Transcribed narratives were open‐coded to identify themes and results used to develop a questionnaire to survey Australian dietitians nationally to ask about patient education strategies and evaluation methods. In 2006, 258 dietitians (16%) responded to a Web‐based questionnaire. Criterion for extraction of results was ≥70% agreement on response items when measured on a 5‐point scale. Descriptive statistics were used and between‐group analyses were conducted using χ2 and Spearman's rank order correlation (if P < 0.05).

Results:  Nine outcome measures were confirmed as valid in the categories of direct nutrition outcomes, clinical and health status outcomes and patient value‐based care outcomes. There was no significant difference in practice by work category, or time since qualification. Evaluation was most commonly performed prospectively at completion of a consultation, or as part of review consultations. The most common barrier to outcomes research was a lack of time. However, a lack of research skill or health team collaboration may also be a barrier as dietitians did not routinely research or report on outcomes for groups of patients, with potential to identify possible practice improvements.

Conclusion:  Research training may be needed. Further investigation is recommended to develop best practice policies for dietetics outcomes research.
Isotopic Evaluation on the Genesis of the Kanamaru Pegmatite Deposit, Niigata Prefecture, Japan
Authors: Ishihara Shunso , Hamano Koji , Ikegami Asami
Published: November 2008

Abstract: The Kanamaru pegmatite is one of the two largest pegmatite deposits in Japan and is rich in K–feldspar, which is maximum microcline. The mica minerals and microcline from this ore deposit were studied for K‐Ar ages and δ18O ratios. Biotite gives K‐Ar age of 78. 5 Ma, but microcline is much younger in age of 66. 0 and 58. 3 Ma. Oxygen isotopic equilibrium temperature of the biotite‐quartz pair is 625°C. Using closure temperature of the K‐Ar system for biotite and microcline, cooling rate of the pegmatite is calculated to be 88°C/m. y. at the beginning but 12°C/m. y. in the later period of the cooling history. The microcline is slightly depleted in 18O, yielding apparent equilibrium temperatures of 230°C and 155°C on quartz‐microcline pairs. It is suggested that the fluid phase, magmatic and partly meteoric in origin, contained in the solidifying pegmatite, was interacted with the original orthoclase and converted it to microcline during the subsolidus stage.
Sn, B and Pb‐Zn Skarn, Vein and Disseminated Deposits in the East Sikhote–Alin, Russia
Authors: Ratkin Vladimir V. , Sokarev Anatoly N. , Rysantseva Margarita D.
Published: November 2008

Abstract: Sn, B and Pb‐Zn skarn, vein and disseminated deposits occur in the eastern part of Sikhote‐Alin fold system associated with the late Cretaceous‐earliest Paleogene volcano‐plutonic complexes, which are products of a continental margin‐type subduction along the East Sikhote‐Alin belt. There are two metallogenic zones where the ore deposits are concentrated. The Taukha metallogenic zone combining B and Pb‐Zn skarn, vein and disseminated deposits occurs on the main volcanic chain along the Japan Sea coast. Late Cretaceous‐earliest Paleogene calc‐alkaline plutonic and volcanic rocks of magnetite series predominate here. Volcanic rocks overlie on the lower Cretaceous Taukha terrane which consists of abundant olistostromes with numerous olistoliths of Triassic limestones. During the middle‐late Cretaceous time, an ignimbrite erupted and formed a huge borosilicate skarn deposit. A later subduction related volcanism of the late Cretaceous‐earliest Paleogene stage (70–55 Ma) was predominated by andesites and rhyodacites. Many Pb‐Zn skarn and vein deposits were formed. Sulfur isotope compositions of galena in the B and Pb‐Zn deposits of the Taukha metallogenic zone vary from –1. 3 to +2. 0%, averaging 0% in the δ34S.