Signatures of Parton Exogamy in e+ e- -> W+ W- -> hadrons

We propose possible signatures of `exogamous' combinations between partons in the different W+ and W- hadron showers in e+e- -> W+W- events with purely hadronic final states. Within the space-time model for hadronic shower development that we have proposed previously, we find a possible difference of about 10 % between the mean hadronic multiplicity in such purely hadronic final states and twice the hadronic multiplicity in events in which one W decays hadronically and the other leptonically, i.e., \ne 2 , associated with the formation of hadronic clusters by `exogamous' pairs of partons. We discuss the dependence of this possible difference in multiplicity on the center-of-mass energy, on the hadron momenta, and on the angular separation between the $W^{\pm}$ dijets. If it were observed, any such multiplicity difference would indicate that the W's do not hadronize independently, and hence raise questions about the accuracy with which the W mass could be determined from purely hadronic final states.Comment: 14 pages including 5 postscript figure

Organic poultry farming

The development in organic livestock production can be attributed to an increased consumer inter-est in organic products while, at the same time, farmers are interested in converting to organic pro-duction methods – often stimulated by governmental support or subsidies. It is important that the organic production systems can fulfil the expectations of each of these stakeholders if the organic livestock production is to increase further. This is in particular important if the organic poultry pro-duction should move from the present niche-production to a real player in the food marked, like in the case of beef and milk. It can be argued that the limited organic poultry production is related to the fact that it is far more difficult for the farmers to change the existing production systems for poultry compared to produc-tion systems for cattle and other ruminants in a way that gives a harmonious balance between the different aims of organic farming. In the existing systems for layers with flock sizes of 3,000 hens and where the hens have access to an outdoor area, the egg production and the feed conversion can be close to production results in conventional production. However, often a considerable mortality can be seen in organic egg production in part due to cannibalism and often also very high nutrient loads are observed in parts of the outdoor area. These conditions are important drawbacks in exist-ing systems. In order to improve the situation there is a need to look at the genotype of hens, to consider new management procedures, and – not at least – to consider new systems where the poultry to a higher degree are integrated in the land use. Promising results with integration of chickens, ducks and geese into an orchard production is found. Also preliminary results of housing systems for small flocks of layers are presented

THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN THE POLICY PROCESS

Academic freedom, Policy process, policy decision-making, policy advice, research, research institute, Political Economy, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Growth and sensory characteristics of alternative genotype broilers reared in organic orchards

The effects of age, sex and genotype on growth and sensory characteristics in organically produced broilers, when kept considerably longer before slaughtering, were examined. A total of 450 birds consisting of three genotypes, Light Sussex, New Hampshire, and the commercial strain I 657 were inserted at Fejoe Research Orchard. Half the birds were slaughtered at 91 days of age and half at 120 days of age. I 657 was significantly heavier compared to the slower growing breeds and Light Sussex was significantly heavier than New Hampshire. Males were significantly heavier than females across genotype, but weight ratios differed with genotype. No overall effect of genotype was found on the flavour or smell of the breast meat, but the commercial strain went towards a tougher and less tender consistency at 120 days of age, whereas the opposite was the case for the slower growing pure breeds. The positive flavour of salt was significantly improved at 120 days of age across genotype and age, with females having saltier flavour than the males. The positive flavour of sweet corn was improved in the meat from the males, but the positive smell of sweet corn was significantly improved in both males and females. No negative consequences of age were found

Integration of organic animal production intor land use with special reference to swine and poultry

The development in organic livestock production can be attributed to an increased consumer interest in organic products while, at the same time, increased farmers' interest in converting to organic production methods—often stimulated by governmental support or subsidies. It is important that organic production systems can fulfil the expectations of each of these stakeholders if organic livestock production is to increase further. This is of particular importance if organic pig and poultry production (other than egg) is to move from the present niche-production to a significant place in the food market, as in the case of beef and milk. It can be argued that the limited organic pork and poultry production is related to the fact that it is far more difficult for farmers to change the existing production systems for pig and poultry compared to production systems for cattle and other ruminants in a way that gives a harmonious balance between the different aims of organic farming. Conflicts may occur as to the most appropriate rearing practice in considerating the basic aspects of the innate behaviour of animals on one hand, the risk of pollution from the production on the other and, in addition, the aim of producing in sufficient quantities. These possible conflicts are reflected in the compromises made in national or EU regulations on organic farming. In the regulations for organic farming, the aspect of allowing a high degree of natural behaviour of the livestock is, among others, translated in the requirement that livestock, in certain periods of their life or of the year, should be allowed to graze or have access to an outdoor area. The most common outdoor systems for pig and poultry used in intensively managed organic production have some significant drawbacks in relation to environmental impact (risk of N-leaching and ammonia volatilisation), animal welfare (nose-ringed sows), high mortality in poultry and workload and management constraints. From recent experience of such systems, it is argued that there is a need for a radical development of the systems. There is a need for outdoor/free range systems (for the sake of the livestock), which are constructed and managed in such a way that the livestock, at the same time, exert a positive influence on other parts of the farming system. There is evidence that pregnant sows can fulfil their nutritional needs to a large extent by grazing, that co-grazing sows with heifers can diminish the parasite burden of the heifers, and that the pig inclination for rooting can be managed in a way that makes ploughing and other heavy land cultivation more or less superfluous. As regard poultry, there is an indication that quite big flocks can be managed efficiently in a way where the flock act as weeders in other crops or fight pests in orchards. These elements need to be further explored as a basis for future system development

Alternative fungicides to control apple scab in organic apple production: results of an orchard trial in 2003

Apple scab, caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, is the disease that most often decreases yield and causes loss of fruit quality in organic apple production. Damage to the fruits consists of brown to black spots, but in some years and on some varieties attacks can result in small misshapen fruits, that are totally unsuitable for fresh consumption

A De-biased Direct Question Approach to Measuring Consumers' Willingness to Pay

Knowledge of consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) is a prerequisite to profitable price-setting. To gauge consumers' WTP, practitioners often rely on a direct single question approach in which consumers are asked to explicitly state their WTP for a product. Despite its popularity among practitioners, this approach has been found to suffer from hypothetical bias. In this paper, we propose a rigorous method that improves the accuracy of the direct single question approach. Specifically, we systematically assess the hypothetical biases associated with the direct single question approach and explore ways to de-bias it. Our results show that by using the de-biasing procedures we propose, we can generate a de-biased direct single question approach that is accu-rate enough to be useful for managerial decision-making. We validate this approach with two studies in this paper.Comment: Market Research, Pricing, Demand Estimation, Direct Estimation, Single Question Approach, Choice Experiments, Willingness to Pay, Hypothetical Bia