Intangible Capital and Productivity Growth in European Countries

This paper provides evidence about the diffusion of intangible investment across the EU27 member countries and investigates the role of intangible capital as a source of growth to improve our understanding of the international differences in the mix of drivers of productivity growth across Europe. Our study shows that the capitalization of intangible assets, allow identifying additional sources of long-run growth. We show that intangibles have been a relevant source of growth across European countries and that they cannot be omitted from national accounts. In particular, the ―unexplained‖ component of macro-economic dynamics, the Total Factor Productivity, becomes less important, while physical capital turns out to be strongly complementary with intangible capital.This paper provides evidence about the diffusion of intangible investment across the EU27 member countries and investigates the role of intangible capital as a source of growth to improve our understanding of the international differences in the mix of drivers of productivity growth across Europe. Our study shows that the capitalization of intangible assets, allow identifying additional sources of long-run growth. We show that intangibles have been a relevant source of growth across European countries and that they cannot be omitted from national accounts. In particular, the ―unexplained‖ component of macro-economic dynamics, the Total Factor Productivity, becomes less important, while physical capital turns out to be strongly complementary with intangible capital.Non-Refereed Working Papers / of national relevance onl

Operational guidelines for assessing the impact of agricultural research on livelihoods. Good practices from CIMMYT

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

The Effect of Economic Liberalization in Mexico on Corn Biodiversity and Mexican Culture

Mexico is dealing with widespread farm unrest. Last summer, there was a wave of protests in the Mexican states of Veracruz, Sinaloa, Oaxaca, Campeche, Nayarit, Chiapas, and Chihuahua. The farmers, most of them working on small plots of land distributed during revolutionary land reforms at the beginning of the century, are affected by a combination of circumstances, ranging from decreasing market prices, decreases in government support, and, many claim, the explosion of free trade partly due to the North American Free Trade Agreement. The changes have touched a variety of farmers, including producers of rice, coffee, sugar, and com.1 In July, com farmers in Sinaloa blocked access to gas depots to demand that the government impose higher tariffs on com imports from the U.S. Mexican com farmers have been overwhelmed by a 45 percent decrease in com prices since 1998. The farmers claim that NAFTA is directly responsible for their woes: U.S. com imports have increased 14% per year since 1994, leaving Mexican producers with 2.4 million tons of unsold com. In a February 2002 speech, agroeconomist Carlos Heredia Zubieta stated that “com growing has basically collapsed in Mexico. The flood of imports of basic grains has ravaged the countryside, so the com growers are [in the United States] instead of working in the fields.”2 After two days, the governor of Sinaloa declared a state of emergency because motorists were beginning to hoard gas, and businesses in Mazatlan, a tourist resort, were forced to reduce their services.3 The demonstration in Sinaloa highlights the discontent felt by farmers dealing with the rapid changes of economic liberalization

The Intellectual Property Strategy of International Agricultural Research Centres

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Soma térmica e número de dias para atingir os principais estádios de desenvolvimento de 16 cultivares de arroz irrigado.

bitstream/item/30493/1/boletim-89.pd

Analysis of black holes in our knowledge concerning animal health in the organic food production chain

Although a large body of research on health aspects can be found via the web or in conference proceedings, only few papers reach the peer reviewed literature. This aspect makes it difficult to judge the quality of available data that relate to health aspects associated with organic livestock production. Many data deal with "on farm case type studies" which often do not lead to a direct relation between certain management procedures and incidence of certain health aspects. The principle that organic held animals are in better condition concerning their health as compared to conventionally held animals has not yet been proven. Well-controlled studies are needed to show the effects of organically held animals on innate and adaptive immune responses and disease susceptibility. The conditions in organic livestock production lead to novel challenges concerning social interactions, physical requirements, climatic conditions and infectious burden which requires certain breeds of animals that differ considerably from the conventionally held animals. More research is needed to identify these breeds whereby breeding selection criteria specific to organic conditions and principles should be used. A number of health problems such as infestation with parasites is an important problem that has been noted in organic livestock (poultry and pig) production and more research is needed to both prevent and treat these infections. Although largely recommended, phytotherapy and homeopathy do not have any demonstrated efficacy in managing helminths. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to address these questions. Investigations should be concerned with aspects such as rotation, stocking density, disinfections strategies, genetic predisposition and novel (plant derived or biological) antihelminthics. A major drawback in the use of phytotherapeuticals is the lack of good clinical trials, most claims are based on traditional use, anecdotal evidence or extrapolation of human data. Another problem is the consistency/standardisation of the product; variations exist in the levels of "active" ingredients between lots. Extensive studies have shown that garlic has a beneficial effect on human health and therefore would possibly be a suitable candidate to increase the health of animals in organic production. Further research is needed to substantiate this claim. Although mastitis is not seen more often in organic dairy production compared to conventional farms, it is still frequently encountered and both basic and applied research concerning prevention and cure without the traditional use of antibiotics is needed. More knowledge is needed concerning effects of alternative treatments in organic livestock production. As long as alternative treatments have not formally been proven to be effective, allopathic treatments should be preferred. Studies are needed concerning the welfare aspects of disease and insufficient or postponed treatment in organic animal production systems. It is generally accepted that feather picking and cannibalism is a major problem in organic poultry and more research is needed to counter this unwanted behaviour of the animals. The following aspects including genetic influences, housing environment, feed composition and the presence of external parasites may be involved. Vaccination has been one of the largest success factors in the prevention of disease in production animals. Most vaccines used nowadays are genetically engineered and should thus carry the GMO label. GMO based vaccines produced by incorporating genetic material from bacteria or viruses into plants is an attractive approach but does not comply with the principles of organic farming. Investigations concerning various vaccination strategies with or without GMO approaches should be evaluated to prevent various infectious diseases in organic livestock production systems. Organic livestock production leads to an increase or re-emergence of certain zoonotic diseases ( Campylobacter, toxoplasma). This is a serious drawback concerning claims that organic products are healthier as compared to conventional products and research into the prevalence of certain zoonotic infections, risk factors, farm management, post slaughter decontamination and consumer perception/education is badly needed. Several micro-organisms are described to be present in feeds and could be sources of infections of farm animals. Such pathogens can be either present on the outside of the plant (epiphytes) or on the inside of the plant (endophytes). The incidence of pathogenic bacteria in/on plants used for organic animal feed is not clear and therefore research on the incidence of these pathogens is needed. Biological cycles such as the utilisation of manure from organic farms may potentially lead to the creation of infectious reservoirs. Research is needed to provide evidence for this hypothesis and strategies should be devised to prevent this problem. Little is known about the role of pests in the occurrence of disease in organic livestock production. Research is needed into the efficacy of alternative pest control strategies since current pest control methods are not in agreement with organic production principles (use of anticoagulants for rodent control). The obligatory use of straw bedding in swine household management leads to higher dust and bioareosol (endotoxin) levels in stables. This may affect susceptibility to lung disease (farmer and animal) and investigations concerning measures to reduce dust and bioaerosol levels are needed. Current literature on this subject is not concordant and true differences may exist between management systems from different countries. Piglet mortality is an important problem in organic production systems and research concerning genetic and housing aspects is currently performed but not yet reported in the peer-reviewed literature. Amino acid imbalance and research into novel feed sources with high protein content is needed. More knowledge is known concerning possible anti-nutritive factors in these feeds and the effects of these new nutrients on gut health of the animals. Amino acid imbalance may lead to higher excretion of excess amino acids into the environment. On farm research should be performed to substantiate whether these claims also apply to organic production systems. It has been suggested that organic feeds for animals in organic production systems may contain higher mycotoxin levels thereby adversely affecting their health status. As yet no conclusive data concerning this issue has been published and research into this area is needed to prove or reject this myth. As yet it is not known whether phytase levels in organic feed for pigs are sufficient to allow optimal utilisation of organic phosphor thereby also leading to a lower environmental pollution; further investigations are needed in this area

Islamic Law on Mediation in Indonesia; Position and Strategy

This paper is about Islamic Law on Mediation in Indonesia; Position and Strategy. Islamic law in the context of its position and strategy towards national law becoming positive law has sparked ongoing controversy since independence until now. The various strategies and explanations about them give a special style to the peculiarities of Islamic legal thought in Indonesia. This paper focuses on how the position and strategy of Islamic law in the positivization of law in Indonesia. The plurality of Indonesian law, which is a necessity, becomes a positive partner for Islamic law towards the positivization of legal law nationally. The strategy taken is to unite perceptions which are the substance of Islamic teachings in the meaning of sharia and fiqh in the form of universality values that exist in Islam such as the substance of justice, honesty, equality, balance and the like. The concept of mediation in Islamic law must be in accordance with PERMA No. 1 of 2016, its position and strategy. Mediation is nothing more than facilitating the negotiation process, where a mediator tries to help the parties negotiate effectively and efficiently so that they can reach the decisions they want. There are two simple rules for mediators proposed by Stitt, namely the first is do no harm

ギョルイ コッカク ヒョウホン オ モチイタ リカ キョウイク ノ レイ - アゴ ノ ホネ ノ ヘンカ オ カンサツ シテ サカナ ト ワタシタチト ノ カンケイ オ サグロウ -

The fish transparent specimens were applied to a study of the evolution through the observation of jaw arches of the cartilaginous and bony fishes, and its effectiveness was investigated by the pre- and post- intervention questionnaire. The research examined 48 participants in the four learning interventions, the age ranging from 13 to 76 with a mean of 29.9 years old（ n=47, because one articipant did not describe the age）and the sex ratio being 27 females and 21 males. The program was composed of the followings: how to use the microscope; the basic knowledge of bones such as the kinds of bone, how to make specimens for bone observation, history and methods to make transparent specimens; main observation 1, jaw arches of cartilaginous and bony fi shes; and main observation 2, relationships between fi sh jaws and our auditory ossicles, known as the Theory of Reichert. The participants were significantly more concerned about the evolution of fish jaws to our auditory ossicles after the intervention, indicating that the transparent specimens and observation objects related to the Theory of Reichert would be suitable for the study of evolution. The picturesque transparent specimens attracting the participants would be a good resource of science education.透明骨格二重染色標本が、理科教育、とくに進化の理解を深めるための教材として有効かどうかを、事前と事後のアンケートにもとづいて調査した。対象としたのは、4 つのイベントに参加した13歳から76歳の男性21名、女性27名、計48名である。プログラムは、顕微鏡の使い方と透明標本の基礎知識（骨の種類、骨格を観察するための方法、透明標本の作製方法と歴史）、および二つからなる主題の観察（サメの顎と魚の顎、および私たちとの関係［ライヘルト説］）の順に進めた。アンケートによって、ほぼ全員が、透明標本を観察することによって魚類の顎の骨格と私たちの中耳骨との関係であるライヘルト説を理解したことが判明した。さらに自由記述では、進化自体の驚きや魚と私たちの系統関係、さらには透明標本の美しさに興味津々であることがうかがえた。河野博: 東京海洋大学学術研究院海洋環境学部門植原望: 東京海洋大学魚類学研究