Trader Behaviour and Performance in Live Animal Marketing in Rural Ethiopian Markets

In this paper, performance of a sample of 131 livestock traders in 38 rural Ethiopian highland markets was analysed in terms of their costs and margins, how these were influenced by their assets and trading practices, and the implications of the findings for policy were outlined. The paper is divided into three main sections: description of the profiles of traders, their assets, trading behaviour and practices; estimates of costs and margins for a set of recent transactions; and econometric analysis of the factors explaining differences in performance with a particular focus on transaction costs. Most traders used own capital as access to credit, especially formal credit, was limited. The livestock market was characterised by non-standardised products and lack of information in the public domain about supply, demand and prices. Consequently, livestock trading was largely a personalised business though brokers and regular buyers and sellers, a form of social capital, were sometimes used for gathering information, searching buyers/sellers, price negotiation, contract enforcement. Business relationships with these intermediaries were principally based on trust, without strong ethnic, religious or family ties. Although most transactions were conducted in physical presence of parties, contract violations were common, which were settled mainly through informal means as formal legal systems were either absent or time consuming. Estimated costs and margins of case transactions showed low returns, and losses in some cases. Market levies, transport, travel, and feeds were major items of variable cost, with some variation between cattle and shoats. Multiple regression analysis showed that traders' financial and human capital and trading practices like use of brokers and regular suppliers and customers had varying effects on margins and costs of cattle and shoat trade. Unstable price, multiple taxes, non-transparent tax system, limited access to credit and weak demand for the quality of the products traded were perceived by traders as major problems of marketing. All the problems were amenable to public policy for improving the market environment and marketing efficiency.Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing, D4, L1, O1, Q13,

Characterization by NMR of Reactants and Products of Hydrofluoroether Isomers, CF3(CF2)3OCH3 and (CF3)2C(F)CF2OCH3, Reacting with Isopropyl Alcohol

The 3M Company product Novec™ 71IPA DL, a mixture of methoxyperfluorobutane, methoxyperfluoroisobutane and 4.5 wt.% isopropyl alcohol, has been found to be very stable at ambient temperature, producing fluoride at the rate of ~1 ppm/year. Our earlier kinetic and theoretical studies have identified the reaction mechanism. This paper identifies the 1H and 19F NMR chemical shifts, multiplicities, and coupling constants of reactants and the major products that result from aging the mixture in sealed Pyrex NMR tubes for periods up to 1.8 years at temperatures from 26 °C to 102 °C. Chemical shifts and coupling constants of fluorine and hydrogen atoms on the hydrofluoroethers and isopropyl alcohol are traced through the reactions to their values in the products – esters, isopropylmethyl ether, and HF. These spectral positions, multiplicities, and coupling constants are presented in table format and as figures to clarify the transformations observed as the samples age

Caractérisation biochimique des cépages de Vitis vinifera L. par électrophorèse d'isoenzymes foliaires: Essai de classification des variétés

Biochemical characterization of Vitis vinifera L. cultivars by electrophoresis of leaf isoenzymes:An attempt to classify grapevine varietiesA number of 40 Vitis vinifera varieties commonly grown in France could be characterized by disc-electrophores is of isoenzymes. Starting from forced cuttings, this technique allows to ana!yze a large number of plants at any time of the year; only low quantities of leaf material are needed and no enzyme purification is necessary. Among 39 bands identified from 3 enzyme systems, 31 were variable: 19, 8 and 4 isoenzymes, respectively, of a-esterase (a-EST), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and acid phosphatase (PHA).Combinations of these bands allowed to characterize each variety. 13 groups of rela ted varieties could be established by multivariate analysis of the presence versus absence of bands. The 7 best characterized groups gather varieties which, according to ampelographic classification, are grouped in the same way. The interrelations between isoenzymes and certain ampelographic characters or the presumed geographic origin of the varieties allow to propose a statistical interpretation of the enzymatic classification

EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL VALIDATION OF DOUBLE COLUMN INTERNAL FIXATION THEORY FOR DISTAL FEMORAL FRACTURES

Purpose of the study – to experimentally compare efficiency of lateral and bilateral (lateral and medial) plate fixation of distal femoral fractures and to validate the appropriateness of double column theory of distal femur anatomy for internal fixation for these fractures.Material and methods. The authors performed a biomechanical study in two series on polyurethane models of right femur corresponding in dimensions to natural femur. After simulating a 33 C2 fracture type it was fixed by one lateral plate or two (lateral and medial) plates. After fixation the models were tested in six load ranges with maximal load from 20 to 120 kgf in cyclic mode.Results. The authors obtained a significant difference in absolute values of fragments displacement amplitude depending on fixation method. In the first series of the experiment – one plate fixed on the lateral surface of the femur – under minimal load the displacement value was reported as0.3 mm and under maximal load —1.9 mm; in the second series of experiment – two plates fixed on the lateral and medial surfaces of the femur – displacement values were reported as0.35 mm and0.95 mm respectively. Conclusion. The presence or absence of medial support after internal fixation has a profound impact on ensuring stability in cases of comminuted fractures of distal femoral fractures. In this context the use of double column theory of distal femur anatomy for internal fixation can significantly improve the treatment outcomes for such patients. After trials of minimally invasive fixation method on anatomical specimen the described theory can be implemented into the clinical practice

Genetic dissimilarity in varieties of Artemisia annua L. based on agronomic, physiological and phytochemical characters

O presente estudo objetivou estimar a variabilidade genética existente entre caracteres agronômicos, fisiológicos e fitoquímicos em variedades de A. annua. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado e os tratamentos foram as variedades Artemis, 2/39x5x3M, e 2/39x1V de A. annua, submetidas a avaliações agronômicas, fisiológicas e fitoquímicas. Para a realização das estimativas de distância genética foram geradas matrizes de dissimilaridade utilizando a distância Euclidiana e os métodos de agrupamento de Tocher e UPGMA. Além disso, avaliou-se a importância relativa dos caracteres para divergência genética pelo método de Singh. As análises foram realizadas pelo software Genes e os dendrogramas obtidos pelo NTSYS. A presença de variabilidade genética dentro das variedades permitiu a identificação de acessos dissimilares e com média elevada para as características estudadas. O número de ramificações, concentração intracelular de CO2, e o rendimento de óleo essencial foram os caracteres que mais contribuíram para a dissimilaridade genética de A. annua. Os acessos B24, C5 e C32 foram os mais promissores dentro das variedades e devem ser conservados para futuras hibridações, sendo que as hibridações mais promissoras na obtenção de populações segregantes desejadas são B24 x C5, B24 x C32 e C5 x C321621356363COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESsem informaçãoThis study aimed to estimate the genetic variability among agronomic, physiological, and phytochemical characters in varieties of A. annua. The experimental design was completely randomized and the treatments were the varieties Artemis, 2/39x5x3M and 2/39x1V of A. annua, subject to agronomic, physiological and phytochemical evaluations. To estimate the genetic distances, dissimilarity matrices were generated using the Euclidean distance and the Tocher and UPGMA grouping methods. Moreover, we evaluated the relative importance of the characters for genetic divergence through the method of Singh. The analyses were performed in the Genes software and the dendrograms were obtained from the NTSYS program. The presence of genetic variability within the varieties allowed the identification of dissimilar accessions with high average for all traits. The number of branches, intracellular concentration of CO2 and oil yield were the traits that contributed most to the genetic dissimilarity of A. annua. The accessions B24, C5 and C32 were the most promising within the populations and must be conserved for future crossings, and the most promising crosses to obtain the desired segregant populations were B24 x C5, B24 x C32 and C5 x C3