Mixed Markets in the Food Processing Industry

The food processing industry in Western countries operates in markets that usually are highly concentrated, consisting of a few cooperatives and investor-owned firms. However, in the literature some studies questioned whether the mixed market structure is a stable equilibrium, and suggestions are made that the cooperatives eventually will crowd out all investor-owned firms. To analyse the problem, the family of models of mixed markets is generalized and analysed. It is shown that a mixed market equilibrium may occur under quite general conditions. Also, it is shown that the investor-owned firm may serve as a yardstick of production to the cooperative, helping farmers achieve an increased payoff relative to a situation with a single coop in the market.cooperative, endogenous membership, investor-owned-firm, mixed market, yardstick of production, Agribusiness, L11, L13, P12, P13, Q13,

Family relations, children and interregional mobility, 1970 to 2000

During the last three decades, there has been a rapid increase in female labor force participation rates. This increase has gradually changed the family concept. Today, women and men both work and contribute to family earnings so that dual-earner households has become the rule rather the single-earner households. A popular view is that the growth in female labor supply has reduced the incentives to migrate for families were both spouses work. With both spouses working migration decisions becomes a rather complicated process. In particular if both spouses are to find new jobs, regions has to be diversified enough to offer career opportunities for both spouses. Children are generally supposed to trigger local migration, but to decrease long distance migration. The objective of this paper is to examine how family formation, the arrival of children and family dissolution has influenced migration rates during the period 1970-2000. Determinants of migration are analyzed using Cox proportional hazard regressions. The empirical analysis is based on the longitudinal database LINDA expanded with information on births for children and when geographical moves took place in time. According to the results family formation, the presence of children and family dissolutions has all been important for the interregional migration patterns in Sweden during the last three decades. The presence of family ties thereby seems to be of vital importance for the decision to migrate. The findings indicate that family formation and presence of children lowers the propensity for migration while family dissolution seems to trigger migration. Furthermore, the estimations indicate that migration propensities have decreased over the three last decades. This finding might be related to the rapid increase in female labor force participation rates during the observed period.Family relations; migration rates 1970-2000

Regulatory Institutions in Agricultural Markets: A Comparative Analysis

We have employed a simple model to analyse market regulation in a situation with multifunctional agricultural production, i.e., a public good produced jointly with a private good, and where there is imperfect competition in processing. We have analysed the impact on welfare of two archetype regulatory institutions formed to overcome the market imperfections. The institutions, a Regulatory Marketing Board and a Regulatory Marketing Cooperative, are both represented in the Norwegian agricultural market. Taking into account the cost of public funds, we find that the Board in general ensures the highest social welfare. The Cooperative does not replicate the Board solution unless restricted by a price cap and in combination with a production subsidy. If the restricted Cooperative is able to practise a higher degree of cost sharing than the Board, it may however produce the highest welfare.cooperative, marketing board, multifunctionality, oligopsony, trade, Political Economy,

Managers´ preparedness for responding to alcohol problems

Introduction: Experience indicates that alcohol problems are detected at a late stage. Effective treatment of moderate alcohol problems can be performed by non-specialists such as occupational health services (OHS). Purpose: Highlighting managers' preparedness to early action on alcohol problems among employees and estimate if preparedness increases when they get information of the time-limited alcohol rehabilitation is available. Method: Web Surveys were sent out on two occasions to managers in a municipal management. Focus in the questionnaires was preparedness to respond to alcohol problems. After survey I conducted an information campaign to the managers that the OHS can offer alcohol rehabilitation. In total, 25 managers answered on both questionnaires. In addition, interviews were conducted with seven managers from a systematic sample from survey I. Results: The study showed no significant difference in preparedness between measurements. Three factors were considered particularly crucial for responding to alcohol problems: "it is easy in the short time to make contact with anyone for advice / support”, "that the conduct is labor legally correct" and "that there are clear guidelines or alcohol and drug policy”. Conclusions: The managers in the study felt that they had a high level of preparedness to respond to alcohol problems both before and after the intervention. The managers had great confidence in OHS and HR department. More research is needed on the implementation of the 15-method within the OHS. Furthermore, valuate if awareness of brief alcohol treatment provides increased procurement skills of managers.Introduktion: Erfarenheten visar att alkoholproblem identifieras i ett sent skede. Effektiv behandling av måttliga alkoholproblem kan genomföras av företagshälsovården (FHV). Syfte: Belysa chefers beredskap att tidigt agera vid alkoholproblem hos medarbetare och skatta om beredskapen ökar när de får kännedom om att tidsbegränsad alkoholrehabilitering finns att tillgå. Metod: Webbenkäter sändes ut vid två tillfällen till chefer inom en kommunal förvaltning. Frågornas fokus var handlingsberedskap att agera vid alkoholproblem. Efter enkät I genomfördes en informationsinsats till cheferna om att FHV kan erbjuda alkoholrehabilitering. Totalt svarade 25 chefer på båda enkäterna. Dessutom genomfördes intervjuer med sju chefer utifrån ett systematiskt urval efter enkät I. Resultat: Studien visade ingen signifikant skillnad i handlingsberedskap mellan mättillfällena. Tre faktorer ansågs särskilt avgörande för att agera vid alkoholproblematik: ”att det är enkelt att inom kort tid få kontakt med någon för att få råd/stöd”, ”att agerandet är arbetsrättsligt korrekt” samt ”att det finns tydliga riktlinjer eller en alkohol- och drogpolicy. Slutsatser: Cheferna i studien upplevde sig ha en hög beredskap att agera vid alkoholproblem både före och efter interventionen och de hade ett stort förtroende för FHV och HR-avdelningen. Mer forskning behövs kring implementering av 15-metoden inom FHV. Vidare om kunskap och erbjudande om mer tidsbegränsade rehabiliteringsmetoder för alkoholproblem leder till ökad beställarkompetens hos cheferna

Problem-Solving Therapy for Informal Hospice Caregivers: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Abstract Problem-Solving Therapy for Informal Hospice Caregivers: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study Christin Ann Gregory, LCSW, DSW Candidate, University of Pennsylvania Problem: U.S. Hospice care is a growing service for the terminally ill, ever more important as our aging population expands. Informal caregivers are integral to the hospice philosophy, considered to be a part of the hospice unit of care. These caregivers are the major providers of hands-on and emotional care for the dying. They face shift in family role, loss of employment and personal time, and have been shown to suffer from increased mental and physical health issues as a direct effect of caregiving. The predominant unmet need of the hospice caregiver is psychological. The hospice social worker is the major provider of psychological services for the hospice caregiver, but at present, there is a lack of evidence-based research on caregiver interventions in this clinical setting. Objectives: This study examined the feasibility and efficacy of Problem-Solving Therapy (PST) in improving mood, quality of life, and problem-solving skills for primary (informal) caregivers of home-based hospice patients. Design: This study employed a randomized controlled design, comparing the effects of brief problem-solving therapy for hospice caregivers (PST-Hospice) and usual care plus caregiver education (UC+CE) on hospice caregiver outcomes. A baseline survey was collected after informed consent, followed by five weekly forty-five minute sessions of PST treatment or the provision of caregiver coping educational materials. Post-test surveys were administered post intervention completion (6 weeks). Qualitative interviews were also conducted to give voice to the caregiver experience. Setting: This study was conducted between November 15th, 2013 and May 16th, 2014. Participants were gathered from home-based admissions at two South Jersey hospice agencies: one for-profit agency, and one not-for-profit agency. Inclusion Criteria: (1) Primary informal caregivers, (2) Caring for patients who reside in a home residence or assisted living, (3) age 18 or older, (4) able to speak English, (5) willing to participate. Measures: Demographic information (age, sex, gender, relationship to patient, marital status, ethnicity, employment, education, income, household number, patient diagnosis, assistance with care) was gathered pretreatment. Outcomes measured at pre-treatment and post-treatment (5 weeks post randomization) were: (1) The Brief Patient Health Questionnaire Mood Scale (PHQ-9), (2) The Caregiver Quality of Life Index- Cancer (CQOLC), (3) The Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised Short Form (SPSI-R Short). Data Analysis: 1) Descriptive statistics were gathered for demographic information. 2) T-tests and Chi-Squares were used to determine differences between groups. 3)To determine mean differences between conditions for primary outcome variables, t-tests were conducted. 4) Qualitative interviews with 3 study participants were completed to gain information about their experience being a part of this study. Keywords: social work, hospice, palliative care, caregivers, problem-solving therapy, randomized trial, quality of life, social work interventions, evidence-based practice (EBP

It is Important to Build on Their Knowledge Teachers’ Approaches to Newly Arrived Immigrant Pupils’

This study aims to contribute to the school social work practices in a Swedish context. By capturing the life worlds of newly arrived students and problematizing teachers’ approaches to these pupils underlying competences and continued knowledge development and learning, I suggest how social work and education professionals can navigate these life worlds and empower young immigrant pupils in Swedish school. Theoretical basis consists of translanguaging, principles and ideas about education valuing underlying competencies and seeing them as means for further learning in all areas. Through an ecological approach to learning and teaching, I examine teachers’ told experiences of teaching in the secondary school program of language introduction in a Swedish context. The analysis shows that the interviewed teachers systematically try to make use of the pupils’ prior knowledge and experiences of instruction. The pupils work in language groups in order to complete assignments

Between destiny and disease: genetics and molecular pathways of CNS aging

Human brain aging is associated with robust "normal" functional, structural, and molecular changes that underlie changes in cognition, memory, mood and motor function, amongst other processes. Normal aging is also a requirement for onset of many neurological diseases, ranging from later onset neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's(AD) and Parkinson's diseases(PD), to earlier onset psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder(BPD) and schizophrenia(SCHZ). Understanding the molecular mechanisms and genetic underpinnings of normal age-related brain changes would have profound consequences for prevention and treatment of age-related impairments and disease. Here I introduce current knowledge of these functional changes, their structural and molecular underpinnings, their genetic modulators, and the contribution of normal aging to age-related neurological disease. I then present my contribution to this field in the form of three papers on genetic modulation of mammalian brain molecular aging. These studies demonstrate and investigate mechanisms underlying the causal modulation of molecular brain aging rates by Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Serotonin (5-HT) in knock-out (KO) mice, and associative modulation by the putative longevity gene, Sirtuin 5, in humans (novel low-expressing promoter polymorphism (Sirt5prom2)). In humans we additionally investigate the potential mechanism(s) underlying neurological disease gating by normal aging, providing supporting evidence for molecular aging being a genetically controlled "transcriptional program" that progressively promotes age-regulated neurological diseases. In the discussion, I place these studies in a broader context within the field, detailing their implications and future directions

Refugees’ transnational livelihoods and remittances:Syrian mobilities in the Middle East before and after 2011

Pursuing an ethnographic approach, this article explores how Syrians’ pre-war kinship-based networks have oriented livelihoods strategies for refugees in Jordan after 2011. Drawing on long-term fieldwork (2015–2017) in northern Jordan, I argue that seasonal migration was a livelihoods strategy for Syria’s rural poor long before 2011, serving as their old-age provision and contributing to rural development. Since 2011, conflict-induced displacement and border closures have reshaped Syrians’ transnational kinship-based networks: geographically, but also with regard to the diversification of sources of income and gendered responsibilities. In Jordan, Syrian refugees mobilize pre-war transnational ties to access jobs in agriculture and the humanitarian sector, and distribute their income through kinship-based cross-border networks. These ethnographic findings challenge a localized understanding of refugee livelihoods, demonstrating that the household economies of refugees, migrants, and those left behind, in Syria, Jordan, the Gulf countries, and now Europe, are intertwined. In closing, I provide recommendations about how a networked understanding of refugee livelihoods can inform the COVID-19 emergency response, and help create decent jobs for displaced people in the Global South

Prediction of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), DR progression and relationship with clinical data using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA)

Oftalmological images have shown promising results in diagnostic imaging in recent years. In this work, 2D OCTA cuts as well as 3D OCTA images and the radiomic features extracted therefrom will be analyzed using machine learning techniques to support diagnostic decision making in diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy. For this purpose, a cross-sectional analysis of these medical images collected in a large scale prospective OCTA trial cohort and their respective radiomic features is performed and evaluated with classification models such as Logistic Regression, LDA, Linear SVC and RBF SVC for the respective classification problem (presence of DM and DR). 808 eyes from 404 patients were studied, of which 660 eyes belonged to diabetes mellitus patients and 148 eyes from healthy control eyes. The diagnosis of DM resulted in an AUC value of almost 0.8 with 2D OCTA cuts and 0.7 with 3D OCTA images by only considering the radiomic features. With the addition of clinical data, these values improve slightly. For the diagnosis of DR, 461 eyes with DM but without DR and 199 with DR were available. Again, with the addition of clinical data, these values improve slightly. AUC values of just below 0.7 for 2D cuts and slightly lower values for 3D images were obtained. Similar to before, the results improve after adding the clinical data. Now, however, percentally stronger than before. Radiomic techniques applied to OCTA images have shown accurate classification of DM and DR patients. The combination of retinal images and clinical data superior performance than induvidual tests only

Advanced NMR Methodology for the Investigation of Organometallic Compounds in Solution

The scope of this thesis was to investigate organometallic compounds by advanced solution state NMR methods in order to build a bridge from known solid state structures to their behaviour in solution. Since these reagents are mostly applied in solution, knowledge of the structural motives could improve the possibility to tune their reactivity. The projects presented in three separate chapters are dedicated to NMR spectroscopy in isotropic solution, NMR in anisotropic environment and combined approaches