Natural Resource Endowments, Subsistence Agriculture, and Poverty in the Chhotanagpur Plateau

The Chhotanagpur Plateau in Eastern India lies on the so-called Tribal belt and is one of the poorest regions of India. Beginning in 1998, the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata and the International Rice Research Institute began research to examine the biophysical and socioeconomic factors constraining agricultural activity and household income in the region. This report provides an initial descriptive and quantitative analysis of the integrated biophysical and socioeconomic database constructed from this research. The report begins with brief overview of the geography and history of the study area, followed by descriptions of the main biophysical characteristics of the study area, such as climate, topography, soil, water availability, and the typology of land types in the area. The main cropping systems associated with each land type are identified. This research highlighted the importance of low scale variations in topography in explaining cropping systems. Part Two of the report reviews socioeconomic characteristics of the villages and of surveyed households. Key characteristics noted include the high incidence of poverty, the diversity of economic activities, and the small share of imputed household income derived from rice cultivation. The report concludes with a brief discussion of policy implications and avenues for future research in the study.Natural Resource Management; Rural Poverty; Rice Production; Subsistence Farming; Eastern India

Asymmetric control of inspiratory and expiratory phases by excitability in the respiratory network of neonatal mice in vitro

Rhythmic motor behaviours consist of alternating movements, e.g. swing-stance in stepping, jaw opening and closing during chewing, and inspiration-expiration in breathing, which must be labile in frequency, and in some cases, in the duration of individual phases, to adjust to physiological demands. These movements are the expression of underlying neural circuits whose organization governs the properties of the motor behaviour. To determine if the ability to operate over a broad range of frequencies in respiration is expressed in the rhythm generator, we isolated the kernel of essential respiratory circuits using rhythmically active in vitro slices from neonatal mice. We show respiratory motor output in these slices at very low frequencies (0.008 Hz), well below the typical frequency in vitro (similar to 0.2 Hz) and in most intact normothermic mammals. Across this broad range of frequencies, inspiratory motor output bursts remained remarkably constant in pattern, i.e. duration, peak amplitude and area. The change in frequency was instead attributable to increased interburst interval, and was largely unaffected by removal of fast inhibitory transmission. Modulation of the frequency was primarily achieved by manipulating extracellular potassium, which significantly affects neuronal excitability. When excitability was lowered to slow down, or in some cases stop, spontaneous rhythm, brief stimulation of the respiratory network with a glutamatergic agonist could evoke (rhythmic) motor output. In slices with slow (\u3c 0.02 Hz) spontaneous rhythms, evoked motor output could follow a spontaneous burst at short ( 60 s. We observed during inspiration a large magnitude (similar to 0.6 nA) outward current generated by Na(+)/K(+) ATPase that deactivated in 25-100 ms and thus could contribute to burst termination and the latency of evoked bursts but is unlikely to control the interburst interval. We propose that the respiratory network functions over a broad range of frequencies by engaging distinct mechanisms from those controlling inspiratory duration and pattern that specifically govern the interburst interval

Validation of Computerised Aptitude Selection System (Compass) In Predicting Success of Uav Applicants in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (Rsaf)

The study examined the predictive validity of the Computerised Aptitude Selection System (COMPASS) that was set up to support the RSAF in its selection of pilots and other vocations. COMPASS measures cognitive abilities theoretically identified to be relevant to the vocation and was introduced for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pilot selection since 2003. With fast changing technological advancement of the UAVs, it is important that validation studies are regularly conducted to improve the effectiveness of the test suite in predicting training success. 219 UAV Pilot applicants’ COMPASS scores were analysed against their actual training outcomes to determine a theoretically and statistically sound selection composite. Hierarchical multiple regression was done, and findings revealed that the current composite of tests remained to be significantly correlated with applicant success in UAV pilot training. The paper discusses the practical considerations in streamlining the tests to be included in the final assessment composite. Future studies should consider exploring non-cognitive assessment to improve the predictive validity of the overall selection system beyond COMPASS

Nominal Exchange Rate Determinacy under the Threat of Currency Counterfeiting

We study the endogenous choice to accept fiat objects as media of exchange and their implications for nominal exchange rate determination. We consider a two-country environment with two currencies that can be used to settle any transactions. However, currencies can be counterfeited at a fixed cost and the decision to counterfeit is private information. This induces equilibrium liquidity constraints on the currencies in circulation. We show that the threat of counterfeiting can pin down the nominal exchange rate even when the currencies are perfect substitutes, thus breaking the famous Kareken-Wallace indeterminacy result

Outcome of Laparoscopic Live Donor Nephrectomy and Impact of Double Renal Arteries: Results From Two Transplant Centres

ObjectiveLive donor kidney transplantation is consistently superior to deceased donor kidney transplantation. Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) is increasingly accepted as a safe and preferred surgical option. To evaluate the outcome of LDN and the impact of multiple arteries, a retrospective review was conducted on patients in two transplant centres.MethodsFifty patients including eight with double vessels were studied. Standard left transperitoneal LDN was performed. Grafts including those with double vessels were prepared using the bench technique. Postoperative outcomes (up to 1 year) for donors and recipients were studied. The outcomes of recipients of a single or double vessel graft were compared.ResultsAll donors had an eventful recovery. No difference was found between the single and multiple vessels groups for operating time (168.21 ± 5.712 minutes vs. 197.50 ± 15.755 minutes) or hospital stay (3.21±0.165 days vs. 4.13±0.789 days). The recipient outcomes including hospital stay (10.17±0.596 days vs. 12.13 ± 1.797 days) and creatinine levels at day 7 (106.53 ± 5.583 μmol/L vs. 107.13 ± 11.857 μmol/L) and 1 year (120.21 ± 6.562 μmol/L vs. 124.75 ± 11.857 μmol/L) were similar. No ureteric stricture or graft loss was noted at 1-year follow-up. Recipient complications included lymphocoele (n = 2), haematoma (n = 3 with 2 requiring exploration), sepsis (n = 1), renal artery stenosis (n = 2 with 1 stented), repeated anastomosis (n = 1), and incisional hernia (n = 1). No differences were noted between the two groups.ConclusionOur results showed that overall donor morbidity rate was low, as reflected by the short hospital stay. Also, the overall parameters of the recipients were good. In particular, no ureteric stricture was noted, and graft survival was 100% at 1 year. The outcomes of the reconstructed group, despite the technical challenge, were similar to those of the single-vessel group

The Effects of Tropical Cyclone-Generated Deposition on the Sustainability of the Pearl River Marsh, Louisiana: The Importance of the Geologic Framework

Shoreline retreat is a tremendously important issue along the coast of the northern Gulf of Mexico, especially in Louisiana. Although this marine transgression results from a variety of causes, the crucial factor is the difference between marsh surface elevation and rising sea levels. In most cases, the primary cause of a marsh's inability to keep up with sea level is the lack of input of inorganic material. Although tropical cyclones provide an important source of such sediment, little effort has been made to determine the point of origin of the deposited material. In this study we use sedimentary, geochemical and biogeochemical data to identify the bed of the Pearl River and/or Lake Borgne as the source of a ~5 cm thick clastic layer deposited on the surface of the Pearl River marsh on the Louisiana/Mississippi border. Radiochemical chronologies and sedimentary evidence indicate that this layer was associated with the passage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As this material would otherwise have been lost to the system, this deposition indicates a net gain to marsh surface elevation. Accretion rates, determined from 137Cs and 14C profiles and the use of the Katrina layer as a stratigraphic marker, indicate that short-term (~50 years) rates are as much as an order of magnitude higher than the long- term (1000s of years) rates. We suggest that the marsh's geologic setting in an incised river valley with steep vertical constraints and a large fluvial discharge, promotes rapid accretion rates, with rates accelerating as the sea moves inland, due to extended hydroperiods and the input of clastic material from both the marine and terrestrial sides. These rates are especially large when compared to accretion occurring in the more common open marshes fringing the Gulf that lack fluvial input. The difference is particularly large when related to marsh recovery/regrowth following the deposition of thick hurricane-generated clastic layers. Given the number of similar incised river valleys along the Gulf Coast, we believe that understanding the processes controlling marsh accretion in such environments is essential in evaluating marsh sustainability on a regional basis

Natural Resource Endowments, Subsistence Agriculture, and Poverty in the Chhotanagpur Plateau

The Chhotanagpur Plateau in Eastern India lies on the so-called Tribal belt and is one of the poorest regions of India. Beginning in 1998, the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata and the International Rice Research Institute began research to examine the biophysical and socioeconomic factors constraining agricultural activity and household income in the region. This report provides an initial descriptive and quantitative analysis of the integrated biophysical and socioeconomic database constructed from this research. The report begins with brief overview of the geography and history of the study area, followed by descriptions of the main biophysical characteristics of the study area, such as climate, topography, soil, water availability, and the typology of land types in the area. The main cropping systems associated with each land type are identified. This research highlighted the importance of low scale variations in topography in explaining cropping systems. Part Two of the report reviews socioeconomic characteristics of the villages and of surveyed households. Key characteristics noted include the high incidence of poverty, the diversity of economic activities, and the small share of imputed household income derived from rice cultivation. The report concludes with a brief discussion of policy implications and avenues for future research in the study

Natural Resource Endowments, Subsistence Agriculture, and Poverty in the Chhotanagpur Plateau

The Chhotanagpur Plateau in Eastern India lies on the so-called Tribal belt and is one of the poorest regions of India. Beginning in 1998, the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata and the International Rice Research Institute began research to examine the biophysical and socioeconomic factors constraining agricultural activity and household income in the region. This report provides an initial descriptive and quantitative analysis of the integrated biophysical and socioeconomic database constructed from this research. The report begins with brief overview of the geography and history of the study area, followed by descriptions of the main biophysical characteristics of the study area, such as climate, topography, soil, water availability, and the typology of land types in the area. The main cropping systems associated with each land type are identified. This research highlighted the importance of low scale variations in topography in explaining cropping systems. Part Two of the report reviews socioeconomic characteristics of the villages and of surveyed households. Key characteristics noted include the high incidence of poverty, the diversity of economic activities, and the small share of imputed household income derived from rice cultivation. The report concludes with a brief discussion of policy implications and avenues for future research in the study