Farmland prices in New Zealand and Finland

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The key elements of success and failure in the NZ kiwifruit industry

The study explores the nature and performance of the New Zealand kiwifruit industry from 1980 to 2006. As almost 94 per cent of kiwifruit produced in New Zealand is exported the focus of this study is on the export sector of the kiwifruit industry. Value chain theory is used to define the kiwifruit industry in New Zealand. The value chain links the key participants and organisations that ultimately bring kiwifruit to consumers. Therefore it incorporates the three main stages from the orchard to market - growing kiwifruit, post harvest operations, and exporting. The examination of the industry since 1980 can be separated into the following key focus areas: 1. changing market characteristics: production trends, target markets, changing consumer preferences and increasing competition. 2. operating environment: how different factors have changed to impact on the industry. 3. industry structure: changes at the firm and industry level in response to changing circumstances and environments. 4. conduct and performance: analysis of broad performance measures, extent of sharing of information, knowledge and resources within the industry, and the degree of interdependence along the value chain. In particular this study explores the kiwifruit industry’s current single desk seller structure – Zespri. It examines how it evolved by looking at the structural developments that preceded its existence and the factors that influenced its formation. It also looks at the recent consolidation amongst post-harvest operators and explores the factors that have bought about this change. It reviews how the industry has responded to changing market conditions by producing new products and how the role of marketing (i.e. branded products) has influenced export turnover.Funded by AGMARDT The Agricultural Marketing Research and Development Trus

The structure of triphenylmethanol, Ph₃COH

C19H160 , Mr = 260.3, trigonal, R3, a = 19.307 (3), c = 26.735 (4) A, V= 8631 (2) A 3, Z= 24, Dx = 1.20 g cm -3, a(Mo Ka) = 0.71073/~, /.~ = 0.7 cm -1, F(000) = 3312, T = 294 K, R = 0.083, wR = 0.068 for 1022 observed reflections. The structure contains hydrogen-bonded pyramidal tetramers (which have approximate 32 symmetry) with one molecule lying on a crystallographic threefold axis and another in a general position. The analysis was complicated by disorder in the crystal lattice where 71% of the tetramers occupy one orientation and 29% another; these moieties have their phenyl rings in the same volume elements in the lattice. The O...O separations in the hydrogen-bond systems are 2.884 (10) and 2.896 (11)/~ in the major tetramer and 2.80 (3) and 2.90 (3) A in the minor tetramer

Quantifying Farm Household Resilience and the Implications of Livelihood Heterogeneity in the Semi-Arid Tropics of India

The vast majority of farmers in the drylands are resource-poor smallholders, whose livelihoods depend heavily on their farming systems. Therefore, increasing the resilience of these smallholders is vital for their prosperity. This study quantified household resilience and identified livelihoods and their influence on resilience in the semiarid tropics of India by analysing 684 households. A resilience capacity index was devised based on the composition of household food and non-food expenditure, cash savings, and food and feed reserves. The index ranged from 8.4 reflecting highly resilient households with access to irrigation characteristics, to -3.7 for households with highly limited resilience and low household assets. The livelihoods were identified through multivariate analysis on selected socioeconomic and biophysical variables; households were heterogeneous in their livelihoods. Irrigated livestock and rainfed marginal types had the highest and lowest resilience capacity index with the mean score of 0.69 and −1.07, respectively. Finally, we quantified the influence of livelihood strategies on household resilience. Household resilience was strengthened by the possession of livestock, crop diversification and access to irrigation. Low resilience is predominantly caused by low household assets. The resilience capacity index and derived livelihood strategies helps to understand the complexity of household resilience, and will aid in targeting technology interventions for development

Unified analysis of terminal-time control in classical and quantum systems

Many phenomena in physics, chemistry, and biology involve seeking an optimal control to maximize an objective for a classical or quantum system which is open and interacting with its environment. The complexity of finding an optimal control for maximizing an objective is strongly affected by the possible existence of sub-optimal maxima. Within a unified framework under specified conditions, control objectives for maximizing at a terminal time physical observables of open classical and quantum systems are shown to be inherently free of sub-optimal maxima. This attractive feature is of central importance for enabling the discovery of controls in a seamless fashion in a wide range of phenomena transcending the quantum and classical regimes.Comment: 10 page

Regulation of Orai1/STIM1 mediated ICRAC by intracellular pH

Ca²⁺ release activated Ca²⁺-(CRAC) channels composed of two cellular proteins, Ca²⁺-sensing stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) and pore-forming Orai1, are the main mediators of the Ca²⁺ entry pathway activated in response to depletion of intracellular Ca²⁺ stores. Previously it has been shown that the amplitude of CRAC current (ICRAC) strongly depends on extracellular and intracellular pH. Here we investigate the intracellular pH (pHi) dependence of ICRAC mediated by Orai1 and STIM1ectopically expressed in HEK293 cells. The results indicate that pHi affects not only the amplitude of the current, but also Ca²⁺ dependent gating of CRAC channels. Intracellular acidification changes the kinetics of ICRAC, introducing prominent re-activation component in the currents recorded in response to voltage steps to strongly negative potentials. ICRAC with similar kinetics can be observed at normal pHi if the expression levels of Orai1 are increased, relative to the expression levels of STIM1. Mutations in the STIM1 inactivation domain significantly diminish the dependence of ICRAC kinetics on pHi, but have no effect on pHi dependence of ICRAC amplitude, implying that more than one mechanism is involved in CRAC channel regulation by intracellular pH.D. Gavriliouk, N.R. Scrimgeour, S. Grigoryev, L. Ma, F.H. Zhou, G.J. Barritt, G.Y. Rychko

Epidemiology of Coxiella burnetii infection in Africa: a OneHealth systematic review

Background: Q fever is a common cause of febrile illness and community-acquired pneumonia in resource-limited settings. Coxiella burnetii, the causative pathogen, is transmitted among varied host species, but the epidemiology of the organism in Africa is poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review of C. burnetii epidemiology in Africa from a “One Health” perspective to synthesize the published data and identify knowledge gaps.<p></p> Methods/Principal Findings: We searched nine databases to identify articles relevant to four key aspects of C. burnetii epidemiology in human and animal populations in Africa: infection prevalence; disease incidence; transmission risk factors; and infection control efforts. We identified 929 unique articles, 100 of which remained after full-text review. Of these, 41 articles describing 51 studies qualified for data extraction. Animal seroprevalence studies revealed infection by C. burnetii (≤13%) among cattle except for studies in Western and Middle Africa (18–55%). Small ruminant seroprevalence ranged from 11–33%. Human seroprevalence was <8% with the exception of studies among children and in Egypt (10–32%). Close contact with camels and rural residence were associated with increased seropositivity among humans. C. burnetii infection has been associated with livestock abortion. In human cohort studies, Q fever accounted for 2–9% of febrile illness hospitalizations and 1–3% of infective endocarditis cases. We found no studies of disease incidence estimates or disease control efforts.<p></p> Conclusions/Significance: C. burnetii infection is detected in humans and in a wide range of animal species across Africa, but seroprevalence varies widely by species and location. Risk factors underlying this variability are poorly understood as is the role of C. burnetii in livestock abortion. Q fever consistently accounts for a notable proportion of undifferentiated human febrile illness and infective endocarditis in cohort studies, but incidence estimates are lacking. C. burnetii presents a real yet underappreciated threat to human and animal health throughout Africa.<p></p&gt

Respiratory distress and perinatal lethality in Nedd4-2-deficient mice

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is essential for sodium homoeostasis in many epithelia. ENaC activity is required for lung fluid clearance in newborn animals and for maintenance of blood volume and blood pressure in adults. In vitro studies show that the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2 ubiquitinates ENaC to regulate its cell surface expression. Here we show that knockout of Nedd4-2 in mice leads to increased ENaC expression and activity in embryonic lung. This increased ENaC activity is the likely reason for premature fetal lung fluid clearance in Nedd4-2−/− animals, resulting in a failure to inflate lungs and perinatal lethality. A small percentage of Nedd4-2−/− animals survive up to 22 days, and these animals also show increased ENaC expression and develop lethal sterile inflammation of the lung. Thus, we provide critical in vivo evidence that Nedd4-2 is essential for correct regulation of ENaC expression, fetal and postnatal lung function and animal survival

Development and preliminary validation of the 'Caring for Country' questionnaire: measurement of an Indigenous Australian health determinant

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>'Caring for Country' is defined as Indigenous participation in interrelated activities with the objective of promoting ecological and human health. Ecological services on Indigenous-owned lands are belatedly attracting some institutional investment. However, the health outcomes associated with Indigenous participation in 'caring for country' activities have never been investigated. The aims of this study were to pilot and validate a questionnaire measuring caring for country as an Indigenous health determinant and to relate it to an external reference, obesity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Purposively sampled participants were 301 Indigenous adults aged 15 to 54 years, recruited during a cross-sectional program of preventive health checks in a remote Australian community. Questionnaire validation was undertaken with psychometric tests of internal consistency, reliability, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory one-factor congeneric modelling. Accurate item weightings were derived from the model and used to create a single weighted composite score for caring for country. Multiple linear regression modelling was used to test associations between the caring for country score and body mass index adjusting for socio-demographic factors and health behaviours.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The questionnaire demonstrated adequate internal consistency, test-retest validity and proxy-respondent validity. Exploratory factor analysis of the 'caring for country' items produced a single factor solution that was confirmed via one-factor congeneric modelling. A significant and substantial association between greater participation in caring for country activities and lower body mass index was demonstrated. Adjusting for socio-demographic factors and health behaviours, an inter-quartile range rise in caring for country scores was associated with 6.1 Kg and 5.3 Kg less body weight for non-pregnant women and men respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study indicates preliminary support for the validity of the caring for country concept and a questionnaire designed to measure it. This study also highlights the importance of investigating Indigenous-asserted health promotion activities. Further studies in similar populations are merited to test the generalisability of this questionnaire and to explore associations with other important Indigenous health outcomes.</p