The Japanese Market for Imported Fruit Juices

The objectives were to analyze the competitiveness of countries exporting fruit juices into Japan and simulate the effect of the negative Japanese population growth rate on fruit juice demand. The relative price version of the Rotterdam demand model was estimated for orange, grapefruit, other citrus, apple, pineapple and grape juices. Results indicate that most exporters can’t increase market share through price reductions. Product promotion and product differentiation is a more plausible option. The growth of fruit juice demand in Japan is expected to decrease over the period 2006 through 2020 for 11 of the 18 fruit juice/country combinations because of negative population growth rate.competitiveness, fruit juice, Japan, Rotterdam model, population decline, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Development, Q1,

Major animal health problems of market oriented livestock development in Bure woreda

A study was conducted to identify the major animal health problems and to look at the production system in Bure woreda from September 2007 to March 2008. Questionnaire Survey was carried out on 80 livestock owners to collect information on the livestock production system and the major health problems recognized by farmers. Participatory discussion was also made with animal health staffs and case observational study was on 794 diseased animals, which constitute 422 cattle, 300 sheep, 16 goat and 56 equines was undertaken to identify diseases that frequently affect animals in the area during the study time. The questionnaire survey revealed that mixed crop livestock production system is predominant in the area. The livestock herd was dominated by cattle and sheep. The main role of cattle in the farming system is as a source of traction power for crop production while small ruminants as source of income. Equines were used as transport animals. The livestock feeding was mainly based on farm feed resources (croup residues and natural pasture). About 46.09% provided housing for livestock while the rest keep there animals in the open. Uncontrolled natural mating was used by 90.54% of the farmers while 8.1% used controlled natural mating and 1.35 % used AI. In cattle trypanosomosis, fasciolosis,lumpy skin disease, calf diarrhea and anthrax were the most important diseases.Respiratory problems were the most important in small ruminants. Colic and respiratory problems were considered important in donkeys. In poultry NCD was the most devastating disease. Results of the case observational study also indicated that fasciolosis(22.03%), Gastrointestinal parasitism(17.06%),lumpy skin disease(18.7%) and trypanosomosis(6.64%) in cattle, fasciolsis(37.3%) and respiratory problems(30.3%) in sheep, respiratory problem (75%)in goat and wound(39.28%) and epizootics lymoangitis(37.5%) in equine were the leading cases diagnosed. Results indicated the need for expansion of veterinary services, introduction of alternative animal feed sources and detailed epidemiological study

The Development of VDR-coactivator Inhibitors and Their Evaluation Using Biochemical and Cell-based Assays

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) belongs to the family of nuclear receptors and plays a crucial role in many biological processes such as cell differentiation, cell proliferation and calcium homeostasis. VDR is a good pharmaceutical target for many diseases including cancer, metabolic disorders, skin diseases and cardiovascular diseases. Upon binding with its endogenous ligand calcitriol in the body, VDR undergoes a conformational change that disrupts the interaction with corepressor proteins and instead enables the interaction with coactivator proteins that mediated transcription. The goal of the research is the development of new small molecules that will selectively inhibit the interaction between VDR and coregulators by binding to the ligand binding site of VDR. Eleven VDR antagonists were synthesized based on GW0742 a potent PPARΔ agonist that inhibit VDR-mediated transcription at higher concentrations. The compounds were evaluated using cell-based and biochemical assays to determine their ability to inhibit the interaction between VDR and steroid receptor coactivator-2 (SRC-2) and to determine the ability to activate PPARΔ mediated transcription. BF040813F and BF090813A1 were the most active compounds towards VDR without activating PPARΔ. The simple accessibility of BF040813F, being a precursor compound, makes it an attractive candidate for further SAR studies

Global Competition for the Japanese Fruit Juice Market: A Uniform Substitute Demand Analysis

This study analyzes the competitiveness of countries exporting fruit juices into Japan through market structure analysis (MSA) within the context of the theory of consumer demand using the relative price version of the Rotterdam model and the block-wise dependent uniform substitute Rotterdam model. The models were estimated for six different types of fruit juices (orange, grapefruit, other citrus, apple, pineapple and grape juices imported from 18 countries) on monthly per capita data over the period December, 1995, to May, 2005, using the non-linear least squares (LSQ) in the Time Series Processor (TSP) program. Results indicate that the market structure underlying the competition for the Japanese fruit juice market is non-uniformly competitive, and most of the cross price elasticities are below one. Consequently, an exporter cant take market share from another exporter quickly through price reductions. Nonetheless, the United States and the Philippines appear to have a competitive advantage in the export of orange and pineapple juices, respectively. Brazil has the most to gain from an increase in the size of the Japanese fruit juice market. The demand for fruit juices imported into Japan is projected to increase at a decreasing rate over the next decade or so because of the absolute decline in population growth. The results of the study have important implications to countries exporting fruit juices to Japan for making marketing strategies such as price reduction, product differentiation as well as export supply plan.Competitiveness, Fruit juice, Japan, Relative price version, Demand and Price Analysis,

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Breast Feeding Women in Reproductive Age Group at House Hold Level in Gununo Town Wolaita Zone Southern Ethiopia

Background: - optimal infant and young child feeding is among the vital child survival strategies, however, the KAP of care givers is known to have gap.Objectives: To assess KAP on breastfeeding women in reproductive age group in Gunnuno town at household level.Methodology : - Community based Cross sectional study was conducted from Meskerm 29- Tikimt 8, 2007 EC in  Gununo town, Damot Sore Woreda Wolaita zone; SNNPR Ethiopia.Result: -Among the interviewed mothers, 50.2% of women have good knowledge about breastfeeding. 53 % of respondents have good practice of breastfeeding and 58% women have positive attitude towards breast feeding.Conclusion: - According this study 49.2% of women have satisfactory knowledge, 58.2% of women have positive attitude towards breastfeeding and 53% of them have good practice.Recommendation: - we recommend Gunnuno woreda health office, Gunnuno health center and HEW to give continuous health information on optimal breastfeeding practice in different ways. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, practice and Breast feeding wome

Determination of Cholesterol in Foods by Flow Injection Analysis with Perroxyoxalate Chemiluminescence.

Cholesterol is an important biological molecule with many important functions. However, high serum cholesterol is a health hazard. Thus analysis of cholesterol is important and many analytical techniques have been developed. The objectives of the proposed research are to develop an economical, rapid method for the determination of total cholesterol with good selectivity and enhanced sensitivity. For evaluation of proposed flow injection analysis with peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (FIA-POCL) method, figures of merit such as accuracy, precision, and linear dynamic range will be assessed. The proposed procedure was then applied to the determination of total cholesterol in foods. The procedure was linear for cholesterol from 0.01 to 0.120 mg/mL. The relative standard deviation was 2.57%. The recoveries were 97.5-103.3% for commercial standard cholesterol sample, and 101.5-108.0% for butter. The proposed method was applied to analysis of cholesterol in food and the results were consistent with expected values

Service Delivery Practice in Dire Dawa City Administration: Evidences from Selected Institutions

The issue of service delivery and its challenges are overwhelming concerns for Africa. Public institutions have the responsibility and obligation to provide quality service to the public fairly, equitably, honestly, efficiently and effectively. However, the public opinion survey on good governance images and Performances of Dire Dawa City Administration (2013), indicates that the public is at high level of disatisfaction with the public services delivery practices by the public institutions. Therefore, the study was conducted with the general objective of assessing the existing service delivery practice of selected institutions. In this regard relevant data were collected both from primary and secondary sources. The study result has revealed that the culture of providing service as per the standards they set is weak, institutions did not meet customers’ expectations and there is no complaint handling unit in all the institutions. But there is improvement in working culture and communication with customers. Thus, the implementation status of the service delivery program is somewhat improving, but in an infant stage. Keywords: Customer satisfaction, Customer Expectations, complaint, Service standar

Assessment of the Production Status, Utilization and Management of Donkeys in Gena Bossa Woreda, Dawuro Zone, Southern Ethiopia

This study was conducted to assess the status, utilization and management system of donkeys in Gena Bossa Woreda, Dawuro Zone.  Both primary data through structured questionnaire and secondary data from different relevant offices, published and unpublished sources were gathered using 150 statistically selected respondents. The result of the present study showed that the average number of donkey per household was 1.27. Almost all (99%) of the production system is extensive. The common feed resources for donkeys were natural grazing pasture, crop residue and house leftover. Donkeys were marketed through formal and informal systems. Marketing of donkeys were affected by market channel, lack of awareness and distance from market. The market price of donkeys was dependent on age, sex, body condition and season. Lack of awareness, poor road and feed shortage were the main problems that hinder donkey production and utilization in the study area. In general, it can be concluded that donkey production in the study area was practiced under extensive production system which is constrained by different factors. Therefore, in order to improve the traditional donkey production system and alleviate the constraints, different improvement strategies that can solve the existing constraints should be implemented. Keywords: Constraints, Donkey, Overloading, Priority index, Utilization, Work patter

Effects of Amendments to H-2A Rules on Use of H-2A Program in Tobacco Growing States

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Evaluating disorders of cognition using integrative genomics

Integrative genomics embodies a collaborative approach that brings together various disciplines, merging genomic and computational methodologies to achieve a comprehensive understanding of complex biological systems. By integrating and analysing various omics datasets, researchers can uncover novel insights into biological processes, disease mechanisms, and molecular interactions. This thesis applies integrative genomic approaches to study the biological mechanisms of cognitive disorders resulting from neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental impairments. It includes three studies utilising transcriptomic profiling to identify and assess these mechanisms. The final discussion chapter summarises the main findings, including shared and distinct mechanisms across different cognitive disorders, addressing technical limitations, and outlining future research directions. The first study focuses on Lewy body diseases, utilising single-nucleus transcriptomics. Differential expression analysis reveals widespread dysregulation in neurons and glial cell types, with similar gene expression profiles observed in Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), while Parkinson’s Disease (PD) shows distinct transcriptional profiles. Heritability enrichment analysis highlights a genetic association between glial cell dysregulation and PD age of onset. A unique population of neurons associated with DLB, resembling medium spiny neurons, is also identified. The second study investigates early-stage abnormal tau species-related gene expression changes in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Analysis of gene expression at the single-cell level demonstrates distinct patterns between Tau-proximity Ligation Assay (tauPLA) positive and tauPLA negative brain tissues. Dysregulation of genes in various cell-types in tauPLA positive samples is observed in the absence of neurofibrillary tangles. Reactive astrocyte activation, even in the absence of neurofibrillary tangles, is also reported for the first time in a transcriptomic-based study, suggesting their role in AD progression. The third study examines the neurodevelopmental outcomes of valproate exposure. Transcriptomic analysis reveals significant gene expression changes in the brains of gestationally exposed pups, affecting synaptic function, neurodevelopment, and genes associated with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and IQ heritability. Differential splicing analysis suggests enduring effects on brain function through epigenetic encoding. Convergent and divergent mechanisms underlying various neurodegenerative disorders are identified across the studies, including pathways related to axonal degeneration, mRNA splicing, synaptic organisation, autophagy, neuron death, phosphorylation, memory, mitochondrial function, and vesicle-mediated transport regulation. This thesis contributes to understanding the biological basis of cognitive disorders through integrative genomic approaches, providing insights into shared and distinct mechanisms across different disorders. The findings have implications for the development of therapeutic interventions and underscore the importance of rigorous experimental design in transcriptomic investigations. Future research directions are outlined to further unravel the complex molecular mechanisms underlying cognitive disorders.Open Acces