An Economic Comparison of Sheep Grazing Systems on the Northern Tablelands of NSW

Three 54ha "farmlets" were established in 2000 near Uralla, NSW to trial high input, moderate input and intensive rotational grazing systems. A representative farm approach was used to interpret the profitability results of the trial from July 2000 to June 2005 at a commercial scale level to make research results more relevant to farmers. At the gross margin level, the high input farmlet had the highest annual gross margins, but this farmlet had the worst whole farm performance. These contrasting results support the claim that annual activity gross margins cannot alone indicate the profitability of an investment. This demonstrates that whole farm analysis is the most suitable method to assess different grazing systems.sheep, grazing systems, pastures, whole farm analysis, Livestock Production/Industries,

Architectural design principles for extra-terrestrial habitats

No abstract available

Upland crop technologies in Cambodia: economic evaluations and some adoption issues

Agricultural research and development (R&D) has being conducted in the upland districts of Cambodia to develop new farming systems and crop management technologies. Levels of farm income in these areas are relatively low due to small farm sizes and low crop productivity. Work is also planned to encourage the process of adoption of these technologies, and here we investigate how this process can be facilitated. A literature review identifies two important technology characteristics, ‘relative advantage’ and ‘trialability’, for successful adoption. Minimum or target rates of return on investment in new technologies are discussed as a means of investigating how much improvement in relative advantage might be enough to encourage successful adoption of the technology. A number of economic assessments of new crop methodologies in Cambodian upland districts and farming systems are presented. Some technologies show an encouraging return on investment from the viewpoint of the Cambodian farmer – rhizobium inoculation of soybean seed had an indicated return of up to 600% on the investment depending on the cost to the grower. Other issues are also likely to be important in discussing change to farming systems, for instance social issues in the village/community context. We present a proposal for a participatory learning process in which economic and social issues are highlighted, to encourage adoption of new crop technologies in local Cambodian contexts.New technology, adoption, upland crops, Cambodia, economic assessment, social, Crop Production/Industries, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Whole farm analysis-Fertiliser nitrogen can reduce deep drainage and increase profitability

Opportunity cropping has been shown to reduce mean annual deep drainage compared to long fallow systems. A question that remained was the effect of added fertiliser nitrogen under each of the cropping systems and whether it would make a significant difference to amounts of deep drainage and to profitability. Estimates of crop yield and deep drainage results were generated using the APSLM (Agricultural Production Systems Simulator) cropping systems model, to compare long-fallow wheat/sorghum and two opportunity-cropping scenarios on a vertosol on the Liverpool Plains using rainfall data from 1958 to 1997. The results showed that fertiliser nitrogen did have a significant effect on deep drainage and gross margin under each cropping system. However, higher rates of nitrogen only produced small marginal benefits.cropping systems, profitability, modelling, variability, whole farm budgeting, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,

Trends in Pulse and Oilseed Crops in Winter Cereal Rotations in NSW

The key aims in this study are to assess the current level of importance of pulse and oilseed (broadleaf) crops in winter cereal rotations in NSW, and to identify recent trends. The production of broadleaf crops has increased in each region of NSW, but different crops have been favoured. Canola has played a key role in southern regions, and chickpea in the northern regions. In many areas, pulse crops have been grown more because of rotational benefits than their direct gross margins. If recent trends continue, the role of broadleaf crops will increase to 25% of the area sown to field crops in NSW by 2020. However, that will only be achieved with a focussed effort in both research and extension activities.broadleaf crop, oilseed, pulse, production, rotation, NSW, Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries, Production Economics, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Q160,

Framing the Chicago School of Antitrust Analysis

The Chicago School of antitrust has benefited from a great deal of law office history, written by admiring advocates rather than more dispassionate observers. This essay attempts a more neutral stance, looking at the ideology, political impulses, and economics that produced the Chicago School of antitrust policy and that account for its durability. The origins of the Chicago School lie in a strong commitment to libertarianism and nonintervention. Economic models of perfect competition best suited these goals. The early strength of the Chicago School of antitrust was that it provided simple, convincing answers to everything that was wrong with antitrust policy in the 1960s, when antitrust was characterized by over-enforcement, poor quality economics or none at all, and many internal contradictions. The Chicago School’s greatest weakness is that it did not keep up. Its leading advocates either spurned or ignored important developments in economics that gave a better accounting of an economy that was increasingly characterized by significant product differentiation, rapid innovation, networking, and strategic behavior. The Chicago School’s initial claim was that newer models of the economy lacked testability. That argument lost its credibility, however, as industrial economics experienced an empirical renaissance, nearly all of it based on various models of imperfect competition. Students getting PhDs in economics increasingly abandoned perfect competition as a useful starting point. What kept Chicago alive was the financial support of firms and others who stood to profit from less intervention. Properly designed antitrust enforcement is a public good. Its beneficiaries — consumers — are individually small, numerous, scattered, and diverse. Those who stand to profit from nonintervention were fewer in number, individually much more powerful, and much more united in their message. As a result, the Chicago School went from being a model of enlightened economic policy to a powerful tool of regulatory capture

A systematic review exploring variables related to bystander intervention in sexual violence contexts

This article presents a systematic review of the available literature which has investigated the role of key variables in facilitating or inhibiting bystander intervention (including direct intervention, tertiary and secondary prevention) in sexual violence (SV) contexts. Studies exploring the role of individual, situational and contextual variables were grouped to provide a narrative overview of bystanders’ personal characteristics as well as the immediate and wider contexts which may be influencing their bystander behaviour. A systematic search of published literature from four electronic databases identified 2526 articles that were screened, of which 85 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies focused upon the role of individual variables, in particular gender of bystander. This body of work finds females are more likely to intervene than males; however, not all studies report these differences and in some cases, this is influenced by the type of intervention behaviour being considered. Regarding situational variables, the most commonly researched variable was the presence of other bystanders, although the role of this variable as inhibiting or facilitating was not clear. Finally, the most commonly researched contextual variable was social norms towards intervention, which has consistently shown greater bystander intervention when there is a belief that peers support such behaviour. Very few studies considered the interaction between these variables. Therefore, it is important for future research to consider this gap in the literature so that we can obtain a more well-rounded understanding of variables that can inhibit and facilitate bystander intervention in SV contexts

Facilitators and barriers of bystander intervention: A focus group study with a university sample

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) encompasses the taking, sharing, and/or threatening to share nude or sexual images of others without their consent. The prevalence of IBSA is growing rapidly due to technological advancements, such as access to smartphones, that have made engagement in such activities easier. Bystanders offer an important means of intervention, but little is known about what facilitates or inhibits bystander action in these contexts. To address this gap in the literature, seven focus groups (n = 35) were conducted to explore the factors that facilitate and inhibit bystander action in the context of three different IBSA scenarios (taking, sharing, and making threats to share nude or sexual images without consent). Using thematic analysis, eight themes were identified, suggesting that the perceived likelihood of intervention increased with greater feelings of responsibility, empathy with the victim, reduced feelings of audience inhibition, greater feelings of safety, greater anger toward the IBSA behavior, closer relationships with the victim and perpetrator, the incident involving a female victim and male perpetrator, and perception of greater benefits of police involvement. These findings are considered alongside the physical sexual violence literature in highlighting the similarities and nuances across the different contexts. Implications for the development of policies and educational materials are discussed in relation to encouraging greater bystander intervention in IBSA contexts

Changes in Management Can Improve Returns from Cambodian Upland Crops

Farming systems research for wet-season non-rice upland crops in Cambodia is being conducted with the overall aim of poverty reduction and food security for farmers in the Provinces of Battambang and Kampong Cham. Some of these cash crops exhibit low and variable incomes, especially when grown in the early wet season. Cambodian farmers may borrow money to buy crop inputs and often sell their produce to companies and traders from neighbouring countries, hence they are price takers. Some new crop technologies are evaluated which relate to soil and crop fertility management interacting with climatic factors. The DSSAT crop simulation model is used to predict outcomes from alternative management strategies. Bio-economic analyses are conducted to assess the likely appeal of these technologies to Cambodian farmers in a return-on-investment context. The results show that management to adjust the nitrogen fertility available to corn, the use of rhizobium in soybean, and a delay in planting early-wet-season corn may all show substantial financial benefits. Further research and an associated farmer demonstration program involving local extension officers are recommended.Upland crops, Cambodia, technology, economics, simulation, risk, Crop Production/Industries,

Maternal plasma DHA levels increase prior to 29 days post-LH surge in women undergoing frozen embryo transfer: a prospective, observational study of human pregnancy

Context: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an important fatty acid required for neurological development but its importance during early fetal neurological organogenesis is unknown. Objective: To assess plasma fatty acid changes in early pregnancy in women undergoing natural cycle-frozen embryo transfer as a means of achieving accurately-timed periconceptual sampling. Design: Women undergoing frozen embryo transfer were recruited and serial fasting blood samples were taken pre-luteinising hormone (LH) surge, and at days 18, 29 and 45 post-LH surge and fatty acids were analysed using gas chromatography. Setting: Assisted Conception Unit, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Scotland Main outcome measures: Plasma fatty acid concentrations, influence of twin pregnancies on DHA plasma concentration. Results: In pregnant women, there was a rapid, early increase in the maternal rate of change of plasma DHA concentration observed by 29 days post-LH surge (mean±SD, from 0.1±1.3 to 1.6±2.9 nmol DHA per mL plasma per day). This early pressure to increase plasma DHA concentration was further emphasised in twin pregnancies where the increase in DHA concentration over 45 days was two-fold higher than in singleton pregnancies (mean±SD increase, 74±39 nmol/mL versus 36±40 nmol/mL). An index of delta-6 desaturase activity increased 30% and positively correlated with the rate of change of DHA concentration between day 18 and 29-post LH surge (R-squared adjusted = 41%, P=0.0002). DHA was the only fatty acid with a continual accelerated increase in plasma concentration and a positive incremental area under the curve (mean±SD, 632±911 nmol/mL x day) over the first 45 days of gestation. Conclusions: An increase in maternal plasma DHA concentration is initiated in human pregnancy prior to neural tube closure which occurs at 28 days' gestation