Market Access for Local Food through the Conventional Food Supply Chain

The paper examines relationships and linkages between the conventional supply chain actors (wholesalers and retailers) and local food producers based on a study conducted in Southeast Michigan. A case study approach was employed to examine chain actors’ operations and to explore their roles, experiences and perceptions about local foods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the owners and managers of eleven retailers and six wholesalers. The study found differences in local food perceptions, buying experiences and perceived benefits and risks associated with local food sourcing activities. The study also identified some competition between local independent food retailers and alternative market outlets. The major implication of the findings is that producers need to provide additional market services and develop trust-based relationships with their buyers to create better market access for local foods.local food, supply chain, buying local, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Financial Economics,

E-COMMERCE AND INTERNET USE IN SMALL BUSINESSES: TRENDS AND ISSUES

This paper is part of a series of reports of the activities conducted under a grant from the Fund for Rural America, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Funds for the grant entitled "Enhancing Rural Economies Through Comprehensive Extension, Research & Partnering Approaches Using Multi-County Clusters in Michigan With Application to National Rural Settings" were received by Michigan State University's Department of Agricultural Economics in March, 1998. The major goal of the grant is to increase economic development activity in four clusters of rural counties in Michigan through the utilization of the resources of the Michigan State University Extension Service, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, and other resources of Michigan State University. Various local, state, and federal public partners as well as the private sector are co-sponsors of projects in the counties. This paper focuses on E-commerce issues and applications for small businesses and communities providing information on recent developments of E-commerce businesses and approaches to successes in Internet marketing. Details of the paper rely on materials used for E-commerce training programs co-sponsored by the project, responses from businesses participated in the training and review of available digital economic and business literature that highlights key elements and benefits of E-commerce to small businesses.Agribusiness, Marketing,

RETENTION AND EXPANSION ISSUES AND CONCERNS OF RURAL BUSINESSES: SOME FINDINGS FROM SURVEYS IN THE WESTERN UPPER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN

This paper is part of a series of reports of the activities conducted under a grant from the Fund for Rural America, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Funds for the grant entitled "Enhancing Rural Economies Through Comprehensive Extension, Research & Partnering Approaches Using Multi-County Clusters in Michigan With Application to National Rural Settings" were received by Michigan State University's Department of Agricultural Economics in March, 1998. The major goal of the grant is to increase economic development activity in four clusters of rural counties in Michigan through the utilization of the resources of the Michigan State University Extension Service, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, and other resources of Michigan State University. Various local, state, and federal public partners as well as the private sector are co-sponsors of projects in the counties. This paper focuses on Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) programs that have been conducted in the Western Upper Peninsula (WUP) of Michigan. The paper highlights and assesses major achievements and performances of the programs with respect to identifying issues, problems, and opportunities impacting the local economies. The data include information from BR&E visitation programs supported by the project and two other surveys in the WUP region.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Screening Level Evaluation of the Potential Influence of Proposed Surface-Water Withdrawals on Groundwater Discharge into the St. Johns River

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Psychological distress and its predictors in AIDS orphan adolescents in Addis Ababa city: A comparative survey

Back ground: In developing countries the number of children orphaned by AIDS is growing rapidly. Consequently, the psychological well-being of these children has become a serious concern.Objectives: To assess the psychological distress of AIDS orphans as compared to non-AIDS orphan adolescents and factors related to it, in Addis Ababa.Methods: Comparative cross-sectional design combining both quantitative and qualitative methods was used. An equal number of 438 subjects were included in this study with each group of AIDS and non-AIDS orphan adolescents between 11-18 age groups. Structured interviewer administered questionnaire and scales including HAD, Rosenberg’s and MPSS scales were used to measure the orphans’ level of depression, anxiety, self-esteem and their perceived social support.Result: Among the study participants, 279 (34.7%) orphan adolescents where 157 (39.1%) of AIDS and 122 (30.3 %) of non-AIDS orphan adolescents were depressed in the week before the survey. Moreover, 301(37.4%) orphan adolescents where 164 (40.8%) of AIDS and 137 (34.1%) of non-AID once were anxious. However, the difference observed in depression and anxiety [OR (95% CI) =1.164(0.733, 1.754) & 0.88(0.57, 1.33)] was not statistically significant. The main predicator variables of depression and anxiety in both study groups were their perceived social support and self-esteem. Factors such as discrimination, school enrollment, physical abuse, child labor were also identified as predicators.Conclusion : A large proportion of orphan adolescents are having psychological problems that can affect their present and future life. Thus, a more focused and concerted effort is needed to improve their mental health. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2011;25(2):135-142

Population structure of Gibberella xylarioides Heim and Saccas in Ethiopian forest coffee (Coffea arabica L.) systems

Coffee wilt caused by Gibberella xylarioides (Fusarium xylarioides) is a troublesome soil borne disease of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) in Ethiopia. It has been known to be prevalent and severe in plantation, garden and semi-forest coffee production systems in that order of importance. A number of recent reports have also indicated that the disease is equally damaging coffee trees with varying intensities thereby endangering the conservation of wild coffee genetic resources in forest coffee systems of the country. However, the reasons for the disease upsurge in the forest remain speculative. Thus, population structure of coffee wilt pathogen was studied by cross inoculating 12 accessions with four isolates collected in the four forest sites, namely, Bonga, Berhane-Kontir and Yayu (southwest) and Harenna (southeast) of Ethiopia. A pathogenic isolate ‘Gx11’ and a moderately resistant coffee cultivar cv. 7440, both from plantation were included as respective standard checks. The cultural and morphological characteristics of 24 isolates from the forests were compared with six strains collected from semi-forest and plantation coffee. The cultural appearance of most isolates from southwest was generally similar in pigments, aerial and radial growths but relatively different from those isolates collected in the Southeast forest site (Harenna). The result of coffee accession by isolate interactions showed that accessions of Harenna (P4, P6 and P11) were resistant to almost all isolates (except to its isolate) with low mean percent seedling deaths (< 31%) while Bonga (P27) and Berhane-Kontir accessions (P34 and P38) were highly susceptible to all isolates with higher seedling deaths of 79.2 to 85.7%. The Harenna isolate was most aggressive (78.7%) followed by Bonga ‘B23’ and Yayu ‘Y21’ isolates which were as aggressive as the one from plantation coffee ‘G11’. In conclusion, the fungus population structure in the forest coffee sites have basically similar cultural and morphological characteristics of the species G. xylarioides (F. xylarioides) with certain differences between southwest and southeast in colony growth nature, pigmentation and aggressiveness. The study evidenced that the pathogen strains in the forest coffee are equally or even more aggressive than those strains in other coffee production systems, thus rapidly threatening Arabica coffee gene pool of Ethiopia.Keywords: Aggressiveness, colony growth, forest coffee, Fusarium xylarioides, coffee production systems, host-pathogen interactionsAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(33), pp. 5157-516

p38 MAP kinase mediated proteoglycan synthesis as a target for the prevention of atherosclerosis

The major underlying pathology of most cardiovascular disease is the chronic inflammatory disease of atherosclerosis. Type 2 diabetes, also recognised as an inflammatory condition, accelerates the development of atherosclerosis. Current therapies for atherosclerosis target risk factors such as elevated blood lipids and hypertension and are of strong but limited efficacy. The "response to retention" hypothesis states that atherosclerosis is initiated by the accumulation of lipids through binding to extracellular matrix, and this is specifically the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains on proteoglycans. Many vasoactive agonists stimulate changes in the structure of the GAGs which increase lipid binding and the relevant signalling pathways are a potential therapeutic target. It has recently been demonstrated that the actions of transforming growth factor b; on vascular smooth muscle proteoglycan synthesis involves signalling through p38 MAP kinase and inhibition of this pathway reduces binding of lipids. Inhibition of p38 MAP kinase will elicit a wide spread antiinflammatory response which may alleviate some of the deleterious processes in cardiovascular tissues. This article explores the potential for the actions of p38 MAP kinase inhibitors directed at proteoglycan synthesis in vascular smooth muscle to contribute to the beneficial outcomes from targeting p38 MAP kinase for the prevention of cardiovascular disease

Management of undescended testes: a retrospective study from a tertiary hospital in Ethiopia

Background: Undescended testis is one of the commonest congenital malformations seen in boys. The aim of this study is to evaluate the pattern of presentation, approach to diagnosis, treatment and follow up in Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital, a tertiary teaching hospital in Ethiopia.Methods: This is a retrospective cross sectional study of all boys with undescended testis operated in Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital between September 2012 and August 2014.Results: Of 82 boys operated within the study period, 66 boys with 78 undescended testes are studied. Twenty-six percent (17/66)came before the age of 2 years, while the majority of the study group, 50% (33/66), presented beyond 5 years of age. Of the 17 boys brought to the hospital before 2 years, only 41% (7/17) them were treated before the age of two years. The majority 89% (59/66) of the boys were treated after 2 years of age. Seventy-one testes of 78 [91%] were in the inguinal canal, 5 were intra-abdominal and 2 were absent. 46% (36/78) were on the left side, 29% (23/78) on the right side and the rest were bilateral. Among the 54 boys who had ultrasound examination, the ultrasound report is consistent with operative findings in 33 [61%]. Associated congenital malformations were found in 31.8% (21/66) of the boys. Hypospadia was the predominant malformation comprising 38% (8/21) of the total congenital malformations. Orchidopexy was done for 82% (64/78) of the total testes, orchiectomy was done for 9% (7/78) and biopsy was taken in 1 case. Among the total operated boys only 62% (41/66) were followed in our clinic; of those who had follow up 10% (4/41) testes atrophied and 1 [2%] testis retracted.Conclusion: Boys with undescended testes present and are treated late in Tikur Anbesa Hospital. As opposed to the literatures most of the undescended testes were found on the left side. Ultrasound examination cannot be the only mode of examination for undescended testes as it misses more than one third of the cases. Hypospadia is the commonest associated congenital malformation. Post operative follow up is very poor after treatment for undescended teste

Platelet-derived growth factor-stimulated versican synthesis but not glycosaminoglycan elongation in vascular smooth muscle is mediated via Akt phosphorylation

Proteoglycans are associated with the initiation of atherosclerosis due to their binding of apolipoproteins on lipid particles leading to retention in the vessel wall. The signaling pathways through which growth factors regulate the synthesis and structure of proteoglycans are potential therapeutic targets. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is present in atherosclerotic plaques and activates phosphorylation of the serine/threonine kinase Akt. We have investigated the role of Akt in the signaling pathways for proteoglycan core protein expression and elongation of glycosaminoglycan chains on proteoglycans secreted by human vascular smooth muscle cells. The pharmacological inhibitor of Akt phosphorylation, SN30978, blocked PDGF stimulated phosphorylation of Akt. SN30978 caused concentration dependent inhibition of PDGF stimulated radiosulfate incorporation into secreted proteoglycans and the response was blocked by the PDGF receptor antagonists Ki11502 and imatinib. Analysis of the size of the biglycan molecules by SDS-PAGE showed that PDGF increased the apparent size of biglycan but this effect on glycosaminoglycan chain elongation was blocked by Ki11502 but not by SN30978. PDGF also stimulated total protein core protein synthesis assessed as 35S-methionine/cysteine incorporation and specifically the expression of versican mRNA. Both of these responses were blocked by SN30978. This data shows that PDGF-stimulated proteoglycan core protein synthesis but not glycosaminoglycan chain elongation is mediated via Akt phosphorylation. These data identify potential pathways for the development of agents which can pharmacologically regulate individual components of the synthesis of proteoglycans

Utilization of a novel digital measurement tool for quantitative assessment of upper extremity motor dexterity: a controlled pilot study.

BackgroundThe current methods of assessing motor function rely primarily on the clinician's judgment of the patient's physical examination and the patient's self-administered surveys. Recently, computerized handgrip tools have been designed as an objective method to quantify upper-extremity motor function. This pilot study explores the use of the MediSens handgrip as a potential clinical tool for objectively assessing the motor function of the hand.MethodsEleven patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) were followed for three months. Eighteen age-matched healthy participants were followed for two months. The neuromotor function and the patient-perceived motor function of these patients were assessed with the MediSens device and the Oswestry Disability Index respectively. The MediSens device utilized a target tracking test to investigate the neuromotor capacity of the participants. The mean absolute error (MAE) between the target curve and the curve tracing achieved by the participants was used as the assessment metric. The patients' adjusted MediSens MAE scores were then compared to the controls. The CSM patients were further classified as either "functional" or "nonfunctional" in order to validate the system's responsiveness. Finally, the correlation between the MediSens MAE score and the ODI score was investigated.ResultsThe control participants had lower MediSens MAE scores of 8.09%±1.60%, while the cervical spinal disorder patients had greater MediSens MAE scores of 11.24%±6.29%. Following surgery, the functional CSM patients had an average MediSens MAE score of 7.13%±1.60%, while the nonfunctional CSM patients had an average score of 12.41%±6.32%. The MediSens MAE and the ODI scores showed a statistically significant correlation (r=-0.341, p<1.14×10⁻⁵). A Bland-Altman plot was then used to validate the agreement between the two scores. Furthermore, the percentage improvement of the the two scores after receiving the surgical intervention showed a significant correlation (r=-0.723, p<0.04).ConclusionsThe MediSens handgrip device is capable of identifying patients with impaired motor function of the hand. The MediSens handgrip scores correlate with the ODI scores and may serve as an objective alternative for assessing motor function of the hand