State of fruit-based homegarden development, constraints and opportunities in western Amhara region, Ethiopia

Integration of fruits in homegardens could enormously enhance household food-security and hold a substantial potential for economic and ecological sustainability. A study was undertaken to assess the extant of use, constraints and opportunities of fruit-based homegardens in western Amhara region  in 2006 and 2007. Data were collected by means of structured, semi-structured and key-informant interviews as well as through direct observation and  species inventory. Results revealed that although fruit-based homegarden development is at its infancy, there is a greater tendency and surge of fruit  tree planting in recent years. Of 104 annual and perennial crop species recorded, 15 species appear to be fruits, of which mango (Mangifera indica),  guava (Psidium guajava), avocado (Persea americana), papaya (Carica papaya) and banana (Musa paradisiaca) had a higher abundance, density and  frequency. Despite the great potential to contribute to food and nutritional security, however, fruits are generally found to be rare and play insignificant  role in the diets of growers. Fruit tree management practices are sub-optimal, the quality of planting material used is mediocre and its supply is far from  adequate. Lack of access to water, improved planting material, diseases incidence and wild animals attack represent some of the major challenges.  Furthermore, a growing rivalry in land use between fruits and other cash generating crops adds to the problem. Technical backstopping of gardeners  with respect to access to quality planting material, water, market and growing skill are suggested.&nbsp

Ernst Freund as Precursor of the Rational Study of Corporate Law

Gindis, David, Ernst Freund as Precursor of the Rational Study of Corporate Law (October 27, 2017). Journal of Institutional Economics, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2905547, doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2905547The rise of large business corporations in the late 19th century compelled many American observers to admit that the nature of the corporation had yet to be understood. Published in this context, Ernst Freund's little-known The Legal Nature of Corporations (1897) was an original attempt to come to terms with a new legal and economic reality. But it can also be described, to paraphrase Oliver Wendell Holmes, as the earliest example of the rational study of corporate law. The paper shows that Freund had the intuitions of an institutional economist, and engaged in what today would be called comparative institutional analysis. Remarkably, his argument that the corporate form secures property against insider defection and against outsiders anticipated recent work on entity shielding and capital lock-in, and can be read as an early contribution to what today would be called the theory of the firm.Peer reviewe

‘Sell[ing] what hasn’t got a name’: An exploration of the different understandings and definitions of ‘community engagement’ work in the performing arts

Widely known to promote broader involvement in the processes which define the arts and culture (Webster, 1997), community engagement work in the performing arts — despite employing a set of commonly recognised norms — has tended to be conceptualised differently both historically and contemporarily. Drawing on ethnographic research — particularly semi-structured qualitative interview accounts of numerous British practitioners with a track record of work in the sector, the article explores these different conceptualisations. The article finds that it is the actual ‘work that matters’ and not what it is named, and that the diversity of understandings and definitions among sectoral practitioners is reflective of evolving thinking, values and practice, something that may be destabilising for better or worse

Meta‐Analysis of Genome‐wide Linkage Studies in BMI and Obesity

Objective: The objective was to provide an overall assessment of genetic linkage data of BMI and BMI‐defined obesity using a nonparametric genome scan meta‐analysis. Research Methods and Procedures: We identified 37 published studies containing data on over 31,000 individuals from more than >10,000 families and obtained genome‐wide logarithm of the odds (LOD) scores, non‐parametric linkage (NPL) scores, or maximum likelihood scores (MLS). BMI was analyzed in a pooled set of all studies, as a subgroup of 10 studies that used BMI‐defined obesity, and for subgroups ascertained through type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or subjects of European ancestry. Results: Bins at chromosome 13q13.2‐ q33.1, 12q23‐q24.3 achieved suggestive evidence of linkage to BMI in the pooled analysis and samples ascertained for hypertension. Nominal evidence of linkage to these regions and suggestive evidence for 11q13.3‐22.3 were also observed for BMI‐defined obesity. The FTO obesity gene locus at 16q12.2 also showed nominal evidence for linkage. However, overall distribution of summed rank p values <0.05 is not different from that expected by chance. The strongest evidence was obtained in the families ascertained for hypertension at 9q31.1‐qter and 12p11.21‐q23 (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Despite having substantial statistical power, we did not unequivocally implicate specific loci for BMI or obesity. This may be because genes influencing adiposity are of very small effect, with substantial genetic heterogeneity and variable dependence on environmental factors. However, the observation that the FTO gene maps to one of the highest ranking bins for obesity is interesting and, while not a validation of this approach, indicates that other potential loci identified in this study should be investigated further.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93663/1/oby.2007.269.pd

Wild Edible Fruit Species Cultural Domain, Informant Species Competence and Preference in Three Districts of Amhara Region, Ethiopia

researchThe study was carried out in Adiarkay, Debark and Dejen districts in a context where wild fruit bearing species suffer notable disregard from research and development strategies, and consequently the basic information remains verbally with the local people without being adequately documented. Free-listing, individual interviews, focus group discussions, direct observation and pair-wise ranking were used to glean and evaluate data. Altogether, 46 species make up the wild fruits domain of the study area. Each site and district appeared to have its own cultural domain, and salient and favorite species. There is a high correspondence between highly preferred and salient species. Aggregating free-list data to solicit a cultural domain of the highest stratum (study area) was found to highly underestimate the domains of lower strata (districts and sites). There exists a wealth of knowledge about wild fruit species, especially on the part of the youth, shedding light on the perpetuation of indigenous knowledge. Future studies on wild fruits in the area needs to capitalize on species identified to have high consent and should make use of informants identified as having high species competency

Influence of Size of Cone Crop on Diameter Growth of Engelmann Spruce (Picea Engelmannii Parry)

The influence of the average annual cone crop of 170 Engelmann spruce trees on the average basal area increments over a period of 23 years was tested in climatically compensated and uncompensated multiple regression models. In addition, three outstanding cone producing trees were analyzed with the climate compensating model. The cone production of the individual trees were analyzed for the effect on each basal area increment without climatic compensation. A multiple regression model with bimonthly climatic parameters for the growing season, yielded the best prediction (R2 = 98%) of annual basal area increment from the independent parameters among which was the current cone crop. The current year\u27s cone crop showed highly significant negative influence on the increments. No significant effect was attributable to the current year\u27s cone crop when monthly climatic parameters were used. The climatically uncompensated relationship between average cone crops and mean annual relative basal area increment proved to be significant, and the cones accounted for 13.1% of the increment variation. In contrast, the analysis of individual cone crops with individual basal area increments indicated that the cone crops accounted for only 1.4% of the increment variation. One of the reasons for this discrepancy was the use of indexed basal area increments so that the increments could be made comparable, but this process cost lost sensitivity between trees for individual cone crop and growth comparisons. The three exceptional cone producers showed a highly significant effect of cone crops on basal area increment, but the effect was positive or negative on basal area increment depending on the site and individual. In the one case of the positive effect of cones on basal area growth, the cone crops and growth fall off rapidly with time

The normal day\u27s work of farm implements, workmen, and crews in western New York /

no.412 (1916