Collective action of small farmers: A case study of Ruoheng farmer watermelon cooperative in China

Watermelon production investments, incomes and the access to markets between members of a cooperative and individual small farmers are compared. The results of the case study regarding members of a watermelon cooperative and five individual small farmers in Zhejiang province in China indicate that members of the cooperative are prone to produce food of higher quality, have obvious advantage in accessing modern food supply chains over individual small farmers, and subsequently gain a significantly higher return or income than individual small farmers.farmer cooperative, benefit, income, Consumer/Household Economics,

Organization and Strategy of Farmer Specialized Cooperatives in China

A description and analysis of China's Farmer Specialized Cooperatives is presented. Data is presented regarding the historical development of farmer cooperatives in China, the membership composition of a sample of 66 farmer cooperatives in the Zhejiang province, and the various attributes (governance, quality control system, and strategy) of a watermelon cooperative in this province. Many cooperatives are being transformed in organizations with a market orientation. These cooperatives exhibit substantial heterogeneity, in terms of farmers being member and skewness in the distribution of control rights. Human asset specificity in terms of establishing and maintaining relations and access to markets seems to be more important than physical asset specificity in accounting for governance structure choice in the current institutional setting.Farmer Cooperative, China, Governance Structure, Business Strategy, Agribusiness, Q13,

Microfluidic model of monocyte extravasation reveals the role of hemodynamics and subendothelial matrix mechanics in regulating endothelial integrity

Extravasation of circulating cells is an essential process that governs tissue inflammation and the body's response to pathogenic infection. To initiate anti-inflammatory and phagocytic functions within tissues, immune cells must cross the vascular endothelial barrier from the vessel lumen to the subluminal extracellular matrix. In this work, we present a microfluidic approach that enables the recreation of a three-dimensional, perfused endothelial vessel formed by human endothelial cells embedded within a collagen-rich matrix. Monocytes are introduced into the vessel perfusate, and we investigate the role of luminal flow and collagen concentration on extravasation. In vessels conditioned with the flow, increased monocyte adhesion to the vascular wall was observed, though fewer monocytes extravasated to the collagen hydrogel. Our results suggest that the lower rates of extravasation are due to the increased vessel integrity and reduced permeability of the endothelial monolayer. We further demonstrate that vascular permeability is a function of collagen hydrogel mass concentration, with increased collagen concentrations leading to elevated vascular permeability and increased extravasation. Collectively, our results demonstrate that extravasation of monocytes is highly regulated by the structural integrity of the endothelial monolayer. The microfluidic approach developed here allows for the dissection of the relative contributions of these cues to further understand the key governing processes that regulate circulating cell extravasation and inflammation

Perturbative spectrum of Trapped Weakly Interacting Bosons in Two Dimensions

We study a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate under rotation in the limit of weak, translational and rotational invariant two-particle interactions. We use the perturbation-theory approach (the large-N expansion) to calculate the ground-state energy and the excitation spectrum in the asymptotic limit where the total number of particles N goes to infinity while keeping the total angular momentum L finite. Calculating the probabilities of different configurations of angular momentum in the exact eigenstates gives us a clear view of the physical content of excitations. We briefly discuss the case of repulsive contact interaction.Comment: Revtex, 10 pages, 1 table, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Possible Role of Protein CPG15 in Hippocampal Mossy Fiber Sprouting Under Conditions of Pentylenetetrazole Kindling

We examined changes in expression of the candidate plasticity-related gene 15 (CPG15) in the dentate gyrus (DG) and hippocampal CA3 region in the pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindling model and investigated the role of this gene in the phenomenon of mossy fiber sprouting (MFS). Experimental rats were divided into the control and PTZ groups. The epileptic model was created by intraperitoneal PTZ injection, while control rats were injected with saline. At days 3, 7, 14, 28, and 42 after the first PTZ injection, Timm staining was scored in the CA3 hippocampal area, and a product of CPG15 (protein CPG15) was labeled in the DG stratum granulosum and in the CA3 area using immunohistochemistry. The Timm scores in the CA3 region increased gradually from day 3 and were significantly higher than those in the control within the subsequent period. The level of CPG15 protein in the DG and CA3 area decreased gradually until day 14 and returned to the normal level at day 28. The results obtained indicate, for the first time, that CPG15 may be involved in the process of MFS. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon may lead to successful therapeutic interventions that limit epileptogenesis.Ми досліджували зміни експресії продукту гена CPG15 у зубчастій звивині (ЗЗ) та зоні CA3 гіпокампа в моделі пентилентетразолового (ПТЗ-) кіндлінгу та можливу роль цього гена у феномені спрутингу моховитих волокон (СМВ). Піддослідні щури були поділені на групи контролю та ПТЗ-кіндлінгу. Модель епілепсії створювали за допомогою внутрішньоочеревинних ін’єкцій пентилентетразолу (ПТЗ); контрольним щурам ін’єкували фізіологічний розчин. На третю, сьому, 14-ту, 28-му та 42-гу добу після першої ін’єкції ПТЗ оцінювали забарвлення, за Тіммом, у зоні CA3. Локалізацію протеїну CPG15 у stratum granulosum ЗЗ та зоні CA3 гіпокампа визначали з використанням імуногістохімічної методики. Інтенсивність забарвлення, за Тіммом, у зоні CA3 поступово збільшувалася починаючи з третьої доби та була вірогідно вищою, ніж така в контролі, протягом усього наступного періоду. Рівень протеїну CPG15 у ЗЗ та полі CA3 поступово зменшувався до 14-ї доби та повертався до нормальних значень на 28-му добу. Отримані результати вперше вказують на те, що CPG15 може бути залученим у процес СМВ. Зрозуміння молекулярних механізмів, на яких базується цей феномен, може призвести до розробки успішних терапевтичних заходів, котрі обмежували б епілептогенез