Spatial Externalities in Agriculture: Empirical Analysis, Statistical Identification, and Policy Implications

Spatial externalities can affect economic welfare and landscape pattern by linking farm returns on adjoining parcels of land. While policy can be informed by research that documents spatial externalities, statistically quantifying the presence of externalities from landscape pattern is insufficient for policy guidance unless the underlying cause of the externality can be identified as positive or negative. This article provides a springboard for empirical research by examining the underlying structure, social-environmental interactions, and statistical identification strategies for the analysis and quantification of agricultural spatial externalities that are derived from observations of landscape change. The potential for original policy treatments of agricultural spatial externalities in development and environment outcomes are highlighted.

Diet Specialization by the Scarlet Kingsnake, Lampropeltis elapsoides (Colubridae)

Based on 34 natural prey items, Lampropeltis elapsoides eats primarily elongate squamates (97%), especially skinks (74%) and colubroid snakes (15%). N o ontogenetic or geographic variation is evident; prey items are swallowed headfirst and average 19% of predator mass. The diet substantially overlaps that of juveniles of some other lampropeltines, including sympatric L. triangulum, but is unusually narrow compared to adults of most other species

Diet Specialization by the Scarlet Kingsnake, Lampropeltis elapsoides (Colubridae)

Based on 34 natural prey items, Lampropeltis elapsoides eats primarily elongate squamates (97%), especially skinks (74%) and colubroid snakes (15%). N o ontogenetic or geographic variation is evident; prey items are swallowed headfirst and average 19% of predator mass. The diet substantially overlaps that of juveniles of some other lampropeltines, including sympatric L. triangulum, but is unusually narrow compared to adults of most other species

Farmers' management of rice varietal diversity in the mid-hills of Nepal: implications for on-farm conservation and crop improvement

Season-long monitoring of on-farm rice (Oryza sativa, L.) plots in Nepal explored farmers' decision-making process on the deployment of varieties to agroecosystems, application of production inputs to varieties, agronomic practices and relationship between economic return and area planted per variety. Farmers deploy varieties [landraces (LRs) and modern varieties (MVs)] to agroecosystems based on their understanding of characteristics of varieties and agroecosystems, and the interaction between them. In marginal growing conditions, LRs can compete with MVs. Within an agroecosystem, economic return and area planted to varieties have positive relationship, but this is not so between agroecosystems. LRs are very diverse on agronomic and economic traits; therefore, they cannot be rejected a priori as inferior materials without proper evaluation. LRs have to be evaluated for useful traits and utilized in breeding programmes to generate farmer-preferred materials for marginal environments and for their conservation on-farm

Influencing Test Ordering In Primary Care Using Influential Physicians

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of influential physicians to influencetest ordering in a primary care setting. Structured order forms for three commonly orderedtests were developed in conjunction with the chief residents in internal medicineand family practice at Methodist Hospital of Indiana, a 1120 bed private teachinghospital. After data were collected for a nine month baseline period, the forms wereintroduced by the chief residents to the house staff in the Adult Ambulatory Care Centerand the Family Practice Center. After two months, the study was discontinued. Thedata were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measuresand paired t-tests. Test ordering rates for complete blood counts were significantlyreduced in both centers. Urinalysis rates were significantly reduced in the FamilyPractice Center. There was no significant effect of the intervention on ordering ratesfor the chemistry-23 test. The findings suggest that the use of influential physicians isan effective way to change physician behavior in primary care settings

Automated profiling of spontaneous speech in primary progressive aphasia and behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia: An approach based on usage-frequency

Language production provides important markers of neurological health. One feature of impairments of language and cognition, such as those that occur in stroke aphasia or Alzheimer's disease, is an overuse of high frequency, “familiar” expressions. We used computerized analysis to profile narrative speech samples from speakers with variants of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), including subtypes of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Analysis was performed on language samples from 29 speakers with semantic variant PPA (svPPA), 25 speakers with logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA), 34 speakers with non-fluent variant PPA (nfvPPA), 14 speakers with behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) and 20 older normal controls (NCs). We used frequency and collocation strength measures to determine use of familiar words and word combinations. We also computed word counts, content word ratio and a combination ratio, a measure of the degree to which the individual produces connected language. All dementia subtypes differed significantly from NCs. The most discriminating variables were word count, combination ratio, and content word ratio, each of which distinguished at least one dementia group from NCs. All participants with PPA, but not participants with bvFTD, produced significantly more frequent forms at the level of content words, word combinations, or both. Each dementia group differed from the others on at least one variable, and language production variables correlated with established behavioral measures of disease progression. A machine learning classifier, using narrative speech variables, achieved 90% accuracy when classifying samples as NC or dementia, and 59.4% accuracy when matching samples to their diagnostic group. Automated quantification of spontaneous speech in both language-led and non-language led dementias, is feasible. It allows extraction of syndromic profiles that complement those derived from standardized tests, warranting further evaluation as candidate biomarkers. Inclusion of frequency-based language variables benefits profiling and classification

3D Surface Measurement for Medical Application—Technical Comparison of Two Established Industrial Surface Scanning Systems

In 3D mapping of flexible surfaces (e.g. human faces) measurement errors due to movement or positioning occur. Aggravated by equipment- or researcher-caused mistakes considerable deviations can result. Therefore first the appliances' precision handling and reliability in clinical environment must be established. Aim of this study was to investigate accuracy and precision of two contact-free 3D measurement systems (white light vs. laser). Standard specimens of known diameter for sphere deviation, touch deviation and plane deviation were tested. Both systems are appropriate for medical application acquiring solid data (<mm). The more complex white-light system shows better accuracy at 0.2s measuring time. The laser system is superior concerning robustness, while accuracy is poorer and input time (1.5-2.5s) longer. Due to the clinical demand the white-light system is superior in a laboratory environment, while the laser system is easier to handle under non-laboratory condition

Earth system modeling with endogenous and dynamic human societies: the copan:CORE open World-Earth modeling framework

Analysis of Earth system dynamics in the Anthropocene requires explicitly taking into account the increasing magnitude of processes operating in human societies, their cultures, economies and technosphere and their growing feedback entanglement with those in the physical, chemical and biological systems of the planet. However, current state-of-the-art Earth system models do not represent dynamic human societies and their feedback interactions with the biogeophysical Earth system and macroeconomic integrated assessment models typically do so only with limited scope. This paper (i) proposes design principles for constructing world-Earth models (WEMs) for Earth system analysis of the Anthropocene, i.e., models of social (world)-ecological (Earth) coevolution on up to planetary scales, and (ii) presents the copan:CORE open simulation modeling framework for developing, composing and analyzing such WEMs based on the proposed principles. The framework provides a modular structure to flexibly construct and study WEMs. These can contain biophysical (e.g., carbon cycle dynamics), socio-metabolic or economic (e.g., economic growth or energy system changes), and sociocultural processes (e.g., voting on climate policies or changing social norms) and their feedback interactions, and they are based on elementary entity types, e.g., grid cells and social systems. Thereby, copan:CORE enables the epistemic flexibility needed for contributions towards Earth system analysis of the Anthropocene given the large diversity of competing theories and methodologies used for describing socio-metabolic or economic and sociocultural processes in the Earth system by various fields and schools of thought. To illustrate the capabilities of the framework, we present an exemplary and highly stylized WEM implemented in copan:CORE that illustrates how endogenizing sociocultural processes and feedbacks such as voting on climate policies based on socially learned environmental awareness could fundamentally change macroscopic model outcomes

Critical role of NKT cells in posttransplant alloantibody production

We previously reported that posttransplant alloantibody production in CD8-deficient hosts is IL-4+ CD4+ T cell-dependent and IgG1 isotype-dominant. The current studies investigated the hypothesis that IL-4-producing natural killer T cells (NKT cells) contribute to maximal alloantibody production. To investigate this, alloantibody levels were examined in CD8-deficient WT, CD1d KO and Jα18 KO transplant recipients. We found that the magnitude of IgG1 alloantibody production was critically dependent on the presence of type I NKT cells, which are activated by day 1 posttransplant. Unexpectedly, type I NKT cell contribution to enhanced IgG1 alloantibody levels was interferon-γ-dependent and IL-4-independent. Cognate interactions between type I NKT and B cells alone do not stimulate alloantibody production. Instead, NKT cells appear to enhance maturation of IL-4+ CD4+ T cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report to substantiate a critical role for type I NKT cells in enhancing in vivo antibody production in response to endogenous antigenic stimuli