The Origin, Development And Structure Of Demand For Plant Genetic Resources. The Impact Of The In Trust Agreements To The CGIAR Collections Availability

The objective of this paper is to explore how the demand of germplasm held by CGIAR genebanks changed over time in order to assess the possible influence of the 1994 In Trust Agreements on germplasm demand. The proposed theoretic model motivates the realistic hypothesis that the consequences of the In-Trust Agreements lead to an enhancement of CGIAR germplasm utilization. Therefore the paper firstly examines the classical literature on biodiversity’s valuation and its recent developments and subsequently it investigates the origin of the agricultural biodiversity’s economic value, providing a basic conceptual framework to infer on factors determining the demand for germplasm. Two Bayesian estimation frameworks are applied to the IRRI accessions distribution’s time-series to provide formal evidence to the hypothesis, exploiting Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, Gibbs sampling in particular. Evidence suggests that the demand variation implies a change in the genetic collections economic value, impacting therefore on their direct use search value.Crop genetic resources, germplasm collection, search theoretic framework, count data, changepoints, O19, Q18, Q57, C11,

Brexit and the work-family conflict:a Scottish perspective

This paper examines the Scottish Government’s desire to maintain ties with EU law post-Brexit in the context of employment and equality law, particularly those laws which impact on work-family conflict. The paper critically examines whether there is, or could be, a distinctly Scottish perspective in the context of work-family rights post-Brexit. The paper frames the analysis by considering the potentially gendered implications of Brexit in this context. In doing so, it examines this issue from the perspective of traditional heterosexual dual-partnered working family models. It is argued that rights for working fathers will be most vulnerable post-Brexit, with related consequences for working mothers. Consequently, the implications of Brexit in this context are primarily viewed through the lens of working fathers. The paper then critically examines the Scottish Government’s position on EU employment and equality law in the post-Brexit context

The Perceived Impact of the In-Trust Agreements on CGIAR Germplasm Availability: An Assessment of Bioversity International's Institutional Activities

Summary This study assesses the generation and consequences of the In-Trust Agreements (ITAs) that established the legal status of the CGIAR germplasm as freely available for the benefit of humanity under the auspices of FAO. The analysis looks at the history of the ITAs and focuses on the role of Bioversity International in research and other activities in influencing, facilitating and enabling the ITA negotiations. Results confirm the central role of Bioversity and policy research in the negotiations process. Concepts developed during the ITA negotiations contributed toward subsequent multilateral negotiations that eventually culminated in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources.global coverage, plant genetic resources, multilateral exchange, CGIAR

The Origin, Development And Structure Of Demand For Plant Genetic Resources. The Impact Of The In Trust Agreements To The CGIAR Collections Availability

The objective of this paper is to explore how the demand of germplasm held by CGIAR genebanks changed over time in order to assess the possible influence of the 1994 In Trust Agreements on germplasm demand. The proposed theoretic model motivates the realistic hypothesis that the consequences of the In-Trust Agreements lead to an enhancement of CGIAR germplasm utilization. Therefore the paper firstly examines the classical literature on biodiversity’s valuation and its recent developments and subsequently it investigates the origin of the agricultural biodiversity’s economic value, providing a basic conceptual framework to infer on factors determining the demand for germplasm. Two Bayesian estimation frameworks are applied to the IRRI accessions distribution’s time-series to provide formal evidence to the hypothesis, exploiting Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, Gibbs sampling in particular. Evidence suggests that the demand variation implies a change in the genetic collections economic value, impacting therefore on their direct use search value

Synovial sarcoma of bone: Sarcoma typically of soft tissues presenting as a primary bone tumor

Synovial sarcoma typically presents as periarticular soft tissue mass in adolescent and young adult patients. Very rarely, soft tissue sarcomas may arise primarily within bone posing a significant diagnostic challenge as primary osseous malignancies such as osteosarcoma and metastatic disease are much more common. While tissue sampling with immunohistochemical and genetic testing are required for definitive diagnosis, radiologists and orthopedic oncologists should consider alternate etiologies when typical imaging features of more common bone tumors are not identified. As an example, we present a 33-year-old male referred with a pathologic hip fracture proven to represent primary synovial sarcoma of bone. Keywords: Primary bone tumor, Synovial sarcom

A Modified Lodwick-Madewell Grading System for the Evaluation of Lytic Bone Lesions

Lodwick's well-established grading system of lytic bone lesions has been widely used in predicting growth rate for lytic bone lesions. We applied a Modified Lodwick-Madewell Grading System as an alternative means to categorize lytic bone tumors into those with low, moderate, and high risks of malignancy. A retrospective review of the radiographs of 183 bone lesions was performed. Cases were selected to include a broad range of benign and malignant tumors. Readers applied our Modified Lodwick-Madewell Grading System, and consensus was reached in all cases. This modified system consists of grade I, which is composed of grades IA and IB as listed in the Lodwick system; grade II, which is grade IC in the Lodwick system; and grade III, which is composed of IIIA (changing margination), IIB (moth-eaten and permeative patterns), and IIIC (radiographically occult). Grading was correlated with the final diagnosis. Of the 183 tumors, 81 were classified as grade I, 54 as grade II, and 48 as grade III. When correlating grade with pathology, we found that 76 of 81 (94%) grade I lesions were benign and 39 of 48 grade III lesions (81%) were malignant. A nearly equal number of grade II lesions proved to be benign (29/54; 54%) and malignant (28/54; 53%). By expanding Lodwick's grading system to include two additional patterns of disease described by Madewell and colleagues (changing margination and radiographically occult) and by reclassifying them into three distinct grades, we propose a modified system-the Modified Lodwick-Madewell Grading System. Application of this system shows correlation of tumor grade with tumor biologic activity and with risk of malignancy: Grade I lesions are usually benign, grade II lesions carry moderate risk of malignancy, and grade III lesions possess a high likelihood of malignancy