Evaluating the Impact on Market Performance of Investments in Market Information Systems: Methodological Challenges

Evaluating the impact on market performance of investments in agricultural market information systems (MIS) face several methodological challenges. These fall into two broad categories: (a) defining the dimensions of market performance to measure (which is a function of whom the MIS is designed to serve) and identifying reliable indicators of those performance dimensions, and (b) identifying the causal effects of the MIS. The determination of causal effects in turn requires establishing a credible baseline, measuring “treatment effects” (i.e., the effects on economic behavior of receiving improved information from an MIS), dealing with problems of endogenous placement of treatment, and interpreting the validity of stakeholders’ statements and governments’ revealed preferences regarding the utility of MIS. Many of these challenges arise because improved market information can affect the welfare of market actors through improved market polices and increased competition even if those actors do not have direct access to that information. The paper discusses these challenges and identifies approaches that may be useful in developing a “convergence of evidence” concerning whether investment in a given MIS is socially worthwhile.market information services, impact assessment, market transparency, food policies, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Security and Poverty, International Development, Marketing, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, C81, D80, H43, N57, 013, Q13,

P.J. Hoedemaker, teoloog en kerkman

P.J. Hoedemaker, theologian and man of GodThis article highlights aspects of P J Hoedemaker’s theology: It also deals with his academic work at the Vrije Universiteit, his views on the Scriptures and on historical criticism as well as his philosophical approach, concepts and formulation. Attention is also paid to his views on education, religious instruction and the university. His views on the state and his conflict with Doctor Kuyper on the subject are also dealt with

ALEA III, March 27, 1986

This is the concert program of the ALEA III performance on Thursday, March 27, 1986 at 8:00 p.m., at the Concert Hall, 855 Commonwealth Avenue. Works performed were Match by Mauricio Kagel, Octet by Yinam Leef, Perspectives by Bernd Alois Zimmermann, and Septet by Igor Stravinsky. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Humanities Library Endowed Fund

Surgery for idiopathic epiretinal membrane

BACKGROUND: Epiretinal membrane is an abnormal sheet of avascular fibrocellular tissue that develops on the inner surface of the retina. Epiretinal membrane can cause impairment of sight as a consequence of progressive distortion of retinal architecture. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of surgery compared to no intervention for epiretinal membrane. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE Ovid, Embase Ovid, ISRCTN registry, US National Institutes of Health Ongoing Trials Register ClinicalTrials.gov, and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). There were no restrictions to language or year of publication. The databases were last searched on 20 May 2020. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing surgical removal of idiopathic epiretinal membrane compared to placebo, no treatment or sham treatment. Paired or within-person studies were included, as well as those where both eyes of a single participant were treated. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard methods expected by Cochrane, and assessed certainty using the GRADE system. We considered the following five outcome measures: mean change in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the study eye between baseline (before randomisation), 6 months and 12 months later; proportion of people with a gain of 0.3 logMAR or more of visual acuity in the study eye as measured by a logMAR chart at a starting distance of 4 m at 6 months and 12 months after randomisation; proportion of people with a loss of 0.3 logMAR or more of visual acuity in the study eye as measured by a logMAR chart at a starting distance of 4 m at 6 months and 12 months after randomisation; mean quality of life score at 6 months and 12 months following surgery, measured using a validated questionnaire; and any harm identified during follow-up. MAIN RESULTS: We included one study in the review. This was a RCT including 53 eyes of 53 participants with mild symptomatic epiretinal membrane and BCVA of 65 or more Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters. Participants were randomly allocated to immediate surgery or to watchful waiting with deferred surgery if indicated by evidence of disease progression. The study was limited by imprecision owing to the small number of participants and was at some risk of bias owing to inconsistencies in the time points for outcome assessment and in the management of lens opacity. At 12 months, the visual acuity in the immediate surgery group was higher by a mean of 2.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) -2.0 to 6.2 ETDRS letters; 53 participants; low-certainty evidence) than the watchful waiting/deferred surgery group. The evidence of the effect of immediate surgery on gains of 0.3 logMAR or more of visual acuity is very uncertain (risk ratio (RR) 0.55, 95% CI 0.06 to 4.93; 53 participants; very low-certainty evidence). At 12 months, no participant in either group sustained a loss of 0.3 logMAR or more of visual acuity (53 participants; low-certainty evidence). The included study did not measure quality of life. At 12 months, no serious adverse event was identified in any participant. One participant developed chronic minimal cystoid macular oedema following immediate surgery (53 participants; low-certainty evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found no RCT that directly investigated the effect of surgery compared to no intervention. For severe disabling epiretinal membrane, the lack of a RCT comparing surgery to no intervention may reflect evidence from non-randomised studies in favour of surgery; a RCT may be considered unnecessary and ethically unacceptable because a superior effect of surgery is widely accepted. For mild symptomatic epiretinal membrane, however, the value of surgery is uncertain. Low-certainty evidence from this review suggests that watchful waiting or deferred surgery may offer outcomes as favourable as immediate surgery. However, this finding needs to be confirmed in further RCTs with appropriate statistical power, masking of treatment allocation, consistent management of cataract, and measurement of outcomes including patient-reported quality of life over a more extended time frame

Progressive Reliability Method and Its Application to Offshore Mooring Systems

Assessing the reliability of complex systems (e.g. structures) is essential for a reliability-based optimal design that balances safety and costs of such systems. This paper proposes the Progressive Reliability Method (PRM) for the quantification of the reliability of complex systems. The proposed method is a closed-form solution for calculating the probability of failure. The new method is flexible to the definition of “failure” (i.e., can consider serviceability and ultimate-strength failures) and uses the rules of probability theory to estimate the failure probability of the system or its components. The method is first discussed in general and then illustrated in two examples, including a case study to find the safest configuration and orientation of a 12-line offshore mooring system. The PRM results are compared with results of a similar assessment based on the Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown in the example of two-component that using PRM, the importance of system components to system safety can be quantified and compared as input information for maintenance planning

Outcome of patients aged over 75 years who received a pacemaker to treat sinus node dysfunction

SummaryBackgroundThe prognosis for patients aged over 75 years who receive a pacemaker in the context of sinus node dysfunction is unclear.AimsWe sought to evaluate the incidences of atrial fibrillation, heart failure and death in such patients, and the role of the pacing mode in their prognosis.MethodsThis was a retrospective study of 102 patients aged over 75 years (mean 82.2±4.4 years) who received a pacemaker in the context of sinus node dysfunction.ResultsDuring the follow-up period (mean 806 days), 36 patients (35.3%) experienced heart failure, 47 patients (46.1%) had an episode of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, 19 patients (18.6%) progressed to chronic atrial fibrillation and 29 (28.4%) died, the fatal event being sudden death or of cardiac origin in almost half of these patients (44.8%). Patients assigned to dual-chamber minimal ventricular pacing showed significantly lower rates of heart failure episodes (P=0.023) and all-cause mortality (P<0.001) than those assigned to conventional dual-chamber pacing. In contrast, the two groups did not differ with regard to either paroxysmal or chronic atrial fibrillation.ConclusionIn patients aged over 75 years, the use of dual-chamber pacemakers incorporating an algorithm minimizing ventricular pacing for sinus node dysfunction seems to decrease the number of heart failure episodes and mortality. On the basis of this finding, the implantation of such devices seems justifiable, even in this age group

The Effect of Krill Oil Supplementation on Exercise Performance and Markers of Immune Function

Date of Acceptance: 08/09/2015 Acknowledgments We thank the technical support of the Institute of Medical Sciences Musculoskeletal Programme and the Iain Fraser Cytometry Centre.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

P J Hoedemaker: ‘Wat ék bedoel, is die behoud van die kerk’

P J Hoedemaker. ‘What I aim at, is the conservation of the church’ The birthday of the wellknown Dutch Reformed theologian P J Hoedemaker 150 years ago, was celebrated in the Netherlands during 1989. In his struggle against the formidable dr Abraham Kuyper, it became more and more evident that Hoedemaker was himself a very perspicacious, independent theologian. His dramatic struggle for the unity and the wholeness of the church against every schismatic action is really unique in the history of the church. The theological concepts of Hoedemaker strongly influenced the thoughts of Dutch theologians like Th L Haitjema and A A van Ruler, and consequently also a large number of South African theologians in the Dutch Reformed Churches.

Pastoral livestock market integration amidst improvements in physical and communication infrastructure:Evidence from northern Kenya

This article analyses the level of integration in pastoral markets in Kenya using high-frequency data generated through a crowdsourcing endeavour. The vector error-correction model framework was used to estimate the causal relationships between the short- and long-run market price. The results indicate that a higher proportion of price variation in larger markets in the region was due to market price shocks, while variation in the smaller markets originated from the larger markets. Weekly adjustments and the convergence of prices on a long-run equilibrium after experiencing shocks were also observed. Price transmission was also evident between markets operating along different trading routes. However, markets located close to production catchments exhibited lower price trends, despite being connected. These results suggest a strong influence of the recent infrastructural investments on price transmission between markets in the region. The findings imply that more investments would enhance the competitive trading environment and reduce unidirectional price transmission.</p