Do health investments improve agricultural productivity?

Determining the causality between health measures and both income and labor productivity remains an ongoing challenge for economists. This review paper aims to answer the question: Does improved population health lead to higher rates of agricultural growth? In attempting to answer this question, we survey the empirical literature at micro and macro levels concerning the link between health investments and agricultural productivity. The evidence from some micro-level studies suggests that inexpensive health interventions can have a very large impact on labor productivity. The macro-level evidence at the country and global level, however, is mixed at best and in some cases suggests that health care interventions have no impact on income, much less on agricultural productivity. At both micro and macro levels, the literature does not provide a clear-cut answer to the question under investigation. Overall, the review reveals a great deal of heterogeneity in terms of estimation methods, definition and measurement of health variables, choice of economic outcomes, single-equation versus multiple-equation approach, and static versus dynamic approach. The actual magnitude of estimated elasticities is difficult to assess in part due to estimation bias caused by the endogeneity of health outcomes. We also found significant gaps in the literature; for example, very little attention is given to demand for health inputs by rural populations and farmers.Agriculture, Growth, health, Investment, Nutrition, productivity,

Famine Early Warning Systems and Their Use of Satellite Remote Sensing Data

Famine early warning organizations have experience that has much to contribute to efforts to incorporate climate and weather information into economic and political systems. Food security crises are now caused almost exclusively by problems of food access, not absolute food availability, but the role of monitoring agricultural production both locally and globally remains central. The price of food important to the understanding of food security in any region, but it needs to be understood in the context of local production. Thus remote sensing is still at the center of much food security analysis, along with an examination of markets, trade and economic policies during food security analyses. Technology including satellite remote sensing, earth science models, databases of food production and yield, and modem telecommunication systems contributed to improved food production information. Here we present an econometric approach focused on bringing together satellite remote sensing and market analysis into food security assessment in the context of early warning

Cost-effective use of liquid nitrogen in cryogenic wind tunnels, phase 2

Cryogenic seal tests were performed and Rulon A was selected for the subject nutating positive displacement expander. A four-chamber expander was designed and fabricated. A nitrogen reliquefier flow system was also designed and constructed for testing the cold expander. Initial tests were unsatisfactory because of high internal friction attributed to nutating Rulon inlet and outlet valve plates. Replacement of the nutating valves with cam-actuated poppet valves improved performance. However, no net nitrogen reliquefaction was achieved due to high internal friction. Computer software was developed for accurate calculation of nitrogen reliquefaction from a system such as that proposed. These calculations indicated that practical reliquefaction rates of 15 to 19 percent could be obtained. Due to mechanical problems, the nutating expander did not demonstrate its feasibility nor that of the system. It was concluded that redesign and testing of a smaller nutating expander was required to prove concept feasibility

Radiative transport analysis of electromagnetic propagation in isotropic plasma turbulence

The problem of electromagnetic wave propagation in a turbulent plasma is formulated in terms of the radiative transport equation. A singular eigenfunction solution is obtained for the case of isotropic plasma turbulence, and detailed numerical calculations are presented. The intensity distribution is studied as a function of the turbulent spectrum and relative strength of scattering attenuation to total attenuation. For a highly forward peaked scattering law characteristic of many physical situations it is found that the reflected backscatter intensity is relatively insensitive to the angle of incidence, except as grazing incidence is approached. The importance of multiple scatter is studied as a function of the properties of the medium

Drinking Buddies and Their Prospective Influence on Alcohol Outcomes: Alcohol Expectancies as a Mediator

The process by which peers or the social network influence individual alcohol use, particularly among adults, remains a necessary area of research. The purpose of the present study was to examine the longitudinal influence of drinking buddies on alcohol outcomes (i.e., alcohol use, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related problems) as mediated by alcohol expectancies of social facilitation. Participants were 1347 (men = 660, women = 687) newly married individuals recruited from the community. They were assessed at the time of marriage and through the fourth wedding anniversary. Longitudinal mediation across time was evaluated using latent growth modeling. Overall, the prospective association between the number of drinking buddies in the social network and all three alcohol outcomes was mediated by alcohol expectancies. In testing group invariance across gender, findings suggest that social-facilitation expectancies may be more relevant to men than women in predicting typical alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Given that the social network may impact alcohol use at least in part through social expectancies, tailoring alcohol interventions to modify these specific beliefs may be particularly beneficial. In addition, strategies that target drinkers\u27 social networks or their drinking buddies specifically may be useful

Derivation of a frailty index from the interRAI acute care instrument

Background: A better understanding of the health status of older inpatients could underpin the delivery of more individualised, appropriate health care