DISCUSSION: REGIONAL MARKETS FOR FOOD AND INTERREGIONAL COMPETITION: IMPLICATION FOR SOUTHERN AGRICULTURE

Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC CHANGES: IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. AGRICULTURE

Public Economics,

ECONOMIC FORCES INFLUENCING VALUE-ADDED FOOD INDUSTRIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOUTHERN AGRICULTURE: DISCUSSION

Agribusiness,

Interest and barriers to research in obstetric haematology – findings from a national survey in the United Kingdom

Introduction: In 2021, the steering committee members of British Society of Haematology Obstetric Haematology Special Interest Group noted difficulties in opening research studies. This led to the development of a survey to further evaluate this issue. Method: An electronic survey was distributed to all members of the British Society of Haematology Obstetric Haematology Special Interest Group and to relevant specialty leads of the National Institute for Health and Care Research Clinical Research Network for further dissemination within these networks. Results: Responses were received from 65 participants (73% consultant grade); mainly haematologists (52%) or obstetricians (39%). Less than a third of participants reported dedicated time for research in their job plan, with only five participants reporting no challenges in opening research studies in obstetric haematology. Discussion: The survey confirmed significant interest in obstetric haematology research, with barriers to participation. We propose further actions to facilitate increased research

Soft-bottom fishes and spatial protection: findings from a temperate marine protected area

Numerous studies over the last decades have focused on marine protected areas (MPAs) and their effects on fish communities. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding how species that live associated with soft-substrates (e.g., sand, mud) respond to spatial protection. We analyzed abundance, biomass and total lengths of the soft-bottom fishes in a multiple-use MPA in the north-eastern Atlantic, the Luiz Saldanha Marine Park (Portugal), during and after the implementation of its management plan. Data were collected by experimental fishing in areas with three different levels of protection, during the implementation period and for three years after full implementation of the MPA. Univariate analysis detected significant biomass increases between the two periods. Fish assemblages were mainly structured by depth and substrate, followed by protection level. Community composition analyses revealed significant differences between protection levels and between the two periods. Species exhibited a broad variation in their response to protection, and we hypothesize that factors such as species habitat preferences, body size and late maturity might be underlying determinants. Overall, this study provides some evidence of protection effectiveness in soft-bottom fish communities, supported by the significant increase in biomass in the protected areas and the positive trends of some species.project LIFE-BIOMARES [LIFE06 NAT/P/000192]; project BUFFER (ERA-Net BiodivERsA); company SECIL-Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento S.A.; FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology [CCMAR/Multi/04326/2013, SFRH/BD/80771/2011]; Foundation for Science and Technology [SFRH/BD/80771/2011]; 2012 Sesimbra Scientific Priz

Alcoholism and animals

Studies in animals of alcohol-associated phenomena have begun to yield data which may provide a better understanding of human alcoholism. Four such phenomena, tolerance, dependence, hepatic damage and self-intoxication, have been demonstrated in both animals and man. The relationships among these phenomena, however, have not yet been determined in either human or nonhuman species. Tolerance to and physical dependence on alcohol have been clearly demonstrated in a number of animal species. The behavioral, physiological and biochemical correlates of tolerance and dependence are of considerable contemporary experimental interest. In particular, animal models of alcohol withdrawal signs will yield excellent preparations for the study of the management of problems associated with ethanol withdrawal in man. Chronic liver damage, a problem often associated with alcoholism, has been demonstrated in animals; however, it remains unclear whether the conditions necessary for its production are equivalent in animals and man. Through an approach based on operant conditioning, behavioral phenomena associated with ethanol-reinforced self-intoxication are being elucidated in animals and man. These findings provide a descriptive framework which could lead to a delimitation of the important variables that control ethanol intoxication in both animals and man; hence, new avenues for treatment and prevention of human alcoholism may be elaborated.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/22395/1/0000845.pd

Measuring persistent and transient energy efficiency in the US

The promotion of US energy efficiency policy is seen as a very important activity. Generally, the level of energy efficiency of a country or state is approximated by energy intensity, commonly calculated as the ratio of energy use to GDP. However, energy intensity is not an accurate proxy for energy efficiency given that changes in energy intensity are a function of changes in several factors including the structure of the economy, climate, efficiency in the use of resources, behaviour and technical change. The aim of this paper is to measure persistent and transient energy efficiency for the whole economy of 49 states in the US using a stochastic frontier energy demand approach. A total US energy demand frontier function is estimated using panel data for 49 states over the period 1995 to 2009 using two panel data models: the Mundlak version of the random effects model (which estimates the persistent part of the energy efficiency) and the true random effects model (which estimates the transient part of the energy efficiency). The analysis confirms that energy intensity is not a good indicator of energy efficiency, whereas, by controlling for a range of economic and other factors, the measures of energy efficiency obtained via the approach adopted here are. Moreover, the estimates show that although for some states energy intensity might give a reasonable indication of a state’s relative energy efficiency, this is not the case for all states.ISSN:1570-646XISSN:1570-647

The impact of fishing-induced mortality on the evolution of alternative life-history tactics in brook charr

Although contemporary trends indicative of evolutionary change have been detected in the life-history traits of exploited populations, it is not known to what extent fishing influences the evolution of alternative life-history tactics in migratory species such as salmonids. Here, we build a model to predict the evolution of anadromy and residency in an exploited population of brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis. Our model allows for both phenotypic plasticity and genetic change in the age and size at migration by including migration reaction norms. Using this model, we predict that fishing of anadromous individuals over the course of 100 years causes evolution in the migration reaction norm, resulting in a decrease in average probabilities of migration with increasing harvest rate. Moreover, we show that differences in natural mortalities in freshwater greatly influence the magnitude and rate of evolutionary change. The fishing-induced changes in migration predicted by our model alter population abundances and reproductive output and should be accounted for in the sustainable management of salmonids

The role of gender in entrepreneur-investor relationships : A signaling theory approach

Author's accepted version (postprint).Available from 11/01/2018.This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Alsos, G. A. & Ljunggren, E. (2016). The role of gender in entrepreneur-investor relationships: A signaling theory approach. Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/etap.12226. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving (http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-820227.html).This study adopts a gender perspective to analyze funding decisions made by an investment fund that invests equity stakes in new ventures. Prior research has indicated that there is gender skewness in risk capital investments resulting from a combination of demand- and supply-side issues. We apply signaling theory to examine the interface between demand and supply to understand gender biases related to risk capital investments. In-depth analyses of decision documents from four investment cases show that gender plays a role in the signals that are communicated in the prefunding entrepreneur–investor relationship