MARKET-BASED LAND REFORM AND FARM EFFICIENCY IN COLOMBIA: A DEA APPROACH

This paper uses Data Envelopment Analysis to measure scale and technical efficiencies of 925 farms in rural Colombia and a Tobit model to identify the effects of land market characteristics on efficiency. Findings indicate that although larger farms are more scale efficient, they are not more technical efficient than small farms. Participation in land markets increases technical efficiency, indicating a positive potential role for market-based land reform. Further results show that intensity of violence in rural areas results in increased scale efficiency, allegedly through consolidation of land ownership.Industrial Organization, Productivity Analysis,

Comparing land reform and land markets in colombia: impacts on equity and efficiency

Based on a large survey to compare the effectiveness of land markets and land reform in Colombia, the authors find that rental and sales markets were more effective in transferring land to poor but productive producers than was administrative land reform. The fact that land transactions were all of a short-term nature and that little land was transferred from very large to small land owners or the landless suggests that there may be scope for policies both to improve the functioning of land markets and to facilitate greater land access by the most disadvantaged. Analysis of the factors associated with success in a sample of land transfers from large to small producers helps to identify key elements for policies in both respects.Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies,Municipal Housing and Land,Land Use and Policies,Agribusiness&Markets,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Rural Land Policies for Poverty Reduction,Land Use and Policies,Agribusiness&Markets

Searching for wisdom through art

Wisdom is virtue humanity has sought since the beginning of its creation. Humanity will continue to search for wisdom throughout their lives. The book of Proverbs is a collection of ample advice and words of wisdom for those who seek it. It is a book that can be followed throughout our lives. My artwork is a collection of offerings inspired by the proverbs of Solomon. They are created to open up the minds of those who seek wisdom, it offers a visual interpretation of moral value that many time become lost in society

Post-Processing Precise Point Positioning Solutions with Parameter Optimization

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique can offer position solutions with centimeter-level accuracy by fusing precise satellite orbits and clocks with un-differenced, dual-frequency, pseudo-range, and carrier-phase observables. PPP presents a compelling alternative to Differential Global Positioning Systems, with the benefit that it only requires a single receiver and does not require simultaneous observations from many stations, making it appealing for ongoing research on hydro-graphic survey applications. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been working on a buoy system tracked with a Global Positioning Systems receiver and Inertial Measurement Unit sensor using the PPP technique. In the interest of obtaining accurate measurements, this data is post-processed using a software package for position navigation with tight Inertial Navigation System capabilities developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this is GNSS Inferred Positioning Systems (GIPSYx). GIPSYx Software allows finely controllable user inputs for selectable models and configurations. This flexibility allows fitting the right models for different data sources but requires a tuning process to find suitable configurations. A processing strategy for buoy data with GIPSYx positioning software is described and a method to assess solutions to automatically optimize the process of finding these manually tuned model parameters is provided. Other data sources are considered to generalize this method and prove the concept of optimizing positioning software configurations from output solution evaluation using black-box optimization

Neural Connectivity with Hidden Gaussian Graphical State-Model

The noninvasive procedures for neural connectivity are under questioning. Theoretical models sustain that the electromagnetic field registered at external sensors is elicited by currents at neural space. Nevertheless, what we observe at the sensor space is a superposition of projected fields, from the whole gray-matter. This is the reason for a major pitfall of noninvasive Electrophysiology methods: distorted reconstruction of neural activity and its connectivity or leakage. It has been proven that current methods produce incorrect connectomes. Somewhat related to the incorrect connectivity modelling, they disregard either Systems Theory and Bayesian Information Theory. We introduce a new formalism that attains for it, Hidden Gaussian Graphical State-Model (HIGGS). A neural Gaussian Graphical Model (GGM) hidden by the observation equation of Magneto-encephalographic (MEEG) signals. HIGGS is equivalent to a frequency domain Linear State Space Model (LSSM) but with sparse connectivity prior. The mathematical contribution here is the theory for high-dimensional and frequency-domain HIGGS solvers. We demonstrate that HIGGS can attenuate the leakage effect in the most critical case: the distortion EEG signal due to head volume conduction heterogeneities. Its application in EEG is illustrated with retrieved connectivity patterns from human Steady State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEP). We provide for the first time confirmatory evidence for noninvasive procedures of neural connectivity: concurrent EEG and Electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings on monkey. Open source packages are freely available online, to reproduce the results presented in this paper and to analyze external MEEG databases

Factors Influencing Trust-Supporting Mechanisms in European Agri-Food Chains

The role of trust in eight selected agri-food chains in four EU countries is explored. The empirical analysis is based on a qualitative assessment of 28 expert interviews conducted in summer/autumn 2005. The findings suggest that trust is more pronounced among SMEs which are characterised by the existence of personal relationships between business partners. However, as is clear for pork breeders, if a source of distrust exists, trust may not fully develop. Also, if the general economic situation is difficult, the development of trust may be hampered, because all chain participants are struggling to command a share of a diminishing margin within the chain. Finally, if economic power is distributed unevenly, as is the case in Germany, Ireland, Spain and the UK where retailers dominate most chains, trust towards the more powerful may be limited.trust, economic relationships, EU, agri-food chains, Agribusiness,

Mitochondrial acyltransferases and glycerophospholipid metabolism

Our understanding of the synthesis and remodeling of mitochondrial phospholipids remains incomplete. Two isoforms of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT1 and 2) and two isoforms of acylglycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (AGPAT4 and 5) are located on the outer mitochondrial membrane, suggesting that both lysophosphatidic acid and phosphatidic acid are synthesized in situ for de novo glycerolipid biosynthesis. However, it is believed that the phosphatidic acid substrate for cardiolipin and phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis is produced at the endoplasmic reticulum whereas the phosphatidic acid synthesized in the mitochondria must be transferred to the endoplasmic reticulum before it undergoes additional steps to form the mature phospholipids that are trafficked back to the mitochondria. It is unclear whether mitochondrial phospholipids are remodeled by mitochondrial acyltransferases or whether lysophospholipids must return to the endoplasmic reticulum or to the mitochondrial associated membrane for reesterification. In this review we will focus on the few glycerolipid acyltransferases that are known to be mitochondrial. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Lipids of Mitochondria edited by Guenther Daum