Contract farming and the adoption of sustainable farm practices: Empirical evidence from cashew farmers in Ghana

Contract farming has been shown to increase agricultural productivity and thus welfare of farmers in developing countries. However, studies that look at the potential environmental effects of contract farming remain quite scanty. This is however crucial, since contract farming may contribute to intensification in cultivation of the contracted crops, in terms of area and the intensity of inputs used. This study investigates the impact of participation in contract farming on sustainable farm practices, using a marginal treatment effects (MTEs) approach to account for potential selection bias and heterogeneity across households. The empirical results show significant heterogeneity in the effects of contract farming on the intensity of sustainable farm practice use. In particular, farmers with high propensity to participate in contract farming tend to have low probabilities of using sustainable farm practices. The findings of this study not only provide new insights into the heterogeneous effects of contract farming, but also entry points for further research to address the dual challenge of agriculture to produce sufficient food, while reducing the adverse impact on the environment

Physical Activity and Sport Participation Among Adolescents from MENA

Physical activity is positively associated with short- and long-term mental and physical health effects. Adolescence represents a sensitive period of development and habit formation, during which the adoption of healthy behaviors such as physical activity is critical. A low level of physical activity is a key risk factor for the development of chronic diseases throughout the life course. Physical activity levels decline among adolescents with age, especially among girls. Encouraging physical activity early during childhood development and into adolescence may increase perceived self-efficacy and may enhance levels of physical activity later in life. Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have experienced many changes over the past two decades, including significant economic, sociodemographic, industrial, and political transformations, such as high levels of urbanization, loss of green space, and heavy reliance on vehicles for transportation. These changes along with other country-specific factors may present distinct constraints to physical activity among adolescents. This chapter focuses on the prevalence of physical activity and sport participation and their related constraints that adolescents experience in the MENA region. It presents a literature review on physical activity among adolescents in the MENA, followed by results of a brief study on the prevalence of sport participation among adolescents from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Results suggest that culturally appropriate community- and school-based interventions are required to improve overall physical activity levels of adolescents in MENA countries. Regionally, examinations and assessments of specific constraints are key to identify patterns of physical activity and sport participation and to formulate interventions that have the capacity to increase these sport participation levels. General recommendations that have the potential to increase adolescent physical activity and sport participation include increasing awareness and knowledge on the related benefits, providing adequate support and encouragement for adolescents from MENA in relation to physical activity and sport participation, as well as ensuring related opportunities are available within school programs

Natural history of \u3ci\u3eJaveta pallida\u3c/i\u3e Baly, 1858 on \u3ci\u3ePhoenix\u3c/i\u3e palms in India (Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae, Coelaenomenoderini)

Members of the Old World hispine tribe, Coelaenomenoderini, are documented on host plants of Are­caceae, Cyperaceae, and Zingiberales. A few species are renowned pests of oil palm, especially in Africa. The host plants and natural history of Javeta pallida Baly, 1858, the only Indian species of the tribe, is reported for the first time. These beetles can densely infest indigenous wild date palms, Phoenix sylvestris (L.) Roxb. (Arecaceae), and also use the introduced date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L., which is an expand­ing crop in India. Javeta females lay single eggs and cover each with an ootheca. All larval stages mine the leaves and pupation occurs within the larval mine. Adults are exophagous, leaving linear feeding trenches. Natural and induced infestations of J. pallida on these two palms were observed and the potential of J. pallida as a pest of date palm in India is discussed. Javeta pallida completed development on Phoenix palms in 52–88 days (mean 66.38 days) with egg period 11–15 days (mean 12.8 days), larval period 21–54 days (mean 33.02 days) and pupal period 17–23 days (mean 20.52 days). Elasmus longiventris Verma and Hayat and Pediobius imbreus Walker (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitize the larva and pupa of J. pallida

Neuropathic pain develops normally in mice lacking both Na(v)1.7 and Na(v)1.8

Two voltage gated sodium channel α-subunits, Na(v)1.7 and Na(v)1.8, are expressed at high levels in nociceptor terminals and have been implicated in the development of inflammatory pain. Mis-expression of voltage-gated sodium channels by damaged sensory neurons has also been implicated in the development of neuropathic pain, but the role of Na(v)1.7 and Na(v)1.8 is uncertain. Here we show that deleting Na(v)1.7 has no effect on the development of neuropathic pain. Double knockouts of both Na(v)1.7 and Na(v)1.8 also develop normal levels of neuropathic pain, despite a lack of inflammatory pain symptoms and altered mechanical and thermal acute pain thresholds. These studies demonstrate that, in contrast to the highly significant role for Na(v)1.7 in determining inflammatory pain thresholds, the development of neuropathic pain does not require the presence of either Na(v)1.7 or Na(v)1.8 alone or in combination

Effects of Smoking on Outcomes of Thyroid Eye Disease Treated with Teprotumumab: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction. Smoking has been demonstrated to worsen the disease process and conventional treatment outcomes of thyroid eye disease. However, the effects of smoking on outcomes of thyroid eye disease treated with the novel therapeutic teprotumumab are currently unknown. Our study compares response to teprotumumab treatment between smokers and non-smokers with thyroid eye disease.   Methods. We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study. Inclusion criteria were patients diagnosed with thyroid eye disease who had started or completed therapy with teprotumumab at the time of our data collection. Main outcome measures included reduction in clinical activity score, diplopia, and proptosis. Results. We found that all smokers had type 2 thyroid eye disease prior to treatment and demonstrated less improvement in diplopia, proptosis, and overall clinical activity score compared to non-smokers with thyroid eye disease. There was no significant difference between smokers and non-smokers in baseline variables (sex, TSH, T4, T3, number of infusions completed). Data analysis revealed statistically significant difference in proptosis reduction between non-smokers and smokers. Conclusions. Smoking is a modifiable risk factor which portends a worse response to treatment of thyroid eye disease with teprotumumab