Agricultural Risk Management in the European Union and in the USA

Risk management has become increasingly important in virtually all aspects of the economy, including agriculture. Every country that considers agriculture a strategically important economic sector strives for effective risk management in agriculture. In our study American and European Union farmers’ risk management practices were, based on various surveys, compared. In terms of agricultural risk management, major differences between the USA and the EU were evident, and these derive from different farming cultures, differences in historical evolution, and economic philosophy. This study provides an overview regarding the important similarities and dissimilarities.agriculture, risk management, risk perception, EU, USA, surveys., Farm Management, Risk and Uncertainty,

FARMERS’ RISK PERCEPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON

The local, regional and global economic and natural phenomena of previous decades collectively emphasize the growing importance of risk factors affecting agricultural production both directly and indirectly. Agricultural producers should not restrict their risk management strategies to offset and relieve the problems caused by climatic and natural phenomena, but the knowledge of up-to-date professional, market, and agricultural policy developments is more and more an indispensable condition of successful farming. Besides what mentioned above, it is at least equally important to answer the question of how farmers perceive the importance of risk factors surrounding their activities, as it strongly influences the shaping of their risk management strategies. The responsibility of professional organizations and policy makers is easily shapeable in this sense because they may play an important role in the orientation and education of farmers, thus making it possible that farmers judge the importance of risk factors properly so they may work out adequate risk management strategies. The European Union has long been aware of the importance of the topic and makes great efforts to investigate the possibilities of an EU level risk management system. The “Design and economic impact of risk management tools for European agriculture” research project1 conducted under the aegis of the Sixth Framework Programme fits that objective. Within the project the authors of this paper explored the risk perception and applied risk management strategies of farmers in selected EU Member States.risk perception, risk management, international comparison, Farm Management, Risk and Uncertainty,

Research-Practice-Policy Partnerships for Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Child Welfare and Child Mental Health

Partnerships between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers represent a promising avenue for improving outcomes for young people and families.In a new report, Lawrence Palinkas, Cherry Short, and Marleen Wong of the University of Southern California's School of Social Work suggest that research-practice-policy partnerships may help narrow the gap between the development of evidence-based services for young people in the child welfare and mental health systems and the routine delivery of these services.Describing the structure and operations of partnerships, and the potential challenges to making them work, Palinkas and colleagues present three models of successful partnerships in the child welfare and mental health systems. Case studies for each model provide rich examples of the common elements and central themes that characterize the value of partnerships as a strategy for delivering high quality services in high demand settings

Mineralogy of pegmatite with giant epidote crystals, near Chanishte, Macedonia

Giant epidote crystals up to 2m long have a formula and unit cell parameters.Epidote is in association with albite, microc1ine (amazonite variety), muscovite, garnet, titanite and zircon. Crystallization temperature is estimated to be about 400°C on the basis of two feldspars thermometer

Influence network linkages across implementation strategy conditions in a randomized controlled trial of two strategies for scaling up evidence-based practices in public youth-serving systems.

BackgroundGiven the importance of influence networks in the implementation of evidence-based practices and interventions, it is unclear whether such networks continue to operate as sources of information and advice when they are segmented and disrupted by randomization to different implementation strategy conditions. The present study examines the linkages across implementation strategy conditions of social influence networks of leaders of youth-serving systems in 12 California counties participating in a randomized controlled trial of community development teams (CDTs) to scale up use of an evidence-based practice.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 directors, assistant directors, and program managers of county probation, mental health, and child welfare departments. A web-based survey collected additional quantitative data on information and advice networks of study participants. A mixed-methods approach to data analysis was used to create a sociometric data set (n = 176) to examine linkages between treatment and standard conditions.ResultsOf those network members who were affiliated with a county (n = 137), only 6 (4.4%) were directly connected to a member of the opposite implementation strategy condition; 19 (13.9%) were connected by two steps or fewer to a member of the opposite implementation strategy condition; 64 (46.7%) were connected by three or fewer steps to a member of the opposite implementation strategy condition. Most of the indirect steps between individuals who were in different implementation strategy conditions were connections involving a third non-county organizational entity that had an important role in the trial in keeping the implementation strategy conditions separate. When these entities were excluded, the CDT network exhibited fewer components and significantly higher betweenness centralization than did the standard condition network.ConclusionAlthough the integrity of the RCT in this instance was not compromised by study participant influence networks, RCT designs should consider how influence networks may extend beyond boundaries established by the randomization process in implementation studies.Trial registrationNCT00880126

The Role of Mineral Assemblages in the Environmental Impact of Cu-Sulfide Deposits: A Case Study from Norway

Metallic mineral deposits represent natural geochemical anomalies of economically valuable commodities but, at the same time, their weathering may have negative environmental implications. Cu-sulfide mineral deposits have been recognized as deposits with a particularly large environmental footprint. However, different Cu deposits may result in significantly different environmental impacts, mostly depending on weathering conditions, but also on geological characteristics (mineralogy, geochemistry, host-rock lithology) of the Cu mineralization. This study presents new mineral and geochemical data from the Repparfjord Tectonic Window sediment-hosted Cu deposits and the Caledonian volcanogenic massive sulfides (VMS) deposits. The deposits share similar mineral features, with chalcopyrite and bornite as the main ore minerals, but they differ according to their trace element composition, gangue mineralogy, and host lithology. The studied sedimenthosted Cu deposits are depleted in most toxic metals and metalloids like Zn, As, Cd, and Hg, whereas the Røros Caledonian VMS mineralization brings elevated concentrations of Zn, Cd, In, Bi, As, and Cd. The conducted leaching experiments were set to simulate on-land and submarine weathering conditions. A high redox potential was confirmed as the main driving force in the destabilization of Cu-sulfides. Galvanic reactions may also contribute to the destabilization of minerals with low rest potentials, like sphalerite and pyrrhotite, even under near-neutral or slightly alkaline conditions. In addition, the presence of carbonates under near-neutral to slightly alkaline conditions may increase the reactivity of Cu sulfides and mobilize Cu, most likely as CuCO3 (aq)

Qualitative study of loneliness in a senior housing community: the importance of wisdom and other coping strategies.

ObjectiveOlder adults are at a high risk for loneliness, which impacts their health, well-being, and longevity. While related to social isolation, loneliness is a distinct, internally experienced, distressing feeling. The present qualitative study sought to identify characteristics of loneliness in older adults living independently within a senior housing community, which is typically designed to reduce social isolation.MethodSemi-structured qualitative interviews regarding the experience of loneliness, risk factors, and ways to combat it were conducted with 30 older adults, ages 65-92 years. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and coded using a grounded theory analytic approach based on coding, consensus, co-occurrence, and comparison.ResultsThree main themes with multiple subthemes are described: (A) Risk and Protective factors for loneliness: age-associated losses, lack of social skills or abilities, and protective personality traits; (B) Experience of loneliness: Sadness and lack of meaning as well as Lack of motivation; and (C) Coping strategies to prevent or overcome loneliness: acceptance of aging, compassion, seeking companionship, and environment enables socialization.DiscussionDespite living within a communal setting designed to reduce social isolation, many older adults described feeling lonely in stark negative terms, attributing it to aging-associated losses or lack of social skills and abilities. However, interviewees also reported positive personal qualities and actions to prevent or cope with loneliness, several of which mirrored specific components of wisdom. The results support the reported inverse relationship between loneliness and wisdom and suggest a potential role for wisdom-enhancing interventions to reduce and prevent loneliness in older populations