1,211 research outputs found
The Southeast U.S.A. Shrimp Industry: Issues Related to Trade and Antidumping Duties
On December 31, 2003 a coalition representing Southeast U.S.A. shrimp harvesters and processors filed a petition with the U.S. International Trade Administration and the U.S. International Trade Commission seeking relief in the form of antidumping duties from what the coalition perceived as unfair trade practices by six countries—China, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Ecuador, and Brazil. After an exhaustive investigation, an affirmative finding of dumping and injury was found, and duties were imposed on subject merchandise from these six countries. This study examines the factors that led to the petition being filed, the investigation process, and the outcome associated with the imposition of antidumping duties. Overall, the study concludes that while the duties resulted in a limited amount of trade deflection, particularly among those countries assessed with higher duties, much of the protective effect that might have been forthcoming from restricting imports from the six named countries was eroded by trade diversion to countries not included in the petition.Antidumping duties, shrimp, trade, United States of America, Environmental Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade, F13, Q17,
Analysis of United States and European Union Import Demand for Shrimp
Based on 1990-2004 quarterly data, U.S. and E.U. demand for imported shrimp by alternative supply sources was examined within an Almost Ideal Demand System framework. For the United States, supply sources included Central America, South America, and Asia. Supply sources for the European Union included Asia, South America, and Rest of World. All own-price elasticities for the U.S. system were found to be elastic while all own-price elasticities associated with the E.U. system were found to be inelastic. With few notable exceptions, estimated cross-price elasticities suggest substitution among import sources. Finally, shrimp of Asian origin were found to be highly expenditure elastic in the US market while shrimp of South American origin were found to be the same in the European market.Demand and Price Analysis,
Delays in Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation Among HIV-Positive Individuals: Results of the Positive Living with HIV Study
Background: Lack of early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains a major health concern due to increased risk of premature mortality and further HIV transmission. This study explored CD4+ cell count monitoring in relation to delays in ART initiation among HIV-positive individuals in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, where ART coverage was only 23.7% in 2011.
Design: We recruited a total of 87 ART-naĂŻve, HIV-positive individuals aged 18 to 60 years through the networks of five non-government organizations working with HIV-positive individuals. We collected data on the history of ART initiation, CD4+ cell count monitoring, socio-demographic variables, perceived family support (measured with 10-item Nepali Family Support and Difficulty Scale), depression, and HIV symptom burden. Correlates of ART eligibility were examined using multivariable logistic regression analysis.
Results: A total of 72 of the 87 ART-naĂŻve participants (82.8%) had monitored their CD4+ cell count in the past 6 months. Of these, 36 (50%) participants were eligible for ART initiation with CD4+ cell count /mm3. A total of 12 participants had CD4+ cell count /mm3. Lower level of perceived family support was associated with 6.05-fold higher odds (95% confidence interval =1.95 to 18.73) of being ART eligible with a CD4+ cell count /mm3.
Conclusions: High rate of delays in ART initiation and the strong association of low perceived family support with ART eligibility in our study participants suggest that HIV service providers should consider the role and impact of family support in influencing individual decisions to initiate ART among eligible HIV-positive individuals
Low chilling trait of Vitis ficifolia var. Ganebu and its introduction into Vitis vinifera by cross breeding
Research Note
Sensors and Systems for Monitoring Mental Fatigue: A systematic review
Mental fatigue is a leading cause of motor vehicle accidents, medical errors,
loss of workplace productivity, and student disengagements in e-learning
environment. Development of sensors and systems that can reliably track mental
fatigue can prevent accidents, reduce errors, and help increase workplace
productivity. This review provides a critical summary of theoretical models of
mental fatigue, a description of key enabling sensor technologies, and a
systematic review of recent studies using biosensor-based systems for tracking
mental fatigue in humans. We conducted a systematic search and review of recent
literature which focused on detection and tracking of mental fatigue in humans.
The search yielded 57 studies (N=1082), majority of which used
electroencephalography (EEG) based sensors for tracking mental fatigue. We
found that EEG-based sensors can provide a moderate to good sensitivity for
fatigue detection. Notably, we found no incremental benefit of using
high-density EEG sensors for application in mental fatigue detection. Given the
findings, we provide a critical discussion on the integration of wearable EEG
and ambient sensors in the context of achieving real-world monitoring. Future
work required to advance and adapt the technologies toward widespread
deployment of wearable sensors and systems for fatigue monitoring in
semi-autonomous and autonomous industries is examined.Comment: 19 Pages, 3 Figure
Quantum efficiency of a microwave photon detector based on a current-biased Josephson junction
We analyze the quantum efficiency of a microwave photon detector based on a
current-biased Josephson junction. We consider the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian
to describe coupling between the photon field and the junction. We then take
into account coupling of the junction and the resonator to the environment. We
solve the equation of motion of the density matrix of the resonator-junction
system to compute the quantum efficiency of the detector as a function of
detection time, bias current, and energy relaxation time. Our results indicate
that junctions with modest coherence properties can provide efficient detection
of single microwave photons, with quantum efficiency in excess of 80%.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, PRB accepted versio
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