Environmental change and household livelihood strategies: preliminary observations from field work in different locations

ABSTRACT The theoretical framework and objectives of a study of environmental change and evolving household livelihood strategies, which will include field work in Central Java, are outlined. Preliminary results of previous, related field work in Luzon (Philippines) and highland Ecuador (South America) are reported. Two changes that seem of importance in both areas so far studied are the increasing importance of commercial farming in central locations (near to village centres) and the decreasing intensity of use of land on the periphery of rural communities. Preliminary observations in Central Java suggest that household livelihood strategies are more diversified than in either case study area in Luzon or Ecuador and that such diversification has increased through time. The relative importance of farming and the use of natural resources does not seem to have diminished. key word: environment, farmin

Ten milliparsec-scale structure of the nucleus region in Centaurus A

We present the results of a VLBI Space Observatory Programme (VSOP) observation of the subparsec structure in Centaurus A at 4.9 GHz. Owing to its proximity, our Centaurus A space-VLBI image is one of the highest spatial resolution images of an AGN ever made -- 0.01 pc per beam. The elongated core region is resolved into several components over 10 milli-arcseconds long (0.2 pc) including a compact component of brightness temperature 2.2x10^10K. We analyze the jet geometry in terms of collimation. Assuming the strongest component to be the core, the jet opening angle at ~ 5,000 r_s (Schwarzchild radii) from the core is estimated to be ~ 12 degree, with collimation of the jet to ~ 3 degree continuing out to ~ 20,000 r_s. This result is consistent with previous studies of the jet in M87, which favor MHD disk outflow models. Future space VLBI observations at higher frequencies will probably be able to image the collimation region, within 1,000 r_s of the center of Centaurus A, together with the accretion disk itself.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in PASJ, Vol.57 No.6, VSOP special issu

EGG PRICES REVISITED

Recent egg price quotes are evaluated in a vector autoregression. The results indicate that empirical relationships observed over the period 1975-1976 differ from those observed over the period 1979-1982.Demand and Price Analysis,

The Dynamics of State University Participation in State Medicaid Administration

It is not uncommon for state university faculty to participate as part-time consultants in the administration of state Medicaid programs. However, rarely do state universities participate institutionally as public agencies in the administration of state Medicaid programs since the propriety, value and parameters of these engagements are usually not recognized. Even in states where they flourish, collaborations between state universities and state Medicaid agencies are not well understood and suggest to some people an unlikely confluence of two worlds. The missions of state universities and state Medicaid programs differ, their institutional cultures differ, and their protocols differ. In all states, state universities are considered apart from other state agencies, sometimes to the point of not being thought of as state agencies at all. Yet, the appropriateness and benefits of state universities engaging in Medicaid administration have been well established by state universities and the state Medicaid programs that have worked together. In light of the challenges facing state Medicaid programs and what state universities can do for these programs, state universities contributing to Medicaid administration should be more recognized and more common. Explanation and examples follow. Rounding out this discussion will be depictions of collaborations in three states: Maryland, Massachusetts and Ohio. Maryland’s initiative spotlights analytic, program development and program evaluation services; Massachusetts’ features clinical expertise; and, Ohio’s dwells on workforce development. In all three states, the state university partner does far more for Medicaid than is covered here, but these examples suggest the breadth of what state universities can do

The identification of markers of macrophage differentiation in PMA-stimulated THP-1 Cells and monocyte-derived macrophages

Differentiated macrophages are the resident tissue phagocytes and sentinel cells of the innate immune response. The phenotype of mature tissue macrophages represents the composite of environmental and differentiation-dependent imprinting. Phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3) are stimuli commonly used to induce macrophage differentiation in monocytic cell lines but the extent of differentiation in comparison to primary tissue macrophages is unclear. We have compared the phenotype of the promonocytic THP-1 cell line after various protocols of differentiation utilising VD3 and PMA in comparison to primary human monocytes or monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM). Both stimuli induced changes in cell morphology indicative of differentiation but neither showed differentiation comparable to MDM. In contrast, PMA treatment followed by 5 days resting in culture without PMA (PMAr) increased cytoplasmic to nuclear ratio, increased mitochondrial and lysosomal numbers and altered differentiation-dependent cell surface markers in a pattern similar to MDM. Moreover, PMAr cells showed relative resistance to apoptotic stimuli and maintained levels of the differentiation-dependent anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 similar to MDM. PMAr cells retained a high phagocytic capacity for latex beads, and expressed a cytokine profile that resembled MDM in response to TLR ligands, in particular with marked TLR2 responses. Moreover, both MDM and PMAr retained marked plasticity to stimulus-directed polarization. These findings suggest a modified PMA differentiation protocol can enhance macrophage differentiation of THP-1 cells and identify increased numbers of mitochondria and lysosomes, resistance to apoptosis and the potency of TLR2 responses as important discriminators of the level of macrophage differentiation for transformed cells