Opportunities and constraints for improved vegetable production technology in tropical Asia

A description of the characteristics of vegetable production in tropical Asia is presented. The description is followed by a discussion of the opportunities and constraints of improved non-seed vegetable production technologies. Sowing of seeds and seedling emergence, transplant production, irrigation, mulching, fertiliser use, crop protection and weed control methods, protected cultivation and harvest date planning are discussed in relation to their use and impact. Conditions for successful introduction of new technologies and the role of outside actors are discussed. It is argued that in order to increase the success of adoption of improved technologies, farmers and public and private institutions should work together. With increasing prosperity, the demand for vegetables, especially in the expanding urban areas, will increase, leading to the intensification of production and higher profitability. With better profitability, the application of mulch, drip irrigation, fertigation and protected cultivation will become more common. With increasing production, harvest date planning as related to year-round city market demand, will become essential to improve profitability. It is recommended that, next to the development and introduction of improved production technologies, research and extension on vegetables in tropical Asia, should also focus on methods to improve harvest date planning and year-round suppl

Een dynamische survivaltocht

Ontwikkelen en toepassen van statistische modellen ten behoeve van medisch weten schappelijk onderzoe

Onderzoek naar cavity spot in peen

De proef werd in de kas te Lelystad uitgevoerd. Hiervoor werd eerst uit drie regio’s grond van verschillende percelen verzameld. Vervolgens werd hierin peen gezaaid en onder vochtige omstandigheden opgekweekt. Wanneer de peen redelijk van formaat was werd per pot aantal peen met cavity spot vastgesteld en werd getracht uit de symptomen de ziekteverwekker te isoleren en te determineren

Witlof in MA-verpakking leidt tot verbluffende resultaten

In 1997 werd door het PAV al aangetoond dat het verpakken van witlof in zogenaamde foliezakken leidt tot een beter kwaliteitsbehoud. In 1998 zijn verdere proeven gedaan met de foliezakken die in 1997 de beste resultaten gaven. Ook is de invloed van de temperatuur op de kwaliteit van het lof tijdens bewaring onderzoch

Non-parametric estimation of transition probabilities in non-Markov multi-state models: The landmark Aalen-Johansen estimator

Development and application of statistical models for medical scientific researc

Understanding Landmarking and Its Relation with Time-Dependent Cox Regression

Development and application of statistical models for medical scientific researc

Hollow stem in cauliflower

The occurrence of, sometimes large, cavities in the stem of cauliflower formed a serious quality problem for Dutch cauliflower growers in recent years. The cause of the problem under the local conditions was not clear. In field experiments, the application of boron and variation in the growth rate of the crop, were studied for effects on the occurrence and degree of seriousness of hollow stem. Broadcast application of boron at 1 and 2 kg per hectare at planting had no effect on the percentage of affected plants nor on the length of the cavities. There was no causal relation between the boron content of the stem at harvest and the occurrence or the length of the cavities. However, a positive relation between the average growth rate of the stem and the percentage of affected plants was observe

Patient expectations of sexual activity after total hip arthroplasty:A prospective multicenter cohort study

Background:  This study aimed to evaluate patients’ expectations of postoperative sexual activity (SA) after total hip arthroplasty. Methods:  A prospective multicenter cohort study of 1,271 patients managed with total hip arthroplasty was performed using patient-reported outcome measures of the Longitudinal Leiden Orthopaedics Outcomes of Osteo-Arthritis Study (LOAS). Preoperative SA expectations and their fulfillment after 1 year were assessed with the Hospital for Special Surgery expectations survey. The Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) was used to measure functional status, and the Short Form-12 Mental and Physical Component Summary scores (SF-12 MCS and SF-12 PCS) and EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire were used to measure health status. Two subgroups were defined preoperatively: the SA-Expecting Group and the No-SA-Expecting Group. The postoperative outcomes with regard to SA (i.e., the difference between postoperative and preoperative SA scores) were classified as “unfulfilled” (score, ≤−1), “fulfilled” (score, 0), or “exceeded” (score, ≥1). Multivariate regression analyses were used, with t tests to compare means between groups.Results: In total, 952 (74.9%) patients returned both preoperative and postoperative HSS questionnaires. Preoperatively, 605 patients (63.6%) expected to have postoperative SA. At 1 year, 43.5% of participants reported that this expectation was unfulfilled. In the No-SA-Expecting Group, 18.2% (63 of 347) regained SA, predominantly men. Postoperative SA fulfillment was related to preoperative musculoskeletal (p = 0.001) and non-musculoskeletal comorbidities (p = 0.004) and the postoperative HOOS, SF-12 PCS, SF-12 MCS, EQ-5D, and EQ-5D visual analog scale (VAS) scores (p < 0.001). Postoperative HOOS-symptoms (odds ratio [OR] 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 1.06; p < 0.001), and HOOS-sport (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.03; p = 0.032) were associated with postoperative SA fulfillment, as was older age (inversely; e.g., ≥76 years compared with ≤60 years: OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.62; p = 0.002). Correspondingly, for the No-SA-Expecting Group, higher age was also inversely associated with regaining postoperative SA (e.g., ≥76 years: OR, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.21; p < 0.001). Conclusions:  Of the patients who expected to be sexually active after surgery, 43.5% perceived this expectation to be unfulfilled; 24.3% were still sexually inactive despite most having expected a return to normal SA. Approximately one-fifth of patients who did not expect postoperative SA in fact regained SA. During preoperative consultations, surgeons should pay attention to expectation management surrounding SA