Income and distance elasticities of values of travel time savings: New Swiss results

This paper presents the findings of a study looking into the valuation of travel time savings (VTTS) in Switzerland, across modes as well as across purpose groups. The study makes several departures from the usual practice in VTTS studies, with the main one being a direct representation of the income and distance elasticity of the VTTS measures. Here, important gains in model performance and significantly different results are obtained through this approach. Additionally, the analysis shows that the estimation of robust coefficients for congested car travel time is hampered by the low share of congested time in the overall travel time, and the use of an additional rate-of-congestion coefficient, in addition to a generic car travel time coefficient, is preferable. Finally, the analysis demonstrates that the population mean of the indicators calculated is quite different from the sample means and presents methods to calculate those, along with the associated variances. These variances are of great interest as they allow the generation of confidence intervals, which can be extremely useful in cost-benefit analyses

COVID-19-Induced Disruptions of School Feeding Services Exacerbate Food Insecurity in Nigeria

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated lockdown measures have disrupted educational and nutrition services globally. Understanding the overall and differential impacts of disruption of nutritional (school feeding) services is critical for designing effective post-COVID-19 recovery policies. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19-induced disruption of school feeding services on household food security in Nigeria. METHODS: We combined household-level, pre-COVID-19 in-person survey data with postpandemic phone survey data, along with local government area (LGA)–level information on access to school feeding services. We used a difference-in-difference approach and examined temporal trends in the food security of households with and without access to school feeding services. Of the sampled households, 83% live in LGAs with school feeding services. RESULTS: Households experienced an increase in food insecurity in the post-COVID-19 survey round. The share of households skipping a meal increased by 47 percentage points (95% CI: 44–50 percentage points). COVID-19-induced disruptions of school feeding services increased households' experiences of food insecurity, increasing the probability of skipping a meal by 9 percentage points (95% CI: 3–17 percentage points) and the likelihood of going without eating for a whole day by 3 percentage points (95% CI: 2–11 percentage points). Disruption of school feeding services is associated with a 0.2 SD (95% CI: 0.04–0.41 SD) increase in the food insecurity index. Households residing in states experiencing strict lockdown measures reported further deterioration in food insecurity. Single mothers and poorer households experienced relatively larger deteriorations in food security due to disruption of school feeding services. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that COVID-19-induced disruptions in educational and nutritional services have exacerbated households’ food insecurity in Nigeria. These findings can inform the designs of immediate and medium-term policy responses, including the designs of social protection policies and alternative programs to substitute nutritional services affected by the pandemic

A Comparative Analysis of Values-Based Leadership Theories: A Review and Future Research Agenda

This paper systematically reviews the literature on values-based leadership (VBL) theories by analyzing 161 studies published in different peer-review journals from 2000 to 2022. The study first identified the literature on VBL and found that terms “values-oriented, values-centered, or value-based” leadership are used interchangeably as a roof term for various theories focusing on the moral, authentic, principled, and ethical dimension of leadership. The literature on leadership offers different types of leadership theories that constitute VBL, but we focused on six leadership theories that are widely cited as forms of VBL and have a strong theoretical background. This was followed by a comparative analysis to identify the key theoretical components of each theory and how it relates with the other forms of VBL theories. Our results from the comparative analysis revealed that transformational leadership is a broader theory and many of the key dimensions of the other five VBL theories overlap with the essential theoretical components of transformational leadership which obviously raises a question on their distinctiveness as separate theory. Based on our literature review we offered a more comprehensive conceptual framework that can bring clarity to the concept. Finally, we presented a conclusion and forwarded an agenda for future research

Investigating optical path and differential pathlength factor in reflectance photoplethysmography for the assessment of perfusion

Photoplethysmography (PPG) is an optical noninvasive technique with the potential for assessing tissue perfusion. The relative time-change in the concentration of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin in the blood can be derived from DC part of the PPG signal. However, the absolute concentration cannot be determined due to the inadequate data on PPG optical paths. The optical path and differential pathlength factor (DPF) for PPG at red (660 nm) and infrared (880 nm) wavelengths were investigated using a heterogeneous Monte Carlo model of the human forearm. Using the simulated DPFs, the absolute time-change in concentrations were determined from PPG signals recorded from the same tissue site. Results were compared with three conditions of approximated DPFs. Results showed the variation of the optical-path and DPF with different wavelengths and source-detector separations. Approximations resulted in significant errors, for example, using NIRS DPF in PPG led to "cross talk" of -0.4297 and 0.060 and an error of 15.16% to 25.18%. Results confirmed the feasibility of using the PPG (DC) for the assessment of tissue perfusion. The study also identified the inappropriateness of the assumption that DPF is independent of wavelength or source-detector separations and set the platform for further studies on investigating optical pathlengths and DPF in PPG

Impact of repeated NeemAzal®-treated blood meals on the fitness of Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes

Background: Herbal remedies are widely used in many malaria endemic countries to treat patients, in particular in the absence of anti-malarial drugs and in some settings to prevent the disease. Herbal medicines may be specifically designed for prophylaxis and/or for blocking malaria transmission to benefit both, the individual consumer and the community at large. Neem represents a good candidate for this purpose due to its inhibitory effects on the parasite stages that cause the clinical manifestations of malaria and on those responsible for infection in the vector. Furthermore, neem secondary metabolites have been shown to interfere with various physiological processes in insect vectors. This study was undertaken to assess the impact of the standardised neem extract NeemAzal® on the fitness of the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi following repeated exposure to the product through consecutive blood meals on treated mice. Methods: Batches of An. stephensi mosquitoes were offered 5 consecutive blood meals on female BALB/c mice treated with NeemAzal® at an azadirachtin A concentration of 60, 105 or 150 mg/kg. The blood feeding capacity was estimated by measuring the haematin content of the rectal fluid excreted by the mosquitoes during feeding. The number of eggs laid was estimated by image analysis and their hatchability assessed by direct observations. Results: A dose and frequency dependent impact of NeemAzal® treatment on the mosquito feeding capacity, oviposition and egg hatchability was demonstrated. In the 150 mg/kg treatment group, the mosquito feeding capacity was reduced by 50% already at the second blood meal and by 50 to 80% in all treatment groups at the fifth blood meal. Consequently, a 50 – 65% reduction in the number of eggs laid per female mosquito was observed after the fifth blood meal in all treatment groups. Similarly, after the fifth treated blood meal exposure, hatchability was found to be reduced by 62% and 70% in the 105 and 150 mg/kg group respectively. Conclusions: The findings of this study, taken together with the accumulated knowledge on neem open the challenging prospects of designing neem-based formulations as multi-target phytomedicines exhibiting preventive, parasite transmission-blocking as well as anti-vectorial properties. Keywords: Malaria, Vectors, Neem, Azadirachtin, Transmission-blocking, Anti-vectoria

Evaluation of the effect of locally produced biological pesticide (AқKөbelek ™) on biodiversity and abundance of beneficial insects in four forage crops in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan

Using a non-replicated plot design, we experimentally assessed the effects of a locally produced biological pesticide on the abundance, species richness and Shannon diversity of beneficial insects in four forage crops (alfalfa, soybeans, corn, and triticale) in southeastern Kazakhstan. 2-way ANOV tests detected no effect of the biological pesticide treatment on the abundance (N) of either predators or pollinators. However, there were significant differences in pollinator and predator abundances among crops. Pairwise t-tests between the experiment and control plots for each crop detected no significant differences in predator or pollinator Shannon diversity index values (H). Paired t-tests revealed significant differences in diversity index values for both predator and pollinator functional groups among crops within each treatment (experiment, control). Corn and triticale plots had notably similar predator abundance (N), species richness (S) and Shannon diversity index (H) values. Corn, alfalfa and soy-triticale differed in pollinator Shannon H, N and S values, suggesting each contained a distinct pollinator assemblage. A trial rapid assessment for differences using a point-based system for indicator species showed only small difference among crops and between treatment and control plots. This method may be more applicable in situations sampling disturbance needs to be minimized and a rapid but less thorough assessment is required

Different Seed Selection and Conservation Practices for Fresh Market and Dried Chile Farmers in Aguascalientes, Mexico

Different Seed Selection and Conservation Practices for Fresh Market and Dried Chile Farmers in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The process of selecting and saving seed is the most basic and oldest of agricultural practices. In today’s modern and highly capital-intensive agriculture, seeds are often treated like another chemical input. This study sought to examine seed selection and saving practices among chile farmers in Aguascalientes, Mexico, where both industrial and traditional agriculture are practiced. We observed a clear division among farmers who plant chile peppers commercially. Sixty-eight chile pepper farmers were surveyed in order to document seed selection and saving practices. Fifteen respondents (22%) planted chile peppers destined for the fresh market and all utilized purchased commercial seed of F1 hybrid varieties. Fifty-three farmers (78%) planted chiles to be dried and either saved their own or purchased seeds that others had saved and selected. Farmers who saved their own seed sought to maintain an ideotype, rather than directionally select for certain traits, much like Cleveland et al. (2000) chronicled in central Mexican maize farmers. Farmers would benefit from a participatory plant-breeding program in order to maintain productive seed stock for the continued cultivation of dried chile pepper in the state