Emerging Structural Maize Deficits in Eastern and Southern Africa: Implications for National Agricultural Strategies

This note summarizes analysis of trends in net maize exports over the 1960-2005 period and examines whether these trends are being reflected in changing maize price levels in the region. The implications are highlighted of the findings for countries’ agricultural development strategies.food security, food policy, Zambia maize, Crop Production/Industries, Q18,

Impact of HIV/AIDS-related Adult Mortality on Rural Households' Welfare in Zambia

This study estimates the impacts of prime-age (PA) adult morbidity and mortality on crop production and cropping patterns, household size, livestock and non-farm income in Zambia using nationally representative rural farm household longitudinal survey data. The findings provide important information to assist policy makers, donors, and development planners in designing interventions to mitigate the impacts of the AIDS on vulnerable households.food security, food policy, Zambia, HIV/AIDS mortality, Health Economics and Policy, Q18,

Alternative model-building for the study of socially interactive robots

In this discussion paper, we consider the potential merits of applying an alternative approach to model building (Empirical Modelling, also known as EM) in studying social aspects of human-robot interaction (HRI). The first section of the paper considers issues in modelling for HRI. The second introduces EM principles, outlining their potential application to modelling for HRI and its implications. The final section examines the prospects for applying EM to HRI from a practical perspective with reference to a simple case study and to existing models

Staple food prices in Zambia

Prepared for the COMESA policy seminar on “Variation in staple food prices: Causes, consequence, and policy options”, Maputo, Mozambique, 25-26 January 2010 under the Comesa-MSU-IFPRI African Agricultural Marketing Project (AAMP)Zambia, food security, food prices, Agricultural and Food Policy, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Security and Poverty, International Development, International Relations/Trade, q11, q13, q18,

Rad62 protein functionally and physically associates with the Smc5/Smc6 protein complex and is required for chromosome integrity and recombination repair in fission yeast

Smc5 and Smc6 proteins form a heterodimeric SMC (structural maintenance of chromosome) protein complex like SMC1-SMC3 cohesin and SMC2-SMC4 condensin, and they associate with non-SMC proteins Nse1 and Nse2 stably and Rad60 transiently. This multiprotein complex plays an essential role in maintaining chromosome integrity and repairing DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). This study characterizes a Schizosaccharomyces pombe mutant rad62-1, which is hypersensitive to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and synthetically lethal with rad2 (a feature of recombination mutants). rad62-1 is hypersensitive to UV and gamma rays, epistatic with rhp51, and defective in repair of DSBs. rad62 is essential for viability and genetically interacts with rad60, smc6, and brc1. Rad62 protein physically associates with the Smc5-6 complex. rad62-1 is synthetically lethal with mutations in the genes promoting recovery from stalled replication, such as rqh1, srs2, and mus81, and those involved in nucleotide excision repair like rad13 and rad16. These results suggest that Rad62, like Rad60, in conjunction with the Smc5-6 complex, plays an essential role in maintaining chromosome integrity and recovery from stalled replication by recombination

Efficient Computation of CMB anisotropies in closed FRW models

We implement the efficient line of sight method to calculate the anisotropy and polarization of the cosmic microwave background for scalar and tensor modes in almost-Friedmann-Robertson-Walker models with positive spatial curvature. We present new results for the polarization power spectra in such models.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Corrected/updated references. Accepted by ApJ. For the F90 source code see http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/~aml1005/cmb

Design of experiments for non-manufacturing processes : benefits, challenges and some examples

Design of Experiments (DoE) is a powerful technique for process optimization that has been widely deployed in almost all types of manufacturing processes and is used extensively in product and process design and development. There have not been as many efforts to apply powerful quality improvement techniques such as DoE to improve non-manufacturing processes. Factor levels often involve changing the way people work and so have to be handled carefully. It is even more important to get everyone working as a team. This paper explores the benefits and challenges in the application of DoE in non-manufacturing contexts. The viewpoints regarding the benefits and challenges of DoE in the non-manufacturing arena are gathered from a number of leading academics and practitioners in the field. The paper also makes an attempt to demystify the fact that DoE is not just applicable to manufacturing industries; rather it is equally applicable to non-manufacturing processes within manufacturing companies. The last part of the paper illustrates some case examples showing the power of the technique in non-manufacturing environments

Marine Fisheries Trade in India: Perspectives and paradigms

The marine fish landings across the years had increased and the landings were estimated at 3.78 million tonnes during 2013-14. The total valuation of marine fish landings at the landing centre (point of first sales) was estimated at 29872 crores and that of the retail centres was found to be 47186 crores during 2013-14. Over the years the valuation had registered a ten per cent growth in the landing centre and more than 20 per cent in the retail markets. The markets had been the major driving force behind the realization of the huge value of landings. It is also important to note that the marketing efficiency was found to be quite high with the fishermen share in the consumer’s rupee of 63.88 per cent. Nevertheless the producer share in the consumer’s rupee has varied sizeable based on the commercial value of fish, seasons, landings source and proximity to consumption centres

Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) in capture fisheries: A case study in Vypeen island of Ernakulam district

Indigenous knowledge (IK) can be broadly defined as the knowledge that an indigenous community accumulates over generations of living in a particular environment whose scientific validity is not proven. ITKs could very well provide a panacea in building the technology gap required for the sustenance of the fisheries sector. There are numerous ITKs which is available in fisheries sector whose knowledge components still remain localized and yet to be disseminated across different locations. In this connection a research study was done among 60 randomly selected fisher households in Vypeen island of Ernakulam district using a pre structured interview schedule. The study analyzed the different ITKs available in capture fisheries like identification of fishing ground, time of fishing, weather prediction, fish shoals, determination of depth of water, birds as an indicator of shoals and usage of sinkers and floats. There is innate fear of ITKs disappearing in the future on account of capital intensification in fishing and improved technologies in fish aggregating among the traditional fishermen. These treasure houses of knowledge which are based on the practical experience of indigenous people needs to be documented and validated for the sustainable development of the fisheries sector for the future

Marketing Policy Options for Consumer Price Mitigation Actions in the 2008/09 Maize Marketing Season in Zambia.

1) Maize prices are rising rapidly in 2008 and are fast approaching import parity levels. 2) Maize traders, millers and farmers all agree that Zambia will likely require imports by early 2009 in order to avoid domestic maize supply shortages. 3) Official food balance sheets appear to have underestimated the demand for maize this year. They may also have slightly overestimated the size of the 2007/08 maize crop. Hence the slow government recognition of the need for maize imports. 4) As of late September 2008, neither the Government of Zambia (GRZ) nor the private sector have arranged to import maize from South Africa. Trade sources suggest informal imports from Tanzania are helping to relieve the likely shortfall. 5) Zambian policy makers face a delicate balancing act: they need to maintain remunerative prices for farmers, in order to stimulate maize supply response during the coming 2008/09 production season, while at the same time moderating maize meal price increases to protect urban consumers and the many rural households who are net buyers of maize. 6) The time to respond to this balancing act challenge is now rather than later in the marketing season when costs of supplies and transport will increase. 7) Several policy actions offer potential win/win options for balancing these twin concerns:food security, food policy, Zambia, maize, marketing, Crop Production/Industries, Q20,