Effectiveness of COOL in the U.S. Seafood Industry

Replaced with revised version of paper 06/10/08International Relations/Trade, Livestock Production/Industries,

Consumer Demand for Quality: Major Determinant for Agricultural and Food Trade in the Future?

The impact of consumer demand for quality on the agricultural and food system is an increased emphasis on quality differentiation but not all in the direction of upgrading quality. The more elite market segments are thriving and reaching growing numbers of consumers but the basic price/quality markets remain strong. Most recent economic studies find that consumers are willing to pay for food safety and other quality attributes, and for information about them. The magnitude of the valuations varies by food product, attribute, country, and study design. This literature and a case study of genetically modified foods suggest that consumer demand has a strong effect on agricultural and food trade.food quality, food safety, consumer demand, willingness to pay, international trade

Partial Implementation of COOL: Economic Effects in the U.S. Seafood Industry

Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) was implemented on seafood in the United States on April 4, 2005. MCOOL exempts the foodservice sector and excludes processed seafood from labeling. This paper contributes to understanding the economics of the MCOOL law for seafood by showing that current partial implementation may have unintended consequences on the domestic supply chain. While labeling satisfies the market demand for information provision in one market, exemptions in the other market may create incentives for the diversion of imports, which are assumed to be lower in quality than domestic seafood, to the non-labeled sector. Analyzing alternate scenarios such as voluntary labeling shows that total welfare may be greatest under this scenario compared with partial MCOOL. Voluntary origin labeling of seafood by some U.S. retailers indicates there is no compelling market failure argument warranting partial MCOOL implementation. This work is therefore a step towards analyzing the effect of partial MCOOL policy in the seafood industry taking into consideration the nature of the industry.Country of origin labeling, product differentiation, information asymmetry, seafood

Direct evidence of soft mode behavior near the Burns' temperature in PbMg1/3_{1 / 3}Nb2/3_{2 / 3}O3_{3} (PMN) relaxor ferroectric

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements of the relaxor ferroelectric PbMg$_{1 / 3}$Nb$_{2 / 3}$O$_{3}$ (PMN) in the temperature range 490~K$<$T$<$880~K directly observe the soft mode (SM) associated with the Curie-Weiss behavior of the dielectric constant $\varepsilon$(T). The results are treated within the framework of the coupled SM and transverse optic (TO1) mode and the temperature dependence of the SM frequency at q=0.075 a* is determined. The parameters of the SM are consistent with the earlier estimates and the frequency exhibits a minimum near the Burns temperature ($\approx$ 650K)Comment: 6 figure

Endocrine disruptor pesticides on non target pollinator

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are substances that disturb the endocrine system's normal function, potentially causing sickness or deformities in organisms and their progeny. Pesticides are commonly employed to destroy undesired organisms in crops, public places, houses, and gardens, as well as to treat parasites medicinally. Many have been identified as EDs or are suspected of being EDs. Pesticides applied to agricultural or horticultural landscapes were the predominant, if not exclusive, source of pesticide exposure for honey bees and the source of hive product contamination until the early 1980s. Pollinators, such as honey bees, are responsible for the successful reproduction of over 87 percent of flowering plant species, making them critical to ecosystem health and agricultural productivity. &nbsp

Le touk khmer

Le Cambodge est sillonné de cours d'eau navigables pendant presque toute l'année. D'une part, comparée à la charrette, la pirogue est plus rentable et plus rapide, et d'autre part, les Khmers redoutent les voyages à travers les forêts et montagnes où résident les esprits malveillants. La pirogue devient alors un outil indispensable aux familles khmères. En outre, à l'époque angkorienne, l'agriculture était liée à la mise en oeuvre et à l'entretien d'un réseau d'irrigation : l'usage des embarcations était alors une nécessité. Par ailleurs, une pirogue khmère n'est pas un simple outil domestique ; elle est aussi sacrée, car elle symbolise le naga, le roi-génie des eaux et des régions souterraines : les termes donnés à chaque partie de la pirogue attestent ce caractère sacré.Cambodia is criss-crossed by waterways navigable almost all year long. Compared to the cart, the pirogue is more profitable and speedier; furthermore, Khmers fear to travel across forests and montains where malevolent spirits dwell. The pirogue has thus become essential to Khmer families. During the Angkor period, agriculture was linked to the development and maintenance of an irrigation network: the use of boats was a necessity. Moreover, a Khmer pirogue is not simply a means of transport; it is also sacred because it represents the naga, the king-spirit of the waters and underground. The terms gived to each part of the pirogue attest its sacred nature.Camboya es surcado por ríos, navegables durante casi todo el año. Por una parte, si se la compara con el carro, la piragua resulta más rentable y más rápida. Por otra parte, les Kmer tienen gran miedo a los viajes a través de las selvas y de las montañas, donde los espíritus maléficos residen. Pués la piragua se hace imprescindible para las famlias kmer. Además, en la época angkoriana, la agricultura dependía del funcionamiento y del mantenimiento de una red de riego ¡ en aquel entonces, utilizar embarciones era una necesidad. En fin, una piragua kmer no constituye solo un útil doméstico ; también es sagrada, ya que simboliza el naga, el rey-genio de las aguas y de las regiones subterráneas. Los terminos que describen cada parte de la piragua averigan este carácter sagrado

Social Competence Model for Adolescents: Reflections from an Intervention Study

This study was performed as part of pre-testing the Social Competence Model for enhancing social competence of adolescents through Life Skills, developed as part of the UGC Major Project. The Social Competence Model focuses on five domains of social competence viz. self concept, pro-social behaviour, goal orientation, resilience, and rational thinking. The intervention was conducted among 37 students selected from a government school of which 34 students completed the 18 hours intervention programme. Paired sample t- test of pre and post test scores revealed significant changes in all domains of the social competence model viz. self concept, goal orientation, pro-social behaviour, resilience and rational thinking. Significant changes were observed in all the sub domains of pro-social behaviour viz. empathy, communication, assertiveness and cooperation (p&lt;0.05). Correlation revealed consistent positive change among all the participants in the domains of self concept, communication skills and problem solving skills. The study thus confirmed the efficacy of the Social Competence Model for enhancing the social competence of adolescents

Prevalance, Mean Intensity and relative density of nematode parasite Contracaecum sp. from the gill of Channa striatus.

The study deals with the investigation of nematode parasitic infection in Channa striatus collected from different water bodies of Mavelikara Municipality, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. The snake head fishes collected during the study period were found to be infected with the larval nematode parasite, Contracaecum sp. The mean prevalence of infection of the parasite on Channa striatus was 63.75%. The mean intensity was 1.22 and the relative density recorded was 0.76.The present study represents a new locality record for the larval nematode parasite, Contracaecum sp

A clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

Background:Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor (MPNST) is a rare aggressive sarcoma that develops within a peripheral nerve and forms a diagnostic challenge in view of its varied histomorphology. This short series highlights the clinicopathological spectrum of 11 cases of MPNST and the incidence of neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) association.Methods:This retrospective and descriptive study on MPNST was done in the department of pathology, Kasturba medical college Mangalore (ManipalUniversity),India over a period of three years from January 2008 to December 2010. Cases which were histopathologically diagnosed as MPNST were reviewed & immunostains was done where ever indicated to rule out the differentials.Results:A total of 11 cases of MPNST were documented with a wide age range of 17-85 years. Male:female ratio was 2.6:1. Extremities (63.64%) were found to be the most common site. Location wise most of the tumors were deep seated (63.64%) and maximum cases were high grade (54.55%). NF1 association was seen in 2 cases. Heterologous elements in the form of chondroid differentiation was seen in one case. Immunostain with S-100 was focally positive in all the cases.Conclusion:MPNST is a highly aggressive sarcoma with poor prognosis characterized by a challenge in its diagnosis as it has several mimics. Its diagnosis necessitates the incorporation of clinicopathological features and IHC with S-100 protein.

Neutron scattering study of PbMg1/3_{1/3}Ta2/3_{2/3}O3_3 and BaMg1/3_{1/3}Ta2/3_{2/3}O3_3 complex perovskites

Neutron scattering investigations were carried out in PbMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ and BaMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ complex perovskites. The crystal structure of both compounds does not show any phase transition in the temperature range 1.5 -- 730 K. Whereas the temperature dependence of the lattice parameter of BaMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ follows the classical expectations, the lattice parameter of relaxor ferroelectric PbMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ exhibits anomalies. One of these anomalies is observed in the same temperature range as the peak in the dielectric susceptibility. We find that in PbMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$, lead ions are displaced from the ideal positions in the perovskite structure at all temperatures. Consequently short-range order is present. This induces strong diffuse scattering with an anisotropic shape in wavevector space. The temperature dependences of the diffuse neutron scattering intensity and of the amplitude of the lead displacements are similar