Decision making and economic performance of flower producers

Within Dutch agriculture, greenhouse horticulture stands out as a growing and innovative sector. In such circumstances of growth and innovation, one would expect a fast development of management support systems. However, apart from climate control, the role of computerized support systems for management purposes (planning/evaluation) is still very limited. The purpose of this study is get insight into the decision-making processes of greenhouse growers. A group of 26 specialized, comparable chrysanthemum growers has been followed during a one-year period 1993/94. Interviews have been held and data have been collected on firm structure, sales, prices, price predictions, production planning, information use, computer use, et cetera. An additional workshop with growers has been held to simulate and analyse their cultivar choice and information search behaviour.Firm efficiencies have been related to the quality of decision making by means of the stochastic production frontier approach. The results show statistically significant associations between some aspects of the decision-making and the efficiency of firms. Especially the aspects of data recording and evaluation are found to be of importance. With respect to the cultivar choice, simulated by means of an information display matrix, in a game environment, it turns out that fifty percent of the participants fail to detect their optimal choice, in a multi-attribute utility sense. Analysis of the information search behaviour suggests that decision making can be improved by increasing awareness of attributes and their relative importance.</p

Corrigendum to Murine Langerin+ dermal dendritic cells prime CD8+ T cells while Langerhans ells induce cross-tolerance

[No abstract available

Isolated eyelid closure myotonia in two families with sodium channel myotonia

Sodium channelopathies (NaCh), as part of the non-dystrophic myotonic syndromes (NDMs), reflect a heterogeneous group of clinical phenotypes accompanied by a generalized myotonia. Because of recent availability of diagnostic genetic testing in NDM, there is a need for identification of clear clinical genotype–phenotype correlations. This will enable clinicians to distinguish NDMs from myotonic dystrophy, thus allowing them to inform patients promptly about the disease, perform genetic counseling, and orient therapy (Vicart et al. Neurol Sci 26:194–202, 2005). We describe the first distinctive clinical genotype–phenotype correlation within NaCh: a strictly isolated eyelid closure myotonia associated with the L250P mutation in SCN4A. Using clinical assessment and needle EMG, we identified this genotype–phenotype correlation in six L250P patients from one NaCh family and confirmed this finding in another, unrelated NaCh family with three L250P patients

Het Rosa - model : een dynamisch vraag-en-aanbodmodel voor Nederlandse snijbloemen

Dit rapport beschrijft de bouw van het ROSA-model (Raming van de Ontwikkeling van de Snijbloemenvraag en -aanbod). De 8 belangrijkste snijbloemgewassen worden geanalyseerd: roos, chrysant, tulp, lelie, anjer, freesia, gerbera en orchidee. Aan de aanbodkant is een relatie gelegd tussen de rentabiliteit van een gewas en de veranderingen van het areaal. Voor de vraagkant is een analyse gemaakt van het verbruik van snijbloemen per hoofd van de bevolkin

Management of neuropsychiatric symptoms in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is associated with a high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity, including affective, psychotic and cognitive disorders. In this review, Dr Sommerlad and colleagues discuss the epidemiology, aetiology and management of neuropsychiatric symptoms in multiple sclerosis, using case vignettes to demonstrate the wide range of clinical presentations

Warm-up phenomenon in myotonia associated with the V445M sodium channel mutation

Contains fulltext : 53128.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access

Structural identification of oxidized acyl-phosphatidylcholines that induce platelet activation

Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) generates proinflammatory and prothrombotic mediators that may play a crucial role in cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. In order to study platelet-activating components of oxidized LDL 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphocholine, a representative of the major phospholipid species in LDL, the 1-acyl-phosphatidylcholines (PC), was oxidized by CuCl2 and H2O2. After separation by high-performance liquid chromatography, three compounds were detected which induced platelet shape change at low micromolar concentrations. Platelet activation by these compounds was distinct from the pathways stimulated by platelet-activating factor, lysophosphatidic acid, lyso-PC and thromboxane A(2), as evidenced by the use of specific receptor antagonists. Further analyses of the oxidized phospholipids by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry structurally identified them as 1-stearoyl-2-azelaoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (m/z 694; SAzPC), 1-stearoyl-2-glutaroyl-snglycero-3- phosphocholine (m/z 638; SGPC), and 1-stearoyl-2-( 5-oxovaleroyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (m/z 622; SOVPC). These observations demonstrate that novel 1-acyl-PC which had previously been found to stimulate interaction of monocytes with endothelial cells also induce platelet activation, a central step in acute thrombogenic and atherogenic processes. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

Compensated right ventricular function of the onset of pulmonary hypertension in a rat model depends on chamber remodeling and contractile augmentation.

Right-ventricular function is a good indicator of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) prognosis; however, how the right ventricle (RV) adapts to the pressure overload is not well understood. Here, we aimed at characterizing the time course of RV early remodeling and discriminate the contribution of ventricular geometric remodeling and intrinsic changes in myocardial mechanical properties in a monocrotaline (MCT) animal model. In a longitudinal study of PAH, ventricular morphology and function were assessed weekly during the first four weeks after MCT exposure. Using invasive measurements of RV pressure and volume, heart performance was evaluated at end of systole and diastole to quantify contractility (end-systolic elastance) and chamber stiffness (end-diastolic elastance). To distinguish between morphological and intrinsic mechanisms, a computational model of the RV was developed and used to determine the level of prediction when accounting for wall masses and unloaded volume measurements changes. By four weeks, mean pulmonary arterial pressure and elastance rose significantly. RV pressures rose significantly after the second week accompanied by significant RV hypertrophy, but RV stroke volume and cardiac output were maintained. The model analysis suggested that, after two weeks, this compensation was only possible due to a significant increase in the intrinsic inotropy of RV myocardium. We conclude that this MCT-PAH rat is a model of RV compensation during the first month after treatment, where geometric remodeling on EDPVR and increased myocardial contractility on ESPVR are the major mechanisms by which stroke volume is preserved in the setting of elevated pulmonary arterial pressure. The mediators of this compensation might themselves promote longer-term adverse remodeling and decompensation in this animal model