Studies on the inheritance of leaf shape in Nicotiana tabacum L.

Variation in leaf shape of tobacco depended mainly on three independently segregating gene-pairs with intermediate heterozygotes. Br-br acted on the leafbase only, giving broadly and narrowly winged (sessile and petioled) leaves. Pt- pt and Pd-pd were cumulative, and acted on the amount of mesophyll. The effect of Pt was twice that of Pd. From ptptpdpd to PtPtPdPd, the leaf-base or petiole became longer, the angle of lateral veins more acute and the leaf-blade narrower, but the length of the midrib and the lateral veins stayed the same.Among sessile (BrBr) types, variation due to Pt-pt and Pd-pd was continuous, so that the sessile first filial generations must be test-crossed with petioled (brbr) types, to enable classification for petiole length, which was the main criterion. Even then, allowance must be made for the number of leaves, since a higher number induced an upward extension of the region of increasing petiole length, and consequently increased the maximum petiole length of the plant.The data of previous authors were analysed and, where necessary, reinterpreted. This analysis confirmed that variation in leaf shape of tobacco could be explained in terms of the three gene-pairs.<p/

Volatility of farm incomes, prices and yields in the European Union

The interest in the volatility in farm incomes is stimulated by the development of the CAP. Prices of products such as cereals, milk and beef will not be protected and stabilised by the CAP in the future. This report analyses the reasons and development of volatility of incomes in agriculture in the European Union. Developments are analysed per type of farm as well as per member state, and for the main production regions. Specific examples such as animal diseases and periods of drought are reasons for income fluctuations and receive special attention in this report. Door de ontwikkeling van het GLB wordt er steeds meer aandacht besteed aan de volatiliteit van het inkomen van boerenbedrijven. De prijs van producten zoals granen, melk en rundvlees zal in de toekomst niet meer worden beschermd en gestabiliseerd door het GLB. In dit rapport analyseren we de oorzaken en de ontwikkeling van de volatiliteit van de landbouwinkomens in de Europese Unie. De ontwikkelingen worden per type boerenbedrijf, per lidstaat en voor de voornaamste productieregio’s geanalyseerd. In dit rapport wordt speciale aandacht besteed aan specifieke voorbeelden, zoals dierziekten en perioden van droogte, die een oorzaak zijn van de fluctuaties in het inkomen

Analyzing generic and branded substitution patterns in the Netherlands using prescription data

BACKGROUND: As in other societies, pharmaceutical expenditures in the Netherlands are rising every year. As a consequence, needs for cost control are often expressed. One possible solution for cost control could come through increasing generic substitution by pharmacists. We aim to analyse the extent and nature of substitution in recent years and estimate the likelihood of generic or branded substitution in Dutch pharmacies in relation to various characteristics. METHODS: We utilized a linked prescription dataset originating from a general practitioner (GP) and a pharmacy database, both from the northern Netherlands. We selected specific drugs of interest, containing about 55,000 prescriptions from 15 different classes. We used a crossed generalized linear mixed model to estimate the effects that certain patient and pharmacy characteristics as well as timing have on the likelihood that a prescription will eventually be substituted by the pharmacist. RESULTS: Generic substitution occurred at 25% of the branded prescriptions. Generic substitution was more likely to occur earlier in time after patent expiry and to patients that were older and more experienced in their drug use. Individually owned pharmacies had a lower probability of generic substitution compared to chain pharmacies. Oppositely, branded substitution occurred in 10% of generic prescriptions and was positively related to the patients' experience in branded use. Individually owned pharmacies were more likely to substitute a generic drug to a branded compared to other pharmacies. Antidepressant and PPI prescriptions were less prone to generic and more prone to branded substitution. CONCLUSION: Analysis of prescription substitution by the pharmacist revealed strong relations between substitution and patient experience on drug use, pharmacy status and timing. These findings can be utilised to design further strategies to enhance generic substitution

Which factors prognosticate rotational instability following lumbar laminectomy?

Purpose: Reduced strength and stiffness of lumbar spinal motion segments following laminectomy may lead to instability. Factors that predict shear biomechanical properties of the lumbar spine were previously published. The purpose of the present study was to predict spinal torsion biomechanical properties with and without laminectomy from a total of 21 imaging parameters. Method: Radiographs and MRI of ten human cadaveric lumbar spines (mean age 75.5, range 59-88 years) were obtained to quantify geometry and degeneration of the motion segments. Additionally, dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans were performed to measure bone mineral content and density. Facet-sparing lumbar laminectomy was performed either on L2 or L4. Spinal motion segments were dissected (L2-L3 and L4-L5) and tested in torsion, under 1,600 N axial compression. Torsion moment to failure (TMF), early torsion stiffness (ETS, at 20-40 % TMF) and late torsion stiffness (LTS, at 60-80 % TMF) were determined and bivariate correlations with all parameters were established. For dichotomized parameters, independent-sample t tests were used. Results: Univariate analyses showed that a range of geometric characteristics and disc and bone quality parameters were associated with torsion biomechanical properties of lumbar segments. Multivariate models showed that ETS, LTS and TMF could be predicted for segments without laminectomy (

Bedrijfstoeslagen en maatschappelijke waarden in Nederland : een verkenning van opties

In deze studie zijn vier opties doorberekend over de mogelijkheden om bedrijfstoeslagen te verbinden met maatschappelijke waarden, in dit geval natuur, milieu en landschap. De onderzochte effecten betreffen naast natuur, landschap en milieu ook de inkomens, toegevoegde waarde en werkgelegenheid van betrokken agrarische bedrijven, sectoren, regio's en agroketens en de uitvoerbaarheid van de onderzochte maatregelen (zoals genoemd in de houtskoolschets van LNV). Bij de uitvoering van deze studie zijn modellen van diverse instituten meegenome