Why do Farmers Spend Different Amounts of Transaction Costs in Agri-Environmental Schemes?

Agri-environmental schemes provide payments for farmers in return for environmental services. Implementation induces transaction costs (TCs). Borne by farmers (private TCs), their amount may inhibit participation. Research shows substantial variances in private TCs within single schemes, which are largely unexplained to date. Furthermore, no distinction has yet been made in research whether farmers spent TCs due to scheme-prescribed tasks, or voluntarily to achieve "transaction gains.‟ This might be an important factor in farmers‟ perceptions of TCs. The overall aim of this analysis is to explain within-scheme TC variances. TCs are defined functionally as “costs of participation.” The variance in TC spending is assumed to represent a different willingness to participate due to underlying motives. This is tested by ANOVAs and Pearson's correlations with the example of a German AES. Results show that all assumed motives are significant but differ along the implementation process and imply that different functions have TCs. Thus, general public reimbursement of private TCs, as allowed in current EU regulations, might therefore be inappropriate.Agri-environmental Schemes, Transaction Costs, Hesse, Germany, Agricultural Finance, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Maximizing the Sum Rate in Cellular Networks Using Multi-Convex Optimization

In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to maximize the sum rate in interference-limited scenarios where each user decodes its own message with the presence of unknown interferences and noise considering the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio. It is known that the problem of adapting the transmit and receive filters of the users to maximize the sum rate with a sum transmit power constraint is non-convex. Our novel approach is to formulate the sum rate maximization problem as an equivalent multi-convex optimization problem by adding two sets of auxiliary variables. An iterative algorithm which alternatingly adjusts the system variables and the auxiliary variables is proposed to solve the multi-convex optimization problem. The proposed algorithm is applied to a downlink cellular scenario consisting of several cells each of which contains a base station serving several mobile stations. We examine the two cases, with or without several half-duplex amplify-and-forward relays assisting the transmission. A sum power constraint at the base stations and a sum power constraint at the relays are assumed. Finally, we show that the proposed multi-convex formulation of the sum rate maximization problem is applicable to many other wireless systems in which the estimated data symbols are multi-affine functions of the system variables.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figure

Gunshot residues found at the exit wound: a case report.

Gunshot residues (GSRs) play an important role in forensic investigations of gun-related violence. The presence of GSRs has been described to help to identify the bullet entry area, as it was supposed not to be found at exit wounds. This report details the suicidal headshot of an 84-year-old male where unburned tube-like, cuboid and flake-formed powder particles have been found not only at the inside of the muzzle but also circular around the exit wound. With very short-barrelled weapons, it must be expected that part of the propellant charge leaves the barrel unburned behind the bullet. In contrast to that, the barrel length of the used weapon should lead to a complete burn-up of powder particles. The surprisingly large number of unburned powder particles present at the exit wound of the injury gave reason for further investigation to understand the underlying ballistic aspects and outlines the importance of having a close look at incidence scene photos during an investigation

Needs assessment in community-dwelling older adults toward digital interventions to promote physical activity: Cross-sectional survey study

BACKGROUND: Tackling physical inactivity represents a key global public health challenge. Strategies to increase physical activity (PA) are therefore warranted. Despite the rising availability of digital interventions (DIs), which offer tremendous potential for PA promotion, there has been inadequate attention to the special needs of older adults. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate community-dwelling older adults' needs, requirements, and preferences toward DIs to promote PA. METHODS: The target population of this cross-sectional study was community-dwelling older adults (≥60 years old) within German-speaking Switzerland. Potential respondents were informed about the study and sent a link to a self-developed and self-administered online survey by our cooperating institutions. RESULTS: Overall, 922 respondents who completed the online survey were included in the final analysis. The mean age of the sample was 72 years (SD 6.4, range 60-98). The preferred delivery mode of DIs to promote PA was a website (428/922, 46.4%) and 80.3% (740/922) preferred video-based structures. Most respondents expressed the need for personal access, personal goals, personal messages, and a personal contact in case of problems or questions (585/817, 71.6%; 546/811, 67.3%; 536/822, 65.2%; 536/822, 65.2%). Memory training, psychological wellbeing, and nutrition were mainly rated as relevant additional content of DIs to promote PA (690/849, 81.2%; 661/845, 78.2%, 619/849, 72.9%). CONCLUSION: Community-dwelling older adults may be willing to use DIs to promote PA in the long term, but this study identified particular needs and requirements in terms of design, technological realization, delivery mode, support, and individualization/personalization among the sample. Our results can inform future developments of DIs to promote PA specifically tailored to older adults. However, caution is warranted in interpreting the findings due to the sample's high PA and education levels

Architectural structures open new dimensions in magnetism: magnetic buckyballs

No abstract available

Adoptive Immunotherapy in Chimeras with Donor Lymphocytes

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation has a well-defined indication in the treatment of hematological malignancies. The beneficial immune effect of allogeneic marrow transplantation has long been known, but only recently have methods been developed to separate the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Animal experiments have shown that lymphocytes from the marrow donor can be transfused without causing severe GVHD if stable chimerism and tolerance is established. First clinical studies have been preformed in patients with recurrent chronic myelogenous leukemia. In these patients complete molecular remissions were induced that persist without further maintenance treatment. These results have been confirmed in larger multicenter studies in Europe and the USA. The best results were obtained in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML); repeated successes have been reported in relapsing acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndromes and multiple myeloma (MMY), and rare responses were reported for acute lymphoid leukemia. Contrary to animal experiments GVHD has been observed in human patients although to a lesser extent than expected in transplants not given immunosuppression. Secondly myelosuppression has been observed in patients treated with relapsing CML. In CML the incidence of GVHD could be reduced by depleting CD8(+) T cells from the donor lymphocyte concentrate. Alternatively only small numbers of T lymphocytes can be transfused and in the case of failing responses, the numbers of donor lymphocytes may be increased. Results in recurrent AML have been improved by the use of low-dose cytosine arabinoside, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilized blood cells as compared to lymphocytes only. In MMY the response rate is higher than in AML, but the remissions are of limited duration in most patients. Several protocols have been designed to include preemptive donor lymphocyte transfusion in patients with a high relapse risk after transplantation. Problems remain to avoid chronic GVHD and to circumvent the immune escape mechanisms of leukemia. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Poly(2-cyclopropyl-2-oxazoline): from rate acceleration by Cyclopropyl to Thermoresponsive properties

The synthesis and microwave-assisted living cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-cyclopropyl-2-oxazoline is reported revealing the fastest polymerization for an aliphatic substituted 2-oxazoline to date, which is ascribed to the electron withdrawing effect of the cyclopropyl group. The poly(2-cyclopropyl-2-oxazoline) (pCPropOx) represents an alternative thermo-responsive poly(2-oxazoline) with a reversible critical temperature close to body temperature. The cloud point (CP) of the obtained pCPropOx in aqueous solution was evaluated in detail by turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and viscosity measurements. pCPropOx is amorphous with a significantly higher glass transition temperature (T(g) similar to 80 degrees C) compared to the amorphous poly(2-n-propyl-2-oxazoline) (pnPropOx) (T(g) similar to 40 degrees C), while poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) piPropOx is semicrystalline. In addition, a pCPropOx comb polymer was prepared by methacrylic acid end-capping of the living cationic species followed by RAFT polymerization of the macromonomer. The polymer architecture does not influence the concentration dependence of the CP, however, both the CP and T(g) of the comb polymer are lower due to the increased number of hydrophobic end groups

Skin laceration caused by a short distance shot from a pepper spray launcher: a case report.

Pepper spray launchers are more precise and wind stable compared to conventional pepper sprays and are commonly used as a self-defensive tool. With the advanced potential, they may also harbour a greater risk for injuries, especially if they are not used within the suggested safety distance. If the shooting distance is below 1.5 m, energy densities may exceed the threshold energy density for the penetration of skin leading to skin laceration. We present a case where a man is hit by the liquid jet of a JPX Jet Protector® with an estimated shooting distance of 0.3 m. The man suffered from a bleeding skin laceration, which had to be sewed in the hospital. This case report furthermore outlines the potentially dangerous effect of pepper spray launchers and thereby their role in forensic investigations