China: A Tiger only in the East or a World Player in High Quality Fresh Produce Exports?

This paper examines patterns of recent change in Chinas international export trade in high quality fresh-vegetables between 2002 and 2005 since its WTO membership and some of the underlying determinants that will determine its future export opportunities. Concepts of product quality are first reviewed and the key characteristics of Chinas international trade in fresh produce are outlined based on a detailed analysis from the UN Comtrade international trade data at the 2, 4 digit and finally 6 digit levels. High quality fresh and chilled vegetables are identified through their average unit export values. In 2005, China was the 4th largest exporter of vegetables in the world with a 9.8 percent share of world trade, and almost a 6 percent share in fresh and chilled vegetables. The competitiveness of China in world trade in high value fresh produce is assessed through a trade-shares accounting and decomposition approach which enables both structural and performance effects on Chinas exports to be isolated, and the contributions its major trading partners have made to changes its share of world trade. Chinas aggregate market share rose by over 1.5 percentage points over the period, and there is evidence of an emerging orientation in its trade shares from E Asia to SE Asia, and to further progress in the Russian Federation and US markets. Chinas underlying comparative advantage in such labour-intensive products is reflected in the positive performance effect on the increase in its market share.China, vegetables, international trade., International Relations/Trade,

Retail Fish Demand in Great Britain and its Fisheries Management Implications

Over the past 20 years, the demand for fish in the UK has changed markedly. The species prevalent in the consumption mix has altered to reflect the greater availability of farmed species and the decline in some marine-caught species. This paper examines the retail demand for fish in the UK and the implications this has for fisheries policy. A two-stage demand model using a dynamic Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) is estimated from retail panel data for fish and fish products in Great Britain.1 Both conditional and unconditional expenditure, own- and cross-price elasticities of demand are derived from the parameter estimates. Haddock, salmon, flatfish, shellfish, and smoked fish are expenditure elastic, implying that income growth will strongly increase demand for these species. Most species are own-price inelastic, suggesting that policy driven catch restrictions can increase expenditure on fish and may reduce the short-run incentives of commercial fishermen to comply.fish demand, UK, unconditional elasticities, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, D12, Q21, Q22, C51,

MEAT DEMAND IN THE UK: A DIFFERENTIAL APPROACH

A differential approach is employed to analyze demand for meat in the United Kingdom during 1989-99. Differential demand systems with fixed price effects (Rotterdam and CBS) better explain consumersÂ’ retail purchase allocation decisions for beef, lamb, pork, bacon and poultry compared with models containing variable price effects (NBR and differential AIDS). The real expenditures and the Hicksian demand elasticities are generally found to be quite different from earlier studies using AIDS models. A quality change index of meat consumption is constructed from the estimated CBS model estimation results and decomposed into real expenditure, substitution, trend, seasonal and residual effects.meat demand, differential approach, model selection, UK, Demand and Price Analysis,

Fuel conservation merits of advanced turboprop transport aircraft

The advantages of a propfan powered aircraft for the commercial air transportation system were assessed by the comparison with an equivalent turbofan transport. Comparisons were accomplished on the basis of fuel utilization and operating costs, as well as aircraft weight and size. Advantages of the propfan aircraft, concerning fuel utilization and operating costs, were accomplished by considering: (1) incorporation of propfan performance and acoustic data; (2) revised mission profiles (longer design range and reduction in; and cruise speed) (3) utilization of alternate and advanced technology engines

The Initial Impact of WTO Membership on China's Trade Performance in Primary Agricultural And Processed Food Products

There has been much analysis of the potential impact of China's membership of the WTO on world trade in agricultural products but few studies of the actual effects thus far on China's trade performance. This paper compares changes in the competitiveness of China's trade in primary agricultural food and processed food products over the period 1998 to 2003 through a range of comparative advantage measures, the preferred being Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage. It also decomposes changes in China's export market share of these products over the period into structural and performance components and identifies where shifts in the global regional distribution of its exports have contributed to changes in its overall market share.China, agricultural, processed foods, exports, competitiveness, International Relations/Trade, Q17, O13,

Analytical study of interior noise control by fuselage design techniques on high-speed, propeller-driven aircraft

The acoustical treatment mass penalties required to achieve an interior noise level of 80 dBA for high speed, fuel efficient propfan-powered aircraft are determined. The prediction method used is based on theory developed for the outer shell dynamics, and a modified approach for add-on noise control element performance. The present synthesis of these methods is supported by experimental data. Three different sized aircraft are studied, including a widebody, a narrowbody and a business sized aircraft. Noise control penalties are calculated for each aircraft for two kinds of noise control designs: add-on designs, where the outer wall structure cannot be changed, and advanced designs where the outer wall stiffness level and the materials usage can be altered. For the add-on designs, the mass penalties range from 1.7 to 2.4 percent of the takeoff gross weight (TOGW) of the various aircraft, similar to preliminary estimates. Results for advanced designs show significant reductions of the mass penalties. For the advanced aluminum designs the penalties are 1.5% of TOGW, and for an all composite aircraft the penalties range from 0.74 to 1.4% of TOGW

Community Rehabilitation Programs and Organizational Change: A Mentor Guide to Increase Customized Employment Outcomes

[Excerpt] For the purpose of this Guide, customized employment is defined as a process for individualizing the employment relationship between an employee and an employer in ways that meet the needs of both. Customized employment is based on an individualized negotiation between the strengths, conditions and interests of the person with a disability and the identified business needs of the employer or the self-employment business chosen by the job seeker. Job negotiation uses job development or restructuring strategies that result in responsibilities being customized and individually negotiated to fit the requirements of the job

Will Intergenerational Succession and Our Current Educational Systems Be Sufficient to Provide the Next Generation of Farmers and Researchers?

This paper reviews the implications of the age structure in farming and an aging farm population on productivity and innovation. It discusses the factors determining opportunities for new entrants, including those on family farms, and also those affecting outflow and retirement. The implications of recent international trends in agricultural graduate and post-graduate numbers are considered. Finally, issues and recent initiatives needed to address the problems of attracting new blood and expertise to the industry are outlined

Exploring the anthelmintic properties of Australian native shrubs with respect to their potential role in livestock grazing systems

We measured in vitro anthelmintic activity in extracts from 85 species of Australian native shrub, with a view to identifying species able to provide a degree of worm control in grazing systems. Approximately 40% of the species showed significant activity in inhibiting development of Haemonchus contortus larvae. The most active extracts showed IC50 values of 60–300 mg/ml. Pre-incubation with polyvinylpolypyrrolidine removed the activity from some extracts, implicating tannins as the bioactive agent, while in other cases the pre-incubation had no effect, indicating the presence of other anthelmintic compounds. Plant reproductive maturity (onset of flowering or fruiting) was associated with increasing anthelmintic activity in some species. Variability was observed between plants of the same species growing in different environments, while variation between individual plants of the same species within a single field suggests the existence of distinct chemotypes. Significant activity against adult H. contortus worms in vitro was also demonstrated in a limited number of extracts tested against this life stage. Our study indicates that there is potential for Australian native shrubs to play an anthelmintic role in grazing systems, and highlights some plant biology factors which will need to be considered in order to maximize any anthelmintic effects.A. C. Kotze, J. O’Grady, J. Emms, A. F. Toovey, S. Hughes, P. Jessop, M. Bennell P. E. Vercoe and D. K. Revel