THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF BGH ON THE NEW YORK STATE DAIRY SECTOR: COMPARATIVE STATIC RESULTS

The price and quantity effects of a forthcoming biotechnology product, bovine growth hormone (bGH), are explored in a simple partial equilibrium model. The model is based on previous theoretical work on technological change but is developed in terms of a sector output. A particular output curve is estimated using data from a random sample of New York State dairy farms. Information on the farm level production effects of bGH is used to shift the output curve and to solve for equilibrium levels of price and output. The model projects the bGH may lead to the exit of 5,400 New York dairy farms and a 20 percent reduction in herd size. Consumers will benefit from an approximately 30 percent drop in milk price. The effect on gradual diffusion of bGH on farm numbers if considered. To accommodate this technology policies encouraging an orderly transfer of resources out of the dairy sector should be examined.Livestock Production/Industries,

Methodologies for studying agricultural markets in developing countries

This report provides some guidelines on the selection of an appropriate methodology for studying the performance of agricultural markets in developing countries, from a public interest perspective. The paper draws on the experience of the Indonesian Rice Marketing Study (RMS), which was undertaken by NRI from 1989-91

Does foraging efficiency vary with colony size in the fairy martin Petrochelidon ariel?

Colonial breeding occurs in a wide range of taxa, however the advantages promoting its evolution and maintenance remain poorly understood. In many avian species, breeding colonies vary by several orders of magnitude and one approach to investigating the evolution of coloniality has been to examine how potential costs and benefits vary with colony size. Several hypotheses predict that foraging efficiency may improve with colony size, through benefits associated with social foraging and information exchange. However, it is argued that competition for limited food resources will also increase with colony size, potentially reducing foraging success. Here we use a number of measures (brood feeding rates, chick condition and survival, and adult condition) to estimate foraging efficiency in the fairy martin Petrochelidon ariel, across a range of colony sizes in a single season (17 colonies, size range 28-139 pairs). Brood provisioning rates were collected from multiple colonies simultaneously using an electronic monitoring system, controlling for temporal variation in environmental conditions. Provisioning rate was correlated with nestling condition, though we found no clear relationship between provisioning rate and colony size for either male or female parents. However, chicks were generally in worse condition and broods more likely to fail or experience partial loss in larger colonies. Moreover, the average condition of adults declined with colony size. Overall, these findings suggest that foraging efficiency declines with colony size in fairy martins, supporting the increased competition hypothesis. However, other factors, such as an increased ectoparasitise load in large colonies or change in the composition of phenotypes with colony size may have also contributed to these patterns.

Denis Burkitt and the African lymphoma

Burkitt lymphoma has provided a model for the understanding of the epidemiology, the molecular abnormalities that induce tumours, and the treatment of other lymphomas. It is important to remember that the early phases of this work were conducted in Africa where today, unfortunately, the disease usually results in death because of limited resources, even though most children in more developed countries are cured. This must be changed. In addition, it is time to re-explore, with modern techniques, some of the questions that were raised some 50 years ago shortly after Burkitt’s first description, as well as new questions that can be asked only in the light of modern understanding of the immune system and the molecular basis of tumor development. The African lymphoma has taught us much, but there is a great deal still to be learned

From the Ground Up: Journeys Through the Leitrim Landscape

This research uses the landscape of county Leitrim as a spatial lens through which to view alternative forms of knowledge past and present. In the physical act of journeying through the landscape, by boat and on foot, I have encountered evidence of a range of social structures linked to place including: ‘off-the-grid’ living, community education, political resistance, pre-Christian rituals and indigenous music. This research explores Leitrim’s rural landscape as a site of subjugated or outmoded knowledge, as well as a site of deep-rooted tensions: old/new; local/global; native/foreigner etc. These forms of knowledge and counter-hegemonic spaces sit in opposition to the increasingly globalised systems of knowledge operating in the West. This research addresses questions such as: Who determines the value or usefulness of knowledge? How is knowledge mediated, preserved or discarded? To what extent is rural living a counter-hegemonic action

Towards Curative Therapy in Burkitt Lymphoma: The Role of Early African Studies in Demonstrating the Value of Combination Therapy and CNS Prophylaxis

This paper describes the treatment of Burkitt lymphoma (BL) from the time of its discovery in Africa up to the present. Pioneer investigators explored the value of chemotherapy since surgery and radiation were not effective modalities. Complete response was observed with many drugs used as single agents, but Ziegler and colleagues showed that patients resistant to one drug could achieve cure and potentially long-term survival with other drugs. Subsequently, a combination of cyclophosphamide (CTX), vincristine (VCR), and methotrexate (MTX) was shown to be active, but a survival advantage compared to CTX alone could not be demonstrated because effective CNS prophylactic therapy, in the form of intrathecal therapy, was not given. A recent re-evaluation of this regimen in Africa with multiple doses of intrathecal therapy compares favourably with recent studies of single agent CTX, and other drugs have been shown to be non-cross resistant. Optimal results for patients with extensive disease probably require 5 or 6 effective drugs along with intrathecal therapy, using MTX and Ara-C. In Africa, doses must be lower, because of limitations in supportive care, but in technically advanced countries cure rates in excess of 90% can be obtained. Rituximab may improve the results in some patient groups and allow less intensive therapy without a reduction in survival in others

Tracking ESL Students

A major multicultural issue facing college instructors is how to deal with the increasing numbers of students whose home language is not English. These students typically finish an intensive ESL program, pass the TOEFL and enter regular or on-line classrooms where they face difficulties with academic English. This presentation will discuss and propose some solutions, which include higher TOEFL requirements, transition courses and orientation programs

Information politics, transnational advocacy and education for all

Introduction: Successful advocacy requires research. Advocacy organizations need to gather evidence to show the extent of a particular social problem, the lack of official response to the problem, and solutions that could be fostered from the ground up. The process of gathering information and using it for political advocacy has been termed “information politics” (Keck & Sikkink 1998). In the past two decades, civil society organizations have played an increasingly prominent role in global educational advocacy and governance (Mundy & Murphy 2001; Mundy 2007). Civil society organizations carry out a significant amount of research into the (lack of) progress made on Education for All goals, monitoring and evaluating education policy and practice at local, national and regional levels, and offering alternative approaches to meet EFA targets. Yet little has been done to examine the evidence-gathering process to see what it can tell us about the role of advocacy research in education policy and the wider role of civil society in global educational change. This paper seeks to contribute to our understanding of evidence-based advocacy and educational governance. In order to do so, I examine information politics as carried out by two civil society organizations in the Education for All (EFA) movement. One is ActionAid International, a large international development NGO originally based in the UK but now headquartered in Johannesburg. The other is the Asian South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE), a regional network of education practitioners and activists currently headquartered in Mumbai. I explore one example of information politics carried out by each of my case study organizations: ActionAid’s International Benchmarks on Adult Literacy, and ASPBAE’s Asia South-Pacific Education Watch. My intention here is to shed light on how information is collected and disseminated by advocacy NGOs, and what this tells us about the internal dynamics and strategies of these organizations as well as the wider development education field of which they are a part