Farm-Investment Strategies

2021 ◽  
pp. 183-194
Author(s):  
Camilla Toulmin
Keyword(s):  
Strong Association ◽  
Payback Period ◽  
Household Size ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Maintenance Costs ◽  
Useful Life ◽  
Complementary Inputs ◽  
Farming Families ◽  
And Control

This chapter reviews the broader investment strategies pursued by Kala’s farmers, the differences between the three assets – wells, oxen plough-teams, breeding cattle - in terms of the variability in returns due to rainfall fluctuations, difference in household size and access to complementary inputs. Returns are shown to be consistently greater for larger households, as their services are spread over a larger area, and maintenance costs of livestock, especially watering, are spread over a larger herd. Wells and plough teams generate rapid returns, while the payback period for breeding cattle is much longer. Returns from each asset are not perfectly correlated, though all rely on rainfall, and each is subject to certain risks. The chapter also compares the length of useful life, resale values and the consequences for farming families of not being able to invest in a particular asset. The distribution of all three assets is described in relation to household size, and the strong association shown between large domestic groups and a diverse range of assets. Returns to the overall household enterprise are shown to be vulnerable to climate, land availability, and control by the villagers over who gains access to land and water, and on what terms. It is shown that some households have been better able than others to seize opportunities to invest capital and labour in new assets and openings, which then cement their longer-term ownership of wealth.

scholarly journals Association of simple renal cysts and chronic kidney disease with large abdominal aortic aneurysm

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Miszczuk ◽  
Verena Müller ◽  
Christian E. Althoff ◽  
Andrea Stroux ◽  
Daniela Widhalm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Kidney Disease ◽  
Kidney Disease ◽  
Kidney Diseases ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Renal Cysts ◽  
Aortic Aneurysms ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Abdominal Aortic ◽  
And Control ◽  
Charité Berlin

AbstractAbdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) primarily affect elderly men who often have many other diseases, with similar risk factors and pathobiological mechanisms to AAA. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of simple renal cysts (SRC), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and other kidney diseases (e.g. nephrolithiasis) among patients presenting with AAA. Two groups of patients (100/group), with and without AAA, from the Surgical Clinic Charité, Berlin, Germany, were selected for the study. The control group consisted of patients who were evaluated for a kidney donation (n = 14) and patients who were evaluated for an early detection of a melanoma recurrence (n = 86). The AAA and control groups were matched for age and sex. Medical records were analyzed and computed tomography scans were reviewed for the presence of SRC and nephrolithiasis. SRC (73% vs. 57%; p<0.001) and CKD (31% vs. 8%; p<0.001) were both more common among AAA than control group patients. On multivariate analysis, CKD, but not SRC, showed a strong association with AAA. Knowledge about pathobiological mechanisms and association between CKD and AAA could provide better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for these patients.

Book Reviews

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-244
Author(s):  
Wenjing Shen
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Operations Research ◽  
Management Science ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Optimization And Control ◽  
Areas Of Interest ◽  
And Control ◽  
To Receive

In Book Reviews, we review an extensive and diverse range of books. They cover theory and applications in operations research, statistics, management science, econometrics, mathematics, computers, and information systems. In addition, we include books in other fields that emphasize technical applications. The editor will be pleased to receive an email from those willing to review a book, with an indication of specific areas of interest. If you are aware of a specific book that you would like to review, or that you think should be reviewed, please contact the editor. The following books are reviewed in this issue of INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics, 51(3), May–June: Optimization and Control for Systems in the Big-Data Era: Theory and Applications, Tsan-Ming Choi, Jianjun Gao, James H. Lambert, Chi-Kong Ng, Jun Wang; Pricing Lives: Guideposts for a Safer Society, W. Kip Viscusi.

Ivermectin-Induced Hypertrophic Changes in Adult Canine Heartworm (Dirofilaria Immitis) Gut Epithelium

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1144-1145
Author(s):  
W. L. Steffens ◽  
J. W. McCall
Keyword(s):  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Muscle Paralysis ◽  
Somatic Muscle ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Gut Epithelium ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
And Control ◽  
Hypertrophic Changes

Ivermectin is a drug widely utilized for its anthelminthic activity over a diverse range of animal parasites. It has proved to be particularly useful in the prophylaxis of infection by the heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) in dogs and cats. Although its application in this respect has been as a filaricide in preventing early growth and maturation of naturally acquired larvae, it is known to have activity against young adults as well. Previous studies have shown that in vitro exposure to ivermectin induces somatic muscle paralysis in the nematode Haemonchus contortus, resulting in pharyngeal dysfunction and disruption of normal ingestion. Experiments were performed to determine the effect of in vivo exposure of adult canine heartworms to this drug.Adult heartworms were harvested from groups of dogs treated monthly with ivermectin beginning four to five months after inoculation of infective larvae and from untreated control dogs. Live worms from both experimental and control dogs were fixed, embedded, and sectioned for conventional transmission electron microscopy.

scholarly journals Placental Vascular Obstructive Lesions: Risk Factor for Developing Necrotizing Enterocolitis

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laure Dix ◽  
Matthias Roth-Kleiner ◽  
Maria-Chiara Osterheld
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Necrotizing Enterocolitis ◽  
Premature Infants ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe neonatal disease affecting particularly preterm infants. Its exact pathogenesis still remains unknown. In this study, we have compared the prevalence of vascular obstructive lesions in placentae of premature newborns which developed NEC and of a control group. We further compared separately the findings of placentae of infants of less than 30 weeks of gestation, the age group in which NEC occurs most frequently. We found signs of fetal vascular obstructive lesions in 65% of the placentae of preterm patients developing NEC, compared to only 17% of the placentae of preterm patients in the control group. In the age groups below 30 weeks of gestation, 58.5% of placentae of later NEC patients presented such lesions compared to 24.5% in the control group. The significant difference between NEC and control group suggests a strong association between fetal vascular obstructive lesions and NEC. Therefore, we propose that fetal vascular obstructive lesions might be considered as a risk factor for the development of NEC in premature infants.

scholarly journals Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticle (IONP) Synthesis to Applications: Present and Future

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 4644
Author(s):  
Nene Ajinkya ◽  
Xuefeng Yu ◽  
Poonam Kaithal ◽  
Hongrong Luo ◽  
Prakash Somani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Oxide ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Iron Oxide Nanoparticle ◽  
Formation Mechanisms ◽  
Synthesis Methods ◽  
Controlled Synthesis ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Oxide Nanoparticle ◽  
And Control

Iron oxides are chemical compounds which have different polymorphic forms, including γ-Fe2O3 (maghemite), Fe3O4 (magnetite), and FeO (wustite). Among them, the most studied are γ-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4, as they possess extraordinary properties at the nanoscale (such as super paramagnetism, high specific surface area, biocompatible etc.), because at this size scale, the quantum effects affect matter behavior and optical, electrical and magnetic properties. Therefore, in the nanoscale, these materials become ideal for surface functionalization and modification in various applications such as separation techniques, magnetic sorting (cells and other biomolecules etc.), drug delivery, cancer hyperthermia, sensing etc., and also for increased surface area-to-volume ratio, which allows for excellent dispersibility in the solution form. The current methods used are partially and passively mixed reactants, and, thus, every reaction has a different proportion of all factors which causes further difficulties in reproducibility. Direct active and complete mixing and automated approaches could be solutions to this size- and shape-controlled synthesis, playing a key role in its exploitation for scientific or technological purposes. An ideal synthesis method should be able to allow reliable adjustment of parameters and control over the following: fluctuation in temperature; pH, stirring rate; particle distribution; size control; concentration; and control over nanoparticle shape and composition i.e., crystallinity, purity, and rapid screening. Iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP)-based available clinical applications are RNA/DNA extraction and detection of infectious bacteria and viruses. Such technologies are important at POC (point of care) diagnosis. IONPs can play a key role in these perspectives. Although there are various methods for synthesis of IONPs, one of the most crucial goals is to control size and properties with high reproducibility to accomplish successful applications. Using multiple characterization techniques to identify and confirm the oxide phase of iron can provide better characterization capability. It is very important to understand the in-depth IONP formation mechanism, enabling better control over parameters and overall reaction and, by extension, properties of IONPs. This work provides an in-depth overview of different properties, synthesis methods, and mechanisms of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) formation, and the diverse range of their applications. Different characterization factors and strategies to confirm phase purity in the IONP synthesis field are reviewed. First, properties of IONPs and various synthesis routes with their merits and demerits are described. We also describe different synthesis strategies and formation mechanisms for IONPs such as for: wustite (FeO), hematite (α-Fe2O3), maghemite (ɤ-Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4). We also describe characterization of these nanoparticles and various applications in detail. In conclusion, we present a detailed overview on the properties, size-controlled synthesis, formation mechanisms and applications of IONPs.

scholarly journals Inspiration for wing design: how forelimb specialization enables active flight in modern vertebrates

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (131) ◽  
pp. 20170240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana D. Chin ◽  
Laura Y. Matloff ◽  
Amanda Kay Stowers ◽  
Emily R. Tucci ◽  
David Lentink
Keyword(s):  
Diverse Range ◽  
Wide Margin ◽  
Morphological Adaptations ◽  
Flight Muscles ◽  
Biological Sources ◽  
Bat Wing ◽  
And Control ◽  
Aerodynamic Surfaces ◽  
Flying Robots

Harnessing flight strategies refined by millions of years of evolution can help expedite the design of more efficient, manoeuvrable and robust flying robots. This review synthesizes recent advances and highlights remaining gaps in our understanding of how bird and bat wing adaptations enable effective flight. Included in this discussion is an evaluation of how current robotic analogues measure up to their biological sources of inspiration. Studies of vertebrate wings have revealed skeletal systems well suited for enduring the loads required during flight, but the mechanisms that drive coordinated motions between bones and connected integuments remain ill-described. Similarly, vertebrate flight muscles have adapted to sustain increased wing loading, but a lack of in vivo studies limits our understanding of specific muscular functions. Forelimb adaptations diverge at the integument level, but both bird feathers and bat membranes yield aerodynamic surfaces with a level of robustness unparalleled by engineered wings. These morphological adaptations enable a diverse range of kinematics tuned for different flight speeds and manoeuvres. By integrating vertebrate flight specializations—particularly those that enable greater robustness and adaptability—into the design and control of robotic wings, engineers can begin narrowing the wide margin that currently exists between flying robots and vertebrates. In turn, these robotic wings can help biologists create experiments that would be impossible in vivo .

scholarly journals Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Controllers but Not Noncontrollers Maintain CD4 T Cells Coexpressing Three Cytokines

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (21) ◽  
pp. 12071-12076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Kannanganat ◽  
Bill G. Kapogiannis ◽  
Chris Ibegbu ◽  
Lakshmi Chennareddi ◽  
Paul Goepfert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Cd4 T Cells ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Interleukin 2 ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Necrosis Factor Alpha ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Ifn Γ ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACT Here, we evaluate the cytokine coexpression profiles of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific CD4 T cells for the expression of the cytokines gamma interferon (IFN-γ), interleukin-2, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. In controllers, CD4 T cells producing three or two cytokines (triple producers and double producers, respectively) represented >50% of the total response. In contrast, in noncontrollers ∼75% of responding cells produced only one cytokine (single producers), mostly IFN-γ. Cells producing three cytokines were functionally superior to those producing single cytokines and showed an inverse correlation (P < 0.001) with viral load. These results demonstrate a strong association between the maintenance of highly functional CD4 T cells producing three cytokines and control of HIV-1.

scholarly journals COMPARISON OF CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS IN OBESE AND NORMAL WEIGHT PEOPLE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anil Jawahirani ◽  
Gajendra Manakshe
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Obese Subject ◽  
Premature Death ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Cardiovascular Parameters ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Stroke Type ◽  
And Control

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, and at least 2.8 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death. Aim: comparison of cardiovascular parameters between obese and normal individual. Material and Methods: His prospective study was carried out in the Dept. of Medicine (Cardiology) at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of medical Sciences, Sawangi Meghe Wardha. Results: A total of 400 participants were included in the study of which 200 were obese and 200 were non obese subject. Conclusion: The present paper has shown the correlation between body mass index and cardiovascular parameters among obese and non-obese. The mean body mass index is greater in obese male than obese female. The strong association of obesity with cardiovascular disease necessitates the importance of prevention and control of obesity and it should begin in early child hood also proper diet and regular medical check-up should be carried out to cope up with the problem of obesity. Keywords: cardiovascular diseases, Obese, BMI.

scholarly journals HABITAT USE STRATEGY OF VERTEBRATES IN AN EMERGING NATURE RESERVE

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-80
Author(s):  
A. L.A. SHOTUYO ◽  
O. A. JAYEOLA ◽  
I. A. AYODELE
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
The Family ◽  
And Control

The habitat use strategy of vertebrates in Alabata Strict Nature Reserve was studied. Twenty (20) sample plots of 25m x 25m (0.062ha) were laid at random over the total area of the study site for data collection. King Census and Line Transect methods were modified for this study using direct and indirect modes of wildlife stock assessment for an accurate collection of data due to the dense nature of the vegetation in some areas. One hundred and twenty-one vertebrate species, belonging to fifty-six families were recorded. Twenty-seven families were represented by just a single species each, while thirteen families had two species each. The family Colubridae was represented by ten species, while Rattudae and  Sciuridae had a single species respectively. Birds were the most encountered (more than 60%) followed by mammals (more than 20%) while the Order Reptalia constitutes the remaining (less than 20%). Food and cover requirements abound in the study area, which explains the availability of a variety of fauna species. There is a strong association between the environmental variables and animal species thus; distribution, performance and survival of the species are directly influenced by these variables. The Principal component analysis and Ordination shows that the ecosystem of the study site is not stable yet. This can be observed from the clustering of the animal species together in an attempt to make the best use of the environment. The maintenance of a healthy ecosystem is largely dependent on its management and control of activities of man and animals.  

Reliability Software to Design New Generating Plants

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. August ◽  
Krishna Vasudevan ◽  
W. H. Magninie
Keyword(s):  
Failure Modes ◽  
Operating Cost ◽  
Commercial Production ◽  
Equipment Failure ◽  
Plant Design ◽  
Economic Success ◽  
Maintenance Costs ◽  
Defining System ◽  
System Requirements ◽  
And Control

Engineers design plants with overall income and operating cost objectives in mind. Defining system requirements, component functions, and failure modes, they discern risks that drive design. Maintenance costs get considered as an afterthought. Misunderstanding significant equipment failure modes greatly changes profitability. Improving certainty of plant economic success requires reducing the risk of unknown failures. Unanticipated operating restrictions can hobble commercial production. Avoiding unanticipated problems sustains predictable costs and operations. Relational software can reduce economic operating risk during plant design to project and control operating risks and maintenance costs.

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