Optimum size and shape of plots based on data from a uniformity trial on Indian Mustard in Haryana

The most obvious use of uniformity trial data is to provide information on the most suitable size and shape of plots, in which the field was planted to a single variety and harvested as small plots. Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) cultivar RH-749 was grown using uniform crop improvement practices during rabi season of 2013-14 at Research Farm of Oilseed section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCSHAU, Hisar, Haryana state, India, to estimate optimum plot size and shape using yield data of the 48 m × 48 m (2304 basic units) recorded separately from each basic unit of 1 m × 1 m. The variability among plots of different sizes and shapes was determined by calculating coefficient of variation. It was observed that the coefficient of variation decreases as the plot size increases in case of both the directions i.e., when plots were elongated in N-S direction (88 per cent decrease) or elongated in E-W direction (93 per cent decrease). Further it was observed that long and narrow plots elongated in E-W direction were more useful than the compact and square plots in controlling the soil heterogeneity. Based on the maximum curvature method the optimum plot size for yield trial was estimated to be 5 m2 with rectangular shape.

The Regressive Dependence of Patents on R&D Outlays and R&D Employees in European Union Countries

The research described herein seeks to determine the regressive dependence of the number of patents on the outlays on research-and-development and the number of those employed in the R&D sector, and to calculate on this basis the marginal and average cost/resource-intensity and labour-intensity of patents in the European Union countries in the years 2016 and 2019. Studies have shown that the total of the flexibility of the number of patents versus R&D outlays and R&D employment was identical for both years (i.e., 0.97). Hence, a method to determine whether undulation exists with the same total flexibility has been demonstrated. A 5.4 per cent decrease in the intensity of flexibility in the number of patents was identified for 2019. The research has shown that the growth in the number of patents proves to be in line with the growth of mean labour-intensity of patents for the years concerned. This proves that the knowledge resource plays a specific part in creating the number of patents for the counties and years under examination

Australian Television Drama Index, 1999-2019

This report examines changes in the production and commissioning of Australian television drama from 1999–2019, a period marked by notable changes in the business of television in Australia and globally. More production companies now make drama in Australia; however, the fact that more companies share less than half the annual hours once produced raises concerns about sustainability. Several major Australian production companies have been acquired by foreign conglomerates and challenge the viability of domestic companies that lack access to international corporate capital and distribution. The decrease in adult drama hours commissioned by commercial broadcasters has reshaped Australian television drama more than any other change. The national broadcasters have increased their role in commissioning, particularly in children’s drama. Titles have not decreased nearly as significantly as the number of episodes per series. Commercial broadcasters’ drama decreased from an average of 21 episodes per title in 1999 to seven in 2019, a 60 per cent decrease that, along with the increasing peripheralization of soaps, has diminished available training grounds and career paths in the Australian scripted production industry.

Decomposing Rural Income into Sectors to Identify Their Likely Contributions to Rural Poverty Reduction in Bangladesh

The article estimates the contribution of total income from each sector to the overall rural income. It tests if the poor, who are concentrated in the lower-income quintiles, gain most from farm or non-farm sources of income growth. Also, within the farm or non-farm income, what are the relative contributions of its different sources. The dominance of agriculture is still there for the lowest quintile of rural households, farming still being the dominant sub-category. Over 1991–2010, a 13 per cent decrease in per capita real income from agricultural wages for all rural households and a 41 per cent decrease in that for Quintile 1 rural households contradict the earlier finding that increases in real wages were one of the main contributors to poverty reduction. Quintile-wise decomposition suggests that a substantial income enhancement was realised at upper quintiles of rural households. It also appears from the quintile-wise decomposition that the efficiency enhancement was realised more at upper quintiles leaving a relatively smaller effect on poverty reduction.

Higher Surgeon Procedure Volume is Associated with Improved Hemodialysis Vascular Access Outcomes

The objective of this study was to examine the association between surgeon characteristics, procedural volume, and short-term outcomes of hemodialysis vascular access. A retrospective cohort study was performed using Medicare Part A and B data from 2007 through 2014 merged with American Medical Association Physician Masterfile surgeon data. A total of 29,034 procedures met the inclusion criteria: 22,541 (78%) arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and 6,493 (22%) arteriovenous graft (AVG). Of these, 13,110 (45.2%) were performed by vascular surgeons, 9,398 (32.3%) by general surgeons, 2,313 (8%) by thoracic surgeons, 1,517 (5.2%) by other specialties, and 2,696 (9.3%) were unknown. Every 10-year increase in years in practice was associated with a 6.9 per cent decrease in the odds of creating AVF versus AV G ( P = 0.02). Surgeon characteristics were not associated with the likelihood of vascular access failure. Every 10-procedure increase in cumulative procedure volume was associated with a 5 per cent decrease in the odds of vascular access failure ( P = 0.007). There was no association of provider characteristics or procedure volume with survival free of repeat AVF/AVG or TC placement at 12 months. A significant portion of the variability in likelihood of creating AVF versus AVG is attributable to the provider-level variation. Increase in procedure volume is associated with decreased odds of vascular access failure.

Finite element analysis of fire-damaged flexible pavement deterioration

Purpose This research aims to use the finite element method to examine critical distress modes in the pavement layers due to changes in the structural properties brought upon by fire damage. Design/methodology/approach A full dynamic analysis is performed to replicate heavy vehicle axle wheel loads travelling over a pavement section. Findings Results show a 72 per cent decrease in the number of load repetitions which a fire-damaged pavement can experience before fatigue cracking of the asphalt. Further, there is a 51 per cent decrease in loading cycles of the subgrade before rutting of the fire-damaged system. Originality/value Fatigue of asphalt and deformation of subgrade from repeated vehicular loading are the most common failure mechanisms, and major attributors to pavement maintenance and rehabilitation costs. Pavement analysis has always been concentrated on evaluating deterioration under regularly occurring operational conditions. However, the impact of one-off events, such as vehicle petroleum fires, has not been evaluated for the effects on deterioration.

Influence of parasitic fungi on the nitrogen content and transpiration in common reed

Resultsare reported of the investigations concerning changes in the nitrogen content and transpiration in <i>Pharagmites communis</i> Trin, due to infection by five species of parasitc fungi. The nitrogen content in the infected leaves proved to be 11-31 per cent lower than in healthy plants. Infection by <i>Ustilago grandis</i> and <i>Deightoniella arundinacea</i> caused a 29-54 per cent decrease in the transpiration of reed, while <i>Uredinales</i> either decreased or in creased the transpiration of the infected leaves.

The contribution of carbon pricing to sustainable mining

Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are essential to reducing the rate and scale of anthropogenic climate change to levels that can sustain the planet’s biosphere. A carbon tax is a policy measure that is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the prices of the highest carbon-polluting goods and services in an economy, thus encouraging substitution towards resultant relatively cheaper and less-polluting goods where possible. When Australia introduced such a tax in 2012, there was a fear that it could threaten the resources boom, considered the engine of Australian economic growth in recent years. By employing a computable general equilibrium model and an environmentally-extended Social Accounting Matrix, this paper demonstrates the effects of a carbon tax on the resources sector. The modelled results show that, in a flexible exchange rate regime, all resources within the sector will be affected negatively but to different degrees. The brown coal sector will be the hardest hit, with a 25.74 per cent decrease in output, 52.94 per cent decrease in employment and 89.37 per cent decrease in profitability. However, other resources in the sector would be only mildly affected. From the point of view of sustainability, the most significant results are that, under the carbon tax, the resources sector contributes considerably to the carbon emission reduction target of Australia. Given that brown coal accounts for only a small portion of the resources sector, it is reasonable to suggest that a carbon tax would not significantly affect the overall performance of the sector.

The impact of Scottish Government protocols on practice in Scotland

Objectives:To investigate rates of septorhinoplasty and rhinoplasty in Scotland between 2006 and 2010, and to establish the impact of government legislation.Methods:Data on the rates of rhinoplasty and septorhinoplasty were collected and analysed according to specialty, region and year.Results:In 2006, 754 septorhinoplasty and rhinoplasty cases were recorded (147 per million population), rising to 893 (171 per million population) in 2010. Mean annual rates per million population were 152 (87 per cent of procedures) in ENT, 13.9 (8 per cent) in plastic surgery and 8.7 (8 per cent) in oromaxillofacial surgery. After 2009, there was a 43 per cent reduction in the rhinoplasty rate (p < 0.0001), although the oromaxillofacial surgery rate increased by 68 per cent (p < 0.05). Over the same period, the septorhinoplasty rate increased in ENT (46 per cent, p < 0.0001), and declined in plastic surgery (24 per cent, p = 0.49) and oromaxillofacial surgery (45 per cent, p = 0.05). Overall, the rate for rhinoplasty plus septorhinoplasty only declined by 1 per cent. There was significant regional variation.Conclusion:Overall, septorhinoplasty rates have increased and rhinoplasty rates have decreased. There was only a 1 per cent decrease in the overall rate following the 2009 legislation. Practice differs between regions.

Chief executive officers and the pay–pension tradeoff

The theory of equalizing differences predicts that workers trade pay for benefits, but empirical confirmation of such tradeoffs is rare. This study investigates the extent to which chief executive officers (CEOs) trade pay for pension benefits. For a sample of S&P 500 CEOs, I find that an additional dollar of pension benefits is associated with a 48 cent decrease in pay. Although the tradeoff estimate is significantly different from zero, it is also significantly less than the anticipated rate of dollar-for-dollar, especially for CEOs with relatively more bargaining power over their boards of directors. This implies that the implicit price of pension benefits decreases with the CEO's bargaining power, so pooling datasets on CEOs with varying degrees of power blurs the size of the pay–pension tradeoff.