Wheat / Flour Price Transmission and Agricultural Policies in Ukraine: A Markov-Switching Vector Error Correction Approach

The analysis of price transmission between raw and processed agricultural products in transition countries is complicated by the frequently changing conditions on their way from plan to market. We utilise a Markov-switching vector error correction model to allow for multiple regime shifts in the price relationship between wheat and wheat flour in Ukraine from June 2000 to November 2004. The analysis reveals four regimes. The observed temporal pattern of these regimes can be matched with certain political and economic events in Ukraine. In particular, we find a strong link between the 'high uncertainty' regime and discretionary policy interventions in 2003.Markov-switching vector error correction model, vertical price transmission, regime shifts, grain policies, Ukraine, Demand and Price Analysis, Industrial Organization, C22, Q11, Q18,

Rapid Budget Analysis of the Agricultural Sector for the General Budget Support Annual Review 2010/11.

The main objective of the budget analysis chapter is to provide an overall assessment of how well the approved budget allocations in 2010-11 align with the strategic objectives and with sector strategic priorities of the Second National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (known by its Kiswahili acronym, MKUKUTA II). It also assesses the consistency of the actual spending and approved budget in 2009-10. In evaluating the alignment of the budget and MKUKUTA's strategic objectives and sector strategic priorities, the analysis gauges the accuracy and reliability of the macro and budget framework, share of the budget allocated to MKUKUTA cluster strategies, share of the budget allocated to capital investment, and strategic prioritization within key sectors. This budget analysis chapter summarizes nine background notes that covered six key sectors and three thematic areas. The six key sectors are education, health, water, roads, energy, and agriculture; the three thematic areas are the wage bill, local government, and aggregate analysis. The six sectors were selected because they consume approximately 60 percent of the overall budget and are keys to achieving the MKUKUTA strategic objectives of growth and reduction of poverty. The three thematic areas were selected because of their crosscutting nature, as they touch each key sector but also are critical for achieving the MKUKUTA strategic objectives.

Changes in gas exchange, tissue respiration and glycolysis in rats during hypokinesia

The results of an experiment which studied changes in oxygen balance under conditions of hypokinesia in rats is presented. The effect of the stress during hypokinesia is expressed most clearly in the changes of general gas exchange, and in the intensity of liver and myocardial tissue respiration

Measuring the Integration of Staple Food Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa: Heterogeneous Infrastructure and Cross Border Trade in the East African Community

This analysis employs cointegration methods and semiparametric regression in order to assess the integration of maize markets and the factors determining national and cross-national transmission of price signals in Sub-Saharan Africa. We use a rich dataset of 16 series of wholesale maize prices between 2000 and 2008 for Kenya, Tanzanian and Uganda. Distance is shown to have a significant nonlinear impact on the transmission of information - modelled using a semi-parametric partially linear model. Border effects are found to be heterogeneous. The empirical results provide strong evidence that the Tanzanian market is isolated from the rest of East Africa and internally fragmented.border effect, spatial market integration, cointegration, semi-parametric regression, partially linear model, Eastern Africa, maize

Measuring the integration of staple food markets in Sub-Saharan Africa: Heterogeneous infrastructure and cross border trade in the East African community

This analysis employs cointegration methods and semiparametric regression in order to assess the integration of maize markets and the factors determining national and cross-national transmission of price signals in Sub-Saharan Africa. We use a rich dataset of 16 series of wholesale maize prices between 2000 and 2008 for Kenya, Tanzanian and Uganda. Distance is shown to have a significant nonlinear impact on the transmission of information - modelled using a semi-parametric partially linear model. Border effects are found to be heterogeneous. The empirical results provide strong evidence that the Tanzanian market is isolated from the rest of East Africa and internally fragmented

Stages of Agricultural Commercialization in Uganda: The Role of the Markets

Agricultural commercialization has become the centerpiece of the sector development strategy in Uganda in recent years. Nevertheless the low market participation of most smallholders in the country remains a fact. We employ semi-parametric regression techniques to analyze the current state of market participation and production diversification and to identify the determinants of commercialization in Uganda. We find that the key constraint to agricultural commercialization in Uganda is inadequate access of farmers to infrastructure and assets, both physical and human. Those with access to assets and closer to markets engage actively in the markets, while those lacking one or more of these essential ingredients largely do not. These findings are in line with the recent literature on smallholder market participation in Africa. We also find that commercialization proceeds in stages. When farmers have appropriate incentives and access to markets, they do not immediately separate production and consumption decisions. Instead they first diversify their production portfolios before subsequently increasing commercial specialization. The result is a U-shaped relationship between commercialization and diversification

ADHD as an Evolutionary Mismatch

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, is currently classified as a mental disorder in the DSM-V. The classification of a mental disorder leads to significant issues such as over-reliance on prescription medications, removal of agency, negative self-valuation, and more. Recent data in areas such as genetics, neurobiology, and psychology support the hypothesis that ADHD may be better understood as an evolutionary adaptive process that became maladaptive as a result of substantially different environmental characteristics in the modern environment. Key symptoms of ADHD may be explained by two processes. The first process is due to a genetic variation in Dopamine Receptor D4 that may have contributed to symptoms that aided nomadic humans in migrating out of Africa. The second process may be explained by the sympathetic nervous system’s suppression of the prefrontal cortex in the presence of chronic stress which led to behaviors useful for immediate survival in the context of the ancestral environment. The Evolutionary Mismatch Model of ADHD may help inform alternative interventions that can minimize the negative effects of ADHD seen in the modern environment. Alternative interventions include daily exercise, dietary supplementation of Omega 3/6 fatty acids, and increased vitamin D exposure through exposure to sunlight or dietary supplementation