This article applies a global value-chain framework to the tobacco industry in Malawi, showing how cigarette manufacturers govern the chain and control first-tier suppliers, the leaf merchants. Contract farming offers smallholders the ability to meet manufacturers' compliance and traceability requirements and an opportunity for process and product upgrading, but threatens to exclude poorer growers

The field of hypnosis anticipated the current interest in consciousness and has contributed in many ways to its conceptualization and research. This paper is divided into 3 sections. The first describes how hypnosis has enriched the study of alterations of consciousness, considered as dynamic processes subject to important individual differences. This section also considers how hypnosis offers an

Aims/hypothesis High plasma copeptin, a marker of vasopressin (VP) secretion, has been shown to be associated with the metabolic syndrome and development of type 2 diabetes in humans. The present study was designed to determine the long-term influence of plasma VP concentration in a rodent model prone to metabolic dysfunction. Methods Obese Zucker rats and their lean counterparts were submitted fo

PURPOSE: An arcuate line hernia (ALH) is a rare diagnosis with no consensus on how to deal with this condition either when symptomatic or when found accidentally. Suggestions for laparoscopic and open operative techniques are given together with a review of the literature and a presentation of three new cases. MATERIAL: The PubMed database was searched for publications on ALH. Identified cases, in

To date, neither theoretical approaches nor empirical findings allow clear predictions about the influence of sport engagement on youth violence. The present study uses a typological approach to investigate groups of adolescents with different characteristics of violent behaviour and cognition regarding their sport background and psychological variables associated with violent behaviour. A sample

Do children and young adults born after assisted reproductive technology (ART) have an increased risk of cancer?

National renewable energy action plans (NREAPs) required as part of the EU Directive on renewable energy include various biomass elements. The call for mandatory NREAPs represents a substantial shift of focus from the earlier call for optional national biomass action plans (BAPs). Biomass strategies and action plans are considered to form a vital part of the renewable energy plans. This study exam

Modeling Parkinson's disease remains a major challenge for preclinical researchers, as existing models fail to reliably recapitulate all of the classic features of the disease, namely, the progressive emergence of a bradykinetic motor syndrome with underlying nigrostriatal alpha-synuclein protein accumulation and nigrostriatal neurodegeneration. One limitation of the existing models is that they a

The surface-selective surface deposition of anionic hydrophilic silica particles from aqueous polymer-surfactant formulations was investigated by in-situ null-ellipsometry. The formulations, with or without silica particles, contained anionic sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and a cationic polymer, cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose (cat-HEC) or a copolymer of acrylamide and methacrylamidopropyl trimethyl

Aquaglyceroporins are transmembrane proteins belonging to the family of aquaporins, which facilitate the passage of specific uncharged solutes across membranes of cells. The yeast aquaglyceroporin Fps1 is important for osmoadaptation by regulating intracellular glycerol levels during changes in external osmolarity. Upon high osmolarity conditions, yeast accumulates glycerol by increased production

ObjectiveTo examine the frequency and characteristics of headaches and their association with global disease activity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). MethodsA disease inception cohort was assessed annually for headache (5 types) and 18 other neuropsychiatric (NP) events. Global disease activity scores (SLE Disease Activity Index 2000

rs7629265 and AF Risk ObjectiveWe examined the association of rs7626962 (S1103Y) or rs7629265, a variant in high linkage disequilibrium with S1103Y (r(2) = 0.87 - 1), with sudden cardiac death (SCD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) among African Americans. BackgroundThe SCN5A missense variant S1103Y has been associated with SCD among African Americans in small case-control studies, but larger populati

The amount of plastics released to the environment in modern days has increased substantially since the development of modern plastics in the early 1900s. As a result, concerns have been raised by the public about the impact of plastics on nature and on, specifically, aquatic wildlife. Lately, much attention has been paid to macro- and micro-sized plastics and their impact on aquatic organisms. Ho

The Cambrian–Ordovician boundary interval in Scandinavia is characterized by largely endemic trilobite species and fossil-meager intervals within the Alum Shale Formation. Previous investigations of this interval in Scandinavia, based on drill cores, are rather sketchy. In order to characterize the faunal signature in a largely dysoxic setting during this time interval, as well as providing biostr

Though there is a very large literature examining whether energy use Granger causes economic output or vice versa, it is fairly inconclusive. Almost all existing studies use relatively short time series, or panels with a relatively small time dimension. We apply Granger causality and cointegration techniques to a Swedish time series dataset spanning 150 years to test whether increases in energy us

The impact of the operating Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) on the contamination of top soil layer with artificial radionuclides has been studied. Results of the investigation of artificial gamma-ray emitting radionuclide distribution in soil in the vicinity of the INPP and distant regions in Lithuania in 1996-2008 (INPP operational period) show that nowadays Cs-137 remains the most important

Along with greater life expectancy in patients with haemophilia has been an increase in associated haemophilia-related (arthropathy, osteoporosis, viral infections) and age-related (cardiovascular disease, renal disease, cancer and others) comorbidities, many of which are only just emerging as the population ages. At present, experience in managing these comorbidities is limited. As the demographi