Farmers' perceptions and management of soil organic matter – a case study from West Africa

A farm survey was carried out in 155 Ghanaian villages covering parts of the forest and savanna zones of West Africa to assess farmers' views on ‘soil organic matter’ (SOM) and its management. The results of a closed questionnaire accompanied by open discussions showed that most farmers are well aware of SOM and its importance for crop yields. In southern Ghana, farmers perceive SOM generally by its colour, while in northern Ghana, it is mostly assessed by the density and kind of vegetation. Farmers' perception of the properties of SOM was directed at its main functions as a primary provider of plant nutrients and its ability to conserve water. Other properties mentioned were the improvement of soil aeration and drainage, the loosening of soil structure as well as its impact on soil temperature. The major strategies farmers used in maintaining or augmenting SOM levels were: manure application, mulching with crop residues, slashing weeds without burning, composting, and shifting cultivation (natural fallow). Promoted technologies, such as green manuring, no tillage, or agroforestry were used only by a few of the farmers interviewed. The differences between farmers' views and strategies in the two zones as well as farmers' constraints in SOM management are discussed. It appears that the level of farmers' commitment to excellent soil management can vary with biophysical as well as socio-economic conditions. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Psychological practice in primary care settings: Practical tips for clinicians.

Many psychologists are finding new opportunities for practice in primary care settings. These settings challenge many aspects of traditional practice and require adaptation and innovation. Psychologists must consider changes in their site of practice, treatment duration, type of intervention, and role as part of a health care team. This article describes the culture of primary care medicine and offers 10 practical tips for the adaptation in psychological practice to primary care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Migrating Procurement onto the Internet

The emergence of advanced technology and the Internet leads to a trend for companies to migrate onto or to publicize themselves on the Internet as a business norm. Such migration involves business reengineering in procurement processes, which would result in pros and cons such as procurement time and cost saving, and resistance to change respectively for both buyers and sellers. This paper presents the migration of procurement onto the Internet, highlighting the ways in which business processes can be changed with the necessary technical requirements, and the possible pros and cons are encountered during the migration. An industrial example is used to illustrate the corresponding evolution as a result of electronic commerce (EC) deployment.     

Chasing entrepreneurial firms

The search for a reliable data-set of entrepreneurial firms is ongoing. We analyze and assess longitudinal data on startups from two data sources – the National Establishment Time-Series (NETS) database and the Secretary of State (SOS) business registry data. Our primary purposes in this paper are to assess the usefulness and reliability of these databases in measuring startup activity along several quality indicators and to explore the possibility of integrating these large databases using both automated and manual processes. The NETS identifies a firm’s employment, sales, and industry but is expensive and suffers from a temporal lag. The SOS data provide up-to-date startup counts but offer limited variables. We conclude that policymakers and researchers will benefit from combing both the SOS and adjusted NETS since they provide complementary information on startups. We carefully document our methodology and make suggestions for use of the data for future research.     

形成倒装芯片焊点的铜接线柱焊凸(SBC)法

在倒装芯片应用中生长晶圆焊凸的工艺中对于间距较小(即小于150μm)、具有数个尺寸为150μm的焊凸,倒装前的焊锡涂敷好坏对产品的良率和可靠性起着重要作用。因为,如果涂敷的焊锡体积不均匀,就经不起涂敷过程中为确保涂敷在引线框上焊锡的完整和体积一致性而引入的强制视像系统检查,从而降低产出率。这就是一些组装工艺正设法减少或取消这些限制的原因。另一方面,采用直接熔化焊凸的方法来形成焊点是一种速度较快的工艺,但在保证回流处理后的离板高度方面有缺点,导致在温度和功率循环测试中的表现较差。介绍的采用铜接线柱焊凸(SolderBumponCopperStud;SBC)法解决了这些问题;对于那些需要倒装的组装工艺而言,这是可保障其制造性较佳的解决方案。介绍采用铜接线柱焊凸(SBC)工艺在附着在倒装芯片上的金属基片和焊凸之间形成焊点的新方法,利用铜接线柱焊凸技术再配合晶圆级的焊锡丝印工艺在半导体上预先形成焊凸。这是替代电镀焊凸工艺一种别具成本效益的方法。     

Identification and molecular characterization of Salmonella spp. from unpasteurized orange juices and identification of new serotype Salmonella strain S. enterica serovar Tempe

Several Salmonella enterica serotypes were isolated from unpasteurized orange juice samples analysed as a follow-up to an outbreak in 1999 of S. enterica serotype Muenchen in the Pacific Northwest regions of United States. Eleven S. enterica strains were serotyped and identified as S. enterica serotype Muenchen (2), S. enterica serotype Hidalgo (2), S. enterica serotype Alamo (1), S. enterica serotype Gaminera (2), S. enterica serotype Javiana (2) and a new serotyped strain S. enterica serotype Tempe (2). The identity of the new serotype S. enterica serovar Tempe serotype 30:b:1,7:z33 was confirmed by the National Salmonella Reference Laboratory at NCID/CDC, Atlanta. These strains were sensitive to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, tetracycline, streptomycin and sulfisoxazole antibiotics. Isolates were screened for invasion (invA) and virulence (spvC) genes using specific primers for these two genes by polymerase chain reaction. All strains were positive for invA gene giving 321-bp fragment, however negative to virulence spvC gene. For pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis, Salmonella strain plugs were made and digested with XbaI and subjected to 18-h electrophoresis. The PFGE patterns were different for each S. enterica serotypes suggesting the several origins of contamination in outbreak. S. enterica serotype.     

Institutional entrepreneurship and social innovation at the base of the pyramid: the case of M-Pesa in Kenya

This paper explores the agency of multinational corporations that perform social innovation under conditions of institutional complexity and resource constraints. Insights are drawn from a case study of Vodafone Group Plc and Safaricom Kenya Ltd that engaged in mobile money innovation in Kenya. The paper identifies three types of institutional voids that entrepreneurs can exploit to implement a social innovation: market, policy and social voids. Legitimating the social innovation involves appealing to the instrumental needs of target users, early and sustained engagement with policy-makers and redefining meanings of both incumbent and new technologies. The paper argues that spanning institutional voids – which provide entrepreneurial opportunities – also provide contingent legitimation narratives that can be targeted at different audiences. By mobilising insights from institutional theory, this paper provides a fresh perspective of social innovation in a base of the pyramid context.     

Psychological distress in workers with traumatic upper or lower limb amputations following industrial injuries.

Objective: To determine whether individuals with traumatic upper limb amputations would report more symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression than individuals with traumatic lower limb amputations. Study Design: Retrospective file review. Setting: CARF-accredited outpatient rehabilitation center. Participants: Thirty workers with unilateral upper limb amputations and 25 workers with unilateral lower limb amputations. Main Outcome Measures: Presence or absence of depression, symptoms of PTSD, and pain. Results: The upper limb group had a higher frequency of depression and symptoms of PTSD than the lower limb group. The 2 groups did not differ with respect to pain complaints. Conclusion: More so than injuries to the lower limbs, upper limb injuries may render individuals vulnerable to PTSD and depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consumer research for the public sector human services in Victoria

Abstract

This pilot study illustrates the value of consumer research in the public sector. It focuses on use, evaluation and desired improvements to human services in Victoria. The study is based on a survey of 942 respondents in five Local Government Areas, four of which are in the Melbourne metropolitan area. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of our findings and with suggestions for improved methods of conducting consumer research for Government.