Major Counties Research Articles

Unravelling the nutritional and health benefits of marketable winged termites (Macrotermes spp.) as sustainable food sources in Africa.

Termites are widely distributed globally and serve as a valuable food source in many countries. However, information on the myriad nutritional benefits of processed termite products in African markets remain largely unexploited. This study evaluated the phytochemicals, fatty acids, amino acids, minerals, vitamins and proximate composition of the edible winged termites (Macrotermes spp.) from three major Counties of Kenya. A total of 9 flavonoids, 5 alkaloids, and 1 cytokinin were identified. The oil content varied from 33 to 46%, exhibiting significant levels of beneficial omega 3 fatty acids, such as methyl (9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadecatrienoate and methyl (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z)-eicosapentaenoate, ranging from 82.7-95.1 to 6.3-8.1µg/g, respectively, across the different regions. Four essential and cereal-limiting amino acids lysine (1.0-1.3mg/g), methionine (0.08-0.1mg/g), leucine (0.6-0.9mg/g) and threonine (0.1-0.2mg/g), were predominant. Moreover, termites had a rich profile of essential minerals, including iron (70.7-111.8mg/100g), zinc (4.4-16.2mg/100g) and calcium (33.1-53.0mg/100g), as well as vitamins A (2.4-6.4mg/kg), C (0.6-1.9mg/kg) and B12 (10.7-17.1mg/kg). The crude protein (32.2-44.8%) and fat (41.2-49.1%) contents of termites from the various Counties was notably high. These findings demonstrated the promising nutrients potential of winged termites and advocate for their sustainable utilization in contemporary efficacious functional food applications to combat malnutrition.

TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICAN-ETHIOPIAN RELATIONS IN 1965-1967

In this article, the author aims to explore the place and role of American-Ethiopian relations in US geopolitical strategies. The scientific novelty lies in a comprehensive analysis of the American-Ethiopian relations on the East African region in the context of US foreign policy. Research methods. Historical-genetic method is used in the article, which gave an opportunity to explore the genesis of East African politics of the USA, to identify the main tendencies of this policy direction at every stage. A systematic approach was used for the comprehensive analysis of the USA East Africa policy in 1965–1967, which gave an opportunity to identify economic and geopolitical interests of the USA in East Africa, goals and objectives of major counties towards Ethiopia, and to trace in this regard the attitude of the USA towards Ethiopia’s confrontation with Somalia and Eritrea. Conclusions. Despite the orientation of the Foreign policy of the emperor of Ethiopia to the USA and his attempts to satisfy the USA interests (including the allocation of a military base in Ethiopia), Haile Selassie I failed to fully attract not only American private fund but also to make Ethiopia one of the Foreign policy priorities of the USA government. Ethiopia was of no interest to the USA not only as a potential economic partner (it remained an agricultural country with obsolete modes of production), but also as a military ally. The USA supported some plans of the emperor of Ethiopia, for example the project of accession of Eritrea to the Ethiopian Empire, for the following reasons only: due to independent Eritrean country’s insolvency due to the necessity to maintain peace and order in the Northeastern Africa, on the west coast of the Red Sea. «Right» was given to the Ethiopian Empire, which needed the access to the sea and which at that time had a relatively strong army capable to battle any inner reaction and to defend the borders of Eritrea, where American military bases were located.

Local and Regional Contributions to Tropospheric Ozone Concentrations

The Wasatch Front in Utah, USA is currently a non-attainment area for ozone according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO2 + NO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight lead to ozone formation in the troposphere. When the rate of oxidant production, defined as the sum of O3 and NO2, is faster than the rate of NOx production, a region is said to be NOx-limited and ozone formation will be limited by the concentration of NOx species in the region. The inverse of this situation makes the region VOC-limited. Knowing if a region is NOx-limited or VOC-limited can aid in generating effective mitigation strategies. Understanding the background or regional contributions to ozone in a region, whether it be from the transport of precursors or of ozone, provides information about the lower limit for ozone concentrations that a region can obtain with regulation of local precursors. In this paper, measured oxidant and NOx concentrations are analyzed from 14 counties in the state of Utah to calculate the regional and local contributions to ozone for each region. This analysis is used to determine the nature of the atmosphere in each county by determining if the region is VOC- or NOx-limited. Furthermore, this analysis is performed for each county for the years 2012 and 2022 to determine if there has been a change in the oxidative nature and quantify the regional and local contributions to ozone over a 10-year period. All studied counties—except for Washington County—in Utah were found to be VOC-limited in 2012. This shifted in 2022 to most counties being either in a transitional state or being NOx-limited. Local contributions to ozone increased in two major counties, Cache and Salt Lake Counties, but decreased in Carbon, Davis, Duchesne, Uinta, Utah, Washington, and Weber Counties. Generally, the regional contributions to oxidant concentrations decreased across the state. A summertime spike in both regional and local contributions to oxidants was seen. Smoke from wildfires was seen to increase the regional contributions to oxidants and shift the local regime to be more NOx-limited.

The Grain for Green Program Enhanced Synergies between Ecosystem Regulating Services in Loess Plateau, China

Decades of reckless deforestation have caused serious soil erosion and land desertification issues in the Loess Plateau (LP). “Grain for Green” Program (GFGP), one of the world’s largest ecological restoration projects, is crucial to improve the ecological environment. Previous studies have demonstrated that GFGP lowers soil erosion in the LP. However, there are trade-offs and synergies between ecological services. Does strengthening soil conservation prevent enhancing other ecosystem services? Consequently, can the GFGP improve many ecological services simultaneously? This study compares changes in NDVI prior to and following the implementation of the GFGP in LP to the enhancement of ecosystem services. During the research period, the LP’s overall vegetation cover rose significantly, particularly in the GFGP’s major counties. Significant improvements were made to ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and habitat quality. The GFGP enhanced the synergistic linkages between ecological services. The implementation of the GFGP decreased water yield, suggesting trade-offs with other ecosystem services. Additionally, we investigate regional trade-offs/synergies between ecosystem services and their influencing factors, which were influenced by topographic and climatic variables. To maximize the benefits of ecological restoration efforts, we need a deeper understanding of the relationships between ecosystem services and the mechanisms that drive them. Thus, policymakers can scientifically exert control over local influences on ecosystem services, either by boosting the provision of specific services or by limiting specific influences in order to maintain ecosystem stability.

Resistance to Multiple Insecticide Classes in the Vinegar Fly Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Michigan Vineyards.

Vinegar flies are vectors of pathogens causing fruit rots of grapes, so control of these insects is important for preventing vineyard yield loss. Recent outbreaks of sour rots may be linked to greater challenges controlling vinegar flies, so we investigated the insecticide susceptibility of populations collected from commercial vineyards across Michigan. We first determined the discriminating concentration for phosmet, malathion, methomyl, and zeta-cypermethrin using a laboratory susceptible (Canton-S) strain of D. melanogaster females. The discriminating concentrations were determined as 252.08, 2.58, 0.96, and 1.68 ppm of the four insecticides, respectively. These concentrations were first tested in 2020 against populations from the two major counties for grape production. In 2021, we expanded monitoring to twenty-three populations collected from vineyards across six counties. All populations had significantly lower sensitivity to all four insecticides compared with Canton-S strain, with up to 98.8% lower mortality for phosmet. The LC50, LC90, and LC99 values of the four insecticides for the two populations tested in 2020 were 7-1,157-fold higher than the Canton-S strain. For the twenty-three populations collected in 2021, mortality ranged from 56.3 to 100% when the flies were screened using a 10x concentration of the discriminating concentration of the insecticides, whereas it ranged from 82.4 to 100% when the flies were screened using a 20x concentration. Our results suggest variable levels of resistance to insecticides from multiple chemical classes in D. melanogaster populations in Michigan vineyards, highlighting the need to implement integrated sour rot management approaches that are less dependent on insecticides for control of this species.

Proximity to fatal accidents predicts police citation rates on urban and rural roads

Objectives: Police enforcement can effectively deter risky driving behaviors and reduce traffic fatalities, including speed-related fatalities. Unlike other areas of data-driven policing, spatial methods to improve road safety are not well-described. The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) determine if proximity to a prior roadway fatality increases the risk of a traffic citation being issued after adjusting for relevant roadway variables; (2) determine if this effect varies between rural and urban roads. Methods: The study region included a rural county and adjacent small city (City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia). Fatality locations were obtained from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) from 2008 to 2018. Police citation data were obtained from the State of Virginia for 2020. Data on fatalities and roadway features were used to create a model to predict traffic citation density. Traffic stop locations were analyzed as a point pattern on a linear network, assuming a Poisson process with varying intensity. The model adjusted for average traffic volume, distance to the nearest fatal crash along the road network, rural vs urban roadway, posted speed limit, and interstate vs non-interstate road. To account for over-dispersion, quasi-Poisson model was used. Results: There were 138 fatalities and 651 traffic citations during the time periods examined. After adjusting for other covariates, the expected number of citations/km was higher with increasing proximity to prior fatal crashes, RR = 1.34 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.72) per km. The effect of proximity did not vary significantly between urban and rural roads (p = 0.2707). However, citation intensity was significantly higher on urban roads vs. rural roads, RR = 2.65 (1.09, 6.45). Predicted citation intensity reflected anticipated enforcement clusters inside the city limits and on major county roads, suggesting satisfactory model fit. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a novel approach to quantify the impact of road fatalities on police activity, measured by traffic citations. Proximity to fatal crashes was found to affect police citation rates, and this effect is consistent between urban and rural areas. Future work will aim to identify areas of under enforcement based on proximity to fatal crashes and other roadway variables.

Spatial autocorrelation and stratified heterogeneity in the evaluation of breast cancer risk inequity and socioeconomic factors analysis in China: Evidence from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.

Study of socioeconomic factors can play an important role in the spatial distribution of breast cancer by leading to a better understanding of its spatial pattern and assist breast cancer screening and early diagnosis. Taking Nanchang, a major city in central China, as an example, spatial autocorrelation and stratified heterogeneity were applied using a 10 10 km grid division to analyse breast cancer risk and socioeconomic factors. The research results showed that the median incidence rate of female breast cancer in Nanchang from 2016 to 2018 was 6.6/100,000 with a standard deviation of 12.3/100,000. Areas with higher incidence rates were mainly located in the central urban area and the major county towns. Spatial regression analysis showed that there was a statistically significant correlation between the spatial patterns of breast cancer incidence on the one hand, and on the other socioeconomic factors, such as total gross domestic product (GDP), per capita GDP and density of places of social and economic activities, i.e. points of interest. In addition, the normalized difference vegetation index also played a part in this respect. This research could serve as a reference for regional public health policy formulation and breast cancer screening.

Analysis on the Path to Standardize the Implementation and Management of Industrial Poverty Alleviation Projects—— Taking Taojiang County, a Major Agricultural County as an Example

Analysis on the Path to Standardize the Implementation and Management of Industrial Poverty Alleviation Projects—— Taking Taojiang County, a Major Agricultural County as an Example

The impact of COVID-19-induced lockdowns during spring 2020 on nitrogen dioxide levels over major American counties

COVID-19 has quickly spread throughout the world, infecting and killing millions of people. In an effort to contain the spread of the virus, many governments implemented stringent lockdown measures. These lockdown restrictions, coupled with social distancing, severely curtailed transportation and industrial activities, which are the primary drivers of nitrogen oxides emissions. This study investigates whether lockdown orders in the United States have impacted tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels by evaluating 12 major counties with a total population of 38 million. For each county, Sentinel-5P satellite data were obtained and analyzed to determine NO2 column concentrations during the pre-lockdown, peak lockdown, and loosening lockdown periods in 2020. Then, NO2 levels were compared during these three periods to the same time frame in 2019. Our results show that the lockdowns in the 12 major U.S. counties analyzed led to a significant decline in NO2 levels, with an average reduction of 28.7% (±14.6%) and 17.6% (±10.9%) during peak lockdown and loosening lockdown periods, respectively.

Climatic and non-climatic risks in rainfed crop production systems: insights from maize farmers of western Kenya

ABSTRACT Impacts of climatic and non-climatic risks are on the rise in the major maize-growing counties of western Kenya. We conducted a questionnaire survey of sampled maize farmers in Nandi, West Pokot, Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia counties, achieving 210 responses. We used a stepwise regression model to evaluate the factors influencing farmers’ perceptions of farming risks. Results show that most of the sampled farmers were aware of the risks, and perceived reduced rainfall with erratic patterns to be the major climatic risk in crop production. The non-climatic factors were identified as inadequate farm size, limited extension services, land degradation and low soil fertility. The determinant factors that influence farmers’ perception of climatic and non-climatic risks affecting crop production were age, farm size, income, crop production cost, marital status, the highest level of education and farming experience. Understanding the risks faced in crop production and determinants of farmers’ perceptions can be important in the development and dissemination of sustainable agronomic strategies tailored towards improving crop production.

856 Differences in perinatal outcomes among rural women by county composition

Residents of rural counties have lower health status and generally worse health outcomes than non-rural counterparts. Perinatal outcomes are known to differ by maternal race/ethnicity. Less is known about the health status and outcomes of women of color in rural counties and among rural counties that are minority majority. We conducted a retrospective cohort study with 2015 national vital statistics birth certificate data. Maternal county of residence was identified in this data file and counties <50,000 people were identified as rural. We then identified a cohort of women from minority majority counties which we defined as <50% white women delivering in that county. We compared perinatal outcomes of pregnancies within these minority majority counties to those of women from counties that are majority white. Bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression were performed. We identified 77 (4.7%) counties meeting criteria for minority majority. Of the 404,434 rural women, 46,386 (11.5%) were from minority majority counties. Women of minority majority counties were more likely to be /=35 years (10.8% vs 10.0%; p<0.001), have less than a high school education (19.8% vs 15.6%; p<.001), and to be unmarried (53.8% vs 41.1%; p<0.001) (Table 1). Minority-majority rural residence was also associated with higher rates of adverse perinatal outcomes including SGA (12.3% vs 9.3%; p<.001), NICU admission (6.7% vs 5.8%; p<.001), preterm birth (9.6% vs 7.9%; p<0.001), and infant death (0.57% vs 0.43%; p<.001). These findings persisted when controlling for potential confounders (Figure 1). We observed worse markers of baseline health status and an increased incidence of adverse perinatal outcomes among women residing in minority majority rural counties. Additional study is warranted to better understand the etiology of these differences. Such differences may pose a unique opportunity to focus attention and resources to improve outcomes for women in these counties.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

Temporal evaluation of a woodrat (genusNeotoma) hybrid zone based on genotypic and georeferenced data

AbstractMauldin et al. (2014) examined 103 woodrats collected in 1988 from a putative contact zone located in Major County, Oklahoma, and provided evidence for a substantial level of hybridization between Neotoma floridana and N. micropus. This site was resampled in 2010, with 42 woodrats collected, and again in 2011, when an additional 88 woodrats were collected from 11 localities along a transect extending northwest to southeast of the center of the hybrid zone. These specimens were examined to: 1) serve as independent data sets, separated by 22 years, for a temporal comparison of hybrid zone characteristics and 2) determine the geographic extent of genetic introgression between the two species. All individuals were genotyped at 11 genetic markers (eight microsatellite loci, one mitochondrial gene—Cytochrome b, and two nuclear introns—intron 2 of the vertebrate alcohol dehydrogenase gene and intron 7 of the beta-fibrinogen gene) that were shown to be informative in the original study. Levels of allelic introgression were assessed at 12 localities (11 new localities, as well as the previously sampled putative contact zone) to determine size and continuity of the hybrid zone. Expanded geographic sampling revealed evidence of genetic introgression at 11 of 12 localities, although only two localities were determined to be active areas of hybridization in 2011. The temporal comparison revealed that characteristics of the hybrid zone (i.e., frequency of hybridization, directionality, location of the zone, and ratios of hybrid classes) remained similar between sampling events. These findings suggest hybridization between these species is ongoing but is intermittent and potentially ephemeral in this region.

Surveillance by oral fluid of drugs subject to misuse among individuals under arrest

ABSTRACT Background: Between 1988 and 2013 the U.S. government conducted surveillance of national drug misuse use trends by collecting voluntary urine specimens from individuals under arrest in major counties. It was discontinued for financial reasons. The program was the only national survey that used a bioassay to measure drug use. Other national drug surveys continue to be based entirely on self-reports of drug use. Objective: Given the current opioid and incipient methamphetamine epidemics, this study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of surveilling drugs subject to misuse among individuals under arrest using oral fluid collected anonymously by jail staff in one U.S. county. This method has never been previously employed with an offender population. Methods: The subjects were adults arrested for any reason and booked in one Midwest county jail in the U.S. between July 2019 – January 2020 (N = 196; 145 males). Oral fluid specimens were provided for research purposes voluntarily and anonymously. Results: 79% of individuals approached consented to participation. The most frequently detected drugs were cannabis (53%), methamphetamine (27%), cocaine (9%) and opioids (11%). Further, 74% tested positive for at least one drug; 36% tested positive for at least one illegal drug, 10% tested positive for at least one possibly illegal drug, and 54% tested positive for at least one legal drug (predominantly cannabis). (Tests for nicotine and ethanol were not included.) Conclusion: The feasibility of collecting oral fluid from individuals under arrest in a jail setting to measure the prevalence of drugs subject to misuse was demonstrated.

Data-Mining Approach Evaluates Production Performance in the Permian Basin

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper URTeC 198192, “Production Performance Evaluation From Stimulation and Completion Parameters in the Permian Basin: Data-Mining Approach,” by Mustafa A. Al-Alwani, SPE, and Shari Dunn-Norman, SPE, Missouri University of Science and Technology, and Larry K. Britt, SPE, NSI Fracturing, et al., prepared for the 2019 SPE/AAPG/SEG Asia Pacific Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, 18–19 November, Brisbane, Australia. The paper has not been peer reviewed. The complete paper uses 3,782 unconventional horizontal wells to analyze the effect of proppant volume and the length of the perforated lateral on short- and long-term well productivity across the Permian Basin. Tying cumulative production to completion and stimulation practices showed that increasing pumped proppant per well from 5 million to less than 10 million lbm yielded a 34% increase in 5-year cumulative average barrels of oil equivalent (BOE). Raising the pumped proppant per well to 10 million-15 million lbm and 15 million-20 million lbm increased 5-year cumulative BOE from the previous proppant range group to 27% and 18.5%, respectively. Introduction For this study, stimulation chemical data from Permian (Midland) Basin wells were downloaded from FracFocus for all horizontal wells completed and stimulated between 2012 and 2018. The data were then subjected to rigorous cleaning and processing, a process detailed in the complete paper, and then combined with DrillingInfo completion and production parameters. Combining these data provided ample parameters for stimulation, completion, and production data. The objective of the study was to investigate the production performance of Permian Basin wells as a result of different ranges of stimulation and completion parameters. Fig. 1 shows a database representation of the major counties in the Permian Basin with the number of wells in each county. Results and Discussion To substitute for any quantities of produced gas, all production data have been converted to BOE by using the conversion factor of 1 BOE=6 Mcf. The amount of proppant being pumped and the length of the perforated lateral length have been selected to represent the stimulation size and the completion magnitude, respectively.

ЕФІОПІЯ ТА ЄГИПЕТСЬКО-ЕФІОПСЬКИЙ КОНФЛІКТ В КОНТЕКСТІ АМЕРИКАНСЬКО-ЕФІОПСЬКИХ ВІДНОСИН (1955 – 1957 рр.)

In this article, the author aims to explore the place and role of Egyptian-Ethiopian relations during the Suez Crisis in US geopolitical strategies. The scientific novelty lies in a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the Suez Crisis on the East African region in the context of US foreign policy. Research methods. Historical-genetic method is used in the article, which gave an opportunity to explore the genesis of East African politics of the USA, to identify the main tendencies of this policy direction at every stage. A systematic approach was used for the comprehensive analysis of the USA East Africa policy in 1955–1957, which gave an opportunity to identify economic and geopolitical interests of the USA in East Africa, goals and objectives of major counties towards Egypt and Ethiopia, and to trace in this regard the attitude of the USA towards Ethiopia’s confrontation with Egypt. Conclusions. Despite the orientation of the Foreign policy of the emperor of Ethiopia to the USA and his attempts to satisfy the USA interests (including the allocation of a military base in Ethiopia), Haile Selassie I failed to fully attract not only American private fund but also to make Ethiopia one of the Foreign policy priorities of the USA government. Ethiopia was of no interest to the USA not only as a potential economic partner (it remained an agricultural country with obsolete modes of production), but also as a military ally. The USA supported some plans of the emperor of Ethiopia, for example the project of accession of Eritrea to the Ethiopian Empire, for the following reasons only:1. due to independent Eritrean country’s insolvency; 2. due to the necessity to maintain peace and order in the northeastern Africa, on the west coast of the Red Sea. «Right» was given to the Ethiopian Empire, which needed the access to the sea and which at that time had a relatively strong army capable to battle any inner reaction and to defend the borders of Eritrea, where American military bases were located.

임진왜란 시기 명군(明軍)의 대구(大邱) 팔거현(八莒縣) 주둔과 지역 변화

In 1593, the year after the outbreak of the Imjin War (the Japanese Invasions of Korea of 1592-1598), the troops of the Ming Dynasty of China were stationed in Gyeongsang-do to check the Japanese troops that stayed in Joseon while peace negotiations were underway. In particular, as the Palgeo (八莒) area in Daegu was noted as a very important strategic location for the defense of Gyeongsang-do, a large-scale of the Ming army was stationed under the command of the general Liu Ting (劉綎). During the Imjin War, the Palgeo and Gyeongju areas, where about 10,000 of the Ming troops were stationed, were more than just military bases.<BR> In the first half of the war, the dispatch of the Ming army to Joseon Korea and their presence in the Gyeongsang-do area lasted only about 1 year, but it brought about considerable changes to the local community. To be sure, the Ming troops stationed in the area sometimes caused inconvenience to the local Korean people. However, the Ming military camps in Daegu, Palgeo and Gyeongju areas formed a large towns (都會) during the war since numerous people of Joseon who had difficulty in making ends meet sough refuge in the Ming camps and a large number of the Joseon troops stayed there to learn new martial arts or tactics from the Ming army along with the Joseon government’s move to prepare large-scale military provisions and supplies for the Ming camps.<BR> Due to the presence of the Ming troops, the establishment of Gyeongsang-do Provincial Office (Gyeongsang-gam-yeong), and the gathering of the Joseon people, the Palgeo area, which used to be only a prefecture belonging to Seongju, was transformed from the time before the war. First, houses for many soldiers and residents were constructed and commerce became lively in the area.<BR> Changes in Daegu and Palgeo areas during the Imjin War are quite interesting as an example of community development brought about by the Great War in East Asia, especially by the participation and presence of the Ming army. In addition, many of Joseon’s major counties and prefectures, which had served as administrative centers before the war, came to serve as the hubs of economy and distribution in the late Joseon Dynasty. This reflects the fact that following military measures to cope with the war, the flow of population and regional development became the important driving force behind urban development in the late Joseon Dynasty. Therefore, exploration of regional changes in Daegu and Palgeo areas is expected to have significant implications in the further studies of the Imjin War and related fields.

Shang Yang’s Promotion of the County System and the County-Canton Relations: an Analysis Based on Official Titles, Salary Grades and the Size of the Employed Personnel

The establishment of the county (xian 縣) system was the core of the second stage of Shang Yang’s reform. This reform was brought to completion through the institutionalization of office bailiffs with distinct salary grades (諸官有秩嗇夫). In investigating counties and cantons (xiang 鄉) we should pay attention to the operational background of “[county] court (ting 廷)—[county level] offices (guan 官).” The salary rank of Qin’s county leaders was relatively high, as it was equivalent to what would later be associated only with “major counties” (da xian 大縣). The appearance of the titles of [county] “heads” (zhang 長) and [canton] “bailiffs” (sefu 嗇夫) reflects the evolution of the salary grades of the county and canton officials. Based on the county’s and canton’s scale and on the number of registered households, the scope of personnel in Qin’s Qianling 遷陵 county was relatively large.

Misdemeanor Disenfranchisement? The Demobilizing Effects of Brief Jail Spells on Potential Voters

This paper presents new causal estimates of incarceration’s effect on voting, using administrative data on criminal sentencing and voter turnout. I use the random case assignment process of a major county court system as a source of exogenous variation in the sentencing of misdemeanor cases. Focusing on misdemeanor defendants allows for generalization to a large population, as such cases are very common. Among first-time misdemeanor defendants, I find evidence that receiving a short jail sentence decreases voting in the next election by several percentage points. Results differ starkly by race. White defendants show no demobilization, while Black defendants show substantial turnout decreases due to jail time. Evidence from pre-arrest voter histories suggest that this difference could be due to racial differences in exposure to arrest. These results paint a picture of large-scale, racially-disparate voter demobilization in the wake of incarceration.

Exploring the spatial heterogeneity of individual preferences for integrated river basin management: an example of Heihe river basin.

This study mainly focuses on welfare impacts from improving considerably degraded river stretches of Heihe river basin and to determine the impact of spatial heterogeneity on willingness-to-pay (WTP)for integrated river basin management (IRBM). The significant WTP values for ecological attributes improvement revealed that the respondents of Heihe river basin significantly support the integrated ecological restoration program. However, socioeconomic characteristics and residential location have a significant impact on WTP values for different ecological attributes. The results demonstrate that water quality is the most preferred variable among all the river attributes in the study area. For example, in Zhangye, Gaotai, Ejinaqi, Minle, and Sunan the respondents were willing to pay 90.6, 160.44, 377.15, 65.40, and 139.21 Yuan per year, respectively, for a one-grade improvement in current water quality. Our findings also show that all the major counties of the basin concern more about water quality representing the relative importance of river water and express the maximum WTP for its improvement, while all major counties also share a low WTP for improvements in conditions of the leisure and entertainment. The differences in socioeconomic characteristics and ecological status of the respondents partially explain the disparity in utility from IRBM. In conclusion, the results based on only specific sub-basin of river basin may over or underestimate the welfare estimate.

Scutellonema bradys and Pratylenchus spp. associated with weeds in yam fields

Summary Dry root disease of yam (Dioscorea spp.), caused by Scutellonema bradys, Pratylenchus coffeae and P. brachyurus, is prominent among the plant disease problems of yam in Brazil. In order to evaluate the association of these nematode species with weeds, field sampling was performed during 2016 and 2017 in yam-growing areas with a history of the disease within the major counties in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. The frequency of occurrence of both weeds and nematodes was determined, in addition to the estimated population of nematodes in roots. Forty-three weed species were found, of which 23 were infected with at least one of the causal agents of the dry rot disease, Pratylenchus spp. being the most prevalent in the fields. Ageratum conyzoides, Commelina benghalensis and Emilia coccinea (in Zona da Mata) and C. benghalensis (Agreste region) were especially important due to their high frequency of occurrence and also for supporting populations of S. bradys and Pratylenchus spp. Cyperus flavus, E. coccinea and Spermacoce verticillata are now recorded as new weed species associated with S. bradys.