ALBERT

Notes: After an introduction setting out the general state of work on the national accounts in the Middle East the author considers the principal uses of national accounts statistics in less developed countries. The first group of uses discussed is in connexion with the measurement of growth and the making of international comparisons. The author is of the opinion that in many cases the primary statistical series are so weak that the fact they they are combined together into a series called national income or gross domestic product lends to them a significance which they do not really possess. The real problem is to improve the quality of the primary series.A second use of national accounts statistics is in connexion with fiscal and budgetary policy. In the statistically advanced countries this is one of the most important uses but in the less developed countries budgetary policy has not yet reached a level of sophistication which would call for the use of national accounts data. Moreover, the time factor involved in assembling accurate national accounts estimates militates against their effective use for short term forecasting.The author considers that the most important use for national accounts statistics is to provide a framework for development planning. The United Nations system is not altogether appropriate for this purpose. It grew up primarily as a system for recording income flows but in development planning one is concerned equally with commodity flows with a great deal of attention being focussed upon intermediate products. The proposals of the working group of African Statisticians for an adaptation of the S.N.A. to African countries represents a most important advance in this respect.In the final section of the paper the author advocates a broader definition of capital formation to include developmental expenditure which is not properly defined as fixed capital formation. Education expenditure is cited as an example. It is suggested that in the national accounts it would be desirable to operate with gross concepts. However, the growth of the capital stock is obviously important in less developed countries and it is suggested that statistical techniques be devised to measure it directly wherever possible. Finally, attention is drawn to the ambiguities and weaknesses in the concept of residence as used at present in the S.N.A.

Notes: The greenbug [Schizaphis graminum (Rondani)] is an extremely damaging pest of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), particularly in the southern Great Plains of the USA. Winter barley targeted for production in this region should incorporate resistance to greenbug in the form of the resistance gene Rsg1a (in ‘Post 90′) or Rsg2b (in PI 426756). This study was conducted to fully characterize the resistance profile of these two genes against important greenbug biotypes, and to determine which of the two resistance genes is most effective in protecting barley from the greenbug. Eight barley and four wheat cultivars and germplasms were challenged with six greenbug biotypes and damage ratings were recorded for each combination. In five of the six tests, ‘Post 90’ was significantly more resistant than PI 426756 to greenbug feeding damage. Based on the results presented here, we conclude that the resistance gene, Rsg1a, in ‘Post 90’ is the better choice for use in breeding programmes and will provide better protection than Rsg2b against the greenbug.

Notes: : The statistical analysis of data which have trace level measurements has traditionally been a two-step process in which data are first censored using criteria based on measurement precision, and then analyzed with statistical methods for censored data. The process might be more informative if data were left uncensored. In this paper, information loss attributable to censoring and measurement noise are assessed by comparing the sample mean and median of uncensored measurements with a log regression mean and median based on censored data. Measurements are derived from lognormal parent distributions which have random variability characteristic of trace level measurement. The relative performance of estimators used with error-free samples and with samples having measurement noise can be explained by differences between the probability distributions of parents and measurements. Measurement introduces bias and dispersion and transforms lognormal parent distributions toward greater symmetry. Estimates using uncensored data are less biased and more accurate than the log regression mean and median when censoring exceeds about 50 percent, and are not much worse at any fraction censored. For data with many (80 percent) results below the limit of detection, bias may be quite severe.

Notes: : Water quality issues in agriculture are growing in importance. A common theme is the provision of better information to decision makers. This study reports the trial of a prototype decision support system by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Agricultural Research Service in the NRCS Harrison County Field Office in 1998. Observed data collected at the Deep Loess Research Station (DLRS) near Treynor, Iowa, were extrapolated using a modified GLEAMS field scale simulation model that included a nitrogen leaching component and a crop growth component. An accounting tool was used to convert crop yield estimates into crop budgets. A model interface was built to specify the climate, soil, and topography of the field, as well as the management scenarios for the alternative management systems. For the Deep Loess Hills area of Harrison County, a total of six soil and slope groups, with 66 total combinations of management practices forming management systems, were defined and simulated based on previously calibrated data from DLRS. A multi-objective decision support system, the Water Quality Decision Support System, or WQDSS, was used to examine the tradeoffs in a comprehensive set of variables affected by alternative management systems with farmers in Harrison County. The study concluded that a multiobjective decision support system should be developed to support conservation planning by the NRCS. Currently, a larger scale effort to improve water quality decision making is underway.

Notes: Plasma melatonin synthesis in juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar decreased with increasing light intensity. Melatonin profiles reflected accurately the photoperiod under which the salmon were maintained. Groups maintained at 12°C showed significantly higher (P 〈 0·01) levels of dark phase plasma melatonin compared with the groups maintained at 4°C.

Notes: : Coastal watersheds in the southeastern United States are rapidly changing due to population growth and attendant increases in residential development, industry, and tourism related commerce. This research examined spatial and temporal patterns of nutrient concentrations in streams from 10 small watersheds (〈 4 km2) that drain into Murrells Inlet (impacted) and North Inlet (pristine), two high salinity estuaries along the South Carolina coast. Monthly grab samples were collected during baseflow during 1999 and analyzed for total and dissolved inorganic and organic forms of nitrogen and phosphorus. Data were grouped into forested wetland creeks (representing predevelopment reference sites), urban creeks, and urban ponds. DON and NH4 concentrations were greater in forested streams than in urban streams. NO3 and TP concentrations were greatest in urban streams. Seasonally, concentrations were highest during summer for TN, NH4, DON, and TP, while NO3 concentrations were greatest during winter. Nutrient ratios clearly highlighted the reduction in organic nitrogen due to coastal development. Multiple regression models to predict instream nutrient concentrations from land use in Murrells Inlet suggest that effects are not significant (small r2). The findings indicate that broad land use/land cover classes cannot be used to predict nutrient concentrations in streams in the very small watersheds in our study areas.

Notes: . A simple method is developed that embeds an H-closed space as the remainder of an H-closed extension of a discrete space; one of the many generated extensions will have the same cardinality, weight, density, and character as the original space. Also, an example of an H-closed space (an extension of a discrete space) is constructed in which the number of H-closed subspaces is less than the number of H-sets.

Notes: The status of NMDA receptors in the brains of normal aged individuals and those with Alzheimer's disease was investigated. The binding of [3H]3-((±)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl phosphonic acid ([3H]CPP) to NMDA antagonist-preferring sites on frontal and temporal cortical synaptic membranes was assessed. Binding could be resolved into two components, one of high and the other of low affinity. Pharmacologically, the two sites were qualitatively similar. Considerable intersubject variation in binding parameters was detected, but no significant differences were found between the mean values for the control and Alzheimer's disease groups. This study indicates that, when changes in receptor integrity occur in individual patients, these may be occluded because of the large variations between individuals.