A confederate Agricultural Knowledge System

Abstract

Previous, analytical-empirical case studies of national Agricultural Knowledge Systems (AKSs) have produced a list of factors which are typical for successful AKSs. The aim of the present paper is to investigate (1) in how far these factors exist in the Swiss AKS, (2) in what ways the unique, confederal system of Switzerland has had an influence on its AKS, and (3) whether additional, generalizable factors can be identified, which could add to the efficiency of the national AKSs.

The federal system of Switzerland with its relatively small cantons which are responsible for law enforcement and agricultural extension (but not for research) imposes special conditions on its AKS and makes it difficult to manage them. Informal communication devices help to overcome this drawback.

The investigation of the Swiss AKS corroborates the list of criteria for well functioning AKSs that were identified in earlier research, and added two new points: (1) the need for “relais” stations to overcome interfaces between research and extension, especially when these two subsystems function at different organisational levels, or when extension is split up into small units; (2) the value of networking among different national AKSs.     

Bookselling—book buying: The European perspective of the online market

The book market in European countries is different than the U.S. market for various political, geographical, and cultural reasons. The authors outline these differences and provide background on the move to electronic commerce and future. The article includes many electronic and print sources of and bibliographic tools for locating books in the European market.     

Analysis of publications of the pilot issue of the data collection of the All-Russia Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Industry of Nanosystems and Nanomaterials”

The pilot issue of the data collection of the All-Russian Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Industry of Nanosystems and Nanomaterials” gives an approximate view of the state of this field of science at the beginning of 2007. The topics of articles in the pilot issue are analyzed. The directions of development of nanotechnologies are shown. The basic types of nanomaterials, the methods of their production, and their properties and applications are given.     

The competitiveness of scientific research and measures to increase it

In this paper, the consideration of the problem of the competitiveness of scientific research as an independent scientific line in the context of the science of science, whose main methodological instruments could be the adapted economic concepts of competitiveness and clusters, as well as mathematical models of competitive interactions (including models described in the terms and equations of population dynamics) and the methods of scientometric analysis, is proposed. It is shown that solution of the problem of increasing the competitiveness of post-Soviet scientific research falls within the domains of information communication. In addition, the role of the international movement for public access to scientific knowledge in increasing the competitiveness of scientific research is considered.     

The effect of submaximal exercise on recovery hemodynamics and thermoregulation in men and women

Five women and 5 men were studied to examine the effects of submaximal exercise on thermoregulatory and hemodynamic variables during recovery in two environments: (a) control (C), 22 degrees C, 33% rh; and (b) hot humid (H), 32 degrees C. The participants exercised on a cycle ergometer at 60% of peak oxygen consumption for 35 min prior to 90 min of seated recovery. Sessions were identical, except for environment. Variables evaluated (p < .05) were: core temperature (TR), mean skin temperature (Ts), sweat rate (SR), heart rate (HR), stroke index (SI), cardiac index (CI), forearm blood flow (FBF), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Men and women exhibited similar patterns of TR, Ts, and SR in both environments. Ts and SR (collapsed means for gender) were higher in the H than in the C. DBP was higher in men than in women throughout recovery in both environments. With combined means for gender, HR was higher in the H than in the C. CI, SI, FBF, and SBP were similar in both environments and returned to baseline within 15 min into recovery. These data suggest that heat dissipation during extended recovery was accomplished with similar contributions of cutaneous vasodilation and sweating in M and F. Furthermore, the moderate exercise level did not influence hemodynamics beyond 15 min of recovery in either environment.