Supply and Demand Research Papers (original) (raw)

Central banks’ liquidity management plays a crucial role in the implementation of monetary policy. In most countries central banks influence short term interest rates through determining the equilibrium conditions of supply and demand in the market for bank reserves (liquidity). This article describes the liquidity management practice of the National Bank of Hungary in the period of 1998-2001. This period is characterized by two particular circumstances. First, there is a substantial liquidity surplus, therefore the Bank influences market interest rates using the liabilities side instruments of its balance sheet. Second, as a result of the narrow-band exchange rate regime and the fact that the Treasury Account is held with the Bank, the amount of liquidity is highly volatile and hard to forecast. The article explains how the Bank forecasts liquidity and the movements of overnight interest rate in these circumstances, and it describes the development of monetary policy instruments ap...

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- Monetary Policy, Management Practice, Central Bank, Interest Rate
- by jelmer van belle
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- Ecology, Animal Ecology, Foraging ecology, Biological Sciences
- by Aidan Tuohy
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- Stochastic Process, Power Systems, Power System, Stochastic processes

In February 2003, the Thai Government enacted a 'war on drugs' to reduce supply and demand for illicit drugs. This study aimed to examine the impact of this policy on injection drug users (IDUs) drug utilisation patterns and to explore IDU attitudes toward and experiences with the policy in Chiang Mai province. In April 2003, 263 IDU who participated in a study in the preceding year were followed up and 165 IDUs (63%) were available and consented to participate in a cross-sectional survey. Of these 85% had ceased injecting and 70% had done so since the implementation of the policy, with a higher percentage of rural compared to urban IDUs ceasing injection (78% versus 55%, p < 0.001). One-third of those who had ceased drug injection reported smoking opium or methamphetamine, with a lower percentage of urban compared to rural dwellers (24% versus 36%, p < 0.01). Paradoxically, 88% of participants reported that government policy was "good," ostensibly because it might reduce the temptation to use drugs among the non-initiated by reducing the supply. The majority of study participants reported ceasing injection, often transitioning to other substance use. Differences in drug utilisation patterns were found between urban and rural dwellers. The fear produced by the policy probably led to an underreporting of injection practices and could lead to increased risky syringe behaviours. Continued research is needed to monitor the effects of the policy on patterns of drug use, routes of administration, and HIV risk behaviours.

- by Apinun Aramrattana
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- Drug Use, Drug Policy, Substance Use, Government Policy

Transportation planning is an important part of the supply chain or wood flow chain in forestry. There are often several forest companies operating in the same region and collaboration between two or more companies is rare. However, there is an increasing interest in collaborative planning as the potential savings are large, often in the range 5-15%. There are several issues to agree on before such collaborative planning can be used in practice. A key question is how savings should be distributed among the participants. In this paper, we investigate a number of possibilities based on economic models including Shapley value, the nucleolus, separable and non-separable costs, shadow prices and volume weights. We also propose a new allocation method, with the aim that the participants relative profits are as equal as possible. A large case study comprising eight forest companies in Sweden, is described and analyzed.

- by Kurt Jörnsten
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- Economics, Forestry, Supply Chain Management, Natural Resources
- by michael Starke
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- Economics, Power System, Energy Consumption, Market Structure

This paper presents findings from research into the timber demand and supply chain on Leyte Island, the Philippines, based on surveys of tree farmers and timber merchants registered with the DENR 8 office. Most of the farmer-respondents grow gmelina and mahogany on their farms. Other trees species grown include the exotics of mangium, auri and ipil-ipil, and the indigenous species of molave, narra, antipolo, bagras and toog. The mean estimated stumpage volume available from an average tree farm for the areas covered by the study was 597.38 m3 over an area of 2.05 ha. Sixteen out of the 39 farmers interviewed had commenced harvesting their trees. Seven lumber dealers and timber processors were also interviewed in the study. On the average, they have been in business for 14.3 years. Most procured their raw materials from sources outside Leyte, particularly Mindanao and Cebu, only two sourcing their raw materials within Leyte provinces. Tree species that they had commonly processed inc...

- by Ma. Salome Bulayog
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- Supply and Demand

HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

- by Günther G. Schulze
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- Economics, Development Studies, Child Labour, Sample Selection
- by Voucher Hotel Booking Hotel
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- Marketing, Tourism Management, Tourism, Supply and Demand

Since the liberalisation of the European electricity sector, forward and futures contracts have gained significant interest of market participants due to risk management reasons. For pricing of these contracts an important fact concerns the non-storability of electricity. In this case, according to economic theory, forward prices are related to the expected spot prices which are built on fundamental market expectations. In the following article the crucial impact parameters of forward electricity prices and the relationship between forward and future spot prices will be assessed by an empirical analysis of electricity prices at the European Energy Exchange and the Nord Pool Power Exchange. In fact, price formation in the considered markets is influenced by historic spot market prices yielding a biased forecasting power of long-term contracts. Although market and risk assessment measures of market participants and supply and demand shocks can partly explain the futures-spot bias inefficiencies in the analysed forward markets cannot be ruled out. (C. Redl).

- by Christian Redl and +1
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- Mechanical Engineering, Energy Economics, Economic Theory, Risk Management

P roviding humankind with enough food has been a challenge throughout the ages. This topic remains of importance, but food production has changed considerably in the last 50 to 100 yr. Food security and quality improved tremendously in the industrialized world, but increasing obesity suggests humankind's diffi culty in handling overweight. The impact of food production on the environment has also become problematic. However, on a global scale, food security and quality are not yet realized, and even though the situation has changed in the past century, we are still faced with tremendous challenges that require new food options to provide nutritious and healthy diets to overcome malnutrition. The following options may assist in this endeavor:

- by Rodomiro Ortiz
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- Economic Growth, Science and Technology, Animal Production, Food Security

The development of a region is subject to its ability to attract business activities and the right blend of people to run them. This ability depends on a number of factors and previous research as well as historical evidence show that the regionâ€™s location is a key factor among them. Hence, isolated regions are at a disadvantage in attracting business

- by Ioanna Tsoka
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- Regional development, Demand and Supply, Specific Activity, Supply and Demand

The demographic composition of intercollegiate athletic departments mirror general societal trends, in that racial minorities are clustered in certain positions. The purpose of this study was to examine why racial minorities are over-represented in academic support positions, such as life skill coordinators and academic supervisors/advisors, but under-represented in other administrative staff and senior level positions. Through the use of a case study methodology, this study investigated this occurrence in one Division I athletic department. Seven senior level administrators and seven academic advisors participated in the study. Findings of the study revealed that both supply and demand forces were in effect. Racial minorities’ entry into academic support positions was found to be a result of them having a higher preference for these positions and a result of structural limitations on their options, such as the occurrence of discrimination, outcomes of hiring practices, and lack of career role models and social networks.

- by Jacqueline McDowell
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- African American Studies, African American, Case Study, Role Models

Energy policies are often related to the global effort in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through increased use of renewable energies in electricity production. The impact of these policies is usually calculated by energy planning tools. However, the modeling methodologies most currently used are not adequate to simulate long-term scenarios while considering the hourly dynamics of supply and demand.

- by Carlos Augusto Santos Silva
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- Renewable Energy, Energy Policy, Multidisciplinary, Policy making

Employability has become a key element in recent employment policy debates. However, a sound theoretical base and quantitative research on the concept are still lacking. This contribution provides a conceptualisation of the various aspects of workers' employability and it aims to integrate these aspects into a synthesized index enabling a comparison between the employability of the workforce in various sectors of industry. This Industry Employability Index (IEI) is the first to take account of both supply (i.e. workers) and demand (i.e. firm/industry) characteristics and includes the facilities offered to employees to effectuate their employability. Moreover, we develop separate indexes for youngsters, older-workers, female workers and low-skilled workers.

- by Jasper van Loo
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- Law, Business and Management, Labour, Indexation
- by Rebecca Maynard
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- Early Childhood Education, Supply and Demand
- by Tony Venables
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- Geography, Economics, Economic Geography, Political Economy
- by peter berck
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- Applied Economics, Computable General Equilibrium, Natural Resource, Input Output

This study aims to identify and discuss the main issues and uncertainties a!ecting electricity demand and supply in Brazil, and their consequent environmental burdens, over the period to the year 2020. It does so in the framework of two policy scenarios to test economic and environmental policy measures against a business as usual projection, which assumes energy policies existing in Brazil today remain in place and that no new major policies are adopted to reduce energy-related GHG emissions. It provides results from an analysis using a linear programming model that simulated scenarios through changes in emissions fees and caps, costs for technologies (including clean energy supplies) and demand side e$ciency, to determine least-cost combinations of power supply technologies that meet projected power demand. Results show that electricity demand in Brazil will continue to grow vigorously over the next two decades, and that the institutional reforms under way in the domestic power sector have the potential to a!ect the future electric power technology choices to meet this rising demand. Also, the analysis suggests that, depending on how priorities are set, some con#ict between local atmospheric pollution problems and global climate change issues may arise.

- by Roberto Schaeffer
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- Renewable Energy, Methodology, Linear Programming, Energy Policy

In this paper, we present an extension of the Genoa artificial stock market (GASM) ) that includes a limit order book as mechanism for price formation. At every time step an agent is chosen with uniform distribution to issue an order. The order can be a limit order or a market order in function on the agent decision making process. If the order is a limit order, it is stored in the book; if the order is a market order, a transaction occurs. Prices are formed at variables time steps, i.e., only when a market order is issued. We investigate how the new asynchronous trading mechanism affects the statistical properties of simulated prices. This computational experiment shows that fat tails of returns distribution can be recovered simply as a consequence of the limit order book without any additional assumption on agents behavior.

This article presents a methodology for producing a quarterly transactionsbased index (TBI) of property-level investment performance for U.S. institutional real estate. Indices are presented for investment periodic total returns and capital appreciation (or price-changes) for the major property types included in the NCREIF Property Index. These indices are based on transaction prices to avoid appraisalbased sources of index "smoothing" and lagging bias. In addition to producing variable-liquidity indices, this approach employs the Fisher-Gatzlaff-Geltner-Haurin (Real Estate Econ., 31: 269-303, 2003) methodology to produce separate indices tracking movements on the demand and supply sides of the investment market, including a "constant-liquidity" (demand side) index. Extensions of Bayesian noise filtering techniques developed by Gatzlaff and Geltner (Real Estate Finance, 15: 7-22, 1998) and Geltner and Goetzmann (J. Real Estate Finance Econ., 21: 5-21, 2000) are employed to allow development of quarterly frequency, market segment specific indices. The hedonic price model used in the indices is based on an extension of the Clapp and Giacotto (J. Am. Stat. Assoc., 87: 300-306, 1992) "assessed value method," using a NCREIF-reported recent appraised value of each transacting property as the composite "hedonic" variable, thus allowing time-dummy coefficients to represent the difference each period between the (lagged) appraisals and the transaction prices. The index could also be used to produce a mass appraisal of the NCREIF property database each quarter, a byproduct of which would be the ability to provide transactions price based "automated valuation model" estimates of property value for each NCREIF property each quarter. Detailed results are available at

- by Henry Pollakowski
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- Real Estate, Applied Economics, Ridge Regression, Market Segmentation

In this chapter, we present the globally integrated enterprise (GIE) as an emerging business model with strong implications for how companies run and operate their global supply-and-demand chains. The GIE shifts the focus from an efficiency-driven model to a value-driven one which leverages and integrates global capabilities to deliver value speedily, seamlessly, and in a flexible way, while maximizing profits. A GIE is a complex organization that faces many challenges. The evolution of the supply chain in the last 20 years has paved the way for the Operation Research (OR)-enabled Sense-and-Respond Value Net that supports today's GIE needs. We present a GIE case study of a business transformation journey. We then describe the next steps for GIEs to become more socially, economically, and environmentally responsible through the use of OR, business analytics, and IT.

- by Sean Lin
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- Operations Research, Supply Chain, Case Study, Profitability

The aim of this paper is to highlight the main characteristics of what the authors call 'the economy of qualities'. The authors show that qualifying products and positioning goods are major concerns for agents evolving within the 'economy of qualities'. Competition in such an economy is structured through two basic mechanisms. The rst is what the authors propose to call the process of singularization of products. The second is the mechanism whereby consumers are attached to, and detached from, goods that are proposed to them. At the heart of these logics, one can nd multiple socio-technical devices that are designed by economic agents, which ensure the distribution of cognitive competencies, and which constantly and nely tune supply and demand. Relying upon Jean Gadrey's work, the authors claim that the economy of qualities is nowhere more effective than in services providing activities, and especially in those sectors that invest heavily in New Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Finally, the authors suggest that, in the economy of qualities, the functioning and the organization of markets are issues that are shared by scholars and actors. In these highly re exive markets, a collaboration between them is needed.

- by Clement Tisdell
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- Economics, Economic Growth, Australia, Economic analysis

Nous présentons ici une partie des travaux réalisés à la demande du Ministère de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale dans le cadre d'une convention portant sur la mise au point d'indicateurs de performance économique de la S.T.I.B. Les auteurs remercient Mr. BIOUL et Mme HANOCQ pour l'intérêt qu'ils ont manifesté pour l'approche suivie ici et l'appui qu'ils lui ont réservé. 2. D'autres indicateurs ont été mis au point ou sont à l'état de projet qui portent sur les aspects financiers de l'activité, la pollution et la congestion, l'accessibilité,... 3. Voir par exemple THIRY et TULKENS ( 1988).

This paper introduces a major new cross-disciplinary research project that looks at the UK health and social care system, as part of an ambitious, broader initiative to apply methods from complexity science to a range of key global challenges. This particular project aims to develop new, integrated models for the supply and demand of both health and social care, in the context of the societal change brought about by migration, mobility and the ageing population. We discuss the background to the work, and the broad way in which we intend to leverage complexity science. This is made more specific with a brief discussion on existing demographic models, and some examples of model-building in progress. We conclude with a glimpse into the subtly difficult problems of fostering such innovative interdisciplinarity.

- by Jason Noble and +2
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- Social Sciences, Complexity Theory, Health Care, Complex System

Reports the results of a survey of wholesalers and retailers of giant clam shells in Southeast Queensland undertaken in August 1989. The most common variety of clam shell was that of Hippopus hippopus (the horseshoe clam) with that of Tridacna squamosa (the fingernail clam) being the second most frequent. Shells of Tridacna porcellanus (the china clam) and of Tridacna gigas were also available but in extremely short supply. Only shells of these species appear to be in real demand. Shells of other species have unsatisfactory characteristics but shells of the species in demand are not perfect substitutes - the market is segmented. Information is presented on prices and quantities of clam shells sold. Currently, there seems to be an Australian market for about 100,000 to 120,000 clam shells per year. Practically all clam shells were imported from the Philippines but supplies are becoming scarce as CITES takes effect and natura1 stocks become exhausted. This is reflected in the unavailability of larger shells and the sale of shells of lower quality than in the past. Tourists possibly account for 60 - 70 per cent of sales of clam shells but only a small percentage (10%?) of sales are to overseas tourists because of weight problems. A reasonably high proportion of clam shells appear to be purchased by restaurants and directly by householders. Practically all shell outlets expressed interest in obtaining clam shells from farms and provided information on the type of shells which they would like to see produced. Most thought that there would be a ‘good’ market for clam shells obtained by mariculture.

- by Clement Tisdell
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- Australia, Queensland, Mariculture, Demand and Supply

In light of shared moral responsibility to help the millions of people who are bought, sold, transported and held against their will in slave-like condition, a conference entitled "A Call to Action: Joining the Fight Against Trafficking in Persons" was held at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome on June 17, 2004. The event was part of the 20 th anniversary celebration of full diplomatic relations between the United States and the Holy See, and their shared work to promote human dignity, liberty, justice, and peace. The following is the text of my speech.

- by Donna M Hughes
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- Gender Studies, Gender History, Gender and Sexuality, Human Trafficking

Business process outsourcing (BPO) generally refers to the operation of letting out the task of performing particular functions of an enterprise to another, often a third party and, in some cases, its own subsidiary. Under the pressure of nonavailability of manpower in the country of origin, many multinational companies (MNCs) decided to outsource their business processes to remote locations during the initial phase of globalization. In the Indian context, this process could throw down sturdy roots due to the encouraging supply-and-demand factors in the country. This paper takes a close look at the BPO industry in India, the service lines in which the country has specialized, and India's comparative advantages vis-à-vis competitor countries, e.g., China and the Philippines. The paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the Indian industry operating in this segment.

- by Vani Balasubramanian
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- Business, Country of Origin, Call Center, Comparative Advantage

The global transition towards service orientation is posing challenges in cost estimation for manufacturers driven by the uncertainties that arise at the bidding stage of long-lasting performance-based contracts (i.e. availability). Service uncertainty is driven by the quality of information flow and knowledge across a given service network; however, it commonly suffers from the unavailability of useful data to assist cost predictions. Currently, consideration of cost uncertainty for an industrial product–service system is lacking in literature. To fill this gap, this paper combines literature in service and uncertainty in cost estimation to propose the components of a service delivery system, classification of sources of uncertainty based on supply and demand and the suitable uncertainty modelling methods for service cost estimation. The paper categorises service uncertainties in a demand and supply approach, whilst also allocating the types of uncertainty into aleatory and epistemic to propose suitable uncertainty modelling approaches. For future research, various areas such as consideration of a holistic approach to account for service uncertainties and development of a framework to support inter-linkages across a service network are proposed.

- by Essam Shehab
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- Engineering, Product Service System, Cost Estimation, Uncertainty

High fuel costs, increasing energy security and concerns with reducing emissions have pushed governments to invest in the use of renewable energies for electricity generation. However, the intermittence of most renewable resources when renewable energy provides a significant share of the energy mix can create problems to electricity grids, which can be minimized by energy storage systems that are usually not available or expensive. An alternative solution consists on the use of demand side management strategies, which can have the double effect of reducing electricity consumption and allowing greater efficiency and flexibility in the grid management, namely by enabling a better match between supply and demand.

- by Carlos Augusto Santos Silva
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- Mechanical Engineering, Renewable Energy, Energy, Energy Security

This report forms part of the Australian School Teacher and Leader project which was commissioned by the former Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) in June 2006. The purpose of the project is to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce and to gather information to assist future planning on teacher supply. This particular report focuses on

- by Phil McKenzie
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- Educational Leadership, Planning, Data Collection, Educational Assessment
- by Cesar Renteria
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- Raw materials, Agricultural Production, Veterinaria, Palm Oil
- by Robert Kraut
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- Human Computer Interaction, Laboratory experiment, Electronic mail, Economic Model

The stylised facts of currency crises in emerging markets include output contraction coming hard on the heels of devaluation, with a prominent role for the adverse balance-sheet effects of liability dollarisation. In the light of the South East Asian experience, we propose an eclectic blend of the supply-side account of Aghion, Bacchetta and Banerjee with a demand recession triggered by balance sheet effects . This sharpens the dilemma facing the monetary authoritieshow to defend the currency without depressing the economy. But, with credible commitment or complementary policy actions, excessive output losses can, in principle, be avoided. ; but responsibility for views expressed is our own. The first two authors are grateful to the ESRC for financial support supplied to the research project RES-051-27-0125 "Debt and Development" and Lei Zhang for support from RES-156-25-0032.

- by Javier Garcia Fronti
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- Emerging Market, Currency Crises, Supply and Demand

This paper is one of five presented at a meeting on FDI, human capital and education in developing countries held in Paris in mid-December 2001. They examine the links between FDI and human capital development, notably the interaction between the host country's policies affecting multinational enterprises (MNEs), its educational and training system, and the education and training activities of MNEs. The five papers are: 1) by Ethan Kapstein situating this issue in the broader context of current debates on globalisation, growth and poverty; 2) by Matthew Slaughter looking at the implications of FDI for skill demand and supply; 3) by Dirk Willem te Velde examining the interaction between FDI promotion policy and human capital; 4) by Bryan Ritchie reviewing the relationship between domestic policy, FDI and human capital in East Asia; and 5) by Magnus Blomström and Ari Kokko reviewing the literature on human capital spillovers for the purposes of defining a new research agenda.

- by Dirk te Velde
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- Foreign Direct Investment, Human Capital, Income inequality, Developing Country

The Las Vegas Strip has seen astonishing tourism development in the 1990s. The study examined the inter-relationship between the room supply and demand functions, and room rate in Las Vegas employing econometric variables in a simultaneous framework during 1992-1999. The results suggest that room rate for the current month, the 3-month Treasury bill rate and gaming revenue per room for the 12-month prior are the three determinants of the room supply function, while consumer price index for the current month is the only determinant of the room demand function. r

- by Bomi Kang
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- Marketing, Hospitality, Tourism, Tourism Development

Prior studies on the distributional effects of the European Union's Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) have so far only relied on supply and demand data. Empirical evidence from capital markets has been missing. We address this gap and measure the ETS's economic consequences, using the expectations of investors towards the regulatory impact on firm value. Employing a multifactor model, we show that returns on common stock of the largest affected industry, power generation, are positively correlated with rising prices for emission rights. This implies that the market predicts that firms are not only able to pass on their share of the regulatory burden to customers but even achieve windfall profits by overcompensating for the costs.

- by Jochen Zimmermann
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- Mechanical Engineering, Energy Economics, Applied Economics, Power Generation

This paper examines the impact of the globalisation of the farmed salmon commodity chain upon farmed salmon production in the western Norwegian municipality of Austevoll. On the basis of field research conducted in 2002 and 2003, we conclude that salmon farming in Austevoll has responded to the challenges of 'buyer-driven' food chains by virtue of its history as a seafood cluster. Despite the vertical relations assumed in the literature on 'buyer-driven' food chains, the horizontal relations in Austevoll have proven resilient in this era of 'homogenised globalisation'. Nevertheless, recent changes in the global farmed salmon supply chain may result in the imposition of vertical relations in the Austevoll cluster. We conclude with suggestions for incorporating the literatures on global food chains and industrial clusters in the study of seafood production and global markets. r

- by Gestur Hovgaard
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- Sociology, Human Geography, Urban And Regional Planning, Supply Chain

The combined use of allocation modeling and geographical information system (GIS) technologies for providing quantitative assessments of aggregate supply and demand is evaluated using representative data for the Front Range Urban Corridor (FRUC) in Colorado. The FRUC extends from the Colorado-Wyoming border to south of Colorado Springs, and includes Denver and the major urban growth regions of Colorado. In this area, aggregate demand is high and is increasing in response to population growth. Neighborhood opposition to the establishment of new pits and quarries and the depletion of many deposits are limiting aggregate supplies. Many sources are already covered by urban development or eliminated from production by zoning. Transport of aggregate by rail from distant resources may be required in the future.

- by Ahmet Karakas
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- Engineering, Earth Sciences, Network Analysis, Urban Development

In this paper, an artificial financial market based on heterogeneous agents is presented. The proposed market is composed of traders with limited amount of cash, one traded asset and a centralized mechanism, the market maker, matching buy... more

- by Silvano Cincotti
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- Heterogeneous Agents, Financial Market, Microstructures, Artificial Stock Market

Environmental problems have been considered as a serious situation in Hong Kong construction. Waste management is pressing harder with the alarming signal warning the industry. Reuse, recycling and reduce the wastes consider as the only methods to recover those waste generated; however, the implementations still have much room for improvement. In order to ameliorate the existing situations, evaluations of the existing waste recycling methods are studied in this research. A telephone interviewing to the recyclers, site visits to the construction and demolition sites (including the Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate Phase 1) and the centralized recycling plant in Tuen Mun Area 38 are under investigation. Difficulties encountered for various recycling parties are investigated. Rather than the poor quality found from the recyclable materials, they found the high investment cost, lengthy demolition period and limited space caused the major barriers for them. Therefore, some recommendations are suggested: i) proposing a higher landfill charging scheme; ii) setting up a centralized centre for recycling the materials; iii) examining the Hong Kong government should be supported in the provision of land for recycling plants; iv) implementing innovative demolition methods; v) allowing some locations in town for residents' easy access to drop-off recyclable materials; vi) allowing flexible demolition periods; vii) setting up recycling plant in town or in the form of mobile installations; viii) reusing the reusable components as donations to the charity organization; ix) providing higher flexibility in receiving concrete waste in Tuen Mun Area 1 38 recycling plant; and x) balancing the supply and demand of recycled materials through legislations or incentive schemes.

- by Canavar Tam
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- Architecture, Waste Management, Legislation, Building

The growth gap between supply and demand for water in the GCC countries can be attributed to limited available surface water, high population growth and urbanization development, deficient institutional arrangements, poor management practices, water depletion and deterioration of quality, especially in shallow groundwater aquifers. Increasing demand for water in the domestic sector has shifted attention to the role of desalination in alleviating water shortages. Experience in the Gulf states demonstrates that desalination technology has developed to a level where it can serve as a reliable source of water at a price comparable to water from conventional sources. Desalination remains in GCC countries the most feasible alternative to augment or meet future water supply requirements. It is considered a strategic option for satisfying current and future domestic water supply requirements, in comparison to the development of other water resources. Reduction in cost is making desalination increasingly attractive in comparison with other alternatives. In this paper, the present and future water statues in GCC countries is outlined. The role of desalination for augmentation of water supply and the future needs for desalinated water are discussed. The cost analysis and the approaches for reducing the cost of desalted water are outlined. Increasing the investment in the research and development to reduce the costs through improved design and operation features is very important. Development of a water policy and effective strategies in each country for stressing the sustainable water resources management and optimizing allocation of water in accordance with market value, conservation, pollution control and cooperation among water involved institutions is also essential.

- by Mohamed Dawoud
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- Engineering, Design, Groundwater, Urban Development

Romania's potential to produce organic food is rising to the potential of Germany (the second biggest producer in Europe). Nevertheless, it remains untapped because of the too low demand from the population. So producers feel compelled to export raw materials from Western countries for processing and on the shelves of stores in Romania, products arrive at oversized prices. We wish that through this work to identify as accurately as possible the level of the supply and demand of organic food products in order to make proposals to improve the current situation, but in particular to improve the quality of life of the population of Romania, through its guidance to a healthier lifestyle. KEY WORDS: organic food; the quality of the food industry; promoting the concept of organic farming JEL CLASSIFICATION: I12, L66, M31

- by Cecilia Rabontu
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- Quality of life, Organic Farming, Organic Food, Raw materials

Nitric oxide (NO) affects two key aspects of O 2 supply and demand: It regulates vascular tone and blood flow by activating soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) in the vascular smooth muscle, and it controls mitochondrial O 2 consumption by inhibiting cytochrome c oxidase. However, significant gaps exist in our quantitative understanding of the regulation of NO production in the vascular region. Large apparent discrepancies exist among the published reports that have analyzed the various pathways in terms of the perivascular NO concentration, the efficacy of NO in causing vasodilation (EC 50 ), its efficacy in tissue respiration (IC 50 ), and the paracrine and endocrine NO release. In this study, we review the NO literature, analyzing NO levels on various scales, identifying and analyzing the discrepancies in the reported data, and proposing hypotheses that can potentially reconcile these discrepancies. Resolving these issues is highly relevant to improving our understanding of vascular biology and to developing pharmaceutical agents that target NO pathways, such as vasodilating drugs.

- by Roland Pittman
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- Nitric oxide, Cytochrome c oxidase, Vascular endothelium, Redox Signaling

This article reflects on contributions from medical anthropology to our understanding of the bio-social and bio-political implications of renal transplantation. Taking up the idea of transplantation as a 'complex', a vast assemblage of people, places, practices and procedures which intersect medical, social and cultural domains, I point to a reliance in the anthropological literature on overly pre-determined conceptual frameworks, organised around a distinct polarisation between organ giving and receiving, where one side (supply) takes analytical, and indeed moral, precedence over the other (receipt). These frameworks tend to fail us when it comes to thinking about the wider social, cultural and political implications of transplant technologies. In an attempt to offer a less polarised view, I draw attention to the material and symbolic role of the immune system in transplantation and the ways in which it simultaneously shapes opportunities for procurement and the lived realities of recipiency. This helps us see the many complex ways in which suffering and inequality are constituted all along the variegated chains of supply and demand that are internal to, and made possible by, transplantation practices themselves.

- by Ciara Kierans
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- Sociology, Anthropology, Medical Anthropology, Evidence Based Medicine

Transplantation can be regarded as one form of "antiaging medicine" that is widely accepted as being effective in extending human life. The current number of organ transplants in the United States is on the order of 20,000 per year, but the need may be closer to 900,000 per year. Cadaveric and living-related donor sources are unlikely to be able to provide all of the transplants required, but the gap between supply and demand can be eliminated in principle by the field of regenerative medicine, including the present field of tissue engineering through which cell, tissue, and even organ replacements are being created in the laboratory. If so, it could allow over 30% of all deaths in the United States to be substantially postponed, raising the probability of living to the age of 80 by a factor of two and the odds of living to 90 by more than a factor of 10. This promise, however, depends on the ability to physically distribute the products of regenerative medicine to patients in need and to produce these products in a way that allows for adequate inventory control and quality assurance. For this purpose, the ability to cryogenically preserve (cryopreserve) cells, tissues, and even whole laboratory-produced organs may be indispensable. Until recently, the cryopreservation of organs has seemed a remote prospect to most observers, but developments over the past few years are rapidly changing the scientific basis for preserving even the most difficult and delicate organs for unlimited periods of time. Animal intestines and ovaries have been frozen, thawed, and shown to function after transplantation, but the preservation of vital organs will most likely require vitrification. With vitrification, all ice formation is prevented and the organ is preserved in the glassy state below the glass transition temperature (T G ). Vitrification has been successful for many tissues such as veins, arteries, cartilage, and heart valves, and success has even been claimed for whole ovaries. For vital organs, a significant recent milestone for vitrification has been the ability to routinely recover rabbit kidneys after cooling to a mean intrarenal temperature of about Ϫ45°C, as verified by life support function after transplantation. This temperature is not low enough for long-term banking, but research continues on preservation below Ϫ45°C, and some encouraging preliminary evidence has been obtained indicating that kidneys can support life after vitrification. Full development of tissue engineering and organ generation from stem cells, when combined with the ability to bank these laboratory-produced products, in theory could dramatically increase median life expectancy even in the absence of any improvements in mitigating aging processes on a fundamental level. 279

- by Gregory Fahy
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- Tissue Engineering, Kidney transplantation, Inventory Control, Cryopreservation

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to help understand the extent of regulation of aesthetic medicine in various developed countries and to discuss the current pitfalls and potential strategies in regulating this area of healthcare. Design/methodology/approach -A range of published articles and press reports from bound and internet sources on aesthetic medicine in the recent five to six years were obtained to allow a better understanding of existing practices and regulatory climate. Reports from relevant authorities in various countries were also referred to for information on proposed regulatory regimes and future regulatory directions. Findings -The practice of aesthetic medicine has been marginally regulated, even in more highly developed countries. The main regulatory concern appears to be the practice of minimally invasive aesthetic surgery by general practitioners. Professional voluntary self-regulation would probably not be effective in view of the peculiar nature of aesthetic medicine vis-à -vis conventional medicine. Practical implications -There is a need for health regulatory bodies across the world to brace themselves for potentially more widespread health and social risks posed by aesthetic medicine. Statutory governance is needed to maintain safe practice standards and to manage the supply and demand of aesthetic services. In less developed countries, there is a need for better public education and empowerment to enable patients to make better-informed decisions and assume greater responsibility for the aesthetic services that they seek. Originality/value -This paper discusses regulatory issues concerning aesthetic medicine which are rarely featured in academic journals. It offers some strategies for better regulation of aesthetic medicine which health authorities in certain countries may find useful.

- by Quang Nguyen
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- Health Sciences, Surgery, Medical Anthropology, Training