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Agricultural policy reform has been an important source of change in the Chinese agricultural sector. The reforms led to productivity growth and helped China to pursue its self-sufficiency goal especially in the grain sector. In order to analyze whether observable productivity growth stems from technologically induced components or from the market induced parts, a multi-input-multi-output model is derived by using an econometric distance function framework. A decomposition allows to distinguish allocative effects, scale effects, technological change, and technical efficiency change. Data on farms in Zhejiang from 1986 to 2000 are used to analyze the impact of policy reform. D

Opto-electronic computer holographic measurements were made of the tympanic membrane (TM) in cadaveric chinchillas. Measurements with two laser wavelengths were used to compute the 3D-shape of the TM. Single laser wavelength measurements locked to eight distinct phases of a tonal stimulus were used to determine the magnitude and the relative phase of the surface displacements. These measurements were made at over 250,000 points on the TM surface. The measured motions contained spatial phase variations consistent with relatively low-order (large spatial frequency) modal motions and smaller magnitude higher-order (smaller spatial frequency) motions that appear to travel, but may also be explained by losses within the membrane. The measurement of shape and thin shell theory allowed us to separate the measured motions into those components orthogonal to the plane of the tympanic ring, and those components within the plane of the tympanic ring based on the 3D-shape. The predicted in-plane motion components are generally smaller than the out-of-plane perpendicular component of motion. Since the derivation of in-plane and out-of plane depended primarily on the membrane shape, the relative sizes of the predicted motion components did not vary with frequency.

Abstract. Due to the relatively high cost and inconvenience of upper endoscopic biopsy and the rising incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma, there is currently a need for an improved method for screening for Barrett's esophagus. Ideally, such a test would be applied in the primary care setting and patients referred to endoscopy if the result is suspicious for Barrett's. Tethered capsule endomicroscopy (TCE) is a recently developed technology that rapidly acquires microscopic images of the entire esophagus in unsedated subjects. Here, we present our first experience with clinical translation and feasibility of TCE in a primary care practice. The acceptance of the TCE device by the primary care clinical staff and patients shows the potential of this device to be useful as a screening tool for a broader population.

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