Gregory Yom Din

The Impact of Preventive Health Behaviour and Social Factors on Visits to the Doctor

BackgroundThe aim of this study is to examine the joint impact of preventive health behavior (PHB) and social and demographic factors on the utilization of primary and secondary medical care under a universal health care system, as measured by visits to the doctor, who were categorized as either a General Practitioner (GP) or Specialist Doctor (SD).MethodsAn ordered probit model was utilized to analyze data obtained from the 2009 Israeli National Health Survey. The problem of endogeneity between PHB factors and visits to GP was approached using the two-stage residuals inclusion and instrumental variables method.ResultsWe found a positive effect of PHB on visits to the doctor while the addition of the PHB factors to the independent variables resulted in important changes in explaining visits to GP (in values of the estimates, in their sign, and in their statistical significance), and only in slight changes for visits to SD. A 1% increase in PHB factors results in increasing the probability to visit General Practitioner in the last year in 0.6%. The following variables were identified as significant in explaining frequency of visits to the doctor: PHB, socio-economic status (pro-poor for visits to GP, pro-rich for visits to SD), location (for visits to SD), gender, age (age 60 or greater being a negative factor for visits to GP and a positive factor for visits to SD), chronic diseases, and marital status (being married was a negative factor for visits to GP and a positive factor for visits to SD).ConclusionsThere is a need for allowing for endogeneity in examining the impact of PHB, social and demographic factors on visits to GP in a population under universal health insurance.For disadvantaged populations with low SES and those living in peripheral districts, the value of IndPrev is lower than for populations with high SES and living in the center of the country. Examining the impact of these factors, significant differences in the importance and sometimes even in the sign of their influence on visits to different categories of doctors - GP and SD, are found.

Database for Herbaceous Peony Cultivated in Warm Climate Regions: Effects of Temperature on Plant Dormancy and Growth

This article introduces the first database for developmental parameters of the herbaceous peony cultivated in a warm climate region. Data on the effect of temperature during dormancy and growth parameters are presented for 2,232 plants of two commercial cultivars exposed to 14 different temperature regimes: 15-18 dates of dormancy release for each regime and 10 weekly measurements of 6 growth parameters for each plant. Diversity of developmental response was examined with a Tukey test. The efficacy of the database for the regulation of the developmental processes and production ability is demonstrated with numerous examples of estimated growth rate of stems. The sigmoid nature of the growth curves is noted. The database could be used for research on plant physiology of peony and other geophytes, as well as for the prediction of effective commercial flower production. The database is available at http://www.mop-zafon.org.il/files/DB18_Sept_2014.xlsx.

Utilization of Primary and Secondary Medical Care among Disadvantaged Populations: A Log-Linear Model Analysis

Aim: We examined how, where an overall population is covered by universal health insurance, characteristics of disadvantaged populations interact to influence inequality in primary and secondary medical care utilization. Subject and Methods: Disadvantaged populations, the focus of the study, were defined as populations who have lower socio-economic status (SES), who are elderly and/or reside in a peripheral area. Data from the 2009 Israeli National Health Survey were analysed using log-linear models to estimate utilization of medical care. Results: The main findings were: a) pro-poor utilization of primary medical care among elderly populations, with higher odds ratios for low SES populations in the periphery; (b) lack of interaction between SES and primary medical care utilization among younger populations, between SES and secondary medical care utilization among the elderly and pro-rich utilization of secondary medical care among younger populations who did not regularly visit general practitioners (GP); (c) the odds ratios of secondary medical care utilization increased as SES decreased for both elderly and younger populations who also regularly visited a GP. Conclusion: Potential policy implications for disadvantaged populations, regarding possible inequality in primary and secondary medical care utilization, can be drawn using log-linear model analysis of interactions among characteristics (SES, age, location) of disadvantaged populations.

Agricultural Waste Management: Case Study of a Waste Treatment Plant for Animal Manure

The problem of agricultural waste management is studied in the Northern agricultural region of the Galilee. There are 25 villages and four urban centers in the region neighboring Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee). The animal manure and residues produced in the region is as follows: cattle and poultry manure, green stuff from orchards, residues from food industry, and residues from the neighboring Wastewater Treatment Plant. The aim of this article is to present a method for evaluating comprehensive solution for agricultural waste treatment, including choosing the suitable technology relating to economic aspects, to agricultural needs, and complying with environmental regulations and acts of the region. The following methods and tools were implemented: data questionnaire was conducted by surveying the region; technology evaluation was carried out; mass, energy and liquid balances were calculated; methane emission was predicted; business and environmental impact evaluation report was prepared. The recommended technology is the Anaerobic Digestion. All the waste is disposed at one site; there will be no need for another disposal site in the future. The plant will treat 320 thousand tons of agricultural waste per year, within 45 km range of service. The investment cost is 8.4 million €. The annual income is 2.69 million €, of which 11% are from Carbon Emission Reductions. The payback period is 9 years; the Internal Rate of Return is 19%. The Waste Treatment plant meets the regulations for noise, odor, air pollution, and soil and underground water contamination.

Operational Model to Support Investment Decisions in Turkey Agribusiness

An operational model for evaluating a turkey vertically integrated agribusiness is presented. The main factors affecting profitability are identified as world grain prices and cost of investment. The evaluated agribusiness in Russia can be a profitable enterprise due to value adding power of processed meat products compared to frozen turkey meat.

On Non-Universality of Solar-Terrestrial Connections

Discussion on principal possibility of causal chain from solar activity and space weather to the earth weather and agriculture price dynamics continue more than 200 years from first publication of Herschel (1801) up to the current time. We analyze main arguments of two sides and show that root of the critics of this possibility based on wide accepted conception in universality of solar-terrestrial connection (like to daily and season variations) what suggest that effect must be observed in any historical periods and in all regions. We show that expectation is not correct because solar-terrestrial connections generated by different sides of solar activity with different agents of solar magnetic dynamo process have different and non-stable phase pattern. We remind that realization of causal chain “solar activity/space weather” – “earth weather” – “crops” –“market reaction” may have place only in specific historical periods and in specific zone where and when the three necessary conditions will be complete. This limitation leads to possibility of four possible scenarios of market reaction. We show that the critical arguments used for rejected principal possibility of causal connection “solar activity” – Earth agriculture markets” based on ignoring of necessity of 3 necessary condition for realization of the causal chain and using for analysis periods and location, when and where necessary condition are not completed

Planning Municipal Solid Waste Management in Africa: Case Study of Matadi - The DRC

The purpose of this article is to present the key elements for best performance and profitability of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management in Matadi, the Democratic Republic of Congo. The research provides an overview of methods and models for integrated planning of a two-phase program: MSW collection and transportation and MSW treatment. Matadi has a very poor infrastructure and very low level of the MSW management. We present a comparison table of MSW quantity and composition in Matadi and other African cities. We develop a model for collection and transportation of MSW in Matadi. The greenhouse gases emissions (GHG) as a result of open burning of MSW are predicted using the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) guidelines and formulas. CDM methodology and decay model are used to predict the GHG emissions in disposal site and calculate carbon grants. The Anaerobic Digestion technology is selected as the most appropriate for MSW treatment plant in case of Matadi. The key factors that ensure profitability of MSW treatment plant are as follows: tipping fee from the municipality (19% of total revenue), amount of carbon credits which can sum up to 14% of the total revenue, expansion of waste collection range from 25 to 50 km, local abilities like labor costs and municipality budget support. The methodology of our study can promote other low-income African cities in the solution of waste problem, particularly when starting from a very low level of MSW management.

Modeling Influence of Product Quality and Grower Reputation on Prices in Dutch Flower Auctions

The purposes of this study are to examine differences in prices that safari sunset flower growers from Israel receive on the Dutch flower bursa, suggest factors that influence such differences, and examine strength and significance of each factor. We show that price differences between growers can reach 36% - 47%. In the regression model price differences are regressed on explanatory variables that include proxies for flower quality and grower reputation. The model explains 58% - 59% of the price variability and enables to compare elasticity of price by the studied factors. Subsequent ordered probit analysis confirmed the relevance of the chosen variables and their ability to explain also the growers clustering by received prices. Analysis of marginal effects shows that changes in the probability of belonging to a specific price group of growers are consistent with the regression model results.

Efficiency in Cut-Flower Production: Differences in the Safari Sunset Industry

The study aimed to examine the differences in efficiency between Israeli safari sunset growers, and to explain sources of these differences. The following data were used: flower price data from the Aalsmeer Flower Auction (the Netherlands), data from a questionnaire completed by growers, and field data collected during the visits to the growers. To explain the differences in efficiency, approaches of psychological and institutional economics, informational aspects, considerations of technology and economy of scale and scope, concepts of risk attitude were taken into account. The results indicate that the most significant differences are those related to ownership, economy of scale and scope.

Lognormal Distribution of Apples in Relation to Maturity Restriction at Harvest

A model linking maturity indicators and the restrictions they impose on the apple yield assigned to a long-term storage (AppleLS) was studied. Using a three-step approach “maturity restrictions – parameterization - empirical distribution functions”, parameters of theoretical distributions for fitting AppleLS were estimated. Packinghouse data for three varieties over five years was used to building separate models for three periods of harvest. Normal and lognormal fits to empirical distribution functions of AppleLS were tested. A good agreement between the empirical distribution functions and their lognormal fits (high p-values for test) was observed in all studied cases. The established lognormal character of the distribution of fruit quantity in relation to maturity restrictions at harvest can be applied to modeling the quality of fruit handled in packinghouses.