The Economics of Harmonisation: Implications for Reform of Commercial Law and Regulation in New Zealand
This paper provides an economic assessment of the costs and benefits of harmonising New Zealand's commercial laws and regulations with those in Australia or with an OECD norm. It argues that unless the definition of harmonisation is limited to mutual recognition the economics literature surveyed does not support a general presumption in favour of harmonisation of commercial laws.The absence of any presumption in favour of harmonisation is based on the infeasibility of full harmonisation while New Zealand maintains political independence and on the overall requirement for an assessment of the efficiency of any law in the context of the New Zealand economy
Report
Alley cropping is being widely tested in the tropics for its potential to sustain adequate food production with low agricultural inputs, while conserving the resources base. Fast growth and yield of most trees used as hedgerows in alley cropping is due greatly to their ability to fix N2 symbiotically with Rhizobium. Measurements of biological N2 fixation (BNF) in alley cropping systems show that some tree species such as Leucaena leucocephala, Gliricidia sepium and Acacia mangium can derive between 100 and 300 kg N ha yr from atmospheric N2, while species such as Faidherbia albidia and Acacia senegal might fix less than 20 kg N ha yr. Other tree species such as Senna siamea and S. spectabilis are also used in alley cropping, although they do not nodulate and therefore do not fix N2. The long term evaluation of the potential or actual amounts of N2 fixed in trees however, poses problems that are associated with their perennial nature and massive size, the great difficulty in obtaining representative samples and applying reliable methodologies for measuring N2 fixed. Strategies for obtaining representative samples (as against the whole tree or destructive plant sampling), the application of N procedures and the selection criteria for appropriate reference plants have been discussed. Little is known about the effect of environmental factors and management practices such as tree cutting or pruning and residue management on BNF and eventually their N contribution in alley cropping. Data using the N labelling techniques have indicated that up to 50% or more of the tree’s N may be below ground after pruning. In this case, quantification of N2 fixed that disregard roots, nodules and crowns would result in serious errors and the amount of N2 fixed may be largely underestimated. Large quantities of N are harvested with hedgerow prunings (< 300 kg N ha yr) but N contribution to crops is commonly in the range of 40-70 kg N ha season. This represents about 30% of N applied as prunings; however, N recoveries as low as 5-10°/a have been reported. The low N recovery in maize (Zea mays) is partly caused by lack of synchronization between the hedgerow trees N release and the associated food crop N demand. The N not taken up by the associated crop can be immobilized in soil organic matter or assimilated by the hedgerow trees and thus remain in the system. This N can also be lost from the system through denitrification, volatilization or is leached beyond the rooting zone. Below ground contribution to an associated food crop in alley cropping is estimated at about 25-102 kg N ha season'. Timing and severity of pruning may allow for some management of underground transfer of fixed N2 to associated crops. However, many aspects of root dynamics in alley cropping systems are poorly understood. Current research projects based on N labelling techniques or N natural abundance measurements are outlined. These would lead to estimates of N2 fixation and N saving resulting from management of N2 fixation in alley cropping systems.
17 &mgr;m pixel 640 x 480 microbolometer FPA development at BAE Systems
BAE Systems has developed an advanced 640 x 480 focal plane array (FPA) with a 17 &mgr;m pixel pitch. Sensitivity of ≤ 50 mK was demonstrated and the FPAs were used in imaging demonstrations. Successful scaling of BAE Systems' patented single contact per pixel, single-level microbolometer process to 17 &mgr;m pitch provides a path toward next generation microbolometer imaging systems.