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This paper considers the use of indices built on the basis of remote-sensing data for crop insurance purposes. In our analysis, we compare the capacity of two satellite-based vegetation health (VH) indices, the vegetation condition index (VCI) and the temperature condition index (TCI), measured for important periods of the crop vegetation to predict farmers’ wheat yields in two main grain producing regions of Kazakhstan. The selected indices are used for the design of index-based insurance contracts. The dependence of wheat yields on vegetation conditions as measured by VCI and TCI, is modeled by applying the copula approach. Our empirical results for 47 grain-producing farms in the Northern Kazakhstan show that insurance contracts built on VH indices can provide substantial risk reductions for a group of farms, though on average for the whole sample, risk reductions were found to be moderate. The study results suggest that the effectiveness of insurance contracts can be improved using satellite data of higher resolutions and measuring indices at more disaggregated levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although is it widely recognised that physicians' characteristics could influence their communication styles, no empirical evidence is currently available. No studies are available on the impact of physicians' locus of control (LOC) on their communication skills. LOC is a generalised belief regarding the extent to which life outcomes are controlled by an individual's actions (internal LOC) or by external forces such as luck, fate or other individuals (external LOC). It was hypothesised that physicians with external LOC would take more into account others' concerns than physicians with internal LOC and would consequently use more appropriate assessment, informative and supportive functions. A total of 81 medical specialists were assessed in a simulated interview and a clinical interview. Communication skills were rated according to the Cancer Research Campaign Workshop Evaluation Manual. LOC was assessed using the Rotter I-E scale. Communication skills of the upper and lower quartiles of physicians in respect of their scores on this scale were compared using Student's t-test. Results show that physicians with external LOC give more appropriate information than physicians with internal LOC in simulated interviews (P=0.011) and less premature information than physicians with internal LOC in clinical interviews (P=0.015). This result provides evidence that physicians' LOC can influence their communication styles in oncological interviews and in particular the way they provide information to the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents corrections to the article 'Impact of Medical Specialists' Locus of Control on Communication Skills in Oncological Interviews,' published in the 2003 issue of 'British Journal of Cancer.'