This paper examines the horizontal and vertical export spillovers of foreign direct investment (FDI) on China's manufacturing domestic firms by using firm-level census data over the period of 2000-03. Based on a Heckman two-step procedure combining first differencing and instrumental variable regression techniques, it is found that FDI has had a positive impact on the export value of domestic firms mainly through backward technology spillovers and a positive impact on the export-to-sales ratio of domestic firms through horizontal export-related information spillovers. After decomposing FDI by different market orientation and domestic firms by different ownership, the paper finds that the positive impact on domestic firms' export values is mainly from the nonexporting and the exporting foreign-invested enterprises while the positive impact on domestic firms' export-to-sales ratios is mainly from the highexporting foreign-invested enterprises. Both types of export spillovers are mainly diffused to domestic non-state-owned enterprises.

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The relationship between duration and maximum intensity of sweetness and peppermint flavor of chewing gum was explored using dual-attribute time-intensity sensory evaluation. Four chewing gum samples, varying in rate of release of sweetness and peppermint flavor were evaluated by 10 trained time-intensity panelists. Chewing gum with a fast release of sweetness and peppermint flavor provided the highest maximum intensity and longest duration of sweetness and peppermint perception. The rate of release of sweetness was more important than rate of release of peppermint flavor in affecting duration of attributes.

Rice, China's most important food crop, is highly dependent on irrigation, but an increasing number of extreme drought events have challenged rice production in many regions. This paper investigates the role of local irrigation infrastructure in improving farmers' ability to respond to drought and its effectiveness in mitigating the drought risk in rice production in China. The analysis relies on a moment-based specification of the stochastic production function, capturing mean, variance and skewness effects. Using household survey data from 86 villages in five provinces, we jointly estimate farmers' adaptive irrigation decisions and their effects on rice yield and production risk. Our econometric analyses show that irrigation infrastructure in villages contributes to enhancing farmers' irrigation capacity in adapting to drought, and increased irrigation leads to a significant increase in mean yield and a reduction in exposure to risk as well as downside risk in rice production. The paper concludes with policy implications.

The Time-Intensity technique for measuring tenderness of bovine psoas major, longissimus dorsi, semitendinosus and shank was assessed. From the Time-Intensity curve, the Duration and area parameters (Increase and Decrease Area and Area Under the Curve) were most useful for sample separation. Using various Time-Intensity curve parameters, panelists were classified according to their perception of tenderness, with two clusters identified. A comparison of line scale results of force to chew and time to chew to the Time-Intensity results showed that comparable tenderness measurements were obtained by the two tests.