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A letter to the editor is presented in response the article "RETHINKING THE PAPER HELICOPTER: COMBINING STATISTICAL AND ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE" in a previous issue.

In a recent issue of Water International, three authors discuss their views of the virtual water metaphor that is used to describe the water embedded in crops that are traded in international markets. The term 'virtual water' was created originally to gain the attention of public officials responsible for choosing policies that influence water use in arid regions. Over time, both the terminology and the scope of the virtual water metaphor have been extended beyond the original purpose. This paper supports the view that the virtual water metaphor is helpful in encouraging public officials to consider the scarcity value (opportunity cost) of water when designing policies that influence water use. The paper proposes, also, that the policy relevance of the virtual water metaphor is found primarily in its application to issues regarding the supply of agricultural products, rather than demand. The distinction between supply and demand issues and the potential value of the virtual water metaphor in policy discussions regarding supply are demonstrated using three examples of water allocation decisions, described within the framework of economic optimization. The examples include wheat production in Saudi Arabia and the production of sudangrass and ethanol in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the properties of Graeco-Latin squares enumerated by mathematician Leonhard Euler. Euler suggested that a Graeco-Latin square of size n could never exist for any n of the form 4k +2, although he was not able to prove it. A Latin square is an n-by-n array of n distinct symbols in which each symbol appears exactly once in each row and column. On the other hand a Graeco-Latin square is an n-by-n array of ordered pairs from a set of n symbols such that in each row and each column of the array, each symbol appears exactly once in each coordinate. In one of his papers on Graeco-Latin squares, Euler used magic squares, which are closely related to Graeco-Latin squares. Magic squares were constructed by using Graeco-Latin squares of orders 3, 4 and 5. He showed that a Graeco-Latin square of order n can be converted into a magic square by the use of an algorithm. One can construct Graeco-Latin squares of every order n except those values for which the prime factorization of n contains only a single factor of 2.

Groundwater plays a critical role in arid West China where water is the limiting factor for development. This paper first describes groundwater characteristics in a region of four arid inland river watersheds and the problems associated with groundwater consumption. This region exhibits a unique alternating pattern of high mountains and depressions, which results in extensive interactions of surface water and groundwater. Then the authors propose six strategies to support adequate exploitation and use of groundwater in the region. These strategies are: 1) setting up a groundwater monitoring system; 2) forming a unified watershed authority, 3) protecting mountain ecology; 4) increasing the efficiency of groundwater usage; 5) protecting groundwater; and 6) supporting advanced research. The implementation of these strategies should be built upon the promotion of sustainable economic development and broad public support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of papers related to cell communication and adhesion presented at the 2005 International Gap Junction Conference held in Whistler, British Columbia. They include "Exogenous Overexpression of Connexins Induces Premature Assembly of Connexons in the ER," "Binding of a Thioredoxin-Fold Protein to Connexin43 Correlates with Oligomerization State," "Cell Adhesion Proteins Facilitate Gap Junction Formation," "ZO-1 Regulates Connexin43 Gap Junction Patterning via Control of Channel Accretion," and "Novel Rab GAP-Like Protein, CIP8S, Interacts with Connexin43 and Induces Its Degradation."

The article presents abstracts of the papers related to gap junction presented at the Poster Sessions of the 2005 International Gap Junction Conference held in Whistler, British Columbia. They include "Functional Analysis of Connexins Associated with Epidermal Disease and Syndromes," "Fate of Gap Junction Plaques During Cell Migration," "Molecular Cloning and Functional Analysis of a Novel Gene KDN Encoding Cx43 Partner Protein," "Glucose Represses Connexin36 in Insulin-Secreting Cells," and "Regulation of Cx43 Gap-Junctional Hemichannels (GJH) by PKC-Mediated Phosphorylation."

The article discusses the editor's experience of being associated with journal "The American Statistician." The editor has reviewed 120 new manuscript since July 1, 2005. A new section called "Interdisciplinary" has been added to the journal to bring good statistical science to a variety of disciplines and to bring good discipline-specific science to statisticians. Papers in this section might contain overviews of discipline-specific issues in need of statistical solutions. The journal has adopted an online manuscript management system since October 1, 2005.

A response by the author is presented to a letter to the editor about his article "RETHINKING THE PAPER HELICOPTER: COMBINING STATISTICAL AND ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE" in a previous issue.

This article presents information on the achievements and activities of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) of the United States. IWRA has achieved considerable landmarks in the year 2005. The Association has leaped forward despite major water disasters in the world starting with South Asian Tsunami and the major damage of Hurricanes in the United States and the persistent drought in Africa. The Association has also completed the 12th World Water Congress in New Delhi, India. Around 500 participants from 50 countries attended the conference. They presented some 200 papers and key note addresses focusing on the contemporary water issues of the day. In this conference, the members of the Association added several special sessions to highlight specific regional water issues of interest to all the participants. It was a learning experience for all the participants. The occasion was accompanied by an excellent dose of cultural events and surrounded with traditional Indian hospitality. Apart from the New Delhi conference IWRA has sponsored and co-sponsored several events in the United States, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Egypt, China and elsewhere to strengthen the dialogue on water issues across the world.