Differences among Watershed Sub-Populations in Willingness to Pay for Water Quality Improvements: The Impact of TMDL Development

The Opequon watershed is located in northern Virginia (VA) and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia (WV). In both states, Opequon Creek is classified as impaired based on violations of bacteria, benthic and biologic standards. Both VA and WV are using Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plans to improve water quality within Opequon Creek. However, these TMDL plans are at different stages with VA being completed and WV still in progress. As part of the TMDL process in VA, this research is based on a contingent valuation survey which was developed to measure the expected monetary benefits of TMDL implementation throughout the Opequon watershed. On the basis of log-likelihood tests of grouped tobit models to explain willingness-to-pay (WTP) for watershed clean-up, VA, WV, and VA riparian landowner respondents were found to consist of different populations. Riparian landowners had the highest median annual WTP at $64, VA respondents the next highest ($49), and WV the lowest ($32). These medians were found to be statistically different from each other. When valuing out-of-state clean-up, however, VA and WV respondents were found to be similar populations with a one-time median WTP of$28. Results show that the TMDL process did impact VA respondent WTP for in-state clean-up.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The different origins of magnetic fields and activity in the Hertzsprung gap stars, OU Andromedae and 31 Comae

Context: When crossing the Hertzsprung gap, intermediate-mass stars develop a convective envelope. Fast rotators on the main sequence, or Ap star descendants, are expected to become magnetic active subgiants during this evolutionary phase. Aims: We compare the surface magnetic fields and activity indicators of two active, fast rotating red giants with similar masses and spectral class but diferent rotation rates - OU And (Prot=24.2 d) and 31 Com (Prot=6.8 d) - to address the question of the origin of their magnetism and high activity. Methods: Observations were carried out with the Narval spectropolarimeter in 2008 and 2013.We used the least squares deconvolution technique to extract Stokes V and I profiles to detect Zeeman signatures of the magnetic field of the stars. We provide Zeeman-Doppler imaging, activity indicator monitoring, and a precise estimation of stellar parameters. We use stellar evolutionary models to infer the evolutionary status and the initial rotation velocity on the main sequence. Results: The detected magnetic field of OU And is a strong one. Its longitudinal component Bl reaches 40 G and presents an about sinusoidal variation with reversal of the polarity. The magnetic topology of OU And is dominated by large scale elements and is mainly poloidal with an important dipole component, and a significant toroidal component. The detected magnetic field of 31 Com is weaker, with a magnetic map showing a more complex field geometry, and poloidal and toroidal components of equal contributions. The evolutionary models show that the progenitors of OU And and 31 Com must have been rotat Conclusions: OU And appears to be the probable descendant of a magnetic Ap star, and 31 Com the descendant of a relatively fast rotator on the main sequence.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figure

Ductile-brittle transition in martensitic 12%Cr steel

Mechanical behavior of a 12Cr–0.6Mo–2.2W–4Co–0.8Cu-VNb steel was studied by tension and the Charpy impact tests in the temperature range of 133–473 K. The yield stress and uniform elongation increase concurrently with decrease of temperature because of the work-hardening rate tends to increase with decrease of temperatur

Socio-Political Conditionality of Criminal Law on the Example of the Differences between the General Part of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR of 1922 and the General Part of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

In this article, the author, using the example of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR of 1922 and the current Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, proves the socio-political conditionality of criminal law. The different provisions of both normative legal acts are compared. The author explains what caused such changes. The questions of both criminal codes, the concept of crime, the possibility of using law by analogy, the purpose of punishment, types of punishment are considered

The Problem of Non-Execution of Decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation

In the article the author analyzes the problem of non-execution of decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. It is emphasized that this circumstance undermines the supremacy of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The author gives a specific example, when a decision of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation was issued in the interests of the applicants, however, the corresponding federal law was not adopted in the manner prescribed by law. Solutions to this problem are proposed. The necessity of allowing the courts of the Russian Federation to allow the possibility of appealing against the inaction of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation according to the rules of Chapter 22 of the Code of Administrative Procedure is substantiated. The author criticizes the position of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on the impossibility of such actions if the adoption or amendment of a federal law has become the subject of consideration by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. It is concluded that such a position violates the constitutional principle of separation of powers

Modulation of Biofilm Growth by Sub‐Inhibitory Amounts of Antibacterial Substances

It is generally accepted that bacteria in biofilm are more resistant to antibacterials than their planktonic counterparts. For numerous antibiotics, it has been shown that minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for bacteria grown in broth are much lower than the minimal biofilm inhibition concentrations. While sub‐inhibitory concentrations, that is, amounts of antibacterials below the MIC, do not either influence or suppress to some extent or other the bacterial growth in liquid media, these same amounts of drugs, natural substances, etc., may have diverse effects on bacterial biofilms, ranging from suppression to stimulation of the sessile growth and varying with regard to the bacterial species and strains. This is a source of additional risks for both biofilm infection of host tissues and contamination indwelling devices. When considering the data for biofilm modulation, differences in experimental protocols should be taken into account, as well as the strain‐specific mechanisms of biofilm formation