Willingness to Pay for Biodiesel in Diesel Engines: A Stochastic Double Bounded Contingent Valuation Survey

The double bounded dichotomous choice format has been proven to improve efficiency in contingent valuation models. However, this format has been criticized due to lack of behavioral and statistical consistencies between the first and the second responses. In this study a split sampling methodology was used to determine whether allowing respondents to express uncertainty in the follow-up question would alleviate such inconsistencies. Results indicate that allowing respondents to express uncertainty in the follow-up question was effective at reducing both types of inconsistencies while efficiency gain is maintained.Biodiesel, diesel, environmental benefits, contingent valuation, willingness to pay, double bounded model, and statistical and behavioral inconsistencies, Demand and Price Analysis, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, I18, L91, Q42, Q51, Q53,

Mixed Methods Research of Adult Family Care Home Residents and Informal Caregivers

This article describes a mixed methods approach used to explore the experiences of adult family care home (AFCH) residents and informal caregivers (IC). A rationale is presented for using a mixed methods approach employing the sequential exploratory design with this poorly researched population. The unique challenges attendant to the sampling strategy with this population, and an iterative approach of data collection and data analysis are discussed. A summary of the data integration process and outcome is presented

Didemnin B: Comparative study and conformational approach in solution

A comparative study of isodideimnine-1 and didemnin B is presented using spcctroecopic methods, partial degradation and partial synthesis. This leads to the conclusion of the presence of a single depsipeptide, namely didemnin B, with (3S,4R,5S) isostatine instead of the previous statine residue. An attempt to determine the whole conformation in solution of didemnin B by using 2D-NMR is also described

Extension of SPIS to simulate dust electrostatic charging, transport and contamination of lunar probes

A modification of the Spacecraft Plasma Interaction Software has been undertaken under ESA contract 4000107327/12/NL/AK (SPIS-DUST). The primary goal is to provide mission designers with an engineering tool capable of predicting charged dust behavior in a given plasma environment involving a spacecraft / exploration unit in contact with complex topological features at various locations of the Moon’s surface. The tool also aims at facilitating dust contamination diagnostics for sensitive surfaces such as sensors optics, solar panels, thermal interfaces, etc. In this paper, the new user interface and the new numerical solvers developed in the frame of this project is presented. The pre-processing includes the building of a 3D lunar surface from a topology description (i.e. a point list), an interface to position the spacecraft and a merging interface for the spacecraft elements in contact with the lunar surface. Concerning the physical models, the new solvers have been developed in order to model the physics of the ejection of the dust from the soils, the dusts charging and transport in volume and the dust interaction and contamination of the spacecraft. The post-processing includes the standard outputs of SPIS for the electrostatic computation and the plasma plus dedicated instruments for the diagnosis of the dusts. A set of verification test cases are presented in order to demonstrate the new capabilities of this version of SPIS in realistic conditions

Shotgun metagenomic analysis of microbial communities from the Loxahatchee nature preserve in the Florida Everglades.

BackgroundCurrently, much is unknown about the taxonomic diversity and the mechanisms of methane metabolism in the Florida Everglades ecosystem. The Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is a section of the Florida Everglades that is almost entirely unstudied in regard to taxonomic profiling. This short report analyzes the metagenome of soil samples from this Refuge to investigate the predominant taxa, as well as the abundance of genes involved in environmentally significant metabolic pathways related to methane production (nitrogen fixation and dissimilatory sulfite reduction).MethodsShotgun metagenomic sequencing using the Illumina platform was performed on 17 soil samples from four different sites within the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, and underwent quality control, assembly, and annotation. The soil from each sample was tested for water content and concentrations of organic carbon and nitrogen.ResultsThe three most common phyla of bacteria for every site were Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Proteobacteria; however, there was variation in relative phylum composition. The most common phylum of Archaea was Euryarchaeota for all sites. Alpha and beta diversity analyses indicated significant congruity in taxonomic diversity in most samples from Sites 1, 3, and 4 and negligible congruity between Site 2 and the other sites. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing revealed the presence of biogeochemical biomarkers of particular interest (e.g., mrcA, nifH, and dsrB) within the samples. The normalized abundances of mcrA, nifH, and dsrB exhibited a positive correlation with nitrogen concentration and water content, and a negative correlation with organic carbon concentration.ConclusionThis Everglades soil metagenomic study allowed examination of wetlands biological processes and showed expected correlations between measured organic constituents and prokaryotic gene frequency. Additionally, the taxonomic profile generated gives a basis for the diversity of prokaryotic microbial life throughout the Everglades

Analysis of the dynamic co-expression network of heart regeneration in the zebrafish.

The zebrafish has the capacity to regenerate its heart after severe injury. While the function of a few genes during this process has been studied, we are far from fully understanding how genes interact to coordinate heart regeneration. To enable systematic insights into this phenomenon, we generated and integrated a dynamic co-expression network of heart regeneration in the zebrafish and linked systems-level properties to the underlying molecular events. Across multiple post-injury time points, the network displays topological attributes of biological relevance. We show that regeneration steps are mediated by modules of transcriptionally coordinated genes, and by genes acting as network hubs. We also established direct associations between hubs and validated drivers of heart regeneration with murine and human orthologs. The resulting models and interactive analysis tools are available at http://infused.vital-it.ch. Using a worked example, we demonstrate the usefulness of this unique open resource for hypothesis generation and in silico screening for genes involved in heart regeneration

Technical design and characterization of a ground based solar metrology network on Reunion Island

Paper presented to the 3rd Southern African Solar Energy Conference, South Africa, 11-13 May, 2015.The roadmap of Reunion Island regarding energy is to reach autonomy by 2030. Obviously, renewable energies will play a key role in this ambitious project. However, a couple of years ago, a limit set by the French government relatively to the amount of lethal power injected on the electrical grid stopped the thrust: at any time, intermittent sources should not exceed 30 % of the whole production. This is due to the fragility of the grid: rugged topography, no interconnection. The University of La Reunion through the LE2P lab (Energy, Electronic and Process) decided to search a solution by predicting the solar resource in order to erase part of the intermittency of the production coming from the solar plants. Along this track, the first step is to evaluate precisely the resource and study its spatio-temporal variability. To do so, the LE2P gets engaged in deploying, at ground level, a network of monitoring stations. These units should be capable to produce field data responding to specific requirements in terms of acquisition frequency and quality, compatible with the clustering tools and mapping programs developed beside. Today, LE2P team manages a fleet of more than 15 stations, with various configurations, all over Reunion Island and plans to extend its network to neighboring territories. This article proposes to present in details the different components of a typical station, how they have been selected and how they are maintained. We will also see how the lab gets organized in order to propose top quality data to the solar scientific community.cf201

Technical design and characterization of a ground based solar metrology network on Reunion Island

Paper presented to the 3rd Southern African Solar Energy Conference, South Africa, 11-13 May, 2015.The roadmap of Reunion Island regarding energy is to reach autonomy by 2030. Obviously, renewable energies will play a key role in this ambitious project. However, a couple of years ago, a limit set by the French government relatively to the amount of lethal power injected on the electrical grid stopped the thrust: at any time, intermittent sources should not exceed 30 % of the whole production. This is due to the fragility of the grid: rugged topography, no interconnection. The University of La Reunion through the LE2P lab (Energy, Electronic and Process) decided to search a solution by predicting the solar resource in order to erase part of the intermittency of the production coming from the solar plants. Along this track, the first step is to evaluate precisely the resource and study its spatio-temporal variability. To do so, the LE2P gets engaged in deploying, at ground level, a network of monitoring stations. These units should be capable to produce field data responding to specific requirements in terms of acquisition frequency and quality, compatible with the clustering tools and mapping programs developed beside. Today, LE2P team manages a fleet of more than 15 stations, with various configurations, all over Reunion Island and plans to extend its network to neighboring territories. This article proposes to present in details the different components of a typical station, how they have been selected and how they are maintained. We will also see how the lab gets organized in order to propose top quality data to the solar scientific community.cf201