Estimating the Market Effect of a Food Scare: The Case of Genetically Modified StarLink Corn

Genetic modification of crops has revolutionized food production, but it remains controversial due to food safety and environmental concerns. A recent food safety scare provides a natural experiment on the corn market's willingness to accept unapproved genetically modified organisms. In 2000, a genetically modified corn variety called StarLink was discovered in the food-corn supply, even though it was not approved for human consumption. To estimate the price impact of this event, we develop the relative price of a substitute method, which applies not only to the StarLink event but also to rare events in other markets. We apply this method to measure the price impact of the StarLink contamination on the U.S. corn market. We find that the contamination led to a 7 percent suppression of corn prices that lasted for at least a year.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Q11, Q18, C22,

The Market Effect of a Food Scare: The Case of Genetically Modified StarLink Corn

Genetic modification of crops has revolutionized food production, but it remains controversial due to food safety concerns. A recent food safety scare provides a natural experiment on the market's willingness to accept an increase in perceived risk from genetically modified (GM) food. We analyze the market impact of contamination of the U.S. food-corn supply by a GM variety called StarLink. We find that the contamination led to a 6.8 percent discount in corn prices and that the suppression of prices lasted for at least a year.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Marketing,

Mineral fabrication and golgi apparatus activity in the mouse calvarium

There is diverse opinion about the mechanism of bone mineralization with only intermittent reports of any direct organellar role played by the golgi apparatus (juxtanuclear body). Light and laser confocal microscopy was combined with electron microscopy and elemental EDX (energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis) in comparing “young” osteocytes in situ in fresh and “slam” frozen developing mouse calvarium, with similar cells (MC3T3-E1) maintained in vitro. The distribution of “nascent” electron dense mineral was examined histochemically (von Kossa, GBHA), including tetracycline (TC) staining as a fluorescent complex with bone salt, while golgi body activity was demonstrated by transfection with a specific green fluorescent construct (GFP/mannosidase II). In tissue culture golgi body activity and mineralization were both blocked by brefeldin A (an established golgi inhibitor) and restored by forskolin, enabling an association with mineral fabrication to be quantified as changing fluorescence intensity (AU) of GFP or TC markers. Results from osteocytes in situ supported previous descriptions of intracellular electron dense objects (microspheres and nanospheres) in a juxtanuclear pattern, containing Ca, P and transitory Si, in a spectrum recapitulated in the calcifying culture after 10 days, when GFP fluorophore surged from 71.7 ± 1.4SD to 133.7 ± 2.7SD AU by 14 days (p < 0.0001). At this stage TC fluorophore mean intensity was 23.8 ± 3.7SD AU (14 days) rising to 45.0 ± 5.1SD AU by 17 days, compared to its stationary 21.7 ± 3.6SD when treated 3 days previously with BFA golgi inhibitor (p < 0.0001), until forskolin reversal. It was concluded from the changing juxtanuclear morphology, Si mineralization mediation and the variably controlled activity versus stasis that the inorganic phase of bone is a complex golgi-directed fabrication with implications for bone matrix biology and evolution

Double-Row Repair Technique for Bursal-Sided Partial-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears

Rotator cuff pathology is a common cause of shoulder pain in the athletic and general population. Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears (PTRCT) are commonly encountered and can be bursal-sided, articular-sided, or intratendinous. Various techniques exist for the repair of bursal-sided PTRCTs. The 2 main distinctions when addressing these lesions include tear completion versus preservation of the intact fibers, and single- versus double-row suture anchor fixation. We present our method for addressing bursal-sided PTRCTs using an in situ repair technique with double-row suture anchors. © 2017 Arthroscopy Association of North Americ

Thirteen Ways to “Hail, Mary”: A Case Study of the 2013 Forum for the Inculturation of Liturgical Music in Nigeria

Every two years since 1997, the Forum for the Inculturation of Liturgical Music (FILM) has given a platform for many of Nigeria’s cultures to contribute to the future direction of the Roman Catholic liturgy in Nigeria. This case study focuses on the 2013 Biennial Choral Competition, specifically 13 settings of the Ave Maria text in seven of Nigeria’s hundreds of languages. Prior to that year, FILM had already introduced music with lyrics in minority languages including Bini, “Osolobruvwe Do”, and Efik, “Yak Ikom Abasi”, into the Nigerian canon of choral music, including both concert and church performance. In 2013, the majority of participants knew these polyphonic compositions from memory and sang them in an impromptu mass choir. Also in 2013, the year we observed the competition, the Motet I award (for a setting of the “Ave Maria” in an indigenous language) went to a composition in Igala by Abel Obaje of Kogi State University. The setting competed against four Yoruba-language settings and three Igbo-language. The consistent success of music in minority languages at FILM is a hopeful indicator of the future direction of Nigerian society. In a nation marred by ethnic conflict soon after independence (the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-70), with complex ethnic and religious tensions to this day, FILM offers an opportunity for Nigeria’s many cultures to be celebrated on a level playing field, distinct from most environments where one ethnicity or language is favored over another, or alternatively, uniformly displaced by English. The conflict between cultural continuity and preservation of Nigeria’s many ethnolinguistic cultures and national identity formation is persistent and hard to reconcile, both theoretically and practically. The ideal of unity in diversity is much emphasized (and the concept paraded around by the federal government), but it is rarely realized. Many choral competitions hosted by church bodies in Nigeria (Anglican, Catholic or Pentecostal organizations) often center around one ethnolinguistic culture. Thus, FILM seems to be a unique multi-ethnic contribution to sacred music in Nigeria. Although Catholic in practice and the direct influence is limited to Christian practice, because of cross-fertilization of Muslim and Christian practices, the model will hopefully impact other sectors of Nigerian society

Reinventing the Dishwasher

Most people aren’t excited to do the dishes. Still, washing cookware like pots and pans is an unavoidable task - and even those who own dishwashers typically choose to handwash them after use. After conducting a wide-ranging market survey, we designed a standalone device which can fill the existing gap between handwashing and dishwashing. We successfully built a single pan dishwasher which simulates hand washing to clean nonstick frying pans

Shear stresses in shock-compressed diamond from density functional theory

We report density functional theory (DFT) results for the shear stresses of uniaxially compressed diamond under conditions corresponding to strong shock wave compression. A nonmonotonic dependence of shear stresses on uniaxial strain was discovered in all three low-index crystallographic directions: , , and . For compression the shear stress even becomes negative in the region near the minimum of the shear stress-strain curve. The DFT results suggest that anomalous elastic regime observed in recent molecular dynamics shock simulations is a real phenomenon caused by a significant delay or even freezing of the plastic response

Environmental and economic assessment of microalgae-derived jet fuel

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-149).Significant efforts must be undertaken to quantitatively assess various alternative jet fuel pathways when working towards achieving environmental and economic United States commercial and military alternative aviation fuel goals within the next decade. This thesis provides lifecycle assessments (LCAs) of the environmental and economic impacts of cultivating and harvesting phototrophic microalgae; extracting, transporting, and processing algal oils to hydrocarbon fuels; and distributing and combusting the processed renewable jet fuel for a pilot scale facility. Specifically, lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, production costs, freshwater consumption, and land use were quantified for four cultivation and two extraction technology sets. For each cultivation and extraction type, low, baseline, and high scenarios were used to assess the variability of each performance metric. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses were used to gain insights as to where efforts towards improving certain technologies could have the largest impact on improving the lifecycle metrics. The four cultivation technologies include open raceway ponds, horizontal serpentine tubular photobioreactors (PBRs), vertical serpentine tubular PBRs, and vertical flat panel PBRs. Open raceway ponds were modeled from previous literature, while the PBRs were modeled, validated and optimized for specific constraints and growth inputs. The algal oil extraction techniques include conventional dewatering, drying, and extraction using hexane in a similar process to seed oil extraction (termed dry extraction in this study) as well as algal cell lysing with steam and potassium hydroxide as well as fluid separation and washing processes (termed wet extraction). Overall, open raceway pond cultivation with wet extraction performed most favorably when compared with the other scenarios for GHG emissions, production costs, freshwater consumption, and areal productivity (including the entire cultivation and extraction facility), yielding 31.3 g-CO2e/MJHEFA-J, 0.078 $/MJHEFA-J (9.86$/galHEFA-J), 0.38 Lfreshwater/MJHEFA-J and 17,600 LTAG/ha/yr for the baseline cases with brackish water makeup. The lifecycle GHG emissions and production cost metrics for the open raceway pond with wet extraction low scenario were both lower than that of conventional jet fuel baselines. For all cases, the inputs most sensitive to the lifecycle metrics were the cultivation system biomass areal productivity, algal extractable lipid weight fraction, and downstream harvesting system choices.by Nicholas Aaron Carter.S.M

Using Eye Tracking and Electroencephalography to Understand the Efficacy of Digital and Static Outdoor Advertisements

Abstract de la ponencia[EN] This study discusses the contributions of advanced eye tracking research combined with electroencephalography (EEG) as a method of understanding the cognitive processing of digital vs. static outdoor advertisements. Subjects were exposed to a variety of billboard advertisements on a section of Interstate freeway in a suburban area in the western United States. Results showed that visual fixation time was higher for digital advertisements compared to static advertisements. In particular, the eye-tracking data revealed which advertisements received the most attention. This was mainly dependent upon location (i.e. distance from driver, distance from adjacent traffic signs, etc.). As eye-tracking systems have become more sophisticated and affordable, there has been an increasing interest in the use of eye tracking within the traffic safety and outdoor advertising domain (Perez & Bertola, 2010). Eye tracking studies that have focused on web-based and driving stimuli have gathered eye-movement data while participants were engaged in lowattention settings (Lee and Ahn, 2012). The findings of these studies have indicated that digital and animated advertisements, in low attention settings, reduce the likelihood of mental recall and result in overall decreased cognitive engagement. Twenty-five subjects between the ages of 18 and 45 participated in the study. A 16 mile (25.75 kilometer) freeway drive was videotaped and then projected onto a four-by-six-foot screen. Subjects then viewed the projected video from inside a stationary car to simulate a driving environment. Using Tobii2 Glasses eye tracking system, subjects’ eye-movements and gaze patterns were recorded during the simulation. EEG data was also collected to measure the subject’s emotional response, and to gain additional insight into how they felt about the advertisements. In addition, participants were asked immediately after their drive to list any advertisements they recalled. These findings provide indications for best practices of effective outdoor advertising using gaze pattern analysis. These include positioning, layout, color schemes, etc. A potential implication for digital advertisements could be identifying the optimal length of time to display digital signage. Additionally, the results may suggest improvements in specific industry ads in order to maximize cognitive influence on consumer action (e.g. best times to display food and beverage advertisements). From a traffic safety consideration, these results will provide a psychological understanding of whether or not outdoor advertisements present safety implications to drivers. Overall, findings provide a better understanding of digital and static outdoor advertising as it relates to safety and consumer behavior. The results of this study may have significant implications in both the private and public sectors.Reas, B.; Dishman, P.; Mc Carter, A.; Jolley, AD. (2016). Using Eye Tracking and Electroencephalography to Understand the Efficacy of Digital and Static Outdoor Advertisements. En CARMA 2016: 1st International Conference on Advanced Research Methods in Analytics. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 168-169. https://doi.org/10.4995/CARMA2016.2015.3109OCS16816