Trade-offs between Shopping Bags Made of Non-degradable Plastics and Other Materials, Using Latent Class Analysis: The Case of Tianjin, China

white pollution, plastic bag ban, conjoint choice experiment, willingness to pay, latent class analysis, China, degradable plastics, cloth, paper, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Consumer/Household Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy, Q1,

An Incompletely Penetrant Col7a1 Mutation Causes Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa And Epidermolysis Bullosa Pruriginosa

Epidermolysis bullosa pruriginosa (EBP) is a rare subtype of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) characterized by intense pruritus, nodular or lichenoid lesions, and violaceous linear scarring most prominent on the extensor extremities. Remarkably, identical mutations in COL7A1, which encodes an anchoring fibril protein present at the dermal-epidermal junction, can cause both DEB and EBP with either autosomal dominant or recessive inheritance. We present one family with both dystrophic and pruriginosa phenotypes of epidermolysis bullosa. The proband is a 19-year-old Caucasian female who initially presented in childhood with lichenoid papules affecting her extensor limbs and intense pruritus consistent with EBP. Her maternal grandmother was followed by a dermatologist for similar skin lesions that developed without any known triggers at age 47 and mostly resolved spontaneously after approximately ten years. The proband\u27s younger brother developed a small crop of pruritic papules on his elbows, dorsal hands, knees, and ankles at age 13. Her second cousin once removed, however, report a mild blistering disease without pruritus consistent with DEB. Genetic sequencing of the kindred revealed a single dominant novel intron 47 splice site donor G\u3eA mutation, c.4668+1 G\u3eA, which we predict leads to exon skipping. Incomplete penetrance is confirmed in her clinically-unaffected mother, who also carries the same dominant mutation. The wide diversity of clinical phenotypes with one underlying genotype demonstrates that COL7A1 mutations are incompletely penetrant and strongly suggests that other genetic and environmental factors influence clinical presentation

Analysis of Farm Household Preferences in the Management of Invasive Species: The Case of Miconia in Hawaii

A major threat to Hawaii's ecosystem is the spread of invasive plant species. One such species is Miconia calvescens. Given that this plant was originally introduced to Hawaii by the horticulture industry and has negative effects on agricultural productivity, it is logical to find the farm households' preference for the control of Miconia. Using Conjoint Choice Experiment methodology, this study designed a survey to measure farm households' preferences for Miconia calvescens control program attributes. Results of the surveys indicate that the farm households are willing to support Miconia control programs if they prevent severe soil erosion and loss of biodiversity.Miconia, invasive species, Hawaii, farmers, Conjoint Choice Experiment, valuation, Crop Production/Industries,

Generalized Pascal functional matrix and its applications

AbstractIn this paper, we introduce the generalized Pascal functional matrix and show that the existing variations of Pascal matrices are special cases of this generalization. We study some algebraic properties of such generalized Pascal functional matrices. In addition, we demonstrate a direct application of these properties by deriving several novel combinatorial identities and a nontraditional approach for LU decompositions of some well-known matrices (such as symmetric Pascal matrices)

Determining Sample Size for a Control Chart

The essential tool in statistical quality control is the control chart. In spite of the apparent simplicity of the control chart, most engineers, production men, and inspectors find that its use calls for an entirely new point of view. The power of this technique lies in its ability to separate out assignable causes of quality variation. This makes possible the diagnosis and correction of many production troubles and often brings substantial improvements in product quality and reduction of spoilage and rework. The control chart tells when to leave a process alone and thus prevents unnecessarily frequent adjustments that tend to increase the variability of the process rather than to decrease it. It also permits better decisions on engineering tolerances and better comparisons between alternative designs and between alternative production methods

A major index for matchings and set partitions

We introduce a statistic \pmaj on partitions of $[n]=\{1,2,..., n\}$, and show that it is equidistributed with the number of 2-crossings over partitions of $[n]$ with given sets of minimal block elements and maximal block elements. This generalizes the classical result of equidistribution for the permutation statistics inversion number and major index.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figure