CONSUMERS' VALUATION OF INSECTICIDE USE RESTRICTIONS: AN APPLICATION TO APPLES

Economic assessments of pesticide regulations typically focus on producer impacts and generally ignore possible changes in product demand. These changes may be nonnegligible if real and/or perceived product attributes change. We measure consumersÂ’' willingness to pay (WTP) for the elimination of one insecticide and also a whole group of insecticides in apple production using a multiple-round Vickrey auction. The data are analyzed using nonparametric statistical tests and a double-hurdle model. Our findings show that consumer perceptions of product attributes change if pesticides are removed from production, and this is reflected in WTP changes. WTP is shown to be income elastic.Consumer/Household Economics, Crop Production/Industries,

Destabilization of α-helical structure in solution improves bactericidal activity of antimicrobial peptides: Opposing effects on bacterial and viral targets

We have previously examined the mechanism of antimicrobial peptides on the outer membrane of vaccinia virus. Here we show that the formulation of peptides LL37 and magainin-2B amide in polysorbate 20 (Tween-20™) results in greater reductions in virus titre than formulation without detergent, and the effect is replicated by substitution of polysorbate 20 with high ionic strength buffer. In contrast, formulation with polysorbate 20 or high ionic strength buffer has the opposite effect on bactericidal activity of both peptides, resulting in lesser reductions in titre for both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Circular dichroism spectroscopy shows that the differential action of polysorbate 20 and salt on the virucidal and bactericidal activities correlates with the α-helical content of peptide secondary structure in solution, suggesting that the virucidal and bactericidal activities are mediated through distinct mechanisms. The correlation of a defined structural feature with differential activity against a host-derived viral membrane and the membranes of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria suggests that overall helical content in solution under physiological conditions is an important feature for consideration in the design and development of candidate peptide-based antimicrobial compounds

Building the Brazilian Academic Genealogy Tree

Along the history, many researchers provided remarkable contributions to science, not only advancing knowledge but also in terms of mentoring new scientists. Currently, identifying and studying the formation of researchers over the years is a challenging task as current repositories of theses and dissertations are cataloged in a decentralized way through many local digital libraries. Following our previous work in which we created and analyzed a large collection of genealogy trees extracted from NDLTD, in this paper we focus our attention on building such trees for the Brazilian research community. For this, we use data from the Lattes Platform, an internationally renowned initiative from CNPq, the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, for managing information about individual researchers and research groups in Brazil

Archaeological Testing of Proposed Sewer Line Location at Mission San Jose

In April 1984 archaeologists from the Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, excavated a backhoe trench outside the west wall of Mission San José. The purpose of the investigation was to determine if a proposed sewer line for the San Antonio 201 Wastewater Facilities Improvements Project would affect any major historic or prehistoric resources. A stone-lined well was found that was constructed sometime after the secularization of the mission in 1893 and continued in use, first as a well and later as a privy pit, until ca. 1940. Because of the likelihood of stratified deposits of 19th century artifacts within the well fill, the site is recommended for archaeological excavation

Fluorescent visualization of a spreading surfactant

The spreading of surfactants on thin films is an industrially and medically important phenomenon, but the dynamics are highly nonlinear and visualization of the surfactant dynamics has been a long-standing experimental challenge. We perform the first quantitative, spatiotemporally-resolved measurements of the spreading of an insoluble surfactant on a thin fluid layer. During the spreading process, we directly observe both the radial height profile of the spreading droplet and the spatial distribution of the fluorescently-tagged surfactant. We find that the leading edge of spreading circular layer of surfactant forms a Marangoni ridge in the underlying fluid, with a trough trailing the ridge as expected. However, several novel features are observed using the fluorescence technique, including a peak in the surfactant concentration which trails the leading edge, and a flat, monolayer-scale spreading film which differs from concentration profiles predicted by current models. Both the Marangoni ridge and surfactant leading edge can be described to spread as $R \propto t^{\delta}$. We find spreading exponents, $\delta_H \approx 0.30$ and $\delta_\Gamma \approx 0.22$ for the ridge peak and surfactant leading edge, respectively, which are in good agreement with theoretical predictions of $\delta = 1/4$. In addition, we observe that the surfactant leading edge initially leads the peak of the Marangoni ridge, with the peak later catching up to the leading edge

On Using Magnetic and optical methods to determine the size and characteristics of nanoparticles embedded in oxide semiconductors

Films of oxides doped with transition metals are frequently believed to have magnetic inclusions. Magnetic methods to determine the amount of nanophases and their magnetic characteristics are described. The amount of the sample that is paramagnetic may also be measured. Optical methods are described and shown to be very powerful to determine which defects are also magnetic.Comment: Manuscript of poster to be presented at MMM-Intermag 2010. Accepted for publication in Magnetic Trans of IEE

Archaeological Investigation of the San Juan Dam, 41BX266, Bexar County, Texas

On April 18, 1988, an archaeological crew from the Center for Archaeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted a testing program at the historic dam for Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Antonio, Texas. The results of the excavations and the corresponding archival research are reported. Conclusions are drawn as to the dam\u27s location, formation, and function

Archaeological and Historical Investigations at the Site of the New Bexar County Justice Center in Downtown San Antonio, Texas

Between 1978 and 1987, archaeologists from the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted test excavations and monitored demolition of buildings on NCB 100 within the Main and Military Plazas National Historic District in downtown San Antonio. The block is the site chosen for construction of a Bexar County Justice Center. The sites of three small residences on the south end of the block were tested. Of these, two were thought to be eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places and for nomination as State Archeological Landmarks. At the north end of the block, the foundations of a small stone house built by the Salinas family were located, and testing was done in the back yard. A well believed built by the Salinas family was examined and recorded. A section of the San Pedro acequia, was exposed and recorded, and it is recommended that part of this waterway be restored during the landscaping for the new building. In 1988, monitoring was done for excavation of a trench between the Bexar County Courthouse and the new Justice Center, which will provide a substreet walkway (tunnel) under Main Street. No significant cultural resources were encountered

An Archaeological and Historical Survey of Stinson Municipal Airport in Bexar County, Texas

In February 1988, the Center for Archaeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an archaeological survey and archival and historical research for the Stinson Municipal Airport in south Bexar County, Texas, under contract with TransPlan. No prehistoric or historic archaeological sites were found. However, a historic cemetery on the grounds of the airport was surveyed, and its approximate visible limits were recorded. It is recommended that further work be done to completely delineate the cemetery\u27s boundaries before expansion of the airport is planned