INTEGRATION OF A PRODUCT CHOICE MODEL AND A LATENT VARIABLE MODEL OF NUTRITION INFORMATION

We develop and estimate an integrated discrete choice model system of product choice and nutrition information for prepared frozen meals in the United States in the period from 1993 to 1998, when government regulation of nutrition labeling changed from voluntary to mandatory. The model links consumer characteristics (e.g., income, knowledge about nutrition, nutrition label use) to product characteristics (e.g., prices, nutritional attributes) and allows us to obtain consumer preference parameters and demand elasticities with regard to product characteristics. We find that prices, advertising, price reductions, and consumer preferences for taste have a significant effect on the demand for prepared frozen meals, whereas knowledge about nutrition and nutrition label use do not. Using the estimated demand parameters we then evaluate the impact of the new mandatory labeling policy. The results show that consumer preferences and purchasing patterns within the prepared frozen meals category did not change significantly after the implementation of mandatory nutrition labeling.Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

ENDOGENOUS CONSUMER PREFERENCES AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT NUTRITION

What are the important determinants of consumer demand and how have they been changing over the last decade? Understanding these factors is crucial for evaluating the benefits and costs of government regulations, such as labeling, intended to influence consumer food choice and, ultimately, public health; for assessing the competitiveness of U.S. agricultral producers and food processors as they choose product designs and marketing strategies; and for assessing the impact of changing consumer demand for food on the agricultural and food sectors of the U.S. economy. The objectives of this paper are to make a significant contribution to demand analysis by basing this understanding on the use of uniquely comprehensive data sets and theoretical/modeling techniques that evaluate demand on the brand level; and to build a comprehensive understanding of the relative importance of different determinants of consumer food choices in the decade from 1993-2002. The overall goal is to analyze what is driving consumer choices and the implications of these drivers for food and nutrition policy in the United States. A particular focus is the relative importance of advertising, other company marketing strategies, nutritional quality, privately and publicly provided nutritional information, and consumer dietary concerns and knowledge in determining consumer demand for food products.Agribusiness, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis,

The Impact of Extreme Weather Events on Budget Balances and Implications for Fiscal Policy.

This paper explores implications of climate change for fiscal policy by assessing the impact of large scale extreme weather events on changes in public budgets. We apply alternative measures for large scale extreme weather events and conclude that the budgetary impact of such events ranges between 0.23% and 1.1% of GDP depending on the country group. Developing countries face a much larger effect on changes in budget balances following an extreme weather event than do advanced economies. Based on these findings, we discuss implications for fiscal policy and publicly-provided disaster insurance. Our policy conclusions point to the enhanced need to reach and maintain sound fiscal positions given that climate change is expected to cause an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters. JEL Classification: Q54, Q58, F59, H87.Global warming, climate change, fiscal sustainability, disasters.

Aktivitas Antijamur Minyak Atsiri terhadap Penyakit Antraknos Buah Pisang di Penyimpanan pada Kondisi Laboratorium

. Antraknos yang disebabkan oleh Colletotrichum sp. merupakan penyakit penting yang menyerangbuah pisang pada penyimpanan. Teknologi yang direkomendasikan untuk mengendalikan penyakit ini adalah denganpenerapan perlakuan panas dan penggunaan fungisida. Teknologi alternatif yang mempertimbangkan keamanankonsumen dan lingkungan sangat diperlukan untuk menggantikan penggunaan fungisida. Tujuan penelitian adalahmengevaluasi aktivitas antijamur beberapa minyak atsiri yang diekstrak dari daun kayu manis, sereh wangi, dankulit jeruk besar terhadap penyakit antraknos. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Laboratorium Perlindungan Tanaman BalaiPenelitian Tanaman Buah Tropika pada suhu ruang mulai dari bulan Januari sampai Mei 2007. Hasil penelitianmenunjukkan bahwa minyak atsiri mampu menekan perkembangan miselium jamur Colletotrichum sp.. Minyakatsiri yang diekstrak dari daun kayu manis mempunyai nilai penghambatan tertinggi (65-72%) terhadap pertumbuhanmiselium Colletotrichum sp., diikuti oleh nilai penghambatan minyak atsiri sereh wangi (62-64%), dan kulit jerukbesar (14-19%). Hasil ini menunjukkan bahwa minyak atsiri mempunyai potensi yang baik untuk dikembangkansebagai teknologi alternatif yang mempertimbangkan keamanan konsumen dan lingkunga

High Resolution Transmission Spectroscopy as a Diagnostic for Jovian Exoplanet Atmospheres: Constraints from Theoretical Models

We present high resolution transmission spectra of giant planet atmospheres from a coupled 3-D atmospheric dynamics and transmission spectrum model that includes Doppler shifts which arise from winds and planetary motion. We model jovian planets covering more than two orders of magnitude in incident flux, corresponding to planets with 0.9 to 55 day orbital periods around solar-type stars. The results of our 3-D dynamical models reveal certain aspects of high resolution transmission spectra that are not present in simple 1-D models. We find that the hottest planets experience strong substellar to anti-stellar (SSAS) winds, resulting in transmission spectra with net blue shifts of up to 3 km s$^{-1}$, whereas less irradiated planets show almost no net Doppler shifts. Compared to 1-D models, peak line strengths are significantly reduced for the hottest atmospheres owing to Doppler broadening from a combination of rotation (which is faster for close-in planets under the assumption of tidal locking) and atmospheric winds. Finally, high resolution transmission spectra may be useful in studying the atmospheres of exoplanets with optically thick clouds since line cores for very strong transitions should remain optically thick to very high altitude. High resolution transmission spectra are an excellent observational test for the validity of 3-D atmospheric dynamics models, because they provide a direct probe of wind structures and heat circulation. Ground-based exoplanet spectroscopy is currently on the verge of being able to verify some of our modeling predictions, most notably the dependence of SSAS winds on insolation. We caution that interpretation of high resolution transmission spectra based on 1-D atmospheric models may be inadequate, as 3-D atmospheric motions can produce a noticeable effect on the absorption signatures.Comment: Accepted to ApJ; 34 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl

USING INFORMATIONAL LABELING TO INFLUENCE THE MARKET FOR QUALITY IN FOOD PRODUCTS

In the United States, the federal government is increasingly using requirements for informational labeling on food products to influence 1) consumers' knowledge and purchasing patterns and 2) manufacturers' product offerings and marketing practices. We discuss the economic rationale behind these regulations and issues related to judging their success or failure.Food labeling, food quality, food safety, information, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Exogenous vs. Endogenous Consumer Preferences and Knowledge about Nutrition

Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Hypothesis exploration with visualization of variance.

BackgroundThe Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics (CNP) at UCLA was an investigation into the biological bases of traits such as memory and response inhibition phenotypes-to explore whether they are linked to syndromes including ADHD, Bipolar disorder, and Schizophrenia. An aim of the consortium was in moving from traditional categorical approaches for psychiatric syndromes towards more quantitative approaches based on large-scale analysis of the space of human variation. It represented an application of phenomics-wide-scale, systematic study of phenotypes-to neuropsychiatry research.ResultsThis paper reports on a system for exploration of hypotheses in data obtained from the LA2K, LA3C, and LA5C studies in CNP. ViVA is a system for exploratory data analysis using novel mathematical models and methods for visualization of variance. An example of these methods is called VISOVA, a combination of visualization and analysis of variance, with the flavor of exploration associated with ANOVA in biomedical hypothesis generation. It permits visual identification of phenotype profiles-patterns of values across phenotypes-that characterize groups. Visualization enables screening and refinement of hypotheses about variance structure of sets of phenotypes.ConclusionsThe ViVA system was designed for exploration of neuropsychiatric hypotheses by interdisciplinary teams. Automated visualization in ViVA supports 'natural selection' on a pool of hypotheses, and permits deeper understanding of the statistical architecture of the data. Large-scale perspective of this kind could lead to better neuropsychiatric diagnostics

An Observational Diagnostic for Distinguishing Between Clouds and Haze in Hot Exoplanet Atmospheres

The nature of aerosols in hot exoplanet atmospheres is one of the primary vexing questions facing the exoplanet field. The complex chemistry, multiple formation pathways, and lack of easily identifiable spectral features associated with aerosols make it especially challenging to constrain their key properties. We propose a transmission spectroscopy technique to identify the primary aerosol formation mechanism for the most highly irradiated hot Jupiters (HIHJs). The technique is based on the expectation that the two key types of aerosols -- photochemically generated hazes and equilibrium condensate clouds -- are expected to form and persist in different regions of a highly irradiated planet's atmosphere. Haze can only be produced on the permanent daysides of tidally-locked hot Jupiters, and will be carried downwind by atmospheric dynamics to the evening terminator (seen as the trailing limb during transit). Clouds can only form in cooler regions on the night side and morning terminator of HIHJs (seen as the leading limb during transit). Because opposite limbs are expected to be impacted by different types of aerosols, ingress and egress spectra, which primarily probe opposing sides of the planet, will reveal the dominant aerosol formation mechanism. We show that the benchmark HIHJ, WASP-121b, has a transmission spectrum consistent with partial aerosol coverage and that ingress-egress spectroscopy would constrain the location and formation mechanism of those aerosols. In general, using this diagnostic we find that observations with JWST and potentially with HST should be able to distinguish between clouds and haze for currently known HIHJs.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, accepted to ApJ Letter