Can Higher Prices Stimulate Product Use? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Zambia

The controversy over whether and how much to charge for health products in the developing world rests, in part, on whether higher prices can increase use, either by targeting distribution to high-use households (a screening effect), or by stimulating use psychologically through a sunk-cost effect. We develop a methodology for separating these two effects. We implement the methodology in a field experiment in Zambia using door-to-door marketing of a home water purification solution. We find that higher prices screen out those who use the product less. By contrast, we find no consistent evidence of sunk-cost effects.

THE ECONOMIC THRESHOLD FOR GRASSHOPPER CONTROL ON PUBLIC RANGELANDS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for controlling grasshopper populations on public rangelands. Under current guidelines, control of grasshoppers on rangeland should occur if grasshopper densities are at least eight per square yard. This article evaluates the concept of an economic threshold relative to the value of forage saved from destruction during a grasshopper outbreak. It is shown that financial justification for treating grasshopper outbreaks depends upon grasshopper density, rangeland productivity, climate factors, livestock cost and return relationships, and the efficacy of treatment options.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use,

The effect of Holstein-Friesian genotype and feeding system on selected performance parameters of dairy cows on grass-based systems of milk production in Ireland

End of project reportThe overall objective of this project was to assess, the effect of strain of Holstein-Friesian dairy cow, pasture-based feed system (FS) and their interaction on animal performance in terms of milk productivity and lactation profile, body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), feed intake and energy balance (EB), reproductive performance and overall economic profitability

The relationship between oxidised LDL, endothelial progenitor cells and coronary endothelial function in patients with CHD

Objective The balance between coronary endothelial dysfunction and repair is influenced by many protective and deleterious factors circulating in the blood. We studied the relationship between oxidised low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and coronary endothelial function in patients with stable coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods 33 patients with stable CHD were studied. Plasma oxLDL was measured using ELISA, coronary endothelial function was assessed using intracoronary acetylcholine infusion and EPCs were quantified using flow cytometry for CD34+/KDR+ cells. Results Plasma oxLDL correlated positively with the number of EPCs in the blood (r=0.46, p=0.02). There was a positive correlation between the number of circulating EPCs and coronary endothelial function (r=0.42, p=0.04). There was no significant correlation between oxLDL and coronary endothelial function. Conclusions Plasma levels of oxLDL are associated with increased circulating EPCs in the blood of patients with CHD, which may reflect a host-repair response to endothelial injury. Patients with stable CHD had a high prevalence of coronary endothelial dysfunction, which was associated with lower numbers of circulating EPCs, suggesting a mechanistic link between endothelial dysfunction and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) - specific antibodies in multiple sclerosis patients, including targeted investigation of a candidate EBV nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1) B cell epitope

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a very complex disease, with different genetic and environmental factors contributing to its risk. In particular, infection with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) has been shown to increase MS risk. This risk is moderately associated with anti-viral capsid antigen (VCA) antibodies, but very strongly associated for anti-EBV nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1) antibodies. Focus on EBNA-1 has uncovered that antibody reactivity against a C-terminal part the of the protein (amino acid (aa) positions 385-420) is a stronger risk marker than antibodies against the whole EBNA-1 protein. Recently, in a small study in twins (n=12), a putative B cell epitope within this region (aa 401-411) has been identified as a target for antibodies that are specifically enriched in MS patients compared with healthy controls

Getting Better (or Worse) All the Time: Support Trajectories and Employee Turnover

As employment relationships develop over time, changes in static perceptions of organizational support (POS) provide the basis for evaluating one’s present and future with an organization. We develop and test hypotheses on how POS and referent POS (RΔPOS) trajectories influence employee turnover intentions. Drawing on a sample of 167 employees, our analysis shows that changes to static POS (ΔPOS) and RΔPOS significantly influence employee turnover intentions. This research extends organizational support theory by shedding light on the dynamic nature of POS and the effects of those changes on employee outcomes, specifically turnover intentions

Rivers of the Anthropocene

This exciting volume presents the work and research of the Rivers of the Anthropocene Network, an international collaborative group of scientists, social scientists, humanists, artists, policymakers, and community organizers working to produce innovative transdisciplinary research on global freshwater systems. In an attempt to bridge disciplinary divides, the essays in this volume address the challenge in studying the intersection of biophysical and human sociocultural systems in the age of the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch of humans’ own making. Featuring contributions from authors in a rich diversity of disciplines—from toxicology to archaeology to philosophy— this book is an excellent resource for students and scholars studying both freshwater systems and the Anthropocene