Effects of Demographics and Attitudes on WTP for Fuel Import Reductions through Ethanol Purchases

imported fuel, willingness to pay, Marketing,

Genetic ablation of zyxin causes Mena/VASP mislocalization, increased motility, and deficits in actin remodeling

Journal ArticleFocal adhesions are specialized regions of the cell surface where integrin receptors and associated proteins link the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton. To define the cellular role of the focal adhesion protein zyxin, we characterized the phenotype of fibroblasts in which the zyxin gene was deleted by homologous recombination

Mechanical force mobilizes zyxin from focal adhesions to actin filaments and regulates cytoskeletal reinforcement

Journal ArticleOrgans and tissues adapt to acute or chronic mechanical stress by remodeling their actin cytoskeletons. Cells that are stimulated by cyclic stretch or shear stress in vitro undergo bimodal cytoskeletal responses that include rapid reinforcement and gradual reorientation of actin stress fibers; however, the mechanism by which cells respond to mechanical cues has been obscure

Willingness to Pay for Emission Reductions with E85

This study examines consumers' WTP for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from E85 as opposed to gasoline. Data were collected via a contingent choice exercise in a 2009 national online survey. As part of the fuel choice exercise, several fuel attributes were allowed to vary including emission reductions, import level, proximity of fuel availability, price, and fuel blend (E85 or regular gasoline). A random parameters model with demographics and attitudes interacted with emission reductions was estimated. The resulting estimates suggest that, overall the WTP for an emission reduction is not statistically significant. However, for some demographic and attitudinal profiles, the WTP is significant. An example profile includes younger age, female, concerned about climate change, not supportive of additional drilling, supportive of farmland being used for fuel, own or are likely to own a FlexFuel vehicle, and primary vehicle not an SUV.Willingness to Pay, Emission Reductions, E85, Consumer/Household Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy, Q41, Q51,

Stairway Step Dimensions: Replication of a Measurement System Study

This paper reports a replication of a prior measurement system study. The earlier study examined the nosing-to-nosing measurement system for measuring steps in a stairway to determine uniformity. In each study, two individuals measured six flights of stairs on two separate occasions. The difference in the first and second study was the different measurers. Step attributes used to define uniformity are riser height and tread depth. The measurers in each study obtained 744 values of riser height and 672 values of tread depth. The ANOVA for each study indicated that less than 4% of the variance in these attributes was due to the measurers; the remainder of variability was due to physical differences in the steps. ANOVA results of this replication led to essentially the same conclusion as the initial study—that the nosing-to-nosing measurement system is acceptable for measuring step dimensions

Factors Influencing Consumer Likelihood of Purchasing a Flexible-Fuel or Hybrid Automobile

Developing fuels and vehicles that reduce our reliance on fossil fuels has become a priority due to the threat of global climate change and desire for reduced dependence on oil imports. Flexible-fuel vehicles that can run on ethanol/gasoline blends of up to 85% ethanol and hybrid electric vehicles present two such opportunities. While production of both flexible-fuel and hybrid vehicles is increasing, there is still a great deal of uncertainty about how consumers will respond to these products. To address this uncertainty, data was collected through an online survey of automobile owners that asked respondents how likely they were to choose either a flexible-fuel or hybrid vehicle as their next vehicle. A bivariate probit model was used to jointly analyze responses to these two questions. The results show that, while there was some overlap in the factors correlated with perceived likelihood of choosing one of these two types of automobiles, there were also clear differences. These results should benefit policymakers, marketers and academics seeking a better understanding of the respective markets for these vehicles.flexible-fuel vehicles, ethanol, E85, hybrid electric vehicles, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Analysis of Factors Affecting Farmers’ Willingness to Adopt Switchgrass Production

In the United States, biomass is the largest source of renewable energy accounting for over 3 percent of the energy consumed domestically and is currently the only source for liquid, renewable, transportation fuels. Continued development of biomass as a renewable energy source is being driven in large part by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which mandates that by 2022 at least 36 billion gallons of fuel ethanol be produced, with at least 16 billion gallons being derived from cellulose, hemi-cellulose, or lignin. However, the market for cellulosic biofuels is still under development. As such, little is known about producer response to feedstock prices paid for dedicated energy crops. While there have been some studies done on factors that determine farmers’ willingness to produce switchgrass, these have been very regional in nature. This study will provide information regarding potential switchgrass adoption by agricultural producers in twelve southeastern states. The objectives of this research are 1) to determine the likelihood of farmers growing switchgrass as a biomass feedstock and the acres they would be willing to devote to switchgrass production and 2) to evaluate some of the factors that are likely to influence these decisions, including the price of switchgrass.Switchgrass, Farmer Adoption, Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q12, Q16,

Molecular dissection of the mechanism by which EWS/FLI expression compromises actin cytoskeletal integrity and cell adhesion in Ewing sarcoma.

Ewing sarcoma is the second-most-common bone cancer in children. Driven by an oncogenic chromosomal translocation that results in the expression of an aberrant transcription factor, EWS/FLI, the disease is typically aggressive and micrometastatic upon presentation. Silencing of EWS/FLI in patient-derived tumor cells results in the altered expression of hundreds to thousands of genes and is accompanied by dramatic morphological changes in cytoarchitecture and adhesion. Genes encoding focal adhesion, extracellular matrix, and actin regulatory proteins are dominant targets of EWS/FLI-mediated transcriptional repression. Reexpression of genes encoding just two of these proteins, zyxin and α5 integrin, is sufficient to restore cell adhesion and actin cytoskeletal integrity comparable to what is observed when the EWS/FLI oncogene expression is compromised. Using an orthotopic xenograft model, we show that EWS/FLI-induced repression of α5 integrin and zyxin expression promotes tumor progression by supporting anchorage-independent cell growth. This selective advantage is paired with a tradeoff in which metastatic lung colonization is compromised

R-modes in Neutron Stars with Crusts: Turbulent Saturation, Spin-down, and Crust Melting

Rossby waves (r-modes) have been suggested as a means to regulate the spin periods of young or accreting neutron stars, and also to produce observable gravitational wave radiation. R-modes involve primarily transverse, incompressive motions of the star's fluid core. However, neutron stars gain crusts early in their lives: therefore, r-modes also imply shear in the fluid beneath the crust. We examine the criterion for this shear layer to become turbulent, and derive the rate of dissipation in the turbulent regime. Unlike dissipation from a viscous boundary layer, turbulent energy loss is nonlinear in mode energy and can therefore cause the mode to saturate at amplitudes typically much less than unity. This energy loss also reappears as heat below the crust. We study the possibility of crust melting as well as its implications for the spin evolution of low-mass X-ray binaries. Lastly, we identify some universal features of the spin evolution that may have observational consequences.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Ap