Third-party effects of water trading and potential policy responses

A key feature of water policy reform in Australia has been the separation of water access entitlements from land titles and the establishment of markets for water. However, the separation of water entitlements from land failed to account for a number of characteristics that were implicit in the joint right. This has given rise to a number of third-party effects as water is traded in an incomplete market. This paper describes four third-party effects of water trade; reliability of supply, timeliness of delivery, storage and delivery charges, and water quality and examines policy responses to address these effects. The discussion draws on the concepts of exclusiveness and rivalry to determine the applicability of property rights and other solutions to the third-party effects of trade. It is likely that many of the third-party effects of trade discussed in this paper do not warrant policy intervention at the national or state level, but intervention at the local level may be warranted. The costs of addressing some third-party effects may outweigh the benefits. Where there are significant gains from trade, the existence of these third-party effects should not been seen as a reason to impede trade.property rights, water trading, third-party effects, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Who says we are bad people? The impact of criticism source and attributional content on responses to group-based criticism.

addresses: University of Exeter, UK. [email protected]: Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tCopyright © 2010 SAGE Publications. Author's draft version; post-print. Final version published by Sage available on Sage Journals Online http://online.sagepub.com/We investigated the interplay between the source of criticism and the attributional content of their message on behavioral responses to group-based criticism. Studies 1 and 2 revealed that outgroup critics were more effective when their criticism included internal attributions (to the ingroup's character) rather than external attributions (the ingroup's circumstances), whereas there was no effect of attributional content for ingroup critics (a significant Source x Content interaction). Study 3 explored the role of audiences in responses to outgroup criticism. The results indicated that the positive effects of internal versus external attributions were only evident when an outgroup audience was witness to participants' responses. Furthermore, these effects were mediated through concerns about the ingroup's image. Together, these patterns suggest that responses to criticism depend not just on the identity of the critic but also on what the critic says and who is watching. People may be surprisingly responsive to outgroup criticism-particularly when inaction might lead others to perceive them as "bad people.

A remarkable long-term light curve, and deep, low-state spectroscopy: Swift & XMM-Newton monitoring of the NLS1 galaxy Mkn 335

The Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1) Mkn 335 is remarkable because it has repeatedly shown deep, long X-ray low-states which show pronounced spectral structure. It has become one of the prototype AGN in deep minimum X-ray states. Here we report on the continuation of our ongoing monitoring campaign with Swift and the examination of the low state X-ray spectra based on a 200 ks triggered observation with XMM in June 2009. Swift has continuously monitored Mkn 335 since May 2007 typically on a monthly basis. This is one of the longest simultaneous UV/X-ray light curves so far obtained for an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Mkn 335 has shown strong X-ray variability even on time scales of hours. In the UV, it turns out to be one of the most variable among NLS1s. Long-term Swift monitoring allow us to examine correlations between the UV, X-rays and X-ray hardness ratios. We find no significant correlation or lag between the UV and X-ray variability; however, we do find distinct trends in the behavior of the hardness ratio variability. The hardness ratio and count rate are correlated in the low-flux state, but no correlation is seen in the high-state. The X-ray low-state spectra of the 2007 and 2009 XMM observations display significant spectral variability. We fit the X-ray spectra with a suite of phenomenological models in order to characterize the data. The broad band CCD spectrum can be fitted equally well with partial absorption and blurred reflection models. These more complicated models are explored in further detail in upcoming work.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, 4 Tables, ApJ Suppl. accepte

New species longevity record for the northern quahog (=hard clam), Mercenaria mercenaria

Author Posting. © National Shellfisheries Association, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of National Shellfisheries Association for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Shellfish Research 30 (2011): 35-38, doi:10.2983/035.030.0106.Twenty-two large shells (>90 mm shell height) from a sample of live collected hard shell clams, Mercenaria mercenaria, from Buzzards Bay, Woods Hole, Cape Cod, MA, were subjected to sclerochronological analysis. Annually resolved growth lines in the hinge region and margin of the shell were identified and counted; the age of the oldest clam shell was determined to be at least 106 y. This age represents a considerable increase in the known maximum life span for M. mercenaria, more than doubling the maximum recorded life span of the species (46 y). More than 85% of the clam shells aged had more than 46 annual increments, the previous known maximum life span for the species. In this article we present growth rate and growth performance indicators (the overall growth performance and phi prime) for this record-breaking population of M. mercenaria. Recently discovered models of aging require accurate age records and growth parameters for bivalve populations if they are to be utilized to their full potential.This work was supported by grants from the American Diabetes Association (to Z. U.), American Federation for Aging Research (to A. C.), the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Alumni Association (to A. C.), the BBSRC (to C. A. R.),the National Institutes of Health (AT006526 and HL077256 to Z. U.; AG022873 and AG025063 to S. N. A.), and the DFG Cluster of Excellence ‘‘Future Ocean’’ (to E. P.)

Helicobacter pylori Infection Promotes Methylation and Silencing of Trefoil Factor 2, Leading to Gastric Tumor Development in Mice and Humans

Background & Aims Trefoil factors (TFFs) regulate mucosal repair and suppress tumor formation in the stomach. Tff1 deficiency results in gastric cancer, whereas Tff2 deficiency increases gastric inflammation. TFF2 expression is frequently lost in gastric neoplasms, but the nature of the silencing mechanism and associated impact on tumorigenesis have not been determined. Methods We investigated the epigenetic silencing of TFF2 in gastric biopsy specimens from individuals with Helicobacter pylori-positive gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, gastric cancer, and disease-free controls. TFF2 function and methylation were manipulated in gastric cancer cell lines. The effects of Tff2 deficiency on tumor growth were investigated in the gp130[superscript F/F] mouse model of gastric cancer. Results In human tissue samples, DNA methylation at the TFF2 promoter began at the time of H pylori infection and increased throughout gastric tumor progression. TFF2 methylation levels were inversely correlated with TFF2 messenger RNA levels and could be used to discriminate between disease-free controls, H pylori-infected, and tumor tissues. Genome demethylation restored TFF2 expression in gastric cancer cell lines, so TFF2 silencing requires methylation. In Tff2-deficient gp130[superscript F/F]/Tff2[superscript −/−] mice, proliferation of mucosal cells and release of T helper cell type-1 (Th-1) 1 cytokines increased, whereas expression of gastric tumor suppressor genes and Th-2 cytokines were reduced, compared with gp130[superscript F/F]controls. The fundus of gp130[superscript F/F]/Tff2[superscript −/−] mice displayed glandular atrophy and metaplasia, indicating accelerated preneoplasia. Experimental H pylori infection in wild-type mice reduced antral expression of Tff2 by increased promoter methylation. Conclusions TFF2 negatively regulates preneoplastic progression and subsequent tumor development in the stomach, a role that is subverted by promoter methylation during H pylori infection.National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia

The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2011: Dynamical Modeling of the Broad Line Region in Mrk 50

We present dynamical modeling of the broad line region (BLR) in the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 50 using reverberation mapping data taken as part of the Lick AGN Monitoring Project (LAMP) 2011. We model the reverberation mapping data directly, constraining the geometry and kinematics of the BLR, as well as deriving a black hole mass estimate that does not depend on a normalizing factor or virial coefficient. We find that the geometry of the BLR in Mrk 50 is a nearly face-on thick disk, with a mean radius of 9.6(+1.2,-0.9) light days, a width of the BLR of 6.9(+1.2,-1.1) light days, and a disk opening angle of 25\pm10 degrees above the plane. We also constrain the inclination angle to be 9(+7,-5) degrees, close to face-on. Finally, the black hole mass of Mrk 50 is inferred to be log10(M(BH)/Msun) = 7.57(+0.44,-0.27). By comparison to the virial black hole mass estimate from traditional reverberation mapping analysis, we find the normalizing constant (virial coefficient) to be log10(f) = 0.78(+0.44,-0.27), consistent with the commonly adopted mean value of 0.74 based on aligning the M(BH)-{\sigma}* relation for AGN and quiescent galaxies. While our dynamical model includes the possibility of a net inflow or outflow in the BLR, we cannot distinguish between these two scenarios.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 8 pages, 6 figure

Conservation risk of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans to endemic lungless salamanders

The emerging fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal ), is a significant conservation threat to salamander biodiversity in Europe, although its potential to affect North American species is poorly understood. We tested the susceptibility of two genera (Eurycea and Pseudotriton ) and three populations of lungless salamanders (Plethodontidae ) to Bsal . All species became infected with Bsal and two (Pseudotriton ruber and Eurycea wilderae ) developed chytridiomycosis. We also documented that susceptibility of E. wilderae differed among populations. Regardless of susceptibility, all species reduced feeding when exposed to Bsal at the highest zoospore dose, and P. ruber and one population of E. wilderae used cover objects less. Our results indicate that Bsal invasion in eastern North America could have significant negative impacts on endemic lungless salamander populations. Future conservation efforts should include surveillance for Bsal in the wild and in captivity, and championing legislation that requires and subsidizes pathogen‐free trade of amphibians

Author Correction: Role of astroglia in Down's syndrome revealed by patient-derived human-induced pluripotent stem cells.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Conservation risk of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans to endemic lungless salamanders

The emerging fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), is a significant conservation threat to salamander biodiversity in Europe, although its potential to affect North American species is poorly understood. We tested the susceptibility of two genera (Eurycea and Pseudotriton) and three populations of lungless salamanders (Plethodontidae) to Bsal. All species became infected with Bsal and two (Pseudotriton ruber and Eurycea wilderae) developed chytridiomycosis. We also documented that susceptibility of E. wilderae differed among populations. Regardless of susceptibility, all species reduced feeding when exposed to Bsal at the highest zoospore dose, and P. ruber and one population of E. wilderae used cover objects less. Our results indicate that Bsal invasion in eastern North America could have significant negative impacts on endemic lungless salamander populations. Future conservation efforts should include surveillance for Bsal in the wild and in captivity, and championing legislation that requires and subsidizes pathogen-free trade of amphibians