Demand for Pasture-Raised Livestock Products: Results from Michigan Retail Surveys

Pasture-raised livestock production offers opportunity for product differentiation and enhanced sustainability. Shopper surveys at three Michigan retail locations measured consumers’ attitudes and beliefs regarding pasture-raised livestock products, and willingness to pay for pasture-raised milk and beef. The shoppers associate pasture-raised products with attributes important to purchase decisions. The shoppers express willingness to pay, on average, about 35% more for pasture-raised milk and beef. Informational messages appear to have no effect on these responses. We suggest pasture-raised is a viable marketing strategy and recommend premium pricing strategies and promotion based on verifiable health benefits.animal welfare, consumer demand, pasture-raised livestock products, sustainability, Tobit, willingness to pay, Agribusiness, Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries,

Demand for Pasture-Raised Livestock Products in Michigan: Results of Consumer Surveys and Experimental Auctions

Pasture-raised livestock products present a niche-marketing opportunity for small- and medium-scale farmers; growth of this market may enhance the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of livestock agriculture. Results from an earlier statewide poll in Michigan found that consumers place great importance on product attributes associated with the pasture-based production model. This report presents findings from a combination of consumer surveys conducted at three Michigan retail locations and a series of experimental auctions. Participants in both the survey and auction components view pasture-raised beef and milk products very favorably, believing these products are healthy for humans to eat and are raised in environmentally friendly and humane ways. Survey respondents reported high likelihood of purchase; both the survey and auction subjects expressed willingness to pay a premium for pasture-raised products. We discuss these findings, particularly implications for the “four P’s†of marketing.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries,

Observational constraints on the types of cosmic strings

This paper is aimed at setting observational limits to the number of cosmic strings (Nambu-Goto, Abelian-Higgs, semilocal) and other topological defects (textures). Radio maps of CMB anisotropy, provided by the space mission Planck for various frequencies, were filtered and then processed by the method of convolution with modified Haar functions (MHF) to search for cosmic string candidates. This method was designed to search for solitary strings, without additional assumptions about the presence of networks of such objects. The sensitivity of the MHF method is $\delta T \approx 10 \mu K$ in a background of $\delta T \approx 100 \mu K$. The comparison of these with previously known results on search string network shows that strings can only be semilocal in an amount of $1 \div 5$, with the upper restriction on individual strings tension (linear density) of $G\mu/c^2 \le 7.36 \cdot 10^{-7}$. The texture model is also legal. There are no strings with $G\mu/c^2 > 7.36 \cdot 10^{-7}$. However, comparison with the data for the search of non-Gaussian signals shows that the presence of several (up to 3) of Nambu-Goto strings is also possible. For $G\mu/c^2 \le 4.83 \cdot 10^{-7}$ the MHF method is ineffective because of unverifiable spurious string candidates. Thus the existence of strings with tensions $G\mu/c^2 \le 4.83 \cdot 10^{-7}$ is not prohibited but it is beyond the Planck data possibilities.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures; accepted by the European Physical Journal

Morphology Development in Model Polyethylene via Two-Dimensional Correlation Analysis

Two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis is applied to synchrotron X-ray scattering data to characterize morphological regimes during nonisothermal crystallization of a model ethylene copolymer (hydrogenated polybutadiene, HPBD). The 2D correlation patterns highlight relationships among multiple characteristics of structure evolution, particularly the extent to which separate features change simultaneously versus sequentially. By visualizing these relationships during cooling, evidence is obtained for two separate physical processes occurring in what is known as “irreversible crystallization” in random ethylene copolymers. Initial growth of primarily lamellae into unconstrained melt (“primary-irreversible crystallization”) is distinguished from subsequent secondary lamellae formation in the constrained, noncrystalline regions between the primary lamellae (“secondary-irreversible crystallization”). At successively lower temperatures (“reversible crystallization”), growth of the crystalline reflections is found to occur simultaneously with the change in shape of the amorphous halo, which is inconsistent with the formation of an additional phase. Rather, the synchronous character supports the view that growth of frustrated crystals distorts the adjacent noncrystalline material. Furthermore, heterocorrelation analysis of small-angle and wideangle X-ray scattering data from the reversible crystallization regime reveals that the size of new crystals is consistent with fringedmicellar structures (~9 nm). Thus, 2D correlation analysis provides new insights into morphology development in polymeric systems

Bulk Composition of GJ 1214b and other sub-Neptune exoplanets

GJ1214b stands out among the detected low-mass exoplanets, because it is, so far, the only one amenable to transmission spectroscopy. Up to date there is no consensus about the composition of its envelope although most studies suggest a high molecular weight atmosphere. In particular, it is unclear if hydrogen and helium are present or if the atmosphere is water dominated. Here, we present results on the composition of the envelope obtained by using an internal structure and evolutionary model to fit the mass and radius data. By examining all possible mixtures of water and H/He, with the corresponding opacities, we find that the bulk amount of H/He of GJ1214b is at most 7% by mass. In general, we find the radius of warm sub-Neptunes to be most sensitive to the amount of H/He. We note that all (Kepler-11b,c,d,f, Kepler-18b, Kepler-20b, 55Cnc-e, Kepler-36c and Kepler-68b) but two (Kepler-11e and Kepler-30b) of the discovered low-mass planets so far have less than 10% H/He. In fact, Kepler-11e and Kepler-30b have 10-18% and 5-15% bulk H/He. Conversely, little can be determined about the H2O or rocky content of sub-Neptune planets. We find that although a 100% water composition fits the data for GJ1214b, based on formation constraints the presence of heavier refractory material on this planet is expected, and hence, so is a component lighter than water required. A robust determination by transmission spectroscopy of the composition of the upper atmosphere of GJ1214b will help determine the extent of compositional segregation between the atmosphere and envelope.Comment: Updated the masses and radii of the Kepler-11 system, added Kepler-30b as well in the analysis. Accepted in ApJ, 39 pages, 9 figure