PRICING QUALITY ATTRIBUTES AT THE WHOLESALE LEVEL

Demand and Price Analysis,

The nature and origin of Western Australian tourmaline nodules ; a petrologic, geochemical and isotopic study

The origin of tourmaline nodules, bizarre spherical to irregular textures documented worldwide, remains a geologic mystery. Although previously described by numerous researchers, the physical and chemical parameters that govern their formation have yet to be resolved. Commonly containing tourmaline, quartz, and occasionally feldspar, nodules are surrounded by a halo of leucocratic host rock, and are typically eight to ten centimeters in diameter. Tourmaline nodules of the present study are contained within the Paleoproterozoic Scrubber Granite of the southern Gascoyne Complex in Western Australia. This study integrated field observations, nodule petrography, tourmaline crystal chemistry, tourmaline fluid inclusion analyses, whole rock chemistry of nodule cores, leucocratic halo zones and host granite zones, stable and radiogenic isotope signatures of tourmaline separates as well as comparisons with other tourmaline nodule studies to propose the most scientifically sound theory for the formation of tourmaline nodules in the Scrubber Granite. Numerous nodule morphologies, including spherical and C-shaped nodules, along with other features such as tube-like nodules and tourmaline veins occur in massive, porphyritic, foliated and sheared phases of the Scrubber Granite. Microscopically, tourmaline displays prismatic, sub-rounded and massive textures. Microthermometric studies completed on tourmaline fluid inclusions revealed that the nodule-forming fluid contained 14 to 15 weight percent NaCl + CaCl2. Based on stable isotope studies and homogenization temperatures, fluid temperatures were constrained between 450 and 700¢ªC. The ¥ä18O and ¥äD concentrations of the nodule-forming fluid at this temperature range plot above the typical magmatic water field. Epsilon Nd values indicate that the tourmaline nodules of the Scrubber Granite may have been disturbed by a later metamorphic event.Tourmaline nodules of the Scrubber Granite are herein proposed to have formed from the exsolution and rise of buoyant pockets or bubbles of volatile fluid derived from the crystallizing Scrubber Granite magma

ESTIMATING IMPLICIT MARGINAL PRICES OF QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF TOMATOES

A hedonic price function is developed for estimating the implicit prices for selected quality characteristics of fresh tomatoes at three points in the marketing season. The estimation of this function, proposed as a method of evaluating change in the post-harvest system, is accomplished using a flexible functional form. Those quality characteristics that most affect the price of tomatoes can help determine the economic feasibility of alternative handling techniques or new technologies.Demand and Price Analysis,

Maritime threat response

This report was prepared by Systems Engineering and Analysis Cohort Nine (SEA-9) Maritime Threat Response, (MTR) team members.Background: The 2006 Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Cross-Campus Integrated Study, titled “Maritime Threat Response” involved the combined effort of 7 NPS Systems Engineering students, 7 Singaporean Temasek Defense Systems Institute (TDSI) students, 12 students from the Total Ship Systems Engineering (TSSE) curriculum, and numerous NPS faculty members from different NPS departments. After receiving tasking provided by the Wayne E. Meyer Institute of Systems Engineering at NPS in support of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense, the study examined ways to validate intelligence and respond to maritime terrorist attacks against United States coastal harbors and ports. Through assessment of likely harbors and waterways to base the study upon, the San Francisco Bay was selected as a representative test-bed for the integrated study. The NPS Systems Engineering and Analysis Cohort 9 (SEA-9) Maritime Threat Response (MTR) team, in conjunction with the TDSI students, used the Systems Engineering Lifecycle Process (SELP) [shown in Figure ES-1, p. xxiii ] as a systems engineering framework to conduct the multi-disciplinary study. While not actually fabricating any hardware, such a process was well-suited for tailoring to the team’s research efforts and project focus. The SELP was an iterative process used to bound and scope the MTR problem, determine needs, requirements, functions, and to design architecture alternatives to satisfy stakeholder needs and desires. The SoS approach taken [shown in Figure ES-2, p. xxiv ]enabled the team to apply a systematic approach to problem definition, needs analysis, requirements, analysis, functional analysis, and then architecture development and assessment.In the twenty-first century, the threat of asymmetric warfare in the form of terrorism is one of the most likely direct threats to the United States homeland. It has been recognized that perhaps the key element in protecting the continental United States from terrorist threats is obtaining intelligence of impending attacks in advance. Enormous amounts of resources are currently allocated to obtaining and parsing such intelligence. However, it remains a difficult problem to deal with such attacks once intelligence is obtained. In this context, the Maritime Threat Response Project has applied Systems Engineering processes to propose different cost-effective System of Systems (SoS) architecture solutions to surface-based terrorist threats emanating from the maritime domain. The project applied a five-year time horizon to provide near-term solutions to the prospective decision makers and take maximum advantage of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions and emphasize new Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) for existing systems. Results provided insight into requirements for interagency interactions in support of Maritime Security and demonstrated the criticality of timely and accurate intelligence in support of counterterror operations.This report was prepared for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland DefenseApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Nutritional Quality of Fruits and Vegetables

Horticultural crops are some of the main components of a healthy diet. The constituents obtained by the human body from fruits and vegetables include water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fi ber, minerals, organic acids, pigments, vitamins and antioxidants, among others. Fruits and vegetables, especially, are a good source of fi ber, selected minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. Most fruits and vegetables are available almost year-round in a wide variety and they not only taste good, but they also have favorable attributes of texture, color, fl avor and ease of use. They can be fresh, cooked, hot or cold, canned, pickled, frozen or dried. Fruits and vegetables are consumed at all times, and due to their convenient size; they are an excellent between-meal snack. They are relatively low in calories and fat (avocado and olives being the exceptions), they have no cholesterol, they are rich in carbohydrates and fi ber, they contain vitamin C and carotene, and some are a good source of vitamin B 6 . Fruits and vegetables are relatively low in sodium and high in potassium. Ascorbic acid in fruits and vegetables enhances the bioavailability of iron in the diet. Because of all these characteristics, fruits and vegetables have a unique role in a healthy diet. A growing body of research has shown that fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with reduced risk of major diseases, and possibly delayed onset of age-related disorders, promoting good health. However, in many cases fruit and vegetable consumption is still below the dietary guideline goal of consuming 5–10 servings each day. The nutritional value of fruits and vegetables depends on their composition, which shows a wide range of variation depending on the species, cultivar and maturity stage. The composition of fruits and vegetables includes a great number of metabolites however, it could be predicted that no single commodity might be rich in all these constituents. This chapter describes the general characteristics of the components of fruits and vegetables, related to their benefi ts as food sources.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Early anther ablation triggers parthenocarpic fruit development in tomato

[EN] Fruit set and fruit development in tomato is largely affected by changes in environmental conditions, therefore autonomous fruit set independent of fertilization is a highly desirable trait in tomato. Here, we report the production and characterization of male-sterile transgenic plants that produce parthenocarpic fruits in two tomato cultivars (Micro-Tom and Moneymaker). We generated male-sterility using the cytotoxic gene barnase targeted to the anthers with the PsEND1 anther-specific promoter. The ovaries of these plants grew in the absence of fertilization producing seedless, parthenocarpic fruits. Early anther ablation is essential to trigger the developing of the transgenic ovaries into fruits, in the absence of the signals usually generated during pollination and fertilization. Ovaries are fully functional and can be manually pollinated to obtain seeds. The transgenic plants obtained in the commercial cultivar Moneymaker show that the parthenocarpic development of the fruit does not have negative consequences in fruit quality. Throughout metabolomic analyses of the tomato fruits, we have identified two elite lines which showed increased levels of several health promoting metabolites and volatile compounds. Thus, early anther ablation can be considered a useful tool to promote fruit set and to obtain seedless and good quality fruits in tomato plants. These plants are also useful parental lines to be used in hybrid breeding approaches.This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (MICINN, AGL2009-07617 to M.M.) and the Ramon y Cajal Program (RYC-2007-00627 to C.G.-M.). We thank Teresa Caballero, Aurora Medina, Rosa Rodriguez and Jose Luis Rambla for technical assistance with metabolomic analysis and Rafael Martinez for expert plant care.Medina Herranz, M.; Roque Mesa, EM.; Pineda Chaza, BJ.; Cañas Clemente, LA.; Rodríguez-Concepción, M.; Beltran Porter, JP.; Gómez Mena, MC. (2013). Early anther ablation triggers parthenocarpic fruit development in tomato. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 11(6):770-779. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.12069S77077911