Effects of Information on Consumer Risk Perception and Willingness to Pay for Non-Genetically Modified Corn Oil

Replaced with revised version of paper 07/16/05.Genetically Modified, Contingent Valuation, Willingness to Pay, Risk Perception, Consumer/Household Economics, D12, D11, C35, D81,

PD-1 Inhibits Antiviral Immunity at the Effector Phase in the Liver

Unlike naive T cells, effector T cells can be activated by either T cell receptor signal or costimulatory signal alone and therefore the absence of costimulatory molecules on tissue cells cannot explain the tolerance mechanism at the effector phase. Here we report that PD-L1, the ligand for the immunoinhibitory receptor PD-1, was expressed on vascular endothelium in peripheral tissues. Liver nonparenchymal cells including sinusoidal endothelial cells and Kupffer cells constitutively expressed PD-L1 and inhibited proliferation and cell division of activated T cells expressing PD-1. The absence of PD-1 induced proliferation of effector T cells in the adenovirus-infected liver and resulted in rapid clearance of the virus. These results indicate that PD-1 plays an important role in T cell tolerance at the effector phase and the blockade of the PD-1 pathway can augment antiviral immunity

Effects of Information on Consumer Risk Perception and Willingness to Pay for Non-Genetically Modified Corn Oil

This study examines the effects of scientific information about the safety of genetically modified corn oil on Japanese consumers' risk perception and on their willingness-to-pay. Practical results show that the information affects only the variance component of risk perception