Consumers and the Evolution of New Markets: The Case of the Ethical Foods

Changes in consumer preferences have frequently created new markets for new products. This paper explores the antecedents of the changes in consumer preferences and the factors influencing the evolution of niche markets into commodity markets and its speed. The results show that the more embedded characteristics products have and more consumption is driven by attitude, the longer products are able to maintain their uniqueness and the slower their evolution to commodities.Ethical consumers, New Markets, Consumer choice, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

Toward a consistent use of overshooting parametrizations in 1D stellar evolution codes

Several parametrizations for overshooting in 1D stellar evolution calculations coexist in the literature. These parametrizations are used somewhat arbitrarily in stellar evolution codes, based on what works best for a given problem, or even for historical reasons related to the development of each code. We bring attention to the fact that these different parametrizations correspond to different physical regimes of overshooting, depending whether the effects of radiation are dominant, marginal, or negligible. Our analysis is based on previously published theoretical results, as well as multidimensional hydrodynamical simulations of stellar convection where the interaction between the convective region and a stably-stratified region is observed. Although the underlying hydrodynamical processes are the same, the outcome of the overshooting process is profoundly affected by radiative effects. Using a simple picture of the scales involved in the overshooting process, we show how three regimes are obtained, depending on the importance of radiative effects. These three regimes correspond to the different behaviors observed in hydrodynamical simulations so far, and to the three types of parametrizations used in 1D codes. We suggest that the existing parametrizations for overshooting should coexist in 1D stellar evolution codes, and should be applied consistently at convective boundaries depending on the local physical conditions.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, to appear in A&A as a regular paper. Last version: language editing + typos in Eq. (6) & (9) correcte

Literature review: handpump functionality monitoring

This section provides a review of literature on handpump functionality monitoring. It seeks to highlight some of the functionality measurements used in the literature and describe the challenges that emerge from inconsistencies in the way the results of functionality studies are presented by authors

The need for a standard approach to assessing the functionality of rural community water supplies

The Sustainable Development Goals set a vision for universal access to safely managed household water-supply. However, in rural Africa and south Asia basic access achieved through communal boreholes will remain the main source of improved water supply for decades. Understanding the relative drivers of the functionality these supplies is critical to future service provision. There is currently no sector-wide definition of borehole functionality, and establishing a clear definition, and how to measure it, is a critical first step

Efficient adenovirus-mediated gene transfer into primary T cells and thymocytes in a new coxsackie/adenovirus receptor transgenic model

BACKGROUND: Gene transfer studies in primary T cells have suffered from the limitations of conventional viral transduction or transfection techniques. Replication-defective adenoviral vectors are an attractive alternative for gene delivery. However, naive lymphocytes are not readily susceptible to infection with adenoviruses due to insufficient expression of the coxsackie/adenovirus receptor. RESULTS: To render T cells susceptible to adenoviral gene transfer, we have developed three new murine transgenic lines in which expression of the human coxsackie/adenovirus receptor (hCAR) with a truncated cytoplasmic domain (hCARΔcyt) is limited to thymocytes and lymphocytes under direction of a human CD2 mini-gene. hCARΔcyt.CD2 transgenic mice were crossed with DO11.10 T cell receptor transgenic mice (DO11.hCARΔcyt) to allow developmental studies in a defined, clonal T cell population. Expression of hCARΔcyt enabled adenoviral transduction of resting primary CD4(+) T cells, differentiated effector T cells and thymocytes from DO11.hCARΔcyt with high efficiency. Expression of hCARΔcyt transgene did not perturb T cell development in these mice and adenoviral transduction of DO11.hCARΔcyt T cells did not alter their activation status, functional responses or differentiative potential. Adoptive transfer of the transduced T cells into normal recipients did not modify their physiologic localization. CONCLUSION: The DO11.hCARΔcyt transgenic model thus allows efficient gene transfer in primary T cell populations and will be valuable for novel studies of T cell activation and differentiation

Species information in whistle frequency modulation patterns of common dolphins

Funding for this project was generously provided by the Office of Naval Research Marine Mammals and Biology program.The most flexible communication systems are those of open-ended vocal learners that can acquire new signals throughout their lifetimes. While acoustic signals carry information in general voice features that affect all of an individual's vocalizations, vocal learners can also introduce novel call types to their repertoires. Delphinids are known for using such learned call types in individual recognition, but their role in other contexts is less clear. We investigated the whistles of two closely related, sympatric common dolphin species, Delphinus delphis and Delphinus bairdii, to evaluate species differences in whistle contours. Acoustic recordings of single-species groups were obtained from the Southern California Bight. We used an unsupervised neural network to categorize whistles and compared the resulting whistle types between species. Of the whistle types recorded in more than one encounter, 169 were shared between species and 60 were species-specific (32 D. delphis types, 28 D. bairdii types). Delphinus delphis used 15 whistle types with an oscillatory frequency contour while only one such type was found in D. bairdii. Given the role of vocal learning in delphinid vocalizations, we argue that these differences in whistle production are probably culturally driven and could help facilitate species recognition between Delphinus species.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Strengthening the W in WASH: community based water resource management for water security

This briefing paper describes the early experiences of a community-based water resources management (CBWRM) initiative carried out by WaterAid in Burkina Faso. Water supply services established as part of WASH programmes in Sudano Sahelian countries like Burkina Faso are frequently used for both domestic and livelihood purposes. The water resources upon which these services depend are subject to pressures and threats which change over time, making livelihoods and wellbeing vulnerable to shocks. An approach piloted in three rural communities has enabled villagers to monitor changing water availability in their environment, helping to inform collective action they take to mitigate pressures threatening their water resources. Working with local government authorities, the communities have been able to make well informed decisions to safeguard access for both domestic and productive usage, helping to ensure water supply systems deliver lasting benefits. The hydrological information they gather can compliment and support national water security plans

Modifying the Steric Properties in the Second Coordination Sphere of Designed Peptides Leads to Enhancement of Nitrite Reductase Activity

Protein design is a useful strategy to interrogate the protein structureâ function relationship. We demonstrate using a highly modular 3â stranded coiled coil (TRIâ peptide system) that a functional typeâ 2 copper center exhibiting copper nitrite reductase (NiR) activity exhibits the highest homogeneous catalytic efficiency under aqueous conditions for the reduction of nitrite to NO and H2O. Modification of the amino acids in the second coordination sphere of the copper center increases the nitrite reductase activity up to 75â fold compared to previously reported systems. We find also that steric bulk can be used to enforce a threeâ coordinate CuI in a site, which tends toward twoâ coordination with decreased steric bulk. This study demonstrates the importance of the second coordination sphere environment both for controlling metalâ center ligation and enhancing the catalytic efficiency of metalloenzymes and their analogues.Erstklassiges aus der zweiten Reihe: Die Aktivität der Nitritreduktase kann durch Modifikation der sterischen Eigenschaften in der zweiten Koordinationssphäre eines Typâ 2â Kupferzentrums deutlich erhöht werden. à ber die Sterik lassen sich die Koordination und Reaktivität des Metalls in einem dreisträngigen â Coiledâ coilâ â TRIâ Peptidgerüst (TRIWâ H) vorgeben.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142882/1/ange201712757_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142882/2/ange201712757-sup-0001-misc_information.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142882/3/ange201712757.pd