INCENTIVE-BASED SOLUTIONS TO AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

Theory predicts that incentive-based regulatory instruments reduce compliance costs by encouraging efficient resource allocation and innovation in environmental technology. Cost reductions from pollution permit trading often have exceeded expectations, but the devil is in the detail: the rules matter. In recent years, IB instruments of many kinds, from permit trading to various informal voluntary agreements, have been introduced in many countries. Point-nonpoint trading programs have been established in the U.S., but recorded trades have been rare. We speculate about prospects for performance-based monitoring of agricultural nonpojnt pollution which, we believe, would encourage trading to the benefit of farmers and society.Environmental Economics and Policy,

POINT-NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION TRADING USING COLLECTIVE PERFORMANCE INCENTIVES

Point-nonpoint trading markets must accommodate the problem of monitoring individual nonpoint source discharges (NPS). A permit trading market that allows the regulator to monitor noncompliance based on observable aggregate NPS pollution levels, through the use of a collective enforcement mechanism, may be more efficient than traditional technology-based trading.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Crystal structure of human IPS-1/MAVS/VISA/Cardif caspase activation recruitment domain

Background: IPS-1/MAVS/VISA/Cardif is an adaptor protein that plays a crucial role in the induction of interferons in response to viral infection. In the initial stage of the intracellular antiviral response two RNA helicases, retinoic acid inducible gene-I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation-association gene 5 (MDA5), are independently able to bind viral RNA in the cytoplasm. The 62 kDa protein IPS-1/MAVS/VISA/Cardif contains an N-terminal caspase activation and recruitment (CARD) domain that associates with the CARD regions of RIG-I and MDA5, ultimately leading to the induction of type I interferons. As a first step towards understanding the molecular basis of this important adaptor protein we have undertaken structural studies of the IPS-1 MAVS/VISA/Cardif CARD region. Results: The crystal structure of human IPS-1/MAVS/VISA/Cardif CARD has been determined to 2.1 angstrom resolution. The protein was expressed and crystallized as a maltose-binding protein (MBP) fusion protein. The MBP and IPS-1 components each form a distinct domain within the structure. IPS-1/MAVS/VISA/Cardif CARD adopts a characteristic six-helix bundle with a Greek-key topology and, in common with a number of other known CARD structures, contains two major polar surfaces on opposite sides of the molecule. One face has a surface-exposed, disordered tryptophan residue that may explain the poor solubility of untagged expression constructs. Conclusion: The IPS-1/MAVS/VISA/Cardif CARD domain adopts the classic CARD fold with an asymmetric surface charge distribution that is typical of CARD domains involved in homotypic protein-protein interactions. The location of the two polar areas on IPS-1/MAVS/VISA/Cardif CARD suggest possible types of associations that this domain makes with the two CARD domains of MDA5 or RIG-I. The N-terminal CARD domains of RIG-I and MDA5 share greatest sequence similarity with IPS-1/MAVS/VISA/Cardif CARD and this has allowed modelling of their structures. These models show a very different charge profile for the equivalent surfaces compared to IPS-1/MAVS/VISA/Cardif CARD.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A COLLECTIVE PERFORMANCE-BASED CONTRACT FOR POINT-NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION TRADING

Collective performance-based trading can be achieved by pairing a team contract with an auction to determine team membership. The auction effectively overcomes adverse selection, and the team contract reduces the incentive to "free-ride" associated with moral hazard in teams.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Daze fasteners

A daze fastener system for connecting two or more structural elements wherein the structural elements and fastener parts have substantially different coefficient of thermal expansion physical property characteristics is employed in this invention. By providing frusto-conical abutting surfaces between the structural elements and fastener parts any differences in thermal expansion/contraction between the parts is translated to sliding motion and avoids deleterious thermal stresses in the connection. An essential feature for isotropic homogeneous material connections is that at least two sets of mating surfaces are required wherein each set of mating surfaces has line element extensions that pass through a common point

Re-examining Writer’s Workshop for Emergent Writers in Kindergarten for the Inclusion of Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Writing’s importance in the classroom has been pushed aside by the recent push for reading and math instruction (Cutler & Graham, 2008). In early childhood classrooms, the amount of time spent on writing is limited and early childhood teachers are feeling unprepared to address the needs of their students (Cutler & Graham, 2008; Haland, Home, and McTigue, 2018; Korth et al., 2017; Pelatti, Piasta, Justice, and O’Connell, 2014). From a theoretical perspective of social constructivism, social cognitive theory, and emergent literacy, teachers will build on what students already know and can do and support within the social constructs of the classroom and community (Mackenzie, 2011). By appreciating student’s early marks as emergent writers rather than discounting them as nothing more than scribbles, teachers give students confidence as writers within the classroom (Mackenzie, 2014; Sulzby & Teale, 1985). This project is a resource for teachers to incorporate developmentally appropriate practices within their Writer’s Workshop to support and encourage them to keep writing as part of the daily routine. By centering the focus for emergent writing on illustration at the beginning of students first formal year of school, students begin to build their writing identity and self-efficacy using what they already know how to do when they first arrive at school

The Effects of Virtual Rehabilitation Following Acquired Brain Injury: A Feasibility Study

Increasingly the Nintendo Wii has been cited as an adjunctive tool for physical rehabilitation among healthy young and older adults, and among diverse range of patient populations (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, Cerebral Palsy, and Down syndrome) in clinical settings. However, evidence supporting the implementation of Wii-habilitation in community settings remains limited. The present study evaluates the feasibility of a 4-week community based exercise program using the Nintendo Wii™; as a tool for improving balance in individuals with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) several years post injury. This study also evaluates whether use of the Wii™ in this context may lead to clinically significant changes in occupational performance and/or community integration. Seven individuals with ABI engaged in two 30-minute Wii™ balance training sessions per week, for 4 weeks. Results extend previous findings to suggest that Wii™ is a feasible tool that can be used to foster positive effects on balance, occupational performance, and community integration among individuals with ABI in a community setting. Future research is warranted to extend this line of inquiry with both a more potent intervention and larger sample

Cryogenic Insulation System

This invention relates to reusable, low density, high temperature cryogenic foam insulation systems and the process for their manufacture. A pacing technology for liquid hydrogen fueled, high speed aircraft is the development of a fully reusable, flight weight cryogenic insulation system for propellant tank structures. In the invention cryogenic foam insulation is adhesively bonded to the outer wall of the fuel tank structure. The cryogenic insulation consists of square sheets fabricated from an array of abutting square blocks. Each block consists of a sheet of glass cloth adhesively bonded between two layers of polymethacrylimide foam. Each block is wrapped in a vapor impermeable membrane, such as Kapton(R) aluminum Kapton(R), to provide a vapor barrier. Very beneficial results can be obtained by employing the present invention in conjunction with fibrous insulation and an outer aeroshell, a hot fuselage structure with an internal thermal protection system

CHANCE CONSTRAINED PROGRAMMING MODELS FOR RISK-BASED ECONOMIC AND POLICY ANALYSIS OF SOIL CONSERVATION

The random nature of soil loss under alternative land-use practices should be an important consideration of soil conservation planning and analysis under risk. Chance constrained programming models can provide information on the trade-offs among pre-determined tolerance levels of soil loss, probability levels of satisfying the tolerance levels, and economic profits or losses resulting from soil conservation to soil conservation policy makers. When using chance constrained programming models, the distribution of factors being constrained must be evaluated. If random variables follow a log-normal distribution, the normality assumption, which is generally used in the chance constrained programming models, can bias the results.Risk and Uncertainty,