Bioeconomic Modeling of the Invasive Aquatic Plants Hydrilla verticillata (hydrilla), Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), and Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) and their impacts on angler effort on Florida lakes

The invasive aquatic plants Hydrilla verticillata (hydrilla), Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), and Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) have the potential to negatively impact recreational use of Florida lakes if consistent, adequate control expenditures are not made. In the mid-1990's, Florida significantly reduced its spending on invasive aquatic plant control measures, which resulted in a significant increase in needed control expenditures in subsequent years. This paper attempts to formalize a relationship between coverage of these invasive aquatic plants and angler effort on Florida lakes using data on 38 lakes over 20 years. Estimated regression coefficients are used to simulate control alternatives, and expenditure cost-benefit comparisons are made.Hydrilla, water hyacinth, water lettuce, bioeconomic, invasive, control, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Evaluating the Potential for Technology Adoption in Mitigating Invasive Species Damage and Risk: Application to Zebra Mussels

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Optimal investment in prevention and control of a potential invader: the case of zebra mussels in Florida waterways

The probability of a severe infestation ranges from 2% to 98% depending on investment in monitoring, prevention, and response technology. Given the estimated potential for economic damages, preliminary results indicate that prudent investment in prevention and early response net a present value net return of $10 million over 20 years.Invasive species, bio-pollutant, control cost, cost transfer, surface water, risk, Environmental Economics and Policy,

THE USE OF COST-TRANSFER ANALYSIS TO ESTIMATE THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF A POTENTIAL ZEBRA MUSSEL INFESTATION IN FLORIDA

Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) colonization of the eastern United States has resulted in expenditures of tens of millions of dollars spent by consumptive surface water users, in order to mitigate infrastructure impairment caused by this invasive species. Analogous to benefit-transfer analysis, a "cost-transfer" approach will be used to obtain general estimates of potential mitigation costs of zebra mussels in an area (Florida) that this invasive species has yet to establish itself. The goal of this research is to provide initial information about this issue to parties interested in, and/or charged with, invasive species management in the state of Florida.Bio-fouling, cost-transfer, economic impacts, Florida surface water users, monitoring and control, zebra mussels, Risk and Uncertainty,

The Impact of Invasive Plants on the Recreational Value of Florida's Coastal, Freshwater and Upland Natural Areas

This study examines the impact of invasive plants on recreational activities on Floridas coastal, freshwater and upland natural areas using a multi-attribute utility (MAU) model. Six MAU surveys were electronically distributed to Florida residents in early 2007. We specified a conditional Logit model to estimate the relative weights associated with a change in Fees, Invasive Species, Native Animal Species, Native Plant Species, and Facilities. Using Fees as a payment vehicle, we estimate the average Florida residents marginal willingness to pay for changes to attributes, including having fewer invasive plants and more positive attributes such as facilities and the presence of native animal and plant species. Florida residents have a marginal willingness to pay to reduce invasive plant species between $5.81 7.15, which is higher than their willingness to pay to improve park facilities or increase the abundance of native plants or animals.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Gender Trends in Dental Leadership and Academics: A Twenty-Two-Year Observation

The purpose of this study was to examine gender disparities in dental leadership and academics in the United States. Nine journals that represent the dental specialties and high published impact factors were selected to analyze the percentage of female dentists’ first and senior authorship for the years 1986, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2008. Data on appointment status and female deanship were collected from the American Dental Association (ADA) survey, and the trends were studied. The proportion of female presidents in ADA-recognized specialty organizations was also calculated. Overall, the increase in first female authorship was not statistically significant, but the increase of last female authorship was statistically significant in a linear trend over the years. The percentage of tenured female faculty members and female deans in U.S. dental schools increased by factors of 1.7 and 9, respectively, during the study period. However, female involvement in professional organizations was limited. Findings from this study indicate that female participation in authorship and leadership has increased over time. Nevertheless, females are still a minority in dental academics and leadership

Analysis of Abstracts Presented at the Prosthodontic Research Section of IADR General Sessions 2004–2005: Demographics, Publication Rates, and Factors Contributing to Publication

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to describe the demographics of abstracts presented at the prosthodontics section of IADR General Sessions from 2004 to 2005, evaluate the publication rate of abstracts, and analyze the relationship between variables in abstracts and publication. Materials and Methods: Prosthodontics research section abstracts from the IADR General Session in 2004 and 2005 were evaluated for: number of authors, presentation type, origin, affiliation, topic, study design, statistics, study outcome, and funding. The publication rate was calculated following a PubMed search. The journal of publication, year of publication, and the length of time before publication were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used for the data analysis; the relationships between presentation type, study design, study outcome, statistics, funding, and publication were analyzed using logistic regression (α= 0.05). Results: From 346 abstracts, 37.0% were published. For oral presentations, 40.7% were published; 35.8% of poster presentations were published. The mean duration before publication was 26.4 months. North America had the most abstracts, and Europe had the most publications. Fixed prosthodontic research had the highest number and proportion for publication. A significant association with publication was noted for neutral study outcomes (p= 0.018), studies with funding (p= 0.035), and abstracts from Europe (p= 0.001). Conclusions: The majority of abstracts from the prosthodontics research section of IADR General Sessions from 2004 and 2005 remain unpublished. A significant association for publication was noted with neutral outcomes, funding, and abstracts from Europe

The glucocorticoid-Angptl4-ceramide axis induces insulin resistance through PP2A and PKCζ.

Chronic glucocorticoid exposure is associated with the development of insulin resistance. We showed that glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance was attenuated upon ablation of Angptl4, a glucocorticoid target gene encoding the secreted protein angiopoietin-like 4, which mediates glucocorticoid-induced lipolysis in white adipose tissue. Through metabolomic profiling, we revealed that glucocorticoid treatment increased hepatic ceramide concentrations by inducing enzymes in the ceramide synthetic pathway in an Angptl4-dependent manner. Angptl4 was also required for glucocorticoids to stimulate the activities of the downstream effectors of ceramide, protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and protein kinase Cζ (PKCζ). We further showed that knockdown of PP2A or inhibition of PKCζ or ceramide synthesis prevented glucocorticoid-induced glucose intolerance in wild-type mice. Moreover, the inhibition of PKCζ or ceramide synthesis did not further improve glucose tolerance in Angptl4-/- mice, suggesting that these molecules were major downstream effectors of Angptl4. Overall, our study demonstrates the key role of Angptl4 in glucocorticoid-augmented hepatic ceramide production that induces whole-body insulin resistance

Optimal management of a potential invader: the case of zebra mussels in Florida.

Dominant users of Lake Okeechobee water resources are agricultural producers and recreational anglers These uses will be directly affected, should the lake become infested with zebra mussels. We employ a probabilistic bioeconomic simulation model to estimate the potential impact of zebra mussels on consumptive water uses, recreational angling, and wetland ecosystem services under alternative public management scenarios. Without public management, the expected net economic impact from zebra mussels is 2$244.1 million over 20 years. Public investment in prevention and eradication will yield a net expected gain of +$188.7 million, a superior strategy to either prevention or eradication alone

Discrepancies between Abstracts Presented at International Association for Dental Research Annual Sessions from 2004 to 2005 and Full-Text Publication

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the discrepancies between abstracts presented at the IADR meeting (2004-2005) and their full-text publication. Material and Methods. Abstracts from the Prosthodontic Section of IADR meeting were obtained. The following information was collected: abstract title, number of authors, study design, statistical analysis, outcome, and funding source. PubMed was used to identify the full-text publication of the abstracts. The discrepancies between the abstract and the full-text publication were examined, categorized as major and minor discrepancies, and quantified. The data were collected and analyzed using descriptive analysis. Frequency and percentage of major and minor discrepancies were calculated. Results. A total of 109 (95.6%) articles showed changes from their abstracts. Seventy-four (65.0%) and 105 (92.0%) publications had at least one major and one minor discrepancies, respectively. Minor discrepancies were more prevalent (92.0%) than major discrepancies (65.0%). The most common minor discrepancy was observed in the title (80.7%), and most common major discrepancies were seen in results (48.2%). Conclusion. Minor discrepancies were more prevalent than major discrepancies. The data presented in this study may be useful to establish a more comprehensive structured abstract requirement for future meetings