False advertising Rhodes, Andrew; Wilson, Chris M.
The Rand journal of economics,
07/2018, Letnik:
49, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
There is widespread evidence that some firms use false advertising to overstate the value of their products. We consider a model in which a policy maker can punish such false claims. We characterize ...an equilibrium where false advertising actively influences rational buyers and analyze the effects of policy under different welfare objectives. We establish precise conditions where policy optimally permits a positive level of false advertising and show how these conditions vary intuitively with demand and market parameters. We also consider the implicationsfor product investment and industry self-regulation and connect our results to the literature on demand curvature.
The drivers of trends in methane concentrations in the atmosphere over past decades are still poorly understood. Simulations from a chemistry transport model and box model show that human activity is ...the main driver of a complex system.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a potentially powerful tool for detection and monitoring of rare species, including threatened native species and recently arrived invasive species. Here, we develop DNA ...primers for a suite of nine sympatric freshwater turtles, and use it to test whether turtle eDNA can be successfully detected in samples from aquaria and an outdoor pond. We also conduct a cost comparison between eDNA detection and detection through traditional survey methods, using data from field surveys at two sites in our target area. We find that eDNA from turtles can be detected using both conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR), and that the cost of detection through traditional survey methods is 2-10X higher than eDNA detection for the species in our study range. We summarize necessary future steps for application of eDNA surveys to turtle monitoring and conservation and propose specific cases in which the application of eDNA could further the conservation of threatened turtle species.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This study investigated the occurrence of fipronil and its metabolites in aquatic environments in residentially-developed landscapes, including five canals and three retention ponds. Fipronil was ...detected at four of the sites, with concentrations of 0.5–207.3ngL−1. Fipronil sulfone and fipronil sulfide were detected at three sampling sites, with concentrations ranging from 0.46 to 57.75 and 0.40–26.92ngL−1, respectively. Multiple risk assessment methods were performed to characterize potential ecological risks, including deterministic screening and probabilistic risk assessment techniques. The deterministic method indicated no risk to certain biotic groups (i.e. aquatic plants, fish, molluscs, and algae–moss–fungi), but did indicate risks to larval insects and crustaceans. Results from the probabilistic risk assessment indicated significant ecological risks (acute and chronic) ranging from 0.75 to 58.9% and 3.9–35.0% when organisms were exposed to the maximum and median concentrations detected, respectively. The potentially affected fraction of species (PAF) likely to be acutely impacted ranged from 4.6 to 8.1% (fipronil), 0.2–1.6% (fipronil sulfone), and 1.9–3.1% (fipronil sulfide) in the ponds with frequent detectable concentrations. The PAF likely to be impacted at chronic toxicity levels ranged from 16.5 to 23.8% for fipronil. Joint probability curve analysis indicated that concentrations exceeded the LC50 of the most sensitive 5% of species 8.5–18.8% of the time at two of the sites with the most frequent detections. Using the more conservative NOEC/LOEC values, there was a 75–78% probability that concentrations were high enough to negatively affect the most sensitive 5% of species at the same two sites, indicating significant risks for chronic toxicity. JPCs indicated a ≤2.6% probability of fipronil sulfone exceeding the LC50 concentrations for the most sensitive 5% of species at the same two sites; and a 4.3–6.8% probability of fipronil sulfide exceeding the LC50 concentrations at the same sites. Results indicate that fipronil and its sulfone and sulfide degradation products may present significant risks to aquatic organisms in some residentially-developed areas.
Display omitted
•Fipronil and degradates evaluated in surface water in residential areas•Ecological risks estimated for aquatic organisms•Risks greatest for larval insects and crustaceans in ponds within high density developments
Although Australia's population is concentrated in major urban centres along its coastal fringe, its less populous rural communities are important to society and the economy—supporting sectors like ...agriculture, which occupies over half the continent's land mass and accounts for 2.2% of value added gross domestic product (GDP) (Jackson et al., 2020). The vast distances between urban and rural centres present challenges to the provision of essential infrastructure like roads, transport, energy – and telecommunications. Within this last category, internet connectivity and skills are both increasingly necessary and historically less available to the regional and rural agricultural sector in comparison to other industries and geographic communities. The digital inclusion agenda in Australia aims to address such gaps by promoting and supporting people and communities to use technology to improve social and economic well-being. This article builds on research underpinning the Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII), which defines digital inclusion as the capacity of people to access, afford and use online technologies effectively. The article focuses on the nature and extent of digital inclusion for Australia's farmers (identified as farmers and farm managers) based on analysis of a customised set of primary data extracted from the ADII dataset. This analysis reveals generally low levels of digital inclusion in rural communities, particularly among farmers, with distinctive and complex characteristics across measures of Access, Affordability and Digital Ability. Our findings highlight a perplexing scenario in which farmers score poorly on the Index when compared to Australians who live in similar circumstances but are not employed in the farming sector. We attribute lower levels of access to limited internet technology options, lower data speeds, inadequate reliability and lower data allowances. Less affordability is associated with individual-level socioeconomic factors, along with lack of competition between service providers in sparse population areas, the comparative cost of building telecommunications infrastructure in the bush, and the need for redundancy in rural and remote solutions. Finally, lower digital ability scores reflect social, cultural and material practices on farms that have produced distinctive orientations to technology. We conclude the article by explaining the contributions of the paper to digital inclusion research and by making recommendations for policy development.
•Farmers in rural Australia have low levels of digital inclusion across access, affordability and digital ability.•Low access and affordability may be attributed to insufficient internet infrastructure and limited technology and data.•Low ability may be attributed to demographic factors and social, economic and material practices.•Governments and industry should consider the development of digital skills programs tailored for the farming sector.
Automated switching services Garrod, Luke; Li, Ruochen; Wilson, Chris M.
Economics letters,
November 2023, 2023-11-00, Letnik:
232
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Automated switching services have recently emerged as online intermediaries that use algorithms to facilitate consumer switching. Unlike price comparison websites, these services (i) act on behalf of ...consumers by actively switching them to the cheapest deals, (ii) typically charge consumers directly, rather than charging suppliers commission, and (iii) tend to consider every supplier’s price. We offer the first theoretical analysis of such services. In an oligopoly model with imperfect price information, we characterize an equilibrium with an automated switching service, and analyze its impact on market outcomes and welfare. Among other results, we show how the service’s existence benefits all consumers, despite it only serving some consumers and charging them a fee.
•Automated switching services use algorithms to facilitate consumer switching.•Rather than charging suppliers commission, they often charge consumers directly.•We offer the first theoretical analysis of these automated switching services.•We analyze the impact of such a service on market outcomes and welfare.•Both users and non-users benefit from the service’s existence.
Despite the large contribution of rangeland and pasture to global soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, there is considerable uncertainty about the impact of large herbivore grazing on SOC, especially ...for understudied subtropical grazing lands. It is well known that root system inputs are the source of most grassland SOC, but the impact of grazing on partitioning of carbon allocation to root tissue production compared to fine root exudation is unclear. Given that different forms of root C have differing implications for SOC synthesis and decomposition, this represents a significant gap in knowledge. Root exudates should contribute to SOC primarily after microbial assimilation, and thus promote microbial contributions to SOC based on stabilization of microbial necromass, whereas root litter deposition contributes directly as plant‐derived SOC following microbial decomposition. Here, we used in situ isotope pulse‐chase methodology paired with plant and soil sampling to link plant carbon allocation patterns with SOC pools in replicated long‐term grazing exclosures in subtropical pasture in Florida, USA. We quantified allocation of carbon to root tissue and measured root exudation across grazed and ungrazed plots and quantified lignin phenols to assess the relative contribution of microbial vs. plant products to total SOC. We found that grazing exclusion was associated with dramatically less overall belowground allocation, with lower root biomass, fine root exudates, and microbial biomass. Concurrently, grazed pasture contained greater total SOC, and a larger fraction of SOC that originated from plant tissue deposition, suggesting that higher root litter deposition under grazing promotes greater SOC. We conclude that grazing effects on SOC depend on root system biomass, a pattern that may generalize to other C4‐dominated grasslands, especially in the subtropics. Improved understanding of ecological factors underlying root system biomass may be the key to forecasting SOC and optimizing grazing management to enhance SOC accumulation.
Long‐term grazing exclusion dramatically shifts plant carbon allocation priorities in subtropical pasture, reducing root biomass, fine root exudates, microbial biomass, and soil carbon. Additionally, analysis of lignin phenols extracted from soil suggests that variations in soil carbon are very closely coupled to plant tissue deposition. Overall, our results support that grazing can have profound impact on soil carbon, independent of shifts in plant species composition, through effects on fine root biomass, proliferation, and exudation.
Design History Beyond the Canon Kaufmann-Buhler, Jennifer; Pass, Victoria Rose; Wilson, Christopher
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc eBooks,
2019, 2019-02-07
eBook
Odprti dostop
Design History Beyond the Canon subverts hierarchies of taste which have dominated traditional narratives of design history. The book explores a diverse selection of objects, spaces, and media, ...ranging from high design to mass-produced and mass-marketed objects, as well as counter-cultural and sub-cultural material. The authors’ research highlights the often marginalized role of gender and racial identity in the production and consumption of design, the politics which underpins design practice, and the role of designed objects as pathways of nostalgia and cultural memory. While focused primarily on North American examples from the early 20th century onwards, this collection also features essays examining European and Soviet design history, as well as the influence of Asia and Africa on Western design practice. The book is organized in three thematic sections: Consumers, Intermediaries and Designers. The first section analyses a range of designed objects and spaces through the experiences and perspectives of users. The second section considers intermediaries from both technology and cultural industries, as well as the hidden labour within the design process itself. The final section focuses on designers from multiple design disciplines including high fashion, industrial design, interior design, graphic design and design history pedagogy. The essays in all three sections utilize different research methods and a wide range of theoretical approaches, including feminist theory, critical race theory, spatial theory, material culture studies, science and technology studies and art history. Design History Beyond the Canon brings together the most recent research which stretches beyond the traditional canon and looks to interdisciplinary methodologies to better understand the practice and consumption of design.
Myoelectric-based decoding strategies offer significant advantages in the areas of human-machine interactions because they are intuitive and require less cognitive effort from the users. However, a ...general drawback in using machine learning techniques for classification is that the decoder is limited to predicting only one movement at any instant and hence restricted to performing the motion in a sequential manner, whereas human motor control strategy involves simultaneous actuation of multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs) and is considered to be a natural and efficient way of performing tasks. Simultaneous decoding in the context of myoelectric-based movement control is a challenge that is being addressed recently and is increasingly popular. In this paper, we propose a novel classification strategy capable of decoding both the individual and combined movements, by collecting data from only the individual motions. Additionally, we exploit low-dimensional representation of the myoelectric signals using a supervised decomposition algorithm called linear discriminant analysis, to simplify the complexity of control and reduce computational cost. The performance of the decoding algorithm is tested in an online context for the two DOFs task comprising the hand and wrist movements. Results indicate an overall classification accuracy of 88.02% for both the individual and combined motions.
Background
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is increasingly being used to detect the presence and relative abundance of rare species, especially invasive or imperiled aquatic species. The rapid ...progress in the eDNA field has resulted in numerous studies impacting conservation and management actions. However, standardization of eDNA methods and reporting across the field is yet to be fully established, with one area being the calculation and interpretation of assay limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ).
Aims
Here, we propose establishing consistent methods for determining and reporting of LOD and LOQ for single‐species quantitative PCR (qPCR) eDNA studies.
Materials & Methods/ Results
We utilize datasets from multiple cooperating laboratories to demonstrate both a discrete threshold approach and a curve‐fitting modeling approach for determining LODs and LOQs for eDNA qPCR assays. We also provide details of an R script developed and applied for the modeling method.
Discussion/Conclusions
Ultimately, standardization of how LOD and LOQ are determined, interpreted, and reported for eDNA assays will allow for more informed interpretation of assay results, more meaningful interlaboratory comparisons of experiments, and enhanced capacity for assessing the relative technical quality and performance of different eDNA qPCR assays.
We propose establishing consistent methods for determining and reporting of LOD and LOQ for single‐species quantitative PCR (qPCR) eDNA studies. We demonstrate the use of both a discrete threshold approach and a curve‐fitting modeling approach for determining LODs and LOQs for these assays. Ultimately, standardization of how LOD and LOQ are determined, interpreted, and reported for eDNA assays will allow for more informed interpretation of assay results, more meaningful interlaboratory comparisons of experiments, and enhanced capacity for assessing the relative technical quality and performance of different eDNA qPCR assays.
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