Landscaping Attributes and Property Buyers' Profiles: Their Joint Effect on House Prices

This paper investigates the effect of environmental features on house values while focusing on the interactions between landscaping attributes and home buyers' profile. The originality of this study rests on the assumption that, while neighbourhood characteristics translate into distinct sub-markets and primarily set the structure of house prices, individual home buyers' preferences, under specific market conditions, also affect values. The study benefits from two distinct, although related data sets on the single-family segment of Quebec City's housing market: while landscaping features were obtained via an extensive field survey of houses sold between 1993 and 2000, a detailed phone survey of related homeowners' family status, age and income profiles is being conducted since 2000. Findings suggest that household profile and structure do shape landscaping preferences and that utility patterns of homeowners may be best understood by looking at interactions between the two sets of variables. Considering that population aging is a major issue for economic and social planners, such a conclusion should be accounted for in housing policy design.     

Effect of Reaction Conditions on Hydrolysis of Chitin by Serratia marcescens QMB 1466 chitinase

The hydrolysis of chitin by Serratia marcescens chitinase was studied as part of ar overall project to develop a chitin waste treatment bioconversion scheme. Hydrolyses were conducted with automatic pH control in stirred flasks. Parameters varied were temperature, enzyme activity, and chitin particle size and concentration. A temperature of 30°C is suitable. Hydrolysis increases with increasing enzyme activity and chitin slurry concentration, and with decreasing particle size.     

INFLUENCE OF BACTERIA ON THE CARBONYL COMPOUNDS OF GROUND PORCINE MUSCLE

Quantitative data were obtained for total carbonyls, total monocarbonyls, methyl ketones, saturated aldehydes, 2-enals and 2,4dienals from fresh, reduced surface flora (Dip) and inoculated muscle samples incubated at the optimal growth temperature of the respective bacteria. Individual monocarbonyl compounds were identified by thin-layer and gas liquid chromatography. Micrococcus cryophilus, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Staphylococcus aureus decreased total carbonyls by 57, 18 and 43%, respectively, and total monocarbonyls by 53, 20 and 33%, respectively. Pediococcus cerevisiae increased the total carbonyl and total monocarbonyl content by 70 and 71%. Concentrations of carbonyls in the control samples were directly related to temperature of incubation. Methyl ketones, saturated aldehydes, 2-enals and 2,4dienals were decreased by M. cryophilus, Ps. fluorescens and S. aureus but each monocarbonyl class was increased by P. cerevisiae.     

Global sea surface temperatures and cloud clearing for aerosol optical depth estimates

Abstract

Multichannel sea surface tempratures (MCSSTs) have been produced operationally on a global basis from AVHRR data since November 1981. Although the basic technique has been unchanged for over S years, refinements and modifications to handle special situations (e.g. volcanic and sandstorm aerosols) are under development and a cross-product (nonlinear) procedure for atmospheric corrections has been tested. The aerosol optical depth estimates have been made experimentally for about a year using AVHRR data from channel-1, and special cloud screening techniques have been developed to differentiate between clouds and aerosols.     

Incorporating L-Ascorbyl 6-Palmitate in Bread and Its Shortening-Sparing and Anti-Firming Effects

L-Ascorbyl 6-palmitate (AP) was conveniently incorporated in bread dough by gently premixing AP in vegetable oil or shortening, adding the premix with the remaining ingredients and mixing the dough at conventional speeds. Alternatively, high-speed mixing of AP with formula flour or water also gave fully functional AP in bread doughs as evidenced by complete shortening replacement at 0.38% AP (based on flour weight) and by the absence of dark specks on the crust of bread. Compared to a mixture of 0.38% AP and 3% shortening or a mixture of 0.5% monodiglycerides and 3% shortening, AP alone at 0.38% in bread gave softer crumb after 1 to 5 days storage at 25°C. Sodium stearoyl 2-lactylate (SSL) at 0.38% gave the same softening effect as AP. In no-shortening loaves, 0.38% AP gave better grain than 0.75% L-ascorbyl 6-octanoate or 0.50% L-ascorbyl 6-dodecanoate.     

The effect of post-veraison water deficit on yield components and maturation of irrigated Shiraz (Vitis vinifera L.) in the current and following season

Given their perennial nature, grapevines can respond to deficit irrigation during both the current season as well as during the following season, even though full irrigation may have been restored during that second season. To define the cropping responses involved, three post-veraison irrigation treatments were imposed on spur, mechanically and minimally pruned Shiraz vines that were already receiving restricted water application using Partial Rootzone Drying (PRD). The treatments resulted in the vines receiving 1.25 ML per hectare pre veraison and the three irrigation treatments receiving 1.25, 0.65 and 0 ML of water per hectare in the post-veraison period. Water deficit during the current season reduced berry and bunch weight, and yield. Sugar concentration was reduced, and phenolic concentration increased when less water was applied, but anthocyanin concentration was unaffected. Although irrigation was returned to standard practice (PRD) in the following season, yield was reduced in accordance with deficit irrigation treatments the previous season. This reduction in yield was primarily caused by fewer bunches per vine, which in turn was a direct consequence of fewer shoots per vine (lower budburst). The lower crop load on the vines that had received restricted irrigation post-veraison in the previous season resulted in higher sugar and antho-cyanin concentrations in fruit the following season. Lighter pruning resulted in a greater number of smaller bunches comprising smaller berries. In both seasons the minimal pruning treatment delayed fruit maturity as measured by sugar accumulation. Post-veraison water deficit thus has the potential to impact on both yield and fruit composition during the current season as well as during the subsequent season.     

TEXTURAL CHANGES IN VEGETABLES DURING THERMAL PROCESSING. II. EFFECTS of ACIDIFICATION and SELECTED PRETREATMENTS ON TEXTURE of TURNIPS

The effect of different preprocessing treatments on the softening of vegetable tissues during acidification of turnips at different temperatures was studied. Texture was characterized by the maximum load force in a puncture test. the different preprocessing treatments considered were blanching alone and coupled with vacuum infusion, freezing/thawing and calcium chloride addition. Samples were acidified at different constant temperatures: 20, 50, 70 and 90C. Results were obtained by comparing the softening occurring for all samples and for non-preprocessed turnips. It was found that for low temperature processing the final result was mainly due to the effect of the preprocessing itself on the turnip texture while for high temperature processing the effect of the preprocessing on the tissues sensitivity to the processing was more important. Blanching alone caused greater softening when processing at 70C but lead to a firmer product when coupled with calcium chloride addition or vacuum infusion for processing at 70 and 90C.