The cascade of events that occurs in Alzheimer's disease involving oxidative stress and the reduction in cholinergic transmission can be better addressed by multifunctional drugs than cholinesterase inhibitors alone. For this purpose, we prepared a large number of derivatives of indoline-3-propionic acids and esters. They showed scavenging activity against different radicals in solution and significant protection against cytotoxicity in cardiomyocytes and primary cultures of neuronal cells exposed to H2O2 species and serum deprivation at concentrations ranging from 1 nM to 10 μM depending on the compound. For most of the indoline-3-propionic acid derivatives, introduction of N-methyl-N-ethyl or N-methyl-N-(4-methoxyphenyl) carbamate moieties at positions 4, 6, or 7 conferred both acetyl (AChE) and butyryl (BuChE) cholinesterase inhibitory activities at similar concentrations to those that showed antioxidant activity. The most potent AChE inhibitors were 120 (3-(2-aminoethyl) indolin-4-yl ethyl(methyl)carbamate dihydrochloride) and 94 (3-(3-methoxy-3-oxopropyl)-4-(((4-methoxyphenyl)(methyl) carbamoyl)oxy)indolin-1-ium hydrochloride) with IC50s of 0.4 and 1.2 μM, respectively.

Food markets in developing countries are experiencing an expansion of new functional products. Even though their market share is small, these food products are usually imported and post a higher price compared to local products. In this article, we investigate the consumer response toward new functional food products in Uzbekistan by focusing on the incorporation of apples enriched with antioxidant coating in the food market. We conduct consumer surveys with two different information treatments. We utilize a dichotomous-choice contingent valuation methodology to estimate willingness to pay for this product and analyze factors that affect consumer choice. The results suggest that the average Uzbek respondent is willing to purchase functional apples with a 6% discount. The effect of information regarding the potential health benefits of antioxidants is positive and statistically significant. We compare the findings with a previous U.S. study of the same product and discuss how the delivery method provides an additional hurdle in the Uzbek market.JEL classifications: C25, C83, D12, D83, L66, Q11

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Irrigation water is a scarce common-pool resource in Uzbekistan, which leads to an increasing competition over its allocation among farmers. We examine how the management of this resource affects individual strategic behavior and how its availability (vis-a-vis scarcity vs. non-scarcity) impacts cooperation. We conduct a field experiment in Uzbekistan where two policies are analyzed: penalty and bonus. Our findings suggest that both penalty and bonus mechanisms are effective in reducing individual water appropriation compared to the case in which these policies are absent. However, in terms of reducing overall water appropriation, the bonus mechanism is the most effective in preserving the resource stock. Therefore, policymakers should have a degree of flexibility regarding the selection of a mechanism to reduce water consumption. We also find that subjects exhibit different appropriation behaviors depending on their location within the irrigation system, with upstream users being more sensitive to water reduction than downstream users.