DO HEALTH CLAIMS MATTER FOR CONSUMER PREFERENCE ON TEA BEVERAGE? EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE FROM TAIWAN

This paper aims to identify consumer preference for tea drinking products in Taiwan by applying conjoint analysis and investigate whether health claims as attributes would influence consumer’s choice behavior. From 1 July to 31 August 2005, 620 consumers of tea drinking products participated in the choice-based conjoint experiment, which conducted in the city of Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung in Taiwan. The data were collected in supermarket using questionnaire for personal interviews. Overall, the estimated individual models fit the data well using Conditional Logit Model. Regarding the result of “Original Tea”, consumer’s order ranking of tea category is green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. The most importance on the standard that health claims have positive influence on higher likelihood of purchasing tea drinks. In addition, consumer prefers to tea drinks with Catechins, processing technology using cold extraction, and paper package. However, it could be seen that as the price increases the utility for the consumer decreases. Also, we report the negative relationship between price and purchasing intention. It is found that respondents preferred to tea drinking products with health claims. This result stands for consumer’s concern on their health status by intaking additives like Catechins. Our results also suggest that respondents prefer that tea drinks include less sugar that implies that the product is produced “light”.Tea Drinking Products, Consumer Preference, Health Claims, Conjoint Analysis, Conditional Logit Model, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Health Economics and Policy,

HOW DOES ARM MOTION ENHANCE VERTICAL JUMP PERFORMANCE- A SIMULATION STUDY

The mechanisms enabling the arms to increase standing vertical jump height are investigated by computer simulation. The human models actuated by joint torque generators consist of four/five segments connected by frictionless joints. Simulation initiates from a balanced static posture and ends at jump takeoff. Joint activation timings are optimized to produce maximum Jump height. Jumping performance is enhanced by arm motion in increased mass centre height and takeoff vertical velocity, which contributes about 1/3 and 2/3 to the increased height, respectively. Arm swing also elongates the durations of hip torque generation and ground contact period. Theories explaining the performance enhancement caused by arms are examined. Because shoulder joint force due to arm motion does not precisely reflect in the changes of vertical ground reaction force, the force transmission theory is doubtful. The joint torque/work augmentation theory is accepted at the hip but not knee and ankle because only the hip joint work is considerably increased. Since shoulder joint work is responsible for around half of the additional energy created by arm motion, the pull/impart energy theory is also granted

Parity-time electromagnetic diodes in a two-dimensional nonreciprocal photonic crystal

We propose a kind of electromagnetic (EM) diode based on a two-dimensional nonreciprocal gyrotropic photonic crystal. This periodic microstructure has separately broken symmetries in both parity (P) and time-reversal (T) but obeys parity-time (PT) symmetry. This kind of diode could support bulk one-way propagating modes either for group velocity or phase velocity with various types of negative and positive refraction. This symmetry-broken system could be a platform to realize abnormal photoelectronic devices, and it may be analogous to an electron counterpart with one-way features