Effect of information about organic production on beef liking and consumer willingness to pay

The present study was aimed to assess the effect of information about organic production on beef liking and consumer willingness to pay. Mean scores of perceived liking were higher for organic beef (OB) as compared to conventional beef (CB). Expected liking scores were higher for OB than for CB. For OB the expected liking was significantly higher than the perceived liking expressed in blind conditions (negative disconfirmation), whereas for CB no difference was observed. Consumers completely assimilated their liking for OB in the direction of expectations. Consumers showed a willingness to pay for OB higher than the suggested price (P < 0.001), the latter corresponding to the local commercial value for organic beef. We conclude that the information about organic farming can be a major determinant of beef liking, thus providing a potential tool for meat differentiation to traditional farms

A micropalaeontological perspective on export productivity, oxygenation and temperature in NE Atlantic deep-waters across Terminations I and II

Census counts of benthic foraminifera were studied from the SW Iberian Margin to reconstruct past changes in deep-water hydrography across Terminations I and II. Detailed benthic faunal data (> 125 μm size-fraction) allow us to evaluate the limitations imposed by taphonomic processes and restricted size-fractions. The comparison of recent (mudline) and fossil assemblages at IODP Site U1385 indicates the quick post-mortem disintegration of shells of astrorhizoid taxa (~ 80% of the present-day fauna), resulting in impoverished fossil assemblages. While the application of quantitative proxy methods is problematic under these circumstances, the fossil assemblages can still provide a qualitative palaeoenvironmental signal that, while most fully expressed in the 125–212 μm size-fraction, is nonetheless also expressed to some degree in the > 212 μm size-fraction. Variations in the benthic foraminiferal assemblages reveal information about changing organic matter supply, deep-water oxygenation and temperature. MIS 2 is generally characterized by an elevated trophic state and variable oxic conditions, with oxygenation minima culminating in the Younger Dryas (YD) and Heinrich Stadials (HS) 1, 2 and 3. Low oxic conditions coincide with decreased water-temperature and lower benthic δ13C, pointing to the strong influence of a southern sourced water-mass during these periods. HS 1 is the most extreme of these intervals, providing further evidence for a severe temporary reduction or even shutdown of AMOC. With the inception of MIS 1, organic matter supply reduced and a better ventilated deep-water environment bathed by NEADW is established. For Termination II, clear indications of southern-sourced water are limited to the early phase of HS 11. During the latter part of HS 11, the deep-water environment seems to be determined by strongly increased supply of organic matter, potentially explaining the decoupling of benthic δ13C and Mg/Ca records of earlier studies as a phytodetritus effect on the carbon isotope signal. However, the presence of a warm, nutrient-rich and poorly oxygenated water-mass cannot be ruled out. With the inception of interglacial MIS 5e trophic conditions are reduced and ventilation by NEADW increases

A taste of things to come : Effect of temporal order of information and product experience on evaluation of healthy and sustainable plant-based products

Current patterns of meat consumption are considered unsustainable. Plant-based products are presented as a solution. However, while some plant-based products thrive, others do not make the cut due to the information “framing” effect issues related to the way information is presented to the consumers. Information on the nutrition and health properties of food products are usually made available at the point of purchase, but their effect on consumer product evaluation and subsequent purchase intent can also occur later, during or after consumption. This research demonstrates that the effect of nutrition information on product evaluation and purchase intention depends on when such information is made available–before first tasting or after first tasting–and that the information interacts with the taste experience in its effect on product evaluation and subsequent purchase intent. Using three plant-based products as an example, we conducted a cross-cultural experimental sensory evaluation with temporal order of information as the main between-subject experimental condition (informed before taste vs. informed after taste vs. control condition), and product experience phase (expectation vs. experience vs. post-experience phase) and information content as within-subject conditions. Information content had two levels: lower vs. higher share of oat protein in the product (i.e., source of protein vs. high in protein). The results indicate that information generally increases consumers’ purchase intentions with information before tasting having a higher weight when compared to the condition when information was presented after tasting. Presenting the information before tasting also mitigates a drop in the evaluation of taste after tasting, observed in the two other conditions. Further, taste acts as a healthiness cue, but the direction of the inference depends on the availability of health-related information: tasting in the informed condition increased the healthiness perception, whereas tasting in the uninformed condition had the opposite effect. Giving the information before the first tasting also increased the weight of healthiness as compared to taste in the formation of purchase intentions. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the effect of temporal order of information and product tasting have on the consumers’ product evaluations of plant-based products from theoretical and managerial perspectives.© 2022 Banovic, Arvola, Pennanen, Duta, Sveinsdóttir, Sozer and Grunert. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Estrogens in the feces of the new-born calf

Em 10 bezerros recém-nascidos (4 machos e 6 fêmeas), foi examinado o conteúdo estrogênico das fezes dentro dos primeiros 11 dias de vida, com o auxílio de um teste biológico (teste de aumento de peso em útero de camundongo). Os valores médios situam-se até o terceiro dia de vida pós-parto como altamente significantes (P < 0,001), baixando sua significância para P < 0,05 no quarto dia quando os valores dos primeiros dias são comparados aos dos dias seguintes. Em 30% dos animais examinados já não se identificou qualquer traço de substância com ação estrogênica no terceiro dia de vida, aumentando a percentagem para 70% no quarto dia. No quinto dia não se identificou qualquer traço desta ação estrogênica em nenhum dos animais examinados. Com base nos exames feitos, concluiu-se que os estrógenos de origem materna são eliminados dentro dos primeiros dias de vida. Uma transmissão de estrógenos através do leite materno parece impossível.The estrogenic content of the feces of four male and six female calves, during the first 11 days of life, was measured by using the bioassay technique for uterine weight increase in immature mice. The estrogenic content of the feces of the calves was significantly higher (P < 0,001) until three days of age and higher (P < 0,05) on the fourth day than at subsequent ages. The presence of estrogenic substances in the feces was not detected in three of the ten calves (30%) at the three days of age. This percentage increased to 70% on the fourth day. By the fifth day, estrogenic activity was not detected in the feces of any of the calves examined. These results indicate that estrogens of maternal origin are eliminated within the first days of life. Thus, it does appear reasonable that estrogens are not provided by the colostrum or milk

Interventions to improve work outcomes in work-related PTSD: a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Posttraumatic stress disorder acquired at work can be debilitating both for workers and their employers. The disorder can result in increased sick leave, reduced productivity, and even unemployment. Furthermore, workers are especially unlikely to return to their previous place of employment after a traumatic incident at work because of the traumatic memories and symptoms of avoidance that typically accompany the disorder. Therefore, intervening in work-related PTSD becomes especially important in order to get workers back to the workplace.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic literature search was conducted using Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, and Web of Science. The articles were independently screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, followed by a quality assessment of all included articles.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The systematic search identified seven articles for inclusion in the review. These consisted of six research articles and one systematic review. The review focused specifically on interventions using real exposure techniques for anxiety disorders in the workplace. In the research articles addressed in the current review, study populations included police officers, public transportation workers, and employees injured at work. The studies examined the effectiveness of EMDR, cognitive-behavioural techniques, and an integrative therapy approach called brief eclectic psychotherapy. Interestingly, 2 of the 6 research articles addressed add-on treatments for workplace PTSD, which were designed to treat workers with PTSD who failed to respond to traditional evidence-based psychotherapy.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results of the current review suggest that work-related interventions show promise as effective strategies for promoting return to work in employees who acquired PTSD in the workplace. Further research is needed in this area to determine how different occupational groups with specific types of traumatic exposure might respond differently to work-tailored treatments.</p

On the Cauchy Problem for the Korteweg-de Vries Equation with Steplike Finite-Gap Initial Data I. Schwartz-Type Perturbations

We solve the Cauchy problem for the Korteweg-de Vries equation with initial conditions which are steplike Schwartz-type perturbations of finite-gap potentials under the assumption that the respective spectral bands either coincide or are disjoint.Comment: 29 page