247 research outputs found
Reference amounts utilised in front of package nutrition labelling:impact on product healthfulness evaluations
Background/Objectives: The research question addressed in this paper is how different reference amounts utilised in front of package nutrition labelling influence evaluation of product healthfulness. Subjects/Methods: A total of 13â117 participants from six European countries (Germany, UK, Spain, France, Poland and Sweden) were recruited via online panels. A mixed between/within-subject factorial design was employed with food (biscuits, sandwiches, yogurts), healthfulness and presence of Guideline Daily Amounts as within-subjects factors and reference amount (âper 100âgâ, âtypical portionâ, âhalf portionâ) and country as between-subjects factors. Results: Overall, people correctly ranked foods according to their objective healthfulness as defined by risk nutrients alone, and could distinguish between more and less healthful variants of foods. General healthfulness associations with the three product categories do not appear to have had a strong influence on product ratings. This study shows that where the reference amount of âper 100âgâ is very different from the âtypicalâ portion size, as was the case for biscuits, products with a âper 100âgâ label are rated significantly less healthful than the âtypicalâ or âhalf typicalâ portions. Conclusion: The results indicate that across the three food categories, consumers do factor the reference amount, that is, the quantity of food for which the nutritional information is being presented, into their judgements of healthfulness. Therefore, appropriate reference amounts are also of importance for the effective presentation of nutritional information
The cost of treating relapsed indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in an international setting: retrospective analysis of resource use
Background and Objectives. Few economic data exist on the treatment of indolent non-HodgkinÂŽs lymphoma (NHL) and there are none in the published literature concerning relapsed disease. This international analysis (Canada, Germany, Italy) was established to estimate the overall direct cost of treating patients with relapsed indolent NHL and determine the main cost components of treatment. Design and Methods. Telephone interviews were used to identify the most commonly used treatment regimens in each country. CHOP, CVP and fludarabine were chosen for economic analysis, which was based on retrospective data from 424 patients. Results. Overall treatment costs for a course of six cycles varied more than 5-fold, from EURO3,445 to 17,940 between regimens and countries. The treatment setting had a major impact on costs, with in-patient costs being up to three times greater than the equivalent out-patient values. Drug administration costs comprised 46-60% of the overall treatment costs in the in-patient setting. Adverse event management was the major cost component for out-patient CHOP and CVP therapy (52-75%), and a significant proportion (24-40%) of in-patient costs for these regimens. Drug acquisition accounted for less than half of treatment costs for most of the regimens analyzed. Interpretation and Conclusions. This study shows that not simply drug acquisition costs, but the costs of drug administration, particularly in the in-patient setting, and adverse event management are major contributors to the overall treatment costs for relapsed indolent NHL
Shoot development, chlorophyll, gas exchange and carbohydrates in lychee seedlings (Litchi chinensis)
Shoot growth, chlorophyll concentrations, gas exchange and starch concentrations were studied in lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) seedlings of cultivar âWai Cheeâ grown in a heated greenhouse at Nambour in subtropical Australia (27° S). We also examined the effects of shoot defoliation and root pruning on leaf expansion. Shoot growth showed a rhythmic cycle under constant greenhouse conditions, with a mean duration of flushing of 20 days and an interval of 10 days over three cycles. Shoots and leaves expanded in a sigmoidal pattern to about 80 mm and 500 cm2, respectively, for each flush. Starch concentrations of the lower stem and roots decreased as the young red leaves expanded, and increased as the fully expanded leaves turned dark green. Chlorophyll concentrations and net CO2 assimilation rate were highest in the fully expanded dark green leaves.Removing 50% of the area of each fully expanded leaf had little effect on the expansion of younger leaves, but total biomass of defoliated plants was only 60% of that of controls. In contrast, removing half the roots just before bud swelling reduced final leaf area by 80%. We conclude that the young shoot has relatively low rates of photoassimilation until the leaves are fully expanded and dark green, and depends on assimilates from elsewhere in the plant. During leaf expansion, translocation of assimilates to the shoot occurred at the expense of the roots
Effects of light availability on leaf gas exchange and expansion in lychee (Litchi chinensis)
Effects of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) on leaf gas exchange of lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) were studied in field-grown âKwai May Pinkâ and âSalathielâ orchard trees and young potted âKwai May Pinkâ plants during summer in subtropical Queensland (27° S). Variations in PPFD were achieved by shading the trees or plants 1 h before measurement at 0800 h. In a second experiment, potted seedlings of âKwai May Pinkâ were grown in a heated greenhouse in 20% of full sun (equivalent to maximum noon PPFD of 200 ÎŒmol mâ2 sâ1) and their growth over three flush cycles was compared with seedlings grown in full sun (1080 ÎŒmol mâ2 sâ1). Young potted plants of âKwai May Pinkâ were also grown outdoors in artificial shade that provided 20, 40, 70 or 100% of full sun (equivalent to maximum PPFDs of 500, 900, 1400 and 2000 ÎŒmol mâ2 sâ1) and measured for shoot extension and leaf area development over one flush cycle.
Net CO2 assimilation increased asymptotically in response to increasing PPFD in both orchard trees and young potted plants. Maximum rates of CO2 assimilation (11.9 ± 0.5 versus 6.3 ± 0.2 ÎŒmol CO2 mâ2 sâ1), dark respiration (1.7 ± 0.3 versus 0.6 ± 0.2 ÎŒmol CO2 mâ2 sâ1), quantum yield (0.042 ± 0.005 versus 0.027 ± 0.003 mol CO2 molâ1) and light saturation point (1155 versus 959 ÎŒmol mâ2 sâ1) were higher in orchard trees than in young potted plants. In potted seedlings grown in a heated greenhouse, shoots and leaves exposed to full sun expanded in a sigmoidal pattern to 69 ± 12 mm and 497 ± 105 cm2 for each flush, compared with 27 ± 7 mm and 189 ± 88 cm2 in shaded seedlings. Shaded seedlings were smaller and had higher shoot:root ratios (3.7 versus 3.1) than seedlings grown in full sun. In the potted plants grown outdoors in 20, 40, 70 or 100% of full sun, final leaf area per shoot was 44 ± 1, 143 ± 3, 251 ± 7 and 362 ± 8 cm2, respectively. Shoots were also shorter in plants grown in shade than in plants grown in full sun (66 ± 5 mm versus 101 ± 2 mm).
Photosynthesis in individual leaves of lychee appeared to be saturated at about half full sun, whereas maximum leaf expansion occurred at higher PPFDs. We conclude that lychee plants can persist as seedlings on the forest floor, but require high PPFDs for optimum growth
Effects of leaf, shoot and fruit development on photosynthesis of lychee trees (Litchi chinensis)
Changes in gas exchange with leaf age and fruit growth were determined in lychee trees (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) growing in subtropical Queensland (27° S). Leaves expanded in a sigmoid pattern over 50 days during spring, with net CO2 assimilation (A) increasing from â4.1 ± 0.9 to 8.3 ± 0.5 ÎŒmol mâ2 sâ1 as the leaves changed from soft and red, to soft and light green, to hard and dark green. Over the same period, dark respiration (Rd) decreased from 5.0 ± 0.8 to 2.0 ± 0.1 ÎŒmol CO2 mâ2 sâ1. Net CO2 assimilation was above zero about 30 days after leaf emergence or when the leaves were half fully expanded. Chlorophyll concentrations increased from 0.7 ± 0.2 mg gâ1 in young red leaves to 10.3 ± 0.7 mg gâ1 in dark green leaves, along with stomatal conductance (gs, from 0.16 ± 0.09 to 0.47 ± 0.17 mol H2O mâ2 sâ1).Fruit growth was sigmoidal, with maximum values of fresh mass (29 g), dry mass (6 g) and fruit surface area (39 cm2) occurring 97 to 115 days after fruit set. Fruit CO2 exchange in the light (Rl) and dark (Rd) decreased from fruit set to fruit maturity, whether expressed on a surface area (10 to 3 ÎŒmol CO2 mâ2 sâ1 and 20 to 3 ÎŒmol CO2 mâ2 sâ1, respectively) or on a dry mass basis (24 to 2 nmol CO2 gâ1 sâ1 and 33 to 2 nmol CO2 gâ1 sâ1, respectively). Photosynthesis never exceeded respiration, however, the difference between Rl and Rd was greatest in young green fruit (4 to 8 ÎŒmol CO2 mâ2 sâ1). About 90% of the carbon required for fruit growth was accounted for in the dry matter of the fruit, with the remainder required for respiration. Fruit photosynthesis contributed about 3% of the total carbon requirement of the fruit over the season. Fruit growth was mainly dependent on CO2 assimilation in recently expanded dark green leaves
The pack size effect:influence on consumer perceptions of portion sizes
Larger portions as well as larger packs can lead to larger prospective consumption estimates, larger servings and increased consumption, described as 'portion-size effects' and 'pack size effects'. Although related, the effects of pack sizes on portion estimates have received less attention. While it is not possible to generalize consumer behaviour across cultures, external cues taken from pack size may affect us all. We thus examined whether pack sizes influence portion size estimates across cultures, leading to a general 'pack size effect'. We compared portion size estimates based on digital presentations of different product pack sizes of solid and liquid products. The study with 13,177 participants across six European countries consisted of three parts. Parts 1 and 2 asked participants to indicate the number of portions present in a combined photographic and text-based description of different pack sizes. The estimated portion size was calculated as the quotient of the content weight or volume of the food presented and the number of stated portions. In Part 3, participants stated the number of food items that make up a portion when presented with packs of food containing either a small or a large number of items. The estimated portion size was calculated as the item weight times the item number. For all three parts and across all countries, we found that participants' portion estimates were based on larger portions for larger packs compared to smaller packs (Part 1 and 2) as well as more items to make up a portion (Part 3); hence, portions were stated to be larger in all cases. Considering that the larger estimated portions are likely to be consumed, there are implications for energy intake and weight status
The involvement/exclusion paradox of spontaneous volunteering:new lessons from winter flood episodes in England
This article focuses on the involvement and management of spontaneous volunteers (SVs). It develops a new theoryâwhich we call the âinvolvement/exclusionâ paradoxâabout a situation which is frequently manifested when SVs converge in times of disaster. After reviewing research and policy guidance relating to spontaneous volunteering, we present findings from a study of responses to winter flood episodes in England. Taking together the empirical findings and the literature, the article analyzes elements inherent in the involvement/exclusion paradox and develops a conceptual model to illustrate and explain the paradox. Implications for managers and future research are discussed
Einfluss der Salzkonzentration auf das rheologische Verhalten wÀssriger anorganischer Suspensionen bei der Filtration
Holocene forest and land-use history of the Erzgebirge, central Europe: a review of palynological data
The ongoing ecological conversion of mountain forests in central Europe from
widespread Picea monocultures to mixed stands conceptually also requires a
historical perspective on the very long-term, i.e. Holocene, vegetation and
land-use dynamics. Detailed sources of information for this are
palynological data. The Erzgebirge in focus here, with a maximum
height of 1244âmâa.s.l., represents an extreme case of extensive historical
deforestation since the Middle Ages due to mining, metallurgy, and other
industrial activities, as well as rural and urban colonisation. For this
regional review we collected and evaluated 121 pollen diagrams of different
stratigraphic, taxonomic, and chronological resolution. This number makes
this region an upland area in central Europe with an exceptionally high
density of palynological data. Using well-dated diagrams going back to the
early Holocene, main regional vegetation phases were derived: the BetulaâPinus phase (ca.
11â600â10â200Â calâyrâBP), the Corylus phase (ca. 10â200â9000Â calâyrâBP), the Picea phase
(ca. 9000â6000Â calâyrâBP), the FagusâPicea phase (ca. 6000â4500Â calâyrâBP), the
AbiesâFagusâPicea phase (ca. 4000â1000Â calâyrâBP), and the anthropogenic vegetation phase (ca.
1000â0Â calâyrâBP). Some diagrams show the presence or even continuous curves
of potential pasture and meadow indicators from around 2000âcalâBCE at the
earliest. Even cereal pollen grains occur sporadically already before the
High Medieval. These palynological indications of a local prehistoric human
impact also in the higher altitudes find parallels in the
(geo-)archaeologically proven Bronze Age tin placer mining and in the
geochemically proven Iron Age metallurgy in the Erzgebirge. The pollen data
show that immediately before the medieval clearing, i.e. beginning at the
end of the 12th century CE, forests were mainly dominated by Fagus and Abies and
complemented by Picea with increasing share towards the highest altitudes.
According to historical data, the minimum of the regional forest cover was
reached during the 17thâ18th centuries CE. The dominance of Picea in modern
pollen spectra is caused by anthropogenic afforestation in the form of
monocultures since that time. Future palynological investigations,
preferably within the framework of altitudinal transect studies, should aim
for chronologically and taxonomically high-resolution and radiometrically
well-dated pollen diagrams from the larger peatlands.</p
Statistical properties of a free-electron laser revealed by the Hanbury Brown and Twiss interferometry
We present a comprehensive experimental analysis of statistical properties of
the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) free-electron laser (FEL) FLASH
at DESY in Hamburg by means of Hanbury Brown and Twiss (HBT) interferometry.
The experiments were performed at the FEL wavelengths of 5.5 nm, 13.4 nm, and
20.8 nm. We determined the 2-nd order intensity correlation function for all
wavelengths and different operation conditions of FLASH. In all experiments a
high degree of spatial coherence (above 50%) was obtained. Our analysis
performed in spatial and spectral domains provided us with the independent
measurements of an average pulse duration of the FEL that were below 60 fs. To
explain complicated behaviour of the 2-nd order intensity correlation function
we developed advanced theoretical model that includes the presence of multiple
beams and external positional jitter of the FEL pulses. By this analysis we
determined that in most experiments several beams were present in radiating
field and in one of the experiments external positional jitter was about 25% of
the beam size. We envision that methods developed in our study will be used
widely for analysis and diagnostics of the FEL radiation.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures, 3 table
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