Sexual Seroadaptation: Lessons for Prevention and Sex Research from a Cohort of HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex with Men

BACKGROUND: Surveillance data on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and behavioral characteristics identified in studies of the risk of seroconversion are often used as to track sexual behaviors that spread HIV. However, such analyses can be confounded by "seroadaptation"--the restriction of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), especially unprotected insertive UAI, to seroconcordant partnerships. METHODS: We utilized sexual network methodology and repeated-measures statistics to test the hypothesis that seroadaptive strategies reduce the risk of HIV transmission despite numerous partnerships and frequent UAI. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a prospective cohort study of HIV superinfection including 168 HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM), we found extensive seroadaptation. UAI was 15.5 times more likely to occur with a positive partner than a negative one (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.1-26.4). Receptive UAI was 4.3 times more likely in seroconcordant partnerships than with negative partners (95% CI, 2.8-6.6), but insertive UAI was 13.6 times more likely with positives (95% CI, 7.2-25.6). Our estimates suggest that seroadaptation reduced HIV transmissions by 98%. CONCLUSION: Potentially effective HIV prevention strategies, such as seroadaptation, have evolved in communities of MSM before they have been recognized in research or discussed in the public health forum. Thus, to be informative, studies of HIV risk must be designed to assess seroadaptive behaviors rather than be limited to individual characteristics, unprotected intercourse, and numbers of partners. STI surveillance is not an effective indicator of trends in HIV incidence where there are strong patterns of seroadaptation

Efficient Identification of HIV Serodiscordant Couples by Existing HIV Testing Programs in South Brazil.

ObjectiveTo examine the feasibility of identifying HIV negative at risk individuals in HIV serodiscordant couples, during voluntary HIV testing in South Brazil.MethodsWe surveyed HIV testers at 4 public testing sites in Rio Grande do Sul. We obtained information on risk behaviors and sexual partnerships. HIV testing and testing for recent infection were performed; HIV prevalence and risk behaviors were assessed among subjects who reported having a steady partner who was HIV positive (serodiscordant group) and compared with the general testing population.ResultsAmong 3100 patients, 490 (15.8%) reported being in a steady relationship with an HIV positive partner. New HIV infections were diagnosed in 23% of the serodiscordant group (vs. 13% in the general population, p = 0.01); among newly positive subjects, recent HIV infections were more frequent (23/86, 26.7%) among testers with positive partners than among the general testing group (52/334; 15.6%; p = 0.016). Less than half of the serodiscordant testers reported having used a condom during the last sexual intercourse with their HIV-positive partner. Participants with inconsistent condom use with steady partner were four times more likely to test positive for HIV compared to those who reported always using condoms with the steady partner (OR: 4.2; 95% CI: 2.3 to 7.5).ConclusionIt is highly feasible to identify large numbers of HIV susceptible individuals who are in HIV serodiscordant relationships in South Brazil testing sites. Condom use within HIV serodiscordant couples is low in this setting, suggesting urgent need for biomedical prevention strategies to reduce HIV transmission

The development of short food supply chain for locally produced honey. Understanding consumers' opinions and willingness to pay in Argentina

Purpose: The development of the short food supply chain (SFSC) is one of the issues of the current agri-food systems. Consumers are re-connecting the food they eat with the farming process and are increasingly asking for fresh, seasonal and traceable food products from known producer source. The purpose of this paper is to analyse consumers' opinions towards the SFSC and willingness to pay (WTP) for local honeys in Mar del Plata, Argentina before and after a hedonic evaluation test. Design/methodology/approach: In an incentive compatible approach, using real purchasing scenarios, two non-hypothetical discrete choice experiments were applied, accounting for the impact of the SFSC understanding and hedonic evaluation on consumers' WTP. Findings: Results showed that consumers' WTP, a premium for local honey products, is conditioned to specific quality cues and the global sensory acceptance. Consumers with high level of agreement with the social and environmental roles of the SFSC were more quality demanding and exhibited higher WTP towards the locally produced honeys. The development of local market by re-connecting producers and consumers, allowing for in-site tasting, has a strong implication for the structure of the honey added-value chain due to the potential role that may play in satisfying consumers' preference and needs. Originality/value: The authors measured consumers' opinions towards the SFSC and analyse their impact on consumer WTP for honey product by including real purchasing scenarios and hedonic evaluation test, to reduce the hypothetical bias of the traditional surveys. Questionnaires were completed in a controlled laboratory environment for with real product and real money.Fil: Kallas, Zein. Centre for Research in Agro-Food Economics and Development (CREDA). Polytechnic University of Catalonia; Spain.Fil: Alba, Martin Federico. Centre for Research in Agro-Food Economics and Development (CREDA). Polytechnic University of Catalonia; Spain.Fil: Casellas, Karina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Economía y Sociología; Argentina.Fil: Berges, Miriam. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales; Argentina.Fil: Degreef, Gustavo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Centro de Investigación de Agroindustria; Argentina.Fil: Gil, José M. Centre for Research in Agro-Food Economics and Development (CREDA). Polytechnic University of Catalonia; Spain

Consumers’ wine preferences in a changing scenario

Purpose: Important socioeconomic changes have been undergone due to the international economic crisis. In Catalonia (Spain), political changes towards independentism also occurred within the same period. In our research we have explored the consumers’ wine preferences in Catalonia in two different scenarios. In particular, we have focused our interest in those preferences regarding the regional origin of the wine. Design/methodology/approach: Data was elicited from two identical Discrete Choice Experiments performed in two times: before (2008) and during the economic crisis (2010) in Catalonia, Spain. Findings: The results imply that the external common circumstances may have had a homogenising influence in consumer choices by decreasing the level of randomness of consumers’ selection. Consumers’ preferences for a Catalan origin were enhanced during the crisis, while price became the most important attribute. Research limitations: Ideally, the participants involved in both experiments would have been the same. Unfortunately, this was not possible to maintain and it is one of the limitations of this study. We are also aware that other non-controlled variables may have also played a role and the conclusions that are driven should be taken carefully. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the literature of the Discrete Choice Modelling (DCM) using the recently developed Generalised Multinomial Logit Model (GMNL). To our knowledge this is the first application in the literature of wine preferences to measure the impact of the contextual changes (economic and political) in Catalonia (Spain)info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Preferencias y aceptabilidad de los consumidores por la carne de vacuno enriquecida en omega-3 y ácido linoleico conjugado en tres ciudades españolas

Este trabajo analiza las preferencias de los consumidores en tres ciudades españolas (Barcelona, Zaragoza y Pamplona) con el objetivo de estimar la importancia relativa de los atributos más relevantes de la carne de vacuno incluyendo su enriquecimiento con ácidos grasos no saturados como el omega-3 (n-3) y el ácido linoleico conjugado (CLA). Asimismo, se pretende estudiar el impacto de la experiencia sensorial y la información sobre las preferencias y la heterogeneidad no observada tanto del factor de escala como de los atributos. Los datos fueron recogidos de un cuestionario estructurado y auto-completado en un ambiente controlado con dos muestras diferentes (320 y 325 consumidores) diferenciados por la información recibida. El experimento de elección fue aplicado antes y después de que los mismos consumidores evaluaran la aceptabilidad de la carne enriquecida. Para el análisis de datos se ha empleado el modelo Multinomial Generalizado (GMNL). Los resultados mostraron un impacto significativo de la información y la experiencia sensorial sobre las preferencias. La utilidad de la carne enriquecida con n-3 en las tres ciudades se incrementó significativamente después de probar la carne, sobre todo para los consumidores que no recibieron información, mientras que la utilidad de la carne enriquecida con CLA no fue significativa independientemente de la evaluación hedónica o la información proporcionada. Después de la experiencia sensorial, la heterogeneidad de escala, que es la variación del grado de aleatoriedad en el proceso de toma de decisiones y por lo tanto el grado de certeza de los individuos en sus elecciones, ha disminuido significativamente. Finalmente, los resultados mostraron un aumento de la aceptabilidad global de la carne enriquecida con n-3 y CLA respecto a la carne convencional y la información ofrecida a los consumidores no tuvo ningún impacto significativo en sus puntuaciones.Publishe

Sequential and Spontaneous Star Formation Around the Mid-Infrared Halo HII Region KR 140

We use 2MASS and MSX infrared observations, along with new molecular line (CO) observations, to examine the distribution of young stellar objects (YSOs) in the molecular cloud surrounding the halo HII region KR 140 in order to determine if the ongoing star-formation activity in this region is dominated by sequential star formation within the photodissociation region (PDR) surrounding the HII region. We find that KR 140 has an extensive population of YSOs that have spontaneously formed due to processes not related to the expansion of the HII region. Much of the YSO population in the molecular cloud is concentrated along a dense filamentary molecular structure, traced by C18O, that has not been erased by the formation of the exciting O star. Some of the previously observed submillimetre clumps surrounding the HII region are shown to be sites of recent intermediate and low-mass star formation while other massive starless clumps clearly associated with the PDR may be the next sites of sequential star formation.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 8 pages, 10 figure

Can innovations in traditional pork products help thriving EU untapped pig breeds? A non-hypothetical discrete choice experiment with hedonic evaluation

The EU is supporting measures that stimulate enhanced value-added products in order to conserve local and threatened livestock breeds. Several Traditional Pork Products (TPP) and Innovative Traditional Pork Products (ITPP) with health innovations from four untapped pig breeds in Spain (Porc Negre Mallorquí), Croatia (Turopolje), Italy (Cinta Senese) and Slovenia (Krškopolje) were analysed. Consumers' “Non-hypothetical” willingness to pay (WTP) and hedonic evaluation were investigated. An integrated experimental approach using two Non-Hypothetical Discrete Choice Experiment (NH-DCE) was carried out before and after a hedonic evaluation test. Results showed that the health innovative products (ITPP) received similar and even lower WTP than the “control” products (TPP) from the untapped pig breeds. The TPP outperformed products enriched with healthy ingredients or with reduced undesirable compounds. The potential demand for traditional and “unaltered” product from the rustic pig breeds could contribute to their conservation. A market niche exists, where consumers appreciate these high-quality products and where no “add-ons” are required to enhance their uptake.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Is the place of purchase important in shaping consumers’ preferences towards olive oil?

[EN] This paper aims at analyzing consumers’ preferences towards olive oil attributes taking into account the retail chain where they buy food. The methodological approach is based on the design of a choice experiment using home scan data from a sample of Catalonian households. Four attributes are selected: price, brand, type of olive oil and packaging size. Two retailers are considered with different business strategies: Mercadona and Carrefour. Results show that the preferences for olive oil attributes are different depending of the retail outlet a household uses to buy.[ES] El objetivo de este trabajo se centra en determinar si el lugar de compra es relevante en los atributos que los consumidores tienen en cuenta en la compra de aceite de oliva. A tal fin se diseña un experimento de elección utilizando datos scanner de una muestra de familias catalanas. Se consideran cuatro atributos: precio, tamaño de envase, marca y tipo de aceite. Se han considerado dos empresas de distribución, Mercadona y Carrefour, con estrategias de negocio diferenciadas. Los resultados obtenidos confirman que la importancia de los atributos que los compradores tienen en cuenta en cada tipo de establecimiento es heterogénea.Corbeto-Fabón, H.; Kallas, Z.; Gil, JM. (2018). ¿Es el lugar de compra determinante en las preferencias de los compradores de aceite de oliva?. Economía Agraria y Recursos Naturales - Agricultural and Resource Economics. 18(1):161-182. doi:10.7201/earn.2018.01.0716118218