Consumers’ perception of Prosecco wine packaging: A pilot study in Padua and Milan

This paper aims to illustrate and discuss the importance of packaging attributes in the wine market. A survey was conducted in the north of Italy to assess how different attributes affect the probability of choosing a bottle of Prosecco wine. Two hundred face-to-face interviews based on a structured questionnaire were administered in Milan and Padua supermarkets to elicit preferences. Each respondent ranked three new bottles of Prosecco wine and expressed the importance of different packaging characteristics in its choice. Product attributes include Label’s form, Label’s colours, the Label in its entirety, the Writing “Prosecco”, the Band on the bottle’s neck and the Bottle’s shape. The interviews allowed us to recognise the bottle customers found the most attractive, and rank-ordered logistic regression was able to disentangle which packaging characteristic led to their decision

European Working Time Directive : a prescription for regulating junior doctors' Working Time?

This study explores attempts to regulate working time in a particular part of the medical sector. The specific focus is upon the perceptions and experiences of those in whose benefit the legislation purports to be, namely the junior doctors. It considers how the broader debates surrounding the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) are manifested in this specific section of the medical profession. The study argues that historical modes of regulation through self-governance, professional autonomy and minimal state intervention have helped to foster opposition to the EC law among many senior doctors. Their views about working-time regulation are compared to those provided by junior doctors. This enables an assessment of the ways in which traditional self-regulation has been overtaken by subsequent forms of governance in the medical profession, namely new public management and statutory control. The accommodation in process underlines the significance of the medical profession's exclusive culture and socialisation processes. These processes facilitate the transmission of ideas on issues such as work conditions, and occupational resistance to measures such as the Directive. Conversely, the difference in attitudes between senior and junior doctors reflects the evolving nature of the profession in response to increasing in managerial authority and state intervention. Following on from these debates, the study explores the processes by which the various modes of regulation have been implemented and enforced. It considers the respective roles played by the state, hospital managers and the medical profession, exploring the impact of working time regulation, with particular reference to doctors' health, medical training, and medical staffing and services. The study provides an assessment of the emerging impact of the regulation itself. The study draws upon a mix of methods including semi-structured interviews with Pre-Registration House Officers and elite figures. The latter comprise policy-makers at EC, UK and devolved levels senior figures within the medical and health services, including employer and employee representatives and members of both the UK and European judiciary. Questionnaire surveys were also administered to all PRHOs practising in Wales. The study concludes that a combination of factors have diluted the potential impact of the EWTD. These include the inadequate monitoring and enforcement mechanisms of a regulation whose fundamental terms have been 'fudged' by the state on the one hand, and the widespread application of a rigid shift system by the medical profession and hospital managers to junior doctors' training and service on the other. As a result, views on the EWTD are inconsistent and the degree of compliance with its provisions is variable.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Quality and Safety in Clams

The aim of the research is to estimate the potential demand for certified clams in Italy and to investigate the determinants of maximum amount that respondents are willing to pay for this product. Quantitative analysis was used based on 1,067 face-to-face interviews collected in 3 Italian regions in the north bordering the Adriatic Sea (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna) carried out during 2008. The consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) is measured using a contingent valuation method. In order to estimate separately the determinants of the probability that respondents are willing to pay and the maximum that they are willing to pay, a generalization of Tobit model was adopted. The results indicate that consumers are willing to pay a premium price mainly to purchase better quality products. The research provides some initial insight into consumers' WTP that can be useful for certified fish farming. © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Sexual attraction, sexual identity, and psychosocial well-being in a national sample of young women during emerging adulthood.

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106627/1/Sexual attraction, sexual identity, and psychosocial well-being in a national sample of young women during emerging adulthood.pd

Predicting the onset and persistence of episodes of depression in primary health care. The predictD-Spain study: Methodology

Background: The effects of putative risk factors on the onset and/or persistence of depression remain unclear. We aim to develop comprehensive models to predict the onset and persistence of episodes of depression in primary care. Here we explain the general methodology of the predictD-Spain study and evaluate the reliability of the questionnaires used. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study. A systematic random sample of general practice attendees aged 18 to 75 has been recruited in seven Spanish provinces. Depression is being measured with the CIDI at baseline, and at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. A set of individual, environmental, genetic, professional and organizational risk factors are to be assessed at each follow-up point. In a separate reliability study, a proportional random sample of 401 participants completed the test-retest (251 researcher-administered and 150 self-administered) between October 2005 and February 2006. We have also checked 118,398 items for data entry from a random sample of 480 patients stratified by province. Results: All items and questionnaires had good test-retest reliability for both methods of administration, except for the use of recreational drugs over the previous six months. Cronbach's alphas were good and their factorial analyses coherent for the three scales evaluated (social support from family and friends, dissatisfaction with paid work, and dissatisfaction with unpaid work). There were 191 (0.16%) data entry errors. Conclusion: The items and questionnaires were reliable and data quality control was excellent. When we eventually obtain our risk index for the onset and persistence of depression, we will be able to determine the individual risk of each patient evaluated in primary health care.The research in Spain was funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Health (grant FIS references: PI04/1980, PI0/41771, PI04/2450, and PI06/1442), Andalusian Council of Health (grant references: 05/403, 06/278 and 08/0194), and the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (grant reference SAF 2006/07192). The Malaga sample, as part of the predictD-International study, was also funded by a grant from The European Commission (reference QL4-CT2002-00683)

Admixture in Latin America: Geographic Structure, Phenotypic Diversity and Self-Perception of Ancestry Based on 7,342 Individuals

The current genetic makeup of Latin America has been shaped by a history of extensive admixture between Africans, Europeans and Native Americans, a process taking place within the context of extensive geographic and social stratification. We estimated individual ancestry proportions in a sample of 7,342 subjects ascertained in five countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, México and Perú). These individuals were also characterized for a range of physical appearance traits and for self-perception of ancestry. The geographic distribution of admixture proportions in this sample reveals extensive population structure, illustrating the continuing impact of demographic history on the genetic diversity of Latin America. Significant ancestry effects were detected for most phenotypes studied. However, ancestry generally explains only a modest proportion of total phenotypic variation. Genetically estimated and self-perceived ancestry correlate significantly, but certain physical attributes have a strong impact on self-perception and bias self-perception of ancestry relative to genetically estimated ancestry

A Longitudinal Analysis of Stress in African American Youth: Predictors and Outcomes of Stress Trajectories

Few researchers have studied trajectories of stress over time in relation to psychosocial outcomes and behaviors among adolescents. A sample of African American adolescents were assessed longitudinally on perceived stress, psychological well-being, support, antisocial behaviors, and academic success. Patterns of stress over 4 time points were developed using a cluster-analytic approach. Differences among the trajectory clusters were examined using psychosocial outcomes and behaviors. Adolescents with chronic levels of stress reported more anxiety and depression, engaged in antisocial behaviors, and reported less active coping than youth in other trajectories. Adolescents with low levels of stress over time reported fewer psychological problems, perceived more social support, and were more likely to graduate from high school than those with higher stress levels over time. We also found that an increase in stress coincided with a lack of support and more psychological problems over time.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45295/1/10964_2004_Article_465298.pd