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

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)

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

STUDIO DI ALCUNI PARAMETRI EMOREOLOGICI IN CORSO DI OCCLUSIONE VENOSA RETINICA DI BRANCA

54 pazienti (22 maschi e 32 femmine) affetti da occlusione venosa retinica di branca sono stati oggetto di un completo studio emoreologico (viscosit\ue0 ematica e plasmatica, deformabilit\ue0 eritrocitaria, fibrinogeno, ecc.). 47 soggetti sono stati utilizzati qual\ued controlli. I pazienti con trombosi sono stati divisi in 2 gruppi: gruppo 1 con aree ischemiche pi\uf9 estese gruppo 2 con pi\uf9 limitate aree di ischemia . La viscosit\ue0 ematica e plasmatica sono risultate significativamente aumentate nei pazienti con trombosi ed in particolar modo nel gruppo-1.Q uesti dati sottolineano che alterati parametri e moreologici possono giocare un ruolo patogenetico fondamentale non solo nell' insorgenza della trombosi venosa retinica ma anche nel condizionarne l' evoluzione verso differenti gradi di ischemia

Does talking really help? : Underlying mechanisms and moderators of the effects of social disclosure in the fading affect bias

Negative emotions associated with event memories fade in intensity to a greater extent over time than positive emotions (Fading Affect Bias or F AB). Frequent social disclosure of event memories has previously been found to enhance the FAB, with frequent social disclosure associated with increases in positive and decreases in negative emotional intensity. In this thesis, two pilot studies and a major experimental study (N "" 140) combined a novel experimental paradigm and qualitative analysis to explore mechanisms underlying the effects of social disclosure on the FAB. Results indicated that verbal emotional expression alone was not sufficient to enhance the FAB, but the presence and behaviour of a listener is an important factor. Socially disclosing positive events increased affect intensity, regardless of the behaviour of the listener. Whilst social disclosure of negative events to an interactive listener decreased affect intensity, social disclosure to a non-responsive listener led to an increase in affect intensity. The effects of socially disclosing positive events lasted for a week, but only if listener feedback had been received. Moreover, the individual difference measures of alexithymla and neuroticism moderated the effects of social disclosure. Qualitative analysis of social disclosure transcripts using conversation analysis principles identified three main types of listener responses characteristic of the beneficial effects of social disclosure: the development of rapport, expressions of empathy, and encouraging cognitive reappraisal. Finally, lexical analysis of written event descriptions before and after social disclosure revealed social disclosure to an interactive listener is associated with an increase in the emotionality of written descriptions. This thesis provides original evidence that listener behaviour during social disclosure is an important factor in enhancing the F AB. The use of a novel mixed methods approach has further increased our understanding of the mechanisms by which social disclosure and listener behaviour influence the fading affect bias.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo