THE ROLES OF BELIEFS, INFORMATION, AND CONVENIENCE IN THE AMERICAN DIET

Replaced with revised version of paper 08/02.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

A Fourier transform method for nonparametric estimation of multivariate volatility

We provide a nonparametric method for the computation of instantaneous multivariate volatility for continuous semi-martingales, which is based on Fourier analysis. The co-volatility is reconstructed as a stochastic function of time by establishing a connection between the Fourier transform of the prices process and the Fourier transform of the co-volatility process. A nonparametric estimator is derived given a discrete unevenly spaced and asynchronously sampled observations of the asset price processes. The asymptotic properties of the random estimator are studied: namely, consistency in probability uniformly in time and convergence in law to a mixture of Gaussian distributions.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/08-AOS633 the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Intentions, Information, and Convenience: An Empirical Analysis of their Effect on the American Diet and Demand for Meat

The purpose of this paper will be to develop and present a new approach for examining the demand for meat by incorporating many of the advances in behavioral economics. By providing a closer approximation to how consumers actually behave, doing so should improve upon existing models. Incorporating findings from behavioral studies will also provide a richer theoretical basis to correct for the longstanding problem of endogeniety in cross-sectional studies. The theoretical model in this study begins with the Becker household production model, where individuals are assumed to maximize utility, subject to their production functions, budget constraint and time constraint. To develop a model that more accurately depicts how individual's make their food choices, this model additionally assumes that individuals 1) use household time to create food, health and relaxation; 2) make their food and nutrient consumption choices on a per-meal basis; 3) are affected by the prospect of immediate gratification, convenience and time delay, and 4) are more affected by these factors as their hunger increases.Meat Demand, Behavioral Economics, Information and Nutrition, Demand and Price Analysis,

Factors Affecting Grain Consumption: Evidence from 1999-2002 NHANES Survey Data

The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that half of all daily grain servings be whole grains. Meeting the new guidelines may be a tall order for most Americans. Targeting nutrition messages that educate people on how to comply with these new recommendations requires a solid understanding of who needs to boost their whole grain intake. It also requires a better understanding of the way people consume grain-based foods - which types of foods, eating occasion and locations are more conducive to whole grain intake and which are more conducive to refined grain intake. This analysis makes use of the most recent NHANES data (1999-2002). We use data from the dietary recall and link it to a nutrient database that provides the number of food group servings for each food consumed in the 24 hour period to estimate how individuals' consumption of both total and whole grain correlate with socio-economic factors, specific health indicators, and behaviors related to food choices.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

TWIN CITY NATURAL FOOD CO-OPS: THE ROLE OF CUSTOMER PREFERENCES AND CHARACTERISTICS WHEN CHOOSING AMONG STRUCTURAL OPTIONS

The demand for natural foods has been growing steadily over the past decade. As more mainstream grocers and investor-owned, natural food chains respond to this increased demand, the viability of local, independent natural food co-ops (TCNFCs) was used to assess organizational options. The study employed a customer survey to determine characteristics and preferences of co-op shoppers. The survey results were used in conjunction with a schema that analyzed the interaction among market forces, store differences, and customer factors to make recommendations to the TCNFCs. This analysis suggests that in the short run, these stores should employ a federated cooperative structure to accommodate a city-wide co-op membership and increase joint ventures among the co-ops. In the long run, the scale and scope of the federated co-op should be increased to enter new markets as a centralized co-op.Agribusiness, Consumer/Household Economics, Industrial Organization,

Estimating the Impact of Medication on Diabetics' Diet and Lifestyle Choices

The objective of this study is to estimate how differences in diet quality, physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and bodyweight correlate with whether or not an individual has been diagnosed with diabetes, and whether or not an individual uses medication to manage his or her health condition. Knowing if and how individuals choose to substitute medication for adopting a better diet or a healthier lifestyle provides insight into the welfare effects of changing access to prescribed medication and other proposed interventions to improve diet and health. Knowing how behaviors correlate with socio-economic characteristics also sheds light on ways to improve the efficacy of public health education.Health Economics and Policy,

Covariance estimation via Fourier method in the presence of asynchronous trading and microstructure noise

We analyze the effects of market microstructure noise on the Fourier estimator of multivariate volatilities. We prove that the estimator is consistent in the case of asynchronous data and robust in the presence of microstructure noise. This result is obtained through an analytical computation of the bias and the mean squared error of the Fourier estimator and con¯rmed by Monte Carlo experiments.

DIET QUALITY AND CALORIES CONSUMED: THE IMPACT OF BEING HUNGRIER, BUSIER AND EATING OUT

While Americans claim to be eating better and improving their understanding of diet and health, they are getting heavier and increasing their risk of suffering from diet related illnesses. The cause of this inconsistency is unclear. Using theoretical models of preference reversal and econometric empirical analysis, this study finds that the number of calories eaten per meal increases and the quality of the diet decreases as people wait more than six hours to eat their next meal, work more than fifty hours a week, and consume a larger amount of food away from home. These situational factors are important even for consumers who have considerable knowledge about diet and health. Regardless of one's favored dietary prescription, this study shows how well an individual's intentions to eat healthfully changes with time pressures, hunger, and food source. As people change their dietary goals based on prevailing nutritional lore, such situational factors will continue to interfere with one's long-term health objectives. This is especially relevant in an era where obesity is a leading health issue for individuals and for the costs of health care. Any advice and action that can improve diet quality and reduce caloric intake on a convenient basis is valuable for individuals and the overall economy.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Non-equilibrium readiness and accuracy of Gaussian Quantum Thermometers

The dimensionality of a thermometer is key in the design of quantum thermometry schemes. In general, the phenomenology that is typical of finite-dimensional quantum thermometry does not apply to infinite dimensional ones. We analyse the dynamical and metrological features of non-equilibrium Gaussian Quantum Thermometers: on one hand, we highlight how quantum entanglement can enhance the readiness of composite Gaussian thermometers; on the other hand, we show that non-equilibrium conditions do not guarantee the best sensitivities in temperature estimation, thus suggesting the reassessment of the working principles of quantum thermometry