95 research outputs found
Assessing the Mycotoxin-related Health Impact of Shifting from Meat-based Diets to Soy-based Meat Analogues in a Model Scenario Based on Italian Consumption Data
The aim of this study was to assess the risk of replacing meat with plant-based analogues with respect to mycotoxin exposure,
as a proof of concept to demonstrate the need for a proper regulatory framework for mycotoxins in meat imitates. Hence, we
considered a full replacement of meat consumption with soy-based meat analogues and we evaluated the exposure to AFB1
and OTA, based on the Italian National Food Consumption Survey INRAN-SCAI 2005–2006 and the European Food Safety
Authority occurrence data. The overall health impact from soy-based food consumption and a meat-free diet was quantified
in terms of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) in three different contamination and consumption scenarios. The substitution
of meat products with soy-based imitates would prevent up to 406.2 colorectal cancer cases/year/country associated
with 532 healthy years of life. However, we also determined an increased risk of liver cancer and loss of healthy life-years
due to AFB1
exposure and a potential risk of renal cancer as due to an increased intake of OTA, leading up to 1208 extra
cancer cases associated with the loss of 12,080 healthy life-years/country. Shifting to a plant-based diet actually eliminates
a cancer risk factor such as processed meat, however, higher and unexpected risks could arise if mycotoxins are not properly
regulated in plant-based meat alternatives. Taking into account the ubiquitous occurrence of mycotoxins, also in the light
of climate change, and the growing trend toward plant-based meat analogues, greater importance should be given to actual
food consumption trends and correlated with updated natural toxins regulations and risk assessments
Stable topological modes in two-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau models with trapping potentials
Complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) models of laser media (with the cubic-quintic
nonlinearity) do not contain an effective diffusion term, which makes all
vortex solitons unstable in these models. Recently, it has been demonstrated
that the addition of a two-dimensional periodic potential, which may be induced
by a transverse grating in the laser cavity, to the CGL equation stabilizes
compound (four-peak) vortices, but the most fundamental "crater-shaped"
vortices (CSVs), alias vortex rings, which are, essentially, squeezed into a
single cell of the potential, have not been found before in a stable form. In
this work we report families of stable compact CSVs with vorticity S=1 in the
CGL model with the external potential of two different types: an axisymmetric
parabolic trap, and the periodic potential. In both cases, we identify
stability region for the CSVs and for the fundamental solitons (S=0). Those
CSVs which are unstable in the axisymmetric potential break up into robust
dipoles. All the vortices with S=2 are unstable, splitting into tripoles.
Stability regions for the dipoles and tripoles are identified too. The periodic
potential cannot stabilize CSVs with S>=2 either; instead, families of stable
compact square-shaped quadrupoles are found
Stable spinning optical solitons in three dimensions
We introduce spatiotemporal spinning solitons (vortex tori) of the
three-dimensional nonlinear Schrodinger equation with focusing cubic and
defocusing quintic nonlinearities. The first ever found completely stable
spatiotemporal vortex solitons are demonstrated. A general conclusion is that
stable spinning solitons are possible as a result of competition between
focusing and defocusing nonlinearities.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, accepted to Phys. Rev. Let
One-Dimensional Bose Gases with N-Body Attractive Interactions
We study the ground state properties of a one-dimensional Bose gas with
N-body attractive contact interactions. By using the explicit form of the
bright soliton solution of a generalized nonlinear Schroedinger equation, we
compute the chemical potential and the ground state energy. For N=3, a
localized soliton wave-function exists only for a critical value of the
interaction strength: in this case the ground state has an infinite degeneracy
that can be parameterized by the chemical potential. The stabilization of the
bright soliton solution by an external harmonic trap is also discussed, and a
comparison with the effect of N-body attractive contact interactions in higher
dimensions is presented.Comment: 12 pages, 8 Postscript figure
A Green's function approach to transmission of massless Dirac fermions in graphene through an array of random scatterers
We consider the transmission of massless Dirac fermions through an array of
short range scatterers which are modeled as randomly positioned -
function like potentials along the x-axis. We particularly discuss the
interplay between disorder-induced localization that is the hallmark of a
non-relativistic system and two important properties of such massless Dirac
fermions, namely, complete transmission at normal incidence and periodic
dependence of transmission coefficient on the strength of the barrier that
leads to a periodic resonant transmission. This leads to two different types of
conductance behavior as a function of the system size at the resonant and the
off-resonance strengths of the delta function potential. We explain this
behavior of the conductance in terms of the transmission through a pair of such
barriers using a Green's function based approach. The method helps to
understand such disordered transport in terms of well known optical phenomena
such as Fabry Perot resonances.Comment: 22 double spaced single column pages. 15 .eps figure
Passagierdampfer als Hilfskreuzer: kurze Geschichte der Entwicklung einer Schiffsgattung
To date there is no cohesive historical account of the international development of the auxiliary cruiser, and the scattered investigations of various single aspects of this ship category do not add up to a comprehensive survey. These were the circumstances discovered by the author as, upon request of the editor of this publication, he undertook to provide an introduction to the report by Captain Meyer of the only voyage of the "Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" as an auxiliary cruiser (see the following article). The first task was thus to gain an overall impression of this history. "Auxiliary cruisers", as defined here, were passenger steamships kept ready for battle by large shipping companies in countries with significant naval power. These ships were technically equipped for the installation of weapons, and their conversion could be carried out within a few days. The auxiliary cruiser was first to put into service by the Russians, who felt threatened by the British Royal Navy after the Russian-Turkish Balkan War. At that time a newly established shipping company, later called the "Russian Voluntary Fleet", bought three steamships from the Hamburg-America Line and had them converted for combat purposes. By the turn of the century, this originally Russian idea had been adopted by all of the world's Iarge navies . This brief study also touches on the various attempt worldwide to incorporate the legal status of the ship type "auxiliary cruiser" into international public and military law. Because of geopolitically based conflicts of interest between the naval powers, these endeavours were only partially successful. ln conclusion the author examines the auxiliary cruiser concept of the Imperial German Navy, whose goal it was to interfere with and impair the enemy's overseas commerce. The express Iiners originally designated for this purpose, however, were for various reasons inconceivably ill-suited to it. As early as 1915 the German Navy proceeded to commission cargo vessels as auxiliary cruisers, as they were inconspicuous and easier to supply. This was then the mode of operation employed by the navy during World War II
Improving policy coherence for food security and nutrition in South Africa: a qualitative policy analysis
Like most other low and middle-income countries, South Africa must address a rising burden of diet-related chronic disease in a
situation of persistent food insecurity and undernutrition. Supply-side policy interventions are a critical component of action to
address the double burden of malnutrition. However, the food supply is governed by a number of different policy sectors, and
policy incoherence can occur between government action to promote a healthy food supply and objectives for economic
liberalization. We analysed the coherence of food supply policy content with respect to nutrition and food security in South
Africa, and conducted 14 in-depth interviews with 22 public and private sector actors to identify opportunities to improve policy
coherence across sectors governing the food supply. Drawing on Sabatier’s conceptualization of actors as influential in shaping
policy outcomes, we identified three coalitions of actors related to food security and nutrition in South Africa: the dominant
Economic Growth coalition, the Food Security coalition, and the Health coalition. Understanding the frames, beliefs and
resources held by these coalitions offers insights into the policy tensions faced by the Government of South Africa with respect
to the food supply. The analysis indicates that the current reconsideration of economic policy agendas favouring liberalization in
SouthAfrica, including the termination of most bilateral investment treaties, may present an opportunity for increased recognition
of food security and nutrition priorities in food supply policy making. Opportunities to strengthen policy coherence across the
food supply for food security and nutrition include: specific changes to economic policy relating to the food supply that achieve
both food security/nutrition and economic objectives; creating links between producers and consumers, through markets and
fiscal incentives that make healthy / fresh foods more accessible and affordable; increasing formal avenues for engagement by
Civil Society in nutrition and food security policy making; and including consideration of the nutritional quality of the food
supply in policy objectives across sectors, to create a framework for policy coherence across sectors relating to the food supply
Nutritional knowledge as a determinant of vitamin and mineral supplementation during pregnancy
Changing perspectives on the internationalization of R&D and innovation by multinational enterprises: a review of the literature
Internationalization of R&D and innovation by Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) has undergone a gradual and comprehensive change in perspective over the past 50 years. From sporadic works in the late 1950s and in the 1960s, it became a systematically analysed topic in the 1970s, starting with pioneering reports and “foundation texts”. Our review unfolds the theoretical and empirical evolution of the literature from dyadic interpretations of centralization versus decentralization of R&D by MNEs to more comprehensive frameworks, wherein established MNEs from Advanced Economies still play a pivotal role, but new players and places also emerge in the global generation and diffusion of knowledge. Hence views of R&D internationalization increasingly rely on concepts, ideas and methods from IB and other related disciplines such as industrial organization, international economics and economic geography. Two main findings are highlighted. First, scholarly research pays an increasing attention to the network-like characteristics of international R&D activities. Second, different streams of literature have emphasized the role of location- specific factors in R&D internationalization. The increasing emphasis on these aspects has created new research opportunities in some key areas, including inter alia: cross-border knowledge sourcing strategies, changes in the geography of R&D and innovation, and the international fragmentation of production and R&D activities
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