How corporate social responsibility influences consumer behavior: An empirical analysis in the Spanish agrifood sector

This study analyzes how corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences consumer behavior in the case of the Spanish agrifood sector. The originality of the study resides in the proposed model that explains that CSR influences perceptions of food safety and health, and quality, and that this perceived quality influences consumer behavior, that is, satisfaction and loyalty. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data from 295 personal interviews; satisfactory results were obtained for all the proposed relationships. Therefore, we suggest that, to achieve consumer loyalty, agrifood companies should orient their strategies toward creating sustainable relationships based on CSR actions. Other academic and management implications are proposed to complete the paper. [EconLit Citations: M14, M310, Q13]

Validation of Immunoassay-Based Tools for the Comprehensive Quantification of Aß40 and Aß42 Peptides in Plasma

Recent advances in neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker assays have provided evidence of a long preclinical stage of Alzheimer''s disease (AD). This period is being increasingly targeted for secondary prevention trials of new therapies. In this context, the interest of a noninvasive, cost-effective amyloid-ß (Aß) blood-based test does not need to be overstated. Nevertheless, a thorough validation of these bioanalytical methods should be performed as a prerequisite for confident interpretation of clinical results. The aim of this study was to validate ELISA sandwich colorimetric ABtest40 and ABtest42 for the quantification of Aß40 and Aß42 in human plasma. The validation parameters assessed included precision, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, recovery, and dilution linearity. ABtest40 and ABtest42 proved to be specific for their target peptide using Aß peptides with sequence similar to the target. Mean relative error in the quantification was found to be below 7.5 for both assays, with high intra-assay, inter-assay, and inter-batch precision (CV <9.0 on average). Sensitivity was assessed by determination of the limit of quantification fulfilling precision and accuracy criteria; it was established at 7.60 pg/ml and 3.60 pg/ml for ABtest40 and ABtest42, respectively. Plasma dilution linearity was demonstrated in PBS; however, dilution in a proprietary formulated buffer significantly increased the recovery of both Aß40 and Aß42 masked by matrix interactions, allowing a more comprehensive assessment of the free and total peptide levels in the plasma. In conclusion, both assays were successfully validated as tools for the quantification Aß40 and Aß42 in plasma

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines around the World: A Comparative Analysis to Update AESAN Scientific Committee Dietary Recommendations

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) include dietary recommendations based on food groups according to the general and accepted nutrition principles and current scientific evidence. Adoption of FBDG contributes to the prevention of malnutrition in all its forms, promotes human health, and reduces environmental impact. The present review aims to perform an international comparative analysis of the FBDG adopted in different countries from three different continents (America, Asia, and Europe), with particular reference to the Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AESAN, Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición) Scientific Committee dietary recommendations. A total of twelve countries with the most updated FBDG and/or closest to the traditional and cultural preferences of Spain were finally selected. All the reviewed FBDG provided recommendations for fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, nuts, milk and dairy products, meat and derivatives, fish, eggs, water, and oil; however, remarkable differences regarding recommended amounts were found among countries

A high-gradient test of a 30 GHz copper accelerating structure

The CLIC study is investigating a number of different materials at different frequencies in order to find ways to increase achievable accelerating gradient and to understand what are the important parameters for high-gradient operation. So far a series of rf tests have been made with a set of identical-geometry 30 GHz and X-band structures in copper, tungsten and molybdenum. A new test of a 30 GHz copper accelerating structure has been completed in CTF3 with pulse lengths up to 70 ns. The new results are presented and compared to the previous structures to determine dependencies of quantities such accelerating gradient, material, frequency, pulse length, conditioning rate, breakdown rate and surface damage

The Antioxidant Potential of the Mediterranean Diet in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk: An In-Depth Review of the PREDIMED

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of death. Diet is known to be important in the prevention of CVD. The PREDIMED trial tested a relatively low-fat diet versus a high-fat Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) for the primary prevention of CVD. The resulting reduction of the CV composite outcome resulted in a paradigm shift in CV nutrition. Though many dietary factors likely contributed to this effect, this review focuses on the influence of the MedDiet on endogenous antioxidant systems and the effect of dietary polyphenols. Subgroup analysis of the PREDIMED trial revealed increased endogenous antioxidant and decreased pro-oxidant activity in the MedDiet groups. Moreover, higher polyphenol intake was associated with lower incidence of the primary outcome, overall mortality, blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers, onset of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and obesity. This suggests that polyphenols likely contributed to the lower incidence of the primary event in the MedDiet groups. In this article, we summarize the potential benefits of polyphenols found in the MedDiet, specifically the PREDIMED cohort. We also discuss the need for further research to confirm and expand the findings of the PREDIMED in a non-Mediterranean population and to determine the exact mechanisms of action of polyphenols

A High-Gradient Test of a 30 GHz Molybdenum-Iris Structure

The CLIC study is actively investigating a number of different materials in an effort to find ways to increase achievable accelerating gradient. So far a series of rf tests have been made with a set of identical-geometry structures: a W-iris 30 GHz structure, a Mo-iris 30 GHz structure (with pulses as long as 16 ns) and a scaled Mo-iris X-band structure. A second Mo-iris 30 GHz structure of the same geometry has now been tested in CTF3 with pulse lengths up to 350 ns. The structure was conditioned to a gradient of 140 MV/m with a 70 ns pulse length and a breakdown rate slope of 13 MV/m per decade has been measure

Evidence for phenotypic plasticity but not for compensatory horn growth in male Iberian ibex

The description of horn growth patterns is of utmost importance for the sustainable management of wild ungulate populations subjected to intense trophy hunting. This is a topic of renewed interest because horn growth patterns seem to be contingent on region and population. We sampled 2145 male Iberian ibexes (Capra pyrenaica) evenly distributed across the Els Ports de Tortosa i Beseit National Game Reserve, NE Spain. A total of 24,615 annual horn growth segments were measured and used to describe horn growth patterns of male ibexes and to test whether compensatory horn growth occurs in an heterogeneous area. We found that individual heterogeneity explained more than a quarter (27.75%) of the variability in annual segment length and that habitat characteristics foster significant phenotypic differences among male ibexes. Our results corroborate previous studies by demonstrating that compensatory horn growth in male ibexes, as in other members of the tribe Caprini, is inexistent. Our study goes one step further and suggests that compensatory horn growth in male ibexes is neither promoted by cohort effects nor by habitat differences. The absence of compensatory horn growth has important management implications, namely: (i) male ibexes are not able to recover from a bad start, and (ii) the species is prone to evolutionary effects from trophy hunting. We emphasize that the study of just one proxy of horn growth may hamper the current knowledge about compensatory mechanisms in wild ungulates and imperil the development of effective management measures