The acceptance of functional foods in Denmark, Finland and the United States: A study of consumers' conjoint evaluations of the qualities of functional foods and perceptions of general health factors and cultural values.

Functional foods is a relatively new concept covering food products enriched with various kinds of (natural) substances (eg vitamins, minerals or probiotic cultures) or modified so as to provide consumers with an additional physiological benefit presumed to prevent disease or promote health, without them having to change their eating habits fundamentally. 2. Health is one of the most important choice criteria, when consumers purchase food products. The fact that most health consequences of food are long term and therefore inaccessible at the time of purchase, the evaluation has to be based on nutritional information, eg health claims and other more accessible food qualities, eg taste, appearance, and processing method (when disclosed) which consumers may associate with health in one way or another. Consumers’ acceptance of functional foods therefore depends on the health information available as well as on their associations between wholesomeness and other qualities of functional foods. 3. Experience with functional foods introduced so far has disclosed national differences when it comes to consumer acceptance. One explanation may be that legislation on health claims varies across countries; another explanation may be differences in cultural values, which possibly lead to different associations between wholesomeness and other quality aspects, such as taste, convenience and method of processing. 4. Using conjoint analysis and survey questions (n=1500), the aim of the study presented in this paper is to investigate whether there are differences in the acceptance of functional foods in Denmark, Finland and the United States, and to which extent they are related to differences in consumers’ nutritional knowledge, health associations and cultural values. The general results of the study indicate that Finnish consumers accept functional foods more readily than do American and Danish consumers. In all three countries, however, the results also indicate that consumers are more positive towards enrichments with well-known nutritional effects and that the use of health claims, which are restricted by law in all three countries, has a potential, positive effect on the acceptance of functional foods.Consumer behaviour; evaluations; functional food; health factors; cultural values

Quantum Superposition State Production by Continuous Observations and Feedback

We present a protocol for generation of superpositions of states with distinguishable field amplitudes in an optical cavity by quantum nondemolition photon number measurements and coherent feeding of the cavity.Comment: RevTex4, 4 pages, 2 figures. Published in Phys. Rev. Lett. with higher quality figures. The first part of the manuscript, regarding the Fock state generator, has been remove

Pyramidal Atoms: Berylliumlike Hollow States

Based on the idea that four excited electrons arrange themselves around the nucleus in the corners of a pyramid in order to minimize their mutual repulsion, we present an analytical model of quadruply excited states. The model shows excellent comparison with ab initio results and provides a clear physical picture of the intrinsic motion of the four electrons. The model is used to predict configuration-mixing fractions and spectra of these highly correlated states.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Reforming the investment treaty regime: A ‘backward-looking’ approach

- Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) — which allows foreign investors to sue governments through international arbitration — has become increasingly controversial. Reasonable observers disagree about the value and fairness of the mechanism, but ISDS has become politically toxic even in capital-exporting states. - The most important reform effort lies not with future treaties but with those already in place. Even if all newly negotiated investment treaties were improved, or governments stopped negotiating agreements with ISDS provisions altogether, the existing stock of 3,000 investment treaties continues to provide access to ISDS on the same terms as before. - This briefing paper outlines a practical, flexible and low-cost option for catalysing reform of ISDS: plurilateral “interpretative statements,” whereby governments endorse joint statements clarifying and defining their positions on contentious clauses in their existing investment treaties. - The mechanism provides a viable alternative, or complement, to renegotiations and terminations. It should be prioritized within the broader reform discussions in the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). Alternatively, the new U.S. administration could fast-track the initiative by taking the lead through the OECD, possibly together with the U.K

Biogeochemical effects of volcanic degassing on the oxygen-state of the oceans during the Cenomanian/Turonian Anoxic Event 2

ABSTRACT FINAL ID: PP11A-1769 Cretaceous anoxic events may have been triggered by massive volcanic CO2 degassing as large igneous provinces (LIPs) were emplaced on the seafloor. Here, we present a comprehensive modeling study to decipher the marine biogeochemical consequences of enhanced volcanic CO2 emissions. A biogeochemical box model has been developed for transient model runs with time-dependent volcanic CO2 forcing. The box model considers continental weathering processes, marine export production, degradation processes in the water column, the rain of particles to the seafloor, benthic fluxes of dissolved species across the seabed, and burial of particulates in marine sediments. The ocean is represented by twenty-seven boxes. To estimate horizontal and vertical fluxes between boxes, a coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model (AOGCM) is run to derive the circulation patterns of the global ocean under Late Cretaceous boundary conditions. The AOGCM modeling predicts a strong thermohaline circulation and intense ventilation in the Late Cretaceous oceans under high pCO2 values. With an appropriate choice of parameter values such as the continental input of phosphorus, the model produces ocean anoxia at low to mid latitudes and changes in marine δ13C that are consistent with geological data such as the well established δ13C curve. The spread of anoxia is supported by an increase in riverine phosphorus fluxes under high pCO2 and a decrease in phosphorus burial efficiency in marine sediments under low oxygen conditions in ambient bottom waters. Here, we suggest that an additional mechanism might contribute to anoxia, an increase in the C:P ratio of marine plankton which is induced by high pCO2 values. According to our AOGCM model results, an intensively ventilated Cretaceous ocean turns anoxic only if the C:P ratio of marine organic particles exported into the deep ocean is allowed to increase under high pCO2 conditions. Being aware of the uncertainties such as diagenesis, this modeling study implies that potential changes in Redfield ratios might be a strong feedback mechanism to attain ocean anoxia via enhanced CO2 emissions. The formation of C-enriched marine organic matter may also explain the frequent occurrence of global anoxia during other geological periods characterized by high pCO2 values

Neural mechanisms of resistance to peer influence in early adolescence

During the shift from a parent-dependent child to a fully autonomous adult, peers take on a significant role in shaping the adolescent’s behaviour. Peer-derived influences are not always positive, however. Here we explore neural correlates of inter-individual differences in the probability of resisting peer influence in early adolescence. Using functional magnetic-resonance imaging (fMRI), we found striking differences between 10-year old children with high and low resistance to peer influence in their brain activity during observation of angry hand-movements and angry facial expressions: compared with subjects with low resistance to peer influence, individuals with high resistance showed a highly coordinated brain activity in neural systems underlying perception of action and decision making. These findings suggest that the probability of resisting peer influence depends on neural interactions during observation of emotion-laden actions

Consumer perception of food products involving genetic modification: Results from a qualitative study in four Nordic countries

1. The present study addresses consumer acceptance of food products involving the use of different applications of genetic modification in four Nordic countries. Three food products were used as examples: hard cheese, hard candy, and salmon. Three types of applications of genetic modification were investigated: modification of the raw material, use of genetic modification in enzyme production, and direct use of genetically modified microorganisms. In addition, three levels of presence of the genetically modified material in the final product were investigated: not present, present, and present and living/able to function. 2. The results from consumer samples in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are remarkably similar, showing a strong stability in consumer reactions to the use of genetic modification in food production in these four countries. 3. Consumer perception is characterised by a basic dichotomy of GM and non-GM products. Being non-GM is regarded as a major benefit in itself. When a product involves genetic modification, this elicits numerous negative assocations, of which the strongest ones are ‘unhealthy’ and ‘uncertainty.’ 4. The level of presence of the genetically modified material in the final product has a clear impact on consumer acceptance. When the GM material is present and viable/able to function, acceptance is lowest. 5. The type of application of genetic modification has an impact on consumer acceptance as well, but it differs across products. Still, there is a clear tendency that acceptance of salmon products where the salmon itself was genetically modified was lowest among all products tested. 6. The consumer benefits which the application of GM brings about (e.g., improved taste, functional benefits, environmental benefits) are largely perceived, but cannot overcompensate for the negative associations to GM. In some cases, a supposed benefit (e.g., faster growth of salmon, leading to reduced energy costs) was actually perceived as a disadvantage. Benefits combining personal tangible benefits with societal relevance (e.g., a low calorie candy which can be consumed by people suffering from diabetes) may have most positive impact on consumer acceptance.Consumer behaviour; Buying behaviour; Food; Denmark; Norway; Sweden; Finland