Actual and potential development of consumer demand on the organic food market in Europe

AbstractDevelopment of demand for organic foods on three European markets (Denmark, Italy and UK) was investigated by means of quantitative analysis of household panel data and qualitative analysis of consumer life stories and shopping patterns. Potential development was investigated by means of scenario analysis undertaken by experts. Considerable differences between households underlay patterns of increasing aggregate demand at national levels, and fluctuations over time were identified at the household level. Interest in purchasing organic products on a regular basis and actual changes in shopping practices did not proceed apace. Limited availability has constituted a major barrier to increasing demand among ‘regular’ users. Demand on the part of ‘occasional’ users reflected a wider range of barriers, including lack of interest in and knowledge about production and processing and lack of trust in stakeholders and certification procedures. A likely scenario for future demand is that of continued stable expansion, dependent upon whether increasing input costs will favour organic production, whether the relative gap between organic and conventional food prices becomes smaller, whether organic products will be distributed more widely on national markets, and whether support for research and conversion of organic production systems on the part of public authorities is enhanced

Cervical Ectopic Pregnancy

[West J Emerg Med. 2012;13(1):125–126.

Evolution of the Corticotropin-releasing Hormone Signaling System and Its Role in Stress-induced Phenotypic Plasticity

Developing animals respond in variation in their habitats by altering their rules of development and/or their morphologies (i.e., they exhibit phenotypic plasticity). In vertebrates, one mechanism by which plasticity is expressed is through activation of the neuroendocrine system, which transduces environmental information into a physiological response. Recent findings of ours with amphibians and of others with mammals show that the primary vertebrate stress neuropeptide, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), is essential for adaptive developmental responses to environmental stress. For instance, CRH-dependent mechanisms cause accelerated metamorphosis in response to pond-drying in some amphibian species, and intrauterine fetal stress syndromes in humans precipitate preterm birth. CRH may be a phylogenetically ancient developmental signaling molecule that allows developing organisms to escape deleterious changes in their larval/fetal habitat. The response to CRH is mediated by at least two different receptor subtypes and may also be modulated by a secreted binding protein.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73287/1/j.1749-6632.1999.tb07877.x.pd

Selfish Mitochondrial DNA Proliferates and Diversifies in Small, but not Large, Experimental Populations of Caenorhabditis briggsae

Evolutionary interactions across levels of biological organization contribute to a variety of fundamental processes including genome evolution, reproductive mode transitions, species diversification, and extinction. Evolutionary theory predicts that so-called “selfish” genetic elements will proliferate when the host effective population size (Ne) is small, but direct tests of this prediction remain few. We analyzed the evolutionary dynamics of deletion-containing mitochondrial DNA (ΔmtDNA) molecules, previously characterized as selfish elements, in six different natural strains of the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae allowed to undergo experimental evolution in a range of population sizes (N = 1, 10, 100, and 1,000) for a maximum of 50 generations. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was analyzed for replicate lineages at each five-generation time point. Ten different ΔmtDNA molecule types were observed and characterized across generations in the experimental populations. Consistent with predictions from evolutionary theory, lab lines evolved in small-population sizes (e.g., nematode N = 1) were more susceptible to accumulation of high levels of preexisting mtDNA compared with those evolved in larger populations. New ΔmtDNA elements were observed to increase in frequency and persist across time points, but almost exclusively at small population sizes. In some cases, mtDNA levels decreased across generations when population size was large (nematode N = 1,000). Different natural strains of C. briggsae varied in their susceptibilities to mtDNA accumulation, owing in part to preexisting compensatory mtDNA alleles in some strains that prevent deletion formation. This analysis directly demonstrates that the evolutionary trajectories of ΔmtDNA elements depend upon the population-genetic environments and molecular-genetic features of their hosts

The worm in the world and the world in the worm

Caenorhabditis elegans is a preeminent model organism, but the natural ecology of this nematode has been elusive. A four-year survey of French orchards published in BMC Biology reveals thriving populations of C. elegans (and Caenorhabditis briggsae) in rotting fruit and plant stems. Rather than being simply a 'soil nematode', C. elegans appears to be a 'plant-rot nematode'. These studies signal a growing interest in the integrated genomics and ecology of these tractable animals

Women candidates and councillors in Scottish local government, 1974-2012

While significant attention has been paid to the levels of representation of women in both the Westminster Parliament and the Scottish Parliament, much less considered has been given to the position within local government. This article addresses that deficit for Scotland. It shows that for twenty-five years following the reorganisation of local government in Scotland in 1974 there was a slow but relatively steady increase in the numbers of female candidates and councillors, although more recently this appears to have since plateaued somewhat, together with a similar increase in the number of women councillors taking up more senior roles in Scotland’s councils. The article analyses the representation of women in Scottish local government over the period from 1974 to 2012 against the backdrop of significant change in Scotland, including a further restructuring of local government and the introduction of the Single Transferable Vote for council elections, the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the rise of the SNP and the decline of the Conservative Party