Comparison of Cholesterol Lowering Diets: Apple, Casein Cytochrom P450 protein and Cholesterol 7α Hydroxylase Activities in Hamsters

Lithogenic diet, casein and apple fiber diets were fed to hamsters for 3-5 weeks. For control group, animals were fed on normal Purina chow without any supplement. The cholesterol lowering effect of lithogenic diet, casein and apple diets were compared. After dietary regimen, animals were screened for any gall stone formation. The isolated liver microsomes were separated from animals and tested for the cholesterol-7α Hydroxylase (CH) enzyme activity measurement in all three groups. The control animals did not show any gall stone formation and their CH enzyme activities were normal. The lithogenic diet showed significantly enhanced CH enzyme activities while animals fed on casein and apple diet regimen showed moderate increase in microsomal CH enzyme activity indicated cholesterol lowering in liver. In conclusion, cholesterol 7α hydroxylase may be a biomarker of cholesterol status in the body and microsomal CH enzyme may be lowered down after treatment of casein and apple diets

Predicting utility under satiation and habituation

We introduce a modification of the discounted utility model that accounts for both habituation and satiation in intertemporal choice. Habituation level and satiation level are state variables that induce changes in preferences as those states vary. We examine several properties of our model, discuss willingness to pay for an additional unit of consumption, and characterize the optimal consumption path. Predicted utility under projection bias and narrow bracketing is compared to actual realized utility. We argue that projection bias and narrow bracketing successfully explain the hedonic treadmill in the research area of happiness and life satisfaction.Time preference; discounted utility; habituation; satiation; local substitution; well-being; life satisfaction;

Examining the Nonlinear Effects in Satisfaction-Loyalty-Behavioral Intentions Model

Extant research has widely investigated linear functional forms in satisfaction and loyalty models. Though complex nonlinear nature of satisfaction loyalty link is suggested by several researchers, few attempts have been made to empirically examine nonlinearity. Moreover, researchers have used divergent functional forms to model nonlinearity and their findings are often inconclusive. In this study we use nonlinear form to describe the relationship between satisfaction, attitudinal loyalty, purchase loyalty and customer behavioral intentions such as willingness to pay more and external and internal complaining responses in the context of business-to-consumer ecommerce. We find modest empirical support for nonlinear effects in the relationship. Results support nonlinearity only in the case of attitudinal loyalty to internal complaining response link. Results also present evidence about the mediating role of attitudinal loyalty in the relationship between satisfaction, purchase loyalty, willingness to pay more and internal complaining responses.

Does more money buy you more happiness?

Why do we believe that more money will buy us more happiness (when in fact it does not)? In this paper, we propose a model to explain this puzzle. The model incorporates both adaptation and social comparison. A rational person who fully accounts for the dynamics of these factors would indeed buy more happiness with money. We argue that projection bias, that is, the tendency to project into the future our current reference levels, precludes subjects from correctly calculating the utility obtained from consumption. Projection bias has two effects. First, it makes people overrate the happiness that they will obtain from money. Second, it makes people misallocate the consumption budget by consuming too much at the beginning of the planning horizon, or consuming too much of adaptive goods.Happiness; Life Satisfaction; Social Comparison; Consumer Life-Cycle Planning; Projection Bias;