DO HEALTH CLAIMS MATTER FOR CONSUMER PREFERENCE ON TEA BEVERAGE? EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE FROM TAIWAN

This paper aims to identify consumer preference for tea drinking products in Taiwan by applying conjoint analysis and investigate whether health claims as attributes would influence consumer’s choice behavior. From 1 July to 31 August 2005, 620 consumers of tea drinking products participated in the choice-based conjoint experiment, which conducted in the city of Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung in Taiwan. The data were collected in supermarket using questionnaire for personal interviews. Overall, the estimated individual models fit the data well using Conditional Logit Model. Regarding the result of “Original Tea”, consumer’s order ranking of tea category is green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. The most importance on the standard that health claims have positive influence on higher likelihood of purchasing tea drinks. In addition, consumer prefers to tea drinks with Catechins, processing technology using cold extraction, and paper package. However, it could be seen that as the price increases the utility for the consumer decreases. Also, we report the negative relationship between price and purchasing intention. It is found that respondents preferred to tea drinking products with health claims. This result stands for consumer’s concern on their health status by intaking additives like Catechins. Our results also suggest that respondents prefer that tea drinks include less sugar that implies that the product is produced “light”.Tea Drinking Products, Consumer Preference, Health Claims, Conjoint Analysis, Conditional Logit Model, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Health Economics and Policy,

Smart partition system – A room level support system for integrating smart technologies into existing buildings

AbstractWe proposed a support system called the “Smart Partition System” for infill elements that integrate smart technologies according to the Open Building principles. The design requirements were collected from design practitioners. These design requirements consisted of both architectural and information subsystems. The Smart Partition System was composed of the following multiple levels of smartness: the foundation/core level with an embedded design knowledge in the support system and the utility level with a modular infill that integrate smart technologies. We constructed functional prototypes to demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed support system and some of the possibilities of the smart infill elements. Furthermore, the prototypes were evaluated by design practitioners. We compared our approach with current practices of smart building developments, and we also discussed some future prospects

Mutations in the PKM2 exon-10 region are associated with reduced allostery and increased nuclear translocation.

PKM2 is a key metabolic enzyme central to glucose metabolism and energy expenditure. Multiple stimuli regulate PKM2's activity through allosteric modulation and post-translational modifications. Furthermore, PKM2 can partner with KDM8, an oncogenic demethylase and enter the nucleus to serve as a HIF1α co-activator. Yet, the mechanistic basis of the exon-10 region in allosteric regulation and nuclear translocation remains unclear. Here, we determined the crystal structures and kinetic coupling constants of exon-10 tumor-related mutants (H391Y and R399E), showing altered structural plasticity and reduced allostery. Immunoprecipitation analysis revealed increased interaction with KDM8 for H391Y, R399E, and G415R. We also found a higher degree of HIF1α-mediated transactivation activity, particularly in the presence of KDM8. Furthermore, overexpression of PKM2 mutants significantly elevated cell growth and migration. Together, PKM2 exon-10 mutations lead to structure-allostery alterations and increased nuclear functions mediated by KDM8 in breast cancer cells. Targeting the PKM2-KDM8 complex may provide a potential therapeutic intervention

Hepatocellular carcinoma detected by regular surveillance: Does timely confirmation of diagnosis matter?

AbstractBackgroundAlthough current guidelines recommended surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma, prognosis in patients undergoing enhanced follow-up has yet to be evaluated.AimsExamine outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed during enhanced follow-up.MethodsDuring 2010–2012, 194 patients underwent ultrasonography surveillance were diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma and divided into: (A) immediate diagnosis (N=105, 54.1%) after positive ultrasonography, (B) enhanced follow-up: (N=38, 19.6%) for initial negative recall procedures, (C) late call back: (N=28, 14.4%) recall procedures were deferred after positive ultrasonography, and (D) beyond ultrasonography: (N=23, 11.9%) surveillance ultrasonography had been negative.ResultsMedian time from positive ultrasonography to confirmation of hepatocellular carcinoma were 9.5 months (2–67) in the Group B and 6.5 months (3–44) in the Group C. Stage distribution and 3-year survival rates were similar amongst all Groups. Surveillance intervals longer than 6 months were associated with the non-curative stage (3.7% vs. 12.5%, p=0.04). Nine (4.6%) patients underwent surveillance were diagnosed as Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer stage C.ConclusionEnhanced follow-up by current guidelines is appropriate that treatment can be deferred until a definite diagnosis. Despite optimal surveillance interval and recall policies, few non-curative stage diagnoses seemed inevitable under current standard of care

Increased oral lichen planus in a chronic hepatitis patient associated with elevated transaminase levels before and after interferon/ribavirin therapy

Background/purposeOral lichen planus (OLP) is the most frequent oral lesion found in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of OLP among chronic hepatitis C patients, to clarify the role of HCV in the pathogenesis of OLP, and to assess its relationship to transaminase levels.Materials and methodsTwo groups of subjects were studied; 277 hepatitis C patients were examined for OLP (Group 1) and 5273 outpatients seeking dental care within 1 year were used as a control (Group 2) to determine the prevalence of OLP in the general population. The dental and hepatic records were collected and analyzed.ResultsThe prevalences of OLP were 4.7% (n = 13) in Group 1 and 2.0% (n = 104) in Group 2 and significantly differed (P = 0.002). All 13 OLP cases occurred in hepatitis C patients who had experienced elevated alanine transaminase levels of > 80 IU/L within the 2 previous years, regardless of whether they were treated with interferon-ribavirin combination therapy or not. There was a strong association between elevated transaminase levels and the development of HCV-related OLP lesions (P = 0.014). Of the 13 OLP patients, two were in the group with a sustained virologic response (SVR) to HCV therapy, two were in the group without an SVR, and nine were in the non-therapy group. The incidence of OLP in hepatitis C patients did not significantly differ between those who showed an SVR to HCV therapy and those who did not respond or did not receive therapy (P = 0.560).ConclusionWe concluded that: (1) elevation of transaminase levels is associated with the detection of HCV-related OLP, and (2) HCV-related OLP can remain unchanged for years after an SVR to HCV therapy. The findings revealed that the role of HCV in OLP pathogenesis is due to host factors induced by HCV rather than a direct cytopathic effect of HCV

Atmospheric circulation and cyclone frequency variations linked to the primary modes of Greenland snow accumulation

Data from 34 Greenland firn cores, extending from 1982 to 1996, are used to identify spatial accumulation variability patterns and their associated atmospheric circulation and cyclone frequencies. The first principal component, representing west-central Greenland accumulation, is correlated to NAO variability, having increased southwesterly (northeasterly) flow over that area during high (low) accumulation winters. The flow is linked to a relative increase in cyclone activity on the west central region of the ice sheet during high accumulation periods. The second principal component represents accumulation over southeastern Greenland where strong westerly flow leads to high accumulation and an increase in lee cyclones on the east and southeast coast. The study provides evidence that increased cyclone activity occurs over, or immediately adjacent to, areas experiencing anomalously high accumulation and it is important to distinguish lee cyclones from ‘‘Icelandic’’ cyclones, as they produce opposite precipitation effects over the ice sheet