Consumers' willingness-to-pay for organic conversion-grade food: Evidence from five EU countries

In recent years, in overall value, the EU has become a net importer of organic food to supply increasing demand. Financial support for farmers during the conversion period has been made to help expand organic production as this was seen as a barrier to conversion. Meanwhile, farmers have been marketing products produced in this conversion period and labelled as such, the extent to which is described here for the UK, Portugal, Denmark, Ireland and Italy. Consumers' attitudes towards, and willingness-to-pay for, conversion-grade food in these countries is examined. It was found that consumers would be prepared to pay a premium for conversion-grade produce of around half the premium for organic produce with vegetables attracting a higher premium than meat. Finally, the potential of policies for marketing conversion-grade products to encourage more conversion is examined, together with barriers to achieving this. It is concluded that barriers to marketing such products, particularly from retailers, will be formidable. Thus, alternative policies are suggested. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sialyloligosaccharides inhibit cholera toxin binding to the GM1 receptor

It is recognised that cholera toxin (Ctx) is a significant cause of gastrointestinal disease globally, particularly in developing countries where access to uncontaminated drinking water is at a premium. Ctx vaccines are prohibitively expensive and only give short-term protection. Consequently, there is scope for the development of alternative control strategies or prophylactics. This may include the use of oligosaccharides as functional mimics for the cell-surface toxin receptor (GM I). Furthermore, the sialic acid component of epithelial receptors has already been shown to contribute significantly to the adhesion and pathogenesis of Ctx. Here, we demonstrate the total inhibition of Ctx using GM1-competitive ELISA with 25 mg mL(-1) of a commercial preparation of sialyloligosaccharides (SOS). The IC50 value was calculated as 5.21 mg mL(-1). One-hundred percent inhibition was also observed at all concentrations of Ctx-HRP tested with 500 ng mL(-1) GM1-OS. Whilst SOS has much lower affinity for Ctx than GM1-OS, the commercial preparation is impure containing only 33.6% carbohydrate; however, the biantennary nature of SOS appears to give a significant increase in potency over constituent monosaccahride residues. It is proposed that SOS could be used as a conventional food additive, such as in emulsifiers, stabilisers or sweeteners, and are classified as nondigestible oligosaccharides that pass into the small intestine, which is the site of Ctx pathogenesis. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) inhibit Vibrio cholerae toxin binding to its GM1 receptor

It is widely reported that cholera toxin (Ctx) remains a significant cause of gastrointestinal disease globally, particularly in developing countries where access to clean drinking water is at a premium. Vaccines are prohibitively expensive and have shown only short-term protection. Consequently, there is scope for continued development of novel treatment strategies. One example is the use of galactooligosaccharides (GOS) as functional mimics for the cell-surface toxin receptor (GM1). In this study, GOS fractions were fractionated using cation exchange chromatography followed by structural characterization using a combination of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) such that their molecular weight profiles were known. Each profile was correlated against biological activity measured using a competitive inhibitory GM1-linked ELISA. GOS fractions containing > 5% hexasaccharides (DP6) exhibited > 90% binding, with EC50 values between 29.27 and 56.04 mg/mL. Inhibition by GOS DP6, was dose dependent, with an EC50 value of 5.10 mg/mL (5.15 mu M MW of 990 Da). In removing low molecular weight carbohydrates that do possess prebiotic, nutraceutical, and/or biological properties and concentrating GOS DP5 and/or DP6, Ctx antiadhesive activity per unit of (dry) weight was improved. This could be advantageous in the manufacture of pharmaceutical or nutraceutical formulations for the treatment or prevention of an acute or chronic disease associated with or caused by the adhesion and/or uptake of a Ctx or HLT.

Effects of endogenous flour lipids on the quality of semisweet biscuits

Fractionation and reconstitution techniques were used to study the contribution of enclogenous flour lipids to the quality of semisweet (Rich Tea-type) biscuits. Biscuit flour was defatted with chloroform and baked with bakery fat but without enclogenous lipid addition. Semisweet biscuits baked from defatted flour were flatter, denser, and harder and showed collapse of gas cells during baking when compared with control biscuits. Defatted flour semisweet doughs exhibited a different rheological behavior from the control samples showing higher storage and loss moduli (G' and G" values), that is, high viscoelasticity. Functionality was restored when total nonstarch flour lipids were added back to defatted flour. Both the polar and nonpolar lipid fractions had positive effects in restoring flour quality, but the polar lipid fraction was of greatest benefit. Both fractions were needed for complete restoration of both biscuit quality and dough rheological characteristics.

Ingestion of quercetin inhibits platelet aggregation and essential components of the collagen-stimulated platelet activation pathway in humans

Background: Quercetin, a flavonoid present in the human diet, which is found in high levels in onions, apples, tea and wine, has been shown previously to inhibit platelet aggregation and signaling in vitro. Consequently, it has been proposed that quercetin may contribute to the protective effects against cardiovascular disease of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. Objectives: A pilot human dietary intervention study was designed to investigate the relationship between the ingestion of dietary quercetin and platelet function. Methods: Human subjects ingested either 150 mg or 300 mg quercetin-4'-O-beta-D-glucoside Supplement to determine the systemic availability of quercetin. Platelets were isolated from subjects to analyse collagen-stimulated cell signaling and aggregation. Results: Plasma quercetin concentrations peaked at 4.66 mum (+/-0.77) and 9.72mum (+/-1.38) 30min after ingestion of 150-mg and 300-mg doses of quercefin-4'-O-beta-D-glucoside, respectively, demonstrating that quercetin was bioavailable, with plasma concentrations attained in the range known to affect platelet function in vitro. Platelet aggregation was inhibited 30 and 120 min after ingestion of both doses of quercetin-4'-O-beta-D-glucoside. Correspondingly, collagen-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of total platelet proteins was inhibited. This was accorripanied by reduced tyrosine phosphorylation of the tyrosine kinase Syk and phospholipase Cgamma2, components of the platelet glycoprotein VI collagen receptor signaling pathway. Conclusions: This study provides new evidence of the relatively high systemic availability of quercetin in the form of quercetin-4'-O-beta-D-glucoside by supplementation, and implicates quercetin as a dietary inhibitor of platelet cell signaling and thrombus formation.

Influence of habitual diet on antioxidant status: a study in a population of vegetarians and omnivores

Background: Antioxidant status can be used as a biomarker to assess chronic disease risk and diet can modulate antioxidant defence. Objective: To examine effects of vegetarian diet and variations in the habitual intakes of foods and nutrients on blood antioxidants. Subjects and Setting: Thirty-one vegetarians (including six vegans) and 58 omnivores, non-smokers, in Northern Ireland. Design: A diet history method was used to assess habitual diet. Antioxidant vitamins, carotenoids, uric acid, zinc-and ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) were measured in fasting plasma and activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase ( SOD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) and level of reduced glutathione (GSH) were measured in erythrocytes. Results: Vegetarians had approximately 15% higher levels of plasma carotenoids compared with omnivores, including lutein (P <= 0.05), a-cryptoxanthin (P <= 0.05), lycopene (NS), alpha-carotene (NS) and beta-carotene (NS). The levels/activities of all other antioxidants measured were similar between vegetarians and omnivores. Total intake of fruits, vegetables and fruit juices was positively associated with plasma levels of several carotenoids and vitamin C. Intake of vegetables was positively associated with plasma lutein, alpha-cryptoxanthin, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, whereas intake of fruits was positively associated with plasma beta-cryptoxanthin. Intake of tea and wine was positively associated with FRAP value, whereas intake of herbal tea associated positively with plasma vitamin C. Intakes of meat and fish were positively associated with plasma uric acid and FRAP value. Conclusions: The overall antioxidant status was similar between vegetarians and omnivores. Good correlations were found between intakes of carotenoids and their respective status in blood.

An investigation and comparison of the bioactivity of selected essential oils on human lice and house dust mites

The insecticidal potency of some essential oils suggests that they may find an application in the control of house dust mites, but current in vitro assays for mites do not appear to give consistent results. A simple, novel, mite chamber assay was therefore developed to carry out testing. Different species of insects are susceptible to different essential oil components, so we compared the relative acaricidal and pediculicidal activity of three essential oils: tea tree, lavender and lemon, because the activity of their constituents on lice ranges from highly active to virtually inactive. The most effective essential oil against both lice and mites was tea tree oil; lavender was the second most effective, and lemon oil the least, although it did show activity against mites, unlike lice. The assay proved simple and effective and gave reproducible results. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The medicinal use of essential oils and their components for treating lice and mite infestations

Recent studies have demonstrated that essential oils, and in particular, pennyroyal, tea tree and anise, have potent insecticidal and acaricidal (mite-killing) activity. The individual components of essential oils are now being investigated in order to give a rational basis to discover which essential oils may prove to be the most effective all-round agents for killing headlice and their eggs, and treating scabies, and for eliminating house dust mites, a major cause of asthma.

Attention processes in children with movement difficulties, reading difficulties or both

Reading difficulties (RD) and movement difficulties (MD) co-occur more often in clinical populations than expected for independent disorders. In this study, we investigated the pattern of association between attentional processes, RD and MD in a population of 9 year old school children. Children were screened to identify index groups with RD, MD or both, plus a control group. These groups were then tested on a battery of cognitive attention assessments (TEA-Ch). Results confirmed that the occurrence of RD and MD was greater than would be predicted for independent disorders. Additionally, children with MD, whether or not combined with RD, had poor performance on all attention measures when compared with typically developing children. Children with RD only, were no poorer on measures of attention than typical children. The results are discussed with respect to approaches proposed to account for the co-occurrence of disorders.

What is networked robotics?

Networked Robotics is an area that straddles robotics and network technology. A robot system controlled via the WWW exploits the Internet network and hence is one realisation of networked robotics. A set of field robots that exploit wireless networks to share and distribute tasks might also be considered an exemplar of networked robotics. But isn't this just an exemplar of distributed robotics? And if so, what does networked robotics bring to the 'robotics' table? These are questions and issues addressed in this paper. The paper will propose that networks are at once both enabling and constraining to robotics. They enlarge the scope of the robotics discipline yet introduce challenges that must be overcome if that potential is to be fully realized. In short, when the network becomes a design issue - normally when performance of the system is at a premium - networked robotics is at play.

Health and safety on construction sites in Ghana

The state of health and safety on construction sites in Ghana was investigated using first hand observation of fourteen (14) construction project sites in 2009 and 2010. At each site, the construction project, workers and the physical environment of the site were inspected and evaluated against health and safety indicators taken from the literature. The results reveal a poor state of health and safety on Ghanaian construction sites. The primary reasons are a lack of strong institutional framework for governing construction activities and poor enforcement of health and safety policies and procedures. Also, Ghanaian society does not place a high premium on health and safety of construction workers on site. Interviews with workers indicated that injuries and accidents are common on sites. However, compensation for injury is often at the discretion of the contractor although collective bargaining agreements between Labour unions and employers prescribe obligations for the contractor in the event of injury to a worker.

Green noise or green value? Measuring the effects of environmental certification on office values

This study investigates the price effects of environmental certification on commercial real estate assets. It is argued that there are likely to be three main drivers of price differences between certified and noncertified buildings. These are additional occupier benefits, lower holding costs for investors and a lower risk premium. Drawing upon the CoStar database of U.S. commercial real estate assets, hedonic regression analysis is used to measure the effect of certification on both rent and price. The results suggest that, compared to buildings in the same submarkets, eco-certified buildings have both a rental and sale price premium.

Antioxidant activity of selected phenols and herbs used in diets for medical conditions.

The antioxidant capacity of some herbs used in dietology practice was determined by the DPPH free radical method, which was calibrated with ascorbic acid. Partially hydrophilic phenolic compounds are the most active compounds in plants, and therefore water was used as the extraction agent. Besides antioxidant capacity, the content of total phenolic compounds was also measured and a strong correlation between these two variables was found. The extracts of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.), peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.), oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), Greek oregano (Origanum heracleoticum L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and winter savory (Satureja montana L.) showed very significant activity. It was comparable with the activity of green tea in the case of oregano and peppermint. Lower activity was observed in the case of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), marjoram (Majorana hortensis), hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.), sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum), and lovage (Levisticum officinale Koch.). The inhibitory activity of the herb extracts was monitored also during the autooxidation of lard. Very high antioxidant capacity was observed mainly in sage samples, but also in marjoram and Greek oregano. The extracts of peppermint, oregano, rosemary, winter savory, lemon balm and hyssop showed middle activity comparable to that of alpha-tocopherol. The antioxidant capacity of sweet basil and lovage was insignificant.

On the regulation of spatial externalities: coexistence between GM and conventional crops in the EU and the 'newcomer principle'

Pollen-mediated gene flow is one of the main concerns associated with the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops. Should a premium for non-GM varieties emerge on the market, ‘contamination’ by GM pollen would generate a revenue loss for growers of non-GM varieties. This paper analyses the problem of pollen-mediated gene flow as a particular type of production externality. The model, although simple, provides useful insights into coexistence policies. Following on from this and taking GM herbicide-tolerant oilseed rape (Brassica napus) as a model crop, a Monte Carlo simulation is used to generate data and then estimate the effect of several important policy variables (including width of buffer zones and spatial aggregation) on the magnitude of the externality associated with pollen-mediated gene flow.

The long-term price-earnings ratio

price-earnings ratio;value premium;arbitrage trading rule;UK stock returns;contrarian investment Abstract:  The price-earnings effect has been thoroughly documented and is the subject of numerous academic studies. However, in existing research it has almost exclusively been calculated on the basis of the previous year's earnings. We show that the power of the effect has until now been seriously underestimated due to taking too short-term a view of earnings. Looking at all UK companies since 1975, using the traditional P/E ratio we find the difference in average annual returns between the value and glamour deciles to be 6%. This is similar to other authors' findings. We are able to almost double the value premium by calculating the P/E ratio using earnings averaged over the previous eight years.