Effect of Information about benefits of biotechnology on consumer acceptance of genetically modified food; evidence from experimental auctions in the United States, England, and France

This study investigates the effect of information about potential benefits of biotechnology on consumer acceptance of genetically modified (GM) foods. Consumer willingness to accept compensation to consume a GM food was elicited using an incentive compatible auction mechanism in three US states (California, Florida, and Texas) and in two European countries (England and France). Results indicate that information on environmental benefits, health benefits and benefits to the third world significantly decreased the amount of money consumers demanded to consume GM food; however, the effect of information varied by type of information and location. Consistent with prior research, we find that initial attitudes toward biotechnology have a significant effect on how individuals responded to new information.

Alternative approaches to predicting methane emissions from dairy cows

Previous attempts to apply statistical models, which correlate nutrient intake with methane production, have been of limited. value where predictions are obtained for nutrient intakes and diet types outside those. used in model construction. Dynamic mechanistic models have proved more suitable for extrapolation, but they remain computationally expensive and are not applied easily in practical situations. The first objective of this research focused on employing conventional techniques to generate statistical models of methane production appropriate to United Kingdom dairy systems. The second objective was to evaluate these models and a model published previously using both United Kingdom and North American data sets. Thirdly, nonlinear models were considered as alternatives to the conventional linear regressions. The United Kingdom calorimetry data used to construct the linear models also were used to develop the three. nonlinear alternatives that were ball of modified Mitscherlich (monomolecular) form. Of the linear models tested,, an equation from the literature proved most reliable across the full range of evaluation data (root mean square prediction error = 21.3%). However, the Mitscherlich models demonstrated the greatest degree of adaptability across diet types and intake level. The most successful model for simulating the independent data was a modified Mitscherlich equation with the steepness parameter set to represent dietary starch-to-ADF ratio (root mean square prediction error = 20.6%). However, when such data were unavailable, simpler Mitscherlich forms relating dry matter or metabolizable energy intake to methane production remained better alternatives relative to their linear counterparts.

The role of food standards in international trade: evidence from Brazilian beef exports to the EU market

The study reviews the literature on global chain governance and food standards to allow for an assessment of Brazilian beef exports to the European Union. The empirical approach employed is based on company case studies. The results suggest that the Brazilian beef chain has little choice but to adapt to market changes as standards evolve. Costs of compliance for meeting international food standards reduce Brazil's comparative advantage. At the same time, changes in the nature of demand have created the need for a more integrated supply chain in order to enhance confidence in Brazil's beef production and processing abroad.

Trust and governance of global value chains: The case of a Brazilian beef processor

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to offer an exploratory case study comparing one Brazilian beef processor's relationships supplying two different distribution channels, an EU importer and an EU retail chain operating in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach - The paper begins with a short review of global value chains and the recent literature on trust. It gives the background to the Brazilian beef chain and presents data obtained through in-depth interviews, annual reports and direct observation with the Brazilian beef processor, the EU importer and the retailer. The interviews were conducted with individual firms, but the analysis places them in a chain context, identifying the links and relationships between the agents of the chains and aiming to describe each distribution channel. Findings - Executive chain governance exercised by the domestic retailer stimulates technical upgrading and transferring of best practices to local. suppliers. Consequently, this kind of relationship results in more trust within the global value chain. Practical implications - There are difficulties and challenges facing this Brazilian beef processor that are party related to the need to comply with increasingly complex and demanding food safety and food quality standards. There is still a gap between practices adopted for the export market and practices adopted locally. The strategies of transnational retailers in offering differentiated beef should be taken in account. Originality/value - The research outlines an interdisciplinary framework able to explain chain relationships and the kind of trust that emerges in relationships between EU importer/retail and a developing country supplier.

Do all tannins have similar nutritional effects? A comparison of three Brazilian fodder legumes

Three tropical legumes, namely Leucaena leucocephala, Sesbania sesban and Cajanus cajan, were subjected to chemical analysis plus in vitro, in situ and in vivo evaluations. Three different assays were used to determine total tannins: adsorption to polyvinyl pyrrolidine (PVPP-tannins), radial diffusion (RD-tannins) and protein precipitation capacity (BSA-tannins). Total phenols, total tannins and condensed tannins were highest for Sesbania. RD-tannins were correlated with total phenols (r(2) = 0.93), PVPP-tannins (r(2) = 0.92) and condensed tannins (r(2) = 0.99). The protein precipitation capacity of Sesbania, Leucaena and Cajanus were 25.9, 6.13 and 4.05 mu g BSA/g DM, respectively. Gas production at 24h was negatively correlated with total phenols (r(2) = 0.99), PVPP-tannins (r(2) = 0.99) and condensed tannins (r(2) = 0.91). The RD-, PVPP-tannins and the response to polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the gas production assay appeared to be useful as a first screen for tannins. In situ degradability did not reflect any adverse effects of tannins. However, in vivo experiments showed that the apparent DM digestibility of Sesbania and Leucaena was lower than the basal diet. The apparent protein digestibility was lower for all legumes compared to the basal diet. Most treatments caused a negative nitrogen balance. The problems associated with browse feeding were not only related to tannin contents, other factors such as inherently poor digestibility and low energy intake may also have lead to the poor animal performance on these diets. We propose, given the limitations of current tannin assays, that it is not possible to predict beneficial or harmful nutritional effects from total tannin concentrations per se. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of drying and urea treatment on nutritional and anti-nutritional components of browses collected during wet and dry seasons

Fibre, crude protein and tannin concentrations were measured in browse species from the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil during the dry and wet seasons. The effects of oven-, sun- and shade-drying and of urea treatment were also determined. Crude protein (CP) content varied from 103 to 161 g/kg dry matter (DM) and the browses had similar CP content in the two seasons (during 2002) (102-161 and 107-153 g/kg DM in the wet and dry seasons, respectively). Total tannin concentrations ranged from 13 to 201 g/kg DM amongst the browses and were higher in the dry season. A 30-d treatment with urea reduced extractable tannins significantly (P < 0.05). The urea treatment was also most effective at reducing the in vitro effects of tannins compared to the other drying treatments. This was demonstrated by measuring the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on gas production. Addition of PEG increased gas production of oven- (81.4%), sun- (78.5%) and shade-dried (76.7%) samples much more compared to urea treated samples (10.9%). (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Functional benefits of predator species diversity depend on prey identity

1. Determining the functional significance of species diversity in natural enemy assemblages is a key step towards prediction of the likely impact of biodiversity loss on natural pest control processes. While the biological control literature contains examples in which increased natural enemy diversity hinders pest control, other studies have highlighted mechanisms where pest suppression is promoted by increased enemy diversity. 2. This study aimed to test whether increased predator species diversity results in higher rates of predation on two key, but contrasting, insect pest species commonly found in the rice ecosystems of south-east Asia. 3. Glasshouse experiments were undertaken in which four life stages of a planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) and a moth (Marasmia patnalis) were caged with single or three-species combinations of generalist predators. 4. Generally, predation rates of the three-species assemblages exceeded expectation when attacking M. patnalis, but not when attacking N. lugens. In addition, a positive effect of increased predator species richness on overall predation rate was found with M. patnalis but not with N. lugens. 5. The results are consistent with theoretical predictions that morphological and behavioural differentiation among prey life stages promotes functional complementarity among predator species. This indicates that emergent species diversity effects in natural enemy assemblages are context dependent; they depend not only on the characteristics of the predators species, but on the identity of the species on which they prey.

Rapid model quality assessment for protein structure predictions using the comparison of multiple models without structural alignments

MOTIVATION: The accurate prediction of the quality of 3D models is a key component of successful protein tertiary structure prediction methods. Currently, clustering or consensus based Model Quality Assessment Programs (MQAPs) are the most accurate methods for predicting 3D model quality; however they are often CPU intensive as they carry out multiple structural alignments in order to compare numerous models. In this study, we describe ModFOLDclustQ - a novel MQAP that compares 3D models of proteins without the need for CPU intensive structural alignments by utilising the Q measure for model comparisons. The ModFOLDclustQ method is benchmarked against the top established methods in terms of both accuracy and speed. In addition, the ModFOLDclustQ scores are combined with those from our older ModFOLDclust method to form a new method, ModFOLDclust2, that aims to provide increased prediction accuracy with negligible computational overhead. RESULTS: The ModFOLDclustQ method is competitive with leading clustering based MQAPs for the prediction of global model quality, yet it is up to 150 times faster than the previous version of the ModFOLDclust method at comparing models of small proteins (<60 residues) and over 5 times faster at comparing models of large proteins (>800 residues). Furthermore, a significant improvement in accuracy can be gained over the previous clustering based MQAPs by combining the scores from ModFOLDclustQ and ModFOLDclust to form the new ModFOLDclust2 method, with little impact on the overall time taken for each prediction. AVAILABILITY: The ModFOLDclustQ and ModFOLDclust2 methods are available to download from: http://www.reading.ac.uk/bioinf/downloads/ CONTACT: l.j.mcguffin@reading.ac.uk.

Platelet PECAM-1 inhibits thrombus formation in vivo

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) is a cell surface glycoprotein receptor expressed on a range of blood cells, including platelets, and on vascular endothelial cells. PECAM-1 possesses adhesive and signaling properties, the latter being mediated by immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs present on the cytoplasmic tail of the protein. Recent studies in vitro have demonstrated that PECAM-1 signaling inhibits the aggregation of platelets. In the present study we have used PECAM-1-deficient mice and radiation chimeras to investigate the function of this receptor in the regulation of thrombus formation. Using intravital microscopy and laser-induced injury to cremaster muscle arterioles, we show that thrombi formed in PECAM-1-deficient mice were larger, formed more rapidly than in control mice, and were more stable. Larger thrombi were also formed in control mice that received transplants of PECAM-1-deficient bone marrow, in comparison to mice that received control transplants. A ferric chloride model of thrombosis was used to investigate thrombus formation in carotid arteries. In PECAM-1-deficient mice the time to 75% vessel occlusion was significantly shorter than in control mice. These data provide evidence for the involvement of platelet PECAM-1 in the negative regulation of thrombus formation.

Effects of dredging in Goteborg Harbor, Sweden, assessed by biomarkers in eelpout (Zoarces viviparus)

We used a battery of biomarkers in fish to study the effects of the extensive dredging in Goteborg harbor situated at the river Gota alv estuary, Sweden. Eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) were sampled along a gradient into Goteborg harbor, both before and during the dredging. Biomarker responses in the eelpout before the dredging already indicated that fish in Goteborg harbor are chronically affected by pollutants under normal conditions compared to those in a reference area. However, the results during the dredging activities clearly show that fish were even more affected by remobilized pollutants. Elevated ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activities and cytochrome P4501A levels indicated exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Elevated metallothionein gene expression indicated an increase in metal exposure. An increase in general cell toxicity, measured as a decrease in lysosomal membrane stability, as well as effects on the immune system also could be observed in eelpout sampled during the dredging. The results also suggest that dredging activities in the Gota alv estuary can affect larger parts of the Swedish western coast than originally anticipated. The present study demonstrates that the application of a set of biomarkers is a useful approach in monitoring the impact of anthropogenic activities on aquatic environments.

Approaches to the synthesis of 3-fluoroshikimic acids

Exploitation of the dual dehydrating and fluorodeoxygenating properties of the dialkylaminosulfurtrifluorides has allowed access to the C3-fluorinated analogues of (-)-shikimic acid. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A DFT study of propylene polymerization using neutral salicyladiminato nickel(II) and palladium(II) as catalysts

Propylene polymerization using salicyladiminato metal catalalysts has been studied using density functional theory at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level. In particular, the effects on the reaction mechanisms of changing the metal from Pd(II) to Ni(II) have been investigated. While the reaction mechanisms involving the salicyladiminato Ni(II) catalyst have been found to be similar to those established previously for the salicyladiminato Pd(II) catalyst, the nickel catalyst was found to differentiate the trans-O intermediate from the trans-.N intermediate with an energy difference of 46.63 U mol(-1) significantly more than the palladium catalyst for which the energy difference was calculated as 35.82 kJ mol(-1). The energy difference between the trans-O configuration and the trans-N configuration is decreased significantly when combining a molecule of propylene with the catalyst. For the Ni catalyst, the trans-O isomer is more stable than the trans-N isomer to a greater extent than for Pd, so that the insertion of propylene from 20 is relatively less favoured for Ni than for Pd. It is predicted that the mechanism of isomerization from 20 to 2N through a rotational transition state TS2O2N is more appropriate for the Ni catalyst system. The palladium system shows a larger preference for pi-coordination than its nickel counterpart, although the latter possesses a lower reaction barrier. It was found that the occupation of the trans-O position in the asymmetric salicyladiminato catalyst is also more favored by the alkene as it is by the alkyl so that insertion of the alkene may always start from a particular configuration so that specific products are obtained. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An in vitro assessment of the effects of broad-spectrum antibiotics on the human gut microflora and concomitant isolation of a Lactobacillus plantarum with anti-Candida activities

Chemostat culture was used to determine the effects of the antimicrobial agents tetracycline and nystatin on predominant components of the human gut microflora. Their addition to mixed culture systems caused a non-specific, and variable, decrease in microbial populations, although tetracycline allowed an increase in numbers of yeasts. Both had a profound inhibitory effect upon populations seen as important for gut health (bifidobacteria, lactobacilli). However, a tetracycline resistant Lactobacillus was enriched from the experiments. A combination of genotypic and phenotypic characterisations confirmed its identity as Lactobacillus plantarum. This strain exerted powerful inhibitory effects against Candida albicans. Because of its ability to resist the effects of tetracycline, this organism may be useful as a probiotic for the improved management of yeast related conditions such as thrush and irritable bowel syndrome. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.