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Production Methods (production + methods)
Selected AbstractsUsing Flexible Taste Distributions to Value Collective Reputation for Environmentally Friendly Production MethodsCANADIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2008Riccardo Scarpa In this paper, we investigate consumer preferences for various environmentally friendly production systems for carrots. We use discrete choice multi-attribute stated preference data to explore the effect of the collective reputation of growers from an Alpine valley with an established reputation for its environmentally friendly production: Val di Gresta ,the valley of organic orchards.' Data analysis of the panel of discrete responses identifies unobserved taste heterogeneity for organic, biodynamic, and place of origin along with extra variance associated with experimentally designed alternatives. The assumed parametric taste distributions are each tested using the semi-nonparametric specification proposed by Fosgerau and Bierlaire, while the null of normality cannot be rejected for organic and biodynamic production methods, though it is for the place of origin. The latter is found to be bi-modal, with modes at each side of zero. The use of a flexible taste distribution increases the plausibility of this form of heterogeneity and it appears promising for future applied studies. Dans le présent article, nous avons examiné les préférences des consommateurs quant à divers systèmes de production écologiques de carottes. Nous avons utilisé des données sur les préférences déclarées, la valeur attendue et les choix discrets pour examiner l'effet de la réputation collective de producteurs dans une vallée alpine réputée pour sa production écologique: Val di Gresta, dite la ,vallée des vergers biologiques,. L'analyse des données de panel discrètes a fait ressortir une hétérogénéité inobservable des goûts quant à la culture biologique, la culture biodynamique et le lieu d'origine ainsi qu'une variance supplémentaire liée à des options expérimentalement conçues. Les distributions paramétriques hypothétiques des goûts sont testées à l'aide de la spécification semi-non-paramétique proposée par Fosgerau and Bierlaire (2007), tandis que l'hypothèse nulle de normalité(null of normality) ne peut être rejetée pour les méthodes de production biologique et biodynamique, bien qu'elle le soit pour le lieu d'origine. Cette dernière serait bimodale, avec des modes de chaque côté de zéro. L'utilisation d'une distribution des goûts souple augmente la plausibilité de cette forme d'hétérogénéité et semble prometteuse pour les études appliquées futures. [source] Lancashire, India, and shifting competitive advantage in cotton textiles, 1700,1850: the neglected role of factor prices1ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 2 2009STEPHEN BROADBERRY In the early eighteenth century, wages in Britain were more than four times as high as in India, the world's major exporter of cotton textiles. This induced the adoption of more capital-intensive production methods in Britain and a faster rate of technological progress, so that competitive advantage had begun to shift in Britain's favour by the late eighteenth century. However, the completion of the process was delayed until after the Napoleonic Wars by increasing raw cotton costs, before supply adjusted to the major increase in demand for inputs. [source] How good are the Electrodes we use in PEFC?FUEL CELLS, Issue 3 2004M. Eikerling Abstract Basically, companies and laboratories implement production methods for their electrodes on the basis of experience, technical capabilities and commercial preferences. But how does one know whether they have ended up with the best possible electrode for the components used? What should be the (i) optimal thickness of the catalyst layer? (ii) relative amounts of electronically conducting component (catalyst, with support , if used), electrolyte and pores? (iii) "particle size distributions" in these mesophases? We may be pleased with our MEAs, but could we make them better? The details of excellently working MEA structures are typically not a subject of open discussion, also hardly anyone in the fuel cell business would like to admit that their electrodes could have been made much better. Therefore, we only rarely find (far from systematic) experimental reports on this most important issue. The message of this paper is to illustrate how strongly the MEA morphology could affect the performance and to pave the way for the development of the theory. Full analysis should address the performance at different current densities, which is possible and is partially shown in this paper, but vital trends can be demonstrated on the linear polarization resistance, the signature of electrode performance. The latter is expressed through the minimum number of key parameters characterizing the processes taking place in the MEA. Model expressions of the percolation theory can then be used to approximate the dependence on these parameters. The effects revealed are dramatic. Of course, the corresponding curves will not be reproduced literally in experiments, since these illustrations use crude expressions inspired by the theory of percolation on a regular lattice, whereas the actual mesoscopic architecture of MEA is much more complicated. However, they give us a flavour of reserves that might be released by smart MEA design. [source] MUEBLES RÚSTICOS IN MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATESGEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW, Issue 3 2002Article first published online: 21 APR 2010, JOHN HARNER ABSTRACT. Sales of muebles rústicos, or rustic wooden furniture made in Mexico, have grown rapidly in the United States since 1994. Analysis of the recent rise of the industry tracks manufacturing and marketing methods in major production areas of Mexico. Consumer taste for "authentic" handmade goods of simple design and the vogue of the "Santa Fe" style across the American Southwest mesh with Mexican producers' need to seek foreign markets during an economic crisis. Changing style preferences, along with the furniture's handcrafted appearance, its competitive cost, and the makers' flexible production methods, are reasons for the increased popularity of this folk commodity. [source] Efficiencies of NaOH production methods in a Kraft pulp millINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 15 2009Tobias Richards Abstract There are several processes in a Kraft pulp mill where there is a need for sodium hydroxide, e.g. in the digester and the bleaching plant. The objective of this study is to perform a preliminary evaluation, intended to select the best alternative for producing sodium hydroxide on a Kraft pulp mill site. The first step of the evaluation consists of screening available processes for producing sodium hydroxide needed in the mill. The first step of the evaluation shows that the two best options for increasing the production of sodium hydroxide for internal use in a mill are the conventional lime cycle process or direct causticization with titanates. The second step of the evaluation compares the lime cycle and the titanate process using first and second law analyses to determine the energy requirement and the exergy efficiencies of both processes. Such analyses show a higher energy requirement and a lower exergy efficiency in the titanate process than in the lime cycle process without any heat integration. However, the titanate process shows better performance in terms of energy requirement and exergy efficiency than the lime cycle, if heat is integrated into both processes. The titanate process requires, in the best case, only 80% of the energy required for a fully heat-integrated lime cycle process. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Consumer preference for production-derived quality: analyzing perceptions of premium chicken production methodsAGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2009Brian Innes The authors assess consumer interest in a food product containing production-derived attributes. They use the French Label Rouge system in the Ontario chicken market as an example of a producer-controlled quality system. Conjoint analysis reveals a significant proportion of respondents value nonprice attributes; medication and housing had the highest importance scores, followed by price and brand ownership. Cluster analysis of the part-worth utilities revealed three consumer segments: price conscious consumers; consumers focused on naturalness; and those focused on animal health. Segments do not appear to differ on the basis of socioeconomic and demographic profile of respondents. However, multiitem scales reflecting attitudes towards production systems vary significantly across segments. Price-conscious respondents show agreement with use of medication and express concern over quality. Respondents in the naturalness segment express concern over quality, locality of production and impact of production methods on own health. Animal-health-conscious respondents show agreement with the use of medications, concern over quality, locality and impact of production methods on own health, but neutrality towards byproducts and traditional production methods. [EconLit citations: D120, Q130]. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Consumer response to functional foods produced by conventional, organic, or genetic manipulationAGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2004Bruno Larue The agro-food industry is developing a "second generation" of genetically modified (GM) foods that can offer functional health benefits to consumers. Many consumers, however, are turning to organic foods in order to avoid GM foods. This report attempts to differentiate consumer valuation of functional health properties in conventional, organic, and GM foods. A representative sample of 1,008 Canadian household food shoppers responded to twelve stated-choice experiments during a telephone survey. Because opinions about organic and GM foods varied greatly, random parameters logit models were used to analyze their choices. Results indicate that many Canadian consumers will avoid GM foods, regardless of the presence of functional health properties. For others, the introduction of GM functional plant foods should increase acceptance of GM production methods, but many consumers will likely avoid functional foods derived from GM animals. The organic food industry could also profit from the introduction of organic functional foods. [EconLit citations: I120; D120.] © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 20: 155,166, 2004. [source] Immediate drug release from solid oral dosage formsJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2005Thomas Schreiner Abstract Fast drug release from solid dosage forms requires a very fast contact of the vast majority of the drug particles with the solvent; this, however, is particularly delayed in tablets and granulations. Starch and cellulose substances favor the matrix disintegration during the starting phase and the generation of the effective dissolution surface of the drug substance, thereby. To investigate the very complex interrelation between the functionality of commonly used excipients and the structural effects of the production processes, wettability, porosity, water uptake, and drug release rates of several ketoprofen-excipient preparations (powder blends, granulations, tablets) were measured. Significant linear correlation between these parameters, however, was not achieved; only qualitative tendencies of the effects could be detected. In consequence, a general mathematical model describing the mechanistic steps of drug dissolution from solid dosage forms in a fully correct way was not realized. However, the time-dependent change of the effective dissolution surface follows stochastic models: a new dissolution equation is based on the differential Noyes-Whitney equation combined with a distribution function, e.g. the lognormal distribution, and numerically solved with the software system EASY-FIT by fitting to the observations. This new model coincides with the data to a considerably higher degree of accuracy than the Weibull function alone, particularly during the starting, matrix disintegration, and end phases. In combination with a procedure continuously quantifying the dissolved drug, this mathematical model is suitable for the characterization and optimization of immediate drug release by the choice and modification of excipients and unit operations. The interdependence of some characteristic effects of excipients and production methods is discussed. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 94:120,133, 2005 [source] Feeding trials in organic food quality and health researchJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 2 2010Alberta Velimirov Abstract Feeding experiments comparing organically and conventionally produced food are performed to assess the overall impact on the animals' health as a model for the effects experienced by the human consumers. These experiments are based on systems research and characterized by their focus on production methods, whole food testing and procedures in accordance with the terms of organic farming. A short review of such experiments shows that the majority of these tests revealed effects of the organically produced feed on health parameters such as reproductive performance and immune responses. Systems research is not just about simple cause,effect chains, but rather about the pluralism of interactions in biological networks; therefore, the interpretation of the outcome of whole food experiments is difficult. Furthermore, the test diets of organic and conventional origin can be constituted in different ways, compensating for or maintaining existing differences in nutrient and energy contents. The science-based results suggest positive influences from organic feeds, but there is still a need for confirmation in animals and, finally, in humans. For this purpose animal feeding trials with feed from different production systems should be conducted, with the aims to define health indicators and to establish biomarkers as a basis for future dietary intervention studies in humans. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Sherry wine vinegar: physicochemical changes during the acetification processJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 7 2001L Morales Abstract The quality of a wine vinegar is determined by the raw wine substrate and the acetification process employed in its production. Attempts to characterise vinegars have been based on these two features, along with variables such as total extract, glycerol, organic acids, volatile compounds and phenolic composition. When the final products are analysed, it is difficult to evaluate to what extent quality differences are due to the raw material or to differences in production methods, so it is necessary to determine the influence of each feature separately. The present work focuses on monitoring physicochemical changes during the acetification of sherry wine by submerged culture. ANOVA showed significant differences for ethanol, acetic and lactic acids and some volatile compounds (methanol, 1-propanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, acetoin, acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate and ethyl lactate). However, no statistical changes were found for phenolic compounds during acetification. The phenolic composition of the final product was determined by the substrate employed. In addition, the influence of cycle duration on the chemical composition was studied; the only compound affected by this factor was 2-methyl-1-butanol. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Pests and Diseases of Prehistoric Crops: A Yield ,Honeymoon' for Early Grain Crops in Europe?OXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2001Petra Dark Before the agricultural improvements of recent centuries, grain yields in medieval Europe appear to have been extremely low: well below the full potential of the crops. If yields were similarly low in prehistory, the adoption of cereal cultivation could have conveyed few benefits in terms of productivity. Consideration of the key constraints on cereal yield highlights the previous neglect of the role of pests and diseases. It is suggested that these may have been particularly damaging in the medieval period, but much less so during the early stages of the adoption of agriculture. Textual and archaeological evidence for the past occurrence of pests and diseases is discussed and, combined with consideration of the development of pest and pathogen problems of recent crop introductions, used to provide a possible outline of the early development of the pest/disease burden. It is suggested that when grain crops were first introduced into temperate Europe there may have been a ,honeymoon period' with high yields: pests and diseases which had been endemic on cereals in semi-arid, continental, or Mediterranean climates did not thrive in the temperature climate, while species native to north-west Europe may not have been adapted to attack cereals. Subsequently, however, some pests and diseases evolved to attack cereals in this environment. These may have prompted changes in grain production methods to reduce the risk of damage. Pests and diseases must have been a driving force in agrarian change for several millennia, and cannot be ignored in attempts to understand the history of agriculture. [source] The quality profession and its role in the world,QUALITY ASSURANCE JOURNAL, Issue 3 2003Navin S. Dedhia The concept of quality evolved from inspection, measurement, and testing, which had been in practice for many, many years. Long ago, an artist or a sculptor took pride in his work and as a result always tried to excel in what was created. Mass production systems brought the concept of inspection by someone other than the craftsman in the first half of the 20th century. Application of statistical control came later as a result of World War production methods. Quality as a profession and the managerial process associated in the quality function was introduced during the second-half of the 20th century, and has evolved since then. No other profession has seen as many changes as the quality profession. The quality profession grew from simple control, to engineering, to systems engineering. Quality control activities were predominant in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The 1970s were an era of quality engineering and the 1990s saw quality systems as an emerging field. Like medicine, accounting, and engineering, quality has achieved status as a recognized profession. Published in 2003 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A comparative analysis of acceptance by Japanese females and price of goat milk from different sourcesANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010Takeyuki OZAWA ABSTRACT A sensory survey was carried out using 4 different types of whole goat milk among middle-class females to investigate consumer acceptability of goat milk and whether there is an opportunity to expand the sale of goat milk products in Japan. Four different types of whole milk powder (domestic concentrate-fed, domestic pasture-fed, USA commercially canned, and New Zealand commercially canned) were used. Fresh cow milk was served as a control. Thirty-one housewives evaluated the 5 liquid milk samples for smell, taste and overall characteristics on a scale of 1 (low) to 3 (high). Chi-square analyses were carried out to detect significant differences between the milk types in each category. The goat milk from the USA was the most preferred goat milk with respect to smell and overall evaluation. Domestic pasture-fed milk received the lowest grade in the evaluation for its ,grassy and goaty' smell. This result shows us that pasture intake affects the taste and smell of powdered milk which gives the lowest evaluation by the participants. If Japanese goat milk producers want to be successful in the domestic goat milk market and compete against goat milk products from other countries, they should improve production methods and flavor of their products. [source] Some critical issues in environmental physiology of grapevines: future challenges and current limitationsAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 2010H.R. SCHULTZ Abstract The rapidly increasing world population and the scarcity of suitable land for agricultural food production together with a changing climate will ultimately put pressure on grape-producing areas for the use of land and the input of resources. For most grape-producing areas, the predicted developments in climate will be identical to becoming more marginal for quality production and/or to be forced to improve resource management. This will have a pronounced impact on grapevine physiology, biochemistry and ultimately production methods. Research in the entire area of stress physiology, from the gene to the whole plant and vineyard level (including soils) will need to be expanded to aid in the mitigation of arising problems. In this review, we elaborate on some key issues in environmental stress physiology such as efficient water use to illustrate some of the challenges, current limitations and future possibilities of certain experimental techniques and/or data interpretations. Key regulatory mechanisms in the control of stomatal conductance are treated in some detail and several future research directions are outlined. Diverse physiological aspects such as the functional role of aquaporins, the importance of mesophyll conductance in leaf physiology, night-time water use and respiration under environmental constraints are discussed. New developments for improved resource management (mainly water) such as the use of remote sensing and thermal imagery technologies are also reviewed. Specific cases where our experimental systems are limited or where research has been largely discontinued (i.e. stomatal patchiness) are treated and some promising new developments, such as the use of coupled structural functional models to assess for environmental stress effects on a whole-plant or canopy level are outlined. Finally, the status quo and research challenges around the ,CO2 -problem' are presented, an area which is highly significant for the study of ,the future' of the grape and wine industry, but where substantial financial commitment is needed. [source] Cell-free production of transducible transcription factors for nuclear reprogramming,BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 6 2009William C. Yang Abstract Ectopic expression of a defined set of transcription factors chosen from Oct3/4, Sox2, c-Myc, Klf4, Nanog, and Lin28 can directly reprogram somatic cells to pluripotency. These reprogrammed cells are referred to as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). To date, iPSCs have been successfully generated using lentiviruses, retroviruses, adenoviruses, plasmids, transposons, and recombinant proteins. Nucleic acid-based approaches raise concerns about genomic instability. In contrast, a protein-based approach for iPSC generation can avoid DNA integration concerns as well as provide greater control over the concentration, timing, and sequence of transcription factor stimulation. Researchers recently demonstrated that polyarginine peptide conjugation can deliver recombinant protein reprogramming factor (RF) cargoes into cells and reprogram somatic cells into iPSCs. However, the protein-based approach requires a significant amount of protein for the reprogramming process. Producing fusion RFs in the large amounts required for this approach using traditional heterologous in vivo production methods is difficult and cumbersome since toxicity, product aggregation, and proteolysis by endogenous proteases limit yields. In this work, we show that cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) is a viable option for producing soluble and functional transducible transcription factors for nuclear reprogramming. We used an E. coli -based CFPS system to express the above set of six human RFs as fusion proteins, each with a nona-arginine (R9) protein transduction domain. Using the flexibility offered by the CFPS platform, we successfully addressed proteolysis and protein solubility problems to produce full-length and soluble R9-RF fusions. We subsequently showed that R9-Oct3/4, R9-Sox2, and R9-Nanog exhibit cognate DNA-binding activities, R9-Nanog translocates across the plasma and nuclear membranes, and R9-Sox2 exerts transcriptional activity on a known downstream gene target. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 1047,1058. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Using Flexible Taste Distributions to Value Collective Reputation for Environmentally Friendly Production MethodsCANADIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2008Riccardo Scarpa In this paper, we investigate consumer preferences for various environmentally friendly production systems for carrots. We use discrete choice multi-attribute stated preference data to explore the effect of the collective reputation of growers from an Alpine valley with an established reputation for its environmentally friendly production: Val di Gresta ,the valley of organic orchards.' Data analysis of the panel of discrete responses identifies unobserved taste heterogeneity for organic, biodynamic, and place of origin along with extra variance associated with experimentally designed alternatives. The assumed parametric taste distributions are each tested using the semi-nonparametric specification proposed by Fosgerau and Bierlaire, while the null of normality cannot be rejected for organic and biodynamic production methods, though it is for the place of origin. The latter is found to be bi-modal, with modes at each side of zero. The use of a flexible taste distribution increases the plausibility of this form of heterogeneity and it appears promising for future applied studies. Dans le présent article, nous avons examiné les préférences des consommateurs quant à divers systèmes de production écologiques de carottes. Nous avons utilisé des données sur les préférences déclarées, la valeur attendue et les choix discrets pour examiner l'effet de la réputation collective de producteurs dans une vallée alpine réputée pour sa production écologique: Val di Gresta, dite la ,vallée des vergers biologiques,. L'analyse des données de panel discrètes a fait ressortir une hétérogénéité inobservable des goûts quant à la culture biologique, la culture biodynamique et le lieu d'origine ainsi qu'une variance supplémentaire liée à des options expérimentalement conçues. Les distributions paramétriques hypothétiques des goûts sont testées à l'aide de la spécification semi-non-paramétique proposée par Fosgerau and Bierlaire (2007), tandis que l'hypothèse nulle de normalité(null of normality) ne peut être rejetée pour les méthodes de production biologique et biodynamique, bien qu'elle le soit pour le lieu d'origine. Cette dernière serait bimodale, avec des modes de chaque côté de zéro. L'utilisation d'une distribution des goûts souple augmente la plausibilité de cette forme d'hétérogénéité et semble prometteuse pour les études appliquées futures. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||