A multi‐ontology framework to guide agriculture and food towards diet and health

Global increases in metabolic diseases that can be influenced by diet have re‐emphasized the importance of considering how different foods can improve human health. The entire agricultural enterprise has an unprecedented opportunity to increase its value by producing foods that improve the health of consumers. Research efforts in agriculture/food science/nutrition are endeavoring to do so, although little tangible success has been achieved. At the core of the problem is a failure to define the goal itself: health. Health, as a scientifically measurable concept, is poorly defined relative to disease, and yet consensus‐based, curated vocabularies that describe the multiple variations in human health in useful terms are critical to unifying the scientific fields related to agriculture and nutrition. Each of the life‐science disciplines relating to health has developed databases, thesauri, and/or ontologies to capture such knowledge. High‐throughput and ‐omic technologies are expanding both the amount and heterogeneity of available information. Unfortunately, the language used to describe substantially similar (even logically equivalent) concepts is often different between information systems. Increasing the future value of agriculture, therefore, will depend on creating a process for generating common ontologies of the concept of health, and guiding the development of a common language. This paper illustrates a framework for integrating heterogeneous ontologies into interdisciplinary, foods‐for‐health knowledge systems. A common system of language that describes health and is shared by all the life‐science disciplines will provide immediate benefits in terms of increased health‐claim regulatory efficiencies and predictive functions for individualized diets. Ultimately, these vocabularies will guide agriculture to its next goal of producing health‐enhancing foods. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

The use of free-choice profiling for the evaluation of commercial ports

The paper describes a new approach to profile analysis in which each assessor produces individual profiles of the products, using his or her own terms for describing them without the need to explain the meaning of such terms. The spatial configurations derived from individual profiles are rationalised by generalised Procrustes statistics. The result is a consensus configuration revealing the interrelationships between the samples for the panel as a whole. An experiment conducted on commercial ports using ten assessors, both expert and non-expert, illustrates the technique.     

天府酒伴侣的研制过程及市场前景

天府酒伴侣以优质调味酒、天然食用香料、酒中精华浓缩液、天然微生物浓缩液和优质矿泉水精心配制而成.消费者可根据自己的喜爱用酒伴侣随心所欲调出不同酒度的饮品,充分享受心理和生理的双娱乐趣,开创消费新时尚.     

海洋寡糖的生物活性研究进展

寡糖是具有2～10 个单糖残基通过糖苷键连接起来的直链或含分支链的糖类化合物,对人体健康有诸多益处,还具有甜味剂功能和特性,集营养、保健、食疗于一体。相较于多糖,寡糖还具有生物活性强、利于机体吸收等优点。近年来,海洋来源的寡糖被证明具有多种生物活性,包括抗氧化、抗肿瘤、抗炎、抗菌、抗凝血和提高免疫力等,可以广泛应用于食品、医药、化妆品、农业和水产等领域。本文介绍了4 种主要的海洋寡糖,包括几丁寡糖/壳寡糖、褐藻胶寡糖、琼胶寡糖和卡拉胶寡糖,简述其来源、结构特征、各种生物活性及应用,以期为海洋多糖资源的高价值利用及海洋寡糖的深度开发提供参考。     

Entry points into a nutrition-sensitive agriculture

Nutrition-sensitive agriculture is a concept that aims to narrow the gap between available and accessible food and the food needed for a healthy and balanced diet for all people. It explicitly incorporates nutrition objectives into agriculture and addresses the utilization dimension of food and nutrition security, including health, education, economic, environmental and social aspects. Based on this concept, the present paper presents a synthesis of a recent desk study which took stock of innovative approaches to improve the positive nutrition-related impacts of agriculture and related food systems and provides recommendations for future programmes. By providing an overview on specific cross-cutting themes relevant to nutrition-sensitive agriculture and presenting examples from various countries on how nutrition objectives can be incorporated into the agro-food systems, the paper identifies commonalities and parameters that are entry points into a system within which local nutrition-sensitive agriculture approaches will have a realistic chance of success. The variables in the system are interlinked and contribute to a balanced nutrition of the population. By changing or fine-tuning one or more of the entry points, the whole system can be improved. The paper also highlights the current fragmentation in approaches towards more nutrition-sensitivity in agriculture and concludes that, where collaborative approaches are undertaken, there is a greater likelihood that shared projects will be implemented and/or be successful.     

Food choice motives and the importance of family meals among immigrant mothers.

To determine the health and social benefits of the family mealtime, we examined the contribution of immigrant mothers' food motives to the importance placed on family meals, and cultural differences in mothers' food motives and the importance ascribed to family meals. Data were taken from a study on food choice factors among ten- to 12-year-old children from three cultural communities in Montreal. A 24-item, self-administered questionnaire was used to explore food choice motives. Each mother was also asked how important it was for her family to take the time to eat together, and if the child enjoyed sharing meals with his or her family. In all, 209 of the 653 questionnaires distributed were valid; 68 were from Haitian, 75 from Portuguese, and 66 from Vietnamese mothers. Five factors emerging from factor analyses explained 61.67% of the variance. Analysis of variance indicated significant differences between mothers' countries of origin for the importance placed on health, pleasure, familiarity, and ingredient properties (p<0.005). Among Haitian and Portuguese mothers, health motivations emerged as the only significant predictor of the importance given to family meals, whereas for Vietnamese mothers, both health and eating familiar foods were predictors (p<0.05).     

Hungry for tobacco: an analysis of the economic impact of tobacco consumption on the poor in Bangladesh

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent of tobacco expenditures in Bangladesh and to compare those costs with potential investment in food and other essential items. DESIGN: Review of available statistics and calculations based thereon. RESULTS: Expenditure on tobacco, particularly cigarettes, represents a major burden for impoverished Bangladeshis. The poorest (household income of less than $24/month) are twice as likely to smoke as the wealthiest (household income of more than $118/month). Average male cigarette smokers spend more than twice as much on cigarettes as per capita expenditure on clothing, housing, health and education combined. The typical poor smoker could easily add over 500 calories to the diet of one or two children with his or her daily tobacco expenditure. An estimated 10.5 million people currently malnourished could have an adequate diet if money on tobacco were spent on food instead. The lives of 350 children could be saved each day. CONCLUSION: Tobacco expenditures exacerbate the effects of poverty and cause significant deterioration in living standards among the poor. This aspect of tobacco use has been largely neglected by those working in poverty and tobacco control. Strong tobacco control measures could have immediate impact on the health of the poor by decreasing tobacco expenditures and thus significantly increasing the resources of the poor. Addressing the issue of tobacco and poverty together could make tobacco control a higher priority for poor countries.     

Production and processing of foods as core aspects of nutrition-sensitive agriculture and sustainable diets

Some forms of malnutrition are partly due to agriculture not having nutrient outputs as an explicit goal. A better understanding of what is required from agricultural production and food processing for healthy and sustainable diets is needed. Besides nutritional quality or nutrient output, important factors are: water, soil, health hazards, agrobiodiversity and seasonality. Therefore, possible interactions among constituents of the food chain – human health, the environment, knowledge and education – should be considered from a systemic perspective. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture needs to consider and understand the role of biodiversity in improving dietary quality and dietary diversity as well as seasonality in food supply. Apart from improving agricultural systems in order to close the nutrition gap, efficient storage and food processing technologies to prolong shelf-life are required. If processing is poor, high food losses can cause food insecurity or increase the risk of producing unsafe and unhealthy food. Food storage and processing technologies, particularly at household level, are challenging and often not applicable to traditional crops. In order to achieve the aims of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, it is necessary to comprehend its complexity and the factors that influence it. This will require a trans-disciplinary approach, which will include the three sectors agriculture, nutrition and health at research, extension and political levels. Ensuring that farmers are knowledgeable about production systems, which sustainably provide adequate amounts of nutritious food while conserving the environment is an essential part of nutrition-sensitive agriculture. At the same time, for the benefits of nutrition-sensitive agriculture to be realized, educated consumers are required who understand what constitutes a healthy and sustainable diet.     

The impact of smoking on health-related and overall quality of life: a general population survey in Finland

The objective of the study was to examine the association between overall and health-related quality of life and smoking in men and women of discrete smoking groups in Finland. The design was a Health 2000 Survey, conducted in Finland 2000--2001. The setting and participants were a two-stage, stratified, nationally representative cluster sample that comprised 8,028 persons aged 30 or over living in mainland Finland. Health-related quality of life was measured by the 15D questionnaire; and overall quality of life was assessed by a single question measure capturing the respondent's own perception and estimation of his/her quality of life. The present study showed that daily smokers had both lower health-related and overall quality of life than never-smokers among the Finnish adult population. Health-related quality of life profiles showed that daily smokers did worse than never-smokers in a considerable number of the health dimensions. The effects of smoking were observed not only through health: the daily smokers registered significantly lower ratings of overall quality of life compared with never-smokers, too. Both the health-related and overall quality of life of ex-smokers approached those of never-smokers. The results of the present study suggest that improved health is not the only benefit of smoking cessation; better quality of life and more fulfilling everyday living can also be expected. As the major health consequences of smoking usually manifest themselves only after several years of smoking, both health-related and overall quality of life measurements could be used as an intervention tool for motivating people to quit.     

磷酸二酯酶-5抑制剂检测方法研究进展

3种获准上市的磷酸二酯酶-5抑制剂药物(西地那非、伐地那非和他达那非)在市场上获得了巨大成功。不法商人把这些药品违法添加到植物保健品和药品中谋取利益,对公众的健康构成了威胁。不断出现的PDE-5抑制剂的结构类似物导致问题变得更加复杂。目前,在标准品的参照下,TLC、HPLC、LC-MS和MECC等检测方法可以实现对已知PDE-5药物的检测。只有液相/离子阱串联质谱能够同时检测合法的药物和未知的PDE-5抑制剂类似物。免疫学检测方法正成为快速、灵敏、高效检测PDE-5药物的新方法。     

Analysis of selected perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in beer to evaluate the effect of beer consumption on human PFAS exposure: a pilot study

This report describes the development of a method for the determination and quantification of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in beer. A total of 93 beer samples were analyzed for the presence of PFASs by means of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The results of this study have made it possible to calculate possible PFAS uptake via beer as well as the potential PFAS-related health risk as a result of beer consumption with regard to the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of perfluoro-n-octanoic acid (PFOA) (1,500 ng/kg bodyweight and day) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) (150 ng/kg bodyweight and day). PFOS concentrations above the limit of quantification were detected in 50 % of the samples. The highest PFOS concentration detected in any of the beers was 18.4 ng/L, and the highest PFOA concentration was 56.9 ng/L. The calculated maximum uptake of both substances for which a TDI level exists were 2.44 ng/kg bodyweight/day for PFOA and 0.79 ng/kg bodyweight/day for PFOS assuming that an adult consumed his/her total daily liquid uptake exclusively by drinking 3 L of beer, equivalent to the maximum measured concentration (worst-case scenario). In regard to the model calculations made here, the maximum uptake of PFOA and PFOS via consumption of beer can be considered negligible at 0.85 % of the concentration that would be required to reach the TDI for PFOS and 0.16 % for PFOA.     

Public perceptions of antibiotic use on dairy farms in the United States

There has been a global push for improved antimicrobial stewardship, including in animal agriculture, due to growing concerns about antimicrobial resistance. However, little is known about the general public's perceptions of antimicrobial use in animal agriculture. The aim of this study was to explore the US public's perceptions of antibiotic use in dairy farming and how these perceptions influence purchasing decisions. Data from the 2017 Cornell National Social Survey developed in collaboration with the Cornell Survey Research Institute were used to assess the public's perceptions. The Survey Research Institute of Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) administered the survey by telephone to a random sample of 1,000 adults in the continental United States. The survey collected information about perceptions of threat to human health posed by antibiotic use in cows on dairy farms and willingness to pay more for milk from cows raised without antibiotics, as well as several presumed explanatory variables, including respondents' knowledge of antibiotics, beliefs regarding cattle treatment in dairy farming, and 18 sociodemographic characteristics. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. Among respondents, 90.7% (n = 892/983) reported that antibiotic use on dairy farms posed some level of threat to human health and 71.5% (n = 580/811) indicated they would be willing to pay more for milk produced from cows raised without antibiotics. Respondents who believed that antibiotic use in dairy farming posed a moderate to high threat to human health were more likely to be female and report willingness to pay more for milk or not purchase milk. Additionally, consumers' willingness to pay more for milk from cattle raised without antibiotics was associated with the belief that antibiotic use posed some threat to human health, the belief that cows are treated better on organic dairy farms, an annual household income of $50,000 or greater, being born outside the United States, having a liberal social ideology, and being currently or formerly married. These results suggest that the general public's decisions as consumers of dairy products are associated with demographic factors in addition to perceptions of antibiotic use and cattle treatment in dairy farming. The rationale behind such perceptions should be further explored to facilitate consumers' informed decision making about antibiotic use in agriculture, links to cattle treatment, and associated willingness-to-pay attitudes.     

都市农业背景下的成都市农产品质量安全调查研究

目的了解成都市当前的都市农业发展情况,探究都市农业中农产品存在的质量安全问题,加强成都市居民对都市农业的认识。方法以成都市5大城区的居民作为调查研究对象,采用问卷调查法结合访谈对居民对都市农业的了解程度、参与情况、农产品质量安全问题进行调查。结果大多数居民对都市农业并不了解,也未参与过与都市农业有关的一些农业活动,他们获得农产品的第一渠道仍然是农贸市场,对社区支援农业、阳台农业和互联网农业这3种都市农业模式的接受度并不是很高。而且,社区支援农业存在农户与消费者的信任问题;阳台农业存在规模小、气候恶劣的问题;互联网农业存在流通运输、平台虚拟的问题。结论成都市的都市农业发展水平有待提高,需加大新模式引进力度,而且都市农业中确实存在着不少的安全问题。     

加快我国杂粮研究和开发

杂粮具有较高营养价值高和保健功能。发展杂粮生产可以改善农业生产结构和农民收入。杂粮可以增加中国农产品出口创汇。杂粮在国内外有很好发展前景。发展中国的杂粮产业还有许多问题急需研究。     

最具市场竞争力的益生菌发展现状及值得关注的几个问题

益生菌是由乳杆菌、双歧杆菌、革兰氏阳性菌、酵母菌等经过特殊工艺复合而成的活体微生物制剂，是近年来新兴的高科技热门产品，风靡全世界。已在食品添加剂、动物添加剂和农业等领域得到广泛应用。本文对益生菌的概念、保健作用机理、国内外市场发展现状等，特别是对益生菌与酸奶的特殊关系进行了探讨。同时对消费者们和业内人士所关注的安全性、产品的生产、质量标准、审批程序等问题，做出了较为翔实可靠的描述。为益生菌进一步的研发、增强市场竞争力及相关企业产品的更新换代提供了依据。     

基于纠缠交换的量子代理签名方案

基于纠缠交换原理,提出一个量子代理签名方案.原始签名人对其手中的粒子进行Bell基测量,使得代理签名人的粒子和签名接收者的粒子纠缠起来,并将测量结果发给代理签名人完成授权.随后,代理签名人将待签消息按约定规则转化成量子态,联合手中分配粒子进行Bell测量完成签名,并将测量结果发给签名接收者.签名接收者根据签名信息与纠缠交换产生的关联,对手中的单粒子做相应的幺正操作恢复原始消息来完成验证.安全性分析证明方案满足不可伪造性、不可否认性等安全特性.方案中原始签名人制备的Bell态可循环利用,节约资源,且在当前实验技术条件下易于实现.     

氨基酸口服营养品的现状与展望

氨基酸的功能一直为人们所关注,可广泛应用于医药、食品、农牧渔业、农药、化妆品、保健品等领域。氨基酸向来是国际医药市场的大宗产品。近年来国外出现了一种新趋向,即原本作为药用的氨基酸开始向保健品方向发展。简要综述了发达国家如美国、日本以及国内氨基酸口服保健品的现状,并初步探讨我国氨基酸保健品市场进一步的发展方向。     

Reflective practice and conscientisation

Both 'the reflective teaching' and 'the teacher as a reflective practitioner' have become very popular in terms of the literature about the teaching and training profession, in spite of ambiguities and misleading ideas. Thus, it is of the greatest importance to analyse these ambiguities by questioning the words used, the relations of power which are established among teachers, educators and trainees, the ways and effects of the reflection. To avoid the reflective action becoming a collection of techniques, a reflective practice should be based on an educational and training theory which should stimulate the teacher to take critical consciousness of the educational situations and of his/her own practice in the situation. The concept of conscientisation by Paulo Freire, linked to his concept of praxis as a dialectic unity of the theory and practice, should produce an instrument of theoretical and operational value for education. That concept will allow interpretations which will take the teacher to wonder about him/herself, about the world around him/her, promoting a critical and dialogist relationship towards the world, the others and him/herself. This dialogue, which cannot feed itself but feeds on the fusion of theory and praxis, will overcome the apparent dichotomy between technical and practical reason.     

面向21世纪的中国产业用纺织品（上）

详细论述了２１世纪的中国产业用纺织品如土工织物、汽车用纺织品蓬帆布、人造革和合成革基布、等的发展前景,指出了与国外的差距,并提出了几点建议。