Using non-food information to identify food-choice segment membership

Food companies, governments, and societal organizations use an increasing number of food-choice motives to persuade consumers to buy food products, and the question which combinations of motives matter for which type of consumer has become of central relevance. In this study, we use a concomitant mixture-modeling approach to uncover consumer segments in terms of food-choice motives, using a nationwide sample in the Netherlands. The results reveal seven segments with distinct profiles and demonstrate that age and membership of environmental organizations play an essential role in segment membership probabilities. Our findings support the idea that information about non-food-related consumer behavior improves the identification of segments. In an additional analysis, we demonstrate how organizational membership also provides an effective way to access consumer segments as compared to diverse media outlets. We discuss the implications of our findings for segmentation practice.     

Towards (dis)continuity of agricultural wetlands: Latvia’s polder landscapes after Soviet productivism

The concepts of agricultural regimes in advanced economies, such as productivism or non/neo/post-productivism, have been critically debated over the last decades to understand the transition and diversity of modern agriculture. We explore these concepts to understand the environmentally vulnerable landscape of agricultural wetlands in Latvia that, during the era of Soviet high modernism (productivist agricultural regime), have been converted into polders as part of a mass drainage movement. Today, these post-Soviet agro-polders can be characterised as antipodes in relation to integrity of heritage, ecology and the socio-economics of agricultural concerns. Building on case studies, wider political contexts and current debates on agricultural transitions, the paper traces the transition of wetlands through agricultural regimes and unfolds the various pathways for current polder landscapes. This paper concludes with critical notes on the contemporary co-existence of different agro-polder use of which the most incoherent are the non-productivist actions producing landscapes of mere agricultural appearance.     

An In Situ FTIR Study of DBD Plasma Parameters for Accelerated Germination of Arabidopsis thaliana Seeds

Current agricultural practices are not sustainable; however, the non-thermal plasma treatment of seeds may be an eco-friendly alternative to alter macroscopic plant growth parameters. Despite numerous successful results of plasma-seed treatments reported in the literature, the plasma-treatment parameters required to improve plant growth remain elusive due to the plethora of physical, chemical, and biological variables. In this study, we investigate the optimal conditions in our surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) setup, using a parametric study, and attempt to understand relevant species in the plasma treatment using in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption spectroscopy. Our results suggest that treatment time and voltage are key parameters for accelerated germination; however, no clear conclusion on causative agents can be drawn.     

Fluorescent polyacrylonitrile with 1,8-naphthalimide side chains

The copolymerization of acrylonitrile with two polymerizable fluorescent naphthalimide dyes has been investigated. It was found that the monomeric dyes took part in the polymerization and 94–96% of initially 1 wt.-% (relative to acrylonitrile) were covalently bound in the polymer chain, and thus new fluorescent side-group copolymers were obtained. The absorption and basic photophysical characteristics of monomeric naphthalimid dyes and copolymers in dimethylformamide are reported.     

An adsorptive transfer technique coupled with brdicka reaction to reveal the importance of metallothionein in chemotherapy with platinum based cytostatics

The drugs based on platinum metals represent one of the oldest, but also one of the most effective groups of chemotherapeutic agents. Thanks to many clinical studies it is known that resistance of tumor cells to drugs is a frequent cause of chemotherapy failure. With regard to platinum based drugs, multidrug resistance can also be connected with increased expression of low-molecular weight protein metallothionein (MT). This study aimed at investigating the interactions of MT with cisplatin or carboplatin, using the adsorptive transfer technique coupled with differential pulse voltammetry Brdicka reaction (AdTS DPV Brdicka reaction), and a comparison of in vitro results with results obtained in vivo. The results obtained from the in vitro study show a strong affinity between platinum based drugs and MT. Further, we analyzed extracts of neuroblastoma cell lines treated with cisplatin or carboplatin. It is clear that neuroblastoma UKF-NB-4 cisplatin-resistant and cisplatin-sensitive cell lines unlikely respond to the presence of the platinum-based cytostatics cisplatin and carboplatin. Finally, we determined the level of MT in samples from rabbits treated with carboplatin and patients with retinoblastoma treated with the same drug.     

Improved structured light 3D scanner with application to anthropometric parameter estimation

Obtaining accurate anthropometric body segment parameters in a fast and reliable manner is an essential step in biomechanical analysis of human motion. With advance of computer vision, and reduction in cost of electronic components, building a customized computer-vision based measurement device becomes possible. In the paper a novel structured light pattern for 3D structured light scanner is proposed. During development, accuracy and robustness of the proposed system were tested on artificial objects with known surface configurations, after which measurements were performed on human subjects. Simultaneous measurements with standard structured light pattern were achieved and obtained results compared. Volumetric parameters of both artificial object and human body segment obtained by 3D scanning were compared to the immersion method and were found to be in a good agreement and were used for segment mass estimation. Obtained results are presented and analyzed, and conclusions about system performance with possible improvements are discussed.     

Spontaneous copolymerization of 2-phenyl-2-oxazoline with cyclic carboxylic anhydrides

Summary The copolymers obtained by the spontaneous reaction between 2-phenyl-2-oxazoline (PhOx) and different anhydrides (succinic-SA, maleic-MA and phthalic-PA) in the absence of an added initiator have been studied. The copolymers were characterized by FTIR and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopies. Compositions were determined by quantitative elemental analysis and average molecular weights were obtained by GPC. The PhOx/MA and PhOx/PA were found to be alternating copolymers, whereas the PhOx/SA copolymer was a statistical one, rich in PhOx.     

Solubility of potassium ferrate in 12 M alkaline solutions between 20°C and 60°C

The solubility of potassium ferrate (K₂FeO₄) was measured in aqueous solutions of NaOH and KOH of total concentration 12 M containing various molar ratios of KOH:NaOH in the range 12:0 to 3:9. Several analytical methods were tested for the determination of ferrate concentration. The final method chosen consisted of potentiometric titration of the ferrate sample with an alkaline solution of As₂O₃. The assumption was made that ferrate dissociates in concentrated KOH solutions predominantly to KFeO₄⁻. The solubility constant, S, defined as the product of the molar concentration of the potassium ion, K⁺, and the ferrate anion, KFeO₄⁻, was found to be 0·044 ± 0·006 mol² dm⁻⁶ for 20°C, 0·093 ± 0·004 mol² dm⁻⁶ for 40°C and 0·15 ± 0·09 mol² dm⁻⁶ for 60°C. From these results the heat of dissolution of K₂FeO₄ was calculated as −14·3 kJ mol⁻¹. At 60°C the enhanced decomposition of the ferrate at the higher temperature led to a greater deviation in solubility values compared with data for either 20°C or 40°C.