| 1. |
- Lill, Christina M., et al.
(författare)
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Closing the case of APOE in multiple sclerosis : no association with disease risk in over 29 000 subjects
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Medical Genetics. - : BMJ. - 0022-2593 .- 1468-6244. ; 49:9, s. 558-562
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs429358 (ε4) and rs7412 (ε2), both invoking changes in the amino-acid sequence of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene, have previously been tested for association with multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. However, none of these studies was sufficiently powered to detect modest effect sizes at acceptable type-I error rates. As both SNPs are only imperfectly captured on commonly used microarray genotyping platforms, their evaluation in the context of genome-wide association studies has been hindered until recently.Methods We genotyped 12 740 subjects hitherto not studied for their APOE status, imputed raw genotype data from 8739 subjects from five independent genome-wide association studies datasets using the most recent high-resolution reference panels, and extracted genotype data for 8265 subjects from previous candidate gene assessments.Results Despite sufficient power to detect associations at genome-wide significance thresholds across a range of ORs, our analyses did not support a role of rs429358 or rs7412 on MS susceptibility. This included meta-analyses of the combined data across 13 913 MS cases and 15 831 controls (OR=0.95, p=0.259, and OR 1.07, p=0.0569, for rs429358 and rs7412, respectively).Conclusion Given the large sample size of our analyses, it is unlikely that the two APOE missense SNPs studied here exert any relevant effects on MS susceptibility.
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| 2. |
- Faber, Ilona, et al.
(författare)
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The mediating role of barriers and trust on the intentions to consume plant-based foods in Europe
- 2024
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Ingår i: Food Quality and Preference. - : Elsevier. - 0950-3293 .- 1873-6343. ; 114
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant-based food alternatives have increased in popularity, particularly plant-based meat alternatives, while plant-based cheese alternatives less so. However, their acceptance remains low in Europe. Food choice motives (FCM) and trust towards alternative proteins may contribute to purchasing plant-based food alternatives, while other FCM and barriers can hinder this. The present study aimed to investigate whether FCM focused on “Environment & ethics” and “Intrinsic product quality” are associated with behavioural intentions towards plant-based meat and cheese alternatives, and specifically investigating the mediating role of perceived barriers to plant-based food consumption and trust towards plant-based alternative proteins. A survey was conducted in 10 European countries (AT, DE, DK, ES, FR, IT, NL, PL, RO, UK) with quotas on age and gender (N = 7588). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to determine factors associated with behavioural intentions towards plant-based meat and cheese alternatives. Results showed that “environmental & ethical” motives are positively associated with intentions to consume plant-based alternatives to meat (in 6/10 countries) and cheese (in 8/10 countries). “Intrinsic product quality” motives were not directly associated with behavioural intentions towards plant-based meat alternatives. However, country differences were observed for effects of “Intrinsic product quality”. Perceived barriers to plant-based food consumption and trust towards plant-based alternative proteins play a significant mediating role among all 10 countries. The implications are that environmental and ethical motivations could contribute to effectively promoting plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy. High sensory quality for plant-based meat and cheese alternatives is needed to build trust.
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| 3. |
- Morriën, Elly, et al.
(författare)
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Soil networks become more connected and take up more carbon as nature restoration progresses
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Soil organisms have an important role in aboveground community dynamics and ecosystem functioning in terrestrial ecosystems. However, most studies have considered soil biota as a black box or focussed on specific groups, whereas little is known about entire soil networks. Here we show that during the course of nature restoration on abandoned arable land a compositional shift in soil biota, preceded by tightening of the belowground networks, corresponds with enhanced efficiency of carbon uptake. In mid- and long-term abandoned field soil, carbon uptake by fungi increases without an increase in fungal biomass or shift in bacterial-to-fungal ratio. The implication of our findings is that during nature restoration the efficiency of nutrient cycling and carbon uptake can increase by a shift in fungal composition and/or fungal activity. Therefore, we propose that relationships between soil food web structure and carbon cycling in soils need to be reconsidered.
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| 4. |
- Olsen, Jogvan Magnus Haugaard, et al.
(författare)
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Dalton Project : A Python platform for molecular- and electronic-structure simulations of complex systems
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 152:21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Dalton Project provides a uniform platform access to the underlying full-fledged quantum chemistry codes Dalton and LSDalton as well as the PyFraME package for automatized fragmentation and parameterization of complex molecular environments. The platform is written in Python and defines a means for library communication and interaction. Intermediate data such as integrals are exposed to the platform and made accessible to the user in the form of NumPy arrays, and the resulting data are extracted, analyzed, and visualized. Complex computational protocols that may, for instance, arise due to a need for environment fragmentation and configuration-space sampling of biochemical systems are readily assisted by the platform. The platform is designed to host additional software libraries and will serve as a hub for future modular software development efforts in the distributed Dalton community.
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| 5. |
- Perez-Cueto, Federico J. A., et al.
(författare)
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How barriers towards plant-based food consumption differ according to dietary lifestyle : findings from a consumer survey in 10 EU countries
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science. - : Elsevier. - 1878-450X .- 1878-4518. ; 29
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A diet shift towards a more plant-based food consumption is advocated for sustainable, health and ethical reasons. Still, a diet change remains a societal challenge. The objective of this paper is to identify how barriers towards plant-based food consumption are experienced according to dietary lifestyle in 10 European countries. A pan-EU consumer survey was conducted as part of Smart Protein Project. In total 7590 answers were obtained (49.5% women). Omnivores were more likely to score higher in the barriers to diet shift than vegetarians, vegans or flexitarians. Large effect sizes (Eta squared >0.1) were observed for the following barriers a) the lay belief that humans are meant to eat lots of animal-based meat; b) the expectation that plant-based food products would not be tasty enough; c) and the experience of not enjoying such products. Medium effect sizes (Eta sq. > 0.06) were observed for variables addressing nutrition related barriers “would not be filling enough” and “I would not get energy or strength from these products”. Promotion of plant-based food consumption should be targeted according to diet lifestyle, with focus on their sensory characteristics and on addressing cultural (lay) beliefs e.g. through knowledge sharing.
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| 6. |
- Rini, Listia, et al.
(författare)
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Identifying the key success factors of plant-based food brands in Europe
- 2023
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant-based food (PBF) is on the rise as an alternative for animal-based food. Europe is leading in the market size compared with the global market. However, the high failure rate for new food products is challenging the success of new PBF in the market. This paper aims to unravel the key success factors (KSFs) from existing brands, contributing to the knowledge on how to achieve success in PBF market. Two subsequent studies employing online surveys were included, which targeted food expert participants. Study 1 focused on the collection of KSFs related to PBF brands utilizing the card sorting approach. Study 2 employed cluster analysis to further investigate the KSFs among different PBF brands. The findings identified six clusters of KSFs under the external and internal factors supporting the success of the PBF brands. Two (‘Consumer’ and ‘Trend’) and four (‘Ideology’, ‘Marketing strategy’, ‘Innovation management’, and ‘Management structure’) clusters were assigned into external and internal factors, respectively. Furthermore, cluster analysis identified four brand clusters: ‘Mature’, ‘Targeted’, ‘Newcomer’, and ‘Established but diversifying’ clusters. Each brand cluster utilized different KSFs into their strategies; however, both external and internal factors were applied, suggesting that there is no one-size-fits-all KSF to succeed in the market.
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| 7. |
- Rini, Listia, et al.
(författare)
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Social media and food consumer behavior : a systematic review
- 2024
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Ingår i: Trends in Food Science & Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0924-2244 .- 1879-3053. ; 143
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Social media (SM) have become the integral part of consumers’ daily life, prompting multidisciplinary research on their link with human behaviors, including food attitude and consumption. However, the precise role of SM in shaping food consumer behavior remains partially explored.Scope and approach: This review adopts a systematic literature approach, focusing on the methodological and outcome characteristics. Applying PRISMA guidelines, 377 studies were identified and categorized into three SM functions: Tool, Determinant, and Source. Tool studies involved active SM use for research, while Determinant studies measured SM-related variables' impact on outcomes, and Source studies involved data extraction and analysis from SM. This review traces the growth of studies over time, highlighting the study characteristics focusing on the methodology, and the scope of the findings per function.Key findings and conclusion: Data collection methods differed across functions: Source studies relying on user-generated content (UGC) via data mining, other functions mostly employed surveys targeted to participants. Notable platforms include Facebook (Tool) and Twitter (Source), with cross-sectional designs being prevalent. Tool and Determinant studies linked SM with food intention and behavior, Source studies delved into categorization and exploration of UGC and consumers’ sentiments related to food. In both the Tool and Determinant functions, most studies demonstrated the influence of SM on outcome measures. As each function has its own distinct characteristics, knowledge from all functions should be considered to gain comprehensive perspective regarding the relationship between SM and food consumer behavior.
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| 8. |
- Rini, Listia, et al.
(författare)
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The role of social media in driving beliefs, attitudes, and intentions of meat reduction towards plant-based meat behavioral intentions
- 2024
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Ingår i: Food Quality and Preference. - : Elsevier. - 0950-3293 .- 1873-6343. ; 113
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The environmental challenges associated with meat production and consumption have driven the rise of new plant-based (PB) meats. However, PB meat consumption among Europeans remains low. One of the main barriers to the consumption of PB foods is the consumers' need for information. Social media (SM) can help rapidly disseminate a wide range of information. Yet, misinformation in these channels raises concerns about consumers’ trust. Therefore, this study examined whether involvement in SM mediates the relationship between beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards reducing meat consumption and PB meat behavioral intentions, particularly for omnivores and flexitarians. Data were collected from 10 European countries (n = 6869). Two SM-related factors, namely the likelihood of using SM to find information about PB foods and trust in information about PB foods from SM were designated as mediators. At least 30 % of the respondents were more likely to use and trust information on PB food from SM. The mediation analyses revealed significant partial mediation (p < 0.001) with respect to the direct effect between beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards meat reduction and the indirect effects of the mediators on PB meat behavioral intentions. This study builds upon how SM shape the behavioral intentions towards PB meat consumption and the meat reducing attitudes of Europeans. The results also provide evidence on how SM can promote European consumers' behavioral intentions for PB meat.
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