Consumers’experiences and preferences for plant-based meat food:Evidence from a choice experiment in four cities of China

This paper examined consumers’experiences in and preferences for plant-based meat(PBM)food and their respective correlates,based on data from an online survey of 579 consumers in four major cities in China in early 2021.We first described consumers’experiences in consuming and purchasing PBM food and their correlates,and then analyzed consumer preferences using hypothetical choice experiment.The experiment offered consumers various options to purchase burgers made from PBM or animal-based meat(ABM),combined with different countries of origin(COO),taste labels,and prices.Our data showed that respondents hold overall positive attitudes toward PBM food;85 and 82%of respondents reported experience in eating and purchasing PBM food,respectively.More than half of them ate PBM food because they wanted to try new food(58%),or were interested in healthy food(56%).Income,religion,and dietary restrictions were significantly correlated with consumers’experiences in PBM food consumption.Results from the Random Parameter Logit Model based on the hypothetical choice experiment data showed that 79%of respondents chose PBM burgers and were willing to pay an average of 88 CNY for a PBM burger.We also found that 99.8 and 83%of respondents are willing to buy burgers made in China and those with a taste label,with a willingness to pay(WTP)of 208 and 120 CNY,respectively.The heterogeneity test revealed that females and those with at least a bachelor’s degree,higher income,religious beliefs,and dietary restrictions are more likely to buy PBM burgers than their counterparts.

On Delay of the Delayed Choice Experiment

Following a suggestion by Wheeler, several delayed choice experiments have been performed. However, in those experiments one fact has always been ignored： that due to the fact that the single photon is nonlocal in time, the outcome will change if one changes the time to switch the experimental configuration within the photon＇s wavepaeket. This study obtains some insights into this aspect by proposing an experimental scheme based on the delayed choice experiment and giving some related analysis. The result shows a transitional behavior from a particle to a wave, leading to a conclusion that the measuring operator could be time dependent and be changed in a single measurement.

The Use of Choice Experiments to Value Public Preferences for Cultivated Land Protection in China

Effective programs and policies for cultivated land resource protection are often the focus of government policy-makers and researchers.Here we use survey data from Wuhan City,Hubei,China to attempt to apply a choice experiment for assessing main stakeholder preferences for cultivated land resource protection based on the hypothesis of market and policy.According to the basic principle of choice experiments,the area of cultivated land,quality of cultivated land,cost of cultivated land protection and cultivated land ecological landscape were included as attributes in the experimental design.Surveys were undertaken on two main stakeholders groups（farmers and urban residents）.Our results show strong divergence between farmers and urban residents regarding protecting attributes.We then analyzed and compared welfare changes affected by different attribute combination programs.The result of this study provides theoretical and decision-making support for farmland protection funds and agricultural subsidy systems.

Eastern gray squirrels are consistent shoppers of seed traits:insights from discrete choice experiments

Seeds of many hardwood trees are dispersed by scatter-hoarding rodents,and this process is often mediated by the traits of seeds.Although numerous studies have linked seed traits to seed preference by rodents,little is known about how rodents forage for seeds when multiple desirable and undesirable seed traits are available simultaneously.Here,we adopt a novel method of designing choice experiments to study how eastern gray squirrels(Sciurus carolinensis)select for 6 traits(caloric value,protein content,tannin concentration,kernel mass,dormancy period and toughness of shell)among seeds.From n=426 seed-pair presentations,we found that squirrels preferentially consumed seeds with short dormancy or tougher shells,and preferentially cached seeds with larger kernel mass,tougher shells and higher tannin concentrations.By incorporating random effects,we found that squirrels exhibited consistent preferences for seed traits,which is likely due to the fitness consequences associated with maintaining cached resources.Furthermore,we found that squirrels were willing to trade between multiple traits when caching seeds,which likely results in more seed species being cached in the fall.Ultimately,our approach allowed us to compute the relative values of different seed traits to squirrels,despite covariance among studied traits across seed species.In addition,by investigating how squirrels trade among different seed traits,important insights can be gleaned into behavioral mechanisms underlying seed caching(and,thus,seed survival)dynamics as well as evolutionary strategies adopted by plants to attract seed dispersers.We describe how discrete choice experiments can be used to study resource selection in other ecological systems.

Value and Heterogeneity: Using a Choice Experiment to Evaluate the Coastal Recreational Environment

The management of the coastal park environment is a major ecological and economic development issue. In developing effective policies, relevant information is essential, especially the economic valuation of various recreation-related environmental attributes. This study used Dalian coastal parks as a pilot study area and estimated the willingness to pay(WTP) of tourists using three different discrete choice models. In this study, we analyzed the preference heterogeneity among the respondents regarding a combination of park attributes, and the individual respondent’s WTP values were estimated for each attribute. The results indicate that water quality amelioration and trash reduction had the highest economic values among the given attribute factors. In addition, the estimated tourist WTP varied considerably among different segments, such as among the visitors who preferred different recreational activities. These findings provide valuable information that will allow coastal park managers to develop policies which maintain a balance between tourism development and improvement of the coastal environment.

贵州省基于离散选择实验的13价肺炎球菌结合疫苗的选择偏好研究

目的了解儿童家长对13价肺炎球菌结合疫苗(13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine,PCV13)的选择偏好,分析不同人群的偏好异质性,为疫苗的合理推广和使用提供建议。方法基于离散选择实验,在多阶段随机整群抽样的基础上,纳入2月龄至10周岁儿童的家长,使用电子问卷对儿童家长进行面对面调查,利用混合logit模型来评估受访者对PCV13的选择偏好。结果此次调查共收到有效问卷1476份,通过一致性检验的问卷1175份。所有疫苗属性对选择偏好均有统计学意义,有效性和保护时长是儿童家长更注重的疫苗属性。包含交互效应的混合logit模型显示,大专及以上学历的家长更偏好90%有效性以及低不良事件发生率的疫苗,家庭人均月收入大于3000元的家庭更偏好进口疫苗。在为儿童选择PCV13方面,儿童家长更愿意为疫苗高有效性和10年的保护时长支付更多的费用,普遍更偏好国产疫苗和全程接种费用低的疫苗。结论研究结果将为后续相关部门对于PCV13的管理决策提供数据支撑,并且为疫苗生产方提供参考,有助于合理推广PCV13并提高其接受度。

Multi-national observational study to assess quality of life and treatment preferences in patients with Crohn’s perianal fistulas

BACKGROUND Patients with Crohn’s disease(CD)are at risk of developing complications such as perianal fistulas.Patients with Crohn’s perianal fistulas(CPF)are affected by fecal incontinence(FI),bleeding,pain,swelling,and purulent perianal discharge,and METHODS This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in patients with CD aged 21-90 years via a web-enabled questionnaire in seven countries(April-August 2021).Patients were recruited into three cohorts:Cohort 1 included patients without perianal fistulas;cohort 2 included patients with perianal fistulas without fistula-related surgery;and cohort 3 included patients with perianal fistulas and fistula-related surgery.Validated patient-reported outcome measures were used to assess quality of life.Drivers of treatment preferences were measured using a discrete choice experiment(DCE).RESULTS In total,929 patients were recruited(cohort 1,n=620;cohort 2,n=174;cohort 3,n=135).Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire scores were worse for patients with CPF(cohorts 2 and 3)than for those with CD without CPF(cohort 1):Mean score 3.8 and 3.7 vs 4.1,respectively,(P<0.001).Similarly,mean Revised FI and FI Quality of Life scores were worse for patients with CPF than for those with CD without CPF.Quality of Life with Anal Fistula scores were similar in patients with CPF with or without CPF-related surgery(cohorts 2 and 3):Mean score 41 and 42,respectively.In the DCE,postoperative discomfort and fistula healing rate were the most important treatment attributes influencing treatment choice:Mean relative importance 35.7 and 24.7,respectively.CONCLUSION The burden of illness in CD is significantly higher for patients with CPF and patients rate lower postoperative discomfort and higher healing rates as the most desirable treatment attributes.

A technical and socioeconomic approach to estimate forest residues as a feedstock for bioenergy in northern Mexico

Background: Forest residues can be a feasible alternative for converting energy into fuels, electricity, or heat.Compared to other second-generation bioenergy sources, they do not compete for food, are relatively cheap,abundant in forest-rich areas, and more importantly their energy balance is close to zero. Biomass estimations can help design energy strategies to reduce fossil fuels dependency. Because of the land property distribution in Mexico,biomass estimations should consider not only the physical availability, but also the willingness of landowners to extract such raw materials.Methods: This study presents a methodological approach for evaluating the potential use of forest residues as a feedstock to generate bioenergy in northern Mexico. Remote sensing and field forest inventory were used to estimate the quantity and distribution of forest residues. In addition, a discrete choice analysis evaluated landowners’ preferences towards bioenergy development, including the most important factors that influence their willingness to extract their products and the expected price.Results and conclusions: Considering both physical and socio-economic aspects, results showed that about59,000 metric tons per year could be available in the study area. The vast majority of landowners surveyed are willing to extract forest residues, as long as they are presented with extraction plans with the highest income. However, many showed concerns about the environmental impacts this activity can have on soils,plants, and fauna. These results can help evaluate the potential of these resources for bioenergy development.

Households’Willingness-to-Pay for Wastewater Treatment in Traditional Agro-Food Processing Villages,Nhue-Day River Basin,Vietnam:Case Study in Hanoi City

Despite the number of studies focusing on the financial analysis of production activities, conducting on technical solutions, and improving water quality, no study has been conducted on the application of economic instruments that apply to water quality management in craft villages, and several studies of WTP also. This study aimed to estimate the households’ willingness-to-pay for wastewater treatment in selected traditional agro-food processing villages in Nhue-Day River Basin, Vietnam. A pilot Choice Experiment (CE) technique in Choice Modelling (CM) approach was applied for this study with 267 selected agro-food processing households by using the conditional logit (CL) and random parameter logit (RPL) models. The results showed that total annual environmental fee for wastewater treatment from agro-food processing households is estimated as 1089 million VND (equal to US$47,868 per year) for the total of 902 agro-food processing households in three research sites in Nhue-Day River Basin. This estimated budget for wastewater treatment accounted for 55.85% of total annual operation and maintenance costs only. In addition, the technology is improved to enable 90% of treated wastewater. Overall, the results of this study suggest the new wastewater treatment plant construction and improved wastewater collection system by increasing the investment in order to improve the water quality in Nhue-Day River Basin that brings about the reducing environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and human health risks.

Tree diversity and nectar composition affect arthropod visitors on extrafloral nectaries in a diversity experiment

Aims Plants with extrafloral nectaries(EFNs)are common in tropical and subtropical habitats and,despite many other arthropods also forage for EFN,most studies solely focused on the defense mutualisms between EFN plants and ants.This study aims at a quantitative assessment of the entire arthropod community that visits EFN trees to compare visitor communities between different tree species to disentangle the mechanisms that may drive EFN visitor community composition.We also test for tree diversity effects on EFN visitors,as it is unknown if local tree species richness relates to the abundance and species richness of arthropods foraging for EFN.Methods We sampled EFN-visiting arthropods in the experimental tree species richness gradient of the BEF-China Experiment,the currently largest forest diversity experiment in the world,and tested if tree species richness affects EFN visitors and if visitor community composition differs between EFN tree species.In a second step,we analyzed the EFN of Ailanthus altissima and Triadica cochinchinensis,the two EFN tree species with highest visitor abundance,for sugars and amino acids(AA)to test if tree species-specific differences in nectar chemistry translate to differing visitor communities.Lastly,we conducted a choice experiment using different artificial nectar solutions to test if nectar quality affects foraging decisions of ants,the most frequent EFN visitors in our study sites.Important Findings EFN trees in young successional forests in subtropical South-East China are visited by a diverse assemblage of arthropods including ants,beetles,flies,and spiders.Albeit ants accounted for about 75%of all individuals,non-ant visitors were by far more species rich.Visitor abundance and species richness declined with increasing tree species richness,suggesting a resource dilution effect,because plots with more tree species had proportionally less EFN tree individuals and thus lower nectar availability.Ailanthus altissima and T.cochinchinensis were visited by different arthropods and their nectar had species-specific AA composition and sugar concentration,indicating that differences in visitors may,at least partly,be explained by differences in nectar chemistry.These findings are supported by the choice experiment,in which artificial nectars containing sugar solutions supplemented with essential AAs attracted more ants than pure sugar solutions or sugar solutions supplemented with non-essential AAs.Our results improve the understanding of the complex ecology of EFN trees,a plant life form that might be crucial for understanding how tree diversity influences patterns of tree growth in young successional tropical and subtropical forests.

Experimental Evidence for Coverage Preferences in Flood Insurance

We used a hypothetical choice experiment to estimate the effect of dwelling value and coverage limits on the probability of purchasing flood insurance while holding the probability of flooding and insurance price constant. The results indicate that demand for flood insurance is negatively associated with the amount of insurance coverage. For people assigned higher-valued dwellings, however, the opposite effect is observed. Since more coverage is generally preferred to less, all else being equal, differences in purchase probability dependent on dwelling value indicate an inconsistent approach to home protection. The higher probability of purchasing flood insurance from people in higher-valued dwellings may indicate an investment into the home as a financial asset, a strategy that is not observed to the same extent among people in lower-valued dwellings. This suggests that use of coverage limits may be differentially preferred based on dwelling value, such that low coverage insurance may have lower uptake for those in high-valued dwellings. As Canada evaluates a national flood insurance program, this research suggests that variable coverage maximums could be a way to increase accessibility and uptake of insurance.This research shows an inconsistent demand for flood insurance, dependent on dwelling value and independent of income.

Residents’ Preferences for Rural Housing Disaster Insurance Attributes in Central and Western Tibet

Understanding the heterogeneous preferences of individuals for disaster insurance attributes is critical for product improvement and policy design.In an era of global environmental change,the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a hotspot of natural hazards.Improving the capability of rural housing disaster insurance to foster local residents’disaster resilience is of great signifcance but remains under addressed.We used a discrete choice experiment approach to provide the frst estimates of rural residents’preferences for rural housing disaster insurance attributes in central and western Tibet.We estimated residents’preferences and willingness-to-pay for the sum insured,subsidy rate,insured object,and perils covered.The potential impacts of increasing the sum insured,expanding the insured object,and lowering subsidy rates were evaluated.Our results suggest that residents prefer products with a high sum insured,high subsidy rate,and a complete list of insured objects.Residents who have experienced specifc hazards tend to prefer the corresponding perils covered.Females and residents who have a closer social network are more likely to purchase insurance.Product improvement and policy simulation results suggest that,while lowering the subsidy rate,increasing the sum insured and expanding the insured object could promote participation and improve residents’welfare.Our results could improve the understanding of the preferences of households in remote regions and support policy implementations.

Ecosystem Service Valuation of Watershed Restoration in the Shiyang River Basin under Heterogeneous Preferences

Evaluations connect ecosystem and human welfare to achieve restoration. There have been an increasing number of studies conducted on various ecosystem service assessments, but little research has focused on inland river basins playing a critical role in development in northwestern China. The distinct differences in natural endowment, socioeconomic characteristics among the upper, middle and downstream inland river basin require heterogeneity during evaluation. The objective of this study was to verify the existence of population preference heterogeneity and examine impact factors using choice experiment surveys in the Shiyang River Basin, China. A mixed logit model using data from 714 households across the entire basin estimated mean willingness to pay and the standard deviation for ecological attributes. Ordinary least squares（OLS） was employed to estimate the effects of exogenous variables on all willingness to pay estimations. The results demonstrate that ecosystem service values are heterogeneous among people. Willingness to pay is affected by personal and regional characteristics. Government involvement will be required to seek differentiated ecosystem services values among populations and facilitate public support.

Involvement of chemosensory proteins in host plant searching in the bird cherry-oat aphid

Chemosensory systems are considered to play an important role in host plant selection in herbivorous insects.However,few studies have focused on chemosensory proteins(CSPs)for aphid host-location mechanisms.The roles of CSPs in searching for different Poaceae species(wheat,barley,triticale,maize and sorghum)were tested in Rhopalosiphum padi,an important cereal pest.The olfactometer assays showed that R.padi responds to plant odors.Seven R.padi CSP genes were identified.Influence of aphid morph,tissue and starvation state on expression patterns of CSPs was evaluated.Expression levels of CSPI,CSP4,CSP5 and CSP6 in winged aphids were significantly higher than those in wingless ones.Transcription levels of four genes(CSPI,CSP4,CSP5 and CSP6)were relatively higher in the head with antennae,and the four genes tended to be upregulated follow ing starvation.Silencing of three CSPs(CSP4,CSP5 and CSP6)altered aphid host-location behavior in response to the five different host plants tested.Three volatile compounds of host plants(octanal,[E]-2-hexenol and linalool)have signif-icant attraction to winged R.padi according to the four-arm olfactometer tests.Molecular docking predicted hydrogen bonding sites which played key roles in the binding of CSP4,CSP5 and CSP6 with volatile compounds.Knockdown of CSP4 or CSP5 significantly decreased the staying time of R.padi in the arms with octanal.However,knockdown of CSP6 could not affect the response of R.padi to octanal.These results bring evidence for the involvement of three CSPs in R.padi host-location behavior.

Understanding Farmers’ Preferences Towards Insurance Schemes that Promote Biosecurity Best Management Practices

Plant pest and disease outbreaks,which occur with increasing frequency and intensity,cause catastrophic losses and threaten food security in many areas around the world.These impacts are expected to be exacerbated by climate change.Tackling this challenge requires mechanisms that ensure the financial security of farmers while incentivizing private biosecurity efforts to prevent future outbreaks.This study explored crop producers’ preferences for a subsidized insurance scheme as an instrument to manage novel biotic risks.Specific ally,we developed a choice experiment to evaluate Spanish growers’ willingness to pay for a crop insurance product that promotes compliance with best biosecurity management practices.Our results show that while growers are willing to pay more for high coverage products that increase the resilience of crops to potential catastrophic outbreaks,there is neither a strong demand nor widespread availability of such tools.Farmers required reductions in premiums before undertaking risk prevention measures;they are more willing to pay for schemes that link their eligibility to access to ad hoc funds in the eventuality of a catastrophic outbreak than they are to purchase insurance.Our findings also suggest that Spanish growers prefer expanding the eligible risks covered by insurance and envisage a role for insurance in offering biosecurity protection.

A Comparison of Value Elicitation Question Formats in Multiple-Good Contingent Valuation

This paper provides a convergent validity test of two types of multinomial choice questions vis-a-vis a dichotomous choice question by formally testing whether these stated preference elicitation question formats provide comparable welfare estimates. In particular, a dichotomous choice question, a traditional multinomial choice question, and a modified multinomial choice question suggested by Carson and Groves （2007） were applied in split samples to assess the influence of the informational and incentive properties on the respondents＇ annual willingness to accept compensation for adopting costly conservation practices in agriculture that benefit the environment. Our findings suggest that the two multinomial choice question formats elicit a similar mean willingness to accept distributions, but they are both different from a standarddichotomous choice question. Further, the willingness to accept distributions derived from the multinomial choice question formats are more dispersed than those from the dichotomous choice question.