Enormous genomic resources have been developed for plants in the monocot order Poales; however, it is not clear how representative the Poales are for the monocots as a whole. The Asparagales are a monophyletic order sister to the lineage carrying the Poales and possess economically important plants such as asparagus, garlic, and onion. To assess the genomic differences between the Asparagales and Poales, we generated 11,008 unique ESTs from a normalized cDNA library of onion. Sequence analyses of these ESTs revealed microsatellite markers, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and homologs of transposable elements. Mean nucleotide similarity between rice and the Asparagales was 78% across coding regions. Expressed sequence and genomic comparisons revealed strong differences between the Asparagales and Poales for codon usage and mean GC content, GC distribution, and relative GC content at each codon position, indicating that genomic characteristics are not uniform across the monocots. The Asparagales were more similar to eudicots than to the Poales for these genomic characteristics.
In China and India, income growth is driving a structural change in dietary patterns away from staples towards more livestock foodstuffs such as meat products, exacerbating already significant environmental pressures from food production. This study uses the choice experiment (CE) method in surveys of Chinese, Indian and United Kingdom lamb consumers to explore potential for environmental labeling of lamb meat in emerging economies to form part of agri-environmental response to these pressures. Choice experiments are a stated-preference nonmarket approach to valuing consumer willingness to pay. Lamb consumers are presented with differing hypothetical products described by attributes describing environmental certification standards, with observed choices and product attributes analysed in a probabilistic Random Utility Model econometric framework. While preference disparities are found between emerging and developed economy consumers, results demonstrate that emerging economy consumers' choice of lamb products can be influenced by production processes that incorporate environmental sustainability. Indian consumers are found to be willing to pay relatively more for environmentally certified production practices than Chinese or UK counterparts. Of the environmental practices considered in this study, Greenhouse Gas minimisation is valued the most, in all three countries.
Choice experiments are used to assess consumer preferences and willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) for different food attributes worldwide. These studies also include credence attributes which are the product attributes that are not immediately observable to consumers without appropriate information and labelling, such as animal welfare, food safety, and social responsibility. Although choice experiment application has considered many of these attributes, studies focused on social responsibility are scant. Building on previous work comparing developed and developing countries, this paper focuses on WTP estimation for social responsibility. Surveys of fruit and vegetable consumers were conducted in United Kingdom (UK), Japan, India, and Indonesia in 2015. Results indicate WTP for an increase from minimum to improved standard for social responsibility ranges from 16% to 30% (median), and 6% to 26% (median) from improved to a high standard. Premiums vary between countries but, overall, demonstrate the significant importance of social responsibility consideration in consumer choices. Significant differences on WTP were observed between Japan and other countries, as well as between UK and Indonesia for the improved social responsibility standard, and across UK, Indonesia, and India for the high standard. Findings contribute to increasing understanding of consumer preferences across countries, revealing significant preference heterogeneity towards social responsibility.
This article is the second of a two‐part exploration of the question of biopolitics and its importance to social geography. First, this paper examines two main threads—biopolitical geopolitics and vital geographies—to think about the different ways this analytical register has been applied. Next, we draw on our own research and that of others to suggest the possibilities for an affirmative biopolitics. Finally, we contend that geography is well‐placed to continue pushing the boundaries of biopolitical research, with particular reference to an area that has received little attention thus far: biopolitics and the non‐human.
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