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The application of economics principles to the analysis of behavior has yielded novel insights on value and choice across contexts ranging from laboratory animal research to clinical populations to national trends of global impact. Recent innovations in demand curve methods provide a credible means of quantitatively comparing qualitatively different reinforcers as well as quantifying the choice relations between concurrently available reinforcers. The potential of the behavioral economic approach to inform public policy is illustrated with examples from basic research, pre‐clinical behavioral pharmacology, and clinical drug abuse research as well as emerging applications to public transportation and social behavior. Behavioral Economics can serve as a broadly applicable conceptual, methodological, and analytical framework for the development and evaluation of empirical public policy.

Rationale and objectives Benztropine (BZT) analogs and other atypical dopamine uptake inhibitors selectively decrease cocaine self-administration at doses that do not affect responding maintained by other reinforcers. Those effects were further characterized in the current study using a behavioral economic assessment of how response requirement (price) affects reinforcers obtained (consumption) in rats. Methods Two groups of rats were trained to press levers with food (45-mg pellet) or cocaine (0.32 mg/kg/injection) reinforcement under fixed-ratio (FR) 5-response schedules. In selected sessions, the FR requirement was increased (5–80) during successive 20-min components to determine demand curves, which plot consumption against price. An exponential function was fitted to the data to derive the consumption at zero price ( Q 0 ) and the rate of decrease in consumption (essential value, EV) with increased price. The BZT analogs, AHN1-055, AHN2-005, JHW007 (3.2–10 or 17.8 mg/kg, each), vehicle, or comparison drugs (methylphenidate, ketamine), were administered i.p. before selected demand-curve determinations. Results Consumption of cocaine or food decreased with increased FR requirement. Each drug shifted the demand curve rightward at the lowest doses and leftward/downward at higher doses. The effects on EV and Q 0 were greater for cocaine than for food-reinforced responding. Additionally, the effects of the BZT analogs on EV and Q 0 were greater than those obtained with a standard dopamine transport inhibitor, methylphenidate, and the NMDA antagonist, ketamine (1.0–10.0 mg/kg, each). With these latter drugs, the demand-curve parameters were affected similarly with cocaine and food-maintained responding. Conclusions The current findings, obtained using a behavioral economic assessment, suggest that BZT analogs selectively decrease the reinforcing effectiveness of cocaine.

Essential value is defined by Hursh and Silberberg (2008) as the value of reinforcers, presented in an exponential model (Equation 1). This study extends previous research concerned with animal behavior or human responding in therapeutic situations. We applied 9 available demand curves to consumer data that included 10,000+ data points collected from 1,600+ consumers during 52 weeks. The exponential approach of Hursh and Silberberg is highly predictive and capable of comparing the strength of reinforcers among different products. Moreover, this study proposes a second exponential model (Equation 2) that incorporates utilitarian and informational reinforcement, posited by the behavioral perspective model (BPM; Foxall 1990/2004), into the Hursh–Silberberg model, to ascertain the influence of these variables on demand. Results for Equation 2 indicate greater predictive capacity than results for Equation 1 across products. Hence, utilitarian and informational reinforcement influence the consumption of economic goods by human consumers. Both models, calculated for different products, fit the data well, and their parameters show good reliability across time periods.

We employ a behavioral-economic equation put forward by Hursh and Silberberg (2008) to explain human consumption behavior among substitutable food brands, applying a consumer-choice model—the behavioral perspective model (BPM; Foxall, 1990/2004, 2005). In this study, we apply the behavioral-economic equation to human economic consumption data. We attempt to find the variation pattern of essential value across brand groups differing in utilitarian reinforcement and informational reinforcement. The BPM denotes that consumers show less price responsiveness in closed settings and more price responsiveness in open settings. We also examine whether consumers are more sensitive to price changes in an open setting, where many alternatives are available, and vice versa. We find that (a) essential value varies across different brand groups within the same products; (b) brands with higher levels of utilitarian reinforcement showed larger essential value; (c) brands with higher levels of informational reinforcement showed larger essential value; and (d) the essential value of brands varies inversely with the degree of openness of consumer settings.

The aim of this paper is to establish the influence of a non-symmetric perturbation for a symmetric hemivariational eigenvalue inequality with constraints. The original problem was studied by Motreanu and Panagiotopoulos who deduced the existence of infinitely many solutions for the symmetric case. In this paper it is shown that the number of solutions of the perturbed problem becomes larger and larger if the perturbation tends to zero with respect to a natural topology. Results of this type in the case of semilinear equations have been obtained in [1] Ambrosetti, A. (1974), A perturbation theorem for superlinear boundary value problems, Math. Res. Center, Univ. Wisconsin-Madison, Tech. Sum. Report 1446; and [2] Bahri, A. and Berestycki, H. (1981), A perturbation method in critical point theory and applications, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 267, 1-32; for perturbations depending only on the argument.

We study the set ${\\cal D}(\\Phi)$ of limit directions of a vector cocycle $(\\Phi_n)$ over a dynamical system, i.e., the set of limit values of $\\Phi_n(x) /\\|\\Phi_n(x)\\|$ along subsequences such that $\\|\\Phi_n(x)\\|$ tends to $\\infty$. This notion is natural in geometrical models of dynamical systems where the phase space is fibred over a basis with fibers isomorphic to $\\mathbb{R}^d$, like systems associated to the billiard in the plane with periodic obstacles. It has a meaning for transient or recurrent cocycles. Our aim is to present some results in a general context as well as for specific models for which the set of limit directions can be described. In particular we study the related question of sojourn in cones of the cocycle when the invariance principle is satisfied.

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction The context of the past and present Grasping contemporary opportunity to guide the future Emerging trends Future research directions Conclusion References

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important pulse crop grown and consumed all over the world, especially in the Afro-Asian countries. It is a good source of carbohydrates and protein, and protein quality is considered to be better than other pulses. Chickpea has significant amounts of all the essential amino acids except sulphur-containing amino acids, which can be complemented by adding cereals to the daily diet. Starch is the major storage carbohydrate followed by dietary fibre, oligosaccharides and simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose. Although lipids are present in low amounts, chickpea is rich in nutritionally important unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic and oleic acids. β-Sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol are important sterols present in chickpea oil. Ca, Mg, P and, especially, K are also present in chickpea seeds. Chickpea is a good source of important vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, folate and the vitamin A precursor β-carotene. As with other pulses, chickpea seeds also contain anti-nutritional factors which can be reduced or eliminated by different cooking techniques. Chickpea has several potential health benefits, and, in combination with other pulses and cereals, it could have beneficial effects on some of the important human diseases such as CVD, type 2 diabetes, digestive diseases and some cancers. Overall, chickpea is an important pulse crop with a diverse array of potential nutritional and health benefits.

The research aim was to use orange essential oil and trehalose in a carrageenan matrix to form edible packaging. The edible packaging experimentally produced by casting from an aqueous solution were evaluated by the following analysis: UV-Vis spectrum, transparency value, transmittance, attenuated total reflectance Fourier-Transform spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and antimicrobial activity. The obtained results showed that the combination of orange essential oil with trehalose decreases the transmittance value in the UV and Vis regions (up to 0.14% ± 0.02% at 356 nm), meaning that produced films can act as a UV protector. Most produced films in the research were resistant to Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus), though most films did not show antibacterial properties against Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts. FTIR and SEM confirmed that both the amount of carrageenan used and the combination with orange essential oil influenced the compatibility of trehalose with the film matrix. The research showed how different combinations of trehalose, orange essential oils and carrageenan can affect edible film properties. These changes represent important information for further research and the possible practical application of these edible matrices.

In 1989 the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Protein Quality Evaluation recommended the use of the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) method for evaluating protein quality. In calculating PDCAAS, the limiting amino acid score (i.e., ratio of first limiting amino acid in a gram of target food to that in a reference protein or requirement) is multiplied by protein digestibility. The PDCAAS method has now been in use for 20 years. Research emerging during this time has provided useful data on various aspects of protein quality evaluation that has made a review of the current methods used in assessing protein quality necessary. This paper provides an overview of the use of the PDCAAS method as compared to other methods and addresses some of the key challenges that remain in regards to protein quality evaluation. Furthermore, specific factors influencing protein quality including the effects of processing conditions and preparation methods are presented. Protein quality evaluation methods and recommended protein intakes currently used in different countries vis-à-vis the WHO/FAO/UNU standards are further provided. As foods are frequently consumed in complement with other foods, the significance of the PDCAAS of single protein sources may not be evident, thus, protein quality of some key food groups and challenges surrounding the calculation of the amino acid score for dietary protein mixtures are further discussed. As results from new research emerge, recommendations may need to be updated or revised to maintain relevance of methods used in calculating protein quality.