Sample records for time consuming high
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Gotow, Naomi; Moritani, Ami; Hayakawa, Yoshinobu; Akutagawa, Akihito; Hashimoto, Hiroshi; Kobayakawa, Tatsu
2015-06-01
In order to develop products that are acceptable to consumers, it is necessary to incorporate consumers' intentions into products' characteristics. Therefore, investigation of consumers' perceptions of the taste or smell of common beverages provides information that should be useful in predicting market responses. In this study, we sought to develop a time-intensity evaluation system for consumer panels. Using our system, we performed time-intensity evaluation of flavor attributes (bitterness and retronasal aroma) that consumers perceived after swallowing a coffee beverage. Additionally, we developed quantitative evaluation methods for determining whether consumer panelists can properly perform time-intensity evaluation. In every trial, we fitted an exponential function to measured intensity data for bitterness and retronasal aroma. The correlation coefficients between measured time-intensity data and the fitted exponential curves were greater than 0.8 in about 90% of trials, indicating that we had successfully developed a time-intensity system for use with consumer panelists, even after just a single training trial using a nontrained consumer. We classified participants into two groups based on their consumption of canned coffee beverages. Significant difference was observed in only AUC of sensory modality (bitterness compared with retronasal aroma) among conventional TI parameters using two-way ANOVA. However, three-way ANOVA including a time course revealed significant difference between bitterness and retronasal aroma in the high-consumption group. Moreover, the high-consumption group more easily discriminated between bitterness and retronasal aroma than the low-consumption group. This finding implied that manufacturers should select consumer panelists who are suitable for their concepts of new products. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®
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Castro-Rodriguez, J A; Ramirez-Hernandez, M; Padilla, O; Pacheco-Gonzalez, R M; Pérez-Fernández, V; Garcia-Marcos, L
2016-01-01
There is a conflictive position if some foods and Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) consumed by the mother during pregnancy and by the child during the first years of life can be protective for current wheezing, rhinitis and dermatitis at preschool age. Questionnaires of epidemiological factors and food intake by the mother during pregnancy and later by the child were filled in by parents in two surveys at two different time points (1.5 yrs and 4 yrs of life) in 1000 preschoolers. The prevalences of current wheezing, rhinitis and dermatitis were 18.8%, 10.4%, and 17.2%, respectively. After multiple logistic analysis children who were low fruit consumers (never/occasionally) and high fast-food consumers (≥3 times/week) had a higher risk for current wheezing; while intermediate consumption of meat (1 or 2 times/week) and low of pasta by mothers in pregnancy were protected. For current rhinitis, low fruit consumer children were at higher risk; while those consuming meat <3 times/week were protected. For current dermatitis, high fast food consumption by mothers in pregnancy; and low or high consumption of fruit, and high of potatoes in children were associated to higher prevalence. Children consuming fast food >1 times/week were protected for dermatitis. MedDiet adherence by mother and child did not remain a protective factor for any outcome. Low consumption of fruits and high of meat by the child, and high consumption of potatoes and pasta by the mother had a negative effect on wheezing, rhinitis or dermatitis; while fast food consumption was inconsistent. Copyright © 2016 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
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Attwood, A S; Higgs, S; Terry, P
2007-03-01
Individual differences in responsiveness to caffeine occur even within a caffeine-consuming population, but the factors that mediate differential responsiveness remain unclear. To compare caffeine's effects on performance and mood in a group of high vs moderate consumers of caffeine and to examine the potential role of subjective awareness of the effects of caffeine in mediating any differential responsiveness. Two groups of regular caffeine consumers (<200 mg/day and >200 mg/day) attended two sessions at which mood and cognitive functions were measured before and 30 min after consumption of 400-mg caffeine or placebo in a capsule. Cognitive tests included visual information processing, match-to-sample visual search (MTS) and simple and choice reaction times. Post-session questionnaires asked participants to describe any perceived effect of capsule consumption. High consumers, but not moderate consumers, demonstrated significantly faster simple and choice reaction times after caffeine relative to placebo. These effects were not attributable to obvious group differences in withdrawal or tolerance because there were no group differences in baseline mood or in reports of negative affect after caffeine. Instead, the high consumers were more likely to report experiencing positive effects of caffeine, whereas the moderate consumers were more likely to report no effect. The sensitivity of caffeine consumers to the mood- and performance-enhancing effects of caffeine is related to their levels of habitual intake. High caffeine consumers are more likely than moderate consumers to perceive broadly positive effects of caffeine, and this may contribute to their levels of use.
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Cavaliere, Alessia; De Marchi, Elisa; Banterle, Alessandro
2014-12-01
Individual time preference has been recognized as key driver in explaining consumers' probability to have a healthy weight or to incur excess weight problems. The term time preference refers to the rate at which a person is disposed to trade a current satisfaction for a future benefit. This characteristic may affect the extent at which individuals invest in health and may influence diet choices. The purpose of this paper is to analyse which could be the role of time preference (measured in terms of diet-related behaviours) in explaining consumers' healthy or unhealthy body weight. The analysis also considers other drivers predicted to influence BMI, specifically information searching, health-related activities and socio-demographic conditions. The survey was based on face-to-face interviews on a sample of 240 consumers living in Milan. In order to test the hypothesis, we performed a set of seven ORM regressions, all having consumers' BMI as the dependent variable. Each ORM contains a different block of explanatory variables, while time preference is always included among the regressors. The results suggest that the healthy weight condition is associated with a high orientation to the future, with a high interest in nutrition claims, a low attention to health-related claims, and a high level of education. On the opposite, the probability to be overweight or obese increases when consumers are less future-concerned and is associated with a low searching for nutrition claims and to a high interest in health claims. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Peterson, Sunila; Buchanan, Angus; Falkmer, Torbjorn
2014-01-01
Mental health service providers across Australia, including Western Australia (WA), have begun to offer individualised funds, shared management, person-centred and self-directed (SPS) services. No research exists on the impact of SPS services on the lived experiences of these particular consumers. This study explored the impact of a SPS service offered for the first time in WA to consumers with mental illness. Data on sixteen consumers' lived experiences were analysed using an abbreviated grounded theory approach. These data had been developed by the consumers, Guides (staff) and an independent evaluator, and most of it had been collected in the past prior to the commencement of the study. Three over-arching categories, and related subcategories, emerged indicating that 1) access to individualised funds enabled practical and psychological benefits to consumers; 2) consistent contact in shared management and person-centred relationships enhanced the provision of timely and meaningful staff support to consumers; and 3) high quality shared management and person-centred relationships with staff and the opportunity to self-direct enabled consumers' change and growth. SPS services enhanced consumers' lived experiences and enabled staff to provide and consumers to experience timely access to recovery resources, consistent contact, responsive and high quality support, and self-direction of services. In this, consumers changed, grew and achieved desired recovery experiences. The overall impact of the SPS service seemed to be founded on the goodness of fit between person characteristics of staff and consumers, which enabled rich support that provided for corrective emotional experiences. This enabled consumers to build meaningful and hopeful lives where they started to live with, and beyond, their mental illness.
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A qualitative evaluation of New Zealand consumers perceptions of general practice nurses
2013-01-01
Background An important consideration in health service delivery is ensuring that services meet consumer needs and that consumers are satisfied with service delivery. Patient satisfaction can impact on compliance with suggested treatments and therefore impact on health outcomes. Comparatively few studies have explored consumer satisfaction with nurses in general practice. Methods A sub-group of 18 consumers from a larger quantitative evaluation of consumer satisfaction with New Zealand general practice nurses participated in semi-structured telephone interviews. Interview data was analysed using thematic analysis. Results Four major themes emerged from the data. These themes highlighted that, despite confusion experienced by some consumers regarding the practice nurse role, consumers were happy with the level of care provided by them. Consumers felt valued by Practice Nurses and considered them competent and highly knowledgeable. Findings also convey that consumers appreciate the accessibility and financial benefits of utilising the services of practice nurses. Conclusions Consumers are highly satisfied with practice nurse service delivery and value their relationships with these health professionals. Consumers revealed that greater clarity around the practice nurse role and their scope of practice may enhance their utilisation. Spreading the message of practice nurses being the right person to deliver care, within their scope of practice, at the right time may have the potential to provide more timely care within the primary care setting. PMID:23433311
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Differential use of salmon by vertebrate consumers: implications for conservation
Wheat, Rachel E.; Allen, Jennifer M.; Wilmers, Christopher C.
2015-01-01
Salmon and other anadromous fish are consumed by vertebrates with distinct life history strategies to capitalize on this ephemeral pulse of resource availability. Depending on the timing of salmon arrival, this resource may be in surplus to the needs of vertebrate consumers if, for instance, their populations are limited by food availability during other times of year. However, the life history of some consumers enables more efficient exploitation of these ephemeral resources. Bears can deposit fat and then hibernate to avoid winter food scarcity, and highly mobile consumers such as eagles, gulls, and other birds can migrate to access asynchronous pulses of salmon availability. We used camera traps on pink, chum, and sockeye salmon spawning grounds with various run times and stream morphologies, and on individual salmon carcasses, to discern potentially different use patterns among consumers. Wildlife use of salmon was highly heterogeneous. Ravens were the only avian consumer that fed heavily on pink salmon in small streams. Eagles and gulls did not feed on early pink salmon runs in streams, and only moderately at early sockeye runs, but were the dominant consumers at late chum salmon runs, particularly on expansive river flats. Brown bears used all salmon resources far more than other terrestrial vertebrates. Notably, black bears were not observed on salmon spawning grounds despite being the most frequently observed vertebrate on roads and trails. From a conservation and management perspective, all salmon species and stream morphologies are used extensively by bears, but salmon spawning late in the year are disproportionately important to eagles and other highly mobile species that are seasonally limited by winter food availability. PMID:26339539
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Schilling, M W; Radhakrishnan, V; Vizzier-Thaxton, Y; Christensen, K; Williams, J B; Joseph, P
2015-06-01
Stunning method (low atmospheric pressure stunning, LAPS and electrical stunning, ES), deboning time (0.75 h and 4 h), and cooking method (baking, frying, and sous vide) were evaluated for their impact on the descriptive sensory characteristics and consumer acceptability of breast meat (n=576, 144 birds per stunning × deboning time combination). Sensory evaluation was conducted by trained descriptive (n=8) and consumer (n=185) panels. On average, no differences (P>0.05) existed in the sensory acceptability of fried and sous vide cooked broiler breast treatment combinations. However, for oven-baking, the LAPS treatment that was deboned at 4 h was more acceptable (P<0.05) than other treatments and the ES and LAPS 4 h samples had greater (P<0.05) acceptability for texture than their ES and LAPS 0.75 h counterparts. Since consumers were highly variable in their liking of chicken breast treatments, consumers were grouped into clusters for each cooking method based on liking and preference. Cluster analysis data revealed that the largest groups of consumers liked (score≥6.0) all chicken breast treatments, but a larger proportion of consumers liked the 4 h LAPS and ES treatments when compared to the 0.75 h LAPS and ES treatments for all cooking methods. In addition, the consumers who indicated that baked chicken breast was highly acceptable preferred (P<0.05) 4 h LAPS over the 4 h ES samples. Based on sensory results, chicken breast meat from all stunning and deboning method combinations was highly acceptable to the majority of consumers, but the LAPS 4 h treatment had enhanced sensory characteristics when baked. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.
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de Roos, André M.
2017-01-01
Many populations collapse suddenly when reaching low densities even if they have abundant food conditions, a phenomenon known as an Allee effect. Such collapses can have disastrous consequences, for example, for loss of biodiversity. In this paper, we formulate a stage-structured consumer-resource biomass model in which adults only reproduce at the beginning of each growing season, and investigate the effect of an increasing stage-independent background mortality rate of the consumer. As the main difference with previously studied continuous-time models, seasonal reproduction can result in an Allee effect and consumer population collapses at high consumer mortality rate. However, unlike the mechanisms reported in the literature, in our model the Allee effect results from the time difference between the maturation of juveniles and the reproduction of adults. The timing of maturation plays a crucial role because it not only determines the body size of the individuals at maturation but also influences the duration of the period during which adults can invest in reproductive energy, which together determine the reproductive output at the end of the season. We suggest that there exists an optimal timing of maturation and that consumer persistence is promoted if individuals mature later in the season at a larger body size, rather than maturing early, despite high food availability supporting rapid growth. PMID:29088273
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Intermediate-consumer identity and resources alter a food web with omnivory.
Kneitel, Jamie M
2007-07-01
1. Omnivory is an important interaction that has been the centre of numerous theoretical and empirical studies in recent years. Most of these studies examine the conditions necessary for coexistence between an omnivore and an intermediate consumer. Trait variation in ecological interactions (competition and predator tolerance) among intermediate consumers has not been considered in previous empirical studies despite the evidence that variation in species-specific traits can have important community-level effects. 2. I conducted a multifactorial microcosm experiment using species from the Sarracenia purpurea phytotelmata community, organisms that inhabit the water collected within its modified leaves. The basal trophic level consisted of bacterial decomposers, the second trophic level (intermediate consumers) consisted of protozoa and rotifers, and the third trophic level (omnivore) were larvae of the pitcher plant mosquito Wyeomyia smithii. Trophic level number (1, 2 and 3), resources (low and high), omnivore density (low and high) and intermediate consumer (monoculture of five protozoa and rotifers) identity were manipulated. Abundance of the basal trophic level, intermediate consumers, and growth of the omnivore were measured, as well as time to extinction (intermediate consumers) and time to pupation (mosquito larvae). 3. The presence of different intermediate consumers affected both bacteria abundance and omnivore growth. At high resource levels, Poteriochromonas, Colpidium and Habrotrocha rosa reduced bacteria densities greater than omnivore reduction of bacteria. Mosquito larvae did not pupate at low resource levels except when Poteriochromonas and Colopoda were present as intermediate consumers. Communities with H. rosa were the only ones consistent with the prediction that omnivores should exclude intermediate consumers at high resources. 4. These results had mixed support for predictions from omnivory food web theory. Intermediate consumers responded and affected this community differently under different community structures and resource levels. Consequently, variation in species-specific traits can have important population- and community-level effects and needs to be considered in food webs with omnivory.
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Hibbard, Judith H; Greene, Jessica; Sofaer, Shoshanna; Firminger, Kirsten; Hirsh, Judith
2012-03-01
Advocates of health reform continue to pursue policies and tools that will make information about comparative costs and resource use available to consumers. Reformers expect that consumers will use the data to choose high-value providers-those who offer higher quality and lower prices-and thus contribute to the broader goal of controlling national health care spending. However, communicating this information effectively is more challenging than it might first appear. For example, consumers are more interested in the quality of health care than in its cost, and many perceive a low-cost provider to be substandard. In this study of 1,421 employees, we examined how different presentations of information affect the likelihood that consumers will make high-value choices. We found that a substantial minority of the respondents shied away from low-cost providers, and even consumers who pay a larger share of their health care costs themselves were likely to equate high cost with high quality. At the same time, we found that presenting cost data alongside easy-to-interpret quality information and highlighting high-value options improved the likelihood that consumers would choose those options. Reporting strategies that follow such a format will help consumers understand that a doctor who provides higher-quality care than other doctors does not necessarily cost more.
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Casswell, Sally; Huckle, Taisia; Wall, Martin; Parker, Karl; Chaiyasong, Surasak; Parry, Charles D H; Viet Cuong, Pham; Gray-Phillip, Gaile; Piazza, Marina
2018-02-21
To investigate behaviours related to four alcohol policy variables (policy-relevant behaviours) and demographic variables in relation to typical quantities of alcohol consumed on-premise in six International Alcohol Control study countries. General population surveys with drinkers using a comparable survey instrument and data analysed using path analysis in an overall model and for each country. typical quantities per occasion consumed on-premise; gender, age; years of education, prices paid, time of purchase, time to access alcohol and liking for alcohol advertisements. In the overall model younger people, males and those with fewer years of education consumed larger typical quantities. Overall lower prices paid, later time of purchase and liking for alcohol ads predicted consuming larger typical quantities; this was found in the high-income countries, less consistently in the high-middle-income countries and not in the low middle-income country. Three policy-relevant behaviours (prices paid, time of purchase, liking for alcohol ads) mediated the relationships between age, gender, education and consumption in high-income countries. International Alcohol Control survey data showed a relationship between policy-relevant behaviours and typical quantities consumed and support the likely effect of policy change (trading hours, price and restrictions on marketing) on heavier drinking. The path analysis also revealed policy-relevant behaviours were significant mediating variables between the effect of age, gender and educational status on consumption. However, this relationship is clearest in high-income countries. Further research is required to understand better how circumstances in low-middle-income countries impact effects of policies. © 2018 The Authors Drug and Alcohol Review published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.
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Levin, David; Aladl, Usaf; Germano, Guido; Slomka, Piotr
2005-09-01
We exploit consumer graphics hardware to perform real-time processing and visualization of high-resolution, 4D cardiac data. We have implemented real-time, realistic volume rendering, interactive 4D motion segmentation of cardiac data, visualization of multi-modality cardiac data and 3D display of multiple series cardiac MRI. We show that an ATI Radeon 9700 Pro can render a 512x512x128 cardiac Computed Tomography (CT) study at 0.9 to 60 frames per second (fps) depending on rendering parameters and that 4D motion based segmentation can be performed in real-time. We conclude that real-time rendering and processing of cardiac data can be implemented on consumer graphics cards.
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Control Aspects of Highly Constrained Guidance Techniques
1978-02-01
cycle. The advantages of this approach are (1) it requires only one time- consuming computation of the platform-to-body transformation matrix from...of steering gain corresponding to the three autopilot configurations, Kchange is KFCS change 2 0.0006 5 0.00156 8 0.00256 2.7 Terminal Steering As...a time- consuming process that it is desirable to consider ways of reducing the com- putation time by approximating the elements of B and/or updating
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Mitra, Aditee; Flynn, Kevin J
2007-05-01
Ingestion kinetics of animals are controlled by both external food availability and feedback from the quantity of material already within the gut. The latter varies with gut transit time (GTT) and digestion of the food. Ingestion, assimilation efficiency, and thus, growth dynamics are not related in a simple fashion. For the first time, the important linkage between these processes and GTT is demonstrated; this is achieved using a biomass-based, mechanistic multinutrient model fitted to experimental data for zooplankton growth dynamics when presented with food items of varying quality (stoichiometric composition) or quantity. The results show that trophic transfer dynamics will vary greatly between the extremes of feeding on low-quantity/high-quality versus high-quantity/low-quality food; these conditions are likely to occur in nature. Descriptions of consumer behavior that assume a constant relationship between the kinetics of grazing and growth irrespective of food quality and/or quantity, with little or no recognition of the combined importance of these factors on consumer behavior, may seriously misrepresent consumer activity in dynamic situations.
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Sundborn, G; Utter, J; Teevale, T; Metcalf, P; Jackson, R
2014-03-01
The primary aim of this study was to describe the carbonated beverage (soft drink) consumption patterns of New Zealand (NZ) youth and to investigate the influence that home availability of soft drinks had on their consumption. A secondary aim was to determine if there was an association between soft drink consumption and body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference. Data from Youth '07, a nationally representative survey of the health and well-being of NZ youth, including 8,697 NZ students aged 13 to 17 years, were analysed. The relevant data was available for 8697 students of whom 4633 identified as NZ European. 1621 Māori, 1.098 Asian, 834 Pacific, and 504 Other. Twenty nine percent (29%) were categorised as high consumers of soft drinks (>4 times a week), 45.4% were moderate consumers (1-3 times a week), and 25.6% were low consumers (had not consumed soft drinks in the past week). Male gender, Pacific ethnicity, and high deprivation were all significantly associated with being in the high consumer group. Fifty eight percent (58%) of children who reported that soft drinks were 'usually' available at home were in the high consumption group, compared to 15.1% of children who reported that these drinks were never available at home. After adjusting for possible confounders, waist circumference was significantly associated with soft drink consumption (p<0.05), however, BMI was not. Mean soft drink consumption for boys was 3.5 times per week and was 2.0 for girls. This study provides detailed information on soft drink consumption patterns of NZ youth and highlights factors associated with high consumption. Moderating the availability of soft drinks in the home is likely to significantly reduce their consumption among NZ youth.
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Kim, Youngmok; Lee, Kwang-Geun; Kim, Mina K
2016-10-01
Current study was designed to find out how tea harvesting time affects the volatile and non-volatile compounds profiles of green tea. In addition, correlation of instrumental volatile and non-volatile compounds analyses to consumer perception were analyzed. Overall, earlier harvested green tea had stronger antioxidant capacity (~61.0%) due to the polyphenolic compounds from catechin (23,164 mg/L), in comparison to later harvested green teas (11,961 mg/L). However, high catechin content in green tea influenced negatively the consumer likings of green tea, due to high bitterness (27.6%) and astringency (13.4%). Volatile compounds drive consumer liking of green tea products were also identified, that included linalool, 2,3-methyl butanal, 2-heptanone, (E,E)-3,5-Octadien-2-one. Finding from current study are useful for green tea industry as it provide the difference in physiochemical properties of green tea harvested at different intervals.
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Sugar Consumption and Changes in Dental Caries from Childhood to Adolescence.
Peres, M A; Sheiham, A; Liu, P; Demarco, F F; Silva, A E R; Assunção, M C; Menezes, A M; Barros, F C; Peres, K G
2016-04-01
There are no prospective studies investigating the effects of sugar-related feeding practices on changes in dental caries from early childhood to young adulthood. The aim of this study was to assess whether sugar-related feeding practices affect dental caries between the ages of 6 and 18 y. This birth cohort study was initiated in 1993 in Pelotas, Brazil. There were 3 dental clinical assessments; at ages 6 y (n = 359), 12 y (n = 339), and 18 y (n = 307). Sugar-related feeding practices were assessed at ages 4, 15, and 18 y. Covariates included sex and life course variables, such as family income, breast-feeding, mother's education, regularity of dental visit, and child's toothbrushing habits. Group-based trajectory analysis was performed to characterize trajectories of time-varying independent variables that had at least 3 time points. We fitted a generalized linear mixed model assuming negative binomial distribution with log link function on 3-time repeated dental caries assessments. One in 5 participants was classified as "high" sugar consumers, and nearly 40% were "upward consumers." "Low consumers" accounted for >40% of the sample. High and upward sugar consumers had higher dental caries prevalence and mean DMFT in all cohort waves when compared with low sugar consumers. Caries occurred at a relatively constant rate over the period of study, but in all sugar consumption groups, the increment of dental caries was slightly higher between ages 6 and 12 y than between 12 and 18 y. Adjusted analysis showed that dental caries increment ratio between ages 6 and 18 y was 20% and 66% higher in upward and high sugar consumer groups as compared with low consumers. The higher the sugar consumption along the life course, the higher the dental caries increment. Even the low level of sugar consumption was related to dental caries, despite the use of fluoride. © International & American Associations for Dental Research 2016.
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Systemic risk and spatiotemporal dynamics of the consumer market of China
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Minggang; Tian, Lixin; Xu, Hua; Li, Weiyu; Du, Ruijin; Dong, Gaogao; Wang, Jie; Gu, Jiani
2017-05-01
The consumer price index (CPI) contains rich information of the consumer market, in order to characterize the essential characteristics of the consumer market of China, a novel method by using complex network theory is proposed to visualizing the evolution and transformation characteristics of correlated modes among the regional consumer markets. CPI data of 31 provinces and cities of China are selected as sample data. Underlying dynamics of time-evolving correlation networks are revealed. A formula to measure the systemic risk in the consumer market is designed. And the correlation modes transmission network of the regional consumer markets is obtained. Numerical simulations show that the consumer market network has co-movement, group-occurring and small-word property. Different regions played different roles in the consumer market of China. The risk in the consumer market presented a decreasing trend from April 2013 but remain at the high level. Different from the stochastic system, the consumer market of China both has the short-range correlation and the long-range correlation. The strength of correlation modes transmission network basically satisfies a power-law distribution. The correlation modes are transferred into each other conveniently, although the consumer market system is highly complicated. The transformation of the correlation patterns of the regional consumer markets mainly revolves around three core correlation modes and each transformation needs to undergo 4 non-core modes.
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Gender, Parenthood and Wage Differences: The Importance of Time-Consuming Job Characteristics.
Magnusson, Charlotta; Nermo, Magnus
2017-01-01
Using data from the Swedish Level of Living Survey (2000, 2010), we investigate how the gender wage gap varies with occupational prestige and family status and also examine the extent to which this gap is explained by time-consuming working conditions. In addition, we investigate whether there is an association between parenthood, job characteristics and wage (as differentiated by gender). The analyses indicate that there are gender differences regarding prestige-based pay-offs among parents that are partly explained by fathers' greater access to employment characterized by time-consuming conditions. Separate analyses for men and women demonstrate the presence of a marriage wage premium for both genders, although only men have a parenthood wage premium. This fatherhood premium is however only present in high-prestigious occupations. Compared with childless men, fathers are also more advantaged in terms of access to jobs with time-consuming working conditions, but the wage gap between fathers and childless men is not explained by differences in access to such working conditions.
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Ali, S. M.; Mehmood, C. A; Khan, B.; Jawad, M.; Farid, U; Jadoon, J. K.; Ali, M.; Tareen, N. K.; Usman, S.; Majid, M.; Anwar, S. M.
2016-01-01
In smart grid paradigm, the consumer demands are random and time-dependent, owning towards stochastic probabilities. The stochastically varying consumer demands have put the policy makers and supplying agencies in a demanding position for optimal generation management. The utility revenue functions are highly dependent on the consumer deterministic stochastic demand models. The sudden drifts in weather parameters effects the living standards of the consumers that in turn influence the power demands. Considering above, we analyzed stochastically and statistically the effect of random consumer demands on the fixed and variable revenues of the electrical utilities. Our work presented the Multi-Variate Gaussian Distribution Function (MVGDF) probabilistic model of the utility revenues with time-dependent consumer random demands. Moreover, the Gaussian probabilities outcome of the utility revenues is based on the varying consumer n demands data-pattern. Furthermore, Standard Monte Carlo (SMC) simulations are performed that validated the factor of accuracy in the aforesaid probabilistic demand-revenue model. We critically analyzed the effect of weather data parameters on consumer demands using correlation and multi-linear regression schemes. The statistical analysis of consumer demands provided a relationship between dependent (demand) and independent variables (weather data) for utility load management, generation control, and network expansion. PMID:27314229
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Ali, S M; Mehmood, C A; Khan, B; Jawad, M; Farid, U; Jadoon, J K; Ali, M; Tareen, N K; Usman, S; Majid, M; Anwar, S M
2016-01-01
In smart grid paradigm, the consumer demands are random and time-dependent, owning towards stochastic probabilities. The stochastically varying consumer demands have put the policy makers and supplying agencies in a demanding position for optimal generation management. The utility revenue functions are highly dependent on the consumer deterministic stochastic demand models. The sudden drifts in weather parameters effects the living standards of the consumers that in turn influence the power demands. Considering above, we analyzed stochastically and statistically the effect of random consumer demands on the fixed and variable revenues of the electrical utilities. Our work presented the Multi-Variate Gaussian Distribution Function (MVGDF) probabilistic model of the utility revenues with time-dependent consumer random demands. Moreover, the Gaussian probabilities outcome of the utility revenues is based on the varying consumer n demands data-pattern. Furthermore, Standard Monte Carlo (SMC) simulations are performed that validated the factor of accuracy in the aforesaid probabilistic demand-revenue model. We critically analyzed the effect of weather data parameters on consumer demands using correlation and multi-linear regression schemes. The statistical analysis of consumer demands provided a relationship between dependent (demand) and independent variables (weather data) for utility load management, generation control, and network expansion.
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Anticipating cognitive effort: roles of perceived error-likelihood and time demands.
Dunn, Timothy L; Inzlicht, Michael; Risko, Evan F
2017-11-13
Why are some actions evaluated as effortful? In the present set of experiments we address this question by examining individuals' perception of effort when faced with a trade-off between two putative cognitive costs: how much time a task takes vs. how error-prone it is. Specifically, we were interested in whether individuals anticipate engaging in a small amount of hard work (i.e., low time requirement, but high error-likelihood) vs. a large amount of easy work (i.e., high time requirement, but low error-likelihood) as being more effortful. In between-subject designs, Experiments 1 through 3 demonstrated that individuals anticipate options that are high in perceived error-likelihood (yet less time consuming) as more effortful than options that are perceived to be more time consuming (yet low in error-likelihood). Further, when asked to evaluate which of the two tasks was (a) more effortful, (b) more error-prone, and (c) more time consuming, effort-based and error-based choices closely tracked one another, but this was not the case for time-based choices. Utilizing a within-subject design, Experiment 4 demonstrated overall similar pattern of judgments as Experiments 1 through 3. However, both judgments of error-likelihood and time demand similarly predicted effort judgments. Results are discussed within the context of extant accounts of cognitive control, with considerations of how error-likelihood and time demands may independently and conjunctively factor into judgments of cognitive effort.
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Yang, Chai; Zhang, Wei; Gu, Wei; Shen, Aizong
2016-11-01
Solve the problems of high cost, low utilization rate of resources, low medical care quality problem in medical consumables material logistics management for scientific of medical consumables management. Analysis of the problems existing in the domestic medical consumables material logistics management in hospital, based on lean management method, SPD(Supply, Processing, Distribution) for specific applications, combined HBOS(Hospital Business Operation System), HIS (Hospital Information System) system for medical consumables material management. Achieve the lean management in medical consumables material purchase, warehouse construction, push, clinical use and retrospect. Lean management in medical consumables material can effectively control the cost in logistics management, optimize the alocation of resources, liberate unnecessary time of medical staff, improve the quality of medical care. It is a scientific management method.
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Jensen, Britt W; Nichols, Melanie; Allender, Steven; de Silva-Sanigorski, Andrea; Millar, Lynne; Kremer, Peter; Lacy, Kathleen; Swinburn, Boyd
2012-09-12
Intake of sweet drinks has previously been associated with the development of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. The present study aimed to assess the consumption pattern of sweet drinks in a population of children and adolescents in Victoria, Australia. Data on 1,604 children and adolescents (4-18 years) from the comparison groups of two quasi-experimental intervention studies from Victoria, Australia were analysed. Sweet drink consumption (soft drink and fruit juice/cordial) was assessed as one day's intake and typical intake over the last week or month at two time points between 2003 and 2008 (mean time between measurement: 2.2 years). Assessed using dietary recalls, more than 70% of the children and adolescents consumed sweet drinks, with no difference between age groups (p = 0.28). The median intake among consumers was 500 ml and almost a third consumed more than 750 ml per day. More children and adolescents consumed fruit juice/cordial (69%) than soft drink (33%) (p < 0.0001) and in larger volumes (median intake fruit juice/cordial: 500 ml and soft drink: 375 ml). Secular changes in sweet drink consumption were observed with a lower proportion of children and adolescents consuming sweet drinks at time 2 compared to time 1 (significant for age group 8 to <10 years, p = 0.001). The proportion of Australian children and adolescents from the state of Victoria consuming sweet drinks has been stable or decreasing, although a high proportion of this sample consumed sweet drinks, especially fruit juice/cordial at both time points.
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A fast pulse design for parallel excitation with gridding conjugate gradient.
Feng, Shuo; Ji, Jim
2013-01-01
Parallel excitation (pTx) is recognized as a crucial technique in high field MRI to address the transmit field inhomogeneity problem. However, it can be time consuming to design pTx pulses which is not desirable. In this work, we propose a pulse design with gridding conjugate gradient (CG) based on the small-tip-angle approximation. The two major time consuming matrix-vector multiplications are substituted by two operators which involves with FFT and gridding only. Simulation results have shown that the proposed method is 3 times faster than conventional method and the memory cost is reduced by 1000 times.
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Guzek, Dominika; Głąbska, Dominika; Brodowska, Marta; Godziszewska, Jolanta; Górska-Horczyczak, Elżbieta; Pogorzelska, Ewelina; Wojtasik-Kalinowska, Iwona; Wierzbicka, Agnieszka
2017-12-01
New meat products tailored to consumer health should be characterised by reduced sodium, fat and cholesterol contents and other health-promoting benefits. However, the food sector's greatest challenge is allergen-free production. Consumers are not willing to compromise the sensory quality of meat products for health. The aim of the present study was to analyse the influence of the storage time on the physical properties and consumer acceptance of allergen-controlled, fat-reduced, salt-reduced pork-ostrich sausages. The study focused on pork-ostrich sausages produced in accordance with a new patented technology, which focused on eliminating cross-contamination on-line in the plant, eliminating cross-contamination after preparation, and eliminating spices with high allergy potential. The production was focused on reducing fat (by approximately 50%) and salt (by approximately 30%) levels. No changes in the texture parameters of the sausage were observed during storage time; however, some changes in colour were observed. There were no significant differences in sensory consumer acceptability of pork-ostrich sausage after 14 days of storage; thus, it may be stated that the instrumentally assessed differences in colour did not influence consumer acceptance. The applied fat and NaCl reduction in the pork-ostrich sausages contributed to high consumer ratings and was not correlated with saltiness acceptability. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Jun, Nuri; Lee, Aeri; Baik, Inkyung
2017-01-01
The present study investigated caffeinated beverage consumption and screen time in the association with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and sleep duration. We conducted a cross-sectional study including 249 Korean male high school students. These participants responded to a questionnaire inquiring the information on lifestyle factors, consumption of caffeinated beverages, time spent for screen media, and sleep duration as well as to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaire. EDS was defined as ESS scores of 9 or greater. Students with EDS consumed greater amount of chocolate/cocoa drinks and spent longer time for a TV and a mobile phone than those without EDS (p < 0.05). In addition, students with short sleep (≤ 6 hours) consumed greater amount of coffee than others whereas students with long sleep (> 8 hours) consumed greater amount of chocolate/cocoa drinks than others (p < 0.05). Screen time did not differ according to the categories of sleep duration. Although these findings do not support causal relationships, they suggest that screen time is associated with EDS, but not with sleep duration, and that consumption of certain types of caffeinated beverages is associated with EDS and sleep duration. Adolescents may need to reduce screen time and caffeine consumption to improve sleep quality and avoid daytime sleepiness.
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Parent Evaluations of Traditional and Consumer-Focused School Psychoeducational Reports
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hite, John F.
2017-01-01
Completion of pyschoeducational reports account for a significant amount of school psychologists' time. The report findings are often used to make high stakes educational decisions about the child. Parents are one of the main consumers of psychoeducational reports and expected to use the information contained in them to participate in making…
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Association between Egg Consumption and Metabolic Disease
Park, Seon-Joo; Jung, Ji-hye; Choi, Sang-Woon; Lee, Hae-Jeung
2018-01-01
Abstract The effect of high egg intake on metabolic syndrome (MetS), a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), has not been clearly elucidated. This study was conducted to review the literature related to egg consumption and the risk of metabolic disease as well as to examine the association between high egg intake and MetS in Korean adults. A literature review was conducted using published papers in PubMed and EMBASE through December 2017. We have reviewed 26 articles, which were associated with egg consumption and metabolic diseases, and found that the results were controversial. Therefore, we analyzed data from 23,993 Korean adults aged 19 yrs and older. MetS was defined based on criteria from the Adult Treatment Panel III. Egg consumption of 4-6 times/wk and 1 time/day were significantly associated with reduced prevalence of MetS (Odds ratio (OR)=0.82; 95% Confidence interval (CI)=0.71-0.95 for 4-6 times/wk, OR=0.83; 95% CI=0.69-0.99 for 1 time/day) compared to those who consumed eggs less than once monthly. However, consuming two or more eggs per day was not associated with MetS. As for the components of MetS, an egg intake of once daily decreased the prevalence of abdominal obesity and an intake of 2-7 eggs weekly was shown to prevent a reduction in the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. This study suggests that while consuming eggs 4-7 times weekly is associated with a lower prevalence of MetS, consuming two or more eggs daily is not associated with a reduced risk for MetS. PMID:29805272
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Felicetti, Laura A; Robbins, Charles T; Shipley, Lisa A
2003-01-01
Many fruits contain high levels of available energy but very low levels of protein and other nutrients. The discrepancy between available energy and protein creates a physiological paradox for many animals consuming high-fruit diets, as they will be protein deficient if they eat to meet their minimum energy requirement. We fed young grizzly bears both high-energy pelleted and fruit diets containing from 1.6% to 15.4% protein to examine the role of diet-induced thermogenesis and fat synthesis in dealing with high-energy-low-protein diets. Digestible energy intake at mass maintenance increased 2.1 times, and composition of the gain changed from primarily lean mass to entirely fat when the protein content of the diet decreased from 15.4% to 1.6%. Daily fat gain was up to three times higher in bears fed low-protein diets ad lib., compared with bears consuming the higher-protein diet and gaining mass at the same rate. Thus, bears eating fruit can either consume other foods to increase dietary protein content and reduce energy expenditure, intake, and potentially foraging time or overeat high-fruit diets and use diet-induced thermogenesis and fat synthesis to deal with their skewed energy-to-protein ratio. These are not discrete options but a continuum that creates numerous solutions for balancing energy expenditure, intake, foraging time, fat accumulation, and ultimately fitness, depending on food availability, foraging efficiency, bear size, and body condition.
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2012-01-01
Background Intake of sweet drinks has previously been associated with the development of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. The present study aimed to assess the consumption pattern of sweet drinks in a population of children and adolescents in Victoria, Australia. Methods Data on 1,604 children and adolescents (4–18 years) from the comparison groups of two quasi-experimental intervention studies from Victoria, Australia were analysed. Sweet drink consumption (soft drink and fruit juice/cordial) was assessed as one day’s intake and typical intake over the last week or month at two time points between 2003 and 2008 (mean time between measurement: 2.2 years). Results Assessed using dietary recalls, more than 70% of the children and adolescents consumed sweet drinks, with no difference between age groups (p = 0.28). The median intake among consumers was 500 ml and almost a third consumed more than 750 ml per day. More children and adolescents consumed fruit juice/cordial (69%) than soft drink (33%) (p < 0.0001) and in larger volumes (median intake fruit juice/cordial: 500 ml and soft drink: 375 ml). Secular changes in sweet drink consumption were observed with a lower proportion of children and adolescents consuming sweet drinks at time 2 compared to time 1 (significant for age group 8 to <10 years, p = 0.001). Conclusion The proportion of Australian children and adolescents from the state of Victoria consuming sweet drinks has been stable or decreasing, although a high proportion of this sample consumed sweet drinks, especially fruit juice/cordial at both time points. PMID:22966937
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Research on the Problem and Countermeasures of Group-Buying
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dong, Yahui; Li, Wei; Cheng, Limin
The threshold of group-buying is low, so the group-buying develops very fast. But at the same time, there are many goods which have low price and high quality service which is false to get the network users' trust. Therefore, consumers should keep a clear head and avoiding straying into the trap of business, the website of group-buying should strengthen self-construction to safeguard the consumers' interest. In addition, government needs to play its due role to protect the legitimate right of the consumers.
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Not just for consumers: context effects are fundamental to decision making.
Trueblood, Jennifer S; Brown, Scott D; Heathcote, Andrew; Busemeyer, Jerome R
2013-06-01
Context effects--preference changes that depend on the availability of other options--have attracted a great deal of attention among consumer researchers studying high-level decision tasks. In the experiments reported here, we showed that these effects also arise in simple perceptual-decision-making tasks. This finding casts doubt on explanations limited to consumer choice and high-level decisions, and it indicates that context effects may be amenable to a general explanation at the level of the basic decision process. We demonstrated for the first time that three important context effects from the preferential-choice literature--similarity, attraction, and compromise effects--all occurred within a single perceptual-decision task. Not only do our results challenge previous explanations for context effects proposed by consumer researchers, but they also challenge the choice rules assumed in theories of perceptual decision making.
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Consumer Education Project: Community Approach Utilizing an Off-Campus Facility.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Santa Barbara Elementary and High School District, CA. Career Education Dept.
The project reported here was conducted to develop a consumer education program for high school students (grades 10 through 12) which would: (1) provide students with hands-on experiences in the management of resources (money, time, and energy) as householders in a simulated off-campus laboratory (a community girls' club), and (2) enable students…
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Blueberry supplementation improves memory in middle-aged mice fed a high-fat diet.
Carey, Amanda N; Gomes, Stacey M; Shukitt-Hale, Barbara
2014-05-07
Consuming a high-fat diet may result in behavioral deficits similar to those observed in aging animals. It has been demonstrated that blueberry supplementation can allay age-related behavioral deficits. To determine if supplementation of a high-fat diet with blueberries offers protection against putative high-fat diet-related declines, 9-month-old C57Bl/6 mice were maintained on low-fat (10% fat calories) or high-fat (60% fat calories) diets with and without 4% freeze-dried blueberry powder. Novel object recognition memory was impaired by the high-fat diet; after 4 months on the high-fat diet, mice spent 50% of their time on the novel object in the testing trial, performing no greater than chance performance. Blueberry supplementation prevented recognition memory deficits after 4 months on the diets, as mice on this diet spent 67% of their time on the novel object. After 5 months on the diets, mice consuming the high-fat diet passed through the platform location less often than mice on low-fat diets during probe trials on days 2 and 3 of Morris water maze testing, whereas mice consuming the high-fat blueberry diet passed through the platform location as often as mice on the low-fat diets. This study is a first step in determining if incorporating more nutrient-dense foods into a high-fat diet can allay cognitive dysfunction.
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Realisation of a joint consumer engagement strategy in the Nepean Blue Mountains region.
Blignault, Ilse; Aspinall, Diana; Reay, Lizz; Hyman, Kay
2017-02-15
Ensuring consumer engagement at different levels of the health system - direct care, organisational design and governance and policy - has become a strategic priority. This case study explored, through interviews with six purposively selected 'insiders' and document review, how one Medicare Local (now a Primary Health Network, PHN) and Local Health District worked together with consumers, to establish a common consumer engagement structure and mechanisms to support locally responsive, integrated and consumer-centred services. The two healthcare organisations worked as partners across the health system, sharing ownership and responsibility. Critical success factors included a consumer champion working with other highly motivated consumers concerned with improving the health system, a budget, and ongoing commitment from the Medicare Local or PHN and the Local Health District at executive and board level. Shared boundaries were an enormous advantage. Activities were jointly planned and executed, with consumer participation paramount. Training and mentoring enhanced consumer capacity and confidence. Bringing everyone on board and building on existing structures required time, effort and resources. The initiative produced immediate and lasting benefits, with consumer engagement now embedded in organisational governance and practice.
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Jin, Chang Hyun; Villegas, Jorge
2007-04-01
The purpose of this study was to understand the effect that individual characteristics have on consumer advertising processing under high- and low-interactivity circumstances on the Web. Tests on the relationship between individual differences and advertising responses form the basis of this empirical study on the Web. The results indicated that consumers have a higher tendency to avoid or experience ambivalence about Internet advertisements under low-interactivity circumstances, and attitudinal ambivalence lead to avoidance when responding to advertisements on the Internet. Personality variables are the main factors in consumer decision-making behaviors and Internet characteristics, such as levels of interactivity, can greatly influence the effectiveness of advertising in online environments. Advertising credibility could influence people's consumer attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors over time on the Web.
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2014-01-01
Background The consumption of dietary protein is important for resistance-trained individuals. It has been posited that intakes of 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day are needed for physically active individuals. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of a very high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained men and women. Methods Thirty healthy resistance-trained individuals participated in this study (mean ± SD; age: 24.1 ± 5.6 yr; height: 171.4 ± 8.8 cm; weight: 73.3 ± 11.5 kg). Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: Control (CON) or high protein (HP). The CON group was instructed to maintain the same training and dietary habits over the course of the 8 week study. The HP group was instructed to consume 4.4 grams of protein per kg body weight daily. They were also instructed to maintain the same training and dietary habits (e.g. maintain the same fat and carbohydrate intake). Body composition (Bod Pod®), training volume (i.e. volume load), and food intake were determined at baseline and over the 8 week treatment period. Results The HP group consumed significantly more protein and calories pre vs post (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the HP group consumed significantly more protein and calories than the CON (p < 0.05). The HP group consumed on average 307 ± 69 grams of protein compared to 138 ± 42 in the CON. When expressed per unit body weight, the HP group consumed 4.4 ± 0.8 g/kg/d of protein versus 1.8 ± 0.4 g/kg/d in the CON. There were no changes in training volume for either group. Moreover, there were no significant changes over time or between groups for body weight, fat mass, fat free mass, or percent body fat. Conclusions Consuming 5.5 times the recommended daily allowance of protein has no effect on body composition in resistance-trained individuals who otherwise maintain the same training regimen. This is the first interventional study to demonstrate that consuming a hypercaloric high protein diet does not result in an increase in body fat. PMID:24834017
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A Stochastic Spiking Neural Network for Virtual Screening.
Morro, A; Canals, V; Oliver, A; Alomar, M L; Galan-Prado, F; Ballester, P J; Rossello, J L
2018-04-01
Virtual screening (VS) has become a key computational tool in early drug design and screening performance is of high relevance due to the large volume of data that must be processed to identify molecules with the sought activity-related pattern. At the same time, the hardware implementations of spiking neural networks (SNNs) arise as an emerging computing technique that can be applied to parallelize processes that normally present a high cost in terms of computing time and power. Consequently, SNN represents an attractive alternative to perform time-consuming processing tasks, such as VS. In this brief, we present a smart stochastic spiking neural architecture that implements the ultrafast shape recognition (USR) algorithm achieving two order of magnitude of speed improvement with respect to USR software implementations. The neural system is implemented in hardware using field-programmable gate arrays allowing a highly parallelized USR implementation. The results show that, due to the high parallelization of the system, millions of compounds can be checked in reasonable times. From these results, we can state that the proposed architecture arises as a feasible methodology to efficiently enhance time-consuming data-mining processes such as 3-D molecular similarity search.
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Soda Consumption During Ad Libitum Food Intake Predicts Weight Change
Bundrick, Sarah C.; Thearle, Marie S.; Venti, Colleen A.; Krakoff, Jonathan; Votruba, Susanne B.
2013-01-01
Soda consumption may contribute to weight gain over time. Objective data were used to determine whether soda consumption predicts weight gain or changes in glucose regulation over time. Subjects without diabetes (128 men, 75 women; mean age 34.3±8.9 years; mean body mass index [BMI] 32.5±7.4; mean percentage body fat 31.6%±8.6%) self-selected their food from an ad libitum vending machine system for 3 days. Mean daily energy intake was calculated from food weight. Energy consumed from soda was recorded as were food choices that were low in fat (<20%) or high in simple sugars (>30%). Food choices were expressed as percentage of daily energy intake. A subset of 85 subjects had measurement of follow-up weights and oral glucose tolerance (57 men, 28 women; mean follow-up time=2.5±2.1 years, range 6 months to 9.9 years). Energy consumed from soda was negatively related to age (r=–0.27, P=0.0001), and choosing low-fat foods (r=−0.35, P<0.0001), but positively associated with choosing solid foods high in simple sugars (r=0.45, P<0.0001) and overall average daily energy intake (r=0.46, P<0.0001). Energy intake from food alone did not differ between individuals who did and did not consume beverage calories (P=0.11). Total daily energy intake had no relationship with change in weight (P=0.29) or change in glucose regulation (P=0.38) over time. However, energy consumed from soda correlated with change in weight (r=0.21, P=0.04). This relationship was unchanged after adjusting for follow-up time and initial weight. Soda consumption is a marker for excess energy consumption and is associated with weight gain. PMID:24321742
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Investigation of high-strength bolt-tightening verification techniques.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2016-03-01
The current means and methods of verifying that high-strength bolts have been properly tightened are very laborious and time : consuming. In some cases, the techniques require special equipment and, in other cases, the verification itself may be some...
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Ceramic Adhesive for High Temperatures
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Stevens, Everett G.
1987-01-01
Fused-silica/magnesium-phosphate adhesive resists high temperatures and vibrations. New adhesive unaffected by extreme temperatures and vibrations. Assuring direct bonding of gap filters to tile sidewalls, adhesive obviates expensive and time-consuming task of removal, treatment, and replacement of tiles.
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Gender Gaps in High School Students' Homework Time
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gershenson, Seth; Holt, Stephen B.
2015-01-01
Gender differences in human capital investments made outside of the traditional school day suggest that males and females consume, respond to, and form habits relating to education differently. We document robust, statistically significant one-hour weekly gender gaps in secondary students' non-school study time using time diary data from the…
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Testing the accuracy of timing reports in visual timing tasks with a consumer-grade digital camera.
Smyth, Rachael E; Oram Cardy, Janis; Purcell, David
2017-06-01
This study tested the accuracy of a visual timing task using a readily available and relatively inexpensive consumer grade digital camera. A visual inspection time task was recorded using short high-speed video clips and the timing as reported by the task's program was compared to the timing as recorded in the video clips. Discrepancies in these two timing reports were investigated further and based on display refresh rate, a decision was made whether the discrepancy was large enough to affect the results as reported by the task. In this particular study, the errors in timing were not large enough to impact the results of the study. The procedure presented in this article offers an alternative method for performing a timing test, which uses readily available hardware and can be used to test the timing in any software program on any operating system and display.
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Adolescent eating in the absence of hunger and relation to discretionary calorie allowance.
Kral, Tanja V E; Moore, Reneé H; Stunkard, Albert J; Berkowitz, Robert I; Stettler, Nicolas; Stallings, Virginia A; Tanaka, Leeann M; Kabay, April C; Faith, Myles S
2010-12-01
Eating in the absence of hunger is a risk factor for overeating during childhood. The objective of this study was to examine eating in the absence of hunger in adolescents based on their familial predisposition to obesity and current weight status. Thirty-one subjects (16 male, 15 female), who were 13 years of age and born at low risk or high risk for obesity, consumed lunch to fullness. After lunch, subjects had access to different snacks for 15 minutes. Eating in the absence of hunger referred to energy intake from the snacks. Low-risk females consumed two and a half times more calories from snacks than high-risk females and twice as many calories as low-risk and high-risk males when expressed as an individualized percentage of daily allowance for discretionary calories. Normal-weight females consumed two and a half times more calories from snacks than obese females and normal-weight males. The association between eating in the absence of hunger and weight and obesity risk status depended on adolescents' sex and could reflect emerging developmental differences, such as dieting or social desirability. Copyright © 2010 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Promotion of prescription drugs to consumers.
Rosenthal, Meredith B; Berndt, Ernst R; Donohue, Julie M; Frank, Richard G; Epstein, Arnold M
2002-02-14
Spending on prescription drugs is the fastest growing component of the health care budget. There is public concern about the possibility that direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs will result in inappropriate prescribing and higher costs of care. Guidelines issued in 1997 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding advertising to consumers through electronic media are considered by some to be responsible for unleashing a flood of direct-to-consumer advertising. Using data on spending for promotional purposes and sales of prescription drugs, we examined industrywide trends for various types of promotion. We also tracked the relation between promotional efforts and sales over time. Finally, we documented the variation in direct-to-consumer advertising among and within five therapeutic classes of drugs and compared the variation in the intensity of such advertising with variation in the intensity of promotion to health care professionals. Annual spending on direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs tripled between 1996 and 2000, when it reached nearly $2.5 billion. Despite this increase, such advertising accounts for only 15 percent of the money spent on drug promotion and is highly concentrated on a subgroup of products. Within a therapeutic class, there is marked variation in the intensity of direct-to-consumer advertising, and the amount of such advertising for specific products fluctuates over time. The initial surge in direct-to-consumer advertising preceded the 1997 FDA guidelines that clarified the rules for electronic direct-to-consumer advertising, and thus the 1997 guidelines may not have been the most important reason for the overall increase. Although the use of direct-to-consumer advertising has grown disproportionately to other forms of promotion, it continues to account for a small proportion of total promotional efforts. Nevertheless, physicians must assist patients in evaluating health-related information obtained through direct advertising.
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Lim, Sungwoo; Sohn, Woosung; Burt, Brian A; Sandretto, Anita M; Kolker, Justine L; Marshall, Teresa A; Ismail, Amid I
2008-07-01
The authors conducted a study to test the hypothesis that high consumption of soft drinks, relative to milk and 100 percent fruit juice, is a risk factor for dental caries in low-income African-American children in Detroit. Trained dentists and interviewers examined a representative sample of 369 children, aged 3 to 5 years, in 2002-2003 and again two years later. The authors used the 2000 Block Kids Food Frequency Questionnaire (NutritionQuest, Berkeley, Calif.) to collect dietary information. They assessed caries by using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System. Soft drinks, 100 percent fruit juice and milk represented the sugared beverages consumed by the cohort. A cluster analysis of the relative proportion of each drink at baseline and follow-up revealed four consumption patterns. Using zero-inflated negative binomial models, the authors found that children who changed from being low consumers of soft drinks at baseline to high consumers after two years had a 1.75 times higher mean number of new decayed, missing and filled tooth surfaces compared with low consumers of soft drinks at both time points. Children who consumed more soft drinks, relative to milk and 100 percent fruit juice, as they grew older were at a greater risk of developing dental caries. Health promotion programs and health care providers should emphasize to patients and caregivers the caries risk associated with consumption of soft drinks.
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Knowledge of sugar content of sports drinks is not associated with sports drink consumption.
Zytnick, Deena; Park, Sohyun; Onufrak, Stephen J; Kingsley, Beverly S; Sherry, Bettylou
2015-01-01
To examine U.S. adult knowledge of the sugar content of sports drinks and whether this knowledge and other characteristics are associated with their sports drink consumption. Nonexperimental. Nationally representative 2011 Summer ConsumerStyles survey data. 3929 U.S. adults. The outcome variable was sports drink consumption in the past 7 days. The main exposure variable was knowledge about sports drinks containing sugar. The covariates were sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, and weight status. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for adults consuming sports drinks ≥1 times/wk after controlling for other characteristics. Approximately 22% of adults reported consuming sports drinks ≥1 times/wk. Most adults (71%) agreed that sports drinks contain sugar; however, this agreement was not significantly associated with adults' sports drink consumption. The odds of drinking sports drinks ≥1 times/wk were significantly higher among younger adults aged 18 to 64 years (OR range: 5.46-2.71), males (OR = 2.09), high-school graduates (OR = 1.52), and highly active adults (OR = 2.09). There were disparities in sports drink consumption by sociodemographic characteristics and physical activity level; however, knowledge of sports drinks' sugar content was not associated with consumption. Understanding why some population groups are higher consumers may assist in the development of education, providing those groups with a better understanding of sports drinks' nutritional value and health consequences of excessive sugar consumption in any form.
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The effect of eating out on quality of diet in premenopausal women.
Clemens, L H; Slawson, D L; Klesges, R C
1999-04-01
To compare the intake of women who report varying levels of frequency of consuming food at commercial facilities outside the home. A 1-week descriptive study of dietary intake in women. Subjects completed daily diet records that included information regarding the source of the food eaten at each meal or snack. The sample was divided on the basis of the number of meals each subject reported obtaining from a commercial establishment outside the home. Of the 129 subjects, 56% (n = 72) reported eating out 5 times or less during the week of recording (Low Eating Out group) and the remainder (n = 57) reported eating out between 6 and 13 times (High Eating Out group) One hundred twenty-nine premenopausal women were recruited via community advertising for an investigation of health habits. This study was conducted in a midsouthern US city. Results were analyzed using independent sample t tests and chi 2 tests. Mean intake was compared for the groups. The High Eating Out group was found to be consuming significantly more total energy (2,057 kcal vs 1,769 kcal; P = .002), fat (79.5 g vs 60.6 g; P < .001), and sodium (3,299 mg vs 2,903 mg; P = .043) and marginally more carbohydrate (261.5 g vs 234.6 g; P = .055) and protein (71.5 g vs 65.4 g; P = .066). Total fiber or calcium intake did not differ between the groups. Our study demonstrates that women who report eating out a greater number of times per week report more total energy intake as well as higher fat and sodium intakes. However, the High Eating Out group did not consume significantly more fiber or calcium in the extra energy consumed.
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Consumer consciousness on meat and the environment - Exploring differences.
Pohjolainen, Pasi; Tapio, Petri; Vinnari, Markus; Jokinen, Pekka; Räsänen, Pekka
2016-06-01
Global environmental challenges require changes in both the production and the consumption of goods. In this paper we analyse how consumers perceive the high environmental burden of meat. We analysed consumer environmental consciousness, including problem awareness and a support to action dimensions, latter including perceived self-efficacy as well as solutions to problems. The solutions were positioned on a continuum from increasing the efficiency of production to discussing sufficiency levels in consumption practices (techno-optimism, local meat, organic meat and meat reduction, respectively). We used a statistically representative survey sample (n = 1890) from the population of Finland and cluster analysis to explore differences among consumers. The analysis revealed that most Finns seem to be rather unsure of the study topic. At the same time they tend to have a comparably high level of self-efficacy (55 per cent of respondents) and endorsement of particularly local meat solution type (55%), followed by organic meat (35%), meat reduction (25%) and techno-optimism (15%), though the neutral stand was the most common one across the data. We also identified six consumer groups that reveal not only a high number of Highly unsure consumers (40%), but also some Rather conscious (20%) and a relatively small number of Highly conscious (8%). In addition, there were also easily observable groups of Careless conscious (14%), Rather unsure (9%) and Resistant (8%). The results highlight the need for a multitude of political actions to guide meat consumption, as there are groups that may benefit from practical tools for making dietary changes as well as groups in need for more comprehensive selection of measures, including environmental information. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sathyaseelan, V. S.; Rufus, A. L.; Chandramohan, P.; Subramanian, H.; Velmurugan, S.
2015-12-01
Full system decontamination of Primary Heat Transport (PHT) system of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) resulted in low decontamination factors (DF) on stainless steel (SS) surfaces. Hence, studies were carried out with 403 SS and 410 SS that are the material of construction of "End-Fitting body" and "End-Fitting Liner tubes". Three formulations were evaluated for the dissolution of passive films formed over these alloys viz., i) Two-step process consisting of oxidation and reduction reactions, ii) Dilute Chemical Decontamination (DCD) and iii) High Temperature Process. The two-step and high temperature processes could dissolve the oxide completely while the DCD process could remove only 60%. Various techniques like XRD, Raman spectroscopy and SEM-EDX were used for assessing the dissolution process. The two-step process is time consuming, laborious while the high temperature process is less time consuming and is recommended for SS decontamination.
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The Impact of Pubertal Timing on Adolescents' Alcohol Use.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wichstrom, Lars
2001-01-01
Investigated relation between pubertal timing and alcohol use among junior high school students in Norway who were followed up 2 years later. Found that early timing of puberty correlated with number of intoxication incidents and number of units consumed on each occasion and, to a lesser degree, with frequency of alcohol use. Correlations were…
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de Andrade, Juliana Cunha; Nalério, Elen Silveira; Giongo, Citieli; de Barcellos, Marcia Dutra; Ares, Gastón; Deliza, Rosires
2017-08-01
The development of high-quality air-dried cured sheep meat products adapted to meet consumer demands represent an interesting option to add value to the meat of adult animals. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of process parameters on consumer choice of two products from sheep meat under different evoked contexts, considering product concepts. A total of 375 Brazilian participants completed a choice-based conjoint task with three 2-level variables for each product: maturation time, smoking, and sodium reduction for dry-cured sheep ham, and natural antioxidant, smoking, and sodium reduction for sheep meat coppa. A between-subjects experimental design was used to evaluate the influence of consumption context on consumer choices. All the process parameters significantly influenced consumer choice. However, their relative importance was affected by evoked context. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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Harris, Katherine M
2002-06-01
To investigate the impact of quality information on the willingness of consumers to enroll in health plans that restrict provider access. A survey administered to respondents between the ages of 25 and 64 in the West Los Angeles area with private health insurance. An experimental approach is used to measure the effect of variation in provider network features and information about the quality of network physicians on hypothetical plan choices. Conditional logit models are used to analyze the experimental choice data. Next, choice model parameter estimates are used to simulate the impact of changes in plan features on the market shares of competing health plans and to calculate the quality level required to make consumers indifferent to changes in provider access. The presence of quality information reduced the importance of provider network features in plan choices as hypothesized. However, there were not statistically meaningful differences by type of quality measure (i.e., consumer assessed versus expert assessed). The results imply that large quality differences are required to make consumers indifferent to changes in provider access. The impact of quality on plan choices depended more on the particular measure and less on the type of measure. Quality ratings based on the proportion of survey respondents "extremely satisfied with results of care" had the greatest impact on plan choice while the proportion of network doctors "affiliated with university medical centers" had the least. Other consumer and expert assessed measures had more comparable effects. Overall the results provide empirical evidence that consumers are willing to trade high quality for restrictions on provider access. This willingness to trade implies that relatively small plans that place restrictions on provider access can successfully compete against less restrictive plans when they can demonstrate high quality. However, the results of this study suggest that in many cases, the level of quality required for consumers to accept access restrictions may be so high as to be unattainable. The results provide empirical support for the current focus of decision support efforts on consumer assessed quality measures. At the same time, however, the results suggest that consumers would also value quality measures based on expert assessments. This finding is relevant given the lack of comparative quality information based on expert judgment and research suggesting that consumers have apprehensions about their ability to meaningfully interpret performance-based quality measures.
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Consumer involvement in systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness research.
Kreis, Julia; Puhan, Milo A; Schünemann, Holger J; Dickersin, Kay
2013-12-01
The Institute of Medicine recently recommended that comparative effectiveness research (CER) should involve input from consumers. While systematic reviews are a major component of CER, little is known about consumer involvement. To explore current approaches to involving consumers in US-based and key international organizations and groups conducting or commissioning systematic reviews ('organizations'). In-depth, semi-structured interviews with key informants and review of organizations' websites. Seventeen highly regarded US-based and international (Cochrane Collaboration, Campbell Collaboration) organizations. Organizations that usually involve consumers (seven of 17 in our sample) involve them at a programmatic level in the organization or in individual reviews through one-time consultation or on-going collaboration. For example, consumers may suggest topics, provide input on the key questions of the review, provide comments on draft protocols and reports, serve as co-authors or on an advisory group. Organizations involve different types of consumers (individual patients, consumer advocates, families and caregivers), recruiting them mainly through patient organizations and consumer networks. Some offer training in research methods, and one developed training for researchers on how to involve consumers. Little formal evaluation of the effects of consumer involvement is being carried out. Consumers are currently involved in systematic reviews in a variety of ways and for various reasons. Assessing which approaches are most effective in achieving different aims of consumer involvement is now required to inform future recommendations on consumer involvement in CER. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Consumer involvement in systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness research
Kreis, Julia; Puhan, Milo A.; Schünemann, Holger J.; Dickersin, Kay
2012-01-01
Abstract Background The Institute of Medicine recently recommended that comparative effectiveness research (CER) should involve input from consumers. While systematic reviews are a major component of CER, little is known about consumer involvement. Objective To explore current approaches to involving consumers in US‐based and key international organizations and groups conducting or commissioning systematic reviews (‘organizations’). Design In‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with key informants and review of organizations’ websites. Setting and participants Seventeen highly regarded US‐based and international (Cochrane Collaboration, Campbell Collaboration) organizations. Results Organizations that usually involve consumers (seven of 17 in our sample) involve them at a programmatic level in the organization or in individual reviews through one‐time consultation or on‐going collaboration. For example, consumers may suggest topics, provide input on the key questions of the review, provide comments on draft protocols and reports, serve as co‐authors or on an advisory group. Organizations involve different types of consumers (individual patients, consumer advocates, families and caregivers), recruiting them mainly through patient organizations and consumer networks. Some offer training in research methods, and one developed training for researchers on how to involve consumers. Little formal evaluation of the effects of consumer involvement is being carried out. Conclusions Consumers are currently involved in systematic reviews in a variety of ways and for various reasons. Assessing which approaches are most effective in achieving different aims of consumer involvement is now required to inform future recommendations on consumer involvement in CER. PMID:22390732
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A rapid review of consumer health information needs and preferences.
Ramsey, Imogen; Corsini, Nadia; Peters, Micah D J; Eckert, Marion
2017-09-01
This rapid review summarizes best available evidence on consumers' needs and preferences for information about healthcare, with a focus on the Australian context. Three questions are addressed: 1) Where do consumers find and what platform do they use to access information about healthcare? 2) How do consumers use the healthcare information that they find? 3) About which topics or subjects do consumers need healthcare information? A hierarchical approach was adopted with evidence first sought from reviews then high quality studies using Medline (via PubMed), CINAHL, Embase, the JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, the Campbell Collaboration Library of Systematic Reviews, EPPI-Centre, and Epistemonikos. Twenty-eight articles were included; four systematic reviews, three literature reviews, thirteen quantitative studies, six qualitative studies, and two mixed methods studies. Consumers seek health information at varying times along the healthcare journey and through various modes of delivery. Complacency with historical health information modes is no longer appropriate and flexibility is essential to suit growing consumer demands. Health information should be readily available in different formats and not exclusive to any single medium. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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Law, Michael R; Majumdar, Sumit R; Soumerai, Stephen B
2008-09-02
To assess the impact of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs in the United States on Canadian prescribing rates for three heavily marketed drugs-etanercept, mometasone, and tegaserod. Controlled quasi-experimental study using interrupted time series analysis. Representative sample of 2700 Canadian pharmacies and prescription data from 50 US Medicaid programmes. Differences in number of filled prescriptions per 10,000 population per month between English speaking and French speaking (control) Canadian provinces before and after the start of direct to consumer advertising in the United States. Spending on direct to consumer advertising for study drugs ranged from $194m to $314m ( pound104m- pound169m; euro131m-euro212m) over the study period. Prescription rates for etanercept and mometasone did not increase in English speaking provinces relative to French speaking controls after the start of direct to consumer advertising. In contrast, tegaserod prescriptions increased 42% (0.56 prescriptions/10,000 residents, 95% confidence interval 0.37 to 0.76) in English speaking provinces immediately after the start of US direct to consumer advertising. Uncontrolled analysis of US Medicaid data showed a larger 56% increase in tegaserod prescriptions. However, this increase did not persist over time in either country, despite continued advertising. Exposure to US direct to consumer advertising transiently influenced both Canadian and US prescribing rates for tegaserod, a drug later withdrawn owing to safety concerns. The impact of direct to consumer advertising on drug use seems to be highly variable and probably depends on the characteristics of the advertised drug, the level of exposure to direct to consumer advertising, and the cultural context.
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Majumdar, Sumit R; Soumerai, Stephen B
2008-01-01
Objective To assess the impact of direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs in the United States on Canadian prescribing rates for three heavily marketed drugs—etanercept, mometasone, and tegaserod. Design Controlled quasi-experimental study using interrupted time series analysis. Population Representative sample of 2700 Canadian pharmacies and prescription data from 50 US Medicaid programmes. Main outcome measures Differences in number of filled prescriptions per 10 000 population per month between English speaking and French speaking (control) Canadian provinces before and after the start of direct to consumer advertising in the United States. Results Spending on direct to consumer advertising for study drugs ranged from $194m to $314m (£104m-£169m; €131m-€212m) over the study period. Prescription rates for etanercept and mometasone did not increase in English speaking provinces relative to French speaking controls after the start of direct to consumer advertising. In contrast, tegaserod prescriptions increased 42% (0.56 prescriptions/10 000 residents, 95% confidence interval 0.37 to 0.76) in English speaking provinces immediately after the start of US direct to consumer advertising. Uncontrolled analysis of US Medicaid data showed a larger 56% increase in tegaserod prescriptions. However, this increase did not persist over time in either country, despite continued advertising. Conclusions Exposure to US direct to consumer advertising transiently influenced both Canadian and US prescribing rates for tegaserod, a drug later withdrawn owing to safety concerns. The impact of direct to consumer advertising on drug use seems to be highly variable and probably depends on the characteristics of the advertised drug, the level of exposure to direct to consumer advertising, and the cultural context. PMID:18765444
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Snack foods consumption contributes to poor nutrition of rural children in West Java, Indonesia.
Sekiyama, Makiko; Roosita, Katrin; Ohtsuka, Ryutaro
2012-01-01
Dietary habits of children, including snack foods consumption, in developing countries have seldom been investigated in relation to their nutrition and health. To assess the effects of snack foods consumption of 154 children aged 1-12 years in a rural village of West Java, Indonesia, a 3-hour-interval food recall survey for all meals and snack foods consumed in seven consecutive days for each subject, anthropometry, and interviews for sociodemographic indicators were conducted. Their overall prevalence of stunting and underweight was 69.5% and 35.7%. There were 221 foods consumed by the subjects, among which 68 foods were categorized as snack foods. Though the children of both <7 year and ≥7 year age groups consumed snack foods similarly throughout the day, the latter group only consumed larger amounts of energy from snack foods at school recess-times. The mean percent contribution of snack foods was 59.6% for fat, 40.0% for energy, 20.6% for calcium, and <10% for vitamins A and C. Half number of the subjects who snacked more than the median amount consumed less carbohydrate and vitamin C than the remaining half. Furthermore, the more snack-consuming group the lower z score for height-for-age (HAZ) among schoolchildren. To improve this nutritionally vulnerable situation, consumption of snack foods should be replaced by the non-snack foods which contain much higher nutrient density; i.e. 15 times for calcium and 32 times for vitamin A. Moreover, considering high snack foods consumption of ≥7 y age group at school, appropriate school nutrition programs should be promoted.
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Sumner, D A; Gow, H; Hayes, D; Matthews, W; Norwood, B; Rosen-Molina, J T; Thurman, W
2011-01-01
Conventional cage housing for laying hens evolved as a cost-effective egg production system. Complying with mandated hen housing alternatives would raise marginal production costs and require sizable capital investment. California data indicate that shifts from conventional cages to barn housing would likely cause farm-level cost increases of about 40% per dozen. The US data on production costs of such alternatives as furnished cages are not readily available and European data are not applicable to the US industry structure. Economic analysis relies on key facts about production and marketing of conventional and noncage eggs. Even if mandated by government or buyers, shifts to alternative housing would likely occur with lead times of at least 5 yr. Therefore, egg producers and input suppliers would have considerable time to plan new systems and build new facilities. Relatively few US consumers now pay the high retail premiums required for nonconventional eggs from hens housed in alternative systems. However, data from consumer experiments indicate that additional consumers would also be willing to pay some premium. Nonetheless, current data do not allow easy extrapolation to understand the willingness to pay for such eggs by the vast majority of conventional egg consumers. Egg consumption in the United States tends to be relatively unresponsive to price changes, such that sustained farm price increases of 40% would likely reduce consumption by less than 10%. This combination of facts and relationships suggests that, unless low-cost imports grew rapidly, requirements for higher cost hen housing systems would raise US egg prices considerably while reducing egg consumption marginally. Eggs are a low-cost source of animal protein and low-income consumers would be hardest hit. However, because egg expenditures are a very small share of the consumer budget, real income loss for consumers would be small in percentage terms. Finally, the high egg prices imposed by alternative hen housing systems raise complex issues about linking public policy costs to policy beneficiaries.
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Crevillén-García, D
2018-04-01
Time-consuming numerical simulators for solving groundwater flow and dissolution models of physico-chemical processes in deep aquifers normally require some of the model inputs to be defined in high-dimensional spaces in order to return realistic results. Sometimes, the outputs of interest are spatial fields leading to high-dimensional output spaces. Although Gaussian process emulation has been satisfactorily used for computing faithful and inexpensive approximations of complex simulators, these have been mostly applied to problems defined in low-dimensional input spaces. In this paper, we propose a method for simultaneously reducing the dimensionality of very high-dimensional input and output spaces in Gaussian process emulators for stochastic partial differential equation models while retaining the qualitative features of the original models. This allows us to build a surrogate model for the prediction of spatial fields in such time-consuming simulators. We apply the methodology to a model of convection and dissolution processes occurring during carbon capture and storage.
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2011-01-01
Background Reprocessing of endoscopes generally requires labour-intensive manual cleaning followed by high-level disinfection in an automated endoscope reprocessor (AER). EVOTECH Endoscope Cleaner and Reprocessor (ECR) is approved for fully automated cleaning and disinfection whereas AERs require manual cleaning prior to the high-level disinfection procedure. The purpose of this economic evaluation was to determine the cost-efficiency of the ECR versus AER methods of endoscopy reprocessing in an actual practice setting. Methods A time and motion study was conducted at a Canadian hospital to collect data on the personnel resources and consumable supplies costs associated with the use of EVOTECH ECR versus manual cleaning followed by AER with Medivators DSD-201. Reprocessing of all endoscopes was observed and timed for both reprocessor types over three days. Laboratory staff members were interviewed regarding the consumption and cost of all disposable supplies and equipment. Exact Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for assessing differences in total cycle reprocessing time. Results Endoscope reprocessing was significantly shorter with the ECR than with manual cleaning followed by AER. The differences in median time were 12.46 minutes per colonoscope (p < 0.0001), 6.31 minutes per gastroscope (p < 0.0001), and 5.66 minutes per bronchoscope (p = 0.0040). Almost 2 hours of direct labour time was saved daily with the ECR. The total per cycle cost of consumables and labour for maintenance was slightly higher for EVOTECH ECR versus manual cleaning followed by AER ($8.91 versus $8.31, respectively). Including the cost of direct labour time consumed in reprocessing scopes, the per cycle and annual costs of using the EVOTECH ECR was less than the cost of manual cleaning followed by AER disinfection ($11.50 versus $11.88). Conclusions The EVOTECH ECR was more efficient and less costly to use for the reprocessing of endoscopes than manual cleaning followed by AER disinfection. Although the cost of consumable supplies required to reprocess endoscopes with EVOTECH ECR was slightly higher, the value of the labour time saved with EVOTECH ECR more than offset the additional consumables cost. The increased efficiency with EVOTECH ECR could lead to even further cost-savings by shifting endoscopy laboratory personnel responsibilities but further study is required. PMID:21967345
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Forte, Lindy; Shum, Cynthia
2011-10-03
Reprocessing of endoscopes generally requires labour-intensive manual cleaning followed by high-level disinfection in an automated endoscope reprocessor (AER). EVOTECH Endoscope Cleaner and Reprocessor (ECR) is approved for fully automated cleaning and disinfection whereas AERs require manual cleaning prior to the high-level disinfection procedure. The purpose of this economic evaluation was to determine the cost-efficiency of the ECR versus AER methods of endoscopy reprocessing in an actual practice setting. A time and motion study was conducted at a Canadian hospital to collect data on the personnel resources and consumable supplies costs associated with the use of EVOTECH ECR versus manual cleaning followed by AER with Medivators DSD-201. Reprocessing of all endoscopes was observed and timed for both reprocessor types over three days. Laboratory staff members were interviewed regarding the consumption and cost of all disposable supplies and equipment. Exact Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for assessing differences in total cycle reprocessing time. Endoscope reprocessing was significantly shorter with the ECR than with manual cleaning followed by AER. The differences in median time were 12.46 minutes per colonoscope (p < 0.0001), 6.31 minutes per gastroscope (p < 0.0001), and 5.66 minutes per bronchoscope (p = 0.0040). Almost 2 hours of direct labour time was saved daily with the ECR. The total per cycle cost of consumables and labour for maintenance was slightly higher for EVOTECH ECR versus manual cleaning followed by AER ($8.91 versus $8.31, respectively). Including the cost of direct labour time consumed in reprocessing scopes, the per cycle and annual costs of using the EVOTECH ECR was less than the cost of manual cleaning followed by AER disinfection ($11.50 versus $11.88). The EVOTECH ECR was more efficient and less costly to use for the reprocessing of endoscopes than manual cleaning followed by AER disinfection. Although the cost of consumable supplies required to reprocess endoscopes with EVOTECH ECR was slightly higher, the value of the labour time saved with EVOTECH ECR more than offset the additional consumables cost. The increased efficiency with EVOTECH ECR could lead to even further cost-savings by shifting endoscopy laboratory personnel responsibilities but further study is required.
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Fish consumption and contaminant exposure among Montreal-area sportfishers: Pilot study
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Kosatsky, T.; Przybysz, R.; Shatenstein, B.
1999-02-01
A 1995 pilot study assessed sport fish consumption and contaminant exposure among Montreal-area residents fishing the frozen St. Lawrence river. Interviews conducted among 223 ice fishers met on-site were used to create an index of estimated exposure to fish-borne contaminants. A second-stage assessment of sport fish consumption and tissue contaminant burdens included 25 interviewees at the highest level of estimated contaminant exposure and 15 low-exposure fishers. High-level fisher-consumers reported eating 0.92 {+-} 0.99 sport fish meals/week during the previous 3 weeks compared to 0.38 {+-} 0.21 for the low-level group. Based on the product of consumption frequency times mass ofmore » sport fish meals consumed, high-level consumers ate a mean of 18.3 kg of sport fish annually versus 3.3 kg for the low-level consumers. Tissue contaminant assessments showed significant groupwise differences: 0--1 cm hair mercury, lipid-adjusted plasma PCB congeners, and lipid-adjusted plasma DDE. No participant had a hair mercury or plasma DDE concentration above Health Canada recommendations but 2/25 high-level participants had plasma Aroclor 1260 concentrations above recommended limits.« less
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Drackley, J K; Cardoso, F C
2014-05-01
The 6 to 8-week period centered on parturition, known as the transition or periparturient period, is critical to welfare and profitability of individual cows. Fertility of high-producing cows is compromised by difficult transitions. Deficiencies in either nutritional or non-nutritional management increase risk for periparturient metabolic disorders and infectious diseases, which decrease subsequent fertility. A primary factor impeding fertility is the extent of negative energy balance (NEB) early postpartum, which may inhibit timing of first ovulation, return to cyclicity, and oocyte quality. In particular, pronounced NEB during the first 10 days to 2 weeks (the time of greatest occurrence of health problems) is critical for later reproductive efficiency. Avoiding over-conditioning and preventing cows from over-consuming energy relative to their requirements in late gestation result in higher dry matter intake (DMI) and less NEB after calving. A pooled statistical analysis of previous studies in our group showed that days to pregnancy are decreased (by 10 days) by controlling energy intake to near requirements of cows before calving compared with allowing cows to over-consume energy. To control energy intake, total mixed rations (TMR) must be well balanced for metabolizable protein, minerals and vitamins yet limit total DM consumed, and cows must uniformly consume the TMR without sorting. Dietary management to maintain blood calcium and rumen health around and after calving also are important. Opportunities may exist to further improve energy status in fresh cows. Recent research to manipulate the glucogenic to lipogenic balance and the essential fatty acid content of tissues are intriguing. High-producing cows that adapt successfully to lactation can have high reproductive efficiency, and nutritional management of the transition period both pre- and post-calving must facilitate that adaptation.
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Eating patterns and composition of meals and snacks in elite Canadian athletes.
Erdman, Kelly Anne; Tunnicliffe, Jasmine; Lun, Victor M; Reimer, Raylene A
2013-06-01
The purpose of this study was to determine the meal- and snack-eating frequency and the nutritional composition of each eating occasion of Canadian high-performance athletes during training. Athletes from 8 Canadian Sport Centres prospectively completed 3-d dietary records including all food, fluid, and supplements consumed. The time of consumption and whether the consumption was a meal or snack were also identified. The dietary records were analyzed for energy (kcal) and macronutrient intake (carbohydrate, protein, and fat) and compared based on gender, age, meal vs. snack, and training vs. rest days. Three hundred twenty-four athletic subjects (64% female and 36% male) completed the study. On average, the athletes ate 4.8 ± 0.8 times daily. Nearly all athletes consumed 3 daily meals of breakfast (98.9%), lunch (97.9%), and dinner (98.7%), with few having snacks: 57%, 71.6%, and 58.1% of athletes consumed an a.m., p.m., and evening snack, respectively. Training-day meal frequency did not differ from that during rest days; however, fewer snacks were consumed on rest days. A.m. and p.m. snacks were consumed significantly more often on training days than rest days. Overall, snacks contributed 24.3% of total daily energy intake. Few dietary variations were discovered between genders, while the youngest athletes (<18 yr) ate less often, especially their morning snack, than the older athletes. In conclusion, Canadian high-performance athletes self-adjusted their energy intakes on training vs. rest days primarily by snacking less and reducing their carbohydrate and protein intakes on rest days, yet they consistently ate regular meals.
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A study of CR-39 plastic charged-particle detector replacement by consumer imaging sensors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Plaud-Ramos, K. O.; Freeman, M. S.; Wei, W.; Guardincerri, E.; Bacon, J. D.; Cowan, J.; Durham, J. M.; Huang, D.; Gao, J.; Hoffbauer, M. A.; Morley, D. J.; Morris, C. L.; Poulson, D. C.; Wang, Zhehui
2016-11-01
Consumer imaging sensors (CIS) are examined for real-time charged-particle detection and CR-39 plastic detector replacement. Removing cover glass from CIS is hard if not impossible, in particular for the latest inexpensive webcam models. We show that 10-class CIS are sensitive to MeV and higher energy protons and α-particles by using a 90Sr β-source with its cover glass in place. Indirect, real-time, high-resolution detection is also feasible when combining CIS with a ZnS:Ag phosphor screen and optics. Noise reduction in CIS is nevertheless important for the indirect approach.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Anthony D. Rollett; Hasso Weiland; Mohammed Alvi
Carnegie Mellon University was teamed with the Alcoa Technical Center with support from the US Dept. of Energy (Office of Industrial Technology) and the Pennsylvania Technology Investment Authority (PTIA) to make processing of aluminum less costly and more energy efficient. Researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have investigated how annealing processes in the early stages of aluminum processing affect the structure and properties of the material. Annealing at high temperatures consumes significant amounts of time and energy. By making detailed measurements of the crystallography and morphology of internal structural changes they have generated new information that willmore » provide a scientific basis for shortening processing times and consuming less energy during annealing.« less
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A study of CR-39 plastic charged-particle detector replacement by consumer imaging sensors
Plaud-Ramos, Kenie Omar; Freeman, Matthew Stouten; Wei, Wanchun; ...
2016-08-03
Consumer imaging sensors (CIS) are examined for real-time charged-particle detection and CR-39 plastic detector replacement. Removing cover glass from CIS is hard if not impossible, in particular for the latest inexpensive webcam models. We show that $10-class CIS are sensitive to MeV and higher energy protons and α-particles by using a 90Sr β-source with its cover glass in place. Indirect, real-time, high-resolution detection is also feasible when combining CIS with a ZnS:Ag phosphor screen and optics. Furthermore, noise reduction in CIS is nevertheless important for the indirect approach.
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A study of CR-39 plastic charged-particle detector replacement by consumer imaging sensors
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Plaud-Ramos, K. O.; Freeman, M. S.; Wei, W.
Consumer imaging sensors (CIS) are examined for real-time charged-particle detection and CR-39 plastic detector replacement. Removing cover glass from CIS is hard if not impossible, in particular for the latest inexpensive webcam models. We show that $10-class CIS are sensitive to MeV and higher energy protons and α-particles by using a {sup 90}Sr β-source with its cover glass in place. Indirect, real-time, high-resolution detection is also feasible when combining CIS with a ZnS:Ag phosphor screen and optics. Noise reduction in CIS is nevertheless important for the indirect approach.
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A study of CR-39 plastic charged-particle detector replacement by consumer imaging sensors
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Plaud-Ramos, Kenie Omar; Freeman, Matthew Stouten; Wei, Wanchun
Consumer imaging sensors (CIS) are examined for real-time charged-particle detection and CR-39 plastic detector replacement. Removing cover glass from CIS is hard if not impossible, in particular for the latest inexpensive webcam models. We show that $10-class CIS are sensitive to MeV and higher energy protons and α-particles by using a 90Sr β-source with its cover glass in place. Indirect, real-time, high-resolution detection is also feasible when combining CIS with a ZnS:Ag phosphor screen and optics. Furthermore, noise reduction in CIS is nevertheless important for the indirect approach.
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Commercialization of microfluidic devices.
Volpatti, Lisa R; Yetisen, Ali K
2014-07-01
Microfluidic devices offer automation and high-throughput screening, and operate at low volumes of consumables. Although microfluidics has the potential to reduce turnaround times and costs for analytical devices, particularly in medical, veterinary, and environmental sciences, this enabling technology has had limited diffusion into consumer products. This article analyzes the microfluidics market, identifies issues, and highlights successful commercialization strategies. Addressing niche markets and establishing compatibility with existing workflows will accelerate market penetration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Instructor Feedback: How Much Do Students Really Want?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ackerman, David S.; Gross, Barbara L.
2010-01-01
Marketing students expect feedback on papers and assignments; and many professors expend much time and effort providing individualized and substantive comments in response to student work. Doing so is challenging and time consuming when faced with large class sizes, high student-faculty ratios, and communications-intensive courses. Furthermore,…
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CRITTERS! A Realistic Simulation for Teaching Evolutionary Biology
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Latham, Luke G., II; Scully, Erik P.
2008-01-01
Evolutionary processes can be studied in nature and in the laboratory, but time and financial constraints result in few opportunities for undergraduate and high school students to explore the agents of genetic change in populations. One alternative to time consuming and expensive teaching laboratories is the use of computer simulations. We…
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On-field mounting position estimation of a lidar sensor
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Khan, Owes; Bergelt, René; Hardt, Wolfram
2017-10-01
In order to retrieve a highly accurate view of their environment, autonomous cars are often equipped with LiDAR sensors. These sensors deliver a three dimensional point cloud in their own co-ordinate frame, where the origin is the sensor itself. However, the common co-ordinate system required by HAD (Highly Autonomous Driving) software systems has its origin at the center of the vehicle's rear axle. Thus, a transformation of the acquired point clouds to car co-ordinates is necessary, and thereby the determination of the exact mounting position of the LiDAR system in car coordinates is required. Unfortunately, directly measuring this position is a time-consuming and error-prone task. Therefore, different approaches have been suggested for its estimation which mostly require an exhaustive test-setup and are again time-consuming to prepare. When preparing a high number of LiDAR mounted test vehicles for data acquisition, most approaches fall short due to time or money constraints. In this paper we propose an approach for mounting position estimation which features an easy execution and setup, thus making it feasible for on-field calibration.
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Let's party tonight: drinking patterns and breath alcohol values at high school parties.
Schwartz, R H; Little, D L
1997-05-01
This study sought to determine whether the number of alcohol-containing beverages consumed by adolescents attending a "typical" high school weekend party was planned or spontaneous. A second objective was to understand the role of the designated driver and whether he or she honored a pledge of sobriety. A printed, anonymous survey with signed informed consent was distributed to 52 high school students from three different suburban high schools during three weekend high school parties. In addition, subjects underwent breath alcohol testing using the Intoximeter breath alcohol instrument. Salivary alcohol measurements were also obtained using Alco-Screen. Levels were measured in volunteers on entry and exit from the party. Fifty-two students volunteered to participate in the survey. Eleven participants volunteered to be designated drivers, nine of whom did not drink alcohol at this party. By the end of each party, the 26 boys had consumed a mean of 10 drinks, and the 16 girls had consumed 4.1 drinks, almost exactly what they had predicted at the time of arrival. By departure time, 22 (54%) of the drinkers had a breath alcohol value of .10 g/dL or greater, while only three (7%), had alcohol values of .02 g/dL or less. Blackouts were common and had been experienced by 73% of all the students surveyed. Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed had been involved in some form of physical violence while drinking. Eleven percent of the female participants reported being sexually assaulted while they or their attacker were drunk. Most of the 42 drinkers believed that it was acceptable for designated drivers to drink at least two beers. Two intoxicated designated drivers were driven home by sober friends. High school students in this study knew before attending a party the quantity of beer they would consume. Survey participants believed that it is acceptable practice for designated drivers to drink alcohol at parties; 13% of those who intended to drive after these parties were intoxicated.
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Meehan, Tom; Stedman, Terry; Parker, Stephen; Curtis, Bretine; Jones, Donna
2017-05-01
Objective The aim of the present study was to examine care pathways and characteristics of mental health consumers participating in both hospital- and community-based residential rehabilitation programs. Methods An audit of consumers (n=240) in all publicly funded residential rehabilitation units in Queensland was performed on the same day in 2013. Data collection focused on demographic characteristics, clinical information and measures of consumer functioning. Results Significant differences emerged for consumers in community- and hospital-based services with regard to age, length of stay, functioning, Mental Health Act status, guardianship status, family contact and risk of violence. Consumers in hospital-based programs have more severe and complex problems. Conclusions Consumers in residential rehabilitation units have high levels of disability, poor physical health and high levels of vulnerability. Nonetheless, it is likely that a sizeable proportion of consumers occupying rehabilitation beds in Queensland could be discharged if more 'step-down' options to move patients on were available. What is known about the topic? A small subgroup of people with severe and complex mental health problems is likely to require time in a residential rehabilitation program. This group is characterised by failure to respond to treatment, severe negative symptoms and some degree of cognitive impairment. What does this paper add? Patients currently occupying residential rehabilitation beds in Queensland have high levels of disability, poor physical health and high levels of vulnerability. Patients in hospital-based programs are more severely disabled than those in community-based programs. What are the implications for practitioners? It is likely that a sizeable proportion of patients occupying rehabilitation beds in Queensland could be discharged if more 'step-down' options were available. Future planning initiatives need to focus on developing a greater array of community support options to facilitate the discharge of people from residential services.
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Lowndes, Joshua; Sinnett, Stephanie; Pardo, Sabrina; Nguyen, Von T; Melanson, Kathleen J; Yu, Zhiping; Lowther, Britte E; Rippe, James M
2014-03-17
The American Heart Association (AHA) has advocated that women and men not consume more than 100 and 150 kcal/day, respectively, from added sugars. These levels are currently exceeded by over 90% of the adult population in the United States. Few data exist on longer-term metabolic effects when sucrose and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), the principal sources of added dietary sugars, are consumed at levels typical of the general population. Sixty five overweight and obese individuals were placed on a eucaloric (weight stable) diet for 10-weeks, which incorporated sucrose- or HFCS-sweetened, low-fat milk at 10% or 20% of calories in a randomized, double-blinded study. All groups responded similarly (interaction p > 0.05). There was no change in body weight in any of the groups over the 10-week study, or in systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Likewise, there were no changes in total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or apolipoprotein B (Apo B). We conclude that (1) when consumed as part of a eucaloric diet fructose--when given with glucose (as normally consumed) does not promote weight gain or an atherogenic lipid profile even when consumed at two to four times the level recently recommended by the AHA. (2) There were no differences between HFCS and sucrose on these parameters.
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Lowndes, Joshua; Sinnett, Stephanie; Pardo, Sabrina; Nguyen, Von T.; Melanson, Kathleen J.; Yu, Zhiping; Lowther, Britte E.; Rippe, James M.
2014-01-01
The American Heart Association (AHA) has advocated that women and men not consume more than 100 and 150 kcal/day, respectively, from added sugars. These levels are currently exceeded by over 90% of the adult population in the United States. Few data exist on longer-term metabolic effects when sucrose and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), the principal sources of added dietary sugars, are consumed at levels typical of the general population. Sixty five overweight and obese individuals were placed on a eucaloric (weight stable) diet for 10-weeks, which incorporated sucrose- or HFCS-sweetened, low-fat milk at 10% or 20% of calories in a randomized, double-blinded study. All groups responded similarly (interaction p > 0.05). There was no change in body weight in any of the groups over the 10-week study, or in systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Likewise, there were no changes in total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or apolipoprotein B (Apo B). We conclude that (1) when consumed as part of a eucaloric diet fructose—when given with glucose (as normally consumed) does not promote weight gain or an atherogenic lipid profile even when consumed at two to four times the level recently recommended by the AHA. (2) There were no differences between HFCS and sucrose on these parameters. PMID:24642950
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Cognitive load, stress, and disinhibited eating.
Lattimore, Paul; Maxwell, Linda
2004-11-01
The impact of cognitive distraction on eating behaviour was examined in restrained and unrestrained eaters. It was predicted that restrained eaters would eat more than unrestrained eaters following high cognitive load when it involves processing of ego-threat information independent of self-reported anxiety. There were 119 female participants randomly allocated to one of four experimental conditions whereby cognitive load and ego threat were manipulated using modified colour-naming Stroop (CNS) tasks. Anxiety ratings were made prior to and following experimental tasks. After performing Stroop tasks, participants consumed snack foods ad libitum. Restrained eaters consumed significantly more food when high cognitive load was ego threatening than when it involved processing and memorisation of colour nouns and consumed significantly more than unrestrained eaters in a high cognitive load ego-threat condition. Posttask anxiety was greater than baseline across all conditions. Task difficulty was greater under high cognitive load than low cognitive load as indicated by Stroop response times. These results indicated that the escape theory of disinhibited eating is conceptually subsumed by a more generalisable limited cognitive capacity model.
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Comparison of mosaicking techniques for airborne images from consumer-grade cameras
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Images captured from airborne imaging systems have the advantages of relatively low cost, high spatial resolution, and real/near-real-time availability. Multiple images taken from one or more flight lines could be used to generate a high-resolution mosaic image, which could be useful for diverse rem...
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Perspectives on Validation of High-Throughput Assays Supporting 21st Century Toxicity Testing
In vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) assays are seeing increasing use in toxicity testing. HTS assays can simultaneously test many chemicals but have seen limited use in the regulatory arena, in part because of the need to undergo rigorous, time-consuming formal validation. ...
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Beverage patterns and trends among school-aged children in the US, 1989-2008
2011-01-01
Background High intake of sugar-sweetened beverages in childhood is linked to increased risk of obesity and type II diabetes later in life. Using three nationally representative surveys of dietary intake, we investigated beverage patterns and trends among US school-aged children from 1989/91 to 2007/08. Methods 3, 583 participants ages 6-11 y old were included. We reported per capita trends in beverage consumption, percent consuming, and amount per consumer for the following categories of beverages: sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), caloric nutritional beverages (CNB) and low calorie beverages (LCB). Statistically significant differences were tested using the Student's t test in Stata 11. Results While per capita kcal contribution from total beverages remained constant over the study period, per capita consumption of SSBs increased and CNBs decreased in similar magnitude. The substantial increase in consumption of certain SSBs, such as fruit drinks and soda, high fat high sugar milk, and sports drinks, coupled with the decrease in consumption of high fat low sugar milk was responsible for this shift. The percent consuming SSBs as well as the amount per consumer increased significantly over time. Per capita intake of total milk declined, but the caloric contribution from high fat high sugar milk increased substantially. Among ethnicities, important differences in consumption trends of certain SSBs and 100% juice indicate the complexity in determining strategies for children's beverage calorie reduction. Conclusions As upward trends of SSB consumption parallel increases in childhood obesity, educational and policy interventions should be considered. PMID:21962086
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Kayitesi, Eugénie; Duodu, Kwaku Gyebi; Minnaar, Amanda; de Kock, Henriette L
2013-03-15
Cowpea is mostly utilised as cooked whole seeds. This is often achieved only after boiling for up to 2 h, resulting in high energy consumption and a long time for food preparation. Micronisation of pre-conditioned cowpeas reduces their cooking time. Micronisation changes the physicochemical properties of cowpea seeds, which may affect the sensory properties of cooked cowpeas. Consumer acceptance and utilisation of micronised cowpeas depend on their sensory properties. Micronised and unmicronised samples of Blackeye, Bechuana white, Glenda and Dr Saunders cowpeas were subjected to cooking time, descriptive sensory and colour analyses. Micronisation significantly reduced cowpea cooking time by 28-49%. There were significant (P < 0.05) increases in roasted aroma and flavour, mushy texture and splitting in all micronised samples. Bechuana white was more mushy and split than others. There were significant decreases in firmness, mealiness and coarseness after micronisation for all cowpea types. Micronised cowpeas were darker (lower L* values) than unmicronised cooked cowpeas. Darkening was more evident in light-coloured than dark-coloured cowpeas. Micronisation reduces cowpea cooking time but also affects sensory properties of cowpeas such as introducing roasted flavours that may not be familiar to consumers. This might have an influence on consumer acceptance of micronised cowpeas. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Factors associated with high consumption of soft drinks among Australian secondary-school students.
Scully, Maree; Morley, Belinda; Niven, Philippa; Crawford, David; Pratt, Iain S; Wakefield, Melanie
2017-09-01
To examine demographic and behavioural correlates of high consumption of soft drinks (non-alcoholic sugar-sweetened carbonated drinks excluding energy drinks) among Australian adolescents and to explore the associations between high consumption and soft drink perceptions and accessibility. Cross-sectional self-completion survey and height and weight measurements. Australian secondary schools. Students aged 12-17 years participating in the 2012-13 National Secondary Students' Diet and Activity (NaSSDA) survey (n 7835). Overall, 14 % of students reported consuming four or more cups (≥1 litres) of soft drinks each week ('high soft drink consumers'). Demographic factors associated with high soft drink consumption were being male and having at least $AU 40 in weekly spending money. Behavioural factors associated with high soft drink consumption were low fruit intake, consuming energy drinks on a weekly basis, eating fast foods at least once weekly, eating snack foods ≥14 times/week, watching television for >2 h/d and sleeping for <8 h/school night. Students who perceived soft drinks to be usually available in their home, convenient to buy and good value for money were more likely to be high soft drink consumers, as were students who reported usually buying these drinks when making a beverage purchase from the school canteen/vending machine. High soft drink consumption clusters with other unhealthy lifestyle behaviours among Australian secondary-school students. Interventions focused on reducing the availability of soft drinks (e.g. increased taxes, restricting their sale in schools) as well as improved education on their harms are needed to lower adolescents' soft drink intake.
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Computing Systems | High-Performance Computing | NREL
investigate, build, and test models of complex phenomena or entire integrated systems-that cannot be directly observed or manipulated in the lab, or would be too expensive or time consuming. Models and visualizations
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Harris, Katherine M
2002-01-01
Objective To investigate the impact of quality information on the willingness of consumers to enroll in health plans that restrict provider access. Data Sources and Setting A survey administered to respondents between the ages of 25 and 64 in the West Los Angeles area with private health insurance. Study Design An experimental approach is used to measure the effect of variation in provider network features and information about the quality of network physicians on hypothetical plan choices. Conditional logit models are used to analyze the experimental choice data. Next, choice model parameter estimates are used to simulate the impact of changes in plan features on the market shares of competing health plans and to calculate the quality level required to make consumers indifferent to changes in provider access. Principal Findings The presence of quality information reduced the importance of provider network features in plan choices as hypothesized. However, there were not statistically meaningful differences by type of quality measure (i.e., consumer assessed versus expert assessed). The results imply that large quality differences are required to make consumers indifferent to changes in provider access. The impact of quality on plan choices depended more on the particular measure and less on the type of measure. Quality ratings based on the proportion of survey respondents “extremely satisfied with results of care” had the greatest impact on plan choice while the proportion of network doctors “affiliated with university medical centers” had the least. Other consumer and expert assessed measures had more comparable effects. Conclusions Overall the results provide empirical evidence that consumers are willing to trade high quality for restrictions on provider access. This willingness to trade implies that relatively small plans that place restrictions on provider access can successfully compete against less restrictive plans when they can demonstrate high quality. However, the results of this study suggest that in many cases, the level of quality required for consumers to accept access restrictions may be so high as to be unattainable. The results provide empirical support for the current focus of decision support efforts on consumer assessed quality measures. At the same time, however, the results suggest that consumers would also value quality measures based on expert assessments. This finding is relevant given the lack of comparative quality information based on expert judgment and research suggesting that consumers have apprehensions about their ability to meaningfully interpret performance-based quality measures. PMID:12132595
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Antonio, Jose; Ellerbroek, Anya; Silver, Tobin; Orris, Steve; Scheiner, Max; Gonzalez, Adriana; Peacock, Corey A
2015-01-01
The consumption of a high protein diet (>4 g/kg/d) in trained men and women who did not alter their exercise program has been previously shown to have no significant effect on body composition. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to determine if a high protein diet in conjunction with a periodized heavy resistance training program would affect indices of body composition, performance and health. Forty-eight healthy resistance-trained men and women completed this study (mean ± SD; Normal Protein group [NP n = 17, four female and 13 male]: 24.8 ± 6.9 yr; 174.0 ± 9.5 cm height; 74.7 ± 9.6 kg body weight; 2.4 ± 1.7 yr of training; High Protein group [HP n = 31, seven female and 24 male]: 22.9 ± 3.1 yr; 172.3 ± 7.7 cm; 74.3 ± 12.4 kg; 4.9 ± 4.1 yr of training). Moreover, all subjects participated in a split-routine, periodized heavy resistance-training program. Training and daily diet logs were kept by each subject. Subjects in the NP and HP groups were instructed to consume their baseline (~2 g/kg/d) and >3 g/kg/d of dietary protein, respectively. Subjects in the NP and HP groups consumed 2.3 and 3.4 g/kg/day of dietary protein during the treatment period. The NP group consumed significantly (p < 0.05) more protein during the treatment period compared to their baseline intake. The HP group consumed more (p < 0.05) total energy and protein during the treatment period compared to their baseline intake. Furthermore, the HP group consumed significantly more (p < 0.05) total calories and protein compared to the NP group. There were significant time by group (p ≤ 0.05) changes in body weight (change: +1.3 ± 1.3 kg NP, -0.1 ± 2.5 HP), fat mass (change: -0.3 ± 2.2 kg NP, -1.7 ± 2.3 HP), and % body fat (change: -0.7 ± 2.8 NP, -2.4 ± 2.9 HP). The NP group gained significantly more body weight than the HP group; however, the HP group experienced a greater decrease in fat mass and % body fat. There was a significant time effect for FFM; however, there was a non-significant time by group effect for FFM (change: +1.5 ± 1.8 NP, +1.5 ± 2.2 HP). Furthermore, a significant time effect (p ≤ 0.05) was seen in both groups vis a vis improvements in maximal strength (i.e., 1-RM squat and bench) vertical jump and pull-ups; however, there were no significant time by group effects (p ≥ 0.05) for all exercise performance measures. Additionally, there were no changes in any of the blood parameters (i.e., basic metabolic panel). Consuming a high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) in conjunction with a heavy resistance-training program may confer benefits with regards to body composition. Furthermore, there is no evidence that consuming a high protein diet has any deleterious effects.
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... power (i.e., watts) consumed as the time series integral of the power consumed over a 1-hour test period...) consumed as the time series integral of the power consumed over a 1-hour test period, divided by the period...-maintenance mode and standby mode over time periods defined in the test procedure. b. Active mode is the...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... power (i.e., watts) consumed as the time series integral of the power consumed over a 1-hour test period...) consumed as the time series integral of the power consumed over a 1-hour test period, divided by the period...-maintenance mode and standby mode over time periods defined in the test procedure. b. Active mode is the...
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Ten Time-Saving Tips for Undergraduate Research Mentors
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Coker, Jeffrey Scott; Davies, Eric
2006-01-01
Undergraduate research experiences can be extremely valuable for students, but can also be very time-consuming for mentors. A series of surveys were administered to plant biologists during the last 4 years to understand the perspectives of mentors on training undergraduate and high school student researchers. The survey responses provided a wealth…
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González-Tomás, L; Costell, E
2006-12-01
Consumers' perceptions of the color and texture of 8 commercial vanilla dairy desserts were studied and related to color and rheological measurements. First, the 8 desserts were evaluated by a group of consumers by means of the Free Choice Profile. For both color and texture, a 2-dimensional solution was chosen, with dimension 1 highly related to yellow color intensity in the case of color and to thickness in the case of texture. Second, mechanical spectra, flow behavior, and instrumental color were determined. All the samples showed a time-dependent and shear-thinning flow and a mechanical spectrum typical of a weak gel. Differences were found in the flow index, in the apparent viscosity at 10 s(-1), and in the values of the storage modulus, the loss modulus, the loss angle tangent, and the complex viscosity at 1 Hz, as well as in the color parameters. Finally, sensory and instrumental relationships were investigated by a generalized Procrustes analysis. For both color and texture, a 3-dimensional solution explained a high percentage of the total variance (>80%). In these particular samples, the instrumental color parameters provided more accurate information on consumers' color perceptions than was provided by the rheological parameters of consumers' perceptions of texture.
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Consumers’ perceptions of energy use and energy savings: A literature review
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lesic, Vedran; Bruine de Bruin, Wändi; Davis, Matthew C.; Krishnamurti, Tamar; Azevedo, Inês M. L.
2018-03-01
Background. Policy makers and program managers need to better understand consumers’ perceptions of their energy use and savings to design effective strategies for promoting energy savings. Methods. We reviewed 14 studies from the emerging interdisciplinary literature examining consumers’ perceptions electricity use by specific appliances, and potential savings. Results. We find that: (1) electricity use is often overestimated for low-energy consuming appliances, and underestimated for high-energy consuming appliances; (2) curtailment strategies are typically preferred over energy efficiency strategies; (3) consumers lack information about how much electricity can be saved through specific strategies; (4) consumers use heuristics for assessing the electricity use of specific appliances, with some indication that more accurate judgments are made among consumers with higher numeracy and stronger pro-environmental attitudes. However, design differences between studies, such as variations in reference points, reporting units and assessed time periods, may affect consumers’ reported perceptions. Moreover, studies differ with regard to whether accuracy of perceptions was evaluated through comparisons with general estimates of actual use, self-reported use, household-level meter readings, or real-time smart meter readings. Conclusion. Although emerging findings are promising, systematic variations in the measurement of perceived and actual electricity use are potential cause for concern. We propose avenues for future research, so as to better understand, and possibly inform, consumers’ perceptions of their electricity use. Ultimately, this literature will have implications for the design of effective electricity feedback for consumers, and related policies.
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Excess free fructose, high-fructose corn syrup and adult asthma: the Framingham Offspring Cohort.
DeChristopher, Luanne R; Tucker, Katherine L
2018-05-01
There is growing evidence that intakes of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), HFCS-sweetened soda, fruit drinks and apple juice - a high-fructose 100 % juice - are associated with asthma, possibly because of the high fructose:glucose ratios and underlying fructose malabsorption, which may contribute to enteral formation of pro-inflammatory advanced glycation end products, which bind receptors that are mediators of asthma. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess associations between intakes of these beverages and asthma risk, with data from the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Diet soda and orange juice - a 100 % juice with a 1:1 fructose:glucose ratio - were included for comparison. Increasing intake of any combination of HFCS-sweetened soda, fruit drinks and apple juice was significantly associated with progressively higher asthma risk, plateauing at 5-7 times/week v. never/seldom, independent of potential confounders (hazard ratio 1·91, P<0·001). About once a day consumers of HFCS-sweetened soda had a 49 % higher risk (P<0·011), moderate apple juice consumers (2-4 times/week) had a 61 % higher risk (P<0·007) and moderate fruit drink consumers had a 58 % higher risk (P<0·009), as compared with never/seldom consumers. There were no associations with diet soda/orange juice. These associations are possibly because of the high fructose:glucose ratios, and fructose malabsorption. Recommendations to reduce consumption may be inadequate to address asthma risk, as associations are evident even with moderate intake of these beverages, including apple juice - a 100 % juice. The juice reductions in the US Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children in 2009, and the plateauing/decreasing asthma prevalence (2010-2013), particularly among non-Hispanic black children, may be related. Further research regarding the consequences of fructose malabsorption is needed.
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Duffey, K J; Pereira, R A; Popkin, B M
2013-08-01
Snacking has increased globally. We examine snacking patterns and common snack foods in Brazil. Data from the first of two non-consecutive food diaries from 34,003 individuals (aged ≥ 10 years) in the first Brazillian nationally representative dietary survey (2008-2009) were used. Meals were defined as the largest (kcal) eating event reported during select times of the day (Breakfast, 0600-1000 hours; Lunch, 1200-1500 hours; Dinner, 1800-2100 hours); all other eating occasions were considered snacks. We estimate daily energy intake, percentage of persons consuming snacks, number of daily snacks and per capita and per consumer energy from snacks (kcal/day, kcal/snack and % of daily energy from snacks). In all, 74% of Brazilians (≥ 10 years) snacked, reporting an average 1.6 snacks/day. Also, 23% of the sample were heavy snackers (≥ 3 snacks/day). Snacking accounted for 21% of daily energy intake in the full sample but 35.5% among heavy snackers. Compared with non-snackers (1548 kcal/day), light (1-2 snacks/day) and heavy snackers consumed more daily energy (1929 and 2334 kcal/day, respectively). Taking into account time of day, the largest percentage of persons reported afternoon/early evening snacking (1501-1759 hours, 47.7%). Sweetened coffee and tea, sweets and desserts, fruit, sugar-sweetened beverages, and high-calorie salgados (fried/baked dough with meat/cheese/vegetable) were the top five most commonly consumed snacks. Differences were observed by age groups. Trends in commercial sales were observed, especially for sugar-sweetened beverages. Many commonly consumed snack foods in Brazil are classified, in the US, as being high in solid fats and added sugars. The public health impact of snacking in Brazil requires further exploration.
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Duffey, Kiyah J.; Pereira, Rosangela A.; Popkin, Barry M.
2013-01-01
Background/Objectives Snacking has increased globally. We examine snacking patterns and common snack foods in Brazil. Subjects/Methods Data from the first of two non-consecutive food diaries from 34,003 individuals (aged ≥10 years) in the first Brazillian nationally representative dietary survey (2008-2009) were used. Meals were defined as the largest (kcal) eating event reported during select times of the day (Breakfast, 6am-10am; Lunch, 12pm-3pm; Dinner, 6pm-9pm); all other eating occasions were considered snacks. We estimate daily energy intake, percent consuming, number of daily snacks, and per capita and per consumer energy from snacks (kcal/d, kcal/snack, and % of daily energy from snacks). Results 74% of Brazilians (≥10 years) snacked, reporting an average 1.6 snacks/d. 23% of the sample were heavy snackers (≥3 snacks/d). Snacking accounted for 21% of daily energy intake in the full sample, but 35.5% among heavy snackers. Compared to non-snackers (1548 kcal/d), light (1-2 snacks/d) and heavy snackers consumed more daily energy (1929 and 2334 kcal/d, respectively). By time of day, the largest percent of persons reported afternoon/early evening snacking (3:01-5:59 pm, 47.7%). Sweetened Coffee & Tea, Sweets & Desserts, Fruit, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB), and high-calorie Salgados (Fried/baked dough with Meat/Cheese/Vegetable) were the top 5 most commonly consumed snacks. Differences were observed by age groups. Trends in commercial sales were observed, especially for SSB’s. Conclusions Many commonly consumed snack foods in Brazil are classified, in the US, as being high in solid fats and added sugars (SoFAS). The public health impact of snacking in Brazil requires further exploration. PMID:23486510
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12 CFR Supplement I to Part 213 - Official Staff Commentary to Regulation M
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
... primary use. 2. Period of time. To be a consumer lease, the initial term of the lease must be more than... lease (unless terminable without penalty at any time by the consumer) under which the consumer: i... time of consummation. The threshold amount in effect during a particular time period is the amount...
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12 CFR Supplement I to Part 213 - Official Staff Commentary to Regulation M
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... primary use. 2. Period of time. To be a consumer lease, the initial term of the lease must be more than... lease (unless terminable without penalty at any time by the consumer) under which the consumer: i... time of consummation. The threshold amount in effect during a particular time period is the amount...
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12 CFR Supplement I to Part 213 - Official Staff Commentary to Regulation M
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... primary use. 2. Period of time. To be a consumer lease, the initial term of the lease must be more than... lease (unless terminable without penalty at any time by the consumer) under which the consumer: i... time of consummation. The threshold amount in effect during a particular time period is the amount...
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Gibson, Sigrid; Ashwell, Margaret
2003-06-01
To examine the association between consumption of red and processed meat (RPM) and iron intakes and status in adults. Further analysis of the Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults, a cross-sectional study of 2197 adults aged 16-64 years carried out in 1986/7. Adults (836 men and 838 women) with serum ferritin measurements, who were not taking iron supplements, were classified into four groups according to RPM consumption (from 7-day weighed records). Iron absorbed was estimated from equations based on haem and non-haem iron and the influence of iron stores. Women who ate least meat (<90 g day-1) had three times the risk of a low iron intake (below the Lower Reference Nutrient Intake) compared with high consumers of RPM (>140 g day-1). Men who ate no RPM also had a higher risk of low iron intake. Using an estimate of minimal values for iron losses, there was a twofold difference in the potential risk of negative iron balance between women non-RPM consumers and high RPM consumers. Status measurements indicated that, among women, anaemia was least prevalent (6%) among high consumers compared with 12-14% among average RPM consumers. Inverse trends were also observed for serum ferritin in both sexes. Low consumption of RPM has implications for iron intakes and iron status in men and women, since the risk of negative iron balance and its consequences are increased. Dietary messages must consider these implications and provide appropriate advice.
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Hybrid and Disposable Facilities for Manufacturing of Biopharmaceuticals: Pros and Cons
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ravisé, Aline; Cameau, Emmanuelle; de Abreu, Georges; Pralong, Alain
Modern biotechnology has grown over the last 35 years to a maturing industry producing and delivering high-value biopharmaceuticals that yield important medical and economical benefits. The constantly increasing need for biopharmaceuticals and significant costs related to time-consuming R&D work makes this industry risky and highly competitive. This trend is confirmed by the important number of biopharmaceuticals that are actually under development at all stages by all major pharmaceutical industry companies. A consequence of this evolution is an increasing need for development and manufacturing capacity. The build up of traditional - stainless steel - technology is complicated, time consuming and very expensive. The decision for such a major investment needs to be taken early in the development cycle of a promising drug to cope with future demands for clinical trials and product launch. Possibilities for the reduction of R&D and manufacturing costs are therefore of significant interest in order to be competitive.
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The effects of automated scatter feeders on captive grizzly bear activity budgets.
Andrews, Nathan L P; Ha, James C
2014-01-01
Although captive bears are popular zoo attractions, they are known to exhibit high levels of repetitive behaviors (RBs). These behaviors have also made them particularly popular subjects for welfare research. To date, most research on ursid welfare has focused on various feeding methods that seek to increase time spent searching for, extracting, or consuming food. Prior research indicates an average of a 50% reduction in RBs when attempts are successful and, roughly, a 50% success rate across studies. This research focused on decreasing time spent in an RB while increasing the time spent active by increasing time spent searching for, extracting, and consuming food. The utility of timed, automated scatter feeders was examined for use with captive grizzly bears (Ursis arctos horribilis). Findings include a significant decrease in time spent in RB and a significant increase in time spent active while the feeders were in use. Further, the bears exhibited a wider range of behaviors and a greater use of their enclosure.
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Williams, Sunyna S; Frost, Sloane L
2014-11-01
To examine differences among health-related decision-making consumer segments with regard to knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors pertinent to comparative effectiveness research. Data were collected via an online survey from 603 adults with chronic conditions. Consumer segment was determined using a two-item tool. Active consumers (high skills and motivation) reported the highest levels of engagement in various behaviors. Passive consumers (low skills and motivation) reported the lowest levels of engagement in various behaviors. High-effort consumers (low skills, high motivation) reported more positive attitudes and opinions and more engagement in various behaviors than did complacent consumers (high skills, low motivation). Effective translation and dissemination of comparative effectiveness research will require the development of approaches tailored to consumers with varying levels of skills and motivation.
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van den Dungen, Myrthe W; Kok, Dieuwertje E; Polder, Anuschka; Hoogenboom, Ron L A P; van Leeuwen, Stefan P J; Steegenga, Wilma T; Kampman, Ellen; Murk, Albertinka J
2016-12-01
Globally, many river sediments are seriously contaminated with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) known to accumulate in aquatic food. In the Netherlands, toxicological risks of human exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds led to a ban on eel fishing in the Rhine-Meuse delta. The aim of this study is to investigate differences in serum POP levels in consumers of eel from high-polluted areas and consumers of eel from low-polluted areas or aquaculture. In total 80 Dutch men were included, aged 40-70 years, with a habitual eel consumption of at least one portion (150 g) per month. Total levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds were measured in serum of all participants with the DR CALUX bioassay, validated with GC-MS. For a subgroup of 38 participants extensive POP measurements were performed. We revealed that consumption of eel from polluted rivers resulted in 2.5 and up to 10 times increased levels of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) respectively compared to controls. The highest PCB levels were detected for PCB 153, with a median level of 896 ng/g lipid and a maximum level of 5000 ng/g lipid in the high-exposed group. Furthermore, hydroxylated PCB metabolites (OH-PCBs: sum of 4-OH-CB107, 4-OH-CB146, 4'-OH-CB172, and 4-OH-CB187) were 8 times higher in men who consumed eel from polluted areas, and detected at levels (median 4.5 ng/g ww) reported to cause adverse health effects. Also, the majority of the perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were significantly higher in consumers of eel from pullulated areas. In conclusion, this study is the first to reveal that (past) consumption of eel from polluted rivers resulted in high body burdens of dioxins, PCBs, OH-PCBs and PFASs. We confirmed the predictions made in a former risk assessment, and the high levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds as well as the OH-PCBs are of health concern. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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12 CFR Supplement I to Part 1005 - Official Interpretations
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
... used to capture the Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) encoding to initiate a one-time automated clearinghouse (ACH) debit. For example, if a consumer authorizes a one-time ACH debit from the consumer's... involved at the time of the transaction, if the consumer's asset account is subsequently debited for the...
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12 CFR Supplement I to Part 1005 - Official Interpretations
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... used to capture the Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) encoding to initiate a one-time automated clearinghouse (ACH) debit. For example, if a consumer authorizes a one-time ACH debit from the consumer's... involved at the time of the transaction, if the consumer's asset account is subsequently debited for the...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... to initiate a one-time electronic fund transfer from a consumer's account. The consumer must...-time electronic fund transfer (in providing a check to a merchant or other payee for the MICR encoding... information for the transfer shall also provide a notice to the consumer at the same time it provides the...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
...-time electronic fund transfer from a consumer's account. The consumer must authorize the transfer. (ii... one-time electronic fund transfer (in providing a check to a merchant or other payee for the MICR... transfer. A consumer authorizes a one-time electronic fund transfer from his or her account to pay the fee...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... to initiate a one-time electronic fund transfer from a consumer's account. The consumer must...-time electronic fund transfer (in providing a check to a merchant or other payee for the MICR encoding... information for the transfer shall also provide a notice to the consumer at the same time it provides the...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
... to initiate a one-time electronic fund transfer from a consumer's account. The consumer must...-time electronic fund transfer (in providing a check to a merchant or other payee for the MICR encoding... information for the transfer shall also provide a notice to the consumer at the same time it provides the...
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Assessment of nutritional habits and preferences among secondary school students
Duma-Kocan, Paulina; Barud, Barbara; Głodek, Elżbieta; Gil, Marian
Appropriate nutrition is one of the most important factors affecting the proper development of man, nutritional status and maintaining good health. Adolescence is a period of development of skills of self-determination and self-realization, also in the case of nutrition. Children and school-age youth are the group most vulnerable to the effects of incorrect nutrition. The way of nutrition during this period determines psychophysical and emotional development, effectiveness in learning process and has influence on health in adulthood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the habits and nutrition preferences in secondary school students from Rzeszów and Krosno age 16-19 years and to identify the differences between their eating behaviours. The study involved 300 secondary school students from Rzeszów and Krosno. The research material was the Authors’ questionnaire containing questions examining the eating habits of surveyed students. The statistical analysis was performed using the program StatSoft, Inc. STATISTICA version 12.0. To evaluate the differences between the two examined qualities there was used the Chi2 test of independence. As the statistically significant level there was assumed the level of p ≤ 0.05. In the surveyed group of high school students, more than half (59.66%) ate 4-5 meals a day. Snacking between meals declared 95% of high school students. Between meals the youth most frequently consumed fruits and vegetables (72.99%) and sweets (59.66%). Daily consumption of first breakfast before leaving the home declared more than half (62.33%) of the surveyed youth. Consuming products containing complete protein several times a week was declared by 49%. Whole wheat bread was daily consumed by 10.33% of the respondents, and grain products are daily consumed by 52.66% of the youth. 43.33% every day drank milk and milk products, while fruits and vegetables several times a day were consumed by 59.66% of the surveyed students. Consumption of products of “fast-food” type several times a month was declared by 49.66%, while irregular consumption of meals was declared by 20.33% of high school students. Physical activity was declared by 93.99%, and 3-5 times a week by only 21.66% of the surveyed students. The conducted research shows that eating habits of most of the surveyed secondary school students both from Rzeszów and Krosno are satisfactory. The comparison of dietary habits among secondary school students showed no significant differences. Both groups committed similar errors: sweets snacking between meals, irregular meals and insufficient physical activity. A positive phenomenon was snacking of fruit and vegetables between meals and selection of mineral water and juices as the most frequently consumed beverages.
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Douven, Rudy; Katona, Katalin; T Schut, Frederik; Shestalova, Victoria
2017-11-01
In this paper we estimate health plan price elasticities and financial switching gains for consumers over a 20-year period in which managed competition was introduced in the Dutch health insurance market. The period is characterized by a major health insurance reform in 2006 to provide health insurers with more incentives and tools to compete, and to provide consumers with a more differentiated choice of products. Prior to the reform, in the period 1995-2005, we find a low number of switchers, between 2 and 4% a year, modest average total switching gains of 2 million euros per year and short-term health plan price elasticities ranging from -0.1 to -0.4. The major reform in 2006 resulted in an all-time high switching rate of 18%, total switching gains of 130 million euros, and a high short-term price elasticity of -5.7. During 2007-2015 switching rates returned to lower levels, between 4 and 8% per year, with total switching gains in the order of 40 million euros per year on average. Total switching gains could have been 10 times higher if all consumers had switched to one of the cheapest plans. We find short-term price elasticities ranging between -0.9 and -2.2. Our estimations suggest substantial consumer inertia throughout the entire period, as we find degrees of choice persistence ranging from about 0.8 to 0.9.
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Butler, Lauren; Poti, Jennifer M; Popkin, Barry M
2016-07-01
Long-term US trends in alcoholic beverage calorie intakes remain unexamined, particularly with respect to changes in population subgroup-specific patterns over time. This study examined shifts in the consumption of alcoholic beverages, in total and by beverage type, on any given day among US adults in relation to sociodemographic characteristics. This study was a repeated cross-sectional analysis of data from the 1989-1991 and 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and the 2003-2006 and 2009-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Adults aged ≥19 years (N=39,298) were targeted. A subset of alcoholic beverage consumers (n=7,081) were studied. Survey weighted mean per capita per day intakes (among all participants, both consumers of alcoholic beverages and nonconsumers) and contributions of beer, wine, and liquor/mixed drinks to total alcoholic beverage energy were determined. Multivariable regression models were used to examine trends in the proportion of alcoholic beverage consumers and the per consumer intakes (among consumers of alcoholic beverages only). Per capita intakes from alcoholic beverages increased from 49 kcal/capita/day in 1989-1991 to 109 kcal/capita/day in 2003-2006 (P<0.001). The proportion consuming alcoholic beverages on any given day increased significantly from 1989-1991 to 2009-2012 (P for overall increasing trend <0.0001) for most sociodemographic subgroups. Per consumer, alcoholic beverage calories increased between 1989-1991 and 1994-1996 (P<0.05) for many subpopulations. Adults with less than high school education were less likely to consume alcohol, yet had higher per consumer calorie intakes compared with adults with a college degree. Women and adults aged ≥60 years experienced a shift away from liquor/mixed drinks toward wine between 2003-2006 and 2009-2012. Beer contributed roughly 70% to total alcoholic beverage intake for less educated consumers across time. These results indicate there has been an increase in the proportion of US adults who drink on any given day and an increase in calories consumed from alcoholic beverages when drinking occurs. Copyright © 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Time- and depth-wise trophic niche shifts in Antarctic benthos.
Calizza, Edoardo; Careddu, Giulio; Sporta Caputi, Simona; Rossi, Loreto; Costantini, Maria Letizia
2018-01-01
Climate change is expected to affect resource-consumer interactions underlying stability in polar food webs. Polar benthic organisms have adapted to the marked seasonality characterising their habitats by concentrating foraging and reproductive activity in summer months, when inputs from sympagic and pelagic producers increase. While this enables the persistence of biodiverse food webs, the mechanisms underlying changes in resource use and nutrient transfer are poorly understood. Thus, our understanding of how temporal and spatial variations in the supply of resources may affect food web structure and functioning is limited. By means of C and N isotopic analyses of two key Antarctic benthic consumers (Adamussium colbecki, Bivalvia, and Sterechinus neumayeri, Echinoidea) and Bayesian mixing models, we describe changes in trophic niche and nutrient transfer across trophic levels associated with the long- and short-term diet and body size of specimens sampled in midsummer in both shallow and deep waters. Samplings occurred soon after the sea-ice broke up at Tethys Bay, an area characterised by extreme seasonality in sea-ice coverage and productivity in the Ross Sea. In the long term, the trophic niche was broader and variation between specimens was greater, with intermediate-size specimens generally consuming a higher number of resources than small and large specimens. The coupling of energy channels in the food web was consequently more direct than in the short term. Sediment and benthic algae were more frequently consumed in the long term, before the sea-ice broke up, while consumers specialised on sympagic algae and plankton in the short term. Regardless of the time scale, sympagic algae were more frequently consumed in shallow waters, while plankton was more frequently consumed in deep waters. Our results suggest a strong temporal relationship between resource availability and the trophic niche of benthic consumers in Antarctica. Potential climate-driven changes in the timing and quality of nutrient inputs may have profound implications for the structure of polar food webs and the persistence of their constituent species, which have adapted their trophic niches to a highly predictable schedule of resource inputs.
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Time- and depth-wise trophic niche shifts in Antarctic benthos
Calizza, Edoardo; Careddu, Giulio; Sporta Caputi, Simona; Costantini, Maria Letizia
2018-01-01
Climate change is expected to affect resource-consumer interactions underlying stability in polar food webs. Polar benthic organisms have adapted to the marked seasonality characterising their habitats by concentrating foraging and reproductive activity in summer months, when inputs from sympagic and pelagic producers increase. While this enables the persistence of biodiverse food webs, the mechanisms underlying changes in resource use and nutrient transfer are poorly understood. Thus, our understanding of how temporal and spatial variations in the supply of resources may affect food web structure and functioning is limited. By means of C and N isotopic analyses of two key Antarctic benthic consumers (Adamussium colbecki, Bivalvia, and Sterechinus neumayeri, Echinoidea) and Bayesian mixing models, we describe changes in trophic niche and nutrient transfer across trophic levels associated with the long- and short-term diet and body size of specimens sampled in midsummer in both shallow and deep waters. Samplings occurred soon after the sea-ice broke up at Tethys Bay, an area characterised by extreme seasonality in sea-ice coverage and productivity in the Ross Sea. In the long term, the trophic niche was broader and variation between specimens was greater, with intermediate-size specimens generally consuming a higher number of resources than small and large specimens. The coupling of energy channels in the food web was consequently more direct than in the short term. Sediment and benthic algae were more frequently consumed in the long term, before the sea-ice broke up, while consumers specialised on sympagic algae and plankton in the short term. Regardless of the time scale, sympagic algae were more frequently consumed in shallow waters, while plankton was more frequently consumed in deep waters. Our results suggest a strong temporal relationship between resource availability and the trophic niche of benthic consumers in Antarctica. Potential climate-driven changes in the timing and quality of nutrient inputs may have profound implications for the structure of polar food webs and the persistence of their constituent species, which have adapted their trophic niches to a highly predictable schedule of resource inputs. PMID:29570741
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Shim, Eugene; Ryu, Ha-Jung; Hwang, Jinah; Kim, Soo Yeon
2013-01-01
Dietary sodium intake is considered one of the major causal factors for hypertension. Thus, to control the increase of blood pressure and reduce the risk of hypertension-related clinical complications, a reduction in sodium intake is recommended. The present study aimed at determining the association of dietary sodium intake with meal and snack frequency, snacking time, and taste preference in Korean young adults aged 20-26 years, using a 125-item dish-frequency questionnaire. The mean dietary sodium intakes of men and women were 270.6 mmol/day and 213.1 mmol/day, which were approximately 310% and 245% of the daily sodium intake goal for Korean men and women, respectively. Dietary sodium intake was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure in the total group, and BMI in the total and men-only groups. In the total and men-only groups, those who consumed meals more times per day consumed more dietary sodium, but the number of times they consumed snacks was negatively correlated with dietary sodium intake in the total, men-only, and women-only groups. In addition, those who consumed snacks in the evening consumed more sodium than those who did so in the morning in the men-only group. The sodium intake was also positively associated with preference for salty and sweet taste in the total and women-only groups. Such a high intake of sodium in these young subjects shows that a reduction in sodium intake is important for the prevention of hypertension and related diseases in the future. PMID:23766880
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Consumer Education for High School Students. Trends and Issues Alerts.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kerka, Sandra
Surveys have established that high school students are highly deficient in knowledge regarding basic topics typically covered in consumer education classes, such as economics, personal finance, and consumer rights and responsibilities. The following are among the current trends that have underscored the need for secondary consumer education: the…
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Alternative Approaches for Screening Contaminated Sediments and Soils for PCDD/PCDF
Generating analytical data for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) using the traditional high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) analysis method, EPA Method 1613B, is time-consuming and expensive. Consequently, alternative methods to ...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Makransky, Guido; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Glas, Cees A. W.
2013-01-01
Narrowly defined personality facet scores are commonly reported and used for making decisions in clinical and organizational settings. Although these facets are typically related, scoring is usually carried out for a single facet at a time. This method can be ineffective and time consuming when personality tests contain many highly correlated…
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Choosing A Financial Institution. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Material.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Turner, Elaine
This document provides teaching guidelines and student material for a unit intended for use in high school business, consumer, or home economics programs. Time allotment is from four to six hours of classroom time. The objective of this capsule is to help students determine the financial institution that would best meet their needs. The student…
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Financial Institutions Investigated. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Material.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Turner, Elaine
This document provides teaching guidelines and student material for a unit intended for use in high school business, consumer, or home economics programs. Time allotment is from four to six hours of classroom time. The objective of this capsule is to help students understand the basic functions of and services provided by three types of financial…
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An intercept study to measure the extent to which New Zealand university students pre-game.
Riordan, Benjamin C; Conner, Tamlin S; Flett, Jayde A M; Droste, Nic; Cody, Louise; Brookie, Kate L; Riordan, Jessica K; Scarf, Damian
2018-02-01
We aimed to quantify the degree to which students pre-gamed in New Zealand, using self-report and breathalysers. A total of 569 New Zealand undergraduate students were interviewed (men = 45.2%; first year = 81.4%) entering three university-run concerts. We asked participants to report how many drinks they had consumed, their self-reported intoxication and the duration of their pre-gaming session. We then recorded participants' Breath Alcohol Concentration (BrAC; µg/L) and the time they arrived at the event. The number of participants who reported consuming alcohol before the event was 504 (88.6%) and the number of standard drinks consumed was high (M=6.9; median=6.0). A total of 237 (41.7%) participants could not have their BrAC recorded due to having consumed alcohol ≤10 minutes before the interview. The remaining 332 participants (57.3%) recorded a mean BrAC of 288.8µg/L (median=280.0 µg/L). Gender, off-campus accommodation, length of pre-gaming drinking session, and time of arrival at the event were all associated with increased pre-gaming. Conclusion and implications for public health: Pre-gaming was the norm for students. Universities must take pre-gaming into account; policy implications include earlier start times of events and limiting students' access to alcohol prior to events. © 2017 The Authors.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Oliveira-Castro, Jorge M.; James, Victoria K.; Foxall, Gordon R.
2007-01-01
Purchase probability as a function of interpurchase time was examined through comparison of findings from laboratory experiments on reinforcement schedules and from marketing investigations of consumers' interpurchase time. Panel data, based on a sample of 80 consumers who purchased nine supermarket food products during 16 weeks, were used. For…
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Can Standards Increase Consumer Welfare? Evidence from a Change in Clothes Washer
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Chen, Xiaomei; Roberts, Michael J.; Yang, Hung-Chia
We study prices and sales of individual clothes washer models before, during and after a 2007 standard that banned manufacture (but not sale) of low-e ciency units and increased the threshold for Energy Star certi cation. While quantities sold of washer models banned from manufacture decreased sharply, prices for banned models increased only modestly. At the same time, sales of higher-e ciency units rose markedly while prices for high-e ciency units declined. On average, washer e ciency increased but prices changed little. A simple welfare analysis indicates that consumer welfare loss from banned washers was far outweighed by gains frommore » lower-priced high-e ciency units. While a full cost-bene t analysis is not feasible with the available data, we estimate a lower-bound gain in consumer surplus equal to 6-16 percent of total sales. This result may accord with earlier theoretical research that shows quality standards can increase welfare in monopolistically competitive industries that possess increasing returns to scale (Ronnen, 1991). Thus, if energy e ciency is a close proxy for quality, energy e ciency standards may increase competition, market e ciency and welfare.« less
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The food environment of youth baseball.
Irby, Megan B; Drury-Brown, Marcie; Skelton, Joseph A
2014-06-01
Sports, such as youth baseball (YB), are popular outlets for increasing activity, yet there has been no investigation of food environments surrounding them. The aim of this study was to observe the types of foods available and consumed by players and spectators at YB events. This was an observational assessment, by environmental scan, of foods consumed by players and family members at a YB field in northwest North Carolina. Participants included boys from six YB teams (n=51) between 8 and 11 years of age and families. A total of 12 YB games were observed. Most team snacks (72%) consisted of high-calorie food items, including French fries, candy, and cookies; most beverages (53%) consumed by players were sugar sweetened. We observed 313 spectators and players, who consumed a total of 249 foods and 276 beverages. Most food and beverage items (89%) were purchased from the concession stand, of which 73% were considered less-healthy options. High-calorie snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages dominate the YB environment. Despite the benefits of participating in sports, families of children participating in sports leagues may be increasing their risk for poor nutritional habits as a result of increased exposure to unhealthy foods and disruption of meal times.
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Consumer Health Informatics: Promoting Patient Self-care Management of Illnesses and Health.
Jung, Minsoo
Consumer health informatics (CHI) is propelling important changes for medical providers and the lives of patients through information and communications technology. Independently, medical consumers seek, collect, and use health information for decision making. However, when constructing a CHI-based medical platform, high technology must be applied in a fully understandable and usable format for both health care providers and consumers. This study examines the present status of CHI and its effect on medical consumers. For the development of CHI, we discuss the need for tailored health communications and capacity building with chronic patients at the medical center. First, empowerment is a key characteristic needed for medical consumer health care management. However, promoting patient self-care management of illnesses and health is necessary to create conjugation where cooperation with medical service providers is possible. Also, establishing a health care delivery system that will support cooperation is necessary. Second, tailored health communications can uniquely construct the health information of patients, which prevents unnecessary or excessive information from leading patients to confused and inappropriate decisions. Ultimately, through the present environment of health communication, the innovation of a consumer health care information system has become the tide of the times and the positive effect of improved health can be expected.
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Gray-Phillip, Gaile; Huckle, Taisia; Callinan, Sarah; Parry, Charles D H; Chaiyasong, Surasak; Cuong, Pham Viet; Mackintosh, Anne-Marie; Meier, Petra; Kazantseva, Elena; Piazza, Marina; Parker, Karl; Casswell, Sally
2018-03-26
Cross-country studies on alcohol purchasing and access are rare. We examined where and when people access alcohol to understand patterns of availability across a range of middle- and high-income countries. Surveys of drinkers in the International Alcohol Control study in high-income countries (Australia, England, Scotland, New Zealand and St Kitts and Nevis) and middle-income countries (Mongolia, South Africa, Peru, Thailand and Vietnam) were analysed. Measures were: location of purchase from on-premise and take-away outlets, proportion of alcohol consumed on-premise versus take-away outlets, hours of purchase, access among underage drinkers and time to access alcohol. On-premise purchasing was prevalent in the high-income countries. However, the vast majority of alcohol consumed in all countries, except St Kitts and Nevis (high-income), was take-away. Percentages of drinkers purchasing from different types of on-premise and take-away outlets varied between countries. Late purchasing was common in Peru and less common in Thailand and Vietnam. Alcohol was easily accessed by drinkers in all countries, including underage drinkers in the middle-income countries. In nine out of 10 countries the vast majority of alcohol consumed was take-away. Alcohol was readily available and relatively easy for underage drinkers to access, particularly in the middle-income countries. Research is needed to assess the harms associated with take-away consumption including late at night. Attention is needed to address the easy access by underage drinkers in the middle-income countries which has been less of a focus than in high-income countries. © 2018 The Authors Drug and Alcohol Review published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.
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Burton, Scot; Creyer, Elizabeth H; Kees, Jeremy; Huggins, Kyle
2006-09-01
Requiring restaurants to present nutrition information on menus is under consideration as a potential way to slow the increasing prevalence of obesity. Using a survey methodology, we examined how accurately consumers estimate the nutrient content of typical restaurant meals. Based on these results, we then conducted an experiment to address how the provision of nutrition information on menus influences purchase intentions and reported preferences. For both the survey and experiment, data were analyzed using analysis of variance techniques. Survey results showed that levels of calories, fat, and saturated fat in less-healthful restaurant items were significantly underestimated by consumers. Actual fat and saturated fat levels were twice consumers' estimates and calories approached 2 times more than what consumers expected. In the subsequent experiment, for items for which levels of calories, fat, and saturated fat substantially exceeded consumers' expectations, the provision of nutrition information had a significant influence on product attitude, purchase intention, and choice. Most consumers are unaware of the high levels of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium found in many menu items. Provision of nutrition information on restaurant menus could potentially have a positive impact on public health by reducing the consumption of less-healthful foods.
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Wright-Berryman, Jennifer L; Salyers, Michelle P; O'Halloran, James P; Kemp, Aaron S; Mueser, Kim T; Diazoni, Amanda J
2013-12-01
To explore mental health consumer and provider responses to a computerized version of the Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) program. Semistructured interviews were conducted to gather data from 6 providers and 12 consumers who participated in a computerized prototype of the IMR program. An inductive-consensus-based approach was used to analyze the interview responses. Qualitative analysis revealed consumers perceived various personal benefits and ease of use afforded by the new technology platform. Consumers also highly valued provider assistance and offered several suggestions to improve the program. The largest perceived barriers to future implementation were lack of computer skills and access to computers. Similarly, IMR providers commented on its ease and convenience, and the reduction of time intensive material preparation. Providers also expressed that the use of technology creates more options for the consumer to access treatment. The technology was acceptable, easy to use, and well-liked by consumers and providers. Clinician assistance with technology was viewed as helpful to get clients started with the program, as lack of computer skills and access to computers was a concern. Access to materials between sessions appears to be desired; however, given perceived barriers of computer skills and computer access, additional supports may be needed for consumers to achieve full benefits of a computerized version of IMR. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.
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Rippin, H L; Hutchinson, J; Ocke, M; Jewell, J; Breda, J J; Cade, J E
2017-01-01
Trans fatty acids (TFA) increase the risk of mortality and chronic diseases. TFA intakes have fallen since reformulation, but may still be high in certain, vulnerable, groups. This paper investigates socio-economic and food consumption characteristics of high TFA consumers after voluntary reformulation in the Netherlands and UK. Post-reformulation data of adults aged 19-64 was analysed in two national surveys: the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (DNFCS) collected 2007-2010 using 2*24hr recalls (N = 1933) and the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) years 3&4 collected 2010/11 and 2011/12 using 4-day food diaries (N = 848). The socio-economic and food consumption characteristics of the top 10% and remaining 90% TFA consumers were compared. Means of continuous data were compared using t-tests and categorical data means using chi-squared tests. Multivariate logistic regression models indicated which socio-demographic variables were associated with high TFA consumption. In the Dutch analyses, women and those born outside the Netherlands were more likely to be top 10% TFA consumers than men and Dutch-born. In the UK unadjusted analyses there was no significant trend in socio-economic characteristics between high and lower TFA consumers, but there were regional differences in the multivariate logistic regression analyses. In the Netherlands, high TFA consumers were more likely to be consumers of cakes, buns & pastries; cream; and fried potato than the remaining 90%. Whereas in the UK, high TFA consumers were more likely to be consumers of lamb; cheese; and dairy desserts and lower crisps and savoury snack consumers. Some socio-demographic differences between high and lower TFA consumers were evident post-reformulation. High TFA consumers in the Dutch 2007-10 survey appeared more likely to obtain TFA from artificial sources than those in the UK survey. Further analyses using more up-to-date food composition databases may be needed.
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New, Susan A; Livingstone, M Barbara E
2003-08-01
Availability of confectionery from vending machines in secondary schools provides a convenient point of purchase. There is concern that this may lead to 'over-indulgence' and hence an increase in susceptibility to obesity and poor 'dietary quality'. The study objective was to investigate the association between the frequency of consumption of confectionery purchased from vending machines and other sources and related lifestyle factors in adolescent boys and girls. A secondary school-based, cross-sectional study. A total of 504 subjects were investigated (age range 12-15 years), from three schools in southern and northern England. Using a lifestyle questionnaire, frequency of confectionery consumption (CC) from all sources (AS) and vending machines (VM) was recorded for a typical school week. Subjects were categorised into non-consumers, low, medium and high consumers using the following criteria: none, 0 times per week; low, 1-5 times per week; medium, 6-9 times per week; high, 10 times per week or greater. No differences were found in the frequency of CC from AS or VM between those who consumed breakfast and lunch and those who did not. No differences were found in the frequency of fruit and vegetable intake in high VM CC vs. none VM CC groups, or in any of the VM CC groups. Confectionery consumption from AS (but not VM) was found to be higher in subjects who were physically active on the journey to school (P<0.01) but also higher in those who spent more time watching television and playing computer games (P<0.01). No associations were found between smoking habits or alcohol consumption and frequency of CC. These results do not show a link between consumption of confectionery purchased from vending machines and 'poor' dietary practice or 'undesirable' lifestyle habits. Findings for total confectionery consumption showed some interesting trends, but the results were not consistent, either for a negative or positive effect.
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Expanded Financial Literacy Unit Helps Students Make Wise Choices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Franklin, Iris E.
2007-01-01
Financial literacy is a national, state, and local concern these days. At one time, the financial unit in high school family and consumer sciences (FCS) classes was as simple as looking at budgets and doing checkbook exercises. However, after students at Meeker High School in Meeker, Colorado began to ask more in-depth questions and realized that…
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Curriculum for Junior High School Students: Dairy Food Consumption Self-Efficacy
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pobocik, Rebecca S.; Haar, Christine M.; Dawson, Erin E.; Coleman, Priscilla; Bakies, Karen
2009-01-01
A nutrition education module for a family and consumer sciences curriculum was developed and evaluated with junior high school students (n = 63) using a quasi-experimental design. The multivariate interaction between time of measurement and intervention was significant, F (2, 50) = 8.68, p = 0.001.The univariate interaction between pre and post…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hall, H. L.
1988-01-01
Reports on the advantages and disadvantages of desktop publishing, using the Apple Macintosh and "Pagemaker" software, to produce a high school yearbook. Asserts that while desktop publishing may be initially more time consuming for those unfamiliar with computers, desktop publishing gives high school journalism staffs more control over…
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DATA FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING (D4EM)
Data is a basic requirement for most modeling applications. Collecting data is expensive and time consuming. High speed internet connections and growing databases of online environmental data go a long way to overcoming issues of data scarcity. Among the obstacles still remain...
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12 CFR Supplement I to Part 213 - Official Staff Commentary to Regulation M
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... primary use. 2. Period of time. To be a consumer lease, the initial term of the lease must be more than... lease (unless terminable without penalty at any time by the consumer) under which the consumer: i... the lease contract, so long as all disclosures are given at the same time. Alternatively, all...
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12 CFR Supplement I to Part 213 - Official Staff Commentary to Regulation M
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... primary use. 2. Period of time. To be a consumer lease, the initial term of the lease must be more than... lease (unless terminable without penalty at any time by the consumer) under which the consumer: i... the lease contract, so long as all disclosures are given at the same time. Alternatively, all...
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Time trends and patterns of reported egg consumption in the U.S. by sociodemographic characteristics
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Objectives: To 1) describe time trends of the percentage of individuals in the U.S that consume eggs, 2) describe time trends of the daily amount of eggs consumed per day, and 3) examine differences in the amount of eggs consumed per day; overall and by gender, age, income, education, race-ethnicit...
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High performance MPEG-audio decoder IC
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Thorn, M.; Benbassat, G.; Cyr, K.; Li, S.; Gill, M.; Kam, D.; Walker, K.; Look, P.; Eldridge, C.; Ng, P.
1993-01-01
The emerging digital audio and video compression technology brings both an opportunity and a new challenge to IC design. The pervasive application of compression technology to consumer electronics will require high volume, low cost IC's and fast time to market of the prototypes and production units. At the same time, the algorithms used in the compression technology result in complex VLSI IC's. The conflicting challenges of algorithm complexity, low cost, and fast time to market have an impact on device architecture and design methodology. The work presented in this paper is about the design of a dedicated, high precision, Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) audio decoder.
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Clais, S; Boulet, G; Van Kerckhoven, M; Lanckacker, E; Delputte, P; Maes, L; Cos, P
2015-01-01
The viable plate count (VPC) is considered as the reference method for bacterial enumeration in periodontal microbiology but shows some important limitations for anaerobic bacteria. As anaerobes such as Porphyromonas gingivalis are difficult to culture, VPC becomes time-consuming and less sensitive. Hence, efficient normalization of experimental data to bacterial cell count requires alternative rapid and reliable quantification methods. This study compared the performance of VPC with that of turbidity measurement and real-time PCR (qPCR) in an experimental context using highly concentrated bacterial suspensions. Our TaqMan-based qPCR assay for P. gingivalis 16S rRNA proved to be sensitive and specific. Turbidity measurements offer a fast method to assess P. gingivalis growth, but suffer from high variability and a limited dynamic range. VPC was very time-consuming and less repeatable than qPCR. Our study concludes that qPCR provides the most rapid and precise approach for P. gingivalis quantification. Although our data were gathered in a specific research context, we believe that our conclusions on the inferior performance of VPC and turbidity measurements in comparison to qPCR can be extended to other research and clinical settings and even to other difficult-to-culture micro-organisms. Various clinical and research settings require fast and reliable quantification of bacterial suspensions. The viable plate count method (VPC) is generally seen as 'the gold standard' for bacterial enumeration. However, VPC-based quantification of anaerobes such as Porphyromonas gingivalis is time-consuming due to their stringent growth requirements and shows poor repeatability. Comparison of VPC, turbidity measurement and TaqMan-based qPCR demonstrated that qPCR possesses important advantages regarding speed, accuracy and repeatability. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.
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Perceptions of meal convenience: the case of at-home evening meals.
Jaeger, Sara R; Meiselman, Herbert L
2004-06-01
Perceptions of a range of evening meal situations eaten in the home were explored in a female consumer population. The investigation was carried out using the repertory grid technique and using written scenarios as the research stimuli. The nine scenarios successfully manipulated perceived convenience, time and effort. A consumer-generated vocabulary pertaining to food-related convenience was derived and revealed that while elements of both time and effort contributed to perceived convenience, these two 'dimensions' were highly interdependent. The presence of terms related to planning, shopping, preparation, cooking and clean-up illustrated that all stages in the food provisioning process influenced perceived convenience. Some evidence was established of perceptual differences between individuals varying with respect to convenience orientation in meal preparation.
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Tracing global supply chains to air pollution hotspots
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Moran, Daniel; Kanemoto, Keiichiro
2016-09-01
While high-income countries have made significant strides since the 1970s in improving air quality, air pollution continues to rise in many developing countries and the world as a whole. A significant share of the pollution burden in developing countries can be attributed to production for export to consumers in high-income nations. However, it remains a challenge to quantify individual actors’ share of responsibility for pollution, and to involve parties other than primary emitters in cleanup efforts. Here we present a new spatially explicit modeling approach to link SO2, NO x , and PM10 severe emissions hotspots to final consumers via global supply chains. These maps show developed countries reducing their emissions domestically but driving new pollution hotspots in developing countries. This is also the first time a spatially explicit footprint inventory has been established. Linking consumers and supply chains to emissions hotspots creates opportunities for other parties to participate alongside primary emitters and local regulators in pollution abatement efforts.
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Xiao, Qian; Savage, Grant T; Zhuang, Weiling
2014-01-01
This study aims at replicating and extending Xiao and Savage's (2008) research to understand the multidimensional aspect of HMOs distinguished by HMOs' consumer-friendliness, and their relationship to consumers' preventive care utilization. This study develops a dynamic model to consider both concurrent and time lagging effects of HMOs' consumer-friendliness. Our data analysis discloses similar relationship patterns as revealed by Xiao and Savage. Additionally, our findings reveal the time-series changes of the influence of HMOs' consumer-friendliness that either the effects of early experienced HMOs' consumer-friendliness wear out totally or HMOs' consumer-friendly characteristics on the concurrent term contain most of the explanatory power.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Waldrop, Suzanne H.
Intended for use by teachers on the junior high and high school levels, this curriculum guide, which is one in a series of guides for consumer and homemaking education in Kentucky, outlines three courses in the area of management-consumer education. The junior high unit acquaints the student with the concepts of decision making and assessing…
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[Selected eating habits and caries occurrence in adolescents].
Krzywiec, Ewa; Zalewska, Magdalena; Wójcicka, Anna; Jabłoński, Robert; Olejnik, Beata Janina; Grabowska, Stanisława Zyta; Jamiołkowski, Jacek; Czerech, Ewa; Łuszcz, Anna; Stepek, Agata; Maciorkowska, Elibieta
2012-01-01
Normal nutrition is an important element of caries prophylaxis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of chosen bad eating habits on caries occurrence in adolescents. The examination was carried out in the group of 367 (68.5% girls and 31.5% boys) pupils of the 3rd year of high schools in Białystok in 2011. Own questionnaire was used for the evaluation of eating habits. Caries intensity (PUW) was assessed by dental examination. To verify statistic hypotheses, the level of significance was estimated at p < 0.05. All calculation was performed with the use of the Statistic programme Statistica 7.0 (StatSoft). It was stated that 5 meals a day were consumed by 29.4% of examined pupils, 4 meals were eaten by 33.2%, 3 meals--by 31.3%, 2 meals--by 5.4%, and one meal was consumed by 0.5% of pupils. There were 55.3% of pupils who had irregular meals while 24.3% did not eat breakfast and 62.9%--did not have elevenses. Eating between meals was stated in 96.7% of pupils. Sweets consumption was revealed as follows: 16.8% several times a day, 19%--once a day, 40.5%--several times a week, 18.5%--several times a month, 5.2%--rarely or never. "Fast food" was not consumed by 34% of examined pupils while 54.6% consumed such meals several times a month, 10.9%--several times a week, and 0.5%--once a day. Higher level of caries intensity was observed in girls (mean coefficient PUW = 11.3) than in boys (mean coefficient PUW = 10.8). Mean coefficient PUW = 11.5 concerned pupils with consumption of fast food several times a month while PUW = 11.0 in those who consumed it several times a week, and PUW = 10.7 in pupils who eat rarely or never such food. As far as eating sweets, PUW was higher than mean (12.4) in pupils who eat sweets several times a day. Persons who eat between meals were characterized by higher coefficient (PUW = 13.0) as compared to those who eat between meals rarely (PUW = 11.3) and those who do not eat between meals (PUW = 8.9). (1) Bad eating habits (irregular meals, skipping breakfast, eating between meals as well as overeating sweets) in the developmental age can be a significant caries coefficient in adolescents. 2. High mean coefficient PUW in the examined group of 18-year-old pupils, in relation to abnormal eating habits in the significant percentage of those pupils, indicates the necessity of health education as far as caries prophylaxis is concerned.
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Parpinello, Giuseppina Paola; Plumejeau, François; Maury, Chantal; Versari, Andrea
2012-04-01
The main objective of this study was to improve the structure of a Cabernet Sauvignon red wine in a short period of time by micro-oxygenation (MOX) at high rates (25 and 50 mL L(-1) month(-1) ), the effects of which were evaluated based on sensory characteristics and consumer preference. Sensory data were analysed by principal component analysis, discriminant analysis and ordinal logistic regression (OLR). MOX led to significant differences in the colour, colour stability and phenolic compounds of wine. Sensory characteristics also changed through MOX treatment, and wine experts were able to discriminate between MOX-treated and untreated samples, with olfactory intensity, complexity, astringency and roundness being the main discriminating characteristics. Ordinal logistic regression enabled identification of the sensory characteristics that drove consumer preference. MOX at high rates improved the sensory characteristics of wine and may therefore be considered a valid technique for obtaining structured wines in a short period of time, i.e. within just a few months after the vintage. The results highlight the need for (i) careful selection of the MOX dosage rate and duration (the 25 mL L(-1) month(-1) dose for 6 days provided the best result) and (ii) continuous monitoring of the MOX treatment. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... make loans, from time to time, directly from the creditor or indirectly by use of a credit card, check... open end consumer credit contracts before November 1, 1977 from requirements of § 433.2(a). 433.3... CONSUMERS' CLAIMS AND DEFENSES § 433.3 Exemption of sellers taking or receiving open end consumer credit...
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Design considerations for computationally constrained two-way real-time video communication
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bivolarski, Lazar M.; Saunders, Steven E.; Ralston, John D.
2009-08-01
Today's video codecs have evolved primarily to meet the requirements of the motion picture and broadcast industries, where high-complexity studio encoding can be utilized to create highly-compressed master copies that are then broadcast one-way for playback using less-expensive, lower-complexity consumer devices for decoding and playback. Related standards activities have largely ignored the computational complexity and bandwidth constraints of wireless or Internet based real-time video communications using devices such as cell phones or webcams. Telecommunications industry efforts to develop and standardize video codecs for applications such as video telephony and video conferencing have not yielded image size, quality, and frame-rate performance that match today's consumer expectations and market requirements for Internet and mobile video services. This paper reviews the constraints and the corresponding video codec requirements imposed by real-time, 2-way mobile video applications. Several promising elements of a new mobile video codec architecture are identified, and more comprehensive computational complexity metrics and video quality metrics are proposed in order to support the design, testing, and standardization of these new mobile video codecs.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-06-27
...; ``Real Time'' Surveys of Consumers' Knowledge, Perceptions and Reported Behavior Concerning Foodborne...' Surveys of Consumers' Knowledge, Perceptions and Reported Behavior Concerning Foodborne Illness Outbreaks... ```Real Time' Surveys of Consumers' Knowledge, Perceptions and Reported Behavior Concerning Foodborne...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clark, Sally; Estes, Cindy
This document provides teaching guidelines and student material for a unit intended for use in junior high mathematics, consumer, or home economics programs. Time allotment is from four to six hours of classroom time. The objectives of this capsule are to enable students to identify reasons for comparison shopping, recognize the opportunity costs…
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Investigating the Chemical Safety of Household Products. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Materials.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Davison, Phil J.
This document provides teaching guidelines and student material for a unit intended for use in high school science or consumer programs. Time allotment is from four to six hours of classroom time. The objective of this capsule is to investigate the chemical safety of household products by teaching students how to form a hypothesis through the…
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Association of sugar-sweetened beverage intake frequency and asthma among U.S. adults, 2013
Park, Sohyun; Akinbami, Lara J.; McGuire, Lisa C.; Blanck, Heidi M.
2016-01-01
Objectives Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake among U.S. adults is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. An association between SSB intake and asthma has been shown among U.S. children and Australian adults, but scant published information exists for U.S. adults. We examined associations between SSB intake and current asthma among U.S. adults, and the role of obesity in this association. Methods We analyzed 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data for 146,990 adults (≥18 years) from 23 states and the District of Columbia. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate associations between current asthma and frequency (none, <1 time/day, once/day, ≥2 times/day) of SSB intake (soda, fruit drink, sweet tea, and sports/energy drink). SSB intake was measured using two questions. Covariates included age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and smoking. Obesity, based on self-reported height and weight, was assessed as an effect modifier. Results Overall, 9.1% of adults reported current asthma: 8.5% of adults who did not consume SSBs had current asthma vs 12.1% of adults who consumed SSBs ≥2 times/day. There was no difference in asthma prevalence with SSB intake <1 time/day (8.7%) or once/day (8.7%). Among non-obese adults, the odds of having current asthma were higher among those who consumed SSBs ≥2 times/day (aOR=1.66, 95%CI=1.39, 1.99) than non-SSB consumers. However, SSB intake frequency was not associated with asthma among obese adults. Conclusions Frequent SSB consumption was associated with asthma among non-obese adults. Research on asthma prevention should further consider the potential adverse effects of high SSB intake among U.S. adults. PMID:27496394
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Application of information theory methods to food web reconstruction
Moniz, L.J.; Cooch, E.G.; Ellner, S.P.; Nichols, J.D.; Nichols, J.M.
2007-01-01
In this paper we use information theory techniques on time series of abundances to determine the topology of a food web. At the outset, the food web participants (two consumers, two resources) are known; in addition we know that each consumer prefers one of the resources over the other. However, we do not know which consumer prefers which resource, and if this preference is absolute (i.e., whether or not the consumer will consume the non-preferred resource). Although the consumers and resources are identified at the beginning of the experiment, we also provide evidence that the consumers are not resources for each other, and the resources do not consume each other. We do show that there is significant mutual information between resources; the model is seasonally forced and some shared information between resources is expected. Similarly, because the model is seasonally forced, we expect shared information between consumers as they respond to the forcing of the resources. The model that we consider does include noise, and in an effort to demonstrate that these methods may be of some use in other than model data, we show the efficacy of our methods with decreasing time series size; in this particular case we obtain reasonably clear results with a time series length of 400 points. This approaches ecological time series lengths from real systems.
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Existing decontamination procedures are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and produce low-yielding results, and they have a high risk of personnel exposure and equipment damage. Foster-Miller, Inc., has teamed with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other reagent suppl...
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Content Standards: High Stakes Anti-Differentiation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schroeder-Davis, Stephen
2011-01-01
Currently, American schooling, driven by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and standardized tests, emphasizes development of intelligence. Because of this, teachers must heavily emphasize acquisition of foundational information (facts) in lectures, assessments, and of course, time-consuming test preparation, at the expense of intellect, that…
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Off-road axle detection sensor (ORADS) : research implementation plan.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
2001-04-01
To collect various types of traffic data to meet the Federal Requirements, field technicians have to enter : the roadway to anchor the road sensors while traffic is moving at highway speeds. On high volumes : routes this can be a very time consuming ...
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Substance use among medical students in Barcelona (Spain). A comparison with previous surveys.
Rodriguez, M E; Cami, J
1986-11-01
During the academic year 1983-1984, a survey on drug consumption was conducted among medical students in Barcelona. There was a high proportion of smokers in both sexes. Alcohol consumption was four times higher among men than women; high proof beverages were becoming the most common drinks. Coffee was the caffeine drink consumed by almost the whole population studied. Although cannabis derivatives had been tried at least once by almost all the students, regular consumers were almost non-existent. Amphetamine consumption was restricted to examination periods. The use of opiates, cocaine, hallucinogens, and solvents was rare for the sample. Results from this study are compared with those from similar surveys conducted 5 and 10 years ago.
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de Jonge, Janneke; Van Trijp, Hans; Renes, Reint Jan; Frewer, Lynn J
2010-01-01
This study develops a longitudinal perspective on consumer confidence in the safety of food to explore if, how, and why consumer confidence changes over time. In the first study, a theory-based monitoring instrument for consumer confidence in the safety of food was developed and validated. The monitoring instrument assesses consumer confidence together with its determinants. Model and measurement invariance were validated rigorously before developments in consumer confidence in the safety of food and its determinants were investigated over time. The results from the longitudinal analysis show that across four waves of annual data collection (2003-2006), the framework was stable and that the relative importance of the determinants of confidence was, generally, constant over time. Some changes were observed regarding the mean ratings on the latent constructs. The second study explored how newspaper coverage of food safety related issues affects consumer confidence in the safety of food through subjective consumer recall of food safety incidents. The results show that the newspaper coverage on food safety issues is positively associated with consumer recall of food safety incidents, both in terms of intensity and recency of media coverage.
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JPRS Report, Science & Technology Europe & Latin America
1997-10-16
It will fall to the developing countries to provide the raw materials, espe- cially those that consume high amounts of energy . In the opinion of...D Explained (Robert Magnaval, Bruno Strigini; BIOFUTUR, May 87) 33 COMPUTERS European Investment Bank Prioritizes European High Tech (Jan...to the task of planning over time the programs and financing for all the activities approved. And on this matter those high financiers, the financial
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Forecasting of indirect consumables for a Job Shop
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shakeel, M.; Khan, S.; Khan, W. A.
2016-08-01
A job shop has an arrangement where similar machines (Direct consumables) are grouped together and use indirect consumables to produce a product. The indirect consumables include hack saw blades, emery paper, painting brush etc. The job shop is serving various orders at a particular time for the optimal operation of job shop. Forecasting is required to predict the demand of direct and indirect consumables in a job shop. Forecasting is also needed to manage lead time, optimize inventory cost and stock outs. The objective of this research is to obtain the forecast for indirect consumables. The paper shows how job shop can manage their indirect consumables more accurately by establishing a new technique of forecasting. This results in profitable use of job shop by multiple users.
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Burnout among High-School Students and Cannabis Use, Consumption Frequencies, Abuse and Dependence
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Walburg, Vera; Moncla, Dany; Mialhes, Aurélie
2015-01-01
Background: Cannabis is a substance frequently consumed by adolescents, which is a risk factor for many psychopathological disorders. At the same time, adolescents in high-schools are likely to be exposed to significant stress from school that can sometimes lead to a burnout syndrome. Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore the impact…
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Dynamics of forest herbivory: quest for pattern and principle.
William J. Mattson; Pekka Niemila; Matti Rossi
1996-01-01
Herbivory on woody plants is highly variable in both space and time. This proceedings addresses one of its root causes, the highly intricate and dynamic relationships that exist between most herbivores and their host plants. It emphasizes that the consequences of herbivory both to the consumer and to the producer plant often balance on a razor`s edge--depending on...
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What Is Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing?
... consumer genetic testing? What is direct-to-consumer genetic testing? Most of the time, genetic testing is ... testing. For more information about direct-to-consumer genetic testing: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ...
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Design and evaluation of a service oriented architecture for paperless ICU tarification.
Steurbaut, Kristof; Colpaert, Kirsten; Van Hoecke, Sofie; Steurbaut, Sabrina; Danneels, Chris; Decruyenaere, Johan; De Turck, Filip
2012-06-01
The computerization of Intensive Care Units provides an overwhelming amount of electronic data for both medical and financial analysis. However, the current tarification, which is the process to tick and count patients' procedures, is still a repetitive, time-consuming process on paper. Nurses and secretaries keep track manually of the patients' medical procedures. This paper describes the design methodology and implementation of automated tarification services. In this study we investigate if the tarification can be modeled in service oriented architecture as a composition of interacting services. Services are responsible for data collection, automatic assignment of records to physicians and application of rules. Performance is evaluated in terms of execution time, cost evaluation and return on investment based on tracking of real procedures. The services provide high flexibility in terms of maintenance, integration and rules support. It is shown that services offer a more accurate, less time-consuming and cost-effective tarification.
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The predictability of consumer visitation patterns
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Krumme, Coco; Llorente, Alejandro; Cebrian, Manuel; Pentland, Alex ("Sandy"); Moro, Esteban
2013-04-01
We consider hundreds of thousands of individual economic transactions to ask: how predictable are consumers in their merchant visitation patterns? Our results suggest that, in the long-run, much of our seemingly elective activity is actually highly predictable. Notwithstanding a wide range of individual preferences, shoppers share regularities in how they visit merchant locations over time. Yet while aggregate behavior is largely predictable, the interleaving of shopping events introduces important stochastic elements at short time scales. These short- and long-scale patterns suggest a theoretical upper bound on predictability, and describe the accuracy of a Markov model in predicting a person's next location. We incorporate population-level transition probabilities in the predictive models, and find that in many cases these improve accuracy. While our results point to the elusiveness of precise predictions about where a person will go next, they suggest the existence, at large time-scales, of regularities across the population.
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The predictability of consumer visitation patterns
Krumme, Coco; Llorente, Alejandro; Cebrian, Manuel; Pentland, Alex ("Sandy"); Moro, Esteban
2013-01-01
We consider hundreds of thousands of individual economic transactions to ask: how predictable are consumers in their merchant visitation patterns? Our results suggest that, in the long-run, much of our seemingly elective activity is actually highly predictable. Notwithstanding a wide range of individual preferences, shoppers share regularities in how they visit merchant locations over time. Yet while aggregate behavior is largely predictable, the interleaving of shopping events introduces important stochastic elements at short time scales. These short- and long-scale patterns suggest a theoretical upper bound on predictability, and describe the accuracy of a Markov model in predicting a person's next location. We incorporate population-level transition probabilities in the predictive models, and find that in many cases these improve accuracy. While our results point to the elusiveness of precise predictions about where a person will go next, they suggest the existence, at large time-scales, of regularities across the population. PMID:23598917
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ADAPTING THE MEDAKA EMBRYO ASSAY TO A HIGH-THROUGHPUT APPROACH FOR DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY TESTING.
Chemical exposure during embryonic development may cause persistent effects, yet developmental toxicity data exist for very few chemicals. Current testing procedures are time consuming and costly, underlining the need for rapid and low cost screening strategies. While in vitro ...
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Decker, Stephen R.; Sykes, Robert W.; Turner, Geoffrey B.; Lupoi, Jason S.; Doepkke, Crissa; Tucker, Melvin P.; Schuster, Logan A.; Mazza, Kimberly; Himmel, Michael E.; Davis, Mark F.; Gjersing, Erica
2015-01-01
The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels, chemicals, and other commodities has been explored as one possible pathway toward reductions in the use of non-renewable energy sources. In order to identify which plants, out of a diverse pool, have the desired chemical traits for downstream applications, attributes, such as cellulose and lignin content, or monomeric sugar release following an enzymatic saccharification, must be compared. The experimental and data analysis protocols of the standard methods of analysis can be time-consuming, thereby limiting the number of samples that can be measured. High-throughput (HTP) methods alleviate the shortcomings of the standard methods, and permit the rapid screening of available samples to isolate those possessing the desired traits. This study illustrates the HTP sugar release and pyrolysis-molecular beam mass spectrometry pipelines employed at the National Renewable Energy Lab. These pipelines have enabled the efficient assessment of thousands of plants while decreasing experimental time and costs through reductions in labor and consumables. PMID:26437006
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Decker, Stephen R.; Sykes, Robert W.; Turner, Geoffrey B.
The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels, chemicals, and other commodities has been explored as one possible pathway toward reductions in the use of non-renewable energy sources. In order to identify which plants, out of a diverse pool, have the desired chemical traits for downstream applications, attributes, such as cellulose and lignin content, or monomeric sugar release following an enzymatic saccharification, must be compared. The experimental and data analysis protocols of the standard methods of analysis can be time-consuming, thereby limiting the number of samples that can be measured. High-throughput (HTP) methods alleviate the shortcomings of the standard methods, andmore » permit the rapid screening of available samples to isolate those possessing the desired traits. This study illustrates the HTP sugar release and pyrolysis-molecular beam mass spectrometry pipelines employed at the National Renewable Energy Lab. These pipelines have enabled the efficient assessment of thousands of plants while decreasing experimental time and costs through reductions in labor and consumables.« less
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Reis, Felipe; Machín, Leandro; Rosenthal, Amauri; Deliza, Rosires; Ares, Gastón
2016-12-01
People do not usually process all the available information on packages for making their food choices and rely on heuristics for making their decisions, particularly when having limited time. However, in most consumer studies encourage participants to invest a lot of time for making their choices. Therefore, imposing a time-constraint in consumer studies may increase their ecological validity. In this context, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of a time-constraint on consumer evaluation of pomegranate/orange juice bottles using rating-based conjoint task. A consumer study with 100 participants was carried out, in which they had to evaluate 16 pomegranate/orange fruit juice bottles, differing in bottle design, front-of-pack nutritional information, nutrition claim and processing claim, and to rate their intention to purchase. Half of the participants evaluated the bottle images without time constraint and the other half had a time-constraint of 3s for evaluating each image. Eye-movements were recorded during the evaluation. Results showed that time-constraint when evaluating intention to purchase did not largely modify the way in which consumers visually processed bottle images. Regardless of the experimental condition (with or without time constraint), they tended to evaluate the same product characteristics and to give them the same relative importance. However, a trend towards a more superficial evaluation of the bottles that skipped complex information was observed. Regarding the influence of product characteristics on consumer intention to purchase, bottle design was the variable with the largest relative importance in both conditions, overriding the influence of nutritional or processing characteristics, which stresses the importance of graphic design in shaping consumer perception. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Casual chocolate consumption and inhibition of platelet function.
Bordeaux, Bryan; Yanek, Lisa R; Moy, Taryn F; White, Linda W; Becker, Lewis C; Faraday, Nauder; Becker, Diane M
2007-01-01
Observational studies have associated reduced cardiovascular mortality with chocolate consumption. Feeding studies of high-dose, flavanol-rich chocolate show antiplatelet effects, but the effect of casual chocolate consumption on platelet function is unknown. Healthy adults (N=1535) were proscribed from consuming foods affecting platelet function, including chocolate, for 48 hours and completed a 24-hour dietary recall before ex vivo platelet testing with the Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA)-100 (Dade Behring, Inc, Deerfield, IL) test and in vivo testing with urinary 11-dehydro thromboxane B2 (Tx-M) measurements. Some participants (n=141) reported ignoring the prohibition of consuming chocolate before platelet testing. Despite having similar baseline characteristics, chocolate consumers had longer PFA closure times (130 vs 123 seconds, P=.005) and decreased Tx-M levels (175 vs 290 ng/mol creatinine, P=.03). Chocolate remained a significant independent predictor of both ex vivo and in vivo platelet function testing after adjusting for confounders. The authors concluded that even consuming modest amounts of commercial chocolate has important antiplatelet effects.
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Ferreira, Nathália Luíza; Claro, Rafael Moreira; Lopes, Aline Cristine Souza
2015-12-01
This study aimed to analyze the consumption of high-sugar foods by Brazilian schoolchildren and to identify associated factors, based on data from the National School Health Survey (PeNSE 2012). Consumption of these foods was classified as: do not consume sweets and soft drinks regularly; consume sweets or soft drinks regularly; and consume sweets and soft drinks regularly. Its association with sociodemographic information, eating habits, and family contexts were investigated via multiple ordinal regressions. Regular consumption of sweets and/or soft drinks was reported by 19.2% and 36.1% of adolescents, respectively, and higher prevalence was associated with female gender, age 14-15 years, higher maternal education, not living with the mother and father, not eating meals with the parents, eating while watching TV, and longer TV time. Nearly one-fifth of adolescents regularly consumed sweets and soft drinks, which was associated with socio-demographic and behavioral factors that should be targeted in order to improve their food consumption.
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Heaslip, Susan G; Iverson, Sara J; Bowen, W Don; James, Michael C
2012-01-01
The endangered leatherback turtle is a large, highly migratory marine predator that inexplicably relies upon a diet of low-energy gelatinous zooplankton. The location of these prey may be predictable at large oceanographic scales, given that leatherback turtles perform long distance migrations (1000s of km) from nesting beaches to high latitude foraging grounds. However, little is known about the profitability of this migration and foraging strategy. We used GPS location data and video from animal-borne cameras to examine how prey characteristics (i.e., prey size, prey type, prey encounter rate) correlate with the daytime foraging behavior of leatherbacks (n = 19) in shelf waters off Cape Breton Island, NS, Canada, during August and September. Video was recorded continuously, averaged 1:53 h per turtle (range 0:08-3:38 h), and documented a total of 601 prey captures. Lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) was the dominant prey (83-100%), but moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) were also consumed. Turtles approached and attacked most jellyfish within the camera's field of view and appeared to consume prey completely. There was no significant relationship between encounter rate and dive duration (p = 0.74, linear mixed-effects models). Handling time increased with prey size regardless of prey species (p = 0.0001). Estimates of energy intake averaged 66,018 kJ • d(-1) but were as high as 167,797 kJ • d(-1) corresponding to turtles consuming an average of 330 kg wet mass • d(-1) (up to 840 kg • d(-1)) or approximately 261 (up to 664) jellyfish • d(-1). Assuming our turtles averaged 455 kg body mass, they consumed an average of 73% of their body mass • d(-1) equating to an average energy intake of 3-7 times their daily metabolic requirements, depending on estimates used. This study provides evidence that feeding tactics used by leatherbacks in Atlantic Canadian waters are highly profitable and our results are consistent with estimates of mass gain prior to southward migration.
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Heaslip, Susan G.; Iverson, Sara J.; Bowen, W. Don; James, Michael C.
2012-01-01
The endangered leatherback turtle is a large, highly migratory marine predator that inexplicably relies upon a diet of low-energy gelatinous zooplankton. The location of these prey may be predictable at large oceanographic scales, given that leatherback turtles perform long distance migrations (1000s of km) from nesting beaches to high latitude foraging grounds. However, little is known about the profitability of this migration and foraging strategy. We used GPS location data and video from animal-borne cameras to examine how prey characteristics (i.e., prey size, prey type, prey encounter rate) correlate with the daytime foraging behavior of leatherbacks (n = 19) in shelf waters off Cape Breton Island, NS, Canada, during August and September. Video was recorded continuously, averaged 1:53 h per turtle (range 0:08–3:38 h), and documented a total of 601 prey captures. Lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) was the dominant prey (83–100%), but moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) were also consumed. Turtles approached and attacked most jellyfish within the camera's field of view and appeared to consume prey completely. There was no significant relationship between encounter rate and dive duration (p = 0.74, linear mixed-effects models). Handling time increased with prey size regardless of prey species (p = 0.0001). Estimates of energy intake averaged 66,018 kJ•d−1 but were as high as 167,797 kJ•d−1 corresponding to turtles consuming an average of 330 kg wet mass•d−1 (up to 840 kg•d−1) or approximately 261 (up to 664) jellyfish•d-1. Assuming our turtles averaged 455 kg body mass, they consumed an average of 73% of their body mass•d−1 equating to an average energy intake of 3–7 times their daily metabolic requirements, depending on estimates used. This study provides evidence that feeding tactics used by leatherbacks in Atlantic Canadian waters are highly profitable and our results are consistent with estimates of mass gain prior to southward migration. PMID:22438906
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Advanced Decontamination Technologies: High Hydrostatic Pressure on Meat Products
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Garriga, Margarita; Aymerich, Teresa
The increasing demand for “natural” foodstuffs, free from chemical additives, and preservatives has triggered novel approaches in food technology developments. In the last decade, practical use of high-pressure processing (HPP) made this emerging non-thermal technology very attractive from a commercial point of view. Despite the fact that the investment is still high, the resulting value-added products, with an extended and safe shelf-life, will fulfil the wishes of consumers who prefer preservative-free minimally processed foods, retaining sensorial characteristics of freshness. Moreover, unlike thermal treatment, pressure treatment is not time/mass dependant, thus reducing the time of processing.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Todd, Annika; Cappers, Peter; Goldman, Charles
2013-05-01
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) program is working with a subset of the 99 SGIG projects undertaking Consumer Behavior Studies (CBS), which examine the response of mass market consumers (i.e., residential and small commercial customers) to time-varying electricity prices (referred to herein as time-based rate programs) in conjunction with the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and associated technologies. The effort presents an opportunity to advance the electric industry’s understanding of consumer behavior.
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Sterling, Samara R; Bertrand, Brenda; Judd, Suzanne; Carson, Tiffany L; Chandler-Laney, Paula; Baskin, Monica L
2017-09-21
Nuts, when eaten alongside other nutritionally rich foods, may decrease obesity and related chronic disease risks, which are high among African American women in the rural South. We monitored changes in nut intake, other obesity-related foods (fruits, vegetables, red or processed meats, added sugars), and body mass index (BMI) over a 2-year weight loss intervention among 383 overweight and obese African American women in rural Alabama and Mississippi. Two dietary recalls were administered at 4 points over 24 months. Mann-Whitney tests compared differences in median food group intake between nut consumers and non-nut consumers, and t tests identified BMI differences between groups. Mixed linear models tested the relationship between nut intake and intake of the select food groups, and between nut intake and BMI over time. Overall nut consumers ate more fruits and vegetables and less red meat than non-nut consumers. Nut consumers had lower BMI values than non-nut consumers. Weight loss by the end of the intervention was significant for nut consumers but not for non-nut consumers, even after accounting for kilocalorie consumption and physical activity engagement. Nut consumption is associated with consumption of other nutritionally rich foods and lower BMI among African American women in rural Alabama and Mississippi. Future interventions should target increasing daily nut intake, decreasing added sugar intake, and identifying strategies to encourage positive dietary changes to continue after an intervention.
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The structure of the microbial communities in low-moor and high-moor peat bogs of Tomsk oblast
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dobrovol'skaya, T. G.; Golovchenko, A. V.; Kukharenko, O. S.; Yakushev, A. V.; Semenova, T. A.; Inisheva, L. A.
2012-03-01
The number, structure, and physical state of the microbial communities in high-moor and low-moor peat bogs were compared. Distinct differences in these characteristics were revealed. The microbial biomass in the high-moor peat exceeded that in the low-moor peat by 2-9 times. Fungi predominated in the high-moor peat, whereas bacteria were the dominant microorganisms in the low-moor peat. The micromycetal complexes of the high-moor peat were characterized by a high portion of dark-colored representatives; the complexes of the low-moor peat were dominated by fast-growing fungi. The species of the Penicillum genus were dominant in the high-moor peat; the species of Trichoderma were abundant in the low-moor peat. In the former, the bacteria were distinguished as minor components; in the latter, they predominated in the saprotrophic bacterial complex. In the high-moor peat, the microorganisms were represented by bacilli, while, in the low-moor peat, by cytophages, myxobacteria, and actinobacteria. The different physiological states of the bacteria in the studied objects reflecting the duration of the lag phase and the readiness of the metabolic system to consume different substrates were demonstrated for the first time. The relationships between the trophic characteristics of bacterial habitats and the capacity of the bacteria to consume substrates were established.
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Consumer decision making in the individual health insurance market.
Marquis, M Susan; Buntin, Melinda Beeuwkes; Escarce, José J; Kapur, Kanika; Louis, Thomas A; Yegian, Jill M
2006-01-01
This paper summarizes the results from a study of consumer decision making in California's individual health insurance market. We conclude that price subsidies will have only modest effects on participation and that efforts to reduce nonprice barriers might be just as effective. We also find that there is substantial pooling in the individual market and that it increases over time because people who become sick can continue coverage without new underwriting. Finally, we show that people prefer more-generous benefits and that it is difficult to induce people in poor health to enroll in high-deductible health plans.
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Optical gesture sensing and depth mapping technologies for head-mounted displays: an overview
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kress, Bernard; Lee, Johnny
2013-05-01
Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), and especially see-through HMDs have gained renewed interest in recent time, and for the first time outside the traditional military and defense realm, due to several high profile consumer electronics companies presenting their products to hit market. Consumer electronics HMDs have quite different requirements and constrains as their military counterparts. Voice comments are the de-facto interface for such devices, but when the voice recognition does not work (not connection to the cloud for example), trackpad and gesture sensing technologies have to be used to communicate information to the device. We review in this paper the various technologies developed today integrating optical gesture sensing in a small footprint, as well as the various related 3d depth mapping sensors.
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State of the art in benefit-risk analysis: consumer perception.
Ueland, Ø; Gunnlaugsdottir, H; Holm, F; Kalogeras, N; Leino, O; Luteijn, J M; Magnússon, S H; Odekerken, G; Pohjola, M V; Tijhuis, M J; Tuomisto, J T; White, B C; Verhagen, H
2012-01-01
Benefit and risk perception with respect to food consumption, have been a part of human daily life from beginning of time. In today's society the food chain is long with many different types of actors and low degree of transparency. Making informed food choices where knowledge of benefits and risks is part of the decision making process are therefore complicated for consumers. Thus, to understand how consumers perceive benefits and risks of foods, their importance in relation to quality evaluations are aspects that need to be addressed. The objective of this paper is to discuss state of the art in understanding consumer perceptions of benefits and risks of foods in order to improve understanding of consumer behaviour in the food domain. Risks may be associated with both acute and long term consequences, some of which may have serious effects. Perceived risks are connected to morbidity and mortality along two dimensions relating to unknown risk, and to which extent the risk is dreaded by the consumer. Unfamiliar, uncertain, unknown, uncontrollable, and severe consequences are some factors associated with risk perception. Novel food processing techniques, for instance, score high on several of these parameters and are consequently regarded with suspicion and perceived as risky by consumers. On a daily basis, benefits of foods and food consumption are more important in most consumers' minds than risks. Benefits are often associated with food's ability to assuage hunger, and to provide pleasure through eating and socialising. In addition, two main categories of benefits that are important for acceptance of product innovations are health and environmental benefits. Benefit and risk perception of foods seem to be inversely correlated, so when something is perceived as being highly beneficial, it is correspondingly perceived as having low risk. However, slightly different paths are used in the formation of these perceptions; benefit perception is based on heuristics and experience, while risk perception is to a larger extent the result of cognitive information processing. Consumers are particularly conservative when it comes to perception and acceptance of foods compared to other products. Benefit-risk evaluations tend to be skewed towards acceptance of all that is traditional and well-known (benefits), and rejection or suspicion towards anything that is novel or highly processed (risks) regardless of actual risk. Knowledge of how consumers perceive benefits and risks of foods, may contribute to understanding benefit-risk perception in other areas related to personal, societal or environmental perspectives. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Refoios Camejo, Rodrigo; Camejo, Rodrigo Refoios; McGrath, Clare; Miraldo, Marisa; Rutten, Frans
2014-05-01
Following suggestions that developers should be allowed to capture a defined share of the total value generated by their technologies, the amount of surplus accruing to the pharmaceutical industry has become an important concept when discussing policies to encourage innovation in healthcare. Observational clinical and market data spanning over a period of 20 years were applied in order to estimate the social surplus generated by pharmaceuticals used in the management of high cholesterol and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The distribution of social surplus between consumers and producers was also computed and the dynamics of rent extraction examined. Health-related social surplus increased consistently over time for both disease areas, mostly due to the launch of more effective technologies and a greater number of patients being treated for the conditions. However, the growth rate of social surplus differed for each disease and dissimilar patterns of distribution between consumer and producer surplus emerged across the years. For lipid-lowering therapies, yearly consumer surplus reaches 85 % of total health-related social surplus after the loss of exclusivity of major molecules, whilst for COPD it ranges from 54 to 69 %. Average producer surplus is approximately 25 % of total health-related social surplus in the lipid-lowering market between 1990 and 2010, and 37 % for COPD between 2001 and 2010. The share of surplus captured by non-innovative generic producers also varies differently across periods for both markets, reaching 11.12 % in the case of lipid-lowering therapies but just 1.55 % in the case of COPD. A considerable amount of the value may be recouped by consumers only towards the end of the lifecycle. Elements affecting the distribution of social surplus vary across disease areas and include the market pricing structure and the pattern of clinical effectiveness observed over time. The application of a longer-term disease specific perspective may be required when assessing the cost-effectiveness of health technologies at launch.
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Anticipatory Consumer Socialization.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Moore, Roy L.; Moschis, George P.
Anticipatory consumer socialization is the learning of consumer roles and perceptions, which will be assumed at a later time, such as those that children acquire before they become adult consumers. A survey of 784 adolescents was conducted in a southern state to examine the anticipatory consumer socialization effects of such factors as the mass…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zeb, Alam; Nisar, Parveen
2017-03-01
Spinach is one of the highly consumed vegetable, with significant nutritional and beneficial properties. This study revealed for the first time, the effects of high temperature frying on the carotenoids, chlorophylls and tocopherol contents of spinach leaves. Spinach leaves were thermally processed in the sunflower oil for 15, 30, 45 and 60 min at 250 °C. HPLC-DAD results revealed a total of eight carotenoids, four chlorophylls and α-tocopherol in the spinach leaves. Lutein, neoxanthin, violaxanthin and β-carotene-5,6-epoxide were the major carotenoids, while chlorophyll a and b' were present in higher amounts. Frying of spinach leaves increased significantly the amount of α-tocopherol, β-carotene-5,6-epoxide, luteoxanthin, lutein and its Z-isomers and chlorophyll b' isomer. There was a dose dependent decrease in the amounts of neoxanthin, violaxanthin, chlorophyll b, b' and chlorophyll a with increase of frying time. The increase of frying time increased the total phenolic contents in spinach leaves and fried sunflower oil samples. Chemical characteristics such as peroxide values, free fatty acids, conjugated dienes, conjugated trienes and radical scavenging activity were significantly affected by frying, while spinach leaves increased the stability of the frying oil. This study can be used to improve the quality of fried vegetable leaves or their products at high temperature frying in food industries for increasing consumer acceptability.
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Sabbaghi, Mostafa; Esmaeilian, Behzad; Raihanian Mashhadi, Ardeshir; Behdad, Sara; Cade, Willie
2015-02-01
Consumers often have a tendency to store their used, old or un-functional electronics for a period of time before they discard them and return them back to the waste stream. This behavior increases the obsolescence rate of used still-functional products leading to lower profitability that could be resulted out of End-of-Use (EOU) treatments such as reuse, upgrade, and refurbishment. These types of behaviors are influenced by several product and consumer-related factors such as consumers' traits and lifestyles, technology evolution, product design features, product market value, and pro-environmental stimuli. Better understanding of different groups of consumers, their utilization and storage behavior and the connection of these behaviors with product design features helps Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and recycling and recovery industry to better overcome the challenges resulting from the undesirable storage of used products. This paper aims at providing insightful statistical analysis of Electronic Waste (e-waste) dynamic nature by studying the effects of design characteristics, brand and consumer type on the electronics usage time and end of use time-in-storage. A database consisting of 10,063 Hard Disk Drives (HDD) of used personal computers returned back to a remanufacturing facility located in Chicago, IL, USA during 2011-2013 has been selected as the base for this study. The results show that commercial consumers have stored computers more than household consumers regardless of brand and capacity factors. Moreover, a heterogeneous storage behavior is observed for different brands of HDDs regardless of capacity and consumer type factors. Finally, the storage behavior trends are projected for short-time forecasting and the storage times are precisely predicted by applying machine learning methods. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Medications for High Blood Pressure
... Consumers Home For Consumers Consumer Updates Medications for High Blood Pressure Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing options Linkedin Pin it Email Print Hypertension tends to worsen with age and you cannot ...
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Effective nursing care of adolescents with anorexia nervosa: a consumer perspective.
Zugai, Joel; Stein-Parbury, Jane; Roche, Michael
2013-07-01
To establish how nurses ensure weight gain and a positive inpatient experience for the treatment of adolescents with anorexia nervosa by considering consumer perspectives. Consumer perspective literature indicates approval and dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the inpatient experience, and there is a limited understanding of what consumers perceive to be effective nursing practice. The design of this study was qualitative, the data being interpreted with a thematic analysis. This study sought the perspectives of eight (n = 8) recovered consumers through semi-structured interviews. Nurses were considered highly influential over the inpatient experience. The findings of this study are characterised by three overall themes regarding nursing practice: (1) ensuring weight gain, (2) maintaining a therapeutic milieu, and (3) the nursing relationship. Consumers have clear perspectives of how nurses effectively ensure weight gain and how nurses ensure a positive inpatient experience. The quality of relationships between consumers and nurses had implications for both weight gain and the perceived quality of the inpatient experience. By relying on the strength of positive, thoughtful and well-timed interactions, nurses may contribute to productive physical outcomes and a positive inpatient experience. Consumers indicated that motivation to adhere to care was derived from strong relationships with nurses. Ensuring both weight gain and a positive experience involves achieving a productive 'balance of restrictions'. Consumers also valued nurses that created a comfortable and productive environment. This study indicates that the process of weight gain may be enhanced when accompanied by a process of therapeutic engagement. Therapeutic alliance may be an effective way for nurses to ensure weight gain and an enhanced inpatient experience. Therapeutically beneficial relationships may enhance treatment and possibly enhance outcomes for consumers. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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Consumer governance may harm health center financial performance.
Wright, Brad
2013-07-01
Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), which must be governed by a patient majority, have historically struggled to remain financially viable while caring for a disproportionately low-income and uninsured population. Consumer governance is credited with making FQHCs responsive to community needs, but to the extent that patient trustees resemble the typical low-income FQHC patient, patient trustees might lack the capacity to govern, harming financial performance as a result. Thus, this study sought to empirically evaluate the relationship between FQHC board composition and financial performance. Using data from years 2002-2007 of the Uniform Data System and the Area Resource File, and years 2003-2006 of FQHC grant applications, FQHC operating margin was modeled as a function of board and executive committee composition, the interaction between them, general time trends, other FQHC and county-level factors, and FQHC-level fixed effects. Trustees were classified as representative (ie, low-income) consumers, nonrepresentative (ie, high-income) consumers, and nonconsumers on the basis of their self-reported patient status and occupation. Each 10 percentage point increase in the proportion of representative consumers on the board is associated with a 1.7 percentage point decrease in operating margin. This effect becomes insignificant if any consumers serve on the executive committee. There is no significant relationship between the proportion of nonrepresentative consumers and operating margin. If consumers are given leadership roles on the board, consumer governance does not harm financial performance and may be beneficial enough in other respects to justify its being required as a condition of federal FQHC funding. Without such strengthening of the provision, consumer governance appears to harm financial performance and it is unclear from this study whether it offers other benefits that are significant enough to justify this financial risk.
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de Krom, Michiel P M M; Mol, Arthur P J
2010-12-01
Irrespective of major food crises in the 2000s consumer trust in food seems to remain high in Western Europe. Transparent information provision to consumers on food risks is a central strategy of the EU, its Member States and private food providers to build food trust among consumers. But can the interpretation of such information by consumers explain high levels of trust in food safety? Following recent outbreaks of avian influenza in the UK, this paper investigates the constitution of food trust among UK poultry consumers by focusing on the place where consumer decisions are made: the shopping floor. In-store qualitative interviews with consumers of a variety of poultry products at different shops are used to reveal the use of information in constructing trust. Besides on knowledge inducted from information provision, trust depends as much on consumer strategies to handle non-knowing of food risks. Three main forms of trust relations are distinguished, which together at a system level result in high levels of consumer trust in food. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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The Food Environment of Youth Baseball
Irby, Megan B.; Drury-Brown, Marcie
2014-01-01
Abstract Background: Sports, such as youth baseball (YB), are popular outlets for increasing activity, yet there has been no investigation of food environments surrounding them. The aim of this study was to observe the types of foods available and consumed by players and spectators at YB events. Methods: This was an observational assessment, by environmental scan, of foods consumed by players and family members at a YB field in northwest North Carolina. Results: Participants included boys from six YB teams (n=51) between 8 and 11 years of age and families. A total of 12 YB games were observed. Most team snacks (72%) consisted of high-calorie food items, including French fries, candy, and cookies; most beverages (53%) consumed by players were sugar sweetened. We observed 313 spectators and players, who consumed a total of 249 foods and 276 beverages. Most food and beverage items (89%) were purchased from the concession stand, of which 73% were considered less-healthy options. Conclusions: High-calorie snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages dominate the YB environment. Despite the benefits of participating in sports, families of children participating in sports leagues may be increasing their risk for poor nutritional habits as a result of increased exposure to unhealthy foods and disruption of meal times. PMID:24745374
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mulligan, Robert F.
2014-06-01
This paper presents Hurst exponent signatures from time series of aggregate price indices for the US over the 1975-2011 time period. Though all highly aggregated, these indices include both broad measures of consumer and producer prices. The constellation of prices evolves as a complex system throughout processes of production and distribution, culminating in the final delivery of output to consumers. Massive feedback characterizes this system, where the demand for consumable output determines the demand for the inputs used to produce it, and supply scarcities for the necessary inputs in turn determine the supply of the final product. Prices in both factor and output markets are jointly determined by interdependent supply and demand conditions. Fractal examination of the interplay among market prices would be of interest regardless, but added interest arises from the consideration of how these markets respond to external shocks over the business cycle, particularly monetary expansion. Because the initial impact of monetary injection is localized in specific sectors, the way the impact on prices diffuses throughout the economy is of special interest.
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Li, Yue; Ye, Zhiqiu; Glance, Laurent G; Temkin-Greener, Helena
2014-07-01
Providing equitable and patient-centered care is critical to ensuring high quality of care. Although racial/ethnic disparities in quality are widely reported for nursing facilities, it is unknown whether disparities exist in consumer experiences with care and how public reporting of consumer experiences affects facility performance and potential racial disparities. We analyzed trends of consumer ratings publicly reported for Maryland nursing homes during 2007-2010, and determined whether racial/ethnic disparities in experiences with care changed during this period. Multivariate longitudinal regression models controlled for important facility and county characteristics and tested changes overall and by facility groups (defined based on concentrations of black residents). Consumer ratings were reported for: overall care; recommendation of the facility; staff performance; care provided; food and meals; physical environment; and autonomy and personal rights. Overall ratings on care experience remained relatively high (mean=8.3 on a 1-10 scale) during 2007-2010. Ninety percent of survey respondents each year would recommend the facility to someone who needs nursing home care. Ratings on individual domains of care improved among all nursing homes in Maryland (P<0.01), except for food and meals (P=0.827 for trend). However, site-of-care disparities existed in each year for overall ratings, recommendation rate, and ratings on all domains of care (P<0.01 in all cases), with facilities more predominated by black residents having lower scores; such disparities persisted over time (P>0.2 for trends in disparities). Although Maryland nursing homes showed maintained or improved consumer ratings during the first 4 years of public reporting, gaps persisted between facilities with high versus low concentrations of minority residents.
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Zhu, Junpeng; Xu, You; Huang, Jingyi; Yeow, Changdar; Wang, Wei
2012-12-01
Population of online consumers increases rapidly, but the decision-making styles of online consumers and psychiatric denominators such as the personality correlates remain unclear. In 196 traditional, and 196 age-, education- and gender-matched online consumers, we have tested the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) and the Consumer Style Inventory (CSI). After exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we have defined a five-factor model CSI with 24 items. Online consumers scored lower on ZKPQ Neuroticism-Anxiety and higher on Aggression-Hostility than traditional ones did, and scored higher on CSI Novelty-fashion consciousness and Brand consciousness, and lower on Time consciousness than the traditional consumers did. ZKPQ Neuroticism-Anxiety was positively correlated with CSI Confused by overchoice in both groups, Sociability was positively correlated with Novelty-fashion consciousness and negatively with Time consciousness in traditional group, and Impulsive Sensation Seeking was positively correlated with Novelty-fashion consciousness and Time consciousness in online group. Our study suggests that, regarding the decision-making styles, online consumers display curiosity that lacks security and need other ways to improve their social lives. It also calls further designs to address the contributions of other psychiatric features to the particular decision-making styles in online consumers.
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Fogel, Anna; Mccrickerd, Keri; Fries, Lisa R; Goh, Ai Ting; Quah, Phaik Ling; Chan, Mei Jun; Toh, Jia Ying; Chong, Yap-Seng; Tan, Kok Hian; Yap, Fabian; Shek, Lynette P; Meaney, Michael J; Broekman, Birit F P; Lee, Yung Seng; Godfrey, Keith M; Chong, Mary Foong Fong; Forde, Ciarán G
2018-08-01
Eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) has been linked to obesity in adults and children. This study examined the stability of EAH in children between 4.5 and 6 years old, and associations with energy intake and portion selection, as well as cross-sectional and prospective associations with body composition. The participants were 158 boys and girls from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes cohort. At ages 4.5 and 6 years old children were provided lunch ad libitum, and immediately afterwards were exposed to palatable snacks to measure energy intake in the absence of hunger. At age 6 children completed an additional computer-based task to measure ideal portion size, where they selected pictures of the portions they would like to eat across eight foods. Measures of anthropometry (height/weight/skinfolds) were collected at both ages. Children who consumed energy during the EAH task at age 4.5 years were 3 times more likely to also do so at age 6 years. Children with high EAH intakes at age 4.5 years had high EAH intakes at age 6, highlighting stability of this behaviour over time. Energy consumed at lunch was unrelated to energy consumed during the EAH task, but children who ate in the absence of hunger cumulatively consumed more energy over lunch and the EAH task. Children who showed EAH tended to select larger ideal portions of foods during the computer task. EAH was not associated with measures of body composition. EAH is a stable behavioural risk factor for increased energy intake, but was not associated with body composition in this cohort. The majority of children ate in the absence of hunger, suggesting that interventions aimed at reducing responsiveness to external food cues could help to reduce energy intakes. Trial Registry Number: NCT01174875; https://clinicaltrials.gov/. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Electrostatic spraying of antimicrobial coating to improve strawberry quality
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
The increasing consumer demand for fresh, safe, and high-quality strawberry fruits has lately gained interest on the development of new post-harvest methods to prolong their shelf-life and, at the same time, ensure safety and maintain nutritional and sensory quality. Strawberries are perishable frui...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vilenchik, Yaakov; Peled, Emanuel; Andelman, David
2010-01-01
Few people were left unaffected by the soaring oil prices of summer 2008. Motorists were the hardest hit as the price at the pumps reached an all time high, but nobody could avoid paying more for their food as higher transport costs were passed on from the retailer to the consumer.
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What We've Learned about Assessing Hands-On Science.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Shavelson, Richard J.; Baxter, Gail P.
1992-01-01
A recent study compared hands-on scientific inquiry assessment to assessments involving lab notebooks, computer simulations, short-answer paper-and-pencil problems, and multiple-choice questions. Creating high quality performance assessments is a costly, time-consuming process requiring considerable scientific and technological know-how. Improved…
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The High School Student as Worker/Consumer: A Workbook.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY. Div. of Curriculum and Instruction.
This workbook provides information and exercises to help high school students become educated consumers and prepare them for consumer responsibilities in the world of work. It is intended to help them develop an alert consumer outlook by sharpening mathematics and communication skills and helping them make decisions based on a sense of the value…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tennessee Univ., Knoxville.
To help high school students understand the role of consumers in the everyday world, the teaching guide presents objectives and activities related to seven consumer topics. Topics are rights and responsibilities of all consumers, common transportation concerns of consumers with special problems, and problems which particularly affect consumers who…
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Wijtzes, Anne I; Jansen, Wilma; Jansen, Pauline W; Jaddoe, Vincent W V; Hofman, Albert; Raat, Hein
2013-11-01
To examine the associations between maternal educational level and preschoolers' consumption of high-calorie snacks and sugar-containing beverages, and to assess the mediating effects of variables relating to the family food environment. We analyzed data from 2814 native Dutch preschoolers enrolled in a birth cohort study in Rotterdam (the Netherlands), between 2002 and 2006. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios of snacking ≥ 2 times/day and consuming sugar-containing beverages ≥ 3 glasses/day for children of mothers with low, mid-low, and mid-high educational levels (reference group: high educational level), before and after adjustment for mediators. Children of low and mid-low educated mothers were significantly more likely to consume excessive amounts of high-calorie snacks and sugar-containing beverages compared with children of high educated mothers, with the highest odds in children of low educated mothers (OR: 2.44; 95% CI: 1.84, 3.23 and OR: 2.46; 95% CI: 1.87, 3.24 respectively). Parental feeding practices, parental consumption of sugar-containing beverages, and children's television time partly explained these associations. Maternal educational level is inversely related to preschoolers' consumption of high-calorie snacks and sugar-containing beverages. Targeting the family food environment may be an effective way of reducing educational inequalities in children's unhealthy dietary behaviors. © 2013.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Noyes, Joan
This document provides teaching guidelines, objectives, and student activities for a two-part unit intended for use in junior high and high school consumer and/or home economics programs. Each part of the unit requires from four to six hours of classroom time. The first part focuses on planning a wardrobe. Objectives are to help students evaluate…
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Intelligent and robust optimization frameworks for smart grids
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dhansri, Naren Reddy
A smart grid implies a cyberspace real-time distributed power control system to optimally deliver electricity based on varying consumer characteristics. Although smart grids solve many of the contemporary problems, they give rise to new control and optimization problems with the growing role of renewable energy sources such as wind or solar energy. Under highly dynamic nature of distributed power generation and the varying consumer demand and cost requirements, the total power output of the grid should be controlled such that the load demand is met by giving a higher priority to renewable energy sources. Hence, the power generated from renewable energy sources should be optimized while minimizing the generation from non renewable energy sources. This research develops a demand-based automatic generation control and optimization framework for real-time smart grid operations by integrating conventional and renewable energy sources under varying consumer demand and cost requirements. Focusing on the renewable energy sources, the intelligent and robust control frameworks optimize the power generation by tracking the consumer demand in a closed-loop control framework, yielding superior economic and ecological benefits and circumvent nonlinear model complexities and handles uncertainties for superior real-time operations. The proposed intelligent system framework optimizes the smart grid power generation for maximum economical and ecological benefits under an uncertain renewable wind energy source. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed framework is a viable approach to integrate various energy sources for real-time smart grid implementations. The robust optimization framework results demonstrate the effectiveness of the robust controllers under bounded power plant model uncertainties and exogenous wind input excitation while maximizing economical and ecological performance objectives. Therefore, the proposed framework offers a new worst-case deterministic optimization algorithm for smart grid automatic generation control.
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Jackson, Linda C.; Bloch, Earl F.; Jackson, Robert T.; Chandler, James P.; Kim, Yong L.; Malveaux, Floyd J.
1985-01-01
Serum thiocyanate, antibody titers to thiocyanates, and serum immunoglobulins (IgM, IgG, IgA) were measured in 73 Liberian adults normally consuming diets of low, moderate, high, or no (control) cassava-derived cyanide (CN−). When control and low groups (n = 40; daily intake less than 0.60 mg CN− per kg body weight) were contrasted with moderate and high groups (n = 33; daily intake greater than or equal to 0.60 mg CN− per kg body weight), the authors observed that (1) one-time serum thiocyanate measurements were not sensitive to long-term cyanide intake; however, (2) antibody titers to thiocyanates were positively correlated with cassava-based cyanide intakes (r = .22, P = 0.05); and (3) serum IgM, IgG, and IgA levels were elevated in individuals regularly consuming moderate and high levels of dietary cyanide. Possible responsible mechanisms and health implications are discussed. PMID:4057268
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Jackson, L C; Bloch, E F; Jackson, R T; Chandler, J P; Kim, Y L; Malveaux, F J
1985-10-01
Serum thiocyanate, antibody titers to thiocyanates, and serum immunoglobulins (IgM, IgG, IgA) were measured in 73 Liberian adults normally consuming diets of low, moderate, high, or no (control) cassava-derived cyanide (CN(-)). When control and low groups (n = 40; daily intake less than 0.60 mg CN(-) per kg body weight) were contrasted with moderate and high groups (n = 33; daily intake greater than or equal to 0.60 mg CN(-) per kg body weight), the authors observed that (1) one-time serum thiocyanate measurements were not sensitive to long-term cyanide intake; however, (2) antibody titers to thiocyanates were positively correlated with cassava-based cyanide intakes (r = .22, P = 0.05); and (3) serum IgM, IgG, and IgA levels were elevated in individuals regularly consuming moderate and high levels of dietary cyanide. Possible responsible mechanisms and health implications are discussed.
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High-efficiency VCSEL arrays for illumination and sensing in consumer applications
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Seurin, Jean-Francois; Zhou, Delai; Xu, Guoyang; Miglo, Alexander; Li, Daizong; Chen, Tong; Guo, Baiming; Ghosh, Chuni
2016-03-01
There has been increased interest in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for illumination and sensing in the consumer market, especially for 3D sensing ("gesture recognition") and 3D image capture. For these applications, the typical wavelength range of interest is 830~950nm and power levels vary from a few milli-Watts to several Watts. The devices are operated in short pulse mode (a few nano-seconds) with fast rise and fall times for time-of-flight applications (ToF), or in CW/quasi-CW for structured light applications. In VCSELs, the narrow spectrum and its low temperature dependence allows the use of narrower filters and therefore better signal-to-noise performance, especially for outdoor applications. In portable devices (mobile devices, wearable devices, laptops etc.) the size of the illumination module (VCSEL and optics) is a primary consideration. VCSELs offer a unique benefit compared to other laser sources in that they are "surface-mountable" and can be easily integrated along with other electronics components on a printed circuit board (PCB). A critical concern is the power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of the illumination source operating at high temperatures (>50 deg C). We report on various VCSEL based devices and diffuser-integrated modules with high efficiency at high temperatures. Over 40% PCE was achieved in broad temperature range of 0-70 °C for either low power single devices or high power VCSEL arrays, with sub- nano-second rise and fall time. These high power VCSEL arrays show excellent reliability, with extracted mean-time-to-failure (MTTF) of over 500 years at 60 °C ambient temperature and 8W peak output.
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Influence of product placement in children's movies on children's snack choices.
Brown, Callie L; Matherne, Camden E; Bulik, Cynthia M; Howard, Janna B; Ravanbakht, Sophie N; Skinner, Asheley C; Wood, Charles T; Bardone-Cone, Anna M; Brown, Jane D; Perrin, Andrew J; Levine, Cary; Steiner, Michael J; Perrin, Eliana M
2017-07-01
Media exposure affects health, including obesity risk. Children's movies often contain food placements-frequently unhealthy foods. However, it is not known if these cues influence children's food choices or consumption after viewing. We explored whether children's snack choices or consumption differs based on: 1) recent exposure to movies with high versus low product placement of unhealthy foods; and 2) children's weight status. Children ages 9-11 were assigned to watch a high ("Alvin and the Chipmunks," n = 54) or low ("Stuart Little," n = 60) product-placement movie. After viewing, participants selected a snack choice from each of five categories, several of which were specifically featured in "Alvin." Uneaten snacks from each participant were weighed upon completion. Snack choice and amount consumed by movie were compared by t-tests, and differences in snack choices by movie were tested with logistic regression. Participants consumed an average of 800.8 kcal; mean kcal eaten did not vary by movie watched. Participants who watched the high product-placement movie had 3.1 times the odds (95% CI 1.3-7.2) of choosing cheese balls (most featured snack) compared to participants who watched the low product-placement movie. Children who were overweight or obese consumed a mean of 857 kcal (95% CI: 789-925) compared to 783 kcal (95% CI: 742-823, p = 0.09) for children who were underweight or healthy weight. Children's weight status did not significantly affect their choice of snack. Branding and obesogenic messaging in children's movies influenced some choices that children made about snack foods immediately following viewing, especially food with greatest exposure time in the film, but did not affect total calories consumed. Future studies should examine how the accumulation of these messages affects children's long-term food choices. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Ballesteros-Gómez, Ana; de Boer, Jacob; Leonards, Pim E G
2014-04-15
The presence of a novel brominated flame retardant named 2,4,6-tris(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine (TTBP-TAZ) is reported for the first time in plastic parts of consumer products and indoor dust samples. TTBP-TAZ was identified by untargeted screening and can be a replacement of the banned polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Analysis techniques based on ambient mass spectrometry and on liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization combined with high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry were developed for the screening, detection and quantification of this low volatility and high molecular weight compound. TTBP-TAZ was present in 8 of 13 plastic parts of consumer products (from mainly electric and electronic equipment acquired in 2012) at estimated concentrations of 0.01-1.9% by weight of the product (%, w/w). It was not present in any of the older 13 plastic samples that were collected in a recycling park (manufacture date before 2006), this suggests a recent use of TTBP-TAZ. It was also found in 9 of 17 house dust samples in the range of 160-22150 ng g(-1), with the highest levels being found in samples collected on electronic and electrical equipment. These preliminary results highlight the need for further research on TTBP-TAZ and the potential of using alternative analysis methods for the identification of new flame retardants.
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Factors affecting dry-cured ham consumer acceptability.
Morales, R; Guerrero, L; Aguiar, A P S; Guàrdia, M D; Gou, P
2013-11-01
The objectives of the present study were (1) to compare the relative importance of price, processing time, texture and intramuscular fat in purchase intention of dry-cured ham through conjoint analysis, (2) to evaluate the effect of dry-cured ham appearance on consumer expectations, and (3) to describe the consumer sensory preferences of dry-cured ham using external preference mapping. Texture and processing time influenced the consumer preferences in conjoint analysis. Red colour intensity, colour uniformity, external fat and white film presence/absence influenced consumer expectations. The consumer disliked hams with bitter and metallic flavour and with excessive saltiness and piquantness. Differences between expected and experienced acceptability were found, which indicates that the visual preference of consumers does not allow them to select a dry-cured ham that satisfies their sensory preferences of flavour and texture. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Calorie Labeling, Fast Food Purchasing and Restaurant Visits
Elbel, Brian; Mijanovich, Tod; Dixon, Beth; Abrams, Courtney; Weitzman, Beth; Kersh, Rogan; Auchincloss, Amy H.; Ogedegbe, Gbenga
2013-01-01
Objective Obesity is a pressing public health problem without proven population-wide solutions. Researchers sought to determine whether a city-mandated policy requiring calorie labeling at fast food restaurants was associated with consumer awareness of labels, calories purchased and fast food restaurant visits. Design and Methods Difference-in-differences design, with data collected from consumers outside fast food restaurants and via a random digit dial telephone survey, before (December 2009) and after (June 2010) labeling in Philadelphia (which implemented mandatory labeling) and Baltimore (matched comparison city). Measures included: self-reported use of calorie information, calories purchased determined via fast food receipts, and self-reported weekly fast-food visits. Results The consumer sample was predominantly Black (71%), and high school educated (62%). Post-labeling, 38% of Philadelphia consumers noticed the calorie labels for a 33 percentage point (p<.001) increase relative to Baltimore. Calories purchased and number of fast food visits did not change in either city over time. Conclusions While some consumer reports noticing and using calorie information, no population level changes were noted in calories purchased or fast food visits. Other controlled studies are needed to examine the longer term impact of labeling as it becomes national law. PMID:24136905
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Estimating the benefits of public health policies that reduce harmful consumption.
Ashley, Elizabeth M; Nardinelli, Clark; Lavaty, Rosemarie A
2015-05-01
For products such as tobacco and junk food, where policy interventions are often designed to decrease consumption, affected consumers gain utility from improvements in lifetime health and longevity but also lose utility associated with the activity of consuming the product. In the case of anti-smoking policies, even though published estimates of gross health and longevity benefits are up to 900 times higher than the net consumer benefits suggested by a more direct willingness-to-pay estimation approach, there is little recognition in the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness literature that gross estimates will overstate intrapersonal welfare improvements when utility losses are not netted out. This paper presents a general framework for analyzing policies that are designed to reduce inefficiently high consumption and provides a rule of thumb for the relationship between net and gross consumer welfare effects: where there exists a plausible estimate of the tax that would allow consumers to fully internalize health costs, the ratio of the tax to the per-unit long-term cost can provide an upper bound on the ratio of net to gross benefits. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
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Calorie labeling, fast food purchasing and restaurant visits.
Elbel, Brian; Mijanovich, Tod; Dixon, L Beth; Abrams, Courtney; Weitzman, Beth; Kersh, Rogan; Auchincloss, Amy H; Ogedegbe, Gbenga
2013-11-01
Obesity is a pressing public health problem without proven population-wide solutions. Researchers sought to determine whether a city-mandated policy requiring calorie labeling at fast food restaurants was associated with consumer awareness of labels, calories purchased and fast food restaurant visits. Difference-in-differences design, with data collected from consumers outside fast food restaurants and via a random digit dial telephone survey, before (December 2009) and after (June 2010) labeling in Philadelphia (which implemented mandatory labeling) and Baltimore (matched comparison city). Measures included: self-reported use of calorie information, calories purchased determined via fast food receipts, and self-reported weekly fast-food visits. The consumer sample was predominantly Black (71%), and high school educated (62%). Postlabeling, 38% of Philadelphia consumers noticed the calorie labels for a 33% point (P < 0.001) increase relative to Baltimore. Calories purchased and number of fast food visits did not change in either city over time. While some consumers report noticing and using calorie information, no population level changes were noted in calories purchased or fast food visits. Other controlled studies are needed to examine the longer term impact of labeling as it becomes national law. Copyright © 2013 The Obesity Society.
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The Effects of Consumer Education on Consumer Search.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Fast, Janet; And Others
1989-01-01
A study investigated the relationship between selected consumer and marketplace characteristics and consumers' prepurchase allocation of search time among information sources (product test reports; dealer sales representatives; advertisements; family and friends). The household production model proved useful; written educational materials appeared…
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GPUs benchmarking in subpixel image registration algorithm
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sanz-Sabater, Martin; Picazo-Bueno, Jose Angel; Micó, Vicente; Ferrerira, Carlos; Granero, Luis; Garcia, Javier
2015-05-01
Image registration techniques are used among different scientific fields, like medical imaging or optical metrology. The straightest way to calculate shifting between two images is using the cross correlation, taking the highest value of this correlation image. Shifting resolution is given in whole pixels which cannot be enough for certain applications. Better results can be achieved interpolating both images, as much as the desired resolution we want to get, and applying the same technique described before, but the memory needed by the system is significantly higher. To avoid memory consuming we are implementing a subpixel shifting method based on FFT. With the original images, subpixel shifting can be achieved multiplying its discrete Fourier transform by a linear phase with different slopes. This method is high time consuming method because checking a concrete shifting means new calculations. The algorithm, highly parallelizable, is very suitable for high performance computing systems. GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) accelerated computing became very popular more than ten years ago because they have hundreds of computational cores in a reasonable cheap card. In our case, we are going to register the shifting between two images, doing the first approach by FFT based correlation, and later doing the subpixel approach using the technique described before. We consider it as `brute force' method. So we will present a benchmark of the algorithm consisting on a first approach (pixel resolution) and then do subpixel resolution approaching, decreasing the shifting step in every loop achieving a high resolution in few steps. This program will be executed in three different computers. At the end, we will present the results of the computation, with different kind of CPUs and GPUs, checking the accuracy of the method, and the time consumed in each computer, discussing the advantages, disadvantages of the use of GPUs.
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Xu, Xianglong; Pu, Yang; Sharma, Manoj; Rao, Yunshuang; Cai, Yilin; Zhao, Yong
2017-11-05
(1) Background: Generally suggested public health measures to reduce obesity were to limit television (TV) viewing, enhance daily physical activities, enable the consumption of fruit and vegetables, and reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake. This study analyzed the extent to which selected social cognitive theory constructs can predict these behaviors among Chinese undergraduate students. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1976 undergraduate students from six universities in Chongqing, China. A self-administered five-point Likert common physical activity and nutrition behavior scale based on social cognitive theory was utilized. (3) Results: This study included 687 (34.77%) males and 1289 (65.23%) females. A total of 60.14% of the students engaged in exercise for less than 30 min per day. Approximately 16.5%of the participants spent at least 4 h watching TV and sitting in front of a computer daily. Approximately 79% of the participants consumed less than five cups of fruit and vegetables daily. Undergraduate students who had high self-efficacy scores had more leisure time physical activities. Those who have high expectation scores had considerable time watching TV and sitting in front of a computer. Undergraduate students who had high expectation and self-efficacy scores had substantially low consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Those who had high self-efficacy scores consumed considerable amounts of fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, the type of university, BMI group, gender, age, lack of siblings, and grade level were associated with the aforementioned four behaviors. (4) Conclusion: Physical inactivity and unhealthy nutrition behaviors are common among undergraduate students. This study used social cognitive theory to provide several implications for limiting the TV viewing, enhancing daily physical activities, consuming fruit and vegetables, and reducing sugar-sweetened beverage intake among undergraduate students.
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Pu, Yang; Sharma, Manoj; Rao, Yunshuang; Cai, Yilin; Zhao, Yong
2017-01-01
(1) Background: Generally suggested public health measures to reduce obesity were to limit television (TV) viewing, enhance daily physical activities, enable the consumption of fruit and vegetables, and reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake. This study analyzed the extent to which selected social cognitive theory constructs can predict these behaviors among Chinese undergraduate students. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1976 undergraduate students from six universities in Chongqing, China. A self-administered five-point Likert common physical activity and nutrition behavior scale based on social cognitive theory was utilized. (3) Results: This study included 687 (34.77%) males and 1289 (65.23%) females. A total of 60.14% of the students engaged in exercise for less than 30 min per day. Approximately 16.5% of the participants spent at least 4 h watching TV and sitting in front of a computer daily. Approximately 79% of the participants consumed less than five cups of fruit and vegetables daily. Undergraduate students who had high self-efficacy scores had more leisure time physical activities. Those who have high expectation scores had considerable time watching TV and sitting in front of a computer. Undergraduate students who had high expectation and self-efficacy scores had substantially low consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Those who had high self-efficacy scores consumed considerable amounts of fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, the type of university, BMI group, gender, age, lack of siblings, and grade level were associated with the aforementioned four behaviors. (4) Conclusion: Physical inactivity and unhealthy nutrition behaviors are common among undergraduate students. This study used social cognitive theory to provide several implications for limiting the TV viewing, enhancing daily physical activities, consuming fruit and vegetables, and reducing sugar-sweetened beverage intake among undergraduate students. PMID:29113089
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Socio-economic differences in takeaway food consumption among adults.
Miura, Kyoko; Giskes, Katrina; Turrell, Gavin
2012-02-01
To examine socio-economic differences in the frequency and types of takeaway foods consumed. A cross-sectional postal survey. Participants were asked about their usual consumption of overall takeaway food (<4 times/month or ≥4 times/month) and of twenty-two specific takeaway food items (<1 time/month or ≥1 time/month); these latter foods were grouped into 'healthy' and 'less healthy' choices. Socio-economic position was measured on the basis of educational level and equivalised household income, and differences in takeaway food consumption were assessed by calculating prevalence ratios using log binomial regression. Adults aged 25-64 years from Brisbane, Australia, were randomly selected from the electoral roll (n 903; 63·7 % response rate). Compared with their more educated counterparts, the least educated were more regular consumers of overall takeaway food and fruit or vegetable juice and less regular consumers of sushi. For the 'less healthy' items, the least educated more regularly consumed potato chips, savoury pies, fried chicken and non-diet soft drinks; however, the least educated were less likely to consume curry. Household income was not associated with overall takeaway consumption. The lowest-income group was a more regular consumer of fruit or vegetable juice compared with the highest-income group. Among the 'less healthy' items, the lowest-income group was a more regular consumer of fried fish, ice cream and milk shakes, whereas curry was consumed less regularly. The frequency and types of takeaway foods consumed by socio-economically disadvantaged groups may contribute to inequalities in overweight or obesity and to chronic disease.
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12 CFR 227.22 - Unfair acts or practices regarding time to make payment.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM UNFAIR OR DECEPTIVE ACTS OR PRACTICES (REGULATION AA) Consumer Credit Card.... Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, a bank must not treat a payment on a consumer credit card account as late for any purpose unless the consumer has been provided a reasonable amount of time...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-06-28
... children's toys and child care articles, pursuant to section 108 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement..., pursuant to section 108 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) (Pub. L. 110-314... CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION Change in Times for Meeting of Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel on...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bernstein, Alan; Moorhead, Mary Helen
2009-01-01
Of the many responsibilities of a high school principal, overseeing the athletics program is one of the most difficult and potentially headache-inducing because of the thorny nature of the conflicts that arise. Sports-related controversies often are time-consuming and difficult to resolve, and they put a huge strain on relationships, public…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Paterson, Jim
2017-01-01
Letters of recommendation consume a lot of time and thought as they are solicited, written, and read, and, while many high school and college admission officials say that work pays off by providing a university with valuable and sometimes unique information about prospective students, most everyone also agrees they could be more effective. Some…
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A Project-Based Course on Newton's Laws for Talented Junior High-School Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Langbeheim, Elon
2015-01-01
Research has shown that project-based learning promotes student interest in science and improves understanding of scientific content. Fostering student motivation is particularly important in accelerated science and technology programmes for talented students, which are often demanding and time-consuming. Current texts provide little guidance on…
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Australia’s food system is highly dependent on foreign crop diversity
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
The food crops that are now produced or consumed in Australia were initially domesticated and evolved over time in specific geographic regions across the planet. Genetic diversity within these crops and their wild relatives is considered to be historically particularly rich within these regions. Los...
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Call for Research--The Consuming Child-in-Context in Unhealthy and Unsustainable Times
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Skouteris, Helen; Do, Michael; Rutherford, Leonie; Cutter-Mackenzie, Amy; Edwards, Susan
2010-01-01
Childhood obesity is a highly complex issue with serious health and environmental implications. It has been postulated that young children (preschool-aged in particular) are able to internalise positive environmental beliefs. Applying a socioecological theoretical perspective, in this discussion paper we argue that although children may…
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DATA FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING (D4EM): BACKGROUND AND EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS OF DATA AUTOMATION
Data is a basic requirement for most modeling applications. Collecting data is expensive and time consuming. High speed internet connections and growing databases of online environmental data go a long way to overcoming issues of data scarcity. Among the obstacles still remaining...
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Exclusively Visual Analysis of Classroom Group Interactions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tucker, Laura; Scherr, Rachel E.; Zickler, Todd; Mazur, Eric
2016-01-01
Large-scale audiovisual data that measure group learning are time consuming to collect and analyze. As an initial step towards scaling qualitative classroom observation, we qualitatively coded classroom video using an established coding scheme with and without its audio cues. We find that interrater reliability is as high when using visual data…
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Cole, James S
2015-03-01
This study examines the relationships between circadian preference and caffeine use with academic performance and hours spent studying for recent high school graduates entering their first year of college. Entering first-year college students enrolled at 90 baccalaureate-level institutions across the USA were invited to complete the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) and the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) as well as answer questions regarding caffeine consumption. Surveys were administered on each campus during the summer months of 2013. Only those that graduated from a US high school in the spring of 2013 were included in this study. The final sample for this study included 25,200 students that completed the BCSSE, CSM, and questions regarding caffeine consumption. Evening types (E-types) were significantly less likely to report earning A/A-'s in high school and less likely to study 16 or more hours per week compared to intermediate or morning types (M-types) (p < 0.05). Overall, entering first-year students reported an average of 1.1 servings of caffeine per day, with 39 % reporting no caffeine consumption. M-types were more likely to consume no caffeine (54 %) compared to E-types that also indicated no daily caffeine (31 %) (p < 0.05). However, E-types were approximately 2.5 times more likely to consume three or more daily servings of caffeine (18 %) compared to M-types that consume the same amount (7 %) (p < 0.05). M-types that consumed no caffeine reported the highest grades with nearly 64 % reporting they earned mostly A's or A-'s in high school. However, the apparent advantage that morning types had over evening types regarding high school grades was completely ameliorated once three or more servings of caffeine were consumed per day. This study provides additional information to educators and health professionals to create programs and provide resource to help adolescents better understand the impact of their sleep behaviors and use of caffeine on their academic performance.
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An architecture model for multiple disease management information systems.
Chen, Lichin; Yu, Hui-Chu; Li, Hao-Chun; Wang, Yi-Van; Chen, Huang-Jen; Wang, I-Ching; Wang, Chiou-Shiang; Peng, Hui-Yu; Hsu, Yu-Ling; Chen, Chi-Huang; Chuang, Lee-Ming; Lee, Hung-Chang; Chung, Yufang; Lai, Feipei
2013-04-01
Disease management is a program which attempts to overcome the fragmentation of healthcare system and improve the quality of care. Many studies have proven the effectiveness of disease management. However, the case managers were spending the majority of time in documentation, coordinating the members of the care team. They need a tool to support them with daily practice and optimizing the inefficient workflow. Several discussions have indicated that information technology plays an important role in the era of disease management. Whereas applications have been developed, it is inefficient to develop information system for each disease management program individually. The aim of this research is to support the work of disease management, reform the inefficient workflow, and propose an architecture model that enhance on the reusability and time saving of information system development. The proposed architecture model had been successfully implemented into two disease management information system, and the result was evaluated through reusability analysis, time consumed analysis, pre- and post-implement workflow analysis, and user questionnaire survey. The reusability of the proposed model was high, less than half of the time was consumed, and the workflow had been improved. The overall user aspect is positive. The supportiveness during daily workflow is high. The system empowers the case managers with better information and leads to better decision making.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Sabbaghi, Mostafa, E-mail: mostafas@buffalo.edu; Esmaeilian, Behzad, E-mail: b.esmaeilian@neu.edu; Raihanian Mashhadi, Ardeshir, E-mail: ardeshir@buffalo.edu
Highlights: • We analyzed a data set of HDDs returned back to an e-waste collection site. • We studied factors that affect the storage behavior. • Consumer type, brand and size are among factors which affect the storage behavior. • Commercial consumers have stored computers more than household consumers. • Machine learning models were used to predict the storage behavior. - Abstract: Consumers often have a tendency to store their used, old or un-functional electronics for a period of time before they discard them and return them back to the waste stream. This behavior increases the obsolescence rate of usedmore » still-functional products leading to lower profitability that could be resulted out of End-of-Use (EOU) treatments such as reuse, upgrade, and refurbishment. These types of behaviors are influenced by several product and consumer-related factors such as consumers’ traits and lifestyles, technology evolution, product design features, product market value, and pro-environmental stimuli. Better understanding of different groups of consumers, their utilization and storage behavior and the connection of these behaviors with product design features helps Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and recycling and recovery industry to better overcome the challenges resulting from the undesirable storage of used products. This paper aims at providing insightful statistical analysis of Electronic Waste (e-waste) dynamic nature by studying the effects of design characteristics, brand and consumer type on the electronics usage time and end of use time-in-storage. A database consisting of 10,063 Hard Disk Drives (HDD) of used personal computers returned back to a remanufacturing facility located in Chicago, IL, USA during 2011–2013 has been selected as the base for this study. The results show that commercial consumers have stored computers more than household consumers regardless of brand and capacity factors. Moreover, a heterogeneous storage behavior is observed for different brands of HDDs regardless of capacity and consumer type factors. Finally, the storage behavior trends are projected for short-time forecasting and the storage times are precisely predicted by applying machine learning methods.« less
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The Field Artillery Battalion on the Nuclear Battlefield
1975-06-06
flexibility of radio communications. The drawback to tactical wire communications is that the estao- lishment and maintenance of the system is time consuming ...Adjusted fires are a much simpler, though time consum - ing mission. Whatever the inaccuracies in target location, 16 . ■■■ ■’■"’ rgfimtm...SCP). The current practice of a separate SCP for the 8", SP battalion is both time consuming and illogical. Service support The application of the
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goebel, Karen P., Ed.
These proceedings contain the texts of the papers presented at a conference on consumer interests. Addressed in the first series of concurrent sessions are the following topics: consumers' new economic positions, consumers' choices with respect to price and quality trade-offs, time value in consumption decisions, and consumer information issues.…
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Cardel, MI; Johnson, SL; Beck, J; Dhurandhar, E; Keita, AD; Tomczik, AC; Pavela, G; Huo, T; Janicke, DM; Muller, K; Piff, PK; Peters, JC; Hill, JO; Allison, DB
2016-01-01
Both subjective and objectively measured social status has been associated with multiple health outcomes, including weight status, but the mechanism for this relationship remains unclear. Experimental studies may help identify the causal mechanisms underlying low social standing as a pathway for obesity. Our objective was to investigate the effects of experimentally manipulated social status on ad libitum acute dietary intakes and stress-related outcomes as potential mechanisms relating social status and weight. This was a pilot feasibility, randomized, crossover study in Hispanic young adults (n=9; age 19–25; 67% female; BMI ≥18.5 and ≤30 kg/m2). At visit 1, participants consumed a standardized breakfast and were randomized to a high social status position (HIGH) or low social status position (LOW) in a rigged game of Monopoly™. The rules for the game differed substantially in terms of degree of ‘privilege’ depending on randomization to HIGH or LOW. Following Monopoly™, participants were given an ad libitum buffet meal and energy intakes (kcal) were estimated by pre- and post-weighing foods consumed. Stress-related markers were measured at baseline, after the game of Monopoly™, and after lunch. Visit 2 used the same standardized protocol; however, participants were exposed to the opposite social status condition. When compared to HIGH, participants in LOW consumed 130 more calories (p=0.07) and a significantly higher proportion of their daily calorie needs in the ad libitum buffet meal (39% in LOW versus 31% in HIGH; p=0.04). In LOW, participants reported decreased feelings of pride and powerfulness following Monopoly™ (p=0.05) and after their lunch meal (p=0.08). Relative to HIGH, participants in LOW demonstrated higher heart rates following Monopoly™ (p=0.06), but this relationship was not significant once lunch was consumed (p=0.31). Our pilot data suggest a possible causal relationship between experimentally manipulated low social status and increased acute energy intakes in Hispanic young adults, potentially influenced by decreased feelings of pride and powerfulness. Increased energy intake over time, resulting in positive energy balance, could contribute to increased risk for obesity, which could partially explain the observed relationship between low social standing and higher weight. Larger and longitudinal studies in a diverse sample need to be conducted to confirm findings, increase generalizability, and assess whether this relationship persists over time. PMID:27094920
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Cardel, M I; Johnson, S L; Beck, J; Dhurandhar, E; Keita, A D; Tomczik, A C; Pavela, G; Huo, T; Janicke, D M; Muller, K; Piff, P K; Peters, J C; Hill, J O; Allison, D B
2016-08-01
Both subjective and objectively measured social status has been associated with multiple health outcomes, including weight status, but the mechanism for this relationship remains unclear. Experimental studies may help identify the causal mechanisms underlying low social standing as a pathway for obesity. Our objective was to investigate the effects of experimentally manipulated social status on ad libitum acute dietary intakes and stress-related outcomes as potential mechanisms relating social status and weight. This was a pilot feasibility, randomized, crossover study in Hispanic young adults (n=9; age 19-25; 67% female; BMI ≥18.5 and ≤30kg/m(2)). At visit 1, participants consumed a standardized breakfast and were randomized to a high social status position (HIGH) or low social status position (LOW) in a rigged game of Monopoly™. The rules for the game differed substantially in terms of degree of 'privilege' depending on randomization to HIGH or LOW. Following Monopoly™, participants were given an ad libitum buffet meal and energy intakes (kcal) were estimated by pre- and post-weighing foods consumed. Stress-related markers were measured at baseline, after the game of Monopoly™, and after lunch. Visit 2 used the same standardized protocol; however, participants were exposed to the opposite social status condition. When compared to HIGH, participants in LOW consumed 130 more calories (p=0.07) and a significantly higher proportion of their daily calorie needs in the ad libitum buffet meal (39% in LOW versus 31% in HIGH; p=0.04). In LOW, participants reported decreased feelings of pride and powerfulness following Monopoly™ (p=0.05) and after their lunch meal (p=0.08). Relative to HIGH, participants in LOW demonstrated higher heart rates following Monopoly™ (p=0.06), but this relationship was not significant once lunch was consumed (p=0.31). Our pilot data suggest a possible causal relationship between experimentally manipulated low social status and increased acute energy intakes in Hispanic young adults, potentially influenced by decreased feelings of pride and powerfulness. Increased energy intake over time, resulting in positive energy balance, could contribute to increased risk for obesity, which could partially explain the observed relationship between low social standing and higher weight. Larger and longitudinal studies in a diverse sample need to be conducted to confirm findings, increase generalizability, and assess whether this relationship persists over time. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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Park, Jin Seong; Ahn, Ho-Young Anthony
2013-01-01
Based on a survey with members of an online consumer panel (N= 699), this study revealed that: (a) a substantial percentage of consumers held misperceptions about the chemical imbalance theory of depression; (b) personal and interpersonal experiences with depression positively related to such misperceptions; (c) overall, exposure to direct-to-consumer (DTC) antidepressant advertising did not significantly relate to misperceptions; and (d) DTC exposure magnified misperceptions when consumers were highly trustful of DTC advertising, whereas exposure diluted misperceptions when consumers were highly skeptical. Theoretical and practical implications of the research are discussed, especially in light of the social responsibility of DTC advertising.
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DeChristopher, Luanne Robalo; Uribarri, Jaime; Tucker, Katherine L
2016-01-01
High soft drink consumption has been linked with asthma. Anecdotal evidence links high-fructose corn syrup with asthma. The receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE) has emerged as a mediator of asthma. The objectives of the present study were to: (i) assess the correlation between intake of beverages containing excess free fructose (EFF beverages) and asthma in children; and (ii) epidemiologically test the mechanistic hypothesis that intake of high EFF beverages, such as apple juice or beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, is associated with increased risk of asthma. This hypothesis is based on the possible effect of increases in the in situ intestinal formation of advanced glycation end products (enFruAGE) with EFF, which may be absorbed and play a role in RAGE-mediated asthma. We examined cross-sectional associations between beverage intake and self-reported current or history of asthma. Exposure variables were EFF beverages, including apple juice (AJ), non-diet soft drinks (ndSD) and fruit drinks (FD). Orange juice (OJ), not an EFF beverage, was included as a comparison. Rao-Scott χ(2) analysis was used for prevalence differences and logistic regression for associations, adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, BMI and total energy intake. Data are from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2006, a nationally representative survey. US children (n 1961) aged 2-9 years with complete responses on the dietary frequency questionnaire. Intakes of EFF beverages were significantly associated with asthma in 2-9-year-olds. Adjusted odds of asthma in children consuming EFF beverages ≥5 times/week was more than five times that in children consuming these beverages ≤1 time/month (OR=5·29, P=0·012). Children consuming AJ ≥5 times/week v. ≤1 time/month, adjusted for the other beverages, were more than twice as likely to have asthma (OR=2·43, P=0·035). In contrast, there was a tendency for OJ to be protective. These results support the hypothesis that intake of high EFF beverages, including AJ and beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, is associated with asthma in children aged 2-9 years. Results support the mechanistic hypothesis that enFruAGE may be an overlooked contributor to asthma in children. Longitudinal studies are needed to provide evidence of causal association.
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Consumer diversity across kingdoms supports multiple functions in a coastal ecosystem
Hensel, Marc J. S.; Silliman, Brian R.
2013-01-01
The global biodiversity crisis impairs the valuable benefits ecosystems provide humans. These nature-generated benefits are defined by a multitude of different ecosystem functions that operate simultaneously. Although several studies have simulated species loss in communities and tracked the response of single functions such as productivity or nutrient cycling, these studies have involved relatively similar taxa, and seldom are strikingly different functions examined. With the exception of highly managed ecosystems such as agricultural fields, rarely are we interested in only one function being performed well. Instead, we rely on ecosystems to deliver several different functions at the same time. Here, we experimentally investigated the extinction impacts of dominant consumers in a salt marsh. These consumers are remarkably phylogenetically diverse, spanning two kingdoms (i.e., Animalia and Fungi). Our field studies reveal that a diverse consumer assemblage significantly enhances simultaneous functioning of disparate ecosystem processes (i.e., productivity, decomposition, and infiltration). Extreme functional and phylogenetic differences among consumers underlie this relationship. Each marsh consumer affected at least one different ecosystem function, and each individual function was affected by no more than two consumers. The implications of these findings are profound: If we want ecosystems to perform many different functions well, it is not just number of species that matter. Rather, the presence of species representing markedly different ecologies and biology is also essential to maximizing multiple functions. Moreover, this work emphasizes the need to incorporate both microcomponents and macrocomponents of food webs to accurately predict biodiversity declines on integrated-ecosystem functioning. PMID:24297926
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Citizen journalism in a time of crisis: lessons from a large-scale California wildfire
S. Gillette; J. Taylor; D.J. Chavez; R. Hodgson; J. Downing
2007-01-01
The accessibility of news production tools through consumer communication technology has made it possible for media consumers to become media producers. The evolution of media consumer to media producer has important implications for the shape of public discourse during a time of crisis. Citizen journalists cover crisis events using camera cell phones and digital...
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Predictors of Dietary Supplement Use by U.S. Coast Guard Personnel
Austin, Krista G.; Price, Lori Lyn; McGraw, Susan M.; Lieberman, Harris R.
2015-01-01
Background Personnel in Armed Forces entities such as the US Coast Guard (USCG) engage in strenuous tasks requiring high levels of physiological and psychological fitness. Previous reports have found increased prevalence of dietary supplement (DS) use by military personnel to meet the demands of their occupation. Objective This study assessed DS prevalence and patterns of use in USCG personnel and compared these findings to reports from other Armed Forces personnel. Design Use of DS by USCG personnel (n = 1059) was assessed by survey at USCG installations. Data were weighted by age, sex, and rank to be representative of total USCG demographics. Results Seventy percent of USCG personnel reported using a DS at least 1 time/wk. Thirty-three percent used 1–2 DS ≤ 1 time/wk, 18% 3–4 DS ≥ 1 time/wk, and almost 19% ≥ 5 DS ≥ 1 time/wk. Average expenditure on DSs by UCSG personnel was $40/mo. More than 47% of USCG personnel used a multivitamin and mineral, 33% consumed protein supplements, 22% used individual vitamins and minerals, 23% reported taking combination products, and 9% consumed herbal supplements. Increased use of DS use was associated with high intensity operational occupations, participating in high volumes of aerobic exercise and strength training. Use of DS was not associated with age, education or body mass index. Conclusion Occupation is an important determinate of DS use. Prevalence of DS use by USCG personnel is greater than reported for other Armed Forces personnel and reflects high levels of participation in aerobic and strength training activities. PMID:26230407
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Predictors of Dietary Supplement Use by U.S. Coast Guard Personnel.
Austin, Krista G; Price, Lori Lyn; McGraw, Susan M; Lieberman, Harris R
2015-01-01
Personnel in Armed Forces entities such as the US Coast Guard (USCG) engage in strenuous tasks requiring high levels of physiological and psychological fitness. Previous reports have found increased prevalence of dietary supplement (DS) use by military personnel to meet the demands of their occupation. This study assessed DS prevalence and patterns of use in USCG personnel and compared these findings to reports from other Armed Forces personnel. Use of DS by USCG personnel (n = 1059) was assessed by survey at USCG installations. Data were weighted by age, sex, and rank to be representative of total USCG demographics. Seventy percent of USCG personnel reported using a DS at least 1 time/wk. Thirty-three percent used 1-2 DS ≤ 1 time/wk, 18% 3-4 DS ≥ 1 time/wk, and almost 19% ≥ 5 DS ≥ 1 time/wk. Average expenditure on DSs by UCSG personnel was $40/mo. More than 47% of USCG personnel used a multivitamin and mineral, 33% consumed protein supplements, 22% used individual vitamins and minerals, 23% reported taking combination products, and 9% consumed herbal supplements. Increased use of DS use was associated with high intensity operational occupations, participating in high volumes of aerobic exercise and strength training. Use of DS was not associated with age, education or body mass index. Occupation is an important determinate of DS use. Prevalence of DS use by USCG personnel is greater than reported for other Armed Forces personnel and reflects high levels of participation in aerobic and strength training activities.
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Consumer involvement in the health technology assessment program.
Royle, Jane; Oliver, Sandy
2004-01-01
This study aims to describe a cycle of development leading to sustainable methods for involving consumers in the management of a program commissioning health technology assessment. Staff time was dedicated to developing procedures for recruiting and briefing consumers to participate in prioritizing, commissioning, and reporting research. Resources and support were developed in light of early feedback from consumers and those working with them. These were piloted and amended before being used routinely. Over 4 years, procedures and resources have been developed to support six consumers attending seven to eight prioritization meetings a year; thirty to forty-five consumers each year commenting on research need for particular topics; thirty consumers a year commenting on research proposals, and twenty a year commenting on research reports. The procedures include clear job descriptions, induction and development days, clear briefing materials, payment for substantial tasks, and regularly seeking feedback to improve procedures. Explicit, inclusive, and reproducible methods for supporting consumer involvement that satisfy National Health Service policy recommendations for involving consumers in research require dedicated staff time to support a cycle of organizational development.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
T. Schirber, B. Schoenbauer
High-performance water heaters are typically more time consuming and costly to install in retrofit applications, making high-performance water heaters difficult to justify economically. However, recent advancements in high-performance water heaters have targeted the retrofit market, simplifying installations and reducing costs. Four high-efficiency natural gas water heaters designed specifically for retrofit applications were installed in single-family homes along with detailed monitoring systems to characterize their savings potential, their installed efficiencies, and their ability to meet household demands.
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16 CFR 1115.14 - Time computations.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS SUBSTANTIAL... spend a reasonable time for investigation and evaluation. (See § 1115.14(d).) (d) Time for investigation and evaluation. A subject firm may conduct a reasonably expeditious investigation in order to evaluate...
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Clough, Shannon J; Hudson, Randall L; Dubocovich, Margarita L
2018-05-02
Palatable food is known for its ability to enhance reinforcing responses. Studies have suggested a circadian variation in both drug and natural reinforcement, with each following its own time course. The goal of this study was to determine the role of the MT 1 and MT 2 melatonin receptors in palatable snack food-induced reinforcement, as measured by the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm during the light and dark phases. C3H/HeN wild-type mice were trained for snack food-induced CPP at either ZT 6 - 8 (ZT: Zeitgeber time; ZT 0 = lights on), when endogenous melatonin levels are low, or ZT 19 - 21, when melatonin levels are high. These time points also correspond to the high and low points for expression of the circadian gene Period1, respectively. The amount of snack food (chow, Cheetos®, Froot Loops® and Oreos®) consumed was of similar magnitude at both times, however only C3H/HeN mice conditioned to snack food at ZT 6 - 8 developed a place preference. C3H/HeN mice with a genetic deletion of either the MT 1 (MT 1 KO) or MT 2 (MT 2 KO) receptor tested at ZT 6 - 8 did not develop a place preference for snack food. Although the MT 2 KO mice showed a similar amount of snack food consumed when compared to wild-type mice, the MT 1 KO mice consumed significantly less than either genotype. We conclude that in our mouse model snack food-induced CPP is dependent on time of day and the presence of the MT 1 or MT 2 receptors, suggesting a role for melatonin and its receptors in snack food-induced reinforcement. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Adiabatic Demagnetisation Refrigerators for Future Sub-Millimetre Space Missions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hepburn, I. D.; Davenport, I.; Smith, A.
1995-10-01
Space worthy refrigeration capable of providing a 100 mK and below heat load sink for bolometric detectors will be required for the next generation of sub-millimetre space missions. Adiabatic demagnetisation refrigeration (ADR), being a gravity independent laboratory method for obtaining such temperatures, is a favourable technique for utilisation in space. We show that by considering a 3 salt pill refrigerator rather than the classic single salt pill design the space prohibitive laboratory ADR properties of high magnetic field (6 Tesla) and a<2 K environment (provided by a bath of liquid4He) can be alleviated, while maintaining a sufficient low temperature hold time and short recycle time. The additional salt pills, composed of Gadolinium Gallium Garnet (GGG) provide intermediate cooling stages, enabling operation from a 4 K environment provided by a single 4 K mechanical cooler, thereby providing consumable free operation. Such ADRs could operate with fields as low as 1 Tesla allowing the use of high temperature, mechanically cooled superconducting magnets and so effectively remove the risk of quenching. We discuss the possibility of increasing the hold time from 3 hours, for the model presented, to between 40 and 80 hours, plus reducing the number of salt pills to two, through the use of a more efficient Garnet. We believe the technical advances necessitated by the envisaged ADRs are minimal and conclude that such ADRs offer a long orbital life time, consumable free, high efficiency means of milli-Kelvin cooling, requiring relatively little laboratory development.
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2011-01-01
Background Although Iran is a high-risk region for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), dietary factors that may contribute to this high incidence have not been thoroughly studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of macronutrients, vitamins and minerals on the risk of ESCC. Methods In this hospital-based case-control study, 47 cases with incident ESCC and 96 controls were interviewed and usual dietary intakes were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Data were modeled through unconditional multiple logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), controlling for age, sex, gastrointestinal reflux, body mass index, smoking history (status, intensity and duration), physical activity, and education. Results ESCC cases consumed significantly more hot foods and beverages and fried and barbecued meals, compared to the controls (p < 0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders, the risk of ESCC increased significantly in the highest tertiles of saturated fat [OR:2.88,95%CI:1.15-3.08], cholesterol [OR:1.53, 95%CI: 1.41-4.13], discretionary calorie [OR:1.51, 95%CI: 1.06-3.84], sodium [OR:1.49,95%CI:1.12-2.89] and total fat intakes [OR:1.48, 95%CI:1.09-3.04]. In contrast, being in the highest tertile of carbohydrate, dietary fiber and (n-3) fatty acid intake reduced the ESCC risk by 78%, 71% and 68%, respectively. The most cancer-protective effect was observed for the combination of high folate and vitamin E intakes (OR: 0.02, 95%CI: 0.00-0.87; p < 0.001). Controls consumed 623.5 times higher selenium, 5.48 times as much β-carotene and 1.98 times as much α-tocopherol as the amount ESCC cases consumed. Conclusion This study suggests that high intake of nutrients primarily found in plant-based foods is associated with a reduced esophageal cancer risk. Some nutrients such as folate, vitamin E and selenium might play major roles in the etiology of ESCC and their status may eventually be used as an epidemiological marker for esophageal cancer in Iran, and perhaps other high-risk regions. PMID:22185224
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EU actions to ensure the safety of tattoos and the protection of consumers.
Rico, Ana María Blass
2015-01-01
The number of tattooed persons has been continuously increasing in the last few years, particularly in the younger population. At the same time, the possibility of purchasing tattoo inks online is easier than ever worldwide. Consumers are not always sufficiently aware of the possible health problems associated with this 'cool fashion' if hygiene conditions are not respected and/or if the injected mixtures contain dangerous chemicals. Concerns about the possible health risks associated with such practices arise from the absence of a clear legislative framework, the lack of proper risk assessment of the chemicals used, and non-harmonised or missing hygiene and purity requirements, among other factors. There is a general consensus among all active stakeholders that EU harmonised rules would help to ensure a consistent high level of protection of consumers across the EU. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.
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Australian adult consumers' beliefs about plant foods: a qualitative study.
Lea, Emma; Worsley, Anthony; Crawford, David
2005-12-01
This exploratory qualitative study examined consumers' perceived barriers and benefits of plant food (fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds) consumption and views on the promotion of these foods. Ten focus groups were conducted in Melbourne, Australia. Groups consisted of employees of various workplaces, community group members, university students, and inner-city residents. Health-related benefits predominated, particularly relating to the properties of plant foods (e.g., vitamins). Taste, variety, versatility, and environmental benefits were also considered important. The main barriers to eating plant foods were lack of knowledge and skills and length of preparation time. The poor quality of plant foods was also an issue for consumers. Awareness of the promotion of plant foods was generally high. Participants noted that promotions require a stronger practical emphasis with a focus on quick, easy-to-prepare foods and meals. These findings provide insight into effective ways to promote a higher consumption of plant foods.
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Leckey, Jill J; Hoffman, Nolan J; Parr, Evelyn B; Devlin, Brooke L; Trewin, Adam J; Stepto, Nigel K; Morton, James P; Burke, Louise M; Hawley, John A
2018-06-01
High-fat, low-carbohydrate (CHO) diets increase whole-body rates of fat oxidation and down-regulate CHO metabolism. We measured substrate utilization and skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration to determine whether these adaptations are driven by high fat or low CHO availability. In a randomized crossover design, 8 male cyclists consumed 5 d of a high-CHO diet [>70% energy intake (EI)], followed by 5 d of either an isoenergetic high-fat (HFAT; >65% EI) or high-protein diet (HPRO; >65% EI) with CHO intake clamped at <20% EI. During the intervention, participants undertook daily exercise training. On d 6, participants consumed a high-CHO diet before performing 100 min of submaximal steady-state cycling plus an ∼30-min time trial. After 5 d of HFAT, skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration supported by octanoylcarnitine and pyruvate, as well as uncoupled respiration, was decreased at rest, and rates of whole-body fat oxidation were higher during exercise compared with HPRO. After 1 d of high-CHO diet intake, mitochondrial respiration returned to baseline values in HFAT, whereas rates of substrate oxidation returned toward baseline in both conditions. These findings demonstrate that high dietary fat intake, rather than low-CHO intake, contributes to reductions in mitochondrial respiration and increases in whole-body rates of fat oxidation after a consuming a high-fat, low-CHO diet.-Leckey, J. J., Hoffman, N. J., Parr, E. B., Devlin, B. L., Trewin, A. J., Stepto, N. K., Morton, J. P., Burke, L. M., Hawley, J. A. High dietary fat intake increases fat oxidation and reduces skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in trained humans.
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Making Space for Consuming Practices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rooney, Donna; Manidis, Marie; Scheeres, Hermine
2016-01-01
This empirically driven paper is about workplace learning with specific focus on the "work" of "consuming practices." By "consuming" we refer to the eating, and the drinking, and (at times) to the smoking that workers, in most organisations, do on a daily basis. Indeed, it is the quotidian nature of consuming, coupled…
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Strategies to Increase Behavior-Specific Teacher Praise in an Inclusive Environment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Musti-Rao, Shobana; Haydon, Todd
2011-01-01
Managing students' disruptive behavior in the classroom can be a time-consuming task and greatly reduces the amount of time teachers spend on instruction. Although there are several research-validated classroom management strategies, teachers are more likely to adopt strategies that are less time-consuming than strategies that take more time or…
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Egeland, Karina Myhren; Ruud, Torleif; Ogden, Terje; Färdig, Rickard; Lindstrøm, Jonas Christoffer; Heiervang, Kristin Sverdvik
2017-01-01
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation strategy used in the first-phase of implementation of the Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) programme, an intervention for adults with severe mental illnesses, in nine mental health service settings in Norway. A total of 9 clinical leaders, 31 clinicians, and 44 consumers at 9 service settings participated in the implementation of IMR. Implementation was conducted by an external team of researchers and an experienced trainer. Data were gathered on fidelity to the intervention and implementation strategy, feasibility, and consumer outcomes. Although the majority of clinicians scored within the acceptable range of high intervention fidelity, their participation in the implementation strategy appeared to moderate anticipated future use of IMR. No service settings reached high intervention fidelity scores for organizational quality improvement after 12 months of implementation. IMR implementation seemed feasible, albeit with some challenges. Consumer outcomes indicated significant improvements in illness self-management, severity of problems, functioning, and hope. There were nonsignificant positive changes in symptoms and quality of life. The implementation strategy appeared adequate to build clinician competence over time, enabling clinicians to provide treatment that increased functioning and hope for consumers. Additional efficient strategies should be incorporated to facilitate organizational change and thus secure the sustainability of the implemented practice. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02077829. Registered 25 February 2014.
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An Investigation into the Optimal Number of Distractors in Single-Best Answer Exams
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kilgour, James M.; Tayyaba, Saadia
2016-01-01
In UK medical schools, five-option single-best answer (SBA) questions are the most widely accepted format of summative knowledge assessment. However, writing SBA questions with four effective incorrect options is difficult and time consuming, and consequently, many SBAs contain a high frequency of implausible distractors. Previous research has…
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Evaluating Portfolio Use as a Learning Tool for Professionals.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Smith, Kari; Tillema, Harm
1998-01-01
Studies of portfolio construction and compilation involving 35 Israeli principals and 14 Dutch managers show that high-quality portfolios can only be expected after sustained use, but that the use of portfolios has an immediate impact on views toward assessment. Portfolios are time-consuming, but can provide effective feedback to the learner. (SLD)
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From the Classroom to Our Communities: Bradley's FCS Department Prepares for the Future
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Randall, G. Kevin; Brandes, Kendra; Choi, Chang-Ok; Collins, Nina; Dallmeyer, Martha; Davidson, Jeannette; Newell, Amanda
2010-01-01
Accountability for student success is at an all-time high in higher education; programs are challenged to actively engage students through significant learning experiences for cognitive, affective, and behavioral change. Family and consumer sciences departments are poised to lead the way in developing and modeling educational practices that result…
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The Effect of Study Group Participation on Student Naval Aviator Persistence
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sheppard, Thomas H.
2010-01-01
Training naval combat pilots is expensive and time consuming, it follows that attrition from flight training is costly to the government and traumatic for the individual. Flight training is considered high-risk training, and therefore strictly voluntary. Voluntary withdrawal from naval flight training is the largest unexplained reason for Student…
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Factors Affecting the Longevity of Special Education Teachers in Public Schools
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mancini, Rebecca Jane
2011-01-01
The challenges of maintaining highly qualified special education teachers are evident in public schools across the nation. Replacing educators who leave the field is a time consuming and expensive endeavor that impacts the achievement and progress of children with disabilities. This study is focused on explaining length of tenure in the profession…
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Automated Problem Generation in Learning Management Systems: A Tutorial
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Romero, Jaime; Rozano, Mercedes
2016-01-01
The benefits of solving problems have been widely acknowledged by literature. Its implementation in e-learning platforms can make easier its management and the learning process itself. However, its implementation can also become a very time-consuming task, particularly when the number of problems to generate is high. In this tutorial we describe a…
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Semi-Automatic Grading of Students' Answers Written in Free Text
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Escudeiro, Nuno; Escudeiro, Paula; Cruz, Augusto
2011-01-01
The correct grading of free text answers to exam questions during an assessment process is time consuming and subject to fluctuations in the application of evaluation criteria, particularly when the number of answers is high (in the hundreds). In consequence of these fluctuations, inherent to human nature, and largely determined by emotional…
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Elements of Effective E-Learning Design
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brown, Andrew R.; Voltz, Bradley D.
2005-01-01
Preparing and developing e-learning materials is a costly and time consuming enterprise. This paper highlights the elements of effective design that we consider assist in the development of high quality materials in a cost efficient way. We introduce six elements of design and discuss each in some detail. These elements focus on paying attention…
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More Students Master "Basics" on Writing NAEP
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Manzo, Kathleen Kennedy
2008-01-01
At a time when many teenagers are consumed by such activities as text-messaging, blogging, and social networking, more middle and high school students than in the past have mastered the formal "basic" writing skills needed to express ideas or share information, national assessment results released last week show. But just small proportions--33…
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Opinion: High-Quality Mathematics Resources as Public Goods
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Russo, James
2017-01-01
James Russo begins a discussion of the difficulty and time-consuming activity of Googling to find lesson plans and resources to keep his lessons more interesting and engaging, since such resources seem particularly scarce for math teachers. Russo writes that joining professional associations has given him ready access to higher quality resources…
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USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Consumption of raw milk from pasture-fed cows, typically purchased at local farms, is steadily increasing in the US because many consumers believe that high-temperature short-time (HTST) or ultrahigh temperature (UHT) pasteurization affects the digestibility of milk proteins and thus the bioavailabi...
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Surface Plasmon Resonance: An Introduction to a Surface Spectroscopy Technique
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tang, Yijun; Zeng, Xiangqun; Liang, Jennifer
2010-01-01
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has become an important optical biosensing technology in the areas of biochemistry, biology, and medical sciences because of its real-time, label-free, and noninvasive nature. The high cost of commercial devices and consumables has prevented SPR from being introduced in the undergraduate laboratory. Here, we present…
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Traditional developmental neurotoxicity tests performed in vivo are costly, time-consuming and utilize a large number of animals. In order to address these inefficiencies, in vitro models of neuronal development have been used in a first tier screening approach for developmenta...
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Translating Data into Information to Improve Teaching and Learning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bernhardt, Victoria L.
2007-01-01
In these times of high-stakes accountability, all professional educators must learn how to gather, analyze, and use data to improve teaching and learning, becoming efficient generators and consumers of data. The intended audiences for this book are school and district administrators and teacher leaders who recognize the need to use data to…
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Kansa, E.J.; Wijesinghe, A.M.; Viani, B.E.
1997-01-14
The remediation of heterogeneous subsurfaces is extremely time consuming and expensive with current and developing technologies. Although such technologies can adequately remove contaminants in the high hydraulic conductivity, coarse-grained sediments, they cannot access the contaminated low hydraulic conductivity fine-grained sediments. The slow bleed of contaminants from the fine-grained sediments is the primary reason why subsurface remediation is so time-consuming and expensive. This invention addresses the problem of remediating contaminated fine-grained sediments. It is intended that, in the future, a heterogeneous site be treated by a hybrid process that first remediates the high hydraulic conductivity, coarse-grained sediments, to be followed by the process, described in this invention, to treat the contaminated low hydraulic conductivity fine-grained sediments. The invention uses cationic flocculants and organic solvents to collapse the swelling negative double layer surrounding water saturated clay particles, causing a flocculated, cracked clay structure. The modification of the clay fabric in fine-grained sediments dramatically increases the hydraulic conductivity of previously very tight clays many orders of magnitude. 8 figs.
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Kansa, Edward J.; Wijesinghe, Ananda M.; Viani, Brian E.
1997-01-01
The remediation of heterogeneous subsurfaces is extremely time consuming and expensive with current and developing technologies. Although such technologies can adequately remove contaminants in the high hydraulic conductivity, coarse-grained sediments, they cannot access the contaminated low hydraulic conductivity fine-grained sediments. The slow bleed of contaminants from the fine-grained sediments is the primary reason why subsurface remediation is so time-consuming and expensive. This invention addresses the problem of remediating contaminated fine-grained sediments. It is intended that, in the future, a heterogeneous site be treated by a hybrid process that first remediates the high hydraulic conductivity, coarse-grained sediments, to be followed by the process, described in this invention, to treat the contaminated low hydraulic conductivity fine-grained sediments. The invention uses cationic flocculents and organic solvents to collapse the swelling negative double layer surrounding water saturated clay particles, causing a flocculated, cracked clay structure. The modification of the clay fabric in fine-grained sediments dramatically increases the hydraulic conductivity of previously very tight clays many orders of magnitude.
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Understanding the role consumer involvement plays in the effectiveness of hospital advertising.
McCullough, Tammy; Dodge, H Robert
2002-01-01
Both intensified competition and greater consumer participation in the choice process for healthcare has increased the importance of advertising for health care providers and seriously challenged many of the preconceptions regarding advertising. This study investigates the effectiveness of advertising under conditions of high and low involvement using the Elaboration Likelihood Model to develop hypotheses that are tested in a 2 x 2 x 2 experimental design. The study findings provide insights into the influence of message content and message source on consumers categorized as high or low involvement. It was found that consumers classified as high-involvement are more influenced by a core service-relevant message than those consumers classified as low-involvement. Moreover, a non-physician spokesperson was found to have as much or more influence as a physician spokesperson regardless of the consumers' involvement level.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Maaß, Heiko; Cakmak, Hüseyin Kemal; Bach, Felix; Mikut, Ralf; Harrabi, Aymen; Süß, Wolfgang; Jakob, Wilfried; Stucky, Karl-Uwe; Kühnapfel, Uwe G.; Hagenmeyer, Veit
2015-12-01
Power networks will change from a rigid hierarchic architecture to dynamic interconnected smart grids. In traditional power grids, the frequency is the controlled quantity to maintain supply and load power balance. Thereby, high rotating mass inertia ensures for stability. In the future, system stability will have to rely more on real-time measurements and sophisticated control, especially when integrating fluctuating renewable power sources or high-load consumers like electrical vehicles to the low-voltage distribution grid.
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Breakfast is associated with the metabolic syndrome and school performance among Taiwanese children.
Ho, Chia-Yi; Huang, Yi-Chen; Lo, Yuan-Ting C; Wahlqvist, Mark L; Lee, Meei-Shyuan
2015-01-01
Skipping breakfast is associated with adverse child health profiles including obesity, higher blood pressure, higher serum cholesterol, and poor cognitive function. We aimed to explore the association between breakfast with school performance and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Taiwanese children. Participants were enrolled from the representative Elementary School Children's Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (2001-2002). Diet, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood glucose, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were assessed in 1287 boys and 1114 girls. Their school and social performances were examined using the modified Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance questionnaire. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to estimate the risk of MetS and also the association between breakfast consumption frequency and school or social performance. When breakfast consumption was regular, overall dietary quality was better. Children who consumed breakfast daily exhibited lower risks of high blood pressure (OR=0.37, 95% CI=0.19-0.71) and of MetS (OR=0.22, 95% CI=0.09-0.51) compared with children who consumed breakfast 0-4 times per week. Furthermore, children who consumed breakfast daily exhibited a higher overall competence (OC) score (β=0.71, p<0.05) in a dose-response manner (p for trend=0.02). This association was not dependent on overall diet or MetS. In conclusion, consuming breakfast daily is associated with better school performance, a lower risk of high blood pressure, and MetS independent of overall dietary quality. Thus, breakfast on school days is a factor in school performance and health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Djelal, Hayet; Chniti, Sofien; Jemni, Monia; Weill, Amélie; Sayed, Walaa; Amrane, Abdeltif
2017-04-01
Ethanol production from by-products of dates in very high gravity was conducted in batch fermentation using two yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, as well as a native strain: an osmophilic strain of bacteria which was isolated for the first time from the juice of dates (Phoenix dactylifera L.). The phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S ribosomal RNA and gyrB sequence and physiological analysis indicated that the strain identified belongs to the genus of Bacillus, B. amyloliquefaciens. The ethanol yields produced from the syrup of dates (175 g L -1 and 360 g L -1 of total sugar) were 40.6% and 29.5%, respectively. By comparing the ethanol production by the isolated bacteria to that obtained using Z. rouxii and S. cerevisiae, it can be concluded that B. amyloliquefaciens was suitable for ethanol production from the syrup of dates and can consume the three types of sugar (glucose, fructose, and sucrose). Using Z. rouxii, fructose was preferentially consumed, while glucose was consumed only after fructose depletion. From this, B. amyloliquefaciens was promising for the bioethanol industry. In addition, this latter showed a good tolerance for high sugar concentration (36%), allowing ethanol production in batch fermentation at pH 5.0 and 28 °C in date syrup medium. Promising ethanol yield produced to sugar consumed were observed for the two osmotolerant microorganisms, Z. rouxii and B. amyloliquefaciens, nearly 32-33%, which were further improved when they were cocultivated, leading to an ethanol to glucose yield of 42-43%.
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The compatibility of consumer DLP projectors with time-sequential stereoscopic 3D visualisation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Woods, Andrew J.; Rourke, Tegan
2007-02-01
A range of advertised "Stereo-Ready" DLP projectors are now available in the market which allow high-quality flickerfree stereoscopic 3D visualization using the time-sequential stereoscopic display method. The ability to use a single projector for stereoscopic viewing offers a range of advantages, including extremely good stereoscopic alignment, and in some cases, portability. It has also recently become known that some consumer DLP projectors can be used for timesequential stereoscopic visualization, however it was not well understood which projectors are compatible and incompatible, what display modes (frequency and resolution) are compatible, and what stereoscopic display quality attributes are important. We conducted a study to test a wide range of projectors for stereoscopic compatibility. This paper reports on the testing of 45 consumer DLP projectors of widely different specifications (brand, resolution, brightness, etc). The projectors were tested for stereoscopic compatibility with various video formats (PAL, NTSC, 480P, 576P, and various VGA resolutions) and video input connections (composite, SVideo, component, and VGA). Fifteen projectors were found to work well at up to 85Hz stereo in VGA mode. Twenty three projectors would work at 60Hz stereo in VGA mode.
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Strategies to reduce sodium consumption: a food industry perspective.
Dötsch, Mariska; Busch, Johanneke; Batenburg, Max; Liem, Gie; Tareilus, Erwin; Mueller, Rudi; Meijer, Gert
2009-11-01
The global high prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease has raised concerns regarding the sodium content of the foods which we consume. Over 75% of sodium intake in industrialized diets is likely to come from processed and restaurant foods. Therefore international authorities, such as the World Health Organisation, are encouraging the food industry to reduce sodium levels in their products. Significant sodium reduction is not without complications as salt plays an important role in taste, and in some products is needed also for preservation and processing. The most promising sodium reduction strategy is to adapt the preference of consumers for saltiness by reducing sodium in products in small steps. However, this is a time-consuming approach that needs to be applied industry-wide in order to be effective. Therefore the food industry is also investigating solutions that will maintain the same perceived salt intensity at lower sodium levels. Each of these has specific advantages, disadvantages, and time lines for implementation. Currently applied approaches are resulting in sodium reduction between 20-30%. Further reduction will require new technologies. Research into the physiology of taste perception and salt receptors is an emerging area of science that is needed in order to achieve larger sodium reductions.
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Diel feeding ecology of Slimy Sculpin in a tributary to Skaneateles Lake, New York
Chalupnicki, Marc A.; Johnson, James H.
2016-01-01
Interactions among the benthic community are typically overlooked but play an important role in fish community dynamics. We examined the diel feeding ecology of Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus) from Grout Brook, a tributary to Skaneateles Lake. Of the six time periods examined, Slimy Sculpin consumed the least during the nighttime (2400 h and 0400 h). Chironomids were the major prey consumed during all time periods except for 2400 h when ephemeropterans were the major prey consumed. There was a moderate preference by Slimy Sculpin for food from the benthos (0.59 ± 0.06) with Diptera (Chironomids), Ephemeroptera (Baetidae), and Trichoptera (Brachycentridae) representing the major taxa. Slimy Sculpin appear to be opportunistic feeders selecting what is most available in the brook. Index of fullness was variable and averaged 1.15% across the diel cycle. Daily ration was measured as a function of fish dry body weight and ranged from 0.12 to 0.22. Estimates of daily consumption ranged from 0.007% to 4.0% of body weight, which corresponds to reports for other species. These findings have application in gauging the relative importance of Slimy Sculpin in streams where highly valued salmonid species also occur.
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A Fast Evaluation Method for Energy Building Consumption Based on the Design of Experiments
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Belahya, Hocine; Boubekri, Abdelghani; Kriker, Abdelouahed
2017-08-01
Building sector is one of the effective consumer energy by 42% in Algeria. The need for energy has continued to grow, in inordinate way, due to lack of legislation on energy performance in this large consumer sector. Another reason is the simultaneous change of users’ requirements to maintain their comfort, especially summer in dry lands and parts of southern Algeria, where the town of Ouargla presents a typical example which leads to a large amount of electricity consumption through the use of air conditioning. In order to achieve a high performance envelope of the building, an optimization of major parameters building envelope is required, using design of experiments (DOE), can determine the most effective parameters and eliminate the less importance. The study building is often complex and time consuming due to the large number of parameters to consider. This study focuses on reducing the computing time and determines the major parameters of building energy consumption, such as area of building, factor shape, orientation, ration walls to windows …etc to make some proposal models in order to minimize the seasonal energy consumption due to air conditioning needs.
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Teacher's Kit for Consumer Education.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hawaii State Dept. of Education, Honolulu. Office of Instructional Services.
This curriculum guide on Consumer Education, designed for high school seniors, was developed to help students become aware of and knowledgeable about their role as consumers in today's society. The following key concepts for study are emphasized: general principles of consumer purchasing; consumer credit; general principles of fraud, quackery,…
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Hardware architecture design of image restoration based on time-frequency domain computation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wen, Bo; Zhang, Jing; Jiao, Zipeng
2013-10-01
The image restoration algorithms based on time-frequency domain computation is high maturity and applied widely in engineering. To solve the high-speed implementation of these algorithms, the TFDC hardware architecture is proposed. Firstly, the main module is designed, by analyzing the common processing and numerical calculation. Then, to improve the commonality, the iteration control module is planed for iterative algorithms. In addition, to reduce the computational cost and memory requirements, the necessary optimizations are suggested for the time-consuming module, which include two-dimensional FFT/IFFT and the plural calculation. Eventually, the TFDC hardware architecture is adopted for hardware design of real-time image restoration system. The result proves that, the TFDC hardware architecture and its optimizations can be applied to image restoration algorithms based on TFDC, with good algorithm commonality, hardware realizability and high efficiency.
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Fast 3D Surface Extraction 2 pages (including abstract)
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Sewell, Christopher Meyer; Patchett, John M.; Ahrens, James P.
Ocean scientists searching for isosurfaces and/or thresholds of interest in high resolution 3D datasets required a tedious and time-consuming interactive exploration experience. PISTON research and development activities are enabling ocean scientists to rapidly and interactively explore isosurfaces and thresholds in their large data sets using a simple slider with real time calculation and visualization of these features. Ocean Scientists can now visualize more features in less time, helping them gain a better understanding of the high resolution data sets they work with on a daily basis. Isosurface timings (512{sup 3} grid): VTK 7.7 s, Parallel VTK (48-core) 1.3 s, PISTONmore » OpenMP (48-core) 0.2 s, PISTON CUDA (Quadro 6000) 0.1 s.« less
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Anticipatory and reactive responses to chocolate restriction in frequent chocolate consumers.
Keeler, Chelsey L; Mattes, Richard D; Tan, Sze-Yen
2015-06-01
Many individuals have difficulty adhering to a weight loss diet. One possible explanation could be that dietary restriction paradoxically contributes to overconsumption. The objective of this study was to examine ingestive behavior under a forced chocolate restriction with a focus on the anticipatory restriction period and the post-restriction period in frequent chocolate consumers. Fifty-six male (N = 18) and female (N = 38) high chocolate consumers with high (N = 25) or low (N = 31) cognitive disinhibition participated. Chocolate snacks were provided for a week each to establish baseline, pre-restriction, and post-restriction consumption, Chocolate snacks were replaced with nonchocolate snacks during a 3-week chocolate restriction period. Highly disinhibited participants felt more guilty and consumed significantly more energy than low disinhibited participants across snack conditions. Low disinhibited participants consumed significantly less in the post-restriction period compared to baseline and the pre-restriction period, while high disinhibited participants consumed the same amount across all conditions. Aggregating the data, high and low disinhibited chocolate consumers ate snacks more frequently in the pre- and post-restriction periods compared to the baseline period. This study suggests that for some individuals, restriction of a preferred food like chocolate may be contraindicated for energy restriction and weight management. © 2015 The Obesity Society.
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Lee, A P; Barbano, D M; Drake, M A
2017-03-01
Fluid milk is traditionally pasteurized by high temperature, short time (HTST) pasteurization, which requires heating to at least 72°C for 15 s. Ultra-pasteurization (UP) extends milk shelf life and is defined as heating to at least 138°C for 2 s. The UP process can be done by indirect heating (IND) or by direct steam injection (DSI). The influence of these 2 UP methods on milk flavor has not been widely investigated. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of HTST, IND-UP, and DSI-UP on sensory perception of fluid milk. Raw skim and standardized 2% milks were pasteurized at 140°C for 2.3 s by IND or DSI or by HTST (78°C, 15 s) and homogenized at 20.7 MPa. The processed milks were stored in light-shielded opaque high-density polyethylene containers at 4°C and examined by descriptive analysis and microbial analysis on d 3, 7, and 14. Furosine and serum protein denaturation analyses were performed on d 0 and 14 as an indicator of heat treatment. Last, consumer acceptance testing was conducted at d 10, with adults (n = 250) and children (ages 8 to13 y, n = 100) who were self-reported consumers of skim or 2% milk; consumers only received samples for either skim or 2% milk. The entire experiment was repeated in triplicate. Milks treated by HTST had lower cooked flavor than either UP milk. Milks heated by DSI-UP were characterized by sulfur or eggy and cooked flavors, whereas IND-UP milks had higher sweet aromatic and sweet taste compared with DSI-UP milk. Aromatic flavor intensities of all milks decreased across 14 d of storage. Furosine concentrations and serum protein denaturation were highest for the IND treatments, followed by DSI and HTST. Furosine content in both skim and 2% milk increased with time, but the increase was faster in IND-UP skim milk. Adult and child consumers preferred HTST milk over either UP milk, regardless of fat content. Ultra-pasteurization by IND or DSI did not affect consumer acceptance at 10 d postprocessing, but traditional HTST milks were preferred by consumers of all ages. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Cook, Brendan; Gazzano, Jerrome; Gunay, Zeynep; Hiller, Lucas; Mahajan, Sakshi; Taskan, Aynur; Vilogorac, Samra
2012-04-23
The electric grid in the United States has been suffering from underinvestment for years, and now faces pressing challenges from rising demand and deteriorating infrastructure. High congestion levels in transmission lines are greatly reducing the efficiency of electricity generation and distribution. In this paper, we assess the faults of the current electric grid and quantify the costs of maintaining the current system into the future. While the proposed "smart grid" contains many proposals to upgrade the ailing infrastructure of the electric grid, we argue that smart meter installation in each U.S. household will offer a significant reduction in peak demand on the current system. A smart meter is a device which monitors a household's electricity consumption in real-time, and has the ability to display real-time pricing in each household. We conclude that these devices will provide short-term and long-term benefits to utilities and consumers. The smart meter will enable utilities to closely monitor electricity consumption in real-time, while also allowing households to adjust electricity consumption in response to real-time price adjustments.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wibisono, E.; Santoso, A.; Sunaryo, M. A.
2017-11-01
XYZ is a distributor of various consumer goods products. The company plans its delivery routes daily and in order to obtain route construction in a short amount of time, it simplifies the process by assigning drivers based on geographic regions. This approach results in inefficient use of vehicles leading to imbalance workloads. In this paper, we propose a combined method involving heuristic and optimization to obtain better solutions in acceptable computation time. The heuristic is based on a time-oriented, nearest neighbor (TONN) to form clusters if the number of locations is higher than a certain value. The optimization part uses a mathematical modeling formulation based on vehicle routing problem that considers heterogeneous vehicles, time windows, and fixed costs (HVRPTWF) and is used to solve routing problem in clusters. A case study using data from one month of the company’s operations is analyzed, and data from one day of operations are detailed in this paper. The analysis shows that the proposed method results in 24% cost savings on that month, but it can be as high as 54% in a day.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Congressional Research Service.
This publication contains background readings on consumer affairs for students who are going to participate in the 1980-1981 national high school debate. The debate topic selected by the National Federation of State High School Associations is consumer protection. The three debate propositions are that the federal government should 1) initiate and…
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Consumer Education Learning Activities.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Forkner, Jerry; Schatz, Gail
This handbook contains model lessons on consumer education for use with intermediate, junior high, and high school students. The handbook was developed as a result of a grant which the Social Science Education Consortium received to conduct three consumer education workshops for approximately 100 Colorado teachers and school administrators. Many…
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Is cooking at home associated with better diet quality or weight-loss intention?
Wolfson, Julia A; Bleich, Sara N
2015-06-01
To examine national patterns in cooking frequency and diet quality among adults in the USA, overall and by weight-loss intention. Analysis of cross-sectional 24 h dietary recall and interview data. Diet quality measures included total kilojoules per day, grams of fat, sugar and carbohydrates per day, fast-food meals per week, and frozen/pizza and ready-to-eat meals consumed in the past 30 d. Multivariable regression analysis was used to test associations between frequency of cooking dinner per week (low (0-1), medium (2-5) and high (6-7)), dietary outcomes and weight-loss intention. The 2007-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Adults aged 20 years and over (n 9569). In 2007-2010, 8 % of adults lived in households in which someone cooked dinner 0-1 times/week and consumed, on an average day, 9627 total kilojoules, 86 g fat and 135 g sugar. Overall, compared with low cookers (0-1 times/week), a high frequency of cooking dinner (6-7 times/week) was associated with lower consumption of daily kilojoules (9054 v. 9627 kJ, P=0·002), fat (81 v. 86 g, P=0·016) and sugar (119 v. 135 g, P<0·001). Individuals trying to lose weight consumed fewer kilojoules than those not trying to lose weight, regardless of household cooking frequency (2111 v. 2281 kJ/d, P<0·006). Cooking dinner frequently at home is associated with consumption of a healthier diet whether or not one is trying to lose weight. Strategies are needed to encourage more cooking among the general population and help infrequent cookers better navigate the food environment outside the home.
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Continuous use of social commerce: Its conceptual relation with E-WOM, commitment and trust
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sami, Atyaf; Hashim, Kamarul Faizal; Yusof, Shafiz Affendi Mohd
2016-08-01
The popularity of social media has changed the way of doing business and introduces a new type of commerce known later as social commerce (s-commerce). Within s-commerce, consumer's loyalty and returning to use have reduced mainly because it is a high competitive environment, which is simply presented by products that proposed and announced rapidly to the market. S-commerce has a magic power called Electronic Word-of-Mouth (E-WOM). E-WOM enables consumers to make a collaboration decision as well as it enable business to reach up their consumers and their network in low cost and short time. Yet, to date, there is limited research that conducted the effect of E-WOM on consumer's continuous use behavior. Therefore, this study is an attempt to propose a value conceptual model that explains the relationship between e-WOM and continuous use behavior. This study serves not only to clarify the relationship between e-WOM and continuous use, but also to explain the mediating role of trust and commitment in this relationship; a theory known as Commitment-Trust theory is adopted. Additionally, drawing upon flow theory, this study examines flow experience determinants as predictors for promoting e-WOM among s-commerce consumers.
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Performance of a 100V Half-Bridge MOSFET Driver, Type MIC4103, Over a Wide Temperature Range
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Patterson, Richard L.; Hammoud, Ahmad
2011-01-01
The operation of a high frequency, high voltage MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors) driver was investigated over a wide temperature regime that extended beyond its specified range. The Micrel MIC4103 is a 100V, non-inverting, dual driver that is designed to independently drive both high-side and low-side N-channel MOSFETs. It features fast propagation delay times and can drive 1000 pF load with 10ns rise times and 6 ns fall times [1]. The device consumes very little power, has supply under-voltage protection, and is rated for a -40 C to +125 C junction temperature range. The floating high-side driver of the chip can sustain boost voltages up to 100 V. Table I shows some of the device manufacturer s specification.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-05-12
... INFORMATION: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by... for OMB Review; Comment Request; Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services Survey ACTION: Notice...) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-09-11
... on the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) Rule Retrospective Review and Request for Public Comment on... potential approaches for providing Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR) via electronic delivery. EPA plans to... meeting to give EPA time to process your request. Background Consumer Confidence Reports are a key part of...
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Essential tips for measuring levels of consumer satisfaction with rural health service quality.
Smith, Karly B; Humphreys, John S; Jones, Judith A
2006-01-01
Quality of health services is a matter of increasing importance to health authorities. Monitoring consumer satisfaction of health care is an important input to improving the quality of health services. This article highlights a number of important considerations learned from rural consumer studies relevant to ensuring the valid measurement of consumer satisfaction with rural health services, as a means of contributing to quality improvements. This article compares two methods of analysing rural consumers' satisfaction with healthcare services. In one study of three rural communities in western New South Wales (NSW) and eight communities in north-west Victoria, residents were asked to rate their satisfaction with five key aspects of local health services (availability, geographical accessibility, choice, continuity, economic accessibility as measured by affordability) using a 5 point Likert scale from: one = very satisfied to five = very dissatisfied. An alternative method of assessing levels of consumer satisfaction was undertaken in the survey of eight rural communities in north-west Victoria by investigating consumers' experiences with actual and potential complaints in relation to health services. Both the NSW and Victorian respondents reported generally high levels of satisfaction with the five indicators of quality of health care. At the same time, 11% of Victorian study respondents reported having made a complaint about a health service in the previous 12 months, and one-third of the Victorian respondents reported experiences with their health services about which they wanted to complain but did not, over the same period. Interpretation of apparent consumer satisfaction with their health services must take particular account of the measures and research methods used. In assessing consumer satisfaction with health services in rural areas, specific attention should be given to maximising the engagement of rural consumers in order to ensure representativeness of findings, and to minimise possible biases in satisfaction ratings associated with the use of particular tools.
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12 CFR Supplement I to Part 205 - Official Staff Interpretations
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
...) encoding to initiate a one-time ACH debit. For example, if a consumer authorizes a one-time ACH debit from... electronic terminal is involved at the time of the transaction, if the consumer's asset account is... receive a notice that the transaction will be processed as an EFT for each transaction at POS or each time...
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12 CFR Supplement I to Part 205 - Official Staff Interpretations
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
...) encoding to initiate a one-time ACH debit. For example, if a consumer authorizes a one-time ACH debit from... electronic terminal is involved at the time of the transaction, if the consumer's asset account is... receive a notice that the transaction will be processed as an EFT for each transaction at POS or each time...
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Wastewater Biosolid Composting Optimization Based on UV-VNIR Spectroscopy Monitoring
Temporal-Lara, Beatriz; Melendez-Pastor, Ignacio; Gómez, Ignacio; Navarro-Pedreño, Jose
2016-01-01
Conventional wastewater treatment generates large amounts of organic matter–rich sludge that requires adequate treatment to avoid public health and environmental problems. The mixture of wastewater sludge and some bulking agents produces a biosolid to be composted at adequate composting facilities. The composting process is chemically and microbiologically complex and requires an adequate aeration of the biosolid (e.g., with a turner machine) for proper maturation of the compost. Adequate (near) real-time monitoring of the compost maturity process is highly difficult and the operation of composting facilities is not as automatized as other industrial processes. Spectroscopic analysis of compost samples has been successfully employed for compost maturity assessment but the preparation of the solid compost samples is difficult and time-consuming. This manuscript presents a methodology based on a combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation and ultraviolet, visible and short-wave near-infrared spectroscopy. Spectroscopic measurements were performed with liquid compost extract instead of solid compost samples. Partial least square (PLS) models were developed to quantify chemical fractions commonly employed for compost maturity assessment. Effective regression models were obtained for total organic matter (residual predictive deviation—RPD = 2.68), humification ratio (RPD = 2.23), total exchangeable carbon (RPD = 2.07) and total organic carbon (RPD = 1.66) with a modular and cost-effective visible and near infrared (VNIR) spectroradiometer. This combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation with a versatile sensor system provides an easy-to-implement, efficient and cost-effective protocol for compost maturity assessment and near-real-time monitoring. PMID:27854280
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Wastewater Biosolid Composting Optimization Based on UV-VNIR Spectroscopy Monitoring.
Temporal-Lara, Beatriz; Melendez-Pastor, Ignacio; Gómez, Ignacio; Navarro-Pedreño, Jose
2016-11-15
Conventional wastewater treatment generates large amounts of organic matter-rich sludge that requires adequate treatment to avoid public health and environmental problems. The mixture of wastewater sludge and some bulking agents produces a biosolid to be composted at adequate composting facilities. The composting process is chemically and microbiologically complex and requires an adequate aeration of the biosolid (e.g., with a turner machine) for proper maturation of the compost. Adequate (near) real-time monitoring of the compost maturity process is highly difficult and the operation of composting facilities is not as automatized as other industrial processes. Spectroscopic analysis of compost samples has been successfully employed for compost maturity assessment but the preparation of the solid compost samples is difficult and time-consuming. This manuscript presents a methodology based on a combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation and ultraviolet, visible and short-wave near-infrared spectroscopy. Spectroscopic measurements were performed with liquid compost extract instead of solid compost samples. Partial least square (PLS) models were developed to quantify chemical fractions commonly employed for compost maturity assessment. Effective regression models were obtained for total organic matter (residual predictive deviation-RPD = 2.68), humification ratio (RPD = 2.23), total exchangeable carbon (RPD = 2.07) and total organic carbon (RPD = 1.66) with a modular and cost-effective visible and near infrared (VNIR) spectroradiometer. This combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation with a versatile sensor system provides an easy-to-implement, efficient and cost-effective protocol for compost maturity assessment and near-real-time monitoring.
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Effect of information about animal welfare on consumer willingness to pay for yogurt.
Napolitano, F; Pacelli, C; Girolami, A; Braghieri, A
2008-03-01
This study aimed to verify whether consumers confirm their willingness to pay extra costs for higher animal welfare standards in a situation where a potential purchase performed by consumers, such as the Vickrey auction, is used. A 104-member consumer panel was asked to rate its willingness to pay (WTP) for plain and low-fat yogurts in 3 information conditions: tasting without information (blind WTP), information about animal welfare without tasting (expected WTP), tasting with information about animal welfare (actual WTP). Information was provided to the consumers under the form of labels indicating the level of animal cleanliness and freedom of movement (5-point scale, from poor to very good). Consumers were influenced by information about low standards of animal welfare (low cleanliness and low freedom of movement) and moved their willingness to pay in the direction of their expectations. However, the discrepancy between expectancy and actual WTP was not totally assimilated, indicating that WTP was also expressed in relation to other aspects (e.g., the sensory properties of the products). Conversely, the information concerning high standards of animal welfare (high cleanliness and high freedom of movement) was able to affect expectancy but had an effect on actual WTP only when the most acceptable yogurt was offered to the consumers. In the case of discordant information on animal welfare, partly indicating high levels of welfare (freedom of movements) and low levels of welfare (cleanliness), expected WTP was always lower than blind WTP. However, when the least acceptable product was presented, they completely assimilated their actual WTP to the expectations. Conversely, with the most acceptable yogurt, no assimilation occurred and sensory properties prevailed in orienting consumer WTP. Within each product, consumers expressed a higher WTP for products with labels indicating high welfare standards as compared with yogurts with labels reporting intermediate and low welfare standard. These results show that information about animal welfare, if given to the consumers, can be a major determinant of consumer WTP for animal-based food products. However, information about high standards of animal welfare should be paired with products presenting a good eating quality.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lee, Jonathan A.
2005-01-01
High-throughput measurement techniques are reviewed for solid phase transformation from materials produced by combinatorial methods, which are highly efficient concepts to fabricate large variety of material libraries with different compositional gradients on a single wafer. Combinatorial methods hold high potential for reducing the time and costs associated with the development of new materials, as compared to time-consuming and labor-intensive conventional methods that test large batches of material, one- composition at a time. These high-throughput techniques can be automated to rapidly capture and analyze data, using the entire material library on a single wafer, thereby accelerating the pace of materials discovery and knowledge generation for solid phase transformations. The review covers experimental techniques that are applicable to inorganic materials such as shape memory alloys, graded materials, metal hydrides, ferric materials, semiconductors and industrial alloys.
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A proximity algorithm accelerated by Gauss-Seidel iterations for L1/TV denoising models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Qia; Micchelli, Charles A.; Shen, Lixin; Xu, Yuesheng
2012-09-01
Our goal in this paper is to improve the computational performance of the proximity algorithms for the L1/TV denoising model. This leads us to a new characterization of all solutions to the L1/TV model via fixed-point equations expressed in terms of the proximity operators. Based upon this observation we develop an algorithm for solving the model and establish its convergence. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can be accelerated through the use of the componentwise Gauss-Seidel iteration so that the CPU time consumed is significantly reduced. Numerical experiments using the proposed algorithm for impulsive noise removal are included, with a comparison to three recently developed algorithms. The numerical results show that while the proposed algorithm enjoys a high quality of the restored images, as the other three known algorithms do, it performs significantly better in terms of computational efficiency measured in the CPU time consumed.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gardner, Adrian
2010-01-01
National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) weather and atmospheric environmental organizations are insatiable consumers of geophysical, hydrometeorological and solar weather statistics. The expanding array of internet-worked sensors producing targeted physical measurements has generated an almost factorial explosion of near real-time inputs to topical statistical datasets. Normalizing and value-based parsing of such statistical datasets in support of time-constrained weather and environmental alerts and warnings is essential, even with dedicated high-performance computational capabilities. What are the optimal indicators for advanced decision making? How do we recognize the line between sufficient statistical sampling and excessive, mission destructive sampling ? How do we assure that the normalization and parsing process, when interpolated through numerical models, yields accurate and actionable alerts and warnings? This presentation will address the integrated means and methods to achieve desired outputs for NASA and consumers of its data.
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Cadmium, lead, and mercury exposure assessment among croatian consumers of free-living game.
Lazarus, Maja; Prevendar Crnić, Andreja; Bilandžić, Nina; Kusak, Josip; Reljić, Slaven
2014-09-29
Free-living game can be an important source of dietary cadmium and lead; the question is whether exposure to these two elements is such that it might cause adverse health effects in the consumers. The aim of this study was to estimate dietary exposure to cadmium, lead, and mercury from free-living big game (fallow deer, roe deer, red deer, wild boar, and brown bear), and to mercury from small game (pheasant and hare), hunted in Croatia from 1990 to 2012. The exposure assessment was based on available literature data and our own measurements of metal levels in the tissues of the game, by taking into account different consumption frequencies (four times a year, once a month and once a week). Exposure was expressed as percentage of (provisional) tolerable weekly intake [(P)TWI] values set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Consumption of game meat (0.002-0.5 % PTWI) and liver (0.005-6 % PTWI) assumed for the general population (four times a year) does not pose a health risk to consumers from the general population, nor does monthly (0.02-6 % PTWI) and weekly (0.1-24 % PTWI) consumption of game meat. However, because of the high percentage of free-living game liver and kidney samples exceeding the legislative limits for cadmium (2-99 %) and lead (1-82 %), people should keep the consumption of certain game species' offal as low as possible. Children and pregnant and lactating women should avoid eating game offal altogether. Free-living game liver could be an important source of cadmium if consumed on a monthly basis (3-74 % TWI), and if consumed weekly (11-297 % TWI), it could even give rise to toxicological concern.
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Sliwa, Sarah A; Miller, Gabrielle F; Brener, Nancy D; Park, Sohyun; Merlo, Caitlin L
2017-05-01
Researchers previously examined the relationship between school beverage policies and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. This study addressed a research gap by examining cross-sectional associations between district-level policies and practices and U.S. high school students' consumption of milk and 100% fruit juice. Data from the 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study and 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System were linked for 12 large urban school districts. Outcome variables were daily milk consumption (≥1 glass/day) and 100% fruit juice consumption (≥1 time/day). Exposure variables were five district policies (i.e., restrict SSB sales, maintain closed campuses, offer/sell healthful alternatives, restrict promotional products, and require nutrition education). Logistic regression models estimated the odds of consuming milk or 100% fruit juice daily, conditional on the policies and adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, grade level, weight status, and district free/reduced-price lunch eligibility (n = 23,173). Students in districts that required/recommended restricting the times of SSB sales had 55% higher (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-1.87) odds of consuming ≥1 glass/day of milk than students in districts without this policy. Closed campus policies were associated with lower odds of consuming milk (AOR, .72; 95% CI, .63-.82) and higher odds of consuming juice (AOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07-1.50). Policies requiring/recommending that districts offer/sell healthful alternatives were associated with lower odds of consuming 100% fruit juice daily. Results suggest that restricting SSB sales may support adolescents' milk consumption. Future studies should assess whether the implementation of federal standards that further restrict SSB sales in school leads to increased milk consumption. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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Consumer Education (A High School One Semester Course).
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hawaii State Dept. of Education, Honolulu. Office of Instructional Services.
Designed for a one-semester high school social studies elective course, this curriculum guide uses a multidisciplinary approach to teach consumer education. Eight units of study cover the marketplace, consumer protection, decision making, money management, credit and taxes, basic necessities, housing, and future security. Within each unit, an…
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Consumer satisfaction with telehealth advice-nursing.
Chang, B L; Mayo, A; Omery, A
2001-01-01
An increase in interest in the establishment of telephone advice services has resulted in the proliferation of call centers. Despite their wide usage, research for the most part has not addressed the quality of care in relation to consumer satisfaction. This paper examines consumer outcomes of satisfaction, and follow-up with recommendations, within a framework of the nursing process and its associated components of assessment (including problem identification), care planning, intervention, and evaluation. The data for the study were obtained from seven after-hours call centers operating under the auspices of health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations, and private insurance companies. A sample of 157 non-redundant telephone calls from adults with medical-surgical problems were audiotaped with providers' and callers' consent. Sociodemographic information of the advice nurses, and chief complaints of the callers were obtained. The quality of nursing of the audiotaped calls was rated through an implicit review method by registered nurse raters using an advice nurse structured implicit review (AN-SIR) form developed for the study. Follow-up information was obtained through telephone calls to ascertain the consumers' perceptions of satisfaction, helpfulness, and follow-through with recommendations. Results indicated that consumers calling with a variety of general complaints contacted 32 nurses in advice nurse call centers. The quality of nursing process was found to be the best in the area of intervention. Evaluation was also well above the midpoint on a transformed scale of zero to 100. Assessment, although slightly above midpoint, was the lowest of the three components of the nursing process examined. Consumer satisfaction was high with 95.4 percent of the consumers rating the calls as completely or at least somewhat satisfied, and 93.2 percent, stating the advice was very or somewhat helpful. Exploratory regression analysis showed that the component of intervention was significantly related to consumer satisfaction. The present study pioneers the way to rate the quality of the advice nurses' interactions with consumers, and lays the groundwork for further investigations of health care provider behavior and consumer outcomes. Further studies are recommended to investigate predictors of consumer satisfaction, and cost-benefit in terms of consumer expenditures of time, funds, and energy.
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Vitrac, Olivier; Leblanc, Jean-Charles
2007-02-01
A generic methodology for the assessment of consumer exposure to substances migrating from packaging materials into foodstuffs during storage is presented. Consumer exposure at the level of individual households is derived from the probabilistic modeling of the contamination of all packed food product units (e.g. yogurt pot, milk bottle, etc.) consumed by a given household over 1 year. Exposure of a given population is estimated by gathering the exposure distributions of individual households to suitable weights (conveniently, household sizes). Calculations are made by combining (i) an efficient resolution of migration models and (ii) a methodology utilizing different sources of uncertainty and variability. The full procedure was applied to the assessment of consumer exposure to styrene from yogurt pots based on yearly purchase data of more than 5400 households in France (about 2 million yogurt pots) and an initial concentration c0 of styrene in yogurt pot walls, which is assumed to be normally distributed with an average value of 500 mg kg-1 and a standard deviation of 150 mg kg-1. Results are discussed regarding both sensitivity of the migration model to boundary conditions and household practices. By assuming a partition coefficient of 1 and a Biot number of 100, the estimated median household exposure to styrene ranged between 1 and 35 microg day-1 person-1 (5th and 95th percentiles) with a likely value of 12 microg day-1 person-1 (50th percentile). It was found that exposure does not vary independently with the average consumption rate and contact times. Thus, falsely assuming a uniform contact time equal to the sell-by-date for all yogurts overestimates significantly the daily exposure (5th and 95th percentiles of 2 and 110 microg day-1 person-1, respectively) since high consumers showed quicker turnover of stock.
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Consumer preference for dinoprostone vaginal gel using stated preference discrete choice modelling.
Taylor, Susan; Armour, Carol
2003-01-01
To assess consumer preference for two methods of induction of labour using stated preference discrete choice modelling. The methods of induction were artificial rupture of the membranes (ARM) plus oxytocin and dinoprostone (prostaglandin E(2)) vaginal gel, followed by oxytocin if necessary. Consumer preference was measured in terms of willingness to pay for each of the attributes. These attributes were the method of administration, place of care, length of time from induction to delivery, need for epidural anaesthetic, type of delivery and cost. Levels were assigned to each of the attributes. Pregnant women attending a public hospital antenatal clinic were asked to read a description of the two methods and then to choose between them in 18 different scenarios in which the levels of the attributes were varied. Women were willing to pay 11 Australian dollars for a 1% reduction in the chance of needing oxytocin as well as the gel and 55 Australian dollars for every 1 hour reduction in the length of time from induction to delivery. For a 1% reduction in the chance of needing an epidural anaesthetic or Caesarean section, women expressed a willingness to pay of 20 Australian dollars and 90 Australian dollars, respectively. All estimates were obtained in 1998 and expressed in Australian dollars (1 Australian dollar = 0.63 US dollars). Women valued the less invasive method of administration of the gel and the associated greater freedom of movement during labour. However, they valued the shorter time from induction to delivery associated with ARM plus oxytocin more highly. A policy which allows women access to the gel for up to two doses would accommodate this consumer preference.
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Consumer vinegar test for determining calcium disintegration.
Mason, N A; Patel, J D; Dressman, J B; Shimp, L A
1992-09-01
A consumer test and standardized methods were compared for measuring the disintegration of calcium tablets, and the disintegration results were compared with results of dissolution testing to determine the ability of the consumer test of disintegration to predict bioavailability of calcium. Disintegration of 17 calcium supplement products, in tablet form, was studied in Simulated Gastric Fluid Test Solution, USP, without pepsin (GF), in distilled water, and in white distilled vinegar. For disintegration testing with GF and with distilled water, six tablets of each product were placed in an apparatus and immersed in the solution at 37 degrees C for 60 minutes. Six tablets of each product were tested in 200 mL of vinegar at room temperature for 30 minutes. Disintegration was determined by visual observation. Seven products were tested for dissolution in GF or water. Three samples of each product were tested at intervals over 120 minutes for calcium content. Results of testing with an ion-selective electrode were converted to milligrams and compared with the calcium content of the tablets (as claimed on the package label). The mean disintegration times of various calcium products in vinegar ranged from 1.8 to greater than 30 minutes. The mean time in distilled water and GF ranged from 1.6 to greater than 60 minutes and from 1.0 to greater than 60 minutes, respectively. Results were in agreement in 87% to 93% of cases between the consumer vinegar test and the standardized disintegration test methods, a significant correlation. No correlation was found between disintegration time and the extent of dissolution. The disintegration and dissolution of commercially available calcium tablets was highly variable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Drug Safety: Managing Multiple Drugs
... you take the right pill at the right time. Resources To learn more about your drugs, visit: • www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org/BestBuyDrugs • www.medlineplus.gov This series is produced by Consumers Union and Consumer Reports ...
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van Herpen, Erica; Trijp, Hans C M van
2011-08-01
Although front-of-pack nutrition labeling can help consumers make healthier food choices, lack of attention to these labels limits their effectiveness. This study examines consumer attention to and use of three different nutrition labeling schemes (logo, multiple traffic-light label, and nutrition table) when they face different goals and resource constraints. To understand attention and processing of labels, various measures are used including self-reported use, recognition, and eye-tracking measures. Results of two experiments in different countries show that although consumers evaluate the nutrition table most positively, it receives little attention and does not stimulate healthy choices. Traffic-light labels and especially logos enhance healthy product choice, even when consumers are put under time pressure. Additionally, health goals of consumers increase attention to and use of nutrition labels, especially when these health goals concern specific nutrients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Rigod, Violaine; Pilard, Michel; Paul, Frédéric; Deparis, Xavier; Marimoutou, Catherine
2011-07-01
To ascertain the different profiles of alcohol and cannabis consumers in the French Army to improve prevention measures. A representative sample of 990 French Army staff filled in self-questionnaires in 2006. A multiple correspondence analysis identified associations between consumption and consumer profiles. The multiple correspondence analysis found three main consumer profiles: non-consumers (women and officers), moderate consumers (non-commissioned officers > 30-years old, single parents with children), and occasional multi-consumers (18-25-years-old enlisted males, who occasionally consumed cannabis and high levels of alcohol, also tobacco-addicts). Two minor profiles emerged: daily alcohol drinkers (men, > or = 30 years) and regular dependent cannabis users (identical profile to multi-consumers). Our results favor targeting the youngest to prevent the risks of high alcohol intake and cannabis consumption and addiction linked to repeated binge drinking. Systematic questionnaires on consumption habits and addiction self-evaluations during medical consultations could lead to early care.
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Dostal, Allison M.; Arikawa, Andrea; Espejo, Luis; Bedell, Sarah; Kurzer, Mindy S.; Stendell-Hollis, Nicole R.
2016-01-01
Background Green tea extract (GTE) may be involved in a favorable postprandial response to high-carbohydrate meals. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genotype may modify these effects. We examined the acute effects of GTE supplementation on postprandial response to a high-carbohydrate meal through assessing appetite-associated hormones and glucose homeostasis marker concentrations in women who consumed 843 mg (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate [EGCG]) or placebo capsules for 11-12 months. Methods Sixty Caucasian postmenopausal women (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2) were included in a randomized, double-blind feeding study. GTE was consumed with a breakfast meal (665.4 kcal; 67.2% carbohydrate). Blood samples were drawn pre-meal, post-meal, and every 30 minutes for 4 h. Participants completed six satiety questionnaires. Results Plasma leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin did not differ between GTE and placebo at any time point; COMT genotype did not modify these results. Participants randomized to GTE with the high-activity form of COMT (GTE-high COMT) had higher insulin concentrations at time 0, 0.5, and 1.0 h post-meal compared to all COMT groups randomized to placebo. Insulin remained higher in the GTE-high COMT group at 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 h compared to Placebo-low COMT (P < 0.02). GTE-high COMT had higher insulin concentrations at times 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 h compared to the GTE-low COMT (P ≤ 0.04). AUC measurements of satiety did not differ between GTE and placebo. Conclusions GTE supplementation and COMT genotype did not alter acute postprandial responses of leptin, ghrelin, adiponectin, or satiety, but may be involved in post-meal insulinemic response of overweight and obese postmenopausal women. PMID:27600055
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Boylan, S; Hardy, L L; Drayton, B A; Grunseit, A; Mihrshahi, S
2017-04-05
The ubiquitous supply of junk foods in our food environment has been partly blamed for the increased rates in overweight and obesity. However, consumption of these foods has generally been examined individually perhaps obscuring the true extent of their combined consumption and impact on health. An overall measure of children's junk food consumption may prove useful in the development of child obesity prevention strategies. We describe the development of a children's Junk Food Intake Measure (JFIM) to summarise temporal change in junk food consumption and examine the association between the JFIM and health-related behaviours. Cross-sectional population surveillance survey of Australian children age 5-16 years collected in 2010 and 2015. Data were collected by questionnaire with parent's proxy reporting for children in years K, 2 and 4 and children in years 6, 8 and 10 by self-report. Information on diet, screen-time and physical activity was collected using validated questionnaires. The JFIM comprised consumption of fried potato products, potato crisps/salty snacks, sweet and savoury biscuits/cakes/doughnuts, confectionary and, ice cream/ice blocks. A total of 7565 (missing = 493, 6.1%) and 6944 (missing n = 611, 8.1%) children had complete data on consumption of junk foods, in 2010 and 2015, respectively. The 2015 survey data showed that among students from high socio-economic status neighbourhoods, there were fewer high junk food consumers than low junk food consumers. Children from Middle Eastern cultural backgrounds had higher junk food consumption. High junk food consumers were more likely to consume take-away ≥3/week, eat dinner in front of the television, receive sweet rewards, be allowed to consume snacks anytime, have soft drinks available at home and a TV in their bedroom. There was a lower proportion of high junk food consumers in 2015 compared to 2010. This is the first study to provide and examine a summary measure of overall junk food consumption among Australian children. The results indicate that junk food consumption among Australian children is lower in 2015, compared with 2010. Still, the public health workforce must continue their efforts as levels of junk food consumption remain of concern among Australian children.
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International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and performance
2010-01-01
Position Statement: The position of The Society regarding caffeine supplementation and sport performance is summarized by the following seven points: 1.) Caffeine is effective for enhancing sport performance in trained athletes when consumed in low-to-moderate dosages (~3-6 mg/kg) and overall does not result in further enhancement in performance when consumed in higher dosages (≥ 9 mg/kg). 2.) Caffeine exerts a greater ergogenic effect when consumed in an anhydrous state as compared to coffee. 3.) It has been shown that caffeine can enhance vigilance during bouts of extended exhaustive exercise, as well as periods of sustained sleep deprivation. 4.) Caffeine is ergogenic for sustained maximal endurance exercise, and has been shown to be highly effective for time-trial performance. 5.) Caffeine supplementation is beneficial for high-intensity exercise, including team sports such as soccer and rugby, both of which are categorized by intermittent activity within a period of prolonged duration. 6.) The literature is equivocal when considering the effects of caffeine supplementation on strength-power performance, and additional research in this area is warranted. 7.) The scientific literature does not support caffeine-induced diuresis during exercise, or any harmful change in fluid balance that would negatively affect performance. PMID:20205813
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Rossi, Rosanna; Saluti, Giorgio; Moretti, Simone; Diamanti, Irene; Giusepponi, Danilo; Galarini, Roberta
2018-02-01
Milk is an important and beneficial food from a nutritional point of view, being an indispensable source of high quality proteins. Furthermore, it is a raw material for many dairy products, such as yoghurt, cheese, cream etc. Before reaching consumers, milk goes through production, processing and circulation. Each step involves potentially unsafe factors, such as chemical contamination that can affect milk quality. Antibiotics are widely used in veterinary medicine for dry cow therapy and mastitis treatment in lactating cows, which can cause the presence of antimicrobial residues in milk. In order to ensure consumers' safety, milk is analyzed to make sure that the fixed Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for antibiotics are not exceeded. Multiclass methods can monitor more drug classes through a single analysis, so they are faster, less time-consuming and cheaper than traditional methods (single-class); this aspect is particularly important for milk, which is a highly perishable food. Nevertheless, multiclass methods for veterinary drug residues in foodstuffs are real analytical challenges. This article reviews the major multiclass methods published for the determination of antibiotic residues in milk by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, with a special focus on sample preparation approaches.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhou, Zongchuan; Dang, Dongsheng; Qi, Caijuan; Tian, Hongliang
2018-02-01
It is of great significance to make accurate forecasting for the power consumption of high energy-consuming industries. A forecasting model for power consumption of high energy-consuming industries based on system dynamics is proposed in this paper. First, several factors that have influence on the development of high energy-consuming industries in recent years are carefully dissected. Next, by analysing the relationship between each factor and power consumption, the system dynamics flow diagram and equations are set up to reflect the relevant relationships among variables. In the end, the validity of the model is verified by forecasting the power consumption of electrolytic aluminium industry in Ningxia according to the proposed model.
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O'Malley, Robert C; Stanton, Margaret A; Gilby, Ian C; Lonsdorf, Elizabeth V; Pusey, Anne; Markham, A Catherine; Murray, Carson M
2016-01-01
An increase in faunivory is a consistent component of human evolutionary models. Animal matter is energy- and nutrient-dense and can provide macronutrients, minerals, and vitamins that are limited or absent in plant foods. For female humans and other omnivorous primates, faunivory may be of particular importance during the costly periods of pregnancy and early lactation. Yet, because animal prey is often monopolizable, access to fauna among group-living primates may be mediated by social factors such as rank. Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) across Africa habitually consume insects and/or vertebrates. However, no published studies have examined patterns of female chimpanzee faunivory during pregnancy and early lactation relative to non-reproductive periods, or by females of different rank. In this study, we assessed the influence of reproductive state and dominance rank on the consumption of fauna (meat and insects) by female chimpanzees of Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Using observational data collected over 38 years, we tested (a) whether faunivory varied by reproductive state, and (b) if high-ranking females spent more time consuming fauna than lower-ranking females. In single-factor models, pregnant females consumed more meat than lactating and baseline (meaning not pregnant and not in early lactation) females, and high-ranking females consumed more meat than lower-ranking females. A two-factor analysis of a subset of well-sampled females identified an interaction between rank and reproductive state: lower-ranking females consumed more meat during pregnancy than lower-ranking lactating and baseline females did. High-ranking females did not significantly differ in meat consumption between reproductive states. We found no relationships between rank or reproductive state with insectivory. We conclude that, unlike insectivory, meat consumption by female chimpanzees is mediated by both reproductive state and social rank. We outline possible mechanisms for these patterns, relate our findings to meat-eating patterns in women from well-studied hunter-gatherer societies, and discuss potential avenues for future research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Stanton, Margaret A.; Gilby, Ian C.; Lonsdorf, Elizabeth V.; Pusey, Anne; Markham, A. Catherine; Murray, Carson M.
2015-01-01
An increase in faunivory is a consistent component of human evolutionary models. Animal matter is energy- and nutrient-dense and can provide macronutrients, minerals, and vitamins that are limited or absent in plant foods. For female humans and other omnivorous primates, faunivory may be of particular importance during the costly periods of pregnancy and early lactation. Yet, because animal prey is often monopolizable, access to fauna among group-living primates may be mediated by social factors such as rank. Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) across Africa habitually consume insects and/or vertebrates. However, no published studies have examined patterns of female chimpanzee faunivory during pregnancy and early lactation relative to non-reproductive periods, or by females of different rank. In this study, we assessed the influence of reproductive state and dominance rank on the consumption of fauna (meat and insects) by female chimpanzees of Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Using observational data collected over 38 years, we tested (a) whether faunivory varied by reproductive state, and (b) if high-ranking females spent more time consuming fauna than lower-ranking females. In single-factor models, pregnant females consumed more meat than lactating and baseline (meaning not pregnant and not in early lactation) females, and high-ranking females consumed more meat than lower-ranking females. A two-factor analysis of a subset of well-sampled females identified an interaction between rank and reproductive state: lower-ranking females consumed more meat during pregnancy than lower-ranking lactating and baseline females did. High-ranking females did not significantly differ in meat consumption between reproductive states. We found no relationships between rank or reproductive state with insectivory. We conclude that, unlike insectivory, meat consumption by female chimpanzees is mediated by both reproductive state and social rank. We outline several possible mechanisms for these patterns, relate our findings to meat-eating patterns in women from well-studied hunter-gatherer societies, and discuss potential avenues for future research. PMID:26767956
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A noninvasive technique for real-time detection of bruises in apple surface based on machine vision
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhao, Juan; Peng, Yankun; Dhakal, Sagar; Zhang, Leilei; Sasao, Akira
2013-05-01
Apple is one of the highly consumed fruit item in daily life. However, due to its high damage potential and massive influence on taste and export, the quality of apple has to be detected before it reaches the consumer's hand. This study was aimed to develop a hardware and software unit for real-time detection of apple bruises based on machine vision technology. The hardware unit consisted of a light shield installed two monochrome cameras at different angles, LED light source to illuminate the sample, and sensors at the entrance of box to signal the positioning of sample. Graphical Users Interface (GUI) was developed in VS2010 platform to control the overall hardware and display the image processing result. The hardware-software system was developed to acquire the images of 3 samples from each camera and display the image processing result in real time basis. An image processing algorithm was developed in Opencv and C++ platform. The software is able to control the hardware system to classify the apple into two grades based on presence/absence of surface bruises with the size of 5mm. The experimental result is promising and the system with further modification can be applicable for industrial production in near future.
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12 CFR 222.24 - Reasonable opportunity to opt out.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... at an Internet Web site at which the consumer has obtained a product or service. The consumer... consumer at the time of an electronic transaction, such as a transaction conducted on an Internet Web site... one that allows consumers to indicate that they do not want to opt out. (5) By including in a privacy...
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Naharudin, Mohamed Nashrudin Bin; Yusof, Ashril
2018-06-01
Many physically active individuals have undertaken intermittent fasting to reduce their daily caloric intake. However, abstaining from meals for a specific length of time may lead to the acute disturbance of highly carbohydrate-dependent exercise performance. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of 10 days of intermittent fasting on high-intensity type exercises, Wingate anaerobic (WT) and prolonged high-intensity time-to-exhaustion (HIT) cycling test. Twenty participants were randomised into an intermittent fasting (FAS) and a control group (CON). One day after baseline data collection on Day-0 where participants consumed their recommended daily caloric intake (FAS = 2500 ± 143 kcal day -1 ; CON = 2492 ± 20 kcal day -1 ) served over a course of five meals, the FAS group consumed only four meals where 40% was restricted by the omission of lunch (FAS = 1500 ± 55 kcal day -1 ). This diet was then continued for 10 days. Data on exercise performance and other dependent variables were collected on Day-2, -4, -6, -8 and -10. A reduction in WT power in the FAS group was observed on Day-2 (821.74 ± 66.07 W) compared to Day-0 (847.63 ± 95.94 W) with a moderate effect size (p < .05, ES = 0.4), while HIT time-to-exhaustion performance declined over the 10 days with a trend of recovery from a large to a minimum effect size (p < .05, ES = 0.8-0.3). Body weight and triglyceride were consistently reduced in the FAS group (p < .01). The present study suggests that intermittent fasting must exceed 10 days to ensure that high-intensity performance does not deteriorate because this length of time seems to be required for effective adaptation to the new dietary regimen.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mensi, Walid; Tiwari, Aviral Kumar; Yoon, Seong-Min
2017-04-01
This paper estimates the weak-form efficiency of Islamic stock markets using 10 sectoral stock indices (basic materials, consumer services, consumer goods, energy, financials, health care, industrials, technology, telecommunication, and utilities). The results based on the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) approach show time-varying efficiency for the sectoral stock markets. Moreover, we find that they tend to show high efficiency in the long term but moderate efficiency in the short term, and that these markets become less efficient after the onset of the global financial crisis. These results have several significant implications in terms of asset allocation for investors dealing with Islamic markets.
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Aryal, K K; Thapa, N; Mehata, S; Thapa, P; Alvik, A; Stray-Pedersen, B
2016-09-01
A substantial proportion of women in Nepal consume alcohol and homebrewed alcoholic beverages are the most common type of alcohol. Alcohol being a part of tradition and culture in Nepal and evidences suggesting even low to moderate dose of alcohol having impacts on the birth outcomes, we aimed at exploring the alcohol consumption pattern during pregnancy and postpartum period along with its predictors. We studied all pregnant and recently delivered women using quantitative methods in selected wards within selected Village Development Committees of Sindhupalchowk district in Nepal after purposively choosing the district. We present the findings on pregnancy and postpartum period drinking and its predictors as proportion and adjusted odds ratio along with 95% CI. One-third of women drank alcohol during pregnancy and 43% during postpartum period. Nearly all drinking women mostly consumed homebrewed alcoholic beverages such as jaad/chhyang/localraksi. One-third consumed it daily during pregnancy, while three-quarters consumed daily during postpartum. One-fifth of currently drinking women drank ≥5 standard drinks on average per day in the last 30 days. Illiterate or women with low level of education were three times more likely to consume alcohol during pregnancy than women with secondary level education or higher. Similarly, women who didn't know that alcohol during pregnancy affects mother and child were four and half times more likely to consume alcohol during pregnancy than those who knew about it. Also, being dalits, disadvantaged and janajatis, husband's drinking and home brewing of alcohol were strongly associated with women's drinking during pregnancy and postpartum period. A substantial proportion of women consumed alcohol during pregnancy and postpartum period with high consumption frequency. Findings suggested, increasing awareness about consequences of drinking during pregnancy and postpartum period would be helpful probably as one of the components of routine antenatal care with a special focus to ethnic groups such as dalits, disadvantaged janajatis including relatively advantaged janajatis as well as the women with lower levels of education. Culture sensitive behavior change communication interventions aimed at reducing home brewing and husband's drinking would also be important Keywords: Alcohol consumption; home brewed; Nepal; postpartum period; pregnancy; predictor.
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Food security, maternal feeding practices and child weight-for-length.
Barroso, Cristina S; Roncancio, Angelica; Moramarco, Michael W; Hinojosa, Martha B; Davila, Yolanda R; Mendias, Elnora; Reifsnider, Elizabeth
2016-02-01
Over consumption of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods may contribute to childhood obesity. We hypothesized that greater than recommended servings of sugar sweetened beverages and foods, indicators of food security, and a high maternal recumbent weight-for-length are positively associated with high percentages of child overweight/obesity. This secondary data analysis consisted of a sample of 240 mother-child dyads. The original studies were designed to examine the effect of a public health nursing intervention on optimal childhood growth for low-income, minority children. Eligibility to participate included: 1) mothers self-identified as Hispanic; 2) children were 12-24 months old; and 3) children were enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); and 4) children were free of any major disease. Multivariate logistic regression examined the association between child weight, weight-for-length, maternal recumbent weight-for-length, child's eating schedule, maternal attitudes on feeding, food security, and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts and fatty meats. Receiving SNAP was positively associated with child weight-for-length (WL). Children whose mothers reported ever having received SNAP were 2.01 times more likely to be overweight compared to children whose mothers did not report ever having received SNAP (95% CI=1.04-3.90). Children who consumed desserts were 2.87 times more likely to be overweight compared to children who did not consume desserts (95% CI=1.19-6.88). Also, child's caloric intake was significantly associated with child WL. Children who consumed more calories were 1.00 times more likely to be overweight compared to children who consumed fewer calories (95% CI=1.00-1.00). Research on food security and children's weight has reported mixed findings. Methodological issues have been identified as contributory to the inconsistent findings. Of paramount importance to these studies is the measurement of low food security. Children in this sample who were food insecure, as indicated by SNAP recipients, were more likely to have a higher WL measurement. Future studies should focus on the correlation between food security and hunger/satiety cues. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
High volume instrumentation (HVI), utilized in the cotton industry to determine the qualities and classifications of cotton fibers, is time consuming, and prone to day-to-day and location-to-location variations. UV / visible / NIR spectroscopy, a rapid and easy sampling technique, was investigated a...
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Hans-Erik Andersen; Stephen E. Reutebuch; Robert J. McGaughey
2006-01-01
Tree height is an important variable in forest inventory programs but is typically time-consuming and costly to measure in the field using conventional techniques. Airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) provides individual tree height measurements that are highly correlated with field-derived measurements, but the imprecision of conventional field techniques does...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Patterson, Olga
2012-01-01
Domain adaptation of natural language processing systems is challenging because it requires human expertise. While manual effort is effective in creating a high quality knowledge base, it is expensive and time consuming. Clinical text adds another layer of complexity to the task due to privacy and confidentiality restrictions that hinder the…
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USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
Yield estimation is a critical task in crop management. A number of traditional methods are available for crop yield estimation but they are costly, time-consuming and difficult to expand to a relatively large field. Remote sensing provides techniques to develop quick coverage over a field at any sc...
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Youth Workers Cite Funding as Top Concern. Issue Brief, Fall 2002.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Indiana Youth Inst., Indianapolis.
Indiana's youth workers are highly motivated, well-educated, experienced, and satisfied with their jobs. They cite these three top challenges of their jobs: funds, family support, and sufficient staff to share time-consuming duties. Researchers cite these key components to develop first-rate programs that meet youth needs: low staff-student ratio,…
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Platform-Independent Authoring and Production of Rapid E-Learning Content
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gutbrod, Martin; Werner, Christian; Fischer, Stefan
2006-01-01
One of today's major problems in the field of e-learning is that the creation of high-quality content is still rather time consuming and expensive. In the past, many efforts have been made to produce educational content on the fly, but the results were mainly static blocks of recorded lecture lacking sophisticated navigation facilities. Facing…
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Aircraft Command in Emergency Situations (ACES). Phase 1. Concept. Development
1991-04-01
tine-consuming, and if the left pack is malfunctioning, can allow large quantities of smoke to enter the passenger cabin, creating high levels of...airport, thus providing the crew additional time to evc’,ataIe th airplanc . ’li maved in landing the aircraft safely results from: a0 I)ctectioi n (f
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A Process for Reviewing and Evaluating Generated Test Items
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gierl, Mark J.; Lai, Hollis
2016-01-01
Testing organization needs large numbers of high-quality items due to the proliferation of alternative test administration methods and modern test designs. But the current demand for items far exceeds the supply. Test items, as they are currently written, evoke a process that is both time-consuming and expensive because each item is written,…
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A Comparative Study on Social Media Addiction of High School and University Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Simsek, Ali; Elciyar, Kemal; Kizilhan, Taner
2017-01-01
For a long time the concept of addiction has been considered within the medical context of consuming certain materials excessively. Lately, it has been used to describe by psychologists some behavioral habits that are outside the normal life of the general population, such as gambling which affect a particular group of individuals. After the…
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77 FR 6310 - Electronic Fund Transfers (Regulation E)
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-02-07
... a one-time transfer or the first in a series of preauthorized transfers to occur more than 10 days... disclosures and receipts where a consumer schedules a one-time transfer or the first in a series of... where a consumer schedules a one-time transfer or the first in a series of preauthorized transfers to...
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Student Consumer Knowledge: Results of a Nationwide Test.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brobeck, Stephen
A nationwide test of consumer knowledge of high school students conducted in 1991 found that seniors are unprepared for critical purchasing decisions needed after they graduate. Random samples of the population, 428 high school seniors, were asked 250 questions about a range of consumer subjects such as credit, checking/saving accounts, auto…
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Approaches to Consumer Economic Education.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Diem, Richard A.
1979-01-01
Explains how students in high school social studies should benefit from participation in an economic education program. Presents objectives relating to the consumer in society, consumer rights and responsibilities, and consumer law. A directory of materials and resources concludes the article. (Author/DB)
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Microelectronics, radiation, and superconductivity.
Gochfeld, M
1990-01-01
Among the costs of technology are health hazards that face employees and consumers. New advances in the highly competitive field of microelectronics involve exposure to a variety of hazards such as gallium arsenide. Small high-technology industries appear unprepared to invest in health and safety. Although stray electromagnetic fields are not a new development, researchers are beginning to assemble data indicating that such fields pose a significant cancer risk under certain circumstances. Data have been obtained on fields associated with power lines on the one hand and consumer products on the other. Although not conclusive, the data are sufficient to warrant carefully designed research into the risks posed by electromagnetic fields. Because the scientific issues require research, there is a need to make basic social value decisions that will determine which technologies will be developed and which ones may be set aside because of their danger at the present time. PMID:2401267
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Stanhope, Victoria; Matejkowski, Jason
2010-08-01
The widespread adoption of assertive community treatment has resulted in a shift from an individual model to a team model of case management. The shift has had implications for individual relationships between case managers and consumers, but still little is known about how these relationships develop in teams. This exploratory mixed methods study looked at how case managers and consumers negotiate individual relationships within a team model. Quantitative methods identified high and low service intensity relationships between consumers and case managers and qualitative methods explored and compared these relationships. Consumers in high service intensity relationships described a preference for certain case managers and the burden of working with multiple people. Case managers invested high service intensity relationships with special therapeutic value, articulated the challenges of coordinating care across the team, and utilized team limit setting techniques. In contrast, low service intensity relationships were more likely to reflect integration with the entire team. Findings suggest that teams need to consider how individual relationships enhance care for their consumers and how to nurture these relationships while maintaining the support necessary for case managers and consumers.
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Implementing a low-starch biscuit-free diet in zoo gorillas: the impact on behavior.
Less, E H; Bergl, R; Ball, R; Dennis, P M; Kuhar, C W; Lavin, S R; Raghanti, M A; Wensvoort, J; Willis, M A; Lukas, K E
2014-01-01
In the wild, western lowland gorillas travel long distances while foraging and consume a diet high in fiber and low in caloric density. In contrast, gorillas in zoos typically consume a diet that is low in fiber and calorically dense. Some items commonly used in captive gorilla diets contain high levels of starch and sugars, which are present at low levels in the natural diet of gorillas. Diet items high in simple carbohydrates are associated with obesity and heart disease in humans. Typical captive gorilla diets may also encourage undesirable behaviors. In response to these issues, we tested the behavioral impact of a diet that was biscuit-free, had low caloric density, and which was higher in volume at five institutions. We hypothesized that this diet change would reduce abnormal behaviors such as regurgitation and reingestion (R/R), decrease time spent inactive, and increase time spent feeding. The biscuit-free diet significantly reduced (and in the case of one zoo eliminated) R/R and may have reduced hair-plucking behavior. However, an increase in coprophagy was observed in many individuals following the diet change. The experimental diet caused a general increase in time the gorillas spent feeding, but this increase did not occur across all institutions and varied by individual. Interestingly, the overall time gorillas spent inactive actually increased with this diet change. Future research will examine these behavioral changes in a greater number of individuals to determine if the results remain consistent with these preliminary findings. Additionally, future research will examine the physiological impact of this diet change. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Tennie, Claudio; O'Malley, Robert C; Gilby, Ian C
2014-06-01
Understanding the benefits and costs of acquiring and consuming different forms of animal matter by primates is critical for identifying the selective pressures responsible for increased meat consumption in the hominin lineage. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are unusual among primates in the amount of vertebrate prey they consume. Still, surprisingly little is known about the nutritional benefits of eating meat for this species. In order to understand why chimpanzees eat vertebrates, it is critical to consider the relative benefits and costs of other types of faunivory - including invertebrates. Although we lack specific nutritional data on the flesh and organs of chimpanzee prey, the macronutrient profiles of insects and wild vertebrate meat are generally comparable on a gram-to-gram basis. There are currently very few data on the micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) content of meat consumed by chimpanzees. With few exceptions, the advantages of hunting vertebrate prey include year-round availability, rapid acquisition of larger packages and reduced handling/processing time (once prey are encountered or detected). The disadvantages of hunting vertebrate prey include high potential acquisition costs per unit time (energy expenditure and risk of injury) and greater contest competition with conspecifics. Acquiring an equivalent mass of invertebrates (to match even a small scrap of meat) is possible, but typically takes more time. Furthermore, in contrast to vertebrate prey, some insect resources are effectively available only at certain times of the year. Here we identify the critical data needed to test our hypothesis that meat scraps may have a higher (or at least comparable) net benefit:cost ratio than insect prey. This would support the 'meat scrap' hypothesis as an explanation for why chimpanzees hunt in groups even when doing so does not maximize an individual's energetic gain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Fradgley, Elizabeth A; Paul, Christine L; Bryant, Jamie; Roos, Ian A; Henskens, Frans A; Paul, David J
2014-12-19
With increasing attention given to the quality of chronic disease care, a measurement approach that empowers consumers to participate in improving quality of care and enables health services to systematically introduce patient-centered initiatives is needed. A Web-based survey with complex adaptive questioning and interactive survey items would allow consumers to easily identify and prioritize detailed service initiatives. The aim was to develop and test a Web-based survey capable of identifying and prioritizing patient-centered initiatives in chronic disease outpatient services. Testing included (1) test-retest reliability, (2) patient-perceived acceptability of the survey content and delivery mode, and (3) average completion time, completion rates, and Flesch-Kincaid reading score. In Phase I, the Web-based Consumer Preferences Survey was developed based on a structured literature review and iterative feedback from expert groups of service providers and consumers. The touchscreen survey contained 23 general initiatives, 110 specific initiatives available through adaptive questioning, and a relative prioritization exercise. In Phase II, a pilot study was conducted within 4 outpatient clinics to evaluate the reliability properties, patient-perceived acceptability, and feasibility of the survey. Eligible participants were approached to complete the survey while waiting for an appointment or receiving intravenous therapy. The age and gender of nonconsenters was estimated to ascertain consent bias. Participants with a subsequent appointment within 14 days were asked to complete the survey for a second time. A total of 741 of 1042 individuals consented to participate (71.11% consent), 529 of 741 completed all survey content (78.9% completion), and 39 of 68 completed the test-retest component. Substantial or moderate reliability (Cohen's kappa>0.4) was reported for 16 of 20 general initiatives with observed percentage agreement ranging from 82.1%-100.0%. The majority of participants indicated the Web-based survey was easy to complete (97.9%, 531/543) and comprehensive (93.1%, 505/543). Participants also reported the interactive relative prioritization exercise was easy to complete (97.0%, 189/195) and helped them to decide which initiatives were of most importance (84.6%, 165/195). Average completion time was 8.54 minutes (SD 3.91) and the Flesch-Kincaid reading level was 6.8. Overall, 84.6% (447/529) of participants indicated a willingness to complete a similar survey again. The Web-based Consumer Preferences Survey is sufficiently reliable and highly acceptable to patients. Based on completion times and reading level, this tool could be integrated in routine clinical practice and allows consumers to easily participate in quality evaluation. Results provide a comprehensive list of patient-prioritized initiatives for patients with major chronic conditions and delivers practice-ready evidence to guide improvements in patient-centered care.
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High Throughput Assays for Exposure Science (NIEHS OHAT ...
High throughput screening (HTS) data that characterize chemically induced biological activity have been generated for thousands of chemicals by the US interagency Tox21 and the US EPA ToxCast programs. In many cases there are no data available for comparing bioactivity from HTS with relevant human exposures. The EPA’s ExpoCast program is developing high-throughput approaches to generate the needed exposure estimates using existing databases and new, high-throughput measurements. The exposure pathway (i.e., the route of chemical from manufacture to human intake) significantly impacts the level of exposure. The presence, concentration, and formulation of chemicals in consumer products and articles of commerce (e.g., clothing) can therefore provide critical information for estimating risk. We have found that there are only limited data available on the chemical constituents (e.g., flame retardants, plasticizers) within most articles of commerce. Furthermore, the presence of some chemicals in otherwise well characterized products may be due to product packaging. We are analyzing sample consumer products using 2D gas chromatograph (GC) x GC Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (GCxGCTOF/MS), which is suited for forensic investigation of chemicals in complex matrices (including toys, cleaners, and food). In parallel, we are working to create a reference library of retention times and spectral information for the entire Tox21 chemical library. In an examination of five p
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Towards Implementation of a Generalized Architecture for High-Level Quantum Programming Language
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ameen, El-Mahdy M.; Ali, Hesham A.; Salem, Mofreh M.; Badawy, Mahmoud
2017-08-01
This paper investigates a novel architecture to the problem of quantum computer programming. A generalized architecture for a high-level quantum programming language has been proposed. Therefore, the programming evolution from the complicated quantum-based programming to the high-level quantum independent programming will be achieved. The proposed architecture receives the high-level source code and, automatically transforms it into the equivalent quantum representation. This architecture involves two layers which are the programmer layer and the compilation layer. These layers have been implemented in the state of the art of three main stages; pre-classification, classification, and post-classification stages respectively. The basic building block of each stage has been divided into subsequent phases. Each phase has been implemented to perform the required transformations from one representation to another. A verification process was exposed using a case study to investigate the ability of the compiler to perform all transformation processes. Experimental results showed that the efficacy of the proposed compiler achieves a correspondence correlation coefficient about R ≈ 1 between outputs and the targets. Also, an obvious achievement has been utilized with respect to the consumed time in the optimization process compared to other techniques. In the online optimization process, the consumed time has increased exponentially against the amount of accuracy needed. However, in the proposed offline optimization process has increased gradually.
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Haskell, Crystal F; Kennedy, David O; Wesnes, Keith A; Scholey, Andrew B
2005-06-01
The cognitive and mood effects of caffeine are well documented. However, the majority of studies in this area involve caffeine-deprived, habitual caffeine users. It is therefore unclear whether any beneficial findings are due to the positive effects of caffeine or to the alleviation of caffeine withdrawal. The present placebo-controlled, double-blind, balanced crossover study investigated the acute cognitive and mood effects of caffeine in habitual users and habitual non-users of caffeine. Following overnight caffeine withdrawal, 24 habitual caffeine consumers (mean=217 mg/day) and 24 habitual non-consumers (20 mg/day) received a 150 ml drink containing either 75 or 150 mg of caffeine or a matching placebo, at intervals of > or =48 h. Cognitive and mood assessments were undertaken at baseline and 30 min post-drink. These included the Cognitive Drug Research computerised test battery, two serial subtraction tasks, a sentence verification task and subjective visual analogue mood scales. There were no baseline differences between the groups' mood or performance. Following caffeine, there were significant improvements in simple reaction time, digit vigilance reaction time, numeric working memory reaction time and sentence verification accuracy, irrespective of group. Self-rated mental fatigue was reduced and ratings of alertness were significantly improved by caffeine independent of group. There were also group effects for rapid visual information processing false alarms and spatial memory accuracy with habitual consumers outperforming non-consumers. There was a single significant interaction of group and treatment effects on jittery ratings. Separate analyses of each groups' responses to caffeine revealed overlapping but differential responses to caffeine. Caffeine tended to benefit consumers' mood more while improving performance more in the non-consumers. These results do not support a withdrawal alleviation model. Differences in the patterns of responses to caffeine by habitual consumers and habitual non-consumers may go some way to explaining why some individuals become caffeine consumers.
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Hasson-Ohayon, Ilanit; Roe, David; Kravetz, Shlomo; Levy-Frank, Itamar; Meir, Taly
2011-10-01
This study examined the relationship between insight and mental health consumers and providers agreement regarding consumers rated quality of life (QoL). Seventy mental health consumers and their 23 care providers filled-out parallel questionnaires designed to measure consumer QoL. Consumers' insight was also assessed. For most QoL domains, agreement between consumers and providers was higher for persons with high insight. For the Psychological well being dimension a negative correlation was uncovered for persons with low insight indicating disagreement between consumer and provider. These findings are discussed within the context of the literature on insight and agreement between consumer and provider as related to the therapeutic alliance.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brown, Alvin B.; And Others
This volume provides a motivational scheme which uses consumer education to teach language arts and build self-confidence in low-achieving junior high school students. Seventeen sequences describe strategies for teaching various aspects of consumer education, including definition of the consumer, problems that face consumers (including discussions…
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Consumer Education: It's a Basic.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
NASSP Curriculum Report, 1980
1980-01-01
The report discusses and defines consumer education for high school students, describes various consumer education school programs, annotates available sources and resources, and notes several issues needing attention. Consumer education is defined as an effort to prepare students for participation in the marketplace by imparting the…
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Silliman, Brian R.; McCoy, Michael W.; Trussell, Geoffrey C.; Crain, Caitlin M.; Ewanchuk, Patrick J.; Bertness, Mark D.
2013-01-01
Although consumers can strongly influence community recovery from disturbance, few studies have explored the effects of consumer identity and density and how they may vary across abiotic gradients. On rocky shores in Maine, recent experiments suggest that recovery of plant- or animal- dominated community states is governed by rates of water movement and consumer pressure. To further elucidate the mechanisms of consumer control, we examined the species-specific and density-dependent effects of rocky shore consumers (crabs and snails) on community recovery under both high (mussel dominated) and low flow (plant dominated) conditions. By partitioning the direct impacts of predators (crabs) and grazers (snails) on community recovery across a flow gradient, we found that grazers, but not predators, are likely the primary agent of consumer control and that their impact is highly non-linear. Manipulating snail densities revealed that herbivorous and bull-dozing snails (Littorina littorea) alone can control recovery of high and low flow communities. After ∼1.5 years of recovery, snail density explained a significant amount of the variation in macroalgal coverage at low flow sites and also mussel recovery at high flow sites. These density-dependent grazer effects were were both non-linear and flow-dependent, with low abundance thresholds needed to suppress plant community recovery, and much higher levels needed to control mussel bed development. Our study suggests that consumer density and identity are key in regulating both plant and animal community recovery and that physical conditions can determine the functional forms of these consumer effects. PMID:23940510
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Considerations for protein intake in managing weight loss in athletes.
Murphy, Caoileann H; Hector, Amy J; Phillips, Stuart M
2015-01-01
A large body of evidence now shows that higher protein intakes (2-3 times the protein Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 0.8 g/kg/d) during periods of energy restriction can enhance fat-free mass (FFM) preservation, particularly when combined with exercise. The mechanisms underpinning the FFM-sparing effect of higher protein diets remain to be fully elucidated but may relate to the maintenance of the anabolic sensitivity of skeletal muscle to protein ingestion. From a practical point of view, athletes aiming to reduce fat mass and preserve FFM should be advised to consume protein intakes in the range of ∼1.8-2.7 g kg(-1) d(-1) (or ∼2.3-3.1 g kg(-1) FFM) in combination with a moderate energy deficit (-500 kcal) and the performance of some form of resistance exercise. The target level of protein intake within this recommended range requires consideration of a number of case-specific factors including the athlete's body composition, habitual protein intake and broader nutrition goals. Athletes should focus on consuming high-quality protein sources, aiming to consume protein feedings evenly spaced throughout the day. Post-exercise consumption of 0.25-0.3 g protein meal(-1) from protein sources with high leucine content and rapid digestion kinetics (i.e. whey protein) is recommended to optimise exercise-induced muscle protein synthesis. When protein is consumed as part of a mixed macronutrient meal and/or before bed slightly higher protein doses may be optimal.
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Consumer awareness and interest toward sodium reduction trends in Korea.
Kim, Mina K; Lee, Kwang-Geun
2014-07-01
Reduction of dietary sodium intake by lowering amount of sodium in foods is a global industry target. Quantitative information on current consumer knowledge of sodium reduction trends in Korea is unknown. The objective of this study was to quantify the consumer knowledge and awareness of sodium and salt reduction in foods and to characterize consumer interest in health labeling on the food package. Additionally, comparison of consumer knowledge status between Korea and United States was followed. Consumers (n = 289) participated in an internet survey designed to gauge consumer knowledge and attitudes toward dietary sodium, the sodium content in representative food products (n = 27), and their interest toward specific health claims, including sodium labeling. Questions regarding demographics as well as consumption characteristics were asked. Sodium knowledge index and saltiness belief index were calculated based on the number of correct responses regarding the salt level and sodium content in given food products. Kano analysis was conducted to determine the role of nutrition labels in consumer satisfaction with products. Current consumer knowledge on the sodium content in food products was high, and consumers were adept at matching the sodium content with the salty taste intensity of food products. Consumers' knowledge of the relationship between diets high in sodium and an increased risk of developing previously reported sodium-related diseases, such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, kidney disease, and stomach cancer, were also high. Information on the nutrition panel that influences the consumer satisfaction (trans-fat, sodium, ingredient list, and country of origin) as well as adjective-nutrition claim pairs that appeal positively to purchase intent of the product were identified. This work provided the current status of Korean consumer knowledge on the amount of sodium in food and that sodium can be a risk factor of developing chronic diseases. It also provided practical information to food marketers on what consumers like and what they want to see on product labels in Korea. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®
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Beyond consumer-driven health care: purchasers' expectations of all plans.
Lee, Peter V; Hoo, Emma
2006-01-01
Skyrocketing health care costs and quality deficits can only be addressed through a broad approach of quality-based benefit design. Consumer-directed health plans that are built around better consumer information tools and support hold the promise of consumer engagement, but purchasers expect these features in all types of health plans. Regardless of plan type, simply shifting costs to consumers is a threat to access and adherence to evidence-based medicine. Comparative and interactive consumer information tools, coupled with provider performance transparency and payment reform, are needed to advance accountability and support consumers in getting the right care at the right time.
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Consumer Awareness and Willingness to Pay for High-Pressure Processing of Ready-to-Eat Food
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hicks, Doris T.; Pivarnik, Lori F.; McDermott, Ryan; Richard, Nicole; Hoover, Dallas G.; Kniel, Kalmia E.
2009-01-01
Commercial, nonthermal processing of food, such as high hydrostatic-pressure processing (HPP), has increased. The safety and quality of foods produced by HPP has not been well communicated to the public. An online, nationwide consumer survey was implemented to assess awareness of alternative food processing technologies, consumer food safety…
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Informed Consumer Choice in Community Rehabilitation Programs
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hagen-Foley, Debra L.; Rosenthal, David A.; Thomas, Dale F.
2005-01-01
This study investigated consumer and staff member perceptions regarding the extent of consumer choice and participatory planning in community-based rehabilitation programs (CRPs) and the relationship between these elements, satisfaction, and outcomes. Consumers reported moderate to high levels of choice in services and employment goals, and…
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Effects of Differentially Time-Consuming Tests on Computer-Adaptive Test Scores
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bridgeman, Brent; Cline, Frederick
2004-01-01
Time limits on some computer-adaptive tests (CATs) are such that many examinees have difficulty finishing, and some examinees may be administered tests with more time-consuming items than others. Results from over 100,000 examinees suggested that about half of the examinees must guess on the final six questions of the analytical section of the…
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Optimal Consumption When Consumption Takes Time
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Miller, Norman C.
2009-01-01
A classic article by Gary Becker (1965) showed that when it takes time to consume, the first order conditions for optimal consumption require the marginal rate of substitution between any two goods to equal their relative full costs. These include the direct money price and the money value of the time needed to consume each good. This important…
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The Balsa bullet: A high speed, low-cost general aviation aircraft for Aeroworld
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Eastland, Kevin; Greenwood, Sean; Kelly, Dan; Leonard, Chuck; Rooff, John; Scherock, Jeff
1994-01-01
The Balsa Bullet is a high speed, low cost six passenger general aviation aircraft. It will cruise at a speed of 55 ft/s with a maximum speed of 75 ft/s for distances in excess of 27000 feet. This range and speed combination provide The Balsa Bullet with the capability to service any two existing airports in Aeroworld in an efficient and timely manner. Overall, three major design drivers have been identified by the design team. The first is to provide a low cost airplane to the Aeroworld market. Maintaining the low cost objective will not simply meet the mission objective, but will also make the Bullet an economically viable option for a wide number of consumers. The Balsa Bullet has a total manufacturing cost of $1000 with a price to the consumer of only $2562. The second major driver is high speed performance. Once again this driver exists not only to meet the mission objective given Long Shot Aeronautics but it provides a desirable feature to the consumer, pride in owning the fastest aircraft in Aeroworld. The third design driver identified is the capability to service any runway in Aeroworld necessitating the ability to takeoff within 28 ft, the length of the shortest runways in Aeroworld. These design drivers provide three great reasons for the general public to purchase a Bullet.
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Oba, Shino; Oogushi, Kazuhiro; Ogata, Hiromitsu; Nakai, Hiromitsu
2016-01-01
This study evaluated the associations between the characteristics of high school students and irregular breakfast consumption and explored the association with knowledge regarding diet and dietary education in a community in Japan. A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted in 2007 among all the high school students in the second grade in Imari, Saga. Data for 318 male and 292 female students were analyzed. Irregular breakfast consumption was defined as consuming breakfast three times or less in a week. The associations between the characteristics of students and irregular breakfast consumption were assessed using logistic regression with adjustments for sex and school. Among male students, a strong association between the consumption of juice or pop and irregular breakfast consumption was observed (OR comparing ">=2 servings" vs "rarely"=8.97, 95% CI=2.99-26.9). The associations with wake times and bed times were strong among male students, and the association with regular bowel movements was strong among female students. Students who had knowledge of regional agricultural and livestock products were more likely to consume breakfast regularly, and this association was significant among female students (OR=2.89, 95% CI=1.23-6.82). Significant associations were also observed with the consumption of snacks, and traditional greeting before meals. Several characteristics, including specific knowledge, were associated with the irregular consumption of breakfast. The results are of interest to policy makers, nutrition specialists, and educators working to enhance regular breakfast consumption among students.
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Modular Laboratories—Cost-Effective and Sustainable Infrastructure for Resource-Limited Settings
Bridges, Daniel J.; Colborn, James; Chan, Adeline S. T.; Winters, Anna M.; Dengala, Dereje; Fornadel, Christen M.; Kosloff, Barry
2014-01-01
High-quality laboratory space to support basic science, clinical research projects, or health services is often severely lacking in the developing world. Moreover, the construction of suitable facilities using traditional methods is time-consuming, expensive, and challenging to implement. Three real world examples showing how shipping containers can be converted into modern laboratories are highlighted. These include use as an insectary, a molecular laboratory, and a BSL-3 containment laboratory. These modular conversions have a number of advantages over brick and mortar construction and provide a cost-effective and timely solution to offer high-quality, user-friendly laboratory space applicable within the developing world. PMID:25223943
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Dietary habits of a school population and implications for oral health.
Llena Puy, C; Forner, L
2010-04-01
The study analyzes the consumption of cariogenic foods in a population of children between 6 and 10 years old. Transversal descriptive study on a sample of 369 children who first attended to the Department 9 Dentistry dental office of the Valencia Region Health Agency (Spain). A self-administered food consumption frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate how often the food on the list were consumed by the children. Sticky sugar-rich foods, sugared milk and dairy products, food containing starch and sugar, sugary liquids and food with semihydrolyzed starch were consumed by over 50% of the sample at main meals and between meals. The mean intake of all these food groups, was over five times a week. The older children ate more fruit and foods rich in semihydrolyzed starch at main meals. Sweetened medication significantly reduced with age. Sugar-free sweets were consumed by almost 60% of the sample. The study shows a high intake of food with cariogenic potential, in particular processed food with added sugar and food with semihydrolyzed starch consumed between meals. This situation indicates the need to include health education programs in our population focused to improve the dietary habits of children and teenagers.
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A Memory Efficient Network Encryption Scheme
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
El-Fotouh, Mohamed Abo; Diepold, Klaus
In this paper, we studied the two widely used encryption schemes in network applications. Shortcomings have been found in both schemes, as these schemes consume either more memory to gain high throughput or low memory with low throughput. The need has aroused for a scheme that has low memory requirements and in the same time possesses high speed, as the number of the internet users increases each day. We used the SSM model [1], to construct an encryption scheme based on the AES. The proposed scheme possesses high throughput together with low memory requirements.
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High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
... For Consumers Consumer Information by Audience For Women High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing options ... En Español Who is at risk? How is high blood pressure treated? Understanding your blood pressure: What do the ...
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A history of drug advertising: the evolving roles of consumers and consumer protection.
Donohue, Julie
2006-01-01
Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs in the United States is controversial. Underlying the debate are disagreements over the role of consumers in medical decision making, the appropriateness of consumers engaging in self-diagnosis, and the ethics of an industry promoting potentially dangerous drugs. Drug advertising and federal policy governing drug advertising have both responded to and reinforced changes in the consumer's role in health care and in the doctor-patient relationship over time. This article discusses the history of DTCA in the context of social movements to secure rights for health care patients and consumers, the modern trend toward consumer-oriented medicine, and the implications of DTCA and consumer-oriented medicine for contemporary health policy debates about improving the health care system.
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A History of Drug Advertising: The Evolving Roles of Consumers and Consumer Protection
Donohue, Julie
2006-01-01
Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs in the United States is controversial. Underlying the debate are disagreements over the role of consumers in medical decision making, the appropriateness of consumers engaging in self-diagnosis, and the ethics of an industry promoting potentially dangerous drugs. Drug advertising and federal policy governing drug advertising have both responded to and reinforced changes in the consumer's role in health care and in the doctor-patient relationship over time. This article discusses the history of DTCA in the context of social movements to secure rights for health care patients and consumers, the modern trend toward consumer-oriented medicine, and the implications of DTCA and consumer-oriented medicine for contemporary health policy debates about improving the health care system. PMID:17096638
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Ooi, Shing Ming; Sarkar, Srimanta; van Varenbergh, Griet; Schoeters, Kris; Heng, Paul Wan Sia
2013-04-01
Continuous processing and production in pharmaceutical manufacturing has received increased attention in recent years mainly due to the industries' pressing needs for more efficient, cost-effective processes and production, as well as regulatory facilitation. To achieve optimum product quality, the traditional trial-and-error method for the optimization of different process and formulation parameters is expensive and time consuming. Real-time evaluation and the control of product quality using an online process analyzer in continuous processing can provide high-quality production with very high-throughput at low unit cost. This review focuses on continuous processing and the application of different real-time monitoring tools used in the pharmaceutical industry for continuous processing from powder to tablets.
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An intelligent detection method for high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry.
Li, Yue; Yu, Jianwen; Ruan, Zhiming; Chen, Chilai; Chen, Ran; Wang, Han; Liu, Youjiang; Wang, Xiaozhi; Li, Shan
2018-04-01
In conventional high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry signal acquisition, multi-cycle detection is time consuming and limits somewhat the technique's scope for rapid field detection. In this study, a novel intelligent detection approach has been developed in which a threshold was set on the relative error of α parameters, which can eliminate unnecessary time spent on detection. In this method, two full-spectrum scans were made in advance to obtain the estimated compensation voltage at different dispersion voltages, resulting in a narrowing down of the whole scan area to just the peak area(s) of interest. This intelligent detection method can reduce the detection time to 5-10% of that of the original full-spectrum scan in a single cycle.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pfennigbauer, Martin; Ullrich, Andreas
2010-04-01
Newest developments in laser scanner technologies put surveyors in the position to comply with the ever increasing demand of high-speed, high-accuracy, and highly reliable data acquisition from terrestrial, mobile, and airborne platforms. Echo digitization in pulsed time-of-flight laser ranging has demonstrated its superior performance in the field of bathymetry and airborne laser scanning for more than a decade, however at the cost of somewhat time consuming off line post processing. State-of-the-art online waveform processing as implemented in RIEGL's V-Line not only saves users post-processing time to obtain true 3D point clouds, it also adds the assets of calibrated amplitude and reflectance measurement for data classification and pulse deviation determination for effective and reliable data validation. We present results from data acquisitions in different complex target situations.
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The Effects of Energy Drinks on Cognitive Ability
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lucas, Marlon R.
Fatigue problems have been widespread in the air traffic control industry; in past years a common practice among air traffic controllers has been to consume highly caffeinated beverages to maintain awareness and thwart sleep deprivation. This study sought to examine what impact the consumption of an energy drink had on Air Traffic Control Collegiate Training Initiative students at Middle Tennessee State University to solve Air Traffic Selection and Training Battery Applied Math type test problems. Participants consumed a Red Bull energy drink or a placebo and then were asked to complete speed, time, distance, and rate of climb and descent rates questions in addition to answering questions regarding their perception of energy drinks. An appropriate statistical analysis was applied to compare scores of participants. The experimental group which received the energy drink averaged slightly lower (M=77.27, SD=19.79) than the control group, which consumed the placebo beverage (M=81.5, SD=19.01), but this difference was not statistically significant.
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12 CFR 205.7 - Initial disclosures.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... TRANSFERS (REGULATION E) § 205.7 Initial disclosures. (a) Timing of disclosures. A financial institution shall make the disclosures required by this section at the time a consumer contracts for an electronic fund transfer service or before the first electronic fund transfer is made involving the consumer's...
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12 CFR 205.7 - Initial disclosures.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... TRANSFERS (REGULATION E) § 205.7 Initial disclosures. (a) Timing of disclosures. A financial institution shall make the disclosures required by this section at the time a consumer contracts for an electronic fund transfer service or before the first electronic fund transfer is made involving the consumer's...
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Energy Drink Use Linked to High-sugar Beverage Intake and BMI among Teens.
Williams, Ronald D; Housman, Jeff M; Odum, Mary; Rivera, Alissa E
2017-05-01
We assessed the relationship of energy drink, high-sugar, and low-sugar beverage consumption. Mann-Whitney U, Cohen's d and effect sizes were used to examine data from 1737 adolescents in the United States who participated in the 2014 FLASHE Study. Secondary analysis examined consumption of energy drinks, high- and low-sugar beverages, and adolescents' BMIs. Among adolescents, 13.7% (N = 239) reported past 7-day energy drink consumption. Participants who did not consume energy drinks in the past 7 days were more likely to consume low-sugar beverages of water (p < .001) and milk (p = .046). Consumption of energy drinks was positively related to sweetened fruit drinks (p < .001), pure fruit juice (p = .008), soda (p < .001), and sports drinks (p < .001). Energy drink consumers also reported higher mean BMI (p = .004). Adolescents who consume energy drinks during the past 7 days are more likely to also consume other high-sugar beverages. Whereas those who report no past 7-day use of energy drinks consume higher rates of low- or no-sugar beverages. Health education and prevention efforts to reduce adolescent energy drink consumption may lead to reductions in other high-sugar beverage intake and have a positive impact on obesity rates among adolescents.
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A Modified Protocol for High-Quality RNA Extraction from Oleoresin-Producing Adult Pines.
de Lima, Júlio César; Füller, Thanise Nogueira; de Costa, Fernanda; Rodrigues-Corrêa, Kelly C S; Fett-Neto, Arthur G
2016-01-01
RNA extraction resulting in good yields and quality is a fundamental step for the analyses of transcriptomes through high-throughput sequencing technologies, microarray, and also northern blots, RT-PCR, and RTqPCR. Even though many specific protocols designed for plants with high content of secondary metabolites have been developed, these are often expensive, time consuming, and not suitable for a wide range of tissues. Here we present a modification of the method previously described using the commercially available Concert™ Plant RNA Reagent (Invitrogen) buffer for field-grown adult pine trees with high oleoresin content.
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12 CFR 1005.7 - Initial disclosures.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... disclosures required by this section at the time a consumer contracts for an electronic fund transfer service or before the first electronic fund transfer is made involving the consumer's account. (b) Content of... Banks and Banking BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFERS (REGULATION E...
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Duffett, Rodney Graeme; Foster, Crystal
2017-01-01
The purpose of this paper is to determine whether there is a difference in the development of shopping lists and use of advertisements as pre-store food-buying practices in terms of planned shopping by South African consumers who dwell in different socio-economic status (SES) areas. The paper also considers the influence of shopper and socio-demographic characteristics on pre-store food-buying practices in a developing country. A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 1 200 consumers in retail stores in low, middle and high SES areas in South Africa. A generalised linear model was employed for the statistical analysis of pre-store food-buying practices within the SES area groups in a developing country. South African consumers that reside in high SES area displayed the largest of shopping list development, while consumers who dwell in low SES areas showed the highest incidence of advertisement usage. Several shopper and socio-demographic characteristics were also found to have an influence on pre-store food-buying practices in different SES areas in South Africa. A qualitative approach would offer a deeper understanding of consumers' pre-store food shopping predispositions as opposed to the quantitative approach, which was adopted for this study. A longitudinal design would also provide a more extensive representation of pre-store food shopping practices over a longer time frame than cross-sectional research. The survey was conducted on Saturdays, whereas consumers who shop during the week may have different shopping and socio-demographic characteristics. Astute food brands, marketers and grocery stores could use the findings of this study to assist with their marketing efforts that they direct at consumers in different SES areas in South Africa and other developing countries. The findings of this study may assist consumers in developing countries, especially those who reside in low SES areas, with food-buying strategies to reduce food costs, make wiser purchase decisions and reduce shopping. No study (to the best of the researchers' knowledge) has considered shopping list development and use of advertisements' pre-store food-buying practices in different SES areas in a developing country. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research analysing shopper and socio-demographic characteristics in relation to pre-store food-buying practices among different SES areas in developing and developed countries.
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Hamrosi, Kim K; Raynor, David K; Aslani, Parisa
2014-04-23
Written medicine information can play an important role in educating consumers about their medicines. In Australia, standardised, comprehensive written information known as Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is available for all prescription medicines. CMI is reportedly under-utilised by general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists in consultations, despite consumer desire for medicine information. This study aimed to determine consumers', GPs' and community pharmacists' preferences for CMI provision and identify barriers and facilitators to its use. Structured questionnaires were developed and administered to a national sample of Australian consumers (phone survey), community pharmacists and GPs (postal surveys) surrounding utilisation of CMI. Descriptive and comparative analyses were conducted. Half of consumers surveyed wanted to receive CMI for their prescription medicine, with spoken information preferable to written medicine information for many consumers and healthcare professionals. GPs and pharmacists remained a preferred source of medicine information for consumers, although package inserts were appealing to many among all three cohorts. Overall pharmacists were the preferred provider of CMI primarily due to their medicine expertise, accessibility and perceived availability. GPs preferred CMI dissemination through both the GP and pharmacist. Some consumers preferred GPs as the provider of medicines information because of their knowledge of the patients' medicines and/or medical history, regularity of seeing the patient and good relationship with the patient. Common barriers to CMI provision cited included: time constraints, CMI length and perceptions that patients are not interested in receiving CMI. Facilitators to enhance provision included: strategies to increase consumer awareness, longer consultation times and counseling appointments, and improvements to pharmacy software technology and workflow. Medicine information is important to consumers, whether as spoken, written or a combination of both. A tailored approach is needed to ascertain individual patient preference for delivery and scope of medicine information desired so that appropriate information is provided. The barriers of time and perceived attitudes of healthcare practitioners present challenges which may be overcome through changes to workplace practices, adoption of identified facilitators, and education about the positive benefits of CMI as a tool to engage and empower patients.
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Dark chocolate acceptability: influence of cocoa origin and processing conditions.
Torres-Moreno, Miriam; Tarrega, Amparo; Costell, Elvira; Blanch, Consol
2012-01-30
Chocolate properties can vary depending on cocoa origin, composition and manufacturing procedure, which affect consumer acceptability. The aim of this work was to study the effect of two cocoa origins (Ghana and Ecuador) and two processing conditions (roasting time and conching time) on dark chocolate acceptability. Overall acceptability and acceptability for different attributes (colour, flavour, odour and texture) were evaluated by 95 consumers. Differences in acceptability among dark chocolates were mainly related to differences in flavour acceptability. The use of a long roasting time lowered chocolate acceptability in Ghanaian samples while it had no effect on acceptability of Ecuadorian chocolates. This response was observed for most consumers (two subgroups with different frequency consumption of dark chocolate). However, for a third group of consumers identified as distinguishers, the most acceptable dark chocolate samples were those produced with specific combinations of roasting time and conching time for each of the cocoa geographical origin considered. To produce dark chocolates from a single origin it is important to know the target market preferences and to select the appropriate roasting and conching conditions. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Prieto-Castillo, L; Royo-Bordonada, M A; Moya-Geromini, A
2015-03-01
To describe the information search behaviour, comprehension level, and use of nutritional labeling by consumers according to sociodemographic characteristics. Cross-sectional study of consumers recruited in five stores of the main supermarket chains in Madrid: a random sample of 299 consumers (response rate: 80.6%). Interviewers collected information about the information search behaviour, comprehension, and use of nutritional labeling using a questionnaire designed for this purpose. Analyses examined the frequency of the variables of interest. Differences were tested using the Chi-square statistic. In this sample, 38.8% of consumers regularly read the nutritional labeling before making a purchase (45% of women vs 30% in men; P = 0.03) and the most common reason reported was choosing healthier products (81.3%). The proportion of people who were interested in additives and fats was the higher, (55% and 50%, respectively). Lack of time (38.9%), lack of interest (27.1%), and reading difficulties (18.1%) were the most common reasons given for not reading labels. Over half (52.4%) of consumers reported completely understanding the nutritional information on labels and 20.5% reported using such information for dietary planning. Reported information search behaviour, comprehension, and use of nutritional labeling were relatively high among consumers of the study, and their main goal was picking healthier products. However, not only are there still barriers to reading the information, but also the information most relevant to health is not always read or understood. Thus, interventions to increase nutritional labeling comprehension and use are required in order to facilitate the making of healthier choices by consumers. Copyright © 2014 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Wall, Martin; Casswell, Sally
2017-05-01
The aim was to identify a typology of drinkers in New Zealand based on alcohol consumption, beverage choice, and public versus private drinking locations and investigate the relationship between drinker types, harms experienced, and policy-related variables. Model-based cluster analysis of male and female drinkers including volumes of alcohol consumed in the form of beer, wine, spirits, and ready-to-drinks (RTDs) in off- and on-premise settings. Cluster membership was then related to harm measures: alcohol dependence, self-rated health; and to 3 policy-relevant variables: liking for alcohol adverts, price paid for alcohol, and time of purchase. Males and females were analyzed separately. Men fell into 4 and women into 14 clearly discriminated clusters. The male clusters consumed a relatively high proportion of alcohol in the form of beer. Women had a number of small extreme clusters and some consumed mainly spirits-based RTDs, while others drank mainly wine. Those in the higher consuming clusters were more likely to have signs of alcohol dependency, to report lower satisfaction with their health, to like alcohol ads, and to have purchased late at night. Consumption patterns are sufficiently distinctive to identify typologies of male and female alcohol consumers. Women drinkers are more heterogeneous than men. The clusters relate differently to policy-related variables. Copyright © 2017 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.
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ROBERTA J. FARGO; William F. Laudenslayer
1995-01-01
Identification ofPeromyscus species in the field can often be time consuming and inaccurate. Determination of several morphological characteristics is usually required for reliable identification. Characteristics may differ only slightly, can be highly variable, or can overlap among species. In oak woodlands of the southern Sierra Nevada in Fresno county, most...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Miller, Cynthia J.
2014-01-01
Students in undergraduate physiology courses often have difficulty understanding complex, multi-step processes, and these concepts consume a large portion of class time. For this pilot study, it was hypothesized that online multimedia resources may improve student performance in a high-risk population and reduce the in-class workload. A narrated…
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Systolic VLSI Reed-Solomon Decoder
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Shao, H. M.; Truong, T. K.; Deutsch, L. J.; Yuen, J. H.
1986-01-01
Decoder for digital communications provides high-speed, pipelined ReedSolomon (RS) error-correction decoding of data streams. Principal new feature of proposed decoder is modification of Euclid greatest-common-divisor algorithm to avoid need for time-consuming computations of inverse of certain Galois-field quantities. Decoder architecture suitable for implementation on very-large-scale integrated (VLSI) chips with negative-channel metaloxide/silicon circuitry.
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Growth of hybrid poplars, white spruce, and jack pine under various artificial lights.
Pamela S. Roberts; J. Zavitkovski
1981-01-01
Describes the energy consumption and biological effects of fluorescent, incandescent, and high pressure sodium lighting on the growth of poplars, white spruce, and jack pine in a greenhouse. At similar light levels the biological effects of all three light sources were similar. The incandescent lamps consumed several times more energy than the other two light...
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Liu, Ran; Stamper, John; Davenport, Jodi
2018-01-01
Temporal analyses are critical to understanding learning processes, yet understudied in education research. Data from different sources are often collected at different grain sizes, which are difficult to integrate. Making sense of data at many levels of analysis, including the most detailed levels, is highly time-consuming. In this paper, we…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, Samantha; Marlow, Neil; Wolke, Dieter
2012-01-01
Aim: Assessing educational outcomes in high-risk populations is crucial for defining long-term outcomes. As standardized tests are costly and time-consuming, we assessed the use of the Teacher Academic Attainment Scale (TAAS) as an outcome measure. Method: Three hundred and forty three children in mainstream schools aged 10 to 11 years (144 males,…
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Loyalty Switching from Traditional to e-Learning in Indian Higher Education: A Markov Chain Analysis
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rajasekhar, Mamilla; Anitha, Cuddapah
2005-01-01
It is high time for Indian universities to transform themselves from sellers to marketers, though they are non-profit organizations, in marketing their degrees to its customers (students). In this direction e-learning could be one of the tools that helps achieve this objective. The authors in this survey-based article studied the consumers'…
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The long road of biopharmaceutical drug development: from inception to marketing.
Mundae, M K; Ostör, A J K
2010-01-01
The development of therapeutics is costly, time-consuming and has high attrition rates. Biopharmaceutical medications differ from traditional agents in their discovery, design, structure and formulation. Prior to marketing a drug must show efficacy and acceptable toxicity in both preclinical and clinical trials. Regulatory bodies have a pivotal role in the licensing, naming and marketing of an agent.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bernadt, Ruth
The instructional aids in this packet were designed to be used by high school home economics teachers who have Spanish speaking students with limited English skills mainstreamed into their regular classes. The teaching aids can be used by both English and Spanish speaking students at the same time because both Spanish and English are presented on…
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Reported Motivations for and Locations of Healthy Eating Among Georgia High School Students.
Kumar, Gayathri S; Bryan, Michael; Bayakly, Rana; Drenzek, Cherie; Merlo, Caitlin; Perry, Geraldine S
2017-05-01
Understanding how youth perceive eating healthy foods can inform programs and policies that aim to improve healthy eating. We assessed the reasons for and the most common locations of eating healthy foods among Georgia's (GA) high school (HS) students. Using the 2013 GA HS Youth Risk Behavior Survey, we examined motivations for and locations of eating healthy foods by sociodemographic characteristics and daily fruit and vegetable intake. Weighted chi-square tests were used to examine differences in responses for each perception. Nineteen percent of GA HS students consumed fruit ≥3 times/day and 11% consumed vegetables ≥3 times/day. The most frequently chosen response to motivations for eating healthy foods was the desire to be healthy (42%), followed by enjoying their taste (18%). The most likely location to eat healthy foods was at home (80%), followed by at school (13%). GA HS students are most motivated to eat healthy foods by the desire to be healthy and their enjoyment of the taste of healthy foods. Incorporating messages that align with students' motivations to eat healthy foods could be considered when developing promotional programs/policies targeting healthy eating. © 2017, American School Health Association.
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Healthwise South Africa: cultural adaptation of a school-based risk prevention programme
Wegner, L.; Flisher, A. J.; Caldwell, L. L.; Vergnani, T.; Smith, E. A.
2008-01-01
There is a need for effective prevention programmes aimed at reducing risk behaviour among South African adolescents. HealthWise South Africa is a school-based programme designed to reduce sexual and substance use risk behaviour, and promote positive use of leisure time among high-school learners (students). Based on successful programmes in the United States of America, HealthWise was developed for use in South Africa and pilot tested in four South African high schools. We carried out a process evaluation to establish the fidelity of implementation and make sure HealthWise was culturally relevant. Data sources comprised focus groups with educators and learners, lesson evaluations and observations, and interviews with school principals. Qualitative analysis of data highlighted pertinent cultural and contextual factors and identified areas for modifying HealthWise in order to promote better programme-consumer fit. These areas centred on time, language, and leisure. We noted a dynamic tension between the educators' desire to adhere to plan, and to make adaptations in accordance with learners' needs and the context. Ultimately, researchers need to find a balance between fidelity of implementation and programme adaptation to obtain effective programmes that are culturally acceptable to local consumers. PMID:17956882
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Failure Mode and Effects Analysis: views of hospital staff in the UK.
Shebl, Nada; Franklin, Bryony; Barber, Nick; Burnett, Susan; Parand, Anam
2012-01-01
To explore health care professionals' experiences and perceptions of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), a team-based, prospective risk analysis technique. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 operational leads (20 pharmacists, one nurse) in medicines management teams of hospitals participating in a national quality improvement programme. Interviews were transcribed, coded and emergent themes identified using framework analysis. Themes identified included perceptions and experiences of participants with FMEA, validity and reliability issues, and FMEA's use in practice. FMEA was considered to be a structured but subjective process that helps health care professionals get together to identify high risk areas of care. Both positive and negative opinions were expressed, with the majority of interviewees expressing positive views towards FMEA in relation to its structured nature and the use of a multidisciplinary team. Other participants criticised FMEA for being subjective and lacking validity. Most likely to restrict its widespread use were its time consuming nature and its perceived lack of validity and reliability. FMEA is a subjective but systematic tool that helps identify high risk areas, but its time consuming nature, difficulty with the scores and perceived lack of validity and reliability may limit its widespread use.
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Denver, Sigrid; Sandøe, Peter; Christensen, Tove
2017-07-01
The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the market potential of pork labelled to indicate medium and high levels of animal welfare. The paper asks, in particular, whether there is a risk that Danish consumers will abandon high level welfare pork if less expensive products with a medium level of animal welfare became available. The study was based on an online questionnaire with a choice experiment involving 396 Danish respondents. The results indicated that the Danish market could accommodate more than one pork product with a welfare label but the price differential separating medium and high level animal welfare pork will have to be quite narrow. In addition, full willingness-to-pay of consumers who want to buy high level welfare pork cannot be relied upon to incentivise new consumers to buy medium welfare pork. Further, raising brand awareness in the shopping situation and improving consumer's understanding of brand attributes for high level welfare brands were found to be vital. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Are Credit Card Rates Too High? At Home with Consumers. Volume 8, Number 1.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
At Home with Consumers, 1987
1987-01-01
The four articles in this journal issue examine the pros and cons of the proposition that credit card rates are too high. In "How Congress and Consumers Will Crack the Credit Card Market," Congressman Charles E. Schumer argues that banks can get away with their excessive rates because of consumer misinformation and the unfair competitive edge held…
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Consumer Problems of the Poor. Expanded Programs of Consumer Education. (Series)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Secondary Curriculum Development.
The fourth in a series of modules--Expanded Programs of Consumer Education--this material is designed to help the poor make better use of their income and to stimulate those of high income to a greater understanding of the problems of their fellow-citizens. The modules are prepared for high school students as separate publications to provide…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Herrmann, Robert O.
A study examined historical changes in the content of consumer education and factors associated with these changes. Analysis was based on key writings on consumer education and an examination of fifteen high school texts published between 1938 and 1978. Only a few topics--budgeting, savings and investment, life insurance, and housing--received…
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Brown, Timothy T; Robinson, James C
2016-06-01
Reference pricing (RP) theories predict different outcomes when reference prices are fixed (exogenous) versus being a function of market prices (MPs) (endogenous). Exogenous RP results in MPs at both high-price and low-price firms converging towards the reference price from above and below, respectively. Endogenous RP results in MPs at both high-price and low-price firms decreasing, with low-price firms acting strategically to decrease the reference price in order to gain market share. We extend these models to a hospital context focusing on insurer and consumer payments. Under exogenous RP, insurer and consumer payments to low-price hospitals increase, and insurer payments to high-price hospitals decrease, but predictions regarding consumer payments are ambiguous for high-price hospitals. Under endogenous RP, insurer payments to high-price and low-price hospitals decrease, and consumer payments to low-price hospitals decrease, but predictions regarding consumer payments are ambiguous for high-price hospitals. We test these predictions with difference-in-differences specifications using 2008-2013 data on patients undergoing joint replacement. For 2 years following RP implementation, insurer payments to high-price and low-price hospitals moved downward, consistent with endogenous RP. However, when the reference price was not reset to account for changes in MPs, insurer payments to low-price hospitals reverted to pre-implementation levels, consistent with exogenous RP. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Vulnerable Consumers in a Highly Developed Asian Economy: The Case of Japan.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Morita, Yoko; Mieno, Yoshiko; Ikeda, Michiyo; Ogawa, Ikuko
2000-01-01
Presents a survey of the administrative system of consumer protection in Japan and the present state of affairs for consumers. Indicates that progress in advancing consumer protection policies is advancing, but the government has been slow to react to problems and adopt remedies or adjustments. (JOW)
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Michigan Consumer Education Skills.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Michigan State Consumers Council, Lansing.
The booklet identifies consumer skills which a committee of the Michigan Consumers Council believes are essential for students to master prior to graduation from high school. The purpose of the document is to give direction to school districts and teachers on which consumer education skills are needed. The booklet does not contain teaching methods…
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Design of Ablation Test Device for Brick Coating of Gun
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
shirui, YAO; yongcai, CHEN; fei, WANG; jianxin, ZHAO
2018-03-01
As a result of the live ammunition test conditions, the barrel resistance of the barrel coating has high cost, time consuming, low efficiency and high test site requirements. This article designed a simple, convenient and efficient test device. Through the internal trajectory calculation by Matlab, the ablation environment produced by the ablation test device has achieved the expected effect, which is consistent with the working condition of the tube in the launching state, which can better reflect the ablation of the coating.
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Luteal phase deficiency. An underdiagnosed and overtreated reproductive endocrine disorder.
Soules, M R
1987-12-01
Although luteal phase deficiency is rather time consuming, expensive, and sometimes painful to diagnose and treat, this disease entity is associated with a high degree of treatment success. Physicians are encouraged to become more aware of luteal phase deficiency as a potential diagnosis in the infertile woman. If the recommendations are followed in the diagnosis and treatment of luteal phase deficiency, a high degree of success can be achieved in infertile couples who otherwise would be diagnosed as having idiopathic infertility (and be ineffectively treated).
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Non-price competition in the regional high-rise construction market
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ganebnykh, Elena; Burtseva, Tatyana; Gurova, Ekaterina; Polyakova, Irina
2018-03-01
The article analyzes the market of high-rise residential construction in the city of Kirov (Russia). A minimal significance of price factors has been revealed in the process of the market analysis. This suggests that a lower price does not guarantee an increase in consumer demand. Thus, factors of non-price competition are of great importance in the market in question. The expert survey has identified the factors of non-price competition which influence consumer perceptions. A perceptual map has been constructed on the basis of the identified factors by means of the factor analysis to determine the positioning of each high-rise building relative to the consumer requirements. None of the high-rise residential buildings in the market in question meets the consumers' expectations of an "ideal facility".
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Summary of Utility Studies: Smart Grid Investment Grant Consumer Behavior Study Analysis
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Cappers, Peter; Todd, Annika; Goldamn, Charles A.
2013-05-01
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) program is working with a subset of the 99 SGIG projects to assess the response of mass market consumers (i.e., residential and small commercial customers) to time-varying electricity prices (referred to herein as time-based rate programs) in conjunction with the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and associated technologies. The effort provides an opportunity to advance the electric industry’s understanding of consumer behavior. In addition, DOE is attempting to apply a consistent study design and analysis framework for the SGIG Consumer Behavior Studies (CBS). The aim is to collectmore » information across the studies on variables and impacts that have been defined in a consistent manner. This will enable Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL), as DOE’s principal investigator for these Consumer Behavior Studies, to leverage the data from the individual studies and conduct comparative analysis of the impacts of AMI, time-based rate programs and enabling technologies that facilitate customer control, automation and information/feedback on customer energy usage.« less
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Bucher, T; Müller, B; Siegrist, M
2015-12-01
To date, it is unclear how consumers evaluate the healthiness of individual foods and meals and how consumers' perceptions are related to expert opinions. This knowledge is essential for efficient communication of nutrition information with the goal of promoting healthy eating. This study used the fake food buffet method to investigate health perceptions of selected meals and of 54 individual foods and beverages. Lay consumers' subjective healthiness evaluations of meals and foods were compared to objective nutrient profile scores, which were previously shown to correlate highly with expert opinions. The results show that nutrition profile scores and lay evaluations were highly correlated, which indicates that lay people used similar criteria as experts to evaluate the healthiness of foods. However, lay consumers tended to neglect the amount of saturated fat, protein and sodium for their judgments. Also, it was found that while lay consumers were quite able to evaluate single food products, they had difficulties in evaluating entire meals. Future interventions should focus particularly on educating the consumer about the negative effects of diets high in salt and saturated fat and they should improve the consumer's abilities to evaluate entire meals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Use of resources and postoperative outcome.
Niskanen, M M; Takala, J A
2001-09-01
To characterise those surgical patients who consume one half of all hospital patient days, and to compare their outcome with that of low consumers. A retrospective cohort study. Tertiary referral centre, Finland. 13025 surgical patients who were admitted to a university hospital in Kuopio, Finland, during 1997. The length of stay below which half of all patient days fell was chosen as a cut-off value to divide patients into low and high consumers. Hospital and 12-month mortality and standardised mortality ratios (SMR: observed deaths/expected deaths based on the corresponding general population). The 2239 patients (17%) whose length of stay exceeded 9 days (high consumers) took up one half of all patient days. The pattern of resource use varied between operative specialities. At 12 months the SMRs showed excess mortality among high consumers (5.0, 95% confidence interval 4.4 to 5.7) compared with low consumers (2.1, 95% CI 1.9 to 2.3). Relating the length of stay to the proportion of resources consumed may provide a feasible tool for the recognition of different patterns of use of resources. SMRs may be more relevant measures of outcome than hospital mortality when assessing the efficacy of operative treatment.
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2012-01-01
The electric grid in the United States has been suffering from underinvestment for years, and now faces pressing challenges from rising demand and deteriorating infrastructure. High congestion levels in transmission lines are greatly reducing the efficiency of electricity generation and distribution. In this paper, we assess the faults of the current electric grid and quantify the costs of maintaining the current system into the future. While the proposed “smart grid” contains many proposals to upgrade the ailing infrastructure of the electric grid, we argue that smart meter installation in each U.S. household will offer a significant reduction in peak demand on the current system. A smart meter is a device which monitors a household’s electricity consumption in real-time, and has the ability to display real-time pricing in each household. We conclude that these devices will provide short-term and long-term benefits to utilities and consumers. The smart meter will enable utilities to closely monitor electricity consumption in real-time, while also allowing households to adjust electricity consumption in response to real-time price adjustments. PMID:22540990
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Reduction of produced elementary sulfur in denitrifying sulfide removal process.
Zhou, Xu; Liu, Lihong; Chen, Chuan; Ren, Nanqi; Wang, Aijie; Lee, Duu-Jong
2011-05-01
Denitrifying sulfide removal (DSR) processes simultaneously convert sulfide, nitrate, and chemical oxygen demand from industrial wastewater into elemental sulfur, dinitrogen gas, and carbon dioxide, respectively. The failure of a DSR process is signaled by high concentrations of sulfide in reactor effluent. Conventionally, DSR reactor failure is blamed for overcompetition for heterotroph to autotroph communities. This study indicates that the elementary sulfur produced by oxidizing sulfide that is a recoverable resource from sulfide-laden wastewaters can be reduced back to sulfide by sulfur-reducing Methanobacterium sp. The Methanobacterium sp. was stimulated with excess organic carbon (acetate) when nitrite was completely consumed by heterotrophic denitrifiers. Adjusting hydraulic retention time of a DSR reactor when nitrite is completely consumed provides an additional control variable for maximizing DSR performance.
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Smith, Joanne R; Terry, Deborah J; Manstead, Antony S R; Louis, Winnifred R; Kotterman, Diana; Wolfs, Jacqueline
2008-06-01
The authors used a revised planned behavior model in the consumer domain. The revised model incorporated separate measures of descriptive and injunctive/ prescriptive norms, self-identity, and past behavior in an effort to improve the predictive power of the theory of planned behavior (TPB; I. Ajzen, 1985) in relation to a self-reported consumer behavior: purchasing one's preferred soft drink. At Time 1, respondents (N = 112) completed self-report measures of (a) attitudes, (b) perceived behavioral control, (c) descriptive and injunctive/prescriptive norms, (d) self-identity, (e) past behavior, and (f) intentions. The authors assessed self-reported behavior 1 week later (Time 2). Attitudes, injunctive/prescriptive norms, descriptive norms, past behavior, and self-identity were all positively related to purchase intentions, and intentions were predictive of self-reported behavior at Time 2. These findings highlight the utility of the TPB in the consumer domain.
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Impact of orocecal transit time on patient´s perception of lactose intolerance.
Casellas, Francesc; Aparici, Anna; Casaus, Maite; Rodríguez, Purificación; Malagelada, Juan R
2013-01-01
symptoms attributed to the lactose intolerance are an important public health issue because of their prevalence and social relevance. Also because they may cause undue rejection of dairy products consume with potential health consequences. Transit time is a putative factor implied in the severity of symptoms associated with lactose. to elucidate the relation between orocecal transit time (OCTT) and lactose intolerance symptoms. observational study in patients referred to a lactose hydrogen breath test who showed an increase in breath H2 excretion higher than 25 ppm. OCTT was measured with the breath test and symptoms of lactose tolerance with a validated scale. Symptoms were measured twice: before receiving the lactose, inquiring about self perceived symptoms when patients consumed dairy products at home ("home symptoms"), and again after completing the lactose breath test ("test symptoms"). 161 patients were included. There was no correlation between OCTT and home symptoms (r = -0.1). When OCTT was faster than 60 minutes, intensity of "test symptoms" was similar to "home symptoms". However, in patients with normal or slow OCTT, the "home symptoms" were more intense than the "test symptoms" (p < 0.05). At home, symptoms were independent of OCTT but with the lactose test load the symptoms were proportionately more intense with faster OCTT. in lactose maldigesters, selfreported symptoms of lactose intolerance are more pronounced at home than after a high lactose challenge. Intolerance symptoms that patients attributed to lactose consume at home are due to factors other than fast OCTT.
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The multiplicative effect of combining alcohol with energy drinks on adolescent gambling.
Vieno, Alessio; Canale, Natale; Potente, Roberta; Scalese, Marco; Griffiths, Mark D; Molinaro, Sabrina
2018-07-01
There has been increased concern about the negative effects of adolescents consuming a combination of alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED). To date, few studies have focused on AmED use and gambling. The present study analyzed the multiplicative effect of AmED consumption, compared to alcohol alone, on the likelihood of at-risk or problem gambling during adolescence. Data from the ESPAD®Italia 2015 study, a cross-sectional survey conducted in a nationally representative sample of students (ages 15 to 19years) were used to examine the association between self-reported AmED use (≥6 times,≥10 times, and ≥20 times during the last month) and self-reported gambling severity. Multivariate models were used to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios to evaluate the association between alcohol use, AmED use, and gambling among a representative sample of adolescents who reported gambling in the last year and completed a gambling severity scale (n=4495). Among the 19% students classed as at-risk and problem gamblers, 43.9% were classed as AmED consumers, while 23.6% were classed as alcohol consumers (i.e. did not mix alcohol with energy drinks). In multivariate analyses that controlled for covariates, AmED consumers were three times more likely to be at-risk and problem gamblers (OR=3.05) compared to non-consuming adolescents, while the effect became less pronounced with considering those who consumed alcohol without the addition of energy drinks (OR=1.37). The present study clearly established that consuming AmED might pose a significantly greater risk of experiencing gambling-related problems among adolescents. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Rundblad, Gabriella; Knapton, Olivia; Hunter, Paul R
2010-10-25
During times of public health emergencies, effective communication between the emergency response agencies and the affected public is important to ensure that people protect themselves from injury or disease. In order to investigate compliance with public health advice during natural disasters, we examined consumer behaviour during two water notices that were issued as a result of serious flooding. During the summer of 2007, 140,000 homes in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, that are supplied water from Mythe treatment works, lost their drinking water for up to 17 days. Consumers were issued a 'Do Not Drink' notice when the water was restored, which was subsequently replaced with a 'Boil Water' notice. The rare occurrence of two water notices provided a unique opportunity to compare compliance with public health advice. Information source use and other factors that may affect consumer perception and behaviour were also explored. A postal questionnaire was sent to 1,000 randomly selected households. Chi-square, ANOVA, MANOVA and generalised estimating equation (with and without prior factor analysis) were used for quantitative analysis. In terms of information sources, we found high use of and clear preference for the local radio throughout the incident, but family/friends/neighbours also proved crucial at the onset. Local newspapers and the water company were associated with clarity of advice and feeling informed, respectively. Older consumers and those in paid employment were particularly unlikely to read the official information leaflets. We also found a high degree of confusion regarding which notice was in place at which time, with correct recall varying between 23.2%-26.7%, and a great number of consumers believed two notices were in place simultaneously. In terms of behaviour, overall non-compliance levels were significantly higher for the 'Do Not Drink' notice (62.9%) compared to the 'Boil Water' notice (48.3%); consumers in paid employment were not likely to comply with advice. Non-compliance with the general advice to boil bowser water was noticeably lower (27.3%). Higher non-compliance during the 'Do Not Drink' notice was traced to the public's limited knowledge of water notices and their folk beliefs about the protection offered from boiling water. We suggest that future information dissemination plans reduce reliance on official leaflets and maximise the potential of local media and personal networks. Current public health education programmes are recommended to attend to insufficient and incorrect public knowledge about precautionary actions.
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2010-01-01
Background During times of public health emergencies, effective communication between the emergency response agencies and the affected public is important to ensure that people protect themselves from injury or disease. In order to investigate compliance with public health advice during natural disasters, we examined consumer behaviour during two water notices that were issued as a result of serious flooding. During the summer of 2007, 140,000 homes in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, that are supplied water from Mythe treatment works, lost their drinking water for up to 17 days. Consumers were issued a 'Do Not Drink' notice when the water was restored, which was subsequently replaced with a 'Boil Water' notice. The rare occurrence of two water notices provided a unique opportunity to compare compliance with public health advice. Information source use and other factors that may affect consumer perception and behaviour were also explored. Method A postal questionnaire was sent to 1,000 randomly selected households. Chi-square, ANOVA, MANOVA and generalised estimating equation (with and without prior factor analysis) were used for quantitative analysis. Results In terms of information sources, we found high use of and clear preference for the local radio throughout the incident, but family/friends/neighbours also proved crucial at the onset. Local newspapers and the water company were associated with clarity of advice and feeling informed, respectively. Older consumers and those in paid employment were particularly unlikely to read the official information leaflets. We also found a high degree of confusion regarding which notice was in place at which time, with correct recall varying between 23.2%-26.7%, and a great number of consumers believed two notices were in place simultaneously. In terms of behaviour, overall non-compliance levels were significantly higher for the 'Do Not Drink' notice (62.9%) compared to the 'Boil Water' notice (48.3%); consumers in paid employment were not likely to comply with advice. Non-compliance with the general advice to boil bowser water was noticeably lower (27.3%). Conclusion Higher non-compliance during the 'Do Not Drink' notice was traced to the public's limited knowledge of water notices and their folk beliefs about the protection offered from boiling water. We suggest that future information dissemination plans reduce reliance on official leaflets and maximise the potential of local media and personal networks. Current public health education programmes are recommended to attend to insufficient and incorrect public knowledge about precautionary actions. PMID:20973959
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Using Performance Measures to Allocate Consumable Funding
2007-06-01
The Air Force is now using the Customer Oriented Leveling Technique (COLT) to determine levels for consumable items at its bases. COLT is an...Overview • COLT is a system to set AF retail stock levels for DLA-managed consumable parts to minimize expected customer wait time (ECWT) • COLT...changed please list both.) Original title on 712 A/B: Using Performance Measures to Allocate Consumable Funding If the title was revised
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[Food groups consumption and sociodemographic characteristics in Mexican population].
Gaona-Pineda, Elsa B; Martínez-Tapia, Brenda; Arango-Angarita, Andrea; Valenzuela-Bravo, Danae; Gómez-Acosta, Luz M; Shamah-Levy, Teresa; Rodríguez-Ramírez, Sonia
2018-01-01
To estimate the recommendable and non-recommendable food groups for usual consumption by sociodemographic characteristics in Mexican population. Through a 7-day, semi-quan¬titative food frequency questionnaire used in 2016 National Health and Nutrition Survey, we estimated the proportions of population (preschool and school children, adolescents and adults) who consumed food groups that are relevant for public health by area, region and socioeconomic status (SES). Less than 50% of population consumed vegetables daily; almost 80% of the population consumed plain water daily and sweetened beverages (3 d/week). Center and Mexico City regions had the highest percentage of fruits and vegetables consumers (p<0.012). High SES had the highest consumer´s percentage of recommendable and non-recommendable food groups. A high percentage of the population do not consume fruits, vegetables and plain water daily.
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High-Temperature Optical Window Design
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Roeloffs, Norman; Taranto, Nick
1995-01-01
A high-temperature optical window is essential to the optical diagnostics of high-temperature combustion rigs. Laser Doppler velocimetry, schlieren photography, light sheet visualization, and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy are a few of the tests that require optically clear access to the combustor flow stream. A design was developed for a high-temperature window that could withstand the severe environment of the NASA Lewis 3200 F Lean Premixed Prevaporized (LPP) Flame Tube Test Rig. The development of this design was both time consuming and costly. This report documents the design process and the lessons learned, in an effort to reduce the cost of developing future designs for high-temperature optical windows.
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Generalist consumers often have diets that vary considerably over time and space, which reflects changes in resource availability. Predicting diets of consumers can therefore be difficult. The western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus, is an omnivorous generalist consumer that uses ...
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Information on human behavior and consumer product use is important for characterizing exposures to chemicals in consumer products and in indoor environments. Traditionally, exposure-assessors have relied on time-use surveys to obtain information on exposure-related behavior. In ...
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ActiviTeen: A Protocol for Deployment of a Consumer Wearable Device in an Academic Setting.
Ortiz, Alexa M; Tueller, Stephen J; Cook, Sarah L; Furberg, Robert D
2016-07-25
Regular physical activity (PA) can be an important indicator of health across an individual's life span. Consumer wearables, such as Fitbit or Jawbone, are becoming increasingly popular to track PA. With the increased adoption of activity trackers comes the increased generation of valuable individual-based data. Generated data has the potential to provide detailed insights into the user's behavior and lifestyle. The primary objective of the described study is to evaluate the feasibility of individual data collection from the selected consumer wearable device (the Fitbit Zip). The rate of user attrition and barriers preventing the use of consumer wearable devices will also be evaluated as secondary objectives. The pilot study will occur in two stages and employs a long-term review and analysis with a convenience sample of 30 students attending Research Triangle High School. For the first stage, students will initially be asked to wear the Fitbit Zip over the course of 4 weeks. During which time, their activity data and step count will be collected. Students will also be asked to complete a self-administered survey at the beginning and conclusion of the first stage. The second stage will continue to collect students' activity data and step count over an additional 3-month period. We are anticipating results for this study by the end of 2016. This study will provide insight into the data collection procedures surrounding consumer wearable devices and could serve as the future foundation for other studies deploying consumer wearable devices in educational settings.
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The role of marketing in pharmaceutical research and development.
Calfee, John E
2002-01-01
Pharmaceutical marketing, which is primarily targeted at physicians, has been criticised because it may distort physician prescribing and thus potentially raise costs and/or worsen health. An alternative view, presented in this paper, is that successful marketing of pharmaceuticals can improve consumer welfare by increasing incentives for research and development (R&D) investment and by providing guidance to R&D to make it more consistent with consumer preferences. There are a number of arguments that support this view, despite impediments to pharmaceutical marketing such as the prohibited dissemination of off-label information in the US, difficulties in estimating potential pharmaceutical demand, and the long time lag between demand assessment and the introduction of new drugs. For example, physicians are often slow to modify their prescribing practices, even when new evidence-based practice guidelines are issued by prestigious organisations. Pharmaceutical promotion is likely to be particularly valuable because information plays a key role, is highly technical, and can change rapidly. Even consumer advertising can potentially improve health, for example, by improving patient compliance with drug therapy. In addition to disseminating information about the benefits of new therapies, an essential (and perhaps unique) role for pharmaceutical promotion is to encourage physicians and payers to pay closer attention to consumer needs (i.e. willingness to pay) for new medical technology. Moreover, successful marketing of pharmaceuticals increases the returns from R&D, thus increasing incentives to explore consumer demand and to contribute to basic research on the role of drug therapy. Consumer benefits from this process may be very large.
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Consumers responses to coupons in direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.
Bhutada, Nilesh S; Cook, Christopher L; Perri, Matthew
2009-01-01
A study was conducted to understand the influence of coupons and consumers' level of involvement in direct-to-consumer advertising. Consumers exposed to prescription drug advertising with a coupon had significantly more favorable ad and brand-related attitudes, and intention to inquire about the drug to their doctor. However, there was no significant difference in perceived product risk between consumers exposed to the ad with a coupon and consumers exposed to the ad without a coupon. Highly involved consumers had significantly more favorable ad, brand, and coupon-related attitudes, drug inquiry intention, and perceptions about the risks associated with the drug.
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Hahnel, Ulf J J; Arnold, Oliver; Waschto, Michael; Korcaj, Liridon; Hillmann, Karen; Roser, Damaris; Spada, Hans
2015-01-01
Green products are appealing. Thus, labeling products as environmentally friendly is an effective strategy to increase sales. However, the labels often promise more than the products can actually deliver. In the present research, we examined the expectation that consumers with high ecological motivation have strong preferences for green-labeled products - even when presented product information contradicts the label's image. This unsettling hypothesis is grounded in the labels' potential to create a cognitive match between the labeled product and consumers' motives. For labels indicating environmental friendliness (green product labels), this link should be strongest when consumers' ecological motivation is high. Findings in a series of three experiments support our assumption, showing that consumers with high ecological motivation had strong preferences (i.e., product evaluations, purchase intentions, and simulated purchase decisions) for green-labeled products as compared to consumers with low ecological motivation (Studies 1-3). Crucially, these preferences were robust, despite contradicting environmental product information (Studies 1 and 2). We extended our findings by additionally examining the impact of product labels and motivation on moral self-regulation processes. This was established by assessing participants' pro-social behavior after the purchase task: participants with high ecological motivation acted, consistent with their motives, more pro-socially in post-decision occasions. In accordance with moral cleansing effects, pro-social behavior was intensified after purchasing conventional products (Studies 2 and 3). Green labels protected participants with high ecological motivation from moral threats due to the purchase, thus making pro-social behavior less likely. Findings suggest that highly ecologically motivated consumers are most susceptible to green labels, which may override detailed product information.
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An empirical examination of consumer effects across twenty degrees of latitude.
Lavender, James T; Dafforn, Katherine A; Bishop, Melanie J; Johnston, Emma L
2017-09-01
The strength and importance of consumer effects are predicted to increase toward low latitudes, but this hypothesis has rarely been tested using a spatially consistent methodology. In a consumer-exclusion experiment spanning twenty degrees of latitude along the east Australian coast, the magnitude of consumer effects on sub-tidal sessile assemblage composition was not greater at low than high latitudes. Across caged and control assemblages, Shannon's diversity, Pielou's evenness, and richness of functional groups decreased with increasing latitude, but the magnitude of consumer effects on these metrics did not display consistent latitudinal gradients. Instead, latitudinal gradients in consumer effects were apparent for individual functional groups. Solitary ascidians displayed the pattern consistent with predictions of greater direct effects of predators at low than high latitude. As consumers reduced the biomass of this and other competitive dominants, groups less prone to predation (e.g., hydroids, various groups of bryozoans) were able to take advantage of freed space in the presence of consumers and show increased abundances there. This large-scale empirical study demonstrates the complexity of species interactions, and the failure of assemblage-level metrics to adequately capture consumer effects over large spatial gradients. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.
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Sasaki, Keisuke; Ooi, Motoki; Nagura, Naoto; Motoyama, Michiyo; Narita, Takumi; Oe, Mika; Nakajima, Ikuyo; Hagi, Tatsuro; Ojima, Koichi; Kobayashi, Miho; Nomura, Masaru; Muroya, Susumu; Hayashi, Takeshi; Akama, Kyoko; Fujikawa, Akira; Hokiyama, Hironao; Kobayashi, Kuniyuki; Nishimura, Takanori
2017-08-01
Over the past few decades, beef producers in Japan have improved marbling in their beef products. It was recently reported that marbling is not well correlated with palatability as rated by Japanese consumers. This study sought to identify the consumer segments in Japan that prefer sensory characteristics of beef other than high marbling. Three Wagyu beef, one Holstein beef and two lean imported beef longissimus samples were subjected to a descriptive sensory test, physicochemical analysis and a consumer (n = 307) preference test. According to consumer classification and external preference mapping, four consumer segments were identified as 'gradual high-fat likers', 'moderate-fat and distinctive taste likers', 'Wagyu likers' and 'distinctive texture likers'. Although the major trend of Japanese consumers' beef preference was 'marbling liking', 16.9% of the consumers preferred beef samples that had moderate marbling and distinctive taste. The consumers' attitudes expressed in a questionnaire survey were in good agreement with the preference for marbling among the 'moderate-fat and distinctive taste likers'. These results indicate that moderately marbled beef is a potent category in the Japanese beef market. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Using contingent choice methods to assess consumer preferences about health plan design.
Marquis, M Susan; Buntin, Melinda Beeuwkes; Kapur, Kanika; Yegian, Jill M
2005-01-01
American insurers are designing products to contain health care costs by making consumers financially responsible for their choices. Little is known about how consumers will view these new designs. Our objective is to examine consumer preferences for selected benefit designs. We used the contingent choice method to assess willingness to pay for six health plan attributes. Our sample included subscribers to individual health insurance products in California, US. We used fitted logistic regression models to explore how preferences for the more generous attributes varied with the additional premium and with the characteristics of the subscriber. High quality was the most highly valued attribute based on the amounts consumers report they are willing to pay. They were also willing to pay substantial monthly premiums to reduce their overall financial risk. Individuals in lower health were willing to pay more to reduce their financial risk than individuals in better health. Consumers may prefer tiered-benefit designs to those that involve overall increases in cost sharing. More consumer information is needed to help consumers better evaluate the costs and benefits of their insurance choices.
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Li, Yue; Cai, Xueya; Ye, Zhiqiu; Glance, Laurent G.; Harrington, Charlene; Mukamel, Dana B.
2013-01-01
Since 2005 Massachusetts has publicly reported results from biennial surveys of satisfaction with nursing homes, completed by responsible parties for residents, to promote consumer-centered care. Our analysis of the results from 2005, 2007, and 2009 revealed generally high satisfaction with care, which remained stable over time. On a scale of 1 to 5 (from very dissatisfied to very satisfied), average satisfaction with overall care was 4.22–4.31 and satisfaction that overall residents’ needs were met was 4.09–4.16; 89.9–90.1 percent of respondents would recommend the facility. Satisfaction ratings varied considerably across facilities, with higher scores associated with higher nursing staffing levels, fewer deficiency citations, and nonprofit or government ownership. Scores for six domains of care were, in general, closely associated with satisfaction scores. However, family members seemed less satisfied with the physical and social activities available to residents and with the food and meals served than with such attributes as the physical environment. Our findings suggest that including the consumer's perspective would improve the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ current nursing home reporting efforts, but that refinements may be necessary to detect the impact of consumer reporting on the quality of patient-centered care. PMID:23918486
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Li, Yue; Cai, Xueya; Ye, Zhiqiu; Glance, Laurent G; Harrington, Charlene; Mukamel, Dana B
2013-08-01
Since 2005 Massachusetts has publicly reported results from biennial surveys of satisfaction with nursing homes, completed by responsible parties for residents, to promote consumer-centered care. Our analysis of the results from 2005, 2007, and 2009 revealed generally high satisfaction with care, which remained stable over time. On a scale of 1 to 5 (from very dissatisfied to very satisfied), average satisfaction with overall care was 4.22-4.31, and satisfaction that overall residents' needs were met was 4.09-4.16. Around 90 percent of respondents would recommend the facility. Satisfaction ratings varied considerably across facilities, with higher scores associated with higher nursing staffing levels, fewer deficiency citations, and nonprofit or government ownership. Scores for six domains of care were, in general, closely associated with satisfaction scores. However, family members seemed less satisfied with the physical and social activities available to residents and with the food and meals served than with such attributes as the physical environment. Our findings suggest that including the consumer's perspective would improve the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' current nursing home reporting efforts. However, refinements may be necessary to detect the impact of consumer reporting on the quality of patient-centered care.
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Why climate change will invariably alter selection pressures on phenology.
Gienapp, Phillip; Reed, Thomas E; Visser, Marcel E
2014-10-22
The seasonal timing of lifecycle events is closely linked to individual fitness and hence, maladaptation in phenological traits may impact population dynamics. However, few studies have analysed whether and why climate change will alter selection pressures and hence possibly induce maladaptation in phenology. To fill this gap, we here use a theoretical modelling approach. In our models, the phenologies of consumer and resource are (potentially) environmentally sensitive and depend on two different but correlated environmental variables. Fitness of the consumer depends on the phenological match with the resource. Because we explicitly model the dependence of the phenologies on environmental variables, we can test how differential (heterogeneous) versus equal (homogeneous) rates of change in the environmental variables affect selection on consumer phenology. As expected, under heterogeneous change, phenotypic plasticity is insufficient and thus selection on consumer phenology arises. However, even homogeneous change leads to directional selection on consumer phenology. This is because the consumer reaction norm has historically evolved to be flatter than the resource reaction norm, owing to time lags and imperfect cue reliability. Climate change will therefore lead to increased selection on consumer phenology across a broad range of situations. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.
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General approach to boat simulation in virtual reality systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aranov, Vladislav Y.; Belyaev, Sergey Y.
2002-02-01
The paper is dedicated to real time simulation of sport boats, particularly a kayak and high-speed skimming boat, for training goals. This training is issue of the day, since kayaking and riding a high-speed skimming boat are both extreme sports. Participating in such types of competitions puts sportsmen into danger, particularly due to rapids, waterfalls, different water streams, and other obstacles. In order to make the simulation realistic, it is necessary to calculate data for at least 30 frames per second. These calculations may take not more than 5% CPU time, because very time-consuming 3D rendering process takes the rest - 95% CPU time. This paper describes an approach for creating minimal boat simulator models that satisfy the mentioned requirements. Besides, this approach can be used for other watercraft models of this kind.
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Set up to fail? Consumer participation in the mental health service system.
Stewart, Sarah; Watson, Sandy; Montague, Roslyn; Stevenson, Caroline
2008-10-01
The aim of this paper is to present the findings of a survey of consumers of mental health services who are working (in either paid or unpaid positions) in NSW Health and in the Non Government Organisation sector in NSW. A survey was distributed through the NSW Consumer Advisory Group newsletter to elicit the roles and assess the training needs of consumer employees, as well as those who were working in voluntary capacities as consumer representatives, within the mental health system in NSW. Many mental health consumers have been placed in the untenable position of being engaged in representation and/or advocacy roles with unclear job descriptions and no training. The majority of consumers want a code of ethics and performance standards for consumer workers. The rhetoric of consumer participation is not matched by effective and timely strategies that ensure that consumer involvement is underpinned by relevant training and supportive infrastructure. The goal of meaningful consumer participation in mental health services, as outlined in policy, is yet to be achieved.
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System design for 3D wound imaging using low-cost mobile devices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sirazitdinova, Ekaterina; Deserno, Thomas M.
2017-03-01
The state-of-the art method of wound assessment is a manual, imprecise and time-consuming procedure. Per- formed by clinicians, it has limited reproducibility and accuracy, large time consumption and high costs. Novel technologies such as laser scanning microscopy, multi-photon microscopy, optical coherence tomography and hyper-spectral imaging, as well as devices relying on the structured light sensors, make accurate wound assessment possible. However, such methods have limitations due to high costs and may lack portability and availability. In this paper, we present a low-cost wound assessment system and architecture for fast and accurate cutaneous wound assessment using inexpensive consumer smartphone devices. Computer vision techniques are applied either on the device or the server to reconstruct wounds in 3D as dense models, which are generated from images taken with a built-in single camera of a smartphone device. The system architecture includes imaging (smartphone), processing (smartphone or PACS) and storage (PACS) devices. It supports tracking over time by alignment of 3D models, color correction using a reference color card placed into the scene and automatic segmentation of wound regions. Using our system, we are able to detect and document quantitative characteristics of chronic wounds, including size, depth, volume, rate of healing, as well as qualitative characteristics as color, presence of necrosis and type of involved tissue.
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2014-01-01
Background Written medicine information can play an important role in educating consumers about their medicines. In Australia, standardised, comprehensive written information known as Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is available for all prescription medicines. CMI is reportedly under-utilised by general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists in consultations, despite consumer desire for medicine information. This study aimed to determine consumers’, GPs’ and community pharmacists’ preferences for CMI provision and identify barriers and facilitators to its use. Method Structured questionnaires were developed and administered to a national sample of Australian consumers (phone survey), community pharmacists and GPs (postal surveys) surrounding utilisation of CMI. Descriptive and comparative analyses were conducted. Results Half of consumers surveyed wanted to receive CMI for their prescription medicine, with spoken information preferable to written medicine information for many consumers and healthcare professionals. GPs and pharmacists remained a preferred source of medicine information for consumers, although package inserts were appealing to many among all three cohorts. Overall pharmacists were the preferred provider of CMI primarily due to their medicine expertise, accessibility and perceived availability. GPs preferred CMI dissemination through both the GP and pharmacist. Some consumers preferred GPs as the provider of medicines information because of their knowledge of the patients’ medicines and/or medical history, regularity of seeing the patient and good relationship with the patient. Common barriers to CMI provision cited included: time constraints, CMI length and perceptions that patients are not interested in receiving CMI. Facilitators to enhance provision included: strategies to increase consumer awareness, longer consultation times and counseling appointments, and improvements to pharmacy software technology and workflow. Conclusion Medicine information is important to consumers, whether as spoken, written or a combination of both. A tailored approach is needed to ascertain individual patient preference for delivery and scope of medicine information desired so that appropriate information is provided. The barriers of time and perceived attitudes of healthcare practitioners present challenges which may be overcome through changes to workplace practices, adoption of identified facilitators, and education about the positive benefits of CMI as a tool to engage and empower patients. PMID:24754890
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Evaluation of beef eating quality by Irish consumers.
McCarthy, S N; Henchion, M; White, A; Brandon, K; Allen, P
2017-10-01
A consumer's decision to purchase beef is strongly linked to its sensory properties and consistent eating quality is one of the most important attributes. Consumer taste panels were held according to the Meat Standards Australia guidelines and consumers scored beef according to its palatability attributes and completed a socio-demographic questionnaire. Consumers were able to distinguish between beef quality on a scale from unsatisfactory to premium with high accuracy. Premium cuts of beef scored significantly higher on all of the scales compared to poorer quality cuts. Men rated grilled beef higher on juiciness and flavour scales compared to women. Being the main purchaser of beef had no impact on rating scores. Overall the results show that consumers can judge eating quality with high accuracy. Further research is needed to determine how best to communicate inherent benefits that are not visible into extrinsic eating quality indicators, to provide the consumer with consistent indications of quality at the point of purchase. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Phillips, Shaun M; Turner, Anthony P; Gray, Shirley; Sanderson, Mark F; Sproule, John
2010-07-01
The main aim of this study was to investigate the influence of consuming a 6% carbohydrate-electrolyte (CHO-E) solution on the intermittent, high-intensity endurance performance and capacity of adolescent team games players. Fifteen participants (mean age 12.7 +/- 0.8 years) performed two trials separated by 3-7 days. In each trial, they completed 60 min of exercise composed of four 15-min periods of part A of the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test, followed by an intermittent run to exhaustion (part B). In a double-blind, randomised, counterbalanced fashion participants consumed either the 6% CHO-E solution or a non-carbohydrate (CHO) placebo (5 ml kg(-1) BM) during the 5 min pre-trial and after each 15-min period of part A (2 ml kg(-1) BM). Time to fatigue was increased by 24.4% during part B when CHO was ingested (5.1 +/- 1.8 vs. 4.1 +/- 1.6 min, P < 0.05), with distance covered in part B also significantly greater in the CHO trial (851 +/- 365 vs. 694 +/- 278 m, P < 0.05). No significant between-trials differences were observed for mean 15-m sprint time (P = 0.35), peak sprint time (P = 0.77), or heart rate (P = 0.08) during part A. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that ingestion of a CHO-E solution significantly improves the intermittent, high-intensity endurance running capacity of adolescent team games players during an exercise protocol designed to simulate the physiological demands of team games.
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Functionally specialised birds respond flexibly to seasonal changes in fruit availability.
Bender, Irene M A; Kissling, W Daniel; Böhning-Gaese, Katrin; Hensen, Isabell; Kühn, Ingolf; Wiegand, Thorsten; Dehling, D Matthias; Schleuning, Matthias
2017-07-01
Interactions between resource and consumer species result in complex ecological networks. The overall structure of these networks is often stable in space and time, but little is known about the temporal stability of the functional roles of consumer species in these networks. We used a trait-based approach to investigate whether consumers (frugivorous birds) show similar degrees of functional specialisation on resources (plants) in ecological networks across seasons. We additionally tested whether closely related bird species have similar degrees of functional specialisation and whether birds that are functionally specialised on specific resource types within a season are flexible in switching to other resource types in other seasons. We analysed four seasonal replicates of two species-rich plant-frugivore networks from the tropical Andes. To quantify fruit preferences of frugivorous birds, we projected their interactions with plants into a multidimensional plant trait space. To measure functional specialisation of birds, we calculated a species' functional niche breadth (the extent of seasonal plant trait space utilised by a particular bird) and functional originality (the extent to which a bird species' fruit preference functionally differs from those of other species in a seasonal network). We additionally calculated functional flexibility, i.e. the ability of bird species to change their fruit preference across seasons in response to variation in plant resources. Functional specialisation of bird species varied more among species than across seasons, and phylogenetically similar bird species showed similar degrees of functional niche breadth (phylogenetic signal λ = 0·81) and functional originality (λ = 0·89). Additionally, we found that birds with high functional flexibility across seasons had narrow functional niche breadth and high functional originality per season, suggesting that birds that are seasonally specialised on particular resources are most flexible in switching to other fruit resources across seasons. The high flexibility of functionally specialised bird species to switch seasonally to other resources challenges the view that consumer species rely on functionally similar resources throughout the year. This flexibility of consumer species may be an important, but widely neglected mechanism that could potentially stabilise consumer-resource networks in response to human disturbance and environmental change. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2017 British Ecological Society.
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Yu, Honghai; Fang, Libing; Sun, Boyang
2018-01-01
We investigate how Global Economic Policy Uncertainty (GEPU) drives the long-run components of volatilities and correlations in crude oil and U.S. industry-level stock markets. Using the modified generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity mixed data sampling (GARCH-MIDAS) and dynamic conditional correlation mixed data sampling (DCC-MIDAS) specifications, we find that GEPU is positively related to the long-run volatility of Financials and Consumer Discretionary industries; however, it is negatively related to Information Technology, Materials, Telecommunication Services and Energy. Unlike the mixed role of GEPU in the long-run volatilities, the long-run correlations are all positively related to GEPU across the industries. Additionally, the rankings of the correlations of Energy and Materials are time-invariant and classified as high, with the little exception of the latter. The Consumer Staples industry is time-invariant in the low-ranking group. Our results are helpful to policy makers and investors with long-term concerns.
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Yu, Honghai; Sun, Boyang
2018-01-01
We investigate how Global Economic Policy Uncertainty (GEPU) drives the long-run components of volatilities and correlations in crude oil and U.S. industry-level stock markets. Using the modified generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity mixed data sampling (GARCH-MIDAS) and dynamic conditional correlation mixed data sampling (DCC-MIDAS) specifications, we find that GEPU is positively related to the long-run volatility of Financials and Consumer Discretionary industries; however, it is negatively related to Information Technology, Materials, Telecommunication Services and Energy. Unlike the mixed role of GEPU in the long-run volatilities, the long-run correlations are all positively related to GEPU across the industries. Additionally, the rankings of the correlations of Energy and Materials are time-invariant and classified as high, with the little exception of the latter. The Consumer Staples industry is time-invariant in the low-ranking group. Our results are helpful to policy makers and investors with long-term concerns. PMID:29420645
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Tran, Sophia; Calabretto, Jean-Pierre; Sorich, Michael
2013-12-01
To explore pharmacist-consumer interactions around the use of complementary medicines (CMs), with specific focus on consumer expectations, perceptions and satisfaction. Twenty pharmacists and 20 healthcare consumers were recruited across 16 metropolitan community pharmacies in Adelaide, Australia, from June to August 2011. Semi-structured interviews containing comparable questions for both study groups were used. Data was transcribed and analysed with the aid of AutoMap®. There was high consumer satisfaction with pharmacists as CM providers, which was in agreement with pharmacist's perceptions of consumer satisfaction. However, this was against a background of low consumer expectations and pharmacists' dissatisfaction with their own role in the interaction. Consumers often perceived pharmacy-stocked CMs to be more effective and safer compared to those in supermarkets or health food shops, but this perception was not shared by pharmacists. Pharmacists believed they had significant influence around recommendation and use of CMs, whereas consumers perceived a more limited influence. Both pharmacists and consumers shared similar perceptions of CM safety and similar expectations regarding business influence and professional pressures on information provision. Behind a perception of high satisfaction, consumers have low expectations of pharmacists around provision of CM-related information. Further work is required to improve pharmacists' knowledge and confidence around CM use and to address barriers such as the tension between potentially competing business pressures and professional responsibilities. © 2013 The Authors. IJPP © 2013 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
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USSR Report, Consumer Goods and Domestic Trade, No. 77.
1983-10-24
above all to the prices of clothing, knitwear and other products manufactured by consumer service enterprises on custom or- der for individuals. In...light of the fact that filling custom orders is more time- consuming , other things being equal, than large-scale industrial produc- tion of the same...340033 JPRS 84592 24 October 1983 USSR Report CONSUMER GOODS AND DOMESTIC TRADE No. 77 flätöltö FBIS FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
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Net primary productivity of some aquatic macrophytes in sewage-sullage mixture.
Kanungo, V K; Sinha, S; Naik, M L
2001-07-01
Sewage-sullage mixture from Raipur city is spread over a vast area surrounding the city. This mixture has a pH always above neutrality with high turbidity. Transparency was nil with the absence of phenolphthalein alkalinity and dissolved oxygen. Hardness was high with low nitrogen and phosphorus concentration. Human consumable. acquatic macrophytes are cultivated in such waste water. Net primary productivity of three macrophytes: Ipomoea aquatica, Marsilea quadrifolia and Nelumbo nucifera were evaluated while being cultivated in such sewage-sullage mixture. Productivity was determined either with periodic biomass removal (I. aquatica and M. quadrifolia) or through removing the biomass only once at the time of growing season (N. nucifera). Growing season productivity of up to 27.48. 19.81 and 9.49 g m(-2) and day(-1) and extrapolated productivity of up to 100.30, 72.31 and 34.64 mt. ha(-1) yr(-1) was recorded for I. aquatica. M. quadrifolia and N. nucifera respectively. Thus, these macrophytes are yielding a high amount of human consumable biomass from an area which neither be a useless wetland.
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Barennes, Hubert; Phimmasane, Maniphet; Rajaonarivo, Christian
2015-01-01
Insect consumption (entomophagy) is a potentially high nutritious and healthy source of food with high fat, protein, vitamin, fiber and micronutrient content. At least 2 billion people globally eat insects (over 1900 edible species) though this habit is regarded negatively by others. There is a limited amount of data on the perception and consumption of insects. We conducted a national cross-sectional survey in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) to assess the prevalence and characteristics of insect consumption among adult lay people and insect vendors. We conducted a multi stage randomized national survey in 1303 households in 96 villages in 16 Lao provinces. Three insect vendors or collectors per village were also included. A standardized pretested questionnaire addressed the following issues: socioeconomic characteristics, type of insects consumed and frequency of consumption, reasons and trends in consumption as well as reports on side effects, over the last 10 years. A total of 1059 adults (Sex ratio F/M: 1.2, 30 ethnic groups), and 256 vendors were enrolled. A total of 1025 (96.8%) lay people were currently insect consumers, 135 (13.0%) daily or weekly consumers, and 322 (31.1%) consumed several times per month. For the majority (575, 55.6%) the consumption was infrequent (less than a few times per year) and only 22 (2%) had never eaten insects. Consumption started in childhood. Insect availability was seasonal (670, 63.2%) and respondents would have eaten more insects, if they had been more available (919, 86.7%). Hmong and Leu ethnic groups had significantly lower consumption levels than the general population. Eggs of weaver ants, short-tailed crickets, crickets, grasshoppers, and cicadas were the top 5 insects consumed. Consumption had decreased in the last decade, mostly due to less availability (869; 84.0%) and change of life (29; 5.5%). Of 1059, 80 (7.5%) reported allergy problems and 106 (10.0%) reported some use in traditional medicine. A total of 874 (82.6%) were regular collectors. Insect vendors (Sex ratio F/M: 5.3) were also collectors (185; 72.2%). They dedicated a mean time of 4.7 hours during the last harvesting period. The majority sold insects at markets (141, 55.0%). They had earned, on average, USD 6.0 the day before. Five insects (weaver ant eggs; bamboo worms; short-tailed crickets; crickets; wasps) represented 85% of the market. Entomophagy is general in Laos, and well accepted despite a decreasing trend in consumption over the last decade. Its contribution to the Lao diet is limited to a minority of frequent consumers. Income through insect sales benefits mostly women. Consumption varies according to ethnicity, residence and season. Development of insect farming is still at an early stage. It could however increase availability of insects and contribute to the generation of income.
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Barennes, Hubert; Phimmasane, Maniphet; Rajaonarivo, Christian
2015-01-01
Background Insect consumption (entomophagy) is a potentially high nutritious and healthy source of food with high fat, protein, vitamin, fiber and micronutrient content. At least 2 billion people globally eat insects (over 1900 edible species) though this habit is regarded negatively by others. There is a limited amount of data on the perception and consumption of insects. We conducted a national cross-sectional survey in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) to assess the prevalence and characteristics of insect consumption among adult lay people and insect vendors. Methods We conducted a multi stage randomized national survey in 1303 households in 96 villages in 16 Lao provinces. Three insect vendors or collectors per village were also included. A standardized pretested questionnaire addressed the following issues: socioeconomic characteristics, type of insects consumed and frequency of consumption, reasons and trends in consumption as well as reports on side effects, over the last 10 years. Results A total of 1059 adults (Sex ratio F/M: 1.2, 30 ethnic groups), and 256 vendors were enrolled. A total of 1025 (96.8%) lay people were currently insect consumers, 135 (13.0%) daily or weekly consumers, and 322 (31.1%) consumed several times per month. For the majority (575, 55.6%) the consumption was infrequent (less than a few times per year) and only 22 (2%) had never eaten insects. Consumption started in childhood. Insect availability was seasonal (670, 63.2%) and respondents would have eaten more insects, if they had been more available (919, 86.7%). Hmong and Leu ethnic groups had significantly lower consumption levels than the general population. Eggs of weaver ants, short-tailed crickets, crickets, grasshoppers, and cicadas were the top 5 insects consumed. Consumption had decreased in the last decade, mostly due to less availability (869; 84.0%) and change of life (29; 5.5%). Of 1059, 80 (7.5%) reported allergy problems and 106 (10.0%) reported some use in traditional medicine. A total of 874 (82.6%) were regular collectors. Insect vendors (Sex ratio F/M: 5.3) were also collectors (185; 72.2%). They dedicated a mean time of 4.7 hours during the last harvesting period. The majority sold insects at markets (141, 55.0%). They had earned, on average, USD 6.0 the day before. Five insects (weaver ant eggs; bamboo worms; short-tailed crickets; crickets; wasps) represented 85% of the market. Conclusion Entomophagy is general in Laos, and well accepted despite a decreasing trend in consumption over the last decade. Its contribution to the Lao diet is limited to a minority of frequent consumers. Income through insect sales benefits mostly women. Consumption varies according to ethnicity, residence and season. Development of insect farming is still at an early stage. It could however increase availability of insects and contribute to the generation of income. PMID:26317772
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Variation in trophic shift for stable isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur
McCutchan, J.H.; Lewis, W.M.; Kendall, C.; McGrath, C.C.
2003-01-01
Use of stable isotope ratios to trace pathways of organic matter among consumers requires knowledge of the isotopic shift between diet and consumer. Variation in trophic shift among consumers can be substantial. For data from the published literature and supplementary original data (excluding fluid-feeding consumers), the mean isotopic shift for C was +0.5 ?? 0.13??? rather than 0.0???, as commonly assumed. The shift for C was higher for consumers analyzed as muscle (+1.3 ?? 0.30???) than for consumers analyzed whole (+0.3 ?? 0.14???). Among consumers analyzed whole, the trophic shift for C was lower for consumers acidified prior to analysis (-0.2 ?? 0.21???) than for unacidified samples (+0.5 ?? 0.17???). For N, trophic shift was lower for consumers raised on invertebrate diets (+1.4 ?? 0.21???) than for consumers raised on other high-protein diets (+3.3 ?? 0.26???) and was intermediate for consumers raised on plant and algal diets (+2.2 ?? 0.30???). The trophic shift for S differed between high-protein (+2.0 ?? 0.65???) and low-protein diets (-0.5 ?? 0.56???). Thus, methods of analysis and dietary differences can affect trophic shift for consumers; the utility of stable isotope methods can be improved if this information is incorporated into studies of trophic relationships. Although few studies of stable isotope ratios have considered variation in the trophic shift, such variation is important because small errors in estimates of trophic shift can result in large errors in estimates of the contribution of sources to consumers or in estimates of trophic position.
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Prien, Justin M; Prater, Bradley D; Qin, Qiang; Cockrill, Steven L
2010-02-15
Fast, sensitive, robust methods for "high-level" glycan screening are necessary during various stages of a biotherapeutic product's lifecycle, including clone selection, process changes, and quality control for lot release testing. Traditional glycan screening involves chromatographic or electrophoretic separation-based methods, and, although reproducible, these methods can be time-consuming. Even ultrahigh-performance chromatographic and microfluidic integrated LC/MS systems, which work on the tens of minute time scale, become lengthy when hundreds of samples are to be analyzed. Comparatively, a direct infusion mass spectrometry (MS)-based glycan screening method acquires data on a millisecond time scale, exhibits exquisite sensitivity and reproducibility, and is amenable to automated peak annotation. In addition, characterization of glycan species via sequential mass spectrometry can be performed simultaneously. Here, we demonstrate a quantitative high-throughput MS-based mapping approach using stable isotope 2-aminobenzoic acid (2-AA) for rapid "high-level" glycan screening.
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Numerical techniques for high-throughput reflectance interference biosensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sevenler, Derin; Ünlü, M. Selim
2016-06-01
We have developed a robust and rapid computational method for processing the raw spectral data collected from thin film optical interference biosensors. We have applied this method to Interference Reflectance Imaging Sensor (IRIS) measurements and observed a 10,000 fold improvement in processing time, unlocking a variety of clinical and scientific applications. Interference biosensors have advantages over similar technologies in certain applications, for example highly multiplexed measurements of molecular kinetics. However, processing raw IRIS data into useful measurements has been prohibitively time consuming for high-throughput studies. Here we describe the implementation of a lookup table (LUT) technique that provides accurate results in far less time than naive methods. We also discuss an additional benefit that the LUT method can be used with a wider range of interference layer thickness and experimental configurations that are incompatible with methods that require fitting the spectral response.
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Paul, Christine L; Bryant, Jamie; Roos, Ian A; Henskens, Frans A; Paul, David J
2014-01-01
Background With increasing attention given to the quality of chronic disease care, a measurement approach that empowers consumers to participate in improving quality of care and enables health services to systematically introduce patient-centered initiatives is needed. A Web-based survey with complex adaptive questioning and interactive survey items would allow consumers to easily identify and prioritize detailed service initiatives. Objective The aim was to develop and test a Web-based survey capable of identifying and prioritizing patient-centered initiatives in chronic disease outpatient services. Testing included (1) test-retest reliability, (2) patient-perceived acceptability of the survey content and delivery mode, and (3) average completion time, completion rates, and Flesch-Kincaid reading score. Methods In Phase I, the Web-based Consumer Preferences Survey was developed based on a structured literature review and iterative feedback from expert groups of service providers and consumers. The touchscreen survey contained 23 general initiatives, 110 specific initiatives available through adaptive questioning, and a relative prioritization exercise. In Phase II, a pilot study was conducted within 4 outpatient clinics to evaluate the reliability properties, patient-perceived acceptability, and feasibility of the survey. Eligible participants were approached to complete the survey while waiting for an appointment or receiving intravenous therapy. The age and gender of nonconsenters was estimated to ascertain consent bias. Participants with a subsequent appointment within 14 days were asked to complete the survey for a second time. Results A total of 741 of 1042 individuals consented to participate (71.11% consent), 529 of 741 completed all survey content (78.9% completion), and 39 of 68 completed the test-retest component. Substantial or moderate reliability (Cohen’s kappa>0.4) was reported for 16 of 20 general initiatives with observed percentage agreement ranging from 82.1%-100.0%. The majority of participants indicated the Web-based survey was easy to complete (97.9%, 531/543) and comprehensive (93.1%, 505/543). Participants also reported the interactive relative prioritization exercise was easy to complete (97.0%, 189/195) and helped them to decide which initiatives were of most importance (84.6%, 165/195). Average completion time was 8.54 minutes (SD 3.91) and the Flesch-Kincaid reading level was 6.8. Overall, 84.6% (447/529) of participants indicated a willingness to complete a similar survey again. Conclusions The Web-based Consumer Preferences Survey is sufficiently reliable and highly acceptable to patients. Based on completion times and reading level, this tool could be integrated in routine clinical practice and allows consumers to easily participate in quality evaluation. Results provide a comprehensive list of patient-prioritized initiatives for patients with major chronic conditions and delivers practice-ready evidence to guide improvements in patient-centered care. PMID:25532217
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Burke, Thomas A; Navas-Acien, Ana; Breysse, Patrick N; McGready, John; Fox, Mary A
2014-01-01
Abstract Objective To examine biomarkers of methylmercury (MeHg) intake in women and infants from seafood-consuming populations globally and characterize the comparative risk of fetal developmental neurotoxicity. Methods A search was conducted of the published literature reporting total mercury (Hg) in hair and blood in women and infants. These biomarkers are validated proxy measures of MeHg, a neurotoxin found primarily in seafood. Average and high-end biomarkers were extracted, stratified by seafood consumption context, and pooled by category. Medians for average and high-end pooled distributions were compared with the reference level established by a joint expert committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Findings Selection criteria were met by 164 studies of women and infants from 43 countries. Pooled average biomarkers suggest an intake of MeHg several times over the FAO/WHO reference in fish-consuming riparians living near small-scale gold mining and well over the reference in consumers of marine mammals in Arctic regions. In coastal regions of south-eastern Asia, the western Pacific and the Mediterranean, average biomarkers approach the reference. Although the two former groups have a higher risk of neurotoxicity than the latter, coastal regions are home to the largest number at risk. High-end biomarkers across all categories indicate MeHg intake is in excess of the reference value. Conclusion There is a need for policies to reduce Hg exposure among women and infants and for surveillance in high-risk populations, the majority of which live in low-and middle-income countries. PMID:24700993
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Sheehan, Mary C; Burke, Thomas A; Navas-Acien, Ana; Breysse, Patrick N; McGready, John; Fox, Mary A
2014-04-01
To examine biomarkers of methylmercury (MeHg) intake in women and infants from seafood-consuming populations globally and characterize the comparative risk of fetal developmental neurotoxicity. A search was conducted of the published literature reporting total mercury (Hg) in hair and blood in women and infants. These biomarkers are validated proxy measures of MeHg, a neurotoxin found primarily in seafood. Average and high-end biomarkers were extracted, stratified by seafood consumption context, and pooled by category. Medians for average and high-end pooled distributions were compared with the reference level established by a joint expert committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Selection criteria were met by 164 studies of women and infants from 43 countries. Pooled average biomarkers suggest an intake of MeHg several times over the FAO/WHO reference in fish-consuming riparians living near small-scale gold mining and well over the reference in consumers of marine mammals in Arctic regions. In coastal regions of south-eastern Asia, the western Pacific and the Mediterranean, average biomarkers approach the reference. Although the two former groups have a higher risk of neurotoxicity than the latter, coastal regions are home to the largest number at risk. High-end biomarkers across all categories indicate MeHg intake is in excess of the reference value. There is a need for policies to reduce Hg exposure among women and infants and for surveillance in high-risk populations, the majority of which live in low-and middle-income countries.
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Challenges in assessing the health risks of consuming vegetables in metal-contaminated environments.
Augustsson, Anna; Uddh-Söderberg, Terese; Filipsson, Monika; Helmfrid, Ingela; Berglund, Marika; Karlsson, Helen; Hogmalm, Johan; Karlsson, Andreas; Alriksson, Stina
2018-04-01
A great deal of research has been devoted to the characterization of metal exposure due to the consumption of vegetables from urban or industrialized areas. It may seem comforting that concentrations in crops, as well as estimated exposure levels, are often found to be below permissible limits. However, we show that even a moderate increase in metal accumulation in crops may result in a significant increase in exposure. We also highlight the importance of assessing exposure levels in relation to a regional baseline. We have analyzed metal (Pb, Cd, As) concentrations in nearly 700 samples from 23 different vegetables, fruits, berries and mushrooms, collected near 21 highly contaminated industrial sites and from reference sites. Metal concentrations generally complied with permissible levels in commercial food and only Pb showed overall higher concentrations around the contaminated sites. Nevertheless, probabilistic exposure assessments revealed that the exposure to all three metals was significantly higher in the population residing around the contaminated sites, for both low-, median- and high consumers. The exposure was about twice as high for Pb and Cd, and four to six times as high for As. Since vegetable consumption alone did not result in exposure above tolerable intakes, it would have been easy to conclude that there is no risk associated with consuming vegetables grown near the contaminated sites. However, when the increase in exposure is quantified, its potential significance is harder to dismiss - especially when considering that exposure via other routes may be elevated in a similar way. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
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2013-01-01
Background The aim of this study was to determine the effects of creatine supplementation on kidney function in resistance-trained individuals ingesting a high-protein diet. Methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed. The participants were randomly allocated to receive either creatine (20 g/d for 5 d followed by 5 g/d throughout the trial) or placebo for 12 weeks. All of the participants were engaged in resistance training and consumed a high-protein diet (i.e., ≥ 1.2 g/Kg/d). Subjects were assessed at baseline (Pre) and after 12 weeks (Post). Glomerular filtration rate was measured by 51Cr-EDTA clearance. Additionally, blood samples and a 24-h urine collection were obtained for other kidney function assessments. Results No significant differences were observed for 51Cr-EDTA clearance throughout the trial (Creatine: Pre 101.42 ± 13.11, Post 108.78 ± 14.41 mL/min/1.73m2; Placebo: Pre 103.29 ± 17.64, Post 106.68 ± 16.05 mL/min/1.73m2; group x time interaction: F = 0.21, p = 0.64). Creatinine clearance, serum and urinary urea, electrolytes, proteinuria, and albuminuria remained virtually unchanged. Conclusions A 12-week creatine supplementation protocol did not affect kidney function in resistance-trained healthy individuals consuming a high-protein diet; thus reinforcing the safety of this dietary supplement. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01817673 PMID:23680457
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Abal-Fabeiro, J L; Maside, X; Llovo, J; Bello, X; Torres, M; Treviño, M; Moldes, L; Muñoz, A; Carracedo, A; Bartolomé, C
2014-04-01
The epidemiological study of human cryptosporidiosis requires the characterization of species and subtypes involved in human disease in large sample collections. Molecular genotyping is costly and time-consuming, making the implementation of low-cost, highly efficient technologies increasingly necessary. Here, we designed a protocol based on MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for the high-throughput genotyping of a panel of 55 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) selected as markers for the identification of common gp60 subtypes of four Cryptosporidium species that infect humans. The method was applied to a panel of 608 human and 63 bovine isolates and the results were compared with control samples typed by Sanger sequencing. The method allowed the identification of species in 610 specimens (90·9%) and gp60 subtype in 605 (90·2%). It displayed excellent performance, with sensitivity and specificity values of 87·3 and 98·0%, respectively. Up to nine genotypes from four different Cryptosporidium species (C. hominis, C. parvum, C. meleagridis and C. felis) were detected in humans; the most common ones were C. hominis subtype Ib, and C. parvum IIa (61·3 and 28·3%, respectively). 96·5% of the bovine samples were typed as IIa. The method performs as well as the widely used Sanger sequencing and is more cost-effective and less time consuming.
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Jian, Qiwei; Li, Xiang; Chen, Yinguang; Liu, Yanan; Pan, Yin
2016-10-01
It has been widely accepted that the most environmentally beneficial way to treat waste activated sludge (WAS), the byproduct of municipal wastewater treatment plant, is to recover the valuable organic acid. However, the bio-conversion of lactic acid, one of the high added-value chemical, is seldom reported from WAS fermentation. In this paper, l-lactic acid was observed dominant in the WAS fermentation liquid with carbohydrate addition at ambient temperature. Furthermore, the effect of temperature on l-lactic acid and d-lactic acid production was fully discussed: two isomers were rapidly produced and consumed up in one day at mesophilic condition; and almost optically pure l-lactic acid was generated at thermophilic condition, yet time-consuming with yield of l-lactic acid enhancing by 52.9% compared to that at ambient temperature. The study mechanism showed that mesophilic condition was optimal for both production and consumption of l-lactic acid and d-lactic acid, while consumption of l-lactic acid and production of d-lactic acid were severely inhibited at thermophilic condition. Therefore, by maintaining thermophilic for 4 h in advance and subsequently fermenting mesophilic for 34 h, the concentration of l-lactic acid with optical activity of 98.3% was improved to 16.6 ± 0.5 g COD/L at a high specific efficiency of 0.6097/d.
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Dutta, Sunil W; Bauer-Nilsen, Kristine; Sanders, Jason C; Trifiletti, Daniel M; Libby, Bruce; Lash, Donna H; Lain, Melody; Christodoulou, Deborah; Hodge, Constance; Showalter, Timothy N
To evaluate the delivery cost of frequently used radiotherapy options offered to patients with intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer using time-driven activity-based costing and compare the results with Medicare reimbursement and relative value units (RVUs). Process maps were created to represent each step of prostate radiotherapy treatment at our institution. Salary data, equipment purchase costs, and consumable costs were factored into the cost analysis. The capacity cost rate was determined for each resource and calculated for each treatment option from initial consultation to its completion. Treatment options included low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT), combined high-dose-rate brachytherapy single fraction boost with 25-fraction intensity-modulated radiotherapy (HDR-BT-IMRT), moderately hypofractionated 28-fraction IMRT, conventionally fractionated 39-fraction IMRT, and conventionally fractionated (2 Gy/fraction) 23-fraction pelvis irradiation with 16-fraction prostate boost. The total cost to deliver LDR-BT, HDR-BT-IMRT, moderately hypofractionated 28-fraction IMRT, conventionally fractionated 39-fraction IMRT, conventionally fractionated 39-fraction IMRT, and conventionally fractionated (2 Gy/fraction) 23-fraction pelvis irradiation with 16-fraction prostate boost was $2719, $6517, $4173, $5507, and $5663, respectively. Total reimbursement for each course was $3123, $10,156, $7862, $9725, and $10,377, respectively. Radiation oncology attending time was 1.5-2 times higher for treatment courses incorporating BT. Attending radiation oncologist's time consumed per RVU was higher with BT (4.83 and 2.56 minutes per RVU generated for LDR-BT and HDR-BT-IMRT, respectively) compared to without BT (1.41-1.62 minutes per RVU). Time-driven activity-based costing analysis identified higher delivery costs associated with prostate BT compared with IMRT alone. In light of recent guidelines promoting BT for intermediate- to high-risk disease, re-evaluation of payment policies is warranted to encourage BT delivery. Copyright © 2018 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Modular laboratories--cost-effective and sustainable infrastructure for resource-limited settings.
Bridges, Daniel J; Colborn, James; Chan, Adeline S T; Winters, Anna M; Dengala, Dereje; Fornadel, Christen M; Kosloff, Barry
2014-12-01
High-quality laboratory space to support basic science, clinical research projects, or health services is often severely lacking in the developing world. Moreover, the construction of suitable facilities using traditional methods is time-consuming, expensive, and challenging to implement. Three real world examples showing how shipping containers can be converted into modern laboratories are highlighted. These include use as an insectary, a molecular laboratory, and a BSL-3 containment laboratory. These modular conversions have a number of advantages over brick and mortar construction and provide a cost-effective and timely solution to offer high-quality, user-friendly laboratory space applicable within the developing world. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Steingroewer, Juliane; Bley, Thomas; Bergemann, Christian; Boschke, Elke
2007-04-01
Analyses of food-borne pathogens are of great importance in order to minimize the health risk for customers. Thus, very sensitive and rapid detection methods are required. Current conventional culture techniques are very time consuming. Modern immunoassays and biochemical analysis also require pre-enrichment steps resulting in a turnaround time of at least 24 h. Biomagnetic separation (BMS) is a promising more rapid method. In this study we describe the isolation of high affine and specific peptides from a phage-peptide library, which combined with BMS allows the detection of Salmonella spp. with a similar sensitivity as that of immunomagnetic separation using antibodies.
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Cannabis consumption patterns among frequent consumers in Uruguay.
Boidi, María Fernanda; Queirolo, Rosario; Cruz, José Miguel
2016-08-01
In 2013, Uruguay became the first country to fully regulate the cannabis market, which now operates under state control. Cannabis can be legally acquired in three ways: growing it for personal use (self-cultivation), cannabis club membership, and from pharmacies (not yet implemented). Users must be entered into a confidential official registry to gain access. This article presents findings of a Respondent Driven Sample survey of 294 high-frequency cannabis consumers in the Montevideo metropolitan area. Frequent consumers resort to more than one method for acquiring cannabis, with illegal means still predominating after 1 year of the new regulation law. Cannabis users overwhelmingly support the current regulation, but many of them are reluctant to register. Some of the attitudes and behaviors of the high-frequency consumers pose a challenge to the success of the cannabis law. Individuals relying on more than one method of access defy the single access clause, a prerequisite for legal use, while the maximum amount of cannabis individuals can access monthly seems too high even for most frequent consumers, which might promote the emergence of a grey market. Reluctance to register among a significant proportion of high-frequency consumers raises doubts about the law's ability to achieve its stated objectives. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Acousto-optic time- and space-integrating spotlight-mode SAR processor
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Haney, Michael W.; Levy, James J.; Michael, Robert R., Jr.
1993-09-01
The technical approach and recent experimental results for the acousto-optic time- and space- integrating real-time SAR image formation processor program are reported. The concept overcomes the size and power consumption limitations of electronic approaches by using compact, rugged, and low-power analog optical signal processing techniques for the most computationally taxing portions of the SAR imaging problem. Flexibility and performance are maintained by the use of digital electronics for the critical low-complexity filter generation and output image processing functions. The results include a demonstration of the processor's ability to perform high-resolution spotlight-mode SAR imaging by simultaneously compensating for range migration and range/azimuth coupling in the analog optical domain, thereby avoiding a highly power-consuming digital interpolation or reformatting operation usually required in all-electronic approaches.
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2007-01-01
convergence of media types, rapidly evolving technology, changing consumer behavior , and traditionalists ensconced in the ways of the past all...changing consumer behavior have all contributed to uncertain times for these media icons. Newspaper readership and subscriptions levels continue to...consistently center on changing technologies, corporate pressures, changing consumer behavior and revenue generation (advertising). Because it’s
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Planning Consumer Education Programs for Residents of Prisons and Pre-Release Centers.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale. Dept. of Family Economics and Management.
The pamphlet describes the development of a consumer education program for prison inmates, and presents 12 curriculum guides on consumer topics relevant to prisoners. Because prison inmates spend time removed from the changing economic marketplace, and because many crimes stem from financial and economic problems, it is important to educate and…
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Consumer trait variation influences tritrophic interactions in salt marsh communities.
Hughes, Anne Randall; Hanley, Torrance C; Orozco, Nohelia P; Zerebecki, Robyn A
2015-07-01
The importance of intraspecific variation has emerged as a key question in community ecology, helping to bridge the gap between ecology and evolution. Although much of this work has focused on plant species, recent syntheses have highlighted the prevalence and potential importance of morphological, behavioral, and life history variation within animals for ecological and evolutionary processes. Many small-bodied consumers live on the plant that they consume, often resulting in host plant-associated trait variation within and across consumer species. Given the central position of consumer species within tritrophic food webs, such consumer trait variation may play a particularly important role in mediating trophic dynamics, including trophic cascades. In this study, we used a series of field surveys and laboratory experiments to document intraspecific trait variation in a key consumer species, the marsh periwinkle Littoraria irrorata, based on its host plant species (Spartina alterniflora or Juncus roemerianus) in a mixed species assemblage. We then conducted a 12-week mesocosm experiment to examine the effects of Littoraria trait variation on plant community structure and dynamics in a tritrophic salt marsh food web. Littoraria from different host plant species varied across a suite of morphological and behavioral traits. These consumer trait differences interacted with plant community composition and predator presence to affect overall plant stem height, as well as differentially alter the density and biomass of the two key plant species in this system. Whether due to genetic differences or phenotypic plasticity, trait differences between consumer types had significant ecological consequences for the tritrophic marsh food web over seasonal time scales. By altering the cascading effects of the top predator on plant community structure and dynamics, consumer differences may generate a feedback over longer time scales, which in turn influences the degree of trait divergence in subsequent consumer populations.
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Bratucu, R; Gheorghe, I R; Purcarea, R M; Gheorghe, C M; Popa Velea, O; Purcarea, V L
2014-09-15
Today, health care consumers are taking more control over their health care problems, investing more time in finding and getting information as well as looking for proper methods in order to investigate more closely the health care information received from their physicians. Unfortunately, in health care consumers' views, the trustworthiness of health authorities and institutions has declined in the last years. So, consumers have found a new solution to their health problems, that is, the Internet. Recently, studies revealed that consumers seeking for health information have more options to look for data in comparison to the methods used a few years ago. Therefore, due to the available technology, consumers have more outlets to search for information. For instance, the Internet is a source that has revolutionized the way consumers seek data due its customized methods of assessing both quantitative and qualitative information which may be achieved with minimal effort and low costs, offering at the same time, several advantages such as making the decision process more efficient.
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Money Management and the Consumer, Basic Economic Skills: "Baffled, Bothered, Bewildered".
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Elementary and Secondary Education.
This document, one in a series of six Project SCAT (Skills for Consumers Applied Today) units for senior high school students, provides an overview of basic economic skills and consumer practices. Project SCAT is designed to help students develop basic skills, solve problems, and apply consumer knowledge necessary for making wise choices in the…
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Are consumer-directed home care beneficiaries satisfied? Evidence from Washington state.
Wiener, Joshua M; Anderson, Wayne L; Khatutsky, Galina
2007-12-01
This study analyzed the effect of consumer-directed versus agency-directed home care on satisfaction with paid personal assistance services among Medicaid beneficiaries in Washington State. The study analyzed a survey of 513 Medicaid beneficiaries receiving home- and community-based services. As part of a larger study, we developed an 8-item Satisfaction With Paid Personal Assistance Scale as the measure of satisfaction. In predicting satisfaction with personal assistance services, we estimated an ordinary least squares regression model that was right-censored to account for the large percentage of respondents who were highly satisfied with their care. Among the older population, but not younger people with disabilities, beneficiaries receiving consumer-directed services were more satisfied than individuals receiving agency-directed care. There was no evidence that quality of care was less with consumer-directed services. In addition, overall satisfaction levels with paid home care were very high. This study supports the premise that consumer satisfaction, an important measure of quality, in consumer-directed home care is not inferior to that in agency-directed care. The positive effect of consumer direction for older people underlines the fact that this service option is relevant for this population. In addition, this research provides evidence that home- and community-based services are of high quality, at least on one dimension.
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12 CFR 229.18 - Additional disclosure requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... consumer accounts a notice that sets forth the time periods applicable to the availability of funds deposited in a consumer account. (c) Automated teller machines. (1) A depositary bank shall post or provide... than two times each week, as described in § 229.19(a)(4), shall disclose at or on the ATM the days on...
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12 CFR 229.18 - Additional disclosure requirements.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... deposits to consumer accounts a notice that sets forth the time periods applicable to the availability of funds deposited in a consumer account. (c) Automated teller machines. (1) A depositary bank shall post... removed not more than two times each week, as described in § 229.19(a)(4), shall disclose at or on the ATM...
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26 CFR 1.280F-6 - Special rules and definitions.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-04-01
... consumer research business. Because E's business use percentage for the computer does not exceed 50 percent... percent of the time to manage her investments and 60 percent of the time in her consumer research business... by the employee, even for personal purposes, is a qualified business use the respect to X. (e) Method...
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Cappers, Peter; Todd, Annika; Perry, Michael
2013-06-27
This report offers guidelines and protocols for measuring the effects of time-based rates, enabling technology, and various other treatments on customers’ levels and patterns of electricity usage. Although the focus is on evaluating consumer behavior studies (CBS) that involve field trials and pilots, the methods can be extended to assessing the large-scale programs that may follow. CBSs are undertaken to resolve uncertainties and ambiguities about how consumers respond to inducements to modify their electricity demand. Those inducements include price structures; feedback and information; and enabling technologies embedded in programs such as: critical peak, time-of use, real-time pricing; peak time rebatemore » or critical peak rebate; home energy reports and in-home displays; and all manner of device controls for appliances and plug loads. Although the focus of this report is on consumer studies—where the subjects are households—the behavioral sciences principles discussed and many of the methods recommended apply equally to studying commercial and industrial customer electricity demand.« less
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Interactive use of online health resources: a comparison of consumer and professional questions
Demner-Fushman, Dina
2016-01-01
Objective To understand how consumer questions on online resources differ from questions asked by professionals, and how such consumer questions differ across resources. Materials and Methods Ten online question corpora, 5 consumer and 5 professional, with a combined total of over 40 000 questions, were analyzed using a variety of natural language processing techniques. These techniques analyze questions at the lexical, syntactic, and semantic levels, exposing differences in both form and content. Results Consumer questions tend to be longer than professional questions, more closely resemble open-domain language, and focus far more on medical problems. Consumers ask more sub-questions, provide far more background information, and ask different types of questions than professionals. Furthermore, there is substantial variance of these factors between the different consumer corpora. Discussion The form of consumer questions is highly dependent upon the individual online resource, especially in the amount of background information provided. Professionals, on the other hand, provide very little background information and often ask much shorter questions. The content of consumer questions is also highly dependent upon the resource. While professional questions commonly discuss treatments and tests, consumer questions focus disproportionately on symptoms and diseases. Further, consumers place far more emphasis on certain types of health problems (eg, sexual health). Conclusion Websites for consumers to submit health questions are a popular online resource filling important gaps in consumer health information. By analyzing how consumers write questions on these resources, we can better understand these gaps and create solutions for improving information access. This article is part of the Special Focus on Person-Generated Health and Wellness Data, which published in the May 2016 issue, Volume 23, Issue 3. PMID:27147494
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Applying high resolution remote sensing image and DEM to falling boulder hazard assessment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Huang, Changqing; Shi, Wenzhong; Ng, K. C.
2005-10-01
Boulder fall hazard assessing generally requires gaining the boulder information. The extensive mapping and surveying fieldwork is a time-consuming, laborious and dangerous conventional method. So this paper proposes an applying image processing technology to extract boulder and assess boulder fall hazard from high resolution remote sensing image. The method can replace the conventional method and extract the boulder information in high accuracy, include boulder size, shape, height and the slope and aspect of its position. With above boulder information, it can be satisfied for assessing, prevention and cure boulder fall hazard.
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Lattice Boltzmann for Airframe Noise Predictions
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Barad, Michael; Kocheemoolayil, Joseph; Kiris, Cetin
2017-01-01
Increase predictive use of High-Fidelity Computational Aero- Acoustics (CAA) capabilities for NASA's next generation aviation concepts. CFD has been utilized substantially in analysis and design for steady-state problems (RANS). Computational resources are extremely challenged for high-fidelity unsteady problems (e.g. unsteady loads, buffet boundary, jet and installation noise, fan noise, active flow control, airframe noise, etc) ü Need novel techniques for reducing the computational resources consumed by current high-fidelity CAA Need routine acoustic analysis of aircraft components at full-scale Reynolds number from first principles Need an order of magnitude reduction in wall time to solution!
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Association of habitual high-fat intake and desire for protein and sweet food.
Tatano, Hiroshi; Yamanaka-Okumura, Hisami; Zhou, Bei; Adachi, Chisaki; Kawakami, Yuka; Katayama, Takafumi; Masuda, Masashi; Takeda, Eiji; Taketani, Yutaka
2016-01-01
Reducing dietary calorie density (CD) is useful in body weight management. This study investigates the association between dietary habits and preferences for different CDs. We conducted a randomized crossover study of 232 healthy subjects who consumed packed lunch boxes containing a control, high-meat and low-rice, low-vegetable, medium-fat and low-vegetable, high-fat, and high-fat and low-vegetable meals over six sessions. The subjective levels of sensory properties were assessed over time using a visual analog scale and the area under the curve. Subjects were assessed for dietary habits using a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) and were divided into two groups based on a daily fat energy ratio ≥ 25% (high fat [HF], n=116) and < 25% (normal, n=116) that was matched for age, body mass index, and sex ratio. Our findings indicate that the desire for sweetness was higher in the HF group than in the normal group, regardless of the meals consumed. Particularly, among the 500-kcal low-CD meals, a high-protein meal provided greater fullness and satisfaction and lower prospective consumption in the HF group than in the normal group. Therefore, our study demonstrates that postprandial appetite sensation is associated with dietary habits of fat intake. J. Med. Invest. 63: 241-247, August, 2016.
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1979-12-01
ETC.ronments where, in most cases, it is difficult or time consum - ing to get tools and materials. The natural result is more lost-time accidents, increased...is already on-hand and the time consuming vendor-drawing approval cycle is eliminated from the pro- curement process. The flow of design information...SYSTEM/STAGE TO SPECIFICATION BY MATERIA !L/DELIVERY DATE - TO PLAN MATERIAL PROCUREMENT ON SCHEOULE - TO MINIMIZE ST0CKED MATERIAL MATERIAL CONTROL
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Effect of flax addition on the flavor profile and acceptability of bagels.
Aliani, Michel; Ryland, Donna; Pierce, Grant N
2012-01-01
Bakery products containing flaxseed, a rich source of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), may provide health benefits. However, the effect of adding flaxseed, especially in the high amounts required for use as the food supplement in clinical trials (23% by weight of the raw ingredients), may affect the flavor characteristics and consumer acceptability. Sensory attributes of bagels containing 30 g of milled flaxseed were evaluated by a 9 member trained panel using a descriptive test and by 89 participants using a consumer test. Grain/flax aroma and flavor were significantly higher for the flax bagels compared to the nonflax bagels. The cinnamon raisin bagel had significantly lower grain/flax aroma and flavor and significantly higher sweet aroma and taste compared to the plain and sunflower sesame types. Older consumers rated the appearance, color, and flavor of the bagels significantly higher than the younger consumers possibly leading to higher compliance in clinical studies for this age group. Bagels with flax showed a significantly lower mean value for flavor acceptability, overall acceptability, and frequency of eating compared to bagels without flax. Appearance, color, and texture acceptability showed no significant differences. The cinnamon raisin bagel had significantly higher flavor acceptance compared to sunflower sesame and plain bagels. In conclusion, for bagels containing 6 g ALA in the form of milled flaxseed, cinnamon raisin appears to be a promising flavoring alternative for ALA fortification for use in clinical trials or as part of the daily diet. Consumers are seeking functional foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids. Bagels made with 23% milled flaxseed (approximately 2 times the amount in regular flax baked products) provided 6 g ALA, an amount high enough to test the efficacy of ALA in human subjects without causing gastrointestinal distress. This study showed that flaxseed aroma and flavor were detected in fortified compared to nonfortified bagels but bagels with this high flaxseed amount were still acceptable with the addition of cinnamon raisin flavoring. Commercial bakeries can use these results to formulate healthy, tasty, and convenient products. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Zamora, M. A.
1976-01-01
The consumables characteristic data associated with the performance of the mission activities required by the mission planning processor are defined to calculate the consumables requirements. The activity data is defined in terms of discrete time periods having a distinct rate for each consumable required to support the performance of a given operation. The data is structured in a series of consumable data worksheets for each activity that includes a profile of its operations and the rate of each consumable required to support the given activity. The data worksheets provide for the uniform specification of consumables data, allows for the ready identification of the consumables affected by a given activity, and facilitates the updating process. An activity and the data that must be included in the data worksheets are defined and an example of its use and application the consumables data requirements for the performance of the EVA are presented.
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Single-shot measurement of >1010 pulse contrast for ultra-high peak-power lasers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Yongzhi; Ma, Jingui; Wang, Jing; Yuan, Peng; Xie, Guoqiang; Ge, Xulei; Liu, Feng; Yuan, Xiaohui; Zhu, Heyuan; Qian, Liejia
2014-01-01
Real-time pulse-contrast observation with a high dynamic range is a prerequisite to tackle the contrast challenge in ultra-high peak-power lasers. However, the commonly used delay-scanning cross-correlator (DSCC) can only provide the time-consumed measurements for repetitive lasers. Single-shot cross-correlator (SSCC) becomes essential in optimizing laser systems and exploring contrast mechanisms. Here we report our progress in developing SSCC towards its practical use. By integrating both the techniques of scattering-noise reduction and sensitive parallel detection into SSCC, we demonstrate a high dynamic range of >1010, which, to our best knowledge, is the first demonstration of an SSCC with a dynamic range comparable to that of commercial DSCCs. The comparison of high-dynamic measurement performances between SSCC and a standard DSCC (Sequoia, Amplitude Technologies) is also carried out on a 200 TW Ti:sapphire laser, and the consistency of results verifies the veracity of our SSCC.
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Particle-In-Cell simulations of high pressure plasmas using graphics processing units
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gebhardt, Markus; Atteln, Frank; Brinkmann, Ralf Peter; Mussenbrock, Thomas; Mertmann, Philipp; Awakowicz, Peter
2009-10-01
Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations are widely used to understand the fundamental phenomena in low-temperature plasmas. Particularly plasmas at very low gas pressures are studied using PIC methods. The inherent drawback of these methods is that they are very time consuming -- certain stability conditions has to be satisfied. This holds even more for the PIC simulation of high pressure plasmas due to the very high collision rates. The simulations take up to very much time to run on standard computers and require the help of computer clusters or super computers. Recent advances in the field of graphics processing units (GPUs) provides every personal computer with a highly parallel multi processor architecture for very little money. This architecture is freely programmable and can be used to implement a wide class of problems. In this paper we present the concepts of a fully parallel PIC simulation of high pressure plasmas using the benefits of GPU programming.
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Whispering-Gallery Mode Resonators for Detecting Cancer
Pongruengkiat, Weeratouch; Pechprasarn, Suejit
2017-01-01
Optical resonators are sensors well known for their high sensitivity and fast response time. These sensors have a wide range of applications, including in the biomedical fields, and cancer detection is one such promising application. Sensor diagnosis currently has many limitations, such as being expensive, highly invasive, and time-consuming. New developments are welcomed to overcome these limitations. Optical resonators have high sensitivity, which enable medical testing to detect disease in the early stage. Herein, we describe the principle of whispering-gallery mode and ring optical resonators. We also add to the knowledge of cancer biomarker diagnosis, where we discuss the application of optical resonators for specific biomarkers. Lastly, we discuss advancements in optical resonators for detecting cancer in terms of their ability to detect small amounts of cancer biomarkers. PMID:28902169
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An improved synthesis of pentacene: rapid access to a benchmark organic semiconductor.
Pramanik, Chandrani; Miller, Glen P
2012-04-20
Pentacene is an organic semiconductor used in a variety of thin-film organic electronic devices. Although at least six separate syntheses of pentacene are known (two from dihydropentacenes, two from 6,13-pentacenedione and two from 6,13-dihydro-6,13-dihydroxypentacene), none is ideal and several utilize elevated temperatures that may facilitate the oxidation of pentacene as it is produced. Here, we present a fast (-2 min of reaction time), simple, high-yielding (≥ 90%), low temperature synthesis of pentacene from readily available 6,13-dihydro-6,13-dihydroxypentacene. Further, we discuss the mechanism of this highly efficient reaction. With this improved synthesis, researchers gain rapid, affordable access to high purity pentacene in excellent yield and without the need for a time consuming sublimation.
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Beef customer satisfaction: factors affecting consumer evaluations of clod steaks.
Goodson, K J; Morgan, W W; Reagan, J O; Gwartney, B L; Courington, S M; Wise, J W; Savell, J W
2002-02-01
An in-home beef study evaluated consumer ratings of clod steaks (n = 1,264) as influenced by USDA quality grade (Top Choice, Low Choice, High Select, and Low Select), city (Chicago and Philadelphia), consumer segment (Beef Loyals, who are heavy consumers of beef; Budget Rotators, who are cost-driven and split meat consumption between beef and chicken; and Variety Rotators, who have higher incomes and education and split their meat consumption among beef, poultry, and other foods), degree of doneness, and cooking method. Consumers evaluated each steak for Overall Like, Tenderness, Juiciness, Flavor Like, and Flavor Amount using 10-point scales. Grilling was the predominant cooking method used, and steaks were cooked to medium-well and greater degrees of doneness. Interactions existed involving the consumer-controlled factors of degree of doneness and(or) cooking method for all consumer-evaluated traits for the clod steak (P < 0.05). USDA grade did not affect any consumer evaluation traits or Warner-Bratzler shear force values (P > 0.05). One significant main effect, segment (P = 0.006), and one significant interaction, cooking method x city (P = 0.0407), existed for Overall Like ratings. Consumers in the Beef Loyals segment rated clod steaks higher in Overall Like than the other segments. Consumers in Chicago tended to give more uniform Overall Like ratings to clod steaks cooked by various methods; however, consumers in Philadelphia gave among the highest ratings to clod steaks that were fried and among the lowest to those that were grilled. Additionally, although clod steaks that were fried were given generally high ratings by consumers in Philadelphia, consumers in Chicago rated clod steaks cooked in this manner significantly lower than those in Philadelphia. Conversely, consumers in Chicago rated clod steaks that were grilled significantly higher than consumers in Philadelphia. Correlation and stepwise regression analyses indicated that Flavor Like was driving customer satisfaction of the clod steak. Flavor Like was the sensory trait most highly correlated to Overall Like, followed by Tenderness, Flavor Amount, and Juiciness. Flavor Like was the first variable to enter into the stepwise regression equation for predicting Overall Like, followed by Tenderness and Flavor Amount. For the clod steak, it is likely that preparation techniques that improve flavor without reducing tenderness positively affect customer satisfaction.
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Sreeramulu, D; Reddy, C V K; Chauhan, Anitha; Balakrishna, N; Raghunath, M
2013-01-01
Phytochemicals protect against oxidative stress which in turn helps in maintaining the balance between oxidants and antioxidants. In recent times natural antioxidants are gaining considerable interest among nutritionists, food manufacturers, and consumers because of their perceived safety, potential therapeutic value, and long shelf life. Plant foods are known to protect against degenerative diseases and ageing due to their antioxidant activity (AOA) attributed to their high polyphenolic content (PC). Data on AOA and PC of Indian plant foods is scanty. Therefore we have determined the antioxidant activity in 107 commonly consumed Indian plant foods and assessed their relation to their PC. Antioxidant activity is presented as the range of values for each of the food groups. The foods studied had good amounts of PC and AOA although they belonged to different food groups. Interestingly, significant correlation was observed between AOA (DPPH and FRAP) and PC in most of the foods, corroborating the literature that polyphenols are potent antioxidants and that they may be important contributors to the AOA of the plant foods. We have also observed that common domestic methods of processing may not affect the PC and AOA of the foods studied in general. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first results of the kind in commonly consumed Indian plant foods.
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Reference Pricing Changes The 'Choice Architecture' Of Health Care For Consumers.
Robinson, James C; Brown, Timothy T; Whaley, Christopher
2017-03-01
Reference pricing in health insurance creates incentives for patients to select for nonemergency services providers that charge relatively low prices and still offer high quality of care. It changes the "choice architecture" by offering standard coverage if the patient chooses cost-effective providers but requires considerable consumer cost sharing if more expensive alternatives are selected. The short-term impact of reference pricing has been to shift patient volumes from hospital-based to freestanding surgical, diagnostic, imaging, and laboratory facilities. This article summarizes reference pricing's impacts to date on patient choice, provider prices, surgical complications, and employer spending and estimates its potential impacts if expanded to more services and a broader population. Reference pricing induces consumers to select lower-price alternatives for all of the forms of care studied, leading to significant reductions in prices paid and spending incurred by insurers and employers. The impact on consumer cost sharing is mixed, with some studies finding higher copayments and some lower. We conclude with a discussion of the incentives created for providers to redesign their clinical processes and for efficient providers to expand into price-sensitive markets. Over time, reference pricing may increase pressures for price competition and lead to further cost-reducing innovations in health care products and processes. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.
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Burton, Scot; Creyer, Elizabeth H.; Kees, Jeremy; Huggins, Kyle
2006-01-01
Objectives. Requiring restaurants to present nutrition information on menus is under consideration as a potential way to slow the increasing prevalence of obesity. Using a survey methodology, we examined how accurately consumers estimate the nutrient content of typical restaurant meals. Based on these results, we then conducted an experiment to address how the provision of nutrition information on menus influences purchase intentions and reported preferences. Methods. For both the survey and experiment, data were analyzed using analysis of variance techniques. Results. Survey results showed that levels of calories, fat, and saturated fat in less-healthful restaurant items were significantly underestimated by consumers. Actual fat and saturated fat levels were twice consumers’ estimates and calories approached 2 times more than what consumers expected. In the subsequent experiment, for items for which levels of calories, fat, and saturated fat substantially exceeded consumers’ expectations, the provision of nutrition information had a significant influence on product attitude, purchase intention, and choice. Conclusions. Most consumers are unaware of the high levels of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium found in many menu items. Provision of nutrition information on restaurant menus could potentially have a positive impact on public health by reducing the consumption of less-healthful foods. PMID:16873758
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Coker, H.A.B.; Thomas, A.E.; Akintonwa, A.
1991-11-01
For some time there has been a considerable interest and growing concern in the extent of contamination of food items by N-nitrosamines because of the known carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of these compounds. Nitrosamines can be derived from the interaction of organic secondary and tertiary amines with nitrite, nitrate under reducing conditions, low pH values or nitrous gases. In Nigeria, the present harsh economic conditions have somewhat influenced the emergence of different kinds of socioeconomic attitude in Nigerians. There is now high incidence of adulteration of many consumer products. Faking of assorted consumables and pharmaceuticals, notably drugs, is a common feature,more » all in attempt to cut corners. It is a common practice amongst the local people to use certain chemicals as preservatives, colorants and flavorants without taking cognizance of the long-term health and toxicological hazards posed to the citizenry by these foreign agents. Recent work in the authors' laboratory had shown the presence of N-nitrosamines in some consumer products and it was therefore thought that a more thorough investigation and survey of as many foods and drinks as possible in the Lagos metropolis for contamination by nitrosamines might present a more revealing picture.« less
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Changes in core food intake among Australian children between 1995 and 2007.
Rangan, A M; Kwan, J S L; Louie, J C Y; Flood, V M; Gill, T P
2011-11-01
To assess the changes in the consumption of core foods among Australian children between the 1995 National Nutrition Survey (1995 NNS) and the 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (2007 Children's Survey). Core food consumption was analysed using 24-h recall data from 2-16 year old children using the 1995 NNS (n=2435) and the 2007 Children's Survey (n=4380). Differences in percent consuming, amounts consumed and percent energy contribution were assessed. The consumption of core foods increased significantly between the 1995 and 2007 surveys, including per-capita consumption and percent energy contribution (both P0.001). Core foods contributed to 59% of energy intake in 1995 compared with 65% in 2007. The types of core foods consumed also changed during this time period with more children reporting eating healthy options such as wholemeal bread, reduced-fat milk, reduced-fat cheese and fruit in the 2007 Children's Survey. Conversely, the consumption of white bread, full-fat milk and low-fibre breakfast cereals was lower in 2007. Overall, reported dietary intake had improved from 1995 to 2007 among Australian children with an increase in the amounts of core foods consumed and healthier types of foods being chosen. Continued health-promotion activities and monitoring of food consumption are highly warranted.
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Simultaneous modelling of multi-purpose/multi-stop activity patterns and quantities consumed
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Roy, John R.; Smith, Nariida C.; Xu, Blake
Whereas for commuting travel there is a one-to-one correspondence between commuters and jobs, and for commodity flows a one-to-one correspondence between the size of orders and the shipping cost of the commodities, the situation is much more complex for retail/service travel. A typical shopper may make a single trip or multi-stop tour to buy/consume a quite diverse set of commodities/services at different locations in quite variable quantities. At the same time, the general pattern of the tour is clearly dependent on the activities and goods available at potential stops. These interdependencies have been alluded to in the literature, especially by spatial economists. However, until some preliminary work by the first author, there has been no attempt to formally include these interdependencies in a general model. This paper presents a framework for achieving this goal by developing an evolutionary set of models starting from the simplest forms available. From the above, it is clear that such interdependency models will inevitably have high dimensionality and combinatorial complexity. This rules out a simultaneous treatment of all the events using an individual choice approach. If an individual choice approach is to be applied in a tractable manner, the set of interdependent events needs to be segmented into several subsets, with simultaneity recognised within each subset, but a mere sequential progression occurring between subsets. In this paper, full event interdependencies are retained at the expense of modelling market segments of consumers rather than a sample of representative individuals. We couple the travel and consumption events in the only feasible way, by modelling the tours as discrete entities, in conjunction with the amount of each commodity consumed per stop on each such tour in terms of the continuous quantities of microeconomics. This is performed both under a budget/income constraint from microeconomics and a time budget constraint from time geography. The model considers both physical trips and tele-orders.
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Jenkinson, Bec M; Smethurst, Joanne; Boorman, Rhonda; Creedy, Debra K
2014-06-01
This paper describes the effects of a maternity consumer representative training program on participants' confidence to fulfil this role and engagement in representative activities. The present study was a descriptive, pre-post evaluation design with a 3-month follow-up. Fifty-eight people completed the program and 55 agreed to participate in the evaluation. Participants completed questionnaires to assess confidence to undertake consumer representative roles and reported on their engagement with consumer activities. Participants' perceived confidence to function in the role of consumer representative differed significantly before and after the workshop (F(2,18)=7.057, P<0.001), as did confidence in decision making (F(2,16)=7.615, P=0.005), confidence in negotiating outcomes and liaising with key people (F(2,18)=7.154, P=0.005), and confidence in making use of relevant networks (F(2,18)=4.319, P=0.029). There was a decline in confidence at 3 months, with confidence at this time no longer significantly different from that at the time of recruitment. Engagement with consumer organisations increased by 45% compared with rates at commencement of the project. The program enhanced participants' confidence to fulfil a maternity consumer representative role but was not sustained. Further research is needed as to how to best support maternity consumer representatives and assess their contribution to promoting woman-centred care.
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Effects of gamma radiation on raspberries: safety and quality issues.
Verde, S Cabo; Trigo, M J; Sousa, M B; Ferreira, A; Ramos, A C; Nunes, I; Junqueira, C; Melo, R; Santos, P M P; Botelho, M L
2013-01-01
There is an ever-increasing global demand from consumers for high-quality foods with major emphasis placed on quality and safety attributes. One of the main demands that consumers display is for minimally processed, high-nutrition/low-energy natural foods with no or minimal chemical preservatives. The nutritional value of raspberry fruit is widely recognized. In particular, red raspberries are known to demonstrate a strong antioxidant capacity that might prove beneficial to human health by preventing free radical-induced oxidative stress. However, food products that are consumed raw, are increasingly being recognized as important vehicles for transmission of human pathogens. Food irradiation is one of the few technologies that address both food quality and safety by virtue of its ability to control spoilage and foodborne pathogenic microorganisms without significantly affecting sensory or other organoleptic attributes of the food. Food irradiation is well established as a physical, nonthermal treatment (cold pasteurization) that processes foods at or nearly at ambient temperature in the final packaging, reducing the possibility of cross contamination until the food is actually used by the consumer. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of gamma radiation on raspberries in order to assess consequences of irradiation. Freshly packed raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) were irradiated in a (60)Co source at several doses (0.5, 1, or 1.5 kGy). Bioburden, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, physicochemical properties such as texture, color, pH, soluble solids content, and acidity, and sensorial parameters were assessed before and after irradiation and during storage time up to 14 d at 4°C. Characterization of raspberries microbiota showed an average bioburden value of 10(4) colony-forming units (CFU)/g and a diverse microbial population predominantly composed of two morphological types (gram-negative, oxidase-negative rods, 35%, and filamentous fungi, 41%). The inactivation studies on the raspberries mesophilic population indicated a one log reduction of microbial load (95% inactivation efficiency for 1.5 kGy), in the surviving population mainly constituted by filamentous fungi (79-98%). The total phenolic content of raspberries indicated an increase with radiation doses and a decrease with storage time. The same trend was found for raspberries' antioxidant capacity with storage time. Regarding raspberries physicochemical properties, irradiation induced a significant decrease in firmness compared with nonirradiated fruit. However, nonirradiated and irradiated fruit presented similar physicochemical and sensory properties during storage time. Further studies are needed to elucidate the benefits of irradiation as a raspberries treatment process.
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Wells, Amanda M.; Haub, Mark D.; Fluckey, James; Williams, D. Keith; Chernoff, Ronni; Campbell, Wayne W.
2008-01-01
Objective To test the hypothesis that older men who consumed a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) diet would develop a lower iron status compared with older men who consumed a beef-containing diet during a period of resistive training (RT). Design Experimental, repeated measures study. Subjects Twenty-one healthy men aged 59 to 78 years, with a BMI range of 24 to 33 kg/m2, completed the study. Intervention All men consumed a vegetarian diet for 2 weeks (baseline). After this, the men were randomly assigned to one of two dietary groups. Eleven men consumed a beef-containing diet, and 10 men continued to consume a vegetarian diet for 12 weeks. During this time all subjects participated in RT three days per week, designated as RT1 to RT12. Main outcome measures Serum ferritin and serum iron concentrations, transferrin saturation, transferrin receptor, total iron binding capacity, and selected hematological variables, as well as selected nutrient intakes and estimated iron bioavailability from three-day diet records, were determined at baseline, RT5, and RT12. Statistical analyses A general linear model repeated-measures ANOVA was used to examine the effects of group, time, and group×time interactions for iron status and dietary data. Results Total iron intake was not different between the two groups; however, the beef group had a three to four times greater intake of bioavailable iron (P<.01) than the vegetarian group. Serum iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation, and transferrin receptor were not significantly different between the beef and vegetarian groups, or changed over time with RT. Serum ferritin decreased over time in both the beef and vegetarian groups during RT (P<.01). Re-introduction of beef into the diets of the beef group increased hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit compared with the vegetarian group during the 12 weeks of RT (group×time, P<.05). These changes were within clinically normal limits. Applications/Conclusions Older men who consume a beef-containing, higher-bioavailable-iron diet, compared with a vegetarian, lower-bioavailable-iron diet, have an increased hematological profile during a 12-week period of RT. Older men who consume either a beef-containing or a vegetarian diet maintain a hematological profile within clinically normal limits during 12 weeks of RT. PMID:12728219
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Projection display market trends
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mentley, David E.
1997-05-01
The projection display industry is now a multi-billion dollar market comprising an expanding variety of technologies and applications. Growth is being driven by a combination of high volume consumer products and high value business demand. After many years of marginal, but steady performance improvements, essentially all types of projectors have crossed the threshold of acceptability and are now facing accelerated continuing growth. Overall worldwide unit sales of all types of projection displays for all applications will nearly double from 1.6 million units in 1996 to 2.8 million units in 2002. By value at the end user price, the global projector market will grow modestly from 6.3 billion dollars in 1996 to 7.7 billion dollars in 2002. Consumer television will represent the largest share of unit consumption over this time period; in 1996, this application represents 72 percent of the total unit volume. The second major application category for projection displays is the business or presentation projector, representing only 14 percent of the unit shipment total in 1996, but 50 percent of the value.
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Autoshaping of ethanol drinking: an animal model of binge drinking.
Tomie, Arthur; di Poce, Jason; Derenzo, Christopher C; Pohorecky, Larissa A
2002-01-01
To examine the hypothesis that Pavlovian autoshaping provides an animal learning model of drug abuse, two studies evaluated the induction of ethanol drinking by autoshaping procedures. In Experiment 1, the sipper tube conditioned stimulus (CS) contained saccharin/ethanol solution and was repeatedly paired with food as an unconditioned stimulus (US). The CS-US paired group consumed more of the 0.1% saccharin-6% ethanol solution than did the CS-US random group, revealing that autoshaping conditioned responses (CR) induce ethanol drinking not attributable to pseudo-conditioning. Experiment 2 employed saccharin-fading procedures and showed that the paired vs random group differences in ethanol drinking were maintained, even as the saccharin was eliminated from the solution. The results show that Pavlovian autoshaping procedures induce high volumes of ethanol drinking when the presentation of a sipper tube containing an ethanol solution precedes the response-independent delivery of food. The high volume of ethanol consumed in a brief period of time suggests that Pavlovian autoshaping may be a model of binge drinking.
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Anazodo, Antoinette C; Gerstl, Brigitte; Stern, Catharyn J; McLachlan, Robert I; Agresta, Franca; Jayasinghe, Yasmin; Cohn, Richard J; Wakefield, Claire E; Chapman, Michael; Ledger, William; Sullivan, Elizabeth A
2016-09-01
In Australia and New Zealand, there has not been a national systematic development of oncofertility services for cancer patients of reproductive age although many cancer and fertility centers have independently developed services. A number of barriers exist to the development of these services, including a lack of clear referral pathways, a lack of communication between clinicians and patients about fertility preservation, differences in the knowledge base of clinicians about the risk of cancer treatment causing infertility and fertility preservation options, a lack of national health insurance funding covering all aspects of fertility preservation, and storage costs and cultural, religious, and ethical barriers. The development of strategies to overcome these barriers is a high priority for oncofertility care to ensure that equitable access to the best standard of care is available for all patients. The FUTuRE Fertility Research Group led a collaborative consultation process with the Australasian Oncofertility Consumer group and oncofertility specialists to explore consumers' experiences of oncofertility care. Consumers participated in qualitative focus group meetings to define and develop a model of consumer driven or informed "gold standard oncofertility care" with the aim of putting together a Charter that specifically described this. The finalized Australasian Oncofertility Consortium Charter documents eight key elements of gold standard oncofertility care that will be used to monitor the implementation of oncofertility services nationally, to ensure that these key elements are incorporated into standard practice over time.
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Obesity: can behavioral economics help?
Just, David R; Payne, Collin R
2009-12-01
Consumers regularly and predictably behave in ways that contradict standard assumptions of economic analysis such that they make decisions that prevent them from reaching rationally intended goals. These contradictions play a significant role with respect to consumers' food decisions and the effect these decisions have on their health. Food decisions that are rationally derived include those that trade short-term gains of sensory pleasure (hedonic) for longer term gains of health and wellness (utilitarian). However, extra-rational food decisions are much more common. They can occur because of the contexts in which they are made--such as being distracted or pressed for time. In these contexts, heuristics (or rules of thumb) are used. Because food decisions are made with little cognitive involvement, food policies designed to appeal to highly cognitive thought (e.g., fat taxes, detailed information labels) are likely to have little impact. Furthermore, food marketing environments influence not only what foods consumers buy but also how much. As a general principle, when individuals do not behave in their own interest, markets will feed perverse and sub-optimal behaviors. Given the limited ability of individuals to retain and use accurate health information coupled with varying levels of self control, profit motivations of marketers can become predatory--though not necessarily malicious. Alternative policy options that do not restrict choice are outlined, which enable consumers to make better decisions. These options allow for profit motivations of marketers to align with the long-term well being of the consumer.
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77 FR 51686 - Specialty Crops; Import Regulations; New Pistachio Import Requirements
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-08-27
... standards, thus promoting high quality product in the market place and fostering consumer satisfaction... designed to ensure that only high quality pistachios containing low levels of aflatoxin are shipped, thus promoting high quality product in the market place and fostering consumer satisfaction. The order, which was...
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The pursuit of optimal distinctiveness and consumer preferences.
He, Lingnan; Cong, Feng; Liu, Yanping; Zhou, Xinyue
2010-10-01
This article investigates the effect of optimal distinctiveness on consumer product consumption. The authors argue that consumers acquire and display material possessions to restore their optimal levels of distinctiveness. Results showed that placing consumers in a state of low distinctiveness increased desire to acquire distinctive products, whereas perceptions of high distinctiveness reduced desire to acquire such products. Consumers' desire for distinctiveness-related products held true for various consumer choices, including willingness to pay more for limited-edition products and preference for unpopular gifts. This finding has implications for understanding consumer choice in expressing identity. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2010 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.
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Bhutada, Nilesh S; Rollins, Brent L; Perri, Matthew
2017-04-01
A randomized, posttest-only online survey study of adult U.S. consumers determined the advertising effectiveness (attitude toward ad, brand, company, spokes-characters, attention paid to the ad, drug inquiry intention, and perceived product risk) of animated spokes-characters in print direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs and the moderating effects of consumers' involvement. Consumers' responses (n = 490) were recorded for animated versus nonanimated (human) spokes-characters in a fictitious DTC ad. Guided by the elaboration likelihood model, data were analyzed using a 2 (spokes-character type: animated/human) × 2 (involvement: high/low) factorial multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The MANCOVA indicated significant main effects of spokes-character type and involvement on the dependent variables after controlling for covariate effects. Of the several ad effectiveness variables, consumers only differed on their attitude toward the spokes-characters between the two spokes-character types (specifically, more favorable attitudes toward the human spokes-character). Apart from perceived product risk, high-involvement consumers reacted more favorably to the remaining ad effectiveness variables compared to the low-involvement consumers, and exhibited significantly stronger drug inquiry intentions during their next doctor visit. Further, the moderating effect of consumers' involvement was not observed (nonsignificant interaction effect between spokes-character type and involvement).
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Scholz, M; Kaltenbach, M
2000-02-01
1956 7th grade students of high schools and secondary modern schools in three cities with 110,000 to 180,000 inhabitants were asked about cigarette, alcohol and drug consumption using questionnaires. Subsequently 1080 of the students took part in a newly invented non-smoking curriculum which was held during 8 lessons within 4 weeks (intervention group (I)). The lessons were performed by non-smoking physicians who had passed a training programme before. 876 students served as control (C) group. 2 years later the questioning was repeated. The number of students who started smoking within the two years was significantly lower in the intervention group. In the high schools a significant effect was seen in boys (I: 13.0%, K: 22.4%; p < 0.01) and girls (I: 21.4%, K: 28.4%; p < 0.05) whereas in secondary modern schools a significant effect was seen only in boys (I: 17.4%, K: 25.2%; p < 0.05) not in girls (I: 18.0%, K: 22.0%; n.s.). First-time consumers of drugs like cannabis, marihuana and organic solvents were found less often in the intervention group among boys in high schools than in the control group (I: 14.9%; K: 23.6%; p < 0.05). No effects of the intervention were seen in girls of high schools and in students of secondary modern schools. No effects of the intervention were seen on alcohol consumption. Students who drank beer, wine or liquor several times a week were found at the same rate in the intervention and control groups. We conclude that a non-smoking intervention of 8 lessons in the 7th grade of high schools and secondary modern schools may lower the rate of first-time consumers of cigarettes but not of alcohol and drugs.
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Minority Game of price promotions in fast moving consumer goods markets
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Groot, Robert D.; Musters, Pieter A. D.
2005-05-01
A variation of the Minority Game has been applied to study the timing of promotional actions at retailers in the fast moving consumer goods market. The underlying hypotheses for this work are that price promotions are more effective when fewer than average competitors do a promotion, and that a promotion strategy can be based on past sales data. The first assumption has been checked by analysing 1467 promotional actions for three products on the Dutch market (ketchup, mayonnaise and curry sauce) over a 120-week period, both on an aggregated level and on retailer chain level. The second assumption was tested by analysing past sales data with the Minority Game. This revealed that high or low competitor promotional pressure for actual ketchup, mayonnaise, curry sauce and barbecue sauce markets is to some extent predictable up to a forecast of some 10 weeks. Whereas a random guess would be right 50% of the time, a single-agent game can predict the market with a success rate of 56% for a 6-9 week forecast. This number is the same for all four mentioned fast moving consumer markets. For a multi-agent game a larger variability in the success rate is obtained, but predictability can be as high as 65%. Contrary to expectation, the actual market does the opposite of what game theory would predict. This points at a systematic oscillation in the market. Even though this result is not fully understood, merely observing that this trend is present in the data could lead to exploitable trading benefits. As a check, random history strings were generated from which the statistical variation in the game prediction was studied. This shows that the odds are 1:1,000,000 that the observed pattern in the market is based on coincidence.
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What is the cost of diagnosis and management of drug resistant tuberculosis in South Africa?
Pooran, Anil; Pieterson, Elize; Davids, Malika; Theron, Grant; Dheda, Keertan
2013-01-01
Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is undermining TB control in South Africa. However, there are hardly any data about the cost of treating DR-TB in high burden settings despite such information being quintessential for the rational planning and allocation of resources by policy-makers, and to inform future cost-effectiveness analyses. We analysed the comparative 2011 United States dollar ($) cost of diagnosis and treatment of drug sensitive TB (DS-TB), MDR-TB and XDR-TB, based on National South African TB guidelines, from the perspective of the National TB Program using published clinical outcome data. Assuming adherence to national DR-TB management guidelines, the per patient cost of XDR-TB was $26,392, four times greater than MDR-TB ($6772), and 103 times greater than drug-sensitive TB ($257). Despite DR-TB comprising only 2.2% of the case burden, it consumed ~32% of the total estimated 2011 national TB budget of US $218 million. 45% and 25% of the DR-TB costs were attributed to anti-TB drugs and hospitalization, respectively. XDR-TB consumed 28% of the total DR-TB diagnosis and treatment costs. Laboratory testing and anti-TB drugs comprised the majority (71%) of MDR-TB costs while hospitalization and anti-TB drug costs comprised the majority (92%) of XDR-TB costs. A decentralized XDR-TB treatment programme could potentially reduce costs by $6930 (26%) per case and reduce the total amount spent on DR-TB by ~7%. Although DR-TB forms a very small proportion of the total case burden it consumes a disproportionate and substantial amount of South Africa's total annual TB budget. These data inform rational resource allocation and selection of management strategies for DR-TB in high burden settings.
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Assessment of Korean consumer exposure to sodium saccharin, aspartame and stevioside.
Ha, Mi-Sun; Ha, Sang-Do; Choi, Sung-Hee; Bae, Dong-Ho
2013-01-01
The dietary intakes of sodium saccharin, aspartame and stevioside were estimated on the basis of food consumption data of the Korean consumer and the concentration of sweeteners in processed foods. Results were compared with the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of sweeteners. Among the 28 food categories for which the application of sodium saccharin, aspartame and stevioside is permitted in Korea, they were detected in 5, 12 and 13 categories, respectively. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of sodium saccharin and aspartame were high in infants and children, whereas the EDI of stevioside was high in adolescents and adults. The most highly consumed sweetener was aspartame, and the highest EDI/ADI ratio was found for sodium saccharin. The main food categories contributing to sweetener consumption were beverages, including alcoholic beverages. For most Korean consumers, the EDIs were no greater than 20% of their corresponding ADI; however, the EDI of sodium saccharin for conservative consumers aged 1-2 years reached 60% of their ADI.
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A Heads-Up Display for Diabetic Limb Salvage Surgery
Rankin, Timothy M.; Giovinco, Nicholas A.; Mills, Joseph L.; Matsuoka, Yoky
2014-01-01
Although the use of augmented reality has been well described over the past several years, available devices suffer from high cost, an uncomfortable form factor, suboptimal battery life, and lack an app-based developer ecosystem. This article describes the potential use of a novel, consumer-based, wearable device to assist surgeons in real time during limb preservation surgery and clinical consultation. Using routine intraoperative, clinical, and educational case examples, we describe the use of a wearable augmented reality device (Google Glass; Google, Mountain View, CA). The device facilitated hands-free, rapid communication, documentation, and consultation. An eyeglass-mounted screen form factor has the potential to improve communication, safety, and efficiency of intraoperative and clinical care. We believe this represents a natural progression toward union of medical devices with consumer technology. PMID:24876445
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Are we indeed what we eat? Street food consumption in the Market Circle area of Takoradi, Ghana.
Hiamey, Stephen Edem; Amuquandoh, Francis Eric; Boison, Grace Aba
2013-01-01
The paper examines street foods consumption in the Market Circle of Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana. The data used for the study were obtained from individuals who were either purchasing or consuming street foods in the Market Circle in August of 2011. The results revealed that the average consumer makes use of street foods six times in a week and there was a penchant for carbohydrate based foods over other types of street foods. Reasons including cost saving, convenience and eating on credit were noted to underlie the consumption of street foods in the area. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the high consumption of street foods in the Market Circle was for reasons other than nutrition and health. © The Author(s) 2015.
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Goldsmith, M-R; Grulke, C M; Brooks, R D; Transue, T R; Tan, Y M; Frame, A; Egeghy, P P; Edwards, R; Chang, D T; Tornero-Velez, R; Isaacs, K; Wang, A; Johnson, J; Holm, K; Reich, M; Mitchell, J; Vallero, D A; Phillips, L; Phillips, M; Wambaugh, J F; Judson, R S; Buckley, T J; Dary, C C
2014-03-01
Consumer products are a primary source of chemical exposures, yet little structured information is available on the chemical ingredients of these products and the concentrations at which ingredients are present. To address this data gap, we created a database of chemicals in consumer products using product Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) publicly provided by a large retailer. The resulting database represents 1797 unique chemicals mapped to 8921 consumer products and a hierarchy of 353 consumer product "use categories" within a total of 15 top-level categories. We examine the utility of this database and discuss ways in which it will support (i) exposure screening and prioritization, (ii) generic or framework formulations for several indoor/consumer product exposure modeling initiatives, (iii) candidate chemical selection for monitoring near field exposure from proximal sources, and (iv) as activity tracers or ubiquitous exposure sources using "chemical space" map analyses. Chemicals present at high concentrations and across multiple consumer products and use categories that hold high exposure potential are identified. Our database is publicly available to serve regulators, retailers, manufacturers, and the public for predictive screening of chemicals in new and existing consumer products on the basis of exposure and risk. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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New consumer load prototype for electricity theft monitoring
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Abdullateef, A. I.; Salami, M. J. E.; Musse, M. A.; Onasanya, M. A.; Alebiosu, M. I.
2013-12-01
Illegal connection which is direct connection to the distribution feeder and tampering of energy meter has been identified as a major process through which nefarious consumers steal electricity on low voltage distribution system. This has contributed enormously to the revenue losses incurred by the power and energy providers. A Consumer Load Prototype (CLP) is constructed and proposed in this study in order to understand the best possible pattern through which the stealing process is effected in real life power consumption. The construction of consumer load prototype will facilitate real time simulation and data collection for the monitoring and detection of electricity theft on low voltage distribution system. The prototype involves electrical design and construction of consumer loads with application of various standard regulations from Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), formerly known as Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE). LABVIEW platform was used for data acquisition and the data shows a good representation of the connected loads. The prototype will assist researchers and power utilities, currently facing challenges in getting real time data for the study and monitoring of electricity theft. The simulation of electricity theft in real time is one of the contributions of this prototype. Similarly, the power and energy community including students will appreciate the practical approach which the prototype provides for real time information rather than software simulation which has hitherto been used in the study of electricity theft.
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Baudry, Julia; Touvier, Mathilde; Allès, Benjamin; Péneau, Sandrine; Méjean, Caroline; Galan, Pilar; Hercberg, Serge; Lairon, Denis; Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle
2016-08-01
Limited information is available on large-scale populations regarding the socio-demographic and nutrient profiles and eating behaviour of consumers, taking into account both organic and conventional foods. The aims of this study were to draw up a typology of consumers according to their eating habits, based both on their dietary patterns and the mode of food production, and to outline their socio-demographic, behavioural and nutritional characteristics. Data were collected from 28 245 participants of the NutriNet-Santé study. Dietary information was obtained using a 264-item, semi-quantitative, organic FFQ. To identify clusters of consumers, principal component analysis was applied on sixteen conventional and sixteen organic food groups followed by a clustering procedure. The following five clusters of consumers were identified: (1) a cluster characterised by low energy intake, low consumption of organic food and high prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes; (2) a cluster of big eaters of conventional foods with high intakes of SFA and cholesterol; (3) a cluster with high consumption of organic food and relatively adequate nutritional diet quality; (4) a group with a high percentage of organic food consumers, 14 % of which were either vegetarians or vegans, who exhibited a high nutritional diet quality and a low prevalence of inadequate intakes of most vitamins except B12; and (5) a group of moderate organic food consumers with a particularly high intake of proteins and alcohol and a poor nutritional diet quality. These findings may have implications for future aetiological studies investigating the potential impact of organic food consumption.
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Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources
2013-10-25
Security Technologies Reporting Data Breaches: Is Federal Legislation Needed to Protect Consumers ? July 18, 2013 Energy and Commerce Commerce ...Protect Consumers ? July 18, 2013 Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigation Cyber Espionage and the Theft of U.S. Intellectual Property and...protection for sensitive consumer data and timely notification in case of breach June 15, 2011 Energy and Commerce Commerce , Manufacturing, and
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Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources
2013-04-17
Consumer Credit Cybersecurity: An Overview of Risks to Critical Infrastructure July 26, 2011 Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations...require greater protection for sensitive consumer data and timely notification in case of breach June 15, 2011 Energy and Commerce Commerce ...Financial Sector June 21, 2011 Commerce , Science and Transportation Privacy and Data Security: Protecting Consumers in the Modern World June 29, 2011