Georgia's Aging Population: What to Expect and How to Cope

This report analyzes the impacts of Georgia's aging population on state finances. FRC Report 11

Effect of Water Regime and Nitrogen Fertilisation on Growth Dynamics, Water Status and Yield of Burley Tobacco (Nicotianatabacum L.)

AbstractThe results of a two-year research project into burley tobacco are reported and discussed. Three irrigation levels (40, 80 and 120% restitution of evapotranspiration (ET)) were factorially combined with four levels of nitrogen fertilisation (0, 80, 160 and 240 kg ha). Leaf area, leaf and stem dry matter and root development were measured. We monitored the water status of the 0-90 cm soil layer, the plants and stomatal resistance. Relations were also studied between leaf turgor pressure and plant growth, between the irrigation regime and plant water status, and between root and shoot development. Finally, water use efficiency (WUE) and quality and quantity of cured leaves yields were evaluated. Nitrogen fertilisation did not affect plant water status, although it promoted plant growth, both in terms of leaf area and leaf and stem dry matter, and induced a yield increase in quantity and quality. Our trial showed little interaction between nitrogen fertilization level and water regime. Under such agronomic condition, the margins for increasing plant growth with nitrogen fertilization are limited, which is why application of nitrogen rates in excess of 160 kg haappear inadvisable. The difference in irrigation volumes led to a different soil water content which affected plant water status, stomatal functioning, plant growth, both in the roots and shoots, yield and quality of the cured leaves. The latter did not vary with the increase in water volume, while yield increased. Water use efficiency increased as the irrigation volume decreased and varied during the cropping cycle, increasing until early bloom, then decreasing. Relations between leaf turgor pressure and plant growth highlighted the different response of plants subjected to water stress compared with non-stressed plants

Notes on Recent Cases

Notes on recent cases by J. S. Angelino, Marc Wonderlin, W. S. McCray, John P. Berscheid, J. J. Canty, J. J. Lyons, R. C. Kuehl, D. M. Donahue, M. E. McGcogehgan, G. L. Housley, Thomas J. Jones, Jr., and F. Earl Lamboley

Virtual reality and gamification in marketing higher education: A review and research agenda

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review studies on the use of virtual reality (VR) and gamification to engage students in higher education for marketing issues to identify the research topics, the research gaps and to prepare a future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review is performed based on two search terms applied to Web of Science, resulting in a final pool of 115 articles. A text-mining approach is used to conduct a full-text analysis of papers related to VR and gamification in higher education. The authors also compare the salient characteristics presented in the articles. Findings – From this analysis, five major research topics are found and analysed, namely, teaching methodologies and education, experience and motivation, student engagement, applied theories in VR and gamification. Based on this and following the theory concept characteristics methodology framework, the paper provides directions for future research. Originality/value – There is no comprehensive review exploring the topics, theories, constructs and methods used in prior studies concerning VR and gamification applied to higher education services based on all the articles published in well-regarded academic journals. This review seeks to provide deeper insights, to help scholars contribute to the development of this research field.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nutritional Quality of Meat Analogues: Results From the Food Labelling of Italian Products (FLIP) Project

Nowadays, the interest in meat substitutes is increasing, and consumers perceive their nutritional quality better than that of the animal products they intend to resemble. Therefore, this work aimed to investigate the overall nutritional quality of these new products. Regulated information [Regulation (EU) 1169/2011], the presence/absence of nutrition or health claim and organic declarations, the gluten-free indication, and the number of ingredients were collected from the food labels of 269 commercial meat analogues currently sold on the Italian market. Nutritional information of reference animal meat products was used to compare the nutrition profile. As an indicator of the nutritional quality, the Nutri-Score of meat analogues and counterparts was also determined. Plant-based steaks showed significantly higher protein, lower energy, fats and salt contents, and better Nutri-Scores than the other analogues. All the meat analogues showed a higher fibre content than meat products, while plant-based burgers and meatballs had lower protein contents than meat counterparts. Ready-sliced meat analogues showed a lower salt content than cured meats. Overall, all these plant-based products showed a longer list of ingredients than animal meat products. Results from this survey highlighted that plant-based steaks, cutlets, and cured meats have some favourable nutritional aspects compared to animal-based products. However, they cannot be considered a “tout-court” alternative to meat products from a nutritional point of view

Creating memories and engagement in college student through virtual reality

This study intends to extend the understanding of drivers of student engagement in the educational context and analyse mindfulness as a moderator of the different associations in the proposed model. The proposed model regards VR experiences as stimuli, telepresence, pleasantness of the experience and memory as an organism and student engagement as the response. A sample of 136 participants allowed us to test the model. Findings revealed that all hypotheses were supported except H6 linking pleasantness of the experience with student engagement. Only the relationship between pleasantness and memory is higher for mindful students than nonmindful ones. These findings mean that students do not need to feel pleasure about what they are learning to be engaged.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Notes on Recent Cases

Notes on recent cases by D. M. Donahue, A. J. DeDario, J. S. Angelino, J. J. Canty, F. Earl Lamboley, Marc Wonderlin, and Albion M. Griffin

A new species of Aquilegia (Ranunculaceae) from Sardinia (Italy)

The new species Aquilegia cremnophila (Ranunculaceae) from the Italian island of Sardinia is here described and illustrated. It occurs in shady rocky crevices, near the upper parts of Mt. Corrasi (Supramontes Region), where it is a member of chasmophilous communities. This species is morphologically, phenologically, ecologically and genetically well differentiated from the other Sardinian taxa, showing some relationships mainly with A. nugorensis, an endemic species of Central-Eastern Sardinia. Its conservation status is examined. A key of all taxa present in Sardinia is also provided. © 2012 Magnolia Press.Peer Reviewe

Nutritional quality of pasta sold on the italian market: The food labelling of italian products (FLIP) study

Pasta represents a staple food in many populations and, in recent years, an increasing number of pasta items has been placed on the market to satisfy needs and trends. The aims of this work were: (i) to investigate the nutritional composition of the different types of pasta currently sold in Italy by collecting the nutrition facts on their packaging; (ii) to compare energy, nutrient and salt content per 100 g and serving in fresh and dried pasta; (iii) to compare the nutrition declaration in pairs of products with and without different declarations (i.e., gluten free (GF), organic, and nutrition claims (NC)). A total of 756 items, made available by 13 retailers present on the Italian market, were included in the analysis. Data showed a wide difference between dried and fresh pasta, with high inter-type variability. A negligible amount of salt was observed in all types of pasta, except for stuffed products, which had a median high quantity of salt (>1 g/100 g and ~1.5 g/serving). Organic pasta had higher fibre and lower protein contents compared to conventional pasta. GF products were higher in carbohydrate and fat but lower in fibre and protein than not-GF products, while only a higher fibre content was found in pasta with NC compared to products not boasting claims. Overall, the results show high variability in terms of nutrition composition among the pasta items currently on the market, supporting the importance of reading and understanding food labels for making informed food choices