The Psycho-sensorial Value of the Food Products a Provocative Component in Purchase Decision

The psycho-sensorial value is a specific, complex and determinant concept of the food products that is reflected by means of psycho-sensorial properties such as: shape, size, aspect, colour, taste, smell, fragrance, bouquet, density, clarity. The assessment of these properties by the consumers is decisive for the acceptance or the rejection of foods and classifies the products into savoury, or non-savoury, attractive, indifferent, or unattractive. The psycho-sensorial features of food products allow us to make quick assessments of their qualities, but with a high degree of subjectivity among the common consumers and big individual variations, assessments that are highly influenced by the hedonic value of food products. The sensory analysis of foods is part of the modern analytical methods: when correctly and scientifically applied, it allows a real assessment of the quality of these products, evaluation which could not be obtained only by assessing physicochemical and microbiological methods. However, the scientific methods for sensorial assessment have a higher degree of objectivity and are used successfully in industry and trade, in evaluating the qualitative level of foods by authorised and qualified people. Otherwise, the design of the psycho-sensorial value of food products involves tests and sensorial analyses and has as main objective the establishment of concordances among the consumers’ demands and the level of the sensorial characteristics of the products. The present paper aims at underlining the necessity to design the psycho-sensorial value of processed foods, as well as the importance of educating and informing the consumers for a better capacity to get oriented on the market, and implicitly, for a right purchase decision.food products, psycho-sensorial value, purchase decision, consumer, design

Metabolic responses of lactating dairy cows to exogenous glucagon

Fatty liver is a major metabolic disorder of dairy cows in early lactation that compromises their health status and reproductive performance and in clinical cases decreases milk production and feed intake. Fatty liver can be treated with 14-d continuous, intravenous infusions of 10 mg/d of glucagon. The objective of the current study was to test whether treatment of fatty liver with 14-d subcutaneous injections of glucagon at 7.5 or 15 mg/d, which is more practical than infusion, would cause similar metabolic responses and improve health status and reproductive performance of dairy cows in early lactation. In the main study, multiparous Holstein cows (n = 32) were grouped on the basis of their liver triacylglycerol concentration at d 8 postpartum into Normal (n = 8; triacylglycerol \u3c 1% liver wet wt) and Susceptible (n = 24; triacylglycerol \u3e 1% liver wet wt) cows. Susceptible cows were assigned randomly to three groups and beginning at d 8 postpartum received 0 (same for Normal cows), 2.5, or 5 mg of glucagon in 60 ml 0.15 M NaCl by subcutaneous injections every 8 h for 14 d. Subcutaneous injections of 15 mg/d of glucagon consistently increased concentrations of plasma glucose and insulin for 4 h, decreased concentrations of liver triacylglycerol in cows older than 3.5 years, and tended to decrease concentrations of plasma NEFA and BHBA. The effects of 15 mg/d of glucagon were not limited to the treatment period, because glucagon decreased the incidence of mastitis and days to first ovarian activity after the injection period. These results document that subcutaneous injections of 15 mg/d of glucagon improve metabolic status throughout the injection period and have the potential to treat fatty liver in older cows. The improved metabolic status in cows treated with 15 mg/d of glucagon in early lactation has long-term beneficial effects by improving health status and reproductive performance during the entire lactation

Attributes of effective business teachers: perceptions of students enrolled in highly rated units

This study employs a widely used attributes of effective teachers framework to guide the coding of written feedback of students (n =169) enrolled in highly rated (top 25 per cent) business units at a large Australian University. This framework also underpins the theoretical interpretation of the data. By focusing on student feedback about effective business teachers, the aim of this study is to identify the most important attributes of these teachers from the perspective of satisfied student. The data is part of a larger survey of student evaluations of teaching and units. Findings from the analysis of feedback from highly-satisfied students reveals that the top five attributes of effective business teachers are related to classroom performance – creative and interesting, knowledgeable, effective communicator, sensitive and persistent, and enthusiastic. The findings provide insights to teachers, students and university administrators. A recommendation for future research is provided

Disparities in Tuberculosis Rates in New England: 2011, 2014-2018

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to assess whether decreases in tuberculosis (TB) incidence have been followed by reductions in TB disparities in New England during 2011 and from 2014 to 2018. Background. Tuberculosis is a potentially serious infectious disease which, without treatment, can be fatal. In the United States, 8,920 new cases were temporarily reported in 2019, showing a decrease of 1.1% from 2018. Similarly, TB incidence declined to 2.7 cases per 100,000 persons, accounting for 1.6% decrease from 2018 (CDC, 2020). Although this improvement, disparities in rates of tuberculosis disease between Whites and minority groups continue to grow (Noppert, Wilson, Clarke, Ye, Davidson & Yang, 2017). Among non-U.S.-born persons residing in the United States in 2019, the highest TB rate was observed among Asians (25.7 per 100,00), compared with 25.1 per 100,000 for Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, 19.5 per 100,000 for blacks/African Americans, 10.2 per 100,000 for Hispanics/Latinos, 5.3 per 100,000 for American Indians/Alaska Natives, and 3.1 per 100,000 for whites (CDC, 2020). Methods. To calculate TB rates, TB rates by race/ethnicity and TB rates by country of origin, we used TB case data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Connecticut Department of Public Health (CDPH), Connecticut Health I-Team, Rhode Island Department of Public Health (RIDPH), and Vermont Department of Public Health (VDPH). We used rate ratios (RRs) to evaluate tuberculosis rate disparities. Results. Although minority groups experienced decreases in TB rates, the study showed that RRs for minorities increased, compared with Whites. Similarly, RR for non-U.S.-born people increased, compared with U.S.-born individuals. Conclusion. Overall Tuberculosis rates in New England declined during 2011 and from 2014 to 2018 while tuberculosis disparities increased at the same period. Asians experienced the greatest disparity followed by Blacks and Hispanics, compared with Whites. Non-U.S.-born people had a greater TB disparity, compared with U.S-born people

Response Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to Liming of Acid Soils under Different Land Use Systems of Loma Woreda, Dawuro Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Soil acidity problem is among soil degradation constraints to improve crop production and productivity in high rainfall regions of Ethiopia in general and in study area in particular. A greenhouse pot experiment was undertaken to evaluate wheat crop response to the applications of different rates of agricultural lime in acidic soils under different land uses (forest, grazing and cultivated) of the study area. The experiment employed 3×6 factorial combination of three land use types and six rates (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 t ha-1) of agricultural lime as treatments in a completely randomized design with three replications. The interaction of different land use types and applied lime rates very highly significantly (P≤0.01) influenced plant height, grain yield, total dry biomass weight, and harvest index however, insignificantly (P≤0.05) influenced days to 50% crop emergence, grain filling and physiological maturity, number of tillers and effective tillers each per plant, thousand kernel weight and P uptake. The responses of wheat to different lime rates and the yield advantages obtained differed from one land use type to another. Applications of lime, organic and inorganic fertilizers and crop rotation especially in the cultivated lands may enhance the productivity of the soils and the yield advantage of the crops. Keywords: Loma woreda, Wheat, Soil acidity, Lime rate, Land use types

Measuring organisational capabilities in the higher education sector

Purpose – Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV), the purpose of this paper is to develop a framework and instrument to measure the organisational capabilities of university schools/ departments. In doing so, this study provides evidence of the way competitive resources are bundled to generate organisational capabilities that give university schools/departments a sustainable competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire to measure the resources that contribute to the capabilities of university schools/departments was developed. Constructs were determined, and the questionnaire was refined based on an analysis of responses from 166 Heads of schools/departments across all 39 Australian public universities. Findings – Heads conceive of the development of capabilities within their schools/departments along the core operating functions of research, teaching, and networking. Reliability and supplementary analysis confirm these constructs have strong convergent and discriminant validity as well as internal consistency. Research limitations/implications – The findings confirm that effective management and coordination of research, teaching, and networking with important stakeholders are keys to success. The framework and instrument developed in this paper also provides the opportunity to investigate university performance through the perspective of the RBV, which will enhance the understanding of the determinants of universities’ performance. Practical implications – The framework and questionnaire developed in this study can be utilised by Heads as a diagnostic tool to gain an understanding of their department’s/school’s organisational capabilities in the areas of research, teaching, and networking. Originality/value – This paper is the first study to develop a framework and questionnaire to measure organisational capabilities for university academic schools/departments

The logistics of information flow in managing the quality of food products

Attempting to introduce quality in production, distribution and trade companies, leads to a rise in their level of competitiveness on the market. The lack of informational feed-back on quality among economic operators causes a series of dissensions that may contribute to product degradation, stock blocking, supply irregularities, conflicts with customers, even activity stop. Food products get to the consumers by means of logistic chains which can involve different types of factors and can pass more frontiers. A weak link may affect the safety of the food products that may become dangerous to human health, producing risks for consumers and considerable costs for the suppliers. As the risks related to foods safety may appear in any part of the chain, it is essential to have an appropriate control of the whole chain. Food quality and safety are the common responsibilities of all the factors that intervene in the processes and it is necessary that they combine their efforts. The wide range of food products on the market, together with the correct information broadcast, as a main factor of promotion strategy, allow the end user to adopt a critical attitude and develop the selective capacity that may favor some forms of competition based on quality, to the detriment of the ones based on costs. Thus, it is necessary to re-think the concept of quality, in the attempt to propose innovative solutions that can give answers to the market’s signals, assessing correctly the implications that come from facing the collectivity and the delicate relationship between man and the environment.feed-back, information, quality, logistics, food

Nme Gene Family Evolutionary History Reveals Pre-Metazoan Origins and High Conservation between Humans and the Sea Anemone, Nematostella vectensis

There was an error in affiliation 1 for authors Thomas Desvignes and Julien Bobe. Affiliation 1 should be: INRA, UR1037 SCRIBE, Campus de Beaulieu, F-35000 Rennes, FranceBackground: The Nme gene family is involved in multiple physiological and pathological processes such as cellular differentiation, development, metastatic dissemination, and cilia functions. Despite the known importance of Nme genes and their use as clinical markers of tumor aggressiveness, the associated cellular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Over the last 20 years, several non-vertebrate model species have been used to investigate Nme functions. However, the evolutionary history of the family remains poorly understood outside the vertebrate lineage. The aim of the study was thus to elucidate the evolutionary history of the Nme gene family in Metazoans. [br/]Methodology/Principal Findings: Using a total of 21 eukaryote species including 14 metazoans, the evolutionary history of Nme genes was reconstructed in the metazoan lineage. We demonstrated that the complexity of the Nme gene family, initially thought to be restricted to chordates, was also shared by the metazoan ancestor. We also provide evidence suggesting that the complexity of the family is mainly a eukaryotic innovation, with the exception of Nme8 that is likely to be a choanoflagellate/metazoan innovation. Highly conserved gene structure, genomic linkage, and protein domains were identified among metazoans, some features being also conserved in eukaryotes. When considering the entire Nme family, the starlet sea anemone is the studied metazoan species exhibiting the most conserved gene and protein sequence features with humans. In addition, we were able to show that most of the proteins known to interact with human NME proteins were also found in starlet sea anemone. [br/]Conclusion/Significance: Together, our observations further support the association of Nme genes with key cellular functions that have been conserved throughout metazoan evolution. Future investigations of evolutionarily conserved Nme gene functions using the starlet sea anemone could shed new light on a wide variety of key developmental and cellular processes

Offset errors in probabilistic inversion of small-loop frequency-domain electromagnetic data: a synthetic study on their influence on magnetic susceptibility estimation

Small-loop frequency-domain electromagnetic (FDEM) devices measure a secondary magnetic field caused by the application of a stronger primary magnetic field. Both the in-phase and quadrature component of the secondary field commonly suffer from systematic measurement errors, which would result in a non-zero response in free space. The in-phase response is typically strongly correlated to subsurface magnetic susceptibility. Considering common applications on weakly to moderately susceptible grounds, the in-phase component of the secondary field is usually weaker than the quadrature component, making it relatively more prone to systematic errors. Incorporating coil-specific offset parameters in a probabilistic inversion framework, we show how systematic errors in FDEM measurements can be estimated jointly with electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility. Including FDEM measurements from more than one height, the offset estimate becomes closer to the true offset, allowing an improved inversion result for the subsurface magnetic susceptibility.Comment: Conference: Workshop on Gravity, Electrical and Magnetic Methods and Their Application