Market Response to Two Alternative Packages for U.S. No. 2 Grapefruit

Packages, U.S. No. 2 Grapefruits, Grapefruit, Alternatives, Crop Production/Industries, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Marketing,

A Consumer Test of Citrus Drinks made from Comminuted Whole Citrus Fruit

Consumer, Citrus, Whole Citrus Fruit, Citrus Fruit, Consumer Test, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Developing a comprehensive, integrated and contemporary recovery oriented dual diagnosis service, within the environment of primary and continuing care in Cork, Ireland

Title/Aim: Developing a comprehensive, integrated and contemporary recovery oriented dual diagnosis service, within the environment of primary and continuing care in Cork, Ireland. Background: The mental health services and addiction services, generally function independently of one another. Where an individual experienced mental ill health and addiction simultaneously, access to appropriate services was compromised. In this, no specific service was locally available. Objectives: To engage stakeholders in PAR’s methodological framework to facilitate a clear pathway to services To engage stakeholders in a critical reflective process of inquiry To enact pragmatic developments in service delivery that demonstrates positive outcomes for clients To contribute to learning, knowledge development and new ways of knowing Methodology: Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodologies were adapted to a Health Service Executive (HSE) organisational context, where three research cycles (phases) of inquiry enabled the development of a new dual diagnosis (mental health and addiction) service. Methods employed included, field notes, journaling, individual interviews, participant observation and case studies. Pragmatism was employed as the most suitable guiding theoretical perspective that underpinned the inquiry process. Findings: Cycle One demonstrated that emerging percepts shaped the formation of required service developments, leading to the emergence of a practical theory. Cycle Two included the implementation of service developments initiated in Cycle One. Findings demonstrated participant perspectives of the evolving service, while stakeholders developed the service’s operational policy. The service developments were embedded further, contributing to service sustainability. New percepts emerging, contributed collectively to further refinement of the practical theory. Cycle Three included practice transformation, where representatives from relevant organisational-hierarchical tiers participated in the implementation of the new dual diagnosis service. Some percepts ended upon implementation, while others modified the practical theory further. Findings from participants’ case studies demonstrated application of the theory in practice. Contribution to knowledge and service development: In this study, PAR has demonstrated efficacy as a transforming agent through new ways of doing – evident in the design, construction and implementation of a dual diagnosis service. Within this inter-relational process, a co-constructed perceptual framework and a new way of knowing has emerged. The three Cycles of this inquiry have exhibited how (a) the social validity criteria of comprehensibility, truth, rightness and authenticity were present, and (b) how the research claims made were validated, and can therefore be upheld

A Consumer Test of Canned Seasoned Salad Tomatoes

Consumer, Canned Tomatoes, Salad Tomatoes, Seasoned Tomatoes, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

A Three-Component Regulatory System Regulates Biofilm Maturation and Type III Secretion in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Biofilms are structured communities found associated with a wide range of surfaces. Here we report the identification of a three-component regulatory system required for biofilm maturation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA14. A transposon mutation that altered biofilm formation in a 96-well dish assay originally defined this locus, which is comprised of genes for a putative sensor histidine kinase and two response regulators and has been designated sadARS. Nonpolar mutations in any of the sadARS genes result in biofilms with an altered mature structure but do not confer defects in growth or early biofilm formation, swimming, or twitching motility. After 2 days of growth under flowing conditions, biofilms formed by the mutants are indistinguishable from those formed by the wild-type (WT) strain. However, by 5 days, mutant biofilms appear to be more homogeneous than the WT in that they fail to form large and distinct macrocolonies and show a drastic reduction in water channels. We propose that the sadARS three-component system is required for later events in biofilm formation on an abiotic surface. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that there is no detectable change in expression of the sadARSgenes when cells are grown in a planktonic culture versus a biofilm, indicating that this locus is not itself induced during or in response to biofilm formation. DNA microarray studies were used to identify downstream targets of the SadARS system. Among the genes regulated by the SadARS system are those required for type III secretion. Mutations in type III secretion genes result in strains with enhanced biofilm formation. We propose a possible mechanism for the role that the SadARS system plays in biofilm formation

Parents' perspectives on the value of assistance dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder: a cross-sectional study

Objective While there is an emerging literature on the usefulness of assistance dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is a dearth of quantitative data on the value of assistance dog interventions for the family unit and family functioning. Using previously validated scales and scales developed specifically for this study, we measured parents’/guardians’ perceptions of how having an assistance dog affects: (1) child safety from environmental dangers, (2) public reception of ASD and (3) levels of caregiver strain and sense of competence. We also obtained open-ended response data from parents/guardians on benefits and constraints of having an assistance dog. Setting This study was based in the primary care setting, within the context of a specific accredited assistance dog centre in Ireland. Participants A total of 134 parents/guardians with an assistance dog, and 87 parents of children on the waiting list were surveyed. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome measures were scores on environmental hazards and public reception scales. The secondary outcome measures were scores on caregiver strain and competence scales. Results Parents/guardians of children who have ASD and an assistance dog rate their child as significantly safer from environmental dangers (p<0.001), perceive that the public act more respectfully and responsibly towards their child (p<0.001) and feel more competent about managing their child (p=0.023) compared with parents on the waiting list. There was a concentration of positive feeling towards assistance dog interventions with particular focus on safety and comfort for children, and a sense of freedom from family restrictions associated with ASD. The amount of dedication and commitment required to care for a dog were viewed as the primary constraints. Conclusions Our findings indicate that parents perceive that assistance dog interventions can be a valuable intervention for families with children who have ASD

Spectral Decomposition of Broad-Line AGNs and Host Galaxies

Using an eigenspectrum decomposition technique, we separate the host galaxy from the broad line active galactic nucleus (AGN) in a set of 4666 spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), from redshifts near zero up to about 0.75. The decomposition technique uses separate sets of galaxy and quasar eigenspectra to efficiently and reliably separate the AGN and host spectroscopic components. The technique accurately reproduces the host galaxy spectrum, its contributing fraction, and its classification. We show how the accuracy of the decomposition depends upon S/N, host galaxy fraction, and the galaxy class. Based on the eigencoefficients, the sample of SDSS broad-line AGN host galaxies spans a wide range of spectral types, but the distribution differs significantly from inactive galaxies. In particular, post-starburst activity appears to be much more common among AGN host galaxies. The luminosities of the hosts are much higher than expected for normal early-type galaxies, and their colors become increasingly bluer than early-type galaxies with increasing host luminosity. Most of the AGNs with detected hosts are emitting at between 1% and 10% of their estimated Eddington luminosities, but the sensitivity of the technique usually does not extend to the Eddington limit. There are mild correlations among the AGN and host galaxy eigencoefficients, possibly indicating a link between recent star formation and the onset of AGN activity. The catalog of spectral reconstruction parameters is available as an electronic table.Comment: 18 pages; accepted for publication in A

What makes for prize-winning television?

We investigate the determinants of success in four international television awards festivals between 1994 and 2012. We find that countries with larger markets and greater expenditure on public broadcasting tend to win more awards, but that the degree of concentration in the market for television and rates of penetration of pay-per-view television are unrelated to success. These findings are consistent with general industrial organisation literature on quality and market size, and with media policy literature on public service broadcasting acting as a force for quality. However, we also find that ‘home countries’ enjoy a strong advantage in these festivals, which is not consistent with festival success acting as a pure proxy for television quality

Transportation Behavior Among Older Vietnamese Immigrants in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex: Well-Being, Geospatial Mobility, and Potential Indicators for Ride Providers’ Geospatial Burden

Nearly 4.6 million immigrants aged 65 and older live in the United States. This population is expected to more than triple in size by 2050. A lack of culturally appropriate transportation solutions for older immigrants creates disparities in access to services for older immigrant populations, increasing their risk of social isolation and reduced physical and mental health. A growing number of older immigrants live in low-density urban environments, which are characterized by high automobile dependency and limited public transportation. In these environments, older immigrants are likely to depend on others to provide private transportation. Negative aspects of this reliance on others are that the private transportation providers may be at risk for caregiver burden and stress, and older immigrants may lack transportation to social or health opportunities if their ride providers are unavailable. This survey research examines the mobility; activity spaces; transportation patterns, resources, and needs; transportation-related support networks; and health and well-being among older Vietnamese adults in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It also investigates the provision of rides from private transportation providers and the impact of providing rides to an older Vietnamese adult in an urban area. It uses geographic information systems (GIS) to construct regular activity spaces for the older adults and their ride providers, and ride-provision activity spaces for the ride providers. Using the ride providers\u27 activity spaces, it proposes three indicators of geospatial burden for providing rides. Findings indicate that the older adults and their ride providers rely on automobiles for transportation. Most of the older adults receive rides for transportation and their ride providers are also Vietnamese and primarily speak Vietnamese. The GIS analyses suggest that constructing activity spaces with self-reports of regular and ride-provision routine activities and locations may be an appropriate assessment tool to provide valuable insights into the burden of providing rides. The best performing burden indicator was the percentage of the ride-provision activity space that was not within the boundaries of the ride providers’ regular activity spac