Development of an online food safety training and pilot study for employees of university farms and school gardens

Two one-hour on farm food safety online module were developed to inform k-12 students and university farm workers on food safety hazards associated with production and harvesting of fresh produce. Module content was developed through a review of the current Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Program, current research available, and updated regulations in produce food safety. Quizzes for students and a user manual were created for facilitators and instructors to support the online modules. After developing the course materials, a pilot study was conducted at two k-12 school districts in Iowa, two land grant universities, with a six member expert steering committee panel to test the knowledge gained through the two developed curriculum. The six member expert steering committee along with three other facilitators completed an online survey consisting of open-ended questions to determine the effectiveness of the online module and the supporting materials available on the inclusive webpage. The hypothesis of this research is that the online curriculum and supportive material will be beneficial to both demographics, and increase in knowledge will be observed after viewing developed material. Students and university survey results indicate that the online module will significantly increase the knowledge of students and university workers related to hazards associated with produce food safety (P\u3c0.05). The topics, graphics, design, length, and webpage were appropriate for the age group. Additionally, the resource guide and quizzes were perceived as helpful and will be useful to increase the knowledge and confidence of the training facilitators (P\u3c0.05). The group indicated that specific graphic and content material changes should be made within the module. This online module is a first step toward educating youth about food safety in the garden. Knowledge on hazard prevention can reduce the risk of produce contamination and decrease produce outbreaks from occurring in school gardens

Improving Agricultural Workers Food Safety Knowledge through an Online Curriculum

Abstract A one-hour online food safety curriculum was developed to inform university farm workers on food safety hazards associated with production and harvesting of fresh produce. The farm curriculum consists of five sections (food safety importance, pre-harvest hazards, post-harvest hazards, personal hygiene, and regulations). Engagement activities and a user manual were developed to support the curriculum. Curriculum content was validated by an expert panel and a convenience panel of farm workers. The developed curriculum was piloted at two land grant universities (n=50). Multiple-choice quizzes were used to assess knowledge changes in each of the sections. Results indicated significant knowledge gains at both universities for all sections except the personal hygiene section. This pilot study provides evidence that an online format is effective in improving food safety knowledge. Because knowledge is a prerequisite for behavior, this curriculum can assist with mitigating food safety risk on university and other research farms. Keywords: Food Safety Education, University Farms, Pilot Study, Online Trainin

Triterpenoids Display Single Agent Anti-tumor Activity in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Small B Cell Lymphoma

The synthetic triterpenoid 2-Cyano-3,12-Dioxooleana-1,9-Dien-28-Oic Acid (CDDO) and derivatives display anti-tumor activity against a variety of cultured tumor cell lines and in mouse xenografts. In this report, we have studied the effects of CDDO and its imidazolide derivative (CDDO-Im) on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), using patients' CLL cells and a mouse model of CLL and small B cell lymphoma (SBL).CDDO and CDDO-Im efficiently induced apoptosis of malignant human and mouse B-cells ex vivo, although CDDO-Im was over 10-fold more potent than CDDO. Treating mice with CLL/SBL with liposome-formulated CDDO or CDDO-Im resulted in significant reductions of B cells in blood, spleen and lung. CDDO-Im was shown to be more potent than CDDO, while treatment with empty liposomes had no impact on disease. CDDO-Im treatment initially resulted in an increase of circulating B cells, which correlates with a reduction in resident lymphocytes in spleen, and lungs, suggesting that CDDO-Im induces mobilization of tumor cells from lymphoid organs and infiltrated tissues into the circulation. Analysis of blood cells recovered from treated mice also showed that CDDO-Im is a potent inducer of tumor cells death in vivo. Furthermore, CDDO-Im efficiently eradicated mouse CLL/SBL cells but had little effect on the viability of normal B and T cells in vivo.The presented data demonstrate that triterpenoids CDDO and CDDO-Im reduce leukemia and lymphoma burden in vivo in a transgenic mouse model of CLL/SBL, and support the clinical testing of CDDO-based synthetic triterpenoids in patients with CLL

Development of an online food safety training and pilot study for employees of university farms and school gardens

Two one-hour on farm food safety online module were developed to inform k-12 students and university farm workers on food safety hazards associated with production and harvesting of fresh produce. Module content was developed through a review of the current Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Program, current research available, and updated regulations in produce food safety. Quizzes for students and a user manual were created for facilitators and instructors to support the online modules. After developing the course materials, a pilot study was conducted at two k-12 school districts in Iowa, two land grant universities, with a six member expert steering committee panel to test the knowledge gained through the two developed curriculum. The six member expert steering committee along with three other facilitators completed an online survey consisting of open-ended questions to determine the effectiveness of the online module and the supporting materials available on the inclusive webpage. The hypothesis of this research is that the online curriculum and supportive material will be beneficial to both demographics, and increase in knowledge will be observed after viewing developed material. Students and university survey results indicate that the online module will significantly increase the knowledge of students and university workers related to hazards associated with produce food safety (P<0.05). The topics, graphics, design, length, and webpage were appropriate for the age group. Additionally, the resource guide and quizzes were perceived as helpful and will be useful to increase the knowledge and confidence of the training facilitators (P<0.05). The group indicated that specific graphic and content material changes should be made within the module. This online module is a first step toward educating youth about food safety in the garden. Knowledge on hazard prevention can reduce the risk of produce contamination and decrease produce outbreaks from occurring in school gardens.</p

Food Safety Education for Students and Workers in School Gardens and University Farms

The number of school gardens and university farms is increasing in the United States. Produce grown in these venues is often sampled in the classroom or incorporated into the food chain. Food safety education for students and workers is needed to ensure that produce is safe. Two 1-hr food safety curricula were developed to inform K–12 students and university farm researchers and workers about good agricultural practices. The validated curricula include four or five short video modules, activities, instructor/facilitator lesson plans, knowledge assessment quizzes, and instructor manuals. Piloting results indicated that participants increased food safety knowledge after viewing these curricula.This article is from Journal of Extension 54 (2016): 1TOT7. Posted with permission.</p

Neutron spectrum measured in Aberdeen Tunnel underground laboratory with multisphere neutron spectrometer

published_or_final_versionPhysicsMasterMaster of Philosoph

Food Safety Education for Students and Workers in School Gardens and University Farms

The number of school gardens and university farms is increasing in the United States. Produce grown in these venues is often sampled in the classroom or incorporated into the food chain. Food safety education for students and workers is needed to ensure that produce is safe. Two 1-hr food safety curricula were developed to inform K–12 students and university farm researchers and workers about good agricultural practices. The validated curricula include four or five short video modules, activities, instructor/facilitator lesson plans, knowledge assessment quizzes, and instructor manuals. Piloting results indicated that participants increased food safety knowledge after viewing these curricula.This article is from Journal of Extension 54 (2016): 1TOT7. Posted with permission.</p

Assessing Metal-Metal Multiple Bonds in Cr-Cr, Mo-Mo, and W-W Compounds and a Hypothetical U-U Compound: A Quantum Chemical Study Comparing DFT and Multireference Methods

To gain insights into the trends in metal–metal multiple bonding among the Group 6 elements, density functional theory has been employed in combination with multiconfigurational methods (CASSCF and CASPT2) to investigate a selection of bimetallic, multiply bonded compounds. For the compound [Ar-MM-Ar] (Ar=2,6-(C6H5)2-C6H3, M=Cr, Mo, W) the effect of the Ar ligand on the M2 core has been compared with the analogous [Ph-MM-Ph] (Ph=phenyl, M=Cr, Mo, W) compounds. A set of [M2(dpa)4] (dpa=2,2′-dipyridylamide, M=Cr, Mo, W, U) compounds has also been investigated. All of the compounds studied here show important multiconfigurational behavior. For the Mo2 and W2 compounds, the σ2π4δ2 configuration dominates the ground-state wavefunction, contributing at least 75 %. The Cr2 compounds show a more nuanced electronic structure, with many configurations contributing to the ground state. For the Cr, Mo, and W compounds the electronic absorption spectra have been studied, combining density functional theory and multireference methods to make absorption feature assignments. In all cases, the main features observed in the visible spectra may be assigned as charge-transfer bands. For all compounds investigated the Mayer bond order (MBO) and the effective bond order (EBO) were calculated by density functional theory and CASSCF methods, respectively. The MBO and EBO values share a similar trend toward higher values at shorter normalized metal–metal bond lengths