Energy Utilization Characteristics of Selected Electrical Commercial Food Service Equipment

Energy utilization characteristics for commercial food service equipment were determined to provide data to establish the cost of energy in the preparation of food products. Twenty pounds of frozen pre-cooked breaded chicken quarters were cooked to an end point temperature of 180°F using a deep fryer, a braiser, a two-pan bake oven, and a convection oven. Kilowatt-hour readings were made to measure energy consumption of each piece of equipment. An alternate technique was developed to estimate energy consumption of each piece of equipment by using energy ratings in combination with measuring the on-time of the thermostat signal light. The energy consumption data from the meters were compared to the energy consumption data as estimated by the thermostat timing technique. A seven-member taste panel evaluated quality characteristics of color, tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall acceptability of the chicken quarters cooked in the four pieces of equipment. For the quality characteristic of color, the chicken cooked in the bake oven was judged by the panel as lower in desirability than chicken cooked in the other equipment. Chicken cooked in the four types of equipment was similar for each of the other quality characteristics. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient data indicated that no significant relationship existed between cooking kilowatt-hour (kwh) consumption and sensory acceptance scores. A linear relationship existed between cooking time and on-time of the thermostat signal light. The predictability percentage from cooking time to on-time of the thermostat signal light was: deep fryer 38.7, braiser 98.8, bake oven 88.8, and convection oven 53.0. This indicated that cooking time can be used to predict the on-time of the thermostat signal light with some degree of accuracy for the braiser and bake oven. The braiser was found to be most energy intensive for warm-up and least energy intensive for cooking the chicken. The deep fryer was least energy intensive for warm-up and most energy intensive for cooking. For total kwh consumption, the braiser was highest and the convection oven lowest. The deep fryer required the least amount of time to warm-up, and the braiser the most time. The braiser cooked the chicken in the shortest amount of time, whereas the bake oven required the longest time. The deep fryer needed the least amount of total time while the bake oven required the most. This information could be important in scheduling of equipment use for food preparation to conserve energy and reduce operating costs. The estimation of energy consumption from the on-time of the thermostat signal light as predicted from cooking time can be used by any operator of similar electrical commercial food service equipment. The kwh consumption can then be converted to BTU\u27s and placed on the standardized recipe to provide energy utilization information for the planning of food preparation

Insights, Pearls, and Guidance on Successfully Producing and Publishing Educational Research

It is the collaborative responsibility of authors, reviewers, and editors to produce high-quality manuscripts that advance knowledge and educational practice. Experience with manuscript submissions to the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education reveal several areas for improvement that authors can make to increase their submission success rate during the review process. These improvements include research question justification, improved clarity and details regarding methodology, concise data and results, and a discussion that frames research findings in the context of what is already known. This paper summarizes common flaws we see in submitted manuscripts and makes suggestions on how to address these areas and improve publication success

HIV-ABC: Bringing Healthcare Home, University of Kentucky Project CHANCE Grant

This program serves to enhance antiretroviral adherence within a population of patients identified to have barriers to optimal medication compliance, and to enhance interprofessional camaraderie and HIV/AIDS knowledge through participation with a community-based organization (CBO). “HIV– ABC: Bringing Healthcare Home” was created by UK College of Pharmacy students as a way to form an “Adherence Buddy and Counselor” system between HIV patients and trained student pharmacists. Students are matched with identified non-adherent patients and attend clinic visits to help improve adherence and reduce/manage medication adverse effects. Clinic patients also receive nutritional counseling/modified menus to address nutritional needs from the CBO Moveable Feast Lexington. In an effort to promote greater participation from other health colleges, the UK College of Pharmacy has paired with a student-led, interprofessional healthcare initiative program, Leadership Legacy (LL). LL is an extracurricular enrichment opportunity designed to complement formal curricula by enhancing professionalism, creativity, diversity, and leadership. Representatives from the UK College of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Sciences, and Public Health are all enrolled in LL and the HIV-ABC project has incorporated these interprofessional student volunteers for food delivery routes to HIV patients through the CBO. Thirty student pharmacist and sixteen interprofessional student pre-surveys have been collected. Post-survey results as well as interprofessional student reflective essays are pending. All students completed pre- and post-test HIV knowledge surveys based on previously published reports. These surveys were intended to document improvement in HIV knowledge base as well as perceived confidence in caring for infected patients. Using Kirkpatrick’s training model, outcomes will be presented based on student satisfaction—gauging the value of this exercise and what type of learning took place during the interprofessional service-learning routes. Reflective writing by interprofessional students will draw further conclusions to enhance participant leadership and teambuilding skills for future years. Learning Objectives (related to Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice) This presentation relates to Conference Goal 1: Develop strategies to incorporate interprofessional competencies within education and/or practice. Through discussion of this extracurricular interprofessional service learning project with a community-based organization (CBO) participants in this session will consider how participation in Bringing HealthCare Home: Enhances health professions student camaraderie (Values/Ethics, Team/Teamwork) Provides health professions students with an opportunity to learn with, from, and about one another as they augment their knowledge of HIV/AIDS through practical experience (Interprofessional Communication). Provides an opportunity for health professions students to use the knowledge of one’s own role and those of other professions to appropriately address the healthcare needs of individuals with HIV/AIDS patients (Roles/Responsibilities) 4. Enhances antiretroviral adherence within a population of patients identified to have barriers to optimal medication taking by performing pillbox services. Ref: Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel. (2011). Core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice: Report of an expert panel. Washington,D.C.: Interprofessional Education Collaborative

Astrocyte Depletion Impairs Redox Homeostasis and Triggers Neuronal Loss in the Adult CNS

Although the importance of reactive astrocytes during CNS pathology is well established, the function of astroglia in adult CNS homeostasis is less well understood. With the use of conditional, astrocyte-restricted protein synthesis termination, we found that selective paralysis of GFAP(+) astrocytes in vivo led to rapid neuronal cell loss and severe motor deficits. This occurred while structural astroglial support still persisted and in the absence of any major microvascular damage. Whereas loss of astrocyte function did lead to microglial activation, this had no impact on the neuronal loss and clinical decline. Neuronal injury was caused by oxidative stress resulting from the reduced redox scavenging capability of dysfunctional astrocytes and could be prevented by the in vivo treatment with scavengers of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). Our results suggest that the subpopulation of GFAP(+) astrocytes maintain neuronal health by controlling redox homeostasis in the adult CNS

Long-Term Survival of Older Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19. Do Clinical Characteristics upon Admission Matter?

Older adults are particularly susceptible to COVID-19 in terms of both disease severity and risk of death. To compare clinical differences between older COVID-19 hospitalized survivors and non-survivors, we investigated variables influencing mortality in all older adults with COVID-19 hospitalized in Poznań, Poland, through the end of June 2020 (n = 322). In-hospital, post-discharge, and overall 180-day mortality were analyzed. Functional capacity prior to COVID-19 diagnosis was also documented. The mean age of subjects was 77.5 ± 10.0 years; among them, 191 were females. Ninety-five (29.5%) died during their hospitalization and an additional 30 (9.3%) during the post-discharge period (up to 180 days from the hospital admission). In our study, male sex, severe cognitive impairment, underlying heart disease, anemia, and elevated plasma levels of IL-6 were independently associated with greater mortality during hospitalization. During the overall 180-day observation period (from the hospital admission), similar characteristics, excluding male sex and additionally functional impairment, were associated with increased mortality. During the post-discharge period, severe functional impairment remained the only determinant. Therefore, functional capacity prior to diagnosis should be considered when formulating comprehensive prognoses as well as care plans for older patients infected with SARS-CoV-2

Preliminary Research on a COVID-19 Test Strategy to Guide Quarantine Interval in University Students

Following COVID-19 exposure, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends a 10–14-day quarantine for asymptomatic individuals and more recently a 7-day quarantine with a negative PCR test. A university-based prospective cohort study to determine if early polymerase chain reaction (PCR) negativity predicts day 14 negativity was performed. A total of 741 asymptomatic students in quarantine was screened and 101 enrolled. Nasopharyngeal swabs were tested on days 3 or 4, 5, 7, 10, and 14, and the proportion of concordant negative results for each day versus day 14 with a two-sided 95% exact binomial confidence interval was determined. Rates of concordant negative test results were as follows: day 5 vs. day 14 = 45/50 (90%, 95% CI: 78–97%); day 7 vs. day 14 = 47/52 (90%, 95% CI: 79–97%); day 10 vs. day 14 = 48/53 (91%, 95% CI:79–97%), with no evidence of different negative rates between earlier days and day 14 by McNemar’s test, p \u3e 0.05. Overall, 14 of 90 (16%, 95% CI: 9–25%) tested positive while in quarantine, with seven initial positive tests on day 3 or 4, 5 on day 5, 2 on day 7, and none on day 10 or 14. Based on concordance rates between day 7 and 14, we anticipate that 90% (range: 79–97%) of individuals who are negative on day 7 will remain negative on day 14, providing the first direct evidence that exposed asymptomatic students ages 18–44 years in a university setting are at low risk if released from quarantine at 7 days if they have a negative PCR test prior to release. In addition, the 16% positive rate supports the ongoing need to quarantine close contacts of COVID-19 cases

A silent cry for leadership : organizing for leading (in) clusters

Leadership research so far has neglected clusters as a particular context for leadership, while research on networks and clusters has hardly studied leadership issues. This paper fills this dual gap in the abundant research on leadership on the one hand and on networks/clusters on the other by investigating leadership in photonics clusters from a structuration perspective. Apart from giving an insight into the variety and patterns of leadership practices observed, the paper addresses the dilemma that regional innovation systems such as clusters usually have a critical need of some kind of leadership, but that neither individual nor organizational actors wish to be led. This dilemma can only be ‘managed’ by organizing for leading (in) clusters in a certain way

Estimating the Fractal Dimension, K_2-entropy, and the Predictability of the Atmosphere

The series of mean daily temperature of air recorded over a period of 215 years is used for analysing the dimensionality and the predictability of the atmospheric system. The total number of data points of the series is 78527. Other 37 versions of the original series are generated, including ``seasonally adjusted'' data, a smoothed series, series without annual course, etc. Modified methods of Grassberger and Procaccia are applied. A procedure for selection of the ``meaningful'' scaling region is proposed. Several scaling regions are revealed in the ln C(r) versus ln r diagram. The first one in the range of larger ln r has a gradual slope and the second one in the range of intermediate ln r has a fast slope. Other two regions are settled in the range of small ln r. The results lead us to claim that the series arises from the activity of at least two subsystems. The first subsystem is low-dimensional (d_f=1.6) and it possesses the potential predictability of several weeks. We suggest that this subsystem is connected with seasonal variability of weather. The second subsystem is high-dimensional (d_f>17) and its error-doubling time is about 4-7 days. It is found that the predictability differs in dependence on season. The predictability time for summer, winter and the entire year (T_2 approx. 4.7 days) is longer than for transition-seasons (T_2 approx. 4.0 days for spring, T_2 approx. 3.6 days for autumn). The role of random noise and the number of data points are discussed. It is shown that a 15-year-long daily temperature series is not sufficient for reliable estimations based on Grassberger and Procaccia algorithms.Comment: 27 pages (LaTex version 2.09) and 15 figures as .ps files, e-mail: [email protected]

A Model of the Roles of Essential Kinases in the Induction and Expression of Late Long-Term Potentiation

The induction of late long-term potentiation (L-LTP) involves complex interactions among second messenger cascades. To gain insights into these interactions, a mathematical model was developed for L-LTP induction in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. The differential equation-based model represents actions of protein kinase A (PKA), MAP kinase (MAPK), and CaM kinase II (CAMKII) in the vicinity of the synapse, and activation of transcription by CaM kinase IV (CAMKIV) and MAPK. L-LTP is represented by increases in a synaptic weight. Simulations suggest that steep, supralinear stimulus-response relationships between stimuli (elevations in [Ca2+]) and kinase activation are essential for translating brief stimuli into long-lasting gene activation and synaptic weight increases. Convergence of multiple kinase activities to induce L-LTP helps to generate a threshold whereby the amount of L-LTP varies steeply with the number of tetanic electrical stimuli. The model simulates tetanic, theta-burst, pairing-induced, and chemical L-LTP, as well as L-LTP due to synaptic tagging. The model also simulates inhibition of L-LTP by inhibition of MAPK, CAMKII, PKA, or CAMKIV. The model predicts results of experiments to delineate mechanisms underlying L-LTP induction and expression. For example, the cAMP antagonist RpcAMPs, which inhibits L-LTP induction, is predicted to inhibit ERK activation. The model also appears useful to clarify similarities and differences between hippocampal L-LTP and long-term synaptic strengthening in other systems.Comment: Accepted to Biophysical Journal. Single PDF, 7 figs include

A new framework for cortico-striatal plasticity: behavioural theory meets In vitro data at the reinforcement-action interface

Operant learning requires that reinforcement signals interact with action representations at a suitable neural interface. Much evidence suggests that this occurs when phasic dopamine, acting as a reinforcement prediction error, gates plasticity at cortico-striatal synapses, and thereby changes the future likelihood of selecting the action(s) coded by striatal neurons. But this hypothesis faces serious challenges. First, cortico-striatal plasticity is inexplicably complex, depending on spike timing, dopamine level, and dopamine receptor type. Second, there is a credit assignment problem—action selection signals occur long before the consequent dopamine reinforcement signal. Third, the two types of striatal output neuron have apparently opposite effects on action selection. Whether these factors rule out the interface hypothesis and how they interact to produce reinforcement learning is unknown. We present a computational framework that addresses these challenges. We first predict the expected activity changes over an operant task for both types of action-coding striatal neuron, and show they co-operate to promote action selection in learning and compete to promote action suppression in extinction. Separately, we derive a complete model of dopamine and spike-timing dependent cortico-striatal plasticity from in vitro data. We then show this model produces the predicted activity changes necessary for learning and extinction in an operant task, a remarkable convergence of a bottom-up data-driven plasticity model with the top-down behavioural requirements of learning theory. Moreover, we show the complex dependencies of cortico-striatal plasticity are not only sufficient but necessary for learning and extinction. Validating the model, we show it can account for behavioural data describing extinction, renewal, and reacquisition, and replicate in vitro experimental data on cortico-striatal plasticity. By bridging the levels between the single synapse and behaviour, our model shows how striatum acts as the action-reinforcement interface