Marketing Local Foods to Gourmet Restaurants: A Multi-Method Assessment

The study reported here examines the gourmet restaurant market for local agricultural products in Nevada. A multi-method assessment was implemented to collect data for the study. Study results indicate that both local producers and gourmet chefs lack appropriate information concerning production possibilities and gourmet chefs\u27 needs and preferences. Chefs indicated preferences for high-quality products and viewed quality and freshness as positive aspects of purchasing locally. Chefs desired small quantities of unique and specialty products. The impacts of the study have been positive, in that gourmet restaurant purchases of local products expanded in both the Reno and Las Vegas markets

The 2005 Nevada Rangeland Vegetation Survey General Public Questionnaire and Survey of Responses

The 2005 Nevada Rangeland Vegetation Survey was conducted as a collaborative effort between the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) Department of Resource Economics and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE) Natural Resources Program to fulfill two roles

Comparative survival analyses among captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in America and Japan

Detailed, long-term datasets on the life histories of long-lived species such as great apes are necessary to understand their survival patterns but are relatively rare. Such information requires prolonged and consistent record-keeping over many generations, so for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), this equates to many decades of input. As life history variables can be altered by differences in environmental influences (whether natural or artificial), there is substantial value to being able to compare across populations. Here, we present the first comparative analysis of life history data for two ex situ chimpanzee populations residing in North America (1975–2020; n = 730) and Japan (1980–2020; n = 660). Overall, survival patterns were similar between regions, and the median life expectancy from birth is estimated at 35.7 (95% CI = [32.4–40.0]) years for females and 30.1 (27.3–34.3) years for males across both populations. Females who survive to their first birthday are estimated to survive 42.4 (40.0–46.3) years and males 35.5 (32.6–38.0) years. We found that birth type (wild-born or captive-born) did not influence survival patterns in either population, but there were differential effects of sex on longevity. In the America population, males had higher mortality rates than females, whereas in the Japan population we found no differences between the sexes. First year mortality did not differ between populations for males (18–20%), but for females it was lower in America (15%) compared to Japan (25%). Survival patterns of chimpanzees in the present study will be useful for future investigation into potential causes of regional differences and cross-species comparisons

Marketing Local Foods to Gourmet Restaurants: A Multi-Method Assessment

The study reported here examines the gourmet restaurant market for local agricultural products in Nevada. A multi-method assessment was implemented to collect data for the study. Study results indicate that both local producers and gourmet chefs lack appropriate information concerning production possibilities and gourmet chefs\u27 needs and preferences. Chefs indicated preferences for high-quality products and viewed quality and freshness as positive aspects of purchasing locally. Chefs desired small quantities of unique and specialty products. The impacts of the study have been positive, in that gourmet restaurant purchases of local products expanded in both the Reno and Las Vegas markets

Better Together: A Pilot Study on for Adults With Developmental Disabilities and Direct Support Professionals

Adults with developmental disabilities face barriers to making healthy lifestyle choices that mirror the barriers faced by the direct support professionals who serve them. These two populations, direct support professionals and adults with developmental disabilities, are likely to lead inactive lifestyles, eat unhealthy diets, and be obese. Moreover, direct support professionals influence the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and health behaviors of the adults with developmental disabilities whom they serve. We piloted a cooking-based nutrition education program, Cooking Matters for Adults , to dyads of adults with developmental disabilities (n = 8) and direct support professionals (n = 7). Team-taught by a volunteer chef and nutrition educator, Cooking Matters for Adults uses an active learning approach to teach food preparation safety skills and nutrition knowledge to inform healthy food and beverage choices. We assessed healthy food preparation, intake of a balanced diet, healthy food and beverage choices, and cooking confidence and barriers at pre-test, post-test, and 6-months after the intervention. Among both adults with developmental disabilities and direct support professionals, positive trends in healthy food preparation, eating a balanced diet, and reduction in cooking barriers were observed at post-test and 6-months. We also qualitatively assessed knowledge of and attitudes toward healthy eating, frequency of food and beverage intake, knowledge about kitchen skills and safety, as well as overall satisfaction, cooking confidence, and acceptability of the dyad approach. Participants with developmental disabilities and direct support professionals reported that they learned about healthy food and beverage choices and various cooking skills. Participants reported confidence in skills learned and were satisfied with the intervention and approach of including adults with developmental disabilities and direct support professionals in the intervention together