Consumer Demand for Potato Products and Willingness-to-Pay for Low-Acrylamide, Sulfite-Free Fresh Potatoes and Dices: Evidence from Lab Auctions

We assess consumer demand for traditional fresh potatoes and processed potato products and willingness to pay for new experimental low-acrylamide and sulfite-free potato products. Demand for fresh potatoes, potato chips, and fries is unaffected by household income or education, but demand for chips and fries is affected by consumer age and exercise habits. Subjects display increased willingness to pay for new potato products after receiving a private company perspective about the technology and risks associated with exposure to acrylamide, a carcinogen, in fried conventional potatoes and a new product, potato dices. We find that consumers are willing to pay for enhanced food safety in fresh potato products achieved using biotechnology

Antibacterial Activity of Native Plants in Arkansas

American beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana), Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) and Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) are native plants of Arkansas. Plant families with species having high chemical compounds can have antimicrobial properties. In this study, the antibacterial properties of the plants are investigated against three gram positive (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis) and three negative bacteria (Alcaligenes faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Serratia marcescens). The disc diffusion assay method is employed to identify any potential antibacterial properties of the plants. For this experiment, 6.41 g of dehydrated plant material (leaves for both species) was combined with 50 mL of 75% ethanol creating their respective tinctures which were processed to remove alcohol and make powder samples. The antibacterial activity of the powders in sterile Milli-Q water was tested against 75% ethanol and hydrogen peroxide controls. After 24 and 48 hours of incubation at 37°C the zones of inhibition were measured for each bacteria/plant sample combination. The three species of plant samples were tested for inhibition for the six bacteria. One-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) results showed that to examine the effect of different concentrations of plant samples and two different incubation times (24h and 48h) of each plant species on zones of inhibition for six different bacteria. Sugarberry and Red buckeye (leaves) showed antibacterial effects, however, the effect was less compared with commercial antibiotics (Erythromycin and NA30). American Beautyberry has an antibacterial effect comparable to commercial antibiotics. All species leaf extracts did not differ on their antibacterial properties on gram positive and gram-negative bacteria

Meta-analysis of gene–environment-wide association scans accounting for education level identifies additional loci for refractive error

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Myopia is the most common human eye disorder and it results from complex genetic and environmental causes. The rapidly increasing prevalence of myopia poses a major public health challenge. Here, the CREAM consortium performs a joint meta-analysis to test single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) main effects and SNP × education interaction effects on refractive error in 40,036 adults from 25 studies of European ancestry and 10,315 adults from 9 studies of Asian ancestry. In European ancestry individuals, we identify six novel loci (FAM150B-ACP1, LINC00340, FBN1, DIS3L-MAP2K1, ARID2-SNAT1 and SLC14A2) associated with refractive error. In Asian populations, three genome-wide significant loci AREG, GABRR1 and PDE10A also exhibit strong interactions with education (P<8.5 × 10(-5)), whereas the interactions are less evident in Europeans. The discovery of these loci represents an important advance in understanding how gene and environment interactions contribute to the heterogeneity of myopia

Genetic variants in RBFOX3 are associated with sleep latency

Time to fall asleep (sleep latency) is a major determinant of sleep quality. Chronic, long sleep latency is a major characteristic of sleep-onset insomnia and/or delayed sleep phase syndrome. In this study we aimed to discover common polymorphisms that contribute to the genetics of sleep latency. We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) including 2 572 737 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) established in seven European cohorts including 4242 individuals. We found a cluster of three highly correlated variants (rs9900428, rs9907432 and rs7211029) in the RNA-binding protein fox-1 homolog 3 gene (RBFOX3) associated with sleep latency (P-values=5.77 × 10-08, 6.59 × 10- 08 and 9.17 × 10- 08). These SNPs were replicated in up to 12 independent populations including 30 377 individuals (P-values=1.5 × 10- 02, 7.0 × 10- 03 and 2.5 × 10- 03; combined meta-analysis P-values=5.5 × 10-07, 5.4 × 10-07 and 1.0 × 10-07). A functional prediction of RBFOX3 based on co-expression with other genes shows that this gene is predominantly expressed in brain (P-value=1.4 × 10-316) and the central nervous system (P-value=7.5 × 10- 321). The predicted function of RBFOX3 based on co-expression analysis with other genes shows that this gene is significantly involved in the release cycle of neurotransmitte

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF REAL VERSUS AUGMENTED MODELS FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SPATIAL ABILITY BASED ON HAPTIC OR VISUAL LEARNING STYLE OF ENTRY-LEVEL ENGINEERING GRAPHICS STUDENTS?

This research study conducted during the Fall Semester of 2011 at Purdue University compared the use of augmented reality and real blocks instructional methods, for advancing spatial abilities in students of different learning styles (visual/haptic). This study implemented augmented reality and real models as visualization aids for first year engineering students enrolled in an entry level engineering graphics course. This thesis presents the significance of this research study, the research methodology, and the statistical findings. The results of the study conclude that there is no significant interaction between learning style of visual or haptic and instructional method of augmented reality or real blocks. This result infers that either instructional method would aid students in advancing visualization skills equally. This thesis suggests future studies and applications for the integration of both augmented and real models as visualization aids to advance the spatial abilities of introductory engineering students

Consumer Demand for Potato Products and Willingness-to-Pay for Low-Acrylamide, Sulfite-Free Fresh Potatoes and Dices: Evidence from Lab Auctions

We assess consumer demand for traditional fresh potatoes and processed potato products and willingness to pay for new experimental low-acrylamide and sulfite-free potato products. Demand for fresh potatoes, potato chips, and fries is unaffected by household income or education, but demand for chips and fries is affected by consumer age and exercise habits. Subjects display increased willingness to pay for new potato products after receiving a private company perspective about the technology and risks associated with exposure to acrylamide, a carcinogen, in fried conventional potatoes and a new product, potato dices. We find that consumers are willing to pay for enhanced food safety in fresh potato products achieved using biotechnology.This article is from Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 41 (2016): 116. Posted with permission.</p

What is the effect of real versus augmented models for the advancement of spatial ability based on haptic or visual learning style of entry-level engineering graphics students?

This research study conducted during the Fall Semester of 2011 at Purdue University compared the use of augmented reality and real blocks instructional methods, for advancing spatial abilities in students of different learning styles (visual/haptic). This study implemented augmented reality and real models as visualization aids for first year engineering students enrolled in an entry level engineering graphics course. This thesis presents the significance of this research study, the research methodology, and the statistical findings. The results of the study conclude that there is no significant interaction between learning style of visual or haptic and instructional method of augmented reality or real blocks. This result infers that either instructional method would aid students in advancing visualization skills equally. This thesis suggests future studies and applications for the integration of both augmented and real models as visualization aids to advance the spatial abilities of introductory engineering students

Consumer Demand for Potato Products and Willingness-to-Pay for Low-Acrylamide, Sulfite-Free Fresh Potatoes and Dices: Evidence from Lab Auctions

We assess consumer demand for traditional fresh potatoes and processed potato products and willingness to pay for new experimental low-acrylamide and sulfite-free potato products. Demand for fresh potatoes, potato chips, and fries is unaffected by household income or education, but demand for chips and fries is affected by consumer age and exercise habits. Subjects display increased willingness to pay for new potato products after receiving a private company perspective about the technology and risks associated with exposure to acrylamide, a carcinogen, in fried conventional potatoes and a new product, potato dices. We find that consumers are willing to pay for enhanced food safety in fresh potato products achieved using biotechnology