The Effectiveness of Web-based Food Allergy Training among Restaurant Managers

Many food allergic reactions occurred in restaurants indicating employee food allergy training is necessary. The hospitality industry adopts web-based training method as it is beneficial. The objective of the study is to identify the effectiveness of web-based food allergy training on knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention serving customers with food allergies. Participants will include 100 managers from independent restaurants in Kansas. A web-based training module will be developed and pilot tested. A quasi-experimental design (intervention and control groups) with a pre- and post-test will be used to assess knowledge scores. After six month, another questionnaire that assesses participants’ retention of food allergy knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention to serve customers with food allergies will be administered. Descriptive statistics, MANOVA, MANCOVA, Chi-square analyses, logistic regression, and regression will be employed for statistical analysis. Results of the proposed study will provide insights about using web-based training as future educational tool

Exploration of Attitudes and Behaviors of Consumer with Food Allergies about Dining Out: A Focus Group Study

Aim: To investigate attitudes and behaviors of consumers with food allergies about dining out. Method: All sessions were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo Version 8.0. Results: Seventeen participants participated in four focus group sessions. Participants perceived cross-contact, hidden ingredients, and miscommunication as potential causes of food allergic reactions. Perceived barriers to provide allergen-free food were lack of training and awareness among employees. Participants perceived buffet, ethnic and specialty restaurants as risky dining places but preferred national brand, chain restaurants. Participants expected the servers to follow the given instructions and have the major allergens and ingredients listed on the menus. They felt the needs of regulations to protect people with food allergies. People with food allergies should ask for clarifications and bring an Epi-pen while dining out. Conclusion: Consumers with food allergies experienced many difficulties in restaurants due to restaurant employees’ lack of knowledge and training regarding food allergy

An Exploration of Activities, Reasons, and Barriers of Using Social Media for Food Allergy Management

Managing food allergies can be overwhelming for affected individuals. Social media (SoMe) may serve as a platform for individuals with food allergies to access and share useful information. This study investigates SoMe use among adults with food allergies. Fifty individuals with food allergies answered a series of open-ended questions related to their SoMe use behaviors. The answers were used to develop an online anonymous survey, which was completed by 319 individuals with food allergies. Results indicate that SoMe users mainly use SoMe to gather updated information about food allergies and hear somebody else’s experiences and advices about food allergies. Lack of privacy, concerns about reliability of the information, and lack of efficiency were barriers to the use of SoMe. Those who were younger, had an allergic reaction in restaurants in the past, and who were newly diagnosed with food allergy were more likely to engage in SoMe use for food allergy related purposes. SoMe administrators may seek strategies to remove barriers and share information from credible resources to benefit those in need of such information

Maximising the Circular Economy and Sustainability Outcomes: An End-of-life Tyre Recycling Outlets Selection Model

The increasing concern for sustainability and longing for the transition into the circular economy has fostered an immense interest in re-configuring the end-of-life tyre supply networks. However, the existing literature is incapable of providing sufficient guidance in regard to the allocation of end-of-life tyre among recycling outlets to maximise the circular economy and sustainability outcomes. Hence, this study aims to propose a comprehensive list of evaluation criteria to rank recycling outlets, and develop an end-of-life tyre outlets selection matrix. A hybrid method is proposed by integrating fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process, fuzzy Technique of Order Preference Similarity to the Ideal Solution, the multi-objective linear programming, and semi-structured interviews. By analysing the empirical data collected from one of the largest European collectors, this study reveals that cement manufacturing, which is the primary recycling outlet, ranks the lowest among the five recycling outlets in terms of the circular economy and sustainability outcome. Nevertheless, synthetic turf manufacturing and moulded objects manufacturing rank the highest in the circular economy and sustainability outcomes, respectively. It is proved that cost and profit are key drivers for recycling outlets selection, subjected to end consumers’ perceptions and the ease of end-of-life tyre processing. The ranking and the performance of recycling outlets also signify the competitive relationship between the circular economy and sustainability as excelling in the circular economy outcome would trade-off sustainability performance

A Focus Group Study of Child Nutrition Professionals' Attitudes about Food Allergies and Current Training Practices

Citation: Lee, Y. M., Kwon, J., & Sauer, K. (2014). A focus group study of child nutrition professionals’ attitudes about food allergies and current training practices. Journal of Child Nutrition and Management, 38(1).Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore child nutrition professionals' (CNPs) attitudes about food allergies, current practices of food allergy training, and operational issues related to food allergy training in school foodservice operations. Methods: Three focus groups were conducted with 21 CNPs with managerial responsibilities from a midwestern state. Responses to guided, open-ended questions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed to identify common themes. Results: Participants felt that the prevalence and types of food allergies affecting school nutrition programs have increased in recent years. They also felt that communicating with other stakeholders and verifying physicians' recommendations regarding food allergies can be difficult. Participants agreed that training could improve food allergy knowledge and awareness of their employees and improve safety of children with food allergies. However, only a few reported providing specific food allergy training for employees. Cost, scheduling difficulties, and time constraints were identified as barriers to providing food allergy training. Participants preferred having credentialed professionals to conduct employee food allergy training. Support from school administrators and witnessing a food allergic reaction in the cafeteria would trigger a decision to initiate food allergy training. Applications to Child Nutrition Professionals: Improved communication between school foodservice staff and other stakeholders is crucial to better serve students with food allergies. A well-planned, structured training program could better prepare school foodservice employees serving students with food allergies. CNPs might need continuous guidance and assistance regarding employee food allergy training. State agencies and professional organizations should work with CNPs to develop and communicate best practices for prevention and management of food allergic reactions

Effect of Ceramic Dust as Partial Replacement of Cement on Lightweight Foamed Concrete

Disposal of waste into the landfill causes a severe impact on the environment. One of the waste products is ceramic waste. Ceramic waste has some excellent properties in its durability, hardness, and highly resistant to biological, chemical, and physical degradation forces. These excellent properties of the ceramic waste may make it suitable to be used in concrete. This study investigates the effect on the compressive strength of lightweight foamed concrete with different percentage of ceramic dust replacement level towards the cement and three different levels of water-cement ratio. 0%, 5%, 15%, and 25% of replacement level with 0.52, 0.56, and 0.60 water-cement ratios respectively for each replacement level was used as the parameter to investigate the fresh properties, and strength performance of lightweight foamed concrete. The stability and consistency of every mix are studied as well. From this study, it was observed that the incorporation of ceramic waste dust partially replaced the cement did not affect on the fresh properties of the foamed concrete. However, the compressive strength of foamed concrete affected by ceramic waste dust partially replaced the cement

A Comparative Study of Deep Learning Model and Simple Prediction Charts in Construction Noise Prediction

Construction noise monitoring is crucial to assess the impacts of construction noise on the workers and surroundings. However, the existing noise prediction methods are time-consuming in which required laborious work for the computation of noise levels. This study aims to assess the accuracy and reliability of deep learning model (DL) that adopted stochastic modelling and artificial neural network (ANN) in construction noise prediction. The artificial neural network was trained with the output of stochastic modelling. The outcome of noise level prediction using simple prediction chart (SPC) and DL model was discussed and compared to 3 case studies. The case studies were conducted at construction sites located in Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia. The results of DL model showed high accuracy of predicted noise levels along with an absolute difference of less than 2.3 dBA. Besides, the predicted noise levels are reliable as the R-squared value is higher than 0.992. On that account, DL model is proved to be reliable and accurate in noise level prediction and it has the potential to be utilized as a managerial tool to monitor construction noise more effectively

Food Safety Training Needs at Evacuation Shelters Operated by Faith-Based Organizations

Citation: Kwon, J., Zottarelli, L., Kwon, S., Lee, Y. M., & Ryu, D. (2013). Food safety training needs at evacuation shelters operated by faith-based organizations. Journal of Environmental Health, 76(2), 14-21.The authors conducted a survey to identify food safety training needs at evacuation shelters operated by faith-based organizations (FBOs) in four hurricane-prone states. Five thousand randomly selected FBO leaders were asked questions about their food safety attitudes and food handling practices at evacuation shelters. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance were calculated to summarize and prioritize the responses. Results from 138 leaders revealed that on average, 590 ± 4,787 evacuees were served for 36 ± 72 days at FBO-operated shelters. Only 19.6% felt they were well prepared for the shelter. Only 5.8% had professional food preparation staff and many accepted hot (47.8%) and cold (37%) prepared food donations. Some lacked adequate refrigerator (18.8%) or freezer (16.7%) spaces, but 40% kept hot food leftovers for later use. The majority did not provide food safety training before opening the shelters (73.2%), yet 76.9% said they will provide food to evacuation shelters again. The results show a need for food safety training and specific strategies for training at FBOs

Proteomic analysis identifies interleukin 11 regulated plasma membrane proteins in human endometrial epithelial cells in vitro

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During the peri-implantation period, the embryo adheres to an adequately prepared or receptive endometrial surface epithelium. Abnormal embryo adhesion to the endometrium results in embryo implantation failure and infertility. Endometrial epithelial cell plasma membrane proteins critical in regulating adhesion may potentially be infertility biomarkers or targets for treating infertility. Interleukin (IL) 11 regulates human endometrial epithelial cells (hEEC) adhesion. Its production is abnormal in women with infertility. The objective of the study was to identify IL11 regulated plasma membrane proteins in hEEC <it>in vitro </it>using a proteomic approach.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using a 2D-differential in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) electrophoresis combined with LCMS/MS mass spectrometry approach, we identified 20 unique plasma membrane proteins differentially regulated by IL11 in ECC-1 cells, a hEEC derived cell line. Two IL11 regulated proteins with known roles in cell adhesion, annexin A2 (ANXA2) and flotillin-1 (FLOT1), were validated by Western blot and immunocytochemistry in hEEC lines (ECC-1 and an additional cell line, Ishikawa) and primary hEEC. Flotilin-1 was further validated by immunohistochemistry in human endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle (<it>n = 6-8/cycle</it>).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>2D-DIGE analysis identified 4 spots that were significantly different between control and IL11 treated group. Of these 4 spots, there were 20 proteins that were identified with LCMS/MS. Two proteins; ANXA2 and FLOT1 were chosen for further analyses and have found to be significantly up-regulated following IL11 treatment. Western blot analysis showed a 2-fold and a 2.5-fold increase of ANXA2 in hEEC membrane fraction of ECC-1 and Ishikawa cells respectively. Similarly, a 1.8-fold and a 2.3/2.4-fold increase was also observed for FLOT1 in hEEC membrane fraction of ECC-1 and Ishikawa cells respectively. <it>In vitro</it>, IL11 induced stronger ANXA2 expression on cell surface of primary hEEC and ECC-1 whilst, the lipid-raft protein FLOT1 demonstrated punctate staining in the apical surface of ECC-1 plasma membranes and was upregulated in the epithelium in the receptive phase of the menstrual cycle (p lower or equal 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This is the first study to use a proteomics approach to identify hEEC plasma membrane proteins that may be useful as infertility markers or pharmacological targets for fertility regulation.</p