OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARKETING FRESH PRODUCE TO THE INSTITUTIONAL SECTOR OF THE FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY

The authors investigated the possible barriers to marketing fresh fruits and vegetables to the institutional sector of the food service industry.Agribusiness, Marketing,

Comparative grazing behaviour of lactating suckler cows of contrasting genetic merit and genotype

peer-reviewedThe objective of this study was to determine if differences in grazing behaviour exist between lactating suckler cows diverse in genetic merit for the national Irish Replacement index and of two contrasting genotypes. Data from 103 cows: 41 high and 62 low genetic merit, 43 beef and 60 beef x dairy (BDX) cows were available over a single grazing season in 2015. Milk yield, grass dry matter intake (GDMI), cow live weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) were recorded during the experimental period, with subsequent measures of production efficiency extrapolated. Grazing behaviour data were recorded twice in conjunction with aforementioned measures, using Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research headset behaviour recorders. The effect of genotype and cow genetic merit during mid- and late-lactation on grazing behaviour phenotypes, milk yield, BW, BCS and GDMI were estimated using linear mixed models. Genetic merit had no significant effect on any production parameters investigated, with the exception that low genetic merit had a greater BCS than high genetic merit cows. Beef cows were heavier, had a greater BCS but produced less milk per day than BDX. The BDX cows produced more milk per 100 kg BW and per unit intake and had greater GDMI, intake per bite and rate of GDMI per 100 kg BW than beef cows. High genetic merit cows spent longer grazing and took more bites per day but had a lower rate of GDMI than low genetic merit cows, with the same trend found when expressed per unit of BW. High genetic merit cows spent longer grazing than low genetic merit cows when expressed on a per unit intake basis. Absolute rumination measures were similar across cow genotype and genetic merit. When expressed per unit BW, BDX cows spent longer ruminating per day compared to beef. However, on a per unit intake basis, beef cows ruminated longer and had more mastications than BDX. Intake per bite and rate of intake was positively correlated with GDMI per 100 kg BW. The current study implies that despite large differences in grazing behaviour between cows diverse in genetic merit, few differences were apparent in terms of production efficiency variables extrapolated. Conversely, differences in absolute grazing and ruminating behaviour measurements did not exist between beef cows of contrasting genotype. However, efficiency parameters investigated illustrate that BDX will subsequently convert herbage intake more efficiently to milk production

Low-density genotype panel for both parentage verification and discovery in a multi-breed sheep population

peer-reviewedThe generally low usage of artificial insemination and single-sire mating in sheep, compounded by mob lambing (and lambing outdoors), implies that parentage assignment in sheep is challenging. The objective here was to develop a low-density panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for accurate parentage verification and discovery in sheep. Of particular interest was where SNP selection was limited to only a subset of chromosomes, thereby eliminating the ability to accurately impute genome-wide denser marker panels. Data used consisted of 10,933 candidate SNPs on 9,390 purebred sheep. These data consisted of 1,876 validated genotyped sire–offspring pairs and 2,784 validated genotyped dam–offspring pairs. The SNP panels developed consisted of 87 SNPs to 500 SNPs. Parentage verification and discovery were undertaken using 1) exclusion, based on the sharing of at least one allele between candidate parent–offspring pairs, and 2) a likelihood-based approach. Based on exclusion, allowing for one discordant offspring–parent genotype, a minimum of 350 SNPs was required when the goal was to unambiguously identify the true sire or dam from all possible candidates. Results suggest that, if selecting SNPs across the entire genome, a minimum of 250 carefully selected SNPs are required to ensure that the most likely selected parent (based on the likelihood approach) was, in fact, the true parent. If restricting the SNPs to just a subset of chromosomes, the recommendation is to use at least a 300-SNP panel from at least six chromosomes, with approximately an equal number of SNPs per chromosome

Promoting behavior change in Rowan University students through fitness and wellness programming

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of participation in the Rowan University Recreation Center’s 2015 RU Heart Strong incentive program, and to explore behavior change in college students as a result of fitness and wellness programming at Rowan University. Data were collected from 59 subjects who participated in a survey that assessed subjects’ physical activity levels and various psychosocial constructs such as social support, self-efficacy, and expectations in relation to the 2015 RU Heart Strong incentive program. Data analysis suggested that students who participated in the RU Heart Strong incentive program practiced behaviors to maintain a healthier lifestyle such as exercising and eating well. Data also suggested that subjects experienced minimal positive behavior change towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a result of their participation in the RU Heart Strong incentive program

Using colocation to support human memory

The progress of health care in the western world has been marked by an increase in life expectancy. Advances in life expectancy have meant that more people are living with acute health problems, many of which are related to impairment of memory. This paper describes a pair of scenarios that use RFID to assist people who may suffer frommemory defects to extend their capability for independent living. We present our implementation of an RFID glove, describe its operation, and show how it enables the application scenarios

‘On the high street’ tuition for primary-aged children in London: Critiquing discourses of accessibility, attainment and assistance

Private tuition, often referred to as ‘shadow education’, is commercially provided, supplementary education which has been variously constructed to support children in their academic abilities. As growing numbers of children are engaging with tuition, it is receiving greater scrutiny and scholarly attention. This paper explores the growth and role of commercial tuition centres for primary-aged children. Such centres, which operate ‘on the high street’, are not a new phenomenon, but their expansion and assertive commercialisation is notable. With attention to managers’ and tutors’ perspectives, we interrogate the positioning of these services and critically analyse the discursive construction of three ‘As’ of their offer: accessibility of service, promise of enhanced attainment, and assistance with learning. In so doing, tuition centres lead the (re)positioning of private tuition as highly visible private businesses, located within and amongst other commercial enterprises, with an emerging focus on younger children, and are worthy of further research