Segmentation Analysis of Grocery Shoppers in Alabama

Using survey responses from over 500 responses, this paper conducts a market segmentation of grocery shoppers in Alabama. By employing cluster analysis technique, Alabama grocery shoppers are segmented into three different groups based on the relative importance of factors that describe their shopping experiences.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Transcriptome analyses reveal reduced hepatic lipid synthesis and accumulation in more feed efficient beef cattle

peer-reviewedThe genetic mechanisms controlling residual feed intake (RFI) in beef cattle are still largely unknown. Here we performed whole transcriptome analyses to identify differentially expressed (DE) genes and their functional roles in liver tissues between six extreme high and six extreme low RFI steers from three beef breed populations including Angus, Charolais, and Kinsella Composite (KC). On average, the next generation sequencing yielded 34 million single-end reads per sample, of which 87% were uniquely mapped to the bovine reference genome. At false discovery rate (FDR)  2, 72, 41, and 175 DE genes were identified in Angus, Charolais, and KC, respectively. Most of the DE genes were breed-specific, while five genes including TP53INP1, LURAP1L, SCD, LPIN1, and ENSBTAG00000047029 were common across the three breeds, with TP53INP1, LURAP1L, SCD, and LPIN1 being downregulated in low RFI steers of all three breeds. The DE genes are mainly involved in lipid, amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, energy production, molecular transport, small molecule biochemistry, cellular development, and cell death and survival. Furthermore, our differential gene expression results suggest reduced hepatic lipid synthesis and accumulation processes in more feed efficient beef cattle of all three studied breeds

Consumer Purchasing Behaviors and Attitudes toward Shopping at Public Markets

This paper identifies and empirically evaluates factors that explain the variations in consumers’ attitudes toward shopping at farmers markets in general and public markets in particular. The analysis draws on data from a telephone survey conducted in Jefferson County, Alabama. Logit model results point to several factors that seem to be strongly correlated with consumer purchasing behaviors and attitudes toward shopping at public markets, including income, education, age of household head, household size, and price and quality of produce. The insights gained from the study should help farmers increase the profitability of their operations and improve the likelihood that they will continue farming.Consumer/Household Economics,

Addressing post-harvest losses during traditional banana fermentation for increased food security in Southwest Uganda

Postharvest losses (PHL) destroy 20-60% of the food production in East Africa, exacerbating already severe regional food insecurity. Fermenting perishable foods such as fruits may reduce PHL while providing nutritional enrichment, improving shelf-life and food quality, and addressing seasonality in food supply. Fermented banana products have been refined and diversified in Uganda over generations to make the greatest use of available food resources, but still parts of the raw material are being lost during processing. This study aimed at exploring existing traditional methods and efficiency of fermentation of Musa (AAA-EAHB) 'Mbidde' in southwestern Uganda. The study gathered information through participatory explorations (working with brewers) on banana juice (lightly fermented beer with <1% alcohol content [n=20 brewers]), tonto (turbid beer with ~4% alcohol [n=20]), and amarwa (smoky spirit with ~ 40% alcohol [n=20]). Brewers mentioned several losses of material during harvest and processing. Harvesting bananas requires felling the plant causing ripe fruit damage, particularly during harvest for processing banana juice (loss from fresh bananas=6.4%±8.8%) or amarwa (loss=9.3%±9.5%). Second, losses occur when brewers squeeze juice from the raw banana pulp using stems of Imperata cylindrica, which is then discarded or fed to animals together with the adherent fruit pulp (losses from raw banana juice=50.6%±0.2%; from tonto 39.2%±21.4% and amarwa 47.6%±12.5%). Other causes of PHL during processing are excessive peeling for tonto processing (loss of banana flesh=18.6%±5.8%) and losses of intermediate products during distillation of amarwa (loss=75.9%±1.3%). Total losses of banana products during processing were rare and caused by sabotage (mostly by children), mistakes in the brewing process (e.g. addition of too much water), using bananas of wrong ripening stage, and equipment failure (e.g., burst or leaking drums in distillation equipment). Other non-PHL challenges include Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) and bad weather (up to 50% losses in the field). Despite the general efficiency of traditional fermentation practices, significant portions of fruit are still lost. Reduction in PHL can complement, both culturally and nutritionally, the role that fermented banana products play in Ugandan food systems and contribute to regional food security. Collaborative mechanisms for PHL reduction should target the cited sources of PHL

Empiric treatment of pulmonary TB in the Xpert era: Correspondence of sputum culture, Xpert MTB/RIF, and clinical diagnoses.

BackgroundClinical tuberculosis diagnosis and empiric treatment have traditionally been common among patients with negative bacteriologic test results. Increasing availability of rapid molecular diagnostic tests, including Xpert MTB/RIF and the new Xpert Ultra cartridge, may alter the role of empiric treatment.MethodsWe prospectively enrolled outpatients age &gt; = 15 who were evaluated for pulmonary tuberculosis at three health facilities in Kampala, Uganda. Using sputum mycobacterial culture, interviews, and clinical record abstraction, we estimated the accuracy of clinical diagnosis relative to Xpert and sputum culture and assessed the contribution of clinical diagnosis to case detection.ResultsOver a period of 9 months, 99 patients were diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis and subsequently completed sputum culture; they were matched to 196 patients receiving negative tuberculosis evaluations in the same facilities. Xpert was included in the evaluation of 291 (99%) patients. Compared to culture, Xpert had a sensitivity of 92% (95% confidence interval 83-97%) and specificity of 95% (92-98%). Twenty patients with negative Xpert were clinically diagnosed with tuberculosis and subsequently had their culture status determined; two (10%) were culture-positive. Considering all treated patients regardless of Xpert and culture data completeness, and considering treatment initiations before a positive Xpert (N = 4) to be empiric, 26/101 (26%) tuberculosis treatment courses were started empirically. Compared to sputum smear- or Xpert-positive patients with positive cultures, empirically-treated, Xpert-negative patients with negative cultures had higher prevalence of HIV (67% versus 37%), shorter duration of cough (median 4 versus 8 weeks), and lower inflammatory markers (median CRP 7 versus 101 mg/L).ConclusionJudged against sputum culture in a routine care setting of high HIV prevalence, the accuracy of Xpert was high. Clinical judgment identified a small number of additional culture-positive cases, but with poor specificity. Although clinicians should continue to prescribe tuberculosis treatment for Xpert-negative patients whose clinical presentations strongly suggest pulmonary tuberculosis, they should also carefully consider alternative diagnoses

Food Insecurity as a Barrier to Sustained Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence in Uganda

Background: Food insecurity is emerging as an important barrier to antiretroviral (ARV) adherence in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere, but little is known about the mechanisms through which food insecurity leads to ARV non-adherence and treatment interruptions. Methodology: We conducted in-depth, open-ended interviews with 47 individuals (30 women, 17 men) living with HIV/AIDS recruited from AIDS treatment programs in Mbarara and Kampala, Uganda to understand how food insecurity interferes with ARV therapy regimens. Interviews were transcribed, coded for key themes, and analyzed using grounded theory. Findings: Food insecurity was common and an important barrier to accessing medical care and ARV adherence. Five mechanisms emerged for how food insecurity can contribute to ARV non-adherence and treatment interruptions or to postponing ARV initiation: 1) ARVs increased appetite and led to intolerable hunger in the absence of food; 2) Side effects of ARVs were exacerbated in the absence of food; 3) Participants believed they should skip doses or not start on ARVs at all if they could not afford the added nutritional burden; 4) Competing demands between costs of food and medical expenses led people either to default from treatment, or to give up food and wages to get medications; 5) While working for food for long days in the fields, participants sometimes forgot medication doses. Despite these obstacles, many participants still reported high ARV adherence and exceptional motivation to continue therapy. Conclusions: While reports from sub-Saharan Africa show excellent adherence to ARVs, concerns remain that these successes are not sustainable in the presence of widespread poverty and food insecurity. We provide further evidence on how food insecurity can compromise sustained ARV therapy in a resource-limited setting. Addressing food insecurity as part of emerging ARV treatment programs is critical for their long-term success

Global fish market: a preliminary review of the significant growing world fish market and how a developing world can access it

Fisheries (both capture and aquaculture) provide a vital source of food, employment, recreation, trade and economic well-being for the people throughout the World and will continue to do so for both, the present and future generations. The Fisheries of the World and indeed the Fisheries of Uganda, should therefore be handled (exploited) in a responsible manner by all those concerned at different level

THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE COFFEE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF UGANDA AND UGANDA VINCI COFFEE CO LTD ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC RIGHTS OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN PLAYERS IN UGANDA’S COFFEE INDUSTRY

This article examines the implications of the coffee agreement between the government of the Republic of Uganda (GoU) and Uganda Vinci Coffee Co Ltd (UVCCL) on the socio-economic rights of the supply chain players in the coffee industry in Uganda. This article was motivated by the belief that the socio-economic rights of the players in the coffee supply chain would be violated as a result of the monopoly granted to UVCCL in Uganda’s coffee industry. The article shows that the GoU-UVCCL agreement violates international human rights instruments as well as the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (the Constitution) and other statutes. The article recommends that stakeholders should be consulted in any GoU undertaking that directly affects their socio-economic rights such as the GoU-UVCCL agreement, GoU should observe its commitments under international law and GoU should strengthen the legal and institutional framework to uphold citizens’ socio-economic rights in Uganda

CORRUPTION DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS RESPONSE IN UGANDA AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE RIGHT TO HEALTH

Uganda’s Covid-19 crisis response involved the mobilisation of resources from the international community and the private sector. The Ugandan parliament also appropriated a supplementary budget towards the response. To expedite the procurement of essential goods and supplies by government agencies, some public procurement procedures were not followed. As a result, tender prices were rigged, and the quality of products supplied was compromised. Fake vaccines were also sold to unsuspecting recipients. This article contends that acts of corruption did not only compromise health outcomes but also denied potential beneficiaries the right to health. This was despite existing anti-corruption laws and legal institutions. Some corruption-related suspects were arrested and prosecuted

Role of the public editor in enhancing trust in legacy media: case study of daily monitor newspaper in Uganda.

The study critically examines the pivotal role of the Public Editor (PE) at the Daily Monitor Newspaper in Uganda, focusing on comprehending reader trust levels, assessing petitioner satisfaction, and exploring Editorial Team perceptions. Against the backdrop of Uganda\u27s evolving media landscape that is shaped by digital news, government influence, and media ownership, this research emphasizes the indispensable function of PEs in preserving public trust. Through a multifaceted analysis encompassing reader sentiments, petitioner satisfaction, and Editorial Team perspectives, the study unveils insights into trust, satisfaction, and editorial processes within the newspaper. Study Findings revealed a predominantly male readership (76%) within the 25-34 age bracket, primarily professionals engaging with the newspaper on a daily or 2-3 times per week. Readers expressed high trust in the Daily Monitor\u27s information, attributing it to accuracy, transparency, credibility of journalists, and editorial independence. Despite the identification of errors, the trust in the publication remained resilient. Editorial team members recognized the PE\u27s role as vital in addressing audience concerns and enhancing editorial practices, acknowledging its impact on the newspaper\u27s credibility. Challenges faced included delayed feedback and role misinterpretation, while opportunities for improvement emphasized enhanced communication and collaboration between the PE and editorial team. Individuals petitioning the PE (88.9% males, mainly aged 45-54) found the submission process easy and acknowledged prompt acknowledgement of their petitions. They expressed satisfaction with issue resolution, yet highlighted areas for improvement in turnaround time and complaint handling. Recommendations focus on improving communication platforms and fostering collaborative approaches to issue resolution. Overall, findings suggest a strong level of trust among readers, positive sentiments towards the PE\u27s role, and opportunities for refining processes to fortify the Daily Monitor\u27s credibility and responsiveness to audience concerns. The study underscores the need for transparent communication, prompt issue resolution, and ongoing process improvement within the Daily Monitor, recommending a Reader Advisory Council to foster open dialogue, address challenges, and enhance communication with an estimated annual budget of $70,000. Continuous evaluation and potential outreach expansions are suggested for future enhancements within the Council\u27s framework to ensure broader engagement and representation