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

Dietary potassium influences kidney maintenance of serum phosphorus concentration

Dietary potassium influences kidney maintenance of serum phosphorus concentration. In studying the metabolic effects of diet potassium (K+) variation in normal humans, we noted that varying diet K+ within its normal range influenced inorganic phosphorus (Pi) homeostasis and serum calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D) levels. In six men who ingested a constant whole-foods diet containing (per 70kg body wt) 27mmol/day Pi and 52 mEq/day K+, we increased diet K+ to 156 mmol/day with supplements first of potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) alone and then of potassium chloride (KCL) alone, each for eight days interrupted by an eight-day recovery period of no K+ supplement. Urine Pi decreased promptly with either K+-salt, each inducing a persisting retention of 7 to 10 mmoles Pi, which was dumped during recovery. Fasting serum [Pi] increased with either K+ supplement (P = 0.022, repeated measures analysis of variance); the composite mean serum [Pi] for the two K+-supplement periods exceeded that for the two periods without supplements (P < 0.01, paired t-test). Conversely, the concentration of serum calcitriol decreased with either K+ supplement (P = 0.020). Among subjects, the diet K+-induced increases in serum [Pi] correlated with those in plasma [K+] (r = 0.64, P = 0.027); the decreases in serum calcitriol concentration correlated with the increases in serum [Pi] (r = -0.69, P = 0.014). There were no significant differences among periods in serum parathyroid hormone, ionized calcium, urine cyclic AMP excretion, plasma renin activity, body weight, serum albumin, or creatinine clearance; plasma volume decreased slightly during KCL but not during KHCO3 periods. Thus, diet K+ variation exerts an anion-independent regulatory effect on renal handling of Pi that influences the set-point at which serum [Pi] is maintained at constant diet Pi. That effect of serum [Pi] set-point is directionally appropriate and quantitatively sufficient to provide “fine modulation” of serum calcitriol concentration under ordinary physiological conditions of normal diet K+ variations and normal diet Pi

DNA testing and domestic dogs

There are currently about 80 different DNA tests available for mutations that are associated with inherited disease in the domestic dog, and as the tools available with which to dissect the canine genome become increasingly sophisticated, this number can be expected to rise dramatically over the next few years. With unrelenting media pressure focused firmly on the health of the purebred domestic dog, veterinarians and dog breeders are turning increasingly to DNA tests to ensure the health of their dogs. It is ultimately the responsibility of the scientists who identify disease-associated genetic variants to make sensible choices about which discoveries are appropriate to develop into commercially available DNA tests for the lay dog breeder, who needs to balance the need to improve the genetic health of their breed with the need to maintain genetic diversity. This review discusses some of the factors that should be considered along the route from mutation discovery to DNA test and some representative examples of DNA tests currently available

The projective representations of the hyperoctahedral group

The hyperoctahedral group (the Weyl group of the root system Bn) has seven distinct nonsplit double covers (for n [ges] 4), and hence, seven families of projective representations. We give constructions of all the irreducible representations of these seven double covers in terms of symmetric group representations, and determine the associated character tables. As a corollary, we also obtain the irreducible projective representations and characters of the Weyl group of the root system Dn.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30235/1/0000629.pd

Immediate oral versus immediate topical versus delayed oral antibiotics for children with acute otitis media with discharge: the REST three-arm non-inferiority electronic platform-supported RCT

BACKGROUND: Acute otitis media is a painful infection of the middle ear that is commonly seen in children. In some children, the eardrum spontaneously bursts, discharging visible pus (otorrhoea) into the outer ear. OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effectiveness of immediate topical antibiotics or delayed oral antibiotics with the clinical effectiveness of immediate oral antibiotics in reducing symptom duration in children presenting to primary care with acute otitis media with discharge and the economic impact of the alternative strategies. DESIGN: This was a pragmatic, three-arm, individually randomised (stratified by age < 2 vs. ≥ 2 years), non-inferiority, open-label trial, with economic and qualitative evaluations, supported by a health-record-integrated electronic trial platform [TRANSFoRm (Translational Research and Patient Safety in Europe)] with an internal pilot. SETTING: A total of 44 English general practices. PARTICIPANTS: Children aged ≥ 12 months and < 16 years whose parents (or carers) were seeking medical care for unilateral otorrhoea (ear discharge) following recent-onset (≤ 7 days) acute otitis media. INTERVENTIONS: (1) Immediate ciprofloxacin (0.3%) solution, four drops given three times daily for 7 days, or (2) delayed 'dose-by-age' amoxicillin suspension given three times daily (clarithromycin twice daily if the child was penicillin allergic) for 7 days, with structured delaying advice. All parents were given standardised information regarding symptom management (paracetamol/ibuprofen/fluids) and advice to complete the course. COMPARATOR: Immediate 'dose-by-age' oral amoxicillin given three times daily (or clarithromycin given twice daily) for 7 days. Parents received standardised symptom management advice along with advice to complete the course. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Time from randomisation to the first day on which all symptoms (pain, fever, being unwell, sleep disturbance, otorrhoea and episodes of distress/crying) were rated 'no' or 'very slight' problem (without need for analgesia). METHODS: Participants were recruited from routine primary care appointments. The planned sample size was 399 children. Follow-up used parent-completed validated symptom diaries. RESULTS: Delays in software deployment and configuration led to small recruitment numbers and trial closure at the end of the internal pilot. Twenty-two children (median age 5 years; 62% boys) were randomised: five, seven and 10 to immediate oral, delayed oral and immediate topical antibiotics, respectively. All children received prescriptions as randomised. Seven (32%) children fully adhered to the treatment as allocated. Symptom duration data were available for 17 (77%) children. The median (interquartile range) number of days until symptom resolution in the immediate oral, delayed oral and immediate topical antibiotic arms was 6 (4-9), 4 (3-7) and 4 (3-6), respectively. Comparative analyses were not conducted because of small numbers. There were no serious adverse events and six reports of new or worsening symptoms. Qualitative clinician interviews showed that the trial question was important. When the platform functioned as intended, it was liked. However, staff reported malfunctioning software for long periods, resulting in missed recruitment opportunities. Troubleshooting the software placed significant burdens on staff. LIMITATIONS: The over-riding weakness was the failure to recruit enough children. CONCLUSIONS: We were unable to answer the main research question because of a failure to reach the required sample size. Our experience of running an electronic platform-supported trial in primary care has highlighted challenges from which we have drawn recommendations for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the research community. These should be considered before such a platform is used again. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN12873692 and EudraCT 2017-003635-10. FUNDING: This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 25, No. 67. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information

Healthy Lifestyle Behaviour Decreasing Risks of Being Bullied, Violence and Injury

Background: Bullying and violence are problems of aggression in schools among adolescents. Basic daily healthy practices including nutritious diet, hygiene and physical activity are common approaches in comprehensive health promotion programs in school settings, however thier relationship to these aggressive behaviours is vague. We attempted to show the advantages of these healthy lifestyle behaviours in 9 developing countries by examining the association with being frequently bullied, violence and injury. Methodology/Principal Findings: A cross-sectional cross-national survey of 9 countries using the WHO Global School Based Student Health Survey dataset was used. Measurements included experiences of ‘‘being frequently bullied’ ’ in the preceding 30 days and violence/injury in the past 12 months. Association of risk behaviours (smoking, alcohol, sexual behaviour) and healthy lifestyle (nutrition, hygiene practices, physical activity) to being bullied, and violence/injury were assessed using multivariate logistic regression. Hygiene behaviour showed lower risks of being frequently bullied [male: RR = 0.7 (97.5CI: 0.5, 0.9); female: RR = 0.6 (0.5, 0.8)], and lower risk of experiences of violence/injury [RR = 0.7 (0.5, 0.9) for males], after controlling for risk behaviours, age, education, poverty, and country. Conclusion/Significance: Healthy lifestyle showed an association to decreased relative risk of being frequently bullied and violence/injury in developing countries. A comprehensive approach to risk and health promoting behaviours reducin

3-D ionization structure (in stereoscopic view) of Planetary Nebulae: the case of NGC 1501

Long-slit echellograms of the high excitation planetary nebula NGC1501, reduced according to the methodology developed by Sabbadin et al. (2000a, b), allowed us to obtain the ``true'' distribution of the ionized gas in the eight nebular slices covered by the spectroscopic slit. A 3-D rendering procedure is described and applied, which assembles the tomographic maps and rebuilds the spatial structure. The images of NGC 1501, as seen in 12 directions separated by 15 deg, form a series of stereoscopic pairs giving surprising 3-D views in as many directions. The main nebula consists of an almost oblate ellipsoid of moderate ellipticity (a=44 arcsec, a/b=1.02, a/c=1.11), brighter in the equatorial belt, deformed by several bumps, and embedded in a quite homogeneous, inwards extended cocoon. Some reliability tests are applied to the rebuilt nebula; the radial matter profile, the small scale density fluctuations and the 2-D (morphology) - 3-D (structure) correlation are presented and analysed. The wide applications of the 3-D reconstruction to the morphology, physical conditions, ionization parameters and evolutionary status of expanding nebulae in general (planetary nebulae, nova and supernova remnants, shells around Population I Wolf-Rayet stars, nebulae ejected by symbiotic stars, bubbles surrounding early spectral type main sequence stars etc.) are introduced.Comment: 12 pages + 11 (gif) figures. Accepted for publication in A&A. A postscript file with figs. can be retrieved at http://panoramix.pd.astro.it/~sabbadi

Spina bifida-predisposing heterozygous mutations in Planar Cell Polarity genes and Zic2 reduce bone mass in young mice

Fractures are a common comorbidity in children with the neural tube defect (NTD) spina bifida. Mutations in the Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway contribute to NTDs in humans and mice, but whether this pathway independently determines bone mass is poorly understood. Here, we first confirmed that core Wnt/PCP components are expressed in osteoblasts and osteoclasts in vitro. In vivo, we performed detailed µCT comparisons of bone structure in tibiae from young male mice heterozygous for NTD-associated mutations versus WT littermates. PCP signalling disruption caused by Vangl2 (Vangl2Lp/+) or Celsr1 (Celsr1Crsh/+) mutations significantly reduced trabecular bone mass and distal tibial cortical thickness. NTD-associated mutations in non-PCP transcription factors were also investigated. Pax3 mutation (Pax3Sp2H/+) had minimal effects on bone mass. Zic2 mutation (Zic2Ku/+) significantly altered the position of the tibia/fibula junction and diminished cortical bone in the proximal tibia. Beyond these genes, we bioinformatically documented the known extent of shared genetic networks between NTDs and bone properties. 46 genes involved in neural tube closure are annotated with bone-related ontologies. These findings document shared genetic networks between spina bifida risk and bone structure, including PCP components and Zic2. Genetic variants which predispose to spina bifida may therefore independently diminish bone mass

Protocol for the saMS trial (supportive adjustment for multiple sclerosis): a randomized controlled trial comparing cognitive behavioral therapy to supportive listening for adjustment to multiple sclerosis

BackgroundMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is an incurable, chronic, potentially progressive and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. The disease produces a range of unpleasant and debilitating symptoms, which can have a profound impact including disrupting activities of daily living, employment, income, relationships, social and leisure activities, and life goals. Adjusting to the illness is therefore particularly challenging. This trial tests the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural intervention compared to supportive listening to assist adjustment in the early stages of MS.MethodsThis is a two arm randomized multi-centre parallel group controlled trial. 122 consenting participants who meet eligibility criteria will be randomly allocated to receive either Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Supportive Listening. Eight one hour sessions of therapy (delivered over a period of 10 weeks) will be delivered by general nurses trained in both treatments. Self-report questionnaire data will be collected at baseline (0 weeks), mid-therapy (week 5 of therapy), post-therapy (15 weeks) and at six months (26 weeks) and twelve months (52 weeks) follow-up. Primary outcomes are distress and MS-related social and role impairment at twelve month follow-up. Analysis will also consider predictors and mechanisms of change during therapy. In-depth interviews to examine participants’ experiences of the interventions will be conducted with a purposively sampled sub-set of the trial participants. An economic analysis will also take place. DiscussionThis trial is distinctive in its aims in that it aids adjustment to MS in a broad sense. It is not a treatment specifically for depression. Use of nurses as therapists makes the interventions potentially viable in terms of being rolled out in the NHS. The trial benefits from incorporating patient input in the development and evaluation stages. The trial will provide important information about the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of the interventions as well as mechanisms of psychosocial adjustment.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN91377356<br/