SHELF LABELING OF ORGANIC FOODS: EFFECTS ON CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS AND SALES

The organic food industry is undergoing tremendous expansion. Retail grocers and organic food suppliers are interested in promoting organic foods to customers in mainstream grocery stores. The purpose of this study was to determine if point of purchase (POP) signage in retail grocery stores affects customer perceptions of organic foods and organic food purchasing behavior (sales). An experimental study was designed in which control and two levels of POP signage were tested in two grocery store environments in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Ten stores were involved; six from an upscale chain and four from a discount/warehouse chain. A customer intercept interview method was used to determine the perceptions of approximately 400 customers in each store; and sales data were tracked for 14 selected organic food items. Results revealed that customers in upscale stores were more likely than discount/warehouse store customers to recognize signs designating organic foods. Younger people, women and those having larger household sizes recognized organic signage most often. In both chains, signage increased the proportion of customers who reported ever buying and planning to buy organic foods. Sales data suggest a positive effect of POP signage on volume of sales for some, but not all tracked foods. Signage significantly increased the sales of skim milk, butter, eggs, deli bread, fresh carrots, spaghetti and flaked cereal in the discount/warehouse stores. In the upscale stores, significant effects of POP signage were found for skim milk, spaghetti, peach nectar and fresh carrots when the sales figures were adjusted for the store's weekly sales volume. The mixed sales results underscore the dynamic interplay between the store environment, its customers, and POP technology.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Marketing,

GIRLSS : a study of the effectiveness of a multi-modal intervention to reduce relational aggression

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on May 15, 2013).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Dissertation advisors: Drs. Cheryl Offutt and Connie BrooksIncludes bibliographical references.Vita.Ph. D. University of Missouri-Columbia 2012."May 2012"Relational aggression has quickly become a serious issue in schools. In response, school professionals have sought and developed interventions despite a dearth of empirical examination and support. The current study bolsters this area by examining the initial efficacy of GIRLSS, an intervention developed over multiple iterations incorporating the feedback and perspective of involved schools. GIRLSS is a 10-week school-based group counseling, parent training and parent phone consultation intervention based on cognitive behavioral strategies and social learning theory. The current study used a randomized, pretest-posttest design with assignment to either a GIRLSS intervention group (N=22) or a waiting list control group (N=12). Results of multiple regression analyses found that participation in the intervention group significantly predicted reduced levels of school counselor-reported relational aggression reported. Participation in the intervention group also significantly predicted increased knowledge of relational aggression and the GIRLSS curriculum. Increased understanding mediated the relationship between teachers' pretest and posttest report of participants' relationally aggressive behaviors. However, no significant effects were found on proposed secondary outcomes or participants' self-report of RA. Limitations of these findings are discussed, including a small sample size, novel referral and recruitment procedures, and the validity of some outcome measures. Future research should seek to improve GIRLSS in collaboration with interested schools and utilize more sophisticated, feasible and valid recruitment and measurement procedures.Includes bibliographical reference

Combining School and Family-Centered Interventions to Prevent Child Behavior Problems

This poster was presented at the American Psychological Association Conference in Boston, MA, in August 2008.Although school-wide PBS has been shown to reduce problem behaviors among students, approximately 15-20% of students are still in need of more selective interventions due to disruptive behavior problems. Given that both school (see Reinke & Herman, 2002) and family factors (Banks, et al., 1993) contribute to behavior problems in children, combining interventions that target both the school environment and family context is expected to further improve outcomes for those students. An ecological model combining PBS and the Family Check-up is proposed to prevent and reduce behavior problems in children

Estimation of cardiac output in patients with congestive heart failure by analysis of right ventricular pressure waveforms

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cardiac output (CO) is an important determinant of the hemodynamic state in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). We tested the hypothesis that CO can be estimated from the right ventricular (RV) pressure waveform in CHF patients using a pulse contour cardiac output algorithm that considers constant but patient specific RV outflow tract characteristic impedance.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>In 12 patients with CHF, breath-by-breath Fick CO and RV pressure waveforms were recorded utilizing an implantable hemodynamic monitor during a bicycle exercise protocol. These data were analyzed retrospectively to assess changes in characteristic impedance of the RV outflow tract during exercise. Four patients that were implanted with an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) implementing the algorithm were studied prospectively. During a two staged sub-maximal bicycle exercise test conducted at 4 and 16 weeks of implant, COs measured by direct Fick technique and estimated by the ICD were recorded and compared.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At rest the total pulmonary arterial resistance and the characteristic impedance were 675 ± 345 and 48 ± 18 dyn.s.cm^-5, respectively. During sub-maximal exercise, the total pulmonary arterial resistance decreased (Δ 91 ± 159 dyn.s.cm^-5, p < 0.05) but the characteristic impedance was unaffected (Δ 3 ± 9 dyn.s.cm^-5, NS). The algorithm derived cardiac output estimates correlated with Fick CO (7.6 ± 2.5 L/min, R²= 0.92) with a limit of agreement of 1.7 L/min and tracked changes in Fick CO (R²= 0.73).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The analysis of right ventricular pressure waveforms continuously recorded by an implantable hemodynamic monitor provides an estimate of CO and may prove useful in guiding treatment in patients with CHF.</p