Evaluating Consumer Sensory and Composition Attributes of Arkansas-Grown Fresh-Market Blackberries

Blackberries are grown worldwide for commercial fresh markets. Three Arkansas-grown fresh-market blackberry genotypes (‘Natchez’, ‘Ouachita’, and A-2418) were evaluated for consumer sensory and compositional attributes at the University of Arkansas Food Science Department, Fayetteville. The compositional attributes of the blackberries were within an acceptable range for commercial markets (soluble solids=8.20-11.90%, pH=2.79-3.18, titratable acidity=1.09-1.32%). In terms of soluble solids to titratable acidity ratio, ‘Ouachita’ (10.92) had the highest ratio, followed by ‘Natchez’ (8.93) and A-2418 (6.25). A consumer sensory panel (n=80) evaluated fresh-market blackberry attributes using a 9-point hedonic scale for overall impression, overall flavor, sweetness, and sourness and a 5-point Just-about-Right (JAR) scale for sweetness and sourness. The participants also ranked the blackberries in order of overall liking from most to least liked. For overall impression, overall flavor, and sweetness, ‘Natchez’ scored higher than ‘Ouachita’ and A-2418, but the panelists did not detect differences in sourness. In terms of JAR for sweetness, 64% of consumers scored ‘Natchez’ JAR, followed by ‘Ouachita’ (39%) and A-2418 (34%). Whereas, 42% percent found A-2418 “Too Sour”, followed by ‘Ouachita (33%) and ‘Natchez’ (25%). In terms of ranking the blackberries, ‘Natchez’ was the most liked blackberry followed by ‘Ouachita’ and A-2418. When looking only at blackberries ranked first, 53% of consumers ranked ‘Natchez’ as their most liked berry, compared to A-2418 (26%) and ‘Ouachita’ (21%). The results from this research suggested that fresh-market blackberries with medium-level sweetness to sourness ratios were preferred though more consumers than expected preferred the blackberries with the more extreme ratios

A tri-dimensional approach for auditing brand loyalty

Over the past twenty years brand loyalty has been an important topic for both marketing practitioners and academics. While practitioners have produced proprietary brand loyalty audit models, there has been little academic research to make transparent the methodology that underpins these audits and to enable practitioners to understand, develop and conduct their own audits. In this paper, we propose a framework for a brand loyalty audit that uses a tri-dimensional approach to brand loyalty, which includes behavioural loyalty and the two components of attitudinal loyalty: emotional and cognitive loyalty. In allowing for different levels and intensity of brand loyalty, this tri-dimensional approach is important from a managerial perspective. It means that loyalty strategies that arise from a brand audit can be made more effective by targeting the market segments that demonstrate the most appropriate combination of brand loyalty components. We propose a matrix with three dimensions (emotional, cognitive and behavioural loyalty) and two levels (high and low loyalty) to facilitate a brand loyalty audit. To demonstrate this matrix, we use the example of financial services, in particular a rewards-based credit card

Heroic Humility: What the Science of Humility Can Say to People Raised on Self-Focus

In this age of selfies, instant celebrity, and corporate scandals, there is a pressing need for greater humility. This book synthesizes research and theory relevant to humility and heroism, articulating a vision of heroic humility — humility of such great depth that it inspires others. Fortunately, humility can be learned. It has three aspects: an honest self-appraisal (including an attitude that one is teachable), modest self-presentation, and an orientation toward building others up rather than putting them down. People who embody heroic humility not only demonstrate instances of great humility, but practice it throughout their lives, even when severely tested. This book likens the formation of a humble character to a hero\u27s journey, with a call, a passage through challenges and temptations, a descent into abyss, and redemption. An impressive array of examples — such as Mother Teresa, Malala Yousafzai, and Abraham Lincoln — illustrate that no two heroic journeys are identical. This insightful volume challenges readers to embark on their own journey of heroic humility in their work, service, and personal lives.https://scholarship.richmond.edu/bookshelf/1306/thumbnail.jp

Irreversible Magnetization Deep in the Vortex-Liquid State of a 2D Superconductor at High Magnetic Fields

The remarkable phenomenon of weak magnetization hysteresis loops, observed recently deep in the vortex-liquid state of a nearly two-dimensional (2D) superconductor at low temperatures, is shown to reflect the existence of an unusual vortex-liquid state, consisting of collectively pinned crystallites of easily sliding vortex chains.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Ripeness attributes of Arkansas-grown peaches and nectarines at harvest and during postharvest storage

Since peaches and nectarines are a valued fresh-market crop worldwide, evaluating postharvest potential helps determine feasibility for commercial markets. The ripeness attributes of 10 peach and nectarine genotypes were evaluated at harvest (day 0) and after 7 and 14 d storage at 4° C. The fruit was hand harvested at tree ripeness (ripened on the tree) and commercial ripeness (ripened during storage). The attributes of the tree-ripened fruit and commercially-ripened fruit varied at harvest and included chlorophyll (0.04-0.86 abs), peach weight (132-264 g), soluble solids (7.23-12.57%), pH (3.18-4.66), titratable acidity (0.16-1.21%), and flesh firmness (6.92-35.72 N). In general, tree-ripened fruit had higher fruit weight, soluble solids, and pH and lower chlorophyll, titratable acidity, and firmness than commercially-ripened fruit at harvest. For the tree-ripened fruit, A-811 CN was the largest (247.67 g), A-794 CN had the highest soluble solids (12.57%) and titratable acidity (0.88%), ‘Souvenirs’ (6.92 N) had the lowest firmness, and ‘Amoore Sweet’ (18.28 N) was the firmest. During storage of commercially-ripened fruit, chlorophyll and fruit weight decreased, while soluble solids increased, but there were no changes in pH or titratable acidity. During storage, A-885 (0.35 abs) had the lowest chlorophyll and ‘Effie’ had the largest fruit (203.11 g) and highest soluble solids (12.02%). Some ripeness attributes of the commercially-ripened fruit, such as chlorophyll and weight, were not achieved as compared to the tree-ripened fruit. The results of this study provide insight on the potential for releasing new peach and nectarine genotypes from the University of Arkansas Fruit Breeding Program

Large droplet impact on water layers

The impact of large droplets onto an otherwise undisturbed layer of water is considered. The work, which is motivated primarily with regard to aircraft icing, is to try and help understand the role of splashing on the formation of ice on a wing, in particular for large droplets where splash appears, to have a significant effect. Analytical and numerical approaches are used to investigate a single droplet impact onto a water layer. The flow for small times after impact is determined analytically, for both direct and oblique impacts. The impact is also examined numerically using the volume of fluid (VOF) method. At small times there are promising comparisons between the numerical results, the analytical solution and experimental work capturing the ejector sheet. At larger times there is qualitative agreement with experiments and related simulations. Various cases are considered, varying the droplet size to layer depth ratio, including surface roughness, droplet distortion and air effects. The amount of fluid splashed by such an impact is examined and is found to increase with droplet size and to be significantly influenced by surface roughness. The makeup of the splash is also considered, tracking the incoming fluid, and the splash is found to consist mostly of fluid originating in the layer

Rapid serodiagnosis of Staphylococcus aureus surgical site infection following median sternotomy

Objectives: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of a novel ELISA for the serodiagnosis of surgical site infection (SSI) due to staphylococci following median sternotomy. Methods: Twelve patients with a superficial sternal SSI and 19 with a deep sternal SSI due to Staphylococcus aureus were compared with 37 control patients who also underwent median sternotomy for cardiac surgery but exhibited no microbiological or clinical symptoms of infection. A further five patients with sternal SSI due to coagulase-negative (CoNS) staphylococci were studied. An ELISA incorporating a recently recognised exocellular short chain form of lipoteichoic acid (lipid S) recovered from CoNS, was used to determine serum levels of anti-lipid S IgG in all patient groups. Results: Serum anti-lipid S IgG titres of patients with sternal SSI due to S. aureus were significantly higher than the control patients (P<0.0001). In addition, patients with deep sternal SSI had significantly higher serum anti-lipid S IgG titres than patients with superficial sternal SSI (P=0.03). Serum anti-lipid S IgG titres of patients with sternal SSI due to CoNS were significantly higher than the control patients (P=0.001). Conclusion: The lipid S ELISA may facilitate the diagnosis of sternal SSI due to S. aureus and could also be of value with infection due to CoNS. © 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of The Bristish Infection Society

Adaptive immunity alters distinct host feeding pathways during nematode induced inflammation, a novel mechanism in parasite expulsion

Gastrointestinal infection is often associated with hypophagia and weight loss; however, the precise mechanisms governing these responses remain poorly defined. Furthermore, the possibility that alterations in feeding during infection may be beneficial to the host requires further study. We used the nematode Trichinella spiralis, which transiently inhabits the small intestine before migrating to skeletal muscle, as a biphasic model of infection to determine the cellular and molecular pathways controlling feeding during enteric and peripheral inflammation. Through the infection of genetically modified mice lacking cholecystokinin, Tumor necrosis factor α receptors and T and B-cells, we observed a biphasic hypophagic response to infection resulting from two separate immune-driven mechanisms. The enteroendocrine I-cell derived hormone cholecystokinin is an essential mediator of initial hypophagia and is induced by CD4+ T-cells during enteritis. In contrast, the second hypophagic response is extra-intestinal and due to the anorectic effects of TNFα during peripheral infection of the muscle. Moreover, via maintaining naive levels of the adipose secreted hormone leptin throughout infection we demonstrate a novel feedback loop in the immunoendocrine axis. Immune driven I-cell hyperplasia and resultant weight loss leads to a reduction in the inflammatory adipokine leptin, which in turn heightens protective immunity during infection. These results characterize specific immune mediated mechanisms which reduce feeding during intestinal or peripheral inflammation. Importantly, the molecular mediators of each phase are entirely separate. The data also introduce the first evidence that I-cell hyperplasia is an adaptively driven immune response that directly impinges on the outcome to infection

RAPD for the typing of coagulase-negative staphylococci implicated in catheter-related bloodstream infection

Objectives: A rapid random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was developed to distinguish between strains of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) involved in central venous catheter (CVC)-related bloodstream infection. Its performance was compared with that of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Methods: Patients at the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, U.K. who underwent stem cell transplantation and were diagnosed with CVC-related bloodstream infection due to CoNS whilst on the bone marrow transplant unit were studied. Isolates of CoNS were genotyped by PFGE and RAPD, the latter employing a single primer and a simple DNA extraction method. Results: Both RAPD and PFGE were highly discriminatory (Simpson's diversity index, 0.96 and 0.99, respectively). Within the 49 isolates obtained from blood cultures of 33 patients, 20 distinct strains were identified by PFGE and 25 by RAPD. Of the 25 strains identified by RAPD, nine clusters of CoNS contained isolates from multiple patients, suggesting limited nosocomial spread. However, there was no significant association between time of inpatient stay and infection due to any particular strain. Conclusion: The RAPD technique presented allows CoNS strains to be genotyped with high discrimination within 4 h, facilitating real-time epidemiological investigations. In this study, no single strain of CoNS was associated with a significant number of CVC-related bloodstream infections. © 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of the British Infection Society