Evaluation of Students\u27 Satisfactions with and Importance of Attributes of Three Unique All-You-Can-Eat University Dining Facilities

This study was conducted to evaluate students\u27 satisfaction with and importance of nine attributes of three unique all-you-can-eat university dining facilities at the University of Mississippi, the Grill at 1810, Marketplace at the Residential College, and the Rebel Market. The attributes included food quality, service quality, variety of menu items, cleanliness, nutritional content, availability of healthy options, location, atmosphere/environment, and image/reputation. Additionally, the study evaluated students\u27 satisfaction with each university dining facility overall, the students\u27 satisfaction versus importance at each facility. This information was used to determine attributes that may need improving within each university dining facility and areas that are performing well. A survey was distributed to students from October 19 to 25, 2015 during the hours of 11:00AM to 1:00PM. There were 341 surveys returned with 16 being excluded due to incomplete answers, resulting in a total of 325 for the final count. Results showed that student participants were significantly more satisfied overall with the Grill. The Grill was significantly more satisfactory in seven of the nine several attributes (food quality, service quality, variety of menu items, cleanliness, nutritional content, availability of healthy options, and image/reputation) compared to both the Rebel Market and Marketplace. The Rebel Market was significantly more satisfactory for two of the attributes (variety of menu items and food quality) compared to Marketplace. Students\u27 ranking of the importance of attributes showed no significant differences. In all three university dining facilities, satisfaction was significantly less than importance for food quality, service quality, and variety of menu options indicating these are the areas in which management needs to focus the most

Assessing Food Insecurity Prevalence and Associated Factors among College Students Enrolled in a University in the Southeastern United States

Background: Food insecurity is defined as the inability to access adequate and nutritious food. There is a relatively small, but growing body of published research on the prevalence of food insecurity among college students, with most studies finding food insecurity prevalence to be higher on college campuses than in states in which studies were conducted. Two published studies at large, public universities in the Southeast found inconsistent rates of food insecurity, 14% and 46%.Objective: To assess rates of food insecurity among college students enrolled in campuses of a large public university system in one state in the Southeastern United States and identify factors that are associated with experiencing food insecurity.Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. An online survey was administered to eligible, enrolled students (n=38,586), 5,593 responded (14% response rate). After applying exclusion criteria (freshman standing, \u3c18 years old, not a college student, incomplete Adult Food Security Survey Module answers), the final sample size was 4,842. Descriptive statistics were conducted to calculate food insecurity status and identify sample characteristics. Associations between food security status and independent variables were assessed using bivariate analyses (chi square and ANOVA tests), which were further assessed using multivariate logistic regression.Results: Among students in this sample, a high rate (36%) of food insecurity was identified, which was more than double the rate (13%) of the general population in the same state. When controlling for race, ethnicity, gender, age, and campus attended, factors that were significantly associated with increased likelihood of food insecurity included previous food insecurity, financial factors, and a GPA \u3c3.85. Seniors were significantly more likely to be food insecure than graduate students (OR=1.41). No significant relationships were identified between food insecurity prevalence and meal plan participation, sophomores, and juniors.Conclusion: This research identifies high rates of food insecurity among college students enrolled in a large public university system in the Southeastern US, as well as select factors related to food insecurity, demonstrating the need for creation of interventions and programs to assist college students experiencing food insecurity

Real-Time Control Of Floods Along The Demer River, Belgium, By Means Of MPC In Combination With GA And A Fast Conceptual River Model

Climate model projections show that climate change will further increase the risk of flooding in many regions of the world. There is a need for climate adaptation, but building new infrastructure or additional retention basins has its limits, especially in densely populated areas where open spaces are limited. Another solution is the more efficient use of the existing infrastructure. This research investigates a method for real-time flood control by means of existing gated weirs and retention basins. The method was tested for the specific study area of the Demer basin in Belgium but is generally applicable. Today, retention basins along the Demer River are controlled by means of adjustable gated weirs based on fixed logic rules. However, because of the high complexity of the system, only suboptimal results are achieved by these rules. By making use of precipitation forecasts and combined hydrological-hydraulic river models, the state of the river network can be predicted. To fasten the calculation speed, a conceptual river model was used. The conceptual model was combined with a Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm and a Genetic Algorithm (GA). The MPC algorithm predicts the state of the river network depending on the positions of the adjustable weirs in the basin. The GA generates these positions in a semi-random way. Cost functions, based on water levels, were introduced to evaluate the efficiency of each generation, based on flood damage minimization. In the final phase of this research the influence of the most important MPC and GA parameters was investigated by means of a sensitivity study. The results show that the MPC-GA algorithm manages to reduce the total flood volume during the historical event of September 1998 by 46% in comparison with the current regulation. Based on the MPC-GA results, some recommendations could be formulated to improve the logic rules

A Case of Infected Biloma due to Spontaneous Intrahepatic Biliary Rupture

A "biloma" is a loculated collection of bile located outside of the biliary tree. It can be caused by traumatic, iatrogenic or spontaneous rupture of the biliary tree. Prior reports have documented an association of biloma with abdominal trauma, surgery and other primary causes, but spontaneous bile leakage has rarely been reported. A spontaneous infected biloma, without any underlying disease, is a very rare finding. We recently diagnosed a spontaneous infected biloma by abdominal computed tomography and sonographically guided percutaneous aspiration. The patient was successfully managed with percutaneous drainage and intravenous antibiotics. We report here a case of infected biloma caused by spontaneous rupture of the intrahepatic duct, and review the relevant medical literature

Mid-term evaluation of the AIMS-IDRC/DFID program, 2010-2017 : final report

The evaluation serves to provide the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS Secretariat, Centres and Chapters), AIMS Board and stakeholders, with information on the achievements of AIMS, on lessons learnt, on opportunities for change and in a context of organizational and operational growth, on recommendations for the future. It provides accountability for the main funders, addressing relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability regarding AIMS’s goals. AIMS has been effective in setting up common administrative and operating procedures as well as policies in finance and program reporting, successfully securing funds for opening four centres since 2010, with plans for two more

Evaluation of Students’ Satisfactions with and Importance of Attributes of Three Unique All-You-Can-Eat University Dining Facilities

This study was conducted to evaluate students’ satisfaction with and importance of nine attributes of three unique all-you-can-eat university dining facilities at the University of Mississippi, the Grill at 1810, Marketplace at the Residential College, and the Rebel Market. The attributes included food quality, service quality, variety of menu items, cleanliness, nutritional content, availability of healthy options, location, atmosphere/environment, and image/reputation. Additionally, the study evaluated students’ satisfaction with each university dining facility overall, the students’ satisfaction versus importance at each facility. This information was used to determine attributes that may need improving within each university dining facility and areas that are performing well. A survey was distributed to students from October 19 to 25, 2015 during the hours of 11:00AM to 1:00PM. There were 341 surveys returned with 16 being excluded due to incomplete answers, resulting in a total of 325 for the final count. Results showed that student participants were significantly more satisfied overall with the Grill. The Grill was significantly more satisfactory in seven of the nine several attributes (food quality, service quality, variety of menu items, cleanliness, nutritional content, availability of healthy options, and image/reputation) compared to both the Rebel Market and Marketplace. The Rebel Market was significantly more satisfactory for two of the attributes (variety of menu items and food quality) compared to Marketplace. Students’ ranking of the importance of attributes showed no significant differences. In all three university dining facilities, satisfaction was significantly less than importance for food quality, service quality, and variety of menu options indicating these are the areas in which management needs to focus the most

The Economic Impact Ole Miss Athletics Has on The City of Oxford, Mississippi:An Analysis of Home Football Games in the Fall Of 2012

This thesis looks to examine whether or not Ole Miss Football games have a significant impact on the City of Oxford. Since the topic of economic impact analysis concerning sports is so vast, containing thousands of elements, this study highlights only six weekends from the fall of 2012, three of which were home football weekends. The purpose of the particular study was to examine the economic activity and spending behavior during football weekends and compare them to non-football weekends to determine significant differences, if any. A portion of this thesis contains a review of previous economic Impact analyses. The proper methods and principles of research used for my project are attributable to these particular works, establishing a framework on which this thesis is built