How Supermarkets Are Shaping Up and Growing Their Lower-Calorie Products

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than a third of adults and nearly 17 percent of children in the United States are obese. This public health crisis has spurred policy debates at all levels of government, and has prompted initiatives aimed at making schools and communities healthier for children and families. For the past four years, Hudson Institute, a nonpartisan policy research organization, has studied the link between healthier, lower-calorie products and the sales performance of the companies that offer them. It has completed several landmark studies covering consumer packaged goods (CPG) food companies and restaurant chains that have demonstrated the positive impact of lower-calorie and/or better-for-you (BFY) foods and beverages on overall sales growth. This latest study aims to determine whether supermarket chains, like CPG companies and restaurant chains, are also reaping business benefits from selling lower-calorie products

Plate versus bulk trolley food service in a hospital: comparison of patients’ satisfaction

Objective The aim of this research was to compare plate with bulk trolley food service in hospitals in terms of patient satisfaction. Key factors distinguishing satisfaction with each system would also be identified. Methods A consumer opinion card (n = 180), concentrating on the quality indicators of core foods, was used to measure patient satisfaction and compare two systems of delivery, plate and trolley. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to build a model that would predict food service style on the basis of the food attributes measured. Further investigation used multinomial logistic regression to predict opinion for the assessment of each food attribute within food service style. Results Results showed that the bulk trolley method of food distribution enables all foods to have a more acceptable texture, and for some foods (potato, P = 0.007; poached fish, P = 0.001; and minced beef, P ≤ 0.0005) temperature, and for other foods (broccoli, P ≤ 0.0005; carrots, P ≤ 0.0005; and poached fish, P = 0.001) flavor, than the plate system of delivery, where flavor is associated with bad opinion or dissatisfaction. A model was built indicating patient satisfaction with the two service systems. Conclusion This research confirms that patient satisfaction is enhanced by choice at the point of consumption (trolley system); however, portion size was not the controlling dimension. Temperature and texture were the most important attributes that measure patient satisfaction with food, thus defining the focus for hospital food service managers. To date, a model predicting patient satisfaction with the quality of food as served has not been proposed, and as such this work adds to the body of knowledge in this field. This report brings new information about the service style of dishes for improving the quality of food and thus enhancing patient satisfaction

Effects of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on Generative and Elaborative Aspects of Creativity

While some research suggests that Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) negatively impacts creative abilities by limiting the processes thought to aid divergent thinking (focused attention, executive functions, etc.), others have found that cognitive traits associated with ADHD may aid in accessing uninhibited ideas. Studies, however, have failed to separate the effect of ADHD on the idea generation vs. elaboration phases within creativity. This study investigated how traits of ADHD affect these two phases, predicting that those with strong traits of ADHD would excel in creative idea generation over elaboration. Participants completed a two-part drawing task designed to separate the creative phases. They were given 3 minutes to transform nine incomplete circles into as many original and creative sketch ideas as they could, before choosing one drawing to elaborate on further during a second 3 minute time block. The results found a significant positive relationship between traits of ADHD and average creativity rates for the idea generation phase. No significance was found between traits of ADHD and the idea elaboration phase creativity rates. The study concluded that ADHD has a positive impact on novel idea generation (but not elaboration) within creativit

From thrusting to back-arc extension: seismic structure and field evidence of the Apennine Tyrrhenian margin (Central Italy)

The Apennine Tyrrhenian margin records the evolutionary steps of the back-arc basin developed at the rear of a E-ward migrating fold-and-thrust belt. As well-documented in literature, the counterclockwise rotation of the Apennines is related to the southward increase of the roll back-related subduction of the Adria slab. This led first to the progressive incorporation of thrust sheets within the Apennine prism in the upper plate and later to its subsequent back-arc extension that is contemporaneous with the continuate inarching of the Apennine front towards the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Uncertainties arise on the structural style and timing in the internal Apennines between the orogenic and post-orogenic stages, that are respectively represented by thrust-sheet implacement, and crustal thinning

S5E6: How can research lead to student success?

Improving student retention and success is a key priority at the University of Maine and University of Maine System. To support this goal, the Harold Alfond Foundation earmarked $20 million of its transformative$240 million gift to the System for new efforts to keep students enrolled and support their academic growth. One of these new initiatives involves getting students involved in discovery and knowledge creation early in their studies through new research learning experience (RLE) courses launched this year at UMaine and it’s regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias. These tuition-free, one-credit courses offer a variety of experiential learning opportunities for first-year and second-year students. In this episode of “The Maine Question,” we speak with John Volin, UMaine provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and Issac Cardello, a computer science student from Rhode Island who participated in one of the RLEs, about the courses and their potential to increase student retention and success

Infusing Trauma-Informed Care in Career Counseling: Promising Practices and a Proposed Framework

The impact of trauma on career development is well-documented and includes effects on career decision, stability, and unemployment. However, literature on trauma-informed interventions in the career counseling setting is scarce and a universal model for providing career counseling with a trauma-informed lens does not currently exist. Therefore, the authors discuss existing literature on trauma-informed care and application for career counseling. An integrated framework for trauma-informed career counseling, the HEART model, is proposed and includes five components: (a) instilling hope, (b) establishing safety, (c) recognizing and responding to chronic stress, (d) building resilience, and (e) the importance of engaging in ongoing training. Practical application recommendations are offered for licensed counselors to utilize the HEART model in the career counseling setting with clients who have experienced trauma. Additional recommendations are discussed for counselor education training programs, professional counseling organizations, and future research efforts to further integrate evidence-based trauma-informed practices in career counseling

Supporting First-Gen Students in Overcoming Career Readiness Barriers

First-generation college students face unique challenges in their career readiness, specifically in regard to securing internships and other experiential learning opportunities, finding mentors, and building a professional network. This session will discuss practical strategies that staff and faculty can utilize in an effort to support first-gen students in these areas of their career development