Understanding consumer perception of deep-fried battered and breaded coatings

This study aims to investigate three types of deep-fried battered and breadcrumb coatings (fine, medium, and coarse), each coating varying in breadcrumb size. Instrumental testing using X-ray micro-computerized tomography, texture analysis, and acoustic analysis confirms significant differences between each sample in terms of physical and mechanical properties. Four hedonic and 9 sensory attributes were evaluated by 185 consumers for preference and acceptance (9-point scale and just-about-right-scale). Penalty analysis confirmed significant mean drops within all three samples (p < .05), “coarse” having the most and “medium” having the least. This explains “medium” having the overall highest liking score (6.72) and coarse having significantly lower (5.88). Crispness is an important textural attribute representing freshness and quality of deep-fried coatings. However, penalty analysis shows “coarse” coatings with the highest crispness scores, resulting in the greatest significant mean drop (2.01) and lowest overall liking. A combination of flavor, appearance, and texture-related attributes significantly reduce hedonic score (p < .05). Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis confirms three clusters of consumers based on liking for either “coarse,” “medium,” or “fine.” Each of these samples has a significant difference in the microstructure. Chi-square test confirms a significant difference in product quality, purchase intent, and met expectations between samples in each cluster group (p < .05). The findings in this research highlight how differences in microstructure of battered and breaded coatings influence textural properties and consumer preference. This can be applied to a wide battered and breaded goods.     

Composites based on poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers with polyaniline. II. The effect of the growth of the polyaniline molecules during the polymerization in the morphology of the PET substrate

PET fibers of different drawn ratios were used as substrates to produce composites with PANi. The influence of the growth of the polyaniline molecules in the structure of the fibers previously pretreated in the presence of aniline at different conditions were studied by different characterization techniques (differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray scattering, dynamic and mechanical thermal analysis, sonic modulus, and scanning electron microscopy). The polymerization of the aniline inside the fiber substrates modified the structure of the fibers. In the case of the drawn fiber substrates the growth of the PANi molecules occurred mainly in the interfibrillar regions, which promoted reorganization of the preexisting crystals such as defect elimination (mainly in the interface of these regions with the lamellar regions) and at same time reorientation of their amorphous and crystalline regions. Also, due to this reorientation process the crystals became not only bigger and more perfect, but also they became more homogeneous. In the case of the undrawn fiber substrates, due to the lack of previous orientation, the growth of the PANi molecules would be occurring in the amorphous interlamellar regions only. Finally, the use of fibers with different drawn ratios as substrates for the composites was essential to reach such conclusions. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2346–2362, 2000     

Composites based on poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers with polyaniline. I. Effect of the aniline monomer in the morphology of the PET substrate

Heat‐treated PET fibers of different draw ratios (0X, 2.6X) were submitted to different conditions (time and temperature) of chemical treatments in the presence of aniline and aniline plus benzoic acid in order to verify the influence of these chemicals on their structure. Both crystalline structures of these fibers behaved similarly in some aspects to these applied chemical treatments, but differently in others. The major differences would be related to their original structures (control ones) due to the existence or not of previous orientation. The drawn fiber presented a more stable and more complex structure than that of the undrawn one. The crystalline structure of the drawn fibers changed from a two‐form and more heterogeneous crystalline structure to a more homogeneous one, which is constituted of smaller and/or less perfect crystallites. The use of benzoic acid in combination with aniline seems to be more effective to plasticize both fibers, especially at higher temperatures and longer times of treatment. At these conditions, the fibers presented swelling and a more effective reduction of their glass transition temperatures (T_g). The swelling and the increase in the chain flexibility might be responsible for the formation of the more homogeneous crystalline structure of the drawn fibers. The swelling promoted not only disorientation of the amorphous regions, but disorientation of their crystalline regions as well. This phenomenon seems to be responsible for the observed decrease in the intensity of the X‐ray diffractograms within a given treatment for both fibers. Sonic modulus analysis performed for the drawn fibers confirmed such data. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2126–2138, 2000     

Prevalence and characteristics of smokers at 30 Pacific Northwest colleges and universities.

College is an important transition period during which young adults explore tobacco use. Few large-scale studies have been conducted among college students regarding tobacco use. We initiated a study examining tobacco use in 30 colleges and universities in the Pacific Northwest. We conducted a baseline survey among students. Sample size varied by the school size; for the 14 largest schools, we drew a random sample of all students, oversampling freshmen (n approximately 750) so that we could recruit and follow a cohort to assess smoking onset during the college years. Of the remaining students, we sampled equivalent numbers of sophomores, juniors, and seniors (n = 200 each). For the 16 schools with fewer than 1,350 students, we surveyed all students. We found overall smoking rates of 17.2%. Males (18.6%) were more likely to smoke than females (16.6%; p = .03), and public college students were more likely to smoke (20.5%) than those who attended private independent schools (18.9%; p = .61), whose rates were higher than those of private religious schools (11.6%; p = .001). Overall, college students are light smokers who do not smoke every day of the month. Further, they tend not to be highly dependent on tobacco, do not consider themselves regular smokers, and plan to quit before they graduate (56.8%). School type should be considered when estimating smoking rates among 4-year college students. Data indicate that college smokers wish and plan to quit before graduation, suggesting that efforts to assist smokers in quitting during the college years may be fruitful.     

Household bottled water consumption in Phoenix: a lifestyle choice

The demand for bottled water has grown tremendously in recent years, together with concern about its environmental impacts. The authors surveyed individuals in Phoenix, Arizona about their water consumption behaviour, socio-demographic characteristics, perception of water quality and trust in the government's willingness to respond to water quality issues. Using a logit model, the authors then tested the relationship between the respondents' characteristics and bottled water consumption for cooking and drinking in the home. Our results indicate that bottled water consumption reflects lifestyle choice not environmental concerns.     

Highly Porous Crosslinkable PLA‐PNB Block Copolymer Scaffolds

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)‐block‐poly(norbornene) (PNB) copolymers which bear photocrosslinkable cinnamate side‐chains are synthesized by combining the ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of norbornenes with the ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of lactides. Highly porous 3D scaffolds with tunable pore sizes ranging from 20 to 300 µm are fabricated through liquid–solid phase separation. Scaffolds with an average pore size around 250 µm, which are under investigation as bone grafting materials, are reproducibly obtained from freeze‐drying 5% w/v benzene solutions of PLA‐b‐PNB copolymers at −10 °C. As a demonstration of the impact of photocrosslinking of cinnamate side‐chains, scaffolds are exposed to UV radiation for 8 h, resulting in a 33% increase in the compressive modulus of the polymeric scaffold. The foams and the methodology described herein represent a new strategy toward polymeric scaffolds with potential for use in regenerative medicine applications.     

Internal and external moderators of the effect of variety on food intake.

Many factors contribute to how much we eat. One such factor is the variety of different foods available. The current article reviews the variety literature with a specific focus on the factors that moderate the effects of variety on food intake and that moderate the processes that may underlie the variety effect (i.e., sensory-specific satiety and monotony). The moderators have been categorized as being of either an internal nature or an external nature. The literature suggests that internal moderators, including characteristics such as gender, weight, and dietary restraint, do not act as moderators of the variety effect. One possible exception to the absence of internal moderators is old age. Alternatively, external moderators, such as particular properties of food and the eater’s perception of the situation, appear to affect the strength of the variety effect on intake to some degree. An evolutionary hypothesis may account for the distinct roles that internal and external variables play in moderating the variety effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Advancing the boundaries of high-connectivity network simulation with distributed computing

The availability of efficient and reliable simulation tools is one of the mission-critical technologies in the fast-moving field of computational neuroscience. Research indicates that higher brain functions emerge from large and complex cortical networks and their interactions. The large number of elements (neurons) combined with the high connectivity (synapses) of the biological network and the specific type of interactions impose severe constraints on the explorable system size that previously have been hard to overcome. Here we present a collection of new techniques combined to a coherent simulation tool removing the fundamental obstacle in the computational study of biological neural networks: the enormous number of synaptic contacts per neuron. Distributing an individual simulation over multiple computers enables the investigation of networks orders of magnitude larger than previously possible. The software scales excellently on a wide range of tested hardware, so it can be used in an interactive and iterative fashion for the development of ideas, and results can be produced quickly even for very large networks. In contrast to earlier approaches, a wide class of neuron models and synaptic dynamics can be represented.     

Sex and social influence: Does sex function as a status characteristic in mixed-sex groups of children?

168 White 4th and 5th graders were assigned to 4-person teams, each consisting of 2 boys and 2 girls, of unfamiliar peers matched on grade, height, socioeconomic class, and field independence. Teams were randomly assigned to expectation training or control conditions and, on the basis of their team's assignment, Ss received 1 of the 2 treatments. Following the treatment condition, team members were brought together for the first time to play a cooperative board game. Group interaction was videotaped and subsequently coded; Ss were interviewed individually following the game. Analyses of control team data showed that, with regard to S perceptions, sex functioned as a status characteristic with girls who were perceived as less competent and less leaderlike than boys; these perceptions were not supported by sex differences in behavior. The experimental treatment, which did not change Ss' behavior, improved peer perceptions of girls relative to boys. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life stress, life-styles, depression, and illness in adult women.

Investigated the relationships between life stress and depression and physical illness in 96 33-yr-old normal White females who graduated from an elite women's college. Results indicate that life stress (measured by the modified Recent Life Changes Questionnaire) was associated with both illness and depression but that both type of stress and life-style were important moderators of these relationships. Thus, work stresses were associated with illness (not depression), and the relationship between life stress and illness was strongest among work-centered Ss. Family stresses were associated with depression (not illness), and the relationship between life stress and depression was strongest among housewives. Implications for sex-role definitions are discussed. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)