Education via advanced technologies

Advanced technologies like the World Wide Web offer interesting opportunities for improving higher education. A study done at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) focused on these matters and made several specific recommendations. Since this study was completed, a new center was established at MIT to coordinate and promote the use of advanced technologies in education, and a high-level council on educational technology was formed. After briefly peering into the future, this paper describes the study and the new center     

Heat Intensity and Warmed-over Flavor in Precooked Chicken Patties Formulated at 3 Fat Levels and 3 Pepper Levels

ABSTRACT: Heat intensity and warmed-over flavor (WOF) were evaluated to determine the effects the composition of precooked, chopped, and formed chicken patties would impart on the perception of red pepper heat and the development of oxidation. Patties were formulated at 5%, 7%, and 9% fat with marinade formulated at 0%, 0.2%, and 0.4% pepper. A trained sensory panel assessed the heat intensity over 3 min using time intensity evaluation. Heat and WOF intensities of the patties were measured 5 times over a 9-wk storage period. As fat level increased, total time intensity and time to maximum heat intensity increased. Patties formulated at 7% and 9% fat were perceived to be more intense in heat than the 5% fat patties. Patties formulated at 0.2% and 0.4% pepper had less intense WOF than patties with 0% pepper level. Chemical measurement of oxidation (thiobarbituric acid numbers) indicated that increasing pepper content decreased malonaldehyde content. Incorporation of pepper into a chopped and formed meat product requires a higher pepper content at lower fat levels to impart the same level of heat intensity as in patties of higher fat level. Increasing the pepper content also will aid in decreasing production of malonaldehyde in a precooked meat product, thereby reducing the intensity of warmed-over flavor as perceived by the consumer.     

Storage conditions affect quality of noodles with added soy flour and sweet potato

Summary Noodles were prepared from a formulation in which a portion of the flour was replaced with 10% defatted soy flour and sweet potato as 10% flour or 15% puree. Dried noodles were packaged in plastic bags under partial vacuum or air and stored at 4.4 °C or 22–30 °C for 6 months. Colour, β-carotene and sensory characteristics were analyzed at 2-month intervals. Packaging atmosphere had minor effects on colour. Stored noodles became lighter and yellower, and β-carotene decreased, with all changes being greater at 22–30 °C. Storage conditions influenced acceptability scores minimally. Noodles were stored successfully under air with greater quality retention with 4.4 °C storage.     

Twenty-two years of office and outpatient laparoscopy: current techniques and why I chose them

Since 1972 I have introduced the following technical modifications in outpatient laparoscopy under local anesthesia to improve safety, economy, and patient acceptability: avoiding the insufflating needle and sharp trocar in favor of open abdominal entry, using the Hasson cannula; introducing room air for insufflation instead of nitrous oxide or carbon dioxide; using the Hulka clip in place of tubal coagulation; making a single-incision, open surgical entry through the central umbilical fossa in obese patients; and completing fascial penetration with a blunt hemostat or Kelly clamp to minimize the risk of bowel or vessel injury.     

Labeling of Vanilla Type Affects Consumer Perception of Vanilla Ice Cream

The effects of labeling vanilla type on consumer liking of vanilla ice cream were evaluated. Three experiments with 144 to 150 panelists using 4 commercial ice creams were done where the samples were initially not labeled with the type of vanilla flavoring, then labeled, and finally labeled either correctly or incorrectly. Three experiments (116 to 150 panelists) then were conducted similarly for 3 laboratory‐made ice creams. When the 4 commercial samples were not labeled, a natural vanilla‐flavored sample was liked less (P < 0.05) than mixed‐flavored samples overall; when labeled, the naturally flavored and 1 of the mixed‐flavor ice creams were liked equally overall (P > 0.05). Products labeled “natural” (correctly or incorrectly) were liked more (P < 0.05) overall than products with other labels. When laboratory‐made ice creams (natural, artificial, mixed flavored) were evaluated, the labeled, naturally flavored sample was liked more than the unlabeled sample overall; when labeled, the artificially flavored ice cream was liked less than the unlabeled sample. Labeling was shown to affect consumer liking.     

Flavor and Storage Stability of Potato Chips Fried in Cottonseed and Sunflower Oils and Palm Olein/Sunflower Oil Blends

ABSTRACT: Potato chips fried in cottonseed (CSO) and sunflower (SFO) oils and 20 and 40% palm olein oil (POO):SFO blends were stored at 23 to 25 °C for 0-, 3- and 6-wk in dark (DS) and in 1.5-1.7 footcandles of light (LS). During DS, peroxide values (PV) increased only in chips fried in SFO. In LS, PV increased at lower rates in chips fried in POO blends than in CSO or SFO. Sensory evaluation showed potato chip flavor intensity was similar among oils/blends and unchanged during storage, but intensities of oxidative rancidity and off-flavor increased in chips fried in CSO at 6-wk LS. This off-flavor most likely was due to 1-decyne identified by SPME analysis. Addition of POO to SFO improved the stability of chips as measured by PV without sacrificing potato chip flavor.     

A look behind the salt curve: the link between rheology, structure, and salt content in shampoo formulations

It has been demonstrated for visual and olfactory stimuli that an increase in heart rate, skin conductance, facial electromyogram activity and breathing rate correlates with negative and/or excited emotional states and a decrease with positive and/or relaxed emotional states. It was the aim of this study to explore the psychophysiological status of emotional moods associated with use of a men's skincare range. Therefore, in a 5-day habituation phase 19 male volunteers (mean age 32 years) used three perfumed products (a shaving mousse, cleansing gel and hydrating cream) for their morning shaving routine and assessed their mood before and after by means of self-assessment manikins and a general mood estimate questionnaire. In a second study phase the psychophysiological parameters heart rate, skin conductance and facial electromyogram activity of the resting subjects were recorded after exposure to three different odors, the fragrance of the men's products of the habituation phase, a control fragrance and the solvent dipropylene glycol. During the habituation phase the cosmetics had positive effects on the mood behavior of the subjects. These positive effects could be confirmed by the objective measurements of peripheral nervous system parameters in the second study phase.     

Perception of Heat in Cheese Sauces as Affected by Capsaicin Concentration, Fat Level, Fat Mimetic and Time

Perceived heat intensity in cheese sauces with five capsaicin levels, three fat levels and four fat mimetics was studied with time intensity techniques. Heat intensity was not related to fat mimetic. No differences occurred among fat levels at 0.0 and 0.4 ppm capsaicin. At 0.8 ppm capsaicin, maximum and total heat intensities of reduced- and low-fat sauces were equal; both were lower in full-fat sauces (P<0.001). Low-fat sauces exhibited greater maximum heat and total intensity than full-fat at 1.2 ppm capsaicin. At 1.6 ppm capsaicin, low-fat sauces had greater total intensity than either reduced-or full-fat (P<0.05) sauces. At low-fat levels, lower capsaicin concentrations provided heat equal to higher concentrations in full-fat cheese sauces.     

A score method of constructing asymmetric confidence intervals for the mean of a rating scale item.

This article presents a generalization of the Score method of constructing confidence intervals for the population proportion (E. B. Wilson, 1927) to the case of the population mean of a rating scale item. A simulation study was conducted to assess the properties of the Score confidence interval in relation to the traditional Wald (A. Wald, 1943) confidence interval under a variety of conditions, including sample size, number of response options, extremeness of the population mean, and kurtosis of the response distribution. The results of the simulation study indicated that the Score interval usually outperformed the Wald interval, suggesting that the Score interval is a viable method of constructing confidence intervals for the population mean of a rating scale item. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)