Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

The Intervention Sciences Laboratory in the department of Psychology at the University of Arkansas is conducting a research study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, designed to increase our understanding of the relation between stressful life events and attitudes about alcohol use. This research is aimed at improving existing treatments for individuals who have experienced a stressful life event.

The laboratory is seeking adult men and women (ages 21 and above) to participate in a two-part research study that occurs during two separate appointments in the laboratory. The first day involves completing two interviews with a researcher and writing about two life events. The first day will take approximately three hours to complete. If you are found to be eligible, you will be invited to return to the laboratory for the second portion of the study, which involves listening to a presentation of health-related information, completing a guided imagery task, and completing questionnaires. This second appointment will take approximately 2 hours to complete.

Participants will be compensated $10 for completing the first day of the study and will be paid an additional $30 for completing the second day of the study. If you are interested in learning more about this study, please contact Sarah at the Intervention Sciences Laboratory at 479-575-5811 or at sbujarsk@uark.edu

 

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0600

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Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

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Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0600

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Gov. Mike Beebe will award first place prizes to University of Arkansas graduate students this Wednesday, Feb. 22, for their work in the Graduate Student Research Competition.

First place winners in 23 categories will receive $200 and a plaque, while second place winners will receive $100 and a certificate.

More than 150 graduate students presented outstanding research posters and displays in the competition, called “From Abstract to Contract,” and shown at the Arkansas Union on Feb. 10, the final day of Graduate Education Week.

“We enjoyed some outstanding displays and posters; the faculty members with whom I spoke during the competition were very pleased with the student presentations,” said Todd Shields, dean of the Graduate School and International Education. “It was clear that our graduate students worked very hard preparing for the competition. We’re delighted that the governor will be able to see some of the first-class research our graduate students are conducting with their faculty mentors.”

The awards ceremony begins at 3:30 p.m. at the Alumni House; all are invited.

The competing students represent academic programs in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Sam M. Walton College of Business, the College of Education and Health Professions, the College of Engineering, and the Graduate School.

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Consumers, particularly those who occasionally or habitually buy organic chicken, are willing to pay a premium price for organic meat, according to a study conducted by personnel at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Center for Food Safety. The extent of their willingness to pay the premium, however, depends on the type of organic label.

The published results of the study were among the 15 most downloaded at the SciVerse ScienceDirect.com website. The results were published in the journal Food Quality and Preference in an article by lead author Ellen Van Loo, a former UA food science graduate student who is now a doctoral researcher in the food consumer science unit at the department of agricultural economics at Ghent University in Belgium. The co-authors are Jean-Francois Meullenet, head of the University of Arkansas department of food science; Steven C. Ricke, director of the Center for Food Safety; Rodolfo Nayga, UA professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness; and Vincenzina Caputo of Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Italy.

"Considering that consumers think of high price premiums as the strongest limiting factor when purchasing organic meat, it is then important to know consumers' willingness to pay for these products," Van Loo said. "Willingness-to-pay estimates can also provide insights on how consumers value the organic attribute in meat products and can be used as input in analyzing the marketability of the products."

Surveys of consumers asked them to make choices in hypothetical situations regarding purchases of chicken. The surveys found that consumers would be willing to spend a 35 percent premium for a general organic labeled chicken breast and would pay a 104 percent premium for a USDA-certified organic labeled chicken breast. (To receive the USDA organic certification, a product must meet the agency's organic requirements for production, handling and processing and accredited agents must have certified the farm and the handling and processing companies.)

When broken down further, the survey results showed that consumers who do not generally buy organic products would be unwilling to pay a premium, occasional buyers of organic products would pay a 35.7 percent premium for a general organic labeled chicken breast and a 97.3 percent premium for USDA-certified chicken breast, and habitual buyers of organic products would pay a 146 percent premium for a general organic labeled chicken breast and 244.3 percent premium for USDA-certified chicken breast.

Van Loo noted that more research is needed that would include real market data reporting actual consumer purchases.

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Two researchers at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Center for Food Safety are leading a significant component of a federal research grant in which several universities seek to reduce the occurrence and public health risks from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) along the entire beef production pathway.  Steven Ricke, director of the Center for Food Safety, and Fred Pohlman, professor of animal science and a faculty member of the Center, will lead the research into one of the grant's five objectives. The objective being investigated by Arkansas will explore interventions for seven STEC serotypes. The Arkansas work is part of a $25 million multidisciplinary grant awarded Jan. 23 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) through its Agriculture and Food Release Initiative (AFRI). The University of Nebraska is the lead institution. The overall project aims to improve risk management and assessment of eight strains of STEC in beef, including the O104 strain that caused a recent outbreak in Germany. The project will focus on identifying hazards and assessing exposure that lead to STEC infections in cattle and on developing strategies to detect, characterize and control the pathogens along the beef chain.  Research teams in addition to those from Arkansas and Nebraska are from Kansas State University, the University of California-Davis, University of California-Tulare, University of Delaware, New Mexico State University, North Carolina State University, Texas A&M University, Virginia Tech University, the USDA Agricultural Research Service and a research consortium of government, academic and industry scientists and food safety professionals. “I am very excited to see the Division of Agriculture be a part of this high profile NIFA project and glad to see collaborations develop across departmental lines. STEC is a big food safety issue and I am sure Drs. Pohlman and Ricke will make great contributions to the overall project," said Jean-Francois Meullenet, head of the department of food science. Michael Looper, head of the department of animal science, said, “This integrated research project will continue to ensure the U.S. has the safest beef supply in the world. I am pleased that faculty in the Division of Agriculture are recognized as experts in the food safety area and their work will ultimately impact people’s daily lives.” At Arkansas, Pohlman and Ricke will serve as co-principal investigators and will collaborate on all aspects of microbial testing on the effectiveness of antimicrobials. “This project, for the first time, will take a comprehensive look at the beef processing chain and identify risks associated with the major STECs and develop technologies to best deal with and alleviate those risks," Pohlman said. "Never before has such a group of researchers, industry partners, affiliated industries, trade associations and regulatory agencies been assembled to tackle such an issue.” “Our research group is excited about the opportunity to work with pathogenic E. coli and apply what we have learned from other foodborne pathogens," Ricke added. Ricke brings expertise in several areas to the project, including rumen microbiology and ecology, multiple hurdle intervention design for post-harvest and post-harvest microbial ecology and genetics. Pohlman's areas of expertise are meat processing and handling techniques, food safety, animal finishing, lean meat quality and yield and meat palatability. “As non-O157 STEC bacteria have emerged and evolved, so too must our regulatory policies to protect the public health and ensure the safety of our food supply," said Chavonda Jacobs-Young, acting NIFA director. "This research will help us to understand how these pathogens travel throughout the beef production process and [...]

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

The Ralph E. Martin department of chemical engineering Distinguished Lecture Series will host Scott Husson of Clemson University who will present “The Design of Advanced Functional Membranes for Bioseparations” on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 11 a.m. in BELL 2268.

Husson’s lecture will focus on the increasing demand of biotherapeutics, such as recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies, viral vaccines and plasmid DNA, and the role membrane chromatography plays in improving process economics and meeting market demand. His lecture will highlight efforts to develop adsorptive membranes for use as chromatography media, resulting in higher capacity and resolution processes than resin chromatography.

Husson is professor and graduate coordinator of the chemical and biomolecular engineering department at Clemson University. He received a doctoral degree in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley prior to joining the Clemson faculty in 1998. Husson received both a National Science Foundation Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and a New Century Scholar award and was the recipient of the 2010 FRI/John F. Kunesh award by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for his research in membrane separations. Husson’s current research interests include advanced functional materials, interfacial engineering and membrane chromatography, primarily to create advanced materials for the recovery and purification of biological products, the treatment of impaired waters, and the capture of carbon dioxide from mixed gases.

For more information, see the Distinguished Lecture Series, or contact seminar chair Jamie Hestekin, jhesteki@uark.edu.

This event is free and open to the public.

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0600

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Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

Participants are wanted for a research study to evaluate the effects of exercise on body temperature. The researchers are seeking 30 women from 18-39 years old who have no chronic illness or injury and who should be able to tolerate cycling in a warm room for 60 minutes.

Participants will receive eligibility to receive, at random, one of two $50 gift cards.

This study will involve three visits to the Human Performance Laboratory (approximately two hours per visit); light to moderate cycling (60 minutes) on two occasions; and heart rate and blood pressure monitoring.

For details, telephone JD Adams at 479-575-7281 or Jxa014@uark.edu.

The principal investigator is Matthew Ganio. This study has been approved by the University of Arkansas Institutional Review Board for Human Studies.

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0600

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Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0600

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Faculty members in the newly created department of supply chain management in the Sam M. Walton College of Business are already ranked among the most published in supply chain management and logistics journals. The University of Arkansas ranked No. 4 in a recent study published by the International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management — the university’s best showing in the study’s 45-year history.

The rankings focused on the six leading journals in the supply chain management and logistics field for articles published between 2008 and 2010. The researchers used a point system that awarded institutions one point for an article with one author, 0.5 points for an article with two authors, 0.33 points for articles with three authors, and so forth.

In the study, the University of Arkansas earned 11 points, trailing only the University of Tennessee (15.58 points), the University of Maryland (12.33) and Arizona State University (11.93).

“Being highly published in these journals increases the ranking of our department and Walton College,” said Matthew Waller, chair of the department of supply chain management and holder of the Garrison Endowed Chair in Supply Chain Management. “And it attracts top-notch professors from other universities, helping our recruiting.”  

The process of getting published in a prominent journal is often long and difficult. After an author spends years researching and writing an article, it is submitted to an editor-in-chief who either accepts or rejects it for publication. If it is not rejected, the article is then sent — anonymously — to several professors around the world for evaluation and critiquing.

“A manuscript can go through several rounds of this before it is ultimately accepted or rejected,” Waller said. “If it is ever accepted, then it gets queued up for publication in an issue of the journal, which can be months to years before it is in print.”

Of the top 25 most-published schools from 2008-2010, 14 institutions are located in North America and 11 overseas. Schools in England, Scotland, Wales, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden and Germany were represented on the list. Cranfield University in Oxfordshire, England, ranked No. 6 and was the top-ranked non-North American institution.

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:58:00 -0600

The Intervention Sciences Laboratory in the department of psychology at the University of Arkansas is conducting a research study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, designed to increase understanding of ways to improve treatments for women who may be having difficulties following unwanted sexual experiences including those involving sexual abuse and assault.

The laboratory is looking for adult females with a history of unwanted sexual experiences to participate in this two-part research study. Part 1 involves completing a series of background questionnaires that can be completed online via a secure online server (or in the laboratory if preferred). Part 2 involves one 4-hour visit to the laboratory in which participants will complete an interview with a researcher, a number of additional questionnaires, and two guided imagery tasks.

Participants will be compensated $40 for completing both parts of this study. If you are interested in participating or learning more about this study please contact Christal Badour at the Intervention Sciences Laboratory at 479-575-5811 or cbadour@uark.edu.

See more at the Invervention Sciences Laboratory website.

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0600

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Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0600

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Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0600

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Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0600

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Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:54:00 -0600

The Intervention Sciences Lab is offering a paid research opportunity for mothers and their kids (8-16)!

It is a two part study designed to look at how families deal with stressful events.

In part one, mother and child will come into the lab and fill out some questionnaires. This section usually takes about an hour, after which both will be compensated.

In part two, mother and child will complete two separate telephone interviews a year after part one is completed. Once again, both will be compensated for their time. 

Please contact HANNAH at the Intervention Sciences Lab for more information at 479-575-5811 or hcoffman@uark.edu.

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:07:00 -0600

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Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0600

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Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

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