Binomial Scale Research Articles

Changes in dietary habits during the confinement period due to covid-19 in the adult population, Huacho 2021

Objective: To compare the changes in eating habits before and during the confinement by Covid-19 in the adult population of the satellite city of Huacho, 2021. Materials and methods: The design was non-experimental with a comparative descriptive scope, cross-sectional and quantitative approach, the sample of the probabilistic type was made up of 173 adults, the instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire of eating habits and frequency of food consumption validated by specialist judges through the Aiken V validity coefficient of the binomial scale, for the respective hypothesis testing, the t-Student statistical technique was used. Results: For the quality of food, scores were found between 112.73 ± 11.37 before the pandemic, qualifying as "needs changes" and 88.49 ± 11.59 during confinement, qualifying as "unhealthy". obtaining a test statistic T= 24.044 and a p-value of 0.000, which indicates a highly significant difference. Conclusion: The confinement due to Covid-19 led to negative changes in the eating habits of the adult population of Ciudad Satélite in the district of Huacho, 2021.

Effects of Teosinte Flour (Dioon mejiae) on Selected Physicochemical Characteristics and Consumer Perceptions of Gluten-Free Cocoa Cookies Formulated with Mung Bean (Vigna radiata) Flour.

Dioon mejiae, or teosinte, is a living fossil tree discovered in Olancho, Honduras, whose seeds have a desirable nutritional profile that can provide health benefits. As a result, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of teosinte flour obtained from seeds on selected physicochemical characteristics and consumer perceptions of gluten-free cocoa cookies formulated with mung bean (Vigna radiata) flour. Gluten-free cocoa cookies were prepared with different levels of teosinte flour (0%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% by weight of mung bean flour) in substitution of mung bean flour. The cookies were evaluated for texture hardness, color (L*, a*, b*), moisture content, and water activity. Sensory acceptability of appearance, color, texture, aroma, flavor, and overall quality of cocoa cookies was rated by 175 consumers using a "yes/no" binomial scale. Overall liking was evaluated using a 9-point hedonic scale. Purchase intent was evaluated with a "yes/no" binomial scale. The levels of teosinte flour did not significantly affect the acceptability of appearance, color, texture, flavor, aroma, and overall quality, and neither the overall liking nor the purchase intent responses. However, the texture attribute had the lowest % acceptability response among all sensory attributes. The addition of teosinte flour did not affect water activity and color (L*, a*, b*), whereas it decreased the texture hardness (g force), producing softer cookies. Cocoa cookies stayed acceptable even at 100% teosinte flour addition (70% acceptability; mean overall liking = 5.69). Teosinte flour has an excellent nutritional profile that could be practically applied in baked goods.

Formulation of gummies with Persian lemon bagasse (Citrus latifolia Tanaka) and stingless bee honey (Scaptotrigona mexicana): acceptance and purchase intention

Objectives: This project proposes the integration of stingless bee honey (Scaptotrigona mexicana) and Persian lemon bagasse (Citrus latifolia Tanaka) in the formulation of a functional product to promote its commercial use as by-products of food generated in supply chains. supply. Methodology: Seven formulations of Persian lemon bagasse, glucose and stingless bee honey were evaluated for the gummy candy proposal. The study was conducted with consumers in a centralized location setting. The level of liking was measured with a 9-point hedonic scale. Acceptability and purchase intention were measured with a binomial scale. Contribution: it was observed that the samples with the highest acceptance by consumers were those that did not contain Persian lemon bagasse.

Bayesian joint modeling of binomial and rank response with non-ignorable missing data for primate cognition

A random effects model for analyzing mixed rank and binomial data with considering the missing values is presented. Occurring of missing data is an important problem in all research fields. The most common approach to dealing with missing data is to delete cases containing missing observations. However, this approach reduces statistical power and mislead us to biased statistical results. This paper aims to prepare guidance for researchers facing missing data problems and to provide techniques for jointly modeling of binomial and rank responses. We compare the cognitive abilities of different primates based on their performance on 17 cognitive assessments obtained on either a rank or binomial scale using Bayesian latent variable with random effects models. Random effects are used to take into account the correlation between responses of the same individual.

Use of copula to model within-study association in bivariate meta-analysis of binomial data at the aggregate level: ABayesian approach and application to surrogate endpoint evaluation.

Bivariate meta-analysis provides a useful framework for combining information across related studies and has been utilized to combine evidence from clinical studies to evaluate treatment efficacy on two outcomes. It has also been used to investigate surrogacy patterns between treatment effects on the surrogate endpoint and the final outcome. Surrogate endpoints play an important role in drug development when they can be used to measure treatment effect early compared to the final outcome and to predict clinical benefit or harm. The standard bivariate meta-analytic approach models the observed treatment effects on the surrogate and the final outcome outcomes jointly, at both the within-study and between-studies levels, using a bivariate normal distribution. For binomial data, a normal approximation on log odds ratio scale can be used. However, this method may lead to biased results when the proportions of events are close to one or zero, affecting the validation of surrogate endpoints. In this article, we explore modeling the two outcomes on the original binomial scale. First, we present a method that uses independent binomial likelihoods to model the within-study variability avoiding to approximate the observed treatment effects. However, the method ignores the within-study association. To overcome this issue, we propose a method using a bivariate copula with binomial marginals, which allows the model to account for the within-study association. We applied the methods to an illustrative example in chronic myeloid leukemia to investigate the surrogate relationship between complete cytogenetic response and event-free-survival.

Amaranth Microgreens as a Potential Ingredient for Healthy Salads: Sensory Liking and Purchase Intent

Objective: To identify liking, acceptability, and purchase intent of salads prepared from amaranth microgreens in a mixture with lettuce and carrots. Design/Methodology/Approach: Seven formulations of amaranth microgreens, lettuce, and carrots were made. The study was conducted through a centralized location consumer study. The level of liking was measured with a 9-point hedonic scale, while acceptability and purchase intent were measured with a binomial scale. Results: In general, consumers indicated that they liked salad samples within a range of 6 (liked slightly) and 7 (liked moderately). Formulation 7 (with the highest proportion of carrot) was pleasant to the consumer in aftertaste, flavor, and overall liking. Formulation 3 (a balanced mixture of its three ingredients) was liked in its attributes: colors, texture, appearance, and smell. Overall liking had a significant impact on purchase intent. Study Limitations/Implications: Study results represent only the segment of the surveyed population, most of which are young people between 18 and 25 years old (60%). Findings/Conclusions: Amaranth aroma can impact the liking of amaranth microgreen-based salads without causing rejection. The use of carrots in combination with amaranth microgreens can improve the acceptability of salads. Salad formulations with amaranth proportions of 22 to 33.3% have more opportunity in their purchase intent.

Effect of Serving Plate Types and Color Cues on Liking and Purchase Intent of Cheese-Flavored Tortilla Chips.

Foods’ overall liking (OL) and purchase intent (PI) are influenced by visual inputs, such as color cues and serving plate types. Cheese-flavored tortilla chips (CFTC) from two formulations (A and B) with a noticeable color difference (∆E = 4.81) were placed on different serving plates (plastic, foam, and paper) and presented monadically to N = 83 consumers using a randomized/balanced block design in two sessions. Consumers evaluated likings of overall visual quality, color, crunchiness, saltiness, overall flavor (OF), and OL using a 9-point-hedonic scale, attribute appropriateness on a 3-point-just-about-right (JAR) scale, and PI using a binomial (Yes/No) scale. Color differences between A and B influenced crunchiness and saltiness liking and perception, which together with OF liking and formulation, mainly determined OL of CFTC. Although having similar fracturability (N) and sodium content, formulation A had higher crunchiness and saltiness likings. PI was influenced by crunchiness, saltiness, and OF liking with 37, 49, and 60% increases in PI odds per liking-unit increase, respectively. Plate type had minimal effect on the sensory liking of CFTC. The brighter and less-yellow color of CFTC could positively influence liking of crunchiness and saltiness, which significantly contributed to OL and PI. These findings are useful to understand consumers’ acceptability and perception of foods when varying visual inputs.

Effects of Visual Cues on Consumer Expectation, Emotion and Wellness Responses, and Purchase Intent of Red Chili Powders.

The effects of visual cues on familiarity, expected heat intensity, liking of appearance, emotional and wellness responses, and purchase intent (PI) before and after disclosing information associated with red chili powders were determined using a 3-point scale, a 15-cm line scale, a 9-point hedonic scale, a 15-cm line scale, and a binomial scale, respectively. In this study, consumers only visually evaluated red chili powder samples without sniffing nor tasting. Eight chili powders were prepared according to a 23 factorial design: roasted (Ro) compared with unroasted (Un); whole pod with seeds (Wh) compared with seedless (Sl); coarsely (Cr) compared with finely ground (Gr). Thai consumers (N = 230) were generally more familiar with samples having coarse particles and more reddish color (lower hue angle and higher a* values) than samples having finely ground particles and less reddish/more yellowish color (higher hue angle and lower a* values). The expected heat intensity and liking scores for appearance were lower for samples with higher hue values, particularly RoWhGr and RoSIGr samples. All scores for emotion/wellness terms, except curious, were generally higher for samples with lower hue angle and higher a* values (redness). The consumer familiarity to the appearance of the samples influenced expected heat intensity, liking of appearance, and emotion/wellness responses. PI increased by >10% after presenting "organic," "aflatoxin free," and "organic and aflatoxin free" product statements to consumers. Results showed that familiarity, overall liking of appearance, color liking, fine particles liking, and healthy as well as wild terms were significant predictors for PI (odds ratio = 1.282, 1.519, 1.314, 1.158, 1.056, and 0.939, respectively) of red chili powders. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study showed that consumer familiarity to the appearance (visual cues) of red chili powder affected expected heat intensity, liking of appearance, and emotion/wellness responses, which, in turn, affected purchase intent (PI). Samples with more reddish color and coarse particles were perceived to be more familiar than those with more yellowish color and finer particles. Familiarity, overall liking of appearance, color liking, fine particles liking, and healthy and wild terms were significant predictors for PI of chili power. The results demonstrated the importance of visual cues on the consumers' expectation and PI of red chili powder, thus offering valuable information for manufacturers.

CT Angiography in Occlusion Assessment of Intracranial Aneurysms Treated with the WEB Device.

Capabilities of CTA for evaluation of intracranial aneurysms treated with the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) system has not been thoroughly studied yet. Our aim is to compare the ability of CTA to that of DSA to depict the occlusion status of aneurysms treated with WEB device and present the level of reproducibility of results from CTA. Patients with intracranial aneurysm treated only with the WEB device and having a CTA and a DSA during the same hospital stay were included. Aneurysm occlusion was evaluated by two methods: a simplified binomial system grading as either adequate occlusion (complete occlusion or neck remnant) or aneurysm remnant and a four-grade scale. Interobserver and intermodality agreement were determined using the κ statistic. Using DSA as a reference test, the diagnostic capabilities of CTA were calculated. Sixteen patients with 16 aneurysms were included. Interobserver agreement was fair for DSA (κ = .26) and good for CTA (κ = .78) using the four-grade scale, and moderate for DSA (κ = .44) and good for CTA (κ = .63) using the binomial scale. CTA and DSA were in agreement in 15 of 16 aneurysms (93.75%) using the binomial scale meaning good intermodality agreement for aneurysm remnant detection (κ = .63). Sensitivity of CTA for detection of an aneurysm remnant was 50%, specificity was 100%, positive prediction value was 100%, and negative prediction value was 93.33%. CTA is a reliable and reproducible method to evaluate the aneurysm occlusion status and could be implemented on the follow-up of aneurysms treated with WEB.

Effects of hyperaemia on left ventricular longitudinal strain in patients with suspected coronary artery disease : Afirst-pass stress perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging study.

AimsMyocardial perfusion imaging during hyperaemic stress is commonly used to detect coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS), strain rate (GLSR), myocardial early (E’) and late diastolic velocities (A’) with adenosine stress first-pass perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.Methods and results44 patients met the inclusion criteria and underwent CMR imaging. The CMR imaging protocol included: rest/stress horizontal long-axis (HLA) cine, rest/stress first-pass adenosine perfusion and late gadolinium enhancement imaging. Rest and stress HLA cine CMR images were analysed using feature-tracking software for the assessment of myocardial deformation. The presence of perfusion defects was scored on a binomial scale. In patients with hyperaemia-induced perfusion defects, rest global longitudinal strain GLS (−16.9 ± 3.7 vs. −19.6 ± 3.4; p-value = 0.02), E’ (−86 ± 22 vs. −109 ± 38; p-value = 0.02), GLSR (69 ± 31 vs. 93 ± 38; p-value = 0.01) and stress GLS (−16.5 ± 4 vs. −21 ± 3.1; p < 0.001) were significantly reduced when compared with patients with no perfusion defects. Stress GLS was the strongest independent predictor of perfusion defects (odds ratio 1.43 95% confidence interval 1.14–1.78, p-value <0.001). A threshold of −19.8% for stress GLS demonstrated 78% sensitivity and 73% specificity for the presence of hyperaemia-induced perfusion defects.ConclusionsAt peak myocardial hyperaemic stress, GLS is reduced in the presence of a perfusion defect in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. This reduction is most likely caused by reduced endocardial blood flow at maximal hyperaemia because of transmural redistribution of blood flow in the presence of significant coronary stenosis.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12471-017-1071-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Functional status as a predictor of outcomes in open and endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

BackgroundFunctional status is a simple and rapidly assessable metric that may be used as a predictor for surgical outcomes. This study examined the association of functional status with short-term mortality after abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in octogenarians to characterize the utility of functional status as a means of preoperative risk assessment. MethodsAll patients who underwent endovascular and open AAA repair from 2002 to 2010 within the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) database were identified. Functional status, defined as an ordinal scale from 1 to 3 (1, independent; 2, partially dependent; 3, totally dependent), was examined using multivariate regression models with 30-day mortality as the primary outcome. For the purpose of analysis, this 3-point scale was converted into a binomial scale of function, with “normal” including 1 (completely independent) and “abnormal” including 2 or 3 (partially to totally dependent). ResultsWe identified 9030 patients who underwent AAA repair (46.6% open and 53.4% endovascular). Mortality at 30 days was 2.8% for the entire cohort (4.2% open, 1.7% endovascular; P < .001). There were 1340 patients aged ≥80 years, of which 67.3% underwent endovascular AAA repair. Among all age groups, functional status was a significant predictor of 30-day mortality (<80 years, P < .001; ≥80 years, P < .001). The ≥80 cohort with abnormal function status also demonstrated increased operative mortality (P = .002), length of stay (P = .001), and incidence of pulmonary complications (P = .025) compared with the cohort with normal functional status. Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that within the ≥80-year-old cohort, only functional status remained a significant predictor of mortality (P < .001). In addition, the strength of the association between functional status and mortality was greater in the older cohort than in the younger one (Cox regression hazard ratio: 3.13 vs 2.18). ConclusionsFunctional status is a simple and rapidly applicable predictor of mortality within AAA patients and may be a useful tool to help preoperatively risk-stratify elderly patients presenting with AAA in need of repair. Further studies are needed to understand how best to apply these data to the clinical setting to guide preoperative decision making.

Joint Bayesian Modeling of Binomial and Rank Data for Primate Cognition

In recent years, substantial effort has been devoted to methods for analyzing data containing mixed response types, but such techniques typically do not include rank data among the response types. Some unique challenges exist in analyzing rank data, particularly when ties are prevalent. We present techniques for jointly modeling binomial and rank data using Bayesian latent variable models. We apply these techniques to compare the cognitive abilities of nonhuman primates based on their performance on 17 cognitive tasks scored on either a rank or binomial scale. To jointly model the rank and binomial responses, we assume that responses are implicitly determined by latent cognitive abilities. We then model the latent variables using random effects models, with identifying restrictions chosen to promote parsimonious prior specification and model inferences. Results from the primate cognitive data are presented to illustrate the methodology. Our results suggest that the ordering of the cognitive abilities of species varies significantly across tasks, suggesting a partially independent evolution of cognitive abilities in primates. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Astaxanthin encapsulated in beads using ultrasonic atomizer and application in yogurt as evaluated by consumer sensory profile

This study was aimed to produce and examine properties of encapsulated natural astaxanthin in alginate-chitosan beads during 4 weeks' refrigerated storage and to evaluate consumer sensory profile driving consumer acceptability and purchase intent of yogurt containing such beads. The shrimp astaxanthin was encapsulated in matrices comprising the mixture of chitosan and alginate where alginate (1.2 g/100 mL) and chitosan (1.0 g/100 mL) resulted in an encapsulation efficiency of over 90%. Encapsulated astaxanthin maintained the DPPH scavenging activity greater than 50% whereas the iron chelating assay demonstrated the ability below 50%. Consumers (n = 130) evaluated yogurt containing astaxanthin beads for acceptability of appearance, colour, aroma, mouthfeel and overall liking. A binomial (yes/no) scale was employed to evaluate overall acceptance and purchase intent. The results revealed that overall liking score of yogurt with beads was over 6.0 (on the 9-point scale) with the positive acceptance (86.2%) and purchase intent (95.6%). Logistic regression analysis indicated that colour, aroma, taste and overall liking were significant factors affecting overall acceptance and purchase intent of yogurt containing astaxanthin beads.

Screening Eucalyptus cloeziana and E. argophloia Populations for Resistance to Puccinia psidii.

Disease screening to determine the threat Puccinia psidii poses to plantation and native eucalypts in Australia was undertaken in half-sib families of two contrasting eucalypt species, Eucalyptus cloeziana and E. argophloia. Artificial inoculation with a single-lesion isolate of P. psidii was used to screen these species for resistance to the biotype of P. psidii established in Australia. The objective was to characterize resistance to P. psidii within these two distinct species: E. argophloia, a vulnerable species with a narrow distribution, and E. cloeziana, a species with a broad and extensive distribution in Queensland. Results for E. cloeziana indicate that inland provenances are more resistant to P. psidii infection than provenances from coastal regions. Heritability estimates for the two assessment systems used (resistance on a 1-to-5 ordinal scale verses resistance on a 0-to-1 binomial scale) were low to high (0.24 to 0.63) for E. argophloia and moderate to high (0.4 to 0.91) for E. cloeziana, indicating a significant level of additive genetic variance for rust resistance within the populations. This study demonstrates the potential to select resistant families within the tested populations and indicates that P. psidii could detrimentally affect these species in native forests, nurseries, and plantations.

Breed predisposition and heritability of atrial fibrillation in the Standardbred horse: A retrospective case–control study

ObjectivesTo assess evidence for genetic contributions to atrial fibrillation (AF) in the Standardbred horse. AnimalsEquine referrals to the Ontario Veterinary College Health Sciences Centre (OVCHSC) for 1985–2009, and age and gait matched breed registry controls. MethodsBreeds presenting ≥5 times annually were tabulated (admission year and diagnosis; total 40,039; AF 396; no AF 39,643), and breed and year effects examined. Heritability and inbreeding coefficients were determined for Standardbred AF cases and racing contemporaries, and odds ratios for AF were calculated for frequently occurring sires. ResultsYear and breed effects on diagnosis were highly significant (Chi-Square 212.85, p < 0.0001, and 304.25, p < 0.0001, respectively). Year effect on diagnosis by breed was significant from 1997, and due to Standardbred admissions each year. Quarterhorses were significantly less likely to present with AF (OR 0.0578–0.6048), Standardbreds were more likely (OR 4.3874–10.9006). Heritability of AF on the underlying scale (h2u) was estimated at 29.6 ± 3.9% and on the observed binomial scale (h2o), at 9.6%. For horses born in 1994 or later, h2u was 31.1 ± 4.3% and h2o, 10.1%. Of 22 first generation sires appearing ≥10 times in the case/control file, seven pacing and one trotting sire produced affected horses more frequently than expected (OR 2.66–66.32). Inbreeding was not a factor. ConclusionsThere is genetic liability to AF in Standardbred horses, likely due to more than single genes with simple Mendelian inheritance. Genomic studies are required.

Significance of chick quality score in broiler production

The quality of day old chicks is crucial for profitable broiler production, but a difficult trait to define. In research, both qualitative and quantitative measures are used with variable predictive value for subsequent performance. In hatchery practice, chick quality is judged on a binomial scale, as chicks are divided into first grade (Q1-saleable) and second grade (Q2) chicks right after hatch. Incidences and reasons for classifying chicks as Q2, and potential of these chicks for survival and post-hatch performance have hardly been investigated, but may provide information for flock performance. We conducted an experiment to investigate (1) the quality of a broiler flock and the relation with post-hatch flock performance based on a qualitative score (Pasgar©score) of Q1 chicks and based on the incidence of Q2 chicks and (2) the reasons for classifying chicks as Q2, and the potential of these chicks for survival and post-hatch growth. The performance was followed of Q1 and Q2 chicks obtained from two breeder flocks that hatched in two different hatching systems (a traditional hatcher or a combined hatching and brooding system, named Patio). Eggs were incubated until embryo day 18, when they were transferred to one of the two hatching systems. At embryo day 21/post-hatch day 0, all chicks from the hatcher (including Q2 chicks) were brought to Patio, where the hatchery manager marked the Q2 chicks from both flocks and hatching systems and registered apparent reasons for classifying these chicks as Q2. Chick quality was assessed of 100 Q1 chicks from each flock and hatching system. Weights of all chicks were determined at days 0, 7, 21 and 42. There were no correlations between mean Pasgar©score and post-hatch growth or mortality, and suboptimal navel quality was the only quality trait associated with lower post-hatch growth. Growth was clearly affected by breeder flock and hatching system, which could not be linked to mean Pasgar©score or incidence of Q2 chicks. Q2 chicks showed lower post-hatch growth compared to Q1 chicks but effects on flock performance at slaughter weight were limited because early mortality in Q2 chicks was high (62.50% at 7 days). We concluded that chick qualitative scores and the incidence of Q2 chicks may be informative for the quality of incubation, but are not predictive for post-hatch flock performance. Culling Q2 chicks after hatch is well-founded in terms of both animal welfare and profitability.

Association of halothane sensitivity with growth and meat quality in pigs

Previous reports have indicated that a proportion of pigs, homozygous normal for the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor gene (RYR1), was halothane sensitive, and this was associated with poor meat quality when pigs were handled aggressively. This study was conducted to evaluate halothane sensitivity in RYR1-normal pigs, managed under simulated commercial conditions, to ascertain the association of halothane sensitivity with growth rate and meat quality. A total of 363 pigs across four farrowing groups, from seven Landrace sires and 38 Yorkshire–Landrace F1 dams, were tested at 8 weeks of age for halothane sensitivity using a closed system that delivered 5% halothane at 2 l/min for 3 (group 1) or 2 (groups 2 to 4) min. After 1 min, limb rigidity, limb tremors and abdominal discoloration were evaluated on a binomial scale with 0 indicating no reaction and 1 indicating reaction. Testing was repeated 2 days later. At 10 weeks of age, pigs were moved to finishing pens and not moved again until marketing. Within farrowing group, pigs were harvested in one of two groups, and at marketing were moved a distance of 91 m, weighed, tattooed, loaded and transported a distance of 550 km to a commercial harvest plant. After overnight rest, pigs were harvested and the pH of the loin muscle was measured at 45 min (pH45) after stunning. After an 18-h chill, loin muscle pH (pHu), International Commission on Illumination (CIE) L*, a*, b*, color (1 to 6) and marbling (1 to 10) scores and fluid loss percent were collected. Generalized linear mixed models were used to estimate repeatabilities for response to halothane challenge. Repeatabilities for limb rigidity for the front right and left legs were 0.24 and 0.31, respectively, whereas rear right and left leg repeatabilities were 0.19 and 0.17, respectively. Repeatabilities for front right and left leg tremors were 0.16 and 0.20, respectively. Growth rate was not influenced by any measure of halothane sensitivity. Carcasses from pigs exhibiting limb rigidity tended to have lower pH45 (5.88 v. 5.97; P = 0.06), similar pHu (5.47 v. 5.49; P = 0.32), less pH decline from 45 min to 18 h (−0.40 v. −0.50; P = 0.04) and a tendency for greater fluid loss percent (5.01 v. 4.55; P = 0.08) than carcasses from pigs that did not exhibit limb rigidity during halothane challenge. A proportion of pigs normal for RYR1 did exhibit limb rigidity during halothane gas challenge, and subsequently tended to have lower 45 min pH and greater longissimus muscle fluid loss post harvest.

Application of classification trees and logistic regression to determine factors responsible for lamb mortality

The aim of the presented research was to statistically analyse the survival of 20,044 Polish Merino lambs between birth and 100 day of their life, using classification trees and logistic regression. The lamb survival trait was expressed in binomial scale: 1 for survival, 0 for mortality. Two different models of the trees were developed, depending on the division criterion: they were the function of entropy and the Gini index. For comparison purposes, an additional statistical analysis was carried out using a multiple logistic regression. The quality of decision tree models and multiple regressions was compared taking into consideration the following criteria: average error function, average squared error, lift cumulative, Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistics and the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve. A statistical analysis was conducted using the Enterprise Miner 6.2 software included in the SAS package. The calculated quality criteria of four models that were developed lead to the conclusion that the classification trees established based on the Gini index, and on the function of entropy, are the most accurate in defining the variability of characteristics under examination, i.e. survival of lambs up to 100 days of age. In the case of the best classification model available, i.e. a tree built using the Gini index, the ranking of variable importance, which was developed based on the “Importance” measure, leads to the conclusion that the flock, type, and the year of a lamb's birth are the most significant differentiating factors.

Equine hospital data as a source for study of prevalence and heritability of osteochondrosis and palmar/plantar osseous fragments of Swedish Warmblood horses

Disturbances in skeletal development, primarily osteochondrosis (OC) and palmar/plantar osseous fragments (POF), have been commonly reported as problems in young horses. However, there are few reports of such findings for epidemiological analyses or breeding purposes. To evaluate equine hospital data as a possible source of information for genetic evaluations by estimating prevalence and heritability of OC in the stifle, hock and fetlock joints and of POF in the fetlock. Data on Swedish Warmblood (SWB) horses were obtained from a large equine hospital in south Sweden. Prevalences were based on radiographic examinations of 879 screened horses, mainly evaluated as part of a prepurchase examination and 3639 horses with a reported history of orthopaedic problems. For the heritability study the 2 data sources were pooled and 3199 examined horses with pedigree information were considered for the linear animal model analyses. The overall prevalence of OC was 13% (stifle 9%, hock 6% and dorsal osseous fragments in fetlock [DOF] 10%) and POF 10%. The overall heritability of OC was 0.05 on the visible binomial scale. The corresponding heritabilities for OC in the stifle were 0.03, hock 0.08, DOF 0.10 and POF 0.13. These values correspond to heritabilities of 0.09-0.38 on the underlying quantitative scale. Obtained prevalences and heritabilities were in accordance with other studies, supporting the hypothesis that data regularly obtained from equine hospitals may be a valuable source in studies of inherited disorders such as OC and POF. There is a need for more standardised documentation of diagnoses and consistent recording of identity of examined horses using passports or breed databases. Compilation of results from major clinics is desired in order to cover most progenies of stallions used in a region or nation.

INFLUENCE OF EDUCATION/PROFESSION OF MEXICAN CONSUMERS ON ACCEPTANCE AND PURCHASE INTENT OF CORN TORTILLA

ABSTRACT Influence of education/profession of Mexican consumers on acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas was evaluated. Two groups of 150 Mexican consumers each (faculty/graduate students [A] versus field laborers [B]) rated sensory acceptability of corn tortillas. Acceptance and purchase intent were rated using a binomial scale. Group B had higher expectations towards corn tortillas as indicated by lower acceptability ratings. Both groups used rollability, resistance‐to‐tearing, and chewiness to differentiate tortilla samples, but group B paid more attention to these attributes as indicated by higher canonical correlation values. Acceptance was influenced by overall liking for both groups; chewiness and taste were also significant for group B. Purchase intent was influenced by overall liking and taste for both groups, but color for group A, and appearance and chewiness for group B were also critical. This study demonstrated that education/profession of Mexican consumers affected their acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThis study revealed that education/profession of Mexican consumers affected acceptance and purchase intent of corn tortillas. Two groups of consumers with different levels of education had different expectation toward tortillas when making purchase decision. Understanding how each consumer segment differently perceives about the tortilla product will give marketers and manufacturers a better direction for developing tortilla products with expected sensory qualities.