No abstract

Cereal Chem. 90(6):535-539Corn kernels contain 9% fiber by weight, which is not digested well by nonruminants such as chicken and swine. Also, fiber is nonreactive in the dry-grind process for ethanol production and is considered as feedstock for the production of second-generation bioethanol. Fiber separation can enhance starch concentration in animal feed and increase starch loading in ethanol plants. Electrostatic separation is used to separate particles from granular mixtures under the influence of electrical forces. The Elusieve process, a combination of sieving and air classification, separates fiber by taking advantage of differences in size, shape, and density. Differences in dielectric properties could also be exploited for fiber separation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of electrostatic separation of fiber particles from corn. When the electrostatic method was used in conjunction with Elusieve processing, the fiber product had higher neutral detergent fiber (NDF, 52.9%) compared with Elusieve processing alone (NDF of 40.5%). Also, a higher quantity of enhanced flour (95.0% yield) was produced when the electrostatic method was used in conjunction with Elusieve processing compared with Elusieve processing alone (93.0% yield), without any change in quality of the enhanced flour (NDF of 6.6% in both cases). The electrostatic method improved fiber separation when used in conjunction with Elusieve processing.

More than one third of US children are overweight or obese. With 70% of all children under the age of 6 cared for child‐care centers (CCCs), CCCs provide an optimal avenue for establishing healthy lifestyles. Nutrition practices and policies play an important role in influencing health behaviors. In this study, after Institutional Review Board approval, policies were collected from 32 central Texas CCCs; a training workshop was held offering instruction on creating policies to improve nutrition in CCCs, and policies were again collected from 24 CCCs post‐intervention. Centers’ policies were assessed and sorted into categories. Scores (0‐3) were assigned categorically for each CCC based on whether a policy existed, and on the degree of detail and implementation. Frequencies were determined and policy categories/themes were linked to other intervention data sets such as menu analysis and staff knowledge and behaviors using NVIVO 10. Pre‐intervention, more policies were related to meals, snacks, infant feeding, allergies, and celebrations. Post‐intervention, analysis showed that additional policies were created, including policies regarding breastfeeding and sweets (e.g. cupcakes). Comparison of pre‐ and post‐intervention scores suggests that the training workshop had a positive impact on policies influencing the nutrition environment of the CCCs. Grant Funding Source: Texas State University Research Enhancement Program

Approximately 32% of US children ages 2‐19 are overweight or obese. Because most children spend up to 35 hours/week in child‐care, the child‐care center (CCC) is an optimum venue for fostering proper dietary habits to help prevent obesity. Following Institutional Review Board guidelines, 45 CCCs in central Texas were called and 32 directors agreed to participate. During the first site visit, directors and staff gave informed consent, and one month of menus was collected. Menu items for each meal served were analyzed by SuperTracker, and the output of categorized items was entered into Microsoft Excel to generate summary pie charts. During a workshop intervention, each CCC director and staff were collectively provided with their pie charts along with a pie chart depicting MyPlate guidelines. Nutrition lessons guided staff to develop goals to improve menus. After 4 months of telephone follow‐up support, new menus were collected. Pre/post comparison in SPSS of lunch menu items from 7 CCC revealed a significant decrease in the amount of starchy vegetables served (P<0.05) and a trend in increased red/orange vegetables served (P=0.073), suggesting that this MyPlate activity facilitated positive changes.

Challenging behavior exhibited by students in a school setting is one of the most significant obstructions to student learning. These behaviors often warrant specialized interventions delivered by educators in the presence of typically developing peers; however, the availability of personnel to prepare educators to implement said interventions is limited. One viable solution may be to leverage a pyramidal training model in which training is provided in tiers, allowing for more individuals to be trained within a shorter period. In the current study, one researcher utilized pyramidal training to prepare four educators to implement functional communication training without extinction to decrease aggression toward peers for one student in an inclusionary early childhood education setting. With written instruction only (similar to what a teacher might receive as part of a behavior intervention plan), all educators implemented the intervention with low fidelity (M = 15% steps completed correctly). Post-intervention, all educators were able to implement the intervention with the trainer at or above 80% fidelity, and skills improved to 100% fidelity during in situ training with the student. For the student, aggression was completely decreased to zero levels, and functional communication responses increased. Moreover, all results were maintained after the holiday break without additional training. Implications for research and practice will be discussed.