Comparison of college students' behavior toward nutrition information communication between Korea and the US

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES@#The expansion of menu labeling to restaurants has created a need to study customers' behavior toward nutrition information. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to compare college students' behavior toward nutrition information communication between Korea and the US. This study consisted of three objectives: 1) to compare the frequency of usage as well as degree of trust regarding smartphone-based communication channels in the acquisition of nutrition information among college students between Korea and the US, 2) to compare knowledge-sharing behavior related to nutrition information among college students between Korea and the US, and 3) to identify the role of country in the process of knowledge-sharing behavior. @*SUBJECTS/METHODS@#A survey was distributed via the web to college students in Korea and the US. Data were collected in the 2nd week of March 2017. Completed responses were collected from 423 Koreans and 280 Americans. Differences between Koreans and Americans were evaluated for statistical significance using a t-test. In order to verify the effects of knowledge self-efficacy and transactive memory capability on knowledge-sharing behavior related to nutrition information, a regression analysis was performed. @*RESULTS@#Significant differences were found in the frequency of usage as well as degree of trust in communication channels related to nutrition information between Korean and American college students. While knowledge self-efficacy and tractive memory capability had positive effects on knowledge-sharing behavior related to nutrition information, country had a significant effect on the process. @*CONCLUSIONS@#This study is the first to compare customer behavior toward nutrition information acquisition and sharing between Korea and the US. Comparative research on nutrition information revealed differences among the different countries. Therefore, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on the nutrition information research, in particular, by providing a comparison study between countries.

Impacts of menu information quality and nutrition information quality on technology acceptance characteristics and behaviors toward fast food restaurants' kiosk

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: With the advances in technologies, self-service kiosks at foodservice operations are becoming a new way of service provision. This study examined the relationships among the menu information quality, nutrition information quality, technology acceptance characteristics, and customer behavioral intention toward the kiosks in fast food restaurants.SUBJECTS/METHODS: A survey with a self-administered method was distributed online and offline. The sample consisted of customers who had used the kiosks at fast food restaurants in the last six months prior to the survey. The study hypotheses were tested by applying structural equation modeling.RESULTS: Structural equation modeling revealed the positive impacts of menu information quality and nutrition information quality, technology acceptance characteristics, and behavioral intention toward kiosks at fast food restaurants. On the other hand, one hypothesis (Hypothesis 4) on the impact of nutrition information quality on the perceived usefulness was rejected.CONCLUSION: The study is the first to investigate nutrition and menu information at foodservice kiosks and relate them to technology acceptance. The study is very timely and adequate in the time of the 4th industrial revolution. The critical importance of the presentation of nutrition information and menu information at the kiosks at fast food restaurants was verified. The academic and industrial implications of the study findings were discussed.

In vivo Tracking of Human Neural Stem Cells Following Transplantation into a Rodent Model of Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ischemic stroke caused by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) is the major type of stroke, but there are currently very limited options for cure. It has been shown that neural stem cells (NSCs) or neural precursor cells (NPCs) can survive and improve neurological deficits when they are engrafted in animal models of various neurological diseases. However, how the transplanted NSCs or NPCs are act in vivo in the injured or diseased brain is largely unknown. In this study, we utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques in order to understand the fates of human NSCs (HB1.F3) following transplantation into a rodent model of MCAo. METHODS AND RESULTS: HB1.F3 human NSCs were pre-labeled with ferumoxides (Feridex(R))-protamine sulfate complexes, which were visualized and examined by MRI up to 9 weeks after transplantation. Migration of the transplanted cells to the infarct area was further confirmed by histological methods. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these observations, we speculate that the transplanted NSCs have the extensive migratory ability to the injured site, which will in turn contribute to functional recovery in stroke.

The Effect of Coating Material of Copper-wire RF Coil on the Signal-to-Noise Ratio in MR Images

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of coating material in RF coil, which is one of main parts in MRI machine, on the Q-factor and SNR(signal-to-noise ratio) in MR images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: RF coils with inner diameter of 1.7 mm were made by using copper wires coated with polyester, polyurethane, polyimide, polyamideimide, and polyester-imide, and by using copper wires in which coating materials had been removed. Q-factors of the RF coils were measured by network analyzer, and SNR values in the spin-echo MR images obtained by 600 MHz (14.1 T, Bruker DMX600) micro-imaging system for the coated and uncoated cases. RESULTS: The measured SNRs were almost same for the RF coils with coat-removed copper wires, however SNRs and Q-factors were different for the coated cases depending on the coating material. They were maximized in the polyurethane-coated case in which the SNR was >30% greater than polyester-coated case. CONCLUSION: We made solenoid-type RF coils which were easily used for MR micro-imaging in Bruker MRI probe. There was a significant coating-material dependence in the measured Q values and SNRs for the home-made RF coils. The study demonstrated that the choice of coating material of RF coil may be a critical factor in the MRI sensitivity based on SNR value.