Associations Between Meal Planning and Food Ordering Features of a Digital Precision Nutrition Platform and Improvements in Diet Quality

Objectives Foodsmart is a digital precision nutrition platform that seeks to address barriers to healthy eating with features including (but not limited to) personalized dietary recommendations based on food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) responses, a meal planner, grocery list, and food ordering capabilities. We investigated the association between engagement with these features and changes in diet quality over time. Methods We included 9939 obese adults ages 18–80 living in the U.S. who enrolled in Foodsmart. Usual dietary intake, age, weight, height, and sex were reported through a 53-item FFQ, modified from the National Cancer Institue's Diet History Questionnaire. A healthy diet score was calculated, which contains 7 components: fruits, vegetables, protein ratio (white meat/vegetarian protein: red/processed meat), carbohydrate ratio (fiber: carbohydrate), fat ratio (polyunsaturated: saturated/trans fats), sodium, and hydration (% of daily fluid goal). Change in diet quality was calculated by subtracting users’ first score from their last score. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of improvement in diet quality per engagement with each feature, adjusted for gender, age, baseline BMI, baseline diet score, and enrollment time. Results Of the 9,939 adults included in the analysis, 57% were between 40 and 59 years old and 21% were male. In multivariate regression models, each additional engagement with personalized dietary recommendations was associated with a 27% higher likelihood of improving diet (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.16–1.39, P < 0.001). Each additional engagement with the meal planner, grocery list, and food ordering was associated, respectively, with a 12% (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02–1.22, >P = 0.01), 15% (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.05–1.26, P < 0.001), and 18% (OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.00–1.38, P = 0.05) higher likelihood of improving diet quality. Conclusions In our prospective study of obese users of a digital precision nutrition platform, we found that more frequent engagement with features related to meal planning and food ordering was associated with diet quality improvement. Funding Sources This study was funded by Foodsmart.

Weight estimations with time-reversed point-light displays

Interpreting other’s actions is a very important ability not only in social life, but also in interactive sports. Previous experiments have demonstrated good estimation performances for the weight of lifted objects through point-light displays. The basis for these performances is commonly assigned to the concept of motor simulation regarding observed actions. In this study, we investigated the weak version of the motor simulation hypothesis which claims that the goal of an observed action strongly influences its understanding (Fogassi, Ferrari, Gesierich, Rozzi, Chersi, & Rizzolatti, 2005). Therefore, we conducted a weight judgement task with point-light displays and showed participants videos of a model lifting and lowering three different weights. The experimental manipulation consisted of a goal change of these actions by showing the videos normal and in a time-reversed order of sequence. The results show a systematic overestimation of weights for time-reversed lowering actions (thus looking like lifting actions) while weight estimations for time-reversed lifting actions did not differ from the original playback direction. The results are discussed in terms of motor simulation and different kinematic profiles of the presented actions.

Framework for Resilience Informed Decision Making in Early Design

Early in the design process, informed decisions must be made to ensure that the developed system will be resilient—that is, capable of preventing, mitigating, or recovering failures. However, at this phase of design, many options exist to achieve resilience, each with different effects on the system’s fault response, performance, and difficulty to implement. As a result, it is important to be able to quantify the value of a design’s resilience so that it can be traded off against these other concerns. Advancements in the capabilities of Prognostics and Health Management, fault-tolerant control and related technologies have enabled a variety of novel prevention and recovery features that require an understanding of the system’s structure and available functions during operation to consider properly. This work aims to develop modelling and design frameworks enabling the consideration of these features, such as system reconfiguration, functional redundancy, operational failure avoidance, and goal change early in the design process. Such design frameworks will show which designed features are most appropriate in the system and will account for the uncertainty of assumptions made in early design phase.

The Crisis and Change in Turkish Foreign Policy After July 15

This article analyzes attempts to redirect foreign policy against multiple crises in Turkey that inhibit change. The gap between the country’s capabilities and resources and its regional and international commitments has overshadowed former success stories in Turkish Foreign Policy (TFP) by casting an all-encompassing sense of siege, retreat, and isolation. The new narrative and guided political mobilization by government after July 15 in Turkey saw the redirection of foreign policy as a necessary response to the emerging situation, not an offshoot of failure in the previous era. A combination of efforts toward program change and problem/goal change characterized the leader-driven redirection in TFP. This article argues that despite the new narrative and authoritative control of the implementation of foreign policy, presumed redirection or recalibration is unlikely to happen in TFP in the post-July 15 era. There is not a solid plan for change and reform in foreign policy or in the state apparatus at large but rather only a rhetorical emphasis on such actions.

Resource dependence patterns, goal change, and social value in nonprofit organizations: does goal change matter in nonprofit management?

Resource acquisition is an important factor for the survival and success of nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit organizations are not free from the demands of potential funders and they experience involuntary goal changes in competitive environments. This article investigates the relationships among resource dependence patterns (resource dependency, resource competitiveness, and resource diversity), goal change, and social value in nonprofit organizations. The findings suggest that competition for financial resources (resource competitiveness) is positively associated with goal change in nonprofit organizations. Goal change in an environment of high resource competitiveness has a negative effect on social value. On the other hand, the empirical findings show that a diversified or balanced revenue structure (high resource diversity) helps nonprofit organizations to maintain their social value. Points for practitioners This study shows that frequent goal change can damage social value in the nonprofit sector. This can be interpreted as indicating that the involvement of external stakeholders makes it difficult to attain social value in that the demands of potential donors are a major cause of goal change in nonprofit organizations. To alleviate this problem, a nonprofit organization should try to reduce its dependency on one or a few financial resources for its autonomy and social value. In the mid- and long-term view, nonprofit organizations should enhance their financial independence in order to ensure their survival and success, as well as to improve their social value.

Peran Komunikasi Interpersonal dalam Penyebaran Teknologi Green House di Sanggar Kegiatan Belajar Situbondo

The process of disseminating greenhouse technology in the Learning Activity Center (SKB) Situbondo a lot obstacles in its implementation. The purpose of this research analyzed the development of green house in SKB Situbondo as center of empowerment of manggo farmer. This research was done in SKB Situbondo which is location of spread of green house technology. This research used qualitative descriptive study. Data were collected by interview, observation, and literature study. The research data was validated by using source triangulation. Data analysis technique used interactive analysis model. The result of the research showed that (1) the conflict between mango farmers and SKB Situbondo was due to differences of views between the two parties, (2) the distribution was done to solve the problems faced by mango farmers after the harvest season ends with the learning guard as mediator, and (3) interpersonal communication running effectively where the terms of communication effectiveness had been met: openness, empathy, supportive attitude, positive attitude, and equality. The fulfillment of these five requirements, interpersonal communication had been running and expected to achieve its goal, change the attitude and behavior of mango farmers.

The Development of Achievement Goals throughout College: Modeling Stability and Change

Emerging adulthood, defined for many by the college years, is an active period of personality development; less is known about goal change during these years. We investigated stability and change in the 2 × 2 model of achievement goals over 4 years (N = 527). We evaluated rank-order stability and mean-level change, and tested goal coupling hypotheses—the idea that early changes in goals predict later change in other goals—using multivariate latent difference score models. Achievement goals showed moderate rank-order stability over 4 years. Three of four goals demonstrated small normative declines, excepting performance approach goals. A change in mastery approach goals was associated with levels of the other three goals; these goals jointly acted to slow the decline of mastery goals. Trajectories for the other three goals were largely independent. Results suggest that goals are relatively stable individual differences during the college years.