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The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommend twice-weekly consumption of seafood for health benefits, yet many U.S. consumers have historically fallen short of this target. The economic and societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic brought concern about further declines in seafood intake. This study evaluated the influence of COVID-19 on seafood intake among U.S. residents, toward understanding potential public health implications. A nationally representative cross-sectional survey of 1200 U.S. residents conducted in June 2021 evaluated the frequency and types of seafood consumed, and purchase methods used, before and during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results (weighted data) indicate most U.S. consumers (90%) eat seafood, yet only 19% meet the seafood DGA. The likelihood of meeting the DGA was higher among consumers who were Asian, Black, or Hispanic; older; unmarried; of higher income; familiar with the DGA; choosing seafood for health reasons; and living in Atlantic or Gulf coast states. During COVID-19, some increased seafood intake for health reasons (45%), while others reduced intake due to factors such as cost (29%), limited availability (16%), and challenges with preparation (11%). Fresh salmon (68%), frozen shrimp (59%), and cooked oysters (41%) were most frequently purchased by consumers of these foods. More consumers indicated purchasing wild salmon (62%), shrimp (44%), and oysters (51%) than farm-raised products, though many were unsure. Fewer consumers included seafood in online grocery orders (36%) than meal kit orders (61%) when using these services. Though many consumers continued to eat seafood despite decreased restaurant patronage, most did not reach the intake level needed to maximize health benefits. Educational and marketing efforts promoting the health benefits of seafood and the convenience of procurement via online purchase methods may encourage intake across demographic groups to benefit public health outcomes in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic tradeoffs students place on location, salary, distances to natural resource amenities, size of the city where the job is located, and commuting times for their first college graduate job are estimated using a mixed logit model for a sample of Texas A&M University students. The Midwest is the least preferred area having a mean salary premium of $15,230 necessary to locate in this area relative to a job in Texas. States bordering Texas had the smallest salary premium at $6388. Students also value shorter commute times and shorter distances to natural resource amenities. Job recruiters and students can use knowledge of the magnitude of these economic premiums associated with these job attributes as the basis for employment negotiations. Further, companies may consider including descriptions of the area's opportunities in commuting time and distance to natural resource amenities in their interactions with potential new hires.

Using primary survey data, factors influencing preferences of international graduate students in the United States as to whether they prefer to stay in the United States or go back to their home country to start their careers are examined employing discrete choice analysis. Career opportunities and social climate are critical factors. Students prefer to start their careers in the country where they have more and better career opportunities, receive higher salaries, and have increased civil liberties. Differences between students who are sure and those who are not sure as to where they prefer to start their career are noted. (Contains 1 note, 2 tables, and 2 figures.)

China's pesticide industry has played an important role in the growth of agricultural productivity in both China and worldwide, but its development is hampered by production inefficiency and the lack of innovation of active ingredients. To improve innovation and the productivity of the pesticide industry, the Chinese government has implemented a series of policies to stimulate private research and development (R&D) and firm innovation. Using the firm-level panel data of the Annual Survey of Industrial Firms (ASIF) collected by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2001–2007, this study examines the linkages between R&D investment, innovation, and productivity with a focus on the role of government policies. The results show that pesticide firms with a higher intensity of R&D investment were associated with a higher patent intensity, and more innovated firms were associated with a higher productivity. Public research, intellectual property enforcement, production subsidy, foreign direct investment (FDI), and being export oriented were positively associated with the innovation and productivity of pesticide firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One-dimensional graphene fibers (GFs) possess excellent properties, including high electrical conductivity, good physical and chemical stability, high thermal conductivity, flexibility, etc. GFs are ideal electrode materials for fiber-shaped supercapacitors. However, due to the lack of an effective method to manufacture GFs with high specific capacitance, their low energy density hinders their practical application. Herein, we decorated wet-spun graphene oxide fibers (GOFs) by dip-coating them with graphene oxide (GO) solutions containing different contents of lignin to obtain a core-sheath lignin/GO composite fibers. After carbonization and activation, we successfully prepared lignin derived carbon/GF electrodes. The assembled fibershaped supercapacitors (FSSCs) exhibit a specific capacitance of 9. 98 mF/cm2 and an energy density of 0.89 pW • h/cm2, about 6 times of those of pure GFs (1.57 mF/cm2 and 0.14 jxW • h/cm2, respectively), long cycling life and cycling stability. This suggests that the introduction of lignin derived carbon into GFs can effectively increase the specific capacitance and the energy density of FSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the influence of various processing parameters on the mechanical properties of fibers, lignin/graphene oxide (GO)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibers with different mass ratios of lignin and GO to PVA were prepared by gel spinning technique. Air drawing process and spinneret diameters were tuned as the main factors. The tensile strength increased up to 472 MPa with air drawing process applied in 3ÖL0. 05GO0.72D-A PVA fibers (air- drawn PVA fibers reinforced by 30% lignin and 0.05% GO spun with a spinneret diameter of 0.72 mm), indicating 17.4% higher than that of the fiber without air drawing process (402 MPa). Similarly, at least a 14.6% increase in Young's modulus has been achieved for 30L0.05G00.72D-A fiber. In addition, a smaller spinneret diameter(0.72 mm) also led to a 24.9% increase in tensile strength and a 7.7% increase in Young's modulus in comparison with those of 5L0.05G00.84D-A fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Byline: Yanhong H. Jin, Bruce A. McCarl, Levan Elbakidze Animal agriculture is vulnerable to both intentional and unintentional biological threats. Outbreaks, especially intentional attacks, could cause enormous consequences extending well beyond agriculture. Nations, including the USA, are consolidating and coordinating efforts to protect against these biological threats. The efforts employed largely fall into the categories of ex ante prevention/preparedness and ex post response/recovery. The optimal mix across these strategies depends on the event probability, expected economic consequences, costs and effectiveness of strategies, and disease spread rates along with other factors. We review the literature discussing vulnerability and mitigation strategies and issues of relevance to agricultural security and then develop strategic recommendations based on economic analyses. These recommendations address (1) what categories of mitigation strategies are likely to be most effective (2) what implementation obstacles exist and how these implementation challenges could be managed or overcome and (3) what leverages can be done on technology, scientific advancement and education.

To better understand consumers' fair trade purchasing intentions, this study proposed an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in which a new determinant, cosmopolitanism, was added to reflect consumers' global orientation and perception of fair trade coffee in the context of globalization. In addition, this study employed the construct of "purchase implementation intention" to address the gap between stated intention and actual behavior. To test the study's hypotheses, a random survey was administered to 400 participants in Seoul, South Korea, a key emerging market for fair trade coffee consumption. The data were analyzed using a hierarchical regression method. Our findings suggest that (i) attitudes toward purchasing fair trade coffee, subjective norms, and cosmopolitanism were significant factors in predicting purchase implementation intentions with regard to fair trade coffee; (ii) perceived behavioral control was not statistically significant; and (iii) cosmopolitanism had a partial moderating effect on purchase implementation intentions. To confirm the utility of purchase implementation intention, a choice experiment involving 145 undergraduate and graduate students was administered. The data were analyzed using logistic regression. Purchase implementation intention was shown to reflect consumers' actual choice of fair trade coffee. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study examined how food‐related behaviours differed in mothers and their preschool children by levels of family functioning (cohesion and conflict) and household disorganization (chaos). A nationally representative sample of mothers of preschoolers completed an online survey assessing food‐related behaviours of themselves and their children. Maternal and child diet, eating behaviours, and health status; household availability of fruits/vegetables, salty/fatty snacks, and sugar‐sweetened beverages; family mealtime atmosphere; and family conflict, cohesion, and household chaos were assessed with valid, reliable scales. Cluster analyses assigned families into low, middle, and high conflict, cohesion, and chaos groups. Participants (n = 550) were 72% White, and 82% had some post‐secondary education. Regression analysis examining the association of cluster grouping levels on diet‐related behaviour measures revealed that positive home environments (i.e., low family conflict, high family cohesion, and low household chaos) were associated with healthier food‐related behaviours (e.g., increased fruits/vegetables intake), whereas negative home environments (i.e., high family conflict, low family cohesion, and high household chaos) were associated with unhealthy food‐related behaviours (e.g., greater % total calories from fat) even after controlling for sociodemographic and related behavioural factors. Findings suggest family functioning and household chaos are associated with food‐related behaviours. This frequently overlooked component of family interaction may affect intervention outcomes and objectives of educational and interventional initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]