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string | predicted_class
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|---|---|---|
For OEC‐CM treatment, at time 0, media conditioning (25%, 50% and 100%) obtained from OECs cultured for 24, 48 and 72 hrs were applied in the same experimental culture groups. To verify the status of hypoxia, the expression of hypoxia‐inducible factor 1‐alpha (HIF1A), a specific transcription factor of the hypoxic response, was analysed by immunofluorescence (data not shown).
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study
| 100.0 |
Immunofluorescence analysis on SH‐SY5Y cells was performed as previously described 54. Briefly, after fixation with 4% Paraformaldehyde (PFA), cells were permeabilized in 0.2% Triton X100 and blocked by incubation with 10% normal goat serum (NGS, Gibco, Invitrogen, Milan, Italy) for 1 hr at room temperature (RT). The primary incubation was performed, overnight at 4°C, with the following antibodies: rabbit anti‐p75 (1:500, Chemicon Int. Inc., USA), mouse anti‐S‐100 (1:100; Sigma‐Aldrich, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA), rabbit anti‐HIF1A (1:200; Sigma‐Aldrich, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA), mouse anti‐Cx43 (1:150, Cell Signaling, Danvers, Massachusetts, USA) and rabbit β‐tubulin (1:200, Cell Signaling, Danvers, Massachusetts, USA).
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study
| 99.94 |
After washing, slides were incubated with the appropriate secondary antibodies: fluorescence isothiocyanate (FITC) labelled anti‐rabbit antibody (1:200, Chemicon, Int. Inc., USA) and Cy3 labelled antimouse antibody (1:1000 Chemicon, Int. Inc., USA) for 1 hr at RT. Nuclei were stained with DAPI (1:1000) for 5 min. Finally, slides were mounted in fluorescent mounting medium Permafluor (Thermo Scientific, Wilmington, USA) and digital images were acquired using a Leica DM IRB fluorescence microscope and with Leica TCS SP8 confocal microscope. Nonspecific staining of cells was observed in control incubations in which the primary antibodies were omitted.
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study
| 98.8 |
Cell pellets were homogenized in lysis buffer (Tris‐HCl pH 7.4, 1% Triton X100, NaCl 150 mmol/L and EDTA 1 mmol/L) supplemented with a cocktail of protease inhibitors (1:100, Sigma‐Aldrich, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA). For Western blot quantification, 50 μg of protein were electrophoresed on 12% SDS‐PAGE gels and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes. After blocking with 5% non‐fat milk powder in Tris‐buffered saline with 0.05% Tween‐20 (TBST), membranes were incubated overnight at +4°C with the following primary antibodies: rabbit caspase‐3 cleaved (1:1000, Cell Signaling, Danvers, Massachusetts, USA), mouse anti‐Cx47 (1:200, Invitrogen, Waltham, MA, USA), mouse anti‐Cx43 (1:1000, Cell Signaling, Danvers, Massachusetts, USA), rabbit anti‐Cx40 (1:200, Invitrogen, Waltham, MA, USA), mouse anti‐Cx36 (1:200, Invitrogen, Waltham, MA, USA), mouse anti‐Cx32 (1:500, Novex), rabbit anti‐Cx30 (1:200, Invitrogen, Waltham, MA, USA) and rabbit β‐tubulin (1:1000, Cell Signaling, Danvers, Massachusetts, USA). After three washes in TBST, the membranes were incubated with antimouse (1:20000, Jackson, West Grove, PA, USA) and anti‐rabbit HRP‐conjugated (1:50000, Jackson, West Grove, PA, USA) secondary antibodies for 1 hr at RT. Proteins bands were visualized with premixed ready‐to‐use chemiluminescent HRP detection reagent (Millipore, Darmstadt, Germany) according to the manufacturer's instructions and captured with an Uvitec Cambridge Imaging System. The density of each band was quantified using ImageJ analysis software and normalized to β‐tubulin levels measured in the same membranes.
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study
| 99.94 |
Cell adherence and proliferation was monitored in real‐time using the xCELLigence system E‐Plate. Different cell numbers were tested, with the optimum cell density to found to be 2.5 × 104 cells/cm2 (data not shown). Experiments were performed at different time‐points and with various percentages of media derived from OEC cultures mixed with fresh medium, with 100% of fresh medium employed as a control. The impedance value of each well was monitored by the xCELLigence system for a time of 24 hrs and expressed as a cell index (CI) value. Data for cell adherence were normalized at 16 hrs after plating. Normalized CI, representing a quantitative measure of cell number, was calculated by dividing CI at the time‐point into the CI at the normalization time‐point (time 0). The Rate of Cell Growth (RCG) was determined by calculating the slope of the line between starting point and ending point.
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study
| 100.0 |
Cells were trypsinized and adjusted to a concentration of 2.5 × 104 cells/cm2 seeded in 96‐well plates (Costar) and incubated for 16 hrs with basal growth medium. Then medium was replaced with basal growth medium in control cultures and with 50% basal growth medium mixed 1:1 with OEC‐CM. Normoxic cultures were placed in both normal‐oxygen and in 1% oxygen conditions. Cellular viability was evaluated at time 0, 3, 8 and 24 hrs. Tests were performed adding a solution of 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT; Sigma‐Aldrich, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA) at concentration of 5 mg/ml and placed for 2.5 hrs in a CO2 incubator. Media were gently removed, MTT solvent (DMSO, Sigma‐Aldrich, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA) was added, and cells were agitated on an orbital shaker for 5 min at RT. The absorbance was measured using a Varioskan Flash spectrophotometer (Thermo Scientific, Wilmington, USA) at 550 nm. Results were expressed as the percentage MTT reduction of control cells. The experiment was performed three times with six replicates per condition each time. Data are shown via standard box‐and‐whiskers plots in which the central‐line represents the median, the upper‐ and lower bounds of the boxes are min and max value and points represent all values expressed as percentage of control, assumed as 100%.
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study
| 100.0 |
n‐way Anova has been performed to determine the existences of interaction between n independent variables (time and treatment for two way anova and time, treatment and oxygen levels for three way Anova) on a continuous dependent variable. Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) has been used as post hoc test when Anova test indicated statistically significant differences to identify specific changes in time‐points or treatment conditions. Statistical calculation has been performed using R software (R Foundation for Statistical Computing). Values are represented in graphs as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM). All calculation was performed using GraphPad Prism v7 software.
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study
| 99.94 |
To induce hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury, 2.5 × 104 cells/cm2 were plated in growth medium and incubated in a controlled humidified atmosphere at 37°C with constant 5% CO2 level. Sixteen hours after plating (time 0) hypoxic cultures were exposed to 3 hrs of hypoxia (1% O2) and then reoxygenated to 24 hrs. In OEC‐CM supplemented cell cultures the conditioned media was added at time 0 (Fig. 1A).
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study
| 100.0 |
OEC‐CM exhibits neuroprotective effects on the human neuroblastoma cell lines. (A) Experimental plan. (B–G) xCELLigence system E‐Plate analysis of cell viability on SH‐SY5Y cell cultures. Each dot represents the CI mean (±SEM) of three independent analyses and CI was revealed every 30 min on the same cultures. (H–K) Rate of Cell Growth (slope of the line between time 0 and time 24) in normoxic and hypoxic SH‐SY5Y (H, I) and SK‐N‐SH (J,K) cell cultures exposed to different conditioning‐time and percentage of OEC‐CM.**P < 0.01 versus CTRL. ***P < 0.001 versus CTRL. ##P < 0.01 versus corresponding OEC‐CM 25%. ###P < 0.001 versus corresponding OEC‐CM 25%. §P < 0.05 versus OEC‐CM 72 hr 100%. §§P < 0.01 versus OEC‐CM 72 hr 100%. §§§P < 0.001 versus OEC‐CM 72 hr 100%. (manovas and Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) post hoc test).
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study
| 100.0 |
To investigate the potential protective effects of OEC‐CM on cell cultures after H/R injury, we supplemented growth medium with three different percentage of conditioned medium, 25%, 50% and 100%, collected from primary OECs cultures at different conditioning times (24, 48 and 72 hrs) (Fig. 1A). Our results showed that in normoxic conditions there was a significant reduction of normalized cell index (CI) in all cell cultures grown in 100% OEC‐CM (Fig. 1B–D), as result of reduced cell confluence and cell number. A similar result, although less marked than previous, was observed when the cells were cultured with 50% OEC‐CM collected after 72 hrs (Fig. 1D). This was probably linked to the lower level of serum and nutrients compared to the fresh medium. Cell cultures grown with 25% and 50% OEC‐CM, collected after 24 hrs and 48 hrs (Fig. 1A and B), did not show any significant difference compared to cells grown in 100% growth medium (CTRL) (Fig. 1A–C). Cells exposed to H/R injury, treated with 25%, 50% and 100% OEC‐CM collected at any time‐points, showed a significant increase of normalized CI compared to CTRL (Fig. 1E–G). Our findings also indicated that OEC‐CM, used at concentrations of 50% and 100%, exerted a higher protective effect on cells compared to 25% OEC‐CM and CTRL (Fig. 1E–G).
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study
| 100.0 |
To further analyse, the effects of OEC‐CM on cell cultures, we evaluated the rate of cell growth (RCG) in both normoxic and H/R injured cultures (Fig. 1H–K). Our results demonstrated that in normoxic conditions, cell lines supplemented with 25% OEC‐CM, collected from OECs after 24, 48 and 72 hrs, did not show significant reduction of the RCG. The same effect was observed when cells were grown in 50% OEC‐CM collected after 24 or 48 hrs. In contrast, cultures grown in 50% OEC‐CM, collected after 72 hrs and in 100% of OEC‐CM (all conditioning times), showed a significant decrease of RCG (Fig. 1H and J). Interestingly, all conditioned media used at 25%, 50% and 100% on H/R injured cultures showed a significant increase of RCG compared to control cultures (Fig. 1I and K). Taken together, these findings suggested that, in both normoxic and H/R injured cultures, the cells grown in 48 hrs OEC‐CM mixed 1:1 in maintenance medium, showed a higher protective effect and supported a better RCG. For this reason all further studies have been performed by using 50% OEC‐CM collected after 48 hrs. These findings confirmed that OECs, affecting the media composition, were able to exert neuroprotective actions and to increase cell survival and cell proliferation after injury.
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study
| 100.0 |
OEC‐CM increased SH‐SY5Y cell viability and reduced H/R injury mediated damage. (A) MTT‐viability tests performed at 0, 3, 8 and 24 hrs. Values of spectrophotometric determination at 550 nm are reported as percentage of cultures at time 0, considered as 100%. Data are shown via standard box‐and‐whiskers plots in which the central‐line represents the median, the upper‐ and lower bounds of the boxes are min and max value and dots represent all value expressed as percentage of control. NS not significant, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 and ***P < 0.001 versus CTRL Normoxia time 0. ####P < 0.0001 (manovas and Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) post hoc test). (B) Western blot analysis of Cleaved Caspase‐3 levels on SH‐SY5Y in control and H/R injured cultures. Proteins levels are plotted as fold change over 3 hrs after treatment in control culture considered as 1. **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 (manovas and Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) post hoc test). (C) Western blot analysis of Cleaved Caspase‐3 levels on SH‐SY5Y in OEC‐CM conditioned cultures in normoxic and in H/R injured cultures. Proteins levels are plotted as fold change over 3 hrs after treatment in OEC‐CM normoxic cultures considered as 1.
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study
| 100.0 |
Our results demonstrated that cells immediately after H/R injury and after 5 hrs of reoxygenation had significantly lower cell viability (MTT test). Furthermore, we established that the addition of OEC‐CM to the H/R injured cultures significantly improved cell viability compared to untreated cells. Otherwise cells cultured in presence of OEC‐CM for 24 hrs in normoxic conditions did not show any significant difference compared to control (Fig. 2A).
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study
| 100.0 |
Further, we evaluated the levels of cleaved caspase‐3, a marker of apoptosis, in normoxic and H/R cultures with and without OEC‐CM. We found that cleaved caspase‐3 levels were significantly higher in hypoxic cultures, at all reoxygenation times, compared to normoxic cultures (Fig. 2B). Cells grown with OEC‐CM, in normoxia and exposed to H/R, did not show significant differences of cleaved caspase‐3 levels compared to unconditioned cultures (Fig. 2C).
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study
| 100.0 |
To identify if SH‐SY5Y cells, cultured in presence or in absence of OEC‐CM in normoxic and H/R conditions, expressed some specific Cxs (including Cx47, Cx43, Cx40, Cx36, Cx32, and Cx30), we performed Western blot analyses. Our data indicated that cells grown in all experimental conditions showed no or a very low expression of Cx47, Cx32, Cx40 and Cx30 (Fig. 3A). The cultures, maintained under normoxic conditions, showed basal expression levels for Cx36 and Cx43 that were reduced in presence of OEC‐CM. H/R injured cultures showed an intensely increased Cx43 levels and OEC‐CM was able to reduce this overexpression to normoxic levels (Fig. 3A).
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study
| 100.0 |
Cxs profile of SH‐SY5Y and SK‐N‐SH cell lines. (A) Heatmap of Cx47, Cx43, Cx40, Cx36, Cx32 and Cx30 protein expression levels on SH‐SY5Y cell line at 24 hrs. Western blots were digitally analysed by integrating the density of each protein band and its corresponding ß‐Tubulin band intensity. Colour key shown for each protein reveals the colour code used to visualise the relative protein expression level, light blue colours correspond to low relative protein expression levels, while red colour correspond to high relative protein expression levels. Average protein expression levels from duplicate cultures were assessed at 24 hrs post‐H/R injury. *P < 0.05 versus CTRL Normoxia. (manovas and Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) post hoc test). (B) Western blot analysis of Cx43 in lysates of SH‐SY5Y normoxic and H/R cultures. Data show the ratio between intensity of Cx43 bands divided by relative ß‐Tubulin bands intensity quantified using imageJ software. Blot shown is representative of three independent experiments. *P < 0,05, ***P < 0.001. (manovas and Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) post hoc test). (C) Western blot analysis of Cx43 in lysates of SK‐N‐SH normoxic and H/R cultures. Data show the ratio between intensity of Cx43 bands divided by relative ß‐Tubulin bands intensity quantified using imageJ software. Blot shown is representative of three independent experiments. **P < 0.01. (manovas and Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) post hoc test).
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study
| 100.0 |
To better evaluate levels and localization of Cx43 in SH‐SY5Y cells we performed Western blots and immunofluorescence analysis at different time‐points. These experiments confirmed high levels of this marker from the end of the injury (3 hrs) in untreated SH‐SY5Y cells (Figs. 3B and 4A, B). The expression levels appeared to increase markedly after 8 hrs and then clearly decrease at 24 hrs (Fig. 3B) in both intracellular and extracellular compartments (Fig. 4B). However, our data showed that H/R cultures, in absence of OEC‐CM, had higher levels of Cx43 at each analysed time‐point compared to the cultures in normoxia with and without OEC‐CM. On the contrary, in injured cultures, in the presence of OEC‐CM the expression levels of Cx43 seemed unaffected along the different time‐points (Figs. 3A and B, 4B) compared to the cultures in normoxia with and without OEC‐CM. Moreover, H/R cultures exposed to OEC‐CM exhibited an evident reduction of Cx43 expression when compared to the unconditioned injured cultures (Figs. 3B and 4B).
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study
| 100.0 |
To further confirm the increased Cx43 expression levels in hypoxic condition we performed Western blots analysis on SK‐N‐SH at 24 hrs (Fig. 3C). These experiments confirmed that also in this cell line the Cx43 levels were up‐regulated in H/R injured cultures while did not show any significant differences in OEC‐CM cultures compared to control cultures.
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study
| 100.0 |
To analyse whether the neuroprotective effect on SH‐SY5Y cells exposed to H/R injury was related to GJ and/or HC functions of Cx43 we performed MTT‐viability test after adding GJ and/or HC inhibitors. We used CBX, a non‐selective GJIC inhibitor, IO to selectively target Cx43 homotypic GJs, and Gap19 to selectively inhibit Cx43 homotypic HCs. Results obtained from the titration of GJ and/or HC inhibitors (data not shown) suggested that the best inhibitor concentrations were 10 μM in culture medium. Our results demonstrated that H/R injured cultures treated with both GJ and HC chemical inhibitors significantly increase the cell viability over time compared to the control cultures exposed to H/R injury (Fig. 5).
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study
| 100.0 |
MTT‐viability tests on SH‐SY5Y exposed to H/R injury treated with a non‐selective GJIC inhibitor (CBX), selective inhibitor of homotypic Cx43‐GJs (IO) and, selective inhibitor of homotypic Cx43‐HCs (GAP19). MTT‐viability tests performed at 0, 3, 8 and 24 hrs. Values of spectrophotometric determination at 550 nm are reported as percentage of cultures at time 0, considered as 100%. Data are shown via standard box‐and‐whiskers plots in which the central‐line represents the median, the upper and lower bounds of the box are min and max value and dots represent all value. NS not significant, *P < 0.05 and ***P < 0.001 versus CTRL Normoxia time 0. #P < 0.05. (manovas and Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) post hoc test).
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study
| 100.0 |
The strengthening of some endogenous neuroprotective mechanisms as a mean by which to prevent and/or slow down the outcome of the various forms of neurodegenerative disorders has recently emerged as one of the most popular topics in applied neurobiology. It has been described that OECs exhibit the ability to promote regeneration in the damaged CNS, thus they could be involved as possible mediators of repair in neurological diseases 12, 14. As a source of different trophic factors, OECs have attracted an increasing interest as tool for regenerative medicine with applications that include spinal cord injury 55, 56 or axonal growth 57, 58 with a view towards new therapeutic approaches. It has been also demonstrated in vitro that the addition of OEC‐CM to the neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y and SK‐N‐SH cells exposed to the neurotoxin 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) provides neuroprotective properties 59.
|
review
| 99.9 |
In this work we showed that OEC‐CM exerts a concentration‐ and time‐dependent protective effect on SH‐SY5Y and SK‐N‐SH cells subjected to H/R injury. Our aim was to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying this effect. A number of evidence revealed that, in the CNS, intercellular communication among neurons and glial cells via GJs and/or HCs could be critical in the spread of protective and/or deleterious signals. Cxs are dynamically expressed during injury and stress conditions and, for each condition and context, up‐ or down‐regulation of such proteins likely influencing gate properties of GJs and free HCs, may influence cell survival or cell death 21, 43, 44, 45, 46. In particular, several independent studies have pointed out that onset and progression of homeostatic imbalances observed during neurodegeneration could be associated with an enhanced HC activity in the CNS 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66. Here we demonstrated in vitro that SH‐SY5Y and SK‐N‐SH cells grown in normoxia displayed no or low expression of Cx47, Cx43, Cx40, Cx36, Cx32 and Cx30 with or without the addition of OEC‐CM. When cells are cultured under hypoxic conditions, the Cx43 exhibited an increased expression whereas, the addition of OEC‐CM to the growth medium, restored the basal expression observed in normoxia. These evidence suggest that, while Cx43 may be involved in hypoxic response, the protective effect of OEC‐CM may be exerted through the modulation of this specific Cxs.
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study
| 100.0 |
Cx43 is the principal astrocytic GJ protein in the CNS where it contributes to the formation of the functional syncytium, implicated in maintaining the homeostasis of the extracellular milieu of neurons 67, 68. Many studies support the potential therapeutic effects of Cx43‐GJ blockade on neuronal survival in various models of injury including stroke, epilepsy, ischaemia, optic nerve damage and spinal cord injury, with GJ communication and HC opening leading to increased secondary damage via the inflammatory response 69, 70, 71.
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review
| 99.7 |
To investigate the possible interplay between OEC‐CM and Cx43 in protection after H/R injury, the effects of Cx43 chemical inhibition has been assessed. When H/R stress is induced in SH‐SY5Y cells, both Cx43‐GJ and Cx43‐HC chemical inhibition significantly increased the cell viability over time compared to control cultures. The functional modulation of Cx43 provides additional support on its involvement in OEC‐CM mediated neuroprotection, likely exerted through the prevention of the spread of injury signals. One appealing hypothesis is that OEC‐CM works by influencing Cx43 expression in the SH‐SY5Y cells via paracrine factors likely involved in the physiological role of OECs within the CNS.
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study
| 100.0 |
While further investigations are needed to unveil the molecular details of such neuroprotection, these data point to the possibility that the proposed model may be useful in the context of therapeutic applications after brain injury. The involvement of Cxs in maintaining the delicate balance of CNS cells, via GJs and/or HCs, may indeed stimulate the development of new modulators for Cxs‐based channels as novel therapeutic agents for the cure of nervous disorders 73, 74, 75, 76.
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review
| 94.7 |
N.V. and R.Pa. designed the research study; N.V., G.C. and R.Pe. performed experiments; N.V. and S.F. collected and analysed data; C.P. and L.V. provided some reagents and instruments; A.G., A.Z., C.P. and V.C. gave technical support and conceptual advice; N.V., G.C. and R.Pa. wrote the manuscript.
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other
| 99.94 |
Dry hot pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is one of the most important spices used worldwide as a natural flavoring and coloring agent owing to its unique spicy and pungent taste and color. In addition, peppers are a rich source of nutrients and diverse bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties, such as capsaicinoids and antioxidant compounds . However, pepper is generally contaminated by molds, yeast and bacteria during the cultivation, drying, packaging, and storage processes. Therefore, to sanitize pepper, fumigation, steam heat sterilization, and irradiation are used to decontaminate undesirable microorganisms . Interest in the ionizing radiation process is increasing because of persistently high food losses from infestation, contamination and spoilage, mounting concerns over food-borne diseases and growing international trade in food products that must meet strict import standards of quality and quarantine . In Pakistan, a private-sector company initiated commercial food irradiation in 2010, and a total of 940 tons of legumes, spices, and fruits were processed in that year . According to the Food Irradiation Treatment Facilities Database of the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme, around 50 tons of spices are irradiated per month in that Pakistani facility .
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other
| 91.6 |
Ionizing radiation is effective against fungi common to hot peppers as well as total aerobic microorganisms. Previous work in our laboratory showed that total mold and Aspergillus counts in gamma-irradiated peppers achieved from 90% to 99% reduction at 2- and 4-kGy doses, respectively, while a radiation dose of 6 kGy eliminated the fungal population . Song et al. indicated that gamma irradiation at 5 kGy has potential for inactivating food borne pathogens (Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella typhimurium) in dried red pepper with minimal color changes. Similarly, Jung et al. reported that a dose of 6 kGy reduced the population of total aerobic microorganisms effectively without affecting major quality indicators of red pepper powder, such as pungency and red color.
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study
| 99.94 |
Postharvest gamma radiation up to 1 kGy did not significantly affect the quality of potatoes under non-refrigerated storage conditions . Other studies carried out with pepper powder showed that radiation treatments have little impact on nutrients and overall quality under ideal storage temperatures . However, the effect of irradiation treatments on the contents of bioactive compounds has not been thoroughly studied. Topuz and Ozdemir recorded a significant decrease in carotenoids in sun-dried and dehydrated paprika subjected to irradiation. On the other hand, the concentration of capsaicinoids increased by 10% in irradiated paprika at 5 kGy . What is largely unknown is the effect of subsequent storage and retail display under ambient conditions on functional compounds of irradiated whole dried peppers. Thus, the present study was designed to explore the impact of multilevel gamma-radiation doses (2, 4 and 6 kGy) and subsequent storage on capsaicinoids and antioxidant compounds in hot peppers.
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study
| 100.0 |
Hot peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) were grown in plastic tunnels under drip irrigation system at the Vegetable Research Area of the Institute of Horticultural Sciences (University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan) and harvested at the red ripe stage with pedicels. The fruits were dried in the sun for 6 to 8 days with an average daily temperature of 39 °C and relative humidity of 36% before the storage experiments. The moisture content of dried samples was determined with the air-forced oven drying method (indirect distillation at 105 °C), according to Method 44-15A of the American Association for Cereal Chemistry . Moisture content in all hot pepper samples was 12%–13% after the sun-drying period.
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study
| 100.0 |
Dried pods of hot pepper hybrids (200 g) were packed in synthetic low-density polyethylene bags (9 μm thick, 20 by 32 cm) and irradiated at dose levels of 0 (control nonirradiated samples), 2, 4, and 6 kGy in a Co60 gamma irradiator (Model Issledovatel, Mytishhi, Russia) using a dose rate of 0.4461 kGy/h at the Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Peshawar, Pakistan. Upon irradiation, the samples were transported to the laboratory under refrigeration (4 °C), analyzed immediately (day 0), and stored at 25 °C for three months (day 90). Experiments were carried out in triplicate, and three subsamples of 25 grams were taken from each package and used for chemical analysis.
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study
| 99.94 |
A portion of 5 g from each subsample of hot pepper was oven-dried at 60 °C for 2–5 days, cooled and then ground to dried pepper powder. Samples were analyzed by using a chromatographic method previously described . A mixture of 1-g sample with 10 mL acetonitrile was placed in 120-mL glass bottles with Teflon-lined lids, capped and placed in a water bath at 80 °C for 4 h and swirled manually every hour. The bottles were removed from the water bath and cooled at room temperature. The supernatant content of samples (2–3 mL) was filtered through a 0.45 μm filter (Millex®-HV filter) using a 5-mL disposable syringe (Millipore, Bedford, MA, USA) into an HPLC sample vial. For the liquid chromatographic analysis of capsaicinoids, an HPLC system LC-10 (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) equipped with an SPD-10A. UV-Vis detector (set at 280 nm wavelength) was used. The analysis was carried out with the isocratic mobile phase (acetonitrile:water, 60:40) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min using a column Discovery C18 (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) supplied by Supelco (Bellefonte, PA, USA). The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.1 μg/g for both capsaicinoids.
|
study
| 100.0 |
Based on the Association of Official Analytical Chemists official Method 970.64 , two grams of hot pepper sample were ground using a mortar and pestle and transferred to a 100-mL flask covered with a stopper. The sample was blended for one minute with a mixture of 30 mL hexane:acetone:ethanol:toluene (10:7:6:7). For hot saponification, 2 mL of 40% methanolic KOH were pipetted into the flask, swirled for one minute and placed in a 56 °C water bath for 20 min. The sample was cooled for one hour in the dark, and then, 30 mL of hexane were pipetted into the flask, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate made up to volume and shaken vigorously for one minute. Upper phase was 50 mL. Absorbance was measured at 436 nm using the IRMECO UV-Vis spectrophotometer Model U2020 with β-carotene (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) as the standard.
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study
| 99.94 |
Ascorbic acid was quantitatively determined according to the 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol AOAC official Method 967.21 . A sample of hot peppers (10 g) was blended with 2.5 mL of 20% metaphosphoric acid, and distilled water was then added up to the 100-mL mark. Ten milliliters of the suspension were titrated with freshly-prepared standard of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol dye until a light, but distinct rose pink color persisted for 15 s.
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study
| 99.94 |
Total phenolic contents of hot peppers were analyzed using the modified Folin-Ciocalteu reagent method as described elsewhere . About 0.5 g of the sample was macerated in 3 mL 80% aqueous acetone with a mortar and pestle. The extracts were placed into tightly-sealed micro-tubes and maintained in darkness at 4 °C overnight. Samples were centrifuged at 1000 rpm for 2 min. A mixture of 135 μL H2O, 750 μL 1/10 dilution Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) and 600 μL 7.5% (w/v) Na2CO3 was added to 50 μL of extract in 1.5 mL micro-tubes. After vortexing for 10 s, the mixture was incubated at 45 °C in a water bath for 15 min. Samples were allowed to cool to room temperature before reading the absorbance at 765 nm using the IRMECO UV-Vis spectrophotometer Model U2020. A blank was prepared from 50 μL 80% aqueous acetone. The gallic acid standard curve was prepared from freshly-made 1 mg/mL gallic acid (Acros Organics, Geel, Belgium) in 80% aqueous acetone.
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study
| 100.0 |
Analysis of variance was computed with the data from each attribute using the STATISTICA Computer Program (Version 2003, StatSoft Inc., Tulsa, OK, USA). Experiments were performed according to a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement with three replicates for each treatment. The factor radiation dose had four levels (0, 2, 4 and 6 kGy) and the factor storage had two levels (0 and 90 days). There were eight treatment combinations and each treatment replicated thrice. The least significant difference test at the 5% level of probability was used to check the differences among mean values according to Hill and Lewicky .
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study
| 99.94 |
The analysis of variance for the functional components of hot peppers is shown in Table 1. The analysis was conducted to determine whether there was significant difference between capsaicinoids and antioxidants with radiation treatments and storage time. Results indicated that radiation treatments had no significant effect on the concentrations of all chemical parameters under study. Storage duration, however, affected the levels of carotenoids and ascorbic acid significantly (p < 0.05); storage for 90 days resulted in significantly lower concentrations as compared to the day 0.
|
study
| 100.0 |
Hot pepper cultivars are rich in capsaicinoids, responsible for the specific taste of pepper fruits, which may also be used in pain relievers, due to their pharmacological properties . On day 0 the concentration of capsaicin in control group (non-irradiated) was 23.2 ± 5.0 mg/100 g, and barely changed in 2 kGy (23.9 ± 5.5), 4 kGy (23.0 ± 5.6), and 6 kGy (24.3 ± 5.7) radiation dose treatment. Likewise, the levels of dihydrocapsaicin remained fairly stable from 13.7 ± 3.2 mg/100 g in control group to 14.1 ± 3.1 (2 kGy), 14.3 ± 3.1 (4 kGy), and 14.3 ± 2.7 (6 kGy) in irradiated samples. The effect of the subsequent storage during 90 days is presented in Figure 1. The levels of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were essentially maintained during storage showing only minor losses of 3.4% and 4.2% on average, respectively. For both capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin the lower losses during storage were observed in irradiated samples at 6 kGy.
|
study
| 100.0 |
The maximum concentration of capsaicin at day 0 was detected in the samples irradiated at 6 kGy (24.3 mg/100 g), and so it was at the end of the storage period at day 90 (24.4 mg/100 g). Our finding is correlated with Subbulakshmi et al. that the pungency of irradiated paprika tended to be greater when compared with non-radiated control. Similarly, Topuz and Ozdemir found that an increase in capsaicinoids with the effect of irradiation could be explained by changing the conformation of the molecules in the food matrix which affects the extraction yield. Doses up to 5 kGy of gamma irradiation led to capsaicinoids increases in paprika up to 10% in a dose-dependent manner.
|
study
| 100.0 |
Capsicum fruits have been used as natural food colorants, and an increasing interest is being paid to the spice red pepper because of its economic importance and diversified composition . An immediate decrease of carotenoids was observed for all the radiation treatments as compared to the control, and further reductions were observed over time during 3 months of storage. The initial concentration of carotenoids in control group at day 0 was 76.9 ± 14.6 mg/100 g and levels gradually declined by 8% following treatment at radiation doses of 2 kGy (74.9 ± 13.9), 4 kGy (72.1 ± 13.1), and 6 kGy (70.7 ± 12.5). These results indicated that carotenoids are somewhat sensitive to gamma radiation as their concentrations decreased with increasing irradiation doses. This decreasing trend may be attributed to absorbed energy assisted by irradiation doses up to 6 kGy and/or increase in the rate of the oxidation reaction. It is well established that as ionizing radiation passes through food, it creates a trail of chemical transformations by primary and secondary radiolysis effects . As shown in Figure 2, the evolution of carotenoids during storage showed significant losses of 12.0% in control peppers (p < 0.05).
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study
| 100.0 |
Topuz and Ozdemir observed in paprika that carotenoid reduction due to irradiation was possibly caused by an increase in oxidation reaction under gamma radiation and also secondary oxidative effects of free radical (H2O2, O3 and OH) formation during radiation. Significant losses of carotenoids (about 40%–60%) have been reported for cinnamon, oregano, parsley, rosemary, bird pepper, and sage after gamma irradiation at a dose of 10 kGy .
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study
| 99.94 |
Peppers are an excellent source of ascorbic acid that besides the nutritional relevance, might contribute to prevent oxidative damage in the commodity . The tested ionizing radiation doses immediately after treatments at 2-, 4- and 6 kGy did not significantly affect ascorbic acid concentrations as compared to the control. Thus, non-irradiated samples contained 28.5 ± 2.6 mg/100 g, and levels following irradiation were 28.4 ± 1.7 (2 kGy), 27.8 ± 1.7 (4 kGy), and 27.7 ± 2.0 (6 kGy). However, ascorbic acid decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in both control and gamma-irradiated peppers during storage for 90 days (Figure 3). The general tendency for the amount of ascorbic acid that was lost was similar for all the irradiation treatments and it was highest (14.0%) at 6 kGy. Since ascorbic acid is highly prone to oxidation upon wounding , the modest reduction in treated samples is an indication that gamma radiation at tested doses does not cause significant injuries in pepper fruits.
|
study
| 100.0 |
So far, research information regarding the effect of irradiation doses on ascorbic acid in dry hot peppers during storage is scarce. However, Bib et al. reported that ascorbic acid concentration decreased by 7% in dried garlic powder irradiated at 1 kGy during five months’ storage. Similarly, Calucci et al. found that ascorbic acid concentration decreased in different aromatic herbs and spices an average of 21% when these were irradiated at a dose of 10 kGy and stored for three months. Changes reported for total ascorbate in orange juice that was gamma irradiated up to 8.7 kGy revealed an approximate linear loss of 2.7% for each kGy increase .
|
study
| 100.0 |
Peppers contain phenolic compounds (mainly flavonoids), which play important roles in human health as antioxidants, and they possess anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial activities . The ionizing radiation treatments did not cause marked modifications in total phenolic compounds at day 0. The concentration in control non-irradiated group was 43.9 ± 12.5 mg/100 g, and attained 44.2 ± 11.9 mg/100 g after a radiation dose of 6 kGy. As shown in Figure 4, the concentration of total phenolic compounds during storage showed somewhat greater stability in irradiated samples (fell only by 1 to 4%) than in the control group (loss of 6.5%). Therefore, these results indicated that irradiation up to 6 kGy is effective for the preservation of total phenolic contents in hot peppers even though there was oxygen inside the package.
|
study
| 100.0 |
Limited information is available in the literature on the effect of gamma radiation on total phenolic contents of dry hot peppers and other spices. The results of present study are in line with the findings of Abrar et al. that no significant changes in total phenolic compounds were observed in red chilies irradiated up to 6 kGy during three months’ storage. In contrast, Variyar et al. found increased phenolic acid concentrations in cloves and nutmeg after irradiation. They further revealed that increase in phenolic contents was associated with the degradation of tannins in these spices. Similarly, Harrison and Were also reported increase in total phenolic contents in almond skin after irradiation at 4 kGy.
|
study
| 99.94 |
Overall, neither decontamination treatment by gamma irradiation nor subsequent ambient storage could appreciably influence the contents of functional components in hot peppers, except for some losses of carotenoids and ascorbic acid that did not reach the 15 percent. These results revealed that gamma irradiation up to 6 kGy can maintain the quality of hot peppers to meet the export markets requirements.
|
other
| 99.75 |
“Ultimately though tonight's not about the disagreements Governor Romney and I may have. It's what we have in common, beginning with our unusual middle names. Actually Mitt is his middle name. I wish I could use my middle name”–President Barack Hussein Obama, 67th annual Alfred E. Smith dinner, October 2012
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other
| 99.94 |
Political discourse in the United States has been described as being marked by incivility with efforts often focused on highlighting a candidate’s similarities with the electorate on one hand, and demonizing political opponents on the other. To that end, candidates and their supporters may use a variety of strategies, such as coded talk , to discretely remind voters that they share the same religious beliefs and values as their constituents. For example, conservative evangelical voters are likely to identify a political candidate who uses religious coded talk as an in-group member and to express higher levels of support for that candidate. When Barack Obama entered the 2008 Presidential race he was the first African-American major party candidate and his out-group status, both in terms of his ethnicity and rumored religious (non-Christian) beliefs, was frequently discussed in the media. For example, as illustrated by the quote above, references to President Obama’s middle name were often used in an attempt to sway potential voters. We suspect that the use of religious coded talk and references to the President’s middle name could serve as primes, consequently influencing views of potential voters. The authors are interested in exploring the effects of both ethnic (e.g., name) and religious priming, similar to what may have occurred during the 2008 and 2012 Presidential elections, on people’s attitudes toward President Obama, a well-known figure in contemporary America.
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other
| 99.8 |
Is there any reason to believe, as suggested by the quotes above, that our beliefs about or attitudes toward a well-known individual may be influenced by something as inconsequential as a name? Prior research has shown that, as social perceivers, humans tend to automatically categorize people based on observable traits and physical features, such as ethnicity, age, and sex . However, as demonstrated by Antonio Sabato Jr, an actor who spoke on the opening night of the 2016 Republican National Convention, people may also rely on less obvious cues, such as a person’s name, when engaged in the process of social categorization .
|
other
| 99.9 |
Previous research has shown that priming participants with names can activate stereotypes . For example, providing foreign or race-typed names can result in prejudicial treatment in the job [8–10] and housing markets . Specifically, job applicants with African American or Arab sounding names were less likely to be contacted for interviews and were evaluated more negatively than were applicants with White sounding names, even when they had equally strong resumes [8–10]. Similarly, Carpusor and Loges found that landlords were less likely to return e-mail inquiries from those with Arab or African American sounding names (e.g. Said Al-Rahman & Tyrell Jackson, respectively) than they were from those with White sounding names (Patrick McDougall).
|
other
| 98.75 |
Throughout his candidacy and Presidency, Barack Obama unwaveringly maintained that he is Christian. However, in spite of his assertions, according to CNN/Opinion Research Corporation interviews of 1012 American adults, when asked to identify President Obama’s religious affiliation, 29% of respondents identified him as being Muslim. Moreover, when the data were analyzed by respondents’ political affiliation differences were found, such that 43% of Republicans, 29% of Independents, and 15% of liberals said he is Muslim . This is consistent with recent Public Policy Polling data , which found that 54% of Republican primary voters believed he is Muslim, while only 14% said he is Christian. These findings suggest that factors other than the President’s stated beliefs are influencing perceptions of his religious affiliation. One of these factors may be the use of his middle name, Hussein, which is associated with the Muslim religion, in the media. Because Muslims are viewed significantly more negatively than many other religious and racial minorities in America , misidentification of President Obama as Muslim may negatively influence how people view him in other, non-religious, domains.
|
other
| 99.9 |
There is some evidence to suggest that ethnic name priming can negatively influence impressions of President Obama, specifically. In 2010, during President Obama’s first term in office, Waismel-Manor and Stroud had American and Israeli participants watch a video of President Obama discussing Israeli-Palestinian affairs. The video included a brief ticker at the bottom of the screen that identified the president either as “President Barack Obama” or “President Barack Hussein Obama.” Results indicated that Israeli participants who were shown the president’s middle name rated his characteristics and his proposals more negatively than did participants who viewed the video with his middle name excluded. Israeli participants also rated the president as less pro-Israeli when his middle name was included. The middle name manipulation did not significantly influence perceptions of President Obama in the sample of American participants.
|
study
| 100.0 |
Additional research suggests that having pro-diversity beliefs reduces discrimination of individuals with foreign sounding names . Pro-diversity beliefs tend to be related to one’s political ideology. For example, a survey of several European countries showed a negative relationship between right-wing authoritarianism and pro-diversity beliefs . Furthermore, a 2014 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that politically conservative Americans value diversity less than do politically liberal Americans . Presumably, as compared to liberals, politically conservative Americans would have less pro-diversity beliefs, which may contribute to racial discrimination of individuals with foreign sounding names.
|
other
| 99.9 |
According to some researchers , religion is being used as a strategic tool to influence voters at higher levels than ever before. Between 2009 and 2010 the amount of media coverage dedicated to religious topics doubled . Furthermore, according to the Pew Research Center , six percent of election stories in major news outlets during the 2012 election cycle contained references to religion. For example, in 2012 the conservative leaning Media Research Center published an online article titled “How Network News Has Twisted Obama’s War on Religion into a Conservative War Against Women.” These examples demonstrate that activating people’s religious beliefs is not only a common occurrence in political discourse, but is done with the apparent intent to influence opinions.
|
other
| 99.9 |
Several studies have shown that religious concepts and contexts can influence cognitions and attitudes. Wenger found that when committed Christians were subliminally primed with religious words, they were more likely to apply their religious beliefs when evaluating historical events compared to participants who were not exposed to the primes. Subliminally priming participants with Christian religious words can increase both implicit and explicit negative attitudes towards various out-groups including African Americans, atheists, Muslims, and gay men and can increase in-group favoritism . Participants’ religiosity and spirituality did not change the effect of religious priming . When participants were assessed as they passed a religious structure, a condition that can be considered a religious situational context prime, they reported more negative views of non-Christians and more conservative political views than those assessed in front of a non-religious structure . Interestingly, this effect was present regardless of participants’ belief in God . Therefore, it appears that simply priming people with religious concepts, iconography, or architecture is enough to increase negative attitudes towards perceived out-groups.
|
study
| 99.94 |
Although studies have demonstrated that priming people with religious words can influence negative attitudes to out-groups, these studies have largely ignored the influence different types of religious words may have . Ritter and Preston found that religious words aren’t conceptually homogeneous. Rather, they found three distinct conceptual categories of religious words (abstract/spiritual, religious agents, & concrete/institutional). Preston and Ritter compared the effects of priming with “religion” (a concrete/institutional prime) and “God” (a religious agent) on prosocial behaviors towards in-group and out-group members in a sample that consisted primarily of white Christian American participants. Interestingly, they found that participants primed with “religion” demonstrated greater prosocial behaviors toward in-group members whereas those primed with “God” showed greater prosocial behaviors toward out-group members. However, in a follow-up study examining an ethnically and religiously diverse sample in Singapore, Ramsay and colleagues found only very limited evidence for differential effects of “religion” and “God” primes on attitudes towards in-group and out-group members. Specifically, they found that female participants exposed to a religion prime demonstrated slightly more negative attitudes towards out-groups than in-groups but this finding was not replicated in a follow-up experiment. The authors cautiously interpreted their gender-specific findings as spurious. Whether the discrepant findings regarding the effects of God and religion primes are the result of differences in dependent variables (behavioral compared to attitudinal), differences in samples, or some other factor is unclear. There is also reason to suspect that abstract and concrete religious primes might have differential effects on attitudes toward out-groups in conservative participants. Luguri, Napier, and Dovidio found that politically conservative participants who were induced to think abstractly demonstrated less explicit prejudice against gays/lesbians, Muslims, and atheists compared to those induced to think concretely. Interestingly, there was no effect of construal level on attitudes in politically liberal participants who had more positive feelings towards out-groups than did conservative participants irrespective of construal condition. Priming with concrete and abstract religious words might differentially activate religious cognitions in conservative individuals in a similar fashion and thereby differentially influence attitudes toward out-groups
|
review
| 99.25 |
Several studies have demonstrated that name and religious priming can negatively influence attitudes towards out-groups. However, results regarding the differential effects of priming with different types of religious concepts are unclear. Furthermore, American political news coverage and discourse is often characterized by the use of religious and ethnic messages, which may prime viewers and influence opinions. Specifically, evidence suggests that some political conservatives attempt to influence opinions of President of Obama by referring to his middle name and by priming with religious constructs. However, few empirical studies have been conducted examining how these factors can influence attitudes towards a specific, well-known political figure such as President Obama. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of religious word priming and racially stereotyped name priming on attitudes towards President Obama. The study examined the following hypotheses:
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study
| 99.94 |
Given the discrepant previous results, we did not have a specific directional hypothesis regarding the effect of religious word prime on attitudes toward President Obama. Rather, we sought to investigate whether there would be differential effects of concrete, abstract, religious agent, and non-religious word primes on attitudes toward President Obama in politically conservative participants.
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study
| 99.94 |
We did not have a specific directional hypothesis regarding the effect of religious word priming on opinions of President Obama’s religious affiliation. Rather, we sought to investigate whether there would be differential effects of religious priming word condition on opinions of President Obama’s political affiliation in politically conservative participants.
|
study
| 99.94 |
Approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Department of Psychology and Child Development at California State University, Stanislaus (protocol #P-15-048). Participants were treated in accordance with the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct . Consistent with guidelines of the IRB, all participants provided their informed consent electronically by selecting an online checkbox.
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other
| 99.94 |
A total of 336 CSU Stanislaus students (284 females, 51 males, 1 no response) completed this online study. Participants were recruited via the Psychology Department’s online participant pool, and most were compensated with course extra credit. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 62 years (M = 22.03 years). One hundred eighty-four participants were Hispanic, 71 were White, 40 were Asian/Pacific Islander, 18 were Black/African American, three were American Indian/Native American, 1 was Arabic, and 18 chose “other” when asked to identify their ethnicity. Four participants were Muslim, 238 were Christian, 2 were Jewish, 2 were Hindu, 7 were Buddhist, 16 were Sikh, 38 were agnostic, non-religious, or atheist, and 28 chose “other” without specifying religious affiliation. When asked about their political identity, 157 participants said they were neutral/moderate, 119 were liberal, and 59 participants considered themselves to be politically conservative.
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study
| 99.94 |
Fifteen religious words (5 abstract, 5 religious agents, & 5 concrete), obtained from Ritter and Preston , were utilized in the present study. Additionally, 5 non-religious priming words were utilized in the study for the purposes of creating a control condition (see Table 1 for a complete list of the priming words).
|
study
| 100.0 |
Opinions regarding President Obama were examined using an 11-item instrument (see Table 2) based upon questions created by Waismel-Manor and Stroud . This instrument assessed participants’ impressions of Barack Obama’s trustworthiness, competence, honesty, warmth, efficacy, intelligence, fairness, considerateness, peacefulness, and generosity using 6-point Likert scales (greater values indicated higher levels of each construct). Two versions of this instrument were utilized in the study. On one version, President Obama’s middle name was explicitly stated in the instrument instructions as well as in the text of each question. In the other version, his middle name was omitted completely. Because responses to all 10 Likert scale items were highly correlated for both versions (Cronbach’s alphas ≥ .96), responses to all 10 items were averaged to obtain a measure of participants’ overall opinion of President Obama. The instrument included additional categorical item examined participants’ views regarding President Obama’s religious affiliation.
|
study
| 100.0 |
Religiosity and religious affiliation were assessed using questions adapted from the Brief Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality . Participant religiosity was assessed using a single question (To what extent do you consider yourself a religious person?) to which participants responded using a Likert-style scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (very much).
|
study
| 99.7 |
Participant political identity was assessed using a single item taken from Greenwald, Smith, Sriram, Bar-Anan, and Nosek . Participants indicated which one of the seven options provided best described their political ideology. Participants who selected very liberal, moderately liberal, or slightly liberal were categorized as “liberal.” Those who selected slightly conservative, moderately conservative, or very conservative were categorized as “conservative.” Participants categorized as moderate were those who selected “neutral (moderate)” in response to this question. This political ideology question item was included as part of a larger demographic survey that also asked about participants’ age, sex, ethnicity, and other demographic information.
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study
| 99.94 |
The study consisted of 2 true IVs (religious word prime and middle name prime). The word prime IV was a between subjects variable with 4 levels (abstract, concrete, religious agents, and non-religious). The prime was accomplished by having participants memorize words from one of the four categories. The name prime was a between subjects variable and consisted of 2 levels (middle name present and middle name absent). Additionally, two participant variables were examined in this study including participant religiosity and political affiliation. This study examined two dependent variables. Overall opinion of President Obama was obtained from the averaged responses to 10 items assessing impressions of the president. Participants’ views regarding President Obama’s religious affiliation were assessed using a single questionnaire item.
|
study
| 100.0 |
This online study was part of a larger study that examined religious priming and explicit attitudes conducted in the spring and fall of 2015 near the end President Obama’s second term in office. Participants were informed that the study would be investigating memory and political attitudes. After giving consent, participants were randomly assigned to one of the four word prime conditions (abstract, concrete, religious agents, and non-religious; see Table 1). In order to direct their attention to the priming words, participants were told that their memory for the words would later be tested. Five words were presented one at a time in random order for five seconds each. Following the presentation of the word primes, participants completed several items assessing explicit attitudes towards various groups (data to be reported elsewhere). Completion of these items took approximately 1–2 minutes. Participants were then shown the same set of priming words presented previously. As with the first presentation of the words, the five words were presented one at a time in random order for five seconds each. Next, participants were randomly assigned to one of the two name prime conditions. Each participant answered a series of questions asking their opinions regarding President Obama. These questions were presented one-at-a time in random order. Religiosity, political affiliation and a variety of demographic information were then assessed. Next, as a part of experimental procedures, recognition for the words presented at the beginning of the study was assessed using a brief word recognition task. Finally, participants were shown the debriefing form.
|
study
| 100.0 |
First, we conducted a 2 (name prime) x 3 (political identity) ANOVA to test the prediction that conservative participants in the middle name present condition would rate President Obama more negatively than would those in the middle name absent condition. Results showed no significant main effect of the name prime manipulation on opinions of President Obama F(1,329) = 1.56, p = .213, partial eta-squared = .005. There was, however, a significant main effect of participant political identity on opinions of President Obama, F(2, 329) = 39.35, p < .001, partial eta-squared = .193. All political identity groups significantly differed, ps < .05. Conservative participants (n = 59, M = 3.12, SD = 1.17) rated the president more negatively than did liberal (n = 119, M = 4.70, SD = 1.00) and politically moderate participants (n = 157, M = 4.09, SD = 1.11). The predicted interaction between the name prime manipulation and participant political identity on opinions of the president was marginally significant, F(2, 329) = 2.80, p = .062, partial eta-squared = .017. Pairwise comparisons showed that conservative participants in the middle name present condition (n = 34, M = 2.87, SD = 1.04) rated President Obama significantly more negatively than did those in the middle name absent condition (n = 25, M = 3.47, SD = 1.26), p = .036, d = .527 (see Fig 1). Using conventions in psychology this is considered a medium effect size . There was no significant effect of name prime for liberal and moderate participants (ps > .28).
|
study
| 100.0 |
Average opinions of President Obama for liberal, moderate, and conservative participants. Questions regarding President Obama were asked with the president’s middle name included (gray bars) or absent (white bars). Error bars represent +/- 1 SD. The asterisk (*) indicates the statistically significant pairwise comparison.
|
other
| 99.9 |
The data indicated that, as compared to moderate and liberal participants, conservative participants had more negative views of President Obama. This is not necessarily surprising, as President Obama was presumably not their candidate of choice during the elections and his policies may not be in line with their own. Moreover, the data did provide support for the hypothesis that conservatives’ views of the president would be negatively influenced by the name prime. Politically conservative participants who were shown the president’s middle name tended to rate him more negatively than did those not shown his middle name. The influence of the name prime was not found for politically liberal or moderate participants. These results are consistent with those from previous studies that demonstrated that race-typed names can negatively influence attitudes and behaviors towards minorities and out-groups [7–9,11]. Furthermore, while these data are consistent with previous research specifically demonstrating that President Obama’s middle name can influence people’s views of him, the present study found an effect using an American sample whereas the previous study only found a significant effect in an Israeli sample .
|
study
| 99.94 |
One possible explanation for why, in the present study, the effects of the name prime were found only for those participants who were politically conservative is that politically conservative participants may have had low levels of pro-diversity beliefs . By priming those participants with his middle name, it could have served to emphasis the President’s minority status, thereby influencing those participants with lower pro-diversity beliefs to view him more negatively.
|
study
| 99.25 |
To ensure that any differential religious word priming effects were not due to differences in word memorability, a one-way ANOVA was conducted to examine word recognition for the four religious priming word conditions. Results showed that recognition was similar for abstract religious words (n = 84, M = 4.68, SD = 0.82), religious agent words (n = 83, M = 4.78, SD = 0.83), concrete religious words (n = 85, M = 4.66, SD = 0.75), and non-religious words (n = 83, M = 4.86, SD = 0.73), F(3, 335) = 1.37, p = .251.
|
study
| 100.0 |
Next, we examined the effects of religious word priming condition on politically conservative participants’ opinions of President Obama. To test this, we conducted a 4 (religious word prime) x 3 (political identity) ANCOVA that examined the effects of religious word priming and participant political identity on opinions of President Obama while controlling for participant self-reported religiosity. There was no significant main effect of the religious prime manipulation on opinions of President Obama, F(3, 322) = 0.97, p = .409, partial eta-squared = .009. Opinions of President Obama were similar for participants who were primed with abstract religious words (n = 84, M = 4.07, SD = 1.20), religious agents (n = 83, M = 4.16, SD = 1.22), concrete religious words (n = 85, M = 4.08, SD = 1.35), and non-religious words (n = 83, M = 4.24, SD = 1.06). The main effect of participant political identity remained significant while controlling for participant religiosity, F(2, 322) = 43.98, p < .001, partial eta-squared = .215. There was no significant interaction between the religious prime manipulation and participant political identity, F(6, 322) = 0.49, p = .815, partial eta-squared = .009. Although the differences were not significant, conservative participants primed with abstract religious words (n = 11, M = 2.88, SD = 0.84) tended to rate President Obama more negatively than did those primed with religious agents (n = 14, M = 3.04, SD = 1.25), concrete religious words (n = 20, M = 3.02, SD = 1.26), and non-religious words (n = 14, M = 3.55, SD = 1.19). Therefore, we did not find differential effects of religious word type on attitudes toward President Obama. These findings are inconsistent with those from those of previous studies that demonstrated that priming with religious concepts increases negative attitudes towards out-groups [22–25]. Furthermore, similar to the findings of Ramsay and colleagues , our findings are also inconsistent with those that showed differential effects of priming with religion and God concepts .
|
study
| 99.94 |
Table 3 shows views of President Obama’s religion as a function of participant political identity, religious word prime condition, and middle name prime condition. We predicted that politically conservative participants primed with President Obama’s middle name would be less likely to report that they think the president is Christian than would those who were not shown his middle name. We also examined the effect of religious word priming condition on opinions of President Obama’s religious affiliation in politically conservative participants. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to test whether or not views of President Obama’s religious affiliation were predicted by name prime, religious word prime, and participant political identity (see Table 4). A test of the full model indicated that the predictors as a set reliably predicted views of President Obama’s religious affiliation, Chi-square (14) = 33.63, p = .002. Participant political identity significantly predicted views of President Obama’s religion, Chi-square (2) = 14.91, p = .001. Specifically, politically conservative participants were more likely to say that president Obama is Muslim than were politically moderate (Chi-square (1) = 7.23, p = .007) and politically liberal (Chi-square (1) = 13.95, p < .001) participants. Religious priming word condition also significantly predicted views of President Obama’s religion, Chi-square (3) = 11.11, p = .011. Analysis of the data using the concrete word group as the comparison revealed that none of the word priming conditions differed significantly from the concrete word priming condition (all ps > .081). When the data were analyzed with the abstract word group as the comparison, results showed that participants primed with abstract religious words were significantly more likely to view President Obama as Muslim than were those shown religious agent words (Chi-square (1) = 6.77, p = .009) and non-religious words (Chi-square (1) = 8.10, p = .004). Name priming did not significantly predict views of President Obama’s religion (Chi-square (1) = 0.08, p = .78) and there were no significant interactions between predictors (all ps > .19).
|
study
| 100.0 |
The outcome variable (opinion of President Obama’s religion) was coded as 0 = “Christian” and 1 = “Muslim.” Conservative was the comparison category for the political ID variable. Middle name present was comparison category for the name prime variable. The model correctly classified 79% of cases and Nagelkerke R2 indicated that the model explained 16.2% of the variance in views of President Obama’s religion. The Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness of fit test was not significant (Chi-square (8) = 5.83, p = .67) indicating that model fit the data well.
|
study
| 100.0 |
The data revealed that religious word priming did affect views of President Obama’s religious affiliation. Interestingly, participants primed with abstract religious words were less likely to think that the president is Christian than were those primed with concrete religious, religious agents, or non-religious words.
|
other
| 56.75 |
Finally, to test the hypothesis that those who believed that President Obama is Muslim would rate him more negatively than would those who believe he is Christian, an independent samples t-test not assuming equal variances was conducted. As predicted, the test showed that those who thought president Obama is Muslim (n = 66, M = 3.71, SD = 1.35) did, in fact, rate him significantly more negatively than did those who thought he was Christian (n = 240, M = 4.28, SD = 1.14), t(91.97) = 3.17, p = .002, d = 0.46. These results are consistent with findings that Muslims are viewed negatively in America . There are a variety of reasons for these anti-Muslim attitudes and behaviors, including fear, misunderstanding, and the fact that many recent terrorist acts have been committed by members of extreme factions identifying themselves as Muslim . Therefore, based on the generally negative attitudes toward Muslims, it is reasonable to expect that those who believe President Obama is Muslim will hold more negative attitudes toward him.
|
study
| 99.94 |
This study had several limitations. Due to our necessary reliance on a convenience sample, we had a relatively small number of politically conservative participants. Furthermore, politically conservative college students might not represent conservatives in the general population. Research has shown that when diversity is actively enacted and promoted at universities with diverse student populations, such as the one at which these data were collected, there are several benefits including students’ personal growth, cultural understanding, and commitment to understanding others . This increased cultural understanding could provide a buffer against the negative impacts of racial and religious primes. Therefore, the politically conservative college students in the present study might not be as influenced by the effects of racial and religious primes as would political conservatives in the general population. Another limitation could have been the manner in which we presented the religious word prime. Our word memory task did not require that participants process the meanings of the priming words. Potentially, a task which requires that students attend to the meaning of the priming words could influence participants to employ either concrete or abstract modes of thinking which could, in turn influence attitudes towards out-groups. Additionally, we did not administer a pro-diversity beliefs instrument and so we were unable to directly ascertain whether or not this variable plays a role in how priming impacts attitudes. Although our sample primarily Christian, the religious priming words utilized in the study could also be viewed as a limitation because they might not be relevant to non-Christian participants. Finally, we did not probe participants for hypothesis awareness. Therefore, it is possible that our results were influenced by demand characteristics.
|
study
| 100.0 |
Not surprisingly, as compared to politically moderate and liberal participants, politically conservative participants had more negative views of a politically liberal president. Interestingly, conservatives were somewhat susceptible to the negative effects of race-type name priming whereas race-type name priming did not influence views of liberal and moderate participants. Among conservative participants, those who were primed with President Obama’s middle name had more negative views of him, as compared to conservatives not primed with his middle name.
|
other
| 99.0 |
The influence of religious word priming was less straightforward. Although participants primed with non-religious words tended to have more positive views of the president and were more likely to correctly identify him as Christian, priming conservative participants with abstract religious words did not reduce prejudicial views. Rather, similar to Ramsay et al. , we did not find significant differences between religious priming word types on opinions of President Obama. However, participants in the abstract word condition, irrespective of political identity, were more likely to mis-identify him as Muslim. Whether these surprising findings resulted from something specific to this study (e.g. the manner in which religious word priming was accomplished in the study) or reflects the actual nature of the influence of religious word priming is unclear and may be investigated in future studies. Given the inconsistent findings regarding the influence of religious priming words, more research in this areas is needed.
|
study
| 99.94 |
Additionally, conservative participants were more likely to think that President Obama is not Christian than were moderate and liberal participants. Specifically, conservative participants were more likely to mis-identify him as Muslim. Finally, those participants who mis-identified the president as Muslim, had less positive views of him, as compared to participants who correctly identified him as Christian. Taken together, these findings support the idea that even though he is a well-known public figure, attitudes toward President Obama can be influenced by subtle things like name and religious primes.
|
other
| 99.9 |
Given the contentious political climate in the United States, future research should continue to investigate factors that influence attitudes toward public figures. By strategically using names or religious concepts and iconography, it may be possible to create the perception of a political opponent being a member of an out-group. Furthermore, we suggest investigating the role of pro-diversity beliefs on attitudes of in-group and out-group members. Therefore, future research may focus on the ways in which in-group/out-group perceptions affect attitudes, likelihood of voting, and perceptions of political legitimacy.
|
other
| 99.9 |
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the daily intake of “free sugars” be limited to less than 10% of total energy intake for body weight control purposes . The WHO defines free sugars as all monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices, and fruit juice concentrates. The intake of sugar reported in the US and many European countries exceeds the WHO recommendation, which can represent a significant challenge for many consumers.
|
review
| 99.25 |
The consumption of sugar is frequently blamed as a determining cause of obesity, particularly in the form of sugar-containing beverages . Several countries around the world have adopted selective taxes in order to decrease their consumption, such as France and Mexico . In addition to adding calories to the diet, sugar-containing beverages are also suspected of displacing the intake of other valuable foods (such as whole fruits) or beverages (milk) in the diet .
|
other
| 99.9 |
It remains unclear whether all sugar-containing beverages have the same impact on the quality of the diet and body weight control . Among sugar containing beverages, some contain mainly added sugar (sodas) while others, such as 100% pure fruit juice (FJ), contribute nutrients along with sugar and calories. Many reviews have addressed the specific contribution of FJ to diet quality and weight control in children and adults. Hyson reviewed observational and intervention studies examining consumption of pure fruit juice (PJ) and various aspects of health, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, cognition, hypertension, urinary tract infections, and body weight control. This review, spanning about two decades of research from around the world, concluded that PJ contains bioactive components with potential to affect human health positively, notably in terms of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, improved lipid metabolism, cancer processes, and possibly body weight control, while insisting that more long-term clinical trials are needed to demonstrate clear outcomes and relevant mechanisms. The absence of association generally reported between PJ consumption and adverse outcomes in terms of body weight in adults or children suggests that dietary compensation or other mechanisms associated with components in PJ might account for the lack of weight gain, even in protocols where PJ provided additional calories. Similar observations and conclusions were reported in reviews examining the contribution of pure citrus juice to diet quality and weight status : in addition to a substantial contribution to the intake of many nutrients, consumption of citrus juice appears not to be associated with body weight in children, while a limited number of epidemiological studies support an inverse association between the intake of orange juice and anthropometric measures in adults. A recent meta-analysis suggests that FJ contributes positively to one’s diet and could help satisfy fruit requirements in adults and children .
|
review
| 99.9 |
The present report is based on a recent nationally representative survey of the French population, the “Comportements et Consommations Alimentaires en France” (CCAF) study conducted in 2016 by the Centre de Recherche pour l’Etude et l’Observation des Conditions de Vie (Research Centre for the Observation of Life Conditions, CREDOC). Its goal is to examine FJ consumption and its nutritional and health correlates, particularly in terms of quality of diet (intake of nutrients and potential displacement of specific foods such as whole fruits and dairy) and body weight status.
|
study
| 99.94 |
In France, CCAF surveys are periodically conducted in representative samples of the French population (children and adults). They constitute a database that can be exploited for the examination of specific aspects of nutrition . The most recent CCAF survey was carried out between October 2015 and July 2016 in a nationally representative sample of 1288 households, in which all individuals over 3 years of age were interviewed, plus an extra national sample of individuals aged 3–19 years. Data was weighted on individuals 18 years old and over to account for this extra sample. Age, socio-economic status (based on occupation of head of household as classified by the National Institute of Statistics), geographical region, town size, and household size were taken into consideration in the quota sampling method. The general methodology of CCAF surveys has been published previously . The total sample of the 2015–2016 study included 1607 adults (aged 21 years and older), 1164 children, and 318 adolescents. The present article will report data obtained in adults.
|
study
| 99.94 |
For each participant, self-reported height, weight, time spent on physical activity and sedentary behavior (screen watching), and dieting (for medical, religious, weight control, or any other reasons), as well as socio-demographic data (education, income, profession, composition of household, etc.), were recorded in face-to-face interviews. The participants completed a seven-day food intake survey either in paper (54.7%) or online (45.3%) formats. Paper versus online reports showed no significant differences in terms of energy intake or of consumption of most food categories, macro- and micronutrients.
|
study
| 100.0 |
The energy intake reported by the participants was compared with the estimated energy requirements according to Schofield’s equation . Under-reporters were excluded (declared energy intake ≤0.95 times the metabolic rate). This cut off value was chosen on the basis of Black’s practical guide that proposed a lower 95% CL of 1.05 for moderately active individuals. Since the present population reported low levels of physical activity relative to previous CCAF surveys, it was arbitrarily decided to use a slightly lower cut-off value. From the total sample of the CCAF 2016 study, 1607 participants (887 men, 720 women) were included in the study, after exclusion of under-reporters (n = 652). There were no differences in gender distribution or education level between the included and excluded participants. The proportion of overweight and obese individuals among the excluded participants was greater than among the included participants (X2 text; p < 0.0001).
|
study
| 100.0 |
Dietary intake was assessed from a seven-day food intake record for all household members. The participants reported the types and amounts of all foods and beverages consumed. In order to facilitate portion reporting, the participants were provided with the validated SUVIMAX portion size atlas showing various common foods and beverages in different portion sizes.
|
study
| 99.94 |
The energy and nutrient contents of foods and drinks were obtained from the CIQUAL French Food Composition Table updated in 2016. Thirty-eight mutually exclusive groups of foods/beverages were considered: bread & biscottes, cakes & pies, cheese, condiments, dried fruits, eggs & egg dishes, fats, fish & seafood, fruits, fruit desserts (sugar added), grains, legumes, meat, offals, pasta, pastries, pizzas & quiches, potatoes, poultry-game, processed meats, ready to eat breakfast cereals, ready-to-eat dishes, rice & cooked breakfast cereals, salty crackers & biscuits, sandwiches, sauces & salad dressings, soups, sugar & sweets, sweet crackers & biscuits, vegetables, viennoiseries, yoghurts & fresh dairy, alcoholic beverages, hot beverages, juice & nectars, milk, sodas, and water. PJ consumption was extracted from the juice & nectars group. Only 100% pure juice was considered for constituting “consumers” versus “non-consumers” groups, excluding “nectars” (fruit drinks plus sugar). The 100% pure juice category included juices from all fruits, either home-made or from commercial brand (no sugar added; either whole product or reconstituted from concentrate).
|
study
| 99.94 |
Intakes were computed for the whole day and for individual eating occasions (meals and snacks). The circumstances of intake were reported by the participants, including time of day, day of the week, location, and context of consumption. The contents in added sugars of the CIQUAL foods and beverages were estimated using the systematic methodology proposed by Louie et al. in which “added sugars” are defined as refined sugars added during cooking or manufacturing, in agreement with the USDA definition.
|
study
| 100.0 |
The time spent watching various screens (television, computer, video games, etc.) as well as the time spent on various physical activities (household activities, gardening, sports, etc.) were reported by the participant. For physical activity, two levels were arbitrarily defined (low = less than 2 h/day; high = 2 h/day or more), in accordance with previous CREDOC studies. Daily screen watching was used as a proxy for sedentary behavior. Two levels were arbitrarily defined for screen watching time (low = less than 2 h/day; high = 2 h/day or more).
|
study
| 99.94 |
BMI (Wt/Ht2) was computed from reported height and weight. Values between 18.5 and 25 kg/m2 were considered to represent normal body adiposity status. Overweight and obesity were defined as BMI values ≥ 25 and 30 kg/m2, respectively. Underweight corresponded to BMI values < 18.5 kg/m2.
|
study
| 98.7 |
The SAS 9.4 software (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NY, USA) was used for statistical analyses and for database management. Differences between proportions were tested using X2 tests. Differences in quantitative variables (such as intakes) were tested using the linear model (PROC ANOVA) one-way ANOVAS. For continuous variables, Student’s t tests were used. Supplementary analyses (ANCOVAs) were performed in order to examine the relationship between weight/BMI as continuous variables, adjusted for age and sex, and consumption of FJ. The confidence level for calculated confidence intervals was 95%. The statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05. Means ± standard errors (SEM) are presented in the text and tables.
|
study
| 100.0 |
In the whole sample, 44% of respondents reported consuming FJ at least once in the seven-day food diary. In consumers only, the average daily intake was 115.6 ± 4.0 mL (46.3 ± 1.7 kcal) and the average weekly number of consumption events was 4.9. Pure orange juice represented over half of the total intake (54%). Almost all FJ consumption took place at home (86%). Half of the weekly intake occurred in the company of others. Breakfast was the main occasion of consumption (60%) followed by lunch (10%), dinner (8%), and morning, afternoon, or evening snacks.
|
study
| 99.94 |
Table 1 presents the distribution of consumers and non-consumers of FJ according to gender, age, and other individual and social characteristics. Higher proportions of consumers were found among women compared with men (p = 0.006) and among younger compared with older participants (p < 0.0001). Prevalence of consumption increased with education and income. Higher prevalence was found in the Paris area and in the south of the country than in the north. Family composition, food budget, daily screen time, physical activity level, smoking status, dieting, and BMI categories had no significant influence. Supplementary analyses of BMI and weight, as continuous variables with adjustment for age and sex, and FJ consumption confirmed non-significant associations (for BMI, F(1,1606) = 1.72, p = 0.19; for weight, F(1,1606) = 0.04, p = 0.835).
|
study
| 100.0 |
Figure 1 presents the significant differences in consumption of specific food groups, according to FJ consumption status. A total of 37 comparisons were made, according to the list of 38 food groups provided in the Methods section, minus the FJ group. Consumers of FJ also consumed significantly more water, fruits, vegetables, yogurts and other fresh dairy products, several types of sweet tasting foods (cakes, pies, fruit desserts, sweet crackers and biscuits, and dried fruits) and more sugar and sweets than did non-consumers. They consumed fewer alcoholic beverages.
|
study
| 100.0 |
Consumers of FJ reported a significantly higher daily energy intake than non-consumers (2029 ± 21 vs. 1941 ± 17 kcal). Their diet also brought more CHO (229 ± 2.7 vs. 213 ± 2.2 g), free sugars (57 ± 1 vs. 42 ± 1 g), fiber (20 ± 0.3 g vs. 19 ± 0.2 g), and fats (80 ± 1 g vs. 76 ± 1 g), but the differences in protein and starch intake did not reach significance. Free sugars (according to the WHO definition) represented 11.3% of daily energy in consumers versus 8.7% in non-consumers. Significantly higher intakes of many vitamins and minerals were observed in consumers of FJ, notably vitamins C and E, potassium, and magnesium. Table 2 also presents nutrient density (intake per 2000 kcal). The diet of FJ consumers (versus non-consumers) was significantly denser in CHO, simple and free sugars, many vitamins (B1, B6, B9, C, and E), beta-carotene, potassium, magnesium, and manganese. Conversely, it was less dense in starch, protein, cholesterol, B12, zinc, sodium, and phosphorous.
|
study
| 99.94 |
FJ per se brought 2% of the daily energy in the diet of consumers. Figure 2 shows the contribution of FJ to the daily intake of various nutrients, relative to the 2% contribution to energy intake. FJ contributed in higher proportions to the daily intake of vitamins C (32%), B9 (10%), B6 (6%), B5 (5%), B2 (3%), and B1 (7%), beta-carotene (5%), manganese (3%), magnesium (4%), and potassium (7%). FJ contributed 19% of the daily free sugars (10.2 ± 0.4 g/day). By comparison, sugar-containing sodas brought 6.9 ± 0.1 g of free sugar per day in FJ consumers.
|
study
| 100.0 |
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