This study examines the factors influencing the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the context of an emerging market, specifically Türkiye. Structural equation modeling was employed to estimate 641 consumer questionnaires. Findings show that economic incentives and subsidies in purchase significantly impact consumer behavior, whereas consumers’ future expectations for EV technology and infrastructure also positively influence adoption. Unlike widespread assumptions, environmental benefits, social image, and individual innovativeness do not impact the adoption behavior of Turkish consumers. These results contradict widespread theoretical concepts that emphasize environmental consciousness and social influence as major determinants of EV adoption in developed and emerging countries. This study contributes to the extant literature by broadening the scope of consumer adoption behavior beyond developed economies. Practically, the findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and market participants seeking to design effective incentive schemes and competitive advertising strategies tailored to the unique demands of evolving economies.
Dietary fiber is an essential nutrient with well-established health benefits, making it necessary to include it in nutritional labels. There is a growing demand in the food industry for rapid, accurate methods for measuring nutrients. Fiber content was rapidly estimated using visible-near-infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS) in reflectance mode, a method that requires minimal sample preparation. Super partial least-squares regression (sPLSR) was used to predict total dietary fiber (TDF) and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) directly from spectra in corn-based raw ingredients and finished products. The Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) methods 991.43 and 985.29 were used as reference methods to calibrate the regression models. Three calibration models were developed. A specialized whole-grain total dietary fiber (WG TDF) model estimated TDF in raw whole-grain corn ingredients. A global dietary fiber (GDF) model similarly determined TDF of both raw ingredients and finished products, including corn chips. This model serves as a comprehensive screening tool and provides robust predictions across diverse processed matrices. An insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) model was established for raw corn ingredients to support the inclusion of IDF content in nutritional labeling. The models had average root-mean-square errors of validation (RMSEV) of 0.84 +/- 0.01% for WG TDF, 1.116 +/- 0.008% for GDF, and 1.05 +/- 0.01% for IDF. This study demonstrates a chemometric approach using Vis-NIRS for the rapid estimation of dietary fiber in corn-based products, offering an alternative to time-consuming and expensive wet-chemical methods.
This study investigated the thermal inactivation kinetics of three pathogens, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and a surrogate microorganism Enterococcus faecium during oil frying of potato pellets at varying moisture contents of 5.4, 10.0, and 14.4%. Thermal treatments were conducted across temperatures ranging from 80 to 108 °C to establish comparative heat resistance profiles. Experimental results demonstrated that Salmonella exhibited superior thermal resistance compared to both E. coli and L. monocytogenes. At 14.4% moisture content, Salmonella D-values were determined to be 1.93, 0.85, and 0.45 min at 88 ,92 , and 96 °C, respectively. When moisture content was reduced to 5.4%, Salmonella displayed increased thermal resistance, with D-values of 2.38, 1.2, and 0.72 min at 89, 92, and 98 °C. Notably, E. faecium emerged as the most heat-resistant microorganism among all tested species, exhibiting D-values of 1.06, 0.65, and 0.31 min at 98, 103, and 108 °C in 5.4% moisture samples. Comparative analysis revealed that E. faecium demonstrated 1.6-fold greater heat resistance than Salmonella at 5.4% moisture, and 2.8- to 5.4-fold greater resistance at 14.4% moisture across 90-110 °C. Verification testing at 129 °C with 10.6% moisture content resulted in population reductions of 4.73 and 5.6 log CFU/g for E. faecium and Salmonella, respectively, after 6 seconds of treatment. These findings provide a scientific foundation for validation protocols in similar fried, low-moisture food products and substantiate the potential application of E. faecium as a suitable surrogate organism for in-plant validation studies of fried, low-moisture products such as potato pellets.
OBJECTIVES:Human resources (HR) initiatives can reduce healthcare costs and improve productivity, yet participation remains low. This study evaluated usability and predictors of engagement for Aspire2B, a personalized wellness application leveraging behavior change principles, alongside a 6-week HR-led movement challenge. METHODS:Participants were US-based, salaried PepsiCo employees, aged 21-68. Aspire2B integrated step data and provided heart rate, stress index, and biological age via transdermal optical imaging. No monetary incentives were provided. RESULTS:Of 512 registrants, 84% completed onboarding, 14% interacted with the app in week 2, 12% in week 3, and 6% in week 6, trending higher than commercial apps, though populations may not be directly comparable. Older age and higher heart and respiratory rates were associated with more steps and app usage. CONCLUSIONS:Aspire2B demonstrated preliminary feasibility for increasing engagement in HR wellness initiatives.
Improving the efficiency of milling oat (Avena sativa L.) production is becoming increasingly important under rising input costs and variable climatic conditions. However, oat agronomy research remains underfunded, leading to knowledge gaps in optimizing yield and quality in commercially relevant varieties. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of seed rate and nitrogen (N) rates on commercial oat varieties across multiple environments in the UK and Canada over three growing seasons. Increasing seed rates reduced plant establishment rate, particularly under favorable growing conditions, while reducing seed rates maintained comparable yields through compensatory increases in plant productivity. A seed rate of 200 seeds m−2 improved establishment efficiency and reduced seed rate costs. N response was strongly influenced by environmental conditions and background soil N. In Fort Whyte, Manitoba, Canada, high residual soil N and a shorter growing season limited the benefit of additional fertilizer beyond 40 kg N ha−1, while site-specific N management in Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Canada, improved both yield and grain quality with minimal adverse effects on grain weight. In Scotland, UK, higher N rates increased lodging risk, although lodging-tolerant varieties such as Conway achieved improved yield responses under moderate additional N inputs. Overall, the findings demonstrate that oat yield and quality responses are highly site- and variety-specific. Optimizing oat production, therefore, requires locally tailored management strategies integrating seed rates, fertilizer, environmental conditions and varietal choices to maximize productivity, quality and input efficiency.
