Design of a HACCP plan for indigenous chicken slaughter house in Kenya

Indigenous chicken rearing is seen as a poverty alleviation and food security strategy especially in rural households in Africa. Chicken meat is a delicacy in almost every household in Kenya. It is a common food in restaurants and hotels that serve fast foods in urban areas. Demand for and consumption of indigenous chicken meat in Kenya has been on the rise. Many slaughterhouses have been set up in strategic locations close to towns or in towns to allow for quick supply of the dressed chicken carcass to consumers. Poultry meat is a low acid food and has been associated with the presence of foodborne pathogens such as Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, and Staphylococcus aureus, especially when processing conditions are not hygienic. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is based on a scientific verifiable process to identify, control, reduce or eliminate any potential hazards to guarantee food safety. The current study was conducted based on the actual production conditions of the slaughter house. It was initiated through a survey that looked into the operations of the slaughter house on the basis of good manufacturing practices, as well as standard operation and sanitation procedures. From the results of the study and the gap audit analysis based on a checklist, the HACCP study was commissioned. The study aimed at developing a HACCP system; based on the seven HACCP principles and a critical scrutiny of several existing models. Four Critical Control Points (CCPs) were identified and a HACCP plan, complete with perquisite programs was presented to deal with the identified hazards and, therefore, present the consumers with high quality and safe products. Design of a model for the application and operationalization of HACCP system was undertaken as an important step in ensuring consumers enjoy safe products from the indigenous chicken meat prepared from the slaughter house.Key words: Indigenous chicken, slaughter house, HACCP, Critical control points (CCPs

Paediatric and adult bronchiectasis: monitoring, cross-infection, role of multi-disciplinary teams and self-management plans

Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease associated with structurally abnormal bronchi; clinically manifested by a persistent wet/productive cough, airway infections and recurrent exacerbations. Early identification and treatment of acute exacerbations is an integral part of monitoring and annual review, in both adults and children, to minimise further damage due to infection and inflammation. Common modalities used to monitor disease progression include clinical signs and symptoms, frequency of exacerbations and/or number of hospital admissions, lung function (FEV1 %predicted), imaging (radiological severity of disease) and sputum microbiology (chronic infection with P. aeruginosa). There is good evidence that these monitoring tools can be used to accurately assess severity of disease and predict prognosis in terms of mortality and future hospitalisation. Other tools that are currently used in research settings such as health-related quality of life questionnaires, magnetic resonance imaging and lung clearance index can be burdensome and require additional expertise or resource, which limits their use in clinical practice. Studies have demonstrated that cross-infection, especially with P. aeruginosa between patients with bronchiectasis is possible but infrequent. This should not limit participation of patients in group activities such as pulmonary rehabilitation, and simple infection control measures should be carried out to limit the risk of cross-transmission. A multi-disciplinary approach to care which includes respiratory physicians, chest physiotherapists, nurse specialists and other allied health professionals are vital in providing holistic care. Patient education and personalised self-management plans are also important despite limited evidence it improves quality of life or frequency of exacerbations

Angiotensin receptor blockers and risk of dementia: cohort study in UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

AIMS: This was a cohort study to evaluate whether individuals exposed to angiotensin receptor blockers have a reduced risk of dementia compared with those exposed to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. METHODS: The study included new users of angiotensin receptor blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (from 1995 to 2010) from UK primary care practices contributing to the Clinical Research Practice Datalink. The association between exposure to angiotensin receptor blockers and the risk of incident dementia was analysed using a Cox model, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, statin use, socioeconomic status, alcohol, smoking, number of consultations and calendar year. RESULTS: A total of 426 089 persons were included in the primary analysis, with 45 541 persons exposed to angiotensin receptor blockers and the remainder to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. The total number of new diagnoses of dementia was 6517. There was weak evidence of a decreased risk of dementia with exposure to angiotensin receptor blockers, with follow-up beginning at 1 year after the start of treatment (adjusted hazard ratio 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.85-1.00). An analysis restricted to the first 12 months after the index date showed a larger effect on dementia risk (adjusted hazard ratio 0.60, 95% confidence interval 0.50-0.72). CONCLUSIONS: A small reduction in dementia risk was seen with angiotensin receptor blockers in comparison to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. However, the strongest association was seen in early follow-up, suggesting that the inverse association is unlikely to be causal, but instead reflects other important but unmeasured differences between angiotensin receptor blocker and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor users

Subaqueous shrinkage cracks in the Sheepbed mudstone: Implications for early fluid diagenesis, Gale crater, Mars

The Sheepbed mudstone, Yellowknife Bay formation, Gale crater, represents an ancient lakebed now exhumed and exposed on the Martian surface. The mudstone has four diagenetic textures, including a suite of early diagenetic nodules, hollow nodules, and raised ridges and later diagenetic light-toned veins that crosscut those features. In this study, we describe the distribution and characteristics of the raised ridges, a network of short spindle-shaped cracks that crosscut bedding, do not form polygonal networks, and contain two to four layers of isopachous, erosion-resistant cement. The cracks have a clustered distribution within the Sheepbed member and transition laterally into concentrations of nodules and hollow nodules, suggesting that these features formed penecontemporaneously. Because of the erosion-resistant nature of the crack fills, their three-dimensional structure can be observed. Cracks that transition from subvertical to subhorizontal orientations suggest that the cracks formed within the sediment rather than at the surface. This observation and comparison to terrestrial analogs indicate that these are syneresis cracks—cracks that formed subaqueously. Syneresis cracks form by salinity changes that cause sediment contraction, mechanical shaking of sediment, or gas production within the sediment. Examination of diagenetic features within the Sheepbed mudstone favors a gas production mechanism, which has been shown to create a variety of diagenetic morphologies comparable to the raised ridges and hollow nodules. The crack morphology and the isopachous, layered cement fill show that the cracks were filled in the phreatic zone and that the Sheepbed mudstone remained fluid saturated after deposition and through early burial and lithification

Turbulent Combustion of Polydisperse Evaporating Sprays with Droplet Crossing: Eulerian Modeling and Validation in the Infinite Knudsen Limit

The accurate simulation of the dynamics of polydisperse evaporating sprays in unsteady gaseous flows with large-scale vortical structures is both a crucial issue for industrial applications and a challenge for modeling and scientific computing. The difficulties encountered by the usual Lagrangian approaches make the use of Eulerian models attractive, aiming at a lower cost and an easier coupling with the carrier gaseous phase. Among these models, the multi-fluid model allows for a detailed description of the polydispersity and size-velocity correlations for droplets of various sizes. The purpose of the present study is twofold. First, we extend the multi-fluid model in order to cope with crossing droplet trajectories by using the quadrature method of moments in velocity phase space conditioned by size. We identify the numerical difficulties and provide dedicated numerical schemes in order to preserve the velocity moment space. Second, we conduct a comparison study and demonstrate the capability of such an approach to capture the dynamics of an evaporating polydisperse spray in a 2-D free jet configuration. We evaluate the accuracy and computational cost of Eulerian models and related discretization schemes vs. Lagrangian solvers and show that, even for finite Stokes number, the standard Eulerian multi-fluid model can be accurate at reasonable cost

Ghrelin induces clock gene expression in the liver of goldfish in vitro via protein kinase C and protein kinase A pathways

International audienceThe liver is the most important link between the circadian system and metabolism. As a food-entrainable oscillator, the hepatic clock needs to be entrained by food-related signals. The objective of the present study was to investigate the possible role of ghrelin (an orexigenic peptide mainly synthesized in the gastrointestinal tract) as an endogenous synchronizer of the liver oscillator in teleosts. To achieve this aim, we first examined the presence of ghrelin receptors in the liver of goldfish. Then, the ghrelin regulation of clock gene expression in the goldfish liver was studied. Finally, the possible involvement of the phospholipase C/ protein kinase C (PLC/ PKC) and adenylate cyclase/protein kinase A (AC/PKA) intracellular signalling pathways was investigated. Ghrelin receptor transcripts, ghs-r1a, are present in the majority of goldfish hepatic cells. Ghrelin induced the mRNA expression of the positive (gbmal1a, gclock1a) and negative (gper genes) elements of the main loop of the molecular clock machinery, as well as grev-erba (auxiliary loop) in cultured liver. These effects were blocked, at least in part, by a ghrelin antagonist. Incubation of liver with a PLC inhibitor (U73122), a PKC activator (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) and a PKC inhibitor (chelerythrine chloride) demonstrated that the PLC/ PKC pathway mediates such ghrelin actions. Experiments with an AC activator (forskolin) and a PKA inhibitor (H89) showed that grev-erba regulation could be due to activation of PKA. Taken together, the present results show for the first time in vertebrates a direct action of ghrelin on hepatic clock genes and support a role for this hormone as a temporal messenger in the entrainment of liver circadian functions

Comprehensive framework for human health risk assessment of nanopesticides

Nanopesticides are not only in an advanced state of research and development but have started to appear on the market. Industry and regulatory agencies need a consolidated and comprehensive framework and guidance for human health risk assessments. In this perspective we develop such a comprehensive framework by exploring two case studies from relevant product types: an active ingredient delivered with a nanocarrier system, and a nanoparticle as an active ingredient. For a nanocarrier system, three entities are tracked during the assessment: the nanocarrier–active ingredient complex, the empty nanocarrier remaining after the complete release of the active ingredient, and the released active ingredient. For the nanoparticle of pure active ingredient, only two entities are relevant: the nanoparticle and the released ions. We suggest important adaptations of the existing pesticide framework to determine the relevant nanopesticide entities and their concentrations for toxicity testing. Depending on the nature of the nanopesticides, additional data requirements, such as those pertaining to durability in biological media and potential for crossing biological barriers, have also been identified. Overall, our framework suggests a tiered approach for human health risk assessment, which is applicable for a range of nanopesticide products to support regulators and industry in making informed decisions on nanopesticide submissions. Brief summaries of suitable methods including references to existing standards (if available) have been included together with an analysis of current knowledge gaps. Our study is an important step towards a harmonized approach accepted by regulatory agencies for assessing nanopesticides

Carbon mineralogy and crystal chemistry

Carbon, element 6, displays remarkable chemical flexibility and thus is unique in the diversity of its mineralogical roles. Carbon has the ability to bond to itself and to more than 80 other elements in a variety of bonding topologies, most commonly in 2-, 3-, and 4-coordination. With oxidation numbers ranging from −4 to +4, carbon is observed to behave as a cation, as an anion, and as a neutral species in phases with an astonishing range of crystal structures, chemical bonding, and physical and chemical properties. This versatile element concentrates in dozens of different Earth repositories, from the atmosphere and oceans to the crust, mantle, and core, including solids, liquids, and gases as both a major and trace element (Holland 1984; Berner 2004; Hazen et al. 2012). Therefore, any comprehensive survey of carbon in Earth must consider the broad range of carbon-bearing phases. / The objective of this chapter is to review the mineralogy and crystal chemistry of carbon, with a focus primarily on phases in which carbon is an essential element: most notably the polymorphs of carbon, the carbides, and the carbonates. The possible role of trace carbon in nominally acarbonaceous silicates and oxides, though potentially a large and undocumented reservoir of the mantle and core (Wood 1993; Jana and Walker 1997; Freund et al. 2001; McDonough 2003; Keppler et al. 2003; Shcheka et al. 2006; Dasgupta 2013; Ni and Keppler 2013; Wood et al. 2013), is not considered here. Non-mineralogical carbon-bearing phases treated elsewhere, including in this volume, include C-O-H-N aqueous fluids (Javoy 1997; Zhang and Duan 2009; Jones et al. 2013; Manning et al. 2013); silicate melts (Dasgupta et al. 2007; Dasgupta 2013; Manning et al. 2013); carbonate melts (Cox 1980; Kramers et al. 1981; Wilson and Head 2007; Walter et al. 2008; Jones et al. 2013); a rich variety of organic molecules, including methane and higher hydrocarbons (McCollom and Simoneit 1999; Kenney et al. 2001; Kutcherov et al. 2002; Sherwood-Lollar et al. 2002; Scott et al. 2004; Helgeson et al. 2009; McCollom 2013; Sephton and Hazen 2013); and subsurface microbial life (Parkes et al. 1993; Gold 1999; Chapelle et al. 2002; D’Hondt et al. 2004; Roussel et al. 2008; Colwell and D’Hondt 2013; Schrenk et al. 2013; Meersman et al. 2013; Anderson et al. 2013). / The International Mineralogical Association (IMA) recognizes more than 380 carbon-bearing minerals (http://rruff.info/ima/), including carbon polymorphs, carbides, carbonates, and a variety of minerals that incorporate organic carbon in the form of molecular crystals, organic anions, or clathrates. This chapter reviews systematically carbon mineralogy and crystal chemistry, with a focus on those phases most likely to play a role in the crust. Additional high-temperature and high-pressure carbon-bearing minerals that may play a role in the mantle and core are considered in the next chapter on deep carbon mineralogy (Oganov et al. 2013)

Estimation of value at risk for stock prices in mobile phone industry

Risk management and market losses prediction played a vital role in the financial sector. Value-at-Risk (VaR) is one of the effective measures for financial risk management. This research studies three mobile phone companies which are Apple Inc, Google Inc and Microsoft Corporation. The stocks of these companies are listed under the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations stock exchange (NASDAQ). The Value-at-Risk is evaluated by using two non-parametric methods and four parametric methods. Two non-parametric methods used are the basic historical method and age-weighted historical method, while the four parametric methods are normal distribution, student’s t-distribution, generalized extreme value distribution, and variance gamma distribution. Shapiro-Wilk normality test indicates that the return series of the selected companies are not normally distributed. This study found that, at 95% confidence level, the risks of the selected stocks are different for each method, and the stock of Microsoft Corporation is the least risky stock as it gives the lowest VaR. Through the conditional coverage test, this study founds that the age-weighted historical method overestimated the VaR. In addition, this study also concludes that the basic historical method, generalized extreme value distribution and variance gamma distribution are superior to other methods in the backtesting procedure