137 research outputs found
Nonresidential Fathers Parenting Their Children Residing in Shelters: A Phenomenological Study
This phenomenological qualitative study explored the parenting role of nonresidential fathers of children living in shelters. Special attention was paid to the perceived contributions of these fathers to the overall health and general well-being of their children residing in shelters. Often separations of nonresidential fathers from their children in shelters decreased their contributions to their children\u27s health and well-being. Increased knowledge of these parental roles and contributions can enhance programs and policies to support these fathers in improving the health and well-being of their children. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 6 demographically diverse nonresidential fathers living in Philadelphia. The health-belief model, in conjunction with the revised health-belief model, was used as a theoretical framework for this study. The research questions were designed to explore nonresidential fathers\u27 parenting roles, perceptions of their contributions, and the facilitators of and barriers to their parenting while their children resided in shelters. An inductive approach to data analysis informed study findings of nonresidential fathers\u27 active participation and engagement in their children\u27s lives, including involvement in their healthcare and health promotion. Perceived facilitators to their parenting role included internal and external motivators, whereas perceived challenges and barriers to their parenting role were externally based. Finally, study findings showed these fathers to be present and making significant contributions to the improved health and overall well-being of their children while they resided in homeless shelters
Exploring Tension in Hybrid Organizations in Times of Covid-19 Crisis. The Italian Benefit Corporationsâ experience
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented social and
economic crisis, not least for hybrid organisations, as they must
manage the tension arising from their dual mission to create
social and economic value. Building on a theoretical framework
for hybrid tension, our work contextualises how tensions emerge
and are managed in hybrid organisations when they are exposed to
exogenous shocks. We address the following research question.
How have hybrid organisations managed the tensions arising from
their dual purpose during the COVID-19 crisis? Our focus is on
Italian benefit corporations, which are organisations combining
social and economic objectives. We conduct two focus groups with
12 Italian benefit corporations. Our findings show the emergence of
four constructs that capture the responses to the COVID-19 crisis:
social and/or commercial orientation; technological characterisation;
internal and external stakeholder relationship; openness to changes.
We explain the relationship of these constructs via a framework of
performing, organising, learning, and belonging tensions
Mission, governance, and accountability of benefit corporations: Toward a commitment device for achieving commercial and social goals
Benefit corporations (BCs) are profit-with-purpose organizations regulated by a legal framework for establishing explicit commitments in terms of multi-stakeholder governance and accountability structures. We comprehensively analyze the theoretical alignment of four concepts (ownership, mission, governance, and accountability) to explain the legal rationale for BCs' unique corporate form. However, the boundaries of BC legislation are blurry, leaving them open to top-down governance arrangements and weak accountability. To explore this ambiguity, this paper investigates whether BCs implement a de facto (i.e., beyond the letter of the law) multi-stakeholder structure with governance models and downward accountability mechanisms that balance different stakeholders' interests, instead of focusing only on shareholder profits. This further highlight the soft boundaries imposed by the BC regulatory framework and suggests that more work is needed to explore the relationship between governance models that differently balance stakeholders' claims and the firm's social performance
Isolasi dan Identifikasi Salmonella spp. pada Kloaka Kura-Kura Ambon (Cuora amboinensis)
Salmonellosis merupakan penyakit enterik yang disebabkan oleh berbagai jenis spesies Salmonella spp . Penelitian inibertujuan untuk mengisolasi dan mengidentifikasi spesies Salmonella spp pada kloaka kura-kura ambon (Cuoraamboinensis). Koleksi sampel dilakukan pada lima belas ekor kura-kura ambon yang berada di kota Banda Aceh dansebagian Aceh Besar. Penelitian ini merupakan observasi lapangan dan eksperimental laboratorium berdasarkanmetode Carter. Swab kloaka kura-kura ambon ditanam dalam media Selenite Cystine Broth (SCB) dan diinkubasikanselama 24 jam suhu 37â°C, jika terjadi perubahan warna menjadi orange dilanjutkan penanaman pada media SalmonellaShigella Agar (SSA). Koloni yang menunjukkan karakteristik Salmonella sp diamati warna, elevasi, ukuran, dan tepisecara makroskopik. Pewarnaan Gram dilakukan untuk pengamatan secara mikroskopis dan pengelompokan bakteri.Proses identifikasi Salmonella spp dilakukan dengan penanaman dalam media Indol, Methyl Red, Voges Proskauer,Sulfide Indole Motility (SIM), Simmons Citrate Agar (SCA), Triple Sugar Iron Agar (TSIA), uji biokimia (glukosa, sukrosa,laktosa, manitol, dan arabinosa). Penelitian ini dianalisis secara deskriptif dan disajikan dalam bentuk tabel dangambar. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa pada lima belas sampel swab kloaka kura-kura ambon (100%) positifSalmonella yang terdiri atas Salmonella bongori, Salmonella arizonae, Salmonella diarizonae, dan Salmonella indica.Oleh karena itu, dapat disimpulkan bahwa Salmonella bongori, Salmonella arizonae, Salmonella diarizonae, danSalmonella indica dapat diisolasi dari kloaka kura-kura ambo
Farnesol induces cell detachment from established S. epidermidis biofilms
Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem in Staphylococcus epidermidis infections as many clinical isolates of this organism are resistant to up to eight different antibiotics. The increased resistance to conventional antibiotic therapy has lead to the search for new antimicrobial therapeutic agents. Farnesol, an essential oil found in many plants, has been shown to be active against S. epidermidis. Using a type control strain we recently described that although farnesol was not efficient at killing biofilm bacteria, a strong reduction on biofilm biomass was detected, and we hypothesize that farnesol could, somehow, induce biofilm detachment. In this report, to test our hypothesis we used 36 representative clinical strains of S. epidermidis from different geographic locations and characterized them in terms of genetic variability by multilocus sequence typing and staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec. Strains were tested for biofilm formation, and the presence of ica, bhp and aap genes was determined. Stronger biofilms had always the presence of ica operon but often co-harbored bhp and aap genes. Farnesol was then used in biofilm-forming strains, and biofilm detachment was detected in half of the strains tested. Furthermore, we also showed that farnesol inability to kill biofilm bacteria was not the result of the biofilm structure but was related to high cell density. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that the biomass reduction previously found by us, and many other groups, is the result not of cell killing but instead is the result of biofilm detachment.We thank Herminia de Lencastre for reviewing the manuscript. Support for this work was provided by project P-99911 from Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian and CONCORD-HEALTH-F3-2008/Project Number 222718/European Commission. This work was also supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia through grant #PEst-OE/EQB/LA0004/2011 awarded to ITQB
Sensory perception and food neophobia drive liking of functional plant-based food enriched with winemaking by-products
The use of phenol compounds obtained from unripe grapes as antioxidant sustainable food ingredients is challenging due to their specific sensory attributes, such as sourness and astringency. The aim was to evaluate sensory attributes perception and consumers' liking for beetroot purees added with phenols from unripe grapes. According to hedonic responses, consumer clusters were identified and characterized for eating behavioral attitudes. Three hundred two subjects (56% women, 18â60 years old) evaluated sweet, sour, astringency, and overall flavor intensity of and liking for four beetroot puree samples added with increasing phenols concentrations (0â1.93 g/kg). Results showed that liking decreased with increasing phenols. Interestingly, samples with highest phenols concentration, characterized by sourness, and astringency, were preferred by a segment of consumers (39% of the group). This group was characterized by a low food neophobia and tended to have high emotional eating scores compared to consumers preferring samples without or with the lowest amount of extract. These results suggest that the development of functional phenol-enriched products using winemaking by-products is challenging due to their sensory properties that negatively influence consumers' acceptance. However, with appropriate segmentation strategies it is possible to identify specific consumer targets who could appreciate these new functional foods. Practical Applications: Unripe grapes can be used as a sustainable phenol source for the development of new highly antioxidant foods. Indeed, an addition till 1.9 g/kg, besides improving both the nutritional content of the food matrices, as well as promoting the reuse of winemaking by-products, could be considered feasible from a sensory point of view. Specifically, new sustainable plant-based food product, characterized by specific sensory attributes, could be target for specific groups of consumers to foster the transition to the consumption of food products developed using value-added and sustainable ingredients
Sensory and chemical profile of a phenolic extract from olive mill waste waters in plant-base food with varied macro-composition
Phenols from olive mill waste water (OMWW) represent valuable functional ingredients. The negative impact on sensory quality limits their use in functional food formulations. Chemical interactions phenols/biopolymers and their consequences on bioactivity in plant-base foods have been widely investigated, but no studies to date have explored the variation of bitterness, astringency and pungency induced by OMWW phenols as a function of the food composition. The aim of the paper was to profile the sensory and chemical properties of phenols from OMWW in plant-base foods varied in their macro-composition. Four phenol concentrations were selected (0.44, 1.00, 2.25, 5.06 g/kg) to induce significant variations of bitterness, sourness, astringency and pungency in three plant-base food: proteins/neutral pH \u2013 bean pur\ue9e (BP), starch/neutral pH \u2013 potato pur\ue9e (PP), fiber/low pH \u2013 tomato juice (TJ). The macro-composition affected the amount of the phenols recovered from functionalized food. The highest recovery was from TJ and the lowest from BP. Two groups of 29 and 27 subjects, trained to general Labelled Magnitude Scale and target sensations, participated in the evaluation of psychophysical curves of OMWW phenols and of functionalized plant-base foods, respectively. Target sensations were affected by the food macro-composition. Bitterness increased with phenol concentration in all foods. Astringency and sourness slightly increased with concentration, reaching the weak-moderate intensity at the highest phenol concentration in PP and TJ only. Pungency was suppressed in BP and perceived at weak-moderate intensity in PP and TJ sample at the highest phenol concentration. Proteins/neutral pH plant-food (BP) resulted more appropriate to counteract the impact of added phenol on negative sensory properties thus allowing to optimize the balance between health and sensory properties
Sensory and chemical profile of a phenolic extract from olive mill waste waters in plant-base food with varied macro-composition
Phenols from olive mill waste water (OMWW) represent valuable functional ingredients. The negative impact on sensory quality limits their use in functional food formulations. Chemical interactions phenols/biopolymers and their consequences on bioactivity in plant-base foods have been widely investigated, but no studies to date have explored the variation of bitterness, astringency and pungency induced by OMWW phenols as a function of the food composition. The aim of the paper was to profile the sensory and chemical properties of phenols from OMWW in plant-base foods varied in their macro-composition. Four phenol concentrations were selected (0.44, 1.00, 2.25, 5.06 g/kg) to induce significant variations of bitterness, sourness, astringency and pungency in three plant-base food: proteins/neutral pH \u2013 bean pur\ue9e (BP), starch/neutral pH \u2013 potato pur\ue9e (PP), fiber/low pH \u2013 tomato juice (TJ). The macro-composition affected the amount of the phenols recovered from functionalized food. The highest recovery was from TJ and the lowest from BP. Two groups of 29 and 27 subjects, trained to general Labelled Magnitude Scale and target sensations, participated in the evaluation of psychophysical curves of OMWW phenols and of functionalized plant-base foods, respectively. Target sensations were affected by the food macro-composition. Bitterness increased with phenol concentration in all foods. Astringency and sourness slightly increased with concentration, reaching the weak-moderate intensity at the highest phenol concentration in PP and TJ only. Pungency was suppressed in BP and perceived at weak-moderate intensity in PP and TJ sample at the highest phenol concentration. Proteins/neutral pH plant-food (BP) resulted more appropriate to counteract the impact of added phenol on negative sensory properties thus allowing to optimize the balance between health and sensory properties
- âŠ