MATHEMATICS EDUCATORS’ PERSPECTIVES ON CULTURAL RELEVANCE OF BASIC LEVEL MATHEMATICS IN NEPAL

The main purpose of this paper was to explore mathematics educators’ perception of the cultural relevance of basic level mathematics in Nepal. The design of this study involved an interpretive qualitative approach by administering in-depth interviews with five purposively selected mathematics educators teaching at five higher education institutions in the Kathmandu valley. Each interview was audio-recorded and transcribed for coding and constructing themes. The major themes that emerged were teaching in a mother language, contextualized Ethnomathematics, and the local knowledge in the curriculum as a teaching approach. The findings of the study can be helpful to curriculum designers and teachers at the basic level of mathematics. The study also adds to the literature of cultural aspects of mathematics teaching and learning and curriculum design

Pulse Spray Drying for Bovine Skimmed Milk Powder Production

Pulse Spray Drying (PSD) has potential as a sustainable means of skimmed milk powder (SMP) production. In this study, powders were obtained from PSD using different drying outlet temperatures (70, 80, 90 and 100 °C), and their characteristics were compared to those of traditional Spray Drying (SD). Native whey proteins were well preserved and Solubility Indexes were over 98% in all cases, despite powders obtained by PSD displaying lower solubility than the SD ones. No visual difference was observable in the powders (ΔE < 2); however, PSD powders were found to be yellower with a higher Browning Index. The drying technology did not have a significant effect on powder moisture content and bulk density. Particle size distribution and scanning electron microscopy images confirmed the presence of fine particles (<10 μm) in all samples that might have provided poor flowability and wetting behavior (overall Carr Index and Hausner ratio were 33.86 ± 3.25% and 1.52 ± 0.07, respectively). Higher amounts of agglomerated particles were found at low temperatures in the products processed with both technologies, but PSD samples showed a narrower particle size distribution and hollow particles with more wrinkles on the surface (probably due to the fast evaporation rate in PSD). Overall, PSD provided SMP with comparable physicochemical characteristics to SD and, once optimized at the industrial level, could offer significant advantages in terms of thermal efficiency without significant modification of the final product quality.This research was funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (PRIMA, grant number 1833, project Dairy Innovation for Mediterranean SME—DAINME-SME), and the CERCA Programme; and the APC was funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (PRIMA, grant number 1833; project Dairy Innovation for Mediterranean SME (DAINME-SME).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of herd diet, protein fortification and coagulation conditions on in-vat curd syneretic properties and ripening profiles of Maasdam cheese

This thesis describes a series of studies undertaken to underpin developments in the Irish cheese industry, particularly an increased interest in the potential of achieving market advantage through the promotion of grass- or pasture-fed products. However, a knowledge gap exists in terms of the impact of herd diet on the processing characteristics and on the ripening and sensory properties of resultant cheeses. Similarly, the industry has moved to produce more continental-type cheeses in an effort to diversify from predominantly Cheddar manufacture. Thus, there is a further research requirement for information regarding the manufacture of continental-type cheese such as Masadam from a seasonal Irish milk supply, and the application of process modifications such as membrane filtration in the manufacture of such cheeses. This research focused initially on characterizing the cheesemaking properties of milk and the physico-chemical, ripening and sensory properties of Maasdam cheese derived from a herd fed indoors on total mixed ration (TMR) and herds fed outdoors on either perennial rye grass (GRA) or perennial rye grass with white clover (CLO). Furthermore, the effects of protein-standardization of milk on cheesemaking properties, e.g., rennet coagulation, in-vat curd moisture loss kinetics and curd microstructure at different set temperatures were also investigated. There was a minimal feed-induced variation on in-vat curd moisture loss kinetics, final Maasdam cheese yield, recovery of fat and protein, physico-chemical composition, and proteolysis and biochemical changes (such as propionate and lactate) during 150 d of ripening. The principal differences noted were in colour, with GRA or CLO cheeses being less white and more yellow, and TMR cheeses being more white. Maasdam cheeses made from the milk of the TMR-fed herd had higher levels of linoleic acid (C18:2) and palmitic acid (although the difference in palmitic acid content was not significant), compared to pasture-derived cheese and this translated into a firmer texture in the mouth from TMR cheeses. A detailed investigation of the metabolic profile of cheese samples using nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that TMR-derived cheese samples had higher levels of citrate, while GRA or CLO cheeses had higher levels of toluene, thus providing a potential chemical fingerprint for differentiation between cheeses based on feeding systems. The coagulation properties of milk concentrated to protein levels of 4, 5 or 6% at 28, 32 or 36°C were also characterized. It was concluded that cheese producers would need to focus on optimizing the cutting window, based on milk protein level and coagulation temperature, to attain uniform curd rigidity on completion of the cutting cycle. However, the coagulation time and cutting process for milk with 5% protein at 28°C was similar to that observed for milk of 4% protein coagulated at 32°C, due to similar levels of curd firmness and curd firming rate in these gels. Curd from milk concentrated to 6% protein had a dense protein network compared to that with 4% protein, as observed by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, and the curds from the former milk contained lower levels of moisture during stirring compared to the latter. An increased coagulum cut size is required to achieve a uniform curd moisture content when milk protein levels are increased by standardization (4 to 6%). However, breakage of curd particles of size >6 mm3 from milk concentrated to >5% milk was excessive, which significantly influenced the curd moisture loss kinetics during stirring. Overall, a fundamental understanding of coagulation and curd syneresis properties was gained in terms of the application of ultrafiltration for milk protein concentration, which can be applied to reduce the impact of seasonal variability in milk composition for cheesemaking. This research generated fundamental knowledge which may be useful to achieve greater consistency in cheese manufacture and in achieving diversification of the Irish cheese industry through the manufacture of Maasdam type and other continental cheese types of consistent quality from a predominantly grass-fed milk production system

Pilot-scale production and physicochemical characterisation of spray-dried nanoparticulated whey protein powders

Spray-dried whey protein isolate (WPI) powders were prepared at pilot-scale from solutions without heat (WPIUH), heated (WPIH) or heated with calcium (WPIHCa), which were analysed and compared with a control sample (WPIC). WPIC, WPIUH, WPIH and WPIHCa solutions had whey protein denaturation levels of 0.0, 3.2, 64.4 and 74.4%, respectively. Computerised tomography scanning showed that 52.6, 84.0, 74.5 and 41.9% of WPIC, WPIUH, WPIH and WPIHCa powder particles had diameters of &#8804;30 µm. WPIHCa and WPIH powders were cohesive, while WPIC and WPIUH powders were easy flowing. Marked differences in microstructure were observed between WPIH and WPIHCa. There were no measured differences in wall friction, bulk density or colour

Impact of a structured yoga program on blood pressure reduction among hypertensive patients: study protocol for a pragmatic randomized multicenter trial in primary health care settings in Nepal

Abstract Background Hypertension control remains a major global challenge. The behavioral approaches recommended for blood pressure reduction are stress reduction, increased exercise and healthy dietary habits. Some study findings suggest that yoga has a beneficial effect in reducing blood pressure. However, the role of yoga on blood pressure has received little attention in existing health care practices in developing countries. This study will be conducted in primary health care facilities in Nepal to assess the effectiveness of a pragmatic yoga intervention to complement standard practice in further reducing blood pressure. Methods This will be multicentric, two arms, randomized, nonblinded, pragmatic trial. It will be conducted in seven District Ayurveda Health Centers (DAHCs) in Nepal between July 2017 and June 2018. The study participants will consist of hypertensive patients with or without antihypertensive medication attending to the outpatient department (OPD). One hundred and forty participants will be randomized to treatment or control groups by using a stratified block randomization. At the study site, the treatment arm participants will receive an intervention consisting of five days of structured yoga training and practice of the same package at home with a recommendation of five days a week for the following 90 days. Both the intervention and control groups will receive two hours of health education on lifestyle modifications. The primary outcome of this trial will be the change in systolic blood pressure and it will be assessed after 90 days of the intervention. Discussion This study will establish the extent to which a yoga intervention package can help reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients. If proven effective, study findings may be used to recommend the governing bodies and other stakeholders for the integration of yoga in the national healthcare system for the treatment and control of hypertension. Trial registration Clinical Trial Registry- India (CTRI); CTRI Reg. No- CTRI/2017/02/007822. Registered on 10/02/2017