Survival analysis, consumer perception and physico-chemical analysis of low fat UHT milk stored for different time periods

Survival analysis based on consumers' acceptance or rejection of milk of different storage ages, was used to validate the shelf-life of low fat ultra-high temperature treated (UHT) milk in high density polyethylene bottles, as previously determined by a multivariate accelerated shelf-life test (MASLT). UHT milk between 120 and 290 d of storage were evaluated. Based on 50% of consumers rejecting the product, the shelf-life was estimated to be 214 d, validating the shelf-life of 211 d estimated by the MASLT. In addition, consumers completed check-all-that-apply attribute questions and rated the acceptability of the milk. The consumers noted positive sensory attributes more frequently in fresher milk samples with an increase in negative attributes with storage. Along with this, hedonic scores for the milk decreased and physicochemical and enzymatic reactions associated with the deterioration of UHT milk increased with storage.South African National Research Foundation (NRF) Technology and Human Resource Programme (THRIP) (Grant TP 2010071400012).http://www.elsevier.com/locate/idairyj2017-06-30hb2016Food Scienc

Multivariate accelerated shelf-life test of low fat UHT milk

A multivariate accelerated shelf life test (MASLT) that employs all sensory attributes that show change over time was applied to data obtained from a trained panel (n ¼ 11) that evaluated 18 sensory attributes of low fat UHT milk samples stored at 25, 35 and 45 C over a six and a half month time period. The cutoff point that identifies the end of shelf life was obtained by survival analysis based on consumers’ acceptance or rejection of samples stored for different times and at different temperatures. Storage at 35 and 45 C reduced the shelf life by a factor of 2.9 and 7.8, respectively. In future, changes in sensory attributes that correlate well with the UHT milk MASLT model can be used as predictors for end of shelf life. For this purpose the milk can be stored at accelerated temperatures and results can be converted to actual market condition.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/idairyjhb201

The effect of legume protease inhibitors on native milk and bacterial proteases

Protease inhibitors from legume seed extracts (soybean, cowpea and marama beans) and purified soybean protease inhibitor were evaluated with regards to their abilities to inhibit proteases produced by important milk contaminating bacteria, i.e. Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas spp., and native milk protease, plasmin. Although heattreatment is the most common mean of inactivating enzymes, some heat-stable enzymes can survive the ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing of milk and cause sensory and consistency defects during storage at room temperature. The legume protease inhibitors reduced the activity of plasmin and proteases produced by Bacillus spp. by up to 94% and 97%, respectively, while it showed low inhibitory activity towards P. fluorescens proteases (19%) in a buffer system. The protease inhibitors reduced the activity of plasmin (41%) and Bacillus proteases (50%) in UHT milk, however to a lesser extent as compared to inhibition in the buffer system; while it had little or no effect on proteases from Pseudomonas spp. Legume protease inhibitors show great potential in preventing or reducing proteolytic activity of Bacillus proteases and plasmin and may be exploited in various applications where these proteases cause sensory or consistency defects in the product.http://www.journals.elsevier.com/lwt-food-science-and-technology/hb201

Displaced but not replaced: the impact of e-learning on academic identities in higher education.

Challenges facing universities are leading many to implement institutional strategies to incorporate e-learning rather than leaving its adoption up to enthusiastic individuals. Although there is growing understanding about the impact of e-learning on the student experience, there is less understanding of academics’ perceptions of e-learning and its impact on their identities. This paper explores the changing nature of academic identities revealed through case study research into the implementation of e-learning at one UK university. By providing insight into the lived experiences of academics in a university in which technology is not only transforming access to knowledge but also influencing the balance of power between academic and student in knowledge production and use, it is suggested that academics may experience a jolt to their ‘trajectory of self’ when engaging with e-learning. The potential for e-learning to prompt loss of teacher presence and displacement as knowledge expert may appear to undermine the ontological security of their academic identity

Violent and victimized bodies: sexual violence policy in England and Wales

This paper uses the notion of the body to frame an archaeology of sexual violence policy in England and Wales, applying and developing Pillow’s ideas. It argues that the dominant construction is of sexual violence as an individualized crime, with the solution being for a survivor to report, and with support often instrumentalized in relation to criminal justice objectives. However, criminal justice proceedings can intensify or create further trauma for sexual violence survivors. Furthermore, in addition to criminalizing the violent body and supporting the victimized one, there is a need for policy to produce alternative types of bodies through preventative interventions. Much sexual violence is situated within (hetero) sexual dynamics constructing a masculine aggressor and a feminine body which eventually yields. Prevention must therefore focus on developing embodied boundaries, and narratives at the margins of policy could underpin such efforts

Diminished Neural and Cognitive Responses to Facial Expressions of Disgust in Patients with Psoriasis: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Psoriasis produces significant psychosocial disability; however, little is understood about the neurocognitive mechanisms that mediate the adverse consequences of the social stigma associated with visible skin lesions, such as disgusted facial expressions of others. Both the feeling of disgust and the observation of disgust in others are known to activate the insula cortex. We investigated whether the social impact of psoriasis is associated with altered cognitive processing of disgust using (i) a covert recognition of faces task conducted using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and (ii) the facial expression recognition task (FERT), a decision-making task, conducted outside the scanner to assess the ability to recognize overtly different intensities of disgust. Thirteen right-handed male patients with psoriasis and 13 age-matched male controls were included. In the fMRI study, psoriasis patients had significantly (P<0.005) smaller signal responses to disgusted faces in the bilateral insular cortex compared with healthy controls. These data were corroborated by FERT, in that patients were less able than controls to identify all intensities of disgust tested. We hypothesize that patients with psoriasis, in this case male patients, develop a coping mechanism to protect them from stressful emotional responses by blocking the processing of disgusted facial expressions

Improving the professional knowledge base for education: Using knowledge management (KM) and Web 2.0 tools

Improving education systems is an elusive goal. Despite considerable investment, international studies such as the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) project and the McKinsey Report How the world’s best performing schools come out on top indicate that improving teacher quality is more important than increased financial investment. Both reports challenge governments, academics and practitioners to adopt new ways of sharing and building knowledge. This paper makes the case for national education systems to adopt tried and tested knowledge management and web 2.0 tools used by other sectors and highlights the neglected potential of teacher educators as agents for improvement

A Generic Framework for Criterion-Referenced Assessment of Undergraduate Essays

This paper presents a brief review of the relative merits of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment of undergraduate students' written work. Acknowledging that there are both positive and negative aspects of criterion referencing, a generic framework for such assessment of undergraduate essays is presented. It comprises criteria and standards (organised by `dimensions of achievement', i.e. content, process, affect and skills), proficiency standards for English language and communication competence, and cartographic and graphic skills. Problems of implementation include the size and complexity of the framework and the need to interpret and clarify the criteria and standards for students

Physics Opportunities with the 12 GeV Upgrade at Jefferson Lab

This white paper summarizes the scientific opportunities for utilization of the upgraded 12 GeV Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) and associated experimental equipment at Jefferson Lab. It is based on the 52 proposals recommended for approval by the Jefferson Lab Program Advisory Committee.The upgraded facility will enable a new experimental program with substantial discovery potential to address important topics in nuclear, hadronic, and electroweak physics.Comment: 64 page

‘I can die today, I can die tomorrow’: lay perceptions of sickle cell disease in Kumasi, Ghana at a point of transition

Objective. To describe the lay meanings of sickle cell disease (SCD) in the Ashanti region of Ghana