Estimation of fungi in the presence of bacteria

A quantitative assay of mixed cultures of bacteria and the fungus Aspergillus flavus was carried out. The assay was based on the estimation of glucosamine formed by the hydrolysis of chitin. The bacteria used were typical Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria commonly found in spoiled food. They included, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylo coccus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The experiments carried out involved mixing cultures of bacteria and fungi immediately prior to estimation or alternatively fungal and bacterial cultures were mixed, grown for 40 hours and then estimated for glucosamine. Results obtained show, that when cultures are mixed immediately prior to estimation, there is no significant effect on glucosamine levels. When Gram-negative bacteria are grown with A.flavus prior to estimation there is no significant effect on glucosamine levels compared with pure cultures of A.flavus. However, when Gram-positive bacteria are mixed with fungi grown for 40 hours and glucosamine is estimated, there is a significant reduction in the level of glucosamine formed. It was shown that this is due to bacterial growth competing with the fungi and causing a considerable reduction in the amount of fungal mycelium formed

The Challenges of Bad Debt Monitoring Practices in Islamic Micro Banking

The study aim to assess and compare the monitoring procedures in two Bank Syariah Mandiri (BSM) branches located in Cengkareng and Duri Kosambi of West Jakarta city. The research implemented qualitative data analysis tools that consisted in to develop Focus group discussion (FDG) to obtain reliable and depth data related to monitoring practices among loan officers. Meanwhile, interviews were designed to the branch managers of each institution to determine their role in the NPF management. The study results divide into two parts: On the one hand, it highlights the standard monitoring procedures for the Non-performing financing (NPF) in Islamic micro banking and the main differences between conventional and Islamic in NPF management. On the other hand, the second result exposes three main key findings: First one, it confirms the importance of count on proper risk management for Islamic micro banking and harnessing of the sharia principles to maintain the quality of the portfolio. Second, the study reveals a correlation that exists among screening, monitoring, and enforcement, thus how a proper testing and supervision practices may affect in the following steps of the loan cycle. Finally the third one, it shows the impact of real leadership from the head manager in the performance of the institution.

Happiness and Optimism Interventions at Work: Gender Differences

The aim of this quasi-experimental study was to analyze the changes derived from happiness and optimism interventions in 12 groups of employees chosen at random in two Colombian companies. For the happiness intervention, three conditions were applied: Expressing Gratitude, Acts of Kindness and Pencil in the Mouth. In the case of optimism, three other conditions were used: Breaking the Routine, Reformulating Goals and Resignifying Failure. In addition, answers from a control group, a placebo group and another group on a waiting list were included. 93 people completed the questionnaires at both Time 1 (before the intervention) and Time 2 (after the intervention). Testing of related samples was performed to verify the changes according to each condition. The results show that the condition of kindness alone and combined with the reformulation of goals tended to have more positive effects on happiness levels. There were differences in the effectiveness associated with gender and the employees’ previous levels of happiness and optimism. The practical applications of these findings in the work context and their influence on work performance are discussed

Mercantilización del Rock: Análisis de la industria cultural musical desde la teoría crítica

La música ha sido creación de seres humanos desde sus inicios, pero ha sido en la modernidad en  donde se ha transformado en mercancía. En la actualidad, la música popular presenta un abanico cada vez más amplio de posibilidades para los gustos cada vez menos complejos de los ¿auditores?¿consumidores?. La duda se asienta en que la música es un mercado, una fuente inagotable de explotación económica, no solo por ella misma, sino por todo el aparataje que conlleva la industria musical. Este no es un fenómeno nuevo, sino que se enmarca dentro del contexto de la llamada cultura de masas, cuyo debate teorético comenzó la primera Escuela de Frankfurt, principalmente en las obras de Horkheimer, Adorno y Marcuse. El eje central del presente ensayo, es hacer una reflexión teórico/crítica sobre la cultura de masas, enfocada principalmente a la música popular, especialmente el rock, el cual de nacer como una alternativa musical frente a los patrones culturales existentes, fue tomada por el mercado, transformándose en un mecanismo de control social