ASPECTS REGARDING THE PRESERVATION OF FOOD PRODUCTS USING HIGH VOLTAGE PULSED ELECTRIC FIELD

Food preservation is an important link in ensuring their quality. The ways in which this desideratum is achieved include a wide range of conservation, thermal and athermal techniques. The paper presents aspects regarding the preservation of food products using the high voltage pulsed electric field, as well as the current stage of the realization of technical equipment that uses this technology

MODERN METHODS FOR FOOD PRODUCTS PRESERVATION

Bacteria, molds and yeasts are microorganisms that play an essential role in spoiling food. Food products preservation technologies are intended to reduce the intensity of the activity of pathogenic microorganisms that generate decomposition processes. From the point of view of food technologies, heat treatments (pasteurization, sterilization) are the main way of preserving food. The trend is to minimize or replace heat treatments with nonthermal, non-destructive methods, in order to preserve the freshness, nutritional and bioactive value of the food products. This paper presents the working principles and the effects of various modern methods of preservation, thermal and athermal, on food

Laparoscopic treatment for perforated duodenal ulcer

Clinica de Chirurgie 2, UMF “Victor Babeș” Timișoara, Clinica de Chirurgie, UMF ”Carol Davila”, București, Clinica de Chirurgie 2, UMF ”Grigore T Popa”, Iași, Clinica de Chirurgie 2, Facultatea de Medicină, Universitatea ”Ovidius”, Constanța, Clinica de Chirurgie 2, Facultatea de Medicina, Sibiu, Clinica de Chirurgie 1, UMF ”Iuliu Hațieganu”, Cluj- Napoca, Departamentul de Chirurgie I, Facultatea de Medicină, UMF Craiova, România, Al XII-lea Congres al Asociației Chirurgilor „Nicolae Anestiadi” din Republica Moldova cu participare internațională 23-25 septembrie 2015Introducere: Acest studiu retrospectiv evaluează rezultatele tratamentului laparoscopic în ulcerul duodenal perforat și este realizat în 7 spitale cu experiență în chirurgia laparoscopica din România. Material și metode: Între anii 2006 și 2013, 297 pacienți (48 femei, 249 bărbați) cu vârste cuprinse între 18 și 77 ani au fost supuși intervenției chirurgicale laparoscopice pentru ulcer duodenal perforat, cu utilizarea a 3 (61%), 4 (29%) sau 5 (10%) trocare. Șaizeci și doi (21%) dintre pacienți au prezentat o formă ușoară, 190 (64,1%) au prezentat o formă moderată și 45 (14,9%) o formă severă de peritonită. Procedurile utilizate au fost: sutura simplă – 118 (39,8%) pacienți, sutura cu epiplonoplastie – 176 (59,5%), doar epiplonoplastie – 1 (0,3%) pacient, excizie și sutură – 1 (0,3%) pacient. Rezultate: Durata intervențiilor a fost între 30 și 120 minute, cu o medie de 65 minute. Mortalitatea a fost nulă. Complicații: infecții parietale – 3 (1%), fistule duodenale – 3 (1%), abcese abdominale – 2 (0,6%), hemoragii digestive – 1 (0,3%) și stenoza duodenală – 1 (0,3%). Durata medie de spitalizare – 5,5 zile. În comparație cu tehnica clasica, pacienții au necesitat mai puține analgetice și antibiotice, cu 80% mai puține pansamente și au avut cu 70% mai puține infecții parietale în evoluția postoperatorie. Concluzii: Tratamentul laparoscopic pentru ulcerul duodenal perforat, este recomandat chiar și în cazurile cu peritonită severă, evoluția postoperatorie fiind cu mai puține complicații și cu o recuperare mai rapidă fața de procedura clasică. Aceast abord poate fi considerat “standard de aur” în tratamentul ulcerului duodenal perforat.Introduction: This retrospective study evaluates results of the laparoscopic treatment of perforated duodenal ulcer obtained in 7 centers with experience in laparoscopic surgery from Romania. Material and methods: A total of 297 (48 women and 249 men) patients with perforated duodenal ulcer underwent laparoscopic intervention between 2006 and 2013, with ages 18 to 77 years. Three (61%), 4 (29%) or 5 (10%) trocars were used. In 62 patients (21%) was diagnosed mild form of peritonitis, in 190 (64.1%) – moderate and in 45 (14.9%) – severe peritonitis. Types of repair used in this study: simple suture – 118 (39.8%) patients, suture with omental patch – 176 (59.5%), only sutured omental patch – 1 (0.3%), excision and suture – 1 (0.3%) patient. Results: Operation time was between 30 and 120 min, with average of 65 min. Mortality rate was zero. Complications: parietal infections – 3 (1%), duodenal fistula – 3 (1%), intraabdominal abscesses – 2 (0.6%), digestive bleeding – 1 (0.3%) and duodenal stenosis – 1 (0.3%). Average length of hospital stay – 5.5 days. Patients treated using laparoscopic technique needed less analgesics, antibiotics, 80% less dressing procedures and had 70% less surgical site infections in comparison to traditional operation. Conclusions: Laparoscopic treatment of perforated duodenal ulcer can be recommended even for patients with severe peritonitis. This treatment is associated with fewer complications and more rapid recovery than traditional intervention. Laparoscopic repair can be considered “gold standard” in the treatment of perforated duodenal ulcer

Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age.

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age

Abstract The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset – with data collected between 2020 and 2022 – to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research

Exposure and connectedness to natural environments: An examination of the measurement invariance of the Nature Exposure Scale (NES) and Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups

Detachment from nature is contributing to the environmental crisis and reversing this trend requires detailed monitoring and targeted interventions to reconnect people to nature. Most tools measuring nature exposure and attachment were developed in high-income countries and little is known about their robustness across national and linguistic groups. Therefore, we used data from the Body Image in Nature Survey to assess measurement invariance of the Nature Exposure Scale (NES) and the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). While multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) of the NES supported full scalar invariance across gender identities and age groups, only partial scalar invariance was supported across national and linguistic groups. MG-CFA of the CNS also supported full scalar invariance across gender identities and age groups, but only partial scalar invariance of a 7-item version of the CNS across national and linguistic groups. Nation-level associations between NES and CNS scores were negligible, likely reflecting a lack of conceptual clarity over what the NES is measuring. Individual-level associations between both measures and sociodemographic variables were weak. Findings suggest that the CNS-7 may be a useful tool to measure nature connectedness globally, but measures other than the NES may be needed to capture nature exposure cross-culturally

Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research

STUDY OF THE CORRELATIONS BETWEEN MORPHOLOGIC PARAMETERS, AT TWO EDIBLE SNAILS POPULATIONS DEPENDING ON THE METABOLIC ACTIVITY STATUS

In the present study we calculated the correlations between the “alive” (green) weight and the biometric parameters of the shell according to the geographical area and the metabolic activity status. The biological material studied belongs to the species Helix pomatia. var. Banatica. from two different areas: Pădurea Verde and OraviŃa. At both studied populations. the measurements and weighing were made depending on the metabolic activity status (with operculum or without operculum). From the analysis of the correlations results that the “alive” weight has a large positive correlation with the foot weight and the depth of the shell. in both snails populations. regardless of the metabolic activity status (r > 0.5). In the case of snails without operculum. all the biometrical parameters of the shell have a large positive correlation with the “alive” weight (values between 0.50016 and 0.989085). Negative correlations have been observed in the case of the snails with operculum. between the alive weight and the shell height (r = 0.00231). and between the alive weight and shell width (r = 0.00443)