Measurement Invariance of Early Development Instrument (EDI) Domain Scores Across Gender and ESL Status

The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a widely used teacher rating tool to assess kindergartners’ developmental outcomes in Canada and a number of other countries. This paper examines the measurement invariance of EDI domains across ESL status and gender by means of multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. The results suggest evidence of measurement invariance for physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity and language and cognitive development domains. Moreover, the communication skills and general knowledge domain did not show acceptable fit in terms of RMSEA. The results and potential explanations are discussed.L'instrument de mesure du développement de la petite enfance (IMDPE) est un outil d’évaluation largement utilisée pour mesurer le développement des élèves en maternelle au Canada et dans d’autres pays. Cet article porte sur l’équivalence de mesure des domaines de l’IMDPE entre le statut d’ALS et le sexe par une analyse factorielle confirmatoire multigroupe. Les résultats font ressortir des preuves d’équivalence de mesure pour les domaines de la santé physique et le bienêtre, la compétence sociale, la maturité affective, le développement langagier et cognitif. De plus, le domaine des compétences en communication et des connaissances générales n’a pas démontré une correspondance acceptable par rapport à l'erreur quadratique moyenne de l'approximation (RMSEA). Nous discutons des résultats et proposons des explications possibles

Professional Peer Support in Online Health Communities

This paper investigates whether and what kind of social support exchange in Professional-only Online Health Communities (POHC). Focusing on the recent fast-growing outbreak—Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)— we find that healthcare professionals benefit from peer social support in POHCs, particularly by exchanging emotional support and learning from collective experience-based knowledge. Using the Reddit/r/medicine data, we show that posts’ popularity varies depending on the authors’ emotions and informativeness. In particular, a post’s negative emotion and narrative tone have a significant and positive association with the post’s popularity. These findings speak to the important role of POHC associated with healthcare professionals’ integrity during the pandemic

The combined effects of ultrasound and lactic acid in inactivating microorganisms on fresh radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus) : microbiological and quality changes

In order to reduce the risk of microbial contamination in fresh radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) and ensure its safety, combined effects of ultrasound and lactic acid in inactivating microorganisms and quality changes of radish were studied. Fresh radish samples were inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Shigella sonnei separately and were treated with lactic acid (L) 1% and 2%, ultrasound (U) with the amplitude of 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% for 15 and 30 min and their combination. The quality parameters, including total phenol content, firmness, and total color change, were evaluated on the day of the experiment and after 24 hr of cold storage. Results showed that both applied treatments and their combinations had significant (p < .05) inhibitory effect on all of the studied bacteria. Total phenolic content of the ultrasound treated samples led to higher amounts comparing to other samples. Results showed that using ultrasound power (75%), for 30 min significantly (p < .05) decreased the firmness of samples after 24 hr of cold storage. In conclusion, the application of ultrasound and lactic acid can extend the shelf life of fresh radish8116216

Heterocyclic aromatic amines in doner kebab : quantitation using an efficient microextraction technique coupled with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

The safety of doner kebab as a traditional Middle East tasty food can threaten via the formation of dangerous compounds such as heterocyclic aromatic amines during heat process. In this regard, the current investigation was devoted to measuring of 4 HAAs (2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ), 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx), 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), and 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ)) in doner kebab samples with an innovative microextraction technique combined with high-performance liquid chromatography. The limit of detection was in the range of 4.8 and 5.3 ng/g, while relative standard deviations were between 6.5% and 8.3%, and recoveries were calculated in the range of 89%-97%. The most and the least total mean values of HAA levels were 13.30 ng/g for MeIQx and 5.0 ng/g for IQ. The proposed method showed a high capability to extract trace amount of HAAs from a complex matrix such as doner kebab. Also, this technique is easy, high sensitive, selective, accurate and efficient81889

The Anti-staphylococcus Aureus Effect Of Combined Echinophora Platyloba Essential Oil And Liquid Smoke In Beef

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)In the current study, the antibacterial effect of Echinophora platyloba essential oil and common liquid smoke (individually and in combination) against Staphylococcus aureus in beef meat samples is investigated. Using an automated microbiological growth analyser and the turbidimetric technique, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of the essential oil and liquid smoke were determined. Anti-S. aureus activity of essential oil and liquid smoke (individually and in combination) was defined by disk diffusion assay, generation time and cell constituent release. Apart from that, the interactions between these two compounds were measured by the checkerboard assay and by calculating the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) indices. Related MIC values of essential oil and smoke were found to be 7200 and 5500 mg/L, and MBC values were 8500 and 8000 mg/L, respectively. The conducted organoleptic assay showed that the addition of 0.05 g of essential oil and 0.6 g of liquid smoke to 100 g of meat samples did not have adverse effect on the overall acceptance. Weaker antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus was observed when only Echinophora platyloba essential oil was used than when it was used in combination with liquid smoke.551117124Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences [1395-77359]CNPq-TWAS [324027 4290]Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Ocratoxina A (OTA), zearalenona (ZEN), desoxinivalenol (DON) e aflatoxina total (TAF) em produtos à base de cereais : revisão sistemática e metanálise

Orientador: Anderson de Souza Sant'AnaTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de AlimentosResumo: Devido a aspectos culturais, religiosos, históricos e econômicos, os cereais e seus derivados foram classificados como produtos alimentícios essenciais em todo o mundo. As micotoxinas são metabólitos secundários produzidos por fungos micotoxigênicos em diferentes alimentos durante as etapas de produção, processamento, transporte e armazenamento. Dentre as mais de 300 micotoxinas identificadas, as mais estudadas em cereais e derivados são ocratoxina A (OTA), zearalenona (ZEN), deoxinivalenol (DON) e aflatoxina (AF). Adicionalmente, o estudo da distribuição, prevalência e concentração das micotoxinas em produtos à base de cereais merece destaque, assim como o efeito que as operações unitárias causam nesses produtos durante o processamento. Diversos estudos têm sido realizados com o objetivo de avaliar a taxa de degradação das micotoxinas em cereais e derivados após processamento convencional e após o uso de novas tecnologias, embora a maioria das micotoxinas possa ser considerada estável durante algumas operações unitárias. Por outro lado, a demanda por métodos analíticos de elevado desempenho tem sido um fator determinante e desafiador na análise de micotoxinas. Além disso, a presença de micotoxinas mascaradas, como o deoxinivalenol-3-glucosídeo (DON-3-Glc) e o deoxinivalenol-15-ß-d-glicopiranosídeo (DON-15-glucoside), pode ser considerada um desafio dentro da área de segurança de alimentos. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo objetivou o desenvolvimento de uma revisão sistêmica e uma meta-análise da prevalência, concentração, impacto das operações unitárias e métodos de identificação utilizados para OTA, ZEN, DON e aflatoxinas totais (AFT) em pães, flocos de milho, cereais matinais, macarrão e outros derivados de cereais a partir da literatura publicada entre 1983 e junho de 2017 disponível em bases de dados como Google Scholar, Scopus e PubMed. A ordem de classificação dos derivados de cereais em relação à prevalência de AFT foi biscoitos > flocos de milho > pães > macarrão > cereais matinais; para DON foi flocos de milho > macarrão > biscoitos > pães > cereais matinais; para OTA foi macarrão ~ pães > flocos de milho > biscoitos > cereais matinais; enquanto que para ZEN foi flocos de milho > pães, cereais matinais > biscoitos > macarrão. Adicionalmente, a classificação geral para a prevalência de micotoxinas em derivados de cereais foi DON > OTA > ZEN > TAF > 15-ADON > 3-ADON. A classificação dos derivados de cereais quanto à concentração de DON foi cereais matinais > pães > biscoitos > macarrão > flocos de milho; ZEN, flocos de milho > pães > cereais matinais > biscoitos > macarrão; AFT, macarrão > flocos de milho > pães > biscoitos > cereais matinais; e para OTA, pães > flocos de milho > cereais matinais > biscoitos > macarrão. A concentração de micotoxinas em produtos à base de cereais seguiu a seguinte classificação: DON > ZEN > 15-ADON > OTA > 3-ADON > AFT. Operações unitárias como moagem e fermentação causaram um aumento na concentração de DON e AFT nesses produtos, enquanto que ocorreu redução na concentração de ZEN e OTA. Embora o processamento térmico (cozimento) provocou uma diminuição em DON, OTA e AFT e um aumento na concentração de ZEN em pães, as concentrações de DON e ZEN foram reduzidas em biscoitos. Entretanto, o cozimento de macarrão causou a redução de DON e o aumento de AFT em macarrão. AFT e DON são as micotoxinas que apresentaram o menor e o maior número de estudos, respectivamente, enquanto que a Alemanha representa o primeiro país a iniciar esses estudos. Além disso, a cromatografia líquida com ionização por eletrospray acoplada à espectrometria de massas (LC-ESI/MS) é a técnica de detecção de micotoxinas mais utilizada. A classificação em relação ao número de estudos envolvendo derivados de cereais é cereais em grãos > flocos de milho > pães > cereais matinais > farinha > produtos infantis > macarrão > outros derivados. Assim, a revisão sistêmica e meta-análise realizadas mostraram que as micotoxinas e o que acontece com elas durante o processamento tem relação direta com as operações unitárias utilizadas na preparação dos diferentes tipos de produtos à base de cereais. Os resultados obtidos no presente trabalho podem ser utilizados em estudos de exposição/análise de risco de micotoxinas visando à geração de medidas com embasamento científico a serem implementadas na cadeia de produção de derivados de cereais a fim de assegurar a saúde públicaAbstract: Due to cultural, religious, historical as well as economic aspects, cereal and cereal-based products were categorized as a crucial group of food products around the world. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by mycotoxigenic molds in food products during production, processing, transportation, and storage. Among more than 300 identified mycotoxins, ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON) and aflatoxin (AF) are the most studied in cereal-based products. Also, the study of the distribution, prevalence, and concentration of mycotoxins in cereal products deserves notable attention. In addition, the effect of unit operations during manufacturing on the concentration of mycotoxins was the point of interest. Some investigations were conducted in order to calculate the degradation rate of mycotoxins among the conventional as well as novel procedures used for cereal-based production, although most of the mycotoxins can be considered stable during many processing operations. On the other hand, the demand for well-developed analytical methods as one of the main proposed issues among the mycotoxins analysis can be considered an important challenge. Also, the presence of masked mycotoxins, such as the conjugate deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside (DON-3-Glc) and the deoxynivalenol-15-ß-d-glucopyranoside (DON-15-glucoside), can be accounted as a challenge in food safety. In this context, the current study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the prevalence, concentration, impact of unit operations and available identification methods for OTA, ZEN, DON and total aflatoxin (TAF) in bread, cornflakes, breakfast meal, pasta and other cereal-based products among the published literature from 1983 through June 2017 in databases (Google Scholar, Scopus and PubMed). The rank order of cereal-based food products on prevalence of TAF was biscuit > cornflakes > bread > pasta > breakfast cereals; for DON was cornflakes > pasta > biscuit > bread > breakfast cereals; for OTA was pasta ~ bread > cornflakes > biscuit > breakfast cereals; and for ZEN was cornflakes > bread > breakfast cereals > biscuit > pasta. Also, the overall rank order of prevalence of mycotoxins in the cereal foods was DON > OTA > ZEN > TAF > 15-ADON > 3-ADON. The rank order of cereals based food products based on concentration of DON was breakfast cereals > bread > biscuit > pasta > cornflakes; ZEN, cornflakes > bread > breakfast > biscuit > pasta; TAF, pasta > cornflakes > bread > biscuit > breakfast; and OTA, bread > cornflakes > breakfast > biscuit > pasta. The overall rank order of concentration of mycotoxins in the cereal-based products was DON > ZEN > 15-ADON > OTA > 3-ADON > TAF. Some of the investigated processing such as milling and fermentation caused an increase in the concentration of DON and TAF; while reduced the concentration of ZEN and OTA. Although heat processing (cooking) caused a decrease in DON, OTA, and TAF and an increase in the concentration of ZEN in bread, it reduced the concentration of DON and ZEN in the biscuit. However, while cooking of pasta reduced the content of DON, it could increase TAF concentration. The lowest and highest numbers of investigations were associated with TAF and DON in cereal-based products, respectively. Among the countries, Germany was ranked as the first in establishing the investigations. Moreover, the liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS) was categorized as the most implemented technique for mycotoxins detection. The rank order of cereal foods based on number of studies was cereal grain > cornflakes > bread > breakfast > flour > infant product > pasta > other products. The outcomes of this systematic review and meta-analysis showed that the mycotoxins and their fate were influenced differently by the unit operations involved in the preparation of the different cereal-based products. The obtained results of the current study can be used in exposure/risk assessment mycotoxin studies aiming the generation of scientific-based measures to be implemented in the production chain of cereal-based products to safeguard public healthDoutoradoCiência de AlimentosDoutor em Ciência de Alimentos190178/2013-2CNP

Anticipating and Coordinating Voltage Control for Interconnected Power Systems

This paper deals with the application of an anticipating and coordinating feedback control scheme in order to mitigate the long-term voltage instability of multi-area power systems. Each local area is uniquely controlled by a control agent (CA) selecting control values based on model predictive control (MPC) and is possibly operated by an independent transmission system operator (TSO). Each MPC-based CA only knows a detailed local hybrid system model of its own area, employing reduced-order quasi steady-state (QSS) hybrid models of its neighboring areas and even simpler PV models for remote areas, to anticipate (and then optimize) the future behavior of its own area. Moreover, the neighboring CAs agree on communicating their planned future control input sequence in order to coordinate their own control actions. The feasibility of the proposed method for real-time applications is explained, and some practical implementation issues are also discussed. The performance of the method, using time-domain simulation of the Nordic32 test system, is compared with the uncoordinated decentralized MPC (no information exchange among CAs), demonstrating the improved behavior achieved by combining anticipation and coordination. The robustness of the control scheme against modeling uncertainties is also illustrated

A first case of tinea imbricata from Iran

Tinea imbricata is an uncommon dermatophytosis caused by the anthropophilic dermatophyte Trichophyton concentricum in endemic regions. In the present study, a 10- year-old girl was examined for tinea imbricata. Microscopic examination revealed the presence of hyaline, septate, branching hyphae and its cultures on Sabouraud dextrose agar yielded T. concentricum. The patient responded to treatment with oral terbinafine 250mg/day topical clotrimazole (1% ointment), topical miconazole (2% cream) two times daily and potassium permanganate for daily washing for four weeks. In the present study, we reported the first case of tinea imbricate from Iran

Primjena D-optimalnog dizajna za poboljšanje fizikalnih i senzorskih svojstava pljeskavica sa smanjenim udjelom masnoća, izrađenih od goveđeg mesa uz dodatak inulina, β-glukana i biljnih ulja

In this study, the D-optimal mixture design methodology was applied to determine the optimised proportions of inulin, β-glucan and breadcrumbs in formulation of low-fat beef burgers containing pre-emulsified canola and olive oil blend. Also, the effect of each of the ingredients individually as well as their interactions on cooking characteristics, texture, colour and sensory properties of low-fat beef burgers were investigated. The results of this study revealed that the increase of inulin content in the formulations of burgers led to lower cooking yield, moisture retention and increased lightness, overall acceptability, mouldability and desired textural parameters. In contrast, incorporation of β-glucan increased the cooking yield, moisture retention and decreased lightness, overall acceptability, mouldability and desired textural parameters of burger patt ies. The interaction between inulin and β-glucan improved the cooking characteristics of the burgers without significantly negative effect on the colour or sensory properties. The results of the study clearly stated that the optimum mixture for the burger formulation consisted of (in g per 100 g): inulin 3.1, β-glucan 2.2 and breadcrumbs 2.7. The texture parameters and cooking characteristics were improved by using the mixture of inulin, β-glucan and breadcrumbs, without any negative effects on the sensory properties of the burgers.U ovom je radu pomoću D-optimalnog dizajna određen optimalan omjer inulina, β-glukana i krušnih mrvica u smjesi za pljeskavice kojoj je prethodno dodana mješavina repičinog i maslinovog ulja. Osim toga, ispitan je pojedinačan i zbirni učinak sastojaka na kalo kuhanja, teksturu, boju i senzorska svojstva pljeskavica sa smanjenim udjelom masnoća. Rezultati pokazuju da se povećanjem udjela inulina povećao kalo kuhanja, smanjilo zadržavanje vlage, a dobivene su pljeskavice dobre teksture, svjetlije boje, koje se lako oblikuju te nakon pečenja postižu bolje senzorske ocjene. Interakcijom inulina i β-glukana poboljšana su svojstva pljeskavica tijekom pečenja, bez negativnog učinka na boju i senzorske osobine. Optimalna smjesa za izradu pljeskavica dobivena je dodatkom 3,1 g inulina, 2,2 g β-glukana i 2,7 g krušnih mrvica. Tekstura pljeskavica te njihova svojstva tijekom pečenja bitno su poboljšana dodatkom inulina, β-glukana i krušnih mrvica, pri čemu se senzorske ocjene nisu smanjile