Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbial Contamination of Pastry Cream: Evidence from Iran

Outbreaks of food poisoning have always been a problem all around the world. Many people suffer from food-borne diseases per year (1). Confectionery products are an important source of food poisoning in Iran. Pastry creams have high potential for being contaminated with various microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus and various Enterobacteriaceae due to their ingredients and method of production (2). High consumption of confectionery products worldwide makes it necessary to apply microbial control over pastry creams from both health and industrial perspectives (3). Bacteria are the most common cause of food-borne illnesses. Compared to chemical and physical contaminations, these microorganisms are more important in food poisoning. They seldom create any changes in color, odor or taste of the products. Microorganisms are everywhere. Soil, water, air, human, animals and surfaces which come in contact with food, might cause some levels of contamination. If these microbes find the opportunity to grow and multiply, they will cause decay and undesirable chemical changes as well as food poisoning (4). Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella are the most important microbial agents in either food poisoning or intestinal A-R-T-I-C-L-EI-N-F-O A-B-S-T-R-A-C-T Article Notes: Received: Mar 15, 2016 Received in revised form: May 26, 2016 Accepted: June 28, 2016 Available Online: July 20, 2016 Background & Aims of the Study: Given the importance of microbial contamination in creating food-borne diseases, this study was conducted to assess level of microbial contamination of pastry creams in Hamedan, Iran. Materials and Methods: Totally, 80 samples were randomly collected from the confectioneries and analyzed for microbial contamination according to Iranian national standard microbial tests. Results: Data indicated that 49 (61.2%) samples were contaminated, mostly comprised of Coliforms (92.5%). Moreover, the infection was seen to be higher in jelly roll compared to puff pastry. Yeast contamination was about 82.5 percent, which could accelerate the decay of such products. However, yeast contamination of puff pastries was higher than jelly roll. The microbial contamination with Staphylococcus aureus, total viable count and molds were 57.5%, 35% and 37.5%; respectively. Conclusion: Nevertheless, Salmonella, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes were not found in any of the samples. Abundance of microbial contamination in the puff pastry samples might put consumer’s health at risk.
Gestational and congenital toxoplasmosis in two hospitals in Bogota, Colombia

Background. Gestational toxoplasmosis is acquired during pregnancy and involves a risk of the parasite crossing the placenta, thereby leading to foetal infection, which can lead to serious sequelae in children, mainly chorioretinitis, cerebral calcification, hydrocephalus and intellectual disability. Objective. Determining the prevalence of maternal and neonatal toxoplasmosis in women attending the Engativa and La Victoria hospitals in Bogota, Colombia, for delivery. Correlating the results with those of a national multicentre study. Determining IgM and IgA anti-toxoplasma prevalence in newborn (NB) umbilical cord blood. Materials and methods. This was a cohort study, which was approved by the participating institutions’ ethics committees. The patients signed informed consent forms and filled out a survey requesting demographic and prenatal care data. A blood sample was taken from the umbilical cord on delivery for determining anti-toxoplasma IgM. Anti-toxoplasma IgA was also measured in a subset of patients. Children suspected of having either clinical or serological congenital toxoplasmosis were followed-up for 12 months. Results. The study involved taking 3,224 NB umbilical cord blood samples between April 1st 2009 and July 16th 2010. Positive anti-toxoplasma IgG was found in 28.2% of pregnant women (26.1-29.8 95%CI). Anti-toxoplasma IgM was determined in 558 pregnant women and found positive in 34 patients (i.e. 1.1 per 100 NB gestational toxoplasmosis incidence). Nine blood samples were positive (7 for IgM and 2 for IgA). Five of the NB studied (0.15%) were positive for IgG after 12 months’ follow-up, thereby confirming a diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis accounting for 1 in every 645 live births. Conclusion. This study showed that 70% of the pregnant women were not infected with T. gondii in the chosen hospitals in Bogota. Gestational toxoplasmosis frequency was around 1% and 0.6% for congenital toxoplasmosis.
Targeting Youth Employment Policy in Bulgaria

Youth unemployment and in particular long-term youth unemployment in Bulgaria is much higher than the EU average. Low flows out of unemployment into a job, especially for the least educated and qualified young people residing in peripheral regions, are the principal source of long-term unemployment amongst young people. Evidence based on various data sources suggests on one hand that the most disadvantaged segments of the young population are left with two equally unsatisfactory alternatives: working in the informal sector and thus, in practice, often permanently withdrawing from the labour force, or emigrating. On the other hand, employment policies face significant financial and institutional constraints. Increasingly, with rising overall unemployment, passive policy is absorbing an increasing proportion of expenditure on labour market policy to the detriment of active policies. Moreover, important segments of young people are being bypassed by those active measures that do exist. An appropriate response requires action at the level of the education system as well as a more extensive and more effective active labour market policy. This paper concludes with some suggestions as to the way in which such policies might be developed.
OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: EVIDENCE FROM MALAYSIAN TRADING AND SERVICES SECTOR.

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of ownership structure i.e. concentrated, managerial, government and foreign on firm performance of the Malaysian listed Trading and Services firms. This study was conducted for a period of six years (2005 to 2010). The study revealed that when firm are concentrated or managerial ownership, it can enhance the firm performance, while inversely occurs in government ownership firms. The Trading and Services firms are not affected by ownership structure under pre crisis period. The significant effect only can be seen in concentrated firm under during crisis and post crisis periods and for foreign ownership firms in post crisis period.
Escaping the oligotrophic gyre? The year-round movements, foraging behaviour and habitat preferences of Murphy’s petrels

The South Pacific Gyre is the world’s largest expanse of oligotrophic ocean and supports communities of endemic gadfly petrels Pterodroma spp. , yet little is known about their foraging ecology in this nutrient-poor environment. We tracked Murphy’s petrels Pterodroma ultima with geolocators from Henderson Island, Pitcairn Islands, for 2 consecutive years (2011 to 2013). During pre-laying exodus, petrels travelled south and southwest of the colony, with males travelling further than females to more productive waters. During incubation, birds foraged at the southern and eastern edges of the Gyre, with some travelling over 4800 km from the colony, the greatest recorded foraging range of any breeding seabird. During non-breeding, the petrels migrated to the Subarctic Gyre in the North Pacific to forage in cool, mesotrophic waters. Habitat models revealed that these birds do not have clear preferences for oceanographic (such as fronts or eddies) or topographic (seamounts) features, generally favouring deep and unproductive waters. Analyses of activity patterns indicated Murphy’s petrels are amongst the most active of all seabirds, particularly during incubation when they spent ca. 95% of their time at sea in flight. The birds did not appear to forage during darkness, but flight activity peaked at dawn, particularly during non-breeding, suggesting they feed on mesopelagic prey that are diel vertical migrants. At-sea protection for such a wide-ranging species would require management at huge spatial scales, and hence in the short term, the principal focus for conservation should be on eliminating the immediate threat from invasive mammals at breeding sites.
Climbing the Hill: Poverty Alleviation, Gender Relationships, and Women's Social Entrepreneurship in Lake Victoria, Tanzania

This paper tells the story of how a group of women in a Lake Victo - ria fishing community in Tanzania addressed the poverty status of their com - munity through their agency and social entrepreneurship and, by doing so, also their subordination relative to men. Their efforts to improve their situation in the community landed them in men's traditional space. In order to occupy that space without stirring antagonism, it was crucial that the women apply their practical, cultural, and relational skills in a way that did not jeopardize men's cultural roles and sense of worth. The paper argues that women's entrepreneurship is circum
Outcome of Common Bile Duct Exploration without Intraoperative Cholangiography: a Case Series and Review of Literature

Background : Open or laparoscopic surgical exploration of common bile duct (CBD) is performed when endoscopic approaches fail to extract CBD stones. Intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) through T-tube is performed in order to reduce the rate of retained stones. The aim of this study was to evaluate results of CBD exploration without IOC through T-tube and reviewing existing literature. Methods : A retrospective medical chart review of 392 patients who underwent surgical CBD exploration was performed. All patients had proven CBD stones and had previously undergone failed attempts of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES). T-tube insertion or biliary-enteric anastomosis was performed after open CBD exploration with regard to patient’s presentation and CBD diameter. IOC was not performed after T-tube insertion and cholangiography was postponed until 7th postoperative day. Postoperative retained stone and their management were reviewed. Results : Of 392 patients with CBD explorations, T-tube was placed in 215 (54.8%) including 66 (30.7%) emergent biliary drainage and 149 (69.3%) elective operations. A number of 177 of 392 (45.2%) patients underwent biliaryenteric anastomosis. In 6 of 215 patients (2.8%) with T-tube placement, retained CBD stones were detected by T-tube cholangiography during postoperative period. All of them were treated successfully by ERCP. Conclusions : T-tube placement without IOC is accompanied by a low rate of retained stone. Omitting IOC may decrease the operation time which is especially important in emergent cases. Retained stones following CBD exploration and T-tube placement can be treated successfully using ERCP.
A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE WETLAND BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY IN RELATION TO LAND USE: A CASE OF THE INTUNJAMBILI WETLAND, MATOBO DISTRICT, ZIMBABWE.

Research done in Zimbabwe on wetlands has tended to concentrate on hydrological aspects, agronomic practices, institutional arrangements, resource mapping, soil types, water quality and general conservation status. There is a dearth of knowledge regarding the nature, management and response of wetland biological integrity or health to agriculturally related activities and other land uses. The objective of the study was to assess and evaluate the impacts of land use practices on wetland health. This was done in Intunjambili wetland, in Matobo District, Zimbabwe. The wetland is approximately 30 ha in size, and is mainly used for cultivation, water abstraction, vegetable gardening, grazing, settlements, eucalyptus plantations, dam, brick making and sand abstraction. The study evaluated impacts of land use on wetland health, defined in the study as land cover changes, vegetation composition and NDVI, and macroinvertebrates abundance and diversity. Field visits and sampling were done in January and March 2009. There was a 57.9% increase in cultivated areas, a 48.5% decline in woodland, and a 50% decline in permanently wet areas, which indicated that the wetland was drying up from 1990 to 2008. There was a significant (p=0.00) decline in vegetation health with NDVI values as high as 0.64 in 1990 decreasing to values as low as 0.07 in 2008. Alien invasive species like Lantana camara, dry land plants like Euphorbia sp commonly known as Cactus and ruderal species like Eragrostis enamoena were found to replace wetland vegetation in some areas of the wetland. The macroinvertebrates habitat quality, characterised by pH, temperature, conductivity and dissolved oxygen and chemical parameters, BOD, ammonia, turbidity, nitrates, phosphates, total nitrates, total phosphates and total suspended solids, was found to be generally unpolluted, which determined the macroinvertebrates that were found. The 23 macroinvertebrates families that were identified demonstrated low taxa abundance and richness. Shannon Diversity Index that was calculated for the sites had values that were all below 1, indicating a poor diversity. The sensitivity of taxa calculated using the Biological Monitoring Working Party had values below 100 indicating some form of organic pollution. Chironomids and Oligochaetes, which are known to be the least sensitive taxa, dominated the communities. In conclusion it can be said that land use activities in Intunjambili wetland have had moderate impacts on wetland biological integrity. The impacts were mainly on vegetation, which has deviated from its perceived natural wetland vegetation and reduction of water. The impacts on macroinvertebrates communities are minimal. ,WATERnet
The influence of task structure on oral accuracy

This paper reports the findings on the impact of task structure on test takers’ oral accuracy. A direction giving task considered as the structured task and a story telling task categorized as the less structured task from the TOEFL SPEAK test were used. Five English native speakers and two intact classes of 11th grade Chinese EFL learners participated in this study. To find out the effect of oral proficiency levels on learners’ oral performance, only oral production from the native speakers, the higher proficiency learners, and the lower proficiency learners was included in the analysis. Results showed that test takers’ oral proficiency interacted with degree of task structure and both factors affected their accuracy and fluency performance. Centering on understanding the impacts of task structure on accuracy components, errors per 100 words and the percentage of error-free clauses, the structured task was found to elicit more accurate speech than the less structured one from the native speakers and the higher proficiency learners. However, the lower proficiency learners produced significantly more accurate utterances in the less structured task than in the structured task. It is likely that these lower proficiency subjects applied avoidance strategies in completing the less structured task.
Tangible Resources and Export Performance of SMEs in the Nigerian Leather Industry: The Moderating Role of Firm Size

Despite the large amount of research that has been carried out to investigate the factors that affect export performance, very little research has been conducted for specific industries operating in developing countries like Nigeria. This present study therefore, is an investigation of the factors that affect export performance of SMEs in the Nigerian leather industry. Based on the resource-based view, this study posits that tangible resources (financial, operational, communication and human) are all strongly related to firm export performance. The study also hypothesizes that firm size moderates the relationship between tangible resources barriers and export performance. Standard survey questionnaires were used to collect data from respondents and multiple regression analysis was used for hypotheses testing. Findings from the data analysis provided support for the hypothesized relationships thus suggesting support for the theoretical model of the study.
High-Resolution, Low-Altitude Helicopter-Borne Aeromagnetic Survey over Unzen Volcano

On September 18, 2002, we conducted a high-resolution, low-altitude helicopter-borne aeromagnetic survey over Unzen Volcano. Therefore, we conducted a magnetization intensity mapping on the volcano, on the assumption that the magnetic anomalies are caused by the terrain magnetized in the same direction as the present Earth's magnetic field and the magnetization intensity varies only laterally. This map shows good agreement with the geologic features, especially the hydrothermal alteration zone and the collapsed pyroclastic deposits. In addition, even in the area covered by lavas, the magnetization intensities show various values corresponding to each eruption event. Local magnetization lows on Heisei-Shinzan suggest that the Heisei lava produced by the 1991-1995 eruption has not yet been cooled enough.
Structural and magnetic properties of ball milled copper ferrite

The structural and magnetic evolution in copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) caused by high-energy ball milling are investigated by x-ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and magnetization measurements. Initially, the milling process reduces the average grain size of CuFe2O4 to about 6 nm and induces cation redistribution between A and B sites. These nanometer-sized particles show superparamagnetic relaxation effects at room temperature. It is found that the magnetization is not saturated even with an applied field of 9 T, possibly as the result of spin canting in the partially inverted CuFe2O4. The canted spin configuration is also suggested by the observed reduction in magnetization of particles in the blocked state. Upon increasing the milling time, nanometer-sized CuFe2O4 particles decompose, forming α-Fe2O3 and other phases, causing a further decrease of magnetization. After a milling time of 98 h, α-Fe2O3 is reduced to Fe3O4, and magnetization increases accordingly to the higher saturation magnetization va.
Biological and morphological traits of sugarcane roots in relation to phosphorus uptake

Appropriate management of phosphorus (P) in soil will lead to higher yields and sustainability for sugarcane production. Our study evaluated the importance of differences in root structure and function, and the differential composition of the bacterial community in four sugarcane cultivars, in relation to the efficiency for P uptake and also to assess changes in soil P with distance from the rhizoplane. Experiments were performed in pot trials using a sandy clay loam Ferralsol. In the first experiment, the effect of P application (78.4 mg P kg-1 soil as triple superphosphate) on sugarcane cultivars RB92-579; RB85-5156; RB86-7515 and RB96-6928 was investigated. Secondly, we evaluated P rates of 0; 9.8; 19.6; 39.2 and 78.4 mg kg-1 soil using cultivar RB96-6928 which was shown to be one of the more growth responsive cultivars. The cultivar RB96-6928 exhibited the highest root dry matter and root surface area, while the bacterial communities found in the rhizosphere of these plants were not different from other cultivars, as determined by PCR-DGGE. From the P dose-dependent experiment for this cultivar, optimal plant performance occurred at a P supply up to 38.5 mg P kg-1 soil. Collectively, our results indicate that P efficiency in sugarcane was predominantly associated with the generation of high root biomass and surface area.
The line model of form and emotion: Perspectives on Western design

This paper introduces a new model of form, emotion and semantics through a process of form abstraction utilising lines. Understanding the emotional and semantic value of form is a complex task and many theories have been developed. Analyzing the visual arts through line relationships and interactions is a conceptually novel approach and offers new avenues for advancing studies in form theory, theories of emotion and perception, and design generally. By examining literature in visual perception, form theory, emotion, historically analyzing changes in form through the aesthetic arts and reducing these aesthetic elements into basic linear foundations, we present the Line Model of Form and Emotion. This preliminary model sets out form at its structurally most abstract, simplifying three dimensionally defined shapes into line relationships and visualizing their emotive and semantic associations for human observers. The model also visualizes the historical changes in form and emotional and semantic meaning across time, from the 18th century through to the present day.
Auxetic-like metamaterials as novel earthquake protections

We propose that wave propagation through a class of mechanical metamaterials opens unprecedented avenues in seismic wave protection based on spectral properties of auxetic-like metamaterials. The elastic parameters of these metamaterials like the bulk and shear moduli, the mass density, and even the Poisson ratio, can exhibit negative values in elastic stop bands. We show here that the propagation of seismic waves with frequencies ranging from 1 Hz to 40 Hz can be influenced by a decameter scale version of auxetic-like metamaterials buried in the soil, with the combined effects of impedance mismatch, local resonances and Bragg stop bands. More precisely, we numerically examine and illustrate the markedly different behaviors between the propagation of seismic waves through a homogeneous isotropic elastic medium (concrete) and an auxetic-like metamaterial plate consisting of 43 cells (40 m × 40 m × 40 m), utilized here as a foundation of a building one would like to protect from seismic site effects. This novel class of seismic metamaterials opens band gaps at frequencies compatible with seismic waves when they are designed appropriately, what makes them interesting candidates for seismic isolation structures.
DISCRETE-TIME GI/D-MSP/1/K QUEUE WITH N THRESHOLD POLICY

This paper presents a discrete-time single-server finite buffer N threshold policy queue with renewal input and discrete Markovian service process. The server terminates service whenever the system becomes empty, and recommences service as soon as the number of waiting customers in the queue is N. We obtain the system-length distributions at pre-arrival and arbitrary epochs using the supplementary variable and the imbedded Markov chain techniques. Various performance measures such as the loss probability, mean queue length and mean waiting time in the queue along with some numerical results have been presented. The proposed model has potential applications in the areas of computer and telecommunication systems.
Who Benefits from Fairtrade? Evidence from the Swedish Coffee Market

This paper analyses how the premium customers pay for Fairtrade-labelled coffee is distributed in the Swedish market, using information on costs of production and scanner data on almost all roasted and ground coffee products sold by retailers. A key finding is that roasters and retailers get 43–70%, while producer countries, in this paper comprising coffee farmers, cooperatives, middlemen, exporters and Fairtrade International, get 24–51%. Fairtrade Sweden gets 5–8%. These values are upper and lower bounds that reflect assumptions made about the additional costs of producing roasted and ground Fairtrade coffee, given the cost of beans and the Fairtrade license, and whether conventional coffee is compared with organic or non-organic Fairtrade coffees. Since roasters’ and retailers’ margins are higher for Fairtrade than conventional coffee, there is evidence that Fairtrade retail prices are higher than the level attributable to costs. However, producer countries receive a significantly larger share of the premium paid than reported in earlier studies, which are either dated or analyse very small samples of coffees.