bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Retracted: Food traceability in the context of Karoo lamb: supply chain and consumer perspectives
Authors: du Plessis Henriëtta , du Rand Gerrie 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAs food markets have become more globalized, consumers have become more concerned about the origin of the foods they eat as confidence in the quality and safety of foods produced outside their local region or country has decreased. Traceability systems address these concerns by accommodating the importance of establishing a link between the product, the producer and the place of production, and these are gaining momentum in the food industry.This paper describes the product attributes that could influence the decision‐making process of consumers towards purchasing a specific type of meat, namely Karoo lamb. Karoo lamb is the product of specifically reared lambs in the Karoo region of South Africa and has a distinctive taste. The information used in this paper was obtained in the first phase of a research endeavour involving three focus groups. They were conducted to identify the product attributes that were critical in influencing the consumers' preferences and choices regarding Karoo lamb. In phase two, conjoint analysis was used to measure the importance that individual consumers attach to the various product attributes and their denominations, and the utility they then attach to it based on their valuation of the product as a whole.Price, as an extrinsic attribute, was identified as the most important factor in the decision‐making process of consumers when purchasing lamb. Safety and quality were also relatively important, although, of the two, food safety was clearly the more important consideration. This is not surprising given the legacy of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad‐cow disease, and Escherichia coli outbreaks that, in the past, received considerable publicity, especially in the press. The attribute ‘origin’ was rated as of the lowest importance. Traceability can be meaningful to consumers although in an indirect manner. The importance of traceability to consumers is mostly in terms of its benefits such as providing information on safety and quality, in relation to aspects that they think are important regarding food in general. In terms of meat especially, there is a need for fast and reliable traceability systems along the full supply chain. From origin to the user, the end consumer, provision of safe and high‐quality food is imperative.
What's in a name? The effect of a brand name on consumers' evaluation of fresh milk
Authors: Joubert Johan P.R. , Poalses Jacolize 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIt is commonly accepted that packaged fresh milk available from reputable retail outlets taste the same and that when consumers choose between relatively similar products, such as milk, the purchasing decision tends to become simplified by considering product images and relying on brand names with clear and positive associations. One may thus ask whether the brand name of milk can influence consumers' evaluation of the actual sensory taste delivery. A quasi‐experimental milk tasting was conducted to investigate this question. The procedure involved 312 participants who assessed milk from various milk brands that were decanted from either branded or unbranded packaging. The findings confirmed that the subjective associations bestowed on a brand name do indeed influence the way in which consumers experience the taste delivery of a milk product. This poses a challenge to milk brand manufacturers to identify alternative ways in which they could differentiate milk product offerings from competitor brands in order to retain or establish positive brand associations and ultimately ensure consumer loyalty.
Consumer willingness to pay for food safety in Tanzania: an incentive‐aligned conjoint analysis
Authors: Alphonce Roselyne , Alfnes Frode 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIn this paper, we present results from a consumer experiment in Tanzania focusing on food safety. We elicit consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) a premium for tomatoes that have been inspected by health officials to meet the standards set by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards. We also elicit consumers' WTP for tomato attributes that can be associated with different food safety standards: conventional vs. organically produced and various origins. Two hundred sixty‐nine urban consumers from Morogoro, Tanzania took part in the experiment where they evaluated tomatoes using the Becker–deGroot–Marschak mechanism. The results show that on average, consumers in Tanzania are willing to pay a premium for inspected and organically produced tomatoes. Consumers have a strong preference for tomatoes produced in Tanzania and do not discount tomatoes produced in areas associated with poor agricultural practices. However, consumers do significantly discount tomatoes imported from South Africa.
Evaluative criteria applied by South African female fashion consumers when purchasing casual daywear
Authors: Hugo Susanna Hendrina , van Aardt Annette Marie 
Published: June 2012

AbstractCriteria used by fashion consumers to assess the quality of apparel products during the decision‐making process are a good indication of what considerations marketers and retailers should keep in mind for customer satisfaction. Evaluative criteria used to a great extent by apparel customers when judging garment quality are intrinsic attributes, embracing physical features such as design/style, materials and construction as well as performance features such as aesthetic and functional aspects of clothing. The broad research aim of this exploratory study was to determine which intrinsic criteria were used by female fashion consumers in the Vaal Region to evaluate apparel quality when purchasing casual daywear. A self‐administered, structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Section 1 measured the importance of intrinsic clothing evaluative criteria, while section 2 gathered demographic information of the respondents. A representative sample was chosen from the academic personnel of all seven tertiary institutions in the Vaal Region in South Africa. The majority of the lecturers (38%) was between the ages of 31 and 40, which was relatively young. The predominant population group was white (65.7%), while 25% of the respondents were black. They all had a tertiary qualification, indicating a relatively high educational level, and an average income, based on research by Stellenbosch Bureau for Economic Research. Regarding the application of evaluative criteria for quality assessment, these respondents used intrinsic apparel attributes extensively. Three functional performance aspects namely durability, comfort and fit were rated equal and most important for judging quality. Three clusters of respondents could be distinguished, each with a specific disposition towards the evaluative criteria.
Case Definitions for Acute Myocardial Infarction in Administrative Databases and Their Impact on In‐Hospital Mortality Rates
Authors: Metcalfe Amy , Neudam Annabelle , Forde Samantha , Liu Mingfu , Drosler Saskia , Quan Hude , Jetté Nathalie 
Published: June 2012

ObjectiveTo identify validated ICD‐9‐CM/ICD‐10 coded case definitions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Data SourcesOvid Medline (1950–2010) was searched to identify studies that validated acute myocardial infarction (AMI) case definitions. Hospital discharge abstract data and chart data were linked to validate identified AMI definitions.Study DesignSystematic literature review, chart review, and administrative data analysis.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsData on sensitivity/specificity/positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) were extracted from previous studies to identify validated case definitions for AMI. These case definitions were validated in administrative data through chart review and applied to hospital discharge data to assess in‐hospital mortality.Principal FindingsOf the eight ICD‐9‐CM definitions validated in the literature, use of ICD‐9‐CM code 410 to define AMI had the highest sensitivity (94 percent) and specificity (99 percent). In our data, ICD‐9‐CM/ICD‐10 codes 410/I21‐I22 in all available coding fields had high sensitivity (83.3 percent/82.8 percent) and PPV (82.8 percent/82.2 percent). The in‐hospital mortality among AMI patients identified using this case definition was 7.6 percent in ICD‐9‐CM data and 6.6 percent in ICD‐10 data.ConclusionsWe recommend that ICD‐9‐CM 410 or ICD‐10 I21‐I22 in the primary diagnosis coding field should be used to define AMI. The use of a consistent validated case definition would improve comparability across studies
Poor harvest of peripheral blood stem cell in donors with microcytic red blood cells
Authors: Wang Tso‐Fu , Chen Shu‐Huey , Yang Shang‐Hsien , Su Yu‐Chieh , Chu Sung‐Chao , Li Dian‐Kun 
Published: June 2012

BACKGROUND: The outcome of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) harvest depends on mobilization and leukapheresis. Some poor harvests might not be directly related to poor mobilizations.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the results of 793 consecutive healthy donors who underwent PBSC donation to evaluate the impact of low mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of red blood cells on the outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell mobilization and leukapheresis.RESULTS: The circulating CD34+ cells in peripheral blood after five doses of granulocyte–colony‐stimulating factor injection were similar in donors with low MCV and those with normal MCV (68.0 × 106/L vs. 69.2 × 106/L, p = 0.38). The procedural settings were not different between the two groups. However, the apheresis outcome of donors with low MCV was significantly lower in total CD34+ cells, cell dose, apheresis yield, and collection efficiency than those with normal MCV (277.6 × 106 vs. 455.0 × 106; 4.9 × 106/kg vs. 8.2 × 106/kg; 16.9 × 106/L vs. 27.3 × 106/L; 0.285 vs. 0.388; all p < 0.0001). Similar results were noticed in subgroup analysis using the severity of microcytosis and Mentzer index for the donors with MCV of less than 80 fL. The collection efficiency was significantly correlated with the MCV (r = 0.30, p < 0.0001).CONCLUSION: Low MCV was associated with poor apheresis outcomes in PBSC donors. This effect is not related to poor mobilization of CD34+ cells into the peripheral blood. Further studies to elucidate the detailed mechanism and develop strategy to avoid poor harvest are necessary.
Blood donors implicated in transfusion‐related acute lung injury with patient‐specific HLA antibodies are more broadly sensitized to HLA antigens compared to other blood donors
Authors: Saw Chee‐Loong , Hannach Barbara , Petrazsko Tanya , Nickerson Peter 
Published: June 2012

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of HLA antibodies in randomly surveyed blood donors was compared to the prevalence of antibody in donors who were associated with transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI) cases reported to Canadian Blood Services (CBS).STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Current operating procedure mandates that the CBS TRALI Medical Review Group (TMRG) refer possible TRALI cases to the (CBS) Platelet Immunology Laboratory for investigation. Donor samples from these TRALI cases were screened for HLA antibodies. In parallel, a survey was conducted to screen serum samples from blood donors who were not associated in TRALI cases. A comparison analysis of HLA antibody profiles in the two groups of donors was performed.RESULTS: We studied 121 TRALI‐associated donors (TDs) who were recalled in a total of 44 cases reported to CBS and classified by TMRG. We also studied 149 survey donors (SDs) who were deferred for donation for varied reasons and consented to participate in a survey for HLA antibody screening. Twenty‐two percent of SDs and 50.4% of TDs tested positive for HLA antibodies. In addition, TDs who were implicated in TRALI demonstrated broader sensitization and higher level of quantitative HLA antibody compared to nonimplicated TDs and SDs.CONCLUSION: Patient‐specific Class I and II HLA antibodies are directly related to the risk of TRALI. Moreover, it supports the concept that HLA antibody strength is directly related to the risk of TRALI when the HLA antibody is patient specific; however, no clear cutoff as defined by mean fluorescence intensity is evident.
Systemic Weather Risk and Crop Insurance: The Case of China
Authors: Okhrin Ostap , Odening Martin , Xu Wei 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThis article explores the possibility of spatial diversification of weather risk for 17 agricultural production regions in China. We investigate the relation between the size of the buffer load and the size of the trading area of a hypothetical temperature‐based insurance. The analysis adopts the hierarchical Archimedean copula approach that allows for flexible modeling of the dependence structure of insured losses. We find that the spatial diversification effect depends on the type of the weather index and the strike level of the insurance. Our findings are relevant for the current discussion on the viability of private crop insurance in China.
Gene variability and degree of expression of vaccine candidate factor H binding protein in clinical isolates of Neisseria meningitidis
Authors: Kelly Anne , Jacobsson Susanne , Hussain Shahida , Olcén Per , Mölling Paula 
Published: June 2012

The factor H binding protein (fHbp) is currently being evaluated in clinical trials as a vaccine candidate for a meningococcal group B vaccine. We have previously described the prevalence and sequence variation of
fHbp
(Jacobsson et al., 2009) and here we investigate the expression of the antigen. The present study includes isolates from carriers (n = 62) and patients with invasive Neisseria meningitidis infections (n = 146), of which 62 had a fatal outcome. Among the invasive isolates from patients with fatal and non‐fatal infections
fHbp
allele 1 was most common (42% and 29% respectively), but it was only identified in 3% of the carrier isolates, where allele 16 was most frequent (13%). The Fluorescence‐activated cell sorting analysis identified fHbp expression in all except seven isolates and further analysis by Western blot showed that five of these seven samples were indeed negative using a polyclonal anti‐fHbp serum. The negative isolates belonged to serogroup B

fHbp
allele 24, Y allele 104, and W‐135 allele 16 (all invasive). Two were non‐serogroupable carrier isolates (allele 21 and 101). An interesting finding is that isolates from invasive infections with fatal outcome had lower expression of fHbp or lower affinity for the fHbp antibody compared to isolates from non‐fatal invasive infections and carriers.
The relative importance of Staphylococcus saprophyticus as a urinary tract pathogen: distribution of bacteria among urinary samples analysed during 1 year at a major Swedish laboratory
Authors: Eriksson Andreas , Giske Christian G. , Ternhag Anders 
Published: June 2012

To determine the distribution of urinary tract pathogens with focus on Staphylococcus saprophyticus and analyse the seasonality, antibiotic susceptibility, and gender and age distributions in a large Swedish cohort. S. saprophyticus is considered an important causative agent of urinary tract infection (UTI) in young women, and some earlier studies have reported up to approximately 40% of UTIs in this patient group being caused by S. saprophyticus. We hypothesized that this may be true only in very specific outpatient settings. During the year 2010, 113 720 urine samples were sent for culture to the Karolinska University Hospital, from both clinics in the hospital and from primary care units. Patient age, gender and month of sampling were analysed for S. saprophyticus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis. Species data were obtained for 42 633 (37%) of the urine samples. The most common pathogens were E. coli (57.0%), Enterococcus faecalis (6.5%), K. pneumoniae (5.9%), group B streptococci (5.7%), P. mirabilis (3.0%) and S. saprophyticus (1.8%). The majority of subjects with S. saprophyticus were women 15–29 years of age (63.8%). In this age group, S. saprophyticus constituted 12.5% of all urinary tract pathogens. S. saprophyticus is a common urinary tract pathogen in young women, but its relative importance is low compared with E. coli even in this patient group. For women in other ages and for men, growth of S. saprophyticus is a quite uncommon finding.
APPLICATION OF THE GABOR FILTERS AND K‐MEANS METHOD FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF GEOMETRICAL PROPERTIES OF PARENCHYMA CELL WALLS
Authors: KURITA H. , MASUDA R. 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTIt is important to analyze the geometrical features of cell wall arrangements to gain further insight into the mechanical properties of plant parenchyma. To extract such features, we conduct a Gabor filter analysis. A two‐dimensional Gabor filter can detect local textual features because of its selective sensitivity to stimuli of specified directionality and interval. This study first discusses the extraction of cell wall arrangement from cross‐sectional images of carrot parenchyma using a Gabor filter. Second, using the k‐means method, we investigate the distribution of those cell walls found to have a particular orientation and interval in the first analysis. We propose a new method to extract the mesoscopic geometrical properties of cell walls such as orientation and interval, distribution and, in some cases, shape. This method is applied to some exemplar images, and the result is demonstrated in images and spectral graphs.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSIt is important to research the relation between the mechanical and geometrical properties of cell walls in terms of the appropriate handling and storage of crops, assessing crop quality, proper soil conditioning for root crops and improving food texture or forage. The method presented in this article is useful for extracting geometrical properties from irregularly textured images and will be helpful in studying the relation between the two types of properties.
INFLUENCE OF GREEN GRAM FLOUR (PHASEOLUS AUREUS) ON THE RHEOLOGY, MICROSTRUCTURE AND QUALITY OF COOKIES
Authors: RAJIV JYOTSNA , LOBO SWETHA , JYOTHI LAKSHMI A. , VENKATESWARA RAO G. 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTGreen gram flour (GGF) was used to substitute wheat flour at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% levels to enrich nutritional quality of cookies. The farinograph water absorption increased while peak viscosity, dough elasticity and extensibility decreased with the increasing level of GGF. The spread ratio of the cookies made with 10–50% GGF ranged from 8.80 to 7.40. Cookies with 50% GGF had hard texture and were unacceptable. 40% GGF was optimum in cookies. The protein matrix was disrupted in the microstructure of cookies when GGF was used. Emulsifier sodium stearoyl‐2‐lactylate (SSL) brought about a significant improvement in the overall quality of cookies made with 40% GGF. The in vitro protein digestibility of cookies with 40% GGF and SSL was 60%. Incorporation of GGF to cookies at 40% level increased protein content by 1.25 times, iron by 1.6 times, calcium and zinc by 2 times and total dietary fiber by 2.3 times than the control.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSLegumes are added to bakery products to improve the nutritional quality. Legumes are rich in proteins, dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, resistant starch, vitamins and minerals. This practice also improves the amino acid balance and increases the protein content of the bakery products made from the blended flours. This research article discusses the effect of replacement of wheat flour with different levels of green gram flour (GGF) and its influence on the dough rheological properties and the use of additives to improve the quality of cookies made using GGF. This information will be useful to the bakery industry for production of the cookies with improved nutritional quality.
RHEOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND MODELING OF RICE FLOUR DOUGH: EFFECT OF PARBOILING TIME, MOISTURE CONTENT AND GUM ARABIC
Authors: BHATTACHARYA SILA 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTSmall‐deformation compression and stress relaxation studies in addition to nonoral sensory assessments were performed on rice flour doughs, obtained by parboiling at different times (0–60 min), moisture (48–60%) and gum Arabic contents (0–0.5%). The response functions were the rheological (firmness and compression energy, initial and equilibrium moduli and relaxation time) and nonoral sensory attributes (ease of extrusion, cohesiveness and stickiness) of dough. Compression energy increased with parboiling time but decreased with moisture content. Relaxation time varied from 0.15 to 20.2 s, meaning a wide variation in the behavior of dough is possible to achieve. The viscoamylographic studies indicated that parboiled rice pastes exhibited more stable status toward retrogradation and showed lesser shear‐thinning phenomenon compared with their counterpart raw rice samples. The stress decay curves could be modeled by three‐element spring‐dashpot Maxwell–Voigt model (r ≥ 0.81, P ≤ 0.01). The optimum condition for obtaining a dough with minimum stickiness and maximum ease of extrusion was computed.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSRice is extensively used in various forms of food as whole grain as much as flour. Because of nonglutinous properties, rice dough from raw flour cannot be easily flattened or shaped, whereas thermal treatment like parboiling and the use of gum Arabic can make the dough suitable for formulating different products. The addition of gum during dough preparation can retain more water and modify its rheological properties, improving the dough handling characteristics and textural attributes of the finished products. The specific applications of reported findings lie in the development of rice‐based products such as ready‐to‐eat and ready‐to‐fry/bake snacks, baby foods and breakfast cereals.
GELATION OF MIXTURES OF SOYMILK AND RECONSTITUTED SKIM MILK SUBJECTED TO COMBINED ACID AND RENNET
Authors: LIN CHUNGUO , HILL ART , CORREDIG MILENA 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTThe present work investigated the formation of a mixed gel containing soymilk and reconstituted milk. The mixtures contained 1.4 and 2% (w/v) milk and soymilk protein, respectively. When gelation was induced by addition of glucono‐delta‐lactone, the mixtures showed a gelation point well above the isoelectric point of the milk proteins, suggesting that soy proteins play a major role in the formation of the network. When rennet was added in combination with acidification, the gels showed an earlier onset of aggregation and a higher storage modulus than the gels prepared only with acid. Confocal microscopy showed networks with mixed acid–rennet gels having more branches and compact structures with denser clusters than acid‐induced gels. These results demonstrated that by fine‐tuning the gelation of mixed soymilk and reconstituted milk, it is possible to obtain gels with unique microstructure and texture, where both proteins are contributing to the network structure.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSMixed protein gels are increasingly employed to develop novel high‐protein products. This work illustrates the potential to employ a mixed gelation to induce the formation of protein matrices containing aggregates of soy and milk proteins. At the ratio used in this work (2% soy protein and 1.4% milk protein), soymilk proteins determined the gelation behavior of the mixtures. The gels showed an onset of gelation at pH around 6, and in the presence of rennet the skim milk proteins also participated in the network.