Growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus during germination and drying of finger millet and kidney beans

Summary The present study examined survival and growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus during germination and solar drying of finger millet and kidney beans. Conditions during solar drying of the germinated seeds were found unsuitable for excessive growth of pathogenic bacteria. However, contamination of the grains with B. cereus and S. aureus prior to or during germination leads to multiplication of both species in kidney beans and of only B. cereus in finger millet. Excessive growth of these pathogens in germinating legumes and cereals can lead to the production of heat‐resistant toxins, resulting in unsafe germinated grains. Strict GMP (good manufacturing practice) procedures should be followed in all food processing units where germination of finger millet or kidney beans is performed. The contamination level for B. cereus and S. aureus in raw finger millet and kidney beans should not exceed 100 CFU g^?1, and products should immediately be consumed after cooking.     

Parenting training for women in residential substance abuse treatment. Results of a demonstration project

This paper presents findings on the impact of implementing a parenting component in two urban residential treatment programs in Massachusetts for pregnant and parenting chemically-dependent women. The parenting component consisted of multiple services for both women and their infants while they were in residential treatment as well as aftercare services after discharge from treatment. Findings presented focus on: (a) the characteristics of the 170 pregnant and parenting women who participated in the parenting component during its 48 months of implementation; (b) changes in the parenting skills and self-esteem of women who completed parenting training; (c) the quality of mother-child interaction; and (d) the participants' perceptions about the impact of the parenting training. Women in both programs made dramatic improvements in self-esteem and experienced significant gains in parenting knowledge and attitudes. The participants were also overwhelmingly positive about the impact of the parenting training on their lives. Study findings underline the importance of parenting services for pregnant and parenting women in residential substance abuse treatment.     

Prevalence of comorbid anxiety disorders in primary care outpatients

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the extent to which anxiety disorders (eg, panic disorder, phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder [GAD]) co-occur in patients with major medical and psychiatric conditions. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: Offices of primary care providers in three US cities, with mental health specialty providers included for comparative purposes. PATIENTS: Adult patients (N = 2494) with hypertension, diabetes, heart disease (congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction), current depressive disorder, or subthreshold depression. MEASURES: Current (past 12 months) and lifetime panic disorder, phobia, GAD, perceived need for help for emotional or family problems, and unmet need (ie, failure to get help that was needed). METHODS: Comparisons of the prevalence of anxiety comorbidity in medically ill nondepressed patients of primary care providers and in depressed patients of both primary care and mental health specialty providers. RESULTS: Among primary care patients, those with chronic medical illnesses or subthreshold depression had low rates of lifetime (1.5% to 3.5%) and current (1.0% to 1.7%) panic disorder, but those with current depressive disorder had much higher rates (10.9% lifetime and 9.4% current panic disorder). Concurrent phobia and GAD were more common (10.4% to 12.4% current GAD), especially among depressed patients (25% to 54% current GAD). Depending on the type of medical illness or depression, 14% to 66% of primary care patients had at least one concurrent anxiety disorder. Patient-perceived unmet need for care for personal or emotional problems was high among all primary care patients (54.6% to 72.9%). CONCLUSION: Primary care clinicians should be aware of the possible coexistence of anxiety disorders (especially GAD) among their patients with chronic medical conditions, but especially among those with current depressive disorder.     

GIS-Based Groundwater Modeling

Abstract: A geographic information system (GIS) interface to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) groundwater flow model MODFLOW is developed. Geologic and hydrologic information is interpolated from borehole geophysical logs and associated pump tests to form a GIS well-log database. The GIS-MODFLOW interface targets a modeling area and interpolates the well database to create a three-dimensional representation of the subsurface environment. An attribute mesh is developed which represents the geometric discretization of the study area and provides a means of relating hydrologic model parameters to each cell in the mesh. Information required for each simulation is automatically extracted from the attribute mesh. A brief introduction to the GIS program ARC/INFO emphasizing the characteristics of the data structure and the macro language is given. A groundwater flow model for a portion of Shelby County, Tennessee, is developed illustrating the advantages of the GIS-MODFLOW interface and the attribute mesh system.     

Interplay between thermal fluctuations and uniformly distributed Tc inhomogeneities: Application to inhomogeneous Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2O8 crystals

The effective medium approach proposed some years ago by Maza and Vidal is used here to take into account the influence of small T_c-inhomogeneities, at long length scales and uniformly distributed, on the measured (or effective) in-plane paraconductivity, _e ^ab , and fluctuation-induced magnetoconductivity, .     

A school-based intervention improved dietary intake outcomes and reduced waist circumference in adolescents: a cluster randomized controlled trial

Background

In Ecuador, adolescents’ food intake does not comply with guidelines for a healthy diet. Together with abdominal obesity adolescent’s inadequate diets are risk factors for non-communicable diseases. We report the effectiveness of a school-based intervention on the dietary intake and waist circumference among Ecuadorian adolescents.

Methods

A pair-matched cluster randomized controlled trial including 1430 adolescents (12–14 years old) was conducted. The program aimed at improving the nutritional value of dietary intake, physical activity (primary outcomes), body mass index, waist circumference and blood pressure (secondary outcomes). This paper reports: (i) the effect on fruit and vegetable intake, added sugar intake, unhealthy snacking (consumption of unhealthy food items that are not in line with the dietary guidelines eaten during snack time; i.e. table sugar, sweets, salty snacks, fast food, soft drinks and packaged food), breakfast intake and waist circumference; and, (ii) dose and reach of the intervention. Dietary outcomes were estimated by means of two 24-h recall at baseline, after the first 17-months (stage one) and after the last 11-months (stage two) of implementation. Dose and reach were evaluated using field notes and attendance forms. Educational toolkits and healthy eating workshops with parents and food kiosks staff in the schools were implemented in two different stages. The overall effect was assessed using linear mixed models and regression spline mixed effect models were applied to evaluate the effect after each stage.

Results

Data from 1046 adolescents in 20 schools were analyzed. Participants from the intervention group consumed lower quantities of unhealthy snacks (?23.32 g; 95% CI: ?45.25,-1.37) and less added sugar (?5.66 g; 95% CI: ?9.63,-1.65) at the end of the trial. Daily fruit and vegetable intake decreased in both the intervention and control groups compared to baseline, albeit this decrease was 23.88 g (95% CI: 7.36, 40.40) lower in the intervention group. Waist circumference (?0.84 cm; 95% CI: ?1.68, 0.28) was lower in the intervention group at the end of the program; the effect was mainly observed at stage one. Dose and reach were also higher at stage one.

Conclusions

The trial had positive effects on risk factors for non-communicable diseases, i.e. decreased consumption of unhealthy snacks. The program strategies must be implemented at the national level through collaboration between the academia and policy makers to assure impact at larger scale.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrial.gov-NCT01004367.

     

Deep learning-based visual crack detection using Google Street View images

Neural Computing and Applications - In this study, the utility of using Google Street View (GSV) for evaluating the quality of pavement is investigated. A convolutional neural network (CNN) is...