Effect of Oat-Based Ingredients on the Quality of Pastry Products

Introduction. Whole grain products can prevent some chronic diseases. Oats and oat-based foods are rich in beta-glucan, which makes them a perfect ingredient for functional foods. The present research objective was to introduce oat-based ingredients into the formulation of sugar cookies and study the quality of the finished product. Study objects and methods. The study involved various formulations of sugar cookies with different proportions of oat meal and composite flour. Sensory, physicochemical, rheological, structural, and mechanical properties were determined according to standard methods. Results and discussion. The mass shares of protein, fat, and dietary fiber increased together with the share of oat meal: protein – 11.9–12.5%, fat – 2.3–3.7%, dietary fiber – 4.1–4.5%. The swelling rates were 3.41–4.60, which was higher than in the wheat flour sample (2.94). Oat meal increased the viscosity of the model suspensions from 50 to 500 Pa·s The sample with the biggest share of oat meal had the greatest strength (1700 g). The water absorption also increased (193%): it was 220 when the share of oat meal was 20% and 221% when it was 30%. Oat meal decreased the water activity from 0.360 to 0.290 as its concentration grew. Conclusion. The optimal amount of oat meal was 30% and that of oatmeal flakes – 10% of the flour amount. The research also defined the effect of oat meal and oat flakes on the composite flour blend, model dough, and sugar cookes. The article introduces a new commercial formulation of sugar biscuits.

Cultural, Morphological and Pathogenic Variability in Alternaria cyamopsidis Causing Alternaria Blight of Clusterbean in Rajasthan

Background: Alternaria cyamopsidis (Rang. and Rao) causes Alternaria blight of clusterbean and it is one of the significant disease of clusterbean. Studies were conducted to compare the Cultural, morphological and pathogenic variability among ten isolates of Alternaria cyamopsidis from clusterbean, in five districts of Rajasthan viz., Bikaner, Barmer, Churu, Hanumangarh and Jaipur. Methods: During 2016-17 exhaustive survey was conducted in clusterbean growing areas of Rajasthan and collected diseased samples of clusterbean caused by Alternaria. All the samples were processed for isolation, purification and their pathogenicity was proved in cagehouse and laboratory and standard methods were adopted for cultural and morphological variability study. Result: All the isolates showed variation in their morphological characters, i.e., colony color and shape; conidial number, size, width, length, shape and septation on PDA. Out of ten isolates two isolate, viz., AlcyJp1 and AlcyJp2 showed maximum colony diameter 89.50 and 86.30 mm, respectively. All the isolates varied in their spore length and width and virulent on the tested variety of clusterbean for virulence. AlcyJp1 was the most virulent and produced maximum (65.50%) disease intensity, followed by AlcyJp2 isolate (61.22%).

HIGH SALT INTAKE IMPLICATIONS AS RISK FACTOR FOR HYPERTENSION AND COMPARISON OF THREE SALT ESTIMATION METHODS- FINDINGS FROM ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

Objectives: The study was designed to estimate daily salt intake, its discretionary use in healthy individuals and to validate three common methods for salt estimation in Pakistani population. Methodology: Information on demography and discretionary salt use was collected from healthy adults (>18 years) along with a blood sample, spot and 24 hour urine samples. Sodium, chloride, potassium levels and serum creatinine were measured using standard methods. For daily salt estimation, three common methods i.e. INTERSALT, Tanaka and Kawasaki were validated for their applicability in local settings. Results: Overall 24 h sodium excretion was 158 mmol/l indicating intake of 8.64 (±4.43) grams salt per day which was significantly associated with male gender (p. <0.004) and adding salt during cooking (p. <0.0001). Most (73%) of the participants know about hazardous effects of high salt intake, however, only 25% consider important to lower salt intake. None of three methods i.e. INTERSALT (bias: -19.64; CCC -0.79), Tanaka (bias: 167.35; CCC -0.37) and Kawasaki (bias: -42.49, CCC -0.79) showed any agreement between measured and estimated 24 hour sodium. Conclusion: Daily intake of salt was high which increases the risk for hypertension. Comparison of methods for estimation revealed that none of the three methods could be used for estimating daily intake of salt in local settings of Pakistan.

FORENSIC ACCOUNTING EXPERTISE OF PAYMENT WITH PERSONNEL: PROBLEMS AND IMPROVEMENT

In modern conditions, forensic examination is of particular importance, which determines its further development as a scientific branch of knowledge and type of activity. Forensic accounting examination of labor and its payment includes determining the correctness of the calculation of wages to employees, planning the wage fund, the correctness of the application of forms of remuneration, calculation of wages (including incentive payments and additional wages, payment for holidays, weekends, downtime), the correctness of attributing to the composition of production costs (work performed, services rendered), payment or non-payment of wages. Forensic accounting expertise of payroll settlements with employees is one of the most demanded subtypes of expertise. However, problems remain in her methodology that need to be resolved. The aim of the study is to develop the theoretical foundations of forensic accounting expertise of payments to personnel. Due to the lack of standard methods, we propose the definition of the subject, object and tasks of forensic accounting expertise of settlements with employees on wages, the types of work of such an examination stage as research, as well as an algorithm for conducting expert research to identify cases of non-payment of wages to employees of the organization. These proposals will optimize the activities of the forensic expert-economist, contribute to the development of methods and organization of forensic accounting expertise, the correctness of calculations with employees on wages and their timely payment

Pathway of sodium alginate synthesis from marine brown algae, Sargassum wightii from Sri Lanka

Alginates are natural polysaccharides that are extracted from brown seaweed varieties and it is widely used for their rheological properties. The main step in the extraction protocol of sodium alginate is alkaline extraction. Sodium alginate was produced by dipping the seaweed in 1% formaldehyde and 2.5% of sodium carbonate solution and properties were studied following the standard methods. The amount of sodium alginate yield was 31.7% in Sargassum wightii. The moisture content and the ash content were recorded at 16.82% and 5.20%, respectively. The viscosity and the gel strength were noted as 40 vcP, 4.54 × 10–2 kN with 0.1 M CaCl2 and 6.86 × 10–2 kN with 0.2 M CaCl2 respectively. This study of the extraction method and its properties reveal that Sargassum wightii brown seaweed species have a high affinity to extract the alginate.

Quantifying transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 and impact of intervention within long-term healthcare facilities

Estimates of the basic reproduction number ( R 0 ) for COVID-19 are particularly variable in the context of transmission within locations such as long-term healthcare (LTHC) facilities. We sought to characterize the heterogeneity of R 0 across known outbreaks within these facilities. We used a unique comprehensive dataset of all outbreaks that occurred within LTHC facilities in British Columbia, Canada as of 21 September 2020. We estimated R 0 in 18 LTHC outbreaks with a novel Bayesian hierarchical dynamic model of susceptible, exposed, infected and recovered individuals, incorporating heterogeneity of R 0 between facilities. We further compared these estimates to those obtained with standard methods that use the exponential growth rate and maximum likelihood. The total size of outbreaks varied dramatically, with range of attack rates 2%–86%. The Bayesian analysis provided an overall estimate of R 0 = 2.51 (90% credible interval 0.47–9.0), with individual facility estimates ranging between 0.56 and 9.17. Uncertainty in these estimates was more constrained than standard methods, particularly for smaller outbreaks informed by the population-level model. We further estimated that intervention led to 61% (52%–69%) of all potential cases being averted within the LTHC facilities, or 75% (68%–79%) when using a model with multi-level intervention effect. Understanding of transmission risks and impact of intervention are essential in planning during the ongoing global pandemic, particularly in high-risk environments such as LTHC facilities.

CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICAL IMAGES USING MACHINE LEARNING

The popularity of the use of computational tools such as artificial intelligence has been increasing in recent years, and its importance in medicine is a fact. This field has benefited greatly thanks to the incorporation of more effective and faster methodologies in the medical diagnosis and registration processes. In the present work, the classification of images related to three diseases: Tuberculosis, Glaucoma and Parkinson's is carried out. We used deep learning and the RESNET50 convolutional neural network to extract classification characteristics, and then perform the classification based on standard methods, such as support vector machines, Naïve Bayes, and Centroid-based classifier, which are incorporated into two scenarios (cross validation; training and test sets). The classifier's performance is evaluated quantitatively using three evaluation metrics. The results obtained support the feasibility of the proposed methodology and its potential to improve medical diagnosis.

Jehovah’s Witnesses and Their Compliance with Regulations on Smoking and Blood Treatment

Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) are known as a religious group compliant with the national laws in the case of smoking, but not-compliant when it comes to blood treatment. Their beliefs prevent them from taking part in a blood transfusion, which is widely included in standard methods of a life-saving treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the behavior of JWs regarding their approach to blood treatment and to smoking in relation to legal regulations in the field of health. We measured JWs’ compliance with health laws regarding blood treatment and smoking (the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control—FCTC). We used the concept of a semi-autonomous social field by Moore and the theory of planned behavior developed by Ajzen. Our findings show that in the case of JWs, the group rules often prevail over state rules contained in generally-binding legislation. In the case of smoking, this means that they seem compliant to the FCTC and to their group rules. In the case of blood treatment, it seems that they are breaking the national rules, because of their group rules. Breaking the latter can result in exclusion from the JWs community. JWs are compliant with national laws as long as these are congruent with their own group rules. If this is not the case, the group influence is very strong and the fear of exclusion from the JW group is often greater than the potential negative health consequences in real life.

Standard Methods for Dissection of Varroa destructor Females

Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman) is known as a major pest of Apis mellifera L, especially in the Northern Hemisphere where its effects can be deleterious. As an obligate parasite, this mite relies entirely on its host to reproduce and complete its cycle. Studies focusing on isolated organs are needed to better comprehend this organism. To conduct such targeted molecular or physiological studies, the dissection of V. destructor mites is crucial as it allows the extraction of specific organs. Here, we propose a technical article showing detailed steps of females V. destructor dissection, illustrated with pictures and videos. These illustrated guidelines will represent a helpful tool to go further in V. destructor research.

Features of the Postoperative Period in Patients with Chronic Dacryocystitis and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus after Endoscopic Endonasal Dacryocystorhinostomy Depending on the Degree of Compensation of Diabetes Mellitus

The aim. To identify the features of the postoperative period in patients with chronic dacryocystitis and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) after endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR), depending on the degree of compensation of DM. Materials and methods. The study involved 30 DM2 patients with chronic dacryocystitis who underwent endoscopic endonasal DCR according to standard methods. The patients were divided into groups according to the degree of compensation of DM2: 6 patients with compensated, 7 patients with subcompensated and 17 patients with decompensated DM2. The results of the operation were evaluated after 2 months, 6 months and 2 years. In addition to standard methods, ophthalmic examination included nasolacrimal duct probing, lacrimal duct lavage, and endoscopic examination of the nasal cavity. Results and discussion. The efficiency of endoscopic endonasal DCR in decompensated DM2 after 2 months (58.8 ± 11.9 % of patients) on average was 1.4 times, and after 6 months (52.9 ± 12.1 % of patients) and 2 years (41.2 ± 11,9 % of patients) – it was 1.5 times less than that in subcompensated and compensated DM2 (p < 0.05). In patients with decompensated DM2, tearing was observed in 41.2 ± 11.9 % of patients after 2 months, in 47.1 ± 12.1 % of patients after 6 months and in 58.8 ± 11.9 % of patients after 2 years post-op, which was, on average, 2.7 times, 2.1 times and 1.5 times more often than that in subcompensated and compensated DM2, respectively (p < 0.05); there were no significant differences between the values (p > 0.05). Conclusions. Features of the postoperative period in patients with chronic dacryocystitis after endoscopic endonasal DCR depend on the degree of compensation of DM2. The efficiency of endoscopic endonasal DCR in decompensated DM2 after 2 months is on average 1.4 times, and after 6 months and 2 years it is 1.5 times less than that in subcompensated and compensated DM2. Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, degree of compensation of diabetes mellitus, chronic dacryocystitis, efficiency of endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy, features of postoperative period.