Food safety education makes the difference: food safety perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and practices among Turkish university students

This study evaluated the influence of food safety education on the food safety perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and practices among Turkish university students. Structured questionnaires were applied to 275 students majoring in “health or food” and 570 students majoring in “non-health or non-food” on a face-to-face basis. Food has positive connotations since associated primarily with taste and hunger in both groups. Freshness of the food product was the most important factor for the “health or food major” group, which was stated as quality for the “non-health or non-food major” group, when shopping for food (p < 0.05). Food poisoning was the main risk associated with foods in the “health or food major” group whereas fats was the most popular choice for the same question in the other group (p < 0.05). Positive influence of food safety education was clear from the results since a significant difference existed between the mean scores of knowledge, attitudes, and practices according to major discipline (p < 0.05). However, persistent food safety attitudes and practices showed little improvement with education. Although a significant difference existed between the disciplines, students in both groups did not have knowledge on the risk of raw white cheese consumption (p < 0.0001). High number of students shared their bowls with other people, consumed raw eggs and raw meat, and ate cooked foods left at room temperature more than 6 h if covered. Scientists and doctors were more trusted sources of information about serious food risks (p < 0.05). Trust in governmental agencies was significantly less in both groups.     

Photoluminescence and decay characteristics of cerium,gallium and vanadium - containing borate-based bioactive glass powders for bioimaging applications

Biomaterials having photoluminescent properties play a crucial role in real-time bioimaging after in vivo implantation. In this study, photoluminescence properties and decay characteristics of the borate-based 13–93B3 glasses containing different concentrations of cerium, gallium, and vanadium oxides were investigated for biomedical applications. The borate-based bioactive glass powders were prepared using melt-quench technique and size reduction was performed through planetary ball milling. Bioactivity of the prepared powders was investigated in simulated body fluid at 37 °C under static conditions. The photoluminescent properties and decay kinetics of the as-prepared and the SBF-treated bioactive glass powders were analyzed by steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. Results revealed that the cerium activated glasses exhibited an intense luminescence centered at 538 nm. Broad-band emission of the gallium and vanadium doped samples was centered at 440 and 572 nm, respectively. All of the SBF-treated glasses exhibited enhanced lifetimes and bi-exponential decays both in nanosecond and microsecond regime measurements. It was concluded that depending on the dopant concentration, bioactive glass particles prepared in the study showed remarkable photoluminescence and have potential to be used in bioimaging applications.     

Optimising clarification of carrot juice by bacterial crude pectinase

This study was undertaken to search for potential use of crude bacterial pectinase enzyme produced from Bacillus subtilis grown on hazelnut shell hydrolysate in clarification of carrot juice and to optimize the enzyme load, pH and time using the Box–Behnken response surface methodology (RSM). The carrot juice was treated with the crude pectinase enzyme (5.60 U mL^?1) at different concentrations (0.1–0.5%), pH (4–7), and time (2–6 h). The obtained enzyme was also compared with commercial fungal pectinase at identical conditions. RSM provided optimal clarification conditions of 0.5% (w/v) enzyme load, 7.0 pH, and 6 h of time estimating 100% clarity, whose experimental counterpart was 94.47 ± 0.01%. High values of coefficient of determination (R² = 0.9631), predicted R² (0.8989) and insignificant lack‐of‐fit (0.12) also showed that the model was successful in predicting % clarity for various combinations. This study also indicated that crude bacterial pectinase providing about 95% clarity is superior to commercial fungal pectinase, which gave 78% clarity under tested conditions, in terms of clarification ability for carrot juice.     

Natural-based polymers for antibacterial treatment of absorbent materials

In this study, polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabric which can be used as topsheet layer of an absorbent hygienic product was modified by natural based antibacterial agents. Antibacterial herbal agents (cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, phenylethyl alcohol) were sprayed by ethanol or applied by means of polylactic acid (PLA) and polycyclohexene oxide (PCHO) based polymers prepared by three different chemical methods. Characterization of synthesized materials was conducted via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X–ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). Besides characterization, antibacterial and pH buffering performances of antibacterial polymers alone and on PP fabric were tested by antibacterial and pH tests. Effects of antibacterial treatments on air permeability and absorption period of nonwoven fabrics were also analyzed. According to the results, biopolymers changed the thermal stability of PP nonwoven fabric. Antibacterial performances can be ranked as cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, and phenylethyl alcohol from the best. Besides a slight decrease about liquid absorption performance, all of the treated topsheet fabrics are sufficient for an absorbent hygienic product. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48302.     

Prediction of the colorimetric parameters and mass loss of heat‐treated bamboo: Comparison of multiple linear regression and artificial neural network method

In this study, the colorimetric parameters (L*, a*, b*) and mass loss of heat‐treated bamboo were investigated, and the obtained results were modeled by using two methods: multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN). First, bamboo samples were exposed to heat treatment at different temperatures (110°C, 140°C, 170°C, and 200°C) and durations (15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 115 minutes) in a laboratory oven. Then, the colorimetric parameters (L*, a*, b*) and mass loss of each sample were measured after each period of heat treatment. All data were modeled by using two methods separately for each parameter and the performances of these proposed methods were compared. It was found that color change and mass loss increased with increasing temperature and duration of heat treatment. Mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values of all obtained MLR ranged from 0.64% to 10.63%, while the all MAPE values of ANN were found to be lower than 1.5%. Based on these results, it can be said that MLR and ANN could be used to evaluate the changes on the selected properties of heat‐treated bamboo samples. On the other hand, it should be emphasized that the ANN gave more accurate results than the MLR method because of its learning capability.     

Understanding of post deposition annealing and substrate temperature effects on structural and electrical properties of Gd<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> MOS capacitor

The purpose of this study is to understand the effects of substrate temperature (ST) and post deposition annealing (PDA) on the structural-electrical properties of Gd₂O₃ film and to evaluate the electrical performances of the MOS based devices formed with this dielectric. The Gd₂O₃/Si structures were annealed at 500, 600, 700, and 800 °C under N₂ ambient after the films were grown on heated p-Si substrate at various temperatures ranged from 20 to 300 °C by RF magnetron sputtering. For any given ST, the crystallization/grain size increased with increasing PDA temperature. The bump in the accumulation region or continuous decrease in the capacitance values of the inversion region of the C–V curves for 800 °C PDA was not observed. The lowest effective oxide charge density (Q _eff ) value was obtained to be ??1.13?×?10¹¹ cm^?2 from the MOS capacitor with Gd₂O₃, which is grown on heated Si at 300 °C and annealed at 800 °C. The density of the interface states (D _it ) was found to be in the range of 0.84?×?10¹¹ to 1.50?×?10¹¹ eV^?1 cm^?2. The highest dielectric constant (ε) and barrier height \(({\Phi _B})\) values were found to be 14.46 and 3.68, which are obtained for 20 °C ST and 800 °C PDA. The results show that the negative charge trapping in the oxide layer is generally more than that of the positive, but, it is reverse of this situation at the interface. The leakage current density decreased after 20 °C ST, but no significant change was observed for other ST values.     

The inhibitors of risk information sharing in the supply chain: A multiple case study in Turkey

One of the greatest threats faced by organizations is disruption in the supply chain arising from not sharing risk information among the supply chain partners. The aim of this study is to identify the inhibitors of risk information sharing in a supply chain by using practical‐side evidence. An exploratory multiple case design was utilized to investigate why supply chain partners in Turkey may be reluctant to share risk information among their members and provide solutions to overcome these barriers. The results of the study indicate that the inhibitors of risk information sharing fall into three categories: risk‐related, organization‐related, and management‐related. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate possible solutions for reluctance in risk information sharing among supply chain partners based on managers' experiences.     

Preparation and thermal properties of Alkoxy Silane functionalized polyether sulfone/well‐defined poly(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate‐based hybrid materials

In this study, novel polyethersulfone (PES) and poly(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (PMPS) containing hybrid materials were prepared. PES was functionalized with trimethoxysilane groups by UV‐induced grafting reaction. PMPS was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization. In the followed process, the functionalized PES mixed with different amount of PMPS, thermally treated to promote sol–gel crosslinking process to prepare the PES‐based hybrid materials. The trimethoxysilane grafted PES chains are covalently bonded with the well‐defined trimethoxysilane groups of PMPS. The chemical structure of the prepared PES and PMPS is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared analysis. The morphology of the hybrids was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The results of thermogravimetric analysis show that the thermal stability of the hybrid materials was significantly affected with the addition of PMPS. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:1346–1352, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers