Gauging food and nutritional care quality in hospitals

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Food and nutritional care quality must be assessed and scored, so as to improve health institution efficacy. This study aimed to detect and compare actions related to food and nutritional care quality in public and private hospitals. METHODS: Investigation of the Hospital Food and Nutrition Service (HFNS) of 37 hospitals by means of structured interviews assessing two quality control corpora, namely nutritional care quality (NCQ) and hospital food service quality (FSQ). HFNS was also evaluated with respect to human resources per hospital bed and per produced meal. RESULTS: Comparison between public and private institutions revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the number of hospital beds per HFNS staff member (p = 0.02) and per dietitian (p < 0.01). The mean compliance with NCQ criteria in public and private institutions was 51.8% and 41.6%, respectively. The percentage of public and private health institutions in conformity with FSQ criteria was 42.4% and 49.1%, respectively. Most of the actions comprising each corpus, NCQ and FSQ, varied considerably between the two types of institution. NCQ was positively influenced by hospital type (general) and presence of a clinical dietitian. FSQ was affected by institution size: large and medium-sized hospitals were significantly better than small ones. CONCLUSIONS: Food and nutritional care in hospital is still incipient, and actions concerning both nutritional care and food service take place on an irregular basis. It is clear that the design of food and nutritional care in hospital indicators is mandatory, and that guidelines for the development of actions as well as qualification and assessment of nutritional care are urgent.     

红河流域径流演变分异及其特征

红河流域径流演变分异研究对于揭示流域径流的形成、演变规律及跨境水管理具有重要意义。选取红河流域9个代表站点,利用累积距平法、滑动t检验和Mann-Kendall-Sneyers法研究了红河流域的径流演变分异。结果表明,径流演变空间差异显著,各控制断面波动不一致;流域各站点(除大东勇站)均出现径流突变,但突变时间不一致,且越往下游,突变时间越晚;此外,各站点丰枯转化时段不一致。     

用于预警和安保系统的新型发光复合高分子纤维

新型发光、无机和有机纳米型染料主要用于聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）纤维的制备。PET纤维是制作用于预警和安保系统的纤维织物的原材料。具有发光性质的纳米染料的制备方法主要有两种：一种为自下而上,沉淀法合成;另一种为自上而下,通过反应型研磨得到。下述的纳米染料是硫化锌（ZnS）,同时还掺杂有铜或锰、铝酸锶,还可掺杂铕和镝。此外,还对有机染料和颜料（醛连氮和二萘嵌苯）进行研究,还将其包裹于硅纳米粒子中并进行相关研究。制得的纳米粒子混入高分子熔体中,通过熔融挤出得到成品丝。该过程中所使用的纳米颜料可混入母粒中,也可制成液状使用。最后进行成品丝变形工艺研究,并加工成纺织面料。纳米发光颜料的加入实现了低染料剂量下的高发光性。与已投入使用的传统体系相比,采用纳米发光颜料的体系具有更好的光、热和湿牢度。     

水力裂缝设计对凝析气藏产能的影响

通过对凝析气藏水力裂缝伤害的机理分析,提出一种计算模型,预测凝析气藏压裂井的产能,量化气体渗透率降低对产能的影响,进而优化凝析气藏水力裂缝设计。这种模型的独特性主要倾向于必要的裂缝长度,目的是弥补凝析液析出产生的伤害。该模型也为准确计算用来优化凝析气井产能的压力降提供了依据。     

重复压裂初裂缝有效率评价方法

在对重复压裂井进行产能评价时,常常认为初次压裂形成的裂缝完全失效,这种考虑与实际情况是不相符合的,导致对重复压裂井的产能预测有很大的误差。为此,建立了裂缝有效率评价及重复压裂井产能评价的数学模型和模型的数值求解方法,考虑只有初裂缝存在,根据重压前的产量和含水率,通过调整初裂缝的各参数,拟合计算了初裂缝的有效率。在考虑重复压裂裂缝和初裂缝共同作用下,对重复压裂井进行了产能评价,验证了重复压裂井中初裂缝的有效性。     

金属真空弧离子源引出强流离子束的数值模拟

为了引出更高强度、更高亮度的铀离子束,以满足重离子研究中心(Gesellschaft für SchwerionenforschungmbH,GSI)重离子同步加速器的需求,本文用三维的计算机程序KOBRA3-INP对金属真空弧离子源(Metalvapor vacuum arcion source,MEVVA)引出强流铀离子束在引出系统和后加速系统中的动力学特性进行了研究,讨论了离子源发射束流密度对引出束性能的影响.结果表明,束流损失主要发生在引出系统和后加速系统之间的漂移区;在假设漂移区束流被空间电荷中和的情况下,模拟结果和实验结果符合;在发射束流密度为180-230 mA/cm2范围内,经后加速的束流强度变化不大.     

Carcass characteristics, fatty acid composition, and meat quality of Criollo Argentino and Braford steers raised on forage in a semi-tropical region of Argentina

The purpose of this study was to characterize and compare the carcass characteristics, cholesterol concentration, fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat and subcutaneous fat, and meat quality of Criollo Argentino and Braford steers reared in an extensive system, without supplementation, and slaughtered at approximately 400 kg live weight. The Braford steers had greater (P < 0.05) carcass weight, yield, conformation score, marbling degree, fat thickness and fatness score than Criollo Argentino steers. The tissue composition of the 10th rib was: 68.1% vs. 63.6% muscle, 23.9% vs. 20.4% bone and 8.2% vs. 16.3% fat for the Criollo Argentino and Braford breeds, respectively. The meat of Longissimus muscle from Braford steers was lighter, redder, yellower and more tender than that from Criollo Argentino steers. The meat of Longissimus muscle from Braford steers had a higher fat content, similar protein and ash contents and a lower (P ? 0.001) cholesterol concentration than that from Criollo Argentino steers.     

Analysis of bacterial community during the fermentation of pulque, a traditional Mexican alcoholic beverage, using a polyphasic approach

In this study, the characterization of the bacterial community present during the fermentation of pulque, a traditional Mexican alcoholic beverage from maguey (Agave), was determined for the first time by a polyphasic approach in which both culture and non-culture dependent methods were utilized. The work included the isolation of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), aerobic mesophiles, and 16S rDNA clone libraries from total DNA extracted from the maguey sap (aguamiel) used as substrate, after inoculation with a sample of previously produced pulque and followed by 6-h fermentation. Microbiological diversity results were correlated with fermentation process parameters such as sucrose, glucose, fructose and fermentation product concentrations. In addition, medium rheological behavior analysis and scanning electron microscopy in aguamiel and during pulque fermentation were also performed. Our results showed that both culture and non-culture dependent approaches allowed the detection of several new and previously reported species within the alpha-, gamma-Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Bacteria diversity in aguamiel was composed by the heterofermentative Leuconostoc citreum, L. mesenteroides, L. kimchi, the gamma-Proteobacteria Erwinia rhapontici, Enterobacter spp. and Acinetobacter radioresistens. Inoculation with previously fermented pulque incorporated to the system microbiota, homofermentative lactobacilli related to Lactobacillus acidophilus, several alpha-Proteobacteria such as Zymomonas mobilis and Acetobacter malorum, other gamma-Proteobacteria and an important amount of yeasts, creating a starting metabolic diversity composed by homofermentative and heterofermentative LAB, acetic and ethanol producing microorganisms. At the end of the fermentation process, the bacterial diversity was mainly composed by the homofermentative Lactobacillus acidophilus, the heterofermentative L. mesenteroides, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and the alpha-Proteobacteria A. malorum. After a 6-h fermentation, 83.27% of total sugars detected after inoculation were consumed (228.4 mM hexose equivalents) and a carbon (C) recovery of 66.18% in fermentation products was estimated. They were produced 284.4 mM C as ethanol, 71.5 mM C as acetic acid and 19 mM C as lactic acid, demonstrating the presence of homo- and heterofermentative, acetic and alcoholic metabolisms in the final product. It was also found, after hydrolysis, that the exopolysaccharide produced during the fermentation was mainly composed by fructose residues, probably inulin or levan.     

TaqMan real-time PCR for the detection and quantitation of pork in meat mixtures

A rapid and highly specific real-time quantitative PCR, based on the amplification of a fragment of the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA gene (rRNA), has been developed for the quantitation of pork (Sus scrofa) in binary pork/beef muscle mixtures. The method combines the use of pork-specific primers, that amplify a 411bp fragment from pork DNA, and mammalian-specific primers amplifying a 425-428bp fragment from mammalian species DNA, which are used as endogenous control. An internal fluorogenic probe (TaqMan), that hybridizes in the "pork-specific" and also in the "mammalian" DNA fragments is used to monitor the amplification of the target gene. A comparison of the cycle number (C(t)) at which mammalian and pork-specific PCR products are first detected, in combination with the use of reference standards of known pork content, allows the determination of the percentage of pork in a mixed sample. Analysis of experimental pork/beef muscle binary mixtures demonstrated the specificity and sensitivity of the assay for detection and quantitation of pork in the range 0.5-5%.     

Non-destructive evaluation of ripening and quality traits in apples using a multiparametric fluorescence sensor

BACKGROUND: The detection of pigments and colourless flavonoids in apples can provide a useful indication of fruit quality. Optical methods are preferable because they are fast and non‐destructive. In this study, a fluorescence‐based portable sensor was used in order to non‐invasively determine the content of chlorophylls, anthocyanins and flavonols in Fuji, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apple cultivars. The aim was to define new non‐destructive optical indices of apple quality. RESULTS: The anthocyanin index (ANTH) in Fuji was higher in the sunny (i.e. sun‐exposed) side of the fruit compared to the shady side. For all cultivars, the flavonol index (FLAV) was higher in the sunny side compared with the shady side. The chlorophyll index (CHL) for the shady sides of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious was significantly higher than for the sunny sides. Fine linear regressions were found between the ANTH, FLAV and CHL indices and the actual anthocyanin, flavonol and chlorophyll concentrations, respectively, which were determined destructively on the apple peel extracts. A negative correlation was found between the apple sugar content and the chlorophyll fluorescence in the far‐red spectral band. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that a single multiparametric fluorescence‐based sensor can provide valuable non‐destructive markers of ripening and quality in apples. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry