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The consumer rejection threshold (RjT) method was applied to determine the total microbial numbers (TMNs) where consumers find that the quality of whole fresh chilled pasteurised milk (WFCPM) and skim milk (Trim) stored at 4.5 ± 0.5 °C is no longer acceptable. Food spoilage progression was supported by measurements of VOCs and the terms consumers used to describe the ageing fresh chilled pasteurised milk (FCPM). RjTs for TMN of 7.43 and 7.34 log10 CFU.mL−1 for WFCPM and Trim, respectively were derived using Hill’s equation from a series of paired preference tests comparing fresh and aged milks (3–26 days) assessed by consumers (WFCPM, n = 55; Trim, n = 52). A poor relationship between storage time and TMN was found, owing mainly to batch-to-batch and within-batch variation in the milk’s post-pasteurization contamination (PPC) levels. At the RjT, there was a significant change in the signal intensities for a number of spoilage-related VOCs that occurred in the FCPM headspace (p ≤ 0.05), which were measured using proton transfer reaction–mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), including m/z 33, 45, 47, 61, 63, 69, 71, 87, and 89, tentatively identified as methanol; acetaldehyde; ethanol; acetate (acetic acid and acetate esters); dimethyl sulphide (DMS); isoprene, furan, and aldehydes; 2-butanone; and pentanal and butyrates (butyric acid and butyrate esters), respectively. Consumers described the milks at TMN greater than the RjTs using terms like off, expired, sour, spoilt or rancid. This multidisciplinary study has provided data on the importance of PPC and subsequent increases in TMN on VOCs associated with FCPM and consumer’s preferences and highlighted the value of measuring a range of variables when investigating consumer’s perception of food quality and shelf-life.

Surface Electromyography (sEMG) plays a key role in many applications such as control of Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) and neuromusculoskeletal modeling. It has strongly nonlinear relations to joint kinematics and reflects the subjects’ intention in moving their limbs. Such relations have been traditionally examined by either integrated biomechanics and multi-body dynamics or gesture-based classification approaches. However, these methods have drawbacks that limit their usability. Different from them, joint kinematics can be continuously reconstructed from sEMG via estimation approaches, for instance, the Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). The Comparison of different ANNs used in different studies is difficult, and in many cases, impossible. The current study focuses on fairly evaluating four types of ANN over the same dataset and conditions in proportional and simultaneous estimation of 15 hand joint angles from 10 sEMG signals. The presented ANNs are Feedforward, Cascade-Forward, Radial Basis Function (RBFNN), and Generalized Regression (GRNN). Each ANN is applied to its special parametric study. All the methods efficiently solved the regression problem of the complex multi-input multi-output bio-system. The RBFNN has the best performance over the others with a 79.80% mean correlation coefficient over all joints, and its accuracy reaches as high as 92.67% in some joints. Interestingly, the highest accuracy over individual joints is 93.46%, which is achieved via the GRNN. The good accuracy suggests that the proposed approaches can be used as alternatives to the previously adopted ones and can be employed effectively to synchronously control multi-degrees of freedom HMI and for general multi-joint kinematics estimation purposes.

هدفت الدراسة إلى التعرف على اتجاهات الشباب الجامعي نحو أبعاد المشاركة السياسية للمرأة العربية في المجتمعات العربية في الدراسة. كما هدفت الدراسة إلى معرفة أثر بعض المتغيرات الديمغرافية والاجتماعية والاقتصادية على أبعاد المشاركة السياسية للمرأة العربية. ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة والإجابة على أسئلتها، تم سحب عينة عشوائية من الشباب الجامعي في أربعة جامعات عربية (الإمارات، والأردن، والسودان والجزائر)، وبلغ عدد الاستبيانات المستكملة 1773 استبانة. كما تم استخدام الإحصاء الوصفي( النسب المئوية، والمتوسطات الحسابية، والانحرافات المعيارية) والإحصاء التحليلي (الانحدار المتعدد) في تحليل بيانات الدراسة. وكشفت نتائج الدراسة الوصفية اتجاهات إيجابية للشباب الجامعي نحو المشاركة السياسية للمرأة في المجتمعات العربية في الدراسة، إلا أن هذه الاتجاهات تختلف بحسب أبعاد المشاركة السياسية، حيث يحمل الشباب العربي الجامعي اتجاهات ليبرالية بشكل أكبر نحو مشاركة المرأة في المجتمع المدني مقارنة بمشاركتها في العملية السياسية وبمكانتها السياسية. كما كشفت نتائج التحليل الاحصائي الاستدلالي بأن متغيرات الدولة، والجنس، والعمر، والكلية الجامعية، والمستوى التعليمي للأم، والتدين لها علاقات ذات دلالة إحصائية مع جميع أو بعض أبعاد المشاركة السياسية للمرأة العربية.

This study analyzes the post-divorce experiences of a sample of 50 Jordanian divorced participants. Qualitative and exploratory results are similar to the results of other studies that were conducted in certain western cultures. Similar issues included modern reasons for exiting a marriage, men's experiences of losing children and women's poor financial circumstances. Despite changes in the structure and function of the Jordanian family, post-divorce experiences continue to be influenced by the major factors of a traditional gender culture regarding the traditional reasons to exit marriage, with women retaining custody of children when they do not remarry and failure to establish cooperative custody. In addition, the results of this study reveal that progressive changes in women's choices to exit their marriages to better themselves. The study also sheds light on the perception of violence against married women as a reason for exiting marriage and family support to minimize the negative effects of divorce on women with a concurrent realization of the stigmatization of society toward divorced women. Nevertheless, additional research on this topic is needed to significantly add to our understanding of these phenomena

Total microbial numbers (TMN*) is a widely used, yet broad indicator of the quality of fresh chilled pasteurized milk (FCPM). Changes in the sensory characteristics (trained panel, n = 9), volatile organic compounds (VOC) composition (proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, PTR-MS), and TMN were assessed for FCPM stored at 4.5 °C ± 0.5 for up to 26 days (12 days past the stated shelf life). Significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in its VOC composition (m/z 41, 43, 45, and 47) and the sensory characteristics (10 out of 17 attributes) occurred at various TMN levels over this time. However, owing to differences in the spoilage potential of the microorganisms present there was only a weak relationship between TMN, VOC composition, and the sensory characteristics, which indicates that both the nature of the microorganisms present as well as the numbers present play a critical role in determining the shelf-life of FCPM.

Background: the occurrences of diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy have increased quickly in the past few decades and have become an economic burden to the healthcare system in KSA. Diabetic nephropathy is a major complication of diabetes mellitus and is a primary cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The occurrence of non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD) in diabetic patients has been increasingly recognized in recent years. It is generally believed that it is difficult to reverse diabetic nephropathy, whereas some cases of non-diabetic renal disease are readily treatable and remittable. However, diabetic nephropathy is known to co-exist with non-diabetic renal disease in a poorly defined population of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study estimated the pervasiveness of co-existing diabetic nephropathy and non-diabetic renal disease in Saudi patients. Methods:data were retrospectively analyzed from 122 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had experienced a renal biopsy between February 2014 and June 2017 at King Abdulaziz Hospital, region(s), KSA. Male patients numbered 75 (61.5%) of the study population. The biopsies were performed as urinary abnormalities or renal functions were atypical of a diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy. Biopsy samples were examined using light, immunofluorescence (IF) and electron microscopy (EM). Clinical parameters were recorded for each patient at the time of biopsy. Results: nineteen of 122 diabetic patients (8%) had co-existing diabetic nephropathy and non-diabetic renal disease. These patients showed clinical features and pathologic characteristics of diabetic nephropathy, containing a high prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (88.8%), a long duration of diabetes, increased thickness of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) and mesangial expansion. Nonetheless, they similarly presented with clinical findings which were inconsistent with diabetic nephropathy, such as hematuria, rapidly progressive renal failure and marked proteinuria. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy was apparent in 5 out of the 10 patients (50%), tubulointerstitial lesions were found in two patients (20%), membrano-proliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) in two patients (20%) and membranous nephropathy (MN) in one patients (10%). Conclusion: retrospective analysis of biopsy data suggests that approximately 8% of Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus may have co-existing diabetic nephropathy and non-diabetic renal disease. The most common histological diagnosis in our small series was IgA nephropathy.

The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with UHT milk (n=8) inoculated with either pure inoculums of Pseudomonas fluorescens (two strains tested) or Chryseobacterium sp., or with mixed cultures of 2 or all 3 of the bacterial strains, and held at 4.5 °C for up to 26 days was measured using proton transfer reaction - mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). The VOCs evolved included a range of carbonyl compounds, alcohols, esters, and acids and had significant qualitative and quantitative differences between the inoculums. Milks inoculated with paired (mixed) bacterial cultures attained patterns similar to the VOC composition of one of the pure inoculums, which could be attributed to the domination of these bacteria within the mixed inoculum. This study will help to characterize the spoilage of milk and provide important insights into understanding the factors that limit the shelf life of milk.

Milk is a highly nutritious food that contains an array of macro and micro components, scientifically proven to be beneficial to human health. While the composition of milk is influenced by a variety of factors, such as genetics, health, lactation stage etc., the animal’s diet remains a key mechanism by which its nutrition and processing characteristics can be altered. Pasture feeding has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on the nutrient profile of milk, increasing the content of some beneficial nutrients such as Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, vaccenic acid, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), while reducing the levels of Omega-6 fatty acids and palmitic acid. These resultant alterations to the nutritional profile of “Grass-Fed” milk resonate with consumers that desire healthy, “natural”, and sustainable dairy products. This review provides a comprehensive comparison of the impact that pasture and non-pasture feeding systems have on bovine milk composition from a nutritional and functional (processability) perspective, highlighting factors that will be of interest to dairy farmers, processors, and consumers.

This study aimed to identify the social, economic and health characteristics of Jordanian families headed by females and the differences in these characteristics according to the gender of the head of the household. To achieve this aim, the study utilized data available from the multipurpose family survey conducted by the Department of Statistics in 2003. The survey targeted a national sample using cluster stratified sampling. The number of completed interviews reached 9,711 families. Comparative method was also used to identify the differences between Jordanian families according to the gender of the head of the household. The study revealed that a number of traditional factors determine whether a family would be headed by a female such as the death of the spouse, especially as a result of the age gap between the husband and wife, economic migration of the husband, and divorce. In addition, the study showed that the social and economic characteristics of Jordanian families were largely homogenous regardless of the gender of the head of the family especially concerning such issues as poverty, family income, and access to health insurance. On the other hand, there were differences in size and the level of education of the head of the family, largely determined by place of residence, governorate of residence and age among those households and among the ones headed by females. The significance of the study stems from the fact that it is a national study that will open new horizons for more in-depth future studies.

The inputs to the outputs of nonlinear systems can be modeled using machine and deep learning approaches, among which artificial neural networks (ANNs) are a promising option. However, noisy signals affect ANN modeling negatively; hence, it is important to investigate these signals prior to the modeling. Herein, two customized and simple approaches, visual inspection and absolute correlation, are proposed to examine the relationship between the inputs and outputs of a nonlinear system. The system under consideration uses biosignals from surface electromyography as inputs and human finger joint angles as outputs, acquired from eight intact participants performing movements and grasping tasks in dynamic conditions. Furthermore, the results of these approaches are tested using the standard mutual information measure. Hence, the system dimensionality is reduced, and the ANN learning (convergence) is accelerated, where the most informative inputs are selected for the next phase. Subsequently, four ANN types, i.e., feedforward, cascade-forward, radial basis function, and generalized regression ANNs, are used to perform the modeling. Finally, the performance of the ANNs is compared with findings from the signal analysis. Results indicate a high level of consistency among all the aforementioned signal pre-analysis techniques from one side, and they also indicate that these techniques match the ANN performances from the other side. As an example, for a certain movement set, the ANN models resulted in the rotation estimation accuracy of the joints in the following descending order: carpometacarpal, metacarpophalangeal, proximal interphalangeal, and distal interphalangeal. This information has been indicated in the signal pre-analysis step. Therefore, this step is crucial in input–output variable selections prior to machine-/deep-learning-based modeling approaches., Biomedical engineering; Computer science; Mechanical engineering; Applied computing in medical science; Artificial intelligence; Computational mechanics; Process modeling; Biomedical devices; Surface electromyography; Data visualization; Correlation; Mutual information; Artificial neural networks; Kinematics estimation.

Hyperglycemia is frequently observed in adults with acute asthma. We aimed to assess the frequency of hyperglycemia and its relation to outcomes in children admitted with acute asthma. In this retrospective study, we reviewed medical records of non-diabetic 166 children (66 girls) with the mean age of 5.4 ± 2.6 years (range of 2-12 years), who were hospitalized with acute asthma between January 2012 through December 2014. Data pertaining to demographics, vital signs, oxygen saturation, serum blood glucose level, electrolytes, blood gases, and admission were collected. Children with other chronic conditions were excluded. The findings were that hyperglycemia (blood glucose ≥ 11.1 mmol/l) was observed in 38.6% of children. The median baseline blood glucose (IQR) was 9.8 mmol/l (7.2-13.3 mmol/l). Blood glucose level was associated with the length of hospitalization, with a median extension of 1.8 days, but was inversely associated with the serum potassium and bicarbonate levels. There were no associations between baseline blood glucose and age, gender, baseline respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, or intensive care admission. Hyperglycemia resolved spontaneously in all affected children. We conclude that hyperglycemia is common in children hospitalized with acute asthma. Hyperglycemia could be considered as a marker of a longer hospital stay.

Off-odours caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are often the first indicators consumers have of milk spoilage. In this study the VOCs associated with three types (trim, 0.25–0.40% fat; lite, 1.40–1.50% fat; and full-cream, 3.18–3.28% fat) of fresh chilled pasteurised milk (FCPM), held for up to 17 days at 4.5 ± 0.5 °C, were measured using proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). The chemical identification of VOCs in the headspace of the milk was supported by SPME–GC–MS analysis. Bacterial numbers (aerobic plate count at 25 °C) in the milk were also estimated. Replicate sets of milk types treated with sodium azide (NaN3) to inhibit microbial activity were investigated. The relationship between microbial numbers and VOCs was not linear; rather the concentrations of VOCs only started to change after a threshold number of bacteria ranging from 106–108 CFU mL−1 was reached. This combined approach provided new insights on the effect of microbial growth on FCPM shelf-life.

The effect of ozone treatment on total phenol, flavonoid, and vitamin C content of fresh-cut honey pineapple, banana ‘pisang mas’, and guava was investigated. The fresh-cut fruits were exposed to ozone at a flow rate of 8 ± 0.2 ml/s for 0, 10, 20, and 30 min. The antioxidant capacity of the fruits was evaluated by measuring the ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging activity. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of pineapple and banana increased significantly when exposed to ozone for up to 20 min, with a concomitant increase in FRAP and DPPH values. The opposite was observed for guava. Ozone treatment significantly decreased the vitamin C content of all three fruits. The study shows promising results for enhancing antioxidant capacity of some fresh fruits by ozone treatment although the positive effect is compromised by a reduction in vitamin C content. Industrial relevance The preservation of antioxidant properties, storage stability and safety is of utmost importance in the minimally processed fresh food industry. Ozone has been looked into as an alternative sanitizing technology in the fresh produce industry. The results of this study indicate that ozone can be used in the minimally processed fresh food industry to enhance the antioxidant status of fresh-cut fruits.

The effect of ultraviolet (UV-C) treatment on total phenol, flavonoid, and vitamin C content of fresh-cut honey pineapple, banana “pisang mas”, and guava was investigated. The antioxidant capacity of the fruit also was evaluated by measuring its ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and DPPH free radical-scavenging activity. The fresh-cut fruits were exposed to UV-C for 0, 10, 20, and 30 min. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of guava and banana increased significantly with the increase in treatment time. In pineapple, the increase in total phenol content was insignificant, but the flavonoid content increased significantly after 10 min of treatment. UV-C treatment decreased the vitamin C content of all three fruits. In fresh-cut banana, longer treatment time resulted in higher FRAP and DPPH values; these values remained stable throughout the experiment for fresh-cut pineapple. For fresh-cut guava, FRAP and DPPH values were stable until 30 min, after which a significant increase in FRAP values occurred. Industrial relevance UV irradiation processing of fresh-cut fruits leads to increase in antioxidants, polyphenols, and flavonoids. Hence, apart from the application of UV for microbial safety at industrial levels, this novel technology can also be exploited for enhancement of health promoting compounds for benefit of consumers.

The antioxidant capacity and phenol content of three tropical fruits pulps, namely, honey pineapple, banana and Thai seedless guava, were studied. Three solvent systems were used (methanol, ethanol and acetone) at three different concentrations (50%, 70% and 90%) and with 100% distilled water. The antioxidant capacity of the fruit extracts was evaluated using a ferric reducing/antioxidant power assay and the free radical-scavenging capacity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging assays. The efficiency of the solvents used to extract phenols from the three fruits varied considerably. The polyphenol content of Thai seedless guava was 123 to 191 gallic acid equivalents/100 g (GAE/100 g), that of pisang mas was 24.4 to 72.2 GAE/100 g, and that of honey pineapple was 34.7 to 54.7 GAE/100 g. High phenol content was significantly correlated with high antioxidant capacity.

Consumption of natural, fresh plant produce rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants has been reported to overcome some of the degenerative diseases that affect humans. However, improper processing, handling, and long-term storage of produce might result in minimal availability of the health-promoting compounds. Food irradiation as a physical method for preservation has proved its efficacy over other common means of preservation, and is known to retain the quality of food and agricultural commodities. This paper summarizes the effects of ionizing (gamma and electron beam) and non-ionizing (UV) radiation on the compositional changes induced in health-promoting phytochemicals and antioxidants of plant origin. The information will be beneficial for further commercialization and exploration of this novel technology on a pilot scale in food industries.