Facies characterization of organic-rich mudstones from the Chokier Formation (lower Namurian), south Belgium

In a case study of two wells from the Namur Synclinorium, the black shale-dominated Chokier Formation was analyzed for petrography, mineralogy and organic geochemistry. Thin section petrography revealed a different facies assemblage for each well and a total of six microfacies types. Whole rock mineralogical data largely confirms a facies-dependent mineral composition. All different microfacies types of locality 1 (MFT-1, laminated silty mudstone; MFT-2, laminated mud-clast-rich mudstone; MFT-3, calcareous bioclast-rich mudstone) and locality 2 (MFT-4, lenticular mudstone; MFT-5, burrow-mottled mudstone; MFT-6, burrowed silty laminated mudstone) show ample evidence of a distal shelf environment that is sourced by currents, which may be linked to seasonal (monsoonal) transport of sediment from land to sea. Erosive bedload transport is an important mechanism of sedimentation whereas accumulation by settling from the water column can be excluded for the majority of investigated strata. Frequently, endobenthic activity and other processes after deposition, e.g. winnowing and reworking, caused strong fabric modifications. Various, but simple ichnofabrics prove at least temporary dysoxic conditions as confirmed by relatively low TS/TOC ratios. With regard to sedimentary features, organic geochemistry data hints to organic matter preservation due to rapid burial rather than intense anoxity. Silicification is a widespread diagenetic feature independent from facies and locality. It is most likely linked to a high supply rate of terrestrially dissolved silica as indicated by SEM observations, paleogeographic constraints and sedimentary features

The Effects of Storage Temperature on the Growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Organoleptic Properties in Oysters

During harvesting and storage, microbial pathogens and natural spoilage flora may grow, negatively affecting the composition and texture of oysters and posing a potential health threat to susceptible consumers. A solution to these problems would mitigate associated damaging effects on the seafood industry. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of storage temperature on growth of Vibrios as well as other microbial, sensory and textural characteristics of post-harvest shellstock Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Oysters harvested from the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, during summer months (June, July, and August, 2010) were subjected to three storage temperatures (5, 10, and 20ºC) over a 10 day period. At selected time intervals (0, 1, 3, 7, 10 days) two separate samples of 6 oysters each were homogenated and analyzed for pH, halophilic plate counts (HPC), total Vibrios, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp). Oyster meats shucked after storage were also organoleptically evaluated (acceptability, appearance, and odor). Texture analysis was performed using a texture analyzer on meats shucked from oysters held under the same conditions. The pH of the oyster homogenates showed no consistent pattern with storage time and temperature. The HPC (4.5 to 9.4log CFU/g) were highest on day 7 at 20C while olfactory acceptance reduced with time and increasing storage temperatures. The Vp counts increased over time from 3.5 to7.5 log MPN/g by day10. Loss of freshness as judged by appearance and odor was significant over time (p <br/

Regionale kennisarrangementen: verslag van quickscan en kennisdag 2009

In veel regio’s zijn burgers, bestuurders en ondernemers actief betrokken bij de ontwikkeling van hun omgeving. In het kader van gebiedsplannen wordt gewerkt aan doelen op het terrein van landschap, natuur, landbouw en plattelandsontwikkeling. Hierbij komen uiteenlopende (kennis)vragen naar boven. De kennisvragen worden vaak ad hoc gesteld en men weet vaak niet waar men terecht kan. In een aantal regio’s in Nederland wordt dit verschijnsel onderkend en groeit het besef dat het zoeken naar de antwoorden op deze kennisvragen een serieuze bijdrage levert aan gebiedsontwikkeling. Hier wordt een verbinding met onderwijs en onderzoek gemaakt. Omdat ook bij de kennisinstellingen steeds vaker wordt gezocht naar manieren om meer praktijkgerichte werken, ontstaan er samenwerkingsverbanden. Deze verbindingen tussen regio en onderwijs en onderzoek rond kennisvragen, noemen we een regionaal kennisarrangemen

Development and evaluation of a hospital discharge information package to empower parents in caring for a child with a fever

Objectives: First, to explore parents’ views on and experiences of managing their febrile child and to assess their behaviour and needs when in search of information about fever; second, to develop and evaluate a hospital discharge information package about fever in children. Design: Mixed methods: (A) qualitative study with semistructured interviews and a focus group discussion (FGD) and (B) quantitative survey. Setting: Emergency department, non-acute hospital setting and day nursery in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Participants: Parents of children <18 years (interviews, n=22) parents of children under 5 years (FGD (n=14), survey (n=38)). Intervention: Information package about fever in children (leaflet and website including videos). Outcome measures quantitative survey: Knowledge of fever and confidence in caring for a febrile child (Likert scale 0–5). Results: Parents found fever mostly alarming, especially high fever. Help-seeking behaviour was based on either specific symptoms or on an undefined intuition. When parents did not feel recognised in their concern or felt criticised, anxiety increased as well as the threshold to seek healthcare for future illnesses. Information was needed, especially for situations when the general practitioner or social network were less easily available. This information should be reliable, consistent, available in multiple formats and include advice on management of fever at home and precise referral to medical services. Parents reported improved knowledge about fever (p<0.05) and mentioned improved confidence in caring for a child with fever at home after consulting the information package. Conclusion: Parents of children with a fever visiting the hospital are concerned about specific symptoms or based on an undefined intuition. Rather than telling parents that they should manage their child’s illness at home, healthcare professionals should recognise parental intuition and provide clear information on alarming signs and potential diagnoses to empower parents in the management of their febrile child

Cascading effects from predator removal depend on resource availability in a benthic food web

We tested joint effects of predator loss and increased resource availability on the grazers’ trophic level and the propagation of trophic interactions in a benthic food web by excluding larger predatory fish from cages and manipulating nutrients in the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. The combination of nutrient enrichment and excluding larger predators induced an increase in medium-sized predatory fish (three-spined stickleback). The meso-predator fish in turn did not change the total abundance of the invertebrate herbivores, but did cause a substantial shift in their community composition towards the dominance of gastropods by reducing amphipods by 40–60%, while gastropods were left unchanged. The shift in grazer composition generated a 23 times higher producer biomass, but only under nutrient enrichment. Our results show that top-predator declines can substantially shift the species composition at the grazers’ level, but that cascading effects on producers by a trophic cascade strongly depend on resource availability

Active Assessment for HACCP Training: Integrating Pedagogical Reasoning with Primary Trait Analysis

An active assessment mechanism based on Primary Trait Analysis (PTA) and the six aspects of a pedagogical reasoning model was developed to leverage the effectiveness of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) training. By integrating critical thinking into the design of problem scenarios, students are expected to go through five different levels of learning, starting with comprehending science content and available resources, transforming the information for accomplishing the task, and implementing into the target process and ending with evaluating and reflecting on various outcomes of the situation. Students are thereby are expected to develop new comprehension of the topics