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Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2021-01-02"

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  • Cross-contamination events of Campylobacter spp. in domestic kitchens associated with consumer handling practices of raw poultry
    Publication . Cardoso, Maria João; Ferreira, Vânia; Truninger, Mónica; Maia, Rui; Teixeira, Paula
    Contaminated poultry is the major vehicle for consumer’s exposure to Campylobacter. This study aimed to perceive potential cross-contamination events during preparation of raw poultry that can contribute to the spread of Campylobacter spp. in domestic kitchen environments and to understand consumers’ meanings and justifications on preparation of a poultry dish at home. A total of 18 households were visited to observe con sumers preparing a recipe that included poultry. Poultry samples and swabs from the kitchen surfaces and utensils, such as kitchen cloth, hand towel, sponge, cutting boards and the sink, were collected before and after food preparation and tested for the presence of Campylobacter spp. Genotypic characterization of 72 Campylo bacter spp. isolates was carried out through Pulse-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). Fourteen chicken samples were contaminated with Campylobacter spp. (77.8%). Twelve consumers (66.6%) washed the chicken meat under running tap water and eight (44.4%) used cutting boards. Also, only five consumers washed their hands properly prior to or during meal preparation. Cross-contamination events were detected in four kitchens, between the raw chicken and two cutting boards, two sinks and one kitchen cloth. The poultry samples presented different levels of contamination (< 4.0 × 101 CFU/g to 2.2 × 103 CFU/g), being some poultry with lower Campylobacter loads the origin of three cross-contamination events during food preparation. Both C. jejuni and C. coli were recovered. Molecular typing by PFGE showed a high diversity among the isolates. There were different explanations for the practice of cleaning and rinsing chicken, but, in general, it is an habit linked to what they have learned from their families. These results highlight the potential for the dissemination of Campylobacter strains in the domestic environment through the preparation of chicken meat and the need to raise awareness among consumers for an appropriate handling of raw poultry in order to decrease the risk of campylobacteriosis.
    2021-01-02Journal article Open access Show more
  • The role of the written script in shaping mirror-image discrimination: Evidence from illiterate, Tamil literate, and Tamil-Latin-alphabet bi-literate adults
    Publication . Fernandes, Tânia; Arunkumar, Mrudula; Huettig, Falk
    Learning a script with mirrored graphs (e.g., d ≠ b) requires overcoming the evolutionary-old perceptual tendency to process mirror images as equivalent. Thus, breaking mirror invariance offers an important tool for understanding cultural re-shaping of evolutionarily ancient cognitive mechanisms. Here we investigated the role of script (i.e., presence vs. absence of mirrored graphs: Latin alphabet vs. Tamil) by revisiting mirror-image processing by illiterate, Tamil monoliterate, and Tamil-Latin-alphabet bi-literate adults. Participants performed two same-different tasks (one orientation-based, another shape-based) on Latin-alphabet letters. Tamil monoliterate were significantly better than illiterate and showed good explicit mirror-image discrimination. However, only bi-literate adults fully broke mirror invariance: slower shape-based judgments for mirrored than identical pairs and reduced disadvantage in orientation-based over shape-based judgments of mirrored pairs. These findings suggest learning a script with mirrored graphs is the strongest force for breaking mirror invariance.
    2021-01-02Journal article Restricted access Show more