Public Analyst Research Articles

Food analysis: a practical guide

Food analysis: a practical guide

In retrospect – my life in food

In retrospect – my life in food

Políticas epistêmicas

Esse artigo consiste numa análise da legislação que instituiu o programa Fundos Setoriais, nos anos 1990/2000. O objetivo é caracterizar os componentes e estratégias iniciais do programa, bem como seu papel no contexto das políticas de C,T&I (Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação) na época. Cabe dizer que não olharei para essa legislação como um jurista ou analista de políticas públicas, que nela veriam uma estrutura de atos normativos ou um instrumento de governança estatal. Enquanto antropólogo, procurarei nessa estrutura jurídica um discurso, ou seja, a defesa de uma certa concepção de ciência. Interessa-me o fato de que tal legislação registra e, ao mesmo tempo, agencia a construção de uma episteme, isto é, uma nova visão sobre ciência, sobre conhecimento e sobre os arranjos necessários para conectá-los à sociedade. O debate teórico de fundo desse artigo deriva da antropologia da ciência, que nos oferece uma visão sobre ciência e episteme necessária para a prossecução das análises.

Application of multivariate statistical analysis in the pollution and health risk of traffic-related heavy metals.

This study aims to analyse the heavy metal pollutants in Jeddah, the second largest city in the Gulf Cooperation Council with a population exceeding 3.5 million, and many vehicles. Ninety-eight street dust samples were collected seasonally from the six major roads as well as the Jeddah Beach, and subsequently digested using modified Leeds Public Analyst method. The heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Cd, and Pb) were extracted from the ash using methyl isobutyl ketone as solvent extraction and eventually analysed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Multivariate statistical techniques, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis were applied to these data. Heavy metal concentrations were ranked according to the following descending order: Fe>Zn>Mn>Cu>Pb>Cd. In order to study the pollution and health risk from these heavy metals as well as estimating their effect on the environment, pollution indices, integrated pollution index, enrichment factor, daily dose average, hazard quotient, and hazard index were all analysed. The PCA showed high levels of Zn, Fe, and Cd in Al Kurnish road, while these elements were consistently detected on King Abdulaziz and Al Madina roads. The study indicates that high levels of Zn and Pb pollution were recorded for major roads in Jeddah. Six out of seven roads had high pollution indices. This study is the first step towards further investigations into current health problems in Jeddah, such as anaemia and asthma.

Duncan and Son: changing professional boundaries in the geological and medical sciences in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Abstract The concept of the professional changed markedly from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century. The contrasting careers of Peter Martin Duncan, father, and Cecil Cooke Duncan, son, provide a vignette of these changes in two people who were both actively engaged in geological and medical activities. Peter Martin trained as a doctor and practised for some 20 years. He later became Professor of Geology at Kings College, London and both Secretary and President of the Geological Society. He was a prolific author of both learned articles and books on science for the general public. In his time it was acceptable to combine all these roles into a single career. Cecil trained as a chemist. His career was as the public analyst in Worcester at a time when these posts were becoming professionalized. He contributed to control of health risks in the county. To him geology and natural history were serious leisure pastimes rather than part of his professionally defined career. Father and son therefore show the move from the time when there were fluid disciplinary boundaries to one where a single professional discipline defined and bounded working life and other areas of study became a matter for non-working hours.

The Taxi Service Review: Malaysia Context

In the majority city around the globe, taxis are an important element in mobility, which plays a significant role in transportation network. Surprisingly, this transportation mode carries no less than 40% passengers, more than all other major public transportation such as busses and trains (Adrian T. Moore, 2008). There is consideration made by some public transportation analyst saying that using taxi service usually cost more than other public transportation mode, therefore, taxis should offer something that other public transportation means do not have (Salanova, Estrada, Aifadopoulou, & Mitsakis, 2011). In circumstantial cases, taxi services are considered to be important towards certain articulation of the citizenry, such as the disabled, seniors, housewives, and the poor because they have much higher share of taxi trips than their percentage in the population (Moore & Balaker, 2006). Nowadays, the majority of the cities around the world have regulated their taxi services such as controlling taxi entry into the market and implementing a fixed fare (Shaw, Gilbert, Bishop, & Pruitt, 1983). Furthermore, in some major countries like UK’s and US, they also set the requirements for taxi drivers, types of vehicles, finances and controlling the operations. But prior to implementing regulated taxi services, there are lots of research conducted regarding the taxi market regulation which has been done by multi agencies and other public transportation experts (Moore & Balaker, 2006). This paper aim to review the Malaysian taxi services scenario. This paper also supported by the survey to see the congruity between the literature and outcome of the survey prior to the current situation of taxi services in Malaysia. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n4p559

Saturated and trans-fatty acids in UK takeaway food

The aim of the study was to analyze the saturated fatty acid (SFA) and trans-fatty acid (TFA) contents of popular takeaway foods in the UK (including English, pizza, Chinese, Indian and kebab cuisine). Samples of meals were analyzed by an accredited public analyst laboratory for SFA and TFA. The meals were highly variable for SFA and TFA. English and Pizza meals had the highest median amount of SFA with 35.7 g/meal; Kebab meals were high in TFA with up to 5.2 g/meal. When compared to UK dietary reference values, some meals exceeded SFA and TFA recommendations from just one meal. Takeaway food would be an obvious target to reduce SFA and TFA contents and increase the potential of meeting UK recommendations. Strategies such as reformulation and smaller takeaway portion sizes warrant investigation.

The challenges of co-developing a behaviour change app that aimed to make physical activity a habit

The challenges of co-developing a behaviour change app that aimed to make physical activity a habit

The influence of security analysts on CEO pay cuts

This study investigates the role of external monitors, in the form of analyst recommendations, on CEO pay cuts. We use the theories of signaling and optimism to arrive at propositions that predict the relationship between analyst recommendations as external monitors, and CEO pay cuts. CEO pay cuts – which constitute a strong incentive for CEO behavior – have received only limited attention in extant research. Analysis of data for US public firms from 1998 to 2013 suggest that firms with strong external monitoring mechanisms, such as public analyst recommendations, are more likely to implement pay cuts. Our findings reveal that analyst recommendations serve as important and objective external signals and a monitoring mechanism for determining CEO pay cuts. Specifically, low-performing firms and firms with high CEO pay before analyst recommendations are more likely to integrate the analyst downgrades in their decision process regarding CEO compensation. From our analysis, practitioners could learn that – even though they might find it difficult to implement CEO pay cuts – such pay cuts are not only effective but also could be implemented based on external signals from analysts. A takeaway for external analysts is the powerful effect that their negative signals have on CEO pay cuts, thus questioning the optimism bias that is so prevalent in the industry. In order to serve as truly ‘objective’ external monitors, analysts should use ratings judiciously as signaling mechanisms.

Investigation of selected heavy metals in street and house dust from Al-Qunfudah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

In order to investigate the levels of selected heavy metals and propose the causes for the presence of these metals in street and house dust of Al-Qunfudah province (Saudi Arabia), one hundred dust samples were collected, digested and analyzed. All collected samples were digested using Leeds Public Analyst method. The concentrations of heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd, Co and Pb) were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Six heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Co and Pb) were measured in all samples; the concentration of Cd was not detected in Al-Qunfudah dust by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Generally, house dust samples have lower concentrations for Fe and Pb compared to the street dust samples. Conversely, Cu, Mn, Co and Zn have higher concentrations in house dust samples compared to the street dust samples. The street heavy metal levels increase according to the following descending order: Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu>Pb>Co. The values of heavy metals in dust samples in this study were compared with values found in other investigations within the country and in various other countries. The correlation coefficients and enrichment factors relative to earth crust abundances of heavy metals were calculated in order to predict the possible sources in dust. Health risk, the hazard index (HI), values for all studied elements were lower than safe limit of 1 indicating that there is no potential health risk due to exposure to heavy metals from outdoor dust in the study area.

When virtual reality meets realpolitik: Social media shaping the Arab government–citizen relationship

Since most activists participating in the recent uprisings in Arab countries have been using social media to an unprecedented extent, public analyst and researchers have rushed to reflect on and explain the phenomena, often attributing a ‘change agency’ to social media as such. This argumentative research collects evidence from literature, recent surveys and focus groups in order to contextualize our understanding of the role of social media and its usage in reshaping the Arab government–citizen relationship: Are the traits of social media significant enough to single them out and discuss their specific impact on the government–citizen relationship? Are we well advised to attribute an ‘agency’ of social media in shaping politics and inducing political change? And in view of the actual use of social media: What are the options of containing emerging ‘destructive’ phenomena and ‘improving’ the government–citizen relationship? Answers are outlined to support contextualized design of social media technology and regulation: (1) Arab citizens basically support democratic concepts; however (2) social media as such do not act and therefore do not ‘create’ e.g. democracy; rather (3) social media enable a new political sphere for Arab citizens, nevertheless challenged by realpolitik; and (4) social media need care taking in terms of shaping political communication and shaping the media itself in order to serve well as mediator among citizens and between citizens and government.

English

Nigeria’s population growth rates (3.2% in the late 1980s, 2.83% in the early 1990s and 3% in the mid-2000s) have been high, while subsistence farming, characterised byinadequacies, low productivity and high post-harvest losses, dictates rising food insecurity and dwindling nutrition in the country. Taro (Colocasia antiquorum)- a widely cultivated cocoyam, has little demand as food and is vulnerable to post-harvest rot. Towards addressing food insecurity and improving nutrition, this study investigated the potentials of taro as carbohydrate supplement in energy food drink. Chemical analyses were employed to obtain the compositions of prepared taro grit and its energy food drink prepared with sorghum malt grist. A randomly selected panel of tasters appraised the sensory qualities of the prepared taro energy food drink, while a public analyst assessed its fitness to be sold as energy food drink. Results show that the proximate percentagecompositions of taro grit were 77.93% starch and 0.63% fat, among others. These were comparable with the literature values of 63-79% starch and 1.8-2.9% fat for cocoa- a popular carbobydrate supplement in common commercial energy food drinks. The malted sorghum grist had CWE value of 25.82 and HWE value of 59, which fell within the literature acceptable ranges of 16.07-26.54 (CWE) and 17.5-63.1 (HWE). The taroenergy food drink was water-soluble and had similar physico-chemical characteristics and compositions to those of “Ovaltine” (a product of Cadbury Nigeria Plc), which wasused as standard. The panel of tasters could not distinguish the aroma and flavour of the standard from those of the taro energy food drink, which was also adjudged suitable to be sold as energy food drink by the public analyst. It was recommended that the bench-scale production of taro energy food drink should be scaled up to pilot level with a view to commercialising it, in order to minimise post-harvest losses of taro to rot; save storage difficulties, cost and time; increase the nutritional value, presentations and demand for taro; and reduce the price to enhance the affordability of energy food drink in Nigeria. Key words: Food security, improved nutrition, post-harvest loss, Nigeria, taro,carbohydrate supplement, energy food drink.

Strict Adherence to Corporate Governance in the Nigerian Banking Sector: The Uncharted Path

Whereas the 20th century might be viewed as the age of management, the early 21th century is predicted to be more focused on governance. Both terms address control of corporation but governance has always required an examination of underlying purpose and legitimacy.The financial crises of Enron, Arthur Andersen, Tyco, WorldCom and Parmalat at the beginning of the 21st century has heated up the discussion about the proper governance of companies. See the case of Arthur Andersen LLP v. United States which has since stood as a significant precedent on the relevance of corporate governance in corporations. The failed banks crises in Nigeria and other corporate scandals that marked the turn of a new millennium cannot be left out either, as corporate governance has become a popular phrase in the media, the boardrooms, in the discourse of public analyst and other concerned stakeholders.Corporate governance is a highly topical subject which concerns the management of large companies and the way in which they use their power and influence in the society today. It encompasses a wide range of issues extending from company law to business ethics. This is not surprising as increasingly, the activities of both government and corporate organizations are coming under intense scrutiny from concerned citizens, investors, customers and regulators over the manner that government and organization conduct their business.However, good corporate governance will enhance Nigeria and our corporate image and attract high quality employees and investors, and distinguish Nigeria and its peers as good place to work and do business. As I consider the Nigeria banking institution as the focal point in this paper with the looming problems that has imploded a wave of scandals in this sector, I shall therefore attempt to proffer a theoretical framework and a legal response to corporate governance problems that would place the Nigerian banking institution on the global pedestal because excellence should be an integral part of the Nigerian banks Service philosophy which must reflect in the institutions core values and also demonstrate the institutions belief in the principles of corporate governance.

Elemental analysis of dust trapped in air conditioner filters for the assessment of Lahore city’s air quality

A study was undertaken to assess the air quality of Lahore by the elemental analysis of air conditioner (AC) filter dust samples collected from 15 different commercial sites. Samples were prepared using the Leeds Public Analyst Method and were analyzed using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for up to 31 elements. The elements Al, As, Ba, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, Hf, K, La, Lu, Mn, Na, Nd, Rb, Sc, Sm, Sn, Ta, Th, Yb and Zn were detected in all 15 samples whereas the remaining elements have been detected in fewer samples; i.e. Mg, Sb and Tb were detected in 14 samples, Br and V in ten samples, U in nine samples and Ca and Ti in eight samples only. Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg and Na were determined in all samples at percentage levels. The concentrations of most elements were found to lie around the mean values for the 15 samples studied and were not orders of magnitude different. However the concentrations of Ca, Mg, Sn and Zn were found to be more variable and were found to be dependant on activities such as construction, fruit and vegetable handling, tin plating and transport, respectively.

Do private firm valuations contain incremental information content over routine analyst valuations?

In this study, we seek to investigate whether private expert valuations commissioned for specific transactions outside the exchange contain incremental information content over public analyst valuations published routinely by investment houses. First, we find that public valuations are based to a larger extent on financial statements and market quotes, whereas private valuations tend to be based on other, non-public information. Second, we show that investors’ response to both public and private valuations is cautious in the short-run as well as in the long-run. Third, we provide evidence that despite the fact that private valuations have the advantage of time, human resources, and better access to non-public information, they do not provide different results than those obtained from public valuations. We conclude that while private valuations may be captured as more accurate and reliable, their superiority over public valuations is questionable at best.

Reducing Health Disparities: The Perfect Fit for Counseling Psychology

This reaction to the Major Contribution presents a conceptualization of health disparities as another form of oppression of marginalized populations in our society. Consistent with this view, health disparities are then situated within a larger, national context, showing that counseling psychologists' involvement is an integral part of a multidisciplinary national effort. Examples of roles that counseling psychologists can take, beyond those related to patient-provider interactions, are presented in the context of cancer health disparities in Latina women. These roles include acting as staff trainer and consultant, patient and community health empowerment coach, patient advocate, and public policy analyst, as well as the traditional roles of health counselor, psychotherapist, and researcher. Finally, the author issues a call for action for counseling psychologists, for whom the amelioration of disparities is a perfect fit.

The role of the university in city planning: Cleveland's Lakefront Redevelopment Plan

Wendy A. Kellogg is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Studies. She earned her Ph. D (City and Regional Planning) at Cornell University in 1993. Her major fields of research interest are citizen participation, urban and regional sustainability, neighborhood redevelopment, and Great Lakes water quality and land use issues. She has published analyses of Great Lakes water quality planning programs and citizen participation in neighborhood-based environmental planning. Her research projects have included an environmental history and inventory of a neighborhood in central Cleveland, Ohio, the role of local decision makers in coastal and watershed protection, and the role of training programs in shaping local decision-maker behavior toward coastal management. Dr Kellogg was an Ohio Campus Compact Learn and Serve Fellow in 1998 and a USEPA-funded Fellow at the CSU Program on Risk Analysis in 2000-2001. She currently is a research associate of the Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center at Cleveland State University. Dr Kellogg teaches courses in urban planning, environmental planning, environmental policy, and urban theory.
 Kathryn Wertheim Hexter, Director of the Levin College ForumProgram since 2000, joined the Maxine Goodman Levin College asa public policy analyst on housing and energy issues in 1989. The Forum brings together the university and the community to address critical public policy issues that impact Northeast Ohio, the state and the nation. She also manages the Thomas F. Campbell, Ph. D Exhibition Gallery that houses exhibits that complement special forum programs. A planner and public policy analyst, Ms Hexter has over 25 years of experience managing and directing projects and evaluating programs in the areas of housing policy, neighborhood development, low-income energy assistance, city and regional planning and civic engagement.

Determination of heavy metal concentrations in street dusts in Istanbul E-5 highway

Components and quantity of street dust are environmental pollution indicators especially in big cities. Street dust is generally composed of car exhaust gas originated particles and wind-transported particles. Heavy metals, which are found in street dust, such as Pb, Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd and Ni are significant for environmental pollution. According to the kind of vehicle in traffic, quantity and type of heavy metals vary in street dust. The use of leaded gasoline gives a boost to the importance of lead level especially in street dust even at the start of 21st century. These metals possess bioaccumulation property, and the possibility of the amount of these metals reaching a critical value and threatening human health increases the importance of this issue. In this study, street dusts have been collected from E-5 Highway from Topkapi to Avcilar regions that spans about 18 km in Istanbul, Turkey, and Pb, Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd and Ni concentrations have been detected in street dust. Twenty-two street dust samples were taken from a total of 22 different points at previously decided 14 main areas. Analyses were conducted using Leeds Public Analyst method. According to the results of this study, Pb, Cu and Zn concentrations in E-5 Highway between Topkapi and Avcilar region in Istanbul were higher than maximum concentration levels of these heavy metals in normal soil. This situation indicates that there is heavy metal pollution in the inspected area in E-5 Highway in Istanbul.

"Anarchical Fallacies": Bentham's Attack on Human Rights

For those interested in human rights, the year 1998 deserves to be remembered for at least two convergent reasons. Two hundred and fifty years ago, in 1748, Jeremy Bentham was born in London, and in 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. Thus in 1998 we celebrated two major anniversaries: the birth of an important and influential English thinker – a philosopher, lawyer, reformer and public policy analyst – and the anniversary of the formulation of the most influential manifesto of international human rights.

How Do Stock Markets Process Analysts' Recommendations?

Prior studies have documented that abnormal returns are earned by following security analysts' investment recommendations (Womack (1996), Kim, Lin, and Slovin (1997)). This paper explores the impact of analyst investment recommendations on intraday stock returns when those recommendations are conditioned on the release of public news. Additionally, this study re-addresses the question of whether analyst recommendations have investment value. We examine the timing of analyst recommendations compared to public news by analyzing intraday patterns of recommendations, news announcements, and return volatility. Additionally, we investigate the intraday market impact of both analyst recommendations and public news announcements. From this, we examine the marginal impact of analyst recommendations that are released in conjunction with news announcements, as well as the differential impact between public news and analyst recommendations when recommendations are released separately from other news.