Influence of drying treatments on antioxidant capacity of forage legume leaves

This study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant capacities of four common forage legume leaves namely, Arachis pintoi (Pintoi), Calapogonium mucunoides (Calapo), Centrosema pubescens (Centro), and Stylosanthes guanensis (Stylo). Two different drying methods (oven-drying and freeze-drying) were employed and antioxidant activities were determined by DPPH, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and β-carotene bleaching assays. Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Freeze-dried extract showed the highest antioxidant activities by DPPH (EC50 values 1.17–2.13 mg/ml), FRAP (147.08–246.42 μM of Fe2+/g), and β-carotene bleaching (57.11–78.60%) compared to oven drying. Hence, freeze drying treatment could be considered useful in retention of antioxidant activity and phenolic content

Critical success factors for dynamic enterprise risk management in responsive organisations : a factor analysis approach

Globalisation and technology advancements have disrupted the organisational landscape and with the proliferation of new technology; risk management is fundamental to transforming the business especially considering the dynamic nature of the digital society organisations now exist in. However, the challenge faced by the enterprise risk management (ERM) function operating in such a dynamic and transformative environment, is the capability to continuously innovate, evolve and transform its risk management processes to meet the needs of the organisation. Questionnaire survey research examined the relative importance of 18 critical success factors for dynamic ERM. Factor analysis revealed that the appropriate grouping of the 18 critical success factors (CSFs) are ERM charter, ERM processes, and ERM business alignment. These findings should empower organisations to identify risk management processes influencing agility in the risk management practise applied.http://link.springer.combookseries/558hj2020Informatic

How to prevent the detrimental effects of two months of bed-rest on muscle, bone and cardiovascular system: an RCT

Abstract Physical inactivity leads to a deconditioning of the skeletal, neuromuscular and cardiovascular system. It can lead to impaired quality of life, loss of autonomy, falls and fractures. Regular exercise would be a logical remedy, but the generally recommended high-volume endurance and strength training programs require a lot of time and equipment. In this randomized controlled study with 23 healthy participants, we established that a short, intensive jump training program can prevent the large musculoskeletal and cardiovascular deconditioning effects caused by two months of physical inactivity during bed rest, particularly the loss of bone mineral mass and density, lean muscle mass, maximal leg strength and peak oxygen uptake. The jump training group showed no significant changes with respect to these indicators of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health after 60 days of bed rest, whereas the control group exhibited substantial losses: up to −2.6% in tibial bone mineral content and density, −5% in leg lean mass, −40% in maximal knee extension torque and −29% in peak oxygen uptake. Consequently, we recommend jump training as a very time-efficient and effective type of exercise for astronauts on long-term space missions, the elderly and sedentary populations in general