Processing and storage effects on the polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity of conventional and sugar-free blueberry jams

Fresh blueberries have received much attention due to their positive role in human health and disease prevention. The abundance of polyphenolics, namely anthocyanins and procyanidins, is thought to play an important role in health promotion. Due to seasonal availability and limited shelf-life, blueberries are commonly preserved and consumed in various thermally processed forms (jams, juices, canned whole fruit, and purées). Both conventional high sugar and sugar-free blueberry jams are available on the market, but no information is available on how different formulations, processing conditions, and storage of processed jams affect the retention of polyphenolics and antioxidant capacity found in fresh berries. In this study, fresh blueberries were processed into conventional and sugar-free jams, and stored for 6 months at 4°C and 25°C. Jams were analyzed 1 d after processing and after 2, 4, and 6 months of storage for anthocyanins and procyanidins by HPLC, percent polymeric color, and oxygen radical absorbing capacity (ORAC). Anthocyanins in conventional jams were more susceptible to degradation and polymerization during storage than anthocyanins in sugar-free jams, which may be associated with elevated sugar content. Higher levels of polymers in conventional jams resulted in higher ORAC values, indicating that the polymers formed during storage possess potent antioxidant capacity. However, more research is needed to characterize the anthocyanin polymers and assess their bioavailability. Anthocyanin pigments were much more stable in sugar-free jams indicating that the low calorie jams are a healthy alternative to conventional jams. Anthocyanins, procyanidins, and ORAC were better retained in jams stored at 4°C than at 25°C indicating blueberry jams should be stored under refrigeration in order to maximize retention of health-promoting antioxidants

Energy Inefficiency in Industrial Agriculture: You Are What You Eat: Working Paper Series--09-09

Modern industrial farming technologies for growing fruits, vegetables and grains have changed substantially in recent decades. In many locations such as Arizona, these industries are highly energy and water-intensive operations. As such, the sustainability of these operations is called into question. The economic, social and climate implications of energy use in agriculture are worth further discussion. Based on the idea of a sustainable energy budget, the production processes of various foods are analyzed which prove to be very energy inefficient. Various primary and secondary sources are used to evaluate a series of industrial production methods to produce food. The conclusions are presented in a series of calculations based on the direct fossil fuel inputs used in production. Fossil fuel based industrial agriculture raises numerous issues requiring more advanced analysis. The environmental, ecological and social justice issues of modern industrial agriculture require a reassessment form myriad perspectives: farm subsidies, consumer demand and preferences, engineering technologies and water policy

You can make a positive return by investing in residential solar systems: An Arizona case study: Working paper series--09-04

The new federal tax credit on a solar panel system makes an investment financially worthwhile. The actual 14 month production history of a 2919 watt solar system is used to calculate the net present value of the savings on APS electricity bills over the 25 year lifespan of the system. The NPV is estimated at $1,625 with an internal rate of return of 8.3$1,000 the IRR changes substantially as smaller systems are analyzed. An Addendum to WPS 09-04: April 5, 2010. This is an important addendum to our March 2009 paper. In the original paper we treated the APS buyback payment as independent of the Federal tax credit and the Arizona tax credit as being subtracted from the allowable costs for the federal tax credit. Recent rulings have made both of these calculations incorrect. The federal tax credit is independent of the $1,000 state tax credit, so the 30$300. However, section 136 of the IRS code for Energy Conservation subsidies provided by public utilities stipulates that, pursuant to the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act of 1978, the rebate from the public utility is considered as gross income. Using an estimated marginal tax rate of 28% (head of household, income $117k to$190k) the additional income tax is $2,446. Modifying our previous calculations, the total out of pocket expenditures by the homeowner is$8,385 instead of the $6,239. The increased income tax, however unrelated to the intent of Congress in passing the energy bill, changes the financial viability of any investment. The return of investment drops to 5.04$521 as opposed to the original positive $1,625. (The assumed interest rate is 5.7%). PDF file reflects this Addendum on its cover page

Learning and interactivity in solving a transformation problem

Outside the psychologist's laboratory, thinking proceeds on the basis of a great deal of interaction with artefacts that are recruited to augment problem-solving skills. The role of interactivity in problem solving was investigated using a river-crossing problem. In Experiment 1A, participants completed the same problem twice, once in a low interactivity condition, and once in a high interactivity condition (with order counterbalanced across participants). Learning, as gauged in terms of latency to completion, was much more pronounced when the high interactivity condition was experienced second. When participants first completed the task in the high interactivity condition, transfer to the low interactivity condition during the second attempt was limited; Experiment 1B replicated this pattern of results. Participants thus showed greater facility to transfer their experience of completing the problem from a low to a high interactivity condition. Experiment 2 was designed to determine the amount of learning in a low and high interactivity condition; in this experiment participants completed the problem twice, but level of interactivity was manipulated between subjects. Learning was evident in both the low and high interactivity groups, but latency per move was significantly faster in the high interactivity group, in both presentations. So-called problem isomorphs instantiated in different task ecologies draw upon different skills and abilities; a distributed cognition analysis may provide a fruitful perspective on learning and transfer

Energy and water use in Arizona agriculture: Working paper series--08-08

Increasing energy and water concerns in Arizona are the driving forces to improve the efficiency of agricultural production within the state. In this article we address the energy and water uses in growing a variety of crops in Arizona. The goal of the research project is to identify and quantify all energy and water uses from the production of the initial seed, through the treatments of the soil and various chemical introductions, all the way until the crop is harvested in the field. Thus, the analysis is "from seed to the edge of the field." Using a series of secondary data sources, the paper provides ranges for the energy and water consumption for the predominant crops grown in the major agriculture areas of the state

Physical activity is associated with reduced Implicit learning but enhanced relational memory and executive functioning in young adults

Accumulating evidence suggests that physical activity improves explicit memory and executive cognitive functioning at the extreme ends of the lifespan (i.e., in older adults and children). However, it is unknown whether these associations hold for younger adults who are considered to be in their cognitive prime, or for implicit cognitive functions that do not depend on motor sequencing. Here we report the results of a study in which we examine the relationship between objectively measured physical activity and (1) explicit relational memory, (2) executive control, and (3) implicit probabilistic sequence learning in a sample of healthy, college-aged adults. The main finding was that physical activity was positively associated with explicit relational memory and executive control (replicating previous research), but negatively associated with implicit learning, particularly in females. These results raise the intriguing possibility that physical activity upregulates some cognitive processes, but downregulates others. Possible implications of this pattern of results for physical health and health habits are discussed

A 2 R_⊕ Planet Orbiting the Bright Nearby K Dwarf Wolf 503

Since its launch in 2009, the Kepler telescope has found thousands of planets with radii between that of Earth and Neptune. Recent studies of the distribution of these planets have revealed a gap in the population near 1.5–2.0 R⊕, informally dividing these planets into "super-Earths" and "sub-Neptunes." The origin of this division is difficult to investigate directly because the majority of planets found by Kepler orbit distant, dim stars and are not amenable to radial velocity follow-up or transit spectroscopy, making bulk density and atmospheric measurements difficult. Here, we present the discovery and validation of a newly found 2.03^(+0.08)_(-0.07) R⊕ planet in direct proximity to the radius gap, orbiting the bright (J = 8.32 mag), nearby (D = 44.5 pc) high proper motion K3.5V star Wolf 503 (EPIC 212779563). We determine the possibility of a companion star and false positive detection to be extremely low using both archival images and high-contrast adaptive optics images from the Palomar observatory. The brightness of the host star makes Wolf 503b a prime target for prompt radial velocity follow-up, and with the small stellar radius (0.690 ± 0.025R⊙), it is also an excellent target for HST transit spectroscopy and detailed atmospheric characterization with JWST. With its measured radius near the gap in the planet radius and occurrence rate distribution, Wolf 503b offers a key opportunity to better understand the origin of this radius gap as well as the nature of the intriguing populations of "super-Earths" and "sub-Neptunes" as a whole

Anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody MEDI0680 in a phase I study of patients with advanced solid malignancies.

BACKGROUND: The safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of the anti-programmed cell death-1 antibody MEDI0680 were evaluated in a phase I, multicenter, dose-escalation study in advanced solid malignancies. METHODS: MEDI0680 was administered intravenously once every 2 weeks (Q2W) or once every 3 weeks at 0.1, 0.5, 2.5, 10 or 20 mg/kg. Two cohorts received 20 mg/kg once a week for 2 or 4 weeks, then 20 mg/kg Q2W. All were treated for 12 months or until progression. The primary endpoint was safety. Secondary endpoints were efficacy and pharmacokinetics. Exploratory endpoints included pharmacodynamics. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients were treated. Median age was 62.5 years and 81% were male. Most had kidney cancer (n = 36) or melanoma (n = 9). There were no dose-limiting toxicities. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 83% and were grade ≥ 3 in 21%. Objective clinical responses occurred in 8/58 patients (14%): 5 with kidney cancer, including 1 with a complete response, and 3 with melanoma. The relationship between dose and serum levels was predictable and linear, with apparent receptor saturation at 10 mg/kg Q2W and all 20 mg/kg cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: MEDI0680 induced peripheral T-cell proliferation and increased plasma IFNγ and associated chemokines regardless of clinical response. CD8+ T-cell tumor infiltration and tumoral gene expression of IFNG, CD8A, CXCL9, and granzyme K (GZMK) were also increased following MEDI0680 administration. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02013804 ; date of registration December 12, 2013