469 research outputs found
THE MANTECA YELLOW BEAN: A GENETIC RESOURCE OF FAST COOKING AND HIGH IRON BIOAVAILABILITY PHENOTYPES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF DRY BEANS (\u3ci\u3ePhaseolus vulgaris\u3c/i\u3e L.)
Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are a nutrient dense food produced globally as a major pulse crop for direct human consumption. Despite being rich in protein and micronutrients, long cooking times limit the use of dry beans worldwide, especially in regions relying on wood and charcoal as the primary sources of fuel for cooking, such as Sub-Sahara Africa and the Caribbean. Coincidently, these same regions also have high densities of women and children at risk for micronutrient deficiencies [1]. There is need for a fast cooking bean, which can positively impact consumers by reducing fuel cost and preparation time, while simultaneously complementing the nutritional quality of house-hold based meals [2].
To help accelerate a reliable increase in dry bean production for Sub-Saharan Africa, the Andean Bean Diversity Panel (ADP; http://arsftfbean.uprm.edu/bean/) was assembled as a genetic resource in the development of fast cooking, nutritional improved, biotic/abiotic resistant varieties. A germplasm screening for atmospheric cooking time (100oC) of over 200 bean accessions from the ADP identified only five fast cooking entries [3]. Two entries were white beans from Burundi (Blanco Fanesquero) and Ecuador (PI527521). Native to Chile, two of the six fast cooking entries were collected from Angola, and had a pale lemon ‘Manteca’ yellow seed color (Cebo, Mantega Blanca). Traditional knowledge from Chile suggests Manteca yellow beans are low flatulence and easy to digest [4].
Yellow beans of various shades are important in Eastern and Southern Africa. Their popularity has increased in recent years and they often fetch the highest prices at the marketplace. There is evidence to suggest that Manteca yellow beans have a unique nutritional profile when compared to other yellow seed types; with more soluble dietary fiber, less indigestible protein and starch, and are also free of condensed tannins. The hypothesis was tested that this unique composition would also have a positive influence on the bioavailability of iron in an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture bioassay
Evolution of the fishtail-effect in pure and Ag-doped MG-YBCO
We report on magnetic measurements carried out in a textured
YBaCuO and YBa(CuAg)O (at
0.02) crystals. The so-called fishtail-effect (FE) or second
magnetization peak has been observed in a wide temperature range
0.4~~0.8 for . The origin of the FE arises for
the competition between surface barrier and bulk pinning. This is confirmed in
a non-monotonically behavior of the relaxation rate . The value
for Ag-doped crystals is larger than for the pure one due to the presence of
additional pinning centers, above all on silver atoms.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
A Study of the PDGF Signaling Pathway with PRISM
In this paper, we apply the probabilistic model checker PRISM to the analysis
of a biological system -- the Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) signaling
pathway, demonstrating in detail how this pathway can be analyzed in PRISM. We
show that quantitative verification can yield a better understanding of the
PDGF signaling pathway.Comment: In Proceedings CompMod 2011, arXiv:1109.104
Comprehensive dose evaluation of a Deep Learning based synthetic Computed Tomography algorithm for pelvic Magnetic Resonance-only radiotherapy
A hydrogen beam to characterize the ASACUSA antihydrogen hyperfine spectrometer
The antihydrogen programme of the ASACUSA collaboration at the antiproton
decelerator of CERN focuses on Rabi-type measurements of the ground-state
hyperfine splitting of antihydrogen for a test of the combined
Charge-Parity-Time symmetry. The spectroscopy apparatus consists of a microwave
cavity to drive hyperfine transitions and a superconducting sextupole magnet
for quantum state analysis via Stern-Gerlach separation. However, the small
production rates of antihydrogen forestall comprehensive performance studies on
the spectroscopy apparatus. For this purpose a hydrogen source and detector
have been developed which in conjunction with ASACUSA's hyperfine spectroscopy
equipment form a complete Rabi experiment. We report on the formation of a
cooled, polarized, and time modulated beam of atomic hydrogen and its detection
using a quadrupole mass spectrometer and a lock-in amplification scheme. In
addition key features of ASACUSA's hyperfine spectroscopy apparatus are
discussed.
Sagopilone (ZK-EPO, ZK 219477) for recurrent glioblastoma. A phase II multicenter trial by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Brain Tumor Group
Background: Sagopilone (ZK 219477), a lipophylic and synthetic analog of epothilone B, that crosses the blood-brain barrier has demonstrated preclinical activity in glioma models. Patients and methods: Patients with first recurrence/progression of glioblastoma were eligible for this early phase II and pharmacokinetic study exploring single-agent sagopilone (16 mg/m2 over 3 h every 21 days). Primary end point was a composite of either tumor response or being alive and progression free at 6 months. Overall survival, toxicity and safety and pharmacokinetics were secondary end points. Results: Thirty-eight (evaluable 37) patients were included. Treatment was well tolerated, and neuropathy occurred in 46% patients [mild (grade 1) : 32%]. No objective responses were seen. The progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 6 months was 6.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-18.7], the median PFS was just over 6 weeks, and the median overall survival was 7.6 months (95% CI 5.3-12.3), with a 1-year survival rate of 31.6% (95% CI 17.7-46.4). Maximum plasma concentrations were reached at the end of the 3-h infusion, with rapid declines within 30 min after termination. Conclusions: No evidence of relevant clinical antitumor activity against recurrent glioblastoma could be detected. Sagopilone was well tolerated, and moderate-to-severe peripheral neuropathy was observed in despite prolonged administratio
Saturation-recovery metabolic‐exchange rate imaging with hyperpolarized [1‐13C] pyruvate using spectral‐spatial excitation
A 16 Parts per Trillion Comparison of the Antiproton-to-Proton q/m Ratios
The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics is both incredibly successful and
glaringly incomplete. Among the questions left open is the striking imbalance
of matter and antimatter in the observable universe which inspires experiments
to compare the fundamental properties of matter/antimatter conjugates with high
precision. Our experiments deal with direct investigations of the fundamental
properties of protons and antiprotons, performing spectroscopy in advanced
cryogenic Penning-trap systems. For instance, we compared the proton/antiproton
magnetic moments with 1.5 ppb fractional precision, which improved upon
previous best measurements by a factor of >3000. Here we report on a new
comparison of the proton/antiproton charge-to-mass ratios with a fractional
uncertainty of 16ppt. Our result is based on the combination of four
independent long term studies, recorded in a total time span of 1.5 years. We
use different measurement methods and experimental setups incorporating
different systematic effects. The final result,
= ,
is consistent with the fundamental charge-parity-time (CPT) reversal
invariance, and improves the precision of our previous best measurement by a
factor of 4.3. The measurement tests the SM at an energy scale of
GeV (CL 0.68), and improves 10 coefficients of the
Standard Model Extension (SME). Our cyclotron-clock-study also constrains
hypothetical interactions mediating violations of the clock weak equivalence
principle (WEP) for antimatter to a level of , and enables the first differential test of the WEP
using antiprotons \cite{hughes1991constraints}. From this interpretation we
constrain the differential WEP-violating coefficient to
A False Start in the Race Against Doping in Sport: Concerns With Cycling’s Biological Passport
Professional cycling has suffered from a number of doping scandals. The sport’s governing bodies have responded by implementing an aggressive new antidoping program known as the biological passport. Cycling’s biological passport marks a departure from traditional antidoping efforts, which have focused on directly detecting prohibited substances in a cyclist’s system. Instead, the biological passport tracks biological variables in a cyclist’s blood and urine over time, monitoring for fluctuations that are thought to indirectly reveal the effects of doping. Although this method of indirect detection is promising, it also raises serious legal and scientific concerns. Since its introduction, the cycling community has debated the reliability of indirect biological-passport evidence and the clarity, consistency, and transparency of its use in proving doping violations. Such uncertainty undermines the legitimacy of finding cyclists guilty of doping based on this indirect evidence alone. Antidoping authorities should address these important concerns before continuing to pursue doping sanctions against cyclists solely on the basis of their biological passports
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