Trade in Goods and Factors with International Differences in Technology

A general model of trade caused by international differences in production technology is developed using techniques of duality theory. For the caseof product-augmenting differences in technology, it is shown that there is a positive correlation between net export and technological superiority, such that a country will "on average" export goods for which the country has superior technolor. If some factors are permitted to be internationally traded, it is demonstrated via this correlation that the volume of trade must increase. Thus unlike trade caused by factor endowment differences, goods trade caused by product-augmenting differences in production technolody is always in this sense complementary with factor trade. For factor-augmenting technology differences, in the absence of factor trade the goods trade pattern is as if it was caused by factor endowment differences. With factor trade, goods trade and factor trade can then be either complements or substitutes.

Chemical Composition and Effect of Processing and Flour Particle Size on Physicochemical and Organoleptic Properties of Cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta var. esculenta) Flour

ABSTRACTThis work investigated the chemical composition of cocoyam corms and cormels and the effect of processing and particle size on the physicochemical and organoleptic properties of the flours for use as soup thickener. Fresh cocoyam corms and cormels were peeled, sliced, washed, divided into four parts that were variously blanched, sulphited and sulphited/blanched. The control was not treated. The slices were sun dried (32±2°C, 3 days), milled and classified with standard sieves into particle sizes of 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6mm. The flour samples and fresh corms and cormels were analyzed for the proximate composition, ascorbic acid, anthocyanin and oxalic acid contents. The flours were also analyzed for the pH, bulk density, water and oil absorption capacities and the sensory properties of colour and texture. On dry weight basis, the protein, fat, crude fibre, ash and carbohydrate contents of the corms, cormels and flours were the same (p>0.05). Ascorbic acid, anthocyanin and oxalic acid contents were respectively reduced from averages of 30.35, 31.58 and 173.88mg/ 100g (dry weight) in the corm/cormel to ranges of 8.95 — 16.28, 9.58 — 15.90 and 141.69 — 160.68mg/ 100g in the flours. Bulk density was increased (p<0.05) by blanching and particle size. The water and oil absorption capacities were increased (p<0.05) by blanching. Colour preference was improved by sulphiting, blanching and decreasing particle size. Texture preference was only affected by particle size. Acceptablility of soups from flours were not affected by treatments and particle sizes

Ferrets exclusively synthesize Neu5Ac and express naturally humanized influenza A virus receptors

Mammals express the sialic acids ​N-acetylneuraminic acid (​Neu5Ac) and ​N-glycolylneuraminic acid (​Neu5Gc) on cell surfaces, where they act as receptors for pathogens, including influenza A virus (IAV). ​Neu5Gc is synthesized from ​Neu5Ac by the enzyme cytidine monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH). In humans, this enzyme is inactive and only ​Neu5Ac is produced. Ferrets are susceptible to human-adapted IAV strains and have been the dominant animal model for IAV studies. Here we show that ferrets, like humans, do not synthesize ​Neu5Gc. Genomic analysis reveals an ancient, nine-exon deletion in the ferret CMAH gene that is shared by the Pinnipedia and Musteloidia members of the Carnivora. Interactions between two human strains of IAV with the sialyllactose receptor (sialic acid—α2,6Gal) confirm that the type of terminal sialic acid contributes significantly to IAV receptor specificity. Our results indicate that exclusive expression of ​Neu5Ac contributes to the susceptibility of ferrets to human-adapted IAV strains

Effect of various temperatures on the nutritional compositions of fermented African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) seed

The effect of temperature on the nutritional values of fermented African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) seed were studied. Temperatures ranging between 40 to 70⁰C were used for the fermentation. Biochemical and physiological analysis were evaluated. Highest nutritional values were obtained with samples fermented at lower temperatures (40 and 50⁰C) and they all had acceptable end products while all the samples fermented with higher temperature (60 and 70⁰C) gave poor nutritional values with unacceptable end products. Bacillus subtilis was used as starter culture and fermentation was carried out for 5 days (120 hours). An increase in moisture, protein, crude fat contents and decrease in total carbohydrate and crude fibre were noticed for all the fermentation temperature variation. The Organic functional groups were identified and characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The effect of temperature on the morphological structure of fermented sample

Effect of various temperatures on the nutritional compositions of fermented African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) seed

The effect of temperature on the nutritional values of fermented African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) seed were studied. Temperatures ranging between 40 to 70⁰C were used for the fermentation. Biochemical and physiological analysis were evaluated. Highest nutritional values were obtained with samples fermented at lower temperatures (40 and 50⁰C) and they all had acceptable end products while all the samples fermented with higher temperature (60 and 70⁰C) gave poor nutritional values with unacceptable end products. Bacillus subtilis was used as starter culture and fermentation was carried out for 5 days (120 hours). An increase in moisture, protein, crude fat contents and decrease in total carbohydrate and crude fibre were noticed for all the fermentation temperature variation. The Organic functional groups were identified and characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The effect of temperature on the morphological structure of fermented sample

Racial Differences in Physical and Mental Health

This article examines the extent to which racial differences in socio-economic status (SES), social class and acute and chronic indicators of perceived discrimination, as well as general measures of stress can account for black-white differences in self-reported measures of physical and mental health. The observed racial differences in health were markedly reduced when adjusted for education and especially income. However, both perceived discrimination and more traditional measures of stress are related to health and play an incremental role in accounting for differences between the races in health status. These findings underscore the need for research efforts to identify the complex ways in which economic and non-economic forms of discrimination relate to each other and combine with socio-economic position and other risk factors and resources to affect health.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67159/2/10.1177_135910539700200305.pd

R : Phage biocontrol to combat Pseudomonas syringae pathogens causing disease in cherry

Bacterial canker is a major disease of Prunus species, such as cherry (Prunus avium). It is caused by Pseudomonas syringae pathovars, including P. syringae pv. syringae (Pss) and P. syringae pv. morsprunorum race 1 (Psm1) and race 2 (Psm2). Concerns over the environmental impact of, and the development of bacterial resistance to, traditional copper controls calls for new approaches to disease management. Bacteriophage-based biocontrol could provide a sustainable and natural alternative approach to combat bacterial pathogens. Therefore, seventy phages were isolated from soil, leaf and bark of cherry trees in six locations in the south east of England. Subsequently, their host range was assessed against strains of Pss, Psm1 and Psm2. While these phages lysed different Pss, Psm and some other P. syringae pathovar isolates, they did not infect beneficial bacteria such as Pseudomonas fluorescens. A subset of thirteen phages were further characterized by genome sequencing, revealing five distinct clades in which the phages could be clustered. No known toxins or lysogeny-associated genes could be identified. Using bioassays, selected phages could effectively reduce disease progression in vivo, both individually and in cocktails, reinforcing their potential as biocontrol agents in agriculture

N=2 supersymmetric AdS_4 solutions of M-theory

We analyse the most general N=2 supersymmetric solutions of D=11 supergravity consisting of a warped product of four-dimensional anti-de-Sitter space with a seven-dimensional Riemannian manifold Y_7. We show that the necessary and sufficient conditions for supersymmetry can be phrased in terms of a local SU(2)-structure on Y_7. Solutions with non-zero M2-brane charge also admit a canonical contact structure, in terms of which many physical quantities can be expressed, including the free energy and the scaling dimensions of operators dual to supersymmetric wrapped M5-branes. We show that a special class of solutions is singled out by imposing an additional symmetry, for which the problem reduces to solving a second order non-linear ODE. As well as recovering a known class of solutions, that includes the IR fixed point of a mass deformation of the ABJM theory, we also find new solutions which are dual to cubic deformations. In particular, we find a new supersymmetric warped AdS_4 x S^7 solution with non-trivial four-form flux.Comment: 50 pages, 2 figures; v2: typos fixed, some intermediate formulas added to improve clarity, references adde