THE STUDY OF THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PUMPKIN SEEDS (CUCURBITA MAXIMA DUCH.) CULTIVATED IN THE SOUTH OF OLTENIA

The aim of this study was to provide information on the physico-chemical characteristics of the seeds of pumpkin varieties and genotypes, grown on the sandy soils of southern Oltenia. Different physico-chemical characteristics of whole pumpkin seeds were analyzed. So, the length, width and thickness recorded, in the two years of the study, average values between 17.26 -20.58 mm; 11.06 - 11.74 mm; and 4.11 - 4.55 mm in 2021, respectively 17.64 - 22.10 mm; 10.67 -12.80 mm and 3.77 - 4.93 mm, in the year 2022. Seed weight, another characteristic determined, varied in the two years of the study between 0.26 – 0.32g (2021) and 0.25 – 0.46g (2022). Based on the measurements, sphericity and shape indices were calculated. Regarding the chemical composition of pumpkin seeds, in 2022 the content of moisture, protein and oil was determined

Body size and obesity during adulthood, and risk of lympho-haematopoietic cancers: an update of the WCRF-AICR systematic review of published prospective studies.

BACKGROUND: To summarise the evidence on the associations between body mass index (BMI) and BMI in early adulthood, height, waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and risk of lympho-haematopoietic cancers. METHOD: We conducted a meta-analysis of prospective studies and identified relevant studies published up to December 2017 by searching PubMed. A random-effects model was used to calculate dose-response summary relative risks (RRs). RESULTS: Our findings showed BMI, and BMI in early adulthood (aged 18-21 years) is associated with the risk of Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL and NHL), diffuse large beta-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Leukaemia including acute and chronic myeloid lymphoma (AML and CML), and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma (MM). The summary RR per 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI were 1.12 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-1.20] for HL, 1.05 (95% CI: 1.03-1.08) for NHL, 1.11 (95% CI: 1.05-1.16) for DLBCL, 1.06 (95% CI: 1.03-1.09) for ML, 1.09 (95% CI: 1.03-1.15) for leukaemia, 1.13 (95% CI: 1.04-1.24) for AML, 1.13 (95% CI: 1.05-1.22) for CML and 1.04 (95% CI: 1.00-1.09) for CLL, and were1.12 (95% CI: 1.05-1.19) for NHL, 1.22 (95% CI: 1.09-1.37) for DLBCL, and 1.19 (95% CI: 1.03-1.38) for FL for BMI in early adulthood analysis. Results on mortality showed a 15%, 16% and 17% increased risk of NHL, MM and leukaemia, respectively. Greater height increased the risk of NHL by 7%, DLBCL by 10%, FL by 9%, MM by 5% and Leukaemia by 7%. WHR was associated with increased risk of DLBCL by 12%. No association was found between higher WC and risk of MM. CONCLUSION: Our results revealed that general adiposity in adulthood and early adulthood, and greater height may increase the risk of almost all types of lympho-haematopoietic cancers and this adds to a growing body of evidence linking body fatness to several types of cancers.This work was funded by the World Cancer Research Fund Network (grant number 2007/SP01) as part of the Continuous Update Project (http://www.wcrf-uk.org/)

Spontaneous focusing on numerosity in preschool as a predictor of mathematical skills and knowledge in the fifth grade

Previous studies in a variety of countries have shown that there are substantial individual differences in children’s spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON), and these differences are positively related to the development of early numerical skills in preschool and primary school. A total of 74 5-year-olds participated in a 7-year follow-up study, in which we explored whether SFON measured with very small numerosities at 5 years of age predicts mathematical skills and knowledge, math motivation, and reading in fifth grade at 11 years of age. Results show that preschool SFON is a unique predictor of arithmetic fluency and number line estimation but not of rational number knowledge, mathematical achievement, math motivation, or reading. These results hold even after taking into account age, IQ, working memory, digit naming, and cardinality skills. The results of the current study further the understanding of how preschool SFON tendency plays a role in the development of different formal mathematical skills over an extended period of time.</p

Mathematical skills of 11-year-old children born very preterm and full-term

Preterm birth affects the academic development of children, especially in mathematics. Remarkably, only a few studies have measured specific effects of preterm birth on mathematical skills in primary school. The aim of this study was to compare 11-year-old children, with an IQ above 70, born very preterm (N = 64) and full-term (N = 72) on a variety of 5th grade mathematical skills and cognitive abilities important for mathematical learning. The measures were spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON), spontaneous focusing on quantitative relations (SFOR), arithmetic fluency, mathematics achievement, number line estimation, rational number magnitude knowledge, mathematics motivation, reading skills, visuospatial processing, executive functions, and naming speed. The children born very preterm and full-term differed in arithmetic fluency, SFON and SFOR. Domain general cognitive abilities did not fully explain the group differences in SFON and SFOR. Retrospective comparisons of the samples at the age of five years showed large group differences in early mathematical skills and cognitive abilities. Despite lower early mathematical skills, the children born very preterm reached peer equivalent performance in many mathematical skills by the age of 11 years. Nevertheless, they appear less likely to focus on implicit mathematical features in their everyday life.</p

World Cancer Research Fund International: Continuous Update Project—systematic literature review and meta-analysis of observational cohort studies on physical activity, sedentary behavior, adiposity, and weight change and breast cancer risk

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to systematically review the complex associations between energy balance-related factors and breast cancer risk, for which previous evidence has suggested different associations in the life course of women and by hormone receptor (HR) status of the tumor. Methods: Relevant publications on adulthood physical activity, sedentary behavior, body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences, waist-to-hip ratio, and weight change and pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer risk were identified in PubMed up to 30 April 2017. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to summarize the relative risks across studies. Results: One hundred and twenty-six observational cohort studies comprising over 22,900 premenopausal and 103,000 postmenopausal breast cancer cases were meta-analyzed. Higher physical activity was inversely associated with both pre- and postmenopausal breast cancers, whereas increased sitting time was positively associated with postmenopausal breast cancer. Although higher early adult BMI (ages 18–30 years) was inversely associated with pre- and postmenopausal breast cancers, adult weight gain and greater body adiposity increased breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women, and the increased risk was evident for HR+ but not HR− breast cancers, and among never but not current users of postmenopausal hormones. The evidence was less consistent in premenopausal women. There were no associations with adult weight gain, inverse associations with adult BMI (study baseline) and hip circumference, and non-significant associations with waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio that were reverted to positive associations on average in studies accounting for BMI. No significant associations were observed for HR-defined premenopausal breast cancers. Conclusion: Better understanding on the impact of these factors on pre- and postmenopausal breast cancers and their subtypes along the life course is needed

Observation of compositional domains within individual copper indium sulfide quantum dots

The origin of photoluminescence in copper indium sulfide (CIS) quantum dots (Qdots) has previously been ascribed to a donor-acceptor pair (DAP) recombination, with a crystal lattice defect implicated as the origin of the donor state. In this study, electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) was used to observe defect-rich compositional domains within individual CIS Qdots, supporting a model of defect-state-mediated photoluminescence for these particles, and identifying them as an ideal model system for future study of lattice defects on Qdot properties