Phytochemical properties, antioxidant potential and fatty acids profiling of three dragon fruit species grown under sub-tropical climate

The physical, biochemical and antioxidant properties of one white pulped (Hylocereus undatus; DG-I) and two red pulped dragon fruit species (H. polyrhizus, DG-II; H. costaricencis, DG-III) grown under sub-tropical conditions of north-west India were determined. Fruit size, fruit weight, pulp weight and pulp: peel ratio was significantly higher in DG-III, though the fruit numbers and yield per pillar was significantly less than other species. The pH, TSS, acidity, total sugar, reducing sugars and moisture content in all the species varied between 4.78-5.72, 8.63-9.31 oBrix, 0.30-0.56%, 6.64-6.91%, 4.60-4.76% and 83.44-85.82%, respectively. Total phenols and flavanols content in DG-I was 24.04 mg GAE 100 g−1 and 14.54 mg RE 100 g−1, whereas in red pulped it was significantly higher; varying between 49.12-56.40 mg GAE 100 g−1 and 30.41-31.10 mg RE 100 g−1 fruit pulp, respectively. β-carotene values in red pulped species DG-II and DG-III were 47.48 and 43.82 µg 100 g−1, respectively compared to corresponding values of 1.96 µg 100 g−1 in DG-I, a white pulped dragon fruit. Similarly, DPPH-RSC, FRAP, CUPRAC and ABTS values for red pulped dragon fruit ranged between 238.98-262.04 µmol 100 g−1, 358.8-386.40 µmol TE 100 g−1, 830.40-917.0 µmol TE 100 g−1 and 571.4-589.60 µmol 100 g−1, respectively in DG-II and DG-III in comparison to respective values of 108.75 µmol 100 g−1, 192.6 µmol TE 100 g−1, 525.6 µmol TE 100 g−1 and 400.2 µmol 100 g−1 in DG-I. The β-lain, responsible for imparting red colour in DG-II and DG-III was absent in white pulped DG-I. Seed oil content in both groups of dragon fruit varied between 31.90-33.5% with highest proportion of an essential fatty acid, linoleic acid (46.32-47.96%). In conclusion, red pulped dragon fruit has a considerably higher antioxidative potential than white one and these species may play a vital role in ensuring nutritional security for millions of people in developing nations

Kinematic modelling of the Milky Way using the RAVE and GCS stellar surveys

We investigate the kinematic parameters of the Milky Way disc using the RAVE and GCS stellar surveys. We do this by fitting a kinematic model to the data taking the selection function of the data into account. For stars in the GCS we use all phase-space coordinates, but for RAVE stars we use only $(l,b,v_{\rm los})$. Using MCMC technique, we investigate the full posterior distributions of the parameters given the data. We investigate the `age-velocity dispersion' relation for the three kinematic components ($\sigma_R,\sigma_{\phi},\sigma_z$), the radial dependence of the velocity dispersions, the Solar peculiar motion ($U_{\odot},V_{\odot}, W_{\odot}$), the circular speed $\Theta_0$ at the Sun and the fall of mean azimuthal motion with height above the mid-plane. We confirm that the Besan\c{c}on-style Gaussian model accurately fits the GCS data, but fails to match the details of the more spatially extended RAVE survey. In particular, the Shu distribution function (DF) handles non-circular orbits more accurately and provides a better fit to the kinematic data. The Gaussian distribution function not only fits the data poorly but systematically underestimates the fall of velocity dispersion with radius. We find that correlations exist between a number of parameters, which highlights the importance of doing joint fits. The large size of the RAVE survey, allows us to get precise values for most parameters. However, large systematic uncertainties remain, especially in $V_{\odot}$ and $\Theta_0$. We find that, for an extended sample of stars, $\Theta_0$ is underestimated by as much as $10\%$ if the vertical dependence of the mean azimuthal motion is neglected. Using a simple model for vertical dependence of kinematics, we find that it is possible to match the Sgr A* proper motion without any need for $V_{\odot}$ being larger than that estimated locally by surveys like GCS.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Neutron Stars and Nuclei in the Modified Relativistic Hartree Approximation

We have examined the properties of neutron-rich matter and finite nuclei in the modified relativistic Hartree approximation for several values of the renormalization scale, $\mu$, around the standard choice of $\mu$ equal to the nucleon mass $M$. Observed neutron star masses do not effectively constrain the value of $\mu$. However for finite nuclei the value $\mu/M=0.79$, suggested by nuclear matter data, provides a good account of the bulk properties with a sigma mass of about 600 MeV. This value of $\mu/M$ renders the effective three and four body scalar self-couplings to be zero at 60\% of equilibrium nuclear matter density, rather than in the vacuum. We have also found that the matter part of the exchange diagram has little impact on the bulk properties of neutron stars.Comment: 33 pages, Latex, 8 figures (available from authors by fax), Minnesota preprint NUC-MINN-93/7-

Reframing how we care for people with persistent non-traumatic musculoskeletal pain. Suggestions for the rehabilitation community

There have been repeated calls to re-evaluate how clinicians provide care for people presenting with persistent non-traumatic musculoskeletal conditions. One suggestion is to move away from the ‘we can fix and cure you’ model to adopting an approach that is more consistent with approaches used when managing other persistent non-communicable diseases; education, advice, a major focus on self-management including lifestyle behavioural change, physical activity and medications as required. Currently the global delivery of musculoskeletal care has many of the elements of a ‘super wicked problem’, namely conflict of interest from stake-holders due to the consequences of change, prevailing expectation of a structural diagnosis and concomitant fix for musculoskeletal pain, persistent funding of high risk, more expensive care when low risk more economic viable options that don't impact on the quality of outcome exist, and an unquestionable need to find a solution now with the failure resulting in a growing social and economic burden for future generations. To address these issues, 100 participants included clinicians, educators and researchers from low-, middle- and high-income countries, eight presenters representing the physiotherapy, sport medicine and the orthopaedic professions and the insurance industry, together with three people who shared their lived experiences of persistent musculoskeletal pain, discussed the benefits and barriers of implementing change to address this problem. This paper presents the results from the stakeholders’ contextual analysis and forms the basis for the proposed next steps from an action and advocacy perspective

Applications of Near-IR CW and Ultrafast Pulsed Lasers and Photo-active Biominerals in Reconstructive and Restorative Surgery of Hard Tissues

The emergence of ultrashort pulsed near-IR lasers has opened novel opportunities not only for investigating the physics of interaction of such lasers with photo-active biomaterials for reconstructive and restorative bone and dental tissue engineering, but also for analysing the light-matter interaction in the CW laser regime for reconstructive surgical applications. The clinically-relevant examples discussed are for enamel restoration, osteoporotic bone-mass augmentation, and reconstructing damaged bone after trauma. Here, we explain the process of energy absorption in both the CW and ultrashort-pulsed regimes using the heat transfer process which impacts on the mineralisation of tissue. The aspect of thermal management by controlling the repetition rates of ultrashort pulses in near-IR lasers is also explained using sub-ablation and ablation models which are particularly relevant for dental tissue surgical reconstruction. On the other hand, for bone applications both the CW and ultrashort pulsed laser become highly relevant, depending on the type of clinical case for reconstructive surgery. The presentation will also explain the cell/human stem-cell biological characterisations of the laser-treated biomineral scaffolds in vitro for testing the toxicity, cell viability, and proliferation analyses. We will conclude by explaining the need for regulatory process, safety procedures needed prior to animal and first-in-human studies

Erratum: "A Gravitational-wave Measurement of the Hubble Constant Following the Second Observing Run of Advanced LIGO and Virgo" (2021, ApJ, 909, 218)

[no abstract available

Search for gravitational waves from Scorpius X-1 in the second Advanced LIGO observing run with an improved hidden Markov model

We present results from a semicoherent search for continuous gravitational waves from the low-mass x-ray binary Scorpius X-1, using a hidden Markov model (HMM) to track spin wandering. This search improves on previous HMM-based searches of LIGO data by using an improved frequency domain matched filter, the J-statistic, and by analyzing data from Advanced LIGO's second observing run. In the frequency range searched, from 60 to 650 Hz, we find no evidence of gravitational radiation. At 194.6 Hz, the most sensitive search frequency, we report an upper limit on gravitational wave strain (at 95% confidence) of h095%=3.47×10-25 when marginalizing over source inclination angle. This is the most sensitive search for Scorpius X-1, to date, that is specifically designed to be robust in the presence of spin wandering. © 2019 American Physical Society

Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts Detected by Fermi and Swift during the LIGO-Virgo Run O3b

We search for gravitational-wave signals associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Fermi and Swift satellites during the second half of the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo (2019 November 1 15:00 UTC-2020 March 27 17:00 UTC). We conduct two independent searches: A generic gravitational-wave transients search to analyze 86 GRBs and an analysis to target binary mergers with at least one neutron star as short GRB progenitors for 17 events. We find no significant evidence for gravitational-wave signals associated with any of these GRBs. A weighted binomial test of the combined results finds no evidence for subthreshold gravitational-wave signals associated with this GRB ensemble either. We use several source types and signal morphologies during the searches, resulting in lower bounds on the estimated distance to each GRB. Finally, we constrain the population of low-luminosity short GRBs using results from the first to the third observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. The resulting population is in accordance with the local binary neutron star merger rate. © 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society