180 research outputs found
Formulation and nutritional evaluation of a complementary food blend made from fermented yellow maize (Improved variety), soybean and African cat fish meal
Fermented cereal-based gruels with poor nutritional value form a major component of the diet of infants during the transition phase of childhood. With the recent security challenges affecting people in the north- east region of Nigeria, food security is at stake, malnutrition is common among infants and young children while reliance on UNICEF for supplies of ready- to- use therapeutic foods is not a long-term solution. A complementary food blend was prepared following the guideline of WHO/FAO on infants’ nutritional requirements in a 60:20:20 ratio from fermented yellow maize (improved variety), roasted soybean and fishmeal respectively. All the sample materials were pre-processed by either fermentation, drying or roasting prior to food blend formulation. Standard methods (AOAC) were used to evaluate the nutritional values of the raw and processed materials and the formulated complementary food blend. Water absorption capacity of the fermented yellow maize significantly decreased (P< 0.05) with decrease in pH and increase in titratable acidity from 20% - 51% (0 – 72h). The carbohydrate (64.35±0.03%) and protein contents (14.55±0.03% and energy value (351.64±0.03 Kcal/100g) of the complementary food blend was closely comparable to the commercial complementary food blend cerelac® (Carbohydrate 69.00%, Protein 15.0%, and energy 426.00 Kcal/100g) and satisfied the needs of infants. The low moisture content (3.1±0.02%) exhibited by the complementary food blend might give a good storage stability. The iron level of the complementary food blend (40.33± 0.03%) was higher than that of the commercial complementary food blend celerac® (10.0%), though the levels of potassium, zinc and calcium were lower. Microbial analysis showed no contamination with pathogenic organisms in the formulated food blend. The formulated complementary food blend met the WHO estimated requirements of infant 6 – 23 months in terms of nutritional quality and may therefore be a good substitute to the imported, expensive alternatives
Interacting Agegraphic Dark Energy
A new dark energy model, named "agegraphic dark energy", has been proposed
recently, based on the so-called K\'{a}rolyh\'{a}zy uncertainty relation, which
arises from quantum mechanics together with general relativity. In this note,
we extend the original agegraphic dark energy model by including the
interaction between agegraphic dark energy and pressureless (dark) matter. In
the interacting agegraphic dark energy model, there are many interesting
features different from the original agegraphic dark energy model and
holographic dark energy model. The similarity and difference between agegraphic
dark energy and holographic dark energy are also discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, revtex4; v2: references added; v3: accepted by
Eur. Phys. J. C; v4: published versio
Parametrization of Born-Infeld Type Phantom Dark Energy Model
Applying the parametrization of dark energy density, we can construct
directly independent-model potentials. In Born-Infeld type phantom dark energy
model, we consider four special parametrization equation of state parameter.
The evolutive behavior of dark energy density with respect to red-shift ,
potentials with respect to and are shown mathematically. Moreover,
we investigate the effect of parameter upon the evolution of the
constructed potential with respect to . These results show that the
evolutive behavior of constructed Born-Infeld type dark energy model is quite
different from those of the other models.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space
Scienc
Asymptotic behavior of w in general quintom model
For the quintom models with arbitrary potential , the
asymptotic value of equation of state parameter w is obtained by a new method.
In this method, w of stable attractors are calculated by using the ratio (d ln
V)/(d ln a) in asymptotic region. All the known results, have been obtained by
other methods, are reproduced by this method as specific examples.Comment: 8 pages, one example is added, accepted for publication in Gen. Rel.
Gra
Positronium Portal into Hidden Sector: A new Experiment to Search for Mirror Dark Matter
The understanding of the origin of dark matter has great importance for
cosmology and particle physics. Several interesting extensions of the standard
model dealing with solution of this problem motivate the concept of hidden
sectors consisting of SU(3)xSU(2)_LxU(1)_Y singlet fields. Among these models,
the mirror matter model is certainly one of the most interesting. The model
explains the origin of parity violation in weak interactions, it could also
explain the baryon asymmetry of the Universe and provide a natural ground for
the explanation of dark matter. The mirror matter could have a portal to our
world through photon-mirror photon mixing (epsilon). This mixing would lead to
orthopositronium (o-Ps) to mirror orthopositronium oscillations, the
experimental signature of which is the apparently invisible decay of o-Ps. In
this paper, we describe an experiment to search for the decay o-Ps -> invisible
in vacuum by using a pulsed slow positron beam and a massive 4pi BGO crystal
calorimeter. The developed high efficiency positron tagging system, the low
calorimeter energy threshold and high hermiticity allow the expected
sensitivity in mixing strength to be epsilon about 10^-9, which is more than
one order of magnitude below the current Big Bang Nucleosynthesis limit and in
a region of parameter space of great theoretical and phenomenological interest.
The vacuum experiment with such sensitivity is particularly timely in light of
the recent DAMA/LIBRA observations of the annual modulation signal consistent
with a mirror type dark matter interpretation.Comment: 40 pages, 29 Figures 2 Tables v2: Ref. added, Fig. 29 and some text
added to explain idea for backscattering e+ background suppression, corrected
typos v3: minor corrections: Eq 2.1 corrected (6 lines-> 5 lines), Eq.2.17:
two extra "-" signs remove
Crossing w=-1 in Gauss-Bonnet Brane World with Induced Gravity
Recent type Ia supernovas data seemingly favor a dark energy model whose
equation of state crosses -1 very recently, which is a much more amazing
problem than the acceleration of the universe. In this paper we show that it is
possible to realize such a crossing without introducing any phantom component
in a Gauss-Bonnet brane world with induced gravity, where a four dimensional
curvature scalar on the brane and a five dimensional Gauss-Bonnet term in the
bulk are present. In this realization, the Gauss-Bonnet term and the mass
parameter in the bulk play a crucial role.Comment: Revtex 16 pages including 10 eps files, references added, to appear
in Comm. Theor. Phy
Cosmological solutions in multidimensional model with multiple exponential potential
A family of cosmological solutions with Ricci-flat spaces in the
theory with several scalar fields and multiple exponential potential is
obtained when coupling vectors in exponents obey certain relations. Two
subclasses of solutions with power-law and exponential behaviour of scale
factors are singled out. It is proved that power-law solutions may take place
only when coupling vectors are linearly independent and exponential dependence
occurs for linearly dependent set of coupling vectors. A subfamily of solutions
with accelerated expansion is singled out. A generalized isotropization
behaviours of certain classes of general solutions are found. In quantum case
exact solutions to Wheeler-DeWitt equation are obtained and special "ground
state" wave functions are considered.Comment: 22 pages, 1 figur
Variable Modified Chaplygin Gas in Anisotropic Universe with Kaluza-Klein Metric
In this work, we have consider Kaluza-Klein Cosmology for anisotropic
universe where the universe is filled with variable modified chaplygin gas
(VMCG). Here we find normal scalar field and the self interacting
potential to describe the VMCG Cosmology. Also we graphically
analyzed the geometrical parameters named {\it statefinder parameters} in
anisotropic Kaluza-Klein model. Next, we consider a Kaluza-Klein model of
interacting VMCG with dark matter in the Einstein gravity framework. Here we
construct the three dimensional autonomous dynamical system of equations for
this interacting model with the assumption that the dark energy and the dark
matter are interact between them and for that we also choose the interaction
term. We convert that interaction terms to its dimensionless form and perform
stability analysis and solve them numerically. We obtain a stable scaling
solution of the equations in Kaluza-Klein model and graphically represent
solutions.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figure
in interacting quintessence model
A model consisting of quintessence scalar field interacting with cold dark
matter is considered. Conditions required to reach are discussed. It
is shown that depending on the potential considered for the quintessence,
reaching the phantom divide line puts some constraints on the interaction
between dark energy and dark matter. This also may determine the ratio of dark
matter to dark energy density at .Comment: 10 pages, references updated, some notes added, minor changes
applied, accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.
Thermodynamics of Modified Chaplygin Gas and Tachyonic Field
Here we generalize the results of the work of ref. [10] in modified Chaplygin
gas model and tachyonic field model. Here we have studied the thermodynamical
behaviour and the equation of state in terms of volume and temperature for both
models. We have used the solution and the corresponding equation of state of
our previous work [12] for tachyonic field model. We have also studied the
thermodynamical stability using thermal equation of state for the tachyonic
field model and have shown that there is no critical points during
thermodynamical expansion. The determination of due to expansion for
the tachyonic field have been discussed by assuming some initial conditions.
Here, the thermal quantities have been investigated using some reduced
parameters.Comment: 10 page
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