2,885 research outputs found
Grain Characteristics, Chemical Composition, and Functional Properties of Rye (Secale cereale L.) As Influenced by Genotype and Harvest Year
Grain characteristic, chemical composition, and functional properties of rye were measured in 19 different cultivars grown in one location in up to 3 years. The cultivars included 8 adapted hybrids, 7 adapted population cultivars, and 4 nonadapted population cultivars. The results showed a significant influence of both harvest year and genotype on grain characteristics, chemical composition, and functional properties of the grain. Multivariate data analysis confirmed that the variations in the data were explained by yearly and genotype differences. Calculations of variance components showed that the variations in plant height, harvest yield, and protein content were mainly due to genotype differences and to a lesser extent to differences among harvest years. The kernel weight, hardness index, and content of dietary fiber components, however, were more strongly influenced by the harvest year than by the genotype. Differences in starch properties measured by falling number (FN), amylograph peak viscosity, and temperature at peak viscosity were more strongly influenced by harvest year. The water absorption was strongly influenced by genotype effects, compared to yearly differences. FN and amylograph peak temperature were positively correlated (r = 0.94). No correlation was found between the water absorption and the relative proportion of water-extractable arabinoxylan (AX) compared to the total AX content. However, the degree of ferulic acid cross-linking showed a negative correlation (r = -0.70) with the water absorption
Cultivar and Year-to-Year Variation of Phytosterol Content in Rye (Secale cereale L.)
Intake of phytosterols (and -stanols) has been shown to decrease the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and thus protect against development of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, studies on the cultivar and year-to-year variation in phytosterol content in rye grains have been performed. The phytosterol content and composition of different rye cultivars, grown under identical conditions on the same field in three consecutive years, were analyzed. Both cultivar and year-to-year variation in sterol content were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). The total sterol content varied from 1007 ± 21 mg/kg in the highest yielding cultivar, Tsulpan 3, to 761 ± 10 mg/kg in the lowest yielding cultivar (Amando in the 1999 harvest). Because the meteorological conditions varied substantially between the different years, it was possible to deduce the impact of varying weather conditions on phytosterol content in the different cultivars. The studied cultivars had all the lowest phytosterol contents in the dry and warm harvest season of 1999. Although there were statistically significant cultivar and year-to-year variations in the sterol composition (p < 0.0001), these were only between 2 and 4% of the total sterol content
Obesity continues to be a major health risk for Danish seafarers and fishermen
Background. In addition to the well-known medical consequences of overweight, severe obesity
may also constitute a safety problem on board a ship in case of an emergency. The purpose of
this study was to determine the current extent of the problem of overweight among Danish
seafarers and fishermen and to follow-up the situation since a previous survey. The aim was to
identify the main target groups and determine the need for continuous intervention.
Material and methods. Data on height and weight were obtained from the mandatory health
examinations of seafarers and fishermen. A total of 2,101 seafarers were included in the study.
Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated for each individual seafarer. Data from two other surveys
were used as reference.
Results. A total of 1,379 (66%) of all tested subjects were overweight. Among the male officers
and ratings, the relative risk of being overweight was 1.33 (1.25–1.38) and 1.30 (1.22–1.38),
respectively. The relative risk for fishermen was 1.45 (1.25–1.66) and for maritime students and
trainees 1.44 (1.25–1.66). The female seafarers had a relative risk of being overweight of 1.42
(1.23–1.65). There were a statistical significantly increased number of overweight merchant
seafarers since 2001/2002.
Discussion. The study shows that Danish merchant seafarers have a major and significantly
increasing overweight problem. Among fishermen, overweight was even more frequent. Overweight
constitutes a threat not only to their health, but also to their career at sea. The larger than
expected incidence of overweight among new employees in the industry provides particular
cause for concern. The causes of the problem are complex and interventions need to be broad.
(Int Marit Health 2011; 62, 2: 98–103
Obesity continues to be a major health risk for Danish seafarers and fishermen
Background. In addition to the well-known medical consequences of overweight, severe obesity
may also constitute a safety problem on board a ship in case of an emergency. The purpose of
this study was to determine the current extent of the problem of overweight among Danish
seafarers and fishermen and to follow-up the situation since a previous survey. The aim was to
identify the main target groups and determine the need for continuous intervention.
Material and methods. Data on height and weight were obtained from the mandatory health
examinations of seafarers and fishermen. A total of 2,101 seafarers were included in the study.
Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated for each individual seafarer. Data from two other surveys
were used as reference.
Results. A total of 1,379 (66%) of all tested subjects were overweight. Among the male officers
and ratings, the relative risk of being overweight was 1.33 (1.25–1.38) and 1.30 (1.22–1.38),
respectively. The relative risk for fishermen was 1.45 (1.25–1.66) and for maritime students and
trainees 1.44 (1.25–1.66). The female seafarers had a relative risk of being overweight of 1.42
(1.23–1.65). There were a statistical significantly increased number of overweight merchant
seafarers since 2001/2002.
Discussion. The study shows that Danish merchant seafarers have a major and significantly
increasing overweight problem. Among fishermen, overweight was even more frequent. Overweight
constitutes a threat not only to their health, but also to their career at sea. The larger than
expected incidence of overweight among new employees in the industry provides particular
cause for concern. The causes of the problem are complex and interventions need to be broad.
(Int Marit Health 2011; 62, 2: 98–103
Fast, exact CMB power spectrum estimation for a certain class of observational strategies
We describe a class of observational strategies for probing the anisotropies
in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) where the instrument scans on rings
which can be combined into an n-torus, the {\em ring torus}. This class has the
remarkable property that it allows exact maximum likelihood power spectrum
estimation in of order operations (if the size of the data set is )
under circumstances which would previously have made this analysis intractable:
correlated receiver noise, arbitrary asymmetric beam shapes and far side lobes,
non-uniform distribution of integration time on the sky and partial sky
coverage. This ease of computation gives us an important theoretical tool for
understanding the impact of instrumental effects on CMB observables and hence
for the design and analysis of the CMB observations of the future. There are
members of this class which closely approximate the MAP and Planck satellite
missions. We present a numerical example where we apply our ring torus methods
to a simulated data set from a CMB mission covering a 20 degree patch on the
sky to compute the maximum likelihood estimate of the power spectrum
with unprecedented efficiency.Comment: RevTeX, 14 pages, 5 figures. A full resolution version of Figure 1
and additional materials are at http://feynman.princeton.edu/~bwandelt/RT
Scalar Dark Matter From Theory Space
The scalar dark matter candidate in a prototypical theory space little Higgs
model is investigated. We review all details of the model pertinent to dark
matter. We perform a thermal relic density calculation including couplings to
the gauge and Higgs sectors of the model. We find two regions of parameter
space that give acceptable dark matter abundances. The first region has a dark
matter candidate with a mass of order 100 GeV, the second region has a heavy
candidate with a mass greater than about 500 GeV$. The dark matter candidate in
either region is an admixture of an SU(2) triplet and an SU(2) singlet, thereby
constituting a WIMP (weakly interacting massive particle).Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures, version to appear in PR
Risk analysis of a distillation unit
A risk analysis of a batch distillation unit is de-scribed. The analysis has been carried out at several stages during plant design, construction, and operation. The costs, quality, and benefits is using the methods are described
Higgsino Dark Matter in a SUGRA Model with Nonuniversal Gaugino Masses
We study a specific SUGRA model with nonuniversal gaugino masses as an
alternative to the minimal SUGRA model in the context of supersymmetric dark
matter. The lightest supersymmetric particle in this model comes out to be a
Higgsino dominated instead of a bino dominated lightest neutralino. The thermal
relic density of this Higgsino dark matter is somewhat lower than the
cosmologically favoured range, which means it may be only a subdominant
component of the cold dark matter. Nonetheless, it predicts favourable rates of
indirect detection, which can be seen in square-km size neutrino telescopes.Comment: Version to appear in Phys. Rev. D. A few references added in the
bibliography and a comment added in Section 2. LaTex, 16 pages, 4 figure
Protein sequence and structure: Is one more fundamental than the other?
We argue that protein native state structures reside in a novel "phase" of
matter which confers on proteins their many amazing characteristics. This phase
arises from the common features of all globular proteins and is characterized
by a sequence-independent free energy landscape with relatively few low energy
minima with funnel-like character. The choice of a sequence that fits well into
one of these predetermined structures facilitates rapid and cooperative
folding. Our model calculations show that this novel phase facilitates the
formation of an efficient route for sequence design starting from random
peptides.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, to appear in J. Stat. Phy
Ground-state properties of tubelike flexible polymers
In this work we investigate structural properties of native states of a
simple model for short flexible homopolymers, where the steric influence of
monomeric side chains is effectively introduced by a thickness constraint. This
geometric constraint is implemented through the concept of the global radius of
curvature and affects the conformational topology of ground-state structures. A
systematic analysis allows for a thickness-dependent classification of the
dominant ground-state topologies. It turns out that helical structures,
strands, rings, and coils are natural, intrinsic geometries of such tubelike
objects
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