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Good Balance (good + balance)
Selected AbstractsA TADPOLE-INDUCED POLYPHENISM IN THE SALAMANDER HYNOBIUS RETARDATUSEVOLUTION, Issue 10 2002Hirofumi Michimae Abstract., Larvae of the salamander Hynobius retardatus have two distinct morphs: normal and broad-headed, cannibal morphs. We performed three experiments to differentiate among the following hypotheses: The broad-headed morph is induced to allow: (1) feeding on nutritious conspecifics; (2) exclusion of strong competitors for food or space; or (3) feeding on large, tough prey when smaller prey items are unavailable. When newly hatched larvae were reared with a heterospecific, Rana pirica (an anuran amphibian) tadpoles, the broad-headed morph was induced more frequently compared with those reared with conspecifics. The phenotype expressed depended on the size of the tadpoles: The broad-headed morph occurred more frequently with small and the normal morph with large tadpoles. Metamorphosis occurred sooner in larvae fed conspecifics compared with those fed heterospecific tadpoles, and the mean growth rate of larvae fed conspecifics was significantly faster than that of those fed tadpoles, suggesting that the heterospecific tadpoles were less nutritive than the conspecifics. These results do not support the hypotheses that the broad-headed morph evolved for consuming conspecifics because of their better balance of nutrients or for excluding strong competitors for food or space. We tentatively conclude that the morph evolved to eat large, tough prey, including both conspecifics and heterospecific tadpoles. Because H. retardatus usually spawns very early in the spring in small ponds partially covered with ice and snow, newly hatched larvae may starve from the lack of proper food owing to extremely low water temperatures. Thus, the broad-headed morph of H. retardatus may represent a cold-habitat adaptation to overcome the severe circumstance when the only food items available are relatively large conspecifics or heterospecific tadpoles. [source] Association Between Changes in Habitual Physical Activity and Changes in Bone Density, Muscle Strength, and Functional Performance in Elderly Men and WomenJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 12 2008Robin M. Daly PhD OBJECTIVES: To investigate the long-term effects of habitual physical activity on changes in musculoskeletal health, functional performance, and fracture risk in elderly men and women. DESIGN: Ten-year prospective population-based study. SETTING: Malmö-Sjöbo Prospective Study, Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 152 men and 206 women aged 50, 60, 70, and 80 who were followed for 10 years. MEASUREMENTS: Distal radius bone mineral density (BMD) (single photon absorptiometry), upper limb muscle (grip) strength, balance, gait velocity, occupational and leisure-time activity, and fractures (interview-administered questionnaire) were reassessed after 10 years. Annual changes for all measures were compared between participants with varying habitual physical activity histories at baseline and follow-up: inactive,inactive (n=202), active,inactive (n=47), inactive,active (n=49), and active,active (n=60). Data for men and women were pooled, because there were no sex-by-activity group interactions. To detect possible differences in fracture incidence between the varying habitual activity groups, participants were classified into two activity groups based on their activity classification at baseline and follow-up: inactive:less active versus active:more active. RESULTS: The annual rate of bone loss was 0.6% per year less in individuals classified as active at both time points than in those classified as inactive at both time points (P<.01). Similar results were observed for balance, but there was no effect of varying habitual activity on changes in muscle strength or gait velocity. There were also no differences in fracture incidence between individuals categorized as active:more active and those categorized as inactive:less active during the follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio=0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.42,1.90). CONCLUSION: This study showed that elderly men and women who maintained a habitually active lifestyle over 10 years had lower bone loss and retained better balance than those who remained habitually inactive. [source] Cognitive and Mobility Profile of Older Social DancersJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 8 2006Joe Verghese MD OBJECTIVES: To define the cognitive and physical attributes of regular social dancing so as to help establish its health benefits and help plan future dance interventions to prevent adverse outcomes in older adults such as falls, slow gait, and dementia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey with two-group comparison. SETTING: Bronx County, New York. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four cognitively normal older social dancers (OSDs) were compared with 84 age-, sex-, and education-matched older nondancers (ONDs) participating in a community-based study. MEASUREMENTS: Motor and cognitive performance was assessed using validated clinical and quantitative methods. RESULTS: There were no differences in the frequency of participation in other cognitive and physical leisure activities, chronic illnesses, or falls between OSDs and ONDs. Cognitive test performance was not different between OSDs and ONDs. OSDs had better balance but not strength than ONDs. OSDs had a longer mean stride±standard deviation than ONDs (117.8±10.5 cm vs 103.4±20.2 cm, P=.008) on quantitative gait assessment, with a more stable pattern during walking with reduced stance time (63.9% vs 65.9%, P=.01), longer swing time (36.1% vs 34.1%, P=.01), and shorter double support time (27.9% vs 30.9%, P=.03). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that long-term social dancing may be associated with better balance and gait in older adults. [source] Rehabilitation and guidance as reported by women and men who had undergone coronary bypass surgeryJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 4 2007Kirsi Koivunen RN Aims and objectives., The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of rehabilitation reported by coronary artery disease patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. A further purpose was to describe the kind of guidance on rehabilitation that they were given during this period. Methods., The data consisted of thematic questionnaires completed by six women and eight men who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. They had recorded their experiences on these questionnaires at one-month intervals for a year after the surgery. The data were analysed using the method of content analysis. Results., On the basis of the results, women had experienced the most balanced period of physical, mental and social rehabilitation during the six months following surgery. Their recovery, however, suffered a setback after the first six months. On the basis of the results, men attained a better balance of physical, mental and social rehabilitation only after the six-month period following surgery. Even men had various problems in their rehabilitation, but their recovery proceeded more smoothly than that of women. Women hoped for more guidance throughout the process of rehabilitation. The support and help from wives had a positive impact on the process of men's recovery. Peer support was another significant source support. Conclusions., A person undergoing rehabilitation needs special guidance from health care professionals, especially when his/her rehabilitation does not proceed optimally. The findings suggest that, especially, the guidance of women should be improved because women seemed to suffer from many problems during their process of rehabilitation, including loneliness, insecurity, uncertainty, fears, depression and anxiety. Relevance to clinical practice., Expanding the role of practical nurses to provide both preventive and rehabilitation guidance should be seen as an important strategy in health care. Individual needs, gender differences and support from families and peers should be taken into consideration when planning and implementing guidance. [source] Evidence-based human resource management: a study of nurse leaders' resource allocationJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2009LISBETH FAGERSTRÖM RN Aims, The aims were to illustrate how the RAFAELA system can be used to facilitate evidence-based human resource management. Background, The theoretical framework of the RAFAELA system is based on a holistic view of humankind and a view of leadership founded on human resource management. Methods, Nine wards from three central hospitals in Finland participated in the study. The data, stemming from 2006,2007, were taken from the critical indicators (ward-related and nursing intensity information) for national benchmarking used in the RAFAELA system. The data were analysed descriptively. Results, The daily nursing resources per classified patient ratio is a more specific method of measurement than the nurse-to-patient ratio. For four wards, the nursing intensity per nurse surpassed the optimal level 34% to 62.2% of days. Resource allocation was clearly improved in that a better balance between patients' care needs and available nursing resources was maintained. Conclusions, The RAFAELA system provides a rational, systematic and objective foundation for evidence-based human resource management. Implications for nursing management, Data from a systematic use of the RAFAELA system offer objective facts and motives for evidence-based decision making in human resource management, and will therefore enhance the nurse leaders' evidence and scientific based way of working. [source] Postnatal effects of incubation length in mallard and pheasant chicksOIKOS, Issue 3 2004Jan-Åke Nilsson Eggs of mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) and ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) were incubated in clutches arranged to stimulate embryos to hatch earlier or later than normal. This manipulation of hatching time was achieved by combining eggs of different age in the same clutch. To ensure hatching synchrony, embryos communicate with each other during the last stage of incubation, resulting in either a delay or an acceleration of hatching. Embryos of both species that accelerated their hatching time suffered a higher mortality rate after hatching. Combining mortality with the proportion of hatchlings that suffered from leg deformities, impeding their movements, resulted in a cost also to pheasant chicks delaying their hatching. Chicks of both species accelerating hatching time had a lower minimum mass and a shorter tarsus length than control chicks, whereas chicks delaying hatching time either grew as well or slightly better than control chicks. Mallard chicks had better balance and mobility immediately after hatching the longer they stayed in the egg. This indicates that the period immediately before hatching, is an important period for muscular and organ maturity. Reducing this period results in costs affecting post-hatching survival. The strategy to assure synchronous hatching in mallards and pheasants probably reflect a trade-off between the negative effects of shifting the age at hatching away from normal and differences in predation risk during different stages of reproduction. [source] Changes in heathland vegetation under goat grazing: effects of breed and stocking rateAPPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010Rafael Celaya Abstract Questions: How are heathland vegetation dynamics affected by different goat grazing management? Location: Cantabrian heathlands in Illano, Asturias, northern Spain. Methods: During 4 years, vegetation dynamics (structural composition, canopy height and floristic diversity) were studied under three goat grazing treatments with three replicates: high stocking rate (11.7 goats ha,1) with a local Celtiberic breed, and high (15 goats ha,1) and low (6.7 goats ha,1) stocking rates with a commercial Cashmere breed. Results: The relative cover of woody plants, particularly heather species, decreased more while herbaceous cover increased more under local Celtiberic than under Cashmere breed grazing. Within Cashmere treatments, the cover and height of live shrubs decreased more and the herbaceous cover increased more under high than under low stocking rate. Redundancy analysis showed a significant effect of treatment × year interaction on floristic composition. Greater species richness was recorded under local goat grazing, but Shannon diversity index fell in the fourth year on these plots because of dominance by two grass species. Conclusions: Local Celtiberic goat grazing at such a high stocking rate (11.7 goats ha,1) hinders the development of sustainable systems on these heathlands, both in environmental and productive terms, owing to the limitations in soil fertility. Nevertheless, Celtiberic goats could be useful for controlling excessive shrub encroachment and reducing fire hazard. Cashmere goat grazing at high stocking rate promoted the highest Shannon diversity by generating a better balance between woody and herbaceous plants, while shrub dominance was not altered under the low stocking rate. [source] Die Fotografie , ein neues Bildmedium im Wissenschaftspanorama des 19.BERICHTE ZUR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE, Issue 2 2005Jahrhunderts. Abstract Photography , a novel medium of scientific representation in the XIXth century array of arts and sciences. To delve into various nineteenth century academic disciplines under the heading ,photography in the arts and sciences' as did last year's annual conference of the History of Science Society , the interest in such a topic only partly stems from the ,iconic turn' that has generally enlarged the scope of the social sciences in recent years. A more poignant feature in any such present day study will probably be a basic scepticism facing the fact that in public use photographs have been manipulated in many respects. Yet, while shying away from any simple success story, a historically minded approach to changing ,visual paradigms' (Historische Bildwissenschaft) has begun to emerge. In this context, it has proved of considerable heuristic value to reconsider the role of early photography in an array of science, arts and technology: Since the reliance on the traditional ways of sketching reality persisted, in many an instance where photography was introduced, the thoughts the pioneer photographers had about their new, seemingly automated business, call for close attention. Thus scholarship sets up a parallel ,discussion room'; the lively debate on the benefit of academic drawings as opposed to photographic portraits is a case in point. Some fairly specialised reports on photographically based analyses, such as electron microscopy, point to a borderline where the very idea of representation as a correspondence of reality and imagination gets blurred. Even though any ,visual culture' will have to shoulder the ,burden of representation', it is equally likely that it will offer a deeper sensibility for the intricacies entailed in the variegated ways of illustrating or mapping chosen subjects of scientific interest. Scholarship may thus somewhat control the disillusionment that by now has become the epitome of writing on photographic history. Provided with a renewed methodological awareness for the perception process and its photographic transition, historians may strike a better balance between the ever present tendencies of a realistic and an aesthetic way of picturing the world we live in. [source] Kinetic characterization of vero cell metabolism in a serum-free batch culture processBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 1 2010Emma Petiot Abstract A global kinetic study of the central metabolism of Vero cells cultivated in a serum-free medium is proposed in the present work. Central metabolism including glycolysis, glutaminolysis, and tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) was demonstrated to be saturated by high flow rates of consumption of the two major substrates, glucose, and glutamine. Saturation was reavealed by an accumulation of metabolic intermediates and amino acids, by a high production of lactate needed to balance the redox pathway, and by a low participation of the carbon flow to the TCA cycle supply. Different culture conditions were set up to reduce the central metabolism saturation and to better balance the metabolic flow rates between lactate production and energetic pathways. From these culture conditions, substitutions of glutamine by other carbon sources, which have lower transport rates such as asparagine, or pyruvate in order to shunt the glycolysis pathway, were successful to better balance the central metabolism. As a result, an increase of the cell growth with a concomitant decrease of cell death and a better distribution of the carbon flow between TCA cycle and lactate production occurred. We also demonstrated that glutamine was a major carbon source to supply the TCA cycle in Vero cells and that a reduction of lactate production did not necessary improve the efficiency of the Vero cell metabolism. Thus, to adapt the formulation of the medium to the Vero cell needs, it is important to provide carbon substrates inducing a regulated supply of carbon in the TCA cycle either through the glycolysis or through other pathways such as glutaminolysis. Finally, this study allowed to better understand the Vero cell behavior in serum-free medium which is a valuable help for the implementation of this cell line in serum-free industrial production processes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107: 143,153. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Modelling stream flow for use in ecological studies in a large, arid zone river, central AustraliaHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 6 2005Justin F. Costelloe Abstract Australian arid zone ephemeral rivers are typically unregulated and maintain a high level of biodiversity and ecological health. Understanding the ecosystem functions of these rivers requires an understanding of their hydrology. These rivers are typified by highly variable hydrological regimes and a paucity, often a complete absence, of hydrological data to describe these flow regimes. A daily time-step, grid-based, conceptual rainfall,runoff model was developed for the previously uninstrumented Neales River in the arid zone of northern South Australia. Hourly, logged stage data provided a record of stream-flow events in the river system. In conjunction with opportunistic gaugings of stream-flow events, these data were used in the calibration of the model. The poorly constrained spatial variability of rainfall distribution and catchment characteristics (e.g. storage depths) limited the accuracy of the model in replicating the absolute magnitudes and volumes of stream-flow events. In particular, small but ecologically important flow events were poorly modelled. Model performance was improved by the application of catchment-wide processes replicating quick runoff from high intensity rainfall and improving the area inundated versus discharge relationship in the channel sections of the model. Representing areas of high and low soil moisture storage depths in the hillslope areas of the catchment also improved the model performance. The need for some explicit representation of the spatial variability of catchment characteristics (e.g. channel/floodplain, low storage hillslope and high storage hillslope) to effectively model the range of stream-flow events makes the development of relatively complex rainfall,runoff models necessary for multisite ecological studies in large, ungauged arid zone catchments. Grid-based conceptual models provide a good balance between providing the capacity to easily define land types with differing rainfall,runoff responses, flexibility in defining data output points and a parsimonious water-balance,routing model. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Enhancement of Piezoelectric Response in Scandium Aluminum Nitride Alloy Thin Films Prepared by Dual Reactive CosputteringADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 5 2009Morito Akiyama A high-temperature piezoelectric material exhibits a good balance between high maximum use temperature and large piezoelectricity. This is achieved by the combination of the discovery of a phase transition in scandium aluminum nitride (ScxAl1,,,xN) alloy thin films, and the use of dual cosputtering, which leads to nonequilibrium alloy thin films. [source] Chemical characterization and protein quality evaluation of leaf protein concentrates from Glyricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephalaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Johnson Oluwasola Agbede Summary Leaves and leaf protein concentrates (LPCs) from leaves of Glyricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephala were analysed for chemical constituents. The protein quality of the LPC, with or without dl -methionine supplementation, was estimated by using sixty weanling albino rats. Glyricidia leaves contained higher crude protein and lower crude fibre than L. leucocephala leaves, while the ash values were identical. In the LPCs, crude protein showed a good balance of amino acids and nutritionally important minerals. The gross energy (GE) was only enhanced in the LPC of Glyricidia and, although tannin content was reduced in the LPCs, the phytate concentration increased. The rat bioassay did not suggest that, even when supplemented with dl -methionine, Glyricidia or Leucaena LPC would support rat growth when used as the sole sources of dietary protein. Based on the analytical and bioassay data, the nutritional potentials and limitations of these under-utilized protein resources are discussed. [source] Hybrid crossover operators with multiple descendents for real-coded genetic algorithms: Combining neighborhood-based crossover operatorsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 5 2009Ana M. Sánchez Most real-coded genetic algorithm research has focused on developing effective crossover operators, and as a result, many different types of crossover operators have been proposed. Some forms of crossover operators are more suitable to tackle certain problems than others, even at the different stages of the genetic process in the same problem. For this reason, techniques that combine multiple crossovers, called hybrid crossover operators, have been suggested as alternative schemes to the common practice of applying only one crossover model to all the elements in the population. On the other hand, there are operators with multiple offsprings, more than two descendants from two parents, which present a better behavior than the operators with only two descendants, and achieve a good balance between exploration and exploitation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Preparation and properties of dynamically cured PP/MAH- g -EVA/epoxy blendsJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 3 2009Xueliang Jiang Abstract A method concerning with the simultaneous reinforcing and toughening of polypropylene (PP) was reported. Dynamical cure of the epoxy resin with 2-ethylene-4-methane-imidazole (EMI-2,4) was successfully applied in the PP/maleic anhydride-grafted ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (MAH- g -EVA), and the obtained blends named as dynamically cured PP/MAH- g -EVA/epoxy blends. The stiffness and toughness of the blends are in a good balance, and the smaller size of epoxy particle in the PP/MAH- g -EVA/epoxy blends shows that MAH- g -EVA was also used as a compatibilizer. The structure of the dynamically cured PP/MAH- g -EVA/epoxy blends is the embedding of the epoxy particles by the MAH- g -EVA. The cured epoxy particles as organic filler increases the stiffness of the PP/MAH- g -EVA blends, and the improvement in the toughness is attributed to the embedded structure. The tensile strength and flexural modulus of the blends increase with increasing the epoxy resin content, and the impact strength reaches a maximum of 258 J/m at the epoxy resin content of 10 wt %. DSC analysis shows that the epoxy particles in the dynamically cured PP/MAH- g -EVA/epoxy blends could have contained embedded MAH- g -EVA, decreasing the nucleating effect of the epoxy resin. Thermogravimetric results show the addition of epoxy resin could improve the thermal stability of PP, the dynamically cured PP/MAH- g -EVA/epoxy stability compared with the pure PP. Wide-angle x-ray diffraction analysis shows that the dynamical cure and compatibilization do not disturb the crystalline structure of PP in the blends. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009 [source] Balancing treatment allocations by clinician or center in randomized trials allows unacceptable levels of treatment predictionJOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE, Issue 3 2009Robert K Hills Abstract Objective Randomized controlled trials are the standard method for comparing treatments because they avoid the selection bias that might arise if clinicians were free to choose which treatment a patient would receive. In practice, allocation of treatments in randomized controlled trials is often not wholly random with various ,pseudo-randomization' methods, such as minimization or balanced blocks, used to ensure good balance between treatments within potentially important prognostic or predictive subgroups. These methods avoid selection bias so long as full concealment of the next treatment allocation is maintained. There is concern, however, that pseudo-random methods may allow clinicians to predict future treatment allocations from previous allocation history, particularly if allocations are balanced by clinician or center. We investigate here to what extent treatment prediction is possible. Methods Using computer simulations of minimization and balanced block randomizations, the success rates of various prediction strategies were investigated for varying numbers of stratification variables, including the patient's clinician. Results Prediction rates for minimization and balanced block randomization typically exceed 60% when clinician is included as a stratification variable and, under certain circumstances, can exceed 80%. Increasing the number of clinicians and other stratification variables did not greatly reduce the prediction rates. Without clinician as a stratification variable, prediction rates are poor unless few clinicians participate. Conclusion Prediction rates are unacceptably high when allocations are balanced by clinician or by center. This could easily lead to selection bias that might suggest spurious, or mask real, treatment effects. Unless treatment is blinded, randomization should not be balanced by clinician (or by center), and clinician,center effects should be allowed for instead by retrospectively stratified analyses. [source] Vapor,liquid equilibria of mixtures containing alkanes, carbon dioxide, and nitrogenAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 7 2001Jeffrey J. Potoff New force fields for carbon dioxide and nitrogen are introduced that quantitatively reproduce the vapor,liquid equilibria (VLE) of the neat systems and their mixtures with alkanes. In addition to the usual VLE calculations for pure CO2 and N2, calculations of the binary mixtures with propane were used in the force-field development to achieve a good balance between dispersive and electrostatic (quadrupole,quadrupole) interactions. The transferability of the force fields was then assessed from calculations of the VLE for the binary mixtures with n-hexane, the binary mixture of CO2/N2, and the ternary mixture of CO2 /N2/propane. The VLE calculations were carried out using configurational-bias Monte Carlo simulations in either the grand canonical ensemble with histogram,reweighting or in the Gibbs ensemble. [source] Protection from phototoxic injury during surgery and endoscopy in erythropoietic protoporphyriaLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 9 2008Staffan Wahlin Erythropoietic protoporphyria is an inherited condition characterized by pronounced solar photosensitivity and in a minority of patients severe liver disease that necessitates liver transplantation for survival. Phototoxic injury to abdominal organs and skin has been reported in several cases of liver transplantation surgery, including a few transplants in which protective light filters were used. This study discusses the optimal characteristics of light filters used during liver transplantation surgery. An experimental model is used to evaluate the relative protection of different filters, and the results are compared with theoretical calculations regarding the risk for phototoxic injury from light sources in health-care procedures. Whether protective measures are warranted in other illuminated procedures besides liver transplantation has been discussed often but never studied. This study elucidates the risk for phototoxic injury in endoscopy, laparoscopy, and non,liver transplant surgery. A theoretical model and epidemiological data are considered. Our findings indicate that endoscopy, laparoscopy, and surgical procedures other than liver transplantation are safe in the noncholestatic protoporphyria patient and that general recommendations for using filters in these situations are not warranted. Among the tested filters, a flexible yellow filter omitting wavelengths below 470 nm is recommended for liver transplant surgery. This filter has been readily accepted by surgeons and offers a good balance between protection and altered visual color perception. The experimental model, using hemolysis of protoporphyrin-loaded erythrocytes as a measure of phototoxicity, has substantiated theoretical findings on relative filter protection. Liver Transpl 14:1340,1346, 2008. © 2008 AASLD. [source] Assessment of protein nutritional quality and effects of traditional processes: A comparison between Ethiopian quality protein maize and five Ethiopian adapted normal maize cultivarsMOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 4 2003Habtamu Fufa Abstract The present study was designed to quantitatively measure and compare the levels and variations of total protein, individual amino acids, and computed protein efficiency ratio (C-PER) in raw and traditionally processed products of one recently released quality protein maize (QPM BH542) with four high-yield maize hybrids, namely flint BH660, semi-dent BH140, Pioneer 30H83, and Pioneer 30G97, as well as one local maize cultivar. The total protein content was variable among the cultivars ranging from 7% for BH660 to 8.6% for Pioneer 30H83, 8.9% for BH140, 9.8% for QPM BH542, 10.1% for local maize cultivar, and 11.8% for Pioneer 30G97, respectively. However, the QPM BH542 maize protein proved to be higher in nutritional quality than common maize proteins because it contained 30% to 82% more lysine, higher levels of arginine, tryptophan, histidine, threonine, cysteine, and valine. As a result, the QPM BH542 amino acid profile gives a good balance of total essential amino acids, limited only in lysine, and has a C-PER ratio of 2.2 compared to 1.14, 1.2, 1.4, 1.66, and 1.67 for Pioneer 30G97, local, BH-140, BH660, and Pioneer 30H83, respectively. The various traditional processes of maize have no significant effect on the protein nutritional quality of the new quality protein maize. Hence, the widely dissemination of it in agricultural cultivation as well as consumption by the general population is recommended. [source] Balancing robust quantification and identification for iTRAQ: Application of UHR-ToF MSPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 11 2010Saw Yen Ow Abstract iTRAQ reagents allow the simultaneous multiplex identification and quantification of a large number of proteins. Success depends on effective peptide fragmentation in order to generate both peptide sequence ions (higher mass region, 150,2200,m/z) and reporter ions (low mass region, 113,121,m/z) for protein identification and relative quantification, respectively. After collision-induced dissociation, the key requirements to achieve a good balance between the high and low m/z ions are effective ion transmission and detection across the MS/MS mass range, since the ion transmission of the higher m/z range competes with that of the low m/z range. This study describes an analytical strategy for the implementation of iTRAQ on maXis UHR-Qq-ToF instruments, and discusses the impact of adjusting the MS/MS ion transmission parameters on the quality of the overall data sets. A technical discussion highlights a number of maXis-specific parameters, their impact of quantification and identification, and their cross-interactions. [source] Preparation of Highly Luminescent CdTe/CdS Core/Shell Quantum DotsCHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 4 2009Jian Wang Abstract A good balance: Oil-soluble CdTe/CdS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) that emit in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions with quantum yields up to 92,% (see figure) are prepared by balancing the coordinating capacity and the activation effect of selected surfactants. An effective shell-coating route is developed for covering oil-soluble CdTe quantum dots (QDs), which usually tend to aggregate during the heating-up process involved in shell formation. The new route is based on balancing the coordinating capacity and the activation effect of selected surfactants. The thus obtained highly luminescent CdTe/CdS core/shell QDs exhibit photoluminescence quantum yields as high as 92,%,among the best results obtained so far for luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. By changing the size of the CdTe core, or the thickness of the CdS shell, the emission colors of the obtained core/shell nanocrystals can be tuned between the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum following an identical procedure. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||