Gender analysis is not only about gender: reshaping the potato breeding priorities to increase varietal adoption in Kenya.

Public breeding programs are pushing to implement demand-led breeding to increase variety adoption, while tackling multiple challenges for increased production under climate change. This has included the improvement of variety target product profiles involving multiple stakeholders. A special case involves the unexpected and rapid spread of the Shangi potato variety in Kenya.

Color and Grey-Level Co-Occurrence Matrix Analysis for Predicting Sensory and Biochemical Traits in Sweet Potato and Potato.

In sweet potato and potato, sensory traits are critical for acceptance by consumers, growers, and traders, hence underpinning the success or failure of a new cultivar. A quick analytical method for the sensory traits could expedite the selection process in breeding programs. In this paper, the relationship between sensory panel and instrumental color plus texture features was evaluated.

Evaluation of genetic diversity and genome-wide association studies of resistance to bacterial wilt disease in potato.

The development of novel improved varieties adapted to unstable environmental conditions is possible through the genetic diversity of breeding materials. Potato is among the most important food crops worldwide, however, there are still significant hindrances to breeding gains attributed to its autotetraploid and highly heterozygous genome. Bacterial wilt caused by the species complex (RSSC) is an important disease affecting potato among many economically important crops worldwide.

Development of a Device for Monitoring Erosion in the Field.

Monitoring erosion is an important part of understanding the causes of this geotechnical and geological phenomenon. In order to monitor them, it is necessary to develop equipment that is sophisticated enough to resist the sun and water without damage, that is self-mechanized, and that can support the amount of data collected. This article introduces a rain-triggered field erosion monitoring device composed of three main modules: control, capture, and sensing.

Vitamin D Supplementation and the Incidence of Fractures in the Elderly Healthy Population: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Introduction: Although a well-established component of bone metabolism, the efficacy and safety of vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of fractures in elderly healthy individuals is still unclear.

Purpose: To perform a meta-analysis comparing vitamin D supplementation with placebo and its contributions on fracture incidence.

Methods: This meta-analysis was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), under protocol CRD42023484979.

What makes an article a must read in medical education?

Background: The dissemination of published scholarship is intended to bring new evidence and ideas to a wide audience. However, the increasing number of articles makes it challenging to determine where to focus one's attention. This study describes factors that may influence decisions to read and recommend a medical education article.

The tricot approach: an agile framework for decentralized on-farm testing supported by citizen science. A retrospective.

Matching crop varieties to their target use context and user preferences is a challenge faced by many plant breeding programs serving smallholder agriculture. Numerous participatory approaches proposed by CGIAR and other research teams over the last four decades have attempted to capture farmers' priorities/preferences and crop variety field performance in representative growing environments through experimental trials with higher external validity. Yet none have overcome the challenges of scalability, data validity and reliability, and difficulties in capturing socio-economic and environmental heterogeneity.

Ad libitum ice slurry ingestion and half-marathon performance in a hot environment: A study comparing the effects of the amount and moment of ingestion between ice slurry and water at 37 °C.

Ice slurry ingestion during prolonged exercises may improve performance in hot environments; however, the ideal amount and timing of ingestion are still uncertain. We determined whether ad libitum ice slurry ingestion influences physiological and perceptual variables and half-marathon performance while comparing the effects of the amount and moment of ingestion between ice slurry and water at 37 °C. Ten trained participants (28 ± 2 years; mean and SD) were required to run two half marathons while consuming either ice slurry (-1 °C; Ad-1) or water (37 °C; 37 CE) ad libitum.

Potato and sweetpotato breeding at the international potato center: approaches, outcomes and the way forward.

Root and tuber crop breeding is at the front and center of CIP's science program, which seeks to develop and disseminate sustainable agri-food technologies, information and practices to serve objectives including poverty alleviation, income generation, food security and the sustainable use of natural resources. CIP was established in 1971 in Peru, which is part of potato's center of origin and diversity, with an initial mandate on potato and expanding to include sweetpotato in 1986. Potato and sweetpotato are among the top 10 most consumed food staples globally and provide some of the most affordable sources of energy and vital nutrients.

A Global Systematic Literature Review of Ecosystem Services in Reef Environments.

Ecosystem services (ES) embrace contributions of nature to human livelihood and well-being. Reef environments provide a range of ES with direct and indirect contributions to people. However, the health of reef environments is declining globally due to local and large-scale threats, affecting ES delivery in different ways.

Three-dimensional analysis of posterior tooth inclinations in transverse and sagittal relationships: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To compare tooth inclinations in different sagittal skeletal patterns and transverse maxillary relationships three-dimensionally.

Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out with 132 three-dimensional digital models in the complete permanent dentition divided into six groups (n=22); three groups with maxillary atresia: G1- skeletal class I, G2- skeletal class II and G3-skeletal class III; three groups without maxillary atresia: G4- skeletal class I; G5- skeletal class II and G6- skeletal class III. The comparison between the skeletal pattern was performed by the non-parametric tests of Kruskal Wallis and Dunn and between the groups by the non-parametric test of Mann Whitney.

Sleep impairment and altered pattern of circadian biomarkers during a long-term Antarctic summer camp.

Antarctic expeditions include isolation and exposure to cold and extreme photoperiods (with continuous natural light during summer) that may influence psychophysiological responses modulated by luminosity and sleep. We assessed changes in night sleep patterns by actigraphy, salivary biomarkers, and perceptual variables in seven participants in the following time points along a 50-day camping expedition in Antarctica (Nelson Island): Pre-Field (i.e.

Reduced running performance and greater perceived exertion, but similar post-exercise neuromuscular fatigue in tropical natives subjected to a 10 km self-paced run in a hot compared to a temperate environment.

Environmental heat stress impairs endurance performance by enhancing exercise-induced physiological and perceptual responses. However, the time course of these responses during self-paced running, particularly when comparing hot and temperate conditions, still needs further clarification. Moreover, monitoring fatigue induced by exercise is paramount to prescribing training and recovery adequately, but investigations on the effects of a hot environment on post-exercise neuromuscular fatigue are scarce.

Core body temperatures of rats subjected to treadmill exercise to fatigue or exhaustion: The journal toolbox.

This study systematically reviewed the literature reporting the changes in rats' core body temperature (T) induced by either incremental- or constant-speed running to fatigue or exhaustion. In addition, multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine the factors contributing to the T values attained when exercise was interrupted. Four databases (EMBASE, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) were searched in October 2021, and this search was updated in August 2022.

End-user preferences to enhance prospects for varietal acceptance and adoption in potato breeding in Uganda.

Background: Potato varieties have diverse biophysical characteristics, so it is important for breeders to have the capacity to choose those that meet the preferences of end users, such as mealiness, firmness, and taste, among others. Combining user preferences with descriptive information regarding the sensory characteristics of boiled potatoes can contribute to the improvement of consumer-driven varieties. This study aimed to factor in the preferences of end users to improve the prospects for varietal acceptance, adoption, and discrimination among genotypes in potato breeding.

Decision tree scoring system to guide selection for consumer preference in sweetpotato breeding trials.

Background: Previously, a lexicon and protocol for quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was established for the Uganda sweetpotato breeding program. The implication of QDA scores for priority sensory attributes on consumer preference should be determined to interpret results efficiently and make decisions effectively. The present study aimed to develop a gender-responsive decision tree to obtain an overall sweetpotato eating quality score to facilitate demand-led targeted breeding selection.

Temporal response of post-activation performance enhancement induced by a plyometric conditioning activity.

Introduction: To better understand the post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) effect promoted by a plyometric conditioning activity (CA), the aim of this study was to investigate the temporal response of PAPE after a plyometric CA.

Methods: Fourteen healthy and active adults visited the laboratory 3 times, with an interval of 7 days between each visit. On the first day they were familiarized with the countermovement jump (CMJ) test and plyometric CA.

Connecting data for consumer preferences, food quality, and breeding in support of market-oriented breeding of root, tuber, and banana crops.

The 5-year project 'Breeding roots, tubers and banana products for end user preferences' (RTBfoods) focused on collecting consumers' preferences on 12 food products to guide breeding programmes. It involved multidisciplinary teams from Africa, Latin America, and Europe. Diverse data types were generated on preferred qualities of users (farmers, family and entrepreneurial processors, traders or retailers, and consumers).

Targeting market segment needs with public-good crop breeding investments: A case study with potato and sweetpotato focused on poverty alleviation, nutrition and gender.

Crop breeding programs have often focused on the release of new varieties that target yield improvement to achieve food security and reduce poverty. While continued investments in this objective are justified, there is a need for breeding programs to be increasingly more demand-driven and responsive to the changing customer preferences and population dynamics. This paper analyses the responsiveness of global potato and sweetpotato breeding programs pursued by the International Potato Center (CIP) and its partners to three major development indicators: poverty, malnutrition and gender.

A 7-Week Summer Camp in Antarctica Induces Fluctuations on Human Oral Microbiome, Pro-Inflammatory Markers and Metabolic Hormones Profile.

Antarctic camps pose psychophysiological challenges related to isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) conditions, including meals composed of sealed food. ICE conditions can influence the microbiome and inflammatory responses. Seven expeditioners took part in a 7-week Antarctic summer camp (Nelson Island) and were evaluated at Pre-Camp (i.

Physical Activity, Seasonal Sensitivity and Psychological Well-Being of People of Different Age Groups Living in Extreme Environments.

Physical activity can prevent many organic and mental pathologies. For people living in extreme southern high-latitude environments, weather conditions can affect these activities, altering their psychological well-being and favoring the prevalence of seasonal sensitivity (SS). This study aims to determine the relationships between the practice of physical activity, seasonal sensitivity and well-being in people living in high southern latitudes.