Assessing the efficacy of pearl millet and finger millet enriched breakfast cereals to combat obesity.

This research explores the development and evaluation of breakfast cereals formulated from pearl millet (P-1) and finger millet (F-1) flours, with a focus on their nutritional composition and potential anti-obesity properties. The techno-functional properties were assessed, revealing that P-1 exhibited a bulk density of 0.40 ± 0.

Masting ontogeny: the largest masting benefits accrue to the largest trees.

Background And Aims: Both plants and animals display considerable variation in their phe- notypic traits as they grow. This variation helps organisms to adapt to specific challenges at different stages of development. Masting, the variable and synchronized seed production across years by a population of plants, is a common reproductive strategy in perennial plants that can enhance reproductive efficiency through increasing pollination efficiency and decreasing seed predation.

Metabolomics reveals altered biochemical phenotype of an invasive plant with potential to impair its biocontrol agent's establishment and effectiveness.

A plausible, but largely unexplored reason for many weed biocontrol agents failing to establish or being ineffective, could involve abiotically induced changes to an invasive plants' biochemical phenotype and consequent enhanced herbivore resistance. Considerable literature demonstrates that chemically altered plant phenotypes can impair insect life history performance. Heather beetle, (Lochmaea suturalis), introduced to control invasive heather (Calluna vulgaris) in New Zealand (NZ) was difficult to establish and displays variable effectiveness.

Axon demyelination and degeneration in a zebrafish model of hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are a diverse set of neurological disorders characterized by progressive spasticity and weakness in the lower limbs caused by damage to the axons of the corticospinal tract. More than 88 genetic mutations have been associated with HSP, yet the mechanisms underlying these disorders are not well understood. We replicated the pathophysiology of one form of HSP known as spastic paraplegia 15 (SPG15) in zebrafish.

Exploring the reporting, intake and recommendations of primary food sources of whole grains globally: a scoping review.

Whole-grain intake is associated with reduced risk of non-communicable diseases. Greater understanding of major food sources of whole grains globally, and how intake has been quantified, is essential to informing accurate strategies aiming to increase consumption and reduce non-communicable disease risk. Therefore, the aim of this review was to identify the primary food sources of whole-grain intake globally and explore how they are quantified and reported within literature, and their recommendation within respective national dietary guidelines.

A Growth-Survival Trade-Off Along an Elevation Gradient Is Altered by Earthquake Disturbance in a Monodominant Southern Beech Forest.

Tree growth-survival relationships link two demographic processes that individually dictate the composition, structure and functioning of forest ecosystems. While these relationships vary intra-specifically, it remains unclear how this reflects environmental variation and disturbance. We examined the influence of a 700-m elevation gradient and an  = 6.

A Mediterranean dietary pattern intervention does not improve cardiometabolic risk but does improve quality of life and body composition in an Aotearoa New Zealand population at increased cardiometabolic risk: A randomised controlled trial.

Aims: To test if a New Zealand food-based Mediterranean diet (NZMedDiet) with behavioural intervention improves cardiometabolic health and wellbeing.

Methods: A randomised controlled trial comparing 12 weeks of the NZMedDiet to usual diet in participants with increased cardiometabolic risk (metabolic syndrome severity score [MetSSS] > 0.35).

Toxicity and Efficacy Evaluation of Soluble Recombinant Ricin Vaccine.

Background: Ricin, a toxin extracted from the seeds of , is classified as a ribosome-inactivating protein. The A-subunit of ricin shows RNA -glycosidase activity that cleaves ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and exhibits toxicity by inhibiting protein synthesis and inducing vascular leak syndrome.

Methods: In this study, we created a truncated version of the previously developed R51 ricin vaccine (RTA 1-194 D75C Y80C) through in silico analysis.

Provinols™, a Polyphenolic Extract of Red Wine, Inhibits In-Stent Neointimal Growth in Cholesterol-Fed Rabbit.

Epidemiological studies indicate a potential correlation between the consumption of polyphenols and a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disorders. The present study investigates the potential of a red wine polyphenol oral extract, Provinols™, to reduce neointimal hyperplasia following angioplasty in a hypercholesterolemic rabbit model. New Zealand white rabbits were fed 1% cholesterol-enriched chow for a period of eight weeks prior to the induction of iliac balloon injury and subsequent stent placement.

Visual Integration of Genome-Wide Association Studies and Differential Expression Results with the Hidecan R Package.

Background/objectives: We present hidecan, an R package for generating visualisations that summarise the results of one or more genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and differential expression analyses, as well as manually curated candidate genes, e.g., extracted from the literature.

Transcriptional Responses to Priority Effects in Nectar Yeast.

Priority effects, where the order and timing of species arrival influence the assembly of ecological communities, have been observed in a variety of taxa and habitats. However, the genetic and molecular basis of priority effects remains unclear, hindering a better understanding of when priority effects will be strong. We sought to gain such an understanding for the nectar yeast Metschnikowia reukaufii commonly found in the nectar of our study plant, the hummingbird-pollinated Diplacus (Mimulus) aurantiacus.

A cry for kelp: Evidence for polyphenolic inhibition of Oxford Nanopore sequencing of brown algae.

Genomic resources have yielded unprecedented insights into ecological and evolutionary processes, not to mention their importance in economic and conservation management of specific organisms. However, the field of macroalgal genomics is hampered by difficulties in the isolation of suitable DNA. Even when DNA that appears high quality by standard metrics has been isolated, such samples may not perform well during the sequencing process.

Building pangenome graphs.

Pangenome graphs can represent all variation between multiple reference genomes, but current approaches to build them exclude complex sequences or are based upon a single reference. In response, we developed the PanGenome Graph Builder, a pipeline for constructing pangenome graphs without bias or exclusion. The PanGenome Graph Builder uses all-to-all alignments to build a variation graph in which we can identify variation, measure conservation, detect recombination events and infer phylogenetic relationships.

Fabrication of polyoxometalate dispersed cobalt oxide nanowires for electrochemically monitoring superoxide radicals from Hela cell mitochondria.

An ultrasensitive electrochemical sensor is constructed by electrostatically adsorbing negatively charged hourglass-shape Cu-Polyoxometalate (POM) onto a positively charged CoO nanowires modified carbon cloth. The petaloid CoO nanowires have a large specific surface area that can well disperse open-structured Cu-POM to form Cu-POM@CoONWs@CC, which can maximumly expose catalytic active centers (Co and Cu) and accelerate mass/charge transfer. In addition to the above advantages, the excellent electron exchange ability of Cu-POM and good conductivity of CoONWs@CC endow the sensor with good detection capability to HO including a linear detection range of 0.

Unexpected Delayed Incursion of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 (Clade 2.3.4.4b) Into the Antarctic Region.

The current highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 panzootic is having substantial impacts on wild birds and marine mammals. Following major and widespread outbreaks in South America, an incursion to Antarctica occurred late in the austral summer of 2023/2024 and was confined to the region of the Antarctic Peninsula. To infer potential underlying processes, we compiled H5N1 surveillance data from Antarctica and sub-Antarctic Islands prior to the first confirmed cases.

An Experimental Methodology for Automated Detection of Surface Turbulence Features in Tidal Stream Environments.

Tidal stream environments are important areas of marine habitat for the development of marine renewable energy (MRE) sources and as foraging hotspots for megafaunal species (seabirds and marine mammals). Hydrodynamic features can promote prey availability and foraging efficiency that influences megafaunal foraging success and behaviour, with the potential for animal interactions with MRE devices. Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer a novel tool for the fine-scale data collection of surface turbulence features and animals, which is not possible through other techniques, to provide information on the potential environmental impacts of anthropogenic developments.

Solid-State Structures and Properties of Lignin Hydrogenolysis Oil Compounds: Shedding a Unique Light on Lignin Valorization.

This article explores the important, and yet often overlooked, solid-state structures of selected bioaromatic compounds commonly found in lignin hydrogenolysis oil, a renewable bio-oil that holds great promise to substitute fossil-based aromatic molecules in a wide range of chemical and material industrial applications. At first, single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) was applied to the lignin model compounds, dihydroconiferyl alcohol, propyl guaiacol, and eugenol dimers, in order to elucidate the fundamental molecular interactions present in such small lignin-derived polyols. Then, considering the potential use of these lignin-derived molecules as building blocks for polymer applications, structural analysis was also performed for two chemically modified model compounds, i.

Identification and Characterization of Innate Immunity in Actinidia melanandra in Response to Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae.

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae biovar 3 (Psa3) has decimated kiwifruit orchards growing susceptible kiwifruit Actinidia chinensis varieties. Effector loss has occurred recently in Psa3 isolates from resistant kiwifruit germplasm, resulting in strains capable of partially overcoming resistance present in kiwiberry vines (Actinidia arguta, Actinidia polygama, and Actinidia melanandra).

Bacterial cellulose infusion: A comprehensive investigation into textural, tribological and temporal sensory evaluation of ice creams.

The study examines how adding bacterial cellulose also referred to as Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY) to ice cream affects the textural, tribological, and sensory attributes, particularly texture and mouthfeel perception. Analytical assessments were performed on three types: SCOBY-added ice cream and two reference samples (control and guar gum-added ice creams). Evaluations included physicochemical properties, textural and tribological characteristics, and dynamic sensory mouthfeel using the temporal dominance of sensation (TDS) methodology.