Endosperm and whole grain rye breads are characterized by low post-prandial insulin response and a beneficial blood glucose profile

Background  

Rye products have previously been shown to induce comparatively low post-prandial insulin responses; irrespectively of their glycaemic indices (GI). However, the mechanism behind this lowered insulin demand remains unknown. An improved insulin economy might contribute to the benefits seen in epidemiological studies with whole grain diets on metabolic risk factors and weight regulation. The objective of this study was to explore the mechanism for a reduced post-prandial insulin demand with rye products.     

Guerrillas in the [Urban] Midst: Developing and Using Creative Research Methods—Guerrilla Research Tactics

Abstract

This paper explores what we are calling “Guerrilla Research Tactics” (GRT): research methods that exploit emerging mobile and cloud-based digital technologies. We examine some case studies in the use of this technology to generate research data directly from the physical fabric and the people of the city. We argue that GRT is a new and novel way of engaging public participation in urban, place-based research because it facilitates the co-creation of knowledge, with city inhabitants, “on the fly.” This paper discusses the potential of these new research techniques and what they have to offer researchers operating in the creative disciplines and beyond. This work builds on and extends Gauntlett's “new creative methods” (2007) and contributes to the existing body of literature addressing creative and interactive approaches to data collection.     

In-vivo and in-vitro digestibility of starch in autoclaved pea and potato products

The digestibility of starch in homogenized/autoclaved pea plus potato products was studied in vitro and in vivo. The products were a canned infant purée based on peas and potatoes and products prepared in the laboratory by repeated autoclaving and cooling of either homogenized potatoes or homogenized peas. Small-intestinal digestibility was evaluated through balance experiments in rats treated with an antibiotic (Nebacitin) to supress microbial activity in the hind gut. Parallel experiments in normal rats were performed to study the fermentability of undigested starch. The small-intestinal digestibility was 93, 82 and 70% of tolal starch in the potato product, infant purée and pea product, respectively. Consequently, significant amounts of starch left the small intestine undigested, particularly with pea-based products. The major portion of the undigested starch consisted of a fraction which resisted amylases in vitro unless solubilized in alkali, ie retrograded amylose. The fermentability of starch reaching the hind gut was high, about 90%. In-vitro digestibility figures varied depending on the method used and were in the ranges 91–93, 76–86 and 71–77% in the potato product, infant purée and pea product, respectively. One of the methods allowed simultaneous and accurate determination of the in-vivo resistant retrograded amylose fraction.     

Psychometric properties of the Accident Fear Questionnaire: An analysis based on motor vehicle accident survivors in a rehabilitation setting.

ABSTRACT. Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Accident Fear Questionnaire (AFQ; K. Kuch, B. J. Cox, & D. M. Direnfeld, 1995), a self-rated instrument developed for efficient screening of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobic avoidance after involvement in a motor vehicle accident (MVA). Participants: One hundred thirteen individuals receiving rehabilitation after an MVA. Setting: Tertiary rehabilitation center. Main Measures: The AFQ, comprising a 10-item accident profile and a 10-item phobic avoidance (PA) subscale; a structured clinical interview; and other self-report measures of psychopathology, personality and pain. Results: Correlations between the AFQ-PA total score and measures of psychopathology and personality indicated adequate convergent and discriminant validity. Patients diagnosed with PTSD or accident phobia scored higher on the AFQ-PA subscale and 6 of its 10 items than did those with neither diagnosis. An AFQ-PA cutoff score of 15 appears suitable for screening of patients in a rehabilitation setting. Hierarchical logistic regression indicated that the AFQ-PA was the only self-report measure that possessed incremental power over and above general negative affectivity in predicting group membership… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Natural language understanding within a cognitive semantics framework

The article argues that cognitive linguistic theory may prove an alternative to the Montague paradigm for designing natural language understanding systems. Within this framework it describes a system which models language understanding as a dialogical process between user and computer. The system operates with natural language texts as input and represent language meaning as entity-relationship diagrams.     

Classification of Geographical Origin by PNN Analysis of Fatty Acid Data and Level of Contaminants in Oils From Peruvian Anchovy

The aim of this study was to examine Peruvian anchovy oil fatty acid (FA) compositions, and to test the possibility of using the FA data to classify the oils according to geographical origin along the Peruvian coast. The levels of contaminants in a representative set of samples were determined to examine the general levels and investigate if such measurements could aid in future discrimination between oils. The FA results showed that the two known stocks of Peruvian anchovy displayed different levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) (southern stock; 14.4 ± 0.8% versus central-northern stock; 9.9 ± 1.2%). However, principal component analysis (PCA) of the FA data indicated clusters according to three regions; North, Center and South. Using a data set of 57 anchovy samples and 21 FA as input, a probabilistic neural network (PNN) was constructed. For the validation data sets, “North” oils was predicted accurately 100% of the time, “Center” oils 100% and “South” oils 83% of the time. The levels of contaminants in the oils determined were low in all but one sample.     

Risk of severe driver injury by driving with psychoactive substances

Driving with alcohol and other psychoactive substances imposes an increased risk of severe injury accidents. In a population-based case–control design, the relative risks of severe driver injury (MAIS ≥ 2) by driving with ten substance groups were approximated by odds ratios (alcohol, amphetamines, benzoylecgonine, cocaine, cannabis, illicit opiates, benzodiazepines and Z-drugs, i.e. zolpidem and zopiclone, medicinal opioids, alcohol–drug combinations and drug–drug combinations). Data from six countries were included in the study: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Lithuania and the Netherlands. Case samples (N = 2490) were collected from severely injured drivers of passenger cars or vans in selected hospitals in various regions of the countries. Control samples (N = 15,832) were sampled in a uniform sampling scheme stratified according to country, time, road type and season. Relative risks were approximated by odds ratios and calculated by logistic regression. The estimates were adjusted for age, gender and country.