In astrophysics, the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ describes the circumstellar habitable zone, in which planets, sufficiently similar to Earth, could support human life. The children’s story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, one of the most popular fairy tales in the English language, uses this metaphor to describe conditions for life that are neither too hot nor too cold and neither too close to the sun nor

This study examined health-related quality of life of youth in secure residential care employing a gender perspective. The KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire was administered to 91 youths (46 boys and 45 girls) aged 13–17, admitted to four secure residential units in southern Sweden, in connection with a medical examination. Results were compared with a national Swedish survey from 2009 of 86,000 youths a

WD 1145+017 is currently the only white dwarf known to exhibit periodic transits of planetary debris as well as absorption lines from circumstellar gas. We present the first simultaneous fast optical spectrophotometry and broad-band photometry of the system, obtained with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and the Liverpool Telescope, respectively. The observations spanned 5.5 h, somewhat longer t

The advanced properties of modern materials originate from their nanoscale size and shape and from chemical modifications or doping. Special techniques that can measure the chemical state in the nanoscale are required for exploration and understanding the properties of these materials. While X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can access the necessary chemical information, conventional setups h

Context. Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) offers unparalleled precision on stars’ parallaxes and proper motions. This allows the prediction of microlensing events for which the lens stars (and any planets they possess) are nearby and may be well studied and characterised. Aims. We identify a number of potential microlensing events that will occur before the year 2035.5, 20 years from the Gaia DR2 refere

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a progressive loss of substantia nigra (SN) dopaminergic neurons and the formation of Lewy bodies containing accumulated alpha-synuclein (α-syn). The pathology of Parkinson’s disease is associated with neuroinflammatory microglial activation, which may contribute to the ongoing neurodegeneration. This study investigates the in vivo microglial and dopaminergi

The consumption of legume seeds in developing countries is very important because of their low cost and valuable nutritional characteristics (high protein, digestible and indigestible carbohydrates, and polyphenols content). However, limited information is available on the indigestible carbohydrates and the antioxidant capacity of legumes growing in Mexico. The cooked seeds of three Mexican pulses

BACKGROUND: The effect of addition of flaxseed flour (10:90, 15:85 and 20:80, w/w) on the chemical composition and starch digestibility of corn tortilla was investigated. Tortillas were baked and frozen in liquid nitrogen, freeze-dried, ground and analyzed for fat, protein, ash, total starch (TS), available starch (AS) and resistant starch (RS) contents as well as for starch hydrolysis rate and pr

Pasta was prepared with of durum wheat flour mixed with chickpea flour at two different levels and its chemical composition, in vitro starch digestibility and predicted glycemic index were assessed. Protein, ash, lipid, and dietary fiber content increased while total starch decreased with the chickpea flour level in the composite pasta, all in accordance to the composition of the legume flour. Pot

In search of a way to improve the nutritional profile of noodles, we prepared them with various mixtures of durum wheat flour and isolated plantain starch, and tested their proximal composition. Cooked noodles were assessed for in vitro starch digestibility, indigestible fraction content, and predicted glycemic index. The protein content declined with the addition of plantain starch. Both total st

A resistant starch (RS)-rich powder was prepared from phosphate cross-linked banana starch. Serial autoclaving and cooling treatments of this cross-linked material were also made. The powders were evaluated for chemical composition, resistant starch content, thermal characteristics, as well as for swelling and solubility properties. The parental cross-linked starch had similar lipid and protein co

Salted noodles were prepared with different contents of wheat grits and plantain starch (PS). The blends were hydrated with 2% NaCl (w/v), homogenized, and the resulting doughs were sheeted through a pasta machine, cut into strips ∼30cm in length, cooked, and their composition and in vitro starch digestibility was assessed. Moisture (6.43-7.60%) and ash contents (2.08-3.12%) increased by the addit

The development of nutraceutical ingredients is of current interest for the food industry. A fibre-rich powder (FRP) was prepared by liquefaction of raw banana flour (RBF) and its chemical composition, water- and oil-holding capacity, and antioxidant capacity were evaluated. Total dietary fibre (TDF) was higher in FRP than in the RBF, but the total starch (TS), potentially available starch (AS) an

Dietary fiber residues were prepared from the cooked seeds of eleven legume varieties, following the AOAC enzymatic method. Resistant starch associated to fiber, i.e. retrograded resistant starch (RS), was assessed after alkaline dispersion of the indigestible residues. All legumes contained significant amounts of RS, ranging between 3.0% (g per 100g cooked seed on dry matter basis) in red cowpeas

BACKGROUND: Beans are rich and inexpensive sources of proteins and carbohydrates around the world, but particularly in developing countries. However, many legume varieties are still underutilized. In this study, physical characteristics of the seeds of three Phaseolus lunatus cultivars were characterized. Also, the chemical composition and starch digestibility in the cooked beans were assessed. RE

Extrusion is used to produce crunchy expanded foods, such as snacks. The nutritional impact of this process has not been studied sufficiently. In this study, in vitro and in vivo protein and starch bioavailability was evaluated in both raw and extruded corn (Zea mays)(C) and lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus)(B) flour blends, prepared in 75C/25B and 50C/50B (p/p) proportions. These were processed with