Effects of drying and pretreatment on the nutritional and functional quality of raisins

The close relationship between the consumption of fruits and health status stems from the nutritional and non-nutritional compounds found in fruits which play a key role in the prevention of different diseases. However, fruit processing and storage greatly affect fruit compounds. The aim of the present work was to study the influence of processing on the stability of macro and micronutrients present in grapes, with a view to recommending products that provide the highest nutritional quality and the best health conditions. The study focused on fruit dehydration treatments. Conventional and microwave-assisted air-drying processes were used to obtain raisins. Dehydration caused a decrease of all grape compounds studied excluding total phenols. Moreover, compared to conventional processing, microwave-assisted drying produced greater losses of ascorbic acid in the grape and increased pectin solubilization with a consequent change in texture. However the microwave-dehydrated samples showed higher antioxidant activity. © 2011 The Institution of Chemical Engineers.The translation of this paper was funded by the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia.Carranza Concha, J.; Benlloch Tinoco, M.; Camacho Vidal, MM.; Martínez Navarrete, N. (2012). Effects of drying and pretreatment on the nutritional and functional quality of raisins. Food and Bioproducts Processing. 90(2):243-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2011.04.002S24324890

Sex differences in oncogenic mutational processes.

Sex differences have been observed in multiple facets of cancer epidemiology, treatment and biology, and in most cancers outside the sex organs. Efforts to link these clinical differences to specific molecular features have focused on somatic mutations within the coding regions of the genome. Here we report a pan-cancer analysis of sex differences in whole genomes of 1983 tumours of 28 subtypes as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium. We both confirm the results of exome studies, and also uncover previously undescribed sex differences. These include sex-biases in coding and non-coding cancer drivers, mutation prevalence and strikingly, in mutational signatures related to underlying mutational processes. These results underline the pervasiveness of molecular sex differences and strengthen the call for increased consideration of sex in molecular cancer research

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts

Compensation through Writ Petitions: An Analysis of Case Law

In this article, the author has tried to find out the trend of the Supreme Court in the area of Compensatory Jurisprudence. The author has noted all the decisions in a manner which will help subsequent researchers to get their fundamental materials

The legality of nuclear weapons cases: The world court sits on the fence

The Court declared that the threat or use of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, and in particular the principles and rules of humanitarian law. The Court, however could not conclude definitively whether the threat of use of nuclear weapons would be lawful or unlawful in an extreme circumstance of self-defence, in which the very survival of a State would be at stake. This article is modest attempt to analyse the opinions of the Court. Part A will trace the background for the advisory opinions. Part B will examine the judgment on the request made by the WHA. Part C will highlight the salient features and comment on the verdict of the Court in respect of the request made by the General Assembly. The discussion in Part D will concern the Court\u27s ruling on its competence to entertain the General Assembly\u27s queries. Part E will deal with the formulation of the question posed and the law that the Court felt would apply. Part F will endeavour to explore the Court\u27s interpretation of the general prohibition on the threat or use of force contained in the Charter of the United Nations (U.N. Charter). Part G looks to the Court\u27s opinion in relation to customary and conventional international law. While Part H will seek to estimate the Court\u27s observations on International Humanitarian Law, Part I will do so with respect to the principle of neutrality. The conclusions of the Court derived through the application of the rules of armed conflict and international humanitarian law will be analysed in Part J. Part K concerns itself with pronouncement of the Court with respect to the obligation to negotiate nuclear disarmament and its consequent impact on treaties like the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)

Foreign Currency Judgments: Need for a Proper Legal Regime

Foreign Currency judgments are a recent innovation, no doubt but are likely to be a tremendous boon to the commercial world. In the era of enhanced global trade made possible through breaking down of barriers of all kinds, it would be improper for the law to adhere to rigid and wooden rules like currency and breach date rules. There can be no problem if the currency indicated in an order or award is the same as that is in vogue in the nation. However due to the international nature of dispute settlement, currency expressions may be alien to the place where the judgment or award is finally enforced.6 There can also arise the question whether judgments or awards expressing the sum payable in a currency foreign to the place of enforcement is valid at all. Even assuming that they are, what would be the appropriate way that they are given effect to? How are they to be treated if they are to be converted into the forum\u27s currency? What rate will apply considering the fluctuating nature of foreign exchange rates