Mineral and Phytic Acid Content as Well as Phytase Activity in Flours and Breads Made from Different Wheat Species.

Wheat is of high importance for a healthy and sustainable diet for the growing world population, partly due to its high mineral content. However, several minerals are bound in a phytate complex in the grain and unavailable to humans. We performed a series of trials to compare the contents of minerals and phytic acid as well as phytase activity in several varieties from alternative wheat species spelt, emmer and einkorn with common wheat. Additionally, we investigated the potential of recent popular bread making recipes in German bakeries to reduce phytic acid content, and thus increase mineral bioavailability in bread. For all studied ingredients, we found considerable variance both between varieties within a species and across wheat species. For example, whole grain flours, particularly from emmer and einkorn, appear to have higher mineral content than common wheat, but also a higher phytic acid content with similar phytase activity. Bread making recipes had a greater effect on phytic acid content in the final bread than the choice of species for whole grain flour production. Recipes with long yeast proofing or sourdough and the use of whole grain rye flour in a mixed wheat bread minimized the phytic acid content in the bread. Consequently, optimizing food to better nourish a growing world requires close collaboration between research organizations and practical stakeholders ensuring a streamlined sustainable process from farm to fork.

Mapping complex mind states: EEG neural substrates of meditative unified compassionate awareness.

Specific mental training cultivates diminished self-reference, encompassing non-duality, emptiness, awakened-awareness, and compassionate experiences. We aimed to elucidate the neural substrates of four distinct, interdependent Essence-of-Mind states: (1) timelessness, (2) non-preference, non-duality, non-conceptualization, (3) the view of luminosity and limitlessness, (4) unified compassionate experience of oneness (stable awakened-awareness). EEG data were collected from 30 advanced meditators concomitant to eyes-open/eyes-closed resting baseline, followed by 60-min of instructed practice. Alpha, beta, and gamma, frequency-spatial EEG-dimensions were analyzed. The results revealed that compared to baseline, current density across frequencies significantly decreased upon meditation onset in self-referential, and executive-control regions. During meditation, gamma-band current density significantly increased from state-1 compared to state-4, within the ACC, precuneus, and superior parietal lobule, whereas beta-band activity increased within the insula. These findings suggest a dissociation between brain regions regulating self-referential vs. executive-control processing, during non-dual, compassionate states, characterized by brilliantly awake awareness, free from conceptual thought and "doing".

Women's Experiences with a Mindful Eating Program for Binge and Emotional Eating: A Qualitative Investigation into the Process of Change.

Objectives: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been shown to reduce engagement in disordered eating behaviors, although how these interventions engender change remains unclear. The objective of this exploratory qualitative study was to describe the experiences and perceived attitudinal and behavioral changes of women participating in a mindful eating program. Design: Focus group discussions were held with women participating in a community-based mindful eating program for binge and emotional eating. A semistructured interview guide was used to explore participants' conceptualizations of mindfulness-based attitudinal and behavior change, as related to food, eating, and body image. The focus group discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify salient concepts. Settings/Location: Focus group discussions were held at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) (United States). Participants: A sample of nine women who were enrolled in the mindful eating program at UMMS for problems with self-reported binge and/or emotional eating participated in this study. Results: Four themes were constructed that described a process of mindfulness-based behavior change, including (1) Learning Through Self-Awareness, (2) Self-Empowerment, (3) Mindful Choice-Making, and (4) Resilient Self-Care. An overarching description of the participants' perceived attitudinal and behavior changes was developed: "unforced freedom of choice, emerging from embodied awareness." Conclusions: These findings suggest that MBIs reduce may disordered eating behaviors through empowering women to make positive choices about food, eating, and coping, without focusing on weight control. Future research is needed to examine whether these findings replicate in larger and more diverse samples, and how they can be used to optimize and implement eating-specific MBIs in community-based settings.

From research to clinic: A sensor reduction method for high-density EEG neurofeedback systems.

OBJECTIVE: To accurately deliver a source-estimated neurofeedback (NF) signal developed on a 128-sensors EEG system on a reduced 32-sensors EEG system. METHODS: A linearly constrained minimum variance beamformer algorithm was used to select the 64 sensors which contributed most highly to the source signal. Monte Carlo-based sampling was then used to randomly generate a large set of reduced 32-sensors montages from the 64 beamformer-selected sensors. The reduced montages were then tested for their ability to reproduce the 128-sensors NF. The high-performing montages were then pooled and analyzed by a k-means clustering machine learning algorithm to produce an optimized reduced 32-sensors montage. RESULTS: Nearly 4500 high-performing montages were discovered from the Monte Carlo sampling. After statistically analyzing this pool of high performing montages, a set of refined 32-sensors montages was generated that could reproduce the 128-sensors NF with greater than 80% accuracy for 72% of the test population. CONCLUSION: Our Monte Carlo reduction method was used to create reliable reduced-sensors montages which could be used to deliver accurate NF in clinical settings. SIGNIFICANCE: A translational pathway is now available by which high-density EEG-based NF measures can be delivered using clinically accessible low-density EEG systems.

Can Mindfulness Address Maladaptive Eating Behaviors? Why Traditional Diet Plans Fail and How New Mechanistic Insights May Lead to Novel Interventions.

Emotional and other maladaptive eating behaviors develop in response to a diversity of triggers, from psychological stress to the endless external cues in our modern food environment. While the standard approach to food- and weight-related concerns has been weight-loss through dietary restriction, these interventions have produced little long-term benefit, and may be counterproductive. A growing understanding of the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms that underpin habit formation may explain why this approach has largely failed, and pave the way for a new generation of non-pharmacologic interventions. Here, we first review how modern food environments interact with human biology to promote reward-related eating through associative learning, i.e., operant conditioning. We also review how operant conditioning (positive and negative reinforcement) cultivates habit-based reward-related eating, and how current diet paradigms may not directly target such eating. Further, we describe how mindfulness training that targets reward-based learning may constitute an appropriate intervention to rewire the learning process around eating. We conclude with examples that illustrate how teaching patients to tap into and act on intrinsic (e.g., enjoying healthy eating, not overeating, and self-compassion) rather than extrinsic reward mechanisms (e.g., weighing oneself), is a promising new direction in improving individuals' relationship with food.

Network characteristics of idiopathic generalized epilepsies in combined MEG/EEG.

Seven patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsies were investigated using MEG and EEG. Spike-wave series were seen in all patients, single spikes in six. For both, source analysis showed most often involvement of frontal, perinsular and subcortical/thalamic areas. In all patients, a unilateral frontal accentuation of activity could be observed. Patients with juvenile myoclonic and myoclonic absence epilepsy presented with localizations mainly in the central and premotor regions versus prefrontal accentuation in the other absence patients. MEG/EEG source localization provides important information concerning regional network involvement in idiopathic generalized epilepsies. As a consequence for a neurophysiological concept of "generalized" epileptic seizures and syndromes, a third subgroup with regional activity in bilateral homologous regions can be differentiated next to pure focal and multifocal generalized epilepsies.

The use of predatory soil mites in ecological soil classification and assessment concepts, with perspectives for oribatid mites.

Gamasina are the main predators among the soil mesofauna and, therefore, have a crucial position in the soil food web and contribute significantly to energy and matter turnover. Ecological concepts including predatory mites in soil assessment have not yet been established, while standardized sampling, extraction, and conservation methods are available. There are reliable keys for Europe that cover most families. Few species in low dominance ranks correlate well with soil properties like soil texture and pH. Meaningful endpoints for soil assessment are community parameters that are based on the life history of the species (e.g., Maturity Index). It has been shown that the predatory mites, as well as the oribatids as a second common and widespread group of mites, fit well into a soil assessment concept comparable to RIVPACS, which was established for aquatic systems. Perspectives for future research are the development of a computer-aided identification key and the creation of a database with information on the ecology and biogeography of important species.

Ecological classification and assessment concepts in soil protection.

Evaluation of ecological soil quality requires the integration of physical, chemical, and biological variables. From a biological point of view, the maintenance of biodiversity and the assurance of life support functions are the main goals of protection to secure sustainable land use. To reach these goals, biological concepts for the classification and assessment of soils were developed in various countries, most of them based on similar concepts in limnology and aquatic ecotoxicology, which are already routinely applied. In this article, an overview of existing concepts, as well as a detailed description of the two most promising ones (BISQ from The Netherlands and BBSK from Germany), is given, followed by a discussion of the properties essential to an ideal biological concept for soil protection. Finally, recommendations for further research and a basic outline of a monitoring program ready for immediate use are provided.

Mas, afinal, quem é o sujeito da mudança?: uma análise da dimensão tecnológica e intersubjetiva das práticas de saúde do programa saúde da família / What is the subject the change?: an analysis of technology dimension and the heath practice intersubjective of the family health program

A sociedade brasileira tem enfrentado o desafio de conformar um sistema de saúde para 170 milhões de habitantes, sendo que, desse total, 100 milhões são dependentes exclusivos da rede pública de saúde (Brasil, 2001), sendo o PSF a principal estratégia apresentada para ampliação do acesso aos serviços de saúde. No entanto, deve-se problematizar a prática dos seus agentes em equipe não como algo dado por uma norma ministerial, descolado da dimensão humana, mas como qualquer outra ação sujeita a inúmeras questões que ultrapassam as fronteiras da dimensão técnica dos serviços de saúde. Nesse sentido, a presente investigação analisa as possibilidades da mudança das práticas de saúde no cotidiano de uma ESF no município de Salvador-Ba, considerando a dimensão tecnológica e dimensão intersubjetiva das ações em saúde. As referidas categorias foram discutidas a partir da reflexão de Mendes-Gonçalves sobre processo de trabalho, teoria da competência comunicativa de Habermas e psicologia dos grupos operativos de Pichon-Rivière. Através de um estudo de caso qualitativo (uma equipe), a pesquisadora desenvolveu em cinco meses e meio de campo (2005-2006) uma investigação em profundidade utilizando entrevistas abertas e semi- estruturadas, questionários estruturados, observação participativa, diário de campo com elaboração de crônicas do processo grupal da equipe, revisão documental e registro fotográfico das atividades da equipe estudada. Como resultado, identificou-se a fragmentação do processo de implantação do Programa no município e a dificuldade da SMS em retomar a condução da gestão do PSF, devido a interferências de empresas terceirizadas na relação da SMS com os profissionais, lideranças sindicais e com a comunidade local...