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The You Docs: This color can make you healthier

noreply@blogspirit.com (dushan) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:42:27 +0200

When it comes to fruits and legumes, it's pretty much impossible to reach for anything bad. But often you can get extra goodies by reaching for red. Not only do naturally red foods make your meals look like they just arrived from a photo shoot, but they pile on the health benefits, too. Try these three heavy hitters:
• Red bell peppers: They have almost twice as much vitamin C as their green siblings. And getting ample C is credited with a 30 percent reduction in the risk of stroke, one of the top causes of death and disability in North Americans. Vitamin C helps your arteries stay young and keeps your immune system strong.
• Red kidney beans: These are right up there with blueberries when it comes to total phytonutrient value. And phytonutrients -- protective substances found in plant foods -- help your body produce more of its own antioxidants. These defenders swiftly mop up free radicals, the cellular byproducts that can damage DNA and lead to cancer, heart disease and early aging. So brighten up salads now and stews later by tossing in some crimson beauties.
• Red grapefruit: The red varieties contain more lycopene -- a phytonutrient that may add extra anti-cancer and heart-health benefits -- than white grapefruit does. Lycopene is absorbed better, though, when fat is around, so try tossing red grapefruit segments into a saute or salad drizzled with canola or olive oil. Or if you love spooning out the sections one-by-one on Sunday morning, eat them with a side of whole-grain toast spread with peanut butter. You're good to go.

From http://www.agriculture-supplier.com/ agriculture-supplier

Vegetable-stuffed Hungarian peppers

noreply@blogspirit.com (dushan) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:42:01 +0200

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush a shallow 12-by-7-inch baking dish with olive oil.
2. Halve each pepper lengthwise, taking care to leave the base and stem intact (the peppers should look like little boats) for each of the larger halves. Chop the remaining smaller halves into a small dice and set aside.

3. Remove the seeds, then cook the peppers in salted, boiling water just until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Strain and set aside.

4. In a large, heavy skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onion and sauté until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they are tender and have released their juices, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the diced pepper and squashand sauté until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes more, adding oil as needed to prevent sticking. Add the corn kernels and 1 teaspoon each of minced basil and chopped dill. Add one-half teaspoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.

6. Make the tomato sauce, by coarsely chopping the tomatoes and pulsing them in a food processor to a coarse purée. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 cloves minced garlic, sautéing just until aromatic. Add the tomato purée and half of the chicken broth.

7. Add one-fourth teaspoon saltand bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Halfway through, stir in the remaining chicken broth. Remove from heat and stir in the roughly chopped basil.

8. To assemble, spoon the sauce into the prepared baking dish, covering the bottom completely and evenly. Divide the sautéed vegetables evenly among the pepper halves, filling the peppers completely.
9. In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs with the remaining garlic, minced basil and chopped dill. Season with a pinch of salt, and stir in 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Spoon the bread crumbs evenly over the stuffed peppers and drizzle the remaining butter over each.

10. Carefully place the peppersin the pan over the tomato sauce. Place the pan in the oven, and bake until the bread crumbs are browned on top and the sauce is bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
From http://www.agriculture-supplier.com/ agriculture-supplier

Exports of unprocessed cereals impact on animal feed supply

noreply@blogspirit.com (dushan) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:41:31 +0200

Uganda’s continued export of unprocessed cereals is partly to blame for the current shortage of animal feeds in the country. Most cereals, especially maize, are exported as unprocessed consequently there are no residual byproducts that can be used to manufacture animal feeds.

Some animal farmers now want a law to be passed to enforce value addition on all cereals so that byproducts can be used to manufacture animal feeds.

“After several meetings and consultations the Animal feed bill was drafted and tabled to the 7th Parliament, unfortunately nothing happened. We humbly beg you to take up this matter expeditiously,” the Chairman Poultry Association of Uganda (PAU) Mr Aga Sekalala.
He was speaking to Agriculture minister Eng. Hirary Onek who was visiting Ugachick Poultry Breeders in Majigye Wakiso District over the weekend.

If the bill is enacted, one of the pertinent issues it will address is to enforce exportation of value added maize so that the residue are used in the manufacturing of animal and birds feeds.

Currently Uganda and the feeds industry is experiencing an acute shortage of raw materials and the escalating commodity prices have forced many poultry farmers to sell their birds before maturity and others could be pushed out of business.

All the maize exported within the region is in its raw form something which has constrained the feeds industry from accessing raw materials. Other possible sources of raw materials include fish products, cotton and sunflower seed cake, bones, cassava and sweet potatoes. Kenya and Tanzania have a policy that instructs their farmers to export only value added maize thus leaving the residue for their domestic feeds industries.

“We have written to the Director General of NARO requesting his help to begin trials for yellow maize and cassava trials at both Magigye Farm and Namulonge Research Station in order to find long-term solutions on raw materials for animal and poultry feeds,” Ms Immaculate Mgulumi from PAU said.

The farmers have also asked the government to facilitate training activities for farmers in handling their business. “We are aware that government of Netherlands offers Uganda government Scholarships each year; The ministry must intervene to avail those scholarships to poultry farmers,” Mr Sekalala said.
From http://www.agriculture-supplier.com/ agriculture-supplier

Arsenic Exposure and Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes in US Adults

noreply@blogspirit.com (dushan) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:41:02 +0200

Context High chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic in drinking water has been related to diabetes development, but the effect of exposure to low to moderate levels of inorganic arsenic on diabetes risk is unknown. In contrast, arsenobetaine, an organic arsenic compound derived from seafood intake, is considered nontoxic. Objective To investigate the association of arsenic exposure, as measured in urine, with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in a representative sample of US adults. Design, Setting, and Participants Cross-sectional study in 788 adults aged 20 years or older who participated in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and had urine arsenic determinations. Main Outcome Measure Prevalence of type 2 diabetes across intake of arsenic. Results The median urine levels of total arsenic, dimethylarsinate, and arsenobetaine were 7.1, 3.0, and 0.9 µg/L, respectively. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 7.7%. After adjustment for diabetes risk factors and markers of seafood intake, participants with type 2 diabetes had a 26% higher level of total arsenic (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0%-56.0%) and a nonsignificant 10% higher level of dimethylarsinate (95% CI, –8.0% to 33.0%) than participants without type 2 diabetes, and levels of arsenobetaine were similar to those of participants without type 2 diabetes. After similar adjustment, the odds ratios for type 2 diabetes comparing participants at the 80th vs the 20th percentiles were 3.58 for the level of total arsenic (95% CI, 1.18-10.83), 1.57 for dimethylarsinate (95% CI, 0.89-2.76), and 0.69 for arsenobetaine (95% CI, 0.33-1.48). Conclusions After adjustment for biomarkers of seafood intake, total urine arsenic was associated with increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes. This finding supports the hypothesis that low levels of exposure to inorganic arsenic in drinking water, a widespread exposure worldwide, may play a role in diabetes prevalence. Prospective studies in populations exposed to a range of inorganic arsenic levels are needed to establish whether this association is causal.
Author Affiliations: Department of Environmental Health Sciences (Drs Navas-Acien and Silbergeld), and Department of Epidemiology, and Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research (Drs Navas-Acien and Guallar), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; National Center for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain, and CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain (Dr Pastor-Barriuso); Department of Cardiovascular Epidemiology and Population Genetics, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Madrid, Spain, and Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore (Dr Guallar).

From http://www.chemical-suppliers-china.com/ chemical-suppliers

Researchers Uncover Attack Mechanism Of Illness-inducing Bacterium

noreply@blogspirit.com (dushan) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:40:29 +0200

ocean-dwelling bacterium found in oysters and other shellfish kills its host’s cells by causing them to burst, providing the invader with a nutrient-rich meal, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.The bacterium, a relative of the one that causes cholera, co-opts and makes fatal a normal cell process that starving or stressed organisms use to disassemble and recycle expendable proteins into more vital metabolites.Called Vibrio parahaemolyticus, or V para for short, the bacterium is already a major cause of human illness and economic loss in Asia. It is dangerous primarily to people with liver disease or suppressed immune systems, although it can be killed by fully cooking shellfish, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.It caused major disease outbreaks in the northwest and northeast U.S. in the late 1990s and killed two people after Hurricane Katrina when tainted seawater entered open wounds, according to the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.“This pathogen has spread to all the oceans of the world, and is resistant to many antibiotics,” said Dr. Kim Orth, associate professor of molecular biology and senior author of a study appearing online this week and in an upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Dr. Orth said she became interested in V para after its DNA was sequenced by Japanese researchers. She saw similarities between some of V para’s genes and those encoded by an unrelated bacterium that causes plague, which she also studies.V para was already known to kill host cells but the molecular mechanisms were unclear, Dr. Orth said. However, the new study shows that V para physically contacts host cells and then injects molecules to trigger the protein breakdown process.Normally, this protein breakdown mechanism, called autophagy (pronounced “aw-TAH-fah-gee”) or “self-eating,” is tightly controlled by the cells.In the study, the researchers infected cultured human cells with V para and found that the cells very quickly showed signs of autophagy, such as forming distinctive small compartments that collect and transport proteins for disassembly.The cells also became rounded, probably from a collapse of their internal framework, and their outer membranes began leaking, the researchers found. The cells died within three hours.The researchers hypothesized that the invading V para scavenged nutrients from the dying cells to support their own proliferation.“No one has seen such a rapid triggering of autophagy before,” said Dr. Orth.“Treating the human cells with an autophagy inhibitor halted the protein breakdown process but did not save the cells, because V para uses other pathways by which to kill cells,” she said. “However, because it can kill by several routes, it’s important to understand all of them.”

From http://www.chemical-suppliers-china.com/ chemical-suppliers

Self-cleaning clothes let you fear no stains

noreply@blogspirit.com (dushan) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:39:48 +0200

Researchers at Australia’s Monash University have come up with a nanoparticle coating that could make self-cleaning clothes a reality. The particles, made of anatase titanium dioxide, will coat fibers in wool and silk. Once the fabric is coated, you need to expose it to sunlight for a few hours for the particles start munching on errant spills as well as any harmful and smell-causing microorganisms and other dirt. The coating — still “quite a while” from being commercially available, the researchers say — is nontoxic and can be permanently bonded to the fiber, resisting laundering while keeping the cloth’s prized texture the same.
Not only will this new nanotechnology save you cash on unwearable clothes and laundry bills, it'll make you greener just by saving all those dry-cleaning chemicals that go who knows where. Other benefits include never losing a wool sock in the dryer again.

From http://www.chemical-suppliers-china.com/ chemical-suppliers

Man of steel Carl Edwards super on verge of Chase

noreply@blogspirit.com (dushan) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:38:25 +0200

While Kyle Busch might, in fact, be Batman -- he has a darker, more moody side -- Edwards is more like the Man of Steel.Faster than a speeding bullet, can leap tall buildings in a single bound ... is it a bird, is it a plane? -- no it's Cousin Carl.Edwards is strong, square-jawed, broad-shouldered and can do a backflip off a race car, which we haven't seen Kyle attempt, although he bows with much style.While Busch, who has won eight Sprint Cup races this year, can drive the wheels off just about anything, Edwards, who has five Cup victories with Sunday's 3M Performance 400 win at Michigan International Speedway, believes he's the best racer in the universe, which, if Kyle thinks he is, he hasn't publicly announced it.Edwards, without blinking an eye, said as much at MIS following his resounding win."My psyche and mentality is pretty much fixed on I'm the greatest race driver that ever lived," Edwards said. "You know what I'm saying? What helps me -- I mean, if you don't think that -- that's what David Pearson told me, if you don't believe that, you don't belong in the race car."While we are still waiting to catch him changing into a red-and-blue costume in a phone booth, Edwards is tough as nails and probably could bend an iron bar in his hands.Asked following his win at Michigan for Roush Fenway Racing if he were born with the confidence to achieve great things, Edwards said: "Deep down, you really have to believe in yourself, and I think everyone that performs at a high level in any sport does."Edwards, who doesn't back down from a fight, said he watched the Olympics on Saturday night and was amazed by the performances, and particularly what made champions just that."It struck me, you know, you see individuals like that achieve so well and they achieve just great things, and then there's the other folks who don't," Edwards said."Just having the guts to go out there and jump in the water and swim or go run 100 meters in front of the whole world and compete, you have the chance to lose, but you just have to do the best you can. That's all you can do."Edwards is confident, self-assured and extremely capable.He might have a weakness, like Superman did, but we haven't discovered it.Edwards will mix it up on short tracks, and is swift and brave on superspeedways.He finished third in Cup points in 2005 and is currently second to Busch in this year's standings and peaking for the Chase for the Championship."Our pit crew has stepped up the game," said Edwards of Sunday's crisp, clean pit stops that helped him win. "That was our big weakness for a long time, and the guys have repeatedly, week after week, worked harder and become better. I feel like we are competing to win. I feel good.
From http://www.chinatopsupplier.com/ chinatopsupplier

Beer, cigs up - but very quietly

noreply@blogspirit.com (dushan) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:37:44 +0200

THE half-yearly "sin taxes" on beer and cigarettes will jump by twice as much as usual because of the high inflation rate - a move that will itself further increase cost of living pressures.
The tax on a packet of 50 cigarettes will leap by 35 cents to $12.73. Those buying a pack of 20 smokes will pay an extra 14 cents in tax.
Spirit drinkers will hand the Rudd Government almost $18 each time they buy a 700ml bottle of whisky or gin, with the tax up by 49 cents, and by 46 cent on a bottle of brandy.
The changes, which will hit consumers on Friday, will also mean the tax on a slab of full-strength 375ml cans of beer will jump by 48 cents. There is no extra tax being collected on a glass of light or full-strength beer served across the bar, but the excise on a mid-strength beer rises by one cent.
Ready-to-drink spirits face a further price rise on top of that imposed by the Government in the recent budget, with the tax on a six-pack of premixed alcopops rising by up to 24 cents.
The excise rise is linked to the consumer price index and occurs on August 1 and February 1 every year. Known as automatic indexation, it was introduced 25 years ago by the Hawke government to end the horror budget-night headlines declaring "beer, cigs up" that took attention away from spending announcements. The Government expects to collect $9 billion this year in alcohol and tobacco excise.
While ministers are quick to announce similar "adjustments" to pensions and other benefits, no minister puts out a press release announcing these tax rises. The Government hopes it will pass unnoticed.
Smokers and drinkers could face a price rise greater than the excise adjustment because retailers and manufacturers may take the opportunity to pass on other price rises relating to production costs and profit margins.
Last week the Bureau of Statistics said the cost of living was running at its fastest pace in 13 years with prices across the board rising by by 4.5 per cent last financial year and by 1.5 per cent in the June quarter alone.
From http://www.chinatopsupplier.com/ chinatopsupplier

Black bean

noreply@blogspirit.com (dushan) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:59:52 +0200

Standing in a circle holding hands, many primary school children learn to sing, "Oats, peas, beans and barley grow," that simple tribute to several of the most basic crops of the field. Recent scientific studies have uncovered the nutritional heights attained by these humble staples. The black bean, in particular, is a treasure worth rediscovering.
What does it do?
Beans are rich in antioxidants, those special substances that reduce the oxidative stresses that underlie premature aging, the development of certain cancers and both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
Researchers found that http://www.agriculture-supplier.com/ beans with darker skins possess greater amounts of health-providing ingredients than their light-skinned counterparts.
Black beans top the list in terms of the antioxidants called anthocyanins. Rich levels of folate and magnesium in this legume are beneficial to your heart.
About the herb
Also called turtle beans because of their shiny black surfaces, black beans play an important role in vegetarian cuisine since the density provides a meaty texture. The high amount of dietary fiber found in black beans helps to keep cholesterol levels low.
Recommended dosage
Since legumes and grains team up to provide a complete spectrum of essential amino acids, dishes concocted that feature black beans and quinoa or brown rice a re tops!
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. NOTE: Visit www.herbalastrology.com to read Ted PanDeva Zagar's other articles and columns that discuss the benefits of herbs and natural foods.

From http://www.agriculture-supplier.com/ agriculture-supplier

Grower trials unusual frost protector

noreply@blogspirit.com (dushan) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:58:56 +0200

Spraying olive trees with a natural product from sugar beet has successfully stopped some varieties of olive trees in the South Island being knocked by frosts.
Alex Houliston, head of science at Christchurch Girls' High School, took a year off teaching high school to study the frost problem in his own orchard.
Some olive orchards have suffered severe damage when trees four or five years old have been hit by a series of 13degC frosts in recent years.
Mr Houliston sprayed some of his trees with glycine betaine, which is extracted from sugar beet as a by-product of sugar production.
He had heard it could protect plants from metabolic inactivation during environmental stresses -- water deficit, high soil salinity and extreme temperatures such as frost, by changing the speed at which water passed throught the plant's cells.
"We were delighted to find that this product significantly reduced frost damage to my trees," said Mr Houliston who was awarded a technology teaching fellowship at Lincoln University and worked with researchers, Leo Vanhanen and Associate Professor Geoffrey Savage.
It was the first time glycine betaine had been scientifically trialled on New Zealand olives, and was sprayed on trees six times while the olives were ripening.
Both the cultivars used (barnea and manzillo) were protected by the spray, barnea most successfully.
From http://www.agriculture-supplier.com/ agriculture-supplier