Relation of potato compsition to potato size and blackening tendency

A compositional study was conducted on six potato samples representing various degrees of stem-end blackening. The aim of the study was to determine compositional variation with potato size. The compositional characteristics, of stem-and bud-end tissue of various potato sizes, of the six samples were determined. The larger the potato the greater was the tendency for the stem-end to have the following characteristics: (i) low citric acid content, (ii) high K/citric acid, and (iii) relatively low citric acid/polyphenolic content. It was also shown that differences in stem-end blackening tendency between potato samples, as well as differences in blackening within the same sample could be correlated with these same compositional characteristics.     

The molecular architecture of axonemes revealed by cryoelectron tomography

Eukaryotic flagella and cilia are built on a 9 + 2 array of microtubules plus >250 accessory proteins, forming a biological machine called the axoneme. Here we describe the three-dimensional structure of rapidly frozen axonemes from Chlamydomonas and sea urchin sperm, using cryoelectron tomography and image processing to focus on the motor enzyme dynein. Our images suggest a model for the way dynein generates force to slide microtubules. They also reveal two dynein linkers that may provide "hard-wiring" to coordinate motor enzyme action, both circumferentially and along the axoneme. Periodic densities were also observed inside doublet microtubules; these may contribute to doublet stability.     

Get real: an analysis of student preference for real food

The Real Food Challenge is a national student movement in the United States (U.S.) that aims to shift $1 billion—roughly 20%—of college and university food budgets across the country towards local, ecologically sound, fair, and humane food sources—what they call “real” food—by 2020. The University of Vermont (UVM) was the fifth university in the U.S. to sign the Real Food Campus Commitment, pledging to shift at least 20% of its own food budget towards “real” food by 2020. In order to examine student preference for “real” food on the UVM campus, we analyzed a survey of 904 undergraduate students that used contingent valuation to evaluate students’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the “real” attribute. We found that a majority of students are willing to pay a positive premium for “real” food. Furthermore, we found that student characteristics and attitudes significantly influence WTP. Specifically, gender, residency, college, and attitudes about price and origin of food are significant predictors of WTP.