Search

Plantain (Musa parasidiaca) is a perishable fruit that needs to be processed into flour to extend its shelflife. It is therefore essential to develop specifications for drying Musa parasidiaca pulp to obtain high quality flour and reduce wastage. The study specifically examined functional properties such as bulk density, least gelation concentration, swelling power, oil absorption capacity, tapped density and pH of the unripe Musa parasidiaca flour. Additionally, the proximate composition such as moisture content, ash, crude protein, crude fibre carbohydrate and crude fat were also investigated. The results showed that the method of drying has a significant effect on the carbohydrate and moisture content of the unripe Musa parasidiaca flour. As regard to the crude protein, it was revealed that there were no significant differences between microwave dried (3.75 %) and sun dried (3.84 %) flours. Bulk density of the unripe Musa parasidiaca flour samples dried in the microwave dryer (MD), sun drying (SD) and oven dryer (OD) were 0.66 g/mL, 0.60 g/mL and 0.77 g/mL respectively. It was observed that all the three methods of drying significantly impacted on the bulk density of the unripe Musa parasidiaca flour. There were also marked differences in the rehydration ratios (RR), and the moisture diffusivities of the various Musa parasidiaca flours. The study concludes that the colour of the MD unripe Musa parasidiaca flour was significantly different from that of the SD unripe Musa parasidiaca flour.

# Background The Y-Balance Test (YBT) assesses dynamic stability and neuromuscular control of the lower extremity. Several authors have analyzed kinematic predictors of YBT performance with conflicting results, but the influence of kinetic factors is not well understood. # Purpose To examine kinematic predictors of YBT performance and determine the joint kinetics which predict YBT performance. # Study Design Cross-sectional study. # Methods Thirty-one physically active individuals performed YBT trials on a force plate while whole body kinematics were recorded using a motion capture system. Sagittal, frontal, and transverse plane joint kinematics and joint moments were calculated at maximum reach in each YBT reach direction. Variables correlated with reach distances at the *p* \< 0.2 level were entered into a stepwise linear regression. # Results In the anterior direction, knee flexion and torso rotation (*R^2^*=0.458, *p*\

Striatal interneurons and spiny projection (SP) neurons are differentially tuned to spectral components of their input. Previous studies showed that spike responses of somatostatin/NPY-expressing low threshold spike (LTS) interneurons have broad frequency tuning, setting these cells apart from other striatal GABAergic interneurons and SP neurons. We investigated the mechanism of LTS interneuron spiking resonance and its relationship to non-spiking membrane impedance resonance, finding that abolition of impedance resonance did not alter spiking resonance. Because LTS interneurons are pacemakers whose rhythmic firing is perturbed by synaptic input, we tested the hypothesis that their spiking resonance arises from their phase resetting properties. Phase resetting curves (PRCs) were measured in LTS interneurons and SP neurons and used to make phase-oscillator models of both cell types. The models reproduced the broad tuning of LTS interneurons, and the differences from SP neurons. The spectral components of the PRC predicted each cell’s sensitivity to corresponding input frequencies. LTS interneuron PRCs contain larger high-frequency components than SP neuron PRCs, providing enhanced responses to input frequencies above the cells’ average firing rates. Thus, LTS cells can be entrained by input oscillations to which SP neurons are less responsive. These findings suggest that feedforward inhibition by LTS interneurons may regulate SP neurons’ entrainment by oscillatory afferents.