Leaching of residues of certain pesticides from black tea to brew

Tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world. It is prepared after infusing processed black tea in hot water. During the process of brewing, along with flavour and aroma, the residues of plant protection chemicals may also be transferred into the tea brew or infusion. The leaching of certain pesticides, such as ethion, endosulfan, dicofol, chlorpyrifos, deltamethrin, hexaconazole, fenpropathrin, propargite, quinalphos and lambdacyhalothrin from powdered black tea into the brew was studied. The rate of transfer of the pesticide residue from black tea to the hot brew was largely influenced by physicochemical parameters, such as water solubility and octanol-water partition coefficient. Tea brews prepared from untreated black tea samples were fortified with standard solutions of the respective pesticides, extracted and analysed using GC and HPLC by following standardised methods. Results revealed that the rate of leaching of residues of these pesticides into the tea brew was low due to their low solubilities in aqueous medium and high octanol-water partitioning coefficients.     

Theoretical evaluation of viscosity of binary molten electrolytes

Significant structure theory (SST) of Eyring has been employed to calculate theoretically the viscosity of binary molten electrolytes on the basis of rigid sphere model. For KClNaCl and KClKBr systems the agreement between theoretical and experimental values is found to be satisfactory.     

A study on the deposition of pyrolytic carbons from hydrocarbons

A new method for forming isotropic, laminar, and columnar pyrolytic carbons is proposed. For this, a low RPM (below 2.4 rpm) tumbling bed has been used to deposit pyrolytic carbons from hydrocarbon gases. All deposits were made on graphite substrates from propane and methane at a constant temperature of 1200°C. The microstructures of the pyrolytic carbons deposited were dependent on the flow pattern of the reactant gas, the rpm of the reactor, the hydrocarbon concentration, the nature of the hydrocarbon, and the geometry of the bed. Isotropic pyrolytic carbon is formed under deposition conditions where homogeneous nucleation occurs in the gas phase and at the gas flow conditions where the gas-borne droplets can collide on the substrate. Laminar carbon is formed under deposition conditions where homogeneous nucleation does not occur in the gas phase and at gas flow conditions where the carbon species existing in the bulk of the gas phase can collide on the substrate. Columnar carbon is formed when any carbon products existing in the bulk of the gas phase cannot collide on the substrate. The suggested deposition mechanism can also be applied to pyrolytic carbons deposited in a fluidized bed or in a stationary bed. In particular, isotropic carbon can be obtained even in a stationary bed if the requirements for the deposition of the isotropic carbon described above are satisfied.     

Kaempferol induced apoptosis via endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondria‐dependent pathway in human osteosarcoma U‐2 OS cells

Kaempferol is a natural flavonoid. Previous studies have reported that kaempferol has anti‐proliferation activities and induces apoptosis in many cancer cell lines. However, there are no reports on human osteosarcoma. In this study, we investigate the anti‐cancer effects and molecular mechanisms of kaempferol in human osteosarcoma cells. Our results demonstrate that kaempferol significantly reduces cell viabilities of U‐2 OS, HOB and 143B cells, especially U‐2 OS cells in a dose‐dependent manner, but exerts low cytotoxicity on human fetal osteoblast progenitor hFOB cells. Comet assay, DAPI staining and DNA gel electrophoresis confirm the effects of DNA damage and apoptosis in U‐2 OS cells. Flow cytometry detects the increase of cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ levels and the decrease of mitochondria membrane potential. Western blotting and fluorogenic enzymatic assay show that kaempferol treatment influences the time‐dependent expression of proteins involved in the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway and mitochondrial signaling pathway. In addition, pretreating cells with caspase inhibitors, BAPTA or calpeptin before exposure to kaempferol increases cell viabilities. The anti‐cancer effects of kaempferol in vivo are evaluated in BALB/c^nu/nu mice inoculated with U‐2 OS cells, and the results indicate inhibition of tumor growth. In conclusion, kaempferol inhibits human osteosarcoma cells in vivo and in vitro.     

Optimization of ingredients for the manufacture of soft-serve ice-cream (Softy) by response surface methodology (RSM)

Soft ice-cream samples were prepared with different proportions of cream and skimmed milk powder (SMP) and were examined for quality by physico-chemical parameters and sensory attributes. The specific proportions of cream and SMP were designed using the central composite rotatable design (CCRD). Response surface analysis indicated that sensory flavour, texture and overall acceptability (OAA) scores of soft ice-cream varied from 7.12 to 8.86, 6.66 to 8.03 and 6.90 to 8.45, respectively. The differences in the sensory scores for respective attributes were highly significant ( P ≤  0.01). The soft ice-cream containing a minimum level of 3.24% cream and 4.94% SMP resulted in a product having a minimum of 4.3% fat, 5.7% lactose and 33% total solids, with a minimum OAA score of 8. The derived mathematical second-order polynomial models against cream (X) and SMP (Y) were found to be adequate as coefficients of multiple determinants ( R ²) were more than 80% except for melting resistance.     

Localization of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone I, bradykinin and their receptors in the ovaries of non-mammalian vertebrates

GnRH I and its receptors have been demonstrated in the ovaries of various vertebrates, but their physiological significance in reproductive cascade is fragmentary. Bradykinin is a potent GnRH stimulator in the hypothalamus. In the present study, the presence of GnRH I and its receptor, and bradykinin and its receptor in the ovaries of non-mammalian vertebrates were investigated to understand their physiological significance. GnRH I immunoreactivity in the ovaries of fish, frog, reptile and bird were mainly found in the oocyte of early growing follicles and granulosa cells and theca cells of previtellogenic follicles. Vitellogenic follicles showed mild GnRH immunoreactivity. GnRH I-receptor and bradykinin were localized in the same cell types of the ovaries of these vertebrates. The presence of GnRH I, GnRH I-receptor and bradykinin in the ovaries of these vertebrates was confirmed by immunoblotting. The presence of GnRH I mRNA was demonstrated in the ovary of vertebrates using RT-PCR. The ovaries of reptiles and birds showed significantly higher intensity of immunoreactivity for GnRH I-receptor as compared with the fish and amphibian. This may have a correlation with the higher yolk content in the ovary of reptile and bird. These results suggest the possibility of GnRH I and bradykinin as important regulators of follicular development and vitellogenesis in the vertebrate ovary.     

Investigation of Subthreshold Characteristics of Negative Capacitance Single-Active Layer Double-Gate (NC-SALDG) Thin-Film Transistor (TFT)

Silicon - In this paper, for the first time, the performance evaluation of negative capacitance single-active layer double-gate (NC-SALDG) TFT is presented. In the proposed NC-SALDG TFT, amorphous...     

Synthesis,characterization of β-CD based novel hydrogels with dual objectives of drug release and dye removal

Iranian Polymer Journal - In our recent work, we have reported on hydrogels devoid of cross-linkers. After observing the successful swelling and water retention properties, we have introduced...     

Sensitivity Optimization of MEMS Based Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor for Harsh Environment

Silicon - Silicon carbide piezoresistive pressure sensor is more suitable for harsh environment due to its wide bandgap, corrosion tolerance, excellent chemical inertness, high Young’s...