Consumption of Brussels sprouts protects peripheral human lymphocytes against 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) and oxidative DNA-damage: results of a controlled human intervention trial

To find out if the cancer protective effects of Brussels sprouts seen in epidemiological studies are due to protection against DNA-damage, an intervention trial was conducted in which the impact of vegetable consumption on DNA-stability was monitored in lymphocytes with the comet assay. After consumption of the sprouts (300 g/p/d, n = 8), a reduction of DNA-migration (97%) induced by the heterocyclic aromatic amine 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenyl-imidazo-[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) was observed whereas no effect was seen with 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]-indole (Trp-P-2). This effect protection may be due to inhibition of sulfotransferase 1A1, which plays a key role in the activation of PhIP. In addition, a decrease of the endogenous formation of oxidized bases was observed and DNA-damage caused by hydrogen peroxide was significantly (39%) lower after the intervention. These effects could not be explained by induction of antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, but in vitro experiments indicate that sprouts contain compounds, which act as direct scavengers of reactive oxygen species. Serum vitamin C levels were increased by 37% after sprout consumption but no correlations were seen between prevention of DNA-damage and individual alterations of the vitamin levels. Our study shows for the first time that sprout consumption leads to inhibition of sulfotransferases in humans and to protection against PhIP and oxidative DNA-damage.     

Watermarking as a service (WaaS) with anonymity

Multimedia Tools and Applications - With rapid increase in Internet usage, it has become quite easy to produce illegal digital contents. As a result, copyright protection and authentication...     

Antimicrobial and antidiabetic potential of synbiotic fermented milk: A functional dairy product

The current study was based on evaluation of the therapeutic potential (antimicrobial and antidiabetic) of a synbiotic fermented milk product developed by optimising levels of the prebiotic ingredients (fructooligosaccharide and isomaltooligosaccharide). The maximum growth rate (0.27 ± 0.21a cfu/mL) of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC^® 4357? was observed with 2.345–2.445% of fructooligosaccharide and 2.53–2.62% of isomaltooligosaccharide. Significant antimicrobial potential of the synbiotic fermented milk was observed against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus due to the addition of prebiotics. Similarly, the final product also showed 62.9%, 71.5% and 57.0% reduction in blood glucose, urea and creatinine levels, respectively, of diabetic rabbits, when supplemented with 6% of the synbiotic fermented milk. A synbiotic fermented milk product with significant therapeutic potential could be developed using fructooligosaccharide and isomaltooligosaccharide as prebiotic ingredients.     

Thermal performance of an MHD radiative Oldroyd‐B nanofluid by utilizing generalized models for heat and mass fluxes in the presence of bioconvective gyrotactic microorganisms and variable thermal conductivity

The current paper analyzes the thermal and concentration attributes with the temperature‐dependent mass diffusion coefficient and thermal conductivity for the flow of an Oldroyd‐B nanoliquid over a stretchable configuration using the Buongiorno model under the application of boundary layers. The mechanisms of heat and mass transport are modeled by using the revised definitions of heat and mass fluxes. Mathematical expressions for the conservation laws are transformed into ordinary differential expressions by making the appropriate changes. The resulting complexly structured expressions are handled via an optimal homotopy procedure. The impact of influential variables on the desired solutions is plotted, tabulated, and discussed in detail. Comparative analysis of the thermal wall flux coefficient, concentration flux coefficient, density magnitude of the motile microorganisms, and reduced dimensionless stresses with already published research as a limiting case of this exploration is presented for the validity of the proposed scheme, and an excellent agreement is observed, which confirms the reliability of the homotopic solution.     

Influence of interchange reactions on the nature and properties of miscible 50/50 poly(butylene terephthalate)/phenoxy blends

The combined influence of miscibility and interchange reactions on the thermal and mechanical properties of 50/50 blends of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and phenoxy, and the nature of the reactions, have been studied. It has been proved by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and solubility tests that the reaction occurs through the hydroxyl of the phenoxy. Evidence is presented for the additivity of the beneficial effects of miscibility and interchange reactions on the mechanical properties of the quenched, not-fully-crystalline material.     

Numerical sensitivity analysis of temperature-dependent reaction rate constants for optimized thermal conversion of high-density plastic waste into combustible fuels

The use of experimental rate constants for producing a high yield of liquid fuels from the pyrolysis of plastic waste is not widely accepted owing to a lack of compatibility between the different kinetic rate constants responsible for successful conversion reactions. In R software, the Arrhenius law can forecast the ideal combination of reaction rate constants and frequency factors and then perform sensitivity analysis on individual rate constants to estimate the selectivity and quantity of primary pyrolysis products. Sensitivity analysis is a way of determining the effectiveness of individual rate constants in the reaction. This research element is currently lacking in the literature for the cost-effective valorization of plastics into combustible fuels. We are the first to use R software to perform sensitivity analysis on specific rate constants by reducing or raising their initial values to a point where maximum oil yield is attainable in the temperature range of 340–370°C. The primary focus was to save time and cost of extracting empirical rate constants from experiments to produce commercial-scale pyrolytic oil. The H-abstraction, chain fission, polymerization, and scission reactions were chosen due to the high availability of free radicals for maximum oil production. The oil recovery rate improved drastically to 90% at the end of processing time, while the number of by-products gradually decreased. The k8 rate constant driven reaction is the best-suited condition for industrial-scale pyrolysis of high-density plastics into liquid fuels, with 74% improvement in oil production and 14% improvement in light wax during sensitivity analysis.     

Memory augmented hyper-heuristic framework to solve multi-disciplinary problems inspired by cognitive problem solving skills

Neural Computing and Applications - This paper proposes a new framework, named Deja-Vu+, which is an extension of Deja Vu framework, a classic study on hyper-heuristic framework with 2R (Record and...     

Oxidative stress and interleukins in seminal plasma during leukocytospermia

Various roles for the viral receptor, CD4, have been proposed in facilitating human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) entry, including virion binding to the target cell and the induction of conformational changes in the viral envelope glycoproteins required for the membrane fusion reaction. Here, we compare the structural requirements in the CDR2-like loop of CD4 domain 1, the major contact site of the gp120 envelope glycoprotein, for gp120 binding and virus entry. For every CD4 mutant examined, the level of cell surface expression and the gp120 binding affinity were sufficient to explain the relative ability to function as a viral receptor. The decrease in relative infectibility associated with decreased gp120 binding affinity was more pronounced at lower cell surface CD4 concentrations. These results imply that both receptor density and affinity determine the efficiency of HIV-1 entry and that specific structures in the CD4 residues examined are probably not required for HIV-1 entry functions other than gp120 binding.     

Surface Morphology and Dissolution Rate of Slow Discharge Urea Coated with Starch-Urea-Borax Matrix

Pure starches do not exhibit fast tacking and high viscosity to meet the standards set by many industrial processes. Therefore, the objective of this work was to obtain high- viscosity coating solutions after modifying tapioca starch with urea as a cross-linker and borax as a thickener. Study of the physical properties confirmed that the prepared solutions were exhibiting more pronounced non-Newtonian behavior. A shear-thinning behavior followed by shear-thickening was observed for all solution compositions. At room temperature, the critical shear rate at which the transition from shear-thinning to shear-thickening occurred was ranging from 45.8 to 78 s^?1. However, the shear-thickening response to the applied shear rate was less prominent at higher temperatures. The surface tension and density of the solutions were found to decrease monotonically with an increase in temperature. Once the physical properties were fully understood, 1, 1.5 and 2 mL of each solution were used to coat 30 g of urea fluidized above its minimum level of fluidization. The phenomenological analyses of the coated and uncoated urea samples were carried out by understating their surface morphology, coating thickness, percent coating, dissolution rate, percent release and crushing strength. It was concluded that the coating thickness, percent coating, dissolution rate and percent release increase over time with an increase in solution volume and borax mass; however, some random results were obtained while investigating the effects of the solution volume on the crushing strength. The highest crushing strength was noticed for urea samples coated with 1.5 mL of solution followed by 1 mL, 2 mL and without coating.     

Solid state structure and mechanical properties of melt mixed poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/polycarbonate blends

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/poly (carbonate of bisphenol A) (PC) blends were obtained in the melt state by direct injection molding and also by extrusion followed by injection molding. The blends rich in PTT were monophasic, while the blends rich in PC were biphasic with the two components of the blends present in both phases. Both the monophasic and biphasic blends were partially miscibilized, and also partially reacted, as observed by FTIR. The extent of the reaction was greater in previously mixed blends. The observed synergism in the modulus of elasticity was attributed to the increased orientation of the blend components upon blending. Although decreases in elongation at break were observed and attributed to degradation of PTT, the blends were clearly ductile and compatible. This was a consequence of either their monophasic structure, or of the presence of the two components in the two phases of the blends. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008