Bioavailability,rheology, and sensory evaluation of mayonnaise fortified with vitamin D encapsulated in protein-based carriers

Vitamin D lost its functionality during processing and storage, thus, encapsulation with proteins is desirable to preserve bioactivity. The aim of the current study was to develop encapsulated vitamin D fortified mayonnaise (VDFM) using whey protein isolates (WPI) and soy protein isolates (SPI) as encapsulating materials in three different formulations, that is, 10% WPI, 10% SPI, and 5/5% WPI/SPI. Increased shear stress decreased the apparent viscosity along with significant effects on the loss modulus of VDFM. WPI encapsulates showed better results as compared to SPI. WPI based VDFM (M₁) depicted the best results in terms of size and dispersion uniformity of oil droplets. Hue angle and total change differed significantly among treatments. The highest value for overall acceptability was acquired by M₃ (5:5%WPI:SPI-encapsulates) thus proceed for in vivo trials. Serum vitamin D level was significantly higher in the encapsulated VDFM rat group (58.14 ± 6.29 nmol/L) than the control (37.80 ± 4.98 nmol/L). Conclusively, WPI and SPI encapsulates have the potential to improve the stability and bioavailability of vitamin D.     

Two successive occasions resubmitted sampling scheme-based control chart

In this paper, a resubmitted sampling-based successive sampling over two successive occasions control chart is proposed to monitor the underlying characteristic of interest. Auxiliary information of the first occasion is utilized to monitor the relative change in the study variable over the second occasion successively despite high degree of correlation. The structural and operational design is presented along with the comparative performance evaluation. The average run length is used as a performance evaluation measure and proved the argument in favor of the presented concept in comparison with the other auxiliary data control charts. The implementation is explained through two real examples.     

The Arabidopsis Mitochondrial Glutaredoxin GRXS15 Provides [2Fe-2S] Clusters for ISCA-Mediated [4Fe-4S] Cluster Maturation

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) proteins are crucial for many cellular functions, particularly those involving electron transfer and metabolic reactions. An essential monothiol glutaredoxin GRXS15 plays a key role in the maturation of plant mitochondrial Fe-S proteins. However, its specific molecular function is not clear, and may be different from that of the better characterized yeast and human orthologs, based on known properties. Hence, we report here a detailed characterization of the interactions between Arabidopsis thaliana GRXS15 and ISCA proteins using both in vivo and in vitro approaches. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation experiments demonstrated that GRXS15 interacts with each of the three plant mitochondrial ISCA1a/1b/2 proteins. UV-visible absorption/CD and resonance Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that coexpression of ISCA1a and ISCA2 resulted in samples with one [2Fe-2S]²⁺ cluster per ISCA1a/2 heterodimer, but cluster reconstitution using as-purified [2Fe-2S]-ISCA1a/2 resulted in a [4Fe-4S]²⁺ cluster-bound ISCA1a/2 heterodimer. Cluster transfer reactions monitored by UV-visible absorption and CD spectroscopy demonstrated that [2Fe-2S]-GRXS15 mediates [2Fe-2S]²⁺ cluster assembly on mitochondrial ferredoxin and [4Fe-4S]²⁺ cluster assembly on the ISCA1a/2 heterodimer in the presence of excess glutathione. This suggests that ISCA1a/2 is an assembler of [4Fe-4S]²⁺ clusters, via two-electron reductive coupling of two [2Fe-2S]²⁺ clusters. Overall, the results provide new insights into the roles of GRXS15 and ISCA1a/2 in effecting [2Fe-2S]²⁺ to [4Fe-4S]²⁺ cluster conversions for the maturation of client [4Fe-4S] cluster-containing proteins in plants.     

Investigating the wicking behavior of micro/nanofibrous core-sheath PET–PAN yarn modified by dimethyl 5-sodium sulfoisophthalate

The present research aims at imparting an improved wicking ability to the recycled multifilament yarns by wrapping composite nanofibers to attain an efficient material for filtration purposes. Therefore, polyacrylonitrile nanofibers containing dimethyl 5-sodium sulfoisophthalate nanoparticles were wrapped around the recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) yarn by means of a novel electrospinning technique. Several tests were performed to investigate the parameters affecting wicking rise and moisture regain of the samples. Taguchi method was used in two separate designs (with or without nanoparticles). Some factors such as polymer solution concentration, mass ratio of nanoparticles, take-up rate, and number of filaments were considered as the variable factors while yarn wicking rate and moisture regain were the response factors. It was found that the hydrophilic nature of nanoparticles together with the ultrafine structure of nanofibers provide yarns with enhanced wicking properties. Although solution concentration is the predominant factor in wicking rate of the yarns containing nanoparticles, the most effective factor in wicking rise and moisture regain for other cases is the number of filaments. The mechanism of nanoparticle effect on fluidic jet during electrospinning process is explained by theory of nanofluids stability which has never been validated experimentally in previous research studies. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48185.     

A high capacity tunable retransmission type frequency coded chipless radio frequency identification system

This article presents a 12‐bit frequency coded chipless RFID system in the frequency range of 3 to 6 GHz. The system consists of a fully printable chipless tag and a pair of high‐gain reader antennas. The tag also incorporates its own antennas to improve the read range. Information is encoded into frequency spectrum using a multi‐resonant circuit. The circuit consists of multiple microstrip U and L‐shaped open stub resonators patterned in a unique configuration. The proposed configuration aids in capturing more data in a reduced space as well as tunable frequency operation. Tag and reader antennas utilize techniques such as stepped impedance feeding line, defective partial ground plane, and stair‐step patch structure to achieve wide‐band impedance bandwidth in miniature size. The results of the wireless measurements in the non‐anechoic environment show that the proposed system has a reading range of more than 20 cm. The presented system possesses great potential for low‐cost short‐range inventory tracking.     

Nigella arvensis leaf extract mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles: Their characteristic properties and biological efficacy

In the present study, the potential of aqueous leaf extract of Nigella arevensis for biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was evaluated. The formation of AgNPs was confirmed by color changes and UV–visible spectroscopy, which showed absorbance maxima peak at 416?nm. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) image showed the AgNPs to be anisotropic and mostly spherical with sizes in the range of 5–100?nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis indicated that the flavonoids, alkaloids and phenolic groups present in leaf extract were involved in the reduction and capping of phytogenic AgNPs. These nanoparticles showed the cytotoxic effects against H1229 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines with an IC₅₀ value of 10?μg/mL. AgNPs showed insignificant antioxidant properties compared to the crude extract, and it was effective against clinical isolated bacterial strains. Furthermore, the bioderived AgNPs displayed significant catalytic activity against methylene blue. These results confirmed the advantages and applications of these phytogenic AgNPs using the green method in various fields.     

Synthesis of undoped and Fe nanoparticles doped SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanostructure: study of structural,optical and electrocatalytic properties

In this study, undoped and nano Fe doped SnO₂ nanostructures were synthesized by hydrothermal method. Characterization of the synthesized nanostructures was performed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. For investigation of optical properties, photo luminescence and UV–Vis spectrum were taken. The electrochemical response of the carbon paste electrode modified with synthesized nanostructures toward levodopa (L-Dopa) was studied. Cyclic voltammetry studies using prepared modified electrodes showed outstanding electrocatalytic properties towards electro-oxidation of L-Dopa and a significant reduction was observed in anodic over voltage compared to the bare electrode. Obtained results indicated the effective role of the employed dopant. Best response in terms of the current enhancement, overvoltage reduction, and reversibility improvement of the L-Dopa oxidation reaction under experimental conditions was obtained by modified electrode with Fe doped SnO₂ nanoparticles.     

Time between events control charts for gamma distribution

Modern and emerging techniques of technology have brought a revolution in quality inspection of products. When events in highly efficient production processes occur rarely, it requires to inspect and monitor the time between occurrence of these events (TBE). The exponential and gamma distributions are commonly used models for time between events (TBE) data. In this article, a new monitoring scheme has been established for TBE data based on exponential and gamma distributions. In a previous research, transformation-based control charts have been developed for TBE. The proposed study is aimed to use the exact probability distribution of charting statistic rather than applying transformations to data and this has remained still unaddressed. Average run length (ARL) and percentage decrease in ARL (ΔARL) have been calculated using Monte Carlo simulations and the proposed monitoring method has been compared with existing techniques applied to transformed data. The proposed scheme provides a simpler design structure and better performance on different sample sizes in identifying annoying process variations. Further, the technique has been applied to simulated and real-life data sets of time between manufacturing plant accidents to highlight the worth and particle applicability of the proposed work.