Hatching of Schistosoma mansoni eggs and observations on motility of miracidia

Eggs of Schistosoma mansoni were obtained from livers of mice and hatching was observed under varying conditions of light and ionic composition of the medium. Hatching occurred equally well in light and in darkness. Eggs also hatched readily in 1- to 50-m OsM solutions of urea, sucrose, sodium chloride, and glycerol, but hatching was inhibited at higher concentrations unless the eggs were left in solutions for long periods of time. Hatching readily occurred in deionized water, but the emerged miracidia did not swim longer than 5 to 10 min unless Na+ was added. Histochemistry of the egg showed DNA-positive egg granules and a polysaccharide-positive vacuole matrix. Acid mucopolysaccharides were stained in the vacuolar matrix and in the anterior sac of the miracidium. Longitudinal alignment of constituents of the egg shell is suggested by the predominance of longitudinal rents in the shell at hatching. A mechanism of hatching involving an osmotic stimulus is proposed.     

Effect of malting conditions and quality characteristics of malt and roasted malt extract from ‘acha’ grains (Digitaria exilis Stapf)

BACKGROUND: Considering the importance of malting and roasting on the quality of ‘acha’ beverages, a study was conducted to find optimum conditions for malting and the production of a high‐quality roasted extract that could be used for an ‘acha’ beverage. RESULTS: The data obtained were analysed using response surface methodology. The results revealed that the most significant (P < 0.05) malting factors that affect the response variables were the linear terms of germination time and drying temperature. However, for the extract production, the linear term of roasting temperature was the most significant (P < 0.05) factor. The quadratic and interaction terms exhibited significant (P < 0.05) effect in all cases apart from the flavour. CONCLUSION: The overall optimum regions were established at 28 h of germination time, 55 °C drying temperature and 5.0% moisture content for the malting conditions while for the extract production, a roasting temperature of 210 °C, extraction temperature of 70 °C and extraction duration of 20 min were established. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Palm-Based Nonionic Surfactants as Emulsifiers for High Internal Phase Emulsions

In the present study, a series of as-synthesized palm-based nonionic surfactants with various hydrophile–lipophile balance values were successfully synthesized. The critical micelle concentration and the Gibbs energy of the surfactants were determined and discussed. For the first time, the surfactants were used to stabilize three-component olein oil-in-water high internal phase emulsions, with an oil volume fraction of 0.85, and which were easily prepared by one-pot homogenization. Proof of high stability was confirmed by the satisfactory rheological profiles and further enhanced by a three-month storage exercise at an elevated temperature which showed no significant physical and rheological changes. These results suggest that low concentration of the surfactants efficiently stabilized the emulsions with high content of oil. Based on the optical micrograph observation, an average droplet size of less than 10 μm increased with increasing ethylene oxide chain length and temperature. The varying degree of viscosity resulted from the various ethylene oxide chain lengths of the surfactants. The hydration efficacy of the emulsions was examined in vivo using a corneometer. The impressive hydration efficacy of olein oil suggests that it could well be a potential moisturizing lipid which might interest dermatologists.     

Estimation method for determining surface film conductance during cooling of fish packages

This paper presents an alternative method for determining the surface film conductance of an infinite fish slab subjected to the cooling process. Many methods have been published, but their solutions have inherent appreciable inaccuracy and limitations. The present authors used the temperature histories of five locations within a slab sample of fish, obtained by the experimental investigation part of this work, along with the inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP) technique to develop a correlation for variable surface film conductance. When the above correlation was used for temperature predictions, the predicted and experimentally measured temperature distribution profiles were compared numerically. Better agreement than that implemented by other investigators was achieved. This revealed the accuracy and superiority of the present method, and the limitations of other methods are overcome in this method.     

Electrochemical Formation of Polypyrrole-carboxymethylcellulose Conducting Polymer Composite Films

1.IntroductionConjugated polymers such as polypyrrole(PPY),polyaniline,polythiophene and polyphenylene etc.whichexhibit significant level of electrical conductivity andhence are termed as conducting polymers,have gotversatile promising applications in the field of energystorage[1],sensors[2],electronic and optical devices[3]andso on.Many researches have been conducted to pro-duce composites or blends of conducting polymer filmswith some insulating polymers in order to overcome thedrawbacks su…     

Supercritical fluid extraction of β-carotene from crude palm oil using CO2

The aim of this study was to ascertain the influence of pressure, temperature and time on the supercritical fluid extraction of β-carotene from the crude palm oil. The operating conditions were shown as follows: pressures of 75, 125 and 175 bar, temperatures of 80, 100 and 120 °C and extraction time of 1, 3 and 5 h. The extracts were analyzed using UV spectroscopy at a wavelength of 450 nm. Then the experimental data was compared with the data obtained using a statistical method. The results from the model showed a good agreement with the experimental data. The results (obtained from the statistical model) demonstrate that a pressure of 140 bar, temperature of 102 °C and extraction time of 3.14 h are required to obtain optimum yield of β-carotene (1.028 × 10⁻²%) from the extraction process, however the maximum yield of the β-carotene (1.741 × 10⁻²%) was experimentally obtained at a pressure of 75 bar, temperature of 120 °C and extraction time of 1 h.     

Improvements and limitation of soy protein-based adhesive: A review

Soy protein is known for its eco-friendly, sustainable, and biodegradable qualities that are likely used as raw material in producing bioadhesive. However, soy protein-based adhesive are lacking in terms of adhesive strength and water-resistance compared to commercial formaldehyde-based adhesives such as phenol and urea-formaldehyde resin. Therefore, continuous research has been done to improve adhesive performance. This can be done via physical or modification methods, including the usage of cross-linking agents, structural modification, enzymatic modification, and the addition of additives. This review will cover these modification methods that give significant enhancement to the water-resistance and adhesive strength of soy protein-based adhesives.     

Influence of gamma irradiation on structural,optical, and electrical characterization of Bi2S3 thin films

The induced effects of the gamma rays on properties of bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) thin films synthesized using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) have been investigated in details in this work. The Bi₂S₃ thin films are prepared on glass substrate and then exposed with low gamma radiation dose in the range of 0–1000 Gy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the orthorhombic structural phase. Also, it was noticed in the XRD result that the crystallite size decreased from 115.29 to 73.63 nm with increasing gamma rays doses. For surface properties as well as stoichiometry of the prepared and irradiated thin film have been studied by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The optical transmission of irradiated samples increased and the energy band gap (E) decreased from 2.78 to 2.52 eV with gamma dose. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra revealed the improvement in the emission characteristics of Bi₂S₃ thin films with irradiation in the range of 250–1000 Gy. Impedance spectroscopy investigation exhibited that the resistance due to grain boundaries meaningfully contributed to the electrical characteristics of the Bi₂S₃ thin films. The achieved results suggested that Bi₂S₃ thin films are a good tool for further study of dosimetry and radiation sensing application.

     

Coke Quality and Blast-Furnace Performance

On the basis of six-year operational data for a 5000-m³ blast furnace, the dependence of the coke consumption on its strength M₂₅ and M₁₀ and the content of the >80 mm fraction is calculated by different methods. The quality of the coke has a clear influence on coke consumption and blast-furnace economics. As an illustration, for some of the equations derived, means are established for predicting the economic benefit associated with improving coke quality and reducing its consumption, in specific blast-furnace conditions.