Probiotic spectra of lactic acid bacteria (LAB)

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their probio-active cellular substances exert many beneficial effects in the gastrointestinal tract. LAB prevent adherence, establishment, and replication of several enteric mucosal pathogens through several antimicrobial mechanisms. LAB also release various enzymes into the intestinal lumen and exert potential synergistic effects on digestion and alleviate symptoms of intestinal malabsoption. Consumption of LAB fermented dairy products with LAB may elicit antitumor effects. These effects are attributed to the inhibition of mutagenic activity; decrease in several enzymes implicated in the generation of carcinogens, mutagens, or tumor-promoting agents; suppression of tumors; and the epidemiology correlating dietary regimes and cancer. Specific cellular components in LAB strains seem to induce strong adjuvant effects including modulation of cell-mediated immune responses, activation of reticuloendothelial system, augmentation of cytokine pathways and regulation of interleukins, and tumor necrosis factors. Oral administration of LAB is well tolerated and proven to be safe in 143 human clinical trials and no adverse effects were reported in any of the total 7,526 subjects studied during 1961-1998. In an effort to decrease the reliance on synthetic antimicrobials and control the emerging immunocompromised host population, the time has come to carefully explore the prophylactic and therapeutic applications of probiotic LAB.     

3.6 mw low power wireless RF receiver front end using creative current recycle technique

This paper presents the design of low noise amplifier and mixer (LIXER) circuit for wireless receiver front ends using 65 nm CMOS technology. The circuit is implemented with CMOS transistors and uses 65 nm CMOS process. Proposed LIXER circuit achieves a maximum gain of 25 dB and DSB noise figure of 3.5 dB. In the given circuit, current shunt paths had created by using LC tank circuit with transistors Q5 and Q6. By using the creative current recycle technique circuit consumes 3.6 mW power with 1.2 V power supply. The operating frequency of the proposed structure is 2.4 GHz with 25 dB conversion gain and ?13 dBm IIP3. The operating of the receiver front end is 2.4 GHz is used for IEEE 802.11a WLAN, Bluetooth, and ZigBee applications.     

Removal of sulfide in integrated anaerobic–aerobic wastewater treatment system

In recent years, the stipulations fixed by regulatory bodies have become stringent to keep environmental pollution under control. Normally COD and BOD are the parameters monitored to determine the efficiency of any treatment system. But in many cases, industrial wastewater may contain sulfate along with other organic constituents. Sulfate, if present in the wastewater, will be converted to H₂S under anaerobic conditions and this is hazardous. Subsequently, if the same wastewater is treated under aerobic conditions, a part of the air supplied will be utilized for oxidation of sulfide back to sulfate which leads to reduced efficiency of the aerobic treatment. The released wastewater with high sulfate levels will be going into the environment, which is undesirable. Methods are reported in the literature for the removal of sulfate and sulfide before and after anaerobic treatment respectively. Most of these methods are chemical which are either costly or impracticable. Therefore, a novel approach for removing sulfate or sulfide in the treatment scheme is required. In the present communication, studies are undertaken by designing an innovative stripper system where sulfide is removed to the extent of 60 to 70% before aerobic treatment. The parameters involved in design and operation of the stripper, such as airflow rate, liquid flow rate, liquid to air ratio, and pH profile, are optimized. It is a physical system in which air and waste water are passed as counter currents. The treated wastewater from the stripper, which contains less sulfide, may be post-treated in the aerobic system before final discharge. Hydrogen sulfide can be efficiently removed by coupling this type of stripper to existing anaerobic systems. The system can be efficiently used in existing treatment plants or in new designs to control sulfide (free sulfide generated in an anaerobic reactor in the case of wastewaters having high sulfate inhibits methanogenesis, resulting in reduced performance of the anaerobic process) generated in anaerobic reactors and to optimize the air and oxygen requirements in the aerobic system.     

Nonlinear free vibration analysis of laminated composite shells in hygrothermal environments

The nonlinear free vibration behaviour of laminated composite shells subjected to hygrothermal environments is investigated using the finite element method. The present finite element formulation considers doubly curved shells, and the Green–Lagrange type nonlinear strains are incorporated into the first-order shear deformation theory. The analysis is carried out using quadratic eight-noded isoparametric elements. The validity of the model is demonstrated by comparing the present results with the solutions available in the literature. A parametric study is carried out varying the curvature ratios and side to thickness ratios of composite cylindrical shell, spherical shell and hyperbolic paraboloid shell panels with simply supported boundary conditions.     

The development of risk assessment models for carpal tunnel syndrome: a case-referent study

The present study developed risk assessment models for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) which can provide information of the likelihood of developing CTS for an individual having certain personal characteristics and occupational risks. A case-referent study was conducted consisting of two case groups and one referent group: (1) 22 work-related CTS patients (W-CTS), (2) 25 non-work related CTS patients (NW-CTS), and (3) 50 healthy workers (HEALTHY) having had no CTS history. The classification of CTS patients into one of the case groups was determined according to the type of insurance covering their medical costs. Personal characteristics, psychosocial stresses at work, and physical work conditions were surveyed by using a questionnaire tailor-designed to CTS (reliability of each scale > or = 0.7). By contrasting the risk information of each case group to that of the referent group, three logistic regression models were developed: W-CTS/HEALTHY, NW-CTS/HEALTHY, and C-CTS/HEALTHY (C-CTS, the combined group of W-CTS and NW-CTS). ROC analysis indicated that the models have satisfactory discriminability (d' = 1.91 to 2.51) and high classification accuracy (overall accuracy = 83-89%). Both W-CTS/HEALTHY and C-CTS/HEALTHY include personal and physical factors, while NW-CTS/HEALTHY involves only personal factors. This suggests that the injury causation of NW-CTS patients should be attributable mainly to their 'high' personal susceptibility to the disorder rather than exposure to adverse work conditions, while that of W-CTS patients be attributable to improper work conditions and CTS-prone personal characteristics in combination.     

Laminar compressible MHD (magneto hydro dynamic) boundary layers

A laminar compressible magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer flow over a flat-plate has been examined. The effects of electromagnetic fields on the boundary layers are presented.     

Binding of mouse and rabbit iron-59 transferrins to lactating mouse mammary epithelial cells.

The binding of mouse and rabbit transferrins to lactating mouse mammary epithelial cells was tested in a 59Fe-protein-binding assay. The homologous and heterologous binding was slow during the first 30 min, after which the uptake steadily increased. In ligand concentration-dependent saturation studies, the heterologous rabbit protein showed a high degree of binding and required approximately 9.7 ng of ligand to saturate approximately 2 x 10(6) cells. The homologous mouse protein demonstrated a low degree of binding and failed to demonstrate saturation at the above ligand concentration. Scatchard plot for homologous binding data was nonlinear and implied a low (1.08 x 10(-10) M) and a high (1.82 x 10(-9) M) affinity interaction mechanism. However, the plot for heterologous binding was linear and characterized by one high affinity (1.0 x 10(-9) M) binding interaction. A total of 11,000 and 19,600 binding sites per cell were estimated for mouse and rabbit proteins, respectively. These data suggest a binding crossreactivity between mouse and rabbit transferrins. A high affinity binding mechanism seems to be conserved in proteins from both species; however, an additional low affinity binding was present only in the homologous system.