Interactions between milk proteins and polyphenols: Binding mechanisms,related changes,and the future trends in the dairy industry

The biological activity and techno-functional properties of phenolic compounds have gained great importance due to the epidemiologically-proved health benefits. Use of polyphenols as fortification agents for functional food production and nanotechnological approaches using natural vehicles for polyphenol delivery have been recently discussed. In this respect, milk proteins and dairy products represent unique characteristics for polyphenol studies. The conflicting results on the functionality of polyphenols interacting with milk proteins either in model systems or in complex dairy matrices reveal the need for future studies.     

Detection of the frequency, antimicrobial susceptibility, and genotypic discrimination of Aeromonas strains isolated from municipally treated tap water samples by cultivation and AP-PCR

The frequency, antibiotic susceptibility, and genotypic discrimination of Aeromonas strains isolated from municipally treated drinking tap water distribution systems were investigated in this study. We have analyzed 148 tap water samples collected from 8 different locations by bacterial cultivation and arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR). Gram negative, hemolytic, oxidase (+) and catalase (+) bacterial colonies were applied to the study. Identification of bacterial colonies was done by conventional biochemical method and API ID 20E panel (BioMerieux-France). Molecular epidemiological discrimination of the isolates was done by AP-PCR. Aeromonas spp. was detected in 6 of 148 (4%) tap water samples from 8 different locations. Five isolates were identified as Aeromonas hydrophila and one isolate was identified as Vibrio fluvialis by conventional biochemical method. These data were also confirmed by API 20E panel. One of 6 isolates was resistant to gentamicin, 2 of 6 isolates were resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, 4 of 6 isolates were resistant to ampicillin and ampicillin-sulbactam and all of 6 isolates were resistant to cephalothin. All isolates were found to be susceptible to amikacin, aztreonam, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin. All 6 strains of Aeromonas were discriminated by AP-PCR and were determined that all isolates were from different genotypic sources. Although the frequency of the isolates was under the standard limits, the results indicate that hemolytic A. hydrophila are present in municipally treated tap water samples in Mersin City. While all strains were genotypically distinct, all of them were resistant to first generation beta lactam antibiotics tested in this study.     

Utilization of Whey and Grape Must for Citric Acid Production by Two Yarrowia lipolytica Strains

In this study, utilization of whey and grape must were investigated for citric acid production using Yarrowia lipolytica NBRC 1658 and a domestic strain Y. lipolytica 57. In addition to its use as a sole nutrient source, whey was also fortified with glucose or fructose as well as other nutrients. The best results for citric acid production were obtained in the medium containing whey supplemented with fructose. Maximum citric acid concentrations in this medium were 49.23 and 32.65 g/L for the domestic and NBRC 1658 strains, respectively. In grape must, maximum citric acid concentrations obtained using domestic and NBRC 1658 strains were 32.09 and 10.39 g/L, respectively. Both of the natural nutrient sources were found to be promising for utilization in citric acid production process. A domestic Turkish yeast strain was confirmed to be superior for citric acid production for the first time. This can be targeted for enhancing citric acid production efficiencies from locally available substrates such as whey or grape must.     

A case study for influence of building thermal insulation on cooling load and air-conditioning system in the hot and humid regions

Ensuring the effective thermal insulation in regions, where the cooling requirement of building with respect to heating requirement is dominant, is very important from the aspect of energy economy. In this study, the influence of thermal insulation on the building cooling load and the cooling system in case of air-conditioning by an all-air central air-conditioning system was evaluated for a sample building located in Adana, based on the results of three different types of insulation (A, B and C-type buildings) according to the energy efficiency index defined in the Thermal Insulation Regulation used in Turkey. The operating costs of the air-conditioning system were calculated using cooling bin numbers. Life-cycle cost analysis was carried out utilizing the present-worth cost method. Results showed that both the initial and the operating costs of the air-conditioning system were reduced considerably for all three insulation thicknesses. However, the optimum results in view of economic measurements were obtained for a C-type building. The thickness of thermal insulation for the buildings in the southern Turkey should be determined according to the guidelines for a C-type building.     

Tungsten(VI) oxide supported rhodium(0) nanoparticles; highly efficient catalyst for H2 production from dimethylamine borane

It reports the preparation and characterization of tungsten(VI) oxide supported rhodium(0) nanoparticles (Rh⁰/WO₃ NPs) being used as catalysts in releasing H₂ from dimethylamine borane (DMAB). The reducible nature of WO₃ plays a significant role in the catalytic efficiency of rhodium(0) nanoparticles in the dehydrogenation of DMAB. The Rh⁰/WO₃ NPs were in-situ generated from the reduction of Rh²⁺ ions on the surface of WO₃ during the catalytic dehydrogenation of dimethylamine borane in toluene and isolated from the reaction solution after the dehydrogenation to be characterized by using SEM, TEM, XPS, ATR-IR and XRD. The results reveal the formation of Rh⁰ NPs with a mean particle size of 1.92 ± 0.34 nm dispersed on the surface of tungsten(VI) oxide. Rh⁰/WO₃ NPs are found to be very active catalyst releasing 1.0 equiv. H₂ per mole of dimethylamine borane under ambient conditions. Among the various WO₃ supported Rh⁰ NPs with different metal loadings, the sample with 0.1% wt. Rh provide the record catalytic activity (TOF = 2816 h^?1) which is one of the highest value ever reported for rhodium-based catalysts in H₂ generation from DMAB at 60.0 ± 0.5 °C. Rh⁰/WO₃ NPs were also reusable catalyst in dehydrogenation of DMAB retaining 55% of their initial catalytic activity in the 3rd run of the dehydrogenation reaction. Control experiments were performed at various catalyst concentrations and temperatures to investigate the kinetics of dehydrogenation and to calculate the activation parameters for the reaction.     

The fabrication of exfoliated graphite sheet-based air cathodes and gel electrolyte for metal-air batteries

In this paper, we demonstrate that activated carbon (AC) and manganese dioxide (MnO₂) coated exfoliated graphite sheets are a promising cathode for metal-air batteries. A simple and effective method is developed to exfoliate the graphite sheets and to load a catalyst onto their surfaces. Several low-cost, environmentally friendly air cathodes are fabricated, and their performances are tested by constructing Al-air b`atteries whose electrolyte 6 M NaOH, including ZnO inhibitor, is gelled by adding a cost-effective water retainer. The experimental results show that this new Al-air battery has a good discharge performance. In particular one of the new cathodes containing 50 wt% AC and 50 wt% MnO₂ produces a capacity of 311 mAh/g at a constant current discharge of 1.56 mA. Finally, future research directions are discussed for the further usage of the fabricated cathodes.     

Acceptable Programs Revisited

Acceptable logic programs have been studied extensively in the context of proving termination of Prolog programs. It is difficult, however, to establish acceptability from the definition since this depends on finding a suitable model, which need not be a Herbrand model in general, together with a suitable level mapping that one can use to check the conditions which characterize acceptability. In this paper, we will see that when working over a fixed but arbitrary preinterpretation, a method can be provided for obtaining both a suitable model and a canonical level mapping which are sufficient for this purpose. Furthermore, the canonical model and level mapping obtained will turn out to be sufficient for discussing termination of non-ground queries.     

Comprehensibility of universal healthcare symbols for wayfinding in healthcare facilities

Healthcare facilities are often complex and overwhelming for visitors, and wayfinding in healthcare facilities can be challenging. As there is an increasing number of global citizens who travel to seek medical care in another country, it is critical to make wayfinding easy for visitors who are not familiar with the language in a foreign country. Among many wayfinding aids, symbols are helpful for those visitors who have limited ability to understand written language. This study tested universal healthcare symbols in the United States, South Korea, and Turkey to compare the comprehension of symbols cross-country and identify predictors of the correct comprehension. To explore statistically significant relationships between symbol comprehension and countries, Pearson's Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and ANOVA were conducted. The test results showed that ten symbols among 14 tested have significant relationship with countries. Results of this study demonstrate that symbol comprehension can be varied significantly in different countries.