Effect of oil treatments against the infestation of Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) on the levels of B vitamins in stored legumes

Groundnut, coconut and mustard oil treated whole chick pea, mung bean and pigeon pea were infested with Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) and stored for six months. Samples were analysed at monthly intervals for selected B complex vitamins viz. thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. With increase in storage period, values for all the three vitamins decreased in untreated legues. After two months of storage slight decrease in thiamine, riboflavin and niacin content of coconut oil treated legumes was observed which continued till the end of six months as compared to the other two oil treated counterparts. The storage period was associated with insect infestation, which in turn influenced the B complex vitamins of legumes. Groundnut, mustard and coconut oils were able to protect legumes for six months against insect infestation when applied in small amount (0.5%), whereas coconut oil had protective effect against insect infestation only for four months.     

Effect of infestation (Callosobruchus Chinensis L.) of chick peas (bengal gram) on biological utilization of proteins

Bengal gram (Cicer aritinum) was infested with Callosobruchis Chinensis (L.) at 20%, 40% and 60% level of infestation and fed to rats for 40 days. Effect of incorporation of uninfested and infested bengal gram on feed intake, weight gain, protein efficiency ratio (PER), true protein digestibility (TPD), biological value (BV), net protein utilization(NPU) and changes in internal organs were studied. Inclusion of infested grains had significant effect on the utilization of proteins. Diets having 60% infested grains had lower PER, TPD, BV and NPU. With increase in level of infestation weight of liver, kidney and spleen decreased significantly.     

Reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 population on baby spinach leaves by liquid sanitizers

The effectiveness of various liquid sanitizers and methods of application against Escherichia coli on baby spinach was investigated. Inoculated spinach was treated with (i) Pro‐San L (commercially prepared solution containing 0.66% citric acid, 0.036% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS); (ii) chlorine solution (200 ppm), alone or with addition of 0.036% SDS; and (iii) aqueous solution of 0.66% levulinic acid with 0.036% SDS. Population reduction in response to these treatments ranged between 2.1 and 2.8 log CFU/g. No significant difference (p > .05) was found among tested sanitizers in microbial count reduction. Spraying, dipping, and “dry” vacuum impregnation methods of Pro‐San L application were compared. Dipping was the most effective in reducing E. coli O157:H7 population (4.4 log CFU/g reduction). Dry vacuum impregnation was less effective (3.3 log CFU/g reduction) and caused damage to the produce. The effectiveness of spray Pro‐San L application and holding for prolonged time (up to 3 days) was also evaluated. However, increasing time of exposure to organic acid sanitizer did not increase sanitizing effectiveness and led to progressive damage of spinach leaves.     

Validation of Tuba1a as Appropriate Internal Control for Normalization of Gene Expression Analysis during Mouse Lung Development

The expression ratio between the analysed gene and an internal control gene is the most widely used normalization method for quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) expression analysis. The ideal reference gene for a specific experiment is the one whose expression is not affected by the different experimental conditions tested. In this study, we validate the applicability of five commonly used reference genes during different stages of mouse lung development. The stability of expression of five different reference genes (Tuba1a, Actb Gapdh, Rn18S and Hist4h4) was calculated within five experimental groups using the statistical algorithm of geNorm software. Overall, Tuba1a showed the least variability in expression among the different stages of lung development, while Hist4h4 and Rn18S showed the maximum variability in their expression. Expression analysis of two lung specific markers, surfactant protein C (SftpC) and Clara cell-specific 10 kDA protein (Scgb1a1), normalized to each of the five reference genes tested here, confirmed our results and showed that incorrect reference gene choice can lead to artefacts. Moreover, a combination of two internal controls for normalization of expression analysis during lung development will increase the accuracy and reliability of results.     

Synthetic lubricants in India — an overview

Different synthetic products currently available and which find wide application as lubricants, are described, and their merits and demerits compared with the mineral based lubricants are outlined. Some of the major synthetic lubricants used in Indian industries are identified. The Indian chemical industry's potential to meet some of the requirements of synthetic lubricants is discussed and the need to create additional facilities in India for the manufacture of certain critical products, is described.     

Thermoplastic olefin/clay nanocomposites: Morphology and mechanical properties

Thermoplastic olefin (TPO)/clay nanocomposites were made with clay loadings of 0.6–6.7 wt %. The morphology of these TPO/clay nanocomposites was investigated with atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X‐ray diffraction. The ethylene–propylene rubber (EPR) particle morphology in the TPO underwent progressive particle breakup and decreased in particle size as the clay loading increased from 0.6 to 5.6 wt %. TEM micrographs showed that the clay platelets preferentially segregated to the rubber–particle interface. The breakup of the EPR particles was suspected to be due to the increasing melt viscosity observed as the clay loading increased or to the accompanying chemical modifiers of the clay, acting as interfacial agents and reducing the interfacial tension with a concomitant reduction in the particle size. The flexural modulus of the injection moldings increased monotonically as the clay loading increased. The unnotched (Izod) impact strength was substantially increased or maintained, whereas the notched (Izod) impact strength decreased modestly as the clay loading increased. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 928–936, 2004     

Pull-Down of Metalloproteins in Their Native States by Using Desthiobiotin-Based Probes

One-third of all proteins are estimated to require metals for structural stability and/or catalytic activity. Desthiobiotin probes containing metal binding groups can be used to capture metalloproteins with exposed active-site metals under mild conditions so as to prevent changes in metallation state. The proof-of-concept was demonstrated with carbonic anhydrase (CA), an open active site, Zn²⁺-containing protein. CA was targeted by using sulfonamide derivatives. Linkers of various lengths and structures were screened to determine the optimal structure for capture of the native protein. The optimized probes could selectively pull down CA from red blood cell lysate and other protein mixtures. Pull-down of differently metallated CAs was also investigated.