Impact of Electron Beam Irradiation on Fatty Acid Profile of Canavalia Seeds

The present study provided an evidence for selective changes of the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) of Canavalia seeds and the low doses of electron beam irradiation (EBI; 2.5 and 5 kGy) serve as hormetic doses for selective enhancement of fatty acids. The total lipids and FAMEs of irradiated Canavalia cathartica and Canavalia maritima seeds of the coastal sand dunes of Southwest India were assessed using soxhlet extraction and chloroform–methanol–water extraction (Bligh and Dyer) methods followed by gas chromatography. As the EBI dose increased, total lipid extraction decreased by soxhlet method in seeds of C. cathartica, while it was reverse in C. maritima. Among the doses, 5 and 10 kGy resulted in the highest extraction of lipid by the Bligh and Dyer method in C. maritima and C. cathartica, respectively. A great variation in FAMEs profile of Canavalia seeds subjected to EBI was seen by the soxhlet and Bligh and Dyer methods of extraction. The EBI increased saturated fatty acids in both the seeds. The unsaturated fatty acids were decreased by EBI based on the soxhlet extraction (except for 15 kGy in C. maritima), while a dose-dependent increase was shown by the Bligh and Dyer method on attaining the highest at the doses 5 kGy (C. maritima) and 10 kGy (C. cathartica). The changes in medium chain fatty acids, long chain saturated fatty acids, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and ratios of fatty acids were dependent on the seed material, the dose EBI, and the method of extraction.     

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in key cytokines may modulate food allergy phenotypes

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can play a direct or indirect role in phenotypic expression in food allergy pathogenesis. Our goal was to quantitate the expression of SNPs in relevant cytokines that were expressed in food allergic patients. SNPs in cytokine genes IL-4 and IL-10 are known to be important in IgE generation and regulation. We examined IL-4 (C-590T), IL-4Rα (1652A/G) and IL-10 (C-627A) SNPs using real-time PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Our results show that the AA, AG and GG genotypes for IL-4Rα (1652A/G) polymorphisms were statistically different in radioallergosorbent test (RAST) positive versus negative patients, and although no statistically significant differences were observed between genotypes in the IL-4 (C-590T) and IL-10 (C-627A) SNPs, we observed a significant decrease in IL-4 (C-590T) gene expression and increase in IL-4Rα (1652A/G) and IL-10 (C-627A) gene expression between RAST⁺ versus RAST^? patients, respectively. We also observed significant modulation in the protein expression of IL-4 and IL-10 in the serum samples of the RAST⁺ patients as compared to the RAST^? patients indicating that changes in SNP expression resulted in altered phenotypic response in these patients.     

A smart intuitionistic fuzzy-based framework for round-robin short-term scheduler

The Journal of Supercomputing - A smart intuitionistic fuzzy-based framework is designed to facilitate adaptability by providing continuous changes in the size of time slice to scheduler at run...     

Interplay between Cartilage and Subchondral Bone Contributing to Pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common debilitating joint disorder, affecting large sections of the population with significant disability and impaired quality of life. During OA, functional units of joints comprising cartilage and subchondral bone undergo uncontrolled catabolic and anabolic remodeling processes to adapt to local biochemical and biological signals. Changes in cartilage and subchondral bone are not merely secondary manifestations of OA but are active components of the disease, contributing to its severity. Increased vascularization and formation of microcracks in joints during OA have suggested the facilitation of molecules from cartilage to bone and vice versa. Observations from recent studies support the view that both cartilage and subchondral bone can communicate with each other through regulation of signaling pathways for joint homeostasis under pathological conditions. In this review we have tried to summarize the current knowledge on the major signaling pathways that could control the cartilage-bone biochemical unit in joints and participate in intercellular communication between cartilage and subchondral bone during the process of OA. An understanding of molecular communication that regulates the functional behavior of chondrocytes and osteoblasts in both physiological and pathological conditions may lead to development of more effective strategies for treating OA patients.     

Determination of bioaccessibility of beta-carotene in vegetables by in vitro methods

The in vitro method in use for the determination of beta-carotene bioaccessibility involves simulated gastrointestinal digestion followed by ultracentrifugation to separate the micellar fraction containing bioaccessible beta-carotene and its quantitation. In this study, the suitability of two alternatives viz., membrane filtration and equilibrium dialysis were examined to separate the micellar fraction. Values of beta-carotene bioaccessibility obtained with the membrane filtration method were similar to those obtained by the ultracentrifugation method. Equilibrium dialysis was found not suitable for this purpose. Among the vegetables analyzed, fenugreek leaves had the highest content of beta-carotene (9.15 mg/100 g), followed by amaranth (8.17 mg/100 g), carrot (8.14 mg/100 g) and pumpkin (1.90 mg/100 g). Percent bioaccessibility of beta-carotene ranged from 6.7 in fenugreek leaves to 20.3 in carrot. Heat treatment of these vegetables by pressure cooking and stir-frying had a beneficial influence on the bioaccessibility of beta-carotene from these vegetables. The increase in the percent bioaccessibility of beta-carotene as a result of pressure-cooking was 100, 48 and 19% for fenugreek leaves, amaranth and carrot, respectively. Stir-frying in presence of a small quantity of oil led to an enormous increase in the bioaccessibility of beta-carotene from these vegetables, the increase being 263% (fenugreek leaves), 192% (amaranth leaves), 63% (carrot) and 53% (pumpkin).     

Studies of Cu(II)–IO4− initiated graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate from defatted pineapple leaf fibres

A study of the graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) from defatted pineapple leaf fibre (PALF) was carried out in the temperature range 45–55 °C, using a copper sulphate (CuSO₄) and potassium periodate (KIO₄) combination as initiator in an aqueous medium. Effects of variation of time and temperature, concentration of Cu(II), KIO₄ and MMA, the amount of PALF, and also the effects of some inorganic salts and organic solvents on the percentage of graft yield have been investigated. On the basis of experimental findings, a reaction mechanism is proposed. FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy of the original defatted PALF and MMA grafted PALF have been carried out. The thermal stability of PALF is improved through grafting. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of Dynamic Precipitation During Low Cycle Fatigue of Under-Aged AA6063 Alloy

The present study is aimed to understand the influence of dynamic precipitation on the low cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of an under-aged (UA) AA6063 Al–Mg–Si alloy. This was accomplished by the estimation of plastic strain energy density (PSED) at varied isolated cycles during LCF of the UA alloy with subsequent comparison of these results with those of peak-aged (PA) and over-aged (OA) ones. The LCF tests of the UA alloy were carried out in the range of strain amplitudes of 0.2–1.0 % together with the evolution of hardness and tensile properties. The UA alloy shows Masing behavior, evaluated in terms of the variation of Bauschinger strain with plastic strain amplitude, and exhibits continuous hardening till failure unlike the PA and OA alloys. Higher average PSED value for the UA alloy in comparison to that for the PA and the OA alloys indicates dynamic precipitation during cycling; the magnitudes of average PSED were calculated using a proposed method. In addition, pronounced increase in the post LCF hardness values substantiate the dynamic precipitation.     

Application of quantum dot gate nonvolatile memory (QDNVM) in image segmentation

This paper presents the application of quantum dot gate nonvolatile memory (QDNVM) in image processing application. The charge accumulation in the gate region varies the threshold voltage of QDNVM, which can be used as a reference voltage source in a comparator circuit. A simplified comparator circuit can be implemented using the QDNVM. In this work, the use of QDNVM-based comparators in image processing specially image segmentation is demonstrated, which can be efficient in future image processing application.