Double emulsion‐encapsulated guggul exhibits improved in vivo hypocholesterolaemic action in rats

Guggul tree or Commiphora mukul is a small thorny herb having remarkable hypocholesterolaemic properties. Its therapeutic effects are because of its biocomponent guggulsterones, especially guggulsterone E and Z. In this research, double emulsion‐based spread was tried to improve the bioavailability of the herb guggul in in vivo rat model. The effect of the different diets with encapsulated and nonencapsulated guggul was evaluated and compared after 6 weeks, based on the final body weight and analysis of organs, serum and faeces of normal and hypercholesterolaemic (H) rats. It was evident from the results that double emulsion‐encapsulated guggul showed better control on weight of H rats (25.98% lower), inhibition of HMG CoA reductase (3.95 times less) activity and reduction in atherosclerotic index (47.2%), as compared to diet with unencapsulated guggul. Encapsulation of guggul also improved faecal excretion of bile acids, lipids and total cholesterol in H and normal rats.     

Whole grains and resistant starch rich,reduced‐calorie biscuit diet as a hypoglycaemic,hypolipidaemic and insulin stimulator in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats

A fibre‐enriched, reduced‐calorie biscuit [formulated biscuit (FB)] was evaluated for its antidiabetic and antilipidaemic potential in streptozotocin‐induced diabetes in Wistar rats against control biscuit (CB) having high calorie and low fibre content. Animals were allocated into five groups: a control group fed with synthetic diet, two diabetes‐induced groups (CBD and FBD) and two nondiabetic groups (CBND and FBND). CBD and CBND were fed with synthetic diet + CB while FBD and FBND were fed with synthetic diet + FB. After 6 weeks of feeding, the change in weight of nondiabetic group fed with FB (+16.20%) was nonsignificantly lower compared to control (+33.01%) and CB‐fed (+34.55%) group. Nonsignificant loss in body weight was observed among diabetic group fed with FB (?11.76%) or CB (?36.88%). Feeding of FB led to a significant decrease in fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL‐C, VLDL‐C and atherosclerotic index and increase the HDL‐C. Histological examination showed that feeding of FB was able to partially recover the destroyed β‐cell in STZ‐induced diabetic rats.     

Preparation of Oil-Encapsulated Microcapsules and Tribological Property of Ni Composite Coating

Microcapsules containing oil are potential candidate materials for preparing electrocomposite coatings with excellent tribological properties. In the present study, the preparation of oil-encapsulated microcapsules and electrodeposition of Ni-microcapsule composite coating are presented along with the properties of the coating. In situ interfacial polymerization method was used for the preparation of lubricating oil-encapsulated urea-formaldehyde microcapsules. The synthesized microcapsules were incorporated into the nickel matrix by electrodeposition using Ni-Watts bath. The Ni-composite coating containing microcapsules exhibited smaller Ni grain size, higher microhardness and lower surface roughness compared to plain Ni coating. Electrodeposited Ni coating containing oil-encapsulated microcapsules exhibited improved tribological properties with lower wear loss and coefficient of friction compared to plain nickel coating.     

Strategies for stereocontrol at C1 or C2 in syntheses of α-glucosaminides

The C1 and C2 stereocenters of α-glucosaminides can be prepared by establishing the stereocenters in either order. For the former, a C2-azido glucosyl donor is prepared first, and the restraining effect of a 4,6-O-benzylidene ring is used to induce α-coupling. For the latter, the C1 linkage is prepared first by use of an n-pentenyl-manno-1,2-orthoester donor which ensures (a) clean α-coupling and (b) a convenient C2-ester. The C2-ester is replaced with a triflate leaving group, and nucleophilic displacement is effected by use of a hypervalent silicon azide.     

Solvothermal Synthesis, Structure and Optical Property of Nanosized CoSb(3) Skutterudite

Binary skutterudite CoSb₃ nanoparticles were synthesized by solvothermal method. The nanostructuring of CoSb₃ material was achieved by the inclusion of various kinds of additives. X-ray diffraction examination indicated the formation of the cubic phase of CoSb₃. Structural analysis by transmission electron microscopy analysis further confirmed the formation of crystalline CoSb₃ nanoparticles with high purity. With the assistance of additives, CoSb₃ nanoparticles with size as small as 10 nm were obtained. The effect of the nanostructure of CoSb₃ on the UV–visible absorption and luminescence was studied. The nanosized CoSb₃ skutterudite may find application in developing thermoelectric devices with better efficiency.     

Influence of soil grading on the characteristics of cement stabilised soil compacts

The paper deals with experimental investigations aiming at specifying optimum soil grading limits for the production of cement stabilised soil bricks (CSSB). Wide range of soil grading curves encompassing both fine and coarse grained soils were considered. Strength, durability and absorption characteristics of CSSB were examined considering 14 different types of soil grading curves and three cement contents. The investigations show that there is optimum clay content for the soil mix which yields maximum compressive strength for CSSB and the optimum clay content is about 10 and 14 % for fine grained and coarse grained soils respectively. Void ratio of the compacted specimens is the lowest at the optimum clay content and therefore possesses maximum strength at that point. CSSB using fine grained soils shows higher strength and better durability characteristics when compared to the bricks using coarse grained soils.     

Soy protein supplementation does not cause lymphocytopenia in postmenopausal women

Background  

The health benefits of soy isoflavones have been widely investigated; however, there are some concerns as to whether soy isoflavones, similar to ipriflavone, a synthetic isoflavone, cause lymphocytopenia in postmenopausal women. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which 12-month supplementation of 25 g soy protein containing 60 mg isoflavones alters lymphocyte counts or other hematological parameters in postmenopausal women who were not on hormone replacement therapy.     

Electrochemical pretreatment of textile effluents and effect of electrode materials on the removal of organics

The aquatic environment around the textile industries in India was severely affected due to continuous discharge of effluents. In order to avoid further deterioration, the pollution control board of Tamil Nadu, India has enforced zero discharge concepts throughout the state. Consequently, most of the industries have opted membrane technology to recover water. The present study was aimed to find out the efficacy of electrochemical techniques as pretreatment methods to reverse osmosis (RO). The textile wastewater was initially treated by electrocoagulation to remove the suspended solids. After the electrocoagulation, the wastewater was further treated by electrooxidation for COD removal. Mild steel as anode was found to be effective for coagulation of suspended solids. For electrooxidation, graphite and RuO₂/IrO₂/TaO₂ coated titanium were used as electrodes. The efficiency of these electrode materials was evaluated in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, instantaneous current efficiency (ICE) and electrooxidation index (EOI). The COD was removed to the extent of 90-93% using graphite and 54% with RuO₂/IrO₂/TaO₂ coated titanium electrodes. The current efficiency of 40% and 11% was achieved with graphite and RuO₂/IrO₂/TaO₂ coated titanium respectively. The degradation of organics was followed using GC-MS and the reason for incomplete degradation of organics in the presence of RuO₂/IrO₂/TaO₂ coated titanium was discussed.     

Comparison of different mixing phenomena in anaerobic digestion using food waste and sewage treatment plant for green biofuel through simulations of velocity contours

Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics models have been developed for the comparison of diffuser-based biogas recirculation and impeller mixed anaerobic reactors with unmixed reactors for food waste co-digested with sewage treatment plant sludge for enriched with 60–73% of biogas. Enhanced biogas yield was observed in diffuser mixing, intensity of 2 L/min (0.28–1.180 L/g VSr), compared to impeller mixing of 200 rpm. pH of 5.94 from the feed slurry pH range of 7.0–8.4 shows sheathe-broken microbial SEM structure.     

An evolutionary approach for personalization of content delivery in e-learning systems based on learner behavior forcing compatibility of learning materials

This paper presents an evolutionary approach for personalizing learning content for individual learners from a very large database in an e-learning system. The proposed work improves the quality of the self-learning process in an adaptive e-learning system by providing the most suitable content for individual learners. The paper depicts the results of personalizing the learning process by tuning the compatibility level of the learning objects with respect to the learning style of the learner, the complexity level of the learning objects with respect to the knowledge level of the learner and the interactivity level of the learner based on the satisfaction level of the learner during the learning process using a modified form of genetic algorithm named as Compatible Genetic Algorithm (CGA). The proposed work improves the efficiency of the genetic algorithms by forcing compatibility in the learning objects which has not been implemented so far in existing systems. Forcing compatibility into the search space not only helps to reduce the search space but also fills the search space with better chromosomes. The results show improvement in scores of the learners and also in their satisfaction levels. A comparison with the standard algorithms shows improvement in execution time, number of executing generations and fitness values. The results indicate that personalization of content delivery based on behavioral traits of learners leads to better learning.