Synthesis and Characterization of Nano‐Encapsulated Black Pepper Oleoresin using Hydroxypropyl Beta‐Cyclodextrin for Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Applications

Previous studies have reported antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of black pepper oleoresin which is associated to its phenolic compounds and piperine. The ability of cyclodextrins to form an inclusion complex with a guest molecule could improve black pepper oleoresin application, bioavailability, and stability in foods. Hydroxypropyl beta‐cyclodextrin (HPBCD) inclusion complex with black pepper olereosin were synthesized using the kneading method and characterized for its physico‐chemical properties and its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Inclusion complex size was 103.9 ± 7.6 nm and indicated to be a polydisperse system. The entrapment efficiency was 78.3 ± 3.6%, which suggests that other constituents in black pepper oleoresin have higher affinities for HPBCD than piperine (major compound in black pepper oleoresin). Thermograms showed the disappearance of oxidation peaks of black pepper oleoresin, proving complex formation with HPBCD. Phase solubility results indicated 1:1 stoichiometric inclusion complex formation and an increase of black pepper oleoresin aqueous solubility with HPBCD concentration. Nano‐encapsulation with HPBCD did not affect (P > 0.05) total phenolic content; however, it enhanced (P < 0.05) black pepper oleoresin antioxidant activity. Black pepper oleoresin and its inclusion complex were analyzed for their antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli K12 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2. Both free and encapsulated black pepper oleoresin effectively inhibited bacterial growth within the concentration range tested. Black pepper oleoresin encapsulated in HPBCD was able to inhibit Salmonella at lower (P < 0.05) concentrations than its corresponding free extract. Therefore, black pepper oleoresin‐HPBCD nanocapsules could have important applications in the food industry as antimicrobial and antioxidant system.     

Comparison of Fatty Acid, Sterol, and Tocol Compositions in Skin and Kernel of Turpentine (Pistacia terebinthus L.) Fruits

Pistacia terebinthus L. is an indigenous plant growing wild in the southern regions of Turkey. Its fruits are used in foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics due to its high oil content (ca. 45 g/100 g). In the present study, it was found out that the kernel and the skin parts of the fruit differ significantly (p < 0.05) both in terms of oil content and composition. Regardless of the geographical origin, the most abundant fatty acid was found to be monounsaturated oleic acid, 18:1n-9 whose content was in the range of 51.2–67.5 g/100 g. β-sitosterol is the predominant sterol in kernel and skin of the terebinthus fruits whose content was varying between 97.4 and 219.8 mg/100 g. Concerning different tocols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) detected in the kernel and skin, γ-T was the one with highest concentration (437.2 mg/kg) in kernels, while the most abundant one in skin parts was found to be α-T (348.7 mg/kg). In general the kernel of terebinthus fruits was more concentrated in PUFA, total sterol and tocopherols than skin, however, total tocotrienol content was higher in skin than kernel. On the basis of these findings it can be concluded that both kernel and skin are highly valuable in terms of bioactive compounds, whereas skin with a high amount saturated fatty acids is more suited to applications in cosmetic industry.     

Fuzzy algorithms for combined quantization and dithering

Color quantization reduces the number of the colors in a color image, while the subsequent dithering operation attempts to create the illusion of more colors with this reduced palette. In quantization, the palette is designed to minimize the mean squared error (MSE). However, the dithering that follows enhances the color appearance at the expense of increasing the MSE. We introduce three joint quantization and dithering algorithms to overcome this contradiction. The basic idea is the same in two of the approaches: introducing the dithering error to the quantizer in the training phase. The fuzzy C-means (FCM) and the fuzzy learning vector quantization (FLVQ) algorithms are used to develop two combined mechanisms. In the third algorithm, we minimize an objective function including an inter-cluster separation (ICS) term to obtain a color palette which is more suitable for dithering. The goal is to enlarge the convex hull of the quantization colors to obtain the illusion of more colors after error diffusion. The color contrasts of images are also enhanced with the proposed algorithm. We test the results of these three new algorithms using quality metrics which model the perception of the human visual system and illustrate that substantial improvements are achieved after dithering     

Seasonal variations of disinfection by-product precursors profile and their removal through surface water treatment plants

A sampling program has been undertaken to investigate the variations of disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation and nature and fate of natural organic matter (NOM) through water treatment plants in Istanbul. Specific focus has been given to the effect seasonal changes on the formation of DBPs and organic precursors levels. Water samples were collected from the three reservoirs inlet and within three major water treatment plants of Istanbul, Turkey. Changes in the dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV(254)), specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA), trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP), and haloacetic acids formation potential (HAAFP) were measured for both the treated and raw water samples. The variations of THM and HAA concentrations within treatment processes were monitored and also successfully assessed. The reactivity of the organic matter changed throughout the year with the lowest reactivity (THMFP and HAAFP) in winter, increasing in spring and reaching a maximum in fall season. This corresponded to the water being easier to treat in fall and an increase in the proportion of hydrophobic content. Understanding the seasonal changes in organic matter character and their reactivity with treatment chemicals should lead to a better optimization of the treatment processes and a more consistent water quality.     

Effects of annealing on the structural and magnetic properties of flame spray pyrolyzed MnFe2O4 nanoparticles

In this study, manganese ferrite (MnFe₂O₄) nanoparticles were produced through flame spray pyrolysis (FSP). To investigate the effects of heat treatment, the nanoparticles were annealed between 400 and 650°C for 4 h in air in a comparative manner. The structural, chemical, morphological, and magnetic properties of the nanoparticles were evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), respectively. The XRD results showed that the nanoparticles synthesized by the FSP method exhibited the MnFe₂O₄ spinel ferrite structure. The annealing process led to the decomposition of MnFe₂O₄ into various phases. According to the morphological analysis, the as-synthesized particles were hemispherical–cubic in shape and had an average particle size of less than 100 nm. In addition, the chemical bond structures of the nanoparticles were confirmed in detail by XPS elemental analysis. The highest saturation magnetization was recorded as 33.50 emu/g for the as-produced nanoparticles. The saturation magnetization of the nanoparticles decreased with increasing annealing temperature, while coercivity increased.     

A deep learning-based CEP rule extraction framework for IoT data

The Journal of Supercomputing - With the recent developments in Internet of Things (IoT), the number of sensors that generate raw data with high velocity, variety, and volume is tremendously...     

Effect of SC-41930, a potent selective leukotriene B4 receptor antagonist, in the guinea pig model of middle ear inflammation

Arachidonic acid metabolites such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes have been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of otitis media (OM). Among these mediators, leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is one of the most potent inducers of inflammatory processes. SC-41930 has been shown to be a specific LTB4 receptor antagonist both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, anti-inflammatory effects of SC-41930 were investigated in a guinea pig model of OM induced by middle ear (ME) inoculation of killed Staphylococcus aureus. Outcome of treatment was determined by measurement of myeloperoxidase activity in the samples of ME mucosa, evaluation of temporal bone histopathology, and presence of ME fluids. Myeloperoxidase activity in the SC-41930-treated group was found to be significantly lower than that in the control group. Histopathology of temporal bones indicated decreased inflammation in the treated group as compared to the controls. In addition, ME fluids were absent in four out of six treated animals. These results demonstrate that SC-41930 can produce significant anti-inflammatory effects in this model of OM.     

Novel TIGR/MYOC mutations in families with juvenile onset primary open angle glaucoma

Mutations in the trabecular meshwork induced glucocorticoid response protein (TIGR) or myocilin (MYOC) has recently been shown to cause juvenile onset primary open angle glaucoma (JOAG). In this study, we identified two new mutations (Asp380Ala and Ser502Pro) in two British families and another (Pro370Leu) in a French-Canadian family. These mutations were not present in a total of 106 normal chromosomes. In another Turkish family with JOAG, we also detected a sequence variant that was proven to be an amino acid polymorphism (Arg76Lys). No other sequence changes were found in the entire coding region and splice junctions of the TIGR/MYOC gene in this family. However, it is still possible that mutations either in the TIGR promoter or in another neighbouring gene could cause glaucoma in this JOAG family. Our results confirm the role of the TIGR/MYOC gene in the aetiology of the JOAG phenotype.     

Microstructural changes on high temperature treatment of a cold-worked and nitrided Fe–1%V alloy

An Fe–1.06%V alloy was used to study the control of recrystallization through fine VN precipitates in cold-worked and nitrided ferritic matrix. Nitriding was carried out at 475°C in ammonia atmosphere. Subsequent high temperature annealing process was performed in hydrogen gas for 795, 820, 860 and 880°C, respectively. The data on recrystallization indicates that kinetics of recrystallization obeys an Avrami type equation with a temperature independent time exponent. Transmission electron microscopy techniques were used to measure the precipitate sizes and to study the changes in the microstructure. The activation energy evaluated for recrystallization was found to be consistent with that governing the VN particle coarsening. From these findings it was concluded that the initiation of recrystallization is dominated by the interface reaction controlled growth of VN stringers at subgrain boundaries. After the disappearance of stringers, the interaction of fine precipitates with subgrain boundaries is minimized and hence recrystallization starts. © 1998 Chapman & Hall