Preferential oxidation of linolenic acid compared to linoleic acid in the liver of catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis andClarias batrachus)

The fate of [1-¹⁴C] linoleic acid and [1-¹⁴C] linolenic acid in the liver slices and also in the liver tissues of live carnivorous catfish,Heteropneustes fossilis andClarias batrachus, was studied. Incorporation of the fatty acids into different lipid classes in the live fish differed greatly from the tissue slices, indicating certain physiological control operative in vivo. The extent of desaturation and chain elongation of linoleic and linolenic acids into long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids was low. Linolenic acid was oxidized (thus labeling the saturated fatty acid with liberated¹⁴C-acetyl-CoA) in preference to linoleic acid, and this oxidation also seemed to be under physiological control since both of the fatty acids were poorly oxidized in the tissue slices and in the killed fish. These fish can therefore recognize the difference in the acyl chain structures of linoleate and linolenate. The higher oxidation of liolenic acid and poor capacity for its conversion to longer chain, highly unsaturated derivatives indicates a higher demand for the dietary supply of these essential fatty acids in these two species.     

Fluidization characteristics of rice husk in a bubbling fluidized bed

An investigation was carried out in a circulating fluidized bed to explore if rice husk could be fluidized without mixing it with any foreign solids. Experimental results indicate that bed cross‐section has an important influence on the fluidization characteristics of rice husk. Larger the cross‐section, easier it is to fluidize the husk without slugging. Particle size, sphericity, bulk density, and transport velocity of husk were measured. The riser was operated under bubbling bed regimes. Efforts were made to measure the minimum fluidization velocity by varying the bed depth and cross‐section.     

Effect of phase transfer catalysts on the interfacial tension of water/toluene system

The effect on the interfacial tension of the water toluene system has been studied at 25 °C in the presence of four phase-transfer catalysts i.e. tricaprylmethyl ammonium chloride, hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium chloride, hex-adecytrimethyl ammonium bromide and hexadecyltributyl phosphonium bromide. The interfacial tension of aqueous phenol/resorcinol-toluene in the presence and absence of tricaprylmethyl ammonium chloride has also been reported. Attempt has been made to elucidate the change in volumetric rate of extraction with different catalysts for two phase reactions, on the basis of interfacial tension.     

Ionomer-silica hybrids via sol-gel reaction

Ionomer-silica hybrid materials were made from polyethylene-co-acrylic acid neutralized by a zinc salt (PI) and tetraethoxy silane (TEOS) via the sol-gel reaction. The effects of various experimental parameters such as solvents, H₂O/Si ratio and the amount of TEOS in the ionomer solution on the hybrid structure and properties were examined. The spectroscopic results show that solvents do not affect the structure of the hybrids, but influence the thermal properties. The hybrids made using highly polar solvent exhibit better thermal stability and dynamic mechanical properties at high TEOS contents. The amount of water used for hydrolysis and subsequent condensation play a significant role in the network formation. The varying amount of TEOS in solutions gives rise to different silica content of the hybrid. Above 50 wt%, the sample becomes opaque due to silica aggregation. The high ratio of H₂O/Si leads to phase separation during the reaction. Transparent hybrid materials can only be obtained when the ratio of H₂O/Si is below 5.     

Experimental study of paddy drying in a vortex chamber

The intensification of interfacial mass, heat, and momentum transfer makes vortex chambers potentially interesting for the efficient drying of paddy, allowing shorter drying times and/or more compact equipment. The presence of a shell introduces particular challenges. Intraparticle diffusion limitations are strong and may reduce the advantage from intensified interfacial mass and heat transfer and the efficiency of air usage. Furthermore, high shear and normal stresses in the fast rotating particle bed may cause damage to the paddy shell, posing problems for transport and storage. With these specific aspects in mind, the use of vortex chambers for paddy drying is experimentally evaluated.     

Exploring the Bioactive Potentials of C60-AgNPs Nano-Composites against Malignancies and Microbial Infections

At present, the potential role of the AgNPs/endo-fullerene molecule metal nano-composite has been evaluated over the biosystems in-vitro. The intra-atomic configuration of the fullerene molecule (C₆₀) has been studied in-vitro for the anti-proliferative activity of human breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231) cell lines and antimicrobial activity against a few human pathogens that have been augmented with the pristine surface plasmonic electrons and antibiotic activity of AgNPs. Furthermore, FTIR revealed the basic vibrational signatures at ~3300 cm⁻¹, 1023 cm⁻¹, 1400 cm⁻¹ for O-H, C-O, and C-H groups, respectively, for the carbon and oxygen atoms of the C₆₀ molecule. NMR studies exhibited the different footprints and magnetic moments at ~7.285 ppm, explaining the unique underlying electrochemical attributes of the fullerene molecule. Such unique electronic and physico-chemical properties of the caged carbon structure raise hope for applications into the drug delivery domain. The in-vitro dose-dependent application of C₆₀ elicits a toxic response against both the breast adenocarcinoma cell lines and pathogenic microbes. That enables the use of AgNPs decorated C₆₀ endo fullerene molecules to design an effective anti-cancerous drug delivery and antimicrobial agent in the future, bringing a revolutionary change in the perspective of a treatment regime.     

Design of efficient fir digital differentiators of second and higher degrees by using universal weights

We propose in this paper an efficient design of FIR digital differentiators of degree k, k= 1, 2, 3,…, and their implementation in a novel structure which allows the order to be varied without having to alter the weights used in it. More precisely, we show that by using these ‘universal weights’ in a structure of order N_max, the order can be varied from N= 3 to N_max while keeping the weights fixed and retaining the optimality of performance. Mathematical formulae have been derived for these ‘universal weights’ for differentiators performing in the low- or midband-frequency ranges.