Use of multivariate techniques in studying the flour making properties of some CMD resistant cassava clones

High quality cassava flour (HQCF) is one of the primary products of raw cassava root that has continued to find wider food application in Nigeria. In this study, some 43 newly developed cassava mosaic disease (CMD) resistant clones of cassava were screened based on some physical (flour yield, bulk density, and tri-stimulus colour characteristics (L^∗, a^∗, b^∗, Chroma and Hue)), chemical (moisture, protein, ash, starch, amylose, sugar contents, TTA, pH, and cyanogenic potential), functional (water and oil absorption capacities, water solubility, swelling power, least gelation capacity, diastatic activity, percent damaged starch, and alkaline water retention), and pasting properties. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that all properties measured varied significantly (P < 0.001). The flours had a wider range of starch content (65–88%), amylose content (13–23%), water absorption capacity (136–224%), diastatic activity (128–354 mg maltose), peak viscosity (77–328 RVU), final viscosity (56–217 RVU), and trough (32–152). Due to the peculiarity of the experimental data generated, two protocols of applying multivariate statistical techniques were evaluated for discriminating the cassava clones. By first applying principal component analysis (PCA), followed by cluster analysis (CA) and finally, discriminant function analysis (DFA) of the experimental data, it was possible to achieve about 87% correct classification of the cassava clones. The final viscosity and diastatic activity of the flours were found to be the most important variables for classifying the cassava clones.     

Peptides Bound to Silicone Membranes and 3D Microfabrication for Cardiac Cell Culture

Mechanical load and stress are exerted upon heart muscle tissue in vivo, leading to changes in cellular biochemistry and physiology. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms of mechanical transduction at the cellular level requires the development of physiologically relevant models of cells in vitro. Silicone elastomers are widely used as flexible cell culture substrates for in‐vitro cardiac mechano‐biological studies. We describe here the use of peptide binding to and microfabrication of silicone elastomer membranes. We utilize these chemically and morphologically modified silicone membranes as improved flexible cell culture substrates in studies of cardiac mechano‐biology. We also discuss advances in surface modification and microfabrication that promise further development of improved heart cell cultures.     

Chemical composition and functional properties of raw and roasted Nigerian benniseed (Sesamum indicum) and bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean)

Benniseed and bambara groundnut seeds were roasted at 80 and 120 °C for 10–60 min. For both flours, the effects of roasting temperature and time on selected functional properties and chemical composition were determined, as were the effects of pH on the emulsification capacity and nitrogen solubility. The chemical constituents of the raw flours were present at higher concentrations than those of the roasted flours except for fat and ash. Protein concentrates of both flours contained 80.5–81.5% crude protein as the major constituent. Nitrogen solubility was lowest at pH 4.0 for raw and roasted benniseed flour and pH 5.0 for raw and roasted bambara groundnut flour. Roasting generally lowered the nitrogen solubility and increased the water and oil absorption capacities while decreasing the foaming capacity and emulsification capacity of both flours.     

Tankyrase Inhibition Attenuates Cardiac Dilatation and Dysfunction in Ischemic Heart Failure

Hyperactive poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP) promote ischemic heart failure (IHF) after myocardial infarction (MI). However, the role of tankyrases (TNKSs), members of the PARP family, in pathogenesis of IHF remains unknown. We investigated the expression and activation of TNKSs in myocardium of IHF patients and MI rats. We explored the cardioprotective effect of TNKS inhibition in an isoproterenol-induced zebrafish HF model. In IHF patients, we observed elevated TNKS2 and DICER and concomitant upregulation of miR-34a-5p and miR-21-5p in non-infarcted myocardium. In a rat MI model, we found augmented TNKS2 and DICER in the border and infarct areas at the early stage of post-MI. We also observed consistently increased TNKS1 in the border and infarct areas and destabilized AXIN in the infarct area from 4 weeks onward, which in turn triggered Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In an isoproterenol-induced HF zebrafish model, inhibition of TNKS activity with XAV939, a TNKSs-specific inhibitor, protected against ventricular dilatation and cardiac dysfunction and abrogated overactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and dysregulation of miR-34a-5p induced by isoproterenol. Our study unravels a potential role of TNKSs in the pathogenesis of IHF by regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling and possibly modulating miRNAs and highlights the pharmacotherapeutic potential of TNKS inhibition for prevention of IHF.     

Ammonia decomposition over citric acid induced γ-Mo2N and Co3Mo3N catalysts

This work focuses on a novel synthesis route, using citric acid as a chelating agent, for the formation of γ-Mo₂N and Co₃Mo₃N bulk catalyst and their application for NH₃ decomposition reaction for hydrogen production having its application for onboard generation of hydrogen for fuel cell in transportation vehicles. Successful formation of the pure bulk phase of Co₃Mo₃N was confirmed by using XRD, XPS, HRTEM techniques. The prepared Co₃Mo₃N catalyst showed high surface area 15.23 m²/g and high catalytic activity compared to bulk γ-Mo₂N for this decomposition reaction, having 97% conversion of NH₃ at 550 °C at 6000 h^?1.     

Extragradient Algorithm for Solving Pseudomonotone Equilibrium Problem with Bregman Distance in Reflexive Banach Spaces

Networks and Spatial Economics - Using the Bregman distance technique, we study the approximation of solution of pseudomonotone equilibrium problem using modified extragradient method in a real...     

Ammonia decomposition over citric acid chelated γ-Mo2N and Ni2Mo3N catalysts

A novel synthesis route, using citric acid as a chelating agent, for the formation of γ-Mo₂N and pure phase of Ni₂Mo₃N catalysts and their application for NH₃ decomposition reaction for clean hydrogen production, have been performed. Successful formation of a pure bulk phase of Ni₂Mo₃N was confirmed by using XRD, XPS, HRTEM techniques and found that Ni₂Mo₃N is not air sensitive. Ni₂Mo₃N catalyst showed very high catalytic activity for NH₃ decomposition reaction having ～97% conversion of NH₃ at 525 °C at 6000 h^?1 GHSV, better than previously reported results on any non-promoted, non-precious catalysts, which is mainly due to the formation of pure phase and high surface area for this catalyst using a chelating method of preparation.