An autoradiographic study on the localization of 131I-labeled thyroid hormones in the tissues of the pig

Autoradiographic studies on the localization of 131I-labeled thyroxine and triiodothyronine in the various organs and tissues of the pig have been conducted. The isotopes were compared as to the intensity of radioactivity on the basis of the concentration of developed silver grains in the tissues following the respective radioactive hormone injections. In general, for an identical dose of the isotope and with analogous processing procedures, the autoradiographs of most of the tissues after triiodothyronine were relatively more radioactive than after thyroxine. In both the hormone treatments, the tissues from younger pigs were relatively more radioactive than the tissues of older pigs. The various tissormones. Based on differential localization of radioactivity, the pigs excreted more radioiodine through bile, pancreatic and salivary secretions and in urine.     

Computer-assisted prediction of by-products for industrial organic reactions

Prediction of by-products for industrial reactions is central to the design of chemical process plants. By-products are formed in every chemical reaction used to transform raw materials into desired products. It is important for the designer to know what by-products can possible form, in the event that they are explosive or toxic in nature. Also, since the formation of by-products is related to the reaction conditions, attempts to optimize the process conditions requires knowledge about the type and amounts of the by-products formed.In this paper, the problem of predicting by-products has been formalized. An interactive computer program named PRODUCTS, an acronym for Prediction of Reasonable Organic Derivatives Using Computer Techniques has been developed to predict the by-products formed in organic reactions. The program uses a data-base of sub-structure and mechanistic reactions to generate possible by-products.By-products have been generated by the PRODUCTS program for an alkane oxidation example.     

Natural and socio-economic factors affecting food security in the Himalayas

In the Himalayas, food security of communities primarily depends on local agricultural productivity and food purchasing power. Subsistence agriculture, which is forest based, constitutes the main source of rural food and livelihoods. However, due to constraints of terrain and climate, agricultural productivity is low, resulting in large food deficits and leading to a considerable proportion of the adult male population migrating from the region in search of employment and livelihoods. Remittances from the migrants and local off-farm employment contribute to community purchasing power which may be used to buy food from the open market and government controlled Public Distribution System (PDS). Depletion of natural resources, changing climatic conditions, the recent economic recession and sharply fluctuating food prices have not only decreased local food production but also reduced employment opportunities locally as well as outside the area, rendering the entire region highly vulnerable to food insecurity. This study, which was carried out in the Upper Kosi Catchment in Kumaon Himalaya, India, revealed that not only has annual agricultural productivity declined by nearly 125 Kg per ha (25 %) during the last 30 years, causing an annual food deficit of 1883 tonnes (65 %) and massive decline in per capita food production, but that local off-farm employment opportunities in different traditional rural sectors has also declined. Furthermore, the recent economic recession and the resultant job losses for migrants has decreased incoming remittances by 20 %–25 %, causing the loss of local purchasing power and posing a serious threat to food security. Those particularly affected are marginal and smallholder farmers, and landless households, which mainly include socially backward communities and families with very low incomes. It is therefore imperative that a community oriented framework for the management of land, water and forest resources is planned and implemented in this region, together with the generation of viable means of off-farm employment at the local level     

A critical review on biodegradable food packaging for meat: Materials,sustainability, regulations,and perspectives in the EU

The development of biodegradable packaging is a challenge, as conventional plastics have many advantages in terms of high flexibility, transparency, low cost, strong mechanical characteristics, and high resistance to heat compared with most biodegradable plastics. The quality of biodegradable materials and the research needed for their improvement for meat packaging were critically evaluated in this study. In terms of sustainability, biodegradable packagings are more sustainable than conventional plastics; however, most of them contain unsustainable chemical additives. Cellulose showed a high potential for meat preservation due to high moisture control. Polyhydroxyalkanoates and polylactic acid (PLA) are renewable materials that have been recently introduced to the market, but their application in meat products is still limited. To be classified as an edible film, the mechanical properties and acceptable control over gas and moisture exchange need to be improved. PLA and cellulose-based films possess the advantage of protection against oxygen and water permeation; however, the addition of functional substances plays an important role in their effects on the foods. Furthermore, the use of packaging materials is increasing due to consumer demand for natural high-quality food packaging that serves functions such as extended shelf-life and contamination protection. To support the importance moving toward biodegradable packaging for meat, this review presented novel perspectives regarding ecological impacts, commercial status, and consumer perspectives. Those aspects are then evaluated with the specific consideration of regulations and perspective in the European Union (EU) for employing renewable and ecological meat packaging materials. This review also helps to highlight the situation regarding biodegradable food packaging for meat in the EU specifically.     

Effect of Calcium Salts on the Properties of Proteins from Oil Sardine (Sardinella longiceps) During Frozen Storage

ABSTRACT:  The effect of calcium sulfate and calcium chloride on the enzymatic and structural properties of actomyosin isolated from sardine was investigated. Mince was prepared from sardine and different concentrations of calcium chloride and calcium sulfate were added to the mince and kept in frozen condition at −20 °C. The physico-chemical and functional properties of proteins from mince were analyzed as a function of time. The solubility of proteins decreased during storage. The reduction in solubility was less for samples treated with calcium chloride. However, sardine mince showed better functionality during storage in the presence of calcium compounds. The ATPase enzyme activity of actomyosin increased with increase in concentration of calcium and decreased after reaching the maximum value. ATPase activity of proteins from mince decreased during storage at low temperature. The reduction in ATPase activity did not correlate with the loss of functionality of proteins. SDS-PAGE did not reveal any major changes in the protein profile during storage as well as in the presence of different concentration of calcium compounds. The secondary structural content of actomyosin was not altered in the presence of both calcium chloride and calcium sulfate as evident from circular dichroic measurements.     

Influence of elephant apple powder as an adsorbent in the regeneration of fried soybean oil: Process optimization studies

In the present work, elephant apple powder (EAP) has been characterized as an adsorbent by analyzing its properties in Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscope, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface analyser. Furthermore, the effect of EAP on the regeneration of fried soybean oil was studied by performing frying experiments with potato chips at 180 ± 5 °C for 5 hr/day in a deep fat fryer for 5 days. Oil samples were drawn periodically for evaluating the quality parameters (free fatty acid, peroxide value, iodine value, p‐anisidine value, and total polar content). The effect of process variables (contact time, heating time, and concentration of adsorbent) on the quality parameters of the fried oil was examined using response surface methodology. Results indicated that the process variables had a significant effect on the final quality of the oil. From the study, it was revealed that the quality of fried soybean oil has improved after treating with EAP.

Practical applications

The present work provides the useful information regarding the treatment of deep fried oil using a natural adsorbent. The method used in the work is cost‐effective and regenerates oil with good quality. The method of regeneration may be utilized by small and medium scale food processors as the process is simple. The results of this study showed that elephant apple powder can be used as an adsorbent to improve the quality parameters of deep fried soybean oil.     

Effect of blend proportion on thermal behaviour of bamboo knitted fabrics

This study presents the thermal comfort properties of single jersey knitted fabric structures made from cotton, regenerated bamboo and cotton–bamboo blended yarns. Cotton, bamboo fibre and blends of the two fibres (100% cotton, 100% bamboo, 50:50 cotton:bamboo, 67:33 cotton:bamboo, 33:67 cotton:bamboo) were spun into yarns of identical linear density (20?tex). Each of the yarns so produced was converted to single jersey knitted fabrics with loose, medium and tight structures. The thermal conductivity of the fabrics was generally found to decrease with increase in the proportion of bamboo fibre. The relative water vapour permeability and air permeability of the fabrics were observed to increase with increase in bamboo fibre content. Statistical analysis also indicates that the results are significant for air permeability, thermal resistance, thermal conductivity and relative water vapour permeability of the fabrics.     

Functional properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from ethnic fermented vegetables of the Himalayas

A total of 94 strains of Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), previously isolated from ethnic fermented vegetables and tender bamboo shoots of the Himalayas, were screened for functional properties such as acidification capacity, enzymatic activities, degradation of antinutritive factors and oligosaccharides, production of biogenic amines, hydrophobicity and adherence to mucus secreting HT29 MTX cells. Strong acidification and coagulation activities of LAB strains were recorded. Most of the LAB strains showed antimicrobial activities against the used indicator strains; however, only Lb. plantarum IB2 (BFE 948) isolated from inziangsang, a fermented leafy vegetable product, produced a bacteriocin against Staphylococcus aureus S1. LAB strains showed enzymatic activities and also degraded oligosaccharides. Almost all the strains of LAB were non-producers of biogenic amines except few strains. Some strains of Lb. plantarum showed more than 70% hydrophobicity. Adherence to the mucus secreting HT29 MTX cells was also shown by seven strains indicating their probiotic nature.     

Performance of Li-ion secondary batteries in low power,hybrid power supplies

Small, portable electronic devices need power supplies that have long life, high energy efficiency, high energy density, and can deliver short power bursts. Hybrid power sources that combine a high energy density fuel cell, or an energy scavenging device, with a high power secondary battery are of interest in sensors and wireless devices. However, fuel cells with low self-discharge have low power density and have a poor response to transient loads. A low capacity secondary lithium ion cell can provide short burst power needed in a hybrid fuel cell–battery power supply. This paper describes the polarization, cycling, and self-discharge of commercial lithium ion batteries as they would be used in the small, hybrid power source. The performance of 10 Li-ion variations, including organic electrolytes with Li_xV₂O₅ and Li_xMn₂O₄ cathodes and LiPON electrolyte with a LiCoO₂ cathode was evaluated. Electrochemical characterization shows that the vanadium oxide cathode cells perform better than their manganese oxide counterparts in every category. The vanadium oxide cells also show better cycling performance under shallow discharge conditions than LiPON cells at a given current. However, the LiPON cells show significantly lower energy loss due to polarization and self-discharge losses than the vanadium and manganese cells with organic electrolytes.     

A study on new benzotriazole derivatives as inhibitors on copper corrosion in ground water

The corrosion inhibition properties of newly synthesized 1-(2-pyrrole carbonyl)-benzotriazole (PCBT) and 1-(2-thienyl carbonyl)-benzotriazole (TCBT) in combination with the non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 (TX-100) on metallic copper were studied in ground water environment and the results were compared with benzotriazole (BTA). Various electrochemical studies such as open circuit potential (OCP), potentiodynamic polarization, ac impedance and cyclic voltammetric (CV) were made. Surface analytical techniques like FT-IR and XRD were also performed. The results indicated that PCBT is a better corrosion inhibitor for copper and the formulation consisting of PCBT and TX-100 offered improved inhibition efficiency (IE) in a synergistic manner.