Investigation of Oil and Protein Contents of Eight Sudanese Lagenaria siceraria Varieties

The composition of the oil and protein contents of eight Lagenaria siceraria varieties was characterized in order to evaluate their suitability as a source of edible oil and protein. The physicochemical properties and fatty acids of seed oils were determined. The oil yield ranged from 24.11 to 26.32 %. The refractive indices and relative densities of the oils fell within the narrow ranges of 1.464–1.468 and 0.857–0.907 g/cm³, respectively. The saponification value ranged from 158.48 to 179.52 mg KOH/g, unsaponifiable matter was between 0.749 and 0.937 %, and the peroxide values were lower than Codex values for vegetable oils. The principal fatty acids were linoleic (62.1–67.9 %), oleic (11.54–15.46 %), palmitic (12.13–14.03 %), and stearic (6.71–7.71 %) acids. Low linolenic acid levels were also observed (<1 %) within the range of 0.32–0.44 %. The major essential amino acids were arginine (2.04–3.77 g/100 g), leucine (1.245–1.726 g/100 g), phenylalanine (0.803–1.396 g/100 g), and lysine (0.921–1.383 g/100 g). The non‐essential amino acids were glutamic acid (2.5–4.37 g/100 g), aspartic acid (1.39–2.36 g/100 g), serine (0.69–1.19 g/100 g), glycine (0.79–1.37 g/100 g), alanine (0.72–1.37 g/100 g), and proline (0.63–1.02 g/100 g). Nine minerals (Na, Ca, Mg, K, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, and P) were determined with significant (p < 0.05) differences. The studied oils showed promising results and can be used in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. This is the first study on the eight L. siceraria seed varieties grown in Sudan, opening the way for further studies on these seeds.     

Effects of roasting and boiling on the chemical composition,amino acids and oil stability of safflower seeds

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of roasting and boiling on compositional and oil stability of safflower seeds. The moisture, carbohydrate and fibre contents decreased because of roasting and boiling treatments while fat and protein contents increased. The fatty acid compositions of treated samples changed slightly compared with control. The total amount of amino acids in control sample was 151.29, and this amount increased to 158.8 and 186.9 mg g^?1 N by roasting and boiling, respectively. The peroxide value of the oil increased because of roasting and boiling, and it reaches above the accepted value to consumer. Concentrations of major elements such as Na, K and Cu in raw safflower seeds were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than roasted and boiled seeds. The effects of roasting and boiling with regard to loss and retention of the nutrients differed significantly (P > 0.05), with only the roasting retaining more of the nutrients than boiling. The peak intensities of control oil using FTIR spectroscopy were changed in comparison with treated oils.     

Re-Imagining Streetlight Infrastructure as a Digital Urban Platform

Urban infrastructures have traditionally been mono-functional: water, sewage, and electricity are notable examples. Embedded with digital technologies, urban infrastructures have the potential to communicate with one another and become multi-functional platforms that integrate data gathering and actuation cycles. In this paper, we focus on public lighting infrastructures. Despite the technological development of lights, including LED technology, streetlights have been primarily treated as a mono-functional infrastructure. Based on case studies, we discuss the potential of reimagining streetlight infrastructure, and advance some initial proposals that focus on sensing and actuation cycles, which could transform this pervasive infrastructure into a digital urban platform.     

Factors affecting the pores of the inner wall endothelium of Schlemm's canal

PURPOSE: A linear relationship between the density of pores in the inner wall of Schlemm's canal and aqueous outflow facility has been reported previously in a study in which investigators examined only eyes fixed at constant pressure, so that fixative flow rates differed from eye to eye. Because pores may form as a function of flow rate, the purpose in the current study was to verify the previous findings, using constant flow perfusions. METHODS: Outflow facility was measured in enucleated human eyes. Eyes were fixed under either constant flow or constant pressure conditions, microdissected to expose the inner wall of Schlemm's canal, and prepared for scanning electron microscopy. The density and diameter of pores in the inner wall were measured. RESULTS: Statistical analysis showed no correlation between outflow facility and either the density or the diameter of pores. Pore density decreased significantly during the hours after death. Examining only eyes for which experimentation was started within 20 hours of death, we found that pore density increased significantly with the volume of fixative that had been perfused through the outflow pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation found by Allingham et al between outflow facility and pore density in the inner wall endothelium was not confirmed. However, the relationship between pore density and volume of fixative perfused is consistent with and may be responsible for the finding in the previous study. Because fixation conditions can influence the apparent pore density in the inner wall endothelium significantly, the conclusion reached previously, that pores contribute only 10% of the aqueous outflow resistance, may require reevaluation.     

Boundary Lubrication of Steel Surfaces with Borate,Phosphorus, and Sulfur Containing Lubricants at Relatively Low and Elevated Temperatures

Prolonging the life of engineering components through lubricant formulation to achieve better wear resistance and higher oxidation stability is of paramount importance to many mechanical systems, such as automotive gears and bearings. This can be accomplished with formulated lubricants that limit the generation of wear debris causing severe abrasion and protect the contacting surfaces through the formation of wear-resistant tribofilms. In this study, a ball-on-disk tribometer was used to characterize the friction and wear properties of steel surfaces slid in the boundary lubrication regime. An experimental scheme was developed to allow the statistical screening of various lubricant formulations. Sliding experiments were performed in baths of different lubricants at relatively low and elevated temperatures, approximately 32 and 100°C, respectively, under conditions of constant load and sliding speed. Surface profilometry, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the dominant friction and wear mechanisms. The tribological properties were found to strongly depend on the temperature and the additives (e.g., borate, phosphorus, and sulfur) present in the blended lubricants. The superior high-temperature wear performance of the lubricant with the higher borate content is indicative of the formation of a durable tribofilm that reduces metal-to-metal adhesion, material transfer, and surface plowing by wear debris.     

An ultra-low-power programmable analog bionic ear processor

We report a programmable analog bionic ear (cochlear implant) processor in a 1.5-microm BiCMOS technology with a power consumption of 211 microW and 77-dB dynamic range of operation. The 9.58 mm x 9.23 mm processor chip runs on a 2.8 V supply and has a power consumption that is lower than state-of-the-art analog-to-digital (A/D)-then-DSP designs by a factor of 25. It is suitable for use in fully implanted cochlear-implant systems of the future which require decades of operation on a 100-mAh rechargeable battery with a finite number of charge-discharge cycles. It may also be used as an ultra-low-power spectrum-analysis front end in portable speech-recognition systems. The power consumption of the processor includes the 100 microW power consumption of a JFET-buffered electret microphone and an associated on-chip microphone front end. An automatic gain control circuit compresses the 77-dB input dynamic range into a narrower internal dynamic range (IDR) of 57 dB at which each of the 16 spectral channels of the processor operate. The output bits of the processor are scanned and reported off chip in a format suitable for continuous-interleaved-sampling stimulation of electrodes. Power-supply-immune biasing circuits ensure robust operation of the processor in the high-RF-noise environment typical of cochlear implant systems.     

Interphase mass transfer in an aggregative fluidized bed

The experimental technique developed by Chavarie and Grace has been used to measure interphase mass transfer rates for bubbles in a two-dimensional fluidized bed with different sizes of particles from 90 to 39O μm. It is shown that the overall transfer rate, corrected for bubble growth and with negligible effects of adsorption, increases with particle diameter. The best model for the single bubble case assumes that transfer is controlled by diffusion and convection at the bubble interface, given by the penetration theory and by Murray's theory respectively. Agreement between this model and the data is best if corrections for bubble shape are applied and if it is assumed that there is no interaction between the two transfer mechanisms. Measurements of tracer concentrations as bubbles undergo coalescence indicate that there may be some enhancement of transfer due to bubble interaction, but this does not appear to be a major factor for the conditions studied.     

Effect of zinc on the epithelial lining of mice epididymis--a light microscopic study

Intraperitoneal zinc chloride was administered at 7.5 micrograms/g body weight and 15 micrograms/g body weight to 10-12 weeks old Swiss albino mice for 5 consecutive days. Control animals were given normal saline. The testis and epididymis were dissected and examined under the light microscope. Micrographs of the testes appeared normal in both treated and nontreated animals. However the group of animals treated with the higher dosage of zinc chloride showed evidence of rupture and collapse of the epididymal epithelial lining. The testes were not affected probably because of (a) known higher testicular concentration of metallothioneins which can bind the zinc and consequently detoxify the metal and (b) "stratified" epithelium comprising of spermatogenic and Sertoli cells.