Effect of extrusion variables on antioxidant activity,total phenolic content and dietary fibre content of gluten‐free extrudate from germinated Chenopodium (Chenopodium album) flour

A Box‐Behnken design was used to study the effects of feed moisture content (18–20%), barrel temperature (115–135 °C) and screw speed (225–275 rpm) on the responses; antioxidant activity, total phenolics, dietary fibre, colour (L‐value), hardness, expansion ratio, water absorption index and overall acceptability for development of gluten‐free extrudate based on germinated Chenopodium album flour. Second‐order polynomial fitted model showed that temperature most significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected the antioxidant activity (AoxA), total phenolics (TPC), expansion ratio, hardness and overall acceptability (OA). Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and dietary fibre of extrudate varied from 11.56 to 15.93%, 56.77 to 81.28 mg/100 g and 18.65 to 22.06 g/100 g, whereas the lightness and hardness of extrudates ranged from 64.02 to 68.35 and 12.26 to 19.49 N, respectively. The results of this study validate the production of functional and acceptable snack product made from C.  album flour by extrusion cooking.     

Antibiotics: Has the magic gone?

The emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria has diminished the efficacy of several antibiotics that were used to treat infectious diseases in humans and animals. In recent years, the problem of antibiotic resistance has become more apparent as increasing numbers of bacteria have acquired resistance to multiple antibiotics. Antibiotics inhibit bacterial growth through a variety of mechanisms including inhibition of cell wall or protein synthesis, interference with DNA (or RNA) replication, and disruption of metabolic pathways or cell membrane. Bacteria develop resistance through genetic mutations or by acquiring resistant genes involved in the production of antibiotic degrading enzymes, overproduction of target molecules, efflux pumps to drain out antibiotics, and/or altered cell wall permeability to survive adverse physiological conditions. Published literature suggests that sub‐therapeutic feeding of food animals for growth promotion along with casual use of antibiotics in household products such as soaps and creams is contributing to increased antimicrobial resistance in the environment. If steps are not taken to minimize selective pressure on bacteria, the effectiveness of antibiotics (hailed as ‘magic bullets’) may be marginalized. Important steps in the judicious use of antibiotics on the farm are: (1) education of farmers on the pitfalls of using antibiotics sub‐therapeutically in the production of food animals; (2) development of animal production practices that reduce dependence on antibiotics; and (3) development of manure disposal practices that minimize the spread of residual antibiotics and antibiotic resistant bacteria into the environment. In addition, educating the general public on the use and misuse of antibiotics in daily life is also important if there is to be any significant impact on reducing the environmental spread of antibiotic resistance. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of pomegranate peel extract improves the shelf life of chicken products

The antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of pomegranate peel and seed extract was investigated. Pomegranate peel extract (PE) showed excellent antioxidant activity while the seed extract (PS) did not have any significant activity. The IC₅₀ value of PE for 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging was 4.9 μg mL^–1 while that of Butylated hydroxy toluene was 21.2 μg mL^–1, indicating that it was a stronger antioxidant. The efficacy of PE in scavenging hydroxyl and superoxide anion radical was also very high. It also had good reducing power and iron chelation capacity. PE showed good antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus having minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.01%. Pseudomonas could be inhibited at a higher concentration of 0.1% while it was ineffective against Escherichia coli and S. typhimurium. Addition of PE to popular chicken meat products enhanced its shelf life by 2–3 weeks during chilled storage. PE was also effective in controlling oxidative rancidity in these chicken products.     

Shelf-stable and safe intermediate-moisture meat products using hurdle technology

A number of ready-to-use shelf-stable intermediate-moisture (IM) spiced mutton and spiced chicken products were developed with a combination of hurdles (reduced moisture, vacuum packing, and irradiation). The water activity of the products was reduced to about 0.80 either by grilling or by hot-air drying. These IM products were vacuum packed and subjected to gamma radiation processing at 0 to 10 kGy. Microbiological analyses revealed a radiation dose-dependent reduction in total viable counts and in numbers of Staphylococcus species. IM meat products that did not undergo radiation treatment showed visible mold growth within 2 months. The products subjected to irradiation at 10 kGy showed an absence of viable microorganisms and also retained high sensory acceptability for up to 9 months at ambient temperatures.     

Developmental expression and cellular distribution of Mullerian inhibiting substance in the primate ovary

Ovarian follicle formation during development and follicle maturation in adulthood are crucial determinants of female fertility and disruptions in these processes may result in subfertility or infertility. Among the several factors that are involved in ovarian physiology, Müllerian inhibiting substance (MIS) also known as anti-Müllerian hormone has emerged as an important marker to predict the follicle reserve. However, the roles of MIS in human ovarian physiology are unknown. To gain an insight into the potential roles of MIS in human ovarian differentiation during development and its regulation in adulthood, the expression profiles of MIS mRNA in the developing and adult human and monkey ovaries was examined by in situ hybridization. The results revealed that in the fetal human ovaries, MIS is specifically expressed at low levels in the granulosa cells of the developing primordial follicles; a small subset (approximately 2-3%) of oocytes express high amounts of MIS. In the adult human and monkey ovary, MIS mRNA is expressed at low levels in the primordial follicles, maximally in the primary and secondary follicles, and the expression is downregulated in the antral and atetric follicles. MIS expression is extinguished in the granulosa cells only after ovulation. These observations strongly favor the regulatory roles of MIS in folliculogenesis. MIS in the primate ovary may exert its effect during the primordial follicle formation to the terminal granulosa cell differentiation. The presence of MIS in a small subset of oocytes in the fetal ovary further points towards its additional role during fetal oocyte development.     

Growth of aligned arrays of ZnO nanorods by low temperature solution method on Si surface

We report growth of ZnO nanorods by low temperature (<100°C) solution growth method. The substrates (Si, glass and fused Quartz) were seeded by pre-coating with ZnO nanoparticles (4–7 nm diameter) prepared by chemical precipitation route. Nanorods were grown on the seeded substrate in aqueous solution of Zinc Nitrate and Hexamethylenetetramine (HMT). The growth process lasts for up to 8 h and at the maximum time of growth, the nanorods have a width of ∼230–250 nm and length of ∼1.5–1.6 μm. The growth process after some initial growth (<2 h) preserves the aspect ratio and leads to about 90% texturing along the (002) direction. The growth of the nanorods was studied with time and observed growth data suggests a two-stage growth process. The nanorods have a well-defined hexagonal morphology and have a Wurtzite structure. The nanorods were characterized by different techniques and have a band gap of 3.25 eV.     

硬盘驱动器供应商克服逆境以实现强劲的增长——2006年HDD出货量上升15.5%

isuppli，2006年全球硬盘驱动器（HDD）出货量上升了15．5％，这是供应商在遭遇价格战、组件短缺和竞争剧变等多种挑战斗争的同时设法实现了增长。     

Biochemical Basis of Xylooligosaccharide Utilisation by Gut Bacteria

Xylan is one of the major structural components of the plant cell wall. Xylan present in the human diet reaches the large intestine undigested and becomes a substrate to species of the gut microbiota. Here, we characterised the capacity of Limosilactobacillus reuteri and Blautia producta strains to utilise xylan derivatives. We showed that L. reuteri ATCC 53608 and B. producta ATCC 27340 produced β-D-xylosidases, enabling growth on xylooligosaccharide (XOS). The recombinant enzymes were highly active on artificial (p-nitrophenyl β-D-xylopyranoside) and natural (xylobiose, xylotriose, and xylotetraose) substrates, and showed transxylosylation activity and tolerance to xylose inhibition. The enzymes belong to glycoside hydrolase family 120 with Asp as nucleophile and Glu as proton donor, as shown by homology modelling and confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. In silico analysis revealed that these enzymes were part of a gene cluster in L. reuteri but not in Blautia strains, and quantitative proteomics identified other enzymes and transporters involved in B. producta XOS utilisation. Based on these findings, we proposed a model for an XOS metabolism pathway in L. reuteri and B. producta strains. Together with phylogenetic analyses, the data also revealed the extended xylanolytic potential of the gut microbiota.     

Cross calibration of the Landsat-7 ETM+ and EO-1 ALI sensor

As part of the Earth Observer 1 (EO-1) Mission, the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) demonstrates a potential technological direction for Landsat Data Continuity Missions. To evaluate ALI's capabilities in this role, a cross-calibration methodology has been developed using image pairs from the Landsat-7 (L7) Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and EO-1 (ALI) to verify the radiometric calibration of ALI with respect to the well-calibrated L7 ETM+ sensor. Results have been obtained using two different approaches. The first approach involves calibration of nearly simultaneous surface observations based on image statistics from areas observed simultaneously by the two sensors. The second approach uses vicarious calibration techniques to compare the predicted top-of-atmosphere radiance derived from ground reference data collected during the overpass to the measured radiance obtained from the sensor. The results indicate that the relative sensor chip assemblies gains agree with the ETM+ visible and near-infrared bands to within 2% and the shortwave infrared bands to within 4%.     

Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome: a cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage

Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome is an uncommon disorder manifested by cutaneous and gastrointestinal hemangiomas and gastrointestinal hemorrhage causing anemia. We describe a young man who presented with hematemesis and melena and had multiple bluish rubber bleb-like hemangiomas over the body and in the stomach, jejunum and colon. The patient was treated with iron supplements for anemia; he is doing well 6 months later.