Screening and sequencing of glycated proteins by neutral loss scan LC/MS/MS method

Nonenzymatic protein glycation is caused by a Schiff's base reaction between the aldehyde groups of reducing sugars and the primary amines of proteins. A reversed-phase liquid chromatography method followed by a neutral loss scan mass spectrometric method was developed for the screening of glycation in proteins. The neutral loss scan was based on a unique sugar moiety neutral loss (-162 Da) that we observed in the fragmentation spectra of glycated peptides on Q-Tof type mass spectrometers. The collision energy was optimized for this neutral loss using a glycated synthetic peptide, and 20 eV was found to be the optimum collision energy. The neutral loss scan experiment was composed of two segments. In the first segment, the glycated peptides were identified based on the signature neutral loss of 162 Da when the collision energy was elevated to 20 eV. In the second segment, the glycated peptides were selected as the parent ions and fragmented at higher collision energy to break the peptide bonds. The fragmentation spectra of the selected glycated peptides revealed both the amino acid sequences and the sites of glycation. This neutral loss scan method was used to study the glycation in human serum albumin (HSA). The glycation sites in HSA were identified based on the retention time shift of glycated peptides, the mass accuracy from the MS scan, the signature neutral loss, and MS/MS information. Using this method, we were able to identify that 31 lysine residues were partially glycated from the glycated HSA sample, which has a total of 59 lysine residues.     

Dynamic balancing of planar mechanisms using genetic algorithm

This paper presents an optimization technique to dynamically balance the planar mechanisms in which the shaking forces and shaking moments are minimized using the genetic algorithm (GA). A dynamically equivalent system of point-masses that represents each rigid link of a mechanism is developed to represent link’s inertial properties. The shaking force and shaking moment are then expressed in terms of the point-mass parameters which are taken as the design variables. These design variables are brought into the optimization scheme to reduce the shaking force and shaking moment. This formulates the objective function which optimizes the mass distribution of each link. First, the problem is formulated as a single objective optimization problem for which the genetic algorithm produces better results as compared to the conventional optimization algorithm. The same problem is then formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem and multiple optimal solutions are created as a Pareto front by using the genetic algorithm. The masses and inertias of the optimized links are computed from the optimized design variables. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is shown by applying it to a standard problem of four-bar planar mechanism available in the literature.     

Plastic fats and margarines through fractionation,blending and interesterification of milk fat

Milk fat stearins and oleins were blended with high‐ and low‐melting natural fats to produce plastic fats, vanaspati substitute and confectionery fats. Margarines of improved nutritional value were also formulated. Fractionation was carried out using acetone, hexane, and isopropyl alcohol. The yield (wt‐%) of high‐melting stearin (HMS) from acetone and IPA was 13.0 ± 0.2 to 13.3 ± 0.1 after crystallization for 24 h at 20 °C. The melting point of the products was 49.0 ± 0.5 to 49.8 ± 0.6 °C. However, in hexane the yield of HMS was 12.2 ± 0.2% at 10 °C. The olein fractions were further fractionated at 10 °C from acetone and IPA, and at 0 °C from hexane, to obtain superoleins and low‐melting stearins (LMS). HMS fractions were blended with rice bran oil and cottonseed oil at the ratio 70 : 30 (wt/wt), and the superoleins were blended with sal fat and palm stearin at the ratios 40 : 60, 30 : 70 and 20 : 80 (wt/wt). The blends were interesterified (product melting point: 22.7 ± 0.04 to 39.3 ± 0.10 °C) chemically and enzymatically to prepare margarine. The penetration values (in 0.1 mm) of these margarines were noted to be 112 ± 1.52 to 145 ± 0.00.     

Sintering of a Ceramic at Very Low Temperatures

Surface area, linear shrinkage, and compressive strength measurements show that, with the help of neutron irradiation, sintering of high-purity alumina can be initiated at temperatures lower than 150°C; such radiation sintering might be beneficial to many other ceramics.     

Mechanism of selenium sorption by activated carbon

Selenium, along with mercury and halides, represents one of the most volatile trace metallic emissions from coal‐fired combustors and utility boilers. This study investigates the potential of activated carbon in capturing gas phase selenium species in the low temperature range (125°C to 250°C) and elucidates the mechanism of interaction between selenium species and activated carbon. Selenium dioxide is chosen as the representative selenium species and experimental investigations are carried out in a differential bed reactor to illustrate the mechanism of SeO₂ and carbon Interaction, Activated carbons with different structural properties are studied as adsorbents for selenium dioxide capture at low temperature. The capture mechanism is found to involve both physical and chemical adsorption in the low temperature range. At 125°C, about 1.5 wt% of selenium is captured at equillbrium. Carbon surface analyses and XPS studies confirm the presence of both elemental and oxide forms of selenium on the surface suggesting partial reduction of selenium dioxide to elemental selenium at carbon surface.     

Controlled drug release characteristics and enhanced antibacterial effect of graphene nanosheets containing gentamicin sulfate

A novel methanol derived graphene (MDG) and gentamicin sulfate nanohybrid was prepared, and the loading and release behaviour of gentamicin on MDG is investigated. An efficient drug loading of 2.57 mg mg(-1) was obtained at pH 7. By applying release kinetic models, the mechanism of release of the drug from the MDG matrix was found to be following the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. However, the diffusional release exponent (n) value lies below 0.5 demonstrating that the mechanism controlling the drug release is the Fickian diffusion.     

ISOTHERMAL FATIGUE BEHAVIOR OF SIGMA/T1METAL 21S LAMINATES,PART I: EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Experimental results are reported on the effect of static and cyclic loading (at 0.1 and 0.001 Hz) on the inelastic response of and damage development in (0)4, (0190), and (0/ ±45/90), SiC/Ti (Sigma/Timetal 21S) laminates, and the Timetal 21S matrix, at 650^°C and 21^°C. At the elevated temperature, viscoplastic deformation of the matrix can be observed even at relatively low applied stresses. At both temperatures, reduction of unloading elastic moduli of the laminates, which indicates onset of damage by interface decohesion, also starts after hailing to relatively low stresses. The cyclic loading rate has a significant effect on the number of cycles to failure, but not on the endurance limit of the (0/90), and (0/ ±45/90), laminates loaded by constant-amplitude tension at 650^°C. In the (0)₄ laminate, higher endurance limits were detected at 0.1 Hz than at 0.001 Hz However, regardless of loading rate and layup, the total strain at failure under both static and cyclic loading at 650^°C was measured at 1 ±0.1%. The experimental results are interpreted by micromecha-nical models in Part II [1].     

Experimental studies on solar flat plate collector with internally grooved tubes using aqueous ethylene glycol

In order to cope up with the increase in energy demand and decline in fossil fuels, it has become imperative to use renewable resources efficiently. Among these renewable resources, solar thermal energy is abundant in nature. Solar water heating systems are one of the most important applications of solar thermal energy. Providing internal fins to absorber tube is the technique to improve heat transfer augmentation. Hence in the present study, experiments were performed on solar flat plate collector with different cross section of absorber tubes (plain tube and internally grooved tubes with different helix angles) and by varying the mass flow rates of the working fluids. This study reports the experimental results of flat plate collector, where the working fluid is water and aqueous ethylene glycol (50 : 50). Temperature profile of grooved absorber tube will be compared with plain tube. Since conversion efficiency of solar devices is low, the present study mainly focuses on improving the efficiency of solar flat plate collector.