Structural characterization of TiN coatings on Si substrates irradiated with Ar ions

The present study deals with TiN/Si bilayers irradiated at room temperature (RT) with 120 keV Ar ions. The TiN layers were deposited by d.c. reactive sputtering on Si(100) wafers to a thickness of ～ 240 nm. After deposition the TiN/Si bilayers were irradiated to the fluences of 1 × 10¹⁵ ions/cm² and 1 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm². Structural characterization was performed with Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM), grazing angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed that the variation of the lattice constants, mean grain size and micro-strain can be attributed to the formation of the high density damage region in the TiN film structure. It has been found that this damage region is mainly distributed within ～ 100 nm at surface of the TiN layers.     

Regulation of the intestinal tight junction by natural polyphenols: A mechanistic perspective

Impairment of the epithelial barrier function is closely linked to the pathogenesis of various gastrointestinal diseases, food allergies, type I diabetes, and other systematic diseases. Plant-derived polyphenols are natural secondary metabolites and exert various physiological benefits, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-aging effects. Recent studies also show the role of plant polyphenols in regulation of the intestinal barrier and prevention of intestinal inflammatory diseases. Here we summarize the regulatory pathways and mediators linking polyphenols to their beneficial effects on tight junction and gut epithelial barrier functions, and provide useful information about using polyphenols as nutraceuticals for intestinal diseases.     

Impact of germination time and type of illumination on carotenoidcontent,protein solubility and in vitro protein digestibility of chickpea(Cicer arietinum L.) sprouts

Sprouts have been reported to be nutritionally superior to their respective seeds with higher levels of nutrients and lower amounts of antinutrients. Significant differences occur in these nutrients and antinutrients with germination under different types of illumination. This paper reports the impact of germination conditions on changes in β-carotene content, protein solubility and in vitro protein digestibility of chickpea sprouts. The influence of germination time, type of illumination and their interaction on β-carotene content, protein solubility and in vitro protein digestibility of chickpea sprouts was highly significant (p < 0.01). Highest value for β-carotene were observed for sprouts germinated under yellow light for 72 h (131.74 mg 100 g⁻¹) and lowest for blue light group after 120 h germination. Sprouts of irradiated group had overall higher content of β-carotene throughout germination period. Protein solubility was also higher for sprouts of irradiated group and green illumination group after 120 h germination. Sprouts of irradiated group had highest value for% in vitro protein digestibility after 96 h germination followed by the same group after 120 h germination. It is inferred from the study that irradiation of chickpea seed prior to germination improved the β-carotene content, protein solubility and in vitro protein digestibility of chickpea sprouts.     

Effect of Irradiation on Microbial Safety and Nutritional Quality of Minimally Processed Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia)

ABSTRACT: The feasibility of gamma radiation in combination with low temperature was studied to ensure microbiological safety and maintaining physicochemical and sensory characteristics of minimally processed bitter gourd. Radio sensitivity (D₁₀ values, that is, irradiation dose required for 90% reduction of microorganisms) for Salmonella paratyphae A and Escherichia coli were 0.28 kGy and 0.23 kGy, respectively. On the basis of D₁₀ values, 5D₁₀ values were determined and samples of minimally processed bitter gourd were irradiated up to 5D₁₀ values, stored for 14 d at 5 ± 1 °C, and analyzed for total bacterial, fungal, and coliform counts. Ascorbic acid, acidity, texture, and sensory qualities were also studied. Results showed that an irradiation dose of 2.0 kGy significantly reduced the microbial count to keep the samples microbiologically safe for 7d. Sensory evaluation revealed that the samples received maximum scores for appearance and flavor (7.8 and 7.9, respectively) with radiation dose of 2.0 kGy and minimum score for control (6.5). Firmness and ascorbic acid content decreased significantly with increase in storage time and irradiation dose. All the samples were discarded during the 2nd wk of storage due to high bio-burden.     

Clear Skies Ahead: Towards Real‐Time Automatic Sky Replacement in Video

Digital videos such as those captured by a smartphone often exhibit exposure inconsistencies, a poorly exposed sky, or simply suffer from an uninteresting or plain looking sky. Professionals may edit these videos using advanced and time‐consuming tools unavailable to most users, to replace the sky with a more expressive or imaginative sky. In this work, we propose an algorithm for automatic replacement of the sky region in a video with a different sky, providing nonprofessional users with a simple yet efficient tool to seamlessly replace the sky. The method is fast, achieving close to real‐time performance on mobile devices and the user's involvement can remain as limited as simply selecting the replacement sky.     

Electro-catalyst [ZrO2/ZnO/PdO]-NPs green functionalization: Fabrication,characterization and water splitting potential assessment

Present investigation reports the biomimetic synthesis of mixed metallic oxides nanoparticles (NPs) comprising of zirconia, zinc oxide and palladium oxide ([ZrO₂/ZnO/PdO]-NPs) functionalized via nature's bio-factories for the first time. [ZrO₂/ZnO/PdO]-NPs express reduction revealed via Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. X-ray diffraction express poly-crystallinity. The fabrication of green NPs is confirmed via energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy with irregular morphologies visible by scanning electron micrographs. A direct bandgap of 2.11 eV is obtained for [ZrO₂/ZnO/PdO]-NPs. Promising surficial features are disclosed via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electro-catalytic potential is studied using linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for investigation of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activities with low over-potential of 0.37 V and Tafel slope of 74 mV/dec, indicating the suitability for OER. [ZrO₂/ZnO/PdO]-NP electro-catalyst is also tested for HER, demonstrating remarkable results with the overpotential and Tafel slope value of 157 mV and 151 mV/dec.     

Enhanced EWMA charts for monitoring the process coefficient of variation

The coefficient of variation (CV) is an important quality characteristic when the process variance is a function of the process mean for a production process. In this paper, we develop an auxiliary information–based (AIB) estimator for estimating the squared CV, along with its approximated mean and variance. This estimator is then used to devise new one-sided EWMA charts for monitoring the increases or decreases in the squared CV of a normal process, named the AIB-EWMA CV charts. In addition, the sensitivities of these control charts are also enhanced with the fast initial response feature. The Monte Carlo simulation method is used to compute the run length characteristics of the proposed CV charts. Based on detailed run length comparisons, it is found that the proposed AIB-EWMA CV charts are uniformly and substantially better than the existing EWMA CV charts when detecting different kinds of upward/downward shifts in the squared CV. The proposed charts are also applied to a real dataset to support the proposed theory.     

Synthesis and Enantioselective Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Analysis of New CNS-Active Sulfamoylphenyl Carbamate Derivatives

We recently reported a new class of carbamate derivatives as anticonvulsants. Among these, 3-methylpentyl(4-sulfamoylphenyl)carbamate (MSPC) stood out as the most potent compound with ED₅₀ values of 13 mg/kg (i.p.) and 28 mg/kg (p.o.) in the rat maximal electroshock test (MES). 3-Methylpropyl(4-sulfamoylphenyl)carbamate (MBPC), reported and characterized here, is an MSPC analogous compound with two less aliphatic carbon atoms in its structure. As both MSPC and MBPC are chiral compounds, here, we studied the carbonic anhydrase inhibitory and anticonvulsant action of both MBPC enantiomers in comparison to those of MSPC as well as their pharmacokinetic properties. Racemic-MBPC and its enantiomers showed anticonvulsant activity in the rat maximal electroshock (MES) test with ED₅₀ values in the range of 19–39 mg/kg. (R)-MBPC had a 65% higher clearance than its enantiomer and, consequently, a lower plasma exposure (AUC) than (S)-MSBC and racemic-MSBC. Nevertheless, (S)-MBPC had a slightly better brain permeability than (R)-MBPC with a brain-to-plasma (AUC) ratio of 1.32 (S-enantiomer), 1.49 (racemate), and 1.27 (R-enantiomer). This may contribute to its better anticonvulsant-ED₅₀ value. The clearance of MBPC enantiomers was more enantioselective than the brain permeability and MES-ED₅₀ values, suggesting that their anticonvulsant activity might be due to multiple mechanisms of action.     

Synthesis of 2, 3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones promoted by an efficient,inexpensive and reusable heterogeneous Lewis acid catalyst

Journal of Polymer Research - Hydrogels possessing advantages such as low friction coefficient and high-water absorption are analogous to the mucous layer of the epidermis of large marine...     

Robust $$\mathcal{H}_\infty$$ H ∞ Observer-based Stabilization of Linear Discrete-time Systems with Parameter Uncertainties

International Journal of Control, Automation and Systems - This paper addresses the problem of observer-based stabilization of discrete-time linear systems in presence of parameter uncertainties...