Dephytinization of food stuffs by phytase of Geobacillus sp. TF16 immobilized in chitosan and calcium-alginate

In this work, Geobacillus sp. TF16 phytase was separately immobilized in chitosan and Ca-alginate with the efficiency of 38% and 42%, respectively. These enzymes exhibited broad substrate specificity. Maximal relative phytase activity was measured at pH 5.0 and 95°C and pH 3.0 and 75°C for chitosan and Ca-alginate, respectively. The enzymes were highly stable in a wide pH and temperature range. Values of K_m and V_max were determined as 2.38 mM and 3401.36 U/mg protein for chitosan, and 7.5 mM and 5011.12 U/mg protein for Ca-alginate. The immobilized enzymes showed higher resistance to proteolysis. After 4 h incubation, hydrolysis capacities of chitosan- and Ca-alginate immobilized enzymes for soymilk phytate were calculated as 24% and 33%, respectively. The chitosan- and Ca-alginate immobilized phytases conserved its original activity after 8 and 6 cycles of reuse, respectively. The features of the enzymes were very attractive and they might be useful for some industrial applications.     

Preparation and characterization of photopolymerizable organic–inorganic hybrid materials by the sol-gel method

A series of UV-curable organic–inorganic hybrid materials were prepared by the sol-gel technique and coated onto Plexiglass^® substrate. The effects of the content of EGDMA and the content of the inorganic part on various properties of the coatings, such as tensile strength, hardness, gloss, and cross-cut adhesion, were investigated. It was found that the properties of the coating were improved by the addition of an inorganic part. The thermal properties of the hybrids were enhanced by incorporating silane sol into the organic part. Furthermore, it was found that the coating containing silica had a higher char content at 800 °C than the coating without silica. SEM studies indicated that nanosized (about 50 nm) silica particles were evenly dispersed throughout the organic matrix. A photo-DSC investigation showed that the organic coating polymerized more quickly than the hybrid coating.     

Variations in lipid and fatty acid contents in different body parts of Black Sea whiting,Merlangius merlangus euxinus (Nordmann, 1840)

Whiting is a commercially important fish species of the world. This study demonstrates monthly variations in lipid and fatty acid (FA) contents of muscle, liver and roes of Black Sea whiting, Merlangius merlangus euxinus. Significant changes occurred in lipid contents between months (P < 0.05) with the highest values representing in liver 33.8–64.5%. Total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in all groups were higher than total saturated and monounsaturated FAs with significant variations between months (P < 0.05). The highest PUFA of muscles, livers and roes were 60.0, 45.9 and 50.9%, respectively. The main FA was docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) of muscle tissue and roes, while oleic acid was the major FA in livers. Although about 164–357 g in muscle tissue or 224–392 g of whiting roe are necessary to consume to cover 1 g day^?1 of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)+DHA for a healthy diet, only as low as 5.5–10.0 g of liver would be enough to cover the same amount of daily EPA+DHA requirement. The results indicated that whiting livers constitute a rich and underexploited source of polyunsatured FAs. Furthermore, the results may aid further research on the nutritional studies, the physiology and stock management of whiting species.     

AN IMPROVED ARTIFICIAL BEE COLONY ALGORITHM WITH LOCAL SEARCH FOR TRAVELING SALESMAN PROBLEM

Cybernetics in the United States has evolved through three identifiable periods. In the first period of the 1950s and 1960s there was a primary concern with designing control systems and with building machines to emulate human reasoning. In the second period of the 1970s and 1980s the focus of attention was on the biologyof cognition and constructivist philosophy. In recent years increasing attention has been given to social systems. Whereas the work on the biology of cognition required that attention be shifted from what was observed to the observer, the recent interest in social systems requires an emphasis on multiple observers and their beliefs. The third period of social cybernetics or the cybernetics of conceptual systems is illustrated by considering constructivist cybernetics as a conceptual system created to promote the evolution of certain social systems in a preferred direction.     

Effects of hydroprocessing on structure and properties of base oils using NMR

The hydroprocessing technologies such as hydrocracking, hydrofinishing provide an opportunity to modify the chemistry of hydrocarbons to improve the properties of petroleum base oils. Quantitative ¹H and ¹³C NMR data has been used to generate average structural profile for a variety of base oil samples and aromatic fractions. The average structural parameters were used to study the effect of hydroprocessing on structure and properties of paraffinic neutral base oils. In addition, the effect of severity of hydrogenation on structure and properties has been investigated on three aromatic extract fractions obtained from different degree of hydrogenation of catalytic cycle stock. A linear relationship was found between average structural parameters and properties such as viscosity index, volatility and refractive index. Thermo-oxidative stability of samples was measured using differential scanning calorimetry and thin film micro oxidation tests. Variation in oxidative stability of various samples was explained using structural parameters. The NMR data was found useful in explaining property changes as a result of hydroprocessing. The results suggest that deepest knowledge of chemical structure could help in selecting base oils to meet future product specifications.     

Locations Effects on the Quality of Chemlal and Azeradj Olives Grown in Algeria

This work aimed to investigate the combined effect of harvest time and crop altitude on the fruit and oil quality of two autochthonous Algerian olive cultivars, Chemlal and Azeradj. Fruit morphological characteristics, oil quality parameters, fatty acids and triacylglycerols composition, pigments, tocopherols and oxidative stability were determined. Olives were harvested at four different ripening stages in orchards located at 110, 320 and 490 m altitude, in the olive-growing region of Kabylia, northern Algeria. Results showed a good discrimination between varieties, which were characterized by specific triacylglycerols and fatty acids profile. Different chemometric analyses carried out on the oil data highlighted the strong influence of variety in relation to the factors studied. Moreover, Principal Component Analysis performed on both fatty acids and triacylglycerols profile allowed correlating the distinct composition with the different varietal sensitivities to changes in crop attitude and ripening stage. Tocopherols showed a remarkable decrease with the ripening progress. Oxidative stability was positively correlated with variations in tocopherols and monounsaturated fatty acids during maturation and altitude changes.     

Identification of metabolic correlates of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease using magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging and machine learning

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - To investigate metabolic changes of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease (PD-MCI) using proton magnetic resonance...     

An integrated reconfigurable control and self-organizing communication framework for community resilience microgrids

CRMs can effectively share distributed energy resources of multiple owners and enhance resilient electricity supply in communities during disruptions. However, in contrast to single-entity microgrids, CRMs present a unique structure and bring new challenges for operations and control, which can often be interrupted due to cascaded failures in interconnected electrical/communication components. An installation in Potsdam, New York, incorporates some control/communication solutions for resilient and economic operation of CRMs.     

Compressive strength,abrasion resistance and energy absorption capacity of rubberized concretes with and without slag

It has been estimated that around one billion tires are withdrawn from use in the world every year. Therefore, the development of new techniques for recycling waste tires is necessary. A number of innovative solutions that meet the challenge of the tire disposal problem involve using waste as an additive to cement-based materials. In this study, an experimental program was carried out to determine the compressive strength, abrasion resistance, and energy absorption capacity of rubberized concretes with and without ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). For this purpose, a water–binder ratio (0.4), four designated levels of crumb rubber (CR) contents (0, 5, 15 and 25% by fine aggregate volume), and three levels of GGBFS content (0, 20, and 40%) were considered as experimental parameters. In total, 12 concrete mixtures were cast and tested for compressive strength, abrasion resistance, and energy absorption capacity. Test results indicate that using CR aggregate decreases compressive strength and abrasion resistance of the concretes, but increases energy absorption capacity significantly.