Acrylamide and Potential Risk of Diabetes Mellitus: Effects on Human Population,Glucose Metabolism and Beta-Cell Toxicity

Diabetes mellitus is a frequent endocrine disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. Acrylamide (AA) is food contaminant formed during the high-temperature processing of food rich in carbohydrates and low in proteins. Recent human epidemiological studies have shown a potential association between AA exposure and the prevalence of diabetes in the general population. In male rats, AA treatment promoted pancreatic islet remodeling, which was determined by alpha-cell expansion and beta-cell reduction, while in female rats AA caused hyperglycemia and histopathological changes in pancreatic islets. In vitro and in vivo rodent model systems have revealed that AA induces oxidative stress in beta cells and that AA impairs glucose metabolism and the insulin signaling pathway. Animal studies have shown that diabetic rodents are more sensitive to acrylamide and that AA aggravates the diabetic state. In this review, we provide an overview of human epidemiological studies that examined the relation between AA exposure and glucose disorders. In addition, the effects of AA treatment on pancreatic islet structure, beta-cell function and glucose metabolism in animal models are comprehensively analyzed with an emphasis on sex-related responses. Furthermore, oxidative stress as a putative mechanism of AA-induced toxicity in beta cells is explored. Finally, we discuss the effects of AA on diabetics in a rodent model system.     

Efficient Multicast Congestion Control

Now day’s computer network is an essential part of our life. Day by day, there is a high increment in the uses of computer network applications such email, bloggers, internet group, forums, conference, youtube and online TV. The exponential increment in video applications traffic, there increases challenges of computer network and it faces various problems like shortage of memory, link failure, slow processor, time out etc. These problems may lead to network congestion. Multicast is efficient system which handles the video traffic but it also suffers with congestion problem due to design vulnerability. Many researchers are working in this burning issue and they provided various solutions such as source based, receiver based and hybrid one. In this paper, we propose an efficient multicast congestion control approach which suggests the efficient joining, leaving operation based on adaptive throughput. The simulated results show that proposed scheme provides better throughput at various parameters.     

Changes in the environmental pollution in the Calcutta‐Hooghlyside industrial strip of India

Changes in the environmental perception of people of the Calcutta‐Hooghlyside industrial belt are discussed. Residents of the area are becoming increasingly aware of air and water pollution. A positive correlation exists between the frequency of their perception of air and water pollution problems and the actual level of pollution in the area.     

ImAge: an extensible agent-based architecture for image retrieval

We present an open and extensible architecture, ImAge, for content-based image retrieval in a distributed environment. The architecture proposes the use of system components with standard public interfaces for implementing retrieval functionality. The standardization of the components and their encapsulation in autonomous software agents result in functional stratification and easy extensibility. Collaboration of the independent retrieval resources in ImAge results in enhanced system capability. Reuse of existing retrieval resources is achieved by encapsulating them in agents with standard interfaces. The addition of independent agents with domain knowledege adds the capability of processing conceptual queries, while reusing the existing system components for feature-based retrieval. A communication protocol allows the declaration of the capabilities of the system components and negotiations for optimal resource selection for solving a retrieval problem. The use of mobile agents alleviates network bottlenecks. This paper describes a prototype implementation that validates the architecture.     

Surface tension,adsorption, and wetting behaviors of natural surfactants on a PTFE surface

The adsorption kinetics and wetting behaviors of three plant‐based natural surfactants (Reetha, Shikakai, and Acacia) on the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface are reported in this study. Adsorption studies of these surfactants on PTFE surface show the equilibrium adsorption time is approximately 15 min, and Langmuir‐type isotherm fits well for all three surfactants. The contact angle measurements show that the value achieved by Reetha and Acacia solutions are close (～109°), but that is low in the case of Shikakai (98.13°). Although, comparing the adsorption densities of the surfactants at PTFE–water and air–water interfaces, it has been found that adsorption densities at the PTFE–water interface are low for all three surfactants than that of air–water interface. The alcohol–Shikakai mixed solutions show nonideal behavior of surface tension reduction through a strong interaction between alcohol and Shikakai molecules, which in turn, show lower surface tension and contact angle values than that of ideal. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 655–663, 2015     

Effect of MgO Grain Size on Thermal Expansion Behavior of Alumina–Magnesia–Carbon Refractory

The effect of MgO grain size on the permanent linear change behavior of resin bonded alumina–magnesia–carbon refractory has been studied in relation to the formation of spinel phase in these refractories as a function of firing time and temperature. From scanning electron microscopic studies, spinelization at the interface of Al₂O₃ and MgO grains has also been studied to determine the reaction kinetics for gaining insight into the process.     

Segregated targeting for multiple resource networks using decomposition algorithm

A generalized decomposition technique is presented for determining optimal resource usage in segregated targeting problems with single quality index (e.g., concentration, temperature, etc.) through pinch analysis. The latter problems are concerned with determining minimal resource requirements of process networks characterized by the existence of multiple zones, each consisting of a set of demands and using a unique external resource. However, all the zones share a common set of internal sources. The decomposition algorithm allows the problem to be decomposed into a sequence of subproblems, each of which can in turn be solved using any established graphical or algebraic targeting methodology to determine the minimum requirement of respective resource. This article presents a rigorous mathematical proof of the decomposition algorithm, and then demonstrates its potential applications with case studies on carbon‐constrained energy sector planning, interplant water integration, and emergy‐based multisector fuel allocation. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010