The influence of different plasticisers and fatty acids on functional properties of basil seed gum edible film

In this study, the influence of different concentrations of plasticisers and fatty acids on functional properties of basil seed gum (BSG) films was investigated. The results revealed that glycerol and sorbitol were effective plasticisers for BSG films. Glycerol‐plasticised films exhibited hydrophilic nature with high moisture content (27–49%) and water vapour permeability (4.2–6.5 × 10^?11 g Pa^?1 m^?1 s^?1), moisture uptake higher than 100%, solubility ranging 39–50% and moderate mechanical properties. The films containing sorbitol showed lower moisture content, moisture uptake and percentage elongation compared with glycerol‐plasticised samples. Presence of fatty acids promoted an increase in hydrophobicity of samples, characterised by lower moisture uptake, solubility, water vapour permeability and higher contact angles. Among investigated fatty acids, oleic acid efficiency on improving the characteristics of films was higher than saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic acid). Concluding, BSG films showed a substantial potential to be incorporated into food packaging applications, especially for those that require less hydrophilic films.     

Structural,morphological and rheological characterisation of bovine serum albumin–cress seed gum complex coacervate

The interactions between the bovine serum albumin (BSA) and cress seed gum (CSG) were investigated by structural, morphological and rheological characterisation as a function of pH level (7.0–2.0) and biopolymers’ concentrations (BSA, 0.1%, 0.5% and 1%, w/w and CSG, 0.01%, 0.05% and 0.1%, w/w). The results showed that turbidity, zeta potential and coacervate yield values had correlations with the initial number of biopolymers, which are influenced by the level of the positive and negative charges of BSA and CSG. Furthermore, the optimal complexation conditions in terms of pH, CSG-BSA content and yield were 3.5%, 0.05–0.1% and 61.17% respectively. Rheological properties revealed the formation of a weakly gel-like structure with a shear-thinning behaviour. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) authenticated an amorphous and branch-like network structure in the coacervate phase respectively. These results reflect that CSG-BSA complex coacervate could be an appropriate biopolymer carrier for susceptible and bioactive compounds.     

Affibody Functionalized Beads for the Highly Sensitive Detection of Cancer Cell-Derived Exosomes

Exosomes belong to the class of extracellular vesicles of endocytic origin, which are regarded as a promising source of cancer biomarkers in liquid biopsy. As a result, an accurate, sensitive, and specific quantification of these nano-sized particles is of significant importance. Affinity-based approaches are recognized as the most valuable technique for exosome isolation and characterization. Indeed, Affibody biomolecules are a type of protein scaffold engineered with small size and enjoy the features of high thermal stability, affinity, and specificity. While the utilization of antibodies, aptamers, and other biologically active substances for exosome detection has been reported widely, there are no reports describing Affibody molecules’ usage for exosome detection. In this study, for the first time, we have proposed a novel strategy of using Affibody functionalized microbeads (AffiBeads) for exosome detection with a high degree of efficiency. As a proof-of-concept, anti-EGFR-AffiBeads were fabricated and applied to capture and detect human lung A549 cancer cell-derived EGFR-positive exosomes using flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy. Moreover, the capture efficiency of the AffiBeads were compared with its counterpart antibody. Our results showed that the Affibody probe had a detection limit of 15.6 ng exosomes per mL (~12 exosomes per AffiBead). The approach proposed in the current study can be used for sensitive detection of low expression level markers on tumor-derived exosomes, providing a basis for early-stage cancer diagnosis.     

A 125-MHz mixed-signal echo canceller for Gigabit Ethernet oncopper wire

A discrete-time analog echo canceller is described that reduces the echo in the front end of Gigabit Ethernet twisted-pair interfaces. Echo cancellation in the analog domain by means of four taps reduces the complexity of the digital echo canceller and crosstalk cancellers. Designed in a 0.4-μm CMOS technology, the circuit employs an LMS algorithm to adapt to the cable length and impedance discontinuities, providing an echo suppression of 10 dB. The design operates at 125 MHz while consuming 43 mW from a 3-V supply     

Plantaricin bacteriocins: As safe alternative antimicrobial peptides in food preservation—A review

Many peptides are excreted by gram-positive (+) and gram-negative (−) bacteria, possessing antimicrobial properties, called bacteriocins. Common bacterial species produce bacteriocins are called lactic acid bacteria. Nowadays, plantaricins are natural antimicrobial peptides produced by Lactobacillus plantarum strains have obtained special attention. The L. plantarum and their bacteriocins have got great importance in different areas as food biopreservatives and/or starters in dairy products, meat products, and fish products also, were used for treating diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria that is, reducing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome disease (IBS) and decreasing the number of colonies of pathogenic bacteria in the wound-burning model in mice. Moreover, plantaricins have got a potent protective role against urinary tract infection (UTI). Although there are many studies on the types of bacteriocins and their purification and uses, such as Nisin and Pediocin, there have been no reports in the literature on the characterizations, production, and purification of plantaricins. The present review aims to describe plantaricins and some of their features and applications in general. Also mentioned are the most common methods of isolation and purification.     

A low-power 2.4-GHz transmitter/receiver CMOS IC

A 2.4-GHz CMOS receiver/transmitter incorporates circuit stacking and noninvasive baseband filtering to achieve a high sensitivity with low power dissipation. Using a single 1.6-GHz local oscillator, the transceiver employs two upconversion and downconversion stages while providing on-chip image rejection filtering. Realized in a 0.25-/spl mu/m digital CMOS technology, the receiver exhibits a noise figure of 6 dB and consumes 17.5 mW from a 2.5-V supply, and the transmitter delivers an output power of 0 dBm with a power consumption of 16 mW.     

Evaluating Water Transfer Projects Using Analytic Network Process (ANP)

This article introduces the analytic network process (ANP) as an effective tool for ranking water transfer projects. Water resources are the main basis of stable development around the world. Uneven water distribution and the shortage of water in some areas have caused water managers to consider interbasin water transfer as a solution to these water problems. Due to the many different conflict criteria in ranking water projects, ranking execution projects is one of the most critical and difficult tasks in water management. Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) is a collection of methodologies to compare, select, or rank multiple alternatives that typically involve incommensurate attributes. Many decision problems cannot be structured hierarchically because they involve the interaction and dependence of higher-level elements in a hierarchy on lower-level ones. This study deals with ranking water transfer projects as a MADM problem. Due to the fact that many of the criteria are related to each other, the Analytic Network Process (ANP) is proposed for ranking projects. Ten water transfer projects in Karun River are investigated. Thirty influential factors are identified. They are classified under benefit, cost and risk criteria. The objective of this investigation is ranking alternatives with respect to different criteria in network form. Finally, sensitivity analysis is introduced.     

Design and manufacture of free-form surfaces by cross-sectional approach

Conventional methods for manual design and analysis are not necessarily the best methods for computer implementation, lofting techniques, or computer aided design to produce a satisfactory result for the design of a wide range of shapes and the general form of the B-spline curve with the defining polygon adequately fulfils most essential requirements. Fourth-order curves seemed to be best suited for most cases, as they provide a compromise between smoothness and ‘localness’, yet curve orders of varying degrees still have some merit in certain circumstances.The most attractive feature realized with this method is the simplicity of design and the determination of the main input elements. Surface interpolation curves are shown and the production of a mould for a plastic handle indicated.     

Temporal/spatial fiber-optic CDMA systems with post- and pre-optical amplification

We present a thorough analysis based on photon-counting techniques on temporal/spatial fiber-optic code-division multiple-access systems incorporating both post- and pre-optical amplifiers. In this analysis, we consider the effect of shot noise, thermal noise, and source extinction on system bit-error rate. Our results can be used to estimate the maximum tolerable amount of quantum fluctuations in the received signal.