Rohament P as a processing aid in Medammis preparation

Two lots of dry faba bean (Viciufubu L.) seeds of different cookabilities were used to prepare Medammis which is considered as a staple food for the majority of the population in Egypt. Seeds were soaked with shaking in a citrate buffer of pH 4.5 containing 0.1 % Rohament P enzyme at 45°C for 12 h. After draining and washing, beans were mixed with distilled water at 1:4 ratio (w/v) and autoclaved at 115°C for 2 h. No obvious differences were observed for the hydration coefficients of beans soaked in presence and/or absence of enzyme. In contrast, cooked beans exhibited appreciable textural differences as assessed objectively for the control and treated samples. Moreover, hard-to-cook beans were softened to the acceptable texture as the five fold of enzyme concentration was applied. Data of quantitative and TLC methods clearly indicated leaching out of sugars as a result of maceration action of middle lamella by means of Rohament P.     

Assessment of greywater reuse as a potential mitigation measure for water shortages and sanitation problems in senior high schools

The study assessed water shortages and its effects on sanitation in Senior High Schools using structured questionnaires involving water availability, water use pattern and perception of greywater reuse. Additionally, an observation of the sanitation situation was done to validate the responses. The study found that water availability was an issue as this caused students to use more than an hour round trip to access water resulting in poor sanitation and hygiene practices. Meanwhile, an average greywater generation rate of 14.5 L per person per day, is always disposed of despite its potential reuse. Greywater reuse was accepted by respondents as 59% proposed reusing it if available for non‐potable applications (94%) such as toilet cleaning and flushing. This is because, there is a significant association between cleanliness of the toilet facilities and usage (P < 0.05). Respondents who declined greywater reuse cited health risks (58%), uncomfortable feeling (37%) and cultural issue (5%).     

Consequences of the photodynamic treatment of resting and activated peripheral T lymphocytes

Silencing of the cryptic mating-type loci HMR and HML requires the recognition of DNA sequence elements called silencers by the Sir1p, one of four proteins dedicated to the assembly of silenced chromatin in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Sir1p is thought to recognize silencers indirectly through interactions with proteins that bind the silencer DNA directly, such as the origin recognition complex (ORC). Eight recessive alleles of SIR1 were discovered that encode mutant Sir1 proteins specifically defective in their ability to recognize the HMR-E silencer. The eight missense mutations all map within a 17-amino-acid segment of Sir1p, and this segment was also required for Sir1p's interaction with Orc1p. The mutant Sir1 proteins could function in silencing if tethered to a silencer directly through a heterologous DNA-binding domain. Thus the amino acids identified are required for Sir1 protein's recognition of the HMR-E silencer and interaction with Orc1p, but not for its ability to function in silencing per se. The approach used to find these mutations may be applicable to defining interaction surfaces on proteins involved in other processes that require the assembly of macromolecular complexes.     

Effects of cereal breakfasts on postprandial glucose,appetite regulation and voluntary energy intake at a subsequent standardized lunch; focusing on rye products

Background  

Rye products have been demonstrated to lower the acute insulin demand, induce a low and prolonged blood glucose response (high Glycemic Profile, GP) and reduce subclinical inflammation. These products may therefore contribute to a lowered risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardio vascular disease. The objective of the present paper was to evaluate the mechanism for a reduced postprandial insulin demand with rye products, and to explore possible appetite regulating properties.     

Investigation of the catalytic activity of LaBO3 (B = Ni, Co, Fe or Mn) prepared by the microwave-assisted method for hydrogen evolution in acidic medium

LaBO₃ (B = Ni, Co, Fe and Mn) were prepared by microwave-assisted citrate method. The electrocatalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was investigated. XRD characterization showed that pure perovskite crystals were indeed formed. SEM images showed that changing the type of the B-site metal ion affected the morphology of the prepared perovskites. The influence of the type of B-cation on the catalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution was studied and the order of the electrocatalytic activity was LaFeO₃ > LaCoO₃ > LaNiO₃ > LaMnO₃, that was related to the calculated values of the activation energy 51.61, 45.37, 41.15 and 55.05 kJ mol⁻¹ for LaBO₃ (B = Ni, Co, Fe and Mn), respectively. The reaction order and the reaction mechanism for all the prepared perovskites were identified. In addition, the effect of the partial substitution at the B-site in LaNi_{1 − x}Co_xO₃ was also studied. It was found that among ternary perovskites, the catalytic activity of LaNiO₃ decreased by increasing the fraction of doped-Co.     

Ultrafast electron diffraction and direct observation of transient structures in a chemical reaction

Ultrafast electron diffraction is a unique method for the studies of structural changes of complex molecular systems. In this contribution, we report direct ultrafast electron diffraction study of the evolution of short-lived intermediates in the course of a chemical change. Specifically, we observe the transient intermediate in the elimination reaction of 1,2-diiodotetrafluoroethane (C2F4I2) to produce the corresponding ethylene derivative by the breakage of two carbon-iodine, C---I, bonds. The evolution of the ground-state intermediate (C2F4I radical) is directly revealed in the population change of a single chemical bond, namely the second C---I bond. The elimination of two iodine atoms was shown to be nonconcerted, with reaction time of the second C---I bond breakage being 17 +/- 2 ps. The structure of the short-lived C2F4I radical is more favorable to the classical radical structure than to the bridged radical structure. This leap in our ability to record structural changes on the ps and shorter time scales bodes well for many future applications in complex molecular systems.     

Extreme leukoreduction of major histocompatibility complex class II positive B cells enhances allogeneic platelet immunity

In a murine model of platelet alloimmunization, we examined the definitive role that mononuclear cells (MC) have in modulating platelet immunity by using platelets from severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. CB.17 (H-2(d)) SCID or BALB/c (H-2(d)) mouse platelets were transfused weekly into fully allogeneic CBA (H-2(k)) mice and antidonor antibodies measured by flow cytometry. MC levels in BALB/c platelets were 1.1 +/- 0.6/microL and SCID mouse platelets could be prepared to have significantly lower (<0. 05/microL) MC numbers. Transfusions with 10(8) BALB/c platelets (containing approximately 100 MC/transfusion) stimulated IgG antidonor antibodies in 100% of the recipients by the fifth transfusion, whereas 10(8) SCID mouse platelets (containing approximately 5 MC/transfusion) stimulated higher-titered IgG alloantibodies by the second transfusion. When titrations of BALB/c peripheral blood MC were added to the SCID mouse platelets, levels approaching 1 MC/microL reduced SCID platelet immunity to levels similar to BALB/c platelets. Characterization of the alloantibodies showed that the low levels of MC significantly influenced the isotype of the antidonor IgG; the presence of 1 MC/microL was associated with induction of noncomplement fixing IgG1 antidonor antibodies, whereas platelet transfusions, devoid of MC (<0. 05/microL), were responsible for complement-fixing IgG2a production. When magnetically sorted defined subpopulations of MC were added to the SCID platelets, major histocompatability complex (MHC) class II positive populations, particularly B cells, were found to be primarily responsible for the reduced SCID mouse platelet immunity. The presence of low numbers of MC within the platelets was also associated with an age-dependent reduction in platelet immunogenicity; this relationship however, was not observed with SCID mouse platelets devoid of MC. The results suggest that a residual number of MHC class II positive B cells within allogeneic platelets are required for maximally reducing alloimmunization.