Quick resource allocation in heterogeneous networks

Wireless Networks - In this paper, an innovative technique is given to reduce the implementation time taken for doing the seamless communication in heterogeneous networks. When a new user arrives...     

Improved shelf‐life of rice bran by domestic heat processing and assessment of its dietary consumption in experimental rats

Rice bran, a valuable byproduct of the rice milling industry, in spite of being a rich nutrient, has limitations in food application, being highly susceptible to rancidity caused by the inherent enzyme lipase. In the present investigation, three simple heat treatment procedures, namely pan roasting, pan roasting with oil and microwave roasting, were examined to extend the shelf‐life of three varieties of rice bran. In the heat‐treated rice brans, the increase in free fatty acid content at the end of a 3‐month storage period was 1.6‐ to 2.5‐ fold as a result of heat treatment, while it was 12‐ to 23‐fold in the absence of heat treatment. In an animal experiment, pan‐roasted rice bran was fed to rats at 5% and 10% levels to study the palatability and safety of its consumption. The mean food intake was slightly higher in the 10% rice bran group (13.57 ± 0.2 g compared to 12.31 ± 0.52 g in control). Rats in the 10% rice bran group gained higher body weight when compared to the control group, which can be attributed to the higher food consumption by these animals. Dietary rice bran did not have any adverse effect on any of the hematological parameters. Serum protein level was similar to that of the control group except for an increase in serum albumin in rice bran‐fed groups, which is indicative of liver sufficiency in rice bran treatment. The weights of liver, kidney, heart and testes were not affected by rice bran either at the 5% or 10% level. It is inferred that simple domestic heat treatment procedures such as pan roasting and microwave heating can effectively check the rancidity in rice bran for a considerable period of storage, making it suitable for possible animal/human consumption. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Determination of bioaccessibility of beta-carotene in vegetables by in vitro methods

The in vitro method in use for the determination of beta-carotene bioaccessibility involves simulated gastrointestinal digestion followed by ultracentrifugation to separate the micellar fraction containing bioaccessible beta-carotene and its quantitation. In this study, the suitability of two alternatives viz., membrane filtration and equilibrium dialysis were examined to separate the micellar fraction. Values of beta-carotene bioaccessibility obtained with the membrane filtration method were similar to those obtained by the ultracentrifugation method. Equilibrium dialysis was found not suitable for this purpose. Among the vegetables analyzed, fenugreek leaves had the highest content of beta-carotene (9.15 mg/100 g), followed by amaranth (8.17 mg/100 g), carrot (8.14 mg/100 g) and pumpkin (1.90 mg/100 g). Percent bioaccessibility of beta-carotene ranged from 6.7 in fenugreek leaves to 20.3 in carrot. Heat treatment of these vegetables by pressure cooking and stir-frying had a beneficial influence on the bioaccessibility of beta-carotene from these vegetables. The increase in the percent bioaccessibility of beta-carotene as a result of pressure-cooking was 100, 48 and 19% for fenugreek leaves, amaranth and carrot, respectively. Stir-frying in presence of a small quantity of oil led to an enormous increase in the bioaccessibility of beta-carotene from these vegetables, the increase being 263% (fenugreek leaves), 192% (amaranth leaves), 63% (carrot) and 53% (pumpkin).     

A relation by palindromic subwords

We define a new relation on words by a finite series of insertions and/or deletions of palindromic subwords. In particular we concentrate on insertion or deletion of Watson–Crick palindromes. We show that the new relation ∼_θ is, in fact, an equivalence relation where θ is any arbitrary antimorphic involution that is not the identity on the letters of the alphabet. We also show that the set of all θ-palindromic free words defined in (Daley et al. in preparation) is ∼_θ-independent. Using the relation we define a new subclass of primitive words which we call as ∼_θ-primitive words and show that the class of all ∼_θ-primitive words is closed under circular permutations. We also define ∼_θ-conjugates and ∼_θ-commutativity and study the properties of such words and show that they are similar to that of conjugate words and words that commute.     

Privacy concerns in assisted living technologies

The challenges of an aging population require the adoption of in-home and medical technologies to complement the traditional caregiver model. Adoption of such technologies is, however, impinged by privacy concerns. This study investigates a four-dimensional framework that explains the trade-offs between functionality and privacy as constructed by older adults. The four dimensions constitute perceived utility, data granularity, data recipient, and activity sensitivity. We conducted a survey-based study to empirically examine the applicability and robustness of this framework. Our results have implications for the adoption of a wide range of privacy-enhancing technologies. By focusing on the intersection of an under-studied group (nontechnical older adults) and sensitive data (medical and at home), this work has the potential to enable privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) that might be widely adopted.     

Zinc and iron contents and their bioaccessibility in cereals and pulses consumed in India

Several cereals and pulses commonly consumed in India were screened for zinc and iron contents and their bioaccessibility in the same was determined by equilibrium dialysis employing an in vitro simulated digestion procedure. Zinc content of cereals ranged from 1.08 mg/100 g in rice to 2.24 mg/100 g in sorghum. Zinc content of pulses was between 2.03 mg/100 g (whole chickpea) and 2.68 mg/ 100 g (decorticated chickpea). Iron content of cereals ranged from 1.32 mg% in rice to 6.51 mg% in sorghum, while that of pulses ranged from 3.85 mg% in decorticated green gram to 6.46 mg% in black gram. Dialyzability of zinc from pulses (27–56%) was generally higher than that from cereals (5.5–21.4%). Dialyzabilities of iron were almost similar from both cereals and pulses examined and were 4.13–8.05% in cereals and 1.77–10.2 % in pulses. A significant negative correlation between inherent phytate content and zinc dialyzability value was inferred in the case of pulses. Phytic acid content of the cereals had a significant negative influence on iron dialyzability. Inherent calcium had a negative influence on zinc dialyzability in cereals. Tannin did not have any significant influence on zinc or iron dialyzabilities from cereals and pulses. While both insoluble and soluble fractions of the dietary fibre generally interfered with zinc dialyzability, the insoluble fraction alone had this effect on iron dialyzability. The lower collective negative influence of the inherent factors on zinc dialyzability from pulses is consistent with their higher concentrations in these grains, relative to cereals. The negative correlation of inherent phytic acid with zinc and iron dialyzabilities was supported by enhanced dialyzabilities of these minerals upon partial removal of phytate from the grains by treatment with fungal phytase.     

Loss of Vimentin Enhances Cell Motility through Small Confining Spaces

The migration of cells through constricting spaces or along fibrous tracks in tissues is important for many biological processes and depends on the mechanical properties of a cytoskeleton made up of three different filaments: F‐actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. The signaling pathways and cytoskeletal structures that control cell motility on 2D are often very different from those that control motility in 3D. Previous studies have shown that intermediate filaments can promote actin‐driven protrusions at the cell edge, but have little effect on overall motility of cells on flat surfaces. They are however important for cells to maintain resistance to repeated compressive stresses that are expected to occur in vivo. Using mouse embryonic fibroblasts derived from wild‐type and vimentin‐null mice, it is found that loss of vimentin increases motility in 3D microchannels even though on flat surfaces it has the opposite effect. Atomic force microscopy and traction force microscopy experiments reveal that vimentin enhances perinuclear cell stiffness while maintaining the same level of acto‐myosin contractility in cells. A minimal model in which a perinuclear vimentin cage constricts along with the nucleus during motility through confining spaces, providing mechanical resistance against large strains that could damage the structural integrity of cells, is proposed.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Pyrazoline and Pyrrolidine-2,5-dione Hybrids as Potential Antitumor Agents

In search of novel and effective antitumor agents, pyrazoline-substituted pyrrolidine-2,5-dione hybrids were designed, synthesized and evaluated in silico, in vitro and in vivo for anticancer efficacy. All the compounds exhibited remarkable cytotoxic effects in MCF7 and HT29 cells. The excellent antiproliferative activity toward MCF7 (IC₅₀=0.78±0.01 μM), HT29 (IC₅₀=0.92±0.15 μM) and K562 (IC₅₀=47.25±1.24 μM) cell lines, prompted us to further investigate the antitumor effects of the best compound S2 (1-(2-(3-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-(p-tolyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-2-oxoethyl)pyrrolidine-2,5-dione). In cell-cycle analysis, S2 was found to disrupt the growth phases with increased cell population in G₁/G₀ phase and decreased cell population in G₂/M phase. The excellent in vitro effects were also supported by inhibition of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. In vivo tumor regression studies of S2 in HT29 xenograft nude mice, exhibited equivalent and promising tumor regression with maximum TGI, 66 % (i. p. route) and 60 % (oral route) at 50 mg kg⁻¹ dose by both the routes, indicating oral bioavailability and antitumor efficacy. These findings advocate that hybridization of pyrazoline and pyrrolidine-2,5-dioes holds promise for the development of more potent and less toxic anticancer agents.