BUBBLE TEMPERATURES OF THE BINARY MIXTURES OF 1,2-DIMETHYLBENZENE WITH 2-PROPANOL, 1-BUTANOL, 2-BUTANOL, 2-METHYLPROPAN-1-OL AND 2-METHYLPROPAN-2-OL AT 95 kPa

Bubble temperatures at 95?kPa over the entire composition range are measured for the five binary systems formed by 1,2-dimethylbenzene with 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, 2- methylpropan-1-ol, and 2-methylpropan- 2-ol. A Swietoslawski - type ebulliometer was used for the measurements. The composition versus temperature measurements are well represented by the Wilson model.     

Enhanced bioaccessibility of β‐carotene from yellow‐orange vegetables and green leafy vegetables by domestic heat processing

Effect of heat treatment involved in domestic cooking on the bioaccessibility of β‐carotene from yellow‐orange as well as green leafy vegetables was evaluated. Heat treatment of these vegetables by pressure‐cooking, stir‐frying and open‐pan boiling had a beneficial influence on the bioaccessibility of β‐carotene. The extent of increase in the per cent bioaccessibility of β‐carotene as a result of pressure‐cooking was 21–84%. Stir‐frying in presence of a small quantity of oil brought about an enormous increase in the bioaccessibility of β‐carotene from these vegetables, the extent of increase being 67–191%. Open‐pan boiling of vegetables increased the bioaccessibility of β‐carotene in the range 23–36%. Thus, among the three domestic heat processing methods, stir‐frying results in maximum bioaccessibility of this provitamin. The use of suitably heat‐processed vegetable sources of β‐carotene could form a dietary strategy to derive this micronutrient maximally by the population dependent on plant foods.     

Heat and mass transport on MHD flow over semi-infinite moving porous plate with chemical reaction effect

The consequences of chemical reaction, on unsteady magnetohydrodynamic heat and mass transport laminar flows of a viscous, electrically conducting with heat-generating or absorbing fluid enclosed through a semi-infinite absorbent plate has been premeditated. The plate is assumed to be in motion with a constant velocity within the path of fluid flow. A homogeneous magnetic field performs at right angles to the absorbent surface; it is absorbing the fluid with a suction velocity varying with a certain instant of time. The nondimensional governing equations for the present configuration are solved systematically utilizing harmonic and nonharmonic terms. Graphical consequences for the velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles together supported by the investigative solutions are displayed and discussed computationally. The resulting velocity is reducing by an augment in the strength of the magnetic field and Prandtl number, whereas it is enhancing by growing in the permeability of the porous medium. The temperature delivery is reduces by an escalating heat source parameter and occurrence of fluctuation. It is significant to note that the temperature increases notably with growing the radiation absorption parameter. The influences of the chemical reaction and Schmidt number reduced the concentration in the entire fluid medium.     

Influence of β-carotene-rich vegetables on the bioaccessibility of zinc and iron from food grains

Widespread deficiencies of iron and zinc, commonly found in populations dependent on plant foods, necessitate food-based strategies to maximise their bioavailability from plant foods. In this study, β-carotene-rich vegetables were evaluated for their effects on the bioaccessibility of iron and zinc from cereals and pulses by employing a simulated gastrointestinal digestion procedure involving equilibrium dialysis. Addition of carrot or amaranth (2.5 g and 5 g per 10 g of grain) significantly enhanced the bioaccessibility of iron and zinc from the food grains, the percent increase being 13.8–86.2 in the case of carrot and 11–193% in the case of amaranth. Pure β-carotene added at an equivalent level also enhanced the bioaccessibility of iron (19.6–102% increase) and zinc (16.5–118.0% increase) from the cereals examined. This is the first report on the beneficial influence of β-carotene on iron and zinc bioaccessibilities.     

Plant foods in the management of Diabetes mellitus: Vegetables as potential hypoglycaemic agents

Vegetables are among the numerous plant adjuncts tried for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. A few vegetables that are commonly consumed in India have been claimed to possess antidiabetic potency. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest to screen such plant food materials, for a possible beneficial use. Considerable amount of work has been carried out in this regard with bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) and ivy gourd (Coccinia indica) both in experimental animals and human diabetic subjects. Majority of these studies have documented the beneficial effect of the fruit of bitter gourd and leaf of ivy gourd when administered orally as a single dose. The hypoglycaemic influence is claimed to be mediated through an insulin secretagogue effect or through an influence on enzymes involved in glucose metabolism. The limited number of studies on other vegetables such as cabbage (Brassica oleracia), green leafy vegetables, beans and tubers have shown the beneficial hypoglycaemic influence in both experimental animals and humans. There is scope for more extensive research in this area, especially to examine the long term beneficial effect of dietary vegetables, to identify the active principle, and to understand the mechanism of action, which is at present unclear. Since diet forms the mainstay in the management of diabetes mellitus, there is scope for exploiting the anti-diabetic potency of vegetables to the maximum extent. Such plant food adjuncts possessing hypoglycaemic activity appear to hold promise as potential antidiabetic agents.     

Regioselective bromination of toluene by electrochemical method

A simple, regioselective, environmentally cleaner and economical method for the electrochemical preparation of benzyl bromide from toluene by two-phase electrolysis is reported. Electrochemical bromination of toluene is carried out in an undivided cell at 0 °C and the process parameters are studied and optimized. In this method 94% yield and 98% conversion is achieved.     

Printable ammonia sensor based on organic field effect transistor

We report an organic field-effect transistor (OFET)-based sensor made from printable materials with an unusually high sensitivity of 0.5 ppm v/v for ammonia and with limit of detection on the order of 0.1 ppm v/v. The device developed has a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, bottom contacts, and poly (3,3^?$3\text{,}{3}^{?}$-didodecylquaterthiophene) (PQT-12) cast from 4 mg/mL cholorobenzene solution as active semiconductor. The fabrication process is simplified by replacing the gate electrode and dielectric deposition steps with the introduction of static charges on the back surface of the PET substrate by corona charging, a procedure that is adaptable to roll-to-roll processing. Hydrophobic polymers applied to the back surface stabilize this charge, providing evidence for their activity at that location. In the proposed sensor, these static charges are used as a static gate, reducing the OFET architecture to a chemiresistor. The sensor is selective for ammonia over common organic solvent vapors, and the response is generally reversible. The device also demonstrates memory behavior required for dosimetric sensors when kept at low temperature (4 °C to −30 °C). A converse response from an n-channel semiconductor is also reported.