Correction to: Enhanced critical current density of ex situ MgB2 via control of Mg assisted sintering

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics -     

Protected Fair Secret Sharing Based Bivariate Asymmetric Polynomials in Satellite Network

Verifiable secret sharing mainly solves the cheating behavior between malicious participants and the ground control center in the satellite network. The verification stage can verify the effectiveness of secret shares issued by the ground control center to each participant and verify the effectiveness of secret shares shown by participants. We use a lot of difficult assumptions based on mathematical problems in the verification stage, such as solving the difficult problem of the discrete logarithm, large integer prime factorization, and so on. Compared with other verifiable secret sharing schemes designed for difficult problems under the same security, the verifiable secret sharing scheme based on the Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) system has the advantages of less computational overhead and shorter key. At present, the binary polynomial is a single secret scheme and cannot provide effective verification. Therefore, based on a Protected Verifiable Synchronous Multi Secret Sharing (PVS-MSS) scheme, this paper is designed based on bivariate asymmetric polynomials. The advanced verifiable attribute is introduced into the Protected Secret Sharing (PSS) scheme. This paper extends the protected synchronous multi-secret sharing scheme based on bivariate polynomial design. The ECC system constructs the security channel between the ground control center and participants and constructs the verification algorithm. Through the verification algorithm, any participant can verify the consistency and effectiveness of the secret shadow and secret share received from other participants or presented by the secret distribution center. Therefore, no additional key agreement protocol is required; participants do not need to negotiate the session key for encryption; the secret share polynomial can generate the session key between participants and speed up the secret reconstruction process. The verification stage has lower computational complexity than the verifiable scheme constructed by Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) and other encryption methods. Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT) is used to update the secret shadow. The secret shadow does not need to be updated with the change of the scheme shared secret, and the public value update efficiency is higher. Reduce the complexity of sharing secret updates in a synchronous multi-secret sharing scheme.     

The effects of physical refining on the formation of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters in relation to palm oil minor components

The formation of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) esters in refined palm oil during deodorisation is attributed to the intrinsic composition of crude palm oil. Utilising D-optimal design, the effects of the degumming and bleaching processes on the reduction in 3-MCPD ester formation in refined palm oil from poor-quality crude palm oil were studied relative to the palm oil minor components that are likely to be their precursors. Water degumming remarkably reduced 3-MCPD ester formation by up to 84%, from 9.79 mg/kg to 1.55 mg/kg. Bleaching with synthetic magnesium silicate caused a further 10% reduction, to 0.487 mg/kg. The reduction in 3-MCPD ester formation could be due to the removal of related precursors prior to the deodorisation step. The phosphorus content of bleached palm oil showed a significant correlation with 3-MCPD ester formation.     

Gelatin controversies in food,pharmaceuticals, and personal care products: Authentication methods,current status,and future challenges

Gelatin is a highly purified animal protein of pig, cow, and fish origins and is extensively used in food, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. However, the acceptability of gelatin products greatly depends on the animal sources of the gelatin. Porcine and bovine gelatins have attractive features but limited acceptance because of religious prohibitions and potential zoonotic threats, whereas fish gelatin is welcomed in all religions and cultures. Thus, source authentication is a must for gelatin products but it is greatly challenging due to the breakdown of both protein and DNA biomarkers in processed gelatins. Therefore, several methods have been proposed for gelatin identification, but a comprehensive and systematic document that includes all of the techniques does not exist. This up-to-date review addresses this research gap and presents, in an accessible format, the major gelatin source authentication techniques, which are primarily nucleic acid and protein based. Instead of presenting these methods in paragraph form which needs much attention in reading, the major methods are schematically depicted, and their comparative features are tabulated. Future technologies are forecasted, and challenges are outlined. Overall, this review paper has the merit to serve as a reference guide for the production and application of gelatin in academia and industry and will act as a platform for the development of improved methods for gelatin authentication.     

Evaluation of processed green and ripe mango peel and pulp flours (Mangifera indica var. Chokanan) in terms of chemical composition,antioxidant compounds and functional properties

BACKGROUND: Mango is a highly perishable seasonal fruit and large quantities are wasted during the peak season as a result of poor postharvest handling procedures. Processing surplus mango fruits into flour to be used as a functional ingredient appears to be a good preservation method to ensure its extended consumption. RESULTS: In the present study, the chemical composition, bioactive/antioxidant compounds and functional properties of green and ripe mango (Mangifera indica var. Chokanan) peel and pulp flours were evaluated. Compared to commercial wheat flour, mango flours were significantly low in moisture and protein, but were high in crude fiber, fat and ash content. Mango flour showed a balance between soluble and insoluble dietary fiber proportions, with total dietary fiber content ranging from 3.2 to 5.94 g kg^?1. Mango flours exhibited high values for bioactive/antioxidant compounds compared to wheat flour. The water absorption capacity and oil absorption capacity of mango flours ranged from 0.36 to 0.87 g kg^?1 and from 0.18 to 0.22 g kg^?1, respectively. CONCLUSION: Results of this study showed mango peel flour to be a rich source of dietary fiber with good antioxidant and functional properties, which could be a useful ingredient for new functional food formulations. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Putative virulence factors of the Aeromonas spp. isolated from food and environment in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Thirty randomly selected Aeromonas isolates from food and the environment in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, were characterized for putative virulence determinants, such as production of cytotoxin, cytotonic toxin, and hemolysin and their capacity to adhere to and invade Henle 407 cells in vitro. Seventy percent of the tested isolates were cytotoxin producers, and 80% were hemolytic. Cytotoxin was produced by 6 of 7 A. hydrophila strains, 6 of 13 A. caviae strains, and 6 of 7 A. veronii bv. sobria strains, mostly from food sources. A. schubertii, A. jandaei, and A. trota also produced both cytotoxin and hemolysin. All of the 30 isolates tested adhered to Henle 407 cells, but none were able to invade the cells, as determined with the in vitro assay. However, no significant correlation of the presence of these putative virulence factors was found among these aeromonad food isolates.     

Flavonoids and phenolic acids from Labisia pumila (Kacip Fatimah)

Both total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of Labisia pumila extracts were determined spectrophotometrically. L. pumila leaves extracted in 60% methanol (MeOH) were fractionated on C18 cartridge and the antioxidant property of each fraction was determined by measuring free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity. The 40% MeOH fraction exhibited the highest scavenging activity. Nine flavonols (quercetin, myricetin and kaempferol), two flavanols (catechin and epigallocatechin) and nine phenolic acids were identified from this active fraction by UPLC–ESI-MS/MS, and confirmed by comparison with the mass spectra of standard aglycones, theoretical fragments generated from MS Fragmenter software, and literature values.     

Melt Production and Antimicrobial Efficiency of Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)-Silver Nanocomposite Film

Colloidal silver nanoparticles with a size of 5.5 ± 1.1 nm were prepared by chemical reduction using polyethylene glycol (PEG). Silver nanoparticles were incorporated into low-density polyethylene (LDPE) by melt blending and subsequent hot pressing at 140 °C to produce nanocomposite film with an average thickness of 0.7 mm. PEG was added at 5% weight of polymer as a compatibilizer agent in order to prevent agglomeration and provide uniform distribution of nanoparticles in polymer matrix. Antimicrobial activity of silver nanocomposites against Escherichia coli ATCC 13706, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC12600, and Candida albicans ATCC10231 was evaluated by semi-qualitative agar diffusion test and quantitative dynamic shake flask test. Mechanical properties of nanocomposites were not significantly different from silver-free LDPE-containing PEG films (p > 0.05), and silver nanoparticles did not form chemical bonding with the polymer. LDPE-silver nanocomposite samples by more than 6.69 ppm silver nanoparticles showed considerable antimicrobial clear zone. LDPE-silver nanocomposite affected growth kinetic parameters of the examined bacteria and is more efficient on S. aureus than E. coli. Polyethylene-silver nanocomposites containing 22.64 ppm silver nanoparticles could reduce 57.8% growth rate and 23.3% maximum bacterial concentration and increase 35.8% lag time of S. aureus. This study shows the potential use of LDPE-silver nanocomposite as antimicrobial active film. Antimicrobial efficiency of silver nanocomposite depends on silver nanoparticles concentration; however, high level of silver nanoparticles may lead to weakening of mechanical properties.     

Ergogenic Attributes of Young and Mature Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) Water Based on Physical Properties,Sugars and Electrolytes Contents

The present work aimed to compare the main ergogenic attributes of two commercialized stages (young and mature) of coconut water (CW) obtained from four coconut varieties. The changes of electrolytes and sugars in CW upon maturation were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrophotometer and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Based on the electrolyte profiling, potassium yielded the highest amount (ranging from 237.41 to 361.20 mg/100 mL) followed by sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, copper, selenium, and zinc across all the maturity stages tested. For sugars, there were lower amounts of fructose and glucose, but a higher amount of sucrose with the maturation of the fruits. In conclusion, the amount of beneficial nutrients in the form of sugars and minerals was higher than that of young CW, and the ergogenic attributes of mature CW especially from MATAG variety (M-MATAG) were the best to be exploited further in the development of natural energy drinks.     

Verification of Authentication Protocols for Epistemic Goals via SAT Compilation

This paper introduces a new methodology for epistemic logic, to analyze communication protocols that uses knowledge structures, a specific form of Kripke semantics over hostile networks. The paper particularly focuses on automatic verification of authentication protocols. Our approach is based on the actual definitions of a protocol, not on some difficultto-establish justifications. The proposed methodology is different from many previous approaches to automatic verification of security protocols in that it is justification-oriented instead of falsification-oriented, i.e., finding bugs in a protocol. The main idea is based on observations： separating a principal executing a run of protocol from the role in the protocol, and inferring a principal＇s knowledge from the local observations of the principal. And we show analytically and empirically that this model can be easily reduced to Satisfiability （SAT） problem and efficiently implemented by a modern SAT solver.