Binding ability of Allura Red with food proteins and its impact on protein digestibility

Allura Red-40 is a safe colour additive (permissible by the FDA and Health Canada) that is used in a variety of foods to make them more attractive and appealing for consumers. However, limited information is available about its binding to macronutrients that are responsible for its uniform distribution in food products. In the present study, the binding capacity of Allura with food proteins is compared with Coomassie Brillant Blue R 250, which is an established staining agent for visualizing electrophoretically resolved proteins. The data illustrate that Allura is a fast reacting dye and binds with a variety of food proteins including peanut, rice bran, garlic and mixture of proteins [(Takadiastase, nisin, a microbial protein and bovine serum albumin (BSA)]. The Allura bound proteins retained their colour at high and low temperatures and in a wide range of pH. The experiments on the resolution of proteins and staining with Allura have shown that the dye is highly sensitive, rapid, lasting and is easily linked with a variety of proteins. The binding of Allura to various proteins had almost no adverse effect on protein digestibility, as predicted by in vitro digestibility determinations.     

Patterns as a paradigm for theory in community-based learning

Learning about information technology is typically not a first-order goal for community-based volunteer organizations. Nonetheless, information technology is vital to such groups for member recruiting and management, communication and visibility to the community, and for primary group activities. During the past 12 years, we have worked with community groups in Centre County, Pennsylvania, and Montgomery County, Virginia. We have built partnerships with these groups to better understand and address their learning challenges with respect to information technology. In this paper, we suggest that patterns, standard solution schemata for recurring problems (as used in architecture and software engineering, among other design domains), can be a paradigm for codifying and developing an understanding of learning in and by community organizations. Patterns are middle-level abstractions; they capture regularities of practices in ways that are potentially intelligible, verifiable, and perhaps useful to the practitioners themselves. We present two example patterns and discuss issues and directions for developing patterns as a theoretical foundation for community-based learning.     

Production of biodiesel through optimized alkaline-catalyzed transesterification of rapeseed oil

Present work reports an optimized protocol for the production of biodiesel through alkaline-catalyzed transesterification of rapeseed oil. The reaction variables used were methanol/oil molar ratio (3:1-21:1), catalyst concentration (0.25-1.50%), temperature (35-65 °C), mixing intensity (180-600 rpm) and catalyst type. The evaluation of the transesterification process was followed by gas chromatographic analysis of the rapeseed oil fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel) at different reaction times. The biodiesel with best yield and quality was produced at methanol/oil molar ratio, 6:1; potassium hydroxide catalyst concentration, 1.0%; mixing intensity, 600 rpm and reaction temperature 65 °C. The yield of the biodiesel produced under optimal condition was 95-96%. It was noted that greater or lower the concentration of KOH or methanol than the optimal values, the reaction either did not fully occur or lead to soap formation.The quality of the biodiesel produced was evaluated by the determinations of important properties such as density, specific gravity, kinematic viscosity, higher heating value, acid value, flash point, pour point, cloud point, combustion point, cold filter plugging point, cetane index, ash content, sulphur content, water content, copper strip corrosion value, distillation temperature and fatty acid composition. The produced biodiesel was found to exhibit fuel properties within the limits prescribed by the latest American Standards for Testing Material (ASTM) and European EN standards.     

Understanding the soft side of software projects: An empirical study on the interactive effects of social skills and political skills on complexity – performance relationship

While prior research considers project complexity as a double-edged sword, researchers and practitioners still remain unclear whether project complexity serves as productive or counterproductive ingredient for project performance. Our research brings clarity on the dynamic nature of complexity-performance relationship by integrating social exchange theory with recent developments in project management research to develop and test a novel framework involving interactive roles of social skills and political skills in software-projects. Regardless of calls for further empirical studies, researchers have predominantly neglected the fundamental role of human efforts and human interaction in outlining performance particularly in complex projects. Drawing on a survey based sample of 242 project managers and use of variance based structural equation modeling, the findings illuminate theoretical and practical contributions in better understanding complexities in software-projects performance. In addition, prioritizing human-centric factors i.e. social skills and political skills in supporting complexity- performance relationship further enhances contributions of this research.     

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS FOR CHIP FORMATION IN HIGH SPEED TURNING OPERATIONS BY ARBITRARY LAGRANGIAN EULERIAN METHOD

A two-dimensional finite element (FE) model for the high speed turning operations when orthogonally machining AISI H13 tool steel at 49HRC using poly crystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) is described. An arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method has been adopted which does not need any chip separation criteria as opposed to the traditional Lagrangian approach. Through FE simulations temperature and stresses distributions are presented that could be helpful in predicting tool life and improving process parameters. The results show that high temperatures are generated along the tool rake face as compared to the shear zone temperatures due to high thermal conductivity of PCBN tools.     

Evaluation of superabsorbent linseed-polysaccharides as a novel stimuli-responsive oral sustained release drug delivery system

Context: Advancement in technology has transformed the conventional dosage forms to intelligent drug delivery systems. Such systems are helpful for targeted and efficient drug delivery with minimum side effects. Drug release from these systems is governed and controlled by external stimuli (pH, enzymes, ions, glucose, etc.). Polymeric biomaterial having stimuli-responsive properties has opened a new area in drug delivery approach.

Objective: Potential of a polysaccharide (rhamnogalacturonan)-based hydrogel from Linseeds (Linum usitatissimum L.) was investigated as an intelligent drug delivery material.

Materials and methods: Different concentrations of Linseed hydrogel (LSH) were used to prepare caffeine and diacerein tablets and further investigated for pH and salt solution-responsive swelling, pH-dependent drug release, and release kinetics. Morphology of tablets was observed using SEM.

Results: LSH tablets exhibited dynamic swelling–deswelling behavior with tendency to swell at pH 7.4 and in deionized water while deswell at pH 1.2, in normal saline and ethanol. Consequently, pH controlled release of the drugs was observed from tablets with lower release (<10%) at pH 1.2 and higher release at pH 6.8 and 7.4. SEM showed elongated channels in swollen then freeze-dried tablets.

Discussion: The drug release was greatly influenced by the amount of LSH in the tablets. Drug release from LSH tablets was governed by the non-Fickian diffusion.

Conclusions: These finding indicates that LSH holds potential to be developed as sustained release material for tablet.     

Green and eco-friendly synthesis of cobalt-oxide nanoparticle: Characterization and photo-catalytic activity

Cobalt-oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated using Punica granatum peel extract from cobalt nitrate hexahydrate at low temperature. The synthesized cobalt-oxide NPs were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, atomic force microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV-visible techniques. The cobalt-oxide NPs were in highly uniform shape and size was in the size of 40–80 nm. Photo-catalytic activity (PCA) of the synthesized NPs was evaluated by degrading Remazol Brilliant Orange 3R (RBO 3R) dye and a degradation of 78.45% was achieved (dye conc. 150 mg/L) using 0.5 g cobalt-oxide NPs for 50 min irradiation time. In view of eco-benign and cost-effective nature, the present investigation revealed that P. granatum could be used for the synthesis of cobalt-oxide NPs for photo-catalytic applications.