Isoflavone profiles,phenol content,and antioxidant activity of soybean seeds as influenced by cultivar and growing location in Ohio

Isoflavone levels and isoflavone chemical composition in soybeans vary between planting locations although the exact factors which control isoflavone biosynthesis are unclear. We compared levels of 12 isoflavones in soybean seeds of six cultivars grown in four different locations in Ohio in 2002 as determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Antioxidant activity contained in plant‐based foods can improve food oxidative stability and phenolics and isoflavones have proven active in food systems. Radical scavenging activity was assessed using the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. Total phenolics (TPCs) were determined by using Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. Total isoflavones (TIs) varied five‐fold (1573–7710 nmol g^?1) between seeds from the various location–cultivar combinations. One location (Wooster, Ohio) produced seeds containing half the isoflavones as the other locations tested apparently due to poor growing conditions. The cultivars could be divided into two groups based on TI, one having approximately 50% more isoflavones. Surprisingly, across the entire data set, with increasing TI, the proportion of isoflavones accounted for by the daidzein family increased due primarily to malonyl daidzin. DPPH scavenging did not differ significantly by location or cultivar (P > 0.05) and did not correlate with TPC or TI. Profiling soybean isoflavones could help elucidate how isoflavone biosynthesis is regulated and lead to better disease resistance of soybean crops and soy foods with greater health benefits. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Using a passive multilayer sampler for measuring detailed profiles of gas-phase VOCs in the unsaturated zone

The purpose of this study was to test in the laboratory the performance of a passive multilayer sampler (MLS) for obtaining detailed profiles of gas-phase volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in unsaturated sediments. The MLS is essentially a chain of isolated, cylindrical stainless steel dialysis cells filled with distilled water and closed with membranes at both ends. The sampling principle is based on passive equilibration of the unsaturated zone gas phase with water in the cells. Using trichloroethene (TCE) as a model VOC, and after testing the required equilibration time in the laboratory (about 50 h), results of a large container (210 L) experiment show that TCE concentrations obtained by the MLS deployed inside a well screen corresponded very well to the profile obtained by dialysis cells buried in the sediment. A field profile taken at the saturated-unsaturated interface region of a VOC-contaminated area using the MLS shows steep TCE concentration gradients (1119 microg TCE/L-air/cm) in the gas phase of the unsaturated zone just above the water table.     

Physical properties and water state changes during storage in soy bread with and without almond

Soy bread was formulated to impart different isoflavone profiles by addition of almond: a natural source of β-glucosidase. In this study, the influence of almond powder on loaf quality and storage stability of soy bread was investigated using thermal analysis, texture, loaf volume and air cell imaging techniques. Lipids introduced with the almond fraction, served as mediators to strengthen the interaction between wheat and soy protein, thereby increasing dough extensibility. Loaf quality of the almond soy bread was therefore improved since the collapse of air cells during bread preparation was prevented. This in turn favored better loaf quality. Additionally, water binding strength and changes thereof during storage, probed by thermal analysis, were found to significantly hinder the staling rate during prolonged storage of soy-containing breads.     

Design and Characterization of CMOS/SOI Image Sensors

The design, operation, and characterization of CMOS imagers implemented using: 1) "regular" CMOS wafers with a 0.5-mum CMOS analog process; 2) "regular" CMOS wafers with a 0.35-mum CMOS analog process; and 3) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers in conjunction with a 0.35-mum CMOS analog process, are discussed in this paper. The performances of the studied imagers are compared in terms of quantum efficiency, dark current, and optical bandwidth. It is found that there is strong dependence of quantum efficiency of the photodiodes on the architecture of the image sensor. The results of this paper are useful for designing and modeling CMOS/SOI image sensors     

High performance MEMS 0.18 μm RF-CMOS transformers

This work presents the application of a front-side maskless MEMS process to improve the performance of RF-CMOS transformers. High-frequency parasitic effects are much diminished, as oxide and substrate material are etched away. The passivated metal surface prevents damage to the transformer, and to other circuits, which use metal layers as self-aligned etch masks. Device self-resonant frequency was improved by 20%. At 18 GHz, device quality factor rose from 0.5 to 6, and at 50 GHz, maximum available gain was increased by 49%. The process's low cost relative to other MEMS optimization methods with similar results makes this process attractive for the use of transformers in system-on-chip design.     

Hot-surface ignition temperatures of dust layers

Minimum dust layer ignition temperatures on a hot surface were determined for several dusts, using a test procedure recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. The dusts included coal, three oil shales, lycopodium spores, corn starch, grain and brass powder. For a few of the dusts the effects of particle size and layer thickness on the minimum ignition temperatures were examined. Test results were repeatable and reliable for the fuels, the lycopodium and the brass powder. The minimum hot-surface ignition temperatures of 12.7-mm thick layers of these dusts ranged from 160°C for brass to 290°C for 20-gal ton⁻¹ oil shale. Flaming combustion was observed only with the brass powder. The minimum ignition temperatures decreased with thicker layers and with smaller particle sizes. Some difficulties were encountered with the corn starch and grain dusts. During heating, the starch charred and expanded; the grain dust swelled and distorted. The test was found acceptable for the purpose of determining the minimum layer ignition temperature of a variety of dusts. To prevent fire hazards due to smoldering or flaming dust layers the temperatures of surfaces on which combustible dusts accumulate should be lower than the minimum hot-surface ignition temperatures of the dusts.     

Chylomicron-like particles in severe hypertriglyceridemia

Plasma lipoproteins in a diabetic patient with severe hypertrigly ceridemia and turbid, milky plasma were studied and compared with those found in three primary type V hyperlipoproteinemic and in three normal subjects after a fatty meal. All subjects had normal post-heparin lipolytic activity. Lipoprotein electrophoresis of the patient's plasma revealed no chylomicron band, and upon short-time ultracentrifugation the patient's supernatant showed most lipid staining in the pre-β-lipoprotein region. This supernatant, which in type V hyperlipoproteinemia as well as in normal subjects after a fatty meal, contains a large proportion of apolipoprotein B-48 (of intestinal origin) was found in our patient to contain mostly apolipoprotein B-100 (of liver origin). Upon incubation of normal washed platelets with chylomicrons derived either from type V hyperlipoproteinemic or from normal subjects after a fatty meal, platelet aggregation was decreased, whereas the chylomicron-like particles from the patient increased platelet activity. It is, thus suggested that the triglyceride-rich cholesterol-poor lipoproteins are of liver and not of intestinal origin.     

The M-integral for calculating intensity factors of an impermeable crack in a piezoelectric material

In this study, a conservative integral is derived for calculating the intensity factors associated with piezoelectric material for an impermeable crack. This is an extension of the M-integral or interaction energy integral for mode separation in mechanical problems. In addition, the method of displacement extrapolation is extended for this application as a check on results obtained with the conservative integral. Poling is assumed parallel, perpendicular and at an arbitrary angle with respect to the crack plane, as well as parallel to the crack front. In the latter case, a three-dimensional treatment is required for the conservative integral which is beyond the scope of this investigation. The asymptotic fields are obtained; these include stress, electric, displacement and electric flux density fields which are used as auxiliary solutions for the M-integral.Several benchmark problems are examined to demonstrate the accuracy of the methods. Numerical difficulties encountered resulting from multiplication of large and small numbers were solved by normalizing the variables. Since an analytical solution exists, a finite length crack in an infinite body is also considered. Finally, a four point bend specimen subjected to both an applied load and an electric field is presented for a crack parallel, perpendicular and at an angle to the poling direction. It is seen that neglecting the piezoelectric effect in calculating stress intensity factors may lead to errors.     

Electrically controlled molecular recognition harnessed to activate a cellular response

Seamless embedment of electronic devices in biological systems is expected to add the outstanding computing power, memory, and speed of electronics to the biochemical toolbox of nature. Such amalgamation requires transduction of electronic signals into biochemical cues that affect cells. Inspired by biology, where pathways are directed by molecular recognition, we propose and demonstrate a generic electrical-to-biological transducer comprising a two-state electronic antigen and a chimeric cell receptor engineered to bind the antigen exclusively in its "on" state. T-cells expressing these receptors remain inactivated with the antigen in its "off" state. Switching the antigen to its "on" state by an electrical signal leads to its recognition by the T-cells and correspondingly to cell activation.