Protein-energy malnutrition and oxidative injury in growing rats

1. Weaning rats were fed ad libitum isocaloric diets containing 5% and 20% casein based proteins. 5% protein diet was protein deficient diet. Pair fed rats with the 5% protein group were maintained simultaneously on 20% protein diet but the amount restricted to the amount taken up by PEM group. 2. Glutathione, antioxidative enzymes, lipid peroxidation and histopathological studies in liver and only glutathione and antioxidative enzymes in blood were carried out. 3. Rats fed the 5% protein diet developed a severe protein energy malnutrition (PEM) whereas those on pair-fed diet developed mild to moderate PEM. 4. Glutathione related thiols superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase and glutathione-Stransferase with (1 Chloro 2,4-dinitro benzene (CDNB) substrate) were decreased in liver with concomitant increase of lipid peroxidation in severe PEM. In blood glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and catalase were decreased while superoxide dismutase was increased in severe PEM group. 5. Mild to moderate PEM (pair-fed group) also resulted in similar changes in liver except glutathione peroxidase, lipid peroxidation in liver and superoxide dismutase in blood. 6. Hepatic injury was detectable only in the severe PEM group. 7. Oxidative-stress and hepatic injury occurred in severe PEM and to a lesser degree in mild to moderate PEM.     

On the application of CAD technology for the synthesis of spatial revolute–revolute dyads

This work presents a method based on Computer Aided Design or CAD for facilitating the synthesis of Revolute–Revolute (R–R) dyads with adjustable moving pivots. The CAD-based method presented in this work ensures that all prescribed rigid-body parameters used to synthesize the R–R dyad satisfy particular kinematic requirements of an R–R dyad. Through the application of this CAD method, five of the six general R–R dyad constraint equations are satisfied and therefore not essential for the synthesis of the R–R dyad. By reducing the number of dyad design constraints from six to one, the user can synthesize R–R links with adjustable moving pivots for multi-phase motion and path generation applications. The example included demonstrates the use of the CAD method in the synthesis of an RRSS path generator with adjustable moving pivots.     

Tool addition strategies for flexible manufacturing systems

The allocation of tools to machines determines potential part routes in flexible manufacturing systems. Given production requirements and a minimum feasible set of tools, the decision of how to fill vacant slots in tool magazines to maximize routing flexibility is shown to be a minimum cost network flow problem for the cases when routing flexibility is a function of the average workload per tool aggregated over tool types, or of the number of possible routes through the system. A linear programming model is then used to plan a set of routes for each part type so as to minimize either the material handling requirement or the maximum workload on any machine. The impact of these tool addition strategies on the material handling and workload equalization is investigated and computational results presented. The advantage of the overall approach is computational simplicity at each step and the ability to react to dynamic changes.This article is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. DMC 85–44993 and DDM 92–15432.This work was done by the author while visiting the SIE Department of the University of Arizona.     

Morphological,thermal, rheological and noodle‐making properties of potato and corn starch

A comparison between the morphological, thermal, rheological and noodle‐making properties of corn starch and potato starches separated from five different potato cultivars was made. The granule size and shape of all starches differed significantly. Potato starch granules were comparatively larger than corn starch granules, while the transition temperatures were found to be higher for corn starch. Consistency coefficients and flow behaviour indices measured by back extrusion were higher for potato starches than for corn starch. Stickiness of cooked starch pastes was observed to depend upon their consistency coefficient. The gels made from all potato starches showed higher gel strength than those from corn starch. The gel strength of starches from both corn and potato increased during refrigerated storage. The amylose content, swelling power, solubility and light transmittance values of potato starches were significantly higher than those of corn starch. Noodles made from potato starches had higher cooked weight and cooking loss than corn starch noodles. Texture profile analysis revealed that potato starch noodles also had higher hardness and cohesiveness than corn starch noodles. Hardness of cooked noodles from all starches increased and cohesiveness decreased during storage. Noodles made from starches of higher viscosity exhibited higher hardness and cohesiveness. Textural differences among cooked starch noodles appeared to be associated with morphological, thermal and rheological properties of corn starch and potato starches. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Unsaturated ester resins

Vinyl ester resins (VERs) are often described as a cross between unsaturated polyester resins and epoxy resins. VERs offer an upgrade to epoxy resins, and they tend to be selected when chemical and temperature resistance is required. This research was aimed at developing the synthesis of unsaturated ester resins (UERs), which are similar to VERs. UERs were synthesized by the addition of dihydrodicyclopentadienyl hydrogen maleate to the terminal epoxy groups in low‐molecular‐weight bisphenol A/epichlorohydrin epoxy resins. The effect of urethanization of UERs on the properties of the crosslinked polymer was also investigated. As crosslinking monomers, styrene and glycol dimethacrylates were used. The following properties of cured UERs were determined: the heat deflection temperature, alkali resistance, and the mechanical strength. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2627–2631, 2006     

Truck sizing models for recyclables pick-up

Growing public concerns about the environmental consequences of waste disposal have led to an increase in recycling efforts. In many communities, curbside collection programs have been instituted for collecting recyclables from households for transfer to material recovery facilities. In most programs the cost of collection is the dominant cost. Despite the high cost and environmental importance of collecting recyclables from households, most municipal collection systems are designed and operated without a clear understanding of what factors drive those costs and how they might be reduced. In this paper, models for determining truck configurations, as well as optimal compartment sizes for recyclables collection are developed. Constraints arising from the operation of the trucks are formulated, and solution schemes are presented. In addition, a procedure for optimally partitioning a vehicle used to collect source-separated material is discussed. Several scenario based planning approaches are developed. Use of the truck sizing models as an industry decision tool and the associated benefits of applying the truck sizing models and the solution methodology to a contract based collection program are also discussed.     

Determining the characteristic length of model ice sheets

For determining the characteristic length of a floating ice sheet, a vertical load is applied to the ice sheet either by placing dead weights in discrete increments or with a screw drive apparatus in series with a load cell, and the deflection of the ice sheet is monitored at the point of loading or near it. For a model ice sheet exhibiting creep behavior, the experimental results with the screw apparatus show that the slope of the load—deflection curve decreases as the load increases, and one is not able to choose a unique value of the slope for the computation of characteristic length. This is attributed to relaxation of stress in ice. For tests with sudden placement of dead weights, the elastic response of the ice sheet can be separated from the inelastic response. The latter method gives consistent results for the determination of the characteristic length.The effective modulus of elasticity may be calculated from the characteristic length, but the error in measuring the characteristic length and in assuming a value of Poisson's ratio may result in a greater percentage of error in the modulus of elasticity. It is suggested that the characteristic length of a model ice sheet be scaled in ship resistance and other such tests as it describes the flexural behavior of the ice sheet.     

Nanosized Mn(acac)<Subscript>3</Subscript> Anchored on Amino Functionalized Silica for the Selective Oxidative Synthesis of 2-arylbenzimidazoles, 2-arylbenzothiazoles and Aerobic Oxidation of Benzoins in Water

Abstract  

Silica functionalized Mn(acac)₃ was prepared and employed for the one-pot oxidative synthesis of 2-arylbenzimidazoles, 2-arylbenzothiazoles; and oxidation of benzoins to benzils under air atmosphere using water as the reaction medium. Environmentally friendly procedure, chemoselectivity and excellent yields are main advantages of this procedure. In all the cases, the catalyst was found to be highly active and selective; passes hot filtration test successfully; and could be recycled several times with a slight loss of activity.