Black rice bran as an ingredient in noodles: chemical and functional evaluation

This study examined the feasibility of using black rice bran (BRB) as an ingredient of noodles and evaluated the effect of BRB incorporation in noodles in terms of chemical and functional attributes. Noodles were prepared with BRB as an ingredient at different levels (2%, 5%, 10%, and 15%). Addition of BRB (5%, 10%, and 15%) significantly decreased the cohesiveness of noodles in texture evaluation. Noodles with different levels of BRB were functionally evaluated and content of polyphenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins were improved compared to the control. Additionally, antioxidant activity of BRB noodles was increased compared to the control. BRB can be an excellent ingredient to increase the nutritional value and antioxidant properties of noodles.     

The effects of Te and misch metal additions on the microstructure and properties of rapidly solidified Ag−Sn−In alloy for electrical contact applications

High wear resistance with a stable contact resistance is a prerequisite for electrical contact applications. Although Ag−CdO has been widely used as an electrical contact material, there are intrinsic problems of forming large Cd oxide particles and environmental regulations against using Cd. Newly developed Ag−SnO₂ alloys are considered good candidates to replace Ag−CdO alloys due to their stable and fine oxide formation capabilities. In addition, further improvements in performance are expected in Ag−SnO₂ alloys by alloy modification and/or solidification processing to produce finer and stable oxide dispersions through internal oxidation. The effect of the addition of Te and misch metal, which function as oxide forming elements, on Ag−Sn−In ternary alloy was investigated. Up to 0.5 wt.% of Te and misch metals were added and rapidly solidified to maximize their effect on fine oxide formation in an Ag matrix. Resulting microstructural changes and properties were evaluated through electron microscopy, spectroscopy, and hardness measurements. The role of Te addition was to provide nucleation sites for complex oxides such as In₂TeO₆ phase and to ensure fine and well dispersed SnO₂ oxide particles. A rapid increase in size was observed for both grain and oxide particles when Te content exceeded 0.3 wt.%. Misch metal addition, on the other hand, had a pronounced effect on grain size reduction of the Ag matrix, and was interpreted as a consequence of decreasing the latent heat of solidification. Maximum hardness was achieved at 0.3 wt.% misch metal addition. In both cases, hardness decreased rapidly at 0.5 wt.% addition and was attributed to the large grain size of the matrix, and also large oxide particles aggregated in the matrix grains.     

Effect of grape seed oil supplementation on plasma lipid profiles in rats

The purpose of the study was to investigate the comparative effects of feeding of grape seed oil (GSO), soybean oil (SO), and lard on plasma lipid profile in rats. Lard fed diets increased body weight gain in rats and resulted in negative effects on lipoprotein metabolism. However, the GSO fed rats had a significant reduction in total cholesterol (TC, 60.6 mg/dL), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC, 16.8 mg/dL), and atherogenic index (AI, 0.9), and the ratio of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) to TC (0.5) was significantly higher than those of SO and lard groups. These data suggest that GSO supplementation has significant health benefits through favorable alterations in plasma lipid profiles compared to SO and lard fed rats. GSO may be good dietary oil and may provide health benefits in hyperlipidemia and related complications.     

Tribological characteristics of silicon nitride at elevated temperatures

A sliding friction-and-wear test for silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) was conducted using a ball-on-disk specimen configuration. The material used in this study was HIPed silicon nitride. The tests were carried out from room temperature to 1000°C using self-mated silicon nitride couples in laboratory air. The worn surfaces were observed by SEM and the debris particles from the worn surfaces were analyzed for oxidation by XPS. The normal load was found to have a more significant influence on the friction coefficient of the silicon nitride than an elevated temperature. The specific wear rate was found to decrease along with the sliding distance. The specific wear rate at 29.4 N and 1000°C was 292 times larger than that at room temperature. The main wear mechanism from room temperature to 750°C was caused by brittle fracture, whereas from 750 to 1000°C the wear mechanism was mainly influenced by the oxidation of silicon nitride due to the increased temperature. The oxidation of silicon nitride at a high temperature was a significant factor in the wear increase.     

Constitutively Activating Mutants of Equine LH/CGR Constitutively Induce Signal Transduction and Inactivating Mutations Impair Biological Activity and Cell-Surface Receptor Loss In Vitro

The signal transduction of the equine lutropin/choriogonadotropin receptor (eLH/CGR) is unclear in naturally occurring activating/inactivating mutants of this receptor, which plays an important role in reproductive physiology. We undertook the present study to determine whether conserved structurally related mutations in eLH/CGR exhibit similar mechanisms of signal transduction. We constructed four constitutively activating mutants (M398T, L457R, D564G, and D578Y) and three inactivating mutants (D405N, R464H, and Y546F); measured cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation via homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence assays in Chinese hamster ovary cells; and investigated cell-surface receptor loss using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. The eLH/CGR-L457R-, -D564G-, and -D578Y-expressing cells exhibited 16.9-, 16.4-, and 11.2-fold increases in basal cAMP response, respectively. The eLH/CGR-D405N- and R464H-expressing cells presented a completely impaired signal transduction, whereas the Y546F-expressing cells exhibited a small increase in cAMP response. The cell-surface receptor loss was 1.4- to 2.4-fold greater in the activating-mutant-expressing cells than in wild-type eLH/CGR-expressing cells, but was completely impaired in the D405N- and Y546F-expressing cells, despite treatment with a high concentration of agonist. In summary, the state of activation of eLH/CGR influenced agonist-induced cell-surface receptor loss, which was directly related to the signal transduction of constitutively activating mutants.     

Innate immune stimulation of polysaccharide fraction from grape peel

The present study was performed to investigate the innate immune stimulating effects of the polysaccharide fraction (VL-3IIb) from peel of grape (Vitis labrusca). VL-3IIb treatment of peritoneal macrophage produced various cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12) in vitro experiment. The intravenous (i.v.) administration of VL-3IIb in mice (100 μg/mouse) significantly augmented cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells against Yac-1 tumor cells. The i.v. administration of VL-3IIb (50–500 μg/mouse) 2 days before tumor inoculation significantly inhibited lung metastasis of colon26-M3.1 carcinoma cells in a dose-independent manner. In addition, the depletion of NK cells by injection of rabbit anti-asialo GM1 serum abolished the inhibitory effect of VL-3IIb on lung metastasis of colon26-M3.1 cells. These results indicate that VL-3IIb has antitumor activity to inhibit tumor metastasis prophylactically, and its antitumor effect is associated with activation of macrophages and NK cells.