Effect of flour fortification with haem liposome on bread and bread doughs

Slaughter blood haem was encapsulated in lecithin : cholesterol Liposomes. Wheat flour was fortified with this mixture at two levels (60 and 100 mg/100 g flour) using the haem liposomes as iron source. The effect of haem fortification on gluten and fat content of flours was determined, as were the effects of fortification on dough visco‐elastic characteristics (water absorption, development time, dough stability and breakdown time). The baking properties of the breads were also investigated. The addition of haem liposomes increased the fat content of flours, and had a positive effect on the stability and rheological characteristics of the dough. Loaf volume and crumb uniformity was improved. These results indicate a potential nutritional use for haem liposomes..     

Concrete strength ultrasonic digital tester

This paper describes the design and construction of a concrete strength ultrasonic digital meter. The method depends on the transmission and reception of two ultrasonic sinusoidal signals. These two signals are so processed so as to yield a digital output number representative of the speed of propagation through the concrete specimen. This velocity figure can be related to the applications on finding the concrete crush strength, concrete crack depth, as well as the concrete behavior with electrical curing temperature. The electronic system employs Complementary-Oxide Semiconductor logic circuits and hybrid conversion circuits. It consumes such a little power, which makes such a design transportable and hence a battery operated device.     

Facile ultrasound-assisted synthesis of ZnO nanorods in an ionic liquid

ZnO nanocrystals have been synthesized by ultrasound-assisted synthesis from Zn(CH₃COO)₂2H₂O and NaOH in the neat room-temperature ionic-liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide, [C₄mim][Tf₂N]. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show that the formed ZnO nanocrystals are of rod like shape with lengths from 50 to 100 nm and diameters of about 20 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirms the crystallinity as well as the sample purity. The band gap of the as-prepared ZnO nanorods was estimated to be 3.31 eV from UV–Vis absorption measurements. The photoluminescence spectrum shows the characteristic greenish emission of ZnO at room temperature (λ_max = 563 nm). The ZnO bonding levels have been determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements show typical samples to have a specific surface area of 49.93 m²/g.     

Deficiency in the Treatment Description of mTOR Inhibitor Resistance in Medulloblastoma,a Systematic Review

Medulloblastoma is a common fatal pediatric brain tumor. More treatment options are required to prolong survival and decrease disability. mTOR proteins play an essential role in the disease pathogenesis, and are an essential target for therapy. Three generations of mTOR inhibitors have been developed and are clinically used for immunosuppression and chemotherapy for multiple cancers. Only a few mTOR inhibitors have been investigated for the treatment of medulloblastoma and other pediatric tumors. The first-generation mTOR, sirolimus, temsirolimus, and everolimus, went through phase I clinical trials. The second-generation mTOR, AZD8055 and sapanisertib, suppressed medulloblastoma cell growth; however, limited studies have investigated possible resistance pathways. No clinical trials have been found to treat medulloblastoma using third-generation mTOR inhibitors. This systematic review highlights the mechanisms of resistance of mTOR inhibitors in medulloblastoma and includes IDO1, T cells, Mnk2, and eIF4E, as they prolong malignant cell survival. The findings promote the importance of combination therapy in medulloblastoma due to its highly resistant nature.     

Facile preparation of Ag/ZnO nanoparticles via photoreduction

Ag/ZnO nanoparticles can be obtained via photocatalytic reduction of silver nitrate at ZnO nanorods when a solution of AgNO₃ and nanorods ZnO suspended in ethyleneglycol is exposed to daylight. The mean size of the deposited sphere like Ag particles is about 5 nm. However, some of the particles can be as large as 20 nm. The ZnO nanorods were pre-prepared by basic precipitation from zinc acetate di-hydrate in the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide. They are about 50–300 nm in length and 10–50 nm in width. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence (PL) were used to characterize the resulting Ag/ZnO nanocomposites.     

Sonochemical preparation of TiO2 nanoparticles in the ionic liquid 1-(3-hydroxypropyl)-3-methylimidazolium-bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide

Spherical shaped anatase nanoparticles (ø 5 nm) have been synthesized in the ionic liquid 1-(3-hydroxypropyl)-3-methylimidazolium-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide from titanium tetraisopropoxide by ultrasound assisted synthesis under ambient conditions. XRD, EDX, TEM, XPS, Raman, UV–vis, PL and BET measurements have been employed for characterization of the nanostructure of as-prepared TiO₂. XRD and Raman measurements both show that the obtained material is crystalline with anatase structure. The morphology of TiO₂ nanoparticles was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The bandgap of the TiO₂ nanocrystals estimated from XRD and UV–vis measurements is about 3.3 eV. The surface area of a typical sample is 177 m² g⁻¹. The synthesized anatase nanocrystals show good photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylorange.