Effect of enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins on growth of Bifidobacterium bifidus in milk

The effect of enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins in milk using neutrase on the growth of the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium bifidus was evaluated by estimation of microbial growth, acidity, viscosity and flavour production. A significant increase in the growth of B bifidus was observed in neutrase‐hydrolysed milk. The setting time of bifidus‐cultured milk was advanced by about 12 h at 5% degree of hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins prior to cultivation also significantly increased the viscosity of the product. An approximately 60% increase in viscosity of the product was observed in neutrase‐hydrolysed milk. Production of steam‐volatile monocarbonyls as an indication of development of flavour was also higher in neutrase‐hydrolysed milk. The concentration of steam‐volatile monocarbonyls was 2.47 µmol per 100 ml in neutrase‐hydrolysed milk but only 1.84 µmol per 100 ml in control milk at the setting point of the curd. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

DEPOSITIONAL AND DIAGENETIC HISTORY OF THE KERENDAN CARBONATE PLATFORM, OLIGOCENE, CENTRAL KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA

The Kerendan carbonate platform (Oligocene Berai Limestone) covers a subsurface area measuring approximately 11 by 16 km in the westernmost Kutei Basin, Central Kalimantan. Aggradation of the Kerendan platform occurred during a major Oligocene transgression, and is contemporaneous with aggradation and backstepping of the Barito shelf margin which was located approximately 30 km to the south. The Kerendan platform is approximately 1,000 m thick, and comprises three aggrading seismic sequences identified by the downlap of basinal strata at the platform margin and downlap of transgressive strata within the platform. Carbonate deposition started in the Late Eocene, and ended when the upper limestone sequence drowned and was covered with shale in the Late Oligocene (approximately 28.6 Ma). Three depositional areas can be distinguished in seismic sections: (1) a platform interior (lagoon); (2) a slightly raised platform rim (1–2 km wide); and (3) a basinward‐dipping platform margin and slope. The margin of the platform is identified by inflections on the seismic profiles where the relatively flat platform top begins to slope basinward. Depositional models from outcrops combined with core from three Kerendan wells were used to extrapolate depositional facies onto the seismically‐defined platform. Platform‐interior (lagoon) facies consist largely of fossiliferous wackestones and packstones, and porosities are generally lower than 5%. The platform rim is characterized by interbedded bioclastic wackestones, packstones, grainstones and boundstones, with grainstones increasing toward the platform margin. Porosity preferentially occurs in packstones, grainstones and boundstones. The platform‐rim deposits have greater porosity (5–13%) than the platform interior because the platform run is more grainstone‐rich, and because acidic waters compacting out of basinal shales concentrated dissolution near the platform margin. Pore types include vuggy porosity, microporosity within grains, and intercrystalline porosity in dolomite in the upper part of the platform rim. Different pore types have resulted in variable but locally very high permeabilities (greater than 100 mD). Permeabilities decrease with depth as vuggy pores decrease, and microporosity becomes dominant.     

微波处理对离体黄瓜子叶生根和根活力的影响

用辐射功率200W微波（2450MHz）处理6～16，明显促进离体黄瓜子叶生根．根长和根鲜重增加。不同辐射强度和辐服时间对离体黄瓜子叶生根有不同影响。用TTC法测定，微波处理后与根活力相关的OD值比对照体增加了。用温箱模拟FISO微波炉功率为200W的温度，不同处理时间处理离体黄瓜子叶，没有发现促进生根。说明在一定条件下，微波辐射处理离体黄瓜子叶促进生根．主要是微波的辐射效应。     

Fabrication of Functional Nanofibrous Ammonia Sensor

A nanofibrous sensor for ammonia gas is fabricated by electrospinning the composite of poly(diphenylamine) (PDPA) with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) onto the patterned interdigit electrode. The composite electrospun membrane shows interconnected fibrous morphology. Functional groups in PDPA and the high active surface area of the fibrous membrane make the device detect a lower concentration of ammonia with a good reproducibility. The sensing capability of the device is studied by monitoring the changes in resistance of the membrane with different concentrations of ammonia. The changes in resistance of the membrane shows linearity with the concentration of ammonia in the limit of 10 and 300 ppm. UV-visible spectroscopy reveals the mechanism of sensing ammonia by the membrane.     

Conductivity study of polyethylene oxide (PEO) complexed with sodium bicarbonate

Ion conducting thin film polymer electrolytes based on polyethylene oxide (PEO) complexed with NaHCO₃ salt has been prepared using solution-cast technique. The complexation of NaHCO₃ salt with PEO is confirmed by XRD and IR studies. DC conductivity in the temperature range 303–368 K has been evaluated. The conductivity is found to increase in the PEO complex with the NaHCO₃ salt and also with an increase in temperature. Using this polymer electrolyte, an electrochemical cell with the configuration Na/(PEO + NaHCO₃)/(I₂ + C + electrolyte) has been fabricated and its discharge characteristics studied. Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) and Short Circuit Current (SCC) are found to be 2.69 V and 1.28 mA, respectively. Other parameters associated with the cell are evaluated and presented in this paper.     

Cuprates intermediate between one and two dimensions

The key elements in all known cuprate superconductors are lightly doped CuO_i-planes. Recently a new homologous series of compounds Sr_n–1Cu_n+1O_2n have been reported in which the planes contain a parallel array of line defects which form a trellis lattice with ladder-segments of the square lattice weakly coupled through triangular line defects. The width of the ladder segments is determined by the parameter n and varies from single chains to arbitrarily wide ladders. The magnetic properties of undoped compounds will be dominated by the properties of the ladders. Heisenberg s = 1/2 ladders can have a spin liquid groundstate with a spin gap if the number of rungs is odd so that a short range RVB groundstate is predicted for such trellis lattices. Using a t-J model to describe the doped material leads to the prediction of a d-wave RVB superconducting groundstate with a large spin gap.     

Efficiency,skin strength and sorptivity of fly ash concretes

Four grades of concrete with and without fly ash were devised and tested for compressive strength. The concretes were cured in three different curing regimes. The skin strength of concretes under inadequate curing was calculated by assuming a linear model for the variation of strength, and the strength difference between cement and fly ash concretes has been worked out. The skin strength of cement concretes was found to be higher than that of fly ash concretes. The test results were found to be affected by the size of the test specimen, when proper curing was not provided. The difference in sorptivity of fly ash and cement concretes cured for four days and not provided with any initial curing has been included. For all grades of concrete, the sorptivity of fly ash concrete was found to be marginally higher. The difference in sorptivity between fly ash and cement concretes was observed to increase as the strength of the mix decreased. The effect of initial curing was found to be highly significant. The sorptivity of samples with no curing was twice as much as those with four days initial curing. Besides the material properties, the age and strength of a fly ash concrete were also found to be important factors in determining the cementing efficiency of the fly ash.     

Artificial Intelligence System Approach for Optimization of Drilling Parameters of Glass-Carbon Fiber/Polymer Composites

Silicon - In recent times, the study on machining characteristics of combined (hybrid) fiber polymer composites has drawn a remarkable research attention because of its emerging industrial...