Preparation of dibasic acid-containing soy phospholipids by chemical and enzyme-catalyzed transesterification and evaluation of their surface-active properties

The preparation of dibasic acid-containing soy phospholipid was made by transesterification reaction with alkyl ester of diabasic acid with both lipase and alkoxide as a catalyst. The extent of incorporation of a dibasic acid varied with the molecular size of the dibasic acid. The extent of incorporation in soy phospholipids was 4–13% in the case of adipic acid and 9–20% in the case of sebacic acid. The surface-active properties of these modified soy phospholipids were examined and were found to be different from those of the original (unmodified) soy phospholipid. The interfacial properties such as critical micelle concentration (CMC), γ_CMC, surface excess concentration Γ_max, and minimum area per molecule (Å), and thermodynamic parameters such as standard free energy of micellization, were found to depend on the hydrophobic part of the dibasic acids.     

Analysing the patterns of spatial contrast discontinuities in natural images for robust edge detection

Pattern Analysis and Applications - The pattern of spatial contrast discontinuities in natural images has been analysed in the present work, and based on it, a new adaptive model of the...     

Product recommendation for e-commerce business by applying principal component analysis (PCA) and K-means clustering: benefit for the society

Innovations in Systems and Software Engineering - Recommender system is a computer-based intelligent technique which facilitates the customers to fulfill their purchase requirements. In addition to...     

Hierarchical ATPG for analog circuits and systems

Automatic test-pattern generation (ATPG) algorithms for analog circuits have been under intense investigation for the last several years. As system design aggressively moves to system-on-a-chip (SoC) and core-based integration, hierarchical analog ATPG emerges as an even more difficult challenge. Attempts to develop an effective algorithm have had varying degrees of success. This article reviews some fundamental issues and recent work in hierarchical analog ATPG and presents an algorithm based on controllability and observability computation. This algorithm has been implemented in a prototype tool, and results based on several case studies show the application of the technique     

Moisture profiles of wheat noodles containing hydroxypropylated tapioca starch

Wheat noodles were prepared using flour to which hydroxypropylated tapioca starch was added, and the effect of this addition on the moisture distribution within the noodles during cooking was examined using a digital image processing technique. The addition of the modified starch slightly increased the moisture content and narrowed the flat distribution near the noodle surface. The distribution features reflected the changes in the water absorption behaviour caused by the properties of the modified starch and the reduction in the gluten content. Addition of the modified starch lowered Young's modulus and the energy for 99% strain of the noodles in the texture analysis to, at maximum 35% and 65%, and decreased the breakability of the noodles. These changes in the moisture distribution and textural properties have been ascribed to changes in both the state of the starch granules near the surface and the structure of the gluten network.     

Friction Factor Evaluation Using Experimental and Finite Element Methods for Al-4%Cu Preforms

In this study, ring compression tests and finite element (FE) simulations have been utilized to evaluate the friction factor, m, under different lubricating conditions for powder metallurgical (P/M) Al-4%Cu preforms. A series of ring compression tests were carried out to obtain friction factor (m) for a number of lubricating conditions, including zinc stearate, graphite, molybdenum disulfide powder, and unlubricated condition. FE simulations were used to analyze materials deformation, densification, and geometric changes, and to derive the friction calibration curves. The friction factor has been determined for various initial relative densities and different lubricating conditions, and a proper lubricant for cold forging of P/M Al-4%Cu preforms is found. Studies show that the use of lubricants has reduced the friction. However, increase in the number of pores in the preforms leads to excessive friction. The FE simulation results demonstrate a shift in the neutral plane distance from the axis of ring specimen, which occurred due to variations in the frictional conditions and initial relative densities. The load requirement for deformation, effective stress, and effective strain induced, and bulging phenomena obtained by FE simulations have a good agreement with the experimental data.     

Identification and characterization of metabolic properties of bacterial populations recovered from arsenic contaminated ground water of North East India (Assam)

Diversity of culturable bacterial populations within the Arsenic (As) contaminated groundwater of North Eastern state (Assam) of India is studied. From nine As contaminated samples 89 bacterial strains are isolated. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis reveals predominance of Brevundimonas (35%) and Acidovorax (23%) along with Acinetobacter (10%), Pseudomonas (9%) and relatively less abundant (<5%) Undibacterium, Herbaspirillum, Rhodococcus, Staphylococcus, Bosea, Bacillus, Ralstonia, Caulobacter and Rhizobiales members. High As(III) resistance (MTC 10–50 mM) is observed for the isolates obtained from As(III) enrichment, particularly for 3 isolates of genus Brevundimonas   (MTC 50 mM). In contrast, high resistance to As(V) (MTC as high as 550 mM) is present as a ubiquitous property, irrespective of isolates' enrichment condition. Bacterial genera affiliated to other groups showed relatively lower degree of As resistance [MTCs of 15–20 mM As(III) and 250–350 mM As(V)]. As(V) reductase activity is detected in strains with high As(V) as well as As(III) resistance. A strong correlation could be established among isolates capable of reductase activity and siderophore production as well as As(III) tolerance. A large number of isolates (nearly 50%) is capable of anaerobic respiration using alternate inorganic electron acceptors [As(V), Se(VI), Fe(III), ₃NO²⁻${{\text{NO}}_3}^{2\mathrm{-}}$, ₄SO²⁻${{\text{SO}}_4}^{2\mathrm{-}}$, S₂O₃²⁻${{\text{S}}_2{\text{O}}_3}^{2\mathrm{-}}$]. Ability to utilize different carbon sources ranging from C2–C6 compounds along with some complex sugars is also observed. Particularly, a number of strains is found to possess ability to grow chemolithotrophically using As(III) as the electron donor. The study reports for the first time the identity and metabolic abilities of bacteria in As contaminated ground water of North East India, useful to elucidate the microbial role in influencing mobilization of As in the region.