Corn starch nanoparticles: Preparation, characterization, and utilization as a fat replacer in salad dressing

Corn starch nanoparticles (SNPs) were prepared by ultrasonication of starch for 40 min at an amplitude of 40%, which modified some properties of starch so that it could be used as a functional ingredient in food products. The cereal SNPs were characterized on the basis of their morphology, particle size, crystallinity, pasting and functional properties. The SNPs were globular in shape as revealed by TEM. There was a decrease in the crystallanity of SNPs, whereas the functional properties were enhanced in SNPs as compared to raw starch. SNPs had a less paste viscosity as compared to raw starch. Salad dressing was prepared by using SNPs as a fat replacer. The prepared salad dressing was examined for colour, viscosity, and sensory attributes. Overall 60% of fat was replaced using corn SNPs without compromising its quality characteristics

Yield and Quality Evaluation of Direct Seeded Basmati Rice (Oryza sativa L.) under Different Irrigation and Nitrogen Regimes

Management practices need to be developed for successful cultivation of good quality aerobic basmati rice. Field experiments were conducted at Ludhiana, India during the summer seasons of 2011 and 2012 to ascertain the optimum irrigation schedule and dose and timings of nitrogen application to direct seeded basmati rice cultivar Pusa Basmati 1121. Three irrigation schedules (irrigations at 30, 50 and 70 mm CPE), three nitrogen levels (40, 60 and 80 kg N ha–1) and two modules of nitrogen splits (3 splits, i.e. application at 3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing and 4 splits, i.e. application at 0, 3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing) were tested in randomized block design with four replications on a loamy sand soil. The maximum grain yield, protein content, brown, milled and head rice recovery were obtained with irrigations at 30 mm CPE and these were significantly better than 50 and 70 mm CPE irrigation schedules. Among nitrogen levels, the significant increase in grain yield as well as quality parameters, viz. protein content, brown, milled and head rice recovery was recorded only up to a nitrogen dose of 60 kg ha–1. In Indian Punjab, good quality direct seeded basmati rice can be produced by following the irrigation schedule of 30 mm CPE and with the application of 60 kg N ha–1 applied in 3 splits (3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing)

Nonstandard electroconvection in a bent-core oxadiazole material

Electroconvection (EC) phenomena have been investigated in the nematic phase of a bent-core oxadiazole material with negative dielectric anisotropy and a frequency dependent conductivity anisotropy. The formation of longitudinal roll (LR) patterns is one of the predominant features observed in the complete frequency and voltage range studied. At voltages much above the LR threshold, various complex patterns such as the "crisscrossed" pattern, bimodal varicose, and turbulence are observed. Unusually, the nonstandard EC (ns-EC) instability in this material, is observed in a regime in which we measure the dielectric and conductivity anisotropies to be negative and positive respectively. A further significant observation is that the EC displays distinct features in the high and low temperature regimes of the nematic phase, supporting an earlier report that EC patterns could distinguish between regions that have been reported as uniaxial and biaxial nematic phases

Antecedents and Outcomes of Information Privacy Concerns: A Replication Study in Rural India

With the increasing use of social media, individuals are now exposed to risks stemming from the improper use of their data by their peers. This study replicates Ozdemir, Smith and Benamati\u27s article, exploring the relationships among the constructs of privacy experiences, privacy awareness, trust, risk, and benefits and individuals’ behaviors are impacted by these relationships. We collected 248 valid responses through in-person surveys conducted within a rural area in India. Similar to the original study, the hypotheses were tested using SmartPLS. Our preliminary results enrich existing knowledge by revealing distinct privacy concerns in rural India compared with Western settings. Our findings not only reaffirm but also extend the original study’s implications, making it relevant to various contexts

Influence of governance bundles and directors' social capital on cash holding in foreign cross-listed firms

This paper provides new evidence on how both governance bundles and directors’ social capital together can help to determine cash holdings for foreign cross-listed firms. Using a large cross-country sample of 1,677 publicly listed firms from 32 countries during the period of 2004 – 2015, we find a positive relationship between governance bundles and cash holdings for foreign cross-listed firms with higher directors’ social capital. We address potential issue of endogeneity. So, our findings are robust to alternative model specifications and instrumentations and alternative measure of social capital. The findings of our study contribute to the inconclusive decision in the academic literature related to cash holdings, governance bundles, and directors’ social capital, especially related to the foreign cross listed firms. In addition, the findings can assist the stakeholders of foreign cross-listed firms to understand the intention of the firms’ cash holdings and allow policy makers to identify the need of modification for governance structure by controlling the opportunistic behaviour of the firm manager

Interleukin 1 and tumour necrosis factor increase phosphorylation of fibroblast proteins

AbstractInterleukin 1 (IL1) or tumour necrosis factor (TNF) stimulated phosphorylation of a triad of 27 kDa phosphoproteins (pI 6.0, 5.7 and 5.5) in human dermal fibroblasts. The change was dependent on the dose of cytokine in the range 0.1–20 ng, was detectable between 3 and 5 min after stimulation and was maximal by 10 min. The proteins were found in the cytosol after subcellular fractionation. The 32P was removed from them by alkali, indicating the presence of phosphoserine and/or phosphothreonine. The results suggest that early changes in serine/threonine protein kinase activity may be involved in responses of fibroblasts to IL1 and TNF

Does lobbying of firms complement executive networks in determining executive compensation?

In this paper we predict and find that lobbying activities of firms can complement executive networks in determining executive compensation. Firm of all size, after considering market competition as a governance mechanism prefer to consider lobbying as a mean of networking along with the executive level networking to determine the executive compensation. The empirical implication of the study provides guidance to researchers who must consider lobbying along with executive networks in determining the executive compensation. The composite theoretical underpinning and the importance of information flow through lobbying activities of firms will be an important insight for the policy makers involved in determining executive compensation