Effect of incorporation levels of oat and green pea flour on the properties of an extruded product and their optimization

An extruded product was made based on oats and dried green pea using central composite rotatable design. Effects of incorporation level of oat flour (OF, 15.86 to 44.14%) and dried green pea flour (DGPF, 7.93 to 22.07%) on the physical and functional characteristics of extruded products based on composite flour were studied using response surface methodology. Second order polynomial equation was used to describe the effect of OF and DGPF on lateral expansion (LE), bulk density (BD), water solubility index (WSI), water absorption index (WAI), and hardness (HD). Results indicated that OF had negative effect on LE, while positive effect on BD, WSI, WAI, and HD. On increasing DGPF, LE and WSI increased, but it had negative effect on BD, WAI, and HD. Numerical optimization resulted in 41.91% OF and 7.93% DGPF to produce acceptable extrudates. The results suggest that oats and dried green pea flour can be extruded with rice flour and corn flour into an acceptable snack food

Studies on chromosomal characteristics of Ctenus indicus (Gravely 1931) (Araneae: Ctenidae)

The karyological information gathered for the Indian spiders taxa thus far were cytologically derived from only few species but none for the representatives belonging to the genus Ctenus. Ctenus indicus (Gravely 1931), an Indian ctenid spider was cytogenetically analyzed following conventional, C- and NOR-banding techniques so as to gather substantial data for future course of understanding of karyotypic evolution among spider species. The karyotypic data for Ctenus indicus revealed the complement consisting of (2n = 28) 26AA + X1X2� and (2n = 30) 26AA + X1X1X2X2� acrocentric chromosomes. A closer scrutiny of meiotic progression disclosed many male pachytenic cells displaying the occurrence of �bouquet� formation. The results of C-banding enabled in identifying centromeric constitutive heterochromatin locales, and in some chromosomes also the distal ends of telomeric regions. Silver nitrate stained NOR-specifications were noticed at the distal telomeric regions of two pairs of chromosomes (#8 and #10) in the complement. Cytological evidence procured from the present study not only adds to the ever-growing list of the spider cytogenetic assessments but also offers as a baseline data towards establishing evolutionary relationships within this important group. © 2016, Archana Sharma Foundation of Calcutta

Bibliometric Analysis on Women’s Leadership Aspiration (2001:2021)

The persistent underrepresentation of women in leadership positions is a widely acknowledged concern. This study employs bibliometric analysis to critically examine the existing corpus of literature on women's aspirations for career advancement and their drive towards leadership roles, sourced from the comprehensive Scopus database. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using the PRISMA standards. Data from 2001-2021 sourced from the Scopus database was used in the study. A total of 45 publications were identified and evaluated based on their titles, abstracts and keywords resulting in a final sample of 42 articles that underwent data mining and qualitative analysis through the use of Biblioshiny and VOS viewer tools. The findings highlight the most influential literature in the field, the publishing trends, and further areas for research that will help build a conceptual framework for future behavioural research. Recognizing the factors that impact women's career advancement and creating a supportive environment is crucial to promoting gender equality. The outcomes of this study have both theoretical and practical implications and align with the objective of achieving gender equality under the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals agenda. The study provides a foundation for the attainment of this goal by shedding light on the issue

Endothelin-1 stimulates oral fibroblasts to promote oral cancer invasion

AbstractAimsThe aims of this study were to examine the role of endothelin-1 (ET-1), a pleiotropic peptide found at elevated levels in a number of malignancies and which has been shown to influence oral cancer cell behaviour via paracrine signalling pathways, on the phenotype of oral fibroblasts.Main methodsThe effect of ET-1 on proliferation and migration of human primary oral fibroblasts was assessed using MTS and scratch assays, respectively. The ability of ET-1 to affect fibroblast contractility was analysed using type-I collagen gels. Changes in gene expression in oral fibroblasts exposed to ET-1 were examined using quantitative PCR. The invasiveness of oral cancer cells in the presence of conditioned media collected from ET-1 treated fibroblasts was determined using 2D Matrigel assays.Key findingsHere we provide evidence that ET-1 increases the migration of oral fibroblasts and induces a more contractile phenotype which is not associated with changes in gene expression indicative of myofibroblast transdifferentiation. In addition we provide evidence that conditioned medium of ET-1-stimulated oral fibroblasts promotes invasion of OSCC cells in vitro.SignificanceIn oral squamous cell carcinoma, a frequently fatal and increasingly common epithelial malignancy of the oral cavity, ET-1 is known to contribute to pro-migratory paracrine signalling between stromal fibroblasts and cancer cells. The ability of ET-1 to modulate the phenotype of human oral stromal fibroblasts, however, has not previously been reported. The findings presented here suggest that targeting the stromal endothelin system may be a viable and novel therapeutic strategy for invasive oral cancer

Accuracy of clinical coding for procedures in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Clinical coding has important financial implications, and discrepancies in the assigned codes can directly affect the funding of a department and hospital. Over the last few years, numerous oversights have been noticed in the coding of oral and maxillofacial (OMF) procedures. To establish the accuracy and completeness of coding, we retrospectively analysed the records of patients during two time periods: March to May 2009 (324 patients), and January to March 2014 (200 patients). Two investigators independently collected and analysed the data to ensure accuracy and remove bias. A large proportion of operations were not assigned all the relevant codes, and only 32% - 33% were correct in both cycles. To our knowledge, this is the first reported audit of clinical coding in OMFS, and it highlights serious shortcomings that have substantial financial implications. Better input by the surgical team and improved communication between the surgical and coding departments will improve accuracy

Synthesis, spectral characterization, in-vitro microbiological evaluation and cytotoxic activities of novel macrocyclic bis hydrazone

A macrocyclic hydrazone Schiff base was synthesized by reacting 1,4-dicarbonyl phenyl dihydrazide with 2,6-diformyl-4-methyl phenol and a series of metal complexes with this new Schiff base were synthesized by reaction with Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) metal salts. The Schiff base and its complexes have been characterized by elemental analyses, IR, 1H NMR, UV-vis, FAB mass, ESR spectra, fluorescence, thermal, magnetic and molar conductance data. The analytical data reveal that the Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes possess 2:1 metal-ligand ratios. All the complexes are non-electrolytes in DMF and DMSO due to their low molar conductance values. Infrared spectral data suggest that the hydrazone Schiff base behaves as a hexadentate ligand with NON NON donor sequence towards the metal ions. The ESR spectral data shows that the metal-ligand bond has considerable covalent character. The electrochemical behavior of the copper(II) complex was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The Schiff base and its complexes have also been screened for their antibacterial (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysentery, Micrococcus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and antifungal activities (Aspergillus niger, Penicillium and Candida albicans) by MIC method. The brine shrimp bioassay was also carried out to study their in-vitro cytotoxic properties. © 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved

Very low latitude (L = 1.08) whistlers and correlation with lightning activity

We present analysis of more than 2000 lightning-generated whistlers recorded at a low-latitude station, located at Allahabad (geographic latitude, 25.40N; geographic longitude, 81.93E; L = 1.081), India, during December 2010 to November 2011. The main focus of this work is on the correlation between observed low-latitude whistlers and lightning activity detected by the World-Wide Lightning Location Network near the conjugate point (geography 9.87S, 83.59E) of Allahabad. Whistler occurrence is higher in the postmidnight period as compared to the premidnight period. Whistlers were observed in the daytime only on 2 days that too before 8:30 LT (morning). Seasonally, occurrence is maximum during winter months, which is due to more lightning activity in the conjugate region and favorable ionospheric conditions. About 63% of whistlers were correlated with lightning strokes in the vicinity of the conjugate point within spatial extent of 1000 km (conjugate area). Most (about 53%) whistlers were found to be associated with lightning strokes that were offset to the southeast of the conjugate point. The results indicate that an energy range of 7.5-17.5 kJ of lightning strokes generate most of whistlers at this station. The L shell calculations show that propagation paths of the observed whistlers were embedded in the topside ionosphere. Based on these results we suggest a possibility of ducted mode of propagation even for such very low latitude whistlers. ©2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved

Concentration of uranium levels in groundwater

The uranium isotopes during their course of their disintegration decay into other radioactive elements and eventually decay into stable lead isotopes. The cause of environmental concern is the emanation of beta and gamma radiation during disintegration. The present study tends to estimate uranium in groundwater trapped in granite and gneiss rocks. Besides, the study aims at estimating the radiation during natural disintegration process. The water samples were collected and analyzed following inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric technique while water sample collection was given to the regions of Kolar District, South India, due to the representation. The significant finding was the observation of very high levels of uranium in groundwater compared to similar assays reported at other nearby districts. Also, the levels were considerable to those compared to groundwater levels of uranium reported by other scientists. On the basis of this study, it was inferred that the origin of uranium was from granite strata and there was a trend of diffusion observed in the course of flow-path of water in the region

Using ISOS consensus test protocols for development of quantitative life test models in ageing of organic solar cells

As Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) development matures, the demand grows for rapid characterisation of degradation and application of Quantitative Accelerated Life Tests (QALT) models to predict and improve reliability. To date, most accelerated testing on OPVs has been conducted using ISOS consensus standards. This paper identifies some of the problems in using and interpreting the results for predicting ageing based upon ISOS consensus standard test data. Design of Experiments (DOE) in conjunction with data from ISOS consensus standards are used as the basis for developing life test models for OPV modules. This is used to study their temperature-humidity and light-induced degradation, which enables failure rates during accelerated testing to be assessed against the typical outdoor operational conditions. The life test models are used to assess the relative severity of the ISOS standards and the impact of geographic and seasonal climatic changes on OPV degradation