Effect of temperature on rheology behaviour of banana peel pectin extracted using hot compressed water

Banana peel pectin is extracted from banana peel waste using a hot compressed water extraction (140-160°C, 5 minutes, 1.18 mm particle size). Physicochemical contents of banana peel pectin were found to be in a similar range with commercial pectin, and is comprised of moisture (7.44-8.47%), ash (3.45-4.98%), protein (1.08-1.92%), fat (0.04-3.42), carbohydrate (83-86%), total sugar (1.77-3.41%), energy (353-369 kcal/100g) and specific heat (1.42-1.62 kJ/kg°C). These contents possibly related to their flow deformation of rheological behaviour. Regression analysis displayed good agreements in all models applied, apart from the Casson Model. Flow behaviour indices, n<1 and decreasing of apparent viscosity within increasing of shear rate indicates that banana peel pectin has excellent shear thinning behaviour with a presence of yield stress

Why is Behavioral Game a Game for Economists? : The concept of beliefs in equilibrium

The interdisciplinary exchange between economists and psychologists has so far been more active and fruitful in the modifications of Expected Utility Theory than in those of Game Theory. We argue that this asymmetry may be explained by economists' specific way of doing equilibrium analysis of aggregate-level outcomes in their practice, and by psychologists' reluctance to fully engage with such practice. We focus on the notion of belief that is embedded in economists' practice of equilibrium analysis, more specifically Nash equilibrium, and argue that its difference from the psychological counterpart is one of the factors that makes interdisciplinary exchange in behavioral game theory more difficult.Peer reviewe

N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) gene polymorphisms in Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a movement disorder caused by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain. The molecular basis of this neural death is unknown, but genetic predisposition and environmental factors may cause the disease. Sequence variations in N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) gene leading to slow acetylation process have been associated with PD, but results are contradictory. METHODS: We analyzed three NAT2 genetic variations, c.481C>T, c.590G>A (p.R197Q) and c.857G>A (p.G286E), which are known to result in a slow acetylator phenotype. Using validated PCR-RFLP assays, we genotyped 243 healthy unrelated Caucasian control subjects and 124 PD patients for these genetic variations. Further, we have undertaken a systematic review of NAT2 studies on PD and we incorporated our results in a meta-analysis consisting of 10 studies, 1,206 PD patients and 1,619 control subjects. RESULTS: Overall, we did not find significant differences in polymorphic acetylation genotypes in PD and control subjects. In the meta-analysis of slow acetylators from 10 studies and representing 604/1206 PD vs. 732/1619 control subjects, a marginally significant odds ratio (OR) of 1.32 (95% CI 1.12–1.54, p < 0.05) was obtained. Re-analysis of the data to exclude the only two studies showing positive association of slow acetylators to PD, resulted in a non-significant OR (1.07, 95% CI 0.9–1.28). Furthermore, meta-analysis of studies for c.590G>A, where both allele and genotype frequencies in PD vs. control subjects were analyzed, did not give significant summary odds ratios as well. CONCLUSION: We found little evidence for differences in polymorphic acetylation genotypes in PD and control subjects. Results of the meta-analyses did not also provide conclusive evidence for an overall association of NAT2 slow acetylator genotypes to PD

Radical changes are needed for transformations to a good Anthropocene

The scale, pace, and intensity of human activity on the planet demands radical departures from the status quo to remain within planetary boundaries and achieve sustainability. The steering arms of society including embedded financial, legal, political, and governance systems must be radically realigned and recognize the connectivity among social, ecological, and technological domains of urban systems to deliver more just, equitable, sustainable, and resilient futures. We present five key principles requiring fundamental cognitive, behavioral, and cultural shifts including rethinking growth, rethinking efficiency, rethinking the state, rethinking the commons, and rethinking justice needed together to radically transform neighborhoods, cities, and regions.</p

How does it really feel to act together? : Shared emotions and the phenomenology of we-agency

Research on the phenomenology of agency for joint action has so far focused on the sense of agency and control in joint action, leaving aside questions on how it feels to act together. This paper tries to fill this gap in a way consistent with the existing theories of joint action and shared emotion. We first reconstruct Pacherie’s (Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 13, 25–46, 2014) account on the phenomenology of agency for joint action, pointing out its two problems, namely (1) the necessary trade-off between the sense of self- and we-agency; and (2) the lack of affective phenomenology of joint action in general. After elaborating on these criticisms based on our theory of shared emotion, we substantiate the second criticism by discussing different mechanisms of shared affect—feelings and emotions—that are present in typical joint actions. We show that our account improves on Pacherie’s, first by introducing our agentive model of we-agency to overcome her unnecessary dichotomy between a sense of self- and we-agency, and then by suggesting that the mechanisms of shared affect enhance not only the predictability of other agents’ actions as Pacherie highlights, but also an agentive sense of we-agency that emerges from shared emotions experienced in the course and consequence of joint action.Peer reviewe

The prospect on the use of Be mirrors in a fusion reactor with Be first wall

Many methods of plasma diagnostics in a fusion reactor (FR) require the use of so called first mirrors (FM) disposed inside the vacuum vessel. One reason of FM degradation is the deposition on the FM surface of material eroded from the inner components subjected to most intensive plasma impact, i.e., deposition of beryllium in the case of experimental FR (ITER) with Be wall protection. Thus, in ITER only Be mirror can sustain its optical properties for long time and in the present paper results are presented of the simulation experiments on some ITER environment effects on FM made of Be. Namely, effects of bombardment by D ions on reflectance, R(λ), in the λ=220-650 nm range was studied as modelling the impact of charge exchange atoms. It was found that with high ion energy (600-1350 eV) the sharp drop of R(λ), 5-20 %, rising with decreasing wavelength of reflected light, was observed after ion fluence ~10¹⁸ions/cm². It was supposed that under deuterium ions the BeO surface film was transformed into the Be(OD)₂ film accompanying by changing the refraction and extinction indices of the film, as was registered by ellipsometry measurements. Effects of ion energy and ion fluence variation on R(λ) of Be mirrors are discussed in detail.Багато методів діагностики плазми в реакторі синтезу (РC) вимагають використання так званих перших дзеркал (ПД), розташованих у внутрішній частині вакуумної камери. Одна з причин деградації ПД - осадження на поверхні ПД матеріалу ерозії внутрішніх компонентів, що піддавались найбільш інтенсивній плазмовій дії, тобто, осадження берилiю у випадку експериментального РС (ІTER) із захистом стінки з Be. Таким чином, тільки в ІTERі дзеркало з Be може зберігати оптичні властивості протягом довгого часу, і в наведеній роботі представлені результати експериментів моделювання деяких ефектів середовища ІTER для ПД, виготовленого з Be. А саме, вплив бомбардування іонами D на коефіцієнт відображення, R(λ), у діапазоні λ=220–650 нм вивчався у рамках моделі ударного впливу атомів перезарядження. При високих енергіях іонів (600-1350 eВ) було виявлене різке зниження R(λ), 5-20 %, зростаюче при зменшенні довжини хвилі відбитого світла, яке спостерігалось після флюенса іонів ~10¹⁸ іонів/cм². Передбачалося, що під дією іонів дейтерію поверхнева плівка Be була перетворена на Be(OD)₂ плівку, що супроводжувалось зміною показників рефракції і экcтинкції плівки, як було зареєстровано вимірами эліпсометрії. Докладно обговорювалось вплив енергії іонів і варіацій флюенсу іонів на R(λ) Be дзеркала.Многие методы диагностики плазмы в реакторе синтеза (РC) требуют использования так называемых первых зеркал (ПЗ), расположенных во внутренней части вакуумной камеры. Одна из причин деградации ПЗ – осаждение на поверхности ПЗ материала эрозии внутренних компонент, подвергавшихcя наиболее интенсивному воздейcтвию плазмы, то есть, осаждение бериллия в экспериментальном РC (ITER) с защитой cтенки из Be. Таким образом, только в ITERе зеркало из Be может cохранять оптические свойства в течение долгого времени. В данной работе представлены результаты экспериментов моделирования некоторых эффектов влияния cpеды ITER на ПЗ, изготовленное из Be. А именно, влияние бомбардировки ионами D на коэффициент отражения, R(λ), в диапазоне λ=220-650 нм изучалоcь в рамках модели ударного воздействия атомов перезарядки. Пpи высоких энергиях ионов (600–1350 эВ) было обнаружено резкое снижение R(λ), 5-20%, возpаcтающее пpи уменьшении длины волны отраженного света, которое наблюдалоcь после воздействия флюенса ионов ~10¹⁸ ионов/cм². Предполагалось, что под дейcтвием ионов дейтерия поверхностная пленка BeO преобразовалась в Be(OD)₂ пленку, что сопровождалоcь изменением показателей рефракции и экcтинкции пленки, как было зарегистрировано измерениями эллипсометрии. Подробно обcуждалоcь влияние энергии ионов и вариаций флюенса ионов на R(λ) Be зеркала