Characteristics of oils and nutrient contents of nigella sativa linn. and trigonella foenum-graecum seeds

The core objective of this research was to determine the oil characteristics and nutrient contents of Nigella sativa and Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds. Characteristics of seed oils revealed higher degree of unsaturation and as determined by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) reported herein the major unsaturated fatty acids were linoleic acid (52.6% in N. sativa and 42.5% in T. foenum-graecum), followed by oleic acid (23.5% in N. sativa and 20% in T. foenum-graecum), while the main saturated fatty acid was palmitic acid (16% in N. sativa and 10.5% in T. foenum-graecum). Triacylglycerols and neutral lipids were found to be most abounded components recorded to 78.4 and 93.2% for N. sativa and 84.8 and 93.2% for T. foenum-graecum, respectively. The seed oils, therefore, have potential for use as domestic and industrial oils. Compositional analysis revealed that both samples contained considerable amounts of protein (20% in N. sativa and 28% in T. foenum-graecum) and high amount of lipid (37%) in N. sativa seeds. The seeds are shown to be rich sources of potassium, calcium and sodium and other elements. Nutrient information reported herein illustrates the benefits to public health for consumers of these plant seeds

Integrated microfluidic drug delivery devices : a component view

Research on drug delivery devices is progressing rapidly with the main objective being the delivery of precise quantity of drugs into the target area of the body. A drug delivery device (DDD) needs to accurately control the flow rate of drug delivery and protects the body from undesired additional doses. An integrated microfluidic drug delivery device (IMDDD) is a miniature device that can regulate and monitor the delivery of the right amount of drug using micro-scale components. IMDDDs offer several advantages including ease of use, electro-chemical controllability, low power consumption, simplicity, fast fabrication, and good bio-compatibility. Various IMDDDs have been developed for treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disorder, eye and brain diseases, stress, and diabetes. This paper presents a generic architecture for IMDDDs, discusses the existing drug delivery methods, summarizes the specifications of the components, and identifies a number of performance evaluation parameters. The operation of IMDDDs is presented through fourteen potential internal components. In addition, recommendations on how enhance the design and fabrication process of IMDDDs are given

A miniature energy harvesting rectenna for operating a head-mountable deep brain stimulation device

This paper presents design, implementation, and evaluation of a miniature rectenna for energy harvesting applications. The rectenna produces DC power from a distant microwave energy transmitter. The generated DC power is then utilized to operate a head-mountable deep brain stimulation device. The rectenna consists of a miniature three-layer planar inverted-F antenna and a Schottky-diode-based bridge rectifier. The antenna has a volume of π × 6 × 1.584 mm, a resonance frequency of 915 MHz with a simulated bandwidth of 18 MHz (907-925 MHz), and a measured bandwidth of 18 MHz (910-928 MHz) at the return loss of -10 dB. A dielectric substrate of FR-4 of ε = 4.5 and δ = 0.02 is used for simulation and fabrication of the antenna and the rectifier due to its low cost. An L-section impedance matching circuit is employed between the antenna and the rectifier to reduce the mismatch loss. The impedance matching circuit operates as a low-pass filter eliminating higher order harmonics. A deep brain stimulation device is successfully operated by the rectenna at a distance of 20 cm away from a microwave energy transmitter of power 26.77 dBm. The motivation of this paper includes creation of a deep brain stimulation device that operates indefinitely without a battery. From the application standpoint, the developed energy harvesting rectenna facilitates long-term deep brain stimulation of laboratory animals for preclinical research investigating neurological disorders

<b>Physico-chemical characteristics of <i>Mesua ferrea</i> seed oil and nutritional composition of its seed and leaves</b>

Studies on the physico-chemical characteristics of seed oils of Mesua ferrea collected from different districts of Bangladesh revealed specific gravity (0.9287-09312), refractive index (1.4690-1.4739), solidification point [-4.0-(-4.3)], pour point [-1.0-(-1.3)], cloud point (5.5-6.0), flash point (90-98), fire point (110-116), smoke point (44-47), iodine value (89.17-93.01), saponification value (199.03-206.40), saponification equivalent (271.80-281.86), acid value (9.64-11.87), free fatty acid (4.85-5.96), ester value (188.95-1.95.44), unsaponifiable matter (1.44-1.50), acetyl value (2.70-2.84), peroxide value (3.58-3.64), Reichert-Meissl value (5.852-6.031) and polenske number (0.7891-0.8401). Glyceride classes were estimated to be monoglycerides (1.05-1.35 %), diglycerides (2.12-2.32 %) and triglycerides (87.65-89.50 %) whereas total lipid extracts were fractionated into neutral lipid (89.83-92.18 %), glycolipid (3.65-4.15 %) and phospholipid (1.98-2.68 %). Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids present in the oils were separated and amounted to be (27.40-29.11 %) and (65.85- 68.31 %), respectively, depending upon the areas from where the seeds were collected. GLC analysis of the oil indicated the presence of palmitic acid (10.87%), linoleic acid (13.68%), oleic acid (55.93%) and stearic acid (14.19%) as major fatty acids in the oil. In addition, myristic acid (2.13%) and arachidic acid (2.921%) were also present in minor amount. In biochemical analysis, Mesua ferrea seeds contained total lipid (66.91-70.23 g %), moisture (4.02-5.05 g %), ash (1.46-1.50 g %), total protein (6.99-7.19 g %), water soluble protein (2.98-3.11 g %), starch (5.51-5.85 g %), crude fiber (1.22-1.98 g %), carbohydrate (15.88-18.68 g %) and energy value (700.55-724.15 kcal/100 g), while its leaves contained total lipid (2.32-2.44 g %), moisture (65.12-72.19 g %), ash (2.60-2.71 g %), total protein (4.23-4.85 g %), water soluble protein (1.47-2.01 g %), starch (3.06-3.27 g %), crude fiber (3.12-3.29 g %), carbohydrate (14.82-22.30 g %) and energy value (100.24-128.40 kcal/100 g ). The present investigations demonstrate that the results vary to some extent but not significantly enough with the locations from where samples were collected

Exploring the nexus between FDI inflows and economic growth: A sectoral level analysis.

This study investigates the relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows and economic growth at sectoral levels in Bangladesh, employing a panel study framework. Utilizing sectoral-level panel data spanning six sectors from 2007-08 to 2018-19, the analysis is conducted using Panel Vector Error Correction Model (Panel VECM). Results from panel unit root tests confirm that all variables are integrated of order one I (1), indicating stationarity. The Pedroni panel co-integration test further supports the presence of co-integration among the variables. Notably, the Panel VECM reveals evidence of a unidirectional causal relationship from Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) to Real Foreign Direct Investment (RFDI) across all six sectors of Bangladesh. The findings underscore the significance of formulating pragmatic policies and implementing them effectively to attract FDI across sectors, thereby contributing to the overall economic growth of Bangladesh

Radio frequency energy harvesting from a feeding source in a passive deep brain stimulation device for murine preclinical research

This paper presents the development of an energy harvesting circuit for use with a head-mountable deep brain stimulation (DBS) device. It consists of a circular planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) and a Schottky diode-based Cockcroft-Walton 4-voltage rectifier. The PIFA has the volume of &pi;&nbsp;&times;&nbsp;10(2)&nbsp;&times;&nbsp;1.5&nbsp;mm(3), resonance frequency of 915&nbsp;MHz, and bandwidth of 16&nbsp;MHz (909-925&nbsp;MHz) at a return loss of -10&nbsp;dB. The rectifier offers maximum efficiency of 78% for the input power of -5&nbsp;dBm at a 5&nbsp;k&Omega; load resistance. The developed rectenna operates efficiently at 915&nbsp;MHz for the input power within -15&nbsp;dBm to +5&nbsp;dBm. For operating a DBS device, the DC voltage of 2&nbsp;V is recorded from the rectenna terminal at a distance of 55&nbsp;cm away from a 26.77&nbsp;dBm transmitter in free space. An in-vitro test of the DBS device is presented