Rapid quantification of trypsin inhibitors in food and feed formulations with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Presence of anti- nutrients deteriorate the nutritional value of animal foods and feed formulations. The important one being trypsin inhibitors. Trypsin inhibitors in food and feed formulations lower the protein supplement and hence the ultimate consequence is the decrease in growth and development of animals. It is therefore, crucial to monitor trypsin inhibitors in animal food and feed formulations. Research work mentioned in this dissertation is based on the development of rapid, more accurate and robust method for determination of trypsin inhibitor in food and feed formulations. The developed method includes extraction of trypsin inhibitor from food and feed formulation and monitoring the decrease in hydrolysis of Hydroxy Methyl Thio Butanoic Acid (HMTBA) derived oligo lysine with the help of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). HMTBA capped oligo lysine was synthesized through a chymotrypsin catalyzed reaction in phosphate buffer. The developed method was favorably compared with the existing method recommended by American Association of Cereal and Chemists (AACC). The second part discusses on the test methods and specifications of unused natural ester oils developed for transformers and similar electrical equipment. Because of lack of internationally recognized test methods to study oxidation stability of natural ester oils for use in transformers and similar electrical equipment, this research work has been aimed at developing appropriate oxidation stability test methods for natural esters and synthetic esters. The test methods include various round robin tests participated by different laboratories from seven countries around the world. The natural ester oils in this work refers to the vegetable oils obtained from seed or other suitable biological methods. These specifications have been adopted in new IEC standard test method (IEC 62770) --Abstract, page iv

Traumatic fibroma

A 29 year old female presented with a growth in relation to the right cheek mucosa (A). On inquiry, she revealed that it had been gradually increasing in size, since she first noticed 4 months earlier. History revealed that she habitually bit her cheek. Constitutional symptoms and lymph node enlargement were absent. The nodule was 2 X 2 cm in size, yellowish in color, located on the right buccal mucosa, along the line of occlusion corresponding to the sharp cusps of maxillary 1st and 2nd molar (B). On palpation, it was nontender, firm and pedunculated. The differential diagnosis included fibroma, myxoma, mucocele, lipoma and pleomorphic adenoma. An excisional biopsy was performed and the microscopic features suggested "Fibroma". The patient was recalled after 2 months to evaluate healing, which was uneventful (C). Fibromas are benign tumors of connective tissue origin. In the oral cavity, they occur in response to irritation from local trauma, and the most common sites are buccal mucosa and tongue. Their size usually ranges from 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm. They are asymptomatic, dome shaped, smooth surfaced, sessile or pedunculated masses that usually occur in females between 20-50 years. The recurrence rate is very low, but when it occurs, it may be due to the persistence of offending irritant.Pan African Medical Journal 2015; 2

Understanding a telomerase RNA intron sequence and structure requirement for telomerase negative regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana

TER2 is a telomeric RNA subunit in Arabidopsis thaliana that has been suggested to be working as a negative regulator of the telomerase complex. When the TER2 is over-expressed, a significant decrease in the telomerase activity has been observed in Arabidopsis. Interestingly, the TER2 gets spliced into a different form of RNA, TER2s. However, the mechanism of splicing is totally different with what we observe with the pre-mRNA in the eukaryotic cells. The intron region that is being spliced out might itself be responsible for the splicing mechanism. For this, various mutations were constructed in which certain specific sequences in the intron region were deleted. By transforming the construct back into the plants, any differences in splicing of TER2 and negative regulation on the telomerase activity will be checked

Perceptions of Infusion Pump Alarms among Experienced Nurses versus Novice Nurses

In nursing, infusion pumps are used daily to provide critical medications, fluids, and nutrition to patients. The alarm signals on these pumps can alert nurses to potential issues with the infusion, but some of these alarms are not clinically significant. In this study, the student researcher determined whether there was a statistically significant difference in the perceptions of infusion pump alarms among experienced and novice nurses. The student researcher hypothesized the novice nurses would have a higher perception of infusion pump alarms. The student researcher had the education department at a rural hospital in the southeastern United States distribute an infusion pump alarm survey to both experienced and novice nurses during mandatory training. The student researcher received 50 total survey responses after 17 were discarded for not meeting criteria. After the data was collected, a t-test was performed resulting in a p value of 0.208 causing the student researcher to fail to reject the null hypothesis showing no statistically significant difference among experienced and novice nurses. In future studies, the student researcher recommends sampling more nurses from a variety of hospitals and ensuring nurses properly fill out the survey. Regarding nursing practice, the student researcher recommends teaching proper pump use to improve staff response to alarms

Faults Segmentation in Levee Systems Using Deep Learning Approaches

Levees are earthen structures constructed to mitigate flooding in low-lying areas. Although levee systems can reduce flood risks, they cannot completely eliminate them. Failures within flood control systems due to inadequate maintenance or strong water currents can lead to significant property damage and catastrophic loss of life, as was seen during Hurricane Katrina. Consequently, regular inspections are essential to identify and address any issues with the levees promptly. However, current inspection methods rely on manual techniques that are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to human error. Therefore, this study proposes using deep learning models for more efficient and frequent assessment of levee systems. The research suggests employing deep-learning architectures to detect three primary deficiencies: cracks, sand boils, and seepages using a semantic segmentation approach. The proposed models focus on lightweight designs, incorporating transfer learning techniques and enhancing feature representation to improve the accuracy and efficiency of fault segmentation using images within flood control systems. Moreover, these models are evaluated with real-world data specific to levees, allowing for their effectiveness in handling various faults exhibiting variations and complexity. As a result, the research enables pixel-level fault detection for AI-based inspection of levee systems, providing valuable support to existing assessment procedures. Furthermore, the study\u27s findings have the potential to extend beyond levee inspection, with implications for broader applications of deep learning in semantic segmentation for real-world scenarios. Keywords: Levee; Faults; Deep learning; Images; Detection; Segmentatio

Approaches to the resilience and the potential for adaptation through community-driven construction projects in the global South

Historically, architectural research into the resilience and the potential for adaptation tended to put more focus on the physical aspects of the built environment at the expense of the social and cultural values which are embedded in the everyday making of built form and space. This research is interested in accentuating the social and cultural context much more than the mere physical element of the built form. It sets out to explore approaches to resilience and adaptation in the global South through the use of local building materials, and to rethink the idea of what is local in a given context. It is interested in examining how collaborative construction and architectural enterprises in the global South address the existing levels of indigenous knowledge and local skills in order to cope with adverse climatic conditions and poverty. The research investigates the work of community-driven initiatives involved in small-scale adaptation projects primarily through the lens of a construction project for a small community building in rural Ghana. Secondary case studies include initiatives, projects and organisations located in four different countries namely Pakistan, Swaziland, Algeria, and Zimbabwe. Moreover it focuses on themes such as the very central relationship between architectural education and practice on the one hand, and building materials, approaches to resilience and adaptation through the use of local materials, ethnographic approaches to research and design, training and collaborations on the other. The research uses a methodology, which is based on qualitative data collection, and includes a mixture of creative methods such as, participant observation and participation, semi-structured and unstructured audio-recorded interviews, informal conversations as well as the use of social media such as Facebook as being the second ‘virtual site’. It is argued that the syncretism of multi-site ethnographic approach and participatory design methods enables solutions, which can contribute to longer-term sustainable adaptation in this context. Drawing on its main research site and primary fieldwork in Abetenim, a remote village in southern Ghana, and the researcher’s role as a community architect and participant in the Earth Architecture construction workshop through a non-profit organisation (NGO), it discusses how the use of ethnography as part of architectural praxis facilitates the holistic understanding of the local context and informs the design process. It feeds off Anthropological research as a typical methodological approach through participant observation and participation, in order to rethink architecture from a broader cultural perspective. This allows the author to critique local situations and frame questions, which directly inform the design process in this context. Simultaneously it reflects on the need to integrate social, physical and cultural change in order to effect broader changes in the community. Hence, the research sets out to explore the compromise between the global and local perspectives. It investigates how an NGO’s prescriptive narrative of using local materials like earth, in the construction of new projects may be adapted and translated into the local reality, and looks at the process of the ‘on the ground’ experience through direct involvement in community architecture and building. It considers the relationship between culture and nature; the intimate relationship between nature and architecture and how this challenges architectural education in the West. Finally, the process of selecting building materials addresses distinct layers of collaboration among the local community, the members of the NGO, and local institutions. Thus the value of collaboration with local actors within research in the global South is emphasized, as the very praxis of collaboration is employed as a method in the implementation of such projects

Genebank ‐ in vitro propagation of potato and sweetpotato. CIP‐SOP056 V 3.0

This procedure describes the in vitro multiplication of potato and sweetpotato germplasm for international and national germplasm distribution, as well as, in vitro conservation, phytosanitary, and cryopreservation activities

Implementasi Kebijakan Penanganan Limbah Batik Di Kota Pekalongan

Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menjelaskan mengenai implementasi kebijakan penanganan limbah batik di Kota Pekalongan yang dilakukan oleh Kantor Lingkungan Hidup Kota Pekalongan. Kebijakan ini dilatar belakangi oleh perkembangan industri batik yang maju dan semakin banyak jumlahnya sehingga secara otomatis dapat menyebabkan pencemaran lingkungan yang diakibatkan oleh limbah batik dan diterbitkannya Peraturan Daerah Kota Pekalongan Nomor 3 Tahun 2010 Tentang Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup. Tujuan dari kebijakan ini adalah terciptanya bentuk pengendalian lingkungan akibat limbah batik yang dibuang sembarangan sehingga dapat terwujud kelestarian lingkungan hidup agar di masa mendatang setidaknya mengalami penurunan pencemaran limbah batik.Guna menjelasakan implementasi kebijakan penanganan limbah batik di Kota Pekalongan, maka digunakan metode mixed (antara metode kualitatif dan metode kuantitatif). Subjek dalam penelitian ini adalah pemerintah yang diwakili oleh KLH, Dinas Kesehatan, pengusaha batik dan masyarakat. Adapun metode pengumpulan data adalah melalui wawancara, observasi, meneliti dokumen dan kuesioner yang dilakukan dengan pemilihan responden menggunakan purposive sampling dan random sampling.Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa hingga akhir tahun 2011 implementasi kebijakan penanganan limbah batik di Kota Pekalongan telah berjalan dengan kurang baik. Kebijakan ini sebenarnya dapat memberikan manfaat yang besar bagi terciptanya kelestarian lingkungan hidup sekitar. Akan tetapi dalam pelaksanaan kebijakan terdapat hambatan-hambatan seperti jumlah limbah batik semakin meningkat seiring berkembangnya industri, masuknya limbah batik yang berasal dari Kabupaten Pekalongan, biaya untuk penanganan limbah batik membutuhkan biaya yang sangat besar. Sementara itu baik dari pengusaha batik maupun masyarakat menyatakan setuju apabila kebijakan penanganan limbah batik di Kota Pekalongan sangat perlu dilanjutkan karena mempunyai tujuan yang baik untuk mencapai kesejahteraan masyarakat melalui penanganan limbah batik yang sudah mencemari sungai di Kota PekalonganRekomendasi untuk penelitian mendatang, diperlukan peningkatan anggaran untuk pembangunan Instalasi Pengolahan Air Limbah (IPAL), perlu ada evaluasi atau melakukan jejak pendapat mengenai pelaksanaan kebijakan ini kepada masyarakat, agar mengetahui bagaimana yang dirasakan dan diharapkan oleh masyarakat, Pemerintah Kota Pekalongan perlu membangun lokasi industri batik dalam satu tempat yang berada di wilayah pinggiran kota yang dapat menampung seluruh pengusaha batik

The Role of the Egyptian Working Class in Mubarak's Ouster

The downfall of Hosni Mubarak’s regime in Egypt has often been portrayed as a ‘pure event’ - that is, something restricted to a couple of weeks in a single and specific square. This article seeks to direct-ly challenge this standard narrative, which has focused simply on what happened in Tahrir, arguing instead that Mubarak’s ouster from power was the result of longstanding anti-regime struggles that developed throughout the 2000s. In the implicit formation of that cross-class and cross-ideological coalition that even-tually defeated the regime, a crucial role was played by workers’ mobilizing against neoliberal policies. There are three main reasons for this: a) since the late 1990s workers were the most serious challenge to Mubarak’s regime; b) during the now famous eighteen days of relentless protests, workers were at the fore-front in the Nile Delta centers, as well as an important element in Tahrir; and finally c) when public enter-prises were re-opened on February 6, an unprecedented wave of strikes paralyzed the country, forcing the military to oust Hosni Mubarak in order to deflect the growing social soul of the uprisin

Studies towards the total synthesis of (-)-kainic acid and allokainic acid

This study commenced with an investigation into a total synthesis of the antibiotic platensimycin 1.1 in chapter one. The key reaction for accessing the synthetically challenging fused ring system involved a meta-photocycloaddition reaction and the chapter one describes our attempts at the syntheses of the key substrates. Much of the chemistry was unsuccessful however we were able to attempt a key photochemical reaction however the desired compound was not obtained. On the basis of these outcomes we refocused our efforts towards the syntheses of kainic acid 2.1 and allokaininc acid 2.2 in chapter two. We aimed to devise a stereoselective synthesis of both kainic acid 2.1 and the allokainic acid 2.2, utilising the diastereofacial selectivity inherent in the previously synthesised oxazolidinone 2.240. Oxazolidinone 2.240 was subjected to a stereo and regiocontrolled 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to give isoxazole 2.279. Reduction, followed by dehydration of isoxazole 2.279 gave the enone 2.287 which forms the Michael acceptor in the key Michael addition reaction. The 1,4 addition on enone 2.287, gave the two diastereomers 2.328 and 2.329 which underwent sequential Wittig reaction, and Krapcho decarboxylation to give the formal synthesis of allokainic acid 2.2 and epikainate 2.346 respectively. An investigation was also conducted with the aim of altering the stereochemistry of the dicarboxylic group in compound 2.329, in order to produce a novel route to the stereoselective synthesis of kainic acid 2.1. For figures referred to here please view abstract in full-text pd