Conditions to induce water repellency in soils with dimethyldichlorosilane

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Influence of the inlet air temperature on the microencapsulation of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seed oil.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different inlet air temperatures on the physicochemical properties and oxidative stability of microencapsulated kenaf seed oil (MKSO). Kenaf seed oil was homogenised with the wall materials at a total solid content of 30% and was spray-dried at 160, 180 or 200°C inlet air temperature. The microstructure and morphology of the microencapsulated kenaf seed oil were observed using a scanning electron microscope. The physicochemical properties, such as moisture content, water activity and particle size, of MKSO produced at different inlet air temperatures showed a significant difference (p<0.05). MKSO produced with an inlet air temperature of 160°C exhibited the highest microencapsulation efficiency (MEE, 96.46%) compared to 180°C (78.42%) and the efficiency was lowest at 200°C (58.96%). Increasing the inlet air temperature also resulted in significantly increased (p<0.05) lipid oxidation of MKSO and decreased total intrinsic phenolic content upon accelerated storage. However, all MKSO had lower lipid oxidation and higher total phenolic content than bulk (unencapsulated) oil. This study indicates that increased inlet air temperature results in larger particle size, higher lipid oxidation and lower MEE. The process of microencapsulation could protect oil from the external environment that causes lipid oxidation. Practical applications: Kenaf seed oil contains PUFA and phytosterols, which are beneficial to human health. However, the PUFA in kenaf seed oil is susceptible to lipid oxidation, which degrades its nutritional value. Microencapsulation is used to protect the kenaf seed oil from being oxidised. By knowing the influence of the inlet air temperature on the physical properties and oxidative stability of the microencapsulated kenaf seed oil, the ideal inlet air temperature can be used to produce microencapsulated kenaf seed oil, which may be incorporated into food products to supplement the bioactive compounds that are beneficial to human health

Anti–hypercholesterolemic effect of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seed on high–fat diet Sprague dawley rats

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the antihypercholesterolemic effects of kenaf seed samples and compare with the commercial hypocholesterolemic drug on serum lipids profiles and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the rat.MethodsKenaf seed oil (KSO), microencapsulated kenaf seed oil (MKSO), kenaf seed extract (KSE) and defatted kenaf seed meal (DKSM) were prepared and phytochemicals screening on these samples were done prior in vivo study. Phenolic compounds in KSE were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography. There were 40 (divided in eight diet groups of 5) male Sprague dawley rats adapted to normal standard diet or hypercholesterolemic diet (HD) with or without the treatment of these kenaf samples for 32 days.ResultsAll the kenaf samples exhibited to contain most of the major phytochemicals. KSE possessed gallic acid, tannic acid, catechin, benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, syringic acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, naringin acid, and protocatechuic acid. The significant higher (P<0.05) serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and MDA levels in HD group without treatment than the normal control group suggested the hypercholesterolemia was induced by the incorporation of cholesterol into diet. KSE exhibited higher cholesterol–lowering properties due to the significant lower (P<0.05) in serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and MDA levels. KSE showed the highest efficiency of cholesterol–lowering activity, followed by KSO, MKSO and DKSM.ConclusionsDKSM, MKSO, KSO and KSE appeared to have comparable anti–hypercholesterolemic effect with the commercial hypocholesterolemic drug. Hence, kenaf seed could be used as an alternative natural source to replace the synthetic hypocholesterolemic drugs

Development of a palm olein oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion stabilized by a whey protein isolate nanofibrils-alginate complex

An oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion is a system where the oil droplets are dispersed within a watery phase. The most important function of emulsions is their ability to incorporate lipophilic components into food matrices. Thus, it is crucial to develop an emulsion that is highly stable. This work was aimed at developing a palm olein o/w emulsion stabilized by a whey protein isolate nanofibrils-alginate complex, as well as evaluating the influence of oil load and the homogenization process (both pressure and cycle) on the characteristics of the o/w emulsions. Emulsions were analyzed for droplet size, zeta potential, viscosity, creaming stability, and morphology. The results showed that an increase in oil load led to a larger droplet size, less negative zeta potential, and emulsions that were more viscous and less stable. On the other hand, increasing homogenization pressure and the number of homogenization cycles resulted in a smaller droplet size, more negative zeta potential, and emulsions that were less viscous and more stable. Emulsions with a smaller droplet size and better stability resulted from lower oil load, high homogenization pressure and more homogenization cycles

The influence of feminization in public relation field towards public relation work practice and job satisfaction

Woman entering the public relations field has increased at a fast rate nowadays causing the phenomenon of feminization to occur in the industry.Studies in the field have shown that female public relations practitioners are facing challenges in the workplace especially sexual discriminations.Therefore it is important to identify the working trends in the current industry, roles, and the position of women in public relations field.The objective of the research is to find out how women’s roles are being distinguished from men and to examine whether feminization in the field does influence the job performance of women in the field.Thus, this research also aims to explore the perception of female public relations towards gender issues happening in the work place.This research is carried out through an online survey questionnaire to gain feedback from 450 targeted respondents.In the research, researches identified the reasons and effects with regards to this issue.According to the concept of velvet ghetto there is an argument on the status discrepancy between men and women in the industry.From the perspectives of theoretical contributions, this study offers an insight which indicates the relationship between gender discrimination climate happening in the organization and the effect to the job satisfaction which is interrelated to the work practice and advancement in an organization.Researchers also identify the elements that cause the phenomenon to occur, which have an impact on both employer and employee relationship. The findings demonstrate a good fit to the data, and thus, this study has identified the relative relationship between gender discrimination and job satisfaction

Actin Nemaline Myopathy Mouse Reproduces Disease, Suggests Other Actin Disease Phenotypes and Provides Cautionary Note on Muscle Transgene Expression

Mutations in the skeletal muscle α-actin gene (ACTA1) cause congenital myopathies including nemaline myopathy, actin aggregate myopathy and rod-core disease. The majority of patients with ACTA1 mutations have severe hypotonia and do not survive beyond the age of one. A transgenic mouse model was generated expressing an autosomal dominant mutant (D286G) of ACTA1 (identified in a severe nemaline myopathy patient) fused with EGFP. Nemaline bodies were observed in multiple skeletal muscles, with serial sections showing these correlated to aggregates of the mutant skeletal muscle α-actin-EGFP. Isolated extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles were significantly weaker than wild-type (WT) muscle at 4 weeks of age, coinciding with the peak in structural lesions. These 4 week-old mice were ∼30% less active on voluntary running wheels than WT mice. The α-actin-EGFP protein clearly demonstrated that the transgene was expressed equally in all myosin heavy chain (MHC) fibre types during the early postnatal period, but subsequently became largely confined to MHCIIB fibres. Ringbinden fibres, internal nuclei and myofibrillar myopathy pathologies, not typical features in nemaline myopathy or patients with ACTA1 mutations, were frequently observed. Ringbinden were found in fast fibre predominant muscles of adult mice and were exclusively MHCIIB-positive fibres. Thus, this mouse model presents a reliable model for the investigation of the pathobiology of nemaline body formation and muscle weakness and for evaluation of potential therapeutic interventions. The occurrence of core-like regions, internal nuclei and ringbinden will allow analysis of the mechanisms underlying these lesions. The occurrence of ringbinden and features of myofibrillar myopathy in this mouse model of ACTA1 disease suggests that patients with these pathologies and no genetic explanation should be screened for ACTA1 mutations

Bilateral Sensory Abnormalities in Patients with Unilateral Neuropathic Pain; A Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) Study

In patients who experience unilateral chronic pain, abnormal sensory perception at the non-painful side has been reported. Contralateral sensory changes in these patients have been given little attention, possibly because they are regarded as clinically irrelevant. Still, bilateral sensory changes in these patients could become clinically relevant if they challenge the correct identification of their sensory dysfunction in terms of hyperalgesia and allodynia. Therefore, we have used the standardized quantitative sensory testing (QST) protocol of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS) to investigate somatosensory function at the painful side and the corresponding non-painful side in unilateral neuropathic pain patients using gender- and age-matched healthy volunteers as a reference cohort. Sensory abnormalities were observed across all QST parameters at the painful side, but also, to a lesser extent, at the contralateral, non-painful side. Similar relative distributions regarding sensory loss/gain for non-nociceptive and nociceptive stimuli were found for both sides. Once a sensory abnormality for a QST parameter at the affected side was observed, the prevalence of an abnormality for the same parameter at the non-affected side was as high as 57% (for Pressure Pain Threshold). Our results show that bilateral sensory dysfunction in patients with unilateral neuropathic pain is more rule than exception. Therefore, this phenomenon should be taken into account for appropriate diagnostic evaluation in clinical practice. This is particularly true for mechanical stimuli where the 95% Confidence Interval for the prevalence of sensory abnormalities at the non-painful side ranges between 33% and 50%

Development and application of novel ɞ-lactoglobulin nanofibrils coacervated with alginate for encapsulation of carotenoids enriched palm olein

β-Lactoglobulin (β-lg) has the ability to form fibrils, and palm carotenoids have important biological activities affecting human health. However, carotenoids are unstable, and their insolubility in water makes them difficult to incorporate into many food matrixes. Therefore, this study addressed the development and application of β-lg nanofibril to produce palm carotenoid emulsions to improve the stability and bioavailability of these carotenoids. First, the impact of different stirring speeds on the characteristics of β-lg fibrils was investigated. The results showed that stirring significantly (p<0.05) enhanced the formation and stability of β-lg fibril. Second, a β-lg nanofibril solution was produced by a homogenization process. The results showed that increasing the homogenization pressure and cycles led to significantly decrease the fibril concentration, particle size, viscosity and turbidity. The emulsifying properties of the β-lgs were generally improved by the homogenization process. Third, different concentrations of sodium alginate (0.2-1.0% w/w) were added to a fixed concentration of β-lg nanofibrils (1.0% w/w) to form a complex. The results showed that the zeta potential decreased from a positive charge to a more negative charge (+13.7 ± 1.4 to -41.7 ± 1.2 mV). The addition of alginate resulted in an increase in the emulsifying properties of the β-lg nanofibrils. Fourth, the complex was used to produce a palm olein oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion. The results showed that increasing the oil concentration caused an increase in viscosity and particle size and reduced emulsion stability. The homogenization process was shown to produce an emulsion that with smaller particle size (29.92 ± 5.8 to 0.82 ± 0.05 μm), more negative of zeta potential (- 59.5 ± 2.0 to -67.5. ± 1.2 mV), less viscous (26.0 ± 0.7 to 11.8 ± 0.1 mPa-s) and more stable of emulsions (75.0 ± 3.5 to 91.3 ± 1.9%). Finally, the palm carotenoids were incorporated into the palm olein oil to produce β-lg nanofibrilalginate complex-stabilized palm carotenoids. The results showed minimal changes in the carotenoid content of the emulsion upon exposure to environmental stresses and storage, indicating the high stability of the emulsion. In addition, the cellular uptake of the emulsion (931.30 ± 125.50 fmol/ cell) was double compared to bulk oil (509.30 ± 37.30 fmol/ cell). The findings of this study suggest the suitability of the β-lg nanofibril-alginate complex to produce a palm carotenoid emulsion that exhibits high stability and better bioavailability

On two new species of Geothelphusa Stimpson, 1858 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Potamidae) from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan

Crustaceana717778-784CRUS