Experimental Analysis of Friction Stir Welding of Dissimilar Alloys AA6061 and Mg AZ31 Using Circular Butt Joint Geometry

AbstractThe Aluminium alloy 6061 and Magnesium alloy AZ31 plates of 6mm thickness are welded in circular butt joint geometry by friction stir welding (FSW) process, using CNC vertical milling machine. Process parameters such as welding speed and tool rotational speed play an important role to obtain a better weld joint for dissimilar metals/materials. The friction stir welding tool is one of the critical components to the success of this process. It consists of a cylindrical shoulder and a pin with different geometry. In the experimental work, the said tool has been designed with cylindrical pin having four different geometries for friction stir welding of the dissimilar circular metal plates. Friction stir welding has been carried out at welding speed varying from 10 to 40mm/min and tool rotational speed from 800 to 2000rpm. Effects of process parameters on butt welded circular joint were investigated for weld strength. In this research work, it is found that welded joint between dissimilar metals alloys Al 6061 and Mg AZ31 can be formed using friction stir welding by selecting proper tool pin profile and welding parameters. It is suggested that friction stir welding of Aluminium alloy and Magnesium alloy with circular butt joint geometry would be useful in the future for automobile applications by getting the benefits from each material in a functional way

F-box motif encoding genes as targets for the development of stress-tolerant traits in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Stress tolerance is a useful trait actively sought by the bioprocess industry for biofactories dealing with bioconversion of varied raw materials or carbon sources. Fungal or yeast species are useful in bioconversion and are sustainable bioresources for biochemicals and biofuel production. Genetic manipulation strategies are in practice to enhance the tolerance against stress agents for the improved bioconversion process. In this review, we highlight the importance of the F-box motif encoding genes and their interactions in imparting the stress tolerance phenotype to the yeast species. The F-box motif proteins constitute a part of the SCF-E3 ligase complex and are involved in the recruitment, and ubiquitination, followed by degradation of the substrate proteins by the 26S proteasome. It highlights the current scenario on the F-box motif encoding genes and their interaction partners as targets for the stress tolerance phenotype in the yeast and plant species and their utility in the bioconversion processes

Efficacy of Flaxseed Flour as Bind Enhancing Agent on the Quality of Extended Restructured Mutton Chops

Consumers have become very conscious about their nutrition and well being due to changes in their socio-economic lifestyle and rapid urbanization. Therefore, development of technology for production of low cost and functional meat products is urgently required. One such approach is innovative restructuring technology in which binding of meat pieces still remains the main challenge and extension of product is generally associated with poor binding and texture. Thus, the present study was envisaged as an attempt to solve this problem by the incorporation of flaxseed flour (FF) as bind enhancing agent. The FF was used at three different levels viz., 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% to replace lean meat in pre-standardized restructured mutton chops formulation. The products were subjected to analysis for physico-chemical, sensory and textural properties. Cooking yield, moisture percentage and fat percentage increased with increase in the level of incorporation of FF, however, protein percent and pH decreased with increase in the level of incorporation. Shear force value of product incorporated with 1.5% FF was significantly higher (p<0.01) than control and product containing 0.5% FF level. Among the sensory attributes, product with 1% flaxseed flour showed significantly higher values (p<0.05) for general appearance, binding, texture and overall acceptability. Hardness showed significant increasing (p<0.01) values with increasing levels of incorporation of flaxseed flour, however all other parameters of texture profile analysis showed a decreasing trend. On the basis of sensory scores and physico-chemical properties, the optimum incorporation level of FF was adjudged as 1%. Products incorporated with optimum level of flaxseed flour (1%) were also assessed for water activity and microbiological quality during the storage period of 15 days. It was found that the extended restructured product could be safely stored under refrigeration (4°C±1°C) in low density polyethylene (LDPE) pouches for 15 days without marked deterioration in sensory and microbiological quality. Thus, it was concluded that flaxseed flour can be used as a good bind enhancing agent in extended restructured meat products at an economic cost

Post-intervention Status in Patients With Refractory Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab During REGAIN and Its Open-Label Extension

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether eculizumab helps patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) achieve the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post-intervention status of minimal manifestations (MM), we assessed patients' status throughout REGAIN (Safety and Efficacy of Eculizumab in AChR+ Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis) and its open-label extension. METHODS: Patients who completed the REGAIN randomized controlled trial and continued into the open-label extension were included in this tertiary endpoint analysis. Patients were assessed for the MGFA post-intervention status of improved, unchanged, worse, MM, and pharmacologic remission at defined time points during REGAIN and through week 130 of the open-label study. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients completed REGAIN and continued into the open-label study (eculizumab/eculizumab: 56; placebo/eculizumab: 61). At week 26 of REGAIN, more eculizumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients achieved a status of improved (60.7% vs 41.7%) or MM (25.0% vs 13.3%; common OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). After 130 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 88.0% of patients achieved improved status and 57.3% of patients achieved MM status. The safety profile of eculizumab was consistent with its known profile and no new safety signals were detected. CONCLUSION: Eculizumab led to rapid and sustained achievement of MM in patients with AChR+ refractory gMG. These findings support the use of eculizumab in this previously difficult-to-treat patient population. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: REGAIN, NCT01997229; REGAIN open-label extension, NCT02301624. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that, after 26 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 25.0% of adults with AChR+ refractory gMG achieved MM, compared with 13.3% who received placebo

Design of experiments to optimize the extraction parameters of a power grade Indian coal

Abstract Low grade high ash coals with difficult physical washability characteristics require chemical cleaning techniques such as solvent extraction to obtain super clean coal with lower ash contents. Kedla, an Indian low grade coal has ash content around 44%–50% and there is a need to maximize its solvent extraction yield so as to make this power grade coal industrially useful. This paper highlights the use of definitive screening design and response surface methodology to extract the maximum organic matter from Kedla coal using ethylenediammine (EDA) and N-methyl pyrollidone (NMP) as solvents under mild atmospheric pressure conditions. The coal was pre-treated with acetic acid before extractions were carried out. The parameters such as the acid pre-treatment time, acid concentration, particle size, the co-solvent concentration and the solvent concentration were optimized in this paper. With this design of experiments technique about 40% of the organic matter with minimal ash (less than 2%) content was rendered extractable unlike the already postulated designer solvent system—e, N system (i.e. NMP containing small amount of EDA) that uses coal to solvent ratio as 1:17 (wt/vol) and coal to co-solvent ratio as 1:1(wt/vol) thus only giving 19% extraction yield. Therefore, the present design of experiments technique helps in conserving the number of experiments for process intensification

Biological activity of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Dolichos biflorus </i>L. trypsin inhibitor against lepidopteran insect pests

594-599Protease inhibitors confer resistance in plants against insect pests by inhibiting larval gut proteases. Cultivars of Dolichos biflorus were screened for their inhibitory activity against midgut proteases of <span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; letter-spacing:-.1pt" lang="EN-GB">Pieris brassicae larvae. Seed extracts of developing and germinating seeds of HPK4 cultivar inhibited larval gut proteases of Spodoptera littoralis efficiently. Neonate larvae of <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;letter-spacing:-.1pt" lang="EN-GB">P. brassicae <span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;letter-spacing:-.1pt;font-style:normal; mso-bidi-font-style:italic" lang="EN-GB">fed <span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold" lang="EN-GB">on cabbage leaf discs coated with 0.025-2.50 mg protein (seed extract) resulted in 10-80% larval mortality and significantly reduced leaf area eaten and faecal matter as compared to control. The treated larvae had 40% less soluble proteins per mg faecal matter and there was similar decline in midgut proteases of treated larvae (@ 2.5 mg protein) compared to untreated ones after 5 days. The LC50 and LT50 value was calculated to be 1.05 mg/leaf disc and 4.8 days (2.5 mg protein), respectively for neonate larvae of P. brassicae. Significant reduction in egg hatching (75%) was observed in egg mass treated with 5.3 mg of crude inhibitor protein of mature seeds. This could be due to the inhibition of proteases involved in the hydrolysis of egg chorion proteins. The studies demonstrated the insecticidal activity of D. biflorus seed extracts. </span

F-box motif encoding genes as targets for the development of stress-tolerant traits in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

667-671Stress tolerance is a useful trait actively sought by the bioprocess industry for biofactories dealing with bioconversion of varied raw materials or carbon sources. Fungal or yeast species are useful in bioconversion and are sustainable bioresources for biochemicals and biofuel production. Genetic manipulation strategies are in practice to enhance the tolerance against stress agents for the improved bioconversion process. In this review, we highlight the importance of the F-box motif encoding genes and their interactions in imparting the stress tolerance phenotype to the yeast species. The F-box motif proteins constitute a part of the SCF-E3 ligase complex and are involved in the recruitment, and ubiquitination, followed by degradation of the substrate proteins by the 26S proteasome. It highlights the current scenario on the F-box motif encoding genes and their interaction partners as targets for the stress tolerance phenotype in the yeast and plant species and their utility in the bioconversion processes

Veterinary World, EISSN: 2231-0916 Available at www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.6/Dec-2013/5.pdf REVIEW ARTICLE Open Access Biosensors: tool for food borne pathogen detection

tool for food borne pathogen detection, Veterinary World 6(12): 968-973

Preparation and storage stability of meat spread developed from spent hens

Aim: The present study was carried out to develop a meat spread as a healthier alternative to already existing meat products utilizing undervalued spent hen meat to add a new dimension to meat products. Materials and Methods: Carcasses were processed within 30 min of slaughter and conditioned at 4±1°C for about 24 h and then braised along with other ingredients to get the final product. The products were evaluated for proximate composition, peroxide values, pH, microbiological, and sensory qualities as per standard procedures. Results: The mean percent values for moisture, crude protein, ether extract, and total ash content of developed product were 58.75±0.32, 9.12±0.44, 11.19±0.16, and 2.35±0.17, respectively. No significant difference was observed for mean coliform and the yeast and mold counts with the progression of storage period, but samples differed significantly for mean pH, thiobarbituric acid and total viable plate count during storage of meat spread. A progressive decline in mean sensory scores was recorded along with the increase in storage time. Conclusion: The meat spread was found to be a good alternative to process the underutilized spent hens for its efficient utilization for product development