Effects of polar cosolvents on cocoa butter extraction using supercritical carbon dioxide

Cocoa butter was successfully extracted from cocoa liquor by supercritical carbondi oxide (SC-CO2) at 35 MPa, 60 oC and 2 mL/min with 5%, 15% and 25% cosolvents. The extraction yield of tryglicerides (TG) and fatty acid (FA) compositions were significantly influenced by the concentration of polar cosolvents. The SC-CO2 extraction efficiency was increased with cosolvent significantly. Ethanol was found to be the best cosolvent for cocoa butter extraction using SC-CO2 followed by isopropanol and acetone. The triglycerides of POP, POS and SOS were contained in the extracted cocoa butter with POS being the major component. Where palmitic, stearic and oleic were the main fatty acids in the cocoa butter samples, with stearic being the highest component. The lower molecular weight (MW) of TGs and FAs showed the higher selectivity compared to the high MW of TGs and FAs. Thus, they were fractionated during the first stage of SC-CO2 process

ANCA-negative Churg-Strauss Syndrome

A rare and a disease of unknown etiology, Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a granulomatous necrotizing small vessel vasculitis characterized by the presence of asthma, sinusitis, and hypereosinophilia, which is initially described by Churg and Strauss in 1951. Because of its clinical and pathological features that overlap with those of the other anti-neutrophil antibody (ANCA)-associated systemic vasculitides (AASVs) and now the disease is classified as AASVs. The ANCA status may dictate the clinical phenotype. ANCA-positive patients are significantly more likely to have disease manifesta­tions associated with small-vessel vasculitis, including oecrotising glomemlonephritis, mononeuritis and purpura, whereas ANCA-negative cases predominantly likely to have cardiac and lung involvement. The objective of this case report is to point out the possibility of vasculitic rash in ANCA-negative CSS in a 35-year-old man and the disease rarely occurs in Bangladeshi population. We analyze the history, clinical examinations and relevant investigations related to the patient to establish the diagnosis in our department. The clinical scenario and biopsy help us to attain the diagnosis. But due to unavailability of patients' cohort we have limitations of comparison of ANCA status in Bangladeshi populations. Though ANCA-positive and ANCA-negative CSS differ phenotypically, primary therapy for both the conditions is systemic glucocorticoids. Additional immunosuppressive agents like cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, rituxin1ab are occasionally added in patients with more advanced or refractory disease

Role of health hazardous ethephone on nutritive values of selected pineapple, banana and tomato

An experimental study of selected pineapple (Ananas sativus), banana (Musa acuminata) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) was investigated on the basis of their biochemical and nutritional properties by the treatment of some doses of ethephone. It was found that the chemically treated samples ripened rapidly than untreated ones. The nutritional properties of chemically ripened fruits as well as market samples (ripe) were shown different from untreated. The chemically ripened samples showed shorter shelf life than non-treated samples. The highest vitamin C content of the selected non-treated fruits (17.5 mg/100 g in pineapple, 13 mg/100 g in banana and 20.2 mg/100 g tomato) and the lowest contentwas found in the market samples (10 mg/100 g in pineapple, 7 mg/100 g in banana and 12.3 mg/100 g tomato), whereas ethephone-treated groups contained the ascorbic acid 14.5 mg/100 g in pineapple, 9 mg/100 g in banana and 19.4 mg/100 g in tomato). Similarly the β-carotene content of ethephone-treated samples (63 μg/100 g in pineapple, 47 μg/100 g in banana and 757 μg/100 g in tomato) and market samples (31 μg/100 g in pineapple, 38 μg/100 g in banana and 512 μg/100 g in tomato) were less than that of control groups (78 μg/100 g in pineapple, 54 μg/100 g in banana and 807 μg/100 g in tomato). The mineral contents of samples in three groups showed ethephone-treated samples indicated less nutritional quality than untreated samples. Higher amount of lead and arsenic were found in all fruits and vegetables in both ethephone-treated and market samples but the concentrations were within acceptable limits

Selection of cemented carbide turning tools using EMF and optimization criteria

Tool life and quality of surface finish of the workpiece influence production rate and production cost. Cemented carbide tools have found wide application in the production arena of Bangladesh. In the absence of any testing facility in the country for the selection of cost-effective tools, poor quality carbide tools are frequently imported. A testing method and a selection criteria were developed for testing carbide tools of different shapes and sizes and for selecting the most cost-effective tool. For each tool cutting tests were performed to generate tool life data under different cutting conditions. Mild steel served as the work material. The relationship between tool life and cutting speed was developed using a curve-fitting software on a PC. From these relationships the values of the constants of the Taylor’s equation were determined. The cost equation was then derived for each tool for a given amount of work in a cutting speed range. Finally, the most cost-effective tool was selected on the basis of the relative location of the cost curves of the tools tested

Experimental design of supercritical fluid extraction: a review

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), a sustainable green technology leads a wide range of applications since the past decade. Like many other processes, SFE is sometimes criticized for its large number of factors which need to be properly adjusted before every single run. Experimental design and proper statistical analysis with small number of trials in adjusting the SFE parameters become popular in this regard. This paper is aimed to review the common experimental designs that are frequently used in the SFE process. Utilizations of different experimental designs in SFE with the intention of either screening the most influential factors or optimizing the selected factors are briefly reviewed. Strategies and recommendation addressing the choice of appropriate design, constructing design matrix, experimental trial and data analysis are discussed in this paper. For more application oriented readers of SFE, an effective and easy chart on choosing proper experimental design and a list of experimental design software are also included

Coronavirus disease 2019 and future pandemics: Impacts on livestock health and production and possible mitigation measures

The World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic on March 11, 2020. COVID-19, the current global health emergency, is wreaking havoc on human health systems and, to a lesser degree, on animals globally. The outbreak has continued since the first report of COVID-19 in China in December 2019, and the second and third waves of the outbreak have already begun in several countries. COVID-19 is expected to have adverse effects on crop production, food security, integrated pest control, tourism, the car industry, and other sectors of the global economy. COVID-19 induces a range of effects in livestock that is reflected economically since human health and livelihood are intertwined with animal health. We summarize the potentially harmful effects of COVID-19 on livestock and possible mitigation steps in response to this global outbreak. Mitigation of the negative effects of COVID-19 and future pandemics on livestock requires the implementation of current guidelines

Orthogonal partial least squares model for rapid prediction of antioxidant activity of Pereskia bleo by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Pereskia bleo is a species of primitive cactus. In the present study, infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the antioxidant activity of P. bleo leaves by multivariate analysis. A total of twenty-four extracts were prepared in different solvents. Antioxidant activities were measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay and fingerprinted by infrared spectroscopy between 4000 and 400 cm−1 at a resolution of 2 cm−1. A three component multivariate orthogonal partial least squares model with R2Y of 0.88 and Q2 of 0.86 was developed to correlate infrared spectra with antioxidant activity and evaluated by internal cross-validation and a true external test. For external validation, bioactivity of new extracts of P. bleo was predicted using the model, and -OH, -NH, and -CH were identified as functional groups responsible for the activity. In summary, a successful orthogonal partial least squares model was developed using infrared spectroscopy as a rapid method to predict antioxidant activity

Soft skills practiced by managers for employee job performance in Ready Made Garments (RMG) sector of Bangladesh

Soft skills are essential tools in maintaining employment relations as well as achieving high job performance. The purpose of this study is to explore the contribution of soft skills practiced by manager towards employee job performance specifically at RMG sector in Bangladesh. Data have been collected through two Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and five in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis yielded four most commonly practiced soft skills in RMG which are communication, leadership, team work and critical thinking. This study reveals that there is a direct positive relationship between soft skills practiced by managers and employees’ job performance. This study has three significant contributions. Firstly, this study is one of the very few studies on soft skills practice set on production based industry from non-western context. Secondly, this study facilitates future comparative studies on service sector as well as on crosscultural perspective. The findings of this study has created further opportunity to conduct study on other production based industries available in Bangladesh and around the globe. Thirdly, the HR practitioners in Bangladesh specifically in production based industry will be more concerned from now about the practice of soft skills

Cattle manure compost and biochar supplementation improve growth of Onobrychis viciifolia in coal - mined spoils under water stress conditions

Surface mining is a critical anthropogenic activity that significantly alters the ecosystem, while the use of appropriate revegetation techniques can be considered an important and feasible strategy in the way to improve the ecosystem services of degraded land. In the present study, we carried out a pot experiment to investigate the effects of three different variables on morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters of Onobrychis viciifolia to assess the capability of this species to be used for restoration purposes. Specifically, the variables studied were: (a) water (W) regime, working at five values as regards field capacity (FC) (i.e., 80% FC = highest, 72% FC = high, 60% FC = moderate, 48% FC = low, and 40% FC = very-low dose); and (b) rates of cattle manure compost (CMC) and wood biochar (BC) (weight/weight ratio), working at five rates (i.e., 4.0% = highest, 3.2% = high, 2.0% = moderate, 0.8% = low, and 0% = either no-CMC or no-BC dose). In addition, soil physical-chemical properties and enzyme activities were also investigated at the end of the experimental period. It was found that morphological growth attributes such as plant height, maximum root length, and dry biomass significantly increased with W, CMC and BC applications. Compared to control, moderate-to-high W, CMC and BC doses (W80CMC2BC2) increased net photosynthesis rate (by 42%), stomatal conductance (by 50%), transpiration rate (by 29%), water use efficiency (by 10%), chlorophyll contents (by 73%), carotenoid content (by 81%), leaf relative water content (by 33%) and leaf membrane stability index (by 30%). Under low-W content, the application of CMC and BC enhanced osmotic adjustments by increasing the content of soluble sugar and the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase, decreasing the oxidative stress, as verified by low levels of hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion, malondialdehyde and proline contents in leaf tissues. Moreover, application of W, CMC and BC significantly improved soil water holding capacity, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, urease and catalase activities, which facilitate plant growth. These results would aid in designing an appropriate strategy for achieving a successful revegetation of O. viciifolia, providing optimum doses of W (64% field capacity), CMC (2.4%) and BC (1.7%), with the final aim of reaching ecological restoration in arid degraded lands