Design, Development and Testing of a Peeler Cum Cutter Machine for Tender Jackfruit

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), is native to Southeast Asia. India is believed to be the land of Jackfruit and from centuries it has been play a significant role in Indian agriculture and culture. Jackfruit is widely distributed fruit crop in India. The young fruit is used as vegetable, which contain high amount of vitamins and minerals. Jackfruit is found to be a novel, highly nutritive and inexpensive edible fruit available in all parts of India including Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal. However, due to lack of proper processing technology the marketing and transportation of jackfruit is a challenge. Existing traditional practices results in higher cost of processing, because these are time consuming, labour intensive processes, low processing capacity. The physical and chemical properties of the product are helpful in planning and fabrication of equipment or structure for transportation, handling, processing, storing and even for value addition and quality control. The research was conducted on two varieties of tender jackfruit [hard (HV) and soft variety (SV)]. Based on maturity, the tender jackfruits were divided into four stages (i.e. Stage 1, 2, 3 and 4) and their physical, mechanical, chemical and textural properties were determined for both the varieties. Physical properties like weight, length, diameter, geometric mean and arithmetic mean diameter were increasing with the increase in size for both the varieties. There was a significant increase in TSS in both the varieties (HV: 1.5 ± 0.02 to 5.1 ± 0.03; SV: 2.7 ± 0.05 to 7.1 ± 0.05 oBrix) from stage 1 to 4 because of ripening of fruit (at level p<0.05 of significance). The hardness, fracturability and springiness increased with maturity but on the counterpart, there is a decrease in adhesiveness, cohesiveness, chewiness and gumminess. The nutritional properties and energy values were inevitably increased whereas vitamin content was decreased from stage 1 to 4 in both the varieties. Jackfruit peeling cum cutting machine was designed by using SolidWorks-2015 software and fabricated for tender jackfruit. It is capable of washing, peeling and cutting of tender jackfruit effectively. It can process all sizes of tender jackfruit with the effective throughput capacity of 25 kg/hr. All food contact parts of the machine are of Stainless Steel- Grade 304. The operating conditions such as forward speed of peeling arm, rotating speed of jackfruit and rotating speed of cutter were optimized for maximum efficiency of machine and minimum loss in processing of tender jackfruits. The processing activities like washing, sorting, peeling and cutting enhanced oxidative stress in fresh cut jackfruit during storage. Moreover, it also has the ill effects on quality of fresh-cut tender jackfruit with an increase in microbial contaminations, excessive tissue softening, and depletion of phytochemicals and browning during the storage. Hence, this study was conducted as a solution to the above problem. The synergistic effect of pre-treatment (i.e. blanching of peeled tender jackfruit slices in optimised conditions) with different storage conditions (i.e. room, refrigerated and freeze) with different packaging films (i.e. High density polyethylene, Low density polyethylene and Polypropylene) were determined. The packaging of jackfruit slices reportedly increase the shelf life of fresh-cut tender jackfruit slices. The modified atmospheric packaging was also used to increase the shelf life of fresh cut tender jackfruit slices. From the response variables, the best combination of independent variables resulted in 10% concentration of CO2 and 20% concentration of O2 for HDPE packaging film. At these conditions, the sample can be preserved for 15 days at 5±1°C and for 20 days at -18±1°C. However, during storage, changes in physicochemical properties of fresh cut tender jackfruit was related to change in its colour as well. Colorimeter measurements are best for the samples with homogeneous colour. However, for samples with non-homogenous colour or large size (like fruits and vegetables), the colorimeters are inappropriate and inaccurate.The aim for this study to quantify the amount of browning in fresh cut tender jackfruit slices by using image analysis technique and justified by comparing them with existing techniques like sensory examination, enzyme activity, and colorimeter. It can be concluded from the results that, rate of browning was rapid in fresh cut tender jackfruit slices in control and normally packed groups. Correlation co-efficient of 0.96, which showed that image analysis system is an accurate and highly consistent method to quantify the color of fruits and vegetables. The value for Return on investment (ROI) for the machine is 209.61%. Pay-back period of the investment is very less, i.e. 34 working days. Thus the fabricated machine can highly be considered due to lower operating cost with low breakeven point and very high return on investment. Cost of minimal processing and packaging of tender jackfruit slices is ₹3.46INR (0.05 US$) per kg

Soybean (Glycine max) Response to Imazosulfuron Drift and Carryover from Rice (Oryza sativa)

In the Midsouth, soybean is often grown in close proximity to rice or in rotation with rice. Herbicides used in rice can injure soybean via drift or carryover. Consequently, field trials were conducted to determine the response of soybean (cv. AG 4703) to imazosulfuron drift and carryover (at Fayetteville, Marianna, Keiser and Pine Tree, AR) from rice. To assess the potential for carryover, soybean was planted into rice fields treated the previous year with imazosulfuron (rotation study). To evaluate in-season sensitivity of soybean to imazosulfuron (tolerance study) relative to halosulfuron, a common sulfonylurea herbicide applied to rice, both imazosulfuron and halosulfuron were applied preemergence (PRE) at varying rates and soybean was immediately seeded into treated plots. For the drift study, imazosulfuron was applied at the VC, V2, V6, and R2 growth stages of soybean at 1/256 to 1/4 times (X) the labeled rate of imazosulfuron (336 g ai ha-1). To evaluate carryover potential, imazosulfuron was applied PRE to rice at 112 to 672 g ha-1for the rotation study; whereas for the tolerance study, imazosulfuron and halosulfuron were applied at 1/256 to 1/4X the labeled rate of imazosulfuron and halosulfuron (52 g ha-1). Soybean was highly sensitive to imazosulfuron drift, with injury (stunting and purple veins, typical of acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicides) resulting at all rates and application timings. At 2 weeks after treatment (2 WAT), topical application of the highest (1/4X) rate of imazosulfuron caused more than 73% injury at the VC application timing. Soybean recovered from the injury, with little to no injury observed from the lowest four rates of imazosulfuron applied at the VC and V2 growth stages by the end of the growing season. For the carryover trial at 2 weeks after planting (2 WAP), soybean exhibited 3 and 13% injury at Keiser and Pine Tree, respectively, when imazosulfuron was applied to rice the previous year at 672 g ha-1, a 2X rate. Injury to soybean was transient and not apparent by the end of the growing season. For the tolerance study, sulfonylurea-tolerant (STS) soybean was not injured. Moreover, no injury was observed on non-STS soybean by PRE-applied imazosulfuron or halosulfuron regardless of herbicide rate, and yield was comparable to the non-treated control. Results of this research indicate that imazosulfuron should be applied with extreme caution to rice as off-target movement will likely cause injury to non-STS soybean (cv. AG 4703) in adjacent fields and applications of imazosulfuron may carryover to non-STS (cv. AG 4703) soybean on silt loam soils having low organic matter and a high soil pH, especially in fields where overlap of an imazosulfuron spray occurred in the preceding rice crop. Under conditions conducive for imazosulfuron to injure soybean via off-target movement or carryover, planting of STS soybean is recommended to avoid possible risks of soybean injury

An overview of herbal nutraceuticals, their extraction, formulation, therapeutic effects and potential toxicity

Herbal nutraceuticals are foods derived from plants and/or their derivatives, such as oils, roots, seeds, berries, or flowers, that support wellness and combat acute and chronic ailments induced by unhealthful dietary habits. The current review enlists various traditional as well as unexplored herbs including angelica, burnet, caraway, laurel, parsley, yarrow, and zedoary, which are rich sources of bioactive components, such as aloesin, angelicin, trans-anethole, and cholesteric-7-en-3β-ol. The review further compares some of the extraction and purification techniques, namely, Soxhlet extraction, ultrasound assisted extraction, microwave assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, hydro-distillation extraction, ultra-high-pressure extraction, enzyme assisted extraction, pulsed electric field extraction, bio affinity chromatography, cell membrane chromatography, and ligand fishing. Herbal nutraceuticals can be purchased in varied formulations, such as capsules, pills, powders, liquids, and gels. Some of the formulations currently available on the market are discussed here. Further, the significance of herbal nutraceuticals in prevention and cure of diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, dementia, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia; and as immunomodulators and antimicrobial agents has been discussed. Noteworthy, the inappropriate use of these herbal nutraceuticals can lead to hepatotoxicity, pulmonary toxicity, cytotoxicity, carcinogenicity, nephrotoxicity, hematotoxicity, and cardiac toxicity. Hence, this review concludes with a discussion of various regulatory aspects undertaken by the government agencies in order to minimize the adverse effects associated with herbal nutraceuticals

Daksha: On Alert for High Energy Transients

We present Daksha, a proposed high energy transients mission for the study of electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources, and gamma ray bursts. Daksha will comprise of two satellites in low earth equatorial orbits, on opposite sides of earth. Each satellite will carry three types of detectors to cover the entire sky in an energy range from 1 keV to >1 MeV. Any transients detected on-board will be announced publicly within minutes of discovery. All photon data will be downloaded in ground station passes to obtain source positions, spectra, and light curves. In addition, Daksha will address a wide range of science cases including monitoring X-ray pulsars, studies of magnetars, solar flares, searches for fast radio burst counterparts, routine monitoring of bright persistent high energy sources, terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, and probing primordial black hole abundances through lensing. In this paper, we discuss the technical capabilities of Daksha, while the detailed science case is discussed in a separate paper.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Additional information about the mission is available at https://www.dakshasat.in

Common variants in CLDN2 and MORC4 genes confer disease susceptibility in patients with chronic pancreatitis

A recent Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) identified association with variants in X-linked CLDN2 and MORC4 and PRSS1-PRSS2 loci with Chronic Pancreatitis (CP) in North American patients of European ancestry. We selected 9 variants from the reported GWAS and replicated the association with CP in Indian patients by genotyping 1807 unrelated Indians of Indo-European ethnicity, including 519 patients with CP and 1288 controls. The etiology of CP was idiopathic in 83.62% and alcoholic in 16.38% of 519 patients. Our study confirmed a significant association of 2 variants in CLDN2 gene (rs4409525—OR 1.71, P = 1.38 x 10-09; rs12008279—OR 1.56, P = 1.53 x 10-04) and 2 variants in MORC4 gene (rs12688220—OR 1.72, P = 9.20 x 10-09; rs6622126—OR 1.75, P = 4.04x10-05) in Indian patients with CP. We also found significant association at PRSS1-PRSS2 locus (OR 0.60; P = 9.92 x 10-06) and SAMD12-TNFRSF11B (OR 0.49, 95% CI [0.31–0.78], P = 0.0027). A variant in the gene MORC4 (rs12688220) showed significant interaction with alcohol (OR for homozygous and heterozygous risk allele -14.62 and 1.51 respectively, P = 0.0068) suggesting gene-environment interaction. A combined analysis of the genes CLDN2 and MORC4 based on an effective risk allele score revealed a higher percentage of individuals homozygous for the risk allele in CP cases with 5.09 fold enhanced risk in individuals with 7 or more effective risk alleles compared with individuals with 3 or less risk alleles (P = 1.88 x 10-14). Genetic variants in CLDN2 and MORC4 genes were associated with CP in Indian patients

Science with the Daksha High Energy Transients Mission

We present the science case for the proposed Daksha high energy transients mission. Daksha will comprise of two satellites covering the entire sky from 1~keV to $>1$~MeV. The primary objectives of the mission are to discover and characterize electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave source; and to study Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Daksha is a versatile all-sky monitor that can address a wide variety of science cases. With its broadband spectral response, high sensitivity, and continuous all-sky coverage, it will discover fainter and rarer sources than any other existing or proposed mission. Daksha can make key strides in GRB research with polarization studies, prompt soft spectroscopy, and fine time-resolved spectral studies. Daksha will provide continuous monitoring of X-ray pulsars. It will detect magnetar outbursts and high energy counterparts to Fast Radio Bursts. Using Earth occultation to measure source fluxes, the two satellites together will obtain daily flux measurements of bright hard X-ray sources including active galactic nuclei, X-ray binaries, and slow transients like Novae. Correlation studies between the two satellites can be used to probe primordial black holes through lensing. Daksha will have a set of detectors continuously pointing towards the Sun, providing excellent hard X-ray monitoring data. Closer to home, the high sensitivity and time resolution of Daksha can be leveraged for the characterization of Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to ApJ. More details about the mission at https://www.dakshasat.in

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy