Proteolytic Enzymes of Lactic Streptococci and Their Use in Improving Body and Texture of Direct Acid Cottage Cheese

Proteolytic activity of Streptococcus cremoris HP, P2 and AM2; Streptococcus lactis-C2, ML8 and a commercial mixed culture was determined in skimmilk and whey by measuring the increase in Absorbency at 274.5 nm of a pH 4.6 soluble filtrate, following incubation in a 2.5% casein solution. Proteolytic activity, rate of acid production and growth rate decreased in order of C2, HP, mixed culture, AM2, ML8 and P2 at a regulated pH (6.1 - 6.2) and 32 C. Maximum proteolytic activity for all cultures was found during the stationary phase of growth. Extracellular protease activity was purified l000 fold from S. lactis-C2. Enzyme activity was stable at 80 C for 20 min and lost 41% of its activity after 80 min. A linear increase in activity was observed between 25 and 50 C after 5 hr incubation at pH 6.2. Partial culturing of skimmilk, and incubation of a freeze-dried crude enzyme preparation in skimmilk prior to acidification was used for Cottage cheese ix making. Partial culturing or incubation of freeze-dried crude enzyme preparation in skimmilk prior to manufacture of direct acid Cottage cheese, increased the moisture and firmness of the finished curd, and significantly improved the body and texture of the creamed product. Partial culturing of skimmilk prior to acidification was also successfully used for the continuous process where good Cottage cheese curd was also obtained

Micro-scale interactions between chemotactic bacteria and algae

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-51).Traditional views of marine environments describe the ocean pelagic zone as a homogeneous nutrient-poor environment. Heterotrophic marine bacteria that have evolved high-energy mechanisms for swimming abilities and sensing nutrient gradients would gain no survival advantage under this model. Recent identification of microscale (<1cm) nutrient patches, such as those produced by algal exudates, explain a potential for these evolved functions. With this new model for the pelagic zone, bacteria, through chemotaxis and motility, can sense and respond to microscale carbon patches exuded from growing algae. This study examines possible conditions necessary under which it is advantageous to swim. As an initial step to test this hypothesis, we developed a system to investigate bacterial chemotaxis to algal exudates. Two algae from the genus, Thalassiosira, which differed in size, were grown in artificial seawater and filtered, with the use of a novel instrument, to generate nutrient heterogeneity at the microscale. Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis was added to algal cultures with varying algae:bacteria ratios of 1:250 to 1:50,000 and bacterial chemotaxis was observed by localization around individual algae. P. haloplanktis exhibited chemotaxis towards the larger algae Thalassiosira rotula within seconds but not Thalassiosira weissflogii suggesting larger algae elicit a chemotactic response. Results provide evidence of real time clustering in response to the presence of live algae and suggest a mechanism that provides a fitness advantage over non-motile bacteria.by Nisha Vahora.M.Eng

Heart Beat Monitoring And Wireless Data Logging Using Arm Cortex A8

Increasing importance in monitoring and logging the real time patient’s related data has led to the development of a new wireless data acquisition system. The basic concept presented in this paper is that we have made one type of wireless data logger[1] system using arm platform which is logging the real time heartbeat[2] data in one text file it is give the heartbeat rate with respect to time. Here we use UDOO[8] development board, UDOO is a single-board computer development platform that merges a dual or quad core ARM Free scale Cortex-A9 i.MX.6 CPU and an Arduino[4] compatible board embedded with a dedicated ARM Atmel SAM3X8E CPU. Physical data is converted in to the electrical form using Arduino UNO R3 and after processing these data it will be transmitted by the RFM. Same way at receiver side one RFM device is required to receive the data which was transmitted by the transmitter. Once the data is received, these data will be given to UDOO board. In UDOO board the data is processed and the data will be monitored on LCD or DVI Monitor

Development of UAV flight test demonstrator for cyclotronic arc-plasma actuator

Through a collaborative research effort between the University of Illinois and CU Aerospace through a small business innovation research (SBIR) program, a novel flow control device known as the Cyclotronic Arc-Plasma Actuator (CAPA) actuator is being developed. This actuator uses a series of magnets and electrodes to produces a sweeping plasma arc that can induce a swirling component on a flow. One potential application of this technology is for active flow control, as this technology can potentially be used to delay separation on an airfoil and increase the effectiveness of a control surface. These actuators can be used in a role similar to vortex generators, though with the additional ability of being enabled or disabled for flight regimes such as takeoff and landing. As disabling these actuators during cruise can reduce or eliminate drag penalties, these devices could be used as alternatives to passive vortex generators, which cannot be disabled in flight. This thesis details the work taken to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that will be used as technology demonstrator for the CAPA actuators developed for the SBIR. As part of the integration effort, this thesis will also cover the steps needed to integrate the CAPA system inside a UAV and to evaluate the performance of the system through flight testing

A Low-profile 4-element Circularly Polarized Hexagonal DRA Array for Triple-band Wireless Applications

This paper presents a triple-band low-profile circularly polarized (CP) hexagonal dielectric resonator antenna (HDRA) array for various wireless applications. A 4-element linear array is designed using a simple microstrip power divider to improve the performance of the HDRA. This HDRA excites TEd01  mode at a first resonant frequency of 1.52 GHz. The proposed design operates in three frequency bands, i.e. 1.44 - 1.61 GHz, 2.95 - 3.27 GHz, and 4.00 - 4.84 GHz with the fractional bandwidth of 10.98%, 11.02% and 22.20%, respectively. It also provides good gain and more than 70% of radiation efficiency with a better radiation pattern at all the resonating points. Further, it has a CP bandwidth of 50 MHz and 650 MHz around 3.12 GHz and 4.25 GHz, respectively. The proposed HDRA array is suitable for different wireless applications such as GPS (1 - 2 GHz), WiMAX (2 - 4 GHz), and WLAN (4 - 8 GHz)

Binding Pocket Identification and Determination of Overlapping with Different Software Tools for V8 Protease (1QY6) from Staphylococcus aureus

Background: Protein-ligand interactions are critical for biochemical functionality in living organisms, and determining the binding pocket characteristics of a protein is essential for designing drugs that interact with specific protein pockets. Several software tools, such as Deepsite, FTSite, CASTp, and F pocket, are available for identifying these binding pockets. Objective: This study aimed to determine the percentage overlap and identify the best binding pocket of V8 Protease (1QY6) from Staphylococcus aureus using different software tools. Method: The study retrieved the protease protein\u27s PDB file from the Protein Data Bank and used software programs such as Deepsite, CASTp, and FTsite to identify its binding pockets. The amino acid residues that fit into each of the identified pockets were downloaded, and their unique sequence identifiers were noted. The overlap of the binding pockets identified by the software tools was determined by entering the amino acid values into Excel. Result: The study found that binding pocket 3 showed the most overlap between Deepsite and CASTp, indicating that Deepsite may have superior specificity and efficiency for determining binding pockets compared to other tools. The total overlap between the software tools was 19%, demonstrating the importance of using multiple tools to identify potential binding pockets. Conclusion: The comparison of three different software tools for identifying the binding pocket of the protease protein (1QY6) resulted in different results with no agreement among the binding pockets established by each tool. However, the study\u27s findings suggest that binding pocket 3 of the protease protein (1QY6) may function as the best binding pocket for drug design studies targeting this protein. These findings could aid in the development of new drugs to treat infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus

The Potential Role of Nitric Oxide in Halting Cancer Progression Through Chemoprevention

Nitric oxide (NO) in general plays a beneficial physiological role as a vasorelaxant and the role of NO is decided by its concentration present in physiological environments. NO either facilitates cancer-promoting characters or act as an anti-cancer agent. The dilemma in this regard still remains unanswered. This review summarizes the recent information on NO and its role in carcinogenesis and tumor progression, as well as dietary chemopreventive agents which have NO-modulating properties with safe cytotoxic profile. Understanding the molecular mechanisms and cross-talk modulating NO effect by these chemopreventive agents can allow us to develop better therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment

Adverse drug reactions in a tertiary care teaching hospital in India: analysis of spontaneously reported cases

Background: Epidemiological data are limited regarding clinical characteristic of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in India.Aim: The aim was to assess ADRs with reference to the causative drugs, seriousness and their other clinical characteristics in Indian tertiary care teaching hospital.Methods: A spontaneous reporting based ADR monitoring study was conducted over a period of 2 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of an ADR and its seriousness was adopted. The organ system involvement was labeled by WHO-ADR terminology. ADRs were analyzed for causality by Naranjo’s algorithm, preventability by modified Schumock and Thornton’s criteria and types of reactions by Rawlins and Thompson classification. Subgroup analysis was performed between serious and non-serious reactions.Results: Of the total of 135 reactions reported 111 reactions from 97 patients were included for analysis. The incidences of overall and serious ADRs were 0.25 and 0.06 per 1000 patients, respectively. The most commonly implicated organ systems were skin and appendages (52.25%). The major causative drug classes were antimicrobials (40.28%), central nervous system (23.61%) and autacoids (15.97%). About two-thirds of the reactions (65.77%) were classified as probable and one-tenth (8.10%) as preventable. The factors significantly associated with serious reactions were age group 40-60 years (odds ratio [OR]: 5.51), parenteral drugs (OR: 2.96), central and peripheral nervous system disorders (OR: 5.06), body as a whole - general disorders (OR: 9.05) and acute onset reactions (OR: 52.62).Conclusion: Antimicrobials are common causative agents. Cohort study is recommended to confirm the risk factors of serious ADRs in Indian population