Wheat Fermentation With Enterococcus mundtii QAUSD01 and Wickerhamomyces anomalus QAUWA03 Consortia Induces Concurrent Gliadin and Phytic Acid Degradation and Inhibits Gliadin Toxicity in Caco-2 Monolayers

Foods containing high amounts of either phytic acid or gliadin can pose a risk for development of iron deficiency and celiac disease, respectively. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of preselected gliadin degrading strains, Enterococcus mundtii QAUSD01 and Wickerhamomyces anomalus QAUWA03, on phytic acid and gliadin degradation in six wheat cultivars (Lasani 2008, Seher 2006, Chakwal 97, Shafaq 2006, Bars 2009, Barani 83). Tight junction proteins, trans-epithelial resistance (TER) and ruffle formation in Caco-2 cells were evaluated relative to Saccharomyces cerevisiae–mediated fermented and unfermented controls. Phytic acid degradation was demonstrated in all six cultivars fermented with E. mundtii QAUSD01 and W. anomalus QAUWA03 consortia. Among the six fermented cultivars, Shafaq 2006 showed relatively higher degradation of gliadin. In comparison to the other tested wheat varieties, fermentation of Lasani 2006 was associated with minimal toxic effects on Caco-2 cells in terms of ruffle formation, tight junction proteins and TER, which can be attributed to extensive degradation of toxic gliadin fragments

Geotechnical Characterization and Suitability of Dredged Material from Jhelum Flood spill channel for its potential use as Construction Material.

Occurrence of floods in the Kashmir valley in September 2014 compelled the Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir to take the necessary steps in order to avoid the similar situation in near future. Eventually the Govt. decided to start dredging of Jhelum and its spill channel, in order to increase their capacity. As a result, a large quantity of dredged material will be obtained and there should be a proper plan in advance for the utilization of such a large quantity of dredged material. Dredged material can no longer be thrown away as a waste material. The use of dredged material can be made in the development of numerous development projects which can reduce the exploitation of primary resources needed for construction activities. But before putting the dredged material to some constructional use, it is essential to carry out investigation for its characterization and only then it can be utilized judiciously, depending on its geotechnical merit. In the present study, samples were retrieved from four locations of the Jhelum flood spill channel bed. Experimental investigations were carried out to determine the various geotechnical parameters related to the physical and engineering properties of the material. The material was classified using Indian Standard Classification System. It had been observed that the material available at these locations was predominantly fine grained inorganic silt, clayey silt with little amount of fine sand and some traces of organic matter. Based on the geotechnical characterization, the material had been critically found suitable for its potential use in embankment cores, canal linings, clay liners, landfill for low lying areas and also as compacted foundation/subgrade material

Experimental Investigation of a Medium Temperature Single-Phase Thermosyphon in an Evacuated Tube Receiver Coupled With Compound Parabolic Concentrator

The integration of evacuated tube receivers with non-imaging compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs) operating in thermosyphon mode provides the opportunity to deliver solar thermal energy in the medium temperature range that is suitable for many industrial applications. However, the performance of single-phase thermosyphon in the medium temperature range has not been comprehensively investigated. This paper presents the design, development, and performance evaluation of a single-phase thermosyphon in an evacuated tube receiver integrated with a modified CPC solar collector. The thermohydraulic performance of the developed system is evaluated in the tropical climate using Therminol-55 oil as heat transfer fluid. The results demonstrate that the maximum outlet temperature reached over 120°C using thermal oil as heat transfer fluid while it remained at 100°C in case of water. The zero-loss thermal efficiency reached up to 70% on a clear sky day. Comparing the thermal performance of the developed CPC collector with an existing model of a non-concentrating collector showed much improvement at elevated temperatures. This indicates that this system can effectively operate in tropical weather conditions to provide sustainable solar thermal energy in the medium temperature range