Comparative study on the rice bran stabilization processes: A review

Rice bran is an undervalued/underutilized by-product of rice milling, rich in protein, lipids, dietary fibers, vitamins, and minerals. It is an inexpensive source of high-quality protein, fiber and lipids to be incorporated into value-added food products. The issue with rice bran is its susceptibility to rancidity and therefore measures must be taken to stabilize the bran in order for it to be fully utilized. Due to this susceptibility to rancidity, historically the bran has either been disposed and wasted or used as low-grade animal feed. As the nutritional value of the bran has been recognized, along with its potential to add value to food products, research has been increasing in volume in order to determine the most effective methods for stabilizing the bran and extracting the valuable nutrients from it. It’s been reported that a free fatty acid content of over 5% is considered to render the bran unfit for human consumption (Tao, Rao & Liuzzo, 1993). Therefore, controlling this level of rancidity is imperative to being able to store and use rice bran over extended periods of time. In order to achieve control, stabilization procedures can be carried out on the rice bran to slow down the lipase activity within the bran and preserve the nutritional qualities that rice bran possesses. Stabilization of rice bran is particularly important for use over winter months in developing countries, where there may be no crops to harvest and therefore a supply of non- rancid rice bran could be extremely beneficial. This length of storage for stabilized rice bran could be up to a period of 6 months, where it can become important for value-added product development (Bagchi, Adak & Chattopadhyay, 2014). The present review will provide an overview of the traditional and innovation rice bran stabilization techniques, those have been a common interest in the research community, and the suitability of the process in terms of the energy consumption

Multifocal Extensive Spinal Tuberculosis with Retropharyngeal Abscess

An unusual case of a young boy presenting with spinal tuberculosis involving cervical & thoracic vertebrae, along with retropharyngeal abscess is reported. The patient presented with progressive quadriparesis, fever, night sweat and cervical lymphadenopathy. The lab studies confirmed tuberculosis and patient received anti-tubercular chemotherapy. After development of quadriparesis, spinal surgery was done. The post operative course was uneventful and the patient is on gradual neurological recovery. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bsmmuj.v4i2.8646 BSMMU J 2011; 4(2):128-13

Influence of flowing fluid property through an elastic tube on various deformations along the tube length

The study of fluid flow characteristics in collapsible elastic tubes is useful to understand biofluid mechanics encountered in the human body. The research work presented here is aimed at thoroughly investigating the influence of both Newtonian and/or non-Newtonian fluids (low and high shear thinning) during steady flow through an elastic tube on various tube deformations, which enables understanding of the interaction between wall motion, fluid flow, and intestinal transmembrane mass transfer as a crucial contribution to a mechanistic understanding of bioaccessibility/bioavailability. It is observed that for a given steady volume flow rate, the tube is buckled from an elliptical shape to a line or area contacted two lobes as the critical external pressure is increased. The downstream transmural pressure is found to get more negative than that at the upstream as the outlet pressure decreased due to stronger tube collapse resulting in a reduced cross-sectional area. The experimental results depict that the tube cross-sectional area decreased by only about a factor of one for PEG (polyethylene glycol) and about a factor of six for both CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose) and PAA (polyacrylamide) from the undeformed one under an applied external pressure of 105 mbar. The corresponding maximum velocity increased by a factor of two during steady flow of shear-thinning fluids. The shear-thinning behavior of both CMC and PAA solutions is clearly observed at a constant flow rate of 17 ml/s as the tube cross-sectional area decreased due to an increase in compressive transmural pressure. In addition, the viscosity of PAA is drastically decreased due to its high shear-thinning behavior than that of the CMC under the same applied external pressure

Advances in Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction with Water: A Review

In recent years, the increasing level of CO2 in the atmosphere has not only contributed to global warming but has also triggered considerable interest in photocatalytic reduction of CO2. The reduction of CO2 with H2O using sunlight is an innovative way to solve the current growing environmental challenges. This paper reviews the basic principles of photocatalysis and photocatalytic CO2 reduction, discusses the measures of the photocatalytic efficiency and summarizes current advances in the exploration of this technology using different types of semiconductor photocatalysts, such as TiO2 and modified TiO2, layered-perovskite Ag/ALa4Ti4O15 (A = Ca, Ba, Sr), ferroelectric LiNbO3, and plasmonic photocatalysts. Visible light harvesting, novel plasmonic photocatalysts offer potential solutions for some of the main drawbacks in this reduction process. Effective plasmonic photocatalysts that have shown reduction activities towards CO2 with H2O are highlighted here. Although this technology is still at an embryonic stage, further studies with standard theoretical and comprehensive format are suggested to develop photocatalysts with high production rates and selectivity. Based on the collected results, the immense prospects and opportunities that exist in this technique are also reviewed here

The Effects of Figaron and Water Deficit on Seed Yield of Two Soybean Cultivars

In tropical and subtropical regions, soybean (Glycine max L.) often encounters a temporary water deficit in summer. Application of auxin during the reproductive period, when a water deficit and high temperature cause pod abscission, is expected to decrease pod abscission and thus increase seed yield. The present study was conducted in a greenhouse to assess the effects of Figaron (synthetic auxin) under various conditions of water deficiency in two soybean cultivars, Fukushirome and Miyagishirome. The plants were supplied with 500–, 300–, 200–, or 100–mL water per pot (5 L) three times a day. Figaron (lOOmgL–1) was sprayed 10 days after opening of the first flower. The rate of photosynthesis and transpiration were greatly decreased by water deficit in both cultivars. Application of Figaron slightly increased the rates of photosynthesis and transpiration irrespective of the water condition, though it temporarily decreased the rates during the initial few days after Figaron application. Figaron decreased the abscission of reproductive organs and increased the percentage of pod set, irrespective of the water condition, resulting in increase of seed yield. However, seed yield was severely decreased by water deficit, and application of Figaron could not fully overcome the decrease of yield caused by a severe water deficit

Doppler ultrasound flow measurement of non-parallel velocity fields in a deformed elastic tube

The ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry (UVP) method is well known for the laminar flow stream in a circular tube. In many practical situations, deformed tubes or, non-parallel streamlines are involved. An improved experimental arrangement of the UVP transducer is needed to define the real velocity-vectors of the flow when the streamlines are not parallel to its wall. An experimental approach has been used with two sets of transducers in perpendicular to each other to obtain the magnitude of the real velocity vector (vreal), the direction of velocity-vector, and axial velocity component along the flow direction. The experiments were carried out using a proposed arrangement of UVP transducer for flow visualisation in a squeezed elastic tube. The results show that the 2D velocity profiling found to be more accurate using the present transducer arrangement, which is important for generating further information such as shear rate, flow rate, etc

Doppler ultrasound flow measurement of non-parallel velocity fields in a deformed elastic tube

The ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry (UVP) method is well known for the laminar flow stream in a circular tube. In many practical situations, deformed tubes or, non-parallel streamlines are involved. An improved experimental arrangement of the UVP transducer is needed to define the real velocity-vectors of the flow when the streamlines are not parallel to its wall. An experimental approach has been used with two sets of transducers in perpendicular to each other to obtain the magnitude of the real velocity vector (vreal), the direction of velocity-vector, and axial velocity component along the flow direction. The experiments were carried out using a proposed arrangement of UVP transducer for flow visualisation in a squeezed elastic tube. The results show that the 2D velocity profiling found to be more accurate using the present transducer arrangement, which is important for generating further information such as shear rate, flow rate, etc

Releasable and traceless PEGylation of arginine-rich antimicrobial peptides

Arginine-rich antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are emerging therapeutics of interest. However, their applicability is limited by their short circulation half-life, caused in part by their small size and digestion by blood proteases. This study reports a strategy to temporarily mask arginine residues within AMPs with methoxy poly(ethylene glycol). Based on the reagent used, release of AMPs occurred in hours to days in a completely traceless fashion. In vitro, conjugates were insensitive to serum proteases, and released native AMP with full in vitro bioactivity. This strategy is thus highly relevant and should be adaptable to the entire family of arginine-rich AMPs. It may potentially be used to improve AMP-therapies by providing a more steady concentration of AMP in the blood after a single injection, avoiding toxic effects at high AMP doses, and reducing the number of doses required over the treatment duration.ISSN:2041-6520ISSN:2041-653