EFFECT OF HIGH PRESSURE ON THE ACCUMULATION OF IMP AND ON THE STABILITY OF AMP DEAMINASE IN RABBIT SKELETAL MUSCLE

This study evaluated the effect of high pressure on rabbit skeletal muscle, specifically on the production of inosinic acid (IMP), one of “umami” components, and on the activity of adenosine triphosphate (AMP) deaminase, which plays a role in the conversion of AMP to IMP. By increasing the pressure (0.1 to 300 MPa), nucleotide analysis showed that IMP content in muscle increased instantly with a concomitant decrease in ATP content. The IMP content of muscle at 300 MPa was approximately 15% higher than with lower pressures (0.1–200 MPa) when stored for 1 week at 4C after pressurization. These results suggested that the metabolism of nucleotides in muscle was not significantly impaired by pressure treatment. At 300 MPa, AMP deaminase maintained approximately 70% of the activity at 0.1 MPa. In contrast, the activity of purified AMP deaminase was completely lost at 200 MPa, and irreversible conformational changes were observed by in situ fluorescence spectroscopy. These results indicated that purified AMP deaminase was irreversibly denatured under pressure as high as 300–400 MPa.     

FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF DIFFERENT MARGARINES AND BUTTERS FROM PAKISTAN WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON TRANS UNSATURATED CONTENTS

Fatty acid (FA) composition and isomeric trans unsaturated contents in selected brands of margarines and butter, which are more popular among general consumers of Pakistan, has been reported in this study. A sum of 10 butter and 10 margarine samples, collected from different bakers, confectioners and retail outlets, was analyzed. FA methyl esters were prepared, and quantitative measurements were made using a methyl lignoserate‐coated stationary phase, capillary column (SP‐2340, 60 m × 0.25 mm, 0.20 μm), with flame ionization detection. The contents of saturated FA, cis monounsaturated FA and cis polyunsaturated FA were in the following ranges: margarines 38.9–53.1, 21.9–35.8, 7.45–21.5% and butter 63.7–68.5, 23.0–27.0 and 1.20–2.94%, respectively. Results showed significantly higher amounts of trans FA (TFA) in margarines ranged from 2.45 to 21.1%, whereas butter samples contained less than 5.00% of TFA.     

Electrical and dielectric properties of TiO2 and Fe2O3 doped fly ash

Electrical properties of ceramic materials has become an area of increasing interest in research because these materials possess a great potential for solid-state devices. Conducting polymer composites have attracted considerable interest in recent years because of their numerous applications in a variety of electric and electronic devices. It has been observed that these materials possess a very high relative dielectric constant and high electrical properties at room temperature. Such a high dielectric constant is one of the important parameters in capacitor fabrication and a high electrical conductivity can be used for ionic batteries and electrochemical sensors.     

Gut microbiome modulation: Ancillary effects of inorganic nanoparticles on gut microflora

The association of gut microflora and human health is being increasingly recognized, and the impact of gut microflora on the host is well characterized, including the body’s energy metabolism and immune system maintenance. Several human diseases, including metabolic, autoimmune, obesity, hypothyroidism, and intestinal disorders, are closely associated with gut dysbiosis. Inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) are extensively utilized in numerous fields due to their distinctive, attractive physicochemical properties. Estimation of the potential impacts of NPs, with a high number of microorganisms inside the human body (microbiota) and its genomes (microbiome), represents one of the most important aspects of nano-toxicology. This review article aims to provide information on the association of gut microflora alterations to diseases and describe the impacts of various inorganic NPs, including silver, zinc, selenium, titania, silicon, and copper, on gut microflora. Research on the effect of inorganic NPs on gut microflora of animal models and the poultry industry is reviewed. The response of pathogenic Enterobacter species to inorganic NPs has been expounded in detail. This review also highlights the need to focus on the ancillary effects of various inorganic NPs on gut microflora to expedite the suitable advancement of these particles for future use. Finally, the key opportunistic areas for the application of nanotechnology are underlined to manipulate the microbiome of gut dysbiosis, provide an overview, and address potential challenges and our perspective on this evolving field.     

FINE STRUCTURE RADIATIVE TRANSITIONS IN C II AND C III USING THE BREIT–PAULI R-MATRIX METHOD

Extensive sets of radiative transitions in C II and in C III are obtained using the relativistic Breit–Pauli R-matrix (BPRM) method. In comparison with other accurate methods that can be applied to relatively few transitions, the BPRM method enables calculations of a large number of transitions with comparable accuracy for most of them. The present work reports large-scale calculations for two important ions obtaining 127 and 206 bound fine structure energy levels, resulting in 1681 and 4202 dipole allowed and intercombination transitions for C II and C III, respectively. Detailed comparison of the BPRM results is made with those from experimental and theoretical studies, including the relativistic multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock method.     

Molecular characterization of sweet potato (<i>Ipomoea batatas</i> [L.] Lam) germplasms for desirable traits by using simple sequence repeats markers

Every breeding program that aims to create new and improved cultivars with desired traits mostly relies oninformation related to genetic diversity. Therefore, molecular characterization of germplasms is important to obtain targetcultivars with desirable traits. Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] is widely considered the world’s most important crop,with great diversity in morphological and phenotypic traits. The genetic diversity of 20 sweet potato germplasms originatingfrom Bangladesh, CIP, Philippines, Taiwan, and Malaysia were compared, which was accomplished by genetic diversityanalysis by exploring 20 microsatellite DNA markers for germplasm characterization and utilization. This information waseffective in differentiating or clustering the sweet potato genotypes. A total of 64 alleles were generated using the 20 primersthroughout the 20 germplasm samples, with locus IBS97 having the highest number of alleles (5), whereas locus IbU33 hadthe fewest alleles (2). The alleles varied in size from 105 (IbU31) to 213 base pairs (IBS34). The Polymorphism InformationContent (PIC) values for the loci IbL46 and IBS97 varied from 0.445 to 0.730. IBS97 has the highest number of effectivealleles (3.704), compared to an average of 2.520. The average Shannon’s diversity index (H) was 1.003, ranging from 0.673 inIbU3 to 1.432 in IBS97. The value of gene flow (Nm) varied between 0.000 and 0.005, with an average of 0.003, whereasgenetic differentiation (FST-values) ranged between 0.901 and 1.000. The sweet potato germplasm included in this study hada broad genetic base. SP1 vs. SP9 and SP12 vs. SP18 germplasm pairings had the greatest genetic distance (GD = 0.965),while SP1 vs. SP2 germplasm couples had the least genetic diversity (GD = 0.093). Twenty genotypes were classified into twogroups in the UPGMA dendrogram, with 16 genotypes classified as group “A” and the remaining four genotypes, SP10,SP18, SP19, and SP20, classified as group “B.” According to cluster analysis, the anticipated heterozygosity (gene diversity) ofNei (1973) was 0.591 on average. In summary, SSR markers successfully evaluated the genetic relationships among the sweetpotato accessions used and generated a high level of polymorphism. The results of the present study will be useful for themanagement of germplasm, improvement of the current breeding strategies, and the release of new cultivars as varieties.     

风电机组风轮表面气流摩擦阻力特性研究

风轮在旋转的过程中,风轮获取的风能中需要消耗一部分来克服空气阻力,因此,叶片的设计中应充分考虑空气摩擦对设计的影响。结合1.2 MW风电机组叶片设计参数,应用黏性流体边界层理论,分析空气与风电叶片之间的相互作用及叶片受到的摩擦阻力,建立了叶片表面摩擦阻力计算模型,得到在摩擦力作用下,输出同样功率需要用弦长来补偿的结论,进一步修正了叶片弦长设计理论~([1])。最后通过Fluent仿真,分析气流摩擦阻力对叶片出力的影响,并与Glauert设计方法和Wilson设计方法进行对比,结果表明:在考虑摩擦力后弦长增加,且在不高于9 m/s的风速下原弦长和桨距角设计理论比Glauert理论和Wilson理论具有更高的功率和风能利用率。