Incorporation Of Different Levels Research Articles

Effect of incorporation of pumpkin (Cucurbita moshchata) powder and guar gum on the rheological properties of wheat flour.

The present study was carried out to study the effect of incorporation of fibre rich pumpkin powder and guar gum on the farinographic characteristics of wheat flour. The flour and pumpkin powder were assessed for proximate composition, total dietary fibre, minerals and β-carotene. Pumpkin powder contained appreciable amount of fibre, minerals and β-carotene. The effects of incorporation of different levels of pumpkin powder and guar gum along with pumpkin powder on farinographic characteristics were studied. Dough development time, dough stability, time to break down and farinograph quality number increased whereas mixing tolerance index decreased with incorporation of pumpkin powder (> 5%) and guar gum (1.0 and 1.5%) along with pumpkin powder in the flour. Resistance to extension as well as extensibility of dough prepared increased significantly by adding pumpkin powder (5-15%) whereas increase in resistance to extension only was noticed with inclusion of guar gum (0.5-1.5%) to flour containing 5% pumpkin powder. Results indicated that pumpkin can be processed to powder that can be utilized with guar gum for value addition.

An unusual case of altered mental status in a young woman

Context:We describe a case of paraneoplastic neurologic syndrome, namely N-Methyl-D-Aspartic acid receptor antibody associated limbic encephalitis, a rare cause of altered mental status in the young.Case Report:A 28 year old Caucasian female nurse presented with acute onset difficulty with word finding and increasing confusion and agitation. She also had visual hallucinations, transient episodes of unresponsiveness, and lingual dyskinesias. Workup including blood, imaging and regular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) studies was unremarkable. She subsequently developed complex partial seizures. Computerized Tomography scan of chest/abdomen/pelvis revealed a dermoid cyst of the left ovary and CSF N-Methyl-D-Aspartic acid receptor antibody returned positive confirming the diagnosis of paraneoplastic NMDA receptor antibody associated limbic encephalitis. She was treated with methylprednisolone therapy along with plasmapheresis and a left salpingo-opherectomy was performed. The patient showed significant improvement with respect to her cognitive function and had no more seizures.Conclusion:N-Methyl-D-Aspartic acid receptor antibody associated limbic encephalitis is a rare paraneoplastic neurologic syndrome with symptoms including psychiatric manifestations, seizures, language disturbances and autonomic instability. It develops due to antibody induced decrease in N-Methyl-D-Aspartic acid receptors. There is a significant association with ovarian teratoma in >50% female cases. Treatment includes resection of tumor, glucocorticoids, plasmapheresis and Intravenous Immunoglobulin therapy.

Density affects mating mode and large male mating advantage in a fiddler crab

Fiddler crabs show two different mating modes: either females search and crabs mate underground in male burrows, or males search and crabs mate on the surface near female burrows. We explored the relationship between crab density, body size, the searching behavior of both sexes, and the occurrence of both mating modes in the fiddler crab Uca uruguayensis. We found that crabs change their mating mode depending on their size and crab density. Crabs mated mostly on the surface at low densities, and underground at high densities. The proportion of wandering receptive females but not courting males accounted for the variation in mating modes. This suggests that whether crabs mate underground (or on the surface) is determined by the presence (or absence) of searching females. We found that the change in the mating mode affected the level of assortative mating; males mating underground were bigger than those mating on the surface, suggesting active female choice. Given that fiddler crabs experience multiple reproductive cycles, they are prone to showing behavioral plasticity in their mating strategy whenever the payoffs of using different mating modes differ between reproductive events. Our results suggest that the incorporation of different levels of environmental variability may be important in theoretical models aimed at improving our understanding of the evolution of alternative mating tactics and strategies.

Quality and shelf life evaluation of fermented sausages of buffalo meat with different levels of heart and fat

Investigations were carried to study the effect of heart incorporation (0%, 15% and 20%) and increasing levels of fat (20% and 25%) on physicochemical (pH, moisture content and thiobarbituric acid, TBA number) and microbiological (total plate count and yeast and mold count) quality and shelf life of semi dry sausages of buffalo meat during refrigerated storage (4 °C). Different levels of fat significantly ( p < 0.05) increased the pH of the sausage samples. However different levels of heart incorporation did not significantly ( p < 0.05) affect pH, moisture content and TBA number of sausage samples. Fresh samples had pH, moisture content and TBA number in the range of 5.15–5.28, 42.4–47.4% and 0.073–0.134 respectively. Refrigerated storage significantly ( p < 0.05) increased TBA number of control samples while storage did not significantly ( p < 0.05) increase the TBA number of sodium ascorbate (SA) treated samples. Total plate counts of twelve sausage samples were f under the TFTC (too few to count) limit at the initial stage. Incorporation of different levels of heart and also increasing levels of fat did not significantly ( p < 0.05) increase the log TPC/g values. Yeast and molds were not detected in twelve samples of semi dry fermented sausages in their fresh condition. Storage revealed that there was a consistent decrease in pH, and moisture content. Refrigerated storage significantly ( p < 0.05) reduced both pH and moisture contents. TBA number and total plate counts and yeast and mold counts of controls were found to increase significantly ( p < 0.05) during refrigerated storage. However, in SA treated sausage, only TPC and yeast and mold count significantly ( p < 0.05) increased during refrigerated storage. Shelf life of the sausages was found to be 60 days under refrigerated storage (4 °C).

Influence of Organic Waste Incorporation on Changes in Selected Soil Physical Properties During Drying of a Nigerian Alfisol

Changes in the physical properties during the drying of soil as affected by incorporation of different levels of poultry waste were investigated on an alfisol under fallow at the Teaching and Research Farm of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Bulk surface soil (0-150 mm depth) was air-dried and crushed to pass through a 4 mm mesh sieve, then moistened to 0.18 g g moisture before mixing with poultry waste at 1 d content range 0.14-0.10 g g and then subsequently decreased gradually. The porosity (n) of the soil 1 expectedly followed an inverse trend as ρ . The rate of poultry waste incorporation, however, had no significant d effect on n and ρ . Poultry waste addition increased the soil's unconfined compressive strength (UCS) implying d that poultry waste enhances the integrity of soil aggregates when subjected to stress. The soil's UCS also increased as the soil progressively dried out. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.80) was obtained between soil 2 moisture content and the shrinkage index (ΔV). The strength of the relationship however decreases with increased rate of poultry waste addition implying that poultry waste reduces the dependence of ΔV on moisture content. In general, the results indicate that poultry waste incorporation enhances the maintenance of th e integrity of soil aggregates under compressive loads thereby improving the workability of the soil. Drying also increased the compressive strength of the soil.

Influence of sodium chloride and its combination with Fe (II) or Cu (II) on the oxidative alteration of butter model systems

The effect of the incorporation of different levels of NaCl at 10.7, 21.4, 46 and 66 g kg -1 , and the combinations of NaCl (10 or 20 g kg -1 ) and Fe(II) or Cu(II) (25 or 50gg -1 ) in model systems of water dispersion in butter fat (WDIBFS) during storage was investigated by measuring peroxide value, p-anisidine index and TOTOX. The results indicated that NaCl at 10.7, 21.4 and 46 g kg -1 levels had a significant retarding effect against fat oxidation during 6 months of storage, while the higher concentration of 66 g kg -1 salt showed a significant prooxidant effect. NaCl significantly (p 0.05) increased the prooxidant effect of Cu(II) in all combinations, whereby the increase was directly proportional to the salt concentration. On the other hand, the addition of NaCl significantly increased the prooxidant effect of Fe(II) ions with no significant differences between the two salt levels (10 and 20 gkg -1 ). Ferrous ions were more effective as prooxidant than Cu(II) ions in the salt free WDIBFS. However, the addition of salt almost canceled the observed differences of the prooxidant influence of Fe(II) and Cu(II) ions.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 incorporates both glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored CD55 and CD59 and integral membrane CD46 at levels that protect from complement-mediated destruction.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) can be either resistant or sensitive to complement-mediated destruction depending on the host cells. Incorporation of different levels of host cell CD46, CD55 and CD59 may account for this differential sensitivity to complement. However, it has not been determined whether CD46, CD55 and CD59 can all be incorporated at levels which protect virions. To determine whether each of these proteins can protect HIV-1, virions were derived from CHO cells expressing either human CD46, CD55 or CD59. Virions were shown to incorporate both glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored CD55 and CD59 as well as transmembrane CD46. Importantly, all three virus preparations were significantly more resistant to complement lysis than control virus. This study demonstrates that HIV-1 incorporates both transmembrane and GPI-anchored complement control proteins from host cells and that both types of protein increase complement resistance of virus.

Effect Of The Application Of Dried Slurry On Yield And Chemical Composition Of Maize Fodder (&lt;i&gt;Zea Mays&lt;/i&gt;)

The experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of different levels of dried slurry (DS) as source of nitrogen fertilizer on yield and chemical composition of maize fodder (Zea mays). Four levels of DS (0, 10, 12 and 14 ton/ha) were applied in a Randomized Block Design (RBD). Green biomass yields was significantly higher in DS incorporated groups compared to control. The highest (P&lt;0.01) biomass yield was observed at the application of 12 ton DS/ha. Application of 12 ton DS/ha resulted highest plant height, number of leaves and leaves area (cm2) and stem circumference of maize fodder (P&lt;0.01). Dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) content of maize fodder was increased (P&lt;0.01) with an application of 12 ton DS/ha while acid detergent fiber (ADF) and total ash contents were decreased with an increased level of DS. Organic matter (OM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content of green grass were non significant for the incorporation of different levels of DS. From the results of the present study it is evident that, maize fodder can be cultivated through the application of 12 ton DS/ha for obtaining higher yield and nutrient content. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjas.v37i2.9881 BJAS 2008; 37(2): 52-57