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A review of alternative proteins for vegan diets: Sources, physico-chemical properties, nutritional equivalency, and consumer acceptance
Alternate proteins are gaining popularity as a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to animal-based proteins. These proteins are often considered healthier and are suitable for people following a vegetarian or vegan diet. Alternative proteins can be recovered from natural sources like legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds, while single cell proteins (mycoproteins), and algal proteins are being developed using cutting-edge technology to grow fungus, yeast and algal cells in a controlled environment, creating a more sustainable source of protein. Although, the demand for alternative protein products is increasing, there still happens to be a large gap in use among the general consumers mainly stemming from its lower bioavailability, lack of nutritional equivalency and reduced digestibility compared to animal proteins. The focus of the review is to emphasize on various sources and technologies for recovering alternative proteins for vegan diets. The review discusses physicochemical properties of alternative proteins and emphasise on the role of various processing technologies that can change the digestibility and bioavailability of these proteins. It further accentuates the nutritional equivalency and environmental sustainability of alternative protein against the conventional proteins from animals. The food laws surrounding alternative proteins as well as the commercial potential and consumer acceptance of alternative protein products are also highlighted. Finally, key challenges to improve the consumer acceptability and market value of plant-based proteins would be in achieving nutrient equivalency and enhance bioavailability and digestibility while maintaining the same physicochemical properties, taste, texture, as animal proteins, has also been highlighted. 2023 The Authors -
A Search for X-Ray/UV Correlation in the Reflection-dominated Seyfert 1 Galaxy Markarian 1044
Correlated variability between coronal X-rays and disk optical/UV photons provides a very useful diagnostic of the interplay between the different regions around an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and how they interact. AGNs that reveal strong X-ray reflection in their spectra should normally exhibit optical/UV to X-ray correlation consistent with reprocessingwhereas the optical/UV emission lags behind the X-rays. While such correlated delay has been seen in some sources, it has been absent in others. Mrk 1044 is one such source that has been known to reveal strong X-ray reflection in its spectra. In our analysis of three long XMM-Newton and several Swift observations of the source, we found no strong evidence for correlation between its UV and X-ray lightcurves both on short and long timescales. Among other plausible causes for the nondetection, we posit that higher X-ray variability rather than UV and strong general relativistic effects close to the black hole may also be responsible. We also present results from the spectral analysis based on XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations, which show the strong soft X-ray excess and iron K? line in the 0.3-50 keV spectrum that can be described by relativistic reflection. 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. -
A Model for Detecting Type 2 Diabetes Using Mixed Single-Cell RNA Sequencing with Optimized Data
Diabetes is a critical disease and is crucial to personage agility. Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) accounts for 92% of epithetical cases. This paper proposes an optimized type 2 diabetes detection model using mixed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology. Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. Early detection of the disease can greatly improve treatment outcomes, but current diagnostic methods have limitations. Our proposed model integrates scRNA-seq data from both human pancreatic beta cells to identify gene expression patterns associated with diabetes. Our study shows that the proposed model is highly accurate in identifying diabetes, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.98. We employed an optimized model to improve the detection of diabetes at an early stage, leading to better treatment outcomes and an improved quality of life for patients. We initially incorporated optimal features from the dataset using the Monte Carlo (MC) feature selection method. This method helped us to estimate the relative importance (RI) score of each gene or feature, which is then used to rank the features. Further, we proposed an optimized deep belief network (ODBN) as a classification model to classify T2D and non-diabetes. To improve the performance of ODBN, an adaptive chimp optimization algorithm (AChOA) is introduced to optimize the weight parameters and achieved a performance accuracy of 96.57%. 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. -
Impact of Comprehensive Intervention Program on HIV Positive AdolescentsA Cross-Case Analysis
Background: This study was conducted to understand the impact of comprehensive intervention on HIV positive adolescents. Methods: Among the 97 adolescents who were screened, 48 HIV positive adolescents in the experimental group underwent intervention for 6 months focusing on physical, cognitive, affective, and social domains to create flourishing adolescence. The sample consisted of 2 who showed remarkable improvement and 2 who showed negligible improvement post-intervention. Multiple case study design was adopted, and the data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The themes identified among the outliers at the higher end were increased self-awareness, self-esteem, coping skill, optimistic attitude, sense of gratitude, and availability of support. The themes gathered from the outliers at the lower end were low self-esteem, lack of support, lack of purpose, pessimistic attitude, and emotional vulnerability. Conclusions: Optimistic/pessimistic attitude, self-esteem and perception of support were the intersecting factors which were enhanced among the participants who showed improvement, and lack of these factors were seen among the ones who showed negligible improvement. 2023 The Author(s). -
Effect of partial pressure of oxygen, target current, and annealing on DC sputtered tungsten oxide (WO3) thin films for electrochromic applications
Tungsten oxide (WO3) thin films were prepared on Corning (CG) and Fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates at partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) 4 10?2 Pa and 8 10?2 Pa using DC magnetron sputtering (DCMs). In this work, we have varied the deposition parameters like pO2, target currents, and temperature. At pO2 4 10?2 Pa and 8 10?2 Pa samples were deposited at target currents of 50 mA and 100 mA, the maintained growth conditions are RT (substrate temperature 28 C), Pre annealed (substrate temperature 400 C), and Post annealed (annealing temperature 400 C). The samples were systematically characterized for vibrational, structural, optical, and Electrochromic (EC) properties by using Raman, XRD, Uv-Vis spectrometer, and Electrochemical analyzer respectively. XRD analysis reveals that RT-deposited samples show amorphous nature and pre & post-annealed samples show a crystalline nature for both pO2. Optical transmittance was higher at RT-deposited samples at 50 mA (94% & 92%) and lower at 100 mA (87% & 85%) at the wavelength of 600 nm for both pO2. From CV analysis higher cathodic peak current density was observed in RT-deposited samples at 50 mA (?6.49 mAcm?2 & -13.80 mAcm?2) and lower at 100 mA (?5.25 mAcm?2 & -12.88 mAcm?2) for both pO2. The diffusion coefficient was observed at a higher target current at 100 mA (1.06 10?7 cm2/s & 9.20 10?8 cm2/s). For annealed samples optical and EC properties were decreased for both pO2. 2023 Elsevier B.V. -
Measuring the Economic Burden of Health Conditions among White?Collar Employees: A Cross?Sectional Study from Delhi? NCR
Background: In the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in healthcare expenditure due to the prevalence of health issues across the globe. This is primarily seen among white-collar employees due to the sedentary nature of their jobs, which affects their current earnings (Purchasing Power) directly due to the reallocation of their real income towards healthcare expenditure (Economic Burden) and indirectly by impacting work productivity through sick leaves. Aim: To measure the economic burden of disease(s) among white-collar employees, and to study the same across different socio-demographic variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study has been conducted in the region of Delhi-NCR among 357 white-collar employees. A random sampling method was adopted using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire collected information regarding the direct and indirect costs of health conditions with a recall period of one month. The cumulative score of these monthly costs was converted to annual data to estimate the economic burden of the health conditions among the employees over a year. Results: As compared to Communicable diseases (16.24%), Non-communicable diseases (27.17%) were more prevalent among the respondents. Compared to other diseases, the employees suffering from Heart diseases (INR 7,62,237.50), Spinal health issues (INR 1,73,625.00), and Diabetes (INR 1,64,535.71) incurred more economic burden. At a 5% significance level, no significant difference was observed in economic burden for Gender and BMI. However, the economic burden was significantly different across the categories of Age and Monthly income. A positive association can be observed in economic burden with the increasing categories of age and monthly income. Conclusion: With the nature of sedentary work (desk jobs), white-collar employees are at a greater risk of exposure to various NCDs than CDs and incur a significant amount of out-of-pocket expenditure to manage their health status. 2023 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved. -
Synthesis, Green Photoluminescence and Studies of Nonlinear Optical Spatial Self Phase Modulation Effect in 2D Ga2Te3 Nanosheets
The liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) technique has been employed to prepare two-dimensional (2D) gallium telluride (Ga2Te3) nanosheets with an average thickness of ?2.4 nm and linear optical properties, including UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence (PL) emission characteristics of the sample in the green wavelength region are reported. The third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) responses of the colloidal suspension of 2D Ga2Te3 are determined at 532 and 632 nm wavelengths by a spatial self-phase modulation (SSPM) experiment. The value of the third-order NLO refraction coefficient (n2e) and effective susceptibility for monolayer (?(3)Mono) 2D Ga2Te3 under 532 (632) nm continuous wave (CW) excitation is extracted to be 2.60 10-7 (0.32 10-7) cm2/W and 1.12 10-9 (1.37 10-10) e.s.u., respectively. The origin of the observed SSPM patterns under 532 nm excitation was elucidated theoretically. Finally, the correlation of ?(3)Mono with the mobility of charge carriers for a vast number of 2D materials is utilized to establish the origin of the observed NLO effect under 532 nm pump laser radiation in the 2D Ga2Te3. Additionally, NLO absorption coefficients of 2D Ga2Te3 have been extracted using the femtosecond Z-scan technique at 800 nm. We observed a switching behavior (saturable to threephoton absorption) in the nonlinear absorption mechanism with different input peak intensities. The highest three-photon absorption coefficient of ?1.68 cm3/GW2 was observed for a 350 GW/cm2 peak intensity. We believe that such reports of interesting linear and NLO properties of this newly synthesized 2D material can be utilized in the future for a wide number of optoelectronic applications. 2023 American Chemical Society. -
An Efficient Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective One-Pot Synthesis of Pyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole and Its Derivatives
A facile and effectual regioselective one-pot synthesis protocol has been developed for the construction of pyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole and its derivatives using Copper(I) bromide as the catalyst, 1,10-phenanthroline as ligand, and K3PO4 (Tripotassium phosphate) as the base in Dimethyl sulfoxide as solvent at 110 C for 12 h. The reaction conditions were optimized by screening various copper catalysts, ligands, solvents, and bases. The substrate scope of the reaction was also carried out with electron-withdrawing and donating functional groups to prepare novel functionalized regioselective benzimidazole compounds in good to excellent yields. All the isolated compounds were characterized by 1H, 13C, and 19F NMR. 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH. -
A MULTI-OBJECTIVE HUNTER-PREY OPTIMIZATION FOR OPTIMAL INTEGRATION OF CAPACITOR BANKS AND PHOTOVOLTAIC DISTRIBUTION GENERATION UNITS IN RADIAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
This article put forward the determination of the optimal siting and sizing of capacitor banks and PV-DG (Photo-Voltaic Distribution Generation) units in a radial distribution system. A modern population-based optimization algorithm, Hunter-Prey Optimization (HPO), is applied to determine the optimal capacitor bank and PV-DG placement. This algorithm, HPO, got its motivation from the trapping behaviour of the carnivore (predator/hunter) like lions and wolves towards their target animal like deer. The typical IEEE-33 & 69 test bus systems are scrutinized for validating the effectiveness of the suggested algorithm using MATLAB software R2021b version. The acquired results are collated with the existing heuristic algorithms for the active power loss criterion. The nominal or base values for system losses and voltage profile were considered for the comparison, with the results from HPO. The HPO application has an efficient performance in figuring out the most favourable location and capacity of the capacitor banks and PV DGs compared with the other techniques. 2023 by authors and Galileo Institute of Technology and Education of the Amazon (ITEGAM). -
Redefining Photography in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
[No abstract available] -
Design of reconfigurable multiplier-less filter structure based on IFIR for digital channelizer
The flexibility in frequency allocation is essential for high throughput satellites (HTS). The digital channelizer based transponder system has a crucial role in enhancing the performance of HTS. In this work, the design and implementation of a low computational complexity digital channelizer for HTS is proposed. The proposed reconfigurable filter structure for digital channelizer is to generate non-uniform and sharp transition width FIR filters for transponder of the satellite systems. The multipliers and group delay needed in the digital channelizer that employ the proposed structure are reduced when compared to FRM and traditional IFIR based digital channelizer. An example is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design. Results reveal that the proposed structure has a lower multiplier complexity than existing techniques. The proposed structure once implemented effectively, the power dissipation and hardware complexity are reduced. With the help of CSD, MOABC, and SIDC-CSE optimization, the filters used in this structure are made multiplier-less. Hence this structure is adaptable for the digital channelizer in the transponder of the satellite communication systems. 2023 Elsevier GmbH -
Biogenic Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Mediated by the Extract of Terminalia catappa Fruit Pericarp and Its Multifaceted Applications
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were biosynthesized by using the pericarp aqueous extract from Terminalia catappa Linn. These NPs were characterized using various analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and XRD studies of the nanoparticles reported mean size as 12.58 nm nanocrystals with highest purity. Further SEM analysis emphasized the nanoparticles to be spherical in shape. The functional groups responsible for capping and stabilizing the NPs were identified with FTIR studies. DLS studies of the synthesized NPs reported ? potential as ?10.1 mV and exhibited stable colloidal solution. These characterized ZnO-NPs were evaluated for various biological applications such as antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, genotoxic, biocompatibility, and larvicidal studies. To explore its multidimensional application in the field of medicine. NPs reported a potential antimicrobial activity at a concentration of 200 ?g/mL against bacterial strains in the decreasing order of Streptococcus pyogenes > Streptococcus aureus > Streptococcus typhi > Streptococcus aeruginosa and against the fungi Candida albicans. In vitro studies of RBC hemolysis with varying concentrations of NPs confirm their biocompatibility with IC50 value of 211.4 ?g/mL. The synthesized NPs DPPH free radical scavenging activity was examined to extend their antioxidant applications. The antiproliferation and genetic toxicity were studied with meristematic cells of Allium cepa reported with mitotic index (MI index) of 1.2% at the concentration of 1000 ?g/mL. NPs exhibited excellent Larvicidal activity against Culex quinquefasciatus larvae with the highest mortality rate as 98% at 4 mg/L. Our findings elicit the therapeutic potentials of the synthesized zinc oxide NPs. 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society -
Sm-MOF/rGO/PANI composite as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications
In recent years, scientists have been paying a lot of attention to metal-organic frameworks, often known as MOFs, as a possible material for use as electrodes in supercapacitors. MOFs are capable of functioning as high-quality pseudocapacitors because of their crystalline structure, which enhances the specific surface area and provide mechanical support for composite materials. The objective of this study is to synthesize an electrode material that can be used as supercapacitors by synthesizing Sm-MOF and then combining it with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and polyaniline (PANI) to make a hybrid material. Here, the effect of incorporation of PANI and rGO in Sm-MOF is investigated, and its application as a supercapacitor is examined. Due to the high surface area and pore size, Sm-MOF/rGO/PANI material exhibits high specific capacitance. The computed specific capacitance of the composite Sm-MOF/rGO/PANI material is 1935.6 F g?1 when subjected to a current density of 1 A g?1. The Sm-MOF/rGO/PANI device is fabricated and exhibits a specific capacitance of 218 F g?1. The specific power and energy are calculated to be 59.3 Wh kg?1 and 581 W kg?1, respectively. 2023 Elsevier Ltd -
Nanofluid flowing over a rotating disk that is stretching and permeable: An unsteady model
The model presented in this paper deals with the investigation of the unsteady laminar flow past a stretchable disk. The nanofluids Al2O3/H2O and Cu/H2O are considered for the analysis where the thermal characteristics and flow behavior of these nanofluids are compared. In addition, the system is subjected to the suction force that has significant impacts on velocity of the nanofluid flow. Further, the nanoparticle solid volume fraction is another important parameter that is discussed which has a prominent role on both profiles of the nanofluid. Furthermore, the investigated mathematical model is framed using PDEs that are transformed to ODEs using suitable transformations. The system of equations obtained in this regard is solved by employing the RKF-45 numerical method where the results are obtained in the form of graphs. Various nanofluids flow parameters arise in the study and the impact of all these parameters has been analyzed and interpreted. Some of the major outcomes are that the higher values of nanoparticle solid volume fraction enhance the temperature while it decreases velocity of the flow. The comparison of flow of the two nanofluids concluded that aluminawater nanofluid has a better velocity while the copperwater nanofluid has a better thermal conductivity. World Scientific Publishing Company. -
Antioxidant Phenolics of Justicia adhatoda L. and Cordia dichotoma Frost. Promote Thrombolytic Activity through Binding to a Serine Protease, Tissue Plasminogen Activator Protein
Background: The tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) protein dissolutes fibrin clots and prevents the disease like thrombosis. The current study aimed to study the tPA-promoting activity of bioactive molecules of Justicia adhatoda L (JA) and Cordia dichotoma Frost (CD). Methods: The phytochemical characterization of methanolic and aqueous extracts of JA and CD stems was performed through qualitative analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and biochemical tests (total phenolic and total flavonoid content [TPC and TFC]). The bioactivity of the extracts was studied through total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and ferric-reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assays. Finally, forty phytocompounds from JA and CD were identified from the literature, and in silico molecular docking study was performed to target tPA protein (PDB id 1A5H, Chain A, X-ray diffraction, resolution 2.90 . Results: Various phytochemical classes were identified from extracts, through qualitative and FTIR analysis. TPC and TFC were estimated from the JA and CD extracts within the range of 9.3428.67 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g of extract weight (EW) and 2.4816.17 mg quercetin equivalent/100 g of EW, respectively. The aqueous extract of CD showed the highest TAC of 14.90 ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/100 g of EW, and the methanolic extract of JA had the highest FRAP activity of 27.77 mg AAE/100 g EW. The molecular docking study showed that apigenin 6,8-di-glucopyranoside had the highest binding potential toward the tPA (?9.380 kcal/mol). Conclusion: It can be concluded that antioxidant phytochemicals of JA and CD could promote the tPA activity, thereby promoting thrombolytic activity. Copyright: 2023 Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Journal (BBRJ) -
Travails of New Mothers Returning to Work in Corporate India: A Phenomenological Study
A womans life is a myriad of experiences and none, perhaps, leaves a more lasting impression on her than motherhood. The child-birth event along with all its highs and lows not only has a deep psychological impact on her as a person but also impacts her career in many ways. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis, we have studied the lived experience of women who returned to work in corporate settings after maternity leave. Our study found that not only do they go through an emotional upheaval during this phase, but they also see a marked shift in the way they approach their careers. A womans natural instinct to mother her child comes in conflict with another natural (and equally important) desire to succeed in the workplace. Most women in our study experienced a stalling/break in their careers after childbirth and wished they had a mentor to assist them in transitioning back to office life. Besides trying to evaluate if childbirth was perceived as a threat or potential impediment to a high-flying career, we also explored how women were treated in their work environments, and whether their coworkers helped the women to cope during this phase. While the women in our study wanted to achieve success and satisfaction both within their families and careers, they found it most challenging to do so. 2022 Journal of International Womens Studies. -
A HYBRID APPROACH FOR LANDMARK DETECTION OF 3D FACES FOR FORENSIC INVESTIGATION
Facial landmark detection is a key technology in many forensic applications, such as facial identification and facial reconstruction. However, the accuracy of facial landmark detection is often limited in 3D face images due to the challenges of occlusion, illumination, and pose variations. This paper proposes a hybrid approach for landmark detection of 3D faces for forensic investigation. A hybrid method of edge contour detection and Harris corner detection is proposed for feature extraction in face images for forensic investigation. Edge contour detection is used to detect the boundaries of the face, while Harris corner detection is used to detect the corners. The advantage of using a hybrid method of edge contour detection and Harris corner detection for feature extraction in face images is that it can capture both global and local features of the face. Edge contour detection can capture global features, such as the overall shape and outline of the face, while Harris corner detection can capture local features, such as the corners of the mouth, nose and eyes which are vital for facial reconstruction. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms existing landmark detection algorithms in terms of time complexity and minimum loss. 2023 Little Lion Scientific. -
Impacts of Pore Scale Gas Diffusion Layer Deformation on PEMFC Performance at Sub Zero Operation
Highlights Impact of assembly pressure on species and charge transport during cold start operation. Inhomogeneous GDL compression and intrusion is considered in the study. The intrusion effect leads to intense ice accumulation under the channels at 2 MPa. The importance of applying appropriate clamping pressure is highlighted in the study. 2023 The Electrochemical Society (ECS). Published on behalf of ECS by IOP Publishing Limited -
Perceptual span in reading Aksharic Kannada
Perceptual span, the effective visual field in reading covered in a single fixation, varies across orthographies. The perceptual span for reading English covers 34-character spaces to the left of fixation and around 1415-character spaces to the right of the fixation while for Chinese it is one character space to the left and 3-character spaces to the right of the fixation. In the present study, we estimated the perceptual span for Kannada, a major South Indian language written in akshara (abugida type) using the gaze-contingent moving window paradigm. We recorded eye movements from skilled Kannada readers when they read sentences in different window sizes and compared the eye movement measures with that of full-length sentence reading. Results showed that the perceptual span for Kannada covers one akshara to the left and 6-akshara to the right of the fixation. Future studies need to establish whether all Akshara orthographies show a similar percentual span. 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. -
On the secure vertex cover pebbling number
A new graph invariant called the secure vertex cover pebbling number, which is a combination of two graph invariants, namely, secure vertex cover and cover pebbling number, is introduced in this paper. The secure vertex cover pebbling number of a graph, G, is the minimum number m so that every distribution of m pebbles can reach some secure vertex cover of G by a sequence of pebbling moves. In this paper, the complexity of the secure vertex cover problem and secure vertex cover pebbling problem are discussed. Also, we obtain some basic results and the secure vertex cover pebbling number for complete r-partite graphs, paths, Friendship graphs, and wheel graphs. 2023 World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.