Quantification of the adulteration concentration of palm kernel oil in virgin coconut oil using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging

The adulteration concentration of palm kernel oil(PKO)in virgin coconut oil(VCO)was quantified using near-infrared(NIR)hyperspectral imaging.Nowadays,some VCO is adulterated with lower-priced PKO to reduce production costs,which diminishes the quality of the VCO.This study used NIR hyperspectral imaging in the wavelength region 900-1,650 nm to create a quantitative model for the detection of PKO contaminants(0-100%)in VCO and to develop predictive mapping.The prediction equation for the adulteration of VCO with PKO was constructed using the partial least squares regression method.The best predictive model was pre-processed using the standard normal variate method,and the coefficient of determination of prediction was 0.991,the root mean square error of prediction was 2.93%,and the residual prediction deviation was 10.37.The results showed that this model could be applied for quantifying the adulteration concentration of PKO in VCO.The prediction adulteration concentration mapping of VCO with PKO was created from a calibration model that showed the color level according to the adulteration concentration in the range of 0-100%.NIR hyperspectral imaging could be clearly used to quantify the adulteration of VCO with a color level map that provides a quick,accurate,and non-destructive detection method.

Protective effects of oleic acid and polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil on cardiovascular diseases

The Mediterranean diet has long been recognized as one of the most effective ways to prevent and improve cardiovascular disease.Extra virgin olive oil(EVOO)is the typical sources of fat in the Mediterranean diet which have been shown to have noteworthy nutritional value and positive impact on human health.It is worth noting that EVOO owes its superior nutritional value to its bioactive composition.The main component of EVOO is monounsaturated fatty acids(MUFAs)in the form of oleic acid.Oleic acid accounts for up to 70%-80%of EVOO.Secondly,EVOO contains approximately more than 30 phenolic compounds,of which HT is essential for the protection against cardiovascular diseases.In this review,we focused on the potential mechanisms of oleic acid and polyphenols combat cardiovascular diseases risk in terms of oxidative stress,inflammation,blood pressure,endothelial function and cholesterol.This review might provide a reference for the studies on cardiovascular protective effects of EVOO.

一种基于VG2控制的I^2C总线键盘接口设计

采用ADCh ips公司的32位多媒体芯片V irg ine G 2与具有I2C总线接口的M 62334 DAC的连接,实现了轿车视音汉字显示操作控制系统的AD键方式键盘控制和自定义数字键盘控制;文章介绍了V irg ine G 2与I2C总线控制的自定义接口与通信协议,论述了系统功能特点,给出了硬件电路原理图和软件设计框图;用该电路对西门子CD 723汽车音响控制器、车载电视及DVD等设备进行控制,功能强,效果好。

基于μC/OS-Ⅱ的VG2以太网和USB接口设计

采用ADChips公司的Virgine G2多媒体微处理器、Realtek公司的RTL8019AS以太网接口器件和Philips公司的ISP1161 USB主/从控制器,实现微控制器扩展以太网接口和USB接口,并在Virgine G2中嵌入了实时多任务操作系统μC/OS-Ⅱ。介绍了硬件设计原理、操作系统移植及软件设计流程。该方法用于数字化家居智能控制器实现以太网和USB存储器的远/近程数据交互,具有很好的效果。

The Initial Stages of the Ontogenesis of Some Medicinal Plants in the Conditions of Bukhara (Uzbekistan)

The article is devoted to the study of the growth and development of medicinal annual Cota altissima (L.) J. Gay and two-year-old Arctium tomentosum Mill., Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. belonging to the Asteraceae family in the soil and climatic conditions of the city of Bukhara. The germination of seeds in laboratory and field conditions was determined. Due to unfavorable weather conditions and late spring, the seeds were sown in May. The growth and development of plants was observed one month later. Despite these species, they continue to grow. Cota altissima formed buds and flowers, and Arctium tomentosum and Silybum marianum remained in the virginal age state. All species adapt to the unfavorable conditions of the city of Bukhara.

虚拟运营商须扣紧互联网脉搏

国外虚拟运营商先行一步虚拟运营商是指移动通信虚拟网络运营商（MVNO）,它租用传统电信运营商的网络资源,按照用户的实际需求进行多样化、个性化转化,以此来提升电信服务的附加值。虚拟运营商的概念最早出现于欧洲,上世纪八十年代为了打破电信市场垄断,促进行业合理竞争,开始出现了电信业务转售。

互联网和数字时代,法国实体书店何去何从

近年来,数字技术和电子商务的快速发展给零售业带来巨大冲击,传统书店成为首当其冲的受害者。2013年初,位于香街的法国第五大图书销售集团维京Virgin书店宣布破产,Chapitre连锁书店连续关闭了12家。五年来,法国传统的实体书店每年销售额下降10%,预计至2017年,通过书店渠道销售的图书将不到三分之一。

The Use of Single-Phase Immersion Cooling by Using Two Types of Dielectric Fluid for Data Center Energy Savings

Data centers are recognized as one of the most important aspects of the fourth industrial revolution since conventional data centers are inefficient and have dependency on high energy consumption,in which the cooling is responsible for 40%of the usage.Therefore,this research proposes the immersion cooling method to solving the high energy consumption of data centers by cooling its component using two types of dielectric fluids.Four stages of experimentalmethods are used,such as fluid types,cooling effectiveness,optimization,and durability.Furthermore,benchmark software is used to measure the CPU maximum work with the temperature data performed for 24 h.The results of this study show that the immersion cooling reduces 13℃ lower temperature than the conventional cooling method which means it saves more energy consumption in the data center.The most optimum variable used to decrease the temperature is 1.5 lpm of flow rate and 800 rpm of fan rotation.Furthermore,the cooling performance of the dielectric fluids shows that the mineral oil(MO)is better than the virgin coconut oil(VCO).In durability experiment,there are no components damage after five months immersed in the fluid.

Space Tourism Begins to Take Off

A record number of non-astronauts flew into space in 2021,including a 90-year-old actor,a physician’s assistant,a football player turned TV host,a Dutch teenager,and four billionaires.The companies that sent most of these civilians aloft-Virgin Galactic,Blue Origin,and SpaceX-hope the flights will inaugurate a boom in space tourism.Blue Origin,started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,claims it has sold nearly 100 million USD of tickets for upcoming trips[1],while 700 people have paid up to 450000USD apiece for places on future flights by Virgin Galactic,launched by British billionaire Richard Branson[2].

Some parameters of coal methane system that cause very slow release of methane from virgin coal beds(CBM)

In some worldwide hard coal basins recovery of methane from virgin coal beds is difficult. In general,mentioned difficulties are related to geo-mechanical, petrographical and physical-chemical properties of coals in question, occurring for example in the Bowen Basin(Australia) or the Upper Silesian Coal Basin(Poland). Among numerous properties and parameters, the following are very essential: susceptibility of coal beds to deformation connected with coal stress state change and contemporary shrinkage of the coal matrix during methane desorption. Those adverse geo-mechanical and physical-chemical effects are accompanied by essential change of the porous coal structure, which under these disadvantageous conditions is very complex. This study aims to show difficulties, which occur in phase of recognition of the methane-reach coal deposit. Volume absorbed methane(not surface adsorbed) in sub-micropores having minimal size comparable with gas molecule diameter must possess energy allowing separation of the nodes and methane release to micropores.

Studies on the Optimization and Storage Stability of Virgin Coconut Meal Incorporated Instant Sooji Halwa Mix

Virgin Coconut Meal (VCM) was used for the development of instant wheat sooji (semolina) halwa mix with better nutritional attributes. Central composite rotatable design (CCRD) with 2 independent variables (sugar and VCM) and 4 responses (lightness, redness, taste and overall acceptability) was used for the optimisation. VCM incorporated instant halwa mix prepared using optimised levels of ingredients contained moisture 0.95%;fat 26.2%;protein 7.65%;total ash 0.86%;fibre 1.02% and received overall acceptability score of 8.5 on a 9 point hedonic scale providing 523.86 K·cal/ 100g. The changes in quality of stored VCM incorporated instant halwa mix packed in polypropylene (PP, 75 μ) and laminates of metallised polyester (MP, 90 μ) were monitored in order to assess the shelf-life. Instant halwa mix remained stable and acceptable for one year in both the packaging materials under ambient temperature conditions (15℃ - 34℃). However, the rate of lipid peroxidation was found to be slightly higher in PP packed samples as compared to MP packed ones. Fatty acid composition of VCM incorporated instant halwa mix remained practically unchanged during storage. Oleic acid was the major fatty acid present in fat extracted from halwa mix followed by palmitic and lauric acids.

Sensory Evaluation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil （EVOO） Extended to Include the Quality Factor ＂Harmony＂

Sensory evaluation of olive oil, meaning the official organoleptic assessment of olive oil respectively the ＂Panel Test＂ （PT）, is based on the standards of the International Olive Council （IOC）, as well as on the Regulation （EC） 640/2008 of the European Commission. These regulations lead to the classification of olive oil as ＂extra virgin＂ （EVOO）, ＂virgin＂ （VOO） or ＂lampant＂, which however is not sufficient to clearly discriminate between different quality levels within the grade EVOO. The objective of the study at hand was to develop and validate an objective sensory evaluation method for the quality certification of olive oil within the grade EVOO. A new rating system, including a detailed description and evaluation of the complexity and persistence of flavour, was established. First, a comparison between different profile sheets from various olive oil competitions （Ercole Olivario, Premio Biol, Leone D＇Oro Mario Solinas Award, among others） and the official profile sheet from the IOC/EC for the panel test （PT） took place. In consecutive steps the basic test procedure from the panel test （PT） then was extended with additional sensory descriptors. Two trained olive oil panels （the German Olive Oil Panel （DOP） and the Swiss Olive Oil Panel （SOP）） were further educated to profile various green and ripe aroma components and to evaluate the complexity of the perceived aroma components and their persistency （descriptor： ＂harmony/persistency＂）. This extended methodology was cross-validated over a time period of 3 years between the two panels （DOP/SOP）.

Anti-diabetic and antioxidant effects of virgin coconut oil in alloxan induced diabetic male Sprague Dawley rats

Oxidative stress has been discovered to be involved in the progression of diabetes mellitus. The antioxidant properties of virgin coconut oil (VCO) among other functions might have a beneficial effect in ameliorating the disease. This study was aimed to determine the glycemic and antioxidant effects of VCO in alloxan induced diabetic rats. 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups as follows: control (C), diabetes untreated (DUT), diabetes treated with 7.5 ml/kg VCO (DT7.5) and diabetes treated with 10 ml/kg VCO (DT10). Alloxan (100 mg/kg b.w I.P) was used to induce diabetes and VCO was administered orally once daily for 4 weeks. Fasting blood glucose level was measured on Day 0 (72 hours post alloxan injection) and after 4 weeks. Glucose tolerance test was conducted on the 4th week as well as the determination of serum insulin and liver antioxidant parameters using standard biochemical methods. Values are means ± S.E.M., compared by ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test. The results show that VCO significantly reduced the fasting blood glucose level in DT7.5 rats (132.4 ± 6.911) and DT10 rats (131.6 ± 12.2) are compared with DUT rats (320.4 ± 22.99) and improved the oral glucose tolerance. Serum insulin was increased in DT10 rats. GSH activities significantly increased p 10 rats (0.39 ± 0.022) when compared to DUT rats (0.032 ± 0.004). CAT activities also significantly increased p 7.5 (17.63 ± 0.61) and DT10 rats (30.88 ± 0.97) when compared to DUT rats (10.98 ± 0.6). SOD activities significantly increased p 0.05 in DT7.5 (2.634 ± 0.04) and DT10 rats (2.258 ± 0.32) when compared to DUT rats (1.366 ± 0.05) while MDA significantly reduced p 7.5 (49.16 ± 0.51) and DT10 (33.64 ± 0.42) rats when compared to DUT rats (99.93 ± 4.79). This study revealed that VCO has a hypoglycemic action, enhances insulin secretion and also ameliorates oxidative stress induced in type I (alloxan-induced diabetic) male rats.

Utilization of Virgin Coconut Meal (VCM) in the Production of Ready-to-Eat Indian Traditional Sweet Meat Using Response Surface Methodology

Virgin coconut meal (VCM) was used for the development of ready-to-eat Indian traditional sweet meat commonly known as “ladoo” both with and without sorbic acid (0.3%). The different ingredients were optimized following re-sponse surface methodology with three independent variables i.e. sugar, water and VCM and sensory attributes as responses. The changes in the quality of VCM ladoo packed in polypropylene (PP, 75 μ) and laminates of metalized polyester (MP, 75 μ) were monitored during storage to establish the shelf life under ambient temperature conditions (15?C - 34?C). Samples without added potassium sorbate spoiled within three weeks of storage due to mold growth and fermented odour. VCM ladoo containing sorbic acid did not support any microbial growth during storage up to 4 months, however, during storage samples packed in PP lost moisture and became hard and brittle, while those packed in MP remained soft. Peroxide and thiobarbituric acid values were higher in PP packed samples as compared to those packed in MP. Sorbic acid degraded during storage of ladoo and the rate of degradation was higher in PP packed ladoos than that in MP packed ones.

Effect of Virgin Coconut Meal (VCM) on the Textural, Thermal and Physico Chemical Properties of Biscuits

Biscuits were prepared by incorporating virgin coconut meal (VCM) into refined wheat flour (maida) at 5-25% level and evaluated for physical, chemical, nutritional, textural and sensory attributes. All the prepared biscuits had high protein and fiber contents as compared to control (100% refined wheat flour based product). With the incorporation of VCM, hardness and toughness of dough increased while there was a decrease in stickiness and adhesiveness values. Incorporation of VCM had a significant effect on color values of biscuits as the concentration of VCM was increased. The values of L* decreased while those for a* and b* increased. Sensory analysis revealed that 15% VCM biscuits were the most acceptable. The Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis revealed that the onset (To) decreased while end set (Tc) and enthalpy of gelatinization (ΔH) increased with the increase level of VCM.

Qualitative Differences in Pup-Retrieval Strategies in a Maternal Separation Paradigm

The rodent maternal separation (MS) paradigm is frequently used to investigate the impact of early-life conditions in the offspring. One critical issue is whether the effects seen in the offspring are a result of maternal contact deprivation and/or altered pup-directed maternal behavior. To address this question we used an innovative approach with a qualitative analysis of pup-retrieval strategies in a test situation related to risk for the pups. The dams were separated from their litters for 0 (MS0) or 360 (MS360) min, respectively. The pups were placed in a risk area in the multivariate concentric square field? test at two test occasions and the pup-retrieval strategies were recorded. No significant evident differences between MS0 and MS360 dams were found. However, there were clearly two different strategies, either removing the pups out of potential danger or into safety, and these strategies were represented in both MS groups. As compared to the MS0 dams, the MS360 dams did not change their strategies and left more pups in the risk area in both pup-retrieval tests. This implies different pup-retrieval strategies depending on early-life conditions.

Retrograde Dye Test for the Assessment of Tubal Patency in a Virgin: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Background: Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) and Laparoscopy and dye tests for tubal assessment for a virgin who places high premium on her virginity could be challenging. Routine HSG may result in loss or damage to the hymen and loss of virginity. Aim: The aim of the procedure of retrograde dye test was explored to see the possibility of assessing tubal patency during laparotomy. Case Presentation: At laparotomy and after myomectomy in a 32 year old virgin, a moderate sized Wilkinson’s cannula was gently inserted at the fimbrial end of the both tubes and 50mls of dilute Methylene-Blue solution was injected in each tube at a time to see whether the dye will appear at the vagina introitus. There was no resistance to flow of the dye in both tubes. Inspection of the vaginal introitus revealed a gush of dye flowing through it as the dye was introduced through each tube confirming the patency of both tubes. Conclusion: Retrograde dye test at the time of abdominal procedures like myomectomy, pelvic adhesiolysis and excision of endometriotic cyst can be cost effective. This procedure is also useful in assessing tubal patency for women who undergo laparotomy and also wish to preserve their virginity.

Including Extra Virgin Olive Oil May More Improve Glycemic Control despite Similar Weight Loss Compared to the Diet Recommended by the Prostate Cancer Foundation: A Randomized, Pilot Study

Recommendations for prostate cancer treatment include weight loss, but the most efficacious diet has not been determined. Men on active surveillance or with untreated biochemical relapse consumed both the diet recommended by the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) and a plant-based that included three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil per day for 8 weeks of weight loss and improvement in some laboratory biomarkers with random assignment to the diet order. They then selected one of the diets for six months of follow-up. Thirty men started the protocol and 18 completed the 44 week study. Mean age: 66.6 ± 5.9 years;baseline body mass index: 30.9 ± 2.7 kg/m2. Weight loss was comparable between the diets after 8 weeks (PCF: 2.5% ± 3.1% v olive oil: 2.8% ± 3.7%;p = 0.86), but the diet that included olive oil resulted in lower insulin (PCF: 13.7 ± 7.0 mU/L v olive oil: 11.5 ± 4.4 mU/L;p = 0.02), glucose (PCF: 104.9 ± 9.9 mg/dl v 99.1 ± 9.6 mg/dl;p = 0.01), and HOMA-IR (PCF: 3.6 ± 2.1 v olive oil: 2.9 ± 1.2;p = 0.02). Thirteen of the 18 men choose the olive oil diet for six months of follow-up and weight loss and lab improvements were maintained. This pilot study indicates that both the PCF diet and the plant-based diet that included extra virgin olive oil can produce similar weight loss short-term. However, a plant-based diet that includes extra virgin olive may be more acceptable for long-term use, and produce better glycemic control.

Development of a Qualitative near Infrared Screening Method for Quality Consistency Assessment of Virgin Sunflower Oil

Near infrared spectroscopy offers advantages in the analysis of vegetable oils such as rapidity, relative cost-effectiveness, and usually no need for sample preparation. Virgin Sunflower oils were used as reference standards to develop spectra library for qualitative identification and validation of the method. This model was validated by correct classification method using positive and negative control samples. Various market samples of virgin sunflower oil were purchased and compared with spectra library. The results of spectral analysis of reference library and market samples were correlated using Mahalanobis distance method. Analysis involved 22 market samples. When these samples were matched against calibration samples, 4 samples out of 22 which are about 18.2% were not matched by the reference model. These market samples had Mahalanobis distance values between 4.2 and 6.7, which are greater than maximum permissible value of 3. Some of adulterants mentioned were Korie oil and pumpkin seeds oil.

Primary Small Bowel Tumour Presenting as Bowel Obstruction in a Patient with a Virgin Abdomen

Primary malignancies of the small bowel are rare and usually present with vague, non-specific symptoms. This leads to diagnostic difficulties for both physician and radiologists alike. We present a case of a 54-year-old lady with a virgin abdomen who initially presented to hospital with vague abdominal symptoms suggestive of gastroenteritis. She responded partially to conservative treatment but represented to hospital 3 weeks later with obstructive symptoms. Contrast CT was inconclusive with regards to diagnosis. A diagnostic laparoscopy was performed, revealing an infiltrative growth. Consequently, she underwent segmental laparoscopic-assisted small bowel resection and recovered well post-operatively. After further histological and endoscopic investigations, a final diagnosis of primary small bowel adenocarcinoma was given. As the prognosis of small bowel malignancy is stage-dependent, this case demonstrates a high index of suspicion is necessary to reach early diagnosis, especially for symptoms non-responsive to conventional treatment. Diagnostic laparoscopy should be considered early as a definitive diagnostic tool.