Defence Life Science Journal
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On-Board Oxygen Generation Using High Performance Molecular Sieve
Get PDFThe majority of high performance combat aircrafts presently being operated by Indian air Force are fitted with conventional oxygen systems in which a replenishable store of oxygen is carried, most often as liquid oxygen and the flow of gas to each crew member is controlled by an individual pressure demand regulator in which the oxygen is diluted with cabin air to provide breathing gas.Moreover, in-flight refueling capability of present generation fighter aircraft has made it possible to fly for long durations (6 to 8 hours). In such case, the oxygen source becomes one of the limiting factors. In order to meet this requirement, a large supply of Gaseous Oxygen (GASOX) or Liquid Oxygen (LOX) have proven to be a costly affair and the Onboard Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) has become a very convenient and attractive proposal. The OBOGS employs molecular sieves to adsorb nitrogen from engine bleed air using pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technique, wherein two molecular sieve beds are continuously cycled between steps of pressurization (adsorption) and depressurization (desorption) to generate oxygen enriched breathing gas for aircrew. This paper describes the design of OBOGS using high performance Lithium based Low Silica X-type (Li-LSX) molecular sieves and its performance characteristics. It consists of two Zeolite beds filled with Li-LSX material which adsorbs nitrogen fromengine bleed air tapped from Environmental Control System pipe line. The two beds are cycled by a 5/2 way solenoid valve. The input air is supplied to the solenoid valve through a coalescent filter to reduce moisture from it and a pressure regulator is fitted at the upstream of solenoid valve to regulate the system pressure. The experimental setup for evaluation of OBOGS is also discussed. The OBOGS, presented in this paper, meets all the performance requirements as specified in MIL-C-85521 (AS).
Mental Illness in India
Get PDFThe armed territorial conflicts, terror activities, and failing economies in several countries are breeding mental health issues. Mental illness, shrouded by stigma is the elephant in the room here which is finally acknowledged by the society and the policy makers. Both the military as well as the civilian society are affected. The rigours of military life and the daily anxiety of civilian society, both appear to be leading to mental health issues in defence personnel and the civilians. In India, with limited medical resources, the situation is even grim. In this review paper, the focus remains on the issues of mental health and mental illness, which have recently come to the fore on account of many national happenings in last few years. The paper explores the extant literature on mental illness in India and outlines the meaning of mental illness, discusses the legislations and Government’s programmes and initiatives regarding the promotion of mental health. The issue of mental health is discussed in light of rising suicide incidence in our soldiers which is a cause of concern. The paper culminates with the suggestions for further research and remedial measures.
All Year Round Vegetable Cultivation in Trenches in Cold Arid trans-Himalayan Ladakh
Get PDFTrench greenhouse is a low cost underground rectangular structure (30’×10’×3’; L×W×D) in north-south orientation with stone wall on four sides. It is covered with polyethylene sheet at ground level during winter months. The air temperature inside the trench was found to be 20.7±2.8 °C warmer during day and 7.0±1.2 °C at night that support growing of leafy vegetables during winter (mid October to early March). Three cycles of crops were grown in a year in the greenhouses as against single crop in open field condition in cold trans-Himalayan Ladakh region. Spinach production was 64 kg -70 kg per trench during mid October to early March. Black plastic mulch significantly increased spinach production during winter months. Vegetable seedlings (13,000 to 39,000 numbers per trench) were raised during late March to early May, which is not possible in open field condition otherwise. A variety of warm-season vegetables were harvested (6 kg - 210 kg per trench) from the trenches during summer months
In- vitroantioxidant and anti-obesity properties of Bauhinia variegata
Get PDFBauhinia variegata L (Synonyms: Phanera variegata Benth), commonly known as orchid tree or Kachnar belongs to the family of Leguminosae and found throughout India. All parts of the plants are used in the treatment of many ailments such as obesity, dyspepsia, bronchitis, leprosy, ulcer etc. The objective of the present study was to assess the in- vitro antioxidant and anti-obesity properties of different solvent (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol and distilled water) extracts of Bauhinia variegataleaves. All the solvent extracts were found to contain different phytochemicals with bioactive properties at varying concentrations.The results of extraction showed that methanol was the suitable solvent for extraction of phytochemical as it recorded highest yield of 6.80%. The phytochemical assay results showed the highest polyphenol content in methanol extract (243 μg GAE/mg) and flavonoids content in chloroform extract (1.87 μg CE/g).The in-vitro antioxidant and anti obesity property was observed more in methanolic extract than the other extracts. The overall study suggests that Bauhinia variegataleaf extract could be a potential ingredient for the preparation of nutraceuticals to treat obesity and oxidative stress related complications.
Lettuce: a promising leafy vegetable with functional properties
Get PDFLactuca sativa (lettuce) belongs to Asteraceae family important leafy vegetable known for its medicinal properties. The lettuce is a food that should not lack in our meals, we should keep in mind that its low fat and carbohydrate contents and its high contents of water, it provides caloric power of only 13 Kcal /100gm are very appropriate for weight loss diets. It is rich in minerals, especially potassium that is very necessary to maintain appropriate levels of liquids in the body, together with calcium and phosphorus makes it especially for the correct well being of the bones. It contains selenium, an antioxidant that has a medicinal property in prevention of certain type of cancers, colon, prostrate and lungs. It contains many necessary amino acids for the formation of the proteins, alanine, and necessary for the construction of muscular and nervous tissues, glycine for the correct operation of immunological system. The most of therapeutic properties of this plant is due to sesquiterpene lactones- lactucin, lactucopicrin the most bioactive compound of Lactuca sativa. This review mainly focuses on the pharmacological action of the Lettuce and active constituents for the wide spectrum biological properties, such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, analgesic, neuroprotective and sedative properties etc. Since Lettuce has medicinal therapeutic potential its usage in dietary supplementation can be exploited. Lettuce has also acquired a folk reputation. More clinical studies are needed to further asses the efficiency and safety in therapeutic applicatio
Iron Bio-accessibility and Nutritional Attributes of Selected Disease Specific Commercial Formulations
Get PDFIron deficiency is the most common form of malnutrition in the world, affecting more than 2 billion people globally. Food labeling is an important tool that provides information on the nutritional composition data to consumers. However, the information on bio accessibility values is limited; therefore, the aim of the present study is to promote the nutritional labeling by the inclusion of bio accessibility values of micronutrients of importance along with nutritional composition data. Commercial supplements commonly used for disease specific conditions were selected & their iron bio accessibility was determined by equilibrium dialysis involving an in vitro simulated digestion procedure. The formulations were also subjected to nutritional composition analysis & functional properties by standard AOAC methods. The total iron content of the supplements ranged between 8.66±0.5mg/100g to 21.72±1.44 mg/100g whereas the bio accessibility of micronutrient iron ranged between 0.05±0.01 mg/100g to 0.32±0.20mg/100g. The % iron bio accessibility was also determined & ranged between 0.23-2.52%. Thus inclusion of bio accessibility values of vital micronutrients along with usual nutritional composition data employs as an effective tool to combat various micronutrient deficiencies. Therefore, application of supplements with higher bioavailability may result in usage of lower doses of iron with fewer side effects, thus improving treatment efficacy. This novel information has the potential application in nutritional labeling to improve the bioavailability of trace minerals and hence contributes to the human health benefit
Screening and statistical optimization of media ingredients for production of microbial transglutaminase
Get PDFTransglutaminase is a calcium dependent enzyme that catalyses acyl transfer reactions between primary amino groups and protein bound glutamine residues. Eighteen bacterial and twenty eight actinomycetes were screened for the presence of transglutaminase. Among the microbial cultures screened Streptomyces sp. D1, showed maximum transglutaminase activity. In this study characterization of transglutaminase and its application to modifying the properties of panner (Indian cottage cheese) in the form of cross linking was investigated. Optimum temperature and pH for enzyme was found to be at 50°C and 6.0, respectively. Optimization of media ingredients for maximizing the transglutaminase activity using Streptomyces sp. D1 was carried out using central composite design. Response surface methodology was employed to standardize the optimum media composition for maximum enzyme activity. Three factors such as carbon source, nitrogen source and pH were tested for the maximum enzyme activity as response. The optimized medium with sugarcane molasses as carbon source 6.0% (w/v), peptone as nitrogen source 1.75% (w/v) were found to be optimal at initial pH 6.5 and incubation temperature 30.0°C with agitation at 100 rpm for 96h. The enzyme activity of transglutaminase obtained from the optimized medium was found to be 4.1 (AU/ml). Low cost substrate such as sugarcane molasses in the form of a renewable substrate is proposed to be suitable even for scale-up production of enzyme and for industrial applications. The ethanol fractionated transglutaminse treated milk was found to produce more paneer with increased moisture content while reduction in cooking loss of the paneer prepared using enzyme treated milk is also reported
Non-destructive Quality Monitoring of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Get PDFQuality determines the shelf life as well as selling price of fresh fruit or vegetable and therefore, quality monitoring and testing of fresh commodities have paramount importance in their postharvest handling and supply chain management. Most of the methods used to assess fruits and vegetables quality are destructive in nature. Now-a-days, various mechanical, optical, electromagnetic, and dynamic non-destructive methods are gaining importance due to ease in operations, faster turn over and reliability. Some of the non-destructive techniques (NDT) are currently being used in laboratories, research institutions and food packaging and processing industries, whereas, some methods are still at developmental stage. Various NDT with respect to their principle and applications such as impact test, electronic nose, time-resolved reflectance spectrometry (TSR), near infrared spectroscopy (NIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-Ray, ultra sonic, acoustic impulse response method, electrical conductivity methods etc., are discussed in this review
Gamma Radiation Induced Intestinal Proteomic Modulation in Mice: A Two Dimensional Electrophoretic Analysis
Get PDFExposure to high doses of radiation causes serious injuries in gastrointestinal tract, by affecting biomolecules of the tissue. To demonstrate the modulation of intestinal proteome by ionising radiations, we analysed changes in protein expression in 9 Gy irradiated C57BL/6 mice at 24 h and 72 h by using two dimensional electrophoresis technique. A total of 19 protein spots with statistical significance (fold change>1.5 and P<0.05) were found to be differentially expressed. Of these 07 spots were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and peptide mass fingerprinting techniques which matched with the known proteins documented in the online database. These proteins belong to biological-functional categories like cytoskeleton system, molecular chaperones, DNA damage response, and stress response. These identified radiation induced proteins can help in understanding the mechanisms behind the intestinal injuries and thus can become potential targets for therapeutics and also aid in drug development