Amritpal Kaur - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Amritpal Kaur
Green Computing is a way of study of ending reutilizing and rebuilding of computers and electroni... more Green Computing is a way of study of ending reutilizing and rebuilding of computers and electronic devices is overall analysis. The goal of green computing is to reduce the dangerous material increasing the utilization of energy. Green computing implies to practices and ways of utilizing computing resources in an ecofriendly way while maintaining overall computing .green IT refers to computer and information system and IT applications and predominant strategy to help save and enrich an environment, an increase in the eco logical sustainability in today times. Green computing is under consideration of all the business organization and leading companies with the advancement of new technologies and its varieties of applications. In yester years, especially during last 10 years, computer and IT industries realized the importance of going green an addressing the major concern relating to environment and also to minimize the cost which has led to sharp drift in strategy and policy to IT i...
Journal of environmental biology / Academy of Environmental Biology, India, 2015
Lectins are proteins that bind specifically to foreign glycans. Due to this binding property, the... more Lectins are proteins that bind specifically to foreign glycans. Due to this binding property, these molecules have potential application as bioinsecticidal tools replacing conventional chemical insecticides. The present study involved purification of phytolectin from the tubers of Sauromatum guttatum by affinity chromatography on asialofetuin-linked silica matrix. The purity of the sample was checked by SDS-PAGE at pH 8.3. Purified lectin was incorporated in the artificial diet of a Dipteran model, Bactrocera cucurbitae at different concentrations (10, 20, 40, 60 and 80 µgml(-1)). The lectin significantly affected various developmental parameters that were studied. Percentage pupation and percentage emergence was reduced to 44 % and 7.9%, respectively, at 80 µgml(-1) concentration as compared to control (100%). LC50 of Sauromatum guttatum lectin was calculated to be 19.42 µgml(-1). Treatment of insect larvae with LC50 of Sauromatum guttatum lectin suppressed the activity of hydrolyt...
International Journal of Computer Applications, 2015
Nature plays a vital role in solving complicated problems in computer science. It helps us in fin... more Nature plays a vital role in solving complicated problems in computer science. It helps us in finding the optimal desired way to solve extremely dynamic, difficult and robust problems. Bio inspired algorithm help us to cope with the technological need of a new era. Many researchers did enormous work in this area from the past few decades. However, still there is a large more scope for bio inspired algorithm (BIA) in exploring new application and opportunities in cloud computing. This paper presents a broad, detailed in of some Bio inspired algorithm, which was used in order to tackle various challenges faced in Cloud Computing Resource management environment.
Food Chemistry, 2015
The grain, flour, dough and noodle making properties of Indian durum wheat varieties were evaluat... more The grain, flour, dough and noodle making properties of Indian durum wheat varieties were evaluated. Varieties having higher grain weight had lower hardness and higher yellow pigment content. Gluten performance index showed positive correlation with a-helix and negative with intermolecular + antiparallel-b-sheets in gluten. The proportion of extracted polymeric proteins was related to dough strength. Elastic (G 0) and loss (G 00) modulus of dough were positively correlated to intermolecular + antiparallel-b-sheets and negatively with b-turn+ b-sheets proportion of dough and gluten. PDW291 with exceptionally higher G 0 and G 00 and best noodle making properties showed the presence 90 kDa and 88 kDa polypeptides corresponding to 14 + 15 and type 2 banding pattern.
Journal of environmental biology / Academy of Environmental Biology, India, 2013
The present study reports the purification of a lectin from Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott corms... more The present study reports the purification of a lectin from Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott corms and evaluation of its anti-insect potential towards Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquilett). The lectin was found to be specific towards N-acetyl-D-lactosamine (LacNac), a disaccharide and asialofetuin, a desialylated serum glycoprotein in hemagglutination inhibition assay. Asialofetuin was used as a ligand to purify Colocasia esculenta agglutinin (CEA) by affinity chromatography. The purity of CEA was ascertained by the presence of a single band in reducing SDS-PAGE at pH 8.3. The affinity purified CEA was employed in artificial diet bioassay of second instar larvae (64-72 hr old) of the B. cucurbitae at concentrations ranging between 10-160 microg ml(-1). The lectin significantly (p < 0.01) decreased the percent pupation and emergence with respect to control. Effect on various enzymes was studied by employing LC50 (51.6 microg ml(-1)) CEA in the artificial diet bioassay of second instar ...
Food Hydrocolloids, 2015
Atmospheric pressure cold plasma (ACP) is an emerging advanced oxidation process which has recent... more Atmospheric pressure cold plasma (ACP) is an emerging advanced oxidation process which has recently drawn considerable interest from food scientists. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ACP treatments on the properties of hard and soft wheat flour. Optical emission characterisation of the dielectric barrier discharge ACP source and ozone measurements revealed the generation of reactive oxygen and excited nitrogen species. The rheological properties of flours were studied using mixogram and oscillation rheometry. Mixographs revealed an improvement in the dough strength and optimum mixing time for both strong and weak wheat flours. The elastic and viscous moduli of strong wheat flour progressively increased with applied voltage and treatment time. A significant variation in the tan d was not found. Changes in the secondary structure of proteins were evaluated using FTIR spectroscopy and revealed a decrease in b-sheets and increase in a-helix and b-turns, for both strong and weak wheat flour. The results indicate that ACP can be exploited as a means to modulate functionality of wheat flour.
Starch - Stärke, 2014
Structural, thermal, and rheological properties of starches from 13 Amaranthus hypochondriacus li... more Structural, thermal, and rheological properties of starches from 13 Amaranthus hypochondriacus lines and 8 Amaranthus caudatus lines were evaluated and related using principal component analysis.
Food Research International, 2014
Different kidney bean lines (48) were evaluated for diversity in seed (physicochemical, hydration... more Different kidney bean lines (48) were evaluated for diversity in seed (physicochemical, hydration, textural and cooking) and flour (antioxidant, total phenols, minerals, protein and pasting) properties. All the lines showed significant differential accumulation of minerals i.e. Fe, Mn, Cu, Na, Zn, K, Mg and Ca. Mn content was correlated with L* and b* values while Ca and Mg contents were correlated antioxidant potential relative to the phenolic content. Antioxidant activity (AOA) was measured using 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazine (DPPH) antioxidant assay and total phenolic content (TPC) was measured using Folin-Ciocalteu assay. AOA and TPC ranged from 2.14 to 94.24% of DPPH inhibition and 0.07 to 7.10 mg GAE/g, respectively. Light grain lines with lower L* had lower AOA and TPC as compared to the darker grain lines with higher L*. SDS-PAGE analysis showed the presence of 26 major polypeptides ranged from 12 to 137 kDa and among them, eight polypeptides were subjected to MALDI-TOF/MS analysis. These polypeptides were identified as phaseolin (alpha-type precursor) of 200 kDa, legumin (Phaseolus vulgaris) of 86 kDa, methionine synthase (Glycine max) of 84 kDa, 5-methyltetrahydropteroyltriglutamate-homocysteineSmethyltransferase, putative (Ricinus communis) of 80 kDa, chain A purple acid phosphatase of 59 kDa, IAAprotein conjugate (P. vulgaris) of 39 kDa and lectin (P. vulgaris) of 36 kDa. It has been observed that most of the lines which show the presence of 59 kDa protein also showed the presence of high activity of antioxidant.
Journal of Food Engineering, 2002
Effects of addition of liquid whole egg (LWE), fat and textured soy protein (TSP) on textural and... more Effects of addition of liquid whole egg (LWE), fat and textured soy protein (TSP) on textural and cooking properties of goat meat patties were studied. Textural properties of raw and baked patties were measured using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Regression models were computed for textural and cooking properties as well as overall acceptability scores of patties as a function of LWE, fat and TSP. TSP showed greatest effect on cohesiveness, puncture force, back extrusion force and hardness of both raw and baked patties. While fat showed the highest effect on gumminess, chewiness and adhesiveness of raw patties, LWE improved the juiciness of the patties, lowered the shrinkage and cooking losses. Addition of TSP significantly decreased overall acceptability of baked patties, particularly at highest addition level (20%). The majority of the models had an R 2 over 0.9, indicating they are appropriate and can be used to describe the effect of LWE, fat and TSP on textural and cooking properties of goat meat patties.
Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2007
Adolescents and young women are at the greatest risk of unintended pregnancy because they are unl... more Adolescents and young women are at the greatest risk of unintended pregnancy because they are unlikely to see a family planning provider before or immediately after the sexual activity. Therefore, preventing unintended pregnancy among them is the important concern. Sexually active young women are clients with special needs for contraception. They are eligible to use a variety of the available contraceptives. Introduction of emergency contraception (EC) in the recent past can help them avoid such unintended pregnancies. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the awareness of emergency contraception in female college students. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted among college-going undergraduate and graduate female students of Punjab University, Chandigarh. Systematic random sampling was used to select the respondents. RESULTS: Of the 1,017 college students included in the study, 507 (49.9%) knew about different contraceptive methods. Maximum awareness was regarding oral contraceptive pills (239, 47.1%). Only 74 (7.3%) had knowledge about emergency contraceptive pills (ECP). Of them, 10 (14.7%) students knew the correct time for use of ECP, and the side effects of ECP were known to 48 (88.9%) respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness about ECP was very low among female college students of Chandigarh, especially regarding correct timing of its use and its side effects. Appropriate awareness programs on EC are needed for them.
Food Research International, 2013
Physico-chemical and rheological properties of Indian wheat cultivars varying in HMW-GS were eval... more Physico-chemical and rheological properties of Indian wheat cultivars varying in HMW-GS were evaluated. Cultivars having subunits of: 20 (GLU-B1) and 2 + 12 (GLU-D1) exhibited very weak dough stability (DS) i.e. 1.7-1.9 min; 2 + 12 (GLU-D1) and 7 + 9 (GLU-B1) as well as 5 + 10 (GLU-D1) with 7 or 7 + 9 (GLU-B1) were weak (2.8-4.4 min) and 17 + 18 (GLU-B1) with 2 + 12 or 5 + 10 (GLU-D1) and 7 + 8 (GLU-B1) with 5 + 10 (GLU-D1) were strong (8.8-13.8 min). Hardness showed negative correlation with flour recovery and fine particles. Gluten index (GI) did not show any relationship with protein and DS however was negatively correlated with gluten content (GC). GI and GC should be cautiously used while evaluating Indian wheat quality. DS was positively correlated with sedimentation value (SV) and negatively with GC. Water absorption was positively correlated with protein and dry gluten while negatively with SV and gluten scores. Fine particles affect significantly DS and development time. G′ and G″ of gluten was positively correlated with SV and DS.
Food Chemistry, 2009
Starches from 11 potato cultivars stored at five temperatures (4, 8, 12, 16 and 20°C) for 120 day... more Starches from 11 potato cultivars stored at five temperatures (4, 8, 12, 16 and 20°C) for 120 days were evaluated for physicochemical, thermal and pasting properties. Amylose content and swelling power increased with increase in storage temperatures. The proportion of small size granules was higher in starches from potatoes stored at 4°C. The starch granules of stored potatoes were slightly rough-surfaced and pitted; the effect was pronounced in those stored at 4°C. Starches from potatoes stored at 4°C showed lower onset gelatinization temperature and conclusion temperature than did starches from potatoes stored between 8 and 20°C. Starches from potatoes stored at higher temperature (20°C) showed higher peak viscosity, set back, as well as gel hardness, chewiness and gumminess than did starches from those stored between 4 and 16°C. Amylose content showed significant positive correlation with gumminess and setback while swelling power showed significant positive correlation with peak viscosity and hot-paste viscosity.
Food Chemistry, 2009
Starches from raw Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Bl.) were isolated and dried by freeze dr... more Starches from raw Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Bl.) were isolated and dried by freeze drying and oven drying methods and the physicochemical, thermal, and the pasting properties were evaluated. Results showed that the two drying methods clearly affected the properties of the Chinese chestnut starches (CCS), both in composition, physicochemical, thermal, pasting properties, and functional characteristics. Freeze dried CCS presented the higher RS content, higher thermal properties, higher pasting values, higher solubility, lower syneresis to freezing, and thawing when compared with oven dried CCS. These properties of freeze dried CCS represented a unique starch for food ingredient usage of chestnut.
Entomological Science, 2012
Pisum sativum agglutinin has been shown to act as a feeding inhibitor for various insect pests be... more Pisum sativum agglutinin has been shown to act as a feeding inhibitor for various insect pests belonging to different orders: Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hemiptera. In the present study, its insecticidal activity was assessed through monitoring the growth and development of a dipteran pest Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Pea lectin, P. sativum agglutinin (PSA) was purified by single step affinity chromatography on a Sephadex G-100 and the purification was monitored through hemagglutination activity and SDS-PAGE. Insect feeding assays were conducted to determine the effect of pea lectin against first and second instar larvae of melon fruit fly B. cucurbitae. Lectin was incorporated in an artificial diet at a varied range of concentrations, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/mL. The lectin showed highly significant antimetabolic effects in both first and second instars. Time taken for pupation and development as well as percentage pupation and percentage adult emergence were adversely affected. The activity of three hydrolase enzymes (esterases, acid and alkaline phosphatases), five oxidoreductases (superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, peroxidase, O-demethylase) and one group transfer enzyme (glutathione-Stransferases) was also assessed in second instar larvae fed on lectin treated diet at 100 mg/mL concentration. The P. sativum lectin significantly and deleteriously influenced the activity of all these enzymes at all exposure intervals.
Carbohydrate Polymers, 2011
Changes in granule morphology, structural, thermal, gel textural and rheological properties of st... more Changes in granule morphology, structural, thermal, gel textural and rheological properties of starches separated from two potato cultivars (Kufri Jyoti and Kufri Chipsona-2) caused by gamma-irradiation (Co 60 , 0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 kGy) were studied. A complete disorganization of the crystalline structure and carboxyl content of 0.09-0.11% was observed in starches irradiated at 0.5 kGy. Irradiation of starch increased gelatinization temperatures (onset-, peak-and conclusion-temperature) measured using DSC. Peak viscosity, trough viscosity, breakdown viscosity, final viscosity and gel hardness decreased while gel cohesiveness increased with the irradiation. Irradiation effect on gumminess, chewiness, adhesiveness and retrogradation of gels varied with the cultivar. Kufri Jyoti native and irradiated starches showed greater retrogradation as compared to Kufri Chipsona-2 native and irradiated starches. Difference in recrystallization of molecules as revealed from percent retrogradation and enthalpy of retrogradation amongst starch from two cultivars was also observed.
Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection, 2017
In the current study, the soybean trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor (Bowman-Birk Inhibitor, SBBI) wa... more In the current study, the soybean trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor (Bowman-Birk Inhibitor, SBBI) was tested against Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), a major pest of cucurbit crops. Bioassays conducted using different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 ppm) revealed a detrimental effect of the inhibitor on the growth and development of the second instar larvae of the melon fruit fly. SBBI prolonged the larval and total development period and reduced the percentage pupation and emergence. Enzymatic assays of proteases conducted at three time intervals using the LC 40 (59 ppm) concentration of SBBI showed an inhibitory effect on trypsin activity, whereas an increase was observed in the activity of chymotrypsin, elastase and leucine aminopeptidase. Among the enzymes involved in detoxification, antioxidant and general metabolism, an increase was observed in the activity of catalases, and acid and alkaline phosphatases at most treatment intervals. The activity of esterases was induced only with prolonged treatment whereas that of glutathione S-transferases was suppressed in larvae treated with SBBI. The findings revealed the potential of SBBI to disrupt the growth of the melon fruit fly. Keywords Artificial diet Á Bactrocera cucurbitae Á Detoxification Á Digestive enzymes Á Insect bioassay Á Metabolism Á Proteases Á SBBI
Green Computing is a way of study of ending reutilizing and rebuilding of computers and electroni... more Green Computing is a way of study of ending reutilizing and rebuilding of computers and electronic devices is overall analysis. The goal of green computing is to reduce the dangerous material increasing the utilization of energy. Green computing implies to practices and ways of utilizing computing resources in an ecofriendly way while maintaining overall computing .green IT refers to computer and information system and IT applications and predominant strategy to help save and enrich an environment, an increase in the eco logical sustainability in today times. Green computing is under consideration of all the business organization and leading companies with the advancement of new technologies and its varieties of applications. In yester years, especially during last 10 years, computer and IT industries realized the importance of going green an addressing the major concern relating to environment and also to minimize the cost which has led to sharp drift in strategy and policy to IT i...
Journal of environmental biology / Academy of Environmental Biology, India, 2015
Lectins are proteins that bind specifically to foreign glycans. Due to this binding property, the... more Lectins are proteins that bind specifically to foreign glycans. Due to this binding property, these molecules have potential application as bioinsecticidal tools replacing conventional chemical insecticides. The present study involved purification of phytolectin from the tubers of Sauromatum guttatum by affinity chromatography on asialofetuin-linked silica matrix. The purity of the sample was checked by SDS-PAGE at pH 8.3. Purified lectin was incorporated in the artificial diet of a Dipteran model, Bactrocera cucurbitae at different concentrations (10, 20, 40, 60 and 80 µgml(-1)). The lectin significantly affected various developmental parameters that were studied. Percentage pupation and percentage emergence was reduced to 44 % and 7.9%, respectively, at 80 µgml(-1) concentration as compared to control (100%). LC50 of Sauromatum guttatum lectin was calculated to be 19.42 µgml(-1). Treatment of insect larvae with LC50 of Sauromatum guttatum lectin suppressed the activity of hydrolyt...
International Journal of Computer Applications, 2015
Nature plays a vital role in solving complicated problems in computer science. It helps us in fin... more Nature plays a vital role in solving complicated problems in computer science. It helps us in finding the optimal desired way to solve extremely dynamic, difficult and robust problems. Bio inspired algorithm help us to cope with the technological need of a new era. Many researchers did enormous work in this area from the past few decades. However, still there is a large more scope for bio inspired algorithm (BIA) in exploring new application and opportunities in cloud computing. This paper presents a broad, detailed in of some Bio inspired algorithm, which was used in order to tackle various challenges faced in Cloud Computing Resource management environment.
Food Chemistry, 2015
The grain, flour, dough and noodle making properties of Indian durum wheat varieties were evaluat... more The grain, flour, dough and noodle making properties of Indian durum wheat varieties were evaluated. Varieties having higher grain weight had lower hardness and higher yellow pigment content. Gluten performance index showed positive correlation with a-helix and negative with intermolecular + antiparallel-b-sheets in gluten. The proportion of extracted polymeric proteins was related to dough strength. Elastic (G 0) and loss (G 00) modulus of dough were positively correlated to intermolecular + antiparallel-b-sheets and negatively with b-turn+ b-sheets proportion of dough and gluten. PDW291 with exceptionally higher G 0 and G 00 and best noodle making properties showed the presence 90 kDa and 88 kDa polypeptides corresponding to 14 + 15 and type 2 banding pattern.
Journal of environmental biology / Academy of Environmental Biology, India, 2013
The present study reports the purification of a lectin from Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott corms... more The present study reports the purification of a lectin from Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott corms and evaluation of its anti-insect potential towards Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquilett). The lectin was found to be specific towards N-acetyl-D-lactosamine (LacNac), a disaccharide and asialofetuin, a desialylated serum glycoprotein in hemagglutination inhibition assay. Asialofetuin was used as a ligand to purify Colocasia esculenta agglutinin (CEA) by affinity chromatography. The purity of CEA was ascertained by the presence of a single band in reducing SDS-PAGE at pH 8.3. The affinity purified CEA was employed in artificial diet bioassay of second instar larvae (64-72 hr old) of the B. cucurbitae at concentrations ranging between 10-160 microg ml(-1). The lectin significantly (p < 0.01) decreased the percent pupation and emergence with respect to control. Effect on various enzymes was studied by employing LC50 (51.6 microg ml(-1)) CEA in the artificial diet bioassay of second instar ...
Food Hydrocolloids, 2015
Atmospheric pressure cold plasma (ACP) is an emerging advanced oxidation process which has recent... more Atmospheric pressure cold plasma (ACP) is an emerging advanced oxidation process which has recently drawn considerable interest from food scientists. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ACP treatments on the properties of hard and soft wheat flour. Optical emission characterisation of the dielectric barrier discharge ACP source and ozone measurements revealed the generation of reactive oxygen and excited nitrogen species. The rheological properties of flours were studied using mixogram and oscillation rheometry. Mixographs revealed an improvement in the dough strength and optimum mixing time for both strong and weak wheat flours. The elastic and viscous moduli of strong wheat flour progressively increased with applied voltage and treatment time. A significant variation in the tan d was not found. Changes in the secondary structure of proteins were evaluated using FTIR spectroscopy and revealed a decrease in b-sheets and increase in a-helix and b-turns, for both strong and weak wheat flour. The results indicate that ACP can be exploited as a means to modulate functionality of wheat flour.
Starch - Stärke, 2014
Structural, thermal, and rheological properties of starches from 13 Amaranthus hypochondriacus li... more Structural, thermal, and rheological properties of starches from 13 Amaranthus hypochondriacus lines and 8 Amaranthus caudatus lines were evaluated and related using principal component analysis.
Food Research International, 2014
Different kidney bean lines (48) were evaluated for diversity in seed (physicochemical, hydration... more Different kidney bean lines (48) were evaluated for diversity in seed (physicochemical, hydration, textural and cooking) and flour (antioxidant, total phenols, minerals, protein and pasting) properties. All the lines showed significant differential accumulation of minerals i.e. Fe, Mn, Cu, Na, Zn, K, Mg and Ca. Mn content was correlated with L* and b* values while Ca and Mg contents were correlated antioxidant potential relative to the phenolic content. Antioxidant activity (AOA) was measured using 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazine (DPPH) antioxidant assay and total phenolic content (TPC) was measured using Folin-Ciocalteu assay. AOA and TPC ranged from 2.14 to 94.24% of DPPH inhibition and 0.07 to 7.10 mg GAE/g, respectively. Light grain lines with lower L* had lower AOA and TPC as compared to the darker grain lines with higher L*. SDS-PAGE analysis showed the presence of 26 major polypeptides ranged from 12 to 137 kDa and among them, eight polypeptides were subjected to MALDI-TOF/MS analysis. These polypeptides were identified as phaseolin (alpha-type precursor) of 200 kDa, legumin (Phaseolus vulgaris) of 86 kDa, methionine synthase (Glycine max) of 84 kDa, 5-methyltetrahydropteroyltriglutamate-homocysteineSmethyltransferase, putative (Ricinus communis) of 80 kDa, chain A purple acid phosphatase of 59 kDa, IAAprotein conjugate (P. vulgaris) of 39 kDa and lectin (P. vulgaris) of 36 kDa. It has been observed that most of the lines which show the presence of 59 kDa protein also showed the presence of high activity of antioxidant.
Journal of Food Engineering, 2002
Effects of addition of liquid whole egg (LWE), fat and textured soy protein (TSP) on textural and... more Effects of addition of liquid whole egg (LWE), fat and textured soy protein (TSP) on textural and cooking properties of goat meat patties were studied. Textural properties of raw and baked patties were measured using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Regression models were computed for textural and cooking properties as well as overall acceptability scores of patties as a function of LWE, fat and TSP. TSP showed greatest effect on cohesiveness, puncture force, back extrusion force and hardness of both raw and baked patties. While fat showed the highest effect on gumminess, chewiness and adhesiveness of raw patties, LWE improved the juiciness of the patties, lowered the shrinkage and cooking losses. Addition of TSP significantly decreased overall acceptability of baked patties, particularly at highest addition level (20%). The majority of the models had an R 2 over 0.9, indicating they are appropriate and can be used to describe the effect of LWE, fat and TSP on textural and cooking properties of goat meat patties.
Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2007
Adolescents and young women are at the greatest risk of unintended pregnancy because they are unl... more Adolescents and young women are at the greatest risk of unintended pregnancy because they are unlikely to see a family planning provider before or immediately after the sexual activity. Therefore, preventing unintended pregnancy among them is the important concern. Sexually active young women are clients with special needs for contraception. They are eligible to use a variety of the available contraceptives. Introduction of emergency contraception (EC) in the recent past can help them avoid such unintended pregnancies. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the awareness of emergency contraception in female college students. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted among college-going undergraduate and graduate female students of Punjab University, Chandigarh. Systematic random sampling was used to select the respondents. RESULTS: Of the 1,017 college students included in the study, 507 (49.9%) knew about different contraceptive methods. Maximum awareness was regarding oral contraceptive pills (239, 47.1%). Only 74 (7.3%) had knowledge about emergency contraceptive pills (ECP). Of them, 10 (14.7%) students knew the correct time for use of ECP, and the side effects of ECP were known to 48 (88.9%) respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness about ECP was very low among female college students of Chandigarh, especially regarding correct timing of its use and its side effects. Appropriate awareness programs on EC are needed for them.
Food Research International, 2013
Physico-chemical and rheological properties of Indian wheat cultivars varying in HMW-GS were eval... more Physico-chemical and rheological properties of Indian wheat cultivars varying in HMW-GS were evaluated. Cultivars having subunits of: 20 (GLU-B1) and 2 + 12 (GLU-D1) exhibited very weak dough stability (DS) i.e. 1.7-1.9 min; 2 + 12 (GLU-D1) and 7 + 9 (GLU-B1) as well as 5 + 10 (GLU-D1) with 7 or 7 + 9 (GLU-B1) were weak (2.8-4.4 min) and 17 + 18 (GLU-B1) with 2 + 12 or 5 + 10 (GLU-D1) and 7 + 8 (GLU-B1) with 5 + 10 (GLU-D1) were strong (8.8-13.8 min). Hardness showed negative correlation with flour recovery and fine particles. Gluten index (GI) did not show any relationship with protein and DS however was negatively correlated with gluten content (GC). GI and GC should be cautiously used while evaluating Indian wheat quality. DS was positively correlated with sedimentation value (SV) and negatively with GC. Water absorption was positively correlated with protein and dry gluten while negatively with SV and gluten scores. Fine particles affect significantly DS and development time. G′ and G″ of gluten was positively correlated with SV and DS.
Food Chemistry, 2009
Starches from 11 potato cultivars stored at five temperatures (4, 8, 12, 16 and 20°C) for 120 day... more Starches from 11 potato cultivars stored at five temperatures (4, 8, 12, 16 and 20°C) for 120 days were evaluated for physicochemical, thermal and pasting properties. Amylose content and swelling power increased with increase in storage temperatures. The proportion of small size granules was higher in starches from potatoes stored at 4°C. The starch granules of stored potatoes were slightly rough-surfaced and pitted; the effect was pronounced in those stored at 4°C. Starches from potatoes stored at 4°C showed lower onset gelatinization temperature and conclusion temperature than did starches from potatoes stored between 8 and 20°C. Starches from potatoes stored at higher temperature (20°C) showed higher peak viscosity, set back, as well as gel hardness, chewiness and gumminess than did starches from those stored between 4 and 16°C. Amylose content showed significant positive correlation with gumminess and setback while swelling power showed significant positive correlation with peak viscosity and hot-paste viscosity.
Food Chemistry, 2009
Starches from raw Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Bl.) were isolated and dried by freeze dr... more Starches from raw Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Bl.) were isolated and dried by freeze drying and oven drying methods and the physicochemical, thermal, and the pasting properties were evaluated. Results showed that the two drying methods clearly affected the properties of the Chinese chestnut starches (CCS), both in composition, physicochemical, thermal, pasting properties, and functional characteristics. Freeze dried CCS presented the higher RS content, higher thermal properties, higher pasting values, higher solubility, lower syneresis to freezing, and thawing when compared with oven dried CCS. These properties of freeze dried CCS represented a unique starch for food ingredient usage of chestnut.
Entomological Science, 2012
Pisum sativum agglutinin has been shown to act as a feeding inhibitor for various insect pests be... more Pisum sativum agglutinin has been shown to act as a feeding inhibitor for various insect pests belonging to different orders: Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hemiptera. In the present study, its insecticidal activity was assessed through monitoring the growth and development of a dipteran pest Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Pea lectin, P. sativum agglutinin (PSA) was purified by single step affinity chromatography on a Sephadex G-100 and the purification was monitored through hemagglutination activity and SDS-PAGE. Insect feeding assays were conducted to determine the effect of pea lectin against first and second instar larvae of melon fruit fly B. cucurbitae. Lectin was incorporated in an artificial diet at a varied range of concentrations, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/mL. The lectin showed highly significant antimetabolic effects in both first and second instars. Time taken for pupation and development as well as percentage pupation and percentage adult emergence were adversely affected. The activity of three hydrolase enzymes (esterases, acid and alkaline phosphatases), five oxidoreductases (superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, peroxidase, O-demethylase) and one group transfer enzyme (glutathione-Stransferases) was also assessed in second instar larvae fed on lectin treated diet at 100 mg/mL concentration. The P. sativum lectin significantly and deleteriously influenced the activity of all these enzymes at all exposure intervals.
Carbohydrate Polymers, 2011
Changes in granule morphology, structural, thermal, gel textural and rheological properties of st... more Changes in granule morphology, structural, thermal, gel textural and rheological properties of starches separated from two potato cultivars (Kufri Jyoti and Kufri Chipsona-2) caused by gamma-irradiation (Co 60 , 0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 kGy) were studied. A complete disorganization of the crystalline structure and carboxyl content of 0.09-0.11% was observed in starches irradiated at 0.5 kGy. Irradiation of starch increased gelatinization temperatures (onset-, peak-and conclusion-temperature) measured using DSC. Peak viscosity, trough viscosity, breakdown viscosity, final viscosity and gel hardness decreased while gel cohesiveness increased with the irradiation. Irradiation effect on gumminess, chewiness, adhesiveness and retrogradation of gels varied with the cultivar. Kufri Jyoti native and irradiated starches showed greater retrogradation as compared to Kufri Chipsona-2 native and irradiated starches. Difference in recrystallization of molecules as revealed from percent retrogradation and enthalpy of retrogradation amongst starch from two cultivars was also observed.
Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection, 2017
In the current study, the soybean trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor (Bowman-Birk Inhibitor, SBBI) wa... more In the current study, the soybean trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor (Bowman-Birk Inhibitor, SBBI) was tested against Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), a major pest of cucurbit crops. Bioassays conducted using different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 ppm) revealed a detrimental effect of the inhibitor on the growth and development of the second instar larvae of the melon fruit fly. SBBI prolonged the larval and total development period and reduced the percentage pupation and emergence. Enzymatic assays of proteases conducted at three time intervals using the LC 40 (59 ppm) concentration of SBBI showed an inhibitory effect on trypsin activity, whereas an increase was observed in the activity of chymotrypsin, elastase and leucine aminopeptidase. Among the enzymes involved in detoxification, antioxidant and general metabolism, an increase was observed in the activity of catalases, and acid and alkaline phosphatases at most treatment intervals. The activity of esterases was induced only with prolonged treatment whereas that of glutathione S-transferases was suppressed in larvae treated with SBBI. The findings revealed the potential of SBBI to disrupt the growth of the melon fruit fly. Keywords Artificial diet Á Bactrocera cucurbitae Á Detoxification Á Digestive enzymes Á Insect bioassay Á Metabolism Á Proteases Á SBBI