Computational And Experimental Investigation of Lotus-Inspired Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine Blade

In the firm belief that the world needs green, renewable and more efficient energy resources, the present paper is concerned with developing a new design for horizontal-axis wind-turbine (HAWT) blades. The flower of Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Lotus) was the motive for the present design of a three-blade wind turbine. Nelumbo Nucifera flower has an aerodynamically appropriate structure, which qualifies the flower to be the nature-inspiration for the present research. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was applied in order to ensure the ability and eligibility of the proposed solution and estimate real world's results. The performance of the blade airfoil can be improved by applying the Lotus flower's structural design and modifying the blade straightening. The experimental findings demonstrated performance enhancement by 31.7% compared to NACA 2412 airfoil.

Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant and Sperm Viability of Nelumbo nucifera Petal Extracts

Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.; N. nucifera) is a common ingredient in traditional medicine and Thai recipes. Its petal is an agricultural waste from stamen production. There are limitations in the used and pharmacological data of the petals resulting in more petals waste. The aims of this study were to investigate the phytochemical contents, antioxidant activity, and potential effects on sperm viability of aqueous (NAE) and ethanolic extracts (NEE) of both red and white N. nucifera petals. The white NAE had the highest total phenolics content, total tannins content and maximal antioxidant activity. The white NEE had the highest concentration of total flavonoids. Quercetin was a major flavonoid and was found in the aqueous extracts. Both red and white of NAE in the range of 0.22 to 1.76 mg/mL increased sperm viability. The white NAE was prominent in phytochemical content, antioxidant activity, and both red and white NAE effectively increased rat sperm viability in the in vitro model. The white NAE enhanced sperm viability by decreasing oxidative stress. It might be suggested that the N. nucifera petals have benefits for sperm viability health promotion and may increase the economic value of agricultural waste.

A Review of Fabrication Methods, Properties and Applications of Superhydrophobic Metals

Hydrophobicity and superhydrophobicity with self-cleaning properties are well-known characteristics of several natural surfaces, such as the leaves of the sacred lotus plant (Nelumbo nucifera). To achieve a superhydrophobic state, micro- and nanometer scale topography should be realized on a low surface energy material, or a low surface energy coating should be deposited on top of the micro-nano topography if the material is inherently hydrophilic. Tailoring the surface chemistry and topography to control the wetting properties between extreme wetting states enables a palette of functionalities, such as self-cleaning, antifogging, anti-biofouling etc. A variety of surface topographies have been realized in polymers, ceramics, and metals. Metallic surfaces are particularly important in several engineering applications (e.g., naval, aircrafts, buildings, automobile) and their transformation to superhydrophobic can provide additional functionalities, such as corrosion protection, drag reduction, and anti-icing properties. This review paper focuses on the recent advances on superhydrophobic metals and alloys which can be applicable in real life applications and aims to provide an overview of the most promising methods to achieve sustainable superhydrophobicity.

A simple strategy to monitor the temporal and spatial distribution of alkaloids in sacred lotus leaves

ABSTRACT Owing to the high degree of diversity of metabolite pools and complexity of spatial and temporal distributions within biological tissues, currently available methods for metabolite characterization face large challenges. In this study, the temporal and spatial distributions of the alkaloid components of the medicinal plant lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) were investigated over various growth phases. The results showed that alkaloid biosynthesis in lotus leaf is regulated by development and that there is maximum accumulation of alkaloids when the lotus leaf was completely expanded. Furthermore, alkaloid content tended to be stable in mature lotus leaves. However, there was significant variation in the alkaloid content of lotus leaves with different genotypes, suggesting that genetic background is an important factor that affects the temporal and spatial distributions of alkaloids in sacred lotus leaves. The dynamic contents of alkaloids during the growth and development of lotus leaves provide insight into basic biological differences when sampling.

Nelumbo genome database, an integrative resource for gene expression and variants of Nelumbo nucifera

Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera, or lotus) is one of the most widely grown aquatic plant species with important uses, such as in water gardening and in vegetable and herbal medicine. A public genomic database of lotus would facilitate studies of lotus and other aquatic plant species. Here, we constructed an integrative database: the Nelumbo Genome Database (NGD, http://nelumbo.biocloud.net). This database is a collection of the most updated lotus genome assembly and contains information on both gene expression in different tissues and coexpression networks. In the NGD, we also integrated genetic variants and key traits from our 62 newly sequenced lotus cultivars and 26 previously reported cultivars, which are valuable for lotus germplasm studies. As applications including BLAST, BLAT, Primer, Annotation Search, Variant and Trait Search are deployed, users can perform sequence analyses and gene searches via the NGD. Overall, the valuable genomic resources provided in the NGD will facilitate future studies on population genetics and molecular breeding of lotus.

Nutrient composition of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) fruits

The Nelumbo nucifera known as sacred lotus is an ornamental plant having medicinal possessions. Lotus seeds, which are currently the oldest known plant seeds, contain many functional constituents. The seeds have been widely used as both medicine and food. In the present studies, the nutrient composition of collected from two separate beels at Tarakanda, Mymensingh were determined. The nutrient composition was determined as moisture 17.727 (± 0.053), ash 9.49 (± 0.059), crude protein 16.563 (± 0.076), crude lipids 4.146 (± 0.038), crude fiber 7.755 (± 0.045), carbohydrate 44.042 (± 0.011). The results showed that lotus seeds contained a high content of moisture, crude protein, crude lipids, crude fiber, ash and carbohydrate. From this research, it found that lotus seeds were rich in crude protein and carbohydrate. The study may conclude that seeds could be incorporated in feed formulation as a source of nutrients. The present experiment may provide a guideline for the use of lotus seeds as human food. Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2020, 5 (3), 115-120

Production and quality evaluation of low glycemic index crispy waffle from whole wheat flour supplemented with type 4-resistant starch and sacred lotus stamen

Health and wellness are a trend observed throughout all types of food. Thus, this study aimed to develop a low glycemic index (GI) crispy waffle from whole wheat flour (WF) supplemented with type 4-resistant starch (RS IV) and sacred lotus stamen (SLSP). The low GI crispy waffle was formulated by substituting WF flour with RS IV at 35, 45 and 55% (w/w). Then, the formula with the highest overall liking score was continuing to develop by replacing WF with SLSP at 30, 35 and 40% (w/w). The physical and sensory qualities were determined. Moreover, the low GI crispy waffle with SLSP was evaluated on nutritional values, GI, total phenolic contents (TPCs) and antioxidant activities. The results showed that low GI crispy waffle with SLSP could successfully be developed by substituted WF with 55 and 18% (w/w) of RS IV and SLSP, respectively. The nutritional value of the developed product in 100 g was 491.22 kcal, 64.52 g carbohydrate, 6.63 g protein, 22.96 g fat and 28.04 g fiber. Therefore, this product could be claimed as high fiber and classified as low GI product (28.8). In addition, the TPCs and antioxidant activities (by DPPH, FRAP and ORAC assays) of low GI crispy waffle with SLSP was 2.30 mg GAE/g DW, 0.76 µmol TE/100 g DW, 7.33 µmol TE/g DW and 56.45 µmol TE/ g DW, respectively. Therefore, it seemed that RS IV and SLSP could enhance the nutritional quality of the product with the consumer acceptability.