Developing a national research and development centre in assistive technologies for independent living.

Assistive technology (AT) plays a pivotal role in the lives of people who require assistance with one or more aspects of daily living. Ranging from simple devices such as an augmented fork to complex devices like a power wheelchair with integrated environmental control, AT is a broad term to describe a range of products and services that provide assistance. Historically used in the "disability sector", in recent years AT devices have merged into the ageing sector as more Australians develop an impairment through "age-related disability", creating a larger market for equipment that provides independence or restores lost/reduced functionality. Despite the national focus on ageing, Australia lacks a nationally coordinated and cohesive AT sector - most AT equipment and devices are imported and the sector struggles for local research, development, and commercialisation funding. In an attempt to address this issue, a network of rehabilitation engineering and AT centres, universities, and industry players formed a collaboration to submit a Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) proposal to drive Australian AT products and services. The main focus was on developing Australian capacity within the sector and creating innovative products that met Australian needs, leading to import replacement. A secondary focus was on providing a national education program to provide ongoing AT training and development across multiple disciplines associated with both disability and ageing.

Peanut skin color: a biomarker for total polyphenolic content and antioxidative capacities of peanut cultivars.

Attempts to establish a relationship between peanut skin color (PSC) and total flavonoid (TF) content have produced inconclusive results. This study investigated the potential of PSC as a biomarker for polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity. Peanut cultivars were objectively evaluated for their skin color, total phenolic (TP), flavonoid (TF), proanthocyanidin (TPC) contents and antioxidant capacities (AC). Their relationship was determined by Pearson's correlation analyses. TP had stronger correlations with CIE a*, hue angle and AC (r(2) = 0.77, 0.82 and 0.80, respectively) compared to TF. Therefore, hue angle of peanut skin may be used as a biomarker for TP content rather than TF.

Effect of frequency and duration of ultrasonication on the extraction efficiency of selected isoflavones and trans-resveratrol from peanuts (Arachis hypogaea).

Plant derived phytochemicals have been the focus of recent research due to their health promoting effects. Previous studies to estimate the levels of these bioactive compounds made use of traditional solvent extraction procedures such as homogenization and soxhlet (reflux) methods. Recently, the ultrasonication technique has been shown to be an efficient non-thermal extraction method. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of frequency and duration (time) of sonication on the extraction efficiency of selected phytochemicals from peanuts and to determine optimal conditions (sample-to-solvent ratio, frequency, and time) for their extraction. The results obtained showed that sample-to-solvent ratio, frequency, and duration of sonication had significant effect on the extraction efficiency of the phytochemicals from peanut. Sonication at 80 kHz facilitated the extraction of biochanin A and trans-resveratrol while 25 kHz was effective in the extraction of daidzein and genistein. Multi-frequency extractions were more efficient than single frequency.

Comparison of extraction methods for the quantification of selected phytochemicals in peanuts (Arachis hypogaea).

Peanuts have been reported to contain bioactive phytochemicals, particularly isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, and biochanin A) and trans-resveratrol. Currently, limited data are available regarding the levels of these bioactive compounds in peanuts with variations in reported levels. The purpose of this study was to compare four methods of extraction [stirring, sonication, Soxtec, and microwave-assisted sonication (MAS)] for runner peanuts. Quantification of the selected compounds was conducted by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The results showed that the MAS and Soxtec methods extracted significantly higher amounts of the phytochemicals. Also, the defatted peanuts gave significantly higher amounts of the phytochemicals compared to the nondefatted peanuts. The high levels of the isoflavones may be attributed to heat-induced conversion of conjugate glycosides to aglycons. The MAS and Soxtec methods may be used for total isoflavone content quantitation, while sonication or stirring may be the method of choice for quantitation of isoflavone composition (aglycons and glycoside conjugates) in peanuts.