Deformation behaviour of iron-doped alumina

Compressive creep tests in air were carried out on 1 cat.% Fe-doped alumina at a temperature T=1400 °C. Iron doping affected the plastic deformation by different ways in relation with Fe²⁺ cations population. Fe²⁺ cations sped up the deformation rates. FeAl₂O₄ spinel precipitates were identified and they were found (i) to interact with alumina grain boundaries (ii) to limit the grain growth within a range of strain. The Fe²⁺ cations underwent oxidation and this resulted in the dissolution of the some precipitates and in the decrease of deformation rates. It was suggested that deformation sped up this evolution through mass transport and that time was not a dominating parameter.     

Electrochemical characteristics of heme proteins in hydroxyethylcellulose film

A stable film made from hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) on pyrolytic graphite (PG) electrode was employed for incorporating hemoglobin (Hb), myoglobin (Mb) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and the electrochemical characteristics of the proteins were studied correspondingly. Experimental results revealed that HEC film could greatly accelerate electron transfer between the proteins and electrode, and the proteins showed a thin layer electrochemical behavior in the film. Moreover, all the proteins in the film exhibited good catalytic activity towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the low H₂O₂ concentration range. In the high concentration range, H₂O₂ would exhibit toxicity effect on the proteins. The electrochemical properties and electrocatalytic abilities of the three heme proteins in HEC film have been compared, and the optimal conditions for H₂O₂ biosensor fabrication have been obtained.     

Gelation Properties of Ovalbumin as Affected by Fatty Acid Salts

The physicochemical properties of heat-induced ovalbumin (OVA) gels containing fatty acid salts (FAS) were investigated. Water-holding ability and transparency markedly increased in the presence of sodium caprate or sodium laurate. At 9% of the protein concentration transparent and hard gels formed; at 7%, transparent and soft gels formed. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the transparent gels had a more homogeneous structure than turbid gels without FAS. Differential scanning calorimetry indicated that denaturation temperature of OVA was decreased and the peaks became broader after addition of FAS.     

Antibacterial effect of phenolic compounds from different wines

The antimicrobial properties of pure phenolic compounds and polyphenols of different wines against pathogens were investigated. It was observed that bacterial species exhibited different sensitivities towards the different concentrations of phenolic compounds. Escherichia coli was the most sensitive bacterium and Flavobacterium sp. was resistant against all phenolic compounds tested. All wine samples showed antimicrobial properties and the inhibition increased when the polyphenols concentration of wines increased. Clarified wines were inactive against all bacteria, indicating that polyphenolic compounds present in red wines, are responsible for the antimicrobial effects observed. The different concentrations of polyphenols in wines could have an important impact on consumers with the consequent increase in wine commercialization.     

Evaluation of landscape and instream modeling to predict watershed nutrient yields

The project goal was to loosely couple the SWAT model and the QUAL2E model and compare their combined ability to predict total phosphorus (TP) and NO₃-N plus NO₂-N yields to the ability of the SWAT model with its completely coupled water quality components to predict TP and NO₃-N plus NO₂-N yields from War Eagle Creek watershed in Northwest Arkansas. Model predictions were compared using a statistical approach to identify significant differences between the two modeling methods. Results from two variations of the Pearson product-moment correlation (p < 0.05) indicated that correlation coefficients and regression slopes for the two data sets were not significantly different. This implies that neither modeling method was significantly better in predicting monthly TP and NO₃-N plus NO₂-N yields from the watershed. Additionally, no significant differences were present between predicted outputs of the SWAT model with instream components active compared with when instream components were inactive, indicating a need for further testing and refinement of the SWAT algorithms simulating instream processes. We can further infer that the instream processes available in SWAT may not be enhancing its predictive abilities as far as simulating instream components.     

Gurum Seeds: A Potential Source of Edible Oil

Cucurbitaceae family seeds are mostly discarded as agro-industrial wastes. Gurum (Citrullus lanatus var. colocynthoide) is an underutilized wild cucurbit plant, closely related to desert watermelon, which is grown abundantly in some African countries. Gurum seeds can play a significant role in health and nutrition due to their high oil content. This review describes the nutritional composition of gurum seeds and their oil profile. Gurum seeds are a good source of oil (27–35.5%), fiber (26–31%), crude protein (15–18%), and carbohydrates (14–17%). Gurum seeds oil is extracted by supercritical CO₂ (SFE), screw press, and solvent extraction techniques. The gurum seeds oil is composed of unsaturated fatty acids with a high proportion of linoleic acid (C18:2) and oleic acid (C18:1). Gurum seeds oil contains various bioactive compounds, such as tocopherols, phytosterols, and polyphenols. It is reported that solvent extraction gives a higher yield than the screw press and SFE, but the SFE is preferred due to safety issues. More studies are required for producing better quality gurum seeds oil by using novel extraction techniques that can increase oil yield.     

多层聚酰胺复合膜的制备及其特性

聚酰胺（PA）具有特定的反渗透（RO）淡化海水和渗透汽化（PV）分离有机物混合物的优良性能。本研究采用水相含单体间苯二胺（m-PDA）和有机相含单体均苯三甲酰氯（TMC）体系，通过多次界面缩聚（IPC）工艺，制成了以RO用的PA复合膜作为多孔支撑膜的多层PA（ML-PA）复合膜。分别用原子力显微镜（AFM）和扫描电子显微镜（SEM）观察了ML-PA膜的微结构。ML-PA膜的厚度、PA高分子微囊聚集的致密程度、平均面粗糙度，都随着IPC反应次数的增加而显著提高。改变制备工艺参数，例如水相中单体和有机相中交联剂的浓度、IPC反应的温度和时间、以及IPC反应的次数，可以得到不同分离性能的ML-PA复合膜。当在m-PDA浓度为2．0％的水溶液中浸渍20min，然后在TMC浓度为0．5％的正己烷溶液中浸渍20s，IPC反应5次，每次反应温度均为40℃，获得的ML-PA复合膜在室温（25℃）下PV分离浓度为88．2％的异丙醇（IPA）水混合物时，渗透通量接近30．0g／m^2·h，渗透物中的水含量大于99．0％。     

QuEChERS-高效液相色谱串联质谱法测定甜橙中哒螨灵和螺螨酯

[目的]建立了甜橙全果、果肉、果皮、果渣、橙汁和精油等6项基质中哒螨灵和螺螨酯的QuEChERS-高效液相色谱-串联质谱分析检测方法(HPLC-MS/MS)。[方法]甜橙样品经乙腈提取,PSA、GCB、MgSO4净化,高效液相色谱-串联质谱仪配备电喷雾正离子多反应监测(MRM),外标法定量。[结果]甜橙6种基质通过此分析检测方法,哒螨灵和螺螨酯在0.001~1.25 mg/L质量浓度范围线性相关系数不小于0.9965,3个加标水平(0.01、0.5、5 mg/kg)下哒螨灵回收率为81%~93%,RSD为0.5%~6.5%,螺螨酯回收率为81%~99%,RSD为0.5%~7.9%。[结论]该方法简单、方便、灵敏度、准确度高,覆盖甜橙全项样品基质,可适用于大批量样品快速分析。     

Improving the economics of biodiesel production through the use of low value lipids as feedstocks: vegetable oil soapstock

Semirefined and refined vegetable oils are the predominant feedstocks for the production of biodiesel. However, their relatively high costs render the resulting fuels unable to compete with petroleum-derived fuel. We have investigated the production of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME; biodiesel) from soapstock (SS), a byproduct of edible oil refining that is substantially less expensive than edible-grade refined oils. Multiple approaches were taken in search of a route to the production of fatty acid methyl esters from soybean soapstock. The most effective method involved the complete saponification of the soapstock followed by acidulation using methods similar to those presently employed in industry. This resulted in an acid oil with a free fatty acid (FFA) content greater than 90%. These fatty acids were efficiently converted to methyl esters by acid-catalyzed esterification. The fatty acid composition of the resulting ester product reflected that of soy soapstock and was largely similar to that of soybean oil. Following a simple washing protocol, this preparation met the established specifications for biodiesel of the American Society for Testing and Materials. Engine emissions and performance during operation on soy soapstock biodiesel were comparable to those on biodiesel from soy oil. An economic analysis suggested that the production cost of soapstock biodiesel would be approximately US$ 0.41/l, a 25% reduction relative to the estimated cost of biodiesel produced from soy oil.