The effect of moderate pulsed electric fields on autolysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the amino acid content in autolysates

The effect of moderate pulsed electric fields (MPEF) strength on autolysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was evaluated in this study. After exposure to MPEF with intensity of 7 kV cm⁻¹ for 4 ms, the integrity of the cell wall was obviously destroyed and the inactivation of S. cerevisiae reached 99.43%. During the subsequent 42-h autolysis process, the release of free α-amino nitrogen of MPEF-treated cells, as well as extracellular protease activity, was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of untreated cells. Moreover, exposure to 7 kV cm⁻¹ led to an increase of the total amino acid of 149.36%. In particular, the content of aspartic acid and glutamic acid which are important umami flavour precursors increased by 232.55% and 209.40%, respectively. These results indicate that MPEF will be an effective method to accelerate autolysis of S. cerevisiae for obtaining high-quality yeast extract as flavour enhancers and nutrition supplements.     

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Stimulation in Osteogenesis and Chondrogenesis: Signaling Pathways and Therapeutic Implications

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the main cell players in tissue repair and thanks to their self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation capabilities, they gained significant attention as cell source for tissue engineering (TE) approaches aimed at restoring bone and cartilage defects. Despite significant progress, their therapeutic application remains debated: the TE construct often fails to completely restore the biomechanical properties of the native tissue, leading to poor clinical outcomes in the long term. Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) are currently used as a safe and non-invasive treatment to enhance bone healing and to provide joint protection. PEMFs enhance both osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs. Here, we provide extensive review of the signaling pathways modulated by PEMFs during MSCs osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation. Particular attention has been given to the PEMF-mediated activation of the adenosine signaling and their regulation of the inflammatory response as key player in TE approaches. Overall, the application of PEMFs in tissue repair is foreseen: (1) in vitro: to improve the functional and mechanical properties of the engineered construct; (2) in vivo: (i) to favor graft integration, (ii) to control the local inflammatory response, and (iii) to foster tissue repair from both implanted and resident MSCs cells.     

Extraction of protein from food waste: An overview of current status and opportunities

The chief intent of this review is to explain the different extraction techniques and efficiencies for the recovery of protein from food waste (FW) sources. Although FW is not a new concept, increasing concerns about chronic hunger, nutritional deficiency, food security, and sustainability have intensified attention on alternative and sustainable sources of protein for food and feed. Initiatives to extract and utilize protein from FW on a commercial scale have been undertaken, mainly in the developed countries, but they remain largely underutilized and generally suited for low-quality products. The current analysis reveals the extraction of protein from FW is a many-sided (complex) issue, and that identifies for a stronger and extensive integration of diverse extraction perspectives, focusing on nutritional quality, yield, and functionality of the isolated protein as a valued recycled ingredient.     

对于厚度70mm〜140mm焊缝超声检测的讨论

超声检测作为一种面积型缺陷的有效检测方法,被广泛应用在气化炉、除氧器、汽包等的焊缝检测上。随着近年来电厂、化工厂对质量的要求提升,确保焊缝质量就成了生产制造厂的重点。对于这些重型容器,焊缝厚度普遍在70mm~140mm,在这个厚度区间,采取的多道焊接,工艺控制不严很容易产生缺陷。无损检测标准的制定只是简单的对此厚度划分两个区间,并未给出划定此区间的依据。本文通过实际检测气化炉、除氧器、汽包等焊缝来讨论超声检测在厚度70mm?140mm区间的划定依据。     

Electric characteristic and cavitation bubble dynamics using underwater pulsed discharge

Underwater pulsed discharge is widely applied in medicine, machining, and material modification. The induced cavitation bubble and subsequent cavitation collapse are considered the major motivations behind these applications. This paper presents an underwater pulsed discharge system. The experimental setup is established to induce and investigate the cavitation bubble assisted with a high-speed camera. Three aspects, including the characteristic of the discharge with different applied voltages and conductivities, the evolution of the cavitation bubble profile, and the energy efficiency of cavitation bubble inducing, are investigated, respectively. Especially, the mechanism of pre-discharge time delay in the low field intensity case is explained using the Joule heat effect. The results show the validity of the underwater pulsed discharger and experimental setup. The present underwater pulsed discharger is proved to be a simple, portable, and easy-to-implement device for the investigation of cavitation bubble dynamics.     

The efficiency and comparison of novel techniques for cell wall disruption in astaxanthin extraction from Haematococcus pluvialis

The efficiency of various techniques pulsed electric field (PEF), ultrasound (US), high‐pressure microfluidisation (HPMF), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and ionic liquids (ILs) for cell wall disruption in astaxanthin extraction from Haematococcus pluvialis was compared. The results indicated that ILs, HCl and HPMF treatment were shown the most efficient for cell disruption with more than 80% astaxanthin recovery. While the cell wall integrity of H. pluvialis cyst cell was less affected by US and PEF treatment. It was found that imidazolium‐based ILs showed the greater potential for cell disruption than pyridinium‐based and ammonium‐based ILs. Among all the ILs examined, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim] Cl) exhibited efficient cell disruption and capability of astaxanthin recovery at mild condition (pretreatment with 40% IL aqueous solution at 40 °C, followed by extraction with methanol at 50 °C) without extensive energy consumption and special facility requirement. In addition, recyclability of ILs was excellent.     

多线激光V型焊缝图像特征提取与轨迹识别

为了减少焊缝识别中传感器安装位置带来的前置误差，提高识别精度，设计了一款多线激光传感器，对多线激光在V型焊缝上的图像进行处理得到焊缝轨迹。提出一种基于动态不规则感兴趣区域的图像分割方法，将多条激光分割后并行处理。单条激光线图像预处理后以像素行灰度值之和的极大值确定激光条纹所在行，对激光条纹分段拟合后求交点，得到坡口边缘与焊缝位置的特征点，并将焊缝位置特征点拟合得到焊缝轨迹。根据所提出的算法编写了焊缝轨迹识别程序，并进行实验，结果表明，所提出的算法识别焊缝走向误差在0.5°之内，符合焊缝跟踪的要求。     

焊缝表面缺陷激光扫描三维重构测量

为检测工件焊缝表面缺陷，采用点激光位移传感测距法和数据拟合技术进行焊缝表面缺陷检测试验研究. 首先采集缺陷表面轮廓数据点，利用高斯滤波对原始数据降噪处理. 再对处理后的数据点进行Delaunay三角剖分，使散乱点连接并结合其空间坐标重构出缺陷的三维模型. 结果表明，基于点激光位移传感测距技术及焊缝表面缺陷三维重构方法可以准确判断焊缝成形情况.     

Lubricating and physico-chemical properties of CI- 4 plus engine oil dispersed with surface modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes

This paper studies the effect of surface modification of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) prior to dispersion in engine oil to improve the tribological properties. The MWCNTs are stabilised in the lubricant with two different surfactants cetrimonium bromide (CTAB) and sorbitan monooleate (SPAN 80) and the effect of surfactants on the tribological properties has been studied. Pristine and surface modified MWCNTs in weight per cent range of 0·5% are dispersed in CI4 plus diesel engine oil. The foaming tendency and other physico-chemical properties of test lubricant have been studied to investigate the effect of nano materials and surfactants. The anti-wear and anti-friction properties are tested on a four ball wear tester and the comparison is made to assess the relative performance of pristine MWCNTs over surface modified MWCNTs. A strong influence of the surface modification technique is found on lubricating and physico-chemical properties. Both CTAB and SPAN 80 could keep the MWCNTs stable in the lubricant without compromising the foaming tendency of lubricant and other physico-chemical properties. The friction and wear characteristics of lubricants have improved with the dispersion of surface modified MWCNTs while there is no improvement in the properties of lubricant dispersed with pristine MWCNTs.