Physical and Tribological Properties Degradation of Silicone Rubber Using Jatropha Biolubricant

This article aims to investigate the degradation of physical and tribological properties (friction coefficients and wear resistance) of a dynamic sealing material (silicone rubber [VMQ]) exposed to Jatropha oil (JO), engine mineral oil (EMO), and a blend (B20; 80% EMO–20% JO), separately. JO has demonstrated better lubricating properties than EMO in various mechanical applications; however, the degradation of elastomers by using this oil has not been studied yet, nor have its effect on their tribological properties. The physical degradation was evaluated by conducting static immersion tests (670 h at 25 °C) based on ASTM-D471 and ASTM-D7216 methods. Hence, the changes in mass, volume, tensile and tear strengths, and hardness of VMQ were measured. In addition, creep compliance tests were conducted to determine the changes in viscoelastic properties and the changes in morphology and topography were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical profilometry, respectively. In addition, the compositional changes were determined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses to complement the degradation examination. Changes in the friction coefficients were determined by ball-on-disk tests and changes in wear resistance were obtained by accelerated wear tests (microabrasion tests). Finally, VMQ exhibited no significant physical and compositional degradation due to immersion in the three lubricants. However, considerable changes in the friction coefficients and wear resistance were observed; the change in the friction coefficients was minimal using JO. In addition, the coefficients using JO were 50% lower than those for EMO and the changes in wear resistance were lowest after immersion in JO.     

Identification of factors that accelerate hydrogen production by Clostridium butyricum RAK25832 using casamino acids as a nitrogen source

The ability of Clostridium butyricum RAK25832 to use casamino acids as a nitrogen source was investigated. Strain RAK25832 showed the capacity to utilize different types of carbon sources. With glucose as a carbon source (10 g/L), the preferred final concentration of casamino acids was 26.67 g/L, with a cumulative hydrogen production, production rate, and yield of 2505 mL H₂/L, 160 mL/h, and 1.81 mol H₂/mol glucose, respectively. Eighteen metal elements were screened to identify the most important metals for biohydrogen production, and four elements were optimized. The optimal medium composition was MgCl₂·6H₂O (0.1 g/L), K₂HPO₄·3H₂O (6.67 g/L), NaHCO₃ (2.6 g/L), and FeCl₂·4H₂O (0.002 g/L). Vitamin supplementation of the medium showed no significant effect on hydrogen production. Under the optimized conditions, cumulative hydrogen production reached 3074 mL H₂/L. This is the first study to demonstrate the use of casamino acids as a nitrogen source by C. butyricum.     

Characterizing physical habitat preferences and thermal refuge occupancy of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) at high river temperatures

Anthropogenic influences, including climate change, are increasing river temperatures in northern and temperate regions and threatening the thermal habitats of native salmonids. When river temperatures exceed the tolerance levels of brook trout and Atlantic salmon, individuals exhibit behavioural thermoregulation by seeking out cold‐water refugia – often created by tributaries and groundwater discharge. Thermal infrared (TIR) imagery was used to map cold‐water anomalies along a 53 km reach of the Cains River, New Brunswick. Trout and salmon parr did not use all identified thermal anomalies as refugia during higher river temperature periods (>21°C). Most small‐bodied trout (8–30 cm) were observed in 80% of the thermal anomalies sampled. Large‐bodied trout (>35 cm) required a more specific set of physical habitat conditions for suitable refugia, that is, 100% of observed large trout used 30% of the anomalies sampled and required water depths >65 cm within or adjacent to the anomaly. Densities of trout were significantly higher within anomalies compared with areas of ambient river temperature. Salmon parr were less aligned with thermal anomalies at the observed temperatures, that is, 59% were found in 65% of the sampled anomalies; and densities were not significantly different within/ outside anomalies. Salmon parr appeared to aggregate at 27°C, and after several events over 27°C variability in aggregation behaviour was observed – some fish aggregated at 25°C, others did not. We stipulate this is due to variances of thermal fatigue. Habitat suitability curves were developed for velocity, temperature, depth, substrate, and deep water availability to characterize conditions preferred by fish during high‐temperature events. These findings are useful for managers as our climate warms, and can potentially be used as a tool to help conserve and enhance thermal refugia for brook trout and Atlantic salmon in similar systems.     

Experimentelle und analytische Untersuchung des out‐of‐plane‐Verhaltens von unbewehrten Mauerwerkswänden unter Erdbebenbelastung

Experimental and analytical investigation of the seismic out‐of‐plane behavior of unreinforced masonry walls In addition to the vertical and horizontal load‐bearing in‐plane, masonry must also withstand out‐of‐plane loads that occur in earthquake scenarios. The out‐of‐plane behavior of unreinforced masonry walls depends on a variety of parameters and is very complex due to the strong non‐linearity. Current design methods in German codes and various international codes have not been explicitly developed for out‐of‐plane behavior and contain considerable conservatism. In the present work, shaking‐table experiments with heat‐insulating masonry walls have been conducted to investigate the out‐of‐plane behavior of vertical spanning unreinforced masonry walls. As shown in previous numerical investigations, important parameters are neglected in existing design and analysis models and the out‐of‐plane capacity is underestimated significantly. In the conducted experiments the results of these numerical investigations are verified. Furthermore, the development of an analytical design model to determine the force‐displacement relationship and the out‐of‐plane load‐bearing capacity considering all significant parameters is presented.     

Detection of fresh palm oil adulteration with recycled cooking oil using fatty acid composition and FTIR spectral analysis

There is a growing concern over the food safety issue related to increased incidence of cooking oil adulteration with recycled cooking oil (RCO). The objective of this study was to detect fresh palm olein (FPO) adulteration with RCO using fatty acid composition (FAC) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectral analyses combined with chemometrics. RCO prepared in the laboratory was mixed with FPO in the proportion ranged from 1% to 50% (v/v) to obtain the adulterated oil samples (AO). FACs for FPO, RCO, and AO were determined using gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The compositions of most fatty acids in RCO lied within the normal ranges of Codex standard, except for C8:0, C10:0, C11:0, C15:0, trans C18:1, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), C20:5. PUFAs showed a consistent decreasing trend with increasing magnitude of change with respect to increasing adulteration level and thus might be a good indicator for detecting FPO adulteration with RCO. The evaluation parameters (coefficient of determination, root mean standard error) of the FTIR-partial least square (PLS) model of palm oil adulteration with recycled oil are R² = 0.995 and 3.25, respectively. For FTIR spectral analysis, the distinct variations in spectral regions and aberrations in characteristic bands between FPO and RCO were observed. The optimized PLS calibration model developed from normal spectral of the combined region at 3602–3398, 3016–2642, and 1845–650 cm^?1 overpredict the adulteration level. On the other hand, the discriminant analysis classification model was able to classify the FPO and AO into two distinct groups. Improvement of the principles of combined techniques in authenticating AO from fresh oil is beneficial as a guideline to detect adulteration in cooking oil.     

压水堆核电厂堆外源量程探测器计数率分析

压水堆核电厂启动过程中，次级中子源为堆外源量程探测器提供本底计数率，避免测量盲区，确保反应堆安全启动。但次级中子源的引入会为核电厂带来较大的经济和环境负担，同时也需承受次级中子源破损等带来的风险。为此，可使用受辐照燃料组件的自发裂变中子源进行替代，即无源启动方式。通过研究堆外源量程探测器计数率的理论计算方法，并基于运行电厂测量数据进行分析验证，为源量程探测器计数率的理论预估提供了较为完善的理论方法流程。本文结果可为无源启动源量程探测器计数率分析提供支持，同时也可用于次级中子源装载量或布置位置的优化分析等。     

电场对竖直矩形微槽群润湿及表面温度的影响

微槽群在热流密度较大时会达到其毛细极限，可通过主动换热方式之一——电水动力学效应对其进行强化。本文为了研究电场对微槽群表面润湿特性和温度分布的影响，采用平板电极提供电场，蒸馏水作为工质，使用高速相机拍摄微槽内液体润湿长度，测量误差为2.97%～7.46%；使用红外热像仪拍摄电场作用下微槽群表面温度分布，测量误差为2.1%～2.39%。热流密度测量误差范围是9.66%～11.11%。结果表明：电场通过驱动微槽内流体向加热区域流动而提升其润湿性能，且较低热流密度下提升更好。因润湿性能的提升，微槽表面温度得以下降。随着电场增强，微槽横向温度分布的“波峰”、“波谷”差别加大，微槽纵向温度明显降低。当热流密度加大时，温降更为显著，1.4W/cm²热流密度、6kV电压下温降可达到30℃以上。温降的增加反映了电场对微槽的强化润湿进一步提升了微槽换热性能，且电场对较高热流情形下的微槽换热有着更为显著的强化效果。     

Stabilizing effect of the cyclodextrins additive to spray-dried particles of curcumin/polyvinylpyrrolidone on the supersaturated state of curcumin

Although curcumin is considered to have various therapeutic effects, its use as a functional food or supplement is restricted owing to its low water solubility and bioavailability. To increase the solubility of curcumin in water, the use of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymers with a pyrrolidone skeleton was noted to be promising. In particular, the bi-component formulations of curcumin/PVP prepared through spray drying exhibited an amorphous state in powder X-ray diffraction observations and temporally increased the apparent solubility of curcumin to over 5000 times that of untreated curcumin; nevertheless, after 24 h, the solubility decreased owing to the unstable supersaturated state of curcumin. The addition of α-cyclodextrin (α-CyD) in the bi-component curcumin/PVP formulation helped maintain the supersaturated state of curcumin, whereas the addition of β- and γ-CyD led to the collapse of the supersaturated state. The addition of α-CyD can likely help inhibit the nucleation and crystal growth of curcumin, through the interaction among the solubilized units of curcumin/PVP and α-CyD.