Effects of rice bran fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum on palatability,volatile profiles,and antioxidant activity of brown rice noodles

Brown rice noodles (RN) are typical whole-grain products with health benefits. This study investigated the effects of rice bran fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum on palatability, volatile profiles, and antioxidant activity of brown RN. Three kinds of RN, including RN, brown RN (BRN), and bran fermented RN (BFRN), were involved in this study. The results indicated that bran fermentation reduced the cooking loss of BFRN and improved the elongation and the sensory attributes of brown RN. After fermentation, aldehydes were significantly decreased while alcohols increased, and more pleasant flavours were shown in BFRN. Fermentation increased the content of free phenolics and decreased the content of bound phenolics. Among the four major phenolics detected in this study, ferulic acid was the most abundant one in all three RN samples. The DPPH radical scavenging activity and the ferric reducing antioxidant power of free phenolics in BFRN increased significantly compared to BRN. This study proved that rice bran fermentation is an effective approach to improve palatability, enrich the flavour as well as enhance the antioxidant activity of brown RN, which may facilitate the development of processing technology for brown RN.     

Picosecond laser trimming of ceramic cores with porous multi-scale particle microstructure

The ceramic core, produced by hot injection molding, is one of the critical components for manufacturing high-performance aircraft engine turbine blades. However, the injection molding process will cause defects such as burrs and flashes in the fine structure of the formed ceramic core. Manual trimming is necessary, but the trimming quality is poor, and the yield is low. In this paper, the online trimming method of ceramic cores is studied. Based on the orthogonal experiment method, the optimal laser parameters for processing the ceramic core's porous multi-scale particle structure material were obtained. Further, the problems of the match head and tail phenomenon and dimensional accuracy improvement in trimming ceramic cores have been studied. A path optimisation method is proposed to improve the quality and accuracy of the trimming profile effectively. Finally, the overall process flow of ceramic core trimming is elaborated, and experimental verification is given. The results show that the ceramic core online trimming method proposed in this paper has advantages of high precision and high yield compared with the manual method, which will have substantial potential application value in the aviation field.     

Gluten-free cakes with walnut flour: a technological,sensory, and microstructural approach

Walnut flour (WF), a by-product of walnut oil production, is characterised by high polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins, and fibre contents and presents suitability for bakery products. However, when using non-traditional ingredients, it is essential to evaluate the effect on the quality properties of the final product. So, this work aimed to assess the impact of WF on the technological, physicochemical, and sensory properties of gluten-free (GF) cakes. WF was added at a flour blend (cassava (CS) and maize (MS) starches and rice flour) at 0, 10%, 15%, and 20%. The results showed that WF modified starch gelatinisation, increased amylose–lipid complex (ALC) content, and made crumbs easier to chew. Besides, the total dietary fibre (TDF) and protein content significantly increased. Cakes with 15% WF presented the highest specific volume (SV) and no differences in overall acceptability with respect to control. Hence, WF is a suitable ingredient for gluten-free bakery products.     

Green Measurements for Software Product Based on Sustainability Dimensions

Software is a central component in the modern world and vastly affects the environment’s sustainability. The demand for energy and resource requirements is rising when producing hardware and software units. Literature study reveals that many studies focused on green hardware; however, limited efforts were made in the greenness of software products. Green software products are necessary to solve the issues and problems related to the long-term use of software, especially from a sustainability perspective. Without a proper mechanism for measuring the greenness of a particular software product executed in a specific environment, the mentioned benefits will not be attained. Currently, there are not enough works to address this problem, and the green status of software products is uncertain and unsure. This paper aims to identify the green measurements based on sustainable dimensions in a software product. The second objective is to reveal the relationships between the elements and measurements through empirical study. The study is conducted in two phases. The first phase is the theoretical phase, where the main components, measurements and practices that influence the sustainability of a software product are identified. The second phase is the empirical study that involved 103 respondents in Malaysia investigating current practices of green software in the industrial environment and further identifying the main sustainability dimensions and measurements and their impact on achieving green software products. This study has revealed seven green measurements of software product: Productivity, Usability, Cost Reduction, Employee Support, Energy Efficiency, Resource Efficiency and Tool Support. The relationships are statistically significant, with a significance level of less than 0.01 (p = 0.000). Thus, the hypothesised relationships were all accepted. The contributions of this study revolve around the research perspectives of the measurements to attain a green software product.     

Recent advances during CH4 dry reforming for syngas production: A mini review

Given the continuing issues of environment and energy, methane dry reforming for syngas production have sparked interest among researchers, but struggled with the process immaturity owing to catalyst deactivation. This review summarizes the recent advances in the development of efficient and stable catalysts with strong resistance to coking and metal sintering, including the application of novel materials, the assessment of advanced characterizations and the compatibility to improved reaction system. One feasible option is the crystalline oxide catalysts (perovskite, pyrochlore, spinel and LDHs), which feature a fine metal dispersion and surface confinement effect via a metal exsolution strategy and exhibit superior reactivity and stability. Some new materials (h-BN, clays and MOFs) also extend the option because of their unique morphology and microstructure. It also is elaborated that progresses were achieved in advanced characterizations application, leading to success in the establishment of reaction mechanisms and attributions to the formed robust catalysts. In addition, the perspective described the upgrade of reaction system to a higher reaction efficiency and milder reaction conditions. The combination of efficient reaction systems and robust catalysts paves a way for a scaling-up application of the process.     

Development of structurally modified OER catalysts with enhanced performance and longevity for PEM-based electrolytic air dehumidification

PEM-based electrolytic air dehumidification is innovative in dehumidification that requires high precision and small space due to its high efficiency, compactness, and cleanness. However, the system dehumidification performance and durability are limited by using commercial Anatase-IrO₂ catalysts. In this study, two types of structurally modified OER catalyst materials, ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂, are developed to improve the performance of the system. System experiments showed that, compared to the commercial catalysts, the use of ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂ as the anode catalyst can improve the dehumidification performance by 45% and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, in 50-h accelerated aging tests, the attenuation rates of the ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂ systems are 3% and 8% respectively, which are far lower than the 35% attenuation of commercial catalyst. The results indicate that, as catalysts with a classic core-shell structure, ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂ still have a significant impact on improving the performance of the electrolytic dehumidification systems.     

REXA执行器在天津IGCC电站中应用

介绍了国内首个IGCC示范工程概况,详细描述REXA执行器的工作原理和操作方法,列举REXA执行器在天津IGCC中的应用以及出现过的问题,以期供今后国内IGCC建设参考。     

An analytical method for the analysis of trihalomethanes in ambient air using solid‐phase microextraction gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry: An application to indoor swimming pool complexes

A simple method for the collection and analysis of the four brominated and chlorinated trihalomethanes (THMs) in air samples is described. Ambient air samples were collected in pre‐prepared glass vials, with THM analysis performed using solid‐phase microextraction gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry, where the need for chemical reagents is minimized. Analytical parameters, including oven temperature program, solvent volume, incubation time, vial agitation, extraction time and temperature, as well as desorption time and temperature, were evaluated to ensure optimal method performance. The developed method allows for point‐in‐time quantification (compared to an average concentration measured over extended periods of time), with detection limits between 0.7 to 2.6 µg/m³. Excellent linearity (r² > 0.99), repeatability (3% to 11% RSD), and reproducibility (3% to 16% RSD) were demonstrated over a concentration range from 2 to 5000 µg/m³. The method was validated for the analysis of THMs in indoor swimming pool air and was used to investigate the occurrence of THMs in the air above 15 indoor swimming pools. This is the first study to report the occurrence of THMs in swimming pool air in Australia, and concentrations higher than those previously reported in other countries were measured.     

Effect of a sweeping air stream and gas–phase aspect ratio of an isothermal Stefan diffusion column on the experimental estimation of binary gas diffusivities

The Stefan column consists of liquid A evaporating into an inert/stagnant gas B with a sweeping B stream at the top. It was designed to estimate binary gas diffusivities, D_AB’s, but “end effects” such as gas mixing at the top and interfacial curvature have been either ignored or uncorrelated to the operational settings. This study’s hypothesis is that gas mixing at the top and the gas–phase aspect ratio affect D_AB estimation in the acetone (A)-ambient air (B) system at 50?°C. The sweeping stream Reynolds number (Re) and the gas–phase aspect ratio (AR?=?initial gas phase height to column internal diameter) were the variables tested. Isothermal evaporation-diffusion experiments were conducted in which the temporal interfacial descent was tracked. The settings were 492 ≤ Re ≤ 5378 and AR between 5 and 15. A 1D transport model allowed determination of the experimental diffusivity, D_AB,exp, by nonlinear regression. For Re < 600, the D_AB,exp errors relative to D_AB,CE (predicted by the Chapman–Enskog kinetic theory for low-density gases) were small and unrelated to AR, while for Re > 600 the errors increased considerably with Re and were inversely proportional to AR. This study is the first to relate the column’s operational settings to the D_AB estimation errors. The column should be operated at low sweeping gas Re and large AR for accurate D_AB,exp’s. The low Re region deserves further study, while the present transport model may have to be replaced by computational fluid dynamics simulations to account for the multidimensional gas flow patterns.     

Hydrogen carriers: Production,transmission, decomposition,and storage

Recognizing the potential role of liquid hydrogen carriers in overcoming the inherent limitations in transporting and storing gaseous and liquid hydrogen, a complete production and use scenario is postulated and analyzed for perspective one-way and two-way carriers. The carriers, methanol, ammonia and toluene/MCH (methylcyclohexane), are produced at commercially viable scales in a central location, transmitted by rail or pipelines for 2000 miles, and decomposed near city gates to generate fuel-cell quality hydrogen for distribution to refueling stations. In terms of the levelized cost of H₂ distributed to the stations, methanol is less expensive to produce ($1.22/kg-H₂) than MCH ($1.35/kg-H₂) or ammonia ($2.20/kg-H₂). Levelized train transmission cost is smaller for methanol ($0.63/kg-H₂) than ammonia ($1.29/kg-H₂) or toluene/MCH system ($2.07/kg-H₂). Levelized decomposition cost is smaller for ammonia ($0.30–1.06/kg-H₂) than MCH ($0.54–1.22/kg-H₂) or methanol ($0.43–1.12/kg-H₂). Over the complete range of demand investigated, 10–350 tpd-H₂, the levelized cost of H₂ distributed to stations is aligned as methanol « ammonia ~ MCH. With pipelines at much larger scale, 6000 tpd-H₂, the levelized cost decreases by ~1 $/kg-H₂ for ammonia and MCH and much less for methanol. Methanol is a particularly attractive low-risk carrier in the transition phase with lower than 50-tpd H₂ demand.