Compositional characteristics,texture, shelf-life and sensory quality of snack crackers produced from non-traditional ingredients

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of non-traditional and highly available and nutrient-dense ingredients in the production of value-added crackers. The crackers were prepared by combining partially defatted chia flour, wheat germ, quinoa, and oat. The antioxidant activity and the polyphenol content were 7.0–8.4 times higher in crackers produced with non-traditional ingredients compared to the control snack. The hydroperoxide value indicated a low oxidative deterioration of the oil. The sample with 10% of partially defatted chia flour was selected for shelf-life test under storage conditions and sensory evaluation. Modified atmosphere exerted a protective effect on the lipid stability regardless of the incorporation of BHT to the formulation. All the evaluated attributes scored highly during consumer acceptance. The formulated cracker presented a relevant content of protein, dietary fibre and omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. Based on these results, the crackers containing non-traditional ingredients resulted in a product with a good potential for both consumer acceptance and outstanding nutritional benefits.     

Fire safe,sustainable loose furnishing

The aim of this exploratory study has been to investigate the fire properties and environmental aspects of different upholstery material combinations, mainly for domestic applications. An analysis of the sustainability and circularity of selected textiles, along with lifecycle assessment, is used to qualitatively evaluate materials from an environmental perspective. The cone calorimeter was the primary tool used to screen 20 different material combinations from a fire performance perspective. It was found that textile covers of conventional fibres such as wool, cotton and polyester, can be improved by blending them with fire resistant speciality fibres. A new three‐dimensional web structure has been examined as an alternative padding material, showing preliminary promising fire properties with regard to ignition time, heat release rates and smoke production.     

Mechanical properties and thermal shock in thin ZrO2–Y2O3–Al2O3 films obtained by the sol-gel method

Thin multilayer coatings of ZrO₂–Y₂O₃–Al₂O₃ were prepared using the sol-gel method and dip-coating technique in order to advance in the study of what influence the incorporation of Al₂O₃ has on films of Y₂O₃-doped ZrO₂, investigating its role in the synthesis of the solutions and in the characteristics and properties of the coatings. After the characterization of the solutions used in the process, the microstructure of the films was studied and their mechanical behaviour and resistance to thermal shock were determined so as to optimize the characteristics and functionality of these coatings. With increased alumina content, 3YSZ-Al₂O₃ (20 mol%), the cubic phase of the zirconia disappeared completely at the sintering temperature used (700 °C), resulting in the tetragonal phase with Al in solution. There was also a decrease in the coatings' hardness and Young's modulus, and an increase in toughness and resistance to thermal shock. These results allow guidelines to be established for the design of multilayer structures that are, tougher, more resistant, and have improved surface properties.     

Improving Properties of Poly(vinylidene fluoride) by Adding Expanded Graphite without Surface Modification via Water‐Assisted Mixing Extrusion

Expanded graphite (EG) is introduced into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) by melt mixing extrusion with water injection. The results demonstrate that the unfunctionalized EG in composite prepared with water injection exbibits better dispersion than that in the one prepared without water injection due to the promoting role of water during extrusion. Thus, the PVDF/EG composite with loading of 4 wt% prepared by water‐assisted mixing extrusion (WAME) exhibits electrical conductivity of about three orders of magnitude higher than the neat PVDF and one order of magnitude higher than the one prepared without water injection. Comparing to the neat PVDF, the thermal conductivity of the composites prepared with and without water injection is increased by 101.5% and 75.0%, respectively. The introduced EG leads to increased Young’s modulus and tensile strength especially for the composite prepared by WAME. The present work indicates that WAME can promote the dispersion of EG in PVDF matrix without any extra functionalization.     

Chia Seed Oil Prevents High Fat Diet Induced Hyperlipidemia and Oxidative Stress in Mice

Hyperlipidemia is a common cardiovascular disease. At present, the influence of high fat diet (HFD) on this is being explored. Recently, vegetable oils rich in omega‐3 have been reported that can treat hyperlipidemia caused by HFD. However, the effects of chia seed oil (CSO) on HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress are poorly studied. Hence, in this study, the effects of CSO on hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress induced by HFD in mice are analyzed by various commercial kits, section staining, and protein expression. The results show that CSO decreases body weight and organ index. Meanwhile, CSO reduces serum lipid levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. It can also elevate superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities and reduce malondialdehyde content in serum and liver. The results of histopathological analysis prove that CSO improves hepatic steatosis and reduces lipid deposition. Further, the results of western blot demonstrate that CSO upregulates the expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor alpha and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a in the liver. As a result, CSO may be a potential lipid‐lowering oil to prevent and treat HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress. Practical Applications CSO, as a byproduct of chia seed processing, is a rich source of α‐linolenic acid. This study investigates the effects of CSO on HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress in mice. It is concluded that dietary CSO can improve the hyperlipidemia in HFD‐induced mice via analysis of lipid parameters, histopathology study of the liver, and lipid metabolism related genes. In addition, supplementation of CSO also can improve the oxidative stress in mice. Therefore, CSO can be used for the prevention of hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress. This research provides a theoretical basis for the comprehensive development and utilization of functional chia seed oil.     

Delay compensated control of the Stefan problem and robustness to delay mismatch

This paper presents a control design for the one‐phase Stefan problem under actuator delay via a backstepping method. The Stefan problem represents a liquid‐solid phase change phenomenon which describes the time evolution of a material's temperature profile and the interface position. The actuator delay is modeled by a first‐order hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE), resulting in a cascaded transport‐diffusion PDE system defined on a time‐varying spatial domain described by an ordinary differential equation (ODE). Two nonlinear backstepping transformations are utilized for the control design. The setpoint restriction is given to guarantee a physical constraint on the proposed controller for the melting process. This constraint ensures the exponential convergence of the moving interface to a setpoint and the exponential stability of the temperature equilibrium profile and the delayed controller in the norm. Furthermore, robustness analysis with respect to the delay mismatch between the plant and the controller is studied, which provides analogous results to the exact compensation by restricting the control gain.