InSb focal plane array chemical imaging enables assessment of unit process efficiency for milling operation

In the dry milling of wheat flour, each unit process (roller mill, purifier, sifter, etc.) produces a mixture with varying amounts of wheat endosperm and non-endosperm byproducts. Chemical images with 82 000 pixels of each intermediate product stream issuing from an individual processing machine are readily analyzed in terms of the relative amount of endosperm and non-endosperm. Approximately three minutes is required to produce an image of each intermediate product stream. Applying partial least squares (PLS) chemometric software to identify individual pixels, which enables calculation of the relative amount of endosperm and non-endosperm, is not a time-limiting factor. When relative flow rates are known for each stream, mass balance can be calculated from each intermediate stream in terms of the product (endosperm content) and the lower value non-endosperm byproduct. Data is presented from a purifier in a commercial flour mill. Intermediate streams collected from a run with optimized operational parameters were compared to those of another run before adjustment. The endosperm (product) mass balance profile for each run enabled assessment of operational efficiency. The devised chemical imaging analysis system would be particularly useful in commissioning of a new mill or to optimize existing wheat milling systems. Also, when raw material differs from that for which previous optimization was established, a new optimization may be in order. The ability to acquire a large number of spectra from a specimen and apply multivariate statistics to identify each pixel and subsequently count pixels accommodates heterogeneity and reports the results from averaging a very large number of individual spectra. A second illustration of the utility of the imaging method is presented centering on streams from the first and second break unit operations at the beginning of the roller mill process.     

Trans FA and solid fat contents of margarines marketed in Turkey

Trans FA (TFA), solid fat contents (SFC), and slip melting points of 12 different tub and stick margarines marketed in Turkey were examined in this study. No trans isomers were found in four margarines, which suggests they were formulated from interesterified or blended fats and oils. The products with no TFA generally had more short-chain saturated FA, which suggests coconut oil-based oil components. TFA content of the other 10 products varied from 7.7 to 37.8%. Compared to the products formulated in North America, Turkish margarines contain more TFA and have higher SFC.     

Electrochromic emissivity modulator for spacecraft thermal management

A novel electrochromic device (ECD) working in mid- to long-wave infrared (IR) region is presented, comprising of a solid-state monolithic thin film system for adjusting heat rejection/receiving levels on attached surfaces. The system is an electrically controllable active emissivity modulator. EclipseVED™, variable-emissivity ECD, is designed for satellite and spacecraft thermal control, using an active ECD system for long-wave infrared (LWIR) modulation and a passive cold mirror for solar rejection. Emissivity modulation of the system is 0.8 for 7–12 μm region while average solar rejection is 80% in the vis–NIR region. Device properties and initial space test results are also presented.     

Adsorption and Flotation Characteristics of the Different Types of Frothers

This article investigates the adsorption of different frothers onto talc particles. The adsorption and flotation characteristisc of tallow amine acetate (TAA) + frothers (MIBC and pine oil) was studied for talc mineral. In this study, we analyzed some parameters affecting froth flotation performance and it was determined that adsorption capacity in particular, had an important role in froth flotation enrichment. The effect of pH and adsorption time on adsorption capacity was also studied. Analyses were carried out using ultraviolet spectrometry. The results showed that MIBC had the lowest frother adsorption capacity and it improved recovery during froth flotation of on the talc. It can be said that MIBC was adsorbed on the talc surface less and provided the best conditions to generate bubbles in flotation cell.     

Mitochondria-targeted disruptors and inhibitors of cytochrome c/cardiolipin peroxidase complexes: a new strategy in anti-apoptotic drug discovery

The critical role of mitochondria in programmed cell death leads to the design of mitochondriotropic agents as a strategy in regulating apoptosis. For anticancer therapy, stimulation of proapoptotic mitochondrial events in tumor cells and their suppression in surrounding normal cells represents a promising paradigm for new therapies. Different approaches targeting regulation of components of mitochondrial antioxidant system such as Mn-SOD demonstrated significant antitumor efficiency, particularly in combination therapy. This review is focused on a newly discovered early stage of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis - oxidative lipid signaling involving a mitochondria-specific phospholipid cardiolipin (CL). Cytochrome c (cyt c) acts as a CL-specific peroxidase very early in apoptosis. At this stage, the hostile events are still secluded within the mitochondria and do not reach the cytosolic targets. CL oxidation process is required for the release of pro-apoptotic factors into the cytosol. Manipulation of cyt c interactions with CL, inhibition of peroxidase activity, and prevention of CL peroxidation are prime targets for the discovery of anti-apoptotic drugs acting before the "point-of-no-return" in the fulfillment of the cell death program. Therefore, mitochondria-targeted disruptors and inhibitors of cyt c/CL peroxidase complexes and suppression of CL peroxidation represent new strategies in anti-apoptotic drug discovery.     

Comparison of antioxidant activities of juice, peel, and seed of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) and inter-relationships with total phenolic, Tannin, anthocyanin, and flavonoid contents

In this study, the antioxidant activities of juice, peel, and seed parts of pomegranate were investigated by using DPPH scavenging activity, β-carotene bleaching method, reducing power, and metal chelating activity. Sample of pomegranates which are named Punica granatum L. cv. Hicaznar, genotype 19–121, genotype 17–67, and genotype 19–66 obtained from BATEM (West Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute) in Anlalya. The EC₅₀ values of DPPH scavenging activities in peel extracts (PE) had 23.4-fold higher than the juice extracts (JE), and the seed extracts (SE) had 2.3-fold higher than JE. The reducing power in peel extracts was found to be 4.7-fold higher than SE and 10.5-fold higher than the JE. The highest metal chelating capacity (37.22%) was determined in peel, while the lowest (7.151%) in seed. Generally, in peel, the total polyphenol, flavonoid, tannin contents, and in juice, the total polyphenol, anthocyanin, tannin contents, and acidity significantly affected to antioxidant activities.     

PARTICLE SIZE AND SHAPE CHARACTERISTICS OF KEMERBURGAZ QUARTZ SANDS OBTAINED BY SIEVING,LASER DIFFRACTION,AND DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING METHODS

The ever-progressing development of industrial processes and products regularly requires significant progress in the development of associated measurement techniques. With the advance of technology, there have been many developments in the mining sector. Mineral particle size is a critical parameter in any process involving the liberation and separation of minerals. In most mineral processing plants, product grade and mineral recovery require sufficient mineral liberation and optimum size distribution. There are many methods of measuring mineral particle sizes. Sieving, sedimentation, microscopy, digital image processing, and laser diffraction are the most common particle size analysis methods. The shape of the particles plays an important role in the assessment of particle size distribution. Most sizing techniques, however, assume that the sample being measured is spherical, as a sphere is the only shape that can be described by a single number. Therefore different techniques can give different results for the same sample depending on this aspect. Within the scope of this study, the particle size distribution of two different sand samples (Sarikum and Senkoy) was assessed by sieving, digital image processing, and laser diffraction techniques. In addition, the convexity and circularity parameters of the samples were measured by a Morphology G device. The particle size distribution results obtained from different techniques for each sample are discussed depending on the values of convexity and circularity of the sample particles.     

Characterization of a Novel Nine-Transistor SRAM Cell

Data stability of SRAM cells has become an important issue with the scaling of CMOS technology. Memory banks are also important sources of leakage since the majority of transistors are utilized for on-chip caches in today's high performance microprocessors. A new nine-transistor (9T) SRAM cell is proposed in this paper for simultaneously reducing leakage power and enhancing data stability. The proposed 9T SRAM cell completely isolates the data from the bit lines during a read operation. The read static-noise-margin of the proposed circuit is thereby enhanced by 2 X as compared to a conventional six-transistor (6T) SRAM cell. The idle 9T SRAM cells are placed into a super cutoff sleep mode, thereby reducing the leakage power consumption by 22.9% as compared to the standard 6T SRAM cells in a 65-nm CMOS technology. The leakage power reduction and read stability enhancement provided with the new circuit technique are also verified under process parameter variations.