Synthesis of Gray Zirconium Silicate Pigments from Zircon Mineral

Zirconium silicate (zircon) pigments in new gray hues have been prepared from mineral zircon as a low-cost raw material. In the first step this material was deocmposed with a waste mixture of NaOH-KOH. In the second step the pigments were synthesized with addition of manganese, especially manganese(II) carbonate, as the chromophore. The optimum conditions for the syntheses of pigments have been estimated and the properties of products (hues, applicability to ceramic glazes) have been evaluated.     

Nonstationary harmonic modeling for ECG removal in surface EMG signals

We present a compact approach for mitigating the presence of electrocardiograms (ECG) in surface electromyographic (EMG) signals by means of time-variant harmonic modeling of the cardiac artifact. Heart rate and QRS complex variability, which often account for amplitude and frequency time variations of the ECG, are simultaneously captured by a set of third-order constant-coefficient polynomials modulating a stationary harmonic basis in the analysis window. Such a characterization allows us to significantly suppress ECG from the mixture by preserving most of the EMG signal content at low frequencies (less than 20?Hz). Moreover, the resulting model is linear in parameters and the least-squares solution to the corresponding linear system of equations efficiently provides model parameter estimates. The comparative results suggest that the proposed method outperforms two reference methods in terms of the EMG preservation at low frequencies.     

Incorporation of statistical length scale into Weibull strength theory for composites

In this paper an extension of Weibull theory by the introduction of a statistical length scale is presented. The classical Weibull strength theory is self-similar; a feature that can be illustrated by the fact that the strength dependence on structural size is a power law (a straight line on a double logarithmic graph). Therefore, the theory predicts unlimited strength for extremely small structures. In the paper, it is shown that such a behavior is a direct implication of the assumption that structural elements have independent random strengths. By the introduction of statistical dependence in the form of spatial autocorrelation, the size dependent strength becomes bounded at the small size extreme. The local random strength is phenomenologically modeled as a random field with a certain autocorrelation function. In such a model, the autocorrelation length plays the role of a statistical length scale. The focus is on small failure probabilities and the related probabilistic distributions of the strength of composites. The theoretical part is followed by applications in fiber bundle models, chains of fiber bundle models and the stochastic finite element method in the context of quasibrittle failure.     

Monitoring of monosaccharides,oligosaccharides, ethanol and glycerol during wort fermentation by biosensors,HPLC and spectrophotometry

The aim of the present study was to analyze sugar levels (namely maltose, maltotriose, glucose and fructose) and alcohols (ethanol and glycerol) during the fermentation process in wort samples by amperometric enzymatic biosensors developed by our research group for industrial application, HPLC and spectrophotometry, and to compare the suitability of the presented methods for determination of individual analytes. We can conclude that for the specific monitoring of maltose or maltotriose only the HPLC method was suitable. On the other hand, biosensors and spectrophotometry reflected a decrease in total sugar concentration better and were able to detect both glucose and fructose in the later stages of fermentation, while HPLC was not. This can be attributed to the low detection limits and good sensitivity of the proposed methods. For the ethanol and glycerol analysis all methods proved to be suitable. However, concerning the cost expenses and time analysis, biosensors represented the best option.     

Rheological and Breadmaking Properties of Wheat Flours Supplemented with Octenyl Succinic Anhydride-Modified Waxy Maize Starches

The feasibility of emulsifying starches as bread improvers was investigated by incorporating starch sodium octenyl succinate (OSA-st), pre-gelatinized OSA-st and hydrolysed spray-dried OSA-st at 2.5, 5 and 10 % into wheat flour. Dough rheological properties (creep and recovery measurements; Mixolab, Alveograph) and bread quality parameters (specific loaf volume, crust and crumb colour, crumb moisture, crumb grain features, texture) were evaluated. The substituted flours, except hydrolysed OSA-st, significantly increased water absorption measured by Mixolab. The study on the rheological behaviour of doughs containing emulsifying starches, performed using a rheometer and an Alveograph, showed that OSA-st incorporation yielded strengthened dough, whereas pre-gelatinized and hydrolysed OSA-st addition led to more extensible dough. With regard to the thermal behaviour, investigated in water-limited systems by Mixolab, doughs prepared from pre-gelatinized OSA-st and hydrolysed OSA-st exhibited lower maximum peak torque, whilst all three examined starches increased cooking stability and decreased the setback value. Specific volumes of loaves baked from the substituted flours increased, and the highest effect was observed with pre-gelatinized OSA-st, which consequently produced bread crumbs with the largest mean gas cell area. The bread crumbs baked with octenyl succinate starches were whiter and softer. Although upon 1 day of storage no significant moisture retention capacity of emulsifying starches was noticed, the firmness values of OSA-st and pre-gelatinized OSA-st-supplemented bread crumbs, after 24 h of storage, were similar to or significantly lower than those of the control determined 2 h after baking. The obtained results indicate a requirement for further optimization of the octenyl succinate starch-supplemented doughs in terms of the combination of different types and levels of modified starches in order to obtain maximum bread quality.     

Cow colostrum and early milk enriched with eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic fatty acid

The objective of the study was to explore whether it is possible to alter cow colostrum and early milk fatty acid composition with a low level of fat supplement, high in docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) fatty acid. Diets included a control diet and a diet supplemented with DHA- and EPA-enriched fat supplement. Addition of fat supplement significantly decreased saturated fatty acids, C14:0 and C16:0 and increased the values of monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), n3 fatty acids, EPA, DHA, C18:1n9cis and C18:1n11trans. The percentage of short-chain fatty acids significantly increased with the progress of lactation, while the percentage of PUFA, n3 and n6 significantly decreased. These results showed that fat supplement, high in DHA and EPA, modified the fatty acid profile of colostrum and milk fat and increased the proportion of beneficial fatty acids for human health.     

Reactive polymers,XXXVII. An investigation of the internal structure of polymeric sorbents based on poly(2,3-epoxypropyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate)

The internal structure of polymeric sorbents based on 2,3-epoxypropyl methacrylateethylene dimethacrylate was investigated by means of mercury porosimetry and by employing the sorption method. The results were confronted with characteristic chromatographic data and helped to elucidate the relationships existing between the internal structure of copolymers and their chromatographic properties.     

Nonterminal unsaturated silane coupling agents for mineral-filled ethylene–propylene rubber

This paper describes the results of an experimental investigation concerning the effect of reactive organofunctional unsaturated silanes on mechanical properties of mineral-filled ethylene–propylene elastomers. The tested group of the unsaturated silanes was prepared by hydrosilylation syntheses. The experimental silanes, 2,6-octadienyltriethoxysilane, cis-2-butenyltriethoxysilane, 2-(3-cyclohexenylethyl)triethoxysilane, and 2-(3-cyclohexenylethyl)methyldiethoxysilane, led to a considerable improvement in mechanical and electrical properties of mineral-filled vulcanizates based on peroxide-cured ethylene–propylene elastomers. From the tested silanes, the 3-cyclohexenylethylsilanes impart an improvement comparable with the action of vinyltris(2-methoxyethoxy)silane, presently used as a standard coupling agent in mineral-filled peroxide-cured elastomers.     

Water soluble acrylamide polymers, 2. Aging and viscous flow of aqueous solutions of polyacrylamide and hydrolyzed polyacrylamide

The aging of aqueous solutions of polyacrylamide which appears experimentally as a decrease of solution viscosity and which is probably caused by microorganisms may be prevented by the addition of a small amount (0.02 wt.-%) of an antimicrobial agent such as sodium azide. Aluminium chloride causes a very strong decrease of the viscosity during a prolongated storing time. The addition of aluminium ions to the polymer solution leads to a complexing of amidic groups with aluminium cations and probably also to decrease of the dimensions of individual polymer coils. The viscous flow of aqueous solutions of polyacrylamide and hydrolyzed polyacrylamides was studied as a dependence of the shear gradient D on the shear stress τ and was described by the relation D = k · τⁿ, where k and n denote constants. Both constants depend on the polymer concentration, the degree of polymerization and the content of carboxylic groups in the polymer. The greatest deviations from the Newtonian behaviour were found in the range of molecular weights over 2 · 10⁶ g/mol and practically no deviations were observed for polyacrylamide with molecular weights below 1 · 10⁶ g/mol. The dependence of the viscosity on the shearing time at different shear rates (300, 600 and 1200 s^?1) which was observed in solutions of polyacrylamide, hydrolyzed polyacrylamide and poly-(N,N-dimethyl)-acrylamide was explained by an entanglement model.     

Effects of Al2O3 particle reinforcement on the lubricated sliding wear behavior of ZA-27 alloy composites

The present investigation deals with the effect of Al₂O₃ particle reinforcement on the lubricated sliding behavior of ZA-27 alloy. The composites with 3, 5, and 10 wt% of Al₂O₃ particles were produced by the compocasting procedure. Tribological properties of alloy and composites were studied, using block-on-disk tribometer at different specific loads and sliding speeds. The test results revealed that composite specimens exhibited significantly lower wear rate, but higher coefficient of friction than the matrix alloy specimens in all the combinations of applied loads and sliding speeds. The improved antiwear characteristics of the composites were influenced by positive effects of higher frictional heating on compatibility of the composite phases and suppressing micro-cracking tendency. Due to that, effects of reinforcing hard particles were manifested through the reduced wear rate of composites, especially in conditions of higher load, lower sliding speeds and higher Al₂O₃ particle content. In present wear tests, the significant forming of mechanically mixed layers was not noticed, what is confirmed by the SEM microphotographs.