A stabilization mechanism for the perovskite La2/3TiO3 compound with Fe2O3: A structural and electrical investigation

We have stabilized the perovskite La_2/3TiO₃ by adding LaFeO₃ and shown that in general the stabilization mechanism for the (1 − x)La_2/3TiO_3–xLaFeO₃ mixture involves the formation of a solid solution for compositions with x ≥ 0.04. The crystal structure of the solid solution transforms from orthorhombic to tetragonal at x = 0.2, becomes cubic in the range 0.3 < x < 0.8, and transforms again into orthorhombic (typical for pure LaFeO₃) for values greater than 0.8. Detailed impedance-spectroscopy measurements for various compositions and conditions showed that the limiting step in the conduction mechanism was conduction across the grain boundaries. In the concentration range 0.04 < x < 0.25 the room temperature conductivity increases up to 0.0017 S cm⁻¹, after which it decreases again. Part of the initial increase is probably due to the formation of free electrons in accordance with (Fe_Ti)′ → (Fe_Ti)^x + n′. Other defect-formation mechanisms are also discussed, but are ruled out for a variety of reasons. Another interesting phenomenon that also affected the average conductivity was identified, i.e., the variation of the average particle size with composition.     

POWER CONSUMPTION AND GAS HOLDUP IN A GAS-LIQUID RECIPROCATING PLATE COLUMN

The pressure fluctuation at the column base is confirmed to be proportional to the vibration intensity on a power of 2 in non-gassed conditions and up to a critical vibration intensity, corresponding to the dispersion resonance frequency, in gassed conditions. The power consumption is successfully correlated with the vibration intensity and the liquid holdup. The gas holdup in both mixer-settter and emulsion regime is well correlated with the power consumption and the superficial gas velocity. The effect of the superficial gas velocity is more important than that of the power consumption. The effects of the liquid phase properties, the wetting tendency of the plate material and the fraction free area above 41% were not observed     

Shelf-life of a dragee product based on sunflower kernel depending on packaging materials used

In this study, we investigated the quality and shelf‐life of a dragee product obtained by coating a confectionery sunflower kernel with sugar syrup. The product was packed in oriented polypropylene/oriented polypropylene, oriented polypropylene/metallised oriented polypropylene, polyester/polyethylene and kept at room temperature in daylight for 5 months. At the beginning of the experiment, the dragee product was in the category of excellent sensory quality (total score of sensory evaluation is between 18.0 and 20.0) in terms of its colour, smell, taste, mastication and structure. During the storage, these properties changed and the product lost its stability. Peroxide value in the dragee product increased from 0.5 to 9.0 mmol O/kg during the 5 months of storage. The free fatty acid content also increased from 1.3% in fresh dragee product to 2.5% after 5 months of storage. The packaging material metallised polyester/polyethylene, labelled metPET/PE, has the lowest oxygen permeability (8.0 mL m^?2/dan Δp 1 bar) and because of this it had the strongest influence in the prevention of hydrolytic and oxidative changes in the final product.     

Spectra of long primitive binary BCH codes cannot approach thebinomial distribution

Usually spectra (weight distributions) of primitive binary BCH codes are supposed to approximate binomial weight distributions well for a wide range of code rates and code lengths. It is shown that for any fixed code rate R<1 spectra of long (N→∞) primitive binary BCH codes cannot approximate the binomial distribution at all     

Synthesis,characterization, and antifungal activity of nystatin—gum arabic conjugates

Nystatin, a polyene tetraene antibiotic widely used in the treatment of mycoses, was coupled with oxidized polysaccharide gum Arabic, by forming Schiff base structures between amine groups of antibiotics and aldehyde groups of modified carbohydrate. Imine conjugates synthesized in this way were reduced with sodium borohydride to secondary amines. Two imine and two amine conjugates were obtained with different nystatin content. The conjugates were characterized by UV–Vis, FTIR, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Solubility in water, unlike nystatin, and significant activity against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger with minimum inhibitory concentrations in range of 3.125–6.25 μg mL^?1 and 6.25–25 μg mL^?1, respectively, indicate that the chemical integrity and the biological function of these compounds were retained. A comparison of stability of the conjugates in the dry form, solution and under different pH values showed that the conjugates exhibited better stability than pure drug. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

An overview of microbial food safety programs in beef, pork, and poultry from farm to processing in Canada

Canada's vision for the agri-food industry in the 21st century is the establishment of a national food safety system employing hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles and microbiological verification tools, with traceability throughout the gate-to-plate continuum. Voluntary on-farm food safety (OFFS) programs, based in part on HACCP principles, provide producers with guidelines for good production practices focused on general hygiene and biosecurity. OFFS programs in beef cattle, swine, and poultry are currently being evaluated through a national recognition program of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Mandatory HACCP programs in federal meat facilities include microbial testing for generic Escherichia coli to verify effectiveness of the processor's dressing procedure, specific testing of ground meat for E. coli O157:H7, with zero tolerance for this organism in the tested lot, and Salmonella testing of raw products. Health Canada's policy on Listeria monocytogenes divides ready-to-eat products into three risk categories, with products previously implicated as the source of an outbreak receiving the highest priority for inspection and compliance. A national mandatory identification program to track livestock from the herd of origin to carcass inspection has been established. Can-Trace, a data standard for all food commodities, has been designed to facilitate tracking foods from the point of origin to the consumer. Although much work has already been done, a coherent national food safety strategy and concerted efforts by all stakeholders are needed to realize this vision. Cooperation of many government agencies with shared responsibility for food safety and public health will be essential.     

Using causal models to distinguish between neurogenesis-dependent and -independent effects on behaviour

There has been a substantial amount of research on the relationship between hippocampal neurogenesis and behaviour over the past 15 years, but the causal role that new neurons have on cognitive and affective behavioural tasks is still far from clear. This is partly due to the difficulty of manipulating levels of neurogenesis without inducing off-target effects, which might also influence behaviour. In addition, the analytical methods typically used do not directly test whether neurogenesis mediates the effect of an intervention on behaviour. Previous studies may have incorrectly attributed changes in behavioural performance to neurogenesis because the role of known (or unknown) neurogenesis-independent mechanisms was not formally taken into consideration during the analysis. Causal models can tease apart complex causal relationships and were used to demonstrate that the effect of exercise on pattern separation is via neurogenesis-independent mechanisms. Many studies in the neurogenesis literature would benefit from the use of statistical methods that can separate neurogenesis-dependent from neurogenesis-independent effects on behaviour.     

Using radioactive techniques for tribological research

The possibility of using radioactive tracing techniques for the measurement of wear etc on mating surface has been investigated using the assumption that the lubricating oil will pick up the radioactive particles from the worn surfaces. In this report the basic principles of the technique are outlined and first results presented on the wear of gear teeth.