Oxidative stability and characterization of oleogels obtained from safflower oil-based beeswax and rice bran wax and their effect on the quality of cake samples

Safflower oil-based oleogels were produced from beeswax and rice bran wax. Oleogels demonstrated higher oxidative stability than shortening at the cooking temperature. Peroxide values in shortening, rice bran wax oleogels, and beeswax oleogels samples were found in the range of 4.8–27.76, 13.21–20.45 and 4.30–7.72 meqO₂kg⁻¹ oil. Following oleogelation, there was no significant change in fatty acid composition of safflower oil. In addition, after baking process, the changes in the major fatty acids were not determined to be significant. Solid fat content ratios (carried out at 35°C) of rice bran wax oleogels, in beeswax oleogels and in shortening samples were defined in the range of 4.10%–7.70%, 0.80%–5.00%, and 9.61%, respectively. The highest oil binding capacity was revealed in beeswax oleogels with 99.93%–99.98%. The shortest crystallization time was determined as 3 min in oleogel containing 10% rice bran wax. Cakes consisted of oleogel were acceptable in terms of texture and sensory properties compared to cake produced with shortening. Sensory results revealed that some cakes produced with oleogels were found to be more acceptable as compared with control group samples. In this respect, oleogels produced with safflower oil-based beeswax and rice bran wax could be used instead of commercial solid fat widely used in the cake industry.     

Effects of scarf joints on bending strength and modulus of elasticity to laminated veneer lumber (LVL)

The role of geometry on the mechanical performance of scarf joints in laminated veneer lumber (LVL) bonded with phenol formaldehyde and melamine formaldehyde (MF) adhesives was investigated. Model joints consists of 3, 4 and 5 mm veneer thicknesses at 30°, 45° and 60° of varying scarf joints for LVL produced from brutia pine (Pinus brutia Ten) and elm (Ulmus compestris l.) woods. However, there is little information available concerning the bending strength and modulus of elasticity for LVL, and in particular, scarf joints in these field. In this study, it was aimed to determine the bending strength and modulus of elasticity for LVL. For this purpose, samples were tested according to TS EN 310 standard. It was observed that the highest bending strength (291.5 N/mm²) and modulus of elasticity (28 101 N/mm²) were obtained in control (solid wood) samples having three layered LVL, jointed with 30° angle and bonded with MF adhesive. As a result of the effects scarf joints on bending strength and modulus elasticity test, if the scarf angle decreases, the properties of LVL increase.     

Engineering Perspective of the Collapse of WTC-I

The writers report on a simulation study of the performance of the North Tower (WTC-I) of the World Trade Center complex during the impact of American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. We discuss impact damage that the structural core might have sustained and its possible behavior under structural and thermal loading. Our simulations indicate that the worst damage to the core structure was in stories 95 through 97 of the tower. We estimate that a core collapse mechanism could be initiated if the tower core column temperatures were elevated to about 700°C.     

An approach for computing tight numerical bounds on renewalfunctions

This method computes tight lower and upper bounds for the renewal function. It is based on Riemann-Stieltjes integration, and provides bounds for solving certain renewal equations used in the study of availability. An error analysis is given for the numerical bounds when inter-renewal time distributions are sufficiently smooth. Three examples are explored that demonstrate the accuracy of these computed numerical bounds     

Parasitic effects of the metallic towers on the characteristics of the broadcast antennas

In this article, we use a tool NEC (Numerical Electromagnetic Code) to model antenna on top of a tower structure. Simulation results for the parasitic effect of the tower on characteristics of broadcast DVB‐T (Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial) antenna such as input impedance, return loss, gain, front‐to‐back ratio and radiation patterns are reported. In addition, the effect of a nearby tower on antenna characteristics is studied. A 3D tower and broadband antenna in the UHF (470‐862) MHz band are constructed. The antenna works for both digital and analog TV with return loss (RL) ≥ 10 dB, fractional bandwidth of 87% and gain of 12.3 dBi at center frequency. The effective radiated power is calculated by mounting the antenna at each face of the tower to give a satisfactory coverage to a region around the antenna.     

A new approach for dyeability of cotton fabrics by different plasma polymerisation methods

The increased dyeability of cotton fabrics in low temperature media using two different plasma polymerisation methods was investigated in this study. In the first method, fabrics were directly treated in amine plasma (ethylenediamine or triethylenetetramine). In the second method, they were first treated in argon plasma and then immersed in an aqueous amine bath. The treated fabrics were then dyed with a reactive dye (Remazol Black B) and the colour yields and fastness properties of the resulting fabrics measured. The K/S values obtained were significantly improved when compared to the untreated fabric.     

Proton conducting properties of ionically cross-linked poly(1-vinyl-1,2,4 triazole) and poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) electrolytes

The synthesis and thermal as well as proton conducting properties of complex polymer electrolytes based on poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) PAMPS and poly(1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole) PVTri were investigated. The materials were produced by complexation of PAMPS with PVTri at various compositions to get PVTriP(AMPS) _x where x is the molar ratio of the polymer repeating units and varied from 0.25 to 4. The structure of the materials was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The TGA results verified that the polymer electrolytes are thermally stable up to approximately 200 °C. The DSC and SEM results demonstrated the homogeneity of the materials. The electrochemical stability of the materials was studied by cyclic voltammeter (CV). Proton conductivity, activation energy, and water/methanol uptake of these membranes were also measured. After humidification (RH = 50%), PVTriP(AMPS)₂ and PVTriP(AMPS)₄ showed proton conductivities of 0.30 and 0.06 S/cm at 100 °C, respectively.     

HYDROGEN RESOURCES : CONVERSION OF BLACK LIQUOR TO HYDROGEN RICH GASEOUS PRODUCTS

Abstract

Two precipitates were obtained from original black liquor by using hydrochloric acid and carbon dioxide. The precipitates were liqufied and gasificated by non-catalytic and catalytic runs at gradually elevated temperatures. The amount of gaseous products increased with increasing temperature and percent of catalyst. The percent of hydrogen in the obtained gas mixture was the highest in potassium carbonate catalytic runs (37 %).     

Molecular Dynamics of Drying-Induced Structural Transformations in a Single Nanocellulose

Nanocellulose is attracting attention in the field of materials science as a sustainable building block. Nanocellulose-based materials, such as films, membranes, and foams, are fabricated by drying colloidal dispersions. However, little is known about how the structure of a single nanocellulose changes during the complex drying process. Here, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and atomic force microscopy is used to investigate the structural dynamics of single nanocellulose during drying. It is found that the twist morphology of the nanocellulose became localized along the fibril axis during the final stage of the drying process. Moreover, it is shown that conformational changes at C6 hydroxymethyl groups and glycoside bond is accompanied by the twist localization, indicating that the increase in the crystallinity occurred in the process. It is expected that the results will provide molecular insights into nanocellulose structures in material processing, which is helpful for the design of materials with advanced functionalities.