Thin-Layer Drying Characteristics and Quality Evaluation of Air-Dried Ganoderma Tsugae Murrill

Ganoderma is normally dried to extend its shelf life without using chemical preservative and to concentrate the medicinal value in the fruiting body. Convective hot air drying characteristics of Ganoderma tsugae Murrill were evaluated in hot air circulated oven at different drying temperatures, sizes, and air flow rates. The drying kinetics of Ganoderma tsugae in kidney shape and slices were investigated and compared at different drying conditions. The variation of effective moisture diffusivity values at decreasing moisture contents during drying was determined from the drying data. Four well-known thin-layer drying models were fitted to the experimental data and the Midilli model was found to satisfactory describe the drying characteristics of kidney-shaped Ganoderma tsugae. Ganoderma tsugae dried at 50°C with air velocity of 1.401 ms^?1 showed the highest retention of crude ganoderic acid content compared to other drying conditions.     

Identification of purple dye from molluscs on an excavated textile by non-destructive analytical techniques

The inherent sensitivity of textile fibres to the aggressive process of burial accounts for the rarity and poor condition of excavated textile finds retrieved. However, the information contained within these finds is important and yielding it contributes to the longevity of the finds. Therefore, the application of non-destructive methods of investigation for the extraction of the data present is imperative. This paper presents the results of dye analysis performed on the excavated textile find HTR-73 from the Kerameikos cemetery in Athens. The Kerameikos textile find is from the 5th century BC, and has been preserved in association with copper. The techniques applied were Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analysis, Cathodoluminescence and micro Raman. For the first time Cathodoluminescence from an indigoid compound is reported. Comparison of the analysis results on samples from the find with the contemporary reference samples lead to the identification of purple dye as a dibromoindigo compound with the origin from molluscs of Murex trunculus species. The application of non-destructive analytical methods of investigation was successful in analysing dyes on excavated textiles.     

SIMULATION STUDIES OF THE REMOVAL OF WATER FROM ETHANOL BY A CATALYTIC DISTILLATION PROCESS

A new approach based on catalytic distillation (CD) technology was proposed to remove water from ethanol. Isobutylene was introduced to react with water in the CD column. The commercial software simulation tool Aspen Plus was used to investigate the effects of key design factors such as operating pressure and temperature, reactant ratios, reflux and distillate to feed ratios, number of separation and reaction stages, and feed and reaction zone location. It was found that the CD technology offers potential advantages of reduced energy consumption and reduced capital cost over traditional approaches for the removal of water from ethanol.     

Enantioselective Platinum‐Catalyzed Silicon‐Boron Addition to 1,3‐Cyclohexadiene

Silaboration of 1,3‐cyclohexadiene in the presence of Pt(acac)₂, DIBALH, and a phosphoramidite prepared from (S)‐1,1′‐bi‐2‐naphthol and diisopropylamine led to (1R,4S)‐1‐(dimethylphenylsilyl)‐4‐(4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaborolan‐2‐yl)‐2‐cyclohexene with 70% ee. Chiral catalysts based on Ni gave no or essentially racemic product, whereas complexes containing Pd were inactive.     

Lymphatic transport in rats of interesterified oils containing conjugated linoleic acids

In this study we examined the lymphatic transport in rats of FA after administration of interesterified oils containing CLA, with emphasis on the location of CLA and octanoic acid in the TAG. The oils were produced by enzymatic interesterification. Eight oils with different structures or FA profiles were examined in this study: MCM, CMC, OCO, and COC, where M was expected to be octanoic acid and O oleic acid. In group 1, C was CLA as a mixture of the two CLA isomers c9, t11 or t10, c12, and in group 2, C was mainly the isomer t10, c12. Rats were subjected to cannulation of the mesenteric lymph duct, and the following day they were intragastrically administered one of the oils and lymph samples were collected for 24 h. The lymphatic transport of total FA from 0 to 8 h in group 1 was significantly (P < 0.05) higher for the OCO-1 and the COC-1 oils than for the CMC-1 oil. Similarly, in group 2 the transport was higher for the OCO-2 oil than for the CMC-2 oil. The recovery of both of the CLA isomers examined was similar (50-70%) and independent of the isomer, oil structure, and FA profile, whereas more octanoic acid was recovered from the CMC oils than from the MCM oils. The results indicated that the FA profiles and the position of octanoic acid had only a minor influence on the absorption of CLA.     

POLYELECTROLYTE MULTILAYER STAMPING IN AQUEOUS PHASE AND NON-CONTACT MODE

Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) transfer printing has been previously achieved by stamping under dry conditions. Here, we show for the first time, that PEM can be transferred from a stamp to the base substrate under aqueous conditions whereby the two surfaces are in a non-contact mode. Degradable multilayers of (PAA/PEG)(10.5) followed by non-degradable multilayers of (PDAC/SPS)(80.5) were fabricated under acidic pH conditions on either PDMS or glass (stamp), and subsequently transferred over top of another multilayer prepared on a different substrate (base substrate), with a spacing of ~ 200 μm between the stamping surface and the base substrate. This multilayer transfer was performed under physiological pH conditions. This process is referred to herein as non-contact, aqueous-phase multilayer (NAM) transfer. NAM transfer can be useful for applications such as fabricating three-dimensional (3-D) cellular scaffolds. We attempted to create a 3-D cellular scaffold using NAM transfer, and characterized the scaffolds with conventional and fluorescence microscopy.     

Linear and networked polymers formed by the near simultaneous occurrence of etherification and esterification under mild reaction conditions

Despite the large difference in their nucleophilicity, phenoxide and carboxylate anions take part nearly simultaneously in the aliphatic nucleophilic substitution reaction with 1,4‐dibromo‐2‐butene. This leads to the formation of ether (? O? ) and ester (? COO? ) linkages simultaneously under mild reaction conditions when hydroxyl benzoic acids are employed as nucleophiles. The process yields a new class of polymer broadly classified as unsaturated poly(ether ester) which are potentially functionalizable. This methodology has also been extended for preparing networked polymers by making use of 3,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid as A₃ type monomer. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

BDD anodic oxidation as tertiary wastewater treatment for the removal of emerging micro‐pollutants,pathogens and organic matter

This work reports for the first time the removal of 17α‐ethynylestradiol (EE2), a synthetic estrogen hormone, from secondary treated effluents by electrochemical oxidation. Experiments were conducted in a single compartment reactor comprising a boron‐doped diamond (BDD) anode and a zirconium cathode. EE2, in the range 100–800 µg L^?1, was spiked in the post‐chlorination effluent of a municipal treatment plant and oxidized at 0.9–2.6 mA cm^?2 current density. Complete degradation of 100 µg L^?1 EE2 was achieved in 7 min at 2.1 mA cm^?2 and inherent conditions, while the addition of 0.1 mol L^?1 NaCl achieved removal in just a few seconds. The process was then tested in the pre‐chlorination effluent at 2.1 mA cm^?2 and inherent conditions; complete E. coli killing and EE2 removal occurred in just 1.5 and 3.5 min, respectively, while overall estrogenicity (assessed by the YES assay) and residual organic matter (in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD)) decreased by 50% and 85% after 30 min, respectively. These results clearly show the potential of BBD electrochemical oxidation to serve as an efficient tertiary wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry