Characterization of Microencapsulated Rosemary Essential Oil and Its Antimicrobial Effect on Fresh Dough

This study aimed to characterize rosemary essential oil particles obtained by spray-drying and to evaluate their antimicrobial activity. Measurements of mycelial growth of Penicillium and Aspergillus fungi, isolated from fresh dough, were made applying oil concentrations of 1.0, 5.0, 10.0, 20.0, and 50.0 μL/mL. Fungi and yeast counts in the fresh dough submitted to the control (no oil), pure oil, and microencapsulated oil treatments were also conducted. The microcapsules showed 50 % oil retention after drying, and the major oil components identified were 1,8-cineole (29.0 %), camphor (26.6 %), and α-pinene (10.6 %). The analysis of the particles revealed surfaces without fissures, with a mean particle size of 12.2 μm and presenting an amorphous structure. The growth inhibiting effect of Penicillium sp. fungus, compared to the control, was verified at concentrations of 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 μL/mL rosemary essential oil, which did not differ among them. For Aspergillus sp., the application of 10.0 μL/mL oil provided greater inhibition compared to 1.0 and 5.0 μL/mL. Complete inhibition occurred with the application of 50.0 μL/mL for both fungal genera tested. At 8 days of dough storage at 25 °C, a decrease of at least 0.7 and 1.5 log cycles of fungal growth was observed in the dough with pure oil and that with microencapsulated oil, respectively, relative to the control. The microencapsulation process retained the antimicrobial property of rosemary essential oil and provided further extension of this activity over time when applied to fresh dough.     

Mean-square error and stability analysis of a subband structure for the rapid identification of sparse impulse responses

In a context of supervised adaptive filtering, the sparsity of the impulse response to be identified can be employed to accelerate the convergence rate of the algorithm. This idea was first explored by the so-called proportionate NLMS (PNLMS) algorithm, where the adaptation step-sizes are made larger for the coefficients with larger magnitudes. Whereas fast initial adaptation convergence rate is obtained with the PNLMS algorithm for white-noise input, slow convergence is observed for colored input signals. The combination of the PNLMS approach and a subband structure results in an algorithm with better convergence rate for sparse systems and colored input signals. In this paper, the steady-state mean-square error (MSE) and the maximum value of the step-size β that allows convergence of the subband PNLMS-type algorithm are analyzed. Theoretical results are confirmed by simulations.     

Initial pH influences microbial communities composition in dark fermentation of scotta permeate

This study addresses for the first time the influence of initial pH on the evolution of microbial consortia in dark fermentation of scotta permeate, using a high-throughput sequencing approach. Three fermentation phases could be detected: 1) a lag phase with no substantial differences in microbial composition at different initial pH values; 2) an exponential H₂ production phase, accompanied by a general increase of Clostridium genus components and higher incidence of Trichococcus genus at neutral and alkaline pH; 3) a final stationary phase, characterized by a general increase of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genera in all reactors. The initial pH value influenced the relative abundance of Trichococcus at 16–48 h of incubation. The metabolic activity of this genus increased the amount of metabolic precursors of H₂ so that, when pH lowered to 5.4, clostridia in the reactors with initial alkaline pH become more active H₂-producers than those in the others.     

LaNi5 hydride powder flowability as a function of activation and hydrogen content

Volume expansion of hydrogen absorbing materials, together with inter-particle friction can cause tension accumulation in hydride containers during absorption. When hydride particles absorb hydrogen there is an important volume increase, in the order of 25%. Particles have to accommodate to the container geometry but this movement is opposed by inter-particle friction. Under certain conditions tensions can build up, compromising the mechanical integrity of the container. This phenomenon needs to be addressed at the design stage to avoid mechanical failure of the container.Flow behavior of powder materials is a relevant technological field, usually addressed by means of qualitative or quantitative flowability measuring devices. The rotating drum technique, while mainly qualitative, is well established and can be modified into a completely sealed unit. To determine the flowability of a hydride under different activation stages and hydrogen content levels we developed a rotating drum device that can be pressurized with hydrogen or depressurized. We report particle size evolution and flowability measurements of a hydrogen absorbing material (LaNi₅) at different stages of activation for both absorbed and desorbed states. The results of the present study show that the flowability of LaNi₅ in more dependent on the degree of activation of the sample than on hydrogen absorption state.     

Purification Processes and Market Potential of Bromelain in Brazil

Bromelain is the denomination given to the group of endoproteases obtained from members of Bromeliacea family. These enzymes have a wide range of proven applications and have been an object of study for worldwide researchers for decades. Over the years, several different downstream processes were studied in order to determine which technique would be worthwhile to be implemented in Brazil and provide the national market with such product. The objective of the present study is to relate the main studies in Brazil that has proven that bromelain purification can be cost-effective, in addition to the well-known benefits owned by such enzymes, and highlight the applications that create their market potential in the Brazilian market.     

Decomposing regional business change at plant level in Italy: A novel spatial shift‐share approach

In this paper, spatial shift‐share decomposition is analysed when applied to Italian data on regional business change at plant level, over the period 2004–2009. A new type of spatial decomposition, which looks more effectively at neighbourhood influence, is introduced here. Notable results emerge from the empirical investigation. First, it can be seen that the spatial level of aggregation greatly affects results. Second, evidence of neighbourhood advantage in the Southern NUTS 3 regions is found, together with opposite results for the Central‐Northern NUTS 3 regions. Finally, evidence of positive industrial mix effects is only found in Central‐Northern Italy.     

Protection of wind energy systems against the indirect effects of lightning

This paper is concerned with the protection of wind energy systems against the indirect effects of lightning. As wind energy is gaining increasing importance throughout the world, lightning damages involving wind energy systems have come to be regarded with more attention. Nevertheless, there are still very few studies in Portugal regarding lightning protection of wind energy systems using models of the Electro-Magnetic Transients Program (EMTP). Hence, a new case study is presented in this paper, based on a wind turbine with an interconnecting transformer, considering that lightning strikes the soil near the tower at a distance such that galvanic coupling occurs through the grounding electrode. Computer simulations obtained by using EMTP-RV are presented and conclusions are duly drawn.     

Optical and Structural Properties of ZnO and ZnO:Cd Particles Grown by the Hydrothermal Method

Here, we examine the structural, vibrational, optical, and morphological properties of ZnO particles synthesized by the hydrothermal method, incorporating cadmium at different concentrations through the molar ratio R_m = Cd⁺²/Zn⁺² and a thermal treatment at 500°C. The X‐ray diffraction results demonstrated the high crystallinity of the ZnO compound with a wurtzite‐type hexagonal structure. The Raman scattering spectra demonstrated that the ZnO vibrational modes occur in the region between 200 and 1300 cm^?1, which is associated with different vibrational configurations characteristic of the ZnO molecule: E₂(Low), E₂(M), A₁(TO) E₁(TO), 2B₁(High), E₂(High), and TA + LO. The modes that were most affected by the incorporation of Cd²⁺ were those assigned to 2E₂(Low), E₂(M), and 2B₁(High), and this effect was associated with a greater displacement of Zn²⁺ ions. The optical study showed a reduction in the band gap and a decrease in the crystalline quality due to the substitution of Cd²⁺ in the ZnO lattice. Cadmium incorporation affected the morphology of the ZnO:Cd particles, changing the lengths and diameters of the ZnO rods; when the Cd concentration was increased, the ZnO rods shortened, forming coin‐type hexagonal structures.     

Synergistic effect of graphite nanoplatelets and glass fibers in polypropylene composites

In this study, polypropylene (PP) composites reinforced with short glass fibers (GF) and exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets were obtained by melt compounding followed by injection molding. Morphological observations and quasi‐static tensile tests were carried out in order to investigate how the morphology and the mechanical properties of the composites were affected by the combined effect of two fillers of rather different size scales (i.e., micro‐ and nanoscale). The results indicate that the dispersion of the nanofiller in the PP matrix promoted the formation of a stronger interface between the matrix and GF, as indicated by the increase of the interfacial shear strength determined by the single‐fiber microdebonding test. Concurrently, a significant improvement of the tensile modulus and impact strength of the composites was observed, with small changes in the processability of hybrid composites compared to that of GF composites, as confirmed by rheological measurements. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41682.