Comparison of visual and automated colorimeters—An international collaborative study

Color as a fundamental quality of edible oils has been determined primarily by visual comparison methods for many decades. The automatic colorimeters introduced recently made it possible to replace the manually operated visual color instrument, which requires experience to master and is often subject to operator variabilities. A previous study with an automatic colorimeter, Colourscan, to measure the colors of refined and refined bleached cottonseed oils showed good agreement (r ²=0.99) with visual color measurements by means of the Lovibond-AOCS Color Scale. The current work is to establish a broad-scale correlation between the automated colorimeter and visual color measurements. In this international effort, factory-processed refined and refined, bleached, deodorized (RBD) canola, corn, cottonseed, peanut, sunflower and soybean oils, as well as refined palm olein, RBD palm oil, and washed, dried, filtered and deodorized tallow were used. A total of 14 laboratories from the United States and Canada, and 16 laboratories from 12 countries outside of North America, participated in this collaborative study. The results of this study, with statistical analyses, are reported.     

A Low-Sodium Diet Boosts Ang (1–7) Production and NO-cGMP Bioavailability to Reduce Edema and Enhance Survival in Experimental Heart Failure

Sodium restriction is often recommended in heart failure (HF) to block symptomatic edema, despite limited evidence for benefit. However, a low-sodium diet (LSD) activates the classical renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which may adversely affect HF progression and mortality in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We performed a randomized, blinded pre-clinical trial to compare the effects of a normal (human-equivalent) sodium diet and a LSD on HF progression in a normotensive model of DCM in mice that has translational relevance to human HF. The LSD reduced HF progression by suppressing the development of pleural effusions (p < 0.01), blocking pathological increases in systemic extracellular water (p < 0.001) and prolonging median survival (15%, p < 0.01). The LSD activated the classical RAAS by increasing plasma renin activity, angiotensin II and aldosterone levels. However, the LSD also significantly up-elevated the counter-regulatory RAAS by boosting plasma angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and angiotensin (1–7) levels, promoting nitric oxide bioavailability and stimulating 3′-5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production. Plasma HF biomarkers associated with poor outcomes, such as B-type natriuretic peptide and neprilysin were decreased by a LSD. Cardiac systolic function, blood pressure and renal function were not affected. Although a LSD activates the classical RAAS system, we conclude that the LSD delayed HF progression and mortality in experimental DCM, in part through protective stimulation of the counter-regulatory RAAS to increase plasma ACE2 and angiotensin (1–7) levels, nitric oxide bioavailability and cGMP production.     

Morphological,thermal, and mechanical properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐grafted‐cellulose nanocrystals mats produced by electrospinning

Electrospun nanocomposites of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) incorporated with PCL‐grafted cellulose nanocrystals (PCL‐g‐CNC) were produced. PCL chains were grafted from cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) surface by ring‐opening polymerization. Grafting was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). The resulting PCL‐g‐CNC were then incorporated into a PCL matrix at various loadings. Homogeneous nanofibers with average diameter decreasing with the addition of PCL‐g‐CNC were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). PCL‐g‐CNC domains incorporated into the PCL matrix were visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Thermal and mechanical properties of the mats were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), TGA and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The addition of PCL‐g‐CNC into the PCL matrix caused changes in the thermal behavior and crystallinity of the electrospun fibers. Significant improvements in Young's modulus and in strain at break with increasing PCL‐g‐CNC loadings were found. These results highlighted the great potential of cellulose nanocrystals as a reinforcement phase in electrospun PCL mats, which can be used as biomedical materials. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43445.     

Low strength graywater characterization and treatmentby direct membrane filtration

The potential of direct membrane filtration on either ultrafiltration (30,200 and 400 kDa MWCO) or nanofiltration (200 Da MWCO) membranes was studied as a method of treatment of low load graywater for on site reuse. The graywater collected from a sports center's public showers and characterized for its chemical composition and physical properties fitted well to a low strength type (29.8 mg/l TSS and 170.3 mg/l as COD). Particle distribution analysis showed that colloidal size particles are the dominant fraction in terms of number distribution, while the much fewer, larger particles make up most of the particle volume (mean particle diameter0.1 μm). When treated by ultrafiltration, COD and turbidity concentration of permeates complied with established restrictions (45-70% and 92–97% reduction range, respectively), however BOD values were still above the requirements in all cases. Permeate produced by nanofiltration was of high quality with high rejection of soluble organic matter (>90%) and ionic species (50%). It can be concluded that direct dense-membrane filtration is a favorable candidate for efficient treatment of graywater for unrestricted reuse. MWCO optimization still needs to be done in order to achieve better economics at an acceptable quality of permeate produced.     

Osteogenic properties of calcium phosphate ceramics and fibrin glue based composites

Calcium phosphate (Ca-P) ceramics are currently used in various types of orthopaedic and maxillofacial applications because of their osteoconductive properties. Fibrin glue is also used in surgery due to its haemostatic, chemotactic and mitogenic properties and also as scaffolds for cell culture and transplantation. In order to adapt to surgical sites, bioceramics are shaped in blocks or granules and preferably in porous forms. Combining these bioceramics with fibrin glue provides a mouldable and self-hardening composite biomaterial. The aim of this work is to study the osteogenic properties of this composite material using two different animal models. The formation of newly formed bone (osteoinduction) and bone healing capacity (osteconduction) have been study in the paravertebral muscles of sheep and in critical sized defects in the femoral condyle of rabbits, respectively. The different implantations sites were filled with composite material associating Ca-P granules and fibrin glue. Ca-P granules of 1–2 mm were composed with 60% of hydroxyapatite and 40% of beta tricalcium phosphate in weight. The fibrin glue was composed of fibrinogen, thrombin and other biological factors. After both intramuscular or intraosseous implantations for 24 weeks and 3, 6, 12 and 24 weeks, samples were analyzed using histology and histomorphometry and mechanical test. In all cases, the newly formed bone was observed in close contact and around the ceramic granules. Depending on method of quantification, 6.7% (with BSEM) or 17% (with μ CT) of bone had formed in the sheep muscles and around 40% in the critical sized bone rabbit defect after 24 weeks. The Ca-P/fibrin material could be used for filling bone cavities in various clinical indications.     

Convenient conversion of calcium carbonate to hydroxyapatite at ambient pressure

The synthesis of hydroxyapatite is described starting from calcium carbonate and monoammoniumphosphate in stoichiometric amounts. The novel aspect concerns the reaction conditions which are simple mixing in water at ambient pressure and 60 °C. The calcium carbonate solid phase slowly evolves CO₂ gas and buffers the solution at a pH value of 8.05 where hydroxyapatite precipitates. The main advantages of this reaction pathway are the absence of nitrate salts, the availability of the starting materials and the purity of the final product.     

Aspects of linear and nonlinear instabilities leading to transition in pipe and channel flows

The failure of normal-mode linear stability analysis to predict a transition Reynolds number (Retr) in pipe flow and subcritical transition in plane Poiseuille flow (PPF) has led to the search of other scenarios to explain transition to turbulence in both flows. In this work, various results associated with linear and nonlinear mechanisms of both flows are presented. The results that combine analytical and experimental approaches indicate the strong link between the mechanisms governing the transition of both flows. It is demonstrated that the linear transient growth mechanism is based on the existence of a pair of least stable nearly parallel modes (having opposite phases and almost identical amplitude distributions). The analysis that has been applied previously to pipe flow is extended here to a fully developed channel flow predicting the shape of the optimized initial disturbance (a pair of counter-rotating vortices, CVP), time for maximum energy amplification and the dependence of the latter on Re. The results agree with previous predictions based on many modes. Furthermore, the shape of the optimized initial disturbance is similar in both flows and has been visualized experimentally. The analysis reveals that in pipe flow, the transient growth is a consequence of two opposite running modes decaying with an equal decay rate whereas in PPF it is due to two stationary modes decaying with different decay rates. In the first nonlinear scenario, the breakdown of the CVPs (produced by the linear transient growth mechanism) into hairpin vortices is followed experimentally. The associated scaling laws, relating the minimal disturbance amplitude required for the initiation of hairpins and the Re, are found experimentally for both PPF and pipe flow. The scaling law associated with PPF agrees well with the previous predictions of Chapman, whereas the scaling of the pipe flow is the same as the one previously obtained by Hof et al. indicating transition to a turbulent state. In the second nonlinear scenario, the base flow of pipe when it is mildly deviated from the Poiseuille profile by an axisymmetric distortion is examined. The nonlinear features reveal a Retr of approximately 2000 associated with the bifurcation between two deviation solutions.     

Failure Analysis: Wastewater Drum Bulging

A 55 gallon wastewater drum lid was found to bulge during storage in a remote area. This bulging was of concern because it suggested that the drum was pressurized and that the integrity of the drum could be in question. Drum samples were obtained for analysis. The interior surface of these samples revealed blistering and holes in the epoxy phenolic drum liner and corrosion of the underlying carbon steel drum. It is suspected that osmotic pressure drove permeation of water through the epoxy phenolic coating which was weakened from exposure to low pH water. The permeating water accumulated at weak spots along the coating/carbon steel interface and caused blistering and failure of the coating. The coating failed at locations throughout the drum interior. Subsequent corrosion of the carbon steel released hydrogen which pressurized the drum, thus causing deformation of the drum lid. Additional samples from other wastewater drums on the same pallet were also evaluated, and limited corrosion was visible on the interior surfaces. It is suspected that, with time, the same degradation process would have caused pressurization of the entire batch of sealed drums that contained similar wastewater solutions.     

Decomposition of Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Spectra

Line shapes of atomic lines and soft x-ray emission bands measured with a wavelength dispersive spectrometer (WDS) with the Electron Probe Micro Analyzer (EPMA) are reviewed. Least square fitting to pseudo-Voigt profiles of the digitally measured spectra are used to account for the presence of non-diagram features (high and low energy satellites) and instrumental induced distortions. The effect of line width and relative intensities on the quality of fits is illustrated. Spectral distortions resulting from the presence of absorption edges within the analyzed wavelength region are illustrated for the case of FeLα,β emission bands for pure Fe and iron oxides. For quantitative analysis, an analytical approach is presented where the measured soft x-ray emission bands are corrected for self absorption before extracting the intensities from the experimental data.