Framework for Sustainable Food Packaging Design

The environmental impacts of packages have been found to be relatively small compared with the food items they contain. Furthermore, from the environmental and operational point of view, the most significant task of the package is to protect the product, which is important to acknowledge in the packaging design process. This study introduces a guiding framework for designing sustainable food packaging. In this approach, the entire life cycle of the product–package combination is taken into consideration. The emphasis is on the prevention of food losses in packaging design as a major environmental criterion. Consideration of the properties of both the package and the product itself when designing the final package will lead to a better end result with smaller product losses and environmental impacts. By using different assessment methods in the different stages of the packaging design, the sustainability of the package can be enhanced. The decision making of the packaging designer is facilitated with methods that are introduced step by step and in a certain order that will also allow for corrective measures through back‐loops in the design process. The purpose is to integrate sustainability aspects at all stages firmly into the design process. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Line creep in paper peeling

The dynamics of a “peeling front” or an elastic line is studied under creep (constant load) conditions. Our experiments show in most cases an exponential dependence of the creep velocity on the inverse force (mass) applied. In particular, the dynamical correlations of the avalanche activity are discussed here. We compare various avalanche statistics to those of a line with non-local elasticity, and study various measures of the experimental avalanche-avalanche and temporal correlations such as the autocorrelation function of the released energy and aftershock activity. From all these we conclude, that internal avalanche dynamics seems to follow “line depinning”-like behavior, in rough agreement with the depinning model. Meanwhile, the correlations reveal subtle complications not implied by depinning theory. Moreover, we also show how these results can be understood from a geophysical point of view.     

Theoretical and experimental analysis of the core sampling method: Reducing diffusional losses in aerosol sampling line

Core sampling method (extracting a portion of a flow from the core of the flow) will reduce diffusional losses of highly diffusive species (e.g., aerosol nanoparticles, ions, and gases) when transporting them through a sampling tube. Revealing parameters governing the sampling efficiency of a core sampling system, η_sam, helps to design the apparatus and to optimize its performance. In this study, we report an analytical solution for quantifying the η_sam by solving the convection diffusion equation of laminar flow field. The analytical results were experimentally evaluated using 1–5?nm tungsten oxide nanoparticles. η_sam is governed by a dimensionless loss parameter and the transport-to-sample flow ratio. Theoretically predicted values for η_sam agree with experimental results, e.g., the relative deviation is within 5% when the value for the loss parameter is less than 0.1. The core sampling method is recommended to work at the loss parameter less than 0.1 such that η_sam is equal or close to the maximum value of unity and is also insensitive to variations in sampling conditions. In this study, how to apply the findings in designing and optimizing a core sampling system was discussed. A core sampling apparatus was then designed and experimentally evaluated. Its sampling efficiency was shown to be significantly higher than those of a tee, a cross fitting, and a Y fitting when the same sampling conditions were used.

Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Microbial exposures in moisture-damaged schools and associations with respiratory symptoms in students: A multi-country environmental exposure study

Moisture-damaged buildings are associated with respiratory symptoms and underlying diseases among building occupants, but the causative agent(s) remain a mystery. We first identified specific fungal and bacterial taxa in classrooms with moisture damage in Finnish and Dutch primary schools. We then investigated associations of the identified moisture damage indicators with respiratory symptoms in more than 2700 students. Finally, we explored whether exposure to specific taxa within the indoor microbiota may explain the association between moisture damage and respiratory health. Schools were assessed for moisture damage through detailed inspections, and the microbial composition of settled dust in electrostatic dustfall collectors was determined using marker-gene analysis. In Finland, there were several positive associations between particular microbial indicators (diversity, richness, individual taxa) and a respiratory symptom score, while in the Netherlands, the associations tended to be mostly inverse and statistically non-significant. In Finland, abundance of the Sphingomonas bacterial genus and endotoxin levels partially explained the associations between moisture damage and symptom score. A few microbial taxa explained part of the associations with health, but overall, the observed associations between damage-associated individual taxa and respiratory health were limited.     

A method to measure the fusion strength between expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads

Cellular polystyrene (EPS) is the most commonly used cellular thermoplast whose main applications are insulation and packages. One of its new applications is core material in building elements, and this poses higher requirements for strength. This is particularly evident in self-supporting roof elements. This study presents a method for determining the fusion strength between beads in cellular polystyrene and the dependence of this strength on processing. This method has also enabled us to determine the adhesion of cellular polystyrene beads to other materials, such as glass fibre, and it allows measurement of the fusion strength between EPS beads without the influence of porosity. Fusion strength was found to have a characteristic behaviour. It has an absolute upper limit, and fusion forces approximate this limit asymptotically as heating time is prolonged (this increase is dependent on the energy content of the steam).     

The active site of Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase II: the role of tyrosine 169

Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase II (CBHII) is an exoglucanasecleaving primarily cellobiose units from the non-reducing endof cellulose chains. The ß-l,4 glycosidic bond iscleaved by acid catalysis with an aspartic acid, D221, as thelikely proton donor, and another aspartate, D175, probably ensuringits protonation and stabilizing charged reaction intermediates.The catalytic base has not yet been identified experimentally.The refined crystal structure of CBHII also shows a tyrosineresidue, Y169, located close enough to the scissile bond tobe involved in catalysis. The role of this residue has beenstudied by introducing a mutation Y169F, and analysing the kineticand binding behaviour of the mutated CBHII. The crystal structureof the mutated enzyme was determined to 2.0 Å resolutionshowing no changes when compared with the structure of nativeCBHII. However, the association constants of the mutant enzymefor cellobiose and cellotriose are increased threefold and for4-methylumbelliferyl cellobioside over 50-fold. The catalyticconstants towards cellotriose and cellotetraose are four timeslower for the mutant. These data suggest that Y169, on interactingwith a glucose ring entering the second subsite in a narrowtunnel, helps to distort the glucose ring into a more reactiveconformation. In addition, a change in the pH activity profilewas observed. This indicates that Y169 may have asecond rolein the catalysis, namely to affect the protonation state ofthe active site carboxylates, D175 and D221.     

On the time response determination of condensation particle counters

Condensation particle counter (CPC) technology has continued to evolve, with the introduction of several new instruments over the last several years. An important aspect in the characterization of these instruments is the measurement of their time response. Yet there is no standardly accepted approach for this measurement. Here we evaluate different classically used methods for determining CPC time response, and present the potential pitfalls associated with these approaches. Further, we introduce a new simple definition for the term response time, ?, which is based on the first-order systems response, while providing a practical definition by corresponding to ～95% change in concentration. We also present results for various commonly used CPCs, and for the Airmodus A11 nano Condensation Nucleus Counter (nCNC) system, the TSI 3777+3772 Nano Enhancer system, and Aerosol Dynamics Inc.'s (ADI) new versatile water condensation particle counter.

Copyright © 2018 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Microstructural Studies of Cold Sprayed Copper,Nickel, and Nickel-30% Copper Coatings

Cold spraying enables to produce metallic coatings with low porosity level and low oxygen content. Several material properties such as electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance rely on these properties. Aim of this study was to characterize microstructural properties of cold sprayed copper, nickel, and nickel-30%copper coatings. Microstructures, denseness, and deformation of particles were investigated. SEM analysis and corrosion tests were done to get information of through-porosity. Open porosity has an important role on protectiveness of anodically protective coatings, such coating materials like copper and nickel. In this study, cold-sprayed Cu coating was fully dense. However, cold-sprayed Ni and Ni-30%Cu coatings seemed to be microstructurally dense but some porosity in some areas of the coatings especially in some parts of particle boundaries was noticed after corrosion tests. Furthermore, effect of annealing to microstructure and corrosion test behavior was studied. Cold sprayed Ni coating became denser during heat treatment.