Microwave assisted synthesis and characterization of Sago starch‐g‐acrylamide

In the present investigation, sago starch was modified through microwave assisted chemical synthesis using acrylamide as grafting monomer. Grafted copolymer was characterized by fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray powder diffractometer (XRD) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). Swelling study was also performed at various temperatures to access its suitability in diverse industrial application. The optimum reaction conditions were found as follows: starch, 1 g; acrylamide (AMD), 5 g; microwave power, 600 W, reaction time, 3 h. Grafting on the starch backbone confirmed by FTIR spectral analysis, while XRD confirmed formation of more crystalline structure after AMD grafting. TGA analysis showed formation of more thermostable copolymer after grafting, while swelling study proved its suitability for various industrial applications due to its extensive swelling at higher temperatures.     

Synthesis and evaluation of physicochemical properties of cross‐linked Phaseolus aconitifolius starch

Highly substituted moth bean starch (MBS) phosphate ester was synthesized using POCl₃ as cross‐linking reagent. Titrimetric and FT‐IR spectral analysis was used to characterize the substitution. The physicochemical properties of cross‐linked moth bean starch (CLMBS) were done by using X‐ray powder diffractometer (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and swelling study at various temperatures. The change in starch morphology was done using scanning electron micrograph (SEM), and found that it lost its crystallinity after cross‐linking. The results revealed that crystalline nature of native MBS was transformed into amorphous after cross‐linking. TGA report exhibited higher thermal stability, which make it suitable for various industrial applications. Swelling behavior showed high swelling at low temperatures (30 and 60°C) as compared to at high temperature (90°C).     

Localized CO2 laser damage repair of fused silica optics

A technique has been developed for the localized treatment of laser damage sites in fused silica optics by CO2 laser melt-flow smoothing, by using a 50 to 125 microm diameter beam in a regime that avoids mass removal by ablation. A detailed calibration of the laser irradiance for the threshold ablation of craters was carried out for a range of beam diameters and pulses in the 20 micros to 200 ms range. The results agree with a thermal model that also provides estimates of the melt depth for the different irradiation conditions. Smoothing trials for glass melting at irradiance values just below the ablation threshold irradiance were conducted to determine the optimum conditions and limits for the smoothing process. The technique has been found to remove damage pits up to a depth of 0.5 microm, while the small melt depth associated with localized treatment limits the smoothing to a 相似文献   

Scheduling a Single Machine to Minimize the Weighted Number of Tardy Jobs

In this paper the problem of scheduling jobs on a single machine to minimize the weighted number of tardy jobs is examined. It contains the framework for a new branch-and-bound procedure as well as the first extensive computational study of the problem. Results indicate that large problems, e.g. 50 jobs, can be solved in just a few seconds of computer time. Further, the computational results provide insight into how various problem parameters affect the solution difficulty of particular problems.     

Structural Ecosystems Therapy for HIV-Seropositive African American Women: Effects on Psychological Distress, Family Hassles, and Family Support.

This study tests the efficacy of Structural Ecosystems Therapy (SET), a family-ecological intervention, in improving psychosocial functioning when compared with an attention-comparison person-centered condition and a community control condition. A sample of 209 HIV-seropositive, urban, low-income, African American women was randomized into 1 of the 3 conditions. Results of growth curve analyses over 5 time points revealed that SET was more efficacious than either of the control conditions in reducing psychological distress and family-related hassles. However, contrary to hypotheses, SET was not more efficacious in increasing family support. Latent growth mixture modeling analyses indicated that SET was most efficacious for women who, on average, were at or near the clinical threshold for psychological distress and for women with high levels of family hassles. Implications for further intervention development are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Laser Drilling of Copper Foils for Electronics Applications

Single pulse drilling of copper foils and copper-coated dielectric circuit board materials, relevant to applications in micro-electronics packaging, has been investigated here using an enhanced peak power CO ₂-laser. The plasma generated during copper laser ablation, under these conditions, has been found to be self-extinguishing once the copper has been punched through, and does not materially impact the process. The analysis of the undercut formation in the copper coated laminates illustrated a direct link with the energy delivered to the dielectric after the copper has been laser ablated. Holes with zero undercut were obtained by the use of an acousto-optic modulator, used as a pulse shutter, to control the energy delivered to the dielectric. For unmodulated laser pulses, holes with zero undercut were obtained when drilling copper foils 35-mum thick. In general, when drilling copper-coated dielectrics with unmodulated pulses, holes with low undercut were obtained for peak powers <1.2 kW. However, the stochastic nature of copper drilling dominates the process in this regime. At higher peak powers (up to 1.8kW), a yield of 100% holes in copper is obtained, but this also results in significant undercut     

A mechanistic investigation of di-tert-butyl nitroxide using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM)

Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) have been used to evaluate the electron-transfer mechanism of di-tert-butyl nitroxide (DTBN) in acetonitrile. The oxidation of DTBN is coupled to a rapid, irreversible chemical follow-up step that is difficult to characterize quantitatively with CV due to distortion of the voltammograms by solution resistance and mixed radial–linear diffusion within the scan rate region of interest. Collection efficiencies from the tip generation substrate collection (TGSC) mode of SECM were used to determine a rate constant of 21 s⁻¹ for the follow-up reaction. Collection efficiency versus distance plots obtained at 5 and 50 mM DTBN concentration are identical, confirming the first-order nature of the chemical reaction. Numerical simulation of linear scan voltammograms obtained at different tip/substrate distances provides a heterogeneous electron-transfer rate constant of 0.85 cm s⁻¹.     

Satiety in rats following blueberry extract consumption induced by appetite-suppressing mechanisms unrelated to in vitro or in vivo antioxidant capacity

Water extracts of two blueberry cultivars (‘Centurion’ and ‘Maru’) were tested for their ability to modify appetite in a rat model. The fruits of ‘Centurion’ had higher in vitro antioxidant capacity (as measured using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay) and higher total phenolic content (TPC, as measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu method) than fruits of ‘Maru’. When rats were gavaged with water-soluble blueberry extract (BBE; 1 ml/day) of both cultivars for 6 days, serum FRAP increased significantly when compared to water-gavaged controls, indicating that BBE may have the ability to elevate circulating antioxidant potentials in vivo. Both cultivars had a satiating influence on experimental rats, as evidenced by their ability to decrease food intake by 8.6% (‘Maru’) and 6.2% (‘Centurion’), although a statistically significant decrease over the control rats was achieved only for the ‘Maru’ treatments. In addition, body weight gain of rats gavaged with extracts from ‘Maru’ and ‘Centurion’ cultivars decreased by 9.2% and 5.3% relative to the rats in the control group, respectively. The reduction in food intake over a 4 h period compared to a control treatment preloaded with the same volume of water suggests that the decrease in food intake was mainly a consequence of a satiating effect, rather than a stomach distension effect. The observed results suggest that the reduction in food intake and decrease in body weight in experimental animals is not merely a consequence of antioxidant mechanisms. BBE may provide a good satiety inducer and weight management modulator.     

Carcass and meat quality characteristics of Brahman cross bulls and steers finished on tropical pastures in Costa Rica

Forty-eight male calves (3/4 Brahman × 1/4 Charolais) were used to determine carcass cutability and meat tenderness of Longissimus lumborum (LL), Gluteus medius (GM), Semitendinosus (ST) and Psoas major (PM) steaks from lighter weight carcasses of bulls and steers castrated at 3, 7, or 12 mo of age grown under tropical pasture conditions. Steaks from steers had lower (more tender) LL Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF) values than those from bulls. Steaks from steers castrated at 3 mo had lower GM WBSF than those from bulls. For PM steaks, those aged 28 d had lower WBSF than those aged 2 d. Steaks aged 28 d had the lowest LL and GM WBSF and steaks aged 2 d had the highest LL, GM, and ST WBSF. Castration at younger ages is recommended because it provides improvement in LL and GM tenderness over bulls with no differences in carcass traits or subprimal yields.