A novel application of alumina fiber mats as TBC protection for CFRP/epoxy laminates –Laboratory tests and numerical modeling

A novel method is proposed to create a TBC on the CFRP/epoxy laminate surface in a single technological process by formation of one additional layer made of a commercially available alumina fiber mat. Both materials: the CFRP/epoxy laminate made of four layers and the ceramic mat were joined during prepreg curing.The quick thermal heating tests of the TBC system were conducted for different times with a propane-butane torch. Changes of material strains due to temperature influence are determined experimentally in uniaxial tensile tests via the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method. A numerical model corresponding to the experimental quick heating test is built in Abaqus standard finite element software to determine temperature distribution in the CFRP/epoxy laminate.The experimental and numerical investigations lead to a conclusion that the alumina fiber mat is an effective protection of the CFRP/epoxy laminate against temperature degradation and can be used in industrial practice.     

Dendrimers for fluorescence‐based bioimaging

Dendrimer science is a relatively new branch of nanotechnology focused on non‐linear macromolecules called dendrimers. These hyperbranched polymers are characterized by monodispersity, highly defined structure and – depending on specific type of dendrimer – good biocompatibility. Due to the possibility of encapsulation or surface conjugation of guest molecules on a dendrimer it can serve as delivery agent in life sciences. For bioimaging based on fluorescence dendritic polymers were extensively studied as conventional fluorophore carriers. Complexing of organic dyes with these macromolecules improves their solubility and enhances cellular uptake. Moreover, it helps overcome other limitations in using them for photobleaching, and their lack of specificity or cytotoxicity. Protective properties of dendrimers are especially valuable for use with quantum dots, which have great optical potential but contain heavy metals that can adversely affect biological objects. Dendrimer based fluorescent probes have been widely applied in vitro and in vivo bioimaging. An interesting phenomenon is non‐traditional intrinsic fluorescence (NTIF) of dendrimers. Some of them show pH‐ and oxygen‐dependent fluorescence without conjugation with other particles. NTIF is not fully understood, but attempts to take advantage of it for bioimaging have been made. This phenomenon has great potential since it enables dendrimers to serve simultaneously as delivery and diagnostic tool. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Quality assessment of corn snacks enriched with soybean ferritin among young healthy people and patient with Crohn’s disease: the effect of extrusion conditions

Fortified extruded snacks are convenient products to supplement malnourished patients’ diet, e.g. suffering from Crohn’s disease. The snacks were extruded with different additions of iron-biofortified sprouts under varying process conditions (temperature and humidity). The sensory profiling showed the correlation between extrusion temperature and snack stickiness (R = 0.835), crispiness (R = 0.727), hardness (R=−0.485), as well as the intensity of corn (R = 0.888), powder (R=−0.795), metallic (R=−0.606) and bitter (R=−0.901) tastes. The sprouts addition affected metallic taste (R = 0.606) and aroma (R = 0.666) intensity. The product desirability was compared between healthy people (HP) and Crohn’s patients (CP). Overall desirability positively correlated with taste desirability in both groups. In the HP group, taste desirability was associated with metallic taste (R=−0.857) and Fe(III) content (R=−0.717). Also, aroma desirability (connected with pyrazines) was more significant to HP. Higher tolerance of CP to metallic and bitter flavours was observed. This confirms that the taste and aroma preferences of CP and HP are different.     

UV and soft x-ray emission from gaseous and solid targets employing SiC detectors

A ns Nd:YAG pulsed laser has been employed to produce plasma from the interaction with a dense target, generating continuum and UV and soft x-ray emission depending on the laser parameters and target properties. The laser hits solid and gaseous targets producing plasma in high vacuum, which was investigated by employing a silicon carbide detector. The two different interaction mechanisms were studied, as well as their dependence on the atomic number. The photon emission from laser-generated plasma produced by solid targets, such as boron nitride(BN) and other elements(Al, Cu, Sn and Ta) and compounds such as polyethylene, has been compared with that coming from plasma produced by irradiating different gas-puff targets based on N_2 and other gases(Ar, Xe, Kr, SF_6). The experimental results demonstrated that the yields are comparable and, in both cases, increase proportionally to the target atomic number. The obtained results, focusing the attention on the advantages and drawbacks of the employed targets, are presented and discussed.