Production of bacteriocin‐like inhibitory substances (BLIS) by Bifidobacterium lactis using whey as a substrate

The objective of this work was to evaluate the production of bacteriocin‐like inhibitory substances (BLIS) by Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis in whey supplemented with yeast extract, inulin, Tween‐80 or l ‐cysteine. Cell growth, acidification, glucose and lactose consumption as well as BLIS production were measured during fermentations carried out in shake flasks. The best additive for both cell growth and BLIS production was shown to be yeast extract, which gave the highest concentrations of biomass (9.9 log cfu/mL) and BLIS (800 AU/mL). In a bench‐scale fermentor, B. lactis growth and BLIS production were between 6% and 25% higher than in flasks depending on the conditions assayed.     

Bacteriocin production by Lactobacillus plantarum ST16Pa in supplemented whey powder formulations

Whey, the main by-product of the dairy industry, is frequently disposed of in the environment without any treatment due to the high cost of this process. Alternatively, whey can be used as a medium to culture lactic acid bacteria and produce value-added products such as bacteriocins. In this work, we attempted to improve bacteriocin production by Lactobacillus plantarum ST16Pa in a whey powder formulation supplemented with additional sources of carbon, nitrogen, and vitamin B₁₂ at different levels and varying the agitation intensity according to a Plackett–Burman experimental design. Only the addition of tryptone positively influenced the production of this bacteriocin. The results allowed us to identify a supplemented whey formulation, comprising 150 g/L of whey total solids plus 10 g/L of tryptone and soybean extract, whose fermentation by Lb. plantarum ST16Pa in shake flasks under agitation at 150 rpm led to a cell-free supernatant with an antimicrobial activity against Listeria innocua 6a CLIST 2865 (inhibition zone of 13.23 mm) close to that previously obtained in de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe medium by other authors. These results are significant considering that the same strain cultured in cheese whey did not previously display any antimicrobial activity.     

Heat transfer correlations of perpendicularly impinging jets on a hemispherical-dimpled surface

Heat transfer results of an inline array of round jets impinging on a staggered array of hemispherical dimples are reported with the consideration of various parametric effects such as Reynolds number (Re_Dj), jet-to-plate spacing (H/D_j), dimple depth (d/D_d) and ratio of jet diameter to dimple projected diameter (D_j/D_d) for both impinging on dimples and impinging on flat portions. The results were normalized against those from a flat plate. The heat transfer was measured by using transient wideband liquid crystal method. Our previous work (Kanokjaruvijit and Martinez-Botas (2005) [1]) on the effect of crossflow scheme suggested that jet impingement coupled with channel-like flow formed by the crossflow helped enhance heat transfer on a dimpled surface; hence three sidewalls were installed to constrain the spent air to leave in one direction. Throughout the study, the pitch of the nozzle holes was kept constant at 4 jet diameters. The Reynolds number (Re_Dj) ranging from 5000 to 11,500, jet-to-plate spacing (H/D_j) varying from 1 to 12 jet diameters, dimple depths (d/D_d) of 0.15, 0.25 and 0.29, and dimple curvature (D_j/D_d) of 0.25, 0.50 and 1.15 were examined. The shallow dimples (d/D_d = 0.15) improved heat transfer significantly by 70% at H/D_j = 2 compared to that of the flat surface, while this value was 30% for the deep ones (d/D_d = 0.25). The improvement also occurred to the moderate and high D_j/D_d. Thereafter, the heat transfer results were correlated in dimensionless form by using logarithmic multiple regression. The correlations were reported with necessary statistics.     

Comprehensive study of biodiesel fuel for HSDI engines in conventional and low temperature combustion conditions

In this research, an experimental investigation has been performed to give insight into the potential of biodiesel as an alternative fuel for High Speed Direct Injection (HSDI) diesel engines. The scope of this work has been broadened by comparing the combustion characteristics of diesel and biodiesel fuels in a wide range of engine loads and EGR conditions, including the high EGR rates expected for future diesel engines operating in the low temperature combustion (LTC) regime.The experimental work has been carried out in a single-cylinder engine running alternatively with diesel and biodiesel fuels. Conventional diesel fuel and neat biodiesel have been compared in terms of their combustion performance through a new methodology designed for isolating the actual effects of each fuel on diesel combustion, aside from their intrinsic differences in chemical composition.The analysis of the results has been sequentially divided into two progressive and complementary steps. Initially, the overall combustion performance of each fuel has been critically evaluated based on a set of parameters used as tracers of the combustion quality, such as the combustion duration or the indicated efficiency. With the knowledge obtained from this previous overview, the analysis focuses on the detailed influence of biodiesel on the different diesel combustion stages known ignition delay, premixed combustion and mixing controlled combustion, considering also the impact on CO and UHC pollutant emissions.The results of this research explain why the biodiesel fuel accelerates the diesel combustion process in all engine loads and EGR rates, even in those corresponding with LTC conditions, increasing its possibilities as alternative fuel for future DI diesel engines.     

Influence of the nitriding and TiAlN/TiN coating thickness on the sliding wear behavior of duplex treated AISI H13 steel

AISI H13 die steel substrates were low pressure gas nitrided to different thicknesses and hardness values. Nitrided and non nitrided samples were subsequently coated with bi-layer TiAlN/TiN to two different thicknesses. The hardness was measured across the coating thickness and observed to be higher when a thinner coating was deposited over nitrided substrates. The hardness behavior across relatively thin (3 μm) coatings was not affected by the nitrided surface hardness or thickness of the nitride layer in the range of values examined here (80-150 μm). On the other hand, the hardness behavior of thicker coatings (8um) was affected by the nitrided layer, as the thicker coatings were soft due to their columnar structure. The specific wear rate of the duplex coatings was affected by the coating thickness and hardness distribution across the coating system.     

Fracture surfaces and the associated failure mechanisms in ductile iron with different matrices and load bearing

Ductile iron (DI) is a family of cast alloys that covers a wide range of mechanical properties, depending on its matrix microstructure. For instance, ferritic matrices used in parts, such as automotive suspension components, demand high impact properties and ductility among some of their main requirements. On the other hand, pearlitic and martensitic matrices are used when hardness, strength and wear resistance are of particular concern. When it comes to very high strength parts, ausferritic matrices, typically austempered ductile iron (ADI), are widely used.DI has been employed to replace cast and forged steels in a large number of applications and its production has shown a sustained rate of growth over the last decades.Knowing about failure modes and fracture mechanisms associated to materials with the properties mentioned above is crucial, since they can be of great value for designers of mechanical components.This paper deals with the analysis of fracture surfaces of ductile cast iron generated under different conditions of load application, temperature and environments.The studies include the examination of fracture surfaces obtained by means of tensile tests, impact tests and by samples used to determine fracture toughness properties, where the zones of fatigue pre-crack and monotonic load condition were evaluated. A special case of ductile iron fracture is also examined.The study of the different surfaces permitted to establish patterns that contributed to unveil the fracture mechanisms of ductile iron with different matrices, nodule count, etc.     

Hyperfine Fields and Magnetic Structure in the B Phase of CeCoIn5

We re-analyze Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra observed at low temperatures and high magnetic fields in the field-induced B phase of CeCoIn₅. The NMR spectra are consistent with incommensurate antiferromagnetic order of the Ce magnetic moments. However, we find that the spectra of the In(2) sites depend critically on the direction of the ordered moments, the ordering wavevector and the symmetry of the hyperfine coupling to the Ce spins. Assuming isotropic hyperfine coupling, the NMR spectra observed for H ∥[100] are consistent with magnetic order with wavevector $\mathbf{Q}=\pi(\frac{1+\delta}{a},\frac{1}{a},\frac{1}{c})$ and Ce moments ordered antiferromagnetically along the [100] direction in real space. If the hyperfine coupling has dipolar symmetry, then the NMR spectra require Ce moments along the [001] direction. The dipolar scenario is also consistent with recent neutron scattering measurements that find an ordered moment of 0.15μ _B along [001] and $\mathbf{Q_{n}}=\pi(\frac{1+\delta}{a},\frac{1+\delta}{a},\frac{1}{c})$ with incommensuration δ=0.12 for field $\mathbf{H}\parallel[1\bar{1}0]$ . Using these parameters, we find that a hyperfine field with dipolar contribution is consistent with findings from both experiments. We speculate that the B phase of CeCoIn₅ represents an intrinsic phase of modulated superconductivity and antiferromagnetism that can only emerge in a highly clean system.     

Antimicrobial activity of microencapsulated lemongrass essential oil and the effect of experimental parameters on microcapsules size and morphology

Lemongrass (Cymbopogom citratus) essential oil, known due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, was microencapsulated by simple coacervation. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA, 78,000 Da and 88 mol% degree of hydrolysis) crosslinked with glutaraldehyde was used as wall-forming polymer. The influence of stirring rate and oil volume fraction on the microcapsule size distribution were evaluated. Sodium dodecil sulphate (SDS) and Poly(vinyl pirrolidone) were tested in order to avoid microcapsules agglomeration during the process. Depending on the experimental conditions, microcapsules in the range of 10 μm to 250 μm were obtained. Microcapsules presenting no agglomeration were obtained when SDS at 0.03 wt.% was used. The composition and the antimicrobial properties of the encapsulated oil were determined, demonstrating that the process of microencapsulation did not deteriorate the encapsulated essential oil.     

Flow boiling in horizontal flattened tubes: Part II – Flow boiling heat transfer results and model

Experiments of flow boiling heat transfer were conducted in four horizontal flattened smooth copper tubes of two different heights of 2 and 3 mm. The equivalent diameters of the flattened tubes are 8.6, 7.17, 6.25, and 5.3 mm. The working fluids were R22 and R410A. The test conditions were: mass velocities from 150 to 500 kg/m² s, heat fluxes from 6 to 40 kW/m² and saturation temperature of 5 °C. The experimental heat transfer results are presented and the effects of mass flux, heat flux, and tube diameter on heat transfer are analyzed. Furthermore, the flow pattern based flow boiling heat transfer model of Wojtan et al. [L. Wojtan, T. Ursenbacher, J.R. Thome, Investigation of flow boiling in horizontal tubes: Part I – A new diabatic two-phase flow pattern map, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 48 (2005) 2955–2969; L. Wojtan, T. Ursenbacker, J.R. Thome, Investigation of flow boiling in horizontal tubes: Part II – Development of a new heat transfer model for stratified-wavy, dryout and mist flow regimes, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 48 (2005) 2970–2985], using the equivalent diameters, were compared to the experimental data. The model predicts 71% of the entire database of R22 and R410A ±30% overall. The model predicts well the flattened tube heat transfer coefficients for R22 while it does not predicts well those for R410A. Based on several physical considerations, a modified flow boiling heat transfer model was proposed for the flattened tubes on the basis of the Wojtan et al. model and it predicts the flattened tube heat transfer database of R22 and R410A by 85.8% within ±30%. The modified model is applied to the reduced pressures up to 0.19.     

Flow boiling in horizontal smooth tubes: New heat transfer results for R-134a at three saturation temperatures

The present study presents new flow boiling heat transfer results of R-134a flowing inside a 13.84 mm internal diameter, smooth horizontal copper tube. The heat transfer measurements were made over a wide range of test conditions: saturation temperatures of 5, 15 and 20 °C, (corresponding to reduced pressures of 0.08, 0.12 and 0.14), vapor qualities ranged from 0.01 to 0.99, mass velocities of 300 and 500 kg/m² s, and heat fluxes of 7.5 and 17.5 kW/m². The experimental results clearly show that a local minimum heat transfer coefficient systematically occurs within slug flow pattern or near the slug-to-intermittent flow pattern transition. The vapor quality x_min at which the local minimum occurs seems to be primarily sensitive to mass velocity and heat flux. Thus, it is influenced by the competition between nucleate and convective boiling mechanisms that control macroscale flow boiling. The experimental results were compared to four types of predictive methods: (a) strictly convective, (b) superposition, (c) strictly empirical and (d) flow pattern based. Generally, all the methods tend to underpredict the experimental data and the higher errors occur in two particular regions: low and high vapor qualities. These vapor qualities correspond to slug and annular patterns, respectively. For slug flow, methods that require the identification of nucleate boiling related regions tend to predict the heat transfer coefficient accurately. This emphasizes that for slug flows, heat transfer is not a simple juxtaposition of nucleate and convective boiling contributions, but that the integration of these two heat transfer mechanisms is also a function of flow parameters. The comparisons between experimental and predicted data show that the best overall results are obtained with superposition and flow pattern based methods.