Determination of purine compounds and purine bases in food

The total purine content and the content of RNA, DNA, nucleotides, nucleosides and free purine bases has been determined in commercial raw food. After hydrolysing food samples with acid, the total purine content is enzymatically determined as uric acid. For the determination of the nucleic acid content, a method is chosen that allows for the analysis of the composition of nucleic acids. The amount of purine bound in nucleic acids and of purine bound in nucleotides, nucleosides and free bases is very different. The content of nucleic acids is especially high in the innards of veal, pork and beef. In these samples the quantity of purine bound in nucleotides, nucleosides and bases is very small. In trout and herring, however, more purine is bound in RNA and DNA. The same is true of roe, pork and beef muscle. Peas and beans have the lowest total purine content of all the samples examined.     

Dietary Modulation of the Human Gut Microbiota and Metabolome with Flaxseed Preparations

Flaxseeds are typically consumed either as whole flaxseed, ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, partially defatted flaxseed meal, or as a milk alternative. They are considered a rich source of vitamins, minerals, proteins and peptides, lipids, carbohydrates, lignans, and dietary fiber, which have shown hypolipidemic, antiatherogenic, anticholesterolemic, and anti-inflammatory property activity. Here, an in vitro batch culture model was used to investigate the influence of whole milled flaxseed and partially defatted milled flaxseed press cake on the gut microbiota and the liberation of flaxseed bioactives. Microbial communities were profiled using 16S rRNA gene-based high-throughput sequencing with targeted mass spectrometry measuring lignan, cyclolinopeptide, and bile acid content and HPLC for short-chain fatty acid profiles. Flaxseed supplementation decreased gut microbiota richness with Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes becoming the predominant phyla. Secoisolariciresinol, enterodiol, and enterolactone were rapidly produced with acetic acid, butyric acid, and propionic acid being the predominant acids after 24 h of fermentation. The flaxseed press cake and whole flaxseed were equivalent in microbiota changes and functionality. However, press cake may be superior as a functional additive in a variety of foods in terms of consumer acceptance as it would be more resistant to oxidative changes.     

On the Sensitivity of a Tool–Workpiece Thermocouple to Chemical Composition and Microstructure

Meeting the increasing demands on part quality and profitability of manufacturing processes despite difficult-to-machine materials is only possible with a deep understanding of the process. Herein, knowledge about the process temperature is of critical importance since it affects the material properties, such as hardness or forming behavior, as well as the chemical and physical interactions between the tool, workpiece, and lubricant. A proven thermoelectric method of temperature measurement in machining, forming, and blanking is a tool–workpiece thermocouple. Herein, instantaneous measurement of the temperature development is allowed in this setup during the manufacturing process in situ at the contact area of the tool and workpiece. The accuracy of this method is dependent on the calibration of the thermocouple, for which the Seebeck coefficients of the tool and workpiece material have to be determined. Usually, material samples from different batches are used for this purpose, although the resulting measurement errors due to slight changes in material properties are hardly known. The effects of small changes in the chemical composition and the transformation of the crystal lattice due to hardening on the Seebeck coefficient are investigated for the first time to allow precise quantification of the measurement error resulting from the calibration process.     

Simulation of Binder Infiltration in Additive Manufacturing of Sand Molds

This article proposes a computational fluid dynamics approach to simulate binder infiltration in 3D printing of sand molds using OpenFOAM facilitating the identification of suitable levers for application-specific material and process developments. A method for randomly generating powder bulks of designated powder size distributions (PSD) and procedures for automated analysis of the infiltration profile and volume are introduced. Simulation is utilized to investigate binder infiltration using different droplet spacings, representing different printheads’ resolutions. The apparent particle size at the exact location of the droplets’ impact, the droplets’ landing position in relation to the respective surface topography, and thus the statistical appearance of particle formations appear to be influencing the infiltration profile. High-speed camera observations show the plausibility of the predicted infiltration kinetics. An exemplary use case compares the predicted infiltration profiles to the compressive strength of specimens printed from silica sand with low binder contents. Simulation predicts an average infiltration of 250 μm that presumably achieves reliable bonding for layer thicknesses up to 365 μm. A decrease in strength with increasing layer thickness at constant binder contents can be found in the experiment – at layer thicknesses above 350 μm, only minor strengths are achieved.     

Spectral response measurements of monolithic GaInP/Ga(In)As/Ge triple‐junction solar cells: Measurement artifacts and their explanation

Procedures for measuring the spectral response of multi‐junction cells in general require variation of the bias spectrum and voltage biasing. It is shown that a refined procedure including optimization of bias spectrum and voltage is necessary to minimize a measurement artifact, which appears if the subcell under test has non‐ideal properties, such as a low shunt resistance or a low reverse breakdown voltage. This measurement artifact is often observed on measuring the spectral response of the Ge bottom cell of GaInP/Ga(In)As/Ge triple‐junction cells. The main aspect of the measurement artifact is that the response of another subcell is simultaneously measured, while at the same time the signal of the Ge subcell is too low. Additionally, the shape of the spectral response curve is influenced under certain measurement conditions. In this paper the measurement artifact is thoroughly discussed by measurement results and simulation. Based on this analysis, a detailed procedure for the spectral response measurement of multi‐junction cells is developed, specially designed to minimize such measurement artifacts. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of hydropeaking on drift,stranding and community composition of macroinvertebrates: A field experimental approach in three regulated Swiss rivers

Hydropeaking operation leads to fluctuations in wetted area between base and peak flow and increases discharge-related hydraulic forces (e.g. flow velocity). These processes promote macroinvertebrate drift and stranding, often affecting benthic abundance and biomass. Our field experimental study—conducted in three hydropeaking-regulated Swiss rivers—aimed to quantify (a) the short-term effects of the combined increase in flow amplitude and up-ramping rate based on macroinvertebrate drift and stranding, as well as (b) long-term effects based on the established community composition. Hydropeaking led to increased macroinvertebrate drift compared to base flow and to unaffected residual flow reaches. Moreover, stranding of macroinvertebrates was positively related to drift, especially during the up-ramping phase. Flow velocity and up-ramping rate were identified as major determinants for macroinvertebrate drift, while flow ratio and down-ramping rate for stranding. Particularly high sensitivity towards hydropeaking was found for Limnephilidae, whereas Heptageniidae seemed to be resistant in respect to short- and long-term hydropeaking effects. In the long-term, hydropeaking did not considerably reduce benthic density of most taxa, especially of some highly resistant and resilient taxa such as Chironomidae and Baetidae, which dominated the community composition even though they showed comparably high drift and stranding responses. Therefore, we argue that high drift and/or stranding, especially of individual-rich taxa, does not necessarily indicate strong hydropeaking sensitivity. Finally, our results demonstrate the necessity to consider the differences in river-specific morphological complexity and hydropeaking intensity, since these factors strongly influence the community composition and short-term drift and stranding response of macroinvertebrates to hydropower pressure.     

Sol-Gel-Derived Ordered Mesoporous High Entropy Spinel Ferrites and Assessment of Their Photoelectrochemical and Electrocatalytic Water Splitting Performance

The novel material class of high entropy oxides with their unique and unexpected physicochemical properties is a candidate for energy applications. Herein, it is reported for the first time about the physico- and (photo-) electrochemical properties of ordered mesoporous (CoNiCuZnMg)Fe₂O₄ thin films synthesized by a soft-templating and dip-coating approach. The A-site high entropy ferrites (HEF) are composed of periodically ordered mesopores building a highly accessible inorganic nanoarchitecture with large specific surface areas. The mesoporous spinel HEF thin films are found to be phase-pure and crack-free on the meso- and macroscale. The formation of the spinel structure hosting six distinct cations is verified by X-ray-based characterization techniques. Photoelectron spectroscopy gives insight into the chemical state of the implemented transition metals supporting the structural characterization data. Applied as photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting, the HEFs are photostable over several hours but show only low photoconductivity owing to fast surface recombination, as evidenced by intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy. When applied as oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyst, the HEF thin films possess overpotentials of 420 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² in 1 m KOH. The results imply that the increase of the compositional disorder enhances the electronic transport properties, which are beneficial for both energy applications.     

Tragverhalten von Kehlnahtverbindungen von höherfesten Feinkornbaustählen

Load Bearing behaviour of fillet weld connections of high‐strength fine grain steel. Latest investigations [1] have proved, that the load bearing capacity of fillet weld connections of thermomechanically rolled fine grain steel S 460 is underestimated in actual design codes [2], [3], [4]. In this article, a possibility of calculating the load bearing behaviour using FE programs is shown. Based on these calculations and the results of large scale tests, the influences of different production processes, different weld materials and the welding parameters on the load bearing capacity of fillet welds are rated.