Phthalates exposure indicators determined by urinary phthalate metabolites in healthy non-obese Czech adults: FANTOM study

It is assumed that human exposure to phthalates may be associated with adverse health effects. The indicators of urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations in healthy adults are limited. In this study, the phthalate metabolites concentrations were detected from 24-h urine collection in non-obese Czech adults (n = 201). Each participant filled in an 80-item questionnaire (FANTOM-SQ 2013) regarding the outdoor and indoor sources of phthalates, the use of personal care products and food intake sources. The concentrations of 15 phthalates metabolites were analysed following enzymatic cleavage of the glucuronide using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The indicators of chronic or acute exposure phthalate-containing materials were identified. It is shown that higher fruit consumption was positively and significantly associated with a higher level of total 15 urinary phthalates biomarkers (p < 0.001). Regular meat consumption showed a negative significant association with total 15 phthalates metabolites (p < 0.01). The use of personal care products was significantly and positively correlated with monoethyl phthalate urine concentrations (p < 0.05). The analysis of the dietary behaviour and personal care products use in the Czech non-obese population showed it to be a predictable tool in the level of phthalates exposure when high fruit consumption and personal care products use are linked to higher phthalate metabolite contents in the urine. However, this topic deserves more research.     

Thermophysical properties of medium grain rough rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">LIDO cultivar</Emphasis>) at medium and low temperatures

Bulk density, specific heat capacity, bulk thermal conductivity and bulk thermal diffusivity of medium-grain rough rice (LIDO cultivar) have been studied. Specific heat was determined by DSC, thermal conductivity by the probe method and bulk thermal conductivity indirectly from bulk density, specific heat capacity and bulk thermal conductivity. All the thermal properties have been determined at different moisture contents and temperatures used during cooling and storage operations and the effect of these variables has been investigated. It has been shown that moisture content has the greatest effect on specific heat and bulk thermal conductivity. Temperature also affected these thermal properties, but to a smaller extent. Mathematical expressions have been developed to determine each of these thermophysical properties as a function of moisture content and temperature.List of Abbreviations and Symbols C_p Specific heat capacity (kJ/kg °C) - k Bulk thermal conductivity (W/m °C) - T Temperature (ºC) - W Moisture content (%, d.b.) - Bulk thermal diffusivity (m²/s) - Bulk density (kg/m³)     

Development of a Coconut- and Palm-Based Fat Blend for a Cookie Filler

Thirteen fat blends intended for cookie filler (CF) production that consist of 20–70 % palm mid-fraction (PMF), 20–70 % virgin coconut oil (VCO), and 0–10 % palm stearin (POs) were developed based on the solid fat contents (SFC) of the fat portions extracted from five commercial CF samples: A, B, C, D, and E. A mixture design was applied for fat blend optimization, and the combination that best approached the target SFC values was composed of 70 % PMF, 20 % VCO, and 10 % POs. The optimized coconut- and palm-based fat blend (O-CP) exhibited a steeper SFC profile, with 8.2 % (±0.2) SFC at 25 °C (room temperature) and 0.2 % (±0.2) SFC at 37 °C (body temperature); lower slip melting point of 34.0 °C (±0.0); and a lower iodine value (IV) of 40.25 g/100 g (±1.04). In addition, O-CP contained higher proportions of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) and lauric acid (C12:0) of 3.2 % (±0.18) and 9.7 % (±0.43), respectively. In terms of its thermal profile, O-CP showed no significant difference in terms of its crystallization range, 49.7 °C (±2.66) with the exception of sample C, but it exhibited a smaller melting range, 65.8 °C (±1.47), compared to the fat portions of the commercial samples. The ranges represented the span between the onset and offset temperatures of both crystallization and melting profiles as determined by differential scanning calorimetry.     

Preparation,characterization, and mechanical properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone)/polylactic acid blend composites

Mechanical properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) blend reinforced with Dura and Tenera palm press fibers were studied. Dicumyl peroxide (DCP) was used as compatibilizer in the blend composites. Fourier transforms infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) was used to study the effect of treatment on the fibers and fiber/matrix adhesion respectively. The uncompatibilized blend composites exhibited higher Young's modulus than the compatibilized blend composites. Impact strength of compatibilized blend composites of Tenera fibers (FM) increased by 161% at 10 wt% fiber load more than the uncompatibilized blend composites at same fiber load. The Dura fibers (FN) enhanced impact strength by 133% at 10 wt% fiber load. Tensile strength increased by 40% for compatibilized FM blend composites. In conclusion, it was observed that DCP incorporation resulted in good interfacial adhesion as revealed by the FESEM micrographs and evidenced in the improved mechanical properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effects of dynamic vulcanization on tensile,morphological, and swelling properties of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/epoxidized natural rubber (ENR)/(Kenaf core powder) composites

The effects of dynamic vulcanization on properties of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/epoxidized natural rubber (ENR)/(kenaf core powder) composite were studied. Tensile properties indicated that the strength, elongation at break, and Young's modulus of the composites exhibited an increase for samples with dynamic vulcanization. Morphological analysis using scanning electron microscopy showed the interaction between ENR and PVC. There was no bonding between kenaf core powder and the PVC/ENR matrix owing to the different polarity of both components. Filler agglomerates increased, which leads to an increase of filler‐filler interaction and poor dispersion. Furthermore, swelling index indicated that the composite with dynamic vulcanization shows lower absorption of tolune compared with composites without dynamic vulcanization. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 22:206–212, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Numerical modelling of the carrier gas phase in a laboratory-scale coal classifier model

The pneumatic transport of fine ideally combustible coal dust to the burner furnace is an important process in coal fired power plants. The strongly swirling air phase responsible for the particle separation and transport in a coal pulverising mill was characterised experimentally and numerically. Measurements of the swirl velocity component were taken in a scaled laboratory model of the device and compared to CFD model. In particular, an evaluation of the turbulence models used to describe the flow was performed. The modified isotropic k-epsilon turbulence models (RNG k-ε and Realizable k-ε) were compared to the anisotropic Reynolds stress model (RSM) and their ability to predict the bulk flow structure present in the classifier was assessed. The experiments showed that the swirling flow structure, responsible for coarse-fine particle classification, has several flow regimes which are governed by the areas it is bounded by. The numerical model predictions generally corroborate the results. However, a distinction in performance between the three models can be made based on accuracy, solution generation time and numerical stability. The RSM model predicted both the trends and magnitude the most accurately when compared to the isotropic models. However, the Realizable k-epsilon model, with its relatively low solution generation time, shows potential when using CFD as a classifier design optimization tool. The investigation has given some insight on single phase classifier flow and suggests a design improvement based on the results.     

Comparison of textural information from argon(87 K) and nitrogen(77 K) physisorption

Argon(87 K) and nitrogen(77 K) adsorption of three types of porous samples (microporous, microporous-mesoporous and mesoporous) was evaluated. The shapes of isotherms, specific surface areas, mesopore-, micropore- and net pore volumes, pore-size distributions (PSD) and positions of micropore and mesopore PSD’s maxima were compared to ascertain the credibility of individual adsorbates for the texture information estimation. The shapes of adsorption isotherms for Ar and N₂ of all samples are similar and the adsorbed amounts at relative pressure x = 0.975 differ slightly. For mesoporous samples some differences are observed between specific mesopore surface areas derived from nitrogen and argon isotherms. Radii of pore size maxima from Ar(87 K) PSD’s are on average systematically lower than from N₂(77 K) for all samples. The Saito-Foley approach for ZSM-5 samples gives consistently lower mean pore radius from N₂(77 K) adsorbate than from Ar(87 K). This difference probably arises from the multiplication factor, Ω, in the Saito-Foley equation which includes physical properties (magnetic susceptibility, polarizability etc. at 77 and 87 K) and is not easy to obtain with sufficient precision. The use of both adsorbates Ar(87 K) and N₂(77 K) possesses some advantages as well some disadvantages and the comparison of textural properties of individual samples must be evaluated with respect to adsorbate.     

Analysis of Lard’s Aroma by an Electronic Nose for Rapid <Emphasis Type=Italic>Halal</Emphasis> Authentication

An electronic nose was successfully used to detect and discriminate lard from other types of animal body fats and samples containing lard. The results are presented in the form of VaporPrint™, the image of the polar plot of the odor amplitudes from the surface acoustic wave (SAW) detector frequency. In the VaporPrint™, the radial angles representing the sensor provides individual fingerprints of the aroma of different animal body fats. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to interpret the data and it provided a good grouping of samples, with 61% of the variation accounted for by PC 1 and 29% accounted for by PC 2. All of the lard-containing samples formed a separate group from the samples that were free from lard. This method can be developed into a rapid method for detecting the presence of lard in food samples for Halal authentication.     

Silphinene Sesquiterpenes as Model Insect Antifeedants

Silphinene sesquiterpenes are established chrysomelid antifeedants. In this work, nine silphinene analogs, 11-acetoxy-5-angeloyloxysilphinen-3-one (1), 11-acetoxy-5-tigloyloxysilphinen-3-one (2), 11-acetoxy-5-iso- butyryloxysilphinen-3-one (3), 11-hydroxy-5-angeloyloxysilphinen-3-one (4), 11,5-dihydroxysilphinen-3-one (5), 11,5-diacetoxysilphinen-3-one (6), 5,11-diisobutyryloxysilphinen-3-one (7), silphinen-3,5,11-trione (8), and O-methyl-5-epicantabrenolic acid methyl ester (10), and a presilphiperfolane sesquiterpene (9) were tested against several divergent insect species, including the lepidopteran Spodoptera littoralis, the chrysomelid Leptinotarsa decemlineata, and five aphid species, and their antifeedant effects were compared with those of picrotoxinin, a GABA-antagonist, and thymol, an allosteric modulator for insect GABA receptors. All insects tested responded to at least one silphinene analog and/or GABA antagonist. Compound 3 and thymol were effective antifeedants against all species tested except S. littoralis, with varying potencies according to their feeding ecologies. The toxicity of these compounds was species-dependent and did not correlate with their antifeedant effect.     

Incorporation and distribution of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids into nuclear lipids of hepatic cells

Liver nuclear incorporation of stearic (18∶0), linoleic (18∶2n−6), and arachidonic (20∶4n−6) acids was studied by incubation in vitro of the [1-¹⁴C] fatty acids with nuclei, with or without the cytosol fraction at different times. The [1-¹⁴C] fatty acids were incorporated into the nuclei as free fatty acids in the following order: 18∶0>20∶4n−6≫18∶2n−6, and esterified into nuclear lipids by an acyl-CoA pathway. All [1-¹⁴C] fatty acids were esterified mainly to phospholipids and triacylglycerols and in a minor proportion to diacylglycerols. Only [1-¹⁴C] 18∶2n−6-CoA was incorporated into cholesterol esters. The incorporation was not modified by cytosol addition. The incorporation of 20∶4n−6 into nuclear phosphatidylcholine (PC) pools was also studied by incubation of liver nuclei in vitro with [1-¹⁴C]20∶4n−6-CoA, and nuclear labeled PC molecular species were determined. From the 15 PC nuclear molecular species determined, five were labeled with [1-¹⁴C]20∶4n−6-CoA: 18∶0–20∶4, 16∶0–20∶4, 18∶1–20∶4, 18∶2–20∶4, and 20∶4–20∶4. The highest specific radioactivity was found in 20∶4–20∶4 PC, which is a minor species. In conclusion, liver cell nuclei possess the necessary enzymes to incorporate exogenous saturated and unsaturated fatty acids into lipids by an acyl-CoA pathway, showing specificity for each fatty acid. Liver cell nuclei also utilize exogenous 20∶4n−6-CoA to synthesize the major molecular species of PC with 20∶4n−6 at the sn-2 position. However, the most actively synthesized is 20∶4–20∶4 PC, which is a quantitatively minor component. The labeling pattern of 20∶4–20∶4 PC would indicate that this molecular species is synthesized mainly by the de novo pathway.