Enzymatic Glycerolysis of Palm and Palm Kernel Oils

Glycerolysis of palm and palm kernel oils were carried out using commercial lipases from Candida antarctica (Novozym 435) and Mucor miehei (Novozym 388) as catalyst (500 units lipase/g oil) at 40°C and with an oil:glycerol molar ratio of 1:2 in a solvent-free system. Novozym 435 catalyzed the glycerolysis of palm and palm kernel oils giving reaction products in similar compositions. Partial acylglycerols contents of the glycerolysis products obtained from palm and palm kernel oils were 64% (wt) and 66% (wt), respectively. However, partial acylglycerols contents of the glycerolysis products obtained from palm and palm kernel oils conducted with Novozym 388 as catalyst at the same conditions were 44% (wt) and 56% (wt), respectively. On the other hand, free fatty acid contents of the glycerolysis products of palm and palm kernel oils obtained using Novozym 388 were higher, 25–30% (wt), than those obtained by Novozym 435, 4–5% (wt). The monoacylglycerols fraction with the highest content of oleic acid, 62.7% (wt), was obtained from the palm kernel oil glycerolysis reaction catalyzed by Novozym 435.     

Systems dynamics modelling of a manufacturing supply chain system

Supply chains are multifaceted structures focusing on the integration of all the factors involved in the overall process of production and distribution of end products to the customers. Growing interest in supply chain systems has highlighted the need to adopt appropriate approaches that can ensure the efficient management of their complexity, enormity and broadness of scope. With the main aim of supply chain management being to optimise the performance of supply chains, attention is mainly drawn to the development of modelling frameworks that can be utilised to analyse and comprehend the dynamic behaviour of supply chains. While there have been only a few supply chain modelling attempts reported in the literature, this paper proposes a modelling framework that is used to simulate the operation of a supply chain network of moderate complexity. The proposed model comprises four echelons and is build around a central medium-sized manufacturing company operating as a typical Make-to-Order (MTO) system. The developed model was built using a systems dynamics (SD) approach. The operations performed within a supply chain are a function of a great number of key variables which often seem to have strong interrelationships. The ability of understanding the network as a whole, analysing the interactions between the various components of the integrated system and eventually supplying feedback without de-composing it make systems dynamics an ideal methodology for modelling supply chain networks. The objective of the paper is to model the operation of the supply chain network under study and obtain a true reflection of its behaviour. The modelling framework is also used to study the performance of the system under the initial conditions considered and compare it with that obtained by running the system under eight different scenarios concerning commonly addressed real-life operational conditions. The modelling effort has focused on measuring the supply chain system performance in terms of key metrics such as inventory, WIP levels, backlogged orders and customer satisfaction at all four echelons. The study concludes with the analysis of the obtained results and the conclusions drawn from contrasting the system’s performance under each investigated scenario to that of the benchmark model.     

Measurements substantiating localised microwave hyperthermia within a thorax phantom

Computer simulations of remotely induced microwave hyperthermia for selective tumour destruction are validated experimentally. This letter shows the first practical measurements of a focused microwave intensity distribution inside a thorax phantom irradiated from a microwave array of 11 elements.     

Fracture resistance of roots obturated with a novel calcium silicate-based endodontic sealer (BioRoot RCS)

The aim of this ex vivo study was to evaluate the vertical-fracture resistance of roots obturated with a newly developed tricalcium silicate cement (BioRoot RCS; Septodont, Saint Maur Des Fosses, France) using cold lateral compaction technique (LC) or matched-taper single-cone gutta-percha technique (SC). Decoronated 82 single-rooted mandibular premolars were chemo-mechanically prepared and then randomly divided into 6 experimental groups (n = 12) and 2 control groups (n = 5): Group 1 iRoot SP-LC; Group 2 iRoot SP-SC; Group 3 MTA Fillapex-LC; Group 4 MTA Fillapex-SC; Group 5 BioRoot RCS-LC and Group 6 BioRoot RCS-SC. In the positive-control group, roots were instrumented but not filled, and in the negative-control group, roots were neither instrumented nor filled. All samples were incubated for two weeks and then subjected to vertical loading force (1 mm/min) until fracture. The force required to fracture each specimen were determined, and the data were statistically analyzed. The highest significant fracture resistance was recorded for the iRoot SP-LC, iRoot SP-SC, BioRoot RCS-LC, and BioRoot RCS-SC groups, with no significant difference among them (p > 0.05) when compared with the positive-control group (p < 0.05), whereas the lowest significant values were observed in the MTA Fillapex-LC and MTA Fillapex-SC groups (p < 0.05). The vertical fracture resistance of roots obturated with BioRoot RCS and iRoot SP sealers using either LC or SC technique was found to be similar to that of intact teeth. BioRoot RCS, newly developed tricalcium silicate cement, might have the potential to reinforce the instrumented teeth against vertical root fracture.     

A genetic algorithm for optimization of laminated dies manufacturing

Laminated tooling is based on taking sheets of metal and stacking them to produce the final product, after cutting each layer profile using laser or other techniques. CNC machining removes the extra material and brings the final product to specific tolerances. To reduce the cost of laminated dies manufacturing, the amount of the extra material and the number of slices must likewise be reduced. This is considered an optimization problem, which can be solved by genetic algorithms (G.A.). However, in most instances, premature convergence prevents the system from searching for a more optimal solution, a common problem in many G.A. applications. To address this problem, a new niching method is presented in this paper. Using the proposed method, results show not only a significant improvement in the quality of the optimum solution but also a substantial reduction in the processing time.     

Soft Electronics Manufacturing Using Microcontact Printing

This work describes a microcontact printing (µCP) process for reproducible manufacturing of liquid gallium alloy–based soft and stretchable electronics. One of the leading approaches to create soft and stretchable electronics involves embedding liquid metals (LM) into an elastomer matrix. Although the advantages of liquid metal–based electronics have been well established, their mainstream adoption and commercialization necessitates development of precise and scalable manufacturing methods. To address this need, a scalable µCP process is presented that uses surface‐functionalized, reusable rigid, or deformable stamps to transfer eutectic gallium–indium (EGaIn) patterns onto elastomer substrates. A novel approach is developed to create the surface‐functionalized stamps, enabling selective transfer of LM to desired locations on a substrate without residues or electrical shorts. To address the critical needs of precise and reproducible positioning, alignment, and stamping force application, a high‐precision automated µCP system is designed. After describing the approach, the precision of stamps is evaluated and EGaIn features (as small as 15 µm line width), as well as electrical functionality of printed circuits with and without deformation, are fabricated. The presented process addresses many of the limitations associated with the alternative fabrication processes, and thus provides an effective approach for scalable fabrication of LM‐based soft and stretchable microelectronics.     

Equivalent circuit models in current-mode circuits for time delay calculations

In this paper time delay calculations for current-mode circuits are considered and equivalent circuit models for delay estimation are developed. Three different equivalent circuit structures for the Core Circuit used in the multipurpose IC DU-TCC1209 are examined separately; however the relation obtained for the time delay can be applied to any CMOS current-mode circuit. The proposed calculation methods are verified with SPICE using 0.35 μm TSMC MOSIS technology parameters and with bench-test measurements using DU-TCC1209.     

Optimization of enzymatic methanolysis of soybean oil by response surface methodology

Enzymatic methanolysis of refined soybean oil with methanol was investigated using Rhizomucor miehei lipase, Lipozyme RM IM, in n-hexane for reaction times of 30 min. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on three-level, three-factor (variable) face-centered cube design was used for the optimization of methanolysis. The independent variables that affect the methanolysis reaction conducted in n-hexane are temperature (°C), enzyme/oil weight ratio, and oil/methanol molar ratio. A good quadratic model was obtained for the methyl ester production by multiple regression and backward elimination. A linear relationship was observed between the observed and predicted values (R²−0.9635). The effects of temperature and enzyme amount, which affected methyl ester content of the product (response) positively, were significant (P<0.01). The quadratic term of temperature and the interaction term of enzyme amount with temperature affected the response negatively (P<0.01). The interaction term of enzyme amount with substrate mole ratio had a positive effect on the response (P<0.05). Critical conditions for the response at which methyl ester content of the product was 76.9% were determined to be 50°C, 2.37 methanol/oil mole ratio, and 0.09 enzyme/oil weight ratio.