Effect of high‐pressure processing on the migration of antioxidant Irganox 1076 from polypropylene film into a food simulant

The effect of high‐pressure processing (HPP) on the migration behaviour of a typical antioxidant, Irganox 1076, from polypropylene (PP) flexible structures was studied. Initial concentrations of Irganox 1076 in polypropylene (PP) were 2.0 and 5.0 mg g^?1. The migration experiments were carried out on high‐pressure treated and non‐treated polypropylene pouches containing either 95 or 10% ethanol aqueous food simulating liquids (FSL) for 20 days at 40 and 60 °C. After the contact period, concentrations of Irganox in PP and FSL were measured to determine migration behaviour. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the concentration of Irganox 1076 migrating from PP, and into the FSL for pressure‐treated vs non‐treated samples. No significant concentration differences were found in non‐treated (control) samples and those treated for 5 and 10 min. However, there was a storage time effect on the migration level. There was also a significant migration effect on the migration of Irganox between the two different food simulants, and an increase in the HPP temperature increased the rate of migration. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effectiveness of chitosan‐based coating in improving shelf‐life of eggs

Despite eggs having a natural packaging—shell—they are perishable and can lose their quality during storage. Chitosan‐based coatings were applied to shell eggs to examine potential effects on egg quality properties (weight loss, Haugh unit, yolk index) during 4 weeks of storage. Mineral amounts in yolks were also evaluated after 4 weeks of storage. Three chitosan‐based coatings produced with organic acids (acetic‐(C‐AA), lactic‐(C‐LA), and propionic (C‐PA)) were evaluated on shelf‐life enhancements of fresh egg quality. All chitosan‐coated eggs showed greater interior quality than the non‐coated eggs. The coatings significantly maintained weight loss compared to the control specimen (4.96%). Lower weight loss (3.45% for C‐PA, 3.53% for C‐LA) was observed in the coated eggs. Eggshell chitosan coat containing lactic and propionic acids maintained higher Haugh unit and yolk index than eggs coated with acetic acid. Uncoated (UC) eggs changed from grade ‘A’ to ‘B’ after 1 week of storage. Chitosan‐based coating containing lactic and propionic acids maintained eggs in grade ‘A’ for 4 weeks. Haugh unit showed that C‐LA and C‐PA effectively maintained eggs at grade ‘A’ quality for at least 3 weeks more than control and 1 week more than C‐AA. Results also indicated that the chitosan coating maintained mineral amounts at nutritional values (especially calcium, iron and magnesium concentration) in yolks after 4 weeks storage. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

An alpha-mercaptoacrylic acid derivative is a selective nonpeptide cell-permeable calpain inhibitor and is neuroprotective

Overactivation of calcium-activated neutral protease (calpain) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several degenerative conditions, including stroke, myocardial ischemia, neuromuscular degeneration, and cataract formation. Alpha-mercaptoacrylate derivatives (exemplified by PD150606), with potent and selective inhibitory actions against calpain, have been identified. PD150606 exhibits the following characteristics: (i) Ki values for mu- and m-calpains of 0.21 microM and 0.37 microM, respectively, (ii) high specificity for calpains relative to other proteases, (iii) uncompetitive inhibition with respect to substrate, and (iv) it does not shield calpain against inactivation by the active-site inhibitor trans-(epoxysuccinyl)-L-leucyl-amido-3-methylbutane, suggesting a nonactive site action for PD150606. The recombinant calcium-binding domain from each of the large or small subunits of mu-calpain was found to interact with PD150606. In low micromolar range, PD15O6O6 inhibited calpain activity in two intact cell systems. The neuroprotective effects of this class of compound were also demonstrated by the ability of PD150606 to attenuate hypoxic/hypoglycemic injury to cerebrocortical neurons in culture and excitotoxic injury to Purkinje cells in cerebellar slices.     

Automatic prostate cancer detection model based on ensemble VGGNet feature generation and NCA feature selection using magnetic resonance images

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men and its frequency is 28 per hundred thousand in the world. This cancer is detected using...     

The Bauschinger effect in the supercooled austenite of SAE 52100 steel

During the heat treatment and the welding of steel components, the interactions between the thermal and phase transformation strains result in cyclic loading of the component, which often results in plastic deformation. Although this has long been a well-known fact, the cyclic hardening behavior of supercooled austenite was not investigated up to now. In this study, tension–compression tests were performed on the supercooled austenite of SAE 52100 ball bearing steel at several temperatures using Gleeble3500® thermomechanical testing machine. The results were compared with conventional hardening models used in heat treatment and welding simulation. The results indicate that the metastable austenite exhibits a complicated cyclic hardening behavior that can only be partially reproduced by commercial simulation software. In the outlook, it is concluded that more complicated cyclic hardening models should be implemented for better prediction of distortion and residual stresses after heat treatment or welding.     

Preparation and characterization of chitosan/montmorillonite‐K10 nanocomposites films for food packaging applications

Chitosan (CS)/montmorillonite‐K10 (MMTK‐10) clay composite films with different amounts of the clay MMTK‐10 (0.5, 1, 2.5, and 5%) were prepared using a solution‐casting method, and their properties were determined. The objective of this study is to prepare CS/clay nanocomposites and then to investigate the effects of clay content on mechanical, barrier, and thermal properties of these nanocomposites. The prepared films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Barrier properties (oxygen and water permeability), mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation), and thermal behaviors (thermogravimetric analysis) were investigated and compared. The water vapor and gas permeability values of the composite films decreased significantly with increasing filler concentration. Tensile strength of the composites increased significantly with the addition of clay, and elongation at break decreased with increasing clay concentration. The tensile strength of nanocomposites is up to 34.82 MPa for 5 wt% clay content, and the tensile modulus shows a 74.63% higher value than that of neat CS. The resulting films had an opaque appearance, which depended on the amount of MMTK‐10 added. The oxygen permeability decreased with the increase in MMTK‐10. The minimum oxygen permeability (1.54 cm³/m² day atm) was recorded for film with 5% MMTK‐10. The water permeability of the composite films decreased significantly between 13 and 22% when clay was added. The dispersed clay improves the thermal stability and enhances the hardness and elastic modulus of the matrix systematically with the increased loading of clay. POLYM. COMPOS., 33:1874–1882, 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Influence of repeated firings on the color parameters of two different all‐ceramic materials

All‐ceramics materials have been widely used in dental practice due to advantages of esthetic outcome. Color parameters, one of the major factors for the esthetic outcome, are affected from different factors such as repeated firings, chemical composition and thickness. In clinical practice, ceramics were frequently subjected to the repeated firings, but the effects of the repeated firings on the color parameters have been underestimated or unknown, so the aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the repeated firings on the color parameters of all‐ceramic materials. Two commercially available A2 shaded all‐ceramic systems were used in this study (lithium disilicate pressable ceramics and computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing [CAD/CAM] fabricated zirconia). Ten samples for each group (zirconia and lithium disilicate) were prepared and subjected to repeated firings, respectively (1st, 3rd, 5th). Color measurements were performed after each repeated firings using a colorimeter (Minolta CR 321, Konica Minolta, Tokyo, Japan). The perceptibility threshold and acceptability threshold for color changes (ΔE₀₀) was defined as 0.8 and 1.8, respectively. Statistical analysis of the results was performed by using repeated measures ANOVA for color parameters and using non‐parametric Kruskal‐Wallis and Mann‐Whitney‐U test for ΔE₀₀ values (P < .05). L*, a* values showed statistically significant differences for lithium disilicate pressable ceramics and were not significant the zirconia specimens. ΔE₀₀ values were above the perceptibility level for both lithium disilicate and zirconia specimens. Repeated firings affect the color parameters of the lithium disilicate specimens. As a result of repeated firings, lithium disilicate ceramics become lighter and greener.     

Synthesis of beta silicon carbide powders using carbon coated fumed silica

The synthesis of beta silicon carbide (-SiC) powders by carbothermic reduction of carbon coated silica and silica mixed with carbon black was investigated. The production of -SiC powders by using carbon coated silica consists of two steps. The first step is to prepare the carbon coated silica precursor by coating fumed silica particles with carbon by pyrolytic cracking of a hydrocarbon gas (C3H6). This provides intimate contact between the reactants and yields a better distribution of carbon within the fumed silica. Fumed silica was also mechanically mixed with carbon black for comparison. Both starting mixtures were reacted in a tube furnace for 2 h at temperatures of 1300°C to 1600°C in 1 l min-1 flowing argon. The reaction products were characterized using weight loss data, X-ray diffraction (XRD), a BET surface area analyser, oxygen and free carbon analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The carbon coating process resulted in a more complete reaction, purer product and high yield SiC powders with very little agglomeration at temperatures of 1500°C and 1600°C. The -SiC powders produced at 1600°C for 2 h in argon gas flow have oxygen content of 0.3 wt%, a very fine particle size 0.1–0.3 m and uniform shape. © 1998 Chapman & Hall