Natural antioxidants in tree nuts

The levels of natural antioxidants and phytochemicals present in tree nuts are reported. Where possible, the health claims by Food and Drug Administration and European Food Safety Authority and health effects of tree nuts are provided. The content and recommended dietary allowances of nutrient antioxidants (such as vitamins A, C, E, and the mineral selenium) present in various tree nuts are compared. Antioxidant activity and phytochemicals present among tree nuts have been thoroughly reviewed. Research findings from over 65 references, many of which have been published within the last 10 years, have been compiled and reported.     

Establishment of an adherent cell feeder layer from human umbilical cord blood for support of long-term hematopoietic progenitor cell growth

Previous attempts to establish a stromal cell feeder layer from human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) have met with very limited success. It has been suggested that there is an insufficient number of stromal precursor cells in HUCB to form a hematopoietic-supporting feeder layer in primary cultures. The present study shows that HUCB does contain a significant accessory cell population that routinely develops into a confluent, adherent cell layer under defined primary culture conditions. HUCB-derived adherent layers were shown to support long-term hematopoietic activity for an average of 4 months. This was achieved by using a customized coverslip with a modified surface structure as the cell attachment substratum and using a specialized culture feeding regime. We have characterized the various cell types (including fibroblasts, macrophages, and endothelial cells) and extracellular matrix proteins (including fibronectin, collagen III, and laminin) that were present in abundance in the HUCB-derived adherent cell layer. In contrast, oil red O-staining fat cells were rarely detected. ELISA and bioassays showed that stem cell factor and interleukin 6 were produced by the HUCB stromal cell cultures, but interleukin 3 or granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor was not detected. Application of this hematopoietic culture system to transgenic and gene therapy studies of stem cells is discussed.     

Chromatographic separation of glucopyranosyl sinapate from canola meal

The compound 1-O-β-D glucopyranosyl sinapate (GPS), a phenolic glycoside, was separated from ethanolic extracts of defatted canola meal by a two-step chromatographic method. The first step involved Sephadex LH-20 chromatography with methanol as the eluting solvent. The solvent from the fraction containing GPS was evaporated, and glucopyranosyl sinapate was subsequently separated by a semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography method with an RP-18 column and a mobile phase consisting of water/acetonitrile/acetic acid (88∶10∶2, vol/vol/vol).     

Pulverization of rubber using modified solid state shear extrusion process (SSSE)

The challenge of reusing scrap rubber material is mainly due to its crosslinked/vulcanized structure, which prevents the material from melting and from being melt processed into new items. The most feasible recycling approach is believed to be a process in which the vulcanized rubber is first pulverized into a fine powder and then incorporated into new products. Solid state shear extrusion (SSSE), developed at Illinois Institute of Technology, is a process for continuous pulverization of rubber materials into a fine powder (Aratoopour, H. U.S. Pat. 5,704,555 15 ; Arastoopour, H.; Schocke, D. A.; Bernstein, B.; Bilgili, E. U.S. Pat. 5,904,885 11 ; Ivanov, G. Polym Eng Sci 18 ). In this work, the design of the SSSE apparatus was modified to overcome heat generation due to pulverization and the limitation from the torque/feeding rate relation and, thus, to increase the efficiency of the process in the production of finer particles at higher throughput. The modification was achieved by separating the original process into the extrusion section and the pulverization section. The extrusion section is dedicated to convey material to the pulverization section, which consists of a cylindrical housing and a rotatable cylindrical element that rotates independent of the extruder's screw. The rotatable cylindrical element can be treaded or flightless. Both sections are connected with an adapter. This new approach to the design allowed us to apply a more efficient cooling system, capable of removing the heat of pulverization and, in turn, results in the production of finer rubber particles. Furthermore, separation of the conveying process from the pulverization process resulted in a reduction in extruder's torque and a significant increase in the throughput. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 119–127, 2006     

An investigation on the effect of SBS+Vacuum bottoms residue modification on rheological characteristics of asphalt binder

In this research, the effect of adding SBS and vacuum bottoms residue on 60/70 neat asphalt binder have been carried out using classic and superpave testing methods. Adding SBS led to increase of softening point, elastic recovery and viscosity of asphalt binder. Besides, SBS reduced the penetration and ductility of specimens. Results of dynamic shear rheometer indicated that G^* and G^*sinδ reduced by adding the SBS content before and after aging while δ and G^*/sinδ parameters increased. Therefore, adding SBS improves the permanent deformation and fatigue resistance of neat asphalt binder.     

Effect of aberrations and scatter on image resolution assessed by adaptive optics retinal section imaging

The effect of increased high-order wavefront aberrations on image resolution was investigated, and the performance of adaptive optics (AO) for correcting wavefront error in the presence of increased light scatter was assessed in a model eye. An AO section imaging system provided an oblique view of a model retina and incorporated a wavefront sensor and deformable mirror for measurement and compensation of wavefront aberrations. Image resolution was quantified by the width of a Lorentzian curve fitted to a laser line image. Wavefront aberrations were significantly reduced with AO, resulting in improvement of image resolution. In the model eye, image resolution was degraded with increased high-order wavefront aberrations (horizontal coma and spherical) and improved with AO correction of wavefront error in the presence of increased light scatter. The findings of the current study suggest that AO imaging systems can potentially improve image resolution in aging eyes with increased aberrations and scatter.     

Multi-Objective Optimization of Osmotic–Ultrasonic Pretreatments and Hot-Air Drying of Quince Using Response Surface Methodology

In this study, application of a multi-objective optimization technique based on response surface methodology has been presented. Quince slices were dehydrated using osmotic dehydration with sucrose solutions at different concentration (40 and 60 Brix), processing time (1, 1.5, and 2 h), and ultrasonication time (0, 15, and 30 min) were the factors investigated with respect to water loss, solid gain, and weight reduction. Response surface methodology was used to determine the optimum processing conditions that yield maximum water loss and weight reduction and minimum solid gain during osmotic dehydration of quinces. Dehydrated quince slices at optimized osmo-ultrasound condition were then subjected to air-drying at 60 and 80 °C. Rehydration ratio, shrinkage, and moisture content of dried samples were regarded as responses to the non-thermal and air-drying conditions. Multi-objective optimization led to obtaining the best condition for production of dried quince slices with lowest moisture content, and shrinkage.     

Flame Retardant Properties of Plasma Pretreated/Metallic Salt Loaded Cotton Fabric Before and After Direct Dyeing

In this research work, cotton fabrics were pretreated with low temperature plasma (LTP) and then inoculated in various metallic salts and flame retardancy of cotton fabric was investigated. More polar functional groups were present on the substrate surface after LTP pretreatment. Titanium dioxide (TiO₂), zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄), lead (II) acetate [Pb(C₂H₃O₂)₂], aluminium sulfate [Al₂(SO₄)₃] and silver nitrate (AgNo₃) were used as metallic salts. The flame retardancy of the samples was characterized by limiting oxygen index (LOI) and char yield. Good flame retardant activity for Al₂(SO₄)₃ and AgNo₃ treated fabrics were achieved, however, the effect of TiO₂ and ZnSO₄ on flame retardany of cotton fabrics was moderate. It was concluded that, nitrogen plasma pretreatment, improve the flame retardant properties of cotton samples. The plasma treated and Aluminium sulfate loaded cotton fabric sample has a LOI value of 23.3. It shows that, nitrogen plasma pretreatment has synergistic effect on metallic salts for improving the flame retardant properties of cotton samples. In this research work, the dyeability of samples after loading with metallic salts was investigated. Also effect of dyeing on flame retardant properties was studied. The cotton fabrics treated with metallic salts demonstrate an excellent dyeability property. Color intensities of the dyed fabrics were measured by using a UV VIS–NIR Reflective Spectrophotometer, over the range of 200–800 nm. The results showed that, by using silver nitrate as mordant before dying, the relative color strength (K/S values) of the dyed fabrics has been increased. Water drop test and wash fastness determination (ISO 105-C01) were conducted. Also Electronic Crock meter/Rubbing Fastness Tester AATCC 8 was used to determine the color fastness of textiles. We also concluded that dyeing the plasma treated and inoculated cotton fabrics do not have any negative effect on flame retardancy of cotton fabric.     

Improving the dyeability of polypropylene fabrics using laser technology

In this research work, dyeability of polypropylene (PP) fabrics due to laser irradiation was studied. The laser intensities used during the experiments were 3, 3.8, 4.2, and 4.8?W?cm^?2. The morphology of the modified surfaces was investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Also, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to examine the functional groups of the corresponding samples. For the dyeing process, aqueous solutions, containing 3.0?wt.% of the Astrazon Red Violet 3RN (CI Basic Violet 16) dye, were employed. For comparing the amount of fabrics dye exhaustion, reflective spectrophotometer was used. Also, light and wash fastnesses of dyed samples were measured. The results show a significant increase in the color depth upon dyeing after treating PP fabrics with CO₂ laser.     

Dyeing properties of the atmospheric pressure plasma-treated polypropylene fabric subjected to butane tetra carboxylic acid

In this paper, dyeing properties of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD)-treated polypropylene (PP) fabrics padded with butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) were evaluated. We have used a DBD, working in an atmospheric pressure air. More polar functional groups were presented on the substrate surface after DBD pretreatment. After DBD treatment, BTCA was applied to PP fabrics by pad–dry–cure system. Both treated and untreated fabrics were dyed using acidic and basic dyestuffs. The surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy images. Treated samples were also characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The wettability of the samples was evaluated by water drop test according to AATCC 79-2000 standard. Color intensities of the dyed fabrics with both acidic and basic dyestuffs were measured using a UV–vis–NIR reflective spectrophotometer, over the range of 400–700 nm. The results showed that, by treating the fabric, the relative color strength (K/S values) of the dyed fabrics has been increased. From the results of tensile strength test, both weft and warp directions, no significant difference was obtained within the accuracies of the measurement. Also, the fastnesses properties of samples were measured.