A Novel Experimental Method to Assess Particle Deposition in Idealized Porous Channels

ABSTRACT

A novel and economical experimental technique has been developed to assess industrial aerosol deposition in various idealized porous channel configurations. This judicious examination of aerosol penetration in porous channels will assist engineers to better optimize designs for various engineering applications. Deposition patterns differ with porosity due to geometric configurations of the channel and superficial inlet velocities. Interestingly, it is found that two configurations of similar porosity exhibit significantly higher deposition fractions. Inertial impaction is profound at the leading edge of all obstacles, whereas particle buildup is observed at the trailing edge of the obstructions. A qualitative analysis shows that the numerical results are in good agreement with experimental results.     

Fabrication of corrosion resistant, bioactive and antibacterial silver substituted hydroxyapatite/titania composite coating on Cp Ti

The present work is aimed at developing a bioactive, corrosion resistant and anti bacterial nanostructured silver substituted hydroxyapatite/titania (AgHA/TiO₂) composite coating in a single step on commercially pure titanium (Cp Ti) by plasma electrolytic processing (PEP) technique. For this purpose 2.5 wt% silver substituted hydroxyapatite (AgHA) nanoparticles were prepared by microwave processing technique and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. The as-synthesized AgHA particles with particle length ranging from 60 to 70 nm and width ranging from 15 to 20 nm were used for the subsequent development of coating on Cp Ti. The PEP treated Cp Ti showed both titania and AgHA in its coating and exhibited an improved corrosion resistance in 7.4 pH simulated body fluid (SBF) and 4.5 pH osteoclast bioresorbable conditions compared to untreated Cp Ti. The in vitro bioactivity test conducted under Kokubo SBF conditions indicated an enhanced apatite forming ability of PEP treated Cp Ti surface compared to that of the untreated Cp Ti. The Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method or antibiotic sensitivity test conducted with the test organisms of Escherichia coli (E. coli) for 24 h showed a significant zone of inhibition for PEP treated Cp Ti compared to untreated Cp Ti.     

Formation of corn fiber gum-milk protein conjugates and their molecular characterization

Corn fiber arabinoxylan is hemicellulose B isolated from the fibrous portions (pericarp, tip cap, and endosperm cell wall fractions) of corn kernels and is commonly referred to as corn fiber gum (CFG). Our previous studies showed that CFG isolated from corn bran (a byproduct of corn dry milling) contains very little protein and is an inferior emulsifier for oil-in-water emulsion systems as compared to corn fiber gum isolated from corn fiber derived from the corn wet-milling process. The protein deficient CFG isolated from corn bran was covalently conjugated with byproducts of cheese processing, β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) and whey protein isolate (WPI) using an economical food-grade Maillard-type heating reaction for the purpose of increasing their commercialization potential as a food emulsifier and soluble nutritional additive in beverages. The formation of the CFG-protein conjugates has been confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). It has also been demonstrated that CFG-protein conjugates are capable of producing fine emulsions with better stability than either CFG or protein alone. The molecular characterization of CFG-protein conjugates was performed by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) coupled to on-line multi-angle laser light scattering and viscometric detection. The analysis by HPSEC revealed that CFG-protein conjugates had higher weight-average molar mass (M_w, 340-359 kDa) and polydispersity (M_w/M_n, 1.74) than the corresponding unconjugated CFG (M_w, 290 kDa and M_w/M_n, 1.35). The z-average root-mean-square radius of gyration (R_gz) of CFG-protein conjugates was slightly higher (30.5-33.5 nm) in comparison to CFG (29.5 nm) but their weight-average-intrinsic viscosity (η) remained unchanged (about 1.32 dL g⁻¹). The Mark-Houwink exponent “a” of conjugates (0.40) was lower than the unconjugated CFG (0.53) indicating the formation of a more compact structure after conjugation with protein. These findings should benefit the beverage industry, which can use this information to produce a high quality emulsifier from the low-value byproducts of corn dry milling and cheese processing.     

Adaptive,robust and blind digital watermarking using Bhattacharyya distance and bit manipulation

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Ownership identification and copyright protection are two major concerns for digital data. Digital watermarking provides the best solution for these issues. In...     

Variation in the volatile terpenoids of two industrially important basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars during plant ontogeny in two different cropping seasons from India

BACKGROUND: Two Ocimum basilicum cultivars, ‘Vikarsudha’ and ‘CIM‐Saumya’, grown in the Kumaon region of western Himalaya were evaluated for their essential oil yield and composition at different stages of plant growth during two distinct cropping seasons (spring–summer and rain–autumn). RESULTS: The highest yield of essential oil was obtained at full bloom stage in both cultivars in both cropping seasons. The essential oils obtained from different stages in two cropping seasons were analysed by capillary gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The major component of cultivar ‘Vikarsudha’ was methyl chavicol (84.3–94.3%), while for cultivar ‘CIM‐Saumya’ the main components were methyl chavicol (62.5–77.6%) and linalool (14.4–34.1%). CONCLUSION: This study clearly indicated that cultivar, cropping season, plant ontogeny and plant part had significant effects on the yield and quality of the essential oil of O. basilicum. Further, the amount of methyl chavicol in the cultivars grown in this region was higher than in cultivars from other parts of India. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Predictive Thermal Inactivation Model for Effects and Interactions of Temperature, NaCl, Sodium Pyrophosphate, and Sodium Lactate on Listeria monocytogenes in Ground Beef

The effects and interactions of heating temperature (60 °C to 73.9 °C), salt (0.0 % to 4.5 %?w/v), sodium pyrophosphate (0.0 % to 0.5 %?w/v), and sodium lactate (0.0 % to 4.5 %?w/v) on the heat resistance of a five-strain mixture of Listeria monocytogenes in 75 % lean ground beef were examined. Meat samples in sterile filtered stomacher bags were heated in a temperature controlled waterbath to determine thermal death times. The recovery medium was tryptic soy agar supplemented with 0.6 % yeast extract and 1 % sodium pyruvate. Weibull survival functions were employed to model the primary survival curves. Then, survival curve-specific estimated parameter values obtained from the Weibull model were used for determining a secondary model. The results indicate that temperature and salt have a large impact on the inactivation kinetics of L. monocytogenes, while sodium lactate (NaL) has an impact in the presence of salt. The model presented in this paper for predicting inactivation of L. monocytogenes can be used as an aid in designing lethality treatments meant to control the presence of this pathogen in ready-to-eat products.     

Origin and Regionality of Wines—the Role of Molecular Spectroscopy

The origin of wine has an important relevance not only in relation to the sustainability of the production systems but also in relation to wine quality, having great impact in terms of the economy of small producer. Terms such as protected geographical status (PGS), protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI) and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) are been used to characterise wines from different regions and countries. Despite the number of papers and reports published in the literature in relation to issues such as authenticity and discrimination in wine, few reports can be found that explore the use of molecular spectroscopy to specifically target denomination of origin. This report reviews the use of molecular spectroscopy to address such issues within the wine industry.