Removal of imidacloprid and acetamiprid from tea infusions by microfiltration membrane

Removal of imidacloprid and acetamiprid in tea infusions by microfiltration membrane using dead‐end model was investigated in the present study. The results showed that microfiltration significantly promoted the removal of both pesticides (P < 0.05) in tea infusions. Furthermore, the extent of removal was strongly influenced by the pore size of membrane, operational pressure and the concentrations of tea infusions. The initial concentration of imidacloprid and acetamiprid showed no significant effect on their removal rates. The maximum removal rates were 79.7% for imidacloprid and 81.9% acetamiprid. The changes in major chemical components of tea infusions after microfiltration were evaluated. The results indicated that microfiltration caused no considerable changes in total polyphenols and total free amino acids, and small but statistically significant losses (6.3–18.0%) of eight catechins and three methylxanthines when filtration volume reached to 200 mL. The present study validated the application of microfiltration as a potentially feasible and promising method for the removal of imidacloprid and acetamiprid residues from tea infusions.     

Towards a Better Prediction of Cell Settling on Nanostructure Arrays—Simple Means to Complicated Ends

Vertical arrays of nanostructures (NSs) are emerging as promising platforms for probing and manipulating live mammalian cells. The broad range of applications requires different types of interfaces, but cell settling on NS arrays is not yet fully controlled and understood. Cells are both seen to deform completely into NS arrays and to stay suspended like tiny fakirs, which have hitherto been explained with differences in NS spacing or density. Here, a better understanding of this phenomenon is provided by using a model that takes into account the extreme membrane deformation needed for a cell to settle into a NS array. It is shown that, in addition to the NS density, cell settling depends strongly on the dimensions of the single NS, and that the settling can be predicted for a given NS array geometry. The predictive power of the model is confirmed by experiments and good agreement with cases from the literature. Furthermore, the influence of cell‐related parameters is evaluated theoretically and a generic method of tuning cell settling through surface coating is demonstrated experimentally. These findings allow a more rational design of NS arrays for the numerous exciting biological applications where the mode of cell settling is crucial.     

Effect laws and mechanisms of different temperatures on isothermal tensile fracture morphologies of high-strength boron steel

The fracture behaviour and morphologies of high-strength boron steel were investigated at different temperatures at a constant strain rate of 0.1 s-1 based on isothermal tensile tests. Fracture mechanisms were also analyzed based on the relationship between microstructure transformation and continuous cooling transformation(CCT) curves. It is found that 1) fractures of the investigated steel at high temperatures are dimple fractures; 2) the deformation of high-strength boron steel at high temperatures accelerates diffusion transformations; thus, to obtain full martensite, a higher cooling rate is needed; and 3) the investigated steel has the best plasticity when the deformation temperature is 750 °C.     

Characteristics of tiger nut milk: effects of milling

A standard method for the extraction of tiger nut milk has been introduced. It has been shown that, although milling duration improves the yield of tiger nut milk solids and its nutrient composition, there is a quantifiable loss of nutrient in the pressing residue during milk extraction. Milling duration improved the colloidal stability of the milk against creaming during 16 h of storage. A higher milling intensity resulted in the aggregation of biological polymers which resulted in colloidal destabilisation. Milling improved the lightness and stability and reduced browning rate of the tiger nut milk during storage. This report is important for the production of tiger nut milk of consistent and comparable characteristics. Milling has been introduced as a processing method for the qualitative and quantitative modulation of the properties of tiger nut milk. It is recommended to develop further strategies to improve the colloidal stability of tiger nut milk as a beverage.     

NH_3-OH体系中共沉淀法同时回收钕铁硼废料中Nd-Pr-Co-Fe

为了避免回收单一钕铁硼废料中有价元素带来的操作复杂和资源浪费等问题,本研究采用共沉淀法共沉淀出钕铁硼废料中的有价元素Me(Nd,Pr,Co,Fe),制备可用于生产再生钕铁硼的原料;根据质量守恒和同时平衡原理,采用MATLAB软件建立Me(Nd,Pr,Co,Fe)-OH--NH3热力学模型,绘制lg[Me]-p H曲线模拟共沉淀工艺,并根据模拟结果确立了共沉淀工艺;模拟和实验的结果表明:根据lg[Me]-p H模拟结果可以确立一步共沉淀法的p H:6~10,Fe3+比Fe2+更易于沉淀完全;在上述条件下获得的共沉淀粉末主相均为Nd,Pr,Co,Fe的化合物,且有价元素的百分比含量均大于99.4%;其中,当p H值在8左右时回收率最高,在该条件下金属元素Me(Nd,Pr,Co,Fe)的沉淀效率分别为:98.7%,99.9%,93.6%,99.9%。该结果也表明共沉淀法工艺不仅高效,而且所制备的共沉淀粉末可以满足制备二次钕铁硼的需要。