Production of propylene glycol fatty acid monoesters by lipase-catalyzed reactions in organic solvents

Fatty acid monoesters of propylene glycol (1,2-propanediol) are good water-in-oil emulsifiers. These esters were synthesized enzymatically to overcome the problems associated with chemical processes. APseudomonas lipase was added to reaction mixtures containing propylene glycol and various acyl donors (fatty acids, fatty acid ethyl esters, fatty acid anhydrides and triglycerides) in organic solvents, and the mixtures were shaken at 30°C. The products were analyzed by gas chromatography. The yield of monoesters was affected by the acyl donors, organic solvents, temperature, water content, pH memory and reaction time. The anhydrous (lyophilized) enzyme and fatty acid anhydrides were best for monoester production. The optimum pH ranges were 4–5 and 8–10. The yields of propylene glycol monolaurate, monomyristate, monopalmitate, monostearate and monooleate with 50 mM fatty acid anhydrides as acyl donors were 97.2, 79.6, 83.7, 89.7 and 93.4 mM, respectively; those with 50 mM fatty acids as acyl donors were 37.3, 28.7, 28.7, 35.3 and 36.2 mM, respectively. The yields of propylene glycol monopalmitate, monostearate and monooleate with 50 mM triglycerides as acyl donors were 87.4, 65.1 and 83.2 mM, respectively.     

Fabrication and characterization of planar and channel polymer waveguides. III. Compositional distribution and solute loss in polymer thin films

For many microelectronic and optoelectronic applications, polymer thin films require the addition of small molecules. However, the thin‐film geometry and associated processing techniques will influence the final morphology and compositional distribution of the constituents. It is therefore important that these be examined directly rather than inferred from bulk measurements. As an example system, the concentration and distribution of Disperse Red 1 (DR1) molecules in poly(methyl methacrylate) thin films were examined. Ultraviolet visibility spectroscopy and dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry indicate that the composition of the molecules decreased dramatically with thermal treatment of the film. The sublimation of the chromophore was observed to occur at temperatures well below the melting point of the small molecule and the glass transition of the pure polymer; this solute loss manifested itself in changes in the glass transition temperature of the film. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2021–2024, 2002     

Pt-V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalysts supported on SiC filter for NO reduction at low temperature

The catalytic filter, V₂O₅-WO₃-TiO₂ supported on a ceramic filter, is known as a promising material for treating particulates and NO _x simultaneously at optimum temperatures around 320°C. In order to improve its catalytic activity at low temperatures, the effect of Pt addition on the catalytic filter has been investigated. Catalytic filters, Pt-V₂O₅-WO₃-TiO₂/SiC, were prepared by co-impregnation of Pt, V, and W precursors on TiO₂ coated-SiC filter by vacuum aided-dip coating. The Pt-added catalytic filter shifted the optimum working temperature from 280–330°C (for the non Pt-impregnated filter) to 180–230°C, providing N _x slip concentration less than 20 ppm for the treatment of 700 ppm NO at a face velocity of 2 cm/s with the same value over the non Pt-added catalytic filters. The promotional effect following the addition of Pt is believed to result from electrical modification of the catalyst maintaining a high electron transfer state. Ammonia oxidation was also observed to be dominant above the optimal temperature for SCR.     

Geochemical implications of trace elements and sulfur in the saturate, aromatic and resin fractions of crude oil from the Mara and Mara Oeste fields, Venezuela

Ten trace elements (Cr, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, Co, Ni, Mo, V and Sr) and sulfur were determined in the saturate, aromatic and resin fractions of 15 crude oils from Mara (DM) and Mara Oeste (DMO) fields of the Maracaibo Basin, Venezuela. The oils studied are classified as unaltered or altered by biodegradation. In the altered oil, the depletion of n-alkanes, the absence of isoprenoids and the presence of steranes and hopanes unaltered by biodegradation are indicative of moderate biodegradation. The elements Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, and Sr were detected in the saturated hydrocarbon fraction; Cr and V were detected in the aromatic fraction in addition to the above elements; whereas the elements detected for the resin fraction were Cr, Zn, Fe, Cu, Ni, Mo, V, and Sr. Co was not detected in any fractions of the oils analyzed. Sulfur was found in all fractions of the oils studied. It was proposed that Fe, Zn, Sr, and Mn could have entered the oil during migration or Fe, Zn and Mn as pollutants during oil extraction. Cr and Cu may be of biological origin and Mo could be incorporated into the reservoir through bacteria. Only S, V, and Ni in the resin fractions can be used as indicators of the origin and correlation of Mara and Mara Oeste oils. Based on the results obtained in this work, it can be established that the V/(V+Ni) ratio in the resin fraction can be used as a correlation parameter, for these oils.     

Classification of time series by shapelet transformation

Time-series classification (TSC) problems present a specific challenge for classification algorithms: how to measure similarity between series. A shapelet is a time-series subsequence that allows for TSC based on local, phase-independent similarity in shape. Shapelet-based classification uses the similarity between a shapelet and a series as a discriminatory feature. One benefit of the shapelet approach is that shapelets are comprehensible, and can offer insight into the problem domain. The original shapelet-based classifier embeds the shapelet-discovery algorithm in a decision tree, and uses information gain to assess the quality of candidates, finding a new shapelet at each node of the tree through an enumerative search. Subsequent research has focused mainly on techniques to speed up the search. We examine how best to use the shapelet primitive to construct classifiers. We propose a single-scan shapelet algorithm that finds the best $k$ shapelets, which are used to produce a transformed dataset, where each of the $k$ features represent the distance between a time series and a shapelet. The primary advantages over the embedded approach are that the transformed data can be used in conjunction with any classifier, and that there is no recursive search for shapelets. We demonstrate that the transformed data, in conjunction with more complex classifiers, gives greater accuracy than the embedded shapelet tree. We also evaluate three similarity measures that produce equivalent results to information gain in less time. Finally, we show that by conducting post-transform clustering of shapelets, we can enhance the interpretability of the transformed data. We conduct our experiments on 29 datasets: 17 from the UCR repository, and 12 we provide ourselves.     

Authorized workflow schemas: deciding realizability through \mathsf{LTL }(\mathsf{F }) model checking

Many business processes are modeled as workflows, which often need to comply with business rules, legal requirements, and authorization policies. Workflow satisfiability is the problem of determining whether there exists a workflow instance that realizes the workflow specification while simultaneously complying with such constraints. This problem has already been studied by the computer security community, with the development of algorithms and the study of their worst-case complexity. These solutions are often tailored to a particular workflow model and are, therefore, of little or no use in analyzing different models; their worst-case complexities are likely to be an unreliable judge of their feasibility; and they lack support for other forms of analysis such as the determination of the smallest number of users required to satisfy a workflow specification. We propose model checking of an NP-complete fragment $\mathsf{LTL }(\mathsf{F })$ of propositional linear-time temporal logic as an alternative solution. We report encodings in LTL(F) that can compute a set of solutions (thus deciding satisfiability), compute minimal user bases and a safe bound on the resiliency of satisfiability under the removal of users. These theoretical contributions are validated through detailed experiments whose results attest to the viability of our proposed approach.     

Insecticidal Effects of Organotin(IV) Compounds on Plutella Xylostella (L.) Larvae. II. Inhibitory Potencies Against Acetylcholinesterase and Evidence for Synergism in Tests With Bacillus Thuringiensis(BER.) and Malathion

Features of pesticide synergism and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition (in vitro) were studied using a selected range of organotin compounds against the early 4th instar larvae of a highly resistant strain of the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, a major universal pest of cruciferous vegetables.Fourteen triorganotin compounds were evaluated for their ability to enhance the toxicity of the microbial insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) and of the commercial insecticide, Malathion to Plutella xylostella larvae. Supplemental synergism was observed with triphenyl- and tricyclopentyltin hydroxides in combinations with Bacillus thuringiensis. Increased synergism was observed with an increase in the number of cyclopentyl groups on tin in the mixed series, Cyp(n) Ph(3-n) SnX, where X = OH, and 1-(1,2,4-triazolyl). The combination of (p-chlorophenyl)diphenyltin N,N-dimethyldithiocarbamate at LD(10) and LD(25) concentrations with sublethal concentrations of Malathion as well as of tricyclohexyltin methanesulphonate at the 0.01% (w/v) concentration with Malathion exerted strong synergistic effects (supplemental synergism) with toxicity index (T.I) values of 7.2, 19.8 and 10.1, respectively.Studies on the in vitro inhibition of acetylcholinesterase prepared from the DBM larvae showed that while most of the triorganotin Compounds tested were without effect on the enzyme, compounds containing the thiocarbamylacetate or the dithiocarbamylacetate moieties demonstrated appreciable levels of inhibition, being comparable in efficacy to commercial grades of Malathion and Methomyl.     

Associations between apolipoprotein E genotype and circulating F<Subscript>2</Subscript>-isoprostane levels in humans

Apolipoprotein E (apoE), an important determinant of plasma lipoprotein metabolism, has three common alleles (ε2, ε3, and ε4). Population studies have shown that the risk of diseases characterized by oxidative damage, such as coronary heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, is significantly higher in ɛ4 carriers. We evaluated the association between apoE genotypes and plasma F₂-isoprostane levels, an index of lipid peroxidation, in humans. Two hundred seventy-four healthy subjects (104 males, 170 females; 46.9±13.0 yr; 200 whites, 74 blacks; 81 nonsmokers, 64 passive smokers, and 129 active smokers) recruited for a randomized clinical antioxidant intervention trial were included in this analysis. ApoE genotype was determined by PCR and restriction enzyme digestion. Free plasma F₂-isoprostane was measured by GC-MS. Genotype groups were compared using multiple regression analysis with adjustment for sex, age, race, smoking status, body mass index, plasma ascorbic acid, and β-carotene. Subjects with ε3/ε4 and ε4/ε4 genotype (ε4-carriers) and with ε2/ε3 and ε3/ε3 (non-ε4-carriers) were pooled for analysis. In subjects with high cholesterol levels (total cholesterol above 200 mg/dl), plasma F₂-isoprostane levels were 29% higher in ε4 carriers than in non-ε4-carriers (P=0.0056). High-cholesterol subjects that are ε4 carriers have significantly higher levels of lipid peroxidation as assessed by circulating F₂-isoprostane levels.     

Hydrocarbon condensation modelling to mitigate fluid coker cyclone fouling

FLUID COKING is a continuous process that thermally converts heavy hydrocarbons, such as oil sands bitumen, to lighter and higher‐value products by horizontal spray injection onto a fluidized bed of hot coke particles. The cyclone sections of commercial fluid coker reactors experience fouling during typical operation, which limits unit run lengths. The main objective of this work is to improve fluid coker reliability by proposing cyclone fouling mitigation strategies based on practical operation modifications. This study developed a process simulation in Aspen Plus to establish the combined impact of vapour‐liquid equilibrium, endothermic thermal cracking reactions, pressure changes, and overall fluid dynamics in the selected fluid coker control volumes. The hydrocarbon composition was defined by applying an assay characterization of distillation data for representative hydrocarbon streams. Case studies were performed to determine the sensitivity of the predicted temperatures and hydrocarbon condensate flow rates for: (a) the burner‐to‐fluid coker transfer line temperature; (b) the hot coke flow rate; (c) hot coke entrainment from the freeboard region; and (d) scouring coke flow rate in the horn chamber. The scouring coke flow rate was identified as the most promising process lever to mitigate fluid coker cyclone fouling.     

A study of the tool-chip interface contact problem under low cutting velocity with an elastic cutting tool

To understand the effects of elastic deformation of the tool and the crater phenomenon generated by the cutting force and high pressure during metal cutting processing on the cutting process, an iterative mathematical model for calculating the tool-chip contact is developed in this paper under the assumption of elastic cutting tools. In this model, the finite-element method is used to simulate the cutting of mild steel by a cutting tool of three different materials. The results obtained in the simulation are found to match experimental data reported by related studies. The simulation results also indicate that tools with a smaller stiffness produce greater elastic deformation. Further, decrease of the rake angle due to elastic deformation of the tool can result in greater difficulty in internal deformation of the material and an increase in cutting force. The micro-crater phenomenon on the tool face generated by high pressure at the tool-chip interface is the preliminary symptom of crater wear on the tool face. Therefore, under some machining conditions, such as in precision machining or in automation processing where tool compensation is required, the phenomenon of elastic deformation of the tool must be considered carefully to ensure product precision.