Characterization of the seed oils of some commercial cultivars of melon

Proximate analysis of the seeds from three commercial melon cultivars (Honey Dew, Hy‐mark and Orange Flesh) showed high percentage of lipids (25.7—27.6%) and proteins (15.2—19.2%). The physico‐chemical properties of the hexane‐extracted oil from the seeds of these cultivars were determined. Gas chromatographic analysis of the oils showed the presence of almost all fatty acids starting from C₆— C₂₄ except that of C₁₁ , C₂₁ C₂₃ , C_18:2 being the principal fatty acid followed by C_18:1 , C_16:0 , and C_18:0 fatty acids. The number of fatty acids, which were present in concentrations higher than 0.01% of total fatty acids, was 17, 14, and 13, respectively, in these cultivars     

Cleaning of Indian coals by agglomeration with xylene and hexane

A laboratory scale agglomeration process has been undertaken for cleaning Indian coals using oils namely, xylene and hexane. Maximum organic matter recovery for xylene has been found to be 91.9% whereas with hexane, the value is 54.7% on a dry basis. The highest ash rejection values with xylene (90.7%) and with hexane (89.7%) are almost same. Promising results for rejection of metals (Fe, Mg and Zn) have been observed. It has been found that xylene is more selective than hexane for the agglomeration process. Knowledge gained from this study will be helpful for technological advancement of this kind of work.     

Effect of Scutellaria baicalensis extract on skin barrier function via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α

Scutellaria baicalensis extract (SBE) was investigated to determine its effects on the transactivation activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR)-responsive element (PPRE) and anti-oxidant activity for improvement of skin barrier function. The treatment with SBE resulted in a significant increase in the transactivation activity of PPRE such as PPAR-α and effect in anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activity. In addition, SBE promotes the expression of protein related to cornified envelope (CE) formation such as involucrin. Therefore, these results indicate that SBE can promote keratinocyte differentiation and restore skin barrier homeostasis, and is suggested to be an appropriate skin therapeutic agent for improving epidermal permeability barrier function.     

Biocatalytic Properties of Lipase from Walnut Seed (<Emphasis Type=Italic>Juglans regia</Emphasis> L.)

Lipase (E.C. 3.1.1.3) from walnut seed was purified 28.6-fold with 31% yield using Sephadex G-100 gel chromatography. Olive oil served as good substrate for the enzyme. The optimum pH and temperature were 9.0 and 70 °C, respectively. The lipase was stable between 30 and 80 °C for 5 min. K _m and V _max values were determined as 48 mM and 23.06 × 10⁻³ U/min mg for triolein as substrate. Lipase activity was slightly reduced by Cu²⁺, Ca²⁺, Hg²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Ni²⁺ ions, while Mg²⁺ and Zn²⁺ had no effects. Anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate stimulated lipase activity while non-ionic surfactants Tween-80 and Triton X-100 had negligible effects on enzymatic activity. The enzyme activity was not affected by 50 mM urea and thioacetamide. Potassium ferricyanide, n-bromosuccinamide and potassium cyanide reduced the enzyme activity. The enzyme showed a good stability in organic solvents, the best result being in n-hexane (113% residual activity). The activity of dialysate was maintained approximately 80% for 1 year at −20 °C.     

Preparation of polyaniline/nickel oxide nanocomposites by liquid/liquid interfacial polymerization and evaluation of their electrical,electrochemical and magnetic properties

A novel route has been developed to synthesize polyaniline (PANI)/nickel oxide (NiO) nanocomposites via liquid/liquid interfacial polymerization where NiO and the initiator were dispersed in the aqueous phase and the monomer was dissolved in the organic phase. The synthesized samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, ultraviolet?visible absorption, X‐ray diffraction, and electrochemical, electrical conductivity and magnetic property measurements. NiO was dispersed uniformly within the PANI matrix. The composites exhibited noticeable improvement in thermal stability and electrical conductivity in comparison with pure PANI. The composites showed excellent electrochemical reversibility at a scan rate of 0.1 V s^?1 and good redox stability even up to 100 cycles. The room temperature magnetic hysteresis measurements show a low value of coercivity for the polymer composites in comparison with NiO. The remnant magnetization (M_r) values were found to be increased with increasing concentration of NiO in the composites. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Practical relationship between apparent viscosity and molecular weight of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesives

The proper viscosity of urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin adhesive for optimum adhesion depends on the type of a raw wood material for wood-based composite panels. This study investigated the practical relationship between apparent viscosity and molecular weight (MW) of UF resin adhesives during the control of their synthesis. The UF resins were synthesized at various formaldehyde/urea (F/U) mole ratios ranging from 0.8 to 1.5 with different apparent viscosities. In addition, low- and high-viscosity UF resins with 1.0 and 1.2 F/U mole ratios, respectively, were mixed at five different blending ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 to obtain different viscosities. The MW of each resin was measured by gel permeation chromatography, and the relationship between apparent viscosity and MW was derived using the Mark-Houwink (M-H) equation. The results showed a good relationship between the two parameters, allowing the prediction of the MW of UF resins based on their apparent viscosity after synthesis. The weight average molecular weight (Mw) values fit well with the M-H equation, while the number average molecular weight (Mn) values did not. For the first time, this paper has reported that k and α, constants of the M-H equation based on Mw of the UF resin, ranged from 0.015 to 0.017 and 1.172 to 1.276, respectively. These suggest that the relationship between apparent viscosity and Mw should be considered for the synthesis of UF resin adhesives.     

Measurement of the temperature distribution in a large solid oxide fuel cell short stack

During the operation of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), nonhomogeneous electrochemical reactions in both electrodes and boundary conditions may lead to a temperature gradient in the cell which may result in the development of thermal stresses causing the failure of the cell. Thus, in this study, effects of operating parameters (current density, flow configuration and cell size) on the temperature gradient of planar SOFCs are experimentally investigated. Two short stacks are fabricated using a small (16 cm² active area) and a large size (81 cm² active area) scandia alumina stabilized zirconia (ScAlSZ) based electrolyte supported cells fabricated via tape casting and screen printing routes and an experimental set up is devised to measure both the performance and the temperature distribution in short stacks. The temperature distribution is found to be uniform in the small short stack; however, a significant temperature gradient is measured in the large short stack. Temperature measurements in the large short stack show that the temperature close to inlet section is relatively higher than those of other locations for all cases due to the high concentrated fuel resulted in higher electrochemical reactions hence the generated heat. The operation current is found to significantly affect the temperature distribution in the anode gas channel. SEM analyses show the presence of small deformations on the anode surface of the large cell near to the inlet after high current operations.