Ethanol vapor deactivation of gossypol in cottonseed meal

Most cottonseed cultivars contain gossypol, a polyphenolic antinutritional compound. “Free” gossypol is a physiologically active form of gossypol, which is toxic to young- and nonruminant animals. To utilize solvent-extracted cottonseed meal as a general feed, gossypol must be either removed or deactivated to a minimum level specified for each class of animal. Normally, deactivation is carried out prior to oil extraction; however, the desired level of deactivation is not always attained. A new supplemental method of deactivation has been found by using either ethanol or isopropanol vapors on solventextracted meal. In a bench-top set-up, ethanol vapor reduced free gossypol from 0.115 to 0.053%, and a further reduction to 0.026% has been observed with the addition of ferrous sulfate. The supplemental deactivation method can, in most cases, reduce free gossypol to significantly safer levels for feeding, thus increasing utility, and possibly demand, for cottonseed meal as a general animal feed protein source. Presented in part at the AOCS Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, May 8–12, 1994.     

Consolidation of Nano-Sized TiN Powders by Spark Plasma Sintering

Nano-sized TiN powders with an average particle size of 19 nm were synthesized via a new method, reduction–nitridation reaction in liquid ammonia. A consolidation procedure using spark plasma sintering (SPS) was used, and a dense TiN ceramic (>98% of theoretical) with mean grain size of 100–150 nm was obtained at 1380°C. The influence of sintering temperature on grain growth and microstructural evolution was also discussed.     

吸湿介质对碳纤维增强铸型尼龙复合材料的吸湿行为及力学性能的影响

本文对碳纤维增强铸型尼龙(CF／MC 尼龙)复合材料在不同吸湿介质中的吸湿行为进行了研究。结果表明，对于纤维体积分数为10％的碳纤维增强铸型尼龙复合材料(10％CF／MC尼龙复合材料)，随着吸湿介质的PH值减小，它的吸湿率增大。同时，经过吸湿后，10％CF／MC尼龙复合材料的弯曲强度有明显的下降。随着吸湿介质的PH值减小，试样的弯曲强度下降。使用环境扫描电子显微镜观察在10％HCl溶液中吸湿的试样的剪切断口形貌，得到的结果与吸湿实验的结果一致。     

一体化锅炉水处理剂的制备及性能研究

利用自制SW-56共聚物，复配有机磷酸盐和焦亚硫酸钠除氧剂及消泡剂，成功制备XF-4一体化锅炉水处理剂。对XF-4锅炉水处理剂的阻垢、缓蚀进行了试验研究，表明其具有优良的阻垢能力，可以明显抑制热水锅炉积垢现象；加入改性除氧剂能降低锅炉水中溶解氧的含量，使腐蚀控制较理想；配方中的消泡剂组分可防止锅炉水表面起泡，抑制高悬浮物下的携带作用。     

Photochemical degradation of glassy polyesters of low softening point

The photodegradation of polyesters prepared by the reaction of o-phthalic, adipic, and “dimer” acids with ethylene glycol has been studied. The polyesters softened at temperatures in the range of 25–50°C. Polymer films were irradiated in air by means of a medium pressure mercury lamp and the extent of formation of COOH groups determined by infrared spectroscopy. The films were also irradiated in vacuo and in air by means of a high-pressure mercury lamp, and the volatile products, consisting mainly of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, were determined by gas chromatography. The results are interpreted in terms of simultaneous Norrish type I and type II decompositions of the polyesters. The type I process accounts for the formation of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the absence of air. The enhanced yield of carbon dioxide in irradiations performed in air is ascribed to the formation of hydroperoxide which undergoes further photolysis. The type II process accounts for the formation of COOH groups. The photodegradation of these glassy polyesters parallels that of crystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate) and is relatively unaffected by changes in composition of the aromatic polyester.     

Graft Copolymerization of Acrylamide onto Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) Fiber

Grafting of acrylamide (AAm) onto oil palm empty fruits bunch fiber using hydrogen peroxide as initiator and methyl acrylate as comonomer was investigated. The amount of comonomer needed to make grafting of acrylamide possible was determined. The percentage of poly(acrylamide) and the comonomer in the final graft copolymer was estimated by elemental analysis. Results obtained indicated that methyl acrylate facilitated the incorporation of acrylamide monomer onto OPEFB. The reactivity ratios for both monomers were determined by using Fineman–Ross plot. The effects of reaction temperature and period as well as amount of the initiator, solvent, monomer and comonomer on the percentage of grafting at fixed amount of comonomer (11 mmol) were studied. Maximum percentage of grafting was achieved when the amount of initiator and solvent 3.98×10⁻³ mol and 50 mL respectively. The optimum reaction temperature was 50 ^○C and the reaction period was 90 min. Highest percentage of grafting was 232% when 25.6 mmol of acrylamide was used under these optimum conditions. The presence of functional group in the grafted polymer is characterized by infrared spectroscopy and the surface morphology is observed by scanning electron microscopy. Thermoanalytic investigation on OPEFB and OPEFB-g-PAAM were carried out to evaluate the thermal stability and respective activation energy of the materials.     

Impacts of new technologies on media usage and social behaviour in domestic environments

Technological infrastructure at home is changing continuously and is becoming increasingly interconnected. Media devices, including the TV set, provide access to the Internet and offer manifold opportunities to consume media on demand. Additionally, personal devices, such as smartphones, also enable flexible consumption and sharing of media. Questions about how these technologies change the user's media usage and how these changes affect the social structure of a household, however, remain largely unanswered. In order to gain insight into the adoption of new technologies into daily routines, we explored these changes in respect of people's media usage in a qualitative long-term Living Lab study. We will present findings regarding personal routines, flexible integration of new devices into existing practices, influences on households as social systems and related issues in device access and collective use. We will highlight potentials and conflicts regarding device shifts and roles; restrictions in device access; social influences in the living room; and individual changes in media consumption.     

Effects of additives on the electrodeposition of tin from an acidic Sn(II) bath

Additive effects of formaldehyde, propionaldehyde and benzaldehyde on the deposition of tin in acidic solution of tin(II) sulfate have been investigated. The effects of these additives on cathodic polarization and a.c. impedance was measured by galvanostatic or potentiostatic methods, respectively. The reduction products of the aldehyde during the deposition and the diffusion coefficient of Sn(II) in various solutions were also determined.     

3-氯-2-羟基丙磺酸钠的合成研究

以环氧氯丙烷和亚硫酸氢钠为原料合成了3-氯-2-羟基丙磺酸钠,探讨了磺化剂种类及用量,溶剂水的用量,反应温度,反应时间对产率的影响,并用红外光谱及元素分析对产物的结构进行表征。实验表明,磺化剂宜用亚硫酸氢钠;亚硫酸氢钠/环氧氯丙烷比越大,水的用量,反应温度,反应时间适中时,产率越高,最高产率为40.7%;产物的熔点为2531℃。     

Using a virtual environment to assess cognition in the elderly

Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is essential if treatments are to be administered at an earlier point in time before neurons degenerate to a stage beyond repair. In order for early detection to occur tools used to detect the disorder must be sensitive to the earliest of cognitive impairments. Virtual reality technology offers opportunities to provide products which attempt to mimic daily life situations, as much as is possible, within the computational environment. This may be useful for the detection of cognitive difficulties. We develop a virtual simulation designed to assess visuospatial memory in order to investigate cognitive function in a group of healthy elderly participants and those with a mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants were required to guide themselves along a virtual path to reach a virtual destination which they were required to remember. The preliminary results indicate that this virtual simulation has the potential to be used for detection of early AD since significant correlations of scores on the virtual environment with existing neuropsychological tests were found. Furthermore, the test discriminated between healthy elderly participants and those with a MCI.