Evaluation of mannitol and xylitol on the quality of wheat flour and extruded flour products

Effects of polyols (mannitol and xylitol) on physical properties, pasting properties and dynamic rheological properties of wheat flour and the microstructure, water activity (A_w), radial expansion ratio (ER), oil absorption rate (OAR) and texture of extruded flour products were evaluated in this work. The results show that both mannitol and xylitol can promote gluten network formation, enhance tensile resistance and increase the storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G'') of the dough. More dense and uniform particles were also found on the surface of extruded flour products in the presence of polyols by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the A_w, hardness and chewiness were reduced while the ER and ORA were increased for extruded flour products by incorporation of polyols. Thus, the extruded flour products with improved quality by polyols exhibit great application prospect in food industry.     

Preparation of epoxidized acrylonitrile butadiene rubber and its compatibilization effect on water-swellable rubber composites

In this research, water-swellable rubbers (WSRs) were prepared by the blending of acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) with epoxidized acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (ENBR), precipitated silica, vulcanizing agents, and polyacrylic acid sodium (PAAS) as superabsorbent polymers (SAPs). ENBR was prepared with a molybdenum trioxide catalyst and a tert-butyl hydroperoxide oxidant through a free-radical reaction under specific conditions and was used as a compatibilizer to improve the interfacial adhesion of the NBR matrix and hydrophilic components of the WSRs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to analyze the structure and properties of ENBR. The dispersion of silica and SAPs in the rubber matrix was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The presence of ENBR enhanced the water-absorption properties of the WSRs. The NBR–ENBR composites exhibited a higher mechanical performance after water absorption than that without ENBR. Both the swelling ratio and the absorption rate increased with the ENBR content. When the weight ratio of NBR–ENBR was 25/75, an equilibrium swelling ratio of 172% (13% higher than that of the sample without ENBR) was obtained. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the addition of ENBR improved the compatibility between the SAPs and the NBR matrix. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47694.     

Extraction Separation of Sc(III) and Fe(III) from a Strongly Acidic and Highly Concentrated Ferric Solution by D2EHPA/TBP

The solvent extraction and separation process of Sc(III) and Fe(III) from a strongly acidic and highly concentrated ferric solution using mixtures of di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (D2EHPA) and tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) in sulfonated kerosene was studied. The effects of various parameters, including D2EHPA concentration, dosage of TBP, and phase ratio, were investigated for the extraction process. The results indicated that the extraction rate of Sc(III) was 99.72% with 1.09% Fe(III) co-extracted after two stages of counter-current extraction under optimal conditions. Moreover, saturation capacity and slope analysis were used to determine the reaction mechanism. Sc(III) is extracted in the form of HSc(SO₄)₂·4HL. Further separation of Sc(III) and Fe(III) was realized in a scrubbing and stripping process. First, 98.67% of the co-extracted iron in the loaded organic phase was scrubbed with a dilute HCl solution by a three-stage counter-current scrubbing. Then, 85.00% of Sc(III) can be stripped efficiently with a 2-mol/L NaOH solution saturated in 1-mol/L NaCl by three-stage cross-current stripping.     

Influence of Ionic Liquid-Based Metal–Organic Hybrid on Thermal Degradation,Flame Retardancy,and Smoke Suppression Properties of Epoxy Resin Composites

A new multifunctional ionic liquid-based metal–organic hybrid (PMAIL) was synthesized by anion exchange between as-synthesized phosphonate-based ionic liquid and phosphomolybdic acid and applied to epoxy resin (EP) as an efficient flame retardant. As expected, with only 1 wt% addition of PMAIL, the char yield of EP-PMAIL1 composite at 700 °C was significantly improved by 108.3% from 12.0% for neat epoxy resin to 25.0%, demonstrating the outstanding catalytic charring effect of PMAIL. Meanwhile, EP-PMAIL6 composite (6 wt% addition) can reach V-0 rating in the UL-94 vertical burning tests easily, and its peak heat release rate and total smoke production of EP-PMAIL6 were dropped by 31.0 and 15.4%, respectively, compared with neat EP. Moreover, the results from cone calorimetry tests showed that the char yield of EP-PMAIL6 was enhanced by 162% from 9.5 to 24.9% compared with neat EP, resulting in a strong intumescent char layer structure with outstanding fire retardance and mechanical properties. The thermo-oxidative stable protective layer retarded the transfer of heat and flammable volatiles during combustion and protected the epoxy matrix from further degradation. In conclusion, our results might provide a new perspective for producing composites with excellent flame retardancy and smoke suppression properties using ionic liquid-based metal–organic hybrid.     

An algorithm of Iris feature-extracting based on 2D Log-Gabor

Multimedia Tools and Applications - This paper proposes a new algorithm for iris feature extraction. The algorithm uses the odd symmetric 2D Log-Gabor filter to analyze the phase and amplitude of...     

Catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 from 600 MW supercritical coal power plant to produce methanol: A techno-economic analysis

Electricity and water from renewable hydropower plant are used as input for electrolysis unit to generate hydrogen, while CO₂ is captured from 600 MW supercritical coal power plant using post-combustion chemical solvent based technology. The captured CO₂ and H₂ generated through electrolysis are used to synthesize methanol through catalytic thermo-chemical reaction. The methanol synthesis plant is designed, modeled and simulated using commercial software Aspen Plus^®. The reactor is analyzed for two widely adopted kinetic models known as Graaf model and Vanden-Bossche (VB) model to predict the methanol yield and CO₂ conversion. The results show that the methanol reactor based on Graaf kinetic model produced 0.66 tonne of methanol per tonne of CO₂ utilized which is higher than that of the VB kinetic model where 0.6 tonne of methanol is produced per tonne of CO₂ utilized. The economic analysis reveals that 1.2 billion USD annually is required at the present cost of both H₂ production and CO₂ abatement to utilize continuous emission of 3.2 million tonne of CO₂ annually from 600 MW supercritical coal power unit to synthesize methanol. However, sensitivity analysis indicates that methanol production becomes feasible by adopting anyone of the route such as by increasing methanol production rate, by reducing levelised cost of hydrogen production, by reducing CO₂ mitigation cost or by increasing the current market selling price of methanol and oxygen.     

纳米结构9Cr-ODS钢的制备工艺

本文对利用雾化法直接制备出Y、Ti过饱和固溶的粉体合金,经短时机械合金化和热等静压成型制备纳米结构9Cr-ODS钢技术进行了研究.采用扫描电镜和X射线衍射研究雾化合金粉与短时球磨后雾化合金粉的形貌特征与组织的演化.通过高分辨透射电镜和电子背散射衍射研究热固化成型后ODS钢的微观组织.测试了雾化粉和球磨8 h合金粉热固化成型样品的应力-应变曲线.结果表明,用短时球磨雾化粉制备的ODS钢晶粒尺寸更加细小、形成高密度纳米尺寸的析出相.与常规方法制备的ODS钢相比,抗拉强度略高、塑性显著提高、球磨时间大幅缩短.     

Activated PPARβ/δ Protects Pancreatic β Cells in Type 2 Diabetic Goto–Kakizaki Rats from Lipoapoptosis via GPR40

GW501516-activated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) β/δ and G-protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 40 were shown to protect pancreatic β cells against lipoapoptosis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether activated PPARβ/δ could protect type 2 diabetic rats from lipoapoptosis through regulation of GPR40 and to compare the protective effects of activated PPARβ/δ and PPARγ. We made an animal model of type 2 diabetic lipoapoptosis by feeding spontaneously type 2 diabetic Goto–Kakizaki (GK) rats with a high-fat diet (HFD) to evaluate the effects of PPARβ/δ on islet β cell apoptosis. And, treated INS-1 cells with 0.5 mM palmitate (PAM) in the absence/presence of GW501516 (a specific agonist of PPAR β/δ) and with/without transfection of GPR40 siRNA to explore the underlying molecular mechanism. HFD aggravated GK rats' poorer INSR30, lower mass, greater apoptosis of β cells, lower mass, and lower expression of GPR40, which were similarly improved by GW501516 at 3 or 6 mg/kg day and pioglitazone. Compared with pioglitazone, GW501516 caused more weight loss and had no effect on insulin resistance. GW501516 protected INS-1 cells from PAM-induced apoptosis by upregulating GPR40 and activating Akt/Bcl-2/caspase-3. Activated extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) was relevant to the lipoapoptosis in INS-1 cells, but was not involved in the antilipoapoptotic effect of GW501516. These results showed that the PPARβ/δ agonist GW501516 protected β cells from lipoapoptosis and improved β cell mass by upregulating GPR40 and activating the Akt/Bcl-2/caspase-3 pathway, but not the ERK-signaling pathway.