Substituent effects on the reduction potentials of benzalacetophenones (chalcones): Improved substituent constants for such correlations

The reduction potentials of a set of 23 monosubstituted and 7 disubstituted benzalacetophenones (chalcones) are linearly correlated considerably better with the σⁿ values of van Bekkum, Verkade, and Wepster than with Hammett σ. Groups were found to exert the same effect upon the reduction potential irrespective of which ring they are located on. The data for monosubstituted benzalacetophenones can be used to predict the reduction potentials of disubstituted derivatives with good accuracy.     

The effect of pressure and temperature on time-dependent changes in graphite/epoxy composites below the glass transition

Effects of pressure and temperature on time-dependent changes in physical/mechanical properties of graphite/epoxy composites were investigated. Samples were cut from the eight-ply-thick laminates of commercially used composites, post-cured, and then quenched to environments of various temperature and pressure. Time-dependent changes in their properties were analyzed by thermal and thermomechanical (dynamic mechanical) measurements. An increase in the glass-transition temperature was found to occur as a function of time. The rate of this process was enhanced by an increase in temperature and/or a decrease in pressure. An explanation was offered in terms of types and mechanisms of molecular events that occur in the glassy state. Time dependent decrease in free volume (and enthalpy) takes place but is not the sole mechanism responsible for the observed increase in T_g. After a certain period of time (which depends on T and P of the environment), additional crosslinking appears to take place.     

Solubilities and polymer-solvent-nonsolvent θ-compositions of poly (di-n-alkyl itaconates)

In order to establish the prerequisites for the examination of solution properties of poly(di-n-alkyl itaconates), the solubilities of the first 11 members of this polymer homologous series were determined in 70 solvents, and the results correlated with the lengths of the ester substituents of the polymer chain, the solvent solubility parameters and the solvent hydrogen bonding capacities. The relation between solvent strength and the lengths of ester substituents of the monomer units was established quantitatively for several solvents in terms of φ_{2 crit.,} the nonsolvent volume fraction in ternary polymer-solvent-nonsolvent θ-mixtures, and evaluated according to a turbidometric titration method proposed by ELIAS ¹. Both groups of results are a guideline for the probable existance of θ-conditions for particular polymer-solvent pairs and permit the prediction of solubilities of still higher members of the series.     

EFFECTS OF PATHOGEN-RELATED PROTEINS FROM BARLEY GRAIN ON BREWERS YEAST

Two basic glycoproteins homologous with thaumatin- and pathogen-related proteins of the PR-5 family were isolated from grain of brewers barley cultivar. The proteins inhibit fermentation and respiration of brewers yeast and exert a lethal effect on the yeast cells. In addition a significant release of cell constituents was registered. All these effects are dose dependent and tend to saturation at higher dosage. These results suggest that cell membrane damage causes the impairment of vital cell functions. Tracing these proteins in the course of the brewing process revealed that thermal treatment at the mashing stage of brewing leads to their disappearance due to denaturation.     

Quality of corn germ oil obtained by aqueous enzymatic extraction

Aqueous enzymatic extraction of corn germ oil was investigated. By applying hydrothermal pretreatment of corn germ, it was possible to inactivate native enzymes present in the germ and to loosen its structure. The corn was then ground and treated with enzymes. After the oil had been released by the enzyme reaction, it was separated by centrifugation. The quality of oil obtained by enzymatic extraction (Pectinex Ultra SP-L at 37°C, pH 5.2, for 6 h) was good. The oil had 1.5% free fatty acids; a total content of oxidation product value of 8.1; light yellow color (AOCS photometric color, 12.7; dominant wavelength λ_D=575 nm); 0.022% phosphatides; 1350 mg/kg total tocopherol; and an oxidative stability value (Rancimat test, 100°C) of 14.6 h.     

Structural analysis of Aleksinac oil shale kerogen by high-resolution solid-state C n.m.r. spectroscopy

A sample of kerogen from Aleksinac oil shale was examined by high-resolution solid-state ¹³C n.m.r. spectroscopy. The presence and relative proportions of kerogen structural units were estimated using a combination of NQS and T_1C methods with a peak-synthesis technique applied to the ¹³C CP—MAS spectrum. Relaxation parameters from these experiments were used to estimate differences in relative ‘mobility’ of various structural units. The kerogen was found to be highly aliphatic and to contain 79% long-chain aliphatic plus alicyclic structures, as well as 9% aromatic structures. These findings are in good agreement with the characterization of the same kerogen from its oxidation products.     

How do culinary methods affect quality and oral processing characteristics of pork ham?

The influences of three different culinary methods: cooking, sous vide and grilling were studied with regards to quality and oral processing characteristics of pork ham. Besides instrumental analysis of color and textural properties of pork ham, sensory panel with 12 trained panelists participated in temporal dominance of sensations, oral processing analysis, boluses collection, particle size distribution analysis, and saliva incorporation. The results revealed that number of chews, mastication time and saliva incorporation are correlated with textural properties and cooking losses. In‐mouth sensation was intertwined with juiciness, fibrousness and firmness depending on the culinary methods. Cooked pork ham showed highest results for hardness and cooking loss. Firmness and fibrousness were dominant sensory attributes. Sous‐vide results show that firmness and juiciness dominated during the first third of consumption time. This corresponds with textural values for lowest values for hardness and cooking, number of chews and total exposure time. Sous‐vide also resulted in lower values for number of chews and total exposure time associated with oral processing.     

3D Point Cloud Analysis for Detection and Characterization of Defects on Airplane Exterior Surface

Three-dimensional surface defect inspection remains a challenging task. This paper describes a novel automatic vision-based inspection system that is capable of detecting and characterizing defects on an airplane exterior surface. By analyzing 3D data collected with a 3D scanner, our method aims to identify and extract the information about the undesired defects such as dents, protrusions or scratches based on local surface properties. Surface dents and protrusions are identified as the deviations from an ideal, smooth surface. Given an unorganized point cloud, we first smooth noisy data by using Moving Least Squares algorithm. The curvature and normal information are then estimated at every point in the input data. As a next step, Region Growing segmentation algorithm divides the point cloud into defective and non-defective regions using the local normal and curvature information. Further, the convex hull around each defective region is calculated in order to englobe the suspicious irregularity. Finally, we use our new technique to measure the dimension, depth, and orientation of the defects. We tested and validated our novel approach on real aircraft data obtained from an Airbus A320, for different types of defect. The accuracy of the system is evaluated by comparing the measurements of our approach with ground truth measurements obtained by a high-accuracy measuring device. The result shows that our work is robust, effective and promising for industrial applications.     

Antifungal efficiency of corona pretreated polyester and polyamide fabrics loaded with Ag nanoparticles

This study discusses the possibility of using the corona (electric discharge at atmospheric pressure) treatment for fiber surface activation that can facilitate the loading of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) from colloids onto the polyester and polyamide fabrics and thus enhance their antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The laundering durability of achieved effects and the influence of dyeing of fabrics with disperse dyes on their antifungal efficiency were studied. The morphology of fibers loaded with Ag nanoparticles was characterized by SEM whereas X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used for the evaluation of surface chemical changes. Corona pretreated polyester and polyamide fabrics loaded with Ag nanoparticles showed better antifungal properties compared to untreated fabrics. The advantage of corona treated fabrics became even more prominent after washing test, particularly for polyester fabrics. Antifungal efficiency of polyester and polyamide fabrics loaded with Ag nanoparticles were almost unaffected by dyeing process.