Antimicrobial activity of Zataria multiflora Boiss. essential oil incorporated with whey protein based films on pathogenic and probiotic bacteria

The antimicrobial potential of whey protein isolate (WPI) edible films containing 1–4% (v/v) Zataria multiflora Boiss. essential oil (EO) on food‐borne pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus) and probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei) was evaluated. WPI films incorporated with 2% (v/v) of this EO inhibited the growth of all tested pathogenic bacteria and gram‐negative bacteria were more sensitive than gram‐positive bacteria. Incorporation of the EO at higher than 2% (v/v) showed significant antimicrobial effects (P < 0.05) for S. enteritidis and L. acidophilus. The growth of all probiotic lactic acid‐producing bacteria also inhibited when 2% of the EO was added. Comparison of an image processing‐based method with conventional method for measuring of inhibitory effects of edible films exhibited high correlations (R² ≥ 0.876) between the two methods. These results revealed that Z. multiflora Boiss. EO is a good antimicrobial additive for some food applications when included into WPI edible films.     

Decoherence in fast atom diffraction from surfaces

Diffraction of fast atoms from crystal surfaces at grazing incidence (GIFAD) has now been observed on all types of materials, from wide band gap insulators to metals, including semiconductors. Since mainly the (slow) motion normal to the surface is important diffraction patterns are comparable to those obtained in thermal energies atomic diffraction (TEAS), however, the specific scattering geometry of GIFAD has a strong influence on decoherence phenomena. The contribution of atomic vibrations is much less pronounced than in TEAS but other sources of decoherence such as electronic excitations, clearly observed on metals, can participate due to the comparatively large projectile velocity parallel to the surface. We present here simple models that describe these decoherence effects. The results are in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Repetitive Thermomechanical Processing towards Ultra Fine Grain Structure in 301,304 and 304L Stainless Steels

Thermomechanical processing as a combination of cold rolling and annealing was performed on austenitic stainless steels 301,304 and 304L.Two cold rolling steps each one up to a reduction of 75% were combined with an intermediate annealing at 800 C for 20 min.The final annealing was performed at the same temperature and time.Cold rolling contributed to martensite formation at the expense of metastable austenite in the studied materials.Austenite in 301 was found to be less stable than that in 304 and 304L.Hence,higher strength characteristics in the as-quenched 301 stainless steels were attributed to the higher volume fraction of martensite.Both α-martensite and ε-martensite were found to form as induced by deformation.However,the intensity of ε-martensite increased as the stability of austenite decreased.Annealing after cold rolling led to the reversion of austenite with an ultra fine grained structure in the order of 0.5-1μm from the strain induced martensite.The final grain size was found to be an inverse function of the amount of strain induced martensite.The thermomechanical processing considerably improved the strength characteristics while the simultaneous decrease of elongation was rather low.     

Energy storage using weights hydraulically lifted above ground

Renewable energy sources constitute an ever-growing share of the total electrical market; but, the intermittency and instability issues make it difficult to dispatch these sources directly into the grid. Energy storage represents a promising solution to overcome this obstacle. Among energy storage solutions, pumped hydro energy storage is largely considered the most technologically and financially feasible, though having some drawbacks. In this paper, a new design is introduced to address the major challenges associated with the conventional pumped hydro energy storage. The proposed storage solution does not require tall water tank towers or long piping; rendering it more cost effective and implementable. It is also scalable to operate over a wide range of capacities depending on the electrical surpluses. Beyond this, the design provides a constant pressure and faster discharge, furnishing a quick response to instantaneous demand fluctuations.     

In-situ study of the carbon nanotube yarn drawing process

Recognizing the main factors affecting the spinning of carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns from vertically aligned brush-like CNTs (BCNTs) persists as a difficult challenge. Here, using in-situ drawing of as few as 20 CNTs from as-grown BCNT and measuring the force required for their separation from BCNT, we demonstrate that samples with different spinnability levels exhibit different separation force behaviors. Moreover, the average separation force per CNT differs among samples. Results show that the separation force in spinnable samples depends on the drawing location: it can be as high as 15 nN/CNT at the top of a sample and as low as 3 nN/CNT in the middle of a sample. In contrast, this force is around 10 nN/CNT for un-spinnable samples and is nearly constant throughout such samples. Detailed drawing site observations can pave the way to elucidation of the mechanisms of dry drawing processes of BCNT, which are vital for enhancing the strength of carbon nanotube yarns.     

Generalization of Maximum A Posteriori Amplitude Estimator Under Speech Presence Uncertainty for Speech Enhancement

In this paper, we focus on the estimation-based frequency-domain speech enhancement methods under speech presence uncertainty. Through the minimization of an average risk function, a generalization of maximum a posteriori spectral amplitude estimator is derived. By adjusting the cost parameters, we can control the error caused by noise falsely detected as speech. Our experimental results show that the proposed system can be a simple alternative to Abramson’s simultaneous detection and estimation approach for speech enhancement since it involves merely estimation under speech presence uncertainty and does not require any detector. Moreover, the proposed estimator takes advantage of a more straightforward implementation, since there is no need for the computation of Bessel functions.     

Hot Deformation Behavior of Beta Titanium Ti-13V-11Cr-3Al Alloy

Hot compression tests were conducted on Ti-13V-11Cr-3Al beta-Ti alloy in the temperature range of 1203 K to 1353 K (930 °C to 1080 °C) and at strain rates between 0.001 and 1 s^?1 The stress–strain curves showed pronounced yield point phenomena at high strain rates and low temperatures. The yield point elongation and flow stresses at the upper and lower yield points were related to the Zener–Hollomon parameter. It was found that dynamic recovery at low strain rates and dynamic recrystallization at high strain rates were the controlling mechanisms of microstructural evolution. The results also showed that strain rate had a stronger influence on the hot deformation behavior than temperature. The microstructural observations and constitutive analysis of flow stress data supported the change in the hot deformation behavior of the studied alloy varies with strain rate. For various applied strain rates, the activation energy for hot deformation was calculated in range of 199.5 to 361.7 kJ/mol. At low strain rates (0.001 and 0.01 s^?1), the value of activation energy was very close to the activation energy for the diffusion of V, Cr, and Al in beta titanium. The higher value of activation energy for deformation at high strain rates (0.1 and 1 s^?1) was attributed to the accumulation of dislocations and the tendency to initiate dynamic recrystallization.     

Dynamic Recrystallization and Precipitation in 13Cr Super-Martensitic Stainless Steels

The influence of precipitation on the kinetics of static and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was investigated in AISI 403 and 403Nb martensitic stainless steels. Hot compression tests were performed in the temperature range of 1073 K to 1473 K (800 °C to 1200 °C) and strain rates of 0.001 and 0.1 s^?1 to study DRX and precipitation behaviors. In parallel, stress relaxation tests were conducted with pre-strains of 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, and 0.25, a strain rate of 0.1 s^?1, and in the 1073 K to 1473 K (800 °C to 1200 °C) temperature range to study the kinetics of precipitation and recrystallization. Samples of hot compression and stress relaxation tests were quenched and the evolution of the microstructure was examined using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that DRX interacts with dynamic precipitation (DP) over the temperature range of 1173 K to 1273 K (900 °C to 1000 °C). Hot compression testing results, confirmed by EBSD analysis, indicated that partial DRX occurs before precipitation in 403Nb, at 1073 K (800 °C). By contrast, no DRX was observed in 403 steel. At higher temperatures, i.e., over 1273 K (1000 °C), DRX preceded DP in both steels. Increasing the strain rate raised the temperature range of interaction between DRX and DP up to 1373 K (1100 °C). Strain-induced precipitation (SIP) was observed over the entire range of investigated test temperatures. Static recrystallization (SRX) took place predominantly in the temperature range of 1173 K to 1373 K (900 °C to 1100 °C), at which SIP significantly delayed the SRX finishing time. The results are analyzed in the framework of the classical nucleation theory and the underlying mechanisms are identified.     

Developing the Processing Maps Using the Hyperbolic Sine Constitutive Equation

Hot compression tests were performed on a duplex stainless steel at temperatures ranging from 1223 K to 1473 K (950 °C to 1200 °C) and strain rates from 0.001 to 100 s^?1. The constitutive analysis of flow stress was carried out using the hyperbolic sine function, and the material constants were determined at two typical strains of 0.3 and 0.7. The power dissipation map, instability map, and processing map for the material were developed for strains of 0.3 and 0.7. The developed processing maps were based on the hyperbolic sine as well as the conventional power-law constitutive equations. The efficiency of power dissipation (η) varied from 12 to 60 pct over the studied temperature and strain rate. The highest value of η was obtained at strain rates below 0.01 s^?1, whereas the lowest value of η was observed at the intermediate strain rates. The instability region in sin h-based processing map was only observed in the range of 1423 K to 1473 K (1150 °C to 1200 °C) and at a strain rate of 100 s^?1, while the conventional processing map did not predict any instability region. Optical microscopy observations were more consistent with the results of the sin h-based processing map and indicated that the instability regime at high temperatures and high strain rates was due to the development of adiabatic shear bands.     

Thermal performance evaluation of domed roofs

Domed roofs have been used in Iran and many other countries to cover large buildings such as mosques, shrines, churches, schools. They have been also employed in other buildings like bazaars or market places in Iran due to their favorable thermal performance. The aim of this research is to study about domed roofs thermal performance in order to determine how they can be helpful in reducing the maximum air temperature of inside buildings during the warm seasons considering all parameters like air flow around them, solar radiation, radiation heat transfer with the sky and the ground as well as some openings on the building. The results of the study show that the thermal performance of the investigated domed roof is better than the building with flat roof, particularly when the dome is covered with glazed tiles. In addition to their aesthetic values, domes covered with glazed tiles have thermal benefits of keeping the inside air of these buildings relatively cool during the summer. Moreover, openings cause passive air flow inside building, which is helpful for human comfort.