Development and validation of a novel portable slip simulator

The objective was to develop, construct and validate a portable device suitable for measurements of pedestrian slip resistance in situ. The developed device proved to be precise enough and easy to use. The dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF) values measured by it showed strong correlation (r> or = 0.990, p < 0.001) with the values measured by the force platform used as a reference. In addition, the measured DCOF values were in good consistency with those obtained when using the older laboratory device of the Institute, the slip simulator. Based on the use of the new, developed device it can be concluded that accurate friction measurements with actual footwear can be performed even with a moderate-sized but portable device. The developed slipmeter will be used to measure slipperiness of various walking surface conditions, e.g. at different work places and in walkways, in the near future.     

Porous Silicon Nanoparticle Delivery of Tandem Peptide Anti‐Infectives for the Treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lung Infections

There is an urgent need for new materials to treat bacterial infections. In order to improve antibacterial delivery, an anti‐infective nanomaterial is developed that utilizes two strategies for localization: i) a biodegradable nanoparticle carrier to localize therapeutics within the tissue, and ii) a novel tandem peptide cargo to localize payload to bacterial membranes. First, a library of antibacterial peptides is screened that combines a membrane‐localizing peptide with a toxic peptide cargo and discovers a tandem peptide that displays synergy between the two domains and is able to kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa at sub‐micromolar concentrations. To apply this material to the lung, the tandem peptide is loaded into porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs). Charged peptide payloads are loaded into the pores of the pSiNP at ≈30% mass loading and ≈90% loading efficiency using phosphonate surface chemistry. When delivered to the lungs of mice, this anti‐infective nanomaterial exhibits improved safety profiles over free peptides. Moreover, treatment of a lung infection of P. aeruginosa results in a large reduction in bacterial numbers and markedly improves survival compared to untreated mice. Collectively, this study presents the selection of a bifunctional peptide‐based anti‐infective agent and its delivery via biodegradable nanoparticles for application to an animal model of lung infection.     

On accepting smart environments at user and societal levels

This paper studies beliefs which predict acceptance of smart environments at the user level and the preconditions for acceptance at the societal level. The authors use a thorough literature survey and eight in-depth expert interviews based on four scenarios (home, conference, mall, and gym). As the results indicate, the crucial beliefs for acceptance turn out to be usefulness, ease of use, trust, and social influence at the user level. At the societal level, the preconditions are cultural, economic, and legal. The in-depth interviews confirm some of the results previously reported in the literature including the importance of usefulness, ease of use, and trust for user acceptance. In addition to previous results, social influence as a belief is considered. The external variables affecting beliefs are divided into two categories, namely individual differences and circumstantial differences. Individual differences include variables (age, socio-economic status, experience) already known in the literature, also considering health. Circumstantial differences include audience and place. Place can be public, semi-public, or private and considered from the viewpoints of location (size, pathways) and degree of familiarity. Audience was considered from the amount and role of people at presence (alone, with friends, with strangers). To the authors’ knowledge, these circumstantial differences have not been discussed in the user acceptance literature before.     

The effects of gamma-irradiation on some pure aroma compounds of spices

Summary Chemical changes due to gamma-irradiation were investigated in 11 pure aroma compounds typically found in spices. Samples were irradiated with doses of 0, 10, and 50 kGy. The irradiation source was⁶⁰Co. Irradiated samples and unirradiated controls were analyzed by gas chromatography alone and coupled with mass spectrometry. Significant changes due to the irradiation occurred only in (±)-linalool and-terpineol, which are typical components of, for example, coriander and bay leaf. Their total amounts decreased by about 4–13% and some minor peaks increased as a result of irradiation. However, different results may be obtained when the spices themselves are irradiated.

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Auswirkungen der -Strahlung auf einige Gewürz-Aromastoffe

Zusammenfassung An elf gewürztypischen Aromastoffen wurden die von der-Strahlung verursachten Veränderungen untersucht. Die Proben wurden unter Verwendung von⁶⁰Co als Strahlungsquelle mit Dosen von 0, 10 und 50 kGy bestrahlt. Die bestrahlten und unbestrahlten Proben wurden gaschromatographisch (GC) und GC-massenspektrometrisch untersucht. Erhebliche Veränderungen zeigten sich nur beim (±)-Linalool und beim-Terpineol, die zum Beispiel für die ätherischen Öle von Koriander und Lorbeerblatt typisch sind. Die Peaks dieser Aromastoffe reduzierten sich um 4–13%, und dem entsprechend waren einige kleinere Peaks zu beobachten. Es kann dennoch zu unterschiedlichen Resultaten kommen, wenn Gewürze bestrahlt werden.

     

A numerical performance study of a fixed-bed reactor for methanol synthesis by CO2 hydrogenation

Synthetic fuels are needed to replace their fossil counterparts for clean transport. Presently, their production is still inefficient and costly. To enhance the process of methanol production from CO₂ and H₂ and reduce its cost, a particle-resolved numerical simulation tool is presented. A global surface reaction model based on the Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson kinetics is utilized. The approach is first validated against standard benchmark problems for non-reacting and reacting cases. Next, the method is applied to study the performance of methanol production in a 2D fixed-bed reactor under a range of parameters. It is found that methanol yield enhances with pressure, catalyst loading, reactant ratio, and packing density. The yield diminishes with temperature at adiabatic conditions, while it shows non-monotonic change for the studied isothermal cases. Overall, the staggered and the random catalyst configurations are found to outperform the in-line system.     

Spectral and chemical analyses of mould development on Scots pine heartwood

Scots pine heartwood specimens were exposed to mould in controlled humid atmosphere (RH 95%, T?=20 °C) and the responses of electrical impedance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (EIS and FTIR) methods were studied. The concentration of methanol soluble heartwood extractives and the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC) were determined from the parallel samples. Results show that the spectral responses and VOC emissions were related to the mould development. According to this study, VOC emissions might be used for discriminating mould susceptible and resistant samples. FTIR spectra showed that the relation of amide (1655 cm^-1) and carbonyl peaks (1736 cm^-1) was significantly affected by mould. In the EIS analyses, there also were electrical parameters, which were significantly affected by mould. In conclusion, both spectral methods hold potential for non-destructive mould detection and monitoring of mould development.