Separation of gamma-globulins from porcine plasma by reversed micellar extraction

Factors affecting the separation of gamma-globulins from porcine plasma using reversed micelles were screened based on a fractional factorial design. The optimal processing conditions for obtaining the maximum yield of gamma-globulins under various constraints of product purity were determined using response surface methodology (RSM) and nonlinear programming. Results showed that the pH and sodium chloride concentration of the aqueous phase, and the concentration of surfactant (bis-(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium salt, AOT) of the organic phase were the most important factors affecting the extraction performance. An eighty-five percent product purity and ninety-seven percent yield were obtained under the extraction conditions of 400 mM NaCl, 350 mM AOT, and pH 7.0. The extract exhibited immunological reactivity against anti-pig IgG.     

Dephytinisation of rice bran and manufacturing a new food ingredient

Rice bran was extruded at 130 °C and a screw speed of 140 rpm for 20 s to inactivate lipase and prevent lipid oxidation. Although the extrusion process induced further complex formation between phytic acid and protein as well as between phytic acid and starch, nearly 94% of phytic acid in the extruded rice bran could still be removed by solid/liquid extraction conducted at 25 °C for 30 min using hydrochloric acid at pH 2 as solvent and a solvent/rice bran ratio of 15. After the extract had been neutralised and phytic acid removed, it was added back to the rice bran solid to replenish the nutritional and functional components of the solid. The mixture was then dried in a drum dryer to yield a powdered product. The dephytinised rice bran product contained most of the protein, fat, dietary fibre and B vitamins and more than 50% of the oryzanol originally present in the raw rice bran. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Chemical reactions occurring at the interface of epoxy matrix and aminosilane coupling agents in fiber-reinforced composites

The chemical reactions at the interface between an anhydride-cured epoxy resin and an aminosilane treated fiber have been investigated using Fourier transform infrared methods (FT-IR). The results indicate that chemical bonds are formed in the interfacial region between the matrix and the coupling agents. The amount of interfacial bonding depends on the composition and the processing conditions.     

Intracavernous Injection of Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy Enhances Erectile Function and Decreases the Mortality Rate in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an agonizing complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and it is challenging to treat ED in DM patients. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a unique therapeutic strategy comprising intrinsic growth factors. An attempt was made to explore the potentiality of the PRP treatment in DM-induced ED rats in various groups (control, DM-non-ED, DM-ED, and DM-ED treated with PRP). Streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce DM in rats. The blood glucose levels of the DM rats were maintained at >300 mg/dl. In the 18-week experiment, survival rate, body weight, intracavernous pressure (ICP) variations, and arterial blood pressure were analyzed. The tissue restoration results were validated by histological, immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopic analysis. PRP treatment of DM-ED rats significantly increased all parameters of erectile function compared to pre-treatment of PRP and DM-ED treated with vehicle. The histological results revealed that PRP treatment substantially enhanced the regeneration of myelinated nerves and decreased the atrophy of corporal smooth muscle. Notably, the PRP treatment immensely enhanced the survival rate in post-surgery DM-ED rats. These results indicated certain benefits of PRP treatment in delaying damage and preventing post-surgery complications in DM patients. Hence, PRP treatment is a novel multifactorial strategy for DM-ED patients.     

Gaseous hydrogen embrittlement of PH 13-8 Mo steel

In this study, notched tensile and fatigue crack growth tests in gaseous hydrogen were performed on PH 13-8 Mo stainless steel specimens at room temperature. These specimens were susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement (HE), but at different degrees, depending on the aging conditions or the microstructures of the alloys. In hydrogen, the accelerated fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) usually accompanied a reduced notched tensile strength (NTS) of the specimens, i.e., the faster the FCGR the lower the NTS. It was proposed that the same fracture mechanism could be applied to these two different types of specimens, regardless of the loading conditions. Rapid fatigue crack growth and high NTS loss were found in the H800 (426 °C under-aged) and H900 (482 °C peak-aged) specimens. The HE susceptibility of the steel was reduced by increasing the aging temperature above 593 °C, which was attributed to the increased amount of austenite in the structure. Extensive quasi-cleavage fracture was observed for the specimens that were deteriorated severely by HE.     

Extruded meat alternatives made from Maillard-reacted beef bone hydrolysate and plant proteins: part I – Effect of moisture content

This study investigated the effects of moisture content (MC) on the physicochemical properties of extruded meat alternatives made from Maillard-reacted beef bone hydrolysate and plant proteins. Samples were extruded at 170 °C (maximum barrel temperature), at 3.6 kg h⁻¹ (liquid feed rate) and at 1.8, 2.2, 2.6 and 3.0 kg h⁻¹ (dry feed rates) to obtain MC of 60%MC, 56%MC, 52%MC and 49%MC, respectively. Meat alternatives at 52%MC showed the greatest degree of texturisation. However, meat alternatives at 49%MC were the closest in terms of both textural and microstructural properties to reference sample, boiled chicken breast. Results from protein solubility suggested that a large amount of aggregated proteins were associated with hydrogen bonds, while disulphide bonds were the main contributor in the formation of fibrous structure in meat alternatives. Results showed that the change in MC as process parameter played an important role in the formation of fibrous structure in extruded meat alternatives.     

Improvement on Physical Properties of Pullulan Films by Novel Cross‐Linking Strategy

Pullulan based films possess several advantages, including high transparency, low toxicity, good biodegradability, good mechanical properties, and low oxygen permeability, are preferable for food packaging. The application of pullulan films on food packaging, however, has inherent disadvantage of high water solubility. In this study, glutaraldehyde and glycerol were used as the cross‐linking reagent and the plasticizer respectively to improve water resistance and physical properties of the pullulan films. Effects of cross‐linking degree on physical properties, including water absorptions, swelling behaviors, water vapor permeability and tensile strengths of films were evaluated. FTIR results demonstrated that the pullulan films were successfully cross‐linked by glutaraldehyde. The tensile strength of pullulan films could be enhanced significantly (P < 0.05) when glutaraldehyde was between 1% and 5% (w/w); nevertheless, the amount of glutaraldehyde above 20% (w/w) led to films brittleness. With the addition of glycerol as a plasticizer enhanced the extensibility of films as well as the hydrophilicity, resulting in higher water vapor permeability.     

Effects on Undercooling and Interfacial Reactions with Cu Substrates of Adding Bi and In to Sn-3Ag Solder

This study investigated the effects of adding Bi and In to Sn-3Ag Pb-free solder on undercooling, interfacial reactions with Cu substrates, and the growth kinetics of intermetallic compounds (IMCs). The amount of Sn dominates the undercooling, regardless of the amount or species of further additives. The interfacial IMC that formed in Sn-Ag-Bi-In and Sn-In-Bi solders is Cu₆Sn₅, while that in Sn-Ag-In solders is Cu₆(Sn,In)₅, since Bi enhances the solubility of In in Sn matrices. The activation energy for the growth of IMCs in Sn-Ag-Bi-In is nearly double that in Sn-Ag-In solders, because Bi in the solder promotes Cu dissolution. The bright particles that form inside the Sn-Ag-In bulk solders are the ζ-phase.     

Speed superiority of scaled double-gate CMOS

Unloaded ring-oscillator simulations, performed with a generic process/physics-based compact model for double-gate (DG) MOSFETs and supplemented with model-predicted on-state currents and gate capacitances for varying supply voltages (V_DD), are used to show and explain the speed superiority of extremely scaled DG CMOS over the single-gate (e.g., bulk-Si) counterpart. The DG superiority for unloaded circuits is most substantive for low V_DD < ~1 V     

Process Characteristics of Hydrolysis of Chitosan in a Continuous Enzymatic Membrane Reactor

ABSTRACT: Crude enzyme from Bacillus cereus NTU-FC-4 was used to hydrolyze chitosan of 66% deacetylation in a membrane reactor, operated at 45 °C and pH 5, to continuously produce chitooligosaccharides. Major oligomers in the product from the reactor were chitobiose, chitotriose, chitotetraose, chitopentaose, and chitohexaose. When the membrane reactor was operated at an enzyme/substrate ratio of 0.2 (unit/mg) and residence time of 100 min, it reached steady state in 2.5 h. The system could be operated for 15 h and still maintained a stable product composition. When the volume replacement exceeded 2.5, the productivity of the membrane reactor became higher than that of the batch reactor, and the difference between them became even greater when the volume replacement was further increased. The apparent Michaelis constant (K_m) for the enzyme in the membrane reactor was 18.8 mg/mL, but the apparent K_m was 5.4 mg/mL for the batch reactor, suggesting that the affinity of the enzyme for chitosan was lower in the membrane reactor compared with the enzyme in the batch reactor. The estimated values of apparent V_max were 0.18 and 0.20 mg reducing sugar/mL/min for the enzyme in the membrane reactor and in the batch reactor, respectively, indicating that the enzyme activity was not greatly altered when used in the membrane reactor.