A rheological characterization of semi-solid dairy systems

Dispersions of cross-linked starch in full fat milk, taken as models of custard model systems, have been characterized by different rheological means: viscoelastic measurements, classical flow measurements and ‘vane’ rheometry. From viscosity measurements, the flow behaviour was described within the shear rate range 0.01–100 s⁻¹. The flow curves were fitted using the Herschell–Bulkley equation over the shear rate range 0.1–100 s⁻¹ while a deviation was found towards the low shear rate range, making the determination of the yield stress non realistic. Instead, measurements with the ‘vane’ device in low shear conditions provided a way to estimate the yield stress, at rest and after shearing, but the entire flow curve was not described. From the viscoelastic measurements at low strain amplitude, the mechanical spectra were obtained. Linearity tests beyond the linearity limits provided the critical stress corresponding to the G′–G″ cross-over. The parameters obtained from these different rheological methods are discussed.     

Hornification: Lessons learned from the wood industry for attenuating this phenomenon in plant-based dietary fibers from food wastes

A significant amount of waste is annually generated worldwide by the supply chain of the food industry. Considering the population growth, the environmental concerns, and the economic opportunities, waste recovery is a promising solution to produce valuable and innovative ingredients for food and nonfood industries. Indeed, plant-based wastes are rich in dietary fibers (DF), which have relevant technical functionalities such as water/oil holding capacity, swelling capacity, viscosity, texture, and physiological properties such as antioxidant activity, cholesterol, and glucose adsorption capacities. Different drying technologies could be applied to extend the shelf life of fresh DF. However, inappropriate drying technologies or process conditions could adversely affect the functionalities of DF via the hornification phenomenon. Hornification is related to the formation of irreversible hydrogen bindings, van der Waals interactions, and covalent lactone bridges between cellulose fibrils during drying. This review aims to capitalize on the knowledge developed in the wood industry to tackle the hornification phenomenon occurring in the food industry. The mechanisms and the parameters affecting hornification as well as the mitigation strategies used in the wood industry that could be successfully applied to foods are summarized. The application of conventional drying technologies such as air or spray-drying increased the occurrence of hornification. In contrast, solvent exchange, supercritical drying, freeze-drying, and spray-freeze-drying approaches were considered effective strategies to limit the consequences of this phenomenon. In addition, incorporating capping agents before drying attenuated the hornification. The knowledge summarized in this review can be used as a basis for process design in the valorization of plant-based wastes and the production of functional DF that present relevant features for the food and packaging industries.     

Pneumatic Pressure Control Using on-off Valves with Pulse Width Modulation

Servomotor-controlled valves are widely used in industry for pressure control of pneumatic systems. However, as a first stage, they can cause significant hysteresis that can result in loss of pressure or flow control accuracy at the second stage level. To reduce this effect and improve accuracy, a possible solution relies on the use of on-off switching valves controlled by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). This approach is studied, firstly by analytically determining how the PWM parameters have to be tuned according to the on-off valve characteristics, secondly by ensuring that these characteristics provide the desired behavior of the system, and finally by experimentally verifying whether the PWM control can successfully reduce hysteresis, without decreasing the application range.     

Mechanisms of Radical Formation on Chemically Modified Graphene Oxide under Near Infrared Irradiation

In this work, the mechanisms of radical generation on different functionalized graphene oxide (GO) conjugates under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation are investigated. The GO conjugates are designed to understand how chemical functionalization can influence the generation of radicals. Both pristine and functionalized GO are irradiated by a NIR laser, and the production of different reactive oxygen species (ROS) is investigated using fluorimetry and electron paramagnetic resonance to describe the type of radicals present on the surface of GO. The mechanism of ROS formation involves a charge transfer from the material to the oxygen present in the media, via the production of superoxide and singlet oxygen. Cytotoxicity and effects of ROS generation are then evaluated using breast cancer cells, evidencing a concentration dependent cell death associated to the heat and ROS. The study provides new hints to understand the photogeneration of radicals on the surface of GO upon near infrared irradiation, as well as, to assess the impact on these radicals in the context of a combined drug delivery system and phototherapeutic approach. These discoveries open the way for a better control of phototherapy-based treatments employing graphene-based materials.     

Detection of Radioactive Gas with Scintillating MOFs

Homogenous radioactive gas contamination constitutes the hardest challenge for radioprotection due to its elusive nature. Most common radioactive gas are ⁸⁵Kr, ²²²Rn, and tritiated (³H) vapors. Each of them has different challenges, often leading to specialized single-gas detectors. The state-of-the-art detection either produces chemical-radiological waste, is hard to implement online, or requires large volume. A new paradigm is presented for radioactive gas detection that can perform online detection on any gas and fit in the hand. This study use photoluminescent metal organic frameworks (MOFs) as both porous gas sponges and scintillators. The response of several zinc based MOF is studied, using a unique radioactive gas test bench. These tests showed that MOFs are able to both concentrate and detect successfully ⁸⁵Kr. The investigation is completed with calibration with different activities. The study also reports detection of ²²²Rn, and measurement of its half-life. Finally, the study is completed with the successful detection of tritiated dihydrogen, commonly known to be a hard radionuclide to detect due to its low energy and penetration range. This paper shows that scintillating MOFs are a powerful solid-state approach and a practical solution to the challenge of radioactive gas measurements.     

Conceptualizing access to and understanding of information

Universal Access in the Information Society - Many citizens face situations where they have difficulty accessing and understanding information, particularly due to insufficient literacy skills....