Modified atmosphere packaging of a mixed prepared vegetable salad dish

The aim of this study was to design a modified atmosphere package for a mixed vegetable salad consisting of 75 g of cut carrot, 55 g of cut cucumber, 20 g of sliced garlic and 50 g of whole green pepper. Respiration data of all the components were combined with film permeability data to predict package atmospheres and design optimal packages for experimental testing for improved shelf-life of the produce. The optimal package avoided minimum O₂ and maximum CO₂ tolerance limits, and chilling injury temperatures for any component. A pouch form package made of 27 mm low density polyethylene developed a modified atmosphere of 2.0–2.1% O₂ and 5.5–5.7% CO₂, which was beneficial for all components and provided better quality retention than other test packages.     

The As-prepared surfaces of C-axis-oriented Nd1Ba2Cu3Oy thin films characterized using scanning probe microscopes

Recently, superconducting Nd₁Ba₂Cu₃O_y (Ndl23) thin films with high superconducting transition temperature (T _c) have been successfully fabricated at our institute employing the standard laser ablation method. In this paper, we report the results of surface characterization of the Nd123 thin films using an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope/spectroscopy (UHV-STM/STS) and an atomic force microscope (AFM) system operated in air. Clear spiral pattern is observed on the surfaces of Nd123 thin films by STM and AFM, suggesting that films are formed by two-dimensional island growth mode. Contour plots of the spirals show that the step heights of the spirals are not always the integer or half-integer number of thec-axis parameter of the structure. This implies that the surface natural termination layer of the films may not be unique. This result is supported byI-V STS measurements. The surface morphology of the Nd123 thin films is compared with that of thec-axis-oriented Y₁Ba₂Cu₃S_y thin films. Surface atomic images of the as-prepared Nd123 thin films are obtained employing both STM and AFM. STS measurements show that most of the surfaces are semiconductive. The results of STS measurements together with the fact that we are able to see the surface atomic images using scanning probe microscopes suggest that exposure to air does not cause serious degradation to the as-prepared surfaces of Nd123 thin films.     

Corrosion protection of iron by polypyrrole coatings electrosynthesised from a surfactant solution

This work is a study of the electropolymerisation of pyrrole onto iron electrodes in the presence of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate in a wide pH interval. The characterisation of the films was done using electrochemical techniques, SEM/EDX and IR spectroscopy. We show that it is possible to synthesise homogeneous, adherent and very compact films in the pH range between 7 and 12 under potentiodynamic, galvanostatic and potentiostatic conditions without substrate dissolution. The effects of various parameters on electrodeposition were investigated. The new procedure for the electrochemical synthesis of polypyrrole results in improved anticorrosion properties. The inhibition is proposed to be due to the sum of a repulsion of chloride ions because AOT remains entrapped in the polymer matrix and the presence of the iron oxide. Advantages of the use of surfactants in the electropolymerisation solution are discussed.     

Effect of cationic surfactant and inorganic anions on the electrochemical behavior of carbon steel in formation water

Corrosion behavior of carbon steel in formation water associated crude oil from Egyptian western desert was studied at various concentrations of dodecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (CS) as a cationic surfactant. Polarization curves indicate that CS has a good inhibition efficiency for carbon steel in formation water and behaves as cathodic inhibitor. The inhibition efficiency was found to increase with increase in CS concentration until reaches a maximum constant value corresponding to the critical micelle concentration of CS and decrease with increase in solution temperature. The adsorption of CS follows the kinetic thermodynamic model and Flory-Huggins isotherm. Thermodynamic parameters obtained indicate that that the presence of the CS increases the activation energy. Polarization and Impedance measurements indicate that the addition of KI has a significant synergistic effect with CS and results in increase the inhibition efficiency of CS in formation water.     

Ultrasound‐activated Knoevenagel condensation of malononitrile with carbonylic compounds catalysed by alkaline‐doped saponites

α,β‐Unsaturated nitriles have been synthesized by Knoevenagel condensation of a carbonylic compound with malononitrile, assisted by sonochemical irradiation. Two alkaline‐promoted clays (Li⁺‐ and Cs⁺‐exchanged saponites) have been employed as catalysts. The influence of the carbonylic compound (benzaldehyde or cyclohexanone) and the use of a solvent on the catalytic activity have been studied. Remarkable increase in the conversion values has been found when the reaction is activated by ultrasound, as compared with the thermal activation. In this green, solvent‐free procedure, α,β‐unsaturated nitriles have been produced in very high yields (97%) when the Cs⁺‐saponite is used as catalyst. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nutrient removal performance of an anaerobic–anoxic–aerobic process as a function of influent C/P ratio

The laboratory scale anaerobic–anoxic–aerobic (A²O) process fed with synthetic brewage wastewater was designed to investigate the effects of changing feed C/P ratio on the performance of biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes. In the experiment, the influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration was kept at approximately 300 mg L^?1 while the total phosphorus concentration was varied to obtain the desired C/P ratio. Results showed that when the C/P ratio was lower than 32, phosphorus removal efficiency increased as C/P ratio increased linearly, while when the C/P ratio was higher than 32, the P removal efficiency was maintained at 90–98%, and effluent P concentration was lower than 0.5 mg L^?1. However, regardless of the C/P ratio, excellent COD removal (90% or higher) and good total nitrogen removal (75–84%) were maintained throughout the experiments. It was also found that very good linear correlation was obtained between COD uptake per unit P released in the anaerobic zone and C/P ratio. In addition, the P content in the wasted activated sludge increased with the decrease in the C/P ratio. Based on the results, it was recommended that the wastewater C/P ratio and its effects be incorporated into BNR design and operational procedures, appropriate C/P ratios were used to achieve the effluent treatment goals. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Analysis of supersaturation and nucleation in a moving solution droplet with flowing supercritical carbon dioxide

A supercritical antisolvent (SAS) process is employed for production of solid nanoparticles from atomized droplets of dilute solution in a flowing supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂) stream by attaining extremely high, very rapid, and uniform supersaturation. This is facilitated by a two‐way mass transfer of CO₂ and solvent, to and from the droplet respectively, rendering rapid reduction in equilibrium solubility of the solid solute in the ternary solution. The present work analyses the degree of supersaturation and nucleation kinetics in a single droplet of cholesterol solution in acetone during its flight in a flowing SC CO₂ stream. Both temperature and composition are assumed to be uniform within the droplet, and their variations with time are calculated by balancing the heat and mass transfer fluxes to and from the droplet. The equilibrium solubility of cholesterol with CO₂ dissolution has been predicted as being directly proportional to the Partial Molar Volume Fraction (PMVF) of acetone in the binary (CO₂–acetone) system. The degree of supersaturation has been simulated up to the time required to attain almost zero cholesterol solubility in the droplet for evaluating the rate of nucleation and the size of the stable critical nuclei formed. The effects of process parameters have been analysed in the pressure range of 7.1–35.0 MPa, temperature range of 313–333 K, SC CO₂ flow rate of 0.1136–1.136 mol s^?1, the ratio of the volumetric flow rates of CO₂‐to‐solution in the range of 100–1000, and the initial mole fraction of cholesterol in acetone solution in the range of 0.0025–0.010. The results confirm an extremely high and rapid increase in degree of supersaturation, very high nucleation rates and stable critical nucleus diameter of the order of a nanometre. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Satellite SAR Remote Sensing of Great Lakes Ice Cover,Part 2. Ice Classification and Mapping

During the 1997 winter season, shipborne polarimetric backscatter measurements of Great Lakes (freshwater) ice types using the Jet Propulsion Laboratory C-band scatterometer, together with surface-based ice physical characterization measurements and environmental parameters, were acquired concurrently with Earth Resource Satellite 2 (ERS-2) and RADARSAT Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. This polarimetric data set, composed of over 20 variations of different ice types measured at incident angles from 0° to 60° for all polarizations, was processed to radar cross-section to establish a library of signatures (look-up table) for different ice types. The library is used in the computer classification of calibrated satellite SAR data. Computer analysis of ERS-2 and RADARSAT ScanSAR images of Great Lakes ice cover using a supervised classification technique indicates that different ice types in the ice cover can be identified and mapped, and that wind speed and direction can have an influence on the classification of water as ice based on single frequency, single polarization data. Once satellite SAR data are classified into ice types, the ice map provides important and necessary input for environmental protection and management, ice control and ice breaking operations, and ice forecasting and modeling efforts.     

Pressure infiltration of boron nitride preforms with molten aluminum

The infiltration of compacted cubic BN (cBN) with molten aluminum has been investigated as a potential route for a cheap and easy method of manufacturing cBN/metal composites. CBN compacts have been infiltrated with molten Al at a temperature between 670 and 800 °C and pressure of 15 MPa in vacuum. At these temperatures no pronounced interactions between hexagonal and cubic BN with Al was observed, allowing the complete infiltration of cBN with 12 μm mean grain size. After infiltration at 800 °C, the temperature was increased without pressure to convert aluminum into borides and AlN. The hardness of the resulting materials depends on the content of hexagonal, cubic BN and the rate of conversion of Al into borides and AlN. The infiltration height of less than 1 mm obtained from infiltrating the 3 μm cBN powder green compacts gave a hardness of 22.0 ± 0.6 GPa after heat treatment.     

棕刚玉粉中Al2O3含量分析方法的探讨

对耐火材料——棕刚玉粉的质量分析控制，提出了用实用性的检测方法测定其Al2O3含量。通过与国家标准分析方法的对比试验，证实快速实用分析方法测定棕刚玉粉中Al2O3含量是可行的。