The activities of sulfide and oxide components and the solubility of oxygen in copper-iron-sulfur-oxygen mattes at 1300 °C

The activities of iron and copper and the solubilities of oxygen in copper-iron-sulfur-oxygen mattes have been determined by equilibrating mattes with CO−CO₂−SO₂ gas mixtures of fixed partial pressures of oxygen and sulfur and equilibrating a small mass of platinum with the melt. Iron and copper transferred from the matte to form a platinum-iron-copper alloy in which the activities of iron and copper are the same as in the matte. The activities of iron and copper in the matte were then determined from knowledge of the activities of iron and copper in the system platinum-iron-copper. Sulfides ofW _Fe=0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 were studied, whereW _Fe=wt pct Fe/(wt pct Fe+wt pct Cu), and sulfur pressures of 0.005, 0.0158, and 0.025 atm and oxygen pressures of 3.16×10⁻¹⁰, 7.94×10⁻¹⁰, 2.00×10⁻⁹, and 3.16×10⁻⁹ were used. The activity of copper, which varied in the range 0.06 to 0.165, decreases with increasingp _{O 2} at constantW _Fe andp _{S 2} and decreases with increasingp _{S 2} at constantW _Fe and constantp _{O 2}. The activity of iron, which varied in the range 0.002 to 0.06, increases with increasingp _{O 2} at constantW _Fe andp _{S 2} and decreases with increasingp _{S 2} at constantW _Fe andp _{O 2}. The activities of the components Cu₂S, FeS, Cu₂O, FeO, and Fe₃O₄ were calculated from the activities of iron and copper, the partial pressures of oxygen and sulfur, and the approapriate equilibrium constants. The variations of the activities of these components with matte grade, oxygen pressure, and sulfur pressure are presented and discussed. Within the range of experimental conditions studied, the solubility of oxygen in the melts is given by wt pct O=2.59pO₂/0.225pS₂/−0.18 (1+9.0W _Fe)^1.86     

Studies on pectins as potential hydrogel matrices for controlled-release drug delivery

Polymeric hydrogels are widely used as controlled-release matrix tablets. In the present study, we investigated high-methoxy pectins for their potential value in controlled-release matrix formulations. The effects of compression force, ratio of drug to pectin, and type of pectin on drug release from matrix tablets were also investigated. The results of the in vitro release studies show that the drug release from compressed matrix tablets prepared from pectin can be modified by changing the amount and the type of pectin in the matrix tablets. However, compression force did not significantly affect the drug release. The mechanisms controlling release rate were discussed with respect to drug diffusion through the polymer matrices, but may be more complex.     

In vitro human skin permeation and cutaneous metabolism of catechins from green tea extract and green tea extract-loaded chitosan microparticles

Catechins are major antioxidants in green tea (Camellia sinensis or Camellia assamica), but because they do not permeate the skin well, the application of green tea in cosmetic products has so far been limited. This study aims to evaluate the cutaneous absorption of catechins from an extract of green tea and from a green tea extract-loaded chitosan microparticle. The catechin skin metabolism was also examined. The results suggest that chitosan microparticles significantly improve the ability of catechins to permeate skin. The cutaneous metabolism of the catechins significantly affected their permeation profiles. Epicatechin (EC) and epigallocatechin (EGC) penetrated the skin more than epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin gallate (ECG). The galloyl groups in EGCG and ECG were enzymatically hydrolysed to EGC and EC, respectively. Dehydroxylation of catechins was also observed. Chitosan microparticles effectively prevented enzymatic changes of the catechins; therefore, chitosan microparticles are here found to be the promising carriers for enhancing the skin permeation.     

A novel technique for chitosan microparticle preparation using a water/silicone emulsion: green tea model

Many effective methods such as spray drying, coacervation, ionic gelation, solvent evaporation and sieving have been suggested for entrapping bioactive compounds into micro‐ or nanoparticles. However, those methods still have some limitations owing to high temperature requirement, difficulty in particle harvesting or low entrapment for uncharged molecules. In this study, a novel chitosan microparticle preparation method was developed using water‐in‐silicone emulsion technique with green tea extract as a model active compound. Chitosan microparticles of diameter <5 μm were obtained from 2% chitosan solution with tripolyphosphate (TPP) solution as the hardening agent. The size and properties of the particles appeared to depend on several parameters such as TPP, emulsifier concentrations and pH. High concentration of emulsifier led to low encapsulation and particle aggregation. Entrapment efficiency of chitosan microparticles was improved with lower pH of the tripolyphosphate solution [59.94 ± 3.97 of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)] while slowing release of catechins. Epigallocatechin and epicatechin were released almost completely within 2 h under acidic condition whereas EGCG and epicatechin gallate were slowly released. In neutral condition, release of catechins depended on their molecular stabilities. The stabilities of catechins loaded in chitosan microparticles were varied under various temperatures. The degradation of tea catechins increased with temperature. However, the degradation of tea catechins loaded in chitosan microparticles was less than that of free catechins. Thus, the new technique for preparing chitosan microparticles containing heat‐sensitive water soluble green tea extract was successfully developed. The technique is suitable for micro‐encapsulation of hydrophilic compounds into chitosan microparticles with the ease of harvesting technique.     

Determination of saccharin in preserved fruits by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Quantitative analysis of saccharin in preserved fruits was performed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography （HPLC）. The separation was observed on a reversed phase ODS C）8 column （4.6 × 250 mm）. Mobile phase system consisted of ammonium acetate buffer： Methanol （60：40 v/v） at a flow rate of 1.0 mL.min^-1, and UV detector was set at 235 nm. The calibration curve of saccharin was linear in the concentration range between 1 to 100 mg·L^-1）, while the detection limit of saccharin was found to be 0.08 mg.L^-1. The mean value of recovery was 98.24% with standard deviation of0.32% （n=12）. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine the amount of saccharin in 12 preserved fruits, commercially available in Chiang Mai local markets. The results showed that the saccharin contents were found in the range of 6.22-78.60 mg.kg^-1.     

Initial rotor position estimation of a SRM drive installed in an electric vehicle

In this paper an estimation method of the initial rotor position at a stand still condition for switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives is proposed. In the SRM, a rotor shaft is connected to an incremental encoder, thus, only an initial position should be detected to realize smooth start up operation. The proposed method is injecting voltage pulses to all windings and detecting the current and estimating the position based on a simple relation between inductance profile and phase current. With an accurate estimated rotor position, the motor can start smoothly under heavy load. The proposed method is implemented in a 6‐stator‐pole and 4‐rotor‐pole, 1.5 kW switched reluctance motor installed in an electric vehicle. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Initial Rotor Position Estimation for Sensorless Brushless DC Drives

This paper presents a method for determining the initial rotor position of a brushless dc machine at standstill without a position sensor. The key principle of the rotor position estimation is based on the simple detection and comparison of phase voltage and current responses relating to the stator inductance varied with the position of the rotor magnet. In the proposed method, only three voltage-pulse injections are applied, and a 30deg resolution can be achieved. Moreover, no knowledge of machine parameters is required. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by experimental results.