Evaluation of direct light processing for the fabrication of bioactive ceramic scaffolds: Effect of pore/strut size on manufacturability and mechanical performance

Bioactive ceramic scaffolds for bone regeneration consisting of a three-dimensional mesh of interpenetrating struts with square section were fabricated via Digital Light Processing (DLP). The ability of the technique to manufacture 3D porous structures from β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) powders with different dimensions of struts and pores was evaluated, identifying the possibilities and limitations of the manufacturing process. Small pore sizes were found to seriously complicate the elimination of excess slurry from the scaffold’s innermost pores. The effect of the strut/pore size on the mechanical performance of the scaffolds under compressive stresses was also evaluated, but no significant influence was found. Under compressive stresses, the structures resulted weaker when tested perpendicularly to the printing plane due to interlayer shear failure. Interlayer superficial grooves are proposed as potential failure-controlling defects, which could also explain the lack of a Weibull size effect on the mechanical strength of the fabricated DLP scaffolds.     

Quality enhancement of the abundant under‐valued crustacean,lobster krill (Munida spp.), during its chilled storage

Lobster krill (Munida genus) represents an under‐valued crustacean frequently caught on European fishing banks. In this work, its sensory, microbiological and biochemical qualities were evaluated during chilled storage. Additionally, the effects of a prestorage antimelanosic treatment consisting of soaking in sodium metabisulphite (SMB) solutions at two different concentrations (0.25% and 0.75%) were also studied. SMB prestorage treatment provided lobster specimens that still exhibited acceptable sensory quality after 10 days of storage, while control specimens were unacceptable at that time. SMB treatment also resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) inhibition of microbial growth, mainly of Enterobacteriaceae, psychrotrophes and proteolytic bacteria. Low lipid oxidation levels were observed for all batches; however, a significantly higher (P < 0.05) retention of polyunsaturated fatty acids was found in SMB‐treated lobster, especially in the 0.75% SMB batch. The results presented here open the way to the potential commercialisation of currently under‐utilised lobster krill as a chilled product.     

Real‐time monitoring by proton relaxometry of radical polymerization reactions of acrylamide in aqueous solution

The potential of time‐domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD‐NMR) for the real‐time monitoring of solution radical polymerizations is demonstrated. A model system composed of a redox‐pair initiator system, acrylamide as monomer and water as solvent was investigated. A second‐generation continuous wave free precession technique was employed to measure the longitudinal relaxation time constant (T₁) of the samples throughout the polymerization reactions. This parameter was shown to be sensitive to the reactant feed free‐radical enhancement of the water molecule relaxation time, making it a good probe to monitor monomer conversion in real time in an automated, non‐destructive fashion. It was found that the T₁ value was better than the transverse relaxation time constant (T₂) for describing the evolution of the polymerization reactions, due to its greater sensitivity to paramagnetic effects. The TD‐NMR signal variation observed was linked to the formation, propagation and termination steps of the radical polymerization kinetics scheme. These first results may contribute to the application of real‐time monitoring of radical polymerization reactions employing low‐cost and robust TD‐NMR spectrometers. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Inferring kinetic dissolution of NaCl in aqueous glycol solution using a low-cost apparatus and population balance model

An experimental methodology for inferring brine dissolution rate in monoethylene glycol (MEG) solutions at different temperatures using a webcam combined with a mathematical model is presented. The measurement system is designed to track the RGB (red, green, and blue) colour variations during the dissolution process. A dynamic model augmented with the population balance equation is applied to describe the dissolution process. Moreover, the dissolution rate is consistently related to the temperature and MEG concentration through the driving force based on the Gibbs energy and chemical affinity. The applied low-cost measurement apparatus proved to be a useful resource for tracking the dissolution dynamics in a wide range of undersaturation.     

Unplanned pregnancy in Portugal

Cyclo 3 Fort is used in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency. In this study, the effects of Cyclo 3 Fort, 2, 10 and 50 mg/kg, were studied in cheek pouch preparations from diabetic hamsters. The mean arteriolar diameter in animals receiving Cyclo 3 Fort, 10 and 50 mg/kg, was significantly greater than in control animals (p < 0.05), and the mean venule diameter was significantly lower in animals receiving the 50 mg/kg dose than in the control group. This suggests that Cyclo 3 Fort, 50 mg/kg/day, has a venotonic effect in diabetic animals. The venoarteriolar reflex was studied by measuring the internal diameter of arterioles during venular occlusion. The reflex was impaired in animals treated with either placebo or 2 mg/kg, but this was reversed by treatment with Cyclo 3 Fort, 10 and 50 mg/kg.     

The impacts of a GTL plant on Brazil's oil products supply and refinery expansion

This paper assesses the impacts of a GTL plant on the expansion of Brazil's oil refining segment. The GTL plant (50,000 bpd) was sized to start up operations in 2015, producing diesel and naphtha through the indirect route (FT-synthesis). This plant will consume the non-associated natural gas production from the recent discoveries at the Santos Basin (around 419 Bm³), and the associated gas production from the Campos Basin. Both basins are located in the Southeast of Brazil, the most populated, rich and industrialized region of the country. Two different criteria for refinery expansion were simulated in order to meet oil product demand scenarios. Findings show that depending on the refinery expansion criteria considered GTL will play a fundamental hole to meet the oil product demand forecast to Brazil in the next 10 years.     

Programmable analogue VLSI implementation for asymmetric sigmoid neural activation function and its derivative

A new CMOS VLSI implementation of an asymmetric programmable sigmoid neural activation function, as well as of its derivative, is presented. It consists of two coupled PMOS and NMOS differential pairs with different programmable bias currents that set the upper and lower limits of the sigmoid. The circuit works in the weak inversion region, for low power consumption and exponential envelope, or in strong inversion to achieve higher speeds. The results obtained from the theoretical transfer function, and from the simulations of the circuit implemented in AMI's 0.35 /spl mu/m technology, show a very good match.     

Sequential batch reactor for eucalypt kraft pulp effluent treatment with Trametes versicolor

BACKGROUND: A sequential batch reactor (SBR) was used for eucalypt kraft pulp effluent treatment with Trametes versicolor. A 2³ full factorial design and response surface methodology were applied to optimise the batch fermentation conditions. Effluent concentration, culture medium and inoculum age were the factors selected for this study in order to optimise the reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD). RESULTS: The presence of Trametes Defined Medium (TDM) in the fermentation was required to obtain a significant COD reduction. Experiments in the batch reactor confirmed, in general, the predicted results of optimisation developed from Erlenmeyer batch assays. The T. versicolor culture remained active during 42 days of study in the SBR, providing approximately 80% of COD reduction. CONCLUSION: Trametes versicolor may be considered as very promising for the biological treatment of effluents from kraft pulp mills in an SBR system instead of the activated sludge mixed cultures traditionally used. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry