Effects of mastication on the distribution of molecular weights and on the mechanical properties of native and commercial dental gutta percha (trans-polyisoprene)

Mastication of gutta percha (trans-polyisoprene) resulted in the selective scission of molecules, producing a narrower distribution of lower molecular weights. The mechanical properties of the samples also underwent a significant change due to mastication. The greater the content of incompatible substances (salts and oxides) in commercial gutta percha. the more substantial were these effects. The atmosphere (air, N₂, O₂) in which the experiments were conducted yielded significantly different results. The decrease in molecular weight was far greater in an O₂ atmosphere than under a current of nitrogen or air, owing to the combination of double bonds with O₂.     

Composites of anionic (co)polyamides (nylon 6/nylon 12) with short glass E-fibers. Preparation and properties

The recent high demand of thermoplastic composites has induced an extensive experimentation and utilization of polyamides as thermoplastic sheet composites. The hand layup technique was used for the preparation of the glass fiber polyamide composites studied here. The percentage crystallinity of the composites was determined with a variety of techniques such as differential thermal analysis (DTA), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns, and density measurements. Glass transitions (T_g) and melting temperatures (T_m) were determined with DTA and dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer (DMTA) measurements. Finally, the mechanical properties (stress–strain curves and compression tests) were investigated and the results were correlated to the glass fiber content, and the percentage of the comonomer unit (caprolactam and laurolactam) in the polyamide composite. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Reliability and maintainability analysis to improve the operation of the limoncello production line

The reliability, maintainability, failure rate and repair rate models of a limoncello automated production line for a period of 8 months at machine and entire line level were carried out. It was pointed out that (i) the real operating time of the limoncello production line (LPL) is 89.35%, whereas for the rest 10.65%, the LPL is under repair, (ii) the Weibull distribution provided the best fit of the failure data for the LPL to describe the time‐between‐failures (TBFs), whereas the time‐to‐repairs (TTRs) are lognormal distributed, and (iii) the failure rate of the production line increases, implying that the current maintenance strategy is not adequate and must be improved. This particular methodology can also be utilised in the beverage industry sector by the machinery manufacturers and the manufacturers of bottled products to improve the design and operation management of the bottling production line.     

Diffusion and permeation of gases in undrawn and radially drawn films of native and commercial gutta-percha (trans-Polyisoprene)

The permeability of native and commercial grades of gutta-percha (trans-polyisoprene), was determined and related to diffusion rate both below and above the glass transition temperature (T_g) and the melting point (T_m). Both radially drawn and undrawn membranes were evaluated. Five gases (O₂, N₂, CO₂, H₂ and He) were used as permeants and the measurements were taken both above and below the polymers' crystalline T_m. The diffusivity of the gases was found to have an increased rate above the T_m. The reduction of solubility, diffusivity and permeability with increasing draw ratio was attributed to an increase in crystallinity.     

Consumers' beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards genetically modified foods, based on the 'perceived safety vs. benefits' perspective

It has been repeatedly claimed that the application of genetic engineering in the field of agricultural and food production is both beneficial and advantageous. However, biotechnology is developing in an environment where public concerns about food safety and environmental protection are steadily increasing. The present study aims at gaining an insight into Greek consumers’ beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards genetically modified (GM) food products. The objectives of this study are summarized as follows (i) to provide evidence that consumer beliefs are built around the ‘safety‐benefits’ axis, and (ii) to segment the Greek market in terms of consumer beliefs about GM food products and identify a number of clusters with clear‐cut behavioural profiles. Although the overall attitude of Greek consumers towards GM food is negative, the research very interestingly concludes that there exists a market segment of substantial size, whose beliefs about GM food appears to be positive. This finding suggests that there is not a ‘consensus’ regarding the rejection of GM foods in the Greek market as one might have expected thus ‘encouraging’ the implementation of adequate marketing strategies to target this segment of ‘early adopters’ in the first place.     

Physicochemical and sensory analysis of dry bean landraces in conjunction with multivariate analysis: an exploratory approach

Five landraces of Greek common dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), were analysed for thirteen physico‐chemical and eighteen sensory variables. Brightness, acceptance, odour and hardness were the most important sensory variables for the overall acceptability of the cooked product. Application of principal component analysis revealed a rather weak relationship between the sensory attributes and the physico‐chemical variables. However, a certain grouping of cultivars with corresponding properties [(PC1 vs. PC2, Kastoria with saltiness, hardness, grassiness, intensity, protein and metal; Byzitsa bushy with fat, odour and sourness; Ksanthi and Belestino with tenaciousness, chroma, pH and overall impression), (PC1 vs. PC3 Byzitsa bushy with odour and acridness; Ksanthi with metal, hardness and pH; Kastoria with colour, protein and intensity)] was made. On the contrary, cluster analysis showed a much more satisfactory grouping of dry bean varieties based on their geographical origin. The multiple regression equation explained 72.3% of the variation in total acceptance of dry beans. The relative importance of brightness, acceptance, smell and hardness in predicting the overall impression of dry beans was 13%, 13.7%, 26% and 10%, respectively. These results may indicate that smell, brightness and acceptance are the most important factors determining dry bean total acceptability, so effort should be directed at improving these attributes in an attempt to satisfy consumer experience.