The use of natural (Pinus pinaster) resin in the production of printing ink and the printability effect

Alkyd resins are generally used in the production of printing inks. All industries look for alternative raw materials in the production of ink with the growing inclination toward using natural products. Resins forming the vehicle of the ink to be obtained from natural resources will provide benefits for the environment, nature, and living creatures. The aim of the study was to promote the use of natural resin in the ink system. Natural Pinus pinaster resin was added into vegetable and mineral oil-based solvents in pure form with alkyd resin in different amounts and ink varnishes of different combinations were prepared. Then, printing inks were produced from these varnishes in pure and hybrid form. Following the assessment of the rheological properties of the inks prepared, printing tests were conducted to assess the printing quality parameters. Ideal mixing ratios of the natural resins in the ink were determined for printability. The environmental importance and advantages of the use of natural resins were discussed. Recommendations were given in line with the results to encourage widespread use of natural resins in near future.     

Qualitative Differences Between Conscious and Nonconscious Processing? On Inverse Priming Induced by Masked Arrows.

In general, both consciously and unconsciously perceived stimuli facilitate responses to following similar stimuli. However, masked arrows delay responses to following arrows. This inverse priming has been ascribed to inhibition of premature motor activation, more recently even to special processing of nonconsciously perceived material. Here, inverse priming depended on particular masks, was insensitive to contextual requirements for increased inhibition, and was constant across response speeds. Putative signs of motor inhibition in the electroencephalogram may as well reflect activation of the opposite response. Consequently, rather than profiting from inhibition of primed responses, the alternative response is directly primed by perceptual interactions of primes and masks. Thus there is no need to assume separate pathways for nonconscious and conscious processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prioritization methodology of dangerous substances for water quality monitoring with scarce data

Monitoring and control of dangerous substances discharged into receiving waters have attracted more attention lately. Since it is not possible to analyze every single substance, a prioritization methodology is needed for the selection of those to be monitored. Existing well-developed models require significant amount of data for reliable outcomes. This paper presents a methodology to prioritize the dangerous substances having adverse effects on freshwaters in Turkey, where data are scarce. Such a methodology will also serve as a solid model for other countries with limited background data. The adopted methodology enabled the elimination of chemicals to generate a candidate list composed of 608 substances among more than 5000 substances. Further screening and prioritization were conducted using different assessment methods (i.e., Total Hazard Value, Total Impact Value, Combined Monitoring-based, and Modelling-based Priority Setting) to obtain a proposed Final Candidate Specific Pollutants List of 150 dangerous substances. The proposed Candidate National Pollutant List of Turkey was established by combining 45 priority pollutants of the European Union with a list of candidate specific pollutants. According to the outcomes of this study, monitoring and controlling of 195 dangerous substances in freshwaters are recommended. Further detailed studies should be conducted in order to observe the actual levels of these dangerous substances in freshwaters followed by a review of the monitoring list accordingly. Moreover, further revisions might be required in the proposed list due to some possible versatile conditions in terms of sampling points (i.e., change in the location of industries).     

Synthesis of novel acrylic modified water reducible alkyd resin: Investigation of acrylic copolymer ratio effect on film properties and thermal behaviors

New four‐component water reducible acrylic modified alkyd resins that are based on 1,3‐propanediol and contain different ratios of acrylic copolymer (AC) were synthesized by using a novel four‐stage fatty acid method. The final content of solids in the water reducible acrylic modified alkyd resins was 60% by weight. After the modified alkyd resin films were cured at 150°C for 1 h, it was observed that the use of AC as the modifier component had improved their physical and chemical surface coating properties and thermal behaviors. Experimental results show that the optimum AC ratio is 40% of the equivalent amount of AC to alkyd resin. Low‐volatile organic compounds (VOC) content water reducible acrylic modified alkyd resins yielded soft and flexible films with high chemical/thermal resistance, suitable for manufacturing of surface coating binders. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:947–954, 2016. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Poly(ε‐caprolactone) composites containing gentamicin‐loaded β‐tricalcium phosphate/gelatin microspheres as bone tissue supports

In this work, novel antibacterial composites were prepared by using poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) as the main matrix material, and gentamicin‐loaded microspheres composed of β‐tricalcium phosphate (β‐TCP) and gelatin. The purpose is to use this biodegradable material as a support for bone tissue. This composite system is expected to enhance bone regeneration by the presence of β‐TCP and prevent a possible infection that might occur around the defected bone region by the release of gentamicin. The effects of the ratio of the β‐TCP/gelatin microspheres on the morphological, mechanical, and degradation properties of composite films as well as in vitro antibiotic release and antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were investigated. The results showed that the composites of PCL and β‐TCP/gelatin microspheres had antibacterial activities for both bacteria. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Transmutation-incineration potential of transuraniums discharged from PWR-UO2 spent fuel in modified PROMETHEUS fusion reactor

This study presents the potential of the burning and/or transmutation (B/T) of transuraniums (TRUs), discharged from the pressured water reactor PWR-UO₂ spent fuel, in the modified PROMETHEUS-H fusion reactor. Two different design shapes (Models A and B) were considered. The transmutation zone (TZ), which contains the mixture of TRU nuclides (10%), was located in the modified blankets. The volume fraction of Pu in the mixture is raised from 0 to 40% stepped by 10% to determine its effect on the B/T. The fuel spheres were cladded with SiC (5%) and cooled with high-pressured helium gas (85%) for nuclear heat transfer. The calculations were performed for an operation period (OP) of up to 10 years by 75% plant factor (η) under a neutron wall load (P) of 4.7 MW/m². The results bring out that: (1) the Model B transmutes the TRUs more rapidly than the Model A; (2) the effective half-lives decrease about 20 and 40% with the increase of Pu fraction in the cases of Models A and B, respectively; (3) the M values are quite high with respect to the M value of the original PROMETHEUS fusion reactor; (4) the blankets can produce substantial electricity in situ.