From coffee industry waste materials to skin‐friendly products with improved skin fat levels

Spent coffee grounds (SCG), which are the residue obtained from the treatment of coffee with hot water or steam, can be used for industrial applications, due to the high content in lipids. The cosmetic products might be a suitable application for these types of residues because the barrier properties of the stratum corneum (SC) are largely dependent on the intactness of the lipid lamellae that surrounds the corneocytes. The purpose of this work was to assess the feasibility of using the lipid fraction of SCG extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide in the development of new cosmetic formulations with improved skin lipids (sebum) and hydration. The use of spent coffee lipid extract in cosmetic industry seems to be a suitable approach to recycle the wastes from coffee industry. Emulsion containing 10% of the lipid fraction of SCG (SpentCofOil cream) presented promising characteristics in the improvement of sebum skin levels with a good acceptance by consumers when compared to an emulsion containing 10% w/w of green coffee oil (GreenCofOil cream) and a placebo without coffee oil (NoCofOil cream). Practical applications: In this work, the authors develop and characterize a cream containing 10% of the lipid fraction of SCG extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide with improved skin lipids (sebum) and hydration.     

The effects of changes in the UK energy demand and environmental legislation on atmospheric pollution by carbon dioxide

It has been demonstrated that the combustion of fossil fuel accounts for 97% of the carbon dioxide generated in the UK. The demand for primary energy over the 1970–1994 period has only marginally increased, however the demand for natural gas which has a significantly lower carbon content per unit of energy than other fuels accounts largely for the lowering of carbon dioxide emissions. The enactment UK/EU Environmental Legislation coupled with World Agreements accounts for a significant lowering of carbon dioxide emissions over this period. Future predictions suggest that a further downturn in carbon dioxide emissions will take place over the 1990–2000 period, followed by a pronounced increase over the 2000–2020 period. The expansion of the use of CCGT and/or the introduction of the IGCC and the SUPC in the power generating sector provides an opportunity for a further reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.©     

Corrosion of Steel Reinforcement in Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Wrapped Concrete Cylinders

The rehabilitation, repair, and strengthening of concrete structures has increased worldwide with a growing number of systems employing externally applied fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. However, the service life and effectiveness of FRP repair and strengthening techniques when applied to concrete in corrosive marine environments is still not well understood. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the corrosion performance of embedded steel reinforcement in cylindrical reinforced concrete specimens with 13 different surface treatment options. Samples were subjected to an impressed current and a high salinity solution. Test variables included the type of epoxy, wrap fiber orientation, and the number of wrap layers. Samples were evaluated for corrosion activity by monitoring corrosion potentials and impressed current flow levels, and by examining reinforcement mass loss and concrete chloride content among samples. Test results indicated that FRP wrapped specimens had prolonged test life, decreased reinforcement mass loss, and reduced concrete chloride content. The performance of wrapped specimens was superior to that of either control samples or those coated only with epoxy. Epoxy type had a significant effect on the performance of samples regarding their resistance to corrosion. It was concluded that carbon FRP wraps were able to confine concrete, slowing deterioration from cracking and spalling and inhibiting the passage of salt water.     

Performance assessment of intelligent distributed systems through software performance ontology engineering (SPOE)

In the computer science community there is a growing interest in the field of Ambient Intelligent Systems. This systems surround their human users with computing and networking technology unobtrusively embedded in their environment. This technology is aimed to provide the users with useful information and to take action to make the environment more convenient for them. As the number of users increases the resources that make Ambient Intelligence possible can be easily saturated making the system unstable and projecting an image of poor QoS to the users. The main goal of this paper is to provide the means for the Ambient Intelligent Systems to monitor themselves and take corrective action automatically if performance starts to drop. Our approach uses a Performance Ontology that structures the knowledge about Software Performance Engineering, and a reasoning engine that acts like an expert system with the Performance Ontology as its foundation. The case study at the end shows the applicability of the developed techniques.     

Development and physico-mechanical characterization of carrageenan and poloxamer-based lyophilized matrix as a potential buccal drug delivery system

Context and objectives: The buccal mucosa presents a unique surface for non-invasive drug delivery and also avoids first-pass metabolism. The objective of this study was the formulation development of polymeric mucoadhesive lyophilized wafers as a matrix for potential buccal drug delivery.

Materials and methods: Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to develop an optimum freeze-cycle, incorporating an annealing step. The wafers were prepared by lyophilization of gels containing three polymers, κ-carrageenan (CAR 911), poloxamer (P407) and polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG 600). The formulations were characterized using texture analysis (for mechanical and mucoadhesion properties), hydration studies, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), DSC, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Results and discussion: DSC showed the eutectic temperature (12.8?°C) of the system where the liquid solution and pure solids both existed at a fixed pressure which helped determine the freeze-annealing cycle at 55?°C for 7?h. Mechanical resistance to compression, hydration and mucoadhesion studies showed that optimized wafers were obtained from aqueous gels containing 2% w/w CAR 911, 4% w/w P407 and 4.4% w/w PEG 600. TGA showed residual water of approximately 1% and SEM showed a porous polymeric network that made ease of hydration possible.

Conclusions: Lyophilized wafers by freeze-drying gels containing 2% w/w CAR 911, 4% w/w P407 and 4.4% w/w PEG 600 with optimum physico-mechanical properties has been achieved.     

Groundwater or floodwater? Assessing the pathways of metal exports from a coastal acid sulfate soil catchment

Daily observations of dissolved aluminum, iron, and manganese in an estuary downstream of a coastal acid sulfate soil (CASS) catchment provided insights into how floods and submarine groundwater discharge drive wetland metal exports. Extremely high Al, Fe, and Mn concentrations (up to 40, 374, and 8 mg L(-1), respectively) were found in shallow acidic groundwaters from the Tuckean Swamp, Australia. Significant correlations between radon (a natural groundwater tracer) and metals in surface waters revealed that metal loads were driven primarily by groundwater discharge. Dissolved Fe, Mn, and Al loads during a 16-day flood triggered by a 213 mm rain event were respectively 80, 35, and 14% of the total surface water exports during the four months of observations. Counter clockwise hysteresis was observed for Fe and Mn in surface waters during the flood due to delayed groundwater inputs. Groundwater-derived Fe fluxes into artificial drains were 1 order of magnitude higher than total surface water exports, which is consistent with the known accumulation of monosulfidic black ooze within the wetland drains. Upscaling the Tuckean catchment export estimates yielded dissolved Fe fluxes from global acid sulfate soil catchments on the same order of magnitude of global river inputs into estuaries.