Effect of complexation of oxidised corn starch with mineral elements on physicochemical properties

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of complexation of oxidised starch with mineral elements on its physicochemical properties. Corn starch was oxidised with sodium hypochlorite and, afterwards, modified with ions of potassium, magnesium and iron. Thus, native and modified starches were analysed for: contents of mineral elements, colour parameters (L*a*b*), water binding capacity and solubility in water at temperature of 60 and 80 °C. Thermodynamic characteristics of gelatinisation by DSC, molecular weight distribution by GPC, intrinsic viscosity and pasting properties by RVA were studied. The efficiency of incorporation of metal ions into oxidised corn starch was about 30%, 20% and 20% for potassium, magnesium and iron ions, respectively. The complexation with potassium ions caused the greatest changes in the molecular weight distribution and the intrinsic viscosity of starches and viscosity of starch pastes. Only modification of starch with iron ions affected the colour parameters of the starch. Incorporation of metal ions into starch resulted also in changes in its water binding capacity and solubility in water.     

Semantic word shifts in a scientific domain

Understanding semantic word shifts in scientific domains is essential for facilitating interdisciplinary communication. Using a data set of published papers in the field of information retrieval (IR), this paper studies the semantic shifts of words in IR based on mining per-word topic distribution over time. We propose that semantic word shifts not only occur over time, but also over topics. The shifts are examined from two perspectives, the topic-level and the context-level. According to the over-time word-topic distribution, stable words and unstable words are recognized. The diverging and converging trends in the unstable type reveal characteristics of the topic evolution process. The context-level shifts are further detected by similarities between word vectors. Our work associates semantic word shifts with the evolving of topics, which facilitates a better understanding of semantic word shifts from both topics and contexts.     

Changes in the physical properties of honey powder during storage

Honey powders produced by spray drying with the addition of Arabic gum and sodium caseinate were characterised in terms of the influence of storage time on the following physical properties: particle size, moisture content, water activity, bulk density, flowability and hygroscopicity. The storage affected those properties; after 12 weeks of storage, particle size decreased (except Arabic gum powder treated as a control sample), moisture content and water activity increased, hygroscopicity decreased. Changes in bulk density, particle size and moisture content caused the rise of Hausner ratio value; however, the powders were still characterised by a very good flow properties and low cohesiveness. The colour of reconstituted powders was also affected by storage; in most of samples, the darkening, reduction in redness and yellowness were observed. Colour parameters were the most stable in powders obtained with the addition of 2% w/w of sodium caseinate.     

基于步冷试验的2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V钢母材及焊缝回火脆化研究

对原始态、步冷态、脱脆态和脱脆步冷态2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V钢母材及焊缝冲击试验结果进行分析,得到了母材和焊缝在不同状态下的韧脆转变温度vTr54.2和FATT以及脆化度ΔvTr54.2和ΔFATT。试验结果表明,步冷试验之后,母材发生较低程度脆化或脱脆现象,但是脆化度或脱脆度较低,表明母材具有良好的抗回火脆化性能;经脱脆试验后,母材和焊缝都发生较高程度的脱脆,表明材料的脆化主要是由于回火脆化引起的,脱脆试验使得材料的韧脆转变温度降低;脱脆步冷试验后,焊缝发生较高程度的脆化,焊缝对脱脆步冷试验的敏感性较高,脱脆步冷试验有效促进了焊缝的脆化。在相同脆化条件下,母材的脆化敏感性低于焊缝,焊缝更易发生脆化。     

某含锌锡多金属硫化矿石锌浮选试验研究

某含锌锡多金属硫化矿石Zn、Sn、Fe、S含量分别为6.04%、1.05%、29.33%、19.08%，锌主要以铁闪锌矿、闪锌矿的形式存在，锡主要以锡石的形式存在，铁主要以黄铁矿、磁黄铁矿等形式存在，其中的金属矿物共生关系密切，相互包裹现象普遍。为确保不影响后续选锡，对锌浮选流程进行了试验研究。结果表明：矿石在磨矿细度为-0.074 mm占80%的情况下，采用预先脱硫—锌硫混浮再分离流程处理，在选择硫酸铜为锌矿物活化剂、丁基黄药为捕收剂、松醇油为起泡剂、石灰为黄铁矿抑制剂的情况下，经1段脱硫、2粗1扫锌硫混浮、1粗2精锌硫分离，锌硫分离精选尾矿与锌硫混浮扫选精矿2次精选后锌硫分离，最终获得锌精矿Zn品位47.06%、回收率90.76%，试验指标良好。     

Harmful effects of pyrethroid ester insecticide on the male reproductive system mainly through affecting testicular function and inflammatory markers

Pyrethroid esters are widely used as insecticides worldwide. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the harmful effect of deltamethrin on the male reproductive system through the assessment of reproductive hormones, inflammatory markers, and testicular function. To achieve our aim, eighty male 7-9-week-old, Wistar rats were taken, weighed, and divided into four experimental groups. The first group was kept as a control group, and the other three groups were given deltamethrin orally at different concentrations (0.87, 8.7, and 17.4 mg/kg body weight) for nine weeks. The results indicated that deltamethrin administration associated with a significant decrease in reproductive hormones, especially FSH, LH, and significant elevation in the interleukin 2 (IL2), interleukin 6 (IL6), histamine, and cortisol levels. Also, the significance of inhibition of sperm motility and viability, decreased testis weights, sperm count, and fructose in semen were noted. These findings clarify the harmful effect of deltamethrin on the male reproductive system by producing a significant alteration in reproductive hormones, inflammatory markers as well as testicular function.     

Impact of an Engineered Copper-Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposite and Parent Substrates on the Bacteria Viability,Antioxidant Enzymes and Fatty Acid Profiling

Due to the systematic increase in the production of nanomaterials (NMs) and their applications in many areas of life, issues associated with their toxicity are inevitable. In particular, the performance of heterogeneous NMs, such as nanocomposites (NCs), is unpredictable as they may inherit the properties of their individual components. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to assess the biological activity of newly synthesized Cu/TiO₂-NC and the parent nanoparticle substrates Cu-NPs and TiO₂-NPs on the bacterial viability, antioxidant potential and fatty acid composition of the reference Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis strains. Based on the toxicological parameters, it was found that B. subtilis was more sensitive to NMs than E. coli. Furthermore, Cu/TiO₂-NC and Cu-NPs had an opposite effect on both strains, while TiO₂-NPs had a comparable mode of action. Simultaneously, the tested strains exhibited varied responses of the antioxidant enzymes after exposure to the NMs, with Cu-NPs having the strongest impact on their activity. The most considerable alternations in the fatty acid profiles were found after the bacteria were exposed to Cu/TiO₂-NC and Cu-NPs. Microscopic images indicated distinct interactions of the NMs with the bacterial outer layers, especially in regard to B. subtilis. Cu/TiO₂-NC generally proved to have less distinctive antimicrobial properties on B. subtilis than E. coli compared to its parent components. Presumably, the biocidal effects of the tested NMs can be attributed to the induction of oxidative stress, the release of metal ions and specific electrochemical interactions with the bacterial cells.     

A facile method for preparation of PGS@ZB‐N and gas‐sol alternating synergistic effect for fire resistance of EVA

Through the simple precipitation of palygorskite (PGS) by zinc borate (ZB) (to make PGS@ZB) and the decoration of PGS@ZB by dodecylamine (N), a novel organic‐inorganic@inorganic hybrid flame retardant of PGS@ZB‐N was prepared and was incorporated with ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) to improve its flame retardance. The structure and morphology of PGS@ZB‐N were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and it was confirmed that the PGS@ZB‐N hybrid had been successfully prepared. The flame retardancy and burning behavior of EVA/PGS@ZB‐N/EG (EG = expandable graphite) composite were studied through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL‐94 (by the vertical burning test), and cone calorimeter test (CCT) characterizations. The prepared EVA/PGS@ZB‐N/EG composite obtained an LOI value of 41.2% with the addition of 30 wt% PGS@ZB‐N/EG. It was found that EVA/PGS@ZB‐N/EG was protected through a gas phase and condensed phase alternating synergistic effect mechanism.