Surface photostabilization of polystyrene by Tinuvin 1577

The effect of a new hydroxyphenyltriazine additive (Tinuvin 1577) on the surface photooxidation of polystyrene films at various concentrations of the additive was studied using ESCA spectroscopy. The accelerated weathering was run in a Xenotest apparatus to mimic outdoor conditions. The presence of Tinuvin 1577 effectively inhibited the surface photooxidation of polystyrene. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 1251–1256, 1998     

Force polytope and force ellipsoid for redundant manipulators

Evaluation of force/motion capabilities for a manipulator is useful both in the design phase and in the operational phase. Manipulability ellipsoids and polytopes are well-known tools used to represent these capabilities graphically. This article focuses on the evaluation of force capabilities for redundant manipulators, for which additional constraints must be imposed on the available joint torques to satisfy the static assumption. An algorithm to correctly evaluate the task space force polytope is given and a new definition of the force ellipsoid is proposed. The obtained results can be applied also to nonredundant manipulators in singular configurations. Numerical results are provided in the case of a planar redundant arm. ©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Long-Term Cell Suspension Culture and Regeneration of the Single-Leafed Strawberry Fragaria vesca monophylla

Cell suspensions have been used for obtaining somaclonal variability and for the production of secondary metabolites, such as aroma compounds, natural dyes and drugs. Undifferentiated growing cells completely lose their regeneration capacity due to the formation of cells with abnormal DNA content during this phase. Callus culture of Fragaria vesca monophylla was obtained on agarised media supplemented with different growth regulators. Afterwards, a stable cell suspension was obtained on an SH (1972) medium supplemented with BSAA 0·25 mg litre⁻¹ and BA 0·1 mg litre⁻¹. The cells were poured onto an agarised regeneration medium, where it was possible to obtain regenerants. This is the first report of a stable cell suspension of a diploid Fragaria and regeneration after 2 years of unorganised cell culture.     

Analysis of Residual Stresses and Dislocation Density of AA6082 Butt Welds Produced by Friction Sir Welding

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The Friction Stir Welding (FSW) method was employed to join AA6082 sheets. The welds were produced with different tool traverse speed (200 and...     

Some considerations concerning lubrication in high‐performance internal combustion engines

The increasing rotational speeds and the weight reduction of high‐performance internal combustion engines are accompanied by problems of lubrication, heat transfer, and vibration that are mostly negligible in medium‐ and low‐performance engines. To deal with such phenomena under demanding operating conditions necessitates a specific design. The dynamics of the power system between crankshaft and related sub‐components, e. g., bending and torsional vibrations of the connecting rod, ovalisation of the head and eye of the connecting rod, and vibrations of thin cylinder liners, are critical for the lubrication system in general, and for oil film pressure fields in particular. In some cases, no information on these features has existed until now, so no quantification of the variables involved has been possible. Over the last few years a systematic investigation has been performed to take into account the critical points and their fundamental importance in the design of such engines. The present paper considers some of the phenomena related to lubrication in high‐performance engines. The need is highlighted for further investigations using computational and experimental methodologies.     

Milling performance and bread-making aptitude of the new soft kernel durum wheat variety Faridur

Faridur is the first ‘soft kernel’ durum wheat variety released in Italy. This variety has not yet been evaluated for its end-use quality. In the present study, the milling performance (using two different mills) and bread-making ability of Faridur were compared with Svevo. An effect of the mill type on flour properties was observed, with the Chopin CD1 mill leading to finer particle size, higher starch damage and water absorption than Bühler MLU 202. Protein and gluten content was significantly higher in Faridur, but gluten quality was lower, as indicated by alveograph and farinograph analyses. The softer nature of Faridur facilitated milling, reducing energy consumption and starch damage. The baking test led to a compact product, with low specific volume, needing adjustments in processing and formulation. As energy saving has become a key competitive factor in the milling sector, Faridur has potential for expanding the use of durum wheat.     

Hydrogen-Based Direct Reduction of Iron Oxides Pellets Modeling

The present study deals with the analyses of the direct reduction kinetics during the hydrogen reduction of industrial iron oxide pellets. Various types of pellets with different percentage of total iron content and metal oxides are examined. They are reduced at different temperatures and pressure (700–1100 °C and 1–6 bar) in hydrogen atmosphere. The reduction behavior is described in terms of time to reduction, rate of reduction, and kinetics constant. All the obtained results are analyzed through the employment of a commercial multiobjective optimization tool to precisely define the weight that each single parameter has on the reduction behavior. It is shown that from the point of view of the processing conditions, temperature is the main factor influencing the time to total reduction. From the point of view of the pellets properties, it is mainly influenced by the total iron percentage and then by porosity and basicity index. Also, the kinetics behavior is largely influenced by the reduction temperature even if it is mainly governed by the porosity and pores size from the point of view of the reduced pellets. The reduction rate is also mainly influenced by temperature and then by iron percentage, gas pressure, basicity index, and porosity.     

Evaluating the Efficiency of Chitosan-Graphene Oxide Hybrid Hydrogels as Drug Delivery Systems

With the objective of creating an electro-responsive and antimicrobial device suitable as delivery system for Rose Bengal (RB) to the skin, a hybrid hydrogel combining Chitosan (CS) and Graphene Oxide (GO) are designed, serving as functional polymer support and active filling element, respectively. The hybrid system, synthesized using tripolyphosphate as a crosslinker via ionic gelation, shows a uniform and homogeneous surface, as verified by SEM investigations, high biocompatibility when tested on human fibroblast lung cells MRC-5 cells, and biodegradability in phosphate buffered medium at physiological pH. Drug loading and release experiments, extensively analyzed using suitable mathematical modeling, shows the enhancement of the binding efficiency conferred by GO (534 and 979 mg g⁻¹ for blank and hybrid hydrogels, respectively) and an electro-responsive behavior (maximum BR release of 36 and 23% at 0 and 12 V, respectively). Additionally, hybrid hydrogel is found to prevent the adhesion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and to kill the bacterial cells by taking advantage of the sustained release of the antimicrobial RB.     

Conformationally Constrained Sialyl Analogues as New Potential Binders of h-CD22

Here, two conformationally constrained sialyl analogues were synthesized and characterized in their interaction with the inhibitory Siglec, human CD22 (h-CD22). An orthogonal approach, including biophysical assays (SPR and fluorescence), ligand-based NMR techniques, and molecular modelling, was employed to disentangle the interaction mechanisms at a molecular level. The results showed that the Sialyl-TnThr antigen analogue represents a promising scaffold for the design of novel h-CD22 inhibitors. Our findings also suggest that the introduction of a biphenyl moiety at position 9 of the sialic acid hampers canonical accommodation of the ligand in the protein binding pocket, even though the affinity with respect to the natural ligand is increased. Our results address the search for novel modifications of the Neu5Ac-α(2-6)-Gal epitope, outline new insights for the design and synthesis of high-affinity h-CD22 ligands, and offer novel prospects for therapeutic intervention to prevent autoimmune diseases and B-cell malignancies.