Phytochemicals of ethanolic extract and essential oil of Persicaria hydropiper and their potential as antibacterial agents for food packaging polylactic acid film

This study aims to determine phytochemicals and antibacterial activity of ethanolic extract and essential oil of Persicaria hydropiper, and their potential as antibacterial agents in polylactic acid (PLA) film. The yield of ethanolic extract and essential oil were 11.02 and 0.70%, respectively. Chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, rutin, myricetin and quercetin were detected as major components in the P. hydropiper ethanolic extract, while dodecanal, caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, decanal, α‐caryophyllene, citronellol, heptadecanal, linalool and phytol were detected in the P. hydropiper essential oil. Based on the disc diffusion assay, both ethanolic extract and essential oil of P. hydropiper possessed antibacterial activity against bacteria Staphylococcus aureus only at different concentrations, with minimum inhibitory concentration values: 0.625 and 5 mg/ml, respectively; and minimum bactericidal concentration values: 5 and 40 mg/ml, respectively. However, they found to show antibacterial activity against three bacteria S. aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium at different concentrations and time using time‐kill kinetics assay. Incorporation of ethanolic extract and essential oil in PLA film also exhibited an antibacterial effect against S. aureus. Our findings confirmed the potential use of both P. hydropiper ethanolic extract and essential oil as antibacterial agents in biodegradable PLA film.     

Model-size reduction for the analysis of symmetric structures with asymmetric boundary conditions

A simple computational procedure is presented for reducing the size of the analysis model for a symmetric structure with asymmetric boundary conditions to that of the corresponding structure with symmetric boundary conditions. The procedure is based on approximating the asymmetric response of the structure by a linear combination of symmetric and antisymmetric global approximation vectors (or modes). The key elements of the procedure are (a) restructuring the governing finite element equations to delineate the contributions to the symmetric and antisymmetric components of the asymmetric response, (b) successive application of the finite element method and the classical Rayleigh–Ritz technique. The finite element method is first used to generate a few global approximation vectors (or modes). Then the amplitudes of these modes are computed by using the Rayleigh–Ritz technique. A tracing parameter is introduced which identifies all the contributions to the antisymmetric response. The global approximation vectors are selected to be the solution corresponding to a zero value of the tracing parameter and the various-order derivatives of the solution with respect to this parameter, evaluated at zero value of the parameter. The size of the analysis model used in generating the global approximation vectors is identical to that of the corresponding structure with symmetric boundary conditions. The effectiveness of the computational procedure is demonstrated by means of numerical examples of linear static problems of shells, and its potential for solving non-linear problems is discussed.     

Physicochemical Properties of Carboxy-methylated Sago (Metroxylon sagu) Starch

ABSTRACT: Carboxymethyl starch (CMS) with degree of substitution (DS) ranging from 0.1 to 0.32 was prepared from sago ( Metroxylon sagu ) starch in non-aqueous medium using isopropanol as a solvent. The physico-chemical, rheological, and thermal properties of the starches were investigated. At room temperature (25 °C), CMS hydrated readily, resulting in higher swelling power compared with native (unmodified) starch. Light microscopy revealed that CMS granules imbibed more water than native starch at room temperature and thus caused a larger increase in granule size. Some of the CMS granules lost their integrity. Scanning electron microscopic observation revealed fine fissures on the surface of CMS (DS 0.32) granules compared with a relatively smooth surface of native starch granules. Carboxymethylated sago starch exhibited excellent dispersibility and cold water solubility as judged by the absence of peak viscosity in the pasting profile (determined by Rapid ViscoAnalyzer). Pasting profile of CMS was qualitatively similar to pregelatinized starch. Despite exhibiting greater swelling power, CMS showed significantly lower pasting viscosity compared with the native starch. Intrinsic viscosity was also greatly reduced by carboxymethylation. Studies using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that transition temperatures and enthalpies decreased with an increase of degree of substitution. CMS at higher substitution levels (DS 0.27 and 0.32) showed significantly lower retrogradation tendency, as indicated by lower setback, absence of DSC endotherm upon storage at 4 °C and lower syneresis upon repeated freeze-thaw cycles. The results suggested that retrogradation might be effectively retarded by the presence of the bulky carboxymethyl group.     

Optimum pumping configuration for L-band EDFA incorporating ASE pump source

L-band gain improvement through usage of secondary pumping sources in the form of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) was conducted. A simulation of the three-level rate equation that precedes the experimental approach provides a limited overview of the behavior of various inputs into the active medium-the erbium-doped fiber. Gain improvement as high as 6 dB was attained while incurring minimal noise figure penalty; in this case as low as 1 dB. For an L-band amplifier system employing ASE to improve gain, pumping the system counterdirectionally with ASE while the 980- or 1480-nm pumps are being used in a copropagating configuration would yield the best overall performance in terms of gain.     

Optimisation study of large‐scale enzymatic synthesis of oleyl oleate,a liquid wax ester,by response surface methodology

An optimisation study of the large‐scale enzymatic synthesis of a liquid wax ester from oleic acid and oleyl alcohol using Novozym 435 was carried out. Investigations were performed in batch mode with a stirred tank reactor (STR) with one multi‐bladed impeller. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on a five‐level, three‐variable central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used to evaluate the interactive effects of various parameters. The parameters are amount of enzyme (A) (90–120 g), impeller speed (B) (100–400 rpm) and temperature (C) (40–60 °C). The optimum conditions derived via RSM at a fixed reaction time of 1 h were successfully optimised as A = 104 g, B = 388.0 rpm and C = 49.7 °C. The actual experimental yield was 96.7% under the optimum conditions, which compared well with the maximum predicted value of 97.6%. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Single phase multi color emitting Ca2LuTaO6: Dy3+/Eu3+ double perovskite oxide phosphors

The trivalent rare-earth (RE³⁺) doped phosphors show tremendous achievement in narrow band multicolor line emission for various applications. However, the 4f–4f absorption transition of these ions is forbidden in UV and blue light excitation. Usually, a sensitizer having spin allowed transition was used as a co-dopant to excite these ions via the energy transfer phenomenon. Another approach promisingly using to excite these ions by efficient energy transfer from the intrinsic emission of the Ca₂LuTaO₆ double perovskite phosphors host lattice. Phosphors of Ca₂LuTaO₆ with double perovskite structure were synthesized by using a high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The produced Ca₂LuTaO₆ double perovskite phosphors show an intrinsic broad band emission centered at 424 nm under the excitation of 313 nm UV light. The origin of this broad band blue emission was deeply investigated by using computation and experimental approaches. The trivalent activator Dy³⁺ and Eu³⁺ were doped is a single and co-dopant in the produced Ca₂LuTaO₆ phosphors to check their excitation in UV and near-UV spectral region. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the structure and phase analysis. Various characterizations such as photoluminescence excitation, emission, and CIE chromaticity coordinates were measured which illustrate the potential of Dy³⁺ and Eu³⁺ activated Ca₂LuTaO₆ double perovskite phosphors for narrow band multicolor line emission for various applications.     

Oligomeric Composition of Polyols From Fatty Acid Methyl Ester: The Effect of Ring‐Opening Reactants of Epoxide Groups

Commercial availability of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) from palm oil targeted for biodiesel offers a good feedstock for the production of structurally well‐defined polyols for polyurethane applications. The effect of molecular weight (MW), odd and even carbon numbers, and the linear and branched structure reactants used in the ring‐opening reaction of epoxidized fatty acid methyl ester (E‐FAME) on the properties of polyols was investigated. Conversions of E‐FAME to PolyFAME polyols were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared analysis, oxirane oxygen content, and hydroxyl number. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) calibrated against polyether polyols as a standard and vapor pressure osmometry were used for MW determination. GPC chromatograms of PolyFAME polyols clearly demonstrated the formation of oligomers during ring‐opening reactions. MW, and odd and even carbon numbers in a structure of linear diols and branched diol used in the syntheses of PolyFAME polyols did not have an effect on crystallinity, glass transition, or melt temperatures measured using Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). PolyFAME polyols ring‐opened with water, methanol, and 1,2‐propanediol contained secondary hydroxyl groups, whereas PolyFAME polyols ring‐opened with linear diols contained a mixture of primary and secondary hydroxyl groups. It was found that the concentration of primary hydroxyl groups increased significantly by increasing the number of carbons from C2 to C3 in the linear diols. The viscosity of PolyFAME polyols also increased with the MW of linear diols used in the E‐FAME ring‐opening reaction. These findings would be beneficial for formulators in choosing the most cost effective polyols for polyurethane formulations.     

The categories L-\mathbf{Top}_{0} and L-\mathbf{Sob} as epireflective hulls

We show that the category \(L\) - \(\mathbf{Top}_{0}\) of \(T_{0}\) - \(L\) -topological spaces is the epireflective hull of Sierpinski \(L\) -topological space in the category \(L\) - \(\mathbf{Top}\) of \(L\) -topological spaces and the category \(L\) - \(\mathbf{Sob}\) of sober \(L\) -topological spaces is the epireflective hull of Sierpinski \(L\) -topological space in the category \(L\) - \(\mathbf{Top}_{0}\) .     

The inhibition of mild steel corrosion in phosphoric acid solutions by some N-heterocyclic compounds in the salt form

The effect of some quaternary N-heterocyclic compounds on the corrosion of mild steel in solutions of phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) has been investigated in relation to the concentration of the inhibitor and acid as well as temperature by various monitoring corrosion techniques. Surface morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results obtained revealed that these compounds are good mixed-type inhibitors without changing the mechanism of the corrosion process. In general, at constant acid concentration, inhibitor efficiency increased with concentration of the inhibitor. On the other hand, at constant inhibitor concentration, inhibitor efficiency decreased with concentration of the acid up to a critical concentration above which it started to increase. The studied compounds appeared to function through general adsorption following the thermodynamic-kinetic adsorption isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters were determined and discussed. A quantitative correlation between inhibitor structure and inhibition efficiency was discussed.