Downward Flame Spread Rate Over PMMA Rods Under External Radiant Heating

Fire Technology - There are multiple situations in which fires may occur at environmental conditions that are different than standard atmospheric conditions. Changes in ambient pressure, oxygen...     

Compositional characteristics,texture, shelf-life and sensory quality of snack crackers produced from non-traditional ingredients

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of non-traditional and highly available and nutrient-dense ingredients in the production of value-added crackers. The crackers were prepared by combining partially defatted chia flour, wheat germ, quinoa, and oat. The antioxidant activity and the polyphenol content were 7.0–8.4 times higher in crackers produced with non-traditional ingredients compared to the control snack. The hydroperoxide value indicated a low oxidative deterioration of the oil. The sample with 10% of partially defatted chia flour was selected for shelf-life test under storage conditions and sensory evaluation. Modified atmosphere exerted a protective effect on the lipid stability regardless of the incorporation of BHT to the formulation. All the evaluated attributes scored highly during consumer acceptance. The formulated cracker presented a relevant content of protein, dietary fibre and omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. Based on these results, the crackers containing non-traditional ingredients resulted in a product with a good potential for both consumer acceptance and outstanding nutritional benefits.     

Development of a stakeholder identification and analysis method for human factors integration in work system design interventions – Change Agent Infrastructure

In any work system design intervention—for example, a physical workplace re-design, a work process change, or an equipment upgrade—it is often emphasized how important it is to involve stakeholders in the process of analysis and design, to gain their perspectives as input to the development, and ensure their future acceptance of the solution. While the users of an artifact or workplace are most often regarded as being the most important stakeholders in a design intervention, in a work-system context there may be additional influential stakeholders who influence and negotiate the design intervention's outcomes, resource allocation, requirements, and implementation. Literature shows that it is uncommon for empirical ergonomics and human factors (EHF) research to apply and report the use of any structured stakeholder identification method at all, leading to ad-hoc selections of whom to consider important. Conversely, other research fields offer a plethora of stakeholder identification and analysis methods, few of which seem to have been adopted in the EHF context. This article presents the development of a structured method for identification, classification, and qualitative analysis of stakeholders in EHF-related work system design intervention. It describes the method's EHF-related theoretical underpinnings, lessons learned from four use cases, and the incremental development of the method that has resulted in the current method procedure and visualization aids. The method, called Change Agent Infrastructure (abbreviated CHAI), has a mainly macroergonomic purpose, set on increasing the understanding of sociotechnical interactions that create the conditions for work system design intervention, and facilitating participative efforts.     

Nanoconfined (Bio)Catalysts as Efficient Glucose‐Responsive Nanoreactors

Herein, the design, synthesis, and characterization of bifunctional hybrid nanoreactors used for concurrent one‐pot chemoenzymatic reactions are shown. In the design, the enzyme, glucose oxidase, is wrapped with a peroxidase‐mimetic catalytic polymer. Hemin, the organic catalyst, is linked to the flexible polymeric scaffold through coordination to the imidazole groups that hang out the network. This spatial arrangement, which works as a metabolic channel, is optimized for cooperative chemoenzymatic reactions in which the enzyme catalyzes first. A deep characterization of the integrated nanoreactors demonstrates that the confinement of two distinct catalytic sites in the nanospace is very effective in one‐pot reactions. Moreover, besides its role as scaffold material, the polymeric mantel protects both the biocatalyst and the chemical catalyst from degradation and inactivation in the presence of organic solvents. Furthermore, the polymeric environment of the nanoreactors can be tailored in order to trigger the assembly of those into highly active heterogeneous hybrid catalysts. Finally, the new nanoreactors are applied to the efficient degradation of organic aromatic compounds using glucose as the only fuel.     

GOLPH3 Regulates EGFR in T98G Glioblastoma Cells by Modulating Its Glycosylation and Ubiquitylation

Protein trafficking is altered when normal cells acquire a tumor phenotype. A key subcellular compartment in regulating protein trafficking is the Golgi apparatus, but its role in carcinogenesis is still not well defined. Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3), a peripheral membrane protein mostly localized at the trans-Golgi network, is overexpressed in several tumor types including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most lethal primary brain tumor. Moreover, GOLPH3 is currently considered an oncoprotein, however its precise function in GBM is not fully understood. Here, we analyzed in T98G cells of GBM, which express high levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the effect of stable RNAi-mediated knockdown of GOLPH3. We found that silencing GOLPH3 caused a significant reduction in the proliferation of T98G cells and an unexpected increase in total EGFR levels, even at the cell surface, which was however less prone to ligand-induced autophosphorylation. Furthermore, silencing GOLPH3 decreased EGFR sialylation and fucosylation, which correlated with delayed ligand-induced EGFR downregulation and its accumulation at endo-lysosomal compartments. Finally, we found that EGF failed at promoting EGFR ubiquitylation when the levels of GOLPH3 were reduced. Altogether, our results show that GOLPH3 in T98G cells regulates the endocytic trafficking and activation of EGFR likely by affecting its extent of glycosylation and ubiquitylation.     

Ultra-Robust Flexible Electronics by Laser-Driven Polymer-Nanomaterials Integration

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most widely used polymer in the world. For the first time, the laser-driven integration of aluminum nanoparticles (Al NPs) into PET to realize a laser-induced graphene/Al NPs/polymer composite, which demonstrates excellent toughness and high electrical conductivity with the formation of aluminum carbide into the polymer is shown. The conductive structures show an impressive mechanical resistance against >10000 bending cycles, projectile impact, hammering, abrasion, and structural and chemical stability when in contact with different solvents (ethanol, water, and aqueous electrolytes). Devices including thermal heaters, carbon electrodes for energy storage, electrochemical and bending sensors show this technology's practical application for ultra-robust polymer electronics. This laser-based technology can be extended to integrating other nanomaterials and create hybrid graphene-based structures with excellent properties in a wide range of flexible electronics’ applications.     

Polar Lipids Reduce In Vitro Duodenal Lipolysis Rate of Oat Oil and Liquid Oat Base Products

Alternative ways for increased appetite control are today widely sought for due to the growing global health issues connected to obesity. In in vivo studies, oat has been proven an attractive candidate for inducing satiety. Oat is rich in polar lipids, of which the galactolipids are especially interesting, and a hypothesis is that these lipids play an important role for the ileal brake mechanism. In this study, the aim is to investigate the role of polar oat lipids on pancreatic lipolysis rate, using a pH-stat based in vitro digestion model of the duodenum. Lipolysis of oat oil, a mix of oat oil/rapeseed oil (RSO), as well as a liquid oat base (OB) simulating an oat drink with different polar lipid content are investigated, and compared with RSO as control. Increasing the polar lipid content of the product digested leads to a significantly decreased lipolysis rate, and this effect is even observed when mixing RSO with a low amount of oat oil (10%). The results support the hypothesis that polar lipids can delay lipolysis also in a complex, natural system like the liquid OB, and even a minor amount of oat lipids can have large effect on lipolysis rates. Practical applications: The number of studies connecting galactolipids with a decreasing effect on duodenal lipolysis is growing; however, the mechanism behind this phenomenon is still not clarified. Here, the same effect is seen in a complex, natural food system. These findings open up for interesting future food products, where inclusion of oat oil, even at low concentrations, can have a prolonging effect on satiety. Oat for human consumption is an increasing market, thanks to the positive health benefits oat has been connected to, in combination with the current trend toward climate-friendly plant-based options for meat and dairy products. It is believed that oat oil can be attractive as an ingredient in various food products, for example, protein bars and spreads. More studies are needed to confirm the results in vivo. However, a great potential is seen for the use of oat oil to enhance appetite control.     

Production of hydrogen from methanol steam reforming using CuPd/ZrO2 catalysts – Influence of the catalytic surface on methanol conversion and CO selectivity

Electricity generation for mobile applications by proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is typically hindered by the low volumetric energy density of hydrogen. Nevertheless, nearly pure hydrogen can be generated in-situ from methanol steam reforming (MSR), with Cu-based catalysts being the most common MSR catalysts. Cu-based catalysts display high catalytic performance, even at low temperatures (ca. 250 °C), but are easily deactivated. On the other hand, Pd-based catalysts are very stable but show poor MSR selectivity, producing high concentrations of CO as by-product. This work studies bimetallic catalysts where Cu was added as a promoter to increase MSR selectivity of Pd. Specifically, the surface composition was tuned by different sequences of Cu and Pd impregnation on a monoclinic ZrO₂ support. Both methanol conversion and MSR selectivity were higher for the catalyst with a CuPd-rich surface compared to the catalyst with a Pd-rich surface. Characterization analysis indicate that the higher MSR selectivity results from a strong interaction between the two metals when Pd is impregnated first (likely an alloy). This sequence also resulted in better metallic dispersion on the support, leading to higher methanol conversion. A H₂ production rate of 86.3 mmol h^?1 g^?1 was achieved at low temperature (220 °C) for the best performing catalyst.     

Tunable temperature‐ and shear‐responsive hydrogels based on poly(alkyl glycidyl ether)s

We describe the synthesis, characterization and direct‐write 3D printing of triblock copolymer hydrogels that have a tunable response to temperature and shear stress. In aqueous solutions, these polymers utilize the temperature‐dependent self‐association of poly(alkyl glycidyl ether) ‘A’ blocks and a central poly(ethylene oxide) segment to create a physically crosslinked three‐dimensional network. The temperature response of these hydrogels was dependent upon composition, chain length and concentration of the ‘A’ block in the copolymer. Rheological experiments confirmed the existence of sol–gel transitions and the shear‐thinning behavior of the hydrogels. The temperature‐ and shear‐responsive properties enabled direct‐write 3D printing of complex objects with high fidelity. Hydrogel cytocompatibility was also confirmed by incorporating HeLa cells into select hydrogels resulting in high viabilities over 24 h. The tunable temperature response and innate shear‐thinning properties of these hydrogels, coupled with encouraging cell viability results, present an attractive opportunity for additive manufacturing and tissue engineering applications. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry