Relative effect of particle size on the physical properties of corn meal extrudates: Effect of particle size on the extrusion of corn meal

Corn meal of various particle sizes ranging from 180 to 710 μm were processed in a twin-screw extruder to produce directly expanded extrudates. The extrusion process effects on the specific mechanical energy (SME), expansion indexes (radial, longitudinal and volumetric), pasting viscosity, water absorption index (WAI) texture properties, and microstructure were determined. Increasing the particle size decreased the SME input. Extrudates produced with corn meal of higher particle sizes expanded more than extrudates produced with smaller particle sizes. For all treatments there was no peak viscosity at 95 °C. But expanded corn meal extrudate from the 180 μm fraction showed a discontinuous gel matrix phase. Increasing corn meal particle size decreased WAI values. The mechanical resistance of the extrudates from the smallest particle size was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of the largest particle size. The microstructure of raw corn meal revealed large fractured particles with small rounded particles adhering to the surface.     

Risk factors associated with lameness and hoof lesions in pasture-based dairy cattle systems in southeast Brazil

Cattle lameness is an important welfare concern that also has an economic impact on the dairy industry. It can be a significant problem among pasture-based herds. Our objectives were to identify cow- and herd-level factors related to lameness and hoof lesions in dairy cows grazing year-round in Minas Gerais, Brazil. We performed a cross-sectional study in 48 pasture-based dairy herds, visiting each farm in a single visit. We evaluated 2,262 cows for mobility score (0–3) and 392 cows for hoof lesions. We used a questionnaire and checklist to capture herd management data. All information obtained was used to build multivariable models. The factors associated with lameness were low body condition score, longer time spent in the corral, being kept in paddocks during the drought period, and poor hygiene. For hoof lesions, track features were the most significant factor in determining the likelihood of heel horn erosion, white line fissure, and sole hemorrhage—by more than 3 times. Different factors related to unhygienic conditions such as leg cleanliness, frequency of cleaning, and longer time spent in the corral were associated with infectious hoof lesions. Poor human–animal relationship was related to sole hemorrhage, but patient handling of cows on the track was a protective factor against interdigital hyperplasia. The results of this study suggest that improving hygiene conditions, track features, and cow handling can improve dairy cattle mobility scores in pasture-based farms under tropical conditions. These findings also represent a first step toward planning actions aimed at decreasing lameness and hoof lesions in the studied region.     

Steroid bioconversion: Towards green processes

There is an increasing trend towards reducing the use of organic solvents in industry due to environmental constraints and the adoption of green chemistry guidelines. To overcome the low volumetric productivity of aqueous bioconversion systems involving sparingly water soluble hydrophobic compounds, processes are being developed and designed to incorporate green solvent such as supercritical fluids, ionic liquids and natural oils, and liquid polymers, among others as an alternative to organic solvents. Moreover, processes are developed and redesigned to use/reuse chemicals and reagents derived from waste or renewable feed stocks in order to diminish E-factors.In this work, the use of green solvents as key components in the bioconversion media for a multi-step microbial bioconversion was assessed in a suspended whole cell system, combined with the use of by-products as raw materials, ultimately used as carbon source for cell growth and as sterol substrate for bioconversion. The model system is the selective cleavage of the side-chain of β-sitosterol performed by free resting cells of Mycobacterium sp. NRRL B-3805, a well-established industrial multi-enzymatic process involving the use of nine catabolic enzymes in a 14-step metabolic pathway.Bioconversion yields in silicone media were higher than the ones obtained in polyethylene glycol (PEG), polypropylene glycol (PPG) and ionic liquids, as well as in dioctyl phthalate (DOP), an organic solvent that has previously been shown to allow high conversion yields. Total conversion of 12 mM substrate in silicone media was consistently obtained at the end of 120-h bioconversion runs. Similar bioconversion profiles were attained during a 50-fold scale-up, maintaining constant the power consumption per unit of volume.     

Stability of viscoelastic liquid curtain

Thin liquid sheets occur in several practical applications. In curtain coating, a thin liquid sheet is formed and falls freely over a considerable height before it impinges onto a moving substrate. Precision curtain coating was developed for multi layer photographic films but its use has expanded to many different applications. One of the important limits of this process is the stability of the liquid curtain, which may define the minimal thickness that can be coated at a given web speed.The condition at which a low viscosity Newtonian liquid curtain breaks was first derived based on a simple balance between inertial and capillary forces. There is a critical flow rate below which the curtain becomes unstable. For viscoelastic liquids, the normal stress related to the stretching of polymer molecules as the liquid accelerates down the curtain changes the force balance. Here, the critical condition at which a viscoelastic liquid curtain breaks was determined as a function of the rheological properties of the liquid. The results show that high extensional viscosity liquids create more stable curtains. Liquid additives could be used to push the limits of curtain flow rates to smaller values and consequently to widen the operability window of the process.     

Slot coating flows of non‐colloidal particle suspensions

Slot coating is used in the manufacturing of functional films, which rely on specific particle microstructure to achieve the desired performance. Final structure on the coated film is strongly dependent on the suspension flow during the deposition of the coating liquid and on the subsequent drying process. Fundamental understanding on how particles are distributed in the coated layer enables optimization of the process and quality of the produced films. The complex coating flow leads to shear‐induced particle migration and non‐uniform particle distribution. We study slot coating flow of non‐colloidal suspensions by solving the mass and momentum conservation equations coupled with a particle transport equation using the Galerkin/Finite element method. The results show that particle distribution in the coating bead and in the coated layer is non‐uniform and is strongly dependent on the imposed flow rate (wet thickness). © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 1122–1131, 2017     

Synthetic and Biological Studies of Sesquiterpene Polygodial: Activity of 9‐Epipolygodial against Drug‐Resistant Cancer Cells

Polygodial, a terpenoid dialdehyde isolated from Polygonum hydropiper L., is a known agonist of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). In this investigation a series of polygodial analogues were prepared and investigated for TRPV1‐agonist and anticancer activities. These experiments led to the identification of 9‐epipolygodial, which has antiproliferative potency significantly exceeding that of polygodial. 9‐Epipolygodial was found to maintain potency against apoptosis‐resistant cancer cells as well as those displaying the multidrug‐resistant (MDR) phenotype. In addition, the chemical feasibility for the previously proposed mechanism of action of polygodial, involving the formation of a Paal–Knorr pyrrole with a lysine residue on the target protein, was demonstrated by the synthesis of a stable polygodial pyrrole derivative. These studies reveal rich chemical and biological properties associated with polygodial and its direct derivatives. These compounds should inspire further work in this area aimed at the development of new pharmacological agents, or the exploration of novel mechanisms of covalent modification of biological molecules with natural products.     

去除废水中顽固污染物:染料废水脱色和生物降解的联合处理过程(英文)

While conventional wastewater treatments for urban effluents are fairly routine and have proved highly effective,industrial wastewater requires more complex and specific treatments.This paper provides a technological strategy for removal of recalcitrant contaminants based on a hybrid treatment system.The model effluent containing a binary mixture of synthetic dyes is treated by a combination of a preliminary physicochemical stage followed by a biological stage based on ligninolytic enzymes produced by Phanerochaete chrysosporium.This proposal includes biosorption onto peat as pretreatment,which decreases the volume and concentration to be treated in the biological reactor,thereby obtaining a completely decolorized effluent.The treated wastewater can therefore be reused in the dyeing baths with the consequent saving of water resources.     

Survey and comparison of message authentication solutions on wireless sensor networks

Security is an important concern in any modern network. This also applies to Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), especially those used in applications that monitor sensitive information (e.g., health care applications). However, the highly constrained nature of sensors imposes a difficult challenge: their reduced availability of memory, processing power and energy hinders the deployment of many modern cryptographic algorithms considered secure. For this reason, the choice of the most memory-, processing- and energy-efficient security solutions is of vital importance in WSNs. To date, a number of extensive analyses comparing different encryption algorithms and key management schemes have been developed, while very little attention has been given to message authentication solutions. In this paper, aiming to close this gap, we identify cipher-based Message Authentication Codes (MACs) and Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD) schemes suitable for WSNs and then evaluate their features and performance on a real platform (TelosB). As a result of this analysis, we identify the recommended choices depending on the characteristics of the target network and available hardware.     

Development of α-Tocopherol Acetate Nanoparticles: Influence of Preparative Processes

We studied different methods of preparing α-tocopherol acetate (ATA) nanoparticles, which are to be used in targeting the lungs as aerosols in order to prevent cigarette smoke toxicity. Poly-(lactide) nanoparticles were prepared using nanoprecipitation and solvent evaporation techniques, which produced, respectively, too small and too large nanoparticles to be aerosolized. The emulsification-diffusion method produced 2 months stable nanoparticles with a size between (500–700 nm). Increasing ATA concentration (1–7 mg/mL) induced a decrease in the association rate (97–93%) and in the adsorbed ATA rate (7–4.5%), which was associated with variations of Zeta potentials (?27.5 to ?24.3 mV) and decrease in polymeric wall thickness and density.