Diacylglycerol at 1 or 6% was added into refined bleached and deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) and crystallized from the melt in a thermally controlled water bath at 22°C for 90 min. Slurries were withdrawn after 5, 15, 30, 60 and 90 min of crystallization for solid fat content (SFC) and crystal morphology studies. Crystallization was also performed in a similar manner using a Labmax reactor connected to a FBRM detector to obtain the information on crystal count and size distribution during crystallization. SFC of the slurries increased with increase in crystallization time up to a certain level followed by a plateau. SFC of RBDPO added with DAG was also higher with the increase in percentage of DAG added and no induction time was observed to initiate crystallization in RBDPO added with DAG. The addition of DAG caused rapid crystallization of RBDPO as observed by enhance nucleation and larger crystal size with increase in the percentages of DAG added.
Ni–SiC composite coatings were electrodeposited from a Watts-type bath containing 5 g/l SiC particles in suspension. The particles were dispersed with the aid of mechanical agitation at 75 rpm and 150 rpm. EDX analysis confirmed the existence of Ni and SiC in the coatings. The effects of agitation speed on hardness properties of the coatings were investigated. SEM results showed that lower agitation speed could improve the amount of co-deposited SiC particles and increase the hardness of the composite coatings. The bonding between the Ni metal matrix and the SiC ceramic particles was compact.
The formation of nano pores on aluminum at 30oC- 38oC, employing a one step anodization technique which does not require removing the oxide layer formed is presented. A 20% phosphoric acid electrolyte (concentration higher than the normal anodization concentration of 5 to 10%) at a cell potential of 60 volts was used. A platinum electrode was used as the cathode electrode while the aluminum substrate as the anode electrode. A dc powered electrochemical cell to provide the required amount of current density (without the use of temperature controlled water bath) suitable or necessary for pore formation at room temperature was employed. The results obtained show that pore formation at room temperature is achievable and the pore diameter ranged between 80-120 nm.
Fibre reinforced composites have gained use in a variety of applications. The performances of these composites may suffer when the material is exposed to adverse environments for a long period of time. Kenaf fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composites were subjected to water immersion tests in order to study the effects of water absorption on the mechanical properties. Composites specimens containing (10%, 20%, and 30%) weight percentages of fibre were prepared. Water absorption tests were conducted by immersing these specimens in a distilled water bath at 25oC for four months. The tensile properties of the specimens immersed in water were evaluated and compared with the dry composite specimens. A decrease in the tensile properties of the composites was demonstrated, indicating a great loss in the mechanical properties of the water-saturated samples compared to the dry samples. The percentage of moisture uptake was also increased as the percentage of the fibre weight increased due to the high cellulose content. The water absorption pattern of these composites was found to follow the Fickian behaviour.
Refined bleached and deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) was crystallized from the melt in a thermally controlled water bath at 14 and 22°C for 90 min. Slurries were withdrawn after 5, 15, 30, 60 and 90 min of crystallization for crystal morphology studies. Crystallization was also performed in a similar manner using a Labmax reactor connected to a FBRM detector to obtain the information on crystal count and size distribution during crystallization. Based on the shape of the crystals viewed under the microscope, all crystals appeared as needle shaped spherulitic β´- form at both crystallization temperatures studied. Crystals were slightly larger with increase in crystallization time and at higher crystallization temperature (22°C). Crystals size range between 4.34 to 22.29µm. FBRM recorded high count of crystals with increased in crystallization time and at lower temperature (14°C).
Electrodeposition of white copper-tin alloys (including white miralloys) has been done onto planar mild steel substrates from alkaline cyanide solutions at 65 0 C. The chemical composition of the coating is influenced by plating bath composition and current density. White miralloy can be produced from the test solution containing 10 g/l CuCN2 - , 45 g/l Na2SnO3, 25 g/l NaCN, and 12 g/l NaOH at current density about 5 mA/cm 2 . The local compositions of the coating cross section were analyzed using EDX installed in a FESEM operated at an accelerating voltage of 20 kV. The phases formed during co-deposition process were identified using XRD at 25 mA current and 35 kV voltage.
Nanocrystalline lead sulfide (PbS) thin films have been successfully grown on glass substrate using the chemical bath deposition technique. Microwave oven was used as a heating source to facilitate the growth process of the thin films. Aqueous solutions of lead nitrate Pb(NO3) and thiourea [SC(NH2)2] were used as lead and sulfur ion sources, respectively. Structural, morphological and optical analyses revealed good quality growth of nanocrystalline PbS thin films. This study introduced a facile and low cost method to prepare high quality nanocrystalline PbS thin films in a relatively short growth time for optoelectronic applications.
In this paper, an interactively recurrent functional neural fuzzy network (IRFNFN) with fuzzy differential evolution (FDE)
learning method was proposed for solving the control and the prediction problems. The traditional differential evolution
(DE) method easily gets trapped in a local optimum during the learning process, but the proposed fuzzy differential
evolution algorithm can overcome this shortcoming. Through the information sharing of nodes in the interactive layer,
the proposed IRFNFN can effectively reduce the number of required rule nodes and improve the overall performance of
the network. Finally, the IRFNFN model and associated FDE learning algorithm were applied to the control system of the
water bath temperature and the forecast of the sunspot number. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness
of the proposed method.
Well aligned TiO2 nanotubes were successfully synthesized by anodization of Ti foil at 60 V in a fluorinated bath comprised of ethylene glycol with 5 wt% of NH4F and 5 wt% of H2O2. In order to enhance the visible light absorption and photoelectrochemical response of pure TiO2 nanotube arrays, a mixed oxide system (W-TiO2) was investigated. W-TiO2 nanotube arrays were prepared using radio-frequency (RF) sputtering to incorporate the W into the lattice of TiO2 nanotube arrays. The W atoms occupy the substitutional position within the vacancies of TiO2 nanotube arrays. The as-anodized TiO2 is amorphous in nature while the annealed TiO2 is anatase phase. The mixed oxide (W-TiO2) system in suitable TiO2 phase plays important roles in efficient electron transfers due to the reduction in electron-hole recombination. In this article, the effect of the sputtered W into the as-anodized/annealed TiO2 nanotube arrays on the photoelectrochemical response was presented.
The impact strength of a newly developed experimental polyurethane-based polymer which is derived from palm oil (Experimental PU) was compared with denture polymers; heat-cured and self cured polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and ® Eclipse , light-activated urethane dimethacrylate prosthetic resin system. Ten specimens were ® prepared using heat-cured PMMA (Meliodent Heat Cure, Heraeus Kulzer, Germany), self cured PMMA ® (Meliodent Rapid Repair, Heraeus Kulzer, ® Germany), Eclipse baseplate resin (Dentsply, USA) and Experimental PU material. Specimens were prepared following manu- facturer’s instructions except for the Experimental PU material where it was prepared in bulk and sectioned to the desired dimension, 64 x 6 x 4 mm. A ‘V’ notch of approximately 0.8mm in depth was machine cut across the 6mm width. Prior to the Charpy type impact test, specimens were soaked in a water bath for 50 hours at 37ºC. ® Eclipse baseplate resin showed the highest 2 impact strength (2.73 kJ/m ±0.54) followed by ® 2 Meliodent Rapid Repair (2.50kJ/m ±0.65), ® 2 Meliodent Heat Cure (1.96kJ/m ±0.42) and 2 Experimental PU (1.04kJ/m ±0.29). One-way ANOVA showed significant interaction between materials (p
Utilization of palm kernel expeller (PKE), a palm oil milling by-product, may be diversified through the exploitation of its protein component. The PKE protein could be effectively extracted using an alkaline
solution and followed by enzymatic hydrolysis to produce PKE protein hydrolysates or crude PKE peptide. The extraction of PKE protein was successfully carried out using an alkaline solution at pH11, at ratio of 1:10 (g/ml), PKE powder to alkaline solution with continuous shaking, 150 rpm, in a water bath operating at 50°C for 30 min. The extracted protein powder (PKEP) had 68.50±3.08% crude protein, 0.54±0.03% fat and 0.73±0.02% ash. The freeze-dried PKEP was re-suspend in particular buffer and hydrolyzed with proteolytic enzymes (Alcalase® 2.4L, Flavourzyme® 500MG, pepsin or trypsin) to obtain PKEP hydrolysate (PKEPH). The effect of enzyme concentration (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 & 10%) and time of hydrolysis (0, 6, 12, 24, 48 h) was studied to determine the most efficient hydrolytic conditions. Results showed that all enzymes tested were capable of hydrolyzing the PKEP and producing hydrolysates with different degree of hydrolysis (DH%). At 8.0% concentration, Alcalase®2.4L hydrolyzed PKEP into the highest DH (75.96%) hydrolysate (PKEPH) after 1h hydrolysis. Although only with 2.0% Alcalase 2.4 L concentration, it was sufficient to produce PKEP hydrolysate of 81.35% DH %, but it required 12 h to hydrolyze the protein. Pepsin was relatively the least efficient protease to hydrolyze the PKEP.
The objective of this pilot cross-sectional study was to assess effcacy of training dental officers (DO) and nurses (DN) in the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). A conventional training method of lectures, manual; and md5,0n* exettise was used for bath Lest groups. 30 study models in all grades in the Aesthetic component (AC) and dental health component (DHC) were graded by 27 subjects (13 DO, 14 DN) after training. Results were cnrrlparedfor agreement with an exper; group, Kappa statistic: was used to assess strength in agreement in correct grouping of AC and DHC in the Categorie; gf treatment need, Wilcoxon Rank sum test was used to compare mean kappa and % 0 correct res ames in the test. Spearman rank correlation was used to test association of 11g experience with mean kappa values. There was ‘m0demte’ agreement in correct groupingfor ojjqcers in AC (K=O.5l) and DHC (K`=O.4l); Cmd 'fair’ j‘0'f TluTS€S in AC (K=O.40) and DHC (K:O,34). There was no significant difference between groups. Subjects were better at identifying cases with definite need than little/ borderline need for treatment. There was more inaccurate grading in DHC Gmde+qualifier for both groups (p
Herein, we report on the optimum condition for TiO2, titania nanotubes formation and the effect of annealing on the formation of anatase and rutile titania. Anodic oxidation was carried out in two electrodes bath consisting of 5wt% NH4F ions. The anode was a 0.1mm thick Ti foil and the cathode was Pt electrode. Anodisation was conducted at 20V. The anodised foils were subjected to morphological and structural characterizations. As-anodised foil was found to be amorphous or weakly crystalline. When the oxide was heat treated, x-ray diffraction analysis revealed the presence of (101) anatase at annealing temperature from 400-500°C. This indicates that the transformation occurs at this range of temperatures. Raman spectroscopy analysis showed the diminishing of anatase peaks for samples annealed at 500°C. At above 600°C, x-ray diffraction pattern shows a peak belonging to the rutile peak. Transformation from anatase to rutile is thought to occur at about 500°C with a more complete transformation at higher temperature. Annealing at higher than 600°C induces thickening of the nanotubes wall and at above 700°C, the nanotubes structure has completely disappeared.
A co-deposition of nickel-phosphorus-alumina (NiPA) composite coatings were obtained from an ordinary sulphate-based plating bath consisting of 5 g/l alumina (Al2O3) particles. The particles were dispersed by using mechanical agitation at 125 rpm. The presence of Ni3P and Al2O3 phases in the coatings was confirmed by XRD analysis. SEM/EDX results indicated that a smooth Ni3P coating was obtained and Al2O3 particles were embedded into the coating. Microscopic observation showed that the bonding between the Ni3P metal matrix and the Al2O3 ceramic particles was compact.
Stratified estuaries are home to expanding aquaculture activities whose ecological footprints can be observed through trends in microbial community respiration in the water column. Bottle incubations are widely used to measure water column community respiration in marine and freshwater ecosystems by measuring the flux of dissolved oxygen occurring in the bottle over a period of time. When in situ dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations are markedly different than DO concentration of the incubation medium the potential for diffusion of oxygen across the bottle opening is great and may be especially pronounced in strongly stratified systems with relatively low rates of pelagic oxygen consumption. We incubated 60 Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) bottles filled with sterilized water with DO concentrations ranging from 2.51 mg O2 L-1 to 10.03 mg O2 L-1 for 24 hours in a temperature controlled water bath. There was a significant relationship when DO flux was set as a function of initial DO (DO Flux = -0.0017x + 0.0085, r2 = 0.72, p < 2.2 e-16). DO fluxes ranged from -0.012 mg O2 L-1 hour-1 to 0.005 mg O2 L-1 hour-1 for bottles incubated with initial DO ranging from 10.03 mg O2 L-1 to 3.31 mg O2 L-1, respectively. These results suggest that diffusion across the ground glass seal of BOD bottles is possible and that extra precaution through parallel diffusion controls should be considered when measuring pelagic respiration using BOD bottle incubations in systems with relatively low or relatively high in situ DO concentrations.
Automobile exhaust emission control is one of the trending issues in automobile research field. It caused by high
pollution such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and hydrocarbons (HC) distributed by automobile
especially form diesel engine. These pollutants give a harmful effect to the environment and human health. Therefore,
this paper proposed in reviewing methods on fabrication of modified catalytic converter. FeCrAl is used as substrate
which treated using ultrasonic bath technique which could improve the exhaust emission control. This metallic catalytic converter used as the replacement of precious metal that have high production cost.
Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant properties of xanthone extract from mangosteen pericarp via microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). The MAE extraction conditions to obtain optimum antioxidant-rich xanthone extract were at 2.24 min of irradiation time, 25 mL/g of solvent-to-solid ratio and 71% of ethanol concentration. The predicted results for four responses were as follows; 320.31 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract, 83.63% and 93.77% inhibition (DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2'-Azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assays), and 144.56 mg Trolox equivalent/g extract (FRAP, Ferric reducing antioxidant power). The predicted and actual values were statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). Therefore, these results confirmed that the examined model was acceptable and relevant. MAE led to a slightly similar antioxidant capacity and a higher extraction of α-mangostin, a major xanthone of mangosteen pericarp as compared to water bath-maceration technique.
Introduction: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of thermocycling on the compressive strength of selected luting cements. Material and methods: 5 types of luting cements were tested. A total of thirty cylindrical specimens measuring 6mm in height and 4mm in diameter were prepared for each type of cement which were then divided into two groups ie Group 1: Exposure, and Group 2: Control. Both groups were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 24 hours. Group 1 was subjected to 500 cycles in a thermocycling baths of 5ºC and 55ºC with 20 seconds in each bath. Group 2 was not exposed to thermocycling procedure. The compressive strength for each cement type was determined by using a universal testing machine. Results: Resin adhesive cement had the highest compressive strength; followed by conventional glass ionomer cement (GIC) whilst resin modified GIC was the least. Thermocycling had no significant effect on the compressive strength of RelyXTM ARC and Fuji I (p>0.05), but a significant effect on Fuji I CAPSULE, Fuji CEM, Fuji Plus CAPSLUE (p
—Anaerobic digestion (AD) of biomass is a well-established process to produce renewable energy, where organic matter is converted to biogas by microorganism. High solid content and complex structure of sludge-derived organic matter, methane production during digestion is limited at the hydrolysis step. Therefore pre-treatment of substrate is a way to accelerate the hydrolysis step. This study aimed to identify the optimum pre-treatment method to increase the methane production from poultry waste prior anaerobic digestion. The poultry waste was mixed with water, pre-treated, seeded with inoculums. Chemical and thermochemical pre-treatment were performed with NaOH and Ca(OH)2. The AD was conducted in bioreactors and incubated in water bath at 37 °C for 15 days. Results obtained show that the highest methane yield was at the thermochemical pre-treatment with Ca(OH)2 with cumulative amount of methane at 1665.17 ppm followed by chemical pre-treatment with Ca(OH)2, thermochemical pre-treatment with NaOH and chemical pre-treatment with NaOH with cumulative amount of methane at 1381.76 ppm, 884.07 ppm and 607.98 ppm respectively. Based on the comparison of the results, the thermochemical pre-treatment with Ca(OH)2 is the best pre-treatment as it produced the highest methane yield.
Staphylococcus aureus is frequently found in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and contributes to disease exacerbation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bleach baths as an adjunctive treatment in AD patients. Patients between 2 and 30 years old with moderate to severe AD were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Patients soaked in diluted bleach or distilled water baths for 10 min, twice a week for 2 months. Efficacy assessments included the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) scores and S. aureus density was determined using quantitative bacterial cultures. Patients in the treatment group showed significant reductions in EASI scores. A 41.9% reduction in S. aureus density from baseline was seen at 1 month further reducing to 53.3% at 2 months. Equal numbers of patients in both groups experienced mild side-effects. This study demonstrates that diluted bleach baths clinically improved AD in as little as 1 month. No patient withdrew from the treatment arm because of intolerance to the baths.