Material Ingredients Research Articles

Early nutritional intervention can improve utilisation of vegetable-based diets in diploid and triploid Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).

The present study investigated nutritional programming in Atlantic salmon to improve utilisation of a vegetable-based diet. At first exogenous feeding, fry were fed either a marine-based diet (Diet Mstimulus, 80% fishmeal (FM)/4% fish oil (FO)) or a vegetable-based diet (Diet Vstimulus, 10% FM/0% FO) for 3 weeks. Subsequently, all fish were then fed under the same conditions with a commercial, marine-based, diet for 15 weeks and thereafter challenged with a second V diet (Diet Vchallenge, 10% FM/0% FO) for 6 weeks. Diploid and triploid siblings were run in parallel to examine ploidy effects. Growth performance, feed intake, nutrient utilisation and intestinal morphology were monitored. Fish initially given Diet Vstimulus (V-fish) showed 24 % higher growth rate and 23 % better feed efficiency compared with M-fish when later challenged with Diet Vchallenge. There was no difference in feed intake between nutritional histories, but increased nutrient retentions highlighted the improved utilisation of a V diet in V-fish. There were generally few significant effects of nutritional history or ploidy on enteritis scores in the distal intestine after the challenge phase as only V-triploids showed a significant increase (P<0·05) in total score. The data highlighted that the positive effects were most likely a result of nutritional programming and the ability to respond better when challenged later in life may be attributed to physiological and/or metabolic changes induced by the stimulus. This novel study showed the potential of nutritional programming to improve the use of plant raw material ingredients in feeds for Atlantic salmon.

Challenges in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of stabilised clay-based construction materials

The preference of clay-based materials for sustainable construction is well-established. The establishment of sustainability credentials of emergent construction materials is very subjective, and most available tools are not fully equipped to deal with individual material systems, such as composite cement- or lime-based cementitious systems, including clay-based blocks and bricks. The main problem emanates from the challenges of the audit of each aspect of the material processing, and especially the quantification of the most relevant inputs into the composite product. The variability in material ingredients, and lack of data for each aspect of the manufacturing processes involved creates major challenges. Incorporation of materials with long and complex recycling processes further exacerbate the challenge. These incorporations create problems in terms of accurate material trails and data for input in a robust Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of individual products. This paper reports on a simplified approach towards full LCA of seven clay-based brick products developed in UK (4) and Spain (3), based on known material data and estimated energy inputs in the manufacturing processes. The UK-based bricks comprise of Lower Oxford Clay (LOC), stabilised using combinations of hydrated lime, Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS) and Portland cement (PC). In order to test the robustness of the proposed approach, results on UK-based bricks are compared with a parallel LCA on clay-based product developed in Spain. Finally, the clay-based products are compared with a typical Portland cement-based concrete block and fired clay brick. In the LCA, boundary conditions include fixed transport, thus attempting to factor only the material ingredients, their known atmospheric emissions, and estimated energy inputs during processing. Results suggest that the most challenging aspect in the undertaking of LCA is the availability of reliable input data. Results also show that there are numerous parameters that can reliably and corroboratively facilitate the comparison of performance, besides carbon dioxide emissions.

Formal Proper Parts through Strong Supplementation: A Reply to Bennett

AbstractKathrin Koslicki argues that ordinary material objects like tables and motorcycles have formal proper parts that structure the material proper parts. Karen Bennett rejects a key premise in Koslicki's argument according to which the material ingredient out of which a complex material object is made is a proper part of that object. Koslicki defends this premise with a principle motivated by its power to explain three important phenomena of material composition. But these phenomena can be equally well explained by a weaker principle that does not support the questioned premise in Koslicki's argument, Bennett argues. I show that Bennett's weaker principle, together with an appropriate strengthening of a different premise in Koslicki's original argument, still yields a sound argument for the existence of formal parts.

Ultra-High Performance Concrete: Mechanical Performance, Durability, Sustainability and Implementation Challenges

In this study, an extensive literature review has been conducted on the material characterization of UHPC and its potential for large-scale field applicability. The successful production of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) depends on its material ingredients and mixture proportioning, which leads to denser and relatively more homogenous particle packing. A database was compiled from various research and field studies around the world on the mechanical and durability performance of UHPC. It is shown that UHPC provides a viable and long-term solution for improved sustainable construction owing to its ultra-high strength properties, improved fatigue behavior and very low porosity, leading to excellent resistance against aggressive environments. The literature review revealed that the curing regimes and fiber dosage are the main factors that control the mechanical and durability properties of UHPC. Currently, the applications of UHPC in construction are very limited due to its higher initial cost, lack of contractor experience and the absence of widely accepted design provisions. However, sustained research progress in producing UHPC using locally available materials under normal curing conditions should reduce its material cost. Current challenges regarding the implementation of UHPC in full-scale structures are highlighted. This study strives to assist engineers, consultants, contractors and other construction industry stakeholders to better understand the unique characteristics and capabilities of UHPC, which should demystify this resilient and sustainable construction material.

고욤잎, 감잎 및 뽕잎 복합추출물의 항아토피 효과

The present study investigated the anti-atopic effects of mixed extracts from date plum, persimmon, and mulberry leaves (DPME) on atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions in hairless mice. The in vivo results demonstrated that DPME treatment significantly reduced the dermatitis clinical score and epidermal thickness in AD-like skin lesions. Histological analyses showed that DPME treatment strongly inhibited dermal infiltration of inflammatory cells and activity of mast cells in AD-like skin lesions. DPME treatment inhibited production of serum IgE and interluekin (IL)-4 in hairless mice with AD. Moreover, DPME treatment significantly suppressed production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6 cytokines in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate plus calcium ionophore A23187-stimulated HMC-1 human mast cells. In addition, DPME treatment reduced production of pro-inflammatory mediators (nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2, TNF-α, and IL-6) in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that the anti-atopic and anti-inflammatory effects of DPME may be involved in the regulation of inflammatory responses, suggesting that DPME may be used as an anti-atopic dermatitis material and natural anti-inflammatory ingredient.

Nano-particles for Cosmetic Use: Particle Sizing, Cytotoxicity Test, and Facial Gesture Monitoring Model

The use of gold and silver nano-particles has been confirmed and popularly used for cosmetic material ingredients, where the small Ag and Au nano-particle diameters have no toxic with human cells, especially, for facial cells, in which the nano-particle diameter range of few nanometers, for instant, the average Ag and Au's diameters are 3.63 nm and 1.33 nm respectively. In this work, three interesting nano-particles Ag, Au and Platinum (Pt) that were prepared by the Bangkok Assay Office (BAO) laboratory, in which the safety concerns are tested in terms of human dermal fibroblast cells by the BIOTEC, NSTDA in Thailand. From the obtained results, the Pt nano-particles were successfully prepared for the first time, where the sizes were ranged between 50 to 60 nm. All prepared nanoparticles were tested and the human cell safety was seen without any toxic, which leads to being useful for the medical, healthcare and cosmetic applications, which was focused on the use of platinum nano-particles for the facial cosmetic material ingredient, where there is no evidence of human cells effect, which is confirmed by the BIOTEC, National Science and Technology Development (NSTDA), Thailand. In addition, the facial gesture model is proposed for the use of facial muscle monitoring that can be observed relatively to the change in facial cells, which is useful for further developments after the treatment, which is discussed in details.

THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT DOSES OF NITROGEN (N) APPLICATION ON THE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND PHENOLIC MATERIAL INGREDIENT OF SORREL (RUMEX ACETOSA L.)

In this study, The effect of different doses of nitrogen (N) application on the antioxidant activity and phenolic material ingredient of sorrel ( Rumex acetosa L .) are investigated. In the test, four various doses of nitrogen NH 4 NO 3 fertilizer have been applied to the plants. As a result, it has been determined that the antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of Sorrel ( Rumex acetosa L .) have parallels with the increase in the application of nitrogen.

Tailoring Engineered Cementitious Composites with local ingredients

Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) is a kind of High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites (HPFRCC) with a low fiber volume content of 2%. The unique properties of tensile strain hardening behavior and tight multiple cracks ensure that ECC can meet the stringent requirements of resiliency and durability of concrete infrastructures. While there are strong initiatives for the adoption of ECC in China, wider applications will require localization of material ingredients. In this paper, ECCs with local ingredients, including domestic PVA fibers, fly ash and crumb rubber, were developed under the guidance of micromechanics model for ECC. The fiber/matrix interface parameters and matrix parameters from single fiber pullout test and fracture toughness test respectively, were obtained for the tailoring of domestic ECC. The experimental results indicated that cost-effective ductile ECCs can be designed successfully using local material ingredients. These composites show an ultimate tensile strength of 4–5MPa and tensile strain capacity of 3–6%.

분해기술에 의한 자연재료의 물성변화와 표면디자인 표현방법

This study was to grasp the change of materiality of natural material through decomposition techniques after the raw material are extracted from natural material. In addition, it is to analyze examples to achieve the purpose that is to apply expressive possibility of new material into the space design. The results of the research are as in the following. First, the development of technology could allow use in various directions on nature material which has not been applied on architectural and spatial until now. In particular, material properties and surface design are shown differently by 'decomposition techniques'. Second, decomposition techniques fall into two categories. One can be subdivided into 'thermal decomposition, catalytic decomposition and electrolysis' that is the technology to decompose nature material with the chemical combination. Other is 'cutting, grinding, crushing and pressing' that is to dissolve nature material with physical power. Third, 'thermal decomposition' and 'catalytic decomposition' technology changed into natural ingredients which are to complement properties than raw material by removing harmful or unnecessary ingredients of nature material and 'cutting' technology changed color, form, and patterns etc hidden in natural material into the ways to express outwards. In addition, 'grinding' and 'crushing' technology confirm characteristics that are unlike earlier by vanishing most of existing properties. Forth, surface design is appeared as realistically, metaphorically, concretely, timely and autonomically. Therefore, decomposition techniques expand the area of expression by leading (inducing) differences between the change of materiality and surface design. Also it will serve as a foundation that excellent properties of natural resources appear in a positive qualities and will have a great influence on various use as an advanced material.

Review of the LEED Category in Materials and Resources for Developing Countries

Material selection in sustainable projects affects the environment a great deal. Selected materials gain importance as they can contaminate the environment and can produce waste during construction. Use of limited resources has also environmental impacts. Thus, considering sustainable materials in the projects and appropriate consumption of available resources are important for sustainability considerations. The danger of running out of resources and the consequences of contamination of the habitat point out to the importance of green building certification systems. Issues such as storage and collection of recyclables, waste management planning, PBT source reduction, sourcing of raw materials, material ingredients, and design for flexibility that are treated in this category are difficult to implement in developing countries, mainly because they are based on local practices. The use of materials and resources accounts approximately for 11% of the points a building can receive for LEED v4 certification. However, the use of LEED in countries other than the U.S. can be controversial as local conditions are effective in earning credentials required for certification. This study aims to review the “materials and resources” category of LEED. Comparison of local practices in selected developing countries is made based on credits in this category to provide guidelines for green projects in those countries. It is expected that practitioners in developing countries will benefit from the outcome of this study.

Mesocosm Assessment of Stability Habitat for Halophyte

In this paper, we constructed the halophyte Mesocosm experimental group which was used as a substrate material that consisted of tidal flat and dredged sediment. Depending on whether the ingredients of vegetation and substrate material of Mesocosm, we constructed Mesocosm A (tidal flat sediment + Salicornia herbecea), Mesocosm B (only dredged sediment), Mesocosm C (dredged sediment + Salicornia herbecea). Monitoring was carried out of seawater quality factors (Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Nitrogen (T-N), Total Phosphorus (T-P), temperature, salinity), sediment factors (Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total (T-N), Total Phosphorus (T-P) and growth of Salricornia herbecea) in each Mesocosm. Habitat Stability Index of vegetation was calculating by using the monitoring results. HSI of Mesocosm C was calculated from 0.87 to 0.95 as compared to the relatively high HSI Mesocosm A, it was evaluated to be able to be used in the restoration of the coastal salt marsh with dredged sediment.

Material Ingredient Optimization Based on Design of Experiment and Neural Network with Artificial Sample Generation

Material Ingredient Optimization Based on Design of Experiment and Neural Network with Artificial Sample Generation

Phenotyping the quality of complex medium components by simple online-monitored shake flask experiments.

BackgroundMedia containing yeast extracts and other complex raw materials are widely used for the cultivation of microorganisms. However, variations in the specific nutrient composition can occur, due to differences in the complex raw material ingredients and in the production of these components. These lot-to-lot variations can affect growth rate, product yield and product quality in laboratory investigations and biopharmaceutical production processes. In the FDA’s Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative, the control and assessment of the quality of critical raw materials is one key aspect to maintain product quality and consistency. In this study, the Respiration Activity Monitoring System (RAMOS) was used to evaluate the impact of different yeast extracts and commercial complex auto-induction medium lots on metabolic activity and product yield of four recombinant Escherichia coli variants encoding different enzymes.ResultsUnder non-induced conditions, the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) of E. coli was not affected by a variation of the supplemented yeast extract lot. The comparison of E. coli cultivations under induced conditions exhibited tremendous differences in OTR profiles and volumetric activity for all investigated yeast extract lots of different suppliers as well as lots of the same supplier independent of the E. coli variant. Cultivation in the commercial auto-induction medium lots revealed the same reproducible variations. In cultivations with parallel offline analysis, the highest volumetric activity was found at different cultivation times. Only by online monitoring of the cultures, a distinct cultivation phase (e.g. glycerol depletion) could be detected and chosen for comparable and reproducible offline analysis of the yield of functional product.ConclusionsThis work proves that cultivations conducted in complex media may be prone to significant variation in final product quality and quantity if the quality of the raw material for medium preparation is not thoroughly checked. In this study, the RAMOS technique enabled a reliable and reproducible screening and phenotyping of complex raw material lots by online measurement of the respiration activity. Consequently, complex raw material lots can efficiently be assessed if the distinct effects on culture behavior and final product quality and quantity are visualized.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12934-014-0149-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Evaluation of Environmental Requirements for Sustainable Ready-Mix Concrete Production in Abu Dhabi Emirate

Sustainability is the main concern for current and future construction projects in the world. In any project, attaining sustainability requires the integrity of four main elements. These elements cover economical, societal, cultural, and environmental aspects to its successful implementation and integration in an anthropogenic framework. Concrete is one of the main building materials used in current construction activities around the world; therefore, many issues pertaining to concrete long term sustainability arise. This makes issues related to environmental evaluation and assessment for the ready-mix concrete production process of vital importance. The release of particulate matter (PM) including PM10 and PM2.5 could be considered the main air pollutant that is emitted from this industrial sector; where PM can be released from different stages of ready-mix concrete production process. Another concern arising from the ready-mix concrete operations which may affect the soil and ground water quality is the spills or leaks that may occur from the storage containers used for diesel, motor oil, and chemical admixture. In 2010, Environmental Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) collected data pertaining to the operations of 73 ready-mix concrete facilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The data showed that the average production rate of concrete is around 250,000 m3/year, which indicates that the concrete industry is a very active industry in the Emirate. Hence, EAD has established a set of plans and requirements to minimize the environmental impacts of concrete production on the environment and public health. The environmental impact of the concrete manufacturing can be reduced by conserving use of raw material ingredients, conserving energy consumption, and following Best Management Practices (BMPs) related to readymix concrete production. In this paper, a variety of BMPs are presented for ready-mix concrete manufacturing facilities in Abu Dhabi. These BMPs cover the following areas: raw materials handling and transport, process operation, housekeeping, waste management, emergency response, and training record. EAD can then regulate the ready-mix concrete manufacturing sector in Abu Dhabi using these BMPs and the requirements of the issued permitting conditions in order to have a sustainable industrial sector.

A comprehensive approach for the simulation of heat and heat-induced phenomena in friction materials

The development of composite friction materials, such as organically bound brake pads, is to a great extent done on the basis of experience. Material developers have very few software tools available, which support the development process with simulations and help to reduce the number of prototypes and tests.The focus of this work is on the temperature field in organic friction materials, which is associated with many friction induced effects. To understand and predict these phenomena, a discrete model is introduced, which fully considers the material's heterogeneity down to a mesoscopic scale. Heat input and heat conduction, as well as heat transfer between pad and disk, are calculated based on a finite difference method. In order to produce stable and repeatable simulation results, a special approach for the geometrical arrangement of the different material ingredients inside the considered domain is suggested.In the context of case studies, the temperature field in a sample material is calculated for a typical stop brake application. In addition, different model extensions are discussed, which allow a spatially resolved calculation of thermally induced effects. Therewith, a comprehensive concept is presented that allows to virtually compare material variants in an early development phase. It can be easily extended with respect to further simulation tasks.

Eco-friendly flame-retardant treatments for cellulosic green building materials

Despite significant progress having been made in the study of flame retardancy of cellulosic building materials, the quest to find the ideal flame retardant material still continues. This review paper explores various options to substitute halogenated flame retardants by halogen-free alternatives in green building materials. Conventional flame retardants do not chemically react with cellulosic building materials such as bamboo. Owing to this, they remain an extraneous part of the substrate and could easily leach out due to various factors leading to low efficiency of the flame-retardant action. Durability of flame retardancy can be ensured by applying an additive that would chemically react with at least one of the ingredients of the green building material so that the flame retardant would remain an inherent part of the substrate. This paper also describes the reaction mechanisms of various treatment methodologies for ensuring the efficacious actions of non-halogenated flame retardants in green building materials such as wood and bamboo.

Application of gas chromatography - field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (GC-FAIMS) for the detection of organic preservatives in wood

The purpose of the investigations reported was a feasibility study of field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) applications for the characterization of recovered wood. Especially the treatment with organic wood preservatives represented by their active substances should be detected in concentrations commonly used for timber products. The following pesticides were determined: PCP, lindane, dichlofluanide, tolylfluanide, propiconazole, tebuconazole, IPBC (iodine-propyl-butyl-carbamate), K-HDO ((N-Cyclohexyl-diazeniumdioxy)-potassium) and fenoxycarb. The first step was to show that such compounds can be vaporized under moderate conditions. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was capable for sampling and enrichment. The reference analytics was made by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Both, waste wood, in this case window frames from reconstruction work, and self-prepared doped wood samples were utilized. For analyzing the complex mixture of vaporized native and artificial ingredients of the lignocellulose material a chromatographic pre-separation was necessary. Hence, the second step was to study the behavior of active substances in the analysis with GC-FAIMS to clarify which peaks in positive and negative mode are dedicated to wood preservatives. At least one strong signal from every selected active compound was located for clear identification. With that knowledge, FAIMS was successfully applied for the distinction of natural and treated wood samples. The discrimination can be a basis for industrial sorting plants which could help to increase the contemporary amount of material usage of recovered wood for a more ecological and economical handling of natural resources.

Novel core–shell magnetic nanoparticles for Taxol encapsulation in biodegradable and biocompatible block copolymers: Preparation, characterization and release properties

Theranostic polymeric nanocarriers loaded with anticancer drug Taxol and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanocrystals have been developed for possible magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) use and cancer therapy. Multifunctional nanocarriers with a core-shell structure have been prepared by coating superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles with block copolymer of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(propylene succinate) with variable molecular weights of the hydrophobic block poly(prolylene succinate). The multifunctional polymer nano-vehicles were prepared using a nanoprecipitation method. Scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed the encapsulation of magnetic nanoparticles inside the polymeric matrix. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy mapping allowed us to determine the presence of the different material ingredients in a quantitative way. The diameter of the nanoparticles is below 250 nm yielding satisfactory encapsulation efficiency. The nanoparticles exhibit a biphasic drug release pattern in vitro over 15 days depending on the molecular weight of the hydrophobic part of the polymer matrix. These new systems where anti-cancer therapeutics like Taxol and iron oxide nanoparticles (IOs) are co-encapsulated into new facile polymeric nanoparticles, could be addressed as potential multifunctional vehicles for simultaneous drug delivery and targeting imaging as well as real time monitoring of therapeutic effects.

Mg3Sb2-based Zintl compound: a non-toxic, inexpensive and abundant thermoelectric material for power generation

The deployment of thermoelectric materials for deriving an enhanced figure of merit (ZT) for power generation in inexpensive, non-toxic and relatively abundant bulk homogeneous solid relies on the extent of achieving the “phonon-glass electron crystal” (PGEC) characteristics. Here, a proof of principal has been established experimentally in the present work for a Zintl compound of Mg3Sb2 and its derivative of isoelectronically Bi doped Bi; Mg3Sb2−xBix (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) alloys in Mg3Sb2. Single phase p-type Mg3Sb2 compounds, with Mg and Sb powders as starting materials, have been prepared directly by spark plasma sintering (SPS) in a one step process. The structural refinements of this hexagonal Zintl compound by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) investigation reveal that they are single phase devoid of any oxides or Sb precipitates. Transport measurements indicate low thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT = 0.26 at 750 K) for Mg3Sb2. However, an optimum doping of 0.2 at% with iso-electronic Bi ions at the Sb site enhances the ZT to 0.6 at 750 K, which is comparable with the present day industrial materials such as Bi based tellurides and selenides which are toxic. We note that the system becomes metal with carrier density exceeding 15 × 1020/cm3 for x ≥0.25. The substantial increase in ZT in Mg3Sb2−xBix (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) owes to a partial decoupling of the electronic and phonon subsystem, as expected for a Zintl phase compound. While the reduction in thermal conductivity in Mg3Sb2−xBix (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) accounts to mass fluctuations and grain boundary scattering, the enhancement in the electronic power-factor is attributed to the presence of heavy and light bands in its valence band structure. The latter has been confirmed by means of both X-ray photo electron spectroscopy studies and first-principles density functional based calculations. These measurements established that a high figure of merit can be achieved in this class of materials with appropriate doping. Further, relative abundance of the material ingredients combined with its one step synthesis leads to a cost effective production and less toxicity makes the material an environmentally benign system for thermoelectric power generation.

The dark matter problem from f(R) gravity viewpoint

AbstractAn alternative view to the dark matter puzzle is represented by Extended Theories of Gravity. The approach consists in addressing issues like dark components from the point of view of gravitational field instead of requiring new material ingredients that, up to now, have not been detected at fundamental level. In this review paper, by extending the Hilbert‐Einstein action of gravitational field to more general actions (e.g. f(R) gravity), it is shown that several gravitating structures like stars, spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies and clusters of galaxies can be self‐consistently described without asking for dark matter. It is also shown that standard General Relativity tests and Equivalence Principle constraints can be evaded at Solar System scales.