Volume Expansion Ratio Research Articles

Age related histological and cooking characteristics of rice

Experiments were conducted to study the effect of degree of polishing (under polished, well polished and over polished) and aging (0 to 180 days, at an interval of 30 days) on quality aspects of Pusa basmati variety of aromatic rice. An attempt has been made to investigate the histological and cooking quality changes occurring in rice, when stored for a period of six months. The cooking quality attributes considered were volume expansion ratio, kernel elongation ratio, solids loss, insoluble amylose content, alkali digestion value, gel consistency and aroma. Effect of degree of polishing on cooking quality changes was significant up to 8% of degree of polishing. With the progress of aging period, the kernel elongation ratio (24%) and volume expansion ratio (22%) increased while there was a reduction in solids loss (55%), alkali digestion score (32%) and gel consistency values (21%). The hot water insoluble fraction of amylose was found to be increased (33%) in aged rice which could be correlated with the desirable changes in cooking properties. The improvement in the cooking properties was faster during the initial three to four months of aging, thereafter the properties changed at a reduced rate. The changes were reflected more in well polished rice than that in under polished rice. A degree of milling more than 8% (over polished) did not influence these results to a great extent. The study concluded that hot water insoluble amylose content may be a major determinant of cooked rice properties as the structural changes show the increased number of large granules indicating decreased solubility.

Principal component analysis of yield and quality traits in Zinc rich landraces of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was carried out to find the genetic divergence among 35 zinc-rich landraces of rice along with two checks for yield and quality traits. Three principal components with Eigenvalue more than one, explained maximum variation witha total contribution of 78.33 percent of the total variability.Principal Component 1(PC 1) contributed a maximum of 51.71 percent, while PC 2 contributed to 18.71 percent and PC 3 contributed to 7.96 percent towards the total variability. Yield and quality traits such asdays to 50 percent flowering, number of productive tillers plant-1, grain yield plant-1, head rice recoverypercent, iron content and volume expansion ratio explained maximum variance in PC 1. The results of the 2D scatter diagramrevealed GM-120 and GM-173 landraces to be most diverse. These genotypes were identified to be high yielding and nutritionally rich, compared to BPT 5204. Hybridization of these genotypes is expected to result in desirable transgressive segregants for yield, quality and nutritional traits. Keywords: Principal component analysis, Yield components, Quality traits,Zn ,Fe.

Hydrophobic and oleophilic open-cell foams from in-situ microfibrillation blends of poly(lactic acid) and polytetrafluoroethylene: Selective oil-adsorption behaviors

Confronted with severe water contamination induced by the spillage of oils, seeking oil-selective adsorbent to recover oil from oily wastewater is extremely urgent. In particular, the functionalized polymer foams with open-cell structures are highly promising oil-selective adsorbent. Herein, a simple, effective and green method was presented to prepare open-cell poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) foams with selective oil-adsorption behaviors via melt blending and supercritical CO2 batch foaming technique. The introduction of PTFE had a distinct positive influence on the melt viscoelasticity and crystallization performances of various PLA specimens. The resulted PLA/PTFE4 foam with a volume expansion ratio of 10.17 ± 0.93 and a cell density of 1.58 × 108 cells/cm3 possessed the highest open-cell content of 90.81 ± 0.78 %. Meanwhile, PLA/PTFE4 foam revealed oil/water selective adsorption capacity of 1.2–6.1 g/g for various organic solvents and oils. The adsorption capacity of PLA/PTFE4 foam for CCl4 exhibited no significant decrement during ten adsorption-desorption cycles. This research offered a guideline for the manufacture of green environmental open-cell polymer foams for oil-selective adsorption.

Iranian diatomaceous earth as a control agent for protection of paddy rice against Sitotroga cerealella (Oliv.) (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) and its delayed effects on physicochemical properties of paddy rice

Sitotroga cerealella (Oliv.) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is one of the destructive insect pests of paddy rice in grain storage facilities and warehouses. For this study, the insecticidal activity of a new Iranian DE formulation, Dryasil, was evaluated against S. cerealella fourth instar larvae on three varieties of paddy rice: Hashemi, Khazar, and Champa. The bioassays were carried out at the concentrations of 400 and 1000 mg/kg and four temperature levels (15, 20, 25, and 30 °C) after 7, and 14 d of exposure interval. The effects of this protectant were also investigated on the quality of the treated-paddy rice after three months of storage. In all tested varieties, mortality of the exposed larvae increased with increased concentration of DE and exposure period. The activity of DE was higher at 30 °C than other tested temperatures. The highest larval mortality (69.80%) was reported in Khazar variety treated with 1000 mg/kg at 30 °C. The larvae were well controlled in Khazar and then Hashemi variety. The DE had no adverse effects on water absorption rate, volume expansion ratio, cooking time, and chalkiness percentage. Overall, our findings suggest that Dryasil could be considered as a grain protectant that does not adversely affect the properties of different paddy rice varieties to control S. cerealella.

Low-shrinkage biodegradable PBST/PBS foams fabricated by microcellular foaming using CO2 & N2 as co-blowing agents

Poly (butylene succinate-butylene terephthalate) (PBST) displays favorable foamability with the supercritical CO2 as the blowing agent, but the foams behave serious shrinkage behavior. In this work, a serious of fully biodegradable PBST/poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) microcellular foams with low volume shrinkage ratio were fabricated with the co-blowing agent of CO2 & N2. The presence of PBS can not only improve the rheological behavior, crystallization and mechanical properties to alleviate shrinkage process, but also play the role of nucleating agent to promote cell nucleation. With the increasing content of PBS, the cell size of the foam decreases from 25.0 μm to 7.03 μm, the cell density increases from 8.84×108 to 3.19×1010 cells/cm3 and the volume shrinkage ratio reduces from 62.10% to 47.81%. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the introduction of N2 can inhabit the shrinkage behavior of PBST/PBS foams effectively. With the introduction of 12 MPa CO2 and 8 MPa N2, the volume expansion ratio of PBST/PBS10 microcellular foam can achieve 10.6-fold with good dimensional stability.

Threading Polystyrene Stars: Impact of Star to POM‐POM and Barbwire Topology on Melt Rheological and Foaming Properties

AbstractPolymer topology highly impacts rheological melt and foaming properties. Grafting sidechains onto a linear polymer typically results in shear thinning and strain hardening in elongation flow. To study the influence of an increasing number of covalently connected polystyrene (PS) starsswith a linear PS chain (Mw,PS= 90 kg mol−1), low‐disperse branched polymers withsranging from one to four are synthesized. Each star contains approximately 12 sidechains with a length ofMw,a≈ 25 kg mol−1. Oscillatory shear measurements indicated that the zero‐shear viscosityη0scales withη0 ≈ atTref= 180 °C. Moreover, uniaxial elongation rheology allows determining the strain hardening factorSHF, which varies betweenSHF= 2–135, with increasings. Foaming experiments revealed that combining viscosity reduction with the improvement of stretchability promotes higher volume expansion ratios (VER= 3.21–10.41) and the formation of larger cells (D= 4.8–14.8 µm).

Evaluation of Torula yeast as a protein source in extruded feline diets.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of a Torula yeast (TY) on diet processing, palatability, and total tract nutrient digestibility in extruded feline diets. Four dietary treatments were compared, differing by protein source: TY, pea protein concentrate (PP), soybean meal (SM), and chicken meal (CM). Diets were produced using a single-screw extruder under similar processing conditions. Palatability assessment was conducted as a split plate design where both first choice and intake ratio (IR) were determined. Apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients was estimated using Titanium dioxide as an indigestible marker. During diet production, specific mechanical energy of TY and SM (average of 187 kJ/kg) was greater (P < 0.05) than for PP (138 kJ/kg); however, CM was similar to all treatments (167 kJ/kg). Kibble diameter, piece volume, and sectional expansion ratio were greatest for TY (P < 0.05). Additionally, both bulk and piece density were lowest (P < 0.05) for TY. Kibble hardness was lower for TY and SM (P < 0.05; average of 2.10 Newtons) compared to CM and PP (average of 2.90 Newtons). During the palatability trial, TY was chosen first a greater number of times than CM (P < 0.05; 36 vs. 4, respectively), but differences were not found between TY and PP (25 vs. 15, respectively) or TY and SM (24 vs. 16, respectively). Cats had a greater IR (P < 0.05) of TY compared to CM and PP (0.88 and 0.73, respectively). However, there was no difference in preference between TY and SM. ATTD of dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) was greater (P < 0.05) for CM (87.43% and 91.34%, respectively) than other treatments. Both DM and OM ATTD of TY were similar (P < 0.05) to PP and SM (average of 86.20% and average of 89.76%, respectively). Ash ATTD was greater (P < 0.05) for cats fed TY and SM (average of 37.42%), intermediate for PP (32.79%), and lowest for CM (23.97%). Crude protein (CP) ATTD of TY was similar to all other treatments (average of 89.97%), but fat ATTD was lower (P < 0.05; 92.52%) than other treatments (93.76% to 94.82%). Gross energy ATTD was greater (P < 0.05) for CM than TY (90.97% vs. 90.18%, respectively); however, TY was similar to PP and SM (average of 90.22%). Total dietary fiber ATTD was similar between TY and CM (average of 66.20%) and greater (P < 0.05) than PP and SM (average of 58.70%). The TY used in this study facilitated diet formation, increased diet preference, and was highly digestible when fed to cats.

Study on Efficiency of Compressed Air Emergency Power Supply System Based on MATLAB

Taking a new type of emergency power supply system with compressed air as power source and expander as engine as the analysis object, the working process analysis, and energy loss analysis of the system are made. On this basis, the system analysis model was established, and the relationship between the system efficiency and each influencing parameter was obtained through MATLAB simulation calculation of the system. According to the analysis, it was concluded that when the other parameters were certain, system efficiency with the rising of tanks of compressed gas pressure reduced gradually, the volume expansion ratio of the expander first increased and then decreased, and the increase of inlet pressure expander rose. Still, its growth rate decreased gradually with the increase of leakage coefficient and plummeted. Among various parameters that would influence each other, the pressure range of compressed air stored in the air storage tank needed to be determined according to the structural parameters of the expander. In order to achieve the highest energy utilization rate of compressed gas, according to different system parameters, it was necessary to reasonably match the parameters of the gas storage tank and expander through parametric design.

Water-Swellable Cellulose Nanofiber Aerogel for Control of Hemorrhage from Penetrating Wounds.

Uncontrolled hemorrhage from wounds with deep and irregular cavities is short of efficient hemostats. Here we report a citric acid-cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose nanofiber (CA-CMCNF) aerogel for the control of bleeding from penetrating wounds. The compressed CA-CMCNF aerogel could quickly swell into its original shape in water in seconds. The maximum mass and volume expansion ratios were over 6800 and 3000%, respectively. The water-swellable property allows the aerogel to self-expand and fill in the cavities of wounds. The in situ-generated expansion pressure resisted the systolic blood pressure, and the plentiful carboxyl groups triggered the active coagulation pathway, both contributing to the hemostatic capability of the aerogel. Additionally, the aerogel had good biocompatibility and excellent antibacterial capability. The animal experiments revealed that the aerogels significantly reduced both the hemostasis time and the amount of bleeding in a liver penetrating model. Therefore, this study provides a safe and robust hemostatic aerogel for controlling bleeding from penetrating wounds.

Development of polyamide12 composite foam by supercritical CO2: The effect of flame retardants on foaming behavior and properties

In this work, aluminum phosphonate (AlPi) and melamine cyanurate (MCA) were used as flame retardants, a modified polyamide12 (PA12) foam with excellent flame retardancy was prepared by supercritical CO2. The effects of different proportions of flame retardants on the volume expansion ratio were explored. Then the effect of different flame retardants on PA12 foaming was studied at the largest expansion ratio (at a density of 0.08 g/cm3). The results showed that AlPi and MCA could promote heterogeneous nucleation and increase the volume expansion ratio of PA12 foam. The ignition time of the PA12 foam was doubled in the cone calorimeter test and the total heat release was halved. In addition, the flame retardant performance reached HF-1.

ТЕХНОЛОГІЧНІ ЯКОСТІ, ХІМІЧНИЙ СКЛАД І МІКРОСТРУКТУРА ЗЕРНА СОРГО ДЛЯ МІКРОХВИЛЬОВОГО ПОПІНГУ

The chemical composition, physical properties (moisture, crude protein, crude fiber, ash content, thousand grain weight, bulk density) and grain microstructure were evaluated for different varieties of sorghum grain cultivated in Ukraine. Sorghum varieties (Dniprovsky, Kafrske, and Fulgus) were subjected to different preconditioning and process parameters of microwave heating to determine the popping characteristics of the grain. Each of the three sorghum varieties was pretreated by moisture conditioning up to 13, 15, and 17%, and popped in a microwave oven set at 450, 600 and 700 W for 150 s. Popping yield was insufficient for all sorghum varieties at microwave power 450 W and grain moisture content of 13 and 17%. Popping characteristics (popping yield, popping start, specific weight of popped grain and volume expansion ratio) and organoleptic properties were measured. Thousand grain weight, bulk density, protein, ash, crude fiber content, pericarp, aleurone, and translucent endosperm thickness were found to be significantly different among the three sorghum varieties. Varietal characteristics of sorghum grain had a strong impact on volume expansion ratio, which was negatively correlated with the size of the grain. The Fulgus grain variety showing the highest popping characteristics was found to have higher thousand grain yield (31.9 g), higher bulk density (869.8 g/dm3), lower protein (8.03%), ash (1.35%) and crude fiber (2.01%) content, thinner but well-packed pericarp (31 µm), thinner aleurone (9 µm) and thicker translucent endosperm (1.1 mm) than other varieties.

Development of Broad Spectrum and Durable Bacterial Blight Resistant Variety through Pyramiding of Four Resistance Genes in Rice

Bacterial blight (BB) disease caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae is a major biotic constraint on obtaining higher grain yields in rice. Marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB) was performed by the pyramiding of Xa4, xa5, xa13 and Xa21 resistance genes in the popular variety, Ranidhan. A foreground selection in BC1F1, BC2F1, and BC3F1 progenies detected all the target genes in 12, 7 and 16 progenies by using the closely linked markers from a population size of 446, 410, and 530, respectively. The BB-positive progenies carrying the target genes with a maximal similarity to the recipient parent was backcrossed in each backcross generation. A total of 1784 BC3F2 seeds were obtained from the best BC3F1 progeny. The screening of the BC3F2 progenies for the four target genes resulted in eight plants carrying all the four target genes. A bioassay of the pyramided lines conferred very high levels of resistance to the predominant isolates of bacterial blight disease. In addition, these pyramided lines were similar to Ranidhan in 16 morpho-quality traits, namely, plant height, filled grains/panicle, panicles/plant, grain length, grain breadth, grain weight, milling, head rice recovery, kernel length after cooking, water uptake, the volume expansion ratio, gel consistency, alkali-spreading value, and the amylose content.

Molten salts: Potential candidates for thermal energy storage applications

Molten salts as thermal energy storage (TES) materials are gaining the attention of researchers worldwide due to their attributes like low vapor pressure, non-toxic nature, low cost and flexibility, high thermal stability, wide range of applications etc. This review presents potential applications of molten salts in solar and nuclear TES and the factors influencing their performance. Ternary salts (Hitec salt, Hitec XL) are found to be best suited for concentrated solar plants due to their lower melting point and higher efficiency. Two-tank direct energy storage system is found to be more economical due to the inexpensive salts (KCl-MgCl2), while thermoclines are found to be more thermally efficient due to the power cycles involved and the high volumetric heat capacity of the salts involved (LiF-NaF-KF). Heat storage density has been given special focus in this review and methods to increase the same in terms of salt composition changes are discussed in the paper. Methods of concatenating energy storage systems with nuclear power plants are also discussed with different types of nuclear reactors like MHTGR, PAHTR, VHTR, etc. Nanomodifications of molten salts are done to improve heat transfer properties and efficiency of the transfer. The best dopants for such modifications were found to be TiO2, SiO2, MWCNTs, etc. Future challenges for large scale deployment of molten salts viz., high volume expansion ratio, low thermal conductivity, incongruent melting, corrosion, etc., are listed and discussed. Corrosion of molten salts and its mitigation has been discussed in detail for developing next-generation storage systems and its remedies are also discussed.

Effect of physicochemical properties on popping characteristics of selected pearl millet varieties.

Pearl millet, commonly known as 'Bajra', is a nutrigrain, mostly used in pulverized form to make unleavened pancakes, dumplings, porridge, etc., in India. Popping, a traditional method of millet processing, is used in making ready-to-eat snacks. Pearl millet is underutilized in India. The present work aims to study the effect of the parameters of pearl millet such as variety, chemical composition, pericarp thickness, amylose content, and processing temperature on the volume expansion ratio and sensory properties of popped pearl millet. A conventional salt-popping technique was used at three different temperatures (220 °C, 240 °C, and 260 °C) for five pearl millet varieties (ABPC 4-3, AHB 1269, AHB 1666, AIMP 92901, and PPC-6). Parameters such as color, diameter, density, amylose content, pericarp thickness, and proximate composition were analyzed. Popping characteristics such as volume expansion ratio, popping yield, and sensory properties of popped grains were studied. It was observed that pericarp thickness and amylose content were positively correlated with the popping qualities of grains. AIMP 92901 offered more desirable properties such as suitable moisture content (87.5g kg-1 ), lowest equivalent diameter (2.07 mm), highest bulk density (0.84 g cm-3 ), true density (1.41 g cm-3 ), pericarp thickness (30.82 μm), and amylose content (19.75 g kg-1 ) than the other varieties that were studied. Hence, the highest popping yield (72.83%) and expansion ratio (6.15) was observed in the AIMP 92901 pearl millet variety at 260 °C. Conventional salt popping at 260 °C yielded the best popping characteristics. Pearl millet variety AIMP-92 901 developed by VNMKV (Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani), Parbhani was found to have more desirable popping characteristics (in terms of all the parameters explained in results). © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Utilization of CO2 as a physical blowing agent for foaming of high temperature sulfone polymers

The present work adopts the one-step batch foaming technique to develop microcellular foams from polysulfone (PSU) and polyethersulfone (PES) using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) as a physical blowing agent. The results illustrates that the high temperature polymers can successfully generate highly uniform cellular structures with CO2, exhibiting cell densities in the order of 1010 cells/cm3 but limited volume expansion ratios of up to 4 times. The cell densities of both systems, PSU/CO2 and PES/CO2, were observed to be highly affected by the foaming pressure, showing significant enhancement of over 5 orders of magnitude with an increase in pressure from 3.4 to 13.8 MPa. On the other hand, the expansion ratio showed a strong dependence on the foaming temperature. Especially, the foams produced at pressures below 13.8 MPa exhibited a unique double peak behavior consisting of two maximum expansion ratios obtained at two different temperatures. In the temperature range of the first expansion peak, nanostructures were observed on the cell walls of the foams. The surficial features appeared in the form of a nanofibril network and gradually disappeared as the temperature approached the region of the second peak. Based on the observation, the unique double peak behavior may be correlated to the presence of the nanostructures. The work also encompassed measurement of CO2 solubility and high pressure thermal analysis of the two polymers, which were incorporated in the discussion of the distinctive foaming behavior.

Physicochemical and Digestible Properties of Parboiled Black Rice With Different Amylose Contents.

The varieties of black rice with different amylose contents (waxy; medium-amylose: 16.03%; high-amylose: 27.14%) were parboiled and then evaluated for physicochemical and digestible properties. The color, crystalline structure, and swelling property of parboiled rice were analyzed, and the water molecular mobility, texture, and starch digestibility of cooked parboiled rice were determined. The color of black rice was only slightly changed after the parboiling treatment. The crystalline structures of waxy and medium-amylose rice were severely damaged by the parboiling treatment, while the highly crystalline structure was retained in parboiled high-amylose rice. During heating in water, parboiled high-amylose rice had a lower water absorption ratio (WAR) and volume expansion ratio (VER) than the other two varieties. After cooking, parboiled high-amylose rice had higher water molecular mobility and harder texture compared with the other two varieties. Cooked parboiled high-amylose rice contained higher content of resistant starch than cooked parboiled waxy and medium-amylose rice.

Study on the Circulation Efficiency of Different Nonideal Gases

The thermodynamic properties of two kinds of representative non-ideal real gases van der Waals gas and Onnes gas are expounded and discussed by common thermodynamic methods, and the specific expressions of heat engine efficiency based on Carnot cycle, Stirling cycle and Otto cycle with these two real gases as working fluids are derived through theoretical derivation and calculation. On this basis, the variation rules of various thermal efficiency corresponding to heat engine with cycle parameters (such as high-temperature heat source temperature T1, low-temperature heat source temperature T2, the isovolumetric molar heat capacity of gas, initial volume V in the cycle process, gas volume expansion ratio r) are analyzed, and the general rules which are helpful to improve the efficiency of heat engine are found. This work will provide some theoretical reference for the optimal design of the actual operating conditions of the heat engine.

Estimation of genetic parameters and character association for yield and quality traits in BC1F2 population of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Two BC1F2 populations derived from the cross CO 52 x 3-11-11-2 were evaluated in the present study for fifteen yields, yield contributing characters and quality characters to assess genetic variability, correlation coefficient and path coefficient analyses.&nbsp; Single plant yield, number of productive tillers per plant and alkali spreading value all had higher estimates of PCV and GCV. The high heritability coupled with high genetic advance as a percentage of mean was observed for traits viz., volume expansion ratio, single plant yield and plant height. In both the backcross population, a high positive correlation was observed between single plant yield and the traits such as the number of productive tillers and days to first flowering. In the case of direct effects, the number of productive tillers and kernel length after cooking played almost higher positive effects in the backcross population I, while in the population II, the number of productive tillers, kernel breadth before cooking, kernel length after cooking and breadthwise elongation ratio ensured the highest direct effect over the single plant yield. Thus, the number of productive tillers per plant can be considered as a key trait in the selection process and can be strategically used for yield improvement programmes. Keywords: Genetic parameters, correlation, path analysis, rice

Functional group contributions for azo derivatives as anode materials for KIBs: A first-principles study

Due to the large radius of K ions, organic electrodes generally own sufficiently interstitial space and good structural flexibility for potassium-ion batteries (KIBs). Organic compounds containing azo group (NN) are a class of promising anode materials because of their low potential and high reversibility. Herein, we study the electrochemical properties of azo derivatives with different functional groups by using the first-principles method. The results show that during K insertion, these anode materials have small volume expansion ratio of 20%–60% with good cycling performance. The adjunction of functional groups improves the performance of these organic materials as anode for KIBs, and Azobenzene-4,4′-dicarbocylic acid potassium salts (ADAPTS) performs better. This prediction is helpful for the design of azo organic anodes with functional groups.

Pasting, cooking, and digestible properties of Japonica rice with different amylose contents

ABSTRACT Pasting, cooking, and digestible properties of Japonica rice with different amylose contents were investigated. Low-, medium-, and high-amylose Japonica rice (waxy, 18.8% amylose content, and 33.3% amylose content) were cooked and evaluated for water absorption, volume expansion, molecular mobility, microstructure, crystalline structure, and starch digestibility. The results showed that high-amylose rice had lower peak viscosity but higher pasting temperature and final viscosity than low- and medium-amylose rice. After cooking, high-amylose rice showed slightly higher water absorption ratio but lower volume expansion ratio than the other two rice varieties. Water was more evenly distributed in cooked low- and medium-amylose rice than in cooked high-amylose rice. After cooking, starch in low- and medium-amylose rice kernels almost lost the entire crystalline structure, but starch of cooked high-amylose rice still exhibited strong V-type crystallinity. Cooked high-amylose rice contained higher content of resistant starch than cooked rice of other two varieties.