Preparation and some physicochemical properties of freeze-dried vegetables carving

Freeze-drying is a very gentle dehydration method to preserve the highest quality and give the final product a longer shelf-life, based on the principle of removing the ice by sublimation. This research aimed to study freeze-dried manufacturing processes of vegetable carving for application in the foodservice industry. Plant materials used in this study were pumpkin, carrot and Chinese radish which were carved into a rose shape. To prepare, all carved-rose vegetables were dipped in 1.0% CaCl2 solution as a firming agent for 5 mins before freeze-dried operations at the temperature of –50°C under vacuum (~30 Pa) for 50 hrs. Dyeing operation was conducted specifically in carved-rose Chinese radish using pink (0.05 and 0.1%) and red (0.05 and 0.1%) food-grade colour after pretreatment with CaCl2 . The results showed that dried carved-rose vegetables had low water activity (0.32-0.42) and moisture content (8.01-11.44%). The physical properties of freeze-dried pumpkin and carrot carving were firmed and presented a spongy texture with small bubbles spread continuously throughout the piece which helps protect the structural collapse. However, carved-rose radish had a slight shrinkage but it was restored as fresh after immersing in water. Rehydration time was 5 mins for pumpkin and carrot, and 10 mins for Chinese radish which showed remarkable that firm-liked fresh vegetables. Then, freeze-dried vegetables were packed in an aluminum bag filled with nitrogen gas and kept at 25±1°C for 2-months storage. The sensory characteristics evaluated by specialists were ranged in the medium to very like throughout the storage periods. Thus, freeze-dried carved-rose vegetable seems to be very interesting, moreover, conduction on a larger scale for the foodservice industry was particularly noticeable.

Printing spongy all-in-liquid materials

Printing structured networks of functionalized droplets in a liquid medium enables engineering collectives of living cells for functional purposes [1, 2], bacterial ecology [3], and promises enormous applications in processes ranging from energy storage [4, 5] to drug delivery [6, 7]and tissue engineering [8]. Current approaches are limited to drop-by-drop printing [1, 2] or face limitations in reproducing the sophisticated internal features of a structured material and its interactions with the surrounding media [6, 9–11]. Here, we report on a simple approach for creating stable liquid filaments of silica nanoparticle dispersions and use them as inks to print all-in-liquid materials that consist of a network of droplets. Silica nanoparticles stabilize liquid filaments at Weber numbers two orders of magnitude smaller than previously reported in liquid-liquid systems by rapidly producing a concentrated microemulsion zone at the oil-water interface. We experimentally demonstrate that the printed aqueous phase is emulsified in-situ; consequently, a 3D structure is achieved with flexible walls consisting of layered microemulsions. The tube-like printed features have a spongy texture resembling miniaturized versions of “tube sponges” found in the oceans. A scaling analysis based on the interplay between hydro-dynamics and emulsification kinetics reveals that liquid filaments are formed when emulsions are generated and remain at the interface during the printing period. We demonstrate the utilization of filaments of the nanoparticle dispersions for printing fluidic channels and propose to use them as lab-on-a-chip devices.

Electronic Transport Mechanisms Correlated to Structural Properties of a Reduced Graphene Oxide Sponge

We report morpho-structural properties and charge conduction mechanisms of a foamy “graphene sponge”, having a density as low as ≈0.07 kg/m3 and a carbon to oxygen ratio C:O ≃ 13:1. The spongy texture analysed by scanning electron microscopy is made of irregularly-shaped millimetres-sized small flakes, containing small crystallites with a typical size of ≃16.3 nm. A defect density as high as ≃2.6 × 1011 cm−2 has been estimated by the Raman intensity of D and G peaks, dominating the spectrum from room temperature down to ≃153 K. Despite the high C:O ratio, the graphene sponge exhibits an insulating electrical behavior, with a raise of the resistance value at ≃6 K up to 5 orders of magnitude with respect to the room temperature value. A variable range hopping (VRH) conduction, with a strong 2D character, dominates the charge carriers transport, from 300 K down to 20 K. At T < 20 K, graphene sponge resistance tends to saturate, suggesting a temperature-independent quantum tunnelling. The 2D-VRH conduction originates from structural disorder and is consistent with hopping of charge carriers between sp2 defects in the plane, where sp3 clusters related to oxygen functional groups act as potential barriers.

Electronic Transport Mechanisms Correlated to Structural Properties of a Reduced Graphene Oxide Sponge

We report morpho-structural properties and charge conduction mechanisms of a foamy &ldquo;graphene sponge&rdquo;, having a density as low as &asymp; 0.07 kg/m3 and a carbon to oxygen ratio C:O ≃ 13:1. The spongy texture analysed by scanning electron microscopy is made of irregularly-shaped millimetres-sized small flakes, containing small crystallites with a typical size of ≃ 16.3 nm. A defect density as high as ≃ 2.6&times;1011 cm&minus;2 has been estimated by the Raman intensity of D and G peaks, dominating the spectrum from room temperature down to ≃ 153 K. Despite the high C:O ratio, the graphene sponge exhibits an insulating electrical behavior, with a raise of the resistance value at ≃ 6 K up to 5 orders of magnitude with respect to the room temperature value. A variable range hopping (VRH) conduction, with a strong 2D character, dominates the charge carriers transport, from 300 K down to 20 K. At T&amp;lt; 20 K, graphene sponge resistance tends to saturate, suggesting a temperature-independent quantum tunnelling. The 2D-VRH conduction originates from structural disorder and is consistent with hopping of charge carriers between sp2 defects in the plane, where sp3 clusters related to oxygen functional groups act as potential barriers.

Microstructural characteristics of mortars prepared by hot lime mix

The effect of lime characteristics and hot lime mix method on hydraulic, microstructural and mechanical properties of mortars is determined by producing mortars from quicklimes of two different marbles and two limestones. Results of SEM-EDS, XRD and TGA analyses reveal that the porous microstructure of mortars and spongy texture of calcite crystals are the indicators of the hot lime mix method. This study shows that characteristics of limestones used for the production of limes, as well as the preparation method, directly affect hydraulic, mechanical and microstructural properties of mortars.

Deterioration of the cell wall in waterlogged wooden archeological artifacts, 2400 years old

ABSTRACT The relationship between the cell wall ultrastructure of waterlogged wooden archeological artifacts and the state of water bound to cell walls and free in voids is fundamental to develop consolidating and drying technologies. Herein, a lacquer-wooden ware and a boat-coffin dating 4th century BC were selected as representative artifacts to study. Wood anatomy results indicated that they belonged to Idesia sp. and Machilus sp., respectively. They exhibited a typical spongy texture, as revealed by SEM observations, and their water contents had increased significantly. Solid state NMR, Py-GC/MS, imaging FTIR microscopy and 2D-XRD results demonstrated that the deterioration resulted from the partial cleavages of both polysaccharide backbones and cellulose hydrogen-bonding networks, almost complete elimination of acetyl side chains of hemicellulose, the partial depletion of β-O-4 interlinks, as well as oxidation and demethylation/demethoxylation of lignin. These further caused the disoriented arrangement of crystalline cellulose, and the decrease in cellulose crystallite dimensions and crystallinity. In consequence, mesopores and macropores formed, and the number of moisture-adsorbed sites and their accessibility increased. Moreover, results on free water deduced by the changes of pore structure and the maximum monolayer water capacity achieved by the GAB model indicated that water in waterlogged archeological wooden artifacts was mainly free water in mesopores.

Effect of temperature on viability of human hydatid cyst & study the volume of hydatid cyst

The hydatid materials were collected and studied, so they were contained 50 fertile human hydatid cases {33 (66%) females and 17 (34%) males}. They were collected from Al-Ramadi General Hospital during the period from December, 2003 to July, 2004 .Cysts were observed in 40 (80%) from the liver, 5 (10%) from the lungs, 3 (6%) from the kidney and 2 (4%) cysts from urinary bladder. The specimens were taken from patients of different ages. The in vitro viability of protoscoleces was assessed on the basis of flame cell activity and eosein exclusion, which were considered as criteria to determine the death or viability of protoscoleces. In addition to this movement (flame cell activity), another motility like constriction – relaxation (invagination - evagination) in the protoscoleces was also noticed. Both types of movement were examined under light microscope. The motility of protoscoleces examined under effect of three different temperature degrees 25?C, 37?C, and 40?C was within 15 minutes. It showed steadily increase with rising temperature. Flame cell activity increased as high as 70.01% at 40?C, while the motility with constriction -relaxation movement increased as 100.0% at 40?C. The volumes of hydatid cysts were also studied, so they were measured. Therefore, the volumes of human hydatid cysts were the highest in the lung and this is may be due to the spongy texture of the lung tissues. There is relationship between the volumes of Hydatid cysts and the viability was recorded.

Association of Enterobacter cloacae with Rhizome Rot of Edible Ginger in Hawaii

Edible ginger is a popular spice crop that is grown in Hawaii primarily for the fresh market, and as such, rhizome quality is of paramount importance. In our studies, a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium was consistently isolated from decayed as well as symptomless ginger rhizomes. The bacterium was identified as Enterobacter cloacae by biochemical assays and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Rot symptoms, which usually occurred in the central cylinder of the rhizome, were characterized by yellowish-brown to brown discolored tissue and firm to spongy texture. In inoculation experiments, ginger strains of E. cloacae produced basal stem and root rot, with foliar chlorosis and necrosis in tissue-cultured ginger plantlets, and discolored and spongy tissue in mature ginger rhizome slices and whole segments. In other hosts, ginger strains of E. cloacae caused internal yellowing of ripe papaya fruit and internal rot of onion bulbs. All strains that caused symptoms in inoculated plants were reisolated and identified as E. cloacae. Our studies suggest that E. cloacae can exist as an endophyte of ginger rhizomes, and under conditions that are favorable for bacterial growth, or host susceptibility, including maturity of tissues, rhizome rot may occur. Rhizome quality may be impacted by the presence of E. cloacae under conditions such as high temperature, high relative humidity, and low oxygen atmosphere that may affect the development of decay, and such conditions should be avoided during post-harvest handling and storage. The association of E. cloacae with a rhizome rot of ginger is a new finding.