Ultrasonic Effects on Foam Formation of Fruit Juices during Bottling

Non-carbonated fruit juices often tend to foam over during bottling. The resulting foam height corresponds to the equilibrium of foam formation and decay. Therefore, the foam unexpectedly occupies more space in the bottle and carries parts of the juice out of the bottle, resulting in product loss under filled containers and hygienic problems in the plant. Chemical antifoams are likewise undesirable in most cases. Recent ultrasonic defoamers are effective but only capable outside the container and after the filling. In this article, a lateral ultrasonication through the bottle wall with frequencies between 42 and 168 kHz is used in-line for non-invasive foam prevention during filling. Foam formation during hot bottling of orange juice, apple juice, and currant nectar at 70 °C happens at flow rates between 124–148 mL/s. The comparably high frequencies have a particular influence on the fresh foams, where a large fraction of small resonant bubbles is still present. Foam volume reductions of up to 50% are reached in these experiments. A low power of 15 W was sufficient for changing the rise of entrained bubbles and minimizing the foam development from the start. The half-life of the remaining foam could be reduced by up to 45% from the reference case. The main observed effects were a changed rise of entrained bubbles and an increased drainage.

Effect of air pockets in drug delivery in jet injections

Needle-free jet injections are actuated by a pressure impulse that can be delivered by different mechanisms, and the resultant jets are (102) m/s. Here, we report on the effect of entrapped air bubbles since filling procedures for pre-filled ampoules can induce bubbles, especially for viscous fluids. We use spring-piston devices as the principal actuation mechanism and vary both the location and size of the initial bubble. We find that the bubble location does have a statistically significant (p < 0.05) effect on the jet exit speed, based upon the volumetric flow rate. However, we reveal subtle features such as intermittent atomization when the gas pockets pass through the orifice and de-pressurize, which leads to spray formation and a temporary increase in jet dispersion, both of which can lead to product loss during an injection. These results have implications for the development of prefilled ampoules for jet injection applications.

Polymer coating in soybean seed treatment and their relation to leaching of chemicals

This study evaluated the physiological quality and quantified the efficiency of polymer in reducing the loss of phytosanitary products by leaching from soybean seeds of different diameters and in different treatments. Two lots of seed and two types of treatments were tested: polymers associated with seed treatment, and polymer application in layers after the seed treatment. For that, the following treatments were analyzed: Control= no seed treatment; Treat+pol= seed treatment + polymers in the mix; Treat/pol= seed treatment + polymers applied in layers; Treat= seed treatment. To evaluate seed treatment retention by the polymers, extraction equipment was employed and leaching of the active ingredient thiamethoxam was quantified. Evaluation of physical quality was conducted with tests of germination rate, first count, emergence rate, accelerated aging, seedling length, seedling dry mass and moisture content. Polymer application associated with seed treatment was efficient in reducing losses by leaching, reducing product loss by 20%. No significant differences in retention and physiological quality were found when different methods for polymer application were compared. Bigger seeds presented greater vigor, but the germination rate was unaffected.

A Study of Interdisciplinary Dialog of Music and Dance in the 21st Century Turkey through Performed Examples

Power outages have negatively impacted the economy of Zambia through declining gross domestic product, loss of jobs and increased mortality rates. This case study provides some of the most crucial solutions to Zambia’s electricity supply deficit which include Yardstick competition and other alternative sources.

How efficient are the lockdown measures taken for mitigating the Covid-19 epidemic?

Various lockdown measures have been taken in different countries to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic. But, for citizens, it is not always simple to understand how these measures have been taken. Should they have been more (or less) restrictive? Should the lockdown period have been longer (or shorter)? What would have been the benefits of starting to confine the population earlier? To provide some elements of response to these questions, we propose a simple behavior model for the government decision-making operation. Although simple and obviously improvable, the proposed model has the merit to implement in a pragmatic and insightful way the tradeoff between health and macroeconomic aspects. For a given tradeoff between the assumed cost functions for the economic and health impacts, it is then possible to determine the best lockdown starting date, the best lockdown duration, and the optimal severity levels during and after lockdown. The numerical analysis is based on a standard SEIR model and performed for the case of France but the adopted approach can be applied to any country. Our analysis, based on the proposed model, shows that for France it would have been possible to have just a quarter of the actual number of people infected (over [March 1, August 31]), while simultaneously having a Gross Domestic Product loss about 30% smaller than the one expected with the current policy

Nutrition in Practice: A Shift from Nutrition Education Alone to Incorporation Into Medical Students’ Food Choices

Objectives This study aims to show that if provided healthy food options in the on-campus canteen, medical students will develop healthier eating habits. Methods A mixed methods approach was utilized to conduct primary market research which look at the purchasing behavior of medical students, and faculty. The inventory offered in the school canteen, was tracked from 2016 through the first fifteen weeks of 2019. The data from the vendor listed the food items into 9 categories: bottled beverages, candy, general merchandise, ice cream, juice, large snacks, milk, non-carb beverage, and pastry. Of these categories, the top 10 sales for each year were obtained. This study included customer survey data, suggestion box data and product inventory data from the vendor. The customer input was summarized and shared with the vendor in the spring of 2018. The vendor accommodated the medical school customers in all the food and beverage options available for purchase beginning in the next stocking cycle. These changes were implemented over the following three months, despite early food service institutional barriers. Results Utilizing the vendor's product inventory excel spread sheets records of sales, product loss, and cost over a three-year period basic statistical analysis indicated that despite an initial drop in sales healthier foods began to trend in the highest sales categories. The foods and beverages that were suggested by students were shown to have been bought more abundantly and frequently after the changes to the canteen were made. Of the nine categories that were analyzed, the beverages showed the most dramatic changes from unhealthy to healthy choices; the sales of healthy beverages increased by 17% over the study period. Interestingly, there was an overall increase in the canteen's total profit in the last year of this study compared to the two previous years. Conclusions Students as active participants, when provided healthier food and beverage options demonstrated purchasing behavior indicating a desire to consume the healthier foods. This will be invaluable in the practice of medicine, as it is more efficacious to educate and motivate patients who need instruction regarding their nutritional needs if the providers are already living by that example. Funding Sources None

Nematicidal Action of Microencapsulated Essential Oil of Flesh Fingered Citron

Flesh fingered citron (FFC) essential oil (EO) is susceptible to volatilisation at room temperature. Therefore, its use as a nematicide requires a controlled release. In the present study, we encapsulated FFC EO in β-cyclodextrin by embedding and investigated release from the capsules compared to unembedded EO. We evaluated the structural and thermal properties of the capsules by SEM and TGA. The loading capacity was 32.67%, and the embedding yield was 96.24%, assuming that a core-to-wall quality ratio of 1 : 6 is optimal for the carrier. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism, we explored the toxicity of (1) FFC EO microcapsules (MCs) and (2) four key compounds of the EOs. The MCs enabled sustained release, e.g., 77% mortality after 4 h and 100% within an additional half-hour. The four main compounds in EO can each kill nematodes by reducing antioxidant activity. Since microencapsulation can improve FFC EO stability and prevent product loss due to adverse environments exposed to the air, encapsulating FFC EO in MCs has great potential as a new nematicide.

Pyroclast textures and fragmentation efficiency - constraining the range of eruptive dynamics of Mt. Pelée volcano, Martinique

&lt;p&gt;Mt. Pel&amp;#233;e is a historically active stratovolcano, situated on the island of Martinique in the French Caribbean.&amp;#160; It exhibits a variety of eruptive styles, from dome formation to highly violent explosivity.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 1902, a Pelean event destroyed the town of St. Pierre, killing more than 28,000 residents (Lacroix, 1904).&amp;#160; As this town is now re-established, along with several others along the volcano&amp;#8217;s flanks, it is of utmost importance to understand the range of eruptive activity possible such that preparedness of the local authorities and population can be improved.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There remains a gap in quantitative understanding of the energy required to fragment material to produce explosive eruptions, as this process is not directly observable.&amp;#160; Further, eruption records are incomplete (as at most volcanic islands) due to product loss to the ocean and intense tropical erosion.&amp;#160; Here, we constrain the energies of past eruptions by performing rapid decompression experiments and comparing the resulting grain-size distributions with primary deposits and dispersal in the field.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During a field campaign in March 2019, we collected ash and pumice blocks from five recent magmatic eruptions.&amp;#160; Two of these eruptions are historic (the Pelean episodes of 1902-1905, and 1929-1932), and three are prehistoric (the Plinian eruptions of 1300 CE P1, 280 CE P2, and 79 CE P3)(Carazzo et al. 2012).&amp;#160; We characterized ash (morphology), and constrained petrophysical (porosity, density, and permeability) and thermal properties of cylindrical samples. These cores (58-70% porosity) were subjected to rapid decompression in shock tube experiments to mimic explosive eruptions.&amp;#160; Fragmentation efficiency results from a combination of material properties and experimental conditions (temperature and overpressure). The particulate products were evaluated for their grain-size distribution in order to calculate the fractal dimension D&lt;sub&gt;f&lt;/sub&gt; and constrain eruptive conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our results provide new insights into the energy required for magma fragmentation at Mt. Pel&amp;#233;e and similar volcanoes. We hope to elucidate whether the 1902 eruption was catastrophic due to significant and measurable differences in eruption dynamics, or due to the flank topography and direction of the initial blast.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;References:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carazzo, G., Tait, S., Kaminski, E., Gardner, E., (2012), The recent Plinian explosive activity of Mt. Pel&amp;#233;e volcano (Lesser Antilles): The P1 AD 1300 eruption, Bull. Volc., 74, 2187-2203, doi: 10.1007/s00445-012-0655-4&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lacroix, A. (1904) La Montagne Pel&amp;#233;e et ses &amp;#233;ruptions. Masson, Paris&lt;/p&gt;

Hybrid Sol–gel Coatings for Corrosion Mitigation: A Critical Review

The corrosion process is a major source of metallic material degradation, particularly in aggressive environments, such as marine ones. Corrosion progression affects the service life of a given metallic structure, which may end in structural failure, leakage, product loss and environmental pollution linked to large financial costs. According to NACE, the annual cost of corrosion worldwide was estimated, in 2016, to be around 3%–4% of the world’s gross domestic product. Therefore, the use of methodologies for corrosion mitigation are extremely important. The approaches used can be passive or active. A passive approach is preventive and may be achieved by emplacing a barrier layer, such as a coating that hinders the contact of the metallic substrate with the aggressive environment. An active approach is generally employed when the corrosion is set in. That seeks to reduce the corrosion rate when the protective barrier is already damaged and the aggressive species (i.e., corrosive agents) are in contact with the metallic substrate. In this case, this is more a remediation methodology than a preventive action, such as the use of coatings. The sol-gel synthesis process, over the past few decades, gained remarkable importance in diverse areas of application. Sol–gel allows the combination of inorganic and organic materials in a single-phase and has led to the development of organic–inorganic hybrid (OIH) coatings for several applications, including for corrosion mitigation. This manuscript succinctly reviews the fundamentals of sol–gel concepts and the parameters that influence the processing techniques. The state-of-the-art of the OIH sol–gel coatings reported in the last few years for corrosion protection, are also assessed. Lastly, a brief perspective on the limitations, standing challenges and future perspectives of the field are critically discussed.