Physicochemical Properties of Red Beetroot and Quince Fruit Extracts Instant Beverage Powder: Effect of Drying Method and Maltodextrin Concentration

In this study, production of instant beverage powder by the foam-mat drying method (foam-mat freeze- and hot-air drying) from red beetroot, quince fruit, and cinnamon extracts without and with maltodextrin (MD) (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) were investigated. The results showed that an increase in the MD level has led to a decrease in the moisture content of powders. Drying method and MD concentration had a significant effect on rehydration time, color, and total phenolic content ( p ≤ 0.05 ). Foam-mat hot-air-dried powder containing 20% MD had a good flowability. According to the statistical analysis, MD content had a more significant effect on the antioxidant activity of powders than the drying method ( p ≤ 0.05 ). The total phenolic content of foam-mat hot-air-dried powders was higher than that of foam-mat freeze-dried powders. Based on the results, the produced powder containing 20% MD via foam-mat hot-air drying (60°C) was the optimum sample.

Evaluating performance and determining optimum sample size for regression tree and automatic linear modeling

ABSTRACT This study was carried out for two purposes: comparing performances of Regression Tree and Automatic Linear Modeling and determining optimum sample size for these methods under different experimental conditions. A comprehensive Monte Carlo Simulation Study was designed for these purposes. Results of simulation study showed that percentage of explained variation estimates of both Regression Tree and Automatic Linear Modeling was influenced by sample size, number of variables, and structure of variance-covariance matrix. Automatic Linear Modeling had higher performance than Regression Tree under all experimental conditions. It was concluded that the Regression Tree required much larger samples to make stable estimates when comparing to Automatic Linear Modeling.

Characteristic and photocatalytic performance of magnetic photocatalyst β-Bi2O3/MnxZn1−xFe2O4 synthesized by hydrothermal and calcination method

A magnetic photocatalyst [Formula: see text]-Bi2O3/Mn[Formula: see text]Zn[Formula: see text]Fe2O4 (Bi2O3/MZF) was fabricated by hydrothermal and calcination method, and characterized by XRD, FTIR, XPS and SEM, BET and VSM. The photocatalytic efficiency was measured by the degradation experiment of Rhodamine B (RhB). The degradation rate of the optimum sample Bi2O3/MZF (10 wt.%) could reach 96.8% after 3 h under visible light, and was improved significantly compared with pure [Formula: see text]-Bi2O3 due to the larger pore size (11.76 nm) and specific surface area (17.87 m2 ⋅ g[Formula: see text]. Meanwhile, the Bi2O3/MZF (10 wt.%) could be recovered under the external magnetic field due to its high magnetization saturation (9.22 emu ⋅ g[Formula: see text]. After reusing three times, the Bi2O3/MZF could still maintain the excellent photocatalytic activity and structural stability.

Tunning the Physical Properties of PVDF/PVC/ Zinc Ferrite Nanocomposites Films for More Efficient Adsorption of Cd (II)

This work studies the enhancement of the physical properties PVDF/PVC blend by adding ZnFe2O4 with different weight percent (from 0% up to 10%) as a nanofiller. The effect of ZnFe2O4 on behavior of PVDF/PVC was studied through XRD, FTIR, FESEM and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The PVDF/PVC/ 10% ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite film was represented the optimum sample. As it shows maximum crystallinity, roughness average (414 nm) and root mean square roughness (113nm) on another hand this sample has also the lowest value of energy band gap for direct and indirect transition. The removal efficiency of Cd(II) by using PVDF/PVC/ 10% ZnFe2O4 reached to about 50 % at pH 6 after 60min. the absorption mechanism as well as kinetics isotherm have been studied.

Impact of the neutron-depolarization effect on polarized neutron scattering in ferromagnets

It has been known for decades that a ferromagnetic sample can depolarize a transmitted neutron beam. This effect was used and developed into the neutron-depolarization technique to investigate the magnetic structure of ferromagnetic materials. Since the polarization evolves continuously as the neutrons move through the sample, the initial spin states on scattering will be different at different depths within the sample. This leads to a contamination of the measured spin-dependent neutron-scattering intensities by the other spin-dependent cross sections. The effect has rarely been considered in polarized neutron-scattering experiments even though it has a crucial impact on the observable signal. A model is proposed to describe the depolarization of a neutron beam traversing a ferromagnetic sample, provide the procedure for data correction and give guidelines to choose the optimum sample thickness. It is experimentally verified for a small-angle neutron-scattering geometry with samples of the nanocristalline soft-magnet Vitroperm (Fe73Si16B7Nb3Cu1). The model is general enough to be adapted to other types of neutron-diffraction experiments and sample geometries.

Synthesis of a multicomponent silica aerogel-containing nanocomposite for efficient sound absorption properties

In this study, the sound properties of four types of nanocomposites have been investigated. To this end, the prepared samples were measured by the impedance tube model BSWA-SW 422, SW477. It was found that the Sound Absorption Coefficient (SAC) of all samples was increased at high frequencies relatively well. The highest SAC at medium and low frequencies was related to the nanocomposite D. The results of sound Transmission Loss (TL) of nanocomposites showed that the TL value for the nanocomposite D (optimum sample) was higher at all frequencies compared to other nanocomposites. The results confirmed that adding organic and mineral materials to the silica aerogel (SA) simultaneously improves its sound properties. By measuring the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) around the enclosure without optimum sample and with optimum sample in the four sound ranges, we found that using nanocomposite D can significantly reduce the noise. According to this study, SA/polyester nonwoven layer/pan nanofibers/nanoclay nanocomposite (nanocomposites D) have great sound absorption properties, which can be used in different environments.

Effect of Natural Rubber Compound (NRC)/ Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) Coating on Abrasion and Hardness, Adhesive and Shear Properties for Pavement Surface

The efficiency of the modify natural rubber (NR) combination with methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer for pavement surface was studied. The modified coating for pavement surface consisted of MMA resin and natural rubber compound (NRC) at the weight ratio of 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60 and 30:70, respectively. The effect of rubber in MMA was studied in terms of hardness (shore A and pencil tests), adhesive, abrasion and shear strength. The results showed that hardness (shore A) and adhesion of the compound coating slightly decreased with addition of NRC. Abrasion, hardness pencil tests and shear strength notably reduced as decreasing MMA and increasing NRC concentration. The most optimum sample satisfing the pavement surface standard is M7N3 consisting of MMA:NRC of 70:30.

Optimization of wall components for encapsulation of Nigella sativa seed oil by freeze-drying

The aim of the present study was to determine the proper concentrations of whey protein isolate (WPI), Arabic gum (AG), and Zedo gum (ZG) for the encapsulation of Nigella sativa seed oil (NSO). WPI, AG, and ZG were used as wall materials for the encapsulation of NSO by mixture design and then the optimum sample with minimum Z-average, PDI, and a* and maximum zeta potential, conductivity, encapsulation efficiency, and b* was selected for examining FT-IR and SEM. The findings demonstrated that lower particle size and particle dispersion index were obtained at higher amounts of AG and WPI with the least a*. Desirability function results indicate that the mixture of 39.05% WPI, 16.758% AG, and 4.192% ZG led to the production of the optimum sample. Microencapsulation of Nigella sativa seed oil using the optimum wall composition was recognized to be useful to preserve bioactive compounds and provide flavor stability, enabling the use of microcapsules in food formulations.

Multiscale Finite Element Modeling of the Viscoelastic Behavior of Sportswear Under Periodic Load

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different stitch factors on the mechanical behavior of the seam section of sportswear under periodic load. Multiscale finite element (FE) modeling was then utilized to predict the mechanical behavior of the samples under periodic tensile load. The unit cells of the fabric and the stitched section were modeled in the mesoscale. Elastic and viscoelastic properties of the yarns were assigned to the model. In order to obtain the mechanical properties of the sample, periodic boundary conditions were applied to the unit cell. Elastic and viscoelastic properties calculated from the mesoscale were then used for the macromodel. FE results had a good agreement with the experimental ones in predicting the mechanical behavior of the seam section under the periodic tensile load. By using Taguchi method, the optimum sample was found.