Characterization of the surface activity of previously obtained polymerizable dialkyl maleates is performed to find out the relation between the structure of surfactants and their performances. The given polymerizable surfactants were synthesized for using in the emulsion polymerization. Three groups of dialkyl maleates-nonionic, cationic and zwitterionic-with different chain lengths of hydrophobic alkyl groups are investigated. Critical micelle concentration (cmc) values are determined for water soluble surfactants. It is found that cmc decreases with increasing chain length of the hydrophobic alkyl group. For nonionic and cationic surfactants interfacial tension at the interface between water and dodecane is measured. Droplet size in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions is determined for all given surfactants. Cationic and zwitterionic dialkyl maleates with the longest investigated alkyl chain (R=C16H33, C17H35) provide good stability of O/W emulsions. In order to compare the obtained results, measurements with well-known surfactants-nonionic nonylphenol-poly(ethylene oxide) (NPEO10) and cationic hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB)-are performed.

Proteoheparan sulphate can be adsorbed to a methylated silica surface in a monomolecular layer via its transmembrane hydrophobic protein core domain. As a result of electrostatic repulsion, its anionic glycosaminoglycan side chains are stretched out into the blood substitute solution, thereby representing one receptor site for specific lipoprotein binding through basic amino acid-rich residues within their apolipoproteins. The binding process was studied by ellipsometric techniques suggesting that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) has a high binding affinity and a protective effect on interfacial heparan sulphate proteoglycan layers with respect to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and Ca2+ complexation. Low-density lipoprotein was found to deposit strongly at the proteoheparan sulphate-coated surface, particularly in the presence of Ca2+, apparently through complex formation 'proteoglycan-LDL-calcium'. This ternary complex build-up may be interpreted as arteriosclerotic nanoplaque formation on the molecular level responsible for the arteriosclerotic primary lesion. On the other hand, HDL bound to heparan sulphate proteoglycan protected against LDL deposition and completely suppressed calcification of the proteoglycan-lipoprotein complex. In addition, HDL was able to decelerate the ternary complex deposition. Therefore, HDL attached to its proteoglycan receptor sites is thought to raise a multidomain barrier, selection and control motif for transmembrane and paracellular lipoprotein uptake into the arterial wall. Although much remains unclear regarding the mechanism of lipoprotein depositions at proteoglycan-coated surfaces, it seems clear that the use of such systems offers possibilities for investigating lipoprotein deposition at a 'nanoscopic' level under close to physiological conditions. In particular, Ca2+-promoted LDL deposition and the protective effect of HDL even at high Ca2+ and LDL concentrations agree well with previous clinical observations regarding risk and beneficial factors for early stages of atherosclerosis. Considering this, the system was tested on its reliability in a biosensor application in order to unveil possible acute pleiotropic effects of the lipid lowering drug fluvastatin. The very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)/intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL)/LDL plasma fraction from a high risk patient with dyslipoproteinaemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus showed beginning arteriosclerotic nanoplaque formation already at a normal blood Ca2+ concentration, with a strong increase at higher Ca2+ concentrations. Fluvastatin, whether applied to the patient (one single 80 mg slow release matrix tablet) or acutely in the experiment (2.2 μmol L-1), markedly slowed down this process of ternary aggregational nanoplaque complexation at all Ca2+ concentrations used. This action resulted without any significant change in lipid concentrations of the patient. Furthermore, after ternary complex build-up, fluvastatin, similar to HDL, was able to reduce nanoplaque adsorption and size. These immediate effects of fluvastatin have to be taken into consideration while interpreting the clinical outcome of long-term studies.

The effects of divalent salts (CaCl2, MgCl2 and BaCl2) in promoting the adsorption of weakly charged polyelectrolyte (polyacrylic acid), PAA, Mw ~ 250000 g/mol) on mica surfaces and their role in tuning the nature of interactions between such adsorbed polyelectrolyte layers were studied using the interferometric surface forces apparatus. With mica surfaces in 3 mM MgCl2 solutions at pH ~8.0-9.0, the addition of 10 ppm PAA resulted in a long-range attractive bridging force and a short-range repulsive steric force. This force profile indicates a low surface coverage and weak adsorption. The range of the force can be related to the characteristic length scale RG of polyelectrolyte chains using a scaling description. An increase of the PAA concentration to 50 ppm changed the attractive force profile to a monotonic, long-range repulsive interaction extending up to 600 Å due to the increased surface coverage of polyelectrolyte chains on the mica surfaces. Comparison of the measured forces with a scaling mean field model suggests that the adsorbed polyelectrolyte chains are stretched, which eventually give rise to the polyelectrolyte brush like structure. When the mica surfaces were preincubated in 3 mM CaCl2 at pH ~8.0-9.0, in contrast to the case of 3 mM MgCl2, the addition of 10 ppm PAA resulted in a more complex force profile: long-range repulsive forces extending up to 800 Å followed by an attractive force regime and a second repulsive force regime at shorter separations. The long-range electrosteric forces can be attributed to strong adsorption of polyelectrolyte chains on mica surfaces (high surface coverage) which is facilitated by the presence of Ca2+ ions, while the intermediate range attractive forces can be ascribed to Ca2+ assisted bridging between adsorbed polyelectrolyte chains. Also interesting is to note various relaxation processes present in this system. In contrast to both MgCl2 and CaCl2 systems, with mica surfaces in 3 mM BaCl2 solution at pH ~8.0-9.0, the addition of 10 ppm PAA resulted in precipitation of polyelectrolyte chains on mica surfaces, resulting in an extremely long-range monotonic repulsive force profile. In summary, our study showed that divalent counterions (Mg2+, Ca2+, and Ba2+) exhibit significantly different behavior in promoting PAA adsorption on mica surfaces, modifying and controlling various surface interactions.

We report on the synthesis, microstructure and mass transport properties of a colloidal hydrogel self-assembled from a mixture of colloidal silica and nontronite clay plates at different particle concentrations. The gel-structure had uniaxial long-range anisotropy caused by alignment of the clay particles in a strong external magnetic field. After gelation the colloidal silica covered the clay particle network, fixing the orientation of the clay plates. Comparing gels with a clay concentration between 0 and 0.7 vol%, the magnetically oriented gels had a maximum water permeability and self-diffusion coefficient at 0.3 and 0.7 vol% clay, respectively. Hence the specific clay concentration resulting in the highest liquid flux was pressure dependent. This study gives new insight into the effect of anisotropy, particle concentration and bound water on mass transport properties in nano/microporous materials. Such findings merit consideration when designing porous composite materials for use in for example fuel cell, chromatography and membrane technology.

The reactivity ratios r1 (EO) and r2 (PO) for the copolymerization of ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) have been determined. The reactions were carried out in dry dimethyl formamide at 90°C using the potassium salt of ethylene glycol as initiator. The polymer composition at different EO/PO ratios in the feed was determined by 1H-NMR. Using the Fineman-Ross method to calculate reactivity ratios from the values of polymer composition, rl- and r2-values of 1.8 and 0.3, respectively, were obtained.

Conducting polyaniline (Pani) was prepared in the presence of methane sulfonic acid (MeSA) as dopant by chemical oxidative polymerization. The Pani–MeSA polymer was characterized by FT-IR, UV–vis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and impedance spectroscopy. The polymer was dispersed in polyvinylacetate and coated on carbon steel samples by a dipping method. The electrochemical behavior and anticorrosion properties of the coating on carbon steel in 3% NaCl were investigated using open-circuit potential (OCP) versus time of exposure, and electrochemical techniques including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization and cyclic voltammetry (CV). During initial exposure, the OCP dropped about 0.35 V and the interfacial resistance increased several times, indicating a certain reduction of the polymer and oxidation of the steel surface. Later the OCP shifted to the noble direction and remained at a stable value during the exposure up to 60 days. The EIS monitoring also revealed the initial change and later stabilization of the coating. The stable high OCP and low coating impedance suggest that the conducting polymer maintains its oxidative state and provides corrosion protection for carbon steel throughout the investigated period. The polarization curves and CV show that the conducting polymer coating induces a passive-like behavior and greatly reduces the corrosion of carbon steel.

Conducting polypyrrole electrodes were prepared by electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole on vacuum-metallized glass substrates. These electrodes were modified by doping with a range of metal halides as dopant ions having different electronegativity. Electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene using these electrodes was studied by means of cyclic voltammetry technique in acetonitrile medium containing aqueous HClO4 (0.1M) as supporting electrolyte. It was found that the electronegativity of the dopant ion played a very important role in the electrocatalytic activity. Polypyrrole doped with nickel chloride gave the highest anodic current at the reduction potential of nitrobenzene. The results were explained on the basis of charge transfer efficiency at the electrode-electrolyte interface, which was associated with the acceptor state created by the dopant in the semi-conducting polymer.

En jämförelse av slag- och klingaggregat vid maskinell röjning visar att klingaggregatet är säkrast mot olycksfall, vilket är speciellt viktigt om maskinell och motormanuell röjning sker samtidigt. Klingaggregatet har lika hög prestanda och ger ett godtagbart resultat ur ekologisk synpunkt.

Denna slutrapport utgör en sammanfattning och dokumentation av Projekt Förädling. Projektet har genomförts av ledningsgruppen för företagen AB CF Berg & Co samt OLAB Timber med stöd av Trätek. Resultatet av Projekt Förädling visar att de undersökta kunderna ställer definierade och preciserade kvalitetskrav både på produktens kärnegenskaper, men även på de lösningar och tjänster som är kopplade till produkten, affären och/eller leveransen. Det kan gälla gemensam produktutveckling eller andra lösningar som effektiviserar och utvecklar ett närmare samarbete mellan kund och leverantör.

Denna rapport beskriver ett delresultat från projektet "Samverkan och affärsutveckling i träkedjan" (SAIT). Rapporten redovisar genomförande och resultat från genomförd verksamhetsdefinition och -diagnos på ett sågverk och några av deras kunder och leverantörer i ett nätverk. Rapporten redovisar också hur denna typ av arbete kan användas som underlag vid verksamhetsutveckling samt hur resultatet kan användas för att spegla sågverkets situation i ett antal utvalda och väl kända teoribildningar (nätverk, imaginära organisationer, koordination, informationssystem, processer, planering och affärslogik). Syftet med denna spegling är att undersöka teoriernas tillämpbarhet i detta sammanhang samt att bättre förstå sågverkets position i nätverket samt dess pågående förändringsprocess. I rapporten diskuteras också den forskningsansats vi tillämpat, kunskaps- och förändringsbehov i studerad träkedja samt några områden för framtida forskning.

Four different chitosans with different charge densities and different molecular weights were used for investigation of the mechanisms involved in selective flocculation of cell debris particles in E.coli disintegrates. It was found that the main mechanism for flocculation is a "non-equilibrium" bridging process in which a very efficient removal of cell debris particles can be achieved with highly charged chitosans. The high molecular weight (6.5-6.6x105) chitosans produce very large and shear resistant flocs suitable for filtration as well as settling and centrifugation. The low molecular weight (1x105) product forms smaller and more shear sensitive flocs best suited for centrifugation. There are small differences in flocculation dosages depending on molecular weight, but large differences are found with significant changes in charge densities. A decrease in the deacetylation degree from 93 to 39% increased the flocculation dosages by 100 to 150%. A low molecular weight chitosan gave a much broader flocculation region than that of a high molecular weight. Flocculation by addition of urea revealed a hydrogen bonding capacity of chitosan toward cell debris particles which was not involved in chitosan´s interaction with proteins or nucleic acids. The purification of the enzyme -galactosidase could be increased by a factor of 3.7 when using a two step flocculation procedure. The enzyme yield was 82% and the enzyme solution was essentially free of both nucleic acids and cell debris particles.

The effects of ionic strength and multivalent metal ions on the flocculation performance in Escherichia coli cell disintegrates using the polycationic chitosan as a flocculant were investigated. The study showed that ionic strength could be used to optimize the selectivity in flocculation. The best selectivity was obtained at 0.5 M sodium chloride where 95% of the cell debris and 88% of the nucleic acids could be removed from the disintegrate by sedimentation, leaving 99% of proteins and 86% of -galactosidase enzyme activity in clarified solution. We will also discuss the mechanisms for interaction between chitosan and different groups of components in the disintegrate: cell debris particles, nucleic acid polymers and proteins.

The effect of crust temperature and water content on acrylamide formation was studied during the baking of white bread. To assess the effect of over-baking, we used a full factorial experimental design in which the baking time was increased by 5 and 10 min at each baking temperature. Additional experiments were performed with steam baking and falling temperature baking. Immediately after baking, the crust was divided into the outer and inner crust fractions, and the water content and acrylamide concentration of each fraction was measured. The outer crust had a significantly lower water content and higher acrylamide concentration than the inner crust did. Crust temperature in combination with water content had a significant effect on acrylamide formation, higher temperatures resulting in higher acrylamide concentrations. However, at very high temperatures and lower water contents, acrylamide concentration was observed to decrease, though the bread colour was then unacceptable for consumption. Steam and falling temperature baking, on the other hand, decreased the acrylamide content while producing bread crust with an acceptable colour. The lowest acrylamide values and an acceptable crust colour were produced by steam baking. © 2007 Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology.

The development of formulation engineering concepts in food manufacturing and the demand for diversity in food products has driven a substantial market increase for food ingredients. Most ingredients are supplied in powder form and therefore a better understanding of dispersed solid food systems is important both for food ingredient manufactures and food producers. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Acidification can be used to improve the quality of canned vegetables because it can decrease thermal processing requirements. Moreover, there is some evidence that acidified vegetables retain a better texture than non-acidified ones. Optimisation of the acidification processes requires the knowledge of the relationship between texture and thermal process at low/moderate temperature. The main objective of this work was the modelling of textural changes of vegetables during acidification under isothermal conditions, and the application of the model to predict textural changes in non-isothermal processes. Turnip was the vegetable used in the experiments. The effect of pre-treatments (blanching, freezing/thawing, calcium addition and vacuum infusion of water before acidification) on the kinetics of textural changes during acidification was also studied. Turnips were acidified in acetic acid under isothermal (20, 50, 70, 80, 90 and 100°C) and non-isothermal conditions (20 to 90°C). Texture was modelled by a two subtract first order kinetic model, assuming an Arrhenius-type dependence of the rate constants on temperature. The model parameters were estimated by nonlinear regression. At temperatures lower then 70°C no significant changes in texture were detected. At higher temperatures the model showed a good fit to the data for all the conditions tested. Acidification decreased the percentage of heat labile substrate from 96% to 62%, thus improving firmness retention. The parameters of the kinetic model estimated under isothermal conditions provided an adequate prediction of texture changes under non-isothermal conditions. The methodology developed in this work can be further applied to model the textural changes of vegetables during other thermal processes, such as drying, blanching, and frying.

Acidification can be used to improve the quality of canned vegetables because it can decrease thermal processing requirements. Moreover, there is some evidence that acidified vegetables retain a better texture than non-acidified ones. Optimisation of the acidification processes requires the knowledge of the relationship between texture and thermal process at low/moderate temperature. The main objective of this work was the modelling of textural changes of vegetables during acidification under isothermal conditions, and the application of the model to predict textural changes in non-isothermal processes. Turnip was the vegetable used in the experiments. The effect of pre-treatments (blanching, freezing/thawing, calcium addition and vacuum infusion of water before acidification) on the kinetics of textural changes during acidification was also studied. Turnips were acidified in acetic acid under isothermal (20, 50, 70, 80, 90 and 100°C) and non-isothermal conditions (20 to 90°C). Texture was modelled by a two subtract first order kinetic model, assuming an Arrhenius-type dependence of the rate constants on temperature. The model parameters were estimated by nonlinear regression. At temperatures lower then 70°C no significant changes in texture were detected. At higher temperatures the model showed a good fit to the data for all the conditions tested. Acidification decreased the percentage of heat labile substrate from 96% to 62%, thus improving firmness retention. The parameters of the kinetic model estimated under isothermal conditions provided an adequate prediction of texture changes under non-isothermal conditions. The methodology developed in this work can be further applied to model the textural changes of vegetables during other thermal processes, such as drying, blanching, and frying.

Fruit and vegetable processors, faced with the challenge of gaining and maintaining a healthy position in the competitive fruit and vegetable sector, are optimising traditional processes towards product quality. Using frozen potatoes as a case study, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of improving the texture of potatoes by modifying the processing conditions. The texture of processed frozen potatoes is the result of the integral effect of the unit operations applied through the production chain. Production of frozen potatoes includes a blanching, a freezing, thawing/cooking step before being served. In this study, blanching temperatures from 70 to 97 °C up to 10 minutes were tested and combined with freezing by two freezing methods, impingement and air-blast freezing. The texture was measured after cooking of frozen potatoes in boiling water. Besides texture, water holding capacity, microstructural evaluation and pectinmethylesterase (PME) activity were determined. Blanching of potatoes prior to freezing can both improve water holding capacity and texture of potatoes, but this effect depends on the freezing rate and blanching temperature. Potatoes frozen with fastest freezing method are firmer and hold more water than the ones frozen by air-blast freezing. Blanching at 70 °C can lead to potatoes that after cooking retain a firmer texture, compared with blanching at 90 °C. The duration of the blanching treatment has also an important effect on texture changes. The studies of PME activity showed a good correlation between texture and PME for blanching at 90 °C, but for blanching at 70°C and longer times, the development of texture does not seem to be solely related to PME activity. Microstructural studies showed that the differences in texture are due to differences in the degree of starch gelatinisation and integrity of the cellular structure.

Fruit and vegetable processors, faced with the challenge of gaining and maintaining a healthy position in the competitive fruit and vegetable sector, are optimising traditional processes towards product quality. Using frozen potatoes as a case study, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of improving the texture of potatoes by modifying the processing conditions. The texture of processed frozen potatoes is the result of the integral effect of the unit operations applied through the production chain. Production of frozen potatoes includes a blanching, a freezing, thawing/cooking step before being served. In this study, blanching temperatures from 70 to 97 °C up to 10 minutes were tested and combined with freezing by two freezing methods, impingement and air-blast freezing. The texture was measured after cooking of frozen potatoes in boiling water. Besides texture, water holding capacity, microstructural evaluation and pectinmethylesterase (PME) activity were determined. Blanching of potatoes prior to freezing can both improve water holding capacity and texture of potatoes, but this effect depends on the freezing rate and blanching temperature. Potatoes frozen with fastest freezing method are firmer and hold more water than the ones frozen by air-blast freezing. Blanching at 70 °C can lead to potatoes that after cooking retain a firmer texture, compared with blanching at 90 °C. The duration of the blanching treatment has also an important effect on texture changes. The studies of PME activity showed a good correlation between texture and PME for blanching at 90 °C, but for blanching at 70°C and longer times, the development of texture does not seem to be solely related to PME activity. Microstructural studies showed that the differences in texture are due to differences in the degree of starch gelatinisation and integrity of the cellular structure.

Microwave convective drying of plant foods is a promising process due to the shorter drying time and better product quality. High microwave power decreases the drying time but causes charring of the product. In this work, microwave drying under constant and variable microwave power were compared. Temperature-sensitive products, such as plant foods, are especially affected by microwave power during the final drying period. Therefore, drying at variable microwave power was found to be a more suitable drying process. Air (temperature and velocity) has an important role during microwave drying, not only as carrier of evaporated moisture but also as it contributes to a more homogeneous and faster drying.