Development of a new atmospheric pressure cold plasma jet generator and application in sterilization

This paper reports that a new plasma generator at atmospheric pressure, which is composed of two homocentric cylindrical all-metal tubes, successfully generates a cold plasma jet. The inside tube electrode is connected to ground, the outside tube electrode is connected to a high-voltage power supply, and a dielectric layer is covered on the outside tube electrode. When the reactor is operated by low-frequency （6 kHz-20 kHz） AC supply in atmospheric pressure and argon is steadily fed as a discharge gas through inside tube electrode, a cold plasma jet is blown out into air and the plasma gas temperature is only 25-30℃. The electric character of the discharge is studied by using digital real-time oscilloscope （TDS 200-Series）, and the discharge is capacitive. Preliminary results are presented on the decontamination of E.colis bacteria and Bacillus subtilis bacteria by this plasma jet, and an optical emission analysis of the plasma jet is presented in this paper. The ozone concentration generated by the plasma jet is 1.0× 10^16cm^-3 which is acquired by using the ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy.

Sterilization of Turmeric by Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma

In this study atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） plasma has been employed for sterilizing dry turmeric powders. A 6 kV, 6 kHz frequency generator was used to generate plasma with Ar, Ar/Ou, He, and He/O2 gases between the 5 mm gap of two quartz covered electrodes. The complete sterilization time of samples due to plasma treatment was measured. The most important contaminant of turmeric is bacillus subtilis. The results show that the shortest sterilization time of 15 rain is achieved by exposing the samples to Ar/O2 plasma. Survival curves of samples are exponential functions of time and the addition of oxygen to plasma leads to a significant increase of the absolute value of time constant of the curves. Magnitudes of protein and DNA in treated samples were increased to a similar value for all samples. Taste, color, and solubility of samples were not changed after the plasma treatment.

Sterilization of mycete attached on the unearthed silk fabrics by an atmospheric pressure plasma jet

The sterilization of the simulated unearthed silk fabrics using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet（APPJ） system employing Ar/O2 or He/O2 plasma to inactivate the mycete attached on the silk fabrics is reported. The effects of the APPJ characteristics（particularly the gas type and discharge power） on the fabric strength, physical-chemical structures,and sterilizing efficiency were investigated. Experimental results showed that the Ar/O2 APPJ plasma can inactivate the mycete completely within 4.0 min under a discharge power of 50.0 W. Such an APPJ treatment had negligible impact on the mechanical strength of the fabric and the surface chemical characteristics. Moreover, the Ar ions, O and OH radicals were shown to play important roles on the sterilization of the mycete attached on the unearthed silk fabrics.

Comparison of Sterilizing Effect of Nonequilibrium Atmospheric-Pressure He/O_2 and Ar/O_2 Plasma Jets

The sterilizing effect of the non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jet by applying it to the Bacillus subtilis spores is invesigated. A stable glow discharge in argon or helium gas fed with active gas （oxygen）, was generated in the coaxial cylindrical reactor powered by the radio-frequency power supply at atmospheric pressure. The experimental results indicated that the efficiency of killing spores by making use of an Ar/O2 plasma jet was much better than with a He/O2 plasma jet. The decimal reduction value of Ar/O2 and He/O2 plasma jets under the same experimental conditions was 4.5 seconds and 125 seconds, respectively. It was found that there exists an optimum oxygen concentration for a certain input power, at which the sterilization efficiency reaches a maximum value. It is believed that the oxygen radicals are generated most efficiently under this optimum condition.

Structural, Pasting, and Thermal Properties of Ultra-high Pressure-treated Lotus Seed Starch

Lotus seed starch （15%, w/w） was subjected to ultra-high pressure （UHP） at 500 MPa for 10～60 min. The effects of UHP on the structural, pasting, and thermal properties of starch were investigated using solid-state 13C CP/MAS NMR, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, HPSEC-MALLS-RI, and a rapid visco analyzer. The 13C CP/MAS NMR results revealed a reduction in the relative crystallinity and peak intensity of the crystalline state with increasing the UHP time. The molecular weight of native starch was 1.433 × 107 Da, which was higher than that of the UHP-treated starch. Viscograms of UHP-treated starch revealed an increase in paste viscosity, peak time, and pasting temperature and a reduction in breakdown and setback viscosity compared to the native starch. Furthermore, the DSC results showed a reduction in gelatinization temperature and gelatinization enthalpy with increasing the UHP time.

Effects of ultra-high hydrostatic pressure on foaming and physical-chemistry properties of egg white

The influences of ultra-high hydrostatic pressure treatment on foaming and physical properties (solubility, hydrophobicity and sulfhydryl content) of egg white were investigated. A pressure range of 0-500 MPa, time range of 0-20 min and pH range of 7.5-8.5 were selected. The foaming property of egg white is improved by 350Mpa and 10min. The treatment resulted in in- crease of sulfhydryl content of egg white, while solubility and hydrophobicity were significantly decreased.

Analysis on performance and test of a new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint

Analysis as well as application of ultra-high pressure hydraulic system and elements has become a trend. The structure and operation principle of a new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint is introduced. The structure of the new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint is simple and is easy to be produced. The finite element model on two working conditions( preload condition with 30 N·m torque and static-loading condition with 70 MPa pressure) is built and computed. The width of contact area,the equivalent stress status,as well as the contact pressure status are plotted and analyzed. According to the national standard,test on air-tightness,blasting,and cyclic endurance is conducted and the results show that the new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint has the sealability for ultra-high pressure up to 70 MPa,and the DN6 ultra-high pressure pipe joint can provide effective seal under70 MPa fluid pressure. The research can provide a thinking and method on designing ultra-high pressure pipe joint and push forward the development of ultra-high pressure hydraulic system.

Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Hairtail Surimi in an Ultra-High Pressure Bioreactor

Amino acids have been extracted from Hairtail surimi using enzymes in an ultra-high pressure bioreactor. The extraction efficiency of different enzymes including papain, trypsin, and proteases (acid, neutral, alkaline) also has been evaluated, and it has been discovered that neutral protease behaved the best. The amino acids were analyzed using automatic amino acid analyzer, and the enzymatic digestion conditions were optimized. For neutral protease, the optimal condition was 50℃, 250 MPa, pH 7.0. Material to liquid ratio of enzyme is 6%. More than 29 amino acids were detected after 24 hours of hydrolysis;the enzymatic hydrolysis rate can reach 83.29%. The results show that enzymatic digestion under ultra-high-pressure provides a very promising approach to extract amino acids from Hairtail surimi.

THERMAL MODELLING OF COLLISIONAL OROGENY: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ULTRA-HIGH PRESSURE METAMORPHISM

The petrological research on the ultra high pressure metamorphism (UHP) of collisional orogen indicates that the upper crustal rocks is subducted to depths exceeding 100 km, and returned to the surface rapidly. In this study, we investigate the thermal structure of collisional orogen as a slab of continental lithosphere being subducted beneath an overriding wedge of continental lithosphere by the 2 D finite element method. The advection heat transfer due to the accretion of orogenic wedge is considered. The wedge is composed of the upper crust materials through the accretion from the down going plate to the upper plate. For identifying the significance of the geometric and/or kinetic factors on the thermal structure of continental subduction, the different combinations of parameters, including dip angle of subduction zone, accretion or erosion rates, and the convergence velocity etc., are used in modelling. The time span of continental subduction in our calculation is less than 30 Ma, according to the short duration of ultra deep subduction of continental slab suggested by the preservation of metastable pre peak low pressure mineralogy assemblage in the garnet of UHP rocks. Therefore, the steep dip angle of down going plate and/or low rate of accretion favour the ultra deep subduction of upper crust materials, especially for the slower down going slab. Meanwhile, taking the erosion rate as the level of exhumation rate of UHP rocks in some orogens (i.e., 1-2 km/Ma or more) does not result in the anatexis melting of crust of the overriding plate, due to the cooling effect of the rapid down going slab. However, the temperature structures of all models are generally cooler than those recovered by thermobarometric studies of the UHP rocks. This implies the significant increase of temperature after the rapid subduction of continental slab. Following the method of Davies and von Blackenburg (1998), we show that the slab breakoff can occur at the depth exceeding 100 km. Thermal modelling on the post subduction stage shows the heating related to the plate breakoff can cause the higher temperature recorded by the exhumed UHP rocks. The higher geotherm during post subduction stage leads to the weak strength of the orogenic wedge, and favours the faster upward movement of the UHP rock slices as ductile agents. The lower temperature gradient of the subduction slab predicted by modelling suggests the cold subducting slab could have transported significant fluids to mantle depth, not released during subduction. Accordingly, the absence of coeval calc alkalic magmatism in UHP orogens might resulted from the lower temperature as well as the fluid free circumstance, both are related to the rapid subduction of cold plate. Therefore, shear heating is not needed for explanation the thermal evolution of UHP orogen. On the other hand, the post collisional or late stage granitic plutonism is closely related to the deep seated heat producing materials of the accretion wedge.

Sterilization of Staphylococcus Aureus by an Atmospheric Non-Thermal Plasma Jet

An atmospheric non-thermal plasma jet was developed for sterilizing the Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus）. The plasma jet was generated by dielectric barrier discharge （DBD）, which was characterized by electrical and optical diagnostics. The survival curves of the bacteria showed that the plasma jet could effectively inactivate 10 6 cells of S. aureus within 120 seconds and the sterilizing efficiency depended critically on the discharge parameter of the applied voltage. It was further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） that the cell morphology was seriously damaged by the plasma treatment. The plasma sterilization mechanism of S. aureus was attributed to the active species of OH, N 2 ＋ and O, which were generated abundantly in the plasma jet and characterized by OES. Our findings suggest a convenient and low-cost way for sterilization and inactivation of bacteria.

Effects of high-pressure activated slightly acidic electrolyzed water on cleaning and sterilization of pig transfer vehicles

The establishment of biosafety system is of enormous importance to the livestock and poultry production in terms of mitigating the transmission of diseases and implementing regional prevention and control measures.However,the current sterilization technology presents several drawbacks,including time-consuming procedures,chemical residues,and challenges in treating the sewage after rinsing.In this study,a novel cleaning and sterilization method that combines slightly acidic electrolyzed water and high pressure water-jet was developed.An orthogonal test was conducted to examine the correlation between high-pressure conditions and the various non-structural parameters on the efficacy of sterilization rate.In a field test,the effectiveness of the technology in cleaning pig transfer vehicles was evaluated by the total plate count and variations of community composition.The findings revealed that the combination of process parameters,including an available chlorine concentration of 200 mg/L,rinsing pressure of 170 bar,rinsing duration of 10 s,and residence time of 15 min,resulted in a removal rate of colony concentration on the surface of pig transfer vehicles of(96.50±0.91)%.Moreover,it was demonstrated to effectively inhibit a variety of pathogenic bacteria.The innovative cleaning system has the potential to replace traditional methods and reduces pollution while saving time and labor.It introduces a novel approach for sterilization of transportation in livestock and poultry farms as well as the biosafety construction of the animal husbandry.

Effect of ultra-high pressure treatment on structural and functional properties of dietary fiber from pomelo fruitlets

The effects of ultra-high pressure treatment on structural and functional properties of dietary fiber from pomelo fruitlets were analyzed.The results showed that ultra-high treatment changed monosaccharide composition,increased total dietary fiber and soluble dietary fiber from pomelo fruitlets,especially at 400 MPa where soluble dietary fiber was greatly increased from 32.49%±0.23%to 41.92%±0.32%as compared to native one(p<0.05).Besides,ultra-high pressure treatment enhanced water-and oil-holding capacity,as well as swelling capacity of dietary fiber,which were related to its more porous structure and hydrophobic groups.Crystallinity and thermal stability of ultra-high pressure modified dietary fibers increased.Moreover,ultra-high pressure modified dietary fibers possessed stronger bile acid binding and pancreatic lipase inhibition capacities,suggesting its better potential in vitro hypolipidemic activity.Our findings suggested that ultra-high pressure treatment is a promising method to obtain dietary fiber with excellent functional properties,and can provide a basis for the high-value utilization of pomelo fruitlets as functional food with blood-lipid regulation.

Cyclic Pulsating Pressure Enhanced Segregating Structuration of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene/Graphene Composites as High-performance Light-Weight EMI Shields

Currently,the enhancement in electromagnetic interference(EMI)performance of polymeric composite generally relies on either improving electrical conductivity(σ)for stronger electromagnetic(EM)reflections or tailoring structure for higher EM resonances.Herein,we proposed a novel technique called cyclic pulsating pressure enhanced segregating structuration(CPP-SS),which can reinforce these two factors simultaneously.The structural information was supplied by optical microscopy(OM)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM),both of which confirmed the formation and evolution of segregate structured ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE)/graphene composites.Then,the result showed that CPP-SS can significantly improve theσof samples.Ultimately,advanced specific EMI shielding efficiency of 31.1 d B/mm was achieved for UHMWPE/graphene composite at 1-mm thickness and a low graphene loading of 5 wt%.Meanwhile,it also confirmed that the intrinsic disadvantage of poor mechanical properties of conventional segregated structure composites can be surpassed.This work is believed to provide a fundamental understanding of the structural and performance evolutions of segregated structured composites prepared under CPPSS,and to bring us a simple and efficient approach for fabricating high-performance,strong and light-weight polymeric EMI shields.

Polyarylacetylene as a novel graphitizable precursor for fabricating high-density C/C composite via ultra-high pressure impregnation and carbonization

High-density carbon/carbon(C/C)composite plays a critical role in the aerospace industry owing to excellent mechanical properties and resistance to ablation.However,traditional manufacturing relies on pitch precursor and hot isostatic pressure impregnation and carbonization(HIPIC)technology,which is time-consuming and expensive.In this study,we report an innovative method utilizing polyarylacetylene(PAA)resin and ultra-high pressure impregnation and carbonization(UHPIC)technology.The extremely high char yield of PAA resin(85 wt.%)and high isotropic pressure of UHPIC(over 200 MPa)promote the densification of the composite.As a result,we achieve a high-density(1.90 g/cm^(3))C/C composite with a high degree of graphitization(81%).This composite exhibits impressive properties,including flexural strength of 146 MPa,compressive strength of 187 MPa,and thermal conductivity of 147 W/(m K).When exposed to oxyacetylene flame at 3000 K for 100 s,it displays minimal linear ablation,with a rate of 1.27×10^(-2)mm/s.This study demonstrates the exceptional graphitizable characteristic of PAA resin,setting it apart from conventional resins.Our time-saving and cost-effective approach holds significant promise for aerospace applications,particularly in harsh aerodynamic heating environments.

Disinfection efficiency of positive pressure respiratory protective hood using fumigation sterilization cabinet

Concerns have been raised about both the disinfection and the reusability of respiratory protective equipment following a disinfection process.Currently,there is little data available on the effects of disinfection and decontamination on positive pressure respiratory protective hoods(PPRPH).In this study,we evaluated the effect of vaporized hydrogen peroxide(VHP)on the disinfection of PPRPH to determine applicability of this method for disinfection of protective equipment,especially protective equipment with an electric supply system.A hydrogen peroxide-based fumigation sterilization cabinet was developed particularly for disinfection of protective equipment,and the disinfection experiments were conducted using four PPRPHs hung in the fumigation chamber.The pathogenic microorganism Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953 was used as a biological indicator in this study and the relationship between air flow(the amount of VHP)and disinfection was investigated.Both function and the material physical properties of the PPRPH were assessed following the disinfection procedure.No surviving Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953,both inside and outside of these disinfected PPRPHs,could be observed after a 60 min treatment with an air flow of 10.5–12.3 m^(3)/h.Both function and material physical properties of these PPRPHs met the working requirements after disinfection.This study indicates that air flow in the fumigation chamber directly influences the concentration of VHP.The protective equipment fumigation sterilization cabinet developed in this paper achieves the complete sterilization of the PPRPHs when the air flow is at 10.5–12.3 m^(3)/h,and provides a potential solution for the disinfection of various kind of protective equipment.

Dynamic Compression Behavior of Ultra-high Performance Cement-based Composite with Hybrid Steel Fiber Reinforcements

Ultra-high performance cement-based composites (UHPCC) is promising in construction of concrete structures that suffer impact and explosive loads.In this study,a reference UHPCC mixture with no fiber reinforcement and four mixtures with a single type of fiber reinforcement or hybrid fiber reinforcements of straight smooth and end hook type of steel fibers were prepared.Split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) was performed to investigate the dynamic compression behavior of UHPCC and X-CT test and 3D reconstruction technology were used to indicate the failure process of UHPCC under impact loading.Results show that UHPCC with 1% straight smooth fiber and 2% end hook fiber reinforcements demonstrated the best static and dynamic mechanical properties.When the hybrid steel fiber reinforcements are added in the concrete,it may need more impact energy to break the matrix and to pull out the fiber reinforcements,thus,the mixture with hybrid steel fiber reinforcements demonstrates excellent dynamic compressive performance.

基于MPGW分布的压力蒸汽灭菌器可靠性分析

浴缸形状的失效率函数因其能够捕捉某些实际情境中的故障率特征,在机械结构可靠性分析中至关重要。引入一种修正广义幂威布尔(Modified Power Generalized Weibull,MPGW)分布,能够建模表征浴缸形状的失效率变化规律。为评估该模型的有效性,本研究使用了压力蒸汽灭菌器故障数据集进行实证研究,并将其性能与5种经典分布模型进行了比较,发现该模型在灵活性上具有较大优势。

3种灭菌方式对磁外科器件磁通量的影响及灭菌成本分析

目的 分析压力蒸汽、低温等离子及环氧乙烷3种灭菌方式对磁外科器件磁通量的影响及其灭菌成本。方法234件不同规格型号磁外科器件-磁环,配对编号标记后随机分为A组、B组和C组,每组78件(39对),其中A组使用压力蒸汽灭菌,B组使用低温等离子灭菌,C组使用环氧乙烷灭菌,每对器件按灭菌规范进行包装;测量3组磁环灭菌前后磁通量,对单包灭菌成本和灭菌时间比较分析。结果 3种灭菌方式对磁外科器件磁通量的影响差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),每种灭菌方式灭菌前后的磁通量有统计学差异(P<0.001);灭菌成本:A组为(1.96±0.16)元,B组(23.17±0.32)元、C组(8.16±0.18)元,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01);灭菌时间:A组为(65.21±3.36)min, B组(45.46±1.39)min, C组(1 020.38±12.21)min,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论 3种灭菌方式对磁外科器件的磁通量没有影响。压力蒸汽灭菌法单包成本最低,低温等离子单包灭菌成本最高,环氧乙烷灭菌时间最长。压力蒸汽应为磁外科手术器件的首选灭菌方法。

基于不同统计模型对压力蒸汽灭菌器故障数据集的可靠性分析

目的:基于医院压力蒸汽灭菌器的故障数据,分析评估医疗机构中压力蒸汽灭菌器的可靠性。方法:利用威布尔分布(Weibull分布)、指数分布(Exponential分布)、对数-正态分布(Log-Normal分布)和q-威布尔分布(q-Weibull分布)4种统计模型对压力蒸汽灭菌器的故障数据进行分析,并使用图表工具展示不同分布统计模型在拟合数据时的性能。结果:4种统计模型对比显示,Log-Normal分布统计模型的修正赤池信息准则为564.4512,贝叶斯准则(568.7691)值最低,柯尔莫哥洛夫-斯米尔诺夫(KS)统计量(0.0739)最小,P值最大(P>0.05),表明分布拟合效果最好,最适合用于分析压力蒸汽灭菌器故障数据集的模型。结论:通过使用不同统计模型对压力蒸汽灭菌器故障数据的可靠性分析,可以为临床工程师优化压力蒸汽灭菌器维护策略提供依据。

高压二氧化碳处理对桑椹原汁杀菌效果和品质稳定性的影响

为探讨高压二氧化碳处理(HPCD)对桑椹原汁杀菌效果的影响,以温度、压力、时间为自变量,以菌体致死率和褐变度为因变量,通过单因素和响应面试验优化最佳杀菌条件.结果表明,温度、压力均对桑椹原汁杀菌效果有显著影响,当压力为30 MPa,时间49 min,温度48℃,菌体致死率能达到4.10,在此条件下处理的桑椹原汁25℃贮藏60 d后,其花色苷含量、白藜芦醇含量、褐变度、菌落总数、 Vc含量、风味均优于传统热杀菌处理的桑椹原汁.结论:HPCD可实现在温和条件下对桑椹原汁达到理想的杀菌效果,同时能有效延长其保质期.