Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Decorticator'

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:58:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MarcosSA.pdf: 1402858 bytes, checksum: aafed934486c8c9ba68e0133cc239956 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-19
Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior
In 1998 the first decorticator was developed in the Textile Engineering Laboratory and patented for the purpose of extracting fibres from pineapple leaves, with the financial help from CNPq and BNB. The objective of the present work was to develop an automatic decorticator different from the first one with a semiautomatic system of decortication with automatic feeding of the leaves and collection of the extracted fibres. The system is started through a command system that passes information to two engines, one for starting the beater cylinder and the other for the feeding of the leaves as well as the extraction of the decorticated fibres automatically. This in turn introduces the leaves between a knife and a beater cylinder with twenty blades (the previous one had only 8 blades). These blades are supported by equidistant flanges with a central transmission axis that would help in increasing the number of beatings of the leaves. In the present system the operator has to place the leaves on the rotating endless feeding belt and collect the extracted leaves that are being carried out through another endless belt. The pulp resulted form the extraction is collected in a tray through a collector. The feeding of the leaves as well as the extraction of the fibres is controlled automatically by varying the velocity of the cylinders. The semi-automatic decorticator basically composed of a chassis made out of iron bars (profile L) with 200cm length, 91 cm of height 68 cm of width. The decorticator weighs around 300Kg. It was observed that the increase in the number of blades from 8 to twenty in the beater cylinder reduced the turbulence inside the decorticator, which helped to improve the removal of the fibres without any problems as well as the quality of the fibres. From the studies carried out, from each leaf 2,8 to 4,5% of fibres can be extracted. This gives around 4 to 5 tons of fibres per hectare, which is more than that of cotton production per hectare. This quantity with no doubt could generate jobs to the people not only on the production of the fibres but also on their application in different areas
No ano de 1998 foi patenteada uma desfibradeira que foi desenvolvida no laborat?rio de Engenharia T?xtil da UFRN, com objetivo de desfibrar a folha do abacaxi, com apoio do CNPq e BNB. O presente trabalho objetiva desenvolver uma desfibradeira automatizada com a mesma finalidade e se buscou a fabrica??o de uma nova desfibradeira com sistema semi-autom?tico. A desfibradeira ? acionada atrav?s de um quadro de comando, que passa informa??es para dois motores, um para acionamento do cilindro batedor e outro para os movimentos de alimenta??o das folhas e sa?da das fibras. A desfibradeira ? composta de um sistema de alimenta??o autom?tico, atrav?s de uma esteira sem fim, que desloca as folhas at? os cilindros alimentadores, que introduz as mesmas, entre uma espera (faca) e um batedor rotativo de vinte palhetas (desfibradeira anterior s? tinha 8 palhetas). Estas palhetas s?o apoiadas em tr?s flanges eq?idistantes com um eixo central de transmiss?o possibilitando um maior numero de batidas na folha. Portanto o operador tem a fun??o de colocar as folhas na esteira de alimenta??o e retirar as fibras que foram desfibradas, que est?o na esteira de sa?da. A qualidade das fibras extra?das pode ser melhorada atrav?s do controle da velocidade de entrada das folhas bem como a velocidade de cilindro batedor. Al?m disso, h? sistema de remo??o de polpa numa bandeja separadamente. A desfibradeira foi confeccionada com um chassi em cantoneiras (perfis L ) tendo com dimens?es b?sicas de comprimento de 200 cm, a altura de 91 cm e a largura de 68 cm. O peso total da desfibradeira ? de 250 kg. A caracter?stica mais importante da m?quina ? um maior numero de batida e uma menor turbul?ncia de ar dentro da m?quina. Isso facilitou a melhoria da qualidade das fibras. Os estudos mostram que de cada folha pode ser extra?do cerca de 2,8 a 4,5 % de fibras Assim sendo pode ser retirada cerca de 4 a 5 toneladas de fibras por hectare. Esta quantidade ? bem maior do que a produ??o de algod?o por hectare. Quando as fibras sendo empregadas no mercado podem gerar postos de trabalho e renda para popula??o do campo bem como das suas aplica??es

Thesis (B.A.)--Boston University
PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you.
2031-01-01

The ability of two putative trophic agents, nerve growth factor (NGF) and the monosialoganglioside GM1, to induce neurochemical, morphological and behavioral recovery following injury to the adult rat basalo-cortical cholinergic pathway was studied. Treatment of unilaterally decorticated rats with these agents was shown to: attenuate deficits in holinergic markers of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM), prevent shrinkage of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)- and p75$ sp{ rm NGFR}$-immunoreactive (IR) NBM neurons, and stimulate cortical ChAT activity and high affinity choline uptake, in a dose-dependent manner with equal efficacies but different potencies. Quantitative light and electron microscopic studies, assisted by image analysis, showed that GM1 or NGF treatment also similarly attenuated lesion-induced deficits in cortical ChAT-IR fiber length. By contrast, NGF, but not GM1, treatment caused significant synaptic remodelling in the remaining cortex of adult lesioned rats; this was reflected by increases in ChAT-IR varicosity number, presynaptic terminal size, and in the number of boutons with synaptic contacts. GM1 treatment only attenuated such lesion-induced deficits. Exogenous GM1 was also shown to potentiate NGF-reduced effects on basalo-cortical cholinergic markers and on cortical synaptic remodelling, but did not affect the affinity or number of NGF binding sites in brain membranes isolated from lesioned animals. This suggests that GM1 probably affects an alternative step of the NGF signal transduction cascade to potentiate NGF effects. Moreover, NGF or GM1 treatment were also shown to: distinctly regulate striatal cholinergic markers, differ with respect to the delay possible in treatment time onset for effective protection from retrograde regeneration, and diversely affect the behaviour of these animals in passive avoidance and Morris water maze tasks. In aged rats ($>$20 months), NGF and/or GM1 treatment were also shown to effectively prevent de
The work of this thesis has thus provided evidence that the injured adult rat basalo-cortical cholinergic pathway can exhibit substantial neurochemical and morphological plasticity in response to NGF and/or GM1 treatment. In particular, it has been shown that these agents cause significant alterations in cholinergic innervation.

Orientador: Antonio Carlos de Oliveira Ferraz
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agricola
Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-04T17:41:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Araujo_MaxCesarde_D.pdf: 7097825 bytes, checksum: 6b272d62beac51badea0f638230c5236 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005
Resumo: A agroindústria do caju tem como principal produto econômico à amêndoa da castanha e, atualmente, utiliza o impacto aleatório como princípio de decorticação, com perdas de 40 a 50% de amêndoas inteiras. O desenvolvimento de mecanismos mais adequados para a ruptura da casca e liberação de amêndoas inteiras, exige conhecimento e aplicação de parâmetros associados às propriedades mecânicas do material. Este trabalho investigou algumas destas propriedades da castanha 'CCP 76¿, tais como: variações nas dimensões características, massa e volume, microestrutura, fragilidade do endocarpo e rigidez da amêndoa. Investigou-se também, a deformação específica limite como parâmetro tecnológico para a abertura das castanhas, através de ensaios de impacto. Com os resultados obtidos nestes estudos, desenvolveu-se um protótipo decorticador de cilindros rotativos que utiliza o princípio da compressão combinado com um impacto direcionado. Utilizou-se a metodologia de superfície de resposta para avaliar os resultados dos ensaios mecânicos e de desempenho do protótipo proposto, com castanhas tratadas em diferentes níveis de umidificação e tratamento térmico. Os resultados obtidos evidenciaram alterações nas dimensões características, na massa e volume das castanhas, como também, na microestrutura do endocarpo. Os resultados do ensaio de cisalhamento do endocarpo e resistência da amêndoa apontaram diferenças entre material in natura e o tratado termicamente. Nos ensaios de impacto, obteve-se 77,55% de abertura das castanhas com liberação da amêndoa inteira utilizando-se a deformação específica limite de 19%, aplicada ao longo da largura. O protótipo decorticador proposto apresentou desempenho de 67,35% para ruptura total da casca e amêndoa inteira liberada, com apenas uma passada pelos cilindros, utilizando a rotação combinada de 1150-1750rpm. A preparação das castanhas através do efeito combinado do tempo de umidificação e tratamento térmico não afetou o desempenho do protótipo na faixa de variação utilizada, mas apontou a região de tendência onde às respostas são mais adequadas
Abstract: The cashew industry has as its main product the kernel of the cashew nut. Currently, it uses by large the random impact as decortication method which produces losses from 40 to 50% of whole kernels. The development of more appropriate mechanisms to rupture of shell and to release of whole kernel, demands knowledge and application of parameters associated with the mechanical properties of the nut. This work aimed to investigate some of these properties of cashew nut 'CCP 76', such as: variations in characteristic dimensions, mass and volume, microstructure, brittleness of the endocarp and rigidity of kernel associated with nut treatment prior to cracking. It was also investigated, the limit specific deformation as technological parameter using a specially designed impact tester. Based in those studies, it was designed and constructed a nut decorticator prototype with rotary cylinders to combine compression and impact to crack the shell. The response surface methodology was used to evaluate the results of the mechanical tests and the performance of the prototype when cashew nuts treated in different humidity levels and thermal treatment were used. The results showed changes in the characteristic dimensions, in the mass and volume of the cashew nuts as well as in the microstructure of the endocarp after heat treatment. The results for the shear tests in the endocarp and stiffness of the kernel pointed differences between in natura and thermally treated nuts. For the impact test, it was obtained 77,55% of free whole kernels using the limit specific deformation of 19%, applied along the width of the nut. The nut decorticator proposed was able to release 67,35% free whole kernel with just one pass between the cylinders, using the cylinders combined rotation of 1150-1750rpm. The combined effect of time of humidity and thermal treatment used in the preparation of the cashew nuts didn't seem to affect the performance of the prototype, in the range of used. However, it pointed out to an area in the response surface where the combination of treatments would be more appropriate
Doutorado
Maquinas Agricolas
Doutor em Engenharia Agrícola

Master of Science
Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering
Donghai Wang
Camelina sativa (L). Crantz that belongs to Brassicaceae family has been grown as a dicotyledonous oilseed crop in the cold places like America and Canada. Camelina seeds are widely used for the extraction of oil and protein. Recently, research found that camelina gum is an excellent candidate for food and industrial uses as thickener or stabilizer. The objectives of this research were 1) to increase camelina gum isolation efficiency using spray drying technology, and 2) to develop an innovative method to remove gum from seed bran to increase protein and oil extraction efficiency and quality. The camelina gums isolated using ethanol precipitation and spray drying method from the whole camelina seeds were compared. Effects of spray drying temperature on yield, gum morphology, and gum rheological and thermal properties were studied. The representative sample dried at 165°C was chosen to study the effects of concentration, temperature, pH and additives (NaCl, CaCl₂, sucrose, and ethanol) on viscosity and viscoelastic properties of the isolated gum. The gum showed a shear thinning behavior when shear rate increased gradually, higher concentrations of additives only slightly affect the rheological properties. Results showed that spray drying is an effective method in terms of saving time and energy, and provided positive rheology benefits on camelina gum isolation. Pre-removal of gum from camelina seeds can increase protein and oil yield and their quality. Decortication can separate 10-17% of the total camelina seed as bran. A wind tunnel was used to separate lighter bran particles from heavier endosperm and unbroken seeds. Camelina gum isolation from the separated seed bran using the traditional ethanol precipitation method was optimized using response surface methodology where the simultaneous effect of the three independent variables (seed bran to water ratio, isolation temperature, and isolation time) were investigated for gum yield, purity, and optimum rheological properties. Three independent quadratic modules were developed and the original data fitted the models fitted (R² = 0.995, 0.877, and 0.804). The optimal isolation conditions were seed bran to water ratio of 1:39, isolation temperature of 35 ºC, and isolation time of 1.5 h and 0.839 desirability was obtained by the rigorous statistics analysis. The protein yield and quality extracted from decorticated endosperm were improved significantly compared with that extracted from whole seeds meal without decortication. In addition, the degumming step can be eliminated before protein and oil extraction that increase protein and oil extraction efficiency.

Orientador: Antônio Carlos de Oliveira Ferraz
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola
Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T04:19:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bastos_AdrianoChaves_M.pdf: 2735079 bytes, checksum: cf97e6f8975f1d257161804823965394 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011
Resumo: Atualmente o Brasil ocupa o terceiro lugar no ranking mundial na produção e extração do óleo de mamona (Ricinus communis L), correspondendo a 13,2%, depois da Índia e da China, primeiro e segundo maiores produtores, respectivamente. Os frutos de mamona, depois de colhidos, são secos e debulhados obtendo os grãos, os quais são armazenados para posteriormente serem encaminhados à extração do óleo. O processo de extração do óleo é realizado pela prensagem dos grãos íntegros: tegumento e endosperma. Este tegumento é pigmentado e abrasivo, desgastando precocemente os equipamentos e demandando processos adicionais de clarificação do óleo. A decorticação dos grãos para a retirada do tegumento, anterior à prensagem, poderia gerar uma economia no processo de extração. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar o efeito da temperatura de secagem nas propriedades físico-mecânicas dos grãos de mamona da cultivar 'AL Guarany 2002', após os frutos serem secos e debulhados. Para tal determinação foram efetuados ensaios de compressão entre pratos planos, rígidos e paralelos nos grãos após os tratamentos de secagem, para as direções do comprimento e largura, obtendo-se a força máxima na ruptura do tegumento, energia na ruptura, deformação específica e rigidez. As temperaturas de secagem utilizadas foram de 40, 60, 80 e 100°C. Posteriormente, foram efetuadas avaliações do grau de ruptura do tegumento após os grãos serem submetidos à alta taxa de deformação utilizando-se equipamento projetado e construído para tal finalidade, denominado DIRADEL. Verificou-se nos ensaios de compressão que a secagem dos frutos de mamona a diferentes temperaturas influencia nas propriedades mecânicas dos grãos de mamona. Com o aumento da temperatura de secagem a força e a energia na ruptura do tegumento para a direção do comprimento reduziram-se e, inversamente, estes valores elevaram-se para a direção da largura. Os valores para a direção do comprimento oscilaram entre 55,52 a 63,11 N para a força máxima na ruptura do tegumento, 0,0169 a 0,0202 J para a energia, 4,03 a 4,48% para a deformação específica e 93,29 a 100,62 N.mm-1 para a rigidez. Para a direção da largura os valores oscilaram entre 58,46 a 70,02 N para a força máxima na ruptura do tegumento, 0,0281 a 0,0365 J para a energia, 9,10 a 11,10% para a deformação específica e 62,11 a 70,50 N.mm-1 para a rigidez. Nos ensaios a alta taxa de deformação, a deformação especifica de 14% apresentou a maior porcentagem de grãos com ruptura total do tegumento e liberação do endosperma inteiro, independente da direção e do tratamento de secagem, sendo esta a deformação específica limite. A direção da largura demonstrou porcentagem de grãos com ruptura total do tegumento e endosperma inteiro inferior à posição do comprimento, independente do tratamento de secagem. O desempenho da decorticação dos grãos de mamona pode ser afetado com grãos secos a temperaturas acima de 60°C, pois a retirada excessiva de água do endosperma prejudica sua resistência deixando-o mais frágil. Secagens com temperaturas mais elevadas devem ocorrer com maior cautela se o intuito for a decorticação dos grãos
Abstract: Brazil currently occupies the third position in the world?s ranking production and extraction of castor oil (Ricinus communis L), corresponding to 13.2%, after India and China which are the first and second biggest producers, respectively. The fruits of castor bean, once harvested, are dried and threshed, and when the grains are obtained, they are stored for later transport to oil extraction. This process is done by pressing the intact grain, seed coat and endosperm. The seed coat is pigmented and abrasive, wearing the equipment earlier and requiring additional processes to clarify the oil, afterwards. The decortication of the grain for seed coat removal, prior to pressing, could generate savings in the extraction process. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of drying temperature on physico-mechanical properties of castor beans, cultivar 'AL Guarany 2002', after the fruits were dried and threshed. For such determination, compression tests were made between flat, rigid and parallel plates on the grains, after the drying treatments, to the directions of length and width, obtaining the maximum force at rupture of the seed coat, energy at break, specific deformation and stiffness. The drying temperatures used were 40, 60, 80 and 100 °C. The grains were evaluated based on the degree of disruption of the tegument after the beans are exposed to high strain rate using equipment designed and built for this purpose, called DIRADEL. It was found in compression test that castor fruits dried at different temperatures was influenced by the mechanical properties of castor beans. With the increase of drying temperature, the strength and energy to break the seed coat along the length is reduced and, conversely, these values rose to the width direction. Values for the direction of the length ranged from 55,52 to 63,11 N for the maximum force at rupture of the seed coat, from 0,0169 to 0,0202 J for energy, 4,03 to 4,48% for the specific deformation and from 93,29 to 100,62 N.mm-1 for stiffness. For the width direction, values ranged from 58,46 to 70,02 N for the maximum force at rupture of the seed coat, from 0,0281 to 0,0365 J for energy, 9,10 to 11,10% for the specific deformation, 62,11 to 70,50 N.mm-1 for stiffness. In the experiments at high strain rate, specific deformation of 14%, had the highest percentage of grains with total rupture of the seed coat and endosperm full release, regardless of direction and drying treatment, which is the specific deformation limit. The width direction showed the percentage of grains with total rupture of the seed coat and endosperm lower whole length of the position, regardless of the drying treatment. The performance of the decortication of castor beans can be affected by dry grains at temperatures above 60°C, because the excessive withdrawal of water from the endosperm, affecting their resistance and making it more fragile. Drying at higher temperatures should be done with greater caution when decorticating the grains
Mestrado
Maquinas Agricolas
Mestre em Engenharia Agrícola

Foi realizado estudo experimental para determinar a influência da decorticação dos elementos posteriores da coluna vertebral na integração do enxerto ósseo autólogo esponjoso ou cortical, considerando a avaliação histológica quantitativa e qualitativa dos tecidos (ósseo, cartilaginoso e fibroso) presentes na interface entre o leito receptor e o enxerto ósseo. Setenta e dois ratos Wistar foram divididos em quatro grupos experimentais: grupo I_ leito posterior decorticado enxerto esponjoso, grupo II_ leito posterior decorticado enxerto cortical, grupo III_ leito posterior não decorticado enxerto esponjoso, grupo IV_ leito posterior não decorticado enxerto cortical. Os quatro grupos experimentais foram sacrificados com 3, 6 e 9 semanas de pós-operatório e a região operada foi submetida a avaliação histológica e histomorfométrica. Nos animais sacrificados com 3 semanas de pós-operatório a média da porcentagem de osso neoformado no grupo I foi de 40,87%±5,24, no grupo II de 39,13%±7,27, no grupo III de 6,13%±2,13, no grupo IV de 9,27%±4,06. Foi observada diferença estatística entre os valores da neoformação óssea (p=0,0005). A média da porcentagem de tecido cartilaginoso neoformado no grupo I foi de 8,36%±1,08, no grupo II de 7,46%±0,85, no grupo III de 11,10%±6,026 e no grupo IV de 9,133%±3,84. Não foi observada diferença estatística entre os valores da neoformação de tecido cartilaginoso (p=0,6544). A média da porcentagem de tecido fibroso neoformado no grupo I foi de 11%±3,97, no grupo II de 6,13%±1,78, no grupo III de 26,27%±7,25 e no grupo IV de 21,87%±12,7. Foi observada diferença estatística entre os valores da neoformação de tecido fibroso (p=0,0008). Nos animais sacrificados com 6 semanas de pós-operatório a média da porcentagem de osso neoformado no grupo I foi de 38,53%±14,13, no grupo II de 40,40%±13,90, no grupo III de 10,27%±5,17 e no grupo IV de 7,6%±3,53. Foi observada diferença estatística entre os valores da neoformação óssea (p=0,0005). A média da porcentagem de tecido cartilaginoso neoformado no grupo I foi de 6,6%±3,46, no grupo II de 8,07%±1,74, no grupo III de 7,47%±3,27 e no grupo IV de 6,13%±2,08. Não foi observada diferença estatística entre os valores da neoformação de tecido cartilaginoso (p=0,4889). A média da porcentagem de tecido fibroso neoformado no grupo I foi de 7,67%±5,12, no grupo II foi de 7,1%±3,16, no grupo III de 9,8%±7,54 e no grupo IV de 10,4%±5,59. Não foi observada diferença estatística entre os valores da neoformação de tecido fibroso (p=0,7880). Nos animais sacrificados com 9 semanas de pós-operatório a média da porcentagem de osso neoformado no grupo I foi de 29,53%±3,473, no grupo II de 30,6%±10,48, no grupo III de 16,4%±6,072 e no grupo IV de 18,73%±5,727. Foi observada diferença estatística entre os valores de osso neoformado (p=0,0026). A média da porcentagem de tecido cartilaginoso neoformado no grupo I foi de 3,133%±1,33, no grupo II de 4,067%±1,686, no grupo III de 10,53%±4,751, no grupo IV de 12,07%±2,753. Foi observada diferença estatística entre os valores de tecido cartilaginoso neoformado (p=0,0006). A média da porcentagem de tecido fibroso neoformado no grupo I foi de 3,733%±1,672, no grupo II de 4,4%±1,339, no grupo III de 6,67%±2,767 e no grupo IV de 6,8%±2,492. Foi observada diferença estatística entre os valores da neoformação de tecido fibroso (p=0,0214). A realização da decorticação acelerou o processo histológico da integração do enxerto ósseo. Ocorrendo maior produção de tecido ósseo neoformado e predomínio da ossificação do tipo intramembranosa no grupo de animais nos quais a decorticação foi realizada.
An experimental study was conducted to determine the influence of the posterior vertebral spine elements decortication in the cancellous or cortical bone graft integration, considering the qualitative and quantitative histologic evaluation of the tissue (bone, cartilaginous and fibrous) presents in the interface between the receptor bed and the bone graft. Seventy two Wistar rats were divided in four experimental groups: group I_ decorticated posterior bed and cancellous graft, group II_ decorticated posterior bed and cortical graft, group III_ not decorticated posterior bed and cancellous graft, group IV_ not decorticated posterior bed and cortical graft. The four experimental groups were sacrificed in 3,6 and 9 post-operative weeks and the operated section of the spine was submitted to a histologic and histomorphometric evaluation. In the animals sacrificed in the third post-operative week the mean percentage of new bone formation in the group I was 40,87%±5,24, in the group II 39,13%±7,27, in the group III 6,13%±2,13 and in the group IV 9,27%±4,06. Was observed statistic difference between the percentage of new bone formation (p=0,0005). The mean percentage of cartilaginous tissue new formation in the group I was 8,36%±1,08, in the group II 7,46%±0,85, in the group III 11,10%±6,026 and in the group IV 9,133%±3,84. Was not observed statistic difference between the percentage of cartilaginous tissue new formation (p=0,6544). The mean percentage of fibrous tissue new formation in the group I was 11%±3,97, in the group II 6,13%±1,78, in the group III 26,27%±7,25 and in the group IV 21,87%±12,7. Was observed statistic difference between the percentage of fibrous tissue new formation (p=0,0008). In the animals sacrificed in the sixth post-operative week the mean percentage of new bone formation in the group I was 38,53%±14,13, in the group II 40,40%±13,90, in the group III 10,27%±5,17 and in the group IV 7,6%±3,53. Was observed statistic difference between the percentage of new bone formation (p=0,0005). The mean percentage of cartilaginous tissue new formation in the group I was 6,6%±3,46, in the group II 8,07%±1,74, in the group III 7,47%±3,27 and in the group IV 6,13%±2,08. Was not observed statistic difference between the percentage of cartilaginous tissue new formation (p=0,4889). The mean percentage of fibrous tissue new formation in the group I was 7,67%±5,12, in the group II 7,1%±3,16, in the group III 9,8%±7,54 and in the group IV 10,4%±5,59. Was not observed statistic difference between the percentage of fibrous tissue new formation (p=0,7880). In the animals sacrificed in the ninth post-operative week the mean percentage of new bone formation in the group I was 29,53%±3,473, in the group II 30,6%±10,48, in the group III 16,4%±6,072 and in the group IV 18,73%±5,727. Was observed statistic difference between the percentage of new bone formation (p=0,0026). The mean percentage of cartilaginous tissue new formation in the group I was 3,133%±1,33, in the group II 4,067%±1,686, in the group III 10,53%±4,751 and in the group IV 12,07%±2,753. Was observed statistic difference between the percentage of cartilaginous tissue new formation (p=0,0006). The mean percentage of fibrous tissue new formation in the group I was 3,733%±1,672, in the group II 4,4%±1,339, in the group III 6,67%±2,767 and in the group IV 6,8%±2,492. Was observed statistic difference between the percentage of fibrous tissue new formation (p=0,0214). The decortication procedure accelerated the histologic process of the bone graft integration, occurring more new bone formation and predominance of intramembranous type of ossification, in the animals with the decorticated posterior elements.

To gain an understanding of the ecology of drift algae in the Indian River Lagoon system along the east coast of central Florida, four questions were addressed: 1) What is the composition and rate of accumulation of drift? 2) How much movement and turnover occurs within drift accumulations? 3) Do growth rates differ for drift versus attached algae? 4) Is there a difference in photosynthetic performance in drift versus attached algal species? Manipulative field and laboratory experiments were conducted to address these questions with the green macroalga Codium decorticatum and the red macroalga Gracilaria tikvahiae. Changes in pigment concentration and biomass were used as indicators of acclimation from an attached to drift state in Gracilaria tikvahiae and Codium decorticatum. Short-term physiological changes as demonstrated by electron transport rate (ETR) were also used as indications of acclimation from an attached to drift state in C. decorticatum. Composition and rate of accumulation of drift varied by season. While both transport and turnover of drift occurred, turnover within drift accumulations occurred at low rates and was significantly lower in the spring during decreased flow rates. There were no significant differences in growth or pigment concentrations in drift versus attached G. tikvahiae or C. decorticatum. In addition, there were no apparent physiological acclimations to a drift state in C. decorticatum.
M.S.
Department of Biology
Arts and Sciences
Biology

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) fibre is a natural renewable material which has been used in important areas closely related to people’s daily life. The increasing need of hemp fibre of high quality requires better fibre processing methods, more advanced facilities with higher machine performance and efficiency. Decortication is the key procedure to extract hemp fibre, and it significantly affects the output fibre quality and purity. The machine used for this process, known as a decorticator, needs to be well designed. The energy requirement is worth being evaluated for decorticators. This study consisted of two parts. In the first part, the specific energy of using a hammer mill for decorticating hemp was examined. The experimental data (three hammer mill screen scenarios and three feeding masses) were used to fit modified size-reduction theories (Kick’s, Rittinger’s and Bond’s laws). The experimental data were also used to develop a linear regression model to predict the specific energy from the ratio of initial and final fibre lengths. Results showed that all modified laws and the linear model performed equally well for specific energy prediction, and they had better prediction accuracy at a higher feed rate. In the second part of the study, integrated with virtual reality (VR) technology, TRIZ (“Theory of Inventive Problem Solving” in Russian) method was used for designing and evaluating a new hemp scutcher prototype in virtual environments. An evaluation system was developed for making comparison of the new design and the traditional scutchers. The new design is expected to have a better performance in terms of scale, product quality and energy efficiency. The TRIZ-VR integrated design has great potential to be a fast, reliable and low-cost design trend.

Separation of fibre from decorticated hemp mixture is important for fibre being use in diverse applications. The main goal of the study was to develop effective and efficient processes to obtain clean hemp fibre. Aerodynamic properties of hemp fibre and core were measured using aerodynamic method to separate fibre and core. Carding method was also used to obtain clean fibre under three different carding durations and five different feeding masses. The third method was the floatation method using water for separating fibre and core. For aerodynamic properties, fibre showed lower terminal velocity and higher drag coefficient than core. The differences in terminal velocity would allow fibres to be separated from core. Using the carding method, the fibre purity was increased from 55% up to 70%. Using the floatation method, the resultant fibre purity ranged from 85 to 90%. Present study discovers some promising methods for hemp fibre cleaning.

by Henry Yurianto.
"18 September 1998."
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 138-149).
Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.

BACKGROUND: Bone decortication is essential to activate bone based on the Regional Acceleratory Phenomenon (RAP), a post-injury transient bone remodeling phenomenon. The Piezoelectric knife with low ultrasonic frequency has been shown to cut bone with minimal invasive effect on soft tissues, less inflammatory response compared to conventional Bur that causes trauma leading to excessive inflammation. Previous studies have shown that using graft materials for Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) had a significant beneficial effect on the healing process and the thickness of new bone formation. This study hypothesized that the piezoelectric knife would create a better tissue response to different graft materials compared to conventional carbide bur with grafts or the graft alone. MATERIAL & METHOD: Eighteen 9-10 week male Sprague-Dawley rats (300-350g) were purchased from Charles River Laboratories. This study was approved by Boston Medical Center Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The piezoelectric knife (BS1 insert) of the Piezotome 2 (Acteon) was used for deep decortication and compared to a conventional carbide osteotomy bur (#1/2) with Mucograft (Geistlich) or OsteoGen (Impladent, Ltd) graft materials, Onlay graft material alone served as a control. Digital dentistry using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) located and allowed precise cut of the area of interest without detached the surrounding soft tissue. Tissues collected from day 7 and day 28 were sectioned and stained with Hematoxylin/Eosin or Masson trichome stains. RESULTS: The Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scans significantly increased the success rate in locating and cutting the area of interest. Hematoxylin & Eosin staining showed on day 7 that piezoelectric knife activated a broad bone response and less inflammatory response. While recruiting and enlarging chondrocytes to the Mucograft area which will turn to new bone. The use of OsteoGen combined with a piezoelectric knife resulted in thickening in the cortical bone around and above the defect area. CONCLUSION: Piezoelectric knife with Mucograft healed faster compared to bur or graft alone. The piezoelectric knife resulted in significantly increased bone thickness when combined with OsteoGen.