Effects of different heat treatment media on odorous constituents, chemical decomposition and mechanical properties of two hardwoods.

With China's increasing dependence on foreign wood, African wood has gradually become a potential imported species, but its use is seriously affected by problems such as unpleasant odors. In this study, we investigate the effect of heat treatment medium on odor-causing VOCs, decomposition of structural polymers, Modulus of Rupture (MOR) and Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) of hardwood. Samples of "" and "" wood were heated under air and palm oil for two hours at 160 °C, 180 °C, and 200 °C, respectively.

How do the main components influence the VOCs emission characteristics and formation pathways during moso bamboo heat treatment?

Bamboo heat treatment will cause plenty of release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere which are important precursors for ozone (O) formation. In this study, dewaxed bamboo was heat-treated at 180 °C for 2 h to investigate the emission characteristics and the formation pathways of VOCs during heat treatment by removing different main components. The results showed that aldehydes (22.

Effects of Heat Treatment on Color, Dimensional Stability, Hygroscopicity and Chemical Structure of Afrormosia and Newtonia Wood: A Comparative Study of Air and Palm Oil Medium.

In recent years, China is increasingly dependent on imported wood. Afrormosia and Newtonia are some of the imported species with good utilization potential. However, both of them also have problems with poor dimensional stability.

Curing Behavior and Thermomechanical Performance of Bioepoxy Resin Synthesized from Vanillyl Alcohol: Effects of the Curing Agent.

In order to reduce the dependency of resin synthesis on petroleum resources, vanillyl alcohol which is a renewable material that can be produced from lignin has been used to synthesize bioepoxy resin. Although it has been widely reported that the curing reaction and properties of the cured epoxies can be greatly affected by the molecular structure of the curing agents, the exact influence remains unknown for bioepoxies. In this study, four aliphatic amines with different molecular structures and amine functionalities, namely triethylenetetramine (TETA), Tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (TREN), diethylenetriamine (DETA), and ethylenediamine (EDA), were used to cure the synthesized vanillyl alcohol-based bioepoxy resin (VE).

Characterization of the structural and dynamic changes of cell wall obtained by ultrasound-water and ultrasound-alkali treatments.

It is well-known that ultrasound has been studied for its cavitation, mechanical and thermal effects. As a pretreatment technology, ultrasonic alkali treatment has attracted much attention in the field of biomass biochemical transformation. In this study, the structural and dynamic changes of wood cell walls during ultrasound-water, alkali, and ultrasound-alkali treatments were investigated by stereoscopic microscopy, confocal Raman microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction.

Effects of Combined Acid-alkali and Heat Treatment on the Physiochemical Structure of Moso Bamboo.

To improve the performance of bamboo and increase its utilization value, this study aimed at investigating the effects of impregnation pretreatment and thermal treatment on the structural changes of bamboo. The samples were pretreated in sodium hydroxide or zinc chloride solution, and then treated at 160 °C. The pretreated and control samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

The effect of ultrasonic intensity on physicochemical properties of Chinese fir.

Cavitation intensity is affected by ultrasonic intensity (UI) and is a key parameter to describe experimental results during ultrasonic treatment. The relationship between the UI and physicochemical properties of Chinese fir was investigated. In this study, four frequencies (25, 28, 40, and 59 kHz) were used at the same intensity of 240 W and the same duration of 35 min.

The numerical simulation and experimental study of heat release in a heat storage system with various diameters of aluminum tubes.

Phase change materials (PCMs) can be used to store solar energy. The heat released from PCMs is directly influenced by the efficiency of thermal energy storage and the scope of application. In this study, paraffin was used as the PCM, and was encapsulated in an aluminum tube.

Effects of zinc chloride-silicone oil treatment on wood dimensional stability, chemical components, thermal decomposition and its mechanism.

The hygroexpansion and anisotropy of wood limit its application in construction and wood products industry. Zinc chloride-silicone oil was use to decrease the hygroscopicity and improve the dimensional stability of wood at 80 °C, 140 °C, 160 °C and 180 °C. The effects of the treatment on the dimensional stability, chemical structure, thermal degradation, morphology of wood were evaluated, and the mechanism was determined.

Retrospective Analysis of False-Positive and Disputed Rifampin Resistance Xpert MTB/RIF Assay Results in Clinical Samples from a Referral Hospital in Hunan, China.

Concerns about the specificity of the Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) assay have arisen, as false-positive errors in the determination of complex (MTBC) infection and rifampin (RIF) resistance in clinical practice have been reported. Here, we investigated 33 cases where patients were determined to be RIF susceptible using the Bactec MGIT 960 (MGIT) culture system but RIF resistant using the Xpert assay. Isolates from two of these patients were found not to have any mutations in the rifampin resistance determining region (RRDR) region of and had good treatment outcomes with first-line antituberculosis (anti-TB) drugs.

Effects of the ultrasound-assisted pretreatments using borax and sodium hydroxide on the physicochemical properties of Chinese fir.

This work investigated the physicochemical properties of Chinese fir after ultrasound-assisted pretreatments with borax and sodium hydroxide additives in an aqueous solution. TGA, FTIR, and XRD were used to analyze the thermal degradation processes, changes in chemical structures, and crystallinity of the treated samples, respectively. Additionally, the release of volatiles from wood pyrolysis was measured on-line by the TG-FTIR apparatus.

Effects of Ultrasound Pretreatment on Eucalyptus Thermal Decomposition Characteristics As Determined by Thermogravimetric, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, and Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis.

Samples were pretreated by ultrasound at 300 W and 28 kHz in three different solutions. The thermal degradation characteristics of the samples were then characterized via thermogravimetric, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared analysis in a nitrogen environment. The characteristic of gas product release, the formation mechanisms of the main products, and the mechanistic basis for the effects of ultrasound on wood components were studied.

Influence of ultrasound-assisted extraction on the pyrolysis characteristics and kinetic parameters of eucalyptus.

In this study, the influence of ultrasound-assisted extraction on eucalyptus samples with special focus on pyrolysis characteristics and kinetic parameters was explored. Ultrasound and Soxhlet extraction were used to pretreat samples respectively, then samples were assayed by component analysis, TG-FTIR, and kinetic analysis. Ultrasound-assisted extraction did change the physiochemical characteristics of eucalyptus samples, particularly in regards to the quantity of extractives obtained.

Influence of ultrasound pretreatment on wood physiochemical structure.

As an initial step to increase the use of renewable biomass resources, this study was aimed at investigating the effects of ultrasound pretreatment on structural changes of wood. Samples were pretreated by ultrasound with the power of 300W and frequency of 28kHz in aqueous soda solution, aqueous acetic acid, or distilled water, then pretreated and control samples were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results shown that ultrasound pretreatment is indeed effective in modifying the physiochemical structure of eucalyptus wood; the pretreatment decreased the quantity of alkali metals (e.

Evaluation of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay for diagnosis of tuberculosis and rifampin resistance in county-level laboratories in Hunan province, China.

Background: The Xpert MTB/RIF showed high sensitivity and specificity in previous studies carried out in different epidemiological and geographical settings and patient populations in high-burden tuberculosis (TB) countries. However, there were little data obtained by validation or demonstration study of the assay in China. In this study, the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF was investigated in two county-level laboratories in Hunan Province, China.

Simultaneous and early detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistance to antituberculosis drugs using an indirect series piezoelectric system.

Emergence of drug-resistance tuberculosis (DR-TB) represents a serious threat to the world. Most countries, especially the developing countries, lack efficacious and inexpensive tools for early detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) resistance to antituberculosis drugs and for preventing the carriers from acquiring further resistance.

Novel phage amplified multichannel series piezoelectric quartz crystal sensor for rapid and sensitive detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The key factors that control the spread and mortality rate of tuberculosis (TB) are rapid detection and diagnosis. However, the current detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) cannot meet the recommended requirements for clinical diagnosis in turnaround time.

A new MSPQC for rapid growth and detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Many of the deaths caused by tuberculosis (TB) in the world are due to wrong or late diagnosis. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls for better and cheaper TB tests method for this reason. In this paper, a new multi-channel series piezoelectric quartz crystal (MSPQC) sensor system was developed for rapid growth and detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.