A differential scanning calorimetry method to determine the isothermal crystallization kinetics of cocoa butter

This research aimed to reduce the variability on the data obtained from differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis of the isothermal crystallization kinetics of cocoa butter.

To enable transformation of the DSC crystallization peak to a sigmoid crystallization curve, the DSC peak area has to be integrated. Usually, the start and end points of the crystallization peak are determined visually. The result of this visual determination appeared to be very much dependent on the operator, but also differed considerably when the same operator performed the integration several times. By proposing an objective calculation algorithm to determine the start and end points of integration, the variability caused by the operator during the integration procedure could be eliminated. Furthermore, sample preparation and the DSC heating protocol to melt the sample prior to crystallization were studied. Three heating protocols (65 °C for 15 min, 65 °C for 30 min and 80 °C for 15 min) were compared and it was shown that holding at 65 °C for 15 min was sufficient to eliminate any influence of sample history. Two different sample preparation procedures were compared and it appeared that a change in sample preparation procedure had a significant influence on the measured crystallization process. It is thus important to keep this method constant to eliminate the variability caused by it.     

Influence of strain on the magneto-exciton in single and coupled InP/GaInP quantum disks

We investigated theoretically the influence of strain on the exciton in both single and three vertically coupled self-assembled quantum dot systems in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. For the single disk, we find that the heavy-hole exciton is the ground state, while for the system of three stacked disks, the light hole state was found to be lower in energy. Results for the diamagnetic shift were compared with experimental results.     

Determination of generalized quadrangles with distinct elation points

In this paper, we classify the finite generalized quadrangles of order (s,t), s,t > 1, which have a line L of elation points, with the additional property that there is a line M not meeting L for which {L, M} is regular. This is a first fundamental step towards the classification of those generalized quadrangles having a line of elation points. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 51E12, 51E20, 20B25, 20E42     

Properties of levels in22Ne

Levels up to 9.3 MeV excitation in²²Ne were studied with the¹⁹ F(α, pγ) ²²Ne reaction atE _α = 12 MeV. Level energies, branching ratios, mean lifetimes, spins and mixing ratios were obtained for a number of levels. Relevant results are compared with many-particle shell-model calculations.     

Complete structure determination of the astrophysically important nucleus Na below the proton threshold

The fusion–evaporation reaction ¹⁰B(¹²C, 2n) was used to make the first observation of in-beam γ decays from the astrophysically important nucleus ²⁰Na, lying adjacent to the proton drip-line. All states below the proton threshold in ²⁰Na were populated and identified in the experiment. These include new levels, previously unresolved levels, and states located with improved energy precision. The level structure of ²⁰Na, and its γ transitions, are compared to the mirror partner ²⁰F measured simultaneously in this experiment. In particular, a high degree of energy stability is found for all negative parity states. These results are discussed in the context of the nuclear shell model.     

Evolution of shapes in 59Cu

High-spin states in ⁵⁹Cu were populated using the fusion-evaporation reaction ²⁸Si + ⁴⁰Ca at a beam energy of 122 MeV. The Gammasphere Ge-detector array in conjunction with the 4π charged-particle detector array Microball allowed for the detection of γ-rays in coincidence with evaporated light particles. The resulting extensive high-spin decay scheme of ⁵⁹Cu is presented, which comprises more than 320 γ-ray transitions connecting about 150 excited states. Their spins and parities have been assigned via directional correlations of γ-rays emitted from oriented states. Average quadrupole moments of rotational bands have been determined from the analysis of residual Doppler shifts. Shell model calculations in the fp shell are invoked to study some of the low-spin states, while the experimental characteristics of the rotational bands are analyzed in the configuration-dependent cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky (CNS) approach. Received: 15 February 2002 / Accepted: 23 April 2002     

Trace anion determination in concentrated hydrofluoric acid solutions by two-dimensional ion chromatography I. Matrix elimination by ion-exclusion chromatography

Since years, ion exclusion chromatography (ICE) has been the standard method to separate strong acid analyte anions from concentrated weak acid matrices such as hydrofluoric acid (HF). In this work, the commercially available IonPac ICE-AS 1 column was used to separate trace levels of chloride, nitrate, sulfate and phosphate from HF solutions at 20% (w/w). The efficiency of the separation was studied in more detail using techniques such as ion chromatography (IC), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and ICP-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). For 20% (w/w) HF solutions and at a water carrier flow-rate of 0.50 ml/min, the cut window was set from 8.5 to 14.5 min. Under these conditions, analyte recoveries of better than 90% were obtained for chloride, nitrate and sulfate, but only about 75% for phosphate. The HF rejection efficiency was better than 99.9%. It was found that the ICP techniques, measuring total element levels and not species, yielded significantly higher recoveries for phosphorus and sulfur compared to IC. Evidence will be given that part of the added phosphorus (approximately 15% for an addition of 10 mg PO4/kg) is present as mono-fluorophosphoric acid (H2FPO3). In the case of sulfate, the difference between IC and ICP-MS could be attributed to an important matrix effect from the residual HF concentration.     

Synthesis of (E)- and (Z)-fluoro-olefin analogues of potent dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors

(E)- and (Z)-fluoro-olefin analogues of potent dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors were synthesized. A Wadsworth-Horner-Emmons reaction, followed by amide formation and reduction of the amide were used for the construction of the α-fluoro-α,β-unsaturated amine functionality.     

Level structure of 68 149 Er81 and high-spin isomerism in proton-richN=81, 82, 83 nuclei

The level structure of theN=81 nucleus¹⁴⁹Er has been studied by γ-ray spectroscopy following the reaction⁹²Mo+255 MeV⁶⁰Ni. Yrast levels in¹⁴⁹Er are established up to ~3.3 MeV, including 0.61 and 4.8 μs isomeric states. Most of the observed levels are interpreted as seniority-three states arising from the coupling of s_1/2, d_3/2 and h_11/2 neutron holes with πh ₁₁ ^2/n . Isomers identified in the reaction⁹⁶Ru+255 MeV⁵⁸Ni are tentatively assigned to¹⁵¹Yb. TheB (E2) values of high-spin isomers inZ=66?70,N=81?83 nuclei are surveyed.