Effects of storage on the properties of rapeseed oil and alcohol blends

Received: February 1st, 2021 ; Accepted: May 2nd, 2021 ; Published: May 4th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] viscosity and density are important fuel properties because they influence fuel atomisation during injection into the engine cylinder. The viscosity and density of neat vegetable oils usually are too high to allow optimal use of these oils in compression ignition engines. Blending vegetable oils with alcohols can improve these properties, but it is not known whether the blend properties remain stable during storage. This study measured kinematic viscosity (at 40 °C), density (at 15 °C) and surface tension of rapeseed oil-alcohol blends that had been stored in closed borosilicate glass bottles at room temperature in the dark for 49 weeks. The values were compared with those of the fresh blends. Further measurements of oxidation stability for the rapeseed oil and the blends were taken after 72 weeks of storage. The blends consisted of rapeseed oil with ethanol at 5 vol–%, and rapeseed oil with 1–butanol at 5 vol–%, 10 vol–%, 20 vol–% and 30 vol–%. All in all, the observed changes during storage were small. Density values deviated by less than 1%, surface tension by no more than 3% and kinematic viscosity differed from the fresh blends’ values by 1% to 8%. Surface tension had increased in some blends and decreased in others. Kinematic viscosity rose in all blends, with the smallest increase measured for the rapeseed oil–butanol 30 vol–% blend. This blend also showed the best oxidation stability, which was close to six hours

Effects of storage on the properties of rapeseed oil and alcohol blends

Received: February 1st, 2021 ; Accepted: May 2nd, 2021 ; Published: May 4th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] viscosity and density are important fuel properties because they influence fuel atomisation during injection into the engine cylinder. The viscosity and density of neat vegetable oils usually are too high to allow optimal use of these oils in compression ignition engines. Blending vegetable oils with alcohols can improve these properties, but it is not known whether the blend properties remain stable during storage. This study measured kinematic viscosity (at 40 °C), density (at 15 °C) and surface tension of rapeseed oil-alcohol blends that had been stored in closed borosilicate glass bottles at room temperature in the dark for 49 weeks. The values were compared with those of the fresh blends. Further measurements of oxidation stability for the rapeseed oil and the blends were taken after 72 weeks of storage. The blends consisted of rapeseed oil with ethanol at 5 vol–%, and rapeseed oil with 1–butanol at 5 vol–%, 10 vol–%, 20 vol–% and 30 vol–%. All in all, the observed changes during storage were small. Density values deviated by less than 1%, surface tension by no more than 3% and kinematic viscosity differed from the fresh blends’ values by 1% to 8%. Surface tension had increased in some blends and decreased in others. Kinematic viscosity rose in all blends, with the smallest increase measured for the rapeseed oil–butanol 30 vol–% blend. This blend also showed the best oxidation stability, which was close to six hours

A core curriculum for the continuing professional development of nurses: Developed by the Education Committee on behalf of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions of the ESC

Background: The European Society of Cardiology and the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions share a vision; to decrease the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe. Nurses represent the largest sector of the health professional workforce and have a significant contribution to make, which has not yet been fully realised. Recent evidence highlights an association between the level of nurse education and inpatient mortality making this an important topic, particularly as the provision of nurse education in Europe is variable. Aim: To develop a core curriculum to inform the education of nurses following initial qualification for work in cardiovascular settings. Method: A syllabus was developed using published literature, policy documents and existing curricula with expert input from service users, specialist nurses, cardiologists, educationalists and academics. The syllabus formed the framework for the development of the core curriculum. Results: Eight key themes characterise the core curriculum which are presented together with an account of the development process. While the curriculum is not intended to cover all aspects of the highly complex role of the cardiovascular nurse, the themes do exemplify the science and art of nursing and are transferable across different levels of clinical practice and settings. The curriculum functions both as a ‘map’, which identifies key themes to include in nurse education, and as a ‘tool’ to inform educational provision that bridges’ the gap between initial nurse education and advanced specialist practice. Content can be adapted for use to fit the national context and reflects the specific needs, health priorities, legislative and regulatory standards that govern safe nursing practice across different countries. Conclusion: The core curriculum can be used as a learning framework to guide nurse education, in particular the continuing professional education of post-qualifying nurses working in cardiovascular settings. This represents a significant step towards streamlining cardiovascular nurse education in Europ

Development of a mechanism to facilitate the safety stock planning configuration in ERP

Safety stock planning in ERP in general is dependent upon the planner having the experience to simulate planning scenarios. This paper focuses on the development of a mechanism to calculate adequate safety stocks in accordance with required service levels while enabling efficient configuration of the ERP safety stock parameters. The proposed mechanism could be of great benefit to industrial firms as it offers the ability to classify demand patterns, proposes replenishment strategies that are consistent with the demand profile, calculates key parameters and identifies the changes required to the ERP master data. The associated real world application is able to identify potential to save approximately £1.2 M in stock reductions and, more importantly, allows targeted actions to be implemented at material level. These results demonstrated that the proposed mechanism can be considered as a valuable new development for manufacturing industry to gain the competitive advantage

Can Fire and Rescue Services and the National Health Service work together to improve the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable older people? Design of a proof of concept study

Older adults are at increased risk both of falling and of experiencing accidental domestic fire. In addition to advanced age, these adverse events share the risk factors of balance or mobility problems, cognitive impairment and socioeconomic deprivation. For both events, the consequences include significant injury and death, and considerable socioeconomic costs for the individual and informal carers, as well as for emergency services, health and social care agencies.Secondary prevention services for older people who have fallen or who are identifiable as being at high risk of falling include NHS Falls clinics, where a multidisciplinary team offers an individualised multifactorial targeted intervention including strength and balance exercise programmes, medication changes and home hazard modification. A similar preventative approach is employed by most Fire and Rescue Services who conduct Home Fire Safety Visits to assess and, if necessary, remedy domestic fire risk, fit free smoke alarms with instruction for use and maintenance, and plan an escape route. We propose that the similarity of population at risk, location, specific risk factors and the commonality of preventative approaches employed could offer net gains in terms of feasibility, effectiveness and acceptability if activities within these two preventative approaches were to be combined

Plant vascular development: from early specification to differentiation.

Vascular tissues in plants are crucial to provide physical support and to transport water, sugars and hormones and other small signalling molecules throughout the plant. Recent genetic and molecular studies have identified interconnections among some of the major signalling networks that regulate plant vascular development. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system, these studies enable the description of vascular development from the earliest tissue specification events during embryogenesis to the differentiation of phloem and xylem tissues. Moreover, we propose a model for how oriented cell divisions give rise to a three-dimensional vascular bundle within the root meristem