Inactivation of Bacillus spores by the combination of moderate heat and low hydrostatic pressure in ketchup and potage

The combination effect of moderate heat and low hydrostatic pressure (MHP) on the reduction of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus coagulans and Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores in food materials (potage and ketchup) was investigated. These bacterial spores were suspended in potage (pH 7), acidified potage (pH 4), neutralized ketchup (pH 7) and ketchup (pH 4). The suspensions were treated with and without pressure (100 MPa) and temperatures of 65-85 degrees C for 3 to 12 h. The bacterial spores were inactivated by 4-8 log cycles during MHP treatment in potage, acidified potage and ketchup, whereas the spores were highly resistant to long time heat treatment in potage and neutralized ketchup. The degrees of spore destruction were mostly dependent on pH and medium composition during MHP treatment. The inactivation effect in MHP treatment was higher at the pH 7 than at pH 4 both in ketchup and potage. The bacterial spores showed higher inactivation in potage than ketchup during MHP treatment.     

DC‐linked hybrid generation system with an energy storage device including photovoltaic generation and gas engine cogeneration for residential houses

For the past few years, hybrid generation systems including solar panel and gas cogeneration have been used for residential houses. Solar panels can generate electronic power at daytime but not at night. But the power consumption of residential houses usually peaks in the evening. The gas engine cogeneration system can generate electronic power without such a restriction, and it also can generate heat power to warm up a house or to produce hot water. In this paper we propose a solar panel and gas engine cogeneration hybrid system with an energy storage device, combined by a DC bus. If a blackout occurs, the system still can supply electronic power for special house loads. We propose a control scheme for the system related to the charging level of the energy storage device and the voltage of the utility grid, which can be applied to both grid‐connected and standalone operation. Finally, we report experiments designed to demonstrate system operation and calculations for loss estimation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 182(4): 29–46, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ).DOI 10.1002/eej.22321     

Detection method of emerging leading papers using time transition

To survive worldwide competitions of research and development in the current rapid increase of information, decision-makers and researchers need to be supported to find promising research fields and papers. But finding those fields from an available data in too much heavy flood of information becomes difficult. We aim to develop a methodology supporting to find emerging leading papers with a bibliometric approach. The analyses in this work are about four academic domains using our time transition analysis. In the time transition analysis, after citation networks are constructed, centralities of each paper are calculated and their changes are tracked. Then, the centralities are plotted, and the features of the leading papers are extracted. Based on the features, we proposed ways to detect the leading papers by focusing on in-degree centrality and its transition. This work will contribute to finding the leading paper, and it is useful for decision-makers and researchers to decide the worthy research topic to invest their resources.     

Diphenyl Carbonate Synthesis by Homogeneous Pd Electrocatalyst

Electrochemical carbonylation of phenol with CO to diphenyl carbonate (DPC) using Pd electrocatalyst was studied at P(CO) = 1 atm and room temperature. Electrochemical carbonylation was conducted by galvanostatic electrolysis at 1 mA in electrolyte solutions containing phenol, sodium phenoxide and CH₃CN. It was found that electrochemical carbonylation by Pd was promoted by using 1,3-dimesitylimidazol-2-ylidene (IMes) ligand of a N-heterocyclic carbene. The current efficiency of DPC increased more than 3.4 times using the IMes ligand. The maximum current efficiency of DPC formation was 45 %.     

Optimization of reinforcement layout of scissor‐type bridge using differential evolution algorithm

Scissors mechanisms are commonly used in safety engineering during the construction of temporary structures, owing to their inherent advantages of foldability, transformability, and reusability. We effectively utilized these scissors mechanism features to develop a lightweight, deployable emergency Mobile Bridge (MB) based on optimization, and control of the folding structure. Here, we discuss the problems of optimal reinforcement layout for the MB by formulating and solving three optimization problems, namely: (a) the load capacity maximization problem, (b) the weight minimization problem, and (c) coupling the load capacity maximization problem and the weight minimization problem. The potential benefits resulting from the application of reinforcement were evaluated using a combination of finite element analysis and an optimization algorithm based on the differential evolution method. The results demonstrate the significant positive influence of the additional reinforcing members. In particular, the limit load was increased by over 10 times, while the weight was decreased to approximately half. The proposed methodology enabled the development of a substantially improved version of the MB characterized by a higher load capacity and lower weight in comparison to the initial bridge design.