Characterization of gluten-free rice bread prepared using a combination of potato tuber and ramie leaf enzymes

A combination of freeze-dried powder of disproportionating enzyme (D-enzyme)-containing potato tuber and β-amylase-containing ramie leaf was used to improve the gluten-free (GF) bread, and its physicochemical properties were characterized. The presence of D-enzyme and β amylase in the potato tuber and ramie leaf was confirmed. Sixty five percent of partially gelatinized rice flour and 20% corn starch was combined with 10% freeze-dried potato tuber and 1% ramie leaf powder, and baked. The specific volume increased by 23% compared to the control with improved internal characteristics. Texture profile analysis revealed that retrogradation of the bread was retarded when stored for 90 h at 4 °C. The bread crumb amylose content was reduced from 14 to 9% and amylopectin branch chain-length distribution was rearranged, whereby the proportions of the branch chains with Degree of polymerization (DP) < 9 and DP > 19 decreased. The results suggest that D-enzyme and β-amylase cooperatively altered amylose/amylopectin ratio and amylopectin structure.     

A hybrid method for the simulation of radionuclide contaminant plumes in heterogeneous unsaturated formations

The numerical simulation of multiphase flow and contaminant transport problems that take place around nuclear waste repositories is an important tool for selecting appropriate sites for these facilities. The goal of this paper is to present an accurate and efficient simulation tool to approximate flows in heterogenous unsaturated hydrogeological environments. We employ a hybrid method that combines a Eulerian finite volume approximation scheme for the underlying water-air flow problem with a locally conservative Lagrangian particle tracking method to approximate the transport of a radionuclide within the water phase. The Lagrangian scheme is computationally efficient and theoretically free of numerical diffusion. Numerical simulations showing the effectiveness of the new procedure are presented and discussed.     

UV–Vis spectrometric classification of coffees by SPA–LDA

UV–Vis spectrometry and chemometric techniques were used to classify aqueous extracts of Brazilian ground roast coffee with respect to type (caffeinated/decaffeinated) and conservation state (expired and non-expired shelf-life). Two classification methods were compared: soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) with wavelength selection by the successive projections algorithm (SPA). The best results were obtained by SPA–LDA, which correctly classified all test samples. The classification accuracy of this model remained high (96%) even after the introduction of artificial spectral noise. These results suggest that UV–Vis spectrometry and SPA–LDA modelling provide a promising alternative for assessment of conservation state and decaffeination condition of coffee samples.     

A hybrid self-adaptive evolutionary algorithm for marker optimization in the clothing industry

The task of marker optimization in clothing production is to eliminate pieces from a work order using an optimal sequence of markers and plies, where the work order is given as a matrix of colors by sizes, markers are vectors of sizes to be laid-out and cut together, and the number of plies determines how many pieces are eliminated from the work order each time. Although the optimality of a marker sequence can be determined in several ways, we consider minimum preparation cost as a key objective in clothing production. The traditional algorithms and the simple evolutionary algorithms used in marker optimization today have relied on minimizing the number of markers, which only indirectly reduces production costs. In this paper we propose a hybrid self-adaptive evolutionary algorithm (HSA-EA) for marker optimization that improves the results of the previous algorithms and successfully deals with the objective of minimum preparation cost.     

Stable Isomers of Sila - and Germadodecahedrane. a Semiempirical (Am1) Investigation of the Structure of 4/6 and 4/5/6 Ring Containing E20 (E=SI,GE) Systems

Abstract

AMI molecular orbital calculations with full geometry optimisation of 4/6, 5/5 and 4/5/6 isomers of E₂₀ (E=Si, Ge) show a clear preference of germanium to be accommodated in four membered rings and to achieve coordination numbers greater than 3 (V A). as a consequence, unlike C₂₀ or Si₂₀, the dodecahedral form of Ge₂₀ was not localised on the potential surface, instead an opened structure derived from an octagermaprismane (IV B) can be predicted. Notable kinetic stabilisation in the (SiR)₂₀ systems is suggested by the HOMO-LUMO differences.     

Self-healing processes in coil-coated cladding studied by the scanning vibrating electrode

The ability of the zinc layer in coil-coated cladding to protect the underlying metal substrate exposed to the environment through a sub-centimeter circular defect was established by using the scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET). The onset of electrochemical corrosion is observed through the development of local anodes and cathodes in the defective system, with the formation of soluble zinc species. The dissolution process is maintained until a sufficiently high concentration is attained by the metal ions, and their subsequent precipitation inside the holiday blocks the defect as to hinder further corrosion. A self-healing effect was thus observed. The role of zinc salts was confirmed by SEM and EDX observations.     

Comparative EIS study of different Zn-based intermediate metallic layers in coil-coated steels

The effect the nature of the intermediate zinc-containing layer in coil-coated steels (CCS) has on their anticorrosive performance was examined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The zinc-based metallic intermediate coatings considered in this work were namely galvanised (Zn), galfan (Zn-5Al) and aluzinc (Zn-55Al). Corrosion tests were performed by exposing the coated panels to a 3% NaCl aqueous solution in a horizontal flat-cell. EIS data were analysed considering the values of the distinct elements in equivalent electrical circuit models, which allowed the long term evaluation of the coating condition for the different CCS. Changes in the impedance characteristics of the systems were found to occur as a function of the exposure time in all three cases. These results have revealed differences in the barrier characteristics of the various CCS, namely the galvanised system exhibited the shortest time to breakdown, whereas both galfan and aluzinc maintained the system protected for significantly longer immersion periods.