Zinc and Phytate Distribution in Peas. Influence of Heat Treatment, Germination, pH, Substrate, and Phosphorus on Pea Phytate and Phytase

The largest proportions of zinc and phytate, 88.7 and 97.1%, respectively, were in the Garfield pea cotyledon; the greatest concentrations were in the germ. Cooking peas by two different methods resulted in 13% phytate reduction. Peas incubated 6.5 hr from 25 to 80°C yielded maximum phytate loss (25%) at 60°C due to phytase activated hydrolysis. Germination (10 d) decreased pea phytate 75% and increased phytase activity 12-fold. Semi-purified germinated pea phytase showed temperature optimum at 45°C, pH optimum of 5.2, 30% inhibition by 1 mM inorganic P, and substrate preference for pyrophosphate. Incubation of early germinated peas at optima pH and temperature is suggested for maximum phytate reduction.     

Special finite elements with holes and internal cracks

For the numerical treatment of stress concentration problems in plane elasticity, special finite elements with circular and elliptic holes and internal cracks have been developed. Two different variational formulations have been used to construct elements, which may be combined with conventional displacement elements. Using complex functions and conformal mapping techniques the systematic construction of trial functions is shown which not only satisfy a priori the governing differential equations but also the boundary conditions on such influential boundary portions as hole or crack surfaces. For the evaluation of the stiffness matrices of the special elements, only boundary integral computations arc necessary. The numerical results of various examples are very accurate for both functionals.     

An enhanced zone 3 algorithm of a distance relay using transient components and state diagram

Zone 3 of a distance relay is used to provide the remote backup protection in case of the failure of the primary protection. However, the risk of maloperation under stressed conditions such as heavy loading, voltage, and transient instability is quite high. Zone 3 is used in combination with the derivatives of the voltage and current, etc. to prevent maloperation. At times, the impedance characteristics that restrict the tripping area of relay are used to avoid maloperation due to load encroachment. This work presents a novel zone 3 scheme based on combining the steady-state components (i.e., 60 Hz) and the transient components (TCs) using a state diagram that visualizes the sequence of studies that emanate from the sequence of events. The simulation results show that the novel zone 3 distance relay elements using the proposed method operate correctly for the various events.     

Bounds on the reliability of binary coherent systems

The structure function of a binary coherent system is approximated by using only a few of its minimal path sets and minimal cut sets. These two incomplete structure functions are represented as disjoint sums. The average of each is a lower and upper bound, respectively, for the system reliability. The usefulness of these bounds is demonstrated on example networks     

Component vs. system burn-in techniques for electronic equipment

Simulation can be used to determine the effects of different combinations of in-process and system burn-in times. It is shown that optimal burn-in at each stage of component assembly is not always optimal for the final system. Simulation is used to evaluate a nonrepairable system and provides individual component burn-in times that optimize the mean residual life of the assembled system     

Uptake of 226radium and 228radium by the lichen genus Umbilicaria

The 226Ra and 228Ra content of the lichens Umbilicaria cylindrica, U. deusta, U. murina and U. hirsuta has been determined as a function of the growth altitude above sea level, based on data derived from material collected from localities in southwest Poland. These data are interpreted as graphs and formulae to show the influence of environmental factors, particularly altitude, on the concentration of 226Ra and 228Ra, and the coefficients of accumulation calculated.     

Effect of pulse duration and size of interelectrode interval on electric-spark spraying. I. Effect of pulse duration and size of interelectrode interval on rate of electric-spark transfer

The influence exerted by electric-spark spraying on the kinetics of mass transfer and the physicomechanical properties of coatings is investigated. It is shown that electric-spark spraying is determined by the dynamic properties of the cathode jets, which depend on the electrical parameters of the spark discharge, the size of the interelectrode interval, and the physical properties of the coatings, which vary during spraying.     

Ceramics from mining by-products and alumina production wastes

The possibility of obtaining chemically stable ceramics in plastic molding from pastes based on comprehensive use of mining by-products (plagioporphyry, quartz-biotite shale), alumina production wastes (red mud), and polymineral clay was demonstrated. The mechanism of enhancing paste sintering on addition of finely disperse grog-flux and increasing the alkali resistance of the material (to 95%) in molding of the crystalline hematite-anorthite-quartz system was examined. __________ Translated from Steklo i Keramika, No. 2, pp. 17–20, February, 2007.