Influence of nitrate, ascorbic acid, and nitrate reductase microorganisms on N-nitrosamine formation during Korean-style soysauce fermentation.

Traditional Korean soysauce samples were collected from households in Chinju, Gyeongnam, Korea and analysed for volatile N-nitrosamines. Five of 24 samples contained NDMA (range = 1.6-10.4 micrograms/l) which was the only volatile N-nitroso compound found. Soysauce made from well water contained NDMA more often (4 of 6 samples) than soysauce made from tap water (1 of 18). This suggests that the water source is a determinate in the NDMA content of soysauce, probably due to a higher nitrate content of well water. The source of salt used did not clearly influence NDMA content. Soysauce was prepared in the laboratory using traditional methods but with 0 to 400 mg/l nitrate and in some cases made 6.5 to 65 mM in ascorbic acid and fermented for 120 days. The NDMA content of the samples was positively correlated with increasing nitrate concentration. Nitrate at 400 mg/l resulted in an NDMA content of 203 micrograms/l. Ascorbic acid substantially inhibited NDMA formation. All samples contained large numbers of nitrate reductase-containing organisms (greater than 1 x 10(7) CFU/ml).     

A note on computing environments and network reliability

Interest has increased during recent years in using microcomputers for implementation of network reliability algorithms. There are indications that some implementations suffer severe restrictions imposed by such a computing environment, whereas some other results indicate otherwise. This brief note attempts to clarify the apparently contradictory conclusions that would be naturally drawn from recent papers that treat this subject.     

Computer modeling of the continuous annealing furnace

A computer program to calculate the strip temperature heated in the continuous annealing furnace was developed, using the zone method for radiative heat transfer analysis with the measured gas temperature in the furnace. Using theF _E Operator, the present study considered the effects of soot and transient species, in addition to the H₂O−CO₂ gas mixture on the gas radiative heat transfer. The predicted strip temperature distribution forF _E=1.05 represented well the measured data. The maximum difference in the heat flux transfered to the strip from the combustion gas forF _E=1.0 (without soot and transient species gas radiation) and 1.05 (with soot and transient species gas radiation) was about 15%. The present study also investigated the effects of line speed and thickness variations on the strip temperature, establishing the bases for the on-line computer model.     

Output probability from a general combinational network

In this paper, we present the method which calculates the probability of the output of a general combinational network being 1, when the probabilities is given for each input being 1. Also we present the method which derives the output probability expression in terms of a given set of input probabilities.The method is based on a basic probability axiom and Binary Decision Diagrams. A Boolean function for a combinational network is transformed into a Binary Decision Diagram and the output probability expression is derived from it. Therefore a derivation of the output probability for a combinational network can be straightforward. Some examples are showed that the method using Binary Decision Diagrams is simple and efficient. We can see a variation of the output probability for a combinational network according to the given set of input probabilities.     

Pseudorandomness of Basic Structures in the Block Cipher KASUMI

The notion of pseudorandomness is the theoretical foundation on which to consider the soundness of a basic structure used in some block ciphers. We examine the pseudorandomness of the block cipher KASUMI, which will be used in the next‐generation cellular phones. First, we prove that the four‐round unbalanced MISTY‐type transformation is pseudorandom in order to illustrate the pseudorandomness of the inside round function FI of KASUMI under an adaptive distinguisher model. Second, we show that the three‐round KASUMI‐like structure is not pseudorandom but the four‐round KASUMI‐like structure is pseudorandom under a non‐adaptive distinguisher model.     

Fiberoptic intrinsic fluorescence for in-situ cure monitoring of amine cured epoxy and composites

The cure reactions of epoxy-diamine and its composites are monitored in-situ using the intrinsic fluorescence of the aromatic diamine, diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS). With a fiberoptic fluorimeter, in-situ cure monitoring was performed via a single fiber, distal-end probe, in neat epoxy as well as in commercial grade prepregs containing graphite fibers and DDS curing agent. The prepregs were investigated during multiply lamination in an oven. The fluorescence excitation spectra were obtained by emitting at 420 nm with a scan range of 320 to 400 nm, and the DDS peak position was determined as a function of cure time and temperature. The DDS spectra show a progressive red shift up to 24 nm when the primary amine is reacted with epoxide to become the secondary and the tertiary amines. The spectral shift of the DDS is also correlated with the extent of epoxide reaction determined by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Both data exhibit a linear relation, consistent with the behavior of the DDS peak shift, which increases linearly with the amine reaction. The excitation spectra also show a temperature dependency such that the amount of red shift increases with the measurement temperature in a manner that can be described by an exponential function. The temperature effects also depend on the state of cure in the sample. The temperature correction can be made by the application of an empirically developed equation. Thus, a direct comparison can be made among the on-line data obtained under varying conditions of cure, by reducing the spectral data to any reference temperature. This intrinsic fluorescence technique is much simpler than the previously reported extrinsic fluorophore technique, which requires the addition of an extrinsic fluorophore and an internal dye, and can be applied to any commercial prepregs containing DDS, thus making it a very powerful and widely applicable monitoring tool for composite processing.     

Structural properties of 0.65Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.35PbTiO3 relaxor ferroelectric thin films on SrRuO3 conducting oxides

Coating of 0.65Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–0.35PbTiO₃ (PMN–PT) relaxor ferroelectrics by a sol–gel method is followed by growth of epitaxial SrRuO₃ (SRO) metallic oxide electrodes on SrTiO₃ (STO) single-crystal substrate by pulsed laser deposition. High-quality PMN–PT films on SRO with preferred growth orientation were successfully fabricated by controlling the operation parameters. Structural properties of relaxor ferroelectric PMN–PT thin films on SRO/STO substrates have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In-plane and out-of-plane alignments of the heterostructure are confirmed and the structural twinning of the materials are also revealed.     

New approach to enhance adhesions between carbon nanotube emitters and substrate by the combination of electrophoresis and successive electroplating

Complementary electroplating combined with electrophoresis enhanced the field emission characteristics of emitters by improving the adhesions between CNT emitters and substrate. The emitting current of the CNT emitters prepared by our combined method increased nine times higher than that of CNT emitters prepared by electrophoresis only, since electroplating improved the adhesion of CNT emitters. During the life-time measurement for 10 h, the emitting current of CNT emitters fabricated by electrophoresis only was drastically decreased to 13% of the initial current, while that prepared by the combination of electrophoresis and successive electroplating decreased to 64% of the initial current. We suggest that our method is a promising approach for the efficient fabrication of reliable CNT emitters.     

Child negative emotionality and parenting from infancy to preschool: A meta-analytic review.

This meta-analytic review (k = 62 studies; N = 7,613 mother-child dyads) shows that effect sizes for the association between child negative emotionality and parenting were generally small and were moderated by sample and measurement characteristics. The association between more child negative emotionality and less supportive parenting was relatively strong in lower socioeconomic status families, reversed in higher socioeconomic status families, and limited to studies with relatively high percentages of participants from ethnic minorities and studies using parent report to assess negative emotionality. Higher levels of child negative emotionality were associated with more restrictive control in samples with less than 75% 1st-born children, as well as in infants and preschoolers, and in studies using parent report or composite measures to assess both negative emotionality and restrictive parenting. Finally, more child negative emotionality was associated with less inductive control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)