Impact of Pre-Ozonation on Mechanical Properties of Selected Genotypes of Cucumber Fruits During the Souring Process

Cucumber souring is a process mediated by a microorganisms present on the surface of cucumber fruits. Sour pickles are fresh cucumbers that have been poured over with a sodium chloride solution and various types of spices. In the present research, pre-ozonated and control cucumber fruits were subjected to the souring processes. It was observed that ozone treatment had no negative impact on the quality of the fruit before the souring process. Moreover, sour pickles after pre-ozonation had better mechanic and sensory properties than the control.     

Plasmonic green nanolaser based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor structure

Realization of smaller and faster coherent light sources is critically important for the emerging applications in nanophotonics and information technology. Semiconductor lasers are arguably the most suitable candidate for such purposes. However, the minimum size of conventional semiconductor lasers utilizing dielectric optical cavities for sustaining laser oscillation is ultimately governed by the diffraction limit (～(λ/2n)(3) for three-dimensional (3D) cavities, where λ is the free-space wavelength and n is the refractive index). Here, we demonstrate the 3D subdiffraction-limited laser operation in the green spectral region based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure, comprising a bundle of green-emitting InGaN/GaN nanorods strongly coupled to a gold plate through a SiO(2) dielectric nanogap layer. In this plasmonic nanocavity structure, the analogue of MOS-type "nanocapacitor" in nanoelectronics leads to the confinement of the plasmonic field into a 3D mode volume of 8.0 × 10(-4) μm(3) (～0.14(λ/2n)(3)).     

New method of testing of the repeatability of CMM articulating heads

A new method of testing of the accuracy of coordinate measuring machine (CMM) articulating heads was developed and verified. This procedure consists of the measurement of a test sphere, and requires only a basic configuration of the coordinate measuring machine. A new parameter describing the repeatability of angular positioning by CMM articulating probing system was defined.     

Evolutionary-based heuristic generators for checkers and give-away checkers

Abstract: Two methods of genetic evolution of linear and non-linear heuristic evaluation functions for the game of checkers and give-away checkers are presented in the paper. The first method is based on the simplistic assumption that a relation 'close' to partial order can be defined over the set of evaluation functions. Hence an explicit fitness function is not necessary in this case and direct comparison between heuristics (a tournament) can be used instead. In the other approach a heuristic is developed step-by-step based on the set of training games. First, the end-game positions are considered and then the method gradually moves 'backwards' in the game tree up to the starting position and at each step the best fitted specimen from the previous step (previous game tree depth) is used as the heuristic evaluation function in the alpha-beta search for the current step. Experimental results confirm that both approaches lead to quite strong heuristics and give hope that a more sophisticated and more problem-oriented evolutionary process might ultimately provide heuristics of quality comparable to those of commercial programs.     

Stability of External α-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Scales on Alloy 602 CA at 1100–1200 °C

An external ultrathin α-Al₂O₃ scale grown on the Ni-base alloy 602 CA during air oxidation at 800 °C was characterized by means of high-resolution TEM/EDX and electron diffraction. Alloy samples pre-oxidized at 800 °C were subsequently exposed at 1100, 1150 and 1200 °C for up to 100 h. Whereas the external alumina remained stable at 1100 °C, with the increasing exposure temperature, the pre-grown alumina scale tended to break down resulting in an external chromia scale accompanied by internal alumina precipitation. The transition from external to internal Al oxidation was investigated using SEM/EDX/EBSD. The critical Al depletion at the scale-alloy interface during the post-exposure at 1100–1200 °C was modeled using the CALPHAD-based thermodynamic-kinetic approach.     

Evaluation of plant products from the Legnicko–Głogowski region for their contamination with arsenic

Contents of arsenic were determined in plant products originating from the region of two copperworks, G?ogów and Legnica. Analyses were carried out by means of atomic absorption spectrometry, using an MHS-10 unit for hydride generation (acetylene/argon), after wet mineralisation of samples.