Development of an on-line optical method for assessment of the bubble size and morphology in aerated food products

The quality of whipped products of the food industry is closely linked to the characteristics of the dispersed gas phase, such as the bubble morphology, the mean bubble size and the uniformity of the bubble size distribution. Here, an on-line method based on imaging techniques was developed for measuring these quantities in food foams manufactured in a continuous foaming device. On-line image acquisition was based on a quartz visualization cell that ensured a continuous renewal of the samples. The mean bubble size and the bubble size distribution were obtained using a semi-automated image analysis procedure. The method was validated on four kinds of aerated food emulsions (ice cream, whipped cream, aerated fresh cheese and a foamed sauce), corresponding to a large range of overrun (30–180%). The σ/d₃₂ ratio of bubble size distributions of dairy foamed emulsions was shown to be nearly constant, regardless of the recipe and of operating conditions.     

High-performance and cost-effective membrane electrode assemblies for advanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers: Long-term durability assessment

Improved activity and durability performance of a two-cell (86 cm²) proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) stack is reported for the first time. Both membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) contain one order of magnitude lower platinum group metal (PGM) loadings compared to the state-of-the-art PEMWEs and incorporate novel Pt recombination layers. The high-performance and cost-effective MEAs are fabricated by the unique reactive spray deposition technology (RSDT). This advanced methodology allows for one-step fabrication of MEAs and ensures precise control and distribution of the catalyst composition and loading. The RSDT-fabricated MEAs contain only 0.2 and 0.3 mg_PGM cm^?2 loading in the cathode and anode electrodes, respectively, and demonstrate excellent activity and durability for over 3000 h of operation at industrially-relevant operating conditions without showing significant loss in performance. This novel work shows that a significant cost reduction for PEMWEs is achieved while maintaining excellent durability, high catalysts activities, and low hydrogen cross-over.     

Fabrication and characterization of polyvinyl chloride mixed matrix membranes containing high aspect ratio anatase titania and hydrous manganese oxide nanoparticle for efficient removal of heavy metal ions: Competitive removal study

In this study, novel polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ultrafiltration mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) containing high aspect ratio anatase titania (ANT) and hydrous manganese oxide (HMO) nanoparticles were synthesized in order to decontaminate cadmium and copper metal ions. ANT and HMO nanoparticles with various loadings in a range of 5-15 were used in the casting solution of MMMs. The characterization of fabricated MMMs was carried out with respect to the structural morphology, hydrophilicity, and composition by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. With an increase in the nanoparticle loadings, the change in other membrane characteristics such as mean pore size, pure water flux, and porosity were also evaluated. The results revealed that the mean pore size and water flux increased at a higher loading of ANT and HMO nanoparticles, while the contact angle and porosity of the membranes showed reverse trends. Moreover, the higher flux of pure water was obtained for PVC-ANT MMMs compared to PVC-HMO MMMs because of the larger mean pore size, higher porosity, and hydrophilicity of PVC-ANT MMMs. In this study, the decontamination of cadmium and copper metal ions in single and binary systems of heavy metals was investigated and the effect of Mn²⁺ (as an interfering ion) was also studied. The evaluation of the metal ion removal data demonstrated that the affinity sequence of both the PVC-ANT-15 and PVC-HMO-15 MMMs for heavy metal removal was Cu²⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Mn²⁺ in the single and binary systems. It was found through ultrafiltration (UF) experiments that PVC-ANT MMM was the most efficient membrane in the elimination of heavy metals due to the superior ANT adsorption capacity. However, the overall findings disclosed that both ANT and HMO nanoparticles are suitable candidates for the preparation of MMMs used in cadmium and copper decontamination from aqueous solutions.     

Robust reservoir rock fracture recognition based on a new sparse feature learning and data training method

Multidimensional Systems and Signal Processing - In this paper, the main goal is to identify the sine fractures of reservoir rock automatically. Therefore, a five-step algorithm is applied on the...     

Urban microclimate and energy consumption: A multi-objective parametric urban design approach for dense subtropical cities

Climate change within the urban contexts is a crisis that cities are confronting globally. This issue poses numerous negative consequences such as thermal discomfort and increased energy usage within the building sector. This is especially the case in Western Sydney, Australia, where the average maximum temperature has risen by 7–8 °C within the past 30 years. This increase in temperature is highly concerning, since this region is witnessing rapid urban and infrastructural development and is proposed as the third-largest economy of Australia. Temperature changes in this region will also result in considerably increasing the electricity used for cooling purposes. This paper presents a parametric approach driven multi-objective optimization methodology to discover optimum design solution based on the urban microclimate and cooling energy demand of multi-functional buildings within this urban context. Mitigation measures including a range of design factors at both building (typology and window to wall ratio) and urban scales (aspect ratio and urban grid rotation) are further suggested for developing context sensitive optimum urban layouts. The resultant solutions indicate an improvement in urban thermal comfort, cooling and heating energy use by up to 25.85%, 72.76%, and 93.67%, respectively.     

Preparation and photocatalytic study of CoFe2O4/TiO2/Au nanocomposites and their applications in organic pollutant degradation and modeling by an artificial neural network (ANN)

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Due to the increase of environmental pollution by various industries in recent decades, preparing drinking water has become one of the most...     

Artificial neural network to predict the effects of coating parameters on layer thickness of chromium carbonitride coating on pre-nitrided steels

Chromium carbonitride coatings were formed on plain carbon and alloy steels by pre-nitrocarburizing, followed by thermoreactive deposition and diffusion in a salt bath below 700 °C. In the present study, an artificial neural network-based model (ANNs) was developed to predict the layer thickness of pre-nitrided steels. Seventeen parameters affecting the layer thickness were considered as inputs, including the pre-nitriding time, salt bath compositions ratio, salt bath aging time, ferrochromium particle size, ferrochromium weight percent, salt bath temperature, coating time, and different chemical compositions of steels. The network was then trained to predict the layer thickness amounts as outputs. A 2-feed-forward back-propagation network was developed and trained using experimental data form literatures. Five steels were investigated. The effects of coating parameters on the layer thickness of steels were modeled by ANNs as well. The predicted values are in very good agreement with the measured ones indicating that the developed model is very accurate and has the great ability for predicting the layer thickness.     

ANN-based prediction of ferrite fraction in continuous cooling of microalloyed steels

In the present study, an artificial neural networks-based model was developed to predict the ferrite fraction of microalloyed steels during continuous cooling. Fourteen parameters affecting the ferrite fraction were considered as inputs, including the cooling rate, initial austenite grain size, and different chemical compositions. The network was then trained to predict the ferrite fraction amounts as outputs. A multilayer feed-forward back-propagation network was developed and trained using experimental data form literatures. The predicted values are in very good agreement with the measured ones indicating that the developed model is very accurate and has the great ability for predicting the ferrite fraction.     

Greener energy: Issues and challenges for Pakistan—Solar energy prospective

Energy plays a pivotal role in socio-economic development by raising standard of living. It is becoming gradually accepted that current energy systems, networks encompassing every thing from primary energy sources to final energy services, are becoming unsustainable. Development of conventional forms of energy for meeting the growing energy needs of society at a reasonable cost is the responsibility of the Governments. In recent years, public and political sensitivities to environmental issues and energy security have led to the promotion of renewable energy resources. Diversification of fuel sources is imperative to address these issues; and limited fossil resources and environmental problems associated with them have emphasized the need for new sustainable energy supply options that use renewable energies. Development and promotion of new non-conventional, alternate and renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and bio-energy, etc. are now getting sustained attention. Solar power is one of the hottest areas in energy investment right now, but there is much debate about the future of solar technology and solar energy markets. This investigates the progress and challenges for solar power in Pakistan according to the overall concept of sustainable development, and identifies the region wise potential of solar power in Pakistan and its current status. Barriers are examined over the whole solar energy spectrum and policy issues and institutional roles and responsibilities are discussed.