Influence of Osmoconcentration, Continuous High-Frequency Ultrasound and Dehydration on Properties and Microstructure of Rabbiteye Blueberries

Rabbiteye blueberries were osmoconcentrated for 12 h, and for 3 h with and without continuous high-frequency ultrasound (CHFU) and then air dehydrated (70°C, 10 h). Osmoconcentration increased solids gain, moisture loss, soluble solids, and bulk density. Long osmoconcentration for 12 h can be reduced with CHFU with similar results. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs indicated that berries without pretreatment suffered the highest degree of tissue collapse. They also had the highest rehydration ratio and may be ideal for use in breakfast cereals. Osmoconcentrated berries may be used as snack food or in cereal bars due to high bulk density and low rehydration ratio.     

An Efficient Macromodeling Approach for Simulating Carbon-Nanotube Field-Emission Triode Devices in Display Applications

The advances of using carbon-nanotube (CNT) triode structure field-emission (FE) devices for display applications require an accurate and efficient SPICE-compatible device model for evaluating their electrical behaviors in the early circuit and system design stage. This letter presents a simple and efficient macromodeling approach that can accurately model the CNT triode FE devices independent of the device process and physical structures for circuit simulations.     

The effect of reprocessing on the properties of PVC

The effects of reprocessing on the mechanical, physical, and rheological properties of a commercial plasticized PVC compound are investigated. Reprocessing experiments at lower, identical, and higher temperatures than those attained during the initial extrusion in a capillary rheometer are undertaken. Repetitive reprocessing is also considered. With the exception of the mean surface roughness—and when the effects of degradation are discarded—the other characteristics of processed and reprocessed PVC are essentially similar. Nevertheless, changes at both the molecular and the morphological level take place during reprocessing, as demonstrated by the results of thermal analysis and surface appearance.     

Microsatellite instability is not associated with degree of malignancy and p53 expression of gastrointestinal stromal tumours

We report on a mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the lung in a 6-year-old girl with a t(11;19)(q14-21;p12) as the sole karyotypic abnormality. An apparently identical t(11;19) has been reported previously in a MEC originating from the major and minor salivary glands. Our findings indicate that the t(11;19) is intimately associated with the mucoepidermoid phenotype and may be used as a diagnostic marker for this tumour type.     

Supply adequacy in electricity markets based on hydro systems—the Brazilian case

This article examines the practical perspective for introducing the deregulation model in systems with a strong predominance of hydroelectric generation, such as the Brazilian electricity system. In order to do this, the article describes the process of establishing short-term prices in systems with such characteristics, concluding that this economic signal is inefficient for stimulating a sustained generation expansion. As a result of this analysis, the article proposes, as a regulatory policy, a competitive process of energy contracting that favors the making of decisions with long-term horizons, ensuring the adequacy of supply, and, additionally, permitting a satisfactory management of market risk by generation and distribution companies.     

CAD package for industrial process identification

A CAD system for off-line industrial process identification is presented. The system has two modules. In the first data acquisition is performed. The second performs the process identification procedure. The functions and facilities of these methods are described, which include: the configuration of the data acquisition procedure to be performed, preliminary data analysis, model structure and parameter estimation method selection, time varying parameter estimation and model validation. An industrial application in petrochemical process identification is presented.     

Overestimate of vaccine coverage? New evidence from a survey in Pau da Lima]

To evaluate vaccination coverage in children 0 to 5 years of age, a cross-sectional study based on a household survey was carried out in 1992 in the Pau de Lima Health District, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, using a cluster sampling technique. The district was subdivided into 30 small areas that were homogeneous with respect to socioeconomic characteristics. Information on the vaccination status of 385 children was obtained through verification of a vaccination card or campaign voucher, or, in the absence of these items, through verbal confirmation from the mother or other responsible person. Based on all the sources of information, the study found vaccination coverage rates in the entire age range of 69% for polio vaccine; 56% for DTP; 74% for measles vaccine; and 87% for BCG. These results suggest that rates obtained from routine records of the health services and vaccination campaigns may be overestimates. The authors discuss the implications of the low coverage rates found in the entire age group and especially among children under 1 year old.     

Managing Groundwater in Hard-rock Areas through Agro-well Design and Development

Water shortage in the dry season is a major problem facing agriculture in the dry and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka. Large diameter wells (agro-wells) have been introduced to use the groundwater as a supplement to rainfall. The underlying crystalline hard-rock formations have very low storage and transmissivity, which limit the groundwater resource. The haphazard development of agro-wells may seriously threaten sustainable groundwater use in the future. Based on field studies and a groundwater hydrological model, this paper explains a methodology for determining the dimensions of agro-wells that limit a farmer to abstracting no more than the volume of water recharged under his/her land. This methodology can be used to regulate groundwater in hard-rock aquifers by identifying the safe volume of water that can be abstracted, establishing the optimum well dimensions for constructing a new well, and matching crop-water requirements to the abstractable volume of water. Farmers themselves can regulate groundwater resources to limit exploitation to equal their entitlement.     

Short-wavelength lasers

The development of short-wavelength lasers is reviewed. Three pumping mechanisms have been demonstrated which produce lasing at wavelengths from 3 to 100 nm. These mechanisms include electron-collisional excitation, electron-ion recombination, and photo-excitation. Examples of X-ray lasers and future directions of the field are discussed     

Integrated treatment of adequacy and security in bulk power systemreliability evaluations

Traditionally, bulk power system reliability evaluations have concentrated on the analysis of system adequacy, the ability to supply all loads within performance requirements. The authors focus on extending the scope of reliability evaluations to include a probabilistic assessment of system security, involving considerations of transient stability and the effects of cascading sequences. For each disturbance, first-impact states are defined which depend on the primary effect of the disturbance (static or dynamic problems, or no problem at all). Based on this analysis, a set of probabilistic indices is proposed to assess the security level of the predisturbance state. The possibility and consequences of secondary effects such as cascading are considered, leading to another set of indices to measure load losses due to static and dynamic phenomena. The approach is illustrated in a numerical example