Performance of thermostatic and electronic valves controlling the compressor capacity

The performance of the energy consumption of an electronic valve and a classical thermostatic valve has been compared when these expansion valves are adopted in a vapour compression plant subjected to a cold store. The main aim is to verify experimentally which type of expansion valve would be preferable from energy point of view when a classical thermostat or a fuzzy logic algorithm are used as the control system for the refrigeration capacity. The fuzzy logic‐based control is able to modulate continuously the compressor speed through an inverter. The results show that with a fuzzy algorithm, the thermostatic expansion valve allows an energy saving of about 8% in comparison with the electronic valve. When on–off control is used, the electric energy consumption obtained both with the electronic valve and with the thermostatic valve is comparable. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Visible transmission spectroscopy for the assessment of egg freshness

The objective of this research was to investigate the feasibility of visible transmission spectroscopy for the non‐destructive assessment of the freshness of an individual egg. A total of 600 intact white‐shelled eggs of the same flock (Lohmann, 40 weeks of age) were measured. To obtain a considerable variation in freshness, groups consisting of 60 eggs were stored (18 °C, 55% RH) for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 days. The non‐destructive spectral measurements were compared with the two most widely used destructive freshness parameters, namely Haugh units and albumen pH. A partial least squares (PLS1) model was built in order to predict Haugh units and pH of the albumen based on the transmission spectra. The correlation coefficients between the predicted value and the measured value were 0.842 and 0.867 for Haugh unit and pH of the albumen, respectively. These results show that the light transmission spectrum of an egg provides quantitative information about egg freshness. Relevant information concerning egg freshness is restricted to the interval between 570 and 750 nm. Furthermore, the models obtained for both destructive parameters were strikingly similar, indicating that Haugh unit and pH have the same physico‐chemical background. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of surface waxes on the persistence of chlorpyrifos-methyl in apples, strawberries and grapefruits

The effects of the cuticle and epicuticular waxes of grapefruit, strawberry and apple on the photodegradation and penetration of chlorpyrifos-methyl were studied. Photodegradation experiments were conducted by exposing the insecticide to the light of a xenon lamp in the presence of a film of wax extracted from the fruit surface. The half-life of chlorpyrifos-methyl irradiated in absence of waxes was 9.6 min. The half-lives of pesticide irradiated in the presence of wax extracts of apple, grapefruit and strawberry were 83, 34 and 26 min, respectively. In penetration studies, fruit with and without wax layers were treated with an aqueous suspension of pesticide. The penetration of the pesticide from the cuticle to the pulp was measured after 24 h. Samples without wax contained a higher total amount of insecticide than those with wax. No pesticide was detected in samples of apple and grapefruit pulp. Residues were detected in all fractions of strawberry. The waxes and cuticle appear to have some effect on the photodegradation and penetration of chlorpyrifos-methyl in fruit samples.     

Fast Positive Feedback Between the Adrenocortical Stress Response and a Brain Mechanism Involved in Aggressive Behavior.

Aggressive behavior induces an adrenocortical stress response, and sudden stressors often precipitate violent behavior. Experiments in rats revealed a fast, mutual, positive feedback between the adrenocortical stress response and a brain mechanism controlling aggression. Stimulation of the aggressive area in the hypothalamus rapidly activated the adrenocortical response, even in the absence of an opponent and fighting. Hypothalamic aggression, in turn, was rapidly facilitated by a corticosterone injection in rats in which the natural adrenocortical stress response was prevented by adrenalectomy. The rapidity of both effects points to a fast, mutual, positive feedback of the controlling mechanisms within the time frame of a single conflict. Such a mutual facilitation may contribute to the precipitation and escalation of violent behavior under stressful conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Formulation of a ceramic ink for a wide-array drop-on-demand ink-jet printer

This paper describes the methodology for simulating a reprographic ink with a ceramic ink based on a commercially available zirconia powder for direct ceramic ink-jet printing. Of over-riding importance was matching viscosity and this was tested systematically by using a mineral oil–hexane binary system. Of secondary importance was adjustment of the pressure defect behind the nozzle to compensate for small differences in surface tension. The inks tested in the wide array print-head were based on low electrical conductivity liquids to avoid damage to the electroding system. The organic binder for the zirconia ink was paraffin wax and the dispersant was a hydroxystearic acid based polyester.     

Optimal mean-square prediction of the mobile-radio fading envelope

Long-range prediction of the mobile-radio fading envelope is an enabling technology for many fading compensation approaches. Because the fading envelope is well modeled as a bandlimited process, it has special predictability properties. In this paper, we find a linear predictor that is optimal in the mean-square sense when the predictor impulse response is energy constrained. This solution may be used to determine the minimum mean squared error of a prediction based on past values that are corrupted with estimation errors.     

A fuzzy logic based-method for prognostic decision making in breast and prostate cancers

Accurate and reliable decision making in oncological prognosis can help in the planning of suitable surgery and therapy, and generally, improve patient management through the different stages of the disease. In recent years, several prognostic markers have been used as indicators of disease progression in oncology. However, the rapid increase in the discovery of novel prognostic markers resulting from the development in medical technology, has dictated the need for developing reliable methods for extracting clinically significant markers where complex and nonlinear interactions between these markers naturally exist. The aim of this paper is to investigate the fuzzy k-nearest neighbor (FK-NN) classifier as a fuzzy logic method that provides a certainty degree for prognostic decision and assessment of the markers, and to compare it with: 1) logistic regression as a statistical method and 2) multilayer feedforward backpropagation neural networks an artificial neural-network tool, the latter two techniques having been widely used for oncological prognosis. In order to achieve this aim, breast and prostate cancer data sets are considered as benchmarks for this analysis. The overall results obtained indicate that the FK-NN-based method yields the highest predictive accuracy, and that it has produced a more reliable prognostic marker model than both the statistical and artificial neural-network-based methods.