Quick and reliable screening of compatible ingredients for the formulation of extended meat cubes using Plackett-Burman design

“Extended meat products” is an important concept which involves judicious utilization of other agricultural/animal produce as well as providing meat-like products. Selection of compatible ingredients from among numerous alternates is a daunting task. Of the several methods available, Plackett-Burman design was used to screen 11 potential ingredients to formulate extended meat cubes. Twelve formulations were evolved and their evaluation as rehydrated and stewed meat cubes were carried out by a sensory panel. The attributes of firmness, juiciness, meaty aroma and overall quality were rated by an intensity ranking test followed by appropriate statistical analysis provided regression coefficients for individual ingredients for each attribute. Based on the direction of change (increase or decrease over control) for each attribute and its relation to the overall acceptability of the ingredients for their compatibility in formulating the product was provided. The overall rank sums for each ingredient and the attributes provided a reliable means to select the most compatible ingredients for further optimization work.     

Biotechnology research profile of India

Summary The study explores the chronological growth of Indian Biotechnology. Applicability of Lotka's law has been examined for the authorship pattern. Productivity of authors is analyzed and a list of 35 authors publishing more than 10 publications is given. Bradford's law of scattering is used to identify the core journals which cover most of the research and development output of Indian Biotechnology. The study also shows the active authors, institutions and statewise distributions of Indian Biotechnology research output.     

Antecedents of agency problems in service outsourcing

As outsourcing of services has grown in popularity, agency problems such as adverse selection and moral hazard have become more prevalent, leading to increased contracting costs. In this paper, we focus on how adverse selection and performance ambiguity arise in service outsourcing arrangements. We used agency theory as a theoretical lens to propose a mediated model where two antecedents, information asymmetry and goals compatibility, directly affect performance ambiguity, and indirectly through adverse selection. This model was tested empirically with dyadic data on 50 matched pair service outsourcing arrangements between organisations in Australia. Results show that information asymmetry impacts performance ambiguity through adverse selection, whereas goals compatibility affects performance ambiguity directly, without influencing adverse selection. These results suggest that the two agency problems are differentially affected by the antecedents of service outsourcing. The theoretical and practical contributions of this study are a better understanding of how different agency problems arise and how they can be controlled in service outsourcing in particular and in service production context more generally.     

Nodal integral method for convection-diffusion transport using linear and higher order quadrilateral elements

Abstract

Generic nodal integral method (NIM) based scheme, utilizing nine noded 2D quadratic elements along with four noded 2D linear elements, is developed to solve the fluid flow and heat transfer equations in complex geometries. Non-linear (quadratic) quadrilateral elements are used for discretization of boundary region and linear quadrilateral elements are used for interior region. Lagrange interpolation functions are used to map both type of elements to corresponding square computational elements. The scheme for Neumann and mixed type of boundary conditions are also developed for quadratic elements. C¹ type continuity condition is imposed at the interfaces of adjacent elements. Numerical results are compared with analytical solutions for diffusion and advection-diffusion equations. Results for Navier–Stokes equations in curved domain are compared with previously reported experimental as well as numerical results. The comparative study has also been done between presently developed scheme using quadratic and linear elements (referred as scheme-1) and scheme based on complete discretization with linear elements (referred as scheme-2). The comparison shows that both the schemes are of nearly second order accurate while the scheme-1 is more accurate than scheme-2. The results show that the efficient mapping of curved surface with quadratic elements improves the accuracy of NIM schemes.     

Exploring pathways to food science careers in Southern California: A case study in food science career development

Southern California is a diverse region that is home to a high concentration of food science companies, with an increasing demand for additional food scientists and technologists to join this workforce. Despite this abundance of food science companies and the high demand for jobs, there is currently a shortage in the number of qualified food scientists and technologists in the region. This shortage is also observed within higher education, with declining enrollments in the food science graduate and undergraduate programs across Southern California. Here, we conduct a case study to explore the factors that influence students from Southern California to pursue or not pursue careers in food science. We surveyed both undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in food science as well as industry professionals in the region to determine sources of knowledge about the discipline, and motivations and barriers for pursuing careers in food science. We also surveyed high school educators in the region to gain additional perspectives on how food science is being introduced at the secondary level, if at all. Our results demonstrate that many students and high school educators are not knowledgeable about career options within food science and that students who are pursuing food science largely report similar motivations for pursuing the discipline as those currently working in the food science industry. We conclude by discussing implications for the food science education community within Southern California and beyond.     

Effect of Feedstock Powders on the Microstructural and Electrical Characteristics of 8 mol% Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Plasma-Sprayed Coatings

Plasma-sprayed coatings of 8 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) were fabricated using the feedstock powders obtained from co-precipitation (PPT) and spray-drying (SD) processes. Particle size and the specific mass (SM) of the feedstock powder were found to be the critical parameters that influence the microstructural and electrical properties of the coatings. While dense and larger particle-sized PPT powder resulted in a porous microstructure, dense coatings were obtained for SD powders with relatively lower SM. Electrical conductivity values of SD-coatings were found to be 30% higher than that of PPT-coatings. Electrical conductivity values of plasma-sprayed PPT-coatings improved significantly on decreasing the particles size. However, the size effect was only subtle in the case of SD coatings. PPT-coatings fabricated from smaller particle-sized powders had the necessary electrical conductivities appropriate for solid oxide fuel cell electrolyte applications.     

Investigation into the seizure of hydraulic motors

Despite its practical significance, the occurrence of seizure in tribological systems has not been fully understood. In this work, extensive actual tests on hydraulic motors under extreme operating conditions of low viscosity, high pressure and speed have been conducted with a view to investigate and understand the seizure mechanism. Some of the motors failed and they were stopped at different stages of progressive seizure. Based on these investigations, a three stage seizure process has been suggested. Stage 1 involves the breakdown of hydrodynamic oil film between roller and piston which leads to increased friction, thermal expansion and increased leakage. In stage 2, scuffing is initiated either between roller and piston or between piston and cylinder. During stage 3 scuffing propagate to several pistons.