Assessment of egg freshness by prediction of Haugh unit and albumen pH using an artificial neural network

Eggs are a good source of high quality protein and knowing their quality (physical and chemical properties) during storage is of great importance. Thus, the aim of this research was to design a computer vision system to assess egg freshness during storage time. To this end, 210 intact eggs were collected and stored for 30 days under room conditions (25?±?2 °C and 20?±?3%). After imaging, every other day, some internal and external quality characteristics including yolk height, yolk and albumen pH, yolk and albumen density and Haugh unit (HU) were measured as destructive parameters and area index (D) egg weight as non-destructive parameters. Based on Pearson correlation coefficients, area index were significantly correlated with all destructive variables (p?<?0.05). In order to predict egg freshness, artificial neural network was trained by Levenberg–Marquardt, scaled conjugate gradient, Bayesian regulation, resilient and radial basis algorithms. The best result of artificial neural network for HU and albumen pH prediction was achieved by the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm with the correlation coefficient of 0.93 and 0.87, respectively.     

Modelling and performance analysis of a cross-flow type plate heat exchanger for dehumidification/cooling

This paper describes the performance analysis of a cross-flow type plate heat exchanger for use as a liquid desiccant absorber (dehumidifier) and indirect evaporative cooler. The proposed absorber can be described as a direct contact, cross-flow, heat and mass exchanger, with the flow passages separated from each other by thin plastic plates. One air stream (primary air) is sprayed by liquid desiccant solution, while the other stream (secondary air) is evaporatively cooled by a water spray. Each thin plate, besides separating the water/air passage from the solution/air passage, also provides the contact area for heat and mass transfer between the fluids flowing in each passage. A parametric study for the primary air stream at 33°C, 0.0171 kg/kg humidity ratio and secondary air stream at 27°C and 0.010 kg/kg humidity ratio using calcium chloride solution was performed in this study. The results showed a strong dependence on the heat and mass transfer area, solution concentration and ratio of secondary to primary air mass flow rates. However, negligible differences were found between the performance of a counter flow and a parallel flow arrangement. The results demonstrate that the proposed absorber will not offset both the latent and sensible load of the primary air and, therefore, an auxiliary cooler or more dehumidification/indirect evaporative cooling stages will generally be required to meet the sensible and latent load in a typical comfort application.     

Modeling and performance of a forced flow solar collector/regenerator using liquid desiccant

A forced flow solar collector/regenerator is one of the effective ways of regenerating the weak liquid solution in an open cycle liquid desiccant air conditioner using solar energy. In this system, the weak solution flows over the absorber plate of a tilted collector/regenerator as a thin liquid film. The forced air stream, which flows parallel or counter to the solution film, removes the moisture which is evaporated from the liquid solution due to absorption of solar energy. The absorber plate of the collector/regenerator is blackened and glazed to enhance the solar energy absorption and protect it from the environment. To evaluate the thermal performance of the solar collector/regenerator, a computer model has been developed using calcium chloride as the desiccant. A parametric analysis of the system has been performed to calculate the rate of evaporation of water from the solution as a function of the system variables and the climatic conditions.     

Integrated energy in Germany–A critical look at the development and state of integrated energies in Germany

In the face of global warming and a scarcity of resources, future energy systems are urged to undergo a major and radical transformation. The recognition of the need to embrace renewable energy technologies and to move toward decarbonization has led to significant changes in the German energy generation, consumption and infrastructure. Ambitious German national plans to decrease carbon dioxide emissions on one side, and the unpredictable and volatile nature of renewable energy sources on the other side have elevated the importance of integrated energies in recent years. The deployment of integrated technologies as a solution to interlink various infrastructures creates opportunities for increasing the reliability of energy systems, minimizing environmental impacts and maximizing the share of renewable resources. This paper discusses the role of integrated energy systems in supporting of sustainable solutions for future energy transitions. Moreover, the reinforcement of this movement with the help of different technologies will be discussed and the development of integrated energy systems in Germany will be reviewed.     

Pipe damper,Part I: Experimental and analytical study

In this paper the behavior of steel pipes, filled and unfilled with concrete, is studied under cyclic shear to examine the possibility of their use as a seismic damper. Two specimens of steel pipes filled inside with concrete are tested under monotonic and cyclic shear. Four other specimens of bare steel pipes are tested under fully reversed cyclic shear loading. The results show that the bare steel pipes are capable of absorbing a great amount of energy under a severe cyclic shear loading with a stable hysteretic behavior. This behavior is also simulated using the finite element method. Then, parametric studies are performed to investigate the effects of variations in geometrical properties of the pipe on its hysteretic behavior. A simplified bi-linear model is proposed to approximate the hysteretic behavior of the steel pipe as a metallic-yielding damper.     

The cyclization index and toughness of gel spun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) proportionality with its heat of stabilization

The spun tapes of synthesized PAN, its copolymer with 1 wt% itaconic acid, and doped version with 1 wt% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) all showed stripy, even, and compact cross-sections as the hallmark of gel forming products. PAN doping with SDS and acrylonitrile copolymerization with itaconic acid reduced its dimethylformamide (DMF) solution structural viscosity index (Δη) by 50% and 30%, respectively, at 675 s^??1. In addition, the modification of synthesized PAN through doping and acrylonitrile copolymerization with itaconic acid led to severe and mild gelation temperature decrease, respectively. The stabilization peak of the synthesized PAN tape was enhanced as much as 25 °C by 900% hot drawing, decreased by about 10 °C through copolymerization, while experienced small temperature changes through doping. The second derivative of Fourier transform infrared and Gaussian fitting was used to analyze the tapes cyclization due to stabilization treatment through introducing I_sd index. 10 min I_sd index was raised as much as 430% and 800% in comparison with the synthesized PAN through its doping or acrylonitrile copolymerization with itaconic acid, respectively. Further 180 min of I_sd index, however, showed the same proportional increase as toughness of the drawn tapes versus their heat of stabilization through their physical and chemical modifications.     

Selective formation of tungsten nanowires

We report on a process for fabricating self-aligned tungsten (W) nanowires with polycrystalline silicon core. Tungsten nanowires as thin as 10 nm were formed by utilizing polysilicon sidewall transfer technology followed by selective deposition of tungsten by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using WF6 as the precursor. With selective CVD, the process is self-limiting whereby the tungsten formation is confined to the polysilicon regions; hence, the nanowires are formed without the need for lithography or for additional processing. The fabricated tungsten nanowires were observed to be perfectly aligned, showing 100% selectivity to polysilicon and can be made to be electrically isolated from one another. The electrical conductivity of the nanowires was characterized to determine the effect of its physical dimensions. The conductivity for the tungsten nanowires were found to be 40% higher when compared to doped polysilicon nanowires of similar dimensions.     

Particle Swarm Optimisation for Protein Motif Discovery

In this paper, a modified particle swarm optimisation algorithm is proposed for protein sequence motif discovery. Protein sequences are represented as a chain of symbols and a protein sequence motif is a short sequence that exists in most of the protein sequence families. Protein sequence symbols are converted into numbers using a one to one amino acid translation table. The simulation uses EGF protein and C2H2 Zinc Finger protein families obtained from the PROSITE database. Simulation results show that the modified particle swarm optimisation algorithm is effective in obtaining global optimum sequence patterns, achieving 96.9 and 99.5 classification accuracy respectively in EGF and C2H2 Zinc Finger protein families. A better true positive hit result is achieved when compared to the motifs published in PROSITE database.     

Cr2O3 nanoparticles: A promising candidate to improve the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of Ni-Co alloy coatings

This study was aimed to assess the effects of reinforcement nanoparticles content, on the microstructural features, mechanical properties, and corrosion-related properties of Ni-Co-Cr₂O₃ nanocomposite coatings. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were employed in order to evaluate the microstructural features and chemical composition of the nanocomposites. Moreover, the microhardness tester and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) tests coupled with potentiodynamic polarization measurements were used to investigate the mechanical and corrosion-related properties, respectively. Results demonstrate that albeit the volume fraction of cobalt in coating, average particle size, Cr₂O₃ nanoparticle content in coating, and microstructural features are of prime significance in determining the mentioned properties of the nanocomposite coatings, Co content is more important. Actually, Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles serve as suitable nucleation sites for Co particles deposition throughout the microstructure. Thus, combined actions of Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles incorporation and their optimal content ensures the nucleation of high population of Co particles, which significantly contributes to the improvement in the properties. The Ni-Co-8.9 wt%Cr₂O₃ nanocomposite coating exhibits the superior mechanical and corrosion-related properties.     

An exact solution for buckling of functionally graded circular plates based on higher order shear deformation plate theory under uniform radial compression

In this research, mechanical buckling of circular plates composed of functionally graded materials (FGMs) is considered. Equilibrium and stability equations of a FGM circular plate under uniform radial compression are derived, based on the higher order shear deformation plate theory (HSDT). Assuming that the material properties vary as a power form of the thickness coordinate variable z and using the variational method, the system of fundamental partial differential equations are established. A buckling analysis of a functionally graded circular plate (FGCP) under uniform radial compression is carried out and the results are given in closed-form solutions. The results are compared with the buckling loads of plates obtained for FGCP based on the first order shear deformation plate theory (FSDT) and classical plate theory (CPT) given in the literature. The study concludes that HSDT accurately predicts the behavior of FGCP, whereas the FSDT and CPT overestimates buckling loads.