Emulsifier Effects on Pasting Properties of Wheat Flour Extrudates with/without Sucrose and Shortening

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of emulsifier types and concentrations, plus the addition of sucrose and shortening on wheat flour extrudates. Ground extrudate pasting properties were measured in the rapid viscoanalyser (RVA). Four pasting parameters were determined from the RVA curve: peak time (PT), peak viscosity (P), breakdown viscosity (H), and initial slope (IS). Emulsifier types and the addition of sucrose and shortening significantly affected PT, P, H, and IS. Emulsifier concentration significantly influenced PT and H. Emulsifiers significantly increased PT and H and decreased P and IS. Glyceryl monostearate had the greatest effects on these parameters. Sucrose and shortening generally enhanced the effects of emulsifiers on pasting properties.     

Optical determination of dental pulp vitality

In this preliminary study, we explored the feasibility of employing photoplethysmography and pulse oximetry to assess the status of the blood circulation in the dental pulp. A simple photometer that measures diffuse light transmission at 575 nm was built to record tooth plethysmograms, and the ability to distinguish vital from surgically devitalized teeth of a dog using plethysmography was demonstrated. As an extension of the photoplethysmographic technique, red-infrared pulse oximetry applied to the measurement of the oxygen saturation (SO2) of blood in the pulp was also examined using an in vitro test setup. Results suggest that the measurement of relative SO2 changes is feasible, but standard dual-wavelength pulse oximetry does not enable determination of SO2 independent of tooth geometry and sensor placement.     

Multijoule performance of the photolytically pumped XeF(C→A) laser

An XeF(C rightarrow A) laser with output up to 5.8 J/pulse has been demonstrated. The photolytic pumping scheme begins withe-beam excitation of xenon to produce Xe*2fluorescence at 172 nm. This VUV radiation is transmitted through an array of CaF2windows into the laser cell, where it photodissociates XeF2to produce primarily XeF(Bfrac{1}{2}). Collisions with N2buffer gas relax the excited states to XeF(Cfrac{3}{2}), which lases on a transition centered at 481 nm and continuously tunable over more than ±35 nm. Typical values of the experimental parameters were as follows. The 420 kV, 1 me-beam source delivered an average current of 10 A/cm²over an aperture 14 × 100 cm for pulse lengths up to 1 μs. Totale-beam energy available was 3.5 kJ, of which 2.4 kJ was deposited in the xenon. The total VUV energy radiated was 720 J, of which 115 J was coupled into the laser cell. This produced 32 J of available XeF* energy, of which up to 18 percent was extracted as laser energy. The total system efficiency was 0.2 percent. Optimized designs should achieve better than 1 percent efficiency.     

Characterization of a Flip-Flop Metastability Measurement Method

We characterize a proposed metastability measurement system in which asynchronous data input and sampling clock frequencies trigger metastability. We develop an equation describing the time interval between data and clock inputs for practical frequencies and show that it takes on discrete values in the absence of jitter and that the presence of jitter perturbs these values. Finally, we present experimental results supporting our characterization     

An array processor for general purpose digital image compression

A new VLSI processor (DIP chip) for image compression is presented which combines principles of multipipeline and array processing. The device is not specific to any one image compression algorithm and can be regarded as a general purpose processor. The chip has been implemented using a CMOS 1.0-μm process on a 14.4×13.5-mm² die. An internal clock frequency of 40 MHz results in 1.2×10⁹ operations/s on 8-bit data. Solutions to problems associated with the large bandwidth required, for both image data and instruction streams, is the main aim of the paper. The necessary problem of increasing the array clock frequency relative to the input/output clock frequency without the need for a large on-chip instruction cache or fast external clock speeds is also addressed     

Design and fabrication of monolithically integrated DFB laser-wavelength duplexer transceivers for TPON/BPON access links

The fabrication and characterisation of monolithically integrated OEIC transceivers for use in optical subscriber access links are reported. A design incorporating DFB lasers, wavelength duplexers and a monitor photodiode, specific to the TPON/BPON passive optical network configuration is presented.<>     

Digitally-implemented naturally sampled PWM suitable for multilevel converter control

For dynamic closed loop control of a multilevel converter with a low pulse number (ratio of switching frequency to synthesized fundamental), natural sampled pulse-width modulation (PWM) is the best form of modulation. Natural sampling does not introduce distortion or a delayed response to the modulating signal. However previous natural sampled PWM implementations have generally been analog. For a modular multilevel converter, a digital implementation has advantages of accuracy and flexibility. Re-sampled uniform PWM is a novel digital modulation technique which approaches the performance of natural PWM. Both hardware and software implementations for a five level multilevel converter phase are presented, demonstrating the improvement over uniform PWM.     

Long-wavelength transimpedance optical receiver performance enhancement using cooled germanium avalanche photodiodes

An optical sensitivity improvement of 1.5 dB was produced by moderate cooling of a commercially available 100 ?m p+-n Ge APD in a transimpedance receiver, built on a standard printed circuit board. At 1.3 ?m and 140 Mbaud, ?45.2 dBm was achieved, making this receiver highly competitive where cooling is permitted.     

Analysis and correction of echo due to mode conversion in WC-281waveguide

Testing of the antenna/waveguide systems of a long-haul, high-capacity microwave radio route showed unexpected high levels of group delay ripple. Initial analysis of these measurement results incorrectly indicated echo levels as high as 35 dB below wanted direct signal, as interpreted using a simplistic analysis technique which was later shown to be as much as 10-15 dB too pessimistic. Application of special Fourier analysis techniques to the test results subsequently showed that many of the cases of concern were in fact well within established system requirements. In other cases, it was found that installation of TE₂₁ filters could readily be used to absorb the echo energy. The performance of the QAM radio used in this application was also characterized in terms of the residual BER tolerance to multiple echoes. The source of the echoes was isolated to TE₂₁ mode generation within the WC-281 waveguide. To ensure the quality of new installations without the need for the application of filters, a method of pre-installation testing of waveguide sections to determine their individual moding levels was also established     

A test circuit for measurement of clocked storage element characteristics

We present a method, on-chip test circuitry, and an error analysis, for accurate measurement of timing characteristics and power consumption of clocked storage elements. The test circuit was fabricated in 0.11 /spl mu/m CMOS technology and the measurements performed automatically using a serial scan interface. The precision and accuracy of the presented method are demonstrated by the ability to measure entire clock-to-output characteristics of flip-flops. Estimated data-to-output delay systematic measurement error is 6 ps (7%), and random error is 10 ps (11%). The method and the test circuit are applicable for delay measurements of other circuit blocks as well.