Use of ultrasound for characterizing dairy products

It has been known for a long time that acoustic measurements offer some unique features for characterizing liquid food products in their intact state, without any preparation or destruction of the product sample. Acoustic characterization can yield information about fat content, droplet size distribution, and kinetics of product variation with time. Furthermore, acoustic methods are very attractive for on-line process control. This paper addresses several questions: Why does ultrasound attenuate when propagating through a heterogeneous system? What properties of dairy products can be extracted from such ultrasound measurements? Which measurement is better for product characterization: attenuation or sound speed? What measurement precision is required to adequately characterize product properties? What frequency range is of most value for determining these product properties?It is possible to provide answers to many of these questions using experimental data, thereby avoiding, for the moment, any complex mathematical analysis. We present several applications of acoustic spectroscopy for characterizing dairy products, including characterization of the fat content in a wide variety of dairy products; calculation of the fat droplet size distribution in milk without dilution; and calculation of water droplet size in butter, without dilution or melting.     

Trade-offs, individual differences, and misunderstandings about evolutionary psychology.

Replies to comments on Evolutionary psychology: Controversies, questions, prospects, and limitations (see record 2010-02208-001) by Confer et al. The purpose of which was to clarify the logic of evolutionary psychology and clear up some of the more common misunderstandings about it. In this response, we address the key points raised by the commentators. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Compassion: An evolutionary analysis and empirical review.

What is compassion? And how did it evolve? In this review, we integrate 3 evolutionary arguments that converge on the hypothesis that compassion evolved as a distinct affective experience whose primary function is to facilitate cooperation and protection of the weak and those who suffer. Our empirical review reveals compassion to have distinct appraisal processes attuned to undeserved suffering; distinct signaling behavior related to caregiving patterns of touch, posture, and vocalization; and a phenomenological experience and physiological response that orients the individual to social approach. This response profile of compassion differs from those of distress, sadness, and love, suggesting that compassion is indeed a distinct emotion. We conclude by considering how compassion shapes moral judgment and action, how it varies across different cultures, and how it may engage specific patterns of neural activation, as well as emerging directions of research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The adiabatic correction factor for deformation heating during the uniaxial compression test

The isothermal uniaxial compression test is a common method to determine the flow stress of metals. For accurate flow stress data at strain rates >10⁻³ s⁻¹, the data must be corrected for flow softening due to deformation heating. The first step in the correction is to determine the increase in temperature. An adiabatic correction factor, η, is used to determine the temperature between strain rates of 10⁻³ to 10¹ s⁻¹. The adiabatic correction factor is the fraction of adiabatic heat retained in the workpiece after heat loss to the dies, η=(ΔT _ACTUAL)/(ΔT _ADIABATIC), where ΔT _ADIABATIC=(0.95 f σdɛ)/(ρC _p ). The term η is typically taken to be constant with strain and to vary linearly (0 to 1) with log ( ) between 10⁻³) and 10¹ s⁻¹. However, using the finite element method (FEM) and a one-dimensional, lumped parameter method, η has been found to vary with strain, die and workpiece thermal conductivities, and the interface heat-transfer coefficient (HTC). Using the lumped parameter method, an analytical expression for η was derived. In this expression, η is a function of the die and workpiece thermal conductivities, the interface heat-transfer coefficient, workpiece heat capacity, strain, and strain rate. The results show that an increase in the HTC or thermal conductivity decreases η.     

An upgraded x-ray spectroscopy diagnostic on MST

An upgraded x-ray spectroscopy diagnostic is used to measure the distribution of fast electrons in MST and to determine Z(eff) and the particle diffusion coefficient D(r). A radial array of 12 CdZnTe hard-x-ray detectors measures 10-150 keV Bremsstrahlung from fast electrons, a signature of reduced stochasticity and improved confinement in the plasma. A new Si soft-x-ray detector measures 2-10 keV Bremsstrahlung from thermal and fast electrons. The shaped output pulses from both detector types are digitized and the resulting waveforms are fit with Gaussians to resolve pileup and provide good time and energy resolution. Lead apertures prevent detector saturation and provide a well-known etendue, while lead shielding prevents pickup from stray x-rays. New Be vacuum windows transmit >2?keV x-rays, and additional Al and Be filters are sometimes used to reduce low energy flux for better resolution at higher energies. Measured spectra are compared to those predicted by the Fokker-Planck code CQL3D to deduce Z(eff) and D(r).