Effect of temperature on the relationship between moisture content and dynamic rheological properties of Korean honey

Dynamic rheological properties of 27 Korean honeys with various moisture contents (16.2–20.1%) were evaluated at different temperatures (−5, 0, 5, 10, and 20°C) and were then correlated with moisture content. Dynamic moduli increased with a decrease in temperature while their predominant increases were noticed at −5°C. The relationships between moisture content and dynamic moduli seem to be influenced by temperature, and their correlations increased in the following order: −5>0>5 >10>20°C, showing greater determination coefficients (R²=0.942−0.966) at −5°C as compared to the other temperatures. In particular, the G″ at sub-zero temperatures had a better correlation (R²=0.965−0.966) than G′ (R²=0.899−0.942), indicating that the viscous property more closely correlated with moisture content as compared to the elastic property. This suggests that G″ determined at subzero temperatures can be useful for estimating the quality of honey.     

Inhibitory effect of oral administration of Sangwhang mushroom (Phellinus linteus) grown on germinated brown rice on experimental lung metastasis and tumor growth in mice

Here, the effect of oral administration of the extract of sangwhang mushroom (Phellinus linteus, PL) grown on germinated brown rice on lung metastasis of tumor cells was examined in mice, and a possible immunological action was suggested. Oral administration of the extract of sangwhang mushroom grown on germinated brown rice (PB, 90 mg/kg) prior to tumor inoculation significantly inhibited experimental lung metastasis produced by colon 26-M3.1 carcinoma cells. Also oral administration of PB after tumor inoculation significantly inhibited experimental lung metastasis of tumor cells. In addition, oral administration of PB significantly suppressed tumor growth as well as tumor-induced angiogenesis. However, neither PL nor germinated brown rice (BR) was active. Oral administration of PB, but not PL and BR, resulted in a significant enhancement of natural killer (NK)-mediated killing activity against tumor cells. These results suggest that oral administration of PB can induce antitumor activity to inhibit tumor metastasis, and its antitumor effect is associated with NK cell activation.     

Determination of biogenic amines in <Emphasis Type=Italic>Cheonggukjang</Emphasis> using ultra high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

A rapid and reliable method for the simultaneous determination of 12 biogenic amines (BAs; agmatine, phenylethylamine, tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, serotonin, tryptamine, spermidine, noreinephrine, dopamine, and spermine) in cheonggukjang was optimized and validated using ultra high pressure liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The BAs were dansylated and separated on a C8 column under LC gradient of 7 min duration, and detected by MS/MS with the multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM). This method exhibited excellent linearity for all of the analytes with correlation determination (R²) higher than 0.98. The limits of detection (LODs) were 10.8–39.6 μg/kg. The precision results were expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), ranged from 0.3 to 14.3% for intra-day and from 0.9 to 15.4% for the interday. The proposed method will help to ensure for quality control by monitoring of BAs in cheonggukjang.     

High Temperature Mechanical Properties of Ni-Al-Cr Based Alloys for Advanced Die-Materials Applications

In this study, we report on advanced Ni3Al based high temperature structural alloys with Zr and B addition in order to apply in the fields of die-casting and high temperature press forming as die materials. Microstructures and mechanical properties of Ni3Al based intermetallic alloys produced by vacuum arc melting were investigated in terms of phase analysis by using a scanning electron microscope （SEM） equipped with an X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS）, an X-ray diffractometer （XRD） and tensile test. The duplex microstructural feature consisting of γ＇ matrix phase and small intermetallic dispersoids was observed to be distributed over the whole microstructure. The ultimate tensile strength of the present alloy was superior to commercial iron-based and Ni-based die-materials especially in the high temperature region.     

Emotional index measurement method for context-aware service

Emotion can be key context information when providing individualized services. Although some physical sensors can acquire emotional state, installing them in all spaces would be too cost-prohibitive—aside from raising strong privacy concerns in exposing individuals’ physical conditions. These issues lead us to investigate other ways to estimate users’ emotions. In particular, we focus on estimating degrees of emotion from users’ writing and speech. In this paper, we propose an emotion estimation methodology for context-aware services. To do so, we developed a method for calculating the degree of emotion in emotional predicates, which consist of verbs and adverbs. To demonstrate the feasibility of the ideas proposed in this paper, we performed a survey and compared the users’ responses with degrees of emotion estimated by the proposed method.     

Flexible auto balancer design for the reduction of optical disk drive vibration

This study investigates the design of a flexible auto balancer (FAB) for the compensation of disk eccentricity. The FAB has various advantages over a conventional auto ball balancer, such as low cost, ease of implementation, lack of noise and applicability to standing-type drives. For the FAB design, a finite element model is developed considering the prestress effect and spin-softening effect caused by rotation. The structure is optimized and fabricated based on finite element model verification via modal testing. In addition, the dynamic behavior of the FAB is recorded by high-speed photography, and the vibration transmission to the base deck is measured.     

Chronological development history of X–Y table based pavement crack sealers and research findings for practical use in the field

During the last two decades, several teleoperated and machine-vision assisted systems have been developed to automate the overall process of routing and sealing pavement cracks. Productivity improvement, improved safety and quality, and reduced road user costs have motivated these developments. This paper presents the chronological development history of x–y table based pavement crack sealers, which have been developed and demonstrated since the early 1990s, and compares their technical advances. This paper also discusses primary research findings in machine vision software and hardware designs of an automated pavement crack sealer to be newly developed for practical use in the field. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are made concerning the value of implementing and practically using the automated pavement crack sealer.