Mathematical models for water vapour resistance prediction of printed garments

The human body has developed a thermo‐regulatory system that maintains an inner body temperature of approximately 37 °C. At excessive body temperatures, sweat mechanisms activate, resulting in a decrease in body temperature through sweat evaporation. Garments, depending on their characteristics, extensively affect the heat interchange process between the human body and the environment. Different printing processes change the characteristics of textile materials and therefore the garments made from these materials. This paper investigates the influence of digital printing parameters on the thermo‐physiological features of textile materials. The effects of printing parameters on thermo‐physiological characteristics of substrate materials were determined by measuring water vapour resistance. The obtained results show that printing parameters, in combination with material composition and material texture, have a large effect on the thermo‐physiological characteristics of textiles.     

Investigation of antioxidant synergisms and antagonisms among thymol, carvacrol, thymoquinone and p-cymene in a model system using the Briggs-Rauscher oscillating reaction

Auto-oxidation of lipids has been recognised as a major deterioration process affecting both the sensory and nutritional quality of foods; the application of antioxidants is one of the technically simplest ways of reducing this process. Previous reports showed that these compounds were found in selected aromatic plants and that thymol, carvacrol, thymoquinone and p-cymene as constituents of different essential oils possess substantial antioxidant activity. In the present study their antioxidant capacities were evaluated using the Briggs-Rauscher oscillating reaction method.Our results indicate that the majority of the antioxidant mixtures demonstrated some level of discrepancy in antioxidant capacity when compared to individual values of their constituents. The strong antagonistic effect was found only when thymoquinone was paired with p-cymene. All other combinations of two antioxidants clearly showed some degree of synergistic effect. The mixtures of three antioxidants showed a decrease in antioxidant capacity when compared to their individual values. The results obtained for more complex mixtures of four antioxidants showed a decrease in antioxidant capacity, indicating and confirming that the antagonistic effect between thymoquinone and p-cymene overrides the synergistic effect of other pairs.     

Profile and Functional Properties of Seed Proteins from Six Pea (Pisum sativum) Genotypes

Extractability, extractable protein compositions, technological-functional properties of pea (Pisum sativum) proteins from six genotypes grown in Serbia were investigated. Also, the relationship between these characteristics was presented. Investigated genotypes showed significant differences in storage protein content, composition and extractability. The ratio of vicilin:legumin concentrations, as well as the ratio of vicilin + convicilin: Legumin concentrations were positively correlated with extractability. Our data suggest that the higher level of vicilin and/or a lower level of legumin have a positive influence on protein extractability. The emulsion activity index (EAI) was strongly and positively correlated with the solubility, while no significant correlation was found between emulsion stability (ESI) and solubility, nor between foaming properties and solubility. No association was evident between ESI and EAI. A moderate positive correlation between emulsion stability and foam capacity was observed. Proteins from the investigated genotypes expressed significantly different emulsifying properties and foam capacity at different pH values, whereas low foam stability was detected. It appears that genotype has considerable influence on content, composition and technological-functional properties of pea bean proteins. This fact can be very useful for food scientists in efforts to improve the quality of peas and pea protein products.     

Algorithmic differentiation of an industrial airfoil design tool coupled with the adjoint CFD method

Optimization and Engineering - Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems and tools are considered essential for industrial design. They construct and manipulate the geometry of a certain component with...     

Truth Maintenance in Blackboard Environment

Constraint satisfaction and search problems generally fall into the class of problems for which a direct algorithmic solution does not exist. The solution of these problems requires the examination of state spaces. A problem solver (inference engine) alone is not able to organize and maintain state space consistently. For this purpose a so-called truth maintenance system is required. Our truth maintenance system (MEKON) organizes data within a data abstraction called a context . Each context corresponds to one problem state and contains currently believed data. The truth maintenance system provides believed data retrieval, belief revision, contradiction handling and non-monotonicity handling, the features that help a problem solver to examine state spaces. MEKON represents an ATMS-like system implemented within BEST (Blackboard-based Expert System Toolkit). However, some special MEKON features such as state variables, context sensitive generation of assumptions and explicit context generation, that are not present in standard ATMSs, facilitate not only the solution of constraint satisfaction problems, but also the solution of search problems (not provided by standard ATMSs). Being deeply integrated with Prolog/Rex, BEST's knowledge representation language, and BEST's inference engine, MEKON provides a simple and efficient means for the examination of state spaces. Facts, hypotheses (assumptions), and concepts (frames) are used to describe a problem state, contexts are used to represent points in the state spaces, while rules are used to perform state transitions. MEKON is the only truth maintenacne system that provides truth maintenance capabilities on local blackboards thus enabling the solution of complex problems which include different kinds of real constraint satisfaction and search problems concerning diagnosis, allocation tasks, classification tasks, planning or scenario making.     

Relationship between non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and MIA syndrome

Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an important factor in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases in the general population. Recently, it has been shown that NAFLD is highly prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Ninety‐four hemodialysis (HD) patients were followed for a time period of 18 months or until death. Patient's survival rate was determined in relation to their nutritional and inflammatory state, and the presence of NAFLD. We also investigated the association between the presence of NAFLD and the patients' nutritional and inflammatory state. We did not find any significant association between the clinical parameters of nutritional status and the mortality rate. However, the mortality rate was statistically significantly higher in patients with low serum albumin and high high‐sensitive C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) levels and in those who had NAFLD. Surprisingly, patients who had received enteral nutrition did not have a better survival rate. The severity of liver steatosis was negatively correlated with the serum albumin levels, while it was positively correlated with hs‐CRP values. Furthermore, serum albumin levels showed a negative correlation with hs‐CRP levels. We did not find any significant association between the presence of NAFLD and clinical parameters of nutrition. We have shown that NAFLD could be one more possible example of reverse epidemiology in patients undergoing HD. NAFLD may be the missing link that causally ties malnutrition, inflammation, and atherosclerosis syndrome to the morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing HD.     

Recent developments of intellectual property rights protection in Croatia

An act for the protection of industrial property has been passed in Croatia. It is based on the former Yugoslavian law and the author discusses the differences between the two.     

Levels and long-term trends of polychlorinated biphenyls and DDT''s in mussels collected from the Eastern Adriatic coastal waters

It is well documented that synthetic chlorinated hydrocarbon residues are widespread through the oceanic ecosystem. The Adriatic Sea, as a semi-enclosed body of water, is of special interest for an evaluation of the entry, extent and fate of the pollution by chlorinated hydrocarbons. An investigation of levels of chlorinated hydrocarbons in mussels in the eastern Adriatic coastal waters, off Croatia was performed. Samples were collected between 1972 and 1992 at a large number of stations. All these samples were analyzed by a single analytical group (mostly by the same analyst), using a uniform methodology which inter calibrated during seven international inter-calibration exercises. Mass fractions of chlorinated insecticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in mussels ranged from ND (<0.1) to 107.3 for DDT's and from ND (<0.5) to 1072 × 10⁹ wet weight for PCBs and from 19 to 35,600 for DDT's and from 52 to 103.000 × 10⁹ on an extracted organic matter basis. Averages and ranges of chlorinated hydrocarbons mass fractions in mussels from the Adriatic are compared with the data of mussels obtained in other Mediterranean areas. In all four investigated areas of the Mediterranean (II, IV, VI, and VIII) DDT total mass fractions in mussel are higher than those for the Adriatic. In areas (II, IV, and VIII) the PCB values are higher compared to the Adriatic. Linear regression analysis of pollutant mass fractions in the mussel samples from the eastern Adriatic coastal waters collected during the 20-year period with the years of collection show that a statistically significant negative correlation coefficient is obtained by comparing the values of total DDT mass fractions. For PCBs, a slight negative correlation coefficient is obtained but it is not statistically significant. In the Pula area this correlation coefficient is positive, but it is also statistically non-significant.