Verification of the applicability of lattice model to concrete fracture by AE study

Notched three-point bend specimens (TPB) were tested under crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) control at a rate of 0.0004 mm/s and the entire fracture process was simulated using a regular triangular two-dimensional lattice network only over the expected fracture process zone width. The rest of the beam specimen was discretised by a coarse triangular finite element mesh. The discrete grain structure of the concrete was generated assuming the grains to be spherical. The load versus CMOD plots thus simulated agreed reasonably well with the experimental results. Moreover, acoustic emission (AE) hits were recorded during the test and compared with the number of fractured lattice elements. It was found that the cumulative AE hits correlated well with the cumulative fractured lattice elements at all load levels thus providing a useful means for predicting when the micro-cracks form during the fracturing process, both in the pre-peak and in the post-peak regimes.     

Fruit and Vegetable Waste: Bioactive Compounds,Their Extraction,and Possible Utilization

Fruits and vegetables are the most utilized commodities among all horticultural crops. They are consumed raw, minimally processed, as well as processed, due to their nutrients and health‐promoting compounds. With the growing population and changing diet habits, the production and processing of horticultural crops, especially fruits and vegetables, have increased very significantly to fulfill the increasing demands. Significant losses and waste in the fresh and processing industries are becoming a serious nutritional, economical, and environmental problem. For example, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that losses and waste in fruits and vegetables are the highest among all types of foods, and may reach up to 60%. The processing operations of fruits and vegetables produce significant wastes of by‐products, which constitute about 25% to 30% of a whole commodity group. The waste is composed mainly of seed, skin, rind, and pomace, containing good sources of potentially valuable bioactive compounds, such as carotenoids, polyphenols, dietary fibers, vitamins, enzymes, and oils, among others. These phytochemicals can be utilized in different industries including the food industry, for the development of functional or enriched foods, the health industry for medicines and pharmaceuticals, and the textile industry, among others. The use of waste for the production of various crucial bioactive components is an important step toward sustainable development. This review describes the types and nature of the waste that originates from fruits and vegetables, the bioactive components in the waste, their extraction techniques, and the potential utilization of the obtained bioactive compounds.     

A terrestrial biotic ligand model. 1. Development and application to Cu and Ni toxicities to barley root elongation in soils

A Terrestrial Biotic Ligand Model (TBLM) was developed using noncalcareous soils from Europe based on Cu and Ni speciation and barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. Regina) root elongation bioassays. Free metal ion (M2+) activity was computed by the WHAM VI model using inputs of soil metal, soil organic matter, and alkali and alkaline earth metals concentrations, and pH in soil solution. The TBLM assumes that metal in soil and in the solution are in equilibrium. Metal ions react with the biotic ligand, the receptor site, and inhibit root elongation. Other ions, principally H+, Ca2+ and Mg2+, compete with M2+ and, therefore, affect its toxicity. Toxicity is correlated only to the fraction of the total biotic ligand sites occupied by M2+. Compared to other models using either the soil metal concentration or M2+ activity as the toxic dose, the TBLM provides a more consistent method to normalize and compare Cu and Ni toxicities to root elongation among different soils. The TBLM was able to predictthe EC50 soil Cu and Ni concentrations generally within a factor of 2 of the observed values, a level of precision similar to that for the aquatic Biotic Ligand Model, indicating its potential utility in metals risk assessment in soils.     

Simultaneous determination of tenderness and Escherichia coli contamination of pork using hyperspectral scattering technique

A rapid nondestructive method based on hyperspectral scattering technique for simultaneous determination of pork tenderness and Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination was studied in the research. The hyperspectral scattering images of thirty-one pork samples were collected in 400-1100 nm, and the scattering profiles were then fitted by Lorentzian distribution function to give three parameters a (asymptotic value), b (peak value) and c (full width at b/2). The combined parameters of (b-a), (b-a) × c, (b-a)/c and “a&b&c” were used to develop multi-linear regression (MLR) models for prediction of pork tenderness and E. coli contamination. It was shown that MLR models developed using parameters a, b, (b-a) and (b-a)/c can give high correlation coefficients of 0.831, 0.860, 0.856 and 0.930 respectively for pork tenderness prediction. For E. coli contamination of pork, MLR models based on parameters a and “a&b&c” can give high R_CV of 0.877 and 0.841 respectively.     

Physical interpretation of information entropy: Numerical evidence of the Collins conjecture

The effect of altering the dietary Ca:P ratio during critical points of growth (based on reproductive and skeletal age) on kidney calcification in female rats was investigated. Groups of weanling animals were fed one of three nutritionally complete but calcium-altered diets (0.25, 0.5 or 1.0 g Ca/100 g diet) from 4 to 12 wk of age (Phase 1). Phosphorus concentration remained constant at 0.4 g/100 g diet resulting in Ca:P molar ratios of 0.48, 0.96 and 1.92, respectively. During Phase 2, the same animals within each diet group were then rerandomized into one of the above diets and fed for an additional 25 wk. Each group contained five rats. The data from the nine treatment groups were analyzed statistically using a two-way ANOVA (Phase 1 dietary Ca level by Phase 2 dietary Ca level). The level of dietary Ca during Phase 1 only exerted a significant influence on kidney Ca accumulation. Rats fed the two lower dietary Ca levels, and hence lower dietary Ca:P molar ratios, during Phase 1 had two- to threefold greater kidney Ca concentration and kidney ash Ca concentration than rats fed the diet with the highest dietary Ca level (1.92 Ca:P molar ratio) during Phase 1, regardless of the Ca intake during Phase 2. In contrast, the dietary Ca:P molar ratio during Phase 2 had little effect either positively or negatively on the kidney Ca concentration that had been established during Phase 1. The results indicate that dietary-induced nephrocalcinosis in female rats is irreversible and is induced primarily before the completion of adolescence (approximately 12 wk of age) in Sprague-Dawley female rats.     

TelePatch: a middle layer for screening device fragmentation

Solutions in the domain of mobile computing face a typical problem of fragmentation due to permissible customization to android framework. Fragmentation is a problem at the device side where the expected behavior of an application is not exhibited identically over all other devices. Presently, cross-layer design is becoming essential aspect of the app development, targeted to deliver an energy-efficient and productive solution. Fragmentation is posing an enormous challenge for development community, and solutions are designed per case basis. There are solutions developed in the domain of graphics and Web access, but as far as the fragmentation with core framework is considered, the solution is still missing. In this paper, we are proposing an intermediate background app residing between the application and the core framework. The proposed app TelePatch generates a map between the intended calls with actually supported calls. The map so obtained can be used by the interested application to obtain the services from the core framework. In our case, we have deployed TelePatch with NeSen, used for capturing the network-state parameters using telephony API of the Android.     

Electron-beam-initiated grafting of triallyl cyanurate onto polyethylene: Structure and properties

Electron-beam (EB)-initiated grafting of triallyl cyanurate (TAC) onto polyethylene (PE) has been carried out over a range of radiation dose (2–20 Mrad) and concentrations of TAC (0.5–3 parts by weight). The grafting level, as determined from IR spectroscopy, is maximum at a 10 Mrad radiation does using 1 part TAC. With increasing TAC level at a 15 Mrad dose, the grafting level is higher only after 1.5 parts TAC. The gel content increases with radiation dose in the initial stages. X-ray studies indicate two peaks at 10.6–10.8° and 11.7–11.9° and the corresponding interplaner distances of 4.15 and 3.80 Å. With increase in radiation dose or TAC level, the crystallinity decreases in the initial stage and then increases. It shows a decreasing trend again at higher radiation dose. The interplanar distance or the interchain distance of the modified polymer does not change. However, the crystallite size increases initially and then decreases. The tensile properties are relatively insensitive to the variation of radiation dose because of the interplay of various factors. The dielectric loss, tan δ, shows a maximum at a 10 Mrad dose and minimum at 5 and 15 Mrad due to changes of polarity and the carrier mobility. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Viruses in groundwater beneath sewage irrigated cropland

The occurrence of enteric viruses in groundwater and soil was examined beneath three different sites where slow rate sewage irrigation of cropland is practiced. At all sites, the sewage was secondarily treated (aeration) before land application. Enteric viruses were isolated from wells beneath all sites. The lowest frequency of isolation was from wells beneath the one site practicing chlorination before application by spray irrigation. Viruses were detected in wells as deep as 27.5 m.