Moisture profiles of wheat noodles containing hydroxypropylated tapioca starch

Wheat noodles were prepared using flour to which hydroxypropylated tapioca starch was added, and the effect of this addition on the moisture distribution within the noodles during cooking was examined using a digital image processing technique. The addition of the modified starch slightly increased the moisture content and narrowed the flat distribution near the noodle surface. The distribution features reflected the changes in the water absorption behaviour caused by the properties of the modified starch and the reduction in the gluten content. Addition of the modified starch lowered Young's modulus and the energy for 99% strain of the noodles in the texture analysis to, at maximum 35% and 65%, and decreased the breakability of the noodles. These changes in the moisture distribution and textural properties have been ascribed to changes in both the state of the starch granules near the surface and the structure of the gluten network.     

Automated quantized inference for probabilistic programs with AQUA

Innovations in Systems and Software Engineering - We present AQUA, a new probabilistic inference algorithm that operates on probabilistic programs with continuous posterior distributions. AQUA...     

Seismic stability of embankments subjected to pre-deformation due to foundation consolidation

It has been reported that the major cause of earthquake damage to embankments on level ground surfaces is liquefaction of foundation soil. A few case histories, however, suggest that river levees resting on non-liquefiable foundation soil have been severely damaged if the foundation soil is highly compressible, such as thick soft clay and peat deposits. A large number of such river levees were severely damaged by the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake. A detailed inspection of the dissected damaged levees revealed that the base of the levees subsided in a bowl shape due to foundation consolidation. The liquefaction of a saturated zone, formed at the embankment base, is considered the prime cause of the damage. The deformation of the levees, due to the foundation consolidation which may have resulted in a reduction in stress and the degradation of soil density, is surmised to have contributed as an underlying mechanism. In this study, a series of centrifuge tests is conducted to experimentally verify the effects of the thickness of the saturated zone in embankments and of the foundation consolidation on the seismic damage to embankments. It is found that the thickness of the saturated zone in embankments and the drainage boundary conditions of the zone have a significant effect on the deformation of the embankments during shaking. For an embankment on a soft clay deposit, horizontal tensile strain as high as 6% was observed at the zone above the embankment base and horizontal stress was approximately half that of the embankment on stiff foundation soil. Crest settlement and the deformation of the embankment during shaking were larger for the embankment subjected to deformation due to foundation consolidation.     

Oxidation kinetics for <Emphasis Type="Italic">cis</Emphasis>-9,<Emphasis Type="Italic">trans</Emphasis>-11 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">trans</Emphasis>-10,<Emphasis Type="Italic">cis</Emphasis>-12 isomers of CLA

The autoxidation processes of the cis-9,trans-11 (c9,t11) and trans-10,cis-12 (t10,c12) isomers of CLA were separately observed at ca. 0% RH and different temperatures. The t10,c12 CLA oxidized faster than the c9,t11 isomer at all tested temperatures. The first half of the oxidation process of t10,c12 CLA obeyed an autocatalytic-type rate expression, but the latter half followed first-order kinetics. On the other hand, the entire oxidation process of c9,t11 CLA could be expressed by the autocatalytic-type rate expression. The apparent activation energies and frequency factors for the autoxidation of the isomers were estimated from the rate constants obtained at various temperatures based on the Arrhenius equation. The apparent activation energies for the CLA isomers were greater than those for the nonconjugated n−6 and n−3 PUFA or their esters. However, the enthalpyentropy compensation held during the autoxidation of both the CLA and PUFA. This suggested that the autoxidation mechanisms for the CLA and PUFA were essentially the same.     

Al-Ti-B-RE细化剂对Al-7．0Si-0．55Mg合金显微组织和力学性能的影响

研究添加Al-5Ti-lB-RE细化剂对Al-7．0Si-0．55Mg（A357）合金的显微组织和力学性能的影响。先利用真空熔炼技术制各Al-7．0Si-0．55Mg合金,然后在Al-7．0Si-0．55Mg合金中加入不同成分的Al-5Ti-1B-RE中间合金。通过X射线衍射仪（XRD）、金相显微镜（OM）和扫描电子显微镜（SEM）对显微组织和拉伸试样的断口形貌进行观察。在室温下对合金的力学性能进行测试。观察Al-5Ti-1B-RE细化剂的形态以及内部结构,可以发现以TiB,为异质形核核心的TiAl3／Ti2Al20RE的壳层结构相。在Al-7．0Si-0．55Mg合金中加入Al-5Ti-1B-3．0RE细化剂后,抗拉强度会有明显提升,直到0．2％添加量时,抗拉强度会达到峰值。     

Mixture distribution measurement using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy in hydrogen direct injection stratified charge

Reduction in cooling loss due to the heat transfer from burning gas to the combustion chamber wall is very important for improving the thermal efficiency in hydrogen engines. The previous research has shown that the direct injection stratified charge can be a technique to reduce the cooling loss and improve thermal efficiency in hydrogen combustion. For effective reductions in cooling loss by the stratified charge, it is very important to know the relation between the fuel injection conditions and mixture distribution. The current research employs the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy as a method to measure the hydrogen concentration distribution in the direct injection stratified charge. Measurement of instantaneous local equivalence ratio by the method clears the characteristics of mixture formation in hydrogen direct injection stratified charge. This research also tries to actively control the mixture distribution using a split fuel injection.