Application of an incremental method to the solution of general plane strain boundary value problems in finite elasticity—II: Computer program and numerical results

A computer program is described for the solution of a system of incremental, partial differential equations, in the case of incompressible materials. The numerical solution is based on the finite difference approximations. Corresponding incremental governing equations are formulated in part one of this paper.Further, a treatment of general meshes is proposed which gives an extension of the modes of application of the finite difference method. In this paper this method is applied to simply connected domains.Finally, some numerical results obtained from applications of the computer program are cited.     

Effects of vegetable juice powder concentration and storage time on some chemical and sensory quality attributes of uncured, emulsified cooked sausages

ABSTRACT:  Uncured, no-nitrate/nitrite-added meat products can be manufactured with vegetable juice powder (VJP) and a starter culture containing Staphylococcus carnosus , resulting in quality and sensory attributes similar to traditional cured products. The 1st objective of this study was to determine the effects of varying concentrations of VJP and incubation times (MIN-HOLD) on quality characteristics, including lipid oxidation, color, and cured meat pigment concentrations, of emulsified-frankfurter-style-cooked (EFSC) sausages over a 90-d storage period. The 2nd objective was to compare residual nitrate and nitrite content resulting from different processing treatments and the 3rd objective was to assess sensory properties of finished products. Four EFSC sausage treatments (TRT) (TRT 1: 0.20% VJP, 30 MIN-HOLD; TRT 2: 0.20% VJP, 120 MIN-HOLD; TRT 3: 0.40% VJP, 30 MIN-HOLD; TRT 4: 0.40% VJP, 120 MIN-HOLD) and a sodium nitrite-added control (C) were used for this study. No differences for lipid oxidation (TBARS) between any TRTs and C or over time were observed. No differences ( P > 0.05) for CIE L * values were found between TRTs. CIE a * and reflectance ratio values revealed that TRTs 2, 4, and C were redder than TRTs 1 and 3 at day 0. Trained sensory intensity ratings for cured aroma, cured color, cured flavor, uniform color, and firmness determined that all but TRT 1 were similar to C. These results indicate a longer incubation time (120 compared with 30 min) was found more critical than VJP level (0.20% or 0.40%) to result in products comparable to a sodium nitrite-added control.     

Library Screening by Means of Mass Spectrometry (MS) Binding Assays-Exemplarily Demonstrated for a Pseudostatic Library Addressing γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Transporter 1 (GAT1)

In the present study, the application of mass spectrometry (MS) binding assays as a tool for library screening is reported. For library generation, dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) was used. These libraries can be screened by means of MS binding assays when appropriate measures are taken to render the libraries pseudostatic. That way, the efficiency of MS binding assays to determine ligand binding in compound screening with the ease of library generation by DCC is combined. The feasibility of this approach is shown for γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter 1 (GAT1) as a target, representing the most important subtype of the GABA transporters. For the screening, hydrazone libraries were employed that were generated in the presence of the target by reacting various sets of aldehydes with a hydrazine derivative that is delineated from piperidine‐3‐carboxylic acid (nipecotic acid), a common fragment of known GAT1 inhibitors. To ensure that the library generated is pseudostatic, a large excess of the nipecotic acid derivative is employed. As the library is generated in a buffer system suitable for binding and the target is already present, the mixtures can be directly analyzed by MS binding assays—the process of library generation and screening thus becoming simple to perform. The binding affinities of the hits identified by deconvolution were confirmed in conventional competitive MS binding assays performed with single compounds obtained by separate synthesis. In this way, two nipecotic acid derivatives exhibiting a biaryl moiety, 1‐{2‐[2′‐(1,1’‐biphenyl‐2‐ylmethylidene)hydrazine]ethyl}piperidine‐3‐carboxylic acid and 1‐(2‐{2′‐[1‐(2‐thiophenylphenyl)methylidene]hydrazine}ethyl)piperidine‐3‐carboxylic acid, were found to be potent GAT1 ligands exhibiting pK_i values of 6.186±0.028 and 6.229±0.039, respectively. This method enables screening of libraries, whether generated by conventional chemistry or DCC, and is applicable to all kinds of targets including membrane‐bound targets such as G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels and transporters. As such, this strategy displays high potential in the drug discovery process.     

Reducing sodium levels in frankfurters using naturally brewed soy sauce

Sodium chloride (NaCl; salt) serves important functions in processed meats, contributing to desirable quality and food safety characteristics; however, renewed interest exists in reducing sodium in the human diet despite sodium being a required component of the diet for physiological regulation. This study investigated consumer sensory and quality impacts from replacement of normally added NaCl (flake salt) with naturally brewed soy sauce (SS). Varying levels of SS were used with NaCl and/or potassium chloride (KCl) to comprise treatments (TRT) which investigated flake salt replacement (Phase I) and sodium reduction (Phases II and III). Phase I identified a 50% replacement of NaCl with SS as the baseline for subsequent phases. Phase II indicated that the inclusion of SS could allow for a 20% NaCl reduction without adverse effects on quality or sensory attributes. Phase III results demonstrated that it was feasible to reduce NaCl by 35% via the inclusion of KCl in SS containing frankfurters without major quality or sensory changes.     

Disability compensation and work among veterans with psychiatric and nonpsychiatric impairments

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship of Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation payments and employment among veterans with psychiatric disorders and veterans whose impairments were nonpsychiatric. METHODS: Data from a 1987-1988 national survey of Vietnam-era veterans (N = 1,634) were used to evaluate the relationship between compensation payments and employment. The employment activity of veterans whose application for benefits was rejected was compared with that of veterans who were awarded benefits. Multivariate analytic techniques were used to control for health status and other factors that also influence an individual's decision to work. RESULTS: Veterans who received compensation of less than $500 a month were no less likely to work than were rejected applicants. Overall, the effect of compensation payment was significant but modest: each additional $100 a month was associated with a 2 percent decline in the number of veterans who worked, a decline of an hour a week in the number of hours worked, and a reduction of $1,000 a year in estimated employment income. No significant differences were observed in the relationship between disability payments and employment among veterans with psychiatric disorders and those with other functional impairments. CONCLUSIONS: The association of disability compensation with nonparticipation in the labor force is generally small, except at high levels of payment, and is no greater for veterans with psychiatric disorders than for those with nonpsychiatric impairments.     

Reducing sodium levels in frankfurters using a natural flavor enhancer

Sodium chloride (NaCl; salt) contributes to important quality and food safety properties of processed meats. However, renewed interest exists in reducing sodium in the human diet. This study investigated quality and sensory impacts associated with partial replacement and/or reduction of normally added NaCl using a natural flavor enhancer (NFE) in frankfurters. Varying levels of NFE were used with NaCl and/or potassium chloride (KCl) to comprise treatments (TRT) which investigated flake salt replacement (Phase I) and sodium reduction (Phases II and III). Phase I sensory and quality results identified a 50% replacement of NaCl with NFE as the baseline for subsequent phases. Phase II indicated that the inclusion of NFE could allow for a 20% NaCl reduction without adverse effects on quality or sensory attributes. Phase III results demonstrated that it was feasible to reduce NaCl by 35% via the inclusion of KCl in NFE containing frankfurters without major quality or sensory changes.     

Investigating the effect of incubation time and starter culture addition level on quality attributes of indirectly cured, emulsified cooked sausages

A process of "natural curing" utilizes vegetable juice/powder and a nitrate reducing starter culture to generate cured meat characteristics. The objective was to determine the effect varying levels of a mixed-strain bacterial starter culture (SC) and incubation time (INC) had on the quality characteristics of indirectly cured sausages. Four treatments (TRT) (TRT 1: 0.01% SC, 0 min INC; TRT 2: 0.01% SC, 90 min INC; TRT 3: 0.02% SC, 0 min INC; TRT 4: 0.02% SC, 90 min INC) and a control (C) were investigated. TRTs 2 and 4, and C revealed higher (P<0.05) CIE a* redness values and greater (P<0.05) cured pigment concentrations than TRTs 1 and 3 at days 0 and 14 while TRTs 2, 3, 4, and C were also redder (P<0.05) than TRT 1 at days 28, 56, and 84. The results indicated the use of an incubation step was more critical than increasing the level of SC.     

Ripple dynamics over various microtopographical roughness elements and their implications for river management

Specific problems in connection with the sediment regime have arisen in the granite and gneiss area in the northern part of Austria due to the increased sediment supply of coarse sand and fine gravel as a product of rock weathering. One of the physical characteristics of these sediments is their high mobility in form of ripple bedforms along the surface. In these rivers, the microtopographical structures of the bed surface are hydraulically active, especially in the initial stages when ripples have not overtopped the largest elements of the bed's roughness elements. There is a lack of detailed studies of the impacts of these microtopographical structures on ripple dynamics. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of various microtopographic roughness elements on ripple movement. This study was performed using a 1:1‐scaled physical laboratory experiment. The results showed, in all repetitions of the experiment with variable grain sizes, that the higher the microtopographical variability of the river substrate and turbulence was, the higher the measured transport velocities of the ripples were. The expected hidden impacts on sediment transport were not documented. Important implications for sediment management were discussed, as river sections with high accumulation rates of coarse sand and fine gravel are prone to additional degradation as downstream transport decreases over smooth ripple–dune morphologies. Additionally, structural elements such as exposed rocks may increase the downstream transport due to the increased variability in turbulence.     

Controlling Listeria monocytogenes and Leuconostoc mesenteroides in Uncured Deli‐style Turkey Breast Using a Clean Label Antimicrobial

Interest in natural/organic meat products has resulted in the need to validate the effectiveness of clean label antimicrobials to increase safety and shelf life of these products. A Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the effects of varying levels of moisture, pH, and a commercial “clean‐label” antimicrobial (cultured sugar‐vinegar blend; CSVB) on the growth rate of Listeria monocytogenes and Leuconostoc mesenteroides in uncured turkey stored at 4 °C for 16 wk. Twenty treatment combinations of moisture (60% to 80%), pH (5.8 to 6.4), and CSVB (2.5% to 5.0%) were evaluated during phase I to develop growth curves for both microbe types, whereas the interactive effects of pH (5.8 to 6.4) and CSVB (0.0 to 4.75) were tested in 16 treatment combinations during Phase II at a single moisture level using L. monocytogenes only. CSVB inhibited L. monocytogenes growth in 14 of the 20 treatments tested in Phase I and in 12 of the 16 treatments in Phase II through 16 and 8 wk, respectively. In contrast, CSVB had little effect on L. mesenteroides, with growth inhibited in only 4 of 20 treatments in Phase I and was therefore not tested further in Phase II. Significant interactions of the RSM design coefficients yielded a predictive model for L. mesenteroides growth rate, but due to lack of growth, no growth rate model was developed for L. monocytogenes. CSVB was found to be an effective antilisteral antimicrobial, while having little effect on a spoilage microorganism.     

Effects of varying levels of vegetable juice powder and incubation time on color, residual nitrate and nitrite, pigment, pH, and trained sensory attributes of ready-to-eat uncured ham

ABSTRACT:  Vegetable juice powder (VJP) and a starter culture containing Staphylococcus carnosus have been identified as necessary ingredients for the manufacture of uncured, no-nitrate/nitrite-added meat products with quality and sensory attributes similar to traditional cured products. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of varying concentrations of VJP and incubation time (MIN-HOLD) on quality characteristics, including lipid oxidation, color, and cured meat pigment concentrations, of ham over a 90-d storage period, compare residual nitrate and nitrite content, and determine if differences exist in sensory properties of finished products. Four ham treatments (TRT) (TRT 1: 0.20% VJP, 0 MIN-HOLD; TRT 2: 0.20% VJP, 120 MIN-HOLD; TRT 3: 0.35% VJP, 0 MIN-HOLD; TRT 4: 0.35% VJP, 120 MIN-HOLD) and a sodium nitrite-added control (C) were used for this study. No differences ( P > 0.05) were observed between TRTs and C for CIE L *, a *, b *, and cured color measured by reflectance ratio. Lipid oxidation (TBARS) for combined TRTs and C revealed little change over time while the C had less ( P < 0.05) lipid oxidation than TRTs 2 and 4 for combined days. No differences ( P > 0.05) were reported for cured pigment concentration between TRTs and C. Trained sensory panel intensity ratings for ham and vegetable aroma, and flavor, color, and firmness showed that a high concentration (0.35%) of VJP resulted in the highest scores for undesirable vegetable aroma and flavor. Treatment combinations with a low concentration (0.20%) of VJP were comparable to the C for all sensory attributes.