A note on the observed and predicted flow patterns around islands— Flat Holm,the Bristol Channel

Abstract

Multispectral scanner (MSS) data from the Natural Environment Research Councils (NERC) aircraft flown over the island of Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel, U.K. have been used in association with a System Probatoire d'Observation de la Terre, high-resolution visible scanner (SPOT HRV) image of the same area to identify the major surface water flow patterns around the island. Theoretical scaling parameters for shallow water flows are used to predict wake form and compared with the MSS and SPOT HRV images. Initial results indicate that the mathematical approach gives a useful approximation to the observed flow patterns though additional information on tidal currents throughout the tidal cycle and detailed bathymetry in the area are required to further the predictive model.     

Quantitative synthesis of m × n feedback systems with uncertain plants

There has appeared in the past decade a quantitative feedback synthesis for uncertain multiple-input-multiple-output n × nplants, based on Schauder's fixed point theorem. This paper is devoted to the extension of the quantitative feedback theory to uncertain m × nplants P, m > n. Pis imbedded in a feedback system with compensation operators F, G and provision for command inputs r into the system. There is given a set of acceptable plant outputs. F and G are to be designed so that in response to r, the plant outputs y will be inside the assigned performance bounds, despite the uncertainty in P.

A synthesis method, with considerable transparency, is presented. Available design freedom is used to minimize the cost of feedback which is in the band widths of the loop transfer functions. The designer can see the trade-offs between the loops, and between their bandwidths and the complexity of G, and may choose to sacrifice one Tor the other. The design technique is best suited for ‘basically non-interacting’ performance specifications, wherein output yj(j = 1,2,..., n) is to be primarily due to the rjwith relatively small-components due to the r_k(fc = 1, 2,..., m, k# j). A detailed 3×2 numerical design example is presented.     

Neutron Scattering Studies of Vitrified Radioactive Waste

The structure of a borosilicate glass containing simulated nuclear waste on a distance scale up to several tens of nanometers was investigated using neutron scattering techniques. Comparison of samples with and without waste suggests that the nature of the basic network of SiO₄ tetrahedra and BO₃ triangles is largely unchanged by addition of the waste. The real-space correlation function for the glass plus waste has clear features at distances below 0.5 nm, which can be attributed to the above network building units. Study of a partially devitrified sample shows diffraction effects due to polycrystalline and vitreous phases. Vitreous and partially devitrified glass containing waste produced a significant amount of small-angle scattering corresponding to regions of inhomogeneity which are 10 nm and larger.     

Post-irradiation hardness of resin-modified glass ionomer cements and a polyacid-modified composite resin

This study examined the post-irradiation hardness of resin-modified glass ionomer cements and a polyacid-modified composite resin using a digital microhardness tester. Change in hardness of these materials over a period of 6 months was compared to that of conventional glass ionomer cements and a composite resin. With the exception of the composite resin, all materials showed a significant increase in hardness over 24 h after their initial set. Dual-cure resin-modified glass ionomer cements showed decreased hardness with increased storage time in saline at 37°C. Results suggest that the addition of resins to glass ionomer cements does not improve initial hardness and does not negate the acid-base reaction of conventional cements. Resin addition may, however, lead to increased water sorption and decreased hardness.     

Wine bottle closures: physical characteristics and effect on composition and sensory properties of a Semillon wine 1. Performance up to 20 months post-bottling

A Semillon wine was bottled using 14 different closures: a screw‐cap type, two grades of conventional natural cork, two ‘technical cork’ closures (natural cork with a synthetic component), and 9 closures manufactured from synthetic polymer material. Closure performance was evaluated for physical aspects (e.g. extraction force and energy, change in closure diameter, and ease of closure reinsertion), and for wine composition and sensory properties. Wine under the screw cap closure retained the greatest concentration of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and ascorbic acid and had the slowest rate of browning. For other closures the trend of SO₂ loss relative to the screw cap closure was apparent from an early stage of testing, and was most evident in the group of synthetic closures, intermediate in the conventional corks, and least evident in the technical cork closures. The loss of SO₂ was in general highly correlated with an increase in wine browning (OD₄₂₀) and the concentration of SO₂ in the wine at six months was a strong predictor of future browning in the wine, particularly after eighteen months. Neither the concentration of dissolved oxygen at bottling (0.6–3.1 mg/L), nor the physical closure measures were predictors of future browning. For several closures upright storage tended to accelerate loss of SO₂ from the wine, but in many cases this effect was marginal. The closures differed widely in regard to physical characteristics, and in general synthetic corks appeared least ‘consumer‐friendly’ in terms of extraction forces, energies, and ease of closure re‐insertion, but there was a trend for natural cork closures to exhibit larger variability in physical characteristics than technical cork and synthetic closures. Sensory analysis indicated large differences in wine flavour properties, with closures which tended to result in the best retention of free SO₂ having wine sensory scores for ‘citrus’ that were generally high whilst scores for the attributes ‘developed’/‘oxidised’ were low. The situation was reversed for wine under closures that performed poorly in the retention of free SO₂. It was found that below a critical level of free SO₂ remaining in the wine, closures exhibited substantially higher ‘oxidised’ aroma. Whilst trichloroanisole‐type (TCA) taint was a noticeable problem for some cork and technical cork closures, any plastic‐type taint appeared not to be a problem with most synthetic closures.     

Display and enhancement of gridded aeromagnetic data of the Solway Basin

Abstract

The British Geological Survey has completed the conversion of both aeromagnetic and gravity survey records to a digital data base. This paper examines some of the uses of the aeromagnetic data base. Rendering digitized aeromagnetic data as a rectangular grid of interpolated anomaly values allows regional variations in subsurface magnetization to be displayed as images rather than contoured maps. Images of the magnetic field are more appropriate for visual interpretation and can be enhanced using standard methods of digital image processing. The optimum method is a combination of directional first-derivative filtering to impart the illusion of side illumination, with spectral colouring of the 8-bit range of DN, the former being used to modulate the brightness of the latter. As well as many of the known regional magnetic features of the Solway Basin, this method highlights several trends that were unsuspected.     

RAW MATERIAL pH, PUMP LEVEL AND PUMP COMPOSITION ON QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF PORK

ABTRACT
Boneless, paired pork loins (n=120) were selected based on pH at 14 h postmortem. Ultimate pH, drip loss, instrumental color (L*, a*, and b* values), and proximate analysis were determined prior to pumping. Paired loins were cut into four sections and pumped to 100%, 106%, 112% or 118% of original weight to result in a product containing 0.4% sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) for Experiment 1 (Exp. 1) and 0.4% STP plus 0.4% salt for Experiment 2 (Exp. 2). In Exp. I, additional pump level increased (P<0.05) vacuum package purge. Higher raw materials pH reduced purge. A pump level x pH interaction (P<0.05) occurred for cook loss at 70C. In Exp. 2, increased raw materials pH reduced (P<0.05) purge loss and resulted in juicier, more tender pork. Pumped pork had higher (P<0.05) tenderness, juiciness, and saltiness scores than controls.     

Pulsed Ultra High Pressure Treatments for Pasteurization of Pineapple Juice

Sinusoidal and step-pressure pulses were compared with static pressure treatments for the inactivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae 2407-1a in pineapple juice. No inactivation was observed after 40–4,000 fast sinusoidal pulses (10 cycles/s) at 4–400 sec in the 235–270 MPa range. Static 270 MPa treatments at 40 and 400 sec resulted in 0.7 and 5.1 decimal reductions, respectively. Slower 0–270 MPa step pulses at 0.1 (10 pulses), 1 (100 pulses), and 2 (200 pulses) cycles/s with 100 sec total on-pressure time resulted in 3.3, 3.5, and 3.3 decimal reductions, respectively. A comparable static pressure treatment resulted in 2.5 decimal reductions. Changing the on-pressure/off-pressure time ratio (3:1, 3:3 and 1:3) showed that treatments with longer on-pressure time, e.g., 0.6 sec on-pressure and 0.2 sec off-pressure were significantly more effective showing nearly a 4 decimal reduction in 100 sec.     

NATURAL CHEDDAR CHEESE TEXTURE VARIATION AS A RESULT OF MILK SEASONALITY

A set of standard testing conditions using the TA-XT2 Texture Analyser were established to monitor cheddar cheese texture variation. Cheddar cheese was produced in the standard commercial practice and sampled at monthly intervals throughout the milk production season (August - June), and monitored for textural and compositional changes occurring during ripening. The composition, based on fat and protein levels, of the cheese was relatively constant during the period, which was expected as the commercial process aims for that outcome. A reduction in the force and degree of compression at fracture with time, indicative of a reduction in cheese firmness and an increase in cheese crumbliness, was recorded as the milk production season progressed. The degree of proteolysis and changes in milk fat in late season milk are primarily responsible for the changes recorded in cheese texture. The differences observed between cheeses produced at different times during the season indicate that the current fat and protein standardization employed by cheese-makers is not adequate to provide cheddar cheese with consistent textural characteristics year round.