Novel pearl millet couscous process for West African markets using a low-cost single-screw extruder

Traditional West African pearl millet couscous products are popular; however, their preparation is laborious, time-consuming and energy-demanding, involving agglomeration, steaming, drying and sieving steps. In this study, a process was developed to produce millet couscous using a high pressure, high temperature and low-cost single-screw extruder. The innovation was to directly process the cooked low-moisture extrudate to a couscous product by drying and milling to the appropriate particle size (ranging between 1 and 2 mm). Throughput for the traditional process as prepared for commercial sale is 50 kg per day, but with the same amount of labour, the extrusion process yields ~350 kg per day. A consumer sensory study held in Niamey (Niger) showed that the extruded millet couscous was comparable to traditional couscous, though this was dependent on selection of the proper millet variety. This novel extrusion process could stimulate small- to medium-scale manufacturing of couscous and couscous-type products in West Africa.     

The measurement of solar array discharges in a simulated spaceenvironment

A spacecraft in a plasma builds up charge on all the dielectric surfaces and interfaces. Once the net charge exceeds the dielectric breakdown of the material, a discharge occurs. One of the more susceptible pieces of equipment is the antenna/receiver system. The radiated E-field may be strong enough to create an ambiguous signal which may be misinterpreted by the system electronics and cause a system malfunction. A technique is developed to monitor the radiated E-field of materials discharging in an electron environment, using vacuum chambers for measuring the material discharges which are made of highly reflective materials. These chambers affect the radiated E-field due to multiple reflections from the walls. The technique developed defines a method for correcting the effects caused by the measurement facilities. The methodology is: monitor the radiated E-field with a broadband dipole antenna, and digitize the radiated signal as a function of time. Determine the frequency response of the radiated E-field using an FFT algorithm. Measure the transmission and reflection characteristics of the two-port network inside the measurement chamber, and determine the impedance network from the measured E-parameters across the frequency band of interest. Transform the measured E-field frequency response through the impedance network to obtain the frequency response of the actual radiated discharge current. Find the inverse FFT of this response to obtain the actual radiated discharge current response. This technique aids in the prediction of the E-field coupling into receive antennas on-board actual satellites     

Perspectives on Design and Innovation

A series of studies of top European and other firms has revealed patterns of design management associated with commercial success. Firms that invest resources and professional expertise in product and industrial design in traditional and new industries have been commercially more successful than firms that pay less attention to these aspects of design. As an industry matures there is a shift in emphasis from design associated with technological innovation, to designs supporting technical improvements, and then to supporting user needs, fashion and product variants. These issues are illustrated through the history of the evolution of the bicycle.     

A comparison of CCS tandem overload controls

In this paper we analyse issues associated with overloads in tandem switching systems in Common Channel Signalling (CCS) networks. In particular, we examine the need for, and effectiveness of, Automatic Congestion Control (ACC), a CCS mechanism which allows a congested switching system to inform adjacent CCS nodes of its level of overload, and subsequently controls the rate at which traffic is sent to the congested node. We demonstrate the critical need for end-offices and tandem switching systems to implement some form of ACC if network performance is to be maintained during congestion, especially in tandem exchanges. In addition, we find that the presently defined ACC should be expanded to allow more levels of congestion to be reported to adjacent nodes, so that a more effective, finer grained control is produced.     

Business climate attitudes and company relocation decisions.

A total of 438 manufacturing firms reported their business relocation activity, their overall attitude toward the business climate in Michigan, and their assessment of 34 business climate dimensions. Using a lens model paradigm, we explored reasons for a lack of relation between actual relocation decisions and overall business climate attitudes. Location decisions were most highly correlated with distance and labor considerations, whereas overall business climate was most highly correlated with tax considerations, and secondarily correlated with labor problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Guide to conducting a psychological autopsy.

Much of the writing on the psychological autopsy is reviewed. Several writers' opinions about what should be included in a comprehensive behavioral analysis conducted after an individual's death are compiled in an Appendix. Several additional and new areas to be covered in a psychological autopsy are included. The primary emphasis is on the provision of a practical guide for the working professional. Twenty-four separate factors, ranging from reconstruction of events that occurred before the death to the deceased's family death history, are presented. Some legal considerations are examined briefly in order to acquaint the professional with the significant impact that the results can have on family benefits and criminal prosecution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of Lactic Acid Productivities at High Substrate Conversions in a Continuous Two-stage Fermenter With Cell Recycle Using Different Kinetic Models

The steady-state performance of a two-stage recycle fermenter with two different types (I and II) of configurations for staging was investigated numerically for the continuous production of lactic acid. In Type I the bleed broth withdrawn from the first stage is supplied to the second fermenter, and in Type II both filtrate and bleed broth from the first stage are introduced to the second stage. Using four different kinetic models taken from the literature, the effects of operating parameters on the overall lactic acid productivities and the overall substrate conversions are examined. At moderate conversions, productivities for Type I operation are found to be higher than those for Type II and for the single-stage system. In the case of high conversions close to complete consumption, Type II operation is more efficient than the Type I and single-stage systems. For 99% conversion and 40 kg m^-3 substrate feed concentration, productivities for Type II are predicted to be 14-74% higher compared to those for the single-stage system at the same bleed ratios.     

Instructional texts rewritten by five expert teams: Revisions and retention improvements.

700 undergraduates were tested in 3 experiments on original or rewritten versions of 52 instructional texts about Army job tasks, general science, philosophy, and history. Five experts had rewritten various sets of the texts and stated hypotheses about the efficacious features of their revisions. We tested their hypotheses and several others. Recall and recognition tests were given immediately and after a 24-hr delay. Results showed that revisions made by 3 of the 5 experts improved retention of text information. The kind and number of revisions and improvements varied across the text sets. Most expert hypotheses were not supported, and they made many revisions they were declaratively unaware of. Some of our hypotheses about the revision features were supported, but different features were effective for different sets of texts. It was concluded that some experts have effective knowledge about improving instructional text, but it exists primarily in procedural form. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)