Reactions between Strontium-Substituted Lanthanum Manganite and Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia: II, Diffusion Couples

Formation of secondary phases and diffusion of cations in diffusion couples of yttria-stabilized zirconia and lanthanum manganite substituted with 0 to 60 mol% strontium have been studied by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Only the primary phases were observed after 120 h at 1200°C, while formation of secondary phases was identified already after 1 h heat treatment at 1350°C. The phase composition of the reaction layer altered from La₂Zr₂O₇ to SrZrO₃ at increasing Sr content in La _x Sr_{1- x} MnO₃. The thickness of the reaction layer was increasing with heat treatment time. In diffusion couples of La_0.4Sr_0.6MnO₃ formation of manganese oxide was observed in the perovskite layer after 1 h heat treatment at 1350°C, while isolated grains of SrZrO₃ relatively deep inside the zirconia were observed after longer heat treatment time. Diffusion of Mn into zirconia was observed preferenced along grain boundaries in the early stage of the interface reaction.     

Decoding bar codes from human-readable characters

In this study we have decoded bar codes by recognizing the human-readable characters of the interpretation line printed below the bar pattern. Using this approach, we were able to successfully decode bar codes with a resolution of 0.8 pixels per module.     

Relationships between storage protein composition,protein content,growing season and flour quality of bread wheat

The storage protein composition from the Glu‐1, Glu‐3 and Gli‐1 loci encoding high and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW‐GS and LMW‐GS) and gliadins, respectively, was determined on 30 wheat (T aestivum L) genotypes from three growing seasons. The gliadins and the LMW‐GS were identified as gliadin/LMW‐GS pairs. All samples were analysed by two one‐dimensional electrophoretic techniques, and selected samples were also subjected to two‐dimensional electrophoretic separation. Different statistical/data‐analytical techniques were evaluated in the study of how the presence or absence of the protein alleles, the protein content and the growing seasons are related to flour quality. The year of growth had a large impact on mixograph peak time. When predicting mixograph peak time from the presence or absence of significant proteins and the year of growth, 70% of the variability in mixograph peak time could be explained, whereas only 49% of the variability could be explained when the year of growth was deleted from the model. Protein had no effect on mixograph peak time as expected, and the well‐known positive effect of HMW‐GS 5 + 10, and the negative effects of 2 + 12 and 6 + 8 was observed. Furthermore, some of the gliadin/LMW‐GS combinations influenced mixograph peak time significantly. The gliadin/LMW‐GS at the combined Gli‐A1, Glu‐A3 loci b; ?? was positively related to mixograph peak time, whereas ??; ?? and a;a was negatively related. Although the LMW‐GS component ?? of the alleles b; ?? and ??; ?? alleles appear similar on one‐dimensional gels, two‐dimensional separation of selected samples may suggest that the ?? components in these alleles are different proteins. Cross‐validated partial least squares regression combined with empirical uncertainty estimates (jack‐knifing) of the parameters estimated in the model, gave similar results to ANOVA in identifying quality related protein alleles. The applicability of the multivariate approach in proteomics is, however, much wider. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Knowing Activity: Corporate Bridging of Knowledge and Value Creation

We argue that practical endeavours towards mobilising and recreating knowledge is an integral part of value increasing activities, and expose how this dependency can be utilised in ameliorating practice. This bridging of knowledge and value creation constitutes organisational activities as knowing. The paper exposes the efforts of Telenor, a large telecom firm, to create an enduring agenda for non‐financial issues in management. We expose the development process and initial use of their new Integrated Management Business Model. This involves identifying financial and non‐financial drivers of future performance within and across several business units, as well as negotiating on appropriate indicators of both status and change. The paper pays special attention to the iterative approach to development in order to highlight a shift from an attempt to enable knowledge in autonomous processes secluded from everyday activities, towards an understanding of knowledge and knowing as intrinsic to the value creating activities performed. By entering the issue of intangibles through the knowing activity perspective, it was evident that the purpose of the management system was not to determine the status of intangibles in the corporation, it was to improve it.     

A simple method for endoscopic placement of a nasojejunal feeding tube

The aim of this paper is to describe a simple, nonsurgical method for endoscopic placement of a nasojejunal feeding tube. A stylet inserted in the tube facilitates nasogastric intubation. A thread on the tip of the tube is grasped with a biopsy forceps inserted through an endoscope, and the tube can be placed in the distal part of the duodenum under direct endoscopic inspection. By means of a guide wire the tube can be pushed further to the desired position in the upper part of the jejunum. The endoscope can now be removed while pressure is exerted on the stylet, thus preventing the tube from dislocating. By this method, oral-nasal transfer of the tube is avoided, the tube is placed in the upper jejunum under direct endoscopic inspection, and the stylet inserted in the tube facilitates intubation and prevents it from dislocating when the endoscope is withdrawn.     

Phenolic compounds in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) fruits: Composition in 27 cultivars and changes during ripening

Phenolic compounds in fruits of 27 cultivars of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) grown in Norway were characterised and quantified by HPLC-DAD-MSⁿ. Total phenolic content, calculated as the sum of the individual compounds, varied 2.3-fold among cultivars, i.e., from 57 to 133 mg/100 g of fw. There were significant differences among cultivars in concentration of all phenolic compounds. The highest variation between cultivars was found for cinnamoyl glucose (0.6-24.9 mg/100 g of fw). Concentration of anthocyanins, the most abundant class of phenolic compounds in the majority of the cultivars, varied from 8.5 to 65.9 mg/100 g of fw. Flavan-3-ols (11-45 mg/100 g of fw) and ellagitannins (7.7-18.2 mg/100 g of fw) contributed on average 28% and 14% to total phenolic contents in the strawberry cultivars, respectively. In three cultivars harvested at three stages of ripeness, anthocyanins and cinnamic acid conjugates were the compounds most affected by ripening. The anthocyanin profile for the individual cultivars was only slightly affected by ripening and growing conditions.     

Compressive Creep Performance of SrFeO3

Compressive creep performance of strontium-deficient and strontium-excess SrFeO_3-δ materials has been investigated in the temperature range 800°–1000°C and in the stress range 2.5–25 MPa. The absolute densities of the strontium-deficient and strontium-excess materials are 4.99 and 5.25 g/cm³, respectively, which corresponds to porosities of ∼2% and 5%, respectively. Both materials contain secondary phases because of the cation nonstoichiometry. The creep rate is faster for the strontium-deficient material than the strontium-excess material. The stress exponent is approximately unity, and the activation energy is 260± 30 kJ/mol for both materials. The results can be explained by a cation diffusion mechanism. The present findings are discussed in relation to previous sintering data and the possible application of these materials as oxygen-permeable membranes.     

Quality of comminuted sausages formulated from mechanically deboned poultry meat

Comminuted sausages formulated with mechanically deboned poultry meat-MDPM (turkey or chicken, frame or neck) treated in different ways before production (vacuum packed MDPM or air packed skeletons deboned at production) and stored frozen for 6 or 18 weeks have been studied using a full-factorial design and chemical, physical and sensory analysis. MDPM was obtained from a Beehive separator. Comminuted sausages with MDPM from turkey frames, stored at -25?°C as skeletons, packed in air for 18 weeks developed marked rancid odour and flavour which could also be detected by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and the concentration of volatile compounds. Vacuum packed mechanically deboned meat irrespective of species and carcass part could be stored for up to 18 weeks and used in formulation of sausages without any serious changes in their sensory profiles. Instrumental colour differences between sausages were mainly due to species. Turkey sausages were darker, redder and less yellow than chicken sausages. Moisture and fat contents were influenced by carcass part and to a lesser extent depended on species and storage time. Principal least squares regression (PLS2) showed close relationships between instrumental parameters and sensory attributes. TBARS, hexanal and volatile compounds were highly correlated with rancid flavour while redness (a(?)) was strongly related to sensory colour hue and colour strength.     

512-Mb PROM with a three-dimensional array of diode/antifuse memory cells

A 512-Mb one-time-programmable memory is described, which uses a transistorless two-terminal memory cell containing an antifuse and a diode. Cells are fabricated in polycrystalline silicon, stacked vertically in eight layers above a 0.25-/spl mu/m CMOS substrate. One-time programming is performed by applying a high voltage across the cell terminals, which ruptures the antifuse and permanently encodes a logic 0. Unruptured antifuses encode a logic 1. Cells are arranged in 8-Mb tiles, 1 K rows by 1 K columns by 8 bits high. The die contains 72 such tiles: 64 tiles for data and eight tiles for error-correcting code bits. Wordline and bitline decoders, bias circuits, and sense amplifiers are built in the CMOS substrate directly beneath the memory tiles, improving die efficiency. The device supports a generic standard NAND flash interface and operates from a single 3.3-V supply.