Effect of Temperature on Modulus of Elasticity of Porcelain Enameled Steel

The modulus of elasticity of porcelain enameled steel specimens was measured at different temperatures. A dynamic test (the sonic method) was used for the determination of the modulus of the metal and of the metal-enamel composites. Equations and constants are presented by which the elastic constant can be calculated for any enamel thickness in the temperature range from room temperature to 500° C. Graphs are also presented to show the relationship of the modulus of elasticity, temperature, and enamel-metal thickness ratio for ground-coated, white cover-coated, and direct white enameled steel specimens.     

Non-linear systems identification using radial basis functions

This paper investigates the identification of discrete-time non-linear systems using radial basis functions. A forward regression algorithm based on an orthogonal decomposition of the regression matrix is employed to select a suitable set of radial basis function centers from a large number of possible candidates and this provides, for the first time, fully automatic selection procedure for identifying parsimonious radial basis function models of structure-unknown non-linear systems. The relationship between neural networks and radial basis functions is discussed and the application of the algorithms to real data is included to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.     

IRISH AND EUROPEAN CONSUMER VIEWS ON FOOD SAFETY

Results from two consumer surveys are presented. In the first, a EU FAIR (European Union Food, Agriculture and Industrial Research Programme), supported project, three-thousand consumers (500 in each of six countries, Germany, Italy, Britain, Spain, Sweden and Ireland) were surveyed in March 1997 on their attitudes to the quality and safety of three meats, beef, pork and chicken. This paper deals with the safety aspects of the survey. Many consumers in all six countries said they were eating less beef and more chicken. Overall, the Spanish and Irish appeared to be the most concerned about the safety of meat, the British were somewhat less concerned. While many were confident that the food in shops is safe, there was a sizeable minority who believed the contrary. When looking for information on the safety of meat, butchers, whether independent or in supermarkets, are the group most trusted by consumers. In terms of consumer concerns, about 60 percent of beef consumers were very concerned about hormones, BSE (Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy), antibiotics and bacteria. Pork consumers had similar levels of concern as beef consumers about bacteria, antibiotics and hormones. For chicken there was a higher level of concern about bacteria (Salmonella) (68% were very concerned) and similar levels of concern to pork and beef for the other issues. Generally, fat was the issue of least concern for all three meats. Freshness was considered to be relatively the most helpful of 7 factors used for assessing safety of meat. The country of origin and what the animal was fed were also considered to be relatively helpful. Factors considered to be relatively less helpful were price and the name of the producer. In the second study, over 1200 pre-leaving certificate Irish school children participated in autumn 1996 in a national survey assessing young people's attitudes to meat. Half of the respondents agreed with the view that eating beef means increasing the risk of getting CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease). Those who agreed were more likely to be less frequent eaters of beef and to have reduced their meat consumption in the post-BSE period. It was found also that females were more likely to eat less meat than males and to have reduced beef consumption. The implications of some of the findings of these two surveys are discussed.     

Histological Characteristics of Beef and Pork Cooked by Dry or Moist Heat in a Conventional or Microwave Oven

Samples of raw or heat treated (moist or dry heat; conventional or microwave oven) bovine or porcine muscle were examined to determine effects of those treatments on histological characteristics of the muscle. Relationships between histological characteristics and sensory properties of the muscle were studied. Generally, effects of the four heat treatment combinations on histological characteristics of bovine or porcine muscle did not differ significantly. Histological characteristics of muscle should not be used exclusively to study relationships between muscle structural components and sensory tenderness of the muscle.     

An Electrochemical Theory for Oxygen Reboil

Oxygen reboil often occurs when glass is melted in air in platinum containers. Oxygen blisters develop even when well-fined glass is remelted under similar conditions. Experiments show that this reboil is prevented or greatly reduced by: (1) Eliminating electron conductors from the system, (2) removing oxygen from the atmosphere over the melt, (3) applying an external bucking potential, (4) reversing concentration gradients, or (5) removing temperature gradients. These results suggest that oxygen reboil, which occurs at a platinum-glass interface, results from the discharge of a concentration cell or a thermal cell. The proposed mechanism is: O²⁻→½ O₂+ 2e⁻ at the anode and ½ O₂+ 2e⁻→ O²⁻ at the cathode, with electron transport in the platinum and, to complete the circuit, alkali ions in the glass.     

Textural and spectral features as an aid to cloud classification

Abstract

The problem of classifying clouds seen on meteorological satellite images into different types is one which requires the use of textural as well as spectral information. Since multi-spectral features are of prime importance, textural features must be considered as augmenting, rather than replacing, spectral measures. Several textural features are studied to determine their discriminating power across a number of cloud classes including those which have previously been found difficult to separate. Although several features in the frequency domain are tested they are found to be less useful than those in the spatial domain with only one exception. The specific features recommended for use in classification depend on the type of classification to be undertaken. Specifically, different features should be used for a multi-dimensional feature space analysis than for a binary-tree rule-based classification.     

SAFETY OF IRISH BEEF – CONCERNS, AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF IRISH CONSUMERS

A survey of Irish consumers examined their concerns for the safety of food, their level of knowledge of safe food practices and their awareness of institutional structures to ensure the safety of Irish beef. Sixty-four percent of the sample expressed concern for the safety of food. Concerns cited include freshness of food, BSE/CJD, antibiotic residue, hygiene standards and bacteria. They perceive many causes of food poisoning and their level of awareness of pathogens varies, depending on the pathogen. The level of knowledge of safe food practice in cooking was good. However, it was lower for food storage practices. Males and those with lower levels of education were less likely to be aware of adequate food safety procedures and need to be the focus of educational programs on safe food handling. As less than half the sample (49%) was aware of institutional structures and 32% of schemes that ensure the safety of Irish beef, it is concluded that it is imperative to more clearly communicate to the public the assurances of any scheme set up. There is also a need to increase awareness level of the bacteria Campylobacter.     

The Economics of Codification and the Diffusion of Knowledge

The process by which knowledge or information evolves and spreadsthrough the economy involves changing its nature between tacitand codified forms. The process of codification includes threeaspects: model building, language creation and the writing ofmessages. Recent technical changes in several technologies haveimpinged on these three activities and changed the costs andbenefits from each of them, generally lowering the costs ofcodification. Technical changes have also facilitated the diffusionof codified knowledge, which has increased its value. Due tothe temporal relations among the three aspects of codification,the ongoing process in which codification takes place may bepathdependent.