Study on ASTM E399 and ASTM E1921 standards

Costs of ASTM E399 and ASTM E1921 tests, which were developed to determine the fracture toughness (K_Ic) and the ductile–brittle transition temperature of ferritic steels, respectively, are considered high and the procedures are also very complicated. In this study, a method, which is more cost‐effective and easier to carry out, is proposed.     

A MODIFIED DECOMPOSITION ALGORITHM FOR SCHEDULING PROBLEMS

A decomposition approach developed by the author is modified to reduce the computational effort involved. The modified algorithm is discussed. Computational experiments have been conducted for comparative evaluation of both original and modified decomposition algorithms. Significant results are reported.     

THERMAL STABILITY OF SOME COMMERCIAL NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC ANTIOXIDANTS AND THEIR MIXTURES

The thermal stability of some commercially available antioxidants alone or in binary or ternary mixtures was investigated in order to find the optimal combination of antioxidants for food processing. The synthetic antioxidants used were butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate (PG) and tertiary-butyhydroquinone (TBHQ). Other antioxidants such as ascorbyl palmitate (AP), mixed tocopherols (TOCO) and monoacylglycerol citrate (MGC) were also employed. The effectiveness of these antioxidants and their combinations was assessed using the Rancimat test by measuring the induction period for the oxidation of sunflower oil after heating at 180C for 1 h and comparing it to the oxidation kinetics of the oil without added antioxidants. All antioxidants and their binary or ternary mixtures showed different degrees of thermal instability. TBHQ individually, among all the examined antioxidants, showed the highest thermal stability. On the other hand, AP as an antioxidant in sunflower oil exhibited low stability during heating. The thermal stability of AP could be enhanced by the addtion of BHA or BHT in binary mixtures at a ratio of 1:3 (w/w). In addition, the ternary mixture of AP, TOCO and MGC (65:25:10) in sunflower oil also showed a higher stability to thermal inactivation. However, the ternary mixture containing 0.13% AP, 0.05% TBHQ and 0.02% MGC provided the optimal protection during thermal treatment. Although a combination of 0.13% BHT, 0.05% AP and 0.02% MG was very effective synergistically at room temperature, it showed a higher susceptibility to thermal inactivation. It was     

THERMOXIDATIVE AND HYDROLYTIC CHANGES IN OILS USED FOR FRYING OF FROZEN PREFRIED FOODS

Palm olein with 22.9 h of stability at 100 C (by the Rancimat method) and low acid and peroxide values of 0.184% and 1.33 meq/kg, respectively, was used to study the deteriorative effect of frying of frozen prefried potatoes and chicken and compared it with the effect of frying the same fresh foods. Quality characteristics of palm olein were monitored by following the changes in physical and chemical properties; foam height (FH), smoke point (SP), refractive index (RI), viscosity (Vis), acid value (AV), peroxide value (PV), polymer content (%Pol.), oxidized fatty acids (%OFA), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value and, conjugated acids (absorbance at 232 nm for conjugated dienes and at 268 nm for conjugated trienes) with the progress in frying time of up to 20 h. Results revealed that frying the frozen prefried foods express more deteriorative effect than the fresh foods throughout the frying process.     

LAMINAR FREE CONVECTION IN VERTICAL AIR-FILLED CAVITIES WITH MIXED BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

A numerical investigation was conducted on the two-dimensional laminar free convection within rectangular cavities having mixed boundary conditions on the vertical surfaces and adiabatic top and bottom walls. The time-dependent governing energy, vorticity and stream function equations were solved using a modified ADI method and Gauss-Seidel SOR. Steady state solutions for air (Pr ≈ 0.7) were obtained for cavity aspect ratios of 0.5 to 15 over a modified Rayleigh number range of 690 to 1.3 × 10₅. For a given heat flux, it was found that the average Nusselt number peaked at an aspect ratio of about 1.5. The boundary between the asymptotic and laminar boundary layer regimes also showed a reversing behaviour in this region. In general, the reported results are compatible with and form an extension to the limited numerical and experimental results of previous investigators.     

Analysis of pollutant removal effect using innovative ridge2shaped constructed wetland

In t his paper, a new t ype of ridg e2shaped co nstr ucted w etland w hich combines surface flow and ho rizontal subsurface flow w as proposed. The pro po sed wetland had simple str ucture, low co nstr uction and operating cost, less human interference and go od po llution remov al effect. T he combination of surface flow and subsurface flow pr ov ided an aero bic and anaerobic alter nating env iro nment for the entir e w etland. The performance of the proposed wetland was compared with a traditional horizontal subsurface flow wetland. The comparison results showed that the removal rates of BOD ( biochemical ox ygen demand) , T N ( t otal nitr ogen) , and T P ( tota l phospho rus) in the ridge2shaped w etland in2 creased up to 201 3% , 171 0% , and 91 1% , respectively . The pr oposed w et land structure co uld be w idely applied for t reatment of rur al and urban domest ic sew age pollutio n o r ag ricultural po int and no npo int so ur ce water po llut ion.     

The science and technology priority areas relevant to non-conventional energy goals in Egypt

A matrix method is used for the quantitative determination of science and technology priority areas relevant to the achievement of nonconventional energy goals in Egypt. Nonconventional energy goals of Egypt up to 2005 were first determined. Those nonconventional energy objectives are then related to different areas of science and technology in a priority order. This is accomplished by filling three matrices: (1) a D/D matrix which displays the interconnections between energy objectives, (2) an S/D matrix which describes the relevance of science and technology to objectives, and (3) an S/S matrix which displays the interconnections between scientific and technological disciplines. Cross-support, dependence and relevance indices enabled the construction of priority and cross-support charts. The method is useful and reveals many interesting results which are thoroughly discussed and analysed.     

MELTING CHARACTERISTIC AND SOLID FAT CONTENT OF MILK FAT AND PALM STEARIN BLENDS BEFORE AND AFTER ENZYMATIC INTERESTERIFICATION

Melting characteristics and solid fat content of anhydrous milk fat (AMF), soft palm oil stearin (SPOs), hard palm oil stearin (HPOs) and their blends were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, respectively. Solid fat contents (SFC) determined by NMR were used to construct isosolid diagrams; these indicated the presence of an eutectic effect along the binary blends of AMF:SPOs which only could be observed at 5 and 10C. The effect was reduced after interesterification by sn-1,3-specific lipase. The modification also reduced the number of the distinct DSC melting peaks, demonstrating a better miscibility among the blended fats. A substantial decrease in DSC melting enthalpy of interesterified blends was found to be parallel to a decrease in SFC that was observed at 25–40C. Fatty acid composition showed that improved functionality of AMF may be due to an enrichment in long-chain saturated fatty acids contributed both by SPOs and HPOs.     

OPTIMUM CASH-FLOW SCHEDULING OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

In progress-payment contracts, the contractor is paid for the work performed based on progress reports made at specified intervals. The owner holds back a percentage of the payments until the project is completed. The optimal project schedule is dictated by the schedule of the project incomes and costs. In this paper, a mixed-integer optimization model that maximizes the contractor's profit for progress-payment contracts is developed. Other scheduling objectives such as levelling the overdraft and minimizing the maximum overdraft are formulated. Constraints related to network precedence, budget limitations, and required available total floats are incorporated in the model. The model can be used to examine the sensitivity of the profit to different progress report intervals and different interest rates. The flexibility of the model to accommodate other practical situations is discussed.