Anthocyanin composition of the red wine Babić affected by maceration treatment

Identification of anthocyanins in the wine made of the Croatian autochthonous grape variety of Babić (Vitis vinifera L.) was carried out and their profile was determined by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and mass spectrometric detection. Dependence of anthocyanins content and profile on maceration treatment conditions was investigated. Statistically significant differences of anthocyanins concentration in wines Babić produced by various maceration treatments were confirmed by the use of multivariate analysis of variances. The investigation results indicated that the maceration temperature exerts higher influence on anthocyanins concentration than the duration of maceration. In addition, on the basis of anthocyanin composition and using different multivariate statistical analyses, differentiation of wines Babić according to maceration treatments was procured.     

Nonuniformity of phase structure in immiscible polymer blends

This article is focused on the phase structure development in immiscible polymer blends during melt mixing. Nonuniformity of the phase structure, i.e., the coexistence of areas containing particles with markedly different size distribution, was detected in quenched and compression molded samples of a number of various blends prepared by long and intensive mixing in the chamber of a Plasticorder. The same effect was found also for polystyrene/polyamide blends prepared in a twin‐screw extruder. It was shown that neglecting nonuniformity of the phase structure can lead to considerable error in evaluation of the effect of system parameters on the blend morphology. The reasons for the effect were discussed and it was found that inhomogeneous flow field in mixers is a plausible explanation of the nonuniform phase structure. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Microstructural and compositional aspects of ZnO-based varistor ceramics prepared by direct mixing of the constituent phases and high-energy milling

ZnO-based varistor samples were prepared by the direct mixing of the constituent phases (DMCP) and sintering at 1100 °C for 2 h. The influence of the starting powder mixture's composition – the amounts of the pre-reacted varistor compounds and their composition – and its preparation, either with or without mechano-chemical activation (MCA), on the microstructure, phase composition and electrical characteristics of the varistor samples was studied. It showed that MCA improved the density and microstructural homogeneity of the varistor samples. MCA strongly affected the grain growth: it enhanced the nucleation of inversion boundaries (IBs) in the ZnO grains and the IBs-induced grain-growth mechanism resulted in uniform grain growth and hence a microstructure with smaller ZnO grains and a narrower grain size distribution. The final phase composition of the samples prepared by the DMCP method mainly depended on the presence of varistor dopants that can prevent the formation of the pyrochlore phase, especially Cr₂O₃, while MCA can affect it mostly by providing a homogeneous distribution of those dopants. The DMCP varistor samples prepared with MCA had much better current–voltage characteristics than the samples of the same composition prepared from unactivated powders.     

An approach to efficient business intelligent system for financial prediction

A concept of business intelligent system for financial prediction is considered in this paper. It provides data needed for fast, precise and good business decision support to all levels of management. The aim of the project is the development of a new online analytical processing oriented on case-based reasoning (CBR) where a previous experience for every new problem is taken into account. Methodological aspects have been tested in practice as a part of the management information system development project of “Novi Sad Fair”. A case study of an improved application of CBR in prediction of future payments is discussed in the paper. This paper is originally presented at The International Conference on Hybrid Information Technology 2006, at the special session on “Intelligent Information Systems for Financial Engineering”, November 2006 in Cheju Island, Korea.     

Condensation polymerization of pyrogallol and benzaldehyde

Novolac-type polycondensation of benzaldehyde (B) and pyrogallol (P) has been carried out at 60°C, 75°C and 90°C and at B/P mole ratios of 1.5 and 3.0 using phosphoric acid as catalyst. The reaction follows a 2nd order rate law. By using GC consumption data of benzaldehyde and pyrogallol, kinetic parameters such as the overall rate constants, activation energies (E_a) and logA values are investigated. The activation energies for 1.5 and 3.0 B/P mole ratios are found as 62.3 kJ mol^?1 and 56.4 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The molecular weights of the resins determined by measuring intrinsic viscosities (25°C, THF) are in the range of 0.03 to 0.07 dL g^?1 at various temperatures and B/P mole ratios.     

What are the key elements of a sustainable university?

Nowadays, the principles of sustainable development are becoming increasingly important and universities are acting as agents in promoting these principles within society. In the future, universities will inevitably play crucial role in propagating these principles. This paper highlights important documents and discusses definitions of the term education for sustainable development. Elements, based on continuous feedback loop (Deming spiral) are discussed, in order to incorporate sustainability principles into university activities. The University of Maribor has been used as a case study to test the effectiveness of the proposed integration of sustainable development principles.     

Changes in polymer foils used in food packaging tested by using differential scanning calorimetry

This work is an experimental study of the differential scanning calorimetry characterisation of polymer materials used in food packaging materials, such as polypropylene (0.03 mm), polyethylene (0.1 and 0.03 mm), poly(D-(-)-Β-hydroxybutyrate) (powder), two-layered polypropylene (0.064 mm), and two-layered polypropylene with poly-vinylidene-chloride (0.012/0.021). The polymer stability was checked by simulation of conditions during food preparation in microwave ovens, sterilisation or rapid freezing. The materials were tested in the temperature range from 40 to 200‡C at different scan rates from 2 to 30°C min⁻¹ during heating or cooling. The enthalpies show a high correlation coefficient (0.964) with scan rate. All samples undergo phase change in the temperature range from 107 to 173°C during heating and enthalpies are in the range from 31.8 to 71.1Jg⁻¹. Upon subsequent cooling from 200°C, the temperature range of phase changes is shifted to lower temperatures from 86 to 102°C with enthalpies ranging from 30.4 to 57.8 J g⁻¹. Experiments with exposure of polymers to microwave radiation and freezing prove that the phase change considering the temperature range is very similar in all experiments.     

Convolutional solutions of partial difference equations

A significant part of the theory of one-dimensional linear shift-invariant systems is based on the concept of weighting function (or impulse response): the output is the convolution of the weighting function with the input. This paper introduces the concept of linear translation-invariant systems and uses this notion in studying impulse response, z-transforms, and transfer functions for multidimensional systems.     

Vortices in anisotropic type-II superconductors

We present a generalized variational model of an isolated vortex, valid in the anisotropic case when the external magnetic field is along one of the symmetry directions. We discuss the effects of the field anisotropy on the core and magnetic pinning of individual vortices.     

Coupling GIS with Hydrologic and Hydraulic Flood Modelling

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been recognised as a powerful means to integrate and analyse data from various sources in the context of comprehensive floodplain management. As part of this comprehensive approach to floodplain management, it is very important to be able to predict the consequences of different scenarios in terms of flooded areas and associated risk. Hydrologic and hydraulic modelling plays a crucial role and there is much to gain in incorporating these modelling capabilities in GIS. This is still a rather complex task and research is being done on the full integration of these models. Interfacing between these models and GIS may be a very efficient way of overcoming the difficulties and getting very good results in terms of engineering practice. This paper presents results based on the use of Intergraph GIS coupled with Idrisi GIS. Using these two systems substantially increased the flexibility of using GIS as a tool for flood studies. A lumped (XSRAIN) and a distributed (OMEGA) hydrologic models were used to simulate flood hydrographs. The well known HEC-2 Hydraulic model was used to compute flooded areas. These models were applied in the Livramento catchment with very good results. The computation of flooded areas for different flood scenarios, and its representation in GIS, can be used in the assessment of affected property and associated damages. This is a very useful GIS-based approach to floodplain management.