Influence of geosynthetic reinforcement on the load-settlement characteristics of two-layer subgrade

The possibility of realistic prediction of two-layer subgrade load-settlement characteristics is discussed. The case of improvement of the soft subgrade properties using the geosynthetic reinforcement placed at the boundary between two different subgrade layers is analysed. In the first part of the paper, a short review of the main conclusions from experimental results dealing with the influence of geosynthetic reinforcement on the load-settlement characteristics of subgrade is presented. Then, the results of using the selected analytical membrane-action model to describe the reinforcement action in soil are discussed. The model is verified on the basis of data obtained from previously published laboratory tests. Particular attention is devoted to influencing some basic initial parameters on the accuracy of obtained results. Important problems which need intensive investigations are identified.     

Electrodynamic headphones and woofers for application in magnetic resonance imaging scanners

Electrodynamic speakers compatible with (functional) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are described. The speakers magnets are removed, their function is replaced by the scanner's magnetic field, resulting in an uncommon but efficient operation. The method can be used with headphones as well as woofers. Functional MRI is not associated with any known biological risks, but as a method for visualization of task-specific activation of brain regions it is undesirably noisy. Thus, it requires both noise protection and efficient sound transmission systems for delivering acoustic stimuli to subjects. Woofers could possibly be used in active noise-control systems. The speakers described in this paper can be used for either task.     

Computing delay resistant railway timetables

In the past, much research has been dedicated to compute optimum railway timetables. A typical objective has been the minimization of passenger waiting times. But only the planned nominal waiting times have been addressed, whereas delays as they occur in daily operations have been neglected. Delays have been rather treated mainly in an online context and solved as a separate optimization problem, called delay management.We provide the first computational study which aims at computing delay resistant periodic timetables. In particular we assess the delay resistance of a timetable by evaluating it subject to several delay scenarios to which optimum delay management will be applied.We arrive at computing delay resistant timetables by selecting a new objective function which we design to be somehow in the middle of the traditional simple timetabling objective and the sophisticated delay management objective. This is a slight extension of the concept of “light robustness” (LR) as it has been proposed by Fischetti and Monaci [2006. Robust optimization through branch-and-price. In: Proceedings of AIRO]. Moreover, in our application we are able to provide accurate interpretations for the ingredients of LR. We apply this new technique to real-world data of a part of the German railway network of Deutsche Bahn AG. Our computational results suggest that a significant decrease of passenger delays can be obtained at a relatively small price of robustness, i.e. by increasing the nominal travel times of the passengers.     

Report on the 2nd International Summer School on Network and Service Management (ISSNSM’08)

This report summarizes the 2nd International Summer School on Network and Service Management (ISSNSM’08), which was held at the Communication Systems Group (CSG) of the Department of Informatics (IFI), University of Zurich, Switzerland, on 2–6 June 2008. Supported by the European FP6 Network of Excellence for the Management of Internet Technologies and Complex Services (EMANICS), the ISSNSM presented within 5 days eight different topics, covering the areas of (1) security, (2) virtualization and simulations, and (3) network monitoring and management. All of these run for a full or half day, including a short theoretical introduction and larger practical lab course components, respectively.

Stability of bioactive polyphenols from honey during different extraction methods

The LC–MS/MS technique was applied to the stability study of several flavonoids and phenolic acids in honey samples during the ultrasonic extraction (USE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). Phenolic compounds from the standard mixture were stable under ultrasounds action with the mean recovery of (90.4% ± 7.1%), but during microwave-assisted extraction the benzoic acid derivatives and aglycones of flavonoids showed lower recovery (70–80%). In honey matrix, the phenolic acids and the glycosides exhibited the high stability for MAE and USE treatments. However, the recoveries of tested aglycones were below 10%. In the presence of an artificial sugar matrix, flavonols were almost completely degraded after successive treatment under MAE and USE conditions. The obtained results indicated that standard addition method for flavonoids quantification in honey samples should not be recommended. Application of the USE conditions provided higher and/or similar extraction yields for phenolic acids than usually applied shaking with solvent. It also allowed shortening the time required for the whole sample preparation procedure. Phenolic acids and glycosides such as quercetrin, rutin and hesperidin appeared to be stable under such conditions.     

The influence of post-mortem ageing and roasting on the microstructure, texture and collagen solubility of bovine semitendinosus muscle

Bovine semitendinosus (ST) muscles aged for 5 and 12 days at 4?°C were roasted at 170?°C to internal temperatures of 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90?°C. Microstructural changes in meat were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Texture profile analysis (TPA) and measurements of the shear force values of samples were conducted using a texture analyser. The cooking losses and quantity of total and soluble collagen were also estimated. The structure of intramuscular connective tissue and myofibrillar structure of meat after 5 days of ageing was very regular. In 12-day-aged samples fibrous and myofibrillar structures were less distinct, damages of endomysium tubes appeared and fibres of perimysium were swelled. Ageing of ST muscle for 12 days caused a two-fold increase in the quantity of soluble collagen and a two-fold decrease in the value of TPA parameters-hardness and chewiness, as compared to 5-day-aged samples. The decrease in fibre diameter and sarcomere length during roasting started at 60?°C in 5-day-aged meat and at 50?°C in 12-day-aged samples. The shear force values measured after roasting were lower for 12-day-aged meat than for 5-day-aged samples. The quantity of soluble collagen in roasted meat increased at an internal temperature of 80?°C. At a higher temperature of meat this variable depended on the degree of meat ageing. The cooking losses during roasting of meat were about 3% lower for 12-day-aged than for 5-day-aged samples. In the examined range of internal temperature of meat the cooking losses and the sarcomere length were negatively correlated.