NaOH treatment reduces capsaicin content and pungency of ‘Makedoniko’ pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Pickled peppers are preferred by certain consumer groups at reduced pungency. To investigate the reduction in pepper pungency and capsaicin content, fresh ‘Makedoniko’ hot peppers were treated with 0, 0.5 or 1% NaOH before preserved in acid brine for 60 days. Pepper physicochemical traits were monitored following NaOH treatment and during preservation. Capsaicin content was measured in the beginning and at the end of preservation, and the peppers were also tested organoleptically. Preservation in acid brine induced the typical green–yellow product colour, increased firmness and decreased the dry mass in all treatments. NaOH‐treated pepper increased phenolics, chlorophyll and antioxidant content in dry mass during preservation faster than the control. Capsaicin content was reduced by 25 or 50% following 0.5 or 1% NaOH treatment, respectively. Pepper organoleptic pungency was also decreased following 1% NaOH treatment. NaOH reduces capsaicin content and pungency of ‘Makedoniko’ pepper, with minor effects on its processed product quality.     

Static and dynamic behavior of single‐edge notched glass fabric composites

This article describes the results of a series of tests conducted to support the development of a semiempirical model, for predicting the mechanical degradation of a satin weave glass fabric composite, with through‐thickness damage in the form of a crack‐like edge‐centered notch. Test specimens were subjected to loading in both static three‐point bending and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) tests. The effect of both notch length and displacement rate, on the static and that of notch length on the dynamic behavior of the materials tested, was evaluated and compared with respective predictions, as derived from the application of the residual property model. A satisfactory agreement between the experimental results and theoretical predictions was observed in all cases. Scanning electron microscopy was applied to observe the failure topographical characteristics of the DMTA specimens that were off‐plane loaded. POLYM. COMPOS. 27:177–183, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Assessing Profitability Factors in the Greek Banking System: A Multicriteria Methodology

The increasing competition in the national and international banking markets, the changeover towards monetary union and the new technological innovations herald major changes in the banking environment, and challenge all banks to make timely preparations in order to enter into the new competitive monetary and financial environment. Therefore, it is interesting to investigate the effectiveness of Greek banks, as it is valued by the financial markets, i.e. the greater the efficacy the higher the competitiveness and vice versa. Taking into consideration the bank assets, we distinguish banks into small and large ones. Finding factors that make the differences in such effectiveness may explain the effective advantage of these two types of financial institutions and help us understand the 'financial intermediation' industry in Greece better. Based on their size, a classification of Greek banks, in a multivariate environment, according to the return and operation factors for the years 1990–1999 takes place. In order to investigate the differences of profitability and efficiency between small and large Greek banks, as well as the factors of profitability and operation related with the size of banks, a multicriteria methodology has been used. The results of this paper may help us determine the key success (or failure) factors of these two categories of Greek banks as well as the responsible banking decision–makers for future readjustments.     

Analysis of tunable photonic crystal devices comprising liquid crystal materials as defects

The tuning properties of two-dimensional dielectric and metallic photonic crystals, which contain nematic liquid crystal materials as defect elements or layers, are thoroughly analyzed using appropriate formulations of the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. Our methodology correctly incorporates the anisotropy introduced by the liquid crystal materials together with the dispersive properties of the metallic elements; it is used for calculating both the dispersion diagrams of the defect-free photonic crystal as well as the device response in the presence of the defect elements. Numerical simulations reveal that defect states originating from the liquid crystal impurities can be effectively tuned by the application of a local static electric field. Indeed, tuning ranges up to almost 100 nm can be achieved requiring operating voltages lower than 4 V. It is also concluded that the placement of a defect mode relative to the bandgap edges greatly influences both its linewidth as well as its tuning range.