Supporting real-time and multimedia applications on the Mercuritestbed

This paper describes the distributed system, network and software architecture, the application development environment, the performance, and the early lessons learned on the ATM LAN testbed Mercuri established at the Honeywell Technology Center, to develop distributed multimedia technologies for real-time control applications. We have developed a client-server-based software architecture on Sun Sparcstation-2s connected by a Fore Systems' ASX-100 ATM switch, with video processing handled by Parallax's X Video cards. The architecture enables network-transparent applications and provides simple primitives for multimedia capture, display, transmission, storage, and retrieval. A real-time multimedia-in-the-loop control application was developed as the vehicle for testing the capabilities and performance of the network. Our test measurements focus on the end-user-level performance metrics such as message throughput and round-trip delay as well as video-frame jitter under no-load and load conditions. Our results show that the maximum burst throughput that can be supported at the user level is 48 Mb/s using AAL 5, while round-trip delays for 4-kbyte messages are about 3 ms. Our experience reveals a number of performance bottlenecks and open issues in using commercial ATM switches for practical applications. Our conclusions are outlined     

Metabolic activation and inactivation of metanil yellow and orange II in the Salmonella typhimurium his-reversion assay.

Among a variety of experimental protocols used, the combined use of 0.5% dextrose in bottom agar and 1 micromol of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) in preincubation mixtures without fraction S9 mix resulted in the highest level of induced Salmonella typhimurium his reversions with both dyes metanil yellow and orange 11 with strain TA100. Strain TA98 yielded notably lower levels of reversions under the same conditions. The presence of uninduced hamster liver S9 fraction resulted in a weak mutagenic response while Aroclor 1254-induced rat liver S9 fraction resulted in the complete absence of mutagenicity with both strains and with both dyes.     

Spectral Measurement of the Film-Substrate Index Difference in Proton-Exchanged LiNbO(3) Waveguides

We report the spectral characterization of proton-exchanged lithium niobate (PE:LiNbO(3)) waveguides in terms of the variation of the refractive-index difference between the waveguiding layer and the substrate. The dispersion of the extraordinary refractive-index increase (deltan(e)) is measured from 405 to 1319 nm with several light sources. Two types of proton-exchanged waveguide, prepared under different conditions, are studied. These measurements should be of use in the optimization of PE:LiNbO(3) waveguides for nonlinear optical applications, particularly in second-harmonic generation in the blue-green wavelength region.     

Speckle interferometry measurements of the conductor displacementsin the CERN-LHC main dipole

Magnetic field quality in superconducting magnets strongly depends on conductor position in operational conditions. Simulations based on finite-element models (FEM) provide the field of stresses and displacements inside the magnet. Due to the complex mechanical behavior of the coil and to the different materials composing the magnet, it is not trivial to build a reliable mechanical model. We present an experimental method based on optical measurements to validate the accuracy of the FEM in evaluating differential displacements at room temperature. A short sample of dipole coils is loaded through a small press and speckle interferometry measurements detect differential displacements with an accuracy of 1.5 μm. Comparison with the numerical results allows the testing of the most critical features of the model, i.e., a pressure-dependent coil elasticity and the interfaces between different materials. A good agreement between measurements and deformed geometry foreseen by the FEM is found     

Properties of Dried and Intermediate Moisture Honey Products: A Review

This review discusses the processing techniques proposed for the production of dried and intermediate moisture honey products, as well as their properties. Stickiness is the major problem in the drying of sugar rich products like honey, that depend on the type of sugar and temperature of operation, which are related to the glass transition temperature. Some additives are usually added to the sugary feed to increase the glass transition temperature and concurrently the sticky point temperature. In the case of honey-fruit spreads, nutritional and sensory characteristics can be enhanced by replacing part of sugar with honey. Co-crystallization of honey with sucrose could be used to preserve the honey flavor. These diversified honey products provide better taste and nutrition to the consumer besides enhancing the utilization of honey.     

Dietary fiber from coconut residue: effects of different treatments and particle size on the hydration properties

The present work is aimed at the production of dietary fiber from underutilized coconut residue left after the extraction of milk, by subjecting it to physical treatments such as water washing, hot water washing, boiling water washing and pressure cooking, as well as solvent extraction. The fat content was reduced from 62% to 45% and 41% by treatment with boiling water and pressure-cooking, respectively. Water-holding, water retention and swelling capacities increased with decreasing fat content. A marked increase was observed in hydration properties when the fat content decreased from 10 to 2%. The hydration properties were maximum for 550 m particle size coconut fiber. For the higher particle size (1,127 m), the oil was trapped inside the fiber matrix, resulting in decreased hydration properties, whereas for the lower particle size (390 m) the rupture of the fiber matrix was responsible for low hydration properties. An attempt was made to compare the hydration properties of coconut dietary fiber with other commercially available dietary fibers.     

Opportunities and challenges in application of ultrasound in food processing

The demand for convenience foods of the highest quality in terms of natural flavor and taste, and which are free from additives and preservatives, has spurred the need for the development of a number of non-thermal approaches to food processing, of which ultrasound technology has proven to be very valuable. Increasing number of recent publications have demonstrated the potential of this technology in food processing. A combination of ultrasound with pressure and/or heat is a promising alternative for the rapid inactivation of microorganisms and enzymes. Therefore, novel techniques like thermosonication, manosonication, and manothermosonication may be a more relevant energy-efficient processing alternative for the food industry in times to come. This review aims at identifying the opportunities and challenges associated with this technology. In addition to discussing the effects of ultrasound on foods, this review covers various areas that have been identified as having great potential for future development. It has been realized that ultrasound has much to offer to the food industry such as inactivation of microorganisms and enzymes, crystallization, drying, degassing, extraction, filtration, homogenization, meat tenderization, oxidation, sterilization, etc., including efficiency enhancement of various operations and online detection of contaminants in foods. Selected practical examples in the food industry have been presented and discussed. A brief account of the challenges in adopting this technology for industrial development has also been included.