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Processing Techniques (processing + techniques)
Kinds of Processing Techniques Selected AbstractsGedanken zur Zukunft der FeststoffverfahrenstechnikCHEMIE-INGENIEUR-TECHNIK (CIT), Issue 12 2002H.J. Feise Dr. Abstract Die chemische Industrie erlebt derzeit große Veränderungen. Für die Zukunft erwarten die im ,Solids Processing Industrial Network" beteiligten Experten, dass sich zwei verschiedene Arten von chemischen Anlagen entwickeln: einerseits die vielseitige, modularisierte Mehrzweckanlage und andererseits ,World scale"-Großanlagen. Gleichzeitig wird der bereits hohe Anteil von Feststoffen unter den Produkten der chemischen Industrie weiter steigen und neue Anforderungen stellen: Die Kleinmengenprodukte müssen individuell auf die Bedürfnisse des jeweiligen Kunden zugeschnitten werden, wodurch Product Design zu einer den Wettbewerb bestimmenden Technologie wird. Bei Großanlagen müssen neue Technologien entwickelt werden, welche die notwendigen, hohen Durchsätze bereitstellen und außerdem vom Labor- auf World scale-Maßstab hochskaliert werden können. Einen erheblichen Anteil am künftigen Erfolg wird die Automatisierung haben, deren Einsatz zum Großteil von der Verfügbarkeit geeigneter Inline-Messsysteme und der Entwicklung von Modellen zur Simulation des Prozesses und der dazugehörigen Partikeleigenschaften abhängen wird. On the Future of Solid Processing Techniques The chemical industry is experiencing major changes. The experts of the "Solids Processing Industrial Network" expect that in the future two kinds of chemical plants will develop: on the one hand the polyvalent, multipurpose, modular plant and on the other hand the world-scale plants. At the same time the high percentage of solids as products of chemical processes will continue to increase and therefore new challenges have to be met. Small-scale production of solids has to be customized to the individual customer needs, which means that product design will be a technology that defines the competitiveness. For large plants techniques have to be developed that enable large volumes to be produced but that also allow the reliable scale-up from laboratory scale to world-scale production. Automatization will play a crucial role in the success of solids processing, which will depend on the availability of on-line measurement systems and the development of simulation models for the processes and the particle properties involved. [source] EFFECT OF PROCESSING ON BACTERIAL POPULATION OF CUTTLE FISH AND CRAB AND DETERMINATION OF BACTERIAL SPOILAGE AND RANCIDITY DEVELOPING ON FROZEN STORAGEJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 1 2007THAILAMBAL ANANTHA SUBRAMANIAN ABSTRACT Processing techniques like cooking and freezing exhibited significant (P < 0.001) reduction in the bacterial load of cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis, and marine crab, Portunus pelagicus. Raw cuttle fish had 2.4 × 107 cfu/g which on cooking reduced to 9.7 × 106 cfu/g. Freezing reduced the bacterial load further as cooked frozen product had only 9.9 × 104 cfu/g. Similarly, raw crab had 2.6 × 107 cfu/g which on cooking reduced to 6.5 × 106 cfu/g. A further reduction in bacterial load was seen after freezing as cooked frozen crab exhibited only 7.3 × 104 cfu/g. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were present in the limit of acceptability for fish and fish products. Salmonella typhimurium and Vibrio cholerae were absent even in raw stage. Biochemical analysis performed on stored frozen products of cuttle fish and crab exhibited a significant (P , 0.05) increase in bacterial spoilage and rancidity with increasing days of storage. Total volatile base nitrogen, trimethylamine, thiobarbituric acid and free fatty acid contents in frozen products of cuttle fish and crab increased significantly with 120 days of frozen storage. [source] Teaching image processing: A two-step processCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 3 2008Clarence Han-Wei Yapp Abstract An interactive program for teaching digital image processing techniques is presented in this article. Instead of heavy programming tasks and mathematical functions, students are led step by step through the exercises and then allowed to experiment. This article evaluates the proposed program and compares it with existing techniques. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 16: 211,222, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20149 [source] Three-Dimensional Surface Texture Characterization of Portland Cement Concrete PavementsCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2007Ala Abbas Ten PCC field cores of varying surface textures were included in the analysis. X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) was used to scan the upper portion of these cores, resulting in a stack of two-dimensional grayscale images. Image processing techniques were utilized to isolate the void pixels from the solid pixels and reconstruct the three-dimensional surface topography. The resulting three-dimensional surfaces were reduced to two-dimensional "map of heights" images, whereby the grayscale intensity of each pixel within the image represented the vertical location of the surface at that point with respect to the lowest point on the surface. The "map of heights" images were analyzed using four mathematical methods, namely the Hessian model, the Fast Fourier transform (FFT), the wavelet analysis, and the power spectral density (PSD). Results obtained using these methods were compared to the mean profile depth (MPD) computed in accordance with ASTM E1845. [source] Nuclear magnetic resonance data processing.CONCEPTS IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE, Issue 2 2003MestRe-C: A software package for desktop computers Abstract Magnetic Resonance Companion (MestRe-C) is a software package that offers state-of-the-art facilities for data processing, visualization, and analysis of high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data, combined with a robust, user-friendly graphical interface that fully exploits the power and flexibility of the Windows platform. The program provides a variety of conversion facilities for most NMR spectrometer formats and includes all the conventional processing, displaying, and plotting capabilities of an NMR program, as well as more advanced processing techniques. A brief review of the basic concepts of NMR data processing is included also. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 19A: 80,96, 2003. [source] Parallel processing of remotely sensed hyperspectral imagery: full-pixel versus mixed-pixel classificationCONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 13 2008Antonio J. Plaza Abstract The rapid development of space and computer technologies allows for the possibility to store huge amounts of remotely sensed image data, collected using airborne and satellite instruments. In particular, NASA is continuously gathering high-dimensional image data with Earth observing hyperspectral sensors such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's airborne visible,infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS), which measures reflected radiation in hundreds of narrow spectral bands at different wavelength channels for the same area on the surface of the Earth. The development of fast techniques for transforming massive amounts of hyperspectral data into scientific understanding is critical for space-based Earth science and planetary exploration. Despite the growing interest in hyperspectral imaging research, only a few efforts have been devoted to the design of parallel implementations in the literature, and detailed comparisons of standardized parallel hyperspectral algorithms are currently unavailable. This paper compares several existing and new parallel processing techniques for pure and mixed-pixel classification in hyperspectral imagery. The distinction of pure versus mixed-pixel analysis is linked to the considered application domain, and results from the very rich spectral information available from hyperspectral instruments. In some cases, such information allows image analysts to overcome the constraints imposed by limited spatial resolution. In most cases, however, the spectral bands collected by hyperspectral instruments have high statistical correlation, and efficient parallel techniques are required to reduce the dimensionality of the data while retaining the spectral information that allows for the separation of the classes. In order to address this issue, this paper also develops a new parallel feature extraction algorithm that integrates the spatial and spectral information. The proposed technique is evaluated (from the viewpoint of both classification accuracy and parallel performance) and compared with other parallel techniques for dimensionality reduction and classification in the context of three representative application case studies: urban characterization, land-cover classification in agriculture, and mapping of geological features, using AVIRIS data sets with detailed ground-truth. Parallel performance is assessed using Thunderhead, a massively parallel Beowulf cluster at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The detailed cross-validation of parallel algorithms conducted in this work may specifically help image analysts in selection of parallel algorithms for specific applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Bulk Nanostructured Materials: Non-Mechanical Synthesis,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 8 2010Yulia Ivanisenko An overview of the synthesis and processing techniques for bulk nanostructured materials that are based on "bottom-up" approaches is presented. Typically, these processes use nanoparticles, which can be produced by a variety of methods in the gas, liquid or solid state, as the basic building blocks. Their assembly into bulk nanostructured materials requires at least one more processing step, such as compaction or the formation of thick films. For certain nanostructures, film deposition techniques can also be employed. A wide range of nanostructures , from thick films with theoretical density to bulk nanocrystalline materials with nanoporosity , exhibiting novel structural and functional properties useful in many fields of applications are presented. Additionally, the properties of these bulk nanostructured materials can be categorized as either tailored, i.e., microstructure-dependent and inherently irreversible, or tunable, i.e., reversible by the application of an external field. Examples of both categories of properties are presented and the special role of the synthesis and processing routes to achieve the necessary nanostructures is emphasized. [source] Nanoscale Grain Refinement and H-Sorption Properties of MgH2 Processed by High-Pressure Torsion and Other Mechanical Routes,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 8 2010Daniel Rodrigo Leiva MgH2 is a promising material for solid-state hydrogen storage due to its high gravimetric and volumetric storage capacity and its relatively low cost. Severe plastic deformation (SPD) processing techniques are being explored as an alternative to high-energy ball-milling (HEBM) in order to obtain more air resistant materials and reduce processing times. In this work, Mg, MgH2, and MgH2,Fe mixtures were severely mechanically processed by different techniques such as high-pressure torsion (HPT), extensive cold forging, and cold rolling. A very significant grain refinement was achieved when using MgH2 instead of Mg as raw material. The mean crystallite sizes observed ranged from 10 to 30,nm, depending on the processing conditions. Enhanced H-sorption properties were observed for the MgH2 -based nanocomposites processed by HPT when compared with MgH2 mixtures. Additionally, cold forging and cold rolling also proved effective in nanostructuring MgH2. These results suggest a high potential for innovative application with the use of low cost mechanical processing routes to produce Mg-based nanomaterials with attractive hydrogen storage properties. [source] Synthesis of Carrier-Transporting Dendrimers with Perylenebis(dicarboximide)s as a Luminescent CoreEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2006Jianfeng Pan Abstract Well-defined, modular dendrimers enable processing techniques and electronic properties to be tuned independently. Moreover, the dendritic topology can isolate the core chromophore, thus reducing or eliminating strong intermolecular interactions. This paper presents the synthesis of three series of flexible, dendron-functionalized dendrimers as red-light-emitting materials by a convergent approach: (1) carbazole (CZ) or oxadiazole (OXZ) terminated imide-type dendrimers, (2) cascade energy-transferring imide-type dendrimers, and (3) CZ-terminated perylene bay-type dendrimers. They all consist of the luminescent core of perylenebis(dicarboximide)s with specific functional groups of CZ or OXZ at the periphery and are constructed from flexible Fréchet-type poly(aryl ether) dendrons. The chemical structures of the dendrons and dendrimers were determined by standard spectroscopic techniques including 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and low/high-resolution mass spectrometry (ESI or MALDI-TOF). The dendrimers are designed on the basis of the following considerations: (1) dendron functionalization to incorporate CZ or OXZ units to realize the carrier-injection adjustment, (2) tuning or improving solubility, functionality, glass-transition temperature (Tg) with well-defined dendrons, and (3) avoiding luminescence quenching with the help of high site-isolation of dendrons to enhance core luminescence. DSC results indicate that the incorporation of Fréchet-type poly(aryl ether) dendrons can improve the amorphous properties and increase Tg. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006) [source] The Manufacture of Porous Ceramics Using Supercritical Fluid TechnologyADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 3 2008S. Matthews Supercritical fluid-assisted technology has been combined with conventional polymer processing techniques, such as injection moulding and extrusion to manufacture porous ceramics components. This paper introduces the new process and highlights one of the key benefits of this technique; the ability to control the porous network formed. It was found that by altering the binder formulation and processing conditions the pore size, pore type and pore density could be controlled. [source] Novel Nanoparticle-Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites with Enhanced Mechanical PropertiesADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 8 2007C. Tjong Abstract This paper summarizes and reviews the state-of-the-art processing methods, structures and mechanical properties of the metal matrix composites reinforced with ceramic nanoparticles. The metal matrices of nanocomposites involved include aluminum and magnesium. The processing approaches for nanocomposites can be classified into ex-situ and in-situ synthesis routes. The ex-situ ceramic nanoparticles are prone to cluster during composite processing and the properties of materials are lower than the theoretical values. Despite the fact of clustering, ex-situ nanocomposites reinforced with very low loading levels of nanoparticles exhibit higher yield strength and creep resistance than their microcomposite counterparts filled with much higher particulate content. Better dispersion of ceramic nanoparticles in metal matrix can be achieved by using appropriate processing techniques. Consequently, improvements in both the mechanical strength and ductility can be obtained readily in aluminum or magnesium by adding ceramic nanoparticles. Similar beneficial enhancements in mechanical properties are observed for the nanocomposites reinforced with in-situ nanoparticles. [source] Variation in essential oil composition of rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium sp.) distilled by different distillation techniques,FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2005Kiran G. D. Babu Abstract The rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium sp.) cultivar ,Kelkar', grown in the agroclimatic conditions of the western Himalayas, was processed by various hydrodistillation methods, which revealed that water distillation of the herb gave a higher oil yield (0.16,0.22%) than the water,steam distillation (0.09,0.12%) and steam distillation methods (0.06,0.18%). The samples were analysed by GC and GC,MS to study and compare the essential oil compositions which revealed that the oil distilled by the water,steam distillation method contained a higher content of monoterpene hydrocarbons (1.7%), followed by steam distillation without cohobation and without recycling (1.5%). A higher content of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (4.4%) was found in cumulative oil followed by ,direct oil' (4.2%) obtained by steam distillation with cohobation and without recycling of hydrosol, followed by the water,steam distillation method (3.4%). ,Decanted oil', recovered from redistilling the hydrosol obtained by steam distillation with cohobation and without recycling, contained maximum monoterpene cyclic ethers (1.1%) and carbonyl content (9.9%), closely followed by water,steam distillation method (1.1% and 7.2%, respectively). Steam distillation without cohobation and without recycling of hydrosol yielded essential oil with a higher percentage of esters (21.1%), followed by ,direct oil' (16.6%). Lower ester content (5.3%) was noticed in ,decanted oil', followed by oil distilled by steam distillation with cohobation and with recycling (11.8%) and oil distilled in a Clevenger apparatus by the water distillation method (12.2%), whereas maximum total alcohols were found in the ,decanted oil' (75.1%), followed by oil from the Clevenger apparatus (72.8%) and steam distillation with cohobation and with recycling (69.1%). A lower alcohol content was found in the ,direct oil' (55.2%) closely followed by ,cumulative oil' (55.8%). The variation in total alcohol and ester contents in geranium oil samples, distilled by using different processing techniques on pilot scale distillation, is mainly due to hydrolysis of some volatile constituents. This was further supported by acid values of the oils, along with other physicochemical properties, such as speci,c gravity, optical rotation, refractive index, solubility in alcohol, ester value with cold and hot methods, estimation of ester content as geranyl formate and geranyl tiglate, ester number after acetylation, and ester number after formylation with aceto-formic acid and formic acid. Methods have been standardized and proposed for distillations of speci,c quality, e.g. ester-rich and alcohol-rich geranium oils, to meet different requirements of the industry. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Unsupervised separation of seismic waves using the watershed algorithm on time-scale imagesGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 4 2004Antoine Roueff ABSTRACT This paper illustrates the use of image processing techniques for separating seismic waves. Because of the non-stationarity of seismic signals, the continuous wavelet transform is more suitable than the conventional Fourier transforms for the representation, and thus the analysis, of seismic processes. It provides a 2D representation, called a scalogram, of a 1D signal where the seismic events are well localized and isolated. Supervised methods based on this time-scale representation have already been used to separate seismic events, but they require strong interactions with the geophysicist. This paper focuses on the use of the watershed algorithm to segment time-scale representations of seismic signals, which leads to an automatic estimation of the wavelet representation of each wave separately. The computation of the inverse wavelet transform then leads to the reconstruction of the different waves. This segmentation, tracked over the different traces of the seismic profile, enables an accurate separation of the different wavefields. This method has been successfully validated on several real data sets. [source] Stretchable, Curvilinear Electronics Based on Inorganic MaterialsADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 19 2010Dae-Hyeong Kim Abstract All commercial forms of electronic/optoelectronic technologies use planar, rigid substrates. Device possibilities that exploit bio-inspired designs or require intimate integration with the human body demand curvilinear shapes and/or elastic responses to large strain deformations. This article reviews progress in research designed to accomplish these outcomes with established, high-performance inorganic electronic materials and modest modifications to conventional, planar processing techniques. We outline the most well developed strategies and illustrate their use in demonstrator devices that exploit unique combinations of shape, mechanical properties and electronic performance. We conclude with an outlook on the challenges and opportunities for this emerging area of materials science and engineering. [source] Towards Optimization of Materials for Dye-Sensitized Solar CellsADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 45 2009Yanhong Luo Abstract Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have received widespread attention owing to their low cost, easy fabrication, and relatively high solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency. Based on the nanocrystalline TiO2 electrode, Ru-polypyridyl-complex dye, liquid electrolyte with I,/I3, redox couple, and Pt counter electrode, DSCs have already exhibited an efficiency above 11% and offer an appealing alternative to conventional solar cells. However, further improvements in the efficiency and stability are still required to drive forward practical application. These improvements require the cooperative optimization of the component materials, structures, and processing techniques. In this Research News article, recent progress in DSCs made by our group are reviewed, including some novel approaches to the synthesis of solid-state and environmentally friendly electrolytes, the fabrication of alternative low-cost nanostructural electrodes, and the control of recombination at the interfaces. [source] Polyphenylene-Based Materials: Control of the Electronic Function by Molecular and Supramolecular ComplexityADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 10-11 2009Bruno Schmaltz Abstract Organic electronics is one of the hottest and most exciting research topics today. However, its performance still lags behind that of inorganic-based electronics. This Progress Report demonstrates that by controlling the complexity of organic molecules at the molecular and at the supramolecular level as well as by choosing suitable processing techniques, the desired function for applications in electronics can be achieved. Our main focus is on polyphenylene-based nanomaterials, versatile organic molecules that allow access to novel intricate materials. We emphasize the molecular complexity as well as the supramolecular organization and the interfacing of novel organic materials as key guidelines. [source] Natural gradient algorithm for neural networks applied to non-linear high power amplifiers,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, Issue 8 2002H. Abdulkader Abstract This paper investigates the processing techniques for non-linear high power amplifiers (HPA) using neural networks (NNs). Several applications are presented: Identification and Predistortion of the HPA. Various Neural Network structures are proposed to identify and predistort the HPA. Since a few decades, NNs have shown excellent performance in solving complex problems (like classification, recognition, etc.) but usually they suffer from slow convergence speed. Here, we propose to use the natural gradient instead of the classical ordinary gradient in order to enhance the convergence properties. Results are presented concerning identification and predistortion using classical and natural gradient. Practical implementations issues are given at the end of the paper. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A batch-type time-true ATM-network simulator,design for parallel processingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 8 2002Michael Logothetis Abstract This paper presents a new type of network simulator for simulating the call-level operations of telecom networks and especially ATM networks. The simulator is a pure time-true type as opposed to a call-by-call type simulator. It is also characterized as a batch-type simulator. The entire simulation duration is divided into short time intervals of equal duration, t. During t, a batch processing of call origination or termination events is executed and the time-points of these events are sorted. The number of sorting executions is drastically reduced compared to a call-by-call simulator, resulting in considerable timesaving. The proposed data structures of the simulator can be implemented by a general-purpose programming language and are well fitted to parallel processing techniques for implementation on parallel computers, for further savings of execution time. We have first implemented the simulator in a sequential computer and then we have applied parallelization techniques to achieve its implementation on a parallel computer. In order to simplify the parallelization procedure, we dissociate the core simulation from the built-in call-level functions (e.g. bandwidth control or dynamic routing) of the network. The key point for a parallel implementation is to organize data by virtual paths (VPs) and distribute them among processors, which all execute the same set of instructions on this data. The performance of the proposed batch-type, time-true, ATM-network simulator is compared with that of a call-by-call simulator to reveal its superiority in terms of sequential execution time (when both simulators run on conventional computers). Finally, a measure of the accuracy of the simulation results is given. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Position-dependent defocus processing for acoustic holography imagesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMAGING SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2002Ruming Yin Acoustic holography is a transmission-based ultrasound imaging method that uses optical image reconstruction and provides a larger field of view than pulse-echo ultrasound imaging. A focus parameter controls the position of the focal plane along the optical axis, and the images obtained contain defocused content from objects not near the focal plane. Moreover, it is not always possible to bring all objects of interest into simultaneous focus. In this article, digital image processing techniques are presented to (1) identify a "best focused" image from a sequence of images taken with different focus settings and (2) simultaneously focus every pixel in the image through fusion of pixels from different frames in the sequence. Experiments show that the three-dimensional image information provided by acoustic holography requires position-dependent filtering for the enhancement step. It is found that filtering in the spatial domain is more computationally efficient than in the frequency domain. In addition, spatial domain processing gives the best performance. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 12, 101,111, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.10017 [source] MEMS capacitive series switch fabricated using PCB technologyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2007Ramesh Ramadoss Abstract In this article, an RF MEMS capacitive series switch fabricated using printed circuit processing techniques is discussed. Design, modeling, fabrication, and characterization of the CPW series switch are presented. An example CPW series capacitive switch with insertion loss less than 0.5 dB in the frequency range of 13,18 GHz and isolation better than 10 dB up to 18 GHz is discussed. The switch provides a minimum insertion loss of about 0.1 dB at the self-resonance frequency of 16 GHz and a maximum isolation of about 42 dB at 1 GHz. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2007. [source] Effects of oat processing on the glycaemic and insulin responses in horsesJOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 3-4 2003I. Vervuert Summary This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different oat processing techniques on the plasma glucose and insulin response in horses. In a cross-over design, six horses (ages 4,15 years, mean body weight ± SD: 450 ± 37 kg) were fed in random order: untreated oats, finely ground, steam-flaked and popped oats. The total oat intake varied between 1.05,1.5 kg/day, and the amount of diet was adjusted to a starch content of 630 g starch per day and horse (1.2,1.5 g starch/kg BW/day). During the stabilization period of 10 days, horses additionally received 6 kg grass hay. Following this adaptation period, plasma glucose and insulin responses to the respective dietary treatments were tested. Horses were fed their test diet (exclusively oats), and blood samples were collected at defined times to determine glycaemic and insulin response. Oat feeding resulted in a significant increase in mean plasma glucose and insulin concentration. However, glucose and insulin peaks as well as their respective areas under the curves were not clearly influenced by oat processing. The glycaemic index varied between 94.7 ± 11.2% (steam-flaked oats) and 102.6 ± 14.5% (finely ground oats, n.s.), the insulin index ranged between 93.8 ± 18.9% (popped oats) and 150.0 ± 77.6% (finely ground oats, n.s.). The insulin reaction to oat feeding showed a high variability between the horses. The results of this study indicate that the glucose and insulin responses are not clearly altered by the different types of oat processing. However, the glucose and insulin responses tended to be lower in thermally treated oats when compared with untreated or finely ground oats. [source] TNO's work on intensification: practical examples,JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 2-3 2003Jan I Walpot Abstract TNO, a Dutch organisation for contract research, is and has been involved in numerous process intensification projects in close collaboration with national and international process industries. TNO has different facilities available to fulfil the demands of intensification projects. Depending on the focus of a project, a multidisciplinary team conducts experimental research, feasibility studies, process modelling, process design, pilot research and/or E-evaluations (economics, environment, energy). In this conference paper practical cases are described concerning novel processing techniques as well as novel reactors. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Rapid saliva processing techniques for near real-time analysis of salivary steroids and proteinJOURNAL OF CLINICAL LABORATORY ANALYSIS, Issue 6 2008Kelly R. Atkinson Abstract Introduction: Point-of-care (POC) measurements using saliva samples have immense potential to assess systemic health and wellbeing, but sample viscosity and contaminants can affect analyses. We sought a portable clean-up method for whole saliva appropriate for use with POC measurement techniques such as biosensors. Methods: Whole saliva from each of 13 male subjects was split into 5 fractions. Each fraction was treated with a different clean-up process: a freeze,thaw,centrifuge (FTC) step; centrifugation alone; or passage through a Mini-UniPrep polyethersulfone filter, cotton Salivette®, or foam Oracol device. Following clean-up, each subject's treated saliva fractions were assayed for cortisol, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and proteinconcentrations. The effects of clean-upmethods on nonspecific binding (NSB) in a biosensor were also assessed. Results: Compared with FTC, no analytes were affected by centrifugation alone. Cotton Salivettes significantly altered all analytes, with increases in cortisol (+64%), testosterone (+126%), and DHEA (off-scale) levels, and decreased protein (,21%) and biosensor NSB (,75%). Oracol foam devices decreased DHEA levels by 28%. Mini-UniPrep filtration decreased testosterone (,45%) and DHEA (,66%) concentrations while increasing cortisol (+40%). Conclusion: No method was optimal for all analytes, highlighting the need for validation of saliva treatment methods before their adoption in rapid POC analyses. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:395,402, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] PROCESSING OF FOXTAIL MILLET FOR IMPROVED NUTRIENT AVAILABILITYJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 3 2006VITHAL DEORAO PAWAR ABSTRACT Foxtail millet grains were soaked in distilled water (1:5, w/v) for 12 h at room temperature, dehulled; dehulled and soaked; and dehulled, soaked and cooked in distilled water (1:3, w/v), and the effects of removal of polyphenols and phytate on the in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) and availability of iron and zinc were measured. The results showed that polyphenols and phytate were decreased significantly up to 50.92 and 49.89%, respectively. The IVPD, however, increased up to 38.71%. The iron and zinc contents decreased up to 18.79 and 18.61%, respectively, but the ionizable iron and zinc were increased up to 55.45 and 80.18%, respectively. This indicated the suitability of simple processing techniques for improvement of availability of nutrients from foxtail millet. [source] EFFECT OF COMBINED UNDERWATER PROCESSING AND MILD PRECUT HEAT TREATMENT ON THE SENSORY QUALITY AND STORAGE OF FRESH-CUT CANTALOUPE MELONJOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY, Issue 4 2010KAREN L. BETT-GARBER ABSTRACT Improvement of storage quality of fresh-cut cantaloupe using a combination precut heat treatment and a modified underwater cutting treatment was determined. Eating quality was evaluated using descriptive sensory analysis, and fruit integrity was measured with respiration, cell leakage and product weight loss. Treatments included (1) control (no treatment); (2) making the first longitudinal cut underwater; (3) mild precut heat treatment in a water bath at 60C for 60 min; and (4) combination of precut heat treatment and the underwater cutting methods. Precut heating and processing underwater resulted in more intense fruity/melon flavor compared to conventional processed fresh-cut fruit. Reduced electrolyte leakage and enhanced membrane integrity were observed in all three experimental treatments, as evidenced by lower conductivity measurements. The underwater cut and combined treatments significantly reduced respiration during fresh-cut storage, reflecting less physical stress and membrane damage. Weight loss was not significantly affected by any treatment during fresh-cut storage. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS There is a steady increase in the consumption of fresh-cut produce. To enhance the storage quality of fresh-cut cantaloupe melon, two minimal processing techniques were examined separately and combined. The methods are mild heat treatment of the whole melon at 60C for 60 min then cooling to 4C for 24 h, cutting the cantaloupe in half and removing the seeds while submerged in a calcium chloride and water solution, and the combination of the two treatments. These methods are simple and can be utilized by small or large processors to maintain sensory quality and fruit integrity during storage. [source] VISCOSITY AND QUALITY OF TOMATO JUICE AS AFFECTED BY PROCESSING METHODSJOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY, Issue 6 2007CHARANJIT KAUR ABSTRACT Quality and viscosity of tomato juice is strongly governed by mechanical and thermal abuse during processing. The effect of processing and storage duration on the viscosity and quality parameters of tomato juice was evaluated in the present work. Tomato juice was obtained by two different methods, normal method (NM) and variable method (VM), and was heated by both conventional and microwave hot break treatments. Tomato juice was evaluated for various quality characteristics including precipitate weight ratio, degree of serum separation (DOSS), Brookfield viscosity, lycopene levels, vitamin C, phenols and antioxidant activity. Changes observed in several quality parameters during storage were statistically insignificant. The methods and processing had the greatest contribution toward viscosity, whereas storage duration had no significant effects. Viscosity parameters viz precipitate weight, DOSS and Bostwick consistency revealed that juice processed by VM was more viscous than that of NM, irrespective of the hot break processing used. Ascorbic acid and lycopene content varied significantly with mechanical methods and processing conditions. However, phenolic content and antioxidant activity remained stable. The variable process represents an improvement over the conventional by enabling tomato processors to improve the consistency of the tomato product. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Quartering or slicing tomatoes followed by hot break processing techniques can significantly improve the quality of tomato juice in terms of reduced degree of serum separation and precipitate weight ratio. The modified technology could be considered as a viable and economical method for small- and medium-scale tomato processors with limited resources and facilities at their disposal. [source] Impact of Harvesting and Processing Conditions on Green Leaf Volatile Development and Phenolics in Concord Grape JuiceJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 3 2010M.M. Iyer ABSTRACT:, The disruption of plant cell walls during fruit juice processing results in the enzymatic formation of herbaceous-smelling green leaf volatiles (GLVs). Our objective was to assess the impact of thermal processing conditions on resulting levels of GLVs (hexanal, trans -2-hexenal, hexanol, cis -3-hexenol, and trans -2-hexenol), total phenols, monomeric anthocyanins, and percent polymeric color in Concord grape juice. The effects of fruit maturity and stage of juice processing on juice GLV content was also assessed. Of the GLVs studied, only trans -2-hexenal routinely exceeded its published sensory threshold in finished juice. We observed an inverse linear correlation between berry maturity (total soluble solids) and trans -2-hexenal levels in finished juice (P,< 0.05, R 2= 0.91). Trans -2-hexenal was at a maximum immediately following crushing (569 ,g/kg, >30-fold over detection threshold [DT]), decreased to 100 ,g/kg following depectinization, pressing, and pasteurization, and to 32 ,g/kg following cold-stabilization. The loss of trans -2-hexenal could be explained primarily by its reduction to trans -2-hexenol, which increased from 53 ,g/kg after crushing to 500 ,g/kg after cold-stabilization. High temperature pretreatment of must immediately following crushing ("hot break") resulted in 5- to 6-fold higher concentrations of trans -2-hexenal in the final bottled juice as compared to conventional hot press. Contrary to expectations, no significant increase in phenolics and anthocyanins were observed in hot break conditions. These results indicate that hot break procedures may thermally inactivate enzymes responsible for transforming trans -2-hexenal under normal processing conditions and potentially alter the flavor qualities of the finished Concord juice. Different equivalent pasteurization regimes (82 to 93 °C) prior to bottling had no significant effect on GLV content of the finished Concord juices (P,> 0.05). Practical Application: Introducing new processing techniques to fruit juice production can potentially result in undesirable changes to organoleptic properties. We have observed significantly higher levels of trans- 2-hexenal, a potent herbaceous off-flavor, in Concord grape juice prepared with an initial high temperature heat treatment ("hot break"). Concord juice producers should be cautious in using hot break processing, especially with immature fruit, as it may result in persistence of green aromas in juice. [source] Consumer Awareness and Willingness to Pay for High-Pressure Processing of Ready-to-Eat FoodJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009Doris T. Hicks ABSTRACT:, Commercial, nonthermal processing of food, such as high hydrostatic-pressure processing (HPP), has increased. The safety and quality of foods produced by HPP has not been well communicated to the public. An online, nationwide consumer survey was implemented to assess awareness of alternative food processing technologies, consumer food safety attitudes and knowledge, and willingness to pay (WTP) for HPP products. The consumer survey was administered by ZoomerangÔ, an online survey clearinghouse. The survey was completed by 1204 adults. Frequencies and crosstabs were calculated on Zoomerang and SPSS used for one-way ANOVA and chi-square analyses. The survey assessed knowledge of HPP, attitudes about new food processing techniques, WTP for HPP foods and demographics. Overall, many demographic characteristics reflected U.S. census population. While traditional methods, that is, canning, freezing, and microwaving were all well recognized by over 80% of respondents, only 8% recognized HPP. Trends indicated an increase in age, education, and income reflected greater food safety knowledge. Regardless of demographics, no survey respondent exhibited knowledge mastery (80%). Given an explanation of HPP and its benefits, 39% of respondents indicated they would be WTP an additional cost, with higher income and education having the most impact. Majority of respondents indicated a WTP of $0.25 to $0.50 regardless of the value of the food product. More respondents were WTP slightly more for a more expensive product. New technologies often encounter a stumbling block in consumer acceptance and processing costs. A consumer's WTP, once they were informed, could encourage industry to look favorably on this technology. [source] Reactive processing of syndiotactic polystyrene with an epoxy/amine solvent systemMACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, Issue 1 2003Jaap Schut Abstract Syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) is a new semi-crystalline thermoplastic which is believed to fill the price-performance gap between engineering and commodity plastics. In order to reduce the high processing temperature of sPS (>290°C), an epoxy-amine model system was used as a reactive solvent. Such a processing aid can be used to achieve a 50 to 500 fold lowering of the melt viscosity. When initially homogeneous solutions of sPS in a stoechiometric epoxy-amine mixture are thermally cured, Reaction Induced Phase Separation (RIPS) takes place, leading to phase separated thermoplastic-thermoset polymer blends. We focus our study on low (wt% sPS < 20%) and high concentration blends (wt% sPS > 60%) prepared by two processing techniques (mechanical stirring in a laboratory reactor or internal mixer/ reactive extrusion respectively). These blends have different potential interests. Low concentration blends (sPS domains in an epoxy-amine matrix) are prepared to create new, tunable blend morphologies by choosing the nature of the phase separation process, i.e. either crystallisation followed by polymerization or polymerization followed crystallisation. High concentration blends (sPS matrix containing dispersed epoxy-amine particles after RIPS) are prepared to facilitate the extrusion of sPS. In this case, the epoxy amine model system served as a reactive solvent. The time to the onset of RIPS is in the order of 7-9 min for low concentration blends, while it increases to 20-45 min for high concentration samples, as the reaction rates are substantially slowed down due to lower epoxy and amine concentrations. During the curing reaction the melting temperature of sPS in the reactive solvent mixture evolves back from a depressed value to the level of pure sPS. This indicates a change in the composition of the sPS phase, caused by (complete) phase separation upon reaction. We conclude that our epoxy amine system is suited for reactive processing of sPS, where final properties depend strongly on composition and processing conditions. [source] Change in vegetation cover in East Timor, 1989,1999NATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 1 2004George A. Bouma Abstract Forest resources play a key role and provide many basic needs to communities in developing economies. To assess the patterns of vegetation cover change, as a corollary of resource utilization, satellite imagery, ground truth data, and image processing techniques can be useful. This article is concerned with identifying change in major vegetation types in East Timor between 1989 and 1999, using Landsat Thematic Mapper data. The results highlight a significant level of deforestation and decline in foliage cover. All major vegetation cover types declined from 1989 to 1999, and there was a sizeable increase in degraded woodlands. This decline has had considerable impact on the livelihoods of rural and urban communities. Causes for these changes include: economic exploitation of abundant resources; and implications of transmigration policies implemented during Indonesian rule, resulting in increased competition for land and woodland resources. As the new nation of Timor-Leste establishes itself, it must consider its current stock and distribution of natural capital to ensure that development efforts are geared towards sustainable outcomes. Without the knowledge of historical patterns of resource consumption, development efforts may, unwittingly, lead to continuing decline in forest resources. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||