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Processing Time (processing + time)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Chemistry	22%
Medical Sciences	18%
Polymers and Materials Science	14%
Life Sciences	6%
Engineering	6%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	6%
Information Science and Computing	4%

Selected Abstracts

Factors affecting platelet yield and their impact on the platelet increment of patients receiving single donor PLT transfusion,

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL APHERESIS, Issue 1 2007
A. Aboul Enein
Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of various donor and machine parameters on PLT yield in 127 PLT apheresis procedures, to optimize PLT yield achieving clinical and economic advantages. One hundred and twenty-seven apheresis procedures were analyzed. Age, gender, volume processed, Hb, and PLT precounts were included as donor predicting variables. AC infusion rate, processing time, and plasma volume collected with PLTs were assessed as machine parameters. We evaluated the post-transfusion effectiveness in 23 patients with thrombocytopenia, studying the effect of PLT dose, ABO group, and PLT storage time. Females gave higher yields, compared to males, P < 0.01. PLT yield correlated positively with PLT precount (r = 0.512), and TBV (r = 0.404), and negatively with donor preapheresis Hb (r = ,0.306). Processing time and AC infusion rate had a positive impact on PLT yield. Post-apheresis decrease in PLT count was 53.6 ± 26.3 × 1011. Donors with Hb , 12 g/dl, donated safely. Most of the complications were citrate related (13.4% of all procedures). PLT increments in transfused patients correlated positively with the number of units transfused (r = 0.41), and negatively with PLT storage days (r = ,0.342). PLT increments in patients receiving ABO-compatible PLTs were 75% higher, compared to the increments in patients receiving incompatible PLTs. PLT count and volume processed were the main predictors of PLT yield. Increasing the processing time, the AC infusion rate, or the volume of plasma obtained with PLTs can increase PLT yields. High PLT dose, short storage time, as well as ABO compatibility should be considered during PLT transfusion. J. Clin. Apheresis, 2007 © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Therapeutic plasma exchange: A paired comparison of Fresenius AS104 vs.

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL APHERESIS, Issue 2 2001
COBE Spectra
Abstract For therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), continuous flow separators are known to be efficient as exemplified by Fresenius AS104 and COBE Spectra. The AS104 uses an interface monitoring system in the centrifuge during TPE, whereas Spectra uses computer algorithms to establish the plasma-cell interface. To determine the plasma collection efficiency (PLCE), anticoagulant (AC) volumes used, and platelets (PLT) lost of the AS104 and the Spectra, we performed a prospective paired comparison of 20 TPE (each machine). The study included 17 patients, 1.3 plasma volume exchanges (without AC), equal inlet rates, and AC ratio of 13:1. Processing times did not include reinfuse mode. Platelet loss was determined by sampling the collection bags. Inlet rates were between 60,110 ml/min. Diagnosis included peripheral neuropathies, TTP and cryoglobulinemia. The AS104 had significantly (P<0.0001) lower average whole blood processed (F:6,601 vs. S:8,584 ml), AC volume (F:532 vs. S:719 ml), and processing time (F:80 vs. S:102 minutes) than Spectra. The AS104 had significantly (P<0.0001) higher average plasma flow rates (F:53 vs. S:44 ml/minute), plasma collection efficiency (F:90 vs. S:69%), and platelet loss (F:2.0 vs. S:0.14 × 1011 plt) than Spectra. Platelet loss correlated with inlet flow rate with the AS104 but not with the Spectra. The AS104 has a significantly higher collection efficiency than Spectra allowing it to remove the same amount of plasma in significantly less time, by processing significantly less blood, using significantly less AC, but removing significantly more platelets than Spectra. J. Clin. Apheresis. 16:61,66, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Multiple path-based approach to image-based street walkthrough

COMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 2 2005
Dong Hoon Lee
Abstract Image-based rendering for walkthrough in the virtual environment has many advantages should over the geometry-based approach, due to the fast construction of the environment and photo-realistic rendered results. In image-based rendering technique, rays from a set of input images are collected and a novel view image is rendered by the resampling of the stored rays. Current such techniques, however, are limited to a closed capture space. In this paper, we propose a multiple path-based capture configuration that can handle a large-scale scene and a disparity-based warping method for novel view generation. To acquire the disparity image, we segment the input image into vertical slit segments using a robust and inexpensive way of detecting vertical depth discontinuity. The depth slit segments, instead of depth pixels, reduce the processing time for novel view generation. We also discuss a dynamic cache strategy that supports real-time walkthroughs in large and complex street environments. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated with several experiments. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

A stochastic load balancing algorithm for i-Computing

CONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 1 2003
Yuk-Yin Wong
Abstract This paper presents a stochastic dynamic load balancing algorithm for Internet computing, which is a new type of distributed computing involving heterogeneous workstations from different organizations on the Internet. To realize the practical environment, we assume the system to be comprised of heterogeneous, untrusted and non-dedicated workstations connected by a non-dedicated network. Our algorithm uses the product of the average processing time and the queue length of system jobs as the load index. Dynamic communication delay is included in the execution cost calculation. The transfer policy and the location policy are combined in a stochastic algorithm. State information exchange is done via information feedback and mutual updating. Simulations demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms conventional approaches over a wide range of system parameters. These results are reconfirmed by empirical experiments after we have implemented the algorithms on the Distributed Java Machine global virtual machine. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Pattern recognition in capillary electrophoresis data using dynamic programming in the wavelet domain

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 13 2008
Gerardo A. Ceballos
Abstract A novel approach for CE data analysis based on pattern recognition techniques in the wavelet domain is presented. Low-resolution, denoised electropherograms are obtained by applying several preprocessing algorithms including denoising, baseline correction, and detection of the region of interest in the wavelet domain. The resultant signals are mapped into character sequences using first derivative information and multilevel peak height quantization. Next, a local alignment algorithm is applied on the coded sequences for peak pattern recognition. We also propose 2-D and 3-D representations of the found patterns for fast visual evaluation of the variability of chemical substances concentration in the analyzed samples. The proposed approach is tested on the analysis of intracerebral microdialysate data obtained by CE and LIF detection, achieving a correct detection rate of about 85% with a processing time of less than 0.3,s per 25,000-point electropherogram. Using a local alignment algorithm on low-resolution denoised electropherograms might have a great impact on high-throughput CE since the proposed methodology will substitute automatic fast pattern recognition analysis for slow, human based time-consuming visual pattern recognition methods. [source]

Ultrastructural preservation of rat embryonic dental tissues after rapid fixation and dehydration under microwave irradiation

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2000
Luciana F. Massa
Adequate preservation of the cells and matrix of mineralising tissues remains difficult, as organic components and initial mineral deposits may be lost during conventional processing for electron microscopy. In this study, we have reduced significantly the processing time using microwave irradiation. Rat molar tooth germs were fixed in 4% glutaraldehyde+4% formaldehyde with 0.1 M sodium cacodylate in a laboratory microwave oven for two periods of 20 s with a maximal temperature of 37°C. After conventional washing and post-fixation, specimens were dehydrated in graded ethanols under microwave irradiation for a total of 7 min 20 s. For comparison, some specimens were processed by conventional methods. After embedding, ultrathin sections were examined by electron microscopy. In differentiating ameloblasts and odontoblasts, plasma membranes, mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi complex, together with all other cytoplasmic organelles exhibited excellent preservation. Microtubules, microfilaments and coated vesicles were particularly evident. Crystal-like mineral deposits were conspicuously present in relation to dentine matrix vesicles and collagen fibrils as well as in enamel matrix. The matrix of forming enamel had a globular electron-lucent appearance. It is concluded that this is a rapid method which provides a preserved or even improved morphology. [source]

3D Powder Printing of ,-Tricalcium Phosphate Ceramics Using Different Strategies,

ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 12 2008
E. Vorndran
Custom made macroporous ,-tricalcium phosphate (,-TCP) bone substitutes were fabricated using 3D powder printing comparing three different preparation strategies. Samples fabricated using a novel hydraulic cement setting reaction showed the best printing resolution and highest mechanical performance. This method is a significant step forward in producing ,-TCP monoliths by rapid prototyping and would decrease processing time for commercial fabrication due to their rapid hardening and ease of handling. [source]

End-to-end network delay model for heavy-tailed environments

EUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 5 2003
David Muñoz-Rodríguez
Adequate quality of Internet Protocol (IP) services demand low transmission delays. However, packets traveling in a network are subject to a variety of delays that degrade severely the quality of service in real-time applications. This paper presents a general packet jitter-assessment methodology for a multi-node path in the presence of heavy-tailed traffic. Using the extreme-value theory, it is shown that delay performance is governed by a proposed networking-processing factor |T|lambda dependent on the traffic characteristics, the processing time along the path segments and the number of nodes in a route. |T|lambda allows the establishment of design constraints and the definition of a feasibility space for a routing algorithm in order to guarantee a quality of service (QoS). Copyright © 2003 AEI. [source]

Rapid Synthesis of Non-Aggregated Fine Chloroapatite Blue Phosphor Powders with High Quantum Efficiency,

ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 18 2008
Wei-Ning Wang
Sub-micrometer-sized chloroapatite blue phosphors are successfully synthesized from aqueous precursors using a spray pyrolysis method with a very short processing time and without any post-heat treatments. The as-prepared phosphors reveal high quantum efficiency in the long-UV range (around 80% under excitation at 400,nm), spherical morphology, high crystallinity, and high color purity, showing great promise for white LED applications. [source]

Class-based weighted fair queueing: validation and comparison by trace-driven simulation

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 10 2005
Rachid El Abdouni Khayari
Abstract World-wide web as well as proxy servers rely for their scheduling on services provided by the underlying operating system. In practice, this means that some form of first-come-first-served (FCFS) scheduling is utilized. Although FCFS is a reasonable scheduling strategy for job sequences that do not show much variance, for the world-wide web it has been shown that the requested-object sizes do exhibit heavy tails. Under these circumstances, job scheduling on the basis of shortest-job first (SJF) or shortest remaining processing time (SRPT) has been shown to minimize the total average waiting time. However, these methods have the disadvantage of potential job starvation. In order to avoid the problems of both FCFS and SJF we present in this paper a new scheduling approach called class-based interleaving weighted fair queueing (CI-WFQ). This scheduling approach exploits the specific characteristics of the job stream being served, that is, the distribution of the sizes of the objects being requested, to set its parameters such that good mean response times are obtained and starvation does not occur. In that sense, the new scheduling strategy can be made adaptive to the characteristics of the job stream being served. In this paper we compare the new scheduling approach (using trace-driven simulations) to FCFS, SJF and the recently introduced ,-scheduling, and show that CI-WFQ combines very good performance (as far as mean and variance of response time and blocking probability are concerned) with a scheduling complexity almost as low as for FCFS (and hence, lower than for SJF and ,-scheduling). The use of trace-driven simulation is essential, since the special properties of the arrival process makes analytical solutions very difficult to achieve. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Novel microwave,freeze drying of onion slices

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2009
Soleiman Abbasi
Summary The present study aimed to introduce the capability of a novel dehydration technique. To do so, slices with various thicknesses (3.5 and 7 mm) of white onions were dried using commercial freeze drier (abs. pressure 0.005 mbar, temp. 45 °C), our own designed microwave-vacuum drier (abs. pressure down to 300 mbar) under various microwave powers (120,1200 W) and microwave-vacuum,freeze drier (onion slices kept at ,20 °C for 2 h). Then, their dehydration rates and some quality parameters, such as rehydration ratio, colour (L*, a* and b*) and micro-structure were investigated. Our findings showed that microwave-vacuum,freeze drier is practically a rapid, simple, efficient, economic and novel dehydration technique which can be used for dehydration of mainly foodstuffs. The quality properties of slices produced by this novel method were also completely comparable and competitive with commercial freeze drier with over 96% saving on processing time and enormous amount on energy and capital investments. [source]

A mathematical model to describe the change in moisture distribution in maize starch during hydrothermal treatment

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
Ikbal Zarguili
Summary Instantaneous Controlled Pressure Drop, ,Détente Instantanée Contrôlée' (DIC) was performed on standard maize starch at residual moisture content (,12%). Changes in moisture distribution were observed during the treatment and modelled through a phenomenological model based on gravimetric data. The model proposes an exponential variation in the moisture content with processing time at various pressures. The predicted data were found to be in good agreement with experimental data. The values of water activity coefficient (,) obtained from the model decrease, when processing pressure increases; 5.86, 3.71 and 3.36 (dry basis),1 for 1, 2 and 3 bar, respectively. The mass transfer coefficient decreases, when the pressure increases. Its value ranged from 5.89 × 10,5 m s,1 for 1 bar down to 0.92 × 10,5 m s,1 for 2 bar and 0.77 × 10,5 m s,1 for 3 bar. This coefficient is not only controlled by a simple resistance to the mass transfer, but also by gelatinisation phenomenon that progresses when temperature increases. [source]

Optimization of osmotic dehydration of melons followed by air-drying

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2006
Ulisses M. Teles
Summary Osmotic dehydration represents a technological alternative to reduce post-harvest losses of fruits. In this work, the influence of the osmotic solution concentration and osmotic solution to fruit weight ratio was examined on the osmotic dehydration of melons under vacuum. The process of osmotic dehydration followed by air-drying was studied and modelled so that it could be optimised. The developed model has been validated with experimental data and simulations have shown that how the operating conditions affect the process. An optimisation was done using the model in order to search for the best operating condition that would reduce the total processing time. [source]

Hot air dehydration of figs (Ficus carica L.): drying kinetics and quality loss

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2004
Antonio Piga
Summary The dehydration of fruit from fig trees is normally achieved by sun drying. There is concern about the safety of the end product, mainly because there is a risk of the development of aflatoxins. These concerns can be overcome by artificial drying (oven dehydration). Fig fruits of a local cultivar, which were either pre-treated by blanching or blanching plus sulphuring or not treated at all, underwent hot air dehydration under mild processing conditions in a pilot airflow cabinet dryer. Sampling was carried out at regular intervals to calculate the rate of dehydration and assess quality changes. Microbiological counts and nonenzymatic browning were also monitored. Pretreatments resulted in a shorter processing time, compared with control fruits. In general, a falling dehydration rate period was observed. A dramatic loss of ascorbic acid was recorded, while an informal sensorial assay of the dried fruits gave a positive assessment. [source]

Finger vein recognition using minutia-based alignment and local binary pattern-based feature extraction

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMAGING SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
Eui Chul Lee
Abstract With recent increases in security requirements, biometrics such as fingerprints, faces, and irises have been widely used in many recognition applications including door access control, personal authentication for computers, Internet banking, automatic teller machines, and border-crossing controls. Finger vein recognition uses the unique patterns of finger veins to identify individuals at a high level of accuracy. This article proposes a new finger vein recognition method using minutia-based alignment and local binary pattern (LBP)-based feature extraction. Our study makes three novelties compared to previous works. First, we use minutia points such as bifurcation and ending points of the finger vein region for image alignment. Second, instead of using the whole finger vein region, we use several extracted minutia points and a simple affine transform for alignment, which can be performed at fast computational speed. Third, after aligning the finger vein image based on minutia points, we extract a unique finger vein code using a LBP, which reduces false rejection error and thus the equal error rate (EER) significantly. Our resulting EER was 0.081% with a total processing time of 118.6 ms. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 19, 179,186, 2009 [source]

Minimizing Total Tardiness: A Case Study in an Autoparts Factory

INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2002
Leandro Kiyuzato
The application of heuristic procedures for solving a real scheduling problem that arises in an autoparts factory is reported in this paper. Due to the characteristics of the environment, the measure of performance considered is the minimization of the total tardiness of the jobs. The original problem is reduced to the single machine scheduling problem, and the dispatching rules EDD (earliest due date), SPT (shortest processing time), and the PSK algorithm are used to obtain approximate solutions. Computational tests and a comparison with the usual schedule are presented. [source]

Improving mechanical performance of injection molded PLA by controlling crystallinity

JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008
Angela M. Harris
Abstract Currently, use of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) for injection molded articles is limited for commercial applications because PLA has a slow crystallization rate when compared with many other thermoplastics as well as standard injection molding cycle times. The overall crystallization rate and final crystallinity of PLA were controlled by the addition of physical nucleating agents as well as optimization of injection molding processing conditions. Talc and ethylene bis-stearamide (EBS) nucleating agents both showed dramatic increases in crystallization rate and final crystalline content as indicated by isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization measurements. Isothermal crystallization half-times were found to decrease nearly 65-fold by the addition of only 2% talc. Process changes also had a significant effect on the final crystallinity of molded neat PLA, which was shown to increase from 5 to 42%. The combination of nucleating agents and process optimization not only resulted in an increase in final injection molded crystallinity level, but also allowed for a decreased processing time. An increase of over 30°C in the heat distortion temperature and improved strength and modulus by upwards of 25% were achieved through these material and process changes. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008 [source]

Factors affecting platelet yield and their impact on the platelet increment of patients receiving single donor PLT transfusion,

Therapeutic plasma exchange: A paired comparison of Fresenius AS104 vs.

A precise water displacement method for estimating egg volume

JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Scott A. Rush
ABSTRACT Relationships between egg volume and an array of life-history traits have been identified for many bird species. Despite the importance of egg volume and the need for precise and accurate measurements, egg volume is usually estimated using a mathematical model that incorporates length and width measurements along with a shape variable. We developed an instrument that provides precise estimates of egg volume and can be easily used in the field. Using Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris) eggs, we compared egg volumes measured using our instrument with estimates based on linear measurements. We found our instrument to be both precise and accurate. Compared with a method based on linear measurements of eggs, use of our instrument reduced variation in egg volume estimates by 1.6 cm3, approximately 8% of the volume of a Clapper Rail's egg. Further advantages of our technique include ease of use, increased accuracy of field-based volume estimates, and increased resolution of variation in egg volume estimates. In addition, our technique does not require postdata collection processing time and did not influence hatching success. Also, for Clapper Rails and similar species, our technique can be combined with other techniques (e.g., egg flotation) so that both egg volume and embryonic stage can be estimated at the same time. SINOPSIS Las relaciones entre el volumen del huevo y una gran cantidad de caracteres en las historias de vida han sido identificadas para muchas especies de aves. A pesar de la importancia del volumen del huevo y la necesidad de medidas más precisas, el volumen del huevo es comúnmente estimado usando modelos matemáticos que incorporan medidas del largo, ancho y forma del huevo. Nosotros creamos un instrumento que proporciona estimativos precisos del volumen del huevo y puede ser fácilmente usado en el campo. Usando huevos de Rallus longirostris comparamos las medidas de los volúmenes de los huevos usando nuestro instrumento con estimados obtenidos mediante mediadas lineales. Encontramos que nuestro instrumento fue preciso. Comparado con métodos que se basan en medidas lineales de los huevos, el uso de nuestro instrumento reduce la variación de los estimativos del volumen de los huevos en 1.6 cm3, aproximadamente 8% del volumen de los huevos de Rallus longirostris. Ventajas adicionales de nuestra técnica incluye facilidades de uso, incremento en la precisión en los estimativos de volumen realizados en el campo y un incremento en la disminución de la variación de los estimativos del volumen del huevo. Adicionalmente, nuestra técnica no requiere tiempo de manejo después de la colección de los datos, y no afecta el éxito de eclosión. También, para Rallus longirostris y especies similares, nuestra técnica puede ser combinada con otras técnicas (e. g., flotación de los huevos) de tal forma que simultáneamente se puedan estimar el volumen del huevo y el estadio embrionario. [source]

A SIMPLE METHOD TO DETERMINE DIFFUSION OF SODIUM IN THE EPIDERMIS OF GREEN OLIVES

JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2004
CARLOS ALBERTO ZURITZ
ABSTRACT The present study reports a simple method, both mathematical and experimental, to determine variable effective diffusion coefficients for sodium through the skins of olives. Skins removed from green olives, variety Arauco (also known as Criolla), were studied using a lye concentration of 2.25% (w/w) of NaOH at 20C. The diffusion of sodium was evaluated through fresh skins and previously alkali-treated skins. The measured values of effective diffusion coefficients for untreated (fresh) olive skins increased two orders of magnitude during the processing time, from 10,12 to 10,10 m2/s. Whereas, the effective diffusion coefficients determined for previously treated olive skins were of the order of 10,10 m2/s and increased very little with treatment time. [source]

NONLINEAR CONSTRAINED OPTIMIZATION of THERMAL PROCESSING II.

JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2003
FINITE CYLINDRICAL GEOMETRIES, VARIABLE PROCESS TEMPERATURE PROFILES to REDUCE PROCESS TIME, to IMPROVE NUTRIENT RETENTION IN SPHERICAL
ABSTRACT Conventional methods for thermal processing of foods use constant processing temperature profiles (CPTPs) for a prescribed processing time, which is based on achieving a required microbial lethality to comply with public health standards. This also results in degradation of nutrients and quality factors. the variable process temperature profiles (VPTPs) obtained by using optimization methods can reduce quality losses and/or processing time compared to CPTPs. the objective of this research was to evaluate VPTPs using the Complex Method to reduce the processing time and/or improve quality retention for a specified level of lethality in thermal processing of conduction heated foods. the VPTPs were obtained for volume average retention of thiamine considering different sizes of spheres (small and large) and finite cylinders (small and large), and the thiamine retention and processing time results were compared with a conventional method (processing at 121.1C) for a specified lethality level. the use of VPTPs resulted in a 37 and 10% decrease in processing times in spherical and 40 % and 6 % for finite cylindrical shapes, for the same objective function value and specified lethality compared to the CPTP process. For the same processing time, the improvements in thiamine destruction were 3.7 and 2 % for spheres, and 3.9 and 2.2% for finite cylinders. [source]

PROPOSED NEW COLOR RETENTION METHOD FOR TILAPIA FILLETS (O. NILOTICUS, × O. AUREUS,) BY EUTHANATIZING WITH REDUCED CARBON MONOXIDE

JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 5 2008
LAIHAO LI
ABSTRACT The conditions of color retention for tilapia fillets (O. niloticus, × O. aureus,) treated by euthanatizing with reduced carbon monoxide (CO) were investigated. Live tilapias were first exposed to water saturated with CO. After a certain amount of CO-saturated water had been pumped through the gills, the tilapias were timely picked out and killed following the industry guidelines. The color value of fillets was measured by colorimeter to evaluate the color retention. The results showed that (1) temperature did not have a significant effect on the color of the fillets; (2) the optimal conditions were a ratio of 3:1, v/w between water and fish, a CO flow rate of 80 mL/min and 10 min CO injection followed by 5 min air exposure. Under these conditions, a higher a*value (redness 19.44) and a better sensory evaluation value (4.8) were obtained; and (3) the proposed method shortened processing time by 30,35 min, reduced the frequency of sterilization to only once, significantly lowered microbial counts from 82.33 × 102 to 56.33 × 102 and reduced the CO requirement 25-fold, which has significant occupation, health, safety, and environmental implications. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Color retention for tilapias is conventionally accomplished by treating fillets with CO. Recently, euthanatizing tilapias with CO has been assumed to be an effective way to shorten processing time and to lessen product handling process. Many factories have been searching for a way to solve the problem of color retention for tilapias or other red muscle treatment, but there has been a lack of information on how euthanasia affects fish quality, especially red muscle color. The objective of this experiment was to explore the application of the new method. [source]

The role of two reading strategies in text comprehension: An eye fixation study in primary school children

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING, Issue 2 2008
Menno Van Der Schoot
This study examined whether 10,12-year-old children use two reading strategies to aid their text comprehension: (1) distinguishing between important and unimportant words; and (2) resolving anaphoric references. Of interest was the question to what extent use of these reading strategies was predictive of reading comprehension skill over and above decoding skill and vocabulary. Reading strategy use was examined by the recording of eye fixations on specific target words. In contrast to less successful comprehenders, more successful comprehenders invested more processing time in important than in unimportant words. On the other hand, they needed less time to determine the antecedent of an anaphor. The results suggest that more successful comprehenders build a more effective mental model of the text than less successful comprehenders in at least two ways. First, they allocate more attention to the incorporation of goal-relevant than goal-irrelevant information into the model. Second, they ascertain that the text model is coherent and richly connected. [source]

THE IMPACT OF HOMOGENIZATION AND MICROFILTRATION ON RENNET-INDUCED GEL FORMATION

JOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 4 2008
STEPHAN THOMANN
ABSTRACT The effects of the independent variables, milk homogenization pressure (p1), concentration factor of milk microfiltration (i) and pH on the rheological properties of rennet milk gels were studied. Nondestructive oscillatory rheometry was used to determine rennet coagulation time (RCT), curd firming rate (CFR) and cutting time (CT). A central composite design, comprising two levels of i (1 and 2), pH (6.4 and 6.6) and p1 (0 and 8 MPa), was applied. Second-order polynomial models successfully described (R2 > 0.92) the relationship between processing parameters and rheological properties of the gels. pH had the most important influence on RCT, while CFR and CT were strongly influenced by i, pH and the interaction of i and pH. In contradiction to studies on active filler interactions for acid milk gels, a discrepancy was observed between results obtained by compression test and rheometry. Rennet gel firmness strongly decreased with a rise in p1 when measured using the compression test, whereby CFR increased with an increase in p1 when measured using rheometry. The latter result corresponds to higher storage modulus values after a certain time indicating higher gel stiffness. This effect was stronger for concentrated milk than for unconcentrated milk. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The use of microfiltration (MF) and homogenization may reduce raw material and processing time in conventional cheese manufacture. However, MF markedly influences milk composition, and homogenization alters the particle size distribution of fat globules. Hence, both technologies may influence rennet-induced gel formation, syneresis, cheese composition and quality. Curd firmness of homogenized milk is often too weak to resist the extensive curd treatment applied in semi-hard cheese manufacture which causes loss of curd fines during the syneresis process and finally decreases cheese yield. MF leads to high curd firmness if cutting is not performed at the appropriate time, which unnecessarily extends processing time. The study of the effect of the individual treatments, as well as of the combination of both on rennet-induced gel formation, is the first important step to evaluate their impact on further processing steps in cheese making. The combination of both technologies may overcome the antagonistic effect of the individual technology as low curd firmness due to homogenization can be compensated by MF that increases curd firmness and vice versa. [source]

Spin-Coating-Derived Gold-Nanoparticle Memory

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 10 2010
Ching-Chich Leu
A metal,oxide,semiconductor (MOS) capacitor embedded with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) has been successfully fabricated by a spin-coating-derived chemical solution process. The colloidal synthesized Au NPs (,3.5 nm) were self-assembled to 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane-modified silicon oxide substrates. With the spin-coating process, Au NPs can be fabricated onto silicon oxide with a high packing density of 1.6 × 1012 cm,2 in a short processing time. The sol,gel-derived HfO2 layer, acting as a control oxide, was also spin coated to construct an Si/SiO2/Au NPs/HfO2 structure. This MOS structure showed good memory effect and retention properties. This study indicates that it is appropriate to utilize the spin-coating process in nanocrystal memory applications. [source]

Centrifugal Gel Casting: A Combined Process for the Consolidation of Homogenous and Reliable Ceramics

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 2 2010
Saeed Maleksaeedi
In this work, a combined process, called centrifugal gel casting (CGC), was proposed for the fabrication of homogenous and reliable monolithic and composite ceramics starting from submicrometer-sized powders. This method exploits the advantages of both conventional gel casting (GC) and centrifugal slip casting (CSC), while overcoming the limitations associated with the two methods. Via this process, a relatively low centrifugal force is applied to form a highly concentrated slurry in the mold cavity, which is then followed by in situ polymerization of slurry during gelation. In this work, concentrated alumina slurries with different solid contents from 45 to 65 vol% were consolidated by the three forming methods mentioned above. Various properties of green and fired products were measured and compared. Shorter processing time, lower centrifugal force, higher green strength, and minimal segregation are observed to be the characteristics of CGC in comparison with CSC. In situ elimination of bubbles with no need for degassing and the ability to remove heterogeneities, on top of high reliability and the potential to process higher viscosity slurries, are the main advantages of this method over the conventional GC. [source]

High-speed rough clustering for very large document collections

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2010
Kazuaki Kishida
Abstract Document clustering is an important tool, but it is not yet widely used in practice probably because of its high computational complexity. This article explores techniques of high-speed rough clustering of documents, assuming that it is sometimes necessary to obtain a clustering result in a shorter time, although the result is just an approximate outline of document clusters. A promising approach for such clustering is to reduce the number of documents to be checked for generating cluster vectors in the leader,follower clustering algorithm. Based on this idea, the present article proposes a modified Crouch algorithm and incomplete single-pass leader,follower algorithm. Also, a two-stage grouping technique, in which the first stage attempts to decrease the number of documents to be processed in the second stage by applying a quick merging technique, is developed. An experiment using a part of the Reuters corpus RCV1 showed empirically that both the modified Crouch and the incomplete single-pass leader,follower algorithms achieve clustering results more efficiently than the original methods, and also improved the effectiveness of clustering results. On the other hand, the two-stage grouping technique did not reduce the processing time in this experiment. [source]

The effect of drying, pressure and processing time on the quality of liquid-smoked trout (Salmo gairdnerii) fillets

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 12 2005
Ilias Siskos
Abstract A new fish smoking process was applied using a combination of liquid smoke and steaming at pressures up to 1 bar above atmospheric. Processing yield, sensory analysis, instrumental colour measurement, available lysine and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were estimated. The losses due to processing were quite reasonable (20.05 ± 4.9% to 23.58 ± 3.9%) and slightly influenced by the process. The fillets processed at 2 bar steam pressure, for 30, 45 or 60 min and previously dried were assessed as highly acceptable regarding their firmness, colour, flavour and acceptability by panellists. The destruction of available lysine was not very high (21.1 ± 8.4%) and it was dependent upon the process. Depending on the method used, very low (0.63,3.2ng g,1) amounts of PAHs were found and were also dependent upon the process. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry [source]

On the Interrelationship of Transreactions with Thermal Properties and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of PTT/PEN Blends

MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, Issue 16 2009
Seyed-Hassan Jafari
Abstract An attempt was made to explore the effects of interchange reactions on the crystallization, melting, and dynamic mechanical behavior of binary blends based on poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN). 1H NMR spectroscopy is used to verify the occurrence of interchange reactions at the interface, which are increased upon an increase in the melt processing time and temperature. The crystallinity of PTT was reduced while that of PEN was increased on blending. In addition, the crystallization temperatures of both phases showed depression. A single composition-dependent glass transition temperature (Tg) was detected in the second and subsequent heating thermograms of the blends, which is indicative of miscibility. The cold crystallization of the PTT phase was observed to increase while that of PEN was suppressed on blending. Each phase crystallized individually and a melting point depression was evident, which suggests a certain level of miscibility. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis corroborated differential scanning calorimetry results. A constructive synergism was observed in the glassy state storage moduli of the blends, which is suggestive of a reduced specific volume of the system because of enhanced interactions and crystallinity. [source]