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SummaryFertility preservation is one of the most important issues in assisted reproductive technology. Previous studies have shown that cytokines and growth factors can improve follicle growth. The endometrial stromal cells secrete various factors that are involved in maintaining the integrity of uterine and epithelial secretory function. The platelet-rich plasma contains a large assembly of platelets suspended in plasma that successfully improves the viability and growth of various cell lines. This work aimed to investigate the influences of conditioned medium (CM) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the development of ovarian follicles in infertile mice due to cyclophosphamide (CYC) exposure. In this study, 65 healthy BALB/c female mice (∼28–30 g and 6-8 weeks old) in five groups were studied. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9)-positive cells. The mRNA expression levels of SMAD1, SMAD2, and BMP15 was assessed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. The expression levels of SMAD1, GDF9, BMP15, and SMAD2 in the CM+PRP group was significantly more than in the CM and PRP groups. In addition, live birth occurred in the CM+PRP group. Treatment with CM+PRP in infertile mice due to Cy exposure increased fertility and live-birth rate. In general, our study suggested that the CM and PRP combination could improve the growth of mice ovarian follicles in vivo.

Systemic arterial hypertension is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and chronic kidney diseases. Spirulina is microalgae with nutritious ingredients and has potential attenuating effects on chronic diseases including hypertension. Spirulina can be added to food products in order to develop functional foods. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of 8-week consumption of a salad dressing containing 2 g of spirulina platensis powder versus a placebo dressing on patients with hypertension. In this triple-blind randomized clinical trial, 48 patients with hypertension were enrolled to receive daily either spirulina-fortified dressing or placebo for 2 months. A total of 41 patients completed this study. We observed that the consumption of spirulina dressing significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (p = .02), diastolic blood pressure (p = .03), serum triglyceride (p = .01), total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, compared to nonsignificant changes in the placebo group. Significant changes in TAC and hs-CRP levels were observed in none of the groups. According to our findings, spirulina-fortified dressing as a functional food can be used a supportive treatment for patients with hypertension along with standard antihypertensive drugs. However, further investigations are required for a more comprehensive conclusion.

Rock excavation using drill and blast method is commonly used in tunneling world-wide. Drill and blast method has inherent disadvantage of deteriorating surrounding rock mass due to development of a blast-induced damage zone with reduced strength and stiffness parameters and increased permeability. Traditional tunnel analysis adopts same parameters for the entire rock mass, leading to the underestimation of tunnel stability. The blast damage zone with finite thickness is significant in tunnel stability. Tunneling below the groundwater table affects the hydraulic equilibrium. This will, in turn, cause seepage into the tunnel through the pores and discontinuities in the rock masses. The developed seepage force should be considered as an additional body force acting on both damaged and undamaged rock masses. This study presents a new analytical closed-form solution for the determination of stresses, strains, and displacements around a circular deep underwater tunnel with the consideration of the seepage forces and the damaged zone. The solutions are presented for tunnels excavated in pervious elastic–brittle–plastic rock masses with Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion. The damaged zone is assumed to have cylindrical shape with finite radius. The plastic zones may be formed in both damaged and undamaged rock masses, independently. In order to solve the proposed problem, three different paths for plasticity evolution including six different states that can possibly be encountered in the problem are considered. The results indicate that the seepage and the damaged zone have significant effects on the tunnel convergence and the distribution of stresses in the rock mass.

JAK3 is a member of the JAK family of tyrosine kinase proteins involved in cytokine receptor-mediated intracellular signal transduction through the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. JAK3 was shown as differentially expressed in granulosa cells (GC) of bovine pre-ovulatory follicles suggesting that JAK3 could modulate GC function and activation/inhibition of downstream targets. We used JANEX-1, a JAK3 inhibitor, and FSH treatments and analyzed proliferation markers, steroidogenic enzymes and phosphorylation of target proteins including STAT3, CDKN1B/p27Kip1 and MAPK8IP3/JIP3. GC were treated with or without FSH in the presence or not of JANEX-1. Expression of steroidogenic enzyme CYP11A1, but not CYP19A1, was upregulated in GC treated with FSH and both were significantly decreased when JAK3 was inhibited. Proliferation markers CCND2 and PCNA were reduced in JANEX-1-treated GC and upregulated by FSH. Western blots analyses showed that JANEX-1 treatment reduced pSTAT3 amounts while JAK3 overexpression increased pSTAT3. Similarly, FSH treatment increased pSTAT3 even in JANEX-1-treated GC. UHPLC-MS/MS analyses revealed phosphorylation of specific amino acid residues within JAK3 as well as CDKN1B and MAPK8IP3 suggesting possible activation or inhibition post-FSH or JANEX-1 treatments. We show that FSH activates JAK3 in GC, which could phosphorylate target proteins and likely modulate other signaling pathways involving CDKN1B and MAPK8IP3.

Variations of the vertebral artery origin are congenital abnormalities that occur during embryonic development. The vertebral artery origins from the superior part of the first part of the subclavian artery and it provides the main blood supply of the posterior cranial fossa structures. Several variations in the vertebral artery origin and its entry to the transverse foramen have been reported in advance. However, mention to the variation of the right vertebral artery origin and its entrance to the transverse foramen is rare. By describing dissection of an old man cadaver, two vertebral arteries were observed which were arised from the first part of the subclavian artery at the right side, and they follow a different direction to enter the transverse foramen. One of the arteries rises in its natural direction and enters into the transverse foramen of C6, and the other arteries take an abnormal direction upwards and then enter the higher level surface into the transverse foramen of C4. It is necessary to mention, the artery on the left was in its normal state. Regarding neck root surgery, knowing these variations reduces arterial injury during surgery and angiography.

In tunnels, convergences of sidewalls, roof and floor may be different, because of weight of the failed or plastic rock mass. In this paper, a closed-form analytical solution for a deep tunnel excavated in an elastoplastic rock mass is proposed. Using the proposed solution, the effects of the weight of the plastic or failed region developed around the tunnel are investigated. In the proposed method, brittle–plastic or elastic–perfectly plastic behavior and Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion and plastic potential function are used for the ground medium. The gravitational loading is considered as a radial body force being applied to the ground medium. Illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method and to examine the effects of the gravity loads. The results obtained by the proposed method show that the gravity loading may affect the tunnel convergence, considerably.

The present study sets out to investigate an important aspect of gendered performance, namely, the presence of interactional metadiscourse in conference presentations delivered in Persian. The study pursues two primary objectives: firstly, to compare the quantity and quality of interactional metadiscourse markers as expressed by male and female academics; secondly, to investigate some other factors influencing the phenomenon under investigation. The data include twenty-four conference presentations by twelve males and twelve females. The quantitative analysis showed a statistically significant difference in the use of interactional metadiscourse by male and female presenters. However, the qualitative analysis helped the authors to identify more similarities than differences. In point of fact, such factors as academic status and nativeness had caused the speakers to use different metadiscourse strategies.

One hypothetically well‐founded approach for learning a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) is to utilize the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques. In the MCMC, the uniform noninformative p...

In definition of the ground response curve for a tunnel, convergences of side wall, roof and floor may be different, because of the weight of the failed or plastic rock mass. In this paper, an anal...

The aim of this paper is learning directed acyclic graph (DAG) by determination of candidate causes for each discrete variable. Based on the fact that the candidate causes of a variable must be a s...

In some statistical issues, several continuous spatial outcomes are simultaneously measured at each sampling location. In such circumstances, it is common to model the data through a multivariate Gaussian model. As the normality assumption is often untenable, this paper proposes a multivariate skewed spatial model which, by virtue of its capacity for capturing skewness, is potentially more flexible than symmetric ones. Specifically, a multivariate version of the Gaussian-log Gaussian convolution process is developed. The resulting covariance for the multivariate process is in general nonseparable. We also discuss the other properties of the induced covariance function. Furthermore, Markov chain Monte Carlo methods are used to make Bayesian inferences. The performance of the method is investigated through simulation experiments and by analyzing a real soil pollution dataset obtained from Golestan province, North of Iran.

The administration of both platelet rich plasma (PRP) and silicon dioxide (SiOOur objective was to evaluate the possible synergistic osteogenic effects of PRP and SiOIn this experimental study, PRP/SiOThe SiOSilica demonstrated a superior osteogenic activity over PRP in both short and long term periods. Evidently, they showed no synergistic regenerative effects. Our ad hoc device was efficiently capable of inserting the scaffolds into the injured sites with no diffi-culties or complications.

The drill and blast method is one of the most widely used techniques for excavation of tunnels in rock masses. The most worrying issue in this method is unfavorable damage induced by blast...

In a pressure tunnel with a permeable lining, development of flow from the tunnel induces seepage stresses in the surrounding ground and the lining. In this paper, an analytical solution for analysis and design of pressure tunnels is presented, based on a generalized effective stress principle. The problem is considered as axial-symmetric, and the lining and the rock mass are assumed to be poroelastic, homogeneous and isotropic. The proposed method covers various types of pressure tunnels, such as unlined, shotcrete lined, concrete lined, reinforced concrete lined and prestressed concrete lined pressure tunnels. For unlined and uncracked lined pressure tunnels, the hydraulic analysis is independent of mechanical responses; thus, closed-form expressions for stresses, strains and pore pressure are derived. On the other hand, in cracked reinforced concrete linings, the development of cracks are considered in the mechanical and hydraulic responses. In this case, the hydraulic and mechanical analyses are coupled; therefore, the hydraulic and mechanical analyses are carried out by an iterative procedure. The applicability of the proposed solution for the design of pressure tunnels is illustrated and discussed by using an illustrative example problem.

One of the most effective structure-learning methods in a Bayesian network is the K2 algorithm. Because the performance of the K2 algorithm depends on the node ordering, more effective node ordering inference methods are needed. In this paper, we introduce a novel method for finding a set of candidate parents for each node as input for the K2 algorithm. Based on the fact that the candidate parents are identified by estimated Markov Blanket, we first estimate the Markov Blanket of a variable by using the L1-regularized Markov Blanket. We then determine the candidate parents of a variable through its Markov blanket by introducing a new scoring function based on the dependency criterion. Then the candidate parents are used as input for the K2 algorithm for learning Bayesian network structure. Experimental results over most of the datasets indicate that the proposed method avoids creating extra edges and significantly outperforms the previous methods.

Jale Ghaemmaghmi is the late Ghajar and first Pahlavi poet who has social-political thought and is the outstanding poet among female poets. However, she is anonymous as the consequence of her limitation in her life. By studying her poems, it is found that her social-political thought is in line with some famous thinkers such as Dehkhoda, Bahar and Kasravi. She has more social poems in comparison to Forugh Farokhzad. This paper aims at investigating her thought by categorizing her poems to introduce the hidden layers of her thought to contemporary researchers in literature and sociology.

After displaying skewness, spatial data can cause nonstationarity. This paper develops a hierarchical skew-Gaussian process capable of simultaneously handling skewness and nonstationarity. At the first level of the hierarchy, we specify a multivariate skew-normal distribution for the realizations of the process over a fixed finite set. At the second level, it is extended to a process across the domain based on the referenced locations. We applied Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms for Bayesian inference. The proposed methodology is illustrated by some simulation experiments and by applying it to rainfall data modelling.

The excavation impact (e.g. due to blasting, TBM drilling, etc.) induces an excavation damaged or disturbed zone around a tunnel. In this regard, in drill and blast method, the damage to the rock mass is more significant. In this zone, the stiffness and strength parameters of the surrounding rock mass are different. The real effect of a damage zone developed by an excavation impact around a tunnel, and its influence on the overall response of the tunnel is of interest to be quantified. In this paper, a fully analytical solution is proposed, for stresses and displacements around a tunnel, excavated in an elastic–brittle–plastic rock material compatible with linear Mohr–Coulomb criterion or a nonlinear Hoek–Brown failure criterion considering the effect of the damaged zone induced by the excavation impact. The initial stress state is assumed to be hydrostatic, and the damaged zone is assumed to have a cylindrical shape with varied parameters; thus, the problem is considered axial-symmetric. The proposed solution is used to explain the behavior of tunnels under different damage conditions. Illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method, and also to examine the effect of the damaged zone induced by the excavation impact. The results obtained by the proposed solution indicate that, the effects of the alteration of rock mass properties in the damaged zone may be considerable.

In this paper, an analytical method, for calculating seepage induced stresses and displacements in underwater lined circular pressure tunnels, is developed on the basis of a generalized effective stress law. The problem is considered as axisymmetric, and the lining and rock mass are assumed to be elastic, homogeneous and isotropic. The solution accounts for the seepage forces with the steady-state flow and hydro-mechanical pressures between adjacent zones. The proposed method can be applied for the analysis and design of pressure tunnels with concrete lining, prestressed concrete lining, grouted rock mass, as well as for the analysis of pressure tunnels considering the effects of the surrounding fractured or damaged zone. Illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method, and also to examine the effect of seepage forces on stability of pressure tunnels. It is concluded that, the classic solutions (Lame’s solution), that is based on considering the internal pressure as a mechanical load applied to the tunnel surface, is not applicable to pervious media and results in unsafe designs.

Drill and blast method is mostly used method for excavation of tunnels throughout the world. This tunneling method involves the use of explosives. Compared with bored tunneling by Tunnel Boring Machine, blasting generally results in the development of a blast-induced damaged zone around the tunnel boundary. Theoretically, the presence of this zone, with its reduced strength and stiffness, will affect the overall performance of the tunnel, as well as its construction and maintenance. In fact, the extent of the damaged zone is finite. However, the effect of this zone is traditionally considered by a damage factor D applied to the entire rock mass surrounding the tunnel. This is a common modeling method which can greatly underestimate the strength and stability of the overall rock mass. In this paper, a semi-analytical solution is proposed for analysis of tunnels considering the damaged zone. The solution is presented for circular tunnels excavated in rock masses obeying a new proposed non-linear strain-softening behavior and the non- linear Hoek–Brown failure criterion. The damaged zone is assumed to have a cylindrical shape with reduced strength and deformability parameters.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes of conjunctival bacterial flora 1 year after successful dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). METHODS: Seventy-two consecutive adult patients with successful DCR were enrolled in this study. We obtained conjunctival cultures from the operated eyes, fellow eyes, and nasal mucosa of the operated side 1 year after the operation. After the period of incubation, further evaluation was performed using standard laboratory techniques. RESULTS: In the conventional media, positive bacterial growth was detected in 48 (66.7%) of the 72 operated eyes and in 31 of the 72 normal fellow eyes (43.1%). Nasal specimens were positive for bacterial growth in 65 (90.3%) patients. Isolation rate was significantly different between the operated and the fellow (nonoperated) eyes (P = 0.0074). Colony count, type, and frequencies of bacterial isolation from the operated eyes were similar to nonoperated eyes. CONCLUSION: One year after DCR, conjunctival bacterial isolation rate increased compared with the normal fellow eyes. Remote DCR may be considered as a local risk factor for developing postoperative endophthalmitis.

In spatial statistics, it is usual to consider a Gaussian process for spatial latent variables. As the data often exhibit non-normality, we introduce a novel skew process, named hereafter Gaussian-log Gaussian convolution (GLGC) to construct latent spatial models which provide great flexibility in capturing skewness. Some properties including closed-form expressions for the moments and the skewness of the GLGC process are derived. Particularly, we show that the mean square continuity and differentiability of the GLGC process are established by those of the Gaussian and log-Gaussian processes considered in its structure. Moreover, the usefulness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through the analysis of spatial data, including mixed ordinal and continuous outcomes that are jointly modeled through a common latent process. A fully Bayesian analysis is adopted to make inference. Our methodology is illustrated with simulation experiments as well as an environmental data set.

Shredded cabbage (50 % v/v) and Daikon radish cubes (57 % v/v) with different salt concentrations (0.15, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 1.85 %) were heated from 30 to 70 °C in a static ohmic heating cell at different voltages (65, 80, 100, 120, and 135 V) and frequencies (60, 2070, 5030, 7990, and 10,000 Hz) to evaluate their ohmic heating behaviour. Radish heated under 1.5 % salt, 120 V and 7990 Hz or 1 % salt, 135 V and 5030 Hz conditions gave the shortest heating time of 6 min from 30 to 70 °C, and cabbage gave the longest time of 128 min at 0.15 % salt, 100 V, and 5030 Hz. Regression models of heating rate as a quadratic function of the sample temperature gave R2 >0.98. The general trend observed was that the magnitude of the heating rate increased with frequency at high voltage but decreased at low voltage for cabbage, while the opposite trend was observed for radish. Heating was more efficient at higher salt concentration and applied voltage. Radish heated more rapidly than cabbage. A slight slope change was observed in all cases between 50 and 60 °C. The response surface models revealed linear, cross products and quadratic effects to be significant with R 2 over 0.98.

Hurdle technology combining mild acidification (4.6 < pH < 5.0) and reduced thermal treatment could be a potential preservation technique for the production of high-quality processed canned vegetables once it has been microbiologically validated. Freshly harvested green beans were acidified in pre-prepared brine using one of three acidulants (lactic acid [LA], glucono-delta-lactone [GDL], or fermented dextrose containing organic acids), hermetically sealed in cans, and thermally processed in a pilot-scale water-immersion retort. Eight levels of acidulant concentration (0.01–19.5 g/kg) and five levels of desired lethality (0.01–2.74 min) were applied through uniform shell experimental design (Doehlert network method). The color and texture properties of blanched green beans (control samples) and thermally processed green beans with and without prior acidification were evaluated. Statistical analysis showed that acid concentration had a significant effect on color characteristics, and that lethality had a s...

The charging/discharging behavior of battery has a significant impact on both cost and revenue of wind power plant (WPP). It has been shown that monotonic charging/discharging strategy has reduced the capital cost of WPP. In this study, we present a control approach to manage the income of WPP while we combine the monotonic charging/discharging methodology to our system design. The Controller is based on Model Predictive Control (MPC) theory using a dynamic programming algorithm along with a nonlinear battery energy storage model. We exploit the effect of charging/discharging pattern of the battery to maximize the profit of the output power dispatched to the grid while using forecasted dispatch price and wind power. The efficiency of this control strategy is assessed under different scenarios via simulations with actual wind farm data and NSW price data.

When an opening is excavated below groundwater table, the groundwater flows into the excavated zone and seepage forces apply to the rock mass surrounding the opening. Such seepage forces significantly affect the elasto-plastic responses of the rock mass based on effective stress law. In this regard, it is recognised that the failure criterion of a rock mass is a function of Terzaghi’s effective stress, while its elastic deformations are a function of Biot’s effective stress. Based on this generalised effective stress law, seepage forces arising from the groundwater flow into a cylindrical opening are estimated quantitatively, in the present study. An elastic–brittle–plastic analysis of deep circular openings in an infinite Hoek–Brown medium with consideration of the seepage forces under steady-state flow and the generalised effective stress law is derived. The proposed solution can be effectively used for the actual design of underwater openings below deep groundwater table. It is shown that, in openings ...

In the present study, three processes were scaled-up to pilot scale environment for the isolation of potato proteins from imitation by-products of potato fruit juice and potato pulp. Precipitation with (NH4)2SO4 saturation and isolation by a multi-enzymatic system resulted in an improved protein recovery yield from 8.4 (for subsequent-ultrafiltration) to 27.2% and 13.3%, respectively. In terms of protein profile, all extracts showed similar recovery of patatin, with a wide difference in the recovered protease inhibitors. Structurally all isolation processes had an effect on the secondary structure of the isolated proteins, where multi-enzymatic system-based isolation process resulted in a higher presence of carbohydrates, which had a preservation effect against denaturation after heat treatments. The protein concentrate recovered upon the multi-enzymatic system treatment exhibited statistically improved techno-functionality in terms of emulsifying activity index. Emulsion and foam stabilities were comparable among all isolation techniques. This study is expected to broaden the applications of the targeted plant-based protein ingredients and to take advantage of their associated functional and health benefits.

An analytical–numerical solution is proposed in this paper for calculating the mechanical and hydraulic characteristics of underwater tunnels, excavated in an elasto-plastic strain-softening and Hoek–Brown rock material considering strain-dependent permeability. The problem is considered with axial-symmetry condition and thus, the initial stress state is assumed to be hydrostatic. Hydraulic and mechanical differential equations governing the plastic and the elastic rock mass around the tunnel are derived. As the derived equations do not have closed-form solutions, a computer program has been prepared, in order to solve the corresponding equations numerically and to examine the analysis. The results obtained are compared with the results obtained using a commercial finite difference code for investigating the effects of utilised simplifying assumptions. The proposed approach is also used to analyse the response of tunnels under different hydro-mechanical conditions. The results show that the proposed solut...

In this article, utilizing a scale mixture of skew-normal distribution in which mixing random variable is assumed to follow a mixture model with varying weights for each observation, we introduce a generalization of skew-normal linear regression model with the aim to provide resistant results. This model, which also includes the skew-slash distribution in a particular case, allows us to accommodate and detect outlying observations under the skew-normal linear regression model. Inferences about the model are carried out through the empirical Bayes approach. The conditions for propriety of the posterior and for existence of posterior moments are given under the standard noninformative priors for regression and scale parameters as well as proper prior for skewness parameter. Then, for Bayesian inference, a Markov chain Monte Carlo method is described. Since posterior results depend on the prior hyperparameters, we estimate them adopting the empirical Bayes method as well as using a Monte Carlo EM algorithm. ...

In this paper, we introduce a unified skew Gaussian-log Gaussian model and propose a general class of spatial sampling models that can account for both heavy tails and skewness. This class includes some models proposed previously in the literature. The likelihood function involves analytically intractable integrals and direct maximization of the marginal likelihood is numerically difficult. We obtain maximum likelihood estimates of the model parameters, using a stochastic approximation of the EM algorithm (SAEM). The predictive distribution at unsampled sites is approximated based on Markov chain Monte Carlo samples. The identifiability of the parameters and the performance of the proposed model is investigated by a simulation study. The usefulness of our methodology is demonstrated by analyzing a Pb data set in a region of north Iran.

In this paper, a new control strategy is presented to manage the amount of energy that is generated by wind farm plant and sold to the electricity market. Contributions of this study are two-fold: (1) this control method empowers the operator to make a balance between energy supply and demand in a profitable way using battery storage; and (2) it reduces the fluctuation of supplied wind power and make this renewable energy resource more dispatchable. Controller is based on Model Predictive Control (MPC) theory using dynamic programming algorithm along with a nonlinear battery energy storage model. We propose a control scheme that applies a policy of selling more energy at high price regime and storing it when the price is low in compliance with the electricity market pattern of Australia. We also exploit Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to maximally smooth the output power dispatched to the grid while using forecasted dispatch price and wind power. The efficiency of this control strategy is evaluated via simulation of an actual wind farm data and NSW price data.

Language teaching is an important device to expand and introduce culture to the other nations. Rule-governed structures are necessary for better understanding and learning of one language. This article aims at introducing the patterns of the structures of Persian simple sentences; moreover it describes these patterns with some examples from Persian to help the learners (especially non-native learners) have better understanding of them. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2016.v6n1p94

SUMMARY In this study, a simplified analytical closed-form solution, considering plane strain and axial symmetry conditions, for analysis of a circular pressure tunnel excavated underwater table, is developed. The method accounts for the seepage forces with the steady-state flow and is based on the generalized effective stress law. To examine the effect of pore pressure variations and also the boundary conditions at the ground surface, the formulations are derived for different directions around the tunnel. The proposed method can be applied for analysis and design of pressure tunnels. Illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed solution and also to examine the effect of seepage forces on the stability of tunnels. The simplified analytical solution derived in this study is compared with numerical analyses. It is concluded that the classic solutions (Lame's thick-walled solution), considering the internal pressure as a mechanical load applied to the tunnel surface, are not applicable to pervious media and can result in an unsafe design. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Concentrated lime juice with 20% total soluble solids was dried using three levels of maltodextrin (40%, 50%, and 60% solid base) and a BUCHI B-190 spray dryer. The drying air temperature and flow rate were 140 °C, 155 °C, and 170 °C and 47.1, 53.5, and 57.8 m3/h, respectively. A total of 27 experiments were conducted (in triplicate) with the feed rate, temperature, and compressed air flow for the atomizer kept constant. Analysis of the data revealed that product recovery increased when the maltodextrin in the feed and drying air flow rate were increased, but the inlet air temperature had no significant (P

The electrical conductivity (EC) of food systems is a key parameter of the ohmic heating process. Ohmic heating experiments were conducted using a Teflon cylindrical cell. Electrical conductivity values were evaluated for the ohmic processing (25–125 °C) of blanched, 2-cm cubic particles (carrot, potato, radish, beef muscle, pork muscle and commercial ham) dispersed in carrier fluid (5% w/w starch–water solution with 0.15–1.5% w/w salt concentrations). Assuming an analogy between thermal conductivity (TC) and EC five existing TC theoretical models (series, parallel, two forms of Maxwell–Eucken models and effective medium theory) were applied and evaluated for EC of various solid–fluid structural systems. Parallel and Series models are not practically applicable in real food system, however they can indicate the useful limit values of highest and lowest EC among all two-phase structures. The first Maxwell–Eucken model, which describes solid particles dispersed in continuous liquid, showed the best agreement between predicted EC values and experimental data. This model provided a useful and relatively simple new approach to predict the effective EC for mixtures of different types of solid food particles immersed in liquid food.

Energy consumption and product quality changes are often observed as the ratio of the convection to the conduction modes of heat transfer varies in industrial baking ovens. Air and oven-wall temperature profiles as well as air velocity can affect the convection/radiation heat transfer and hence the quality of the baked products. A programmable pilot-plant oven was used to establish five baking profiles by measuring the total heat flux and the convective component using a special heat flux meter called an h-monitor. The purpose was to keep the total heat flux delivered to the h-monitor constant while varying the convective component from 27% (for the standard profile) to 11%, 22%, 33% and 37% by modifying air characteristics and wall temperatures. Industrial cupcakes were baked using the five established baking profiles and then evaluated in terms of quality parameters. Compared to the standard profile, a 10% reduction in volume expansion and a 30% increase in texture properties were observed for extreme oven conditions; top colour was always darker but more uniform for the conditions with less convection. The moisture content of the middle part of the cake was always higher than that of the top, bottom and sides. Baking industries are interested in using the pilot-scale oven to modify baking profiles for the purposes of quality improvement, product development and energy savings, rather than having to engage in high-cost trial and error practices on the production site.

Blueberries and cranberries were dried using a hybrid technology consisting of pretreatment, osmotic dehydration, and convective drying. The performance of this hybrid technology was evaluated in terms of quality attributes such as color, taste, rehydration ratio, water activity, as well as sugar and anthocyanins content. Of thirteen different pretreatment methods tested for cranberries, cutting the berries in halves was the simplest and the best one. No pretreatment was needed for blueberries. Osmotic dehydration was performed in batch and continuous modes using sugar solution of 67.5–70°Brix. Convective drying was then carried out in a fluidized bed, a pulsed fluidized bed, or a vibrated fluidized bed. Quality profiles for both berries were determined after each step of such a hybrid technology and compared with quality of berries dried in the vibrated fluidized bed and freeze dryer. Recommendations for full-scale processing are given.

In a drained underwater cavity, seepage forces and pore-water pressure that develop around the cavity may affect the response of the rock mass. In this paper, a fully analytical solution is proposed for analysis of underwater cavities excavated in elastic–brittle–plastic and Mohr-Coulomb rock material, considering the induced seepage forces under steady-state flow. The initial stress state is assumed to be hydrostatic, and the seepage flow is assumed to be radial; thus, the problem is considered axisymmetric. In the proposed solution, in contrast to the failure processes that are represented as a function of Terzaghi’s effective stresses, the induced deformations are considered as a function of Biot’s effective stresses. The proposed solution is used to explain the behavior of cavities under different hydromechanical conditions. The results show that, in the case of drained cavities, seepage flow causes the induced radial displacements to increase and the stability of the cavity to decrease. From ...

Implementing battery energy storage system (BESS) in wind power plant provide an opportunity to the plant operator to make a balance between energy supply and demand in a profitable way. The aim of this paper is to design a controller based on model predictive control (MPC) theory along with a nonlinear battery energy storage model to manage the amount of energy which is generated and sold to the electricity market with respect to plant and battery constraints. The proposed control scheme follows a decision policy of selling more energy at high price regime and storing it when price is low in compliance with the electricity market pattern of Australia. The goal of the control is to maximize profit of selling energy dispatched to the grid while using BESS, given forecasted dispatch price and wind power. The efficiency of this control strategy has been evaluated in simulation enshrinement by applying to actual data taken from an Australian wind farm and NSW electricity market.

Implementing battery energy storage system (BESS) in wind power plant reduces its fluctuation and hence makes this renewable energy resource more dispatchable. The aim of this paper is to design a controller based on model predictive control (MPC) theory along with a nonlinear battery energy storage model to smooth wind power output by controlled storage of the wind energy in battery with respect to use battery plant and battery constraints. The goal of the control is to use BESS maximally smoothing the output power dispatched to the grid while using forecasted wind power. The efficiency of this control strategy has been evaluated via simulation of an actual wind farm data.

Heating heterogeneity is often observed in laboratory/kitchen ovens, medium size equipments such as rotary ovens, and industrial tunnel-type ovens. Losses of bakery products are mainly due to the effect of not a uniform heat flux delivered to the product. Discarding products of not desired shape and color, from non uniform heat fluxes, is a common practice in the bakery industry resulting in waste of energy and food ingredients. A static pilot plant oven was designed and constructed to simulate industrial continuous ovens. The oven is equipped with computerized on line control system to simulate baking parameters such as wall and air temperature, velocity and humidity of air inside the baking chamber corresponding to the real baking profile of a given commercial product. A mathematical method was developed to establish appropriate coefficients and correlations for oven performance providing a uniform baking zone. Heat fluxes in the baking zones of the oven both for top and bottom chambers at various positions were experimentally measured using a specially designed total heat flux meter, the h-monitor. Results showed an acceptable uniform heat flux of less than 5% variation within the baking zone except at the corners of the oven. Several baking trials of various industrial cake products confirmed that the desired heat flux uniformity was achieved.

Ohmic heating behaviour and electrical conductivity (EC) of two-phase food systems were studied. Food systems were comprised of a liquid phase using 4% w/w starch solution with 0.5% w/w salt, and a solid phase containing carrot puree and cubes of different sizes (6 and 13 mm) in different concentrations (30 and 50% w/w). A set of experiments was carried out for a wide range of particle concentrations from 0 to 60% w/w. With respect to the particle location, experiments were conducted using 30% w/w cubes (6 mm) placed in parallel, in series and in well-mixed conditions with the liquid phase. Ohmic heating was applied to the food systems using a static cell (20-mm-long Teflon cylinder with 35 mm diameter and 25 mm wall thickness) at a constant voltage gradient of 12.5 V/cm. Electrical conductivity values were calculated as a function of particle size, concentration, location and temperature. It was observed that the heating time increased along with particle size and concentration. Overall values of EC ranged from 0.2 to 1.8 S/m, increasing with the process temperature as it ranged from 20–80 °C, and decreasing as particle size or concentration increased. With respect to the particle location within the ohmic cell, the thermal behaviour was different when the two phases were in parallel, in series or in mixed condition. However, there was no significant difference between overall values of EC when liquid and solid phases were separated as compared with the mixed condition.