Mechanism of polarization pinning in vertical cavity surface emitting lasers using focused ion beam etching

Photoluminescence experiments have identified strain as the origin for polarization pinning in vertical cavity surface emitting lasers post-processed by focused ion beam etching. Theoretical models were applied to deduce the strain in devices. Post-annealing was used to optimize polarization pinning.

The transition mechanism of highly-loaded LP turbine blades

A detailed experimental investigation was conducted into the interaction of a converted wake and a separation bubble on the rear suction surface of a highly loaded low-pressure (LP) turbine blade. Boundary layer measurements, made with 2D LDA, revealed a new transition mechanism resulting from this interaction. Prior to the arrival of the wake, the boundary layer profiles in the separation region are inflexional. The perturbation of the separated shear layer caused by the converting wake causes an inviscid Kelvin-Helmholtz rollup of the shear layer. This results in the breakdown of the laminar shear layer and a rapid wake-induced transition in the separated shear layer.

Improving discharge characteristics of indirect integral collector storage systems with multi-element storage

Desired performance of unpressurized integral collector storage systems hinges on the appropriate selection of storage volume and the immersed heat exchanger. This paper presents analytical results expressing the relation between storage volume, number of heat exchanger transfer units and temperature limited performance. For a system composed of a single storage element, the limiting behavior of a perfectly stratified storage element is shown to be superior to a fully-mixed storage element, consistent with more general analysis of thermal storage. Since, however, only the fully-mixed limit is readily obtainable in a physical system, the present paper also examines a division of the storage volume into separate compartments. This multi-element storage system shows significantly improved discharge characteristics as a result of improved elemental area utilization and temperature variation between elements, comparable in many cases to a single perfectly-stratified storage element. In addition, the multi-element system shows increased robustness with respect to variations in heat exchanger effectiveness and initial storage temperature.

Storage life of silverbelly (Leiognathus sp.) with delayed icing

Silver belly (leiognathus splendens) caught in September spoiled faster than the fish caught in May. This could be due to seasonal changes. For silver belly, Total Volatile Base (TVB) value could be used as a measure of spoilage. At the beginning of spoilage TVB value is between 30-40 mg. N/100g sample. The main spoilage for silver belly appears to start between 6 and 8 hours (at 28° C-30°C) after landing on board. Therefore it is not necessary to ice silverbelly immediately; it seems to be sufficient if icing can be done within 6 hours of landing on board.

Increase of storage shelf life of locally produced salted/dried fish by redrying and/or packeting

Experiments were undertaken to prolong the storage life of salted/dried fish by re-drying and/or packing. The storage life under normal conditions is 51 days; re-drying the fish at 50°C for 12 hours extends the storage life only by 7 days. However, re-drying and packing gizzard shad (Gonialosa manminna ) in polyethylene maintains the fish in excellent conditions for well over 87 days. The use of air tight bags for storing good quality salted dried fish is recommended.

The storage of red snapper (Lutjanus spp.) in ice, chilled sea water and chilled fresh water

The results are given of trials conducted to determine the effect on quality of holding fish (Lutjanus species) in chilled freshwater and also to compare the quality loss of fish stored in chilled seawater and chilled freshwater and in ice. No adverse effects were observed when storing in chilled freshwater apart from loss of external appearance after 6 days storage; taste panel tests showed acceptable conditions up to 15 days. Chilled seawater is unsuitable for storage as it spoils the intake of salt from the medium, making the flesh unpalatable.

Changes in lipids of mussel during storage

Proximate composition, lipid and fatty acid components of dried mussel and changes in lipids during 1 year storage were studied. Male mussel contained lower fat contents and higher contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids of C20:5n-3, and C22:6n-3. High percentages of Cl6:1, Cl7:1, Cl8:3n-3, C20:3n-8 existed in NL and C!6:0, C18:0, Cl8:1n-9, C20:2n-6, C20:5n- 3, C22:6n-3 were very rich in PL. Triglycerides phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol were major components of mussel lipids. Free fatty acids (FFA) increased greatly and phospholipids decreased during storage, saturated fatty acids showed an increase trend and polyunsaturated fatty adds decreased differently. Dried mussels were vacuum packed and air packed and packaging methods had a great influence on the oxidation of mussellip,ids, indicating preference of vacuum packaging.

Minimize frequency fluctuations of isolated power system with wind farm by using superconducting magnetic energy storage

Wind power generation as one of the most popular renewable energy applications is absorbing more and more attention all over the world. However, output power fluctuations of wind farm due to random variations of wind speed can cause network frequency and voltage flicker in power systems. The power quality consequently declines, particularly in an isolated power system such as the power system in a remote community or a small island. This paper proposes an application of superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) to minimize output fluctuations of an isolated power system with wind farm. The isolated power system is fed by a diesel generator and a wind generator consisting of a wind turbine and squirrel cage induction machine. The control strategy is detailed and the proposed system is evaluated by simulation in Matlab/Simulink.

Suitability of sodium lactate as cryoprotectant and its effect on gel forming ability and protein denaturation of croaker fish surimi during frozen storage

The effect of sodium lactate is compared with sucrose + sorbitol + sodium tri-poly phosphate as cryoprotectant on gel forming ability & protein denaturation of croaker surimi during frozen storage at -20±2°C for 90 days was evaluated. The quality of Croaker surimi with 6% (w/v) sodium lactate was examined in terms of biochemical parameters of muscle protein, thaw drip, gel strength and calcium ATPase activity :.omparing with those of surimi added with sucrose/sorbitol & without additive as control. Both the cryoprotectants minimized the negative effects of frozen storage on physico-chemical traits of myofibrillar proteins which was evident from the biochemical and sensory parameters. The residual Ca2+ ATPase activity and gel strength of surimi with sodium lactate were higher than those of control throughout 90 days of storage. Ca2+ A TPase activity and gel strength found a high positive correlation. From the results, it was found that sodium lactate was equally effective in preservation of croaker muscle protein native structure during frozen storage as the sucrose/ sorbitol and also less sweet without any risk of maillard browning.

Shelf life of dried products from small indigenous fish species under various packing and storage conditions

The overall quality of five SIS products was found in good condition up to 2 months storage on the basis of organoleptic, biochemical and bacteriological characteristics and all the products was excellent in sealed packed condition up to 45 days of storage. However, quality of the products stored in open air atmospheric temperature was found excellent for first 15 days. In an average the initial moisture content was in the range of 13.5 to 15.0% with highest moisture content in puti and lowest in chapila. At the end of the 60 days the moisture content reached to the range of 18.5 to 19.0% which was more or less near the recommended limit of 16% for dried fishery products. The moisture content beyond the recommended limit as the storage period increased further and at the end of 90 days the moisture content increased to the range of 22.9 to 24% when organoleptically the product quality became very poor. The changes in the value of total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), peroxide value (PO), moisture and aerobic plate count (APC) of solar tunnel dried products in sealed polythene packages were investigated during 60 days of storage. There was little or no differences in TVB-N, PO and bacterial load of each species packed under various polythene density. The initial TVB-N values were in the range of 10.30 to 12.40 mg/100g of the samples. TVB-N value increased slowly up to the end of the storage period and was to in the range of 46.20 to 57.00 mg/1 00 g of sample. Initially the peroxide values (P.O.) were in the range of 6.54 to 8.40 m.eq./kg oil of the samples. During 60 days of storage, P.O. values increased slowly and at the end of the storage period these values reached to the range of 22.00 to 25.30meq./kg of sample. The initial APC was in the range 5.3xl04-7.3x104 CFU/g. The bacterial load increased slowly and at the end of the 60 days storage period reached to the range 6.6x106 - 8.6x107 CFT/g.

Toward an understanding of the molecular mechanism for successful blood feeding by coupling proteomics analysis with pharmacological testing of horsefly salivary glands

Horseflies are economically important blood-feeding arthropods and also a nuisance for humans and vectors for filariasis. They rely heavily on the pharmacological properties of their saliva to get a blood meal and suppress immune reactions of hosts. Little information is available on antihemostatic substances in horsefly salivary glands; especially no horsefly immune suppressants have been reported. By proteomics or peptidomics and coupling transcriptome analysis with pharmacological testing, several families of proteins or peptides, which act mainly on the hemostatic system or immune system of the host, were identified and characterized from 30,000 pairs salivary glands of the horsefly Tabanus yao (Diptera, Tabanidae). They are: (i) a novel family of inhibitors of platelet aggregation including two members, which possibly inhibit platelet aggregation by a novel mechanism and act on platelet membrane, (ii) a novel family of immunosuppressant peptides including 12 members, which can inhibit interferon-gamma production and increase interleukin-10 secretion, (iii) a serine protease inhibitor with 56 amino acid residues containing anticoagulant activity, (iv) a serine protease with anticoagulant activity, (v) a protease with fibrinogenolytic activity, (vi) three families of antimicrobial peptides including six members, (vii) a hyaluronidase, (viii) a vasodilator peptide, which is an isoform of vasotab identified from Hybomitra bimaculata, and interestingly (ix) two metallothioneins, which are the first metallothioneins reported from invertebrate salivary glands. The current work will facilitate the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the ectoparasite-host relationship and help in identifying novel vaccine targets and novel leading pharmacological compounds.

Short-term preservation of Brachionus calyciflorus: effects of storage on protein, lipid and carbohydrate contents

The short-term preservation of Brachionus calyciflorus for 45 days at three different temperatures (4, -4 and -20°C) led to decrease in protein, lipid and carbohydrate contents in all the three cases. However, the rate of deterioration was much higher at 4C than at -4 and -20°C. At 4C, protein, lipid and carbohydrate contents reduced by 76.78, 81.11 and 62.83%, respectively, and at -4°C, these were 27.94, 37.46 and 18.42%, respectively, whereas at -20°C, the deterioration was limited to 9.28, 16.44 and 11.35%, respectively, when compared with the control values. Thus, preservation at -20°C is comparatively better as it exerts limited effect on the protein, lipid and carbohydrate contents of B. calycijlorus.