Recently, non-destructive techniques such as the Vis / NIR spectroscopy have been used to evaluate the characteristics of maturation and quality of pears. The study aims to validate the readings by the Vis / NIR spectroscopy as a non-destructive way to assess the qualitative characteristics of pear cultivars 'Williams', 'Packams' and 'Carrick', produced according to Brazilian conditions. The ex...

In this article the general non-symmetric parametric form of the incremental secant stiffness matrix for nonlinear analysis of solids have been investigated to present a semi analytical sensitivity analysis approach for geometric nonlinear shape optimization. To approach this aim the analytical formulas of secant stiffness matrix are presented. The models were validated and used to perform inve...

A submerged biological filter packed with clayey schists from brick industrial waste as support material was used to treat landfill leachate. The pilot-scale plant consisted of two separated reactors, running in aerated and non-aerated conditions respectively. The leachate was taken from a landfill in Granada (southeast Spain) and was considered as partially stabilized with average chemical oxy...

Electro-active solids are solids that are either infused with electrorheological fluids or embedded with electrically conducting particles, the body as a whole however conducting negligible current. In this paper, we provide a mathematical framework, within the context of continuum mechanics, for the study of electro-active solids. The theory assumes that the body can be considered as a continu...

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We review some recent advances in the use of optical fields at terahertz frequencies to drive the lattice of complex materials. We will focus on the control of low energy collective properties of solids, which emerge on average when a high frequency vibration is driven and a new crystal structure induced. We first discuss the fundamentals of these lattice rearrangements, based on how anharmonic...

A fundamental analysis of some of the factors affecting entrainment in sublimation is proposed and the predictions are verified experimentally by investigation of the separation of particulate silicon carbide from ammonium chloride. It was found that for the impurity particle size distribution studied, increased system pressure is effective in reducing entrainment at a given mass rate of sublim...

CONCURRENT EVAPORATING SPRAY JETS IN DILUTE GAS-SOLIDS PIPE FLOWS by Xiaohua Wang Evaporating spray jets into gas-solids suspensions are encountered in many industrial applications. The rapid evaporation of spray jets has significant effects on the gas-solids mixing near the jet nozzle regions, including non-uniform solids concentration dilution, gas/solids temperature reduction, and gas/solids...

BACKGROUND Despite scarce scientific evidence, current feeding guidelines recommend delayed introduction of solids for the prevention of asthma and allergy. AIMS To explore whether late introduction of solids is protective against the development of asthma, eczema, and atopy. METHODS A total of 642 children were recruited before birth and followed to the age of 5(1/2) years. Main outcome me...