Ávila-Quezada^1* G, E Sánchez¹, E Muñoz¹, LR Martínez², E Villalobos²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.77, pp. 129-136, 2008, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2008.77.129

Abstract We determined the microbiological quality of the most important fruits and vegetables in Chihuahua State (Mexico) to know the potential risks and apply prevention strategies prior to their consumption. Samples of jalapeño, bell and serrano pepper, cantaloupe, saladet and grape tomato, peach and Golden and Starkimson apple and of well, channel, irrigation and drinking water, as well as that for washing in packing were analyzed to determine Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, total and fecal coliforms, fungi and yeasts. Determinations were made following the methodology indicated by the Mexican regulations (NOM-111-SSA1-1994). Sampling was made in the whole More >

Shu Minakuchi¹, Tadahito Mizutani¹, Haruka Tsukamoto², Mayuko Nishio², Yoji Okabe³, Nobuo Takeda¹

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.4, No.4, pp. 199-220, 2008, DOI:10.3970/sdhm.2008.004.199

Abstract The authors propose a technique to detect centimeter internal damages in large-scale composite structures, using an optical fiber network running throughout the structure. A Brillouin-based distributed strain sensing system with centimeter-order spatial resolution (pre-pump pulse Brillouin optical time domain analysis (PPP-BOTDA)) was utilized to detect residual non-uniform strain in the damaged area. First, Brillouin spectral response depending on the strain profile within the spatial resolution was revealed. The spectral response depending on strain non-uniformity was experimentally quantified with consideration of the general characteristics of the Brillouin gain spectrum. Then, the damage detection procedure was proposed, More >

B.K.Raghuprasad¹, N.Lakshmanan², N.Gopalakrishnan², K.Muthumani²

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 117-144, 2008, DOI:10.3970/sdhm.2008.004.117

Abstract The reduction in natural frequencies, however small, of a civil engineering structure, is the first and the easiest method of estimating its impending damage. As a first level screening for health-monitoring, information on the frequency reduction of a few fundamental modes can be used to estimate the positions and the magnitude of damage in a smeared fashion. The paper presents the Eigen value sensitivity equations, derived from first-order perturbation technique, for typical infra-structural systems like a simply supported bridge girder, modelled as a beam, an end-bearing pile, modelled as an axial rod and a simply… More >

L. Susmel^1,2, D. Taylor², R. Tovo¹

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.4, No.1, pp. 1-18, 2008, DOI:10.3970/sdhm.2008.004.001

Abstract This paper investigates some theoretical aspects related to the use of the Theory of Critical Distances (TCD) when employed to estimate notch fatigue limits. The linear-elastic TCD takes as a starting point the hypothesis that notched components are in their fatigue limit condition when an effective stress, whose value depends on a characteristic length, equals the material plain fatigue limit. Such an idea can be formalised by following different strategies: either assuming that the effective stress depends only on the profile of the stress field damaging the fatigue process zone and the reference distance is… More >

Iizuka Yoichiro¹, Hiroshi Yamaura

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.7, No.1, pp. 23-42, 2008, DOI:10.3970/icces.2008.007.023

Abstract Crown rollers are often used in the flexible media transport mechanism consists of a rubber layered roller and a steel roller. In this paper, the flexible media transport characteristics of crown roller is investigated theoretically. The purpose of this study is to analyze the flexible media transport characteristics such as longitudinal distribution of nip pressure, traction and transport velocity and so on, and to develop the design method of crown roller that has desired characteristics. More >

P. Huang^1,2, X. Zhang^1,3, S. Ma¹, H.K. Wang¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.38, No.2, pp. 119-148, 2008, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2008.038.119

Abstract The material point method (MPM) is an extension of particle-in-cell method to solid mechanics. A parallel MPM code is developed using FORTRAN 95 and OpenMP in this study, which is designed primarily for solving impact dynamic problems. Two parallel methods, the array expansion method and the domain decomposition method, are presented to avoid data races in the nodal update stage. In the array expansion method, two-dimensional auxiliary arrays are created for nodal variables. After updating grid nodes in all threads, the auxiliary arrays are assembled to establish the global nodal array. In the domain decomposition… More >

RaviS Nanjundiah¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.27, No.1&2, pp. 1-24, 2008, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2008.027.001

Abstract In this paper, application of high performance computing to climate modelling with specific reference to global General Circulation Models (GCM) is discussed. Methods of parallelization of global atmospheric models based on their numerical schemes is presented. It is seen that there is an interesting co-evolution of computer architecture and the type of numerical schemes used in general circulation models. A detailed survey of the Indian HPC scenario for meteorological computing is presented. Innovative and pioneering aspects of Indian efforts are highlighted. More >

Xiang Jiawei¹, Chen Xuefeng², Yang Lianfa³, He Zhengjia⁴

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.23, No.1, pp. 1-12, 2008, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2008.023.001

Abstract A class of flat shell elements is constructed by using the scaling functions of two-dimensional tensor product B-spline wavelet on the interval (BSWI). Unlike the process of direct wavelets adding in the wavelet Galerkin method, the element displacement field represented by the coefficients of wavelets expansions was transformed from wavelet space into physical space via the constructed two-dimensional transformation matrix. Then, the BSWI flat shell element is constructed by the assembly of BSWI plane elastomechanics and Mindlin plate elements. Because of the good character of BSWI scaling functions, the BSWI flat shell element combine the More >

Sánchez E¹, G Ávila-Quezada¹, AA Gardea¹, JM Ruiz², L Romero²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.76, pp. 143-152, 2007, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2007.76.143

Abstract The objective of this work was to determine the effect of deficiency versus toxicity of N on biosynthesis of proline in fruits of green bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Strike). Nitrogen was applied to the nutritive solution in the form of NH₄NO₃ at 1.5 mM (N1), 3.0 mM (N2), 6.0 mM (N3, optimal level), 12.0 mM (N4), 18.0 mM (N5), and 24.0 mM (N6). Nitrogen deficiency (N1 and N2) was characterized by having lower proline accumulation in pods and seeds, mainly because proline degradation was stimulated by the enzyme proline dehydrogenase. On the other hand, N More >

Luján-Rangel¹ R, E Olivares-Sáenz², RE Vázquez-Alvarado², L Garza-Ocañas³, O Torres-Alanís³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.76, pp. 61-77, 2007, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2007.76.061

Abstract Karwinskia parvifolia (Kp) and Karwinskia humboldtiana (Kh) are poisonous plants of the rhamnacea family. Toxicological and clinical studies performed with one of the compounds present in the fruit [peroxisomicine A1 (PA1)] suggest its possible pharmacological usefulness in the treatment of certain types of cancer. This is why these plants are cultivated: to increase their productivity of PA1. We studied the effects of nitrogen and species on seed viability. The germination curve was determined for Kp with (Kp-WN) and without (Kp-NN) nitrogen, and for Kh without nitrogen (Kh-NN) using the probit model. This is characterized by the probability of… More >