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Finite-element analyses are performed of centrifuge tests consisting of untreated and drain-treated lateral spread sites, with the goal of evaluating the ability of numerical simulations to predict the response of sites improved with prefabricated vertical drains. Finite-element models of varying complexity are analyzed: a two-dimensional model of the full centrifuge test, a three-dimensional unit cell model around a single drain, and a two-dimensional unit cell model. All the finite-element models predict pore pressures consistent with the centrifuge tests. The deformation responses of the finite-element models show that unit cell analyses produce significantly larger deformations than those observed in the centrifuge. This result is caused by the fact that the centrifuge test geometry is not well represented by the infinite slope condition assumed in a unit cell. The full two-dimensional model predicts deformations that are more consistent with those of the centrifuge because it can capture the rotational mode of deformation experienced in the centrifuge. These results indicate that the expected mode of deformation should be considered when selecting the appropriate finite-element model to analyze a site. The simulations also show that constitutive models for liquefiable soils significantly overestimate the volumetric stiffness, which leads to inaccurate modeling of the diffusion process unless the model is appropriately modified. This issue is critical when simulating the performance of drain-treated sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep soil mixing (DSM) to form in-ground shear walls has been used to remediate against the potential effects of earthquake-induced liquefaction on many projects. A grid pattern of soil-cement walls act as a confined shear box, which can provide additional shear stiffness and strength for sites to withstand liquefaction. Current design practice for DSM grids commonly relies on the strain compatibility assumption, where the DSM walls and confined soil are assumed to experience the same shear strain. In this paper, the distributions of shear stresses and strains in liquefiable soil deposits treated with DSM grids are investigated using three-dimensional linear elastic finite-element analyses of unit cells. Parametric analyses are performed for a range of geometries, relative stiffness ratios, and dynamic loadings. These linear elastic results provide a baseline against which future nonlinear modeling results can be compared, but they are also sufficient for demonstrating that shear stress reductions are less than predicted by the assumption of shear strain compatibility. Modifications to the shear strain compatibility equation are presented, which improve its agreement with the results of these analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Coffee grown at high elevations fetches a better price than that grown in lowland regions. This study was aimed at determining whether climatic conditions during bean development affected sensory perception of the coffee beverage and combinations of volatile compounds in green coffee. Green coffee samples from 16 plots representative of the broad range of climatic variations in Réunion Island were compared by sensory analysis. Volatiles were extracted by solid phase micro-extraction and the volatile compounds were analysed by GC–MS. The results revealed that, among the climatic factors, the mean air temperature during seed development greatly influenced the sensory profile. Positive quality attributes such as acidity, fruity character and flavour quality were correlated and typical of coffees produced at cool climates. Two volatile compounds (ethanal and acetone) were identified as indicators of these cool temperatures. Among detected volatiles, most of the alcohols, aldehydes, hydrocarbons and ketones appeared to be positively linked to elevated temperatures and high solar radiation, while the sensory profiles displayed major defects (i.e. green, earthy flavour). Two alcohols (butan-1,3-diol and butan-2,3-diol) were closely correlated with a reduction in aromatic quality, acidity and an increase in earthy and green flavours. We assumed that high temperatures induce accumulation of these compounds in green coffee, and would be detected as off-flavours, even after roasting. Climate change, which generally involves a substantial increase in average temperatures in mountainous tropical regions, could be expected to have a negative impact on coffee quality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nonlinear static and dynamic analyses were used to evaluate the inelastic seismic response of bridge and viaduct structures supported on extended cast-in-drilled-hole (CIDH) pile shafts. The nonlinear dynamic analyses used a beam-on-nonlinear-Winkler foundation (BNWF) framework to model the soil-pile interaction, nonlinear fiber beam-column elements to model the reinforced concrete sections, and one-dimensional site response analyses for the free-field soil profile response. The study included consideration of ground motion characteristics, site response, lateral soil resistance, structural parameters, geometric nonlinearity (P-Δ effects), and performance measures. Results described herein focus on how the ground motion characteristics and variations in structural configurations affect the performance measures important for evaluating the inelastic seismic response of these structures. Presented results focus on a representative dense soil profile and thus are not widely applicable to dramatically different soil sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of inelastic displacements is important for the evaluation of the seismic performance of structures with desired ductile response. In this paper, nonlinear dynamic analyses results from a companion numerical study investigating the response of ductile-designed bridge structures, were compared with a commonly applied inelastic displacement estimation approach and an alternative approach. The extended pile-shaft-supported bridge structures considered are susceptible to amplified response under long-period velocity pulses, and hence an evaluation of design methods for estimating inelastic displacement demands is warranted. In this case, force-reduction–displacement-ductility–period (R−μΔ−T) relations and a mean spectral displacement approach are investigated. The alternative approach estimates inelastic displacement demand using the mean elastic spectral displacement between two spectral periods that are important for the structure's response. Results support the conceptual merits of using the mean spectral displacement method, indicating that the approach is capable of reducing the uncertainty in predicting inelastic displacement demands for the types of structures considered when subjected to near-fault ground motions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1998 approximately 100 CAREER awardees, NSF staff, and invited speakers from government, industry, and universities assembled at an NSF sponsored two-day workshop on the "Integration of Engineering Research and Education." The workshop provided an opportunity for awardees to discuss effective teaching strategies, methods for evaluating educational activities and initiatives, and the linkages between institutional support and the longterm success of new faculty members. In this educational brief, we discuss how educational practices, mentoring, industrial collaboration, and the role of the institution can affect the long-term success in developing integrated research and education activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which analyzed steady cone penetration in clay using a novel finite-element procedure. Steady state deformation around cone penetrometer; Effects of stiffness and interface friction angle on cone factor; Effect of soil properties on strain paths.

Low pungency, high aromatic potential and red color, give to Piper borbonense its originality when compared to Piper nigrum . Effects of blanching, sweating and drying on these characteristics were assessed. The three operations had no impact on the concentration of piperine and essential oil but affected the composition of essential oil slightly and considerably affected the color of the pepper. The “wet process”, including blanching, sweating and drying, had the largest impact on the composition of aroma, increasing para-cymene content by 89% and reducing safrole content by 33% in dried pepper compared to fresh. Blanching increased the drying rate thus reducing drying time. Drying had a major impact on color, which changed from red to brown. The biggest differences observed led to reductions of 2.2, 7.9 and 8.4 units in L ∗ , a ∗ and b ∗ values, when chromatic values measured in fresh pepper were compared to those of dried pepper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tangential filtration technique was used to separate and quantify three different fractions of nitrogenous compounds depending on their molecular size, during cocoa fermentation. On every phenotype and origin analyzed, protein profile of non-fermented samples was similar. During fermentation course, proteins get degraded with a concomitant increase in amino acids content. Peptides between 3 and 10 kDa were observed at low levels. A strong correlation between amino acids and ammonia nitrogen, a fermentation marker was found. Attention was drawn on each fraction, and enabled to point out other phenomenon occurring during fermentation. The migration of some nitrogenous compounds towards the bean shell during fermentation was demonstrated. Acetone treatment of cocoa powder prior to SDS–PAGE led to losses of nitrogenous compounds. This result gives clues on the tanning phenomenon carried out by polyphenols on nitrogenous compounds, phenomenon which increases during fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We confirm that NH3 content of cocoa beans is dependent on fermentation level. [•] We reported an effect of geographical origin on the kinetic of NH3 formation. [•] NIRS is proposed as an alternative and efficient tool for NH3 quantification. [•] The sum of temperature during fermentation is a good indicator of the process. [•] NH3 content estimation is a good marker of cocoa fermentation level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Many natural antioxidant extracts were reported to potentially reduce the acrylamide formation during Maillard reaction. In this work, the effect of pure antioxidant molecules on acrylamide net amount was investigated in an equimolar asparagine–glucose system (10mM) during heating (200°C). All experimentations were performed in the newly designed test cell. Cinnamic acid and six phenolic compounds (gallic, ferulic, coumaric, caffeic acids, catechin, and epicatechin), displaying different antioxidant capacity, were added at 5mM to the model system. The results indicated no reduction effect of the tested compounds on acrylamide net amount. Moreover, in the case of ferulic acid a slight but significant promoting effect was observed. An increase of antioxidant activity was also noticed during heating of model solution spiked with caffeic acid but the acrylamide level was not affected. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aromatic quality of rice grains is known to vary greatly with environmental factors and cultivation methods. Among the environmental factors, soil salinity is thought to have a positive impact on the content of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) in grains, the key volatile compound of rice aroma. This study compared 2AP content in grains of three improved fragrant rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties grown in two fields, differing mainly in their soil salinity level. The impact of salinity on yield and main yield components was also investigated to understand the relationship between aromatic quality and yield build-up. Soil salinity was monitored by measuring the electrical conductivity (EC) of soil solution samples extracted every week. 2AP content in grains was determined by a newly developed stable isotope dilution method involving solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and GC MS/MS analysis. The results showed an increase of 2AP content in grains with salinity for the three varieties. The relationship between 2AP and mean EC of the crop fitted a single model for the three varieties (R 2 =0.728). In contrast, the impact of salinity on yield and yield components differed greatly between the three varieties. One variety appeared to be very sensitive to salt stress, with significant yield loss up to 40%, while the two other varieties proved to be resistant to the salinity levels experienced by the plants, with no significant yield loss or even higher yields in saline conditions. Nevertheless, the three varieties presented a significant negative correlation between 1000 grain weight (TGW) and the mean EC of the crop, and between TGW and 2AP content. It was concluded that the increase of 2AP content with salinity resulted partially from a 2AP concentration mechanism in smaller size grains. The direct effect of salinity on 2AP synthesis through stimulation of the proline metabolism is further discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Aromatic compounds could be transferred into coffee beans during fermentation. • The coffee bean parchment acts as a molecular sieve. • Some transferred volatiles underwent degradation reaction in coffee beans. • Interaction between the yeast cell wall and volatiles impact their transfer rate. The transfer kinetics of three labelled compounds (butanal, 2-phenyethanol, isoamyl acetate) was studied from a liquid medium into the coffee beans during simulated wet processing using four media (M) (M1: contained dehulled beans, M2: contained demucilaginated beans, M3: contained depulped beans, M4: contained depulped beans with yeast). Trials were carried out at 25 °C, under agitation and for five time periods (0, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h), and then the labelled volatiles were analyzed by SPME-GC–MS. The three labelled molecules were transferred into the coffee beans with different mass transfer rates; reaching at 12hrs in the M4, 0.2 ± 0.03, 11.2 ± 0.66 and 1.3 ± 0.04 µg/g of coffee respectively for butanal, 2-phenyethanol and isoamyl acetate. The parchment resistance significantly affected the mass transfer of the 2-phenylethanol. Butanal and isoamyl acetate underwent metabolic reactions, which decreased their amount in the coffee beans. Furthermore, an interaction between molecules and the yeast was observed and decreased significantly the butanal's transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown a correlation between chocolate sensory profile and certain (bio)chemical components. The aim of this study was to examine the sensorial profile and organic acid content of three lab scale chocolate brands produced from different cocoa genotypes. The sensorial evaluation was examined by a team of 12 panelists and evaluation of aroma volatiles was done by means of HS-SPME-GC-MS. On the other hand, organic acids were assessed using a high-performance ion chromatography coupled with an electrochemical detector (HPIC-ED). Results showed a variability in sensorial profile: SCA12×ICS40 chocolate (vanilla/sweet, spicy, and floral), ICS40 × SCA12 chocolate (fruity, bitter, and dry) and SNK16 × T60/887 chocolate (chocolate, honey-like, woody, sweet). Moreover, some aroma volatiles like (2-methyl, 3-methyl, iso) butanal (ICS), terpenes (SCA), and ketones (acetophenone and 2-nonanone) (SNK) allowed to discriminate dark chocolate sample according to their raw cocoa genetic group. Besides, the organic acid content differed from one chocolate brand to another, and it was obtained a high content of oxalic acid and a low lactic acid content which are good indicators of chocolate quality. Results of the current study highly recommend knowing the variety of cocoa beans with high content of some volatiles and high oxalic and low acetic acid and lactic contents to produce high aromatic (special flavor) chocolates., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (© Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)