Drying Characteristics and Product Quality of Lemon Slices Dried with Hot Air Circulation Oven and Hybrid Heatpump Dryers

In this research, drying characteristics and product quality of Coulomb-force-assisted heatpump and oven dried lemon slices were studied. Lemon slices with 3 mm thickness each, were dried using oven and Coulomb-force-assisted-heatpump dryer with and without auxiliary heater at different drying conditions. It was found that the drying rate of the lemon slices dried by all drying methods showed only falling rate states, which indicates the drying kinetics were controlled by internal moisture diffusion. Oven drying of lemon slices at 60°C showed the highest drying rate among all, followed by oven dried slices at 50°C, Coulomb-force-heater-assisted-heatpump (CF-HT-HP) dried slices at 31°C, Coulomb-force-assisted-heatpump (CF-HP) dried slices at 22°C, oven dried slices at 40°C and heatpump dried slices at 22°C. The average effective moisture diffusivity value for the slices dried with these drying methods was found in the range of 16.2 to 63.8´10-4 mm2min-1. In terms of quality assessment, CF-HP dried lemon slices retained the highest amount of Vitamin C as compared to the lemon slices dried by other drying methods. However, it retained relatively lower amount of total phenolic content (TPC) as compared to oven dried products. Among of all, CF-HP drying method produced dried lemon slices with the highest Vitamin C (6.74 mg AA / g dry weight) whereas oven dried lemon slices at 50°C preserved most of the TPC in the dried slices, which recorded as 13.76 mg GA / g dry weight

A New On-Land Seismogenic Structure Source Database from the Taiwan Earthquake Model (TEM) Project for Seismic Hazard Analysis of Taiwan

Taiwan is located at an active plate boundary and prone to earthquake hazards. To evaluate the island’s seismic risk, the Taiwan Earthquake Model (TEM) project, supported by the Ministry of Sciences and Technology, evaluates earthquake hazard, risk, and related social and economic impact models for Taiwan through multidisciplinary collaboration. One of the major tasks of TEM is to construct a complete and updated seismogenic structure database for Taiwan to assess future seismic hazards. Toward this end, we have combined information from pre-existing databases and data obtained from new analyses to build an updated and digitized three-dimensional seismogenic structure map for Taiwan. Thirty-eight on-land active seismogenic structures are identified. For detailed information of individual structures such as their long-term slip rates and potential recurrence intervals, we collected data from existing publications, as well as calculated from results of our own field surveys and investigations. We hope this updated database would become a significant constraint for seismic hazard assessment calculations in Taiwan, and would provide important information for engineers and hazard mitigation agencies

Early winners and losers in dialysis center pay-for-performance

Abstract Background We examined the association of dialysis facility characteristics with payment reductions and change in clinical performance measures during the first year of the United States Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) End Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Plan (ESRD QIP) to determine its potential impact on quality and disparities in dialysis care. Methods We linked the 2012 ESRD QIP Facility Performance File to the 2007–2011 American Community Survey by zip code and dichotomized the QIP total performance scores—derived from percent of patients with urea reduction rate > 65, hemoglobin  12 g/dL—as ‘any’ versus ‘no’ payment reduction. We characterized associations between payment reduction and dialysis facility characteristics and neighborhood demographics, and examined changes in facility outcomes between 2007 and 2010. Results In multivariable analysis, facilities with any payment reduction were more likely to have longer operation (OR 1.03 per year), a medium or large number of stations (OR 1.31 and OR 1.42, respectively), and a larger proportion of African Americans (OR 1.25, highest versus lowest quartile), all p < 0.05. Most improvement in clinical performance was due to reduced overtreatment of anemia, a decline in the percentage of patients with hemoglobin ≥ 12 g/dL; for-profits and facilities in African American neighborhoods had the greatest reduction. Conclusions In the first year of CMS pay-for-performance, most clinical improvement was due to reduced overtreatment of anemia. Facilities in African American neighborhoods were more likely to receive a payment reduction, despite their large decline in anemia overtreatment.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139722/1/12913_2017_Article_2764.pd

Infall and Outflow around the HH 212 protostellar system

HH 212 is a highly collimated jet discovered in H2 powered by a young Class 0 source, IRAS 05413-0104, in the L1630 cloud of Orion. We have mapped around it in 1.33 mm continuum, 12CO ($J=2-1$), 13CO ($J=2-1$), C18O ($J=2-1$), and SO ($J_K = 6_5-5_4$) emission at $\sim$ \arcs{2.5} resolution with the Submillimeter Array. A dust core is seen in the continuum around the source. A flattened envelope is seen in C18O around the source in the equator perpendicular to the jet axis, with its inner part seen in 13CO. The structure and kinematics of the envelope can be roughly reproduced by a simple edge-on disk model with both infall and rotation. In this model, the density of the disk is assumed to have a power-law index of $p=-1.5$ or -2, as found in other low-mass envelopes. The envelope seems dynamically infalling toward the source with slow rotation because the kinematics is found to be roughly consistent with a free fall toward the source plus a rotation of a constant specific angular momentum. A 12CO outflow is seen surrounding the H2 jet, with a narrow waist around the source. Jetlike structures are also seen in 12CO near the source aligned with the H2 jet at high velocities. The morphological relationship between the H2 jet and the 12CO outflow, and the kinematics of the 12CO outflow along the jet axis are both consistent with those seen in a jet-driven bow shock model. SO emission is seen around the source and the H2 knotty shocks in the south, tracing shocked emission around them.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, Accepted by the Ap