CAE/CAD/CAM curricula implementation - experience at the National University of Singapore

Computer-Aided Design2110649-653CAID

CAE/CAD/CAM research collaboration with industry. Experience at the National University of Singapore

The International journal of applied engineering education56737-740IJAE

Temperature and mechanical stimuli to regulate pear and papaya growth

Tree size and harvest season might be designed and controlled in growth chambers or by elevation in the field. By means of higher temperature, thousands of hectors of Japanese Dears in Taiwan are being cultivated to produce off-season fruit year around, mainly from spring through fall months. The height of a Japanese pear tree with setting fruit might be 30 cm if the tree is kept in 15:25. with full light intensity through out the year until the flower buds are initiated and begin to develop. Like banana trees, papayas are susceptible to wind damage. Papaya is also susceptible to the papaya ring spot virus (RSV) prevalent in Taiwan and other tropical and subtropical areas. Nethouses were constructed to prevent aphids from transferring the virus. In the nethouse, decreased light intensity induced vigorous vegetative growth of the papaya. When the tips of the papaya touched the net, the canopy could not spread, forcing farmers to remove the net. The papaya soon became infected by RSV resulting in higher cultivation costs. In order to increase the life span of papaya in nethouses, a mechanical stimulus was applied to the papaya by cleaving and bending the trunk to various heights. This technique facilitated evaluation of wind damage, disease susceptibility, and duration of the harvest. Research shows papaya trunks can be trained to a tunnel- type growth form extending the duration of the harvest for an additional year or more. This suggests that the plastic recovery properly of the papaya trunk allows cultivation economically in greenhouses or nethouses, and eventually in the field with greatly reduced affects from wind damage

Characterization of the physico-chemical and antioxidant properties of Taiwanese kiwifruit (Actinidia setosa)

In Taiwan the kiwifruit Actinidia setosa grows higher than 1,500 in above sea level. The National Chung Hsing University of Taiwan maintains a collection of experimental vines grown from cuttings of the native A. setosa collection. Actinidia setosa 'No.9', which produced the largest fruit, was selected for a study of its physicochemical and antioxidant characteristics, which were compared with those of A. deliciosa 'Chung Hsing No.3' and 'Chung Hsing No.4'. Kiwifruit fresh weight, soluble solids content, flesh firmness, titratable acidity, quinic, malic, ascorbic and citric acid contents, chlorophyll content, total phenol compound content, peroxidase activity, polyphenolic oxidase activity, free radical scavenging (DPPH) effect, and chelating effect were measured. Anthesis of A. selosa and A. deliciosa occurs in late April and late May, and fruit maturity Occurs in late September and late October, respectively. The strong insect and diseaseresistant characteristics of A. selosa 'No.9' can be attributed to the long down on the branches, leaves, and fruit. ACIinidia setosa 'No.9' has a yellow rust leaf infection rate of 14 +/- 3% while that of 'Chung Hsing NoY and 'Chung Hsing No.4' leaves was 77 +/- 5% and 92 +/- 7%, respectively. The A. setosa 'No.9' fruit has a flat, long shape with a down length of 33 +/- 4 mu m, and the down length on 'Chung Hsing No.3' and 'Chung Hsing No.4' fruit was 18.2 +/- 0.7 and 17 +/- 4 mu m, respectively. Under organic cultivation, A. selosa 'No. 9' had a mature fruit fresh weight of 66 +/- 10 g, Soluble solids content of 6.2 +/- 0.1 'Brix, and titratable acidity of 2.2 +/- 0.0%. In A. setosa 'No.9' the ascorbic acid concentration was 83 +/- 6 mg/100 g, inalic acid was 565 9 mg/100 g, and the total phenol Compound content was 0.4 +/- 0.1 rng/g of fresh weight, all significantly higher than those of 'Chung Hsing No.4'. The peroxidase and polyphenolic oxidase activities of A. selosa 'No.9' were 0.02 +/- 0.0 Delta A(470)/min/g.fw and 0.01 +/- 0.0 Delta A(420)/min/g.fw at 150 days after anthesis (DAA), respectively. The DPPH ability of A. setosa 'No.9', 'Chung Hsing No.3' and 'Chung Hsing No.4' was 96.1 +/- 0.2%, 93 +/- 1% and 95 +/- 1%, respectively. The experimental results indicate that A. setosa 'No.9' has great potential for commercial production and breeding

Experimental and theoretical study of the infrared spectra of BrHI- and BrDI-

Gas phase vibrational spectra of BrHI- and BrDI- have been measured from 6 to 17 mum (590-1666 cm-1) using tunable infrared radiation from the free electron laser for infrared experiments in order to characterize the strong hydrogen bond in these species. BrHI-.Ar and BrDI-.Ar complexes were produced and mass selected, and the depletion of their signal due to vibrational predissociation was monitored as a function of photon energy. Additionally, BrHI- and BrDI- were dissociated into HBr (DBr) and I- via resonant infrared multiphoton dissociation. The spectra show numerous transitions, which had not been observed by previous matrix studies. New ab initio calculations of the potential-energy surface and the dipole moment are presented and are used in variational ro-vibrational calculations to assign the spectral features. These calculations highlight the importance of basis set in the simulation of heavy atoms such as iodine. Further, they demonstrate extensive mode mixing between the bend and the H-atom stretch modes in BrHI- and BrDI- due to Fermi resonances. These interactions result in major deviations from simple harmonic estimates of the vibrational energies. As a result of this new analysis, previous matrix-isolation spectra assignments are reevaluated. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics