ON THE MEASURE OF FUZZINESS AND NEGATION Part I: Membership in the Unit Interval

We investigate the meaning of the concept of fuzziness. It is suggested that fuzziness can be related to the lack of distinction between a set and its negation. Using fuzzy subsets with grades of membership in the unit interval, measures of fuzziness are suggested. First, a class of measures based on metric distances is used to derive numeric measures of fuzziness of a fuzzy set. Finally, the concept of compatibility is used to develop linguistic measures of fuzziness.     

THE MINIMUM ENTROPY PRINCIPLE IS NOT THE PRINCIPLE OF MINIMUM CROSS-ENTROPY

In this current paper the following problems are addressed: (1) extending the knowledge of a partially known probability distribution function to any point of a continuous sample space, (2) constructing an imprecise probability distribution based on the knowledge of a set of credible or confidence intervals, and (3) computing the lower and upper expected values of a random continuous variable. An example is provided.     

ENTROPY AND SPECIFICITY IN A MATHEMATICAL THEORY OF EVIDENCE

Abstract

We review Shafer's theory of evidence. We then introduce the concepts pf entropy and specificity in the framework of Shafer's theory. These become complementary aspects in the indication of the quality of evidence.     

Color and Oxidative Stability of Nitrite-Free Cured Meat after Gamma Irradiation

The effects of 5 and 10 kGy irradiation on the color and oxidative stability of meats treated with nitrite or a nitrite-free curing system were investigated. The nitrite-free curing system consisted of the preformed cooked cured-meat pigment, sodium ascorbate and sodium tripolyphosphate with or without sodium acid pyrophosphate. Irradiation had no detrimental effects on the color or flavor of either cured samples. Polyphosphates had a beneficial effect on oxidative stability but had a slight detrimental effect on color stability of irradiated samples.     

Anthocyanin Pigments of Royal Okanogan Huckleberry Juice

Juice processed from Royal Okanogan Huckleberries had an intense purple color, (CIE L*a*b*= L*, 22.66, a*, ?0.06, b*, ?0.46) and high anthocyanin pigment content, (>5 g/L). The anthocyanins were separated by HPLC and characterized from retention times and UV-visible spectra of purified pigments and their hydrolysis products. The major pigment (>70%) was petunidin 3-(p-coumaroyl-rutinoside)-5-glucoside. Eleven additional anthocyanins were identified as petunidin, delphinidin, and malvidin with the same glycosidic substitution pattern as the major pigment, and varying degrees of acylation with p-coumaric, ferulic, and caffeic acids. It was concluded from comparative pigment analyses and berry morphology that Royal Okanogan Huckleberries had identical characteristics to the Garden Huckleberry, Solanaceae melanocerasum (renamed S. scabrum).     

Oligosaccharides, Antinutritional Factors, and Protein Digestibility of Dry Beans as Affected by Processing

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were subjected to soaking, cooking or a combination of both prior to fermentation, and then assessed for oligosaccharides, antinutritional factors and in-vitro protein digestibility. Results showed an important decrease in raffinose oligosaccharides and antinutritional factors. However, an increase of trypsin inhibitor and tannin contents occurred respectively in cooked or soaked-cooked fermented beans and in raw or soaked fermented beans. Appreciable improvement in in-vitro protein digestibility was only observed in cooked or soaked-cooked beans. After fermentation, the largest decreases were observed in soaked-cooked beans (92.75%) for raffinose, in cooked beans (31.57%) for phytic acid, in soaked beans (90.86%) for stachyose, and in raw beans for trypsin inhibitor (38.77%). The highest increase due to fermentation was observed in raw beans for in-vitro protein digestibility (1.73%).     

Kinetics of Growth and Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes in the Presence of Antioxidant Food Additives

Listeria monocytogenes strain Scott A in Tryptose Broth was treated with 100-300 ppm butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), 300-700 ppm butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and 10-30 ppm tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). Resulting growth curves were fitted using the logistic model, and growth parameters [lag period (LP), generation time (GT), and maximum growth (MG)] were calculated. BHA and BHT inhibited Listeria monocytogenes by increasing LP and GT and decreasing MG. Extent of inhibition was concentration-dependent for cultures with BHA, but not with BHT. TBHQ at 10-30 ppm increased LP but did not affect other parameters. LP increased exponentially with increased BHA or TBHQ in Listeria culture. Concentrations of additive required to increase LP by one order of magnitude were 240 ppm for BHA and 26 ppm for TBHQ.     

EFFECT OF OTHER HYDROCOLLOIDS ON THE TEXTURE OF KAPPA CARRAGEENAN GELS1

The effect of different hydrocolloids on the breaking strength, cohesiveness and rigidity of kappa carrageenan gels was studied using comression tests with the Instron. Instrumental measurements were supplemented with benchtop sensory evaluation of texture by mouth, gel clarity and syneresis. The evaluated hydrocolloids included locust bean gum, iota carrageenan, amidated low methoxyl pectin, xanthan gum, and their selected combinations. Best gels were obtained by using 0.15% kappa carrageenan and 0.85% iota carrageenan, or 0.2% kappa carrageenan, 0.2% locust bean gum and 0.6% amidated LM pectin. Although none duplicated the textural quality of gelatine gels, they represented a wide range of interesting and potentially useful textures.     

THIN-FILM PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATORS FOR BIO-INSPIRED MICRO-ROBOTIC APPLICATIONS

ABSTRACT

Biologically-inspired autonomous micro-robots have a variety of anticipated applications resulting from their unique scale and cooperative potential. To achieve locomotion comparable to biological systems, these micro-robots will require actuators substantially stronger than most existing MEMS actuation technologies. Piezoelectric thin-films can meet these specifications while drawing limited power and contributing little mass to micro-robotic systems. Theoretical actuation requirements for micro-robotic applications show that lead-zirconium-titanate (PZT) thin-film actuators can meet these requirements, including a new thin-film PZT lateral actuator developed by the United States Army Research Laboratory. Experimental results and a comparison to other common lateral actuation technologies are presented.     

The Effect of a First‐Year Integrated Engineering Curriculum on Graduation Rates and Student Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study

This paper reports on the long‐term results of a two‐year experiment conducted in the 1994–1995 and 1995–1996 academic years in which a group of “average” engineering students was recruited for a first‐year program that integrated curricula and fostered a learning community. Students who participated in the Connections program graduated at a significantly higher rate than their peers and reflected retrospectively that the program had a strong positive effect on their college careers.