Break Indices Research Articles

Transportation Dynamic Behaviour of Structural Break and Consumer Price Index

This paper studies the dynamic behaviour of transportation price in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah from 2004 to 2015 using disaggregated monthly price data of consumer price index (CPI). For that, unit root tests and cointegration tests with structural breaks are incorporated. The findings indicated that (i) both Zivot and Andrews unit root test and Perron unit root test provided fairly similar results; most of the break points occurred in 2008, (ii) the variables cointegrate in the Johansen cointegration test which indicates that there is a long-run relationship and (iii) the Gregory and Hansen test also demonstrated some form of cointegration with structural break(s), especially in 2008. Overall, this study intends to match the structural break points with the comparable critical economic events.

Effects of Blending Semolina with Egg Powder on Physico- Chemical and Sensory Quality of Macaroni

A study was conducted to improve the nutritional status of macaroni product by adding egg powder to semolina flour. The effects of five proportions of egg powder (20%, 25%, 30%, 35% and 40%) were investigated. The result showed that with increase in egg proportion, increase in protein, fat, ash and a reduction in fiber and carbohydrate were observed. Improvement in Fe, Ca and Zn were also observed. Farinograph dough rheology evaluation indicated a drop in water absorption, stability time, time to dough viscosity break and tolerance index. On the other hand, increase in dough development time was noticed. Increase in the egg powder proportion resulted in the reduction of optimum cooking time and hardness. At the same time the water uptake capacity and cooking loss were increased.

Effect of Blending Methodologies on Cotton Mélange Yarn Quality

Fibre of dyed mélange yarn is becoming an emerging product in the field of textiles. The quality of mélange yarn is largely influenced by the types of blending methodologies. There exists hardly any reported work where the effect of blending methods on cotton mélange yarn quality has been studied. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of blending methodologies on the properties of cotton mélange spun yarn. Dyed and grey cotton fibre components were mixed at the blow room and draw frame stages separately to produce mélange yarns with three different shade depths (%). Better yarn quality with respect to yarn evenness, imperfections, tenacity, elongation at break and hairiness index was achieved with the draw frame blending methodology as compared to the blow room blending methodology. The mélange yarn quality deteriorates with an increase in shade depth (%) for both blending methodologies.

Characteristics of Suspension-Polymerized Latex and its Effect on Coated Paper Properties

A suspension polymerization method was employed to prepare coating cobinder latexes. Suspension polymerized latexes stabilized with anionic polyelectrolytes were used as a coating cobinder, and its effect on the viscosity and water retention value of coating colors was investigated. The effects of suspension-polymerized latexes on coated paper properties including gloss, elongation at break and tensile index were also examined. In addition, the possibility of improving fold cracking resistance of the coated paper with the use of suspension-polymerized latex was investigated. Results showed that suspension-polymerized latexes had a potential of improving coated paper properties and fold cracking resistance. To obtain these benefits, it was suggested that the selection and careful control of the dosage of polyelectrolyte stabilizers should be exercised in the polymerization process.

Physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of kefiran /waterborne polyurethane film incorporated with essential oils on refrigerated ostrich meat

The evaluation of the physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of kefiran/waterborne polyurethane blend (K/WPU) film incorporated with Zataria multiflora (ZM) and Rosmarinus officinalis essential oils (RO) with concentration 5, 10, 15 and 20% (v/v) for ostrich meat packaging were the goals of this study. The band shift of the Fourier transform infrared spectra implied that intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the EOs and K/WPU film. By increasing the EOs concentration on the films thickness, elongation at break and yellowness index were increased while water vapor permeability, tensile strength, lightness and whiteness index significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Both of the EOs has significant antibacterial activity against Lactobacillus plantarum, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus; this was proved by the agar diffusion method (P < 0.05). The total viable counts similar to all the tested bacteria were significantly inhibited by the K/WPU film containing 20% ZM and RO on ostrich meat during 12 days of storage in the refrigerator at 4 °C. ZM shows higher antimicrobial activity in comparison to RO due to the presence of terpenoid phenol compounds. Overall, these active films, especially in combination with ZM, exhibited desirable properties thus can be protected the safety and extended the shelf-life of food products.

Review of Intonation in Romance, by Sónia Frota and Pilar Prieto (Eds.). Oxford: Oxford University Press

The edited volume, Intonation in Romance, comprises eleven chapters: nine content chapters summarise the results of detailed prosodic analysis of intonation patterns across varieties of a particular Romance language, and are framed by an introduction and conclusion by the editors. The languages treated include those whose intonation systems have received much attention (Catalan, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish), alongside less-studied languages (Friulian, Occitan, Romanian and Sardinian). All chapters used the same methods of data collection and analysis: parallel data across languages was elicited with a common set of dialogue completion tasks; intonation patterns in the data are analysed on the basis of a shared implementation of the Tone and Break Indices (ToBI) model of prosodic annotation, within the Autosegmental-Metrical framework. These shared methods inform direct comparison of Romance intonation patterns and systems, within and across languages, to identify the scope and potential causes of variation, as well as avenues for future research.

Revealing the Host Galaxy of a Quasar 2175 Å Dust Absorber at z = 2.12

Abstract We report the first detection of the host galaxy of a strong 2175 Å dust absorber at z = 2.12 toward the background quasar SDSS J121143.42+083349.7 using Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 (HST/WFC3) IR F140W direct imaging and G141 grism spectroscopy. The spectroscopically confirmed host galaxy is located at a small impact parameter of ∼5.5 kpc (∼0.″65). The F140W image reveals a disk-like morphology with an effective radius of 2.24 ± 0.08 kpc. The extracted 1D spectrum is dominated by a continuum with weak emission lines ([O iii] and [O ii]). The [O iii]-based unobscured star formation rate (SFR) is 9.4 ± 2.6 M ⊙ yr−1, assuming an [O iii]/Hα ratio of 1. The moderate 4000 Å break (Dn(4000) index ∼1.3) and Balmer absorption lines indicate that the host galaxy contains an evolved stellar population with an estimated stellar mass M * of (3–7) × 1010 M ⊙. The SFR and M * of the host galaxy are comparable to, though slightly lower than, those of typical emission-selected galaxies at z ∼ 2. As inferred from our absorption analysis in Ma et al., the host galaxy is confirmed to be a chemically enriched, evolved, massive, and star-forming disk-like galaxy that is likely in the transition from a blue star-forming galaxy to a red quiescent galaxy.

Biopolymer scleroglucan as an emulsion stabilizer

In this study, we investigated the Stabilization of bitumen emulsions by scleroglucan, a rigid triple-helix forming biopolymer, in combination with a pH-sensitive cationic surfactant. Various aspects of the emulsification process and the final composition influence the Stabilization. We examined two different methods to add scleroglucan to the emulsion: either by adding it to the aqueous surfactant solution before emulsification, denoted ‘pre-emulsification addition’ (pre-EA), or by addition to the emulsion after emulsification (post-EA). We investigated scleroglucan concentrations in the aqueous phase ranging between 0.017 and 0.07 w/w%. The emulsions were evaluated according to the European EN 13808 standard used for cationic bituminous emulsions, as well as by rheological analysis. We observed an improvement of the storage stability upon pre-EA at a biopolymer concentration as low as 0.017 w/w% in combination with an increased particle size, whereas the breaking index (characterising breaking of the emulsion in presence of ‘aggregates’ = stones) was not influenced. The rheological data show a minor viscosity increase by scleroglucan in the pre-EA formulation at low scleroglucan concentrations (0.017–0.05 wt.%) where Stabilization already improved dramatically. This indicates that the stabilization mechanism is not only governed by a viscosity increase but also by interfacial stabilisation effects were polymer is adsorbed onto the adsorbed surfactant. In a separate experiment we changed the conformation of scleroglucan by subjecting it to extreme pH values and by dissolution in DMSO, in order to study the role of the triple helix conformation in the stabilization mechanism. Scleroglucan becomes less effective in a denatured and hydrolysed state confirming the crucial role of the triple helix conformation in the Stabilization of bitumen emulsions.

Analyzing the Effect of Spinning Process Variables on Draw Frame Blended Cotton Mélange Yarn Quality

An investigation has been made to study the effect of important spinning process variables namely shade depth, ring frame spindle speed and yarn twist multiplier (TM) on various yarn quality parameters like unevenness, strength, imperfection, elongation at break and hairiness index of draw frame blended cotton melange yarn. Three factors Box and Behnken design of experiment has been used to conduct the study. The quadratic regression model is used to device the statistical inferences about sensitivity of the yarn quality parameters to the different process variables. The response surfaces are constructed for depicting the geometric representation of yarn quality parameters plotted as a function of process variables. Analysis of the results show that yarn strength of draw frame blended cotton melange yarn is significantly affected by shade depth and TM. Yarn unevenness is affected by shade depth and ring frame spindle speed. Yarn imperfection level is mainly influenced by the shade depth and spindle speed. The shade depth and yarn TM have shown significant impact on yarn hairiness index.

Nanometer-scale local structural study of the paraelectric cubic phase of KNbO3 by convergent-beam electron diffraction

Nanometer-scale local structures of the paraelectric cubic phase of potassium niobate (KNbO3) are examined by convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) using a nanometer-size electron probe. The breaking of the cubic symmetry has been directly observed in the nanometer-scale areas of the cubic phase of KNbO3. This indicates the existence of local polarization clusters in the cubic phase. Symmetry breaking index maps for the fourfold rotation symmetry are given at different temperatures with the combined use of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and CBED (STEM–CBED).

Application of Moldavian dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) leaves addition as a functional component of nutritionally valuable corn snacks.

Application of Moldavian dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) leaves in extruded snacks was evaluated. Directly expanded corn snacks (crisps) were supplemented with 5-20% of dragonhead leaves. The supplemented snacks were characterized to have improved nutritional value and were a good source of dietary fibre. The presence of phenolic compounds, especially rosmarinic acid, showed a high antioxidant potential and a radical scavenging activity of tested snacks, especially if a high content of additive was used. The increasing amount of additive also had an impact on the physical properties of extrudates lowering the expansion ratio, water absorption and solubility, yet increasing bulk density, cutting force and the breaking index of the enriched snacks. The highest viscosity was observed at 5 and 10% addition level. The increasing amount of dragonhead leaves lowered the brightness of snacks and increased the greenness tint significantly. A sensory evaluation showed good acceptability of snacks enriched with up to 15% of dragonhead dried leaves. Dried leaves of the Moldavian dragonhead seem to be a prospective functional additive for extruded crisps with a high nutritional value, especially because of dietary fibre and rosmarinic acid content, a strong antioxidant potential and acceptable sensory properties.

PARAMETERIZATION OF EVOLUTION OF BIPHASE DURING NONLINEAR TRANSFORMATION OF WAVES IN COASTAL ZONE

Based on experimental data, the problem of parametrization of spatial variation of the phase shift (biphase) between the first and second nonlinear harmonics of wave motion during wave transformation over sloping bottom in the coastal zone is discussed. It is revealed that the biphase values vary in the range [–π/2, π/2]. Biphase variations rigorously follow fluctuations in amplitudes of the first and second harmonics and the periodicity of energy exchange between them. The empirical relation applied in modern practice to calculate the biphase, which depends on the Ursell number, is incorrect for calculating the biphase for wave evolution in the coastal zone, because it does not take into account periodic energy exchange between the nonlinear harmonics. The new approximations of the biphase values for typical scenarios of wave transformations are suggested. It was demonstrated that the biphase of breaking waves defines breaking index and breaking type.

Influence of processes of nonlinear transformations of waves in the coastal zone on the height of breaking waves

Using data from laboratory, field, and numerical experiments, we investigated regularities in changes in the relative limit height of breaking waves (the breaking index) from peculiarities of nonlinear wave transformations and type of wave breaking. It is shown that the value of the breaking index depends on the relative part of the wave energy in the frequency range of the second nonlinear harmonic. If this part is more than 35%, then the breaking index can be taken as a constant equal to 0.6. These waves are spilling breaking waves, asymmetric on the horizontal axis, and are almost symmetric on the vertical axis. If this part of the energy is less than 35%, then the breaking index increases with increasing energy in the frequency range of the second harmonic. These waves are plunging breaking waves, asymmetric on the vertical axis, and are almost symmetric on the horizontal axis. It is revealed that the breaking index depends on the asymmetry of waves on the vertical axis, determined by the phase shift between the first and second nonlinear harmonic (biphase). It is shown that the relation between the amplitudes of the second and first nonlinear harmonics for an Ursell number less than 1 corresponds to Stokes’ second-order wave theory. The empirical dependences of the breaking index on the parameters of nonlinear transformation of waves are proposed.

Coherence-breaking channels and coherence sudden death

Quantum noise is ubiquitous to quantum systems as they incessantly interact with their surroundings and results in degrading useful resources such as coherence for single quantum systems and quantum correlations for multipartite systems. Given the importance of these resources in various quantum information processing protocols, it is of utmost importance to characterize how deteriorating is a particular noise scenario (quantum channel) in reference to a certain resource? Here we develop a theory of coherence breaking channels for single quantum systems. Any quantum channel on a single quantum system will be called a coherence breaking channel if it is an incoherent channel and maps any state to an incoherent state. We explicitly and exhaustively characterize these coherence breaking channels. Moreover, we define the coherence breaking indices for incoherent quantum channels and present various examples to elucidate this concept. We further introduce the concept of coherence sudden death under noisy evolutions and make an explicit connection of the phenomenon of coherence sudden death with the coherence breaking channels and the coherence breaking indices together with various suggestive examples. Furthermore, for higher dimensional Hilbert spaces, we establish the typicality of the dynamics of coherence under any incoherent quantum channel exploiting the concentration of measure phenomenon.

Intonation Pattern Analysis of Phonemes in MISING Language

is one the basic building blocks of the prosody. The fundamental frequency (F0) represents the intonation acoustically. This is the first study into the analysis of intonation pattern in MISING language. In MISING language it is found that the syllables occur at a regular interval and hence it is syllable timed. Since the syllables are the phonological building blocks of a word they can influence the rhythm of the language and also its pattern of stress apart from other factors. The present study aims at finding the intonation pattern of words in MISING language. Words of the structure VCV, VCVC, VCCV, VCCVC, CVCV, CVCVC, CVCCV and VCCCVC are observed and analyzed both in terms of pitch variations and fundamental frequency (F0) the pitch contour are also analyzed in this paper. The tone pattern are marked with the help of Tone and Break Index model (ToBI) KeywordsLanguage Processing, Intonation, Fundamental frequency, Pitch, ToBI, Syllable, MISING

Symmetry breaking and Morse index of solutions of nonlinear elliptic problems in the plane

In this paper, we study the problem [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is the unit ball of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is a smooth nonlinearity and [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] are real numbers with [Formula: see text]. From a careful study of the linearized operator, we compute the Morse index of some radial solutions to ([Formula: see text]). Moreover, using the bifurcation theory, we prove the existence of branches of nonradial solutions for suitable values of the positive parameter [Formula: see text]. The case [Formula: see text] provides more detailed informations.

Mineral filler effect on the mechanics and flame retardancy of polycarbonate composites: talc and kaolin

AbstractMineral fillers (MFs) have been widely employed for polymer hybrid composites to enhance mechanical properties for the past few decades. In this study, we explored structural impacts of kaolin and talc on the mechanical, heat-resistant, rheological and flame retardant (FR) properties of the polycarbonate (PC) composites. The incorporation of these fillers into the polymer matrix enhanced mechanical properties like flexural and tensile modulus while elongation at break, impact strength and melt flow index (MFI) were reduced as a function of filler concentration. The heat deflection temperature (HDT) was slightly increased with increasing talc content. Infiltration of even 5 phr fillers dramatically enhanced the flame retardancy. Talc showed somewhat higher mechanics and FR characteristic, compared to kaolin. These PC/filler hybrid composites with enhanced mechanics and flame retardancy would be useful for a specific application by tailoring their ratios.

Simultaneous spectroscopic and photometric analysis of galaxies with starlight: CALIFA+GALEX

We present an extended version of the spectral synthesis code STARLIGHT designed to incorporate both $\lambda$-by-$\lambda$ spectra and photometric fluxes in the estimation of stellar population properties of galaxies. The code is tested with simulations and data for 260 galaxies culled from the CALIFA survey, spatially matching the 3700--7000 \AA\ optical datacubes to GALEX near and far UV images. The sample spans E--Sd galaxies with masses from $10^9$ to $10^{12} M_\odot$ and stellar populations all the way from star-forming to old, passive systems. Comparing results derived from purely optical fits with those which also consider the NUV and FUV data we find that: (1) The new code is capable of matching the input UV data within the errors while keeping the quality of the optical fit essentially unchanged. (2) Despite being unreliable predictors of the UV fluxes, purely optical fits yield stellar population properties which agree well with those obtained in optical+UV fits for nearly 90% of our sample. (3) The addition of UV constraints has little impact on properties such as stellar mass and dust optical depth. Mean stellar ages and metallicities also remain nearly the same for most galaxies, the exception being low-mass, late-type galaxies, which become older and less enriched due to rearrangements of their youngest populations. (4) The revised ages are better correlated with observables such as the 4000 \AA\ break index, and the $NUV - r$ and $u - r$ colours, an empirical indication that the addition of UV constraints helps mitigating the effects of age-metallicity-extinction degeneracies.

Estimations of Safety Degree of Water Distribution System

The relatively weak pipe or area of water distribution can be estimated by calculating the probability of pipe break and thickness index. And safety degree of area in water distribution system can be estimated by thickness index which is introduced in this study. Thickness index is the ratio of estimated thickness of pipe and real used thickness of pipe. Thickness index can express the safety degree of each pipe or each area of water distribution system. In the present study, water hammer pressure which can be appear in two test beds of water distribution system is considered for the estimation of pipe thickness. Estimated thickness of pipe was used to estimate the thickness index of each area of water distribution system. Thickness index and probability of pipe break were estimated for a small block and water distribution system. From the results, it was found that thickness index and probability of pipe break can be used to determine the weakest link of water distribution system. And it can be used to determine the priority rank of pipe in water distribution system for the repair or replacement.

Entanglement–breaking indices

We study a set of new functionals (called entanglement–breaking indices) which characterize how many local iterations of a given (local) quantum channel are needed in order to completely destroy the entanglement between the system of interest over which the transformation is defined and an external ancilla. The possibility of contrasting the noisy effects introduced by the channel iterations via the action of intermediate (filtering) transformations is analyzed. We provide some examples in which our functionals can be exactly calculated. The differences between unitary and non-unitary filtering operations are analyzed showing that, at least for systems of dimension d larger than or equal to 3, the non-unitary choice is preferable (the gap between the performances of the two cases being divergent in some cases). For d = 2 (qubit case), on the contrary, no evidences of the presence of such gap is revealed: we conjecture that for this special case unitary filtering transformations are optimal. The scenario in which more general filtering protocols are allowed is also discussed in some detail. The case of a depolarizing noise acting on a two–qubit system is exactly solved in a general case.