We present Monte Carlo preliminary results about the feasibility to detect the
χ
c
family in p-p collisions at 14 TeV in the ALICE Central Barrel at CERN LHC. The
χ
c
1
and
χ
c
2
were forced to decay ...in the radiative channel
J
/
Ψ
+
γ
→
e
+
e
−
+
γ
and were merged with a proton-proton non-biased collision. After Monte Carlo transport and simulation of the detector response, the
e
+
,
e
−
and converted
γ
were reconstructed and identified in the ALICE ITS, TPC and TRD detectors. Separate signals corresponding to
γ
from
χ
c
1
and from
χ
c
2
were observed. The position and relative weight of the fit to gaussians agreed with the input values within the statistical limits.
We present Monte Carlo preliminary results about the feasibility to detect the Chic family in p-p collisions at 14 TeV in the ALICE Central Barrel at CERN LHC. The Chic1 and Chic2 were forced to ...decay in the channel J/Psi + gamma -> e+ e- + gamma and were merged with a proton-proton non-biased collision. After MonteCarlo transport and simulation of the detector response, the e+, e- and converted gamma were reconstructed and identified in the ALICE ITS, TPC and TRD detectors. Separate signals corresponding to gamma from Chic1 and from Chic2 were observed. The position and relative weight of the fit to gaussians agreed with the input values within the statistical limits. Similar studies will be done for Pb-Pb collisions.
The sometimes contradictory role attributed by scientists to lees in wine production is discussed in this review. Studies dealing with the importance of lees in the natural removal of undesirable ...compounds from wine, the effect of lees–wine contact on the volatile fraction of wines, the key influence of lees on biogenic amine contents in wines, the interactions between lees and phenolic compounds, and the importance of mannoproteins and lipids released by lees have been critically reviewed. Finally, the present exploitation of lees is also outlined.
Most research on extraction of phenol compounds from wine by-products and commercial exploitation of extracts use grape seeds and/or skins as raw materials. Looking for alternative antioxidants ...sources, obtaining antioxidant extracts from wine lees (also known as dregs), a sub-exploited by-product of winemaking process, is here presented. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of phenolic compounds from wine lees has been optimized using the total phenols index, the ORAC values and yield of the extraction as response variables. Under the optimal working conditions, the proposed MAE method provides better extraction efficiency in a much shorter time (17
min) than the conventional extraction method for phenolic compounds (24
h). The liquid extract obtained by MAE was spray-dried. The type and amount of excipients used, as well as the spray-drying temperature, were optimized in order to minimize the oxidation of phenolic compounds and maximize the yield of the spray-drying process. The total phenols index in the dried extract thus obtained was 36.8% (expressed as gallic acid), showing an ORAC value of 3930
μmol TE/g. Additionally, Mv3G, Cm-Mv3G, myricetin, quercetin, quercetin-3-β-glucoside, caffeic acid and
p-coumaric acid were quantified in the dry extract by HPLC–DAD. The results indicate that wine lees antioxidant extracts can be a suitable and cheap alternative to those obtained from grape seeds or skins.
Fruit decay caused by pathogenic moulds is a major concern in the postharvest quality and shelf life of fruit. Blue mould decay is caused by Penicillium expansum (P. expansum) and is one of the most ...important postharvest diseases in cherries (Prunus avium L.). Synthetic fungicides are the main medium used to control pathogenic moulds. However, alternative approaches are available for developing safer technologies to control postharvest disease. An integrated approach that combines biological control, using antagonistic yeasts and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with cold storage is a promising alternative to synthetic fungicide treatment. In this work, two microperforated films (M10 and M50) and two antagonistic yeast strains (Hanseniaspora opuntiae L479 and Metschnikowia pulcherrima L672) were evaluated for their effectiveness to control the development of P. expansum in wounded cherries stored at 1°C. Results showed that the microperforated films had fungistatic effects, particularly M50, due to the level of CO2 achieved (mean CO2 of 11.2kPa at 35days), and the decrease in disease severity. Antagonistic yeasts, particularly Metschnikowia pulcherrima L672, delayed the development of P. expansum and decreased disease incidence and severity. The combination of MAP and antagonistic yeasts was the most effective approach to control P. expansum, during cold storage.
•Combined application of antagonistic yeast and MAP in cherry against Penicillium expansum•Map showed fungistatic effect and decrease severity disease.•Antagonistic yeasts delayed spore germination, disease incidence and severity.•Film M50 plus Metschnikowia pulcherrima L672 control Penicillium expansum during cold storage.
A new approach to solid sample preparation for the simultaneous isolation of polar and nonpolar compounds using a microemulsion as leaching medium is proposed. Methanol/water (dispersed-phase)−hexane ...(continuous-phase) emulsions formed in the presence of ultrasound and a solid sample allow polar and nonpolar compounds to be transferred to the dispersed and continuous phase, respectively. The efficiency of this dual sample preparation approach was assessed in the characterization of natural products of variable hardness including acorns, grape seeds, and alperujo (a residue of olive oil production). The time needed for quantitative extraction of the target fractions (phenol compounds and fatty acids) is 9 min for acorns and alperujo and 20 min for grape seeds; the longer time needed for grape seeds can be attributed to higher matrix hardness. Such good performance can be ascribed to the ultrasound-enhanced formation of methanol/water microdroplets 1−15 μm in size, which act as solid−liquid microextractors spanning a large surface area. The presence of the sample was found to greatly improve emulsion stability, which can be ascribed to the amphiphilic nature of the fatty acids in the samples. Following leaching and separation of the two phases by centrifugation, the polar and nonpolar fractions were analyzed by HPLC-diode array detection and GC/MS, respectively. The proposed approach provides extraction efficiency similar to the Folch method (reference method for fat extraction, 4.5 h) in a shorter time and extraction efficiency equal to or higher than the stirring-based method (reference method for phenol compounds extraction, 24 h).
•We studied the effect of EMAPs on the aroma quality of figs after cold storage and SL.•Three microperforated films (1/50mm, 1/30mm, and 1/10mm; ø=100μm) were evaluated.•The volatile profile and its ...evolution during storage depended on the fig cultivar.•The volatile profile of SA was largely influenced by the cold storage and the SL.•The film 1/50mm delayed the changes for SA without negative impact on flavour.
The effect of passive modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the volatile compound profile of fig cultivars ‘Cuello Dama Negro’ (CDN) and ‘San Antonio’ (SA) during post-harvest storage was evaluated, to determine its impact on flavour and overall acceptability. Fruit was packaged using three types of microperforated films (ø=100μm): M10 (16 holes), M30 (five holes) and M50 (three holes); and a control macroperforated film (ø=9mm; five holes). The fruit were stored at 0°C for 14 d. Fruit were also analysed after a period of shelf life at 20°C for 2 d after cold storage. The volatile profile and its evolution during cold storage depended strongly on the fig cultivar. CDN displayed only moderate changes in the overall volatile profile for both, control and microperforated batches, during storage at 0°C. In contrast, the volatile compound profile of SA was largely influenced by the duration of the cold storage and the shelf-life. Under refrigeration conditions, the microperforated M50 films allowed to delay changes in the volatile profile of SA, without negative influence on the fig flavour.
•Lane-change acceptance for a specific driver can be learned in an urban scenario.•CNN are more suitable than MLP in mimicking the behaviour with environmental data.•Shaking technique helps in ...reducing the over-fitting problem with spatial data.
Driving is a highly complex task that involves the execution of multiple cognitive tasks belonging to different levels of abstraction. Traffic emerges from the interaction of a big number of agents implementing those behaviours, but until recent years, modelling it by the interaction of these agents in the so called micro-simulators was a nearly impossible task as their number grows. However, with the growing computing power it is possible to model increasingly large quantities of individual vehicles according to their individual behaviours. These models are usually composed of two sub-models for two well-defined tasks: car-following and lane-change. In the case of lane-change the literature proposes many different models, but few of them use Computational Intelligence (CI) techniques, and much less use personalization for reaching individual granularity. This study explores one of the two aspects of the lane-change called lane-change acceptance, where the driver performs or not a lane-change given his intention and the vehicle environment. We demonstrate how the lane-change acceptance of a specific driver can be learned from his lane change intention and surrounding environment in an urban scenario using CI techniques such as feed-forward Artificial Neural Network (ANN). We work with Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) architectures. How they perform one against the other and how the different topologies affect both to the generalization of the problem and the learning process are studied.