Electronic Nose for Quality Control of Colombian Coffee through the Detection of Defects in “Cup Tests”

Electronic noses (ENs), are used for many applications, but we must emphasize the importance of their application to foodstuffs like coffee. This paper presents a research study about the analysis of Colombian coffee samples for the detection and classification of defects (i.e., using “Cup Tests”), which was conducted at the Almacafé quality control laboratory in Cúcuta, Colombia. The results obtained show that the application of an electronic nose called “A-NOSE”, may be used in the coffee industry for the cupping tests. The results show that e-nose technology can be a useful tool for quality control to evaluate the excellence of the Colombian coffee produced by National Federation of Coffee Growers

KBS for Desktop PC Troubleshooting

Abstract: Background: In spite of the fact that computers continue to improve in speed and functions operation, they remain complex to use. Problems frequently happen, and it is hard to resolve or find solutions for them. This paper outlines the significance and feasibility of building a desktop PC problems diagnosis system. The system gathers problem symptoms from users’ desktops, rather than the user describes his/her problems to primary search engines. It automatically searches global databases of problem symptoms and solutions, and also allows ordinary users to contribute exact problem reports in a structured manner. Objectives: The main goal of this Knowledge Based System is to get the suitable problem desktop PC symptoms and the correct way to solve the errors. Methods: In this paper the design of the proposed Knowledge Based System which was produced to help users of desktop PC in knowing many of the problems and error such as : Power supply problems, CPU errors, RAM dumping error, hard disk errors and bad sectors and suddenly restarting PC. The proposed Knowledge Based System presents an overview about desktop PC hardware errors are given, the cause of fault are outlined and the solution to the problems whenever possible is given out. CLIPS Knowledge Based System language was used for designing and implementing the proposed expert system. Results: The proposed PC desktop troubleshooting Knowledge Based System was evaluated by IT students and they were satisfied with its performance

The Impact of Wet Fermentation on Coffee Quality Traits and Volatile Compounds Using Digital Technologies

Fermentation is critical for developing coffee’s physicochemical properties. This study aimed to assess the differences in quality traits between fermented and unfermented coffee with four grinding sizes of coffee powder using multiple digital technologies. A total of N = 2 coffee treatments—(i) dry processing and (ii) wet fermentation—with grinding levels (250, 350, 550, and 750 µm) were analysed using near-infrared spectrometry (NIR), electronic nose (e-nose), and headspace/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) coupled with machine learning (ML) modelling. Most overtones detected by NIR were within the ranges of 1700–2000 nm and 2200–2396 nm, while the enhanced peak responses of fermented coffee were lower. The overall voltage of nine e-nose sensors obtained from fermented coffee (250 µm) was significantly higher. There were two ML classification models to classify processing and brewing methods using NIR (Model 1) and e-nose (Model 2) values as inputs that were highly accurate (93.9% and 91.2%, respectively). Highly precise ML regression Model 3 and Model 4 based on the same inputs for NIR (R = 0.96) and e-nose (R = 0.99) were developed, respectively, to assess 14 volatile aromatic compounds obtained by GC-MS. Fermented coffee showed higher 2-methylpyrazine (2.20 ng/mL) and furfuryl acetate (2.36 ng/mL) content, which induces a stronger fruity aroma. This proposed rapid, reliable, and low-cost method was shown to be effective in distinguishing coffee postharvest processing methods and evaluating their volatile compounds, which has the potential to be applied for coffee differentiation and quality assurance and control

Green coffee beans feature extractor using image processing

This study offers a novel solution to deal with the low signal-to-noise ratio and slow execution rate of the first derivative edge detection algorithms namely, Roberts, Prewitt and Sobel algorithms. Since the two problems are brought about by the complex mathematical operations being used by the algorithms, these were replaced by a discriminant. The developed discriminant, equivalent to the product of total difference and intensity divided by the normalization values, is based on the “pixel pair formation” that produces optimal peak signal to noise ratio. Results of the study applying the discriminant for the edge detection of green coffee beans shows improvement in terms of peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), mean square error (MSE), and execution time. It was determined that accuracy level varied according to the total difference of pixel values, intensity, and normalization values. Using the developed edge detection technique led to improvements in the PSNR of 2.091%, 1.16 %, and 2.47% over Sobel, Prewitt, and Roberts respectively. Meanwhile, improvement in the MSE was measured to be 13.06%, 7.48 %, and 15.31% over the three algorithms. Likewise, improvement in execution time was also achieved at values of 69.02%, 67.40 %, and 65.46% over Sobel, Prewitt, and Roberts respectively

Economic Complexity Unfolded: Interpretable Model for the Productive Structure of Economies

Economic complexity reflects the amount of knowledge that is embedded in the productive structure of an economy. It resides on the premise of hidden capabilities - fundamental endowments underlying the productive structure. In general, measuring the capabilities behind economic complexity directly is difficult, and indirect measures have been suggested which exploit the fact that the presence of the capabilities is expressed in a country's mix of products. We complement these studies by introducing a probabilistic framework which leverages Bayesian non-parametric techniques to extract the dominant features behind the comparative advantage in exported products. Based on economic evidence and trade data, we place a restricted Indian Buffet Process on the distribution of countries' capability endowment, appealing to a culinary metaphor to model the process of capability acquisition. The approach comes with a unique level of interpretability, as it produces a concise and economically plausible description of the instantiated capabilities

The Neuroscience of Moral Judgment: Empirical and Philosophical Developments

We chart how neuroscience and philosophy have together advanced our understanding of moral judgment with implications for when it goes well or poorly. The field initially focused on brain areas associated with reason versus emotion in the moral evaluations of sacrificial dilemmas. But new threads of research have studied a wider range of moral evaluations and how they relate to models of brain development and learning. By weaving these threads together, we are developing a better understanding of the neurobiology of moral judgment in adulthood and to some extent in childhood and adolescence. Combined with rigorous evidence from psychology and careful philosophical analysis, neuroscientific evidence can even help shed light on the extent of moral knowledge and on ways to promote healthy moral development

Storage stability of spray dried Nigella sativa (Ranunculaceae family) instant beverage powder: effect of carrier agents on the physicochemical, phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties

The study assessed the effect of carrier agents maltodextrin and gum Arabic on the storage stability of spray dried Nigella sativa powder packed in low-density polyethylene bags and stored at maximum 4°C for up to 12 months. At 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months intervals the samples were assessed for changes in caffeine content, moisture content, water activity, colour, solubility capacity, bulk density, and antioxidants activity as total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). After 12 months storage, a 61-68% loss in TPC and TFC was observed and anti-oxidant activity had reduced by 70%-72%. Overall, water activity and moisture content increased with a decrease in total antioxidant activity, accompanied by a significant decrease in caffeine content. No significant changes were observed in solubility capacity and bulk density of N. sativa powder.This research was made possible due to the financial support the authors received in the form of fellowships from fellowship Scheme of the Institute of Postgraduate Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia and TWAS-USM postgraduate fellowship.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio