Investigation of Ce3+ Adsorption by Sn(OH)X by the Gravimetric Method

In this work, the adsorption of Ce3+ by Sn(OH)2, SnO, and Sn(OH)4 was investigated. By comparing the mass of cerium oxalate caused by the adsorbed Ce3+, Sn(OH)2 and Sn(OH)4 have the ability to adsorb Ce3+, while Sn(OH)4 has a stronger adsorption capacity of Ce3+. However, SnO does not have the ability. The possible mechanism of Sn(OH)X adsorption Ce3+ was further discussed. And the result indicates that the hydroxide can adsorb cations by means of anionic groups on its surface in the solution so that the cations can be enriched on the hydroxide surface. The paper provides a new method for adjusting the microstructure of catalysts, which has a promising prospect in the field of catalysts preparation

A non-invasive measurement of tongue surface temperature

Oral temperature, tongue specifically, is a key factor affecting oral sensation and perception of food flavour and texture. It is therefore very important to know how the tongue temperature is affected by food consumption. Unfortunately, traditional methods such as clinical thermometers and thermocouples for oral temperature measurement are not most applicable during food oral consumption due to its invasive nature and interference with food. In this study, infrared thermal (IRT) imager was investigated for its feasibility for the measurement of tongue surface temperature. The IRT technique was firstly calibrated using a digital thermometer (DT). The technique was then used to measure tongue surface temperature after tongue was stimulated by (1) water rinsing at different temperatures (0-45℃); and (2) treated with capsaicin solutions (5, 10, and 20 ppm). For both cases, tongue surface temperature showed significant changes as a result of the physical and chemical stimulation. Results confirm that IRT is feasible for tongue temperature measurement and could be a useful supporting tool in future for the study of food oral processing and sensory perception

A Safety Control Method of Car-Following Trajectory Planning Based on LSTM

This paper focuses on the potential safety hazards of collision in car-following behaviour generated by deep learning models. Based on an intelligent LSTM model, combined with a Gipps model of safe collision avoidance, a new, Gipps-LSTM model is constructed, which can not only learn the intelligent behaviour of people but also ensure the safety of vehicles. The idea of the Gipps-LSTM model combination is as follows: the concept of a potential collision point (PCP) is introduced, and the LSTM model or Gipps model is controlled and started through a risk judgment algorithm. Dataset 1 and dataset 2 are used to train and simulate the LSTM model and Gipps-LSTM model. The simulation results show that the Gipps-LSTM can solve the problem of partial trajectory collision in the LSTM model simulation. Moreover, the risk level of all trajectories is lower than that of the LSTM model. The safety and stability of the model are verified by multi-vehicle loop simulation and multi-vehicle linear simulation. Compared with the LSTM model, the safety of the Gipps-LSTM model is improved by 42.02%, and the convergence time is reduced by 25 seconds

Impact of capsaicin on aroma release: in vitro and in vivo analysis

© 2020 The Authors Capsaicin is the main bioactive compound in chili pepper that leads to the perception of “spiciness”. However, the effect of capsaicin on aroma release in the nose remains unexplained. This is the first study designed to measure capsaicin's impact on aroma release during consumption. In vitro studies, using static headspace analysis by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (APCI-MS), showed no impact of capsaicin (5 ppm) on the gas-liquid partitioning equilibria of a range of aroma compounds. However, a significant reduction in aroma release was observed in vivo, during oral melting of a model ice cube system (p < 0.05) included 5 ppm capsaicin. The total release of aroma into the nasal cavity was decreased, such that only 49% of 3-methylbutanal, 60% of 1-octen-3-ol and 83% of linalool was released. This is the first evidence of capsaicin's reduction effect on aroma release during consumption. It was also found that 5 ppm capsaicin increased saliva secretion by 75%, which may have led to the dilution of aroma compounds in the mouth and directly impacted the aroma release into the nasal cavity. The most hydrophilic compound (3-methylbutanal) was affected by capsaicin to a greater extent than the hydrophobic compound (linalool), the solvent effect of the additional saliva may explain this

Qubit energy tuner based on single flux quantum circuits

A device called the qubit energy tuner (QET), based on single flux quantum (SFQ) circuits, has been proposed for Z control of superconducting qubits. The QET is created by improving flux digital-to-analog converters (flux DACs). It can set the energy levels or frequencies of qubits, particularly flux-tunable transmons, and perform gate operations requiring Z control. The circuit structure of the QET is elucidated, consisting of an inductor loop and flux bias units for coarse or fine-tuning. The key feature of the QET is analyzed to understand how SFQ pulses change the inductor loop current, which provides external flux for qubits. Three simulations were performed to verify QET functionality. The first simulation verified the responses of the inductor loop current to SFQ pulses, showing a relative deviation of approximately 4.259% between the analytical solutions of the inductor loop current and the solutions from the WRSpice time-domain simulation. The second and third simulations, using QuTip, demonstrated how to perform a Z gate and an iSWAP gate using the QET, respectively, with corresponding fidelities of 99.99884% and 99.93906% for only one gate operation to specific initial states. These simulations indicate that the SFQ-based QET could act as an efficient component of SFQ-based quantum–classical interfaces for digital Z control of large-scale superconducting quantum computers

Analysis of Pungency Sensation Effects from an Oral Processing, Sensorial and Emotions Detection Perspective-Case Study with Grilled Pork Meat

The present study analyzes pungency stimuli during mastication and after swallowing through three perspectives: oral processing, sensory perception and emotion detection. Results may be used by food scientists in understanding different effects that occur while consuming pungent food. Pungency is an interesting sensory stimulus analyzed from different perspectives, in particular the underpinning mechanisms of its sensation and perception. In this study, grilled pork meat coated with three types of hot sauces were investigated regarding its main food oral processing characteristics and evaluated using time-intensity and temporal dominance of pungency sensations methods analyzing the pungency descriptors and intensities. Besides these methods, facial expressions obtained from video capturing were subject to emotion detection. Mastication parameters showed a slight, but not statistically significant, trend of an increased number of chews and consumption time associated with pungency intensity, while saliva incorporation indicated an increasing trend depending on the pungency intensity, especially after 25 strokes and before swallowing. Both time intensity and temporal dominance of pungency sensations showed that the complexity of understanding these sensations is in relation to intensity and type. Finally, the use of emotion detection software in analyzing the faces of panelists during mastication confirmed the increase in non-neutral emotions associated with the increase in pungency intensity

Impact of capsaicin on aroma release and perception from flavoured solutions

Capsaicin is the main component in chilli pepper, which contributes to the spiciness of the food. However, the role of capsaicin on aroma perception has been controversial in the literature. This is the first study exploring the impact of capsaicin on aroma release and perception simultaneously. Flavoured solutions with 3-methylbutanal (nutty note) were made with or without 5 mg/L capsaicin. Real-time APCI-MS analysis was applied to investigate in-nose aroma release during and after consumption of the solutions, and sensory tests were simultaneously conducted to reveal any temporal perception changes over 60 s. The results from 15 participants with triplicates indicated that capsaicin had no significant impact on aroma concentration from aqueous solutions, but the aroma perception rating was significantly higher (p < 0.0001), increasing by 45%. Capsaicin also enhanced average saliva flow by 92% (p < 0.0001), and lower saliva flow participants were found to have lower spiciness and aroma ratings

Is ultrasound combined with computed tomography useful for distinguishing between primary thyroid lymphoma and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis?

Introduction: The aim of the study is to investigate the usefulness of ultrasound combined with computed tomography (CT) for distinguishing between primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT). Material and methods: The investigation was conducted retrospectively in 80 patients from January 2000 to July 2018. All patients underwent pathological tests to be classified into one of two groups: PTL group and HT group. The cut-off value of CT density was determined using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of diagnosis for thyroid by CT alone, ultrasound alone, and the combination of CT plus ultrasound were calculated. Results: Of the 80 study patients, 27 patients were PTL and 53 patients were HT. Mean CT density had a sensitivity of 90.6% and a specificity of 88.9% at a cut-off value of 53.5 HU, with area under the curve (AUC) 0.88. Ultrasound combined with CT had the highest specificity, accuracy, and PPV compared with CT alone and ultrasound alone (p value &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: Features such as extremely hypoechogenicity, enhanced posterior echo, cervical lymphadenopathy in ultrasound image, and linear high-density strand signs, and very low density in CT imaging have high sensitivity and specificity in thyroid lymphoma. Therefore, ultrasound combined with CT may be useful for distinguishing between PTL and HT.