Studies on classification models to discriminate ‘Braeburn’ apples affected by internal browning using the optical properties measured by time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy

This work aimed at studying the feasibility of time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) to nondestructively detect internal browning (IB) in ‘Braeburn’ apples through the development of classification models based on absorption (ua) and scattering (us') properties of the pulp.This research was carried out in two seasons: in 2009, apples were measured by TRS at 670 nm and inthe 740–1040 nm spectral range on four equidistant points around the equator, whereas in 2010 appleswere measured by TRS at 670 nm and at 780 nm on eight equidistant points. The values of the absorption coefficients measured in the 670–940 nm range increased with IB devel-opment. On the contrary, us'780 was higher in healthy fruit than in IB ones. The ua780 also significantlyincreased with IB severity, showing high values when IB affected the pulp tissues compared to the coreones. Also ua670 changed with IB development, but it was not able to clearly discriminate healthy fruitfrom IB ones because its value was also affected by the chlorophyll content of the pulp. The absorption and scattering coefficients were used as explanatory variables in the linear discriminant analysis in order to classify each apple tissue as healthy or IB; then the models obtained were used forfruit classification. The best classification performance was obtained in 2010 using ua780 and us'780and considering the IB position within the fruit: 90% of healthy fruit and 71% of IB fruit were correctly classified. By using all the ua measured in the 670–1040 nm range plus the us'780, IB fruit classification was slightly better while healthy fruit classification was worse. The better result of 2010 was due tothe increased number of TRS measurement points that allowed better exploration of the fruit tissues. However, the asymmetric nature of this disorder makes detection difficult, especially when the disorderis localized in the inner part of the fruit (core) or when it occurs in spots. A different TRS set-up (position and distance of fibers, time resolution) should be studied in order to reach the deeper tissue within the fruit in order to improve browning detection

The Time Scales of Variability of Marine Low Clouds

Permission to use figures, tables, and brief excerpts from this work in scientific and educational works is hereby granted provided that the source is acknowledged. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 USC §108) does not require the AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, requires written permission or a license from the AMS. All AMS journals and monograph publications are registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (http://www.copyright.com). Questions about permission to use materials for which AMS holds the copyright can also be directed to the AMS Permissions Officer at [email protected]. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement, available on the AMS website (http://www.ametsoc.org/CopyrightInformation).Multidecade global regressions of inversion strength, vertical velocity, and sea surface temperature (SST) on low cloud amount, from subdaily to multiyear time scales, refute the dominance of seasonal inversion strength on marine low cloud variability. Multiday low cloud variance averaged over the eastern Pacific and Atlantic stratocumulus regions [5 × 10−2 (cloud amount)2] is twice the subdaily variance and 5 times larger than the multimonth variance. The broad multiday band contains most (60%) of the variance, despite strong seasonal (annual) and diurnal spectral peaks. Multiday low cloud amount over the eastern tropical and midlatitude oceans is positively correlated to inversion strength, with a slope of 2%–5% K−1. Anecdotes show multiday low cloud and inversion strength anomalies propagate equatorward from midlatitudes. Previously shown correlations of low clouds to strong inversions and cool SST on monthly and longer time scales in the stratocumulus regions imply positive cloud-radiative feedbacks, with e-folding time scales of 300 days for SST and 14 days for atmospheric boundary layer temperature. On multimonth time scales, removing the effect of SST on low clouds reduces the low cloud amount explained by inversion strength by a factor of 3, but SST has a small effect at other time scales. Contrary to their positive correlation in the stratocumulus cloud decks, low clouds are anticorrelated to inversion strength over most of the tropics on daily and subdaily time scales

A Continuum Model for Metabolic Gas Exchange in Pear Fruit

Exchange of O2 and CO2 of plants with their environment is essential for metabolic processes such as photosynthesis and respiration. In some fruits such as pears, which are typically stored under a controlled atmosphere with reduced O2 and increased CO2 levels to extend their commercial storage life, anoxia may occur, eventually leading to physiological disorders. In this manuscript we have developed a mathematical model to predict the internal gas concentrations, including permeation, diffusion, and respiration and fermentation kinetics. Pear fruit has been selected as a case study. The model has been used to perform in silico experiments to evaluate the effect of, for example, fruit size or ambient gas concentration on internal O2 and CO2 levels. The model incorporates the actual shape of the fruit and was solved using fluid dynamics software. Environmental conditions such as temperature and gas composition have a large effect on the internal distribution of oxygen and carbon dioxide in fruit. Also, the fruit size has a considerable effect on local metabolic gas concentrations; hence, depending on the size, local anaerobic conditions may result, which eventually may lead to physiological disorders. The model developed in this manuscript is to our knowledge the most comprehensive model to date to simulate gas exchange in plant tissue. It can be used to evaluate the effect of environmental stresses on fruit via in silico experiments and may lead to commercial applications involving long-term storage of fruit under controlled atmospheres

Bridging the multiple reality gap: Application of augmented reality in new product development

Increased product complexity and internal team dynamics pose serious challenges to the quality of collaboration, usually reflected upon long delays, cost overruns and poor design quality during product development. Our focus is to study the factors that drive collaboration, shared understanding and team learning in product development in order to investigate new tools to facilitate this process. The present paper provides the theoretical framework to experiment with novel collaborative tools like Augmented Reality in the product development setting. The core argument is that Augmented Reality technologies act as a catalyst to the communication between the various stakeholders. The main idea behind this work is a dynamic investigation on the nature of collaboration in product development teams, through a socio-cognitive lens. The basic focus of this work is to connect insights from the social sciences to collaborative design and visualization technologies. © 2011 IEEE

Riding the techwave in an era of change: The healthcare guide to the future

FSW - Self-regulation models for health behavior and psychopathology - ou