Predicting calcium in grape must and base wine by FT-NIR spectroscopy

Calcium content in sparkling wines may not exceed 80 mg/L due to the risk of aggregation with alginate capsules. The high calcium content usually found in wine and must emphasizes the need to develop alternative and appropriate techniques faster and cleaner than atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). To obtain a robust model to predict calcium content, FT-NIR spectroscopy was used in 98 base white wine samples and 60 must samples from an Alentejo winery. The reference method for calcium determination was AAS technique, with a dry ashing sample procedure, as a prior treatment. Results confirmed the ability of FT-NIR as an alternative technique to AAS, to predict calcium content in grape must and base wine. Advance knowledge of the calcium content in the grape must will help avoid obtaining a mixture of musts with a high calcium content in the same container

Métodos de segmentação para modelação 3D do ouvido a partir de imagens

O objectivo principal deste artigo centra-se na apresentação de métodos de segmentação de imagem adequados para a construção de modelos geométricos 3D das estruturas do ouvido a partir de imagens médicas de Tomografia Computorizada (TC), sendo discutidas as vantagens e desvantagens de cada um. Os métodos são classificados de acordo com as técnicas utilizadas; nomeadamente, em métodos de thresholding, de clustering e de modelos deformáveis. Neste artigo, são também apresentados e discutidos resultados experimentais de segmentação das estruturas do ouvido em imagens de TC

Advantages of the Incorporation of Luffa-Based Activated Carbon to Titania for Improving the Removal of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution

This research aims to study the possible improvement of methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solution by hybrid adsorbent-catalysts (AdsCats) prepared through the incorporation of activated carbon derived from Luffa cylindrica fibers (LAC) to TiO2 photocatalysts. LAC with a specific surface area of 1170 m2/g was prepared by chemical activation with phosphoric acid at 500 °C. TiO2/LAC composites with 70 and 90 wt.% Degussa P25 titania content were prepared. The materials were characterized by N2 physical adsorption, XRD, FTIR, and XPS. The AdsCats displayed a very good dispersion of TiO2 over LAC, a surface area of close to 200 or 400 m2/g, depending on the composition, and high crystallinity, showing the presence of anatase and rutile phases. MB removal was studied in two different scenarios: under UV-light after reaching adsorption equilibrium, and under UV-light once the liquid effluent and the AdsCats were in contact. The MB removal by LAC has proved to be very efficient, highlighting the predominant role of adsorption over photodegradation. The prepared AdsCats have also been compared with their components. The results showed that TiLAC hybrids have superior photocatalytic performance than P25, showing TiLAC-7/3 90% MB removal with respect to the initial concentration just after 30 min of UV light irradiation for both studied scenarios.This research was funded by Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, projects RTI2018-099668-BC22 and RTI2018-095291-B-I00, Junta de Andalucía, project MA18-FEDERJA-126 and FEDER funds, and GV/FEDER (PROMETEO/2018/076). S.B. acknowledges Mujeres por Africa foundation for the scholarship offer within the 2019 Learn Africa program and, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for the 2019–2020 scholarship within the P.N.E. program

Raman spectroscopy for guidance of vulvar cancer surgery:A pilot study

For vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC), the mainstay of treatment is surgical removal with tumour-free margins. Surgeons still operate without objective tools that provide margin-status. This study assesses Raman spectroscopy potentiality for distinguishing ex-vivo VSCC from healthy tissue in 11 patients. Grid-based Raman maps were obtained from processed spectra. Water content and C-H band ratio (2,910-2,966 cm(-1) / 2810-2890 cm(-1)) were calculated per spectrum and used as linear discriminant parameters. Healthy tissue was differentiated from VSCC with 0.90 discriminative power, 0.79 sensitivity and 0.86 specificity.This is an important step towards the development of objective tools for VSCC surgical guidance

Large-scale study on virological and serological prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in cats and dogs in Spain

The disease produced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently one of the primary concerns worldwide. Knowing the zoonotic origin of the disease and that several animal species, including dogs and cats, are susceptible to viral infection, it is critical to assess the relevance of pets in this pandemic. Here, we performed a large-scale study on SARS-CoV-2 serological and viral prevalence in cats and dogs in Spain in order to elucidate their role and susceptibility. Samples from animals in contact with COVID-19 positive people and/or compatible symptoms (n = 492), as well as from random animals (n = 1024), were taken. Despite the large number of animals analyzed, only 12 animals (eight dogs and four cats), which represents 0.79% of the total analyzed animals (n = 1516), were positive for viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in which viral isolation was possible in four animals. We detected neutralizing antibodies in 34 animals, four of them were also positive for PCR. This study evidences that pets are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection in natural conditions but at a low level, as evidenced by the low percentage of positive animals detected, being infected humans the main source of infection. However, the inclusion of animals in the surveillance of COVID-19 is still recommended.Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), Grant/Award Number: COV20/01385Peer reviewe

Measurement of D-s(+) product ion and nuclear modification factor in Pb-Pb collisions at root S-NN=2.76 TeV

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phi-Meson production at forward rapidity in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV and in pp collisions at root s=2.76 TeV

The first study of phi-meson production in p-Pb collisions at forward and backward rapidity, at a nucleonnucleon centre-of-mass energy root s(NN)= 5.02 TeV, has been performed with the ALICE apparatus at the LHC. The phi-mesons have been identified in the dimuon decay channel in the transverse momentum (p(T)) range 1 <p(T) <7GeV/c, both in the p-going (2.03 <y <3.53) and the Pb-going (-4.46 <y <-2.96) directions - where ystands for the rapidity in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass - the integrated luminosity amounting to 5.01 +/- 0.19nb(-1) and 5.81 +/- 0.20nb(-1), respectively, for the two data samples. Differential cross sections as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity are presented. The forward-backward ratio for f-meson production is measured for 2.96Peer reviewe

Measurement of transverse energy at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

We report the transverse energy (ET) measured with ALICE at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV as a function of centrality. The transverse energy was measured using identified single-particle tracks. The measurement was cross checked using the electromagnetic calorimeters and the transverse momentum distributions of identified particles previously reported by ALICE. The results are compared to theoretical models as well as to results from other experiments. The mean ET per unit pseudorapidity (eta), , in 0%-5% central collisions is 1737 +/- 6(stat.) +/- 97(sys.) GeV. We find a similar centrality dependence of the shape of as a function of the number of participating nucleons to that seen at lower energies. The growth in at the LHC energies exceeds extrapolations of low-energy data. We observe a nearly linear scaling of with the number of quark participants. With the canonical assumption of a 1 fm/c formation time, we estimate that the energy density in 0%-5% central Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV is 12.3 +/- 1.0 GeV/fm(3) and that the energy density at the most central 80 fm(2) of the collision is at least 21.5 +/- 1.7 GeV/fm(3). This is roughly 2.3 times that observed in 0%-5% central Au-Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV.Peer reviewe

Correlated Event-by-Event Fluctuations of Flow Harmonics in Pb-Pb Collisions at root S-NN=2.76 TeV

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Azimuthally Differential Pion Femtoscopy in Pb-Pb Collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

We present the first azimuthally differential measurements of the pion source size relative to the second harmonic event plane in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair of root(NN)-N-s = 2.76 TeV. The measurements have been performed in the centrality range 0%-50% and for pion pair transverse momenta 0.2 <k(T) <0.7 GeV/c. We find that the R-side and R-out radii, which characterize the pion source size in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the pion transverse momentum, oscillate out of phase, similar to what was observed at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The final-state source eccentricity, estimated via R-side oscillations, is found to be significantly smaller than the initial-state source eccentricity, but remains positive-indicating that even after a stronger expansion in the in-plane direction, the pion source at the freeze-out is still elongated in the out-of-plane direction. The 3 + 1D hydrodynamic calculations are in qualitative agreement with observed centrality and transverse momentum R-side oscillations, but systematically underestimate the oscillation magnitude.Peer reviewe