Assessing the Harvest Maturity of Brazilian Mangoes

No clear criterion exists to determine the optimum time to harvest mango. Some empirical relations are used to assess maturity, such as shoulder development. Moreover, as a result of the typical growing conditions in tropical climates, a huge variation in maturity and ripeness exists, seriously hampering the export of fruit in the global chain. The consequence for consumers in western countries is that sometimes mangoes are overripe at the retailer, or have to be kept for several days, even weeks, to reach the edible state, provided they do not rot in the meantime. To ensure an edible quality, the chlorophyll content in the fruit flesh, measured at harvest by Time-resolved Reflectance Spectroscopy (TRS), could be used as a maturity criterion for mango fruit. Commercially grown fruit were harvested in Brazil and transported to Italy by plane. Fruits were measured using TRS at 630 nm for absorption coefficient (µa) and skin colour. The development of µa was followed on 60 fruits during 15 days of storage at 20°C. The remainders of fruit were used to measure firmness destructively. Absorption coefficient decreased during shelf life according to a logistic pattern, as expected for colour development. Taking the variation between the individual fruit into account, 72% of the variation was accounted for. Nevertheless, µa assessed at harvest could be converted into a biological shift factor (BSF), as an expression of the maturity at harvest of each individual fruit. This biological shift factor explained about 70% of the variation in firmness development in individual fruit. These preliminary results indicate that TRS methodology coupled with BSF theory could be useful in assessing maturity at harvest and assuring acceptable eating quality of mango

On Aharonov-Casher bound states

In this work bound states for the Aharonov-Casher problem are considered. According to Hagen's work on the exact equivalence between spin-1/2 Aharonov-Bohm and Aharonov-Casher effects, is known that the $\boldsymbol{\nabla}\cdot\mathbf{E}$ term cannot be neglected in the Hamiltonian if the spin of particle is considered. This term leads to the existence of a singular potential at the origin. By modeling the problem by boundary conditions at the origin which arises by the self-adjoint extension of the Hamiltonian, we derive for the first time an expression for the bound state energy of the Aharonov-Casher problem. As an application, we consider the Aharonov-Casher plus a two-dimensional harmonic oscillator. We derive the expression for the harmonic oscillator energies and compare it with the expression obtained in the case without singularity. At the end, an approach for determination of the self-adjoint extension parameter is given. In our approach, the parameter is obtained essentially in terms of physics of the problem.Comment: 11 pages, matches published versio

Aparência, compostos fenólicos e enzimas oxidativas em uva `Itália` sob influencia do cálcio e do armazenamento refrigerado.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o efeito da aplicacao pre-colheita de calcio na aparencia (secamento do engaco, danos mecanicos e podridoes), teor de fenolicos e enzimas oxidativas (polifenoloxidase e peroxidase) em uva. Os cachos de uca Italia de um cultivo comercial em Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brasil, foram marcados e imersos por 10 segundos, em solucoes de Ca a 0 e 1,5%, na forma de cloreto de calcio, aos 57 dias apos o inicio da formacao dos frutos (quando as bagas comecaram a mudar de cor e amolecer). Apos a colheita, os frutos foram armazenados a 3,5 mai ou menos 0,2oC e 93 mais ou menos 6% UR e avaliados aos 0; 14; 28; 42; 56 e 70 dias. Houve um incremento no secamento do engraco, no aparecimento de sintomas de danos mecanicos e de podridoes nas bags com o tempo de armazenamento. A aplicacao de calcio reduziu a atividade de polifenoloxidase e, consequentemente, os sintomas de danos mecanicos, resultando numa melhor aparencia. A vida util das uvas foi de aproximadamente 56 dias, quando sintomas de senescencia, podridoes e o nivel dos sintomas de danos mecanicos comecaram a aumentar de forma significativa

Experimental implementation of a NMR entanglement witness

Entanglement witnesses (EW) allow the detection of entanglement in a quantum system, from the measurement of some few observables. They do not require the complete determination of the quantum state, which is regarded as a main advantage. On this paper it is experimentally analyzed an entanglement witness recently proposed in the context of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments to test it in some Bell-diagonal states. We also propose some optimal entanglement witness for Bell-diagonal states. The efficiency of the two types of EW's are compared to a measure of entanglement with tomographic cost, the generalized robustness of entanglement. It is used a GRAPE algorithm to produce an entangled state which is out of the detection region of the EW for Bell-diagonal states. Upon relaxation, the results show that there is a region in which both EW fails, whereas the generalized robustness still shows entanglement, but with the entanglement witness proposed here with a better performance

Wicking behavior and drying capability of functional knitted fabrics

Liquid transporting and drying rate are two vital factors affecting the physiological comfort of sport garments. In this study, plated knitted fabrics produced with functional fiber yarns in the back of the knit (close to the body), combined with polypropylene or polyester in the face (outer surface) were tested in terms of their wicking behavior and drying rate capacity. Functional knitted fabrics were evaluated by vertical and horizontal wicking tests. The drying capability was assessed by drying rate tests under two different conditions, namely, at 20±2°C and 65±3% relative humidity and, in an oven, at 33±2°C, in order to simulate the human body temperature. The influence of the functional fiber used and that of the ground material, polyester or polypropylene, was analyzed and discussed.This study has been developed in the framework of the ASIA-LINK Project no 002 (82158). The authors are grateful to the company SONICARLA for providing the samples for the present study

Arranjos produtivos locais no Estado do Pará: localização espacial das atividades florestal e de madeira e mobiliário.

Dada a necessidade de conhecer melhor a viabilidade econômica e o nível tecnológico de produção da mamona no Estado do Ceará, considerado um dos maiores produtores de oleaginosas no Nordeste do Brasil, este trabalho objetivou determinar o nível tecnológico e elaborar um balanço econômico da produção da mamona para obtenção de biodiesel no Estado do Ceará. A pesquisa foi realizada nos munícípios de Boa Viagem, Tauá e Pedra Branca. A produção de mamona cearense, nos três municípios analisados, mostrou-se rentável, tendo sido a utilização de mão-de-obra familiar um fator primordial para se ter baixo custo de produção.Disponível também on-line

Temporal dynamics of the shrub and herbaceous layer of an area of moist grassland in Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Brazil

Este trabalho avaliou a dinâmica estrutural e fl orística de uma comunidade de espécies herbáceo-arbustivas de uma área de campo limpo úmido em Alto Paraíso de Goiás, o primeiro inventário realizado em 2000 (T0) e o segundo em 2007 (T1). A diversidade de Shannon entre os períodos foi comparada pelo teste-t de Hutcheson e a similaridade fl orística, pelo índice de similaridade de Chao-Sørensen. As relações fl orísticas e a cobertura, entre os períodos e as linhas, foram avaliadas por meio de análises de correspondência retifi cada (DCA). Foram amostradas 98 espécies, 88 no T0 e 67 no T1, sendo 31 exclusivas do T0 e 10 do T1. A diversidade fl orística na comunidade foi elevada nos dois períodos, porém diferente entre esses (t = 7,12; p < 0,001), devido a variação no número e cobertura das espécies. A similaridade entre os dois inventários foi alta (Chao-Sørensen ± IC = 0,841 ± 0,074). A ordenação por DCA indicou relações entre a composição fl orística e a cobertura com o gradiente de umidade e de matéria orgânica no solo identifi cados em T0. Houve modifi cações nas linhas em zonas sazonais, as quais se tornaram mais semelhantes às linhas constantemente saturadas por água. Em um intervalo de sete anos o campo limpo úmido apresentou mudanças na composição fl orística e, principalmente na estrutura devido o aumento da cobertura de espécies perenes, cespitosas e entouceiradas, que foram favorecidas pela maior umidade no solo em resposta à elevação da pluviosidade da região. __________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTTh is study evaluated the fl oristic and structural dynamics of a community of herbaceous-shrub species in an area of moist grassland in Alto Paraíso de Goiás. Th e fi rst inventory was undertaken in 2000 (T0) and the second in 2007 (T1). Shannon’s diversity between the periods was compared by Hutchesons´s t-test, and the fl oristic similarity by the Chao-Sørensen similarity index. Floristic composition and cover, between periods and lines, were evaluated by detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). We sampled 98 species, 88 at T0 and 67 at T1; 31 were unique to T0 and 10 to T1. Floristic diversity in the community was high in both periods, but diff erent between them (t = 7.12, p <0.001), due to variation in species number and coverage. Similarity between the two surveys was high (Chao-Sørensen CI = ± 0.841 ± 0.074). Th e DCA ordination indicated relationships between the fl oristic composition and cover with a gradient of moisture and organic matter in the soil identifi ed in T0. Th ere were changes in the lines in the seasonal zones, which became more similar in those constantly saturated with water. During an interval of seven years the moist grassland showed changes in fl oristic composition and mainly in structure due to increased cover of the clumped tussock perennial species, which were favored by higher soil moisture due to high rainfall in the region