Measurement errors and implications for preprocessing in miniaturised near-infrared spectrometers: Classification of sweet and bitter almonds as a case of study

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a well-established analytical technique that has been used in many applications over the years. Due to the advancements in the semiconductor industry, NIR instruments have evolved from benchtop instruments to miniaturised portable devices. The miniaturised NIR instruments have gained more interest in recent years because of the fast and robust measurements they provide with almost no sample pretreatments. However, due to the very different configurations and characteristics of these instruments, they need a dedicated optimization of the measurement conditions, which is crucial for obtaining reliable results. To comprehensively grasp the capabilities and potentials offered by these sensors, it is imperative to examine errors that can affect the raw data, which is a facet frequently overlooked. In this study, measurement error covariance and correlation matrices were calculated and then visually inspected to gain insight into the error structures associated with the devices, and to find the optimal preprocessing technique that may result in the improvement of the models built. This strategy was applied to the classification of sweet and bitter almonds, which were measured with the three portable low-cost NIR devices (SCiO, FlameNIR+ and NeoSpectra Micro Development Kit) after removing the shelled, since their classification is of utmost importance for the almond industry. The results showed that bitter almonds can be classified from sweet almonds using any of the instruments after selecting the optimal preprocessing, obtained through inspection of covariance and correlation matrices. Measurements obtained with FlameNIR + device provided the best classification models with an accuracy of 98 %. The chosen strategy provides new insight into the performance characterization of the fast-growing miniaturised NIR instruments

Transport of cattle in Spain. Technical, administrative and welfare aspects according to the destination.

To obtain a thorough description of how are cattle transported in Spain with respect to the journey destination a survey was performed in 2004 and 2005. Information was obtained by means of a 119-parameters questionnaire, and 44 transport operators representative of the sector (27 slaughterhouses, 10 traders, and 7 cattle markets) were interviewed. Over 80% of journeys transported growing-finishing/finished animals, and about 3% of journeys transported both growing-finishing/finished and reproductive animals. With respect to farm transports, slaughter transports loaded in fewer farms (1.2 vs. 1.4 farms; pPara conocer en detalle como se transporta el ganado vacuno en España según el destino del viaje, entre los años 2004 y 2005 se entrevistaron 44 operadores representativos del sector (27 mataderos, 10 comerciantes y 7 mercados) mediante cuestionarios que recogían información relativa a 119 parámetros. Más del 80% de los viajes fueron de animales cebados/para cebo, y algo más de un 3% de los viajes transportaban animales cebados/para cebo y reproductores. Los transportes a matadero cargaron en un menor número de explotaciones (1,2 vs. 1,4 granjas;

Sobre l’Estudi General de Lleida a l’Edat Mitjana: algunes qüestions

Imatge contextualitzada de l’Estudi General de Lleida a través d’elements que van més enllà de la pròpia activitat docent, com la seua capacitat d’atracció de pobladors, l’activitat econòmica i financera que se’n deriva, i fins i tot els conflictes jurisdiccionals sorgits al sí i també fora de la pròpia institució educativa.A contexted image of the University of Lleida across the elements as could be the capacity of inhabitants’ attraction, the economical and financial activity derived of it, and the conflicts of jurisdiction appeared in or out this educational institution.Imagen contextualizada del Estudio General de Lleida a través de elementos como pueden ser la capacidad de atracción de población, la actividad económica y financiera que se deriva de su existencia, e incluso los conflictos jurisdiccionales surgidos en el seno y fuera de la propia institución educativa

Measurement And Modeling Of Short Copper Cables For Ultra-wideband Communication

High-speed communication using the copper network, originally installed for telephony, is one of the dominant Internet access techniques. Several variants of a technology referred to as digital subscriber line (DSL) have been developed, standardized and installed during the last two decades. Essentially, DSL achieves high rates by exploiting wide bands of the copper cable channel. The shorter the cable, the wider the band that can be used efficiently for communication. Current DSL standards foresee the use of bands up to 30MHz. Cable properties have been studied by means of measurements, characterization and modeling up to frequencies of 30MHz. Recent investigations have shown that it is feasible both from technical and from economical point of view to exploit very short cables (up to 200m) even further and use bands above 30MHz. A prerequisite for further evaluation and the design of such ultra-wideband copper (UWBC) systems is the extension of existing cable models to higher frequencies. This paper presents wideband measurement results of insertion loss and crosstalk coupling in a 10-pair cable of various length values for frequencies up to 200MHz. We compare the results with extrapolations of cable models that are established in the 30MHz-range.6390Chen, W.Y., (1998) DSL: Simulation Techniques and Standards Development for Digital Subscriber Line Systems, , Macmillan Technical Publishing, ISBN 1-57870-017-5G.selt: Updated issues list for G.selt (2004) ITU-T Temporary Document SS U09, , ITU-TAsymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) transceivers (1999) ITU Recommendation G.992.1, , ITU-T, JuneAsymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) transceivers (1999) ITU Recommendation G.992.2, , ITU-T, JuneAsymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) extended bandwidth (ADSL2+) (2005) ITU Recommendation G.992.5, , ITU-TStarr, T., Cioffi, J.M., Silverman, P., (1998) Understanding Digital Subscriber Line Technology, , Prentice Hall, Englewood CliffsDedieu, H., The copper channel - Loop charactersitics and models (2005) Fundamentals of DSL Technology, , ch. 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