Necessary Optimality Conditions for a Dead Oil Isotherm Optimal Control Problem

We study a system of nonlinear partial differential equations resulting from the traditional modelling of oil engineering within the framework of the mechanics of a continuous medium. Recent results on the problem provide existence, uniqueness and regularity of the optimal solution. Here we obtain the first necessary optimality conditions.Comment: 9 page

Comparison between two mobile absolute gravimeters: optical versus atomic interferometers

We report a comparison between two absolute gravimeters: the LNE-SYRTE cold atoms gravimeter and FG5#220 of Leibniz Universit\"at of Hannover. They rely on different principles of operation: atomic and optical interferometry. Both are movable which enabled them to participated to the last International Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters (ICAG'09) at BIPM. Immediately after, their bilateral comparison took place in the LNE watt balance laboratory and showed an agreement of 4.3 +/- 6.4 {\mu}Gal

A surface-patterned chip as a strong source of ultracold atoms for quantum technologies

Laser-cooled atoms are central to modern precision measurements. They are also increasingly important as an enabling technology for experimental cavity quantum electrodynamics, quantum information processing and matter–wave interferometry. Although significant progress has been made in miniaturizing atomic metrological devices, these are limited in accuracy by their use of hot atomic ensembles and buffer gases. Advances have also been made in producing portable apparatus that benefits from the advantages of atoms in the microkelvin regime. However, simplifying atomic cooling and loading using microfabrication technology has proved difficult. In this Letter we address this problem, realizing an atom chip that enables the integration of laser cooling and trapping into a compact apparatus. Our source delivers ten thousand times more atoms than previous magneto-optical traps with microfabricated optics and, for the first time, can reach sub-Doppler temperatures. Moreover, the same chip design offers a simple way to form stable optical lattices. These features, combined with simplicity of fabrication and ease of operation, make these new traps a key advance in the development of cold-atom technology for high-accuracy, portable measurement devices

A Dynamical Model of Oocyte Maturation Unveils Precisely Orchestrated Meiotic Decisions

Maturation of vertebrate oocytes into haploid gametes relies on two consecutive meioses without intervening DNA replication. The temporal sequence of cellular transitions driving eggs from G2 arrest to meiosis I (MI) and then to meiosis II (MII) is controlled by the interplay between cyclin-dependent and mitogen-activated protein kinases. In this paper, we propose a dynamical model of the molecular network that orchestrates maturation of Xenopus laevis oocytes. Our model reproduces the core features of maturation progression, including the characteristic non-monotonous time course of cyclin-Cdks, and unveils the network design principles underlying a precise sequence of meiotic decisions, as captured by bifurcation and sensitivity analyses. Firstly, a coherent and sharp meiotic resumption is triggered by the concerted action of positive feedback loops post-translationally activating cyclin-Cdks. Secondly, meiotic transition is driven by the dynamic antagonism between positive and negative feedback loops controlling cyclin turnover. Our findings reveal a highly modular network in which the coordination of distinct regulatory schemes ensures both reliable and flexible cell-cycle decisions

What’s in a Relationship: An Ontological Analysis

Abstract. In a series of publications, we have proposed a foundational system of ontological categories which has been successfully used to evaluate and im-prove the quality of conceptual modeling grammars and models. In this article, we continue this work by using this foundational ontology to provide real-world semantics and sound modeling guidelines for one of the most fundamental (and yet one of the most problematic) constructs in conceptual modeling, namely, the relationship type. In addition, we systematically compare our approach with a classical ontological treatment of this construct in the literature, provided by the BWW framework.

Physicochemical and sensorial properties of grapefruit jams as affected by processing

Jam is an effective and tasty way of preserving fruit. Jam processing procedures as well as storage conditions and duration are important factors for jam quality. Traditional jam processing involves the application of severe thermal treatments that imply undesirable changes in the product quality characteristics such as colour, texture, flavour and nutritional and functional value. In this work, osmotic dehydration (OD) and/or microwave energy (MW) was proven as adequate to obtain jam with the typical characteristics of water content, degree Brix, pH and water activity of jam obtained by conventional thermal heating. The sensory evaluation carried out to compare the product showed that samples submitted to more intense heating treatments (conventional or MW) had significantly higher scores in colour saturation, brightness, grapefruit taste and extensibility than OD or OD+MW ones. As deduced from the obtained results, OD treatment prevents grapefruit colour changes, and mild MW heating contributes to increase the consistency and decrease the extensibility of the obtained jam. In this way, OD+MW jam was preferred by assessors mainly due to its higher consistency. The sample obtained by this procedure was stable during storage.The authors would like to thank the Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia for the financial support given throughout the Project AGL 2005-05994. The language revision of this paper was funded by the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Spain.Igual Ramo, M.; García Martínez, EM.; Camacho Vidal, MM.; Martínez Navarrete, N. (2013). Physicochemical and sensorial properties of grapefruit jams as affected by processing. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 6(1):177-185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-011-0696-2S17718561AENOR (2009). Sensory analysis. Methodology. Paired comparison test. UNE-EN-ISO 5495.AOAC. (2000). Official methods of analysis of AOAC International (17th ed.). Gaithersburg: AOAC International.Baker, R.-A., Berry, N., Hui, Y.-H., & Barrett, D.-M. (2005). Fruit preserves and jams. In Processing fruits: science and technology (2nd ed., pp. 113–125). Boca Ratón: CRC Press.Bodart, M., de Peñaranda, R., Deneyer, A., & Flamant, G. (2008). Photometry and colorimetry characterisation of materials in daylighting evaluation tools. Building and Environment, 43, 2046–2058.BOE (1990). Real Decreto 670/1990, de 25 de mayo, por el que se aprueba la norma de calidad para confituras, jaleas y marmalade de frutas, crema de castañas y mermelada de frutas. BOE Nº 130 (31/5/1990), 15140–15144.Bourne, M. (1982). Food texture and viscosity—concept and measurement. New York: Academic.Cañumir, J.-A., Celis, J.-E., Brujin, J., & Vidal, L. (2002). Pasteurisation of apple juice by using microwaves. Lebensmittel-Wissenschaft und Technologie, 35, 389–392.Contreras, C., Martín-Esparza, M.-E., Martínez-Navarrete, N., & Chiralt, A. (2008). Influence of microwave application on convective drying: effects on drying kinetics, and optical and mechanical properties of apple and strawberry. Journal of Food Engineering, 88, 55–64.Dervisi, P., Lamb, J., & Zabetakis, I. (2001). High pressure processing in jam manufacture: effects on textural and color properties. Food Chemistry, 73, 85–91.Deyhim, F., Garica, K., Lopez, E., Gonzalez, J., Ino, S., Garcia, M., et al. (2006). Citrus juice modulates bone strength in male senescent rat model of osteoporosis. Nutrition, 22(5), 559–563.García-Martínez, E., Ruiz-Diaz, G., Martínez-Monzó, J., Camacho, M.-M., Martínez-Navarrete, N., & Chiralt, A. (2002). Jam manufacture with osmodehydrated fruit. Food Research International, 35, 301–306.Igual, M., García-Martínez, E., Camacho, M.-M., & Martínez-Navarrete, N. (2010a). Effect of thermal treatment and storage on the stability of organic acids and the functional value of grapefruit juice. Food Chemistry, 118, 291–299.Igual, M., Contreras, C., & Martínez-Navarrete, N. (2010b). Non-conventional techniques to obtain grapefruit jam. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, 11(2), 335–341.Meilgaard, M., Civille, G.-V., & Carr, B.-T. (1999). Attribute differences test. Pairwise ranking test: Friedman analysis. Sensory evaluation techniques (pp. 103–106). Boca Ratón: CRC Press.Moraga, M.-J., Moraga, G., Fito, P. J., & Martínez-Navarrete, N. (2009). Effect of vacuum impregnation with calcium lactate on the osmotic dehydration kinetics and quality of osmodehydrated grapefruit. Journal of Food Engineering, 90, 372–379.Nikdel, S., Chen, C., Parish, M., MacKellar, D., & Friedrich, L. (1993). Pasteurization of citrus juice with microwaves energy in a continuous-flow unit. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 41, 2116–2119.Poulose, S.-M., Harris, E.-D., & Patil, B.-S. (2005). Citrus limonoids induce apoptosis in human neuroblastoma cells and have radical scavenging activity. Journal of Nutrition, 135, 870–877.Sanchez-Moreno, C., Plaza, L., De Ancos, B., & Cano, M.-P. (2003). Quantitative bioactive compounds assessment and their relative contribution to the antioxidant capacity of commercial orange juices. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 83, 430–439.Shi, X.-Q., Chiralt, A., Fito, P., Serra, J., Escoin, C., & Gasque, L. (1996). Application of osmotic dehydration technology on jam processing. Drying Technology, 14(3&4), 841–857.Tárrega, A., & Costell, E. (2007). Colour and consistency of semi-solid dairy desserts: instrumental and sensory measurements. Journal of Food Engineering, 78, 655–661.Vanamala, J., Reddivari, L., Yoo, K.-S., Pike, L.-M., & Patil, B.-S. (2006). Variation in the content of bioactive flavonoid in different brands of orange and grapefruit juices. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 19(2–3), 157–166.Wicklund, T., Rosenfeld, H.-J., Martinsen, B.-K., Sundførb, M.-W., Lea, P., Bruun, T., et al. (2005). Antioxidant capacity and colour of strawberry jam as influenced by cultivar and storage conditions. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 38(4), 387–391.Yu, L.-L., Zhou, K.-K., & Parry, J. (2005). Antioxidant properties of cold-pressed black caraway, carrot, cranberry, and hemp seed oils. Food Chemistry, 91, 723–729

Adaptive model-driven user interface development systems

Adaptive user interfaces (UIs) were introduced to address some of the usability problems that plague many software applications. Model-driven engineering formed the basis for most of the systems targeting the development of such UIs. An overview of these systems is presented and a set of criteria is established to evaluate the strengths and shortcomings of the state-of-the-art, which is categorized under architectures, techniques, and tools. A summary of the evaluation is presented in tables that visually illustrate the fulfillment of each criterion by each system. The evaluation identified several gaps in the existing art and highlighted the areas of promising improvement

Global structural integrity and effective connectivity in patients with disorders of consciousness

Background: Previous studies have separately reported impaired functional, structural, and effective connectivity in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). The perturbational complexity index (PCI) is a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) derived marker of effective connectivity. The global fractional anisotropy (FA) is a marker of structural integrity. Little is known about how these parameters are related to each other. Objective: We aimed at testing the relationship between structural integrity and effective connectivity. Methods: We assessed 23 patients with severe brain injury more than 4 weeks post-onset, leading to DOC or locked-in syndrome, and 14 healthy subjects. We calculated PCI using repeated single pulse TMS coupled with high-density electroencephalography, and used it as a surrogate of effective connectivity. Structural integrity was measured using the global FA, derived from diffusion weighted imaging. We used linear regression modelling to test our hypothesis, and computed the correlation between PCI and FA in different groups. Results: Global FA could predict 74% of PCI variance in the whole sample and 56% in the patients' group. No other predictors (age, gender, time since onset, behavioural score) improved the models. FA and PCI were correlated in the whole population (r = 0.86, p < 0.0001), the patients, and the healthy subjects subgroups. Conclusion: We here demonstrated that effective connectivity correlates with structural integrity in brain-injured patients. Increased structural damage level decreases effective connectivity, which could prevent the emergence of consciousness

Ghrelin as a novel locally produced relaxing peptide of the iris sphincter and dilator muscles

Ghrelin is a recently described acylated peptide, which works as a somatosecretagogue and has described effects on the smooth, skeletal and cardiac muscle. We examined the production and effects of ghrelin on relaxation of the iris muscles. Contractile effects of 1-5 human ghrelin (frGhr, 10(-9)-6 x 10(-5)M) and 1-5 human des-octanoyl-ghrelin (d-frGhr; 10(-9)-6 x 10(-5)M) were tested on iris rabbit sphincter (n=11 frGhr; n=7 d-frGhr), dilator (n=6 frGhr; n=6 d-frGhr) and rat sphincter (n=6 frGhr; n=8 d-frGhr) precontracted muscles. On rabbit sphincter the effect of frGhr was also tested in presence of: i) L-NA (10(-5)M; n=7); ii) indomethacin (10(-5)M; n=7); iii) DLys(3)GHRP6 (10(-4)M; n=6); and iv) apamin+carybdotoxin (10(-6)M; n=6). Furthermore, on rabbit dilator the effect of frGhr was tested in presence of DLys(3)GHRP6 (10(-4)M; n=7). Finally, ghrelin mRNA production was assessed by "in situ" hybridization in Wistar rat eyes (n=8). In all muscles, frGhr promoted a concentration-dependent relaxation, maximal at 6 x 10(-5)M, 1.5-3 min after its addition, decreasing tension by 34.1+/-12.1%, 25.8+/-4.8% and 52.1+/-10.3% in the rabbit sphincter, dilator and rat sphincter, respectively. In the rabbit sphincter the relaxing effects of frGhr were: (i) enhanced in presence of DLys(3)GHRP6 (118.1+/-21.1%); (ii) blunted by indomethacin; and (iii) not altered by apamin+carybdotoxin (36.4+/-14.4%) or L-NA (52.4+/-11.4%). Relaxing effects of d-frGhr in rabbit (43.3+/-5.2%) and rat (77.1+/-15.3%) sphincter muscles were similar to those of frGhr. In rabbit dilator muscle, d-frGhr did not significantly alter active tension and the relaxing effect of frGhr was blunted by GHSR-1a blockage. Ghrelin mRNA was identified in iris posterior epithelium. In conclusion, ghrelin is a novel, locally produced, relaxing agent of iris dilator and sphincter muscles, an effect that is mediated by GHSR-1a in the former, but not in the latter. Furthermore, in the sphincter it seems to be mediated by prostaglandins, but not by NO or K(Ca) channels.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (nr. POCI/SAU-FCF/60803/2004) through Cardiovascular R&D Unit (FCT nr. 51/94). Authors are sincerely grateful to RS. Moura (SFRH/BPD/15408/2005), Development Unit, Health and Life Sciences Institute, School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal for her excellent contribution in the in-situ hybridization techniques