200 research outputs found
Spray Drying of Xoconostle Juice: Interaction of Microstructure, Function, and Drying Operation Conditions
The xoconostle fruit (Opuntia matudae) is rich in polysaccharides, soluble fiber, simple phenols, betalains, and ascorbic acid. However, its consumption is limited due to its high acidity. Spray drying could be a technological option to strengthen the sustainability of xoconostle giving a re-valorization as a possible natural additive for the food industry. The food powders have to be designed considering aspects related to the effect of processing conditions on final quality properties; in this case, the effect of different drying air temperatures was evaluated on moisture content, water activity (Aw), glass transition temperature, microstructure, antioxidant activity, phenolic, and betalain compounds. For all cases, the drying air temperature had a positive effect on physical stability, at low levels of water activity and moisture content, and glass transition temperature (Tg) was increased. The biological functionality (assessed through phenolics, betalain compounds, and antioxidant activity) was also kept constant for all processing conditions investigated. However, the most evident changes were observed at microscopic scale analyzed through morphometric parameters
Validity of the dental operating microscope and selective dentin removal with ultrasonic tips for locating the second mesiobuccal canal (MB2) in maxillary first molars : an in vivo study
Several investigations have determined whether the use of a dental operating microscope (DOM) in combination with selective dentine removal with ultrasonic tips increases the percentage of location of the Mesiobuccal 2 (MB2) root canal in maxillary firs
Analytical sensitivity of current best-in-class malaria rapid diagnostic tests
BACKGROUND: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are today the most
widely used method for malaria diagnosis and are recommended,
alongside microscopy, for the confirmation of suspected cases
before the administration of anti-malarial treatment. The
diagnostic performance of RDTs, as compared to microscopy or PCR
is well described but the actual analytical sensitivity of
current best-in-class tests is poorly documented. This value is
however a key performance indicator and a benchmark value needed
to developed new RDTs of improved sensitivity. METHODS: Thirteen
RDTs detecting either the Plasmodium falciparum histidine rich
protein 2 (HRP2) or the plasmodial lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH)
antigens were selected from the best performing RDTs according
to the WHO-FIND product testing programme. The analytical
sensitivity of these products was evaluated using a range of
reference materials including P. falciparum and Plasmodium vivax
whole parasite samples as well as recombinant proteins. RESULTS:
The best performing HRP2-based RDTs could detect all P.
falciparum cultured samples at concentrations as low as 0.8
ng/mL of HRP2. The limit of detection of the best performing
pLDH-based RDT specifically detecting P. vivax was 25 ng/mL of
pLDH. CONCLUSION: The analytical sensitivity of P. vivax and Pan
pLDH-based RDTs appears to vary considerably from product to
product, and improvement of the limit-of-detection for P. vivax
detecting RDTs is needed to match the performance of HRP2 and Pf
pLDH-based RDTs for P. falciparum. Different assays using
different reference materials produce different values for
antigen concentration in a given specimen, highlighting the need
to establish universal reference assays
Ocean Circulation over Formigas and Ormonde Seamounts
Seamounts constitute an obstacle to the free ocean flow, modifying the patter of circulation. As a result of these alterations, a variety of hydrodynamical processes and phenomena may take place in seamounts, among others, Taylor columns/caps. These oceanographic effects may turn seamounts into very productive ecosystems with high biodiversity. Under these conditions seamounts provide a particularly good environment for the settle of some organisms, acting as stepping stones and contributing to its dispersal. In this study, we verify if these oceanographic effects explain the presence of cold-water corals of Mediterranean origin in the Atlantic. To achieve this, three seamounts in the path of the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) through the Eastern North Atlantic were selected: the Gazul mud volcano, and the Ormonde and Formigas seamounts. In order to determine the hydrographic and dynamical conditions in each one of the three locations, CTD, LADPC and biochemical observations were carried out. Taylor columns were not observed in any of the three sampled areas. Although we found suggestions of upwelling/downwelling systems, their effect was barely noticed in the circulation pattern. The oceanographic processes in those areas are more influenced by the vertical distribution of water masses, which determine the stability of the water column. Moreover, the high values of the Brunt-Väisälä frequency around the MOW halocline can lead to the formation of internal waves. These perturbations in the water column can enhance the vertical mixing, producing suspension, which, in turn, could affect the vertical distribution of cold-water corals
Characterization of macadamia and pecan oils and detection of mixtures with other edible seed oils by Raman spectroscopy
Neurocognition and functional outcome in patients with psychotic, non-psychotic bipolar I disorder, and schizophrenia. A five-year follow-up
Bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are characterized by neurocognitive and functional deficits with marked heterogeneity. It has been suggested that BD with a history of psychotic symptoms (BD-P) could constitute a phenotypically homogeneous subtype characterized by greater neurocognitive and functional impairments, or by a distinct trajectory of such deficits. The aim of this study was to compare the neurocognitive and functional course of euthymic BD-P, euthymic BD patients without a history of psychosis (BD-NP), stabilized patients with schizophrenia and healthy subjects, during a five-year follow-up
The ALHAMBRA survey: Accurate merger fractions by PDF analysis of photometric close pairs
Our goal is to develop and test a novel methodology to compute accurate close
pair fractions with photometric redshifts. We improve the current methodologies
to estimate the merger fraction f_m from photometric redshifts by (i) using the
full probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the sources in redshift
space, (ii) including the variation in the luminosity of the sources with z in
both the selection of the samples and in the luminosity ratio constrain, and
(iii) splitting individual PDFs into red and blue spectral templates to deal
robustly with colour selections. We test the performance of our new methodology
with the PDFs provided by the ALHAMBRA photometric survey. The merger fractions
and rates from the ALHAMBRA survey are in excellent agreement with those from
spectroscopic work, both for the general population and for red and blue
galaxies. With the merger rate of bright (M_B <= -20 - 1.1z) galaxies evolving
as (1+z)^n, the power-law index n is larger for blue galaxies (n = 2.7 +- 0.5)
than for red galaxies (n = 1.3 +- 0.4), confirming previous results.
Integrating the merger rate over cosmic time, we find that the average number
of mergers per galaxy since z = 1 is N_m = 0.57 +- 0.05 for red galaxies and
N_m = 0.26 +- 0.02 for blue galaxies. Our new methodology exploits
statistically all the available information provided by photometric redshift
codes and provides accurate measurements of the merger fraction by close pairs
only using photometric redshifts. Current and future photometric surveys will
benefit of this new methodology.Comment: Submitted to A&A, 15 pages, 15 figures, 6 tables. Comments are
welcome. Close pair systems available at
https://cloud.iaa.csic.es/alhambra/catalogues/ClosePairs
The ALHAMBRA Survey: Bayesian Photometric Redshifts with 23 bands for 3 squared degrees
The ALHAMBRA (Advance Large Homogeneous Area Medium Band Redshift
Astronomical) survey has observed 8 different regions of the sky, including
sections of the COSMOS, DEEP2, ELAIS, GOODS-N, SDSS and Groth fields using a
new photometric system with 20 contiguous ~ filters covering the
optical range, combining them with deep imaging. The observations,
carried out with the Calar Alto 3.5m telescope using the wide field (0.25 sq.
deg FOV) optical camera LAICA and the NIR instrument Omega-2000, correspond to
~700hrs on-target science images. The photometric system was designed to
maximize the effective depth of the survey in terms of accurate spectral-type
and photo-zs estimation along with the capability of identification of
relatively faint emission lines. Here we present multicolor photometry and
photo-zs for ~438k galaxies, detected in synthetic F814W images, complete down
to I~24.5 AB, taking into account realistic noise estimates, and correcting by
PSF and aperture effects with the ColorPro software. The photometric ZP have
been calibrated using stellar transformation equations and refined internally,
using a new technique based on the highly robust photometric redshifts measured
for emission line galaxies. We calculate photometric redshifts with the BPZ2
code, which includes new empirically calibrated templates and priors. Our
photo-zs have a precision of for I<22.5 and 1.4% for
22.5<I<24.5. Precisions of less than 0.5% are reached for the brighter
spectroscopic sample, showing the potential of medium-band photometric surveys.
The global shows a mean redshift =0.56 for I=0.86 for
I<24.5 AB. The data presented here covers an effective area of 2.79 sq. deg,
split into 14 strips of 58.5'x15.5' and represents ~32 hrs of on-target.Comment: The catalog data and a full resolution version of this paper is
available at https://cloud.iaa.csic.es/alhambra
Contribution of antiretroviral therapy, cardiovascular risk factors and constituents of metabolic syndrome to insulin resistance(IR) in HIV
Eficiencia espectral y capacidad en un canal MIMO masivo con alta densidad de usuarios
[EN] This paper presents an analysis of the massive MIMO
channel in an indoor picocell with a high number of active user
terminals. The analysis is based on the results of a measurement
campaign carried out in the 3.2 to 4 GHz band in a scenario of
reduced size, in which users (up to 20) are placed in an orderly
manner. In order to evaluate the performance of the resulting
massive MIMO channel, results concerning both the sum
capacity as well as the spectral efficiency are included.
Furthermore and concerning the channel spectral efficiency, an
analysis showing the spread and differences between the
individual contributions of each active user is reported and
discussed.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por los proyectos del Plan
Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación
TEC2017-86779-C2-1-R y TEC2017-86779-C2-2-R.Alejandro Rodríguez Aparicio; Jesús R. Pérez; Luis Valle; Torres Jiménez, RP.; Rubio Arjona, L.; Rodrigo Peñarrocha, VM.; Reig, J. (2021). Eficiencia espectral y capacidad en un canal MIMO masivo con alta densidad de usuarios. Íñigo Cuiñas Gómez. 1-4. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/1910821
- …