Parâmetros de resfriamento de frutas e hortaliças de diferentes dimensões em um sitema com água fria

The cooling of fruits and vegetables in hydrocooling system can be a suitable technique. This work aimed to define cooling time for fruits and vegetables of different sizes, presenting practical indexes that could be used to estimate cooling time for produce with similar characteristics. Fruits (orange melon-Cucumis melo, mango-Mangifera indica, guava-Psidium guajava, orange-Citrus sinensis Osbeck, plum-Prunus domestica, lime-Citrus limon, and acerola-Prunus cerasus) and vegetables (cucumber-Cucumis sativus, carrot-Daucus carota, and green bean-Phaseolus vulgaris), were cooled in a hydrocooling system at 1°C. The volume of fruits and vegetables ranged between 8.18 cm³ and 1,150.35 cm³, and between 13.06 cm³ and 438.4 cm³, respectively. Cooling time varied proportionally to produce volume (from 8.5 to 124 min for fruits, and from 1.5 to 55 min, for vegetables). The relationship between volume and time needed to cool fruits (from 1.03 min cm-3 to 0.107 min cm-3) and vegetables (from 0.06 min cm-3 to 0.12 min cm-3) is an index that could be used to estimate cooling time for fruits and vegetables with similar dimensions as those presented in this work.O resfriamento com água gelada pode ser uma técnica adequada para frutas e hortaliças frescas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo obter o tempo de resfriamento de frutas e hortaliças de dimensões diferentes, e apresentar índices práticos que possam ser usados para estimar o tempo de resfriamento de produtos com características semelhantes. Frutas (melão-Cucumis melo, manga-Mangifera indica, goiaba-Psidium guajava, laranja-Citrus sinensis Osbeck, ameixa-Prunus domestica, limão-Citrus limon e acerola-Malpighia glabra) e hortaliças (pepino-Cucumis sativus, cenoura-Daucus carota e vagem-Phaseolus vulgaris), foram resfriadas num sistema por imersão em água à 1°C. O volume das frutas oscilou de 1150,35 cm³ a 8,18 cm³ e das hortaliças entre 438,4 cm³ a 13,06 cm³. O tempo de resfriamento variou proporcionalmente com o volume dos frutos, de 8,5 min até 124 min (frutas) e de 1,5 min até 55 min (hortaliças). Foi calculado o índice relacionando volume e tempo de resfriamento das frutas (1,03 min cm-3 a 0,107 min cm-3) e hortaliças (0,06 min cm-3 a 0,12 min cm-3), que pode ser usado para a estimativa do tempo de resfriamento de frutas e hortaliças com dimensões semelhantes.655658Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Parâmetros de resfriamento de frutas e hortaliças de diferentes dimensões em um sitema com água fria

The cooling of fruits and vegetables in hydrocooling system can be a suitable technique. This work aimed to define cooling time for fruits and vegetables of different sizes, presenting practical indexes that could be used to estimate cooling time for produce with similar characteristics. Fruits (orange melon-Cucumis melo, mango-Mangifera indica, guava-Psidium guajava, orange-Citrus sinensis Osbeck, plum-Prunus domestica, lime-Citrus limon, and acerola-Prunus cerasus) and vegetables (cucumber-Cucumis sativus, carrot-Daucus carota, and green bean-Phaseolus vulgaris), were cooled in a hydrocooling system at 1°C. The volume of fruits and vegetables ranged between 8.18 cm³ and 1,150.35 cm³, and between 13.06 cm³ and 438.4 cm³, respectively. Cooling time varied proportionally to produce volume (from 8.5 to 124 min for fruits, and from 1.5 to 55 min, for vegetables). The relationship between volume and time needed to cool fruits (from 1.03 min cm-3 to 0.107 min cm-3) and vegetables (from 0.06 min cm-3 to 0.12 min cm-3) is an index that could be used to estimate cooling time for fruits and vegetables with similar dimensions as those presented in this work.O resfriamento com água gelada pode ser uma técnica adequada para frutas e hortaliças frescas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo obter o tempo de resfriamento de frutas e hortaliças de dimensões diferentes, e apresentar índices práticos que possam ser usados para estimar o tempo de resfriamento de produtos com características semelhantes. Frutas (melão-Cucumis melo, manga-Mangifera indica, goiaba-Psidium guajava, laranja-Citrus sinensis Osbeck, ameixa-Prunus domestica, limão-Citrus limon e acerola-Malpighia glabra) e hortaliças (pepino-Cucumis sativus, cenoura-Daucus carota e vagem-Phaseolus vulgaris), foram resfriadas num sistema por imersão em água à 1°C. O volume das frutas oscilou de 1150,35 cm³ a 8,18 cm³ e das hortaliças entre 438,4 cm³ a 13,06 cm³. O tempo de resfriamento variou proporcionalmente com o volume dos frutos, de 8,5 min até 124 min (frutas) e de 1,5 min até 55 min (hortaliças). Foi calculado o índice relacionando volume e tempo de resfriamento das frutas (1,03 min cm-3 a 0,107 min cm-3) e hortaliças (0,06 min cm-3 a 0,12 min cm-3), que pode ser usado para a estimativa do tempo de resfriamento de frutas e hortaliças com dimensões semelhantes

Improved clinical data imputation via classical and quantum determinantal point processes

Imputing data is a critical issue for machine learning practitioners, including in the life sciences domain, where missing clinical data is a typical situation and the reliability of the imputation is of great importance. Currently, there is no canonical approach for imputation of clinical data and widely used algorithms introduce variance in the downstream classification. Here we propose novel imputation methods based on determinantal point processes that enhance popular techniques such as the Multivariate Imputation by Chained Equations (MICE) and MissForest. Their advantages are two-fold: improving the quality of the imputed data demonstrated by increased accuracy of the downstream classification; and providing deterministic and reliable imputations that remove the variance from the classification results. We experimentally demonstrate the advantages of our methods by performing extensive imputations on synthetic and real clinical data. We also develop quantum circuits for implementing determinantal point processes, since such quantum algorithms provide a computational advantage with respect to classical ones. We demonstrate competitive results with up to ten qubits for small-scale imputation tasks on a state-of-the-art IBM quantum processor. Our classical and quantum methods improve the effectiveness and robustness of clinical data prediction modeling by providing better and more reliable data imputations. These improvements can add significant value in settings where where high precision is critical, such as in pharmaceutical drug trials where our approach can provide higher confidence in the predictions made

Assessment of Maternal Vascular Remodeling During Pregnancy in the Mouse Uterus.

The placenta mediates the exchange of factors such as gases and nutrients between mother and fetus and has specific demands for supply of blood from the maternal circulation. The maternal uterine vasculature needs to adapt to this temporary demand and the success of this arterial remodeling process has implications for fetal growth. Cells of the maternal immune system, especially natural killer (NK) cells, play a critical role in this process. Here we describe a method to assess the degree of remodeling of maternal spiral arteries during mouse pregnancy. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue sections are scanned and the size of the vessels analysed. As a complementary validation method, we also present a qualitative assessment for the success of the remodeling process by immunohistochemical detection of smooth muscle actin (SMA), which normally disappears from within the arterial vascular media at mid-gestation. Together, these methods enable determination of an important parameter of the pregnancy phenotype. These results can be combined with other endpoints of mouse pregnancy to provide insight into the mechanisms underlying pregnancy-related complications.This work was funded by The Wellcome Trust [094073/Z/10/Z], The Centre for Trophoblast Research and The British Heart Foundation.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from JOVE via http://dx.doi.org/10.3791/5353

First Record of the Poorly Known Skink Sphenomorphus oligolepis (Boulenger, 1914) (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from Seram Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia

Based on four specimens discovered in the collection of The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom, we present a new distribution record for the skink Sphenomorphus oligolepis for Seram Island, Maluku Province, Indonesia. This find constitutes the westernmost record for the species and extends its range by over 800 km. The species was heretofore only known from apparently isolated mainland New Guinean populations

Disrupted PI3K p110δ Signaling Dysregulates Maternal Immune Cells and Increases Fetal Mortality In Mice.

Maternal immune cells are an integral part of reproduction, but how they might cause pregnancy complications remains elusive. Macrophages and their dual function in inflammation and tissue repair are thought to play key yet undefined roles. Altered perinatal growth underpins adult morbidity, and natural killer (NK) cells may sustain fetal growth by establishing the placental blood supply. Using a mouse model of genetic inactivation of PI3K p110δ, a key intracellular signaling molecule in leukocytes, we show that p110δ regulates macrophage dynamics and NK-cell-mediated arterial remodeling. The uterus of dams with inactive p110δ had decreased IFN-γ and MHC class II(low) macrophages but enhanced IL-6. Poor vascular remodeling and a pro-inflammatory uterine milieu resulted in fetal death or growth retardation. Our results provide one mechanism that explains how imbalanced adaptations of maternal innate immune cells to gestation affect offspring well-being with consequence perinatally and possibly into adulthood.We would like to thank Klaus Okkenhaug for the provision of the δᴰ⁹¹⁰ᴬ strain, Anne-Katrien Stark for making breeding records available, all members of the Colucci lab for helpful discussions and the staff of the NIHR Cambridge BRC Cell Phenotyping Hub for their support. This work was supported by the Cambridge NIHR BRC Cell Phenotyping Hub and by grants from The Wellcome Trust [094073/Z/10/Z] and the Centre for Trophoblast Research.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.11.05

Ökohydrologische Untersuchungen zur Nährstoffdynamik von Niedermooren am Beispiel der Pohnsdorfer Stauung

In der Pohnsdorfer Stauung (SH) wurden in den 1990er Jahren ehemals landwirtschaftlich genutzte Niedermoorflächen durch Überstau wiedervernässt. Um die Auswirkungen auf den Nährstoffhaushalt zu erfassen, wurden von 1999 bis 2002 ökohydrologische Untersuchungen durchgeführt. Anhand von Wasserprobenanalysen wurde die Nährstoffdynamik im Überstauwasser und im Boden charakterisiert. Um die Quellen- und Senkenfunktion einzelner Polderflächen zu bestimmen, wurden Nährstoffbilanzen aufgestellt. Die Ergebnisse werden vor dem Hintergrund der besonderen limnologischen Bedingungen in Flachwasserseen, der landwirtschaftlichen Vornutzung und der noch jungen Entstehungsgeschichte diskutiert. Es werden Vorschläge für eine Optimierung der Nährstoffretention in flach überstauten Niedermoorflächen gemacht

MHC-dependent inhibition of uterine NK cells impedes fetal growth and decidual vascular remodelling.

NK cells express variable receptors that engage polymorphic MHC class I molecules and regulate their function. Maternal NK cells accumulate at the maternal-fetal interface and can interact with MHC class I molecules from both parents. The relative contribution of the two sets of parental MHC molecules to uterine NK cell function is unknown. Here we show that, in mice, maternal and not paternal MHC educates uterine NK cells to mature and acquire functional competence. The presence of an additional MHC allele that binds more inhibitory than activating NK cell receptors results in suppressed NK cell function, compromised uterine arterial remodelling and reduced fetal growth. Notably, reduced fetal growth occurs irrespectively of the parental origin of the inhibitory MHC. This provides biological evidence for the impact of MHC-dependent NK inhibition as a risk factor for human pregnancy-related complications associated with impaired arterial remodelling.This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, the Centre for Trophoblast Research and the British Heart Foundation.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Nature Publishing Group at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4359

Mecanismo de negociação por aprendizado por reforço no sequenciamento de decolagem de aeroportos

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Departamento de Ciência da Computação, 2019.Aprendizado por Reforço busca ensinar um agente como se comportar a partir da experimentação do ambiente e aquisição de recompensas envolvidas no processo. Para isso, o agente mapeia os estados encontrados no ambiente, as ações possíveis em cada um destes estados e as recompensas da execução destas ações nestes estados. Em um ambiente de negociação, as configurações possíveis entre as partes podem ser descritas como estados do ambiente, com as ofertas realizadas entre os oponentes constituindo ações e os acordos encontrados gerando recompensas às partes. Este trabalho busca ensinar uma aeronave em espera pela utilização da pista de decolagem a negociar sua posição com as demais. O trabalho apresenta melhorias em relação aos modelos existentes para o problema de sequenciamento de decolagens e apresenta resultados positivos nos estudos de caso realizados.Reinforcement Learning aims to teach an agent how to behave using only the rewards received by exploring an environment. To achieve this, the enviroment is modeled in states, the available actions in each of these states and the associated rewards gained by executing these action. In a negotiation environment, the configurations between the stakeholders may be described as states of the enviroment, with offers done by each participant beign described as actions and the outcome of the negotiation, as rewards. This paper presents a model to teach aircrafts to negotiate their position in the queue for airport runway use. This papes presents improvements over the existing methods for aircraft departure scheduling and postive results in the case studies carried out

Cadeias de suprimentos da indústria têxtil e de confecções do médio Vale do Itajaí: comparativo entre a realidade encontrada e os referenciais teóricos

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção, Florianópolis, 2010Fatores como qualidade, tempo e disponibilidade passaram a ser mais bem compreendidos pelos consumidores, provocando uma pressão sobre as organizações e ocasionando um aumento da diversidade e variedade de produtos, tornando os seus ciclos de vida mais curtos e requerendo uma melhoria de competências para atender as necessidades dos clientes. A vantagem competitiva está se tornando temporária, as competências essenciais tornam-se fundamentais para o outsourcing e para agregação de valor ao cliente. Entretanto as organizações estão em um estágio de transição da eficiência individual para eficiência coletiva, no âmbito da chamada nova economia. Existe a necessidade de estruturar os processos de conhecimento sobre cadeias de suprimentos, competências essenciais, governança, outsourcing e valor agregado com a visão do cliente como foco central, fornecendo mecanismos que permitam apoiar as organizações do estágio da eficiência individual para a eficiência coletiva. Esta tese de doutoramento buscou compreender como as competências essenciais das empresas envolvidas na indústria têxtil e de confecções estão sendo utilizadas na aplicação do conceito de gerenciamento da cadeia de suprimentos. Tendo como base os estudos de casos realizados em empresas do setor têxtil no Médio Vale do Itajaí especificaram-se as cadeias de suprimentos a partir da comparação com os referenciais teóricos e a realidade encontrada