3,895 research outputs found
Ultrasonically assisted atmospheric freeze-drying of button mushroom. Drying kinetics and product quality
This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Drying Technology, 36, 15, 1814-1823 Š Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://doi.org/10.1080/07373937.2017.1417870[EN] The aim of this work was to evaluate the feasibility of using power ultrasound to improve the atmospheric freeze-drying of mushroom, as interesting alternative to vacuum freeze-drying, considering not only kinetic effects but also the final quality. For that purpose, mushroom slices (Agaricus bisporus) were dried (Âż10°C and 2 m/s) with (24.6 and 12.3 kW/m3; 21.9 kHz) and without ultrasound application. The application of ultrasound significantly influenced the drying kinetics, increasing the effective diffusivity up to 280% and shortening drying time up to 74%. As for the quality parameters (color, texture, rehydration, and cell damage), no remarkable influence of the ultrasound application was observed. Therefore, the application of power ultrasound during the atmospheric freeze-drying of mushroom might be considered as an interesting technology providing that it significantly increased the process kinetics without greatly affecting the quality of the final product.The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEOII/2014/005) and INIA-ERDF (RTA2015-00060-C04-02).Carrion, C.; Mulet Pons, A.; GarcĂa PĂŠrez, JV.; CĂĄrcel CarriĂłn, JA. (2017). Ultrasonically assisted atmospheric freeze-drying of button mushroom. Drying kinetics and product quality. Drying Technology. 36(15):1814-1823. https://doi.org/10.1080/07373937.2017.1417870S18141823361
Precise determination of the hyperfine parameters of europium in multifluorite perovskites by 151Eu MĂśssbauer spectroscopy
The hyperfine interactions at the europium lattice sites in samples of the homologous (Fe,Cu)Sr2(Eu,Ce)nCu2O4+2n+z (n=2,3) series were studied by Eu151 MĂśssbauer spectroscopy. The work was motivated by the search for new superconducting phases. This homologous series is based on the YBa2Cu3O7âδ (1:2:3) structure. The samples used in the MĂśssbauer measurements consisted of crystallites with random orientation and grain oriented crystallites. The texture of oriented samples was analyzed by x-ray diffraction. The complete quadrupole Hamiltonian of the 21.5-keV Îł-transition of Eu151 was successfully applied in the analyses of all the MĂśssbauer spectra. In samples having nâ¤2 the europium atoms occupy a single lattice site, whereas the spectra of the n=3 samples exhibit hyperfine interactions of the two different europium sites. Analyzing the hyperfine parameters of the latter samples was made possible by simultaneous fitting of three spectra, corresponding to three different crystal orientations of the same specimen. This fitting scheme also enables more precise determination of the hyperfine parameters in the n=2 samples. In these samples an electric field gradient (EFG), with a large negative-valued main component (Vzz) parallel with the crystal c axis, was found. In the n=3 samples, the two EFGâs of the europium sites were found to have Vzz components of opposite signs. The negative Vzz value was attributed to the rare-earth site adjacent to the CuO layer. This site, found in all samples of the series, corresponds to the rare-earth site of the 1:2:3 system.Peer reviewe
Use of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to predict nitrogen uptake by winter wheat within fields with high variability in organic matter
In this study, the ability to predict N-uptake in winter wheat crops using NIR-spectroscopy on soil samples was evaluated. Soil samples were taken in unfertilized plots in one winter wheat field during three years (1997-1999) and in another winter wheat field nearby in one year (2000). Soil samples were analyzed for organic C content and their NIR-spectra. N-uptake was measured as total N-content in aboveground plant materials at harvest. Models calibrated to predict N-uptake were internally cross validated and validated across years and across fields. Cross-validated calibrations predicted N-uptake with an average error of 12.1 to 15.4 kg N ha-1. The standard deviation divided by this error (RPD) ranged between 1.9 and 2.5. In comparison, the corresponding calibrations based on organic C alone had an error from 11.7 to 28.2 kg N ha-1 and RPDs from 1.3 to 2.5. In three of four annual calibrations within a field, the NIR-based calibrations worked better than the organic C based calibrations. The prediction of N-uptake across years, but within a field, worked slightly better with an organic C based calibration than with a NIR based one, RPD = 1.9 and 1.7 respectively. Across fields, the corresponding difference was large in favour of the NIR-calibration, RPD = 2.5 for the NIR-calibration and 1.5 for the organic C calibration. It was concluded that NIR-spectroscopy integrates information about organic C with other relevant soil components and therefore has a good potential to predict complex functions of soils such as N-mineralization. A relatively good agreement of spectral relationships to parameters related to the N-mineralization of datasets across the world suggests that more general models can be calibrated
Europium substitution effects in superconducting YBa2Cu4O8 synthesized under one atmosphere oxygen pressure
Y1âxEuxBa2Cu4O8 powder samples, with x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0, were synthesized at ambient pressure using either an acetate-tartrate sol-gel method or a LiF flux process. The lattice parameters and purity of the samples were checked using X-ray diffraction. The superconducting transition was monitored by magnetic-susceptibility measurements. Replacing yttrium with europium increased the unit-cell volume, decreased the orthorhombicity (b/a) and the critical temperature. The hyperfine interactions at the europium site were studied by Eu151 MĂśssbauer spectroscopy. The complete quadrupole Hamiltonian of the 21.5-keV Îł transition of Eu151 was successfully applied in the analyses of the MĂśssbauer spectra. The MĂśssbauer parameters obtained were found to resemble those measured for the EuBa2Cu3Cu3O7âδ (1:2:3) system. It was demonstrated that magnetic alignment of the crystallites could not be obtained with an 11.7-T field, contrary to the 1:2:3 and other high-Tc systems. The magnetic susceptibility for 1:2:4 single crystals appears to be isotropic.Peer reviewe
Bonn Potential and Shell-Model Calculations for 206,205,204Pb
The structure of the nuclei 206,205,204Pb is studied interms of shell model
employing a realistic effective interaction derived from the Bonn A
nucleon-nucleon potential. The energy spectra, binding energies and
electromagnetic properties are calculated and compared with experiment. A very
good overall agreement is obtained. This evidences the reliability of our
realistic effective interaction and encourages use of modern realistic
potentials in shell-model calculations for heavy-mass nuclei.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review
Effective three-band model for double perovskites
We start from a six-band model describing the transition-metal t2g orbitals
of half-metallic double perovskite systems, such as Sr2FeMoO6, in which only
one of the transition metal ions (Fe) contains important intratomic repulsion
Ufe. By eliminating the Mo orbitals using a low-energy reduction similar to
that used in the cuprates, we construct a Hamiltonian which contains only
effective t2g Fe orbitals. This allows to treat exactly Ufe, and most of the
Fe-Mo hopping. As an application, we treat the effective Hamiltonian in the
slave-boson mean-field approximation and calculate the position of the
metal-insulator transition and other quantities as a function of pressure or
on-site energy difference.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Peptide (1-38) and its analog (Acetyl-[Ala15, Ala20] PACAP 38-polyamide) reverse methacholine airway hyperresponsiveness in rats
O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar funcionalmente e estruturalmente efeito broncodilatador do peptĂdeo ativador da adenilato ciclase pituitĂĄria (PACAP1-38) e da acetil-[Ala15, Ala20]PACAP 38-poliamida, potente anĂĄlogo do PACAP-38, nos ratos desafiados pelo metacolina (MeCh). Ratos Wistar machos foram aleatoriamente divididos em cinco grupos. Grupos 1 e 2, inalando aerossĂłis de solução salina ou doses crescentes de MeCh (0,5, 1, 2,12, 4,25, 8,5, 17, 34 e 68 mg/L). Os outros grupos recebendo terbutalina (Terb) (250 Âľg/rato) (10-6M), PACAP-38 (50 Âľg/rato) (0.1 mM) ou anĂĄlogo do PACAP-38 (50 Âľg/rato) associados a MeCh na dose de 4,25 mg/L. A resistĂŞncia pulmonar total (RL) foi registrada antes e 2 min apĂłs a administração de Mech pelo equipamento pneumomultiteste. A administração MeCh induziu aumento significativo e dose dependente (pThe aim of this study was to investigate both functionally and structurally bronchodilator effects of Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP38) and acetyl-[Ala15, Ala20] PACAP38-polyamide, a potent PACAP38 analog, in rats challenged by methacholine (MeCh). Male Wistar rats were divided randomly into five groups. Groups 1 and 2 inhaled respectively aerosols of saline or increasing doses of MeCh (0.5, 1, 2.12, 4.25, 8.5, 17, 34 and 68mg/L). The other groups received terbutaline (Terb) (250 Âľg/rat) (10-6 M), PACAP38 (50 Âľg/rat) (0.1 mM) or PACAP38 analog (50 Âľg/rat) associated to MeCh from the dose of 4.25 mg/L. Total lung resistances (RL) were recorded before and 2 min after MeCh administration by pneumomultitest equipment. MeCh administration induced a significant and a dose-dependent increase (
Search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu channel in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
A search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu decay
channel, where l = e or mu, in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7
TeV is presented. The data were collected at the LHC, with the CMS detector,
and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 inverse femtobarns. No
significant excess is observed above the background expectation, and upper
limits are set on the Higgs boson production cross section. The presence of the
standard model Higgs boson with a mass in the 270-440 GeV range is excluded at
95% confidence level.Comment: Submitted to JHE
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