Ethanol Vapours to Complement or Replace Sulfur Dioxide Fumigation of Table Grapes

Recent studies have shown that dipping table grapes in ethanol solutions at harvest improved storage of the fruit. We report here the first results obtained by treating "Chasselas" table grapes (Vitis vinifera) with ethanol vapours over the storage period. We tested the effect of ethanol at 0, 4 and 8 g/kg fruit during cold storage for 2, 4 and 6 weeks. We measured berry shatter, stem browning, Botrytis rot incidence and sensory appreciation by tasting panels. Ethanol vapours reduced Botrytis rot incidence and berry shatter, but hastened stem browning. Sensory analyses did not detect any differences between treatments

Diffraction in time of a confined particle and its Bohmian paths

Diffraction in time of a particle confined in a box which its walls are removed suddenly at $t=0$ is studied. The solution of the time-dependent Schr\"{o}dinger equation is discussed analytically and numerically for various initial wavefunctions. In each case Bohmian trajectories of the particles are computed and also the mean arrival time at a given location is studied as a function of the initial state.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Radial Velocity Variations in Pulsating Ap Stars III. The Discovery of 16.21 min Oscillations in Beta CrB

We present the analysis of 3 hrs of a rapid time series of precise stellar radial velocity (RV) measurements (sigma = 4.5 m/s) of the cool Ap star Beta CrB. The integrated RV measurements spanning the wavelength interval 5000-6000 Ang. show significant variations (false alarm probability = 10^-5) with a period of 16.21 min (nu = 1028.17 micro Hz) and an amplitude of 3.54 +/- 0.56 m/s. The RV measured over a much narrower wavelength interval reveals one spectral feature at 6272 Ang. pulsating with the same 16.21 min period and an amplitude of 138 +/- 23 m/s. These observations establish Beta CrB to be a low-amplitude rapidly oscillating Ap star.Comment: 5 Pages, 5 figure

Evolutionary model and oscillation frequencies for alpha Ursae Majoris: A comparison with observations

Inspired by the observations of low-amplitude oscillations of alpha Ursae Majoris A by Buzasi et al. using the WIRE satellite, a,grid of stellar evolutionary tracks has been constructed to derive physically consistent interior models for the nearby red giant. The pulsation properties of these models were then calculated and compared with the observations. It is found that, by adopting the correct metallicity and for a normal helium abundance, only models in the mass range of 4.0-4.5 M. fall within the observational error box for alpha UMa A. This mass range is compatible, within the uncertainties, with the mass derived from the astrometric mass function. Analysis of the pulsation spectra of the models indicates that the observed alpha UMa oscillations can be most simply interpreted as radial (i.e., l = 0) p-mode oscillations of low radial order n. The lowest frequencies observed by Buzasi et al. are compatible, within the observational errors, with model frequencies of radial orders n = 0, 1, and 2 for models in the mass range of 4.0-4.5 M.. The higher frequencies observed can also be tentatively interpreted as higher n-valued radial p-modes, if we allow that some n-values are not presently observed. The theoretical l = 1, 2, and 3 modes in the observed frequency range are g-modes with a mixed mode character, that is, with p-mode-like characteristics near the surface and g-mode-like characteristics in the interior The calculated radial p-mode frequencies are nearly equally spaced, separated by 2-3 mu HZ. The nonradial modes are very densely packed throughout the observed frequency range and, even if excited to significant amplitudes at the surface, are unlikely to be resolved by the present observations

Using the Correlation Function in Ultrasonic Non-destructive Testing

This paper deals with ultrasonic signal de-noising by means of correlation. It is commonly known that the cross-correlation function shows the statistical dependence between two signals. In ultrasonic inspection, the measured signal is taken as the first signal. The most important aspect of this method is the choice of the second signal. Various types of the second signals can be tried

Reducing Ultrasonic Signal Noise by Algorithms based on Wavelet Thresholding

Traditional techniques for reducing ultrasonic signal noise are based on the optimum frequency of an acoustic wave, ultrasonic probe construction and low-noise electronic circuits. This paper describes signal processing methods for noise suppression using a wavelet transform. Computer simulations of the proposed testing algorithms are presented

The radius and effective temperature of the binary Ap star beta CrB from CHARA/FLUOR and VLT/NACO observations

The prospects for using asteroseismology of rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars are hampered by the large uncertainty in fundamental stellar parameters. Results in the literature for the effective temperature (Teff) often span a range of 1000 K. Our goal is to reduce systematic errors and improve the Teff calibration of Ap stars based on new interferometric measurements. We obtained long-baseline interferometric observations of beta CrB using the CHARA/FLUOR instrument. To disentangle the flux contributions of the two components of this binary star, we obtained VLT/NACO adaptive optics images. We determined limb darkened angular diameters of 0.699+-0.017 mas for beta CrB A (from interferometry) and 0.415+-0.017 mas for beta CrB B (from surface brightness- color relations), corresponding to radii of 2.63+-0.09 Rsun (3.4 percent uncertainty) and 1.56+-0.07 Rsun (4.5 percent). The combined bolometric flux of the A and B components was determined from satellite UV data, spectrophotometry in the visible and broadband data in the infrared. The flux from the B component constitutes 16+-4 percent of the total flux and was determined by fitting an ATLAS9 model atmosphere to the broad-band NACO J and K magnitudes. Combining the flux of the A component with its measured angular diameter, we determine the effective temperature Teff(A) = 7980+-180 K (2.3 percent). Our new interferometric and imaging data enable a nearly model-independent determination of the effective temperature of beta CrB A. Including our recent study of alpha Cir, we now have direct Teff measurements of two of the brightest roAp stars, providing a strong benchmark for an improved calibration of the Teff scale for Ap stars. This will support the use of potentially strong constraints imposed by asteroseismic studies of roAp stars.Comment: 7 pages, accepted by A&

Condition Indicators for Gearbox Condition Monitoring Systems

Condition monitoring systems for manual transmissions based on vibration diagnostics are widely applied in industry. The systems deal with various condition indicators, most of which are focused on a specific type of gearbox fault. Frequently used condition indicators (CIs) are described in this paper. The ability of a selected condition indicator to describe the degree of gearing wear was tested using vibration signals acquired during durability testing of manual transmission with helical gears.

Gearbox Condition Monitoring Using Advanced Classifiers

New efficient and reliable methods for gearbox diagnostics are needed in automotive industry because of growing demand for production quality. This paper presents the application of two different classifiers for gearbox diagnostics – Kohonen Neural Networks and the Adaptive-Network-based Fuzzy Interface System (ANFIS). Two different practical applications are presented. In the first application, the tested gearboxes are separated into two classes according to their condition indicators. In the second example, ANFIS is applied to label the tested gearboxes with a Quality Index according to the condition indicators. In both applications, the condition indicators were computed from the vibration of the gearbox housing.