Microbiological quality of silage made from by-products of cassava starch extraction and viticulture

This study evaluated silages made with varying proportions of viticulture by-products (VC) and starch extraction from cassava (CSE). It attempted to determine the effects of these proportions on the microbial population, fermentative losses, and chemical composition. The treatments were specified as the proportions of VC in the silage (0 g/kg, 250 g/kg, 500 g/kg, 750 g/kg, and 1000 g/kg). Silages were  evaluated before (0) and after 1, 3, 7, 15, 30, and 60 days of ensiling. The experimental design was completely randomized with five  treatments, six storage times and four replications. The increased level of VC in the silage enhanced its dry matter content, ammonia  nitrogen (NH3-N), and buffering capacity, and reduced organic matter content. Fifteen days after ensiling, additional VC increased the concentration of soluble carbohydrates. The increased level of VC decreased the count of Clostridium spp. and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The incidence of yeasts and enterobacteria was low in all treatments at all time points. Over time, losses as effluent and gases increased. Use of increasing proportions from VC in silage made with CSE increased the contents of dry matter and soluble carbohydrates and  reduced the fermentative losses of the silage. The increased amount of VC also favoured pH reduction and reduced the proliferation of undesirable yeasts, while increasing the population of LAB

Deployment characterization of a floatable tidal energy converter on a tidal channel, Ria Formosa, Portugal

This paper presents the results of a pilot experiment with an existing tidal energy converter (TEC), Evopod 1 kW floatable prototype, in a real test case scenario (Faro Channel, Ria Formosa, Portugal). A baseline marine geophysical, hydrodynamic and ecological study based on the experience collected on the test site is presented. The collected data was used to validate a hydro-morphodynamic model, allowing the selection of the installation area based on both operational and environmental constraints. Operational results related to the description of power generation capacity, energy capture area and proportion of energy flux are presented and discussed, including the failures occurring during the experimental setup. The data is now available to the scientific community and to TEC industry developers, enhancing the operational knowledge of TEC technology concerning efficiency, environmental effects, and interactions (i.e. device/environment). The results can be used by developers on the licensing process, on overcoming the commercial deployment barriers, on offering extra assurance and confidence to investors, who traditionally have seen environmental concerns as a barrier, and on providing the foundations whereupon similar deployment areas can be considered around the world for marine tidal energy extraction.Acknowledgements The paper is a contribution to the SCORE project, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT e PTDC/ AAG-TEC/1710/2014). Andre Pacheco was supported by the Portu- guese Foundation for Science and Technology under the Portuguese Researchers' Programme 2014 entitled “Exploring new concepts for extracting energy from tides” (IF/00286/2014/CP1234). Eduardo GGorbena has received funding for the OpTiCA project from the ~ Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions of the European Union's H2020- MSCA-IF-EF-RI-2016/under REA grant agreement n [748747]. The authors would like to thank to the Portuguese Maritime Authorities and Sofareia SA for their help on the deployment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Timed patterns: TCOZ to timed automata

Abstract. The integrated logic-based modeling language, Timed Communicating Object Z (TCOZ), is well suited for presenting complete and coherent requirement models for complex real-time systems. However, the challenge is how to verify the TCOZ models with tool support, especially for analyzing timing properties. Specialized graph-based modeling technique, Timed Automata (TA), has powerful mechanisms for designing real-time models using multiple clocks and has well developed automatic tool support. One weakness of TA is the lack of high level composable graphical patterns to support systematic designs for complex systems. The investigation of possible links between TCOZ and TA may benefit both techniques. For TCOZ, TA’s tool support can be reused to check timing properties. For TA, a set of composable graphical patterns can be defined based on the semantics of the TCOZ constructs, so that those patterns can be re-used in a generic way. This paper firstly defines the composable TA graphical patterns, and then presents sound transformation rules and a tool for projecting TCOZ specifications into TA. A case study of a railroad crossing system is demonstrated

Possible charge inhomogeneities in the CuO2 planes of YBa2Cu3O6+x (x=0.25, 0.45, 0.65, 0.94) from pulsed neutron diffraction

The atomic pair distribution functions (PDF) of four powder samples of YBa2Cu3O6+x (x=0.25, 0.45, 0.65, 0.94) at 15 K have been measured by means of pulsed neutron diffraction. The PDF is modelled using a full-profile fitting approach to yield structural parameters. In contrast to earlier XAFS work we find no evidence of a split apical oxygen site. However, a slightly improved fit over the average crystallographic model results when the planar Cu(2) site is split along the z-direction. This is interpreted in terms of charge inhomogeneities in the CuO2 planes.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Quasars and their host galaxies

This review attempts to describe developments in the fields of quasar and quasar host galaxies in the past five. In this time period, the Sloan and 2dF quasar surveys have added several tens of thousands of quasars, with Sloan quasars being found to z>6. Obscured, or partially obscured quasars have begun to be found in significant numbers. Black hole mass estimates for quasars, and our confidence in them, have improved significantly, allowing a start on relating quasar properties such as radio jet power to fundamental parameters of the quasar such as black hole mass and accretion rate. Quasar host galaxy studies have allowed us to find and characterize the host galaxies of quasars to z>2. Despite these developments, many questions remain unresolved, in particular the origin of the close relationship between black hole mass and galaxy bulge mass/velocity dispersion seen in local galaxies.Comment: Review article, to appear in Astrophysics Update

Visual processing deficits in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.

Carriers of the rare 22q11.2 microdeletion present with a high percentage of positive and negative symptoms and a high genetic risk for schizophrenia. Visual processing impairments have been characterized in schizophrenia, but less so in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (DS). Here, we focus on visual processing using high-density EEG and source imaging in 22q11.2DS participants (N = 25) and healthy controls (N = 26) with an illusory contour discrimination task. Significant differences between groups emerged at early and late stages of visual processing. In 22q11.2DS, we first observed reduced amplitudes over occipital channels and reduced source activations within dorsal and ventral visual stream areas during the P1 (100-125 ms) and within ventral visual cortex during the N1 (150-170 ms) visual evoked components. During a later window implicated in visual completion (240-285 ms), we observed an increase in global amplitudes in 22q11.2DS. The increased surface amplitudes for illusory contours at this window were inversely correlated with positive subscales of prodromal symptoms in 22q11.2DS. The reduced activity of ventral and dorsal visual areas during early stages points to an impairment in visual processing seen both in schizophrenia and 22q11.2DS. During intervals related to perceptual closure, the inverse correlation of high amplitudes with positive symptoms suggests that participants with 22q11.2DS who show an increased brain response to illusory contours during the relevant window for contour processing have less psychotic symptoms and might thus be at a reduced prodromal risk for schizophrenia

Backward pion-nucleon scattering

A global analysis of the world data on differential cross sections and polarization asymmetries of backward pion-nucleon scattering for invariant collision energies above 3 GeV is performed in a Regge model. Including the $N_\alpha$, $N_\gamma$, $\Delta_\delta$ and $\Delta_\beta$ trajectories, we reproduce both angular distributions and polarization data for small values of the Mandelstam variable $u$, in contrast to previous analyses. The model amplitude is used to obtain evidence for baryon resonances with mass below 3 GeV. Our analysis suggests a $G_{39}$ resonance with a mass of 2.83 GeV as member of the $\Delta_{\beta}$ trajectory from the corresponding Chew-Frautschi plot.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figure

Evolutionary aspects of population structure for molecular and quantitative traits in the freshwater snail Radix balthica.

Detecting the action of selection in natural populations can be achieved using the QST-FST comparison that relies on the estimation of FST with neutral markers, and QST using quantitative traits potentially under selection. QST higher than FST suggests the action of directional selection and thus potential local adaptation. In this article, we apply the QST-FST comparison to four populations of the hermaphroditic freshwater snail Radix balthica located in a floodplain habitat. In contrast to most studies published so far, we did not detect evidence of directional selection for local optima for any of the traits we measured: QST calculated using three different methods was never higher than FST. A strong inbreeding depression was also detected, indicating that outcrossing is probably predominant over selfing in the studied populations. Our results suggest that in this floodplain habitat, local adaptation of R. balthica populations may be hindered by genetic drift, and possibly altered by uneven gene flow linked to flood frequency

A microscale integrated approach to measure and model fibre misalignment in fibre-reinforced composite

peer-reviewedThe full text of this article will not be available in ULIR until the embargo expires on the 30/08/2021Computational micromechanics of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs) relies on the ability of the representative volume elements (RVEs) to take into account the different features that characterise the geometry of the material system under consideration. Fibre misalignment has been proven experimentally to have a significant effect on the mechanical properties at the macroscale, but is not currently taken into consideration in models at the individual fibre level, perhaps due to the difficulty in statistically characterising the fibre misalignment. In this work, an integrated approach is presented to measure and model fibre misalignments in FRPs. A computed tomography (CT) scan is used to identify the fibre geometry and statistically characterise the fibre misalignment angle distribution. Using a methodology recently developed by the authors, three-dimensional (3D) RVEs were generated by requiring their misalignment angle distribution to fit the empirical distribution. The methodology proposed provides a framework for the systematic numerical analysis of the influence of fibre misalignment on mechanical properties of FRPs