Effect of a commercial pectinmethylesterase on tomato paste consistency

Background: Consistency is one of the main traits that define commercial quality and price of tomato paste. Pectins are partially responsible for consistency in tomato paste, therefore enzymatic pectin modification could be used to increase paste consistency. Results: This work reports the effects of a commercial enzymatic preparation of pectin-methyl-esterase (PME) (NovoShape\u2122) on tomato paste consistency taking into account variables as enzyme/substrate ratio (0,1% w/w - 1% w/w), reaction time (0 hr - 3 hrs) and reaction temperature (40\ubaC-60\ubaC). The results indicate that NovoShape\u2122 increased consistency when reaction temperature ranged from 40 to 50\ubaC with an enzyme/substrate ratio of 0.5 to 1 (l PME solution/g tomato paste on dry base). On the other hand, enzymatic treatment was not effective at 60\ubaC with an enzyme/substrate ratio of 0.1%. Conclusions: Based on these results, addition of NovoShape\u2122 is a good technological approach to increase tomato paste consistency

Corridor-Wide Surveillance Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems Phase II: Freeway Incident Detection Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Part A)

69A3551947136, 79075-00-SUB ADuring the second phase of this study, the team collected field data with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at different elevations and distances from the road to analyze the performance of a background subtraction algorithm for vehicle detection. Validation analyses were carried out and their results indicated that a detection rate with an accuracy of up to 92% can be reached using the background subtraction algorithm. The results of the ANOVA test confirmed that the drone\u2019s distance from the road was the only main factor associated with vehicle detection percentage (at the 95% confidence level). It was also determined that, depending on drone type, elevation can affect the detection rate based on the interaction plots created. The experiences from the field activities that took place during this phase of the project were incorporated into the previously developed protocol for the use of UAVs in corridor surveillance. The protocol was also updated with the steps that must be followed for several scenarios and these can be incorporated in future studies on the use of drones in transportation applications

Trigger and Aperture of the Surface Detector Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory consists of 1600 water-Cherenkov detectors, for the study of extensive air showers (EAS) generated by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. We describe the trigger hierarchy, from the identification of candidate showers at the level of a single detector, amongst a large background (mainly random single cosmic ray muons), up to the selection of real events and the rejection of random coincidences. Such trigger makes the surface detector array fully efficient for the detection of EAS with energy above $3\times 10^{18}$ eV, for all zenith angles between 0$^\circ$ and 60$^\circ$, independently of the position of the impact point and of the mass of the primary particle. In these range of energies and angles, the exposure of the surface array can be determined purely on the basis of the geometrical acceptance.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure

Ultrahigh energy neutrinos at the Pierre Auger observatory

The observation of ultrahigh energy neutrinos (UHEνs) has become a priority in experimental astroparticle physics. UHEνs can be detected with a variety of techniques. In particular, neutrinos can interact in the atmosphere (downward-going ν) or in the Earth crust (Earth-skimming ν), producing air showers that can be observed with arrays of detectors at the ground. With the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory we can detect these types of cascades. The distinguishing signature for neutrino events is the presence of very inclined showers produced close to the ground (i.e., after having traversed a large amount of atmosphere). In this work we review the procedure and criteria established to search for UHEνs in the data collected with the ground array of the Pierre Auger Observatory. This includes Earth-skimming as well as downward-going neutrinos. No neutrino candidates have been found, which allows us to place competitive limits to the diffuse flux of UHEνs in the EeV range and above.P. Abreu ... K. B. Barber ... J. A. Bellido ... R. W. Clay ... M. J. Cooper ... B. R. Dawson ... T. A. Harrison ... A. E. Herve ... V. C. Holmes ... J. Sorokin ... P. Wahrlich ... B. J. Whelan ... et al