Sensory intensity assessment of olive oils using an electronic tongue

Olive oils may be commercialized as intense, medium or light, according to the intensity perception of fruitiness, bitterness and pungency attributes, assessed by a sensory panel. In this work, the capability of an electronic tongue to correctly classify olive oils according to the sensory intensity perception levels was evaluated. Cross-sensitivity and non-specific lipid polymeric membranes were used as sensors. The sensor device was firstly tested using quinine monohydrochloride standard solutions. Mean sensitivities of 14±2 to 25±6 mV/decade, depending on the type of plasticizer used in the lipid membranes, were obtained showing the device capability for evaluating bitterness. Then, linear discriminant models based on sub-sets of sensors, selected by a meta-heuristic simulated annealing algorithm, were established enabling to correctly classify 91% of olive oils according to their intensity sensory grade (leave-one-out cross-validation procedure). This capability was further evaluated using a repeated K-fold cross-validation procedure, showing that the electronic tongue allowed an average correct classification of 80% of the olive oils used for internal-validation. So, the electronic tongue can be seen as a taste sensor, allowing differentiating olive oils with different sensory intensities, and could be used as a preliminary, complementary and practical tool for panelists during olive oil sensory analysis.

Atividade fotossintética do bago de uva (Vitis vinifera, cv. Alvarinho) ao longo do desenvolvimento dos cachos em diferentes microambientes de luz

Dissertação de mestrado em Biologia Molecular, Biotecnologia e Bioempreendedorismo em Plantas

Differential predictors of acute post-surgical pain intensity after abdominal hysterectomy and major joint arthroplasty

Author's personal copy

The choroid plexus is modulated by various peripheral stimuli: implications to diseases of the central nervous system

The blood brain barrier (BBB) and the blood cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) form the barriers of the brain. These barriers are essential not only for the protection of the brain, but also in regulating the exchange of cells and molecules in and out of the brain. The choroid plexus (CP) epithelial cells and the arachnoid membrane form the BCSFB. The CP is structurally divided into two independent compartments: one formed by a unique and continuous line of epithelial cells that rest upon a basal lamina; and, a second consisting of a central core formed by connective and highly vascularized tissue populated by diverse cell types (fibroblasts, macrophages and dendritic cells). Here, we review how the CP transcriptome and secretome vary depending on the nature and duration of the stimuli to which the CP is exposed. Specifically, when the peripheral stimulation is acute the CP response is rapid, strong and transient, whereas if the stimulation is sustained in time the CP response persists but it is weaker. Furthermore, not all of the epithelium responds at the same time to peripheral stimulation, suggesting the existence of a synchrony system between individual CP epithelial cells.

The Feedback Effect of Intensity of Ionizing Radiation With the Light Ions Content in Atmosphere. Paradox (the Tbilisi Type of a Smog), or Usual Phenomenon for the Strongly Pollution Cities?.

თბილისში მსუბუქი იონების, რადონის და გალაქტიკური კოსმოსური სხივების ნეიტრონული კომპონენტის ინტენსივობის 2009-2010 წლებში კომპლექსური მონიტორინგის მონაცემების მიხედვით გამოვლენილია მაიონიზებელი გამოსხივების ინტენსივობისა და ატმოსფეროში მსუბუქი იონების შემცველობის უკუკავშირის ეფექტი.

Proposal Intensity Adequacy of Expiratory Effort and Heart Rate Behavior During the Valsalva Maneuver in Preadolescents

Background: When performing the Valsalva maneuver (VM), adults and preadolescents produce the same expiratory resistance values. Objective: To analyze heart rate (HR) in preadolescents performing VM, and propose a new method for selecting expiratory resistance. Method: The maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) was measured in 45 sedentary children aged 9-12 years who subsequently performed VM for 20 s using an expiratory pressure of 60%, 70%, or 80% of MEP. HR was measured before, during, and after VM. These procedures were repeated 30 days later, and the data collected in the sessions (E1, E2) were analyzed and compared in periods before, during (0-10 and 10-20 s), and after VM using nonparametric tests. Results: All 45 participants adequately performed VM in E1 and E2 at 60% of MEP. However, only 38 (84.4%) and 25 (55.5%) of the participants performed the maneuver at 70% and 80% of MEP, respectively. The HR delta measured during 0-10 s and 10-20 s significantly increased as the expiratory effort increased, indicating an effective cardiac autonomic response during VM. However, our findings suggest the VM should not be performed at these intensities. Conclusion: HR increased with all effort intensities tested during VM. However, 60% of MEP was the only level of expiratory resistance that all participants could use to perform VM. Therefore, 60% of MEP may be the optimal expiratory resistance that should be used in clinical practice.

Convective dynamics of traveling autocatalytic fronts in a modulated gravity field

Aus: Physical chemistry, chemical physics, Vol. 16.2014, H. 47, S. 26279 - 26287

The demand for intensity versus frequency of alcohol consumption: Evidence from rural Australia

This paper develops a theoretical model for the demand of alcohol where intensity and frequency of consumption are separate choices made by individuals in order to maximize their utility. While distinguishing between intensity and frequency of consumption may be unimportant for many goods, this is clearly not the case with alcohol where the likelihood of harm depends not only on the total consumed but also on the pattern of use. The results from the theoretical model are applied to data from rural Australia in order to investigate the factors that affect the patterns of alcohol use for this population group. This research can play an important role in informing policies by identifying those factors which influence preferences for patterns of risky alcohol use and those groups and communities who are most at risk of harm.

Global Warming And Extreme Events: Rethinking The Timing And Intensity Of Environmental Policy

The possibility of low-probability extreme events has reignited the debate over the optimal intensity and timing of climate policy. In this paper we therefore contribute to the literature by assessing the implications of low-probability extreme events on environmental policy in a continuous-time real options model with “tail risk”. In a nutshell, our results indicate the importance of tail risk and call for foresighted pre-emptive climate policies.

Firm size and trade secret intensity: evidence from the Economic Espionage Act

This paper considers trade secrecy as an appropriation mechanism in the context ofb the US Economic Espionage Act (EEA) 1996. We examine the relation between trade secret intensity and firm size, using a cross section of 95 court cases. The paper builds on extant work in three respects. First, we create a unique body of evidence, using EEA prosecutions from 1996 to 2008. Second, we use an econometric approach to measurement, estimation and hypothesis testing. This allows us comprehensively to test the robustness of findings. Third, we focus on objectively measured valuations, instead of the subjective, self-reported values used elsewhere. We find a stable, robust value for the elasticity of trade secret intensity with respect to firm size, which indicates that a 10% reduction in firm size leads to a 7% increase in trade secret intensity. We find that this result is not sensitive to industrial sector, sample trimming, or functional form.

Indirect costs of parasitism are shaped by variation in the type of immune challenge and food availability

Parasites can inflict indirect fitness costs to their hosts by eliciting costly immune responses. These costs depend on the type and amount of immunostimulants presented to the host immune system but also on the amount of resources available to fuel host immune responses. Here, we investigated how the relative costs of two different types of immune challenge are modulated by variation in food availability. We injected nestling tawny owls (Strix aluco) with either 10 mu g of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) or 20 mu g of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and subsequently raised them under two different food regimes (food-restricted vs. ad libitum). After controlling for food consumption, we found that LPS-injected nestlings lost more body mass than PHA-injected ones only when food-restricted. We also found that body mass gain of owlets fed ad libitum decreased with the intensity of the skin swelling response against LPS, but not PHA. These experimental and correlative results suggest that nestling tawny owls suffered greater immune costs when treated with LPS than PHA, and that variation in the costs of two different types of immune challenge can be exacerbated under conditions of low food availability. Our study highlights the importance of taking into consideration the interplay between host immunity and nutrition in the study of indirect costs of parasitism.

Global Warming and Fat Tailed-uncertainty: Rethinking the Timing and Intensity of Climate Policy

The possibility of low-probability extreme natural events has reignited the debate over the optimal intensity and timing of climate policy. In this paper, we contribute to the literature by assessing the implications of low-probability extreme events on environmental policy in a continuous-time real options model with “tail risk”. In a nutshell, our results indicate the importance of tail risk and call for foresighted pre-emptive climate policies.

A Modulated Closed Form solution for Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping - A thorough evaluation and comparison to iterative methods based on edge prior knowledge.

The aim of this study is to perform a thorough comparison of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) techniques and their dependence on the assumptions made. The compared methodologies were: two iterative single orientation methodologies minimizing the l2, l1TV norm of the prior knowledge of the edges of the object, one over-determined multiple orientation method (COSMOS) and anewly proposed modulated closed-form solution (MCF). The performance of these methods was compared using a numerical phantom and in-vivo high resolution (0.65mm isotropic) brain data acquired at 7T using a new coil combination method. For all QSM methods, the relevant regularization and prior-knowledge parameters were systematically changed in order to evaluate the optimal reconstruction in the presence and absence of a ground truth. Additionally, the QSM contrast was compared to conventional gradient recalled echo (GRE) magnitude and R2* maps obtained from the same dataset. The QSM reconstruction results of the single orientation methods show comparable performance. The MCF method has the highest correlation (corrMCF=0.95, r(2)MCF =0.97) with the state of the art method (COSMOS) with additional advantage of extreme fast computation time. The l-curve method gave the visually most satisfactory balance between reduction of streaking artifacts and over-regularization with the latter being overemphasized when the using the COSMOS susceptibility maps as ground-truth. R2* and susceptibility maps, when calculated from the same datasets, although based on distinct features of the data, have a comparable ability to distinguish deep gray matter structures.

Variation in the intensity of inbreeding depression among successive life-cycle stages and generations in gynodioecious Silene vulgaris (Caryophyllaceae).

Inbreeding depression is one of the hypotheses explaining the maintenance of females within gynodioecious plant populations. However, the measurement of fitness components in selfed and outcrossed progeny depends on life-cycle stage and the history of inbreeding. Comparative data indicate that strong inbreeding depression is more likely to occur at later life-cycle stages. We used hermaphrodite individuals of Silene vulgaris originating from three populations located in different valleys in the Swiss Alps to investigate the effect of two generations of self- and cross-fertilization on fitness components among successive stages of the life cycle in a glasshouse experiment. We detected significant inbreeding depression for most life-cycle stages including: the number of viable and aborted seeds per fruit, probability of germination, above ground biomass, probability of flowering, number of flowers per plant, flower size and pollen viability. Overall, the intensity of inbreeding depression increased among successive stages of the life cycle and cumulative inbreeding depression was significantly stronger in the first generation (delta approximately 0.5) compared with the second generation (delta approximately 0.35). We found no evidence for synergistic epistasis in our experiment. Our finding of more intense inbreeding depression during later stages of the life cycle may help to explain the maintenance of females in gynodioecious populations of S. vulgaris because purging of genetic load is less likely to occur.

A measure of the intensity of response to alcohol to screen for alcohol use disorders in primary care.

Alcohol-dependent subjects tend to report lower level of response to alcohol (LR) in the years before the disorder developed, compared to control subjects. The Self-Rating of the Effects of alcohol (SRE) score is a quick and valid retrospective estimate of LR. This study examined the associations between alcohol abuse or dependence and early experience of alcohol as measured on retrospective SRE score (relating to the first five times alcohol was imbibed), and the presence of alcohol abuse or dependence, in patients attending primary care. Higher Early SRE score (i.e. greater early tolerance of alcohol) was obtained in patients with an alcohol-related diagnosis than in patients without those diagnoses. Using a cut-off of 2 on the Early SRE score, the Early SRE score could discriminate between patients with and without an alcohol diagnosis with moderate to high sensitivity (84%) and modest specificity (57%).