Evidence for Skyrmions in the High-Temperature Superconductors

We claim that the charge density wave recently found by resonant soft X-ray scattering in layered copper oxides is the tetragonal symmetry defined by the distance between neighboring Cu³⁺ ions in the CuO₂ layer that determines the critical temperature. We find evidence that this tetragonal symmetry is a skyrmionic state, which is responsible for an unusual magnetic order and charge flow in the layers that leads to the breaking of the time reversal symmetry below the pseudogap line. The core of the skyrmions form pockets of local magnetic field piercing the superconducting layers in opposite direction to the rest of the unit cell.     

Evaluation of plasma,high‐pressure and ultrasound processing on the stability of fructooligosaccharides

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are among the main carbohydrates with prebiotic activity, and they are the most applied functional carbohydrate ingredient in the food industry. FOS are known to hydrolyse when subjected to thermal processing, thus partially losing its functional properties. In this study, we evaluate whether three nonthermal technologies are suitable for processing FOS regarding its stability after processing. FOS were subjected to ultrasound, high‐pressure processing (HPP) and atmospheric cold plasma (ACP). The FOS solution, 70 g L^?1, was set at a concentration recommended for human intake. The treatments were carried out at operating conditions usually used for microbial inactivation in foods (HPP at 450 MPa for 5 min; US at 600–1200 W L^?1 for 5 min; ACP at 70 kV for 15–60 s). NMR and HPLC analysis of the FOS components showed that ACP, ultrasound and HPP have not induced any significant change on FOS concentration (<2.0%) nor on the degree of polymerisation of the FOS (<3.3%). Contrarily to what is reported for thermal treatments, these nonthermal technologies were considered suitable for FOS processing.     

LiMoSense: live monitoring in dynamic sensor networks

We present LiMoSense, a fault-tolerant live monitoring algorithm for dynamic sensor networks. This is the first asynchronous robust average aggregation algorithm that performs live monitoring, i.e., it constantly obtains a timely and accurate picture of dynamically changing data. LiMoSense uses gossip to dynamically track and aggregate a large collection of ever-changing sensor reads. It overcomes message loss, node failures and recoveries, and dynamic network topology changes. The algorithm uses a novel technique to bound variable size. We present the algorithm and formally prove its correctness. We use simulations to illustrate its ability to quickly react to changes of both the network topology and the sensor reads, and to provide accurate information.     

Homogeneous Nature of Malaysian Marine Fish Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (Perciformes; Serranidae): Evidence Based on Molecular Markers,Morphology and Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis

Taxonomic confusion exists within the genus Epinephelus due to the lack of morphological specializations and the overwhelming number of species reported in several studies. The homogenous nature of the morphology has created confusion in the Malaysian Marine fish species Epinephelus fuscoguttatus and Epinephelus hexagonatus. In this study, the partial DNA sequence of the 16S gene and mitochondrial nucleotide sequences of two gene regions, Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I and III were used to investigate the phylogenetic relationship between them. In the phylogenetic trees, E. fuscoguttatus was monophyletic with E. hexagonatus species and morphology examination shows that no significant differences were found in the morphometric features between these two taxa. This suggests that E. fuscoguttatus is not distinguishable from E. hexagonatus species, and that E. fuscoguttatus have been identified to be E. hexagonatus species is likely attributed to differences in environment and ability to camouflage themselves under certain conditions. Interestingly, this finding was also supported by Principal Component Analysis on Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier-transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) data analysis. Molecular, morphological and meristic characteristics were combined with ATR-FTIR analysis used in this study offer new perspectives in fish species identification. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an extensive genetic population study of E. fuscoguttatus in Malaysia and this understanding will play an important role in informing genetic stock-specific strategies for the management and conservation of this highly valued fish.     

Surgical Tool Datasets for Machine Learning Research: A Survey

International Journal of Computer Vision - This paper is a comprehensive survey of datasets for surgical tool detection and related surgical data science and machine learning techniques and...     

Identification of Bioactive Compounds From <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vitis labrusca</Emphasis> L. Variety Concord Grape Juice Treated With Commercial Enzymes: Improved Yield and Quality Parameters

In this work, the effects of eight different enzymatic preparations were compared in terms of the extraction of bioactive compounds as well as the yield and quality of grape juice from Vitis labrusca L. variety Concord. Juices were prepared by enzymatic treatment and the used preparations were characterized through five enzymatic activities: total pectinase (PE), polygalacturonase (PG), pectinlyase (PL), pectin methyl esterase (PME), and cellulase (CE). Quality parameters such as color, total soluble solids (°Brix), reducing sugars, titratable acidity, pH, and antioxidant capacity were determined for all samples. Phenolic compounds and anthocyanins were identified and quantified by HPLC-DAD-MS. Juice yield was improved by preparations with high activities of PG, PME, and PL, up to 9 % higher than the control, when used Pectinex Ultra Clear. For the extraction of bioactive compounds, the highest values were found for preparations with high CE activity. Regarding the phenolic compounds, 15 compounds were identified. The content of caftaric acid and total anthocyanins was improved up to 300 and 60 %, respectively, using Lallzyme Beta. It was possible to understand the role of each enzyme in the extraction of yield, quality parameters, and bioactive compounds. Pectinex Ultra Clear was the preparation that provided the highest yield and Lallzyme Beta the highest bioactive compounds concentration. For a good quality juice and high yields for the industry, it is important to have a good balance of pectinases and cellulases.     

Antioxidant activity of sage (Salvia officinalis and S fruticosa) and oregano (Origanum onites and O indercedens) extracts related to their phenolic compound content

In this study the antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts of oregano and sage samples was tested. Samples of oregano belonged to Origanum onites and O indercedens species, whilst samples of sage belonged to Salvia officinalis and S fruticosa species. Two methods were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of sage and oregano extracts: the crocin test and the Rancimat test. The methanolic extracts were also analysed by HPLC for the qualitative/quantitative determination of phenolic compounds. The total phenolic compound content of oregano samples showed no significant differences between the two species, but rosmarinic acid was present in higher amount in O indercedens. Carvacrol content sharply differentiated flowers from leaves. Samples of O indercedens had a higher antioxidant activity evaluated by the crocin test, whereas no differences were evidenced by the Rancimat test. For sage samples, carnosic acid and methyl carnosate showed a significant difference between the two species, with S fruticosa samples having a higher content than S officinalis samples. Samples of S fruticosa also had a higher antioxidant activity evaluated by the crocin test. The antioxidant activities of sage samples were, on average, higher than those of oregano samples. Some samples of sage had a very high antioxidant activity, with induction times more than 10‐fold higher than that of lard used as the reference sample. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry