Sensory profiles and preference analysis in ornamental horticulture: The case of the rosebush

The context of ornamental horticulture is considered in order to extend the techniques of sensory and preference evaluation by taking the rosebush as a plant model. In a preliminary study (Boumaza, Demotes-Mainard, Huché-Thélier, & Guérin, 2009), a sensory evaluation was conducted in order to set up a list of attributes. Subsequently, this list was adapted to assess 10 rosebushes. After the control of the panel performance using a multivariate strategy of analysis, the average scores were used in product mapping. The evaluation of the preferences with regard to these rosebushes was undertaken: 253 subjects were asked to rank the products by decreasing order of liking. Thereafter, the preference data were subjected to an internal preference mapping and a cluster analysis. Six homogeneous segments of consumers were eventually retained. By way of performing an external preference mapping, the average ranks were regressed upon the sensory attributes using principal component regression: the preferences of 67% of the consumers were satisfactorily explained by the attributes.     

Sequential Decision Strategies for Machine Interpretation of Speech

Recognition errors made by automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems may not prevent the development of useful dialogue applications if the interpretation strategy has an introspection capability for evaluating the reliability of the results. This paper proposes an interpretation strategy which is particularly effective when applications are developed with a training corpus of moderate size. From the lattice of word hypotheses generated by an ASR system, a short list of conceptual structures is obtained with a set of finite state machines (FSM). Interpretation or a rejection decision is then performed by a tree-based strategy. The nodes of the tree correspond to elaboration-decision units containing a redundant set of classifiers. A decision tree based and two large margin classifiers are trained with a development set to become interpretation knowledge sources. Discriminative training of the classifiers selects linguistic and confidence-based features for contributing to a cooperative assessment of the reliability of an interpretation. Such an assessment leads to the definition of a limited number of reliability states. The probability that a proposed interpretation is correct is provided by its reliability state and transmitted to the dialogue manager. Experimental results are presented for a telephone service application     

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of Hyperloop pod predicting laminar–turbulent transition

Railway Engineering Science - Three-dimensional compressible flow simulations were conducted to develop a Hyperloop pod. The novelty is the usage of Gamma transition model, in which the transition...     

Modelling and performances of a deep-freezing process using low-grade solar heat

A solar deep-freezing process has been designed. It aims at cooling down a cold box to about −20 °C, using simple flat plate solar collectors operating at 70 °C. This original process involves two cascaded thermochemical systems based on the BaCl₂/ammonia reaction. Its working mode is discontinuous as it alternates between a regeneration mode during daytime and a cold production mode during nighttime. A global dynamic model involving the various system components allows the simulation of the process; it predicts the evolution of the components temperatures and the rates of chemical reactions of the system. It also allows the dimensioning of the system components to maintain a 500 l cold box at −20 °C during the 6 sunniest months of the year under typical Mediterranean weather conditions and provide over 80% of the total yearly cooling needs of this box. This requires a solar collector area of 5.8 m² and 39 kg of reactive salt. The predicted coefficient of performance (COP) is about 0.1 over the year, and the net solar COP, taking into account the collector efficiencies, is 0.05.     

Hybrid Capsules via Self‐Assembly of Thermoresponsive and Interfacially Active Bionanoparticle–Polymer Conjugates

New bionanoparticles have been prepared from horse spleen ferritin by grafting thermoresponsive poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and photo‐crosslinkable 2‐(dimethyl maleinimido)‐N‐ethyl‐acrylamide (DMIAAm) from the protein surface. The 72 addressable amino groups on the exterior of HSF were modified with N‐hydroxysuccinimide‐activated 2‐bromo‐isobutyrate to form a macro‐initiator for atom transfer radical polymerization, which was performed in water/DMF solutions at low temperature. The modification of the HSF and the presence of the polymer shell were confirmed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel‐electrophoresis, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning force microscopy. The thermoresponsive behavior of the ferritin‐PNIPAAm conjugates was investigated in solution by UV–vis spectroscopy showing a phase transition in the form of a cloud point around 32 °C. Further, dynamic light scattering revealed an increasing hydrodynamic radius around this transition, indicating aggregation of the particles at elevated temperatures which was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Initial experiments show that the particles are highly surface active, much more than the individual components alone, which was demonstrated by pendant‐drop interfacial tension measurements. This leads to the fact that they form stable Pickering emulsions, i.e., emulsion droplets decorated with polymer‐modified bionanoparticles which can be cross‐linked successively. This allows the formation of capsules with thermoresponsiveness for controlled release purposes, e.g., in drug delivery.     

New avenue for mid-UV-range detection of underivatized carbohydrates and amino acids in capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) appeared as an interesting alternative to chromatographic methods for carbohydrate analysis, but it can be difficult to implement, because of the lack of easily ionizable functions and chromophore groups. Recently, a promising method was proposed by Rovio et al. for the CE separation under extremely high alkaline conditions of neutral carbohydrates under their alcoholate form and their direct UV detection [Rovio et al. Electrophoresis 2007, 28, 3129-3135; and Rovio et al. J. Chromatogr. A 2008, 1185, 139-144], which is claimed to be due to the absorption of enediolate at 270 nm. Even so, most of the detected compounds in Rovio's paper (for example, sucrose) cannot give such enediolate, lacking a carbonyl group. In this work, a deeper insight was paid to the understanding of detection mechanism. In effect, unusual detection phenomena were observed in comparing reducing and nonreducing carbohydrate behaviors, which pointed to the existence of photochemical reactions in the detection window. A more systematic study of the influence of many parameters (carbohydrate nature, electrolyte pH, residence time in the detection window, and capillary diameter) was undertaken. In addition to this, most of this work was performed under cathodic (reversed) electro-osmotic flow conditions (using Polybrene-modified capillaries), to obtain much faster separations than under Rovio's conditions. This study also opens up new avenues for the detection in mid-UV range of non-UV-absorbing compounds bearing reducing moieties, such as amino acids.     

Constipation Mitigation by Rhubarb Extract in Middle-Aged Adults Is Linked to Gut Microbiome Modulation: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

Gut microbiota alterations are intimately linked to chronic constipation upon aging. We investigated the role of targeted changes in the gut microbiota composition in the relief of constipation symptoms after rhubarb extract (RE) supplementation in middle-aged volunteers. Subjects (95% women, average 58 years old) were randomized to three groups treated with RE at two different doses determined by its content of rhein (supplementation of 12.5 mg and 25 mg per day) vs. placebo (maltodextrin) for 30 days. We demonstrated that daily oral supplementation of RE for 30 days was safe even at the higher dose. Stool frequency and consistency, and perceived change in transit problem, transit speed and difficulty in evacuating, investigated by validated questionnaires, were improved in both groups of RE-treated volunteers compared to placebo. Higher abundance of Lachnospiraceae (mainly Roseburia and Agathobacter) only occurred after RE treatment when present at low levels at baseline, whereas an opposite shift in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels was observed in both RE-treated groups (increase) and placebo (decrease). Fecal Lachnospiraceae and SCFA were positively correlated with stool consistency. This study demonstrates that RE supplementation promotes butyrate-producing bacteria and SCFA, an effect that could contribute to relieving chronic constipation in middle-aged persons.     

Determination of the mixing performance of sulzer SMV static mixers by laser induced fluorescence

Local concentrations are measured at the outlet of different configurations of Sulzer SMV static mixers placed in a tube. Laser Induced Fluorescence is the non intrusive technique used to measure mean and RMS concentrations. The two fluids mixed are miscible and the flow regime is turbulent. The influence of the number of elements, their position and the ratio between the velocities of the two compounds on the mixing is studied. The results show that these parameters are important for the quality of mixing. The velocity ratio influences the radial mixing, while the mixing length depends on the number and position of the elements.     

Vitamin E inhibits fish oil-induced hyperlipidemia and tissue lipid peroxidation in hamsters

Previous research has linked hyperlipidemia with increased serum concentrations of lipid peroxidation products; however, a specific association between diet-induced oxidative stress and hyperlipidemia has not been studied. In the present study, the relationship between tissue lipid peroxidation and hyperlipidemia induced by ingestion of fish oil was examined. In Experiment 1, male Golden Syrian hamsters were fed semipurified diets composed of 1.6 wt% safflower oil plus 15.0 wt% of either butterfat (BF), safflower oil (SAFF), or high-cholesterol menhaden oil [MHO(H-CHOL)] semipurified diets for 27 d. The cholesterol contents of the diets were adjusted to 0.088%. The MHO(H-CHOL)-fed hamsters exhibited higher serum concentrations of total cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein B, and lipid peroxides when compared to the BF and SAFF diet groups. In a further study (Experiment 2), hamsters were fed for 27 d three dietary treatments: (i) MHO(H-CHOL) with no vitamin E content; (ii) a low-cholesterol menhaden oil containing high concentrations of vitamin E (2.5 mg tocopherol/g oil or dietary concentrations of 375 mg/kg) [MHO(L-CHOL)+E]; and (iii) the MHO(L-CHOL+E) with added cholesterol (595 mg/kg) [MHO(L-CHOL)+CHOL+E] to match the cholesterol content of the MHO(H-CHOL). The MHO(L-CHOL)+E and MHO(L-CHOL)+CHOL+E diet groups showed lower concentrations of serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and hepatic lipid peroxides than the MHO(H-CHOL)-treated group. Moreover, in contrast to the hypercholesterolemia caused by the MHO(H-CHOL) feeding, the MHO(L-CHOL)+E and MHO(L-CHOL)+CHOL+ E diets did not show a serum cholesterol-elevating action. This study supports the hypothesis that oxidative stress in the Syrian hamster could play a causal role in dietary-induced hyperlipidemia which can be inhibited by high vitamin E intake.