Study of physical–chemical and sensorial properties of irradiated Tommy Atkins mangoes (Mangifera indica L.) in an international consignment

Tommy Atkins mangoes from Brazil were sent to Canada after being submitted to a thermal treatment (46.1 °C, 110 min – control) and to a gamma irradiation treatment (doses 0.4 and 1.0 kGy). The fruits were stored at 11 °C during 10 days until the international transportation and kept at an environmental condition (22 °C) during 12 days, where their physical–chemical and sensorial properties were evaluated. Analysis of visual parameters showed that irradiation treatment influenced the maturity index. Mass loss was around 5% for all fruits, from the three treatments, and incidence of end rot was lower for irradiated fruits. Physico-chemical analysis presented some significant differences and irradiated mangoes at 1.0 kGy had lower values than control ones (p ? .05) for texture for each day of analysis. Sensory evaluation demonstrated that panelists perceived few differences among treatments.     

Polarimetric SAR image segmentation with B-splines and a new statistical model

We present an approach for polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image region boundary detection based on the use of B-Spline active contours and a new model for polarimetric SAR data: the G_P^H{mathcal{G}_P^H} distribution. In order to detect the boundary of a region, initial B-Spline curves are specified, either automatically or manually, and the proposed algorithm uses a deformable contours technique to find the boundary. In doing this, the parameters of the polarimetric G_P^H{mathcal{G}_P^H} model for the data are estimated, in order to find the transition points between the region being segmented and the surrounding area. This is a local algorithm since it works only on the region to be segmented. Results of its performance are presented.     

Comparison of hexamethyldisilazane and critical point drying treatments for SEM analysis of anaerobic biofilms and granular sludge

We present a fast procedure for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis in which hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) solvent, instead of the critical point drying, is used to remove liquids from a microbiological specimen. The results indicate that the HMDS solvent is suitable for drying samples of anaerobic cells for examination by SEM and does not cause cell structure disruption.     

Potato Starch Encapsulation with Polyethylene. II. Morphology of the Encapsulated Granules

The morphology of the polyethylene encapsulation shell, grown on potato starch granules was studied by electron and optical microscopy. It has the classical nascent polyethylene texture composed of the intertwinement of worm-like, constant diameter polyethylene particles. A new feature is the occurrence of a large number of cracks which divide the polyethylene shell into blocks linked together by microfibrils. These cracks are caused by the curvature of the initial starch granules. They are responsible for the limited protection of the granule towards external chemical reagents.     

Admission control for WiMAX networks

This paper introduces admission control policies for WiMAX networks, which aim to reach three main goals: restrict the number of simultaneous connections in the system so that the resources available for the uplink scheduler are sufficient to guarantee the quality‐of‐service requirements for each connection, support the service provider expectations by maximizing the revenue, and maximize user satisfaction by granting additional resources. The optimal solution to meet these goals is non‐deterministic polynomial‐time hard and therefore cannot be solved in acceptable polynomial time. For this reason, both optimal and polynomial time heuristic solutions are introduced. Simulation experiments are used to evaluate and compare the proposed policies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Incorporation of Lactobacillus acidophilus in Minas fresh cheese and its implications for textural and sensorial properties during storage

The effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus on instrumental texture profile and related properties of Minas fresh cheese during storage at 5 °C and on sensory performance was investigated. Four cheese-making trials were prepared, two supplemented with a mesophilic type O culture (T1, T2) and two with lactic acid (T3, T4). L. acidophilus was added in T2 and T3. The viability of L. acidophilus, instrumental texture profile analysis and related properties were monitored during storage for up to 21 days. Probiotic cheeses T3 were firmer by the end of storage, due to higher values of pH and hardness. Differences detected were attributed to the starter, rather than to L. acidophilus. Viability of L. acidophilus during storage ranged from 6.04 to 6.93 for T2 and from 5.46 to 6.53 log cfu g⁻¹ for T3, which performed better in sensory evaluation. Minas fresh cheese is a suitable food system for the delivery of L. acidophilus.