Biological control of blue mould on apple by a strain of Candida sake under several controlled atmosphere conditions

The biocontrol potential of the yeast Candida sake (CPA-1) against Penicillium expansum decay of apples under several controlled atmosphere conditions was investigated. In a laboratory trial under different commercial cold storage conditions, increasing concentrations of C. sake improved decay control. A maximum reduction of decay was achieved at 3% O2-3% CO2 atmosphere. It amounted to a 97% lesion reduction after treatment with a suspension containing 2.4 x 10(6) CFU/ml of C. sake (CPA-1). In a semi-commercial trial at 1 degree C with wounded fruits, the reduction in decay diameter caused by C. sake exceeded 80% after 60 days at 21% O2 and 60% after 120 days of storage under controlled atmosphere conditions. For seven controlled atmosphere conditions studied, a significant influence by C. sake on the P. expansum decay was observed, and the lesion size was reduced more than 70% by C. sake at 10(7) CFU/ml. The populations of C. sake (CPA-1) on the apple surface followed the same pattern under all controlled atmosphere conditions studied. They decreased 4-10-fold during the first 2 weeks, followed by an increase to the initial level after 45 days, and thereafter the count remained constant for the period of 90 days examined. This indicated the capacity of C. sake (CPA-1) to colonize the surface of apples under various storage conditions. The ability to colonize was even higher in apple wounds.     

3D Master Toothguide according to L*, C*, and h* coordinates

The purposes of this study are to describe the color coordinates of the 26 shade tabs of the 3D Master Toothguide according to their L*, C*, h* coordinates, and to calculate ΔE_ab*, ΔL*, ΔC*, and Δh* in the 26 shade tabs. The tooth color of 1361 maxillary central incisors was measured “in vivo” using a spectrophotometer. Tooth color was recorded following the 3D Master system and its corresponding L*, C*, h*color coordinates. Of the 325 shade tabs pairs compared a color difference ( ) of between 2.6 and 5.5 units was found in 9.54% (31 pairs). In 291 pairs (89.54%) there was color difference that exceeded the 5.5 units. Only 0.92% of the color differences () were less than 2.6 units. The minimum color difference ( ) found was 2.1 units and the maximum 45.0 units. The intervals in lightness, chroma, and hue groups between adjacent shade tabs were not uniform. In conclusion, this toothguide is clearly ordered regarding lightness or the L* coordinate. Most of the color differences between the 26 shade tabs of the 3D Master exceed the perceptible threshold of 2.6 units. Some clinical implications are as follows: the 26 shade tabs of the 3D Master Toothguide offer improvements as far as spatial arrangement is concerned. Thus, it is highly possible that the subjective visual color of the measurement would be correct. If there is a mistake when choosing the shade tab from the 3D Master guide there will quite probably be an unacceptable color difference from the clinical point of view. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 40, 518–524, 2015.     

Short-term nutritional supplementation of ewes in low body condition affects follicle development due to an increase in glucose and metabolic hormones

This study tested whether the effects of a short period of nutritional supplementation given to ewes during the luteal phase on follicle development and ovulation rate is associated with an increase in circulating concentrations of FSH, glucose or metabolic hormones. Oestrus was synchronised with two prostaglandin injections given 9 days apart and the supplement consisted of corn grain and soybean meal. Corriedale ewes with low body condition were randomly assigned to 2 groups: the control group (C; n = 10) received a maintenance diet while the short-term supplemented group (STS; n = 10) received double the maintenance diet over days 9 to 14 of the oestrous cycle (day 0 = ovulation). Ovaries were examined daily by ultrasound and blood was sampled three times a day during the inter-ovulatory interval for measuring reproductive and metabolic hormones. On days 9, 11 and 14 of the oestrous cycle, half of the ewes from each group (n = 5) were bled intensively to determine the concentrations of glucose, insulin, IGF-I and leptin. Plasma FSH, progesterone, oestradiol and androstenedione concentrations were similar among groups. Dietary supplementation increased plasma insulin concentrations from the first to the sixth day of supplementation and increased glucose concentrations on the third day, compared with control ewes. Plasma leptin concentrations were higher in STS ewes from the second to the fifth day of supplementation. The pattern of IGF-I concentrations was similar among groups. In STS ewes, the nutritional treatment prolonged the lifespan of the last non-ovulatory follicle, so fewer follicular waves developed during the cycle. In STS ewes, increased concentrations of glucose, insulin and leptin one day before ovulatory wave emergence were associated with increased numbers of follicles growing from 2 to 3 mm and with stimulation of the dominant follicle to grow for a longer period. We suggest that the mechanism by which short-term nutritional supplementation affects follicle development does not involve an increase in FSH concentrations, but may involve responses to increased concentrations of glucose, insulin and leptin, acting directly at the ovarian level. This effect is acute, since concentrations of all three substances decrease after reaching peak values on the third day of supplementation. The status of follicle development at the time of maximum concentrations of glucose and metabolic hormones may be one of the factors that determines whether ovulation rate increases or not.     

Relationship between pore fluid velocity distribution and pore size distribution

This study investigated the normalized velocity magnitude distribution and normalized pore volume distribution in different porous media with porosity between 13.5% and 85%, including sandstones, carbonates, synthetic silica, sphere packings and fiber scaffolds. It was found that both velocity magnitude and pore size follow the same distribution. These results allow the prediction of the velocity distribution in a porous medium when its pore structure is known or tuning the velocity by controlling the pore structure.     

MoxWx–1S2 Nanotubes for Advanced Field Emission Application

Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) nanotubes complement the field of low-dimensional materials with their quasi-1D morphology and a wide set of intriguing properties. By introducing different transition metals into the crystal structure, their properties can be tailored for specific purpose and applications. Herein, the characterization and a subsequent preparation of single-nanotube field emission devices of Mo_xW_x-1S₂ nanotubes prepared via the chemical vapor transport reaction is presented. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction  indicate that the molybdenum and tungsten atoms are randomly distributed within the crystal structure and that the material is highly crystalline. High resolution transmission electron microscopy  and electron diffraction (ED) patterns further corroborate these findings. A detailed analysis of the ED patterns from an eight-layer nanotube reveal that the nanotubes grow in the 2H structure, with each shell consists of one bilayer. The work function of the nanotubes is comparable to that of pure MoS₂ and lower of pure WS₂ NTs, making them ideal candidates for field emission applications. Two devices with different geometrical setup are prepared and tested as field emitters, showing promising results for single nanotube field emission applications.     

A Metal-Organic Framework Incorporating Eight Different Size Rare-Earth Metal Elements: Toward Multifunctionality À La Carte

Multi-metallic multivariate (MTV) rare earth (RE) metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) are of interest for the development of multifunctional materials, however examples with more than three RE cations are rare and obstructed by compositional segregation during synthesis. Herein, this work demonstrates the synthesis of a multi-metallic MTV RE MOF incorporating two, four, six, or eight different RE ions with different sizes and in nearly equimolar amounts and no compositional segregation. The MOFs are formed by a combination of RE cations (La, Ce, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Y, and Yb) and a 1,7-di(4-carboxyphenyl)-1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane (mCB-L) linker. The steric bulkiness and acidity of mCB-L is crucial for the incorporation of different size RE ions into the MOF structure. Demonstration of the incorporation of all RE cations is performed via compositional and structural characterization. The more complex MTV MOF, including all eight RE ions (mCB-8RE), are also characterized using optical, thermal, and magnetic techniques. Element-selective X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism measurements allow us to characterize spectroscopically each of the eight RE ions and determine their magnetic moments. This work paves the way for the investigation of MTV MOFs with the possibility to combine RE ions à la carte for diverse applications.     

基于Kullback-Leibler距离的闭环系统传感器微小故障诊断

在闭环控制系统中,当故障幅值较小时,由故障带来的影响会被控制量所掩盖.因此,闭环系统中的微小故障诊断实现更为复杂.本文针对闭环系统中的传感器故障,提出了基于Kullback-Leibler(KL)距离的微小故障在线检测与估计方法.本文首先介绍了KL距离的定义及其在多变量故障检测中的应用,然后提出了结合KL距离与快速移动窗口主成分分析(MWPCA)的在线微小故障检测与估计模型.在高斯分布的假设下,利用系统输入输出残差构造MWPCA的数据矩阵,然后通过在线更新数据矩阵主成分的均值与方差实现KL距离的在线更新,最终实现闭环系统中传感器的在线故障检测与估计.仿真实验表明,该方法能有效实现具有低故障—噪声比(FNR)特性的微小故障诊断.