Competition between fusion-evaporation and multifragmentation in central collisions in 58Ni＋4SCa at 25A MeV

The experimental data concerning the 58Ni＋48Ca reaction at Elab（Ni）=25A MeV, collected by using the CHIMERA 4n device, have been analyzed in order to investigate the competition among different reaction mechanisms for central collisions in the Fermi energy domain. As a main criterion for centrality selection we have chosen the flow angle （Snow） method, making an event-by-event analysis that considers the shape of events, as it is determined by the eigenvectors of the experimental kinetic-energy tensor. For the selected central events （8~ow〉60~） some global variables, good to characterize the pattern of central collisions have been constructed. The main features of the reaction products were explored by using different constraints on some of the relevant observables, like mass and velocity distributions and their correlations. Much emphasis was devoted, for central collisions, to the competition between fusion-evaporation processes with subsequent identification of a heavy residue and a possible multifragmentation mechanism of a well defined （if any） transient nuclear system. Dynamical evolution of the system and pre-equilibrium emission were taken into account by simulating the reactions in the framework of transport theories. Different approaches have been envisaged （dynamical stochastic BNV calculations ＋ sequential SIMON code, QMD, CoMD, etc.）. Preliminary comparison of the experimental data with BNV calculations shows reasonable agreement with the assumption of sequential multifragmentation emission in the mass region of IMFs close to the heavy residues. Possible deviations from sequential processes were found for those IMFs in the region of masses intermediate between the mass of heavy residues and the mass of light IMFs. Further simulations are in progress. The experimental analysis will be enriched also by information obtained inspecting the IMF-IMF correlation function, in order to elucidated the nature of space-time decay property of the emitting source associated with events having the largest IMF multiplicity.     

The chemical and sensorial effects of lysozyme addition to red and white wines over six months' cellar storage

Lysozyme is an enzyme with muramidase activity which can lyse Gram-positive bacteria, including wine lactic acid bacteria. This enzyme provides a practical method for delaying or preventing the growth of Oenococcus oeni and consequently the onset of malolactic fermentation during the vinification of red and white wines. This paper reports the impact of lysozyme on the chemical and sensorial properties of commercially vinified red (Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz) and white (Riesling) wines. The addition of lysozyme to these wines had little or no effect on the content of alcohol, free and total sulfur dioxide and titratable acidity, and pH value. The lysozyme retained 75–80% activity in the Riesling wine after six months, however no detectable activity remained in the Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines after two days. Upon addition of lysozyme to both of the red wines, a rapid initial decrease (up to 17%) in red wine colour density and phenolic content occurred in association with the formation of a light precipitate. The reduction in red wine colour was also noted by the sensory panel. When added to the Riesling wine, lysozyme did not cause an increase in browning over the six month storage time, but did induce heat instability (haze), suggesting that white wines may require protein stabilisation following treatment with lysozyme. Sensory assessment by triangle difference testing revealed that, during the six month storage period, treatment with lysozyme did not cause important changes to either the aroma or palate of the red and white wines tested.     

PROBLEMS ON FEEDBACK CONTROL OF UNCERTAIN SYSTEMS: A THEORETICAL INTERPRETATION†

Abstract

The main problem in control theory is the definition of the optimal control law that must be applied to a physical system in order to obtain a desired behaviour. A general approach to this problem is developed, in order to explain the consideration of Rapoport that: “.feedback loops suggest that information is somehow fed into the system, or that the system obtains information about itself.” To this extent, the meanings of “system” and approximating “model” are properly clarified. The correct use of an observer, as the device which measures the uncertainty about the internal structure of the system and about the environmental influences on the system itself, is defined. The concept of “equilibrium” of a controlled system is introduced and some necessary and sufficient conditions in order that such an equilibrium may be reached, are stated.     

DOPP—dynamically optimized production planning†

Production planning in flexible manufacturing requires the updating of work schedules each time a new product order is acquired. To this end, a Production Planning (PP) strategy should be devised by solving two coupled problems, embedded into an iteration: (i) Product Orders Scheduling, (ii) Production Capacity Planning. This paper presents a new algorithm to solve the Production Capacity Planning (PCP) Problem for a complex manufacturing system composed of a network of bufferized time-sharing workshops (i.e. shops able to share their service rates among different part types). The solution procedure developed allows one to minimize the Global Flow Time (GFT), while verifying service and storage capacity constraints, in association with a given future pattern of product orders. An example derived from an existing production process is outlined, to show the effective usefulness of the proposed PCP procedure, and its easy integration with existing scheduling tools     

C.E.R.A. once every 4 weeks in patients with chronic kidney disease not on dialysis: The ARCTOS extension study

C.E.R.A., a continuous erythropoietin receptor activator is approved for the treatment of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The ARCTOS (administration of C.E.R.A. in CKD patients to treat anemia with a twice‐monthly schedule) phase 3 study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of C.E.R.A. in correcting anemia when administered once every 2 weeks (Q2W) subcutaneously in patients with CKD not on dialysis. We assessed the feasibility and long‐term safety of converting patients who responded to treatment with C.E.R.A. Q2W to C.E.R.A. once every 4 weeks (Q4W) during a 24‐week extension period. After the core ARCTOS study period (28 weeks), 296 patients entered the 24‐week extension period. At week 29, patients who responded to C.E.R.A. Q2W during the core period were rerandomized to receive subcutaneous C.E.R.A. Q2W or Q4W. Patients in the comparator arm could receive darbepoetin alfa once weekly or Q2W. Dosage was adjusted to maintain hemoglobin (Hb) between 11 and 13 g/dL. Mean Hb levels remained stable in all groups, and were comparable at the end of the extension period (mean [standard deviation], C.E.R.A. Q2W, 11.92 [0.90] g/dL; C.E.R.A. Q4W, 11.70 [0.86] g/dL; darbepoetin alfa, 11.89 [0.98] g/dL). Mean within‐patient standard deviation values for Hb were also comparable in all groups (0.66, 0.62, and 0.65 g/dL for C.E.R.A. Q2W, C.E.R.A. Q4W and darbepoetin alfa, respectively). All treatments were well tolerated. Subcutaneous C.E.R.A. Q4W is safe and effective in maintaining stable Hb levels in patients with CKD not on dialysis following correction with subcutaneous C.E.R.A. Q2W.     

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT CA CONDITIONS ON AROMA AND QUALITY OF GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLES

“Golden Delicious” apples were cold stored in semicommercial chambers in normal atmosphere and in different controlled atmospheres (CA) in which oxygen and carbon dioxide were held at 1%, 2% and 3% for three, five and seven months. Following storage, fruit was kept at 20C for 1, 5, and 10 days, after which volatile emission was collected and analyzed. The highest emission of volatile components was obtained after 5 months storage, in which the low CA conditions (2% O₂/CO₂) gave the highest aromatic production. Esters were the main compounds released during ripening at 20C after cold storage in all conditions. Ethyl 2-methyl butyrate, ethyl butyrate, hexyl acetate and ethyl hexanoate were the compounds that contributed most to the overall aroma of “Golden Delicious”.