Post-harvest ripening in wax-coated Bocado mango

The effect of three different concentrations of two commercial wax coatings on some parameters of post-harvest ripening was evaluated. The rate of loss of fresh weight of mangoes was reduced with both waxes at higher concentrations Chlorophyll degradation of the exocarp (skin) and the increase in mesocarp (flesh) pH normally occurring during ripening was retarded at higher concentrations of both wax coatings. However Primafresh 31 was less effective than Primafresh C at similar treatment concentrations. The results showed that the delayed ripening effects of wax-coated fruits affected fresh weight loss, exocarp chlorophyll degradation and mesocarp pH change but did not affect mesocarp chlorophyll, sugar, and starch content.     

Cooperative research in underwater robot mission-level programming methodologies

Programming autonomous vehicles to accomplish complex missions is a complicated task for which the development of control architectures is of prime importance. The goal of this paper is to describe the accomplishments of both French and American teams within a cooperative research program focused on the development of high-level control of semi-autonomous underwater vehicles. In particular, two different mission-programming methodologies are examined in the context of the requirements of a generic, reactive and complex underwater mission. The French team uses a combination of the ESTEREL synchronous programming language and the PIRRAT real-time control library to implement a methodology derived from the ORCCAD programming system. The approach taken by the American team builds a trilevel hybrid architecture using the CONTROLSHELL real-time software development environment. The details of each methodology are highlighted through the presentation of the high-level programs designed by each team using their approach to control an underwater robot to perform a multiphased underwater mission. The utility of both programming methodologies was verified through the successful completion of those missions in experimental demonstrations by the French VORTEX and American OTTER autonomous underwater vehicles.     

Robustness considerations for p-step matrix integrators with uncertainty in the continuous system mode

Robustness measures for p-step matrix integrators are established. These measures are the quantitative bounds for either structured or unstructured perturbations existing in continuous-time systems to ensure that discrete versions of those systems obtained using p-step matrix integrators remain stable. Examples are given to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed measures. The effect of the sampling time T, the choice of the discretizing scheme, and the integrator step size on these robustness measures is discussed through examples.     

Sequential control of a monetary policy model for India

This paper attempts to incorporate expectation generating mechanisms in a formal economic planning model. We have tried to introduce a simple bayesian filter method into an econometric model to see how the system parameters would change subject to a ‘policy-optimization-process’. The method was applied to a monetary policy model for India to see how the political authorities would react to private sector reactions to the policy-optimization-process. Through continuous updating of the response parameters, we can derive a very different type of monetary-fiscal policy structure than that which can be obtained through the usual optimal control process.     

Exosomes from adipose tissue-derived stem/stromal cells: A key to future regenerative medicine

Advances in regenerative medicine correlate strongly with progress in the use of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells. The range of therapeutic indications has also expanded over recent years. Numerous recent studies have highlighted the primary importance of paracrine secretion by these cells. Though it is interesting to compare the different types of such secretions, we believe that exosomes (extra-cellular vesicles possessing the same properties as their source cells) will likely be the main key in tomorrow’s cell therapy. Exosomes also have many advantages compared to the direct use of cells, making these particles a major target in fundamental and translational research.