Non-destructive evaluation of maturity and quality parameters of pomegranate fruit by visible/near infrared spectroscopy

In this study, the potential of visible and near infrared spectroscopy was investigated to classify the maturity stage and to predict the quality attributes of pomegranate variety “Ashraf” such as total soluble solids content, pH, and titratable acidity during four distinct maturity stages between 88 and 143 days after full bloom. Principal component analysis was used to distinguish among different maturities. The prediction models of internal quality attributes of the pomegranate were developed by partial least squares regression. The transmission spectra of pomegranate were obtained in the wavelength range from 400 to 1100 nm. In this research several preprocessing methods were utilized including centering, smoothing (Savitzky–Golay algorithm, median filter), normalization (multiplicative scatter correction and standard normal variate) and differentiation (first derivative and second derivative). It concluded that different preprocessing techniques had effects on the classification performance of the model using the principal component analysis method. In general, standard normal variate and multiplicative scatter correction gave better results than the other pretreatments. The correlation coefficients (r), root mean square error of calibration and ratio performance deviation for the calibration models were calculated: r = 0.93, root mean square error of calibration = 0.22 °Brix and ratio performance deviation = 6.4 °Brix for total soluble solids; r = 0.84, root mean square error of calibration = 0.064 and ratio performance deviation = 4.95 for pH; r = 0.94, root mean square error of calibration = 0.25 and ratio performance deviation = 5.35 for titratable acidity.     

Pressure dependence of the small-signal gain and saturation intensity of a copper vapor laser

The small-signal gain coefficient and the saturation intensity of a copper vapor laser have been measured for both 510.6- and 578.2-nm transitions through the implementation of a discharge driven oscillator-amplifier configuration. Pressure dependence of the gain and saturation property of the laser has been investigated.     

Superconducting Point Defect in a Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystal

This paper presents the tunability of the high temperature superconducting (SC) point defect modes in a two-dimensional photonic crystal composed of circular cylinders on a square lattice. By some modifications on the plane wave expansion method, we have shown that the properties of the SC point defect modes strongly depend on the temperature and external magnetic fields. The superconductor type and the nearest-neighbor of the defect effects are further investigated. Comparison between SC and conventional defects show that the SC one has only a monopole profile for different values of the defect size, and has very low sensitivity on the disorders, which is an important feature from a manufacturing point of view.     

Light and scanning electron microscopy-based foliar morpho-anatomical comparison of selected family Rosaceae members distributed in District Lahore,Punjab, Pakistan

In the present study morpho-anatomical characterization of selected Rosaceae members distributed in District Lahore was performed. Light and scanning electron microscopy was used for systematic characterization of the selected 19 species. Distinguished morpho-anatomical features such as size and shape of epidermal cells, size and type of stomatal cells, size and shape of trichomes, oil droplets, and silica bodies were contrasted. Results reported remarkable variations which could be taxonomically useful in identification of these members. Polygonal epidermal cells were observed in Eriyobotraya japonica, Potentilla bifurca, Potentilla supina, and Prunus amygdalus. However, Prunus cerasus possessed irregular-shaped epidermal cells that can be distinguished from hexagonal epidermal cells of Prunus persica. Similarly, stomatal type varied among some members. Paracytic or perisocytic stomata were observed in E. japonica whereas P. bifurca observed paracytic and anisocytic stomata. Lengths of guard cells were also of variable sizes. The average length of guard cells ranged from 53 (52–54) μm to 74 (73–75) μm in abaxial view. Potentilla supina had biggest, while Rosmarinus officinalis had tiny guard cells. Trichomes were tubular, stellate, cylindrical, ribbon-like, glandular, and nonglandular. Silica bodies in the present investigation were bilobed, rounded, and oval-shaped. It is inferred that diverse anatomical features proved to be valuable taxonomic tools that could be fruitfully helpful in identification of plants at specific as well as generic level.     

An Investigation on the Effect of Air Swirler Vane Angle on Liquid Fuel Combustion Characteristics

This is an experimental and numerical study on the effect of air swirl vane angle on combustion characteristics of liquid fuel burners. The swirl vane angle varied in a range from 0° to 75° and the values of the dependent variables were determined. The flame temperature was measured by an S‐type thermocouple and a Testo 350 XL gas analyzer was used to determine the NO and CO pollutant concentrations. Also, sprint CFD code along with suitable models was used in analytical modeling. The results indicate that there is an optimum angle for the swirl vane (approximately 45° for the case study). At the optimum angle, the average temperature of the flame increases as much as 12.5% and 28.5% in comparison with small and large angles, respectively. Therefore, combustion efficiency reaches its maximum level and CO emission is at an extremely low level. The results also demonstrate that large swirl angles decreases NO emission.     

Dynamics of Choline-Containing Phospholipids in Traumatic Brain Injury and Associated Comorbidities

The incidences of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are increasing globally because of expanding population and increased dependencies on motorized vehicles and machines. This has resulted in increased socio-economic burden on the healthcare system, as TBIs are often associated with mental and physical morbidities with lifelong dependencies, and have severely limited therapeutic options. There is an emerging need to identify the molecular mechanisms orchestrating these injuries to life-long neurodegenerative disease and a therapeutic strategy to counter them. This review highlights the dynamics and role of choline-containing phospholipids during TBIs and how they can be used to evaluate the severity of injuries and later targeted to mitigate neuro-degradation, based on clinical and preclinical studies. Choline-based phospholipids are involved in maintaining the structural integrity of the neuronal/glial cell membranes and are simultaneously the essential component of various biochemical pathways, such as cholinergic neuronal transmission in the brain. Choline or its metabolite levels increase during acute and chronic phases of TBI because of excitotoxicity, ischemia and oxidative stress; this can serve as useful biomarker to predict the severity and prognosis of TBIs. Moreover, the effect of choline-replenishing agents as a post-TBI management strategy has been reviewed in clinical and preclinical studies. Overall, this review determines the theranostic potential of choline phospholipids and provides new insights in the management of TBI.     

Performance analysis of intelligent reflecting surface-assisted mobile wireless networks subjected to generalized Gaussian noise

Different from the prior works, this paper presents the performance analysis of an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)-assisted communication link in a static and mobile scenario impaired by Rayleigh fading and additive white generalized Gaussian noise (AWGGN). Precisely, the IRS is configured as an intelligent access point, and the mobile behavior of the nodes is characterized by the random waypoint (RWP) model. To this end, closed-form expressions of average bit error rate (BER), average channel capacity (ACC), and outage probability (OP) in both static and mobile scenarios are obtained. To gain further insight into the system performance at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), asymptotic expressions are obtained. Moreover, the effect of the number of reflective elements ( $N$) and the shaping parameter ( $\lambda$) on the system performance is thoroughly studied. The results indicate that introduction of IRS leads to significant improvement in the overall system performance. The derived results are corroborated with Monte Carlo simulations.