Mealiness detection in apples using time resolved reflectance spectroscopy

Mealiness is a textural attribute related to internal fruit disorder that is characterized by the combination of abnormal softness of the fruit and absence of free juiciness in the mouth when eaten by the consumer. Time-resolved laser reflectance spectroscopy was used as a tool to determine mealiness. This new technique in agrofood research may provide physical and chemical information independently and simultaneously, which is relevant to characterize mealiness. Using visible and near infrared lasers as light sources, time-resolved laser reflectance spectroscopy was applied to Golden Delicious and Cox apples (n = 90), to characterize batches of untreated samples and samples that were stored under conditions that promote the development of mealiness (20C & 95% RH). The collected database was clustered into different groups according to their instrumental test values. The optical coefficients were used as explanatory variables to build discriminant functions for mealiness. The performance of the classification models created ranged from 47 to 100% of correctly identified mealy versus nonmealy apples

Optical Characterization of Benign and Malignant Breast Lesions by Perturbative Model

The characterization of benign and malignant breast lesions was performed by the use of a perturbative model. Concentrations of blood, lipid, water and collagen were obtained. Differences between lesions and healthy tissue were observed

Performance assessment of time-domain optical brain imagers, part 1: basic instrumental performance protocol

open21siAbstract.  Performance assessment of instruments devised for clinical applications is of key importance for validation and quality assurance. Two new protocols were developed and applied to facilitate the design and optimization of instruments for time-domain optical brain imaging within the European project nEUROPt. Here, we present the “Basic Instrumental Performance” protocol for direct measurement of relevant characteristics. Two tests are discussed in detail. First, the responsivity of the detection system is a measure of the overall efficiency to detect light emerging from tissue. For the related test, dedicated solid slab phantoms were developed and quantitatively spectrally characterized to provide sources of known radiance with nearly Lambertian angular characteristics. The responsivity of four time-domain optical brain imagers was found to be of the order of 0.1  m2 sr. The relevance of the responsivity measure is demonstrated by simulations of diffuse reflectance as a function of source-detector separation and optical properties. Second, the temporal instrument response function (IRF) is a critically important factor in determining the performance of time-domain systems. Measurements of the IRF for various instruments were combined with simulations to illustrate the impact of the width and shape of the IRF on contrast for a deep absorption change mimicking brain activation.H. Wabnitz; D. R. Taubert; M. Mazurenka; O. Steinkellner; A. Jelzow;R. Macdonald;D. Milej;P. Sawosz;M. Kacprzak;A. Liebert;R. Cooper;J. Hebden;A. Pifferi;A. Farina;I. Bargigia;D. Contini;M. Caffini;L. Zucchelli;L. Spinelli;R. Cubeddu;A. TorricelliH., Wabnitz; D. R., Taubert; M., Mazurenka; O., Steinkellner; A., Jelzow; R., Macdonald; D., Milej; P., Sawosz; M., Kacprzak; A., Liebert; R., Cooper; J., Hebden; Pifferi, ANTONIO GIOVANNI; Farina, Andrea; Bargigia, Ilaria; Contini, Davide; Caffini, Matteo; Zucchelli, LUCIA MARIA GRAZIA; Spinelli, Lorenzo; Cubeddu, Rinaldo; Torricelli, Alessandr

Accuracy in mineral identification: image spectral and spatial resolutions and mineral spectral properties

Problems related to airborne hyperspectral image data are reviewed and the requirements for data analysis applied to mineralogical (rocks and soils) interpretation are discussed. The variability of mineral spectral features, including absorption position, shape and depth is considered and interpreted as due to chemical composition, grain size effects and mineral association. It is also shown how this variability can be related to well defined geologic processes. The influence of sensor noise and diffuse atmospheric radiance in classification accuracy is also analyzed

Hemodynamic and EEG Time-Courses During Unilateral Hand Movement in Patients with Cortical Myoclonus. An EEG-fMRI and EEG-TD-fNIRS Study.

Multimodal human brain mapping has been proposed as an integrated approach capable of improving the recognition of the cortical correlates of specific neurological functions. We used simultaneous EEG-fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and EEG-TD-fNIRS (time domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy) recordings to compare different hemodynamic methods with changes in EEG in ten patients with progressive myoclonic epilepsy and 12 healthy controls. We evaluated O(2)Hb, HHb and Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) changes and event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) in the alpha and beta bands of all of the subjects while they performed a simple motor task. The general linear model was used to obtain comparable fMRI and TD-fNIRS activation maps. We also analyzed cortical thickness in order to evaluate any structural changes. In the patients, the TD-NIRS and fMRI data significantly correlated and showed a significant lessening of the increase in O(2)Hb and the decrease in BOLD. The post-movement beta rebound was minimal or absent in patients. Cortical thickness was moderately reduced in the motor area of the patients and correlated with the reduction in the hemodynamic signals. The fMRI and TD-NIRS results were consistent, significantly correlated and showed smaller hemodynamic changes in the patients. This finding may be partially attributable to mild cortical thickening. However, cortical hyperexcitability, which is known to generate myoclonic jerks and probably accounts for the lack of EEG beta-ERS, did not reflect any increased energy requirement. We hypothesize that this is due to a loss of inhibitory neuronal components that typically fire at high frequencies

High-affinity RNA binding by a hyperthermophilic single-stranded DNA-binding protein

Single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBs), including replication protein A (RPA) in eukaryotes, play a central role in DNA replication, recombination, and repair. SSBs utilise an oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB) fold domain to bind DNA, and typically oligomerise in solution to bring multiple OB fold domains together in the functional SSB. SSBs from hyperthermophilic crenarchaea, such as Sulfolobus solfataricus, have an unusual structure with a single OB fold coupled to a flexible C-terminal tail. The OB fold resembles those in RPA, whilst the tail is reminiscent of bacterial SSBs and mediates interaction with other proteins. One paradigm in the field is that SSBs bind specifically to ssDNA and much less strongly to RNA, ensuring that their functions are restricted to DNA metabolism. Here, we use a combination of biochemical and biophysical approaches to demonstrate that the binding properties of S. solfataricus SSB are essentially identical for ssDNA and ssRNA. These features may represent an adaptation to a hyperthermophilic lifestyle, where DNA and RNA damage is a more frequent event.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Cisplatin-induced emesis: systematic review and meta-analysis of the ferret model and the effects of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists

PURPOSE: The ferret cisplatin emesis model has been used for ~30 years and enabled identification of clinically used anti-emetics. We provide an objective assessment of this model including efficacy of 5-HT(3) receptor antagonists to assess its translational validity. METHODS: A systematic review identified available evidence and was used to perform meta-analyses. RESULTS: Of 182 potentially relevant publications, 115 reported cisplatin-induced emesis in ferrets and 68 were included in the analysis. The majority (n = 53) used a 10 mg kg(−1) dose to induce acute emesis, which peaked after 2 h. More recent studies (n = 11) also used 5 mg kg(−1), which induced a biphasic response peaking at 12 h and 48 h. Overall, 5-HT(3) receptor antagonists reduced cisplatin (5 mg kg(−1)) emesis by 68% (45–91%) during the acute phase (day 1) and by 67% (48–86%) and 53% (38–68%, all P < 0.001), during the delayed phase (days 2, 3). In an analysis focused on the acute phase, the efficacy of ondansetron was dependent on the dosage and observation period but not on the dose of cisplatin. CONCLUSION: Our analysis enabled novel findings to be extracted from the literature including factors which may impact on the applicability of preclinical results to humans. It reveals that the efficacy of ondansetron is similar against low and high doses of cisplatin. Additionally, we showed that 5-HT(3) receptor antagonists have a similar efficacy during acute and delayed emesis, which provides a novel insight into the pharmacology of delayed emesis in the ferret

Real-time time-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging including single-shot acquisition with a segmented optical image intensifier

Published versio

In vivo optimization of the experimental conditions for the non-invasive optical assessment of breast density

In this study, time domain diffuse optical spectroscopy is performed in the range 600–1100&nbsp;nm on 11 healthy volunteers with a portable system for the quantitative characterization of breast tissue in terms of optical properties and optically-derived blood parameters, tissue constituent concentrations, and scattering parameters. A measurement protocol involving different geometries (reflectance and transmittance), subject’s positions (sitting and lying down), probing locations (outer, lower, and inner breast quadrants), and source-detector distances (2 and 3&nbsp;cm) allowed us to investigate the effect of tissue heterogeneity and different measurement configurations on the results with the aim of identifying the best experimental conditions for the estimate of breast density (i.e., amount of fibro-glandular tissue in the breast) as a strong independent risk factor for breast cancer. Transmittance results, that in previous studies correlated strongly with mammographic density, are used as a reference for the initial test of the simpler and more comfortable reflectance measurement configuration. The higher source-detector distance, which probes deeper tissue, retrieves optical outcomes in agreement with higher average density tissue. Similarly, results on the outer quadrants indicate higher density than internal quadrants. These findings are coherent with breast anatomy since the concentration of dense fibro-glandular stroma is higher in deep tissue and towards the external portion of the breast, where the mammary gland is located. The dataset generated with this laboratory campaign is used to device an optimal measurement protocol for a future clinical trial, where optical results will be correlated with conventional mammographic density, allowing us to identify a subset of wavelengths and measurement configurations for an effective estimate of breast density. The final objective is the design of a simplified, compact and cost-effective optical device for a non-invasive, routine assessment of density-associated breast cancer risk

In vivo absorption spectroscopy of tumor sensitizers with femtosecond white light

A system based on a femtosecond white-light continuum and a streak camera was used for recordings of the in vivo absorption spectra of the tumor-seeking agent disulphonated aluminum phthalocyanine. Measurements for different drug doses were performed on tumor tissue (muscle-implanted adenocarcinoma) and normal muscle tissue in rats. It was found that the shape of the spectrum is tissue dependent. The peak of the absorption spectrum is blueshifted in tumor tissue as compared with the muscle. Thus the contrast in the drug-related absorption can be altered by up to a factor of 2 from the primary drug molecular-concentration contrast between normal muscle and tumor by the proper selection of the illumination wavelength