Publications by authors named "Marcela Alfaro Cordoba"

This study assessed the combined utility of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and machine learning (ML) techniques for identifying and classifying pure njangsa seed oil (NSO), palm kernel oil (PKO), coconut oil (CCO), njangsa seed oil-palm kernel oil (NSOPKO) and njangsa seed oil-coconut oil (NSOCCO) margarine. Additionally, it quantified the degree of adulteration in each oil and margarine using ML regression models and sunflower oil and canola-flaxseed oil margarine as adulterants. Fingerprints of the oils and the margarines derived in the spectra region 4000-600 cm were combined with ML models.

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Article Synopsis
  • Spectroscopic techniques like infrared, Raman, and X-ray fluorescence are essential for analyzing the composition of greenstone artifacts without damaging them.
  • The roughness of the artifact surfaces greatly affects the resulting spectra, with more pronounced variations in rougher samples, which can complicate data interpretation and statistical analysis.
  • Among the techniques, FT-IR is highlighted as the best for onsite studies due to its ability to distinguish mineral differences, while confocal Raman spectroscopy serves as a valuable lab-based complement, although it has some limitations.
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Many small parasitoid wasps have a black head, an orange mesosoma and a black metasoma (BOB color pattern), which is usually present in both sexes. A likely function of this widespread pattern is aposematic (warning) coloration, but this has never been investigated. To test this hypothesis, we presented spider predators (Lyssomanes jemineus), both field-captured and bred in captivity from eggs, to four wasp genera (Baryconus, Chromoteleia, Macroteleia and Scelio), each genus being represented by a BOB morphospecies and black morphospecies.

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Anthocyanins from purple-fleshed sweetpotatoes constitute highly valued natural colorants and functional ingredients. In the past, anthocyanin extraction conditions and efficiencies using a single acidified solvent have been assessed. However, the potential of solvent mixes that can be generated by fermentation of biomass-derived sugars have not been explored.

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Small parasitoid wasps are abundant and extremely diverse, yet their colors have not been analyzed. One of the more common color patterns observed in these wasps is a black-orange-black pattern, which is especially common among neotropical species of Scelionidae ranging in size from 2 to 10 mm. Due to the methodological challenges involved in extracting and analyzing pigments from small-sized insects, other methods for examining colors need to be explored.

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Introduction And Objectives: Accelerometry is used as an objective measure of physical activity in humans and veterinary species. In cats, one important use of accelerometry is in the study of therapeutics designed to treat degenerative joint disease (DJD) associated pain, where it serves as the most widely applied objective outcome measure. These analyses have commonly used summary measures, calculating the mean activity per-minute over days and comparing between treatment periods.

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Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the image quality of a dual-energy nonlinear image blending technique at reduced load of contrast medium with a simulated 120-kVp linear blending technique at a full dose during portal venous phase MDCT of the abdomen.

Subjects And Methods: Forty-five patients (25 men, 20 women; mean age, 65.6 ± 9.

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Purpose: To investigate whether dual-energy multidetector row computed tomographic (CT) imaging with iodine quantification is able to distinguish between clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinoma ( RCC renal cell carcinoma ) subtypes.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective, HIPAA-compliant, institutional review board-approved study, 88 patients (57 men, 31 women) with diagnosis of either clear cell or papillary RCC renal cell carcinoma at pathologic analysis, who underwent contrast material-enhanced dual-energy nephrographic phase study between December 2007 and June 2013, were included. Five readers, blinded to pathologic diagnosis, independently evaluated all cases by determining the lesion iodine concentration on color-coded iodine maps.

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