Sharp rate of average decay of the Fourier transform of a bounded set

We prove that the spherical mean of the Fourier transform of the characteristic function of a bounded convex set (without any additional assumptions) or a bounded set with a C^{3/2} boundary decays at infinity at the same rate as the Fourier transform of the characteristic function of the ball.Comment: 10 pages. GAFA (to appear

Physico‐chemical and nutritional characteristics of einkorn flour cookies

Einkorn (Triticum monococcum L.) is a diploid wheat whose kernels are rich in proteins, carotenoids, tocols, phenolic acids, and trace minerals. Our research analyzed the physico\u2010chemical and nutritional characteristics of einkorn cookies prepared from refined flour of two einkorns (ID1395 and Monlis) and one common wheat (Blasco). The traits analyzed were color, size, and surface texture (Image Analysis); inner texture (Bending and Penetration tests); carotenoids and tocols content and composition; furosine, glucosylisomaltol, and hydroxymethylfurfural as heat damage indices (HPLC). Einkorn cookies were thinner, larger, slightly darker, with smoother surface, and higher breaking resistance than the control cookies. Furthermore, they had more carotenoids (5.0 vs. 2.2 mg/kg DM) and showed less heat damage (188.5 vs. 242.4 mg furosine/100 g protein) than common wheat cookies. Room\u2010temperature storage under dark in sealed plastic containers led to a decrease in lutein (8%\u201317%) and furosine (20%) and an increase in hardness, especially in einkorn cookies. Practical applications To satisfy the ever\u2010increasing interest of the consumers in foods with better nutritional characteristics, the food industry is continuously exploring new formulations. Einkorn is a very promising candidate because of the outstanding composition of its flour. However, little information is available on sweet\u2010baked goods from einkorn. Our results clearly demonstrate that this wheat is perfect, from both the technological and the composition aspects, for preparing high nutritional value cookies with better nutraceutical properties than standard bread wheat cookies. Therefore, the food industry can directly use einkorn as an input ingredient for sweet\u2010baked goods using current production methods

A study on the quality of einkorn (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. monococcum) pasta

The continuous increase of pasta consumption is favoured by the availability of new products, manufactured from non-traditional cereals. Einkorn is a diploid relative of durum and bread wheats, appreciated for its high protein, carotenoid and tocol contents, and for its excellent organoleptic characteristics. Aim of this research was to assess its suitability for pasta production and the quality of its products. The dry einkorn pasta differed from durum wheat pasta for most of the traits, including dimensions, carotenoids content, colour and image analysis parameters. During cooking the pasta from einkorn flours was significantly less firm but had lower cooking losses, probably for a better structure of the gluten matrix. Compression-extrusion tests evidenced, at equal cooking times, significant differences between pasta samples. Among einkorns, ID331 and SAL98-32 showed firmness values similar to durum wheat pasta. Pasta manufacturing led to a significant decrease in lutein and a limited increase in heat damage, but cooking did not induce any further changes. Overall, einkorn pasta had similar technological characteristics but better nutritional value than the control durum wheat pasta

Nuclear magnetic dipole properties and the triaxial deformation

Nuclear magnetic dipole properties of ground bands and gamma-vibrational bands are studied for the first time using the triaxial projected shell model approach. The study is carried out for the Dy and Er isotopic chains, ranging from transitional to well-deformed region. It is found that the g-factor ratio of the 2^+ state in ground bands to that of gamma-bands, r=g(2^+, gamma-vib)/g(2^+, ground), varies along an isotopic chain. With the gamma-deformations, which best reproduce the energy levels for both bands, we obtain a qualitative agreement with the experimental data. This result thus suggests that study of the ratio may provide an important information on the triaxial deformation of a nuclear system. The angular-momentum dependence of the ground band g-factor on the triaxial deformation is also investigated.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, final version accepted by Phys. lett.

Antioxidant capacity and heat damage of powder products from South American plants with functional properties

Aim of the study was to evaluate color, total polyphenol content (TPC), antioxidant capacity (ABTS, FRAP, DPPH), reducing sugars and heat damage (furosine, hydroxymethylfurfural, glucosylisomaltol) of 21 commercial powder products obtained from South-American fruits (mesquite, lucuma, camu camu), seeds (amaranth, purple maize), roots and tubers (yacon, maca, mashua, tocosh), bark (cat\u2019s claw) and leaves (graviola). TPC and antioxidant capacity were maximum in camu camu and cat\u2019s claw powders, and minimum in tocosh, amaranth, lucuma and maca; graviola, mashua, purple maize and mesquite also showed good antioxidant attributes. Yacon, mashua and lucuma powders had high reducing sugars content (40.9, 34.4 and 21.2 g/100 g DM, respectively) and heat damage (HMF 146.6 mg/kg, furosine 2399.8 and 2228.4 mg/100 g protein, respectively). Overall, camu camu powder and cat\u2019s claw were the most interesting products, having high levels of total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity together with very low heat damage

49Cr: Towards full spectroscopy up to 4 MeV

The nucleus 49Cr has been studied analysing gamma-gamma coincidences in the reaction 46Ti(alpha,n)49Cr at the bombarding energy of 12 MeV. The level scheme has been greatly extended at low excitation energy and several new lifetimes have been determined by means of the Doppler Shift Attenuation Method. Shell model calculations in the full pf configuration space reproduce well negative-parity levels. Satisfactory agreement is obtained for positive parity levels by extending the configuration space to include a nucleon-hole either in the 1d3/2 or in the 2s1/2 orbitals. A nearly one-to-one correspondence is found between experimental and theoretical levels up to an excitation energy of 4 MeV. Experimental data and shell model calculations are interpreted in terms of the Nilsson diagram and the particle-rotor model, showing the strongly coupled nature of the bands in this prolate nucleus. Nine values of K(pi) are proposed for the levels observed in this experiment. As a by-result it is shown that the values of the experimental magnetic moments in 1f7/2 nuclei are well reproduced without quenching the nucleon g-factors.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Matilda’s castles, northern Apennines: geological and geomorphological constrains

The positioning and construction of castles in ancient times responded not only to strategic opportunity, but also to the issue of geomorphological risk. We investigated castles and strongholds built in the era of the Great Countess Matilda of Canossa in part of the northern Apennines (Italy), in order to study the relationship between their positioning and the distribution of geomorphological and geological hazards. We observe how the location of castles follows clear patterns of avoidance of potential hazards: castles are kept far from the main fault systems and stream networks, and are mainly at a safe distance from landslide- and badlands-susceptible terrains. The knowledge of Medieval communities on landscape hazards was sufficiently advanced to minimise risks, while maintaining the strategic value of fortifications

Existence of minimizers for eigenvalues of the Dirichlet-Laplacian with a drift

This paper deals with the eigenvalue problem for the operator L=-δ-x{dot operator}∇ with Dirichlet boundary conditions. We are interested in proving the existence of a set minimizing any eigenvalue λk of L under a suitable measure constraint suggested by the structure of the operator. More precisely we prove that for any c>0 and k∈N the following minimization problemmin<>{λk(Ω):Ωquasi-openset,∫Ωe|x|2/2dx≤c} has a solution

Assessment of shallow landslide risk mitigation measures based on land use planning through probabilistic modelling

On October 25, 2011 an extreme rainfall event affected a wide area along the coasts of Cinque Terre (eastern Liguria, northern Italy). Particularly, in the Vernazza catchment, the event triggered hundreds of shallow landslides and a debris flood that caused three casualties. Investigation of slope stability after the event was carried out aiming at defining the most effective mitigation measures which may be adopted in future land use planning. To this objective a susceptibility model was produced and a series of scenarios were simulated using probabilistic methods. The susceptibility model has provided information about landslide conditioning factors on which to act for reducing landslide occurrence and therefore the associated risk. The simulations have taken into consideration the following alternative types of mitigation measures: (1) restoration of abandoned terraces, (2) reforestation of abandoned terraces, (3) use of local structural measures over stretches of potentially unstable hillsides and (4) avoidance of any intervention. The advantages and the disadvantages of proposed mitigation measures for shallow landslide risk are discussed considering the results of the simulations and taking into account their complex interaction with environmental, historical, cultural and socio-economic aspects. The results show that the most effective mitigation strategy for reducing landslide risk at short-term consists of applying structural measures over potentially unstable slopes. However a long-term program promoting the development of agricultural practices on terraced slopes is necessary. In fact, the simulations indicate if no measures are applied to avoid the degradation of the terraced areas, landslide areal frequency would inevitably increase