Development of a barley reference material for gluten analysis

Celiac disease (CD) can be triggered in susceptible individuals by the consumption of gluten, a complex storage protein mixture present in wheat, rye and barley. There is no specific reference material (RM) available for barley and this leads to inaccurate quantitation of barley gluten in supposedly gluten-free foods. Therefore, the aim was to select representative barley cultivars to establish a new barley RM. The relative protein composition of the 35 barley cultivars averaged 25% albumins and globulins, 11% d-hordeins, 19% C-hordeins, and 45% B/γ-hordeins. The mean gluten and protein content was 7.2 g/100 g and 11.2 g/100 g, respectively. The prolamin/glutelin ratio (1:1) commonly used in ELISAs to calculate the gluten content was found to be inappropriate for barley (1.6 ± 0.6). Eight cultivars suitable as potential RMs were selected to ensure a typical barley protein composition and improve food safety for CD patients

Synthesis and structural characterization of metal azolate/carboxylate frameworks incorporating the 1-H-pyrazol-3,4,5-tricarboxylate ligand

The tetratopic ligand 1-H-pyrazol-3,4,5-tricarboxylic acid (H4PZTC) has been used for the first time to prepare the new metal azolate/carboxylate (MAC) frameworks [Co3(HPZTC)2(H2O)6]·2H2O (MAC-1), [Co(H2PZTC)(DMF)(H2O)]2 (MAC-2) and [Cd2(PZTC)(H2O)2] (MAC-3), along either conventional or solvothermal routes. As assessed by thermogravimetric analysis, before decomposition the three MAC frameworks undergo partial decarboxylation over 200 °C. Powder X-ray diffraction unveiled 1-D chains alternating monomeric and dimeric units in MAC-1, 1-D hydrogen bonded strands of dimeric units in MAC-2 and a 3-D non-porous network in MAC-3

New Coordination Polymers of Zinc(II), Copper(II) and Cadmium(II) with 1,3-Bis(1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)adamantane

The new coordination polymers (CPs) [Zn(tr(2)ad)Cl-2](n), {[Cu(tr(2)ad)Cl]Cl center dot 4H(2)O}(n), [Cd-2(tr(2)ad)Cl-4](n), {[Cu(tr(2)ad)(NO3)](NO3)}(n) and {[Cd(tr(2)ad)(NO3)](NO3)center dot H2O}(n) were obtained in the form of air- and moisture-stable microcrystalline powders by the solvothermal reactions of zinc(II), copper(II) and cadmium(II) chlorides or nitrates with the ligand 1,3-bis(1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)adamantane (tr(2)ad). Investigation of the thermal behaviour assessed the thermal stability of these CPs, with [Cd-2(tr(2)ad)Cl-4](n) starting to decompose only around 365 degrees C. As retrieved by powder X-ray diffraction, while [Zn(tr(2)ad)Cl-2](n) features 1-D chains along which the metal centre shows a tetrahedral geometry and the spacer is exo-bidentate, the other CPs contain 2-D double-layers in which the metal ions possess an octahedral stereochemistry and the linker is exo-tetradentate. A comparative structural analysis involving known coordination compounds containing the tr(2)ad ligand enabled us to disclose (i) the versatility of the ligand, as far as the coordination modes are concerned; (ii) the variability in crystal structure dimensionality, ranging from 1-D to 3-D; (iii) the fact that, to the best of our knowledge, [Zn(tr(2)ad)Cl-2](n) is the first Zn-II-based CP containing the tr(2)ad spacer

Metal azolate/carboxylate frameworks as catalysts in oxidative and C-C coupling reactions

The five metal azolate/carboxylate (MAC) compounds [Cd(dmpzc)(DMF)(H2O)] (Cd-dmpzc), [Pd(H2dmpzc)2Cl2] (Pd-dmpzc), [Cu(Hdmpzc)2] (Cu-dmpzc), [Zn4O(dmpzc)3]·Solv (Zn-dmpzc·S), and [Co4O(dmpzc)3]·Solv (Co-dmpzc·S) were isolated by coupling 3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-4-carboxylic acid (H2dmpzc) to cadmium(II), palladium(II), copper(II), zinc(II), and cobalt(II) salts. While Cd-dmpzc and Pd-dmpzc had never been prepared in the past, for Cu-dmpzc, Zn-dmpzc·S, and Co-dmpzc·S we optimized alternative synthetic paths that, in the case of the copper(II) and cobalt(II) derivatives, are faster and grant higher yields than the previously reported ones. The crystal structure details were determined ab initio (Cd-dmpzc and Pd-dmpzc) or refined (Cu-dmpzc, Zn-dmpzc·S, and Co-dmpzc·S) by means of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). While Cd-dmpzc is a nonporous 3D MAC framework, Pd-dmpzc shows a 3D hybrid coordination/hydrogen-bonded network, in which Pd(H2dmpzc)2Cl2 monomers are present. The thermal behavior of the five MAC compounds was investigated by coupling thermal analysis to variable-temperature PXRD. Their catalytic activity was assessed in oxidative and C-C coupling reactions, with the copper(II) and cadmium(II) derivatives being the first nonporous MAC frameworks to be tested as catalysts. Cu-dmpzc is the most active catalyst in the partial oxidation of cyclohexane by tert-butyl hydroperoxide in acetonitrile (yields up to 12% after 9 h) and is remarkably active in the solvent-free microwave-assisted oxidation of 1-phenylethanol to acetophenone (yields up to 99% at 120 °C in only 0.5 h). On the other hand, activated Zn-dmpzc·S (Zn-dmpzc) is the most active catalyst in the Henry C-C coupling reaction of aromatic aldehydes with nitroethane, showing appreciable diastereoselectivity toward the syn-nitroalkanol isomer (syn:anti selectivity up to 79:21)

On the way to Europe: economic and social developments in Albania

Albania received candidate status for EU membership in 2014, and its political agenda is focused on European integration. This chapter analyses some important aspects of economic and social development in Albania on its road towards the EU. In particular, it focuses on economic growth, governance and the quality of institutions, foreign trade, competitiveness, the labour market, poverty and inequality. Despite high rates of growth, income per capita is relatively low compared with other European countries, and poverty has increased in recent years after a long period of falling poverty levels. Inequality of incomes has widened during the transition and has reached levels similar to other European market economies. Many institutional reforms need to be completed, including an improvement in the quality of institutions, the rule of law being a prominent example. Albania avoided the worst effects of the global economic crisis and the spillovers from the Eurozone crisis but at the expense of a steady increase in public and external indebtedness. In 2014, the country appealed to the IMF for financial support, which was given on condition that a policy of fiscal consolidation would be implemented. This may make it more difficult to expand redistributive social assistance programmes for the relief of poverty in the future. To overcome these limitations, policies should focus on improving the competitiveness of the economy, encouraging a faster rate of technological development and moving towards a path of high value-added production and trade to support the future development of the economy