824 research outputs found
Conformational changes of polymers in model batter systems
Cake batters - made of flour, egg, sugar and fat - are complex systems. Ingredients interactions and their impact on protein secondary structure and starch conformational structures were studied in model batter systems using Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The results showed the possibility of using the pregelatinized starch without affecting protein conformation. The estimation of protein secondary structure highlighted the prevalence of \u3b1-helical structures in the model batter system, while \u3b2-sheets are predominant in flour systems as known in dough systems. The protein conformation in batter system is related to fat-protein interactions and could explain fat functionality in the final product. Starch crystallinity increased when each ingredient - except for pregelatinized starches - was added to the flour. Changes in starch conformation could be related to the redistribution of water between the batter ingredients. The overall results highlighted the importance of ingredients on the structural conformation of the batter polymers - starch and proteins - which could be the key factor to understand the functional properties of the batter
AI Chat Assistants can Improve Conversations about Divisive Topics
A rapidly increasing amount of human conversation occurs online. But
divisiveness and conflict can fester in text-based interactions on social media
platforms, in messaging apps, and on other digital forums. Such toxicity
increases polarization and, importantly, corrodes the capacity of diverse
societies to develop efficient solutions to complex social problems that impact
everyone. Scholars and civil society groups promote interventions that can make
interpersonal conversations less divisive or more productive in offline
settings, but scaling these efforts to the amount of discourse that occurs
online is extremely challenging. We present results of a large-scale experiment
that demonstrates how online conversations about divisive topics can be
improved with artificial intelligence tools. Specifically, we employ a large
language model to make real-time, evidence-based recommendations intended to
improve participants' perception of feeling understood in conversations. We
find that these interventions improve the reported quality of the conversation,
reduce political divisiveness, and improve the tone, without systematically
changing the content of the conversation or moving people's policy attitudes.
These findings have important implications for future research on social media,
political deliberation, and the growing community of scholars interested in the
place of artificial intelligence within computational social science
Determination of the high-pressure crystal structure of BaWO4 and PbWO4
We report the results of both angle-dispersive x-ray diffraction and x-ray
absorption near-edge structure studies in BaWO4 and PbWO4 at pressures of up to
56 GPa and 24 GPa, respectively. BaWO4 is found to undergo a pressure-driven
phase transition at 7.1 GPa from the tetragonal scheelite structure (which is
stable under normal conditions) to the monoclinic fergusonite structure whereas
the same transition takes place in PbWO4 at 9 GPa. We observe a second
transition to another monoclinic structure which we identify as that of the
isostructural phases BaWO4-II and PbWO4-III (space group P21/n). We have also
performed ab initio total energy calculations which support the stability of
this structure at high pressures in both compounds. The theoretical
calculations further find that upon increase of pressure the scheelite phases
become locally unstable and transform displacively into the fergusonite
structure. The fergusonite structure is however metastable and can only occur
if the transition to the P21/n phases were kinetically inhibited. Our
experiments in BaWO4 indicate that it becomes amorphous beyond 47 GPa.Comment: 46 pages, 11 figures, 3 table
High pressure phases in highly piezoelectric Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3
Two novel room-temperature phase transitions are observed, via synchrotron
x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, in the Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 alloy under
hydrostatic pressures up to 16 GPa. A monoclinic (M)-to-rhombohedral (R1) phase
transition takes place around 2-3 GPa, while this R1 phase transforms into
another rhombohedral phase, R2, at about 6-7 GPa. First-principles calculations
assign the R3m and R3c symmetry to R1 and R2, respectively, and reveal that R2
acts as a pressure-induced structural bridge between the polar R3m and a
predicted antiferrodistortive R-3c phase.Comment: REVTeX, 4 pages with 3 figures embedded. Figs 1 and 3 in colo
Design and Performance Estimation of a Photonic Integrated Beamforming Receiver for Scan-On-Receive Synthetic Aperture Radar
Synthetic aperture radar is a remote sensing technology finding applications in a wide range of fields, especially related to Earth observation. It enables a fine imaging that is crucial in critical activities, like environmental monitoring for natural resource management or disasters prevention. In this picture, the scan-on-receive paradigm allows for enhanced imaging capabilities thanks to wide swath observations at finer azimuthal resolution achieved by beamforming of multiple simultaneous antenna beams. Recently, solutions based on microwave photonics techniques demonstrated the possibility of an efficient implementation of beamforming, overcoming some limitations posed by purely electronic solutions, offering unprecedented flexibility and precision to RF systems. Moreover, photonics-assisted RF beamformers can nowadays be realized as integrated circuits, with reduced size and power consumption with respect to digital beamforming approaches. This paper presents the design analysis and the challenges of the development of a hybrid photonic-integrated circuit as the core element of an X-band scan-on-receive spaceborne synthetic aperture radar. The proposed photonic-integrated circuit synthetizes three simultaneous scanning beams on the received signal, and performs the frequency down-conversion, guaranteeing a compact 15 cm2-form factor, less than 6 W power consumption, and 55 dB of dynamic range. The whole photonics-assisted system is designed for space compliance and meets the target application requirements, representing a step forward toward a deeper penetration of photonics in microwave applications for challenging scenarios, like the observation of the Earth from space
Practical diagnosis of cirrhosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease using currently available non-invasive fibrosis tests
Unlike for advanced liver fibrosis, the practical rules for the early non-invasive diagnosis of cirrhosis in NAFLD remain not well defined. Here, we report the derivation and validation of a stepwise diagnostic algorithm in 1568 patients with NAFLD and liver biopsy coming from four independent cohorts. The study algorithm, using first the elastography-based tests Agile3+ and Agile4 and then the specialized blood tests FibroMeterV3G and CirrhoMeterV3G, provides stratification in four groups, the last of which is enriched in cirrhosis (71% prevalence in the validation set). A risk prediction chart is also derived to allow estimation of the individual probability of cirrhosis. The predicted risk shows excellent calibration in the validation set, and mean difference with perfect prediction is only −2.9%. These tools improve the personalized non-invasive diagnosis of cirrhosis in NAFLD
Discovery and Cross-Section Measurement of Neutron-Rich Isotopes in the Element Range from Neodymium to Platinum at the FRS
With a new detector setup and the high-resolution performance of the fragment
separator FRS at GSI we discovered 57 new isotopes in the atomic number range
of 60: \nuc{159-161}{Nb}, \nuc{160-163}{Pm}, \nuc{163-166}Sm,
\nuc{167-168}{Eu}, \nuc{167-171}{Gd}, \nuc{169-171}{Tb}, \nuc{171-174}{Dy},
\nuc{173-176}{Ho}, \nuc{176-178}{Er}, \nuc{178-181}{Tm}, \nuc{183-185}{Yb},
\nuc{187-188}{Lu}, \nuc{191}{Hf}, \nuc{193-194}{Ta}, \nuc{196-197}{W},
\nuc{199-200}{Re}, \nuc{201-203}{Os}, \nuc{204-205}{Ir} and \nuc{206-209}{Pt}.
The new isotopes have been unambiguously identified in reactions with a
U beam impinging on a Be target at 1 GeV/u. The isotopic production
cross-section for the new isotopes have been measured and compared with
predictions of different model calculations. In general, the ABRABLA and COFRA
models agree better than a factor of two with the new data, whereas the
semiempirical EPAX model deviates much more. Projectile fragmentation is the
dominant reaction creating the new isotopes, whereas fission contributes
significantly only up to about the element holmium.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
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