Critical Ising Model in Varying Dimension by Conformal Bootstrap

The single-correlator conformal bootstrap is solved numerically for several values of dimension 4>d>2 using the available SDPB and Extremal Functional methods. Critical exponents and other conformal data of low-lying states are obtained over the entire range of dimensions with up to four-decimal precision and then compared with several existing results. The conformal dimensions of leading-twist fields are also determined up to high spin, and their d-dependence shows how the conformal states rearrange themselves around d=2.2 for matching the Virasoro conformal blocks in the d=2 limit. The decoupling of states at the Ising point is studied for 3>d>2 and the vanishing of one structure constant at d=3 is found to persist till d=2 where it corresponds to a Virasoro null-vector condition.Comment: 43 pages, 15 figures, 7 tables, numerical data and Mathematica files are available upon request; v2: epsilon-expansion data adde

Multi-scale characterisation of material properties of composite fabrics through modal tests

One of the main issues of composite materials is related to the difficulty of characterising the material properties at mesoscopic and microscopic scales. Classical mechanical tests are not able to provide the full set of 3D properties : these tests can provide only the in-plane elastic properties of the constitutive lamina. Therefore, to go beyond the main restrictions imposed by standard destructive tests, this work deals with the problem of characterising the material properties of a multilayer composite plate, through a non-destructive modal test performed at the macro-scale : a multi-scale identification strategy (MSIS) is proposed. The MSIS aims at identifying the constitutive properties by exploiting the information restrained in the composite macroscopic dynamical response. The MSIS relies on the strain energy homogenisation technique of periodic media and on a gradient-based algorithm to perform the solution search. The identification problem is stated as a constrained inverse problem, where the objective function depends upon both experimental and numerical natural frequencies of the specimen. In this background, the optimisation variables are both geometrical and material properties of the constitutive phases composing the representative volume element. The effectiveness of the approach will be proven through a campaign of tests conducted on multilayer composites.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642121

Strategies to improve the performances of bakery products made from ancient wheat’s

The growing consumers\u2019 attention regarding the inclusion of foods able to provide health benefits in one\u2019s diet, is currently a theme of fundamental importance. Between these products, ancient wheat\u2019s and whole wheat flours seem to be the most appealing in the cereal industry thanks to their nutritional content. Nevertheless, ancient wheat\u2019s show worse rheological and technological performances compared to modern cultivars, in particular when using whole wheat flour. According to Migliorini, et al. (2016), the content of starch and protein is strongly influenced by annual variability and agronomic practices. This highlights the need for further investigation to understand the relationship between different agronomic practices and the rheological and technological properties of flours and dough\u2019s made from ancient wheat\u2019s. Furthermore, the greatest challenge for the bakery industry still remains the improvement of the technological properties of bakery products made from ancient wheat\u2019s. In this paper, some of the strategies aimed to face this challenge are proposed. Starting from the improvement of the rheological properties of dough\u2019s made from ancient wheat, Cappelli, et al. (2018) provided a rheological study which allows to identify the optimal water content to be added, through models represented by level curves diagrams. Moreover, regarding the improvement of bakery products based on ancient wheat, the sourdough fermentation (Saa, et al. 2017) and the reduction of free lipid in the doughs (Collar & Angioloni, 2014) seems to be the most interesting strategies. Finally, future strategies finalized to improve the technological properties of bakery products made from ancient wheat\u2019s are related to the assessment of suitability and bread-making aptitude of ancient wheat flours blended with the most interesting and innovative sources of proteins, i.e. legume and insect flours

Flight dynamics model for preliminary design of PrandtlPlane wing configuration with sizing of the control surfaces

The purpose of this paper is to present design procedures and tools for the aerodynamic optimization of a large freighter aircraft with a PrandtlPlane configuration. Suitable optimization tools have been developed and are shortly described in the paper; sensitivity analyses for high speed flight conditions have been performed, and, also, low speed performances are evaluated to provide a complete preliminary design of the PrandtlPlane freighter

Aerodynamic optimization of a large PrandtlPlane configuration

The purpose of this paper is to present design procedures and tools for the aerodynamic optimization of a large freighter aircraft with a PrandtlPlane configuration. Suitable optimization tools have been developed and are shortly described in the paper; sensitivity analyses for high speed flight conditions have been performed, and, also, low speed performances are evaluated to provide a complete preliminary design of the PrandtlPlane freighter

Wheat Grain Composition, Dough Rheology and Bread Quality as Affected by Nitrogen and Sulfur Fertilization and Seeding Density

Flour from old varieties are usually considered very weak flours, and thus difficult to use in breadmaking especially when processed as Italian \u201cTipo 2\u201d flour. Hence, the aim of our study was to understand if agronomic treatments can be used to improve flour processability and the quality of three old wheat varieties. An experimental strip-plot scheme was used: three old wheat varieties (Andriolo, Sieve, Verna), two seeding densities, three levels of nitrogen fertilization (N35, N80, and N135), and two levels of foliar sulfur fertilization. Analyzed parameters related to kernel composition, dough rheology and bread quality. Sulfur and nitrogen treatments significantly affected protein composition and dough alveograph strength, which increased by about 34% with nitrogen fertilization, and by about 14% with the sulfur treatment. However, only nitrogen fertilization affected bread characteristics. Crumb density significantly decreased from N35 to N135, while springiness and cohesiveness increased. On the other hand, sulfur did not improve breads. This highlight the importance of performing breadmaking tests in addition to the rheological determinations. The poor technological performance of old wheat flours can be improved with agronomical treatments designed to obtain higher-quality bread