Parameterized thermal macromodeling for fast and effective design of electronic components and systems

We present a parameterized macromodeling approach to perform fast and effective dynamic thermal simulations of electronic components and systems where key design parameters vary. A decomposition of the frequency-domain data samples of the thermal impedance matrix is proposed to improve the accuracy of the model and reduce the number of the computationally costly thermal simulations needed to build the macromodel. The methodology is successfully applied to analyze the impact of layout variations on the dynamic thermal behavior of a state-of-the-art 8-finger AlGaN/GaN HEMT grown on a SiC substrate

Affinity and selectivity of plant proteins for red wine components relevant to color and aroma traits

The effects of fining with various plant proteins were assessed on Aglianico red wine, using both the young wine and wine aged for twelve and twenty-four months, and including wine unfined or fined with gelatin as controls. Color traits and fining efficiency were considered, along with the content of various types of phenolics and of aroma-related compounds of either varietal or fermentative origin. All agents had comparable fining efficiency, although with distinct kinetics, and had similar effects on wine color. Individual plant proteins and enzymatic hydrolyzates differed in their ability to interact with some anthocyanins, with specific proanthocyanidins complexes, and with some aroma components of fermentative origin. Changes in varietal aroma components upon fining were very limited or absent. Effects of all the fining agents tested in this study on the anthocyanidin components were most noticeable in young red wine, and decreased markedly with increasing wine ageing

Hydraulic conductivity estimation using low-flow purging data elaboration in contaminated sites

Hydrogeological characterization is required when investigating contaminated sites, and hydraulic conductivity is an important parameter that needs to be estimated. Before groundwater sampling, well water level values are measured during low-flow purging to check the correct driving of the activity. However, these data are generally considered only as an indicator of an adequate well purging. In this paper, water levels and purging flow rates were considered to estimate hydraulic conductivity values in an alluvial aquifer, and the obtained results were compared with traditional hydraulic conductivity test results carried on in the same area. To test the applicability of this method, data coming from 59 wells located in the alluvial aquifer of Malagrotta waste disposal site, a large area of 160 ha near Rome, were analyzed and processed. Hydraulic conductivity values were estimated by applying the Dupuit's hypothesis for steady-state radial flow in an unconfined aquifer, as these are the hydraulic conditions in pumping wells for remediation purposes. This study aims to show that low-flow purging procedures in monitoring wells-carried out before sampling for groundwater characterization-represent an easy and inexpensive method for soil hydraulic conductivity estimation with good feasibility, if correctly carried on

First Steps in Air Quality for Built Environment Practitioners

Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to health. Globally, nine out of ten people live in a city that does not comply with WHO air quality standards. Within the UK, poor outdoor air quality is linked to 50,000 deaths each year. The most vulnerable are children, the elderly, or those with pre-existing medical conditions. The design of our urban infrastructure 13 including Green Infrastructure (GI) such as trees, parks, and green walls 13 determines where air pollution is produced, and how it disperses. Built environment professionals should consider air quality at all stages of urban design and development

Grape skin phenolics as inhibitors of mammalian α-glucosidase and α-amylase – effect of food matrix and processing on efficacy

Inhibition of mammalian α-amylase and α-glucosidase was studied for white grape skin samples recovered from wineries and found to be higher than that of the drug acarbose

First Steps in Air Quality for Built Environment Practitioners

Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to health. Globally, nine out of ten people live in a city that does not comply with WHO air quality standards. Within the UK, poor outdoor air quality is linked to 50,000 deaths each year. The most vulnerable are children, the elderly, or those with pre-existing medical conditions. The design of our urban infrastructure 13 including Green Infrastructure (GI) such as trees, parks, and green walls 13 determines where air pollution is produced, and how it disperses. Built environment professionals should consider air quality at all stages of urban design and development

Caratteristiche sismostratigrafiche di strutture sedimentarie diagnostiche dicorrenti di fondo nell\u2019off-shore del Golfo di Taranto.

L\u2019analisi integrata di dati multibeam e sismici ad altissima risoluzione (Chirp Sub-Bottom), acquisiti in un settore del Golfo di Taranto (Mare Ionio), ha permesso di identificare e classificare strutture sedimentarie diagnostiche di correnti di fondo (conturiti), formatesi nel tardo Quaternario. La classificazione proposta \ue8 basata sia su criteri sismo-stratigrafici che sulla comparazione con strutture analoge documentate da precedenti autori nei bacini oceanici [Faugeres et al., 1999 con rif.]. Nell\u2019area in esame sono stati identificati quattro settori (Alto dell\u2019Amendolara, Bacino di Corigliano, Bacino dell\u2019Amendolara ed Alto di Rossano-Cariati) caratterizzati da morfologia, pendenza e profondit\ue0 differente. Le strutture conturitiche sono state riconosciute prevalentemente nei settori NW e SE dell\u2019alto dell\u2019Amendolara, ad una profondit\ue0 compresa tra 130 m e 400 m e le geometrie interne ed esterne mostrano caratteristiche deposizionali ed erosive. Sono state classificate come sheeted drift le strutture sviluppate subparallelamente al profilo batimetrico, infill drift ed elongated drift le strutture caratterizzate da fosse ben sviluppate ed elementi erosivi quali fosse ed abraded surface. Sono stati osservati inoltre osservati sediment waves nel settore SW dell\u2019alto strutturale. Dall\u2019analisi integrata dei nuovi dati con quelli disponibili in letteratura \ue8 possibile ipotizzare che i fattori che hanno maggiormente influenzato tipologia, distribuzione areale e batimetrica dei depositi conturitici e degli elementi erosivi sono: a) morfologia del fondo marino; b) caratteristiche dei sedimenti (es. tessitura); c) variazione della velocit\ue0 della \u201cLevantine Intermediate Water come conseguenza delle d) variazioni eustatiche. Sono stati inoltre applicati in cascata i modelli bidimensionali CMS- Wave [Lin et al, 2006] per la propagazione dello spettro d\u2019onda, e CMS- Flow [Buttolph et al, 2006] per la circolazione interna, prendendo in considerazione i dati meteo marini forniti dall\u2019ECMWF nel punto di coordinate 39,5\ub0N, 17\ub0E, in modo da valutare le condizioni idrodinamiche in prossimit\ue0 del paraggio in esame. L\u2019integrazione dei dati indicati geologici/geofisici e dei risultati del codice di calcolo numerico ha permesso di ipotizzare un modello di circolazione della corrente \u201cLevantine Intermediate Water\u201d e valutare l\u2019influenza delle morfostrutture sulla circolazione delle acque profonde durante l\u2019ultima fase di abbassamento e stazionamento basso del livello del mare. Bibliografia Buttolph, A.,D., Reed, C.W., Kraus N., Wamsley, T.V., Ono, N., Larson, M.,Camenen, B., Hanson, H. Zundel, A.K., (2006). Two-Dimensional Depth-Averaged Circulation Model CMS-M2D: Version 3.0, Report 2, Sediment Transport and Morphology Change. ERDC/CHL TR-06-9 Vicksburg, MS: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. Lin, L., H. Mase, F. Yamada, and Z. Demirbilek. (2006). Wave-action balance equation diffraction (WABED) model: Tests of wave diffraction and reflection at inlets. Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note ERDC/CHL CHETN-III-73. Vicksburg, MS: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. Faug\ue8res, J.C., Stow, D.A.V., Imbert, P., Viana, A.R. (1999). Seismic feature diagnostic of contourite drifts. Marine Geology 162, pp. 1-38

Probiotics action on gliadin sequences relevant to gluten sensitivity

The Celiac disease in genetically predisposed individuals is mainly induced by specific repetitive sequences in gliadins (PQPYP). This autoimmune disease stems from the interaction between toxic sequences and lamina propria cells, that is relevant also to other forms of gluten sensitivity. Specific endo-esoprolinase were isolated from lactic acid bacteria, suggesting possible practical applications. The ability of some probiotics at removing "toxic" celiac sequences was investigated, at first by assessing the presence and level of endo- and eso-prolinase activity in some of the most popular probiotic bacteria. Significant activities were detected in Lactobacillus and Bifidum species, as well as in the probiotic Escherichia coli Niessle 1917. On the basis of prolinase data, we investigated by mass spectroscopy the removal of "toxic" sequences in gliadin. A complete disappearance of these sequences was observed only with Escherichia coli Niessle 1917. Among the Bifidus and Lactobacillus species, only B. bifidum MIMBb23SG and L. acidophilus LA5 showed a significant decrease in the "toxic" sequences. All together, this study suggests a potential use of lactic bacteria to lower gluten response in sensitive individuals, including celiacs and gluten-sensitive