The analysis of onion and garlic

Onion (Allium cepa L.) and garlic (Allium sativum L.), among the oldest cultivated plants, are used both as a food and for medicinal applications. In fact, these common food plants are a rich source of several phytonutrients recognized as important elements of the Mediterranean diet, but are also used in the treatment and prevention of a number of diseases, including cancer, coronary heart disease, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes type 2, hypertension, cataract and disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract (e.g. colic pain, flatulent colic and dyspepsia). These activities are related to the thiosulfinates, volatile sulfur compounds, which are also responsible for the pungent of these vegetables. Besides these low-molecular weight compounds, onion and garlic are characterized by more polar compounds of phenolic and steroidal origin, often glycosilated, showing interesting pharmacological properties. These latter compounds, compared to the more studied thiosulfinates, present the advantages to be not pungent and more stable to cooking. Recently, there has been an increasing scientific attention on such compounds. In this paper, the literature about the major volatile and non-volatile phytoconstituents of onion and garlic has been reviewed. Particular attention was given to the different methodology developed to perform chemical analysis, including separation and structural elucidation. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Metabolomic analysis by UAE-GC MS and antioxidant activity of <i>Salvia hispanica </i>(L.) seeds grown under different irrigation regimes

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) is an emerging crop with a high content of α-linolenic acid and metabolites of industrial and pharmaceutical interest but information on metabolome variations in response to agricultural management is scarce. We investigated the yield and metabolic profile of the seeds of two chia populations, one commercial black (B) and one long-day flowering genotype (G8), in response to two irrigation levels: replacement of 100% ET⁠0 (I) or rainfed (NI). Seed yield was higher in irrigated plots in G8 only (0.255kgm⁠−2 for I vs 0.184kgm⁠−2 for NI) while it was very low regardless of irrigation in B due to late flowering. Ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) of seeds followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis showed differences in fatty acids and the major classes of organic compounds due to both genotype and irrigation, especially in the non-polar phase where irrigated samples showed a higher content of α-linolenic and other fatty acids and a lower oleic/linoleic ratio (47.4 in NI vs. 39.6 in I). The antioxidant activity, expressed as trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), ranged from 1.317±0.027 to 2.174±0.010mmol TEAC/g of defatted chia seed after 2 and 40min respectively, and was negatively affected by irrigation. The total polyphenolic content (TPC) measured with the Folin-Ciocalteu method, also decreased with irrigation. According to our results irrigation can affect chia yield, metabolome and antioxidant behavior but some of the effects are genotype-dependent

Metabolomics driven analysis by UAEGC-MS and antioxidant activity of Chia (<i>Salvia hispanica </i>L.) commercial and mutant seeds

Chia is a food plant producing seeds which have seen increasing interest owing to their health benefits. This work is the first report on the metabolite profile, total polyphenols and antioxidant activity of chia seeds, determined by ultrasound-assisted extraction, coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (UAE GC-MS). Different chia sources were compared: two commercial (black and white) and three early flowering (G3, G8 and G17) mutant genotypes. Organic extracts were mainly composed of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids with alpha-linolenic being the most abundant. Polar extracts contained sucrose, methylgalactoside and glucose as main sugars. Antioxidant activity and total polyphenolic content were correlated. Chemical composition and yield potential of early flowering genotypes were different from commercial chia, and while white chia showed the highest content of omega-3 fatty acids, the high content of nutraceuticals in G17 and G8 suggests them as a potential source of raw materials for the food/feed industry

A graph-based approach and an interactive tool for preliminary digital prototyping

AbstractDesign process is usually based on past experiences and best practises which compose the company know-how. The challenge is to identify common patterns in the design solutions generated for different design problems. The present paper focuses on the identification of product patterns by using a graph-based approach. It deals with the designing of automotive gearboxes and with the development of an approach and a software tool aimed to support preliminary design and CAD modelling activities in gearbox designing. The approach is applied to two different architectures of manual transverse gearboxes characterized by two and three shafts. It aims at the identification of common design features through the detection of the directed graphs matching. A Matlab software tool for gearbox preliminary design is implemented according to the detected common features. The proposed approach and the developed software tool provide an effective way to keep and re-use company know-how, especially in the context of large automotive companies

stringcdc25 and cyclin E are required for patterned histone expression at different stages of Drosophila embryonic development

Metazoan replication-dependent histone mRNAs accumulate to high levels during S phase as a result of an increase in the rate of histone gene transcription, pre-mRNA processing, and mRNA stability at the G1–S transition. However, relatively little is known about the contribution of these processes to histone expression in the cell cycles of early development, which often lack a G1 phase. In post-blastoderm Drosophila embryos, zygotic expression of the stgcdc25 phosphatase in G2 activates cyclin/cdc2 kinases and triggers mitosis. Here we show that histone transcription initiates in late G2 of cycle 14 in response to stgcdc25 and in anticipation of S phase of the next cycle, which occurs immediately following mitosis. Mutation of stgcdc25 arrests cells in G2 and prevents histone transcription. Expression of a mutant form of Cdc2 that bypasses the requirement for stgcdc25 activates histone transcription during G2 in stgcdc25 mutant embryos. Thus, in these embryonic cycles, histone transcription is controlled by the principal G2–M regulators, stringcdc25, and cdc2 kinase, rather than solely by regulators of the G1–S transition. After the introduction of G1–S control midway through embryogenesis, histone expression depends on DNA replication and the function of cyclin E, and no longer requires stgcdc25. Thus, during the altered cell cycles of early animal development, different cell cycle mechanisms are employed to ensure that the production of histones accompanies DNA synthesis

A graph-based method and a software tool for interactive tolerance specification

Abstract The paper deals with the problem of tolerance specification and, in particular, proposes a graph-based method and a preliminary software tool: (i) to accomplish the tolerance specification for a mechanical assembly; (ii) to verify the consistency of the specification and, (iii) to allow the tracing of relationships among parts and features of the assembly. The method adopts Minimum Reference Geometric Elements (MRGE), directed graphs (di-graphs) and a set of dedicated algorithms to tackle the problems of consistency that occur during an interactive tolerance specification activity. Finally, an application illustrates the proposed method and its actual implementation

Modelling Head Impact Safety Performance of Polymer-based Foam Protective Devices

The aim of this paper is to investigate an iterative statistical procedure, based on a small and censored sample of impact test experiments, useful for interval estimation of head impact safety parameter as critical fall height of protective devices. An adaptive testing routine was developed that was mainly constituted by a series of at least four impact test experiments, followed by the comparison of at least two parameter estimates based on incremental exponential regression fittings and a final confirmation experiment. A total number of 23 protective devices, mainly made of polyethylene foam, were investigated in order to validate the adaptive routine. The routine, applied to critical fall height of protective devices, was 19 times convergent within a maximum of 6 impact test experiments. 4 times the sample was censored because the iterative procedure has exceeded the available number of specimens. Confidence intervals at the 90 % level were always less than 0.18 m. The applicability of the adaptive routine was satisfactory demonstrated with reference to devices made of PE-foam and safety threshold of peak acceleration a-max equal to 200 g. The target of a confidence interval below the state-of-art was achieved

Antispasmodic saponins from bulbs of red onion, Allium cepa L. var. Tropea

A phytochemical analysis of the polar extract from the red bulbs of Allium cepa L. var. Tropea, typical of Calabria, a southern region of Italy, was performed extensively for the first time, leading to the isolation of four new furostanol saponins, named tropeoside A1/A2 (1a/1b) and tropeoside B1/B2 (3a/3b), along with the respective 22-O-methyl derivatives (2a/2b and 4a/4b), almost certainly extraction artifacts. High concentrations of ascalonicoside A1/A2 (5a/5b) and ascalonicoside B (6), previously isolated from Allium ascalonicum Hort., were also found. This is the first report of furostanol saponins in this A. cepa variety. The chemical structures of the new compounds were established through a combination of extensive nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry and chemical analyses. High concentrations of quercetin, quercetin 4(I)-glucoside, taxifolin, taxifolin 7-glucoside, and phenylalanine were also isolated. The new saponins were found to possess antispasmodic activity in the guinea pig isolated ileum; such an effect might contribute to explaining the traditional use of onion in the treatment of disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract

Study of samples geometry to analyze mechanical properties in Fused Deposition Modeling process (FDM)

[EN] Parts manufactured by Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) present anisotropic properties, which have influence in tensile test results. In this paper, test samples of Polylactide (PLA) are manufactured by FDM according to geometries defined in UNE-EN ISO 527-2:2012 and ASTM D638-14:2014. Manufacturing parameters as wall thickness, orientation of building wall lines, and orientation of infill pattern have beeen studied. A nomenclature to define manufacturing direction of sample is also developed. Stress concentration can modify obtained results in tensile test, and it could be due to geometrical discontinuities, pressure points and thermal shock. Standard and no standard geometries have been evaluated to test FDM process. In order to avoid premature sample failure by stress concentration, different strategies have been developed: manufacturing samples with a rectangular geometry, an annealing treatment and to manufacture the samples as union of different parts. Last strategy has allowed to reduce stress concentration zones and to improve tensile strength values.Lluch-Cerezo, J.; Benavente Martínez, R.; Meseguer, M.; Gutiérrez, SC. (2019). Study of samples geometry to analyze mechanical properties in Fused Deposition Modeling process (FDM). Procedia Manufacturing. 41:890-897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2019.10.012S89089741Lee, J.-Y., An, J., & Chua, C. K. (2017). Fundamentals and applications of 3D printing for novel materials. Applied Materials Today, 7, 120-133. doi:10.1016/j.apmt.2017.02.004T. Wohlers, 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing State of the Industry, Wohlers Report 2016 Wohlers Associates, Inc., 2016.Dizon, J. R. C., Espera, A. H., Chen, Q., & Advincula, R. C. (2018). Mechanical characterization of 3D-printed polymers. Additive Manufacturing, 20, 44-67. doi:10.1016/j.addma.2017.12.002Ahn, S., Montero, M., Odell, D., Roundy, S., & Wright, P. K. (2002). Anisotropic material properties of fused deposition modeling ABS. Rapid Prototyping Journal, 8(4), 248-257. doi:10.1108/13552540210441166Chacón, J. M., Caminero, M. A., García-Plaza, E., & Núñez, P. J. (2017). Additive manufacturing of PLA structures using fused deposition modelling: Effect of process parameters on mechanical properties and their optimal selection. Materials & Design, 124, 143-157. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2017.03.065Wendt, C., Valerga, A. P., Droste, O., Batista, M., & Marcos, M. (2017). FEM based evaluation of Fused Layer Modelling monolayers in tensile testing. Procedia Manufacturing, 13, 916-923. doi:10.1016/j.promfg.2017.09.160Rodríguez-Panes, A., Claver, J., & Camacho, A. (2018). The Influence of Manufacturing Parameters on the Mechanical Behaviour of PLA and ABS Pieces Manufactured by FDM: A Comparative Analysis. Materials, 11(8), 1333. doi:10.3390/ma11081333Rankouhi, B., Javadpour, S., Delfanian, F., & Letcher, T. (2016). Failure Analysis and Mechanical Characterization of 3D Printed ABS With Respect to Layer Thickness and Orientation. Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention, 16(3), 467-481. doi:10.1007/s11668-016-0113-2Z. Liu, Y. Wang, B. Wu, C. Cui, Y. Guo, C. Yan, A critical review of fused deposition modeling 3D printing technology in manufacturing polylactic acid parts, The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, doi.org/10.1007/s00170-019-03332-x.Yao, T., Deng, Z., Zhang, K., & Li, S. (2019). A method to predict the ultimate tensile strength of 3D printing polylactic acid (PLA) materials with different printing orientations. Composites Part B: Engineering, 163, 393-402. doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2019.01.025ASTM D638-14:2014, “Standard test method for tensile properties of plastics”, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2014.A. Rodríguez-Panes, J. Claver, A. M. Camacho, M. A. Sebastián, Análisis normativo y evaluación geométrica de probetas para la caracterización mecánica de piezas obtenidas por fabricación aditiva mediante FDM. Actas Del XXII Congreso Nacional de Ingeniería Mecánica, (September), (2018) 1–11.Lanzotti, A., Grasso, M., Staiano, G., & Martorelli, M. (2015). The impact of process parameters on mechanical properties of parts fabricated in PLA with an open-source 3-D printer. Rapid Prototyping Journal, 21(5), 604-617. doi:10.1108/rpj-09-2014-0135UNE-EN ISO/ASTM 52921:2017, “Terminología normalizada para la fabricación aditiva. Sistemas de coordenadas y métodos de ensayo”, Asociación Española de Normalización y Certificación, Madrid, 2017