Effect of water cooking on proximate composition of grain in three Sicilian chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the effects of cooking upon proximate composition in three Sicilian chickpeas differing for seed-coat incidence ('12CL2'–low, 'Calia'–medium, 'Etna'–high). Raw and cooked seeds were analyzed for moisture, nitrogen, starch, ash, fat, tannins, crude fiber, magnesium, calcium and iron content. Among cultivars, 'Etna' (higher in seed-coat incidence) exhibited the greatest tannin content in raw seeds (>6 g kg −1 dry weight-DW). Cooking induced a drop in tannins. Protein content did not differ with cultivar in raw seeds (238.0 g kg −1 DW) but increased after cooking (+6%). Starch content was strongly reduced after cooking (−30% on average), irrespective of cultivar. Fat content (43.6 g kg −1 DW in raw seeds) did not vary with cultivar but increased with cooking. This last determined a decrease of ash content (−31.3% in average). Minerals diminished as well due to cooking process, but with a different extent depending on cultivar; iron content decreased in all chickpeas except 'Etna', calcium and magnesium content greatly diminished in '12Cl2' and 'Calia', less in 'Etna'. The higher rate of mineral retention of 'Etna' seeds could be attributed to their higher seed coat incidence

Real-time urban seismic network and structural monitoring by means of accelerometric sensors: Application to the historic buildings of Catania (Italy)

A real-time urban seismic network for seismic and structural health monitoring is being installed in the city of Catania (Sicily, Italy). The 27 monitoring stations, specifically designed and assembled, equipped with a low-noise 3-axial MEMS accelerometer, are located in 23 high exposure and vulnerability buildings. In this paper we present the characteristics of the monitoring station and of the network. In case of strong seismic events, the system will provide shake maps to the emergency management centre, and will allow to assess the health conditions of the monitored buildings. The network is conceived to be further expandable over the whole historical city centre of the city of Catania.PublishedMilan, Italy1IT. Reti di monitoraggi

Raloxifene Modulates Interleukin-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Synthesis<i>in Vivo</i>: Results from a Pilot Clinical Study

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Insulin Secretory Function Is Impaired in Isolated Human Islets Carrying the Gly972→Arg IRS-1 Polymorphism

Type 2 (non–insulin-dependent) diabetes results from decreased insulin action in peripheral target tissues (insulin resistance) and impaired pancreatic β-cell function. These defects reflect both genetic components and environmental risk factors. Recently, the common Gly972→Arg amino acid polymorphism of insulin receptor substrate 1 (Arg972 IRS-1) has been associated with human type 2 diabetes. In this study, we report on some functional and morphological properties of isolated human islets carrying the Arg972 IRS-1 polymorphism. Insulin content was lower in variant than control islets (94 ± 47 vs. 133 ± 56 μU/islet; P &lt; 0.05). Stepwise glucose increase (1.7 to 16.7 mmol/l) significantly potentiated insulin secretion from control islets, but not Arg972 IRS-1 islets, with the latter also showing a relatively lower response to glyburide and a significantly higher response to arginine. Proinsulin release mirrored insulin secretion, and the insulin-to-proinsulin ratio in response to arginine was significantly lower from Arg972 IRS-1 islets than from control islets. Glucose utilization and oxidation did not differ in variant and wild-type islets at both low and high glucose levels. Electron microscopy showed that Arg972 IRS-1 β-cells had a severalfold greater number of immature secretory granules and a lower number of mature granules than control β-cells. In conclusion, Arg972 IRS-1 islets have reduced insulin content, impaired insulin secretion, and a lower amount of mature secretory granules. These alterations may account for the increased predisposition to type 2 diabetes in individuals carrying the Gly972→Arg amino acid polymorphism of IRS-1

Effects of Varying the Fin Width, Fin Height, Gate Dielectric Material, and Gate Length on the DC and RF Performance of a 14-nm SOI FinFET Structure

The FinFET architecture has attracted growing attention over the last two decades since its invention, owing to the good control of the gate electrode over the conductive channel leading to a high immunity from short-channel effects (SCEs). In order to contribute to the advancement of this rapidly expanding technology, a 3D 14-nm SOI n-FinFET is performed and calibrated to the experimental data from IBM by using Silvaco TCAD tools. The calibrated TCAD model is then investigated to analyze the impact of changing the fin width, fin height, gate dielectric material, and gate length on the DC and RF parameters. The achieved results allow gaining a better understanding and a deeper insight into the effects of varying the physical dimensions and materials on the device performance, thereby enabling the fabrication of a device tailored to the given constraints and requirements. After analyzing the optimal values from different changes, a new device configuration is proposed, which shows a good improvement in electrical characteristics

Graded Bandgap Ultrathin CIGS Solar Cells (Invited Paper)

In this paper, we physically modeled passivated ultrathin Cu (In1−xGax) Se2 solar cells with different bandgap grading configurations. Firstly, we have designed the cell architecture according to the fabricated model. The novelty in this work is the modeling of passivated u-CIGS solar cells with different bandgap grading profile configurations in order to achieve high efficiency with a thickness of 500 nm. A significant influence on device performance has been observed while changing absorber doping density, electron affinity, and operating temperature (range of 10–70 °C) for the investigated samples. ZnS has been used as a buffer layer to replace the conventional CdS material in order to improve cell efficiency. The impact of the buffer doping density and electron affinity on u-CIGS cell performance is explored. The simulation results show that a high bandgap at the front and rear sides with an acceptor density of 2 × 1016 provide the best electrical cell parameters: Jsc of 31.53 mA/cm2, Voc of 742.78 mV, FF of 77.50%, η of 18.15%. Our findings can be considered guidelines for new single and/or tandem cell optimization to achieve high efficiency

Effects of Varying the Fin Width, Fin Height, Gate Dielectric Material, and Gate Length on the DC and RF Performance of a 14-nm SOI FinFET Structure

The FinFET architecture has attracted growing attention over the last two decades since its invention, owing to the good control of the gate electrode over the conductive channel leading to a high immunity from short-channel effects (SCEs). In order to contribute to the advancement of this rapidly expanding technology, a 3D 14-nm SOI n-FinFET is performed and calibrated to the experimental data from IBM by using Silvaco TCAD tools. The calibrated TCAD model is then investigated to analyze the impact of changing the fin width, fin height, gate dielectric material, and gate length on the DC and RF parameters. The achieved results allow gaining a better understanding and a deeper insight into the effects of varying the physical dimensions and materials on the device performance, thereby enabling the fabrication of a device tailored to the given constraints and requirements. After analyzing the optimal values from different changes, a new device configuration is proposed, which shows a good improvement in electrical characteristics