DEVELOPMENT OF PREDICTIVE MODELS FOR QUALITY CONTROL OF CARROTS DURING DRYING

This thesis research project is aimed at setting up prediction models based on NIR spectroscopy, for quality control of organic carrot discs (Daucus carota L., var. Romance) during hot-air drying process (horizontal flow) up to 8 h. Hot-water blanching was tested at 95°C for 1.5 min, as pre-treatment to control the occurrence of enzymatic browning during drying. Hot-water blanching had a positive impact on the appearance of the carrot discs. PLS regression showed good performances for the prediction of aw (RMSE = 0.04; R2 = 0.96), moisture (RMSE = 0.04; R2 = 0.98), SSC (RMSE = 4.32-4.40 °Brix; R2 =0.88), carotenoids (RMSE = 21.75-23.10; R2 = 0.96) and changes in color (RMSE = 1.40-1.46; R2 = 0.85-0.86) during drying. Also PLSDA classification showed very good metrics (total accuracy 92.38%) in recognising 3-drying steps, both for control and hot-water blanched samples. Features selection by iPLS and iPLSDA algorithms showed results better/equal than models based on full spectrum. For these results, the implementation of low-cost NIR sensors on drier device, seems feasible

Single Balloon Enteroscopy for Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiography in a Patient with Hepaticojejunostomy after Liver Transplant

We report a case of a post-transplant patient with hepaticojejunostomy in whom we used a single balloon enteroscopy to access the biliary tree. This procedure seems to be safe and feasible for approaching the biliary anastomosis by means of the overtube and fixation of the small bowel by the balloon

REGULUS Electric Propulsion Module IoD in UniSat-7 Mission

T4i is a propulsion system company founded in 2014, originated from the Space Propulsion Group of University of Padua, Italy, and active in the market of small satellites. In the last decade T4i has been developing REGULUS, a cutting-edge electric propulsion system for in-space mobility fed with iodine propellant. REGULUS has been specifically designed for Cubesats and micro satellite platforms and it is based on a RF Magnetically Enhanced Plasma (MEP) thruster. Thanks to its standard interfaces it is conceived to be easily “plugged&played” into the satellite, without complex engineering procedures

The role of posterior aortopexy in the treatment of left mainstem bronchus compression

OBJECTIVES: We reviewed the role of posterior aortopexy for left mainstem bronchus compression in infants and children. METHODS: Eighteen children with respiratory symptoms were enrolled between 2005 and 2015 for surgical decompression of the left mainstem bronchus. The children were managed from diagnosis to follow-up by a dedicated tracheal team. Primary outcomes were the complete relief of symptoms or improvement with respect to preoperative clinical status. RESULTS: The median age was 4 years (0.3-15.4) and the median weight was 13.2 kg (3, 1-40). Symptoms or indications for bronchoscopy included difficult weaning from mechanical ventilation (n = 3, 17%), difficult weaning from tracheotomy (n = 4, 22%), recurrent pneumonia (n = 4, 22%), wheezing (n = 3, 17%), atelectasis (n = 1, 5.5%), bitonal cough (n = 1, 5.5%) and stridor (n = 2, 11%). Associated malformations were present in 88.7%. The diagnosis was made by bronchoscopy and computed tomography. Indication for surgery was the presence of pulsations and reduction in the diameter of the left mainstem bronchus compression of more than 70%. Surgery was performed by left posterolateral thoracotomy. Aortopexy was done under bronchoscopic control. No early or late deaths were observed, nor were reoperations necessary. Residual malacia was observed in 8 children (44%). Median follow-up was 4.1 years (0.1-7.1). At last follow-up, 17/18 (94.4%) children showed adequate airway patency. CONCLUSIONS: The intrathoracic location of the left mainstem bronchus predisposes it to compression. Vascular anomalies represent the most frequent causes. Aortopexy has been advocated as a safe and useful method to relieve the compression, and our results confirmed these findings. Management of these patients is challenging and requires a multidisciplinary team

Quantitative evaluation of the phenolic profile in fruits of six avocado (Persea americana) cultivars by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-heated electrospray-mass spectrometry

The phenolic profiles of six varieties of avocado (Persea americana) grown in Sicily were investigated. The ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-heated electrospray-mass spectrometry method was developed to determine qualitative and quantitative changes in fruits at two different ripening stage. Nineteen individual phenolic compounds were detected in avocado pulp extracts. Gallic acid, sinapinic acid, vanillin, p-coumaric acid, and gentisic acid were present only in ripe fruits. On the contrary, epicatechin decreased with fruit ripening, whereas protocatechuic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, and benzoic acid were relatively stable or exhibited erratic changes with fruit ripening. The different avocado cultivars exhibited different phenolic profiles and total quantities and it was found that, among the tested cultivars, 'Orotawa' avocados may provide the highest nutritional and health contribution to human diet. The qualitative and quantitative differences among cultivars and maturation stages by multivariate analysis allowed for the individuation of a set of phenolic compounds that have a great potential in the discrimination and identification of different genetic groups

Magnetic nanobeads decorated by thermo-responsive PNIPAM shell as medical platforms for the efficient delivery of doxorubicin to tumour cells

Medical nanoplatforms based on clusters of superparamagnetic nanoparticles decorated with a PNIPAM thermo-responsive shell have been synthesized and used as drug carriers for doxorubicin (DOXO), a common chemotherapeutic agent. The nanosystem here developed has a total diameter below 200 nm and exploits the temperature responsive behaviour of the PNIPAM polymeric shell for the controlled loading and release of DOXO. The system has been tested in vitro on tumour cells and it clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of drug polymer encapsulation and time-dependent cell death induced by the doxorubicin release. Comparative cellular studies of the DOXO loaded nanoplatform in the presence or absence of an external magnet (0.3 T) showed the synergic effect of accumulation and enhanced toxicity of the system, when magnetically guided, resulting in the enhanced efficacy of the system

An Automatic System for Modeling and Controlling Color Quality of Dyed Leathers in Tanneries

Abstract This paper presents an automatic system for modeling and controlling color quality of dyed leathers of an Italian tannery. The proposed software is implemented within the IT company system, and is fully integrated with the machineries of the finishing line, that is, a spraying cabin with a robotic carousel, and an electronic tintometer system. Suitable experimental tests according to the Design of Experiments (DoE) are firstly defined, executed and analyzed for a series of color tones of interest. In order to derive and validate a set of colorimetric models able to evaluate and predict the color rendering of painted leathers, a set of recipes of basic dye pigments and data of light reflection measured by a multispectral camera are used. Principal Component Analysis is applied for dimensionality reduction, and linear least squares regression is employed to identify these data-driven models, which are then used for color control purpose. A color correction feedback strategy is indeed developed in order to converge towards the various target formulations. The control algorithm aims at reaching the multispectral reading values of the reference, that is, the first sample of unknown color recipe starting from the most similar archive base and appropriately updating the recipe of pigments, by using the measurement of leather samples prepared from time to time by the finishing line machineries. A set of company data are used to successfully validate the identified colorimetric models and the proposed color correction strategy

UNISAT-7: A Flexible IOD Platform with Orbital Maneuvering Capabilities

New Space technology for Small Satellites has greatly advanced in the past five years. These progresses shall match with a swift integration and testing phase, to be readily marketable, therefore IOD missions are essential to expedite project outcomes. GAUSS has started working on Small Satellites since 1990s, with its first satellite, UNISAT, launched in 2000. In 2013, UNISAT-5 was the first platform to accomplish in-orbit-release of third-party satellites, with UNISAT-6 following in less than one year. UNISAT-7 is the latest addition to the UNISAT series: a 32kg microsatellite designed and manufactured by GAUSS Srl (a spin-off company of Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Sapienza University of Roma), built from scratch thanks to the extensive experience gained with past missions. Launch is scheduled in in Q1 2021. It is the most complex mission ever flown by GAUSS, and it includes several original GAUSS subsystems developed for Earth Observation, sat-to-ground optical links, navigation, power, RF, and Smallsat in-orbit-deployments. All these subsystems are tested in orbit in specific IOD missions. Moreover, UNISAT-7 integrates a precise ADCS solution and a newly developed low-thrust, electric propulsion system named REGULUS, from Italian Company Technology for Propulsion and Innovation (T4i), which will allow the satellite to modify its final orbit, as well as to execute housekeeping maneuvers for drag compensation. REGULUS is a propulsive unit based on MEPT (Magnetically Enhanced Plasma Thruster) technology developed inside the propulsion laboratory of the University of Padua. T4i, born as a Spin-off of the University of Padua, industrialized this technology in order to make it fly. REGULUS is T4i very first product that has ever flown into space. Its envelope is 1.5 U of volume, it is equipped with solid iodine propellant and its main features are a thrust level of 0.55 mN and Isp of 550 s at 50 W of input power, and wet mass of 2.5 kg at 3000 Ns of Itot. REGULUS is designed to serve nanosatellite platforms from 6U to 24U and CubeSat carriers. The integration took place in GAUSS white chamber in Rome in late 2020 and the launch is scheduled in March 2021 from Baikonur as a secondary payload of Soyuz-2-1a/Fregat. Performances of REGULUS propulsion system are evaluated after the initial commissioning of UNISAT-7. This key IOD mission paves the way to next UNISAT programs, where GAUSS microsatellites will be able to execute orbital maneuvers before any single CubeSat deployment, in order to efficiently shape customized constellations by using UNISATs as autonomous vehicles for in-orbit-deployment. Provide an informative abstract of no more than 500 words. The abstract should stand alone as a summary of the paper, not as an introduction (i.e., no numerical references). Type the abstract across both columns and fully justified

Dark Chocolate Intake Positively Modulates Redox Status and Markers of Muscular Damage in Elite Football Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Study

Intensive physical exercise may cause increase oxidative stress and muscular injury in elite football athletes. The aim of this study was to exploit the effect of cocoa polyphenols on oxidative stress and muscular injuries induced by intensive physical exercise in elite football players. Oxidant/antioxidant status and markers of muscle damage were evaluated in 24 elite football players and 15 controls. Furthermore, the 24 elite football players were randomly assigned to either a dark chocolate (>85% cocoa) intake (n = 12) or a control group (n = 12) for 30 days in a randomized controlled trial. Oxidative stress, antioxidant status, and muscle damage were assessed at baseline and after 30 days of chocolate intake. Compared to controls, elite football players showed lower antioxidant power and higher oxidative stress paralleled by an increase in muscle damage markers. After 30 days of dark chocolate intake, an increased antioxidant power was found in elite athletes assuming dark chocolate. Moreover, a significant reduction in muscle damage markers (CK and LDH, p < 0.001) was observed. In the control group, no changes were observed with the exception of an increase of sNox2-dp, H2O2, and myoglobin. A simple linear regression analysis showed that sNox2-dp was associated with a significant increase in muscle damage biomarker release (p = 0.001). An in vitro study also confirmed that polyphenol extracts significantly decreased oxidative stress in murine myoblast cell line C2C12-derived. These results indicate that polyphenol-rich nutrient supplementation by means of dark chocolate positively modulates redox status and reduced exercise-induced muscular injury biomarkers in elite football athletes. This trial is registered with NCT03288623