46 research outputs found
A new database of healthy and pathological voicesâ Ugo Cesari a, Giuseppe De Pietro b, Elio Marciano c, Ciro Niri d, Giovanna Sannino,b, Laura Verde e a Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital (Policlinico) Federico II of Naples, Via S.Pansini, 5 Naples, Italy b Institute of High Performance Computing and Networking (ICAR-CNR), Via Pietro Castellino, 111, Naples, Italy c Area of Audiology, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via S.Pansini, 5, Naples, Italy d Independent Doctor Surgeon Specialized in Audiology and Phoniatrics, Naples, Italy e Department of Engineering, University of Naples Parthenope, Centro Direzionale di Napoli, Isola C4, Naples, Italy
In the era of Edge-of-Things computing for the accomplishment of smart healthcare systems, the
availability of accurate and reliable databases is important to provide the right tools for researchers
and business companies to design, develop and test new techniques, methodologies
and/or algorithms to monitor or detect the patientâs healthcare status. In this paper, the study
and building of the VOice ICar fEDerico II (VOICED) database are presented, useful for anybody
who needs voice signals in her/his research activities. It consists of 208 healthy and pathological
voices collected during a clinical study performed following the guidelines of the medical SIFEL
(SocietĂ Italiana di Foniatria e Logopedia) protocol and the SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items:
Recommendations for Interventional Trials) 2013 Statement. For each subject, the database
contains a recording of the vowel /a/ of five seconds in length, lifestyle information, the medical
diagnosis, and the results of two specific medical questionnaires
Biotechnological synthesis of succinic acid by actinobacillus succinogenes by exploitation of lignocellulosic biomass
Succinic acid is increasingly used in pharmaceutical industries, for the production of additives in food
industries, in agriculture and in refinery processes as a precursor of many chemical compounds among which
the most important is the succinate salt. It is also used as an ion chelator and surfactant, and for the
biochemicals production. Currently, succinic acid is mainly produced through chemical petroleum-based
processes, usually from n-butane using maleic anhydride. However, the use of petrochemical feedstocks
raises serious environmental problems, due to the higher values of temperature and pressure required. The
biotechnological production of succinic acid by microbial conversion of lignocellulosic biomass is attracting
growing interest due to the environmental and economic advantages offered.
This research is focused on the exploitation of Arundo donax (Giant reed) as a source of lignocellulosic
biomass. Arundo donax is a perennial crop particularly suitable for energy production, as it offers high yields
per hectare, even in partially fertile or polluted soils, not used for agriculture. Hydrolyzate of Arundo donax will
be used as growth media for the Actinobacillus succinogenes 130Z, a bacterium typically found in the bovine
rumen, that is recognized as one of the most promising for the biotechnological production of succinic acid, as
it is able to produce higher concentrations of succinic acid. The experimental analysis is carried out to
optimize the production of succinic acid taking into account the effect of the most critical parameters of the
process (microbial biomass, pH, reducing sugars, volatile fatty acids, and succinic acid). Tests have shown
that in 48h the sugars are completely biodegraded with a total production of bio-succinic acid of 5.9 g for 9.1 g
of reducing sugars, an hourly production 0.12 g h-1 with a yield equal to 65%
Ecology and technological capability of lactic acid bacteria isolated during Grillo grape vinification in the Marsala production area.
Grapes of âGrilloâ variety, used to produce Marsala wine, were harvested from five vineyards different for climatic and agronomic parameters, in order to obtain a first mapping of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inhabiting the production area. Marsala base wine production was followed at large-scale and two experimental vinifications, different for lysozyme and SO2 concentration and combination, were carried out at pilot-plant scale. LAB communities and conventional chemical parameters were periodically analysed. LAB were found on grapes at an average concentration of about 102 CFU g-1 which decreased during the transformation process. A total of 146 colonies were collected, but only 35 were recognized as presumptive LAB. On the basis of phenotypic differences and isolation source, 16 isolates were then subjected to genotypic identification and gathered into the following species: Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Enterococcus faecium, Leuconostoc fallax and Sporalactobacillus nakayamae subsp. nakayamae. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains was the species most frequently isolated during winemaking showing the highest resistance to SO2 and lysozyme
Microbiological and chemical monitoring of Marsala base wine obtained by spontaneous fermentation during large-scale production
The present work was undertaken to evaluate the effect of the natural winemaking on
the microbial and chemical composition of Marsala base wine. To this purpose, a
large-scale vinification process of Grillo grape cultivar was monitored from harvesting
to the final product. Total yeasts (TY) showed a rapid increase after must pressing and
reached values almost superimposable to those registered during the conventional
winemakings. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were registered at the highest levels
simultaneously to yeast growth at the beginning of the process. Saccharomyces
cerevisiae was the species found at the highest concentrations in all samples
analysed. Several strains (n= 16) was registered at high levels during the alcoholic
fermentation and/or aging of wine; only two of them were detected on the grape
surface. Lactobacillus plantarum was the LAB species most frequently isolated during
the entire vinification process. Ethanol content was approximately 14% (v/v) at the end
of vinification. The value of pH did not greatly vary during the process and the volatile
acidity (VA) was detected at low concentrations during the entire transformation. The
concentration of malic acid rapidly decreased during the AF; on the other hand, lactic
acid showed an irregular trend during the entire process. trans-caffeil tartaric acid was
the most abundant hydroxycinnamoyl tartaric acid and volatile organic compounds
(VOC) were mainly represented by isoamylic alcohol and isobutanol