Bread-making performance of durum wheat as affected by sprouting

The effects of sprouting duration (24 h, 38 h, 48 h, and 62 h) were assessed on durum wheat kernel characteristics (hardness, test weight), semolina chemical composition, pasting and gluten aggregation properties, and leavening and bread-making performance (bread volume and crumb porosity). Sprouting decreased both kernel hardness (~29%) and test weight (~19%). Starch gelatinization and retrogradation capability, as well as the gluten aggregation properties, decreased as sprouting duration increased. The 62 h sample showed the worst aggregation properties leading to a bread with the lowest specific volume (2.69 mL/g). The best results in terms of bread specific volume (3.08 mL/g) and crumb porosity distribution were obtained using semolina from sprouted wheat up to 38 h. A multivariate approach by Principal Component Analysis and clustering confirmed the relationships between all the considered variables and allowed to assess three sprouting levels: 24\u201338 h with improved bread-making performance; 48 h with decreased overall quality; 62 h with the worst quality. In conclusion, the sprouting of durum wheat up to 38 h could improve its bread-making attitude

Wireless surface acoustic wave resonator sensors: fast Fourier transform, empirical mode decomposition or wavelets for the frequency estimation in one shot?

Most applications which measure physical quantities, especially in harsh environments, rely on surface acoustic wave resonators (SAWRs). Measuring the variation of the resonance frequency is a fundamental step in such cases. This article presents a comparison between three techniques for best determining the resonance frequency in one shot from the point of accuracy and uncertainty: fast Fourier transform (FFT), discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and empirical mode decomposition (EMD). After proposing a model for the generation of synthetic SAW signals, the question of wavelet choice is answered. The three techniques are applied to synthetic signals with different central frequencies and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). They are also tested on experimental signals with different sampling rates, number of samples and SNRs. Results are discussed in terms of the accuracy of the estimated frequency and measurement uncertainty. This study is successfully extended to SAWR temperature sensors.</p

Isomorphism between Non-Riemannian gravity and Einstein-Proca-Weyl theories extended to a class of Scalar gravity theories

We extend the recently proved relation between certain models of Non-Riemannian gravitation and Einstein- Proca-Weyl theories to a class of Scalar gravity theories. This is used to present a Black-Hole Dilaton solution with non-Riemannian connection.Comment: 13 pages, tex file, accepted in Class. Quant. Gra

First surveillance of violence against women during covid-19 lockdown: Experience from “niguarda” hospital in milan, italy

Violence against women emerges with tragic regularity in the daily news. It is now an evident trace of a dramatic social problem, the characteristics of which are not attributable to certain economic, cultural, or religious conditions of the people involved but affect indiscriminately, in a unanimous way, our society. The study is a survey about the number of hospital admissions due to episodes attributable to violence against women, recorded by the Niguarda Hospital in Milan in the period 1 March–30 May from 2017 to 2020. This period, in 2020, corresponds to the coronavirus Lockdown in Italy. All the medical records of the Emergency department were reviewed, and the extracted data classified in order to identify the episodes of violence against women and the features of the reported injuries and the characteristics of the victims. The data did not show an increase in the number of cases in 2020 compared to previous years, but we did find a notable increase in the severity of injuries

Exotic Statistics for Ordinary Particles in Quantum Gravity

Objects exhibiting statistics other than the familiar Bose and Fermi ones are natural in theories with topologically nontrivial objects including geons, strings, and black holes. It is argued here from several viewpoints that the statistics of ordinary particles with which we are already familiar are likely to be modified due to quantum gravity effects. In particular, such modifications are argued to be present in loop quantum gravity and in any theory which represents spacetime in a fundamentally piecewise-linear fashion. The appearance of unusual statistics may be a generic feature (such as the deformed position-momentum uncertainty relations and the appearance of a fundamental length scale) which are to be expected in any theory of quantum gravity, and which could be testable.Comment: Awarded an honourable mention in the 2008 Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competitio

Effects of sprouting process on the bread-making performance of durum wheat

Durum wheat is characterized by low bread-making performance, due to its high protein tenacity. The development of a specific enzymatic pattern during the sprouting process may improve the technological performance of durum wheat in bread-making. This study aimed at evaluating the effects of durum wheat sprouting under controlled conditions on starch and protein characteristics and the relation between chemical/rheological changes and bread-making performance. Durum wheat kernels were sprouted at lab scale (Molino Quaglia S.p.A., Vighizzolo d\u2019Este, Padova, Italy) at 20 \ub0C and 90 % relative humidity, and sampled after 24, 38, 48, and 62 hours and then milled into semolina flour. Amylase activity was directly (by Ceralpha Method) and indirectly (through the Falling Number) evaluated upon sprouting. In addition, protein (AACCI 46-12.01), total starch (AACCI 76-13.01), damaged starch (AACCI 76-31.01), and simple sugars (Megazyme\uae enzymatic kit) were measured. Protein and starch features were evaluated in terms of gluten aggregation kinetics (by the Glutopeak\uae) and pasting properties (by the Rapid Visco Analizer\uae; RVA), respectively. Finally, dough leavening properties and specific volume of bread were measured. As regards starch properties, sprouting led to drastic decreases in viscosity values during heating and cooling, due to the increased amylase activity during the sprouting process. In the presence of the enzyme inhibitor (AgNO3), peak and final viscosity greatly increased, indicating that the pasting and gelatinization properties of starch were not compromised by sprouting. Despite the proteolytic activity developed during sprouting, the gluten proteins were still able to aggregate. However, the indices from the GlutoPeak test suggested a weakening of the gluten network. No significant differences were detected between 36 and 48 h, whereas the sample sprouted for 62 h showed the worst aggregation properties, giving rise to a bread with the lowest specific volume (2.69 mL/g). On the contrary, the best results in terms of dough development (180 mL) and bread specific volume (3.1 mL/g) were obtained using semolina from wheat sprouted up to 38 h. The PCA analysis highlighted a particular importance of the chemical indices to distinguish the unsprouted from the sprouted samples, while the changes in gluten were decisive in distinguishing the samples subject to different sprouting hours (24-38 h; 62 h). In conclusion, despite the accumulation of hydrolytic enzymes, sprouting under controlled conditions did not compromise the technological properties of semolina up to 48 h of germination. Furthermore, the germination process led to an improvement in the characteristics of the bread made from semolina obtained from durum wheat sprouted for 38 hours

Current status and future perspectives of lithium metal batteries

With the lithium-ion technology approaching its intrinsic limit with graphite-based anodes, Li metal is recently receiving renewed interest from the battery community as potential high capacity anode for next-generation rechargeable batteries. In this focus paper, we review the main advances in this field since the first attempts in the mid-1970s. Strategies for enabling reversible cycling and avoiding dendrite growth are thoroughly discussed, including specific applications in all-solid-state (inorganic and polymeric), Lithium–Sulfur (Li–S) and Lithium-O2 (air) batteries. A particular attention is paid to recent developments of these battery technologies and their current state with respect to the 2030 targets of the EU Integrated Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) Action 7

Iron-dependent trafficking of 5-lipoxygenase and impact on human macrophage activation

5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) is a non-heme iron-containing dioxygenase expressed in immune cells that catalyzes the two initial steps in the biosynthesis of leukotrienes. It is well known that 5-LOX activation in innate immunity cells is related to different iron-associated proinflammatory disorders, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and atherosclerosis. However, the molecular and cellular mechanism(s) underlying the interplay between iron and 5-LOX activation are largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated whether iron (in the form of Fe3+ and hemin) might modulate 5-LOX influencing its membrane binding, subcellular distribution, and functional activity. We proved by fluorescence resonance energy transfer approach that metal removal from the recombinant human 5-LOX, not only altered the catalytic activity of the enzyme, but also impaired its membrane-binding. To ascertain whether iron can modulate the subcellular distribution of 5-LOX in immune cells, we exposed THP-1 macrophages and human primary macrophages to exogenous iron. Cells exposed to increasing amounts of Fe3+ showed a redistribution (ranging from ~45 to 75%) of the cytosolic 5-LOX to the nuclear fraction. Accordingly, confocal microscopy revealed that acute exposure to extracellular Fe3+, as well as hemin, caused an overt increase in the nuclear fluorescence of 5-LOX, accompanied by a co-localization with the 5-LOX activating protein (FLAP) both in THP-1 macrophages and human macrophages. The functional relevance of iron overloading was demonstrated by a marked induction of the expression of interleukin-6 in iron-treated macrophages. Importantly, pre-treatment of cells with the iron-chelating agent deferoxamine completely abolished the hemin-dependent translocation of 5-LOX to the nuclear fraction, and significantly reverted its effect on interleukin-6 overexpression. These results suggest that exogenous iron modulates the biological activity of 5-LOX in macrophages by increasing its ability to bind to nuclear membranes, further supporting a role for iron in inflammation-based diseases where its homeostasis is altered and suggesting further evidence of risks related to iron overload

12.1 Enhanced Proatherogenic Inflammation After Recombinant Human TSH Administration in Patients Monitored for Thyroid Cancer Remnant

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