Influence of mechanical comminution of raw materials and PEF treatment on the aqueous extraction of phenolic compounds from artichoke wastes

In this study the combined effect of mechanical comminution and pulsed electric fields (PEF) treatments on both cell disintegration and extractability of phenolic compounds during aqueous extraction from artichoke external bracts, was investigated. Different-sized bract discs were treated with varying PEF conditions, namely 0.5 – 5 kV/cm of electric field strength (E), and 1 - 20 kJ/kg of total specific energy input (WT). The cell disintegration index (Zp) of bract tissues, as well as the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (FRAP) of the extracts, were assessed. The results showed that increasing the comminution process intensity led to greater cell disintegration, resulting in a peak extraction yield of phenolic compounds (17.61 ± 1.24 mgGAE/100g FW) achieved with the smallest sample size. Moreover, the application of PEF treatment further increased the Zp value of the bract tissues in a size-dependent manner. The greater the sample size, the stronger the PEF efficiency. Coherently, under optimized PEF conditions (E = 3 kV/cm, WT = 5 kJ/kg), the extracts exhibited higher TPC (+ 112 – 361%) and FRAP values (+ 83 – 836 %) as compared to the control samples after 120 min of diffusion. The extraction rate of phenolic compounds increased when the comminution degree was increased for both untreated and PEF-treated samples, and this was successfully predicted using Peleg's model. These findings suggest that PEF can be a viable alternative to energy-intensive comminution pretreatment, thus enhancing the extraction of phenolic compounds without requiring finely ground raw material handling

Efficacy, safety, and patient acceptability of thecombined chlormadinone acetate-ethinylestradioloral contraceptive

Since their introduction in 1959, development of hormonal contraceptives has beenongoing, with the ultimate aim of creating not only an effective and safe contraceptive method,but also a drug able to meet the need for treatment of other conditions, such as acne, seborrhea,and hirsutism, with few or no side effects. With this objective, a new progestin, chlormadinoneacetate (CMA), has been developed as a derivative of progesterone for contraception.Thisnew molecule has been introduced in combination with ethinylestradiol (EE) 30 μg as a safecontraceptivewith antiandrogenic properties. Many clinical studies have investigated this neworal combination and found it to be safe, with a Pearl Index similar to that of other combinedhormonal contraceptives. CMA, because of its antiandrogenic properties, has been also consideredeffective for resolution of acne, seborrhea, and hirsutism. The data show it to be asafe molecule in terms of glucose and lipid metabolism. No major weight changes have beenlinked with its use, and it seems to be the only progestin able to reduce fat mass during use.The CMA-EE combination is well tolerated and acceptable to women. Adverse events relatedto its use are similar to those reported with other third-generation contraceptives.We canconclude that CMA-EE is an effective, safe, and well tolerated antiandrogenichormonalcontraceptive

Study of the effects of High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) and Pulsed Light (PL) on BSA structure and hydrolysis

Non-thermal technologies, such as High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) and Pulsed light (PL), affect protein inducing modifications in its conformational structure. For this reason the hydrolysis reaction of the protein can be modulated if it is conducted in combination with these technologies which are able to change the availability of peptide bonds exposed to the enzymatic action. The aim is to study the effects of HHP and PL on the structure and the extent of hydrolysis reaction of a target protein: the Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA). BSA protein (5 mg/mL) in sodium phosphate buffer (50 mM, pH = 8) were treated with PL and HHP at different processing conditions, namely pressure level and treatment time in the case of HHP and treatment time and energy input in the case of PL. Structural modification of the protein solutions were analyzed by determining the sulphidrilic groups and the changes of the secondary structure. The effect of the two treatments on the hydrolysis degree (HD) at 37 °C was also evaluated by OPA method. Chymotrypsin and trypsin (E/S ratio = 1/10) were used to hydrolyze the BSA protein solutions. The hydrolysis was carried out in HHP assisted or PL assisted conditions or the protein solutions were treated with HHP or PL processes and immediately after hydrolyzed with the enzymes. Results obtained so far demonstrated that the two technologies tested are able to induce protein modifications and the occurrence and importance of this phenomenon depends on processing parameters causing protein unfolding, namely pressure level and number of pulses. When the maximum protein unfolding is obtained, higher HD values are detected. The highest HD value is obtained in HHP assisted hydrolysis with longer treatment time, and when, before undergoing hydrolysis, the PL treatment is applied to the solution placed at the higher distance from the lamp

Electrification of Vessels for Garbage Collection and Treatment in Venice Lagoon

Nowadays, reducing pollutant emissions is of fundamental importance. In particular, in areas where urban public transport is carried out almost exclusively by boats, these represent the primary factors on which it is necessary to intervene. The conversion of current diesel units into hybridpropelled ones is essential to preserve the marina and the environment in areas considered UNESCO heritage sites such as Venice. This document concerns the study of the first hybrid vessel built for garbage collection in the old town of Venice. Paying attention to the system engineering innovations and the results of the tests carried out on board, the authors present some considerations regarding the changes necessary to convert the current diesel propulsion into a hybrid one, with the aim to enable navigation in Zero Emission Mode

early life weight patterns and risk of obesity at 5 years a population based cohort study

Abstract Childhood obesity is a major public health problem in industrialised countries. Recent studies suggest that obesity in adolescence is associated with characteristics present in early childhood. The aim of this study was to estimate the risk of overweight/obesity at age 5 yr based on BMI percentiles at age 3 and changes in percentiles from birth to 3 years of age. In this population-based study BMI data of 5173 children were collected at ages 3 and 5 yr and were linked to information relative to birth weight. The prevalence of obesity at 5 yr was 4.5%. The risk of obesity for children born large for gestational age was 8.4% while it was 13.8% for children overweight at 3 years and 49.8% for children who were obese at 3 yr, regardless of their previous weight trajectory (the prevalences were 50%, 50% and 53% for stable, moderate and strong increasing trajectory, respectively). BMI percentile at 3 years proved to be an efficient biomarker for sustained obesity at age 5 yr. In practice, if one targeted early preventive interventions to only 15% of the population (3-year-olds affected by overweight/obesity) one can address 80% of children who would be affected by obesity at age 5 yr

Morphological changes and expressions of AOX1A, CYP81D8, and Putative PFP genes in a large set of commercial maize hybrids under extreme waterlogging.

Waterlogging is a severe abiotic stressor causing significant growth impairment and yield losses in many crops. Maize is highly sensitive to the excess of water, and against the background of climate change there is an urgent need for deeper insights into the mechanisms of crop adaptation to waterlogging. In the present study, changes in maize morphology at the 4\u20135 leaf stage and the expression of three candidate genes for flooding tolerance in plants subjected to six continuous days of waterlogging were recorded in 19 commercial hybrids and in the inbred line B73, with the aim of investigating the current variability in cultivated hybrids and identifying useful morphological and molecular markers for screening tolerant genotypes. Here it was demonstrated that root parameters (length, area, biomass) were more impaired by waterlogging than shoot parameters (shoot height and biomass). Culm height generally increased in stressed plants (by up to C24% vs. controls), while shoot biomass was significantly reduced in only two hybrids. Root biomass was reduced in all the hybrids, by an average of 30%, and significantly in 7 hybrids, while root length and area were even more severely reduced, by 30\u201355% vs. controls, depending on the hybrid. The earlier appearance of aerial roots seemed to be associated with greater root injuries. In leaves, the transcript of the PFP enzyme (phosphofructokinase), which is involved in glycolytic reactions, was markedly up-regulated (up to double the values) in half the waterlogged hybrids, but down-regulated in the others. The transcript of CYP81D8 (ROS-related proteins) in waterlogged plants exhibited relevant increases or strong decreases in level, depending on the hybrid. The transcript of the AOX1A gene, coding for a mitochondrial respiratory electron transport chain-related protein, was markedly down-regulated in all the treated hybrids. Expression analysis of these genes under extreme waterlogging only partially correlate with the shoot and root growth impairments observed, and AOX1A seems to be the most informative of them

The effect of Public Health/Pediatric Obesity interventions on socioeconomic inequalities in childhood obesity: A scoping review

Childhood obesity has a strong social gradient. This scoping review aims to synthesize the evidence on the impact on inequalities of non-targeted interventions to reduce the prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity in high-income countries. We updated a review by Hillier-Brown, searching up to 31 December 2017 on MEDLINE, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PsycINFO, with no limitations on study design. Fifty-eight studies describing 51 interventions were included: 31 randomized clinical trials and 27 non-randomized trials, with sample sizes from 67 to 2,700,880 subjects. The majority were implemented in the school setting at a community level; the others were in health services or general population setting and targeting individuals or the system. Twenty-nine interventions proved to be effective overall; seven others had an effect only in a subgroup, while 15 proved not to be effective. All types of included interventions can increase inequalities. Moreover, some interventions had opposite effects based on the socioeconomic characteristics. Any kind of intervention can reduce equity. Consequences are difficult to predict based on intervention construct. Complex interventions acting on multiple targets, settings, and risk factors are more effective and have a lower risk of increasing inequalities

Efficacy, safety, and patient acceptability of thecombined chlormadinone acetate-ethinylestradioloral contraceptive

Since their introduction in 1959, development of hormonal contraceptives has beenongoing, with the ultimate aim of creating not only an effective and safe contraceptive method,but also a drug able to meet the need for treatment of other conditions, such as acne, seborrhea,and hirsutism, with few or no side effects. With this objective, a new progestin, chlormadinoneacetate (CMA), has been developed as a derivative of progesterone for contraception.Thisnew molecule has been introduced in combination with ethinylestradiol (EE) 30 \u3bcg as a safecontraceptivewith antiandrogenic properties. Many clinical studies have investigated this neworal combination and found it to be safe, with a Pearl Index similar to that of other combinedhormonal contraceptives. CMA, because of its antiandrogenic properties, has been also consideredeffective for resolution of acne, seborrhea, and hirsutism. The data show it to be asafe molecule in terms of glucose and lipid metabolism. No major weight changes have beenlinked with its use, and it seems to be the only progestin able to reduce fat mass during use.The CMA-EE combination is well tolerated and acceptable to women. Adverse events relatedto its use are similar to those reported with other third-generation contraceptives.We canconclude that CMA-EE is an effective, safe, and well tolerated antiandrogenichormonalcontraceptive

Design for learning in the third space: opportunities and challenges

Many educational agents offer paths that allow school to turn itself into a ‘third space’. Caritas Ambrosiana, based on a ‘pedagogy of facts’, proposes interventions to promote soft skills in schools. This non-formal education agency committed Research Center about Media Education, Innovation and Technology (CREMIT) of Catholic University for a project to improve their school programme and training effectiveness. We chose the participatory action research paradigm to verify how to design an educational path by applying third-space principles in the school context and how digital media can be embedded into the practice to enable a more porous exchange of experiences and expertise between students, educators and the school curriculum. The accompanying plan was designed on the basis of the initial questionnaire data analysis: sociomateriality was the main focus because it was considered by Caritas educators as one of the least important elements to include in the design process. The second reason is the need to rethink on-site training formats to face the challenges of the Covid-19 emergency. As expected, after the training intervention, sociomateriality had a significant growth in the design practices. The other third-space pedagogy elements (peering, experiential orientation, motivation, pleasure of making together) are maintained and reinforced, thanks to digital literacy