The Taxation of Trades in assets

When the asset market is incomplete, there typically exist taxes on trades in assets and a redistribution of revenue in the asset market that are Pareto improving. The policy is anonymous, it economizes on complexity, and it results in ex post Pareto optimal allocations, it is publicly announced before markets open, thus fully and correctly anticipated by traders, it does not require that financial markets be shut down, and it does not modify the asset market structure. As such, it improves over previously proposed constrained interventions.taxes; incomplete asset market; equilibrium; pareto; improvement

Manipulation and Generation of Supercurrent in Out-of-Equilibrium Josephson Tunnel Nanojunctions

We demonstrate experimentally manipulation of supercurrent in Al-AlO_x-Ti Josephson tunnel junctions by injecting quasiparticles in a Ti island from two additional tunnel-coupled Al superconducting reservoirs. Both supercurrent enhancement and quenching with respect to equilibrium are achieved. We demonstrate cooling of the Ti line by quasiparticle injection from the normal state deep into the superconducting phase. A model based on heat transport and non-monotonic current-voltage characteristic of a Josephson junction satisfactorily accounts for our findings.Comment: 4 pages, 4 colour figures, published versio

Characterisation of Vernaccia Nera (Vitis vinifera L.) grapes and wine

Vernaccia Nera (VN) is a minor Italian red grape cultivar whose oenological properties have not been investigated yet. Traditional winemaking procedures with VN can include grape drying and even triple sequential fermentations, but a rational vinification approach should be based on the grape composition. Since a comprehensive characterisation of the VN grape is still missing, the ripening of VN grapes was monitored by evaluating flavour compounds, proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins. The grapes were used to produce red wine whose chemical composition and sensory properties were assessed. Ripe VN grapes contained high amounts of extractable anthocyanins (0.88 g/kg). The most abundant anthocyanin was malvidin (56.6%), and high relative amounts of cumarate forms (11.3%) were also found. The grape skin showed a high concentration of proanthocyanidins (2 g/kg), whose degree of polymerisation was low (10.3). Epigallocatechin accounted for up to 39% of the flavan-3-ol units in the skin. Flavour compounds in the grapes included glycosylated norisoprenoids (mainly 3-oxo-alpha-ionol and vomifoliolo) and benzenoids. The VN red wine showed a high concentration of anthocyanins, but the level of proanthocyanidins (0.93 g/L) was lower than expected. The spicy flavours were the notes mostly recognised in the sensory evaluation. Our data highlight the VN grape as suitable for the production of ready-to-drink or shortly aged red wine due to its high acidity and low astringency

Case Report: All That Glisters Is Not* Cancer

Properly performed staging in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is necessary to avoid wrong therapeutic decisions. Here we present a case which manifested as advanced NSCLC but ultimately was composed of two different and rare pathologies. The first is a TTF-1 positive axillary lymph node that could be defined either as an unusual isolated differentiated cancer of unknown primary or as an even rarer case of ectopic lung epithelium which underwent malignant transformation. The second is sarcoidosis, a sarcoid-like alteration, in remission after oral steroids. The main implication of a correct diagnosis regards patient outcome and the avoidance of toxic inappropriate systemic chemotherapy

NMR approach for monitoring the photo-degradation of riboflavin and methionine

The light exposure of white wine is responsible for several reactions leading to changes on colour, flavours and, consequently, affecting the sensory profile. These reactions can take place when the white wine is bottled in clear glass and their mechanisms are dependent on both light exposure and chemical composition of white wine. Particular attention has been given to the reaction involving riboflavin (RF), a photo-sensitizer compound, and methionine (Met), a sulfur-containing amino acid, that can cause the formation of volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs), namely methanethiol and dimethyl disulfide. These compounds are responsible for a defect known as light-struck taste. Previous studies showed that hydrolysable tannins, in particular those from nut galls, limited both the degradation of Met and the formation of VSCs. The effectiveness of hydrolysable tannins was also proved after light exposure and storage for 24 months. In order to better understand the role of tannins in the photo-degradative reactions, an NMR approach was carried out. A solution containing RF (0.2 mM) and Met (2 mM) acidified at pH 3.2 was exposed to light by using fluorescence light bulbs. The solution was exposed to light up to two hours sampling it every 15 minutes. The same experimental conditions were applied in presence of gallic acid (2 mM), a constitutive unit of nut gall tannins. The degradation of RF and Met was monitored and, as expected, their signals decreased as the light exposure increased. Results provided evidence that a new signal appeared at 2.64 ppm. This signal was assigned to the SOCH3 moiety of methionine sulfoxide through the addition of the standard solution and standard 2D-NMR assignment techniques. The formation kinetic of methionine sulfoxide was measured for increased duration of light exposure and its rate resulted two-folds lower with the addition of gallic acid. This result suggests that the limited degradation of Met in presence of tannins, also observed in previous studies, is due to their action as competitor with Met in reducing RF from its excited form. The NMR technique was suitable for monitoring the photo-degradative reaction of RF and Met. Further researches have been carried out in order to verify and prove the ability of tannins in quenching both singlet oxygen and RF

Effect of the grape must extraction steps on the content of varietal thiol precursors

The varietal thiols 3-sulfanyl-3-methylpentan-2-one, 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol and its acetyl ester are the main responsible for boxwood, grapefruit and passion fruit notes of many white wines. These compounds occur in grape only as non-volatile precursors bound to S-glutathionyl- or S-cysteinyl- moieties but they are released by the yeast over the fermentation. However, the amount of these volatile compounds in wine is seldom related to the amount of their precursors in grape [1] because the lyase activity of yeast is a strain-dependent characteristic [2] and the probable contribution of hydrogen sulphide to the neoformation of the volatile thiols [3]. Fracassetti et al. [4, 5] reported massive loss of glutathione and glutathionyl- bounded varietal thiols as result of the grape juice extraction under production in industrial-scale conditions. Particularly, more than 60% of the precursors S-glutathionyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol (GSH-3MH) and its aldehyde form (S-glutathionyl-3-sulfanylhexanal, GSH-3MHAl) got lost from Grillo and Catarratto bianco grape cultivars, the main Sicilian white grape cultivars, as result of the juice extraction. Such a behaviour can seriously detrimentally affect the flavouring properties of the final wine and it points out a further source of the lacking correlation between the amount of precursors in grape and volatile thiols in wine. The reasons for such behaviour were investigated in Grillo grape pressed under industrial-scale production. Must samples were collected after crashing, at draining, at pressing yield of 20%, 40%, 60% and 70%, during transfer in clarification tank, in the clarification tank and after clarification. The must was either air-exposed or air-free during the pre-fermentative steps. Thiol precursors were determined in SPE-purified must samples by UPLC-HRMS [5]. The concentration of thiol precursors detected following the crushing was comparable to the value found in grape, but it dramatically decreases (< 95%) in the must from the press loading. The concentration of thiol precursors increased as the must yield increased, and eventually equals the levels in the grape when a must yield of 60% was achieved. The final loss of thiol precursors was about 80% and 95% for GSH-3MH and GSH-3MHAl, respectively, in the must sampled at the clarification vat (the last juice fraction was excluded). Higher loss of thiol precursors was observed when the must was produced under air-free condition, whereas higher amounts were recorded in laboratory-made must, especially when sodium fluoride or EDTA were added prior the pressing. The results show that the contact of must with the grape skin leads to a loss of thiol precursors. Oxygen seems to be not involved in the oxidative loss of thiol precursor The protective behaviour of the cation-binding compounds suggests that the cations occurring on the grape skin can be responsible for the loss of thiol precursors during the pre-fermentative steps

Reperti lapidei di et\ue0 romana rinvenuti a Fornovo Taro: provenienza e circolazione

Nelle collezioni del Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Parma tra i reperti litici di et\ue0 romana figurano anche tre oggetti recuperati a Fornovo Taro o nelle sue adiacenze diversi per contesto di ritrovamento e destinazione d\u2019uso, di cui si \ue8 analizzata la pietra ai fini di determinarne la provenienza e le possibili rotte commerciali. In particolare sono stati presi in esame:- una epigrafe frammentaria (n.inv. L 49), databile al II secolo d.C., gi\ue0 murata in uno dei pilastri della Pieve ed entrata a far parte delle collezioni museali nel 18671; - una piccola scultura raffigurante Afrodite accovacciata secondo il modello dello scultore ellenistico Doidalsas (n.inv. MANPr 31963), recuperata negli anni Ottanta del secolo scorso al margine occidentale di Piazza IV Novembre, databile ai primi decenni sempre del II secolo d.C.2; - una base di colonna (mancante di n.inv. e abbreviata con la sigla BCG), recuperata nel 1980 a Roncolungo di Sivizzano tra i materiali accatastati ai margini della strada statale dal proprietario del terreno in attesa di disfarsene

Impact of Cooking on Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Pigmented Rice Cultivars

Pigmented rice cultivars, namely Venere and Artemide, are a source of bioactive molecules, in particular phenolics, including anthocyanins, exerting a positive effect on cardiovascular systems thanks also to their antioxidant capacity. This study aimed to determine the total phenol index (TPI), total flavonoids (TF), total anthocyanins (TA) and in vitro antioxidant capacity in 12 batches of Venere cultivar and two batches of Artemide cultivar. The rice was cooked using different methods (boiling, microwave, pressure cooker, water bath, rice cooker) with the purpose to individuate the procedure limiting the loss of bioactive compounds. TPI, TF and TA were spectrophotometrically determined in both raw and cooked rice samples. Rice samples of Artemide cultivars were richer in TPI (17.7-18.8 vs. 8.2-11.9 g gallic acid/kg in Venere rice), TF (13.1 vs. 5.0-7.1 g catechin/kg rice for Venere rice) and TA (3.2-3.4 vs. 1.8-2.9 g Cy-3glc/kg for Venere rice) in comparison to those of Venere cultivar; as well, they showed higher antioxidant capacity (46.6-47.8 vs. 14.4-31.9 mM Trolox/kg for Venere rice). Among the investigated cooking methods, the rice cooker and the water bath led to lower and comparable losses of phenolics. Interestingly, the cooking water remaining after cooking with the rice cooker was rich in phenolics. The consumption of a portion of rice (100 g) cooked with the rice cooker with its own cooking water can supply 240 mg catechin and 711 mg cyanidin 3-O-glucoside for Venere rice and 545 mg catechin and 614 mg cyanidin 3-O-glucoside for Artemide rice, with a potential positive effect on health

Role of extraction procedures on the concentration of varietal thiol precursors in Grillo white grape must

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