The advantage of using extrusion processing for increasing dietary fibre level in gluten-free products

Gluten-free products generally are not enriched/fortified and frequently are made from refined flour and/or starch. Such products have been found to provide lower amounts of total dietary fibre than their enriched/fortified gluten-containing counterparts.The objective of this study was to increase the level of total dietary fibre in gluten-free products by using extrusion technology and by incorporating a number of different fruits and vegetables, such as apple, beetroot, carrot, cranberry and gluten-free Teff flour cereal. The materials were added at the level of 30% into the gluten-free balanced formulation (control) made from rice flour, potato starch, corn starch, milk powder and soya flour. Different process conditions, such as water feed rate 12%, solid feed rate 15–25 kg/h, screw speed 200–350 rpm, barrel temperatures: 80 °C at feed entry and 80–150 °C at die exit were used. Pressure, material temperature and torque were monitored during extrusion runs. The relationships and interactions between raw ingredients, extrusion processing parameters and resulting extrudate nutritional and textural properties were investigated.The results of this study clearly show that extrusion technology has the potential to increase the levels of total dietary fibre in gluten-free products made from vegetables, fruits and gluten-free cereals.     

Brazing of Mo to a CuZr alloy for the production of bimetallic raw materials for the CLIC accelerating structures

Future linear accelerators, as CLIC (Compact LInear Collider), are extremely demanding in terms of material properties. Traditionally accelerating structure is made of brazed OFE copper parts. For the high conducting regions submitted to mechanical fatigue, CuZr would represent an improved selection than pure copper while for regions where the highest electric field is applied a refractory metal, i.e. Mo, could result in a better performance. The feasibility of joining such materials, namely CuZr (UNS C15000) and pure Mo has been investigated. The joining method developed and investigated here consists in a vacuum brazing process exploiting a Cu-based brazing filler applied under appropriate vacuum conditions.Apparent shear strength (adapted from ASTM B898) on the joined samples was about 200 MPa.     

Magnetite nanoparticles for functionalized textile dressing to prevent fungal biofilms development

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this work was to investigate the potential of functionalized magnetite nanoparticles to improve the antibiofilm properties of textile dressing, tested in vitro against monospecific Candida albicans biofilms. Functionalized magnetite (Fe3O4/C18), with an average size not exceeding 20 nm, has been synthesized by precipitation of ferric and ferrous salts in aqueous solution of oleic acid (C18) and NaOH. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and differential thermal analysis coupled with thermo gravimetric analysis were used as characterization methods for the synthesized Fe3O4/C18. Scanning electron microscopy was used to study the architecture of the fungal biofilm developed on the functionalized textile dressing samples and culture-based methods for the quantitative assay of the biofilm-embedded yeast cells. The optimized textile dressing samples proved to be more resistant to C. albicans colonization, as compared to the uncoated ones; these functionalized surfaces-based approaches are very useful in the prevention of wound microbial contamination and subsequent biofilm development on viable tissues or implanted devices.     

Experimental evaluation of a climate façade: Energy efficiency and thermal comfort performance

The results of an extensive experimental campaign on a climate façade with a mechanically ventilated air gap, carried out at the Department of Energetics at the Politecnico di Torino, are presented. Measurements were performed utilizing the TWINS (Testing Window Innovative Systems) test facility, which consists of two outdoor cells, one used for reference purposes, and the other which adopts different active façade configurations. The energy efficiency of the façade and the thermal comfort implications have been evaluated considering the ability to pre-heat the ventilation air in the winter season, and the ability to remove part of the solar load during the summer season; the normalized daily energy passing through the façade and the normalized surface temperature of the inner glass were analysed. The improvement in performance obtained by varying the configuration and operative conditions (changing the air flow rate, the shading device and the internal glazing) has been investigated.     

Molecular and Supramolecular Structural Studies on Significant Repetitive Sequences of Resilin

Resilin is a member of the family of elastomeric proteins and is found in specialised regions of the cuticle of most insects, and provides low stiffness, high strain and efficient energy storage. It is best known for its role in insect flight and the remarkable jumping ability of fleas and spittle bugs. In common with other elastomeric proteins, the recently identified Drosophila melanogaster proresilin shows glycine‐rich repetitive sequences; in particular the N‐ and C‐terminal regions of the protein are dominated by 18 repeats of a 15‐residue sequence (SDTYGAPGGGNGGRP) and eleven repeats of a 13‐residue sequence (GYSGGRPGGQDLG), respectively. We synthesised and analysed the molecular and supramolecular structure of some polypeptides with sequences belonging to the glycine‐rich repeated domain of D. melanogaster resilin. The conformational studies performed by CD, FTIR and NMR spectroscopies pointed to the coexistence of two main conformational features, such as folded β‐turns and (quasi)extended structures (e.g., poly‐L ‐proline II conformation) in common with other elastomeric proteins; this suggests an elasticity mechanism for resilin common to other elastomeric proteins. Our data show that also in the case of resilin, repetitive sequences are characterised by autonomous structures almost independent of the remaining parts of the molecule as already extensively found for elastin. From a supramolecular point of view, a great tendency to aggregate in fibrous structures is observed, particularly for the resilin‐ inspired polypeptide (PGGGN)₁₀. This is encouraging for the development of resilin‐based biomaterials for the production of biocompatible medical devices, as well as high performing elastic materials.