Dynamic and Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Some Specialty Fluoroelastomers for Low Tg Seal Materials

The viscoelastic behaviour of three different low Tg fluoroelastomer materials belonging to the class of Fluorosilicones (FVMQ), Perfluoropolyether-hydrosilanes (Sifel™) and Perfluoropolyether-polyurethanes (FEU) was investigated. Materials considered were high hardness rubbers and were characterized by dynamic-mechanical analysis (DMA), thermo-mechanical analysis (TMA), and swelling tests in Fuel C and other solvent mixtures. DMA spectra in dynamic scan allowed the determination of Tg and other minor intensity relaxation phenomena. Thermo-mechanical analysis was used to measure the thermal expansion coefficient α _L and the low temperature retraction curve R _e(T) in creep and recovery experiments with different test conditions. Highly diversified behaviours were observed, apparently related to polymer Tg and damping in the rubbery plateau. Swelling measurements showed a better performance for the two perfluoropolyether samples than for fluorosilicones.     

Degradative enzymatic activities in fresh-cut blood-orange slices during chilled-storage

Blood-orange fruits are suitable to fresh-cut fruit production because of their chemical compositions. Nevertheless, the main limitation of using freshly cut oranges is their susceptibility to juiciness loss and ascorbic acid degradation because of enzymatic alterations. The aim of this work is: to identify some of the enzymes causing the qualitative decay in blood-orange slices during 15 days of chilled storage (at 4 ± 0.5 °C and 85% RH); to investigate the susceptibility to the previous alterations of five blood-orange clones ( Moro nucellare, Sanguinello nucellare , Tarocco arcimusa, Tarocco gallo and Tarocco meli ) to select the most suitable one for fresh-cut production. The enzymes studied were: pectinmethylesterase (PME) as index of juiciness loss, ascorbate oxidase (AAO) as index of ascorbic acid's degradation and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) as browning index. As far as we know, the changes of AAO activity during chilled storage of blood-orange fresh-cut slices has not previously reported and studied. Different clones showed different enzymatic activities and quality changes during chilled-storage. In particular a low juiciness loss in orange slices was correlated with a lower PME activity, as described in T. meli clone, while a high degradation of ascorbic acid was correlated with an higher AAO activity, as described in T. gallo clone; PPO activity seemed to have no significant action in quality degradation. Tarocco meli was the most suitable clone to the fresh-cut blood-orange production because it has the lowest enzymatic activity (PME, PPO and AAO) and the highest sensorial quality.     

Minimal complete sets of words

A characterization of minimal complete sets of words of a free monoid which are codes, is given.     

Balance between nutrients and anti-nutrients in nine Italian potato cultivars

Nine commercial potato cultivars have been analyzed in order to detect differences in nutritional quality, considering the balance between nutrients and anti-nutrient compounds present in each. The most important nutrients studied in this paper were: water, starch, free sugars, such as glucose, fructose and sucrose, malic acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid and chlorogenic acid. The anti-nutrients measured included α-solanine, α-chaconine and asparagine. This last compound was added to the anti-nutrient compounds because it is involved in the formation of acrylamide during thermal food processes. From this study, by considering the nutritional quality of each cultivar, we can divide the potato cultivars into three groups, each being suitable for a different technological processes.     

Pitfalls in the economic evaluation of thrombolysis in myocardial infarction. The impact of national differences in the cost of thrombolytics and of differences in the efficacy across patient subgroups

BACKGROUND: The economic evaluation of the results of the Global Utilization of Streptokinase and Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Occluded Coronary Artery (GUSTO) trial found that recombinant tissue plasminogen activator is more cost-effective than streptokinase for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. AIM: We evaluated the impact on a cost effectiveness analysis, of the differences in the cost of thrombolytics among countries and of differences in efficacy across patient subgroups. METHODS: We considered the crude costs of streptokinase and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the 30-day mortality found in the GUSTO trial. We calculated the incremental costs for each life saved when streptokinase is substituted by recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. We also calculated the incremental costs for each life saved for two protocols implying a selective use of streptokinase and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (age-selective protocol: recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in patients < or = 75 years, streptokinase in older patients; site-selective protocol: recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in anterior acute myocardial infarction, streptokinase in non-anterior acute myocardial infarction). RESULTS: The incremental costs for each life saved when streptokinase is substituted by recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in all GUSTO patients vary greatly among countries: the incremental costs for each life saved are 31%, 45%, and 97% higher in Germany, Italy, and the United States of America compared to the United Kingdom. The use of a site-selective protocol implies a halved cost-effectiveness ratio compared to the use of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in all cases of acute myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: (1) The cost-efficacy of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator vs streptokinase in acute myocardial infarction varies greatly among countries due to differences in the cost of drugs. (2) A selective use of thrombolytics for some sites of infarction is more cost-effective than the exclusive use of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator.     

Simultaneous mass spectrometric measurement of prostaglandins E1 (PGE1) and PGE2 with a deuterated internal standard

The use of (3,3,4,4-²H₄)PGE₂ as internal standard for the quantitative measurement of PGE₁ by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is reported. A method for the simultaneous analysis of PGE₁ and PGE₂ is also described. The prostaglandins were analyzed by selected ion monitoring as the methyl ester-trimethylsilyl ether (ME-TMS) derivatives of PGB₁ and PGB₂, respectively. In all cases, a linear response over the range 1 to 70 ng (2.8 to 198 pmoles) was demonstrated. The use of this procedure is exemplified by its application to the PG analysis of sheep seminal vesicles. Mention of a trademark or proprietary product does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable.