Gamma Irradiation of in-Shell and Blanched Peanuts Protects against Mycotoxic Fungi and Retains Their Nutraceutical Components during Long-Term Storage

Peanut samples were irradiated (0.0, 5.2, 7.2 or 10.0 kGy), stored for a year (room temperature) and examined every three months. Mycotoxic fungi (MF) were detected in non-irradiated blanched peanuts. A dose of 5.2 kGy was found suitable to prevent MF growth in blanched samples. No MF was detected in in-shell peanuts, with or without irradiation. The colors of the control in-shell and blanched samples were, respectively, 44.72 and 60.21 (L *); 25.20 and 20.38 (Chroma); 53.05 and 86.46 (°Hue). The water activities (Aw) were 0.673 and 0.425. The corresponding fatty acids were 13.33% and 12.14% (C16:0), 44.94% and 44.92% (C18:1, ω9) and 37.10% and 37.63% (C18:2, ω6). The total phenolics (TP) were 4.62 and 2.52 mg GAE/g, with antioxidant activities (AA) of 16.97 and 10.36 μmol TEAC/g. Storage time negatively correlated with Aw (in-shell peanuts) or L *, linoleic acid, TP and AA (in-shell and blanched peanuts) but positively correlated with Aw (blanched peanuts), and with oleic acid (in-shell and blanched peanuts). Irradiation positively correlated with antioxidant activity (blanched peanuts). No correlation was found between irradiation and AA (in-shell samples) or fatty acids and TP (in-shell and blanched peanuts). Irradiation protected against MF and retained both the polyunsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols in the samples.     

RetriBlog: An architecture-centered framework for developing blog crawlers

Blogs have become an important social tool. It allows the users to share their tastes, express their opinions, report news, form groups related to some subject, among others. The information obtained from the blogosphere may be used to create several applications in various fields. However, due to the growing number of blogs posted every day, as well as the dynamicity of the blogosphere, the task of extracting relevant information from the blogs has become difficult and time consuming. In this paper, we use information retrieval and extraction techniques to deal with this problem. Furthermore, as blogs have many variation points is required to provide applications that can be easily adapted. Faced with this scenario, the work proposes RetriBlog, an architecture-centered framework for the development of blog crawlers. Finally, it presents an evaluation of the proposed algorithms and three case studies.     

Gothic Construction and the Traça of a Heptagonal Apse: The Problem of the Heptagon

The heptagonal shape and its geometric layout have been the subject of a great deal of speculation. Because some apses in Gothic cathedrals are heptagonal, there must be a methodology implicit in the layout of the geometric shape. Two particularly important sources help us arrive at an understanding: the exceptional of the capitular archive of the Cathedral of Tortosa, which contains the main neo-Platonic sources among its codices dating from thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and the parchment known as la traça de Guarc (c.1345-1380), which shows the layout of the non-constructed cathedral. These sources show a heptagonal apse with an arithmetical and geometric dimension, based on a metrological and tonal musical proportion of 9/8, which is perfectly compatible with the bases of the quadrivium. The lateral and radial chapel, as the basic unit and feature element in fourteenth-century Gothic cathedral design, can be used as a pattern, and its measurement established as the basic unit for the overall proportions of the cathedral.     

Evaluation of Cu, Mn, and Se in Vegetables Using Ultrasonic Extraction and GFAAS Quantification

This paper proposes a method for the determination of copper, manganese, and selenium in vegetables of conventional and organic farming in the state of S?o Paulo/Brazil using ultrasonic extraction of analytes and subsequent quantification by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Using 0.10 mol L⁻¹ of hydrochloric acid as the extracting solution, the following optimal extraction conditions were established: sample mass of 100 mg, sample grain size of <60 μm, sonication time of five cycles of 40 s, and sonication power of 136 W. The analytes were determined by GFAAS, applying drying temperatures of 90 °C to 250 °C, pyrolysis temperature of 1,300 °C, atomization temperature of 2,300 °C, and cleaning temperature of 2,800 °C. Palladium nitrate was co-injected with the samples as a chemical modifier and tungsten as a permanent modifier. The accuracy and precision of the proposed extraction method were evaluated based on a certified standard, RM 8433 Corn Bran (NIST RM 8433). The results obtained by the ultrasonic extraction method were equivalent to those obtained by the method of acid mineralization of samples in a microwave oven. However, the proposed methodology reduces the analytical time considerably, favoring the analytical speed. Moreover, the quantity of residues generated and discharged into the environment is also considerably lower.     

Changes occurring during the parboiling of upland rice and in the maceration water at different temperatures and soaking times

The objective of this work was to investigate the influence of temperature and soaking time on the quality of grains from two upland rice cultivars. Response surface methodology and a central compound rotational design were used. The data obtained for the cultivars BRS Primavera and BRS Sertaneja varied, respectively, between 27.7–55.0% and 26.0–51.7% for the Husk‐Splitting Index; between 0.8–5.0% and 0.0–4.0% for the incidence of ‘banana’ grains; between 0.0–2.0% and 0.0–1.2% for non‐gelatinised grains; and between 0.2–0.7% and 0.2–0.8% for soluble solids in the maceration water. Because BRS Primavera grains had a narrower shape, they absorbed the water faster and consequently presented a greater amount of physical defects, although the losses to the water were smaller than BRS Sertaneja.     

The Environmental Impact of Coal Mining: A Case Study in Brazil’s Sangão Watershed

An algorithm was developed for quantifying and prioritizing mined areas according to their impact on watersheds. For the purpose of this case study, a pilot area of 88 km² was selected, which encompasses the upstream portion of the Sangão River of the Araranguá watershed in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. This methodology integrates information such as land use, soil types, topography, and hydrology using geoprocessing tools to quantify the relative load of pollutants derived from each. This permits one to prioritize reclamation. Using the algorithm and geoprocessing together has allowed us to identify the hot spots and where the rehabilitation process should begin. This tool can also be used to evaluate and analyze other watersheds impacted by mining and to integrate other pollution sources. Further research must still be done to calibrate and validate the model in order to determine the absolute contaminant loads.     

Comparison of the water jet and some traditional stone surface treatment methods in different lithotypes

Marble slabs with rough surface have captured a large share in the market of ornamental stones in recent years. There are many different methods of stone surface treatment currently used to improve the aesthetic appearance of the surface of the marble slab or tile or to increase the roughness. Traditional methods like bush hammering, polishing or flaming have various disadvantages that may reduce the market interest for particular applications. The aim of this study is to compare the water jet surface treatment method with traditional methods. For this purpose five different types of stones (granite, basalt, serpentine, limestone and marble) were treated with water jet and the results were compared with the results obtained from traditional methods. The results of the color, gloss, luminance and roughness analysis were used as the comparison parameters. Results so far achieved indicate that the application of water jets in surface treatment can reduce (or even eliminate) some disadvantages of traditional methods because it enables to obtain a surface with required roughness while preserving aesthetic appearance of the stone.     

Synchronous Machine Parameters Evaluation with a Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

This article presents a novel methodology for the determination of synchronous machine parameters from the sudden short-circuit (SCC) test. Records of armature and field currents transient behavior are used to evaluate the d-axis equivalent circuit, including the rotor characteristic reactance, and the traditional synchronous machine parameters. The method is based on the evolutionary computer algorithm, the hybrid particle swarm optimization (HPSO). The developed program has been successfully applied into two large salient pole synchronous machines test data.