Determination of polyphosphates in products of animal origin: application of a validated ion chromatography method for commercial samples analyses

A reliable and accurate analytical method was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of polyphosphates (diphosphate, triphosphate, trimetaphosphate and tetrapolyphosphate) in products of animal origin (meat, dairy and fish products) by ion chromatography with suppressed conductivity detection. The chromatographic separations were accomplished by using an anion-exchange column eluted with a sodium hydroxide gradient. The method validation, performed according to Regulation 882/2004/EC and Decision 657/2002/EC, provided results conform with the European Directives with respect to linearity (R?>?0.996), specificity, precision (CV????4.5?%), recovery (ranging from 87.2 to 101.1?%), detection and quantification limits and ruggedness. The method reliability was confirmed evaluating the method measurement uncertainty, lower than 7.5?% and by proficiency test results. Finally, the method ability to discriminate samples treated from those not-treated with polyphosphates was verified by analyzing commercial samples containing polyphosphates (cooked ham, wurstel, corned beef, processed cheese and surimi) or treated in-house with polyphosphates (pangasius fillets, shrimps and cuttlefishes).     

Biomechanical response of the human foot when standing in a natural position while exposed to vertical vibration from 10–200 Hz

Exposure to foot-transmitted vibration (FTV) can lead to pain and numbness in the toes and feet, increased cold sensitivity, blanching in the toes, and joint pain. Prolonged exposure can result in a clinical diagnosis of vibration-induced white foot (VIWFt). Data on the biomechanical response of the feet to FTV is limited; therefore, this study seeks to identify resonant frequencies for different anatomical locations on the human foot, while standing in a natural position. A laser Doppler vibrometer was used to measure vertical (z-axis) vibration on 21 participants at 24 anatomical locations on the right foot during exposure to a sine sweep from 10–200?Hz with a peak vertical velocity of 30?mm/s. The most notable differences in the average peak frequency occur between the toes (range: 99–147?Hz), midfoot (range: 51–84?Hz) and ankle (range: 16–39?Hz).

Practitioner Summary: The biomechanical response of the human foot exposed to foot-transmitted vibration, when standing in a natural position, was measured for 21 participants. The foot does not respond uniformly; the toes, midfoot, and ankle regions need to be considered independently in future development of isolation strategies and protective measures.     

Size of web domains and interlinking behavior of higher education institutions in Europe

The aim of this paper is to empirically test whether interlinking patterns between higher education institutions (HEIs) conform to a document model, where links are motivated by webpage content, or a social relationship model, where they are markers of underlying social relationships between HEIs. To this aim, we analyzed a sample of approximately 400 European HEIs, using the number of pages on their web domains and the total number of links sent and received; in addition we test whether these two characteristics are associated with organizational size, reputation, and the volume of teaching and research activities. Our main findings are as follows: first, the number of webpages of HEI websites is strongly associated with their size, and to a lesser extent, with the volume of their educational activities, research orientation, and reputation; differences between European countries are rather limited, supporting the insight that the academic Web has reached a mature stage. Second, the distribution of connectivity (as measured by the total degree of HEI’s) follows a lognormal distribution typical of social networks between organizations, while counts of weblinks can be predicted with good precision from organizational characteristics. HEIs with larger websites tend to send and receive more links, but the effect is rather limited and does not fundamentally modify the resulting network structure. We conclude that aggregated counts of weblinks between pairs of HEIs are not significantly affected by the web policies of HEIs and thus can be considered as reasonably robust measures. Furthermore, interlinking should be considered as proxies of social relationships between HEIs rather than as reputational measures of the content published on their websites.     

Stress Distributions Around Rigid Nanoparticles

A closed form solution for the stress fields around a rigid nanoparticle under uniaxial tensile load is provided. The work explicitly accounts for the presence, around the nanoparticle, of an interphase of thickness comparable to the particle size and different elastic properties from those of the matrix. The solution allows one to determine, in closed form, the stress concentration around nanoparticles relevant for fracture and strength assessments of polymer nanocomposites.     

Influence of limestone filler and viscosity-modifying admixture on the porous structure of self-compacting concrete

The objective of this experimental work is to study porosity in self-compacting concrete (SCC) made without adding limestone filler, comparing the results with other SCC and with normally-vibrated concrete (NVC). Several types of concrete were made, keeping the w/c ratio constant. The results show that the air content in SCC depends on the flowability and viscosity of the material, putting a forward an expression to estimate the air content in accordance with these two parameters. SCC shows a finer and more tortuous porous structure than NVC, leading to lower permeability to water under pressure. Nevertheless, in the absence of pressure, when water penetrates by capillary action, the results obtained from the different types of concrete were very similar, with differences below 3.5%. This is due to the fact that the content of pores over 0.5 μm is practically the same in SCC and NVC, but for smaller pore sizes, which are therefore only accessed when water under pressure is applied, the differences in porosity between the different samples is more pronounced. On the other hand, it was observed that the use of more fluid mixtures permitted more impermeable concrete to be obtained. The use of viscosity-modifying admixture on SCC as a replacement for limestone filler does not affect the total volume of pores, but generates a slightly more coarse porous microstructure, thereby leading to concretes in which water penetration depth under pressure is a little higher (around 4 mm).     

An updated version of BoltzWann: A code for the evaluation of thermoelectric and electronic transport properties with a maximally-localized Wannier functions basis

BoltzWann is a code to evaluate thermoelectric and electronic transport properties of extended systems with a maximally-localized Wannier function basis set. The semiclassical Boltzmann transport equations for the homogeneous infinite system are solved in the constant relaxation-time approximation and band energies and band derivatives are obtained via Wannier interpolations. Thanks to the exponential localization of the Wannier functions obtained, very high accuracy in the Brillouin zone integrals can be achieved with very moderate computational costs. Moreover, the analytical expression for the band derivatives in the Wannier basis resolves any issues that may occur when evaluating derivatives near band crossings. We present here an updated version of the BoltzWann code, which is now fully integrated within Wannier90 version 2.0, with minor bug fixes and the possibility to study also two-dimensional systems.     

Molds and Resists Studies for Nanoimprint Lithography of Electrodes in Low-Voltage Polymer Thin-Film Transistors

A low-cost patterning of electrodes was investigated looking forward to replacing conventional photolithography for the processing of low-operating voltage polymeric thin-film transistors. Hard silicon, etched by sulfur hexafluoride and oxygen gas mixture, and flexible polydimethylsiloxane imprinting molds were studied through atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission gun scanning electron microscopy. The higher the concentration of oxygen in reactive ion etching, the lower the etch rate, sidewall angle, and surface roughness. A concentration around 30 % at 100 mTorr, 65 W and 70 sccm was demonstrated as adequate for submicrometric channels, presenting a reduced etch rate of 176 nm/min. Imprinting with positive photoresist AZ1518 was compared to negative SU-8 2002 by optical microscopy and AFM. Conformal results were obtained only with the last resist by hot embossing at 120 °C and 1 kgf/cm² for 2 min, followed by a 10 min post-baking at 100 °C. The patterning procedure was applied to define gold source and drain electrodes on oxide-covered substrates to produce bottom-gate bottom-contact transistors. Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) devices were processed on high-κ titanium oxynitride (TiO _x N _y ) deposited by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering over indium tin oxide-covered glass to achieve low-voltage operation. Hole mobility on micrometric imprinted channels may approach amorphous silicon (～0.01 cm²/V s) and, since these devices operated at less than 5 V, they are not only suitable for electronic applications but also as sensors in aqueous media.     

Perception of Host Plant Volatiles in Hyalesthes obsoletus: Behavior, Morphology, and Electrophysiology

The Palearctic planthopper Hyalesthes obsoletus is the natural vector of the grapevine yellow disease Bois noir. Grapevine is an occasional host plant of this polyphagous planthopper. To deepen our knowledge of the role of plant volatile organic compounds for H. obsoletus host plant searching, we carried out behavioral, morphological, and electrophysiological studies. We tested the attraction of H. obsoletus to nettle, field bindweed, hedge bindweed, chaste tree, and grapevine by using a Y-shaped olfactometer. The results showed a significant attraction of male H. obsoletus to chaste tree, and of the females to nettle. Male H. obsoletus were repelled by odor from hedge bindweed. Ultrastructural studies of the antennae showed at least two types of olfactory sensilla at the antennal pedicel: plaque organs and trichoid sensilla. Volatile organic compounds from nettle and chaste tree were collected, and the extracts were analyzed by coupling gas-chromatography to both mass-spectrometry and electroantennography. The volatile organic compounds that elicited electrophysiological responses in male and female antennae were identified. These findings are discussed with respect to behavior of H. obsoletus males and females in the field.     

Preliminary Characterization of Novel Extra-cellular Lipase from Penicillium crustosum Under Solid-State Fermentation and its Potential Application for Triglycerides Hydrolysis

Current studies about lipase production involve the use of agro-industrial residues and newly isolated microorganisms aimed at increasing economic attractiveness of the process. Based on these aspects, the main objective of this work is to perform the partial characterization of enzymatic extracts produced by a newly isolated Penicillium crustosum in solid-state fermentation. Lipase extract presented optimal temperature and pH of 37?°C and 9?C10, respectively. The concentrated enzymatic extract showed more stability at 25?°C and pH?7. The enzymes kept 100% of their enzymatic activity until 60?days of storage at 4 and ?10?°C. The stability under calcium salts indicated that the hydrolytic activity presented decay with the increase of calcium concentration. The specificity under several substrates indicated good enzyme activities in triglycerides from C4 to C18.