Protein content and gluten quality of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) as affected by sowing date

The end use quality of durum wheat is sensitive to the environmental conditions pertaining before and during grain filling, and can therefore be modified by manipulation of cultivar and sowing date. A field trial was carried out to study the effect on protein content and gluten quality of varying both sowing date (October, December and March) and cultivar (Simeto, Colosseo and Creso). A delay in sowing date was associated with a decrease in mean grain weight, but not in grain nitrogen content, thus leading to an overall increase from 10.7 to 14.7% in grain protein percentage. Independent of sowing date, over 78% of the grain nitrogen was derived from re‐translocation from vegetative tissue. The similar amounts of nitrogen accumulated in each grain at maturity were set by the similarity in the amount of nitrogen available at anthesis. The observed increase in protein percentage partly explained the greater dough strength (alveographic W) observed in material harvested from the latest sowing. The gluten index, on the other hand, decreased as sowing was delayed. Given the parallel increase in glutenin percentage, we propose that temperatures above 30 °C at the end of the grain filling period have a negative effect on the gluten polymerisation process. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Natural radionuclides in the rocks of the Valle del Cervo Pluton in Piedmont

Monitoring of the gamma radiation in Valle del Cervo Pluton was performed by determining U and Th contents in the main rock types cropping out over the entire area and pertaining to the granitic complex, syenitic complex and monzonitic complex. In particular, syenitic rocks were largely used as building and ornamental materials (e.g. Sienite della Balma). All the samples are fresh and do not present joints or fractures filled with U minerals. In the crushed samples the activity of uranium varies from 346 to 764 Bq/kg. Concentration of thorium varies from 202 to 478 Bq/kg. For all the analysed rocks uranium activity is higher than thorium one. The lowest value of radioactive concentration is referred to rocks of the granitic complex. The most active rocks are syenites. The data confirm the high activities of Valle del Cervo rock types, strongly connected with high K content of the source magma (geochemical signature); on the contrary, the activity seems to be not related to the location of the samples.     

SmartFlex® NiTi Wires for Shape Memory Actuators

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are active metallic materials classified nowadays as “smart” or “intelligent” materials. One of their main areas of interest is that of actuators. The use of SMAs in actuators offers the opportunity to develop robust, simple, and lightweight elements that can represent an alternative to electro-magnetic actuators commonly used in several fields of industrial applications, such as automotive, appliances, etc. SAES Getters S.p.A. thanks to its vertically integrated process and to the scientific and quality approach, developed a NiTi-based wires family which can represent a solution for shape memory actuators. In this paper, the mechanical, thermal, and electrical response of these shape memory wires, with diameters ranging from 20 to 500 μm, will be examined and discussed, with particular focus on the design of the actuator. The thermo-mechanical properties have been investigated and measured by several methods. The most common and useful tests for these commercially available wires will be also described.     

Perfluorooctanesulfonate and related fluorinated hydrocarbons in marine mammals,fishes, and birds from coasts of the Baltic and the Mediterranean Seas

Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS; C8F17SO3-), perfluorooctanesulfonamide (FOSA; C8F17SO2NH2), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS; C6F13SO3-), and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA; C7F15CO2-) were detected in 175 samples of liver and blood of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), swordfish (Xiphias gladius), common cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), common dolphins (Delphinus delphi), fin whales (Balenoptera physalus), and long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) from the Italian coast of the Mediterranean Sea and in livers of ringed seals (Phoca hispida), gray seals (Halichoerus grypus), white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from coastal areas of the Baltic Sea. PFOS was detected in all of the wildlife species analyzed. Concentrations of PFOS in blood decreased in order of bottlenose dolphins > bluefin tuna > swordfish. Mean PFOS concentrations (61 ng/ g, wet wt) in cormorant livers collected from Sardinia Island in the Mediterranean Sea were less than the concentrations of PFOA (95 ng/g, wetwt). PFOS concentrations in cormorant livers were significantly correlated with those of PFOA. FOSA was found in 14 of 19 livers or blood samples of marine mammals from the Mediterranean Sea. The highest concentration of 878 ng FOSA/g, wet wt, was found in the liver of a common dolphin. Livers of ringed and gray seals from the Bothnian Bay in the Baltic Sea contained PFOS concentrations ranging from 130 to 1,100 ng/g, wet wt. No relationships between PFOS concentrations and ages of ringed or gray seals were observed. Concentrations of PFOS in livers of seals were 5.5-fold greater than those in corresponding blood. A significant positive correlation existed between the PFOS concentrations in liver and blood, which indicates that blood can be used for nonlethal monitoring of PFOS. Trend analysis of PFOS concentrations in livers of white-tailed sea eagles collected from eastern Germany and Poland since 1979 indicated an increase in concentrations during the 1990s. Livers of Atlantic salmons did not contain quantifiable concentrations of any of the fluorochemicals monitored. PFOS is a widespread contaminant in wildlife from the Baltic and the Mediterranean Seas, while FOSA and PFOA were detected only in certain locations indicating their sporadic spatial distribution.     

Phosphate adsorption and precipitation in calcareous soils: the role of calcium ions in solution and carbonate minerals

P-removal from soil solution is mainly due to adsorption and precipitation reactions. For calcareous soils two pathways have been proposed as being relevant: partitioning on soil surfaces and precipitation induced by Ca2+ ions in solution. To define P-speciation in soil and reduce P-immobilisation following fertilisation, the relative importance of these two reactions needs to be quantitatively established. This investigation, conducted on two calcareous soils, suggests that Ca-ion activity in the liquid phase is mainly responsible for the formation of insoluble Ca-P phases. Our study was carried out by determining: a) batch sorption isotherms at different slurry concentrations, times of contact, pH and indifferent electrolyte concentrations; b) supernatant isotherms on soil suspensions; c) insolubilisation kinetics of P added to soil columns. The shape of the sorption isotherms indicated that adsorption predominated at low concentrations (below approximately 0.5 mM); above this level precipitation became predominant. Precipitation from solution was demonstrated by adding increasing amounts of phosphate to soil suspension supernatants and precipitation levels comparable to those observed in sorption isotherms were obtained. Thus, carbonate mineral surfaces were not necessary for the induction of P precipitation. The formation of Ca-P mineral phases was increased with reaction time and was governed by the concentration of Ca-ions, pH and indifferent electrolyte concentration. P added at the top of soil columns was rapidly insolubilised: after 5 weeks the P-Olsen value was reduced to about 60% and P was not transported to the deepest layers but remained in the surface ones. These results suggest that, for soils with a high reservoir of exchangeable cations able to form insoluble P phases, precipitation is the predominant mechanism which reduces P availability for plants.     

Environmental conditions affect semolina quality in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum L.) cultivars with different gluten strength and gluten protein composition

BACKGROUND: Sowing time may impact semolina and pasta cooking quality by changing the environmental conditions during grain filling. The effect of an optimum and a delayed sowing time on semolina quality was studied by comparing six cultivars under irrigation, in order to isolate temperature from drought effects. RESULTS: Protein content was higher in the old cultivars and in the late sowings, according to the number of days with temperature between 30 and 40 °C during ripening. Gluten index increased as temperature rose to a threshold of about 30 °C, then decreased under higher temperatures. Mixograph parameters were less sensitive to high temperatures. Gliadin:glutenin correlated with gluten strength. Spaghetti firmness and protein content were positively correlated independently of sowing date. Cultivars Trinakria and Cappelli had the highest spaghetti firmness (900 and 828 g). CONCLUSIONS: Late sowings may represent a way of increasing pasta cooking quality whenever they place grain filling under thermal conditions able to increase protein percentage, although the accompanying decrease in yield may represent a drawback in environments prone to drought stress during ripening. The lower protein percentages of modern durum wheat cultivars under conventional sowing times results in a lower pasta cooking quality despite higher gluten strength. Published 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Perfluorooctanesulfonate and related fluorochemicals in human blood from several countries

Perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride based compounds have been used in a wide variety of consumer products, such as carpets, upholstery, and textiles. These compounds degrade to perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), a persistent metabolite that accumulates in tissues of humans and wildlife. Previous studies have reported the occurrence of PFOS, perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) in human sera collected from the United States. In this study, concentrations of PFOS, PFHxS, PFOA, and PFOSA were measured in 473 human blood/serum/plasma samples collected from the United States, Colombia, Brazil, Belgium, Italy, Poland, India, Malaysia, and Korea. Among the four perfluorochemicals measured, PFOS was the predominant compound found in blood. Concentrations of PFOS were the highest in the samples collected from the United States and Poland (>30 ng/mL); moderate in Korea, Belgium, Malaysia, Brazil, Italy, and Colombia (3 to 29 ng/mL); and lowest in India (<3 ng/mL). PFOA was the next most abundant perfluorochemical in blood samples, although the frequency of occurrence of this compound was relatively low. No age- or gender-related differences in the concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were found in serum samples. The degree of association between the concentrations of four perfluorochemicals varied, depending on the origin of the samples. These results suggested the existence of sources with varying levels and compositions of perfluorochemicals, and differences in exposure patterns to these chemicals, in various countries. In addition to the four target fluorochemicals measured, qualitative analysis of selected blood samples showed the presence of other perfluorochemicals such as perfluorodecanesulfonate (PFDS), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) in serum samples, at concentrations approximately 5- to 10-fold lower than the concentration of PFOS. Further studies should focus on identifying sources and pathways of human exposure to perfluorochemicals.     

Differentiated reliability in optical networks: theoretical and practical results

This paper presents both theoretical and experimental studies carried on wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) networks with arbitrary (mesh) topology that provide optical circuits with differentiated reliability (DiR). Reliability is obtained by means of a modified shared path protection (SPP) switching scheme-here referred to as SPP-DiR. As explained in the paper, SPP-DiR networks provide multiple degrees of circuit reliability that satisfy client-specific reliability requirements in a cost-effective way. The theoretical study first defines the problem of optimally designing SPP-DiR WDM networks. It then presents a time-efficient suboptimal algorithm that determines the routing and the reliability degree of each demand in the given traffic matrix by applying both the conventional SPP and the SPP-DiR scheme. When compared to dedicated path protection switching, results obtained for the pan-European network using the proposed algorithm indicate cost reductions of about 16% when SPP is applied, and up to 34% when SPP-DiR is applied. The experimental study describes the /spl Omega/ testbed-a WDM optical circuit-switched mesh network with an IP control plane-which is believed to be the first testbed ever built that makes use of the SPP-DiR scheme. Experimental results performed on the /spl Omega/ testbed report restoration times of the optical circuits-disrupted by a fiber fault-that are few tens of milliseconds.     

In vivo stimulation of IL-12 secretion by subcutaneous low-dose IL-2 in metastatic cancer patients

Despite the well-demonstrated involvement of both interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interleukin 12 (IL-12) in the activation of host anti-cancer response, the knowledge of IL-2-IL-12 interactions has still to be better investigated. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of subcutaneous (s.c.) low-dose IL-2 on IL-12 secretion in metastatic cancer patients. The study included 19 evaluable metastatic renal cell cancer patients, who received s.c. low-dose IL-2 (6 MIU day(-1) for 6 days per week for 4 weeks) as a first-line immunotherapy of their metastatic disease. Serum levels of IL-12 were measured using an enzyme immunoassay on venous blood samples collected before the immunotherapy and at 1-week intervals. The clinical response consisted of partial response (PR) in four and stable disease (SD) in eight patients, whereas the other seven patients progressed. Mean serum levels of IL-12 observed in the overall patients significantly increased in response to IL-2 injection. Moreover, by evaluating IL-12 variations in relation to the clinical response, a marked significant increase in IL-12 mean values occurred in patients with response or SD, whereas the progressing patients showed a significant decline in IL-12 levels during IL-2 administration. Finally, IL-12 mean pretreatment values observed in patients who progressed were significantly higher than those seen in non-progressing patients. This study shows that low-dose IL-2 immunotherapy of cancer may stimulate the in vivo release of IL-12, and it would suggest that IL-2-induced IL-12 enhancement is associated with a favourable prognosis.