Insight into the Heparin–Toluidine Blue (C.I. Basic Blue 17) interaction

Heparin–Toluidine Blue (C.I. Basic Blue 17) interaction was studied using UV–vis spectroscopic analysis of the titration of the functional groups present on the polyanion chain. The study took into consideration both the pH and relative amount of the dye as a function of the Heparin repeat unit number; formation of a dye/polysaccharide aggregate was studied under the same conditions and structural models of the two types of aggregates were proposed. As a consequence of such an investigation a new Heparin determination methodology was developed.     

Individual development in a bio-cultural perspective.

Biological and cultural inheritance deeply influence daily human behavior. However, individuals actively interact with bio-cultural information. Throughout their lives, they preferentially cultivate a limited subset of activities, values, and personal interests. This process, defined as psychological selection, is strictly related to the quality of subjective experience. Specifically, cross-cultural studies have highlighted the central role played by optimal experience or flow, the most positive and complex daily experience reported by the participants. It is characterized by high involvement, deep concentration, intrinsic motivation, and the perception of high challenges matched by adequate personal skills. The associated activities represent the basic units of psychological selection. Flow can therefore influence the selective transmission of biocultural information and the process of biocultural evolution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Protein and non-protein (free and protein-bound) tryptophan in legume seeds

The contents of protein and non-protein (free and protein-bound) tryptophan and of proteins in the flours of nine legume seeds were determined. Lupins and soybeans showed the highest protein concentrations, followed by groundnuts, beans, broad beans, lentils, vetches, chick-peas, and peas. Protein tryptophan content is higher in soybeans and lower in peas (502 and 192 mg/100 g of dry flour, respectively) than in the other legumes, which also contain non-protein tryptophan. Chick-peas show the highest value of free tryptophan and groundnuts the lowest (58.2 and 2.24 mg/100 g of dry flour, respectively). Tryptophan appears to be bound to water-soluble proteins and to proteins soluble at pH 8.9. In particular, chick-peas contain a high amount of tryptophan bound to water-soluble proteins, followed by beans. The results are evaluated, considering the importance, not only of protein, but also non-protein tryptophan, for assessing the nutritive value of a protein in foods.     

The corrosion resistance of electroless deposited nano-crystalline Ni–P alloys

Coatings of Ni–P alloys are increasingly used for their shiny appearance, the high degree of hardness and very good corrosion resistance. Electroless coatings are preferred in industry compared to the electroplated ones because they adhere well to different materials and form a homogeneous coating even on complicated geometries. Electroless Ni–P alloys produced as a coating on technical iron in a commercial autocatalytic hypophosphite-type plating bath were studied, with regard to their corrosion behaviour upon immersion in near neutral sulphate and chloride electrolytes. The anodic polarization curves of the alloys showed a current plateau at potentials E < +0.2 V SCE confirming their high corrosion resistance. The dynamic cathodic polarization curves in deaerated solutions showed a Tafel behaviour with a slope of ca. ?0.4 V, indicating inhibition of oxygen reduction on “as received” and on mechanically polished surfaces. Corrosion rates of ca. 0.5–0.7 μA/cm² were found during prolonged immersion in near neutral solutions open to air. Potentiostatic polarization at selected potentials in the range of the current plateau (?0.1 V SCE, +0.1 V SCE) showed a steady decrease of the current density following a power law with exponent ?0.5, thus a diffusion controlled process. These results show that the suppression of the anodic dissolution and the low corrosion rates of Ni–P alloys cannot be associated with the oxide-film passivity. Despite this fact, black spots identified as localized corrosion appeared on mechanically polished and “as plated” electroless Ni–P deposits after prolonged potentiostatic polarization at potentials in the range of dissolution suppression.     

A liquid chromatography miniaturised system for agrofood applications

This work presents the realization of a Si-based miniaturised device for liquid chromatography (LC), targeted for agrofood applications and in particular for wine quality monitoring. The main modules of the system are: (1) a Si-based separation column, functionalized by n-octyltriethoxysilane (C8-TEOS), with inlet/outlet for fluidic connections; (2) a three-microelectrode voltammetric sensor. The system has been properly packaged and the capability of the sensing module to detect acetic acid concentration changes has been verified.     

Apulian Cacioricotta goat's cheese: technical interventions for improving yield and organoleptic characteristics

The production process for making Cacioricotta, the most common goat cheese of Apulia, was modified to improve both its yield and organoleptic characteristics. The changes made to the traditional cheese-making process consisted in reducing the amounts of rennet to be added from 100 to 40 ml/q (q=quintal=100 kg) and in introducing a mesophilic starter mixed with the conventional thermophilic starter. The traditional cheese was compared to the modified product by means of routine analyses and measurements of the cheese yields and determination of free aminoacids and free fatty acids. The analytical techniques utilized were high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). Both the cheeses had the same level of proteolysis while lipolysis was significantly lower (p<0.001) in the modified product with about 20% fewer free fatty acids. The amounts of short and medium chain free fatty acids (C₄-C₁₄), responsible for the marked pungent flavor of goat dairy products, differed significantly (p<0.001) in the two products: 203.41 mg/100 g cheese for the traditional product and 166.22 mg/100 g for the modified product. Finally, cheese yields with the modified procedure were 12% greater than the yield obtained with the traditional process.     

Simulation of an hypothetical out-of-phase instability case in boiling water reactor by RELAP5/PARCS coupled codes

A very complex type of power instability occurring in boiling water reactor (BWR) consists of out-of-phase regional oscillations, in which normally subcritical neutronic modes are excited by thermal-hydraulic feedback mechanisms. The out-of-phase mode of oscillation is a very challenging type of instability and its study is relevant because of the safety implications related to the capability to promptly detect any such inadvertent occurrence by in-core neutron detectors, thus triggering the necessary countermeasures in terms of selected rod insertion or even reactor shutdown. In this work, simulations of out-of-phase instabilities in a BWR obtained by assuming an hypothetical continuous control rod bank withdrawal are being presented. The RELAP5/Mod3.3 thermal-hydraulic system code coupled with the PARCS/2.4 3D neutron kinetic code has been used to simulate the instability phenomenon. Data from a real BWR nuclear power plant (NPP) have been used as reference conditions and reactor parameters. Simulated neutronic power signals from local power range monitors (LPRM) have been used to detect and study the local power oscillations. The decay ratio (DR) and the natural frequency (NF) of the power oscillations (typical parameters used to evaluate the instabilities) have been used in the analysis. The results are discussed also making use of two-dimensional plots depicting relative core power distribution during the transient, in order to clearly illustrate the out-of-phase behavior.