Grappa quality from the Chianti and Montepulciano areas (Tuscany,Italy): monitoring the leaching of copper from distillation columns

The main aim of this work was to evaluate the leaching of copper in grappa from distillation plant that treats Cabernet and Sangiovese marcs (Montepulciano and Chianti, Tuscany). Copper content (determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, AAS) was 1.05 ± 0.03 mg L^?1 in industrial distillates (Cabernet marc, 82.3% alcohol, v/v), and 3.7 ± 0.2 μg L^?1 in artificial grappa (62.0%, Cabernet) obtained by distilling marc in a laboratory‐scale glassware plant. The artificial grappa distillate was refluxed over copper shavings, and copper content, C_Cu, was analysed in relation to reflux time and wear of the copper bell. The results showed that C_Cu trend was almost linear with increasing alcohol concentration and constant reflux time, and vice versa. The ratios of selected volatile components were not influenced by reflux on the shavings.     

Possible causes for the instability in the H2 production from cheese whey in a CSTR

A CSTR reactor was operated for 30 days. It was fed with raw cheese whey with an organic loading rate of 30 gCOD/Ld. Hydrogen production varied significantly with a maximum of 0.9 LH₂/Ld and decreased after 17 days of operation. The causes of production instability were analysed using different microbiological tools. It was concluded that this decrease was not due to the incapacity to select hydrogen-producing organisms, as shown by the persistence of the Fe-hydrogenase genes in the reactor. Using a molar balance, it was estimated that more than 30% of the acetic production can be due to the homoacetogenesis pathway, although genes from homoacetogenic microorganisms were detected at a very low concentration. The different effects of enhancement and inhibition of hydrogen production by the lactic acid bacteria and their high abundance variation could explain the instability of hydrogen production in this reactor.     

The effect of pre-oxidation parameters on the corrosion behavior of AISI 441 in dual atmosphere

Dual atmosphere conditions have been shown to be detrimental for the ferritic stainless steel interconnects used in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) under certain conditions. In the present work, we analyze the influence of pre-oxidation on corrosion resistance in dual atmosphere with regard to two parameters: the pre-oxidation time and the pre-oxidation location (pre-oxidation layer on the air-facing side or the hydrogen-facing side). The steel AISI 441 is investigated and pre-oxidation is achieved in air at 800 °C. To examine the influence of pre-oxidation time on corrosion behavior, five different pre-oxidation times are used: 0, 11, 45, 180, and 280 min. The samples are exposed discontinuously to dual atmosphere for 1000 h at 600 °C. Photographs, taken throughout the exposure, show that the pre-oxidation time correlates with the onset of breakaway corrosion. To analyze the influence of pre-oxidation location on corrosion behavior, the samples are pre-oxidized for 180 min, and then a pre-oxidation layer is removed from one side of the sample. Subsequent dual atmosphere exposure at 600 °C for 500 h shows that the pre-oxidation layer on the hydrogen-facing side is more important for corrosion resistance in dual atmosphere than the pre-oxidation layer on the air-facing side.     

Saturation‐specific pattern of acquired colour vision deficiency in two clinical populations revealed by the method of triads

Subjective colour spaces were reconstructed for persons occupationally exposed to mercury (Hg) and patients with diabetes mellitus type 2, two groups at risk for acquired colour‐vision deficiency, and compared with healthy normal trichromats. Judgments of colour dissimilarity were collected with the method of triads, applied to a composite assortment of colour samples. These were drawn from two widely used colour arrangement tests—10 hues from the Farnsworth D‐15 test and five from the Lanthony Desaturated D‐15d test, ensuring that the assortment sampled two levels of lightness and saturation. The data were analyzed with maximum‐likelihood multidimensional scaling (MDS) and within a novel individual‐differences MDS model to estimate subject‐specific parameters. The MDS solutions for the two clinical groups showed a compression along a blue‐yellow axis, limited however to desaturated hues. This result was confirmed by the individual‐differences model. In addition, the clinical groups were found to place significantly higher weights on the lightness differences between stimuli, conceivably to compensate for their reduced chromatic discrimination. The specific form of colour‐space distortion in the clinical groups indicated an increase in their thresholds for blue‐yellow signals, providing insights into the nature of impairment mechanisms. The results have implications for stimuli and diagnostic procedures for testing individual differences in color vision, and for analyzing the responses. This approach is sensitive to distinctive patterns of subtle colour‐vision impairment underestimated by the conventional D‐15d test. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 39, 125–135, 2014     

Patterns of stability in adult attachment: An empirical test of two models of continuity and change.

One of the core assumptions of attachment theory is that attachment representations are stable over time. Unfortunately, the data on attachment stability have been ambiguous, and as a result, alternative theoretical perspectives have evolved to explain them. The objective of the present research was to evaluate alternative models of stability by studying adults in 2 intensive longitudinal investigations. Specifically, we assessed attachment representations in 1 sample (N = 203) daily over a 30-day period and in the other sample (N = 388) weekly over a year. Analyses show that the patterns of stability that exist in adult attachment are most consistent with a prototype model—a model assuming that there is a stable factor underlying temporary variations in attachment. Moreover, although the Big Five personality traits exhibited a pattern of stability that was similar to that of attachment, they did not account for the stability observed in attachment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of the Addition of Chili Pepper Powder on Vegetable Oils Oxidative Stability

Red chili pepper represents an excellent source of functional bioactive compounds, and its use as food additive could be useful for protecting other products from spoilage. Olive oils show a limited shelf‐life due to a progressive quality deterioration linked mostly to oxidation reactions providing a loss of quality in terms of organoleptic and healthy properties. In this work, the addition of red chili pepper powder to virgin, extra‐virgin olive and sunflower oils was proved to be effective in improving their stability during 12 months of shelf‐life. Oil stability was monitored by employing the Oxitest system, based on accelerating the oxidation process. Three pepper powders of different pungency were added to the virgin olive oil samples with the aim of investigating whether capsaicinoids could be responsible for the observed effects. The strongest effect was recorded when employing the less pungent pepper showing that the protective effect could not be attributed to the capsaicinoids content. Besides, a screening on different oils demonstrated that the less stable samples received a stronger protective effect. The evaluation of a possible dose‐effect relation was also carried out pointing out that a threshold dose of about 1 % was required to record an effect. The results suggest potential perspectives in the field of food technology, as addition of a small amount of sweet pepper could be proposed to prolong food shelf‐life.     

Literature review on the ‘Smart Factory’ concept using bibliometric tools

The objective of this paper is to depict a landscape of the scientific literature on the concept of the ‘Smart Factory’, which in recent years is gaining more and more attention from academics and practitioners because of significant innovations in the production systems within the manufacturing sector. To achieve this objective, a dynamic methodology called ‘Systematic Literature Network Analysis (SLNA)’ has been applied. This methodology combines the Systematic Literature Review approach with the analysis of bibliographic networks. The adopted methodology allows complementing traditional content-based literature reviews by extracting quantitative information from bibliographic networks to detect emerging topics, and by revealing the dynamic evolution of the scientific production of a discipline. This dynamic analysis allowed highlighting research directions and critical areas for the development of the ‘Smart Factory’. At the same time, it offers insights on the fields on which companies, associations, politicians and technology providers need to focus in order to allow a real transition towards the implementation of large-scale Smart Factory.