Comparative quality analysis of gluten strength and the relationship with high molecular weight glutenin subunits of 6 Tunisian durum wheat genotypes

Six Tunisian durum wheat genotypes (4 landraces and 2 improved) were evaluated for protein content, gluten strength, rheological characteristics, and HMW-GS patterns using a LabChip system. Variance analysis identified genotypic variation. The landraces Azizi, Mahmoudi, Chili, and Arbi exhibited the highest protein concentrations and gluten contents, and best dough tenacity and extensibility values. The Mahmoudi and Chili varieties had the highest protein contents (17.06 and 17.32% dry mass, respectively). Arbi and Chili had the highest gluten contents (60.88 and 60.59%, respectively). Azizi, Mahmoudi, and Chili were characterized by higher dough tenacity, lower dough extensibility, and a greater alveograph configuration ratio P/L. The high molecular weight glutenin subunits 6+8 (Azizi and Mahmoudi) and 7+15 (Chili), coded by the Glu-B1 locus, improved gluten strength and viscoelastic dough properties. Calculated HMW to LMW-GS ratios were within a narrow range of 0.17–0.29. Some genotypes have potential to be used as parents in breeding programs.     

Evaluation of adipose tissue distribution in obese fa/fa Zucker rats by in vivo MR imaging: effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists

High-resolution MRI of obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats was investigated to characterize and assess in vivo adipose tissue distribution. Thirty animals were gavaged with a placebo, a PPAR activator (pioglitazone), or a dual PPAR activator (LM 4156). At day 15, T₁-weighted images were acquired in vivo using a 2TMRI system with a high in-plane spatial resolution (254 m). Fat volumes of selected territories were measured by image segmentation, and the retroperitoneal fat was weighed post-mortem. Body-weight gain was significant with pioglitazone (101.8±5.9 g, p<0.01 vs. placebo). The good quality of MR images allowed the delimitation and quantification of different fat territories. In response to pioglitazone, the retroperitoneal fat was more important compared to placebo (+23%, p<0.01) while subcutaneous fat was not different. No significant effects were observed with LM 4156. In vivo measurements of fat volumes were strongly correlated with ex vivo tissue weights (r=0.91). High-resolution MRI provides an in vivo measurement of adipose tissue distribution in obese Zucker rats. Specific fat depots of regions that were particularly involved in drug response were determined in vivo. Fat remodeling was observed with pioglitazone but not with a dual PPAR activator (LM 4156).     

Permittivity and permeability measurement of microwave packaging materials

There has recently been a growing interest in using new packaging materials-dielectric and/or magnetic-in a wide variety of applications for controlling the microwave heating of food. The study of the thermal behavior of these products requires the accurate determination of the complex permittivity and permeability when the temperature varies, and when the materials are irradiated in specific conditions. One of the main challenges is to distinguish the dielectric losses from the magnetic ones. In this paper, a practical measurement method is proposed, which consists of irradiating a rod sample successively with a homogeneous electric-field distribution with a low magnetic field and with a homogeneous magnetic-field distribution with low electric field. An accurate and efficient electromagnetic analysis tool is used to generate a set of points, which allow the construction of several bilinear functions that relate the scattering parameters of the circuit to the complex values of /spl epsiv/ and /spl mu/ so that /spl epsiv/ and /spl mu/ can then be easily determined from experimental measurements in accordance to whatever the special irradiation conditions. Some results for test materials are presented and discussed.     

The augmented weighted Tchebychev norm for optimizing a linear function over an integer efficient set of a multicriteria linear program

In this paper, we propose a new exact algorithm, using an augmented weighted Tchebychev norm, for optimizing a linear function on the efficient set of a multiple objective integer linear programming problem. This norm is optimized progressively by improving the value of the linear criteria and going through some efficient solutions. The method produced not only the best efficient solution of the linear objective function but also a subset of nondominated solutions that can help decision makers to select the best decision among a large set of Pareto solutions.     

Robust H ∞ control for T–S fuzzy systems with time-varying delay

This article focuses on the problem of robust H _∞ control for uncertain T–S fuzzy systems with time-varying delay. By employing a novel technique, new delay-dependent stabilisation conditions for the existence of a robust H _∞ controller are obtained based on the parallel distributed compensation method. The result obtained is an important contribution as it establishes a new way that can reduce the conservatism without imposing any restrictions and computational efforts at the same time. In this article, all the conditions are shown in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which can be solved efficiently by using LMI optimisation techniques. Two numerical examples are given to demonstrate the merits of the approach proposed in this article. Finally, application to control a truck-trailer is also given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design method.     

Analysis of two-dimensional transient conduction–radiation problems in an anisotropically scattering participating enclosure using the lattice Boltzmann method and the control volume finite element method

This study deals with the performance evaluation of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and the control volume finite element method (CVFEM) in terms of their abilities to provide accurate results in solving combined transient conduction and radiation mode problems in a two-dimensional rectangular enclosure containing an absorbing, emitting and anisotropically scattering medium. Coupling problems for mixed kind thermal boundary are worked out for reflective interfaces. Effects of various parameters are studied on the distributions of temperature, radiative and conductive heat fluxes. The results of the LBM in conjunction with the CVFEM have been found to compare very well with available results in the literature. So, the numerical approach is extended to deal with a practical combination of mixed boundary conditions in a transient multi-dimensional combined conductive radiative heat transfer problems in an emitting, absorbing, anisotropically scattering enclosure.     

Sunthesis of α-ω unsaturated oligomers by chemical modification of dihydroxylated compounds

Conclusion - unsaturated oligomers are obtained in a biphasic system using a phase transfert agent (tetrabutyl ammonium hydrogenosulfate), vigorous shaking and no heating. In accordance with this process, polyethylene and polybutylenes glycols have been modified and better yields are obtained with the second product. In fact, the partial solubility of oxyethylenic chain in water and the use of a strongly basic environment make possible the inverse reaction.     

Skeletal Optimization of Cytotoxic Lipidic Dialkynylcarbinols

In line with a recent study of the pharmacological potential of bioinspired synthetic acetylenic lipids, after identification of the terminal dialkynylcarbinol (DAC) and butadiynyl alkynylcarbinol (BAC) moieties as functional antitumor pharmacophoric units, this work specifically addresses the issue of carbon backbone length. A systematic variation of the aliphatic chain length was thus carried out in both the DAC and BAC series. The critical impact of the length of the lipidic skeleton was first confirmed in the racemic series, with the highest cytotoxic activity observed for C₁₇ to C₁₈ backbones. Enantiomerically enriched samples were prepared by asymmetric synthesis of the optimal C₁₈ DAC and C₁₇ BAC derivatives. Samples with upgraded enantiomeric purity were alternatively produced by enzymatic kinetic resolution. Eutomers possessing the S configuration displayed cytotoxicity IC₅₀ values as low as 15 nm against HCT116 cancer cells, the highest level of activity reached to date in this series.