Tomato purèe quality from transgenic processing tomatoes

Summary  The quality of tomato purèe prepared from transgenic fruits ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) which had reduced amounts of polygalacturonase (PG) activity, were evaluated. The application of genetic modification yields products which have lower Bostwick consistency values (from 35 to 55%), reduced serum separation ( c . 40%) and better sensory appearance and acceptability in comparison with their conventional counterparts. A new way of producing high quality tomato products using genetically modified fruits together with mild heat treatments is described.     

Modeling of photonic crystal fiber Raman amplifiers

An accurate model has been developed to study photonic crystal fiber Raman amplifiers. The proposed approach calculates the Raman gain efficiency starting from the knowledge of the fiber cross-sectional characteristics, i.e., the geometric parameters and the germania concentration in the doped area. The model allows the study of the Raman amplification process in a photonic crystal fiber with any air-hole dimension and disposition, with or without a central doped area, as well as in standard single-mode fibers with an arbitrary refractive-index profile. This flexibility allows identification of the optimum values of the physical and geometrical photonic crystal fiber parameters, and thus it guarantees an efficient design for Raman amplifiers. For example, a Raman gain of 13.7 dB at 1554.8 nm has been obtained with a 6-km-long low-loss germania-doped triangular photonic crystal fiber with d//spl Lambda/=0.44 and /spl Lambda/=4.2 /spl mu/m.     

In-field performance of an optical digitizer for the reverse engineering of free-form surfaces

The use of OPL-3D, a robust, flexible and easy-to-use optical digitizer, in conjunction with reverse engineering procedures is presented. The optical digitizer is used as a stand-alone (i.e., not in tandem with popular CMM’s) system, whose output point clouds can be manipulated, by means of both specifically-designed software and high-performance commercial software, to produce mesh surfaces and NURBS of the acquired shape. The digitizer-process combination yields accurate digital replicas of the target object, the accuracy of the whole combination being on the order of 1/1500 of the measurement range. The speed of acquisition, combined with the above high accuracy, the ease of use and the fact that recalibration is seldom required makes the digitizer ideal for reverse engineering in an enormous number of applications ranging from automotive to biomedical.     

Modeling and control of expressiveness in music performance

Expression is an important aspect of music performance. It is the added value of a performance and is part of the reason that music is interesting to listen to and sounds alive. Understanding and modeling expressive content communication is important for many engineering applications in information technology. For example, in multimedia products, textual information is enriched by means of graphical and audio objects. In this paper, we present an original approach to modify the expressive content of a performance in a gradual way, both at the symbolic and signal levels. To this purpose, we discuss a model that applies a smooth morphing among performances with different expressive content, adapting the audio expressive character to the user's desires. Morphing can be realized with a wide range of graduality (from abrupt to very smooth), allowing adaptation of the system to different situations. The sound rendering is obtained by interfacing the expressiveness model with a dedicated postprocessing environment, which allows for the transformation of the event cues. The processing is based on the organized control of basic audio effects. Among the basic effects used, an original method for the spectral processing of audio is introduced.     

Characterization of α-carrageenan solution behavior by field-flow fractionation and multiangle light scattering

The salt mediated molecular conformation change of alpha (α)-carrageenan was studied in 0.1 M solutions of NaCl, NaI, and KCl. Asymmetric Field-Flow Fractionation with multiangle laser light scattering (AFFF/MALLS) detection was used to determine the average molecular weight, radius of gyration, and hydrodynamic radius which were in turn used to calculate the molecular density. In the presence of 0.1 M NaCl, an inert salt that does not promote gelation, α-carrageenan has a denser structure compared to κ-carrageenan of a similar molecular weight. A distinct and dramatic increase in the molecular weight (factor of 2) was observed for α-carrageenan in 0.1 M NaI compared to 0.1 M NaCl. This combined with only a slight change in the radius of gyration, suggests intermolecular interaction to a more compact structure (e.g., coaxial helices). A similar increase in molecular weight is observed in 0.1 M KCl, accompanied with an approximate 50% increase in the radius of gyration as well as an increase in polydispersity. This may also be attributed to intermolecular interaction with helix formation (coaxial or lateral) or may be due to K⁺ cations interacting with naturally occurring residual ι-carrageenan in the sample. As previously reported for other carrageenans the random coil to helix transition of α-carrageenan appears to be stabilized by K⁺ cation or I⁻ anion in an aqueous environment.     

Combined Nano‐ and Micro‐Scale Topographic Cues for Engineered Vascular Constructs by Electrospinning and Imprinted Micro‐Patterns

The major cause of synthetic vessel failure is thrombus and neointima formation. To prevent these problems the creation of a continuous and elongated endothelium inside lumen vascular grafts might be a promising solution for tissue engineering. Different micro‐ and nano‐surface topographic cues including grooved micro‐patterns and electrospun fibers have been previously demonstrated to guide the uniform alignment of endothelial cells (ECs). Here, with a very simple and highly versatile approach we combined electrospinning with soft lithography to fabricate nanofibrous scaffolds with oriented fibers modulated by different micro‐grooved topographies. The effect of these scaffolds on the behavior of the ECs are analyzed, including their elongation, spreading, proliferation, and functioning using unpatterned random and aligned nanofibers (NFs) as controls. It is demonstrated that both aligned NFs and micro‐patterns effectively influence the cellular response, and that a proper combination of topographic parameters, exploiting the synergistic effects of micro‐scale and sub‐micrometer features, can promote EC elongation, allowing the creation of a confluent ECs monolayer in analogy with the natural endothelium as assessed by the positive expression of vinculin. Combining different micro‐ and nano‐topographic cues by complementary soft patterning and spinning technologies could open interesting perspectives for engineered vascular replacement constructions.     

Harmful dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf. ovata Fukuyo: detection of ovatoxins in field samples and cell immunolocalization using antipalytoxin antibodies

Ostreopsis cf. ovata, a benthic dinoflagellate often blooming along the Mediterranean coasts, has been associated with toxic events ranging from dyspnea to mild dermatitis. In late September 2009, an Ostreopsis cf. ovata bloom occurred in the Gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic Sea; Italy), causing pruritus and mild dermatitis in beachgoers. An integrated study was initiated to characterize Ostreopsis cells by light and confocal microscopy, PCR techniques, immunocytochemistry, and high resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HR LC-MS). The presence of Ostreopsis cf. ovata of the Atlantic/Mediterranean clade was unambiguously established by morphological and genetic analyses in field samples. Several palytoxin-like compounds (ovatoxin-a,-b,-c,-d,-e) were identified by HR LC-MS, ovatoxin-a being the most abundant (45-64 pg/cell). Surprisingly, no palytoxin was detected. For the first time, monoclonal and polyclonal antipalytoxin antibodies revealed the intracellular cytoplasmic localization of ovatoxins, suggesting their cross-reactivity with these antibodies. Since harmful dinoflagellates do not always produce toxins, the immunocytochemical localization of ovatoxins, although qualitative, can provide an early warning for toxic Ostreopsis cells before their massive diffusion and/or concentration in seafood.     

Wavelet transforms to probe long- and short-range forces by thermally excited dynamic force spectroscopy

The use of wavelet transforms in thermally excited dynamic force spectroscopy allows us to gain insight into the fundamental thermodynamical properties of a cantilever's Brownian motion as well as giving a meaningful and intuitive representation of the cantilever dynamics in time and frequency caused by the interaction with long- and short-range forces. The possibility of carrying out measurements across the jump-to-contact transition without interruption, providing information on both van der Waals forces and short-range adhesion surface forces, is remarkable.     

Effect of biological and chemical oxidation on the removal of estrogenic compounds (NP and BPA) from wastewater: an integrated assessment procedure

A major source of the wide presence of EDCs (Endocrine Disrupting Compounds) in water bodies is represented by direct/indirect discharge of sewage. Recent scientific literature reports data about their trace concentration in water, sediments and aquatic organisms, as well as removal efficiencies of different wastewater treatment schemes. Despite the availability of a huge amount of data, some doubts still persist due to the difficulty in evaluating synergistic effects of trace pollutants in complex matrices. In this paper, an integrated assessment procedure was used, based on chemical and biological analyses, in order to compare the performance of two full scale biological wastewater treatment plants (either equipped with conventional settling tanks or with an ultrafiltration membrane unit) and tertiary ozonation (pilot scale).Nonylphenol and bisphenol A were chosen as model EDCs, together with the parent compounds mono- and di-ethoxylated nonylphenol (quantified by means of GC-MS). Water estrogenic activity was evaluated by applying the human breast cancer MCF-7 based reporter gene assay. Process parameters (e.g., sludge age, temperature) and conventional pollutants (e.g., COD, suspended solids) were also measured during monitoring campaigns.Conventional activated sludge achieved satisfactory removal of both analytes and estrogenicity. A further reduction of biological activity was exerted by MBR (Membrane Biological Reactor) as well as ozonation; the latter contributed also to decrease EDC concentrations.     

Optimised design of energy efficient building façades via Evolutionary Neural Networks

Buildings are required to be more and more energy efficient, in order to comply with restrictive requirements of building regulations and energy certifications. Optimisation algorithms have shown to be effective in identifying good solutions for the design of efficient building services. In this article Evolutionary Neural Network Design (ENN-Design) has been adopted to drive the design of a typical façade module for an office building. This application is significant, since façades play a major role in the definition of the energy performance of buildings. Both single-objective and multi-objective optimisations have been carried out. The aim of the article is to introduce an innovative approach for improving the performance of building envelopes by means of a reasonable amount of calculation time.