Judging approachability on the face of it: The influence of face and body expressions on the perception of approachability.

The aim of the current study was to examine how emotional expressions displayed by the face and body influence the decision to approach or avoid another individual. In Experiment 1, we examined approachability judgments provided to faces and bodies presented in isolation that were displaying angry, happy, and neutral expressions. Results revealed that angry expressions were associated with the most negative approachability ratings, for both faces and bodies. The effect of happy expressions was shown to differ for faces and bodies, with happy faces judged more approachable than neutral faces, whereas neutral bodies were considered more approachable than happy bodies. In Experiment 2, we sought to examine how we integrate emotional expressions depicted in the face and body when judging the approachability of face-body composite images. Our results revealed that approachability judgments given to face-body composites were driven largely by the facial expression. In Experiment 3, we then aimed to determine how the categorization of body expression is affected by facial expressions. This experiment revealed that body expressions were less accurately recognized when the accompanying facial expression was incongruent than when neutral. These findings suggest that the meaning extracted from a body expression is critically dependent on the valence of the associated facial expression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tree Nut Oils: Chemical Profiles,Extraction, Stability,and Quality Concerns

Tree nuts are globally consumed. Their kernels are calorie‐rich, nutrient‐dense foods and contain several bioactive and health‐promoting components. While some nut crops have expanded through the world since ancient times (almond, hazelnut, walnut), more recently, there has been a parallel development of underexploited promising species (Brazil nut, macadamia, pecan). Nut kernels have high lipid content, ranging from 40% to 80% depending on nut species and varieties. In general, nut oils contain significant proportions of nutritionally and medicinally desirable fatty acids and nutraceutical compounds (sterols, tocopherols, and other phenolics). A considerable genetic variability in oil content and composition is present in nut genetic resources worldwide. This suggests the possibility of different breeding lines focused to enhance oil yields, chemical and quality traits. Regarding extraction, screw‐pressing is suitable to achieve high oil recovery and good quality standards, but seed materials should be conditioned appropriately. Seed moisture content and pressing temperature appear as key variables to enhance oil recovery. This article presents an overview on chemical profiles, mechanical extraction, and quality concerns of oils from the most widely produced tree nut crops. The revision is also aimed at identifying areas where knowledge is insufficient and to set priorities for further research. Practical applications: The review updates and increases knowledge about oils from tree nut genetic resources, encompassing genetic variability and environmental effects on oil yield and compositional traits. It also analyzes findings regarding oil extraction and provides useful insights to establish better conditions for achieving sustainable oil yields and good quality standards.     

Ceramics of Ategua (Córdoba, Spain): Mineralogical and petrographic study

This paper is part of research project on the ceramics of Ategua, a village located in the Guadalquivir depression near Córdoba (S. Spain). Ategua is a major archaeological deposit with pre-Roman (pre-colonial, Tartessian and Iberian) ruins that are highly rich in ceramic pieces.This work was conducted on 20 selected pieces found in various archaeological layers spanning the following phases in the period from 900 to 350 B.C. (i.e. the beginning of the Roman republic):

(a) Phase I: pre-colonial Bronze age, from 900 to 859 B.C. in a pre-colonial necropolis.

(b) Phases II–IV: western-style and Final Bronze age, from 750 to 550 B.C.

In order to identify the origin of ceramics and the different types of materials used to produce the ceramic pieces studied, we used various techniques including: X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with EDS microanalysis and petrographic microscopy (thin section).The materials identified in most of the ceramic pieces from the archaeological phases studied were similar and also present in the geological environment, which supports an autochthonous origin. The presence of metamorphic rock clase, amphiboles and small content of TiO₂ in some of the ceramic simples could suggest its allocthonous origenorigin.This paper reports the first mineral and petrographic data on pre-Roman ceramics from Ategua.     

Evaluation of the Degree of Starch Gelatinization by a New Enzymatic Method

In this work, a new enzymatic method is proposed to evaluate the degree of starch gelatinization in starchy food and feed. The procedure developed is based on the fact that the gelatinization process enhances the chemical reactivity of inert starch granules towards amylolytic enzymes. Aqueous suspensions of maize starch were treated at different temperatures to obtain different degrees of gelatinization, from 25 °C (control without gelatinization) until 95 °C. Heated samples were then incubated with a glucoamylase. The enzymatic activity was measured by the glucose released during the digestion time by using a standard glucose oxidase method. The initial velocity value of the enzymatic reaction (V_i) was selected as the parameter to quantify the degree of starch gelatinization (DG). Changes in granule morphology and the starch available for hydrolysis were evaluated by photomicrographs. The new method was standardized and compared with DSC and viscosity measurements in order to check its efficiency, considering the DG observed by photomicrographs. A good agreement was observed between the DG calculated by V_i and by DSC (correlation coefficient r = 0, 97), thus V_i reflect the degree of starch gelatinization as well as DSC. These results show that the developed enzymatic procedure is an effective method to evaluate the DG in starchy foods and feeds.