Overcoming Undesirable Knowledge Redundancy in Territorial Clusters

This work analyzes the existence of redundant knowledge associated with geographic networks of firms. Specifically, our research focuses on how firms can avoid inefficient redundancy ties derived from territorial clusters. We propose that firms embedded in a dense and strong-tie network generate redundant knowledge flows. However, they may use structural dispersion to mediate and overcome this limitation. Our empirical study was conducted drawing on the Spanish ceramic tile industrial cluster to test the potential association between social capital and redundancy. Our findings support the idea that structural dispersion mediates the effects of strong ties and the generation of knowledge redundancy.     

Chemical compounds and toxicological assessments of drinking water stored in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles: A source of controversy reviewed

A declaration of conformity according to European regulation No. 10/2011 is required to ensure the safety of plastic materials in contact with foodstuffs. This regulation established a positive list of substances that are authorized for use in plastic materials. Some compounds are subject to restrictions and/or specifications according to their toxicological data. Despite this, the analysis of PET reveals some non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) produced by authorized initial reactants and additives.Genotoxic and estrogenic activities in PET-bottled water have been reported. Chemical mixtures in bottled water have been suggested as the source of these toxicological effects. Furthermore, sample preparation techniques, such as solid-phase extraction (SPE), to extract estrogen-like compounds in bottled water are controversial. It has been suggested that inappropriate extraction methods and sample treatment may result in false-negative or positive responses when testing water extracts in bioassays. There is therefore a need to combine chemical analysis with bioassays to carry out hazard assessments.Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and antimony are clearly related to migration from PET into water. However, several studies have shown other theoretically unexpected substances in bottled water. The origin of these compounds has not been clearly established (PET container, cap-sealing resins, background contamination, water processing steps, NIAS, recycled PET, etc.).Here, we surveyed toxicological studies on PET-bottled water and chemical compounds that may be present therein. Our literature review shows that contradictory results for PET-bottled water have been reported, and differences can be explained by the wide variety of analytical methods, bioassays and exposure conditions employed.     

Optimization of a HS-SPME-GC-MS Procedure for Beer Volatile Profiling Using Response Surface Methodology: Application to Follow Aroma Stability of Beers Under Different Storage Conditions

The optimization of the main experimental variables, such as extraction temperature, volume of sample and the extraction time of an HS-SPME/GC-MS procedure, for profiling beer volatile analysis was evaluated using response surface methodology. A central composite circumscribed design was employed to study the effect of the experimental variables on the extraction of 28 representative volatile compounds of beer flavour profile. The parameters of the models were estimated by multiple linear regressions. The strongest influence in the volatile extraction yield was the volume of the sample (V) and the extraction temperature (T), with a positive and a negative effect, respectively. The performance characteristics of the optimised method were also determined, showing adequate linear ranges, repeatability, detection and quantification limits. The optimised methodology was applied to the same beer sample stored during 5?months at three different temperature conditions (4, 20 and 40?°C). Sampling was performed monthly, and the results showed that the concentration of most volatile compounds decreased during beer storage, although the rate of decrease was clearly higher at room temperature (20?°C) compared with refrigeration conditions (4?°C). Accelerated ageing conditions (40?°C) showed the most different volatile profile. Sensory analysis also revealed large differences in the overall quality of the samples, showing that even at room temperature the aroma profile of beer is greatly modified during its shelf life.     

New epoxy thermosets obtained from diglycidylether of bisphenol a and modified hyperbranched polyesters with long aliphatic chains cured by diisocyanates

Hyperbranched polyesters modified with long aliphatic chains with vinyl or epoxy groups as chain ends were synthesized and added as modifiers to diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A/toluene‐2,4‐diisocyanate mixtures in the presence of benzyldimethylamine as catalyst. The influence of the addition of these modifiers on the curing was investigated by thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy. The materials obtained were investigated by electron microscopy and some mechanical characteristics were determined by nanoindentation tests. Epoxy terminated hyperbranched led to homogeneous materials with high crosslinking densities, whereas vinyl terminated hyperbranched produced phase separated morphologies. The materials showing phase separation presented a tough fracture, whereas the homogeneous materials obtained with epoxidated hyperbranched showed increased brittleness on increasing the proportion of modifier. On increasing the proportion of vinyl terminated hyperbranched in the thermosets, Young's modulus and hardness decreased but the addition of epoxy terminated hyperbranched did not influence these parameters. The addition of vinylic hyperbranched to the formulations produced a decrease in the curing shrinkage, whereas the epoxidic hyperbranched did not. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The use of dihydrazides as latent curing agents in diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A coatings

Dihydrazides of different structure were synthesized and tested as curing agents for DGEBA epoxy coatings. By calorimetric studies their latent characteristics were proved and the kinetics of the curing studied. The temperatures of activation are usually dependant on the melting point of the dihydrazide. The acceleration by base and Lewis acids was proved, but the latent character was diminished. FTIR/ATR allowed characterizing the final structures of the thermosets and confirming that the fully cured was achieved. The thermal stability of the materials and their thermomechanical characteristics were evaluated by TGA and DMTA, respectively. Mechanical properties of the thermosets were also determined.     

Effect of in vitro digestion upon the antioxidant capacity of aqueous extracts of Agrimonia eupatoria, Rubus idaeus, Salvia sp. and Satureja montana

An in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture model was used to assess the stability and bioavailability of phenolic compounds in aqueous extracts of four herbal infusions, traditionally used as functional drinks in Portugal. Alterations in antioxidant power were monitored by ABTS⁺, whereas the profile of phenolic compounds was ascertained by HPLC-DAD. The bioavailability of rutin - an important flavonoid present in such extracts, and thus a representative of those compounds, was assessed across Caco-2 cells via LC-MS/MS. Our results indicate that several antioxidant compounds are not affected by the (simulated) digestive process, whereas others undergo decreases in their activity throughout said process; a few have their antioxidant capacity hampered under stomach-like conditions. It was also found that rutin can be transported across the Caco-2 cell barrier.     

Use of infrared ocular thermography to assess physiological conditions of pigs prior to slaughter and predict pork quality variation

Infrared thermography (IRT) body temperature readings were taken in the ocular region of 258 pigs immediately before slaughter. Levels of lactate were measured in blood taken in the restrainer. Meat quality was assessed in the longissimus dorsi (LD), semimembranosus (SM), and adductor muscles. Ocular IRT (IROT) temperature was correlated with blood lactate levels (r = 0.20; P = 0.001), with pH taken 1 hour postmortem (pH1: r = − 0.18; P = 0.03) and drip loss (r = 0.20; P = 0.02) in the LD muscle, and with pH1 in the SM muscle (r = − 0.20; P = 0.02). Potentially, IROT may be a useful tool to assess the physiological conditions of pigs at slaughter and predict the variation of important meat quality traits. However, the magnitude of the correlations is rather low, so a further development of image capture technique and further studies under more variable preslaughter conditions ensuring a larger pork quality variation are needed.     

Epoxy/anhydride networks modified with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes

Epoxy/anhydride networks were modified, in the presence of benzyldimethylamine as catalyst, with two polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS), whose inorganic framework had a compact and stable Si‐O core and an organic substituent shell. The influence of the content and type of POSS during curing and on the properties of the thermosets was investigated by thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy. The curing kinetics was analyzed by means of an integral isoconversional nonisothermal procedure. When the POSS modifier was added, the storage modulus in the rubbery plateau increased and the glass transition temperature decreased because of the presence of the flexible organic moieties and the influence in the crosslinking density. The presence of these POSS structures hardly affected the thermodegradation behavior of cured materials. The dispersion of the POSS structures in the epoxy/anhydride matrix was good, but some submicron‐sized POSS agglomerates could be observed by transmission electron microscopy. POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers