Influence of the elaboration process on the peptide fraction with angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor activity in sparkling wines and red wines aged on lees

The influence of some variables on the manufacturing process for sparkling and red wines on the angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) activity has been studied. Ageing on lees significantly influenced the angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor activity in sparkling wines. It reached maximum values at 9 months, decreasing afterwards. In red wines, the ACEI activity also increased in the wines aged on lees. In both wines, hydrophobic peptides were responsible for the ACEI activity. These peptides would make a much greater contribution to the total activity if present in higher proportions. It would therefore be advantageous to increase their concentrations in wines, either by using starting materials with high initial peptide contents or by using a highly autolytic yeast, giving a greater degree of hydrolysis of wine proteins, and higher concentrations of peptides with ACEI activity.     

A Planning Model for the Fuerte-Carrizo Irrigation System, Mexico

A methodology is presented for planning the operation of the Fuerte-Carrizo irrigation system in northwest Mexico. The system has two storage dams, two irrigation districts, and water transfer capabilities between both dams. The methodology uses a combination of linear programming (LP) and simulation. The LP model maximizes the net return of the farmers, subject to restrictions of the system, availability of water and land, and water transfer relationships. The simulation model is programmed as a microcomputer interactive package simulating the performance of the system. The methodology has proven to be a useful tool to assist those responsible for the operation of the irrigation system.     

Simultaneous sulfide and acetate oxidation under denitrifying conditions using an inverse fluidized bed reactor

BACKGROUND: Simultaneous removal of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon compounds from wastewaters is a commercially important biological process. The objective was to evaluate the influence of the CH₃COO^?/NO₃^? molar ratio on the sulfide oxidation process using an inverse fluidized bed reactor (IFBR). RESULTS: Three molar ratios of CH₃COO^?/NO₃^? (0.85, 0.72 and 0.62) with a constant S^2?/NO₃^? molar ratio of 0.13 were evaluated. At a CH₃COO^?/NO₃^? molar ratio of 0.85, the nitrate, acetate and sulfide removal efficiencies were approximately 100%. The N₂ yield (g N₂ g^?1 NO₃^?‐N consumed) was 0.81. Acetate was mineralized, resulting in a yield of 0.65 g inorganic‐C g^?1 CH₃COO^?‐C consumed. Sulfide was partially oxidized to S⁰, and 71% of the S^2? consumed was recovered as elemental sulfur by a settler installed in the IFBR. At a CH₃COO^?/NO₃^? molar ratio of 0.72, the efficiencies of nitrate, acetate and sulfide consumption were of 100%, with N₂ and inorganic‐C yields of 0.84 and 0.69, respectively. The sulfide was recovered as sulfate instead of S⁰, with a yield of 0.92 g SO₄^2?‐S g^?1 S^2? consumed. CONCLUSIONS: The CH₃COO^?/NO₃^? molar ratio was shown to be an important parameter that can be used to control the fate of sulfide oxidation to either S⁰ or sulfate. In this study, the potential of denitrification for the simultaneous removal of organic matter, sulfide and nitrate from wastewaters was demonstrated, obtaining CO₂, S⁰ and N₂ as the major end products. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Biofiltration of toluene in the absence and the presence of ethyl acetate under continuous and intermittent loading

BACKGROUND: Two peat biofilters were used for the removal of toluene from air for one year. One biofilter was fed with pure toluene and the other received 1:1 (by weight) ethyl acetate:toluene mixture. RESULTS: The biofilters were operated under continuous loading: the toluene inlet load (IL) at which 80% removal occurred was 116 g m^?3 h^?1 at 57 s gas residence time. Maximum elimination capacity of 360 g m^?3 h^?1 was obtained at an IL of 745 g m^?3 h^?1. The elimination of toluene was inhibited by the presence of ethyl acetate. Intermittent loading, with pollutants supplied for 16 h/day, 5 days/week, did not significantly affect the removal efficiency (RE). Biomass was fully activated in 2 h after night closures, but 6 h were required to recover RE after weekend closures. Live cell density remained relatively constant over the operational period, while the dead cell fraction increased. Finally, a 15 day starvation period was applied and operation then re‐started. Performance was restored with similar re‐acclimatization period to that after weekend closures, and a reduction in dead cell fraction was observed. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the capacity of the system to handle intermittent loading conditions that are common in industrial practices, including long‐term starvation. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Reflections on the institutionalization process of scientific research in Latin America: the case of Cinvestav

Scientometrics - Consolidation of the scientific activity in Latin American research centers has been a matter of serious concern in recent years. In the present study we use a data set of the WoS...     

Multivariate evaluation of Spanish educational research journals

This paper informs about an evaluation of Spanish educational research journals using the modality of reputation inferred from survey data. Univariate and multivariate patterns are offered. Specifically cluster analysis and non-parametric multidimensional scaling reveal themselves as useful methods to inquire the complexity of this scientometric question which is the evaluation of periodical series. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Coordinating control of production-inventory systems

In most cases real world subsystems for inventory and production control are designed according to very elementary control principles. In order to control the total system, some kind of coordinating control of the subsystems is needed. The approach pursued in this paper is to control the over-all-system by varying different control-parameters of the subsystems. The control system is therefore regarded as a two-level hierarchical system. Coordinating control is carried out with the aid of simple dynamic models based on aggregate terms. Problems concerning the identification of inventory-dynamics ore highlighted. In order to show how the models developed can be used efficiently for coordinating the control of an integrated production-inventory system, a simple control principle is applied to a simulated system.     

Road rage among drug dependent patients

The consumption of alcohol, cocaine and cannabis is associated with aggressive behaviour, being a victim of injuries from various causes, and suffering traffic accidents. On the other hand, there is a significant association between road rage and traffic accidents, yet this has not been studied in persons suffering a substance dependence disorder. This study analyses the prevalence of road rage in substance dependent patients undergoing treatment. 100 patients randomly selected at an outpatient treatment centre were included in the study. 63% of the patients had experienced road rage in the year prior to the interview, and 18% were serious perpetrators. There was a higher frequency among drivers and those who were starting treatment for cocaine and cocaine + heroin. The study shows that road rage is very frequent among patients with disorders due to substance dependence who are undergoing treatment, in particular the most severe form (“serious perpetrators”). Special attention should be addressed to the issue of driving and road rage during the treatment of these patients.     

A parallel cooperative team of multiobjective evolutionary algorithms for motif discovery

When solving a wide range of complex scenarios of a given optimization problem, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to develop a single technique or algorithm that is able to solve all of them adequately. In this case, it is necessary to combine several algorithms by applying the most appropriate one in each case. Parallel computing can be used to improve the quality of the solutions obtained in a cooperative algorithms model. Exchanging information between parallel cooperative algorithms will alter their behavior in terms of solution searching, and it may be more effective than a sequential metaheuristic. For demonstrating this, a parallel cooperative team of four multiobjective evolutionary algorithms based on OpenMP is proposed for solving different scenarios of the Motif Discovery Problem (MDP), which is an important real-world problem in the biological domain. As we will see, the results show that the application of a properly configured parallel cooperative team achieves high quality solutions when solving the addressed problem, improving those achieved by the algorithms executed independently for a much longer time.