Differences in Salivary Proteins as a Function of PROP Taster Status and Gender in Normal Weight and Obese Subjects

Taste plays an important role in processes such as food choices, nutrition status and health. Salivary proteins contribute to taste sensitivity. Taste reduction has been associated with obesity. Gender influences the obesity predisposition and the genetic ability to perceive the bitterness of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), oral marker for food preferences and consumption. We investigated variations in the profile of salivary proteome, analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS, between sixty-one normal weight subjects (NW) and fifty-seven subjects with obesity (OB), based on gender and PROP sensitivity. Results showed variations of taste-related salivary proteins between NW and OB, which were differently associated with gender and PROP sensitivity. High levels of Ps-1, II-2 and IB-1 proteins belonging to basic proline rich proteins (bPRPs) and PRP-1 protein belonging to acid proline rich proteins (aPRPs) were found in OB males, who showed a lower body mass index (BMI) than OB females. High levels of Ps-1 protein and Cystatin SN (Cyst SN) were found in OB non-tasters, who had lower BMI than OB super-tasters. These new insights on the role of salivary proteins as a factor driving the specific weight gain of OB females and super-tasters, suggest the use of specific proteins as a strategic tool modifying taste responses related to eating behavior.     

Wires for spring construction: full scale fatigue experimental tests

Meccanica - The paper deals with the experimental assessment of the fatigue life of wires for spring construction. Fatigue testing of full-scale wires is not a well established procedure. The aim...     

Radioanalytical researches performed in the Continental Contamination Laboratory,CNEN, Casaccia Nuclear Center,Rome, Italy

A report is given on the various research activities concerning radioanalytical chemistry performed in the following fields; (a) radiochemistry; (b) non-nuclear methods; (c) instrumental neutron activation analysis; (d) computer analysis of γ-ray spectra. All these activities are carried on in the frame of two surveys extended to the whole Italian territory: the first one on the radioactive environmental contamination both of natural and of artificial origin; the second one on a number of non-radioactive trace elements, with a particular emphasis upon their presence, as contaminants, in the food-chain and upon their uptake by man.     

Time scale and freeze-out volume in the Xe + Cu reaction at 45 MeV/u

Correlations between Intermediate Mass Fragments were measured for the reaction Xe + Cu atE/A= 45 MeV/u. The velocity correlation function for central 3-fold events, depleted at small values of the relative coordinate, as typical for fast decay processes, reflects the mutual Coulomb repulsion between the emitted fragments. From the comparisons between a significant number of experimental observables and the predictions of the Berlin Multifragmentation Model, it appears that the data are compatible with a simultaneous multifragment emission.     

Strong enhancement of extremely energetic proton production in central heavy ion collisions at intermediate energy

The energetic proton emission has been investigated as a function of the reaction centrality for the system (58)Ni + (58)Ni at 30A MeV. Extremely energetic protons (E(NN)(p) > or = 130 MeV) were measured and their multiplicity is found to increase almost quadratically with the number of participant nucleons, thus indicating the onset of a mechanism beyond one- and two-body dynamics.     

Indoor testing of road vehicle suspensions

The paper presents a method for the indoor testing of road vehicle suspension systems. A car suspension is positioned on a rotating drum located in the Laboratory for the Safety of Transport at the Politecnico di Milano and it is excited as the wheel passes over a cleat fixed on the drum. The wheel accelerations, displacements and the forces/moments acting at the suspension-chassis joints are measured in the frequency range 0–120 Hz. Five special six-axis load cells have been designed and used. Transient wheel motions have been recorded. The influence of the running conditions on the relevant performance indexes related to the vibration behavior of the tire/suspension system has been assessed.     

Hard gamma as probe of nuclear dynamics

Experimental results concerning the ⁵⁸Ni + ⁵⁸Ni at 30 MeV/u and ⁵⁸Ni + ¹⁹⁷Au at 30 and 45 MeV/u reactions are presented. The emission mechanism of hard photons has been exploited to get information on the time evolution of the reactions. From the measured hard gamma multiplicity associated to different classes of heavy residues a quantitative estimate of the reaction centrality has been obtained. Moreover, evidence of a prompt Intermediate Mass Fragment (IMF) emission is shown for the Ni + Au reaction at 45 MeV/u for central collisions exploring the correlation function between thermal photons and IMF’s.