Almost Kenmotsu manifolds with a condition of η-parallelism

We consider almost Kenmotsu manifolds (M²ⁿ⁺¹,φ,ξ,η,g) with η-parallel tensor h^′=h○φ, 2h being the Lie derivative of the structure tensor φ with respect to the Reeb vector field ξ. We describe the Riemannian geometry of an integral submanifold of the distribution orthogonal to ξ, characterizing the CR-integrability of the structure. Under the additional condition _ξh^′=0, the almost Kenmotsu manifold is locally a warped product. Finally, some lightlike structures on M²ⁿ⁺¹ are introduced and studied.     

Electromagnetic processes in a χEFT framework

Recently,we have derived a two–nucleon potential and consistent nuclear electromagnetic currents in chiral effective field theory with pions and nucleons as explicit degrees of freedom.The calculation of the currents has been carried out to include N 3 LO corrections,consisting of two–pion exchange and contact contributions.The latter involve unknown low-energy constants （LECs）,some of which have been fixed by fitting the np Sand P-wave phase shifts up to 100 MeV lab energies.The remaining LECs entering the current operator are determined so as to reproduce the experimental deuteron and trinucleon magnetic moments,as well as the np cross section.This electromagnetic current operator is utilized to study the nd and n 3 He radiative captures at thermal neutron energies.Here we discuss our results stressing on the important role played by the LECs in reproducing the experimental data.     

A Review of the Effects of Olive Oil-Cooking on Phenolic Compounds

The fate of phenolic compounds in oil and food during cooking vary according to the type of cooking. From a nutritional point of view, reviews largely suggest a preference for using extra-virgin olive oil at a low temperature for a short time, except for frying and microwaving, for which there appears to be no significant advantages compared to olive oil. However, due to the poorly pertinent use of terminology, the different protocols adopted in studies aimed at the same objective, the different type and quality of oils used in experiments, and the different quality and quantity of PC present in the used oils and in the studied vegetables, the evidence available is mainly contradictory. This review tries to reanalyse the main experimental reports on the fate, accessibility and bioavailability of phenolic compounds in cooking oils and cooked vegetables, by considering different cooking techniques and types of oil and foods, and distinguishing experimental findings obtained using oil alone from those in combination with vegetables. The re-analysis indicates that incomplete and contradictory observations have been published in the last few years and suggests that further research is necessary to clarify the impact of cooking techniques on the phenolic compounds in oil and vegetables during cooking, especially when considering their nutritional properties.     

Asymptotic density profile of a classical fluid against a hard wall

The asymptotic density profile of classical simple fluids in contact with a hard wall is studied using the hypernetted chain approximation for inhomogeneous systems. It is shown that the one-particle distribution function tends very slowly to the density of the bulk, also in absence of a long-range wall-particle interaction, when the pair interaction between particles in the bulk varies as an inverse power at large distances.     

Determination of biogenic amines in fresh and processed meat by suppressed ion chromatography-mass spectrometry using a cation-exchange column

A new method for simultaneous determination of underivatized biogenic amines based on the separation by cation-exchange chromatography and suppressed conductivity coupled with mass spectrometry detection has been developed. The method has been applied to the analysis of cadaverine, putrescine, histamine, agmatine, phenethylamine and spermidine in processed meat products. The amines were extracted from muscle tissue with methanesulfonic acid without any additional derivative step or sample clean-up. Biogenic amines were separated by the IonPac CS17 column, a cation-exchange column used with gradient elution, and detection was done by suppressed conductivity and mass spectrometry. Tyramine was simultaneously analysed by using a spectrophotometer (275 nm) before the suppressed conductivity detection. Linearity of response was obtained in the range 0.25-25 microg mL(-1). The detection limits ranged from 23 microg L(-1) for putrescine to 155 microg L(-1) for spermidine (suppressed conductivity) and from 9 microg L(-1) for agmatine to 34 microg L(-1) for spermidine (MS). Average recoveries from meat samples ranged from 85 to 97% and coefficients of variation ranged from 4.5 to 9.7%. The analysis of biogenic amines in fresh and processed meats (dry-cured, cooked and fermented products) can be used as a quality marker of raw material and for studying the relationship between their changes and the fermentation process involved in dry sausage ripening.     

Comparison of the simplex,marquardt, and extended and iterated extended kalman filter procedures in the estimation of parameters from voltammetric curves

The use of the simplex, Marquardt, and extended and iterated extended Kalman filter nonlinear least-squares curve-fitting methods is examined for evaluation of parameters in linear-sweep and cyclic voltammetric curves. The EE mechanism (two-electron transfer) is considered as a reference process and the relevant results are compared on the basis of accuracy, computing time and robustness. The E° values for l-β-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine are calculated.     

A pH-stat study of the reaction of some transition metal cations with disodium ethylenedinitrilotetraacetate (EDTA) and its analytical application

The pH-stat titration technique is an autonomous and very powerful tool for performing and monitoring chelatometric titrations of metal cations with great accuracy, poorly known, however, and seldom exploited. Based on measurement of the amount of strong base required to keep the pH of the test solution at a selected value during stepwise known additions of ethylenedinitrilotetraacetate (EDTA), it requires a glass electrode as the only sensor and is easily implemented on potentiometric titrators. It was introduced a quarter of century ago on an empirical basis for a very peculiar purpose (determination of calcium in diary products), but only very recently it was generalised and its fundamentals were thoroughly examined. In this work, pH-static titrations of some transition metal cations of analytical relevance (Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Mn²⁺, Zn²⁺) were thoroughly investigated in the acid pH range between 2.3 and 5 or 7 (the highest pH depending on the metal hydroxide or carbonate solubility). The results at higher acidity showed unsuspected properties of such chelation reactions. At moderately acid pH (generally ≥4), indeed, pH-static titrations yield results of high precision and accuracy. On decreasing pH, however, the reaction stoichiomety deviates more and more from the 1:1 ratio between chelating agent and cation, seemingly because of formation of binuclear complexes, an occurrence very seldom mentioned in the current literature. The optimal titration conditions for each metal are defined, and directions for establishing a laboratory protocol for quantitative determinations are given.     

Identification and semi-quantitative determination of gum Arabic in wines by GC-MS and size exclusion chromatography

A method for the identification and the semi-quantitative determination of the food additive gum Arabic in wines is described. Tests carried out on solutions spiked with known amounts of wine and gum Arabic polysaccharides allowed to define the suitable conditions for their quantitative precipitation and size exclusion analysis. CG-MS analyses of the different recovered fractions allowed to discriminate between gum Arabic and wine polysaccharides through the identification of glucose and mannose present only in wine polysaccharides. The proposed method was based on the wine polysaccharides free peak area obtained by size exclusion chromatography. The same cut-off time was always used both in the preparation of the calibration plot and in the analysis of the real samples. Gum Arabic was determined in a ratio of 1/10 w/w with wine polysaccharides with a detection limit of 0.074 mg ml(-1) which is lower than the lowest gum Arabic amount usually added into wines. Owing to the moderately low natural variability of the gum Arabic standards the described procedure is suitable for a semi-quantitative analysis even if its accuracy allowed a quite reliable determination of the gum Arabic amount usually added to wine.     

Expanded-bed adsorption utilizing ion-exchange resin to purify extracellular β-galactosidase

The application of expanded-bed ion-exchange resins allows the elimination of intermediary particulate separation steps like filtration or centrifugation prior to adsorption steps in enzyme-purification processes from crude fermentation broths. This work is concerned with the experimental evaluation data of a process related to the adsorption of an extracellular p-galactosidase from the fungiScopulariopsis. The protein recovery in the ion-exchange resin Accell Plus QMA™ was accomplished using a continuous-monitoring method. The direct adsorption step was followed by a elution step with concentrated NaCl solutions aiming to improve the enzyme-specific activity. Experimental data for fixed and expanded bed were compared     

Reducibility of homogeneous Riemannian structures of the class ℐ3 in low dimension

We study naturally reductive spaces with an Ambrose-Singer connection having an algebraic curvature tensor field. We prove a decomposition theorem for spaces of dimension n6.This work was partially supported by M.P.I.