1,721,173 research outputs found
Physical preteatment on plums (Prunus domestica). Note II. Effect on the quality characteristics of different prune cultivars
No full textThe effects of an alternative physical pre-treatment for enhancing the drying rate of different plums (Stanley, Angeleno(R), and Empress), are evaluated by means of the principal chemical parameters and by skin colour. The pre-treatment consists of the superficial abrasion of the plums' peels using an inert abrasive material to remove the cuticular waxy layer, the limiting factor for moisture loss. The drying process was carried out at 60 C to reduce the plums' quality loss, the latter being assessed by analysing the changes in skin colour, sugars by HPLC, total phenols, total anthocyanins, and reactive substances to the vanillin-HCl reagent. The proposed physical pre-treatment, without significantly altering the other qualitative characteristics of the plums, markedly reduced the dehydration time and, as a result, caused a smaller loss of sugars in Empress and Angeleno than Stanley plums. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Effect of hormonal treatment on bone mineralization in Turner syndrome.
No full textA review of the literature together with personal results show that both growth hormone (GH) and estrogen treatments improve bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with Turner syndrome. Insofar as GH treatment alone appears to normalize BMD in girls with Turner syndrome it is suggested that substitutive estrogen treatment could be delayed in order to guarantee optimal result for their statural growth, without affecting the quality of their bone mineralization. (C) 1998 Elsevier, Paris
A statistical analysis of consumer perception of wine attributes
No full textAs for other food products wine is characterized by so called intrinsic attributes, relating to taste, color, aroma, and extrinsic attributes such as labeling information, price, region of origin, brand, packaging. The purchase decision is, therefore, originated by an inferential process which is aimed to assess wine quality from the extrinsic attributes. All the other features can, in fact, be judged only during consumption.
This contribution discusses how CUB models can be applied in order to identify: i) fundamental elements which affect purchase
decisions, ii) significant similarities and differences in the overall judgements expressed by raters on various attributes, iii) the dependence of ratings from consumers’ profile
Plasma growth hormone-binding protein activity, insulin-like growth factor I, and its binding protein levels in patients with Turner's syndrome: effect of short- and long-term recombinant human growth hormone administration.
No full textPlasma growth hormone-binding protein (GH-BP) activity and the levels of IGF-I and its binding proteins (IGFBP) were studied in eight girls with Turner's syndrome before and during recombinant-hGH (r-hGH) administration. Growth hormone and GH-BP activity were assayed at baseline and hourly, over a 12-h period, after an intramuscular bolus of 0.09 mg/kg of the hormone. After 7 d, each patient received r-hGH at 0.33 mg/kg/weekly s.c. every day at nighttime; plasma growth hormone-binding protein activity, blood IGF-I, and IGFBP were evaluated before and on d 7, 30, 180, and 360. Baseline reference values were obtained from 10 bone age- matched healthy girls. Basal GH-BP activity, IGF-I, and IGFBP levels were similar in patients and controls. Four h after the intramuscular injection, GH-BP activity maximally increased and returned to baseline 6-7 h later; during long-term r-hGH administration GH-BP activity peaked at +180 d but declined to pretreatment at +360 d. IGF-I, IGFBP-3, and IGFBP-4 increased under r-hGH and, in contrast to GH-BP activity, remained high throughout the study. In conclusion, in girls with Turner's syndrome, GH-BP activity, IGF-I, IGFBP-3, and IGFBP-4 are induced by r-hGH. However, the increase of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 does not require an increased level of the cellular growth hormone receptors, as suggested by the unchanged +360 d values of plasma GH-BP activity compared with baseline. The absence of an association among any of the biochemical parameters studied and the growth of the patients taking r-hGH suggests that a peripheral defect may affect their growth
Standardization and Quality Assessment Under the Perspective of Automated Computer-Assisted HEp-2 Immunofluorescence Assay Systems
No full textThe recent availability of automated computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) systems for the reading and interpretation of the anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) test performed with the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) method on HEp-2 cells, has improved the reproducibility of the results and initiated a process of harmonization of this test. Furthermore, CAD systems provide quantitative expression of fluorescence intensity, allowing the introduction of objective quality control procedures to the monitoring of the entire process. The calibration of the reading systems and the automated image interpretation are essential prerequisites for obtaining reproducible and harmonized IIF test results and form the basis for standardization, regardless of the computer algorithms used in the different systems. The use of automated CAD systems, facilitating control procedures, represents a step forward for the quality certification of the laboratory
In vitro effects of growth hormone and other hormones on chondrocytes and osteoblast-like cells.
No full textComparing different processing methods in apple slice drying. Part 1. Performance of microwave, hot air and hybrid methods at constant temperatures
Full text linkThe drying curves, energy efficiency and colour variations of sliced apples dried at various temperatures and using different techniques were evaluated, i.e. microwave (35, 55 and 65 °C), hot air (35, 55, 65 and 75 °C) and combination of both (65 °C). The microwave (MW) tests also included comparison between air recirculation and continuous inlet of fresh air. Each drying method was evaluated at a fixed temperature level by means of a control system based on infrared thermography. The time required to complete the drying process at 65 °C varied from about 44 min for MW with fresh air ventilation (double with air recirculation), to 122 min for hybrid heating and 238 min for hot air. Drying kinetics was analysed by introducing a new semi-empirical model, capable of recovering the drying behaviour in terms of both mass loss and drying speed. The results showed that the hybrid drying mode, thanks to the reduced power of the microwaves, led to a lower drying rate than the microwave mode alone. Overall colour variations were minor in samples heated with MW to 65 °C (ΔE=19.8). No significant differences were found between the drying methods with regard to energy consumption. As expected, the fastest drying occurs as the temperature increases, which requires more heat generation within the test samples
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