8,465 research outputs found
Marti J. Bissell Interview
No full textLTC Marti J. Bissell commissioned in the U. S. Army in 1988. She trained as a helicopter test pilot and served on active duty in Korea, Germany and at Ft. Riley Kansas
Design for diversity and inclusion from a feminist standpoint
No full textLet’s Talk(s) is an invitation to engage in dialogue on gender and inclusion within the fields of design culture and art, moving beyond the concept of equality towards that of equity – acknowledging diverse starting points and actively working to overcome systemic disparities.Through a collection of essays offering varied perspectives, the volume addresses critical issues for both academic education and professional practice. The book invites readers to engage in an open and ongoing conversation about these urgent and sensitive issues.With contributions by Letizia Bollini, Nitzan Cohen, Eva Leitolf, Valeria Bucchetti, Patrizia Marti, Francesco E. Guida, Vera Gheno
S. Lafage et L. Duponchel. Murmures des lagunes et des savanes ; S. Lafage. Ce que contait le vent en savane
No full textPalau-Marti Montserrat. S. Lafage et L. Duponchel. Murmures des lagunes et des savanes ; S. Lafage. Ce que contait le vent en savane. In: Revue de l'histoire des religions, tome 194, n°1, 1978. p. 105
Properties of biomacromolecules in African-grown rice species
No full textOryza glaberrima, commonly known as African rice, is the native African domesticated rice and has interesting properties from the sustainability and nutritional standpoints. O. glaberrima is an entirely different species from the more common Asian rice (Oryza sativa). The lower crop yield and some transformability issues make O. glaberrima less popular among rice farmers than O. sativa. The aim of this study was to compare the properties of starch and proteins in O. glaberrima with those of O. sativa cultivars grown in Africa, in order to identify the molecular basis of their possible use in specific food products. These products may include pasta, pasta-like products, and a large variety of ready-to-eat rice-based foods. Starch properties and protein content in individual samples were characterized by standard chemical methods. The structural organization of starch was investigated by measuring susceptibility to selective enzymatic activities [1]. Viscoamilography was used to investigate the possible relationships
between structural features and the pasting behavior of starch [2]. The potential glycemic impact was estimated by using an in vitro method and a predictive equation [3]. O. glaberrima showed different pasting properties and a different fragmentation pattern by amylolytic enzymes with respect to O. sativa, suggesting that O. glaberrima may be best suited for instant food. Information on the protein pattern in was gathered by electrophoresis, and the accessibility of specific residues and of specific regions involved in determining the properties of products was addressed by appropriate chemical and spectroscopic approaches [4]. The overall protein structural organization in O. glaberrima is quite different from the one in O. sativa. In O. glaberrima the proteins are organized in highly polymeric form, generating a compact structure mainly stabilized by disulphide bonds. Moreover, the estimated glycemic index in O. glaberrima resulted slightly lower than that estimated for O. sativa. The approaches presented here seem able to provide useful insights as for the intrinsic structural and nutritional characteristics of starch and proteins in this two African rice species.
This work was supported by the “New Products“ Project from the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP).
References
[1] Barbiroli A, Bonomi F, Casiraghi MC, Iametti S, Pagani MA, Marti A (2013). Process conditions affect
starch structure and its interactions with proteins in rice pasta. Carbohyd. Polym. 92, 1865–1872.
[2] Marti A, Seetharaman K, Pagani MA (2010). Rice-based pasta: a comparison between conventional
pasta-making and extrusion- cooking. J. Cereal Sci., 52, 3, 404-409.
[3] Englyst KN, Hudson GJ, Englyst HN (2000). Starch Analysis in Food. Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry. pp. 4246-4262.
[4] Bonomi F, D’Egidio M G Iametti S, Marengo M, Marti A, Pagani MA, Ragg EM (2012). Structure–quality
relationship in commercial pasta: A molecular glimpse. Food Chem. 135, 348–355
Molecular features of protein and starch in African rice relate to their processing behavior
No full textResearch and development interventions in the African rice sector mainly focused on increasing farm-level production, whereas little attention was paid to processing and quality enhancement issues, which play major roles in the definition of the value of rice and rice-derived product.
The aim of this study was to investigate the starch and protein properties of rice varieties popularly cultivated in Africa in order to identify which varieties could be most suitable for the development of various specific food products. These products may include pasta, pasta-like products, and a large variety of ready-to-eat rice-based foods. For this reason a number of African varieties and species representative of various locales and produced in commercially significative amounts were selected also according to distinctive physical and chemical parameteres.
Starch properties and protein content in individual samples were characterized by standard chemical methods. In selected cases, structural organization of starch was investigated by measuring susceptibility to selective enzymatic activities [1]. Viscoamilography was used to investigate the possible relationships between structural features and the pasting behavior of starch [2]. Information on the protein pattern in selected varieties was gathered by electrophoresis, whereas the accessibility of specific residues and of specific regions that may be involved in determining the properties of products was addressed by appropriate reagents and spectroscopic approaches [3].
The approaches presented here seem able to provide useful insights as for the intrinsic structural characteristics of starch and proteinsin various African rice varieties. Further studies will verify whether this information will be able to define proper processing and the possible end uses of some of the materials investigated here.
This work was supported by the “New Products“ Project from the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP).
References
[1] Barbiroli A, Bonomi F, Casiraghi MC, Iametti S, Pagani MA, Marti A (2013). Process conditions affect starch structure and its interactions with proteins in rice pasta. Carbohyd. Polym. 92, 1865–1872.
[2] Marti A, Seetharaman K, Pagani MA (2010). Rice-based pasta: a comparison between conventional pasta-making and extrusion- cooking. J. Cereal Sci., 52, 3, 404-409.
[3] Bonomi F, D’Egidio M G Iametti S, Marengo M, Marti A, Pagani MA, Ragg EM (2012). Structure–quality relationship in commercial pasta: A molecular glimpse. Food Chem. 135, 348–355
Caratterizzazione di pasta integrale commerciale mediante approcci multidisciplinari utili alla definizione della sua qualità
No full textGli alimenti integrali hanno ricevuto negli ultimi anni particolare attenzione da parte dei consumatori. Tra questi, la pasta integrale rappresenta un prodotto con proprietà nutrizionali molto interessanti dal punto di vista della regolazione metabolica, strettamente correlate con la natura e l’intensità dei trattamenti tecnologici utilizzati. Nella definizione delle proprietà nutrizionali di una pasta, un ruolo fondamentale è rappresentato dai parametri applicati durante la fase di essiccazione del prodotto in quanto questa determina non solo le caratteristiche del reticolo glutinico - la cui compattezza aumenta con l’intensità del trattamento, con conseguenze rilevanti sulle proprietà sensoriali (1) - ma anche la formazione di addotti (2, 3).
L’obiettivo di questo lavoro è stata l’identificazione di parametri utili alla definizione della qualità complessiva della pasta integrale. A tale proposito, sono stati analizzati due lotti di 10 marchi commerciali, rappresentativi del mercato italiano. In prima istanza, sono stati determinati gli indici di danno termico e di colore, nonché alcune proprietà strutturali della matrice glutinica. La descrizione delle caratteristiche della pasta è stata completata mediante una valutazione delle proprietà sensoriali strumentali (naso elettronico e lingua elettronica), prima e dopo cottura.
Tra i diversi campioni, in base agli indici di danno termico e colore, è stata riscontrata la presenza di un solo campione essiccato a media-bassa temperatura, mentre per tutti gli altri è ipotizzabile l’impiego di cicli ad alta temperatura. Gli indici di danno termico risultano strettamente correlati con le caratteristiche di interazione delle proteine nella matrice glutinica. I parametri sensoriali strumentali confermano le osservazioni di carattere molecolare, differenziando nettamente l’unico campione a bassa temperatura, mentre negli altri campioni essi appaiono correlabili all’intensità del trattamento.
Nel loro complesso, questi dati evidenziano come l’approccio multidisciplinare possa essere utile per una definizione univoca della qualità del prodotto “pasta”, anche nel caso di prodotti integrali.
1. Bonomi F., D’Egidio M. G., Iametti S., Marengo M., Marti A., Pagani M.A., Ragg E.M. 2012. Structure–quality relationship in commercial pasta: A molecular glimpse. Food Chemistry, 135, 348–355.
2. De Noni I., Pagani M.A. 2010. Cooking properties and hrat damage of dried pasta as influenced by raw material characteristics and processing conditions. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 50, 465-472.
3. Stuknytė M., Cattaneo S., Pagani M. A., Marti A., Micard V., Hogenboom J., De Noni I. 2014. Spaghetti from durum wheat: Effect of drying conditions on heat damage, ultrastructure and in vitro digestibility. Food Chemistry, 149, 40-46
Human work in call centres: a challenge for cognitive ergonomics
No full textMany people are currently working in call centres and much more are expected to work in them in the near future. Call centres are, in a sense, ‘modern factories’ where services are delivered through information and communication technologies.
The human activity within the dynamic and articulated reality of such work settings offers new challenges for cognitive ergonomics. Indeed, work in call centres has to be conceptualized in terms of distributed knowledge. This means that only part of the knowledge needed to carry out any transaction is (or rather
has to be) in the mind of the operator; relevant knowledge may be distributed among colleagues in the organization, available and accessible cognitive artefacts in the work environment, and clients. This paper discusses the potential contribution that human factors and cognitive ergonomics can provide in tackling the new and old problems that emerge in organizations where knowledge is an asset
Le dimensioni sociali del design
No full textThis contribution moves from the definition of design put forward by Kees Overbeeke (2007) to discuss the social dimensions of design. In the first part, social aspects in design (such as the intimacy relationship with the client) will be described, by focusing on the work of the artisan, intended as a profession in many ways very similar to that of a designer. In the second part, the social dimensions of body and action, which play fundamental roles in knowledge acquisition and use, are discussed by briefly illustrating the embodiment approach, seen as a main asset in building a design theory. In its third part, the contribution will focus on discussing how one can teach design, i.e., on how the student-teacher didactic relationship is currently taking place, thus bringing attention to another social dimension of design
Monitoring cereals sprouting by MicroNIR
No full textDespite the enhancement of both nutritional and sensory profile of cereals, sprouting can lead to negatively affect the technological characteristics of the obtained cereal-based products (Morris & Rose, 1996). Thus, a controlled wheat sprouting process could be useful to assess the perfect balance between nutritional advantages and technological performance (Marti et al., 2018). Nowadays the analyses to assess the wheat quality performance require sample refinement and long-time of analysis. In this context, this study aims at developing a methodology for wheat sprouting evaluation directly on kernels by a NIR portable device. To the aim, two batches of wheat kernels were sprouted and sampled after 24, 36, 43, 48, 62, 67 and 72 hours. Wet and dried samples were analysed by a MicroNIR-OnSite (VIAVI) in the spectral range of 950-1650 nm. Then samples were milled for measuring the enzymatic activities, starch pasting properties, and gluten aggregation kinetics. All the data, after the suitable pre-treatments, were analysed by PCA to assess the behaviour of the wheat according to the sprouting progress. The PCA on technological features highlighted the relevance of Falling and Stirring Number, the main sprouting indicators, together with changes in gluten aggregation properties. PCAs on spectral data, both from wet and dried kernels, assessed a similar effect of sprouting time as observed by technological data analysis: the control and 24h-sprouted samples are well distinguished from the others, whereas the changes slow down for longer times and cease after 62 hours. Wavelengths responsible of sample distribution are linked to both starch and protein absorptions. The findings suggest that a NIR portable device can be applied for the determination of wheat sprouting degree directly on wet kernels, skipping both the drying and refinement steps, and giving similar information gained by complex analysis on refined flour
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