1,721,005 research outputs found

    INFLUENCE OF CHEMOSENSORY IMPAIRMENT ON INTAKE AND LIKING OF A FUNCTIONAL DRINK IN UNDERNOURISHED INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERLY PEOPLE

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    Age-related chemosensory impairments (i.e., reduction of taste and smell acuity) affect a large proportion of the population older than 65 years. These conditions can affect overall health, quality of life and influence food appreciation and intake. The knowledge about the relation between chemosensory perception and hedonic food liking in older people might facilitate the development of effective strategies aiming to improve their nutritional wellbeing. Objectives: The key objective of this study is to test the influence of a sensory compensatory strategy on liking and intake of a functional red fruit drink in undernourished nursing home elderly people. Design: The research consisted of three main phases. In the first step the enrolled subjects were classified on the basis of their taste and olfaction sensitivity; in the second step the sensory compensatory strategy, aiming to counteract age-associated sensory losses and increase product pleasantness, was identified; the last step consisted of 14 days of exposure to each drink variant (standard and enhanced) to observe the effects of sensory modifications on liking and intake. Setting: “Villa delle Querce” Clinical Rehabilitation Institute of Nemi (Rome- Italy). Participants: 76 elderly people (64-97 years). Results: Overall the prevalence of measured chemosensory impairments in this sample of institutionalized older adults was very high (81%). The sensory modification strategy did influence significantly neither the intake nor liking in the elderly people. Consistent with the findings of previous studies (3, 6, 24, 25) no significant correlation was found between sensory capabilities and hedonic responses. Conclusion: These findings highlight that, in accordance to other studies (2, 3, 6-8), the role of sensory compensatory strategies in increasing products appreciation and intake of institutionalized elderly people have been overestimated

    The amelioration of olfactory acuity upon sexual maturation might affect food preferences

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    Abstract: Upon sexual maturation, olfactory acuity in women ameliorates and starts oscillating across the cycle. During ovulation, mean olfactory threshold is 30 times lower than during bleeding. Interestingly, menstruated women undergo maleodorant trimethylaminuria. We argued that olfactory amelioration during ovulation might concur to a mating strategy, whereas olfactory impairment during bleeding might protect women against self-refusal. Testosterone and its 17β-estradiol derivative might be responsible for the synchronization of these menstrual events. Furthermore, we posed the question whether olfactory detection amelioration upon sexual maturation might provoke a change in food preferences, for instance a reduction in fish consumption. A preliminary survey in Italy provided encouraging results: 15-44 year-old women have lower fish consumption than 3-14 year-old girls. Surprisingly, men exhibited the same behaviour, so new olfactory tests as well as testosterone measurements are under way

    Physicochemical and sensory fruit characteristics of two sweet cherry cultivars after cool storage

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    Physicochemical and sensory fruit characteristics were studied to assess the effects of cool storage on quality attributes of sweet cherries of the Sciazza variety, widespread in the Campania region and Ferrovia variety, marketed in Italy and abroad. The major sugar and organic acid constituents, anthocyanin composition, colour (CIE L*, a*, b*), firmness, volatile neo-formation compounds (acetaldehyde, ethanol and methanol) and sensory attributes were determined at harvest and after 15 days of fruit storage at 1 degreesC and 95% RH. The ANOVA and PCA plots showed that both cherry varieties and storage conditions affected sensory/chemical quality but the variation caused by cool storage seemed to be dependent on the varieties under study: Ferrovia cherries apparently varied less than Sciazza. The total anthocyanin and its qualitative composition were confirmed to be distinctive of the cherry varieties and important indicators of cool storage. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis

    Influence of durum wheat cultivar on the sensory and staling rate in Altamura bread

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    Four types of Altamura bread, obtained by using semolina from four pure durum wheat cultivars (Appulo, Arcangelo, Duilio and Simeto), were prepared and compared to evaluate the influence of durum wheat cultivar on the sensory properties and staling rate of the final product. Pure semolina samples showed marked differences in chemical and rheological properties, with semolina from cv. Simeto characterised by higher protein content, alveograph data (tenacity/extensibility ratio and deformation energy) and rate of hydration at the farinograph test. The durum wheat cultivar seemed to significantly affect staling rate, as determined by crumb water loss and firming, the bread from cv. Simeto showing a markedly lower crumb moisture loss and firming than the other breads during 8 days of storage. On the other hand, the sensory profile of bread was scarcely affected by durum wheat cultivar; among the 19 sensory descriptors defined to describe differences between bread samples, only crumb colour, grain and humidity, and crust crispness showed significant differences
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