Rheological behaviour and functionality of inulin-extra virgin olive oil-based mashed potatoes

Developing products having a high nutritional value and good storage stability during freezing is a challenge. Inulin (I) and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) have interesting functional properties. The e?ect of the addition of I and EVOO blends at di?erent I:EVOO ratios (0:0, 0:60, 15:45, 30:30, 45:15, 60:0, 30:45 and 45:30) on the rheological, physical, sensory and structural properties of fresh and frozen ? thawed mashed potatoes formulated without and with added cryoprotectants was analysed and compared. Addition of I and EVOO (either alone or blended) reduced apparent viscosity and pseudoplasticity producing softer systems, indicating that both ingredients behave as soft ?llers. Samples with added I at the higher concentrations )1 (?45 g kg ) showed lower ?ow index and consistency, which is related to formation of smaller I particles; microphotographs indicated that gelling properties of I depended mostly upon processing. Frozen ? thawed samples were judged more acceptable and creamier than their fresh counterparts.

The usefulness of Usability and User Experience evaluation methods on an e-Learning platform development from a developer's perspective: A case study

The development of a web platform is a complex and interdisciplinary task, where people with different roles such as project manager, designer or developer participate. Different usability and User Experience evaluation methods can be used in each stage of the development life cycle, but not all of them have the same influence in the software development and in the final product or system. This article presents the study of the impact of these methods applied in the context of an e-Learning platform development. The results show that the impact has been strong from a developer's perspective. Developer team members considered that usability and User Experience evaluation allowed them mainly to identify design mistakes, improve the platform's usability and understand the end users and their needs in a better way. Interviews with potential users, clickmaps and scrollmaps were rated as the most useful methods. Finally, these methods were considered unanimously very useful in the context of the entire software development, only comparable to SCRUM meetings and overcoming the rest of involved factors.

Analytical study of the thermal behaviour and stability of a small satellite

In this work the thermal analysis of a small satellite orbiting around the Earth has been approached by direct integration of the heat balance equations of a two-node reduced model, obtaining a linearized second order ODE problem, similar in form to the classical case of the forced vibration of a damped system. As the thermal loads (solar radiation, albedo, etc.) are harmonic, the problem is solved by means of Fourier analysis methods. Research on that field can be directly applied to the analysis of thermal problems and the results obtained are satisfactory. Working on the frequency domain streamlines the analysis, simplifies the study and facilitates the experimental testing. The transfer functions are obtained for the two-node case but the study can be extended to an n-node model.

Mechanical behaviour and formation process of silkworm silk gut

High performance silk fibers were produced directly from the silk glands of silkworms ("Bombyx mori") following an alternative route to natural spinning. This route is based on a traditional procedure that consists of soaking the silk glands in a vinegar solution and stretching them by hand leading to the so called silkworm guts. Here we present, to the authors’ best knowledge, the first comprehensive study on the formation, properties and microstructure of silkworm gut fibers. Comparison of the tensile properties and microstructural organization of the silkworm guts with those of naturally spun fibers allows gain of a deeper insight into the mechanisms that lead to the formation of the fiber, as well as the relationship between the microstructure and properties of these materials. In this regard, it is proved that an acidic environment and subsequent application of tensile stress in the range of 1000 kPa are sufficient conditions for the formation of a silk fiber.

Theory for normal and impaired experience-dependent plasticity in neocortex of adult rats

We model experience-dependent plasticity in the cortical representation of whiskers (the barrel cortex) in normal adult rats, and in adult rats that were prenatally exposed to alcohol. Prenatal exposure to alcohol (PAE) caused marked deficits in experience-dependent plasticity in a cortical barrel-column. Cortical plasticity was induced by trimming all whiskers on one side of the face except two. This manipulation produces high activity from the intact whiskers that contrasts with low activity from the cut whiskers while avoiding any nerve damage. By a computational model, we show that the evolution of neuronal responses in a single barrel-column after this sensory bias is consistent with the synaptic modifications that follow the rules of the Bienenstock, Cooper, and Munro (BCM) theory. The BCM theory postulates that a neuron possesses a moving synaptic modification threshold, θM, that dictates whether the neuron's activity at any given instant will lead to strengthening or weakening of its input synapses. The current value of θM changes proportionally to the square of the neuron's activity averaged over some recent past. In the model of alcohol impaired cortex, the effective θM has been set to a level unattainable by the depressed levels of cortical activity leading to “impaired” synaptic plasticity that is consistent with experimental findings. Based on experimental and computational results, we discuss how elevated θM may be related to (i) reduced levels of neurotransmitters modulating plasticity, (ii) abnormally low expression of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), and (iii) the membrane translocation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in adult rat cortex subjected to prenatal alcohol exposure.

The acquisition of skilled motor performance: Fast and slow experience-driven changes in primary motor cortex

Behavioral and neurophysiological studies suggest that skill learning can be mediated by discrete, experience-driven changes within specific neural representations subserving the performance of the trained task. We have shown that a few minutes of daily practice on a sequential finger opposition task induced large, incremental performance gains over a few weeks of training. These gains did not generalize to the contralateral hand nor to a matched sequence of identical component movements, suggesting that a lateralized representation of the learned sequence of movements evolved through practice. This interpretation was supported by functional MRI data showing that a more extensive representation of the trained sequence emerged in primary motor cortex after 3 weeks of training. The imaging data, however, also indicated important changes occurring in primary motor cortex during the initial scanning sessions, which we proposed may reflect the setting up of a task-specific motor processing routine. Here we provide behavioral and functional MRI data on experience-dependent changes induced by a limited amount of repetitions within the first imaging session. We show that this limited training experience can be sufficient to trigger performance gains that require time to become evident. We propose that skilled motor performance is acquired in several stages: “fast” learning, an initial, within-session improvement phase, followed by a period of consolidation of several hours duration, and then “slow” learning, consisting of delayed, incremental gains in performance emerging after continued practice. This time course may reflect basic mechanisms of neuronal plasticity in the adult brain that subserve the acquisition and retention of many different skills.

Is there a relation between crossbite and/or an open bite, static postural behaviour, and the incidence of non-traumatic Injuries in young athletes?

Poster presented at the First international Congress of CiiEM “From Basic Sciences to Clinical Research”, 27-28 November 2015, Egas Moniz, Caparica, Portugal.

Herbert Hoover national historic site, interpretive prospectus (1971) B1; Natural resources management plan (1980) B2; Cultural resources management plan (1981) B3; Annual statement for interpretation and visitor services B4; Snowmobile use, environmental assessment (EA) : environmental impact statement.

Mode of access: Internet.

Pedestrian safety programs - a review of the literature and operational experience. Final report.

Federal Highway Administration, Office of Research, Washington, D.C.

Psychiatry and religious experience /

Bibliography p. [181]-297.

The complexity of legal and ethical experience : studies in the method of normative subjects /

Includes bibliography.

Fiscal discipline in the federal system : national reform and the experience of the states.

Item 1049-D

The steam engine indicator and its appliances. Being a comprehensive treatise for the use of constructing, erecting and operating engineers, superintendents, master mechanics, and students ... with many illustrations, rules, tables, and examples for obtaining the best results in the economical operation of all classes of steam, gas and ammonia engines ... Its correct use, management and care, derived from the author's practical and professional experience ...

Mode of access: Internet.

Root crops for stock feeding, and how to grow them. Comp. from the prize essays and practical experience.

Mode of access: Internet.