Aromatic characterization of brazilian sparkling wines using olfactometry and a sensory panel

Brazilian sparkling wines, which currently account for 30% of the national production of fine wines, have been traditionally produced in the southern region since the 1910s. In Brazil, sparkling wine production increased 248% over the past 10 years, holding an 80% share of the domestic market wine. The objective of the present study was to establish sparkling wine typicality via aroma characterization by comparing quantitative and descriptive techniques for the main aromatic compounds. Sparkling wines from the major producing regions of Brazil were tested by two sensory panels, followed by gas chromatography analysis that allowed elucidation of their aromatic basis. Solid-phase microextraction was used for the extraction of the compounds, followed by detection using gas chromatography (GC), olfactometry and mass spectrometry (MS). Olfactometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified 25 aromatic areas and 26 aromatic compounds, respectively. The majority of aromatic areas were associated with fruit descriptors, but floral aromas were also emphasized; these aromas often contribute to the elegance of sparkling wine and are highly valued by both consumers and experts. Fruity and floral aromas were highlighted by olfactometry. The ester found in the highest concentrations (GC-MS) was ethyl acetate, with a similar value to that found in aged Cavas. Sparkling wine 5 exhibited the highest mean value, which was almost double that of the lowest value in sparkling wine 6. Ethyl octanoate concentrations varied significantly, with sparkling wine 2 containing three times the amount found in sparkling wine 5. Ethyl butanoate values were similar for all sparkling wines. Isoamyl acetate was only found in sparkling wines 4 and 5. The mean concentration values of isoamyl, 1- propanol and isobutanol alcohols were lower than those studied sparkling wines from non-traditional cultivars. The mean values for hexanol were higher, which can be explained by the climatic conditions in southern Brazil. The aromatic description of sparkling wines, as established by the different evaluator groups. Fruity descriptors were predominant. Interestingly, there was a significant presence of roasted aroma descriptors, which are usually due to aging on lees and on oak, demonstrating that certain products develop for a long time. Furthermore, several evaluators described sweet aromas, which suggests good grape maturation and a quality winemaking process. Product complexity was also demonstrated by the description of floral and vegetative aromas. Most often, Brazilian and Italian sensory analysis panels cited pineapple and roasted or apple and fruit individual descriptors, respectively

The prevalence of naturally acquired multiple infections of Wuchereria bancrofti and human malarias in anophelines

Malaria and filaria infection rates were determined for anopheline mosquitoes collected whilst biting and resting in village houses in Papua New Guinea. The number of anophelines infected with both parasites was greater than expected from the infection rates of each parasite and this difference was significant in resting collections. The excess of multiply infected mosquitoes is probably a result of a vector population composed of individuals with differing numbers of opportunities to become infected. Malaria-positive, Anopheles punctulatus from resting catches had a significantly greater number of Stage 3 Wuchereria bancroftilarvae than malaria-negative mosquitoes. However, multiply infected mosquitoes appear to suffer greater mortality than non-infected or singly infected mosquitoes when the filarial worm reaches the third stage. Any potential increase in transmission resulting from multiple infections is thereby offset by a greater mortality rate in these mosquitoe

I (don't) know how it ends: the role of beta band in linguistic predictive processes

openIl cervello umano tende a predire l’informazione in arrivo in modo da ottimizzarne l’elaborazione. Negli ultimi anni, sono state accumulate numerose evidenze empiriche a supporto dell’idea che la comprensione del linguaggio sia un processo che implica la preattivazione di rappresentazioni linguistiche basata sul contesto, la quale facilita l'elaborazione bottom-up dell’input linguistico in arrivo. Tuttavia, la natura dei processi cognitivi coinvolti nella predizione linguistica è ancora oggetto di dibattito. I modelli di prediction-by-production ipotizzano che nella comprensione del linguaggio usiamo processi e rappresentazioni comuni alla produzione del linguaggio per predire l’informazione linguistica in arrivo. Nel presente studio abbiamo voluto testare le predizioni dei modelli di prediction-by-production modulando l’attività neuronale nella banda di oscillazione beta (13-30 Hz), la quale è coinvolta nei processi di pianificazione articolatoria. I partecipanti hanno svolto un compito di decisione lessicale in cui le parole target potevano essere predicibili o non predicibili sulla base del contesto della frase, in due sessioni sperimentali. In una sessione hanno ricevuto una stimolazione elettrica transcranica a corrente alternata (tACS) a 20 Hz sul giro frontale inferiore sinistro, mentre nell’altra sessione una stimolazione placebo. In linea con le predizioni dei modelli prediction-by-production, ci aspettavamo un effetto selettivo della stimolazione sui tempi di risposta per le parole predicibili. Lo studio non ha evidenziato un effetto della stimolazione sui tempi di risposta al compito non fornendo evidenza a supporto dei modelli di prediction-by-production

Exercise for health: a randomized, controlled trial evaluating the impact of a pragmatic, translational exercise intervention on the quality of life, function and treatment-related side effects following breast cancer

Exercise for Health was a randomized, controlled trial designed to evaluate two modes of delivering (face-to-face [FtF] and over-the-telephone [Tel]) an 8-month translational exercise intervention, commencing 6-weeks post-breast cancer surgery (PS). Outcomes included quality of life (QoL), function (fitness and upper body) and treatment-related side effects (fatigue, lymphoedema, body mass index, menopausal symptoms, anxiety, depression and pain). Generalised estimating equation modelling determined time (baseline [5 weeks PS], mid-intervention [6 months PS], post-intervention [12 months PS]), group (FtF, Tel, Usual Care [UC]) and time-by-group effects. 194 women representative of the breast cancer population were randomised to the FtF (n = 67), Tel (n = 67) and UC (n = 60) groups. There were significant (p < 0.05) interaction effects on QoL, fitness and fatigue with differences being observed between the treatment groups and the UC group. Trends observed for the treatment groups were similar. The treatment groups reported improved QoL, fitness and fatigue over time and changes observed between baseline and post-intervention were clinically relevant. In contrast, the UC group experienced no change, or worsening QoL, fitness and fatigue, mid-intervention. Although improvements in the UC group occurred by 12-months post-surgery, the change did not meet the clinically relevant threshold. There were no differences in other treatment-related side effects between groups. This translational intervention trial, delivered either FtF or Tel, supports exercise as a form of adjuvant breast cancer therapy that can prevent declines in fitness and function during treatment and optimise recovery post-treatment

Melanocytic naevi and melanoma in survivors of childhood cancer.

There is evidence from previous studies of small numbers of children who received cytotoxic therapy for cancer, that they may develop increased numbers of melanocytic naevi (moles), the strongest known risk factors for melanoma. Our aim was to investigate a large number of survivors of childhood cancer in order to test the hypothesis that they have more melanocytic naevi than matched controls. Total-body naevus counts were obtained from 263 oncology patients ascertained in paediatric oncology departments in Queensland, Australia, and from 263 hospital controls matched for age and sex. Additional information was gathered from children's parents about concurrent factors influencing naevus development such as type of complexion and history of sun exposure. Matched analyses, both crude and adjusted for possible confounding factors, revealed no significant difference in overall density of naevi among oncology patients and control subjects, according to diagnosis or to duration or type of chemotherapy. However significantly more oncology patients had atypical naevi (P < 0.05) and acral naevi (P < 0.0001) than controls. One patient developed a malignant melanoma 13 years after chemotherapy and radiotherapy for rhabdomyosarcoma. These findings support an association between treatment for childhood cancer and acral naevi and suggest that atypical naevi may also be associated with chemotherapy in childhood

Impact of the Time of Diagnosis on Dyslexic Adolescents' Self-efficacy beliefs

Aim: Most of the research on self-efficacy in children with specific learning disorders has focused on inter-group comparisons, showing that these children hold lower self-efficacy scores than their normally developing peers. As these lower scores might be due to a reduced access to self-efficacy sources (Hampton & Mason, 2003), this small-scale study (N=18) aimed to investigate whether the time of diagnosis might modulate the access to these sources within a group of dyslexic adolescents, either diagnosed in primary or secondary school but paired on chronological age and duration of remedial training. Methods: Mixed methods were employed by using general as well as academic and social self-efficacy scales, complemented by semi-structured interviews investigating students’ understanding and acceptance of their dyslexia. Results: The findings showed that early-diagnosed students hold higher general and academic scores. Further analyses regarding students’ personal statements revealed a statistically significant association between time of diagnosis and understanding as well as tolerance of dyslexia, indicating that early-diagnosed adolescents, compared to their late-diagnosed peers, have a more cohesive understanding and more adequate representations of their reading disorder as specific and non-stigmatizing, all the while being more tolerant and open about announcing their dyslexia to others. Conclusions: An early diagnosis of dyslexia is thus associated with a better understanding and acceptance of the disorder, possibly serving as a protective factor which can consequently contribute to higher general and academic self-efficacy scores. Hence, these findings not only extend the literature on self-efficacy beliefs in dyslexia by investigating the time of diagnosis, but also have important practical implications, highlighting the significance of an early diagnosis beyond the benefits of early rehabilitation as well as the potentially negative psychological consequences of a late diagnosis

Foreign and Regional Languages Make You Less Deontological

Previous studies have shown that foreign languages can change people’s responses to moral dilemmas, making them more likely to choose harm (e.g., to kill one individual in order to save a few lives). Regional languages have also been shown to make sacrificial choices more likely. Regional languages are typically acquired early and used routinely among family and acquaintances, thus differing from foreign languages that are typically acquired later and used rather sporadically. Using a process dissociation procedure, we show in the present study that regional and foreign languages weaken the contribution of the deontological view in similar ways. Furthermore, the effects of both languages were modulated by proficiency, so that less proficient bilinguals showed a stronger decrease of the deontological tendency. These similarities suggest that the effects induced by both languages stem from what these languages have in common. Both languages are not experienced in contexts critical in forging moral views (e.g., public institutions, media, schools). We propose that the effects of foreign and regional languages stem from the lack of experience in such contexts