scholarly journals Ethnogrinding Database: A tool to collect and connect worldwide information on ethnological and ethnoarchaeological hand-milling systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Natàlia Alonso ◽  
Georgina Prats ◽  
Themis Roustanis ◽  
Panos Tokmakides ◽  
Soultana Maria Valamoti

This study advances research carried out during the creation of a bibliographic database of ethnological information regarding hand milling systems in the framework of the ERC-Project PLANTCULT Identifying the Food Cultures of Ancient Europe: an interdisciplinary investigation of plant ingredients, culinary transformation and evolution through time led by S.M. Valamoti. The main aims of the database are to collect information linked to the processes of plant grinding with handmills, basically driven with a back and forth motion, in different parts of the world and to connect this information to specific archaeological, textual and experimental data, in particular that associated with food preparation. The database is structured in various sections (basically publications, plants and other foodstuffs, milling processes, products, querns and use and social context), in order to facilitate systematic extraction of all relevant information from a wide range of publications that discuss or report on grinding tools in regions and societies of the recent past. The base records a wide range of activities ranging from tool manufacture to end products that include procurement of raw materials, the preparation sequence of tools (including tool-kits), spatial associations, gender issues, plant ingredients and end products. All aspects recorded in the database are interconnected as are the numerous economic and social relationships of the milling process.

Author(s):  
Anita S. Wagh ◽  
Santosh R. Butle

Plants have been used as one of the important source for treating various diseases of human beings since ancient times. Numbers of plants are mentioned in different traditional system of medicine, among them Spathodea campanulata P. Beauvais is one of the important medicinal plant. Different parts of Spathodea campanulata such as flowers, leaves, stem, bark and roots have been reported for possessing anti-inflammatory, analgesic, cytotoxic, anti-diabetic and anticonvulsant activity. Phytochemical screening shows the presence of various secondary metabolites like alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, glycosides and sterols. Relevant information and literature on Spathodea campanulata from electronic databases such as Academic Journals, Google, Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed and Web of Science were collected and analyzed. Available literatures evidently show that Spathodea campanulata possess a wide range of pharmacological activities that could be explained by the presence of variety of phytochemicals. The aim of the present review to provide detailed information regarding geographical distribution, phytochemicals and pharmacological properties of this plant.


Author(s):  
C. J. Chan ◽  
K. R. Venkatachari ◽  
W. M. Kriven ◽  
J. F. Young

Dicalcium silicate (Ca2SiO4) is a major component of Portland cement. It has also been investigated as a potential transformation toughener alternative to zirconia. It has five polymorphs: α, α'H, α'L, β and γ. Of interest is the β-to-γ transformation on cooling at about 490°C. This transformation, accompanied by a 12% volume increase and a 4.6° unit cell shape change, is analogous to the tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation in zirconia. Due to the processing methods used, previous studies into the particle size effect were limited by a wide range of particle size distribution. In an attempt to obtain a more uniform size, a fast quench rate involving a laser-melting/roller-quenching technique was investigated.The laser-melting/roller-quenching experiment used precompacted bars of stoichiometric γ-Ca2SiO4 powder, which were synthesized from AR grade CaCO3 and SiO2xH2O. The raw materials were mixed by conventional ceramic processing techniques, and sintered at 1450°C. The dusted γ-Ca2SiO4 powder was uniaxially pressed into 0.4 cm x 0.4 cm x 4 cm bars under 34 MPa and cold isostatically pressed under 172 MPa. The γ-Ca2SiO4 bars were melted by a 10 KW-CO2 laser.


Food Industry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-31
Author(s):  
Sergey Urubkov ◽  
Svetlana Khovanskaya ◽  
Ekaterina Pyrieva ◽  
Olga Georgieva ◽  
Stanislav Smirnov

Diet therapy is one of the main approaches to the treatment of a wide range of diseases of the digestive system. The treatment effectiveness of celiac disease depends on how strictly the patient adheres to a gluten-free diet. It is often disrupted due to the limited range of recommended foods and dishes, especially for children who are particularly sensitive to dietary restrictions. In this case, the development of new types of specialized gluten-free products is relevant, allowing to expand the diet both in terms of nutritional value and taste diversity. This study concerns the recipe developments of dry gluten-free mixtures using rice and amaranth with the inclusion of fruit and vegetable and berry raw materials intended for the nutrition of children over three years old suffering from celiac disease. When developing the recipes, researchers used various combinations of rice and amaranth flour, as well as fruit and vegetable powders. The rice flour composition varied in the range from 15 to 75%; amaranth – from 15 to 45%; fruit and vegetable and berry powders – up to 10%. The finished product was gluten-free cookies, muffins, pancakes made of rice and amaranth. Organoleptic evaluation showed that the studied samples of gluten-free cookies have high quality characteristics, have a pleasant taste and aroma. According to the calculated data, specialized gluten-free dry mixtures intended for children over three years with celiac disease can serve as an important source of: vegetable carbohydrates – from 26.81 to 55.19 g / 100g of finished products; protein – from 4.06 to 11.82 g/100g of finished products; dietary fiber – from 3.82 to 6.36 g/100g of finished products; and energy – from 158.12 to 333.96 kcal/100g of finished products) The developed recipess of gluten-free products can help to provide children with an adequate amount of nutrients and energy.


2020 ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Yu. Olefir ◽  
E. Sakanyan ◽  
I. Osipova ◽  
V. Dobrynin ◽  
M. Smirnova ◽  
...  

The entry of a wide range of biotechnological products into the pharmaceutical market calls for rein-forcement of the quality, efficacy and safety standards at the state level. The following general monographs have been elaborated for the first time to be included into the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation, XIV edition: "Viral safety" and "Reduction of the risk of transmitting animal spongiform encephalopathy via medicinal products". These general monographs were elaborated taking into account the requirements of foreign pharmacopoeias and the WHO recommendations. The present paper summarises the key aspects of the monographs.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2237 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Sarika ◽  
Paul Nancarrow ◽  
Abdulrahman Khansaheb ◽  
Taleb Ibrahim

Phenol–formaldehyde (PF) resin continues to dominate the resin industry more than 100 years after its first synthesis. Its versatile properties such as thermal stability, chemical resistance, fire resistance, and dimensional stability make it a suitable material for a wide range of applications. PF resins have been used in the wood industry as adhesives, in paints and coatings, and in the aerospace, construction, and building industries as composites and foams. Currently, petroleum is the key source of raw materials used in manufacturing PF resin. However, increasing environmental pollution and fossil fuel depletion have driven industries to seek sustainable alternatives to petroleum based raw materials. Over the past decade, researchers have replaced phenol and formaldehyde with sustainable materials such as lignin, tannin, cardanol, hydroxymethylfurfural, and glyoxal to produce bio-based PF resin. Several synthesis modifications are currently under investigation towards improving the properties of bio-based phenolic resin. This review discusses recent developments in the synthesis of PF resins, particularly those created from sustainable raw material substitutes, and modifications applied to the synthetic route in order to improve the mechanical properties.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 347
Author(s):  
Carsten Laukamp ◽  
Andrew Rodger ◽  
Monica LeGras ◽  
Heta Lampinen ◽  
Ian C. Lau ◽  
...  

Reflectance spectroscopy allows cost-effective and rapid mineral characterisation, addressing mineral exploration and mining challenges. Shortwave (SWIR), mid (MIR) and thermal (TIR) infrared reflectance spectra are collected in a wide range of environments and scales, with instrumentation ranging from spaceborne, airborne, field and drill core sensors to IR microscopy. However, interpretation of reflectance spectra is, due to the abundance of potential vibrational modes in mineral assemblages, non-trivial and requires a thorough understanding of the potential factors contributing to the reflectance spectra. In order to close the gap between understanding mineral-diagnostic absorption features and efficient interpretation of reflectance spectra, an up-to-date overview of major vibrational modes of rock-forming minerals in the SWIR, MIR and TIR is provided. A series of scripts are proposed that allow the extraction of the relative intensity or wavelength position of single absorption and other mineral-diagnostic features. Binary discrimination diagrams can assist in rapidly evaluating mineral assemblages, and relative abundance and chemical composition of key vector minerals, in hydrothermal ore deposits. The aim of this contribution is to make geologically relevant information more easily extractable from reflectance spectra, enabling the mineral resources and geoscience communities to realise the full potential of hyperspectral sensing technologies.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Dainelli ◽  
Piero Toscano ◽  
Salvatore Filippo Di Gennaro ◽  
Alessandro Matese

Natural, semi-natural, and planted forests are a key asset worldwide, providing a broad range of positive externalities. For sustainable forest planning and management, remote sensing (RS) platforms are rapidly going mainstream. In a framework where scientific production is growing exponentially, a systematic analysis of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based forestry research papers is of paramount importance to understand trends, overlaps and gaps. The present review is organized into two parts (Part I and Part II). Part II inspects specific technical issues regarding the application of UAV-RS in forestry, together with the pros and cons of different UAV solutions and activities where additional effort is needed, such as the technology transfer. Part I systematically analyzes and discusses general aspects of applying UAV in natural, semi-natural and artificial forestry ecosystems in the recent peer-reviewed literature (2018–mid-2020). The specific goals are threefold: (i) create a carefully selected bibliographic dataset that other researchers can draw on for their scientific works; (ii) analyze general and recent trends in RS forest monitoring (iii) reveal gaps in the general research framework where an additional activity is needed. Through double-step filtering of research items found in the Web of Science search engine, the study gathers and analyzes a comprehensive dataset (226 articles). Papers have been categorized into six main topics, and the relevant information has been subsequently extracted. The strong points emerging from this study concern the wide range of topics in the forestry sector and in particular the retrieval of tree inventory parameters often through Digital Aerial Photogrammetry (DAP), RGB sensors, and machine learning techniques. Nevertheless, challenges still exist regarding the promotion of UAV-RS in specific parts of the world, mostly in the tropical and equatorial forests. Much additional research is required for the full exploitation of hyperspectral sensors and for planning long-term monitoring.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Liliana Anchidin-Norocel ◽  
Sonia Amariei ◽  
Gheorghe Gutt

The aim of this paper is the development of a sensor for the quantification of nickel ions in food raw materials and foods. It is believed that about 15% of the human population suffers from nickel allergy. In addition to digestive manifestations, food intolerance to nickel may also have systemic manifestations, such as diffuse dermatitis, diffuse itching, fever, rhinitis, headache, altered general condition. Therefore, it is necessary to control this content of nickel ions for the health of the human population by developing a new method that offers the advantages of a fast, not expensive, in situ, and accurate analysis. For this purpose, bismuth oxide-screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) and graphene-modified SPEs were used with a very small amount of dimethylglyoxime and amino acid L-histidine that were deposited. A potentiostat that displays the response in the form of a cyclic voltammogram was used to study the electrochemical properties of nickel standard solution with different concentrations. The results were compared and the most sensitive sensor proved to be bismuth oxide-SPEs with dimethylglyoxime (Bi2O3/C-dmgH2) with a linear response over a wide range (0.1–10 ppm) of nickel concentrations. Furthermore, the sensor shows excellent selectivity in the presence of common interfering species. The Bi2O3/C-dmgH2 sensor showed good viability for nickel analysis in food samples (cocoa, spinach, cabbage, and red wine) and demonstrated significant advancement in sensor technology for practical applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6445
Author(s):  
David Ibarra ◽  
Raquel Martín-Sampedro ◽  
Bernd Wicklein ◽  
Úrsula Fillat ◽  
María E. Eugenio

Motivated by the negative impact of fossil fuel consumption on the environment, the need arises to produce materials and energy from renewable sources. Cellulose, the main biopolymer on Earth, plays a key role in this context, serving as a platform for the development of biofuels, chemicals and novel materials. Among the latter, micro- and nanocellulose have been receiving increasing attention in the last few years. Their many attractive properties, i.e., thermal stability, high mechanical resistance, barrier properties, lightweight, optical transparency and ease of chemical modification, allow their use in a wide range of applications, such as paper or polymer reinforcement, packaging, construction, membranes, bioplastics, bioengineering, optics and electronics. In view of the increasing demand for traditional wood pulp (e.g., obtained from eucalypt, birch, pine, spruce) for micro/nanocellulose production, dedicated crops and agricultural residues can be interesting as raw materials for this purpose. This work aims at achieving microfibrillated cellulose production from fast-growing poplar and olive tree pruning using physical pretreatment (PFI refining) before the microfibrillation stage. Both raw materials yielded microfibrillated cellulose with similar properties to that obtained from a commercial industrial eucalypt pulp, producing films with high mechanical properties and low wettability. According to these properties, different applications for cellulose microfibers suspensions and films are discussed.


Author(s):  
Hui Wang ◽  
Hanbo Zhao ◽  
Yujia Chu ◽  
Jiang Feng ◽  
Keping Sun

Abstract High-frequency hearing is particularly important for echolocating bats and toothed whales. Previously, studies of the hearing-related genes Prestin, KCNQ4, and TMC1 documented that adaptive evolution of high-frequency hearing has taken place in echolocating bats and toothed whales. In this study, we present two additional candidate hearing-related genes, Shh and SK2, that may also have contributed to the evolution of echolocation in mammals. Shh is a member of the vertebrate Hedgehog gene family and is required in the specification of the mammalian cochlea. SK2 is expressed in both inner and outer hair cells, and it plays an important role in the auditory system. The coding region sequences of Shh and SK2 were obtained from a wide range of mammals with and without echolocating ability. The topologies of phylogenetic trees constructed using Shh and SK2 were different; however, multiple molecular evolutionary analyses showed that those two genes experienced different selective pressures in echolocating bats and toothed whales compared to non-echolocating mammals. In addition, several nominally significant positively selected sites were detected in the non-functional domain of the SK2 gene, indicating that different selective pressures were acting on different parts of the SK2 gene. This study has expanded our knowledge of the adaptive evolution of high-frequency hearing in echolocating mammals.


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