Use of a plastic film to eliminate the cork taint of a contaminated wine – improvement of organoleptic quality

Cork taint, generally recognized by a musty or moldy off-flavor, is a serious problem facing the industry today when putting wines on the market. To assess the effectiveness of a food-grade plastic film in removing the compounds concerned, trials were carried out under real conditions. It was found that enological parameters as well as color are maintained, and there is no absorption of phenolic compounds or oak aromas. The plastic film improves the organoleptic quality of wines contaminated with haloanisoles, by reducing the concentration of compounds that give the cork taint and mask oaky and/or fruity aromas.

Fabrication and Magneto-Optical Properties of Yb2O3 Based Ceramics

Transparent ceramics based on ytterbium oxide have been successfully produced by vacuum sintering of self-propagating high-temperature synthesized powders with use of a La2O3 sintering aid. Phase composition and microstructure of the initial powders were studied by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that addition of 5 mol.% of La2O3 does not cause formation of secondary phases in the Yb2O3 powders. The 4% La:Yb2O3 ceramics showed the best in-line transmittance of 73% at a wavelength of 2 μm among the studied samples. Dependence of the Verdet constant on wavelength was investigated in the range of 0.4–2 μm. The most promising finding is use of the obtained material as Faraday isolators in the wavelength region of ~1.5 μm, where there are no absorption bands, and the Verdet constant is 8.6 rad/(T*m).

On the integration of acoustic phase-gradient metasurfaces in aeronautics

Metamaterials might be one of the breakthrough technologies needed from the aeronautic industry to achieve the more and more challenging targets set by the international authorities, especially about noise emissions. In this article, a theoretical link between Transformation Acoustics and Generalized Snell’s Law, two widely used metamaterial models, is demonstrated analytically and applied to case studies. The relevance of the connection in the aeroacoustic field is discussed along with the consequent computational advantages for numerical simulations. This is exploited to perform a simulation-based design optimization of a phase-graded metasurface acoustic lining of a 2 D duct in presence of flow. Results show promising abilities of the optimized device to modify and control the directivity of the noise emitted from the duct by means of unconventional reflections. The noise reduction in the desired direction is obtained through constructive and destructive interference, with no absorption from the boundaries.

Is Narcissism Associated with Heavy Work Investment? The Moderating Role of Workload in the Relationship between Narcissism, Workaholism, and Work Engagement

This study aimed to investigate the association between narcissism and two forms of heavy work investment, namely, workaholism and work engagement. More specifically, it was hypothesized that narcissism is positively associated with both workaholism and work engagement, with workload moderating these relationships, which are expected to be stronger when the workload is high. Overall, 217 workers completed a self-report questionnaire, and the hypothesized relationships were tested using moderated multiple regression. Results partially supported our predictions. Narcissism was positively associated with workaholism and its dimensions of working excessively and working compulsively only in individuals facing a high workload. Furthermore, narcissism was positively associated with work engagement and its dimensions of vigor and dedication (but no absorption) in employees with average levels of workload. Finally, the workload exacerbated the relationship between narcissism and work engagement and its dimensions so that these associations were stronger when the workload was high. Overall, our study suggested that in a work environment characterized by moderate levels of demand, individuals with strong narcissistic components might inherently feel energetic and dedicated (i.e., engaged) at work. Differently, in a demanding work environment, workers with high narcissism might experience higher work engagement, but they could also be at risk of workaholism.

The regeneration of Fe-EDTA denitration solutions by nanoscale zero-valent iron

NZVI is very effective for the regeneration of the inactive Fe chelate solution in the NO absorption process.

Di- and tetranuclear gadolinium (III) complexes of 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid and 1,2,2-trimethylcyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid : identification and characterization

Our studying involved, Identification and characterization of two novel gadolinium complexes with 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid (citric acid) noted H3L and 1,2,2-trimethylcyclopentane-1, 3-dicarboxylic acid (camphoric acid) noted H2L in aqueous solution and in pH range 5,5–7,5. These acids containing the donor atoms (oxygen of OH and COOH), the formatted complexes are colorless and have no absorption band UV–visible. So, to determine the composition and stabilities of these complexes in solution, we have used an analytical technique called «Indirect Photometry Detection (IPD) » have identified multi-nuclear and multi-dentate complexes studied in this work. Giving for these colorless complexes with a mole ratio (M:L): (4:2) for Gd (III)–Citric acid and (2:2) Gd (III)–Camphoric acid. In addition, we have shown that the compositions and stabilities constant of these complexes are depended on the acidity of the medium.