Effect of waxy flour blends on dough rheology and bread quality

Although much research has been conducted on wheat flour dough rheology, the principal focus has been the role of the protein fraction. Starch is the main component of flour and plays a key role in dough dynamic properties, particularly during heating. This study assesses the effect of two different waxy flours, a durum and a bread wheat, and their blends with commercial bakers' flour on dough rheology during heating with a concurrent investigation into baking performance. Both waxy flour blends produced similar effects on dough rheological behaviour despite differences in protein content, acting to delay gelatinisation and reduce storage modulus. The main effects in bread were to increase loaf expansion during baking and reduce loaf firmness. It is postulated these effects are largely water mediated, with the higher swelling ability of the waxy starch granules reducing overall water availability and driving complete gelatinisation to higher temperatures.     

A Microwave Coaxial Sensor for Non-Destructive Detection and Analysis of Cracked Teeth

Russian Journal of Nondestructive Testing - A new approach for the detection of cracks in a tooth is presented using a microwave coaxial sensor. In the test, the probe tip is in close contact with...     

Mosquito sound communication: are male swarms loud enough to attract females?

Given the unsurpassed sound sensitivity of mosquitoes among arthropods and the sound source power required for long-range hearing, we investigated the distance over which female mosquitoes detect species-specific cues in the sound of station-keeping mating swarms. A common misunderstanding, that mosquitoes cannot hear at long range because their hearing organs are ‘particle-velocity’ receptors, has clouded the fact that particle velocity is an intrinsic component of sound whatever the distance to the sound source. We exposed free-flying Anopheles coluzzii females to pre-recorded sounds of male An. coluzzii and An. gambiae s.s. swarms over a range of natural sound levels. Sound levels tested were related to equivalent distances between the female and the swarm for a given number of males, enabling us to infer distances over which females might hear large male swarms. We show that females do not respond to swarm sound up to 48 dB sound pressure level (SPL) and that louder SPLs are not ecologically relevant for a swarm. Considering that swarms are the only mosquito sound source that would be loud enough to be heard at long range, we conclude that inter-mosquito acoustic communication is restricted to close-range pair interactions. We also showed that the sensitivity to sound in free-flying males is much enhanced compared to that of tethered ones.     

Bioprospecting for brewers: Exploiting natural diversity for naturally diverse beers

The burgeoning interest in archaic, traditional, and novel beer styles has coincided with a growing appreciation of the role of yeasts in determining beer character as well as a better understanding of the ecology and biogeography of yeasts. Multiple studies in recent years have highlighted the potential of wild Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts for production of beers with novel flavour profiles and other desirable properties. Yeasts isolated from spontaneously fermented beers as well as from other food systems (wine, bread, and kombucha) have shown promise for brewing application, and there is evidence that such cross-system transfers have occurred naturally in the past. We review here the available literature pertaining to the use of nonconventional yeasts in brewing, with a focus on the origins of these yeasts, including methods of isolation. Practical aspects of utilizing nondomesticated yeasts are discussed, and modern methods to facilitate discovery of yeasts with brewing potential are highlighted.     

Regional science: back to the future?

After initiating a provocative discussion on “regional science in crisis” (Bailly and Coffey 1994; Gibson 1994; Plane 1994; Stough 1994; Anas 1994; Vickerman 1994; Casetti 1995), we now wish to present some additional thoughts on how regional scientists can simultaneously make their field more relevant scientifically and more useful for society. At a time when resources are tight, when the number of regional science students is small, when administrators are scrutinizing our budgets and our ability to generate outside money, we need to do something to regain (or is it simply to gain?) our place in the sun. In this paper, we argue that regional scientists will not reestablish their field by using classical approaches to regional analysis alone. It is essential that we look at new ways to answer questions raised by our social, economic, and political institutions. More specifically, we make some observations concerning the history of regional science, its role within universities, and its nature, as well as offering some suggestions concerning how regional scientists can attempt to improve the situation.     

The computational post buckling analysis of fuselage stiffened panels loaded in compression

Fuselage panels are commonly fabricated as skin–stringer constructions, which are permitted to locally buckle under normal flight loads. The current analysis methodologies used to determine the post buckling response behaviour of stiffened panels relies on applying simplifying assumptions with semi-empirical/empirical data. Using the finite element method and employing non-linear material and geometric analysis procedures, it is possible to model the post buckling behaviour of stiffened panels without having to place the same emphases on simplifying assumptions or empirical data. Investigation of element, mesh, idealisation, imperfection and solution procedure selection has been undertaken, with results validated against mechanical tests. The research undertaken has demonstrated that using a commercial implicit code, the finite element method can be used successfully to model the post buckling behaviour of flat riveted panels. The work has generated a series of guidelines for the non-linear computational analysis of flat riveted panels subjected to uniform axial compression.     

Use of Nanoindentation,Finite Element Simulations,and a Combined Experimental/Numerical Approach to Characterize Elastic Moduli of Individual Porous Silica Particles

This article describes the use of a combination of experimental nanoindentation and finite element numerical simulations to indirectly determine the elastic modulus of individual porous, micron-sized silica (SiO₂) particles. Two independent nanoindentation experiments on individual silica particles were employed, one with a Berkovich pyramidal nanoindenter tip, the other with a flat punch nanoindenter tip. In both cases, 3D finite element simulations were used to generate nanoindenter load–displacement curves for comparison with the corresponding experimental data, using the elastic modulus of the particle as a curve-fitting parameter. The resulting indirectly determined modulus values from the two independent experiments were found to be in good agreement, and were considerably lower than the published values for bulk or particulate solid silica. The results are also consistent with previously reported modulus values for nanoindentation of porous thin film SiO₂. Based on a review of the literature, the authors believe that this is the first article to report on the use of nanoindentation and numerical simulations in a combined experimental/numerical approach to determine the elastic modulus of individual porous silica particles.     

Genetic evaluation of test-day milk yields from smallholder dairy production systems in Kenya using genomic relationships

Efforts to improve dairy production in smallholder farming systems of East Africa over the past decade have had limited impact because of the lack of records on performance to guide targeted breeding programs. Estimates of genetic parameters in these systems are lacking. Using data generated through a project (“Germplasm for Dairy Development in East Africa”) in Kenya and a genomic relationship matrix from genotypic records, we examined the potential impact of different models handling contemporary groups or herd effects on estimates of genetic parameters using a fixed regression model (FRM) for test-day (TD) milk yields, and the covariance structure for TD milk yield at various stages of lactation for animals using a random regression model (RRM). Models in which herd groups were defined using production levels derived from the data fitted the data better than those in which herds were grouped depending on management practices or were random. Lactation curves obtained for animals under different production categories did not display the typical peak yield characteristic of improved dairy systems in developed countries. Heritability estimates for TD milk yields using the FRM varied greatly with the definition of contemporary herd groups, ranging from 0.05 ± 0.03 to 0.27 ± 0.05 (mean ± standard error). The analysis using the RRM fitted the data better than the FRM. The heritability estimates for specific TD yields obtained by the RRM were higher than those obtained by the FRM. Genetic correlations between TD yields were high and positive for measures within short consecutive intervals but decreased as the intervals between TD increased beyond 60 d and became negative with intervals of more than 5 mo. The magnitude of the genetic correlation estimates among TD records indicates that using TD milk records beyond a 60-d interval as repeated measures of the same trait for genetic evaluation of animals on smallholder farms would not be optimal. Although each individual smallholder farmer retains only a few animals, using the genomic relationship between animals to link the large number of farmers operating under specified environments provides a sufficiently large herd-group for which a breeding program could be developed.     

Applications of percolation theory to fungal spread with synergy

There is increasing interest in the use of the percolation paradigm to analyse and predict the progress of disease spreading in spatially structured populations of animals and plants. The wider utility of the approach has been limited, however, by several restrictive assumptions, foremost of which is a strict requirement for simple nearest-neighbour transmission, in which the disease history of an individual is influenced only by that of its neighbours. In a recent paper, the percolation paradigm has been generalized to incorporate synergistic interactions in host infectivity and susceptibility, and the impact of these interactions on the invasive dynamics of an epidemic has been demonstrated. In the current paper, we elicit evidence that such synergistic interactions may underlie transmission dynamics in real-world systems by first formulating a model for the spread of a ubiquitous parasitic and saprotrophic fungus through replicated populations of nutrient sites and subsequently fitting and testing the model using data from experimental microcosms. Using Bayesian computational methods for model fitting, we demonstrate that synergistic interactions are necessary to explain the dynamics observed in the replicate experiments. The broader implications of this work in identifying disease-control strategies that deflect epidemics from invasive to non-invasive regimes are discussed.