There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

By Pierre Bourdieu (London: Routledge, 2010), xxx + 607 pp. £15.99 paper. A combination of social theory, statistical data, illustrations, and interviews, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judg...

Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste

The State of Food and Agriculture

The UK has passed legislation that introduces the world’s first long-term legally binding framework to tackle the dangers of climate change (The Climate Change Act 20084). The act requires Government to set carbon budgets, which are limits on greenhouse gas emissions in the UK for consecutive five year periods. 
Models analysed in IPCC AR4 have a range of 0-60% for an AMOC decrease over the next 100 years. The RAPID-WATCH 26˚N observations provide the only continuous measurements of the AMOC strength and vertical structure, and are thus a vital monitoring tool for this key climate variable'.
Analysis of the PSMSL data set, reviewed by scientific panels such as the IPCC, inform studies of impacts of climate change on both national and international levels (e.g. UK Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP), UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), UK Foresight Flood and Coastal Defence Review, Charting Progress and Charting Progress 2, IPCC Working Group II).

Climate change impacts

The development of sustainable renewable polymers from natural resources has increasingly gained attention from scientists, engineers as well as the general public and government agencies. This review covers recent progress in the field of renewable bio-based monomers and polymers from natural resources: terpenes, terpenoids, and rosin, which are a class of hydrocarbon-rich biomass with abundance and low cost, holding much potential for utilization as organic feedstocks for green plastics and composites. This review details polymerization and copolymerization of terpenes such as pinene, limonene, and myrcene and their derivatives, terpenoids including carvone and menthol, and rosin-derived monomers. The future direction on the utilization of these natural resources is discussed.

Progress in Renewable Polymers from Natural Terpenes, Terpenoids, and Rosin

Since the interest in the use of edible flowers for gastronomy has been increased, therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which sociodemographic characteristics influence the knowledge and consumption habits related to edible flowers in a sample of 247 Portuguese adults. The results revealed that this subject is not unknown for the majority of the participants and that they were aware of some of aspects related to the consumption of this kind of product. In general, edible flowers are consumed sporadically, cooked or incorporated in salads, mainly because of their taste. It was also observed that gender as well as the area of work or studies influenced the participants’ knowledge and some of the consuming habits related to edible flowers. However, there were still some aspects about which the participants revealed some confusion, such as the risks related to their consumption. Hence, it is important to continue with studies in this area, in order to clarify and deepen the knowledge about the use of edible flowers in gastronomy.

http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/49364/3/IJTK%2018%283%29%20579-588.pdf

Investigation about the consumption of edible flowers in Portugal

Physical properties of Physalis Peruviana L.

EnglishOver time it has been found that fatty acids are, increasingly, part of the diet, regardless of continent, country and/or culture. These acids include several components and each one has its specificity. The most important fatty acids are the essential ones, like the omega-3 and omega-6, and play a very significant role in human health. Furthermore, it should be noted that they perform functions of protection, risk reduction and inflammation in relation to certain diseases such as asthma, cancer, hypertension, lupus, skin diseases and eye infections, depression, among others. According to some studies, most of these effects are proven, but not all cases are still scientifically acceptable and there are cases where many authors come into "conflict" due to divergence of views, by possibly contradictory results obtained in studies either �in vitro� or �in vivo�. It is, then, necessary to check and verify all of these potential effects, in order to verify that the fatty acids, probably most of them, can often work as a nutraceutical or supplement to medication in various situations. portuguesAo longo dos tempos tem-se verificado que os acidos gordos fazem, cada vez mais, parte da alimentacao, independentemente do continente, pais e/ou cultura. Estes acidos englobam varios constituintes e cada um deles tem a sua especificidade. Os acidos gordos mais importantes sao os essenciais, caso do omega-3 e do omega-6, e desempenham um papel bastante significativo na saude humana. Alem disso, e necessario referir que desempenham funcoes de proteccao, reducao de risco e de inflamacao em relacao a determinadas doencas, tais como asma, cancro, hipertensao, lupus, doencas de pele e oculares, depressao, entre outras. Segundo alguns estudos realizados, a maior parte destes efeitos esta comprovada, mas nem todos os casos estao ainda cientificamente aceites e existem casos em que, muitos dos autores entram em �conflito� devido a divergencia de opinioes, por via de resultados eventualmente contraditorios obtidos em estudos quer �in vitro� quer �in vivo�. E, entao, necessario verificar e comprovar todos estes potenciais efeitos, no sentido de verificar que os acidos gordos, provavelmente, na sua maioria, podem funcionar muitas vezes como nutraceuticos ou complementar uma medicacao em variadas situacoes.

/pdf/o-papel-dos-acidos-gordos-na-nutricao-humana-e-3ennap5h9v.pdf

O Papel dos Ácidos Gordos na Nutrição Humana e Desenvolvimentos Sobre o Modo Como Influenciam a Saúde

Influence of processing and storage on fruit juices phenolic compounds

This study aimed to develop a new food product, attractive from the organoleptic point of view and with the advantage of being rich in phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. For that, a phenolic-rich solution was obtained from wine and included in the recipe of the yogurts. The product developed was therefore a yogurt with wine antioxidants, prepared in different aroma variations. The results showed that the addition of the phenolic-rich solution caused an increase in the content of antioxidants without affecting acidity. On the other hand, based on sensory analysis, it was possible to choose two final products which were the favorite among the members of the sensorial panel, namely the yogurt with flavor of mixed fruits and sugar and the addition of the wine antioxidants solution and the yogurt with flavor of cinnamon and sugar and the addition of wine antioxidants.

Raquel Guiné

Papers

Investigation about the consumption of edible flowers in Portugal

Physical properties of Physalis Peruviana L.

O Papel dos Ácidos Gordos na Nutrição Humana e Desenvolvimentos Sobre o Modo Como Influenciam a Saúde

Influence of processing and storage on fruit juices phenolic compounds

Development of Yogurts Enriched with Antioxidants from Wine