The contribution of sturgeon species and processing conditions on caviar texture, metabolomic profile and sensory traits.

A comprehensive evaluation of the attributes that determine caviar quality, including sturgeon species and processing methods, is still lacking in the scientific literature. In this study, eight types of caviar, obtained from six different sturgeon species and produced using either salt or a combination of salt and sodium tetraborate (E285) with pasteurization, were characterized through untargeted metabolomics, sensory analysis, and texture evaluation. The results showed that Huso huso caviar was rich in gamma-glutamyl peptides (contributing to a kokumi taste), while the other sturgeon species were primarily distinguished by lipids (mainly glycerophospholipids) and nucleotides (such as AMP, inosinic acid, and other metabolites driving umami taste). Moreover, untargeted metabolomics revealed the technological effects of salting and pasteurization. Sensory analysis identified crunchiness, color homogeneity, and darkness as the main traits differentiating the products. Butter, hazelnut, and briny flavours were also key characteristics of the caviar.

Evaluation of the effect of agroclimatic variables on the probability and timing of olive fruit fly attack.

Agroclimatic variables may affect insect and plant phenology, with unpredictable effects on pest populations and crop losses. Bactrocera oleae Rossi (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a specific pest of Olea europaea plants that can cause annual economic losses of more than one billion US dollars in the Mediterranean region. In this study, we aimed at understanding the effect of olive tree phenology and other agroclimatic variables on B. oleae infestation dynamics in the Umbria region (Central Italy). Analyses were carried out on B. oleae infestation data collected in 79 olive groves during a 7-year period (from 2015 to 2021). In July-August, B. oleae infestation (1% attack) was negatively affected by altitude and spring mean daily temperatures and positively by higher winter mean daily temperatures and olive tree cumulative degree days. In September-October, infestation was negatively affected by a positive soil water balance and high spring temperatures. High altitude and cumulative plant degree days were related to delayed attacks. In contrast, high winter and spring temperatures accelerated them. Our results could be helpful for the development of predictive models and for increasing the reliability of decision support systems currently used in olive orchards.

Can active learning techniques simultaneously develop students' hard and soft skills? Evidence from an international relations class.

PURPOSE: In recent decades, educators have pushed to implementing active learning techniques that can advance students' competences. Universities are increasingly required to develop knowledge measured in terms of grades (hard skills) and inter-personal, social, and communication abilities (soft skills). Nevertheless, within the field of active learning, educators often focus on how these techniques can improve students' hard skills and their satisfaction. Few have analysed whether and how these techniques might improve students' soft skills. Moreover, among these few studies, the majority has analysed hard and soft skills separately, measuring whether different active learning techniques may or may not improve them. Virtually no one has studied whether students' hard and soft skills can converge or diverge in an active learning format. This study allows us to understand the relations between these two sets of variables, for example, whether an improvement (or deterioration) in the hard skills corresponds to an improvement (or deterioration) in the soft skills, and vice versa. METHOD: In our experiment, we analyse the impact of a specific active learning format, such as the Flipped Classroom (FC), on both students' hard and soft skills, by comparing it with a traditional class integrated with other active learning techniques, such as presentations, debates, and teamwork activities. First, we use Pearson correlations to measure the relation between students' hard skills, understood in terms of grades, and a set of soft skills, such as critical thinking, self-efficacy, teamwork, and perception of learning. Second, we use canonical correlations to analyse whether hard and soft skills converge or diverge in an FC format, in comparison with a traditional teaching format integrated with the other active learning techniques. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Our main finding is that the FC per se neither improves nor worsens students' performance in terms of hard and soft skills.