Abstract: Two novel blends containing a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and a neat polyamide (PA) or a polyamide nanocomposite (PAN) layers were fabricated and their technological potential was evaluated during the refrigeration of cooked ham in modified atmospheres (MAP). Nanoclays were homogeneously distributed and nearly exfoliated, and they lowered significantly the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of the PAN films. Due to the lower OTR, the headspace oxygen level in PAN pouches do not rise above 0.26% but it approached 2% in PA pouches at day 20. The residual oxygen levels were key for colour change during MAP storage of cooked ham. Cooked ham redness and reflectivity were stable during 27 days in PAN pouches while a strong colour deterioration took place after day 7 in PA pouches. Other parameters such as moisture content and water activity remained unaltered, and pH development was related to microbial growth and independent of the packaging polymer. The evolution of cooked ham colour in PAN was comparable to a high-barrier commercial polymer, and was acceptable for commercial sale for 27 days, showing excellent perspectives for polyamide nanocomposites in the storage of cooked ham.

Abstract: The main aim of this study was a deeper understanding of the nuclear structure properties of the soft dipole modes in Ce-140, excited via inelastic scattering of weakly bound O-17 projectiles. An important aim was to investigate the 'splitting' of the PDR into two parts: a low-energy isoscalar component dominated by neutron-skin oscillations and a higher-energy component lying on the tail of the giant dipole resonance of a rather isovector character. This was already observed for this nucleus, investigated in (alpha, alpha') and (gamma,gamma') experiments. The experiment was performed at Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Italy. Inelastic scattering of O-17 ion beam at 20 MeV A(-1) was used to excite the resonance modes in the Ce-140 target. Gamma-rays were registered by five triple clusters of AGATA-Demonstrator and nine large volume scintillators (LaBr3). The scattered O-17 ions were identified by two Delta E – E Si telescopes of the TRACE array mounted inside the scattering chamber. The telescopes consisted of two segmented Si-pad detectors, each of 60 pixels. Very preliminary data have shown a strong domination of the E1 transitions in the 'pygmy' region with a character more similar to the one obtained in alpha scattering experiment.

Abstract: Multinucleon transfer reactions in Zr-90+Pb-208 have been studied via fragment-gamma coincidences, employing the PRISMA magnetic spectrometer coupled to the CLARA gamma-array. An analysis on Y isotopes has been carried out incorporating spectroscopic as well as reaction mechanism aspects. New gamma transitions have been observed in Y-94, confirming the findings of recent studies where nuclei were produced via fission of uranium, and a comparison with near-by Y-90,Y-92 isotopes populated in the same reaction has been discussed. Experimental cross sections have been extracted and compared with the GRAZING calculations, showing a fair agreement along the neutron pick-up side. The results confirm how multinucleon transfer reactions are a suitable mechanism for the study of neutron-rich nuclei.