Physiochemical properties,dietary fibers,and functional characterization of three yuzu cultivars at five harvesting times

Food Science and Biotechnology - This research focused on physiochemical and nutritional properties and functional characterization of three cultivars of yuzu—Native, Tadanishiki yuzu, and...     

Parallel methods for absolute irreducibility testing

A heuristic algorithm for testing absolute irreducibility of multivariate polynomials over arbitrary fields using Newton polytopes was proposed in Gao and Lauder (Discrete Comput. Geom. 26:89–104, [2001]). A preliminary implementation by Gao and Lauder (2003) established a wide range of families of low degree and sparse polynomials for which the algorithm works efficiently and with a high success rate. In this paper, we develop a BSP variant of the absolute irreducibility testing via polytopes, with the aim of producing a more memory and run-time efficient method that can provide wider ranges of applicability, specifically in terms of the degrees of the input polynomials. In the bivariate case, we describe a balanced load scheme and a corresponding data distribution leading to a parallel algorithm whose efficiency can be established under reasonably realistic conditions. This is later incorporated in a doubly parallel algorithm in the multivariate case that achieves similar scalable performance. Both parallel models are analyzed for efficiency, and the theoretical analysis is compared to the performance of our experiments. In the empirical results we report, we achieve absolute irreducibility testing for bivariate and trivariate polynomials of degrees up to 30,000, and for low degree multivariate polynomials with more than 3,000 variables. To the best of our knowledge, this sets a world record in establishing absolute irreducibility of multivariate polynomials.     

Towards a high quality Arabic speech synthesis system based on neural networks and residual excited vocal tract model

Text-to-speech conversion has traditionally been performed either by concatenating short samples of speech or by using rule-based systems to convert a phonetic representation of speech into an acoustic representation, which is then converted into speech. This paper describes a text-to-speech synthesis system for modern standard Arabic based on artificial neural networks and residual excited LPC coder. The networks offer a storage-efficient means of synthesis without the need for explicit rule enumeration. These neural networks require large prosodically labeled continuous speech databases in their training stage. As such databases are not available for the Arabic language, we have developed one for this purpose. Thus, we discuss various stages undertaken for this development process. In addition to interpolation capabilities of neural networks, a linear interpolation of the coder parameters is performed to create smooth transitions at segment boundaries. A residual-excited all pole vocal tract model and a prosodic-information synthesizer based on neural networks are also described in this paper.     

EEM: evolutionary ensembles model for activity recognition in Smart Homes

Activity recognition requires further research to enable a multitude of human-centric applications in the smart home environment. Currently, the major challenges in activity recognition include the domination of major activities over minor activities, their non-deterministic nature and the lack of availability of human-understandable output. In this paper, we introduce a novel Evolutionary Ensembles Model (EEM) that values both minor and major activities by processing each of them independently. It is based on a Genetic Algorithm (GA) to handle the non-deterministic nature of activities. Our evolutionary ensemble learner generates a human-understandable rule profile to ensure a certain level of confidence for performed activities. To evaluate the EEM, we performed experiments on three different real world datasets. Our experiments show significant improvement of 0.6 % to 0.28 % in the F-measures of recognized activities compared to existing counterparts. It is expected that EEM would be a practical solution for the activity recognition problem due to its understandable output and improved accuracy.     

Encapsulation of Ellipticine in poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) based nanoparticles and its in vitro application

Biodegradable, biocompatible, renewable and non-toxic polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) based nanoparticles are the novel nanotherapeutic tool which are used for the encapsulation of antineoplastic drugs for cancer therapy. In this study, poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-5 mol% 3-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV-S), poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-11 mol% 3-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV-11) and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-15 mol% 3-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV-15) were used as a nanocarrier for encapsulation of Ellipticine (EPT). EPT is a model anticancer drug. Physicochemical characteristics such as particle size, its morphology and zeta potential of blank and EPT loaded PHBV-S, PHBV-11 and PHBV-15 nanoparticles were studied. In vitro cytotoxicity tests confirmed that the blank PHBV-S, PHBV-11 and PHBV-15 nanoparticles were demonstrating significant biocompatibility without affecting the survival of cancer cell line A549. The loading efficiency of EPT in PHBV nanoparticles was observed in the range of 39.32 to 45.65%. The % inhibition of cancer cell line A549 ranged from 64.28 to 67.77% in comparison to EPT alone in which % inhibition found to be ≤ 45.11%. The IC50 value for each of three different formulations of EPT loaded PHBV nanoparticles ranged from 1.00 to 1.31 μg/mL. The order of % inhibition of cancer cell line A549 for drug loaded nanoparticles was EPT-PHBV-15 > EPT-PHBV-S > EPT-PHBV-11. This system had demonstrated a great potential to increase the cytotoxic effect of EPT by increasing its bioavailability.     

Biodegradable Microparticulates of Beta-Estradiol: Preparation and In Vitro Characterization

ABSTRACT

Beta-estradiol has been recommended for the long-term therapy of osteoporosis and its oral formulations are subjected to intensive first pass metabolism. The present investigation was aimed at preparing and characterizing biodegradable microparticles of beta-estradiol with polymers such as PLA, PLGA 85/15, PLGA 75/25, and their mixtures. The microparticles were prepared by solvent evaporation method using methylene chloride as a solvent and polyvinyl alcohol as a surfactant. The drug-polymer ratios were 1:3, 1:5, and 1:7. The prepared microparticles (twelve formulations) were tested for encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release in 50% methyl alcohol/phosphate buffer pH 7.4. The results showed that the encapsulation efficiency varied from 81 to 100% and the formulation fabricated from PLGA 85/15 (1:3) showed less burst and consistent long time release. This formulation when further characterized displayed irregular spherical shape with an average particle size of 72 µm. The crystallinity of the drug was reduced when investigated using X-ray diffractometry. No chemical interaction between the drug and the polymer was observed as evidenced by FT-IR analysis. The results indicated that beta-estradiol biodegradable microparticles with PLGA 85/15 (1:3) could be a suitable approach for long term therapy of osteoporosis.     

A note on the integrability of a remarkable static Euler–Bernoulli beam equation

It has recently been shown that the fourth-order static Euler–Bernoulli ordinary differential equation, where the elastic modulus and the area moment of inertia are constants and the applied load is a function of the normal displacement, in the maximal case has three symmetries. This corresponds to the negative fractional power law y ^?5/3, and the equation has the nonsolvable algebra ${sl(2, \mathbb{R})}$ . We obtain new two- and three-parameter families of exact solutions when the equation has this symmetry algebra. This is studied via the symmetry classification of the three-parameter family of second-order ordinary differential equations that arises from the relationship among the Noether integrals. In addition, we present a complete symmetry classification of the second-order family of equations. Hence the admittance of ${sl(2, \mathbb{R})}$ remarkably allows for a three-parameter family of exact solutions for the static beam equation with load a fractional power law y ^?5/3.     

Agricultural and Dietary Meanings of Mandioca in Rural Paraguay

In this paper we use mandioca (Latin: Manihot esculenta) as a lens through which to examine agricultural and dietary continuity and change, and questions of food sovereignty practice in a rural, smallholder community in Paraguay. Mandioca is a preferred, staple food and a ubiquitous crop in the area, and the ways farmers conceptualize it as both a crop and as a dietary staple highlights local complexities when it comes to control over agricultural and food systems. Our discussion of the economic, culinary and dietary meanings of mandioca in this community demonstrates how the concept of food sovereignty can play out in terms of the practical, everyday realities that shape farmers' control over their agricultural decision-making, and in their access to foods that they deem healthy and culturally appropriate.     

Characterization of a formaldehyde-free cornstarch-tannin wood adhesive for interior plywood

This study investigated the physical properties (rheological and thermogravimetric analysis) of cornstarch-tannin adhesives and the mechanical properties (dry tensile strength and 3-point bending strength) of plywood made using cornstarch-tannin adhesives. This adhesive was evaluated for its utility in interior plywood manufacture. The optimum cure temperature and cure time of cornstarch-tannin adhesives were 170°C and 4?min, respectively. Plywood bonded with formaldehyde-free cornstarch-tannin adhesive exhibited excellent mechanical properties comparable to commercially available phenol-formaldehyde plywood adhesives. It was found that cornstarch-tannin panels which do not contain formaldehyde and with an emission equal to that of heated but unbound wood can be obtained by the use of hexamethylenetetramine (hexamine) as hardener. The work has indicated that an environmentally friendly wood adhesive can be prepared from a natural renewable resource (cornstarch and wattle tannin) for bonding interior-type plywood.     

Effect of iron oxide nanoparticles on the morphological properties of isotactic polypropylene

Isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanocomposites were mixed by masterbatch blending technique in a single screw extruder machine. The concentrations of Fe₃O₄ in the iPP/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites were 0.5, 1, 2, and 5% by weight. The influence of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles on the effectiveness of nucleation, morphology, mode of crystallization, and crystallinity of iPP were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized light microscopy (PLM). The introduction of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in the iPP matrix inhibited the formation of β crystals, and caused a shift in the melting point to higher values. The magnitude of the shift was up to 20–21°C which indicates that using the masterbatch technique leads to an enhancement of the dispersion process of the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle and the formation of less agglomerates in the iPP/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites. The percentage crystallinity, X_c, increased at the low cooling rates of 1 and 2°C/min. At higher cooling rates of 5, 10, and 20°C/min, the masterbatch technique produced nanocomposites of X_c with nonuniform trends. The overall crystallization rate enhancement for the iPP/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites is attributed to the presence of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as a nucleating agent which have no significant effect on the growth rate of iPP crystals. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010