Determination of flavan-3-ols and trans-resveratrol in grapes and wine using HPLC with fluorescence detection

Concentrations of trans-resveratrol, catechin and epicatechin were analyzed in musts and wines produced from seven red and four white grape cultivars from various wine growing regions of Turkey. Phenolics were quantified using an HPLC method optimized for the separation of wine phenolics. Wine samples contained higher phenolics levels than the corresponding musts. With the exception of Semillion, white wines and musts contained lower concentrations of phenolics than red wines and musts. However, the white cultivar Semillion had the highest concentrations of catechin and epicatechin among all wine and must samples. Semillion wine catechin and epicatechin were 13.7 and 11.8 mg/L, respectively. The highest level of trans-resveratrol among the white cultivars was found in Narince wine (1.93 mg/L). Within the red wine and must cultivars, Bo?azkere, Öküzgozü, and Cabernet contained the highest concentrations of flavan-3-ols and trans-resveratrol. Catechin was the major phenolic in all wines and most musts. Epicatechin was the major phenolic in 6 of the 11 must samples, but none of the wine samples. trans-Resveratrol was generally found in lowest concentrations in both wines and musts.     

Fatty acid profiles and fat contents of commercially important seawater and freshwater fish species of Turkey: A comparative study

The fat content and fatty acid compositions of edible muscle of commercially important seawater and freshwater fish species were investigated. The fatty acid compositions of seawater fish species were found to be 25.5–39.4% saturated (SFA), 13.2–29.0% monounsaturated (MUFAs) and 25.2–48.2% polyunsaturated acids (PUFAs), whereas the fatty acid compositions of freshwater fish from Lake Seyhan consisted of 28.0–34.6% saturated (SFA), 10.7–22.7% monounsaturated (MUFAs) and 23.2–43.7% polyunsaturated acids (PUFAs). The proportions of n3 PUFAs of seawater fish (ranging from 22.6 for waker to 44.2% for blue fish) were higher than those of n3 PUFAs of freshwater fish (ranging from 11.5% for North African catfish to 28.4% for zander). However, the levels of n6 PUFAs of seawater fish (ranging from 0.43% for blue fish to 14.4% for sea bass) were lower than those of n6 PUFAs of freshwater fish (ranging from 5.27% for kutum to 16.8% for tench). The results showed that fatty acid profiles of most freshwater fish are basically comparable to those of seawater fish as sources of PUFAs.     

Smart structures and their applications on active vibration control: Studies in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, METU

This work presents the theoretical and experimental studies conducted in Aerospace Engineering Department of Middle East Technical University on smart structures with particular attention given to the structural modelling characteristics and active suppression of in-vacuo vibrations. The smart structures considered in these analyses are finite and flat aluminium cantilever beam-like (called as smart beam) and plate-like (called as smart fin) structures with surface bonded lead–zirconate–titanate patches. Finite element models of smart beam and smart fin are obtained. Then the experimental studies regarding open loop behaviour of the structures are performed by using strain gauges and laser displacement sensor to determine the system models. Further studies are carried out to obtain H _∞ and μ-synthesis controllers which are intended to be used in the suppression of free and forced vibrations of the smart structures. It is observed that satisfactory attenuation levels are achieved and robust performance of the systems in the presence of uncertainties is ensured. In that respect a comparative study involving H _∞ and sliding mode controls is also conducted. Recently, the studies involving aerodynamic loading are also gathering pace.     

Determination of biogenic amines in sucuk

The biogenic amines content of sucuk (Turkish dry fermented sausage) were determined on 30 samples obtained from retail markets and butchers in Turkey. Also, pH and a_w values, microbiological properties, and NPN levels of these samples were analyzed. The most important biogenic amines were tyramine (range 2.4–676 mg/kg), followed by putrescine varied from not detected to 364 mg/kg. Histamine content was under 50 mg/kg in 80% of the samples while it was over 100 mg/kg in only one sample. Tryptamine was detected in 16 of 30 samples in the range of 1.2–82.3 mg/kg.

Lactic acid bacteria, Micrococcus/Staphylococcus and Enterobacteriaceae counts of samples varied from 2.84 to 8.85 log cfu/g, <2.00 to 6.74 log cfu/g, and <2.00 to 5.04 log cfu/g, respectively. pH values were varied between 4.53 and 6.29 while water activity (a_w) were measured to be between 0.761 and 0.960. NPN values were determined to be between 1.47% and 4.10%. Generally, total amine content was high in samples that had high NPN levels.     

Preparation and characterization of Cr- and Fe-pillared bentonites by using CrCl3, FeCl3, Cr(acac)3 and Fe(acac)3 as precursors

Four pillared bentonites (Cr-PILB, Cr(acac)₃-PILB, Fe-PILB and Fe(acac)₃-PILB were prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption measurements and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The surface acidities of the samples and their structures were also investigated in the gas phase adsorption data of pyridine by the aid of FT-IR spectroscopic techniques. The XRD data and FT-IR spectra of the samples reflected mainly the structure of bentonite. The nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms of the samples were Type II shaped and showed in general mesoporous structures with pore openings of 4 nm. Two steps mass losses were observed in the TGA thermograms of B, Cr-PILB and Fe-PILB, while three steps mass losses were detected in the case of Cr(acac)₃-PILB and Fe(acac)₃-PILB. IR study by the adsorption of pyridine on the samples showed both Lewis and Brönsted acid sites on their surfaces.     

Coverage‐aware connectivity‐constrained unattended sensor deployment in underwater acoustic sensor networks

Careful deployment of nodes in underwater acoustic sensor networks in a distributed manner with the goal of maximized coverage and guaranteed connectivity is a challenging problem because it is very difficult and costly to access the 3D underwater environment. This paper presents a novel algorithm for self‐deployment of nodes in underwater acoustic sensor networks assuming that the nodes are randomly dropped to the water surface and form a densely populated connected network at the water surface. The idea of the algorithm is based on calculating an optimized depth for each node in the network in such a way that the possible sensing coverage overlaps are minimized and the connectivity of final topology is guaranteed. The algorithm has three main phases. In the first phase, nodes are organized in a tree structure that is rooted at the surface station. In the second phase, the depths for all nodes are computed iteratively at surface station. In the final phase, the calculated depths are distributed to nodes so that the nodes start sinking. The performance of the proposed approach is validated through simulation. We observed that the proposed approach performs at least 10% better in terms of network coverage than contemporary schemes in the literature. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Calculation of Detonation Properties of Gaseous Explosives Using Generalized Reduced Gradient Nonlinear Optimization

In this paper, a study on the development of a numerical modeling of the detonation of C H N O‐based gaseous explosives is presented. In accordance with the numerical model, a FORTRAN computer code named GasPX has been developed to compute both the detonation point and the detonation properties on the basis of Chapman–Jouguet (C‐J) theory. The determination of the detonation properties in GasPX is performed in chemical equilibrium and steady‐state conditions. GasPX has two improvements over other thermodynamic equilibrium codes, which predict steady‐state detonation properties of gaseous explosives. First, GasPX employs a nonlinear optimization code based on Generalized Reduced Gradient (GRG) algorithm to compute the equilibrium composition of the detonation products. This optimization code provides a higher level of robustness of the solutions and global optimum determination efficiency. Second, GasPX can calculate the solid carbon formation in the products for gaseous explosives with high carbon content. Detonation properties such as detonation pressure, detonation temperature, detonation energy, mole fractions of species at the detonation point, etc. have been calculated by GasPX for many gaseous explosives. The comparison between the results from this study and those of CEA code by NASA and the experimental studies in the literature are in good agreement.     

Recent developments in cold plasma-based enzyme activity (browning,cell wall degradation,and antioxidant) in fruits and vegetables

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations reports, approximately half of the total harvested fruits and vegetables vanish before they reach the end consumer due to their perishable nature. Enzymatic browning is one of the most common problems faced by fruit and vegetable processing. The perishability of fruits and vegetables is contributed by the various browning enzymes (polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase) and ripening or cell wall degrading enzyme (pectin methyl-esterase). In contrast, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) assist in reversing the damage caused by reactive oxygen species or free radicals. The cold plasma technique has emerged as a novel, economic, and environmentally friendly approach that reduces the expression of ripening and browning enzymes while increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes; microorganisms are significantly inhibited, therefore improving the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. This review narrates the mechanism and principle involved in the use of cold plasma technique as a nonthermal agent and its application in impeding the activity of browning and ripening enzymes and increasing the expression of antioxidant enzymes for improving the shelf life and quality of fresh fruits and vegetables and preventing spoilage and pathogenic germs from growing. An overview of hurdles and sustainability advantages of cold plasma technology is presented.