Enhancement of pasta antioxidant activity with oregano and carrot leaf

Five different pasta formulations were prepared using different concentrations of carrot leaf meal (CLM) and oregano leaf meal (OLM). One control formulation (wheat flour and semolina, 70:30 w/w) and four other formulations were prepared using the following amounts of leaf meals: 5% CLM and 5% OLM (I), 10% CLM (II), 10% OLM (III), and 10% CLM, 10% OLM (IV). The highest content of alpha-linolenic acid was found in formulations II and IV, which also had a reduced n-6/n-3 ratio, 3.6 (IV), when compared to the control, which was 19.8. All the samples enhanced with leaf meals showed antioxidant activity by the DPPH radical method; however, it was higher in formulation IV, which was the same observed for phenolic compounds. Pasta added with leaf meals lost more solubles, had shorter cooking time and a lower weight increase than the control pasta. All formulations had significant sensory acceptance.     

Covalent attachment of functional protein to polymer surfaces: a novel one-step dry process.

The attachment of bioactive protein to surfaces underpins the development of biosensors and diagnostic microarrays. We present a surface treatment using plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) to create stable covalent binding sites for the attachment of functional soya-bean peroxidase (SBP). Fourier transform infrared spectra of the surfaces show that protein is retained on the surface after boiling in sodium dodecyl sulphate and sodium hydroxide, which is indicative of covalent attachment. The activity of SBP on the treated surfaces remains high in comparison with SBP attached to control surfaces over the course of 11 days. Surface plasmon resonance was used to show that the surface coverage of the attached protein is close to a monolayer. We describe the potential of the PIII treatment method to be used as a one-step dry process to create surfaces for large-scale protein micro- or nanopatterning.     

A new approach to the analysis of vessel residence time distribution curves

Mathematical models for the evaluation of residence time distribution (RTD) curves on a large variety of vessels are presented. These models have been constructed by combination of different tanks or volumes. In order to obtain a good representation of RTD curves, a new volume (called convection diffusion volume) is introduced. The convection-diffusion volume allows the approximation of different experimental or numerical RTD curves with very simple models. An algorithm has been developed to calculate the parameters of the models for any given set of RTD curve experimental points. Validation of the models is carried out by comparison with experimental RTD curves taken from the literature and with a numerical RTD curve obtained by three-dimensional simulation of the flow inside a tundish.     

Linear dimensionality reduction by maximizing the Chernoff distance in the transformed space

Linear dimensionality reduction (LDR) techniques are quite important in pattern recognition due to their linear time complexity and simplicity. In this paper, we present a novel LDR technique which, though linear, aims to maximize the Chernoff distance in the transformed space; thus, augmenting the class separability in such a space. We present the corresponding criterion, which is maximized via a gradient-based algorithm, and provide convergence and initialization proofs. We have performed a comprehensive performance analysis of our method combined with two well-known classifiers, linear and quadratic, on synthetic and real-life data, and compared it with other LDR techniques. The results on synthetic and standard real-life data sets show that the proposed criterion outperforms the latter when combined with both linear and quadratic classifiers.     

Comparing lock-in ranges and transient responses of second- and third-order phase-locked loops in master–slave clock distribution networks

The distribution of clock signals throughout the nodes of a network is essential for several applications in control and communication with the phase-locked loop (PLL) being the component for electronic synchronization process. In systems with master–slave (MS) strategies, the PLLs are the slave nodes responsible for providing reliable clocks in all nodes of the network. As PLLs have nonlinear phase detection, double-frequency terms appear and filtering becomes necessary. Imperfections in filtering process cause oscillations around the synchronous state worsening the performance of the clock distribution process. The behavior of one-way master–slave (OWMS) clock distribution networks is studied and performances of first- and second-order filter processes are compared, concerning lock-in ranges and responses to perturbations of the synchronous state.     

Replacement strategies to preserve useful diversity in steady-state genetic algorithms

In this paper, we propose a replacement strategy for steady-state genetic algorithms that considers two features of the candidate chromosome to be included into the population: a measure of the contribution of diversity to the population and the fitness function. In particular, the proposal tries to replace an individual in the population with worse values for these two features. In this way, the diversity of the population becomes increased and the quality of the solutions gets better, thus preserving high levels of useful diversity. Experimental results show the proposed replacement strategy achieved significant performance for problems with different difficulties, with regards to other replacement strategies presented in the literature.     

Characterization of the Microstructure,Crystallographic Texture and Segregation of an As‐cast Duplex Stainless Steel Slab

The microstructure of a duplex stainless steel slab 1.4362 produced by continuous casting has been investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, EBSD and EDS. The slab showed different macrostructures through the thickness. The macrostructure can be divided into 3 types: fine equiaxed, columnar and coarse equiaxed grains. In all three regions, the volume fraction of each phase austenite and delta‐ferrite is close to 50% and the hardness is very similar for both. The austenite has Kurdjumov‐Sachs or Nishiyama‐Wassermann relationship with the delta‐ferrite. The slab does not show a strong segregation profile through the thickness. The delta‐ferrite is enriched in Cr and Mo, while austenite is enriched in Ni and Mn.     

Prenylated Flavonoids with Potential Antimicrobial Activity: Synthesis,Biological Activity,and In Silico Study

Prenylated flavonoids are an important class of naturally occurring flavonoids with important biological activity, but their low abundance in nature limits their application in medicines. Here, we showed the hemisynthesis and the determination of various biological activities of seven prenylated flavonoids, named 7–13, with an emphasis on antimicrobial ones. Compounds 9, 11, and 12 showed inhibitory activity against human pathogenic fungi. Compounds 11, 12 (flavanones) and 13 (isoflavone) were the most active against clinical isolated Staphylococcus aureus MRSA, showing that structural requirements as prenylation at position C-6 or C-8 and OH at positions C-5, 7, and 4′ are key to the antibacterial activity. The combination of 11 or 12 with commercial antibiotics synergistically enhanced the antibacterial activity of vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, and methicillin in a factor of 10 to 100 times against drug-resistant bacteria. Compound 11 combined with ciprofloxacin was able to decrease the levels of ROS generated by ciprofloxacin. According to docking results of S enantiomer of 11 with ATP-binding cassette transporter showed the most favorable binding energy; however, more studies are needed to support this result.