Phytochemicals and antioxidant activity of different parts of bambangan (Mangifera pajang) and tarap (Artocarpus odoratissimus)

Mangifera pajang (family: Anacardiaceae; local name: bambangan) and Artocarpus odoratissimus (familiy: Moraceae; local name: tarap) are popular edible fruits in Sabah, Malaysia. The flesh, kernel and peel from M. pajang; seed and flesh from A. odoratissimus were analysed for total antioxidant activity, total polyphenol, total flavonoid and total anthocyanins contents. M. pajang kernel extract displayed the highest free radical scavenging and ferric reducing activities. Total phenolic content of the samples were in the range of 5.96–103.3 mg gallic acid equivalent/g. M. pajang kernel and M. pajang flesh contained the highest and lowest total flavonoid content with the values of 10.98 and 0.07 mg rutin equivalent/g, respectively. The antioxidant activities of extracts were significantly correlated with the total phenolic and flavonoid content (but not the anthocyanins content). The phytochemicals and antioxidant properties of M. pajang and A. odoratissimus, especially their by-products (kernel/seed), indicate that they may impart health benefits when consumed and should be regarded as a valuable source of antioxidant-rich nutraceuticals.     

Versatile gas/particle ion chromatograph

A new, compact gas/particle ion chromatograph has been developed for measuring ionic constituents in PM2.5 (particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter < or = 2.5 microm) and water-soluble ionogenic gases. The instrument has separate sampling channels for gases and particles. In one, a membrane denuder collects soluble gases for preconcentration and analysis. In the other, a cyclone removes larger particles, a membrane denuder removes soluble gases, and a continuously wetted hydrophilic filter collects particles. A single, multiport, syringe pump handles liquid transport, and one conductivity detector measures anions and ammonium for both channels. Electrodialytically generated gradient hydroxide eluent permits 20 min chromatographic runs. Gas/particle samples are each collected for 40 min, butthe sampling intervals are staggered by 20 min. Liquid samples from the gas denuder and particle collector are aspirated and preconcentrated on sequential cation and anion concentrators and transferred respectively to an ammonia transfer device and an anion separation column. The flow configuration results in an ammonium peak before anion peaks in the chromatogram. The system measures ammonia, organic acids (such as acetic, formic, and oxalic acids), HCl, HONO, SO2, HNO3, and the corresponding ions in the aerosol phase. Low ng/m3 to sub-ng/m3 limits of detection (LODs) are attained for most common gases and particulate constituents, the LODs for gaseous SO2 to NH3 range, for example, from sub parts per trillion by volume (sub-pptv) to approximately 5 pptv.     

Chemical structure of autoignition in a turbulent lifted H2/N2 jet flame issuing into a vitiated coflow

In the present paper autoignition is studied as the main stabilization mechanism in turbulent lifted H₂/N₂ jet flames issuing into a vitiated hot coflow. The numerical study is performed using the joint scalar PDF approach with detailed chemistry in a two dimensional axisymmetric domain. The SSG Reynolds stress model is used as a turbulence model in the simulation. Chemical structure and characteristics of autoignition are investigated using various methods and parameters. Reaction rate analysis is made to analyze the ignition process at the flame base. The results show the occurrence of a chain branching reaction preceding thermal runaway, which boosts the chain branching process in the flame. This demonstrates the large impact of autoignition at the flame base on the stabilization of the lifted turbulent flame. Further investigation using the scatter-plots of scalars reveals the characteristics of the ignition. The relation between the behavior of temperature and of key intermediate species demonstrates the formation of OH through consumption of HO₂ at nearly isothermal conditions in a very lean-fuel mixture at the flame base. Flux analyses in the conservation equations of species are used to explore the impacts of mass transport on ignition process. Ignition is found to be mainly controlled by chemical features rather than the mixing processes near the flame base. Characteristics of autoignition are also investigated in terms of Damköhler number and progress variable.     

Numerical analysis of laser transmitter nonlinearity compensation technique for radio over fiber system

The task of reducing the noise and distortion generated by a laser transmitter has always been a challenge to improve the performance of radio over fiber systems. This paper presents a compensation system for nonlinear distortion of a laser transmitter supporting 5.2 GHz radio transmission over fiber employing a feed‐forward linearization technique. The nonlinearity of the laser diode is modeled using Volterra series analysis. The proposed linearization system is also simulated using commercial optical system software. The novel design has achieved 30 dB nonlinearity reduction considering 800 MHz modulation bandwidth. As an addition, this work also analyzes the effect of transmission length towards distortion reduction of the proposed system. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Comparative Assessment of Nutritional Composition,Total Phenolic,Total Flavonoid,Antioxidant Capacity,and Antioxidant Vitamins of Two Types of Malaysian Underutilized Fruits (Averrhoa Bilimbi and Averrhoa Carambola)

Nutritional composition, total phenolic content, total flavonoid, antioxidant capacity, and antioxidant vitamins of bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi) and carambola (Averrhoa carambola) were determined and compared in this study. Bilimbi was found to contain higher moisture, ash, carbohydrate, protein, fat, and dietary fiber compared to carambola. Total phenolic content was higher in carambola although bilimbi yielded more total flavonoid. Vitamins A, C, and E contents of bilimbi were also higher than carambola. Antioxidant and scavenging activity as determined by β-carotene bleaching assay and DPPH radical scavenging assay of carambola were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than bilimbi. These results suggested that carambola was a potent natural antioxidant food and that contribution of phenolic compounds to its antioxidant capacity was greater than that of antioxidant vitamins.     

Kernel Search-Framework for Dynamic Controller Placement in Software-Defined Network

In software-defined networking (SDN) networks, unlike traditional networks, the control plane is located separately in a device or program. One of the most critical problems in these networks is a controller placement problem, which has a significant impact on the network’s overall performance. This paper attempts to provide a solution to this problem aiming to reduce the operational cost of the network and improve their survivability and load balancing. The researchers have proposed a suitable framework called kernel search introducing integer programming formulations to address the controller placement problem. It demonstrates through careful computational studies that the formulations can design networks with much less installation cost while accepting a general connected topology among controllers and user-defined survivability parameters. The researchers used the proposed framework on six different topologies then analyzed and compared with Iterated Local Search (ILS) and Expansion model for the controller placement problem (EMCPP) along with considering several evaluation criteria. The results show that the proposed framework outperforms the ILS and EMCPP. Thus, the proposed framework has a 38.53% and 38.02% improvement in reducing network implementation costs than EMCPP and ILS, respectively.     

Comparative study of metaheuristic algorithms for optimal sizing of standalone microgrids in a remote area community

Neural Computing and Applications - This paper evaluates the performance and suitability of four different metaheuristic algorithms for optimal sizing of standalone microgrids in remote area. The...     

Review of Nanocellulose Polymer Composite Characteristics and Challenges

The nanosize cellulose has emerged in the last two decades as an efficient strategy to improve the structural and functional properties of polymer composite. This review focuses to explore the unique mechanical–thermal properties of cellulose-based nanocomposites particularly on the various reinforcing mechanisms of nanocellulose. The promising reinforcing capabilities of nanocellulose mainly lie in their intrinsic chemical natures, aspect ratio, and degree of crystallinity. In this article, the potential factors deteriorating the aspect ratio and crystallinity have been systematically reviewed. Some relevant suggestions/solutions were also widely exploited toward tailoring the generating problems.     

Harnessing the Excellent Mechanical,Barrier and Antimicrobial Properties of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) to Improve the Performance of Starch-based Bioplastic

ABSTRACT

The inherent properties of starch which are poor mechanical properties and its hydrophilicity that leads to poor long-term water absorption, fostered the incorporation of additives into starch-based bioplastic to enhance its mechanical and barrier properties. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle as a lightweight material that is biocompatible, nontoxic, cost-effective and exhibit strong antibacterial activity can be considered as nano reinforcement of starch-based bioplastic. The present work studied the reinforcing effect of ZnO on the physical, mechanical and antibacterial properties of starch-based bioplastic. Bioplastic was prepared by melt-mixing starch and glycerol (3:1, w/w) with ZnO (1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5%, w/w). Bioplastic density and water contact angle increased with the increase of ZnO concentration. Bioplastic with the addition of 4% ZnO showed the lowest moisture content of 3.45%. Moreover, the decomposition temperature of bioplastic with ZnO increased slightly which indicated the higher stability. Mechanical properties evaluation showed that bioplastic with addition of ZnO had higher tensile strength than that without ZnO where 4% ZnO exhibited the highest tensile strength of 10.29 MPa with elongation of 5.69%. Cross-section microstructure after tensile test showed that ZnO was fairly dispersed in starch matrix that implied the increase of the mechanical properties of bioplastic. FTIR spectra exhibited that the intermolecular interaction in bioplastics occurred through C–H, C=O, C–O–H and O–H groups. In addition, biodegradability tests of bioplastic showed that the growth of microbes decreased in the presence of ZnO due to the nature of ZnO as an antibacterial compound. The results showed that ZnO played a key role in reinforcing the physical, mechanical and antibacterial properties of starch-based bioplastic.     

Adaptive filter design based on the LMS algorithm for delay elimination in TCR/FC compensators

Thyristor controlled reactor with fixed capacitor (TCR/FC) compensators have the capability of compensating reactive power and improving power quality phenomena. Delay in the response of such compensators degrades their performance. In this paper, a new method based on adaptive filters (AF) is proposed in order to eliminate delay and increase the response of the TCR compensator. The algorithm designed for the adaptive filters is performed based on the least mean square (LMS) algorithm. In this design, instead of fixed capacitors, band-pass LC filters are used. To evaluate the filter, a TCR/FC compensator was used for nonlinear and time varying loads of electric arc furnaces (EAFs). These loads caused occurrence of power quality phenomena in the supplying system, such as voltage fluctuation and flicker, odd and even harmonics and unbalancing in voltage and current. The above design was implemented in a realistic system model of a steel complex. The simulation results show that applying the proposed control in the TCR/FC compensator efficiently eliminated delay in the response and improved the performance of the compensator in the power system.