In vitro digestibility of phenolic compounds from edible fruits: could it be explained by chemometrics?

The health benefits of phenolic compounds depend on the ingested amount, molecular diversity and gastrointestinal digestibility. The phenolic profile of eight fruits (blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, mulberry, pomegranate, green and red globe grapes) was chemometrically associated with their in vitro digestibility (oral, gastric, intestinal). Extractable phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins strongly correlated with each other (r ≥ 0.84), proanthocyanidins with anthocyanins (r = 0.62) and hydrolysable phenols with both extractable phenols (r = 0.45) and proanthocyanidins (r = ?0.54). Two principal components explained 93% of the variance [61% (free‐phenols), 32% (bounded‐phenols)], and four clusters were confirmed by hierarchical analysis, based in their phenolic richness (CLT 1‐4: low to high) and molecular diversity. In vitro digestibility of extractable phenols and flavonoids was blackberry (CLT‐4)> raspberry (CLT‐2)> red grape (CLT‐1) related to their phenolic richness (r ≥ 0.96; P < 0.001), but anthocyanins’ digestibility was pH‐dependent. Chemometrics is useful to predict the in vitro digestibility of phenolic compounds in the assayed fruits.     

An algorithm comparison for dynamic optimization problems

This work presents a study on the performance of several algorithms on different continuous dynamic optimization problems. Eight algorithms have been used: SORIGA (an Evolutionary Algorithm), an agents-based algorithm, the mQSO (a widely used multi-population PSO) as well as three heuristic-rule-based variations of it, and two trajectory-based cooperative strategies. The algorithms have been tested on the Moving Peaks Benchmark and the dynamic version of the Ackley, Griewank and Rastrigin functions. For each problem, a wide variety of configuration variations have been used, emphasizing the influence of dynamism, and using a full-factorial experimental design. The results give an interesting overview of the properties of the algorithms and their applicability, and provide useful hints to face new problems of this type with the best algorithmic approach. Additionally, a recently introduced methodology for comparing a high number of experimental results in a graphical way is used.     

Electricity production by integration of acidogenic fermentation of fruit juice wastewater and fuel cells

In this work, the potential application of bio-hydrogen in a fuel cell was studied. To do that an activated sludge was acclimatized to an acidogenic culture producing bio-hydrogen. Once reached the steady state, several batch experiments were carried out by feeding a synthetic fruit juice industry wastewater to the acidogenic culture. The bio-hydrogen yield obtained when this synthetic fruit juice industry wastewater was fed was 1403 mol H₂/mol hexose and the hydrogen percent in gas phase was 57%. In an average size fruit juice industry, this bio-hydrogen yield corresponds to a bio-hydrogen production of about 6000 mol H₂/d. In the subsequent stage, a synthetic bio-hydrogen stream with the same composition of the cleaned bio-hydrogen obtained in the acidogenic fermentation was fed as fuel in a Fuel Cell, obtaining very similar power and polarization curves than that obtained when feeding pure hydrogen, differences lower than 10%. These results showed that the hydrogen stream obtained by the acidogenic fermentation could be used to produce electricity in a high temperature PEMFC.     

Activated carbons as potentially useful non-nutritive additives to prevent the effect of fumonisin B1 on sodium bentonite activity against chronic aflatoxicosis

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) and fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) are mycotoxins that often co-occur in feedstuffs. The ingestion of AFB₁ causes aflatoxicosis in humans and animals. Sodium bentonite (NaB), a cheap non-nutritive unselective sequestering agent incorporated in animal diets, can effectively prevent aflatoxicosis. Fumonisins are responsible for equine leukoencephalomalacia and porcine pulmonary oedema, and often have subclinical toxic effects in poultries. Fumonisin B₁ and aflatoxin B₁ are both strongly adsorbed in vitro on sodium bentonite. Co-adsorption studies, carried out with a weight ratio of FB₁ to AFB₁ that mimics the natural occurrence (200:1), showed that FB₁ greatly decreases the in vitro ability of NaB to adsorb AFB₁. The ability of two activated carbons to adsorb FB₁ was also investigated. Both carbons showed high affinity for FB₁. A complex behaviour of the FB₁ adsorption isotherms with pH was observed. In vitro results suggest that under natural contamination levels of AFB₁ and FB₁, a mixture of activated carbon and sodium bentonite might be potentially useful for prevention of sub-acute aflatoxicosis.     

Short Crack R-Curves in Ferroelectric and Electrostrictive PLZT

This work describes the measurement of R -curve behavior in ferroelectric ceramics using four-point bend specimens with controlled semielliptical surface cracks. The results are compared for two compositions of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate. One exhibits ferroelastic behavior, the other electrostrictive linear elastic behavior. R -curves are measured in the crack length regime of 0.1 to 0.8 mm. The ferroelastic composition displays a toughness increase from 0.5 to 1.2 MPa·m^1/2. The linear elastic composition displays a flat R -curve. The R -curve behavior is attributed to ferroelastic toughening.     

Gold extraction by chlorination using a pyrometallurgical process

The feasibility to recover the gold present in alluvial material, by means of a chlorination process, using chlorine as a reactive agent, has been studied. The influence of temperature and reaction time was studied through changes in the reactant solid. The techniques used to characterize the mineral samples and the reaction residues were stereomicroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence and scanning electronic microscopy. Results indicate that gold extraction is favored by increasing, both, the temperature and the reaction time. The best recovery values were of 98.23% at 873 K and 3600 s and of 98.73% at 873 K and 5400 s, with very low attack of the matrix containing the metal. The powder of pure gold was not chlorinated at this temperature level.     

Determining the responsibility of manufacturing sectors regarding electricity consumption. The Spanish case

The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology based on the input-output approach which allows us to identify the structural and technological responsibility of manufacturing sectors in electricity consumption. Sectors with a high structural responsibility are those whose products are strongly demanded by other sectors and this leads to a high electricity consumption/production. Sectors with a high technological responsibility are those whose technologies use inputs which directly or indirectly require much electricity independently of the composition of final demand in the economy. This methodology is applied to the manufacturing sectors in Spain. It is found out that the chemical sector and industries manufacturing metal products have a large structural responsibility, but their technological responsibility is low. In contrast, the mineral (non-metallic) sectors form a cluster of industries with a high technological responsibility.