Development of green extraction process to produce antioxidant-rich extracts from purple coneflower

The present study was conducted to develop subcritical water extraction (SWE) of Echinacea purpurea flowers. The influence of temperature and extraction time on quality of extracts considering total phenols content, total flavonoids content, antioxidant capacity and extraction yield, was determined. Optimized extraction parameters for maximised investigated responses were as follows: 147.56 °C and 8.43 min. The experimental values agreed with the values predicted, thus indicating the adequacy of central composite experimental design for modelling the SWE of bioactive compounds from E. purpurea. Results of the study also highlighted the potential application of E. purpurea subcritical water extracts as a source of valuable bioactive compounds.     

A new set distance and its application to shape registration

We propose a new distance measure, called Complement weighted sum of minimal distances, between finite sets in ${\mathbb Z }^n$ and evaluate its usefulness for shape registration and matching. In this set distance the contribution of each point of each set is weighted according to its distance to the complement of the set. In this way, outliers and noise contribute less to the new similarity measure. We evaluate the performance of the new set distance for registration of shapes in binary images and compare it to a number of often used set distances found in the literature. The most extensive evaluation uses a set of synthetic 2D images. We also show three examples of real problems: registering a set of 2D images extracted from synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography (SR $\upmu $ CT) volumes depicting bone implants; the difficult multi-modal registration task of finding the exact location of a 2D slice of a bone implant, as imaged by a light microscope, within a 3D SR $\upmu $ CT volume of the same implant; and finally recognition of handwritten characters. The evaluation shows that our new set distance performs well for all tasks and outperforms the other observed distance measures in most cases. It is therefore useful in many image registration and shape comparison tasks.     

Complexity classes for self-assembling flexible tiles

We present a theoretical model for self-assembling DNA tiles with flexible branches. We encode an instance of a “problem” as a pot of such tiles for which a “solution” is an assembled complete complex without any free sticky ends. Using the number of tiles in an assembled complex as a measure of complexity we show how NTIME classes (such as NP and NEXP) can be represented with corresponding classes of the model.     

Optimized preparation of alumina based fillers for tuning composite properties

Alumina based particles were prepared from aluminium chloride hydroxide as starting material by sol-gel technique. One series of particles was doped with ferrous oxide. Both series of particles were calcinated at three different temperatures: 700?°C, 800?°C and 900?°C. Poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, was used as a matrix and two different types of alumina based particles were added into the matrix to form the composites. All composites consisted of 3?wt% of alumina based particles. The aim of this study was to examine whether and how the temperature of particle calcination affects the microhardness and mechanical properties of the composite. The particles were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and physical absorption methods. The morphology of the composites was examined using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The microhardness of composites was measured using a traditional Vickers hardness (HV) method. The mechanical characteristics of obtained composites were determined using tensile test and impact testing.     

Non-linear impulsive dynamical systems. Part II: Stability of feedback interconnections and optimality

In a companion paper (Nonlinear Impulsive Dynamical Systems. Part I: Stability and Dissipativity) Lyapunov and invariant set stability theorems and dissipativity theory were developed for non-linear impulsive dynamical systems. In this paper we build on these results to develop general stability criteria for feedback interconnections of non-linear impulsive systems. In addition, a unified framework for hybrid feedback optimal and inverse optimal control involving a hybrid non-linear-non-quadratic performance functional is developed. It is shown that the hybrid cost functional can be evaluated in closed-form as long as the cost functional considered is related in a specific way to an underlying Lyapunov function that guarantees asymptotic stability of the non-linear closed-loop impulsive system. Furthermore, the Lyapunov function is shown to be a solution of a steady-state, hybrid Hamilton‐Jacobi‐Bellman equation.     

Mechanochemical and Low‐Temperature Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Fluorohydroxyapatite/Fluorapatite

Low‐temperature synthesis of fluorapatite/fluorohydroxyapatite with precursor mixture previously mechanochemically treated is described in this article. Ethylene vinylacetate/versatate copolymer as a surface active substance was mechanically treated to obtain a core‐shell system with strongly controlled grain size. Despite usual behavior of mechanically activated systems, only an amorphous phase formed from precursor ions present in the mixture composed of β‐Ca₂P₂O₇, CaCO₃, CaF₂, and unreacted Ca(OH)₂ was obtained during milling for 5 min to 8 h. The mixture contained depots of labile F^? ions conserved in micelles cages, which are useful for teeth protection from carries. For transformation of these amorphous phases into fluorapatite, an additional low thermal treatment was necessary. The mechanism of the precursor mixture transformation into fluorapatite during milling and thermal treatment was investigated using FTIR spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction. The morphology and size distribution of the obtained powders was studied using SEM and TEM.     

Nitric oxide (NO) production in mammalian non-tumorigenic epithelial cells of the small intestine and macrophages induced by individual strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria

Nitric oxide (NO) affects multiple gastrointestinal functions, including mucosal inflammation and antimicrobial activity. The aim of this study was to screen the ability of probiotic bacteria to stimulate NO production in porcine intestinal epithelial cells and macrophages in the presence and absence of interferon gamma (INF-γ). Production of NO in intestinal epithelium was stimulated by individual strains of lactobacilli without INF-γ priming. While none of the tested bifidobacteria were capable of inducing NO production, most constitutively secreted NO. Most tested strains induced a significant increase in NO production compared with the control cells in the macrophage cell line 3D4/21. Results support the protective role of the individual strains of the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and may lead to new approaches for manipulating and regulating immune responses at the mucosal surfaces of the gastrointestinal tract.