Representation and Reasoning with Multi-Point Events

Allen's Interval Algebra (IA) and Vilain & Kautz's Point Algebra (PA) consider an interval and a point as basic temporal entities (i.e., events) respectively. However, in many situations we need to deal with recurring events that include multiple points, multiple intervals or combinations of points and intervals. In this paper, we present a framework to model recurring events as multi-point events (MPEs) by extending point algebra. The reasoning tasks are formulated as binary constraint satisfaction problems. We propose a polynomial time algorithm (based on van Beek's algorithm) for finding all feasible relations. For the problem of finding a consistent scenario, we propose a backtracking method with a local search heuristic. We also describe an implementation and a detail empirical evaluation of the proposed algorithms. Our empirical results indicate that the MPE-based approach performs better than the existing approaches.     

Hydroxyapatite/ovalbumin composite particles as model protein carriers for bone tissue engineering: I. Synthesis and characterization

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles were synthesized from the co-precipitation reaction between calcium oxide from discarded egg shells and phosphoric acid in the absence and the presence of ovalbumin (OVA). 2-Amino-2-hydroxymethyl-propane-1,3-diol (tris-base) was used to control the pH during the co-precipitation (i.e., 7–9). The formation of HAp was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, while both the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and the thermogravimetric analysis confirmed the existence of OVA within the HAp–OVA particles. The crystallite sizes of the individual crystalline entities within the HAp and the HAp–OVA particles were approximated from the (002) reflection peaks by means of the Scherrer's equation. The average particle sizes of the HAp and the HAp–OVA particles were measured by particle size analysis. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that these particles were aggregates of rod-like HAp nanocrystals, whereas scanning electron microscopy revealed that these particles ultimately formed into larger aggregates. Lastly, the decrease in the pH during the precipitation process and the presence of OVA were responsible for the observed increase in the values of pore size, BET specific surface area, and pore volume of the resulting HAp particles.     

Enrichment of rice noodles with fibre‐rich fractions derived from cassava pulp and pomelo peel

Cassava pulp and pomelo peel were evaluated for their potential as sources of dietary fibre in dried rice noodles. Noodles containing cassava pulp (1–20%) and pomelo peel (1–10%) had significantly higher cooking weight (136–166%) than the control sample (125%). Elongation of noodles containing cassava pulp (61–86%) was significantly higher than that of the control (56%) and noodles containing pomelo peel (29–49%). Total dietary fibre (TDF) content of noodles made from rice flour was 3.0%, and increased to 7.0% and 10.2% after adding 20% of cassava pulp and 10% of pomelo peel, respectively. A combination of cassava pulp and pomelo peel at a total amount of 20% resulted in an obvious increase in cooking weight, whereas tensile stress and elongation of noodles were comparable to those of the control noodle. The highest TDF content obtained was 14.4%.