UPLC-Q/TOF-MS coupled with multivariate analysis for comparative analysis of metabolomic in Dendrobium nobile from different growth altitudes

Dendrobium nobile alkaloids (DNLA) and glycosides are the main active components extracted from Dendrobium nobile Lindl. (D. nobile) used for thousands of years in China. The pharmacological effects of the above chemical components are significantly different. D. nobile is mainly grown at an altitude ranging from 230 to 800 m in Chishui City, Northwest Guizhou Province. However, it is unclear whether the metabolite in D. nobile is influenced by the planting altitude. Hence, to reveal the different metabolite in D. nobile cultivated at the altitude of 336 m, 528 m, and 692 m, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with Q/TOF-MS couple with multivariate analysis were developed. Using the orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis, 19 different metabolites were discovered and then tentatively assigned their structures as alkaloids and glycosides by comparing mass spectrometry data with in-house database and literature. Moreover, the result of semiquantitative analysis showed the content of dendrobine that was belonged to alkaloids significantly increased at the altitude of 692 m, whereas the content of glycosides demonstrated an accumulation trend at the altitude of 528 m. The results could provide valuable information for the optimal clinical drug therapeutics and provide a reference for quality control.     

Detecting changes in arabidopsis cell wall composition using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

Time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) was previously used to characterize lignocellulosic materials, including woody biomass. ToF‐SIMS can acquire both rapid spectral and spatial information about a sample's surface composition. In the present study, ToF‐SIMS was used to characterize the cell walls of stem tissue from the plant model organism, Arabidopsis thaliana. Using principal component analyses, ToF‐SIMS spectra from A. thaliana wild‐type (Col‐0), cellulose mutant (irx3), and lignin mutant (fah1) stem tissues were distinguished using ToF‐SIMS peaks annotated for wood‐derived lignocellulose, where spectra from the irx3 and fah1 were characterized by comparatively low polysaccharide and syringyl lignin content, respectively. Spatial analyses using ToF‐SIMS imaging furthermore differentiated interfascicular fiber and xylem vessels based on differences in the lignin content of corresponding cell walls. These new data support the applicability of ToF‐SIMS peak annotations based on woody biomass for herbaceous plants, including model plant systems like arabidopsis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Screening of drugs of abuse and toxic compounds in human whole blood using online solid‐phase extraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

A novel method for the screening of 151 drugs of abuse and toxic compounds in human whole blood has been developed and validated by online solid‐phase extraction with liquid chromatography coupled to time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Analytes were extracted and separated by using a fully automated online solid‐phase extraction liquid chromatography system with total chromatographic run time of 26 min. Time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry screening of 151 drugs of abuse and toxic compounds was performed in a full‐scan (m/z 50–800) mode using an MS^E acquisition of molecular ions and fragment ions data at two collision energies (one was 6 eV and another one was in the range of 5–45 eV). The compounds were identified based on retention times and exact mass of molecular ions and fragment ions. The limit of detection ranged from 1 to 100 ng/mL and the recovery of the method ranged from 6.3 to 163.5%. This method is proved to be a valuable screening method allowing fast and specific identification of drugs in human whole blood.     

Dynamic Aggregation Operators Based on Intuitionistic Fuzzy Tools and Einstein Operations

The idea of combine aggregation and intuitionistic fuzzy information plays essential role in multi criteria decision making (MCDM) process. However, this new branch has attracted researchers that study in different fields recently. In this paper, we study MCDM problems with intuitionistic fuzzy environment. Firstly, we introduce some operations related with Einstein t-norm and t-conorm such as, Einstein sum, product and exponentiation. After that, we define dynamic intuitionistic fuzzy Einstein averaging (DIFWA${}^{?}$) operator and dynamic intuitionistic fuzzy Einstein geometric averaging (DIFWG${}^{?}$) operator. Their notable property is that collect and aggregate values in different period based on Einstein operations in intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS)s. In addition, we compare the defined operators with the existing intuitionistic fuzzy dynamic operators and get the corresponding relations. We establish two methods using with DIFWA${}^{?}$ and DIFWG${}^{?}$ to solve MCDM problems with intuitionistic fuzzy tools. Finally, an illustrated example is presented to show the applicability of the introduced methods.     

Spectrochemical analysis using LIBS and ICP-OES techniques of herbal medicine (Tinnevelly Senna leaves) and its anti-cancerous/antibacterial applications

Tinnevelly senna leaves are being applied to cure many diseases especially in developing countries and sub-Saharan region due to many bioactive compounds such as sennosides, phenols, and flavonoids. The conventional methods to isolate and analyze plant extracts biomolecules are not very effective as well cost effective as they require hazardous chemical solvents and reagents, which are time-consuming processes. The major objective of the present study is to investigate the feasibility of the Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique for rapid, eco-friendly, and multi-elemental analysis of Senna leaves extracts and study their antibacterial and anticancer potentials. The elegant LIBS technique was applied as a qualitative and quantitative method for Senna leaves sample’s elemental analysis and their biological activities were measured by evaluating anti-cancer and anti-bacterial analysis. The quantitative analysis of Senna leaves extracts was done using the calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) algorithm showing their appreciable content of several nutrient elements, and the obtained results were in close conformity with these achieved by using the standard analytical ICP OES technique. We studied the bactericidal efficacy of the Senna leaves extract against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) by AWD assays and morphogenesis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the anticancer activity was also investigated where different concentrations of Senna leaves extract were tested on cancer cells (HCT-116 and HeLa) and normal cells (HEK-293) using the cell metabolic activity MTT assay and Propidium iodide (PI) staining. We have also calculated the inhibitory concentration (IC50) value for the various extracts concentrations (25 µg/ml, 50 µg/ml, 100 µg/ml, 150 µg/ml, 200 µg/ml, and 225 µg/ml). We have found that IC₅₀ value for HCT-116 cells were 13.5 µg/ml, 17.5 µg/ml, 21.5 µg/ml, 22.5 µg/ml, 26 µg/ml and 33.5 µg/ml and for HeLa cells 15.25 µg/ml, 21.25 µg/ml, 23.5 µg/ml, 262.5 µg/ml, 36.25 µg/ml, and 39.50 µg/ml. The bactericidal efficacy of the Senna leaves extract showed significant inhibition against Gram-positive bacterium. Both MTT and PI analysis showed that Senna leaves extract induced profound inhibition on HCT-116 growth and proliferation. Additionally, Senna leaves extract did not exert an inhibitory influence on normal (HEK-293), which is non-cancerous cells. We suggest that the extract specifically targets the cancerous cells, which could be highly beneficial for the development of future safe anticancer and antibacterial drugs using these extracts.     

On reachable set bounding for discrete-time switched nonlinear positive systems with mixed time-varying delays and disturbance

This paper addresses the reachable set bounding for discrete-time switched nonlinear positive systems with mixed time-varying delays and disturbance, which contains switched linear positive systems as a special case. By resorting to a new method that does not involve the common Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional one, explicit criteria to ensure any state trajectory of the system converges exponentially into a prescribed sphere are obtained under average dwell time switching. The results can then be extended to more general time-varying systems. Finally, two numerical examples are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.     

Dynamics of milling processes with variable time delays

A milling-process model with a variable time delay associated with each cutting tooth is presented in this article. The source of this variable time delay is the feed rate. The effect of the feed motion on the entry cutting angle, the exit cutting angle, and the amplitude of feed mark is also discussed. Loss-of-contact effects are also considered. The system dynamics is described by a set of delay differential equations with periodic coefficients and variable time delays. A semi-discretization scheme is presented for analyzing the stability of periodic orbits of this system. The analysis provides evidence of period-doubling bifurcations and secondary Hopf bifurcations. Good agreement is found between the numerical results obtained from this work and the results of related experimental studies.     

FEEDBACK CONTROL OPTIMIZATION FOR SEISMICALLY EXCITED BUILDINGS

A feedback control optimization method of partially observable linear structures via stationary response is proposed and analyzed with linear building structures equipped with control devices and sensors. First, the partially observable control problem of the structure under horizontal ground acceleration excitation is converted into a completely observable control problem. Then the It6 stochastic differential equations of the system are derived based on the stochastic averaging method for quasi-integrable Hamiltonian systems and the stationary solution to the Fokker-Plank-Kolmogorov （FPK） equation associated with the It6 equations is obtained. The performance index in terms of the mean system energy and mean square control force is established and the optimal control force is obtained by minimizing the performance index. Finally, the numerical results for a three-story building structure model under E1 Centro, Hachinohe, Northridge and Kobe earthquake excitations are given to illustrate the application and the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

随机扰动的同宿分岔系统研究

利用一维扩展过程的奇点理论并结合能量包络的随机平均法，考查“隐藏在余维２分岔点之后”的同宿分岔系统受参激白噪声影响的分岔行为。     

Free Vibration Analysis of Rotating Nonlinearly Elastic Structures with Symmetry: An Efficient Group-Equivariance Approach

A study is made of the dynamics of oscillating systems with a slowly varying parameter. A slowly varying forcing periodically crosses a critical value corresponding to a pitchfork bifurcation. The instantaneous phase portrait exhibits a centre when the forcing does not exceed the critical value, and a saddle and two centres with an associated double homoclinic loop separatrix beyond this value. The aim of this study is to construct a Poincaré map in order to describe the dynamics of the system as it repeatedly crosses the bifurcation point. For that purpose averaging methods and asymptotic matching techniques connecting local solutions are applied. Given the initial state and the values of the parameters the properties of the Poincaré map can be studied. Both sensitive dependence on initial conditions and (quasi) periodicity are observed. Moreover, Lyapunov exponents are computed. The asymptotic expressions for the Poincaré map are compared with numerical solutions of the full system that includes small damping.