Optimization of Vacuum-Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Natural Polyphenols and Flavonoids from Raw Solid Waste of the Orange Juice Producing Industry at Industrial Scale

Orange pomace (OP) is a solid waste produced in bulk as a byproduct of the orange juice industry and accounts for approximately 50% of the quantity of the fruits processed into juice. In numerous literature references there is information about diverse uses of orange pomace for the production of high-added-value products including production of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial extracts rich in polyphenols and flavonoids which can substitute the hazardous chemical antioxidants/antimicrobials used in agro-food and cosmetics sectors. In this work and for the first time, according to our knowledge, the eco-friendly aqueous vacuum microwave assisted extraction of orange pomace was investigated and optimized at real industrial scale in order to produce aqueous antioxidant/antimicrobial extracts. A Response Surface Optimization methodology with a multipoint historical data experimental design was employed to obtain the optimal values of the process parameters in order to achieve the maximum rates of extraction of OP total polyphenols and/or total flavonoids for economically optimum production at industrial scale. The three factors used for the optimization were: (a) microwave power (b) water to raw pomace ratio and (c) extraction time. Moreover, the effectiveness and statistical soundness of the derived cubic polynomial predictive models were verified by ANOVA.     

Chemical characterization of particulate matter (PM) and source apportionment study during winter and summer period for the city of Kozani,Greece

Eordaia basin located in northwest of Greece, comprises an area which is characterized by intense energy related activities, including coal burning at four power plants and the associated mining operations. Air samples of inhalable (PM10) and respirable particles (PM2.5) were collected in cold and warm periods in 2010 at an urban background site of Kozani, the major city and capital of the region which is located close to the power plants. Particulate matter concentration, particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and anionic species concentrations were determined using gravimetric, GC-MS in SIM mode and Ion Chromatography analysis, respectively. For the cold period, the mean PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentration was found to be 19.62 and 14.68 µg m^?3, respectively. Correspondingly, for the warm period, the mean PM10 and PM2.5 values were 35.29 and 25.75 µg m^?3, respectively. In general, the results indicated that the major sources of air pollution in Kozani are traffic, combustion from agricultural activities and lignite power plants emissions, contributing by different percentages to each particle fraction.      

Endogenous Nanoparticles Strain Perovskite Host Lattice Providing Oxygen Capacity and Driving Oxygen Exchange and CH4 Conversion to Syngas

Particles dispersed on the surface of oxide supports have enabled a wealth of applications in electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and heterogeneous catalysis. Dispersing nanoparticles within the bulk of oxides is, however, synthetically much more challenging and therefore less explored, but could open new dimensions to control material properties analogous to substitutional doping of ions in crystal lattices. Here we demonstrate such a concept allowing extensive, controlled growth of metallic nanoparticles, at nanoscale proximity, within a perovskite oxide lattice as well as on its surface. By employing operando techniques, we show that in the emergent nanostructure, the endogenous nanoparticles and the perovskite lattice become reciprocally strained and seamlessly connected, enabling enhanced oxygen exchange. Additionally, even deeply embedded nanoparticles can reversibly exchange oxygen with a methane stream, driving its redox conversion to syngas with remarkable selectivity and long term cyclability while surface particles are present. These results not only exemplify the means to create extensive, self‐strained nanoarchitectures with enhanced oxygen transport and storage capabilities, but also demonstrate that deeply submerged, redox‐active nanoparticles could be entirely accessible to reaction environments, driving redox transformations and thus offering intriguing new alternatives to design materials underpinning several energy conversion technologies.     

Raman Spectroscopy for Intracellular Monitoring of Carotenoid in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Blakeslea trispora</Emphasis>

In the present study, we explore the feasibility of Raman spectroscopy for intracellular monitoring of carotenoid in filamentous fungi Blakeslea trispora. Although carotenoid production from this fungus has been extensively studied through various chromatographic methods and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, no intracellular monitoring has been demonstrated until now. The intensity of the Raman spectrum, and more conveniently that of the strongest ν ₁ carotenoid band at ∼1,519 cm⁻¹, exhibits a good linear correlation with the carotenoid content of the sample as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Our results suggest that Raman spectroscopy can serve as an alternative method for the study and quantification of carotenoid in batch-mated submerged cultivations of B. trispora and similar organisms. Although not as accurate as HPLC, it allows a rapid sampling and analysis, avoiding the prolonged and tedious classical isolation procedures required for carotenoid determination by HPLC and UV-Vis spectroscopy.     

Application of capillary electrophoresis in the analysis of novel synthetic dideoxynucleoside analogues with potential anti-HIV activity.

The aim of this study was the development of a capillary electrophoretic method for the analysis of a series of novel synthetic dideoxynucleoside analogues with potential anti-HIV activity. These analogues consist of a tetrahydrofuranyl or a tetrahydropyranyl ring as the pseudosugar part and bear a hydroxyethyl side-chain and a nucleobase of the pyrimidine (eg thymine or uracil) or the purine (adenine) type with cis or trans configuration. Analysis of these derivatives was performed by capillary zone electrophoresis using 25 mM phosphate pH 3.00 and 4.00 as operating buffers for pyrimidine and purine analogues, respectively, and detection of separated species at 254 nm.     

Electron irradiation induced defects in undoped and Te doped gallium phosphide

The aim of the present work is to investigate defects that are introduced to Gallium Phosphide (GaP) by electron irradiation as well as their dependence on the background doping. Undoped and Te doped n-type GaP have been irradiated with 1.5 MeV electrons at fluences of 5×10¹⁶ e/cm². Deep level transient spectroscopy assessment revealed the dependence of the trap characteristics on background doping.     

Delayed Capital Injections for a Risk Process with Markovian Arrivals

Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability - In this paper we propose a generalisation to the Markov Arrival Process (MAP) risk model, by allowing for a delayed receipt of required capital...     

Nanoscale characterization of different stiction mechanisms in electrostatically driven MEMS devices based on adhesion and friction measurements

In this work, for the first time different stiction mechanisms in electrostatic micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) switches were studied. In these devices stiction can be caused by two main mechanisms: dielectric charging and meniscus formation resulting from the adsorbed water film between the switch bridge and the dielectric layer. The effect of each mechanism and their interaction were investigated by measuring the adhesive and friction forces under different electrical stress conditions and relative humidity levels. An atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to perform force-distance and friction measurements on the nanoscale. A novel technique was proposed to measure the induced surface potential over the dielectric surface and was used to explain the obtained adhesive and friction results. The evolution of adhesive force with time was monitored in order to study the charging/discharging processes in the dielectric film. The assessment methodology is employed for application in RF-MEMS switches and could be extended to other electrostatic MEMS devices. The study provides an in-depth understanding of different stiction mechanisms, and explanation for the literature reported device level measurements for electrostatic capacitive MEMS switches.     

Limiting properties of some measures of information

In this paper we investigate the limiting behaviour of the measures of information due to Csiszár, Rényi and Fisher. Conditions for convergence of measures of information and for convergence of Radon-Nikodym derivatives are obtained. Our results extend the results of Kullback (1959,Information Theory and Statistics, Wiley, New York) and Kirmani (1971,Ann. Inst. Statist. Math.,23, 157–162).