Optimisation of the ultrasound-assisted extraction of betalains and polyphenols from Amaranthus hypochondriacus var. Nutrisol

The present study optimised the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds from Amaranthus hypochondriacus var. Nutrisol. Influence of temperature (25.86–54.14 °C) and ultrasonic power densities (UPD) (76.01–273.99 mW/mL) on total betalains (BT), betacyanins (BC), betaxanthins (BX), total polyphenols (TP), antioxidant activity (AA), colour parameters (L*, a*, and b*), amaranthine (A), and isoamaranthine (IA) were evaluated using response surface methodology. Moreover, betalain extraction kinetics and mass transfer coefficients (K_La) were determined for each experimental condition. BT, BC, BX, TP, AA, b*, K_La, and A were significantly affected (p < 0.05) by temperature extraction and UPD, whereas L*, a*, and IA were only affected (p < 0.05) by temperature. All response models were significantly validated with regression coefficients (R²) ranging from 87.46 to 99.29%. BT, A, IA, and K_La in UAE were 1.38, 1.65, 1.50, and 29.93 times higher than determined using conventional extraction, respectively. Optimal UAE conditions were obtained at 41.80 °C and 188.84 mW/mL using the desired function methodology. Under these conditions, the experimental values for BC, BX, BT, TP, AA, L*, a*, b*, K_La, A, and IA were closely related to the predicted values, indicating the suitability of the developed quadratic models. This study proposes a simple and efficient UAE method to obtain betalains and polyphenols with high antioxidant activity, which can be used in several applications within the food industry.     

基于Nie-Tan算法的区间二型模糊集质心计算:改变主变量采样个数

计算区间二型模糊集的质心(也称降型)是区间二型模糊逻辑系统中的一个重要模块。Karnik-Mendel(KM)迭代算法通常被认为是计算区间二型模糊集质心的标准算法。尽管如此,KM算法涉及复杂的计算过程,不利于实时应用。在各种改进类算法中,非迭代的Nie-Tan(NT)算法可节省计算消耗。此外,连续版本NT(CNT,continuous version of NT)算法被证明是计算质心的准确算法。本文比较了离散版本NT算法中求和运算和连续版本NT算法中求积分运算,通过四个计算机仿真例子证实了当适度增加区间二型模糊集主变量采样个数时,NT算法的计算结果可以精确地逼近CNT算法。     

Managing differences by focusing on communication qualities: Pupils learning mathematics in pairs at a computer

The article presents a study of face-to-face verbal communication when pupils work with geometry in pairs and share a stand-alone computer with Geoboard software. The work sessions of pairs of 9th grade pupils are video recorded, and a screen recorder is used to capture their computer activity. The study focuses on identifying and characterizing good communication practices that enhance mathematics learning through joint research reflections between the pupils, the teacher, and the researcher. The major finding concerns how two of the pupils have diverging perspectives on how to communicate mathematics, yet they manage to have productive collaboration. The differences generate collaborative challenges for the pupils and an opportunity to discuss how pupils’ communication qualities can prove important in fruitfully managing such challenges.     

基于计算机视觉技术的茶叶品质随机森林感官评价方法研究

为弥补茶叶品质感官审评存在的缺陷，利用计算机视觉技术对茶叶品质进行快速无损评价研究。以碧螺春绿茶为对象，依据专家感官审评结果，将茶样分成4个等级；采用中值滤波及拉普拉斯算子对茶样图像进行预处理，并提取预处理后的茶样图像的颜色特征和纹理特征以表征茶叶图像的外形特征，利用随机森林算法对茶叶外形特征属性进行重要性排序；筛选出重要性较大的特征及随机森林算法中最优的决策树棵数建立感官评价模型，并与建立的支持向量机(SVM)模型性能相比较。结果表明：色调均值、色调标准差、绿体均值、平均灰度级、饱和度均值、红体均值、饱和度标准差、亮度均值、一致性等9个特征属性的重要性较大，且与感官审评特征描述结果相一致；当采用优选出的9个重要性较大的特征及决策数棵数为500时，建立的模型性能最优，模型总体判别率为95.75%，Kappa系数为0.933，OOB误差为5%，较SVM模型分别提高了3.5%，0.066，优选的9个重要性较大的图像特征与感官审评特征描述相一致。研究表明：利用随机森林方法筛选出对茶叶外形特征属性贡献最大的少数几个特征建立模型，模型性能就能达到很好的识别效果，模型得到简化，同时模型精度和稳定性都高于其他方法。     

Digital image correlation in experimental mechanics and image registration in computer vision: Similarities,differences and complements

Digital image correlation and image registration or matching are among the most widely used techniques in the fields of experimental mechanics and computer vision, respectively. Despite their applications in separate fields, both techniques primarily involve detecting the same physical points in two or more images. In this paper, a brief technical comparison of the two techniques is reviewed, and their similarities and differences as well as complements are presented. It is shown that some concepts from the image registration or matching technique can be applied to the digital image correlation technique to substantially enhance its performance, which can help broaden the applications of digital image correlation in scientific research and engineering practice.     

A sensitive and efficient method for trace analysis of some phenolic compounds using simultaneous derivatization and air‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction from human urine and plasma samples followed by gas chromatography–nitrogen phosphorous detection

In present study, a simultaneous derivatization and air‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction method combined with gas chromatography–nitrogen phosphorous detection has been developed for the determination of some phenolic compounds in biological samples. The analytes are derivatized and extracted simultaneously by a fast reaction with 1‐flouro‐2,4‐dinitrobenzene under mild conditions. Under optimal conditions low limits of detection in the range of 0.05–0.34 ng mL^?1 are achievable. The obtained extraction recoveries are between 84 and 97% and the relative standard deviations are less than 7.2% for intraday (n = 6) and interday (n = 4) precisions. The proposed method was demonstrated to be a simple and efficient method for the analysis of phenols in biological samples. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Directing Group-Promoted Inert C−O Bond Activation Using Versatile Boronic Acid as a Coupling Agent

A simple Ni(cod)₂ and carbene mediated strategy facilitates the efficient catalytic cross-coupling of methoxyarenes with a variety of organoboron reagents. Directing groups facilitate the activation of inert C−O bonds in under-utilized aryl methyl ethers enabling their adaptation for C−C cross-coupling reactions as less toxic surrogates to the ubiquitous haloarenes. The method reported enables C−C cross-coupling with readily available and economical arylboronic acid reagents, which is unprecedented, and compares well with other organoboron reagents with similarly high reactivity. Extension to directing group assisted chemo-selective C−O bond cleavage, and further application towards the synthesis of novel bifunctionalized biaryls is reported. Key to the success of this protocol is the use of directing groups proximal to the reaction center to facilitate the activation of the inert C−OMe bond.     

Mass spectrometry imaging of latent fingerprints using titanium oxide development powder as an existing matrix

Recent research has focused on increasing the evidentiary value of latent fingerprints through chemical analysis. Although researchers have optimized the use of organic and metal matrices for matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI‐MSI) of latent fingerprints, the use of development powders as matrices has not been fully investigated. Carbon forensic powder (CFP), a common nonporous development technique, was shown to be an efficient one‐step matrix; however, a high‐resolution mass spectrometer was required in the low mass range due to carbon clusters. Titanium oxide (TiO₂) is another commonly used development powder, especially for dark nonporous surfaces. Here, forensic TiO₂ powder is utilized as a single‐step development and matrix technique for chemical imaging of latent fingerprints without the requirement of a high‐resolution mass spectrometer. All studied compounds were successfully detected when TiO₂ was used as the matrix in positive mode, although, generally, the overall ion signals were lower than the previously studied CFP. TiO₂ provided quality mass spectrometry (MS) images of endogenous and exogenous latent fingerprint compounds. The subsequent addition of traditional matrices on top of the TiO₂ powder was ineffective for universal detection of latent fingerprint compounds. Forensic TiO₂ development powder works as an efficient single‐step development and matrix technique for MALDI‐MSI analysis of latent fingerprints in positive mode and does not require a high‐resolution mass spectrometer for analysis.     

一类正交空间填充设计的构造

空间填充设计在计算机试验中应用十分广泛,当拟合回归模型时,正交的空间填充设计保证了因子效应估计的独立性.基于广义正交设计,文章给出了构造二阶正交拉丁超立方体设计和列正交设计的方法,新构造的设计不仅满足任意两列之间相互正交,还能保证每一列与任一列元素平方组成的列以及任两列元素相乘组成的列都正交.当某些正交的空间填充设计不存在时,具有较小相关系数的近似正交设计可作为替代设计使用.设计构造的灵活性为计算机试验在实践中的广泛应用提供了必要的支持.