A new and improved strategy combining a dispersive-solid phase extraction-based multiclass method with ultra high pressure liquid chromatography for analysis of low molecular weight polyphenols in vegetables

This paper reports on the development and optimization of a modified Quick, Easy, Cheap Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) based extraction technique coupled with a clean-up dispersive-solid phase extraction (dSPE) as a new, reliable and powerful strategy to enhance the extraction efficiency of free low molecular-weight polyphenols in selected species of dietary vegetables. The process involves two simple steps. First, the homogenized samples are extracted and partitioned using an organic solvent and salt solution. Then, the supernatant is further extracted and cleaned using a dSPE technique. Final clear extracts of vegetables were concentrated under vacuum to near dryness and taken up into initial mobile phase (0.1% formic acid and 20% methanol). The separation and quantification of free low molecular weight polyphenols from the vegetable extracts was achieved by ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) equipped with a phodiode array (PDA) detection system and a Trifunctional High Strength Silica capillary analytical column (HSS T3), specially designed for polar compounds. The performance of the method was assessed by studying the selectivity, linear dynamic range, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ), precision, trueness, and matrix effects. The validation parameters of the method showed satisfactory figures of merit. Good linearity (View the MathML sourceRvalues2>0.954; (+)-catechin in carrot samples) was achieved at the studied concentration range. Reproducibility was better than 3%. Consistent recoveries of polyphenols ranging from 78.4 to 99.9% were observed when all target vegetable samples were spiked at two concentration levels, with relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 5) lower than 2.9%. The LODs and the LOQs ranged from 0.005 μg mL−1 (trans-resveratrol, carrot) to 0.62 μg mL−1 (syringic acid, garlic) and from 0.016 μg mL−1 (trans-resveratrol, carrot) to 0.87 μg mL−1 ((+)-catechin, carrot) depending on the compound. The method was applied for studying the occurrence of free low molecular weight polyphenols in eight selected dietary vegetables (broccoli, tomato, carrot, garlic, onion, red pepper, green pepper and beetroot), providing a valuable and promising tool for food quality evaluation.

Estudo e implementação em plantas físicas de um controlador preditivo generalizado com restrições

This work shows a study about the Generalized Predictive Controllers with Restrictions and their implementation in physical plants. Three types of restrictions will be discussed: restrictions in the variation rate of the signal control, restrictions in the amplitude of the signal control and restrictions in the amplitude of the Out signal (plant response). At the predictive control, the control law is obtained by the minimization of an objective function. To consider the restrictions, this minimization of the objective function is done by the use of a method to solve optimizing problems with restrictions. The chosen method was the Rosen Algorithm (based on the Gradient-projection). The physical plants in this study are two didactical systems of water level control. The first order one (a simple tank) and another of second order, which is formed by two tanks connected in cascade. The codes are implemented in C++ language and the communication with the system to be done through using a data acquisition panel offered by the system producer

Modelagem e controle adaptativo de uma planta didática de nível com instrumentação industrial

The control, automation and optimization areas help to improve the processes used by industry. They contribute to a fast production line, improving the products quality and reducing the manufacturing costs. Didatic plants are good tools for research in these areas, providing a direct contact with some industrial equipaments. Given these capabilities, the main goal of this work is to model and control a didactic plant, which is a level and flow process control system with an industrial instrumentation. With a model it is possible to build a simulator for the plant that allows studies about its behaviour, without any of the real processes operational costs, like experiments with controllers. They can be tested several times before its application in a real process. Among the several types of controllers, it was used adaptive controllers, mainly the Direct Self-Tuning Regulators (DSTR) with Integral Action and the Gain Scheduling (GS). The DSTR was based on Pole-Placement design and use the Recursive Least Square to calculate the controller parameters. The characteristics of an adaptive system was very worth to guarantee a good performance when the controller was applied to the plant

Potentiometric Sensor for Furosemide Determination in Pharmaceuticals, Urine, Blood Serum and Bovine Milk

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Potentiometric sensor for sorbic acid determination in food products

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Development of a potentiometric sensor for the determination of saccharin in instant tea powders, diet soft drinks and strawberry dietetic jam

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Determination of Total Sulfur in Agricultural Samples by High-Resolution Continuum Source Flame Molecular Absorption Spectrometry

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Global optimization approach for the H2-norm model reduction problem

A branch and bound algorithm is proposed to solve the H2-norm model reduction problem for continuous-time linear systems, with conditions assuring convergence to the global optimum in finite time. The lower and upper bounds used in the optimization procedure are obtained through Linear Matrix Inequalities formulations. Examples illustrate the results.

Ant exclusion and reproduction of Croton sarcopetalus (Euphorbiaceae)

A total of 20 insect species were observed on the extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) of Croton sarcopetalus. The most frequent ant species were Zacryptocerus sp., Crematogaster brevispinosa, C. scelerata, and Linepithema humile. Ants continuously patrolled the plants taking extrafloral nectar. Experimental data showed that there were no significant differences in either the degree of herbivory or in the reproductive output between control stems (with ants) and treated ones (without ants). We found no significant evidence of protection by ants mediated by EFNs in C. sarcopetalus. It is possible that the plant has other mechanisms than ant protection to prevent herbivore damage (e.g., hairs, latex, chemical defense). As this species occupies the southernmost distribution for the genus, the presence of EFNs in this species may be the remnant of a mutualistic interaction with the ants in tropical regions, where the abundance and diversity of ants and herbivores are comparatively higher. To draw accurate patterns in the genus Croton, further investigations in other species from tropical regions of South America are needed.

Lyapounov stability for impulsive dynamical systems

This article addresses the problem of stability of impulsive control systems whose dynamics are given by measure driven differential inclusions. One important feature concerns the adopted solution which allows the consideration of systems whose singular dynamics do not satisfy the so-called Frobenius condition. After extending the conventional notion of control Lyapounov pair for impulsive systems, some stability conditions of the Lyapounov type are given. Some conclusions follow the outline of the proof of the main result.

An active leakage-injection scheme applied to low-voltage SRAMs

An active leakage-injection scheme (ALIS) for low-voltage (LV) high-density (HD) SRAMs is presented. By means of a feedback loop comprising a servo-amplifier and a common-drain MOSFET, a current matching the respective bit-line leakage is injected onto the line during precharge and sensing, preventing the respective capacitances from erroneous discharges. The technique is able to handle leakages up to hundreds of μA at high operating temperatures. Since no additional timing is required, read-out operations are performed at no speed penalty. A simplified 256×1bit array was designed in accordance with a 0.35 CMOS process and 1.2V-supply. A range of PSPICE simulation attests the efficacy of ALIS. With an extra power consumption of 242 μW, a 200 μA-leakage @125°C, corresponding to 13.6 times the cell current, is compensated.

Um modelo para orientação de imagens orbitais baseado em feições retas

The aim of this paper is to present a model for orientation of pushbroom sensors that allows estimating the polynomial coefficients describing the trajectory of the platform, using linear features as ground control. Considering that pushbroom image acquisition is not instantaneous, six EOP (Exterior Orientation Parameters) for each scanned line must be estimated. The sensor position and attitude parameters are modeled with a time dependent polynomial. The relationship between object and image space is established through a mathematical model based on the equivalence between the vector normal to the projection plane in the image space and to the vector normal to the rotated projection plane in the object space. The equivalence property between planes was adapted to consider the pushbroom geometry. Some experiments with simulated data corresponding to CBERS scene (China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite) were accomplished in order to test the developed model using straight lines. Moreover, experiments with points ground with the model based on collinearity equations adapted to the pushbroom geometry were also accomplished. The obtained results showed that the proposed model can be used to estimate the EOP of pushbroom images with suitable accuracy.

Recurrent neural network for induction motor speed estimation in industry applications

Many electronic drivers for the induction motor control are based on sensorless technologies. The proposal of this work Is to present an alternative approach of speed estimation, from transient to steady state, using artificial neural networks. The inputs of the network are the RMS voltage, current and speed estimated of the induction motor feedback to the input with a delay of n samples. Simulation results are also presented to validate the proposed approach. © 2006 IEEE.

Conversor CA-CA de elevado fator de potência para aplicações com geradores de Ímã permanente

This paper proposes and describes a high power factor AC-AC converter for naval applications using Permanent Magnet Generator (PMG). The three-phase output voltages of the PMG vary from 260 Vrms (220 Hz) to 380 Vrms (360 Hz), depending on load conditions. The proposed converter consists of a Y-/ΔY power transformer, which provides electrical isolation between the PMG and remaining stages, and a twelve-pulse uncontrolled rectifier stage directly connected to a single-phase inverter stage, without the use of an intermediary DC-DC topology. This proposal results in more simplicity for the overall circuitry, assuring robustness, reliability and reduced costs. Furthermore, the multipulse rectifier stage is capable to provide high power factor and low total harmonic distortion for the input currents of the converter. The single-phase inverter stage was designed to operate with wide range of DC bus voltage, maintaining 120 Vrms, 60 Hz output. The control philosophy, implemented in a digital signal processor (DSP) which also contains protection routines, alows series connections between two identical converters, achieving 240 Vrms, 60 Hz total output voltage. Measured total harmonic distortion for the AC output voltage is lower than 2% and the input power factor is 0.93 at 3.6kW nominal load. © 2010 IEEE.

On the Chaotic Suppression of Both Ideal and Non-ideal Duffing Based Vibrating Systems, Using a Magnetorheological Damper

In this paper the dynamics of the ideal and non-ideal Duffing oscillator with chaotic behavior is considered. In order to suppress the chaotic behavior and to control the system, a control signal is introduced in the system dynamics. The control strategy involves the application of two control signals, a nonlinear feedforward control to maintain the controlled system in a periodic orbit, obtained by the harmonic balance method, and a state feedback control, obtained by the state dependent Riccati equation, to bring the system trajectory into the desired periodic orbit. Additionally, the control strategy includes an active magnetorheological damper to actuate on the system. The control force of the damper is a function of the electric current applied in the coil of the damper, that is based on the force given by the controller and on the velocity of the damper piston displacement. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the control strategy in leading the system from any initial condition to a desired orbit, and considering the mathematical model of the damper (MR), it was possible to control the force of the shock absorber (MR), by controlling the applied electric current in the coils of the damper. © 2012 Foundation for Scientific Research and Technological Innovation.