Search

The efficiency ranking of a decision making units (DMU) measures its relative position among a group of DMUs over sets of feasible virtual prices that characterize preferences for input and output variables. But the efficiency ranking of a DMU conveys no information about the gap between this DMU and those superior and peer DMUs. So we propose an alternative efficiency measure named buffered-ranking for efficiency analysis. The statement that the efficiency buffered-ranking of a DMU is k implies that its efficiency score reaches the average of the top k efficiency scores of all DMUs. The proposed buffered-ranking is monotone with the conventional ranking, and conveys more information about its relation with superior and peer DMUs. When the efficiency score is based on virtual profit, i.e. the difference between virtual revenue and virtual cost, the calculation of the best buffered-ranking is equivalent to a continuous linear program. We also study the worst buffered-ranking that is opposite to the best buffered-ranking. Experiments demonstrate the advantages of buffered-ranking over conventional ranking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patents are valuable intellectual property only when granted by the governments, and failing to receive an official grant means disclosing valuable technologies and information, which otherwise would be kept as commercial secrets. Yet, a typical patent application process takes years to complete and the outcome is uncertain. This study implements machine learning models to predict patent examination outcomes based on early information disclosed at patent publication and interpret the mechanism of how these models make predictions, highlighting the key determinants to patent grant and delineating the relationships between the patent features and the examination outcome. The predictive models that integrate patent-level variables with textual information accomplish the best prediction performances with a 0.854 ROC-AUC score and 77% accuracy rate. A number of interpretable machine learning methods are applied. The permutation-based feature importance metric identifies key determinants such as applicants' prior experience, page length, backward citation, claim counts, number of patent family, etc. SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations), a local interpretability method, describes the marginal contributions to the model prediction of key predictors using two actual patent examples. Our study provides several valuable findings with important theoretical insights and practical applications. Specifically, we show that patent-level information can serve as a predictor of examination outcomes and the relationships between the predictors and outcome variables are complex. Knowledge accumulation and technology complexity positively affect the likelihood of patent grants, albeit with a curvilinear relationship. At lower levels, both factors significantly increase the chance of a grant, but beyond a certain threshold, the marginal effect becomes less pronounced. Additionally, prior experience, patent family size, and engagement with the patent agency have a monotonic and positive relationship with the grant likelihood, whereas the impact of patent scope on patent grants remains uncertain. While a narrower and more specific patent claim is associated with a higher grant rate, the number of claims increases it. Moreover, technology range, inventor team size, and examination duration have little effect on the patent grant results. From a practical standpoint, the accurate prediction of patent grants has significant potential applications. For instance, it could help firms better prioritize resources on the patent applications of high grant potentials to secure the final grant, as failure means a waste of R &D effort and disclosure of technology without IP protection. Additionally, patent examiners could utilize our predictive results as prior knowledge to enhance their judgment and accelerate the examination process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trinomial coefficients n k are given by ∑ k = - n n n k x k = (1 + x + x - 1) n. Andrews and Baxter listed six kinds of q-trinomial coefficients (q-analogues of the trinomial coefficients). In this paper, we obtain some supercongruences on these q-trinomial coefficients. As a conclusion, we obtain the following new supercongruence: ap b p ≡ a b (mod p 2) , where a, b are positive integers subject to a > b and p > 3 is an odd prime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to explore the effective approaches to prevent dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In this study, significantly decreased full-field electroretinograms wave amplitudes and disordered retina structures were detected in rat retinas of sodium iodate induced dry AMD model. Six a- and b-wave amplitudes and the antioxidant activities were significantly increased, and the outer nuclear layer thickness was significantly improved in the rat retinas treated with the combination of Lactobacillus fermentum NS9 (LF) and aronia anthocyanidin extract (AAE) compared with the model. The effects were much better than the treatment with AAE alone. The proteomics analysis showed the expressions of α-, β- and γ-crystallins were increased by 3–8 folds in AAE treated alone and by 6–11 folds in AAE + LF treatment compared with the model, which was further confirmed by immuno-blotting analysis. Analysis of gut microbial composition indicated that higher abundance of the genus Parasutterella and species P. excrementihominis was found in the AAE + LF treatment compared with the other groups. The results indicated that the combined treatment of AAE + LF is a potential way to prevent the retina degeneration which is significantly better than the AAE treated alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let Φ n (q) denote the n-th cyclotomic polynomial in q. Recently, Guo and Schlosser (Constr Approx 53:155–200, 2021) put forward the following conjecture: for any odd integer n > 1 , ∑ k = 0 n - 1 [ 8 k - 1 ] (q - 1 ; q 4) k 6 (q 2 ; q 2) 2 k (q 4 ; q 4) k 6 (q - 1 ; q 2) 2 k q 8 k ≡ 0 (mod [ n ] Φ n (q) 2) , if n ≡ 1 (mod 4) , 0 (mod [ n ]) , if n ≡ 3 (mod 4). where (a ; q) k = (1 - a) (1 - a q) ... (1 - a q k - 1) , [ n ] = (1 - q n) / (1 - q) , and Φ n (q) denotes the n-th cyclotomic polynomial in q. Applying the 'creative microscoping' method and several summation and transformation formulas for basic hypergeometric series and the Chinese remainder theorem for coprime polynomials, we confirm the above conjecture, as well as another similar q-supercongruence conjectured by Guo and Schlosser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lycopene is a highly potent antioxidant that is prevalent among dietary carotenoids. However, its use in food formulations is restricted due to its poor water-solubility and proneness to oxidation. The aim of this research was to encapsulate lycopene in yogurt using emulsion technology for improving its stability during processing and storage, in order to diversify a widely consumed food product and enhance its nutritional value. Confocal laser microscopy data showed that the incorporation of oil droplets with emulsification did not have a negative effect on the formation and microstructure of yogurt. Syneresis of lycopene-fortified yogurt samples was approximately twice as high compared with plain yogurt at day 7; the ability to retain water was significantly improved with storage time for all emulsified samples. Additionally, storage reduced the Turbiscan Stability Indices (TSI) for all yogurt samples, which suggests that physical stability improved at 4 °C. Emulsification resulted in increased oxidation levels due to increased oil content. This effect was ameliorated by lycopene encapsulation, which effectively protected corn oil from oxidation and prevented degradation. This study indicates that emulsification is a promising method for lycopene encapsulation and can be used for developing yogurt with desirable nutritional properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study certain determinants over finite fields. Let F q be the finite field of q elements with q an odd prime power and q ≡ 2 (mod 3) . Let a 1 , a 2 , ⋯ , a q - 1 be all nonzero elements of F q and let T q = 1 a i 2 - a i a j + a j 2 1 ≤ i , j ≤ q - 1 be a matrix over F q . We obtain the explicit value of det (T q) . Also, as a consequence of our result, we confirm a conjecture posed by Zhi-Wei Sun. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crocodiles are cultured in large numbers in Asia and other places in order to protect wild resources and meet the needs of human life. In this study, crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) meat proteins were extracted and hydrolyzed into peptides, their antioxidant peptides were isolated and purified by silica gel chromatography and identified by LC/MS. Crocodile meat proteins were optimally extracted with water and hydrolyzed by papain based on the degree of hydrolysis and antioxidant activity. The hydrolysates were fractionated by ultrafiltration into 3 kDa, 3–30 kDa, and ≥ 30 kDa fractions. The 3 kDa fraction showed most antioxidant activity of the hydrolysates. Its active peptides were separated by silica gel column chromatography and purified by silica gel TLC, based on TLC bio-autographic assays of the activity. Four highly active peptides were identified by LC/MS as SSLTIQFVEGQFVDSYDPTIENTFTK, VPPHIY, VAPEEHPVLLTEAPLNPK, and RNGLPGPIGPAG. The identified peptides were synthesized and showed 50% free radical scavenging activities at 1.0 mg/mL, equal or higher to ascorbic acid at 0.5 mg/mL, in both DPPH and ABTS assays. The results indicated that the 3 kDa hydrolyzed peptides of crocodile meat had high antioxidant activity and the active peptides can be effectively separated and purified by silica gel column chromatography and TLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove two supercongruences involving Almkvist-Zudilin sequences, which were originally conjectured by Z.-H. Sun (2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of aroma and natural taste is a critical problem in production and consumption of instant green teas. A method to prepare instant green teas high in-natural-aroma and low-caffeine by the novel column chromatographic extraction with gradient elution is reported. This method simultaneously extracted aroma (or volatile) and non-aroma compounds from green tea. Green tea was loaded into columns with 2.0-fold of petroleum ether (PE): ethanol (8:2). After standing for 3 h until the aroma compounds dissolved, the column was sequentially eluted with 3.0-fold 40% ethanol and 3.5-fold water. The eluant was collected together and automatically separated into PE and ethanol aqueous phases. The aroma extracts was obtained by vacuum-evaporation of PE phase at 45 °C. The ethanol aqueous phase was vacuum-concentrated to aqueous and partially or fully decaffeinated with 4% or 9% charcoal at 70 °C. A regular instant green tea with epigallocatechin-3-gallate: caffeine of 3.5:1 and a low-caffeine instant green tea (less than 1% caffeine) with excellent aroma and taste were prepared, by combining the aroma and non-aroma extracts at a 1:10 ratio. This work provides a practical approach to solve the low-aroma and low-taste problems in the production of high quality instant green teas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) has multiple functions, and the lack of commercially available enzyme sources limits its widespread application in various industries. An accurate PPO assay was developed by HPLC determination of the substrate oxidation. Resources screening indicated that sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas L.) wastewater in starch production has high PPO activity. A procedure was developed for separately recovering PPO, β-amylase, sporamins, and small molecular nutrients (SMNs) from sweet potato wastewater. The wastewater was adjusted to pH 3.5 to precipitate PPO, and then adjusted to 50 % acetone to precipitate β-amylase and further to 80 % acetone to precipitate sporamins. The SMNs were obtained after acetone recovery. Purified powders of 4.3 × 10 units of PPO, 4.0 × 10 units of β-amylase, 8.70 g sporamins, and 20.2 g SMNs were obtained from the wastewater of 1 kg sweet potato. More than 50 million tons of sweet potato is used for starch production annually around the world. Through this simple procedure, huge amount of biochemical resources can be recovered from the wastewater, which greatly increases the economic value of the crop and saves the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is the sixth most important food crop in the world. The industry discarded huge amount of sweet potato stems, rich of peroxidases and phenolics. A simple procedure was developed to make peroxidases and phenolics from sweet potato old stems. Dried stem powder was loaded into columns with water and eluted sequentially with water and 50% ethanol. Peroxidases (91%) were extracted in 5.5-fold water extracts and 87% phenolics were extracted in 4.4-fold ethanol extracts. Purified peroxidases powder was yielded at 3.1 g (8.6 unit/mg) per kilogram stems by PEG6000/Na2SO4 aqueous two-phase purification from the water extracts (93.2% recovery), followed by ethanol precipitation and vacuum freeze-drying. The purified peroxidase had high activity in transforming tea catechins into theaflavins. Phenolics powder containing 43% phenolics and 27% flavonoids was yielded at 76.9 g per kilogram stems after vacuum-concentrating the ethanol extracts. This method can make valuable functional products using the sweet potato waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]