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The parametric cubic van der Waals polynomial $\,\, p V^3 - (R T + b p) V^2 + a V - a b \,\,$ is analysed mathematically and some new generic features (theoretically, for any substance) are revealed: the temperature range for applicability of the van der Waals equation, $T > a/(4Rb)$, and the isolation intervals, at any given temperature between $a/(4Rb)$ and the critical temperature $8a/(27Rb)$, of the three volumes on the isobar-isotherm: $\,\, 3b/2 < V_A \le 3b$, $ \,\, 2b < V_B < 4b/(3 - \sqrt{5})$, and $\,\, 3b < V_C < b + RT/p$. The unstable states of the van der Waals model have also been generically localized: they lie in an interval within the isolation interval of $V_B$. In the case of unique intersection point of an isotherm with an isobar, the isolation interval of this unique volume is also determined. A discussion on finding the volumes $V_{A, B, C}$, on the premise of Maxwell's hypothesis, is also presented., 11 pages, 5 figures

A method is proposed with which the locations of the roots of the monic symbolic quintic polynomial $x^5 + a_4 x^4 + a_3 x^3 + a_2 x^2 + a_1 x + a_0$ can be determined using the roots of two resolvent quadratic polynomials: $q_1(x) = x^2 + a_4 x + a_3$ and $q_2(x) = a_2 x^2 + a_1 x + a_0$, whose coefficients are exactly those of the quintic polynomial. The different cases depend on the coefficients of $q_1(x)$ and $q_2(x)$ and on some specific relationships between them. The method is illustrated with the full analysis of one of the possible cases. Some of the roots of the symbolic quintic equation for this case have their isolation intervals determined and, as this cannot be done for all roots with the help of quadratic equations only, finite intervals containing 1 or 3 roots, or 0 or 2 roots, or, rarely, 0, or 2, or 4 roots of the quintic are identified. Knowing the stationary points of the quintic polynomial, lifts the latter indeterminacy and allows one to find the isolation interval of each of the roots of the quintic. Separately, using the complete root classification of the quintic, one can also lift this indeterminacy. The method also allows to see how variation of the individual coefficients of the quintic affect its roots. No root finding iterations or any numerical approximations are used and no equations of degree higher than 2 are solved., 21 pages, 28 figures

This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant and Biological Properties of Plant Extracts., Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a pathogenic bacteria identified as a potential risk factor for gastritis, gastric ulcers and gastric cancer. During the stomach colonization, H. pylori triggers a strong inflammatory response and subsequent oxidative stress, which are associated with tissue damage. For this reason, it is of particular interest to develop alternative natural tools that enable modulation of the associated damaging immune response. With this purpose, we obtained grape seed extract (GSE) from sweet (not fermented) food grade seeds. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of GSE and its two enriched procyanidins fractions (OPC and PPC) on the inflammatory process and oxidative stress produced by different H. pylori strains in human gastric epithelial cells (AGS). Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by measuring the level of interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion. IL-8 production was significantly reduced in H. pylori-infected human gastric epithelial cells pre-treated with GSE or its enriched fractions when compared with non-pre-treated infected cells (from 21.6% to 87.8%). Pre-treatment with GSE or its fractions significantly decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in AGS cells after infection, depending on the H. pylori strain. Our results also showed that GSE and its fractions demonstrate antibacterial activity against all strains of H. pylori used in the study. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of GSE enriched in procyanidins against the main events associated with H. pylori infection., This research was funded by AGL2017-89566-R project from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain).

The isolation intervals of the real roots of the real symbolic monic cubic polynomial $p(x) = x^3 + a x^2 + b x + c\,\,$ are found in terms of simple functions of the coefficients of the polynomial (such as: $-a$, $-a/3$, $-c/b$, $\pm \sqrt{-b}$, when $b$ is negative), and the roots of some auxiliary quadratic equations whose coefficients are also simple functions of the coefficients of the cubic. All possible cases are presented with clear and very detailed diagrams. It is very easy to identify which of these diagrams is the relevant one for any given cubic equation and to read from it the isolation intervals of the real roots of the equation. A much-improved complete root classification, addressing the signs (together with giving the isolation intervals) of the individual roots, is also presented. No numerical approximations or root finding techniques are used. Instead of considering the discriminant of the cubic, criterion for the existence of a single real root or three real roots is found as conditions on the coefficients of the cubic, resulting from the roots of the auxiliary quadratic equations. It is also shown that, if a cubic equation has three real roots, then these lie in an interval $I$ such that $\sqrt{3}\sqrt{a^2/3 - b} \le I \le 2 \sqrt{a^2/3 - b}$, independent of $c$. A detailed algorithm for applying the method for isolation of the roots of the cubic is also given and it is illustrated through examples, including the full mathematical analysis of the cubic equation associated with the Rayleigh elastic waves and finding the isolation intervals of its real roots., Comment: 28 pages, 17 figures, journal version, typos corrected, title changed from "Isolation Intervals of the Real Roots of the Parametric Cubic Equation" to "Isolation Intervals of the Real Roots of the Parametric Cubic Equation and Improved Complete Root Classification"

Grape seeds (GS) and grape skins (GK) are natural sources of polyphenols with featured antioxidant capacity. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of these polyphenol sources in diets formulated to contain the same total extractable grape polyphenol content on growth performance, protein and extractable polyphenol digestibility, plasma and meat α- and γ-tocopherol and thigh meat oxidation in broiler chickens. Five experimental diets were formulated: control, control + vitamin E (200 mg/kg), 30 g/kg GS diet, 110 g/kg GK diet, GS + GK diet (a mixture of 24.4 g/kg GS and 13.1 g/kg GK designed to simulate a reconstituted grape pomace). Feeding chickens with 110 g/kg GK reduced (p &lt, 0.001) daily weight gain, worsened (p &lt, 0.001) feed conversion ratio, increased (p &lt, 0.001) non-extractable polyphenol content in the ileum and in the excreta and decreased (p &lt, 0.05) ileal protein digestibility. Regardless of the grape polyphenol source used, the inclusion of grape byproducts in the diets led to an increase of total extractable polyphenol contents in the ileum (p &lt, 0.01) and the excreta (p &lt, 0.001), which resulted (p &lt, 0.001) in a decrease of extractable polyphenol digestibilities. Alpha- and gamma-tocopherol concentrations increased (p &lt, 0.001) in plasma and in seven-day stored meat in birds fed the diet combining GS and GK with respect to the control group. As it happened with the vitamin E supplementation, feeding the combination of GS and GK also reduced (p &lt, 0.001) the concentration of the lipid peroxidation marker (malondialdehyde) in the stored meat of chickens.

Olive leaves are rich in bioactive substances which exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, insulin-sensitizing and antihypertensive effects. The aim of this study was to analyze the possible beneficial effects of an olive leaf extract (OLE) rich in secoiridoids and phenolic compounds on the aging-induced metabolic and vascular alterations. Three experimental groups of rats were used: 3-month-old rats, 24-month-old rats and 24-month-old rats supplemented 21 days with OLE (100 mg/kg). Administration of OLE to aged rats decreased the weight of adrenal glands and prevented the aging-induced loss of body weight and muscle mass. In the serum, OLE reduced the circulating levels of LDL-cholesterol and IL-6 and increased the concentrations of leptin and adiponectin. In the liver OLE attenuated the decreased gene expression of SOD-1, GSR, GCK and GSK-3β and reduced the aging-induced overexpression of NOX-4, Alox-5, iNOS and TNF-α. In aorta segments, OLE prevented endothelial dysfunction and vascular insulin resistance and improved vasoconstriction in response to KCl and NA. Improvement in vascular function was associated with the attenuation of the alterations in the gene expression of COX-2, IL-6, GPx, NOX-1 and IL-10. In conclusion, OLE exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in aged rats and attenuates the alterations in vascular function associated with aging., This project was funded by the call “Doctorados Industriales 2017” (IND2017/BIO7701), a grant from Community of Madrid (Spain). This program aims to promote the effective collaboration between Universities and Companies and provides funding for both, the development of the research project in the University and the Company, and to hire a PhD student (Daniel González-Hedström) over a three-year period by the Company (Pharmactive Biotech Products S.L.). Community of Madrid also funded the contract of María de la Fuente-Fernández through the Youth Employment Program (PEJ-2018-AI/SAL-11315).

The isolation intervals of the real roots of the symbolic monic cubic polynomial $x^3 + a x^2 + b x + c$ are determined, in terms of the coefficients of the polynomial, by solving the Siebeck-Marden-Northshield triangle - the equilateral triangle that projects onto the three real roots of the cubic polynomial and whose inscribed circle projects onto an interval with endpoints equal to stationary points of the polynomial, Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures

H. pylori is one of the major human pathogens infecting approximately 50% of the world's population. Its treatment is based on the combined use of different antibiotics. In recent years, the number of antibiotic resistant strains have been increased. Therefore, new alternative therapies are required for H. pylori treatment. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of olive leaf extracts against antibiotics resistant H. pylori strains. Two olive leaf extracts were used: E1, enriched in hydroxytyrosol (10%); and E2, enriched in oleuropein (20%). E1 extract showed a bactericidal effect for all evaluated H. pylori strains (7/7), while the E2 extract was bactericidal for three of the studied strains (3/7) and caused a decrease of around 1 log in colony forming units (CFU) for the rest of the strains. About antioxidant activity, both extracts reduced up to 33% the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species in human gastric AGS cells infected by H. pylori, being the antioxidant activity of the E2 extract higher than E1. Finally, E1 and E2 extracts showed anti-inflammatory activity, reducing IL-8 pro-inflammatory factor secretion by infected-AGS cells in a range of 20-74% and 71-93%, respectively. Therefore, the olive leaf extracts could be consider as a potential new candidate for H. pylori treatment, providing an alternative for the 20% of infected people with symptoms for whom antibiotic treatments are not effective. Furthermore, the recycling of olive industry by-products could also contribute to its revalorization, reducing also the environmental impact.

27 p.-6 fig.-9 tab., Penicillium rubens strain 212 (PO212) acts as an inducer of systemic resistance in tomato plants. The effect of crude extracellular extracts of PO212 on the soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici has been evaluated. Evidence of the involvement of soluble, thermo-labile, and proteinase-inactivated macromolecules present in PO212 crude extracts in the control of Fusarium vascular disease in tomato plants was found. Proteomic techniques and the availability of the access to the PO212 genome database have allowed the identification of glycosyl hydrolases, oxidases, and peptidases in these extracellular extracts. Furthermore, a bioassay-guided fractionation of PO212 crude extracellular extracts using an integrated membrane/solid phase extraction process was set up. This method enabled the separation of a PO212 crude extracellular extract of seven days of growth into four fractions of different molecular sizes and polarities: high molecular mass protein fraction >5 kDa, middle molecular mass protein fraction 5–1 kDa, low molecular mass metabolite fraction, and nutrients from culture medium (mainly glucose and minerals). The high and middle molecular mass protein fractions retained disease control activity in a way similar to that of the control extracts. Proteomic techniques have allowed the identification of nine putatively secreted proteins in the high molecular mass protein fraction matching those identified in the total crude extracts. Therefore, these enzymes are considered to be potentially responsible of the crude extracellular extract-induced resistance in tomato plants against F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. Further studies are required to establish which of the identified proteins participate in the PO212’s action mode as a biocontrol agent., This study was supported by funds from RTA2013-00060-C050-00, RTA2017-00019-C03-01 and RTA2017-00019-C03-02 (Plan Nacional de I+D, MINECO and MCINNU, Spain), to IL and grants BFU2015-66806-R (MINECO) and RTI2018-094263-B-100 (MICIU/AEI) to EAE both partially supported by FEDER/EU. M. Carreras received a scholarship from SGIT-INIA. Alba Gutiérrez and Silvia Moreno thank to Consejería de Educación e Investigación from the Madrid’s Community for the financial support of contracts PEJ-2018-AI/BIO-11720 and PEJD-2018-POST/BIO-8797, respectively.

Pressurized liquid extraction with ethanol:water mixtures was proposed for obtaining phenolic antioxidants from grape stems. The optimal extraction conditions were elucidated by using a central composite rotatable design (solvent (X1, 0&ndash, 100% ethanol:water v/v), temperature (X2, 40&ndash, 120 &deg, C) and time (X3, 1&ndash, 11 min)). Response surface methodology determined 30% ethanol:water, 120 &deg, C and 10 min as the optimal extraction conditions regarding total phenolic content (TPC) (185.3 &plusmn, 2.9 mg gallic acid/g of extract) and antioxidant activity (3.55 &plusmn, 0.21 mmol Trolox/g, 1.22 &plusmn, 0.06 mmol Trolox/g and 1.48 &plusmn, 0.17 mmol Trolox/g of extract in ABTS, DPPH and ORAC methodologies, respectively). The antioxidant activity was attributed to total polymer procyanidins and flavan-3-ol monomers and oligomers, although other phenolic compound contributions should not be ruled out. Forty-two phenolic compounds were identified in the optimal extract, mainly polymer procyanidins and, to a lesser extent, monomers and oligomers of flavan-3-ols, quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, &epsilon, viniferin, gallic and caftaric acid. Ethyl gallate, ellagic acid, protocatechuic aldehyde, delphinidin-7-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside were reported for the first time in grape stem extracts. In conclusion, this study highlights the use of this winery side stream as a source of antioxidants within a sustainable food system.

The time-evolution dynamics of two nonlinear cosmological real gas models has been reexamined in detail with methods from the theory of Hamiltonian dynamical systems. These examples are FRWL cosmologies, one based on a gas, satisfying the van der Waals equation and another one based on the virial expansion gas equation. The cosmological variables used are the expansion rate, given by the Hubble parameter, and the energy density. The analysis is aided by the existence of global first integral as well as several special (second) integrals in each case. In addition, the global first integral can serve as a Hamiltonian for a canonical Hamiltonian formulation of the evolution equations. The conserved quantities lead to the existence of stable periodic solutions (closed orbits) which are models of a cyclic Universe. The second integrals allow for explicit solutions as functions of time on some special trajectories and thus for a deeper understanding of the underlying physics. In particular, it is shown that any possible static equilibrium is reachable only for infinite time., 25 pages, 3 figures, improved discussion, references added, to appear in Nonlinear Analysis Real World Applications

The incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing worldwide which makes necessary the finding of new strategies to treat and/or prevent it. The aim of this study was to analyze the possible beneficial effects of a carob fruit extract (CSAT+&reg, ) on the cardiometabolic alterations associated with MetS in mice. 16-week-old C57BL/6J male mice were fed for 26 weeks either with a standard diet (chow) or with a diet rich in fats and sugars (HFHS), supplemented or not with 4.8% of CSAT+&reg, CSAT+&reg, supplementation reduced blood glucose, Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and circulating levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (LDL-c), insulin, and interleukin-6 (IL-6). In adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, CSAT+&reg, prevented MetS-induced insulin resistance, reduced macrophage infiltration and the expression of pro-inflammatory markers, and up-regulated the mRNA levels of antioxidant markers. Supplementation with CSAT+&reg, prevented MetS-induced hypertension and decreased the vascular response of aortic rings to angiotensin II (AngII). Moreover, treatment with CSAT+&reg, attenuated endothelial dysfunction and increased vascular sensitivity to insulin. In the heart, CSAT+&reg, supplementation reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and prevented ischemia-reperfusion-induced decrease in cardiac contractility. The beneficial effects at the cardiovascular level were associated with a lower expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant markers in aortic and cardiac tissues.

A cosmological model with van der Waals gas and dust has been studied in the context of a three-component autonomous non-linear dynamical system involving the time evolution of the particle number density, the Hubble parameter and the temperature. Due to the presence of a symmetry of the model, the temperature evolution law is determined (in terms of the particle number density) and with this the dynamical system reduces to a two-component one which is fully integrable. The globally conserved Hamiltonian is identified and, in addition to it, some special (second) integrals, defined and conserved on a lower-dimensional manifold, are found. The parameter choices and their implication for the global dynamics in terms of cosmological relevance are comprehensively studied and the physically meaningful parameter values are identified., 25 pages, 21 figures, 1 table

A FRWL cosmological model with perfect fluid comprising of van der Waals gas and dust has been studied in the context of dynamical analysis of a three-component autonomous non-linear dynamical system for the particle number density $n$, the Hubble parameter $H$, and the temperature $T$. Perfect fluid isentropic particle creation at rate proportional to an integer power $\alpha$ of $H$ has been incorporated. The existence of a global first integral allows the determination of the temperature evolution law and hence the reduction of the dynamical system to a two-component one. Special attention is paid to the cases of $\alpha = 2$ and $\alpha = 4$ and these are illustrated with numerical examples. The global dynamics is comprehensively studied for different choices of the values of the physical parameters of the model. Trajectories in the $(n, H)$ phase space are identified for which temporary inflationary regime exists., Comment: 17 journal pages, 26 figures

The cosmological dynamics of a quintessence model based on real gas with general equation of state is presented within the framework of a three-dimensional dynamical system describing the time evolution of the number density, the Hubble parameter, and the temperature. Two global first integrals are found and examples for gas with virial expansion and van der Waals gas are presented. The van der Waals system is completely integrable. In addition to the unbounded trajectories, stemming from the presence of the conserved quantities, stable periodic solutions (closed orbits) also exist under certain conditions and these represent models of a cyclic Universe. The cyclic solutions exhibit regions characterised by inflation and deflation, while the open trajectories are characterised by inflation in a "fly-by" near an unstable critical point., 26 pages, 23 figures

Strains of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) resistant to various antibiotics have increased in recent years. In this context, the search for new therapeutic approaches is crucial. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the antibacterial activity of a procyanidin-rich extract obtained from food-grade winery grape seeds against 14 H. pylori strains and elucidate its phenolic composition. Ten strains (71.4%) showed resistance to at least some of the tested antibiotics, while four isolates (28.6%) were susceptible to all antibiotics. Resistance to more than one class of antibiotics was observed in six strains (42.9%). The extract was able to inhibit the growth of all H. pylori strains in a range of a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) from 0.015 mg/mL to 0.125 mg/mL, confirming also the existence of a strain-dependent effect. The phenolic composition determined by reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography, photodiode array, and mass spectrometry detection (RP-HPLC-PAD-MS) analysis revealed the presence of 43 individual compounds and allowed the quantification of 41 of them, including seven procyanidin tetramers, seven procyanidin pentamers, and six galloylated procyanidin dimers, trimers, and tetramers. The extract was composed mainly by catechin and procyanidin oligomers with a total amount of 5801 mg/100 g, which represent 92% of the total individual phenolic content. Among them, the most abundant were catechins (2047 mg/100 g), followed by procyanidin dimers (1550 mg/100 g), trimers (1176 mg/100 g), tetramers (436 mg/100 g), and pentamers (296 mg/100 g) that represent 35, 27, 20, 8, and 5%, respectively of the total flavanol constituents. The composition profile information may help to improve the production process of useful antibacterial extracts against H. pylori., This research was funded by MINECO (Spain), Project HELIFOOD (AGL2017-89566-R). Alba Gutiérrez and Silvia Moreno thank to Consejería de Educación e Investigación from the Madrid’s Community for the financial support of contracts PEJ-2018-AI/BIO-11720 and PEJD-2018-POST/BIO-8797, respectively.

A pilot-scale process combining extraction of Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) powder in water (98 °C, 1 h), cross-flow microfiltration and reverse osmosis (nanofiltration) was performed to obtain β-glucan-rich extracts. Suspensions (45–80 L) obtained after 3 extractions were clarified by microfiltration reducing their turbidity to, This research was supported by national R + D program from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project AGL2014-56211-R) and the regional program from the Community of Madrid, Spain (S2013/ABI-2728).

A novel method with two variations is proposed with which the number of positive and negative zeros of a polynomial with real coefficients and degree $n$ can be restricted with significantly better determinacy than that provided by the Descartes rule of signs and also isolate quite successfully the zeros of the polynomial. The method relies on solving equations of degree smaller than that of the given polynomial. One can determine analytically the exact number of positive and negative zeros of a polynomial of degree up to and including five and also fully isolate the zeros of the polynomial analytically and with one of the variations of the method, one can analytically approach polynomials of degree up to and including nine by solving equations of degree no more than four. For polynomials of higher degree, either of the two variations of the method should be applied recursively. Full classification of the roots of the cubic equation, together with their isolation intervals, is presented. Numerous examples are given., 26 pages, 13 figures, typos corrected, no other changes

Aged black garlic (ABG) is a functional food with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Recent studies also report its beneficial metabolic effects in a context of obesity or diabetes, although the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. The aim of this work was to analyze the effects of an ABG extract in the vascular and metabolic alterations induced by a high-fat/sucrose diet in rats. For this purpose, male Sprague&ndash, Dawley rats were fed either a standard chow (controls, n = 12) or a high-fat/sucrose diet (HFD, n = 24) for 16 weeks. From week 8 on, half of the HFD rats were treated with a commercial ABG extract concentrated in S-allyl cysteine and melanoidins (ABG10+&reg, 250 mg/kg daily by gavage, 5 mL/kg). ABG10+&reg, treated rats showed lower mean caloric intake, body weight, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), insulin and leptin serum concentrations and higher high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and adiponectin serum concentrations than non-treated rats. In the hypothalamus, ABG10+&reg, treatment induced an increase in the gene expression of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and a decrease in leptin receptor (ObR) mRNA levels. No significant changes were found in visceral adipose tissue except for an overexpression of &beta, 3-adrenergic receptor (&beta, 3-ADR) in ABG-treated rats. In subcutaneous adipose tissue, ABG10+&reg, treatment decreased adipose weight and downregulated the gene expression of PPAR-&gamma, LPL, ObR and HSL. In brown adipose tissue, an overexpression of InsR, GLUT-4, UCP-1 and &beta, 3-ADR in ABG10+&reg, treated rats was found, whereas PPAR-&gamma, mRNA levels were significantly decreased. Regarding vascular function, ABG10+&reg, treatment attenuated the obesity-induced vasoconstriction in response to potassium chloride both in presence/absence of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). On the contrary, aorta segments from ABG-treated rats showed and improved relaxation in response to acetylcholine only when PVAT was present, with this fact possible being related to the decreased gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines in this tissue. In conclusion, ABG10+&reg, administration partially improves the metabolic and vascular alterations induced by a high-fat/high-sucrose diet in rats through modifications in the gene expression of proteins and neuropeptides involved in inflammation, fat metabolism and food intake regulation. Further studies are required to assess the bioavailability of ABG between rats and humans.

Three extraction methods were sequentially combined to obtain fractions from Lentinula edodes (shiitake mushrooms) containing bioactive compounds against cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Fruiting bodies were first extracted with plain water, obtained residue was then submitted to supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and remaining residue submitted to hot water extraction. Sequential design allowed reutilization of the nonextracted material as raw material for the successive extractions increasing extraction yields and separating interesting compounds. Obtained fractions contained different amounts of ß-glucans, chitins, eritadenine, lenthionine, ergosterol, proteins/peptides and phenolic compounds conferring them different bioactivities. Water soluble fractions showed high antioxidant activities (ABTS+• and DPPH• scavenging capacity and reducing power), they were also able to inhibit one of the main enzymes involved in hypertension (angiotensin-I converting enzyme) and the key enzyme of cholesterol metabolism (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase). The latter inhibitory activity was also noticed in SFE extracts although ergosterol and other lipid-like molecules were isolated. Dietary fibers were separated in the third extraction. Therefore, with this sequential extraction procedure bioactive compounds against CVDs can be selectively separated from a single batch of shiitake powder., The research was supported by AGL2014–56211 national R 1 D program from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and S2013/ABI-2728 regional program from the Community of Madrid (Spain).

Aged black garlic (ABG) exerts metabolic and cardiovascular beneficial effects. The aim of this work was to analyse the in vitro cardiovascular effects of an ABG extract enriched in S-allyl-cysteine and polyphenols (ABG10+) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Hearts were pre-treated either with ABG10+ or vehicle and subjected to 30 min ischaemia followed by 45 min reperfusion (IR) using the Langendorff technique. Segments of aorta and tail artery were used for inflammation/oxidative stress and vascular reactivity experiments respectively in presence/absence of ABG10+. ABG10+ induced a nitric oxide (NO) dependent vasodilating effect in tail artery segments and directly increased the release of NO in aorta segments. In the heart, ABG10+ induced a relaxing effect on coronary arteries before and after IR and prevented the IR induced decrease in myocardial contractility. Functional changes were associated with increased expression of both pro- and antioxidant and pro- and anti-inflammatory markers in the myocardium and in aorta., This work has been funded by Pharmactive Biotech Products SL (Madrid, Spain).

We investigate (4+1)- and (5+0)-dimensional gravity coupled to a non-compact scalar field sigma-model and a perfect fluid within the context of the Randall-Sundrum scenario. We find cosmological solutions with a rolling fifth radius and a family of warp factors. Included in this family are both the original Randall-Sundrum solution and the self-tuning solution of Kachru, Schulz and Silverstein. Our solutions exhibit conventional cosmology., 11 pages, 1 figure, LaTeX; references added, version to appear in Phys. Lett. B

The standard evaluation of the partition function Z of Schwarz's topological field theory results in the Ray–Singer analytic torsion. Here we present an alternative evaluation which results in Z=1. Mathematically, this amounts to a novel perspective on analytic torsion: it can be formally written as a ratio of volumes of spaces of differential forms which is formally equal to 1 by Hodge duality. An analogous result for Reidemeister combinatorial torsion is also obtained.

We show that when the induced parity breaking part of the effective action for the low-momentum region of U(1) x ... x U(1) Maxwell gauge field theory with massive fermions in 3 dimensions is coupled to a \phi^4 scalar field theory, it is not possible to eliminate the screening of the long-range Coulomb interactions and get external charges confined in the broken Higgs phase. This result is valid for non-zero temperature as well., Comment: 7 pages, LaTeX

Some extensive numerical simulations of the atmospheric composition fields in Bulgaria have been recently performed. The US EPA Model-3 system was chosen as a modelling tool. The system consists of three components: MM5 - the 5th generation PSU/NCAR Meso-meteorological Model used as meteorological pre-processor; CMAQ - the Community Multiscale Air Quality System CMAQ; SMOKE - the Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions Modelling System - the emission model [4]. As the NCEP Global Analysis Data with 1 degree resolution was used as meteorological background, the MM5 and CMAQ nesting capabilities were applied for downscaling the simulations to a 3 km resolution over Bulgaria. The TNO emission inventory was used as emission input. Special pre-processing procedures are created for introducing temporal profiles and speciation of the emissions. The biogenic emissions of VOC are estimated by the model SMOKE. The numerical experiments have been carried out for different emission scenarios, which makes it possible the contribution of emissions from different source categories to be evaluated. The air pollution pattern is formed as a result of interaction of different processes, so knowing the contribution of each for different meteorological conditions and given emission spatial configuration and temporal behaviour could be interesting. Therefore the Models-3 "Integrated Process Rate Analysis" option is applied to discriminate the role of different dynamic and chemical processes for the air pollution formation. The obtained ensemble of numerical simulation results is extensive enough to allow statistical treatment - calculating not only the mean concentrations and different source categories contribution mean fields, but also standard deviations, skewness, etc. with their dominant temporal modes (seasonal and/or diurnal variations). Thus some basic facts about the atmospheric composition climate of Bulgaria can be retrieved from the simulation ensemble.Some extensive numerical simulations of the atmospheric composition fields in Bulgaria have been recently performed. The US EPA Model-3 system was chosen as a modelling tool. The system consists of three components: MM5 - the 5th generation PSU/NCAR Meso-meteorological Model used as meteorological pre-processor; CMAQ - the Community Multiscale Air Quality System CMAQ; SMOKE - the Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions Modelling System - the emission model [4]. As the NCEP Global Analysis Data with 1 degree resolution was used as meteorological background, the MM5 and CMAQ nesting capabilities were applied for downscaling the simulations to a 3 km resolution over Bulgaria. The TNO emission inventory was used as emission input. Special pre-processing procedures are created for introducing temporal profiles and speciation of the emissions. The biogenic emissions of VOC are estimated by the model SMOKE. The numerical experiments have been carried out for different emission scenarios, which makes it possible ...

Phase-plane stability analysis of a dynamical system describing the Universe as a two-fraction fluid containing baryonic dust and real virial gas quintessence is presented. Existence of a stable periodic solution experiencing inflationary periods is shown. A van der Waals quintessence model is revisited and cyclic Universe solution again found., 21 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Physical Review D

5ummary The effect of microwave heating during 2-4 min on the riboflavin, a-tocopherol and retinol content of milk, with three different fat levels, was studied by HPLC. The riboflavin content was not significantiy modified by this treatment. Heating during 2 min did not modify the atocopherol content of whole milk, but in the case of low fat milk, the a-tocopherol content significantly decreased. The effect on the retinol content was less pronounced but still significant (P < 0.05). Further heating (up to 4 min) did not modify the vitamin content in any case.

In recent work two different approaches for obtaining the covariant action of 2D quantum supergravity are developed. The first one is based on Hamiltonian reduction of flat OSP (2|1) connection in holomorphic polarization. Adding extra degrees of freedom with the help of gauging procedure, the action and the superconformal Ward identity are obtained. It is shown that super-Virasoro transformations preserve the form of the Lax connection and therefore are symmetries of the sKdV equations. In the second approach starting with Chern-Simons theory and using non-canonical polarization the zero-curvature condition entails the same results.

Quantum tunneling in Reissner-Nordstrom geometry is studied and the tunneling rate is determined. A possible scenario for cosmic inflation, followed by reheating phases and subsequent radiation-domination expansion, is proposed., 13 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Physics Letters B

We propose a classical mechanism for the cosmic expansion during the radiation-dominated era. This mechanism assumes that the Universe is a two-component gas. The first component is a gas of ultra-relativistic "normal" particles described by an equation of state of an ideal quantum gas of massless particles. The second component consist of "unusual" charged particles (namely, either with ultra-high charge or with ultra-high mass) that provide the important mechanism of expansion due to their interaction with the "normal" component of the gas. This interaction is described by the Reissner--Nordstr\"om metric purely geometrically -- the ``unusual'' particles are modeled as zero-dimensional naked singularities inside spheres of gravitational repulsion. The radius of a repulsive sphere is inversely proportional to the energy of an incoming particle or the temperature. The expansion mechanism is based on the inflating of the "unusual" particles (of charge $Q$) with the drop of the temperature -- this drives apart all neutral particles and particles of specific charge $q/m$ such that ${sign}(Q) q/m \ge - 1$. The Reissner--Nordstr\"om expansion naturally ends at recombination. We discuss the range of model parameters within which the proposed expansion mechanism is consistent with the restrictions regarding quantum effects., Comment: 9 pages, LaTeX

We show that the governing equations for two-dimensional gravity water waves with constant non-zero vorticity have a nearly-Hamiltonian structure, which becomes Hamiltonian for steady waves., 12 pages, AMS-LaTeX, no figures. To appear in Journal of Mathematical Fluid Mechanics

We consider the equatorial circular motion of a test particle of specific charge q/m << 1 in the Kerr-Newman geometry of a rotating charged black hole. We find the particle's conserved energy and conserved projection of the angular momentum on the black hole's axis of rotation as corrections, in leading order of q/m, to the corresponding energy and angular momentum of a neutral particle. We determine the centripetal force acting on the test particle and, consequently, we find a classical pseudo-Newtonian potential with which one can mimic this general relativistic problem., 8 pages

The duality between the original Kaluza's theory and Klein's subsequent modification is duality between slicing and threading decomposition of the five-dimensional spacetime. The field equations of the original Kaluza's theory lead to the interpretation of the four-dimensional Lorentzian Kerr and Taub--NUT solutions as resulting from static electric and magnetic charges and dipoles in the presence of ghost matter and constant dilaton, which models Newton's constant., 11 pages

We investigate a four-dimensional world, embedded into a five-dimensional spacetime, and find the five-dimensional Riemann tensor via generalisation of the Gauss (--Codacci) equations. We then derive the generalised equations of the four-dimensional world and also show that the square of the dilaton field is equal to the Newton's constant. We find plausable constant and non-constant solutions for the dilaton., 5 pages, revtex

The field equations of the original Kaluza's theory are analyzed and it is shown that they lead to modification of Einstein's equations. The appearing extra energy-momentum tensor is studied and an example is given where this extra energy-momentum tensor is shown to allow four-dimensional Schwarzschild geometry to accommodate electrostatics. Such deviation from Reissner-Nordstrom geometry can account for the interpretation of Schwarzschild geometry as resulting not from mass only, but from the combined effects of mass and electric charge, even electric charge alone., Comment: 14 pages, two sections added and title changed. To appear in Physics Letters B

For the radial motion of massive particles with large angular momenta in Schwarzschild geometry and that of massive charged particles with large angular momenta or energy in a particular range in Reissner--Nordstr\"om geometry, there exist classically forbidden regions on the outside of the respective event horizons which scatter certain infalling geodesics or screen some of the black holes' evaporation by reflecting the emitted particles back into the black holes. Quantum tunneling across this forbidden regions is studied., Comment: 17 pages, no figures

Two classical scalar fields are minimally coupled to gravity in the Kachru-Shulz-Silverstein scenario with a rolling fifth radius. A Tolman wormhole solution is found for a R x S^3 brane with Lorentz metric and for a R x AdS_3 brane with positive definite metric., Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX

We investigate the cosmology of (4+1)-dimensional gravity coupled to a scalar field and a bulk anisotropic fluid within the context of the single-brane Randall-Sundrum scenario. Assuming a separable metric, a static fifth radius and the scalar to depend only on the fifth direction, we find that the warp factor is given as in the papers of Kachru, Schulz and Silverstein [hep-th/0001206, hep-th/0002121] and that the cosmology on a self-tuning brane is standard. In particular, for a radiation-dominated brane the pressure in the fifth direction vanishes., Comment: 9 pages, LaTeX; typos corrected and refs added; version to appear in Phys. Lett. B

We show that on three-dimensional Riemannian manifolds without boundaries and with trivial first real de Rham cohomology group (and in no other dimensions) scalar field theory and Maxwell theory are equivalent: the ratio of the partition functions is given by the Ray-Singer torsion of the manifold. On the level of interaction with external currents, the equivalence persists provided there is a fixed relation between the charges and the currents., 11 pages, LaTeX, no figures, a reference added, submitted to Phys. Rev. D

Using a group-invariant version of the Faddeev-Popov method we explicitly obtain the partition functions of the Self-Dual Model and Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory. We show that their ratio coincides with the partition function of abelian Chern-Simons theory to within a phase factor depending on the geometrical properties of the manifold., Comment: 13 pages, latex, minor extension of the introduction and some comments added, to appear in Phys. Rev. D

In a previous work [E.M. Prodanov, R.I. Ivanov, and V.G. Gueorguiev, Reissner-Nordstrom Expansion, Astroparticle Physics 27 (150-154) 2007], we proposed a classical model for the expansion of the Universe during the radiation-dominated epoch based on the gravitational repulsion of the Reissner-Nordstrom geometry - naked singularity description of particles that "grow" with the drop of the temperature. In this work we model the Universe during the Reissner-Nordstrom expansion as a van der Waals gas and determine the equation of state., 13 pages, 2 figures