Forward and inverse problems of supercritical extraction of oil from polydisperse packed bed of ground plant material

The problem of determining the overall extraction curve for the supercritical fluid oil extraction from polydisperse layer of ground oilseed granules was solved analytically using the shrinking core model. The functional dependence obtained for bi-disperse approximation of the packed bed describes the results of known experiments with high accuracy. Ways to solve the inverse problem of determining the size distribution function for particles of granular layer based on experimental overall extraction curves are discussed. © 2014 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Extraction from a polydisperse granular layer of milled oilseeds with supercritical carbon dioxide

A mathematical model of the supercritical fluid extraction of oil from a polydisperse granular layer of milled oilseeds is proposed. An experiment on the extraction of a polydisperse layer of white lupin seeds with different realizations of the size distribution function of the grains was carried out. The results of the laboratory experiment were used for the adaptation of the mathematical model; a fair agreement between the calculated and experimental curves of the oil yield was achieved. © 2010 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Morphotype broadening of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) from Oxus civilization 4000 BP, Central Asia

The region of Transoxiana underwent an early agricultural-demographic transition leading to the earliest proto-urban centers in Central Asia. The agronomic details of this cultural shift are still poorly studied, especially regarding the role that long-generation perennials, such as grapes, played in the cultivation system. In this paper, we present directly dated remains of grape pips from the early urban centers of Sapalli and Djarkutan, in south Uzbekistan. We also present linear morphometric data, which illustrate a considerable range of variation under cultivation that we divide into four distinct morphotypes according to pip shape. While some of the pips in these two assemblages morphologically fall within the range of wild forms, others more closely resemble modern domesticated populations. Most of the specimens measure along a gradient between the two poles, showing a mixed combination of domesticated and wild features. We also point out that the seeds recovered from the Djarkutan temple were, on average, larger and contained more affinity towards domesticated forms than those from domestic contexts. The potential preference of morphotypes seems to suggest that there were recognized different varieties that local cultivators might aware and possibly propagating asexually.- Dating of archaeobotanical samples. - Morphotyping the archaeological grape pips. - Grape morphological diversity and human selection in Bronze Age Central Asia. - Grape seed morphology and early horticulture. - Conclusions. - Method

Inverse spectral problems for energy-dependent Sturm-Liouville equations

We study the inverse spectral problem of reconstructing energy-dependent Sturm-Liouville equations from their Dirichlet spectra and sequences of the norming constants. For the class of problems under consideration, we give a complete description of the corresponding spectral data, suggest a reconstruction algorithm, and establish uniqueness of reconstruction. The approach is based on connection between spectral problems for energy-dependent Sturm-Liouville equations and for Dirac operators of special form.Comment: AMS-LaTeX, 28 page

When did the chicken cross the road: archaeological and molecular evidence for ancient chickens in Central Asia

The origins and dispersal of the chicken across the ancient world remains one of the most enigmatic questions regarding Eurasian domesticated animals1,2. The lack of agreement regarding the timing and center of origin is due, in large part, to issues with morphological identifications, a lack of direct dating, and poor preservation of thin bird bones. Historical sources attest to the prominence of chickens in southern Europe and southwest Asia by the last centuries BC3. Likewise, art historical depictions of chickens and anthropomorphic rooster-human chimeras are reoccurring motifs in Central Asian prehistoric and historic traditions4-6. However, when this ritually and economically significant bird spread along the trans-Eurasian exchange routes has remained a mystery. Here we show that chickens were widely raised by people at villages across southern Central Asia from the third century BC through medieval periods for their eggs and likely also meat. In this study, we present archaeological and molecular evidence for the cultivation of chickens for egg production from 12 different Central Asian archaeological sites spanning a millennium and a half. These eggshells were recovered in high abundance at all of these sites, suggesting that chickens were widely raised by people at villages across southern Central Asia from the third century BC through medieval periods and that they were an important part of the overall diet. Contrary to views that ancient peoples of Central Asia were primarily herding sheep, goat, and cattle, these data show that chicken was also important in the subsistence economy and that it was widely spread along the ancient Silk Road.Introduction - Rapid Dissemination across the Ancient World Results - Archaeological Eggshells - Peptide Mass Fingerprinting Discussion - Evidence for Non-Seasonal Egg Laying - The Rise in Symbolic and Economic Prominence of the Chicken in Central Asia Conclusion

Аномалии и пороки развития висцеральных артерий при внепеченочной портальной гипертензии у детей

Purpose. To study the incidence of anomalies and malformations of visceral arteries and evaluate their role in the treatment of extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) in childrenMaterial and Methods. The study included 155 previously not operated children with EHPVO. A retrospective analysis of the results of three-phase multislice computed tomography with angiography (MSCTA) of visceral vessels was performed. Frequency of visceral arteries anomalies of the abdominal aorta, aortomesenteric angle, the structure of the hepatic, splenic and superior mesenteric arteries (SMA) were assessed. The size of visceral arteries depending on the prevalence of portal vein thrombosis was also assessed.Results. According to analysis 35 (22.6%) children with EHPVO had abnormalities of visceral arteries. Of them, 14 (11.7%) patients presented with signs of aortomesenteric compression of the left renal vein (LRV). Coeliacomesenteric trunk was detected in 4 (2.5%) children. In one (0.64%) case there was sign of saccular splenic artery (SA) aneurysm. According to data, there was a significant correlation of the diameter of SA and SMA with the age of children (r = 0.58; p = 0.001). According to the study, diameter of arteria hepatica propria in children with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) with extension into superior mesenteric vein (SMV) was significantly lower than in PVT and its branches (2.48 ± 0.23 mm vs 3.15 ± 0.08 mm, p = 0.01). The diameter of SA in children with PVT extended into splenic vein was significantly smaller (4.26 ± 0.19 mm) in comparison to children with PVT and its branches (4.9 ± 0.12 mm, p = 0.01), and children with widespread thrombosis of portal vein system (5.45 ± 0.41 mm, p = 0.05).Conclusion. Multiple aberrations of the anatomical structures of visceral arteries make any hepatobiliary surgery challenging to surgeons. The study data suggest that MSCTA is an informative method for evaluation of associated anomalies of visceral arteries in children with EHPH.Цель исследования: изучить частоту аномалий и пороков развития висцеральных артерий и оценить их роль в лечении внепеченочной блокады воротного кровообращения (ВБВК) у детей.Материал и методы. В исследование включены 155 ранее не оперированных детей в возрасте от 2 до 17 лет с ВБВК. Проведен ретроспективный анализ результатов 3-фазной мультиспиральной компьютерной томографии с ангиографией (МСКТА) висцеральных сосудов. Проанализирована частота аномалий строений висцеральных артерий брюшного отдела аорты, величина аортомезентериального угла, структура собственно печеночной, селезеночной и верхней брыжеечной (ВБА) артерий. Также проанализированы размеры висцеральных артерий в зависимости от степени флеботромбоза в системе воротной вены (ВВ).Результаты. Согласно анализу МСКТА, у 155 пациентов с внепеченочной портальной гипертензией (ВПГ) аномалии развития висцеральных артерий отмечены у 35 (22,6%) детей. При этом у 14 (11,7%) детей выявлены признаки аортомезентериальной компрессии левой почечной вены (ЛПВ). У 4 (2,5%) детей была выявлена транспозиция чревного ствола (coeliacomesenteric trunk). В одном (0,64%) случае выявлены признаки мешковидной аневризмы внутриорганных ветвей селезеночной артерии (СА). Согласно анализу, отмечена достоверная средняя корреляция диаметра СА и ВБА с возрастом детей (r = 0,58; p = 0,001). Согласно исследованию, диаметр собственной печеночной артерии у детей при флеботромбозе системы ВВ с преимущественным поражением верхней брыжеечной вены (ВБВ) был достоверно ниже, чем при поражении основного ствола ВВ и его ветвей (2,48 ± 0,23 мм против 3,15 ± 0,08 мм, p = 0,01). Диаметр СА у детей с преимущественным флеботромбозом селезеночной вены был достоверно меньше (4,26 ± 0,19 мм) в сравнении с детьми с поражением основного ствола ВВ и его притоков (4,9 ± 0,12 мм, р = 0,01), а также детей с флеботромбозом ВБВ (5,45 ± 0,41 мм, р = 0,05).Заключение. Таким образом, данные исследования свидетельствуют, что МСКТА является информативным методом оценки сопутствующих аномалий висцеральных артерий у детей с ВПГ. Возможность оценки существующих вариаций анатомических изменений висцеральных артерий у детей с ВБВК позволит снизить до минимума риск ятрогенного повреждения и неудовлетворительных исходов одного из наиболее сложного направлений – хирургии портальной гипертензии

The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia

By sequencing 523 ancient humans, we show that the primary source of ancestry in modern South Asians is a prehistoric genetic gradient between people related to early hunter-gatherers of Iran and Southeast Asia. After the Indus Valley Civilization’s decline, its people mixed with individuals in the southeast to form one of the two main ancestral populations of South Asia, whose direct descendants live in southern India. Simultaneously, they mixed with descendants of Steppe pastoralists who, starting around 4000 years ago, spread via Central Asia to form the other main ancestral population. The Steppe ancestry in South Asia has the same profile as that in Bronze Age Eastern Europe, tracking a movement of people that affected both regions and that likely spread the distinctive features shared between Indo-Iranian and Balto-Slavic languages

Extraction from a polydisperse granular layer of milled oilseeds with supercritical carbon dioxide

A mathematical model of the supercritical fluid extraction of oil from a polydisperse granular layer of milled oilseeds is proposed. An experiment on the extraction of a polydisperse layer of white lupin seeds with different realizations of the size distribution function of the grains was carried out. The results of the laboratory experiment were used for the adaptation of the mathematical model; a fair agreement between the calculated and experimental curves of the oil yield was achieved. © 2010 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Extraction from a polydisperse granular layer of milled oilseeds with supercritical carbon dioxide

A mathematical model of the supercritical fluid extraction of oil from a polydisperse granular layer of milled oilseeds is proposed. An experiment on the extraction of a polydisperse layer of white lupin seeds with different realizations of the size distribution function of the grains was carried out. The results of the laboratory experiment were used for the adaptation of the mathematical model; a fair agreement between the calculated and experimental curves of the oil yield was achieved. © 2010 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd