University of Madeira

About: University of Madeira is a education organization based out in Funchal, Portugal. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Dendrimer. The organization has 1014 authors who have published 2759 publications receiving 59457 citations.

3D modelling of heating of thermionic cathodes by high-pressure arc plasmas

Abstract: Numerical investigation of steady-state interaction of a high-pressure argon plasma with a cylindrical tungsten cathode is reported. A whole 'zoo' of very diverse modes of current transfer is revealed. Detailed results are given for the first five (three-dimensional) 3D spot modes, four of them branching off from the diffuse mode and one from the first axially symmetric spot mode. Divergences in the general pattern of solutions, which have been present in preceding works, are resolved. Hypotheses on stability of steady-state solutions, available in the literature, are analysed. It is found that these hypotheses provide an explanation of the fact that the transition between diffuse and spot modes is difficult to reproduce in the experiment but they do not explain the indication that it is the low-voltage branch of the first 3D spot mode that seems to occur in the experiment. Thus, the question of stability of steady-state solutions remains open: an accurate stability analysis, as well as additional experimental information is required.

Lipophilic extracts from banana fruit residues: a source of valuable phytosterols.

Abstract: The chemical composition of the lipophilic extracts of unripe pulp and peel of banana fruit 'Dwarf Cavendish' was studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Fatty acids, sterols, and steryl esters are the major families of lipophilic components present in banana tissues, followed by diacylglycerols, steryl glucosides, long chain fatty alcohols, and aromatic compounds. Fatty acids are more abundant in the banana pulp (29-90% of the total amount of lipophilic extract), with linoleic, linolenic, and oleic acids as the major compounds of this family. In banana peel, sterols represent about 49-71% of the lipophilic extract with two triterpenic ketones (31-norcyclolaudenone and cycloeucalenone) as the major components. The detection of high amounts of steryl esters (469-24405 mg/kg) and diacylglycerols (119-878 mg/kg), mainly present in the banana peel extract, explains the increase in the abundance of fatty acids and sterols after alkaline hydrolysis. Several steryl glucosides were also found in significative amounts (273-888 mg/kg), particularly in banana pulp (888 mg/kg). The high content of sterols (and their derivatives) in the 'Dwarf Cavendish' fruit can open new strategies for the valorization of the banana residues as a potential source of high-value phytochemicals with nutraceutical and functional food additive applications.