Abstract:
A process for preparing plant extracts is provided. Plant materials, including tropolones, lignins and polar molecules, are mixed with a liquid polar solvent to form an extraction mixture, which is maintained under extraction conditions effective to extract lignins, polar molecules and at least 50% of the tropolones into the polar solvent to form a pregnant polar solvent liquid phase. The pregnant polar solvent phase is separated from the solid plant materials, and mixed with a substantially immiscible nonpolar solvent under conditions effective to partition the tropolones and lignins substantially into the nonpolar solvent and to partition the polar molecules substantially into the polar solvent to form a partitioned nonpolar solvent phase comprising lignins and tropolones, and a partitioned polar solvent phase comprising the polar molecules, and separating the polar solvent phase from the nonpolar solvent phase to obtain a polar plant extract and a nonpolar plant extract.
Abstract:
A limited electronic system and method are provided for automatically shutting down equipment when an account associated with purchased or leased equipment falls into arrears. The system includes a control center (connected to a machine) with a screen display, means for entering a code, and a controller. The controller has a disabling program that shuts down the machine after a predetermined interval, such as time. Because the program automates the shut-down when no (timed) interval is in place, the user must obtain a “re-set code” from a non-user—i.e., the financing entity, the equipment supplier, the account manager, or other entity—and enter it into the system to set the next interval so the machine remains operational. The re-set code is generated by the machine. The non-user at a location remote from the machine receives or generates parallel re-set codes. The method involves: (a) activating the program, (b) assessing the payment status of the account, and (c) when the account is paid, releasing the re-set code to the user for manual entry it into the control center. If the account is in arrears, the re-set code is not released to the user, and no entry of a new re-set code, the program causes the machine to shut-down.