Structural Aspects and Prediction of Calmodulin-Binding Proteins

Calmodulin (CaM) is an important intracellular protein that binds Ca²⁺ and functions as a critical second messenger involved in numerous biological activities through extensive interactions with proteins and peptides. CaM’s ability to adapt to binding targets with different structures is related to the flexible central helix separating the N- and C-terminal lobes, which allows for conformational changes between extended and collapsed forms of the protein. CaM-binding targets are most often identified using prediction algorithms that utilize sequence and structural data to predict regions of peptides and proteins that can interact with CaM. In this review, we provide an overview of different CaM-binding proteins, the motifs through which they interact with CaM, and shared properties that make them good binding partners for CaM. Additionally, we discuss the historical and current methods for predicting CaM binding, and the similarities and differences between these methods and their relative success at prediction. As new CaM-binding proteins are identified and classified, we will gain a broader understanding of the biological processes regulated through changes in Ca²⁺ concentration through interactions with CaM.     

2.3–21 GHz broadband and high linearity distributed low noise amplifier

This paper focuses on the design of a 2.3–21 GHz Distributed Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) with low noise figure (NF), high gain (S₂₁), and high linearity (IIP3) for broadband applications. This distributed amplifier (DA) includes S/C/X/Ku/K-band, which makes it very suitable for heterodyne receivers. The proposed DA uses a 0.18 μm GaAs pHEMT process (OMMIC ED02AH) in cascade architecture with lines adaptation and equalization of phase velocity techniques, to absorb their parasitic capacitances into the gate and drain transmission lines in order to achieve wide bandwidth and to enhance gain and linearity. The proposed broadband DA achieved an excellent gain in the flatness of 13.5 ± 0.2 dB, a low noise figure of 3.44 ± 1.12 dB, and a small group delay variation of ±19.721 ps over the range of 2.3–21 GHz. The input and output reflection coefficients S₁₁ and S₂₂ are less than −10 dB. The input compression point (P_1dB) and input third-order intercept point (IIP3) are −1.5 dBm and 11.5 dBm, respectively at 13 GHz. The dissipated power is 282 mW and the core layout size is 2.2 × 0.8 mm².     

Farmers' preferences for adopting on-farm concentration of raw milk: Results from a discrete choice experiment in Germany

Milk concentrates are used in the manufacturing of dairy products such as yogurt and cheese or are processed into milk powder. Processes for the nonthermal separation of water and valuable milk ingredients are becoming increasingly widespread at farm level. The technical barriers to using farm-manufactured milk concentrate in dairies are minimal, hence the suspicion that the practice of on-farm raw milk concentration is still fairly uncommon for economic reasons. This study, therefore, set out to investigate farmers' potential willingness to adopt a raw milk concentration plant. The empirical analysis was based on discrete choice experiments with 75 German dairy farmers to identify preferences and the possible adoption of on-farm raw milk concentration. The results showed that, in particular, farmers who deemed the current milk price to be insufficient viewed on-farm concentration using membrane technology as an option for diversifying their milk sales. We found no indication that adoption would be impeded by a lack of trustworthy information on milk processing technologies or capital.     

基于压缩机-支架系统的异常噪声研究

针对某乘用车发动机转速在1 573 r/min，压缩机开启时车内噪声异常的问题，对样车进行试验分析与诊断，对压缩机-支架系统进行仿真分析，提出改进方案并验证改进效果。利用LMS声振信号采集系统采集振动噪声数据，采用频谱分析、阶次追踪等方法，并结合压缩机-支架系统模态仿真结果，确定车内异常噪声是压缩机轴频21阶与压缩机-支架系统3阶模态频率接近发生共振造成的。通过优化支架结构来提高压缩机-支架系统3阶模态频率以此来避免共振，并换装橡胶驱动盘缓和压缩机输入扭矩波动。将改进结构进行整车试验，结果表明：匀速工况空调开启时问题转速下，车内噪声降低了2.5 dB(A)；匀加速工况空调开启时发动机转速1 500~1 650 r/min区间，车内噪声无峰值，其余转速空调开启时改进前/后车内噪声基本不变，噪声波动趋势平缓。     

基于随机光栅的可调谐随机光纤激光器

提出一种基于随机光栅与高反射布拉格光栅(FBG)相结合的可调谐随机光纤激光器。利用980nm泵浦光源泵浦一段7m长的掺铒光纤(EDF)进行增益放大,由随机光栅提供随机反馈。随机光栅长7cm,具有约10000个折射率修改点,这些点由飞秒激光逐点写入,并沿光纤方向随机分布,两点相邻间隔小于10μm。同时,利用中心波长为1548nm的高反射FBG来组成半开放腔结构,实现了随机激光的输出。实验测得的泵浦阈值功率仅为18mW,斜率效率高达13.2%,并通过改变FBG的中心波长,实现了输出激光波长的可调谐,调谐范围为4.45nm(1548.04~1552.49nm)。得益于半开放式激光腔的设计和EDF的高增益,整个系统具有阈值低、效率高、结构简单等优点。     

马尔可夫跳变线性系统最优控制的研究现状与进展

马尔可夫跳变线性系统（MJLS）是一种具有多个模态的随机系统，系统在各个模态之间的跳变转移由一组马尔可夫链来决定。MJLS模型因其在表示过程中可以产生突变而更能精确的描述实际工程应用中的系统。近年来，MJLS的最优控制问题成为了研究的热点，动态规划、极大值原理以及线性矩阵不等式等成为了解决此类问题的主流方法。本文对MJLS最优控制领域的研究现状进行了综述。分别对一般情况下、带有噪声的情况下、带有时滞的情况下以及某些特定情况下的MLJS最优控制问题的国内外研究现状进行论述。最后进行了总结并提出MJLS最优控制领域未来值得关注的研究方向。     

Apparent power-law distributions in animal movements can arise from intraspecific interactions

Lévy flights have gained prominence for analysis of animal movement. In a Lévy flight, step-lengths are drawn from a heavy-tailed distribution such as a power law (PL), and a large number of empirical demonstrations have been published. Others, however, have suggested that animal movement is ill fit by PL distributions or contend a state-switching process better explains apparent Lévy flight movement patterns. We used a mix of direct behavioural observations and GPS tracking to understand step-length patterns in females of two related butterflies. We initially found movement in one species (Euphydryas editha taylori) was best fit by a bounded PL, evidence of a Lévy flight, while the other (Euphydryas phaeton) was best fit by an exponential distribution. Subsequent analyses introduced additional candidate models and used behavioural observations to sort steps based on intraspecific interactions (interactions were rare in E. phaeton but common in E. e. taylori). These analyses showed a mixed-exponential is favoured over the bounded PL for E. e. taylori and that when step-lengths were sorted into states based on the influence of harassing conspecific males, both states were best fit by simple exponential distributions. The direct behavioural observations allowed us to infer the underlying behavioural mechanism is a state-switching process driven by intraspecific interactions rather than a Lévy flight.     

一款紧凑增强型可变阻抗电磁带隙结构

基于传统AI-EBG结构,提出了一种小尺寸的增强型电磁带隙结构,实现了从0.5~9.4 GHz的宽频带-40 dB噪声抑制深度,且下截止频率减少到数百MHz,可有效抑制多层PCB板间地弹噪声。文中同时研究了EBG结构在高速电路应用时的信号完整性问题,使用差分信号方案可改善信号完整性。     

Kernel-based fourth-order diffusion for image noise removal

The fourth-order partial differential equations have good performance on noise smoothing and edge preservation without creating blocky effects on smooth regions. However, for low signal-to-noise ratio images, the discrimination between edges and noise is a challenging problem. A novel kernel-based fourth-order diffusion is proposed in this paper. It introduces a kernelized gradient operator in the fourth-order diffusion process, which leads to more effective noise removal capability. Experiment results show that this method outperforms several previous anisotropic diffusion methods for noise removal and edge preservation.     

Compiler compatible 5.66 Mb/mm2 8T 1R1W register file in 14 nm FinFET technology

1-read/1-write (1R1W) register file (RF) is a popular memory configuration in modern feature rich SoCs requiring significant amount of embedded memory. A memory compiler is constructed using the 8T RF bitcell spanning a range of instances from 32 b to 72 Kb. An 8T low-leakage bitcell of 0.106 μm² is used in a 14 nm FinFET technology with a 70 nm contacted gate pitch for high-density (HD) two-port (TP) RF memory compiler which achieves 5.66 Mb/mm² array density for a 72 Kb array which is the highest reported density in 14 nm FinFET technology. The density improvement is achieved by using techniques such as leaf-cell optimization (eliminating transistors), better architectural planning, top level connectivity through leaf-cell abutment and minimizing the number of unique leaf-cells. These techniques are fully compatible with memory compiler usage over the required span. Leakage power is minimized by using power-switches without degrading the density mentioned above. Self-induced supply voltage collapse technique is applied for write and a four stack static keeper is used for read Vmin improvement. Fabricated test chips using 14 nm process have demonstrated 2.33 GHz performance at 1.1 V/25 °C operation. Overall V_min of 550 mV is achieved with this design at 25 °C. The inbuilt power-switch improves leakage power by 12x in simulation. Approximately 8% die area of a leading 14 nm SoC in commercialization is occupied by these compiled RF instances.