Soy Protein Concentrates by Ultrafiltration

ABSTRACT: Soybean protein concentrates were produced by ultrafiltration with a commercial 4-in spiral wound module with a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane. With soy flour suspensions of 2% total solids (TS), protein content could be increased from 50% (dry basis) to 67% by ultrafiltration and/or diafiltration. Soluble sugars could be removed almost completely, but ash content of retentate solids did not decrease significantly. Higher protein contents would require removal of some of the fiber and/or manipulation of the feed environment to reduce solute-solute interactions. Protein yields were 90%. Flux decreased from 78 L/m²/h (LMH) with 2% TS soy flour suspension to 22 LMH at 17% TS.     

Electrical detection of β-amyloid (1-40) using scanning tunneling microscopy

Numerous studies have shown that the presence of β-amyloid (1-40) in cerebrospinal fluid can be used as a potential biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. Identifying biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease is highly important because these biomarkers could be used to establish the diagnosis before the disease reaches clinical severity. In this study, a vertically configured electrical detection system associated with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to characterize antigen–antibody binding interactions. The proposed technique can be easily utilized to construct a multiple measurement system in a protein chip. The immunocomplexes used in the model protein comprise β-amyloid (1-40), corresponding antibody fragments, and gold nanoparticle–antibody conjugates. The electrical tunneling current between the STM tip and these complexes exhibited a peak-like pulse, where the frequency of these pulses was dependent on the surface density of bound complexes. Hence, a quantitative measurement of β-amyloid concentration from a periodogram analysis of peak frequency was successfully achieved at concentrations as low as 1 fg/mL.     

Shift scheduling for steppers in the semiconductor wafer fabrication process

In this paper, an approach is proposed for scheduling stepper machines that are acting as bottleneck machines in the semiconductor wafer fabrication process. We consider the problem of scheduling the steppers for an 8 hour shift, determining which types of wafer lots to work on each machine. The scheduling objective is to find the optimal stepper allocations such that the schedule meets target production quantities that have been derived from the given target Work-In-Process (WIP) levels. A Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) model is formulated, and three heuristic approaches are proposed and tested to approximately solve the M1P model. Numerical tests show that one of the proposed heuristics using linear programming relaxation of MIP generates, on average, schedules within 5° of the optimum values.     

Virtual view synthesis method and self‐evaluation metrics for free viewpoint television and 3D video

Virtual view synthesis is one of the most important techniques to realize free viewpoint television and three‐dimensional (3D) video. In this article, we propose a view synthesis method to generate high‐quality intermediate views in such applications and new evaluation metrics named as spatial peak signal‐to‐noise ratio and temporal peak signal‐to‐noise ratio to measure spatial and temporal consistency, respectively. The proposed view synthesis method consists of five major steps: depth preprocessing, depth‐based 3D warping, depth‐based histogram matching, base plus assistant view blending, and depth‐based hole‐filling. The efficiency of the proposed view synthesis method has been verified by evaluating the quality of synthesized images with various metrics such as peak signal‐to‐noise ratio, structural similarity, discrete cosine transform (DCT)‐based video quality metric, and the newly proposed metrics. We have also confirmed that the synthesized images are objectively and subjectively natural. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 20, 378–390, 2010     

Direct immobilization of cupredoxin azurin modified by site-directed mutagenesis on gold surface

For making efficient bioelectronic device, we have developed novel immobilization method of cupredoxin azurin modified on gold (Au) surface. A recombinant protein with cysteine residue by using site-directed mutagenesis was designed and then directly immobilized on Au surface without any chemical linker. The immobilization of the functionalized protein is confirmed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and its surface morphology is analyzed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The immobilization efficiency has been increased about 75.6%, as compared to that of wild-type azurin. The electrochemical property of the fabricated thin film was investigated by the cyclic voltammetry (CV). As a result, cysteine-modified azurin can be used for making high-quality protein film, and applied to the fabrication of nano-scale bioelectronics.     

The immobilization of animal cells using the cysteine-modified RGD oligopeptide

RGD peptide sequence is an effective cell recognition motif and used to enhance the cell adhesion on desired solid material for cell immobilization. We have synthesized CRGD, CRGD-multiple-armed peptide (MAP), RGD-MAP-C and evaluated their comparative efficacy for cell immobilization. Each peptide was assembled on gold surface and investigated by the atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique in the contact mode. The viability of immobilized animal cells was examined by an MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Our results showed that RGD-MAP-C in comparison to others was the most effective proliferation of cells on the gold surface. The goal of this present work is integration to the nano-pattern cell chip bioplatform for biomedical assays or provide valuable insights into cell biology and design of biomaterials. This RGD-MAP-C can be applicable to the nano-pattern cell chip platform.     

Controlled output variance based diagnosis tree for feedforward/feedback control systems

A diagnosis tree based on the controlled output variance is proposed to assess a feedforward/feedback control performance. It is used for diagnosing and removing its fault causes. Based on the controlled output, the current output variance of the feedback/feedforward system is contributed by the feedback-only effect and the combination of feedback with feedforward effects, respectively. The feedback loop variance can be further expressed as the sum of the feedback invariant (FBI) term and the feedback-dependent (FBD) term. The feedforward loop variance can also be decomposed into the feedback/feedforward invariant (FBI/FFI) term, the feedback-invariant/feedforward-dependent (FBI/FFD) term and the feedback/feedforward-dependent (FBD/FFD) term. These effect variations are systematically conducted by a sequence of the statistic hypothesis testing procedures and the isolation strategy to compare the current control performance and the achievable benchmark operating one. Without the traditional complex physical model and/or any external input to change the current operating process, the diagnosis tree with hierarchical structure is constructed. The capability of the proposal is illustrated through two simulation cases with multiple faults.     

Characteristics of nucleation and growth events of ultrafine particles measured in Rochester, NY

Number concentrations and size distributions of particles in the size range of 0.010-0.500 microm were measured in Rochester, NY, from December 2001 to December 2002. The relationships between the number concentrations, gaseous pollutants, and meteorological parameters were examined during particle nucleation events. More than 70% of measured total number concentration was associated with ultrafine particles (UFP, 0.011-0.050 microm). Morning nucleation events typically peaking UFP number concentrations at around 08:00 were apparent in winter months with CO increases. These particles appear to be formed following direct emissions from motorvehicles during morning rush hour. There were also often observed increases in this smaller-sized range particles in the late afternoon during the afternoon rush hour, particularly in winter when the mixing heights remain lowerthan in summer. Strong afternoon nucleation events (> 30,000 cm(-3)) peaking at around 13: 00 were more likely to occur in spiring and summer months. During the prominent nucleation events, peaks of SO2 were strongly associated with the number concentrations of UFP, whereas there were no significant correlations between these events and PM2.5 and CO. Increased SO2 concentrations were observed when the wind direction was northwesterly where three SO2 sources were located. It is hypothesized that UFP formed during the events are sulfuric acid and water from the oxidation of SO2. There were also a more limited number of nucleation events followed by particle growth up to approximately 0.1 microm over periods of up to 18 h. The nucleation and growth events tended to be common in spring months especially in April.     

Pasting Properties of Potato Starch and Waxy Maize Starch Mixtures

The pasting viscosity, morphological properties, and swelling properties of potato starch and waxy maize starch mixtures at different ratios were investigated. Pasting analysis of the starch mixtures (7% solids in water, w/w) using a Rapid Visco Analyser showed linear changes in peak viscosity and pasting temperature according to the mixing ratios of both starches, but not in breakdown and setback. The pasting profile revealed that the starches rendered mutual effects during pasting, more significantly when the amounts of potato and waxy maize starches were similar. The volume fraction of swollen granules and the presence of amylose appeared to be important parameters in the mutual effects of both starched during pasting. Under a light microscope, the swelling of potato starch granules was delayed by the presence of waxy maize starch. Overall results indicate that new pasting properties can be generated by mixing starches of different botanical sources.