The effect of proteolytic enzymes on the thermostability of egg-white

The effect of proteolytic enzyme preparations such as Proteopol PB (bacterial origin), ficin, and pancreatin on the thermostability of egg-white proteins during pasteurization was investigated. Proteolytic activities of each enzyme were measured at three different doses which were calculated by the ANSON method. The degree of white protein degradation was evaluated by the determination of amino-nitrogen. Effectiveness in reducing the coagulation of egg-white proteins varied, depending on the type and dose of enzyme used. Proteopol PB showed only little effect, ficin demonstrated the best anticoagulation properties at the lowest dose, while for pancreatin the middle dose proved to be the most effective. It was concluded that moderate proteolysis is useful for improving the thermostability of egg-white proteins during pasteurization. Total bacterial counts increased considerably after incubation of egg-white with enzyme preparations, but after pasteurization the number of bacteria decreased to levels which were compatible with bacteriological standards for egg-white products.     

CU placement over a reconfigurable wireless fronthaul in 5G networks with functional splits

Mobile network operators are currently facing a tremendous increase in the level of data traffic. Although cell size reduction is one of the most common ways used to accommodate such traffic demand, densely deployed small cells also dramatically increase the level of intercell interference. By centralizing baseband signal processing at powerful computing infrastructures, called centralized unit (CU) pools, cloud radio access network (C‐RAN) enables advanced coordination algorithms to be employed in dense small cell networks. In C‐RAN, due to stringent bandwidth and latency requirements at the fronthaul links, the optical fiber, thanks to its bandwidth and latency characteristics, continues to be the most prevalent fronthaul medium option. Nevertheless, the optical fiber is one of the fronthaul options, while C‐RAN (physical layer radio frequency [PHY‐RF] split) is one of the functional splits that can be defined each coming with different fronthaul requirements. In this paper, we formulate and solve a dynamic CU placement problem for mobile networks as an integer linear programming (ILP) problem. In the considered network, CU pools are placed at the edges of the network, and a reconfigurable millimeter wave (MMW) wireless fronthaul links are used in order to provide decentralized units (DUs) with connectivity. We study the impact of different functional splits on the placement cost and on the acceptance ratio using different substrate networks. Lastly, we propose and evaluate a CU placement heuristic algorithm using a numerical simulator. The results reveal that the optimal functional split selection can lead to significant resource utilization benefits in the RAN.     

Multi-modelling as new estimation schema for high-gain observers

The presented paper proposes a novel method of observer design. A new two-layer observer structure is introduced. The first layer consists of multiple high-gain observers. The latter is built to connect the first layer observers into single one. As the new contribution, the new mapping is defined between an unknown state and measurable outputs allowing to explore new estimation schema. Hence, the proposed method enhances the estimation process for linear and nonlinear systems. Furthermore, it is shown that the introduced observation scheme improves the transients. Illustrative examples are calculated to show the properties of the new observation method.     

E3 Ubiquitin Ligase SPL2 Is a Lanthanide-Binding Protein

The SPL2 protein is an E3 ubiquitin ligase of unknown function. It is one of only three types of E3 ligases found in the outer membrane of plant chloroplasts. In this study, we show that the cytosolic fragment of SPL2 binds lanthanide ions, as evidenced by fluorescence measurements and circular dichroism spectroscopy. We also report that SPL2 undergoes conformational changes upon binding of both Ca²⁺ and La³⁺, as evidenced by its partial unfolding. However, these structural rearrangements do not interfere with SPL2 enzymatic activity, as the protein retains its ability to auto-ubiquitinate in vitro. The possible applications of lanthanide-based probes to identify protein interactions in vivo are also discussed. Taken together, the results of this study reveal that the SPL2 protein contains a lanthanide-binding site, showing for the first time that at least some E3 ubiquitin ligases are also capable of binding lanthanide ions.     

Influence of mixed liquor properties and aeration intensity on membrane fouling in a submerged membrane bioreactor at high mixed liquor suspended solids concentrations

This paper presents the results of 195 days of pilot-scale submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) experiments on settled municipal wastewater. Short-term and long-term thickening experiments were performed at a constant membrane flux of 30L/(m(2)h) to determine the impact of the following mixed liquor properties: colloidal material, soluble COD, soluble microbial products, extracellular polymeric substances, and viscosity along with aeration intensity on membrane fouling at high mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentrations. The normalized permeability declined with increasing MLSS concentrations in all experiments and increasing the coarse bubble aeration intensity increased the permeability at a given MLSS concentration. Using a dynamic approach, this work demonstrates the importance of mixed liquor viscosity, which impacts the efficacy of the coarse bubble aeration, in sustaining membrane permeability. Over an extended thickening time period, a small increase in MLSS concentration and mixed liquor viscosity becomes more prevalent and leads to greater permeability decline at a given MLSS concentration.     

Phosphoryl tris(diethanolamide) (DAP) — A new additive for water-based and ethylene-glycol-based hydraulic fluids and lubricants

A new additive to improve the lubricating properties and rolling contact fatigue resistance of non-flammable water-based and ethylene-glycol-based hydraulic fluids is described. Results of sliding and rolling four ball tests and full-scale pump tests are given.     

Design of low‐loss directional couplers with compensated coupled‐line sections in suspended microstrip technique

Design of coupled line 3dB directional couplers realized in suspended microstrip technique has been presented. The main goal was to minimize the insertion losses of the coupler, what has been achieved by a proper choice of the realization technique. As the chosen coupled line geometry is asymmetric to achieve good electrical performance of the resulting coupler, capacitive compensation technique has been utilized to equalize capacitive and inductive coupling coefficients. Furthermore, a distributed‐element approach has been investigated for realization of compensation capacitances, due to their physical size resulting from the dielectric structure. The proposed coupler has been designed in two versions, having center frequencies equal to 0.89 and 1.1 GHz, manufactured and measured. The measurement results show good agreement with electromagnetic analyses and prove the correctness and usefulness of the presented design method. The manufactured couplers exhibit insertion losses as low as 0.08 dB at the center frequency.     

Phase Selection in Mn–Si Alloys by Fast Solid-State Reaction with Enhanced Skyrmion Stability

B20-type transition-metal silicides or germanides are noncentrosymmetric materials hosting magnetic skyrmions, which are promising information carriers in spintronic devices. The prerequisite is to prepare thin films on technology-relevant substrates with magnetic skyrmions stabilized at a broad temperature and magnetic-field working window. A canonical example is the B20-MnSi film grown on Si substrates. However, the as-yet unavoidable contamination with MnSi_1.7 occurs due to the lower nucleation temperature of this phase. In this work, a simple and efficient method to overcome this problem and prepare single-phase MnSi films on Si substrates is reported. It is based on the millisecond reaction between metallic Mn and Si using flash-lamp annealing (FLA). By controlling the FLA energy density, single-phase MnSi or MnSi_1.7 or their mixture can be grown at will. Compared with bulk MnSi, the prepared MnSi films show an increased Curie temperature of up to 41 K. In particular, the magnetic skyrmions are stable over a much wider temperature and magnetic-field range than reported previously. The results constitute a novel phase selection approach for alloys and can help to enhance specific functional properties, such as the stability of magnetic skyrmions.     

Asynchronous control of modules activity in integrated systems for reducing peak temperatures

The paper describes a new control method of integrated circuit (IC) modules activity in a modern processor design. The control method leads to improved frequency ability of integrated systems. The proposed solution, based only on computing flow modification, could be easily integrated into all future designs, ranging from a portable computing to a multi-core computing. A new approach to the thermal control method is described along with simulation results. An example of incorporation in current and future integrated circuits into mainstream designs is presented with exemplary algorithms and final simulation results.