From acacia honey monosaccharide content to a new external binary plasticizer applicable in aqueous whey protein films

Plasticizer is an essential adjuvant in food and pharmaceutical film coatings affecting the appearance, mechanical and permeation properties of the final coat. In the present study, film formation and plasticization of native whey proteins (potential future “green” coating agents for pharmaceuticals and food products), were studied with free isolated films. Special attention was paid to the effects of plasticizer, preheating and film forming solution pH on the mechanical stress–strain and moisture permeation properties of whey protein films. Glycerol, binary mixtures of fructose and glucose, and non-crystalline acacia honey were studied as external plasticizers. The type and amount of plasticizer affected the mechanical stress–strain properties of the whey protein films. A short preheating treatment of whey proteins prior to film casting resulted in mechanically strong films with a reduced elongation. The film forming properties of aqueous whey proteins could be modified by adjusting the pH above the isoelectric point of β-lactoglobulin prior to film coating. For effective plasticization, whey protein films required a high amount of monosaccharide containing plasticizer ranging from 80% to 120% (calculated from the protein weight). A new external binary plasticizer having the same ratio of monosaccharides as non-crystalline acacia honey (fructose and glucose 1.67:1) was found to be applicable in aqueous whey protein films.     

Textural changes in metallurgical coke prepared with polyethylene

The effect of high-density polyethylene （HDPE） on the textural features of experimental coke was investigated using polar- ized-light optical microscopy and wavelet-based image analysis. Metallurgical coke samples were prepared in a laboratory-scale furnace with 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, 10.0%, and 12.5% HDPE by mass, and one sample was prepared by 100% coal. The amounts and distribution of textures （isotropic, mosaic and banded） and por~s were obtained. The calculations reveal that the addition of HDPE results in a decrease of mosaic texture and an increase of isotropic texture. Ethylene formed from the decomposition of HDPE is considered as a probable reason for the texture modifications. The approach used in this study can be applied to indirect evaluation for the reactivity and strength of coke.     

Electronic Conductivity and Dielectric Properties of Nanocrystalline CeO2 Films

The growth of dielectric layers on silicon substrates has attracted a great deal of recent interest given their potential applicability in the fabrication of high quality silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structures, high density capacitor devices, and stable buffer layers between silicon and other materials. In this study, nanocrystalline CeO₂ films were deposited on n-type (100) silicon substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) to form a gate dielectric for a Pt/n-Si/CeO₂/Pt MOS device. XRD, AFM and FESEM measurements were used to characterize the crystal structure and grain size of the CeO₂ films. The electrical properties of the device structure were examined by capacitance-voltage (C-V) and impedance spectroscopy measurements. The CeO₂ films exhibited an activated conductivity, characterized by an activation energy E_a = 0.45 eV. An estimated room temperature electron mobility _e of 2.8 × 10^{– 7} cm²/Vs leads to a corresponding electron concentration n of 5.5 × 10¹⁷ cm^{– 3}. In contrast to conventional MOS capacitors, we find an additional capacitive contribution under strong accumulation conditions as a result of space charge effects inside the CeO₂ thin film.     

A 2 GHz Phase-Locked Loop Frequency Synthesizer with On-Chip VCO

This paper discusses the implementation of the building blocks for a 2 GHz phase-locked loop frequency synthesizer in a standard 0.5 m BiCMOS process. These blocks include a low-power optimized dual modulus prescaler which is able to operate with input frequencies up to 2.7 GHz, a phase detector with extremely constant gain throughout the input phase difference range, a chargepump with a rail-to-rail output, and an on-chip voltage-controlled oscillator.     

A frequency doubler for 200 GHz with a planar Schottky varactor

A frequency doubler for 200 GHz utilising a planar surface channel Schottky varactor was designed, constructed and tested. The doubler employes novel split-waveguide mount design with two sliding backshorts at both input and output waveguides. The theoretical maximum efficiency of the doubler is 44.0 % with input power level of 32 mW and the maximum output power is 16.5 mW with input power level of 50 mW. The measured maximum efficiency of the doubler was 7.1 % and the maximum output power was 2.6 mW     

The changing geography and ownership of value creation: evidence from mobile telecommunications

Through an innovative trade-in-task case study, we explore how Nokia, which is historically one of the most important mobile phone manufacturers in the world, offshored the development and production of three distinct mobile phones at three different points in time. Adjacent to these processes, we find that the value creation in areas such as design and manufacturing knowledge has rapidly shifted away from advanced economies to emerging economies. Moreover, we find that the value added captured by Nokia decreased dramatically over the studied time period. Based on our results, we uss more generally the challenge of multinational corporations to preserve value and how the realisation of the benefits of offshoring must be assessed with respect to the altered requirements for controlling value-adding activities.     

Bandwidth allocation and pricing in multinode network

This paper presents adaptive resource sharing model that uses a revenue criterion to allocate network resources in the optimal way. The model ensures QoS requirements of data flows and, at the same time, maximizes the total revenue by adjusting parameters of the underlying scheduler. Besides, the adaptive model eliminates the need to find the optimal static weight values because they are calculated dynamically. The simulation consists of several cases that analyse the model and the way it provides the required QoS guarantees. The simulation reveals that the installation of the adaptive model increases the total revenue and ensures the QoS requirements for all service classes.