Protein Encapsulation Using Complex Coacervates: What Nature Has to Teach Us

Protein encapsulation is a growing area of interest, particularly in the fields of food science and medicine. The sequestration of protein cargoes is achieved using a variety of methods, each with benefits and drawbacks. One of the most significant challenges associated with protein encapsulation is achieving high loading while maintaining protein viability. This difficulty is exacerbated because many encapsulant systems require the use of organic solvents. By contrast, nature has optimized strategies to compartmentalize and protect proteins inside the cell—a purely aqueous environment. Although the mechanisms whereby aspects of the cytosol is able to stabilize proteins are unknown, the crowded nature of many newly discovered, liquid phase separated “membraneless organelles” that achieve protein compartmentalization suggests that the material environment surrounding the protein may be critical in determining stability. Here, encapsulation strategies based on liquid–liquid phase separation, and complex coacervation in particular, which has many of the key features of the cytoplasm as a material, are reviewed. The literature on protein encapsulation via coacervation is also reviewed and the parameters relevant to creating protein‐containing coacervate formulations are discussed. Additionally, potential opportunities associated with the creation of tailored materials to better facilitate protein encapsulation and stabilization are highlighted.     

Evaluation of the potential for power line carrier (PLC) tointerfere with use of the Nationwide Differential GPS network

Power line carrier (PLC) is an important technique used extensively on electric power lines for communication and telemetry. PLC uses signals in the 40-490 kHz range that couple to and propagate over power line conductors. Applications of PLC include protective relaying, telemetering, voice communications, supervisory control, etc. The new Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System (NDGPS) network uses the 283.5-325 kHz band to broadcast GPS correction messages throughout the world, and some PLC transmitters may operate in this band. Limited work has been done to either measure or model the electromagnetic fields associated with PLC operation and some of these studies demonstrate the potential for PLC fields close to power lines to degrade navigation signal receiver performance. This paper presents PLC field strength measurements, describes NDGPS signal structure, and recommends frequency separation as the best approach to mitigation for potential PLC interference to NDGPS receivers operated near to power lines     

Analyzing corporate communications policy using ethnographicmethods

The author suggests that those interested in creating or refining corporate communication policies should consider ethnographic analysis-observation, interviewing, and collecting situational data-to understand the complex web of meanings that make up organizational culture. She maintains that such an analysis can provide diagnoses of organizational policies and procedures as well as deeper understanding of communication behavior in organizations. As such, ethnographic analysis can promote beneficial change in policy issues     

When people are too large and dirty [manufacturing computercontrol]

The manufacture of items with such stringent precision and cleanliness requirements that they cannot be assembled by human beings is addressed. The development of highly engineered compliant (springy) robot wrists, called remote center compliances (RCCs), that permit close clearance parts to be assembled with almost no contact force is described. An assembly system for inertial instruments that automated all material handling, cleaning, assembly, and test operations was designed with RCCs so complaint that they exert less force on the parts than people can detect with their fingers. Both the RCCs and the assembly system are described     

Developing Concept-Based User Interfaces for Scientific Computing

Although drawings and graphs can express complex concepts, such methods can't be computationally analyzed. Researchers have developed visual approaches and paradigms that scientists can use to capture and represent scientific models in a computational form that they can link to and integrate with data sets and applications.