MALTING AND BREWING SCIENCE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES*,†

Molecular technologies have been developed for the transformation of barley. These technologies complement current methods of barley breeding. In addition, they offer the potential of altering specific components in barley that affect malting quality and of introducing foreign genes, controlling desirable traits, into barley. Application of genetic engineering to improving malt quality factors such as cell wall degradation, protein modification, starch hydrolysis and flavour stability, is discussed. Limitations to the use of this technology for improving malt-related functional properties of barley components such as cell walls and starch granules are also evaluated. Some possible constraints to the utilization of genetic engineering for malt quality improvements are identified.     

Identifying and Exploring Synthetic Antiferromagnetic Skyrmions

Synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) skyrmions are emerging as novel information carriers due to their high mobility and lack of a skyrmion Hall effect. However, distinguishing SAF skyrmions from their ferromagnetic counterparts using imaging techniques like magneto-optical microscopy remains challenging. While the suppressed intrinsic skyrmion Hall effect (SkHE) has been commonly used to identify SAF skyrmions, it is important to note that other factors such as defect pinning and dipolar interaction can also lead to a suppressed SkHE. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a universal identification method that can reliably differentiate SAF skyrmions from ferromagnetic ones. In this study, the generation of a SAF skyrmion within a standard SAF stack is demonstrated and its motion with almost no SkHE is investigated. Furthermore, a universal identification method is proposed wherein the application of an out-of-plane field allows the SAF skyrmion to be decoupled into two domains, which can either expand or contract with the application of an electric current. By expediting the development of a reliable means of identifying SAF skyrmions, these findings will accelerate the realization of practical applications based on these unique information carriers.     

Conducting Domain Walls in Lithium Niobate Single Crystals

Ferroic materials play an increasingly important role in novel (nano)electronic devices. Recently, research on domain walls (DWs) receives a big boost by the discovery of DW conductivity (DWC) in BiFeO₃ and Pb(Zr_xTi_1‐x)O₃ ferroic thin films. Here, it is demonstrated that DWC is not restricted to thin films, but equally applies to millimeter‐thick wide‐bandgap, ferroic single crystals, such as LiNbO₃. In this material transport along DWs can be switched by super‐bandgap illumination and tuned by engineering the tilting angle of DWs with respect to the polar axis. The results are consistently obtained using conductive atomic force microscopy to locally map the DWC and macroscopic contacts, thereby in addition investigating the temperature dependence, DW transport activation energies, and relaxation behavior.     

Continuous Control of Charge Transport in Bi‐Deficient BiFeO3 Films Through Local Ferroelectric Switching

It is demonstrated that electric transport in Bi‐deficient Bi_1‐δFeO₃ ferroelectric thin films, which act as a p‐type semiconductor, can be continuously and reversibly controlled by manipulating ferroelectric domains. Ferroelectric domain configuration is modified by applying a weak voltage stress to Pt/Bi_1‐δFeO₃/SrRuO₃ thin‐film capacitors. This results in diode behavior in macroscopic charge‐transport properties as well as shrinkage of polarization‐voltage hysteresis loops. The forward current density depends on the voltage stress time controlling the domain configuration in the Bi_1‐δFeO₃ film. Piezoresponse force microscopy shows that the density of head‐to‐head/tail‐to‐tail unpenetrating local domains created by the voltage stress is directly related to the continuous modification of the charge transport and the diode effect. The control of charge transport is discussed in conjunction with polarization‐dependent interfacial barriers and charge trapping at the non‐neutral domain walls of unpenetrating tail‐to‐tail domains. Because domain walls in Bi_1‐δFeO₃ act as local conducting paths for charge transport, the domain‐wall‐mediated charge transport can be extended to ferroelectric resistive nonvolatile memories and nanochannel field‐effect transistors with high performances conceptually.     

Enzymic degradation and nature of the endosperm cell walls of germinating sorghums and barley

β-(1·3)(1·4)-Glucans are the major components of isolated endosperm cell walls of both sorghum and barley grains and the concentration declines from 75% in unmalted barley walls to 32% in those of the 6-day malts. In sorghums over the same period, the reduction was from 72 and 68% to 54 and 62% in varieties L187 and SK5912, respectively. Following germination wall pentosans, while enhanced in barley, decreased in sorghum. The enzymes which were unable to hydrolyse the walls of sorghum to release sugars (unlike those of barley) did so after the walls had been solubilised in alkali. Cellobiose accounted for 43% of the hydrolysates of the alkali-solubilised walls when incubated with sorghum malt enzymes and 79% when barley enzymes were used. Laminaribiose was not detected in either case which indicates that the polysaccharide of the sorghum walls is largely of a ‘cellulosic’ nature. Preliminary evidence suggests that fuco-xyloglucan may contribute to the resistance of the sorghum endosperm cell walls to enzymic attack during germination.     

建筑围护结构传热性能现场检测的误差分析

建筑外墙传热性能现场检测是建筑节能检验的重点与难点,目前的检测方法难以得出较为准确的结果。针对以上问题,提出了采用热箱加热流计的检测方法以及该方法的误差评价方法,并运用计算机模拟的手段分析了热箱尺寸、温度制度、墙体构造、墙体厚度对该方法检测结果误差的影响,指出影响误差的主要因素是热箱尺寸和墙体厚度。根据模拟试验结果进行了现场检测试验,证明热箱加热流计的检测结果有良好的精度。     

低反应动力煤燃烧方式的比较

针对不同煤种、不同燃烧方式进行了比较,指出四墙切圆燃烧方式是一种十分有前途的适应低反应动力煤的燃烧方式,对我国火电厂燃用的大量无烟煤、贪煤的着火、防结焦均有重大意义。     

井网三次加密与三次采油方法结合研究

我国油田正面临井网的三次加密,开采对象是一次加密和二次加密未动用的所有油层,二次加密后的剩余油决定了三次加密的不均匀性,且在层系上不具有独立性。聚合物驱的井网开发过后,还有相当一部分油层未能进行三次采油,有必要进一步开发。分析了三次加密和三次采油单独开采的缺陷,介绍二者结合的可能方法,并通过数模对各种可能的结合方法进行模拟,结果证明三次加密与三次采油相结合是可行的,更有利于提高油田的采收率和开发效果。     

碳氧比能谱测井在萨尔图油田的应用

2002～2004年在萨尔图油田进行碳氧比能谱测井130口,其中用于老井堵水井近50口,占所测井数的1/3多,其结果在中、高孔隙度和渗透率地区水淹层识别方面应用效果良好,对新井射孔选层、堵水作业及补孔等起到了较好的指导作用,为加密调整和综合措施调整方案的设计提供了依据.但其较低的纵向分层能力制约了它在薄差层和表外储层中的应用.给出了有关实例、效果统计和解释成果图.     

传输均匀场的加载介质壁矩形波导的研究

本文给出了一种能够传输均匀场的介质壁矩形波导，在数值计算的基础上得出了其结构参数；并进一步分析了加载工作物质对其场型的影响。