On‐the‐Spot Immobilization of Quantum Dots,Graphene Oxide,and Proteins via Hydrophobins

Class I hydrophobin Vmh2, a peculiar surface active and versatile fungal protein, is known to self‐assemble into chemically stable amphiphilic films, to be able to change wettability of surfaces, and to strongly adsorb other proteins. Herein, a fast, highly homogeneous and efficient glass functionalization by spontaneous self‐assembling of Vmh2 at liquid–solid interfaces is achieved (in 2 min). The Vmh2‐coated glass slides are proven to immobilize not only proteins but also nanomaterials such as graphene oxide (GO) and quantum dots (QDs). As models, bovine serum albumin labeled with Alexa 555 fluorophore, anti‐immunoglobulin G antibodies, and cadmium telluride QDs are patterned in a microarray fashion in order to demonstrate functionality, reproducibility, and versatility of the proposed substrate. Additionally, a GO layer is effectively and homogeneously self‐assembled onto the studied functionalized surface. This approach offers a quick and simple alternative to immobilize nanomaterials and proteins, which is appealing for new bioanalytical and nanobioenabled applications.     

A review on queueing network models with finite capacity queues for software architectures performance prediction

A review is carried out on how queueing network models with blocking have been applied so far into the performance evaluation and prediction of Software Architectures (SA). Queueing network models with finite capacity queues and blocking have recently been introduced and applied as more realistic models of systems with finite capacity resources and population constraints. Queueing network models have been often adopted as models for the evaluation of software performance. Starting from our own experience, we observe the need of a more accurate definition of the performance models of SA to capture some features of the communication systems. We consider queueing networks with finite capacity and blocking after service (BAS) to represent some synchronization constraints that cannot be easily modeled with queueing network models with infinite capacity queues. We investigate the use of queueing networks with blocking as performance models of SA with concurrent components and synchronous communication. Queueing theoretic analysis is used to solve the queueing network model and study the synchronous communication and performance of concurrent software components. Our experience is supported by other approaches that also propose the use of queueing networks with blocking. Directions for future research work in the field are included.     

Anodic oxidation of mecoprop herbicide at lead dioxide

The electrochemical oxidation of an aqueous solution containing mecoprop (2-(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy)propionic acid) has been studied at PbO₂ anodes by cyclic voltammetry and bulk electrolysis. The influence of current density, hydrodynamic conditions, temperature and pH on the degradation rate and current efficiency is reported. The results obtained show that the use of PbO₂ leads to total mineralization of mecoprop due to the production of oxidant hydroxyl radical electrogenerated from water discharge. The current efficiency for the electro-oxidation of mecoprop is enhanced by low current density, high recycle flow-rates and high temperature. In contrast, the pH effect was not significant. It has also been observed that mecoprop decay kinetics follows a pseudo-first-order reaction and the rate constant increases with rising current density.     

FEM model of the ohmic resistance of IP-SOFCs

In the present work, the ohmic resistance of an integrated planar-SOFC (IP-SOFC) has been evaluated by developing a model whose equations have been solved numerically through an FEM method. The model allows to estimate the distribution of voltage and current density in the cell. A comparison between simulated and experimental data of area specific resistance is reported, which shows satisfactory agreement. The mathematical model has also been used to carry out some parametric studies for optimisation purposes. Indeed, a reduction in cell pitch length and an increase in electrode thickness are predicted to lead to a reduction in ohmic losses in IP-SOFCs.     

Kinetic modelling of textural changes in ready-to-eat breakfast cereals during soaking in semi-skimmed milk

Summary Ready‐to‐eat breakfast cereals immersed in milk undergo undesirable changes in texture because of sudden moisture uptake. The textural changes are ascribable to a plasticizing effect of water, which modifies the mechanical strength of products by softening the starch/protein matrix. In this work, some textural parameters of different cereal flakes were derived from the force–displacement curves monitored during 300 s of immersion in milk. Hardness loss, deformability increment and changes in the force–displacement curve profile were calculated and plotted against soaking time. The application of a sugar coating process to a model cereal flake increased the initial product hardness and improved the preservation of the textural parameters during immersion. The Peleg model closely fitted the experimental data, with regression coefficients from 0.967 to 0.999.     

Deep-MEG: spatiotemporal CNN features and multiband ensemble classification for predicting the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease with magnetoencephalography

Neural Computing and Applications - In this paper, we present the novel Deep-MEG approach in which image-based representations of magnetoencephalography (MEG) data are combined with ensemble...