Statistical Delay Bound for WirelessHART Networks

In this paper we provide a performance analysis framework for wireless industrial networks by deriving a service curve and a bound on the delay violation probability. For this purpose we use the (min,x) stochastic network calculus as well as a recently presented recursive formula for an end-to-end delay bound of wireless heterogeneous networks. The derived results are mapped to WirelessHART networks used in process automation and were validated via simulations. In addition to WirelessHART, our results can be applied to any wireless network whose physical layer conforms the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, while its MAC protocol incorporates TDMA and channel hopping, like e.g. ISA100.11a or TSCH-based networks. The provided delay analysis is especially useful during the network design phase, offering further research potential towards optimal routing and power management in QoS-constrained wireless industrial networks.Comment: Accepted at PE-WASUN 201

Effects of detergents on activity, thermostability and aggregation of immobilized lipases

Predmetom tejto diplomovej práce bolo štúdium vplyvu detergentov na aktivitu, termostabilitu a agregáciu voľnej a imobilizovanej formy komerčného preparátu lipázy izolovanej z mikroskopickej huby Rhizopus arrhizus. Teoretická časť obsahuje ucelenú rešerš popisujúcu štruktúru, mechanizmus účinku a priemyselný význam spomínanej hydrolázy spolu s popisom chemických účinkov detergentov, pričom dôraz bol kladený predovšetkým na skupinu neionogénnych detergentov s názvom tweeny. V experimentálnej časti bol študovaný efekt tweenov na rozpustnej a imobilizovanej forme RA lipázy. Imobilizácia spočívala v priamej adsorpcii enzýmu na neupravený nosič. Ako nosič bol použitý oxidovaný grafén ošetrený tweenom (tween 20, 60, 80). Aktivita enzýmu bola stanovená spektrofotometricky za pomoci substrátu p-nitrofenyl laurátu. Zvýšenie aktivity voľnej lipázy (104 % oproti maximálnej hodnote) bolo zaznamenané pri použití tweenu 20 o koncentrácii vysoko nad hodnotou kritickej micelárnej koncentrácie (10 mmol•dm-3). Na základe štúdie imobilizačných podmienok, boli nastavené ideálne parametre pre dosiahnutie účinnej imobilizácie v spojení s čo najvyššou lipolytickou aktivitou (koncentrácia enzýmu 0,1 mg•ml-1, fosfátový tlmivý roztok pH 7,2, koncentrácia tweenu 10,8 mmol•dm-3, čas imobilizácie 1 hodina). Obe formy lipázy vykazovali maximálnu aktivitu pri 35 °C. Optimálne pH sa u imobilizovanej lipázy posunulo na hodnotu 8, v porovnaní s voľnou formou, ktorej pH optimum bolo stanovené na 9. Tepelná stabilita vykazovala približne rovnaký priebeh u oboch foriem skúmanej hydrolázy. Avšak v prípade štúdia stability enzýmu pri dlhodobej úschove bolo po imobilizácii zistené výrazné zlepšenie tohto parametru.The diploma thesis deals with the issue of the effect of tweens on enzymatic activity of model hydrolase both free and immobilized on carbon-based carrier. In theoretical part, structural features, mechanism of action, and specialty applications of microbial lipases are reviewed along with detergent chemistry, with emphasize on tween family of detergents belonging into non-ionic surfactant group. In experimental part, effect of tweens on soluble as well as immobilized hydrolase was examined. Immobilization of commercial preparation of lipase was performed by non-covalent adsorption on graphene oxide as a carrier treated with different tweens (tween 20, 60, 80). The activity was determined spectrophotometrically by p-nitrophenyl laurate assay. Enhancement of soluble Rhizopus arrhizus lipase activity (activity coupling of 104 %) was observed at tween 20 concentration of 10 mmol•dm-3, which is highly above critical micelle concentration of this detergent. On the base of screening study, immobilization protocol comprised the incubation of soluble enzyme at concentration of 0.1 mg•ml-1 in phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) with tween 20 (10.8 mmol•dm-3) and the carrier for one hour. Both soluble and immobilized lipase exhibited maximum activity at approx. 35 °C. Optimal pH of immobilized lipase shifted to 8 compared to soluble form for which pH optimum at 9 was determined. Thermal stability profile follows almost same trend for both soluble and immobilized enzyme samples. The interactions between carrier and enzyme are suggested to be mainly non–covalent (adsorption, electrostatic interactions). No protein leaching was observed under studied conditions, and significant improvement of storage stability of immobilized lipase was achieved (activity retention of 41 % after 110 days) in comparison with soluble lipase (activity retention of 16 % after 42 days).

Solution and quality robust project scheduling: a methodological framework.

The vast majority of the research efforts in project scheduling over the past several years has concentrated on the development of exact and suboptimal procedures for the generation of a baseline schedule assuming complete information and a deterministic environment. During execution, however, projects may be the subject of considerable uncertainty, which may lead to numerous schedule disruptions. Predictive-reactive scheduling refers to the process where a baseline schedule is developed prior to the start of the project and updated if necessary during project execution. It is the objective of this paper to review possible procedures for the generation of proactive (robust) schedules, which are as well as possible protected against schedule disruptions, and for the deployment of reactive scheduling procedures that may be used to revise or re-optimize the baseline schedule when unexpected events occur. We also offer a methodological framework that should allow project management to identify the proper scheduling methodology for different project scheduling environments. Finally, we survey the basics of Critical Chain scheduling and indicate in which environments it is useful.Framework; Information; Management; Processes; Project management; Project scheduling; Project scheduling under uncertainty; Stability; Robust scheduling; Quality; Scheduling; Stability; Uncertainty;

Vortex fluidics-mediated DNA rescue from formalin-fixed museum specimens.

DNA from formalin-preserved tissue could unlock a vast repository of genetic information stored in museums worldwide. However, formaldehyde crosslinks proteins and DNA, and prevents ready amplification and DNA sequencing. Formaldehyde acylation also fragments the DNA. Treatment with proteinase K proteolyzes crosslinked proteins to rescue the DNA, though the process is quite slow. To reduce processing time and improve rescue efficiency, we applied the mechanical energy of a vortex fluidic device (VFD) to drive the catalytic activity of proteinase K and recover DNA from American lobster tissue (Homarus americanus) fixed in 3.7% formalin for >1-year. A scan of VFD rotational speeds identified the optimal rotational speed for recovery of PCR-amplifiable DNA and while 500+ base pairs were sequenced, shorter read lengths were more consistently obtained. This VFD-based method also effectively recovered DNA from formalin-preserved samples. The results provide a roadmap for exploring DNA from millions of historical and even extinct species

Validation of Real Case Solving (RCS) Methodology as an Efficient Engineering Learning Tool

In recent times, new learning methodologies known as student-based methodologies have been introduced to simplify the learning process for the students and facilitate the acquisition of skills for them. Among them, problem based learning (PBL) and project-based learning (PjBL) are widely used methods in the world of education. Real case solving (RCS) is a variant of the PBL where students solve real cases through the application of the PBL methodology. RCS seems to be a relevant approach for educators, but it has an apparently limited implementation degree at the academic level. This article presents the successful implementation of four different RCS approaches in the lecturing process in five different classes in the engineering degree of University of Deusto. The initiative has been analyzed both quantitative and qualitatively; the overall performance and success rate of the students were compared with the ones acquired from conventional teaching methods. The results were found to be promising, demonstrating a significantly better performance than the traditional teaching methodologies. The successful results encouraged the university to continue working further in this direction.This research was funded by the X. INNOVATION IN TEACHING CALL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF DEUSTO, project “Application and potential validation of the Real Case Solving methodology as method for relevant learning at the Faculty of Engineering”, and by the BBK Foundation

Efficient Biocatalytic Synthesis of Dihalogenated Purine Nucleoside Analogues Applying Thermodynamic Calculations

The enzymatic synthesis of nucleoside analogues has been shown to be a sustainable and efficient alternative to chemical synthesis routes. In this study, dihalogenated nucleoside analogues were produced by thermostable nucleoside phosphorylases in transglycosylation reactions using uridine or thymidine as sugar donors. Prior to the enzymatic process, ideal maximum product yields were calculated after the determination of equilibrium constants through monitoring the equilibrium conversion in analytical-scale reactions. Equilibrium constants for dihalogenated nucleosides were comparable to known purine nucleosides, ranging between 0.071 and 0.081. To achieve 90% product yield in the enzymatic process, an approximately five-fold excess of sugar donor was needed. Nucleoside analogues were purified by semi-preparative HPLC, and yields of purified product were approximately 50% for all target compounds. To evaluate the impact of halogen atoms in positions 2 and 6 on the antiproliferative activity in leukemic cell lines, the cytotoxic potential of dihalogenated nucleoside analogues was studied in the leukemic cell line HL-60. Interestingly, the inhibition of HL-60 cells with dihalogenated nucleoside analogues was substantially lower than with monohalogenated cladribine, which is known to show high antiproliferative activity. Taken together, we demonstrate that thermodynamic calculations and small-scale experiments can be used to produce nucleoside analogues with high yields and purity on larger scales. The procedure can be used for the generation of new libraries of nucleoside analogues for screening experiments or to replace the chemical synthesis routes of marketed nucleoside drugs by enzymatic processes.DFG, 390540038, EXC 2008: UniSysCatDFG, 414044773, Open Access Publizieren 2019 - 2020 / Technische Universität Berli

Removal of recalcitrant organic compounds from an industrial complex effluent by heterogeneous Fenton-type treatment

Because of their chemical complexity, industrial chemi-mechanical pulping effluents are evaporated and burned, in spite of the high associated cost involved in these processes. The aim of this study was to remove recalcitrant compounds from this kind of wastewater using a Fenton-type treatment. The main parameters involved in the process and their influence on the results were determined. Homemade catalysts based on CuO, Fe2O3, NiO and ZnO, supported on γ-Al2O3 have been tested for catalytic oxidation, and the CuO/γ- Al2O3 catalysts showed the greatest effect on total organic carbon (TOC) reduction (52.7%). A series of twolevel factorial experiments was subsequently applied to evaluate the most favorable range of conditions for CuO/γ-Al2O3 application. The studied variables were hydrogen peroxide concentration ([H2O2], g/L), active phase content (metal oxide supported on alumina, %), mass of catalyst (metal oxide/alumina system, g), and reaction temperature (°C). The highest reduction of all parameters was obtained at the superior level of all variables with CuO/γ-Al2O3, achieving reductions of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and TOC between 40 and 50%. Increasing catalyst mass did not produce additional benefit. This variable has a significant effect only on the reduction of aromatic compounds. At its low level, reduction in aromatic content exceeded 80%. Color reduction was influenced only by temperature (maximum reduction of 90%)Fil: Covinich, Laura Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Felissia, Fernando Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Fenoglio, Rosa Juana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Area, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; Argentin

The Family of MapReduce and Large Scale Data Processing Systems

In the last two decades, the continuous increase of computational power has produced an overwhelming flow of data which has called for a paradigm shift in the computing architecture and large scale data processing mechanisms. MapReduce is a simple and powerful programming model that enables easy development of scalable parallel applications to process vast amounts of data on large clusters of commodity machines. It isolates the application from the details of running a distributed program such as issues on data distribution, scheduling and fault tolerance. However, the original implementation of the MapReduce framework had some limitations that have been tackled by many research efforts in several followup works after its introduction. This article provides a comprehensive survey for a family of approaches and mechanisms of large scale data processing mechanisms that have been implemented based on the original idea of the MapReduce framework and are currently gaining a lot of momentum in both research and industrial communities. We also cover a set of introduced systems that have been implemented to provide declarative programming interfaces on top of the MapReduce framework. In addition, we review several large scale data processing systems that resemble some of the ideas of the MapReduce framework for different purposes and application scenarios. Finally, we discuss some of the future research directions for implementing the next generation of MapReduce-like solutions.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1105.4252 by other author

Role of cultivation media in the development of yeast strains for large scale industrial use

The composition of cultivation media in relation to strain development for industrial application is reviewed. Heterologous protein production and pentose utilization by Saccharomyces cerevisiae are used to illustrate the influence of media composition at different stages of strain construction and strain development. The effects of complex, defined and industrial media are compared. Auxotrophic strains and strain stability are discussed. Media for heterologous protein production and for bulk bio-commodity production are summarized