Bioethanol from Germinated Grains.

The most well-known way to produce bioethanol is by the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of starch. In a new project “BioConcens” (2007) sponsored by DARCOF (DAnish Research Center for Organic Food and farming) one aim is to develop a combined ethanol and biogas production for use in organic farming using starch containing biomass. Natural enzymes from cereals will be used for hydrolysis of starch to glucose in accordance with technology in brewing technology. Commercial enzymes are often produced from gene-modified organisms and will therefore not be used in the suggested organic context or process. A preliminary study was performed in which grains of wheat, rye, and barley were germinated using traditional methods applied in malting for beer production. During malting the amylase enzymes present in the grain are activated (autoamylolytic effect). Three steps were applied in the malting process; steeping, germination, and drying of the grains. After malting the grains were milled and mixed with water to 13% DM, cooked at 57.5C for 2 hours (to activate the enzymes), and cooled to 30C before adding Bakers Yeast. The results of this study indicate that efficient hydrolysis of starch can be achieved by activation of autoamylolytic enzymes in cereal grains after a malting process. The ethanol yields obtained in the autoamylolytic hydrolysis was comparable (or slightly higher) to that of reference experiments using commercial enzymes (amylases). The highest ethanol yield was obtained with wheat (0.34 g/g DM grain), followed by barley (0.31 g/g DM grain), and rye (0.29 g/g DM grain)

EMI due to electric field coupling on PCB

In switching converter circuits, EM noise can couple between PCB traces through the effect of electric field coupling. An experiment using a flyback converter verifies the severity of this effect. Further experiments and field plots confirm that a good PCB layout can significantly reduce conducted EMI due to unintentional E-field coupling.published_or_final_versio

Reduction of crosstalk on printed circuit board using genetic algorithm in switching power supply

Crosstalk between printed circuit board (PCB) traces in switching power supplies may cause high electromagnetic interference emission. PCB layout plays an important part and a genetic algorithm (GA) is used to produce a layout with reduced crosstalk. A coupling index and a new way of representing a trace for the GA process is presented.published_or_final_versio

A study of Al1-xInxN growth by reflection high-energy electron diffraction-incorporation of cation atoms during molecular-beam epitaxy

Molecular-beam epitaxy of Al1-x Inx N alloys with different indium (In) contents, x, were studied by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Growth rates of the alloys were measured by the RHEED intensity oscillations for different source flux conditions, while the lattice parameters were derived from the diffraction patterns. It was found that under the excess nitrogen growth regime, incorporation of aluminum was complete whereas incorporation of In atoms was incomplete even at temperatures below 400 °C. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Spider silk inspired damping fibres drawn from a supramolecular hydrogel composite at room temperature - A step closer to sustainable fibre technology

We report the aqueous self-assembly of hierarchical supramolecular polymer-colloidal hydrogels consisting of functionalized polymer-grafted silica nanoparticles, a hydroxyethyl cellulose derivative and cucurbit[8]uril. The resulting material (98 wt% water) can be drawn into uniform (6 μm) ‘supramolecular fibres’ at room temperature. They exhibited better tensile strength and superior stiffness to natural fibres such as viscose, protein-based silks, and human and animal hair, while cyclic loading tests illustrated their remarkable damping capacity (60–70%). These supramolecular hydrogels represent a new class of hybrid supramolecular composites, opening a window into fibre technology through low-energy manufacturing from a broad range of sustainable materials.Leverhulm

Reprogramming of Dermal Fibroblasts into Osteo-Chondrogenic Cells with Elevated Osteogenic Potency by Defined Transcription Factors

Recent studies using defined transcription factors to convert skin fibroblasts into chondrocytes have raised the question of whether osteo-chondroprogenitors expressing SOX9 and RUNX2 could also be generated during the course of the reprogramming process. Here, we demonstrated that doxycycline-inducible expression of reprogramming factors (KLF4 [K] and c-MYC [M]) for 6 days were sufficient to convert murine fibroblasts into SOX9+/RUNX2+ cellular aggregates and together with SOX9 (S) promoted the conversion efficiency when cultured in a defined stem cell medium, mTeSR. KMS-reprogrammed cells possess gene expression profiles akin to those of native osteo-chondroprogenitors with elevated osteogenic properties and can differentiate into osteoblasts and chondrocytes in vitro, but form bone tissue upon transplantation under the skin and in the fracture site of mouse tibia. Altogether, we provide a reprogramming strategy to enable efficient derivation of osteo-chondrogenic cells that may hold promise for cell replacement therapy not limited to cartilage but also for bone tissues.published_or_final_versio

A study of Inx Ga1-x N growth by reflection high-energy electron diffraction

Epitaxial growth of Inx Ga1-x N alloys on GaN (0001) by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy is investigated using the in situ reflection high-energy electron-diffraction (RHEED) technique. Based on RHEED pattern changes over time, the transition of growth mode from two-dimensional (2D) nucleation to three-dimensional islanding is studied for various indium compositions. RHEED specular-beam intensity oscillations are recorded during the 2D wetting-layer growth, and the dependences of the oscillation period/frequency on the substrate temperature and source flux are established. By measuring the spacing between diffraction spots in RHEED, we also estimated indium composition, x, in alloys grown under different flux combinations. Incorporation coefficients of both gallium and indium are derived. Possible surface segregation of indium atoms is finally examined. © 2005 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Transition between wurtzite and zinc-blende GaN: An effect of deposition condition of molecular-beam epitaxy

GaN exists in both wurtzite and zinc-blende phases and the growths of the two on its (0001) or (111) surfaces are achieved by choosing proper deposition conditions of molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). At low substrate temperatures but high gallium fluxes, metastable zinc-blende GaN films are obtained, whereas at high temperatures and/or using high nitrogen fluxes, equilibrium wurtzite phase GaN epilayers resulted. This dependence of crystal structure on substrate temperature and source flux is not affected by deposition rate. Rather, the initial stage nucleation kinetics plays a primary role in determining the crystallographic structures of epitaxial GaN by MBE. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio