Design and analysis of all-optical up- and down-wavelength converter based on FWM of SOA-MZI for 60 Gbps RZ data signal

In this paper, the design and analysis of the all-optical up- and down-wavelength converter based on four-wave mixing (FWM) effect of semiconductor optical amplifier Mach–Zehnder interferometer (SOA-MZI) have been presented. The return-to-zero (RZ) modulated data signal at a bit rate of 60 Gbps has been evaluated for error-free operation to show the feasibility of proposed system at different pump wavelength. The converted signal power and quality factor are investigated as the function of variable signal power and pump power. The optimized operating input signal power of ?5 dBm with Q-factor of \(\sim \)28 dB for RZ modulated signal by using SOA-MZI structure with enhanced FWM effect. The important contribution of these investigations that it is possible to expand the optical network with limited available channel bandwidth by utilizing the wavelength converter and gives an approach to implement wavelength converter for future hybrid optical access networks.     

Rigid cinchona conformers in enantioselective catalytic reactions: new cinchona‐modified platinum catalysts in the Orito reaction

The use of cinchona alkaloids (cinchonidine, cinchonine, quinine, quinidine, α-isocinchonine, α-isoquinidine, γ-isoquinidine) in the Orito reaction (hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate and ethyl benzoylformate) strongly supports the structure of the intermediate complex (cinchona alkaloid “anti‐open” conformer–pyruvate 1 : 1 complex); in addition, so far unknown stereochemical conditions have been identified and the utilization of rigid cinchona conformers in the study of asymmetric syntheses have been generalized. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Polyamine Metabolism under Different Light Regimes in Wheat

Although the relationship between polyamines and photosynthesis has been investigated at several levels, the main aim of this experiment was to test light-intensity-dependent influence of polyamine metabolism with or without exogenous polyamines. First, the effect of the duration of the daily illumination, then the effects of different light intensities (50, 250, and 500 μmol m^–2 s^–1) on the polyamine metabolism at metabolite and gene expression levels were investigated. In the second experiment, polyamine treatments, namely putrescine, spermidine and spermine, were also applied. The different light quantities induced different changes in the polyamine metabolism. In the leaves, light distinctly induced the putrescine level and reduced the 1,3-diaminopropane content. Leaves and roots responded differently to the polyamine treatments. Polyamines improved photosynthesis under lower light conditions. Exogenous polyamine treatments influenced the polyamine metabolism differently under individual light regimes. The fine-tuning of the synthesis, back-conversion and terminal catabolism could be responsible for the observed different polyamine metabolism-modulating strategies, leading to successful adaptation to different light conditions.     

Experimental Study of Flow Reversal Ammonia Synthesis

Operation of fixed bed reactors with periodic flow reversal as proposed by Matros and co-workers is an unconventional mode of operation for exothermic, equilibrium limited catalytic reactions. In the present paper, reverse flow ammonia synthesis at 240–300 bar over a promoted iron catalyst is considered. The catalyst had a particle size of 1.0–1.5 mm to neglect the intra- and interparticle transport intrusions. Temperature profiles, which developed and moved back and forth through the laboratory scale reactor, depending upon the direction of the flow, and the exit ammonia concentration were monitored. The time average ammonia concentration observed in the non-steady-state of operation was exceeded by 5–27% the ammonia concentration obtained in similar but under steady-state conditions. The enhancement in the ammonia production was mainly due to the transient state of the catalyst surface and the dynamic behavior of the reactor bed.     

Scattering and space-charge effects in Wigner Monte Carlo simulations of single and double barrier devices

Transport in single and double barrier devices is studied using a Monte Carlo solver for the Wigner transport equation. This approach allows the effects of tunneling and scattering to be included. Several numerical methods have been improved to render the Wigner Monte Carlo technique more robust, including a newly developed particle annihilation algorithm. A self-consistent iteration scheme with the Poisson equation was introduced. The role of scattering and space charge effects on the electrical characteristics of n-i-n nanostructures, ultra-scaled double gate MOSFETs, and GaAs resonant tunneling diodes is demonstrated. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Molecular Mechanisms of Taste Recognition: Considerations about the Role of Saliva

The gustatory system plays a critical role in determining food preferences and food intake, in addition to nutritive, energy and electrolyte balance. Fine tuning of the gustatory system is also crucial in this respect. The exact mechanisms that fine tune taste sensitivity are as of yet poorly defined, but it is clear that various effects of saliva on taste recognition are also involved. Specifically those metabolic polypeptides present in the saliva that were classically considered to be gut and appetite hormones (i.e., leptin, ghrelin, insulin, neuropeptide Y, peptide YY) were considered to play a pivotal role. Besides these, data clearly indicate the major role of several other salivary proteins, such as salivary carbonic anhydrase (gustin), proline-rich proteins, cystatins, alpha-amylases, histatins, salivary albumin and mucins. Other proteins like glucagon-like peptide-1, salivary immunoglobulin-A, zinc-α-2-glycoprotein, salivary lactoperoxidase, salivary prolactin-inducible protein and salivary molecular chaperone HSP70/HSPAs were also expected to play an important role. Furthermore, factors including salivary flow rate, buffer capacity and ionic composition of saliva should also be considered. In this paper, the current state of research related to the above and the overall emerging field of taste-related salivary research alongside basic principles of taste perception is reviewed.     

Magic Peptide: Unique Properties of the LRR11 Peptide in the Activation of Leukotriene Synthesis in Human Neutrophils

Neutrophil-mediated innate host defense mechanisms include pathogen elimination through bacterial phagocytosis, which activates the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) product synthesis. Here, we studied the effect of synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs), which mimic the receptor-recognized sites of bacterial (CpG-ODNs) and genomic (G-rich ODNs) DNAs released from the inflammatory area, on the neutrophil functions after cell stimulation with Salmonella typhimurium. A possible mechanism for ODN recognition by Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) and RAGE receptor has been proposed. We found for the first time that the combination of the magic peptide LRR11 from the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) of TLR9 with the CpG-ODNs modulates the uptake and signaling from ODNs, in particular, dramatically stimulates 5-LOX pathway. Using thickness shear mode acoustic method, we confirmed the specific binding of CpG-ODNs, but not G-rich ODN, to LRR11. The RAGE receptor has been shown to play an important role in promoting ODN uptake. Thus, FPS-ZM1, a high-affinity RAGE inhibitor, suppresses the synthesis of 5-LOX products and reduces the uptake of ODNs by neutrophils; the inhibitor effect being abolished by the addition of LRR11. The results obtained revealed that the studied peptide-ODN complexes possess high biological activity and can be promising for the development of effective vaccine adjuvants and antimicrobial therapeutics.     

Investigation of spatial ability test completion times in virtual reality using a desktop display and the Gear VR

Virtual Reality - The interaction time of students who did spatial ability tests in a virtual reality environment is analyzed. The spatial ability test completion times of 240 and 61 students were...     

Identification of Host Cellular Protein Substrates of SARS-COV-2 Main Protease

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) being associated with severe pneumonia. Like with other viruses, the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with host cell proteins is necessary for successful replication, and cleavage of cellular targets by the viral protease also may contribute to the pathogenesis, but knowledge about the human proteins that are processed by the main protease (3CLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is still limited. We tested the prediction potentials of two different in silico methods for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro cleavage sites in human proteins. Short stretches of homologous host-pathogen protein sequences (SSHHPS) that are present in SARS-CoV-2 polyprotein and human proteins were identified using BLAST analysis, and the NetCorona 1.0 webserver was used to successfully predict cleavage sites, although this method was primarily developed for SARS-CoV. Human C-terminal-binding protein 1 (CTBP1) was found to be cleaved in vitro by SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro, the existence of the cleavage site was proved experimentally by using a His₆-MBP-mEYFP recombinant substrate containing the predicted target sequence. Our results highlight both potentials and limitations of the tested algorithms. The identification of candidate host substrates of 3CLpro may help better develop an understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the replication and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2.