PDB Reference: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens -amylase, 3bh4.The crystal structure of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens -amylase (BAA) at 1.4 Å resolution revealed ambiguities in the thermal adaptation of homologous proteins in this family. The final model of BAA is composed of two molecules in a back-to-back orientation, which is likely to be a consequence of crystal packing. Despite a high degree of identity, comparison of the structure of BAA with those of other liquefying-type -amylases indicated moderate discrepancies at the secondary-structural level. Moreover, a domain-displacement survey using anisotropic B-factor and domain-motion analyses implied a significant contribution of domain B to the total flexibility of BAA, while visual inspection of the structure superimposed with that of B. licheniformis -amylase (BLA) indicated higher flexibility of the latter in the central domain A. Therefore, it is suggested that domain B may play an important role in liquefying -amylases, as its rigidity offers a substantial improvement in thermostability in BLA compared with BAA.

-Lactoglobulin (LG) is a major milk whey protein containing primarily a calyx for vitamin D 3 binding, although the existence of another site beyond the calyx is controversial. Using fluorescence spectral analyses in the previous study, we showed the binding stoichiometry for vitamin D 3 to LG to be 2:1 and a stoichiometry of 1:1 when the calyx was "disrupted" by manipulating the pH and temperature, suggesting that a secondary vitamin D binding site existed. To help localize this secondary site using X-ray crystallography in the present study, we used bioinformatic programs (Insight II, Q-SiteFinder, and GEMDOCK) to identify the potential location of this site. We then optimized the occupancy and enhanced the electron density of vitamin D 3 in the complex by altering the pH and initial ratios of vitamin D 3 /LG in the cocrystal preparation. We conclude that GEMDOCK can aid in searching for an extra density map around potential vitamin D binding sites. Both pH (8) and initial ratio of vitamin D 3 /LG (3:1) are crucial to optimize the occupancy and enhance the electron density of vitamin D 3 in the complex for rational-designed crystallization. The strategy in practice may be useful for future identification of a ligand-binding site in a given protein.

The use of a TiO2 nanowire (NW) hydrothermally grown on an fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate as a separated sensing electrode of an extended-gate field-effect-transistor (SE-EGFET) pH sensor is demonstrated. Sensing responses to the prepared samples in a wide pH range (2–12) are presented and compared with responses of a film-type TiO2 electrode. The pH sensors with the NW-type and film-type electrodes show a sensitivity of 62 and 50 mV/pH, respectively, and a comparably good linearity in the pH range of 2–12. The superiority of the NW-type TiO2 electrode (24% improvement in sensitivity compared with that of the film-type electrode) is attributed mainly to the higher surface-to-volume (SV) ratio and higher conductivity of the hydrogen thermal growth (HTG) nanowires.

Single-crystal silicon-based solar cells laminated with tempered-glass and ceramic tiles for use in a building’s façade have been developed. The optical, thermal, and electrical properties of the proposed PV module are first evaluated, and then a wind-resistance test is carried out to evaluate the feasibility of installing it in Taiwan. The electrical and deflection characteristics of the proposed PV module did not change significantly after a 50 thermal cycling test and a 200-hour humidity-freeze test, based on IEC 61215 and a wind-resistance test. Finally, the electrical power generation ability of the proposed BIPV system with 1 kWp electrical power capacity was examined. Building information modeling software tools were used to simulate the BIPV system and carry out the energy analysis. The simulation results show a very consistent trend with regard to the actual monthly electricity production of the BIPV system designed in this work. The BIPV system was able to produce an accumulative electrical power of 185 kWh during the 6-month experimental period. In addition, the exterior temperature of the demonstration house was about 10°C lower than the surface of the BIPV system, which could reduce indoor temperature.