diff --git a/bitarray/src/lib.rs b/bitarray/src/lib.rs
index e4bd8a2..78b6c60 100644
--- a/bitarray/src/lib.rs
+++ b/bitarray/src/lib.rs
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ impl BitArray {
     /// * `index` - The index of the value to set.
     /// * `value` - The value to set at the specified index.
     pub fn set(&mut self, index: usize, value: u64) {
-        let value: u64 = value.into();
+        let value: u64 = value;
         let start_block = index * self.bits_per_value / 64;
         let start_block_offset = index * self.bits_per_value % 64;
 
diff --git a/sa-index/src/sa_searcher.rs b/sa-index/src/sa_searcher.rs
index 03abf07..f709fd6 100644
--- a/sa-index/src/sa_searcher.rs
+++ b/sa-index/src/sa_searcher.rs
@@ -178,11 +178,11 @@ impl Searcher {
         // match as long as possible
         while index_in_search_string < search_string.len()
             && index_in_suffix < self.proteins.text.len()
-            && (search_string[index_in_search_string] == self.proteins.text.get(index_in_suffix) as u8
+            && (search_string[index_in_search_string] == self.proteins.text.get(index_in_suffix)
                 || (search_string[index_in_search_string] == b'L'
-                    && self.proteins.text.get(index_in_suffix) as u8 == b'I')
+                    && self.proteins.text.get(index_in_suffix) == b'I')
                 || (search_string[index_in_search_string] == b'I'
-                    && self.proteins.text.get(index_in_suffix) as u8 == b'L'))
+                    && self.proteins.text.get(index_in_suffix) == b'L'))
         {
             index_in_suffix += 1;
             index_in_search_string += 1;
@@ -201,10 +201,10 @@ impl Searcher {
                     search_string[index_in_search_string]
                 };
 
-                let protein_char = if self.proteins.text.get(index_in_suffix) as u8 == b'L' {
+                let protein_char = if self.proteins.text.get(index_in_suffix) == b'L' {
                     b'I'
                 } else {
-                    self.proteins.text.get(index_in_suffix) as u8
+                    self.proteins.text.get(index_in_suffix)
                 };
 
                 is_cond_or_equal = condition_check(peptide_char, protein_char);
diff --git a/text-compression/src/lib.rs b/text-compression/src/lib.rs
index 85e93b3..cac302f 100644
--- a/text-compression/src/lib.rs
+++ b/text-compression/src/lib.rs
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ impl ProteinText {
     /// # Returns
     ///
     /// An instance of `ProteinText`
-    pub fn from_vec(input_vec: &Vec<u8>) -> ProteinText {
+    pub fn from_vec(input_vec: &[u8]) -> ProteinText {
         let char_to_5bit = ProteinText::create_char_to_5bit_hashmap();
         let bit5_to_char = ProteinText::create_bit5_to_char();
 
@@ -223,6 +223,10 @@ impl<'a> ProteinTextSlice<'a> {
         self.end - self.start
     }
 
+    pub fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
+        self.len() == 0
+    }
+
     /// Checks if the slice and a given array of `u8` are equal.
     /// I and L can be equated.
     ///