Depletion-flocculation in oil-in-water emulsions using fibrillar protein assemblies

This paper shows that low concentrations of beta-lactoglobulin fibrils can induce depletion-flocculation in beta-lactoglobulin-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions. The minimum required fibril concentration for flocculation was determined experimentally for fibril lengths of about 3 and 0.1 microm. The minimum fibril concentration for flocculation is two orders of magnitude higher for the short fibrils than for the long ones. These experimental results correspond well with a theoretical prediction based on a model of spinodal decomposition. In addition, rheological measurements were performed, verifying that flocculation was induced by a depletion mechanism. The results of this study show that the minimum concentration required for depletion-flocculation can be tuned by varying the length of the fibrils.     

Optical sectioning in wide-field microscopy obtained by dynamic structured light illumination and detection based on a smart pixel detector array

Optical sectioning in wide-field microscopy is achieved by illumination of the object with a continuously moving single-spatial-frequency pattern and detecting the image with a smart pixel detector array. This detector performs an on-chip electronic signal processing that extracts the optically sectioned image. The optically sectioned image is directly observed in real time without any additional postprocessing.     

Unstable attractors induce perpetual synchronization and desynchronization

Common experience suggests that attracting invariant sets in nonlinear dynamical systems are generally stable. Contrary to this intuition, we present a dynamical system, a network of pulse-coupled oscillators, in which unstable attractors arise naturally. From random initial conditions, groups of synchronized oscillators (clusters) are formed that send pulses alternately, resulting in a periodic dynamics of the network. Under the influence of arbitrarily weak noise, this synchronization is followed by a desynchronization of clusters, a phenomenon induced by attractors that are unstable. Perpetual synchronization and desynchronization lead to a switching among attractors. This is explained by the geometrical fact, that these unstable attractors are surrounded by basins of attraction of other attractors, whereas the full measure of their own basin is located remote from the attractor. Unstable attractors do not only exist in these systems, but moreover dominate the dynamics for large networks and a wide range of parameters.     

Quasi-determinantal rational surface singularities

In this paper we give explicit equations for quasi-determinantal rational surface singularities, extending previous results for determinantal rational surface singularities.     

Matrix analysis for associated consistency in cooperative game theory

Hamiache axiomatized the Shapley value as the unique solution verifying the inessential game property, continuity and associated consistency. Driessen extended Hamiache’s axiomatization to the enlarged class of efficient, symmetric, and linear values. In this paper, we introduce the notion of row (resp. column)-coalitional matrix in the framework of cooperative game theory. The Shapley value as well as the associated game are represented algebraically by their coalitional matrices called the Shapley standard matrix M^Sh and the associated transformation matrix M_λ, respectively. We develop a matrix approach for Hamiache’s axiomatization of the Shapley value. The associated consistency for the Shapley value is formulated as the matrix equality M^Sh = M^Sh · M_λ. The diagonalization procedure of M_λ and the inessential property for coalitional matrices are fundamental tools to prove the convergence of the sequence of repeated associated games as well as its limit game to be inessential. In addition, a similar matrix approach is applicable to study Driessen’s axiomatization of a certain class of linear values. In summary, it is illustrated that matrix analysis is a new and powerful technique for research in the field of cooperative game theory.     

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