对称向量拟均衡问题有效解的存在性

利用标量化方法建立对称向量拟均衡问题有效解的存在性定理。作为标量化方法的应用，利用这一方法得到向量变分不等式和拟向量变分不等式有效解的存在性定理。     

基于相场描述的拉压不对称强度结构拓扑优化

运用了基于相场描述的拓扑优化方法，来寻找在拉伸和压缩中表现出不对称强度行为的连续体结构的最优布局。依据Drucker-Prager屈服准则和幂率插值方案，优化问题可以描述为在局部应力约束下的最小化结构的体积。用qp放松法来解决应力约束的奇异性，并采用基于P-norm函数的聚合方法对应力约束进行凝聚，该方法实现了约束个数的降低，同时引入了稳定转化法来处理大量的局部应力约束和高度非线性的应力行为，以修正应力，提高优化收敛的稳定性。在优化问题求解时，使用拉格朗日乘子法对目标函数和应力约束进行处理。利用伴随变量法进行灵敏度分析，并通过求解Allen-Cahn方程更新相场函数设计变量。数值算例证明了该优化模型和相应数值技术的有效性，相关算例还揭示了考虑拉压不同强度和考虑同拉压强度约束时得到的结构优化拓扑构型具有显著的差异。     

Female Faculty: Why So Few and Why Care?

Despite slow ongoing progress in increasing the representation of women in academia, women remain significantly under-represented at senior levels, in particular in the natural sciences and engineering. Not infrequently, this is downplayed by bringing forth arguments such as inherent biological differences between genders, that current policies are adequate to address the issue, or by deflecting this as being “not my problem” among other examples. In this piece we present scientific evidence that counters these claims, as well as a best-practice example, Genie, from Chalmers University of Technology, where one of the authors is currently employed. We also highlight particular challenges caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we conclude by proposing some possible solutions to the situation and emphasize that we need to all do our part, to ensure that the next generation of academics experience a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable working environment.     

Switchable Fluorescent Light-Up Aptamers Based on Riboswitch Architectures

Fluorescent light-up RNA aptamers (FLAPs) such as Spinach or Mango can bind small fluorogens and activate their fluorescence. Here, we adopt a switching mechanism otherwise found in riboswitches and use it to engineer switchable FLAPs that can be activated or repressed by trigger oligonucleotides or small metabolites. The fluorophore binding pocket of the FLAPs comprises guanine (G) quadruplexes, whose critical nucleotides can be sequestered by corresponding anti-FLAP sequences, leading to an inactive conformation and thus preventing association with the fluorophore. We modified the FLAPs with designed toehold hairpins that carry either an anti-FLAP or an anti-anti-FLAP sequence within the loop region. The addition of an input RNA molecule triggers a toehold-mediated strand invasion process that refolds the FLAP into an active or inactive configuration. Several of our designs display close-to-zero leak signals and correspondingly high ON/OFF fluorescence ratios. We also modified purine aptamers to sequester a partial anti-FLAP or an anti-anti-FLAP sequence to control the formation of the fluorogen-binding conformation, resulting in FLAPs whose fluorescence is activated or deactivated in the presence of guanine or adenine. We demonstrate that switching modules can be easily combined to generate FLAPs whose fluorescence depends on several inputs with different types of input logic.     

A turn-on fluorescent probe for selective and sensitive detection of hydrogen sulfide

An imidazolethione based turn-on fluorescent probe was synthesized for the detection of hydrogen sulfide, a biologically relevant molecule and an important air pollutant. The probe rapidly and selectively reacted with hydrogen sulfide to produce a strongly fluorescent product, resulting in the fluorescence enhancement of the system. The detection limit was determined to be 30 nM at the probe concentration of 1.0 μM. An indicating paper for visual detection of hydrogen sulfide gas has been fabricated by immobilizing the probe on a piece of appropriate paper substrate, and the detection limit of the visual method reached as low as 0.7 ppm. Moreover, the fluorescence turn-on/off of the system showed good reversibility when exposed alternately to hydrogen sulfide and mercuric ion, which was utilized to make an INHIBIT logic circuit for the presence of the two species.     

A note on functional a posteriori estimates for elliptic optimal control problems

In this work, new results on functional type a posteriori estimates for elliptic optimal control problems with control constraints are presented. More precisely, we derive new, sharp, guaranteed, and fully computable lower bounds for the cost functional in addition to the already existing upper bounds. Using both, the lower and the upper bounds, we arrive at two‐sided estimates for the cost functional. We prove that these bounds finally lead to sharp, guaranteed and fully computable upper estimates for the discretization error in the state and the control of the optimal control problem. First numerical tests are presented confirming the efficiency of the a posteriori estimates derived. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 33: 403–424, 2017     

一类具有资源约束和优先加工顺序约束极小化加权总完工时间调度优化问题研究

本文针对工件间具有链状优先约束和relocation资源约束的极小化加权总完工时间调度优化问题展开研究.针对这一NP难问题,利用relocation约束的性质和贪婪算法的思想,设计了一个多项式近似算法,并证明了当链不可中断,每个链具有相同工件数和工件间具有相同加工时间时,2为该算法的紧界.     

均衡约束数学规划问题的一种新的约束规格

本文研究了均衡约束数学规划(MPEC)问题.利用其弱稳定点,获得了一种新的约束规格–MPEC的伪正规约束规格.用一种简单的方式,证明了该约束规格是介于MPEC-MFCQ(即MPEC,Mangasarian-Fromowitz约束规格)与MPEC-ACQ(即MPEC,Abadie约束规格)之间的约束规格,因此该约束规格也可以导出MPEC问题的M-稳定点.最后通过两个例子,说明了该约束规格与MPEC-MFCQ以及与MPEC-ACQ之间是严格的强弱关系.