A new perspective on nonrelativistic gravity

The geometric reformulation of Newton??s gravity is known as Newton-Cartan theory. We compare the traditional derivation of this theory with a new, algebraic derivation, based on the gauging of a centrally extended Galilean symmetry algebra. In this comparison the role of the central charge gauge field will be explained. In particular, we show that the scalar potential following from this procedure coincides with the one given by the theory of Cartan. Our procedure can be generalized to describe other nonrelativistic limits of gravity involving gravitating strings.     

A symmetry-preserving Cartesian grid method for computing a viscous flow past a circular cylinder

This article deals with a numerical method for solving the unsteady, incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in domains with arbitrarily-shaped boundaries, where the boundary is represented using the Cartesian grid approach. We introduce a novel cut-cell discretization which preserves the spectral properties of convection and diffusion. Here, convection is discretized by a skew-symmetric operator and diffusion is approximated by a symmetric, positive-definite coefficient matrix. Such a symmetry-preserving discretization conserves the kinetic energy (if the dissipation is turned off) and is stable on any grid. The method is successfully tested for an incompressible, unsteady flow around a circular cylinder at $\mathit{Re}=100$. To cite this article: R. Verstappen, M. Dröge, C. R. Mecanique 333 (2005).     

In-source decay of hyperbranched polyesteramides in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Hyperbranched polyesteramides (DA2), prepared from hexahydrophthalic anhydride (D) and diisopropanolamine (A) have been characterized, by use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), field desorption (FD)-MS, and electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS. MALDI of polyesteramides produces protonated molecules. The spectra show a complex chemical composition distribution and end-group distribution which are mainly composed of two series of homologous oligomers DnA(n)+1 - mH2O and DnA(n) - mH2O, where m = 1-2. Signals from protonated molecules DnAn+1 and DnAn are almost absent in the MALDI spectrum, whereas these ions are responsible for the base peak of DnA(n)+1 - mH2O and DnA(n) - mH2O (m = 1-2) clusters in the ESI spectrum. The absence of -OH end-groups signals in the MALDI spectrum is due to a metastable decay of protonated DnA(n)+1 and DnAn ions in the ion source of the MALDI mass spectrometer prior to ion extraction. In-source decay results in the formation of protonated lower DnA(n)+1 - mH2O and DnA(n) - mH2O oligomers and their corresponding neutrals, leading to wrong conclusions concerning the relative end-group distribution as a function of the degree of polymerization and the chemical composition.     

Adaptive spatial resolution: application to surface plasmon waveguide modes

In order to simulate surface plasmon waveguide structures we have utilized and improved the adaptive spatial resolution technique and combined it with PML boundary conditions. Using this new technique we have developed a novel concept for an integrated surface plasmon biosensor.     

Addition of carbon to anatase TiO2 by n-hexane treatment—surface or bulk doping?

Anatase TiO₂ can be sensitized to visible light by adding carbon as a dopant. Towards this end, TiO₂ photoelectrodes were subjected to a thermal treatment in a hexane-rich environment. By comparing the optical and photoelectrochemical characteristics of both thin film and nanocrystalline nanoporous photoelectrodes, carbon is found to be located mainly at the surface of the TiO₂. The amount of carbon that diffuses into the bulk of the material is too small to significantly enhance the visible light response and only a small shift of the absorption edge towards higher wavelengths is observed. The presence of carbon in TiO₂ shifts the anatase-to-rutile transformation temperature beyond 800 °C, and X-ray diffraction shows that spray deposition of TiO₂ under a CO₂ atmosphere results in a higher bulk carbon concentration than a post-deposition thermal treatment in a hexane-rich environment.     

Modeling of Kerr nonlinear photonic components with mode expansion

We present an efficient numerical technique to simulate the third order Kerr effect in wavelength scale dielectric structures by expanding upon the eigenmode expansion method. A two-dimensional spatial grid models the intensity dependent refractive index. By performing an iteration of linear eigenmode calculations, this index grid converges to the rigorous continuous-wave nonlinear solution. Because the underlying eigenmode tool is bidirectional, feedback effects such as bistability can be calculated. We describe the influence of grid size, quantitative agreement with the literature and a photonic crystal switch. The differences with other methods, such as finite-difference time-domain and beam propagation method, are discussed.     

Out-of-plane scattering in 1-D photonic crystal slabs

We present a detailed study of out-of-plane scattering losses in a 1D approximation of 2D photonic crystal slabs. In 2D photonic crystals with a waveguide structure in the third dimension, the periodic structure (in a lot of applications a 2D arrangement of holes etched through the core and cladding) will cause light to scatter out of the waveguide plane. We studied the out-of-plane scattering losses of these holes using a 2D approximation of this 3D structure, with etched slots instead of holes. Our simulation techniques included mode expansion with PML and FDTD. We will present the influence of the refractive index contrast between core and cladding of the layered structure. We show that the losses increase with higher index contrast between core and cladding, but that with very high index contrasts and under the right circumstances light can be coupled into lossless Bloch modes.     

Optimal solutions for a dock assignment problem with trailer transportation

This paper presents a model for a dock assignment problem, where trailers need to be assigned to gates for a given period of time for loading or unloading activities. The parking lot is used as a buffer zone. Transportation between the parking lot and the gates is performed by additional resources called terminal tractors. The problem is modeled as a three-stage flexible flow shop, where the first and the third stage share the same identical parallel machines and the second stage consists of a different set of identical parallel machines. We examine multiple integer-programming formulations for the parallel-machine model in stage two and for the three-stage flow shop and we provide extensive computational results. Our goal is to explore the limits of the instance sizes that can be solved to guaranteed optimality within acceptable running times using integer programming.     

Non‐Covalently Stabilized Alginate Hydrogels as Functional Cell Scaffold Material

Biopolymers are an attractive class of compounds for being used in biomedical applications as they are widely available from biomass. Their drawback is the lack of mechanical stability and the ability to tune this properly. Covalent chemical cross‐linking is an often used approach but it limits usability due to legislation as well as the need of advanced and specialized knowledge by end users such as clinicians. Here, increased and tunable mechanical properties are achieved of alginate‐based hydrogels with non‐covalent approaches using linear polyethyleneimine (LPEI) as a polyelectrolyte rather than only multivalent metal ions (Ca²⁺). Gel stiffness increases with increasing LPEI content. Gel morphology changes from a thin fibrous mesh for alginate‐Ca²⁺ to thicker fibrous networks when LPEI is introduced. The gels are able to efficiently release encapsulated small molecular dyes and the gels are able to host cells. For the cell encapsulation human skin fibroblasts (HSkF) and human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM‐MSC) are used. HSkF can be successfully incorporated without diminished viability while the matrix components and gel preparation method are not compatible with hBM‐MSC. The newly developed alginate‐based system is regarded as a potential candidate for wound dressing materials.