Ranking robustness and its application to evacuation planning

We present a new approach to handle uncertain combinatorial optimization problems that uses solution ranking procedures to determine the degree of robustness of a solution. Unlike classic concepts for robust optimization, our approach is not purely based on absolute quantitative performance, but also includes qualitative aspects that are of major importance for the decision maker.We discuss the two variants, solution ranking and objective ranking robustness, in more detail, presenting problem complexities and solution approaches. Using an uncertain shortest path problem as a computational example, the potential of our approach is demonstrated in the context of evacuation planning due to river flooding.     

Preparative isolation of mono-, di- and tripurine nucleotides from hydrolysates of depyrimidinated herring sperm DNA

The purine nucleotides pdAp, pdGp, (dA)2, (dA-dG), (dG-dA), (dG)2, (dA)3, (dA-dG-dA), (dA-dA-dG), (dG-dA-dA), (dG-dA-dG) and known mixtures of purine nucleotide sequence isomers were separated by preparative scale chromatography of partial hydrolysates of depyrimidinated herring sperm DNA. Herring sperm DNA is first partially hydrolysed to a mixture of purine nucleotides. The low-molecular-weight oligonucleotides are then separated by column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose at pH 7.5, and fractionated by chromatography on QAE-Sephadex. Impurities which are not fully removed by column chromatography are separated by paper chromatography. The sequence of the isolated DNA fragments and the composition of the mixtures of sequence isomers were determined from the chromatographic data, absorption characteristics and by enzymatic degradation.     

Rheological behaviour of nano-composites based on polyamide 6 under shear and elongational flow at high strain rates

In this work, the rheological behaviour of high molecular mass polyamide 6 (PA6)/organo-montmorillonite nano-composites, obtained via melt blending, was investigated under shear and extensional flow. Capillary rheometry was used for the measurement of high shear rate steady state shear viscosity and die entrance pressure losses; further, by the application of a converging flow method (Cogswell model) to these experimental results, elongational viscosity data were indirectly calculated. The extensional behaviour was directly investigated by means of melt spinning experiments, and data of apparent elongational viscosity were determined. The results evidenced that the presence of the organo-clay in filled PA6 melts modifies the rheological behaviour of the material, with respect to the unfilled polymer, in dependence on the type of flow experienced by the fluid. In shear flow, the nano-composites showed a slightly lower viscosity than neat PA6, whereas in elongation, they appeared much more viscous, in dependence on the organo-clay content.     

Density Distribution of Plasma Species in a Hollow Cathode Arc Discharge for Coating Application

The plasma of a hollow cathode arc discharge (argon/titanium) was studied by emission spectro-scopy and probe measurements. The behavior of the relative particle concentrations of the different heavy plasma components as well as the concentration and temperature of the electrons was determined as function of the vertical distance from the anode crucible. Abel-inverted radial distributions of the relative level populations for TiI (neutral titanium), TiII (singly ionized titanium), Ar I and ArII are presented. Further measurements characterize the influence of the discharge current on the relative level population.     

Zur Diagnostik der Ionenkomponente im Plasma der äußeren positiven Säule einer stromstarken,unmagnetisierten Argon-Hohlkatodenbogenentladung

This paper reviews two measuring methods of the ions and their results in low pressure plasmas, if spectroscopical methods are not applicable to this situation. The behaviour of ions in the positive column of a high current argon hollow cathode arc was studied in dependence of various plasma parameters with the help of a gridded probe and a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The obtained results were analysed with simple theoretical models and measured electron distribution functions.     

Structure‐Making Effects of Metal Nanoparticles in Amyloid Peptide Fibrillation

There is growing concern that nanoparticles (NPs) may accelerate amyloid protein aggregation and thus cause amyloid‐related diseases. Here, the potential of silver and gold NPs is explored (diameter 20 nm) on the aggregation of the amyloid peptide sequences NNFGAIL from human islet amyloid polypeptide and the yeast prion protein sequence GNNQQNY, which are both the sequences of the full systems, which are able to aggregate into characteristic amyloid cross‐beta sheet fibrillar structures. Here, it is shown that silver and gold NPs in physiological aqueous solution at ambient temperatures accelerate the aggregation kinetics of both peptides significantly (in vitro). Scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction provide solid evidence for a “structure‐making” effect of the NPs. In particular, we are able to image the initial peptide corona and measure its structural reorganization in time‐resolved kinetic experiments. After a conversion time Δt, the coated NPs appear to act as templates or seeds for rapid fibrillation. Interestingly, cross‐fibrillation experiments with different peptide‐coated NPs (pcNPs) reveal that they can efficiently induce aggregation of similar peptides once the pcNPs are structurally converted. It is discussed that these structurally converted pcNPs may display similar kinetic features as toxic and aggregation inducing oligomers/protofibrils in normal amyloid aggregation, without being transient and very low‐concentration species. Finally, we suggest and discuss a simple mechanistic picture with the biomolecule corona of NPs being central to the function of the coated NPs in amyloid fibrillation.     

Self-complementary recognition of supramolecular urea-aminotriazines in solution and on surfaces

The recognition of self-complementary quadruple urea-aminotriazine (UAT)-based hydrogen-bonded arrays was investigated in solution and at surfaces. For this purpose, an UAT-based donor-acceptor-donor-acceptor (DADA) array and complementary receptors were synthesized. Two-dimensional proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) measurements in CDCl(3) pointed at an intramolecular hydrogen-bond stabilization of the UAT, which promotes a planar molecular geometry and, thereby, results in a significant stabilization of the dimeric complex. The bond strength of the UAT dimers at surfaces was determined by atomic force microscopy-based single molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS) in hexadecane. The UAT receptor was immobilized on gold surfaces using an ultrathin layer of ethylene glycol terminated lipoic acid and isocyanate chemistry. The layers obtained and the reversible self-complementary recognition were thoroughly characterized with contact angle measurements, grazing angle Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and AFM. Loading rate-dependent SMFS measurements yielded a barrier width x(β) and a bond lifetime at zero force t(off)(0) of 0.29 ± 0.02 nm and 100 ± 80 ms, respectively. The value of the corresponding off-rate constant k(off) suggests a substantially larger value of the dimerization constant compared to theoretical predictions, which is fully in line with the additional intramolecular hydrogen-bond stabilization detected in solution by (1)H NMR spectroscopy.     

Numerical methods for the modeling of the magnetization vector in multiferroic heterostructures

Multiferroic heterostructures are commonly used to obtain electro-magnetic coupling effects. Thereby, the ferroelectric layer is used to control the magnetization in the ferromagnetic layer. The coupling between the layers is obtained by the mechanical coupling between the layers, which have well-defined interfaces. Within this contribution we use phase field models to define the polarization and magnetization in the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic layers, respectively. A coupling between polarization/magnetization and strains in each layer in combination with coherent deformations at the interface yields an electromagnetic coupling within the entire heterostructure. Numerical formulations for the interpolation of the polarization vector are well-defined in the literature. However, the establishment of a consistent numerical formulation for the ferromagnetic layer, where the length of the magnetization vector has to be constant, remains a difficult task. We propose a new numerical approach for the consistent treatment of the ferromagnetic layer and provide numerical simulations which illustrate the electromagnetic coupling effect. (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)