Quench Dynamics of Two Coupled Ionic Zig-Zag Chains

We explore the non-equilibrium dynamics of two coupled zig-zag chains of trapped ions in a double well potential. Following a quench of the potential barrier between both wells, the induced coupling between both chains due to the long-range interaction of the ions leads to their complete melting. The resulting dynamics is however not exclusively irregular but leads to phases of motion during which various ordered structures appear with ions arranged in arcs, lines and crosses. We quantify the emerging order by introducing a suitable measure and complement our analysis of the ion dynamics using a normal mode analysis showing a decisive population transfer between only a few distinguished modes

Investigation of the reaction kinetics of photocatalytic pollutant degradation under defined conditions with inkjet-printed TiO2_{2} films – from batch to a novel continuous-flow microreactor

Pollutants accumulating in natural and drinking water systems can cause severe effects to the environment and living organisms. Photocatalysis is a promising option to degrade such pollutants. When immobilizing the photocatalyst, additional catalyst separation steps can be avoided. Among various reactor types, the use of microreactors in photocatalysis has proven advantageous regarding process intensification. However, so far the local conditions are not well understood and described in literature and there is little quantitative understanding of the relevant phenomena. In this work, inkjet-printing was used to immobilize TiO$_{2}$ as a thin film with a precisely tuneable thickness and catalyst loading. In a batch reactor, the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) as a model pollutant was performed for different initial concentrations and catalyst layer thicknesses. By employing the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model and a light irradiation model, the kinetic parameters were determined. The influence of the light intensity at different positions inside the immobilized photocatalyst on the reaction kinetics is quantified. RhB degradation was tested under defined operational conditions using an in-house developed continuous-flow microreactor with advanced fiber optics for precise light introduction. The models derived from batch experiments were used to simulate the degradation in the continuous-flow microreactor. Results show that the simulation allows prediction of the performance with less than 20% deviation to the experimental data. An analysis of mass transport effects on the reaction rate indicates that external mass transfer is a limiting factor in the microreactor experiment. This study further demonstrates the potential of the new reactor system (microreactor, fiber optics and printed catalyst) for detailed investigations on photocatalytic reaction kinetics

Investigation of the reaction kinetics of photocatalytic pollutant degradation under defined conditions with inkjet-printed TiO2_{2} films – from batch to a novel continuous-flow microreactor

Pollutants accumulating in natural and drinking water systems can cause severe effects to the environment and living organisms. Photocatalysis is a promising option to degrade such pollutants. When immobilizing the photocatalyst, additional catalyst separation steps can be avoided. Among various reactor types, the use of microreactors in photocatalysis has proven advantageous regarding process intensification. However, so far the local conditions are not well understood and described in literature and there is little quantitative understanding of the relevant phenomena. In this work, inkjet-printing was used to immobilize TiO$_{2}$ as a thin film with a precisely tuneable thickness and catalyst loading. In a batch reactor, the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) as a model pollutant was performed for different initial concentrations and catalyst layer thicknesses. By employing the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model and a light irradiation model, the kinetic parameters were determined. The influence of the light intensity at different positions inside the immobilized photocatalyst on the reaction kinetics is quantified. RhB degradation was tested under defined operational conditions using an in-house developed continuous-flow microreactor with advanced fiber optics for precise light introduction. The models derived from batch experiments were used to simulate the degradation in the continuous-flow microreactor. Results show that the simulation allows prediction of the performance with less than 20% deviation to the experimental data. An analysis of mass transport effects on the reaction rate indicates that external mass transfer is a limiting factor in the microreactor experiment. This study further demonstrates the potential of the new reactor system (microreactor, fiber optics and printed catalyst) for detailed investigations on photocatalytic reaction kinetics

Speaker- and Text-Independent Estimation of Articulatory Movements and Phoneme Alignments from Speech

This paper introduces a novel combination of two tasks, previously treated separately: acoustic-to-articulatory speech inversion (AAI) and phoneme-to-articulatory (PTA) motion estimation. We refer to this joint task as acoustic phoneme-to-articulatory speech inversion (APTAI) and explore two different approaches, both working speaker- and text-independently during inference. We use a multi-task learning setup, with the end-to-end goal of taking raw speech as input and estimating the corresponding articulatory movements, phoneme sequence, and phoneme alignment. While both proposed approaches share these same requirements, they differ in their way of achieving phoneme-related predictions: one is based on frame classification, the other on a two-staged training procedure and forced alignment. We reach competitive performance of 0.73 mean correlation for the AAI task and achieve up to approximately 87% frame overlap compared to a state-of-the-art text-dependent phoneme force aligner.to be published in Interspeech 2024 proceeding

S2k guideline basal cell carcinoma of the skin (update 2023)

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor in the fair-skinned population and its incidence continues to rise. An update of the S2k guideline with the participation of all specialist societies familiar with the clinical picture and previous literature research is of great importance for the quality of care for affected patients. In addition to epidemiology, diagnostics and histology are discussed. After risk stratification, therapy is divided into topical, systemic and radiation therapy. Surgical removal remains the treatment of first choice in most cases. The approval of anti-PD1 inhibitors for locally advanced and metastatic tumors has opened up a new option in second-line therapy (after hedgehog inhibitors)

Taxonomy of prokaryotic viruses : 2018-2019 update from the ICTV Bacterial and Archaeal Viruses Subcommittee

This article is a summary of the activities of the ICTV's Bacterial and Archaeal Viruses Subcommittee for the years 2018 and 2019. Highlights include the creation of a new order, 10 families, 22 subfamilies, 424 genera and 964 species. Some of our concerns about the ICTV's ability to adjust to and incorporate new DNA- and protein-based taxonomic tools are discussed.Peer reviewe

Mapping the Environmental Fitness Landscape of a Synthetic Gene Circuit

Gene expression actualizes the organismal phenotypes encoded within the genome in an environment-dependent manner. Among all encoded phenotypes, cell population growth rate (fitness) is perhaps the most important, since it determines how well-adapted a genotype is in various environments. Traditional biological measurement techniques have revealed the connection between the environment and fitness based on the gene expression mean. Yet, recently it became clear that cells with identical genomes exposed to the same environment can differ dramatically from the population average in their gene expression and division rate (individual fitness). For cell populations with bimodal gene expression, this difference is particularly pronounced, and may involve stochastic transitions between two cellular states that form distinct sub-populations. Currently it remains unclear how a cell population's growth rate and its subpopulation fractions emerge from the molecular-level kinetics of gene networks and the division rates of single cells. To address this question we developed and quantitatively characterized an inducible, bistable synthetic gene circuit controlling the expression of a bifunctional antibiotic resistance gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Following fitness and fluorescence measurements in two distinct environments (inducer alone and antibiotic alone), we applied a computational approach to predict cell population fitness and subpopulation fractions in the combination of these environments based on stochastic cellular movement in gene expression space and fitness space. We found that knowing the fitness and nongenetic (cellular) memory associated with specific gene expression states were necessary for predicting the overall fitness of cell populations in combined environments. We validated these predictions experimentally and identified environmental conditions that defined a “sweet spot” of drug resistance. These findings may provide a roadmap for connecting the molecular-level kinetics of gene networks to cell population fitness in well-defined environments, and may have important implications for phenotypic variability of drug resistance in natural settings

Towards long-term standardised carbon and greenhouse gas observations for monitoring Europe's terrestrial ecosystems : a review

Research infrastructures play a key role in launching a new generation of integrated long-term, geographically distributed observation programmes designed to monitor climate change, better understand its impacts on global ecosystems, and evaluate possible mitigation and adaptation strategies. The pan-European Integrated Carbon Observation System combines carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG; CO2, CH4, N2O, H2O) observations within the atmosphere, terrestrial ecosystems and oceans. High-precision measurements are obtained using standardised methodologies, are centrally processed and openly available in a traceable and verifiable fashion in combination with detailed metadata. The Integrated Carbon Observation System ecosystem station network aims to sample climate and land-cover variability across Europe. In addition to GHG flux measurements, a large set of complementary data (including management practices, vegetation and soil characteristics) is collected to support the interpretation, spatial upscaling and modelling of observed ecosystem carbon and GHG dynamics. The applied sampling design was developed and formulated in protocols by the scientific community, representing a trade-off between an ideal dataset and practical feasibility. The use of open-access, high-quality and multi-level data products by different user communities is crucial for the Integrated Carbon Observation System in order to achieve its scientific potential and societal value.Peer reviewe

Nichtgleichgewichtsdynamik von Coulomb-Kristallen in Doppeltopffallen

In the present work a system of two Coulomb crystals confined in a double well potential, with a crystal in each well, is investigated. Coulomb crystals are stable equilibrium configurations of ions in an external potential. The configurations differ, depending on the potential parameters, the number and the species of ions. In the often used anisotropic harmonic potential one can observe e.g. linear chains (one dimensional), zig-zag chains (two dimensional) circle configuration (two dimensional) or ions arranged in shells (three dimensional). By changing the potential parameters the configurations merge into each other. The main example for the discussion in this work will be the zig-zag configuration This system is often used to study basic principles such as the Landau theory [1] or Kibble-Zurek mechanism [2]. By displacing an ion at the outer end of one of the zig-zag chains, one can observe different kind of waves propagating through the crystal, which are partially reflected at the potential barrier between the wells, but are transmitted into the second crystal via the long-range Coulomb interaction as well. In the system of two equal-sized zig-zag chains of trapped ions in a double well potential, a quench in the barrier height induces a complex pattern of non-equilibrium dynamics. For the chosen parameter regime a complete loss of spatial order in the radial direction can be observed, although the axial arrangement of the ions remains unchanged. The dynamics in the crystals, however, are not exclusively irregular. In the course of the dynamics some ions arrange in ordered structures such as bows, lines or crosses. This ordered structures alternate with disordered phases. A quench of the barrier height in a system of Coulomb crystals with different sizes can induce additional transfers of ions over the barrier. Depending on the amplitude of the quench ions travel over the barrier. For four different crystal structures, linear chain, zig-zag chain, ring and shell configuration, the ion dynamics and the ion transfer is investigated as a function of the amplitude of the quench. [1] L. D. Landau and E. Lifshitz, Statistical physics, Part 1, 2nd rev.-enlarg. ed. (Pergamon International Library of Science, Technology, Engineering, Social Studies, Oxford: Pergamon Press, and Reading: Addison-Wesley, 1969). [2] K. Pyka, J. Keller, H. L. Partner, R. Nigmatullin, T. Burgermeister, D. M. Meier, K. Kuhlmann, A. Retzker, M. B. Plenio, W. H. Zurek, A. del Campo, and T. E. Mehlstäubler, Nat. Commun. 4, 2291 (2013).In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein System aus zwei Coulomb-Kristallen in einem Doppeltopfpotential untersucht. Coulomb Kristalle sind stabile Gleichgewichtskonfigurationen von Ionen in einem externen Potential. Abhängig von den Potentialparametern, der Anzahl und der Art der Ionen ergeben sich unterschiedliche Kristallstrukturen. Im häufig verwendeten harmonischen Potential sind dies vorallem die lineare Kette (eindimensional), die zig-zag-Kette (zweidimensional), die Ringkonfiguration (zweidimensional) und die Anordnung der Ionen in Schalen (dreidimensional). Durch Änderung der Potentialparameter können die Strukturen ineinander übergehen. Der Fokus in dieser Arbeit liegt auf der zig-zag Konfiguration im Doppeltopfpotential. In der Forschung wird die zig-zag Kette häufig verwendet um grundlegende Prinzipien wie z.B. die Landau Theorie [1] oder den Kibble-Zurek Mechanismus [2] zu untersuchen. Durch eine Änderung der Position eines endständigen Ions werden Wellen in einem der Coulombkristalle erzeugt. Die entstehende Dynamik im System beider Kristalle wird am Beispiel der zig-zag Konfiguration diskutiert. Die erzeugten Wellen propagieren durch den ersten Kristall, werden an der Potentalbarriere teilweise reflektiert, aber auch durch die langreichweitige Coulomb Wechselwirkung auf den zweiten Kristall übertragen. In der zig-zag-Konfiguration im Doppeltopf mit gleicher Anzahl von Ionen in beiden Töpfen kann durch die Senkung der Barriere eine komplexe Umordnungsdynamik beobachtet werden. In der Richtung mit hoher Fallenfrequenz erfolgt eine komplette Umordnung der Ionen, die Ordnung der Ionen in Richtung entlang der Doppeltopfanordnung bleibt jedoch in dem gewählten Parameterbereich erhalten. Die beobachtete Dynamik in den Kristallen ist nicht ausschließlich irregular. Geordnete Ionenkonfigurationen, wie Bögen, Linien oder Kreuze, wechseln mit ungeordneten Strukturen ab. Eine ungleiche Verteilung der Ionen verursacht durch das Absenken der Barriere eine Umordnung der Ionen in den Kristallen und ermöglicht den Transfer von Ionen. Für vier verschiedene Kristallstrukturen, die lineare und die zig-zag Kette, die Ring- und die Schalenkonfiguration, wird die Abhängigkeit der Transferdynamik von der Barrierenhöhe diskutiert. [1] L. D. Landau and E. Lifshitz, Statistical physics, Part 1, 2nd rev.-enlarg. ed. (Pergamon International Library of Science, Technology, Engineering, Social Studies, Oxford: Pergamon Press, and Reading: Addison-Wesley, 1969). [2] K. Pyka, J. Keller, H. L. Partner, R. Nigmatullin, T. Burgermeister, D. M. Meier, K. Kuhlmann, A. Retzker, M. B. Plenio, W. H. Zurek, A. del Campo, and T. E. Mehlstäubler, Nat. Commun. 4, 2291 (2013)