Degenerate Quantum Gases in Microgravity

Clouds of ultra-cold atoms and especially Bose–Einstein condensates (BEC) provide a source for coherent matter-waves in numerous earth bound experiments. Analogous to optical interferometry, matter-wave interferometers can be used for precision measurements allowing for a sensitivity orders of magnitude above their optical counterparts. However, in some respects the presence of gravitational forces in the lab limits experimental possibilities. In this article, we report about a compact and robust experiment generating Bose–Einstein condensates in the drop tower facility in Bremen, Germany. We also present the progress of building the succeeding experiment in which a two species atom interferometer will be implemented to test the weak equivalence principle with quantum matter.     

SATB1-Mediated Upregulation of the Oncogenic Receptor Tyrosine Kinase HER3 Antagonizes MET Inhibition in Gastric Cancer Cells

MET-amplified gastric cancer cells are extremely sensitive to MET inhibition in vitro, whereas clinical efficacy of MET inhibitors is disappointing. The compensatory activation of other oncogenic growth factor receptors may serve as an underlying mechanism of resistance. In this study, we analyzed the role of HER receptors, in particular HER3 and its ligand heregulin, in this respect. This also included the chromatin-organizer protein SATB1, as an established regulator of HER expression in other tumor entities. In a panel of MET-amplified gastric carcinoma cell lines, cell growth under anchorage-dependent and independent conditions was studied upon inhibitor treatment or siRNA-mediated knockdown. Expression analyses were performed using RT-qPCR, FACS, and immunoblots. Signal transduction was monitored via antibody arrays and immunoblots. As expected, MET inhibition led to a growth arrest and inhibition of MAPK signaling. Strikingly, however, this was accompanied by a rapid and profound upregulation of the oncogenic receptor HER3. This finding was determined as functionally relevant, since HER3 activation by HRG led to partial MET inhibitor resistance, and MAPK/Akt signaling was even found enhanced upon HRG+MET inhibitor treatment compared to HRG alone. SATB1 was identified as mediator of HER3 upregulation. Concomitantly, SATB1 knockdown prevented upregulation of HER3, thus abrogating the HRG-promoted rescue from MET inhibition. Taken together, our results introduce the combined HER3/MET inhibition as strategy to overcome resistance towards MET inhibitors.     

Ergebnisse der RLT‐Filterprüfung nach EN779 im Vergleich zu Messungen an Filtern aus dem Betrieb

Filters used for building general ventilation are tested since more than 20 years, and there is always a heavy discussion about the usability of test data under lab conditions. New is the introduction of a minimum efficiency (EN779; draft). In this study filters are mounted in the ventilation system for 3 and 6 month. Afterwards fractional efficiencies are measured with a DEHS aerosol in a test rig. In addition tests are performed using diesel soot as loading aerosol or isopropanol to reduce the electrostatic charge on the synthetic fibers. The results show a strong influence of the efficiency on the test procedure and very loosely agreement of these results with those using ASHRAE dust.     

Effects of Particle Size and Molecular Weight of Polyethylenimine on Properties of Nanoparticulate Silicon Dispersions

The effect of particle size on the zeta potential and rheology of nanoparticulate SiO₂ dispersions stabilized with the polymer polyethylenimine (PEI) was investigated experimentally. The particle size and molecular weight of the polymer had only a small influence on the amount of PEI needed and the achieved zeta potential of the suspensions. The polymer concentration range within which a stable dispersion could be produced was very narrow for the smallest particle size. Higher-molecular-weight PEI was more suitable to stabilize small particle dispersions. Under optimum conditions, Newtonian flow behavior was achieved for dispersions of 20 nm particles with a solids content as high as 25 vol%.     

Eye tracking as a debriefing tool in upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) for general aviation pilots

Abstract

Upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) is intended to improve the ability of pilots to recognize and avoid situations that can lead to airplane upsets and to improve their ability to recover control of an airplane that has exceeded the normal flight envelope. To this end, a set of different training contents – from theoretical knowledge of aerodynamics and human factors to practice-based flight training – is necessary. In order to support the debriefing with an objective feedback, and because visual scanning is a core competence, two studies on subjective evaluation of aviation pilots – one conducted in a flight simulator and the other one in-flight – focussed on the practical application of eye tracking as a debriefing tool in UPRT. From a practitioner’s perspective, eye tracking appeared to be a useful method in terms of visualising instrument scanning techniques, supporting the instructor with objective debriefing material and fostering self-awareness in human processes. The discussion recommends adjusted UPRT instructor training and further improvements to eye tracking hardware and software.

Practitioner Summary: The article focuses on pilot evaluations of eye tracking as a debriefing tool in UPRT and the identification of critical elements in its use. Eye tracking is a promising debriefing tool for UPRT. The discussion points to desirable improvements of eye tracking hardware and software as well as adjustments to instructor training that are pertinent.     

Single‐Material Graphene Thermocouples

On‐chip temperature sensing on a micro‐ to nanometer scale is becoming more desirable as the complexity of nanodevices keeps increasing and their downscaling continues. The continuation of this trend makes thermal probing and management more and more challenging. This highlights the need for scalable and reliable temperature sensors, which have the potential to be incorporated into current and future device structures. Here, it is shown that U‐shaped graphene stripes consisting of one wide and one narrow leg form a single material thermocouple that can function as a self‐powering temperature sensor. It is found that the graphene thermocouples increase in sensitivity with a decrease in leg width, due to a change in the Seebeck coefficient, which is in agreement with previous findings and report a maximum sensitivity of ΔS ≈ 39 μV K^?1.     

Indirect sampled-data control with sampling period adaptation

It is known that if a continuous-time feedback system is exponentially stable, then the corresponding sampled-data system obtained by sample-hold discretisation with constant sampling period is also exponentially stable, provided that the sampling period τ?>?0 is sufficiently small. In general, it is difficult to estimate how small the sampling period has to be in order to achieve the stability of the sampled-data system. In this article, we present an adaptive mechanism for adjusting the sampling period. This mechanism has the properties that, for every initial state, (i) the adaptation of the sampling period terminates after finitely many time steps and (ii) the state of the adaptive sampled-data system is integrable and converges to zero as time goes to infinity.