Science and technology in the region: The output of regional science and technology, its strengths and its leading institutions

Summary We operationalize scientific output in a region by means of the number of articles (as in the SciSearch database) per year and technology output by means of the number of patent applications (as in the database of the European Patent Office) per priority year. All informetric analyses were done using the DIALOG online-system. The main research questions are the following: Which scientific and technological fields or topics are most influent within a region and which institutions or companies are mainly publishing articles or holding patents? Do the distributions of regional science and technology fields and of publishing institutions follow the well-known informetric function? Are there - as it is expected - only few fields and few institutions which dominate the region? Is there a connection between the economic power of a region and the regional publication and patent output? Examples studied in detail are seven German regions: Aachen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Köln (Cologne), Leipzig - Halle - Dessau, München (Munich), and Stuttgart. Three different indicators were used, science and technology attraction of a region (number of scientific articles and patents), science and technology intensity (articles and patents per 1,000 inhabitants), and science and technology density (articles and patents per 1 billion EURO gross value added). Top region concerning both attraction and intensity is Munich, concerning density it is Aachen.     

The Effect of Mn-rich Precipitates on the Strength of AZ31 Extrudates

The commercial magnesium alloy AZ31 has been subjected to a range of solution treatment regimes. These have then been extruded and their microstructure, texture, and precipitate populations characterized along with their mechanical properties. During the solution treatment, Mn-enriched particles develop and these remain largely unchanged throughout subsequent processing steps. A direct link between grain size and texture has been found, with coarser-grained specimens showing sharper textures. VPSC modeling has been used to quantify the effect of texture on the tensile yield strength, and it has been found that sharper textures have larger tensile yield strengths. Since coarser grain sizes have reduced Hall–Petch hardening, but have an additional texture-strengthening component, a region on the Hall–Petch plot for tension has been identified in which there is an insensitivity of strength to grain size. This has been quantitatively modeled and a texture-modified Hall–Petch plot for tension has been developed. The Mn-rich particles have also been shown to provide precipitate strengthening to the alloy of up to 40 MPa. The compressive behavior was clearer, with the compressive yield strength being directly correlated to grain size and unaffected by texture or precipitation hardening.     

Influence of mesostasis in volcanic rocks on the alkali-aggregate reaction

Mesostasis material present in the interstices of volcanic rocks is the main cause of the alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) in concretes made with these rock aggregates. Mesostasis often is referred to as volcanic glass, because it has amorphous features when analyzed by optical microscopy. However, this study demonstrates that mesostasis in the interstitials of volcanic rocks most often consists of micro to cryptocrystalline mineral phases of quartz, feldspars, and clays. Mesostasis has been identified as having different characteristics, and, thus, this new characterization calls for a re-evaluation of their influence on the reactivity of the volcanic rocks. The main purpose of this study is to correlate the characteristics of mesostasis with the AAR in mortar bars containing basalts and rhyolites.     

Isopentenol Utilization Pathway for the Production of Linalool in Escherichia coli Using an Improved Bacterial Linalool/Nerolidol Synthase

Linalool is a monoterpenoid used as a fragrance ingredient, and is a promising source for alternative fuels. Synthetic biology offers attractive alternative production methods compared to extraction from natural sources and chemical synthesis. Linalool/nerolidol synthase (bLinS) from Streptomyces clavuligerus is a bifunctional enzyme, producing linalool as well as the sesquiterpenoid nerolidol when expressed in engineered Escherichia coli harbouring a precursor terpenoid pathway such as the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. Here we identified two residues important for substrate selection by bLinS, L72 and V214, where the introduction of bulkier residues results in variants with reduced nerolidol formation. Terpenoid production using canonical precursor pathways is usually limited by numerous and highly regulated enzymatic steps. Here we compared the canonical MVA pathway to the non-canonical isopentenol utilization (IU) pathway to produce linalool using the optimised bLinS variant. The IU pathway uses isoprenol and prenol to produce linalool in only five steps. Adjusting substrate, plasmid system, inducer concentration, and cell strain directs the flux towards monoterpenoids. Our integrated approach, combining enzyme engineering with flux control using the artificial IU pathway, resulted in high purity production of the commercially attractive monoterpenoid linalool, and will guide future efforts towards efficient optimisation of terpenoid production in engineered microbes.     

Space mapping-focused control techniques for particle dispersions in fluids

We present and investigate techniques for optimizing particle dispersions in all kinds of Reynolds number flows. In particular, we show the range of application, power and efficiency of space mapping approaches that are based on a hierarchy of models ranging from a complex (fine, accurate, costly) to simple (coarse, rough, cheap) model. Space mapping turns out to be a reasonable approximation to optimal control and a competitive alternative to instantaneous control regarding speed and memory demands when dealing with complex, non-stationary problems. Moreover it allows the easy and efficient treatment of stochastic design problems. To control random particle dynamics in a turbulent flow, we suggest a Monte-Carlo aggressive space mapping algorithm which yields very convincing numerical results.     

Effects of worker size on the dynamics of fire ant tunnel construction

Social insects work together to complete tasks. However, different individuals within a colony may vary in task proficiency. We investigated if fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) worker body size influenced the ability to construct tunnels—a key component of subterranean nests. We monitored excavation by worker groups in a substrate of small wetted glass particles in quasi-two-dimensional arenas. Morphological and network features of the tunnel system were measured. Total tunnel area did not differ significantly between groups of large and small workers, although the tunnel area of control sized workers was significantly larger than that of large workers. Moreover, large workers created wider but shorter tunnels, with slower growth rate of tunnel number. However, edge–vertex scaling and degree distribution of the tunnel network were similar across all treatments. In all cases, the amount of excavated material was correlated with the number of active workers. Our study reveals that morphological features of excavated tunnels show modest variation when constructed by workers of varying sizes, but topological features associated with the tunnel network are conserved. These results suggest that important behavioural aspects of tunnel construction—and thus nest building—are similar among morphologically distinct members of fire ant societies.     

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying TDP-43 Pathology in Cellular and Animal Models of ALS and FTLD

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are neurodegenerative disorders that exist on a disease spectrum due to pathological, clinical and genetic overlap. In up to 97% of ALS cases and ~50% of FTLD cases, the primary pathological protein observed in affected tissues is TDP-43, which is hyperphosphorylated, ubiquitinated and cleaved. The TDP-43 is observed in aggregates that are abnormally located in the cytoplasm. The pathogenicity of TDP-43 cytoplasmic aggregates may be linked with both a loss of nuclear function and a gain of toxic functions. The cellular processes involved in ALS and FTLD disease pathogenesis include changes to RNA splicing, abnormal stress granules, mitochondrial dysfunction, impairments to axonal transport and autophagy, abnormal neuromuscular junctions, endoplasmic reticulum stress and the subsequent induction of the unfolded protein response. Here, we review and discuss the evidence for alterations to these processes that have been reported in cellular and animal models of TDP-43 proteinopathy.     

Separation and quantification of olefins and diolefins in cracked petroleum fractions using silver-ion high performance liquid chromatography

A method using normal phase high performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of olefins and diolefins in cracked petroleum samples is proposed and validated in this work. A silver-impregnated silica column is used to separate olefin and diolefin species, resulting in accurate quantification of both group-types. Separations are completed using an isocratic hexane mobile phase, with no sample clean up or backflushing required. Results from the analysis of 11 model compounds are shown, as well as quantification data for four representative samples; figures of merit are also described.