Modeling short-term synaptic depression in silicon

We describe a model of short-term synaptic depression that is derived from a circuit implementation. The dynamics of this circuit model is similar to the dynamics of some theoretical models of short-term depression except that the recovery dynamics of the variable describing the depression is nonlinear and it also depends on the presynaptic frequency. The equations describing the steady-state and transient responses of this synaptic model are compared to the experimental results obtained from a fabricated silicon network consisting of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons and different types of short-term dynamic synapses. We also show experimental data demonstrating the possible computational roles of depression. One possible role of a depressing synapse is that the input can quickly bring the neuron up to threshold when the membrane potential is close to the resting potential.     

Kryptographie: Von der Geheimwissenschaft zur alltäglichen Nutzanwendung (VI) — Zweck und grundlegende Funktionsweise von Public-Key-Infrastrukturen

Zusammenfassung  Nachdem wir im letzten Artikel die Funktionen einer digitalen Signatur kennen gelernt und den Bedarf an kryptographischen Prüfsummen und Zertifikaten erl?utert haben, wollen wir diesmal auf die Infrastrukturen zur Verwaltung von Schlüsseln bzw. Zertifikaten eingehen: die so genannten Public-Key-Infrastrukturen (PKI). Prof. Dr. Norbert Pohlmann ist Gesch?ftsführender Direktor des Instituts für Internet-Sicherheit der Fachhochschule Gelsenkirchen. Malte Hesse ist Mitarbeiter am Institut für Internet-Sicherheit der Fachhochschule Gelsenkirchen.     

FlipCut Supertrees: Towards Matrix Representation Accuracy in Polynomial Time

In computational phylogenetics, supertree methods provide a way to reconstruct larger clades of the Tree of Life. The supertree problem can be formalized in different ways, to cope with contradictory information in the input. In particular, there exist methods based on encoding the input trees in a matrix, and methods based on finding minimum cuts in some graph. Matrix representation methods compute supertrees of superior quality, but the underlying optimization problems are computationally hard. In contrast, graph-based methods have polynomial running time, but supertrees are inferior in quality. In this paper, we present a novel approach for the computation of supertrees called FlipCut supertree. Our method combines the computation of minimum cuts from graph-based methods with a matrix representation method, namely Minimum Flip Supertrees. Here, the input trees are encoded in a 0/1/?-matrix. We present a heuristic to search for a minimum set of 0/1-flips such that the resulting matrix admits a directed perfect phylogeny. We then extend our approach by using edge weights to weight the columns of the 0/1/?-matrix. In our evaluation, we show that our method is extremely swift in practice, and orders of magnitude faster than the runner up. Concerning supertree quality, our method is sometimes on par with the “gold standard” Matrix Representation with Parsimony.     

Electric field–temperature phase diagram of sodium bismuth titanate-based relaxor ferroelectrics

The electric field–temperature phase diagrams of three bismuth sodium titanate-based relaxor ferroelectrics are reported, namely 0.94(Na_1/2Bi_1/2TiO₃)–0.06(BaTiO₃), 0.80(Na_1/2Bi_1/2TiO₃)–0.20(K_1/2Bi_1/2TiO₃) and 0.75(Na_1/2Bi_1/2TiO₃)–0.25(SrTiO₃). Relaxor behavior is demonstrated by temperature-dependent dielectric permittivity measurements in the unpoled and poled states, as well as by the field-induced phase transition into a ferroelectric phase from the relaxor phase. From temperature-dependent thermometry measurements, we identified the threshold electric field to induce the ferroelectric phase and obtained the released latent heat of the phase transition. We determined the nonergodic and ergodic relaxor phase temperature range based on the absence or presence of reversibility of the relaxor to ferroelectric transition. For all three compositions, the electric field–temperature phase diagram was constructed and a critical point was identified. The constructed electric field–temperature phase diagrams are useful to find optimum operational ranges of ferroelectrics and relaxors for electromechanical and electrocaloric applications.     

Vergleichende Analyse der thermischen Beanspruchungs intensitäten bei normativen Raumbrandversuchen

International existieren verschiedene genormte Raumbrandprüfungen, in welchen das Brandverhalten von Wand‐ und Deckenprodukten unter realitätsnahen Einbaubedingungen untersucht wird. Die Prüfmethoden unterscheiden sich zum Teil erheblich hinsichtlich der Raumgeometrie, der Ventilationsöffnungen bzw. ‐verhältnisse sowie der Art und Leistung der verwendeten Zündquellen. Auf der Basis von Brandsimulationsrechnungen mit dem CFD‐Code FDS wurde die Intensität der resultierenden thermischen Produktbeanspruchung für ausgewählte Prüfräume vergleichend analysiert. Die Simulationsergebnisse zeigen, dass zwischen den betrachteten Methoden deutliche Unterschiede bestehen, die zu inkonsistenten Produktbeurteilungen führen können. Comparative analysis of thermal exposure conditions in standard room fire tests. Various standards exist worldwide that describe room fire tests for determining the reaction to fire behaviour of wall and ceiling products under end‐use conditions. The test methods differ with respect to the room geometry, the ventilation conditions and the type and heat output of the ignition source. Numerical simulations were performed using the CFD code FDS to comparatively analyse the resulting thermal exposure conditions for selected test rooms. The simulation results exhibit considerable differences between the analysed test methods, which may lead to inconsistent product assessments.     

Cardiac- versus diaphragm-based respiratory navigation for proton spectroscopy of the heart

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - To study inter-individual differences of the relation between diaphragm and heart motion, the objective of the present study was to...     

Reconstitution of Monocyte Subsets and PD-L1 Expression but Not T Cell PD-1 Expression in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients upon PAP Therapy

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by nocturnal breathing intermissions resulting in oxidative stress and eventually, a low-grade systemic inflammation. The study aimed to investigate the impact of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy on the inflammatory milieu as measured by monocyte and T cell phenotypic alterations. Participants were assessed for their OSA severity before PAP therapy and about six months later, including patient-reported outcome and therapy usage by telemetry readout. The distributions of the CD14/CD16-characterized monocyte subsets as well as the CD4/CD8-characterized effector T cell subsets with regard to their PD-1 and PD-L1 expression were analyzed by flow cytometry from blood samples. Data of 25 patients revealed a significant reconstitution of the monocyte subset distribution and a decrease in PD-L1 expression on pan-monocytes and CD8⁺ T cells without an association to initial AHI and overweight. The PD-1 expression was still increased on T cell subsets, especially on CD4⁺ TH17/22 cells. We conclude that PAP therapy might have a rapid effect on the monocyte phenotype and overall PD-L1 expression levels. However, T cell immune alterations especially on TH17/22 cells persist longer, indicating an ongoing disturbance of the adaptive immune system.     

Polyhydroxyalkanoates: Recent Advances in Their Synthesis and Applications

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are microbial biopolymers (polyesters) that have a wide range of functions and applications. They serve in nature mainly as carbon and energy storage materials for a variety of microorganisms. In past decades, their utilization has attracted much attention, from commodities and degradable plastics to specialty performance materials in medicine. PHA biosynthesis has been well understood, and it is now possible to design bacterial strands to produce PHAs with desired properties. The substrates for the fermentative production of PHAs are very manifold: some are derived from food‐based carbon sources (e.g., fats and oils (triglycerids)), thus raising concerns with regard to the sustainability of their productions in terms of crop area and food. In addition, hemicellulose hydrolysates, crude glycerol, and methanol are very promising carbon sources for the sustainable production of PHAs. The integration of PHA production within a modern biorefinery is an important issue and can result in a simultaneous production of biofuels and bioplastics. Furthermore, many chemical‐synthetic procedures by means of efficient catalysts can give access to a variety of PHAs. This article summarizes recent developments in these fields and emphasizes the importance of a sustainable PHA‐based industry. Practical Applications: Practical applications of the microbial polyesters PHAs are, for example, a variety of sustainably produced commodities as well as special applications in (bio)medicine, for example, tissue engineering.     

New opportunities and challenges in surveying underground cavities using photogrammetric methods

The exploitation of the underground is currently undergoing a major transformation process. Besides mining, alternative ways of utilization are playing an increasingly important role. These alternative utilizations include the storage of gases, the disposal of radioactive wastes, and the implementation of geothermal storage facilities. In addition, more and more mining operations are being shut down, like the German hard coal mining industry in 2018. But the integrity of closed mines must be ensured in the post-mining phase. In order to capture such large and complex structures efficiently and reliably,new surveying techniques are required. A promising approach is the use of photogrammetric methods to generate three-dimensional models of the cavity. Photogrammetry is currently known mainly from aerial photography. It is conceivable to use such methods for underground applications. In recent years,significant progress has been made in the algorithm-based orientation of unstructured image sets. More powerful computer systems and the growing range of unmanned aerial vehicles could enable partially automated capture. However, a number of problems have to be solved for underground imaging techniques. Unfavorable exposure conditions complicate image alignment. Furthermore, the models must be integrated into existing surveying systems with a sufficiently high degree of accuracy. In order to consider the numerous technical aspects, the development of an integrated capture and evaluation approach is necessary. This could make an important contribution to the monitoring of critical cavities of different commodities. Such an approach would also fit into the current digitization trend in the mining industry and provide new opportunities for ground control in particular.