Non-volatile leaky integrate-and-fire neurons with domain walls in antiferromagnetic insulators

Despite the rapid development of powerful supercomputers in recent years, the human brain still has some abilities that outperform modern computers which are based on the von Neumann architecture. The human brain is much more energy efficient than state-of-the-art digital computers and can at the same time perform complex tasks such as pattern recognition. The brain-inspired neuromorphic computing paradigm is a promising path towards next generation analogue computers with fundamentally different architecture. The building blocks of the human brain are neurons with leaky integrate-and-fire mechanisms. In this work, using the advantage of antiferromagnetic insulators, we propose a non-volatile spintronic-based neuron. In our proposal, an antiferromagnetic domain wall in the presence of a magnetic anisotropy gradient mimics a biological neuron with leaky and integrative properties. This single neuron is controlled by polarized antiferromagnetic magnons, activated by either a magnetic field pulse or a spin transfer torque mechanism. We propose that this single neuron, based on antiferromagnetic insulators, is faster and more energy efficient than other metallic ferromagnetic-based neurons

Host insulin stimulates Echinococcus multilocularis insulin signalling pathways and larval development.

BACKGROUND The metacestode of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis is the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis, a lethal zoonosis. Infections are initiated through establishment of parasite larvae within the intermediate host's liver, where high concentrations of insulin are present, followed by tumour-like growth of the metacestode in host organs. The molecular mechanisms determining the organ tropism of E. multilocularis or the influences of host hormones on parasite proliferation are poorly understood. RESULTS Using in vitro cultivation systems for parasite larvae we show that physiological concentrations (10 nM) of human insulin significantly stimulate the formation of metacestode larvae from parasite stem cells and promote asexual growth of the metacestode. Addition of human insulin to parasite larvae led to increased glucose uptake and enhanced phosphorylation of Echinococcus insulin signalling components, including an insulin receptor-like kinase, EmIR1, for which we demonstrate predominant expression in the parasite's glycogen storage cells. We also characterized a second insulin receptor family member, EmIR2, and demonstrated interaction of its ligand binding domain with human insulin in the yeast two-hybrid system. Addition of an insulin receptor inhibitor resulted in metacestode killing, prevented metacestode development from parasite stem cells, and impaired the activation of insulin signalling pathways through host insulin. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that host insulin acts as a stimulant for parasite development within the host liver and that E. multilocularis senses the host hormone through an evolutionarily conserved insulin signalling pathway. Hormonal host-parasite cross-communication, facilitated by the relatively close phylogenetic relationship between E. multilocularis and its mammalian hosts, thus appears to be important in the pathology of alveolar echinococcosis. This contributes to a closer understanding of organ tropism and parasite persistence in larval cestode infections. Furthermore, our data show that Echinococcus insulin signalling pathways are promising targets for the development of novel drugs

Komplexe Morphologie in der Architektur der Gegenwart : Morphogenese, Physiognomie, Ästhetik

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Magnonic Proximity Effect in Insulating Ferro- and Antiferromagnetic Trilayers

The design of spin-transport based devices such as magnon transistors or spin valves will require multilayer systems composed of different magnetic materials with different physical properties. Such layered structures can show various interface effects, one class of which being proximity effects, where a certain physical phenomenon that occurs in the one layers leaks into another one. In this work a magnetic proximity effect is studied in trilayers of different ferro- and antiferromagnetic materials within an atomistic spin model. We find the magnetic order in the central layer - with lower critical temperature - enhanced, even for the case of an antiferromagnet surrounded by ferromagnets. We further characterize this proximity effect via the magnon spectra which are specifically altered, especially for the case of the antiferromagnet in the central layer.publishe

A Fact-Based Meta Model for BPMN

Recently, the omg has been working on developing a new standard for a business process management notation (bpmn). This standard development results in documents that contain the newest approved version of a standard or a standard proposal that can be amended. It is our vision that such a standard document, that also serves as a specification for bpmn modeling tool developers could benefit from a fact-based model in which the same domain knowledge is represented conceptually as a list of concept definitions (including naming conventions), a set of information structure diagrams and the constraints or business rules that govern the instances of the information structure diagrams. In this paper we will show precisely, how such a fact-based conceptual view on a standard document can be created, and we will show how a fact-based approach can improve the completeness of a specification.,

Micromagnetic study of spin transport in easy-plane antiferromagnetic insulators

Magnon eigenmodes in easy-plane antiferromagnetic insulators are linearly polarized and are not expected to carry any net spin angular momentum. Motivated by recent nonlocal spin transport experiments in the easy-plane phase of hematite, we perform a series of large-scale micromagnetic simulations in a nonlocal geometry at finite temperatures. We show that by tuning an external magnetic field, we can control the magnon eigenmodes and the polarization of the spin transport signal in these systems. We argue that a coherent beating oscillation between two linearly polarized magnon eigenmodes is the mechanism responsible for finite spin transport in easy-plane antiferromagnetic insulators. The sign of the detected spin signal polarization is also naturally explained by the proposed coherent beating mechanism

Compact and portable quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy sensor for carbon monoxide environmental monitoring in urban areas

We report on the realization, calibration, and test outdoor of a 19-inches rack 3-units sized Quartz Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (QEPAS) trace gas sensor designed for real-time carbon monoxide monitoring in ambient air. Since CO acts as a slow energy relaxer when excited in the mid-infrared spectral region, its QEPAS signal is affected by the presence of relaxation promoters, such as water vapor, or quenchers like molecular oxygen. We analyzed in detail all the CO relaxation processes with typical collisional partners in an ambient air matrix and used this information to evaluate oxygen and humidity-related effects, allowing the real CO con-centration to be retrieved. The sensor was tested outdoor in a trafficked urban area for several hours providing results comparable with the daily averages reported by the local air inspection agency, with spikes in CO con-centration correlated to the passages of heavy-duty vehicles