Scheduling a Proportionate Flow Shop of Batching Machines

In this paper we study a proportionate flow shop of batching machines with release dates and a fixed number $m \geq 2$ of machines. The scheduling problem has so far barely received any attention in the literature, but recently its importance has increased significantly, due to applications in the industrial scaling of modern bio-medicine production processes. We show that for any fixed number of machines, the makespan and the sum of completion times can be minimized in polynomial time. Furthermore, we show that the obtained algorithm can also be used to minimize the weighted total completion time, maximum lateness, total tardiness and (weighted) number of late jobs in polynomial time if all release dates are $0$. Previously, polynomial time algorithms have only been known for two machines.Comment: Version 2: replace initial preprint with authors' accepted manuscrip

A Missense Mutation in the Collagen Triple Helix of EDA Is Associated with X-Linked Recessive Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia in Fleckvieh Cattle.

Mutations within the ectodysplasin A (EDA) gene have been associated with congenital hypotrichosis and anodontia (HAD/XHED) in humans, mice, dogs and cattle. We identified a three-generation family of Fleckvieh cattle with male calves exhibiting clinical and histopathological signs consistent with an X-linked recessive HAD (XHED). Whole genome and Sanger sequencing of cDNA showed a perfect association of the missense mutation g.85716041G>A (ss2019497443, rs1114816375) within the EDA gene with all three cases following an X-linked recessive inheritance, but normal EDAR and EDARADD. This mutation causes an exchange of glycine (G) with arginine (R) at amino acid position 227 (p.227G>R) in the second collagen triple helix repeat domain of EDA. The EDA variant was associated with a significant reduction and underdevelopment of hair follicles along with a reduced outgrowth of hairs, a complete loss of seromucous nasolabial and mucous tracheal and bronchial glands and a malformation of and reduction in number of teeth. Thermostability of EDA G227R was reduced, consistent with a relatively mild hair and tooth phenotype. However, incisors and canines were more severely affected in one of the calves, which correlated with the presence of a homozygous missense mutation of RNF111 (g.51306765T>G), a putative candidate gene possibly associated with tooth number in EDA-deficient Fleckvieh calves

A spinorial energy functional: critical points and gradient flow

On the universal bundle of unit spinors we study a natural energy functional whose critical points, if dim M \geq 3, are precisely the pairs (g, {\phi}) consisting of a Ricci-flat Riemannian metric g together with a parallel g-spinor {\phi}. We investigate the basic properties of this functional and study its negative gradient flow, the so-called spinor flow. In particular, we prove short-time existence and uniqueness for this flow.Comment: Small changes, final versio

Submillimeter galaxies behind the Bullet Cluster (1E 0657-56)

Clusters of galaxies are effective gravitational lenses able to magnify background galaxies and making it possible to probe the fainter part of the galaxy population. Submillimeter galaxies, which are believed to be star-forming galaxies at typical redshifts of 2 to 3, are a major contaminant to the extended Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) signal of galaxy clusters. For a proper quantification of the SZ signal the contribution of submillimeter galaxies needs to be quantified. The aims of this study are to identify submillimeter sources in the field of the Bullet Cluster (1E 0657-56), a massive cluster of galaxies at z~0.3, measure their flux densities at 870 micron, and search for counterparts at other wavelengths to constrain their properties. We carried out deep observations of the submillimeter continuum emission at 870 micron using the Large APEX BOlometer CAmera (LABOCA) on the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) telescope. Several numerical techniques were used to quantify the noise properties of the data and extract sources. In total, seventeen sources were found. Thirteen of them lie in the central 10 arcminutes of the map, which has a pixel sensitivity of 1.2 mJy per 22 arcsec beam. After correction for flux boosting and gravitational lensing, the number counts are consistent with published submm measurements. Nine of the sources have infrared counterparts in Spitzer maps. The strongest submm detection coincides with a source previously reported at other wavelengths, at an estimated redshift z~2.7. If the submm flux arises from two images of a galaxy magnified by a total factor of 75, as models have suggested, its intrinsic flux would be around 0.6 mJy, consistent with an intrinsic luminosity below 10^12 L_sun.Comment: Accepted by A&A, 15 pages, 11 figure

Generation of Continuous Variable Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement via the Kerr Nonlinearity in an Optical Fibre

We report on the generation of a continuous variable Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement using an optical fibre interferometer. The Kerr nonlinearity in the fibre is exploited for the generation of two independent squeezed beams. These interfere at a beam splitter and EPR entanglement is obtained between the output beams. The correlation of the amplitude (phase) quadratures are measured to be 4.0+-0.2 (4.0+-0.4) dB below the quantum noise limit. The sum criterion for these squeezing variances 0.80+-0.03 < 2 verifies the nonseparability of the state. The product of the inferred uncertainties for one beam 0.64+-0.08 is well below the EPR limit of unity.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. Let

Physical properties of z>4 submillimeter galaxies in the COSMOS field

We study the physical properties of a sample of 6 SMGs in the COSMOS field, spectroscopically confirmed to lie at z>4. We use new GMRT 325 MHz and 3 GHz JVLA data to probe the rest-frame 1.4 GHz emission at z=4, and to estimate the sizes of the star-forming (SF) regions of these sources, resp. Combining our size estimates with those available in the literature for AzTEC1 and AzTEC3 we infer a median radio-emitting size for our z>4 SMGs of (0.63"+/-0.12")x(0.35"+/-0.05") or 4.1x2.3 kpc^2 (major times minor axis; assuming z=4.5) or lower if we take the two marginally resolved SMGs as unresolved. This is consistent with the sizes of SF regions in lower-redshift SMGs, and local normal galaxies, yet higher than the sizes of SF regions of local ULIRGs. Our SMG sample consists of a fair mix of compact and more clumpy systems with multiple, perhaps merging, components. With an average formation time of ~280 Myr, derived through modeling of the UV-IR SEDs, the studied SMGs are young systems. The average stellar mass, dust temperature, and IR luminosity we derive are M*~1.4x10^11 M_sun, T_dust~43 K, and L_IR~1.3x10^13L_sun, resp. The average L_IR is up to an order of magnitude higher than for SMGs at lower redshifts. Our SMGs follow the correlation between dust temperature and IR luminosity as derived for Herschel-selected 0.1=1.95+/-0.26 for our sample, compared to q~2.6 for IR luminous galaxies at z4 SMGs put them at the high end of the L_IR-T_dust distribution of SMGs, and that our SMGs form a morphologically heterogeneous sample. Thus, further in-depth analyses of large, statistical samples of high-redshift SMGs are needed to fully understand their role in galaxy formation and evolution

Erarbeitung betriebsindividueller Handlungsempfehlungen zur Verbesserung der Euter- und Stoffwechselgesundheit im Rahmen einer interdisziplinären Interventionsstudie

Kernziel des im Rahmen des Bundesprogramms Ökologischer Landbau initiierten Forschungsvorhabens „Gesundheit und Leistungsfähigkeit von Milchkühen im ökologischen Landbau interdisziplinär betrachtet“ (FKZ 07OE012 - 07OE022) ist - neben der Abschätzung des Risikos für Stoffwechselstörungen und Eutererkrankungen - die Entwicklung eines praxistauglichen, präventiv orientierten Tiergesundheitsmanagements für die Praxis der ökologischen Milchviehhaltung. Basierend auf einer Interventionsstudie auf 106 repräsentativ ausgewählten Milchviehbetrieben soll dieses Managementkonzept in einer zweijährigen Praxisphase validiert und auf seine Praxistauglichkeit überprüft werden. Als Grundlage für die Identifikation einzelbetrieblicher Interventionsmaßnahmen dienen zentrale Indikatoren der Euter- und Stoffwechselgesundheit, deren Abgleich mit im Vorfeld definierten Zielgrößen sowie Informationen zur Haltungsumwelt und zum Herdenmanagement. Das entwickelte Konzept soll eine einzelbetriebliche Einschätzung des Gesundheitsstatus der Milchviehherde bezüglich der Euter- und Stoffwechselgesundheit ermöglichen, auf deren Basis Handlungsempfehlungen zur nachhaltigen Verbesserung der Milchviehgesundheit abgeleitet werden können. Die Projektbetriebe setzten zwei Drittel der empfohlenen Maßnahmen um; eine abschließende Effektivitätskontrolle in Bezug auf die Verbesserung der Euter- und Stoffwechselgesundheit auf den Betrieben auf Basis der Daten des letzten Projektjahres steht noch aus

Process Development for a High-throughput Fine Line Metallization Approach Based on Dispensing Technology

AbstractIn order to enhance prosperous dispensing technology towards an industrial application, besides a continuous process development, especially throughput rate has to be increased. In this study, paste rheology of two different dispensing pastes was transferred to CFD-simulation (CFD: Computational Fluid Dynamics) to investigate different nozzle geometries and print head designs. In the following, a single nozzle dispensing setup was used to verify simulative values by comparing them with those obtained from experimental investigations. Consequently, the single nozzle process was scaled to a parallel application, where a homogeneous pressure and flow distribution within the print head turned out to be crucial to achieve a homogeneous mass flow at all nozzles. In various iteration steps, the influence of fabrication tolerances especially concerning the nozzle geometry was isolated and print head designs were optimized based on CFD towards maximum process stability. Based on these results, a novel 10 nozzle fine line dispensing unit was designed and fabricated. Finally, successful cell production with resulting finger widths of less than 35μm could be demonstrated using the novel prototype