Mixed topological semimetals driven by orbital complexity in two-dimensional ferromagnets

The concepts of Weyl fermions and topological semimetals emerging in three-dimensional momentum space are extensively explored owing to the vast variety of exotic properties that they give rise to. On the other hand, very little is known about semimetallic states emerging in two-dimensional magnetic materials, which present the foundation for both present and future information technology. Here, we demonstrate that including the magnetization direction into the topological analysis allows for a natural classification of topological semimetallic states that manifest in two-dimensional ferromagnets as a result of the interplay between spin-orbit and exchange interactions. We explore the emergence and stability of such mixed topological semimetals in realistic materials, and point out the perspectives of mixed topological states for current-induced orbital magnetism and current-induced domain wall motion. Our findings pave the way to understanding, engineering and utilizing topological semimetallic states in two-dimensional spin-orbit ferromagnets

Auxiliary CycleGAN-guidance for Task-Aware Domain Translation from Duplex to Monoplex IHC Images

Generative models enable the translation from a source image domain where readily trained models are available to a target domain unseen during training. While Cycle Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are well established, the associated cycle consistency constrain relies on that an invertible mapping exists between the two domains. This is, however, not the case for the translation between images stained with chromogenic monoplex and duplex immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays. Focusing on the translation from the latter to the first, we propose - through the introduction of a novel training design, an alternative constrain leveraging a set of immunofluorescence (IF) images as an auxiliary unpaired image domain. Quantitative and qualitative results on a downstream segmentation task show the benefit of the proposed method in comparison to baseline approaches.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

In-House Marketing of Analytical Information Systems: Development of a Procedure Model

Albeit a given extensive availability of analytical information systems (AIS), acceptance and usage of these systems can be estimated as rather low. In order to increase the awareness level of AIS within corporations, to expand the user base, and to establish AIS as a central, enterprise-wide foundation for decision support, the responsible departments need to address the marketing of their services. This includes e.g. the definition and communication of their service portfolio and the identification and analysis of user groups. In this paper, we develop a procedure model for the in-house marketing of AIS. Theoretically well-grounded in service marketing and relationship marketing and practically substantiated through expert workshop and an empirical investigation, the procedure model offers a structured foundation for in-house marketing initiatives in the context of AIS. The procedure model consists of the four phases (analysis, planing, execution, and control) and twelve particular activities, which allow corrective returns in between the single activities

Mutations in HID1 Cause Syndromic Infantile Encephalopathy and Hypopituitarism.

OBJECTIVE: Precursors of peptide hormones undergo posttranslational modifications within the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Dysfunction of proteins involved at different steps of this process cause several complex syndromes affecting the central nervous system (CNS). We aimed to clarify the genetic cause in a group of patients characterized by hypopituitarism in combination with brain atrophy, thin corpus callosum, severe developmental delay, visual impairment, and epilepsy. METHODS: Whole exome sequencing was performed in seven individuals of six unrelated families with these features. Postmortem histopathological and HID1 expression analysis of brain tissue and pituitary gland were conducted in one patient. Functional consequences of the homozygous HID1 variant p.R433W were investigated by Seahorse XF Assay in fibroblasts of two patients. RESULTS: Bi-allelic variants in the gene HID1 domain-containing protein 1 (HID1) were identified in all patients. Postmortem examination confirmed cerebral atrophy with enlarged lateral ventricles. Markedly reduced expression of pituitary hormones was found in pituitary gland tissue. Colocalization of HID1 protein with the TGN was not altered in fibroblasts of patients compared to controls, while the extracellular acidification rate upon stimulation with potassium chloride was significantly reduced in patient fibroblasts compared to controls. INTERPRETATION: Our findings indicate that mutations in HID1 cause an early infantile encephalopathy with hypopituitarism as the leading presentation, and expand the list of syndromic CNS diseases caused by interference of TGN function. ANN NEUROL 2021

EPEC 4.0: an Industry 4.0-supported lean production control concept for the semi-process industry

The combination of lean production and Industry 4.0 exhibits excellent potential in advancing operations management and, especially, production control. This improvement potential is applicable to the semi-process industry (S-PI), as higher product variety and higher demand variability require greater flexibility from production systems. This flexibility is difficult to achieve in S-PI environments, in which it is imperative to cope with the long setup times and stability needed for the high utilization requirements. Heijunka addresses this stability-flexibility paradox but was designed for short setup times and is thus considered not directly applicable. In this article, we use design science research to adapt Heijunka to the S-PI and combine it with cyber-physical systems technologies. The developed production control concept, every product every cycle (EPEC) 4.0, aims to schedule the production system as efficiently as possible, providing the necessary flexibility and minimum schedule perturbation. Furthermore, we present the findings from a validation case study within the automotive supply industry

EPEC 4.0: an Industry 4.0-supported lean production control concept for the semi-process industry

The combination of lean production and Industry 4.0 exhibits excellent potential in advancing operations management and, especially, production control. This improvement potential is applicable to the semi-process industry (S-PI), as higher product variety and higher demand variability require greater flexibility from production systems. This flexibility is difficult to achieve in S-PI environments, in which it is imperative to cope with the long setup times and stability needed for the high utilization requirements. Heijunka addresses this stability-flexibility paradox but was designed for short setup times and is thus considered not directly applicable. In this article, we use design science research to adapt Heijunka to the S-PI and combine it with cyber-physical systems technologies. The developed production control concept, every product every cycle (EPEC) 4.0, aims to schedule the production system as efficiently as possible, providing the necessary flexibility and minimum schedule perturbation. Furthermore, we present the findings from a validation case study within the automotive supply industry

Using three-color single-molecule FRET to study the correlation of protein interactions

Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) has become a widely used biophysical technique to study the dynamics of biomolecules. For many molecular machines in a cell proteins have to act together with interaction partners in a functional cycle to fulfill their task. The extension of two-color to multi-color smFRET makes it possible to simultaneously probe more than one interaction or conformational change. This not only adds a new dimension to smFRET experiments but it also offers the unique possibility to directly study the sequence of events and to detect correlated interactions when using an immobilized sample and a total internal reflection fluorescence microscope (TIRFM). Therefore, multi-color smFRET is a versatile tool for studying biomolecular complexes in a quantitative manner and in a previously unachievable detail. Here, we demonstrate how to overcome the special challenges of multi-color smFRET experiments on proteins. We present detailed protocols for obtaining the data and for extracting kinetic information. This includes trace selection criteria, state separation, and the recovery of state trajectories from the noisy data using a 3D ensemble Hidden Markov Model (HMM). Compared to other methods, the kinetic information is not recovered from dwell time histograms but directly from the HMM. The maximum likelihood framework allows us to critically evaluate the kinetic model and to provide meaningful uncertainties for the rates. By applying our method to the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), we are able to disentangle the nucleotide binding and the global conformational changes of the protein. This allows us to directly observe the cooperativity between the two nucleotide binding pockets of the Hsp90 dimer

Effect of Isocyanate Absorption on the Mechanical Properties of Silicone Elastomers in Polyurethane Vacuum Casting.

Wortmann M, Krieger P, Frese N, Moritzer E, Husgen B. Effect of Isocyanate Absorption on the Mechanical Properties of Silicone Elastomers in Polyurethane Vacuum Casting. ACS omega. 2021;6(7):4687–4695.Polyurethane vacuum casting with silicone molds is a widely used industrial process for the production of prototypes and small batches. Since the silicone casting molds absorb the isocyanate component of the curing PUR casting resin at the cavity surface, the service life of the molds is typically restricted to very few casting cycles. The successive deterioration of the material properties results from the polymerization of the absorbed isocyanate with moisture to polyurea derivatives within the silicone matrix. In this study, we show for the first time the influence of isocyanate absorption on the mechanical properties of silicone elastomers as well as quantitative differences between commercial materials. The changes in mechanical properties were quantified in terms of Shore A hardness, Young's modulus, tensile strength, elongation at break, and complex shear modulus. It was found that the influence of the isocyanate type on the relative property changes of the silicone was significantly greater than that of the silicone used. The results show that, regardless of its hardness, the silicone absorbs considerably less methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) than hydrogenated MDI, although the latter causes less deterioration of the mechanical properties and achieves a longer mold service life. © 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society