Method to Predict the Non-Uniform Potential Distribution in Random Electrical Machine Windings under Pulse Voltage Stress

This article describes a practical method for predicting the distribution of electric potential inside an electrical machine’s winding based on design data. It broadens the understanding of winding impedance in terms of inter-winding behavior and allows to properly design an electrical machine’s insulation system during the development phase. The predictions are made based on an frequency-dependent equivalent circuit of the electrical machine which is validated by measurements in the time domain and the frequency domain. Element parameters for the equivalent circuit are derived from two-dimensional field simulations. The results demonstrate a non-uniform potential distribution and demonstrate that the potential difference between individual turns and between turns and the stator core exceeds the expected values. The findings also show a link between winding impedance and potential oscillations inside the winding. Additionally, the article provides an overview of the chronological progression of turn-based models and shows how asynchronous multiprocessing is used to accelerate the solution process of the equivalent circuit

A Comprehensive Deep Sequencing Strategy for Full-Length Genomes of Influenza A

Driven by the impact of influenza A viruses on human and animal health, much research is conducted on this pathogen. To support this research, we designed an all influenza A-embracing reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) for the generation of DNA from influenza A virus negative strand RNA genome segments for full-length genome deep sequencing on a Genome Sequencer FLX instrument. For high reliability, the RT-PCRs are designed such that every genome segment is divided into two amplicons and for the most variable segments redundancy is included. Moreover, to minimize the risk of contamination of diagnostic real-time PCRs by sequencing amplicons, RT-PCR does not generate amplicons that are amenable to RT-qPCR detection. With the presented protocol we were able to generate virtually all amplicons (99.3% success rate) from isolates representing all so far known 16 hemagglutinin and 9 neuraminidase subtypes and from an additional 2009 pandemic influenza A H1N1 virus. Three isolates were sequenced to analyze the suitability of the DNA for sequencing. Moreover, we provide a short R script that disambiguates the sequences of the primers used. We show that using unambiguous primer sequences for read trimming prior to assembly with the genome sequencer assembler software results in higher quality of the final genome sequences. Using the disambiguated primer sequences, high quality full-length sequences for the three isolates used for sequencing trials could be established from the raw data in de novo assemblies

Visible light is a better co-inducer of apoptosis for curcumin-treated human melanoma cells than UVA

Curcumin attracts worldwide scientific interest due to its anti-proliferative and apoptosis inducing effects on different tumor cells at concentrations ranging from 10 to 150 µM (3.7–55 µg/ml). Unfortunately, because of a low oral bioavailability, only low and pharmacologically ineffective serum levels are achievable. In this study, an alternative treatment concept consisting of low concentration curcumin (0.2–5 µg/ml) and irradiation with UVA or visible light (VL) has been tested. The experimental results show clearly that this treatment decreases the proliferation and the viability of human melanoma cells while the cell membrane integrity remains intact. We identified the onset of apoptosis characterized by typical markers such as active caspases 8, 9 and 3 as well as DNA fragmentation accompanied by the loss of cell adhesion. The mitochondrial apoptosis signaling pathway is predominant due to an early activation of caspase-9. The present data indicate a higher efficacy of a combination of curcumin and VL than curcumin and UVA. Reduced effects as a result of light absorption by heavily pigmented skin are unlikely if VL is used. These results indicate that a combination of curcumin and light irradiation may be a useful additional therapy in the treatment of malignant disease

Antiskyrmions stabilized at interfaces by anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction

Chiral magnets are an emerging class of topological matter harbouring localized and topologically protected vortex-like magnetic textures called skyrmions, which are currently under intense scrutiny as a new entity for information storage and processing. Here, on the level of micromagnetics we rigorously show that chiral magnets cannot only host skyrmions but also antiskyrmions as least-energy configurations over all non-trivial homotopy classes. We derive practical criteria for their occurrence and coexistence with skyrmions that can be fulfilled by (110)-oriented interfaces in dependence on the electronic structure. Relating the electronic structure to an atomistic spin-lattice model by means of density-functional calculations and minimizing the energy on a mesoscopic scale applying spin-relaxation methods, we propose a double layer of Fe grown on a W(110) substrate as a practical example. We conjecture that ultrathin magnetic films grown on semiconductor or heavy metal substrates with $C_{2v}$ symmetry are prototype classes of materials hosting magnetic antiskyrmions.Comment: 20 pages (11 pages + 9 pages supplementary material

Measuring cellular traction forces on non-planar substrates

Animal cells use traction forces to sense the mechanics and geometry of their environment. Measuring these traction forces requires a workflow combining cell experiments, image processing and force reconstruction based on elasticity theory. Such procedures have been established before mainly for planar substrates, in which case one can use the Green's function formalism. Here we introduce a worksflow to measure traction forces of cardiac myofibroblasts on non-planar elastic substrates. Soft elastic substrates with a wave-like topology were micromolded from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and fluorescent marker beads were distributed homogeneously in the substrate. Using feature vector based tracking of these marker beads, we first constructed a hexahedral mesh for the substrate. We then solved the direct elastic boundary volume problem on this mesh using the finite element method (FEM). Using data simulations, we show that the traction forces can be reconstructed from the substrate deformations by solving the corresponding inverse problem with a L1-norm for the residue and a L2-norm for 0th order Tikhonov regularization. Applying this procedure to the experimental data, we find that cardiac myofibroblast cells tend to align both their shapes and their forces with the long axis of the deformable wavy substrate.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figure

A New Molecular Detection System for Canine Distemper Virus Based on a Double-Check Strategy

Due to changing distemper issues worldwide and to inadequate results of an inter-laboratory study in Germany, it seems sensible to adapt and optimize the diagnostic methods for the detection of the canine distemper virus (CDV) to the new genetic diversity of virus strains. The goal of the project was the development, establishment and validation of two independent one-step reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) methods for the safe detection of CDV in domestic and wild animals. For this purpose, an existing CDV-RT-qPCR was decisively adapted and, in addition, a completely new system was developed. Both CDV-RT-qPCR systems are characterized by a very high, comparable analytical and diagnostic sensitivity and specificity and can be mutually combined with inhibition or extraction controls. The reduction in the master mix used allows for the parallel implementation of both CDV-RT-qPCR systems without significant cost increases. For validation of the new CDV-RT-qPCR duplex assays, a panel comprising 378 samples derived from Germany, several European countries and one African country were tested. A sensitivity of 98.9% and a specificity of 100% were computed for the new assays, thus being a reliable molecular diagnostic tool for the detection of CDV in domestic and wild animals

Preparation and photochromic properties of dye-doped aluminosilicate ORMOCER gels and coatings

Aluminosilicate and ORMOCER gels and coatings containing photochromic dyes, 1, 3-dihydro-1, 3, 3-trimethylspiro-[2H-indole-2, 3\u27-[3H]-naphth-[2, 1-b][1, 4]-oxazine] (SO) and 1\u27, 8a\u27-dihydro-2\u27, 3\u27-dimethoxycarbonyl-spiro [fluorene-9, 1\u27-indolizine] (DHI), were prepared by the sol-gel method and the photochromic activity was monitored in the course of the sol-wetgel-xerogel transformation. The photochromic activity of the aluminosilicate gels decreases rapidly and even vanishes in the wetgel-xerogel stage while that of ORMOCER gels and coatings levels off in the early wetgel-xerogel stage at a reasonably high photochromic intensity with the colour-fading speed similar to that in ethanol and the photostability being considerably improved. The experimental results are discussed in terms of the matrix effect on photochromism of organic dyes