Search the digital library catalog

Abstract: Swarmalators are entities with the simultaneous presence of swarming and synchronization that reveal emergent collective behavior due to the fascinating bidirectional interplay between phase and spatial dynamics. Although different coupling topologies have already been considered, here we introduce time-varying competitive phase interaction among swarmalators where the underlying connectivity for attractive and repulsive coupling varies depending on the vision (sensing) radius. Apart from investigating some fundamental properties like conservation of center of position and collision avoidance, we also scrutinize the cases of extreme limits of vision radius. The concurrence of attractive–repulsive competitive phase coupling allows the exploration of diverse asymptotic states, like static π, and mixed phase wave states, and we explore the feasible routes of those states through a detailed numerical analysis. In sole presence of attractive local coupling, we reveal the occurrence of static cluster synchronization where the number of clusters depends crucially on the initial distribution of positions and phases of each swarmalator. In addition, we analytically calculate the sufficient condition for the emergence of the static synchronization state. We further report the appearance of the static ring phase wave state and evaluate its radius theoretically. Finally, we validate our findings using Stuart–Landau oscillators to describe the phase dynamics of swarmalators subject to attractive local coupling.
Keywords: swarmalators, time-varying couplings, synchronization, competitive phase coupling
Published in DKUM: 16.07.2024; Views: 73; Downloads: 3
Full text (3,26 MB)
This document has many files! More...

Keywords: boundary-domain integral method, dispersed two-phase flow, two-way coupling, spherical porous particles, drying
Published in DKUM: 28.03.2024; Views: 210; Downloads: 13
Full text (1,81 MB)
This document has many files! More...

Abstract: Electrical synapses (gap junctions) play a pivotal role in the synchronization of neuronal ensembles which also makes them likely agonists of pathological brain activity. Although large body of experimental data and theoretical considerations indicate that coupling neurons by electrical synapses promotes synchronous activity (and thus is potentially epileptogenic), some recent evidence questions the hypothesis of gap junctions being among purely epileptogenic factors. In particular, an expression of inter-neuronal gap junctions is often found to be higher after the experimentally induced seizures than before. Here we used a computational modeling approach to address the role of neuronal gap junctions in shaping the stability of a network to perturbations that are often associated with the onset of epileptic seizures. We show that under some circumstances, the addition of gap junctions can increase the dynamical stability of a network and thus suppress the collective electrical activity associated with seizures. This implies that the experimentally observed post-seizure additions of gap junctions could serve to prevent further escalations, suggesting furthermore that they are a consequence of an adaptive response of the neuronal network to the pathological activity. However, if the seizures are strong and persistent, our model predicts the existence of a critical tipping point after which additional gap junctions no longer suppress but strongly facilitate the escalation of epileptic seizures. Our results thus reveal a complex role of electrical coupling in relation to epileptiform events. Which dynamic scenario (seizure suppression or seizure escalation) is ultimately adopted by the network depends critically on the strength and duration of seizures, in turn emphasizing the importance of temporal and causal aspects when linking gap junctions with epilepsy.
Keywords: epilepsy, nonlinear dynamics, electrical synapses, coupling, synchronization
Published in DKUM: 19.06.2017; Views: 1112; Downloads: 410
Full text (858,25 KB)
This document has many files! More...

Abstract: The aim of the thesis is to investigate the applicability of nanometric amorphous cellulose model films for the immobilization of functional DNA molecules and to apply this knowledge in the field of DNA microarray preparation. To achieve this aim, the whole thesis work is divided into three major parts, namely part I (partly and fully regenerated cellulose film preparation and its characterization), part II (functional polysaccharide conjugates preparation) and part III (DNA microarray preparation from polysaccharide functional conjugates). The first part of the work mainly focuses on the preparation of cellulose model films from spin coated trimethylsilyl cellulose (TMSC) using an in-situ and ex-situ regeneration methods and its characterization. In the in-situ method, the conversion of TMSC to pure cellulose via acid vapor hydrolysis is investigated at the gas-solid interface in real time and at ambient conditions employing quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). For this purpose, a permanent flow of gaseous HCl is employed which reacts with TMSC coated surface to form pure cellulose. The kinetics behind this reaction is elucidated and reveals first order. Moreover, the influence of the acid concentration on the kinetics and on changes in mass and film thickness of TMSC is studied. In the case of an ex-situ method, partly and fully regenerated cellulose model films are prepared from spin coated TMSC films through acid vapor phase hydrolysis. This is done by exposing the TMSC films placed in a closed container to vapors of HCl. The regeneration is carried out on one hand by exposing the films to different time intervals and on the other hand to different volume of HCl. The changes in surface morphology, structure, surface composition and film thickness in the course of regeneration (i.e. desilylation) is studied by using various surface analytical techniques like atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ‘Sarfus’-technique. In order to gain detailed insight into the desilylation reaction of the films the results from ATR-IR, XPS and thickness measurements are compared with data from static contact angle (SCA) and surface free energy (SFE) determination. Besides, to verify the completion of regeneration of cellulose from TMSC the partly and fully regenerated films prepared using ex-situ method are interacted with cellulase enzymes from Trichoderma viride using QCM-D technique. The changes in mass and energy dissipation due to the interaction of the enzymes with the substrates are correlated with the surface wettability and elemental composition of the regenerated films. The enzymatic degradation rate correlated well to the rate of regeneration. It is demonstrated that capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) can be used to support QCM-D data via the detection of enzyme hydrolysis products in the eluates of the QCM-D cells. It is also shown that a combination of QCM-D together with enzymatic digestion is a reliable method to monitor the time dependent regeneration of TMSC to pure cellulose. Furthermore, the effect of heat treatment on partly and fully regenerated cellulose films prepared using ex-situ method is investigated by exposing the films to elevated temperature (105 °C) for a prolonged time (6 hours). Upon heating, a structural rearrangement in the films from a featureless to a fibrillar-like structure is observed as evidenced by AFM. Several analytical methods, namely GIXRD, ATR-IR, Sarfus, XPS and SCA data are employed to analyze the alteration in the structure, surface composition, film thickness, wettability and SFE of the time dependent regenerated films before and after heat treatment. Results from solvent (D2O/H2O) exchange studies proved that water content and water uptake capacity of heat treated cellulose films are significantly reduced compared to non heated films.Additionally, a new method is developed to structure nanometric cellulose films via vapor phase acid hydrolysis and enzymat
Keywords: Cellulose model films, carboxymethyl cellulose, trimethylsilyl cellulose, microarrays, quartz crystal microbalance, carbodiimide coupling, aminofluorescein, DNA
Published in DKUM: 28.11.2012; Views: 2798; Downloads: 178
Full text (6,46 MB)

Abstract: As part of ongoing research efforts to discover alternative support materials to polymer beads for use in polymer-supported synthesis, particularly under flow-through conditions, this work involves the synthesis of PolyHIPE (High Internal Phase Emulsion) polymer monoliths. PolyHIPEs containing high loadings of chloromethyl groups were efficiently prepared by the direct copolymerization of 4-vinylbenzyl chloride and divinylbenzene monomers. The 'Merrifield' PolyHIPE proved to be an excellent support for batch and flow-through Suzuki cross-coupling reactions. A remarkably high yield of pure biaryl product was obtained using the PolyHIPE support in cubic form and utilizing an electron-rich boronic acid. In comparison to polymer beads, this material was found to be a much more efficient support in both batch and continuous flow modes. PolyHIPE converted a greater amount of chloromethyl groups into biaryl product under identical reaction conditions. It is suggested that the absence of channelling with PolyHIPE monoliths gives better performance under flow-through conditions than permanently porous beads.
Keywords: polymer supports, polymer monoliths, emulsion polymerisation, solid-phase synthesis, cross-coupling reactions
Published in DKUM: 01.06.2012; Views: 2388; Downloads: 103
Link to full text