Johannes Kepler University of Linz

About: Johannes Kepler University of Linz is a education organization based out in Linz, Oberösterreich, Austria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & Thin film. The organization has 6605 authors who have published 19243 publications receiving 385667 citations.

Protons migrate along interfacial water without significant contributions from jumps between ionizable groups on the membrane surface

Abstract: Proton diffusion along membrane surfaces is thought to be essential for many cellular processes such as energy transduction. Commonly, it is treated as a succession of jumps between membrane-anchored proton-binding sites. Our experiments provide evidence for an alternative model. We released membrane-bound caged protons by UV flashes and monitored their arrival at distant sites by fluorescence measurements. The kinetics of the arrival is probed as a function of distance for different membranes and for different water isotopes. We found that proton diffusion along the membrane is fast even in the absence of ionizable groups in the membrane, and it decreases strongly in D2O as compared to H2O. We conclude that the fast proton transport along the membrane is dominated by diffusion via interfacial water, and not via ionizable lipid moieties.

Modeling languages in Industry 4.0: an extended systematic mapping study

Abstract: Industry 4.0 integrates cyber-physical systems with the Internet of Things to optimize the complete value-added chain. Successfully applying Industry 4.0 requires the cooperation of various stakeholders from different domains. Domain-specific modeling languages promise to facilitate their involvement through leveraging (domain-specific) models to primary development artifacts. We aim to assess the use of modeling in Industry 4.0 through the lens of modeling languages in a broad sense. Based on an extensive literature review, we updated our systematic mapping study on modeling languages and modeling techniques used in Industry 4.0 (Wortmann et al., Conference on model-driven engineering languages and systems (MODELS’17), IEEE, pp 281–291, 2017) to include publications until February 2018. Overall, the updated study considers 3344 candidate publications that were systematically investigated until 408 relevant publications were identified. Based on these, we developed an updated map of the research landscape on modeling languages and techniques for Industry 4.0. Research on modeling languages in Industry 4.0 focuses on contributing methods to solve the challenges of digital representation and integration. To this end, languages from systems engineering and knowledge representation are applied most often but rarely combined. There also is a gap between the communities researching and applying modeling languages for Industry 4.0 that originates from different perspectives on modeling and related standards. From the vantage point of modeling, Industry 4.0 is the combination of systems engineering, with cyber-physical systems, and knowledge engineering. Research currently is splintered along topics and communities and accelerating progress demands for multi-disciplinary, integrated research efforts.

Ligands on the string: single-molecule AFM studies on the interaction of antibodies and substrates with the Na+-glucose co-transporter SGLT1 in living cells

Abstract: Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to probe topology, conformational changes and initial substratecarrier interactions of Na+-glucose co-transporter (SGLT1) in living cells on a single-molecule level. By scanning SGLT1-transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with AFM tips carrying an epitope-specific antibody directed against the extramembranous C-terminal loop 13, significant recognition events could be detected. Specificity was confirmed by the absence of events in nontransfected CHO cells and by the use of free antigen and free antibody superfusion. Thus, contrary to computer predictions on SGLT1 topology, loop 13 seems to be part of the extracellular surface of the transporter. Binding probability of the antibody decreased upon addition of phlorizin, a specific inhibitor of SGLT1, suggesting a considerable conformational change of loop 13 when the inhibitor occludes the sugar translocation pathway. Using an AFM tip carrying 1-thio-D-glucose, direct evidence could be obtained that in the presence of Na+ a sugarbinding site appears on the transporter surface. The binding site accepts the sugar residue of the glucoside phlorizin, free D-glucose, and D-galactose, but not free Lglucose and probably represents the first of several selectivity filters of the transporter. This work demonstrates the potential of AFM to study the presence and dynamics of plasma membrane transporters in intact cells on the single molecule level.

A light-weight component model for peer-to-peer applications

Abstract: Mobile peer-to-peer (P2P) computing applications involve collections of heterogeneous and resource-limited devices (such as PDAs or embedded sensor-actuator systems), typically operated in ad-hoc completely decentralized networks and without requiring dedicated infrastructure support. Short-range wireless communication technologies together with P2P networking capabilities on mobile devices are responsible for a proliferation of such applications, yet these applications are often complex and monolithic in nature due to the lack of lightweight component/container support in these resource-constrained devices. We describe our lightweight software component model P2Pcomp that address the development needs for mobile P2P applications. An abstract, flexible, and high-level communication mechanism among components is developed via a ports concept, supporting protocol independence, location independence, and (a)synchronous invocations; dependencies are not hard-coded in the components, but can be defined at deployment or runtime, providing late-binding and dynamic rerouteability capabilities. Peers can elect to provide services as well as consume them, services can migrate between containers, and services are ranked to support quality-of-service choices. Our lightweight container realization leverages the OSGi platform and can utilize various P2P communication mechanisms such as JXTA. A "smart space" application scenario demonstrates how P2Pcomp supports flexible and highly tailorable mobile P2P applications.