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Showing papers by "Leibniz University of Hanover published in 2020"


Journal ArticleDOI
B. P. Abbott1, R. Abbott1, T. D. Abbott2, Sheelu Abraham3  +1271 moreInstitutions (145)
TL;DR: In 2019, the LIGO Livingston detector observed a compact binary coalescence with signal-to-noise ratio 12.9 and the Virgo detector was also taking data that did not contribute to detection due to a low SINR but were used for subsequent parameter estimation as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: On 2019 April 25, the LIGO Livingston detector observed a compact binary coalescence with signal-to-noise ratio 12.9. The Virgo detector was also taking data that did not contribute to detection due to a low signal-to-noise ratio, but were used for subsequent parameter estimation. The 90% credible intervals for the component masses range from to if we restrict the dimensionless component spin magnitudes to be smaller than 0.05). These mass parameters are consistent with the individual binary components being neutron stars. However, both the source-frame chirp mass and the total mass of this system are significantly larger than those of any other known binary neutron star (BNS) system. The possibility that one or both binary components of the system are black holes cannot be ruled out from gravitational-wave data. We discuss possible origins of the system based on its inconsistency with the known Galactic BNS population. Under the assumption that the signal was produced by a BNS coalescence, the local rate of neutron star mergers is updated to 250-2810.

1,189 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Richard J. Abbott1, T. D. Abbott2, Sheelu Abraham3, Fausto Acernese4  +1334 moreInstitutions (150)
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reported the observation of a compact binary coalescence involving a 222 −243 M ⊙ black hole and a compact object with a mass of 250 −267 M ⋆ (all measurements quoted at the 90% credible level) The gravitational-wave signal, GW190814, was observed during LIGO's and Virgo's third observing run on 2019 August 14 at 21:10:39 UTC and has a signal-to-noise ratio of 25 in the three-detector network.
Abstract: We report the observation of a compact binary coalescence involving a 222–243 M ⊙ black hole and a compact object with a mass of 250–267 M ⊙ (all measurements quoted at the 90% credible level) The gravitational-wave signal, GW190814, was observed during LIGO's and Virgo's third observing run on 2019 August 14 at 21:10:39 UTC and has a signal-to-noise ratio of 25 in the three-detector network The source was localized to 185 deg2 at a distance of ${241}_{-45}^{+41}$ Mpc; no electromagnetic counterpart has been confirmed to date The source has the most unequal mass ratio yet measured with gravitational waves, ${0112}_{-0009}^{+0008}$, and its secondary component is either the lightest black hole or the heaviest neutron star ever discovered in a double compact-object system The dimensionless spin of the primary black hole is tightly constrained to ≤007 Tests of general relativity reveal no measurable deviations from the theory, and its prediction of higher-multipole emission is confirmed at high confidence We estimate a merger rate density of 1–23 Gpc−3 yr−1 for the new class of binary coalescence sources that GW190814 represents Astrophysical models predict that binaries with mass ratios similar to this event can form through several channels, but are unlikely to have formed in globular clusters However, the combination of mass ratio, component masses, and the inferred merger rate for this event challenges all current models of the formation and mass distribution of compact-object binaries

913 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
R. Abbott1, T. D. Abbott2, Sheelu Abraham3, Fausto Acernese4  +1332 moreInstitutions (150)
TL;DR: It is inferred that the primary black hole mass lies within the gap produced by (pulsational) pair-instability supernova processes, with only a 0.32% probability of being below 65 M⊙, which can be considered an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH).
Abstract: On May 21, 2019 at 03:02:29 UTC Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo observed a short duration gravitational-wave signal, GW190521, with a three-detector network signal-to-noise ratio of 14.7, and an estimated false-alarm rate of 1 in 4900 yr using a search sensitive to generic transients. If GW190521 is from a quasicircular binary inspiral, then the detected signal is consistent with the merger of two black holes with masses of 85_{-14}^{+21} M_{⊙} and 66_{-18}^{+17} M_{⊙} (90% credible intervals). We infer that the primary black hole mass lies within the gap produced by (pulsational) pair-instability supernova processes, with only a 0.32% probability of being below 65 M_{⊙}. We calculate the mass of the remnant to be 142_{-16}^{+28} M_{⊙}, which can be considered an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH). The luminosity distance of the source is 5.3_{-2.6}^{+2.4} Gpc, corresponding to a redshift of 0.82_{-0.34}^{+0.28}. The inferred rate of mergers similar to GW190521 is 0.13_{-0.11}^{+0.30} Gpc^{-3} yr^{-1}.

876 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This contribution focuses in mechanical problems and analyze the energetic format of the PDE, where the energy of a mechanical system seems to be the natural loss function for a machine learning method to approach a mechanical problem.

721 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Richard J. Abbott1, T. D. Abbott2, Sheelu Abraham3, Fausto Acernese4  +1330 moreInstitutions (149)
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reported the observation of gravitational waves from a binary-black-hole coalescence during the first two weeks of LIGO and Virgo's third observing run.
Abstract: We report the observation of gravitational waves from a binary-black-hole coalescence during the first two weeks of LIGO’s and Virgo’s third observing run. The signal was recorded on April 12, 2019 at 05∶30∶44 UTC with a network signal-to-noise ratio of 19. The binary is different from observations during the first two observing runs most notably due to its asymmetric masses: a ∼30 M⊙ black hole merged with a ∼8 M⊙ black hole companion. The more massive black hole rotated with a dimensionless spin magnitude between 0.22 and 0.60 (90% probability). Asymmetric systems are predicted to emit gravitational waves with stronger contributions from higher multipoles, and indeed we find strong evidence for gravitational radiation beyond the leading quadrupolar order in the observed signal. A suite of tests performed on GW190412 indicates consistency with Einstein’s general theory of relativity. While the mass ratio of this system differs from all previous detections, we show that it is consistent with the population model of stellar binary black holes inferred from the first two observing runs.

507 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Apr 2020
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reported non-swelling MXene membranes prepared by the intercalation of Al3+ ions that could be easily fabricated by simple filtration and ion-intercalating methods, which holds promise for their scalability.
Abstract: Traditional ways of producing drinking water from groundwater, water recycling and water conservation are not sufficient. Seawater desalination would close the gap but the main technology used is thermally driven multi-flash distillation, which is energy consuming and not sustainable. Stacking two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials into lamellar membranes is a promising technique in the pursuit of both high selectivity and permeance in water desalination. However, 2D membranes tend to swell in water, and increasing their stability in aqueous solution is still challenging. Here, we report non-swelling, MXene membranes prepared by the intercalation of Al3+ ions. Swelling is prevented by strong interactions between Al3+ and oxygen functional groups terminating at the MXene surface. These membranes show excellent non-swelling stability in aqueous solutions up to 400 h and possess high rejection of NaCl (~89.5–99.6%) with fast water fluxes (~1.1–8.5 l m−2 h−1). Such membranes can be easily fabricated by simple filtration and ion-intercalating methods, which holds promise for their scalability. Two-dimensional lamellar membranes for water purification are promising but suffer from swelling that reduces their ion sieving performance in water. This study reports easy-to-fabricate, non-swelling MXene membranes prepared by the intercalation of Al3+ ions that could be scalable.

383 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi), and treats 19 phyla of fungi, including all currently described orders of fungi.
Abstract: This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi. i.e. dispersed spores, mycelia, sporophores, mycorrhizas). We treat 19 phyla of fungi. These are Aphelidiomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomophthoromycota, Entorrhizomycota, Glomeromycota, Kickxellomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Mortierellomycota, Mucoromycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Olpidiomycota, Rozellomycota and Zoopagomycota. The placement of all fungal genera is provided at the class-, order- and family-level. The described number of species per genus is also given. Notes are provided of taxa for which recent changes or disagreements have been presented. Fungus-like taxa that were traditionally treated as fungi are also incorporated in this outline (i.e. Eumycetozoa, Dictyosteliomycetes, Ceratiomyxomycetes and Myxomycetes). Four new taxa are introduced: Amblyosporida ord. nov. Neopereziida ord. nov. and Ovavesiculida ord. nov. in Rozellomycota, and Protosporangiaceae fam. nov. in Dictyosteliomycetes. Two different classifications (in outline section and in discussion) are provided for Glomeromycota and Leotiomycetes based on recent studies. The phylogenetic reconstruction of a four-gene dataset (18S and 28S rRNA, RPB1, RPB2) of 433 taxa is presented, including all currently described orders of fungi.

381 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Richard J. Abbott1, T. D. Abbott2, Sheelu Abraham3, Fausto Acernese4  +1329 moreInstitutions (150)
TL;DR: The GW190521 signal is consistent with a binary black hole (BBH) merger source at redshift 0.13-0.30 Gpc-3 yr-1.8 as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The gravitational-wave signal GW190521 is consistent with a binary black hole (BBH) merger source at redshift 0.8 with unusually high component masses, 85-14+21 M o˙ and 66-18+17 M o˙, compared to previously reported events, and shows mild evidence for spin-induced orbital precession. The primary falls in the mass gap predicted by (pulsational) pair-instability supernova theory, in the approximate range 65-120 M o˙. The probability that at least one of the black holes in GW190521 is in that range is 99.0%. The final mass of the merger (142-16+28 M o˙) classifies it as an intermediate-mass black hole. Under the assumption of a quasi-circular BBH coalescence, we detail the physical properties of GW190521's source binary and its post-merger remnant, including component masses and spin vectors. Three different waveform models, as well as direct comparison to numerical solutions of general relativity, yield consistent estimates of these properties. Tests of strong-field general relativity targeting the merger-ringdown stages of the coalescence indicate consistency of the observed signal with theoretical predictions. We estimate the merger rate of similar systems to be 0.13-0.11+0.30 Gpc-3 yr-1. We discuss the astrophysical implications of GW190521 for stellar collapse and for the possible formation of black holes in the pair-instability mass gap through various channels: via (multiple) stellar coalescences, or via hierarchical mergers of lower-mass black holes in star clusters or in active galactic nuclei. We find it to be unlikely that GW190521 is a strongly lensed signal of a lower-mass black hole binary merger. We also discuss more exotic possible sources for GW190521, including a highly eccentric black hole binary, or a primordial black hole binary.

347 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors obtained stringent constraints on neutron-star radii by combining multimessenger observations of the binary neutronstar merger GW170817 with nuclear theory that best accounts for density-dependent uncertainties in the equation of state.
Abstract: The properties of neutron stars are determined by the nature of the matter that they contain. These properties can be constrained by measurements of the star’s size. We obtain stringent constraints on neutron-star radii by combining multimessenger observations of the binary neutron-star merger GW170817 with nuclear theory that best accounts for density-dependent uncertainties in the equation of state. We construct equations of state constrained by chiral effective field theory and marginalize over these using the gravitational-wave observations. Combining this with the electromagnetic observations of the merger remnant that imply the presence of a short-lived hypermassive neutron star, we find that the radius of a 1.4 M⊙ neutron star is $${R}_{1.4{M}_{\odot }}={11.0}_{-0.6}^{+0.9}\ {\rm{km}}$$ (90% credible interval). Using this constraint, we show that neutron stars are unlikely to be disrupted in neutron star–black hole mergers; subsequently, such events will not produce observable electromagnetic emission. The combination of electromagnetic and gravitational-wave observations of binary neutron-star merger GW170817 with systematic sets of neutron-star equations of state has produced a tightly constrained radius of 11 km for a 1.4 M⊙ neutron star. This constraint suggests that a neutron star–black hole merger is unlikely to produce an electromagnetic counterpart.

285 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A noise-robust architecture for a feedforward quantum neural network, with qudits as neurons and arbitrary unitary operations as perceptrons, whose training procedure is efficient in the number of layers.
Abstract: Neural networks enjoy widespread success in both research and industry and, with the advent of quantum technology, it is a crucial challenge to design quantum neural networks for fully quantum learning tasks. Here we propose a truly quantum analogue of classical neurons, which form quantum feedforward neural networks capable of universal quantum computation. We describe the efficient training of these networks using the fidelity as a cost function, providing both classical and efficient quantum implementations. Our method allows for fast optimisation with reduced memory requirements: the number of qudits required scales with only the width, allowing deep-network optimisation. We benchmark our proposal for the quantum task of learning an unknown unitary and find remarkable generalisation behaviour and a striking robustness to noisy training data.

274 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A broad multidisciplinary overview of the area of bias in AI systems is provided, focusing on technical challenges and solutions as well as to suggest new research directions towards approaches well‐grounded in a legal frame.
Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI)‐based systems are widely employed nowadays to make decisions that have far‐reaching impact on individuals and society. Their decisions might affect everyone, everywhere, and anytime, entailing concerns about potential human rights issues. Therefore, it is necessary to move beyond traditional AI algorithms optimized for predictive performance and embed ethical and legal principles in their design, training, and deployment to ensure social good while still benefiting from the huge potential of the AI technology. The goal of this survey is to provide a broad multidisciplinary overview of the area of bias in AI systems, focusing on technical challenges and solutions as well as to suggest new research directions towards approaches well‐grounded in a legal frame. In this survey, we focus on data‐driven AI, as a large part of AI is powered nowadays by (big) data and powerful machine learning algorithms. If otherwise not specified, we use the general term bias to describe problems related to the gathering or processing of data that might result in prejudiced decisions on the bases of demographic features such as race, sex, and so forth.

Journal ArticleDOI
Yousef Abou El-Neaj1, Cristiano Alpigiani2, Sana Amairi-Pyka3, Henrique Araujo4, Antun Balaž5, Angelo Bassi6, Lars Bathe-Peters7, Baptiste Battelier8, Aleksandar Belić5, Elliot Bentine9, Jose Bernabeu10, Andrea Bertoldi8, Robert Bingham11, Robert Bingham12, Diego Blas13, Vasiliki Bolpasi14, Kai Bongs15, Sougato Bose16, Philippe Bouyer8, T. J. V. Bowcock17, William B. Bowden18, Oliver Buchmueller4, Clare Burrage19, Xavier Calmet20, Benjamin Canuel8, Laurentiu Ioan Caramete, Andrew Carroll17, Giancarlo Cella6, Vassilis Charmandaris14, S. Chattopadhyay21, S. Chattopadhyay22, Xuzong Chen23, Maria Luisa Chiofalo24, J. P. Coleman17, J. P. Cotter4, Y. Cui25, Andrei Derevianko26, Albert De Roeck27, Goran S. Djordjevic28, P. J. Dornan4, Michael Doser27, Ioannis Drougkakis14, Jacob Dunningham20, Ioana Dutan, Sajan Easo11, G. Elertas17, John Ellis27, John Ellis13, John Ellis29, Mai El Sawy30, Mai El Sawy31, Farida Fassi, D. Felea, Chen Hao Feng8, R. L. Flack16, Christopher J. Foot9, Ivette Fuentes19, Naceur Gaaloul32, A. Gauguet33, Remi Geiger34, Valerie Gibson35, Gian F. Giudice27, J. Goldwin15, O. A. Grachov36, Peter W. Graham37, Dario Grasso24, Maurits van der Grinten11, Mustafa Gündoğan3, Martin G. Haehnelt35, Tiffany Harte35, Aurélien Hees34, Richard Hobson18, Jason M. Hogan37, Bodil Holst38, Michael Holynski15, Mark A. Kasevich37, Bradley J. Kavanagh39, Wolf von Klitzing14, Tim Kovachy40, Benjamin Krikler41, Markus Krutzik3, Marek Lewicki13, Marek Lewicki42, Yu-Hung Lien16, Miaoyuan Liu23, Giuseppe Gaetano Luciano6, Alain Magnon43, Mohammed Mahmoud44, Sudhir Malik4, Christopher McCabe13, J. W. Mitchell21, Julia Pahl3, Debapriya Pal14, Saurabh Pandey14, Dimitris G. Papazoglou45, Mauro Paternostro46, Bjoern Penning47, Achim Peters3, Marco Prevedelli48, Vishnupriya Puthiya-Veettil49, J. J. Quenby4, Ernst M. Rasel32, Sean Ravenhall9, Jack Ringwood17, Albert Roura50, D. O. Sabulsky8, M. Sameed51, Ben Sauer4, Stefan A. Schäffer52, Stephan Schiller53, Vladimir Schkolnik3, Dennis Schlippert32, Christian Schubert32, Haifa Rejeb Sfar, Armin Shayeghi54, Ian Shipsey9, Carla Signorini24, Yeshpal Singh15, Marcelle Soares-Santos47, Fiodor Sorrentino6, T. J. Sumner4, Konstantinos Tassis14, S. Tentindo55, Guglielmo M. Tino6, Guglielmo M. Tino56, Jonathan N. Tinsley56, James Unwin57, Tristan Valenzuela11, Georgios Vasilakis14, Ville Vaskonen29, Ville Vaskonen13, Christian Vogt58, Alex Webber-Date17, André Wenzlawski59, Patrick Windpassinger59, Marian Woltmann58, Efe Yazgan60, Ming Sheng Zhan60, Xinhao Zou8, Jure Zupan61 
Harvard University1, University of Washington2, Humboldt University of Berlin3, Imperial College London4, University of Belgrade5, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare6, Technical University of Berlin7, University of Bordeaux8, University of Oxford9, University of Valencia10, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory11, University of Strathclyde12, King's College London13, Foundation for Research & Technology – Hellas14, University of Birmingham15, University College London16, University of Liverpool17, National Physical Laboratory18, University of Nottingham19, University of Sussex20, Northern Illinois University21, Fermilab22, Peking University23, University of Pisa24, University of California, Riverside25, University of Nevada, Reno26, CERN27, University of Niš28, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics29, British University in Egypt30, Beni-Suef University31, Leibniz University of Hanover32, Paul Sabatier University33, University of Paris34, University of Cambridge35, Wayne State University36, Stanford University37, University of Bergen38, University of Amsterdam39, Northwestern University40, University of Bristol41, University of Warsaw42, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign43, Fayoum University44, University of Crete45, Queen's University Belfast46, Brandeis University47, University of Bologna48, Cochin University of Science and Technology49, German Aerospace Center50, University of Manchester51, University of Copenhagen52, University of Düsseldorf53, University of Vienna54, Florida State University55, University of Florence56, University of Illinois at Chicago57, University of Bremen58, University of Mainz59, Chinese Academy of Sciences60, University of Cincinnati61
TL;DR: The Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration (AEDGE) as mentioned in this paper is a space experiment using cold atoms to search for ultra-light dark matter, and to detect gravitational waves in the frequency range between the most sensitive ranges of LISA and the terrestrial LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA/INDIGO experiments.
Abstract: We propose in this White Paper a concept for a space experiment using cold atoms to search for ultra-light dark matter, and to detect gravitational waves in the frequency range between the most sensitive ranges of LISA and the terrestrial LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA/INDIGO experiments. This interdisciplinary experiment, called Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration (AEDGE), will also complement other planned searches for dark matter, and exploit synergies with other gravitational wave detectors. We give examples of the extended range of sensitivity to ultra-light dark matter offered by AEDGE, and how its gravitational-wave measurements could explore the assembly of super-massive black holes, first-order phase transitions in the early universe and cosmic strings. AEDGE will be based upon technologies now being developed for terrestrial experiments using cold atoms, and will benefit from the space experience obtained with, e.g., LISA and cold atom experiments in microgravity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The developed kind of ZIF-62 MOF glass membrane for the first time and exploited its intrinsic gas separation properties to inspire the development of a variety of molecular sieve membranes with high separation performance.
Abstract: Metal-organic framework (MOF) glasses are promising candidates for membrane fabrication due to their significant porosity, the ease of processing, and most notably, the potential to eliminate the grain boundary that is unavoidable for polycrystalline MOF membranes. Herein, we developed a ZIF-62 MOF glass membrane and exploited its intrinsic gas-separation properties. The MOF glass membrane was fabricated by melt-quenching treatment of an in situ solvothermally synthesized polycrystalline ZIF-62 MOF membrane on a porous ceramic alumina support. The molten ZIF-62 phase penetrated into the nanopores of the support and eliminated the formation of intercrystalline defects in the resultant glass membrane. The molecular sieving ability of the MOF membrane is remarkably enhanced via vitrification. The separation factors of the MOF glass membrane for H2 /CH4 , CO2 /N2 and CO2 /CH4 mixtures are 50.7, 34.5, and 36.6, respectively, far exceeding the Robeson upper bounds.


Journal ArticleDOI
Aaron Buikema1, C. Cahillane2, G. L. Mansell1, Carl Blair  +205 moreInstitutions (35)
TL;DR: In 2019, the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (aLIGO), joined by the Advanced Virgo detector, began the third observing run, a year-long dedicated search for gravitational radiation as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: On April 1st, 2019, the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (aLIGO), joined by the Advanced Virgo detector, began the third observing run, a year-long dedicated search for gravitational radiation. The LIGO detectors have achieved a higher duty cycle and greater sensitivity to gravitational waves than ever before, with LIGO Hanford achieving angle-averaged sensitivity to binary neutron star coalescences to a distance of 111 Mpc, and LIGO Livingston to 134 Mpc with duty factors of 74.6% and 77.0% respectively. The improvement in sensitivity and stability is a result of several upgrades to the detectors, including doubled intracavity power, the addition of an in-vacuum optical parametric oscillator for squeezed-light injection, replacement of core optics and end reaction masses, and installation of acoustic mode dampers. This paper explores the purposes behind these upgrades, and explains to the best of our knowledge the noise currently limiting the sensitivity of each detector.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new concept of vertically aligned 2D COF layers forming a membrane for efficient gas separation on the basis of precise size exclusion is proposed, which exhibits a high H2 permeability together with a desirable separation selectivity for gas mixtures such as H2/CO2 and H2-CH4.
Abstract: In this study, we propose a new concept of vertically aligned 2D covalent organic framework (COF) layers forming a membrane for efficient gas separation on the basis of precise size exclusion. Gas ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Analysis of the progress achieved in this field since 2013 reveals that many groups have contributed by pushing the boundary of structural possibilities, expanding into surface‐assisted (cyclo)dehydrogenation, and developing new reagents.
Abstract: Oxidative aromatic coupling occupies a fundamental place in the modern chemistry of aromatic compounds. It is a method of choice for the assembly of large and bewildering architectures. Considerable effort was also devoted to applications of the Scholl reaction for the synthesis of chiral biphenols and natural products. The ability to form biaryl linkages without any prefunctionalization provides an efficient pathway to many complex structures. Although the chemistry of this process is only now becoming fully understood, this reaction continues to both fascinate and challenge researchers. This is especially true for heterocoupling, that is, oxidative aromatic coupling with the chemoselective formation of a C-C bond between two different arenes. Analysis of the progress achieved in this field since 2013 reveals that many groups have contributed by pushing the boundary of structural possibilities, expanding into surface-assisted (cyclo)dehydrogenation, and developing new reagents.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Research on the biochemistry, physiology and ecology of ammonia oxidisers is reviewed and the ways in which this knowledge, coupled with improved methods for characterising communities, might lead to improved fertiliser use efficiency and mitigation of N2 O emissions are discussed.
Abstract: Oxidation of ammonia to nitrite by bacteria and archaea is responsible for global emissions of nitrous oxide directly and indirectly through provision of nitrite and, after further oxidation, nitrate to denitrifiers. Their contributions to increasing N2 O emissions are greatest in terrestrial environments, due to the dramatic and continuing increases in use of ammonia-based fertilizers, which have been driven by requirement for increased food production, but which also provide a source of energy for ammonia oxidizers (AO), leading to an imbalance in the terrestrial nitrogen cycle. Direct N2 O production by AO results from several metabolic processes, sometimes combined with abiotic reactions. Physiological characteristics, including mechanisms for N2 O production, vary within and between ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) and comammox bacteria and N2 O yield of AOB is higher than in the other two groups. There is also strong evidence for niche differentiation between AOA and AOB with respect to environmental conditions in natural and engineered environments. In particular, AOA are favored by low soil pH and AOA and AOB are, respectively, favored by low rates of ammonium supply, equivalent to application of slow-release fertilizer, or high rates of supply, equivalent to addition of high concentrations of inorganic ammonium or urea. These differences between AOA and AOB provide the potential for better fertilization strategies that could both increase fertilizer use efficiency and reduce N2 O emissions from agricultural soils. This article reviews research on the biochemistry, physiology and ecology of AO and discusses the consequences for AO communities subjected to different agricultural practices and the ways in which this knowledge, coupled with improved methods for characterizing communities, might lead to improved fertilizer use efficiency and mitigation of N2 O emissions.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work reports the combination of oppositely charged Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene membranes (MXMs) with confined 2D nanofluidic channels as high-performance osmotic power generators, making this blue energy a tangible and promising alternative.
Abstract: Membrane-based reverse electrodialysis (RED) is considered as the most promising technique to harvest osmotic energy. However, the traditional membranes are limited by high internal resistance and low efficiency, resulting in undesirable power densities. Herein, we report the combination of oppositely charged Ti3 C2 Tx MXene membranes (MXMs) with confined 2D nanofluidic channels as high-performance osmotic power generators. The negatively or positively charged 2D MXene nanochannels exhibit typical surface-charge-governed ion transport and show excellent cation or anion selectivity. By mixing the artificial sea water (0.5 m NaCl) and river water (0.01 m NaCl), we obtain a maximum power density of ca. 4.6 Wm-2 , higher than most of the state-of-the-art membrane-based osmotic power generators, and very close to the commercialization benchmark (5 Wm-2 ). Through connecting ten tandem MXM-RED stacks, the output voltage can reach up 1.66 V, which can directly power the electronic devices.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results seem to suggest that there are some clinically relevant scenarios where the use of MNC necessitates more defined recommendations, and a critical evaluation of the literature both highlights the protective effects of certain types of face masks in defined risk groups, and emphasizes their potential risks.
Abstract: The German government has made it mandatory to wear respiratory masks covering mouth and nose (MNC) as an effective strategy to fight SARS-CoV-2 infections. In many countries, this directive has been extended on shopping malls or public transportation. The aim of this paper is to critically analyze the statutory regulation to wear protective masks during the COVID-19 crisis from a medical standpoint. We performed an extensive query of the most recent publications addressing the prevention of viral infections including the use of face masks in the community as a method to prevent the spread of the infection. We addressed the issues of practicability, professional use, and acceptability based on the community and the environment where the user resided. Upon our critical review of the available literature, we found only weak evidence for wearing a face mask as an efficient hygienic tool to prevent the spread of a viral infection. However, the use of MNC seems to be linked to relevant protection during close contact scenarios by limiting pathogen-containing aerosol and liquid droplet dissemination. Importantly, we found evidence for significant respiratory compromise in patients with severe obstructive pulmonary disease, secondary to the development of hypercapnia. This could also happen in patients with lung infections, with or without SARS-CoV-2. Epidemiologists currently emphasize that wearing MNC will effectively interrupt airborne infections in the community. The government and the politicians have followed these recommendations and used them to both advise and, in some cases, mandate the general population to wear MNC in public locations. Overall, the results seem to suggest that there are some clinically relevant scenarios where the use of MNC necessitates more defined recommendations. Our critical evaluation of the literature both highlights the protective effects of certain types of face masks in defined risk groups, and emphasizes their potential risks.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that metal–organic frameworks, a type of highly crystalline porous solid, can be made solution processable via outer surface functionalization using N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, and a surface modification is reported that allows porous liquid formation and so synthesis of highly loaded and mechanically robust mixed matrix membranes.
Abstract: The combination of well-defined molecular cavities and chemical functionality makes crystalline porous solids attractive for a great number of technological applications, from catalysis to gas separation. However, in contrast to other widely applied synthetic solids such as polymers, the lack of processability of crystalline extended solids hampers their application. In this work, we demonstrate that metal–organic frameworks, a type of highly crystalline porous solid, can be made solution processable via outer surface functionalization using N-heterocyclic carbene ligands. Selective outer surface functionalization of relatively large nanoparticles (250 nm) of the well-known zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-67 allows for the stabilization of processable dispersions exhibiting permanent porosity. The resulting type III porous liquids can either be directly deployed as liquid adsorbents or be co-processed with state-of-the-art polymers to yield highly loaded mixed matrix membranes with excellent mechanical properties and an outstanding performance in the challenging separation of propylene from propane. We anticipate that this approach can be extended to other metal–organic frameworks and other applications. Solution processability is required for many industrial processes, but metal–organic frameworks are in general not dispersible, hindering their application. Here, a surface modification is reported that allows porous liquid formation and so synthesis of highly loaded and mechanically robust mixed matrix membranes.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The second Open Gravitational-wave catalog (2-OGC) of compact-binary coalescences, obtained from the complete set of public data from Advanced LIGO's first and second observing runs, was presented in this article.
Abstract: We present the second Open Gravitational-wave Catalog (2-OGC) of compact-binary coalescences, obtained from the complete set of public data from Advanced LIGO's first and second observing runs. For the first time we also search public data from the Virgo observatory. The sensitivity of our search benefits from updated methods of ranking candidate events including the effects of non-stationary detector noise and varying network sensitivity; in a separate targeted binary black hole merger search we also impose a prior distribution of binary component masses. We identify a population of 14 binary black hole merger events with probability of astrophysical origin $> 0.5$ as well as the binary neutron star merger GW170817. We confirm the previously reported events GW170121, GW170304, and GW170727 and also report GW151205, a new marginal binary black hole merger with a primary mass of $67^{+28}_{-17}\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ that may have formed through hierarchical merger. We find no additional significant binary neutron star merger or neutron star--black hole merger events. To enable deeper follow-up as our understanding of the underlying populations evolves, we make available our comprehensive catalog of events, including the sub-threshold population of candidates and posterior samples from parameter inference of the 30 most significant binary black hole candidates.

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TL;DR: The current model core of the PALM 6.0 model system is described and much effort was made to enhance the model with components needed for applications in urban environments, like fully interactive land surface and radiation schemes, chemistry, and an indoor model.
Abstract: . In this paper, we describe the PALM model system 6.0. PALM (formerly an abbreviation for Parallelized Large-eddy Simulation Model and now an independent name) is a Fortran-based code and has been applied for studying a variety of atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers for about 20 years. The model is optimized for use on massively parallel computer architectures. This is a follow-up paper to the PALM 4.0 model description in Maronga et al. ( 2015 ) . During the last years, PALM has been significantly improved and now offers a variety of new components. In particular, much effort was made to enhance the model with components needed for applications in urban environments, like fully interactive land surface and radiation schemes, chemistry, and an indoor model. This paper serves as an overview paper of the PALM 6.0 model system and we describe its current model core. The individual components for urban applications, case studies, validation runs, and issues with suitable input data are presented and discussed in a series of companion papers in this special issue.

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TL;DR: In this article, a nonlocal operator method is proposed which is generally applicable for solving partial differential equations (PDEs) of mechanical problems, which can be regarded as the integral form "equivalent" to the differential form in the sense of nonlocal interaction model for solving the unknown field.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that full activation is obtained only upon phosphorylation of both ITIM and ITSM: ITSM binds C-SH2 with strong affinity, recruiting SHP2 to PD-1, while ITIM binds N- SH2, displacing it from the catalytic pocket and activating ShP2.
Abstract: In cancer, the programmed death-1 (PD-1) pathway suppresses T cell stimulation and mediates immune escape. Upon stimulation, PD-1 becomes phosphorylated at its immune receptor tyrosine–based inhibitory motif (ITIM) and immune receptor tyrosine–based switch motif (ITSM), which then bind the Src homology 2 (SH2) domains of SH2-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP2), initiating T cell inactivation. The SHP2–PD-1 complex structure and the exact functions of the two SH2 domains and phosphorylated motifs remain unknown. Here, we explain the structural basis and provide functional evidence for the mechanism of PD-1-mediated SHP2 activation. We demonstrate that full activation is obtained only upon phosphorylation of both ITIM and ITSM: ITSM binds C-SH2 with strong affinity, recruiting SHP2 to PD-1, while ITIM binds N-SH2, displacing it from the catalytic pocket and activating SHP2. This binding event requires the formation of a new inter-domain interface, offering opportunities for the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches.

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TL;DR: The protein composition of an individual average plant mitochondrion is explored to deduce principles of functional and structural organisation and exemplify how the understanding of biochemical function and structural organization of plant mitochondria can be connected in order to obtain global and specific insights into how organelles work.
Abstract: Mitochondria host vital cellular functions, including oxidative phosphorylation and co-factor biosynthesis, which are reflected in their proteome. At the cellular level plant mitochondria are organized into hundreds of discrete functional entities, which undergo dynamic fission and fusion. It is the individual organelle that operates in the living cell, yet biochemical and physiological assessments have exclusively focused on the characteristics of large populations of mitochondria. Here, we explore the protein composition of an individual average plant mitochondrion to deduce principles of functional and structural organisation. We perform proteomics on purified mitochondria from cultured heterotrophic Arabidopsis cells with intensity-based absolute quantification and scale the dataset to the single organelle based on criteria that are justified by experimental evidence and theoretical considerations. We estimate that a total of 1.4 million protein molecules make up a single Arabidopsis mitochondrion on average. Copy numbers of the individual proteins span five orders of magnitude, ranging from >40 000 for Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel 1 to sub-stoichiometric copy numbers, i.e. less than a single copy per single mitochondrion, for several pentatricopeptide repeat proteins that modify mitochondrial transcripts. For our analysis, we consider the physical and chemical constraints of the single organelle and discuss prominent features of mitochondrial architecture, protein biogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation, metabolism, antioxidant defence, genome maintenance, gene expression, and dynamics. While assessing the limitations of our considerations, we exemplify how our understanding of biochemical function and structural organization of plant mitochondria can be connected in order to obtain global and specific insights into how organelles work.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the first frequency-domain model for the inspiral, merger, and ringdown of the GW signal from precessing binary black hole systems that also includes multipoles beyond the leading-order quadrupole.
Abstract: Estimates of the source parameters of gravitational-wave (GW) events produced by compact binary mergers rely on theoretical models for the GW signal. We present the first frequency-domain model for the inspiral, merger, and ringdown of the GW signal from precessing binary black hole systems that also includes multipoles beyond the leading-order quadrupole. Our model, PhenomPv3HM, is a combination of the higher-multipole nonprecessing model PhenomHM and the spin-precessing model PhenomPv3 that includes two-spin precession via a dynamical rotation of the GW multipoles. We validate the new model by comparing to a large set of precessing numerical-relativity simulations and find excellent agreement across the majority of the parameter space they cover. For mass ratios $l5$ the mismatch improves, on average, from $\ensuremath{\sim}6%$ to $\ensuremath{\sim}2%$ compared to PhenomPv3 when we include higher multipoles in the model. However, we find mismatches $\ensuremath{\sim}8%$ for a mass-ratio-6 and highly spinning simulation. We quantify the statistical uncertainty in the recovery of binary parameters by applying standard Bayesian parameter estimation methods to simulated signals. We find that, while the primary black hole spin parameters should be measurable even at moderate signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) $\ensuremath{\sim}30$, the secondary spin requires much larger SNRs $\ensuremath{\sim}200$. We also quantify the systematic uncertainty expected by recovering our simulated signals with different waveform models in which various physical effects---such as the inclusion of higher modes and/or precession---are omitted and find that even in the low-SNR case ($\ensuremath{\sim}17$) the recovered parameters can be biased. Finally, as a first application of the new model we analyze the binary black hole event GW170729. We find larger values for the primary black hole mass of ${58.25}_{\ensuremath{-}12.53}^{+11.73}\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ (90% credible interval). The lower limit ($\ensuremath{\sim}46\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$) is comparable to the proposed maximum black hole mass predicted by different stellar evolution models due to the pulsation pair-instability supernova (PPISN) mechanism. If we assume that the primary black hole in GW170729 formed through a PPISN, then out of the four PPISN models we consider only the model of Woosley [1] is consistent with our mass measurements at the 90% confidence level.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a mesoscale computational modeling study of SRMs with concave aggregates is presented, and the results indicate that SRMs have a higher elastic modulus than those with convex aggregates.

Posted Content
TL;DR: DifferNet leverages the descriptiveness of features extracted by convolutional neural networks to estimate their density using normalizing flows to develop a scoring function that indicates defects.
Abstract: The detection of manufacturing errors is crucial in fabrication processes to ensure product quality and safety standards. Since many defects occur very rarely and their characteristics are mostly unknown a priori, their detection is still an open research question. To this end, we propose DifferNet: It leverages the descriptiveness of features extracted by convolutional neural networks to estimate their density using normalizing flows. Normalizing flows are well-suited to deal with low dimensional data distributions. However, they struggle with the high dimensionality of images. Therefore, we employ a multi-scale feature extractor which enables the normalizing flow to assign meaningful likelihoods to the images. Based on these likelihoods we develop a scoring function that indicates defects. Moreover, propagating the score back to the image enables pixel-wise localization. To achieve a high robustness and performance we exploit multiple transformations in training and evaluation. In contrast to most other methods, ours does not require a large number of training samples and performs well with as low as 16 images. We demonstrate the superior performance over existing approaches on the challenging and newly proposed MVTec AD and Magnetic Tile Defects datasets.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Intergrown continuous polypropylene (PP)-supported ZIF-8 membranes have been successfully synthesized via fast current-driven synthesis (FCDS) within 1 h and exhibit a promising separation factor of 122 ± 13 for binary C3H6-C3H8 mixtures combined with excellent flexibility behavior.
Abstract: Metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes have enormous potential in separation applications. There are several MOF membranes grown on polymer substrates aimed for scale-up, but their brittleness hampers any industrial application. Herein, intergrown continuous polypropylene (PP)-supported ZIF-8 membranes have been successfully synthesized via fast current-driven synthesis (FCDS) within 1 h. The PP-supported ZIF-8 membranes exhibit a promising separation factor of 122 ± 13 for binary C3H6-C3H8 mixtures combined with excellent flexibility behavior. The C3H6/C3H8 separation performance of the PP-supported ZIF-8 membrane was found to be constant after bending the supported ZIF-8 film with a curvature of 92 m-1. This outstanding mechanical property is crucial for practical applications. Moreover, we further synthesized ZIF-8 membranes on various polymer substrates and even polymer hollow fibers to demonstrate the production scalability.