Purpose To investigate the possibility to reduce the number of failures caused by moisture and dust ingress in lighting equipment by looking towards customer acceptance and warranty claims, and then translate the result to technical attributes. Methodology The methodology is set up to be a part of a Design for Six Sigma project including the steps up to Concept development and business/customer approval. Known product development tools are used to evaluate existing techniques and generate new concepts. Customer analysis is done by surveys and investigating warranty claims. Result & Conclusions The customer analysis in this thesis show that Brazil and to some extent UK is the countries where the problem is seen as most severe. It also shows that complaints regarding dust are far more common than complaints regarding moisture when it comes to lamps placed at the lower part at the front of the truck. When the results from the customer analysis are compared with the technical aspects it shows that the most beneficial way to deal with the problem is to create a good air flow while still keeping the pore size, which could be done by using membranes and the help from CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations. Trapping solutions are also welcomed by the customer as long as they can be part of the regular service. / Syfte Att undersöka behov och möjligheter att reducera problem med fukt och damminträngning i exteriöra belysningsartiklar på lastbilar genom att titta på kundacceptans och garantiärenden samt översätta detta till tekniska attribut. Metod Arbetet är upplagt som en del av ett Design for Six Sigma-projekt och innefattar stegen fram till Concept development and business/customer approval. Kända produktutvecklingsverktyg används för att ta fram underlag till konceptgenerering. Kundanalys utförs med hjälp av enkäter och undersökningar av garantiärenden. Resultat & slutsats Kundanalysen i denna examensrapport visar att Brasilien och Storbritannien är de länder där problemet uppfattas som störst. Den visar också att klagomål gällande damm är mycket vanligare än klagomål gällande fukt när det gäller lyktor placerade i den nedre delen i fronten på lastbilen. När resultaten från kundanalysen jämförs med de tekniska aspekterna finner man att det mest gynnsamma sättet att ta sig an problemet är att försöka få bra ett bra luftflöde i lyktorna men samtidigt minimera porstorleken. Detta kan man åstadkomma med hjälp av membran och CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simuleringar. Lösningar som handlar om att fånga upp dammet och fukten accepteras också av kunden så länge som detta kan lösas med hjälp av den vanliga servicen.

DNA-basierte Systeme beschreiben formal ein alternatives Berechnungskonzept, beruhend auf der Anwendung molekularbiologischer Operationen. Der Grundgedanke ist dabei die Entwicklung alternativer und universeller Rechnerarchitekturen. Infolge der zugrunde liegenden maximalen Parallelität sowie der hohen Komplexität entsprechender Systeme ist die Korrektheit jedoch schwer zu beweisen. Um dies zu ermöglichen werden in der Arbeit zunächst für drei verschiedene Systemklassen mit unterschiedlichen Berechnungsparadigmen strukturelle operationelle Semantiken definiert und bekannte Formalismen der Prozesstheorie adaptiert. Nachfolgend werden Tableaubeweissysteme beschrieben, mithilfe derer einerseits Invarianten und andererseits die jeweilige Korrektheit von DNA-basierten Systemen mit universeller Berechnungsstärke bewiesen werden können. Durch Anwendung dieser Konzepte konnte für drei universelle Systeme die Korrektheit gezeigt und für ein System widerlegt werden.

Vesicular traffic along the biosynthetic and endocytic pathways is essential for homeostasis of eukaryotic cells. However, it raised the question of how the proteins characteristic for each compartment are transported to their destination (Bonifacino and Glick, 2004). This study is especially focusing on the connection between the Golgi apparatus and the endosomal compartment, mediated by two parallel trafficking pathways regulated by the clathrin adaptors AP-1A and AP-3 (Owen et al., 2004). Typical cargo molecules sorted along the AP-1A regulated pathway are mannose 6-phosphate receptors (MPRs) (Ghosh et al., 2003) or the gpI envelop glycoprotein of the Vesicular Zoster virus (Alconada et al., 1996), while sorting of lysosomal membrane proteins like Lamp-1 and LimpII is AP-3 regulated (Eskelinen et al., 2003). To study how AP-1A and AP-3 coats are stabilized on membranes and to identify the protein networks involved, a liposome based in vitro assay that recapitulates the fidelity of protein sorting in vivo was developed and combined with proteomic screens. Therefore, liposomes carrying cytoplasmic domains of gpI or Lamp-1/LimpII were used as affinity matrix to recruit selectively AP-1A or AP-3 and associated protein machineries. The coated liposomes were then analyzed by mass spectrometry. Using the in vitro recruitment assay, it was possible to demonstrate that efficient and selective recruitment of AP-1A and AP-3 coats depends on the presence of several low affinity binding sites on membranes. Thus, AP-1A and AP-3 recognize their target membranes by activated Arf1 GTPases, organelle specific phosphoinositides, PI-4P and PI-3P respectively, and distinct cargo molecules carrying intact signals in their cytoplasmic domains. The implication of PI-3P in AP-3 recruitment was further supported by in vivo experiments. During the biochemical characterization of the assay, several lines of evidence indicated that cargo tails containing intact sorting signals stabilize not only AP-1A and AP-3 coats on membranes but also influence the membrane recruitment of Arf1. It is possible that cargo molecules indirectly drive an Arf1 amplification loop, thereby ensuring efficient AP coat assembly. The proteomic screens identified protein networks of ≈40 proteins selectively recruited on AP-1A coated structures. The most appealing result of the analysis was the presence of two additional protein machineries, one involved in actin nucleation the other involved membrane fusion. More precisely, the AP-1A analysis identified the selective recruitment of the AP-1A subunits and interacting molecules (clathrin, g-synergin), Arf1 and Arf1 effectors (Big2, Git1), Rac1 including Rac1 effectors (b-PIX, RhoGEF7) and a Rac1 dependent actin nucleation machinery (Wave/Scar complex, Arp2/3 complex, associated effectors) as well as members of a Rab machinery (Rab11, Rab14). This finding was further supported by in vivo colocalization studies of the AP-1A cargo CI-MPR with CYFIP2, a protein of the Wave/Scar complex, and the localization of Big2 and Git1 on Rab11 positive membranes (Matafora et al., 2001; Shin et al., 2004). The biochemical characterization revealed that the stabilization of AP-1A coats, most probably driven by cargo molecules that stabilize AP-1A and Arf1 on membranes, leads as well to the stabilization of the two other machineries. Thus, the results support the notion that cargo sorting, vesicular movement and membrane fusion are coordinated during early steps of vesicular traffic. In analogy, the proteomic screens on AP-3 coated structures identified as well ≈40 selectively recruited proteins, which constituted a similar supramolecular network of protein machineries involved in coat formation, action nucleation and membrane fusion via Rab proteins. Thus, beside the AP-3 coat including the AP-3 subunits, Arf1 and Arf effectors (Big1, ARAP1, AGAP1), members of the septin family involved in actin rearrangements and most of the already described effectors of Rab5 microdomains (EEA1, Rabaptin-5, Rabex-5, Vps45) involved in early endosomal dynamics were selectively recruited together with Rab5 and Rab7. Thus, the proteomic analysis of AP-1A and AP-3 coated structures suggest that both AP coats use similar principles - coats, actin nucleation devices and Rab fusion machineries - to assemble supramolecular structures needed for membrane traffic. Although we do not have the ultimate proves yet, it seems as AP-1A and AP-3 use different members of subcomplexes, hence different GTPase effectors, different actin nucleation machineries and different Rab GTPases, to regulate their specific transport pathways and to link the different protein machineries. The proteomic analysis revealed for example that they probably use different Arf and Rho GTPase effectors to link the coat with actin nucleation. However, this has to be proven experimentally. In order to understand the networks of protein interactions, bioinformatic tools were used as a first approach. Even though some clues about the overall organization of the supramolecular protein complexes were provided, the direct links to the Rab machinery are still elusive. Maybe the proteins with thus far unknown functions could be involved. The biochemical analysis, especially the role of PIPs, and the Rab GTPases identified in the context of AP-1A and AP-3, provide indications about AP-1A and AP-3 function in vivo. The results could be interpreted in a way that AP-1A functions either in traffic from PI-4P positive membranes towards Rab11/Rab14 positive membranes or AP-1A coats assemble on PI-4P and Rab11 or Rab14 positive membranes, hence, TGN to endosomes traffic. The same holds true for AP-3, the results either suggest AP-3 mediates traffic from PI-3P positive towards Rab5/Rab7 positive membranes or they could be interpreted in a way that AP-3 assembles on PI-3P and Rab5 positive membranes for subsequent transport to Rab7 positive membranes, thus traffic from early to late endosomes. Overall, the results of this thesis research provided important insight into the formation of AP-1A and AP-3 coated structures and the potential interconnection between AP coats, actin nucleation and membrane fusion machineries. Alconada, A., U. Bauer, and B. Hoflack. 1996. A tyrosine-based motif and a casein kinase II phosphorylation site regulate the intracellular trafficking of the varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein I, a protein localized in the trans-Golgi network. Embo J. 15:6096-110. Bonifacino, J.S., and B.S. Glick. 2004. The mechanisms of vesicle budding and fusion. Cell. 116:153-66. Eskelinen, E.L., Y. Tanaka, and P. Saftig. 2003. At the acidic edge: emerging functions for lysosomal membrane proteins. Trends Cell Biol. 13:137-45. Ghosh, P., N.M. Dahms, and S. Kornfeld. 2003. Mannose 6-phosphate receptors: new twists in the tale. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 4:202-12. Matafora, V., S. Paris, S. Dariozzi, and I. de Curtis. 2001. Molecular mechanisms regulating the subcellular localization of p95-APP1 between the endosomal recycling compartment and sites of actin organization at the cell surface. J Cell Sci. 114:4509-20. Owen, D.J., B.M. Collins, and P.R. Evans. 2004. Adaptors for clathrin coats: structure and function. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 20:153-91. Shin, H.W., N. Morinaga, M. Noda, and K. Nakayama. 2004. BIG2, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for ADP-ribosylation factors: its localization to recycling endosomes and implication in the endosome integrity. Mol Biol Cell. 15:5283-94.

Caveolae sind charakteristische Plasmamembraneinstülpungen, die in vielen Zelltypen vorkommen und deren biologische Funktion umstritten ist. Ihre besondere Form und ihre Häu gkeit in Zellen, die stets mechanischen Belastungen ausgesetzt sind, führten zu der Annahme, dass Caveolae die Plasmamembran vor mechanischen Belastungen schützen und als Membranreservoir dienen. Dies sollte mit dieser Dissertation experimentell geprüft werden. Zunächst wurde der Ein uss der Caveolae auf die Membranspannung von Zellen im Normalzustand untersucht. Dann wurden die Zellen mechanisch belastet. Mit Fluoreszensmikroskopie wurde das Verschwinden von Caveolae nach Strecken der Zellen oder nach einem hypo-osmotischen Schock beobachtet. Messungen der Membranspannung vor und unmittelbar nach dem hypo-osmotischem Schock zeigten, dass Caveolae einen Anstieg der Membranspannung verhindern, unabhängig von ATP und dem Cytoskelett. Die Erzeugung von Membranvesikel mit Caveolae erlaubte es, diesen Effekt der Caveolae in einem vereinfachten Membransystem zu beobachten. Schliesslich wurden Muskelzellen untersucht. Zellen, die genetisch bedingt weniger Caveolae haben und mit Muskelschwundkrankheiten in Verbingung stehen, waren mechanisch weniger belastbar als gesunde Zellen. Zusammenfassend wird mit dieser Dissertation die These bestärkt, dass Caveolae einem Anstieg der Membranspannungen entgegenwirken. Dass dies in Zellen und in Vesikeln unabhängig von Energie und Cytoskelett geschieht, lässt auf einen passiven, mechanisch getriebenen Prozess schliessen. Diese Erkenntnis trägt zum Verständnis der Rolle von Caveolae in Zellen bei und kann dem besseren Verständnis von Krankheiten bedingt durch Caveolin-Mutationen, wie z.B. Muskelschwundkrankheiten, dienen. / Caveolae, the characteristic plasma membrane invaginations present in many cells, have been associated with numerous functions that still remain debated. Taking into account the particular abundance of caveolae in cells experiencing mechanical stress, it was proposed that caveolae constitute a membrane reservoir and bu er the membrane tension upon mechanical stress. The present work aimed to check this proposition experimentally. First, the in uence of caveolae on the membrane tension was studied on mouse lung endothelial cells in resting conditions using tether extraction with optically trapped beads. Second, experiments on cells upon acute mechanical stress showed that caveolae serve as a membrane reservoir bu ering surges in membrane tension in their immediate, ATP- and cytoskeleton-independent attening and disassembly. Third, caveolae incorporated in membrane vesicles also showed the tension bu ering. Finally, in a physiologically more relevant case, human muscle cells were studied, and it was shown that mutations with impaired caveolae which are described in muscular dystrophies render muscle cells less resistant to mechanical stress. In Summary the present work provides experimental evidence for the hypothesis that caveolae bu er the membrane tension upon mechanical stress. The fact that this was observed in cells and membrane vesicles in an ATP and cytoskeleton independent manner reveals a passive, mechanically driven process. This could be a leap forward in the comprehension of the role of caveolae in the cell, and in the understanding of genetic diseases like muscular dystrophies. / Cavéoles sont des invaginations caractéristiques de la membrane plas- mique présents dans beaucoup de types cellulaires. Ils sont liées à plusieurs fonctions cellulaires, ce qui sont encore débattues. Prenant compte de l importance des cavéoles dans les cellules soumises au stress mécanique, les cavéoles sont proposées de constituer un réservoir membranaire et de tamponner la tension membranaire pendant des stresses mécaniques. Cette étude a eu le but de tester cette hypothèse expérimentalement. En premier, l in uence des cavéoles sur la tension membranaire au repos a été étudiée sur des cellules endothéliales du poumon de la souris. Puis, on a montré que les cavéoles tamponnent l augmentation de la tension membranaire après l application d un stress mécanique. En suite, la réalisation des vésicules membranaires contenant des cavéoles a permit de montrer leur rôle comme réservoir membranaire dans un système simpli é. Finalement, dans un contexte physiologiquement plus relevant, l étude des cellules musculaires a montrée que les mutations du cavéolin associées aux dystrophies musculaires rendent les cellules moins résistante aux stresses mécaniques. En conclusion, cette étude supporte l\'hypothèse que les cavéoles tamponnent la tension membranaire pendant des stresses mécaniques. Le fait que cela se passe dans les cellules et les vésicules indépendamment d ATP et du cytosquelette révèlent un processus passif et mécanique. Cela pourrait servir à une meilleure compréhension du rôle des cavéoles dans la cellule et les maladies génétiques comme les dystrophies musculaires.

Eine spezielle Art poröser Membranen sind die sogenannten Mikrosiebe. Ihre Dicke ist geringer als der Durchmesser der Poren und sie besitzen eine einheitliche Porengröße und eine dichte Porenpackung. Sie zeichnen sich somit durch eine hohe Trennschärfe aus und eignen sich daher und aufgrund ihres geringen Filtrationswiderstandes besonders für den Einsatz als Filtrationsmedien. Ein Prinzip, um Mikrosiebe herzustellen, ist die Partikel-assistierte Benetzung. Bei dieser Methode wird ein polymerisierbares organisches Öl zusammen mit Kieselgelpartikeln auf einer Wasseroberfläche gespreitet. Nach dem Auspolymerisieren des Öls und dem anschließenden Entfernen der Partikel erhält man die gewünschten Mikrosiebe, welche an den Stellen, an denen sich zuvor die Kieselgelpartikel befanden, Poren besitzen. Die Porengröße der Siebe ist dabei über die Größe der verwendeten Partikel in weiten Grenzen (ca. zwischen 20 nm und 1000 nm) einstellbar und die Größe und Form des Mikrosiebes wird lediglich durch die Flächengröße und -form der zur Herstellung verwendeten Wasseroberfläche vorgegeben. Jedoch ist die mechanische Stabilität der Mikrosiebe für die gewünschte Anwendung als Filtrationsmedium oftmals nicht zufriedenstellend. Daher ist eine Stabilisierung erforderlich. Eine Möglichkeit, diese Stabilisierung zu erreichen, ist das Aufbringen einer externen makroporösen Stützstruktur. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird die Möglichkeit vorgestellt mittels der Drucktechnik des sog. Inkjet-Druckens eine potentielle Stützstruktur auf ein solches Mikrosieb zu applizieren und dieses somit zu stabilisieren.

Denna kandidatuppsats undersöker framtagningen av ett bakteriellt cellulosamaterial (BC-material), samt undersöker om materialets vattenavvisande egenskaper kan förbättras för att kunna möjliggöra användning som textilt material. Arbetet grundar sig i det faktum att BC- materialet är av en hydrofil karaktär, något som den brittiska designern Suzanne Lee utryckt vara ett problem för dess användningsmöjligheter. Arbetet behandlar en litteraturstudie av BC, vilken ligger till grund för en experimentel del där odling, vattenavvisande beredningar och vattenavvisande tester utförts. Gällande BC-produktion och materialframtagning har faktorer som pH-värde, temperaturförhållanden, och recept visat sig påverka cellulosaproduktionen. Ett varmare temperaturförhållande på 30°C jämfört med rumstemperatur (20- 22°C) har uppvisat bättre cellulosatillväxt. Detsamma gäller även för användandet av äppelcidervinäger i odlingmediumet, vilket uppvisat positiva resultat. Testerna av det framtagna BC-membranet har för det första kunnat bekräfta dess påstådda hydrofilitet. Vidare har även de vattenavvisande behandlingarna visat positiva resultat, även om användarmöjligheterna för materialet fortfarande anses vara begränsade inom det textila området. En ökning av kontaktvinkeln från 40,76° till 96,98° uppvisades efter att en behandling med en syntetisk vaxpolymer applicerats. Denna ökning på drygt 100 % skapade en kontaktvinkel över 90°, vilket teoretiskt betyder att materialets karaktär gått från hydrofilt till hydrofobt. Ett likvärdigt resultat uppvisades även efter en behandling med en vaxdendrimer. Materialet uppvisade dock tydliga resultat på att absorbera vatten vid längre tid av blötläggning, oavsett om det behandlats eller ej. / This bachelor thesis is investigating the development of a material based on bacterial cellulose (BC), as well as examine and test the material's hydrophobic properties. This is made in order to improve its user possibilities as a textile material. The motive is based on the fact that BC- materials have a hydrophilic nature, something that the British designer Suzanne Lee expressed as a problem for its user possibilities. The thesis process a literature study of BC, which is used for an experimental study where cultivation, water repellent treatments and water repellent tests are performed. Regarding BC-production and material creation, factors as pH-levels, temperature conditions and the recipes has shown to affect the cellulose production. The cellulose levels occurred to increase during a warmer condition at 30 °C compared to room temperature (20-22°C), both conditions where used for the cultivation. The same positive results also occurred when apple cider vinegar was used in the cultivation bath. The tests on the developed BC-membrane, initially confirmed its alleged hydrophilic nature. Furthermore, positive results occurred for the water repellant-treated materials, even if the user possibilities still is considered to be limited in the textile field. The contact angle increased from 40.76 ° to 96.98 ° on the material treated with a synthetic wax polymer, which results in a 100% increase. The angle of 90°, theoretically means that the character of the material changed from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. Similar results also occurred after treatment with a wax dendrimer. The material, however, showed significant results in absorbing water when subjected for a longer time of soaking, whether it was treated or not.

No description available.

No description available.

Springtails (Collembola) are wingless arthropods that are impressively adapted to cutaneous respiration in temporarily rain-flooded habitats by non-wetting skin morphology. Recapitulating the robust and effectively liquid-repellent surface characteristics of springtail skin in engineered materials may offer exciting opportunities for demanding applications. Herein, we present a strategy for mimicking morphological surface features of springtail skin in polymer membranes produced by reverse imprint lithography. We report the fabrication of multi-level silicon masters that, in turn, serve as templates for the replication of flexible polymer membranes. We examined the robust wetting characteristics of polymer membranes by in situ plastron collapse tests and condensation tests. The mechanical stability of the polymer membranes was tested using a tribometer set-up and compared with needle-shaped pillar structures made from similar material. The fabricated membranes are flexible, free-standing, and adaptable to various substrate materials and shapes that allow for emerging applications.

The combination of modern self-assembly techniques with well-established top-down processing methods pioneered in the electronics industry is paving the way for increasingly sophisticated devices in the future[1]. Nanomembranes, made from a variety of materials, can provide the necessary framework for a diverse range of device structures incorporating wrinkling, buckling, folding, and rolling of thin films[2, 3]. Over the past decade, an elegant symbiosis of bottom-up and top-down methods has been developed, allowing the fabrica- tion of hybrid layer systems via the controlled release and rearrangement of inherently strained layers [4]. Self-assembled rolled-up structures[4, 5] have become increasingly at- tractive in a number of fields including micro/nano uidics[6], optics[7](including metama- terial optical fibers[8]), Lab on a Chip applications[9], and micro- and nanoelectronics[10]. The use of such structures for microelectronic applications has been driven by the versatility in contacting geometries and the abundance of material combinations that these devices offer. By allowing devices to expand in the third dimension, certain obstacles that inhibit 2D structuring can be overcome in elegant ways. Similarly, recent progress in nanostructured superconducting electronic structures has been receiving increased attention[11]. The advancement of such devices has been mo- tivated by their use in quantum computation[12], high sensitivity radiation sensors[13], precision voltage standards[14] and superconducting spintronics[15] to name a few. Combining semiconductor with superconductor materials to create new hybrid geometries is advantageous because it adds the functionalities of the semiconductor, including high charge carrier mobilities, gating possibilities, and refined processing technologies. The main focus of the work presented in this thesis is the development of new methods for controlling strain behavior and its applications toward novel semiconduc- tor/superconductor heterostructures based on nanomembranes. More specifically, the goal is to integrate inherently strained semiconductor layer structures with superconducting materials to create innovative electronic devices by the controlled releasing and rearrangement of thin films. By rolling up pre-patterned semiconductor/superconductor layers, device geometries have been realized that are not feasible using any other technique. In this way, superconducting hybrid junctions, or Josephson junctions, have been created and their basic properties investigated. The Josephson effect, and junctions displaying this quantum coherent behavior, have found many essential uses in diverse areas of science and technology. Many research groups around the world are involved in finding new materials and fabrication methods to tune the properties and structure of such Josephson devices further[11]. The inclusion of semi- conductors, for example, allows for a greater control of the charge carrier density within the junction area, thus allowing for "transistor-like" behavior in these superconducting devices. By rolling up the superconductor contacts using a strained semiconductor as scaffolding, the fabrication of hybrid nano-junctions is simplified drastically, removing the need for complicated processing steps such as electron-beam or nano-imprint lithography. Furthermore, the technique allows many nanometer-sized devices to be created in parallel on a single chip which has the advantage that it can be scaled up to full-wafer processing. First, post-growth processing techniques of epitaxial layers are developed in order to extend the control of hybrid device fabrication. Here, three unique concepts for controlling the rolling behavior of strained semiconductor nanomembranes are presented. First an optical method for inhibiting the rolling of the strained layers is described. Next, a selective etching method for destroying the inherent strain within the semiconductor layer is introduced. Finally, a method by which the strain gradient across a trilayer stack is altered in situ during rolling is presented. Next, the fabrication of a hybrid nanomembrane-based superconducting device is presented. Various experimental details of the fabrication process are analyzed, and the electronic properties of the completed device are investigated. The devices created here highlight the fabrication process in which nanometer-sized structures are created using self-assembly techniques and standard microelectronics fabrication methods, presenting a new method to circumvent more complicated processing techniques. References [1] G. M. Whitesides and B. Grzybowski. Self-assembly at all scales. Science 295, 2418{2421 (2002). [2] Y. G. Sun, W. M. Choi, H. Q. Jiang, Y. G. Y. Huang and J. A. Rogers. Controlled buckling of semiconductor nanoribbons for stretchable electronics. Nature Nanotechnology 1, 201{207 (2006). [3] O. G. Schmidt and K. Eberl. Nanotechnology - Thin solid films roll up into nanotubes. Nature 410, 168 (2001). [4] O. G. Schmidt, C. Deneke, Y. Nakamura, R. Zapf-Gottwick, C. Mller and N. Y. Jin-Phillipp. Nanotechnology { Bottom-up meets top-down. Advanced Solid State Physics 42, 231 (2002). [5] V. Ya. Prinz, V. A. Seleznev, A. K. Gutakovsky, A. V. Chehovskiy, V. V. Preobrazhenskii, M. A. Putyato and T. A. Gavrilova. Free-standing and overgrown InGaAs/GaAs nanotubes, nanohelices and their arrays. Physica E 6, 828 (2000). [6] D. J. Thurmer, C. Deneke, Y. F. Mei and O. G. Schmidt. Process integration of microtubes for uidic applications. Applied Physics Letters 89, 223507 (2006). [7] R. Songmuang, A. Rastelli, S. Mendach and O. G. Schmidt. SiOx/Si radial superlattices and microtube optical ring resonators. Applied Physics Letters 90, 091905 (2007). [8] E. J. Smith, Z. W. Liu, Y. F. Mei and O. G. Schmidt. Combined surface plasmon and classical waveguiding through metamaterial fiber design. Nano Letters 10, 1{5 (2010). [9] G. S. Huang, Y. F. Mei, D. J. Thurmer, E. Coric and O. G. Schmidt. Rolled-up transparent microtubes as two-dimensionally confined culture scaffolds of individual yeast cells. Lab on a Chip 9, 263{268 (2009). [10] C. C. B. Bufon, J. D. C. Gonzalez, D. J. Thurmer, D. Grimm, M. Bauer and O. G. Schmidt. Self-assembled ultra-compact energy storage elements based on hybrid nanomembranes. Nano Letters 10, 2506{2510 (2010). [11] G. Katsaros, P. Spathis, M. Stoffel, F. Fournel, M. Mongillo, V. Bouchiat, F. Lefloch, A. Rastelli, O. G. Schmidt and S. De Franceschi. Hybrid superconductor-semiconductor devices made from self-assembled SiGe nanocrystals on silicon. Nature Nanotechnology 5, 458{464 (2010). [12] Y. J. Doh, J. A. van Dam, A. L. Roest, E. P. A. M. Bakkers, L. P. Kouwenhoven and S. De Franceschi. Tunable supercurrent through semiconductor nanowires. Science 309, 272{275 (2005). [13] F. Giazotto, T. T. Heikkila, G. P. Pepe, P. Helisto, A. Luukanen and J. P. Pekola. Ultrasensitive proximity Josephson sensor with kinetic inductance readout. Applied Physics Letters 92, 162507 (2008). [14] S. P. Benz. Superconductor-normal-superconductor junctions for programmable voltage standards. Applied Physics Letters 67, 2714{2716 (1995). [15] Y. C. Tao and J. G. Hu. Superconducting spintronics: Spin-polarized transport in superconducting junctions with ferromagnetic semiconducting contact. Journal of Applied Physics 107, 041101 (2010).