@inproceedings{FackeldeyBujotzek2014, author = {Fackeldey, Konstantin and Bujotzek, Alexander}, title = {Local Quantum-Like Updates in Classical Molecular Simulation Realized Within an Uncoupling-Coupling Approach}, volume = {19}, booktitle = {Progress in Industrial Mathematics at ECMI 2012}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-05365-3_42}, pages = {309 -- 313}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In this article a method to improve the precision of the classical molecular dynamics force field by solving an approximation problem with scattered quantum mechanical data is presented. This novel technique is based on two steps. In the first step a partition of unity scheme is used for partitioning the state space by meshfree basis functions. As a consequence the potential can be localized for each basis function. In a second step, for one state in each meshfree basis function, the precise QM-based charges are computed. These local QM-based charges are then used, to optimize the local potential function. The performance of this method is shown for the alanine tripeptide.}, language = {en} } @misc{KrauseFackeldeyKrause2013, author = {Krause, Dorian and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Krause, Rolf}, title = {A parallel multiscale simulation toolbox for coupling molecular dynamics and finite elements}, issn = {1438-0064}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-00786-1_14}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-42354}, year = {2013}, abstract = {It is the ultimate goal of concurrent multiscale methods to provide computational tools that allow to simulation physical processes with the accuracy of micro-scale and the computational speed of macro-scale models. As a matter of fact, the efficient and scalable implementation of concurrent multiscale methods on clusters and supercomputers is a complicated endeavor. In this article we present the parallel multiscale simulation tool MACI which has been designed for efficient coupling between molecular dynamics and finite element codes. We propose a specification for a thin yet versatile interface for the coupling of molecular dynamics and finite element codes in a modular fashion. Further we discuss the parallelization strategy pursued in MACI, in particular, focusing on the parallel assembly of transfer operators and their efficient execution.}, language = {en} } @article{BujotzekSchuettNielsenetal.2014, author = {Bujotzek, Alexander and Sch{\"u}tt, Ole and Nielsen, Adam and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Weber, Marcus}, title = {ZIBgridfree: Efficient Conformational Analysis by Partition-of-Unity Coupling}, volume = {52}, journal = {Journal of Mathematical Chemistry}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1007/s10910-013-0265-1}, pages = {781 -- 804}, year = {2014}, language = {de} } @article{WeberFackeldey2014, author = {Weber, Marcus and Fackeldey, Konstantin}, title = {Local Refinements in Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations}, volume = {490}, journal = {J. Phys. Conf. Ser.}, pages = {012016}, year = {2014}, language = {en} } @article{AndraeDurmazFackeldeyetal.2013, author = {Andrae, Karsten and Durmaz, Vedat and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Scharkoi, Olga and Weber, Marcus}, title = {Medizin aus dem Computer}, volume = {62}, journal = {Der Anaesthesist}, number = {7}, publisher = {Springer}, doi = {10.1007/s00101-013-2202-x}, pages = {561 -- 557}, year = {2013}, language = {de} } @article{FackeldeyRoeblitzScharkoietal.2011, author = {Fackeldey, Konstantin and R{\"o}blitz, Susanna and Scharkoi, O. and Weber, Marcus}, title = {Soft Versus Hard Metastable Conformations in Molecular Simulations}, journal = {Particle Methods II, Fundamentals and Applications, Barcelona, Spain 26-28 Oct. 2011, E. Onate and D.R.J. Owen (eds.)}, pages = {899 -- 909}, year = {2011}, language = {de} } @misc{Fackeldey2010, author = {Fackeldey, Konstantin}, title = {Challenges in Atomistic-to-Continuum Coupling}, volume = {2010}, journal = {ZIB Report}, edition = {10-12}, doi = {10.1155/2015/834517}, year = {2010}, abstract = {This paper is concerned with the design, analysis, and implementation of concurrent coupling approaches where different (atomic and continuous) models are used simultaneously within a single simulation process. Thereby, several problems or pitfalls can happen, for example, the reflection of molecular movements at the "boundary" between the atomic and continuum regions which leads to an unphysical increase in energy in the atomic model. We investigate the problems with the aim of giving an introduction into this field and preventing errors for scientists starting their research towards multiscale methods.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Fackeldey2015, author = {Fackeldey, Konstantin}, title = {Crossing the Scales in Structural Mechanics and Molecular Research}, year = {2015}, language = {en} } @misc{FackeldeyKoltaiNeviretal.2017, author = {Fackeldey, Konstantin and Koltai, P{\´e}ter and N{\´e}vir, Peter and Rust, Henning and Schild, Axel and Weber, Marcus}, title = {From Metastable to Coherent Sets - time-discretization schemes}, issn = {1438-0064}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-66074}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Given a time-dependent stochastic process with trajectories x(t) in a space \$\Omega\$, there may be sets such that the corresponding trajectories only very rarely cross the boundaries of these sets. We can analyze such a process in terms of metastability or coherence. Metastable sets M are defined in space \$M\subset\Omega\$, coherent sets \$M(t)\subset\Omega\$ are defined in space and time. Hence, if we extend the space by the time-variable t, coherent sets are metastable sets in \$\Omega\times[0,\infty]\$. This relation can be exploited, because there already exist spectral algorithms for the identification of metastable sets. In this article we show that these well-established spectral algorithms (like PCCA+) also identify coherent sets of non-autonomous dynamical systems. For the identification of coherent sets, one has to compute a discretization (a matrix T) of the transfer operator of the process using a space-timediscretization scheme. The article gives an overview about different time-discretization schemes and shows their applicability in two different fields of application.}, language = {en} } @article{GorgullaCınaroğluFischeretal.2021, author = {Gorgulla, Christoph and {\c{C}}{\i}naroğlu, S{\"u}leyman and Fischer, Patrick D. and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Wagner, Gerhard and Arthanari, Haribabu}, title = {VirtualFlow Ants—Ultra-Large Virtual Screenings with Artificial Intelligence Driven Docking Algorithm Based on Ant Colony Optimization}, volume = {22}, journal = {Special Issue Artificial Intelligence \& Deep Learning Approaches for Structural Bioinformatics}, number = {11}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22115807}, pages = {5807}, year = {2021}, abstract = {The docking program PLANTS, which is based on ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm, has many advanced features for molecular docking. Among them are multiple scoring functions, the possibility to model explicit displaceable water molecules, and the inclusion of experimental constraints. Here, we add support of PLANTS to VirtualFlow (VirtualFlow Ants), which adds a valuable method for primary virtual screenings and rescoring procedures. Furthermore, we have added support of ligand libraries in the MOL2 format, as well as on the fly conversion of ligand libraries which are in the PDBQT format to the MOL2 format to endow VirtualFlow Ants with an increased flexibility regarding the ligand libraries. The on the fly conversion is carried out with Open Babel and the program SPORES. We applied VirtualFlow Ants to a test system involving KEAP1 on the Google Cloud up to 128,000 CPUs, and the observed scaling behavior is approximately linear. Furthermore, we have adjusted several central docking parameters of PLANTS (such as the speed parameter or the number of ants) and screened 10 million compounds for each of the 10 resulting docking scenarios. We analyzed their docking scores and average docking times, which are key factors in virtual screenings. The possibility of carrying out ultra-large virtual screening with PLANTS via VirtualFlow Ants opens new avenues in computational drug discovery.}, language = {en} } @article{FackeldeyGorgullaWeber2021, author = {Fackeldey, Konstantin and Gorgulla, Christoph and Weber, Marcus}, title = {Neue Medikamente dank Supercomputern}, journal = {Spektrum der Wissenschaft}, number = {11}, pages = {40 -- 46}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Die aktuelle Pandemie verdeutlicht, wie wichtig es ist, rasch geeignete Arzneimittel zu finden. In Computer­simulationen gelingt das erheblich schneller als im Labor. Gegen das Coronavirus ließen sich auf diese Weise bereits Wirkstoffkandidaten identifizieren.}, language = {de} } @article{BirkRaharinirinaFackeldeyetal.2021, author = {Birk, Ralph and Raharinirina, N. Alexia and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Richter, Tonio Sebastian and Weber, Marcus}, title = {Inferring cultural and social processes based on patterns of statistical relationships between Synodal texts}, year = {2021}, abstract = {In this paper, we explore the relationship patterns between Ancient Egyptian texts of the corpus ``Synodal decrees'', which are originating between 243 and 185 BCE, during the Ptolemaic period. Particularly, we are interested in analyzing the grammatical features of the different texts. Conventional data analysis methods such as correspondence Analysis are very useful to explore the patterns of statistical interdependence between categories of variables. However, it is based on a PCA-like dimension-reduction method and turned out to be unsuitable for our dataset due to the high dimensionality of our data representations. Additionally, the similarity between pairs of texts and pairs of grammatical features is observed through the distance between their representation, but the degree of association between a particular grammatical feature and a text is not. Here, we applied a qualitative Euclidean embedding method that provides a new Euclidean representation of the categories of variables. This new representation of the categories is constructed in such a way that all the patterns of statistical interdependence, similarity, and association, are seen through the Euclidean distance between them. Nevertheless, the PCA-like dimension-reduction method also performed poorly on our new representation. Therefore, we obtained a two-dimensional visualization using non-linear methods such UMAP or t-SNE. Although these dimension-reduction methods reduced the interpretability of interpoint distances, we were still able to identify important similarity patterns between the Synodal text as well as their association patterns with the grammatical features.}, language = {en} } @article{GorgullaNigamKoopetal.2023, author = {Gorgulla, Christoph and Nigam, AkshatKumar and Koop, Matt and Selim {\c{C}}{\i}naroğlu, S{\"u}leyman and Secker, Christopher and Haddadnia, Mohammad and Kumar, Abhishek and Malets, Yehor and Hasson, Alexander and Li, Minkai and Tang, Ming and Levin-Konigsberg, Roni and Radchenko, Dmitry and Kumar, Aditya and Gehev, Minko and Aquilanti, Pierre-Yves and Gabb, Henry and Alhossary, Amr and Wagner, Gerhard and Aspuru-Guzik, Al{\´a}n and Moroz, Yurii S. and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Arthanari, Haribabu}, title = {VirtualFlow 2.0 - The Next Generation Drug Discovery Platform Enabling Adaptive Screens of 69 Billion Molecules}, journal = {bioRxiv}, doi = {10.1101/2023.04.25.537981}, year = {2023}, language = {en} } @article{RaharinirinaSunkaravonKleistetal.2024, author = {Raharinirina, Nomenjanahary Alexia and Sunkara, Vikram and von Kleist, Max and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Weber, Marcus}, title = {Multi-Input data ASsembly for joint Analysis (MIASA): A framework for the joint analysis of disjoint sets of variables}, volume = {19}, journal = {PLOS ONE}, number = {5}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0302425}, pages = {26}, year = {2024}, language = {en} } @article{CoomberChewleSeckeretal.2025, author = {Coomber, Celvic and Chewle, Surahit and Secker, Christopher and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Weber, Marcus and Winkelmann, Stefanie and Sch{\"u}tte, Christof and Sunkara, Vikram}, title = {Investigating Endogenous Opioids Unravels the Mechanisms Behind Opioid-Induced Constipation, a Mathematical Modeling Approach}, volume = {26}, journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, number = {13}, doi = {10.3390/ijms26136207}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Endogenous opioids, such as Endomorphin-2, are not typically associated with severe constipation, unlike pharmaceutical opioids, which induce opioid-induced constipation (OIC) by activating μ-opioid receptors in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we present a mathematical model, which integrates the serotonergic and opioid pathways, simulating the interaction between serotonin and opioid signaling within the enteric nervous system (ENS). The model explores the mechanisms underlying OIC, with a focus on the change in adenylyl cyclase (AC) activity, cAMP accumulation, and the distinct functionalities of Endomorphin-2 compared to commonly used pharmaceutical opioids. We study the effects of Morphine, Fentanyl, and Methadone and contrast them with Endomorphin-2. Our findings reveal that opioids do not perturb the signaling of serotonin, but only the activity of AC, suggesting that serotonin levels have no influence on improving opioid-induced constipation. Furthermore, this study reveals that the primary difference between endogenous and pharmaceutical opioids is their degradation rates. This finding shows that modulating opioid degradation rates significantly improves cAMP recovery. In conclusion, our insights steer towards exploring opioid degrading enzymes, localized to the gut, as a strategy for mitigating OIC.}, language = {en} } @misc{RaharinirinaWeberBirketal.2021, author = {Raharinirina, N. Alexia and Weber, Marcus and Birk, Ralph and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Klasse, Sarah M. and Richter, Tonio Sebastian}, title = {Different Tools and Results for Correspondence Analysis}, doi = {10.12752/8257}, year = {2021}, abstract = {This is a list of codes generated from ancient egyptian texts. The codes are used for a correspondence analysis (CA). Codes and CA software are available from the linked webpage.}, language = {en} } @article{NitzkeFackeldeyVrabec2021, author = {Nitzke, Isabel and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Vrabec, Jadran}, title = {Long range corrections for inhomogeneous fluids containing a droplet or a bubble}, journal = {Molecular Simulation}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1080/08927022.2021.1954639}, pages = {1 -- 14}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Long range corrections for molecular simulations of inhomogeneous fluids with a spherical interface are presented. Correction terms for potential energy, force and virial are derived for the monatomic Lennard-Jones fluid. The method is generalised to the Mie potential and arbitrary molecular structures, employing a numerically efficient centre of mass cut-off scheme. The results are validated by a series of droplet simulations for one-centre and two-centre Lennard-Jones fluids with different cut-off radii rc. Systems with rc=8σ provide a check of self-consistence. Further, a system containing a bubble is investigated for the one-centre Lennard-Jones fluid. The equilibrium properties are almost completely independent on the cut-off radius. In comparison with vapour-liquid equilibrium data for systems without a curved interface, all properties show the expected behaviour. Simulation data are used to approximate the surface tension, which is in good agreement with the findings for planar interfaces, thus verifying the present corrections.}, language = {en} } @article{SeckerFackeldeyWeberetal.2023, author = {Secker, Christopher and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Weber, Marcus and Ray, Sourav and Gorgulla, Christoph and Sch{\"u}tte, Christof}, title = {Novel multi-objective affinity approach allows to identify pH-specific μ-opioid receptor agonists}, volume = {15}, journal = {Journal of Cheminformatics}, doi = {10.1186/s13321-023-00746-4}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Opioids are essential pharmaceuticals due to their analgesic properties, however, lethal side effects, addiction, and opioid tolerance are extremely challenging. The development of novel molecules targeting the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) in inflamed, but not in healthy tissue, could significantly reduce these unwanted effects. Finding such novel molecules can be achieved by maximizing the binding affinity to the MOR at acidic pH while minimizing it at neutral pH, thus combining two conflicting objectives. Here, this multi-objective optimal affinity approach is presented, together with a virtual drug discovery pipeline for its practical implementation. When applied to finding pH-specific drug candidates, it combines protonation state-dependent structure and ligand preparation with high-throughput virtual screening. We employ this pipeline to characterize a set of MOR agonists identifying a morphine-like opioid derivative with higher predicted binding affinities to the MOR at low pH compared to neutral pH. Our results also confirm existing experimental evidence that NFEPP, a previously described fentanyl derivative with reduced side effects, and recently reported β-fluorofentanyls and -morphines show an increased specificity for the MOR at acidic pH when compared to fentanyl and morphine. We further applied our approach to screen a >50K ligand library identifying novel molecules with pH-specific predicted binding affinities to the MOR. The presented differential docking pipeline can be applied to perform multi-objective affinity optimization to identify safer and more specific drug candidates at large scale.}, language = {en} } @article{GorgullaJayarajFackeldeyetal.2022, author = {Gorgulla, Christoph and Jayaraj, Abhilash and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Arthanari, Haribabu}, title = {Emerging frontiers in virtual drug discovery: From quantum mechanical methods to deep learning approaches}, volume = {69}, journal = {Current Opinion in Chemical Biology}, doi = {10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.102156}, pages = {102156 -- 102156-12}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Virtual screening-based approaches to discover initial hit and lead compounds have the potential to reduce both the cost and time of early drug discovery stages, as well as to find inhibitors for even challenging target sites such as protein-protein interfaces. Here in this review, we provide an overview of the progress that has been made in virtual screening methodology and technology on multiple fronts in recent years. The advent of ultra-large virtual screens, in which hundreds of millions to billions of compounds are screened, has proven to be a powerful approach to discover highly potent hit compounds. However, these developments are just the tip of the iceberg, with new technologies and methods emerging to propel the field forward. Examples include novel machine-learning approaches, which can reduce the computational costs of virtual screening dramatically, while progress in quantum-mechanical approaches can increase the accuracy of predictions of various small molecule properties.}, language = {en} } @article{SechiFackeldeyChewleetal.2022, author = {Sechi, Renata and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Chewle, Surahit and Weber, Marcus}, title = {SepFree NMF: A Toolbox for Analyzing the Kinetics of Sequential Spectroscopic Data}, volume = {15}, journal = {Algorithms}, number = {9}, doi = {10.3390/a15090297}, pages = {297}, year = {2022}, abstract = {This work addresses the problem of determining the number of components from sequential spectroscopic data analyzed by non-negative matrix factorization without separability assumption (SepFree NMF). These data are stored in a matrix M of dimension "measured times" versus "measured wavenumbers" and can be decomposed to obtain the spectral fingerprints of the states and their evolution over time. SepFree NMF assumes a memoryless (Markovian) process to underline the dynamics and decomposes M so that M=WH, with W representing the components' fingerprints and H their kinetics. However, the rank of this decomposition (i.e., the number of physical states in the process) has to be guessed from pre-existing knowledge on the observed process. We propose a measure for determining the number of components with the computation of the minimal memory effect resulting from the decomposition; by quantifying how much the obtained factorization is deviating from the Markovian property, we are able to score factorizations of a different number of components. In this way, we estimate the number of different entities which contribute to the observed system, and we can extract kinetic information without knowing the characteristic spectra of the single components. This manuscript provides the mathematical background as well as an analysis of computer generated and experimental sequentially measured Raman spectra.}, language = {en} } @article{RayFackeldeySteinetal.2023, author = {Ray, Sourav and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Stein, Christoph and Weber, Marcus}, title = {Coarse Grained MD Simulations of Opioid interactions with the µ-opioid receptor and the surrounding lipid membrane}, volume = {3}, journal = {Biophysica}, number = {2}, doi = {10.3390/biophysica3020017}, pages = {263 -- 275}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In our previous studies, a new opioid (NFEPP) was developed to only selectively bind to the 𝜇-opoid receptor (MOR) in inflamed tissue and thus avoid the severe side effects of fentanyl. We know that NFEPP has a reduced binding affinity to MOR in healthy tissue. Inspired by the modelling and simulations performed by Sutcliffe et al., we present our own results of coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of fentanyl and NFEPP with regards to their interaction with the 𝜇-opioid receptor embedded within the lipid cell membrane. For technical reasons, we have slightly modified Sutcliffe's parametrisation of opioids. The pH-dependent opioid simulations are of interest because while fentanyl is protonated at the physiological pH, NFEPP is deprotonated due to its lower pKa value than that of fentanyl. Here, we analyse for the first time whether pH changes have an effect on the dynamical behaviour of NFEPP when it is inside the cell membrane. Besides these changes, our analysis shows a possible alternative interaction of NFEPP at pH 7.4 outside the binding region of the MOR. The interaction potential of NFEPP with MOR is also depicted by analysing the provided statistical molecular dynamics simulations with the aid of an eigenvector analysis of a transition rate matrix. In our modelling, we see differences in the XY-diffusion profiles of NFEPP compared with fentanyl in the cell membrane.}, language = {en} } @article{RaharinirinaFackeldeyWeber2022, author = {Raharinirina, N. Alexia and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Weber, Marcus}, title = {Qualitative Euclidean embedding of Disjoint Sets of Points}, year = {2022}, abstract = {We consider two disjoint sets of points with a distance metric, or a proximity function, associated with each set. If each set can be separately embedded into separate Euclidean spaces, then we provide sufficient conditions for the two sets to be jointly embedded in one Euclidean space. In this joint Euclidean embedding, the distances between the points are generated by a specific relation-preserving function. Consequently, the mutual distances between two points of the same set are specific qualitative transformations of their mutual distances in their original space; the pairwise distances between the points of different sets can be constructed from an arbitrary proximity function (might require scaling).}, language = {en} } @misc{WitzigBeckenbachEifleretal.2016, author = {Witzig, Jakob and Beckenbach, Isabel and Eifler, Leon and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Gleixner, Ambros and Grever, Andreas and Weber, Marcus}, title = {Mixed-Integer Programming for Cycle Detection in Non-reversible Markov Processes}, issn = {1438-0064}, doi = {10.1137/16M1091162}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-60353}, year = {2016}, abstract = {In this paper, we present a new, optimization-based method to exhibit cyclic behavior in non-reversible stochastic processes. While our method is general, it is strongly motivated by discrete simulations of ordinary differential equations representing non-reversible biological processes, in particular molecular simulations. Here, the discrete time steps of the simulation are often very small compared to the time scale of interest, i.e., of the whole process. In this setting, the detection of a global cyclic behavior of the process becomes difficult because transitions between individual states may appear almost reversible on the small time scale of the simulation. We address this difficulty using a mixed-integer programming model that allows us to compute a cycle of clusters with maximum net flow, i.e., large forward and small backward probability. For a synthetic genetic regulatory network consisting of a ring-oscillator with three genes, we show that this approach can detect the most productive overall cycle, outperforming classical spectral analysis methods. Our method applies to general non-equilibrium steady state systems such as catalytic reactions, for which the objective value computes the effectiveness of the catalyst.}, language = {en} } @article{WitzigBeckenbachEifleretal.2018, author = {Witzig, Jakob and Beckenbach, Isabel and Eifler, Leon and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Gleixner, Ambros and Grever, Andreas and Weber, Marcus}, title = {Mixed-Integer Programming for Cycle Detection in Non-reversible Markov Processes}, volume = {16}, journal = {Multiscale Modeling and Simulation}, number = {1}, issn = {1438-0064}, doi = {10.1137/16M1091162}, pages = {248 -- 265}, year = {2018}, abstract = {In this paper, we present a new, optimization-based method to exhibit cyclic behavior in non-reversible stochastic processes. While our method is general, it is strongly motivated by discrete simulations of ordinary differential equations representing non-reversible biological processes, in particular molecular simulations. Here, the discrete time steps of the simulation are often very small compared to the time scale of interest, i.e., of the whole process. In this setting, the detection of a global cyclic behavior of the process becomes difficult because transitions between individual states may appear almost reversible on the small time scale of the simulation. We address this difficulty using a mixed-integer programming model that allows us to compute a cycle of clusters with maximum net flow, i.e., large forward and small backward probability. For a synthetic genetic regulatory network consisting of a ring-oscillator with three genes, we show that this approach can detect the most productive overall cycle, outperforming classical spectral analysis methods. Our method applies to general non-equilibrium steady state systems such as catalytic reactions, for which the objective value computes the effectiveness of the catalyst.}, language = {en} } @article{GorgullaGarzaKapiletal.2025, author = {Gorgulla, Christoph and Garza, Alejandro J. and Kapil, Venkat and Fackeldey, Konstantin}, title = {QUASAR: A Flexible QM-MM Method for Biomolecular Systems based on Restraining Spheres}, volume = {320}, journal = {Computer Physics Communications}, issn = {0010-4655}, doi = {10.1016/j.cpc.2025.109949}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Quantum mechanical models of molecules theoretically offer unprecedented accuracy in predicting values associated with these systems, including the free energy of interaction between two molecules. However, high-accuracy quantum mechanical methods are computationally too expensive to be applied to larger systems, including most biomolecular systems such as proteins. To circumvent this challenge, the hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) method was developed, allowing one to treat only the most important part of the system on the quantum mechanical level and the remaining part on the classical level. To date, QM/MM simulations for biomolecular systems have been carried out almost exclusively on the electronic structure level, neglecting nuclear quantum effects (NQEs). Yet NQEs can play a major role in biomolecular systems [1]. Here, we present i-QI, a QM/MM client for the path integral molecular dynamics (PIMD) software i-PI [2, 3, 4]. i-QI allows for carrying out QM/MM simulations simultaneously, allowing for the inclusion of electronic as well as nuclear quantum effects. i-QI implements a new QM/MM scheme based on constraining potentials called QUASAR, which allows handling diffusive systems, such as biomolecules solvated in water solvent. The QUASAR method is suitable in particular when the properties of interest are equilibrium properties, such as the free energy of binding. i-QI is freely available and open source, and we demonstrate it on a test system.}, language = {en} } @article{GonnermannMuellerHaaseLeinsetal.2026, author = {Gonnermann-M{\"u}ller, Jana and Haase, Jennifer and Leins, Nicolas and Igel, Moritz and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Pokutta, Sebastian}, title = {FACET: Multi-Agent AI Supporting Teachers in Scaling Differentiated Learning for Diverse Students}, journal = {arXiv}, arxiv = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2601.22788}, doi = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.22788}, year = {2026}, abstract = {Classrooms are becoming increasingly heterogeneous, comprising learners with diverse performance and motivation levels, language proficiencies, and learning differences such as dyslexia and ADHD. While teachers recognize the need for differentiated instruction, growing workloads create substantial barriers, making differentiated instruction an ideal that is often unrealized in practice. Current AI educational tools, which promise differentiated materials, are predominantly student-facing and performance-centric, ignoring other aspects that shape learning outcomes. We introduce FACET, a teacher-facing multi-agent framework designed to address these gaps by supporting differentiation that accounts for motivation, performance, and learning differences. Developed with educational stakeholders from the outset, the framework coordinates four specialized agents, including learner simulation, diagnostic assessment, material generation, and evaluation within a teacher-in-the-loop design. School principals (N = 30) shaped system requirements through participatory workshops, while in-service K-12 teachers (N = 70) evaluated material quality. Mixed-methods evaluation demonstrates strong perceived value for inclusive differentiation. Practitioners emphasized both the urgent need arising from classroom heterogeneity and the importance of maintaining pedagogical autonomy as a prerequisite for adoption. We discuss implications for future school deployment and outline partnerships for longitudinal classroom implementation.}, language = {en} } @article{GonnermannMuellerHaaseFackeldeyetal.2025, author = {Gonnermann-M{\"u}ller, Jana and Haase, Jennifer and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Pokutta, Sebastian}, title = {FACET: Teacher-Centred LLM-Based Multi-Agent Systems-Towards Personalized Educational Worksheets}, arxiv = {http://arxiv.org/abs/2508.11401}, year = {2025}, abstract = {The increasing heterogeneity of student populations poses significant challenges for teachers, particularly in mathematics education, where cognitive, motivational, and emotional differences strongly influence learning outcomes. While AI-driven personalization tools have emerged, most remain performance-focused, offering limited support for teachers and neglecting broader pedagogical needs. This paper presents the FACET framework, a teacher-facing, large language model (LLM)-based multi-agent system designed to generate individualized classroom materials that integrate both cognitive and motivational dimensions of learner profiles. The framework comprises three specialized agents: (1) learner agents that simulate diverse profiles incorporating topic proficiency and intrinsic motivation, (2) a teacher agent that adapts instructional content according to didactical principles, and (3) an evaluator agent that provides automated quality assurance. We tested the system using authentic grade 8 mathematics curriculum content and evaluated its feasibility through a) automated agent-based assessment of output quality and b) exploratory feedback from K-12 in-service teachers. Results from ten internal evaluations highlighted high stability and alignment between generated materials and learner profiles, and teacher feedback particularly highlighted structure and suitability of tasks. The findings demonstrate the potential of multi-agent LLM architectures to provide scalable, context-aware personalization in heterogeneous classroom settings, and outline directions for extending the framework to richer learner profiles and real-world classroom trials.}, language = {en} }