TY - JOUR A1 - Ferrein, Alexander A1 - Schiffer, Stefan A1 - Booysen, T. A1 - Stopforth, R. T1 - Why it is harder to run RoboCup in South Africa: Experiences from German South African collaborations JF - International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems N2 - Robots are widely used as a vehicle to spark interest in science and technology in learners. A number of initiatives focus on this issue, for instance, the Roberta Initiative, the FIRST Lego League, the World Robot Olympiad and RoboCup Junior. Robotic competitions are valuable not only for school learners but also for university students, as the RoboCup initiative shows. Besides technical skills, the students get some project exposure and experience what it means to finish their tasks on time. But qualifying students for future high-tech areas should not only be for students from developed countries. In this article, we present our experiences with research and education in robotics within the RoboCup initiative, in Germany and South Africa; we report on our experiences with trying to get the RoboCup initiative in South Africa going. RoboCup has a huge support base of academic institutions in Germany; this is not the case in South Africa. We present our ‘north–south’ collaboration initiatives in RoboCup between Germany and South Africa and discuss some of the reasons why we think it is harder to run RoboCup in South Africa. Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1729881416662789 SN - 1729-8806 VL - 13 IS - 5 SP - 1 EP - 13 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jablonowski, Nicolai David A1 - Kollmann, Tobias A1 - Nabel, Moritz A1 - Damm, Tatjana A1 - Klose, Holger A1 - Müller, Michael A1 - Bläsing, Marc A1 - Seebold, Sören A1 - Krafft, Simone A1 - Kuperjans, Isabel A1 - Dahmen, Markus A1 - Schurr, Ulrich T1 - Valorization of Sida (Sida hermaphrodita) biomass for multiple energy purposes JF - GCB [Global Change Biology] Bioenergy N2 - The performance and biomass yield of the perennial energy plant Sida hermaphrodita (hereafter referred to as Sida) as a feedstock for biogas and solid fuel was evaluated throughout one entire growing period at agricultural field conditions. A Sida plant development code was established to allow comparison of the plant growth stages and biomass composition. Four scenarios were evaluated to determine the use of Sida biomass with regard to plant development and harvest time: (i) one harvest for solid fuel only; (ii) one harvest for biogas production only; (iii) one harvest for biogas production, followed by a harvest of the regrown biomass for solid fuel; and (iv) two consecutive harvests for biogas production. To determine Sida's value as a feedstock for combustion, we assessed the caloric value, the ash quality, and melting point with regard to DIN EN ISO norms. The results showed highest total dry biomass yields of max. 25 t ha⁻¹, whereas the highest dry matter of 70% to 80% was obtained at the end of the growing period. Scenario (i) clearly indicated the highest energy recovery, accounting for 439 288 MJ ha⁻¹; the energy recovery of the four scenarios from highest to lowest followed this order: (i) ≫ (iii) ≫ (iv) > (ii). Analysis of the Sida ashes showed a high melting point of >1500 °C, associated with a net calorific value of 16.5–17.2 MJ kg⁻¹. All prerequisites for DIN EN ISO norms were achieved, indicating Sida's advantage as a solid energy carrier without any post-treatment after harvesting. Cell wall analysis of the stems showed a constant lignin content after sampling week 16 (July), whereas cellulose had already reached a plateau in sampling week 4 (April). The results highlight Sida as a promising woody, perennial plant, providing biomass for flexible and multipurpose energy applications. Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12346 SN - 1757-1707 (online) SN - 1757-1693 (print) N1 - Special Issue: Perennial biomass crops for a resource constrained world VL - 9 IS - 1 SP - 202 EP - 214 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Albanna, W. A1 - Conzen, C. A1 - Weiss, M. A1 - Clusmann, H. A1 - Fuest, M. A1 - Mueller, M. A1 - Brockmann, M.A. A1 - Vilser, W. A1 - Schmidt-Trucksäss, A. A1 - Hoellig, A. A1 - Seiz, M. A1 - Thomé, C. A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Schubert, G.A. T1 - Retinal Vessel Analysis (RVA) in the context of subarachnoid hemorrhage: A proof of concept study JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Background Timely detection of impending delayed cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is essential to improve outcome, but poses a diagnostic challenge. Retinal vessels as an embryological part of the intracranial vasculature are easily accessible for analysis and may hold the key to a new and non-invasive monitoring technique. This investigation aims to determine the feasibility of standardized retinal vessel analysis (RVA) in the context of SAH. Methods In a prospective pilot study, we performed RVA in six patients awake and cooperative with SAH in the acute phase (day 2–14) and eight patients at the time of follow-up (mean 4.6±1.7months after SAH), and included 33 age-matched healthy controls. Data was acquired using a manoeuvrable Dynamic Vessel Analyzer (Imedos Systems UG, Jena) for examination of retinal vessel dimension and neurovascular coupling. Results Image quality was satisfactory in the majority of cases (93.3%). In the acute phase after SAH, retinal arteries were significantly dilated when compared to the control group (124.2±4.3MU vs 110.9±11.4MU, p<0.01), a difference that persisted to a lesser extent in the later stage of the disease (122.7±17.2MU, p<0.05). Testing for neurovascular coupling showed a trend towards impaired primary vasodilation and secondary vasoconstriction (p = 0.08, p = 0.09 resp.) initially and partial recovery at the time of follow-up, indicating a relative improvement in a time-dependent fashion. Conclusion RVA is technically feasible in patients with SAH and can detect fluctuations in vessel diameter and autoregulation even in less severely affected patients. Preliminary data suggests potential for RVA as a new and non-invasive tool for advanced SAH monitoring, but clinical relevance and prognostic value will have to be determined in a larger cohort. Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158781 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 11 IS - 7 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Goßmann, Matthias A1 - Frotscher, Ralf A1 - Linder, Peter A1 - Bayer, Robin A1 - Epple, U. A1 - Staat, Manfred A1 - Temiz Artmann, Aysegül A1 - Artmann, Gerhard T1 - Mechano-pharmacological characterization of cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells JF - Cellular physiology and biochemistry N2 - Background/Aims: Common systems for the quantification of cellular contraction rely on animal-based models, complex experimental setups or indirect approaches. The herein presented CellDrum technology for testing mechanical tension of cellular monolayers and thin tissue constructs has the potential to scale-up mechanical testing towards medium-throughput analyses. Using hiPS-Cardiac Myocytes (hiPS-CMs) it represents a new perspective of drug testing and brings us closer to personalized drug medication. Methods: In the present study, monolayers of self-beating hiPS-CMs were grown on ultra-thin circular silicone membranes and deflect under the weight of the culture medium. Rhythmic contractions of the hiPS-CMs induced variations of the membrane deflection. The recorded contraction-relaxation-cycles were analyzed with respect to their amplitudes, durations, time integrals and frequencies. Besides unstimulated force and tensile stress, we investigated the effects of agonists and antagonists acting on Ca²⁺ channels (S-Bay K8644/verapamil) and Na⁺ channels (veratridine/lidocaine). Results: The measured data and simulations for pharmacologically unstimulated contraction resembled findings in native human heart tissue, while the pharmacological dose-response curves were highly accurate and consistent with reference data. Conclusion: We conclude that the combination of the CellDrum with hiPS-CMs offers a fast, facile and precise system for pharmacological, toxicological studies and offers new preclinical basic research potential. KW - Inotropic compounds KW - Pharmacology KW - Ion channels KW - CellDrum KW - Heart tissue culture KW - Induced pluripotent stem cells KW - Cardiac myocytes Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000443124 SN - 1421-9778 (Online) SN - 1015-8987 (Print) VL - 38 IS - 3 SP - 1182 EP - 1198 PB - Karger CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Miyamoto, Ko-Ichiro A1 - Sato, Takuya A1 - Abe, Minami A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Yoshinobu, Tatsuo T1 - Light-addressable potentiometric sensor as a sensing element in plug-based microfluidic devices JF - Micromachines N2 - A plug-based microfluidic system based on the principle of the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is proposed. The LAPS is a semiconductor-based chemical sensor, which has a free addressability of the measurement point on the sensing surface. By combining a microfluidic device and LAPS, ion sensing can be performed anywhere inside the microfluidic channel. In this study, the sample solution to be measured was introduced into the channel in a form of a plug with a volume in the range of microliters. Taking advantage of the light-addressability, the position of the plug could be monitored and pneumatically controlled. With the developed system, the pH value of a plug with a volume down to 400 nL could be measured. As an example of plug-based operation, two plugs were merged in the channel, and the pH change was detected by differential measurement. KW - light-addressable potentiometric sensor KW - plug-based microfluidic device KW - chemical sensor Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mi7070111 SN - 2072-666X N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Micro/Nano Devices for Chemical Analysis" VL - 7 IS - 7 SP - 111 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Vornholt, Wolfgang A1 - Werner, Frederik A1 - Yoshinobu, Tatsuo A1 - Miyamoto, Ko-Ichiro A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) combined with magnetic beads for pharmaceutical screening JF - Physics in medicine N2 - The light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) has the unique feature to address different regions of a sensor surface without the need of complex structures. Measurements at different locations on the sensor surface can be performed in a common analyte solution, which distinctly simplifies the fluidic set-up. However, the measurement in a single analyte chamber prevents the application of different drugs or different concentrations of a drug to each measurement spot at the same time as in the case of multi-reservoir-based set-ups. In this work, the authors designed a LAPS-based set-up for cell culture screening that utilises magnetic beads loaded with the endotoxin (lipopolysaccharides, LPS), to generate a spatially distributed gradient of analyte concentration. Different external magnetic fields can be adjusted to move the magnetic beads loaded with a specific drug within the measurement cell. By recording the metabolic activities of a cell layer cultured on top of the LAPS surface, this work shows the possibility to apply different concentrations of a sample along the LAPS measurement spots within a common analyte solution. Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phmed.2016.03.001 SN - 2352-4510 VL - 2016 IS - 1 SP - 2 EP - 7 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Bronder, Thomas A1 - Scheja, S. A1 - Wu, Chunsheng A1 - Metzger-Boddien, C. A1 - Keusgen, M. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Label-free Electrostatic Detection of DNA Amplification by PCR Using Capacitive Field-effect Devices T2 - Procedia Engineering N2 - A capacitive field-effect EIS (electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor) sensor modified with a positively charged weak polyelectrolyte of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)/single-stranded probe DNA (ssDNA) bilayer has been used for a label-free electrostatic detection of pathogen-specific DNA amplification via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The sensor is able to distinguish between positive and negative PCR solutions, to detect the existence of target DNA amplicons in PCR samples and thus, can be used as tool for a quick verification of DNA amplification and the successful PCR process. Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.11.512 SN - 1877-7058 N1 - Proceedings of the 30th anniversary Eurosensors Conference – Eurosensors 2016, 4-7. Sepember 2016, Budapest, Hungary VL - Vol. 168 SP - 514 EP - 517 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ayed, Anis Haj A1 - Kusterer, Karsten A1 - Funke, Harald A1 - Keinz, Jan T1 - CFD Based Improvement of the DLN Hydrogen Micromix Combustion Technology at Increased Energy Densities JF - American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) N2 - Combined with the use of renewable energy sources for its production, Hydrogen represents a possible alternative gas turbine fuel within future low emission power generation. Due to the large difference in the physical properties of Hydrogen compared to other fuels such as natural gas, well established gas turbine combustion systems cannot be directly applied for Dry Low NOx (DLN) Hydrogen combustion. Thus, the development of DLN combustion technologies is an essential and challenging task for the future of Hydrogen fuelled gas turbines. The DLN Micromix combustion principle for hydrogen fuel has been developed to significantly reduce NOx-emissions. This combustion principle is based on cross-flow mixing of air and gaseous hydrogen which reacts in multiple miniaturized diffusion-type flames. The major advantages of this combustion principle are the inherent safety against flash-back and the low NOx-emissions due to a very short residence time of reactants in the flame region of the micro-flames. The Micromix Combustion technology has been already proven experimentally and numerically for pure Hydrogen fuel operation at different energy density levels. The aim of the present study is to analyze the influence of different geometry parameter variations on the flame structure and the NOx emission and to identify the most relevant design parameters, aiming to provide a physical understanding of the Micromix flame sensitivity to the burner design and identify further optimization potential of this innovative combustion technology while increasing its energy density and making it mature enough for real gas turbine application. The study reveals great optimization potential of the Micromix Combustion technology with respect to the DLN characteristics and gives insight into the impact of geometry modifications on flame structure and NOx emission. This allows to further increase the energy density of the Micromix burners and to integrate this technology in industrial gas turbines. Y1 - 2016 SN - 2313-4402 VL - 26 IS - 3 SP - 290 EP - 303 PB - GSSRR ER -