@article{PaulssenKongArciszewskietal.2012, author = {Paulßen, Elisabeth and Kong, Shushu and Arciszewski, Pawel and Wielbalck, Swantje and Abram, Ulrich}, title = {Aryl and NHC Compounds of Technetium and Rhenium}, series = {Journal of the American Chemical Society}, volume = {134}, journal = {Journal of the American Chemical Society}, number = {22}, publisher = {ACS Publications}, address = {Washington, DC}, issn = {1520-5126}, doi = {10.1021/ja3033718}, pages = {9118 -- 9121}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Air- and water-stable phenyl complexes with nitridotechnetium(V) cores can be prepared by straightforward procedures. [TcNPh2(PPh3)2] is formed by the reaction of [TcNCl2(PPh3)2] with PhLi. The analogous N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) compound [TcNPh2(HLPh)2], where HLPh is 1,3,4-triphenyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene, is available from (NBu4)[TcNCl4] and HLPh or its methoxo-protected form. The latter compound allows the comparison of different Tc-C bonds within one compound. Surprisingly, the Tc chemistry with such NHCs does not resemble that of corresponding Re complexes, where CH activation and orthometalation dominate.}, language = {en} } @article{PaulssenNgyugenKahlckeetal.2012, author = {Paulßen, Elisabeth and Ngyugen, Hung Huy and Kahlcke, Nils and Deflon, Victor M. and Abram, Ulrich}, title = {Tricarbonyltechnetium(I) and -rhenium(I) complexes with N′-thiocarbamoylpicolylbenzamidines}, series = {Polyhedron}, volume = {40}, journal = {Polyhedron}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0277-5387}, doi = {10.1016/j.poly.2012.04.008}, pages = {153 -- 158}, year = {2012}, abstract = {N,N-Dialkylamino(thiocarbonyl)-N′-picolylbenzamidines react with (NEt4)2[M(CO)3X3] (M = Re, X = Br; M = Tc, X = Cl) under formation of neutral [M(CO)3L] complexes in high yields. The monoanionic NNS ligands bind in a facial coordination mode and can readily be modified at the (CS)NR1R2 moiety. The complexes [99Tc(CO)3(LPyMor)] and [Re(CO)3(L)] (L = LPyMor, LPyEt) were characterized by X-ray diffraction. Reactions of [99mTc(CO)3(H2O)3]+ with the N′-thiocarbamoylpicolylbenzamidines give the corresponding 99mTc complexes. The ester group in HLPyCOOEt allows linkage between biomolecules and the metal core.}, language = {en} } @article{PieperKlein2012, author = {Pieper, Martin and Klein, Peter}, title = {Application of simple, periodic homogenization techniques to non-linear heat conduction problems in non-periodic, porous media}, series = {Heat mass transfer}, volume = {48}, journal = {Heat mass transfer}, number = {2}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {0947-7411}, doi = {10.1007/s00231-011-0879-4}, pages = {291 -- 300}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Often, detailed simulations of heat conduction in complicated, porous media have large runtimes. Then homogenization is a powerful tool to speed up the calculations by preserving accurate solutions at the same time. Unfortunately real structures are generally non-periodic, which requires unpractical, complicated homogenization techniques. We demonstrate in this paper, that the application of simple, periodic techniques to realistic media, that are just close to periodic, gives accurate, approximative solutions. In order to obtain effective parameters for the homogenized heat equation, we have to solve a so called "cell problem". In contrast to periodic structures it is not trivial to determine a suitable unit cell, which represents a non-periodic media. To overcome this problem, we give a rule of thumb on how to choose a good cell. Finally we demonstrate the efficiency of our method for virtually generated foams as well as real foams and compare these results to periodic structures.}, language = {en} } @article{PoghossianWeilBaeckeretal.2012, author = {Poghossian, Arshak and Weil, M. H. and B{\"a}cker, Matthias and Mayer, D. and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Field-effect Devices Functionalised with Gold-Nanoparticle/Macromolecule Hybrids: New Opportunities for a Label-Free Biosensing}, series = {Procedia Engineering}, journal = {Procedia Engineering}, number = {47}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1877-7058}, doi = {10.1016/j.proeng.2012.09.136}, pages = {273 -- 276}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Field-effect capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) sensors functionalised with citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNP) have been used for the electrostatic detection of macromolecules by their intrinsic molecular charge. The EIS sensor detects the charge changes in the AuNP/macromolecule hybrids induced by the adsorption or binding events. A feasibility of the proposed detection scheme has been exemplary demonstrated by realising EIS sensors for the detection of poly-D-lysine molecules.}, language = {en} } @article{ReisgenOlschokJakobsetal.2012, author = {Reisgen, Uwe and Olschok, Simon and Jakobs, Stefan and Schleser, Markus and Mokrov, Oleg and Rossiter, Eduardo}, title = {Laser beam submerged arc hybrid welding}, series = {Physics procedia}, volume = {39}, journal = {Physics procedia}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1875-3892}, doi = {10.1016/j.phpro.2012.10.016}, pages = {75 -- 83}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The laser beam-submerged arc hybrid welding method originates from the knowledge that, with increasing penetration depth, the laser beam process has a tendency to pore formation in the lower weld regions. The coupling with the energy-efficient submerged-arc process improves degassing and reduces the tendency to pore formation. The high deposition rate of the SA process in combination with the laser beam process offers, providing the appropriate choice of weld preparation, the possibility of welding plates with a thickness larger than 20° mm in a single pass, and also of welding thicker plates with the double-sided single pass technique.}, language = {en} } @article{ReisgenSchleserAbdurakhmanovetal.2012, author = {Reisgen, Uwe and Schleser, Markus and Abdurakhmanov, Aydemir and Gumenyuk, Andrey}, title = {Measuring of plasma properties induced by non-vacuum electron beam welding}, series = {Physics of plasma}, volume = {19}, journal = {Physics of plasma}, number = {1}, publisher = {AIP Publishing}, address = {Melville, NY}, issn = {1089-7674 (E-Journal); 1070-664X (Print)}, doi = {10.1063/1.3675874}, pages = {1 -- 7}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Electron beam plasma measurement was realised by means of DIABEAM system invented by ISF RWTH Aachen. The Langmuir probe method is used for measurement. The relative simplicity of the method and the possibility of dispersion of high power on the probe allow its application for the investigation of high-power electron beams. The key element of the method is a rotating thin tungsten wire, which intersects the beam transversely on its axis and collects part of the current by itself. The signals, which are registered in the DIABEAM as a voltage, were taken in the form of amplitude. The conversion of the probe current into the distribution along the beam radius was realised using the Abel's method. A voltage-current characteristic was built for the beam current. The local electron density as well as the electron temperature, the floating potential and the plasma potential were measured and calculated by means of this characteristic.}, language = {en} } @article{ReisgenSchleserAbdurakhmanovetal.2012, author = {Reisgen, Uwe and Schleser, Markus and Abdurakhmanov, Aydemir and Turichin, Gleb and Valdaitseva, Elena and Bach, Friedrich-Wilhelm and Hassel, Thomas and Beniyashi, Alexander}, title = {Investigation of factors influencing the formation of weld defects in non-vacuum electron beam welding}, series = {The Paton welding journal}, volume = {2012}, journal = {The Paton welding journal}, number = {2}, publisher = {Paton Publishing House}, address = {Kiev}, issn = {0957-798X}, pages = {11 -- 18}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The influence of welding condition parameters and properties of material on formation of defects, such as humping and undercuts, in non-vacuum electron beam welding was investigated. The influence of separate welding parameters on the quality of welds was determined.}, language = {en} } @article{ReisgenSchleserMokrovetal.2012, author = {Reisgen, Uwe and Schleser, Markus and Mokrov, Oleg and Ahmed, Essam}, title = {Statistical modeling of laser welding of DP/TRIP steel sheets}, series = {Optics and laser technology}, volume = {44}, journal = {Optics and laser technology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1879-2545 (E-Journal); 0030-3992 (Print); 0308-4280 (Print)}, doi = {10.1016/j.optlastec.2011.05.025}, pages = {92 -- 101}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In this research work, a statistical analysis of the CO2 laser beam welding of dual phase (DP600)/transformation induced plasticity (TRIP700) steel sheets was done using response surface methodology. The analysis considered the effect of laser power (2-2.2 kW), welding speed (40-50 mm/s) and focus position (-1 to 0 mm) on the heat input, the weld bead geometry, uniaxial tensile strength, formability limited dome height and welding operation cost. The experimental design was based on Box-Behnken design using linear and quadratic polynomial equations for predicting the mathematical models. The results indicate that the proposed models predict the responses adequately within the limits of welding parameters being used and the welding speed is the most significant parameter during the welding process.}, language = {en} } @article{ReisgenSchleserMokrovetal.2012, author = {Reisgen, Uwe and Schleser, Markus and Mokrov, Oleg and Ahmed, Essam}, title = {Optimization of laser welding of DP/TRIP steel sheets using statistical approach}, series = {Optics and laser technology}, volume = {44}, journal = {Optics and laser technology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1879-2545 (E-Journal); 0030-3992 (Print); 0308-4280 (Print)}, doi = {10.1016/j.optlastec.2011.06.028}, pages = {255 -- 262}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Generally, the quality of a weld joint is directly influenced by the welding input parameter settings. Selection of proper process parameters is important to obtain the desired weld bead profile and quality. In this research work, numerical and graphical optimization techniques of the CO2 laser beam welding of dual phase (DP600)/transformation induced plasticity (TRIP700) steel sheets were carried out using response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box-Behnken design. The procedure was established to improve the weld quality, increase the productivity and minimize the total operation cost by considering the welding parameters range of laser power (2-2.2 kW), welding speed (40-50 mm/s) and focus position (-1 to 0 mm). It was found that, RSM can be considered as a powerful tool in experimental welding optimization, even when the experimenter does not have a model for the process. Strong, efficient and low cost weld joints could be achieved using the optimum welding conditions.}, language = {en} } @article{ReisgenSchleserMokrovetal.2012, author = {Reisgen, Uwe and Schleser, Markus and Mokrov, Oleg and Zabirov, Alexander and F{\"u}ssel, Uwe and Schnick, Michael and Hertel, Martin and Jaeckel, Sebastian}, title = {Modelling and visualisation of the GMA process}, series = {Welding and Cutting}, volume = {11}, journal = {Welding and Cutting}, number = {4}, publisher = {DVS Verlag}, address = {D{\"u}sseldorf}, issn = {1612-3433}, pages = {242 -- 249}, year = {2012}, language = {en} } @article{RibitschHeumannKarletal.2012, author = {Ribitsch, D. and Heumann, S. and Karl, W. and Gerlach, J. and Leber, R. and Birner-Gruenberger, R. and Gruber, K. and Eiteljoerg, I. and Remler, P. and Siegert, Petra and Lange, J. and Maurer, Karl-Heinz and Berg, G. and Guebitz, G. M. and Schwab, H.}, title = {Extracellular serine proteases from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: Screening, isolation and heterologous expression in E. coli}, series = {Journal of biotechnology}, volume = {157}, journal = {Journal of biotechnology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1873-4863 (E-Journal); 0168-1656 (Print)}, doi = {10.1016/j.jbiotec.2011.09.025}, pages = {140 -- 147}, year = {2012}, abstract = {A large strain collection comprising antagonistic bacteria was screened for novel detergent proteases. Several strains displayed protease activity on agar plates containing skim milk but were inactive in liquid media. Encapsulation of cells in alginate beads induced protease production. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia emerged as best performer under washing conditions. For identification of wash-active proteases, four extracellular serine proteases called StmPr1, StmPr2, StmPr3 and StmPr4 were cloned. StmPr2 and StmPr4 were sufficiently overexpressed in E. coli. Expression of StmPr1 and StmPr3 resulted in unprocessed, insoluble protein. Truncation of most of the C-terminal domain which has been identified by enzyme modeling succeeded in expression of soluble, active StmPr1 but failed in case of StmPr3. From laundry application tests StmPr2 turned out to be a highly wash-active protease at 45 °C. Specific activity of StmPr2 determined with suc-l-Ala-l-Ala-l-Pro-l-Phe-p-nitroanilide as the substrate was 17 ± 2 U/mg. In addition we determined the kinetic parameters and cleavage preferences of protease StmPr2.}, language = {en} } @article{RiglingBiglerEilmannetal.2012, author = {Rigling, Andreas and Bigler, Christof and Eilmann, Britta and Feldmeyer-Christe, Elisabeth and Gimmi, Urs and Ginzler, Christian and Graf, Ulrich and Mayer, Phillip and Vacchiano, Giorgio and Weber, Pascal and Wohlgemuth, Thomas and zweifel, Roman and Dobbertin, Matthias}, title = {Driving factors of a vegetation shift from Scots pine to pubescent oak in dry Alpine forests}, series = {Global Change Biology}, volume = {19}, journal = {Global Change Biology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {1354-1013 (Print)}, doi = {10.1111/gcb.12038}, pages = {229 -- 240}, year = {2012}, abstract = {An increasing number of studies have reported on forest declines and vegetation shifts triggered by drought. In the Swiss Rhone valley (Valais), one of the driest inner-Alpine regions, the species composition in low elevation forests is changing: The sub-boreal Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) dominating the dry forests is showing high mortality rates. Concurrently the sub-Mediterranean pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.) has locally increased in abundance. However, it remains unclear whether this local change in species composition is part of a larger-scale vegetation shift. To study variability in mortality and regeneration in these dry forests we analysed data from the Swiss national forest inventory (NFI) on a regular grid between 1983 and 2003, and combined it with annual mortality data from a monitoring site. Pine mortality was found to be highest at low elevation (below 1000 m a.s.l.). Annual variation in pine mortality was correlated with a drought index computed for the summer months prior to observed tree death. A generalized linear mixed-effects model indicated for the NFI data increased pine mortality on dryer sites with high stand competition, particularly for small-diameter trees. Pine regeneration was low in comparison to its occurrence in the overstorey, whereas oak regeneration was comparably abundant. Although both species regenerated well at dry sites, pine regeneration was favoured at cooler sites at higher altitude and oak regeneration was more frequent at warmer sites, indicating a higher adaptation potential of oaks under future warming. Our results thus suggest that an extended shift in species composition is actually occurring in the pine forests in the Valais. The main driving factors are found to be climatic variability, particularly drought, and variability in stand structure and topography. Thus, pine forests at low elevations are developing into oak forests with unknown consequences for these ecosystems and their goods and services.}, language = {en} } @article{ScheerBalimaneHaywardetal.2012, author = {Scheer, Nico and Balimane, Praveen and Hayward, Michael D. and Buechel, Sandra and Kauselmann, Gunther and Wolf, C. Roland}, title = {Generation and Characterization of a Novel Multidrug Resistance Protein 2 Humanized Mouse Line}, series = {Drug Metabolism and Disposition}, volume = {40}, journal = {Drug Metabolism and Disposition}, number = {11}, publisher = {ASPET}, address = {Bethesda, Md.}, issn = {1521-0111}, doi = {10.1124/dmd.112.047605}, pages = {2212 -- 2218}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The multidrug resistance protein (MRP) 2 is predominantly expressed in liver, intestine, and kidney, where it plays an important role in the excretion of a range of drugs and their metabolites or endogenous compounds into bile, feces, and urine. Mrp knockout [Mrp2(-/-)] mice have been used recently to study the role of MRP2 in drug disposition. Here, we describe the first generation and initial characterization of a mouse line humanized for MRP2 (huMRP2), which is nulled for the mouse Mrp2 gene and expresses the human transporter in the organs and cell types where MRP2 is normally expressed. Analysis of the mRNA expression for selected cytochrome P450 and transporter genes revealed no major changes in huMRP2 mice compared with wild-type controls. We show that human MRP2 is able to compensate functionally for the loss of the mouse transporter as demonstrated by comparable bilirubin levels in the humanized mice and wild-type controls, in contrast to the hyperbilirubinemia phenotype that is observed in MRP2(-/-) mice. The huMRP2 mouse provides a model to study the role of the human transporter in drug disposition and in assessing the in vivo consequences of inhibiting this transporter by compounds interacting with human MRP2.}, language = {en} } @article{ScheerKapelyukhMcEwanetal.2012, author = {Scheer, Nico and Kapelyukh, Yury and McEwan, Jillian and Beuger, Vincent and Stanley, Lesley A. and Rode, Anja and Wolf, C. Roland}, title = {Modeling Human Cytochrome P450 2D6 Metabolism and Drug-drug Interaction by a Novel Panel of Knockout and Humanized Mouse Lines}, series = {Molecular Pharmacology}, volume = {81}, journal = {Molecular Pharmacology}, number = {1}, publisher = {ASPET}, address = {Bethesda, Md.}, issn = {1521-0111}, doi = {10.1124/mol.111.075192}, pages = {63 -- 72}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The highly polymorphic human cytochrome P450 2D6 enzyme is involved in the metabolism of up to 25\% of all marketed drugs and accounts for significant individual differences in response to CYP2D6 substrates. Because of the differences in the multiplicity and substrate specificity of CYP2D family members among species, it is difficult to predict pathways of human CYP2D6-dependent drug metabolism on the basis of animal studies. To create animal models that reflect the human situation more closely and that allow an in vivo assessment of the consequences of differential CYP2D6 drug metabolism, we have developed a novel straightforward approach to delete the entire murine Cyp2d gene cluster and replace it with allelic variants of human CYP2D6. By using this approach, we have generated mouse lines expressing the two frequent human protein isoforms CYP2D6.1 and CYP2D6.2 and an as yet undescribed variant of this enzyme, as well as a Cyp2d cluster knockout mouse. We demonstrate that the various transgenic mouse lines cover a wide spectrum of different human CYP2D6 metabolizer phenotypes. The novel humanization strategy described here provides a robust approach for the expression of different CYP2D6 allelic variants in transgenic mice and thus can help to evaluate potential CYP2D6-dependent interindividual differences in drug response in the context of personalized medicine.}, language = {en} } @article{ScheerKapelyukhRodeetal.2012, author = {Scheer, Nico and Kapelyukh, Yury and Rode, Anja and Buechel, Sandra and Wolf, C. Roland}, title = {Generation and characterization of novel cytochrome P450 Cyp2c gene cluster knockout and CYP2C9 humanized mouse lines}, series = {Molecular Pharmacology}, volume = {82}, journal = {Molecular Pharmacology}, number = {6}, publisher = {ASPET}, address = {Bethesda, Md.}, issn = {1521-0111}, doi = {10.1124/mol.112.080036}, pages = {1022 -- 1029}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Compared with rodents and many other animal species, the human cytochrome P450 (P450) Cyp2c gene cluster varies significantly in the multiplicity of functional genes and in the substrate specificity of its enzymes. As a consequence, the use of wild-type animal models to predict the role of human CYP2C enzymes in drug metabolism and drug-drug interactions is limited. Within the human CYP2C cluster CYP2C9 is of particular importance, because it is one of the most abundant P450 enzymes in human liver, and it is involved in the metabolism of a wide variety of important drugs and environmental chemicals. To investigate the in vivo functions of cytochrome P450 Cyp2c genes and to establish a model for studying the functions of CYP2C9 in vivo, we have generated a mouse model with a deletion of the murine Cyp2c gene cluster and a corresponding humanized model expressing CYP2C9 specifically in the liver. Despite the high number of functional genes in the mouse Cyp2c cluster and the reported roles of some of these proteins in different biological processes, mice deleted for Cyp2c genes were viable and fertile but showed certain phenotypic alterations in the liver. The expression of CYP2C9 in the liver also resulted in viable animals active in the metabolism and disposition of a number of CYP2C9 substrates. These mouse lines provide a powerful tool for studying the role of Cyp2c genes and of CYP2C9 in particular in drug disposition and as a factor in drug-drug interaction.}, language = {en} } @article{SchifferFerreinLakemeyer2012, author = {Schiffer, Stefan and Ferrein, Alexander and Lakemeyer, Gerhard}, title = {Caesar: an intelligent domestic service robot}, series = {Intelligent service robotics}, volume = {5}, journal = {Intelligent service robotics}, number = {4}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {1861-2776}, doi = {10.1007/s11370-012-0118-y}, pages = {259 -- 276}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In this paper we present CAESAR, an intelligent domestic service robot. In domestic settings for service robots complex tasks have to be accomplished. Those tasks benefit from deliberation, from robust action execution and from flexible methods for human-robot interaction that account for qualitative notions used in natural language as well as human fallibility. Our robot CAESAR deploys AI techniques on several levels of its system architecture. On the low-level side, system modules for localization or navigation make, for instance, use of path-planning methods, heuristic search, and Bayesian filters. For face recognition and human-machine interaction, random trees and well-known methods from natural language processing are deployed. For deliberation, we use the robot programming and plan language READYLOG, which was developed for the high-level control of agents and robots; it allows combining programming the behaviour using planning to find a course of action. READYLOG is a variant of the robot programming language Golog. We extended READYLOG to be able to cope with qualitative notions of space frequently used by humans, such as "near" and "far". This facilitates human-robot interaction by bridging the gap between human natural language and the numerical values needed by the robot. Further, we use READYLOG to increase the flexible interpretation of human commands with decision-theoretic planning. We give an overview of the different methods deployed in CAESAR and show the applicability of a system equipped with these AI techniques in domestic service robotics}, language = {en} } @article{SchmitzWeber2012, author = {Schmitz, Philipp and Weber, Martin}, title = {Buying and selling behavior of individual investors in option-like securities}, series = {Die Betriebswirtschaft : DBW}, volume = {72}, journal = {Die Betriebswirtschaft : DBW}, number = {5}, publisher = {Sch{\"a}ffer-Poeschel}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0342-7064}, doi = {10.2139/ssrn.2055088}, pages = {409 -- 426}, year = {2012}, abstract = {We analyze the trading behavior of individual investors in option-like securities, namely bankissued warrants, and thus expand the growing literature of investors behavior to a new kind of securities. A unique data set from a large German discount broker gives us the opportunity to analyze the trading behavior of 1,454 investors, making 89,958 transactions in 6,724 warrants on 397 underlyings. In different logit regression, we make use of the facts that investors can speculate on rising and falling prices of the underlying with call and put warrants and that we also have information about the stock portfolios of the investors. We report several facts about the trading behavior of individual investors in warrants that are consistent with the literature on the behavior of individual investors in the stock market. The warrant investors buy calls and sell puts if the price of the underlying has decreased over the past trading days and they sell calls and buy puts if the price of the underlying has increased. That means, the investors follow negative feedback trading strategies in all four trading categories observed. In addition, we find strong evidence for the disposition effect for call as well as put warrants, which is reversed in December. The trading behavior is also influenced if the underlying reaches some exceptionally prices, e.g. highs, lows or the strike price. We show that hedging, as one natural candidate to buy puts, does not play an important role in the market for bank-issued warrants.}, language = {en} } @article{SchusserPoghossianBaeckeretal.2012, author = {Schusser, Sebastian and Poghossian, Arshak and B{\"a}cker, Matthias and Leinhos, Marcel and Wagner, Patrick and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Characterization of biodegradable polymers with capacitive field-effect sensors}, series = {Sensors and actuators B: Chemical}, volume = {187}, journal = {Sensors and actuators B: Chemical}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0925-4005}, doi = {10.1016/j.snb.2012.07.099}, pages = {2 -- 7}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In vitro studies of the degradation kinetic of biopolymers are essential for the design and optimization of implantable biomedical devices. In the presented work, a field-effect capacitive sensor has been applied for the real-time and in situ monitoring of degradation processes of biopolymers for the first time. The polymer-covered field-effect sensor is, in principle, capable to detect any changes in bulk, surface and interface properties of the polymer induced by degradation processes. The feasibility of this approach has been experimentally proven by using the commercially available biomedical polymer poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PDLLA) as a model system. PDLLA films of different thicknesses were deposited on the Ta₂O₅-gate surface of the field-effect structure from a polymer solution by means of spin-coating method. The polymer-modified field-effect sensors have been characterized by means of capacitance-voltage and impedance-spectroscopy method. The degradation of the PDLLA was accelerated by changing the degradation medium from neutral (pH 7.2) to alkaline (pH 9) condition, resulting in drastic changes in the capacitance and impedance spectra of the polymer-modified field-effect sensor.}, language = {en} } @article{SpelthahnKirsanovLeginetal.2012, author = {Spelthahn, Heiko and Kirsanov, Dmitry and Legin, Andrey and Osterrath, Thomas and Schubert, J{\"u}rgen and Zander, Willi and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Development of a thin-film sensor array for analytical monitoring of heavy metals in aqueous solutions}, series = {Physica Status Solidi (a)}, volume = {209}, journal = {Physica Status Solidi (a)}, number = {5}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, isbn = {1862-6319}, doi = {10.1002/pssa.201100733}, pages = {885 -- 891}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In industrial processes there is a variety of heavy metals (e.g., copper, zinc, cadmium, and lead) in use for wires, coatings, paints, alloys, batteries, etc. Since the application of these transition metals for industry is inevitable, it is a vital task to develop proper analytical techniques for their monitoring at low activity levels, especially because most of these elements are acutely toxic for biological organisms. The determination of ions in solution by means of a simple and inexpensive sensor array is, therefore, a promising task. In this work, a sensor array with heavy metal-sensitive chalcogenide glass membranes for the simultaneous detection of the four ions Ag⁺, Cu2⁺, Cd2⁺, and Pb2⁺ in solution is realized. The results of the physical characterization by means of microscopy, profilometry, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as the electrochemical characterization by means of potentiometric measurements are presented. Additionally, the possibility to expand the sensor array by polymeric sensor membranes is discussed.}, language = {en} } @article{SpelthahnSchubertSchoening2012, author = {Spelthahn, Heiko and Schubert, J{\"u}rgen and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {D{\"u}nnschichtsensoren f{\"u}r die Schwermetallanalytik}, series = {GIT : Labor-Fachzeitschrift}, volume = {56}, journal = {GIT : Labor-Fachzeitschrift}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {0016-3538}, pages = {285 -- 287}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Die Detektion von Schadstoffen repr{\"a}sentiert in der Umweltanalytik eine wichtige Aufgabenstellung. Gerade die Abwasser- bzw. Brauchwasseranalytik sowie die Prozesskontrolle haben einen hohen Stellenwert. Siliziumbasierte D{\"u}nnschichtsensoren bieten eine kosteng{\"u}nstige M{\"o}glichkeit, „online"-Messungen bzw. Vor-Ort-Messungen zeitnah durchzuf{\"u}hren. In dieser Arbeit wird ein potentiometrisches Sensorarray auf der Basis von Chalkogenidgl{\"a}sern zur Detektion von Schwermetallen in w{\"a}ssrigen Medien vorgestellt.}, language = {en} }