@article{MaasVosLagemaatetal.2014, author = {Maas, Marnix C. and Vos, Eline K. and Lagemaat, Miriam W. and Bitz, Andreas and Orzada, Stephan and Kobus, Thiele and Kraff, Oliver and Maderwald, Stefan and Ladd, Mark E. and Scheenen, Tom W. J.}, title = {Feasibility of T₂-weighted turbo spin echo imaging of the human prostate at 7 tesla}, series = {Magnetic Resonance in Medicine}, volume = {71}, journal = {Magnetic Resonance in Medicine}, number = {5}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1522-2594}, doi = {10.1002/mrm.24818}, pages = {1711 -- 1719}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Purpose To demonstrate that high quality T₂-weighted (T2w) turbo spin-echo (TSE) imaging of the complete prostate can be achieved routinely and within safety limits at 7 T, using an external transceive body array coil only. Methods Nine healthy volunteers and 12 prostate cancer patients were scanned on a 7 T whole-body system. Preparation consisted of B₀ and radiofrequency shimming and localized flip angle calibration. T₁ and T₂ relaxation times were measured and used to define the T2w-TSE protocol. T2w imaging was performed using a TSE sequence (pulse repetition time/echo time 3000-3640/71 ms) with prolonged excitation and refocusing pulses to reduce specific absorption rate. Results High quality T2w TSE imaging was performed in less than 2 min in all subjects. Tumors of patients with gold-standard tumor localization (MR-guided biopsy or prostatectomy) were well visualized on 7 T imaging (n = 3). The number of consecutive slices achievable within a 10-g averaged specific absorption rate limit of 10 W/kg was ≥28 in all subjects, sufficient for full prostate coverage with 3-mm slices in at least one direction. Conclusion High quality T2w TSE prostate imaging can be performed routinely and within specific absorption rate limits at 7 T with an external transceive body array.}, language = {en} } @article{Tran2014, author = {Tran, Duc Hung}, title = {Multiple corporate governance attributes and the cost of capital - Evidence from Germany}, series = {The British Accounting Review}, volume = {46}, journal = {The British Accounting Review}, number = {2}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0890-8389}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2014.02.003}, pages = {179 -- 197}, year = {2014}, abstract = {This paper investigates the extent to which corporate governance affects the cost of debt and equity capital of German exchange-listed companies. I examine corporate governance along three dimensions: financial information quality, ownership structure and board structure. The results suggest that firms with high levels of financial transparency and bonus compensations face lower cost of equity. In addition, block ownership is negatively related to firms' cost of equity when the blockholders are other firms, managers or founding-family members. Consistent with the conjecture that agency costs increase with firm size, I find significant cost of debt effects only in the largest German companies. Here, the creditors demand lower cost of debt from firms with block ownerships held by corporations or banks. My findings demonstrate that a uniform set of governance attributes is unlikely to satisfy suppliers of debt and equity capital equally.}, language = {en} } @article{YangKriechbaumerAlbrachtetal.2014, author = {Yang, Peng-Fei and Kriechbaumer, Andreas and Albracht, Kirsten and Sanno, Maximilian and Ganse, Bergita and Koy, Timmo and Shang, Peng and br{\"u}ggemann, Gert-Peter and M{\"u}ller, Lars Peter and Rittweger, J{\"o}rn}, title = {A novel optical approach for assessing in vivo bone segment deformation and its application in muscle-bone relationship studies in humans}, series = {Journal of Orthopaedic Translation}, volume = {2}, journal = {Journal of Orthopaedic Translation}, number = {4}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Singapore}, issn = {2214-0328}, doi = {10.1016/j.jot.2014.07.078}, pages = {238 -- 238}, year = {2014}, language = {en} } @article{SchroeterHoffmannVoigtetal.2014, author = {Schroeter, Rebecca and Hoffmann, Tamara and Voigt, Birgit and Meyer, Hanna and Bleisteiner, Monika and Muntel, Jan and J{\"u}rgen, Britta and Albrecht, Dirk and Becher, D{\"o}rte and Lalk, Michael and Evers, Stefan and Bongaerts, Johannes and Maurer, Karl-Heinz and Putzer, Harald and Hecker, Michael and Schweder, Thomas and Bremer, Erhard}, title = {Stress responses of the industrial workhorse Bacillus licheniformis to osmotic challenges}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {8}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {11}, publisher = {PLOS}, address = {San Francisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0080956}, pages = {e80956}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The Gram-positive endospore-forming bacterium Bacillus licheniformis can be found widely in nature and it is exploited in industrial processes for the manufacturing of antibiotics, specialty chemicals, and enzymes. Both in its varied natural habitats and in industrial settings, B. licheniformis cells will be exposed to increases in the external osmolarity, conditions that trigger water efflux, impair turgor, cause the cessation of growth, and negatively affect the productivity of cell factories in biotechnological processes. We have taken here both systems-wide and targeted physiological approaches to unravel the core of the osmostress responses of B. licheniformis. Cells were suddenly subjected to an osmotic upshift of considerable magnitude (with 1 M NaCl), and their transcriptional profile was then recorded in a time-resolved fashion on a genome-wide scale. A bioinformatics cluster analysis was used to group the osmotically up-regulated genes into categories that are functionally associated with the synthesis and import of osmostress-relieving compounds (compatible solutes), the SigB-controlled general stress response, and genes whose functional annotation suggests that salt stress triggers secondary oxidative stress responses in B. licheniformis. The data set focusing on the transcriptional profile of B. licheniformis was enriched by proteomics aimed at identifying those proteins that were accumulated by the cells through increased biosynthesis in response to osmotic stress. Furthermore, these global approaches were augmented by a set of experiments that addressed the synthesis of the compatible solutes proline and glycine betaine and assessed the growth-enhancing effects of various osmoprotectants. Combined, our data provide a blueprint of the cellular adjustment processes of B. licheniformis to both sudden and sustained osmotic stress.}, language = {en} } @article{HandtkeVollandMethlingetal.2014, author = {Handtke, Stefan and Volland, Sonja and Methling, Karen and Albrecht, Dirk and Becher, D{\"o}rte and Nehls, Jenny and Bongaerts, Johannes and Maurer, Karl-Heinz and Lalk, Michael and Liesegang, Heiko and Voigt, Birgit and Daniel, Rolf and Hecker, Michael}, title = {Cell physiology of the biotechnological relevant bacterium Bacillus pumilus - An omics-based approach}, series = {Journal of Biotechnology}, journal = {Journal of Biotechnology}, number = {192(A)}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1873-4863 (E-Journal); 0168-1656 (Print)}, doi = {10.1016/j.jbiotec.2014.08.028}, pages = {204 -- 214}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Members of the species Bacillus pumilus get more and more in focus of the biotechnological industry as potential new production strains. Based on exoproteome analysis, B. pumilus strain Jo2, possessing a high secretion capability, was chosen for an omics-based investigation. The proteome and metabolome of B. pumilus cells growing either in minimal or complex medium was analyzed. In total, 1542 proteins were identified in growing B. pumilus cells, among them 1182 cytosolic proteins, 297 membrane and lipoproteins and 63 secreted proteins. This accounts for about 43\% of the 3616 proteins encoded in the B. pumilus Jo2 genome sequence. By using GC-MS, IP-LC/MS and H NMR methods numerous metabolites were analyzed and assigned to reconstructed metabolic pathways. In the genome sequence a functional secretion system including the components of the Sec- and Tat-secretion machinery was found. Analysis of the exoproteome revealed secretion of about 70 proteins with predicted secretion signals. In addition, selected production-relevant genome features such as restriction modification systems and NRPS clusters of B. pumilus Jo2 are discussed.}, language = {en} } @article{KluczkaEcksteinAlexopoulosetal.2014, author = {Kluczka, Sven and Eckstein, Julian and Alexopoulos, Spiros and Vaeßen, Christiane and Roeb, Martin}, title = {Process simulation for solar steam and dry reforming}, series = {Energy procedia : Proceedings of the SolarPACES 2013 International Conference}, volume = {49}, journal = {Energy procedia : Proceedings of the SolarPACES 2013 International Conference}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1876-6102 (E-Journal)}, doi = {10.1016/j.egypro.2014.03.092}, pages = {850 -- 859}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In co-operation with the German Aerospace Center, the Solar-Institut J{\"u}lich has been analyzing the different technologies that are available for methanol production from CO2 using solar energy. The aim of the project is to extract CO2 from industrial exhaust gases or directly from the atmosphere to recycle it by use of solar energy. Part of the study was the modeling and simulating of a methane reformer for the production of synthesis gas, which can be operated by solar or hybrid heat sources. The reformer has been simplified in such a way that the model is accurate and enables fast calculations. The developed pseudo-homogeneous one- dimensional model can be regarded as a kind of counter-current heat exchanger and is able to incorporate a steam reforming reaction as well as a dry reforming reaction.}, language = {en} } @article{SchusserBaeckerKrischeretal.2014, author = {Schusser, Sebastian and B{\"a}cker, Matthias and Krischer, M. and Wenzel, L. and Leinhos, Marcel and Poghossian, Arshak and Biselli, Manfred and Wagner, P. and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Enzymatically catalyzed degradation of biodegradable polymers investigated by means of a semiconductor-based field-effect sensor}, series = {Procedia Engineering}, volume = {87}, journal = {Procedia Engineering}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1877-7058}, doi = {10.1016/j.proeng.2014.11.689}, pages = {1314 -- 1317}, year = {2014}, abstract = {A semiconductor field-effect device has been used for an enzymatically catalyzed degradation of biopolymers for the first time. This novel technique is capable to monitor the degradation process of multiple samples in situ and in real-time. As model system, the degradation of the biopolymer poly(D, L-lactic acid) has been monitored in the degradation medium containing the enzyme lipase from Rhizomucor miehei. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of capacitive field-effect sensors for degradation studies of biodegradable polymers.}, language = {en} } @article{PoghossianSchoening2014, author = {Poghossian, Arshak and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Label-free sensing of biomolecules with field-effect devices for clinical applications}, series = {Electroanalysis}, volume = {26}, journal = {Electroanalysis}, number = {6}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1521-4109 (E-Journal); 1040-0397 (Print)}, doi = {10.1002/elan.201400073}, pages = {1197 -- 1213}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Among the variety of transducer concepts proposed for label-free detection of biomolecules, the semiconductor field-effect device (FED) is one of the most attractive platforms. As medical techniques continue to progress towards diagnostic and therapies based on biomarkers, the ability of FEDs for a label-free, fast and real-time detection of multiple pathogenic and physiologically relevant molecules with high specificity and sensitivity offers very promising prospects for their application in point-of-care and personalized medicine for an early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The presented paper reviews recent advances and current trends in research and development of different FEDs for label-free, direct electrical detection of charged biomolecules by their intrinsic molecular charge. The authors are mainly focusing on the detection of the DNA hybridization event, antibody-antigen affinity reaction as well as clinically relevant biomolecules such as cardiac and cancer biomarkers.}, language = {en} } @article{HoltrupSadeghfamHeuermannetal.2014, author = {Holtrup, S. and Sadeghfam, Arash and Heuermann, Holger and Awakowicz, P.}, title = {Characterization and optimization technique for microwave-driven high-intensity discharge lamps using hot S-parameters}, series = {IEEE transactions on microwave theories and techniques}, volume = {62}, journal = {IEEE transactions on microwave theories and techniques}, number = {10}, publisher = {IEEE}, address = {New York}, issn = {0018-9480}, doi = {10.1109/TMTT.2014.2342652}, pages = {2471 -- 2480}, year = {2014}, abstract = {High-intensity discharge lamps can be driven by radio-frequency signals in the ISM frequency band at 2.45 GHz, using a matching network to transform the impedance of the plasma to the source impedance. To achieve an optimal operating condition, a good characterization of the lamp in terms of radio frequency equivalent circuits under operating conditions is necessary, enabling the design of an efficient matching network. This paper presents the characterization technique for such lamps and presents the design of the required matching network. For the characterization, a high-intensity discharge lamp was driven by a monofrequent large signal at 2.45 GHz, whereas a frequency sweep over 300 MHz was performed across this signal to measure so-called small-signal hot S-parameters using a vector network analyzer. These parameters are then used as an equivalent load in a circuit simulator to design an appropriate matching network. Using the measured data as a black-box model in the simulation results in a quick and efficient method to simulate and design efficient matching networks in spite of the complex plasma behavior. Furthermore, photometric analysis of high-intensity discharge lamps are carried out, comparing microwave operation to conventional operation.}, language = {en} } @article{Laack2014, author = {Laack, Walter van}, title = {Therefore Fermat is right}, series = {American journal of humanities and social sciences : AJHSS}, volume = {2}, journal = {American journal of humanities and social sciences : AJHSS}, number = {2}, issn = {2329-079X (E-Journal); 2329-0781 (Print)}, pages = {117 -- 120}, year = {2014}, abstract = {It was Fernat's idea to investigate how many numbers would fulfill the equation according to the Pythagorean Theorem if the exponent were increased to random, e.g. to a3 + b3 = c3. His question became therefore: are there two whole numbers the cubes of which add up to the volume of the cube of a third whole number? He posed this same question, of course, for all kinds of higher exponents, so that the equation could be generalized: is there an integral solution for the equation an + bn = cn, if the exponent n is higher than 2? Although in 1993, the English mathematician Andrew Wiles was able to produce an arithmetical proof for Fermat's famous theorem, I will show that there is a simple logical explanation which is also pragmatic and plausible and what is the result of a fundamental alternative idea how our world seems to be constructed.}, language = {en} }