@article{LeingartnerMaurerFerreinetal.2016, author = {Leingartner, Max and Maurer, Johannes and Ferrein, Alexander and Steinbauer, Gerald}, title = {Evaluation of Sensors and Mapping Approaches for Disasters in Tunnels}, series = {Journal of Field Robotics}, volume = {33}, journal = {Journal of Field Robotics}, number = {8}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1556-4967}, doi = {10.1002/rob.21611}, pages = {1037 -- 1057}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Ground or aerial robots equipped with advanced sensing technologies, such as three-dimensional laser scanners and advanced mapping algorithms, are deemed useful as a supporting technology for first responders. A great deal of excellent research in the field exists, but practical applications at real disaster sites are scarce. Many projects concentrate on equipping robots with advanced capabilities, such as autonomous exploration or object manipulation. In spite of this, realistic application areas for such robots are limited to teleoperated reconnaissance or search. In this paper, we investigate how well state-of-the-art and off-the-shelf components and algorithms are suited for reconnaissance in current disaster-relief scenarios. The basic idea is to make use of some of the most common sensors and deploy some widely used algorithms in a disaster situation, and to evaluate how well the components work for these scenarios. We acquired the sensor data from two field experiments, one from a disaster-relief operation in a motorway tunnel, and one from a mapping experiment in a partly closed down motorway tunnel. Based on these data, which we make publicly available, we evaluate state-of-the-art and off-the-shelf mapping approaches. In our analysis, we integrate opinions and replies from first responders as well as from some algorithm developers on the usefulness of the data and the limitations of the deployed approaches, respectively. We discuss the lessons we learned during the two missions. These lessons are interesting for the community working in similar areas of urban search and rescue, particularly reconnaissance and search.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{LeichtScholtenSteuerDankertBouffier2016, author = {Leicht-Scholten, Carmen and Steuer-Dankert, Linda and Bouffier, Anna}, title = {Facing Future Challenges: Building Engineers for Tomorrow}, series = {Conference proceedings : new perspectives in science education : 5th Conference edition, Florence, Italy, 17-18 March 2016}, booktitle = {Conference proceedings : new perspectives in science education : 5th Conference edition, Florence, Italy, 17-18 March 2016}, isbn = {978-886292-705-5}, pages = {32 -- 37}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Future engineers are increasingly confronted with the so-called Megatrends which are the big social challenges society has to cope with. These Megatrends, such as "Silver Society", "Globalization", "Mobility" and "Female Shift" require an application-oriented perspective on Diversity especially in the engineering field. Therefore, it is necessary to enable future engineers not only to look at the technical perspectives of a problem, but also to be able to see the related questions within societies they are developing their artefacts for. The aim of teaching engineering should be to prepare engineers for these requirements and to draw attention to the diverse needs in a globalized world. Bringing together technical knowledge and social competences which go beyond a mere training of the so-called "soft skills", is a new approach followed at RWTH Aachen University, one of the leading technical universities in Germany. RWTH Aachen University has established the bridging professorship "Gender and Diversity in Engineering" (GDI) which educates engineers with an interdisciplinary approach to expand engineering limits. In the frame of a sustainable teaching concept the research group under the leadership of Prof. Carmen Leicht-Scholten has developed an approach which imparts a supplication-specific Gender and Diversity expertise to engineers. In workshops students gain theoretical knowledge about Gender and Diversity and learn how to transfer their knowledge in their special field of study and later work. To substantiate this, the course participants have to solve case studies from real life. The cases which are developed in collaboration with non-profit organizations and enterprises from economy rise the students to challenges which are inspired by professional life. Evaluation shows the success of this approach as well as an increasing demand for such teaching formats.}, language = {en} } @article{LagemaatBreukelsVosetal.2016, author = {Lagemaat, Miriam W. and Breukels, Vincent and Vos, Eline K. and B., Adam and Uden, Mark J. van and Orzada, Stephan and Bitz, Andreas and Maas, Marnix C. and Scheenen, Tom W. J.}, title = {¹H MR spectroscopic imaging of the prostate at 7T using spectral-spatial pulses}, series = {Magnetic Resonance in Medicine}, volume = {75}, journal = {Magnetic Resonance in Medicine}, number = {3}, publisher = {International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine}, issn = {1522-2594}, doi = {10.1002/mrm.25569}, pages = {933 -- 945}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Purpose To assess the feasibility of prostate ¹H MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) using low-power spectral-spatial (SPSP) pulses at 7T, exploiting accurate spectral selection and spatial selectivity simultaneously. Methods A double spin-echo sequence was equipped with SPSP refocusing pulses with a spectral selectivity of 1 ppm. Three-dimensional prostate ¹H-MRSI at 7T was performed with the SPSP-MRSI sequence using an 8-channel transmit array coil and an endorectal receive coil in three patients with prostate cancer and in one healthy subject. No additional water or lipid suppression pulses were used. Results Prostate ¹H-MRSI could be obtained well within specific absorption rate (SAR) limits in a clinically feasible time (10 min). Next to the common citrate signals, the prostate spectra exhibited high spermine signals concealing creatine and sometimes also choline. Residual lipid signals were observed at the edges of the prostate because of limitations in spectral and spatial selectivity. Conclusion It is possible to perform prostate ¹H-MRSI at 7T with a SPSP-MRSI sequence while using separate transmit and receive coils. This low-SAR MRSI concept provides the opportunity to increase spatial resolution of MRSI within reasonable scan times.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{KoenigWolf2016, author = {K{\"o}nig, Johannes Alexander and Wolf, Martin}, title = {The pyramid assessment framework for 'competence developing games'}, series = {Communications in Computer and Information Science}, volume = {618}, booktitle = {Communications in Computer and Information Science}, editor = {Stephanidis, C.}, publisher = {Springer}, isbn = {978-331940541-4}, issn = {1865-0929}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-40542-1_37}, pages = {232 -- 237}, year = {2016}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{KoenigWolf2016, author = {K{\"o}nig, Johannes Alexander and Wolf, Martin}, title = {A new definition of competence developing games - and a framework to assess them}, series = {ACHI 2016 : The Ninth International Conference on Advances in Computer-Human Interactions}, booktitle = {ACHI 2016 : The Ninth International Conference on Advances in Computer-Human Interactions}, isbn = {978-1-61208-468-8}, pages = {95 -- 97}, year = {2016}, abstract = {There are different types of games that try to make use of the motivation of a gaming situation in learning contexts. This paper introduces the new terminology 'Competence Developing Game' (CDG) as an umbrella term for all games with this intention. Based on this new terminology, an assessment framework has been developed and validated in scope of an empirical study. Now, all different types of CDGs can be evaluated according to a defined and uniform set of assessment criteria and, thus, are comparable according to their characteristics and effectiveness.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{KubalskiMarinkovićButenweg2016, author = {Kubalski, T. and Marinković, Marko and Butenweg, Christoph}, title = {Numerical investigation of masonry infilled R.C. frames}, series = {Brick and Block Masonry. Proceedings of the 16th International Brick and Block Masonry Conference, Padova, Italy, 26-30 June 2016}, booktitle = {Brick and Block Masonry. Proceedings of the 16th International Brick and Block Masonry Conference, Padova, Italy, 26-30 June 2016}, editor = {Modena, Claudio}, publisher = {CRC Press}, address = {Leiden}, isbn = {9781315374963}, pages = {1219 -- 1226}, year = {2016}, language = {en} } @article{KowalskiLinderZierkeetal.2016, author = {Kowalski, Julia and Linder, Peter and Zierke, S. and Wulfen, B. van and Clemens, J. and Konstantinidis, K. and Ameres, G. and Hoffmann, R. and Mikucki, J. and Tulaczyk, S. and Funke, O. and Blandfort, D. and Espe, Clemens and Feldmann, Marco and Francke, Gero and Hiecker, S. and Plescher, Engelbert and Sch{\"o}ngarth, Sarah and Dachwald, Bernd and Digel, Ilya and Artmann, Gerhard and Eliseev, D. and Heinen, D. and Scholz, F. and Wiebusch, C. and Macht, S. and Bestmann, U. and Reineking, T. and Zetzsche, C. and Schill, K. and F{\"o}rstner, R. and Niedermeier, H. and Szumski, A. and Eissfeller, B. and Naumann, U. and Helbing, K.}, title = {Navigation technology for exploration of glacier ice with maneuverable melting probes}, series = {Cold Regions Science and Technology}, journal = {Cold Regions Science and Technology}, number = {123}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0165-232X}, doi = {10.1016/j.coldregions.2015.11.006}, pages = {53 -- 70}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The Saturnian moon Enceladus with its extensive water bodies underneath a thick ice sheet cover is a potential candidate for extraterrestrial life. Direct exploration of such extraterrestrial aquatic ecosystems requires advanced access and sampling technologies with a high level of autonomy. A new technological approach has been developed as part of the collaborative research project Enceladus Explorer (EnEx). The concept is based upon a minimally invasive melting probe called the IceMole. The force-regulated, heater-controlled IceMole is able to travel along a curved trajectory as well as upwards. Hence, it allows maneuvers which may be necessary for obstacle avoidance or target selection. Maneuverability, however, necessitates a sophisticated on-board navigation system capable of autonomous operations. The development of such a navigational system has been the focal part of the EnEx project. The original IceMole has been further developed to include relative positioning based on in-ice attitude determination, acoustic positioning, ultrasonic obstacle and target detection integrated through a high-level sensor fusion. This paper describes the EnEx technology and discusses implications for an actual extraterrestrial mission concept.}, language = {en} } @article{KosterScheidweilerTieves2016, author = {Koster, Arie and Scheidweiler, Robert and Tieves, Martin}, title = {A flow based pruning scheme for enumerative equitable coloring algorithms}, series = {A flow based pruning scheme for enumerative equitable coloring algorithms}, journal = {A flow based pruning scheme for enumerative equitable coloring algorithms}, doi = {10.48550/arXiv.1607.08754}, pages = {1 -- 30}, year = {2016}, abstract = {An equitable graph coloring is a proper vertex coloring of a graph G where the sizes of the color classes differ by at most one. The equitable chromatic number is the smallest number k such that G admits such equitable k-coloring. We focus on enumerative algorithms for the computation of the equitable coloring number and propose a general scheme to derive pruning rules for them: We show how the extendability of a partial coloring into an equitable coloring can be modeled via network flows. Thus, we obtain pruning rules which can be checked via flow algorithms. Computational experiments show that the search tree of enumerative algorithms can be significantly reduced in size by these rules and, in most instances, such naive approach even yields a faster algorithm. Moreover, the stability, i.e., the number of solved instances within a given time limit, is greatly improved. Since the execution of flow algorithms at each node of a search tree is time consuming, we derive arithmetic pruning rules (generalized Hall-conditions) from the network model. Adding these rules to an enumerative algorithm yields an even larger runtime improvement.}, language = {en} } @article{KolditzAlbinAbeletal.2016, author = {Kolditz, Melanie and Albin, Thivaharan and Abel, Dirk and Fasse, Alessandro and Br{\"u}ggemann, Gert-Peter and Albracht, Kirsten}, title = {Evaluation of foot position and orientation as manipulated variables to control external knee adduction moments in leg extension training}, series = {Computer methods and programs in biomedicine}, volume = {171}, journal = {Computer methods and programs in biomedicine}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0169-2607}, doi = {10.1016/j.cmpb.2016.09.005}, pages = {81 -- 86}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Background and Objective Effective leg extension training at a leg press requires high forces, which need to be controlled to avoid training-induced damage. In order to avoid high external knee adduction moments, which are one reason for unphysiological loadings on knee joint structures, both training movements and the whole reaction force vector need to be observed. In this study, the applicability of lateral and medial changes in foot orientation and position as possible manipulated variables to control external knee adduction moments is investigated. As secondary parameters both the medio-lateral position of the center of pressure and the frontal-plane orientation of the reaction force vector are analyzed. Methods Knee adduction moments are estimated using a dynamic model of the musculoskeletal system together with the measured reaction force vector and the motion of the subject by solving the inverse kinematic and dynamic problem. Six different foot conditions with varying positions and orientations of the foot in a static leg press are evaluated and compared to a neutral foot position. Results Both lateral and medial wedges under the foot and medial and lateral shifts of the foot can influence external knee adduction moments in the presented study with six healthy subjects. Different effects are observed with the varying conditions: the pose of the leg is changed and the direction and center of pressure of the reaction force vector is influenced. Each effect results in a different direction or center of pressure of the reaction force vector. Conclusions The results allow the conclusion that foot position and orientation can be used as manipulated variables in a control loop to actively control knee adduction moments in leg extension training.}, language = {en} } @article{KnobeGiesenPlateetal.2016, author = {Knobe, M. and Giesen, M. and Plate, S. and Gradl-Dietsch, G. and Buecking, B. and Eschbach, D. and Laack, Walter van and Pape, H.-C.}, title = {The Aachen mobility and balance index to measure physiological falls risk: a comparison with the Tinetti POMA scale}, series = {European Journal Of Trauma And Emergency Surgery}, volume = {42}, journal = {European Journal Of Trauma And Emergency Surgery}, number = {5}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {1863-9941}, doi = {10.1007/s00068-016-0693-2}, pages = {537 -- 545}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Purpose The most commonly used mobility assessments for screening risk of falls among older adults are rating scales such as the Tinetti performance oriented mobility assessment (POMA). However, its correlation with falls is not always predictable and disadvantages of the scale include difficulty to assess many of the items on a 3-point scale and poor specificity. The purpose of this study was to describe the ability of the new Aachen Mobility and Balance Index (AMBI) to discriminate between subjects with a fall history and subjects without such events in comparison to the Tinetti POMA Scale. Methods For this prospective cohort study, 24 participants in the study group and 10 in the control group were selected from a population of patients in our hospital who had met the stringent inclusion criteria. Both groups completed the Tinetti POMA Scale (gait and balance component) and the AMBI (tandem stance, tandem walk, ten-meter-walk-test, sit-to-stand with five repetitions, 360° turns, timed-up-and-go-test and measurement of the dominant hand grip strength). A history of falls and hospitalization in the past year were evaluated retrospectively. The relationships among the mobility tests were examined with Bland-Altmananalysis. Receiver-operated characteristics curves, sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Results The study showed a strong negative correlation between the AMBI (17 points max., highest fall risk) and Tinetti POMA Scale (28 points max., lowest fall risk; r = -0.78, p < 0.001) with an excellent discrimination between community-dwelling older people and a younger control group. However, there were no differences in any of the mobility and balance measurements between participants with and without a fall history with equal characteristics in test comparison (AMBI vs. Tinetti POMA Scale: AUC 0.570 vs. 0.598; p = 0.762). The Tinetti POMA Scale (cut-off <20 points) showed a sensitivity of 0.45 and a specificity of 0.69, the AMBI a sensitivity of 0.64 and a specificity of 0.46 (cut-off >5 points). Conclusion The AMBI comprises mobility and balance tasks with increasing difficulty as well as a measurement of the dominant hand-grip strength. Its ability to identify fallers was comparable to the Tinetti POMA Scale. However, both measurement sets showed shortcomings in discrimination between fallers and non-fallers based on a self-reported retrospective falls-status.}, language = {en} }