@phdthesis{Seifarth2015, author = {Seifarth, Volker}, title = {Ureteral tissue engineering : development of a bioreactor system and subsequent characterization of the generated biohybrids}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsbibliothek Duisburg-Essen}, address = {Duisburg ; Essen}, year = {2015}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Pham2011, author = {Pham, Phu Tinh}, title = {Upper bound limit and shakedown analysis of elastic-plastic bounded linearly kinematic hardening structures}, publisher = {RWTH Aachen University}, address = {Aachen}, pages = {140 S.}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kowalski2008, author = {Kowalski, Julia}, title = {Two-phase Modeling of Debris Flows}, publisher = {Mensch und Buch}, address = {Berlin}, isbn = {978-3-86664-524-0}, pages = {148}, year = {2008}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Bragard2012, author = {Bragard, Michael}, title = {The integrated emitter turn-off thyristor : an innovative MOS-gated high-power device. - (Aachener Beitr{\"a}ge des ISEA ; 62)}, publisher = {Shaker}, address = {Aachen}, isbn = {978-3-8440-1152-4}, pages = {III, 164 S. : Ill., graph. Darst.}, year = {2012}, abstract = {This thesis introduces the Integrated Emitter Turn-Off (IETO) Thyristor as a new high-power device. Known state-of-the-art research activities like the Dual GCT, the ETO thyristor and the ICT were presented and critically reviewed. A comparison with commercialized solutions identifies the pros and cons of each type of device family. Based on this analysis, the IETO structure is proposed, covering most benefits of each device class. In particular the combination of a MOS-assisted turn-off with a thyristor-based device allows a voltage-controlled MOS switching and the low on-state voltage of the thyristors. The following synthesis of an IETO device stands on a three-dimensional field of optimization spanned by electric, mechanical and thermal aspects. From an electric point of view, the lowest possible parasitic inductance and resistance within the commutation path are optimization criteria. The mechanical construction has to withstand the required contact pressure of multiple kilo Newtons. Finally, thermal borders limit the maximum average current of the device. FEM simulations covering these three aspects are performed for several design proposals. An IETO prototype is constructed and measurements on various test benches attest thermal, mechanical and electric performance. A local decoupling of the external driver stage and the presspack housing is presented by a cable connection. This separation enables a thermal and mechanical independence, which is advantageous in terms of vibrations and thermal cycles including increased reliability. The electric pulse performance of the prototype device is a factor of 3.1 above today''s solutions. In single-pulse measurements, a current up to 1600 A was successfully turned off at 115°C with an active silicon area of 823 mm². One reason for this increased turn-off capability is the extremely low-inductive construction. Additional functionality of the IETO thyristor like over-current self-protection and defined short-circuit failure state are successfully verified.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{KurulganDemirci2012, author = {Kurulgan Demirci, Eylem}, title = {The effect of rhAPC on contractile tension : an in-vitro sepsis model of cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells}, year = {2012}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Stapenhorst2012, author = {Stapenhorst, Carolin}, title = {The concept as an operant instrument within the interdisciplinarity of the architectural design process}, publisher = {Politecnico di Torino}, address = {Turin}, pages = {242 Seiten}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In the introduction to their book "What is philosophy?" Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari deplore the inflationary and trivialised use of the term concept: "Finally, the most shameful moment came when computer science, marketing, design and advertising, all the disciplines of communication, seized hold of the word concept itself and said: 'This is our concern, we are the creative ones, we are the ideas men! We are the friends of the concept, we put in our computers.' " This doctoral thesis shares the concern of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, but still, it is a thesis in architecture and thus collocated within the field of the representatives of the "ideas men". It engages in architectural design theory, and refers in particular to the investigation of methodological approaches within the design process. Therefore, the thesis will not contribute to the philosophical dimension of the term, but intends to overcome its imprecise use within the architectural discourse, in compliance with Eug{\`e}ne Viollet-le-Duc's admonition relative to vague definitions: "Dans les arts, et dans l'architecture en particulier, les d{\´e}finitions vagues ont caus{\´e} bien des erreurs, ont laiss{\´e} germer bien des pr{\´e}jug{\´e}s, enraciner bien des id{\´e}es fausses. On met un mot en avant, chacun y attache un sens diff{\´e}rent." The term concept in architecture is very often used as pure marketing collateral, it serves to sell an idea, a product, a design. Its functional applicability is reduced to a special manner of illustration, produced as one of the various design presentation documents at the end of the design process. In contrast, the original contribution of this thesis aims to give a precise, instrumental dimension to the term concept: the concept is the expression of a specific logic, capable to guide the decisional sequences of the process and thus to improve the quality of the designed projects. The motivation to define a specific instrumentality of the concept is closely connected to the issue of interdisciplinarity in the architects' profession. The interdisciplinary character of the architectural field is widely accepted and discussed as such, but the thesis intends to give a more precise definition of the various kinds of competences involved by classifying them into either the internal or the external group. The traditional notion of interdisciplinarity, predominantly seen as collaboration between architects and technical experts, and, most notably, the historical, sometimes contentious, relationship between architects and engineers is described. Referring to recent developments, the transformation of the architect's role within the professional sphere, marked by an increasing importance of diverse influences and linked to a growing risk of marginalisation, is illustrated. The thesis describes different ways to adapt to this specific kind of interdisciplinarity, which generally requires the architect's ability to connect and to integrate various contents, different points of view and diverse scales. On the other hand, the big potential which is implicit in the interdisciplinary field is exposed: architects can inform their core competence, the design, by extracting contents of different disciplinary competences, pertaining or not pertaining to their own professional field. They have the possibility to cross fields of external competences in a selective way and by doing so they can build up a corpus of knowledge capable to generate and communicate guidelines and systematic methodologies for their design. At the end, the analysis of these two aspects allows the definition of a more specific professional profile of the architect as specialist of interdisciplinarity. The thesis is concerned with the theories around the design process. The design process is seen as open to inspection and critical evaluation, with major focus on the decisional sequences which characterise it. It concentrates on the process' descriptiveness and the degree of self-conscious approaches applied within it. The importance of regulative, strategic mechanisms is illustrated by testimonies taken from a series of design researches and leads to the functional definition of the figure of the concept as representation of a coherent set of ideas, as generator of a project-specific system of rules and as communicator of decisional strategies. The concept's function is furthermore defined as communicative interface which generates and transmits the system of rules authoritative for all the disciplinary competences involved in the design process, a communicative interface which constitutes a basis of shared convictions capable to increase the efficiency of collaboration. Furthermore, the concept's capacity to explore and elaborate the contents of external disciplines is identified as a possible methodological approach to innovative design thinking. The approach to a specific functional definition of the concept is continued by the description of a series of instruments that are simultaneously generating and communicating it. It is outlined to which degree the concept itself is already the result of an ideational process, collocated within the initial phase of the design proceedings, serving as a guideline to them, but still continuously evolving and adapting in its progression. In addition, it is illustrated how all the diverse instruments of the concept are operational media through which the knowledge transition between different disciplines can occur. The considerations about the concept as operational instrument of design are elaborated with regard to a number of examples of didactical applications that are particularly involved in the development and teaching of specific design methods. These examples illustrate the interrelations between design theory and design education. They are derived from very different schools of architecture and diverse mindsets, but all of them transmit models of conceptual design thinking.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Schieffer2012, author = {Schieffer, Andre}, title = {Studies on diversity and coexistence in an experimental microbial community}, pages = {76 Bl. : Ill.}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Biodiversity and the coexistence of species have puzzled and fascinated biologists since decades and is a hotspot in todays' natural sciences. Preserving this biodiversity is a great challenge as habitats and environments underlying tremendous changes like climate change and the loss of natural habitats, which are mainly due to anthropogenic influences. The coexistence of numerous species even in homogeneous environments is a stunning feature of natural communities and has been summarized under the term 'paradox of plankton'. Up to now, there are several mechanisms discussed, which may contribute to local and global diversity of organisms. Several interspecific trade offs have been identified maintaining the coexistence of species like their abilities regarding competition and predator avoidance, their capability to disperse in space and time, and their ability to exploit variable resources. Further, micro-evolutionary dynamics supporting the coexistence of species have been added to our knowledge, and deriving from theoretical deterministic models, non-linear dynamics which describe the temporal fluctuation of abundances of organisms. Whereas competition and predation seem to be clue structural elements within interacting organisms, the intrinsic dynamic behavior - by means of temporal changes in abundance - plays an important role regarding coexistence within a community. The present work sheds light on different factors affecting the coexistence of species using experimental microbial model systems consisting of a bacterivorous ciliate as the predator and two bacteria strains as prey organism. Additionally, another experimental setup consisting of two up to five bacteria species competing for one limiting resource was investigated. Highly controllable chemostat systems were established to exclude extrinsic disturbances. According to theoretical analyses I was able to show - experimentally and theoretically - that phenotypic plasticity of one species within a microbial one-predator-two-prey food web enlarges the range of possible coexistence of all species under different dynamic conditions, compared to a food web without phenotypic plasticity. This was accompanied by non-linear (chaotic) population dynamics within all experimental systems showing phenotypic plasticity. The experiments on the interplay of competition, predation and invasion showed that all aspects have an influence on species coexistence. Under undisturbed controlled conditions all aspects were analyzed in detail and in combination. Populations showed oscillations which were shown by quasi-chaotic attractors in phase space diagrams. Competition experiments with two up to five bacteria species competing for one limiting resource showed that all organisms were able to coexist which was mediated by species oscillations entering a regime of chaos. Besides that fact it was found, that the productivity (biomass) as well as the total cell numbers - under the same nutrition supply - increased by an increasing number of species in the experimental systems. Up to now, the occurrence of non-linear dynamics in well controlled experimental studies has been recognized several times and this phenomenon seemed to be more common in natural systems than generally assumed.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Geenen2013, author = {Geenen, Eva-Maria}, title = {Studies of Epstein-Barr virus EBNA2 and its interactions with host cell factors}, publisher = {Universit{\´e} de Grenoble}, address = {Grenoble}, pages = {125 S.}, year = {2013}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Schusser2015, author = {Schusser, Sebastian}, title = {Sensor-based degradation monitoring for the evaluation of (bio)degradable polymers}, publisher = {Universiteit Hasselt ; FH Aachen}, address = {Hasselt ; Aachen}, pages = {145 Seiten}, year = {2015}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Keinz2018, author = {Keinz, Jan}, title = {Optimization of a Dry Low NOx Micromix Combustor for an Industrial Gas Turbine Using Hydrogen-Rich Syngas Fuel}, publisher = {Universit{\´e} Libre de Bruxelles - Brussels School of Engineering Aero-Thermo-Mechanics}, address = {Br{\"u}ssel}, year = {2018}, language = {en} }