@article{MontiWaldvogelRitzmannetal.2021, author = {Monti, Elena and Waldvogel, Janice and Ritzmann, Ramona and Freyler, Kathrin and Albracht, Kirsten and Helm, Michael and De Cesare, Niccol{\`o} and Pavan, Piero and Reggiani, Carlo and Gollhofer, Albert and Narici, Marco Vincenzo}, title = {Muscle in variable gravity: "I do not know where I am, but I know what to do"}, series = {Frontiers in Physiology}, volume = {12}, journal = {Frontiers in Physiology}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-042X}, doi = {10.3389/fphys.2021.714655}, pages = {19 Seiten}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Performing tasks, such as running and jumping, requires activation of the agonist and antagonist muscles before (motor unit pre-activation) and during movement performance (Santello and Mcdonagh, 1998). A well-timed and regulated muscle activation elicits a stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) response, naturally occurring in bouncing movements (Ishikawa and Komi, 2004; Taube et al., 2012). By definition, the SSC describes the stretching of a pre-activated muscle-tendon complex immediately followed by a muscle shortening in the concentric push-off phase (Komi, 1984). Given the importance of SSC actions for human movement, it is not surprising that many studies investigated the biomechanics of this phenomenon; in particular, drop jumps (DJs) represent a good paradigm to study muscle fascicle and tendon behavior in ballistic movements involving the SSC. Within a DJ, three main phases [pre-activation, braking, and push-off (PO; Komi, 2000)] have been recognized and extensively studied in common and challenging conditions, such as changes in load, falling height, or simulated hypo-gravity (Avela et al., 1994; Arampatzis et al., 2001; Fukashiro et al., 2005; Ishikawa et al., 2005; Sousa et al., 2007; Ritzmann et al., 2016; Helm et al., 2020). These studies show that the timing and amount of triceps-surae muscle-tendon unit pre-activation in DJs are differentially regulated based on the load applied to the muscle, being optimal in normal "Earth" gravity conditions (Avela et al., 1994), but decreased in simulated hypo-gravity, hyper-gravity (Avela et al., 1994; Ritzmann et al., 2016), or unknown conditions (i.e., unknown falling heights; Helm et al., 2020). Some authors indicated that, when falling from heights different from the optimal one [defined as the drop height giving a maximum DJ performance indicated as peak ground reaction force (GRF) or jump high], electromyographic (EMG) activity of the plantar flexors increases from lower than optimal to higher than optimal heights (Ishikawa and Komi, 2004; Sousa et al., 2007). These findings highlight the ability of the central nervous system to regulate the timing and amount of pre-activation according to different jumping conditions, thus regulating muscle fascicle length, tendon and joint stiffness as well as position, in order to safely land on the ground and quickly re-bounce. Similarly, to pre-activation, also in the braking phase, the plantar flexors are differentially regulated. In optimal height (i.e., load) jumping conditions, gastrocnemius medialis (GM) fascicles shorten at early ground contact (possibly due to the intervention of the stretch reflex; Gollhofer et al., 1992) and behave quasi-isometrically in the late braking phase, enabling tendon elongation, and storage of elastic energy (Gollhofer et al., 1992; Fukashiro et al., 2005; Sousa et al., 2007). When increasing the falling height (augmenting the impact GRF), the quasi-isometric behavior of fascicles disappears, and fast fascicle lengthening occurs (Ishikawa et al., 2005; Sousa et al., 2007). In the third and last PO phase, fascicles shorten and the tendon releases the elastic energy previously stored. Bobbert et al. (1987) reported no influence of jumping height on the work done and on the net vertical impulse assessed during PO; this observation suggests that, despite an optimal DJ performance might be achieved only in specific conditions (falling heights, loads), the central nervous system seems to be able to regulate muscle behavior in order to effectively perform the required task also in challenging situations. Although the regulation of triceps-surae muscle-tendon unit in DJs has been extensively investigated, very few studies focused on sarcomeres behavior during the performance of this SSC movement (Kurokawa et al., 2003; Fukashiro et al., 2005, 2006). Sarcomeres represent muscle contractile units and are known to express different amounts of force depending on their length (Gordon et al., 1966; Walker and Schrodt, 1974); thus, understanding the time course of their responses during DJs is fundamental to gain further insights into muscle force-generating capacity. In vivo measurement of sarcomere length in humans has been so far been performed only in static positions and under highly controlled experimental conditions (Llewellyn et al., 2008; Sanchez et al., 2015). Instead, human sarcomere length estimation (achieved by dividing GM measured fascicle length for a fixed sarcomere number) in dynamic contractions provided an indirect measure of sarcomere operating range during squat jump, countermovement jump, and DJ (Fukashiro et al., 2005, 2006; Kurokawa et al., 2003). The results of these studies showed that sarcomeres operate in the ascending limb of their length-tension (L-T) relationship in all types of jumps, and particularly so in DJ. However, most of the available observations on sarcomere and muscle fascicle behavior were made in condition of constant gravity. Thus, in order to understand how sarcomere and muscle fascicle length are regulated in variable gravity conditions, we performed experiments in a parabolic flight, involving variable gravity levels, ranging from about zero-g to about double the Earth's gravity (1 g; Waldvogel et al., 2021). Specifically, the aims of the present study were as follows: 1. To investigate the ability of the neuromuscular system in regulating fascicle length in response to conditions of variable gravity. 2. To estimate sarcomere operative length in the different DJ phases, in order to calculate its theoretical force production and its possible modulation in conditions of variable gravity. We hypothesized that muscle fascicles would be differentially regulated in different gravity conditions compared to 1 g, particularly in anticipation of landing and re-bouncing in unknown gravity levels. In addition, we hypothesized that sarcomeres would operate in the upper part of the ascending limb of their L-T relationship, possibly lengthening during the braking phase (especially in hyper-gravity) while operating quasi-isometrically in 1 g.}, language = {en} } @article{StaeudleSeynnesLapsetal.2021, author = {St{\"a}udle, Benjamin and Seynnes, Olivier and Laps, Guido and G{\"o}ll, Fabian and Br{\"u}ggemann, Gert-Peter and Albracht, Kirsten}, title = {Recovery from achilles tendon repair: a combination of Postsurgery Outcomes and Insufficient remodeling of muscle and tendon}, series = {Medicine \& Science in Sports \& Exercise}, volume = {53}, journal = {Medicine \& Science in Sports \& Exercise}, number = {7}, publisher = {American College of Sports Medicine}, address = {Philadelphia, Pa.}, issn = {1530-0315}, doi = {10.1249/MSS.0000000000002592}, pages = {1356 -- 1366}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) patients have persistent functional deficits in the triceps surae muscle-tendon unit (MTU). The complex remodeling of the MTU accompanying these deficits remains poorly understood. The purpose of the present study was to associate in vivo and in silico data to investigate the relations between changes inMTU properties and strength deficits inATR patients. Methods: Elevenmale subjects who had undergone surgical repair of complete unilateral ATR were examined 4.6 ± 2.0 (mean ± SD) yr after rupture. Gastrocnemius medialis (GM) tendon stiffness, morphology, and muscle architecture were determined using ultrasonography. The force-length relation of the plantar flexor muscles was assessed at five ankle joint angles. In addition, simulations (OpenSim) of the GM MTU force-length properties were performed with various iterations of MTU properties found between the unaffected and the affected side. Results: The affected side of the patients displayed a longer, larger, and stiffer GM tendon (13\% ± 10\%, 105\% ± 28\%, and 54\% ± 24\%, respectively) compared with the unaffected side. The GM muscle fascicles of the affected side were shorter (32\% ± 12\%) and with greater pennation angles (31\% ± 26\%). A mean deficit in plantarflexion moment of 31\% ± 10\% was measured. Simulations indicate that pairing an intact muscle with a longer tendon shifts the optimal angular range of peak force outside physiological angular ranges, whereas the shorter muscle fascicles and tendon stiffening seen in the affected side decrease this shift, albeit incompletely. Conclusions: These results suggest that the substantial changes in MTU properties found in ATR patients may partly result from compensatory remodeling, although this process appears insufficient to fully restore muscle function.}, language = {en} } @article{WerkhausenAlbrachtCroninetal.2018, author = {Werkhausen, Amelie and Albracht, Kirsten and Cronin, Neil J and Paulsen, G{\o}ran and Bojsen-M{\o}ller, Jens and Seynnes, Olivier R}, title = {Effect of training-induced changes in achilles tendon stiffness on muscle-tendon behavior during landing}, series = {Frontiers in physiology}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, number = {9}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-042X}, doi = {10.3389/fphys.2018.00794}, pages = {11 Seiten}, year = {2018}, abstract = {During rapid deceleration of the body, tendons buffer part of the elongation of the muscle-tendon unit (MTU), enabling safe energy dissipation via eccentric muscle contraction. Yet, the influence of changes in tendon stiffness within the physiological range upon these lengthening contractions is unknown. This study aimed to examine the effect of training-induced stiffening of the Achilles tendon on triceps surae muscle-tendon behavior during a landing task. Twenty-one male subjects were assigned to either a 10-week resistance-training program consisting of single-leg isometric plantarflexion (n = 11) or to a non-training control group (n = 10). Before and after the training period, plantarflexion force, peak Achilles tendon strain and stiffness were measured during isometric contractions, using a combination of dynamometry, ultrasound and kinematics data. Additionally, testing included a step-landing task, during which joint mechanics and lengths of gastrocnemius and soleus fascicles, Achilles tendon, and MTU were determined using synchronized ultrasound, kinematics and kinetics data collection. After training, plantarflexion strength and Achilles tendon stiffness increased (15 and 18\%, respectively), and tendon strain during landing remained similar. Likewise, lengthening and negative work produced by the gastrocnemius MTU did not change detectably. However, in the training group, gastrocnemius fascicle length was offset (8\%) to a longer length at touch down and, surprisingly, fascicle lengthening and velocity were reduced by 27 and 21\%, respectively. These changes were not observed for soleus fascicles when accounting for variation in task execution between tests. These results indicate that a training-induced increase in tendon stiffness does not noticeably affect the buffering action of the tendon when the MTU is rapidly stretched. Reductions in gastrocnemius fascicle lengthening and lengthening velocity during landing occurred independently from tendon strain. Future studies are required to provide insight into the mechanisms underpinning these observations and their influence on energy dissipation.}, 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} } @unpublished{RingersBialonskiSolovevetal.2021, author = {Ringers, Christa and Bialonski, Stephan and Solovev, Anton and Hansen, Jan N. and Ege, Mert and Friedrich, Benjamin M. and Jurisch-Yaksi, Nathalie}, title = {Preprint: Local synchronization of cilia and tissue-scale cilia alignment are sufficient for global metachronal waves}, series = {bioRxiv}, journal = {bioRxiv}, doi = {10.1101/2021.11.23.469646}, pages = {19 Seiten}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Motile cilia are hair-like cell extensions present in multiple organs of the body. How cilia coordinate their regular beat in multiciliated epithelia to move fluids remains insufficiently understood, particularly due to lack of rigorous quantification. We combine here experiments, novel analysis tools, and theory to address this knowledge gap. We investigate collective dynamics of cilia in the zebrafish nose, due to its conserved properties with other ciliated tissues and its superior accessibility for non-invasive imaging. We revealed that cilia are synchronized only locally and that the size of local synchronization domains increases with the viscosity of the surrounding medium. Despite the fact that synchronization is local only, we observed global patterns of traveling metachronal waves across the multiciliated epithelium. Intriguingly, these global wave direction patterns are conserved across individual fish, but different for left and right nose, unveiling a chiral asymmetry of metachronal coordination. To understand the implications of synchronization for fluid pumping, we used a computational model of a regular array of cilia. We found that local metachronal synchronization prevents steric collisions and improves fluid pumping in dense cilia carpets, but hardly affects the direction of fluid flow. In conclusion, we show that local synchronization together with tissue-scale cilia alignment are sufficient to generate metachronal wave patterns in multiciliated epithelia, which enhance their physiological function of fluid pumping.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{MaurerMiskiwAcostaetal.2023, author = {Maurer, Florian and Miskiw, Kim K. and Acosta, Rebeca Ramirez and Harder, Nick and Sander, Volker and Lehnhoff, Sebastian}, title = {Market abstraction of energy markets and policies - application in an agent-based modeling toolbox}, series = {EI.A 2023: Energy Informatics}, booktitle = {EI.A 2023: Energy Informatics}, editor = {Jorgensen, Bo Norregaard and Pereira da Silva, Luiz Carlos and Ma, Zheng}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Cham}, isbn = {978-3-031-48651-7 (Print)}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-48652-4_10}, pages = {139 -- 157}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In light of emerging challenges in energy systems, markets are prone to changing dynamics and market design. Simulation models are commonly used to understand the changing dynamics of future electricity markets. However, existing market models were often created with specific use cases in mind, which limits their flexibility and usability. This can impose challenges for using a single model to compare different market designs. This paper introduces a new method of defining market designs for energy market simulations. The proposed concept makes it easy to incorporate different market designs into electricity market models by using relevant parameters derived from analyzing existing simulation tools, morphological categorization and ontologies. These parameters are then used to derive a market abstraction and integrate it into an agent-based simulation framework, allowing for a unified analysis of diverse market designs. Furthermore, we showcase the usability of integrating new types of long-term contracts and over-the-counter trading. To validate this approach, two case studies are demonstrated: a pay-as-clear market and a pay-as-bid long-term market. These examples demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed framework.}, language = {en} } @techreport{AlbrachtRitzmannKrameretal.2017, author = {Albracht, Kirsten and Ritzmann, Ramona and Kramer, Andreas and Meskemper, Joshua and St{\"a}udle, Benjamin and K{\"u}mmel, Jacob and Freyler, Katrin and Felsenberg, Dieter and Gruber, Marksu and Gollhofer, Albert and Belavy, Daniel}, title = {Vorhaben: Muskelkraftgenerierungsf{\"a}higkeit in Mikrogravitation}, publisher = {Deutsche Sporthochschule K{\"o}ln}, address = {Kl{\"o}n}, doi = {10.2314/KXP:1670327353}, pages = {23 Seiten}, year = {2017}, language = {de} } @article{YoshinobuMiyamotoWagneretal.2024, author = {Yoshinobu, Tatsuo and Miyamoto, Ko-ichiro and Wagner, Torsten and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Field-effect sensors combined with the scanned light pulse technique: from artificial olfactory images to chemical imaging technologies}, series = {Chemosensors}, volume = {12}, journal = {Chemosensors}, number = {2}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2227-9040}, doi = {10.3390/chemosensors12020020}, pages = {Artikel 20}, year = {2024}, abstract = {The artificial olfactory image was proposed by Lundstr{\"o}m et al. in 1991 as a new strategy for an electronic nose system which generated a two-dimensional mapping to be interpreted as a fingerprint of the detected gas species. The potential distribution generated by the catalytic metals integrated into a semiconductor field-effect structure was read as a photocurrent signal generated by scanning light pulses. The impact of the proposed technology spread beyond gas sensing, inspiring the development of various imaging modalities based on the light addressing of field-effect structures to obtain spatial maps of pH distribution, ions, molecules, and impedance, and these modalities have been applied in both biological and non-biological systems. These light-addressing technologies have been further developed to realize the position control of a faradaic current on the electrode surface for localized electrochemical reactions and amperometric measurements, as well as the actuation of liquids in microfluidic devices.}, language = {en} } @article{BertzSchoeningMolinnusetal.2024, author = {Bertz, Morten and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef and Molinnus, Denise and Homma, Takayuki}, title = {Influence of temperature, light, and H₂O₂ concentration on microbial spore inactivation: in-situ Raman spectroscopy combined with optical trapping}, series = {Physica status solidi (a) applications and materials science}, journal = {Physica status solidi (a) applications and materials science}, number = {Early View}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {1862-6319 (Online)}, doi = {10.1002/pssa.202300866}, pages = {8 Seiten}, year = {2024}, abstract = {To gain insight on chemical sterilization processes, the influence of temperature (up to 70 °C), intense green light, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) concentration (up to 30\% in aqueous solution) on microbial spore inactivation is evaluated by in-situ Raman spectroscopy with an optical trap. Bacillus atrophaeus is utilized as a model organism. Individual spores are isolated and their chemical makeup is monitored under dynamically changing conditions (temperature, light, and H₂O₂ concentration) to mimic industrially relevant process parameters for sterilization in the field of aseptic food processing. While isolated spores in water are highly stable, even at elevated temperatures of 70 °C, exposure to H₂O₂ leads to a loss of spore integrity characterized by the release of the key spore biomarker dipicolinic acid (DPA) in a concentration-dependent manner, which indicates damage to the inner membrane of the spore. Intensive light or heat, both of which accelerate the decomposition of H₂O₂ into reactive oxygen species (ROS), drastically shorten the spore lifetime, suggesting the formation of ROS as a rate-limiting step during sterilization. It is concluded that Raman spectroscopy can deliver mechanistic insight into the mode of action of H₂O₂-based sterilization and reveal the individual contributions of different sterilization methods acting in tandem.}, language = {en} } @article{PogorelovaRogachevAkimbekovetal.2024, author = {Pogorelova, Natalia and Rogachev, Evgeniy and Akimbekov, Nuraly S. and Digel, Ilya}, title = {Effect of dehydration method on the micro- and nanomorphological properties of bacterial cellulose produced by Medusomyces gisevii on different substrates}, series = {Journal of materials science}, volume = {2024}, journal = {Journal of materials science}, publisher = {Springer Science + Business Media}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {1573-4803 (Online)}, doi = {10.1007/s10853-024-09596-3}, pages = {13 Seiten}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Many important properties of bacterial cellulose (BC), such as moisture absorption capacity, elasticity and tensile strength, largely depend on its structure. This paper presents a study on the effect of the drying method on BC films produced by Medusomyces gisevii using two different procedures: room temperature drying (RT, (24 ± 2 °C, humidity 65 ± 1\%, dried until a constant weight was reached) and freeze-drying (FD, treated at - 75 °C for 48 h). BC was synthesized using one of two different carbon sources—either glucose or sucrose. Structural differences in the obtained BC films were evaluated using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction. Macroscopically, the RT samples appeared semi-transparent and smooth, whereas the FD group exhibited an opaque white color and sponge-like structure. SEM examination showed denser packing of fibrils in FD samples while RT-samples displayed smaller average fiber diameter, lower surface roughness and less porosity. AFM confirmed the SEM observations and showed that the FD material exhibited a more branched structure and a higher surface roughness. The samples cultivated in a glucose-containing nutrient medium, generally displayed a straight and ordered shape of fibrils compared to the sucrose-derived BC, characterized by a rougher and wavier structure. The BC films dried under different conditions showed distinctly different crystallinity degrees, whereas the carbon source in the culture medium was found to have a relatively small effect on the BC crystallinity.}, language = {en} } @incollection{KraftKohlMeinecke2024, author = {Kraft, Bodo and Kohl, Philipp and Meinecke, Matthias}, title = {Analyse und Nachverfolgung von Projektzielen durch Einsatz von Natural Language Processing}, series = {KI in der Projektwirtschaft : was ver{\"a}ndert sich durch KI im Projektmanagement?}, booktitle = {KI in der Projektwirtschaft : was ver{\"a}ndert sich durch KI im Projektmanagement?}, editor = {Bernert, Christian and Scheurer, Steffen and Wehnes, Harald}, publisher = {UVK Verlag}, isbn = {978-3-3811-1132-9 (Online)}, doi = {10.24053/9783381111329}, pages = {157 -- 167}, year = {2024}, language = {de} } @article{KarschuckPoghossianSeretal.2024, author = {Karschuck, Tobias and Poghossian, Arshak and Ser, Joey and Tsokolakyan, Astghik and Achtsnicht, Stefan and Wagner, Patrick and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Capacitive model of enzyme-modified field-effect biosensors: Impact of enzyme coverage}, series = {Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical}, volume = {408}, journal = {Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0925-4005 (Print)}, doi = {10.1016/j.snb.2024.135530}, pages = {12 Seiten}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitors (EISCAP) belong to field-effect sensors having an attractive transducer architecture for constructing various biochemical sensors. In this study, a capacitive model of enzyme-modified EISCAPs has been developed and the impact of the surface coverage of immobilized enzymes on its capacitance-voltage and constant-capacitance characteristics was studied theoretically and experimentally. The used multicell arrangement enables a multiplexed electrochemical characterization of up to sixteen EISCAPs. Different enzyme coverages have been achieved by means of parallel electrical connection of bare and enzyme-covered single EISCAPs in diverse combinations. As predicted by the model, with increasing the enzyme coverage, both the shift of capacitance-voltage curves and the amplitude of the constant-capacitance signal increase, resulting in an enhancement of analyte sensitivity of the EISCAP biosensor. In addition, the capability of the multicell arrangement with multi-enzyme covered EISCAPs for sequentially detecting multianalytes (penicillin and urea) utilizing the enzymes penicillinase and urease has been experimentally demonstrated and discussed.}, language = {en} } @article{BornheimGriegerBlanecketal.2024, author = {Bornheim, Tobias and Grieger, Niklas and Blaneck, Patrick Gustav and Bialonski, Stephan}, title = {Speaker Attribution in German Parliamentary Debates with QLoRA-adapted Large Language Models}, series = {Journal for language technology and computational linguistics : JLCL}, volume = {37}, journal = {Journal for language technology and computational linguistics : JLCL}, number = {1}, publisher = {Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Sprachtechnologie und Computerlinguistik}, address = {Regensburg}, issn = {2190-6858}, doi = {10.21248/jlcl.37.2024.244}, pages = {13 Seiten}, year = {2024}, abstract = {The growing body of political texts opens up new opportunities for rich insights into political dynamics and ideologies but also increases the workload for manual analysis. Automated speaker attribution, which detects who said what to whom in a speech event and is closely related to semantic role labeling, is an important processing step for computational text analysis. We study the potential of the large language model family Llama 2 to automate speaker attribution in German parliamentary debates from 2017-2021. We fine-tune Llama 2 with QLoRA, an efficient training strategy, and observe our approach to achieve competitive performance in the GermEval 2023 Shared Task On Speaker Attribution in German News Articles and Parliamentary Debates. Our results shed light on the capabilities of large language models in automating speaker attribution, revealing a promising avenue for computational analysis of political discourse and the development of semantic role labeling systems.}, language = {en} } @article{SchoenrockMuckeltHastermannetal.2024, author = {Schoenrock, Britt and Muckelt, Paul E. and Hastermann, Maria and Albracht, Kirsten and MacGregor, Robert and Martin, David and Gunga, Hans-Christian and Salanova, Michele and Stokes, Maria J. and Warner, Martin B. and Blottner, Dieter}, title = {Muscle stiffness indicating mission crew health in space}, series = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {14}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, number = {Article number: 4196}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-024-54759-6}, pages = {13 Seiten}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Muscle function is compromised by gravitational unloading in space affecting overall musculoskeletal health. Astronauts perform daily exercise programmes to mitigate these effects but knowing which muscles to target would optimise effectiveness. Accurate inflight assessment to inform exercise programmes is critical due to lack of technologies suitable for spaceflight. Changes in mechanical properties indicate muscle health status and can be measured rapidly and non-invasively using novel technology. A hand-held MyotonPRO device enabled monitoring of muscle health for the first time in spaceflight (> 180 days). Greater/maintained stiffness indicated countermeasures were effective. Tissue stiffness was preserved in the majority of muscles (neck, shoulder, back, thigh) but Tibialis Anterior (foot lever muscle) stiffness decreased inflight vs. preflight (p < 0.0001; mean difference 149 N/m) in all 12 crewmembers. The calf muscles showed opposing effects, Gastrocnemius increasing in stiffness Soleus decreasing. Selective stiffness decrements indicate lack of preservation despite daily inflight countermeasures. This calls for more targeted exercises for lower leg muscles with vital roles as ankle joint stabilizers and in gait. Muscle stiffness is a digital biomarker for risk monitoring during future planetary explorations (Moon, Mars), for healthcare management in challenging environments or clinical disorders in people on Earth, to enable effective tailored exercise programmes.}, language = {en} } @article{EngelmannSimsekShalabyetal.2024, author = {Engelmann, Ulrich M. and Simsek, Beril and Shalaby, Ahmed and Krause, Hans-Joachim}, title = {Key contributors to signal generation in frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD): an in silico study}, series = {Sensors}, volume = {24}, journal = {Sensors}, number = {6}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1424-8220}, doi = {10.3390/s24061945}, pages = {Artikel 1945}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD) is a sensitive and selective technique to detect magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) serving as probes for binding biological targets. Its principle relies on the nonlinear magnetic relaxation dynamics of a particle ensemble interacting with a dual frequency external magnetic field. In order to increase its sensitivity, lower its limit of detection and overall improve its applicability in biosensing, matching combinations of external field parameters and internal particle properties are being sought to advance FMMD. In this study, we systematically probe the aforementioned interaction with coupled N{\´e}el-Brownian dynamic relaxation simulations to examine how key MNP properties as well as applied field parameters affect the frequency mixing signal generation. It is found that the core size of MNPs dominates their nonlinear magnetic response, with the strongest contributions from the largest particles. The drive field amplitude dominates the shape of the field-dependent response, whereas effective anisotropy and hydrodynamic size of the particles only weakly influence the signal generation in FMMD. For tailoring the MNP properties and parameters of the setup towards optimal FMMD signal generation, our findings suggest choosing large particles of core sizes dc > 25 nm nm with narrow size distributions (σ < 0.1) to minimize the required drive field amplitude. This allows potential improvements of FMMD as a stand-alone application, as well as advances in magnetic particle imaging, hyperthermia and magnetic immunoassays.}, language = {en} } @article{ZhenLiangStaatetal.2024, author = {Zhen, Manghao and Liang, Yunpei and Staat, Manfred and Li, Quanqui and Li, Jianbo}, title = {Discontinuous fracture behaviors and constitutive model of sandstone specimens containing non-parallel prefabricated fissures under uniaxial compression}, series = {Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics}, volume = {131}, journal = {Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0167-8442}, doi = {10.1016/j.tafmec.2024.104373}, pages = {Artikel 104373}, year = {2024}, abstract = {The deformation and damage laws of non-homogeneous irregular structural planes in rocks are the basis for studying the stability of rock engineering. To investigate the damage characteristics of rock containing non-parallel fissures, uniaxial compression tests and numerical simulations were conducted on sandstone specimens containing three non-parallel fissures inclined at 0°, 45° and 90° in this study. The characteristics of crack initiation and crack evolution of fissures with different inclinations were analyzed. A constitutive model for the discontinuous fractures of fissured sandstone was proposed. The results show that the fracture behaviors of fissured sandstone specimens are discontinuous. The stress-strain curves are non-smooth and can be divided into nonlinear crack closure stage, linear elastic stage, plastic stage and brittle failure stage, of which the plastic stage contains discontinuous stress drops. During the uniaxial compression test, the middle or ends of 0° fissures were the first to crack compared to 45° and 90° fissures. The end with small distance between 0° and 45° fissures cracked first, and the end with large distance cracked later. After the final failure, 0° fissures in all specimens were fractured, while 45° and 90° fissures were not necessarily fractured. Numerical simulation results show that the concentration of compressive stress at the tips of 0°, 45° and 90° fissures, as well as the concentration of tensile stress on both sides, decreased with the increase of the inclination angle. A constitutive model for the discontinuous fractures of fissured sandstone specimens was derived by combining the logistic model and damage mechanic theory. This model can well describe the discontinuous drops of stress and agrees well with the whole processes of the stress-strain curves of the fissured sandstone specimens.}, language = {en} } @unpublished{GriegerMehrkanoonBialonski2024, author = {Grieger, Niklas and Mehrkanoon, Siamak and Bialonski, Stephan}, title = {Preprint: Data-efficient sleep staging with synthetic time series pretraining}, series = {arXiv}, journal = {arXiv}, pages = {10 Seiten}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Analyzing electroencephalographic (EEG) time series can be challenging, especially with deep neural networks, due to the large variability among human subjects and often small datasets. To address these challenges, various strategies, such as self-supervised learning, have been suggested, but they typically rely on extensive empirical datasets. Inspired by recent advances in computer vision, we propose a pretraining task termed "frequency pretraining" to pretrain a neural network for sleep staging by predicting the frequency content of randomly generated synthetic time series. Our experiments demonstrate that our method surpasses fully supervised learning in scenarios with limited data and few subjects, and matches its performance in regimes with many subjects. Furthermore, our results underline the relevance of frequency information for sleep stage scoring, while also demonstrating that deep neural networks utilize information beyond frequencies to enhance sleep staging performance, which is consistent with previous research. We anticipate that our approach will be advantageous across a broad spectrum of applications where EEG data is limited or derived from a small number of subjects, including the domain of brain-computer interfaces.}, language = {en} } @book{ElsaesserKlebinggatKuhnetal.2024, author = {Elsaesser, Evelyn and Klebinggat, Michael and Kuhn, Wilfried and Michielsens, Constant and Pauels, Willibert and Popkes, Enno E. and Schneider, Elke and Laack, Walter van and Warven, Rinus van}, title = {Schnittstelle Tod - Ist die Menschheit zu retten ohne Vertrauen auf ein Danach}, editor = {Laack, Walter van}, publisher = {van Laack Buchverlag}, address = {Aachen}, isbn = {978-3-936624-58-8}, pages = {156 Seiten}, year = {2024}, language = {de} } @article{PieronekKleefeld2024, author = {Pieronek, Lukas and Kleefeld, Andreas}, title = {On trajectories of complex-valued interior transmission eigenvalues}, series = {Inverse problems and imaging : IPI}, volume = {18}, journal = {Inverse problems and imaging : IPI}, number = {2}, publisher = {AIMS}, address = {Springfield, Mo}, issn = {1930-8337 (Print)}, doi = {10.3934/ipi.2023041}, pages = {480 -- 516}, year = {2024}, abstract = {This paper investigates the interior transmission problem for homogeneous media via eigenvalue trajectories parameterized by the magnitude of the refractive index. In the case that the scatterer is the unit disk, we prove that there is a one-to-one correspondence between complex-valued interior transmission eigenvalue trajectories and Dirichlet eigenvalues of the Laplacian which turn out to be exactly the trajectorial limit points as the refractive index tends to infinity. For general simply-connected scatterers in two or three dimensions, a corresponding relation is still open, but further theoretical results and numerical studies indicate a similar connection.}, language = {en} } @article{AyalaHarrisKleefeld2024, author = {Ayala, Rafael Ceja and Harris, Isaac and Kleefeld, Andreas}, title = {Direct sampling method via Landweber iteration for an absorbing scatterer with a conductive boundary}, series = {Inverse Problems and Imaging}, volume = {18}, journal = {Inverse Problems and Imaging}, number = {3}, publisher = {AIMS}, address = {Springfield}, issn = {1930-8337}, doi = {10.3934/ipi.2023051}, pages = {708 -- 729}, year = {2024}, abstract = {In this paper, we consider the inverse shape problem of recovering isotropic scatterers with a conductive boundary condition. Here, we assume that the measured far-field data is known at a fixed wave number. Motivated by recent work, we study a new direct sampling indicator based on the Landweber iteration and the factorization method. Therefore, we prove the connection between these reconstruction methods. The method studied here falls under the category of qualitative reconstruction methods where an imaging function is used to recover the absorbing scatterer. We prove stability of our new imaging function as well as derive a discrepancy principle for recovering the regularization parameter. The theoretical results are verified with numerical examples to show how the reconstruction performs by the new Landweber direct sampling method.}, language = {en} }