TY - JOUR A1 - Becker, Meike A1 - Frauenrath, Tobias A1 - Hezel, Fabian A1 - Krombach, Gabriele A. A1 - Kremer, Ute A1 - Koppers, Benedikt A1 - Butenweg, Christoph A1 - Goemmel, Andreas A1 - Utting, Jane F. A1 - Schulz-Menger, Jeanette A1 - Niendorf, Thoralf T1 - Comparison of left ventricular function assessment using phonocardiogram- and electrocardiogram-triggered 2D SSFP CINE MR imaging at 1.5 T and 3.0 T JF - European Radiology N2 - Objective: As high-field cardiac MRI (CMR) becomes more widespread the propensity of ECG to interference from electromagnetic fields (EMF) and to magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) effects increases and with it the motivation for a CMR triggering alternative. This study explores the suitability of acoustic cardiac triggering (ACT) for left ventricular (LV) function assessment in healthy subjects (n=14). Methods: Quantitative analysis of 2D CINE steady-state free precession (SSFP) images was conducted to compare ACT’s performance with vector ECG (VCG). Endocardial border sharpness (EBS) was examined paralleled by quantitative LV function assessment. Results: Unlike VCG, ACT provided signal traces free of interference from EMF or MHD effects. In the case of correct Rwave recognition, VCG-triggered 2D CINE SSFP was immune to cardiac motion effects—even at 3.0 T. However, VCG-triggered 2D SSFP CINE imaging was prone to cardiac motion and EBS degradation if R-wave misregistration occurred. ACT-triggered acquisitions yielded LV parameters (end-diastolic volume (EDV), endsystolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (SV), ejection fraction (EF) and left ventricular mass (LVM)) comparable with those derived fromVCG-triggered acquisitions (1.5 T: ESVVCG=(56± 17) ml, EDVVCG=(151±32)ml, LVMVCG=(97±27) g, SVVCG=(94± 19)ml, EFVCG=(63±5)% cf. ESVACT= (56±18) ml, EDVACT=(147±36) ml, LVMACT=(102±29) g, SVACT=(91± 22) ml, EFACT=(62±6)%; 3.0 T: ESVVCG=(55±21) ml, EDVVCG=(151±32) ml, LVMVCG=(101±27) g, SVVCG=(96±15) ml, EFVCG=(65±7)% cf. ESVACT=(54±20) ml, EDVACT=(146±35) ml, LVMACT= (101±30) g, SVACT=(92±17) ml, EFACT=(64±6)%). Conclusions: ACT’s intrinsic insensitivity to interference from electromagnetic fields renders KW - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) KW - MR-stethoscope KW - Magnetic field strength KW - Left ventriular function KW - Cardiovascular MRI Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00330-009-1676-z SN - 1432-1084 (Onlineausgabe) SN - 0938-7994 (Druckausgabe) VL - 20 SP - 1344 EP - 1355 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Esch, Thomas T1 - Trends in commercial vehicle powertrains JF - ATZautotechnology N2 - Low emission zones and truck bans, the rising price of diesel and increases in road tolls: all of these factors are putting serious pressure on the transport industry. Commercial vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers are in the process of identifying new solutions to these challenges as part of their efforts to meet the EEV (enhanced environmentally friendly vehicle) limits, which are currently the most robust European exhaust and emissions standards for trucks and buses. KW - European Transient Cycle KW - Common Rail Injection System KW - Commercial Vehicle KW - Selective Catalytic Reduction KW - Diesel Engine Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF03247185 SN - 2192-886X VL - 2010 IS - 10 SP - 26 EP - 31 PB - Vieweg & Sohn CY - Wiesbaden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Czarnecki, Christian A1 - Winkelmann, Axel A1 - Spiliopoulou, Myra T1 - Services in electronic telecommunication markets: a framework for planning the virtualization of processes JF - Electronic Markets N2 - The potential of electronic markets in enabling innovative product bundles through flexible and sustainable partnerships is not yet fully exploited in the telecommunication industry. One reason is that bundling requires seamless de-assembling and re-assembling of business processes, whilst processes in telecommunication companies are often product-dependent and hard to virtualize. We propose a framework for the planning of the virtualization of processes, intended to assist the decision maker in prioritizing the processes to be virtualized: (a) we transfer the virtualization pre-requisites stated by the Process Virtualization Theory in the context of customer-oriented processes in the telecommunication industry and assess their importance in this context, (b) we derive IT-oriented requirements for the removal of virtualization barriers and highlight their demand on changes at different levels of the organization. We present a first evaluation of our approach in a case study and report on lessons learned and further steps to be performed. KW - Telecommunication KW - Services KW - Process virtualization KW - Product bundling KW - Transformation Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12525-010-0045-8 SN - 1422-8890 VL - 20 IS - 3-4 SP - 197 EP - 207 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grajewski, Matthias A1 - Köster, Michael A1 - Turek, Stefam T1 - Numerical analysis and implementational aspects of a new multilevel grid deformation method JF - Applied Numerical Mathematics N2 - Recently, we introduced and mathematically analysed a new method for grid deformation (Grajewski et al., 2009) [15] we call basic deformation method (BDM) here. It generalises the method proposed by Liao et al. (Bochev et al., 1996; Cai et al., 2004; Liao and Anderson, 1992) [4], [6], [20]. In this article, we employ the BDM as core of a new multilevel deformation method (MDM) which leads to vast improvements regarding robustness, accuracy and speed. We achieve this by splitting up the deformation process in a sequence of easier subproblems and by exploiting grid hierarchy. Being of optimal asymptotic complexity, we experience speed-ups up to a factor of 15 in our test cases compared to the BDM. This gives our MDM the potential for tackling large grids and time-dependent problems, where possibly the grid must be dynamically deformed once per time step according to the user's needs. Moreover, we elaborate on implementational aspects, in particular efficient grid searching, which is a key ingredient of the BDM. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnum.2010.03.017 SN - 0168-9274 VL - 60 IS - 8 SP - 767 EP - 781 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Akimbekov, N. Sh. A1 - Zhubanova, A. A. A1 - Mansurov, Z. A. A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Artmann, Gerhard A1 - Temiz Artmann, Aysegül T1 - Use of Carbonized Rise Shell for the local treatment of wounds JF - Eurasian ChemTech Journal N2 - On the model of musculocutaneous wound in rats, the effect of applicative sorption by carbonized rise shell (CRS) on the healing of festering wound was studied. It has been shown, that cytological changes end with rapid scar formation. The use of CRS at the period of severe purulent wound contributes to its favorable course, prevents the development of complications of the animals from sepsis. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.18321/ectj35 SN - 2522-4867 VL - 12 IS - 2 SP - 133 EP - 138 PB - Institute of Combustion Problems CY - Almaty ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scheer, Nico A1 - Ross, Jillian A1 - Kapelyukh, Yury A1 - Rode, Anja A1 - Wolf, C. Roland T1 - In vivo responses of the human and murine pregnane X receptor to dexamethasone in mice JF - Drug Metabolism and Disposition N2 - Dexamethasone (DEX) is a potent and widely used anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant glucocorticoid. It can bind and activate the pregnane X receptor (PXR), which plays a critical role as xenobiotic sensor in mammals to induce the expression of many enzymes, including cytochromes P450 in the CYP3A family. This induction results in its own metabolism. We have used a series of transgenic mouse lines, including a novel, improved humanized PXR line, to compare the induction profile of PXR-regulated drug-metabolizing enzymes after DEX administration, as well as looking at hepatic responses to rifampicin (RIF). The new humanized PXR model has uncovered further intriguing differences between the human and mouse receptors in that RIF only induced Cyp2b10 in the new humanized model. DEX was found to be a much more potent inducer of Cyp3a proteins in wild-type mice than in mice humanized for PXR. To assess whether PXR is involved in the detoxification of DEX in the liver, we analyzed the consequences of high doses of the glucocorticoid on hepatotoxicity on different PXR genetic backgrounds. We also studied these effects in an additional mouse model in which functional mouse Cyp3a genes have been deleted. These strains exhibited different sensitivities to DEX, indicating a protective role of the PXR and CYP3A proteins against the hepatotoxicity of this compound. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1124/dmd.109.031872 SN - 1521-009X VL - 38 IS - 7 SP - 1046 EP - 1053 PB - ASPET CY - Bethesda ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ross, Jillian A1 - Plummer, Simon M. A1 - Rode, Anja A1 - Scheer, Nico A1 - Bower, Conrad C. A1 - Vogel, Ortwin A1 - Henderson, Colin J. A1 - Wolf, C. Roland A1 - Elcombe, Clifford R. T1 - Human constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) and pregnane X receptor (PXR) support the hypertrophic but not the hyperplastic response to the murine nongenotoxic hepatocarcinogens phenobarbital and chlordane in vivo JF - Toxicological Sciences N2 - Mouse nongenotoxic hepatocarcinogens phenobarbital (PB) and chlordane induce hepatomegaly characterized by hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Increased cell proliferation is implicated in the mechanism of tumor induction. The relevance of these tumors to human health is unclear. The xenoreceptors, constitutive androstane receptors (CARs), and pregnane X receptor (PXR) play key roles in these processes. Novel “humanized” and knockout models for both receptors were developed to investigate potential species differences in hepatomegaly. The effects of PB (80 mg/kg/4 days) and chlordane (10 mg/kg/4 days) were investigated in double humanized PXR and CAR (huPXR/huCAR), double knockout PXR and CAR (PXRKO/CARKO), and wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J mice. In WT mice, both compounds caused increased liver weight, hepatocellular hypertrophy, and cell proliferation. Both compounds caused alterations to a number of cell cycle genes consistent with induction of cell proliferation in WT mice. However, these gene expression changes did not occur in PXRKO/CARKO or huPXR/huCAR mice. Liver hypertrophy without hyperplasia was demonstrated in the huPXR/huCAR animals in response to both compounds. Induction of the CAR and PXR target genes, Cyp2b10 and Cyp3a11, was observed in both WT and huPXR/huCAR mouse lines following treatment with PB or chlordane. In the PXRKO/CARKO mice, neither liver growth nor induction of Cyp2b10 and Cyp3a11 was seen following PB or chlordane treatment, indicating that these effects are CAR/PXR dependent. These data suggest that the human receptors are able to support the chemically induced hypertrophic responses but not the hyperplastic (cell proliferation) responses. At this time, we cannot be certain that hCAR and hPXR when expressed in the mouse can function exactly as the genes do when they are expressed in human cells. However, all parameters investigated to date suggest that much of their functionality is maintained. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfq118 SN - 1096-0929 VL - 116 IS - 2 SP - 452 EP - 466 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bernecker, Andreas T1 - A European Private Company: Is Europe’s single legal form for SMEs close to approval? JF - Research Briefing N2 - This Research Briefing, issued in July 2010, concluded that: - Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe have long called for a matching legal form valid across the EU (similar to that of the European company (SE) for large firms) - The main benefits would be the availability of uniform Europe-wide company structures, significant cost reductions for businesses and further integration of the internal market - Given the differing national views regarding the concrete features of the new legal form there is currently no sign of an agreement being reached at the European level in the short term; however, it is possible that progress will be made in negotiations during the year - The key issues being discussed in depth are company formation, transnationality and employee participation rights in the new European private company (SPE). Y1 - 2010 SN - 2193-5955 PB - Deutsche Bank Research CY - Frankfurt a. M. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Horstmann, Marie-Therese A1 - Bialonski, Stephan A1 - Noenning, Nina A1 - Mai, Heinke A1 - Prusseit, Jens A1 - Wellmer, Jörg A1 - Hinrichs, Hermann A1 - Lehnertz, Klaus T1 - State dependent properties of epileptic brain networks: Comparative graph–theoretical analyses of simultaneously recorded EEG and MEG JF - Clinical Neurophysiology N2 - Objective To investigate whether functional brain networks of epilepsy patients treated with antiepileptic medication differ from networks of healthy controls even during the seizure-free interval. Methods We applied different rules to construct binary and weighted networks from EEG and MEG data recorded under a resting-state eyes-open and eyes-closed condition from 21 epilepsy patients and 23 healthy controls. The average shortest path length and the clustering coefficient served as global statistical network characteristics. Results Independent on the behavioral condition, epileptic brains exhibited a more regular functional network structure. Similarly, the eyes-closed condition was characterized by a more regular functional network structure in both groups. The amount of network reorganization due to behavioral state changes was similar in both groups. Consistent findings could be achieved for networks derived from EEG but hardly from MEG recordings, and network construction rules had a rather strong impact on our findings. Conclusions Despite the locality of the investigated processes epileptic brain networks differ in their global characteristics from non-epileptic brain networks. Further methodological developments are necessary to improve the characterization of disturbed and normal functional networks. Significance An increased regularity and a diminished modulation capability appear characteristic of epileptic brain networks. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2009.10.013 SN - 1388-2457 VL - 121 IS - 2 SP - 172 EP - 185 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bialonski, Stephan A1 - Horstmann, Marie-Therese A1 - Lehnertz, Klaus T1 - From brain to earth and climate systems: Small-world interaction networks or not? JF - Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science N2 - We consider recent reports on small-world topologies of interaction networks derived from the dynamics of spatially extended systems that are investigated in diverse scientific fields such as neurosciences, geophysics, or meteorology. With numerical simulations that mimic typical experimental situations, we have identified an important constraint when characterizing such networks: indications of a small-world topology can be expected solely due to the spatial sampling of the system along with the commonly used time series analysis based approaches to network characterization. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3360561 SN - 1089-7682 VL - 20 IS - 1 PB - AIP Publishing CY - Melville, NY ER -