TY - JOUR A1 - Bialonski, Stephan A1 - Caron, David A. A1 - Schloen, Julia A1 - Feudel, Ulrike A1 - Kantz, Holger A1 - Moorthi, Stefanie D. T1 - Phytoplankton dynamics in the Southern California Bight indicate a complex mixture of transport and biology JF - Journal of Plankton Research N2 - The stimulation and dominance of potentially harmful phytoplankton taxa at a given locale and time are determined by local environmental conditions as well as by transport to or from neighboring regions. The present study investigated the occurrence of common harmful algal bloom (HAB) taxa within the Southern California Bight, using cross-correlation functions to determine potential dependencies between HAB taxa and environmental factors, and potential links to algal transport via local hydrography and currents. A simulation study, in which Lagrangian particles were released, was used to assess travel times due to advection by prevailing ocean currents in the bight. Our results indicate that transport of some taxa may be an important mechanism for the expansion of their distributions into other regions, which was supported by mean travel times derived from our simulation study and other literature on ocean currents in the Southern California Bight. In other cases, however, phytoplankton dynamics were rather linked to local environmental conditions, including coastal upwelling events. Overall, our study shows that complex current patterns in the Southern California Bight may contribute significantly to the formation and expansion of HABs in addition to local environmental factors determining the spatiotemporal dynamics of phytoplankton blooms. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbv122 SN - 1464-3774 VL - 38 IS - 4 SP - 1077 EP - 1091 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bialonski, Stephan A1 - Ansmann, Gerrit A1 - Kantz, Holger T1 - Data-driven prediction and prevention of extreme events in a spatially extended excitable system JF - Physical Review E Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.92.042910 SN - 2470-0053 VL - 92 IS - 4 SP - 042910 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bialonski, Stephan A1 - Allefeld, Carsten A1 - Wellmer, Jörg A1 - Elger, Christian E. A1 - Lehnertz, Klaus T1 - An approach to identify synchronization clusters within the epileptic network JF - Klinische Neurophysiologie Y1 - 2008 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1072881 VL - 39 IS - 1 SP - A79 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Bialonski, Stephan T1 - Are interaction clusters in epileptic networks predictive of seizures? T2 - Epilepsy: The Intersection of Neurosciences, Biology, Mathematics, Engineering, and Physics Y1 - 2016 SN - 978-143983886-0 SP - 349 EP - 355 PB - CRC Press ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Bialonski, Stephan T1 - Inferring complex networks from time series of dynamical systems: Pitfalls, misinterpretations, and possible solutions Y1 - 2012 N1 - Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Diss., 2012 PB - Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Bonn CY - Bonn ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bhattarai, Aroj A1 - Staat, Manfred T1 - A computational study of organ relocation after laparoscopic pectopexy to repair posthysterectomy vaginal vault prolapse JF - Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering: Imaging & Visualization Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/21681163.2019.1670095 SN - 2168-1171 PB - Taylor & Francis CY - London ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Bhattarai, Aroj A1 - Staat, Manfred ED - Fernandes, P.R. ED - Tavares, J. M. T1 - Pectopexy to repair vaginal vault prolapse: a finite element approach T2 - Proceedings CMBBE 2018 N2 - The vaginal prolapse after hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) is often associated with the prolapse of the vaginal vault, rectum, bladder, urethra or small bowel. Minimally invasive surgery such as laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy and pectopexy are widely performed for the treatment of the vaginal prolapse with weakly supported vaginal vault after hysterectomy using prosthetic mesh implants to support (or strengthen) lax apical ligaments. Implants of different shape, size and polymers are selected depending on the patient’s anatomy and the surgeon’s preference. In this computational study on pectopexy, DynaMesh®-PRP soft, GYNECARE GYNEMESH® PS Nonabsorbable PROLENE® soft and Ultrapro® are tested in a 3D finite element model of the female pelvic floor. The mesh model is implanted into the extraperitoneal space and sutured to the vaginal stump with a bilateral fixation to the iliopectineal ligament at both sides. Numerical simulations are conducted at rest, after surgery and during Valsalva maneuver with weakened tissues modeled by reduced tissue stiffness. Tissues and prosthetic meshes are modeled as incompressible, isotropic hyperelastic materials. The positions of the organs are calculated with respect to the pubococcygeal line (PCL) for female pelvic floor at rest, after repair and during Valsalva maneuver using the three meshes. Y1 - 2018 N1 - 15th International Symposium on Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering and 3rd Conference on Imaging and Visualization. CMBBE 2018. 26-29 March 2018, Lisbon, Portugal ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bhattarai, Aroj A1 - Staat, Manfred T1 - Modelling of Soft Connective Tissues to Investigate Female Pelvic Floor Dysfunctions JF - Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine N2 - After menopause, decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone remodel the collagen of the soft tissues thereby reducing their stiffness. Stress urinary incontinence is associated with involuntary urine leakage due to pathological movement of the pelvic organs resulting from lax suspension system, fasciae, and ligaments. This study compares the changes in the orientation and position of the female pelvic organs due to weakened fasciae, ligaments, and their combined laxity. A mixture theory weighted by respective volume fraction of elastin-collagen fibre compound (5%), adipose tissue (85%), and smooth muscle (5%) is adopted to characterize the mechanical behaviour of the fascia. The load carrying response (other than the functional response to the pelvic organs) of each fascia component, pelvic organs, muscles, and ligaments are assumed to be isotropic, hyperelastic, and incompressible. Finite element simulations are conducted during Valsalva manoeuvre with weakened tissues modelled by reduced tissue stiffness. A significant dislocation of the urethrovesical junction is observed due to weakness of the fascia (13.89 mm) compared to the ligaments (5.47 mm). The dynamics of the pelvic floor observed in this study during Valsalva manoeuvre is associated with urethral-bladder hypermobility, greater levator plate angulation, and positive Q-tip test which are observed in incontinent females. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9518076 SN - 1748-6718 VL - 2018 IS - Article ID 9518076 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Hindawi CY - New York, NY ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Bhattarai, Aroj A1 - Staat, Manfred ED - Artmann, Gerhard ED - Temiz Artmann, Aysegül ED - Zhubanova, Azhar A. ED - Digel, Ilya T1 - Mechanics of soft tissue reactions to textile mesh implants T2 - Biological, Physical and Technical Basics of Cell Engineering N2 - For pelvic floor disorders that cannot be treated with non-surgical procedures, minimally invasive surgery has become a more frequent and safer repair procedure. More than 20 million prosthetic meshes are implanted each year worldwide. The simple selection of a single synthetic mesh construction for any level and type of pelvic floor dysfunctions without adopting the design to specific requirements increase the risks for mesh related complications. Adverse events are closely related to chronic foreign body reaction, with enhanced formation of scar tissue around the surgical meshes, manifested as pain, mesh erosion in adjacent structures (with organ tissue cut), mesh shrinkage, mesh rejection and eventually recurrence. Such events, especially scar formation depend on effective porosity of the mesh, which decreases discontinuously at a critical stretch when pore areas decrease making the surgical reconstruction ineffective that further augments the re-operation costs. The extent of fibrotic reaction is increased with higher amount of foreign body material, larger surface, small pore size or with inadequate textile elasticity. Standardized studies of different meshes are essential to evaluate influencing factors for the failure and success of the reconstruction. Measurements of elasticity and tensile strength have to consider the mesh anisotropy as result of the textile structure. An appropriate mesh then should show some integration with limited scar reaction and preserved pores that are filled with local fat tissue. This chapter reviews various tissue reactions to different monofilament mesh implants that are used for incontinence and hernia repairs and study their mechanical behavior. This helps to predict the functional and biological outcomes after tissue reinforcement with meshes and permits further optimization of the meshes for the specific indications to improve the success of the surgical treatment. Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-981-10-7904-7 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7904-7_11 SP - 251 EP - 275 PB - Springer CY - Singapore ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Bhattarai, Aroj A1 - Staat, Manfred ED - Erni, Daniel T1 - Female pelvic floor dysfunction: progress weakening of the support system T2 - 1st YRA MedTech Symposium 2016 : April 8th / 2016 / University of Duisburg-Essen N2 - The structure of the female pelvic floor (PF) is an inter-related system of bony pelvis,muscles, pelvic organs, fascias, ligaments, and nerves with multiple functions. Mechanically, thepelvic organ support system are of two types: (I) supporting system of the levator ani (LA) muscle,and (II) the suspension system of the endopelvic fascia condensation [1], [2]. Significantdenervation injury to the pelvic musculature, depolimerization of the collagen fibrils of the softvaginal hammock, cervical ring and ligaments during pregnancy and vaginal delivery weakens thenormal functions of the pelvic floor. Pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, sexual dysfunction aresome of the dysfunctions which increases progressively with age and menopause due toweakened support system according to the Integral theory [3]. An improved 3D finite elementmodel of the female pelvic floor as shown in Fig. 1 is constructed that: (I) considers the realisticsupport of the organs to the pelvic side walls, (II) employs the improvement of our previous FEmodel [4], [5] along with the patient based geometries, (III) incorporates the realistic anatomy andboundary conditions of the endopelvic (pubocervical and rectovaginal) fascia, and (IV) considersvarying stiffness of the endopelvic fascia in the craniocaudal direction [3]. Several computationsare carried out on the presented computational model with healthy and damaged supportingtissues, and comparisons are made to understand the physiopathology of the female PF disorders. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.17185/duepublico/40821 SP - 11 EP - 12 PB - Universität Duisburg-Essen CY - Duisburg ER -