TY - JOUR A1 - Schiedermeier, Maximilian A1 - Rettner, Cornelius A1 - Heilmann, Marcel A1 - Schneider, Felix A1 - Marz, Martin T1 - Interference of automotive HV-DC-systems by traction voltage-source-inverters (VSI) JF - 2019 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference (ITEC-India) Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/ITEC-India48457.2019.ITECINDIA2019-37 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - IEEE CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hoeveler, B. A1 - Bauknecht, André A1 - Wolf, C. Christian A1 - Janser, Frank T1 - Wind-Tunnel Study of a Wing-Embedded Lifting Fan Remaining Open in Cruise Flight JF - Journal of Aircraft N2 - It is investigated whether a nonrotating lifting fan remaining uncovered during cruise flight, as opposed to being covered by a shutter system, can be realized with limited additional drag and loss of lift during cruise flight. A wind-tunnel study of a wing-embedded lifting fan has been conducted at the Side Wind Test Facility Göttingen of DLR, German Aerospace Center in Göttingen using force, pressure, and stereoscopic particle image velocimetry techniques. The study showed that a step on the lower side of the wing in front of the lifting fan duct increases the lift-to-drag ratio of the whole model by up to 25% for all positive angles of attack. Different sizes and inclinations of the step had limited influence on the surface pressure distribution. The data indicate that these parameters can be optimized to maximize the lift-to-drag ratio. A doubling of the curvature radius of the lifting fan duct inlet lip on the upper side of the wing affected the lift-to-drag ratio by less than 1%. The lifting fan duct inlet curvature can therefore be optimized to maximize the vertical fan thrust of the rotating lifting fan during hovering without affecting the cruise flight performance with a nonrotating fan. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2514/1.C035422 SN - 1533-3868 VL - 57 IS - 4 PB - AIAA CY - Reston, Va. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Choi, Chang-Hoon A1 - Felder, Tim A1 - Felder, Jörg A1 - Tellmann, Lutz A1 - Hong, Suk-Min A1 - Wegener, Hans-Peter A1 - Shah, N Jon A1 - Ziemons, Karl T1 - Design, evaluation and comparison of endorectal coils for hybrid MR-PET imaging of the prostate JF - Physics in Medicine & Biology N2 - Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men and its early detection is critical for its successful treatment. The use of multimodal imaging, such as MR-PET, is most advantageous as it is able to provide detailed information about the prostate. However, as the human prostate is flexible and can move into different positions under external conditions, it is important to localise the focused region-of-interest using both MRI and PET under identical circumstances. In this work, we designed five commonly used linear and quadrature radiofrequency surface coils suitable for hybrid MR-PET use in endorectal applications. Due to the endorectal design and the shielded PET insert, the outer face of the coils investigated was curved and the region to be imaged was outside the volume of the coil. The tilting angles of the coils were varied with respect to the main magnetic field direction. This was done to approximate the various positions from which the prostate could be imaged. The transmit efficiencies and safety excitation efficiencies from simulations, together with the signal-to-noise ratios from the MR images were calculated and analysed. Overall, it was found that the overlapped loops driven in quadrature were superior to the other types of coils we tested. In order to determine the effect of the different coil designs on PET, transmission scans were carried out, and it was observed that the differences between attenuation maps with and without the coils were negligible. The findings of this work can provide useful guidance for the integration of such coil designs into MR-PET hybrid systems in the future. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6560/ab87f8 SN - 0031-9155 VL - 65 IS - 11 PB - IOP CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Khayyam, Hamid A1 - Jamali, Ali A1 - Bab-Hadiashar, Alireza A1 - Esch, Thomas A1 - Ramakrishna, Seeram A1 - Jalili, Mahdi A1 - Naebe, Minoo T1 - A Novel Hybrid Machine Learning Algorithm for Limited and Big Data Modeling with Application in Industry 4.0 JF - IEEE Access N2 - To meet the challenges of manufacturing smart products, the manufacturing plants have been radically changed to become smart factories underpinned by industry 4.0 technologies. The transformation is assisted by employment of machine learning techniques that can deal with modeling both big or limited data. This manuscript reviews these concepts and present a case study that demonstrates the use of a novel intelligent hybrid algorithms for Industry 4.0 applications with limited data. In particular, an intelligent algorithm is proposed for robust data modeling of nonlinear systems based on input-output data. In our approach, a novel hybrid data-driven combining the Group-Method of Data-Handling and Singular-Value Decomposition is adapted to find an offline deterministic model combined with Pareto multi-objective optimization to overcome the overfitting issue. An Unscented-Kalman-Filter is also incorporated to update the coefficient of the deterministic model and increase its robustness against data uncertainties. The effectiveness of the proposed method is examined on a set of real industrial measurements. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2999898 SN - 2169-3536 VL - 8 IS - Art. 9108222 SP - 111381 EP - 111393 PB - IEEE CY - New York, NY ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Braun, Sebastian A1 - Cheng, Chi-Tsun A1 - Dowey, Steve A1 - Wollert, Jörg T1 - Survey on Security Concepts to Adapt Flexible Manufacturing and Operations Management based upon Multi-Agent Systems T2 - 2020 IEEE 29th International Symposium on Industrial Electronics (ISIE), Proceedings N2 - The increasing digitalization brings new opportunities but also puts new challenges to modern industrial systems. Software agents are one of the key technologies towards self-optimizing factories and are currently used to address the needs of cyber-physical production systems (CPPS). However their interplay in industrial settings needs to be understood better.This paper focusses on securing a cloud infrastructure for multi-agent systems for industrial sites. An industrial site contains multiple production processes that need to communicate with each other and each physical resource is abstracted with a software agent. This volatile architecture needs to be managed and protected from manipulation. The proposed infrastructure presents a security concept for TCP/IP communication between agents, machines, and external networks. It is based on open-source software and tested on a three-node edge cloud controlling a model-plant. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/ISIE45063.2020.9152210 N1 - 2020 IEEE 29th International Symposium on Industrial Electronics (ISIE), 17 - 19 June, 2020, Delft, Netherlands PB - IEEE CY - New York, NY ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Svaneborg, Carsten A1 - Karimi-Varzaneh, Hossein Ali A1 - Hojdis, Nils A1 - Fleck, Franz A1 - Everaers, Ralf T1 - Multiscale approach to equilibrating model polymer melts JF - Physical Review E N2 - We present an effective and simple multiscale method for equilibrating Kremer Grest model polymer melts of varying stiffness. In our approach, we progressively equilibrate the melt structure above the tube scale, inside the tube and finally at the monomeric scale. We make use of models designed to be computationally effective at each scale. Density fluctuations in the melt structure above the tube scale are minimized through a Monte Carlo simulated annealing of a lattice polymer model. Subsequently the melt structure below the tube scale is equilibrated via the Rouse dynamics of a force-capped Kremer-Grest model that allows chains to partially interpenetrate. Finally the Kremer-Grest force field is introduced to freeze the topological state and enforce correct monomer packing. We generate 15 melts of 500 chains of 10.000 beads for varying chain stiffness as well as a number of melts with 1.000 chains of 15.000 monomers. To validate the equilibration process we study the time evolution of bulk, collective, and single-chain observables at the monomeric, mesoscopic, and macroscopic length scales. Extension of the present method to longer, branched, or polydisperse chains, and/or larger system sizes is straightforward. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.94.032502 SN - 2470-0053 VL - 94 IS - 032502 PB - AIP Publishing CY - Melville, NY ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwab, Lukas A1 - Hojdis, Nils A1 - Lacayo, Jorge A1 - Wilhelm, Manfred T1 - Fourier-Transform Rheology of Unvulcanized, Carbon Black Filled Styrene Butadiene Rubber JF - Macromolecular Materials and Engineering N2 - Rubber materials filled with reinforcing fillers display nonlinear rheological behavior at small strain amplitudes below γ0 < 0.1. Nevertheless, rheological data are analyzed mostly in terms of linear parameters, such as shear moduli (G′, G″), which loose their physical meaning in the nonlinear regime. In this work styrene butadiene rubber filled with carbon black (CB) under large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) is analyzed in terms of the nonlinear parameter I3/1. Three different CB grades are used and the filler load is varied between 0 and 70 phr. It is found that I3/1(φ) is most sensitive to changes of the total accessible filler surface area at low strain amplitudes (γ0 = 0.32). The addition of up to 70 phr CB leads to an increase of I3/1(φ) by a factor of more than ten. The influence of the measurement temperature on I3/1 is pronounced for CB levels above the percolation threshold. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.201500356 SN - 1439-2054 VL - 301 IS - 4 SP - 457 EP - 468 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Harish, Ajay B. A1 - Wriggers, Peter A1 - Jungk, Juliane A1 - Hojdis, Nils A1 - Recker, Carla T1 - Mesoscale Constitutive Modeling of Non-Crystallizing Filled Elastomers JF - Computational Mechanics N2 - Elastomers are exceptional materials owing to their ability to undergo large deformations before failure. However, due to their very low stiffness, they are not always suitable for industrial applications. Addition of filler particles provides reinforcing effects and thus enhances the material properties that render them more versatile for applications like tyres etc. However, deformation behavior of filled polymers is accompanied by several nonlinear effects like Mullins and Payne effect. To this day, the physical and chemical changes resulting in such nonlinear effect remain an active area of research. In this work, we develop a heterogeneous (or multiphase) constitutive model at the mesoscale explicitly considering filler particle aggregates, elastomeric matrix and their mechanical interaction through an approximate interface layer. The developed constitutive model is used to demonstrate cluster breakage, also, as one of the possible sources for Mullins effect observed in non-crystallizing filled elastomers. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00466-015-1251-1 SN - 1432-0924 VL - 57 SP - 653 EP - 677 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hentschke, Reinhard A1 - Hager, Jonathan A1 - Hojdis, Nils T1 - Molecular Modeling Approach to the Prediction of Mechanical Properties of Silica-Reinforced Rubbers JF - Journal of Applied Polymer Science N2 - Recently, we have suggested a nanomechanical model for dissipative loss in filled elastomer networks in the context of the Payne effect. The mechanism is based on a total interfiller particle force exhibiting an intermittent loop, due to the combination of short-range repulsion and dispersion forces with a long-range elastic attraction. The sum of these forces leads, under external strain, to a spontaneous instability of “bonds” between the aggregates in a filler network and attendant energy dissipation. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to obtain chemically realistic forces between surface modified silica particles. The latter are combined with the above model to estimate the loss modulus and the low strain storage modulus in elastomers containing the aforementioned filler-compatibilizer systems. The model is compared to experimental dynamic moduli of silica filled rubbers. We find good agreement between the model predictions and the experiments as function of the compatibilizer's molecular structure and its bulk concentration. KW - theory and modeling KW - supramolecular structures KW - rubber KW - mechanical properties KW - elastomers Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/app.40806 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 131 IS - 18 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Wiley CY - New York, NY ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhnhenne, Markus A1 - Reger, Vitali A1 - Pyschny, Dominik A1 - Döring, Bernd T1 - Influence of airtightness of steel sandwich panel joints on heat losses JF - E3S Web of Conferences 12th Nordic Symposium on Building Physics (NSB 2020) N2 - Energy saving ordinances requires that buildings must be designed in such a way that the heat transfer surface including the joints is permanently air impermeable. The prefabricated roof and wall panels in lightweight steel constructions are airtight in the area of the steel covering layers. The sealing of the panel joints contributes to fulfil the comprehensive requirements for an airtight building envelope. To improve the airtightness of steel sandwich panels, additional sealing tapes can be installed in the panel joint. The influence of these sealing tapes was evaluated by measurements carried out by the RWTH Aachen University - Sustainable Metal Building Envelopes. Different installation situations were evaluated by carrying out airtightness tests for different joint distances. In addition, the influence on the heat transfer coefficient was also evaluated using the Finite Element Method (FEM). The combination of obtained air volume flow and transmission losses enables to create an "effective heat transfer coefficient" due to transmission and infiltration. This summarizes both effects in one value and is particularly helpful for approximate calculations on energy efficiency. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202017205008 VL - 172 IS - Art. 05008 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kunkel, Maximilian Hugo A1 - Gebhardt, Andreas A1 - Mpofu, Khumbulani A1 - Kallweit, Stephan T1 - Quality assurance in metal powder bed fusion via deep-learning-based image classification JF - Rapid Prototyping Journal Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-03-2019-0066 SN - 1355-2546 VL - 26 IS - 2 SP - 259 EP - 266 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maurischat, Andreas A1 - Perkins, Rudolph T1 - Taylor coefficients of Anderson generating functions and Drinfeld torsion extensions N2 - We generalize our work on Carlitz prime power torsion extension to torsion extensions of Drinfeld modules of arbitrary rank. As in the Carlitz case, we give a description of these extensions in terms of evaluations of Anderson generating functions and their hyperderivatives at roots of unity. We also give a direct proof that the image of the Galois representation attached to the p-adic Tate module lies in the p-adic points of the motivic Galois group. This is a generalization of the corresponding result of Chang and Papanikolas for the t-adic case. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1142/S1793042122500099 IS - Vol. 18, No. 01 SP - 113 EP - 130 PB - World Scientific CY - Singapur ER - TY - JOUR A1 - El Moussaoui, Noureddine A1 - Talbi, Sofian A1 - Atmane, Ilyas A1 - Kassmi, Khalil A1 - Schwarzer, Klemens A1 - Chayeb, Hamid A1 - Bachiri, Najib T1 - Feasibility of a new design of a Parabolic Trough Solar Thermal Cooker (PSTC) JF - Solar Energy N2 - In this article, we describe the structure, the functioning, and the tests of parabolic trough solar thermal cooker (PSTC). This oven is designed to meet the needs of rural residents, including Urban, which requires stable cooking temperatures above 200 °C. The cooking by this cooker is based on the concentration of the sun's rays on a glass vacuum tube and heating of the oil circulate in a big tube, located inside the glass tube. Through two small tubes, associated with large tube, the heated oil, rise and heats the pot of cooking pot containing the food to be cooked (capacity of 5 kg). This cooker is designed in Germany and extensively tested in Morocco for use by the inhabitants who use wood from forests. During a sunny day, having a maximum solar radiation around 720 W/m2 and temperature ambient around 26 °C, maximum temperatures recorded of the small tube, the large tube and the center of the pot are respectively: 370 °C, 270 °C and 260 °C. The cooking process with food at high (fries, ..), we show that the cooking oil temperature rises to 200 °C, after 1 h of heating, the cooking is done at a temperature of 120 °C for 20 min. These temperatures are practically stable following variations and decreases in the intensity of irradiance during the day. The comparison of these results with those of the literature shows an improvement of 30–50 % on the maximum value of the temperature with a heat storage that could reach 60 min of autonomy. All the results obtained show the good functioning of the PSTC and the feasibility of cooking food at high temperature (>200 °C). Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2020.03.079 SN - 0038-092X VL - 201 IS - Vol. 201 (May 2020) SP - 866 EP - 871 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Wolfram A1 - Jung, Alexander A1 - Ahammer, Helmut T1 - Advantages and problems of nonlinear methods applied to analyze physiological time signals: human balance control as an example JF - Scientific Reports Y1 - 2017 SN - 2045-2322 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-02665-5 VL - 7 IS - Article number 2464 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Springer Nature CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Fiedler, Thomas M. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Quick, Harald H. T1 - Local SAR compression with overestimation control to reduce maximum relative SAR overestimation and improve multi-channel RF array performance JF - Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine N2 - Objective In local SAR compression algorithms, the overestimation is generally not linearly dependent on actual local SAR. This can lead to large relative overestimation at low actual SAR values, unnecessarily constraining transmit array performance. Method Two strategies are proposed to reduce maximum relative overestimation for a given number of VOPs. The first strategy uses an overestimation matrix that roughly approximates actual local SAR; the second strategy uses a small set of pre-calculated VOPs as the overestimation term for the compression. Result Comparison with a previous method shows that for a given maximum relative overestimation the number of VOPs can be reduced by around 20% at the cost of a higher absolute overestimation at high actual local SAR values. Conclusion The proposed strategies outperform a previously published strategy and can improve the SAR compression where maximum relative overestimation constrains the performance of parallel transmission. Y1 - 2020 SN - 1352-8661 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-020-00890-0 IS - 34 (2021) SP - 153 EP - 164 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ulmer, Jessica A1 - Braun, Sebastian A1 - Cheng, Chi-Tsun A1 - Dowey, Steve A1 - Wollert, Jörg T1 - Human-Centered Gamification Framework for Manufacturing Systems JF - Procedia CIRP N2 - While bringing new opportunities, the Industry 4.0 movement also imposes new challenges to the manufacturing industry and all its stakeholders. In this competitive environment, a skilled and engaged workforce is a key to success. Gamification can generate valuable feedbacks for improving employees’ engagement and performance. Currently, Gamification in workspaces focuses on computer-based assignments and training, while tasks that require manual labor are rarely considered. This research provides an overview of Enterprise Gamification approaches and evaluates the challenges. Based on that, a skill-based Gamification framework for manual tasks is proposed, and a case study in the Industry 4.0 model factory is shown. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2020.04.076 SN - 2212-8271 VL - 93 SP - 670 EP - 675 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Jockwer, R. A1 - Kleiber, M. A1 - Uibel, Thomas ED - Görlacher, Rainer T1 - Criteria for Evaluating the Simplification of Design Rules for Dowel-type Fasteners T2 - International Network on Timber Engineering Research, INTER : proceedings, meeting 51, 10 - 13 August 2016, Tallinn, Estonia Y1 - 2018 SP - 461 EP - 466 PB - Timber Scientific Publishing, KIT Holzbau und Baukonstruktionen CY - Karlsruhe ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Everaers, Ralf A1 - Karimi-Varzaneh, Hossein Ali A1 - Fleck, Franz A1 - Hojdis, Nils A1 - Svaneborg, Carsten T1 - Kremer–Grest Models for Commodity Polymer Melts: Linking Theory, Experiment, and Simulation at the Kuhn Scale JF - Macromolecules N2 - The Kremer–Grest (KG) polymer model is a standard model for studying generic polymer properties in molecular dynamics simulations. It owes its popularity to its simplicity and computational efficiency, rather than its ability to represent specific polymers species and conditions. Here we show that by tuning the chain stiffness it is possible to adapt the KG model to model melts of real polymers. In particular, we provide mapping relations from KG to SI units for a wide range of commodity polymers. The connection between the experimental and the KG melts is made at the Kuhn scale, i.e., at the crossover from the chemistry-specific small scale to the universal large scale behavior. We expect Kuhn scale-mapped KG models to faithfully represent universal properties dominated by the large scale conformational statistics and dynamics of flexible polymers. In particular, we observe very good agreement between entanglement moduli of our KG models and the experimental moduli of the target polymers. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02428 SN - 1520-5835 VL - 53 IS - 6 SP - 1901 EP - 1916 PB - ACS Publications CY - Washington, DC ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meyer, Jan A1 - Hentschke, Reinhard A1 - Hager, Jonathan A1 - Hojdis, Nils A1 - Karimi-Varzaneh, Hossein Ali T1 - Molecular Simulation of Viscous Dissipation due to Cyclic Deformation of a Silica–Silica Contact in Filled Rubber JF - Macromolecules Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.7b00947 SN - 1520-5835 VL - 50 IS - 17 SP - 6679 EP - 6689 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hager, Jonathan A1 - Hentschke, Reinhard A1 - Hojdis, Nils A1 - Karimi-Varzaneh, Hossein Ali T1 - Computer Simulation of Particle–Particle Interaction in a Model Polymer Nanocomposite JF - Macromolecules Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.5b01864 SN - 1520-5835 VL - 48 IS - 24 SP - 9039 EP - 9049 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Waller, Mark P. A1 - Braun, Heiko A1 - Hojdis, Nils A1 - Bühl, Michael T1 - Geometries of Second-Row Transition-Metal Complexes from Density-Functional Theory JF - Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation Y1 - 2007 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/ct700178y SN - 1549-9626 VL - 3 IS - 6 SP - 2234 EP - 2242 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Svaneborg, Carsten A1 - Karimi-Varzaneh, Hossein Ali A1 - Hojdis, Nils A1 - Fleck, Franz A1 - Everaers, Ralf T1 - Kremer-Grest Models for Universal Properties of Specific Common Polymer Species JF - Soft Condensed Matter N2 - The Kremer-Grest (KG) bead-spring model is a near standard in Molecular Dynamic simulations of generic polymer properties. It owes its popularity to its computational efficiency, rather than its ability to represent specific polymer species and conditions. Here we investigate how to adapt the model to match the universal properties of a wide range of chemical polymers species. For this purpose we vary a single parameter originally introduced by Faller and Müller-Plathe, the chain stiffness. Examples include polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, cis-polyisoprene, polydimethylsiloxane, polyethyleneoxide and styrene-butadiene rubber. We do this by matching the number of Kuhn segments per chain and the number of Kuhn segments per cubic Kuhn volume for the polymer species and for the Kremer-Grest model. We also derive mapping relations for converting KG model units back to physical units, in particular we obtain the entanglement time for the KG model as function of stiffness allowing for a time mapping. To test these relations, we generate large equilibrated well entangled polymer melts, and measure the entanglement moduli using a static primitive-path analysis of the entangled melt structure as well as by simulations of step-strain deformation of the model melts. The obtained moduli for our model polymer melts are in good agreement with the experimentally expected moduli. Y1 - 2018 IS - 1606.05008 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mayer, Jan A1 - Hentschke, Reinhard A1 - Hager, Jonathan A1 - Hojdis, Nils A1 - Karimi-Varnaneh, Hossein Ali T1 - A Nano-Mechanical Instability as Primary Contribution to Rolling Resistance JF - Scientific Reports Y1 - 2017 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 7 IS - Article number 11275 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Wiegner, Jonas A1 - Volker, Hanno A1 - Mainz, Fabian A1 - Backes, Andreas A1 - Löken, Michael A1 - Hüning, Felix T1 - Wiegand-effect-powered wireless IoT sensor node T2 - ITG-Fb. 303: Sensoren und Messsysteme N2 - In this article we describe an Internet-of-Things sensing device with a wireless interface which is powered by the oftenoverlooked harvesting method of the Wiegand effect. The sensor can determine position, temperature or other resistively measurable quantities and can transmit the data via an ultra-low power ultra-wideband (UWB) data transmitter. With this approach we can energy-self-sufficiently acquire, process, and wirelessly transmit data in a pulsed operation. A proof-of-concept system was built up to prove the feasibility of the approach. The energy consumption of the system is analyzed and traced back in detail to the individual components, compared to the generated energy and processed to identify further optimization options. Based on the proof-of-concept, an application demonstrator was developed. Finally, we point out possible use cases. Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-3-8007-5835-7 N1 - Sensoren und Messsysteme - 21. ITG/GMA-Fachtagung, 10.05.2022 - 11.05.2022 in Nürnberg SP - 255 EP - 260 PB - VDE Verlag GmbH CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ulmer, Jessica A1 - Braun, Sebastian A1 - Cheng, Chi-Tsun A1 - Dowey, Steve A1 - Wollert, Jörg T1 - Gamification of virtual reality assembly training: Effects of a combined point and level system on motivation and training results JF - International Journal of Human-Computer Studies N2 - Virtual Reality (VR) offers novel possibilities for remote training regardless of the availability of the actual equipment, the presence of specialists, and the training locations. Research shows that training environments that adapt to users' preferences and performance can promote more effective learning. However, the observed results can hardly be traced back to specific adaptive measures but the whole new training approach. This study analyzes the effects of a combined point and leveling VR-based gamification system on assembly training targeting specific training outcomes and users' motivations. The Gamified-VR-Group with 26 subjects received the gamified training, and the Non-Gamified-VR-Group with 27 subjects received the alternative without gamified elements. Both groups conducted their VR training at least three times before assembling the actual structure. The study found that a level system that gradually increases the difficulty and error probability in VR can significantly lower real-world error rates, self-corrections, and support usages. According to our study, a high error occurrence at the highest training level reduced the Gamified-VR-Group's feeling of competence compared to the Non-Gamified-VR-Group, but at the same time also led to lower error probabilities in real-life. It is concluded that a level system with a variable task difficulty should be combined with carefully balanced positive and negative feedback messages. This way, better learning results, and an improved self-evaluation can be achieved while not causing significant impacts on the participants' feeling of competence. KW - Gamification KW - Virtual reality KW - Assembly KW - User study KW - Level system Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2022.102854 SN - 1071-5819 VL - 165 IS - Art. No. 102854 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pfaff, Raphael A1 - Enning, Manfred A1 - Sutter, Stefan T1 - A risk‑based approach to automatic brake tests for rail freight service: incident analysis and realisation concept JF - SN Applied Sciences N2 - This study reviews the practice of brake tests in freight railways, which is time consuming and not suitable to detect certain failure types. Public incident reports are analysed to derive a reasonable brake test hardware and communication architecture, which aims to provide automatic brake tests at lower cost than current solutions. The proposed solutions relies exclusively on brake pipe and brake cylinder pressure sensors, a brake release position switch as well as radio communication via standard protocols. The approach is embedded in the Wagon 4.0 concept, which is a holistic approach to a smart freight wagon. The reduction of manual processes yields a strong incentive due to high savings in manual labour and increased productivity. KW - Freight rail KW - Brake test KW - Incident analysis KW - Train composition KW - Brake set-up Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-022-05007-x SN - 2523-3971 N1 - Corresponding author: Raphael Pfaff VL - 4 IS - 4 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oliveira, Danilo A. A1 - Molinnus, Denise A1 - Beging, Stefan A1 - Siqueira Jr, José R. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Biosensor Based on Self-Assembled Films of Graphene Oxide and Polyaniline Using a Field-Effect Device Platform JF - physica status solidi (a) applications and materials science N2 - A new functionalization method to modify capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) structures with nanofilms is presented. Layers of polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and graphene oxide (GO) with the compound polyaniline:poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PANI:PAAMPSA) are deposited onto a p-Si/SiO2 chip using the layer-by-layer technique (LbL). Two different enzymes (urease and penicillinase) are separately immobilized on top of a five-bilayer stack of the PAH:GO/PANI:PAAMPSA-modified EIS chip, forming a biosensor for detection of urea and penicillin, respectively. Electrochemical characterization is performed by constant capacitance (ConCap) measurements, and the film morphology is characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An increase in the average sensitivity of the modified biosensors (EIS–nanofilm–enzyme) of around 15% is found in relation to sensors, only carrying the enzyme but without the nanofilm (EIS–enzyme). In this sense, the nanofilm acts as a stable bioreceptor onto the EIS chip improving the output signal in terms of sensitivity and stability. KW - capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor sensors KW - graphene oxide KW - layer-by-layer technique KW - nanomaterials KW - polyaniline Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202000747 SN - 1862-6319 N1 - Corresponding author: José R. Siqueira Jr & Michael J. Schöning VL - 218 IS - 13 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Welden, Rene A1 - Nagamine Komesu, Cindy A. A1 - Wagner, Patrick H. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Wagner, Torsten T1 - Photoelectrochemical enzymatic penicillin biosensor: A proof-of-concept experiment JF - Electrochemical Science Advances N2 - Photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensors are a rather novel type of biosensors thatutilizelighttoprovideinformationaboutthecompositionofananalyte,enablinglight-controlled multi-analyte measurements. For enzymatic PEC biosensors,amperometric detection principles are already known in the literature. In con-trast, there is only a little information on H+-ion sensitive PEC biosensors. Inthis work, we demonstrate the detection of H+ions emerged by H+-generatingenzymes, exemplarily demonstrated with penicillinase as a model enzyme on atitanium dioxide photoanode. First, we describe the pH sensitivity of the sensorand study possible photoelectrocatalytic reactions with penicillin. Second, weshow the enzymatic PEC detection of penicillin. KW - enzymatic biosensor KW - penicillin KW - penicillinase KW - photoelectrochemistry KW - titanium dioxide photoanode Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/elsa.202100131 SN - 2698-5977 N1 - Corresponding author: Michael J. Schöning VL - 2 IS - 4 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Richter, Charlotte A1 - Braunstein, Bjoern A1 - Staeudle, Benjamin A1 - Attias, Julia A1 - Suess, Alexander A1 - Weber, Tobias A1 - Mileva, Katya N. A1 - Rittweger, Joern A1 - Green, David A. A1 - Albracht, Kirsten T1 - Contractile behavior of the gastrocnemius medialis muscle during running in simulated hypogravity JF - npj Microgravity N2 - Vigorous exercise countermeasures in microgravity can largely attenuate muscular degeneration, albeit the extent of applied loading is key for the extent of muscle wasting. Running on the International Space Station is usually performed with maximum loads of 70% body weight (0.7 g). However, it has not been investigated how the reduced musculoskeletal loading affects muscle and series elastic element dynamics, and thereby force and power generation. Therefore, this study examined the effects of running on the vertical treadmill facility, a ground-based analog, at simulated 0.7 g on gastrocnemius medialis contractile behavior. The results reveal that fascicle−series elastic element behavior differs between simulated hypogravity and 1 g running. Whilst shorter peak series elastic element lengths at simulated 0.7 g appear to be the result of lower muscular and gravitational forces acting on it, increased fascicle lengths and decreased velocities could not be anticipated, but may inform the development of optimized running training in hypogravity. However, whether the alterations in contractile behavior precipitate musculoskeletal degeneration warrants further study. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-021-00155-7 SN - 2373-8065 N1 - Corresponding author: Charlotte Richter VL - 7 IS - Article number: 32 PB - Springer Nature CY - New York ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kroniger, Daniel A1 - Horikawa, Atsushi A1 - Funke, Harald A1 - Pfäffle, Franziska T1 - Numerical investigation of micromix hydrogen flames at different combustor pressure levels T2 - The Proceedings of the International Conference on Power Engineering (ICOPE) N2 - This study investigates the influence of pressure on the temperature distribution of the micromix (MMX) hydrogen flame and the NOx emissions. A steady computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis is performed by simulating a reactive flow with a detailed chemical reaction model. The numerical analysis is validated based on experimental investigations. A quantitative correlation is parametrized based on the numerical results. We find, that the flame initiation point shifts with increasing pressure from anchoring behind a downstream located bluff body towards anchoring upstream at the hydrogen jet. The numerical NOx emissions trend regarding to a variation of pressure is in good agreement with the experimental results. The pressure has an impact on both, the residence time within the maximum temperature region and on the peak temperature itself. In conclusion, the numerical model proved to be adequate for future prototype design exploration studies targeting on improving the operating range. KW - Gas turbine combustion KW - Hydrogen KW - NOx emissions KW - Flame temperature KW - Flame residence time Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1299/jsmeicope.2021.15.2021-0237 N1 - International Conference on Power Engineering 2021 (ICOPE-2021). October 17 - 21, 2021. Kobe, Japan (Online) ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Horikawa, Atsushi A1 - Okada, Kunio A1 - Yamaguchi, Masato A1 - Aoki, Shigeki A1 - Wirsum, Manfred A1 - Funke, Harald A1 - Kusterer, Karsten T1 - Combustor development and engine demonstration of micro-mix hydrogen combustion applied to M1A-17 gas turbine T2 - Conference Proceedings Turbo Expo: Power for Land, Sea and Air, Volume 3B: Combustion, Fuels, and Emissions N2 - Kawasaki Heavy Industries, LTD. (KHI) has research and development projects for a future hydrogen society. These projects comprise the complete hydrogen cycle, including the production of hydrogen gas, the refinement and liquefaction for transportation and storage, and finally the utilization in a gas turbine for electricity and heat supply. Within the development of the hydrogen gas turbine, the key technology is stable and low NOx hydrogen combustion, namely the Dry Low NOx (DLN) hydrogen combustion. KHI, Aachen University of Applied Science, and B&B-AGEMA have investigated the possibility of low NOx micro-mix hydrogen combustion and its application to an industrial gas turbine combustor. From 2014 to 2018, KHI developed a DLN hydrogen combustor for a 2MW class industrial gas turbine with the micro-mix technology. Thereby, the ignition performance, the flame stability for equivalent rotational speed, and higher load conditions were investigated. NOx emission values were kept about half of the Air Pollution Control Law in Japan: 84ppm (O2-15%). Hereby, the elementary combustor development was completed. From May 2020, KHI started the engine demonstration operation by using an M1A-17 gas turbine with a co-generation system located in the hydrogen-fueled power generation plant in Kobe City, Japan. During the first engine demonstration tests, adjustments of engine starting and load control with fuel staging were investigated. On 21st May, the electrical power output reached 1,635 kW, which corresponds to 100% load (ambient temperature 20 °C), and thereby NOx emissions of 65 ppm (O2-15, 60 RH%) were verified. Here, for the first time, a DLN hydrogen-fueled gas turbine successfully generated power and heat. KW - industrial gas turbine KW - combustor development KW - engine demonstration KW - fuels KW - hydrogen Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1115/GT2021-59666 N1 - ASME Turbo Expo 2021: Turbomachinery Technical Conference and Exposition. June 7–11, 2021. Virtual, Online. Paper No: GT2021-59666, V03BT04A014 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kroniger, Daniel A1 - Horikawa, Atsushi A1 - Funke, Harald A1 - Pfäffle, Franziska A1 - Kishimoto, Tsuyoshi A1 - Okada, Koichi T1 - Experimental and numerical investigation on the effect of pressure on micromix hydrogen combustion T2 - Conference Proceedings Turbo Expo: Power for Land, Sea and Air, Volume 3A: Combustion, Fuels, and Emissions N2 - The micromix (MMX) combustion concept is a DLN gas turbine combustion technology designed for high hydrogen content fuels. Multiple non-premixed miniaturized flames based on jet in cross-flow (JICF) are inherently safe against flashback and ensure a stable operation in various operative conditions. The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of pressure on the micromix flame with focus on the flame initiation point and the NOx emissions. A numerical model based on a steady RANS approach and the Complex Chemistry model with relevant reactions of the GRI 3.0 mechanism is used to predict the reactive flow and NOx emissions at various pressure conditions. Regarding the turbulence-chemical interaction, the Laminar Flame Concept (LFC) and the Eddy Dissipation Concept (EDC) are compared. The numerical results are validated against experimental results that have been acquired at a high pressure test facility for industrial can-type gas turbine combustors with regard to flame initiation and NOx emissions. The numerical approach is adequate to predict the flame initiation point and NOx emission trends. Interestingly, the flame shifts its initiation point during the pressure increase in upstream direction, whereby the flame attachment shifts from anchoring behind a downstream located bluff body towards anchoring directly at the hydrogen jet. The LFC predicts this change and the NOx emissions more accurately than the EDC. The resulting NOx correlation regarding the pressure is similar to a non-premixed type combustion configuration. KW - NOx emissions KW - hydrogen KW - combustor KW - gas turbine Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1115/GT2021-58926 N1 - ASME Turbo Expo 2021: Turbomachinery Technical Conference and Exposition, June 7–11, 2021, Virtual, Online. Paper No: GT2021-58926, V03AT04A025 PB - ASME CY - New York, NY ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Lorenz, Imke-Sophie A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Pelz, Peter F. ED - Neufeld, Janis S. ED - Buscher, Udo ED - Lasch, Rainer ED - Möst, Dominik ED - Schönberger, Jörn T1 - Assessing and Optimizing the Resilience of Water Distribution Systems Using Graph-Theoretical Metrics T2 - Operations Research Proceedings 2019 N2 - Water distribution systems are an essential supply infrastructure for cities. Given that climatic and demographic influences will pose further challenges for these infrastructures in the future, the resilience of water supply systems, i.e. their ability to withstand and recover from disruptions, has recently become a subject of research. To assess the resilience of a WDS, different graph-theoretical approaches exist. Next to general metrics characterizing the network topology, also hydraulic and technical restrictions have to be taken into account. In this work, the resilience of an exemplary water distribution network of a major German city is assessed, and a Mixed-Integer Program is presented which allows to assess the impact of capacity adaptations on its resilience. KW - OR 2019 KW - business analytics KW - decision analytics KW - digital economy KW - mathematical optimization Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-3-030-48439-2 SN - 978-3-030-48438-5 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48439-2_63 N1 - Annual International Conference of the German Operations Research Society (GOR), Dresden, Germany, September 4-6, 2019 SP - 521 EP - 527 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Leise, Philipp A1 - Simon, Nicolai A1 - Altherr, Lena T1 - Comparison of Piecewise Linearization Techniques to Model Electric Motor Efficiency Maps: A Computational Study T2 - Operations Research Proceedings 2019 N2 - To maximize the travel distances of battery electric vehicles such as cars or buses for a given amount of stored energy, their powertrains are optimized energetically. One key part within optimization models for electric powertrains is the efficiency map of the electric motor. The underlying function is usually highly nonlinear and nonconvex and leads to major challenges within a global optimization process. To enable faster solution times, one possibility is the usage of piecewise linearization techniques to approximate the nonlinear efficiency map with linear constraints. Therefore, we evaluate the influence of different piecewise linearization modeling techniques on the overall solution process and compare the solution time and accuracy for methods with and without explicitly used binary variables. KW - MINLP KW - Powertrain KW - Piecewise linearization KW - Efficiency optimization Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-3-030-48439-2 SN - 978-3-030-48438-5 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48439-2_55 N1 - Annual International Conference of the German Operations Research Society (GOR), Dresden, Germany, September 4-6, 2019 SP - 457 EP - 463 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Müller, Tim M. A1 - Schmitt, Andreas A1 - Leise, Philipp A1 - Meck, Tobias A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Pelz, Peter F. A1 - Pfetsch, Marc E. T1 - Validation of an optimized resilient water supply system T2 - Uncertainty in Mechanical Engineering N2 - Component failures within water supply systems can lead to significant performance losses. One way to address these losses is the explicit anticipation of failures within the design process. We consider a water supply system for high-rise buildings, where pump failures are the most likely failure scenarios. We explicitly consider these failures within an early design stage which leads to a more resilient system, i.e., a system which is able to operate under a predefined number of arbitrary pump failures. We use a mathematical optimization approach to compute such a resilient design. This is based on a multi-stage model for topology optimization, which can be described by a system of nonlinear inequalities and integrality constraints. Such a model has to be both computationally tractable and to represent the real-world system accurately. We therefore validate the algorithmic solutions using experiments on a scaled test rig for high-rise buildings. The test rig allows for an arbitrary connection of pumps to reproduce scaled versions of booster station designs for high-rise buildings. We experimentally verify the applicability of the presented optimization model and that the proposed resilience properties are also fulfilled in real systems. KW - Optimization KW - Mixed-integer nonlinear programming KW - Water distribution system KW - Resilience KW - Validation Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-030-77255-0 SN - 978-3-030-77256-7 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77256-7_7 N1 - Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Uncertainty in Mechanical Engineering (ICUME 2021), June 7–8, 2021 SP - 70 EP - 80 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Leise, Philipp A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Simon, Nicolai A1 - Pelz, Peter F. T1 - Finding global-optimal gearbox designs for battery electric vehicles T2 - Optimization of complex systems - theory, models, algorithms and applications : WCGO 2019 N2 - In order to maximize the possible travel distance of battery electric vehicles with one battery charge, it is mandatory to adjust all components of the powertrain carefully to each other. While current vehicle designs mostly simplify the powertrain rigorously and use an electric motor in combination with a gearbox with only one fixed transmission ratio, the use of multi-gear systems has great potential. First, a multi-speed system is able to improve the overall energy efficiency. Secondly, it is able to reduce the maximum momentum and therefore to reduce the maximum current provided by the traction battery, which results in a longer battery lifetime. In this paper, we present a systematic way to generate multi-gear gearbox designs that—combined with a certain electric motor—lead to the most efficient fulfillment of predefined load scenarios and are at the same time robust to uncertainties in the load. Therefore, we model the electric motor and the gearbox within a Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Program, and optimize the efficiency of the mechanical parts of the powertrain. By combining this mathematical optimization program with an unsupervised machine learning algorithm, we are able to derive global-optimal gearbox designs for practically relevant momentum and speed requirements. KW - Powertrain KW - Gearbox KW - Optimization KW - BEV KW - WLTP Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-3-030-21802-7 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21803-4_91 SP - 916 EP - 925 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Stenger, David A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Abel, Dirk T1 - Machine learning and metaheuristics for black-box optimization of product families: a case-study investigating solution quality vs. computational overhead T2 - Operations Research Proceedings 2018 N2 - In product development, numerous design decisions have to be made. Multi-domain virtual prototyping provides a variety of tools to assess technical feasibility of design options, however often requires substantial computational effort for just a single evaluation. A special challenge is therefore the optimal design of product families, which consist of a group of products derived from a common platform. Finding an optimal platform configuration (stating what is shared and what is individually designed for each product) and an optimal design of all products simultaneously leads to a mixed-integer nonlinear black-box optimization model. We present an optimization approach based on metamodels and a metaheuristic. To increase computational efficiency and solution quality, we compare different types of Gaussian process regression metamodels adapted from the domain of machine learning, and combine them with a genetic algorithm. We illustrate our approach on the example of a product family of electrical drives, and investigate the trade-off between solution quality and computational overhead. KW - Product family optimization KW - Mixed-integer nonlinear black-box optimization KW - Engineering optimization KW - Machine learning Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-3-030-18499-5 (Print) SN - 978-3-030-18500-8 (Online) U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18500-8_47 SP - 379 EP - 385 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Mandekar, Swati A1 - Jentsch, Lina A1 - Lutz, Kai A1 - Behbahani, Mehdi A1 - Melnykowycz, Mark T1 - Earable design analysis for sleep EEG measurements T2 - UbiComp '21 N2 - Conventional EEG devices cannot be used in everyday life and hence, past decade research has been focused on Ear-EEG for mobile, at-home monitoring for various applications ranging from emotion detection to sleep monitoring. As the area available for electrode contact in the ear is limited, the electrode size and location play a vital role for an Ear-EEG system. In this investigation, we present a quantitative study of ear-electrodes with two electrode sizes at different locations in a wet and dry configuration. Electrode impedance scales inversely with size and ranges from 450 kΩ to 1.29 MΩ for dry and from 22 kΩ to 42 kΩ for wet contact at 10 Hz. For any size, the location in the ear canal with the lowest impedance is ELE (Left Ear Superior), presumably due to increased contact pressure caused by the outer-ear anatomy. The results can be used to optimize signal pickup and SNR for specific applications. We demonstrate this by recording sleep spindles during sleep onset with high quality (5.27 μVrms). KW - EEG KW - sensors KW - Impedance Spectroscopy KW - Sleep EEG KW - biopotential electrodes Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1145/3460418.3479328 N1 - UbiComp '21: Adjunct Proceedings of the 2021 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing and Proceedings of the 2021 ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computers, September 21–26, 2021, Virtual, USA SP - 171 EP - 175 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinke, Lars N. A1 - Knicker, Axel J. A1 - Albracht, Kirsten T1 - Test-retest reliability of the internal shoulder rotator muscles' stretch reflex in healthy men JF - Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology N2 - Until now the reproducibility of the short latency stretch reflex of the internal rotator muscles of the glenohumeral joint has not been identified. Twenty-three healthy male participants performed three sets of external shoulder rotation stretches with various pre-activation levels on two different dates of measurement to assess test-retest reliability. All stretches were applied with a dynamometer acceleration of 104°/s2 and a velocity of 150°/s. Electromyographical response was measured via surface EMG. Reflex latencies showed a pre-activation effect (ƞ2 = 0,355). ICC ranged from 0,735 to 0,909 indicating an overall “good” relative reliability. SRD 95% lay between ±7,0 to ±12,3 ms.. The reflex gain showed overall poor test-retest reproducibility. The chosen methodological approach presented a suitable test protocol for shoulder muscles stretch reflex latency evaluation. A proof-of-concept study to validate the presented methodical approach in shoulder involvement including subjects with clinically relevant conditions is recommended. KW - stretch reflex KW - shoulder KW - test-retest reliability KW - intraclass correlation coefficient KW - standard error of measurement Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2021.102611 SN - 1050-6411 VL - 62 IS - Article 102611 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Dikta, Gerhard A1 - Scheer, Marsel T1 - Bootstrap Methods: With Applications in R N2 - This book provides a compact introduction to the bootstrap method. In addition to classical results on point estimation and test theory, multivariate linear regression models and generalized linear models are covered in detail. Special attention is given to the use of bootstrap procedures to perform goodness-of-fit tests to validate model or distributional assumptions. In some cases, new methods are presented here for the first time. The text is motivated by practical examples and the implementations of the corresponding algorithms are always given directly in R in a comprehensible form. Overall, R is given great importance throughout. Each chapter includes a section of exercises and, for the more mathematically inclined readers, concludes with rigorous proofs. The intended audience is graduate students who already have a prior knowledge of probability theory and mathematical statistics. Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-030-73480-0 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73480-0 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heel, Mareike van A1 - Dikta, Gerhard A1 - Braekers, Roel T1 - Bootstrap based goodness‑of‑fit tests for binary multivariate regression models JF - Journal of the Korean Statistical Society N2 - We consider a binary multivariate regression model where the conditional expectation of a binary variable given a higher-dimensional input variable belongs to a parametric family. Based on this, we introduce a model-based bootstrap (MBB) for higher-dimensional input variables. This test can be used to check whether a sequence of independent and identically distributed observations belongs to such a parametric family. The approach is based on the empirical residual process introduced by Stute (Ann Statist 25:613–641, 1997). In contrast to Stute and Zhu’s approach (2002) Stute & Zhu (Scandinavian J Statist 29:535–545, 2002), a transformation is not required. Thus, any problems associated with non-parametric regression estimation are avoided. As a result, the MBB method is much easier for users to implement. To illustrate the power of the MBB based tests, a small simulation study is performed. Compared to the approach of Stute & Zhu (Scandinavian J Statist 29:535–545, 2002), the simulations indicate a slightly improved power of the MBB based method. Finally, both methods are applied to a real data set. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s42952-021-00142-4 SN - 2005-2863 (Online) SN - 1226-3192 (Print) N1 - Corresponding author: Mareike van Heel VL - 51 PB - Springer Nature CY - Singapur ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hüning, Felix A1 - Wache, Franz-Josef A1 - Magiera, David T1 - Redundant bus systems using dual-mode radio T2 - Proceedings of Sixth International Congress on Information and Communication Technology N2 - Communication via serial bus systems, like CAN, plays an important role for all kinds of embedded electronic and mechatronic systems. To cope up with the requirements for functional safety of safety-critical applications, there is a need to enhance the safety features of the communication systems. One measure to achieve a more robust communication is to add redundant data transmission path to the applications. In general, the communication of real-time embedded systems like automotive applications is tethered, and the redundant data transmission lines are also tethered, increasing the size of the wiring harness and the weight of the system. A radio link is preferred as a redundant transmission line as it uses a complementary transmission medium compared to the wired solution and in addition reduces wiring harness size and weight. Standard wireless links like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth cannot meet the requirements for real-time capability with regard to bus communication. Using the new dual-mode radio enables a redundant transmission line meeting all requirements with regard to real-time capability, robustness and transparency for the data bus. In addition, it provides a complementary transmission medium with regard to commonly used tethered links. A CAN bus system is used to demonstrate the redundant data transfer via tethered and wireless CAN. Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-981-16-2379-0 SN - 978-981-16-2380-6 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2380-6_73 N1 - Sixth International Congress on Information and Communication Technology, ICICT 2021, Brunel University, London, February 25–26, 2021 SP - 835 EP - 842 PB - Springer CY - Singapore ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Gell, Sebastian T1 - Determinants of earnings forecast error, earnings forecast revision and earnings forecast accuracy N2 - ​Earnings forecasts are ubiquitous in today’s financial markets. They are essential indicators of future firm performance and a starting point for firm valuation. Extremely inaccurate and overoptimistic forecasts during the most recent financial crisis have raised serious doubts regarding the reliability of such forecasts. This thesis therefore investigates new determinants of forecast errors and accuracy. In addition, new determinants of forecast revisions are examined. More specifically, the thesis answers the following questions: 1) How do analyst incentives lead to forecast errors? 2) How do changes in analyst incentives lead to forecast revisions?, and 3) What factors drive differences in forecast accuracy? Y1 - 2012 SN - 978-3-8349-3936-4 SN - 978-3-8349-3937-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8349-3937-1 N1 - Titel in der Buchreihe: Quantitatives Controlling PB - Springer Gabler CY - Wiesbaden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klettke, Tanja A1 - Homburg, Carsten A1 - Gell, Sebastian T1 - How to measure analyst forecast effort JF - European Accounting Review N2 - We introduce a new way to measure the forecast effort that analysts devote to their earnings forecasts by measuring the analyst's general effort for all covered firms. While the commonly applied effort measure is based on analyst behaviour for one firm, our measure considers analyst behaviour for all covered firms. Our general effort measure captures additional information about analyst effort and thus can identify accurate forecasts. We emphasise the importance of investigating analyst behaviour in a larger context and argue that analysts who generally devote substantial forecast effort are also likely to devote substantial effort to a specific firm, even if this effort might not be captured by a firm-specific measure. Empirical results reveal that analysts who devote higher general forecast effort issue more accurate forecasts. Additional investigations show that analysts' career prospects improve with higher general forecast effort. Our measure improves on existing methods as it has higher explanatory power regarding differences in forecast accuracy than the commonly applied effort measure. Additionally, it can address research questions that cannot be examined with a firm-specific measure. It provides a simple but comprehensive way to identify accurate analysts. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/09638180.2014.909291 SN - 0963-8180 VL - 24 IS - 1 SP - 129 EP - 146 PB - Taylor & Francis CY - London ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Klöser, Lars A1 - Kohl, Philipp A1 - Kraft, Bodo A1 - Zündorf, Albert T1 - Multi-attribute relation extraction (MARE): simplifying the application of relation extraction T2 - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Deep Learning Theory and Applications DeLTA - Volume 1 N2 - Natural language understanding’s relation extraction makes innovative and encouraging novel business concepts possible and facilitates new digitilized decision-making processes. Current approaches allow the extraction of relations with a fixed number of entities as attributes. Extracting relations with an arbitrary amount of attributes requires complex systems and costly relation-trigger annotations to assist these systems. We introduce multi-attribute relation extraction (MARE) as an assumption-less problem formulation with two approaches, facilitating an explicit mapping from business use cases to the data annotations. Avoiding elaborated annotation constraints simplifies the application of relation extraction approaches. The evaluation compares our models to current state-of-the-art event extraction and binary relation extraction methods. Our approaches show improvement compared to these on the extraction of general multi-attribute relations. Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-989-758-526-5 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5220/0010559201480156 N1 - 2nd International Conference on Deep Learning Theory and Applications, DeLTA2021, July 7-9, 2021 SP - 148 EP - 156 PB - SciTePress CY - Setúbal ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kohl, Philipp A1 - Schmidts, Oliver A1 - Klöser, Lars A1 - Werth, Henri A1 - Kraft, Bodo A1 - Zündorf, Albert T1 - STAMP 4 NLP – an agile framework for rapid quality-driven NLP applications development T2 - Quality of Information and Communications Technology. QUATIC 2021 N2 - The progress in natural language processing (NLP) research over the last years, offers novel business opportunities for companies, as automated user interaction or improved data analysis. Building sophisticated NLP applications requires dealing with modern machine learning (ML) technologies, which impedes enterprises from establishing successful NLP projects. Our experience in applied NLP research projects shows that the continuous integration of research prototypes in production-like environments with quality assurance builds trust in the software and shows convenience and usefulness regarding the business goal. We introduce STAMP 4 NLP as an iterative and incremental process model for developing NLP applications. With STAMP 4 NLP, we merge software engineering principles with best practices from data science. Instantiating our process model allows efficiently creating prototypes by utilizing templates, conventions, and implementations, enabling developers and data scientists to focus on the business goals. Due to our iterative-incremental approach, businesses can deploy an enhanced version of the prototype to their software environment after every iteration, maximizing potential business value and trust early and avoiding the cost of successful yet never deployed experiments. KW - Machine learning KW - Process model KW - Natural language processing Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-030-85346-4 SN - 978-3-030-85347-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85347-1_12 N1 - International Conference on the Quality of Information and Communications Technology, QUATIC 2021, 8-11 September, Algarve, Portugal SP - 156 EP - 166 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schmidts, Oliver A1 - Kraft, Bodo A1 - Winkens, Marvin A1 - Zündorf, Albert T1 - Catalog integration of heterogeneous and volatile product data T2 - DATA 2020: Data Management Technologies and Applications N2 - The integration of frequently changing, volatile product data from different manufacturers into a single catalog is a significant challenge for small and medium-sized e-commerce companies. They rely on timely integrating product data to present them aggregated in an online shop without knowing format specifications, concept understanding of manufacturers, and data quality. Furthermore, format, concepts, and data quality may change at any time. Consequently, integrating product catalogs into a single standardized catalog is often a laborious manual task. Current strategies to streamline or automate catalog integration use techniques based on machine learning, word vectorization, or semantic similarity. However, most approaches struggle with low-quality or real-world data. We propose Attribute Label Ranking (ALR) as a recommendation engine to simplify the integration process of previously unknown, proprietary tabular format into a standardized catalog for practitioners. We evaluate ALR by focusing on the impact of different neural network architectures, language features, and semantic similarity. Additionally, we consider metrics for industrial application and present the impact of ALR in production and its limitations. Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-030-83013-7 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83014-4_7 N1 - International Conference on Data Management Technologies and Applications, DATA 2020, 7-9 July SP - 134 EP - 153 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Meck, Marvin M. A1 - Müller, Tim M. A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Pelz, Peter F. T1 - Improving an industrial cooling system using MINLP, considering capital and operating costs T2 - Operations Research Proceedings 2019 N2 - The chemical industry is one of the most important industrial sectors in Germany in terms of manufacturing revenue. While thermodynamic boundary conditions often restrict the scope for reducing the energy consumption of core processes, secondary processes such as cooling offer scope for energy optimisation. In this contribution, we therefore model and optimise an existing cooling system. The technical boundary conditions of the model are provided by the operators, the German chemical company BASF SE. In order to systematically evaluate different degrees of freedom in topology and operation, we formulate and solve a Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Program (MINLP), and compare our optimisation results with the existing system. KW - Engineering optimisation KW - Mixed-integer programming KW - Industrial optimisation KW - Cooling system KW - Process engineering Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-3-030-48438-5 (Print) SN - 978-3-030-48439-2 (Online) U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48439-2_61 N1 - Annual International Conference of the German Operations Research Society (GOR), Dresden, Germany, September 4-6, 2019. SP - 505 EP - 512 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Tim M. A1 - Leise, Philipp A1 - Lorenz, Imke-Sophie A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Pelz, Peter F. T1 - Optimization and validation of pumping system design and operation for water supply in high-rise buildings JF - Optimization and Engineering N2 - The application of mathematical optimization methods for water supply system design and operation provides the capacity to increase the energy efficiency and to lower the investment costs considerably. We present a system approach for the optimal design and operation of pumping systems in real-world high-rise buildings that is based on the usage of mixed-integer nonlinear and mixed-integer linear modeling approaches. In addition, we consider different booster station topologies, i.e. parallel and series-parallel central booster stations as well as decentral booster stations. To confirm the validity of the underlying optimization models with real-world system behavior, we additionally present validation results based on experiments conducted on a modularly constructed pumping test rig. Within the models we consider layout and control decisions for different load scenarios, leading to a Deterministic Equivalent of a two-stage stochastic optimization program. We use a piecewise linearization as well as a piecewise relaxation of the pumps’ characteristics to derive mixed-integer linear models. Besides the solution with off-the-shelf solvers, we present a problem specific exact solving algorithm to improve the computation time. Focusing on the efficient exploration of the solution space, we divide the problem into smaller subproblems, which partly can be cut off in the solution process. Furthermore, we discuss the performance and applicability of the solution approaches for real buildings and analyze the technical aspects of the solutions from an engineer’s point of view, keeping in mind the economically important trade-off between investment and operation costs. KW - Technical Operations Research KW - MINLP KW - MILP KW - Experimental validation KW - Pumping systems Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11081-020-09553-4 SN - 1573-2924 VL - 2021 IS - 22 SP - 643 EP - 686 PB - Springer ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Müller, Tim M. A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Leise, Philipp A1 - Pelz, Peter F. T1 - Optimization of pumping systems for buildings: Experimental validation of different degrees of model detail on a modular test rig T2 - Operations Research Proceedings 2019 N2 - Successful optimization requires an appropriate model of the system under consideration. When selecting a suitable level of detail, one has to consider solution quality as well as the computational and implementation effort. In this paper, we present a MINLP for a pumping system for the drinking water supply of high-rise buildings. We investigate the influence of the granularity of the underlying physical models on the solution quality. Therefore, we model the system with a varying level of detail regarding the friction losses, and conduct an experimental validation of our model on a modular test rig. Furthermore, we investigate the computational effort and show that it can be reduced by the integration of domain-specific knowledge. KW - Experimental validation KW - MINLP KW - Engineering optimization KW - Water supply system KW - Network design Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-3-030-48438-5 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48439-2_58 N1 - Annual International Conference of the German Operations Research Society (GOR), Dresden, Germany, September 4-6, 2019 SP - 481 EP - 488 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Leise, Philipp A1 - Pfetsch, Marc E. A1 - Schmitt, Andreas T1 - Algorithmic design and resilience assessment of energy efficient high-rise water supply systems JF - Applied Mechanics and Materials N2 - High-rise water supply systems provide water flow and suitable pressure in all levels of tall buildings. To design such state-of-the-art systems, the consideration of energy efficiency and the anticipation of component failures are mandatory. In this paper, we use Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming to compute an optimal placement of pipes and pumps, as well as an optimal control strategy.Moreover, we consider the resilience of the system to pump failures. A resilient system is able to fulfill a predefined minimum functionality even though components fail or are restricted in their normal usage. We present models to measure and optimize the resilience. To demonstrate our approach, we design and analyze an optimal resilient decentralized water supply system inspired by a real-life hotel building. KW - MINLP KW - Buffering Capacity KW - Uncertainty KW - Water Supply Networks KW - Booster Stations Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.885.211 SN - 1662-7482 VL - 885 SP - 211 EP - 223 PB - Trans Tech Publications CY - Bäch ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Pfetsch, Marc E. A1 - Abele, Eberhard A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Bölling, Christian A1 - Brötz, Nicolas A1 - Dietrich, Ingo A1 - Gally, Tristan A1 - Geßner, Felix A1 - Groche, Peter A1 - Hoppe, Florian A1 - Kirchner, Eckhard A1 - Kloberdanz, Hermann A1 - Knoll, Maximilian A1 - Kolvenbach, Philip A1 - Kuttich-Meinlschmidt, Anja A1 - Leise, Philipp A1 - Lorenz, Ulf A1 - Matei, Alexander A1 - Molitor, Dirk A. A1 - Niessen, Pia A1 - Pelz, Peter F. A1 - Rexer, Manuel A1 - Schmitt, Andreas A1 - Schmitt, Johann M. A1 - Schulte, Fiona A1 - Ulbrich, Stefan A1 - Weigold, Matthias T1 - Strategies for mastering uncertainty T2 - Mastering uncertainty in mechanical engineering N2 - This chapter describes three general strategies to master uncertainty in technical systems: robustness, flexibility and resilience. It builds on the previous chapters about methods to analyse and identify uncertainty and may rely on the availability of technologies for particular systems, such as active components. Robustness aims for the design of technical systems that are insensitive to anticipated uncertainties. Flexibility increases the ability of a system to work under different situations. Resilience extends this characteristic by requiring a given minimal functional performance, even after disturbances or failure of system components, and it may incorporate recovery. The three strategies are described and discussed in turn. Moreover, they are demonstrated on specific technical systems. Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-030-78353-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78354-9_6 N1 - Part of the Springer Tracts in Mechanical Engineering book series (STME) SP - 365 EP - 456 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Braun, Sebastian A1 - Cheng, Chi-Tsun A1 - Dowey, Steve A1 - Wollert, Jörg T1 - Performance evaluation of skill-based order-assignment in production environments with multi-agent systems JF - IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Industrial Electronics N2 - The fourth industrial revolution introduces disruptive technologies to production environments. One of these technologies are multi-agent systems (MASs), where agents virtualize machines. However, the agent's actual performances in production environments can hardly be estimated as most research has been focusing on isolated projects and specific scenarios. We address this gap by implementing a highly connected and configurable reference model with quantifiable key performance indicators (KPIs) for production scheduling and routing in single-piece workflows. Furthermore, we propose an algorithm to optimize the search of extrema in highly connected distributed systems. The benefits, limits, and drawbacks of MASs and their performances are evaluated extensively by event-based simulations against the introduced model, which acts as a benchmark. Even though the performance of the proposed MAS is, on average, slightly lower than the reference system, the increased flexibility allows it to find new solutions and deliver improved factory-planning outcomes. Our MAS shows an emerging behavior by using flexible production techniques to correct errors and compensate for bottlenecks. This increased flexibility offers substantial improvement potential. The general model in this paper allows the transfer of the results to estimate real systems or other models. KW - cyber-physical production systems KW - event-based simulation KW - multi-agent systems KW - digital factory KW - industrial agents Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/JESTIE.2021.3108524 SN - 2687-9735 IS - Early Access PB - IEEE CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jahnke, Siegfried A1 - Roussel, Johanna A1 - Hombach, Thomas A1 - Kochs, Johannes A1 - Fischbach, Andreas A1 - Huber, Gregor A1 - Scharr, Hanno T1 - phenoSeeder - A robot system for automated handling and phenotyping of individual seeds JF - Plant physiology N2 - The enormous diversity of seed traits is an intriguing feature and critical for the overwhelming success of higher plants. In particular, seed mass is generally regarded to be key for seedling development but is mostly approximated by using scanning methods delivering only two-dimensional data, often termed seed size. However, three-dimensional traits, such as the volume or mass of single seeds, are very rarely determined in routine measurements. Here, we introduce a device named phenoSeeder, which enables the handling and phenotyping of individual seeds of very different sizes. The system consists of a pick-and-place robot and a modular setup of sensors that can be versatilely extended. Basic biometric traits detected for individual seeds are two-dimensional data from projections, three-dimensional data from volumetric measures, and mass, from which seed density is also calculated. Each seed is tracked by an identifier and, after phenotyping, can be planted, sorted, or individually stored for further evaluation or processing (e.g. in routine seed-to-plant tracking pipelines). By investigating seeds of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), rapeseed (Brassica napus), and barley (Hordeum vulgare), we observed that, even for apparently round-shaped seeds of rapeseed, correlations between the projected area and the mass of seeds were much weaker than between volume and mass. This indicates that simple projections may not deliver good proxies for seed mass. Although throughput is limited, we expect that automated seed phenotyping on a single-seed basis can contribute valuable information for applications in a wide range of wild or crop species, including seed classification, seed sorting, and assessment of seed quality. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.16.01122 SN - 0032-0889 VL - 172 IS - 3 SP - 1358 EP - 1370 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wrede, Oliver T1 - Continuity in travel information JF - Information Design Journal N2 - This article discusses the contrast between the information transportation companies provide to travellers and that of their brand messaging. Companies’ brand messaging often portrays the service they provide as pleasant, stress free and perfect. Customers and users of the service, on the other hand, often describe their experience of the service as a negative one. This article suggests that the brand value would be greater if transportation companies paid more attention to the users’ experience when designing their information systems, particularly in worst case scenarios. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.22.2.09wre SN - 0142-5471 N1 - Gedruckt vorhanden in der Bereichsbibliothek Boxgraben unter 53 Z 971-2016 (Magazin) VL - 22 IS - 2 SP - 172 EP - 178 PB - John Benjamins CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neu, Eugen A1 - Janser, Frank A1 - Khatibi, Akbar A. A1 - Orifici, Adrian C. T1 - Fully Automated Operational Modal Analysis using multi-stage clustering JF - Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymssp.2016.07.031 SN - 0888-3270 VL - Vol. 84, Part A SP - 308 EP - 323 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kessler, Julia A1 - Balc, Nicolae A1 - Gebhardt, Andreas A1 - Abbas, Karim T1 - Basic research on lattice structures focused on the reliance of the cross sectional area and additional coatings T2 - The 4th International Conference on Computing and Solutions in Manufacturing Engineering 2016 – CoSME’16 Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/20179403008 N1 - MATEC Web Conf. Vol 94, 2017, 03008 MATEC Web of Conferences 94, 03008 (2017) ET - Vol. 94 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Funke, Harald A1 - Keinz, Jan A1 - Kusterer, Karsten A1 - Ayed, Anis Haj A1 - Kazari, Masahide A1 - Kitajima, Junichi A1 - Horikawa, Atsushi A1 - Okada, Kunio T1 - Experimental and Numerical Study on Optimizing the Dry Low NOₓ Micromix Hydrogen Combustion Principle for Industrial Gas Turbine Applications JF - Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications N2 - Combined with the use of renewable energy sources for its production, hydrogen represents a possible alternative gas turbine fuel for future low-emission power generation. Due to the difference in the physical properties of hydrogen compared to other fuels such as natural gas, well-established gas turbine combustion systems cannot be directly applied to dry low NOₓ (DLN) hydrogen combustion. The DLN micromix combustion of hydrogen has been under development for many years, since it has the promise to significantly reduce NOₓ emissions. This combustion principle for air-breathing engines is based on crossflow mixing of air and gaseous hydrogen. Air and hydrogen react in multiple miniaturized diffusion-type flames with an inherent safety against flashback and with low NOₓ emissions due to a very short residence time of the reactants in the flame region. The paper presents an advanced DLN micromix hydrogen application. The experimental and numerical study shows a combustor configuration with a significantly reduced number of enlarged fuel injectors with high-thermal power output at constant energy density. Larger fuel injectors reduce manufacturing costs, are more robust and less sensitive to fuel contamination and blockage in industrial environments. The experimental and numerical results confirm the successful application of high-energy injectors, while the DLN micromix characteristics of the design point, under part-load conditions, and under off-design operation are maintained. Atmospheric test rig data on NOₓ emissions, optical flame-structure, and combustor material temperatures are compared to numerical simulations and show good agreement. The impact of the applied scaling and design laws on the miniaturized micromix flamelets is particularly investigated numerically for the resulting flow field, the flame-structure, and NOₓ formation. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4034849 SN - 1948-5093 N1 - TSEA-15-1227 VL - 9 IS - 2 SP - 021001 EP - 021001-10 PB - ASME CY - New York, NY ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ayed, Anis Haj A1 - Kusterer, Karsten A1 - Funke, Harald A1 - Keinz, Jan T1 - CFD Based Improvement of the DLN Hydrogen Micromix Combustion Technology at Increased Energy Densities JF - American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) N2 - Combined with the use of renewable energy sources for its production, Hydrogen represents a possible alternative gas turbine fuel within future low emission power generation. Due to the large difference in the physical properties of Hydrogen compared to other fuels such as natural gas, well established gas turbine combustion systems cannot be directly applied for Dry Low NOx (DLN) Hydrogen combustion. Thus, the development of DLN combustion technologies is an essential and challenging task for the future of Hydrogen fuelled gas turbines. The DLN Micromix combustion principle for hydrogen fuel has been developed to significantly reduce NOx-emissions. This combustion principle is based on cross-flow mixing of air and gaseous hydrogen which reacts in multiple miniaturized diffusion-type flames. The major advantages of this combustion principle are the inherent safety against flash-back and the low NOx-emissions due to a very short residence time of reactants in the flame region of the micro-flames. The Micromix Combustion technology has been already proven experimentally and numerically for pure Hydrogen fuel operation at different energy density levels. The aim of the present study is to analyze the influence of different geometry parameter variations on the flame structure and the NOx emission and to identify the most relevant design parameters, aiming to provide a physical understanding of the Micromix flame sensitivity to the burner design and identify further optimization potential of this innovative combustion technology while increasing its energy density and making it mature enough for real gas turbine application. The study reveals great optimization potential of the Micromix Combustion technology with respect to the DLN characteristics and gives insight into the impact of geometry modifications on flame structure and NOx emission. This allows to further increase the energy density of the Micromix burners and to integrate this technology in industrial gas turbines. Y1 - 2016 SN - 2313-4402 VL - 26 IS - 3 SP - 290 EP - 303 PB - GSSRR ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Johst, Sören A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Solbach, Klaus A1 - Ladd, Mark E. T1 - Mitigation of B1(+) inhomogeneity on single-channel transmit systems with TIAMO JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.24453 SN - 1522-2594 VL - 70 IS - 1 SP - 290 EP - 294 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Orzada, S. A1 - Maderwald, S. A1 - Poser, B. A. A1 - Johst, S. A1 - Kannengiesser, S. A1 - Ladd, M. E. A1 - Bitz, Andreas T1 - Time-interleaved acquisition of modes: an analysis of SAR and image contrast implications JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine N2 - s the magnetic field strength and therefore the operational frequency in MRI are increased, the radiofrequency wavelength approaches the size of the human head/body, resulting in wave effects which cause signal decreases and dropouts. Especially, whole-body imaging at 7 T and higher is therefore challenging. Recently, an acquisition scheme called time-interleaved acquisition of modes has been proposed to tackle the inhomogeneity problems in high-field MRI. The basic premise is to excite two (or more) different Burn:x-wiley:07403194:media:MRM23081:tex2gif-stack-1 modes using static radiofrequency shimming in an interleaved acquisition, where the complementary radiofrequency patterns of the two modes can be exploited to improve overall signal homogeneity. In this work, the impact of time-interleaved acquisition of mode on image contrast as well as on time-averaged specific absorption rate is addressed in detail. Time-interleaved acquisition of mode is superior in Burn:x-wiley:07403194:media:MRM23081:tex2gif-stack-2 homogeneity compared with conventional radiofrequency shimming while being highly specific absorption rate efficient. Time-interleaved acquisition of modes can enable almost homogeneous high-field imaging throughout the entire field of view in PD, T2, and T2*-weighted imaging and, if a specified homogeneity criterion is met, in T1-weighted imaging as well. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.23081 SN - 1522-2594 VL - 67 IS - 4 SP - 1033 EP - 1041 PB - Wiley-Liss CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kobus, Thiele A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Uden, Mark J. van A1 - Lagemaat, Miram W. A1 - Rothgang, Eva A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Heerschap, Arend A1 - Scheenen, Tom W. J. T1 - In vivo 31P MR spectroscopic imaging of the human prostate at 7 T: safety and feasibility JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine N2 - 31P MR spectroscopic imaging of the human prostate provides information about phosphorylated metabolites that could be used for prostate cancer characterization. The sensitivity of a magnetic field strength of 7 T might enable 3D 31P MR spectroscopic imaging with relevant spatial resolution in a clinically acceptable measurement time. To this end, a 31P endorectal coil was developed and combined with an eight-channel 1H body-array coil to relate metabolic information to anatomical location. An extensive safety validation was performed to evaluate the specific absorption rate, the radiofrequency field distribution, and the temperature distribution of both coils. This validation consisted of detailed Finite Integration Technique simulations, confirmed by MR thermometry and Burn:x-wiley:07403194:media:MRM24175:tex2gif-stack-1 measurements in a phantom and in vivo temperature measurements. The safety studies demonstrated that the presence of the 31P endorectal coil had no influence on the specific absorption rate levels and temperature distribution of the external eight-channel 1H array coil. To stay within a 10 g averaged local specific absorption rate of 10 W/kg, a maximum time-averaged input power of 33 W for the 1H array coil was allowed. For transmitting with the 31P endorectal coil, our safety limit of less than 1°C temperature increase in vivo during a 15-min MR spectroscopic imaging experiment was reached at a time-averaged input power of 1.9 W. With this power setting, a second in vivo measurement was performed on a healthy volunteer. Using adiabatic excitation, 3D 31P MR spectroscopic imaging produced spectra from the entire prostate in 18 min with a spatial resolution of 4 cm3. The spectral resolution enabled the separate detection of phosphocholine, phosphoethanolamine, inorganic phosphate, and other metabolites that could play an important role in the characterization of prostate cancer. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.24175 SN - 1522-2594 VL - 68 IS - 6 SP - 1683 EP - 1695 PB - Wiley-Liss CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Poser, Benedikt Andreas A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Quick, Harald H. A1 - Ladd, Mark E. T1 - RF excitation using time interleaved acquisition of modes (TIAMO) to address B1 inhomogeneity in high-field MRI JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine N2 - As the field strength and, therefore, the operational frequency in MRI is increased, the wavelength approaches the size of the human head/body, resulting in wave effects, which cause signal decreases and dropouts. Several multichannel approaches have been proposed to try to tackle these problems, including RF shimming, where each element in an array is driven by its own amplifier and modulated with a certain (constant) amplitude and phase relative to the other elements, and Transmit SENSE, where spatially tailored RF pulses are used. In this article, a relatively inexpensive and easy to use imaging scheme for 7 Tesla imaging is proposed to mitigate signal voids due to B1 field inhomogeneity. Two time-interleaved images are acquired using a different excitation mode for each. By forming virtual receive elements, both images are reconstructed together using GRAPPA to achieve a more homogeneous image, with only small SNR and SAR penalty in head and body imaging at 7 Tesla. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.22527 SN - 1522-2594 VL - 64 IS - 2 SP - 327 EP - 333 PB - Wiley-Liss CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Umutlu, Lale A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Kinner, Sonja A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Brote, Irina A1 - Ladd, Susanne C. A1 - Schroeder, Tobias A1 - Forsting, Michael T1 - Contrast-enhanced ultra-high-field liver MRI: a feasibility trial JF - European Journal of Radiology Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrad.2011.07.004 SN - 0720-048X VL - 82 IS - 5 SP - 760 EP - 767 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yazdanbakhsh, Pedram A1 - Solbach, Klaus A1 - Bitz, Andreas T1 - Variable power combiner for RF mode shimming in 7-T MR imaging JF - IEEE Transaction on Biomedical Engineering N2 - This contribution discusses the utilization of RF power in an MRI system with RF mode shimming which enables the superposition of circularly polarized modes of a transmit RF coil array driven by a Butler matrix. Since the required power for the individual modes can vary widely, mode-shimming can result in a significant underutilization of the total available RF power. A variable power combiner (VPC) is proposed to improve the power utilization: it can be realized as a reconfiguration of the MRI transmit system by the inclusion of one additional matrix network which receives the power from all transmit amplifiers at its input ports and provides any desired (combined) power distribution at its output ports by controlling the phase and amplitude of the amplifiers’ input signals. The power distribution at the output ports of the VPC is then fed into the “mode” ports of the coil array Butler matrix in order to superimpose the spatial modes at the highest achievable power utilization. The VPC configuration is compared to the standard configuration of the transmit chain of our MRI system with 8 transmit channels and 16 coils. In realistic scenarios, improved power utilization was achieved from 17% to 60% and from 14% to 55% for an elliptical phantom and a region of interest in the abdomen, respectively, and an increase of the power utilization of 1 dB for a region of interest in the upper leg. In general, it is found that the VPC allows significant improvement in power utilization when the shimming solution demands only a few modes to be energized, while the technique can yield loss in power utilization in cases with many modes required at high power level. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2012.2205926 SN - 1558-2531 VL - 59 IS - 9 SP - 2549 EP - 2557 PB - IEEE CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Prochnow, Nora A1 - Gebing, Tina A1 - Ladage, Kerstin A1 - Krause-Finkeldey, Dorothee A1 - Ourdi, Abessamad El A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Streckert, Joachim A1 - Hansen, Volkert A1 - Dermietzel, Rolf T1 - Electromagnetic field effect or simply stress? Effects of UMTS exposure on hippocampal longterm plasticity in the context of procedure related hormone release JF - PLoS one N2 - Harmful effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on cognitive and behavioural features of humans and rodents have been controversially discussed and raised persistent concern about adverse effects of EMF on general brain functions. In the present study we applied radio-frequency (RF) signals of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) to full brain exposed male Wistar rats in order to elaborate putative influences on stress hormone release (corticosteron; CORT and adrenocorticotropic hormone; ACTH) and on hippocampal derived synaptic long-term plasticity (LTP) and depression (LTD) as electrophysiological hallmarks for memory storage and memory consolidation. Exposure was computer controlled providing blind conditions. Nominal brain-averaged specific absorption rates (SAR) as a measure of applied mass-related dissipated RF power were 0, 2, and 10 W/kg over a period of 120 min. Comparison of cage exposed animals revealed, regardless of EMF exposure, significantly increased CORT and ACTH levels which corresponded with generally decreased field potential slopes and amplitudes in hippocampal LTP and LTD. Animals following SAR exposure of 2 W/kg (averaged over the whole brain of 2.3 g tissue mass) did not differ from the sham-exposed group in LTP and LTD experiments. In contrast, a significant reduction in LTP and LTD was observed at the high power rate of SAR (10 W/kg). The results demonstrate that a rate of 2 W/kg displays no adverse impact on LTP and LTD, while 10 W/kg leads to significant effects on the electrophysiological parameters, which can be clearly distinguished from the stress derived background. Our findings suggest that UMTS exposure with SAR in the range of 2 W/kg is not harmful to critical markers for memory storage and memory consolidation, however, an influence of UMTS at high energy absorption rates (10 W/kg) cannot be excluded. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0019437 VL - 6 IS - 5 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Schäfer, Lena C. A1 - Ladd, Susanne C. A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Maderwald, Stefan T1 - Open design eight-channel transmit/receive coil for high-resolution and real-time ankle imaging at 7 T JF - Medical Physics N2 - Purpose: At 1.5 T, real-time MRI of joint movement has been shown to be feasible. However, 7 T, provides higher SNR and thus an improved potential for parallel imaging acceleration. The purpose of this work was to build an open, U-shaped eight-channel transmit/receive microstrip coil for 7 T MRI to enable high-resolution and real-time imaging of the moving ankle joint. Methods: A U-shaped eight-channel transmit/receive array for the human ankle was built.urn:x-wiley:00942405:mp3399:equation:mp3399-math-0001-parameters and urn:x-wiley:00942405:mp3399:equation:mp3399-math-0002-factor were measured. SAR calculations of different ankle postures were performed to ensure patient safety. Inhomogeneities in the transmit field consequent to the open design were compensated for by the use of static RF shimming. High-resolution and real-time imaging was performed in human volunteers. Results: The presented array showed good performance with regard to patient comfort and image quality. High acceleration factors of up to 4 are feasible without visible acceleration artifacts. Reasonable image homogeneity was achieved with RF shimming. Conclusions: Open, noncylindrical designs for transmit/receive coils are practical at 7 T and real-time imaging of the moving joint is feasible with the presented coil design. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1118/1.3553399 SN - 2473-4209 VL - 38 IS - 3 SP - 1162 EP - 1167 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Dammann, Philipp A1 - Ladd, Susanne C. A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Quick, Harald H. T1 - An eight-channel transmit/receive multipurpose coil for musculoskeletal MR imaging at 7 T JF - Medical Physics N2 - Purpose: MRI plays a leading diagnostic role in assessing the musculoskeletal (MSK) system and is well established for most questions at clinically used field strengths (up to 3 T). However, there are still limitations in imaging early stages of cartilage degeneration, very fine tendons and ligaments, or in locating nerve lesions, for example. 7 T MRI of the knee has already received increasing attention in the current published literature, but there is a strong need to develop new radiofrequency (RF) coils to assess more regions of the MSK system. In this work, an eight-channel transmit/receive RF array was built as a multipurpose coil for imaging some of the thus far neglected regions. An extensive coil characterization protocol and first in vivo results of the human wrist, shoulder, elbow, knee, and ankle imaged at 7 T will be presented. Methods: Eight surface loop coils with a dimension ofurn:x-wiley:00942405:media:mp7176:mp7176-math-0001 were machined from FR4 circuit board material. To facilitate easy positioning, two coil clusters, each with four loop elements, were combined to one RF transmit/receive array. An overlapped and shifted arrangement of the coil elements was chosen to reduce the mutual inductance between neighboring coils. A phantom made of body-simulating liquid was used for tuning and matching on the bench. Afterward, the S-parameters were verified on a human wrist, elbow, and shoulder. For safety validation, a detailed compliance test was performed including full wave simulations of the RF field distribution and the corresponding specific absorption rate (SAR) for all joints. In vivo images of four volunteers were assessed with gradient echo and spin echo sequences modified to obtain optimal image contrast, full anatomic coverage, and the highest spatial resolution within a reasonable acquisition time. The performance of the RF coil was additionally evaluated by in vivo B1 mapping. Results: A comparison of B1 per unit power, flip angle distribution, and anatomic images showed a fairly homogeneous excitation for the smaller joints (elbow, wrist, and ankle), while for the larger joints, the shoulder and especially the knee, B1 inhomogeneities and limited penetration depth were more pronounced. However, the greater part of the shoulder joint could be imaged.In vivo images rendered very fine anatomic details such as fascicles of the median nerve and the branching of the nerve bundles. High-resolution images of cartilage, labrum, and tendons could be acquired. Additionally, turbo spin echo (TSE) and inversion recovery sequences performed very well. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the concept of two four-channel transmit/receive RF arrays can be used as a multipurpose coil for high-resolutionin vivo MR imaging of the musculoskeletal system at 7 T. Not only gradient echo but also typical clinical and SAR-intensive sequences such as STIR and TSE performed well. Imaging of small structures and peripheral nerves could in particular benefit from this technique. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1118/1.3517176 SN - 2473-4209 VL - 37 IS - 12 SP - 6368 EP - 6376 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken, NJ ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Bitz, Andreas T1 - A method to approximate maximum local SAR in multichannel transmit MR systems without transmit phase information JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine N2 - Purpose To calculate local specific absorption rate (SAR) correctly, both the amplitude and phase of the signal in each transmit channel have to be known. In this work, we propose a method to derive a conservative upper bound for the local SAR, with a reasonable safety margin without knowledge of the transmit phases of the channels. Methods The proposed method uses virtual observation points (VOPs). Correction factors are calculated for each set of VOPs that prevent underestimation of local SAR when the VOPs are applied with the correct amplitudes but fixed phases. Results The proposed method proved to be superior to the worst-case calculation based on the maximum eigenvalue of the VOPs. The mean overestimation for six coil setups could be reduced, whereas no underestimation of the maximum local SAR occurred. In the best investigated case, the overestimation could be reduced from a factor of 3.3 to a factor of 1.7. Conclusion The upper bound for the local SAR calculated with the proposed method allows a fast estimation of the local SAR based on power measurements in the transmit channels and facilitates SAR monitoring in systems that do not have the capability to monitor transmit phases Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.26398 SN - 1522-2594 VL - 78 IS - 2 SP - 805 EP - 811 PB - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chen, Bixia A1 - Schoemberg, Tobias A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Dammann, Philipp A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Schlamann, Marc A1 - Quick, Harald H. A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Sure, Ulrich A1 - Wrede, Karsten H. T1 - Cranial fixation plates in cerebral magnetic resonance imaging: a 3 and 7 Tesla in vivo image quality study JF - Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine N2 - Objective This study assesses and quantifies impairment of postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 7 Tesla (T) after implantation of titanium cranial fixation plates (CFPs) for neurosurgical bone flap fixation. Materials and methods The study group comprised five patients who were intra-individually examined with 3 and 7 T MRI preoperatively and postoperatively (within 72 h/3 months) after implantation of CFPs. Acquired sequences included T₁-weighted magnetization-prepared rapid-acquisition gradient-echo (MPRAGE), T₂-weighted turbo-spin-echo (TSE) imaging, and susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI). Two experienced neurosurgeons and a neuroradiologist rated image quality and the presence of artifacts in consensus reading. Results Minor artifacts occurred around the CFPs in MPRAGE and T2 TSE at both field strengths, with no significant differences between 3 and 7 T. In SWI, artifacts were accentuated in the early postoperative scans at both field strengths due to intracranial air and hemorrhagic remnants. After resorption, the brain tissue directly adjacent to skull bone could still be assessed. Image quality after 3 months was equal to the preoperative examinations at 3 and 7 T. Conclusion Image quality after CFP implantation was not significantly impaired in 7 T MRI, and artifacts were comparable to those in 3 T MRI. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-016-0548-1 SN - 1352-8661 VL - 29 IS - 3 SP - 389 EP - 398 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmidt, K. A1 - Forkmann, K. A1 - Sinke, C. A1 - Gratz, M. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Bingel, U. T1 - The differential effect of trigeminal vs. peripheral pain stimulation on visual processing and memory encoding is influenced by pain-related fear JF - NeuroImage N2 - Compared to peripheral pain, trigeminal pain elicits higher levels of fear, which is assumed to enhance the interruptive effects of pain on concomitant cognitive processes. In this fMRI study we examined the behavioral and neural effects of trigeminal (forehead) and peripheral (hand) pain on visual processing and memory encoding. Cerebral activity was measured in 23 healthy subjects performing a visual categorization task that was immediately followed by a surprise recognition task. During the categorization task subjects received concomitant noxious electrical stimulation on the forehead or hand. Our data show that fear ratings were significantly higher for trigeminal pain. Categorization and recognition performance did not differ between pictures that were presented with trigeminal and peripheral pain. However, object categorization in the presence of trigeminal pain was associated with stronger activity in task-relevant visual areas (lateral occipital complex, LOC), memory encoding areas (hippocampus and parahippocampus) and areas implicated in emotional processing (amygdala) compared to peripheral pain. Further, individual differences in neural activation between the trigeminal and the peripheral condition were positively related to differences in fear ratings between both conditions. Functional connectivity between amygdala and LOC was increased during trigeminal compared to peripheral painful stimulation. Fear-driven compensatory resource activation seems to be enhanced for trigeminal stimuli, presumably due to their exceptional biological relevance. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.03.026 SN - 1053-8119 VL - 134 SP - 386 EP - 395 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bank, Bart L. van de A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Smits, Frits A1 - Lagemaat, Miriam W. A1 - Rodgers, Christopher T. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Scheenen, Tom W. J. T1 - Optimized (31) P MRS in the human brain at 7 T with a dedicated RF coil setup JF - NMR in Biomedicine Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.3422 SN - 1099-1492 VL - 28 IS - 11 SP - 1570 EP - 1578 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Sansom, M. A1 - Lawson, R.M. A1 - Tucho, R. A1 - Kendrick, C. A1 - Ogden, R. A1 - Resalati, S. A1 - Garay, R. A1 - Döring, Bernd A1 - Reger, V. A1 - Gilbert, J. A1 - Heikkinen, J. A1 - Hemmila, K. T1 - Building in active thermal mass into steel structures (BATIMASS) - EUR 28166EN N2 - The main objective of the BATIMASS project was to address how the energy balance in relatively lightweight steel buildings can be improved by building in ‘active thermal mass’ (ATM) into the building fabric. This was achieved through concept design, dynamic thermal modelling and testing of a number of potentially viable systems and concepts. A significant programme of thermal simulation modelling was undertaken utilising the thermally equivalent slab (TES) concept to model the passive thermal capacity effect of profiled, composite metal floor decks. It is apparent from the modelling results that thermal mass is a highly complex phenomenon which is highly dependent upon building type, occupancy patterns, climate and many other aspects of the building design and servicing strategy. The ATM systems developed, both conceptually and for prototype testing, focussed on water-cooled composite slabs, the Cofradal floor system and the phase change material (PCM) Energain. In addition to laboratory testing of prototypes, whole building monitoring was undertaken at the Kubik building in Spain and the RWTH test building in Germany. Advanced thermal modelling was also undertaken to estimate the likely benefits of the ATM concept designs developed and for comparison with the test results. In addition to thermal testing, structural tests were conducted on composite floor specimens incorporating embedded water pipes. This Final Report presents the results of the activities carried out under this RFCS contract RFSR CT 2012 00033. The work carried out is reported in six major sections corresponding to the technical Work Packages of the project. Only summaries of the work carried out are provided in this report; all work undertaken is fully reported in the formal project deliverables. KW - industrial research KW - iron and steel industry KW - research project KW - materials technology KW - resistance of materials KW - steel KW - metal structure KW - ingot KW - building industry KW - research report Y1 - 2016 SN - 978-92-79-63176-4 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2777/25999 SN - 1831-9424 PB - Publications Office of the European Union CY - Luxembourg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Noureddine, Yacine A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Thürling, Markus A1 - Ladd, Susanne C. A1 - Schaefers, Gregor A1 - Kraff, Oliver T1 - Experience with magnetic resonance imaging of human subjects with passive implants and tattoos at 7 T: a retrospective study JF - Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-015-0499-y SN - 1352-8661 VL - 28 IS - 6 SP - 577 EP - 590 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lagemaat, Miriam W. A1 - Breukels, Vincent A1 - Vos, Eline K. A1 - B., Adam A1 - Uden, Mark J. van A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Maas, Marnix C. A1 - Scheenen, Tom W. J. T1 - ¹H MR spectroscopic imaging of the prostate at 7T using spectral-spatial pulses JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine N2 - 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. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.25569 SN - 1522-2594 VL - 75 IS - 3 SP - 933 EP - 945 PB - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vos, E. K. A1 - Lagemaat, M. W. A1 - Barentsz, J. O. A1 - Fütterer, J. J. A1 - Zamecnik, P. A1 - Roozen, H. A1 - Orzada, S. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Maas, M. C. A1 - Scheenen, T. W. J. T1 - Image quality and cancer visibility of T2-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the prostate at 7 Tesla JF - European Radiology N2 - Objectives To assess the image quality of T2-weighted (T2w) magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate and the visibility of prostate cancer at 7 Tesla (T). Materials & methods Seventeen prostate cancer patients underwent T2w imaging at 7T with only an external transmit/receive array coil. Three radiologists independently scored images for image quality, visibility of anatomical structures, and presence of artefacts. Krippendorff’s alpha and weighted kappa statistics were used to assess inter-observer agreement. Visibility of prostate cancer lesions was assessed by directly linking the T2w images to the confirmed location of prostate cancer on histopathology. Results T2w imaging at 7T was achievable with ‘satisfactory’ (3/5) to ‘good’ (4/5) quality. Visibility of anatomical structures was predominantly scored as ‘satisfactory’ (3/5) and ‘good’ (4/5). If artefacts were present, they were mostly motion artefacts and, to a lesser extent, aliasing artefacts and noise. Krippendorff’s analysis revealed an α = 0.44 between three readers for the overall image quality scores. Clinically significant cancer lesions in both peripheral zone and transition zone were visible at 7T. Conclusion T2w imaging with satisfactory to good quality can be routinely acquired, and cancer lesions were visible in patients with prostate cancer at 7T using only an external transmit/receive body array coil. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3234-6 SN - 1432-1084 VL - 24 IS - 8 SP - 1950 EP - 1958 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lagemaat, Miriam W. A1 - Maas, Marnix C. A1 - Vos, Eline K. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Weiland, Elisabeth A1 - Uden, Mark J. van A1 - Kobus, Thiele A1 - Heerschap, Arend A1 - Scheenen, Tom W. J. T1 - (31) P MR spectroscopic imaging of the human prostate at 7 T: T1 relaxation times, Nuclear Overhauser Effect, and spectral characterization JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.25209 SN - 1522-2594 VL - 73 IS - 3 SP - 909 EP - 920 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Theysohn, Jens M. A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Eilers, Kristina A1 - Andrade, Dorian A1 - Gerwig, Marcus A1 - Timmann, Dagmar A1 - Schmitt, Franz A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Ladd, Susanne C. A1 - Bitz, Andreas T1 - Vestibular effects of a 7 Tesla MRI examination compared to 1.5 T and 0 T in healthy volunteers JF - PLoS one N2 - Ultra-high-field MRI (7 Tesla (T) and above) elicits more temporary side-effects compared to 1.5 T and 3 T, e.g. dizziness or “postural instability” even after exiting the scanner. The current study aims to assess quantitatively vestibular performance before and after exposure to different MRI scenarios at 7 T, 1.5 T and 0 T. Sway path and body axis rotation (Unterberger's stepping test) were quantitatively recorded in a total of 46 volunteers before, 2 minutes after, and 15 minutes after different exposure scenarios: 7 T head MRI (n = 27), 7 T no RF (n = 22), 7 T only B₀ (n = 20), 7 T in & out B₀ (n = 20), 1.5 T no RF (n = 20), 0 T (n = 15). All exposure scenarios lasted 30 minutes except for brief one minute exposure in 7 T in & out B₀. Both measures were documented utilizing a 3D ultrasound system. During sway path evaluation, the experiment was repeated with eyes both open and closed. Sway paths for all long-lasting 7 T scenarios (normal, no RF, only B₀) with eyes closed were significantly prolonged 2 minutes after exiting the scanner, normalizing after 15 minutes. Brief exposure to 7 T B₀ or 30 minutes exposure to 1.5 T or 0 T did not show significant changes. End positions after Unterberger's stepping test were significantly changed counter-clockwise after all 7 T scenarios, including the brief in & out B₀ exposure. Shorter exposure resulted in a smaller alteration angle. In contrast to sway path, reversal of changes in body axis rotation was incomplete after 15 minutes. 1.5 T caused no rotational changes. The results show that exposure to the 7 Tesla static magnetic field causes only a temporary dysfunction or “over-compensation” of the vestibular system not measurable at 1.5 or 0 Tesla. Radiofrequency fields, gradient switching, and orthostatic dysregulation do not seem to play a role. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092104 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 9 IS - 3 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Breyer, Tobias A1 - Kruszona, Stefan A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Brote, Irina A1 - Gizewski, Elke R. A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Quick, Harald H. T1 - A transmit/receive radiofrequency array for imaging the carotid arteries at 7 Tesla: coil design and first in vivo results JF - Investigative Radiology N2 - Objective: To develop a transmit/receive radiofrequency (RF) array for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the carotid arteries at 7 T. The prototype is characterized in numerical simulations and bench measurements, and the feasibility of plaque imaging at 7 T is demonstrated in first in vivo images. Materials and Methods: The RF phased array coil consists of 8 surface loop coils. To allow imaging of both sides of the neck, the RF array is divided into 2 coil clusters, each with 4 overlapping loop elements. For safety validation, numerical computations of the RF field distribution and the corresponding specific absorption rate were performed on the basis of a heterogeneous human body model. To validate the coil model, maps of the transmit B1+ field were compared between simulation and measurement. In vivo images of a healthy volunteer and a patient (ulcerating plaque and a 50% stenosis of the right internal carotid artery) were acquired using a 3-dimensional FLASH sequence with a high isotropic spatial resolution of 0.54 mm as well as using pulse-triggered proton density (PD)/T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequences. Results: Measurements of the S-parameters yielded a reflection and isolation of the coil elements of better than −18 and −13 dB, respectively. Measurements of the g-factor indicated good image quality for parallel imaging acceleration factors up to 2.4. A similar distribution and a very good match of the absolute values were found between the measured and simulated B1+ transmit RF field for the validation of the coil model. In vivo images revealed good signal excitation of both sides of the neck and a high vessel-to-background image contrast for the noncontrast-enhanced 3-dimensional FLASH sequence. Imaging at 7 T could depict the extent of stenosis, and revealed the disruption and ulcer of the plaque. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that 2 four-channel transmit/receive RF arrays for each side of the neck is a suitable concept for in vivo MRI of the carotid arteries at 7 Tesla. Further studies are needed to explore and exploit the full potential of 7 T high-field MRI for carotid atherosclerotic plaque imaging. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1097/RLI.0b013e318206cee4 SN - 1536-0210 VL - 46 IS - 4 SP - 246 EP - 254 PB - Wolters Kluwer CY - Köln ER - TY - JOUR A1 - El Quardi, A. A1 - Streckert, J. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Münkner, S. A1 - Engel, J. A1 - Hansen, V. T1 - New fin-line devices for radiofrequency exposure of small biological samples in vitro allowing whole-cell patch clamp recordings JF - Bioelectromagnetics N2 - The development and analysis of three waveguides for the exposure of small biological in vitro samples to mobile communication signals at 900 MHz (GSM, Global System for Mobile Communications), 1.8 GHz (GSM), and 2 GHz (UMTS, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) is presented. The waveguides were based on a fin-line concept and the chamber containing the samples bathed in extracellular solution was placed onto two fins with a slot in between, where the exposure field concentrates. Measures were taken to allow for patch clamp recordings during radiofrequency (RF) exposure. The necessary power for the achievement of the maximum desired specific absorption rate (SAR) of 20 W/kg (average over the mass of the solution) was approximately Pin = 50 mW, Pin = 19 mW, and Pin = 18 mW for the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2 GHz devices, respectively. At 20 W/kg, a slight RF-induced temperature elevation in the solution of no more than 0.3 °C was detected, while no thermal offsets due to the electromagnetic exposure could be detected at the lower SAR settings (2, 0.2, and 0.02 W/kg). A deviation of 10% from the intended solution volume yielded a calculated SAR deviation of 8% from the desired value. A maximum ±10% variation in the local SAR could occur when the position of the patch clamp electrode was altered within the area where the cells to be investigated were located. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/bem.20621 SN - 1521-186X VL - 32 IS - 2 SP - 102 EP - 112 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schlamann, Marc A1 - Voigt, Melanie A. A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Ladd, Susanne C. A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Forsting, Michael A1 - Wilhelm, Hans T1 - Exposure to high-field MRI does not affect cognitive function JF - Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging N2 - Purpose To assess potential cognitive deficits under the influence of static magnetic fields at various field strengths some studies already exist. These studies were not focused on attention as the most vulnerable cognitive function. Additionally, mostly no magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences were performed. Materials and Methods In all, 25 right-handed men were enrolled in this study. All subjects underwent one MRI examination of 63 minutes at 1.5 T and one at 7 T within an interval of 10 to 30 days. The order of the examinations was randomized. Subjects were referred to six standardized neuropsychological tests strictly focused on attention immediately before and after each MRI examination. Differences in neuropsychological variables between the timepoints before and after each MRI examination were assessed and P-values were calculated Results Only six subtests revealed significant differences between pre- and post-MRI. In these tests the subjects achieved better results in post-MRI testing than in pre-MRI testing (P = 0.013–0.032). The other tests revealed no significant results. Conclusion The improvement in post-MRI testing is only explicable as a result of learning effects. MRI examinations, even in ultrahigh-field scanners, do not seem to have any persisting influence on the attention networks of human cognition immediately after exposure. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.22065 SN - 1522-2586 VL - 31 IS - 5 SP - 1061 EP - 1066 PB - Wiley-Liss CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Zhou, Yi A1 - El Quardi, Abdessamad A1 - Streckert, Joachim T1 - Occupational Exposure at Mobile Communication Base Station Antenna Sites JF - Frequenz Y1 - 2009 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1515/FREQ.2009.63.7-8.123 SN - 2191-6349 VL - 63 IS - 7-8 SP - 123 EP - 128 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schlamann, Marc A1 - Yoon, Min-Suk A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Pietrzyk, Thomas A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Gerwig, Marcus A1 - Forsting, Michael A1 - Ladd, Susanne C. A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Kastrup, Oliver T1 - Short term effects of magnetic resonance imaging on excitability of the motor cortex at 1.5T and 7T JF - Academic Radiology N2 - Rationale and Objectives The increasing spread of high-field and ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners has encouraged new discussion of the safety aspects of MRI. Few studies have been published on possible cognitive effects of MRI examinations. The aim of this study was to examine whether changes are measurable after MRI examinations at 1.5 and 7 T by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Materials and Methods TMS was performed in 12 healthy, right-handed male volunteers. First the individual motor threshold was specified, and then the cortical silent period (SP) was measured. Subsequently, the volunteers were exposed to the 1.5-T MRI scanner for 63 minutes using standard sequences. The MRI examination was immediately followed by another TMS session. Fifteen minutes later, TMS was repeated. Four weeks later, the complete setting was repeated using a 7-T scanner. Control conditions included lying in the 1.5-T scanner for 63 minutes without scanning and lying in a separate room for 63 minutes. TMS was performed in the same way in each case. For statistical analysis, Wilcoxon's rank test was performed. Results Immediately after MRI exposure, the SP was highly significantly prolonged in all 12 subjects at 1.5 and 7 T. The motor threshold was significantly increased. Fifteen minutes after the examination, the measured value tended toward normal again. Control conditions revealed no significant differences. Conclusion MRI examinations lead to a transient and highly significant alteration in cortical excitability. This effect does not seem to depend on the strength of the static magnetic field. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2009.10.004 SN - 1076-6332 VL - 17 IS - 3 SP - 277 EP - 281 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Kruszona, Stefan A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Schaefer, Lena C. A1 - Theysohn, Jens M. A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Quick, Harald H. T1 - An eight-channel phased array RF coil for spine MR imaging at 7 T JF - Investigative Radiology Y1 - 2009 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1097/RLI.0b013e3181b24ab7 SN - 1536-0210 VL - 44 IS - 11 SP - 734 EP - 740 PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klomp, D. W. J. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Heerschap, A. A1 - Scheenen, T. W. J. T1 - Proton spectroscopic imaging of the human prostate at 7 T JF - NMR in Biomedicine Y1 - 2009 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.1360 SN - 1099-1492 VL - 22 IS - 5 SP - 495 EP - 501 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lerchl, Alexander A1 - Krüger, Heike A1 - Niehaus, Michael A1 - Streckert, Joachim R. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Hansen, Volkert T1 - Effects of mobile phone electromagnetic fields at nonthermal SAR values on melatonin and body weight of Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) JF - Journal of Pineal Research Y1 - 2008 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2007.00522.x SN - 1600-079X VL - 44 IS - 3 SP - 267 EP - 272 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Lawson, R.M. A1 - Baddoo, N.R. A1 - Vanier, G. A1 - Döring, Bernd A1 - Kuhnhenne, M. A1 - Nieminen, J. A1 - Beguin, P. A1 - Herbin, S. A1 - Caroli, G. A1 - Adetunji, I. A1 - Kozlowski, A. T1 - Renovation of buildings using steel technologies (Robust) - EUR 25335 N2 - Robust addresses the renovation and improvement of existing residential, industrial and commercial buildings using steel-based technologies, focusing on techniques such as over-cladding, over-roofing and roof-top extensions. Steel-intensive renovation techniques currently on the market were reviewed. Performance criteria were developed for over-cladding systems meeting current regulatory standards, with guidelines on how to achieve appropriate levels of air-tightness. KW - iron and steel industry KW - steel KW - materials technology KW - building materials KW - metal structure KW - building safety KW - testing KW - industrial research Y1 - 2013 SN - 978-92-79-24950-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2777/97860 SN - 1831-9424 PB - Publications Office of the European Union CY - Luxembourg ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Feldmann, M. A1 - Kuhnhenne, M. A1 - Döring, Bernd A1 - Pyschny, D. A1 - Lawson, R.M. A1 - Chuter, R.D. A1 - Boudjabeur, S. A1 - Lecomte-Labory, F. A1 - Airaksinen, M. A1 - Heikkinen, J. A1 - Laamanen, J. A1 - Albart, P. A1 - D'Haeyer, R. A1 - Chica, J.A. A1 - Maseda, J.M. A1 - Amundarain, A. A1 - Rips, M.O. A1 - Nuñez, J.A. A1 - Macías, O. A1 - Beguin, P. A1 - Ben Larbi, A. T1 - Energy and thermal improvements for construction in steel (ETHICS) - EUR 26010 N2 - ETHICS is concerned with evaluating, measuring and making improvements in the thermal and energy performance of steel-clad and steel-framed buildings. It addresses basic building physics performance at a laboratory and full-scale level, and the preparation of design guidance for commercial, industrial and residential buildings. It includes the development of design tools to assist users in assessing whole-building performance, and calibrates these tools against whole-building measurements, which will be obtained from this research. Opportunities for renewable energy and other energy-saving features will be assessed. This project focuses on objectives that are of particular interest for the design of new steel constructions regarding energy efficiency. ETHICS investigates the as-built performance by on-site tests regarding air tightness and heat transfer properties of the building envelope and by monitoring the energy consumption and thermal comfort of selected up-to-date steel buildings. As energy efficiency is a key requirement for design and construction of buildings in the future, this project provides well-founded scientific data, which prove the high energy performance of current steel constructions and work out details for further improvements to maintain and extend the position of steel products in the construction sector. KW - steel KW - metal structure KW - building technique KW - energy efficiency KW - thermal insulation KW - industrial research KW - research report Y1 - 2013 SN - 978-92-79-30789-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2777/17106 SN - 1831-9424 PB - Publications Office of the European Union CY - Luxembourg ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Kesti, Jyrki A1 - Mononen, Tarmo A1 - Lautso, Petteri A1 - Döring, Bernd A1 - Reger, Vitali A1 - Holopainen, R. A1 - Jung, N. A1 - Shemeikka, J. A1 - Nieminen, J. A1 - Reda, F. A1 - Lawson, Mark A1 - Botti, Andrea A1 - Hall, R. A1 - Zold, A. A1 - Buday, T. T1 - Zero energy solutions for multifunctional steel intensive commercial buildings (ZEMUSIC) - EUR 27627 N2 - The broad commercial objective of this project was the sustainable value creation in steel building technology by addressing the ways in which significant energy reductions can be made in the operation phase of multi-storey commercial buildings. A review on energy efficient commercial buildings in Europe has been carried out consisting of several case studies from different countries. The project included development of zero-energy concepts for reducing energy demand as well as concepts for heating, cooling and ventilation systems by utilising renewable energy sources in three different climates. Also alternative structural frame solutions were developed and analyzed in respect of structural and MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing solutions) features. An innovative long span floor system with integrated MEP routings promises a cost effective alternative for sophisticated ventilation distribution and radiant heating and cooling systems, allowing for high energy efficiency and high quality interior climate. The report includes also review of best architectural practices for integrated renewable energy solutions including different design strategies for building facades of zero energy buildings. Interesting results and design basis are also presented for steel energy pile concept, where structural foundation piles are utilized for ground energy harvesting. Life cycle cost calculations for near zero energy office building based on developed technologies show that a near zero energy construction is also profitable. The results and work methods of the project have been summarized in the form of design guidance that offers designers the knowledge gained in a form that can be easily understood. KW - steel KW - iron and steel industry KW - resistance of materials KW - materials technology KW - metal structure KW - research project KW - building industry KW - building materials KW - renewable energy KW - designs and models KW - research report KW - guide Y1 - 2015 SN - 978-92-79-54071-4 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2777/111520 SN - 1831-9424 N1 - Enthalten: Appendix Design Guide: Deliverable Report WP6.4 Design Guide for steel intensive nearly zero office buildings (83 Seiten) PB - Publications Office of the European Union CY - Luxembourg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fiedler, Thomas M. A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Bitz, Andreas T1 - SAR Simulations & Safety JF - NeuroImage Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.03.035 SN - 1053-8119 IS - Epub ahead of print PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Noureddine, Yacine A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Wrede, Karsten H. A1 - Chen, Bixia A1 - Quick, Harald H. A1 - Schaefers, Gregor A1 - Bitz, Andreas T1 - In vitro and in silico assessment of RF-induced heating around intracranial aneurysm clips at 7 Tesla JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.26650 SN - 1522-2594 IS - Early view PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fiedler, Thomas M. A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Bitz, Andreas T1 - RF safety assessment of a bilateral four-channel transmit/receive 7 Tesla breast coil: SAR versus temperature limits JF - Medical Physics Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mp.12034 N1 - This article is corrected by: Errata: Erratum: “RF safety assessment of a bilateral four-channel transmit/receive 7 Tesla breast coil: SAR versus tissue temperature limits” [Med. Phys. 44(1), 143–157 (2017)] Volume 44, Issue 2, 772 VL - 44 IS - 1 SP - 143 EP - 157 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lagemaat, Miriam W. A1 - Vos, Eline K. A1 - Maas, Marnix C. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Uden, Mark J. van A1 - Kobus, Thiele A1 - Heerschap, Arend A1 - Scheenen, Tom W. J. T1 - Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging at 7 T in patients with prostate cancer JF - Investigative Radiology N2 - Objectives The aim of this study was to identify characteristics of phosphorus (³¹P) spectra of the human prostate and to investigate changes of individual phospholipid metabolites in prostate cancer through in vivo ³¹P magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) at 7 T. Materials and Methods In this institutional review board–approved study, 15 patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer underwent T₂-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and 3-dimensional ³¹P MRSI at 7 T. Voxels were selected at the tumor location, in normal-appearing peripheral zone tissue, normal-appearing transition zone tissue, and in the base of the prostate close to the seminal vesicles. Phosphorus metabolite ratios were determined and compared between tissue types. Results Signals of phosphoethanolamine (PE) and phosphocholine (PC) were present and well resolved in most ³¹P spectra in the prostate. Glycerophosphocholine signals were observable in 43% of the voxels in malignant tissue, but in only 10% of the voxels in normal-appearing tissue away from the seminal vesicles. In many spectra, independent of tissue type, 2 peaks resonated in the chemical shift range of inorganic phosphate, possibly representing 2 separate pH compartments. The PC/PE ratio in the seminal vesicles was highly elevated compared with the prostate in 5 patients. A considerable overlap of ³¹P metabolite ratios was found between prostate cancer and normal-appearing prostate tissue, preventing direct discrimination of these tissues. The only 2 patients with high Gleason scores tumors (≥4+5) presented with high PC and glycerophosphocholine levels in their cancer lesions. Conclusions Phosphorus MRSI at 7 T shows distinct features of phospholipid metabolites in the prostate gland and its surrounding structures. In this exploratory study, no differences in ³¹P metabolite ratios were observed between prostate cancer and normal-appearing prostate tissue possibly because of the partial volume effects of small tumor foci in large MRSI voxels. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1097/RLI.0000000000000012 SN - 1536-0210 VL - 49 IS - 5 SP - 363 EP - 372 PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins CY - Philadelphia, Pa. ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Feldmann, M. A1 - Döring, Bernd A1 - Pyschny, D. T1 - Floor systems; Sustainabilty analyses and assessments of steel bridges T2 - Sustainable steel buildings : a practical guide for structures and envelopes Y1 - 2016 SN - 978-1-118-74079-8 (PDF) SN - 978-1-118-74111-5 SP - 198 EP - 223 PB - Wiley Blackwell CY - Chichester, West Sussex ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maas, Marnix C. A1 - Vos, Eline K. A1 - Lagemaat, Miriam W. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Kobus, Thiele A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Scheenen, Tom W. J. T1 - Feasibility of T₂-weighted turbo spin echo imaging of the human prostate at 7 tesla JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine N2 - Purpose To demonstrate that high quality T₂-weighted (T2w) turbo spin-echo (TSE) imaging of the complete prostate can be achieved routinely and within safety limits at 7 T, using an external transceive body array coil only. Methods Nine healthy volunteers and 12 prostate cancer patients were scanned on a 7 T whole-body system. Preparation consisted of B₀ and radiofrequency shimming and localized flip angle calibration. T₁ and T₂ relaxation times were measured and used to define the T2w-TSE protocol. T2w imaging was performed using a TSE sequence (pulse repetition time/echo time 3000–3640/71 ms) with prolonged excitation and refocusing pulses to reduce specific absorption rate. Results High quality T2w TSE imaging was performed in less than 2 min in all subjects. Tumors of patients with gold-standard tumor localization (MR-guided biopsy or prostatectomy) were well visualized on 7 T imaging (n = 3). The number of consecutive slices achievable within a 10-g averaged specific absorption rate limit of 10 W/kg was ≥28 in all subjects, sufficient for full prostate coverage with 3-mm slices in at least one direction. Conclusion High quality T2w TSE prostate imaging can be performed routinely and within specific absorption rate limits at 7 T with an external transceive body array. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.24818 SN - 1522-2594 VL - 71 IS - 5 SP - 1711 EP - 1719 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Umutlu, Lale A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Fischer, Anja A1 - Kinner, Sonja A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Nassenstein, Kai A1 - Nensa, Felix A1 - Grüneisen, Johannes A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Forsting, Michael A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Lauenstein, Thomas C. T1 - Seven-Tesla MRI of the female pelvis JF - European Radiology Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-013-2868-0 SN - 1432-1084 VL - 23 IS - 9 SP - 2364 EP - 2373 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Felder, Jorg A1 - Wittig, Tilmann T1 - Designing MRI Coils with Aid of Simulation JF - Microwaves & RF Y1 - 2013 SN - 0745-2993 VL - 52 IS - 7 SP - 56 PB - Penton CY - Cleveland, Ohio ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Wrede, Karsten H. A1 - Schoemberg, Tobias A1 - Dammann, Philipp A1 - Noureddine, Yacine A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Bitz, Andreas T1 - MR safety assessment of potential RF heating from cranial fixation plates at 7 T JF - Medical Physics Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4795347 SN - 2473-4209 VL - 40 IS - 4 SP - 042302-1 EP - 042302-10 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Umutlu, L. A1 - Maderwald, S. A1 - Kinner, S. A1 - Kraff, O. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Orzada, S. A1 - Johst, S. A1 - Wrede, K. A1 - Forsting, M. A1 - Ladd, M. E. A1 - Lauenstein, T. C. A1 - Quick, H. H. T1 - First-pass contrast-enhanced renal MRA at 7 Tesla: initial results JF - European Radiology Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-012-2666-0 SN - 1432-1084 VL - 23 IS - 4 SP - 1059 EP - 1066 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Umutlu, Lale A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Kinner, Sonja A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Bronte, Irina A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Ladd, Susanne C. A1 - Antoch, Gerald A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Quick, Harald H. A1 - Lauenstein, Thomas C. T1 - Renal imaging at 7 Tesla: preliminary results JF - European Radiology N2 - Objective To investigate the feasibility of 7T MR imaging of the kidneys utilising a custom-built 8-channel transmit/receive radiofrequency body coil. Methods In vivo unenhanced MR was performed in 8 healthy volunteers on a 7T whole-body MR system. After B0 shimming the following sequences were obtained: 1) 2D and 3D spoiled gradient-echo sequences (FLASH, VIBE), 2) T1-weighted 2D in and opposed phase 3) True-FISP imaging and 4) a T2-weighted turbo spin echo (TSE) sequence. Visual evaluation of the overall image quality was performed by two radiologists. Results Renal MRI at 7T was feasible in all eight subjects. Best image quality was found using T1-weighted gradient echo MRI, providing high anatomical details and excellent conspicuity of the non-enhanced vasculature. With successful shimming, B1 signal voids could be effectively reduced and/or shifted out of the region of interest in most sequence types. However, T2-weighted TSE imaging remained challenging and strongly impaired because of signal heterogeneities in three volunteers. Conclusion The results demonstrate the feasibility and diagnostic potential of dedicated 7T renal imaging. Further optimisation of imaging sequences and dedicated RF coil concepts are expected to improve the acquisition quality and ultimately provide high clinical diagnostic value. Y1 - 2011 SN - 1432-1084 VL - 21 IS - 4 SP - 841 EP - 849 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER -