TY - JOUR A1 - Frauenrath, Tobias A1 - Hezel, Fabian A1 - Renz, Wolfgang A1 - de Geyer d'Orth, Thibaut A1 - Dieringer, Matthias A1 - von Knobelsdorf-Brenkenhoff, Florian A1 - Prothmann, Marcel A1 - Schulz-Menger, Jeanette A1 - Niendorf, Thoralf T1 - Acoustic cardiac triggering: a practical solution for synchronization and gating of cardiovascular magnetic resonance at 7 Tesla JF - Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance N2 - Background To demonstrate the applicability of acoustic cardiac triggering (ACT) for imaging of the heart at ultrahigh magnetic fields (7.0 T) by comparing phonocardiogram, conventional vector electrocardiogram (ECG) and traditional pulse oximetry (POX) triggered 2D CINE acquisitions together with (i) a qualitative image quality analysis, (ii) an assessment of the left ventricular function parameter and (iii) an examination of trigger reliability and trigger detection variance derived from the signal waveforms. Results ECG was susceptible to severe distortions at 7.0 T. POX and ACT provided waveforms free of interferences from electromagnetic fields or from magneto-hydrodynamic effects. Frequent R-wave mis-registration occurred in ECG-triggered acquisitions with a failure rate of up to 30% resulting in cardiac motion induced artifacts. ACT and POX triggering produced images free of cardiac motion artefacts. ECG showed a severe jitter in the R-wave detection. POX also showed a trigger jitter of approximately Δt = 72 ms which is equivalent to two cardiac phases. ACT showed a jitter of approximately Δt = 5 ms only. ECG waveforms revealed a standard deviation for the cardiac trigger offset larger than that observed for ACT or POX waveforms. Image quality assessment showed that ACT substantially improved image quality as compared to ECG (image quality score at end-diastole: ECG = 1.7 ± 0.5, ACT = 2.4 ± 0.5, p = 0.04) while the comparison between ECG vs. POX gated acquisitions showed no significant differences in image quality (image quality score: ECG = 1.7 ± 0.5, POX = 2.0 ± 0.5, p = 0.34). Conclusions The applicability of acoustic triggering for cardiac CINE imaging at 7.0 T was demonstrated. ACT's trigger reliability and fidelity are superior to that of ECG and POX. ACT promises to be beneficial for cardiovascular magnetic resonance at ultra-high field strengths including 7.0 T. KW - Interval Time Series KW - Image Quality Score KW - Image Quality Assessment KW - Sound Pressure Level KW - Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/1532-429X-12-67 SN - 1532-429X VL - 12 IS - 1 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kob, Malte A1 - Frauenrath, Tobias T1 - A system for parallel measurement of glottis opening and larynx position JF - Biomedical Signal Processing and Control N2 - The simultaneous assessment of glottal dynamics and larynx position can be beneficial for the diagnosis of disordered voice or speech production and swallowing. Up to now, methods either concentrate on assessment of the glottis opening using optical, acoustical or electrical (electroglottography, EGG) methods, or on visualisation of the larynx position using ultrasound, computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging techniques. The method presented here makes use of a time-multiplex measurement approach of space-resolved transfer impedances through the larynx. The fast sequence of measurements allows a quasi simultaneous assessment of both larynx position and EGG signal using up to 32 transmit–receive signal paths. The system assesses the dynamic opening status of the glottis as well as the vertical and back/forward motion of the larynx. Two electrode-arrays are used for the measurement of the electrical transfer impedance through the neck in different directions. From the acquired data the global and individual conductivity is calculated as well as a 2D point spatial representation of the minimum impedance. The position information is shown together with classical EGG signals allowing a synchronous visual assessment of glottal area and larynx position. A first application to singing voice analysis is presented that indicate a high potential of the method for use as a non-invasive tool in the diagnosis of voice, speech, and swallowing disorders. KW - EGG KW - Transfer impedance KW - Tomography KW - Larynx position KW - Voice assessment Y1 - 2009 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bspc.2009.03.004 SN - 1746-8108 VL - 4 IS - 3 SP - 221 EP - 228 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinrichs, Uwe A1 - Utting, Jane F. A1 - Frauenrath, Tobias A1 - Hezel, Fabian A1 - Krombach, Gabriele A. A1 - Hodenius, Michael A. J. A1 - Kozerke, Sebastian A1 - Niendorf, Thoralf T1 - Myocardial T2 mapping free of distortion using susceptibility-weighted fast spin-echo imaging: A feasibility study at 1.5 T and 3.0 T JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine N2 - This study demonstrates the feasibility of applying free-breathing, cardiac-gated, susceptibility-weighted fast spin-echo imaging together with black blood preparation and navigator-gated respiratory motion compensation for anatomically accurate T₂ mapping of the heart. First, T₂ maps are presented for oil phantoms without and with respiratory motion emulation (T₂ = (22.1 ± 1.7) ms at 1.5 T and T₂ = (22.65 ± 0.89) ms at 3.0 T). T₂ relaxometry of a ferrofluid revealed relaxivities of R2 = (477.9 ± 17) mM⁻¹s⁻¹ and R2 = (449.6 ± 13) mM⁻¹s⁻¹ for UFLARE and multiecho gradient-echo imaging at 1.5 T. For inferoseptal myocardial regions mean T₂ values of 29.9 ± 6.6 ms (1.5 T) and 22.3 ± 4.8 ms (3.0 T) were estimated. For posterior myocardial areas close to the vena cava T₂-values of 24.0 ± 6.4 ms (1.5 T) and 15.4 ± 1.8 ms (3.0 T) were observed. The merits and limitations of the proposed approach are discussed and its implications for cardiac and vascular T₂-mapping are considered. Y1 - 2009 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.22054 SN - 1522-2594 VL - 62 IS - 3 SP - 822 EP - 828 PB - Wiley-Liss CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Frauenrath, Tobias A1 - Niendorf, Thoralf A1 - Kob, Malte T1 - Acoustic method for synchronization of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) JF - Acta Acustica N2 - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of moving organs requires synchronization with physiological motion or flow, which dictate the viable window for data acquisition. To meet this challenge, this study proposes an acoustic gating device (ACG) that employs acquisition and processing of acoustic signals for synchronization while providing MRI compatibility, immunity to interferences with electro-magnetic and acoustic fields and suitability for MRI at high magnetic field strengths. The applicability and robustness of the acoustic gating approach is examined in a pilot study, where it substitutes conventional ECG-gating for cardiovascular MR. The merits and limitations of the ACG approach are discussed. Implications for MR imaging in the presence of physiological motion are considered including synchronization with other structure- or motion borne sounds. Y1 - 2008 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3813/AAA.918017 SN - 1861-9959 VL - 94 IS - 1 SP - 148 EP - 155 PB - Hirzel CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oehlenschläger, Katharina A1 - Volkmar, Marianne A1 - Stiefelmaier, Judith A1 - Langsdorf, Alexander A1 - Holtmann, Dirk A1 - Tippkötter, Nils A1 - Ulber, Roland T1 - New insights into the influence of pre-culture on robust solvent production of C. acetobutylicum JF - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology N2 - Clostridia are known for their solvent production, especially the production of butanol. Concerning the projected depletion of fossil fuels, this is of great interest. The cultivation of clostridia is known to be challenging, and it is difficult to achieve reproducible results and robust processes. However, existing publications usually concentrate on the cultivation conditions of the main culture. In this paper, the influence of cryo-conservation and pre-culture on growth and solvent production in the resulting main cultivation are examined. A protocol was developed that leads to reproducible cultivations of Clostridium acetobutylicum. Detailed investigation of the cell conservation in cryo-cultures ensured reliable cell growth in the pre-culture. Moreover, a reason for the acid crash in the main culture was found, based on the cultivation conditions of the pre-culture. The critical parameter to avoid the acid crash and accomplish the shift to the solventogenesis of clostridia is the metabolic phase in which the cells of the pre-culture were at the time of inoculation of the main culture; this depends on the cultivation time of the pre-culture. Using cells from the exponential growth phase to inoculate the main culture leads to an acid crash. To achieve the solventogenic phase with butanol production, the inoculum should consist of older cells which are in the stationary growth phase. Considering these parameters, which affect the entire cultivation process, reproducible results and reliable solvent production are ensured. KW - Pre-culture KW - Metabolic shift KW - Acid crash KW - C. acetobutylicum KW - ABE KW - Butanol Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-023-12981-8 SN - 1432-0614 VL - 108 PB - Springer CY - Berlin, Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hengsbach, Jan-Niklas A1 - Engel, Mareike A1 - Cwienczek, Marcel A1 - Stiefelmaier, Judith A1 - Tippkötter, Nils A1 - Ulber, Roland T1 - Scalable unseparated bioelectrochemical reactors by using a carbon fiber brush as stirrer and working electrode JF - ChemElectroChem N2 - The concept of energy conversion into platform chemicals using bioelectrochemical systems (BES) has gained increasing attention in recent years, as the technology simultaneously provides an opportunity for sustainable chemical production and tackles the challenge of Power-to-X technologies. There are many approaches to realize the industrial scale of BES. One concept is to equip standard bioreactors with static electrodes. However, large installations resulted in a negative influence on various reactor parameters. In this study, we present a new single-chamber BES based on a stirred tank reactor in which the stirrer was replaced by a carbon fiber brush, performing the functions of the working electrode and the stirrer. The reactor is characterized in abiotic studies and electro-fermentations with Clostridium acetobutylicum. Compared to standard reactors an increase in butanol production of 20.14±3.66 % shows that the new BES can be efficiently used for bioelectrochemical processes. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/celc.202300440 SN - 2196-0216 VL - 10 IS - 21 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - von Knobelsdorf-Brenkenhoff, Florian A1 - Frauenrath, Tobias A1 - Prothmann, Marcel A1 - Dieringer, Matthias A. A1 - Hezel, Fabian A1 - Renz, Wolfgang A1 - Kretschel, Kerstin A1 - Niendorf, Thoralf A1 - Schulz-Menger, Jeanette T1 - Cardiac chamber quantification using magnetic resonance imaging at 7 Tesla—a pilot study N2 - Objectives Interest in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) at 7 T is motivated by the expected increase in spatial and temporal resolution, but the method is technically challenging. We examined the feasibility of cardiac chamber quantification at 7 T. Methods A stack of short axes covering the left ventricle was obtained in nine healthy male volunteers. At 1.5 T, steady-state free precession (SSFP) and fast gradient echo (FGRE) cine imaging with 7 mm slice thickness (STH) were used. At 7 T, FGRE with 7 mm and 4 mm STH were applied. End-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, ejection fraction and mass were calculated. Results All 7 T examinations provided excellent blood/myocardium contrast for all slice directions. No significant difference was found regarding ejection fraction and cardiac volumes between SSFP at 1.5 T and FGRE at 7 T, while volumes obtained from FGRE at 1.5 T were underestimated. Cardiac mass derived from FGRE at 1.5 and 7 T was larger than obtained from SSFP at 1.5 T. Agreement of volumes and mass between SSFP at 1.5 T and FGRE improved for FGRE at 7 T when combined with an STH reduction to 4 mm. Conclusions This pilot study demonstrates that cardiac chamber quantification at 7 T using FGRE is feasible and agrees closely with SSFP at 1.5 T. Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-010-1888-2 SN - 0938-7994 VL - 20 SP - 2844 EP - 2852 PB - Springer CY - Berlin, Heidelberg ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Langohr, Philipp A1 - Bung, Daniel Bernhard A1 - Crookston, Brian M. ED - Ortega-Sánchez, Miguel T1 - Hybrid investigation of labyrinth weirs: Discharge capacity and energy dissipation T2 - Proceedings of the 39th IAHR World Congress N2 - The replacement of existing spillway crests or gates with labyrinth weirs is a proven techno-economical means to increase the discharge capacity when rehabilitating existing structures. However, additional information is needed regarding energy dissipation of such weirs, since due to the folded weir crest, a three-dimensional flow field is generated, yielding more complex overflow and energy dissipation processes. In this study, CFD simulations of labyrinth weirs were conducted 1) to analyze the discharge coefficients for different discharges to compare the Cd values to literature data and 2) to analyze and improve energy dissipation downstream of the structure. All tests were performed for a structure at laboratory scale with a height of approx. P = 30.5 cm, a ratio of the total crest length to the total width of 4.7, a sidewall angle of 10° and a quarter-round weir crest shape. Tested headwater ratios were 0.089 ≤ HT/P ≤ 0.817. For numerical simulations, FLOW-3D Hydro was employed, solving the RANS equations with use of finite-volume method and RNG k-ε turbulence closure. In terms of discharge capacity, results were compared to data from physical model tests performed at the Utah Water Research Laboratory (Utah State University), emphasizing higher discharge coefficients from CFD than from the physical model. For upstream heads, some discrepancy in the range of ± 1 cm between literature, CFD and physical model tests was identified with a discussion regarding differences included in the manuscript. For downstream energy dissipation, variable tailwater depths were considered to analyze the formation and sweep-out of a hydraulic jump. It was found that even for high discharges, relatively low downstream Froude numbers were obtained due to high energy dissipation involved by the three-dimensional flow between the sidewalls. The effects of some additional energy dissipation devices, e.g. baffle blocks or end sills, were also analyzed. End sills were found to be non-effective. However, baffle blocks with different locations may improve energy dissipation downstream of labyrinth weirs. Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-90-832612-1-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC252171192022738 SN - 2521-7119 (print) SN - 2521-716X (online) N1 - 39th IAHR World Congress, 19. - 24. Juni 2022, Granada SP - 2313 EP - 2318 PB - International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) CY - Madrid ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Crookston, Brian M. A1 - Bung, Daniel Bernhard ED - Ortega-Sánchez, Miguel T1 - Application of RGB-D cameras in hydraulic laboratory studies T2 - Proceedings of the 39th IAHR World Congress N2 - Non-intrusive measuring techniques have attained a lot of interest in relation to both hydraulic modeling and prototype applications. Complimenting acoustic techniques, significant progress has been made for the development of new optical methods. Computer vision techniques can help to extract new information, e. g. high-resolution velocity and depth data, from videos captured with relatively inexpensive, consumer-grade cameras. Depth cameras are sensors providing information on the distance between the camera and observed features. Currently, sensors with different working principles are available. Stereoscopic systems reference physical image features (passive system) from two perspectives; in order to enhance the number of features and improve the results, a sensor may also estimate the disparity from a detected light to its original projection (active stereo system). In the current study, the RGB-D camera Intel RealSense D435, working on such stereo vision principle, is used in different, typical hydraulic modeling applications. All tests have been conducted at the Utah Water Research Laboratory. This paper will demonstrate the performance and limitations of the RGB-D sensor, installed as a single camera and as camera arrays, applied to 1) detect the free surface for highly turbulent, aerated hydraulic jumps, for free-falling jets and for an energy dissipation basin downstream of a labyrinth weir and 2) to monitor local scours upstream and downstream of a Piano Key Weir. It is intended to share the authors’ experiences with respect to camera settings, calibration, lightning conditions and other requirements in order to promote this useful, easily accessible device. Results will be compared to data from classical instrumentation and the literature. It will be shown that even in difficult application, e. g. the detection of a highly turbulent, fluctuating free-surface, the RGB-D sensor may yield similar accuracy as classical, intrusive probes. Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-90-832612-1-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC252171192022964 SN - 2521-7119 (print) SN - 2521-716X (online) N1 - 39th IAHR World Congress, 19. - 24. Juni 2022, Granada SP - 5127 EP - 5133 PB - International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) CY - Madrid ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Mulsow, Niklas A. A1 - Hülsen, Benjamin A1 - Gützlaff, Joel A1 - Spies, Leon A1 - Bresser, Andreas A1 - Dabrowski, Adam A1 - Czupalla, Markus A1 - Kirchner, Frank T1 - Concept and design of an autonomous micro rover for long term lunar exploration T2 - Proceedings of the 74th International Astronautical Congress N2 - Research on robotic lunar exploration has seen a broad revival, especially since the Google Lunar X-Prize increasingly brought private endeavors into play. This development is supported by national agencies with the aim of enabling long-term lunar infrastructure for in-situ operations and the establishment of a moon village. One challenge for effective exploration missions is developing a compact and lightweight robotic rover to reduce launch costs and open the possibility for secondary payload options. Existing micro rovers for exploration missions are clearly limited by their design for one day of sunlight and their low level of autonomy. For expanding the potential mission applications and range of use, an extension of lifetime could be reached by surviving the lunar night and providing a higher level of autonomy. To address this objective, the paper presents a system design concept for a lightweight micro rover with long-term mission duration capabilities, derived from a multi-day lunar mission scenario at equatorial regions. Technical solution approaches are described, analyzed, and evaluated, with emphasis put on the harmonization of hardware selection due to a strictly limited budget in dimensions and power. Y1 - 2023 N1 - 74. International Astronautical Congress (IAC-2023), October 2-6 2023, Baku, Azerbaijan PB - dfki CY - Saarbrücken ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hülsen, Benjamin A1 - Mulsow, Niklas A. A1 - Dabrowski, Adam A1 - Brinkmann, Wiebke A1 - Gützlaff, Joel A1 - Spies, Leon A1 - Czupalla, Markus A1 - Kirchner, Frank T1 - Towards an autonomous micro rover with night survivability for lunar exploration T2 - Proceedings of the 74th International Astronautical Congress N2 - In Europe, efforts are underway to develop key technologies that can be used to explore the Moon and to exploit the resources available. This includes technologies for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), facilitating the possibility of a future Moon Village. The Moon is the next step for humans and robots to exploit the use of available resources for longer term missions, but also for further exploration of the solar system. A challenge for effective exploration missions is to achieve a compact and lightweight robot to reduce launch costs and open up the possibility of secondary payload options. Current micro rover concepts are primarily designed to last for one day of solar illumination and show a low level of autonomy. Extending the lifetime of the system by enabling survival of the lunar night and implementing a high level of autonomy will significantly increase potential mission applications and the operational range. As a reference mission, the deployment of a micro rover in the equatorial region of the Moon is being considered. An overview of mission parameters and a detailed example mission sequence is given in this paper. The mission parameters are based on an in-depth study of current space agency roadmaps, scientific goals, and upcoming flight opportunities. Furthermore, concepts of the ongoing international micro rover developments are analyzed along with technology solutions identified for survival of lunar nights and a high system autonomy. The results provide a basis of a concise requirements set-up to allow dedicated system developments and qualification measures in the future. Y1 - 2023 N1 - 74. International Astronautical Congress (IAC-2023), October 2-6 2023, Baku, Azerbaijan PB - dfki ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Wild, Dominik A1 - Czupalla, Markus A1 - Förstner, Roger T1 - Modeling, prediction and test of additive manufactured integral structures with embedded lattice and phase change material applying Infused Thermal Solutions (ITS) T2 - ICES104: Advances in Thermal Control Technology N2 - Infused Thermal Solutions (ITS) introduces a method for passive thermal control to stabilize structural components thermally without active heating and cooling systems, but with phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage (TES), in combination with lattice - both embedded in additive manufactured functional structures. In this ITS follow-on paper a thermal model approach and associated predictions are presented, related on the ITS functional breadboards developed at FH Aachen. Predictive TES by PCM is provided by a specially developed ITS PCM subroutine, which is applicable in ESATAN. The subroutine is based on the latent heat storage (LHS) method to numerically embed thermo-physical PCM behavior. Furthermore, a modeling approach is introduced to numerically consider the virtual PCM/lattice nodes within the macro-encapsulated PCM voids of the double wall ITS design. Related on these virtual nodes, in-plane and out-of-plane conductive links are defined. The recent additive manufactured ITS breadboard series are thermally cycled in the thermal vacuum chamber, both with and without embedded PCM. Related on breadboard hardware tests, measurement results are compared with predictions and are subsequently correlated. The results of specific simulations and measurements are presented. Recent predictive results of star tracker analyses are also presented in ICES-2021-106, based on this ITS PCM subroutine. KW - latent heat KW - thermo-physical KW - lattice KW - ESATAN KW - subroutine KW - PCM KW - ITS Y1 - 2021 N1 - 50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 12-15 July 2021, held virtually PB - Texas Tech University CY - Lubbock, Tex. ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kohlberger, David-Sharif A1 - Wild, Dominik A1 - Kasper, Stefan A1 - Czupalla, Markus T1 - Modeling and analyses of a thermal passively stabilized LEO/GEO star tracker with embedded phase change material applying the Infused Thermal Solutions (ITS) method T2 - ICES202: Satellite, Payload, and Instrument Thermal Control N2 - Phase change materials offer a way of storing excess heat and releasing it when it is needed. They can be utilized as a method to control thermal behavior without the need for additional energy. This work focuses on exploring the potential of using phase change materials to passively control the thermal behavior of a star tracker by infusing it with a fitting phase change material. Based on the numerical model of the star trackers thermal behavior using ESATAN-TMS without implemented phase change material, a fitting phase change material for selected orbits is chosen and implemented in the thermal model. The altered thermal behavior of the numerical model after the implementation is analyzed for different amounts of the chosen phase change materials using an ESATAN-based subroutine developed by the FH Aachen. The PCM-modelling-subroutine is explained in the paper ICES-2021-110. The results show that an increasing amount of phase change material increasingly damps temperature oscillations. Using an integral part structure some of the mass increase can be compensated. KW - passive thermal control KW - PCM KW - star tracker KW - Infused Thermal Solutions KW - GEO KW - LEO Y1 - 2021 N1 - 50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 12-15 July 2021, held virtually PB - Texas Tech University CY - Lubbock, Tex. ER - TY - INPR A1 - Schmülling, Max A1 - Gützlaff, Joel A1 - Czupalla, Markus T1 - A thermal simulation environment for moving objects on the lunar surface N2 - This paper presents a thermal simulation environment for moving objects on the lunar surface. The goal of the thermal simulation environment is to enable the reliable prediction of the temperature development of a given object on the lunar surface by providing the respective heat fluxes for a mission on a given travel path. The user can import any object geometry and freely define the path that the object should travel. Using the path of the object, the relevant lunar surface geometry is imported from a digital elevation model. The relevant parts of the lunar surface are determined based on distance to the defined path. A thermal model of these surface sections is generated, consisting of a porous layer on top and a denser layer below. The object is moved across the lunar surface, and its inclination is adapted depending on the slope of the terrain below it. Finally, a transient thermal analysis of the object and its environment is performed at several positions on its path and the results are visualized. The paper introduces details on the thermal modeling of the lunar surface, as well as its verification. Furthermore, the structure of the created software is presented. The robustness of the environment is verified with the help of sensitivity studies and possible improvements are presented. KW - Dynamic modeling KW - Thermal analysis KW - ESATAN-TMS KW - Lunar Surface KW - Thermal Model Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3902363/v1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wild, Dominik A1 - Schrezenmeier, Johannes A1 - Czupalla, Markus A1 - Förstner, Roger T1 - Thermal Characterization of additive manufactured Integral Structures for Phase Change Applications JF - 2020 International Conference on Environmental Systems N2 - “Infused Thermal Solutions” (ITS) introduces a method for passive thermal control to stabilize structural components thermally without active heating and cooling systems, by using phase change material (PCM) in combination with lattice – both embedded into an additive manufactured integral structure. The technology is currently under development. This paper presents the results of the thermal property measurements performed on additive manufactured ITS breadboards. Within the breadboard campaigns key characteristics of the additive manufactured specimens were derived: Mechanical parameters: specimen impermeability, minimum wall thickness, lattice structure, subsequent heat treatment. Thermal properties: thermo-optical surface properties of the additive manufactured raw material, thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity measurements. As a conclusion the paper introduces an overview of potential ITS hardware applications, expected to increase the thermal performance. Y1 - 2020 PB - Texas Tech University ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schopen, Oliver A1 - Narayan, Sriram A1 - Beckmann, Marvin A1 - Najmi, Aezid-Ul-Hassan A1 - Esch, Thomas A1 - Shabani, Bahman T1 - An EIS approach to quantify the effects of inlet air relative humidity on the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells: a pathway to developing a novel fault diagnostic method JF - International Journal of Hydrogen Energy N2 - In this work, the effect of low air relative humidity on the operation of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell is investigated. An innovative method through performing in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is utilised to quantify the effect of inlet air relative humidity at the cathode side on internal ionic resistances and output voltage of the fuel cell. In addition, algorithms are developed to analyse the electrochemical characteristics of the fuel cell. For the specific fuel cell stack used in this study, the membrane resistance drops by over 39 % and the cathode side charge transfer resistance decreases by 23 % after increasing the humidity from 30 % to 85 %, while the results of static operation also show an increase of ∼2.2 % in the voltage output after increasing the relative humidity from 30 % to 85 %. In dynamic operation, visible drying effects occur at < 50 % relative humidity, whereby the increase of the air side stoichiometry increases the drying effects. Furthermore, other parameters, such as hydrogen humidification, internal stack structure, and operating parameters like stoichiometry, pressure, and temperature affect the overall water balance. Therefore, the optimal humidification range must be determined by considering all these parameters to maximise the fuel cell performance and durability. The results of this study are used to develop a health management system to ensure sufficient humidification by continuously monitoring the fuel cell polarisation data and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicators. KW - PEM fuel cell KW - Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy KW - Relative air humidity KW - Active humidity control KW - Impedance analysis Y1 - 2024 SN - 0360-3199 (print) U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.01.218 SN - 1879-3487 (online) VL - 58 IS - 8 SP - 1302 EP - 1315 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schopen, Oliver A1 - Shah, Neel A1 - Esch, Thomas A1 - Shabani, Bahman T1 - Critical quantitative evaluation of integrated health management methods for fuel cell applications JF - International Journal of Hydrogen Energy N2 - Online fault diagnostics is a crucial consideration for fuel cell systems, particularly in mobile applications, to limit downtime and degradation, and to increase lifetime. Guided by a critical literature review, in this paper an overview of Health management systems classified in a scheme is presented, introducing commonly utilised methods to diagnose FCs in various applications. In this novel scheme, various Health management system methods are summarised and structured to provide an overview of existing systems including their associated tools. These systems are classified into four categories mainly focused on model-based and non-model-based systems. The individual methods are critically discussed when used individually or combined aimed at further understanding their functionality and suitability in different applications. Additionally, a tool is introduced to evaluate methods from each category based on the scheme presented. This tool applies the technique of matrix evaluation utilising several key parameters to identify the most appropriate methods for a given application. Based on this evaluation, the most suitable methods for each specific application are combined to build an integrated Health management system. KW - Fuel cell KW - Health management system KW - Online diagnostic KW - Fault detection KW - Non-model-based Evaluation Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.05.156 SN - 0360-3199 VL - 70 SP - 370 EP - 388 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Stark, Ralf A1 - Rieping, Carla A1 - Esch, Thomas T1 - The impact of guide tubes on flow separation in rocket nozzles T2 - Aerospace Europe Conference 2023 - 10th EUCASS - 9th CEAS N2 - Rocket engine test facilities and launch pads are typically equipped with a guide tube. Its purpose is to ensure the controlled and safe routing of the hot exhaust gases. In addition, the guide tube induces a suction that effects the nozzle flow, namely the flow separation during transient start-up and shut-down of the engine. A cold flow subscale nozzle in combination with a set of guide tubes was studied experimentally to determine the main influencing parameters. KW - Guide Tube KW - TICTOP KW - Nozzle KW - Suction Y1 - 2023 N1 - Lausanne, July 9-13, 2023 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Stark, Ralf A1 - Bartel, Sebastian A1 - Ditsche, Florian A1 - Esch, Thomas T1 - Design study of a 30kN LOX/LCH4 aerospike rocket engine for lunar lander application T2 - Aerospace Europe Conference 2023 - 10th EUCASS - 9th CEAS N2 - Based on lunar lander concept EL3, various LOX/CH4 aerospike engines were studied. A distinction was made between single and cluster configurations as well as ideal and non-ideal contour concepts. It could be shown that non-ideal aerospike engines promise a significant payload gain. Y1 - 2023 N1 - Lausanne, July 9-13, 2023 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hackl, Michael A1 - Buess, Eduard A1 - Kammerlohr, Sandra A1 - Nacov, Julia A1 - Staat, Manfred A1 - Leschinger, Tim A1 - Müller, Lars P. A1 - Wegmann, Kilian T1 - A "comma sign"-directed subscapularis repair in anterosuperior rotator cuff tears yields biomechanical advantages in a cadaveric model JF - The american journal of sports medicine N2 - Background: Additional stabilization of the “comma sign” in anterosuperior rotator cuff repair has been proposed to provide biomechanical benefits regarding stability of the repair. Purpose: This in vitro investigation aimed to investigate the influence of a comma sign–directed reconstruction technique for anterosuperior rotator cuff tears on the primary stability of the subscapularis tendon repair. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A total of 18 fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders were used in this study. Anterosuperior rotator cuff tears (complete full-thickness tear of the supraspinatus and subscapularis tendons) were created, and supraspinatus repair was performed with a standard suture bridge technique. The subscapularis was repaired with either a (1) single-row or (2) comma sign technique. A high-resolution 3D camera system was used to analyze 3-mm and 5-mm gap formation at the subscapularis tendon-bone interface upon incremental cyclic loading. Moreover, the ultimate failure load of the repair was recorded. A Mann-Whitney test was used to assess significant differences between the 2 groups. Results: The comma sign repair withstood significantly more loading cycles than the single-row repair until 3-mm and 5-mm gap formation occurred (P≤ .047). The ultimate failure load did not reveal any significant differences when the 2 techniques were compared (P = .596). Conclusion: The results of this study show that additional stabilization of the comma sign enhanced the primary stability of subscapularis tendon repair in anterosuperior rotator cuff tears. Although this stabilization did not seem to influence the ultimate failure load, it effectively decreased the micromotion at the tendon-bone interface during cyclic loading. Clinical Relevance: The proposed technique for stabilization of the comma sign has shown superior biomechanical properties in comparison with a single-row repair and might thus improve tendon healing. Further clinical research will be necessary to determine its influence on the functional outcome. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1177/03635465211031506 SN - 1552-3365 SN - 0363-5465 VL - 49 IS - 12 SP - 3212 EP - 3217 PB - Sage CY - London ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Tippkötter, Nils A1 - Möhring, Sophie A1 - Roth, Jasmine A1 - Wulfhorst, Helene T1 - Logistics of lignocellulosic feedstocks: preprocessing as a preferable option T2 - Biorefineries N2 - In comparison to crude oil, biorefinery raw materials are challenging in concerns of transport and storage. The plant raw materials are more voluminous, so that shredding and compacting usually are necessary before transport. These mechanical processes can have a negative influence on the subsequent biotechnological processing and shelf life of the raw materials. Various approaches and their effects on renewable raw materials are shown. In addition, aspects of decentralized pretreatment steps are discussed. Another important aspect of pretreatment is the varying composition of the raw materials depending on the growth conditions. This problem can be solved with advanced on-site spectrometric analysis of the material. KW - Analytics KW - Decentral KW - Mechanical KW - On-site KW - Pre-treatment Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-3-319-97117-9 SN - 978-3-319-97119-3 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/10_2017_58 N1 - Advances in biochemical engineering/biotechnology ; Vol. 166 SP - 43 EP - 68 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schieren, Mark A1 - Kleinschmidt, Joris A1 - Schmutz, Axel A1 - Loop, Torsten A1 - Gatzweiler, Karl-Heinz A1 - Staat, Manfred A1 - Wappler, Frank A1 - Defosse, Jerome T1 - Comparison of forces acting on maxillary incisors during tracheal intubation with different laryngoscopy techniques: a blinded manikin study JF - Anaesthesia Y1 - 2019 SN - 1365-2044 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.14815 N1 - Die Anhänge "Table S1 (Impact of sex and level of training on dental force. Results presented as median (IQR [range]) and n (%))" und "Appendix S1 (Measurement technique.)" stehen unter "Supporting Information" zum Download bereit. VL - 74 IS - 12 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kurz, Melanie T1 - Images of Sweden in Germany: from Sundborn and Bullerby to Ikea JF - nomad: the magazine for new design culture, business affairs and contemporary lifestyle Y1 - 2019 SN - 2513-0714 IS - 8 SP - 136 EP - 147 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Staat, Manfred T1 - An extension strain type Mohr–Coulomb criterion JF - Rock mechanics and rock engineering N2 - Extension fractures are typical for the deformation under low or no confining pressure. They can be explained by a phenomenological extension strain failure criterion. In the past, a simple empirical criterion for fracture initiation in brittle rock has been developed. In this article, it is shown that the simple extension strain criterion makes unrealistic strength predictions in biaxial compression and tension. To overcome this major limitation, a new extension strain criterion is proposed by adding a weighted principal shear component to the simple criterion. The shear weight is chosen, such that the enriched extension strain criterion represents the same failure surface as the Mohr–Coulomb (MC) criterion. Thus, the MC criterion has been derived as an extension strain criterion predicting extension failure modes, which are unexpected in the classical understanding of the failure of cohesive-frictional materials. In progressive damage of rock, the most likely fracture direction is orthogonal to the maximum extension strain leading to dilatancy. The enriched extension strain criterion is proposed as a threshold surface for crack initiation CI and crack damage CD and as a failure surface at peak stress CP. Different from compressive loading, tensile loading requires only a limited number of critical cracks to cause failure. Therefore, for tensile stresses, the failure criteria must be modified somehow, possibly by a cut-off corresponding to the CI stress. Examples show that the enriched extension strain criterion predicts much lower volumes of damaged rock mass compared to the simple extension strain criterion. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-021-02608-7 SN - 1434-453X N1 - Corresponding author: Manfred Staat VL - 54 IS - 12 SP - 6207 EP - 6233 PB - Springer Nature CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Engelmann, Ulrich M. A1 - Shasha, Carolyn A1 - Slabu, Ioana T1 - Magnetic nanoparticle relaxation in biomedical application: focus on simulating nanoparticle heating T2 - Magnetic nanoparticles in human health and medicine Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-1-119-75467-1 SP - 327 EP - 354 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken, New Jeersey ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Drumm, Christian A1 - Emhardt, Selina N. A1 - Kok, Ellen M. A1 - Jarodzka, Halzka A1 - Brand-Gruwel, Saskia A1 - van Gog, Tamara T1 - How Experts Adapt Their Gaze Behavior When Modeling a Task to Novices JF - Cognitive science N2 - Domain experts regularly teach novice students how to perform a task. This often requires them to adjust their behavior to the less knowledgeable audience and, hence, to behave in a more didactic manner. Eye movement modeling examples (EMMEs) are a contemporary educational tool for displaying experts’ (natural or didactic) problem-solving behavior as well as their eye movements to learners. While research on expert-novice communication mainly focused on experts’ changes in explicit, verbal communication behavior, it is as yet unclear whether and how exactly experts adjust their nonverbal behavior. This study first investigated whether and how experts change their eye movements and mouse clicks (that are displayed in EMMEs) when they perform a task naturally versus teach a task didactically. Programming experts and novices initially debugged short computer codes in a natural manner. We first characterized experts’ natural problem-solving behavior by contrasting it with that of novices. Then, we explored the changes in experts’ behavior when being subsequently instructed to model their task solution didactically. Experts became more similar to novices on measures associated with experts’ automatized processes (i.e., shorter fixation durations, fewer transitions between code and output per click on the run button when behaving didactically). This adaptation might make it easier for novices to follow or imitate the expert behavior. In contrast, experts became less similar to novices for measures associated with more strategic behavior (i.e., code reading linearity, clicks on run button) when behaving didactically. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.12893 SN - 1551-6709 VL - 44 IS - 9 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - INPR A1 - Bornheim, Tobias A1 - Grieger, Niklas A1 - Blaneck, Patrick Gustav A1 - Bialonski, Stephan T1 - Preprint: Speaker attribution in German parliamentary debates with QLoRA-adapted large language models T2 - Journal for Language Technology and Computational Linguistics N2 - The growing body of political texts opens up new opportunities for rich insights into political dynamics and ideologies but also increases the workload for manual analysis. Automated speaker attribution, which detects who said what to whom in a speech event and is closely related to semantic role labeling, is an important processing step for computational text analysis. We study the potential of the large language model family Llama 2 to automate speaker attribution in German parliamentary debates from 2017-2021. We fine-tune Llama 2 with QLoRA, an efficient training strategy, and observe our approach to achieve competitive performance in the GermEval 2023 Shared Task On Speaker Attribution in German News Articles and Parliamentary Debates. Our results shed light on the capabilities of large language models in automating speaker attribution, revealing a promising avenue for computational analysis of political discourse and the development of semantic role labeling systems. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2309.09902 N1 - Veröffentlichte Version verfügbar unter: https://doi.org/10.21248/jlcl.37.2024.244 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Bornheim, Tobias A1 - Grieger, Niklas A1 - Bialonski, Stephan T1 - FHAC at GermEval 2021: Identifying German toxic, engaging, and fact-claiming comments with ensemble learning T2 - Proceedings of the GermEval 2021 Workshop on the Identification of Toxic, Engaging, and Fact-Claiming Comments : 17th Conference on Natural Language Processing KONVENS 2021 Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.48415/2021/fhw5-x128 N1 - KONVENS (Konferenz zur Verarbeitung natürlicher Sprache/Conference on Natural Language Processing) 2021, 6. - 9. September 2021, Düsseldorf SP - 105 EP - 111 PB - Heinrich Heine University CY - Düsseldorf ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Wagemann, Kurt A1 - Tippkötter, Nils T1 - Biorefineries / Kurt Wagemann, Nils Tippkötter (editors) T3 - Advances in biochemical engineering/biotechnology book series (ABE) Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-3-319-97117-9 SN - 978-3-319-97119-3 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97119-3 PB - Springer CY - Cham (Switzerland) ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Aliazizi, Fereshteh A1 - Özsoylu, Dua A1 - Bakhshi Sichani, Soroush A1 - Khorshid, Mehran A1 - Glorieux, Christ A1 - Robbens, Johan A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Wagner, Patrick T1 - Development and Calibration of a Microfluidic, Chip-Based Sensor System for Monitoring the Physical Properties of Water Samples in Aquacultures JF - Micromachines N2 - In this work, we present a compact, bifunctional chip-based sensor setup that measures the temperature and electrical conductivity of water samples, including specimens from rivers and channels, aquaculture, and the Atlantic Ocean. For conductivity measurements, we utilize the impedance amplitude recorded via interdigitated electrode structures at a single triggering frequency. The results are well in line with data obtained using a calibrated reference instrument. The new setup holds for conductivity values spanning almost two orders of magnitude (river versus ocean water) without the need for equivalent circuit modelling. Temperature measurements were performed in four-point geometry with an on-chip platinum RTD (resistance temperature detector) in the temperature range between 2 °C and 40 °C, showing no hysteresis effects between warming and cooling cycles. Although the meander was not shielded against the liquid, the temperature calibration provided equivalent results to low conductive Milli-Q and highly conductive ocean water. The sensor is therefore suitable for inline and online monitoring purposes in recirculating aquaculture systems. KW - chip-based sensor setup KW - aquaculture KW - microfluidics KW - impedance spectroscopy KW - thermometry KW - electrical conductivity of liquids Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15060755 SN - 2072-666X N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Multisensor Arrays" N1 - Corresponding author: Michael J. Schöning VL - 15 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - GEN A1 - Biewendt, Marcel A1 - Blaschke, Florian A1 - Böhnert, Arno ED - Koponicsne Györke, Diana T1 - The rebound effect: a critical and systematic review on the current state of affairs T2 - Abstracts of the International Conference on Sustainable Economy and Agriculture Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-615-5599-72-9 N1 - International Conference on Sustainable Economy and Agriculture. Kaposvár University – Kaposvár – Hungary – 14th November 2019 SP - 101 EP - 101 PB - Universität Kaposvár CY - Kaposvár ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schulze-Buxloh, Lina A1 - Groß, Rolf Fritz T1 - Interdisciplinary Course Smart Building Engineering: A new approach of teaching freshmen in remote teamwork project under pandemic restrictions T2 - New Perspectives in Science Education - International Conference N2 - In the context of the Corona pandemic and its impact on teaching like digital lectures and exercises a new concept especially for freshmen in demanding courses of Smart Building Engineering became necessary. As there were hardly any face-to-face events at the university, the new teaching concept should enable a good start into engineering studies under pandemic conditions anyway and should also replace the written exam at the end. The students should become active themselves in small teams instead of listening passively to a lecture broadcast online with almost no personal contact. For this purpose, a role play was developed in which the freshmen had to work out a complete solution to the realistic problem of designing, construction planning and implementing a small guesthouse. Each student of the team had to take a certain role like architect, site manager, BIM-manager, electrician and the technitian for HVAC installations. Technical specifications must be complied with, as well as documentation, time planning and cost estimate. The final project folder had to contain technical documents like circuit diagrams for electrical components, circuit diagrams for water and heating, design calculations and components lists. On the other hand construction schedule, construction implementation plan, documentation of the construction progress and minutes of meetings between the various trades had to be submitted as well. In addition to the project folder, a model of the construction project must also be created either as a handmade model or as a digital 3D-model using Computer-aided design (CAD) software. The first steps in the field of Building information modelling (BIM) had also been taken by creating a digital model of the building showing the current planning status in real time as a digital twin. This project turned out to be an excellent training of important student competencies like teamwork, communication skills, and self -organisation and also increased motivation to work on complex technical questions. The aim of giving the student a first impression on the challenges and solutions in building projects with many different technical trades and their points of view was very well achieved and should be continued in the future. KW - Freshmen KW - roleplay KW - Smart Building Engineering KW - BIM KW - remote teamwork Y1 - 2021 N1 - New Perspectives in Science Education - 10th Edition, 18-19 March 2021, Fully Virtual Conference PB - Filodiritto CY - Bologna ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schulze-Buxloh, Lina A1 - Groß, Rolf Fritz T1 - Miniature urban farming plant: a complex educational “Toy” for engineering students T2 - The Future of Education 11th Edition 2021 N2 - Urban farming is an innovative and sustainable way of food production and is becoming more and more important in smart city and quarter concepts. It also enables the production of certain foods in places where they usually dare not produced, such as production of fish or shrimps in large cities far away from the coast. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to show students such concepts and systems in real life as part of courses: visits of such industry plants are sometimes not possible because of distance or are permitted by the operator for hygienic reasons. In order to give the students the opportunity of getting into contact with such an urban farming system and its complex operation, an industrial urban farming plant was set up on a significantly smaller scale. Therefore, all needed technical components like water aeriation, biological and mechanical filtration or water circulation have been replaced either by aquarium components or by self-designed parts also using a 3D-printer. Students from different courses like mechanical engineering, smart building engineering, biology, electrical engineering, automation technology and civil engineering were involved in this project. This “miniature industrial plant” was also able to start operation and has now been running for two years successfully. Due to Corona pandemic, home office and remote online lectures, the automation of this miniature plant should be brought to a higher level in future for providing a good control over the system and water quality remotely. The aim of giving the student a chance to get to know the operation of an urban farming plant was very well achieved and the students had lots of fun in “playing” and learning with it in a realistic way. KW - urban farming KW - food production KW - smart engineering KW - 3D printing KW - sustainability Y1 - 2021 N1 - FOE 2021 : The Future of Education International Conference – Fully Virtual Edition; 01.07.2021-02.07.2021; Florence, Italy ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schulze-Buxloh, Lina A1 - Groß, Rolf Fritz A1 - Ulbrich, Michelle T1 - Digital planning using building information modelling and virtual reality: new approach for students’ remote practical training under lockdown conditions in the course of smart building engineering T2 - Proceedings of International Conference on Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology 2021 N2 - The worldwide Corona pandemic has severely restricted student projects in the higher semesters of engineering courses. In order not to delay the graduation, a new concept had to be developed for projects under lockdown conditions. Therefore, unused rooms at the university should be digitally recorded in order to develop a new usage concept as laboratory rooms. An inventory of the actual state of the rooms was done first by taking photos and listing up all flaws and peculiarities. After that, a digital site measuring was done with a 360° laser scanner and these recorded scans were linked to a coherent point cloud and transferred to a software for planning technical building services and supporting Building Information Modelling (BIM). In order to better illustrate the difference between the actual and target state, two virtual reality models were created for realistic demonstration. During the project, the students had to go through the entire digital planning phases. Technical specifications had to be complied with, as well as documentation, time planning and cost estimate. This project turned out to be an excellent alternative to on-site practical training under lockdown conditions and increased the students’ motivation to deal with complex technical questions. KW - smart building engineering KW - building information modelling KW - virtual reality KW - lockdown conditions KW - emote practical training Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-1-952092-17-6 N1 - International Conference on Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology 2021, April 1-4, 2021 in Antalya, Turkey SP - 118 EP - 123 PB - ISTES Organization CY - San Antonio, TX ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schulze-Buxloh, Lina A1 - Groß, Rolf Fritz A1 - Cheng, Kevin Toni T1 - Development and manufacturing of an interactive three-dimensional phase diagram of carbon dioxide for teaching sessions in thermodynamics T2 - Proceedings of the International Conference The Future of Education 2020 Y1 - 2020 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Mohan, Nijanthan A1 - Groß, Rolf Fritz A1 - Menzel, Karsten A1 - Theis, Fabian T1 - Opportunities and Challenges in the Implementation of Building Information Modeling for Prefabrication of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems in Small and Medium-Sized Contracting Companies in Germany – A Case Study T2 - WIT Transactions on The Built Environment, Vol. 205 N2 - Even though BIM (Building Information Modelling) is successfully implemented in most of the world, it is still in the early stages in Germany, since the stakeholders are sceptical of its reliability and efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the opportunities and obstacles to implementing BIM for prefabrication. Among all other advantages of BIM, prefabrication is chosen for this paper because it plays a vital role in creating an impact on the time and cost factors of a construction project. The project stakeholders and participants can explicitly observe the positive impact of prefabrication, which enables the breakthrough of the scepticism factor among the small-scale construction companies. The analysis consists of the development of a process workflow for implementing prefabrication in building construction followed by a practical approach, which was executed with two case studies. It was planned in such a way that, the first case study gives a first-hand experience for the workers at the site on the BIM model so that they can make much use of the created BIM model, which is a better representation compared to the traditional 2D plan. The main aim of the first case study is to create a belief in the implementation of BIM Models, which was succeeded by the execution of offshore prefabrication in the second case study. Based on the case studies, the time analysis was made and it is inferred that the implementation of BIM for prefabrication can reduce construction time, ensures minimal wastes, better accuracy, less problem-solving at the construction site. It was observed that this process requires more planning time, better communication between different disciplines, which was the major obstacle for successful implementation. This paper was carried out from the perspective of small and medium-sized mechanical contracting companies for the private building sector in Germany. KW - building information modelling KW - HVAC KW - prefabrication KW - construction KW - small and medium scaled companies Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2495/BIM210101 SN - 1743-3509 N1 - 4th International Conference on Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Design, Construction and Operations, 1–3 September 2021. Santiago de Compostela, Spain SP - 117 EP - 126 PB - WIT Press CY - Southampton ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Angermann, Susanne A1 - Günthner, Roman A1 - Hanssen, Henner A1 - Lorenz, Georg A1 - Braunisch, Matthias C. A1 - Steubl, Dominik A1 - Matschkal, Julia A1 - Kemmner, Stephan A1 - Hausinger, Renate A1 - Block, Zenonas A1 - Haller, Bernhard A1 - Heemann, Uwe A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Grimmer, Timo A1 - Schmaderer, Christoph T1 - Cognitive impairment and microvascular function in end-stage renal disease JF - International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research (MPR) N2 - Objective Hemodialysis patients show an approximately threefold higher prevalence of cognitive impairment compared to the age-matched general population. Impaired microcirculatory function is one of the assumed causes. Dynamic retinal vessel analysis is a quantitative method for measuring neurovascular coupling and microvascular endothelial function. We hypothesize that cognitive impairment is associated with altered microcirculation of retinal vessels. Methods 152 chronic hemodialysis patients underwent cognitive testing using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Retinal microcirculation was assessed by Dynamic Retinal Vessel Analysis, which carries out an examination recording retinal vessels' reaction to a flicker light stimulus under standardized conditions. Results In unadjusted as well as in adjusted linear regression analyses a significant association between the visuospatial executive function domain score of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the maximum arteriolar dilation as response of retinal arterioles to the flicker light stimulation was obtained. Conclusion This is the first study determining retinal microvascular function as surrogate for cerebral microvascular function and cognition in hemodialysis patients. The relationship between impairment in executive function and reduced arteriolar reaction to flicker light stimulation supports the involvement of cerebral small vessel disease as contributing factor for the development of cognitive impairment in this patient population and might be a target for noninvasive disease monitoring and therapeutic intervention. KW - cerebral small vessel disease KW - cognitive impairment KW - dialysis KW - retinal vessels Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1909 SN - 1049-8931 (Print) SN - 1557-0657 (Online) VL - 31 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Duran Paredes, Ludwin A1 - Mottaghy, Darius A1 - Herrmann, Ulf A1 - Groß, Rolf Fritz T1 - Online ground temperature and soil moisture monitoring of a shallow geothermal system with non-conventional components T2 - EGU General Assembly 2020 N2 - We present first results from a newly developed monitoring station for a closed loop geothermal heat pump test installation at our campus, consisting of helix coils and plate heat exchangers, as well as an ice-store system. There are more than 40 temperature sensors and several soil moisture content sensors distributed around the system, allowing a detailed monitoring under different operating conditions.In the view of the modern development of renewable energies along with the newly concepts known as Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 (high-tech strategy from the German government), we created a user-friendly web application, which will connect the things (sensors) with the open network (www). Besides other advantages, this allows a continuous remote monitoring of the data from the numerous sensors at an arbitrary sampling rate.Based on the recorded data, we will also present first results from numerical simulations, taking into account all relevant heat transport processes.The aim is to improve the understanding of these processes and their influence on the thermal behavior of shallow geothermal systems in the unsaturated zone. This will in turn facilitate the prediction of the performance of these systems and therefore yield an improvement in their dimensioning when designing a specific shallow geothermal installation. Y1 - 2020 N1 - EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Ortner, Marion A1 - Conradi, Anna A1 - Hacker, Patricia A1 - Hauser, Christine A1 - Günthner, Roman A1 - Moser, Michaela A1 - Muggenthaler, Claudia A1 - Diehl-Schmid, Janine A1 - Priller, Josef A1 - Schmaderer, Christoph A1 - Grimmer, Timo T1 - Altered retinal cerebral vessel oscillation frequencies in Alzheimer's disease compatible with impaired amyloid clearance JF - Neurobiology of Aging N2 - Retinal vessels are similar to cerebral vessels in their structure and function. Moderately low oscillation frequencies of around 0.1 Hz have been reported as the driving force for paravascular drainage in gray matter in mice and are known as the frequencies of lymphatic vessels in humans. We aimed to elucidate whether retinal vessel oscillations are altered in Alzheimer's disease (AD) at the stage of dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Seventeen patients with mild-to-moderate dementia due to AD (ADD); 23 patients with MCI due to AD, and 18 cognitively healthy controls (HC) were examined using Dynamic Retinal Vessel Analyzer. Oscillatory temporal changes of retinal vessel diameters were evaluated using mathematical signal analysis. Especially at moderately low frequencies around 0.1 Hz, arterial oscillations in ADD and MCI significantly prevailed over HC oscillations and correlated with disease severity. The pronounced retinal arterial vasomotion at moderately low frequencies in the ADD and MCI groups would be compatible with the view of a compensatory upregulation of paravascular drainage in AD and strengthen the amyloid clearance hypothesis. KW - Alzheimer's disease KW - Retinal vessel analysis KW - Vasomotions KW - Pulsations KW - Mild cognitive impairment Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.08.012 SN - 0197-4580 VL - 120 SP - 117 EP - 127 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neumaier, Felix A1 - Weiss, Miriam A1 - Veldeman, Michael A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Wiesmann, Martin A1 - Schulze-Steinen, Henna A1 - Höllig, Anke A1 - Clusmann, Hans A1 - Schubert, Gerrit Alexander A1 - Albanna, Walid T1 - Changes in endogenous daytime melatonin levels after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage – preliminary findings from an observational cohort study JF - Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery N2 - Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is associated with early and delayed brain injury due to several underlying and interrelated processes, which include inflammation, oxidative stress, endothelial, and neuronal apoptosis. Treatment with melatonin, a cytoprotective neurohormone with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic effects, has been shown to attenuate early brain injury (EBI) and to prevent delayed cerebral vasospasm in experimental aSAH models. Less is known about the role of endogenous melatonin for aSAH outcome and how its production is altered by the pathophysiological cascades initiated during EBI. In the present observational study, we analyzed changes in melatonin levels during the first three weeks after aSAH. KW - constructive alignment KW - examination KW - long-term retention KW - multimodal KW - practical learning Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clineuro.2021.106870 SN - 0303-8467 VL - 208 IS - Article No.: 106870 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Alnemer, Momin Sami Mohammad A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Neuhaus, Valentin A1 - Pape, Hans-Christoph A1 - Ciritsis, Bernhard D. T1 - Cost-effectiveness analysis of surgical proximal femur fracture prevention in elderly: a Markov cohort simulation model JF - Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation N2 - Background Hip fractures are a common and costly health problem, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality, as well as high costs for healthcare systems, especially for the elderly. Implementing surgical preventive strategies has the potential to improve the quality of life and reduce the burden on healthcare resources, particularly in the long term. However, there are currently limited guidelines for standardizing hip fracture prophylaxis practices. Methods This study used a cost-effectiveness analysis with a finite-state Markov model and cohort simulation to evaluate the primary and secondary surgical prevention of hip fractures in the elderly. Patients aged 60 to 90 years were simulated in two different models (A and B) to assess prevention at different levels. Model A assumed prophylaxis was performed during the fracture operation on the contralateral side, while Model B included individuals with high fracture risk factors. Costs were obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and transition probabilities and health state utilities were derived from available literature. The baseline assumption was a 10% reduction in fracture risk after prophylaxis. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to assess the reliability and variability of the results. Results With a 10% fracture risk reduction, model A costs between $8,850 and $46,940 per quality-adjusted life-year ($/QALY). Additionally, it proved most cost-effective in the age range between 61 and 81 years. The sensitivity analysis established that a reduction of ≥ 2.8% is needed for prophylaxis to be definitely cost-effective. The cost-effectiveness at the secondary prevention level was most sensitive to the cost of the contralateral side’s prophylaxis, the patient’s age, and fracture treatment cost. For high-risk patients with no fracture history, the cost-effectiveness of a preventive strategy depends on their risk profile. In the baseline analysis, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio at the primary prevention level varied between $11,000/QALY and $74,000/QALY, which is below the defined willingness to pay threshold. Conclusion Due to the high cost of hip fracture treatment and its increased morbidity, surgical prophylaxis strategies have demonstrated that they can significantly relieve the healthcare system. Various key assumptions facilitated the modeling, allowing for adequate room for uncertainty. Further research is needed to evaluate health-state-associated risks. KW - Hip fractures KW - Prevention KW - Geriatric KW - Cost-effectiveness KW - Prophylaxis Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12962-023-00482-4 SN - 1478-7547 N1 - Corresponding author: Momin S. Alnemer IS - 21, Article number: 77 PB - Springer Nature ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuchler, Timon A1 - Günthner, Roman A1 - Ribeiro, Andrea A1 - Hausinger, Renate A1 - Streese, Lukas A1 - Wöhnl, Anna A1 - Kesseler, Veronika A1 - Negele, Johanna A1 - Assali, Tarek A1 - Carbajo-Lozoya, Javier A1 - Lech, Maciej A1 - Adorjan, Kristina A1 - Stubbe, Hans Christian A1 - Hanssen, Henner A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Haller, Berhard A1 - Heemann, Uwe A1 - Schmaderer, Christoph T1 - Persistent endothelial dysfunction in post-COVID-19 syndrome and its associations with symptom severity and chronic inflammation N2 - Background Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) is a lingering disease with ongoing symptoms such as fatigue and cognitive impairment resulting in a high impact on the daily life of patients. Understanding the pathophysiology of PCS is a public health priority, as it still poses a diagnostic and treatment challenge for physicians. Methods In this prospective observational cohort study, we analyzed the retinal microcirculation using Retinal Vessel Analysis (RVA) in a cohort of patients with PCS and compared it to an age- and gender-matched healthy cohort (n = 41, matched out of n = 204). Measurements and main results PCS patients exhibit persistent endothelial dysfunction (ED), as indicated by significantly lower venular flicker-induced dilation (vFID; 3.42% ± 1.77% vs. 4.64% ± 2.59%; p = 0.02), narrower central retinal artery equivalent (CRAE; 178.1 [167.5–190.2] vs. 189.1 [179.4–197.2], p = 0.01) and lower arteriolar-venular ratio (AVR; (0.84 [0.8–0.9] vs. 0.88 [0.8–0.9], p = 0.007). When combining AVR and vFID, predicted scores reached good ability to discriminate groups (area under the curve: 0.75). Higher PCS severity scores correlated with lower AVR (R = − 0.37 p = 0.017). The association of microvascular changes with PCS severity were amplified in PCS patients exhibiting higher levels of inflammatory parameters. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that prolonged endothelial dysfunction is a hallmark of PCS, and impairments of the microcirculation seem to explain ongoing symptoms in patients. As potential therapies for PCS emerge, RVA parameters may become relevant as clinical biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy management. KW - Endothelial dysfunction KW - Long COVID KW - Post-COVID-19 syndrome KW - retinal microvasculature Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10456-023-09885-6 N1 - Corresponding author: Christoph Schmaderer VL - 26 SP - 547 EP - 563 PB - Springer Nature CY - Dordrecht ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuerten, David A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Fuest, Matthias A1 - Walter, Peter A1 - Hollstein, Muriel A1 - Plange, Niklas ED - Neri, Piergiorgio T1 - Does hemispheric vascular regulation differ significantly in glaucoma patients with altitudinal visual field asymmetry? A single-center, prospective study JF - International Ophthalmology N2 - Purpose Vascular risk factors and ocular perfusion are heatedly discussed in the pathogenesis of glaucoma. The retinal vessel analyzer (RVA, IMEDOS Systems, Germany) allows noninvasive measurement of retinal vessel regulation. Significant differences especially in the veins between healthy subjects and patients suffering from glaucoma were previously reported. In this pilot-study we investigated if localized vascular regulation is altered in glaucoma patients with altitudinal visual field defect asymmetry. Methods 15 eyes of 12 glaucoma patients with advanced altitudinal visual field defect asymmetry were included. The mean defect was calculated for each hemisphere separately (-20.99 ± 10.49 pro- found hemispheric visual field defect vs -7.36 ± 3.97 dB less profound hemisphere). After pupil dilation, RVA measurements of retinal arteries and veins were conducted using the standard protocol. The superior and inferior retinal vessel reactivity were measured consecutively in each eye. Results Significant differences were recorded in venous vessel constriction after flicker light stimulation and overall amplitude of the reaction (p \ 0.04 and p \ 0.02 respectively) in-between the hemispheres spheres. Vessel reaction was higher in the hemisphere corresponding to the more advanced visual field defect. Arterial diameters reacted similarly, failing to reach statistical significance. Conclusion Localized retinal vessel regulation is significantly altered in glaucoma patients with asymmetri altitudinal visual field defects. Veins supplying the hemisphere concordant to a less profound visual field defect show diminished diameter changes. Vascular dysregulation might be particularly important in early glaucoma stages prior to a significant visual field defect. KW - Glaucoma KW - Visual field asymmetry KW - Ocular blood flow KW - RVA KW - Vascular response Y1 - 2021 SN - 1573-2630 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-01876-0 VL - 41 IS - 41 SP - 3109 EP - 3119 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Albanna, Walid A1 - Conzen, Catharina A1 - Weiss, Miriam A1 - Seyfried, Katharina A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Schmidt, Tobias Philip A1 - Kuerten, David A1 - Hescheler, Jürgen A1 - Bruecken, Anne A1 - Schmidt-Trucksäss, Arno A1 - Neumaier, Felix A1 - Wiesmann, Martin A1 - Clusmann, Hans A1 - Schubert, Gerrit Alexander T1 - Non-invasive assessment of neurovascular coupling after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a prospective observational trial using retinal vessel analysis JF - Frontiers in Neurology N2 - Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is a common complication after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and can lead to infarction and poor clinical outcome. The underlying mechanisms are still incompletely understood, but animal models indicate that vasoactive metabolites and inflammatory cytokines produced within the subarachnoid space may progressively impair and partially invert neurovascular coupling (NVC) in the brain. Because cerebral and retinal microvasculature are governed by comparable regulatory mechanisms and may be connected by perivascular pathways, retinal vascular changes are increasingly recognized as a potential surrogate for altered NVC in the brain. Here, we used non-invasive retinal vessel analysis (RVA) to assess microvascular function in aSAH patients at different times after the ictus. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.690183 SN - 1664-2295 VL - 12 IS - 12 SP - 1 EP - 15 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin ED - Pallikaris, I. ED - Tsilimbaris, M. K. ED - Dastiridou, A. I. T1 - Ocular rigidity: clinical approach T2 - Ocular Rigidity, Biomechanics and Hydrodynamics of the Eye N2 - The term ocular rigidity is widely used in clinical ophthalmology. Generally it is assumed as a resistance of the whole eyeball to mechanical deformation and relates to biomechanical properties of the eye and its tissues. Basic principles and formulas for clinical tonometry, tonography and pulsatile ocular blood flow measurements are based on the concept of ocular rigidity. There is evidence for altered ocular rigidity in aging, in several eye diseases and after eye surgery. Unfortunately, there is no consensual view on ocular rigidity: it used to make a quite different sense for different people but still the same name. Foremost there is no clear consent between biomechanical engineers and ophthalmologists on the concept. Moreover ocular rigidity is occasionally characterized using various parameters with their different physical dimensions. In contrast to engineering approach, clinical approach to ocular rigidity claims to characterize the total mechanical response of the eyeball to its deformation without any detailed considerations on eye morphology or material properties of its tissues. Further to the previous chapter this section aims to describe clinical approach to ocular rigidity from the perspective of an engineer in an attempt to straighten out this concept, to show its advantages, disadvantages and various applications. KW - Coefficient of ocular rigidity KW - Eyeball KW - Corneo-scleral shell KW - Pressure-volume relationship KW - Differential tonometry Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-030-64422-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64422-2_2 SP - 15 EP - 43 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Iomdina, Elena N. A1 - Kiseleva, Anna A. A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Luzhnov, Petr V. T1 - Quantification of Choroidal Blood Flow Using the OCT-A System Based on Voxel Scan Processing T2 - Proceedings of the International Conference on Biomedical Innovations and Applications- BIA 2020 N2 - The paper presents a method for the quantitative assessment of choroidal blood flow using an OCT-A system. The developed technique for processing of OCT-A scans is divided into two stages. At the first stage, the identification of the boundaries in the selected portion was performed. At the second stage, each pixel mark on the selected layer was represented as a volume unit, a voxel, which characterizes the region of moving blood. Three geometric shapes were considered to represent the voxel. On the example of one OCT-A scan, this work presents a quantitative assessment of the blood flow index. A possible modification of two-stage algorithm based on voxel scan processing is presented. Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-1-7281-7073-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/BIA50171.2020.9244511 N1 - International Conference on Biomedical Innovations and Applications, Varna, Bulgaria, September 24 - 27, 2020 SP - 41 EP - 44 PB - IEEE CY - New York, NY ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Werfel, Stanislas A1 - Günthner, Roman A1 - Hapfelmeier, Alexander A1 - Hanssen, Henner A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Heemann, Uwe A1 - Schmaderer, Christoph ED - Guzik, Tomasz J. T1 - Identification of cardiovascular high-risk groups from dynamic retinal vessel signals using untargeted machine learning JF - Cardiovascular Research N2 - Dynamic retinal vessel analysis (DVA) provides a non-invasive way to assess microvascular function in patients and potentially to improve predictions of individual cardiovascular (CV) risk. The aim of our study was to use untargeted machine learning on DVA in order to improve CV mortality prediction and identify corresponding response alterations. KW - Machine learning KW - Retinal vessels KW - Microcirculation KW - Haemodialysis KW - Myocardial infarction and cardiac death Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvab040 SN - 0008-6363 VL - 118 IS - 2 SP - 612 EP - 621 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Malan, Leone A1 - Hamer, Mark A1 - Känel, Roland von A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Wyk, Roelof D. van A1 - Lambert, Gavin W. A1 - Vilser, Walthard A1 - Ziemssen, Tjalf A1 - Schlaich, Markus P. A1 - Smith, Wayne A1 - Magnusson, Martin A1 - Wentzel, Annemarie A1 - Myburgh, Carlien E. A1 - Steyn, Hendrik S. A1 - Malan, Nico T. T1 - Delayed retinal vein recovery responses indicate both non-adaptation to stress as well as increased risk for stroke: the SABPA study JF - Cardiovascular Journal of Africa Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5830/CVJA-2020-031 SN - 1680-0745 VL - 26 IS - 31 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Clinics Cardive Publishing CY - Durbanville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Streese, Lukas A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Deiseroth, Arne A1 - Infanger, Denis A1 - Gugleta, Konstantin A1 - Schmaderer, Christoph A1 - Hanssen, Henner T1 - Retinal endothelial function in cardiovascular risk patients: A randomized controlled exercise trial JF - Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports N2 - The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on retinal microvascular endothelial function in cardiovascular (CV) risk patients. In the randomized controlled trial, middle-aged and previously sedentary patients with increased CV risk (aged 58 ± 6 years) with ≥ two CV risk factors were randomized into a 12-week HIIT (n = 33) or control group (CG, n = 36) with standard physical activity recommendations. A blinded examiner measured retinal endothelial function by flicker light-induced maximal arteriolar (ADmax) and venular (VDmax) dilatation as well as the area under the arteriolar (AFarea) and venular (VFarea) flicker curve using a retinal vessel analyzer. Standardized assessments of CV risk factors, cardiorespiratory fitness, and retinal endothelial function were performed before and after HIIT. HIIT reduced body mass index, fat mass, and low-density lipoprotein and increased muscle mass and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak). Both ADmax (pre: 2.7 ± 2.1%, post: 3.0 ± 2.2%, P = .018) and AFarea (pre: 32.6 ± 28.4%*s, post: 37.7 ± 30.6%*s, P = .016) increased after HIIT compared with CG (ADmax, pre: 3.2 ± 1.8%, post: 2.9 ± 1.8%, P = .254; AFarea, pre: 41.6 ± 28.5%*s, post: 37.8 ± 27.0%*s, P = .186). Venular function remained unchanged after HIIT. There was a significant association between ∆-change VO2peak and ∆-changes ADmax and AFarea (P = .026, R² = 0.073; P = .019, R² = 0.081, respectively). 12-weeks of HIIT improved retinal endothelial function in middle-aged patients with increased CV risk independent of the reduction in classical CV risk factors. Exercise has the potential to reverse or at least postpone progression of small vessel disease in older adults with increased CV risk under standard medication. Dynamic retinal vessel analysis seems to be a sensitive tool to detect treatment effects of exercise interventions on retinal microvascular endothelial function in middle-aged individuals with increased CV risk. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13560 SN - 1600-0838 VL - 30 IS - 2 SP - 272 EP - 280 PB - Wiley CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hamou, Hussam Aldin A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Tan, Sonny Kian A1 - Weiß, Christel A1 - Blume, Christian A1 - Clusmann, Hans A1 - Schubert, Gerrit Alexander A1 - Albanna, Walid T1 - Surgical nuances and placement of subgaleal drains for supratentorial procedures—a prospective analysis of efficacy and outcome in 150 craniotomies JF - Acta Neurochirurgica N2 - Background For supratentorial craniotomy, surgical access, and closure technique, including placement of subgaleal drains, may vary considerably. The influence of surgical nuances on postoperative complications such as cerebrospinal fluid leakage or impaired wound healing overall remains largely unclear. With this study, we are reporting our experiences and the impact of our clinical routines on outcome in a prospectively collected data set. Method We prospectively observed 150 consecutive patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy and recorded technical variables (type/length of incision, size of craniotomy, technique of dural and skin closure, type of dressing, and placement of subgaleal drains). Outcome variables (subgaleal hematoma/CSF collection, periorbital edema, impairment of wound healing, infection, and need for operative revision) were recorded at time of discharge and at late follow-up. Results Early subgaleal fluid collection was observed in 36.7% (2.8% at the late follow-up), and impaired wound healing was recorded in 3.3% of all cases, with an overall need for operative revision of 6.7%. Neither usage of dural sealants, lack of watertight dural closure, and presence of subgaleal drains, nor type of skin closure or dressing influenced outcome. Curved incisions, larger craniotomy, and tumor size, however, were associated with an increase in early CSF or hematoma collection (p < 0.0001, p = 0.001, p < 0.01 resp.), and larger craniotomy size was associated with longer persistence of subgaleal fluid collections (p < 0.05). Conclusions Based on our setting, individual surgical nuances such as the type of dural closure and the use of subgaleal drains resulted in a comparable complication rate and outcome. Subgaleal fluid collections were frequently observed after supratentorial procedures, irrespective of the closing technique employed, and resolve spontaneously in the majority of cases without significant sequelae. Our results are limited due to the observational nature in our single-center study and need to be validated by supportive prospective randomized design. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-019-04196-6 SN - 0942-0940 VL - 2020 IS - 162 SP - 729 EP - 736 PB - Springer Nature CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ramoshaba, Nthai E. A1 - Huisman, Hugo W. A1 - Lammertyn, Leandi A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Schutte, Aletta E. A1 - Smith, Wayne T1 - Retinal microvasculature and masked hypertension in young adults: the African-PREDICT study JF - Hypertension Research N2 - Masked hypertension is known to induce microvascular complications. However, it is unclear whether early microvascular changes are already occurring in young, otherwise healthy adults. We therefore investigated whether retinal microvascular calibers and acute responses to a flicker stimulus are related to masked hypertension. We used the baseline data of 889 participants aged 20–30 years who were taking part in the African Prospective study on the Early Detection and Identification of Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension. Clinic and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure were measured. The central retinal artery equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal vein equivalent were calculated from fundus images, and retinal vessel dilation was determined in response to flicker light-induced provocation. A smaller CRAE was observed in those with masked hypertension vs. those with normotension (157.1 vs. 161.2 measuring units, P < 0.001). In forward multivariable-adjusted regression analysis, only CRAE was negatively related to masked hypertension [adjusted R² = 0.267, β = −0.097 (95% CI = −0.165; −0.029), P = 0.005], but other retinal microvascular parameters were not associated with masked hypertension. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, masked hypertension [OR = 2.333, (95% CI = 1.316; 4.241), P = 0.004] was associated with a narrower CRAE. In young healthy adults, masked hypertension was associated with retinal arteriolar narrowing, thereby reflecting early microvascular alterations known to predict cardiovascular outcomes in later life. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-020-0487-0 SN - 1348-4214 IS - 43 SP - 1231 EP - 1238 PB - Springer Nature CY - Osaka ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Smith, Wayne A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Lammertyn, Leandi A1 - Ramoshaba, Nthai E. A1 - Vilser, Walthard A1 - Huisman, Hugo W. A1 - Schutte, Aletta E. T1 - Retinal vessel caliber and caliber responses in true normotensive black and white adults: The African-PREDICT study JF - Microvascular Research N2 - Purpose Globally, a detrimental shift in cardiovascular disease risk factors and a higher mortality level are reported in some black populations. The retinal microvasculature provides early insight into the pathogenesis of systemic vascular diseases, but it is unclear whether retinal vessel calibers and acute retinal vessel functional responses differ between young healthy black and white adults. Methods We included 112 black and 143 white healthy normotensive adults (20–30 years). Retinal vessel calibers (central retinal artery and vein equivalent (CRAE and CRVE)) were calculated from retinal images and vessel caliber responses to flicker light induced provocation (FLIP) were determined. Additionally, ambulatory blood pressure (BP), anthropometry and blood samples were collected. Results The groups displayed similar 24 h BP profiles and anthropometry (all p > .24). Black participants demonstrated a smaller CRAE (158 ± 11 vs. 164 ± 11 MU, p < .001) compared to the white group, whereas CRVE was similar (p = .57). In response to FLIP, artery maximal dilation was greater in the black vs. white group (5.6 ± 2.1 vs. 3.3 ± 1.8%; p < .001). Conclusions Already at a young age, healthy black adults showed narrower retinal arteries relative to the white population. Follow-up studies are underway to show if this will be related to increased risk for hypertension development. The reason for the larger vessel dilation responses to FLIP in the black population is unclear and warrants further investigation. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mvr.2019.103937 SN - 0026-2862 VL - 128 IS - Article 103937 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fayyazi, Mojgan A1 - Sardar, Paramjotsingh A1 - Thomas, Sumit Infent A1 - Daghigh, Roonak A1 - Jamali, Ali A1 - Esch, Thomas A1 - Kemper, Hans A1 - Langari, Reza A1 - Khayyam, Hamid T1 - Artificial intelligence/machine learning in energy management systems, control, and optimization of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles N2 - Environmental emissions, global warming, and energy-related concerns have accelerated the advancements in conventional vehicles that primarily use internal combustion engines. Among the existing technologies, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles may have minimal contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and thus are the prime choices for environmental concerns. However, energy management in fuel cell electric vehicles and fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles is a major challenge. Appropriate control strategies should be used for effective energy management in these vehicles. On the other hand, there has been significant progress in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and designing data-driven intelligent controllers. These techniques have found much attention within the community, and state-of-the-art energy management technologies have been developed based on them. This manuscript reviews the application of machine learning and intelligent controllers for prediction, control, energy management, and vehicle to everything (V2X) in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The effectiveness of data-driven control and optimization systems are investigated to evolve, classify, and compare, and future trends and directions for sustainability are discussed. KW - optimization system KW - intelligent control KW - fuel cell vehicle KW - machine learning KW - artificial intelligence KW - intelligent energy management Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065249 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Circular Economy and Artificial Intelligence" VL - 15 IS - 6 SP - 38 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Veettil, Yadu Krishna Morassery A1 - Rakshit, Shantam A1 - Schopen, Oliver A1 - Kemper, Hans A1 - Esch, Thomas A1 - Shabani, Bahman ED - Bin Abdollah, Mohd Fadzli ED - Amiruddin, Hilmi ED - Singh, Amrik Singh Phuman ED - Munir, Fudhail Abdul ED - Ibrahim, Asriana T1 - Automated Control System Strategies to Ensure Safety of PEM Fuel Cells Using Kalman Filters T2 - Proceedings of the 7th International Conference and Exhibition on Sustainable Energy and Advanced Materials (ICE-SEAM 2021), Melaka, Malaysia N2 - Having well-defined control strategies for fuel cells, that can efficiently detect errors and take corrective action is critically important for safety in all applications, and especially so in aviation. The algorithms not only ensure operator safety by monitoring the fuel cell and connected components, but also contribute to extending the health of the fuel cell, its durability and safe operation over its lifetime. While sensors are used to provide peripheral data surrounding the fuel cell, the internal states of the fuel cell cannot be directly measured. To overcome this restriction, Kalman Filter has been implemented as an internal state observer. Other safety conditions are evaluated using real-time data from every connected sensor and corrective actions automatically take place to ensure safety. The algorithms discussed in this paper have been validated thorough Model-in-the-Loop (MiL) tests as well as practical validation at a dedicated test bench. KW - control system KW - PEM fuel cells KW - Kalman filter Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-981-19-3178-9 SN - 978-981-19-3179-6 (E-Book) U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3179-6_55 SN - 2195-4356 N1 - 7th International Conference and Exhibition on Sustainable Energy and Advanced Material (ICE-SEAM 2021), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Malaysia, in association with the Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS), Indonesia, 23 November 2021 SP - 296 EP - 299 PB - Springer Nature CY - Singapore ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neumaier, Felix A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Haeren, Roel Hubert Louis A1 - Temel, Yasin A1 - Lüke, Jan Niklas A1 - Seyam, Osama A1 - Lindauer, Ute A1 - Clusmann, Hans A1 - Hescheler, Jürgen A1 - Schubert, Gerrit Alexander A1 - Schneider, Toni A1 - Albanna, Walid T1 - Retinal Vessel Responses to Flicker Stimulation Are Impaired in Ca v 2.3-Deficient Mice—An in- vivo Evaluation Using Retinal Vessel Analysis (RVA) JF - Frontiers in Neurology Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.659890 VL - 12 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Frontiers ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Sattler, Johannes Christoph A1 - Atti, Vikrama A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Teixeira Boura, Cristiano José A1 - Herrmann, Ulf A1 - Dutta, Siddharth A1 - Kioutsioukis, Ioannis T1 - DNI forecast tool for the smart operation of a parabolic trough collector system with concrete thermal energy storage: Theory, results and outlook T2 - SolarPACES 2022 conference proceedings N2 - This work presents a basic forecast tool for predicting direct normal irradiance (DNI) in hourly resolution, which the Solar-Institut Jülich (SIJ) is developing within a research project. The DNI forecast data shall be used for a parabolic trough collector (PTC) system with a concrete thermal energy storage (C-TES) located at the company KEAN Soft Drinks Ltd in Limassol, Cyprus. On a daily basis, 24-hour DNI prediction data in hourly resolution shall be automatically produced using free or very low-cost weather forecast data as input. The purpose of the DNI forecast tool is to automatically transfer the DNI forecast data on a daily basis to a main control unit (MCU). The MCU automatically makes a smart decision on the operation mode of the PTC system such as steam production mode and/or C-TES charging mode. The DNI forecast tool was evaluated using historical data of measured DNI from an on-site weather station, which was compared to the DNI forecast data. The DNI forecast tool was tested using data from 56 days between January and March 2022, which included days with a strong variation in DNI due to cloud passages. For the evaluation of the DNI forecast reliability, three categories were created and the forecast data was sorted accordingly. The result was that the DNI forecast tool has a reliability of 71.4 % based on the tested days. The result fulfils SIJ’s aim to achieve a reliability of around 70 %, but SIJ aims to still improve the DNI forecast quality. KW - Direct normal irradiance forecast KW - DNI forecast KW - Parabolic trough collector KW - PTC KW - Thermal Energy Storage Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.52825/solarpaces.v1i.731 SN - 2751-9899 (online) N1 - SolarPACES 2022, 28th International Conference on Concentrating Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems, 27-30 September, Albuquerque, NM, USA IS - 1 PB - TIB Open Publishing CY - Hannover ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schopen, Oliver A1 - Kemper, Hans A1 - Esch, Thomas T1 - Development of a comparison methodology and evaluation matrix for electrically driven compressors in ICE and FC T2 - Proceedings of the 1st UNITED – Southeast Asia Automotive Interest Group (SAIG) International Conference N2 - In addition to electromobility and alternative drive systems, a focus is set on electrically driven compressors (EDC), with a high potential for increasing the efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICE) and fuel cells [01]. The primary objective is to increase the ICE torque, provided independently of the ICE speed by compressing the intake air and consequently the ICE filling level supported by the compressor. For operation independent from the ICE speed, the EDC compressor is decoupled from the turbine by using an electric compressor motor (CM) instead of the turbine. ICE performances can be increased by the use of EDC where individual compressor parameters are adapted to the respective application area [02] [03]. This task contains great challenges, increased by demands with regard to pollutant reduction while maintaining constant performance and reduced fuel consumption. The FH-Aachen is equipped with an EDC test bench which enables EDC-investigations in various configurations and operating modes. Characteristic properties of different compressors can be determined, which build the basis for a comparison methodology. Subject of this project is the development of a comparison methodology for EDC with an associated evaluation method and a defined overall evaluation method. For the application of this comparison methodology, corresponding series of measurements are carried out on the EDC test bench using an appropriate test device. KW - electro mobility KW - fuel cell KW - internal combustion engine KW - electrically driven compressors Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-902103-94-9 N1 - 1st UNITED-SAIG International Conference, 21-22 APR 2021, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand SP - 45 EP - 46 PB - FH Joanneum CY - Graz ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Rau, Christoph A1 - Sattler, Johannes, Christoph A1 - Anthrakidis, Anette A1 - Teixeira Boura, Cristiano José A1 - O’Connor, B. A1 - Chico Caminos, R.A. A1 - Rendón, C. A1 - Hilger, P. T1 - Concentrating solar power T2 - Comprehensive Renewable Energy (Second Edition) / Volume 3: Solar Thermal Systems: Components and Applications N2 - The focus of this chapter is the production of power and the use of the heat produced from concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) systems. The chapter starts with the general theoretical principles of concentrating systems including the description of the concentration ratio, the energy and mass balance. The power conversion systems is the main part where solar-only operation and the increase in operational hours. Solar-only operation include the use of steam turbines, gas turbines, organic Rankine cycles and solar dishes. The operational hours can be increased with hybridization and with storage. Another important topic is the cogeneration where solar cooling, desalination and of heat usage is described. Many examples of commercial CSP power plants as well as research facilities from the past as well as current installed and in operation are described in detail. The chapter closes with economic and environmental aspects and with the future potential of the development of CSP around the world. KW - Central receiver power plant KW - Concentrated systems KW - Gas turbine KW - Hybridization KW - Power conversion systems Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-0-12-819734-9 SP - 670 EP - 724 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Rau, Christoph A1 - Sattler, Johannes, Christoph A1 - Anthrakidis, Anette A1 - Teixeira Boura, Cristiano José A1 - O’Connor, B. A1 - Caminos, R.A. Chico A1 - Rendón, C. A1 - Hilger, P. T1 - Concentrating Solar Power T2 - Earth systems and environmental sciences N2 - The focus of this chapter is the production of power and the use of the heat produced from concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) systems. The chapter starts with the general theoretical principles of concentrating systems including the description of the concentration ratio, the energy and mass balance. The power conversion systems is the main part where solar-only operation and the increase in operational hours. Solar-only operation include the use of steam turbines, gas turbines, organic Rankine cycles and solar dishes. The operational hours can be increased with hybridization and with storage. Another important topic is the cogeneration where solar cooling, desalination and of heat usage is described. Many examples of commercial CSP power plants as well as research facilities from the past as well as current installed and in operation are described in detail. The chapter closes with economic and environmental aspects and with the future potential of the development of CSP around the world. KW - Central receiver power plant KW - Concentrated systems KW - Concentrating solar power KW - Fresnel power plant KW - Gas turbine Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-0-12-409548-9 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819727-1.00089-3 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Haugg, Albert Thomas A1 - Kreyer, Jörg A1 - Kemper, Hans A1 - Hatesuer, Katerina A1 - Esch, Thomas T1 - Heat exchanger for ORC. adaptability and optimisation potentials T2 - IIR International Rankine 2020 Conference N2 - The recovery of waste heat requires heat exchangers to extract it from a liquid or gaseous medium into another working medium, a refrigerant. In Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) on Combustion Engines there are two major heat sources, the exhaust gas and the water/glycol fluid from the engine’s cooling circuit. A heat exchanger design must be adapted to the different requirements and conditions resulting from the heat sources, fluids, system configurations, geometric restrictions, and etcetera. The Stacked Shell Cooler (SSC) is a new and very specific design of a plate heat exchanger, created by AKG, which allows with a maximum degree of freedom the optimization of heat exchange rate and the reduction of the related pressure drop. This optimization in heat exchanger design for ORC systems is even more important, because it reduces the energy consumption of the system and therefore maximizes the increase in overall efficiency of the engine. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.18462/iir.rankine.2020.1224 N1 - IIR International Rankine 2020 Conference - Heating, Cooling, Power Generation. Glasgow, 2020. ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schopen, Oliver A1 - Shabani, Bahman A1 - Esch, Thomas A1 - Kemper, Hans A1 - Shah, Neel ED - Rahim, S.A. ED - As'arry, A. ED - Zuhri, M.Y.M. ED - Harmin, M.Y. ED - Rezali, K.A.M. ED - Hairuddin, A.A. T1 - Quantitative evaluation of health management designs for fuel cell systems in transport vehicles T2 - 2nd UNITED-SAIG International Conference Proceedings N2 - Focusing on transport vehicles, mainly with regard to aviation applications, this paper presents compilation and subsequent quantitative evaluation of methods aimed at building an optimum integrated health management solution for fuel cell systems. The methods are divided into two different main types and compiled in a related scheme. Furthermore, different methods are analysed and evaluated based on parameters specific to the aviation context of this study. Finally, the most suitable method for use in fuel cell health management systems is identified and its performance and suitability is quantified. KW - aviation application KW - health management systems KW - fuel cell systems Y1 - 2022 N1 - 2nd UNITED-SAIG International Conference, 23-24 May 2022, Putrajaya, Malaysia SP - 1 EP - 3 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - El Moussaoui, Noureddine A1 - Kassmi, Khalil A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Schwarzer, Klemens A1 - Chayeb, Hamid A1 - Bachiri, Najib T1 - Simulation studies on a new innovative design of a hybrid solar distiller MSDH alimented with a thermal and photovoltaic energy T2 - Materialstoday: Proceedings N2 - In this paper, we present the structure, the simulation the operation of a multi-stage, hybrid solar desalination system (MSDH), powered by thermal and photovoltaic (PV) (MSDH) energy. The MSDH system consists of a lower basin, eight horizontal stages, a field of four flat thermal collectors with a total area of 8.4 m2, 3 Kw PV panels and solar batteries. During the day the system is heated by thermal energy, and at night by heating resistors, powered by solar batteries. These batteries are charged by the photovoltaic panels during the day. More specifically, during the day and at night, we analyse the temperature of the stages and the production of distilled water according to the solar irradiation intensity and the electric heating power, supplied by the solar batteries. The simulations were carried out in the meteorological conditions of the winter month (February 2020), presenting intensities of irradiance and ambient temperature reaching 824 W/m2 and 23 °C respectively. The results obtained show that during the day the system is heated by the thermal collectors, the temperature of the stages and the quantity of water produced reach 80 °C and 30 Kg respectively. At night, from 6p.m. the system is heated by the electric energy stored in the batteries, the temperature of the stages and the quantity of water produced reach respectively 90 °C and 104 Kg for an electric heating power of 2 Kw. Moreover, when the electric power varies from 1 Kw to 3 Kw the quantity of water produced varies from 92 Kg to 134 Kg. The analysis of these results and their comparison with conventional solar thermal desalination systems shows a clear improvement both in the heating of the stages, by 10%, and in the quantity of water produced by a factor of 3. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.03.115 SN - 2214-7853 N1 - The Fourth edition of the International Conference on Materials & Environmental Science (ICMES 2020), virtual conference, November 18-28, 2020, Morocco VL - 45 IS - 8 SP - 7653 EP - 7660 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -