TY - JOUR A1 - Behbahani, Mehdi A1 - Tran, L. A1 - Jockenhövel, S. A1 - Behr, M. A1 - Mottaghy, K. T1 - Numerical prediction of thrombocyte reactions for application to a vascular flow model JF - British Journal of Surgery Y1 - 2011 SN - 1365-2168 N1 - 46th Congress of the European Society for Surgical Research, Aachen, Germany, 25-28 May 2011 ; ESSR Abstracts 2011 ; Oral Sessions OP10-5 VL - 98 IS - S5 SP - S17 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Lanzl, Ines M. T1 - Can vascular function be assessed by the interpretation of retinal vascular diameter changes? JF - Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, IOVS. 52 (2011), H. 1 Y1 - 2011 SN - 0146-0404 SP - 635 EP - 636 PB - ARVO CY - Rockville, Md. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lanzl, Ines M. A1 - Seidova, Seid-Fatima A1 - Maier, Mathias A1 - Schmidt-Trucksäss, Arno A1 - Halle, Martin A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin T1 - Dynamic retinal vessel response to flicker in age-related macular degeneration patients before and after vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor injection JF - Acta Ophthalmologica Y1 - 2011 SN - 1755-3768 VL - 89 IS - 5 SP - 472 EP - 479 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mikielewicz, Marek A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Barraquer, Rafael I. A1 - Michael, Ralph T1 - Air-pulse corneal applanation signal curve parameters for the characterisation of keratoconus JF - British Journal of Ophthalmology (eBJO) Y1 - 2011 SN - 1468-2079 VL - 95 IS - 6 SP - 793 EP - 798 PB - BMJ Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Baumann, Marcus A1 - Vilser, Walthard A1 - Lanzl, Ines M. T1 - Pulse wave velocity in retinal arteries of healthy volunteers JF - British Journal of Ophthalmology (eBJO) Y1 - 2011 SN - 1468-2079 VL - 95 IS - 11 SP - 675 EP - 679 PB - BMJ Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Lanzl, Ines M. A1 - Schmidt-Trucksäss, A. A1 - Sitnikova, Diana A1 - Ali, Mohammad A1 - Blume, Katharina A1 - Halle, Martin A1 - Hansser, Henner T1 - Dynamic retinal vessel response to flicker in obesity: A methodological approach JF - Microvascular Research Y1 - 2011 SN - 0026-2862 VL - 81 IS - 1 SP - 123 EP - 128 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dashevsky, Alexey V. A1 - Lanzl, Ines M. A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin T1 - Non-penetrating intracanalicular partial trabeculectomy via the ostia of Schlemm's canal JF - Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology Y1 - 2011 SN - 0721-832x VL - 249 IS - 4 SP - 565 EP - 573 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hanssen, H. A1 - Nickel, T. A1 - Drexel, V. A1 - Hertel, G. A1 - Emslander, I. A1 - Sisic, Z. A1 - Lorang, D. A1 - Schuster, T. A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Pressler, A. A1 - Schmidt-Trucksäss, A. A1 - Weis, M. A1 - Halle, M. T1 - Exercise-induced alterations of retinal vessel diameters and cardiovascular risk reduction in obesity JF - Atherosclerosis Y1 - 2011 SN - 0021-9150 VL - 216 IS - 2 SP - 433 EP - 439 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Karamanidis, Kiros A1 - Albracht, Kirsten A1 - Braunstein, Bjoern A1 - Catala, Maria Moreno A1 - Goldmann, Jan-Peter A1 - Brüggemann, Gert-Peter T1 - Lower leg musculoskeletal geometry and sprint performance JF - Gait and Posture N2 - The purpose of this study was to investigate whether sprint performance is related to lower leg musculoskeletal geometry within a homogeneous group of highly trained 100-m sprinters. Using a cluster analysis, eighteen male sprinters were divided into two groups based on their personal best (fast: N = 11, 10.30 ± 0.07 s; slow: N = 7, 10.70 ± 0.08 s). Calf muscular fascicle arrangement and Achilles tendon moment arms (calculated by the gradient of tendon excursion versus ankle joint angle) were analyzed for each athlete using ultrasonography. Achilles tendon moment arm, foot and ankle skeletal geometry, fascicle arrangement as well as the ratio of fascicle length to Achilles tendon moment arm showed no significant (p > 0.05) correlation with sprint performance, nor were there any differences in the analyzed musculoskeletal parameters between the fast and slow sprinter group. Our findings provide evidence that differences in sprint ability in world-class athletes are not a result of differences in the geometrical design of the lower leg even when considering both skeletal and muscular components. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.03.009 SN - 0966-6362 VL - 34 IS - 1 SP - 138 EP - 141 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - THES A1 - Behbahani, Mehdi T1 - Modeling and Simulation of Shear-Dependent Platelet Reactions in Blood Vessels and Blood-Contacting Medical Devices Y1 - 2011 SN - 978-3-8439-0134-5 PB - Verlag Dr. Hut CY - München ER - TY - THES A1 - Pham, Phu Tinh T1 - Upper bound limit and shakedown analysis of elastic-plastic bounded linearly kinematic hardening structures Y1 - 2011 N1 - Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2011 PB - RWTH Aachen University CY - Aachen ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Ohndorf, Andreas A1 - Dachwald, Bernd A1 - Seboldt, Wolfgang A1 - Schartner, Karl-Heinz T1 - Flight times to the heliopause using a combination of solar and radioisotope electric propulsion T2 - 32nd International Electric Propulsion Conference N2 - We investigate the interplanetary flight of a low-thrust space probe to the heliopause,located at a distance of about 200 AU from the Sun. Our goal was to reach this distance within the 25 years postulated by ESA for such a mission (which is less ambitious than the 15-year goal set by NASA). Contrary to solar sail concepts and combinations of allistic and electrically propelled flight legs, we have investigated whether the set flight time limit could also be kept with a combination of solar-electric propulsion and a second, RTG-powered upper stage. The used ion engine type was the RIT-22 for the first stage and the RIT-10 for the second stage. Trajectory optimization was carried out with the low-thrust optimization program InTrance, which implements the method of Evolutionary Neurocontrol,using Artificial Neural Networks for spacecraft steering and Evolutionary Algorithms to optimize the Neural Networks’ parameter set. Based on a parameter space study, in which the number of thrust units, the unit’s specific impulse, and the relative size of the solar power generator were varied, we have chosen one configuration as reference. The transfer time of this reference configuration was 29.6 years and the fastest one, which is technically more challenging, still required 28.3 years. As all flight times of this parameter study were longer than 25 years, we further shortened the transfer time by applying a launcher-provided hyperbolic excess energy up to 49 km2/s2. The resulting minimal flight time for the reference configuration was then 27.8 years. The following, more precise optimization to a launch with the European Ariane 5 ECA rocket reduced the transfer time to 27.5 years. This is the fastest mission design of our study that is flexible enough to allow a launch every year. The inclusion of a fly-by at Jupiter finally resulted in a flight time of 23.8 years,which is below the set transfer-time limit. However, compared to the 27.5-year transfer,this mission design has a significantly reduced launch window and mission flexibility if the escape direction is restricted to the heliosphere’s “nose". KW - low-thrust trajectory optimization KW - heliosphere KW - ion propulsion Y1 - 2011 N1 - IEPC-2011-051 32nd International Electric Propulsion Conference,September 11–15, 2011 Wiesbaden, Germany SP - 1 EP - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nguyen-Xuan, H. A1 - Rabczuk, T. A1 - Nguyen-Thoi, T. A1 - Tran, Thanh Ngoc A1 - Nguyen-Thanh, N. T1 - Computation of limit and shakedown loads using a node-based smoothed finite element method JF - International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering N2 - This paper presents a novel numerical procedure for computing limit and shakedown loads of structures using a node-based smoothed FEM in combination with a primal–dual algorithm. An associated primal–dual form based on the von Mises yield criterion is adopted. The primal-dual algorithm together with a Newton-like iteration are then used to solve this associated primal–dual form to determine simultaneously both approximate upper and quasi-lower bounds of the plastic collapse limit and the shakedown limit. The present formulation uses only linear approximations and its implementation into finite element programs is quite simple. Several numerical examples are given to show the reliability, accuracy, and generality of the present formulation compared with other available methods. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/nme.3317 SN - 1097-0207 VL - 90 IS - 3 SP - 287 EP - 310 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Loeb, Horst W. A1 - Schartner, Karl-Heinz A1 - Dachwald, Bernd A1 - Ohndorf, Andreas A1 - Seboldt, Wolfgang T1 - An Interstellar – Heliopause mission using a combination of solar/radioisotope electric propulsion T2 - Presented at the 32nd International Electric Propulsion Conference N2 - There is common agreement within the scientific community that in order to understand our local galactic environment it will be necessary to send a spacecraft into the region beyond the solar wind termination shock. Considering distances of 200 AU for a new mission, one needs a spacecraft travelling at a speed of close to 10 AU/yr in order to keep the mission duration in the range of less than 25 yrs, a transfer time postulated by ESA.Two propulsion options for the mission have been proposed and discussed so far: the solar sail propulsion and the ballistic/radioisotope electric propulsion. As a further alternative, we here investigate a combination of solar-electric propulsion and radioisotope-electric propulsion. The solar-electric propulsion stage consists of six 22 cm diameter “RIT-22”ion thrusters working with a high specific impulse of 7377 s corresponding to a positive grid voltage of 5 kV. Solar power of 53 kW BOM is provided by a light-weight solar array. The REP-stage consists of four space-proven 10 cm diameter “RIT-10” ion thrusters that will be operating one after the other for 9 yrs in total. Four advanced radioisotope generators provide 648 W at BOM. The scientific instrument package is oriented at earlier studies. For its mass and electric power requirement 35 kg and 35 W are assessed, respectively. Optimized trajectory calculations, treated in a separate contribution, are based on our “InTrance” method.The program yields a burn out of the REP stage in a distance of 79.6 AU for a usage of 154 kg of Xe propellant. With a C3 = 45,1 (km/s)2 a heliocentric probe velocity of 10 AU/yr is reached at this distance, provided a close Jupiter gravity assist adds a velocity increment of 2.7 AU/yr. A transfer time of 23.8 yrs results for this scenario requiring about 450 kg Xe for the SEP stage, jettisoned at 3 AU. We interpret the SEP/REP propulsion as a competing alternative to solar sail and ballistic/REP propulsion. Omiting a Jupiter fly-by even allows more launch flexibility, leaving the mission duration in the range of the ESA specification. Y1 - 2011 N1 - 32nd International Electric Propulsion Conference, 11-15 September. Wiesbaden, Germany SP - 1 EP - 7 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Dachwald, Bernd A1 - Xu, Changsheng A1 - Feldmann, Marco A1 - Plescher, Engelbert T1 - IceMole : Development of a novel subsurface ice probe and testing of the first prototype on the Morteratsch Glacier T2 - EGU General Assembly 2011 Vienna | Austria | 03 – 08 April 2011 N2 - We present the novel concept of a combined drilling and melting probe for subsurface ice research. This probe, named “IceMole”, is currently developed, built, and tested at the FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences’ Astronautical Laboratory. Here, we describe its first prototype design and report the results of its field tests on the Swiss Morteratsch glacier. Although the IceMole design is currently adapted to terrestrial glaciers and ice shields, it may later be modified for the subsurface in-situ investigation of extraterrestrial ice, e.g., on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. If life exists on those bodies, it may be present in the ice (as life can also be found in the deep ice of Earth). Y1 - 2011 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Staat, Manfred A1 - Trenz, Eva A1 - Lohmann, Philipp A1 - Frotscher, Ralf A1 - Klinge, Uwe A1 - Tabaza, Ruth A1 - Kirschner-Hermanns, Ruth T1 - New measurements to compare soft tissue anchoring systems in pelvic floor surgery JF - Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials N2 - Suburethral slings as well as different meshes are widely used treating stress urinary incontinence and prolaps in women. With the development of MiniSlings and special meshes using less alloplastic material anchorage systems become more important to keep devices in place and to put some tension especially on the MiniSlings. To date, there are many different systems of MiniSlings of different companies on the market which differ in the structure of the used meshes and anchors. A new objective measurement method to compare different properties of MiniSling systems (mesh and anchor) is presented in this article. Ballistic gelatine acts as soft tissue surrogate. Significant differences in parameters like pull-out strength of anchors or shrinkage of meshes under loading conditions have been determined. The form and size of the anchors as well as the structural stability of the meshes are decisive for a proper integration. The tested anchorings sytems showed markedly different mechanical function at their respective load bearing capacity. As the stable fixation of the device in tissue is a prerequisite for a permanet reinforcement, the proposed test system permits further optimisation of anchor and mesh devices to improve the success of the surgical treatment Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm.b.32654 SN - 1552-4981 VL - 100B IS - 4 SP - 924 EP - 933 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken, NJ ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bassam, Rasha A1 - Hescheler, Jürgen A1 - Temiz Artmann, Aysegül A1 - Artmann, Gerhard A1 - Digel, Ilya T1 - Effects of spermine NONOate and ATP on the thermal stability of hemoglobin JF - BMC Biophysics N2 - Background Minor changes in protein structure induced by small organic and inorganic molecules can result in significant metabolic effects. The effects can be even more profound if the molecular players are chemically active and present in the cell in considerable amounts. The aim of our study was to investigate effects of a nitric oxide donor (spermine NONOate), ATP and sodium/potassium environment on the dynamics of thermal unfolding of human hemoglobin (Hb). The effect of these molecules was examined by means of circular dichroism spectrometry (CD) in the temperature range between 25°C and 70°C. The alpha-helical content of buffered hemoglobin samples (0.1 mg/ml) was estimated via ellipticity change measurements at a heating rate of 1°C/min. Results Major results were: 1) spermine NONOate persistently decreased the hemoglobin unfolding temperature T u irrespectively of the Na + /K + environment, 2) ATP instead increased the unfolding temperature by 3°C in both sodium-based and potassium-based buffers and 3) mutual effects of ATP and NO were strongly influenced by particular buffer ionic compositions. Moreover, the presence of potassium facilitated a partial unfolding of alpha-helical structures even at room temperature. Conclusion The obtained data might shed more light on molecular mechanisms and biophysics involved in the regulation of protein activity by small solutes in the cell. KW - Nitric Oxide Donor KW - NONOate KW - Circular Dichroism KW - Nitric Oxide Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-1682-5-16 SN - 2046-1682 VL - 5 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Mansurov, Zulkhair A1 - Biisenbaev, Makhmut A1 - Savitskaya, Irina A1 - Kistaubaeva, Aida A1 - Akimbekov, Nuraly S. A1 - Zhubanova, Azhar ED - Hu, Ning T1 - Heterogeneous Composites on the Basis of Microbial Cells and Nanostructured Carbonized Sorbents T2 - Composites and Their Applications N2 - The fact that microorganisms prefer to grow on liquid/solid phase surfaces rather than in the surrounding aqueous phase was noticed long time ago [1]. Virtually any surface – animal, mineral, or vegetable – is a subject for microbial colonization and subsequent biofilm formation. It would be adequate to name just a few notorious examples on microbial colonization of contact lenses, ship hulls, petroleum pipelines, rocks in streams and all kinds of biomedical implants. The propensity of microorganisms to become surface-bound is so profound and ubiquitous that it vindicates the advantages for attached forms over their free-ranging counterparts [2]. Indeed, from ecological and evolutionary standpoints, for many microorganisms the surface-bound state means dwelling in nutritionally favorable, non-hostile environments [3]. Therefore, in most of natural and artificial ecosystems surface-associated microorganisms vastly outnumber organisms in suspension and often organize into complex communities with features that differ dramatically from those of free cells [4]. Y1 - 2012 SN - 978-953-51-0706-4 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5772/47796 SP - 249 EP - 272 PB - Intech CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nomdedeu, Mar Monsonis A1 - Willen, Christine A1 - Schieffer, Andre A1 - Arndt, Hartmut T1 - Temperature-dependent ranges of coexistence in a model of a two-prey-one-predator microbial food web JF - Marine Biology N2 - The objective of our study was to analyze the effects of temperature on the population dynamics of a three-species food web consisting of two prey bacteria (Pedobacter sp. and Acinetobacter johnsonii) and a protozoan predator (Tetrahymena pyriformis) as model organisms. We assessed the effects of temperature on the growth rates of all three species with the objective of developing a model with four differential equations based on the experimental data. The following hypotheses were tested at a theoretical level: Firstly, temperature changes can affect the dynamic behavior of a system by temperature-dependent parameters and interactions and secondly, food web response to temperature cannot be derived from the single species temperature response. The main outcome of the study is that temperature changes affect the parameter range where coexistence is possible within all three species. This has significant consequences on our ideas regarding the evaluation of effects of global warming. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1966-x SN - 1432-1793 VL - 159 IS - 11 SP - 2423 EP - 2430 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - THES A1 - Schieffer, Andre T1 - Studies on diversity and coexistence in an experimental microbial community N2 - Biodiversity and the coexistence of species have puzzled and fascinated biologists since decades and is a hotspot in todays’ natural sciences. Preserving this biodiversity is a great challenge as habitats and environments underlying tremendous changes like climate change and the loss of natural habitats, which are mainly due to anthropogenic influences. The coexistence of numerous species even in homogeneous environments is a stunning feature of natural communities and has been summarized under the term ‘paradox of plankton’. Up to now, there are several mechanisms discussed, which may contribute to local and global diversity of organisms. Several interspecific trade offs have been identified maintaining the coexistence of species like their abilities regarding competition and predator avoidance, their capability to disperse in space and time, and their ability to exploit variable resources. Further, micro-evolutionary dynamics supporting the coexistence of species have been added to our knowledge, and deriving from theoretical deterministic models, non-linear dynamics which describe the temporal fluctuation of abundances of organisms. Whereas competition and predation seem to be clue structural elements within interacting organisms, the intrinsic dynamic behavior – by means of temporal changes in abundance - plays an important role regarding coexistence within a community. The present work sheds light on different factors affecting the coexistence of species using experimental microbial model systems consisting of a bacterivorous ciliate as the predator and two bacteria strains as prey organism. Additionally, another experimental setup consisting of two up to five bacteria species competing for one limiting resource was investigated. Highly controllable chemostat systems were established to exclude extrinsic disturbances. According to theoretical analyses I was able to show - experimentally and theoretically - that phenotypic plasticity of one species within a microbial one-predator-two-prey food web enlarges the range of possible coexistence of all species under different dynamic conditions, compared to a food web without phenotypic plasticity. This was accompanied by non-linear (chaotic) population dynamics within all experimental systems showing phenotypic plasticity. The experiments on the interplay of competition, predation and invasion showed that all aspects have an influence on species coexistence. Under undisturbed controlled conditions all aspects were analyzed in detail and in combination. Populations showed oscillations which were shown by quasi-chaotic attractors in phase space diagrams. Competition experiments with two up to five bacteria species competing for one limiting resource showed that all organisms were able to coexist which was mediated by species oscillations entering a regime of chaos. Besides that fact it was found, that the productivity (biomass) as well as the total cell numbers – under the same nutrition supply – increased by an increasing number of species in the experimental systems. Up to now, the occurrence of non-linear dynamics in well controlled experimental studies has been recognized several times and this phenomenon seemed to be more common in natural systems than generally assumed. N2 - Biodiversität und die Koexistenz von Arten fasziniert und verblüfft Biologen seit Jahr-zehnten und stellen einen Schwerpunkt in der heutigen Umweltforschung dar. Der Schutz und die Konservierung dieser Mannigfaltigkeit stellen eine große Herausfor-derung dar, da die natürlichen Lebensräume sowie die Umwelt enormen Verände-rungen unterworfen sind, welche meist in einem anthropogenen Ursprung wurzeln. Die Koexistenz vieler Arten, auch in relativ homogenen Habitaten ist ein faszinieren-des Charakteristikum natürlicher Lebensgemeinschaften und wird als ‚Paradox des Planktons‘ bezeichnet. Gegenwärtig werden diverse Ursachen diskutiert, welche vermutlich zur lokalen und globalen Diversität von Organismen beitragen. Einige die-ser möglichen Ursachen, die zur Aufrechterhaltung der Koexistenz der Arten beitra-gen, wurden identifiziert: Das Vermögen der Konkurrenz- und Prädationsvermeidung, die Fähigkeit räumlicher sowie zeitlicher Verteilung, sowie das Vermögen variable Ressourcen zu nutzen. Des Weiteren wurden mikro-evolutionäre Phänomene und Dynamiken identifiziert, sowie, von theoretischen deterministischen Modellen ausge-hend, nichtlineare Dynamiken, welche die zeitlichen Schwankungen der Abundanzen von Organismen beschreiben. Diese Aspekte stellen die Schlüsselkomponenten zwi-schen interagierenden Organismen dar, wobei das intrinsiche, nicht lineare dynami-sche Verhalten in Form von zeitlichen Veränderungen in Abundanzen eine zusätzli-che entscheidende Rolle bezüglich der Koexistenz von Arten spielen kann. Einige dieser Aspekte wurden in der vorliegenden Arbeit untersucht. In Anlehnung an theoretische Analysen konnte experimentell sowie theoretisch gezeigt werden, dass phänotypische Plastizität in einer Bakterienart in einem mikrobiellen Ein-Räuber-zwei-Beute-Nahrungsgewebe den Bereich der möglichen Koexistenz unter sich än-dernden experimentellen Bedingungen (Änderungen der Durchflussraten der Chemostate) – im direkten Vergleich zu einem experimentellen Nahrungsgewebe ohne phänotypische Plastizität – erweitern kann. Dies wurde begleitet durch nicht lineare Abundanzschwankungen in den Populationen aller untersuchten Versuchs-ansätze. In weiteren Untersuchungen wurde das Zusammenspiel von Konkurrenz, Prädation und Invasion in einer experimentellen mikrobiellen Gemeinschaft untersucht. Unter kontrollierten Bedingungen konnten diese Aspekte detailliert untersucht werden und es konnten Aufschlüsse darüber gewonnen werden, welche Reaktionen (Interaktionen) innerhalb der untersuchten Gemeinschaften stattfinden. Im Versuchsverlauf wurden Veränderungen in den Abundanzen sowie chaotische Schwankungen der Zellzahlen festgestellt. In Konkurrenzexperimenten von zwei bis zu fünf um eine limitierende Ressource konkurrierende Bakterienarten konnte gezeigt werden, dass alle Arten – vermittelt durch chaotische Abundanzschwankungen – nebeneinander koexistieren konnten. Begleitend dazu wurde herausgefunden, dass die Produktivität (Biomasse) sowie die Gesamtzellzahl bei gleicher Nahrungsverfügbarkeit der experimentellen Systeme mit steigender Artenzahl zunehmen. Gegenwärtig ist das Auftreten von Chaos in gut kontrollierten experimentellen Studien vereinzelt beobachtet worden, wobei dieses Phänomen jedoch häufiger in der Natur aufzutreten scheint als generell vermutet. Y1 - 2012 N1 - Köln, Univ., Diss., 2012 ER -