TY - JOUR A1 - Morandi, Paolo A1 - Butenweg, Christoph A1 - Breis, Khaled A1 - Beyer, Katrin A1 - Magenes, Guido ED - Ansal, Atilla T1 - Latest findings on the behaviour factor q for the seismic design of URM buildings JF - Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering N2 - Recent earthquakes as the 2012 Emilia earthquake sequence showed that recently built unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings behaved much better than expected and sustained, despite the maximum PGA values ranged between 0.20–0.30 g, either minor damage or structural damage that is deemed repairable. Especially low-rise residential and commercial masonry buildings with a code-conforming seismic design and detailing behaved in general very well without substantial damages. The low damage grades of modern masonry buildings that was observed during this earthquake series highlighted again that codified design procedures based on linear analysis can be rather conservative. Although advances in simulation tools make nonlinear calculation methods more readily accessible to designers, linear analyses will still be the standard design method for years to come. The present paper aims to improve the linear seismic design method by providing a proper definition of the q-factor of URM buildings. These q-factors are derived for low-rise URM buildings with rigid diaphragms which represent recent construction practise in low to moderate seismic areas of Italy and Germany. The behaviour factor components for deformation and energy dissipation capacity and for overstrength due to the redistribution of forces are derived by means of pushover analyses. Furthermore, considerations on the behaviour factor component due to other sources of overstrength in masonry buildings are presented. As a result of the investigations, rationally based values of the behaviour factor q to be used in linear analyses in the range of 2.0–3.0 are proposed. KW - Unreinforced masonry buildings KW - Modern constructions KW - Seismic design KW - Linear elastic analysis KW - Behaviour factor q Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-022-01419-7 SN - 1573-1456 SN - 1570-761X VL - 20 IS - 11 SP - 5797 EP - 5848 PB - Springer Nature CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peere, Wouter A1 - Blanke, Tobias ED - Vernon, Chris T1 - GHEtool: An open-source tool for borefield sizing in Python JF - Journal of Open Source Software N2 - GHEtool is a Python package that contains all the functionalities needed to deal with borefield design. It is developed for both researchers and practitioners. The core of this package is the automated sizing of borefield under different conditions. The sizing of a borefield is typically slow due to the high complexity of the mathematical background. Because this tool has a lot of precalculated data, GHEtool can size a borefield in the order of tenths of milliseconds. This sizing typically takes the order of minutes. Therefore, this tool is suited for being implemented in typical workflows where iterations are required. GHEtool also comes with a graphical user interface (GUI). This GUI is prebuilt as an exe-file because this provides access to all the functionalities without coding. A setup to install the GUI at the user-defined place is also implemented and available at: https://www.mech.kuleuven.be/en/tme/research/thermal_systems/tools/ghetool. KW - geothermal KW - energy KW - borefields KW - sizing Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.04406 SN - 2475-9066 VL - 7 IS - 76 SP - 1 EP - 4, 4406 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwager, Christian A1 - Flesch, Robert A1 - Schwarzbözl, Peter A1 - Herrmann, Ulf A1 - Teixeira Boura, Cristiano José T1 - Advanced two phase flow model for transient molten salt receiver system simulation JF - Solar Energy N2 - In order to realistically predict and optimize the actual performance of a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant sophisticated simulation models and methods are required. This paper presents a detailed dynamic simulation model for a Molten Salt Solar Tower (MST) system, which is capable of simulating transient operation including detailed startup and shutdown procedures including drainage and refill. For appropriate representation of the transient behavior of the receiver as well as replication of local bulk and surface temperatures a discretized receiver model based on a novel homogeneous two-phase (2P) flow modelling approach is implemented in Modelica Dymola®. This allows for reasonable representation of the very different hydraulic and thermal properties of molten salt versus air as well as the transition between both. This dynamic 2P receiver model is embedded in a comprehensive one-dimensional model of a commercial scale MST system and coupled with a transient receiver flux density distribution from raytracing based heliostat field simulation. This enables for detailed process prediction with reasonable computational effort, while providing data such as local salt film and wall temperatures, realistic control behavior as well as net performance of the overall system. Besides a model description, this paper presents some results of a validation as well as the simulation of a complete startup procedure. Finally, a study on numerical simulation performance and grid dependencies is presented and discussed. KW - Molten salt solar tower KW - Molten salt receiver system KW - Dynamic simulation KW - Two-phase modelling KW - Transient flux distribution Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2021.12.065 SN - 0038-092X (print) SN - 1471-1257 (online) VL - 232 SP - 362 EP - 375 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bhattarai, Aroj A1 - May, Charlotte Anabell A1 - Staat, Manfred A1 - Kowalczyk, Wojciech A1 - Tran, Thanh Ngoc T1 - Layer-specific damage modeling of porcine large intestine under biaxial tension JF - Bioengineering N2 - The mechanical behavior of the large intestine beyond the ultimate stress has never been investigated. Stretching beyond the ultimate stress may drastically impair the tissue microstructure, which consequently weakens its healthy state functions of absorption, temporary storage, and transportation for defecation. Due to closely similar microstructure and function with humans, biaxial tensile experiments on the porcine large intestine have been performed in this study. In this paper, we report hyperelastic characterization of the large intestine based on experiments in 102 specimens. We also report the theoretical analysis of the experimental results, including an exponential damage evolution function. The fracture energies and the threshold stresses are set as damage material parameters for the longitudinal muscular, the circumferential muscular and the submucosal collagenous layers. A biaxial tensile simulation of a linear brick element has been performed to validate the applicability of the estimated material parameters. The model successfully simulates the biomechanical response of the large intestine under physiological and non-physiological loads. KW - biaxial tensile experiment KW - anisotropy KW - hyperelastic KW - constitutive modeling KW - damage Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering9100528 SN - 2306-5354 N1 - Der Artikel gehört zum Sonderheft "Computational Biomechanics" VL - 9 IS - 10, Early Access SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mandekar, Swati A1 - Holland, Abigail A1 - Thielen, Moritz A1 - Behbahani, Mehdi A1 - Melnykowycz, Mark T1 - Advancing towards Ubiquitous EEG, Correlation of In-Ear EEG with Forehead EEG JF - Sensors N2 - Wearable EEG has gained popularity in recent years driven by promising uses outside of clinics and research. The ubiquitous application of continuous EEG requires unobtrusive form-factors that are easily acceptable by the end-users. In this progression, wearable EEG systems have been moving from full scalp to forehead and recently to the ear. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that emerging ear-EEG provides similar impedance and signal properties as established forehead EEG. EEG data using eyes-open and closed alpha paradigm were acquired from ten healthy subjects using generic earpieces fitted with three custom-made electrodes and a forehead electrode (at Fpx) after impedance analysis. Inter-subject variability in in-ear electrode impedance ranged from 20 kΩ to 25 kΩ at 10 Hz. Signal quality was comparable with an SNR of 6 for in-ear and 8 for forehead electrodes. Alpha attenuation was significant during the eyes-open condition in all in-ear electrodes, and it followed the structure of power spectral density plots of forehead electrodes, with the Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.92 between in-ear locations ELE (Left Ear Superior) and ERE (Right Ear Superior) and forehead locations, Fp1 and Fp2, respectively. The results indicate that in-ear EEG is an unobtrusive alternative in terms of impedance, signal properties and information content to established forehead EEG. KW - in-ear EEG KW - correlation KW - forehead EEG KW - impedance spectroscopy KW - biopotential electrodes Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/s22041568 SN - 1424-8220 VL - 22 IS - 4 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maurischat, Andreas T1 - Algebraic independence of the Carlitz period and its hyperderivatives JF - Journal of Number Theory KW - Drinfeld modules KW - Periods KW - t-modules KW - Transcendence KW - Higher derivations Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnt.2022.01.006 SN - 0022-314X VL - 240 SP - 145 EP - 162 PB - Elsevier CY - Orlando, Fla. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schüller-Ruhl, Aaron A1 - Dinstühler, Leonard A1 - Senger, Thorsten A1 - Bergfeld, Stefan A1 - Ingenhag, Christian A1 - Fleischhaker, Robert ED - Mackenzie, Jacob T1 - Direct fabrication of arbitrary phase masks in optical glass via ultra-short pulsed laser writing of refractive index modifications JF - Applied Physics B N2 - We study the possibility to fabricate an arbitrary phase mask in a one-step laser-writing process inside the volume of an optical glass substrate. We derive the phase mask from a Gerchberg–Saxton-type algorithm as an array and create each individual phase shift using a refractive index modification of variable axial length. We realize the variable axial length by superimposing refractive index modifications induced by an ultra-short pulsed laser at different focusing depth. Each single modification is created by applying 1000 pulses with 15 μJ pulse energy at 100 kHz to a fixed spot of 25 μm diameter and the focus is then shifted axially in steps of 10 μm. With several proof-of-principle examples, we show the feasibility of our method. In particular, we identify the induced refractive index change to about a value of Δn=1.5⋅10−3. We also determine our current limitations by calculating the overlap in the form of a scalar product and we discuss possible future improvements. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-022-07928-2 SN - 1432-0649 (Online) SN - 0946-2171 (Print) N1 - Corresponding author: Robert Fleischhaker VL - 128 IS - Article number: 208 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Philipp, Mohr A1 - Efthimiou, Nikos A1 - Pagano, Fiammetta A1 - Kratochwil, Nicolaus A1 - Pizzichemi, Marco A1 - Tsoumpas, Charalampos A1 - Auffray, Etiennette A1 - Ziemons, Karl T1 - Image reconstruction analysis for positron emission tomography with heterostructured scintillators JF - IEEE Transactions on Radiation and Plasma Medical Sciences N2 - The concept of structure engineering has been proposed for exploring the next generation of radiation detectors with improved performance. A TOF-PET geometry with heterostructured scintillators with a pixel size of 3.0×3.1×15 mm3 was simulated using Monte Carlo. The heterostructures consisted of alternating layers of BGO as a dense material with high stopping power and plastic (EJ232) as a fast light emitter. The detector time resolution was calculated as a function of the deposited and shared energy in both materials on an event-by-event basis. While sensitivity was reduced to 32% for 100 μm thick plastic layers and 52% for 50 μm, the CTR distribution improved to 204±49 ps and 220±41 ps respectively, compared to 276 ps that we considered for bulk BGO. The complex distribution of timing resolutions was accounted for in the reconstruction. We divided the events into three groups based on their CTR and modeled them with different Gaussian TOF kernels. On a NEMA IQ phantom, the heterostructures had better contrast recovery in early iterations. On the other hand, BGO achieved a better contrast to noise ratio (CNR) after the 15th iteration due to the higher sensitivity. The developed simulation and reconstruction methods constitute new tools for evaluating different detector designs with complex time responses. KW - TOF PET KW - Heterostructure KW - Metascintillator KW - Multiple TOF kernels KW - Image Reconstruction Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/TRPMS.2022.3208615 SN - 2469-7311 SN - 2469-7303 VL - 7 IS - 1 SP - 41 EP - 51 PB - IEEE CY - New York, NY ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Baringhaus, Ludwig A1 - Gaigall, Daniel T1 - A goodness-of-fit test for the compound Poisson exponential model JF - Journal of Multivariate Analysis N2 - On the basis of bivariate data, assumed to be observations of independent copies of a random vector (S,N), we consider testing the hypothesis that the distribution of (S,N) belongs to the parametric class of distributions that arise with the compound Poisson exponential model. Typically, this model is used in stochastic hydrology, with N as the number of raindays, and S as total rainfall amount during a certain time period, or in actuarial science, with N as the number of losses, and S as total loss expenditure during a certain time period. The compound Poisson exponential model is characterized in the way that a specific transform associated with the distribution of (S,N) satisfies a certain differential equation. Mimicking the function part of this equation by substituting the empirical counterparts of the transform we obtain an expression the weighted integral of the square of which is used as test statistic. We deal with two variants of the latter, one of which being invariant under scale transformations of the S-part by fixed positive constants. Critical values are obtained by using a parametric bootstrap procedure. The asymptotic behavior of the tests is discussed. A simulation study demonstrates the performance of the tests in the finite sample case. The procedure is applied to rainfall data and to an actuarial dataset. A multivariate extension is also discussed. KW - Bootstrapping KW - Collective risk model Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmva.2022.105154 SN - 0047-259X SN - 1095-7243 VL - 195 IS - Article 105154 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ulmer, Jessica A1 - Braun, Sebastian A1 - Cheng, Chi-Tsun A1 - Dowey, Steve A1 - Wollert, Jörg T1 - Gamification of virtual reality assembly training: Effects of a combined point and level system on motivation and training results JF - International Journal of Human-Computer Studies N2 - Virtual Reality (VR) offers novel possibilities for remote training regardless of the availability of the actual equipment, the presence of specialists, and the training locations. Research shows that training environments that adapt to users' preferences and performance can promote more effective learning. However, the observed results can hardly be traced back to specific adaptive measures but the whole new training approach. This study analyzes the effects of a combined point and leveling VR-based gamification system on assembly training targeting specific training outcomes and users' motivations. The Gamified-VR-Group with 26 subjects received the gamified training, and the Non-Gamified-VR-Group with 27 subjects received the alternative without gamified elements. Both groups conducted their VR training at least three times before assembling the actual structure. The study found that a level system that gradually increases the difficulty and error probability in VR can significantly lower real-world error rates, self-corrections, and support usages. According to our study, a high error occurrence at the highest training level reduced the Gamified-VR-Group's feeling of competence compared to the Non-Gamified-VR-Group, but at the same time also led to lower error probabilities in real-life. It is concluded that a level system with a variable task difficulty should be combined with carefully balanced positive and negative feedback messages. This way, better learning results, and an improved self-evaluation can be achieved while not causing significant impacts on the participants' feeling of competence. KW - Gamification KW - Virtual reality KW - Assembly KW - User study KW - Level system Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2022.102854 SN - 1071-5819 VL - 165 IS - Art. No. 102854 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pfaff, Raphael A1 - Enning, Manfred A1 - Sutter, Stefan T1 - A risk‑based approach to automatic brake tests for rail freight service: incident analysis and realisation concept JF - SN Applied Sciences N2 - This study reviews the practice of brake tests in freight railways, which is time consuming and not suitable to detect certain failure types. Public incident reports are analysed to derive a reasonable brake test hardware and communication architecture, which aims to provide automatic brake tests at lower cost than current solutions. The proposed solutions relies exclusively on brake pipe and brake cylinder pressure sensors, a brake release position switch as well as radio communication via standard protocols. The approach is embedded in the Wagon 4.0 concept, which is a holistic approach to a smart freight wagon. The reduction of manual processes yields a strong incentive due to high savings in manual labour and increased productivity. KW - Freight rail KW - Brake test KW - Incident analysis KW - Train composition KW - Brake set-up Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-022-05007-x SN - 2523-3971 N1 - Corresponding author: Raphael Pfaff VL - 4 IS - 4 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Malinowski, Daniel A1 - Fournier, Yvan A1 - Horbach, Andreas A1 - Frick, Michael A1 - Magliani, Mirko A1 - Kalverkamp, Sebastian A1 - Hildinger, Martin A1 - Spillner, Jan A1 - Behbahani, Mehdi A1 - Hima, Flutura T1 - Computational fluid dynamics analysis of endoluminal aortic perfusion JF - Perfusion N2 - Introduction: In peripheral percutaneous (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) procedures the femoral arteries perfusion route has inherent disadvantages regarding poor upper body perfusion due to watershed. With the advent of new long flexible cannulas an advancement of the tip up to the ascending aorta has become feasible. To investigate the impact of such long endoluminal cannulas on upper body perfusion, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study was performed considering different support levels and three cannula positions. Methods: An idealized literature-based- and a real patient proximal aortic geometry including an endoluminal cannula were constructed. The blood flow was considered continuous. Oxygen saturation was set to 80% for the blood coming from the heart and to 100% for the blood leaving the cannula. 50% and 90% venoarterial support levels from the total blood flow rate of 6 l/min were investigated for three different positions of the cannula in the aortic arch. Results: For both geometries, the placement of the cannula in the ascending aorta led to a superior oxygenation of all aortic blood vessels except for the left coronary artery. Cannula placements at the aortic arch and descending aorta could support supra-aortic arteries, but not the coronary arteries. All positions were able to support all branches with saturated blood at 90% flow volume. Conclusions: In accordance with clinical observations CFD analysis reveals, that retrograde advancement of a long endoluminal cannula can considerably improve the oxygenation of the upper body and lead to oxygen saturation distributions similar to those of a central cannulation. KW - computational fluid dynamics analysis KW - simulation KW - endoluminal KW - aortic perfusion KW - extracorporeal membrane oxygenation Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1177/02676591221099809 SN - 1477-111X VL - 0 IS - 0 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Sage CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lenz, Maximilian A1 - Kahmann, Stephanie Lucina A1 - Behbahani, Mehdi A1 - Pennig, Lenhard A1 - Hackl, Michael A1 - Leschinger, Tim A1 - Müller, Lars Peter A1 - Wegmann, Kilian T1 - Influence of rotator cuff preload on fracture configuration in proximal humerus fractures: a proof of concept for fracture simulation JF - Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery N2 - Introduction In regard of surgical training, the reproducible simulation of life-like proximal humerus fractures in human cadaveric specimens is desirable. The aim of the present study was to develop a technique that allows simulation of realistic proximal humerus fractures and to analyse the influence of rotator cuff preload on the generated lesions in regards of fracture configuration. Materials and methods Ten cadaveric specimens (6 left, 4 right) were fractured using a custom-made drop-test bench, in two groups. Five specimens were fractured without rotator cuff preload, while the other five were fractured with the tendons of the rotator cuff preloaded with 2 kg each. The humeral shaft and the shortened scapula were potted. The humerus was positioned at 90° of abduction and 10° of internal rotation to simulate a fall on the elevated arm. In two specimens of each group, the emergence of the fractures was documented with high-speed video imaging. Pre-fracture radiographs were taken to evaluate the deltoid-tuberosity index as a measure of bone density. Post-fracture X-rays and CT scans were performed to define the exact fracture configurations. Neer’s classification was used to analyse the fractures. Results In all ten cadaveric specimens life-like proximal humerus fractures were achieved. Two III-part and three IV-part fractures resulted in each group. The preloading of the rotator cuff muscles had no further influence on the fracture configuration. High-speed videos of the fracture simulation revealed identical fracture mechanisms for both groups. We observed a two-step fracture mechanism, with initial impaction of the head segment against the glenoid followed by fracturing of the head and the tuberosities and then with further impaction of the shaft against the acromion, which lead to separation of the tuberosities. Conclusion A high energetic axial impulse can reliably induce realistic proximal humerus fractures in cadaveric specimens. The preload of the rotator cuff muscles had no influence on initial fracture configuration. Therefore, fracture simulation in the proximal humerus is less elaborate. Using the presented technique, pre-fractured specimens are available for real-life surgical education. KW - Proximal humerus fracture KW - Biomechanical simulation KW - Fracture configuration KW - Fracture simulation KW - Rotator cuff Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-022-04471-9 SN - 1434-3916 PB - Springer CY - Berlin, Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chloé, Radermacher A1 - Malyaran, Hanna A1 - Craveiro, Rogerio Bastos A1 - Peglow, Sarah A1 - Behbahani, Mehdi A1 - Pufe, Thomas A1 - Wolf, Michael A1 - Neuss, Sabine T1 - Mechanical loading on cementoblasts: a mini review JF - Osteologie N2 - Orthodontic treatments are concomitant with mechanical forces and thereby cause teeth movements. The applied forces are transmitted to the tooth root and the periodontal ligaments which is compressed on one side and tensed up on the other side. Indeed, strong forces can lead to tooth root resorption and the crown-to-tooth ratio is reduced with the potential for significant clinical impact. The cementum, which covers the tooth root, is a thin mineralized tissue of the periodontium that connects the periodontal ligament with the tooth and is build up by cementoblasts. The impact of tension and compression on these cells is investigated in several in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrating differences in protein expression and signaling pathways. In summary, osteogenic marker changes indicate that cyclic tensile forces support whereas static tension inhibits cementogenesis. Furthermore, cementogenesis experiences the same protein expression changes in static conditions as static tension, but cyclic compression leads to the exact opposite of cyclic tension. Consistent with marker expression changes, the singaling pathways of Wnt/ß-catenin and RANKL/OPG show that tissue compression leads to cementum degradation and tension forces to cementogenesis. However, the cementum, and in particular its cementoblasts, remain a research area which should be explored in more detail to understand the underlying mechanism of bone resorption and remodeling after orthodontic treatments. KW - Cementoblast KW - Compression KW - Tension KW - Mechanotransduction KW - Forces Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1826-0777 SN - 1019-1291 VL - 31 IS - 2 SP - 111 EP - 118 PB - Thieme CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Emhardt, Selina N. A1 - Jarodzka, Halszka A1 - Brand-Gruwel, Saskia A1 - Drumm, Christian A1 - Niehorster, Diederick C. A1 - van Gog, Tamara T1 - What is my teacher talking about? Effects of displaying the teacher’s gaze and mouse cursor cues in video lectures on students’ learning JF - Journal of Cognitive Psychology N2 - Eye movement modelling examples (EMME) are instructional videos that display a teacher’s eye movements as “gaze cursor” (e.g. a moving dot) superimposed on the learning task. This study investigated if previous findings on the beneficial effects of EMME would extend to online lecture videos and compared the effects of displaying the teacher’s gaze cursor with displaying the more traditional mouse cursor as a tool to guide learners’ attention. Novices (N = 124) studied a pre-recorded video lecture on how to model business processes in a 2 (mouse cursor absent/present) × 2 (gaze cursor absent/present) between-subjects design. Unexpectedly, we did not find significant effects of the presence of gaze or mouse cursors on mental effort and learning. However, participants who watched videos with the gaze cursor found it easier to follow the teacher. Overall, participants responded positively to the gaze cursor, especially when the mouse cursor was not displayed in the video. KW - Instructional design KW - eye movement modelling examples KW - video learning Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2022.2080831 SN - 2044-5911 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fiedler, Thomas M. A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Flöser, Martina A1 - Rietsch, Stefan H. G. A1 - Schmidt, Simon A1 - Stelter, Jonathan K. A1 - Wittrich, Marco A1 - Quick, Harald H. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Ladd, Mark E. T1 - Performance and safety assessment of an integrated transmit array for body imaging at 7 T under consideration of specificabsorption rate, tissue temperature, and thermal dose JF - NMR in Biomedicine N2 - In this study, the performance of an integrated body-imaging array for 7 T with 32 radiofrequency (RF) channels under consideration of local specific absorption rate (SAR), tissue temperature, and thermal dose limits was evaluated and the imaging performance was compared with a clinical 3 T body coil. Thirty-two transmit elements were placed in three rings between the bore liner and RF shield of the gradient coil. Slice-selective RF pulse optimizations for B1 shimming and spokes were performed for differently oriented slices in the body under consideration of realistic constraints for power and local SAR. To improve the B1+ homogeneity, safety assessments based on temperature and thermal dose were performed to possibly allow for higher input power for the pulse optimization than permissible with SAR limits. The results showed that using two spokes, the 7 T array outperformed the 3 T birdcage in all the considered regions of interest. However, a significantly higher SAR or lower duty cycle at 7 T is necessary in some cases to achieve similar B1+ homogeneity as at 3 T. The homogeneity in up to 50 cm-long coronal slices can particularly benefit from the high RF shim performance provided by the 32 RF channels. The thermal dose approach increases the allowable input power and the corresponding local SAR, in one example up to 100 W/kg, without limiting the exposure time necessary for an MR examination. In conclusion, the integrated antenna array at 7 T enables a clinical workflow for body imaging and comparable imaging performance to a conventional 3 T clinical body coil. KW - body imaging at 7 T MRI KW - thermal dose KW - tissue temperature KW - transmit antenna arrays Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.4656 SN - 0952-3480 (Print) SN - 1099-1492 (Online) VL - 35 IS - 5 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Wiley ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Herssens, Nolan A1 - Cowburn, James A1 - Albracht, Kirsten A1 - Braunstein, Bjoern A1 - Cazzola, Dario A1 - Colyer, Steffi A1 - Minetti, Alberto E. A1 - Pavei, Gaspare A1 - Rittweger, Jörn A1 - Weber, Tobias A1 - Green, David A. ED - Cattaneo, Luigi T1 - Movement in low gravity environments (MoLo) programme – the MoLo-L.O.O.P. study protocol JF - PLOS ONE / Public Library of Science N2 - Exposure to prolonged periods in microgravity is associated with deconditioning of the musculoskeletal system due to chronic changes in mechanical stimulation. Given astronauts will operate on the Lunar surface for extended periods of time, it is critical to quantify both external (e.g., ground reaction forces) and internal (e.g., joint reaction forces) loads of relevant movements performed during Lunar missions. Such knowledge is key to predict musculoskeletal deconditioning and determine appropriate exercise countermeasures associated with extended exposure to hypogravity. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278051 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 17 IS - 11 PB - Plos CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Coll-Perales, Baldomero A1 - Schulte-Tigges, Joschua A1 - Rondinone, Michele A1 - Gozalvez, Javier A1 - Reke, Michael A1 - Matheis, Dominik A1 - Walter, Thomas T1 - Prototyping and evaluation of infrastructure-assisted transition of control for cooperative automated vehicles JF - IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems N2 - Automated driving is now possible in diverse road and traffic conditions. However, there are still situations that automated vehicles cannot handle safely and efficiently. In this case, a Transition of Control (ToC) is necessary so that the driver takes control of the driving. Executing a ToC requires the driver to get full situation awareness of the driving environment. If the driver fails to get back the control in a limited time, a Minimum Risk Maneuver (MRM) is executed to bring the vehicle into a safe state (e.g., decelerating to full stop). The execution of ToCs requires some time and can cause traffic disruption and safety risks that increase if several vehicles execute ToCs/MRMs at similar times and in the same area. This study proposes to use novel C-ITS traffic management measures where the infrastructure exploits V2X communications to assist Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) in the execution of ToCs. The infrastructure can suggest a spatial distribution of ToCs, and inform vehicles of the locations where they could execute a safe stop in case of MRM. This paper reports the first field operational tests that validate the feasibility and quantify the benefits of the proposed infrastructure-assisted ToC and MRM management. The paper also presents the CAV and roadside infrastructure prototypes implemented and used in the trials. The conducted field trials demonstrate that infrastructure-assisted traffic management solutions can reduce safety risks and traffic disruptions. KW - Automated driving KW - automated vehicles KW - connected automated vehicles KW - CAV KW - experimental evaluation Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/TITS.2021.3061085 SN - 1524-9050 (Print) SN - 1558-0016 (Online) VL - 23 IS - 7 SP - 6720 EP - 6736 PB - IEEE ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kempt, Hendrik A1 - Freyer, Nils A1 - Nagel, Saskia K. T1 - Justice and the normative standards of explainability in healthcare JF - Philosophy & Technology N2 - Providing healthcare services frequently involves cognitively demanding tasks, including diagnoses and analyses as well as complex decisions about treatments and therapy. From a global perspective, ethically significant inequalities exist between regions where the expert knowledge required for these tasks is scarce or abundant. One possible strategy to diminish such inequalities and increase healthcare opportunities in expert-scarce settings is to provide healthcare solutions involving digital technologies that do not necessarily require the presence of a human expert, e.g., in the form of artificial intelligent decision-support systems (AI-DSS). Such algorithmic decision-making, however, is mostly developed in resource- and expert-abundant settings to support healthcare experts in their work. As a practical consequence, the normative standards and requirements for such algorithmic decision-making in healthcare require the technology to be at least as explainable as the decisions made by the experts themselves. The goal of providing healthcare in settings where resources and expertise are scarce might come with a normative pull to lower the normative standards of using digital technologies in order to provide at least some healthcare in the first place. We scrutinize this tendency to lower standards in particular settings from a normative perspective, distinguish between different types of absolute and relative, local and global standards of explainability, and conclude by defending an ambitious and practicable standard of local relative explainability. KW - Clinical decision support systems KW - Justice KW - Medical AI KW - Explainability KW - Normative standards Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-022-00598-0 VL - 35 IS - Article number: 100 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Springer Nature CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stäudle, Benjamin A1 - Seynnes, Olivier A1 - Laps, Guido A1 - Brüggemann, Gert-Peter A1 - Albracht, Kirsten T1 - Altered gastrocnemius contractile behavior in former achilles tendon rupture patients during walking JF - Frontiers in Physiology N2 - Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) remains associated with functional limitations years after injury. Architectural remodeling of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle is typically observed in the affected leg and may compensate force deficits caused by a longer tendon. Yet patients seem to retain functional limitations during—low-force—walking gait. To explore the potential limits imposed by the remodeled GM muscle-tendon unit (MTU) on walking gait, we examined the contractile behavior of muscle fascicles during the stance phase. In a cross-sectional design, we studied nine former patients (males; age: 45 ± 9 years; height: 180 ± 7 cm; weight: 83 ± 6 kg) with a history of complete unilateral ATR, approximately 4 years post-surgery. Using ultrasonography, GM tendon morphology, muscle architecture at rest, and fascicular behavior were assessed during walking at 1.5 m⋅s–1 on a treadmill. Walking patterns were recorded with a motion capture system. The unaffected leg served as control. Lower limbs kinematics were largely similar between legs during walking. Typical features of ATR-related MTU remodeling were observed during the stance sub-phases corresponding to series elastic element (SEE) lengthening (energy storage) and SEE shortening (energy release), with shorter GM fascicles (36 and 36%, respectively) and greater pennation angles (8° and 12°, respectively). However, relative to the optimal fascicle length for force production, fascicles operated at comparable length in both legs. Similarly, when expressed relative to optimal fascicle length, fascicle contraction velocity was not different between sides, except at the time-point of peak series elastic element (SEE) length, where it was 39 ± 49% lower in the affected leg. Concomitantly, fascicles rotation during contraction was greater in the affected leg during the whole stance-phase, and architectural gear ratios (AGR) was larger during SEE lengthening. Under the present testing conditions, former ATR patients had recovered a relatively symmetrical walking gait pattern. Differences in seen AGR seem to accommodate the profound changes in MTU architecture, limiting the required fascicle shortening velocity. Overall, the contractile behavior of the GM fascicles does not restrict length- or velocity-dependent force potentials during this locomotor task. KW - tendon rupture KW - muscle fascicle behavior KW - walking gait KW - force generation KW - ultrasound imaging Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.792576 SN - 1664-042X VL - 13 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER -