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The demand of replacements for inoperable organs exceeds the amount of available organ transplants. Therefore, tissue engineering developed as a multidisciplinary field of research for autologous in-vitro organs. Such three dimensional tissue constructs request the application of a bioreactor. The UREPLACE bioreactor is used to grow cells on tubular collagen scaffolds OPTIMAIX Sponge 1 with a maximal length of 7 cm, in order to culture in vitro an adequate ureter replacement. With a rotating unit, (urothelial) cells can be placed homogeneously on the inner scaffold surface. Furthermore, a stimulation is combined with this bioreactor resulting in an orientation of muscle cells. These culturing methods request a precise control of several parameters and actuators. A combination of a LabBox and the suitable software LabVision is used to set and conduct parameters like rotation angles, velocities, pressures and other important cell culture values. The bioreactor was tested waterproof successfully. Furthermore, the temperature controlling was adjusted to 37 °C and the CO2 - concentration regulated to 5 %. Additionally, the pH step responses of several substances showed a perfect functioning of the designed flow chamber. All used software was tested and remained stable for several days.
Diese Studie beschäftigte sich mit der Dämpfungswirkung von Schienbeinschonern, wie sie beim Fußball zum Einsatz kommen. Sie wurde mit Hilfe eines Pendelhammers durchgeführt, der verschiedene Aufschlagkräfte auf die Schoner ermöglichte. Dabei wurde deutlich, dass Schienbeinschoner die beste Wirkung bei Maximalkräften unterhalb von 5kN erreichen können, dass bei größerer Belastung allerdings Verbesserungsbedarf besteht. Hierfür konnte, u.a. durch den Einsatz neuer Materialien, ein guter Ansatzpunkt im „adäquaten Zusammenspiel von Schale und Polsterung“ der Schoner gefunden werden. Die Untersuchung hat weiterhin gezeigt, dass zumindest teilweise eine deutliche Verbesserung der Dämpfungswirkung der Schienbeinschoner in den letzten Jahren erreicht werden konnte.
The carbonized rice husk (CRH) was evaluated for its wound healing activity in rats using excision models. In this study, the influences of CRH on wound healing in rat skin in vivo and cellular behavior of human dermal fibroblasts in vitro were investigated. The obtained results showed that the CRH treatment promoted wound epithelization in rats and exhibited moderate inhibition of cell proliferation in vitro. CRH with lanolin oil treated wounds were found to epithelize faster as compared to controls.
In Folge mehrjähriger statistischer Untersuchungen an der FH Aachen ist unter anderem ein Eingangstest entstanden, der als Diagnosetool für einen erfolgreichen Studieneinstieg verwendet wird. Es hat sich herausgestellt, dass ein Testergebnis von weniger als 25 (von maximal 56 erreichbaren) Punkten die Chance auf einen erfolgreichen Studieneinstieg deutlich verringert. Ungefähr die Hälfte aller Erstsemester hat weniger als 25 Punkte im Eingangstest. Weniger als 20 % dieser Gruppe bestehen innerhalb eines Jahres die Klausur Mathematik 1. Die investierte Zeit von zwei Semestern ist mit Blick auf den Wissenszuwachs und damit letztendlich den Studienerfolg nicht effizient genutzt. Deshalb haben wir im WS 2013/14 einen semesterbegleitenden Anpassungskurs für diese Gruppe installiert. Ziel eines solchen Kurses ist es, die Student/innen innerhalb eines Jahres in die Lage zu versetzen, nach zwei Semestern problemlos den Vorlesungen in Mathematik zu folgen. Dieser Artikel beschreibt das Konzept dieses Anpassungskurses und zeigt erste Ergebnisse und Probleme des Pilotdurchgangs auf.
Das IoT ist ohne eingebettete Systeme undenkbar. Erst kleine und kleinste Mikrocontroller mit intelligenten Kommunikationsschnittstellen und Anbindung ans Internet ermöglichen sinnvolles und flächendeckendes Einsammeln von Daten. Doch wie kompliziert ist der Einstieg in die Embedded-Welt? Dieser Artikel gibt Einblick, wie die »Arduino-Plattform« die Einstiegshürden für eingebettete Systeme dramatisch reduzieren kann.
IoT von der Stange
(2016)
Low-end-Embedded-Plattformen stellen eine hohe Anforderung an die Entscheidungsfähigkeit des Entwicklers: Zum nächstgrößeren Prozessor greifen und ein Betriebssystem benutzen oder doch besser auf das Betriebssystem verzichten? Die Frage lässt sich einfach beantworten: Einen Nanokernel verwenden und das Embedded-System mit einem minimalen Footprint realisieren. Adam Dunkels Protothreads sind eine ausgesprochen effiziente Art, Mikrocontroller gut strukturiert zu programmieren und gleichzeitig auf Overhead zu verzichten. So können auch mit kleinen 8-bit-Prozessoren anspruchsvolle Aufgaben in einem Thread-Modell bearbeitet werden. Man muss also nicht immer das Rad neu erfinden oder gleich auf Linux-basierte Systeme zurückgreifen.
A light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is a field-effect-based (bio-) chemical sensor, in which a desired sensing area on the sensor surface can be defined by illumination. Light addressability can be used to visualize the concentration and spatial distribution of the target molecules, e.g., H+ ions. This unique feature has great potential for the label-free imaging of the metabolic activity of living organisms. The cultivation of those organisms needs specially tailored surface properties of the sensor. O2 plasma treatment is an attractive and promising tool for rapid surface engineering. However, the potential impacts of the technique are carefully investigated for the sensors that suffer from plasma-induced damage. Herein, a LAPS with a Ta2O5 pH-sensitive surface is successfully patterned by plasma treatment, and its effects are investigated by contact angle and scanning LAPS measurements. The plasma duration of 30 s (30 W) is found to be the threshold value, where excessive wettability begins. Furthermore, this treatment approach causes moderate plasma-induced damage, which can be reduced by thermal annealing (10 min at 300 °C). These findings provide a useful guideline to support future studies, where the LAPS surface is desired to be more hydrophilic by O2 plasma treatment.
In this chapter, the key technologies and the instrumentation required for the subsurface exploration of ocean worlds are discussed. The focus is laid on Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus because they have the highest potential for such missions in the near future. The exploration of their oceans requires landing on the surface, penetrating the thick ice shell with an ice-penetrating probe, and probably diving with an underwater vehicle through dozens of kilometers of water to the ocean floor, to have the chance to find life, if it exists. Technologically, such missions are extremely challenging. The required key technologies include power generation, communications, pressure resistance, radiation hardness, corrosion protection, navigation, miniaturization, autonomy, and sterilization and cleaning. Simpler mission concepts involve impactors and penetrators or – in the case of Enceladus – plume-fly-through missions.
In traditional microbial biobutanol production, the solvent must be recovered during fermentation process for a sufficient space-time yield. Thermal separation is not feasible due to the boiling point of n-butanol. As an integrated and selective solid-liquid separation alternative, solvent impregnated resins (SIRs) were applied. Two polymeric resins were evaluated and an extractant screening was conducted. Vacuum application with vapor collection in fixed-bed column as bioreactor bypass was successfully implemented as butanol desorption step. In course of further increasing process economics, fermentation with renewable lignocellulosic substrates was conducted using Clostridium acetobutylicum. Utilization of SIR was shown to be a potential strategy for solvent removal from fermentation broth, while application of a bypass column allows for product removal and recovery at once.
For short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft, a parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system potentially offers superior performance compared to a conventional propulsion system, because the short-take-off power requirement is much higher than the cruise power requirement. This power-matching problem can be solved with a balanced hybrid propulsion system. However, there is a trade-off between wing loading, power loading, the level of hybridization, as well as range and take-off distance. An optimization method can vary design variables in such a way that a minimum of a particular objective is attained. In this paper, a comparison between the optimization results for minimum mass, minimum consumed primary energy, and minimum cost is conducted. A new initial sizing algorithm for general aviation aircraft with hybrid-electric propulsion systems is applied. This initial sizing methodology covers point performance, mission performance analysis, the weight estimation process, and cost estimation. The methodology is applied to the design of a STOL general aviation aircraft, intended for on-demand air mobility operations. The aircraft is sized to carry eight passengers over a distance of 500 km, while able to take off and land from short airstrips. Results indicate that parallel hybrid-electric propulsion systems must be considered for future STOL aircraft.
Häufig bremsen geringe IT-Ressourcen, fehlende Softwareschnittstellen oder eine veraltete und komplex gewachsene Systemlandschaft die Automatisierung von Geschäftsprozessen. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) ist eine vielversprechende Methode, um Geschäftsprozesse oberflächenbasiert und ohne größere Systemeingriffe zu automatisieren und Medienbrüche abzubauen. Die Auswahl der passenden Prozesse ist dabei für den Erfolg von RPA-Projekten entscheidend. Der vorliegende Beitrag liefert dafür Selektionskriterien, die aus einer qualitativen Inhaltanalyse von elf Interviews mit RPA-Experten aus dem Versicherungsumfeld resultieren. Das Ergebnis umfasst eine gewichtetet Liste von sieben Dimensionen und 51 Prozesskriterien, welche die Automatisierung mit Softwarerobotern begünstigen bzw. deren Nichterfüllung eine Umsetzung erschweren oder sogar verhindern. Die drei wichtigsten Kriterien zur Auswahl von Geschäftsprozessen für die Automatisierung mittels RPA umfassen die Entlastung der an dem Prozess mitwirkenden Mitarbeiter (Arbeitnehmerüberlastung), die Ausführbarkeit des Prozesses mittels Regeln (Regelbasierte Prozessteuerung) sowie ein positiver Kosten-Nutzen-Vergleich. Praktiker können diese Kriterien verwenden, um eine systematische Auswahl von RPA-relevanten Prozessen vorzunehmen. Aus wissenschaftlicher Perspektive stellen die Ergebnisse eine Grundlage zur Erklärung des Erfolgs und Misserfolgs von RPA-Projekten dar.
Berücksichtigung von No Fault Found im Diagnose- und Instandhaltungssystem von Schienenfahrzeugen
(2020)
Intermittierende und nicht reproduzierbare Fehler, auch als No Fault Found bezeichnet, treten in praktisch allen Bereichen auf und sorgen für hohe Kosten. Diese sind häufig auf unpräzise Fehlerbeschreibungen zurückzuführen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden Anpassungen der Vorgehensweise bei der Entwicklung und Anpassungen des Diagnosesystems vorgeschlagen.
This study focuses on thermoelectric elements (TEE) as an alternative for room temperature control. TEE are semi-conductor devices that can provide heating and cooling via a heat pump effect without direct noise emissions and no refrigerant use. An efficiency evaluation of the optimal operating mode is carried out for different numbers of TEE, ambient temperatures, and heating loads. The influence of an additional heat recovery unit on system efficiency and an unevenly distributed heating demand are examined. The results show that TEE can provide heat at a coefficient of performance (COP) greater than one especially for small heating demands and high ambient temperatures. The efficiency increases with the number of elements in the system and is subject to economies of scale. The best COP exceeds six at optimal operating conditions. An additional heat recovery unit proves beneficial for low ambient temperatures and systems with few TEE. It makes COPs above one possible at ambient temperatures below 0 ∘C. The effect increases efficiency by maximal 0.81 (from 1.90 to 2.71) at ambient temperature 5 K below room temperature and heating demand Q˙h=100W but is subject to diseconomies of scale. Thermoelectric technology is a valuable option for electricity-based heat supply and can provide cooling and ventilation functions. A careful system design as well as an additional heat recovery unit significantly benefits the performance. This makes TEE superior to direct current heating systems and competitive to heat pumps for small scale applications with focus on avoiding noise and harmful refrigerants.
Previous studies optimized the dimensions of coaxial heat exchangers using constant mass fow rates as a boundary condition. They show a thermal optimal circular ring width of nearly zero. Hydraulically optimal is an inner to outer pipe radius ratio of 0.65 for turbulent and 0.68 for laminar fow types. In contrast, in this study, fow conditions in the circular ring are kept constant (a set of fxed Reynolds numbers) during optimization. This approach ensures fxed fow conditions and prevents inappropriately high or low mass fow rates. The optimization is carried out for three objectives: Maximum energy gain, minimum hydraulic efort and eventually optimum net-exergy balance. The optimization changes the inner pipe radius and mass fow rate but not the Reynolds number of the circular ring. The thermal calculations base on Hellström’s borehole resistance and the hydraulic optimization on individually calculated linear loss of head coefcients. Increasing the inner pipe radius results in decreased hydraulic losses in the inner pipe but increased losses in the circular ring. The net-exergy diference is a key performance indicator and combines thermal and hydraulic calculations. It is the difference between thermal exergy fux and hydraulic efort. The Reynolds number in the circular ring is instead of the mass fow rate constant during all optimizations. The result from a thermal perspective is an optimal width of the circular ring of nearly zero. The hydraulically optimal inner pipe radius is 54% of the outer pipe radius for laminar fow and 60% for turbulent fow scenarios. Net-exergetic optimization shows a predominant infuence of hydraulic losses, especially for small temperature gains. The exact result depends on the earth’s thermal properties and the fow type. Conclusively, coaxial geothermal probes’ design should focus on the hydraulic optimum and take the thermal optimum as a secondary criterion due to the dominating hydraulics.
An acetoin biosensor based on a capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) structure modified with the enzyme acetoin reductase, also known as butane-2,3-diol dehydrogenase (Bacillus clausii DSM 8716ᵀ), is applied for acetoin detection in beer, red wine, and fermentation broth samples for the first time. The EIS sensor consists of an Al/p-Si/SiO₂/Ta₂O₅ layer structure with immobilized acetoin reductase on top of the Ta₂O₅ transducer layer by means of crosslinking via glutaraldehyde. The unmodified and enzyme-modified sensors are electrochemically characterized by means of leakage current, capacitance–voltage, and constant capacitance methods, respectively.
Wind energy represents the dominant share of renewable energies. The rotor blades of a wind turbine are typically made from composite material, which withstands high forces during rotation. The huge dimensions of the rotor blades complicate the inspection processes in manufacturing. The automation of inspection processes has a great potential to increase the overall productivity and to create a consistent reliable database for each individual rotor blade. The focus of this paper is set on the process of rotor blade inspection automation by utilizing an autonomous mobile manipulator. The main innovations include a novel path planning strategy for zone-based navigation, which enables an intuitive right-hand or left-hand driving behavior in a shared human–robot workspace. In addition, we introduce a new method for surface orthogonal motion planning in connection with large-scale structures. An overall execution strategy controls the navigation and manipulation processes of the long-running inspection task. The implemented concepts are evaluated in simulation and applied in a real-use case including the tip of a rotor blade form.
A new functionalization method to modify capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) structures with nanofilms is presented. Layers of polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and graphene oxide (GO) with the compound polyaniline:poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PANI:PAAMPSA) are deposited onto a p-Si/SiO2 chip using the layer-by-layer technique (LbL). Two different enzymes (urease and penicillinase) are separately immobilized on top of a five-bilayer stack of the PAH:GO/PANI:PAAMPSA-modified EIS chip, forming a biosensor for detection of urea and penicillin, respectively. Electrochemical characterization is performed by constant capacitance (ConCap) measurements, and the film morphology is characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An increase in the average sensitivity of the modified biosensors (EIS–nanofilm–enzyme) of around 15% is found in relation to sensors, only carrying the enzyme but without the nanofilm (EIS–enzyme). In this sense, the nanofilm acts as a stable bioreceptor onto the EIS chip improving the output signal in terms of sensitivity and stability.
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensors are a rather novel type of biosensors thatutilizelighttoprovideinformationaboutthecompositionofananalyte,enablinglight-controlled multi-analyte measurements. For enzymatic PEC biosensors,amperometric detection principles are already known in the literature. In con-trast, there is only a little information on H+-ion sensitive PEC biosensors. Inthis work, we demonstrate the detection of H+ions emerged by H+-generatingenzymes, exemplarily demonstrated with penicillinase as a model enzyme on atitanium dioxide photoanode. First, we describe the pH sensitivity of the sensorand study possible photoelectrocatalytic reactions with penicillin. Second, weshow the enzymatic PEC detection of penicillin.
Contractile behavior of the gastrocnemius medialis muscle during running in simulated hypogravity
(2021)
Vigorous exercise countermeasures in microgravity can largely attenuate muscular degeneration, albeit the extent of applied loading is key for the extent of muscle wasting. Running on the International Space Station is usually performed with maximum loads of 70% body weight (0.7 g). However, it has not been investigated how the reduced musculoskeletal loading affects muscle and series elastic element dynamics, and thereby force and power generation. Therefore, this study examined the effects of running on the vertical treadmill facility, a ground-based analog, at simulated 0.7 g on gastrocnemius medialis contractile behavior. The results reveal that fascicle−series elastic element behavior differs between simulated hypogravity and 1 g running. Whilst shorter peak series elastic element lengths at simulated 0.7 g appear to be the result of lower muscular and gravitational forces acting on it, increased fascicle lengths and decreased velocities could not be anticipated, but may inform the development of optimized running training in hypogravity. However, whether the alterations in contractile behavior precipitate musculoskeletal degeneration warrants further study.
We consider a binary multivariate regression model where the conditional expectation of a binary variable given a higher-dimensional input variable belongs to a parametric family. Based on this, we introduce a model-based bootstrap (MBB) for higher-dimensional input variables. This test can be used to check whether a sequence of independent and identically distributed observations belongs to such a parametric family. The approach is based on the empirical residual process introduced by Stute (Ann Statist 25:613–641, 1997). In contrast to Stute and Zhu’s approach (2002) Stute & Zhu (Scandinavian J Statist 29:535–545, 2002), a transformation is not required. Thus, any problems associated with non-parametric regression estimation are avoided. As a result, the MBB method is much easier for users to implement. To illustrate the power of the MBB based tests, a small simulation study is performed. Compared to the approach of Stute & Zhu (Scandinavian J Statist 29:535–545, 2002), the simulations indicate a slightly improved power of the MBB based method. Finally, both methods are applied to a real data set.
The treatment method to deactivate viable microorganisms from objects or products is termed sterilization. There are multiple forms of sterilization, each intended to be applied for a specific target, which depends on—but not limited to—the thermal, physical, and chemical stability of that target. Herein, an overview on the currently used sterilization processes in the global market is provided. Different sterilization techniques are grouped under a category that describes the method of treatment: radiation (gamma, electron beam, X-ray, and ultraviolet), thermal (dry and moist heat), and chemical (ethylene oxide, ozone, chlorine dioxide, and hydrogen peroxide). For each sterilization process, the typical process parameters as defined by regulations and the mode of antimicrobial activity are summarized. Finally, the recommended microorganisms that are used as biological indicators to validate sterilization processes in accordance with the rules that are established by various regulatory agencies are summarized.
„Smartes“ Laden an öffentlich zugänglichen Ladesäulen – Teil 2: USER-Verhalten und -Erwartungen
(2021)
The international partnership of space agencies has agreed to proceed forward to the Moon sustainably. Activities on the Lunar surface (0.16 g) will allow crewmembers to advance the exploration skills needed when expanding human presence to Mars (0.38 g). Whilst data from actual hypogravity activities are limited to the Apollo missions, simulation studies have indicated that ground reaction forces, mechanical work, muscle activation, and joint angles decrease with declining gravity level. However, these alterations in locomotion biomechanics do not necessarily scale to the gravity level, the reduction in gastrocnemius medialis activation even appears to level off around 0.2 g, while muscle activation pattern remains similar. Thus, it is difficult to predict whether gastrocnemius medialis contractile behavior during running on Moon will basically be the same as on Mars. Therefore, this study investigated lower limb joint kinematics and gastrocnemius medialis behavior during running at 1 g, simulated Martian gravity, and simulated Lunar gravity on the vertical treadmill facility. The results indicate that hypogravity-induced alterations in joint kinematics and contractile behavior still persist between simulated running on the Moon and Mars. This contrasts with the concept of a ceiling effect and should be carefully considered when evaluating exercise prescriptions and the transferability of locomotion practiced in Lunar gravity to Martian gravity.
Plant viruses are major contributors to crop losses and induce high economic costs worldwide. For reliable, on-site and early detection of plant viral diseases, portable biosensors are of great interest. In this study, a field-effect SiO2-gate electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) sensor was utilized for the label-free electrostatic detection of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles as a model plant pathogen. The capacitive EIS sensor has been characterized regarding its TMV sensitivity by means of constant-capacitance method. The EIS sensor was able to detect biotinylated TMV particles from a solution with a TMV concentration as low as 0.025 nM. A good correlation between the registered EIS sensor signal and the density of adsorbed TMV particles assessed from scanning electron microscopy images of the SiO2-gate chip surface was observed. Additionally, the isoelectric point of the biotinylated TMV particles was determined via zeta potential measurements and the influence of ionic strength of the measurement solution on the TMV-modified EIS sensor signal has been studied.
Reliable automation of the labor-intensive manual task of scoring animal sleep can facilitate the analysis of long-term sleep studies. In recent years, deep-learning-based systems, which learn optimal features from the data, increased scoring accuracies for the classical sleep stages of Wake, REM, and Non-REM. Meanwhile, it has been recognized that the statistics of transitional stages such as pre-REM, found between Non-REM and REM, may hold additional insight into the physiology of sleep and are now under vivid investigation. We propose a classification system based on a simple neural network architecture that scores the classical stages as well as pre-REM sleep in mice. When restricted to the classical stages, the optimized network showed state-of-the-art classification performance with an out-of-sample F1 score of 0.95 in male C57BL/6J mice. When unrestricted, the network showed lower F1 scores on pre-REM (0.5) compared to the classical stages. The result is comparable to previous attempts to score transitional stages in other species such as transition sleep in rats or N1 sleep in humans. Nevertheless, we observed that the sequence of predictions including pre-REM typically transitioned from Non-REM to REM reflecting sleep dynamics observed by human scorers. Our findings provide further evidence for the difficulty of scoring transitional sleep stages, likely because such stages of sleep are under-represented in typical data sets or show large inter-scorer variability. We further provide our source code and an online platform to run predictions with our trained network.
Quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) is considered as a powerful tool for multicomponent mixture analysis as well as for the purity determination of single compounds. Special attention is currently paid to the training of operators and study directors involved in qNMR testing. To assure that only qualified personnel are used for sample preparation at our GxP-accredited laboratory, weighing test was proposed. Sixteen participants performed six-fold weighing of the binary mixture of dibutylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and 1,2,4,5-tetrachloro-3-nitrobenzene (TCNB). To evaluate the quality of data analysis, all spectra were evaluated manually by a qNMR expert and using in-house developed automated routine. The results revealed that mean values are comparable and both evaluation approaches are free of systematic error. However, automated evaluation resulted in an approximately 20% increase in precision. The same findings were revealed for qNMR analysis of 32 compounds used in pharmaceutical industry. Weighing test by six-fold determination in binary mixtures and automated qNMR methodology can be recommended as efficient tools for evaluating staff proficiency. The automated qNMR method significantly increases throughput and precision of qNMR for routine measurements and extends application scope of qNMR.
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.
Microbial diversity studies regarding the aquatic communities that experienced or are experiencing environmental problems are essential for the comprehension of the remediation dynamics. In this pilot study, we present data on the phylogenetic and ecological structure of microorganisms from epipelagic water samples collected in the Small Aral Sea (SAS). The raw data were generated by massive parallel sequencing using the shotgun approach. As expected, most of the identified DNA sequences belonged to Terrabacteria and Actinobacteria (40% and 37% of the total reads, respectively). The occurrence of Deinococcus-Thermus, Armatimonadetes, Chloroflexi in the epipelagic SAS waters was less anticipated. Surprising was also the detection of sequences, which are characteristic for strict anaerobes—Ignavibacteria, hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria, and archaeal methanogenic species. We suppose that the observed very broad range of phylogenetic and ecological features displayed by the SAS reads demonstrates a more intensive mixing of water masses originating from diverse ecological niches of the Aral-Syr Darya River basin than presumed before.
The paper presents the derivation of a new equivalent skin friction coefficient for estimating the parasitic drag of short-to-medium range fixed-wing unmanned aircraft. The new coefficient is derived from an aerodynamic analysis of ten different unmanned aircraft used for surveillance, reconnaissance, and search and rescue missions. The aircraft is simulated using a validated unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes approach. The UAV’s parasitic drag is significantly influenced by the presence of miscellaneous components like fixed landing gears or electro-optical sensor turrets. These components are responsible for almost half of an unmanned aircraft’s total parasitic drag. The new equivalent skin friction coefficient accounts for these effects and is significantly higher compared to other aircraft categories. It is used to initially size an unmanned aircraft for a typical reconnaissance mission. The improved parasitic drag estimation yields a much heavier unmanned aircraft when compared to the sizing results using available drag data of manned aircraft.
Das Gesundheitswesen ist konfrontiert mit steigenden Kosten und einer immer schwieriger werdenden Personalsituation. Zeitgleich versprechen moderne Sprachsteuerungssysteme Prozesse in Arztpraxen und Krankenhäusern zu verschlanken und Vorgänge zu beschleunigen. Dennoch wird derzeit der Einsatz von Sprachsteuerungssystemen in Arztpraxen oder Krankenhäusern nur selten beobachtet, was auch an den besonders strengen Datenschutzauflagen der Datenschutzgrundverordnung (DSGVO) liegt. Darüber hinaus wirft die niedrige Nutzungsrate die Frage nach den konkreten Anforderungen und ihrer Umsetzbarkeit auf, was durch den vorliegenden Beitrag adressiert wird, indem die Ergebnisse von Interviews mit acht medizinischen Fachexperten ausgewertet werden. Ergänzend wird die technische Umsetzbarkeit einzelner Anforderungen mit unterschiedlichen Cloud-Anbietern erprobt.
This study investigated the anaerobic digestion of an algal–bacterial biofilm grown in artificial wastewater in an Algal Turf Scrubber (ATS). The ATS system was located in a greenhouse (50°54′19ʺN, 6°24′55ʺE, Germany) and was exposed to seasonal conditions during the experiment period. The methane (CH4) potential of untreated algal–bacterial biofilm (UAB) and thermally pretreated biofilm (PAB) using different microbial inocula was determined by anaerobic batch fermentation. Methane productivity of UAB differed significantly between microbial inocula of digested wastepaper, a mixture of manure and maize silage, anaerobic sewage sludge, and percolated green waste. UAB using sewage sludge as inoculum showed the highest methane productivity. The share of methane in biogas was dependent on inoculum. Using PAB, a strong positive impact on methane productivity was identified for the digested wastepaper (116.4%) and a mixture of manure and maize silage (107.4%) inocula. By contrast, the methane yield was significantly reduced for the digested anaerobic sewage sludge (50.6%) and percolated green waste (43.5%) inocula. To further evaluate the potential of algal–bacterial biofilm for biogas production in wastewater treatment and biogas plants in a circular bioeconomy, scale-up calculations were conducted. It was found that a 0.116 km2 ATS would be required in an average municipal wastewater treatment plant which can be viewed as problematic in terms of space consumption. However, a substantial amount of energy surplus (4.7–12.5 MWh a−1) can be gained through the addition of algal–bacterial biomass to the anaerobic digester of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater treatment and subsequent energy production through algae show dominancy over conventional technologies.
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.
Sleep spindles are neurophysiological phenomena that appear to be linked to memory formation and other functions of the central nervous system, and that can be observed in electroencephalographic recordings (EEG) during sleep. Manually identified spindle annotations in EEG recordings suffer from substantial intra- and inter-rater variability, even if raters have been highly trained, which reduces the reliability of spindle measures as a research and diagnostic tool. The Massive Online Data Annotation (MODA) project has recently addressed this problem by forming a consensus from multiple such rating experts, thus providing a corpus of spindle annotations of enhanced quality. Based on this dataset, we present a U-Net-type deep neural network model to automatically detect sleep spindles. Our model’s performance exceeds that of the state-of-the-art detector and of most experts in the MODA dataset. We observed improved detection accuracy in subjects of all ages, including older individuals whose spindles are particularly challenging to detect reliably. Our results underline the potential of automated methods to do repetitive cumbersome tasks with super-human performance.
Halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms represent a promising source of salt-tolerant enzymes suitable for various biotechnological applications where high salt concentrations would otherwise limit enzymatic activity. Considering the current growing enzyme market and the need for more efficient and new biocatalysts, the present study aimed at the characterization of a high-alkaline subtilisin from Alkalihalobacillus okhensis Kh10-101T. The protease gene was cloned and expressed in Bacillus subtilis DB104. The recombinant protease SPAO with 269 amino acids belongs to the subfamily of high-alkaline subtilisins. The biochemical characteristics of purified SPAO were analyzed in comparison with subtilisin Carlsberg, Savinase, and BPN'. SPAO, a monomer with a molecular mass of 27.1 kDa, was active over a wide range of pH 6.0–12.0 and temperature 20–80 °C, optimally at pH 9.0–9.5 and 55 °C. The protease is highly oxidatively stable to hydrogen peroxide and retained 58% of residual activity when incubated at 10 °C with 5% (v/v) H2O2 for 1 h while stimulated at 1% (v/v) H2O2. Furthermore, SPAO was very stable and active at NaCl concentrations up to 5.0 m. This study demonstrates the potential of SPAO for biotechnological applications in the future.
Miniaturized electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor capacitors (EISCAPs) with ultrathin gate insulators have been studied in terms of their pH-sensitive sensor characteristics: three different EISCAP systems consisting of Al–p-Si–Ta2O5(5 nm), Al–p-Si–Si3N4(1 or 2 nm)–Ta2O5 (5 nm), and Al–p-Si–SiO2(3.6 nm)–Ta2O5(5 nm) layer structures are characterized in buffer solution with different pH values by means of capacitance–voltage and constant capacitance method. The SiO2 and Si3N4 gate insulators are deposited by rapid thermal oxidation and rapid thermal nitridation, respectively, whereas the Ta2O5 film is prepared by atomic layer deposition. All EISCAP systems have a clear pH response, favoring the stacked gate insulators SiO2–Ta2O5 when considering the overall sensor characteristics, while the Si3N4(1 nm)–Ta2O5 stack delivers the largest accumulation capacitance (due to the lower equivalent oxide thickness) and a higher steepness in the slope of the capacitance–voltage curve among the studied stacked gate insulator systems.
This study addresses a proof-of-concept experiment with a biocompatible screen-printed carbon electrode deposited onto a biocompatible and biodegradable substrate, which is made of fibroin, a protein derived from silk of the Bombyx mori silkworm. To demonstrate the sensor performance, the carbon electrode is functionalized as a glucose biosensor with the enzyme glucose oxidase and encapsulated with a silicone rubber to ensure biocompatibility of the contact wires. The carbon electrode is fabricated by means of thick-film technology including a curing step to solidify the carbon paste. The influence of the curing temperature and curing time on the electrode morphology is analyzed via scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical characterization of the glucose biosensor is performed by amperometric/voltammetric measurements of different glucose concentrations in phosphate buffer. Herein, systematic studies at applied potentials from 500 to 1200 mV to the carbon working electrode (vs the Ag/AgCl reference electrode) allow to determine the optimal working potential. Additionally, the influence of the curing parameters on the glucose sensitivity is examined over a time period of up to 361 days. The sensor shows a negligible cross-sensitivity toward ascorbic acid, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. The developed biocompatible biosensor is highly promising for future in vivo and epidermal applications.
REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) is a key feature for the diagnosis of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD). We introduce RBDtector, a novel open-source software to score RSWA according to established SINBAR visual scoring criteria. We assessed muscle activity of the mentalis, flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS), and anterior tibialis (AT) muscles. RSWA was scored manually as tonic, phasic, and any activity by human scorers as well as using RBDtector in 20 subjects. Subsequently, 174 subjects (72 without RBD and 102 with RBD) were analysed with RBDtector to show the algorithm’s applicability. We additionally compared RBDtector estimates to a previously published dataset. RBDtector showed robust conformity with human scorings. The highest congruency was achieved for phasic and any activity of the FDS. Combining mentalis any and FDS any, RBDtector identified RBD subjects with 100% specificity and 96% sensitivity applying a cut-off of 20.6%. Comparable performance was obtained without manual artefact removal. RBD subjects also showed muscle bouts of higher amplitude and longer duration. RBDtector provides estimates of tonic, phasic, and any activity comparable to human scorings. RBDtector, which is freely available, can help identify RBD subjects and provides reliable RSWA metrics.
This paper compares several blade element theory (BET) method-based propeller simulation tools, including an evaluation against static propeller ground tests and high-fidelity Reynolds-Average Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations. Two proprietary propeller geometries for paraglider applications are analysed in static and flight conditions. The RANS simulations are validated with the static test data and used as a reference for comparing the BET in flight conditions. The comparison includes the analysis of varying 2D aerodynamic airfoil parameters and different induced velocity calculation methods. The evaluation of the BET propeller simulation tools shows the strength of the BET tools compared to RANS simulations. The RANS simulations underpredict static experimental data within 10% relative error, while appropriate BET tools overpredict the RANS results by 15–20% relative error. A variation in 2D aerodynamic data depicts the need for highly accurate 2D data for accurate BET results. The nonlinear BET coupled with XFOIL for the 2D aerodynamic data matches best with RANS in static operation and flight conditions. The novel BET tool PropCODE combines both approaches and offers further correction models for highly accurate static and flight condition results.
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.
In this work, the effects of carbon sources and culture media on the production and structural properties of bacterial cellulose (BC) synthesized by Medusomyces gisevii have been studied. The culture medium was composed of different initial concentrations of glucose or sucrose dissolved in 0.4% extract of plain green tea. Parameters of the culture media (titratable acidity, substrate conversion degree etc.) were monitored daily for 20 days of cultivation. The BC pellicles produced on different carbon sources were characterized in terms of biomass yield, crystallinity and morphology by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Our results showed that Medusomyces gisevii had higher BC yields in media with sugar concentrations close to 10 g L−1 after a 18–20 days incubation period. Glucose in general lead to a higher BC yield (173 g L−1) compared to sucrose (163.5 g L−1). The BC crystallinity degree and surface roughness were higher in the samples synthetized from sucrose. Obtained FE-SEM micrographs show that the BC pellicles synthesized in the sucrose media contained densely packed tangles of cellulose fibrils whereas the BC produced in the glucose media displayed rather linear geometry of the BC fibrils without noticeable aggregates.
Subtilisins from microbial sources, especially from the Bacillaceae family, are of particular interest for biotechnological applications and serve the currently growing enzyme market as efficient and novel biocatalysts. Biotechnological applications include use in detergents, cosmetics, leather processing, wastewater treatment and pharmaceuticals. To identify a possible candidate for the enzyme market, here we cloned the gene of the subtilisin SPFA from Fictibacillus arsenicus DSM 15822ᵀ (obtained through a data mining-based search) and expressed it in Bacillus subtilis DB104. After production and purification, the protease showed a molecular mass of 27.57 kDa and a pI of 5.8. SPFA displayed hydrolytic activity at a temperature optimum of 80 °C and a very broad pH optimum between 8.5 and 11.5, with high activity up to pH 12.5. SPFA displayed no NaCl dependence but a high NaCl tolerance, with decreasing activity up to concentrations of 5 m NaCl. The stability enhanced with increasing NaCl concentration. Based on its substrate preference for 10 synthetic peptide 4-nitroanilide substrates with three or four amino acids and its phylogenetic classification, SPFA can be assigned to the subgroup of true subtilisins. Moreover, SPFA exhibited high tolerance to 5% (w/v) SDS and 5% H₂O₂ (v/v). The biochemical properties of SPFA, especially its tolerance of remarkably high pH, SDS and H₂O₂, suggest it has potential for biotechnological applications.
There is a growing demand for more flexibility in manufacturing to counter the volatility and unpredictability of the markets and provide more individualization for customers. However, the design and implementation of flexibility within manufacturing systems are costly and only economically viable if applicable to actual demand fluctuations. To this end, companies are considering additive manufacturing (AM) to make production more flexible. This paper develops a conceptual model for the impact quantification of AM on volume and mix flexibility within production systems in the early stages of the factory-planning process. Together with the model, an application guideline is presented to help planners with the flexibility quantification and the factory design process. Following the development of the model and guideline, a case study is presented to indicate the potential impact additive technologies can have on manufacturing flexibility Within the case study, various scenarios with different production system configurations and production programs are analyzed, and the impact of the additive technologies on volume and mix flexibility is calculated. This work will allow factory planners to determine the potential impacts of AM on manufacturing flexibility in an early planning stage and design their production systems accordingly.