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Immunosorbent turnip vein clearing virus (TVCV) particles displaying the IgG-binding domains D and E of Staphylococcus aureus protein A (PA) on every coat protein (CP) subunit (TVCVPA) were purified from plants via optimized and new protocols. The latter used polyethylene glycol (PEG) raw precipitates, from which virions were selectively re-solubilized in reverse PEG concentration gradients. This procedure improved the integrity of both TVCVPA and the wild-type subgroup 3 tobamovirus. TVCVPA could be loaded with more than 500 IgGs per virion, which mediated the immunocapture of fluorescent dyes, GFP, and active enzymes. Bi-enzyme ensembles of cooperating glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase were tethered together on the TVCVPA carriers via a single antibody type, with one enzyme conjugated chemically to its Fc region, and the other one bound as a target, yielding synthetic multi-enzyme complexes. In microtiter plates, the TVCVPA-displayed sugar-sensing system possessed a considerably increased reusability upon repeated testing, compared to the IgG-bound enzyme pair in the absence of the virus. A high coverage of the viral adapters was also achieved on Ta2O5 sensor chip surfaces coated with a polyelectrolyte interlayer, as a prerequisite for durable TVCVPA-assisted electrochemical biosensing via modularly IgG-assembled sensor enzymes.
Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), a strong oxidizer, is a commonly used sterilization agent employed during aseptic food processing and medical applications. To assess the sterilization efficiency with H₂O₂, bacterial spores are common microbial systems due to their remarkable robustness against a wide variety of decontamination strategies. Despite their widespread use, there is, however, only little information about the detailed time-resolved mechanism underlying the oxidative spore death by H₂O₂. In this work, we investigate chemical and morphological changes of individual Bacillus atrophaeus spores undergoing oxidative damage using optical sensing with trapping Raman microscopy in real-time. The time-resolved experiments reveal that spore death involves two distinct phases: (i) an initial phase dominated by the fast release of dipicolinic acid (DPA), a major spore biomarker, which indicates the rupture of the spore’s core; and (ii) the oxidation of the remaining spore material resulting in the subsequent fragmentation of the spores’ coat. Simultaneous observation of the spore morphology by optical microscopy corroborates these mechanisms. The dependence of the onset of DPA release and the time constant of spore fragmentation on H₂O₂ shows that the formation of reactive oxygen species from H₂O₂ is the rate-limiting factor of oxidative spore death.
Damit Sie als Moderator effektiv und professionell moderieren können, sollten Sie die entsprechenden Methoden kennen.
Mit den richtigen Methoden können Sie Diskussionen leiten, Konflikte lösen, die Teilnehmer motivieren und dafür sorgen, dass die Ziele der Veranstaltung erreicht werden. Außerdem helfen sie Ihnen, eine positive Atmosphäre zu schaffen und das Interesse der Teilnehmer zu halten.
In diesem zweiten Beitrag der mehrteiligen Serie lernen Sie die grundsätzlichen Methoden kennen, um erfolgreiche Teamsitzungen, Arbeitsgruppentreffen, Kick-offs und Meetings durchzuführen.
Damit Sie als Moderator effektiv und professionell moderieren können, sollten Sie die entsprechenden Methoden kennen.
Mit den richtigen Methoden können Sie Diskussionen leiten, Konflikte lösen, die Teilnehmer motivieren und dafür sorgen, dass die Ziele der Veranstaltung erreicht werden. Außerdem helfen sie Ihnen, eine positive Atmosphäre zu schaffen und das Interesse der Teilnehmer zu halten.
In diesem zweiten Beitrag der mehrteiligen Serie lernen Sie die grundsätzlichen Methoden kennen, um erfolgreiche Teamsitzungen, Arbeitsgruppentreffen, Kick-offs und Meetings durchzuführen.
Selected problems in the field of multivariate statistical analysis are treated. Thereby, one focus is on the paired sample case. Among other things, statistical testing problems of marginal homogeneity are under consideration. In detail, properties of Hotelling‘s T² test in a special parametric situation are obtained. Moreover, the nonparametric problem of marginal homogeneity is discussed on the basis of possibly incomplete data. In the bivariate data case, properties of the Hoeffding-Blum-Kiefer-Rosenblatt independence test statistic on the basis of partly not identically distributed data are investigated. Similar testing problems are treated within the scope of the application of a result for the empirical process of the concomitants for partly categorial data. Furthermore, testing changes in the modeled solvency capital requirement of an insurance company by means of a paired sample from an internal risk model is discussed. Beyond the paired sample case, a new asymptotic relative efficiency concept based on the expected volumes of multidimensional confidence regions is introduced. Besides, a new approach for the treatment of the multi-sample goodness-of-fit problem is presented. Finally, a consistent test for the treatment of the goodness-of-fit problem is developed for the background of huge or infinite dimensional data.
Lead and nickel, as heavy metals, are still used in industrial processes, and are classified as “environmental health hazards” due to their toxicity and polluting potential. The detection of heavy metals can prevent environmental pollution at toxic levels that are critical to human health. In this sense, the electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) field-effect sensor is an attractive sensing platform concerning the fabrication of reusable and robust sensors to detect such substances. This study is aimed to fabricate a sensing unit on an EIS device based on Sn₃O₄ nanobelts embedded in a polyelectrolyte matrix of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) using the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. The EIS-Sn₃O₄ sensor exhibited enhanced electrochemical performance for detecting Pb²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions, revealing a higher affinity for Pb²⁺ ions, with sensitivities of ca. 25.8 mV/decade and 2.4 mV/decade, respectively. Such results indicate that Sn₃O₄ nanobelts can contemplate a feasible proof-of-concept capacitive field-effect sensor for heavy metal detection, envisaging other future studies focusing on environmental monitoring.
A method for detecting and approximating fault lines or surfaces, respectively, or decision curves in two and three dimensions with guaranteed accuracy is presented. Reformulated as a classification problem, our method starts from a set of scattered points along with the corresponding classification algorithm to construct a representation of a decision curve by points with prescribed maximal distance to the true decision curve. Hereby, our algorithm ensures that the representing point set covers the decision curve in its entire extent and features local refinement based on the geometric properties of the decision curve. We demonstrate applications of our method to problems related to the detection of faults, to multi-criteria decision aid and, in combination with Kirsch’s factorization method, to solving an inverse acoustic scattering problem. In all applications we considered in this work, our method requires significantly less pointwise classifications than previously employed algorithms.
Background
Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) is a lingering disease with ongoing symptoms such as fatigue and cognitive impairment resulting in a high impact on the daily life of patients. Understanding the pathophysiology of PCS is a public health priority, as it still poses a diagnostic and treatment challenge for physicians.
Methods
In this prospective observational cohort study, we analyzed the retinal microcirculation using Retinal Vessel Analysis (RVA) in a cohort of patients with PCS and compared it to an age- and gender-matched healthy cohort (n = 41, matched out of n = 204).
Measurements and main results
PCS patients exhibit persistent endothelial dysfunction (ED), as indicated by significantly lower venular flicker-induced dilation (vFID; 3.42% ± 1.77% vs. 4.64% ± 2.59%; p = 0.02), narrower central retinal artery equivalent (CRAE; 178.1 [167.5–190.2] vs. 189.1 [179.4–197.2], p = 0.01) and lower arteriolar-venular ratio (AVR; (0.84 [0.8–0.9] vs. 0.88 [0.8–0.9], p = 0.007). When combining AVR and vFID, predicted scores reached good ability to discriminate groups (area under the curve: 0.75). Higher PCS severity scores correlated with lower AVR (R = − 0.37 p = 0.017). The association of microvascular changes with PCS severity were amplified in PCS patients exhibiting higher levels of inflammatory parameters.
Conclusion
Our results demonstrate that prolonged endothelial dysfunction is a hallmark of PCS, and impairments of the microcirculation seem to explain ongoing symptoms in patients. As potential therapies for PCS emerge, RVA parameters may become relevant as clinical biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy management.
In recent years, the development of large pretrained language models, such as BERT and GPT, significantly improved information extraction systems on various tasks, including relation classification. State-of-the-art systems are highly accurate on scientific benchmarks. A lack of explainability is currently a complicating factor in many real-world applications. Comprehensible systems are necessary to prevent biased, counterintuitive, or harmful decisions.
We introduce semantic extents, a concept to analyze decision patterns for the relation classification task. Semantic extents are the most influential parts of texts concerning classification decisions. Our definition allows similar procedures to determine semantic extents for humans and models. We provide an annotation tool and a software framework to determine semantic extents for humans and models conveniently and reproducibly. Comparing both reveals that models tend to learn shortcut patterns from data. These patterns are hard to detect with current interpretability methods, such as input reductions. Our approach can help detect and eliminate spurious decision patterns during model development. Semantic extents can increase the reliability and security of natural language processing systems. Semantic extents are an essential step in enabling applications in critical areas like healthcare or finance. Moreover, our work opens new research directions for developing methods to explain deep learning models.
Supervised machine learning and deep learning require a large amount of labeled data, which data scientists obtain in a manual, and time-consuming annotation process. To mitigate this challenge, Active Learning (AL) proposes promising data points to annotators they annotate next instead of a subsequent or random sample. This method is supposed to save annotation effort while maintaining model performance.
However, practitioners face many AL strategies for different tasks and need an empirical basis to choose between them. Surveys categorize AL strategies into taxonomies without performance indications. Presentations of novel AL strategies compare the performance to a small subset of strategies. Our contribution addresses the empirical basis by introducing a reproducible active learning evaluation (ALE) framework for the comparative evaluation of AL strategies in NLP.
The framework allows the implementation of AL strategies with low effort and a fair data-driven comparison through defining and tracking experiment parameters (e.g., initial dataset size, number of data points per query step, and the budget). ALE helps practitioners to make more informed decisions, and researchers can focus on developing new, effective AL strategies and deriving best practices for specific use cases. With best practices, practitioners can lower their annotation costs. We present a case study to illustrate how to use the framework.
Messenger apps like WhatsApp and Telegram are frequently used for everyday communication, but they can also be utilized as a platform for illegal activity. Telegram allows public groups with up to 200.000 participants. Criminals use these public groups for trading illegal commodities and services, which becomes a concern for law enforcement agencies, who manually monitor suspicious activity in these chat rooms. This research demonstrates how natural language processing (NLP) can assist in analyzing these chat rooms, providing an explorative overview of the domain and facilitating purposeful analyses of user behavior. We provide a publicly available corpus of annotated text messages with entities and relations from four self-proclaimed black market chat rooms. Our pipeline approach aggregates the extracted product attributes from user messages to profiles and uses these with their sold products as features for clustering. The extracted structured information is the foundation for further data exploration, such as identifying the top vendors or fine-granular price analyses. Our evaluation shows that pretrained word vectors perform better for unsupervised clustering than state-of-the-art transformer models, while the latter is still superior for sequence labeling.
Using scenarios is vital in identifying and specifying measures for successfully transforming the energy system. Such transformations can be particularly challenging and require the support of a broader set of stakeholders. Otherwise, there will be opposition in the form of reluctance to adopt the necessary technologies. Usually, processes for considering stakeholders' perspectives are very time-consuming and costly. In particular, there are uncertainties about how to deal with modifications in the scenarios. In principle, new consulting processes will be required. In our study, we show how multi-criteria decision analysis can be used to analyze stakeholders' attitudes toward transition paths. Since stakeholders differ regarding their preferences and time horizons, we employ a multi-criteria decision analysis approach to identify which stakeholders will support or oppose a transition path. We provide a flexible template for analyzing stakeholder preferences toward transition paths. This flexibility comes from the fact that our multi-criteria decision aid-based approach does not involve intensive empirical work with stakeholders. Instead, it involves subjecting assumptions to robustness analysis, which can help identify options to influence stakeholders' attitudes toward transitions.
This study evaluates neuromechanical control and muscle-tendon interaction during energy storage and dissipation tasks in hypergravity. During parabolic flights, while 17 subjects performed drop jumps (DJs) and drop landings (DLs), electromyography (EMG) of the lower limb muscles was combined with in vivo fascicle dynamics of the gastrocnemius medialis, two-dimensional (2D) kinematics, and kinetics to measure and analyze changes in energy management. Comparisons were made between movement modalities executed in hypergravity (1.8 G) and gravity on ground (1 G). In 1.8 G, ankle dorsiflexion, knee joint flexion, and vertical center of mass (COM) displacement are lower in DJs than in DLs; within each movement modality, joint flexion amplitudes and COM displacement demonstrate higher values in 1.8 G than in 1 G. Concomitantly, negative peak ankle joint power, vertical ground reaction forces, and leg stiffness are similar between both movement modalities (1.8 G). In DJs, EMG activity in 1.8 G is lower during the COM deceleration phase than in 1 G, thus impairing quasi-isometric fascicle behavior. In DLs, EMG activity before and during the COM deceleration phase is higher, and fascicles are stretched less in 1.8 G than in 1 G. Compared with the situation in 1 G, highly task-specific neuromuscular activity is diminished in 1.8 G, resulting in fascicle lengthening in both movement modalities. Specifically, in DJs, a high magnitude of neuromuscular activity is impaired, resulting in altered energy storage. In contrast, in DLs, linear stiffening of the system due to higher neuromuscular activity combined with lower fascicle stretch enhances the buffering function of the tendon, and thus the capacity to safely dissipate energy.
Teamsitzungen, Arbeitsgruppentreffen, Kickoffs und Meetings – sie alle werden mit dem Ziel durchgeführt, innerhalb einer vorgegebenen Zeitspanne ein gemeinsames Arbeitsziel zu erreichen. Damit die Zielerreichung auch bei komplexeren Arbeitsaufträgen nicht vom Zufall abhängt, empfiehlt es sich, die Leitung des Ablaufs einem Moderator zu übertragen.
In diesem Beitrag einer dreiteiligen Serie wird beschrieben, über welches Mindset der Moderator verfügen sollte, welche grundsätzlichen Methoden hilfreich sind und was bei der Onlinemoderation im Besonderen zu beachten ist.
Magnetic detection structure for Lab-on-Chip applications based on the frequency mixing technique
(2018)
A magnetic frequency mixing technique with a set of miniaturized planar coils was investigated for use with a completely integrated Lab-on-Chip (LoC) pathogen sensing system. The system allows the detection and quantification of superparamagnetic beads. Additionally, in terms of magnetic nanoparticle characterization ability, the system can be used for immunoassays using the beads as markers. Analytical calculations and simulations for both excitation and pick-up coils are presented; the goal was to investigate the miniaturization of simple and cost-effective planar spiral coils. Following these calculations, a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) prototype was designed, manufactured, and tested for limit of detection, linear response, and validation of theoretical concepts. Using the magnetic frequency mixing technique, a limit of detection of 15 µg/mL of 20 nm core-sized nanoparticles was achieved without any shielding.
Teamsitzungen, Arbeitsgruppentreffen, Kickoffs und Meetings – sie alle werden mit dem Ziel durchgeführt, innerhalb einer vorgegebenen Zeitspanne ein gemeinsames Arbeitsziel zu erreichen. Damit die Zielerreichung auch bei komplexeren Arbeitsaufträgen nicht vom Zufall abhängt, empfiehlt es sich, die Leitung des Ablaufs einem Moderator zu übertragen.
In diesem Beitrag einer mehrteiligen Serie wird beschrieben, über welches Mindset der Moderator verfügen sollte, welche grundsätzlichen Methoden hilfreich sind und was bei der Onlinemoderation im Besonderen zu beachten ist.
The movement of magnetic beads due to a magnetic field gradient is of great interest in different application fields. In this report we present a technique based on a magnetic tweezers setup to measure the velocity factor of magnetically actuated individual superparamagnetic beads in a fluidic environment. Several beads can be tracked simultaneously in order to gain and improve statistics. Furthermore we show our results for different beads with hydrodynamic diameters between 200 and 1000 nm from diverse manufacturers. These measurement data can, for example, be used to determine design parameters for a magnetic separation system, like maximum flow rate and minimum separation time, or to select suitable beads for fixed experimental requirements.
For performing point-of-care molecular diagnostics, magnetic immunoassays constitute a promising alternative to established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) because they are fast, robust and sensitive. Simultaneous detection of multiple biomolecular targets from one body fluid sample is desired. The aim of this work is to show that multiplex magnetic immunodetection based on magnetic frequency mixing by means of modular immunofiltration columns prepared for different targets is feasible. By calculations of the magnetic response signal, the required spacing between the modules was determined. Immunofiltration columns were manufactured by 3D printing and antibody immobilization was performed in a batch approach. It was shown experimentally that two different target molecules in a sample solution could be individually detected in a single assaying step with magnetic measurements of the corresponding immobilization filters. The arrangement order of the filters and of a negative control did not influence the results. Thus, a simple and reliable approach to multi-target magnetic immunodetection was demonstrated.
In modern bioanalytical methods, it is often desired to detect several targets in one sample within one measurement. Immunological methods including those that use superparamagnetic beads are an important group of techniques for these applications. The goal of this work is to investigate the feasibility of simultaneously detecting different superparamagnetic beads acting as markers using the magnetic frequency mixing technique. The frequency of the magnetic excitation field is scanned while the lower driving frequency is kept constant. Due to the particles’ nonlinear magnetization, mixing frequencies are generated. To record their amplitude and phase information, a direct digitization of the pickup-coil’s signal with subsequent Fast Fourier Transformation is performed. By synchronizing both magnetic beads using frequency scanning in magnetic frequency mixing technique magnetic fields, a stable phase information is gained. In this research, it is shown that the amplitude of the dominant mixing component is proportional to the amount of superparamagnetic beads inside a sample. Additionally, it is shown that the phase does not show this behaviour. Excitation frequency scans of different bead types were performed, showing different phases, without correlation to their diverse amplitudes. Two commercially available beads were selected and a determination of their amount in a mixture is performed as a demonstration for multiplex measurements.
Sensitive and rapid detection of cholera toxin subunit B using magnetic frequency mixing detection
(2019)
Cholera is a life-threatening disease caused by the cholera toxin (CT) as produced by some Vibrio cholerae serogroups. In this research we present a method which directly detects the toxin’s B subunit (CTB) in drinking water. For this purpose we performed a magnetic sandwich immunoassay inside a 3D immunofiltration column. We used two different commercially available antibodies to capture CTB and for binding to superparamagnetic beads. ELISA experiments were performed to select the antibody combination. The beads act as labels for the magnetic frequency mixing detection technique. We show that the limit of detection depends on the type of magnetic beads. A nonlinear Hill curve was fitted to the calibration measurements by means of a custom-written python software. We achieved a sensitive and rapid detection of CTB within a broad concentration range from 0.2 ng/ml to more
than 700 ng/ml.
Die qualitative und quantitative Detektion von Zielsubstanzen innerhalb einer wässrigen Probe ist für viele Fragestellungen von Interesse, etwa bei der Detektion von Kontaminationen in Trinkwasser in Krisensituationen. Hierbei ist es nicht nur wichtig, dass Pathogene möglichst sensitiv detektiert werden können, sondern auch, dass die Analyse schnell erfolgt, um Betroffenen im Katastrophenfall zügig sicheres Trinkwasser zu Verfügung stellen zu können. Da bei einem solchen Szenario nicht von einer in der Nähe befindlichen funktionierenden Laborinfrastruktur ausgegangen werden kann, ist es wichtig, dass die Messung direkt vor Ort erfolgen kann. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde untersucht, ob eine derartige Schnellanalytik mithilfe von superparamagnetischen Beads (MBs) und der magnetischen Frequenzmischtechnik möglich ist. Dabei werden die MBs mit Hilfe von primären Antikörpern an die Zielsubstanz gebunden und mit sekundären Antikörpern an die Poren-Oberfläche eines Polyethylen-Filters fixiert (Sandwich-Immunoassay). So kann die Quantifizierung der Zielsubstanz auf eine magnetische Messung der immobilisierten MB-Marker zurückgeführt werden. Die magnetische Frequenzmischtechnik basiert auf der Anregung der Probe mit Magnetfeldern zweier verschiedener Frequenzen. Die durch die nichtlineare Magnetisierungsform der superparamagnetischen MBs entstehenden Mischfrequenzen werden typischerweise mithilfe einer zweistufigen Lock-in-Detektion analysiert (analoge Demodulation), die in einem Magnetreader als Handheldgerät realisiert wurde. Zusätzlich zu dieser Technik wurde das Prinzip der direkten Digitalisierung des gesamten Antwortsignals mit anschließender Fourier-Analyse der erzeugten Mischfrequenzen experimentell umgesetzt, um die Amplituden und Phasen mehrerer Mischfrequenzen simultan zu erfassen. Eine Möglichkeit zur Sensitivitätssteigerung ist die magnetische Aufkonzentration, indem vor der magnetischen Analyse eine Separation der MBs aus einem größeren Probenvolumen mittels magnetischem Feldgradienten durchgeführt wird. Zur Charakterisierung verschiedener kommerzieller MBs hinsichtlich ihrer magnetischen Separierbarkeit wurde ein Aufbau zur Messung ihrer magnetophoretischen Beweglichkeiten realisiert und ihre Geschwindigkeiten im Gradientenfeld mikroskopisch gemessen.Da eine Probe oftmals nicht nur auf eine einzige Zielsubstanz, sondern simultan auf mehrere verschiedene Pathogene hin untersucht werden soll, wurden verschiedene Ansätze entwickelt und getestet, die einen solchen multiparametrischen magnetischen Immunoassay ermöglichen. Einerseits wurde eine räumliche Separation der Bindungsbereiche für verschiedene Zielsubstanzen realisiert, die sequentiell ausgewertet werden können. Andererseits wurde die Unterscheidung von verschiedenen Zielsubstanzen anhand der Charakteristika der an sie gebundenen, verschieden funktionalisierten MB-Typen untersucht. Für eine solche Unterscheidung wurde zum einen die Anregefrequenz der magnetischen Frequenzmischtechnik während einer Messung variiert. Damit konnte gezeigt werden, dass sich verschiedene MB-Sorten anhand der Phase ihrer Frequenzmischsignale voneinander unterscheiden lassen. Weiterhin wurde gezeigt, dass sich der Signalverlauf einer binären Mischung zweier verschiedener MB-Typen als gradueller Übergang der Verläufe der beiden reinen MB-Lösungen ergibt. Eine weitere Analysemethode für einen multiparametrischen Immunoassay besteht darin, ein zusätzliches einstellbares statisches magnetisches Offsetfeld zu verwenden. Hierfür wurden mehrere Aufbauten auf Basis von Permanent- und Elektromagneten simuliert, konstruiert und charakterisiert. Mithilfe von Simulationen konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine auf diesem Verfahren beruhende Unterscheidung für MBs mit unterschiedlichen magnetischen Partikelmomenten möglich ist. Als direkte Anwendung des hier entwickelten Magnetreaders in Zusammenspiel mit der digitalen Demodulation wurde ein magnetischer Assay gegen die B-Untereinheit des Choleratoxins in Trinkwasser mit einem niedrigen Detektionslimit von 0,2 ng/ml demonstriert.
Herein, fibroin, polylactide (PLA), and carbon are investigated for their suitability as biocompatible and biodegradable materials for amperometric biosensors. For this purpose, screen-printed carbon electrodes on the biodegradable substrates fibroin and PLA are modified with a glucose oxidase membrane and then encapsulated with the biocompatible material Ecoflex. The influence of different curing parameters of the carbon electrodes on the resulting biosensor characteristics is studied. The morphology of the electrodes is investigated by scanning electron microscopy, and the biosensor performance is examined by amperometric measurements of glucose (0.5–10 mM) in phosphate buffer solution, pH 7.4, at an applied potential of 1.2 V versus a Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Instead of Ecoflex, fibroin, PLA, and wound adhesive are tested as alternative encapsulation compounds: a series of swelling tests with different fibroin compositions, PLA, and Ecoflex has been performed before characterizing the most promising candidates by chronoamperometry. Therefore, the carbon electrodes are completely covered with the particular encapsulation material. Chronoamperometric measurements with H2O2 concentrations between 0.5 and 10 mM enable studying the leakage current behavior.
It has been shown that muscle fascicle curvature increases with increasing contraction level and decreasing muscle–tendon complex length. The analyses were done with limited examination windows concerning contraction level, muscle–tendon complex length, and/or intramuscular position of ultrasound imaging. With this study we aimed to investigate the correlation between fascicle arching and contraction, muscle–tendon complex length and their associated architectural parameters in gastrocnemius muscles to develop hypotheses concerning the fundamental mechanism of fascicle curving. Twelve participants were tested in five different positions (90°/105°*, 90°/90°*, 135°/90°*, 170°/90°*, and 170°/75°*; *knee/ankle angle). They performed isometric contractions at four different contraction levels (5%, 25%, 50%, and 75% of maximum voluntary contraction) in each position. Panoramic ultrasound images of gastrocnemius muscles were collected at rest and during constant contraction. Aponeuroses and fascicles were tracked in all ultrasound images and the parameters fascicle curvature, muscle–tendon complex strain, contraction level, pennation angle, fascicle length, fascicle strain, intramuscular position, sex and age group were analyzed by linear mixed effect models. Mean fascicle curvature of the medial gastrocnemius increased with contraction level (+5 m−1 from 0% to 100%; p = 0.006). Muscle–tendon complex length had no significant impact on mean fascicle curvature. Mean pennation angle (2.2 m−1 per 10°; p < 0.001), inverse mean fascicle length (20 m−1 per cm−1; p = 0.003), and mean fascicle strain (−0.07 m−1 per +10%; p = 0.004) correlated with mean fascicle curvature. Evidence has also been found for intermuscular, intramuscular, and sex-specific intramuscular differences of fascicle curving. Pennation angle and the inverse fascicle length show the highest predictive capacities for fascicle curving. Due to the strong correlations between pennation angle and fascicle curvature and the intramuscular pattern of curving we suggest for future studies to examine correlations between fascicle curvature and intramuscular fluid pressure.
Germany is a frontrunner in setting frameworks for the transition to a low-carbon system. The mobility sector plays a significant role in this shift, affecting different people and groups on multiple levels. Without acceptance from these stakeholders, emission targets are out of reach. This research analyzes how the heterogeneous preferences of various stakeholders align with the transformation of the mobility sector, looking at the extent to which the German transformation paths are supported and where stakeholders are located.
Under the research objective of comparing stakeholders' preferences to identify which car segments require additional support for a successful climate transition, a status quo of stakeholders and car performance criteria is the foundation for the analysis. Stakeholders' hidden preferences hinder the derivation of criteria weightings from stakeholders; therefore, a ranking from observed preferences is used. This study's inverse multi-criteria decision analysis means that weightings can be predicted and used together with a recalibrated performance matrix to explore future preferences toward car segments.
Results show that stakeholders prefer medium-sized cars, with the trend pointing towards the increased potential for alternative propulsion technologies and electrified vehicles. These insights can guide the improved targeting of policy supporting the energy and mobility transformation. Additionally, the method proposed in this work can fully handle subjective approaches while incorporating a priori information. A software implementation of the proposed method completes this work and is made publicly available.
Stand 01.01.2022 sind in Deutschland 618.460 elektrisch angetriebene KFZ zugelassen. Insgesamt sind derzeit 48.540.878 KFZ zugelassen, was einer Elektromobilitätsquote von ca. 1,2 % entspricht. Derzeit werden Elektromobile über Ladestationen oder Steckdosen mit dem Stromnetz verbunden und üblicherweise mit der vollen Ladekapazität des Anschlusses aufgeladen, bis das Batteriemanagementsystem des Fahrzeugs abhängig vom Ladezustand der Batterie die Ladeleistung reduziert.
Damit Sie als Moderator effektiv und professionell moderieren können, sollten Sie die entsprechenden Methoden kennen.
Mit den richtigen Methoden können Sie Diskussionen leiten, Konflikte lösen, die Teilnehmer motivieren und dafür sorgen, dass die Ziele der Veranstaltung erreicht werden. Außerdem helfen sie Ihnen, eine positive Atmosphäre zu schaffen und das Interesse der Teilnehmer zu halten.
In diesem zweiten Beitrag der mehrteiligen Serie lernen Sie die grundsätzlichen Methoden kennen, um erfolgreiche Teamsitzungen, Arbeitsgruppentreffen, Kick-offs und Meetings durchzuführen.
Useful market simulations are key to the evaluation of diferent market designs existing of multiple market mechanisms or rules. Yet a simulation framework which has a comparison of diferent market mechanisms in mind was not found. The need to create an objective view on different sets of market rules while investigating meaningful agent strategies concludes that such a simulation framework is needed to advance the research on this subject. An overview of diferent existing market simulation models is given which also shows the research gap and the missing capabilities of those systems. Finally, a methodology is outlined how a novel market simulation which can answer the research questions can be developed.
On the applicability of several tests to models with not identically distributed random effects
(2023)
We consider Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Cramér–von-Mises type tests for testing central symmetry, exchangeability, and independence. In the standard case, the tests are intended for the application to independent and identically distributed data with unknown distribution. The tests are available for multivariate data and bootstrap procedures are suitable to obtain critical values. We discuss the applicability of the tests to random effects models, where the random effects are independent but not necessarily identically distributed and with possibly unknown distributions. Theoretical results show the adequacy of the tests in this situation. The quality of the tests in models with random effects is investigated by simulations. Empirical results obtained confirm the theoretical findings. A real data example illustrates the application.
Direct methods comprising limit and shakedown analysis is a branch of computational mechanics. It plays a significant role in mechanical and civil engineering design. The concept of direct method aims to determinate the ultimate load bearing capacity of structures beyond the elastic range. For practical problems, the direct methods lead to nonlinear convex optimization problems with a large number of variables and onstraints. If strength and loading are random quantities, the problem of shakedown analysis is considered as stochastic programming. This paper presents a method so called chance constrained programming, an effective method of stochastic programming, to solve shakedown analysis problem under random condition of strength. In this our investigation, the loading is deterministic, the strength is distributed as normal or lognormal variables.
We consider time-dependent portfolios and discuss the allocation of changes in the risk of a portfolio to changes in the portfolio’s components. For this purpose we adopt established allocation principles. We also use our approach to obtain forecasts for changes in the risk of the portfolio’s components. To put the approach into practice we present an implementation based on the output of a simulation. Allocation is illustrated with an example portfolio in the context of Solvency II. The quality of the forecasts is investigated with an empirical study.
Motile cilia are hair-like cell extensions that beat periodically to generate fluid flow along various epithelial tissues within the body. In dense multiciliated carpets, cilia were shown to exhibit a remarkable coordination of their beat in the form of traveling metachronal waves, a phenomenon which supposedly enhances fluid transport. Yet, how cilia coordinate their regular beat in multiciliated epithelia to move fluids remains insufficiently understood, particularly due to lack of rigorous quantification. We combine experiments, novel analysis tools, and theory to address this knowledge gap. To investigate collective dynamics of cilia, we studied zebrafish multiciliated epithelia in the nose and the brain. We focused mainly on the zebrafish nose, due to its conserved properties with other ciliated tissues and its superior accessibility for non-invasive imaging. We revealed that cilia are synchronized only locally and that the size of local synchronization domains increases with the viscosity of the surrounding medium. Even though synchronization is local only, we observed global patterns of traveling metachronal waves across the zebrafish multiciliated epithelium. Intriguingly, these global wave direction patterns are conserved across individual fish, but different for left and right noses, unveiling a chiral asymmetry of metachronal coordination. To understand the implications of synchronization for fluid pumping, we used a computational model of a regular array of cilia. We found that local metachronal synchronization prevents steric collisions, i.e., cilia colliding with each other, and improves fluid pumping in dense cilia carpets, but hardly affects the direction of fluid flow. In conclusion, we show that local synchronization together with tissue-scale cilia alignment coincide and generate metachronal wave patterns in multiciliated epithelia, which enhance their physiological function of fluid pumping.
Based on the European Space Agency (ESA) Science in Space Environment (SciSpacE) community White Paper “Human Physiology – Musculoskeletal system”, this perspective highlights unmet needs and suggests new avenues for future studies in musculoskeletal research to enable crewed exploration missions. The musculoskeletal system is essential for sustaining physical function and energy metabolism, and the maintenance of health during exploration missions, and consequently mission success, will be tightly linked to musculoskeletal function. Data collection from current space missions from pre-, during-, and post-flight periods would provide important information to understand and ultimately offset musculoskeletal alterations during long-term spaceflight. In addition, understanding the kinetics of the different components of the musculoskeletal system in parallel with a detailed description of the molecular mechanisms driving these alterations appears to be the best approach to address potential musculoskeletal problems that future exploratory-mission crew will face. These research efforts should be accompanied by technical advances in molecular and phenotypic monitoring tools to provide in-flight real-time feedback.
The Cramér-von-Mises distance is applied to the distribution of the excess over a confidence level. Asymptotics of related statistics are investigated, and it is seen that the obtained limit distributions differ from the classical ones. For that reason, quantiles of the new limit distributions are given and new bootstrap techniques for approximation purposes are introduced and justified. The results motivate new one-sample goodness-of-fit tests for the distribution of the excess over a confidence level and a new confidence interval for the related fitting error. Simulation studies investigate size and power of the tests as well as coverage probabilities of the confidence interval in the finite sample case. A practice-oriented application of the Cramér-von-Mises tests is the determination of an appropriate confidence level for the fitting approach. The adoption of the idea to the well-known problem of threshold detection in the context of peaks over threshold modelling is sketched and illustrated by data examples.
In this paper, we provide an analytical study of the transmission eigenvalue problem with two conductivity parameters. We will assume that the underlying physical model is given by the scattering of a plane wave for an isotropic scatterer. In previous studies, this eigenvalue problem was analyzed with one conductive boundary parameter whereas we will consider the case of two parameters. We prove the existence and discreteness of the transmission eigenvalues as well as study the dependence on the physical parameters. We are able to prove monotonicity of the first transmission eigenvalue with respect to the parameters and consider the limiting procedure as the second boundary parameter vanishes. Lastly, we provide extensive numerical experiments to validate the theoretical work.
Field-effect EIS (electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor) sensors modified with a positively charged weak polyelectrolyte layer have been applied for the electrical detection of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) immobilization and hybridization by the intrinsic molecular charge. The EIS sensors are able to detect the existence of target DNA amplicons in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) samples and thus, can be used as tool for a quick verification of DNA amplification and the successful PCR process. Due to their miniaturized setup, compatibility with advanced micro- and nanotechnologies, and ability to detect biomolecules by their intrinsic molecular charge, those sensors can serve as possible platform for the development of label-free DNA chips. Possible application fields as well as challenges and limitations will be discussed.
A capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EISCAP) biosensor modified with Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles for the detection of acetoin is presented. The enzyme acetoin reductase (AR) was immobilized on the surface of the EISCAP using TMV particles as nanoscaffolds. The study focused on the optimization of the TMV-assisted AR immobilization on the Ta 2 O 5 -gate EISCAP surface. The TMV-assisted acetoin EISCAPs were electrochemically characterized by means of leakage-current, capacitance-voltage, and constant-capacitance measurements. The TMV-modified transducer surface was studied via scanning electron microscopy.
Objective
Hemodialysis patients show an approximately threefold higher prevalence of cognitive impairment compared to the age-matched general population. Impaired microcirculatory function is one of the assumed causes. Dynamic retinal vessel analysis is a quantitative method for measuring neurovascular coupling and microvascular endothelial function. We hypothesize that cognitive impairment is associated with altered microcirculation of retinal vessels.
Methods
152 chronic hemodialysis patients underwent cognitive testing using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Retinal microcirculation was assessed by Dynamic Retinal Vessel Analysis, which carries out an examination recording retinal vessels' reaction to a flicker light stimulus under standardized conditions.
Results
In unadjusted as well as in adjusted linear regression analyses a significant association between the visuospatial executive function domain score of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the maximum arteriolar dilation as response of retinal arterioles to the flicker light stimulation was obtained.
Conclusion
This is the first study determining retinal microvascular function as surrogate for cerebral microvascular function and cognition in hemodialysis patients. The relationship between impairment in executive function and reduced arteriolar reaction to flicker light stimulation supports the involvement of cerebral small vessel disease as contributing factor for the development of cognitive impairment in this patient population and might be a target for noninvasive disease monitoring and therapeutic intervention.
It was generally believed that coal sources are not favorable as live-in habitats for microorganisms due to their recalcitrant chemical nature and negligible decomposition. However, accumulating evidence has revealed the presence of diverse microbial groups in coal environments and their significant metabolic role in coal biogeochemical dynamics and ecosystem functioning. The high oxygen content, organic fractions, and lignin-like structures of lower-rank coals may provide effective means for microbial attack, still representing a greatly unexplored frontier in microbiology. Coal degradation/conversion technology by native bacterial and fungal species has great potential in agricultural development, chemical industry production, and environmental rehabilitation. Furthermore, native microalgal species can offer a sustainable energy source and an excellent bioremediation strategy applicable to coal spill/seam waters. Additionally, the measures of the fate of the microbial community would serve as an indicator of restoration progress on post-coal-mining sites. This review puts forward a comprehensive vision of coal biodegradation and bioprocessing by microorganisms native to coal environments for determining their biotechnological potential and possible applications.
Ambitious climate targets affect the competitiveness of industries in the international market. To prevent such industries from moving to other countries in the wake of increased climate protection efforts, cost adjustments may become necessary. Their design requires knowledge of country-specific production costs. Here, we present country-specific cost figures for different production routes of steel, paying particular attention to transportation costs. The data can be used in floor price models aiming to assess the competitiveness of different steel production routes in different countries (Rübbelke, 2022).
Es werden Effizienzbegriffe zum Vergleich von statistischen Tests basierend auf verschiedenen statistischen Experimenten eingeführt. Dabei handelt es sich um die schon aus dem Vergleich von statistischen Tests in je demselben Modell bekannten asymptotischen relativen Effizienzen wie die Hodges-Lehmann-Effizienz, die Bahadur-Effizienz und die Pitman-Effizienz sowie um Kriterien basierend auf Volumina von Konfidenzbereichen. Effizienzaussagen werden unter anderem für Likelihood-Quotienten-Tests und Waldsche Tests im Rahmen eines allgemeinen multivariaten parametrischen Modells erhalten. Statistische Tests zur Prüfung von Hypothesen über die relative Wirksamkeit zweier Experimente werden vorgeschlagen. Auf der Grundlage der erhaltenen Ergebnisse erfolgt ein Vergleich der Wirksamkeit von korrespondierenden Verfahren bei verbundener Stichprobenerhebung und unabhängiger Stichprobenerhebung. Die Rolle der Kovarianzmatrix bei verbundener Stichprobenerhebung wird insbesondere unter der Annahme, dass die zugrunde liegenden Verteilungen durch k-parametrische Exponentialfamilien modellierbar sind, herausgearbeitet. Verbindungen zu Effizienzbegriffen bei Punkt- und Konfidenzbereichsschätzverfahren werden aufgezeigt. Ausführlichere Untersuchungen betreffen die korrespondierenden Hotellingschen T²-Tests im multivariaten Normalverteilungsfall, die klassischen Homogenitatstests bei k × k-Kontingenztafeln und die Wilcoxon Tests in nichtparametrischen Lagealternativmodellen
In a special paired sample case, Hotelling’s T² test based on the differences of the paired random vectors is the likelihood ratio test for testing the hypothesis that the paired random vectors have the same mean; with respect to a special group of affine linear transformations it is the uniformly most powerful invariant test for the general alternative of a difference in mean. We present an elementary straightforward proof of this result. The likelihood ratio test for testing the hypothesis that the covariance structure is of the assumed special form is derived and discussed. Applications to real data are given.
Hotelling’s T² tests in paired and independent survey samples are compared using the traditional asymptotic efficiency concepts of Hodges–Lehmann, Bahadur and Pitman, as well as through criteria based on the volumes of corresponding confidence regions. Conditions characterizing the superiority of a procedure are given in terms of population canonical correlation type coefficients. Statistical tests for checking these conditions are developed. Test statistics based on the eigenvalues of a symmetrized sample cross-covariance matrix are suggested, as well as test statistics based on sample canonical correlation type coefficients.
The paper deals with an asymptotic relative efficiency concept for confidence regions of multidimensional parameters that is based on the expected volumes of the confidence regions. Under standard conditions the asymptotic relative efficiencies of confidence regions are seen to be certain powers of the ratio of the limits of the expected volumes. These limits are explicitly derived for confidence regions associated with certain plugin estimators, likelihood ratio tests and Wald tests. Under regularity conditions, the asymptotic relative efficiency of each of these procedures with respect to each one of its competitors is equal to 1. The results are applied to multivariate normal distributions and multinomial distributions in a fairly general setting.