Refine
Year of publication
Institute
- Fachbereich Medizintechnik und Technomathematik (1688)
- Fachbereich Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik (718)
- IfB - Institut für Bioengineering (623)
- Fachbereich Energietechnik (588)
- INB - Institut für Nano- und Biotechnologien (557)
- Fachbereich Chemie und Biotechnologie (551)
- Fachbereich Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik (496)
- Fachbereich Maschinenbau und Mechatronik (279)
- Fachbereich Wirtschaftswissenschaften (217)
- Solar-Institut Jülich (165)
Language
- English (4908) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (3276)
- Conference Proceeding (1162)
- Part of a Book (191)
- Book (144)
- Doctoral Thesis (30)
- Conference: Meeting Abstract (28)
- Patent (25)
- Other (10)
- Report (9)
- Conference Poster (6)
Keywords
- Biosensor (25)
- Finite-Elemente-Methode (12)
- Einspielen <Werkstoff> (10)
- CAD (8)
- civil engineering (8)
- Bauingenieurwesen (7)
- Blitzschutz (6)
- FEM (6)
- Gamification (6)
- Limit analysis (6)
Climate change is challenging forestry management and practices. Among other things, tree species with the ability to cope with more extreme climate conditions have to be identified. However, while environmental factors may severely limit tree growth or even cause tree death, assessing a tree species' potential for surviving future aggravated environmental conditions is rather demanding. The aim of this study was to find a tree-ring-based method suitable for identifying very drought-tolerant species, particularly potential substitute species for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Valais. In this inner-Alpine valley, Scots pine used to be the dominating species for dry forests, but today it suffers from high drought-induced mortality. We investigate the growth response of two native tree species, Scots pine and European larch (Larix decidua Mill.), and two non-native species, black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Mirb. var. menziesii), to drought. This involved analysing how the radial increment of these species responded to increasing water shortage (abandonment of irrigation) and to increasingly frequent drought years. Black pine and Douglas fir are able to cope with drought better than Scots pine and larch, as they show relatively high radial growth even after irrigation has been stopped and a plastic growth response to drought years. European larch does not seem to be able to cope with these dry conditions as it lacks the ability to recover from drought years. The analysis of trees' short-term response to extreme climate events seems to be the most promising and suitable method for detecting how tolerant a tree species is towards drought. However, combining all the methods used in this study provides a complete picture of how water shortage could limit species.
An increasing number of studies have reported on forest declines and vegetation shifts triggered by drought. In the Swiss Rhone valley (Valais), one of the driest inner-Alpine regions, the species composition in low elevation forests is changing: The sub-boreal Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) dominating the dry forests is showing high mortality rates. Concurrently the sub-Mediterranean pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.) has locally increased in abundance. However, it remains unclear whether this local change in species composition is part of a larger-scale vegetation shift. To study variability in mortality and regeneration in these dry forests we analysed data from the Swiss national forest inventory (NFI) on a regular grid between 1983 and 2003, and combined it with annual mortality data from a monitoring site. Pine mortality was found to be highest at low elevation (below 1000 m a.s.l.). Annual variation in pine mortality was correlated with a drought index computed for the summer months prior to observed tree death. A generalized linear mixed-effects model indicated for the NFI data increased pine mortality on dryer sites with high stand competition, particularly for small-diameter trees. Pine regeneration was low in comparison to its occurrence in the overstorey, whereas oak regeneration was comparably abundant. Although both species regenerated well at dry sites, pine regeneration was favoured at cooler sites at higher altitude and oak regeneration was more frequent at warmer sites, indicating a higher adaptation potential of oaks under future warming. Our results thus suggest that an extended shift in species composition is actually occurring in the pine forests in the Valais. The main driving factors are found to be climatic variability, particularly drought, and variability in stand structure and topography. Thus, pine forests at low elevations are developing into oak forests with unknown consequences for these ecosystems and their goods and services.
Label-free electrical detection of consecutive deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hybridization/denaturation by means of an array of individually addressable field-effect-based nanoplate silicon-on-insulator (SOI) capacitors modified with gold nanoparticles (Au-NP) is investigated. The proposed device detects charge changes on Au-NP/DNA hybrids induced by the hybridization or denaturation event. DNA hybridization was performed in a high ionic-strength solution to provide a high hybridization efficiency. On the other hand, to reduce the screening of the DNA charge by counter ions and to achieve a high sensitivity, the sensor signal induced by the hybridization and denaturation events was measured in a low ionic-strength solution. High sensor signals of about 120, 90, and 80 mV were registered after the DNA hybridization, denaturation, and re-hybridization events, respectively. Fluorescence microscopy has been applied as reference method to verify the DNA immobilization, hybridization, and denaturation processes. An electrostatic charge-plane model for potential changes at the gate surface of a nanoplate field-effect sensor induced by the DNA hybridization has been developed taking into account both the Debye length and the distance of the DNA charge from the gate surface.
Real-time and reliable monitoring of the biogas process is crucial for a stable and efficient operation of biogas production in order to avoid digester breakdowns. The concentration of dissolved hydrogen (H₂) represents one of the key parameters for biogas process control. In this work, a one-chip integrated combined amperometric/field-effect sensor for monitoring the dissolved H₂ concentration has been developed for biogas applications. The combination of two different transducer principles might allow a more accurate and reliable measurement of dissolved H₂ as an early warning indicator of digester failures. The feasibility of the approach has been demonstrated by simultaneous amperometric/field-effect measurements of dissolved H₂ concentrations in electrolyte solutions. Both, the amperometric and the field-effect transducer show a linear response behaviour in the H₂ concentration range from 0.1 to 3% (v/v) with a slope of 198.4 ± 13.7 nA/% (v/v) and 14.9 ± 0.5 mV/% (v/v), respectively.
Thin films of poly(ethyleneterephthalate) [PET]were exposed to radiation dose ranging from 10 to 30 kGy by using gamma rays in the range 12.8-177.8 MGy using swift light ions of hydrogen. There was no effect of the radiation dose on the optical behaviour of PET as a result of exposure to radiation dose up to 30 kGy brought about by gamma rays but a significant decrease in the optical band gap values was observed when PET was exposed to swift light ions of hydrogen. The data obtained are discussed in terms of optical studies carried out on PET using swift heavy ions.
Compared with rodents and many other animal species, the human cytochrome P450 (P450) Cyp2c gene cluster varies significantly in the multiplicity of functional genes and in the substrate specificity of its enzymes. As a consequence, the use of wild-type animal models to predict the role of human CYP2C enzymes in drug metabolism and drug-drug interactions is limited. Within the human CYP2C cluster CYP2C9 is of particular importance, because it is one of the most abundant P450 enzymes in human liver, and it is involved in the metabolism of a wide variety of important drugs and environmental chemicals. To investigate the in vivo functions of cytochrome P450 Cyp2c genes and to establish a model for studying the functions of CYP2C9 in vivo, we have generated a mouse model with a deletion of the murine Cyp2c gene cluster and a corresponding humanized model expressing CYP2C9 specifically in the liver. Despite the high number of functional genes in the mouse Cyp2c cluster and the reported roles of some of these proteins in different biological processes, mice deleted for Cyp2c genes were viable and fertile but showed certain phenotypic alterations in the liver. The expression of CYP2C9 in the liver also resulted in viable animals active in the metabolism and disposition of a number of CYP2C9 substrates. These mouse lines provide a powerful tool for studying the role of Cyp2c genes and of CYP2C9 in particular in drug disposition and as a factor in drug-drug interaction.
In current clinical cardiovascular MR (CMR) practice cardiac motion is commonly dealt with using ECG based synchronization. However, ECG is corrupted by magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) effects in magnetic fields. This leads to artifacts in the ECG trace and evokes severe T-wave elevations, which might be misinterpreted as R-waves resulting in erroneous triggering. At (ultra)high field strengths, the propensity of ECG recordings to MHD effects is further pronounced. Pulse oximetry (POX) being inherently sensitive to blood oxygenation provides an alternative approach for cardiac gating. However, due to the travel time of the blood the peak of maximum oxygenation and hence the trigger is delayed by approx. 300 ms with respect to the ECG's R-wave. Also the peak of maximum oxygenation shows a jitter of up to 65 ms. Alternative triggering approaches include acoustic cardiac triggering (ACT). In current clinical practice cardiac gating / triggering commonly relies on using single physiological signals only. Realizing this limitation this study proposes a combined triggering approach which exploits multiple physiological signals including ECG, POX or ACT to track cardiac activity. The feasibility of the coupled approach is examined for LV function assessment at 7.0 T. For this purpose, breath-held 2D-CINE imaging in conjunction with cardiac synchronization was performed paralleled by real time logging of physiological waveforms to track (mis)synchronization between the cardiac cycle and data acquisition. Combinations of the ECG, POX and ACT signals were evaluated and processed in real time to facilitate reliable trigger information.
Visual Virology
(2012)