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Learning- and memory-related processes are thought to result from dynamic interactions in large-scale brain networks that include lateral and mesial structures of the temporal lobes. We investigate the impact of incidental and intentional learning of verbal episodic material on functional brain networks that we derive from scalp-EEG recorded continuously from 33 subjects during a neuropsychological test schedule. Analyzing the networks' global statistical properties we observe that intentional but not incidental learning leads to a significantly increased clustering coefficient, and the average shortest path length remains unaffected. Moreover, network modifications correlate with subsequent recall performance: the more pronounced the modifications of the clustering coefficient, the higher the recall performance. Our findings provide novel insights into the relationship between topological aspects of functional brain networks and higher cognitive functions.
The invention relates to a system for the implementation of chemical, biological or physical reactions, consisting of - one or more magnetic micro-reactors, each comprising a shell made of hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticles encapsulating an aqueous core, - a plane platform comprising a surface to receive the micro-reactors, - a source that generates a magnetic field above or underneath the platform for manipulating the one or more hydrophobic magnetic micro-reactors, or for moving them along the surface of the platform from one position to another position, characterized in that the aqueous core of the one or more magnetic micro-reactors contains a reaction solution or buffer, and wherein the magnetic field generated by the source correlates to a defined position on the surface of the platform.
Architecture for platform- and hardware-independent mesh networks : how to unify the channels
(2013)
This paper will prove that mesh networks among different platforms and hardware channels can help to channel valuable information even if public telecommunication infrastructure is not available due to arbitrary reasons. Therefore, results of a simulation for mesh networks on mass events will be provided, followed by the developed architecture and an outlook on future research. The developed architecture is currently being implemented and field tested on mass events.
Purpose
To design and evaluate a modular transceiver coil array with 32 independent channels for cardiac MRI at 7.0T.
Methods
The modular coil array comprises eight independent building blocks, each containing four transceiver loop elements. Numerical simulations were used for B1+ field homogenization and radiofrequency (RF) safety validation. RF characteristics were examined in a phantom study. The array's suitability for accelerated high spatial resolution two-dimensional (2D) FLASH CINE imaging of the heart was examined in a volunteer study.
Results
Transmission field adjustments and RF characteristics were found to be suitable for the volunteer study. The signal-to-noise intrinsic to 7.0T together with the coil performance afforded a spatial resolution of 1.1 × 1.1 × 2.5 mm3 for 2D CINE FLASH MRI, which is by a factor of 6 superior to standardized CINE protocols used in clinical practice at 1.5T. The 32-channel transceiver array supports one-dimensional acceleration factors of up to R = 4 without impairing image quality significantly.
Conclusion
The modular 32-channel transceiver cardiac array supports accelerated and high spatial resolution cardiac MRI. The array is compatible with multichannel transmission and provides a technological basis for future clinical assessment of parallel transmission techniques at 7.0T.
ETHICS is concerned with evaluating, measuring and making improvements in the thermal and energy performance of steel-clad and steel-framed buildings. It addresses basic building physics performance at a laboratory and full-scale level, and the preparation of design guidance for commercial, industrial and residential buildings. It includes the development of design tools to assist users in assessing whole-building performance, and calibrates these tools against whole-building measurements, which will be obtained from this research. Opportunities for renewable energy and other energy-saving features will be assessed. This project focuses on objectives that are of particular interest for the design of new steel constructions regarding energy efficiency. ETHICS investigates the as-built performance by on-site tests regarding air tightness and heat transfer properties of the building envelope and by monitoring the energy consumption and thermal comfort of selected up-to-date steel buildings. As energy efficiency is a key requirement for design and construction of buildings in the future, this project provides well-founded scientific data, which prove the high energy performance of current steel constructions and work out details for further improvements to maintain and extend the position of steel products in the construction sector.
Use of textile structures for reinforcement of pelvic floor structures has to consider mechanical forces to the implant, which are quite different to the tension free conditions of the abdominal wall. Thus, biomechanical analysis of textile devices has to include the impact of strain on stretchability and effective porosity. Prolift® and Prolift + M®, developed for tension free conditions, were tested by measuring stretchability and effective porosity applying mechanical strain. For comparison, we used Dynamesh-PR4®, which was designed for pelvic floor repair to withstand mechanical strain. Prolift® at rest showed moderate porosity with little stretchability but complete loss of effective porosity at strain of 4.9 N/cm. Prolift + M® revealed an increased porosity at rest, but at strain showed high stretchability, with subsequent loss of effective porosity at strain of 2.5 N/cm. Dynamesh PR4® preserved its high porosity even under strain, but as consequence of limited stretchability. Though in tension free conditions Prolift® and Prolift + M® can be considered as large pore class I meshes, application of mechanical strain rapidly lead to collapse of pores. The loss of porosity at mechanical stress can be prevented by constructions with high structural stability. Assessment of porosity under strain was found helpful to define requirements for pelvic floor devices. Clinical studies have to prove whether devices with high porosity as well as high structural stability can improve the patients' outcome.
Biopharmaceuticals such as antibodies are produced in cultivated mammalian cells, which must be monitored to comply with good manufacturing practice. We, therefore, developed a fully automated system comprising a specific exhaust gas analyzer, inline analytics and a corresponding algorithm to precisely determine the oxygen uptake rate, carbon dioxide evolution rate, carbon dioxide transfer rate, transfer quotient and respiratory quotient without interrupting the ongoing cultivation, in order to assess its reproducibility. The system was verified using chemical simulation experiments and was able to measure the respiratory activity of hybridoma cells and DG44 cells (derived from Chinese hamster ovary cells) with satisfactory results at a minimum viable cell density of ~2.0 × 10⁵ cells ml⁻¹. The system was suitable for both batch and fed-batch cultivations in bubble-aerated and membrane-aerated reactors, with and without the control of pH and dissolved oxygen.
This article describes the fabrication, characterization and application of an epidermal temporary-transfer tattoo-based potentiometric sensor, coupled with a miniaturized wearable wireless transceiver, for real-time monitoring of sodium in the human perspiration. Sodium excreted during perspiration is an excellent marker for electrolyte imbalance and provides valuable information regarding an individual's physical and mental wellbeing. The realization of the new skin-worn non-invasive tattoo-like sensing device has been realized by amalgamating several state-of-the-art thick film, laser printing, solid-state potentiometry, fluidics and wireless technologies. The resulting tattoo-based potentiometric sodium sensor displays a rapid near-Nernstian response with negligible carryover effects, and good resiliency against various mechanical deformations experienced by the human epidermis. On-body testing of the tattoo sensor coupled to a wireless transceiver during exercise activity demonstrated its ability to continuously monitor sweat sodium dynamics. The real-time sweat sodium concentration was transmitted wirelessly via a body-worn transceiver from the sodium tattoo sensor to a notebook while the subjects perspired on a stationary cycle. The favorable analytical performance along with the wearable nature of the wireless transceiver makes the new epidermal potentiometric sensing system attractive for continuous monitoring the sodium dynamics in human perspiration during diverse activities relevant to the healthcare, fitness, military, healthcare and skin-care domains.
We study the estimation of some linear functionals which are based on an unknown lifetime distribution. The observations are assumed to be generated under the semi-parametric random censorship model (SRCM), that is, a random censorship model where the conditional expectation of the censoring indicator given the observation belongs to a parametric family. Under this setup a semi-parametric estimator of the survival function was introduced by the author. If the parametric model assumption is correct, it is known that the estimated functional which is based on this semi-parametric estimator is asymptotically at least as efficient as the corresponding one which rests on the nonparametric Kaplan–Meier estimator.
In this paper we show that the estimated functional which is based on this semi-parametric estimator is asymptotically efficient with respect to the class of all regular estimators under this semi-parametric model.
Poly(vinyl acetate), PVAc, with a degree of polymerization Xn = 10 was prepared by chain-transfer radical polymerization using carbon tetrachloride and used as oligomeric plasticizer for commercial PVAc. However, the chlorinated chain ends cause a low thermal stability requiring mild Cl/H substitution. The product exhibits high thermal stability and excellent melt-compounding properties. Blends of oligomeric and commercial PVAc show single glass transition temperatures which decrease with higher oligomer content and exhibit small negative deviations from Fox' linear additivity rule. This indicates plasticization and miscibility being mainly due to entropic effects. Injection-moulded thick specimens show ductile behaviour at oligomer contents >10 wt %, while sheets with a thickness of 0.2–0.5 mm appear flexible already at 7.5 wt %. The oxygen permeability coefficients are an order of magnitude lower than those of low-density polyethylene. Due to the sum of their properties, the plasticized sheets present a promising alternative in the preparation of barrier materials.
The composition and physiochemical properties of aquatic-phase natural organic matter (NOM) are most important problems for both environmental studies and water industry. Laser desorption/ionization (LDI) mass spectrometry facilitated successful examinations of NOM, as humic and fulvic acids in NOM are readily ionized by the nitrogen laser. In this study, hydrophobic NOMs (HPO NOMs) from river, reservoir and waste water were characterized by this technique. The effect of analytical variables like concentration, solvent composition and laser energy was investigated. The exact masses of small molecular NOM moieties in the range of 200–1200 m/z were determined in reflectron mode. In addition, spectra of post-source-decay experiments in this range showed that some compounds from different natural NOMs had the same fragmental ions. In the large mass range of 1200–15 000 Da, macromolecules and their aggregates were found in HPO NOMs from natural waters. Highly humic HPO exhibited mass peaks larger than 8000 Da. On the other hand, the waste water and reservoir water mainly had relatively smaller molecules of about 2000 Da. The LDI-MS measurements indicated that highly humic river waters were able to form large aggregates and membrane foulants, while the HPO NOMs from waste water and reservoir water were unlikely to form large aggregates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multimodal bioimage sensor
(2014)
To visualize the biochemical distribution two-dimensionally, we invented a solid-state-type ion image sensor that indicates the chemical activity of solutions and cells. The device, which consists of a CCD array covered with a functionalized membrane to detect charge accumulation, is highly sensitive to changes in the concentration and two-dimensional distribution of ions and biomaterials.
Clostridium propionicum is the only organism known to ferment β-alanine, a constituent of coenzyme A (CoA) and the phosphopantetheinyl prosthetic group of holo-acyl carrier protein. The first step in the fermentation is a CoA-transfer to β-alanine. Subsequently, the resulting β-alanyl-CoA is deaminated by the enzyme β-alanyl-CoA:ammonia lyase (Acl) to reversibly form ammonia and acrylyl-CoA. We have determined the crystal structure of Acl in its apo-form at a resolution of 0.97 Å as well as in complex with CoA at a resolution of 1.59 Å. The structures reveal that the enyzme belongs to a superfamily of proteins exhibiting a so called “hot dog fold” which is characterized by a five-stranded antiparallel β-sheet with a long α-helix packed against it. The functional unit of all “hot dog fold” proteins is a homodimer containing two equivalent substrate binding sites which are established by the dimer interface. In the case of Acl, three functional dimers combine to a homohexamer strongly resembling the homohexamer formed by YciA-like acyl-CoA thioesterases. Here, we propose an enzymatic mechanism based on the crystal structure of the Acl·CoA complex and molecular docking. Proteins 2014; 82:2041–2053. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The metabolic activity of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was observed using a light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS). The dependency toward different glucose concentrations (17–200 mM) follows a Michaelis–Menten kinetics trajectory with Kₘ = 32.8 mM, and the obtained Kₘ value in this experiment was compared with that found in literature. In addition, the pH shift induced by glucose metabolism of tumor cells transfected with the HPV-16 genome (C3 cells) was successfully observed. These results indicate the possibility to determine the tumor cells metabolism with a LAPS-based measurement device.
The Dry Low NOx (DLN) Micromix combustion principle with increased energy density is adapted for the industrial gas turbine APU GTCP 36-300 using hydrogen and hydrogen-rich syngas with a composition of 90%-Vol. hydrogen (H₂) and 10%-Vol. carbon-monoxide (CO). Experimental and numerical studies of several combustor geometries for hydrogen and syngas show the successful advance of the DLN Micromix combustion from pure hydrogen to hydrogen-rich syngas. The impact of the different fuel properties on the combustion principle and aerodynamic flame stabilization design laws, flow field, flame structure and emission characteristics is investigated by numerical analysis using a hybrid Eddy Break Up combustion model and validated against experimental results.
In this work, the catalyst manganese(IV) oxide (MnO2), of calorimetric gas sensors (to monitor the sterilization agent vaporized hydrogen peroxide) has been investigated in more detail. Chemical analyses by means of X-ray-induced photoelectron spectroscopy have been performed to unravel the surface chemistry prior and after exposure to hydrogen peroxide vapor at elevated temperature, as applied in the sterilization processes of beverage cartons. The surface characterization reveals a change in oxidation states of the metal oxide catalyst after exposure to hydrogen peroxide. Additionally, a cleaning effect of the catalyst, which itself is attached to the sensor surface by means of a polymer interlayer, could be observed.
The light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is a semiconductor-based potentiometric sensor using a light probe with an ability of detecting the concentration of biochemical species in a spatially resolved manner. As an important biomedical sensor, research has been conducted to improve its performance, for instance, to realize high-speed measurement. In this work, the idea of facilitating the device-level simulation, instead of using an equivalent-circuit model, is presented for detailed analysis and optimization of the performance of the LAPS. Both carrier distribution and photocurrent response have been simulated to provide new insight into both amplitude-mode and phase-mode operations of the LAPS. Various device parameters can be examined to effectively design and optimize the LAPS structures and setups for enhanced performance.
This study describes a label-free impedimetric sensor based on short ssDNA recognition elements for the detection of hybridization events. We concentrate on the elucidation of the influence of target length and recognition sequence position on the sensorial performance. The impedimetric measurements are performed in the presence of the redox system ferri-/ferrocyanide and show an increase in charge transfer resistance upon hybridization of ssDNA to the sensor surface. Investigations on the impedimetric signal stability demonstrate a clear influence of the buffers used during the sensor preparation and the choice of the passivating mercaptoalcanol compound. A stable sensor system has been developed, enabling a reproducible detection of 25mer target DNA in the low nanomolar range. After hybridization, a sensor regeneration can be reached with deionized water by adjustment of effective convection conditions, ensuring a sensor reusability. By investigations of longer targets with overhangs exposed to the solution, we can demonstrate applicability of the impedimetric detection for longer ssDNA. However, a decreasing charge transfer resistance change (ΔRct) is found by extending the overhang. As a strategy to increase the impedance change for longer target strands, the position of the recognition sequence can be designed in a way that a small overhang is exposed to the electrode surface. This is found to result in an increase in the relative Rct change. These results suggest that DNA and consequently negative charge near the electrode possess a larger impact on the impedimetric signal than DNA further away.
Heat production in the windings of the stators of electric machines under stationary condition
(2014)
In electric machines due to high currents and resistive losses (joule heating) heat is produced. To avoid damages by overheating the design of effective cooling systems is required. Therefore the knowledge of heat sources and heat transfer processes is necessary. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a good and effective calculation method for the temperature analysis based on homogenization techniques. These methods have been applied for the stator windings in a slot of an electric machine consisting of copper wires and resin. The key quantity here is an effective thermal conductivity, which characterizes the heterogeneous wire resin-arrangement inside the stator slot. To illustrate the applicability of the method, the analysis of a simplified, homogenized model is compared with the detailed analysis of temperature behavior inside a slot of an electric machine according to the heat generation. We considered here only the stationary situation. The achieved numerical results are accurate and show that the applied homogenization technique works in practice. Finally the results of simulations for the two cases, the original model of the slot and the homogenized model chosen for the slot (unit cell), are compared to experimental results.
A novel photoexcitation method for the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is proposed to achieve a higher spatial resolution of chemical images. The proposed method employs a combined light source that consists of a modulated light probe, which generates the alternating photocurrent signal, and a ring of constant illumination surrounding it. The constant illumination generates a sheath of carriers with increased concentration which suppresses the spread of photocarriers by enhanced recombination. A device simulation was carried out to verify the effect of constant illumination on the spatial resolution, which demonstrated that a higher spatial resolution can be obtained.
Engineering of functional interfaces / Patrick Wagner ; Theodor Doll ; Michael J. Schöning (eds.)
(2014)
Following earlier studies, we present forward and inverse simulations of heat and fluid transport of the upper crust using a local 3-D model of the Kola area. We provide best estimates for palaeotemperatures and permeabilities, their errors and their dependencies. Our results allow discriminating between the two mentioned processes to a certain extent, partly resolving the non-uniqueness of the problem. We find clear indications for a significant contribution of advective heat transport, which, in turn, imply only slightly lower ground surface temperatures during the last glacial maximum relative to the present value. These findings are consistent with the general background knowledge of (i) the fracture zones and the corresponding fluid movements in the bedrock and (ii) the glacial history of the Kola area.
In this study, a high-speed chemical imaging system was developed for visualization of the interior of a microfluidic channel. A microfluidic channel was constructed on the sensor surface of the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS), on which the ion concentrations could be measured in parallel at up to 64 points illuminated by optical fibers. The temporal change of pH distribution inside the microfluidic channel was recorded at a maximum rate of 100 frames per second (fps). The high frame rate allowed visualization of moving interfaces and plugs in the channel even at a flow velocity of 111 mm/s, which suggests the feasibility of plug-based microfluidic devices for flow-injection analysis (FIA).
Knowledge-based productivity in “low-tech” industries: evidence from firms in developing countries
(2014)
Using firm-level data from five developing countries—Brazil, Ecuador, South Africa, Tanzania, and Bangladesh—and three industries—food processing, textiles, and the garments and leather products—this article examines the importance of various sources of knowledge for explaining productivity and formally tests whether sector- or country-specific characteristics dominate these relationships. Knowledge sources driving productivity appear mainly sector specific. Also differences in the level of development affect the effectiveness of knowledge sources. In the food processing sector, firms with higher educated managers are more productive, and in least-developed countries, additionally those with technology licenses and imported machinery and equipment. In the capital-intensive textiles sector, productivity is higher in firms that conduct R&D. In the garments and leather products sector, higher education of the managers, licensing, and R&D raise productivity.