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The minimum dissipation requirement of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes is applied to characterize the existence of laminar and non-laminar, and the co-existence of laminar and turbulent flow zones. Local limitations of the different zones and three different forms of transition are defined. For the Couette flow a non-local “corpuscular” flow mechanism explains the logarithmic law-of-the-wall, maximum turbulent dimensions and a value x=0,415 for the v. Kármán constant. Limitations of the logarithmic law near the wall and in the centre of the experiment are interpreted.
Past earthquakes demonstrated the high vulnerability of industrial facilities equipped with complex process technologies leading to serious damage of the process equipment and multiple and simultaneous release of hazardous substances in industrial facilities. Nevertheless, the design of industrial plants is inadequately described in recent codes and guidelines, as they do not consider the dynamic interaction between the structure and the installations and thus the effect of seismic response of the installations on the response of the structure and vice versa. The current code-based approach for the seismic design of industrial facilities is considered not enough for ensure proper safety conditions against exceptional event entailing loss of content and related consequences. Accordingly, SPIF project (Seismic Performance of Multi- Component Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities) was proposed within the framework of the European H2020 - SERA funding scheme (Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research Infrastructure Alliance for Europe). The objective of the SPIF project is the investigation of the seismic behavior of a representative industrial structure equipped with complex process technology by means of shaking table tests. The test structure is a three-story moment resisting steel frame with vertical and horizontal vessels and cabinets, arranged on the three levels and connected by pipes. The dynamic behavior of the test structure and installations is investigated with and without base isolation. Furthermore, both firmly anchored and isolated components are taken into account to compare their dynamic behavior and interactions with each other. Artificial and synthetic ground motions are applied to study the seismic response at different PGA levels. After each test, dynamic identification measurements are carried out to characterize the system condition. The contribution presents the numerical simulations to calibrate the tests on the prototype, the experimental setup of the investigated structure and installations, selected measurement data and finally describes preliminary experimental results.
Motile cilia are hair-like cell extensions present in multiple organs of the body. How cilia coordinate their regular beat in multiciliated epithelia to move fluids remains insufficiently understood, particularly due to lack of rigorous quantification. We combine here experiments, novel analysis tools, and theory to address this knowledge gap. We investigate collective dynamics of cilia in 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. Despite the fact that synchronization is local only, we observed global patterns of traveling metachronal waves across the multiciliated epithelium. Intriguingly, these global wave direction patterns are conserved across individual fish, but different for left and right nose, 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 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 are sufficient to generate metachronal wave patterns in multiciliated epithelia, which enhance their physiological function of fluid pumping.
Past earthquakes demonstrated the high vulnerability of industrial facilities equipped with complex process technologies leading to serious damage of the process equipment and multiple and simultaneous release of hazardous substances in industrial facilities. Nevertheless, the design of industrial plants is inadequately described in recent codes and guidelines, as they do not consider the dynamic interaction between the structure and the installations and thus the effect of seismic response of the installations on the response of the structure and vice versa. The current code-based approach for the seismic design of industrial facilities is considered not enough for ensure proper safety conditions against exceptional event entailing loss of content and related consequences. Accordingly, SPIF project (Seismic Performance of Multi-Component Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities) was proposed within the framework of the European H2020 - SERA funding scheme (Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research Infrastructure Alliance for Europe). The objective of the SPIF project is the investigation of the seismic behaviour of a representative industrial structure equipped with complex process technology by means of shaking table tests. The test structure is a three-story moment resisting steel frame with vertical and horizontal vessels and cabinets, arranged on the three levels and connected by pipes. The dynamic behaviour of the test structure and of its relative several installations is investigated. Furthermore, both process components and primary structure interactions are considered and analyzed. Several PGA-scaled artificial ground motions are applied to study the seismic response at different levels. After each test, dynamic identification measurements are carried out to characterize the system condition. The contribution presents the experimental setup of the investigated structure and installations, selected measurement data and describes the obtained damage. Furthermore, important findings for the definition of performance limits, the effectiveness of floor response spectra in industrial facilities will be presented and discussed.
The paper presents an overview of the past and present of low-emission combustor research with hydrogen-rich fuels at Aachen University of Applied Sciences. In 1990, AcUAS started developing the Dry-Low-NOx Micromix combustion technology. Micromix reduces NOx emissions using jet-in-crossflow mixing of multiple miniaturized fuel jets and combustor air with an inherent safety against flashback. At first, pure hydrogen as fuel was investigated with lab-scale applications. Later, Micromix prototypes were developed for the use in an industrial gas turbine Honeywell/Garrett GTCP-36-300, proving low NOx characteristics during real gas turbine operation, accompanied by the successful definition of safety laws and control system modifications. Further, the Micromix was optimized for the use in annular and can combustors as well as for fuel-flexibility with hydrogen-methane-mixtures and hydrogen-rich syngas qualities by means of extensive experimental and numerical simulations. In 2020, the latest Micromix application will be demonstrated in a commercial 2 MW-class gas turbine can-combustor with full-scale engine operation. The paper discusses the advances in Micromix research over the last three decades.
Experimental investigation of behaviour of masonry infilled RC frames under out-of-plane loading
(2021)
Masonry infills are commonly used as exterior or interior walls in reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures and they can be encountered all over the world, including earthquake prone regions. Since the middle of the 20th century the behaviour of these non-structural elements under seismic loading has been studied in numerous experimental campaigns. However, most of the studies were carried out by means of in-plane tests, while there is a lack of out-of-plane experimental investigations. In this paper, the out-of-plane tests carried out on full scale masonry infilled frames are described. The results of the out-of-plane tests are presented in terms of force-displacement curves and measured out-of-plane displacements. Finally, the reliability of existing analytical approaches developed to estimate the out-of-plane strength of masonry infills is examined on presented experimental results.
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.
Lignite biosolubilization and bioconversion by Bacillus sp.: the collation of analytical data
(2021)
The vast metabolic potential of microbes in brown coal (lignite) processing and utilization can greatly contribute to innovative approaches to sustainable production of high-value products from coal. In this study, the multi-faceted and complex coal biosolubilization process by Bacillus sp. RKB 7 isolate from the Kazakhstan coal-mining soil is reported, and the derived products are characterized. Lignite solubilization tests performed for surface and suspension cultures testify to the formation of numerous soluble lignite-derived substances. Almost 24% of crude lignite (5% w/v) was solubilized within 14 days under slightly alkaline conditions (pH 8.2). FTIR analysis revealed various functional groups in the obtained biosolubilization products. Analyses of the lignite-derived humic products by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectrometry as well as elemental analysis yielded compatible results indicating the emerging products had a lower molecular weight and degree of aromaticity. Furthermore, XRD and SEM analyses were used to evaluate the biosolubilization processes from mineralogical and microscopic points of view. The findings not only contribute to a deeper understanding of microbe–mineral interactions in coal environments, but also contribute to knowledge of coal biosolubilization and bioconversion with regard to sustainable production of humic substances. The detailed and comprehensive analyses demonstrate the huge biotechnological potential of Bacillus sp. for agricultural productivity and environmental health.
The low-pressure system Bernd involved extreme rainfalls in the Western part of Germany in July 2021,
resulting in major floods, severe damages and a tremendous number of casualties. Such extreme events
are rare and full flood protection can never be ensured with reasonable financial means. But still, this
event must be starting point to reconsider current design concepts. This article aims at sharing some
thoughts on potential hazards, the selection of return periods and remaining risk with the focus on Germany.
For now, the Planetary Defense Conference Exercise 2021's incoming fictitious(!), asteroid, 2021 PDC, seems headed for impact on October 20th, 2021, exactly 6 months after its discovery. Today (April 26th, 2021), the impact probability is 5%, in a steep rise from 1 in 2500 upon discovery six days ago. We all know how these things end. Or do we? Unless somebody kicked off another headline-grabbing media scare or wants to keep civil defense very idle very soon, chances are that it will hit (note: this is an exercise!). Taking stock, it is barely 6 months to impact, a steadily rising likelihood that it will actually happen, and a huge uncertainty of possible impact energies: First estimates range from 1.2 MtTNT to 13 GtTNT, and this is not even the worst-worst case: a 700 m diameter massive NiFe asteroid (covered by a thin veneer of Ryugu-black rubble to match size and brightness), would come in at 70 GtTNT. In down to Earth terms, this could be all between smashing fireworks over some remote area of the globe and a 7.5 km crater downtown somewhere. Considering the deliberate and sedate ways of development of interplanetary missions it seems we can only stand and stare until we know well enough where to tell people to pack up all that can be moved at all and save themselves. But then, it could just as well be a smaller bright rock. The best estimate is 120 m diameter from optical observation alone, by 13% standard albedo. NASA's upcoming DART mission to binary asteroid (65803) Didymos is designed to hit such a small target, its moonlet Dimorphos. The Deep Impact mission's impactor in 2005 successfully guided itself to the brightest spot on comet 9P/Tempel 1, a relatively small feature on the 6 km nucleus. And 'space' has changed: By the end of this decade, one satellite communication network plans to have launched over 11000 satellites at a pace of 60 per launch every other week. This level of series production is comparable in numbers to the most prolific commercial airliners. Launch vehicle production has not simply increased correspondingly – they can be reused, although in a trade for performance. Optical and radio astronomy as well as planetary radar have made great strides in the past decade, and so has the design and production capability for everyday 'high-tech' products. 60 years ago, spaceflight was invented from scratch within two years, and there are recent examples of fast-paced space projects as well as a drive towards 'responsive space'. It seems it is not quite yet time to abandon all hope. We present what could be done and what is too close to call once thinking is shoved out of the box by a clear and present danger, to show where a little more preparedness or routine would come in handy – or become decisive. And if we fail, let's stand and stare safely and well instrumented anywhere on Earth together in the greatest adventure of science.
This paper presents the laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) using various glass powders (borosilicate and quartz glass). Compared to metals, these require adapted process strategies. First, the glass powders were characterized with regard to their material properties and their processability in the powder bed. This was followed by investigations of the melting behavior of the glass powders with different laser wavelengths (10.6 µm, 1070 nm). In particular, the experimental setup of a CO2 laser was adapted for the processing of glass powder. An experimental setup with integrated coaxial temperature measurement/control and an inductively heatable build platform was created. This allowed the L-PBF process to be carried out at the transformation temperature of the glasses. Furthermore, the component’s material quality was analyzed on three-dimensional test specimen with regard to porosity, roughness, density and geometrical accuracy in order to evaluate the developed L-PBF parameters and to open up possible applications.
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.
Digital Shadows as the aggregation, linkage and abstraction of data relating to physical objects are a central vision for the future of production. However, the majority of current research takes a technocentric approach, in which the human actors in production play a minor role. Here, the authors present an alternative anthropocentric perspective that highlights the potential and main challenges of extending the concept of Digital Shadows to humans. Following future research methodology, three prospections that illustrate use cases for Human Digital Shadows across organizational and hierarchical levels are developed: human-robot collaboration for manual work, decision support and work organization, as well as human resource management. Potentials and challenges are identified using separate SWOT analyses for the three prospections and common themes are emphasized in a concluding discussion.
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.
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.
Development of open educational resources for renewable energy and the energy transition process
(2021)
The dissemination of knowledge about renewable energies is understood as a social task with the highest topicality. The transfer of teaching content on renewable energies into digital open educational resources offers the opportunity to significantly accelerate the implementation of the energy transition. Thus, in the here presented project six German universities create open educational resources for the energy transition. These materials are available to the public on the internet under a free license. So far there has been no publicly accessible, editable media that cover entire learning units about renewable energies extensively and in high technical quality. Thus, in this project, the content that remains up-to-date for a longer period is appropriately prepared in terms of media didactics. The materials enable lecturers to provide students with in-depth training about technologies for the energy transition. In a particular way, the created material is also suitable for making the general public knowledgeable about the energy transition with scientifically based material.
Seismic vulnerability estimation of existing structures is unquestionably interesting topic of high priority, particularly after earthquake events. Having in mind the vast number of old masonry buildings in North Macedonia serving as public institutions, it is evident that the structural assessment of these buildings is an issue of great importance. In this paper, a comprehensive methodology for the development of seismic fragility curves of existing masonry buildings is presented. A scenario – based method that incorporates the knowledge of the tectonic style of the considered region, the active fault characterization, the earth crust model and the historical seismicity (determined via the Neo Deterministic approach) is used for calculation of the necessary response spectra. The capacity of the investigated masonry buildings has been determined by using nonlinear static analysis. MINEA software (SDA Engineering) is used for verification of the structural safety of the structures Performance point, obtained from the intersection of the capacity of the building and the spectra used, is selected as a response parameter. The thresholds of the spectral displacement are obtained by splitting the capacity curve into five parts, utilizing empirical formulas which are represented as a function of yield displacement and ultimate displacement. As a result, four levels of damage limit states are determined. A maximum likelihood estimation procedure for the process of fragility curves determination is noted as a final step in the proposed procedure. As a result, region specific series of vulnerability curves for structures are defined.
This paper describes the concept of an innovative, interdisciplinary, user-oriented earthquake warning and rapid response system coupled with a structural health monitoring system (SHM), capable to detect structural damages in real time. The novel system is based on interconnected decentralized seismic and structural health monitoring sensors. It is developed and will be exemplarily applied on critical infrastructures in Lower Rhine Region, in particular on a road bridge and within a chemical industrial facility. A communication network is responsible to exchange information between sensors and forward warnings and status reports about infrastructures’health condition to the concerned recipients (e.g., facility operators, local authorities). Safety measures such as emergency shutdowns are activated to mitigate structural damages and damage propagation. Local monitoring systems of the infrastructures are integrated in BIM models. The visualization of sensor data and the graphic representation of the detected damages provide spatial content to sensors data and serve as a useful and effective tool for the decision-making processes after an earthquake in the region under consideration.
Reinforced concrete frames with masonry infill walls are popular form of construction all over the world as well in seismic regions. While severe earthquakes can cause high level of damage of both reinforced concrete and masonry infills, earthquakes of lower to medium intensity some-times can cause significant level of damage of masonry infill walls. Especially important is the level of damage of face loaded infill masonry walls (out-of-plane direction) as out-of-plane load cannot only bring high level of damage to the wall, it can also be life-threating for the people near the wall. The response in out-of-plane direction directly depends on the prior in-plane damage, as previous investigation shown that it decreases resistance capacity of the in-fills. Behaviour of infill masonry walls with and without prior in-plane load is investigated in the experimental campaign and the results are presented in this paper. These results are later compared with analytical approaches for the out-of-plane resistance from the literature. Conclusions based on the experimental campaign on the influence of prior in-plane damage on the out-of-plane response of infill walls are compared with the conclusions from other authors who investigated the same problematic.
Past earthquakes demonstrated the high vulnerability of industrial facilities equipped with complex process technologies leading to serious damage of process equipment and multiple and simultaneous release of hazardous substances. Nonetheless, current standards for seismic design of industrial facilities are considered inadequate to guarantee proper safety conditions against exceptional events entailing loss of containment and related consequences. On these premises, the SPIF project -Seismic Performance of Multi-Component Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities- was proposed within the framework of the European H2020 SERA funding scheme. In detail, the objective of the SPIF project is the investigation of the seismic behaviour of a representative industrial multi-storey frame structure equipped with complex process components by means of shaking table tests. Along this main vein and in a performance-based design perspective, the issues investigated in depth are the interaction between a primary moment resisting frame (MRF) steel structure and secondary process components that influence the performance of the whole system; and a proper check of floor spectra predictions. The evaluation of experimental data clearly shows a favourable performance of the MRF structure, some weaknesses of local details due to the interaction between floor crossbeams and process components and, finally, the overconservatism of current design standards w.r.t. floor spectra predictions.
A new formulation to calculate the shakedown limit load of Kirchhoff plates under stochastic conditions of strength is developed. Direct structural reliability design by chance con-strained programming is based on the prescribed failure probabilities, which is an effective approach of stochastic programming if it can be formulated as an equivalent deterministic optimization problem. We restrict uncertainty to strength, the loading is still deterministic. A new formulation is derived in case of random strength with lognormal distribution. Upper bound and lower bound shakedown load factors are calculated simultaneously by a dual algorithm.
With the increased interest for interstellar exploration after the discovery of exoplanets and the proposal by Breakthrough Starshot, this paper investigates the optimisation of photon-sail trajectories in Alpha Centauri. The prime objective is to find the optimal steering strategy for a photonic sail to get captured around one of the stars after a minimum-time transfer from Earth. By extending the idea of the Breakthrough Starshot project with a deceleration phase upon arrival, the mission’s scientific yield will be increased. As a secondary objective, transfer trajectories between the stars and orbit-raising manoeuvres to explore the habitable zones of the stars are investigated. All trajectories are optimised for minimum time of flight using the trajectory optimisation software InTrance. Depending on the sail technology, interstellar travel times of 77.6-18,790 years can be achieved, which presents an average improvement of 30% with respect to previous work. Still, significant technological development is required to reach and be captured in the Alpha-Centauri system in less than a century. Therefore, a fly-through mission arguably remains the only option for a first exploratory mission to Alpha Centauri, but the enticing results obtained in this work provide perspective for future long-residence missions to our closest neighbouring star system.
The planned coal phase-out in Germany by 2038 will lead to the dismantling of power plants with a total capacity of approx. 30 GW. A possible further use of these assets is the conversion of the power plants to thermal storage power plants; the use of these power plants on the day-ahead market is considerably limited by their technical parameters. In this paper, the influence of the technical boundary conditions on the operating times of these storage facilities is presented. For this purpose, the storage power plants were described as an MILP problem and two price curves, one from 2015 with a relatively low renewable penetration (33 %) and one from 2020 with a high renewable energy penetration (51 %) are compared. The operating times were examined as a function of the technical parameters and the critical influencing factors were investigated. The thermal storage power plant operation duration and the energy shifted with the price curve of 2020
increases by more than 25 % compared to 2015.
7T MR Safety
(2021)
During the Covid-19 pandemic, vocational colleges, universities of applied science and technical universities often had to cancel laboratory sessions requiring students’ attendance. These above of all are of decisive importance in order to give learners an understanding of theory through practical work.This paper is a contribution to the implementation of distance learning for laboratory work applicable for several upper secondary educational facilities. Its aim is to provide a paradigm for hybrid teaching to analyze and control a non-linear system depicted by a tank model. For this reason, we redesign a full series of laboratory sessions on the basis of various challenges. Thus, it is suitable to serve different reference levels of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).We present problem-based learning through online platforms to compensate the lack of a laboratory learning environment. With a task deduced from their future profession, we give students the opportunity to develop own solutions in self-defined time intervals. A requirements specification provides the framework conditions in terms of time and content for students having to deal with the challenges of the project in a self-organized manner with regard to inhomogeneous previous knowledge. If the concept of Complete Action is introduced in classes before, they will automatically apply it while executing the project.The goal is to combine students’ scientific understanding with a procedural knowledge. We suggest a series of remote laboratory sessions that combine a problem formulation from the subject area of Measurement, Control and Automation Technology with a project assignment that is common in industry by providing extracts from a requirements specification.
Project work and inter disciplinarity are integral parts of today's engineering work. It is therefore important to incorporate these aspects into the curriculum of academic studies of engineering. At the faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology an interdisciplinary project is part of the bachelor program to address these topics. Since the summer term 2020 most courses changed to online mode during the Covid-19 crisis including the interdisciplinary projects. This online mode introduces additional challenges to the execution of the projects, both for the students as well as for the lecture. The challenges, but also the risks and chances of this kind of project courses are subject of this paper, based on five different interdisciplinary projects
Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a standard technique for cardiac surgery, but comes with the risk of severe neurological complications (e.g. stroke) caused by embolisms and/or reduced cerebral perfusion. We report on an aortic cannula prototype design (optiCAN) with helical outflow and jet-splitting dispersion tip that could reduce the risk of embolic events and restores cerebral perfusion to 97.5% of physiological flow during CPB in vivo, whereas a commercial curved-tip cannula yields 74.6%. In further in vitro comparison, pressure loss and hemolysis parameters of optiCAN remain unaffected. Results are reproducibly confirmed in silico for an exemplary human aortic anatomy via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Based on CFD simulations, we firstly show that optiCAN design improves aortic root washout, which reduces the risk of thromboembolism. Secondly, we identify regions of the aortic intima with increased risk of plaque release by correlating areas of enhanced plaque growth and high wall shear stresses (WSS). From this we propose another easy-to-manufacture cannula design (opti2CAN) that decreases areas burdened by high WSS, while preserving physiological cerebral flow and favorable hemodynamics. With this novel cannula design, we propose a cannulation option to reduce neurological complications and the prevalence of stroke in high-risk patients after CPB.
Thrombogenic complications are a main issue in mechanical circulatory support (MCS). There is no validated in vitro method available to quantitatively assess the thrombogenic performance of pulsatile MCS devices under realistic hemodynamic conditions. The aim of this study is to propose a method to evaluate the thrombogenic potential of new designs without the use of complex in-vivo trials. This study presents a novel in vitro method for reproducible thrombogenicity testing of pulsatile MCS systems using low molecular weight heparinized porcine blood. Blood parameters are continuously measured with full blood thromboelastometry (ROTEM; EXTEM, FIBTEM and a custom-made analysis HEPNATEM). Thrombus formation is optically observed after four hours of testing. The results of three experiments are presented each with two parallel loops. The area of thrombus formation inside the MCS device was reproducible. The implantation of a filter inside the loop catches embolizing thrombi without a measurable increase of platelet activation, allowing conclusions of the place of origin of thrombi inside the device. EXTEM and FIBTEM parameters such as clotting velocity (α) and maximum clot firmness (MCF) show a total decrease by around 6% with a characteristic kink after 180 minutes. HEPNATEM α and MCF rise within the first 180 minutes indicate a continuously increasing activation level of coagulation. After 180 minutes, the consumption of clotting factors prevails, resulting in a decrease of α and MCF. With the designed mock loop and the presented protocol we are able to identify thrombogenic hot spots inside a pulsatile pump and characterize their thrombogenic potential.
In positron emission tomography improving time, energy and spatial detector resolutions and using Compton kinematics introduces the possibility to reconstruct a radioactivity distribution image from scatter coincidences, thereby enhancing image quality. The number of single scattered coincidences alone is in the same order of magnitude as true coincidences. In this work, a compact Compton camera module based on monolithic scintillation material is investigated as a detector ring module. The detector interactions are simulated with Monte Carlo package GATE. The scattering angle inside the tissue is derived from the energy of the scattered photon, which results in a set of possible scattering trajectories or broken line of response. The Compton kinematics collimation reduces the number of solutions. Additionally, the time of flight information helps localize the position of the annihilation. One of the questions of this investigation is related to how the energy, spatial and temporal resolutions help confine the possible annihilation volume. A comparison of currently technically feasible detector resolutions (under laboratory conditions) demonstrates the influence on this annihilation volume and shows that energy and coincidence time resolution have a significant impact. An enhancement of the latter from 400 ps to 100 ps leads to a smaller annihilation volume of around 50%, while a change of the energy resolution in the absorber layer from 12% to 4.5% results in a reduction of 60%. The inclusion of single tissue-scattered data has the potential to increase the sensitivity of a scanner by a factor of 2 to 3 times. The concept can be further optimized and extended for multiple scatter coincidences and subsequently validated by a reconstruction algorithm.
Adapting augmented reality systems to the users’ needs using gamification and error solving methods
(2021)
Animations of virtual items in AR support systems are typically predefined and lack interactions with dynamic physical environments. AR applications rarely consider users’ preferences and do not provide customized spontaneous support under unknown situations. This research focuses on developing adaptive, error-tolerant AR systems based on directed acyclic graphs and error resolving strategies. Using this approach, users will have more freedom of choice during AR supported work, which leads to more efficient workflows. Error correction methods based on CAD models and predefined process data create individual support possibilities. The framework is implemented in the Industry 4.0 model factory at FH Aachen.
The course Physics for Electrical Engineering is part of the curriculum of the bachelor program Electrical Engineering at University of Applied Science Aachen.
Before covid-19 the course was conducted in a rather traditional way with all parts (lecture, exercise and lab) face-to-face. This teaching approach changed fundamentally within a week when the covid-19 limitations forced all courses to distance learning. All parts of the course were transformed to pure distance learning including synchronous and asynchronous parts for the lecture, live online-sessions for the exercises and self-paced labs at home. Using these methods, the course was able to impart the required knowledge and competencies. Taking the teacher’s observations of the student’s learning behaviour and engagement, the formal and informal feedback of the students and the results of the exams into account, the new methods are evaluated with respect to effectiveness, sustainability and suitability for competence transfer. Based on this analysis strong and weak points of the concept and countermeasures to solve the weak points were identified. The analysis further leads to a sustainable teaching approach combining synchronous and asynchronous parts with self-paced learning times that can be used in a very flexible manner for different learning scenarios, pure online, hybrid (mixture of online and presence times) and pure presence teaching.
The transition within transportation towards battery electric vehicles can lead to a more sustainable future. To account for the development goal ‘climate action’ stated by the United Nations, it is mandatory, within the conceptual design phase, to derive energy-efficient system designs. One barrier is the uncertainty of the driving behaviour within the usage phase. This uncertainty is often addressed by using a stochastic synthesis process to derive representative driving cycles and by using cycle-based optimization. To deal with this uncertainty, a new approach based on a stochastic optimization program is presented. This leads to an optimization model that is solved with an exact solver. It is compared to a system design approach based on driving cycles and a genetic algorithm solver. Both approaches are applied to find efficient electric powertrains with fixed-speed and multi-speed transmissions. Hence, the similarities, differences and respective advantages of each optimization procedure are discussed.
Modern industry and multi-discipline projects require highly trained individuals with resilient science and engineering back-grounds. Graduates must be able to agilely apply excellent theoretical knowledge in their subject matter as well as essential practical “hands-on” knowledge of diverse working processes to solve complex problems. To meet these demands, university education follows the concept of Constructive Alignment and thus increasingly adopts the teaching of necessary practical skills to the actual industry requirements and assessment routines. However, a systematic approach to coherently align these three central teaching demands is strangely absent from current university curricula. We demonstrate the feasibility of implementing practical assessments in a regular theory-based examination, thus defining the term “blended assessment”. We assessed a course for natural science and engineering students pursuing a career in biomedical engineering, and evaluated the benefit of blended assessment exams for students and lecturers. Our controlled study assessed the physiological background of electrocardiograms (ECGs), the practical measurement of ECG curves, and their interpretation of basic pathologic alterations. To study on long time effects, students have been assessed on the topic twice with a time lag of 6 months. Our findings suggest a significant improvement in student gain with respect to practical skills and theoretical knowledge. The results of the reassessments support these outcomes. From the lecturers ́ point of view, blended assessment complements practical training courses while keeping organizational effort manageable. We consider blended assessment a viable tool for providing an improved student gain, industry-ready education format that should be evaluated and established further to prepare university graduates optimally for their future careers.
For typical cases of non-isolated lightning protection systems (LPS) the impulse currents are investigated which may flow through a human body directly touching a structural part of the LPS. Based on a basic LPS model with conventional down-conductors especially the cases of external and internal steel columns and metal façades are considered and compared. Numerical simulations of the line quantities voltages and currents in the time domain are performed with an equivalent circuit of the entire LPS.
As a result it can be stated that by increasing the number of conventional down-conductors and external steel columns the threat for a human being can indeed be reduced, but not down to an acceptable limit. In case of internal steel columns used as natural down-conductors the threat can be reduced sufficiently, depending on the low-resistive connection of the steel columns to the lightning equipotential bonding or the earth termination system, resp. If a metal façade is used the threat for human beings touching is usually very low, if the façade is sufficiently interconnected and multiply connected to the lightning equipotential bonding or the earth termination system, resp.
Anyone who has always wanted to understand the hieroglyphs on Sheldon's blackboard in the TV series The Big Bang Theory or who wanted to know exactly what the fate of Schrödinger's cat is all about will find a short, descriptive introduction to the world of quantum mechanics in this essential. The text particularly focuses on the mathematical description in the Hilbert space. The content goes beyond popular scientific presentations, but is nevertheless suitable for readers without special prior knowledge thanks to the clear examples.
A new method for improved autoclave loading within the restrictive framework of helicopter manufacturing is proposed. It is derived from experimental and numerical studies of the curing process and aims at optimizing tooling positions in the autoclave for fast and homogeneous heat-up. The mold positioning is based on two sets of information. The thermal properties of the molds, which can be determined via semi-empirical thermal simulation. The second information is a previously determined distribution of heat transfer coefficients inside the autoclave. Finally, an experimental proof of concept is performed to show a cycle time reduction of up to 31% using the proposed methodology.
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.
In this paper we investigate the use of deep neural networks for 3D object detection in uncommon, unstructured environments such as in an open-pit mine. While neural nets are frequently used for object detection in regular autonomous driving applications, more unusual driving scenarios aside street traffic pose additional challenges. For one, the collection of appropriate data sets to train the networks is an issue. For another, testing the performance of trained networks often requires tailored integration with the particular domain as well. While there exist different solutions for these problems in regular autonomous driving, there are only very few approaches that work for special domains just as well. We address both the challenges above in this work. First, we discuss two possible ways of acquiring data for training and evaluation. That is, we evaluate a semi-automated annotation of recorded LIDAR data and we examine synthetic data generation. Using these datasets we train and test different deep neural network for the task of object detection. Second, we propose a possible integration of a ROS2 detector module for an autonomous driving platform. Finally, we present the performance of three state-of-the-art deep neural networks in the domain of 3D object detection on a synthetic dataset and a smaller one containing a characteristic object from an open-pit mine.
The initial idea of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the automation of business processes through a simple emulation of user input and output by software robots. Hence, it can be assumed that no changes of the used software systems and existing Enterprise Architecture (EA) is
required. In this short, practical paper we discuss this assumption based on a real-life implementation project. We show that a successful RPA implementation might require architectural work during analysis, implementation, and migration. As practical paper we focus on exemplary lessons-learned and new questions related to RPA and EA.
Subject of this case is Deutsche Telekom Services Europe (DTSE), a service center for administrative processes. Due to the high volume of repetitive tasks (e.g., 100k manual uploads of offer documents into SAP per year), automation was identified as an important strategic target with a high management attention and commitment. DTSE has to work with various backend application systems without any possibility to change those systems. Furthermore, the complexity of administrative processes differed. When it comes to the transfer of unstructured data (e.g., offer documents) to structured data (e.g., MS Excel files), further cognitive technologies were needed.
Robotic process automation (RPA) has attracted increasing attention in research and practice. This chapter positions, structures, and frames the topic as an introduction to this book. RPA is understood as a broad concept that comprises a variety of concrete solutions. From a management perspective RPA offers an innovative approach for realizing automation potentials, whereas from a technical perspective the implementation based on software products and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are relevant. RPA is industry-independent and can be used, for example, in finance, telecommunications, and the public sector. With respect to RPA this chapter discusses definitions, related approaches, a structuring framework, a research framework, and an inside as well as outside architectural view. Furthermore, it provides an overview of the book combined with short summaries of each chapter.
The benefits of robotic process automation (RPA) are highly related to the usage of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software products that can be easily implemented and customized by business units. But, how to find the best fitting RPA product for a specific situation that creates the expected benefits? This question is related to the general area of software evaluation and selection. In the face of more than 75 RPA products currently on the market, guidance considering those specifics is required. Therefore, this chapter proposes a criteria-based selection method specifically for RPA. The method includes a quantitative evaluation of costs and benefits as well as a qualitative utility analysis based on functional criteria. By using the visualization of financial implications (VOFI) method, an application-oriented structure is provided that opposes the total cost of ownership to the time savings times salary (TSTS). For the utility analysis a detailed list of functional criteria for RPA is offered. The whole method is based on a multi-vocal review of scientific and non-scholarly literature including publications by business practitioners, consultants, and vendors. The application of the method is illustrated by a concrete RPA example. The illustrated
structures, templates, and criteria can be directly utilized by practitioners in their real-life RPA implementations. In addition, a normative decision process for selecting RPA alternatives is proposed before the chapter closes with a discussion and outlook.
Intelligent autonomous software robots replacing human activities and performing administrative processes are reality in today’s corporate world. This includes, for example, decisions about invoice payments, identification of customers for a marketing campaign, and answering customer complaints. What happens if such a software robot causes a damage? Due to the complete absence of human activities, the question is not trivial. It could even happen that no one is liable for a damage towards a third party, which could create an uncalculatable legal risk for business partners. Furthermore, the implementation and operation of those software robots involves various stakeholders, which result in the unsolvable endeavor of identifying the originator of a damage. Overall it is advisable to all involved parties to carefully consider the legal situation. This chapter discusses the liability of software robots from an interdisciplinary perspective. Based on different technical scenarios the legal aspects of liability are discussed.
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.
This study investigates the influence of pressure on the temperature distribution of the micromix (MMX) hydrogen flame and the NOx emissions. A steady computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis is performed by simulating a reactive flow with a detailed chemical reaction model. The numerical analysis is validated based on experimental investigations. A quantitative correlation is parametrized based on the numerical results. We find, that the flame initiation point shifts with increasing pressure from anchoring behind a downstream located bluff body towards anchoring upstream at the hydrogen jet. The numerical NOx emissions trend regarding to a variation of pressure is in good agreement with the experimental results. The pressure has an impact on both, the residence time within the maximum temperature region and on the peak temperature itself. In conclusion, the numerical model proved to be adequate for future prototype design exploration studies targeting on improving the operating range.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, LTD. (KHI) has research and development projects for a future hydrogen society. These projects comprise the complete hydrogen cycle, including the production of hydrogen gas, the refinement and liquefaction for transportation and storage, and finally the utilization in a gas turbine for electricity and heat supply. Within the development of the hydrogen gas turbine, the key technology is stable and low NOx hydrogen combustion, namely the Dry Low NOx (DLN) hydrogen combustion.
KHI, Aachen University of Applied Science, and B&B-AGEMA have investigated the possibility of low NOx micro-mix hydrogen combustion and its application to an industrial gas turbine combustor. From 2014 to 2018, KHI developed a DLN hydrogen combustor for a 2MW class industrial gas turbine with the micro-mix technology. Thereby, the ignition performance, the flame stability for equivalent rotational speed, and higher load conditions were investigated. NOx emission values were kept about half of the Air Pollution Control Law in Japan: 84ppm (O2-15%). Hereby, the elementary combustor development was completed.
From May 2020, KHI started the engine demonstration operation by using an M1A-17 gas turbine with a co-generation system located in the hydrogen-fueled power generation plant in Kobe City, Japan. During the first engine demonstration tests, adjustments of engine starting and load control with fuel staging were investigated. On 21st May, the electrical power output reached 1,635 kW, which corresponds to 100% load (ambient temperature 20 °C), and thereby NOx emissions of 65 ppm (O2-15, 60 RH%) were verified. Here, for the first time, a DLN hydrogen-fueled gas turbine successfully generated power and heat.
Experimental and numerical investigation on the effect of pressure on micromix hydrogen combustion
(2021)
The micromix (MMX) combustion concept is a DLN gas turbine combustion technology designed for high hydrogen content fuels. Multiple non-premixed miniaturized flames based on jet in cross-flow (JICF) are inherently safe against flashback and ensure a stable operation in various operative conditions.
The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of pressure on the micromix flame with focus on the flame initiation point and the NOx emissions. A numerical model based on a steady RANS approach and the Complex Chemistry model with relevant reactions of the GRI 3.0 mechanism is used to predict the reactive flow and NOx emissions at various pressure conditions. Regarding the turbulence-chemical interaction, the Laminar Flame Concept (LFC) and the Eddy Dissipation Concept (EDC) are compared. The numerical results are validated against experimental results that have been acquired at a high pressure test facility for industrial can-type gas turbine combustors with regard to flame initiation and NOx emissions.
The numerical approach is adequate to predict the flame initiation point and NOx emission trends. Interestingly, the flame shifts its initiation point during the pressure increase in upstream direction, whereby the flame attachment shifts from anchoring behind a downstream located bluff body towards anchoring directly at the hydrogen jet. The LFC predicts this change and the NOx emissions more accurately than the EDC. The resulting NOx correlation regarding the pressure is similar to a non-premixed type combustion configuration.
Component failures within water supply systems can lead to significant performance losses. One way to address these losses is the explicit anticipation of failures within the design process. We consider a water supply system for high-rise buildings, where pump failures are the most likely failure scenarios. We explicitly consider these failures within an early design stage which leads to a more resilient system, i.e., a system which is able to operate under a predefined number of arbitrary pump failures. We use a mathematical optimization approach to compute such a resilient design. This is based on a multi-stage model for topology optimization, which can be described by a system of nonlinear inequalities and integrality constraints. Such a model has to be both computationally tractable and to represent the real-world system accurately. We therefore validate the algorithmic solutions using experiments on a scaled test rig for high-rise buildings. The test rig allows for an arbitrary connection of pumps to reproduce scaled versions of booster station designs for high-rise buildings. We experimentally verify the applicability of the presented optimization model and that the proposed resilience properties are also fulfilled in real systems.
Conventional EEG devices cannot be used in everyday life and hence, past decade research has been focused on Ear-EEG for mobile, at-home monitoring for various applications ranging from emotion detection to sleep monitoring. As the area available for electrode contact in the ear is limited, the electrode size and location play a vital role for an Ear-EEG system. In this investigation, we present a quantitative study of ear-electrodes with two electrode sizes at different locations in a wet and dry configuration. Electrode impedance scales inversely with size and ranges from 450 kΩ to 1.29 MΩ for dry and from 22 kΩ to 42 kΩ for wet contact at 10 Hz. For any size, the location in the ear canal with the lowest impedance is ELE (Left Ear Superior), presumably due to increased contact pressure caused by the outer-ear anatomy. The results can be used to optimize signal pickup and SNR for specific applications. We demonstrate this by recording sleep spindles during sleep onset with high quality (5.27 μVrms).
Test-retest reliability of the internal shoulder rotator muscles' stretch reflex in healthy men
(2021)
Until now the reproducibility of the short latency stretch reflex of the internal rotator muscles of the glenohumeral joint has not been identified. Twenty-three healthy male participants performed three sets of external shoulder rotation stretches with various pre-activation levels on two different dates of measurement to assess test-retest reliability. All stretches were applied with a dynamometer acceleration of 104°/s2 and a velocity of 150°/s. Electromyographical response was measured via surface EMG. Reflex latencies showed a pre-activation effect (ƞ2 = 0,355). ICC ranged from 0,735 to 0,909 indicating an overall “good” relative reliability. SRD 95% lay between ±7,0 to ±12,3 ms.. The reflex gain showed overall poor test-retest reproducibility. The chosen methodological approach presented a suitable test protocol for shoulder muscles stretch reflex latency evaluation. A proof-of-concept study to validate the presented methodical approach in shoulder involvement including subjects with clinically relevant conditions is recommended.
This book provides a compact introduction to the bootstrap method. In addition to classical results on point estimation and test theory, multivariate linear regression models and generalized linear models are covered in detail. Special attention is given to the use of bootstrap procedures to perform goodness-of-fit tests to validate model or distributional assumptions. In some cases, new methods are presented here for the first time.
The text is motivated by practical examples and the implementations of the corresponding algorithms are always given directly in R in a comprehensible form. Overall, R is given great importance throughout. Each chapter includes a section of exercises and, for the more mathematically inclined readers, concludes with rigorous proofs. The intended audience is graduate students who already have a prior knowledge of probability theory and mathematical statistics.
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.
Communication via serial bus systems, like CAN, plays an important role for all kinds of embedded electronic and mechatronic systems. To cope up with the requirements for functional safety of safety-critical applications, there is a need to enhance the safety features of the communication systems. One measure to achieve a more robust communication is to add redundant data transmission path to the applications. In general, the communication of real-time embedded systems like automotive applications is tethered, and the redundant data transmission lines are also tethered, increasing the size of the wiring harness and the weight of the system. A radio link is preferred as a redundant transmission line as it uses a complementary transmission medium compared to the wired solution and in addition reduces wiring harness size and weight. Standard wireless links like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth cannot meet the requirements for real-time capability with regard to bus communication. Using the new dual-mode radio enables a redundant transmission line meeting all requirements with regard to real-time capability, robustness and transparency for the data bus. In addition, it provides a complementary transmission medium with regard to commonly used tethered links. A CAN bus system is used to demonstrate the redundant data transfer via tethered and wireless CAN.
Multi-attribute relation extraction (MARE): simplifying the application of relation extraction
(2021)
Natural language understanding’s relation extraction makes innovative and encouraging novel business concepts possible and facilitates new digitilized decision-making processes. Current approaches allow the extraction of relations with a fixed number of entities as attributes. Extracting relations with an arbitrary amount of attributes requires complex systems and costly relation-trigger annotations to assist these systems. We introduce multi-attribute relation extraction (MARE) as an assumption-less problem formulation with two approaches, facilitating an explicit mapping from business use cases to the data annotations. Avoiding elaborated annotation constraints simplifies the application of relation extraction approaches. The evaluation compares our models to current state-of-the-art event extraction and binary relation extraction methods. Our approaches show improvement compared to these on the extraction of general multi-attribute relations.
The progress in natural language processing (NLP) research over the last years, offers novel business opportunities for companies, as automated user interaction or improved data analysis. Building sophisticated NLP applications requires dealing with modern machine learning (ML) technologies, which impedes enterprises from establishing successful NLP projects. Our experience in applied NLP research projects shows that the continuous integration of research prototypes in production-like environments with quality assurance builds trust in the software and shows convenience and usefulness regarding the business goal. We introduce STAMP 4 NLP as an iterative and incremental process model for developing NLP applications. With STAMP 4 NLP, we merge software engineering principles with best practices from data science. Instantiating our process model allows efficiently creating prototypes by utilizing templates, conventions, and implementations, enabling developers and data scientists to focus on the business goals. Due to our iterative-incremental approach, businesses can deploy an enhanced version of the prototype to their software environment after every iteration, maximizing potential business value and trust early and avoiding the cost of successful yet never deployed experiments.
The integration of frequently changing, volatile product data from different manufacturers into a single catalog is a significant challenge for small and medium-sized e-commerce companies. They rely on timely integrating product data to present them aggregated in an online shop without knowing format specifications, concept understanding of manufacturers, and data quality. Furthermore, format, concepts, and data quality may change at any time. Consequently, integrating product catalogs into a single standardized catalog is often a laborious manual task. Current strategies to streamline or automate catalog integration use techniques based on machine learning, word vectorization, or semantic similarity. However, most approaches struggle with low-quality or real-world data. We propose Attribute Label Ranking (ALR) as a recommendation engine to simplify the integration process of previously unknown, proprietary tabular format into a standardized catalog for practitioners. We evaluate ALR by focusing on the impact of different neural network architectures, language features, and semantic similarity. Additionally, we consider metrics for industrial application and present the impact of ALR in production and its limitations.
This chapter describes three general strategies to master uncertainty in technical systems: robustness, flexibility and resilience. It builds on the previous chapters about methods to analyse and identify uncertainty and may rely on the availability of technologies for particular systems, such as active components. Robustness aims for the design of technical systems that are insensitive to anticipated uncertainties. Flexibility increases the ability of a system to work under different situations. Resilience extends this characteristic by requiring a given minimal functional performance, even after disturbances or failure of system components, and it may incorporate recovery. The three strategies are described and discussed in turn. Moreover, they are demonstrated on specific technical systems.
The fourth industrial revolution introduces disruptive technologies to production environments. One of these technologies are multi-agent systems (MASs), where agents virtualize machines. However, the agent's actual performances in production environments can hardly be estimated as most research has been focusing on isolated projects and specific scenarios. We address this gap by implementing a highly connected and configurable reference model with quantifiable key performance indicators (KPIs) for production scheduling and routing in single-piece workflows. Furthermore, we propose an algorithm to optimize the search of extrema in highly connected distributed systems. The benefits, limits, and drawbacks of MASs and their performances are evaluated extensively by event-based simulations against the introduced model, which acts as a benchmark. Even though the performance of the proposed MAS is, on average, slightly lower than the reference system, the increased flexibility allows it to find new solutions and deliver improved factory-planning outcomes. Our MAS shows an emerging behavior by using flexible production techniques to correct errors and compensate for bottlenecks. This increased flexibility offers substantial improvement potential. The general model in this paper allows the transfer of the results to estimate real systems or other models.
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.
Glucose oxidase (GOx) is an enzyme frequently used in glucose biosensors. As increased temperatures can enhance the performance of electrochemical sensors, we investigated the impact of temperature pulses on GOx that was drop-coated on flattened Pt microwires. The wires were heated by an alternating current. The sensitivity towards glucose and the temperature stability of GOx was investigated by amperometry. An up to 22-fold increase of sensitivity was observed. Spatially resolved enzyme activity changes were investigated via scanning electrochemical microscopy. The application of short (<100 ms) heat pulses was associated with less thermal inactivation of the immobilized GOx than long-term heating.
Stretch-shortening type actions are characterized by lengthening of the pre-activated muscle-tendon unit (MTU) in the eccentric phase immediately followed by muscle shortening. Under 1 g, pre-activity before and muscle activity after ground contact, scale muscle stiffness, which is crucial for the recoil properties of the MTU in the subsequent push-off. This study aimed to examine the neuro-mechanical coupling of the stretch-shortening cycle in response to gravity levels ranging from 0.1 to 2 g. During parabolic flights, 17 subjects performed drop jumps while electromyography (EMG) of the lower limb muscles was combined with ultrasound images of the gastrocnemius medialis, 2D kinematics and kinetics to depict changes in energy management and performance. Neuro-mechanical coupling in 1 g was characterized by high magnitudes of pre-activity and eccentric muscle activity allowing an isometric muscle behavior during ground contact. EMG during pre-activity and the concentric phase systematically increased from 0.1 to 1 g. Below 1 g the EMG in the eccentric phase was diminished, leading to muscle lengthening and reduced MTU stretches. Kinetic energy at take-off and performance were decreased compared to 1 g. Above 1 g, reduced EMG in the eccentric phase was accompanied by large MTU and muscle stretch, increased joint flexion amplitudes, energy loss and reduced performance. The energy outcome function established by linear mixed model reveals that the central nervous system regulates the extensor muscles phase- and load-specifically. In conclusion, neuro-mechanical coupling appears to be optimized in 1 g. Below 1 g, the energy outcome is compromised by reduced muscle stiffness. Above 1 g, loading progressively induces muscle lengthening, thus facilitating energy dissipation.
How different diversity factors affect the perception of first-year requirements in higher education
(2021)
In the light of growing university entry rates, higher education institutions not only serve larger numbers of students, but also seek to meet first-year students’ ever more diverse needs. Yet to inform universities how to support the transition to higher education, research only offers limited insights. Current studies tend to either focus on the individual factors that affect student success or they highlight students’ social background and their educational biography in order to examine the achievement of selected, non-traditional groups of students. Both lines of research appear to lack integration and often fail to take organisational diversity into account, such as different types of higher education institutions or degree programmes. For a more comprehensive understanding of student diversity, the present study includes individual, social and organisational factors. To gain insights into their role for the transition to higher education, we examine how the different factors affect the students’ perception of the formal and informal requirements of the first year as more or less difficult to cope with. As the perceived requirements result from both the characteristics of the students and the institutional context, they allow to investigate transition at the interface of the micro and the meso level of higher education. Latent profile analyses revealed that there are no profiles with complex patterns of perception of the first-year requirements, but the identified groups rather differ in the overall level of perceived challenges. Moreover, SEM indicates that the differences in the perception largely depend on the individual factors self-efficacy and volition.
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.
The compliant nature of distal limb muscle-tendon units is traditionally considered suboptimal in explosive movements when positive joint work is required. However, during accelerative running, ankle joint net mechanical work is positive. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how plantar flexor muscle-tendon behavior is modulated during fast accelerations. Eleven female sprinters performed maximum sprint accelerations from starting blocks, while gastrocnemius muscle fascicle lengths were estimated using ultrasonography. We combined motion analysis and ground reaction force measurements to assess lower limb joint kinematics and kinetics, and to estimate gastrocnemius muscle-tendon unit length during the first two acceleration steps. Outcome variables were resampled to the stance phase and averaged across three to five trials. Relevant scalars were extracted and analyzed using one-sample and two-sample t-tests, and vector trajectories were compared using statistical parametric mapping. We found that an uncoupling of muscle fascicle behavior from muscle-tendon unit behavior is effectively used to produce net positive mechanical work at the joint during maximum sprint acceleration. Muscle fascicles shortened throughout the first and second steps, while shortening occurred earlier during the first step, where negative joint work was lower compared with the second step. Elastic strain energy may be stored during dorsiflexion after touchdown since fascicles did not lengthen at the same time to dissipate energy. Thus, net positive work generation is accommodated by the reuse of elastic strain energy along with positive gastrocnemius fascicle work. Our results show a mechanism of how muscles with high in-series compliance can contribute to net positive joint work.
Performing tasks, such as running and jumping, requires activation of the agonist and antagonist muscles before (motor unit pre-activation) and during movement performance (Santello and Mcdonagh, 1998). A well-timed and regulated muscle activation elicits a stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) response, naturally occurring in bouncing movements (Ishikawa and Komi, 2004; Taube et al., 2012). By definition, the SSC describes the stretching of a pre-activated muscle-tendon complex immediately followed by a muscle shortening in the concentric push-off phase (Komi, 1984).
Given the importance of SSC actions for human movement, it is not surprising that many studies investigated the biomechanics of this phenomenon; in particular, drop jumps (DJs) represent a good paradigm to study muscle fascicle and tendon behavior in ballistic movements involving the SSC.
Within a DJ, three main phases [pre-activation, braking, and push-off (PO; Komi, 2000)] have been recognized and extensively studied in common and challenging conditions, such as changes in load, falling height, or simulated hypo-gravity (Avela et al., 1994; Arampatzis et al., 2001; Fukashiro et al., 2005; Ishikawa et al., 2005; Sousa et al., 2007; Ritzmann et al., 2016; Helm et al., 2020).
These studies show that the timing and amount of triceps-surae muscle-tendon unit pre-activation in DJs are differentially regulated based on the load applied to the muscle, being optimal in normal “Earth” gravity conditions (Avela et al., 1994), but decreased in simulated hypo-gravity, hyper-gravity (Avela et al., 1994; Ritzmann et al., 2016), or unknown conditions (i.e., unknown falling heights; Helm et al., 2020). Some authors indicated that, when falling from heights different from the optimal one [defined as the drop height giving a maximum DJ performance indicated as peak ground reaction force (GRF) or jump high], electromyographic (EMG) activity of the plantar flexors increases from lower than optimal to higher than optimal heights (Ishikawa and Komi, 2004; Sousa et al., 2007).
These findings highlight the ability of the central nervous system to regulate the timing and amount of pre-activation according to different jumping conditions, thus regulating muscle fascicle length, tendon and joint stiffness as well as position, in order to safely land on the ground and quickly re-bounce.
Similarly, to pre-activation, also in the braking phase, the plantar flexors are differentially regulated. In optimal height (i.e., load) jumping conditions, gastrocnemius medialis (GM) fascicles shorten at early ground contact (possibly due to the intervention of the stretch reflex; Gollhofer et al., 1992) and behave quasi-isometrically in the late braking phase, enabling tendon elongation, and storage of elastic energy (Gollhofer et al., 1992; Fukashiro et al., 2005; Sousa et al., 2007). When increasing the falling height (augmenting the impact GRF), the quasi-isometric behavior of fascicles disappears, and fast fascicle lengthening occurs (Ishikawa et al., 2005; Sousa et al., 2007).
In the third and last PO phase, fascicles shorten and the tendon releases the elastic energy previously stored. Bobbert et al. (1987) reported no influence of jumping height on the work done and on the net vertical impulse assessed during PO; this observation suggests that, despite an optimal DJ performance might be achieved only in specific conditions (falling heights, loads), the central nervous system seems to be able to regulate muscle behavior in order to effectively perform the required task also in challenging situations.
Although the regulation of triceps-surae muscle-tendon unit in DJs has been extensively investigated, very few studies focused on sarcomeres behavior during the performance of this SSC movement (Kurokawa et al., 2003; Fukashiro et al., 2005, 2006). Sarcomeres represent muscle contractile units and are known to express different amounts of force depending on their length (Gordon et al., 1966; Walker and Schrodt, 1974); thus, understanding the time course of their responses during DJs is fundamental to gain further insights into muscle force-generating capacity. In vivo measurement of sarcomere length in humans has been so far been performed only in static positions and under highly controlled experimental conditions (Llewellyn et al., 2008; Sanchez et al., 2015). Instead, human sarcomere length estimation (achieved by dividing GM measured fascicle length for a fixed sarcomere number) in dynamic contractions provided an indirect measure of sarcomere operating range during squat jump, countermovement jump, and DJ (Fukashiro et al., 2005, 2006; Kurokawa et al., 2003). The results of these studies showed that sarcomeres operate in the ascending limb of their length-tension (L-T) relationship in all types of jumps, and particularly so in DJ.
However, most of the available observations on sarcomere and muscle fascicle behavior were made in condition of constant gravity. Thus, in order to understand how sarcomere and muscle fascicle length are regulated in variable gravity conditions, we performed experiments in a parabolic flight, involving variable gravity levels, ranging from about zero-g to about double the Earth’s gravity (1 g; Waldvogel et al., 2021).
Specifically, the aims of the present study were as follows:
1. To investigate the ability of the neuromuscular system in regulating fascicle length in response to conditions of variable gravity.
2. To estimate sarcomere operative length in the different DJ phases, in order to calculate its theoretical force production and its possible modulation in conditions of variable gravity.
We hypothesized that muscle fascicles would be differentially regulated in different gravity conditions compared to 1 g, particularly in anticipation of landing and re-bouncing in unknown gravity levels. In addition, we hypothesized that sarcomeres would operate in the upper part of the ascending limb of their L-T relationship, possibly lengthening during the braking phase (especially in hyper-gravity) while operating quasi-isometrically in 1 g.
Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) patients have persistent functional deficits in the triceps surae muscle–tendon unit (MTU). The complex remodeling of the MTU accompanying these deficits remains poorly understood. The purpose of the present study was to associate in vivo and in silico data to investigate the relations between changes inMTU properties and strength deficits inATR patients. Methods: Elevenmale subjects who had undergone surgical repair of complete unilateral ATR were examined 4.6 ± 2.0 (mean ± SD) yr after rupture. Gastrocnemius medialis (GM) tendon stiffness, morphology, and muscle architecture were determined using ultrasonography. The force–length relation of the plantar flexor muscles was assessed at five ankle joint angles. In addition, simulations (OpenSim) of the GM MTU force–length properties were performed with various iterations of MTU properties found between the unaffected and the affected side. Results: The affected side of the patients displayed a longer, larger, and stiffer GM tendon (13% ± 10%, 105% ± 28%, and 54% ± 24%, respectively) compared with the unaffected side. The GM muscle fascicles of the affected side were shorter (32% ± 12%) and with greater pennation angles (31% ± 26%). A mean deficit in plantarflexion moment of 31% ± 10% was measured. Simulations indicate that pairing an intact muscle with a longer tendon shifts the optimal angular range of peak force outside physiological angular ranges, whereas the shorter muscle fascicles and tendon stiffening seen in the affected side decrease this shift, albeit incompletely. Conclusions: These results suggest that the substantial changes in MTU properties found in ATR patients may partly result from compensatory remodeling, although this process appears insufficient to fully restore muscle function.
In the context of the Corona pandemic and its impact on teaching like digital lectures and exercises a new concept especially for freshmen in demanding courses of Smart Building Engineering became necessary. As there were hardly any face-to-face events at the university, the new teaching concept should enable a good start into engineering studies under pandemic conditions anyway and should also replace the written exam at the end. The students should become active themselves in small teams instead of listening passively to a lecture broadcast online with almost no personal contact. For this purpose, a role play was developed in which the freshmen had to work out a complete solution to the realistic problem of designing, construction planning and implementing a small guesthouse. Each student of the team had to take a certain role like architect, site manager, BIM-manager, electrician and the technitian for HVAC installations. Technical specifications must be complied with, as well as documentation, time planning and cost estimate. The final project folder had to contain technical documents like circuit diagrams for electrical components, circuit diagrams for water and heating, design calculations and components lists. On the other hand construction schedule, construction implementation plan, documentation of the construction progress and minutes of meetings between the various trades had to be submitted as well. In addition to the project folder, a model of the construction project must also be created either as a handmade model or as a digital 3D-model using Computer-aided design (CAD) software. The first steps in the field of Building information modelling (BIM) had also been taken by creating a digital model of the building showing the current planning status in real time as a digital twin. This project turned out to be an excellent training of important student competencies like teamwork, communication skills, and self -organisation and also increased motivation to work on complex technical questions. The aim of giving the student a first impression on the challenges and solutions in building projects with many different technical trades and their points of view was very well achieved and should be continued in the future.
Urban farming is an innovative and sustainable way of food production and is becoming more and more important in smart city and quarter concepts. It also enables the production of certain foods in places where they usually dare not produced, such as production of fish or shrimps in large cities far away from the coast. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to show students such concepts and systems in real life as part of courses: visits of such industry plants are sometimes not possible because of distance or are permitted by the operator for hygienic reasons. In order to give the students the opportunity of getting into contact with such an urban farming system and its complex operation, an industrial urban farming plant was set up on a significantly smaller scale. Therefore, all needed technical components like water aeriation, biological and mechanical filtration or water circulation have been replaced either by aquarium components or by self-designed parts also using a 3D-printer. Students from different courses like mechanical engineering, smart building engineering, biology, electrical engineering, automation technology and civil engineering were involved in this project. This “miniature industrial plant” was also able to start operation and has now been running for two years successfully. Due to Corona pandemic, home office and remote online lectures, the automation of this miniature plant should be brought to a higher level in future for providing a good control over the system and water quality remotely. The aim of giving the student a chance to get to know the operation of an urban farming plant was very well achieved and the students had lots of fun in “playing” and learning with it in a realistic way.
The worldwide Corona pandemic has severely restricted student projects in the higher semesters of engineering courses. In order not to delay the graduation, a new concept had to be developed for projects under lockdown conditions. Therefore, unused rooms at the university should be digitally recorded in order to develop a new usage concept as laboratory rooms. An inventory of the actual state of the rooms was done first by taking photos and listing up all flaws and peculiarities. After that, a digital site measuring was done with a 360° laser scanner and these recorded scans were linked to a coherent point cloud and transferred to a software for planning technical building services and supporting Building Information Modelling (BIM). In order to better illustrate the difference between the actual and target state, two virtual reality models were created for realistic demonstration. During the project, the students had to go through the entire digital planning phases. Technical specifications had to be complied with, as well as documentation, time planning and cost estimate. This project turned out to be an excellent alternative to on-site practical training under lockdown conditions and increased the students’ motivation to deal with complex technical questions.
Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is associated with early and delayed brain injury due to several underlying and interrelated processes, which include inflammation, oxidative stress, endothelial, and neuronal apoptosis. Treatment with melatonin, a cytoprotective neurohormone with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic effects, has been shown to attenuate early brain injury (EBI) and to prevent delayed cerebral vasospasm in experimental aSAH models. Less is known about the role of endogenous melatonin for aSAH outcome and how its production is altered by the pathophysiological cascades initiated during EBI. In the present observational study, we analyzed changes in melatonin levels during the first three weeks after aSAH.
Purpose Vascular risk factors and ocular perfusion are heatedly discussed in the pathogenesis of glaucoma. The retinal vessel analyzer (RVA, IMEDOS Systems, Germany) allows noninvasive measurement of retinal vessel regulation. Significant differences especially in the veins between healthy subjects and patients suffering from glaucoma were previously reported. In this pilot-study we investigated if localized vascular regulation is altered in glaucoma patients with altitudinal visual field defect asymmetry. Methods 15 eyes of 12 glaucoma patients with advanced altitudinal visual field defect asymmetry were included. The mean defect was calculated for each hemisphere separately (-20.99 ± 10.49 pro- found hemispheric visual field defect vs -7.36 ± 3.97 dB less profound hemisphere). After pupil dilation, RVA measurements of retinal arteries and veins were conducted using the standard protocol. The superior and inferior retinal vessel reactivity were measured consecutively in each eye. Results Significant differences were recorded in venous vessel constriction after flicker light stimulation and overall amplitude of the reaction (p \ 0.04 and p \ 0.02 respectively) in-between the hemispheres spheres. Vessel reaction was higher in the hemisphere corresponding to the more advanced visual field defect. Arterial diameters reacted similarly, failing to reach statistical significance. Conclusion Localized retinal vessel regulation is significantly altered in glaucoma patients with asymmetri altitudinal visual field defects. Veins supplying the hemisphere concordant to a less profound visual field defect show diminished diameter changes. Vascular dysregulation might be particularly important in early glaucoma stages prior to a significant visual field defect.
Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is a common complication after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and can lead to infarction and poor clinical outcome. The underlying mechanisms are still incompletely understood, but animal models indicate that vasoactive metabolites and inflammatory cytokines produced within the subarachnoid space may progressively impair and partially invert neurovascular coupling (NVC) in the brain. Because cerebral and retinal microvasculature are governed by comparable regulatory mechanisms and may be connected by perivascular pathways, retinal vascular changes are increasingly recognized as a potential surrogate for altered NVC in the brain. Here, we used non-invasive retinal vessel analysis (RVA) to assess microvascular function in aSAH patients at different times after the ictus.
The term ocular rigidity is widely used in clinical ophthalmology. Generally it is assumed as a resistance of the whole eyeball to mechanical deformation and relates to biomechanical properties of the eye and its tissues. Basic principles and formulas for clinical tonometry, tonography and pulsatile ocular blood flow measurements are based on the concept of ocular rigidity. There is evidence for altered ocular rigidity in aging, in several eye diseases and after eye surgery. Unfortunately, there is no consensual view on ocular rigidity: it used to make a quite different sense for different people but still the same name. Foremost there is no clear consent between biomechanical engineers and ophthalmologists on the concept. Moreover ocular rigidity is occasionally characterized using various parameters with their different physical dimensions. In contrast to engineering approach, clinical approach to ocular rigidity claims to characterize the total mechanical response of the eyeball to its deformation without any detailed considerations on eye morphology or material properties of its tissues. Further to the previous chapter this section aims to describe clinical approach to ocular rigidity from the perspective of an engineer in an attempt to straighten out this concept, to show its advantages, disadvantages and various applications.
The aim of the current study was to investigate the performance of integrated RF
transmit arrays with high channel count consisting of meander microstrip antennas
for body imaging at 7 T and to optimize the position and number of transmit ele-
ments. RF simulations using multiring antenna arrays placed behind the bore liner
were performed for realistic exposure conditions for body imaging. Simulations were
performed for arrays with as few as eight elements and for arrays with high channel
counts of up to 48 elements. The B1+ field was evaluated regarding the degrees of
freedom for RF shimming in the abdomen. Worst-case specific absorption rate
(SARwc ), SAR overestimation in the matrix compression, the number of virtual obser-
vation points (VOPs) and SAR efficiency were evaluated. Constrained RF shimming
was performed in differently oriented regions of interest in the body, and the devia-
tion from a target B1+ field was evaluated. Results show that integrated multiring
arrays are able to generate homogeneous B1+ field distributions for large FOVs, espe-
cially for coronal/sagittal slices, and thus enable body imaging at 7 T with a clinical
workflow; however, a low duty cycle or a high SAR is required to achieve homoge-
neous B1+ distributions and to exploit the full potential. In conclusion, integrated
arrays allow for high element counts that have high degrees of freedom for the pulse
optimization but also produce high SARwc , which reduces the SAR accuracy in the
VOP compression for low-SAR protocols, leading to a potential reduction in array
performance. Smaller SAR overestimations can increase SAR accuracy, but lead to a
high number of VOPs, which increases the computational cost for VOP evaluation
and makes online SAR monitoring or pulse optimization challenging. Arrays with
interleaved rings showed the best results in the study.