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Searching optimal interplanetary trajectories for low-thrust spacecraft is usually a difficult and time-consuming task that involves much experience and expert knowledge in astrodynamics and optimal control theory. This is because the convergence behavior of traditional local optimizers, which are based on numerical optimal control methods, depends on an adequate initial guess, which is often hard to find, especially for very-low-thrust trajectories that necessitate many revolutions around the sun. The obtained solutions are typically close to the initial guess that is rarely close to the (unknown) global optimum. Within this paper, trajectory optimization problems are attacked from the perspective of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Inspired by natural archetypes, a smart global method for low-thrust trajectory optimization is proposed that fuses artificial neural networks and evolutionary algorithms into so-called evolutionary neurocontrollers. This novel method runs without an initial guess and does not require the attendance of an expert in astrodynamics and optimal control theory. This paper details how evolutionary neurocontrol works and how it could be implemented. The performance of the method is assessed for three different interplanetary missions with a thrust to mass ratio <0.15mN/kg (solar sail and nuclear electric).
Solar sails are large and lightweight reflective structures that are propelled by solar radiation pressure. This chapter covers their orbital and attitude dynamics and control. First, the advantages and limitations of solar sails are discussed and their history and development status is outlined. Because the dynamics of solar sails is governed by the (thermo-)optical properties of the sail film, the basic solar radiation pressure force models have to be described and compared before parameters to measure solar sail performance can be defined. The next part covers the orbital dynamics of solar sails for heliocentric motion, planetocentric motion, and motion at Lagrangian equilibrium points. Afterwards, some advanced solar radiation pressure force models are described, which allow to quantify the thrust force on solar sails of arbitrary shape, the effects of temperature, of light incidence angle, of surface roughness, and the effects of optical degradation of the sail film in the space environment. The orbital motion of a solar sail is strongly coupled to its rotational motion, so that the attitude control of these soft and flexible structures is very challenging, especially for planetocentric orbits that require fast attitude maneuvers. Finally, some potential attitude control methods are sketched and selection criteria are given.
Low-thrust space propulsion systems enable flexible high-energy deep space missions, but the design and optimization of the interplanetary transfer trajectory is usually difficult. It involves much experience and expert knowledge because the convergence behavior of traditional local trajectory optimization methods depends strongly on an adequate initial guess. Within this extended abstract, evolutionary neurocontrol, a method that fuses artificial neural networks and evolutionary algorithms, is proposed as a smart global method for low-thrust trajectory optimization. It does not require an initial guess. The implementation of evolutionary neurocontrol is detailed and its performance is shown for an exemplary mission.
Solar sails enable missions to the outer solar system and beyond, although the solar
radiation pressure decreases with the square of solar distance. For such missions, the solar sail may gain a large amount of energy by first making one or more close approaches to the sun. Within this paper, optimal trajectories for solar sail missions to the outer planets and into near interstellar space (200 AU) are presented. Thereby, it is shown that even near/medium-term solar sails with relatively moderate performance allow reasonable transfer times to the boundaries of the solar system.
Interplanetary trajectories for low-thrust spacecraft are often characterized by multiple revolutions around the sun. Unfortunately, the convergence of traditional trajectory optimizers that are based on numerical optimal control methods depends strongly on an adequate initial guess for the control function (if a direct method is used) or for the starting values of the adjoint vector (if an indirect method is used). Especially when many revolutions around the sun are re-
quired, trajectory optimization becomes a very difficult and time-consuming task that involves a lot of experience and expert knowledge in astrodynamics and optimal control theory, because an adequate initial guess is extremely hard to find. Evolutionary neurocontrol (ENC) was proposed as a smart method for low-thrust trajectory optimization that fuses artificial neural networks and evolutionary algorithms to so-called evolutionary neurocontrollers (ENCs) [1]. Inspired by natural archetypes, ENC attacks the trajectoryoptimization problem from the perspective of artificial intelligence and machine learning, a perspective that is quite different from that of optimal control theory. Within the context of ENC, a trajectory is regarded as the result of a spacecraft steering strategy that maps permanently the actual spacecraft state and the actual target state onto the actual spacecraft control vector. This way, the problem of searching the optimal spacecraft trajectory is equivalent to the problem of searching (or "learning") the optimal spacecraft steering strategy. An artificial neural network is used to implement such a spacecraft steering strategy. It can be regarded as a parameterized function (the network function) that is defined by the internal network parameters. Therefore, each distinct set of network parameters defines a different network function and thus a different steering strategy. The problem of searching the optimal steering strategy is now equivalent to the problem of searching the optimal set of network parameters. Evolutionary algorithms that work on a population of (artificial) chromosomes are used to find the optimal network parameters, because the parameters can be easily mapped onto a chromosome. The trajectory optimization problem is solved when the optimal chromosome is found. A comparison of solar sail trajectories that have been published by others [2, 3, 4, 5] with ENC-trajectories has shown that ENCs can be successfully applied for near-globally optimal spacecraft control [1, 6] and that they are able to find trajectories that are closer to the (unknown) global optimum, because they explore the trajectory search space more exhaustively than a human expert can do. The obtained trajectories are fairly accurate with respect to the terminal constraint. If a more accurate trajectory is required, the ENC-solution can be used as an initial guess for a local trajectory optimization method. Using ENC, low-thrust trajectories can be optimized without an initial guess and without expert attendance.
Here, new results for nuclear electric spacecraft and for solar sail spacecraft are presented and it will be shown that ENCs find very good trajectories even for very difficult problems. Trajectory optimization results are presented for 1. NASA's Solar Polar Imager Mission, a mission to attain a highly inclined close solar orbit with a solar sail [7] 2. a mission to de ect asteroid Apophis with a solar sail from a retrograde orbit with a very-high velocity impact [8, 9] 3. JPL's \2nd Global Trajectory Optimization Competition", a grand tour to visit four asteroids from different classes with a NEP spacecraft
The concept of a laser-enhanced solar sail is introduced and the radiation pressure force model for an ideal laser-enhanced solar sail is derived. A laser-enhanced solar sail is a “traditional” solar sail that is, however, not solely propelled by solar radiation, but additionally by a laser beam that illuminates the sail. The additional laser radiation pressure increases the sail's propulsive force and can give, depending on the location of the laser source, more control authority over the direction of the solar sail’s propulsive force vector. This way, laser-enhanced solar sails may augment already existing solar sail mission concepts and make novel mission concepts feasible.
The optical properties of the thin metalized polymer films that are projected for solar sails are assumed to be affected by the erosive effects of the space environment. Their degradation behavior in the real space environment, however, is to a considerable degree indefinite, because initial ground test results are controversial and relevant inspace tests have not been made so far. The standard optical solar sail models that are currently used for trajectory design do not take optical degradation into account, hence its potential effects on trajectory design have not been investigated so far. Nevertheless, optical degradation is important for high-fidelity solar sail mission design, because it decreases both the magnitude of the solar radiation pressure force acting on the sail and also the sail control authority. Therefore, we propose a simple parametric optical solar sail degradation model that describes the variation of the sail film’s optical coefficients with time, depending on the sail film’s environmental history, i.e., the radiation dose. The primary intention of our model is not to describe the exact behavior of specific film-coating combinations in the real space environment, but to provide a more general parametric framework for describing the general optical degradation behavior of solar sails. Using our model, the effects of different optical degradation behaviors on trajectory design are investigated for various exemplary missions.
A technology reference study for a multiple near-Earth object (NEO) rendezvous mission with solar sailcraft is currently carried out by the authors of this paper. The investigated mission builds on previous concepts, but adopts a strong micro-spacecraft philosophy based on the DLR/ESA Gossamer technology. The main scientific objective of the mission is to explore the diversity of NEOs. After direct interplanetary insertion, the solar sailcraft should—within less than 10 years—rendezvous three NEOs that are not only scientifically interesting, but also from the point of human spaceight and planetary defense. In this paper, the objectives of the study are outlined and a preliminary potential mission profile is presented.
Enceladus explorer - A maneuverable subsurface probe for autonomous navigation through deep ice
(2012)
Near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis provides a typical example for the evolution of asteroid orbits that lead to Earth-impacts after a close Earth-encounter that results in a resonant return. Apophis will have a close Earth-encounter in 2029 with potential very close subsequent Earth-encounters (or even an impact) in 2036 or later, depending on whether it passes through one of several so-called gravitational keyholes during its 2029-encounter. Several pre-2029-deflection scenarios to prevent Apophis from doing this have been investigated so far. Because the keyholes are less than 1 km in size, a pre-2029 kinetic impact is clearly the best option because it requires only a small change in Apophis' orbit to nudge it out of a keyhole. A single solar sail Kinetic Energy Impactor (KEI) spacecraft that impacts Apophis from a retrograde trajectory with a very high relative velocity (75-80 km/s) during one of its perihelion passages at about 0.75 AU would be a feasible option to do this. The spacecraft consists of a 160 m x 160 m, 168 kg solar sail assembly and a 150 kg impactor. Although conventional spacecraft can also achieve the required minimum deflection of 1 km for this approx. 320 m-sized object from a prograde trajectory, our solar sail KEI concept also allows the deflection of larger objects. In this paper, we also show that, even after Apophis has flown through one of the gravitational keyholes in 2029, solar sail Kinetic Energy Impactor (KEI) spacecraft are still a feasible option to prevent Apophis from impacting the Earth, but many KEIs would be required for consecutive impacts to increase the total Earth-miss distance to a safe value. In this paper, we elaborate potential pre- and post-2029 KEI impact scenarios for a launch in 2020, and investigate tradeoffs between different mission parameters.
Near-Earth asteroid (NEA) 99942 Apophis provides a typical example for the evolution of asteroid orbits that lead to Earth-impacts after a close Earth-encounter that results in a resonant return. Apophis will have a close Earth-encounter in 2029 with potential very close subsequent Earth-encounters (or even an impact) in 2036 or later, depending on whether it passes through one of several less than 1 km-sized gravitational keyholes during its 2029-encounter. A pre-2029 kinetic impact is a very favorable option to nudge the asteroid out of a keyhole. The highest impact velocity and thus deflection can be achieved from a trajectory that is retrograde to Apophis orbit. With a chemical or electric propulsion system, however, many gravity assists and thus a long time is required to achieve this. We show in this paper that the solar sail might be the better propulsion system for such a mission: a solar sail Kinetic Energy Impactor (KEI) spacecraft could impact Apophis from a retrograde trajectory with a very high relative velocity (75-80 km/s) during one of its perihelion passages. The spacecraft consists of a 160 m × 160 m, 168 kg solar sail assembly and a 150 kg impactor. Although conventional spacecraft can also achieve the required minimum deflection of 1 km for this approx. 320 m-sized object from a prograde trajectory, our solar sail KEI concept also allows the deflection of larger objects. For a launch in 2020, we also show that, even after Apophis has flown through one of the gravitational keyholes in 2029, the solar sail KEI concept is still feasible to prevent Apophis from impacting the Earth, but many KEIs would be required for consecutive impacts to increase the total Earth-miss distance to a safe value
We propose a simple parametric OSSD model that describes the variation of the sail film's optical coefficients with time, depending on the sail film's environmental history, i.e., the radiation dose. The primary intention of our model is not to describe the exact behavior of specific film-coating combinations in the real space environment, but to provide a more general parametric framework for describing the general optical degradation behavior of solar sails.
The ”IceMole“ is a novel maneuverable subsurface ice probe for clean in-situ analysis and sampling of subsurface ice and subglacial water/brine. It is developed and build at FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences’ Astronautical Laboratory. A first prototype was successfully tested on the Swiss Morteratsch glacier in 2010. Clean sampling is achieved with a hollow ice screw (as it is used in mountaineering) at the tip of the probe. Maneuverability is achieved with a differentially heated melting head. Funded by the German Space Agency (DLR), a consortium led by FH Aachen currently develops a much more advanced IceMole probe, which includes a sophisticated system for obstacle avoidance, target detection, and navigation in the ice. We intend to use this probe for taking clean samples of subglacial brine at the Blood Falls (McMurdo Dry Valleys, East Antarctica) for chemical and microbiological analysis. In our conference contribution, we 1) describe the IceMole design, 2) report the results of the field tests of the first prototype on the Morteratsch glacier, 3) discuss the probe’s potential for the clean in-situ analysis and sampling of subsurface ice and subglacial liquids, and 4) outline the way ahead in the development of this technology.
There is significant interest in sampling subglacial environments for geobiological studies, but they are difficult to access. Existing ice-drilling technologies make it cumbersome to maintain microbiologically clean access for sample acquisition and environmental stewardship of potentially fragile subglacial aquatic ecosystems. The IceMole is a maneuverable subsurface ice probe for clean in situ analysis and sampling of glacial ice and subglacial materials. The design is based on the novel concept of combining melting and mechanical propulsion. It can change melting direction by differential heating of the melting head and optional side-wall heaters. The first two prototypes were successfully tested between 2010 and 2012 on glaciers in Switzerland and Iceland. They demonstrated downward, horizontal and upward melting, as well as curve driving and dirt layer penetration. A more advanced probe is currently under development as part of the Enceladus Explorer (EnEx) project. It offers systems for obstacle avoidance, target detection, and navigation in ice. For the EnEx-IceMole, we will pay particular attention to clean protocols for the sampling of subglacial materials for biogeochemical analysis. We plan to use this probe for clean access into a unique subglacial aquatic environment at Blood Falls, Antarctica, with return of a subglacial brine sample.
Searching optimal continuous-thrust trajectories is usually a difficult and time-consuming task. The solution quality of traditional optimal-control methods depends strongly on an adequate initial guess because the solution is typically close to the initial guess, which may be far from the (unknown) global optimum. Evolutionary neurocontrol attacks continuous-thrust optimization problems from the perspective of artificial intelligence and machine learning, combining artificial neural networks and evolutionary algorithms. This chapter describes the method and shows some example results for single- and multi-phase continuous-thrust trajectory optimization problems to assess its performance. Evolutionary neurocontrol can explore the trajectory search space more exhaustively than a human expert can do with traditional optimal-control methods. Especially for difficult problems, it usually finds solutions that are closer to the global optimum. Another fundamental advantage is that continuous-thrust trajectories can be optimized without an initial guess and without expert supervision.
Within ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 plan, a mission to explore the Saturnian System, with special emphasis on its two moons Titan and Enceladus, was selected for study, termed TANDEM (Titan and Enceladus Mission). In this paper, we describe an optimized mission design for a TANDEM-derived solar electric propulsion (SEP) mission. We have chosen the SEP mission scenario for the interplanetary transfer of the TANDEM spacecraft because all feasible gravity assist sequences for a chemical transfer between 2015 and 2025 result in long flight times of about nine years. Our SEP system is based on the German RIT ion engine. For our optimized mission design, we have extensively explored the SEP parameter space (specific impulse, thrust level, power level) and have calculated an optimal interplanetary trajectory for each setting. In contrast to the original TANDEM mission concept, which intends to use two launch vehicles and an all-chemical transfer, our SEP mission design requires only a single Ariane 5 ECA launch for the same payload mass. Without gravity assist, it yields a faster and more flexible transfer with a fight time of less than seven years, and an increased payload ratio. Our mission design proves thereby the capability of SEP even for missions into the outer solar system.
Multiple Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous and Sample Return Using First Generation Solar Sailcraft
(2005)
Solar Sails for Near- and Medium-Term Scientific Deep Space Missions / W. Sebolt ; B. Dachwald
(2005)
Optimization of Interplanetary Rendezvous Trajectories for Solar Sailcraft Using a Neurocontroller
(2002)
Solar sailcraft of the first generation technology development / Seboldt, Wolfgang ; Dachwald, Bernd
(2003)
Solar sailcraft provide a wide range of opportunities for high-energy low-cost missions. To date, most mission studies require a rather demanding performance that will not be realized by solar sailcraft of the first generation.
However, even with solar sailcraft of moderate performance, scientifically relevant missions are feasible. This is demonstrated with a Near Earth Asteroid sample return mission and various planetary rendezvous missions.
Innovative interplanetary deep space missions, like a main belt asteroid sample
return mission, require ever larger velocity increments (∆V s) and thus ever
more demanding propulsion capabilities. Providing much larger exhaust velocities than chemical high-thrust systems, electric low-thrust space-propulsion
systems can significantly enhance or even enable such high-energy missions. In
1995, a European-Russian Joint Study Group (JSG) presented a study report
on “Advanced Interplanetary Missions Using Nuclear-Electric Propulsion”
(NEP). One of the investigated reference missions was a sample return (SR)
from the main belt asteroid (19) Fortuna. The envisaged nuclear power plant,
Topaz-25, however, could not be realized and also the worldwide developments
in space reactor hardware stalled. In this paper, we investigate, whether such
a mission is also feasible using a solar electric propulsion (SEP) system and
compare our SEP results to corresponding NEP results.
"To assess the habitability of the icy environments in the solar system, for example, on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus, the scientific analysis of material embedded in or underneath their ice layers is very important. We consider self-steering robotic ice melting probes to be the best method to cleanly access these environments, that is, in compliance with planetary protection standards. The required technologies are currently developed and tested."
Ice melting probes
(2023)
The exploration of icy environments in the solar system, such as the poles of Mars and the icy moons (a.k.a. ocean worlds), is a key aspect for understanding their astrobiological potential as well as for extraterrestrial resource inspection. On these worlds, ice melting probes are considered to be well suited for the robotic clean execution of such missions. In this chapter, we describe ice melting probes and their applications, the physics of ice melting and how the melting behavior can be modeled and simulated numerically, the challenges for ice melting, and the required key technologies to deal with those challenges. We also give an overview of existing ice melting probes and report some results and lessons learned from laboratory and field tests.
In this chapter, the key technologies and the instrumentation required for the subsurface exploration of ocean worlds are discussed. The focus is laid on Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus because they have the highest potential for such missions in the near future. The exploration of their oceans requires landing on the surface, penetrating the thick ice shell with an ice-penetrating probe, and probably diving with an underwater vehicle through dozens of kilometers of water to the ocean floor, to have the chance to find life, if it exists. Technologically, such missions are extremely challenging. The required key technologies include power generation, communications, pressure resistance, radiation hardness, corrosion protection, navigation, miniaturization, autonomy, and sterilization and cleaning. Simpler mission concepts involve impactors and penetrators or – in the case of Enceladus – plume-fly-through missions.
Solar Sail Kinetic Energy Impactor Trajectory Optimization for an Asteroid-Deflection Mission
(2007)
Solar Sail Trajectory Optimization for Intercepting, Impacting, and Deflecting Near-Earth Asteroids
(2005)
The so-called "compound solar sail", also known as "Solar Photon Thruster" (SPT), holds the potential of providing significant performance advantages over the flat solar sail. Previous SPT design concepts, however, do not consider shadowing effects and multiple reflections of highly concentrated solar radiation that would inevitably destroy the gossamer sail film. In this paper, we propose a novel advanced SPT (ASPT) design concept that does not suffer from these oversimplifications. We present the equations that describe the thrust force acting on such a sail system and compare its performance with respect to the conventional flat solar sail.
The so-called "compound solar sail", also known as "Solar Photon Thruster" (SPT), is a solar sail design concept, for which the two basic functions of the solar sail, namely light collection and thrust direction, are uncoupled. In this paper, we introduce a novel SPT concept, termed the Advanced Solar Photon Thruster (ASPT). This model does not suffer from the simplified assumptions that have been made for the analysis of compound solar sails in previous studies. We present the equations that describe the force, which acts on the ASPT. After a detailed design analysis, the performance of the ASPT with respect to the conventional flat solar sail (FSS) is investigated for three interplanetary mission scenarios: An Earth-Venus rendezvous, where the solar sail has to spiral towards the Sun, an Earth-Mars rendezvous, where the solar sail has to spiral away from the Sun, and an Earth-NEA rendezvous (to near-Earth asteroid 1996FG3), where a large orbital eccentricity change is required. The investigated solar sails have realistic near-term characteristic accelerations between 0.1 and 0.2mm/s2. Our results show that a SPT is not superior to the flat solar sail unless very idealistic assumptions are made.
We present the novel concept of a combined drilling and melting probe for subsurface ice research. This probe, named “IceMole”, is currently developed, built, and tested at the FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences’ Astronautical Laboratory. Here, we describe its first prototype design and report the results of its field tests on the Swiss Morteratsch glacier. Although the IceMole design is currently adapted to terrestrial glaciers and ice shields, it may later be modified for the subsurface in-situ investigation of extraterrestrial ice, e.g., on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. If life exists on those bodies, it may be present in the ice (as life can also be found in the deep ice of Earth).
We present the novel concept of a combined drilling and melting probe for subsurface ice research. This probe, named “IceMole”, is currently developed, built, and tested at the FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences’ Astronautical Laboratory. Here, we describe its first prototype design and report the results of its field tests on the Swiss Morteratsch glacier. Although the IceMole design is currently adapted to terrestrial glaciers and ice shields, it may later be modified for the subsurface in-situ investigation of extraterrestrial ice, e.g., on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. If life exists on those bodies, it may be present in the ice (as life can also be found in the deep ice of Earth).
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) are extensively used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic particle imaging (MPI), as well as for magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH). We here describe a sequential centrifugation protocol to obtain SPION with well-defined sizes from a polydisperse SPION starting formulation, synthesized using the routinely employed co-precipitation technique. Transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and nanoparticle tracking analyses show that the SPION fractions obtained upon size-isolation are well-defined and almost monodisperse. MRI, MPI and MFH analyses demonstrate improved imaging and hyperthermia performance for size-isolated SPION as compared to the polydisperse starting mixture, as well as to commercial and clinically used iron oxide nanoparticle formulations, such as Resovist® and Sinerem®. The size-isolation protocol presented here may help to identify SPION with optimal properties for diagnostic, therapeutic and theranostic applications.
Evaluation of fragility curves for a three-storey-reinforced-concrete mock-up of SMART 2013 project
(2016)
Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) is expressed in various tissues, such as the gut, liver, kidney and blood brain barrier (BBB), where it mediates the unidirectional transport of substrates to the apical/luminal side of polarized cells. Thereby BCRP acts as an efflux pump, mediating the elimination or restricting the entry of endogenous compounds or xenobiotics into tissues and it plays important roles in drug disposition, efficacy and safety. Bcrp knockout mice (Bcrp−/−) have been used widely to study the role of this transporter in limiting intestinal absorption and brain penetration of substrate compounds. Here we describe the first generation and characterization of a mouse line humanized for BCRP (hBCRP), in which the mouse coding sequence from the start to stop codon was replaced with the corresponding human genomic region, such that the human transporter is expressed under control of the murine Bcrp promoter. We demonstrate robust human and loss of mouse BCRP/Bcrp mRNA and protein expression in the hBCRP mice and the absence of major compensatory changes in the expression of other genes involved in drug metabolism and disposition. Pharmacokinetic and brain distribution studies with several BCRP probe substrates confirmed the functional activity of the human transporter in these mice. Furthermore, we provide practical examples for the use of hBCRP mice to study drug-drug interactions (DDIs). The hBCRP mouse is a promising model to study the in vivo role of human BCRP in limiting absorption and BBB penetration of substrate compounds and to investigate clinically relevant DDIs involving BCRP.
Optimisation of a urea selective catalytic reduction system with a coated ceramic mixing element
(2017)
Architecture for platform- and hardware-independent mesh networks : how to unify the channels
(2013)
This paper will prove that mesh networks among different platforms and hardware channels can help to channel valuable information even if public telecommunication infrastructure is not available due to arbitrary reasons. Therefore, results of a simulation for mesh networks on mass events will be provided, followed by the developed architecture and an outlook on future research. The developed architecture is currently being implemented and field tested on mass events.
Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metallic workpieces faces a continuously rising technological relevance and market size. Producing complex or highly strained unique workpieces is a significant field of application, making AM highly relevant for tool components. Its successful economic application requires systematic workpiece based decisions and optimizations. Considering geometric and technological requirements as well as the necessary post-processing makes deciding effortful and requires in-depth knowledge. As design is usually adjusted to established manufacturing, associated technological and strategic potentials are often neglected. To embed AM in a future proof industrial environment, software-based self-learning tools are necessary. Integrated into production planning, they enable companies to unlock the potentials of AM efficiently. This paper presents an appropriate methodology for the analysis of process-specific AM-eligibility and optimization potential, added up by concrete optimization proposals. For an integrated workpiece characterization, proven methods are enlarged by tooling-specific figures.
The first stage of the approach specifies the model’s initialization. A learning set of tooling components is described using the developed key figure system. Based on this, a set of applicable rules for workpiece-specific result determination is generated through clustering and expert evaluation. Within the following application stage, strategic orientation is quantified and workpieces of interest are described using the developed key figures. Subsequently, the retrieved information is used for automatically generating specific recommendations relying on the generated ruleset of stage one. Finally, actual experiences regarding the recommendations are gathered within stage three. Statistic learning transfers those to the generated ruleset leading to a continuously deepening knowledge base. This process enables a steady improvement in output quality.
LAPS are field-effect-based potentiometric sensors which are able to monitor analyte concentrations in a spatially resolved manner. Hence, a LAPS sensor system is a powerful device to record chemical imaging of the concentration of chemical species in an aqueous solution, chemical reactions, or the growth of cell colonies on the sensor surface, to record chemical images. In this work, multi-chamber 3D-printed structures made out of polymer (PP-ABS) were combined with LAPS chips to analyse differentially and simultaneously the metabolic activity of Escherichia coli K12 and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and the responds of those cells to the addition of glucose solution.
LAPS-based monitoring of metabolic responses of bacterial cultures in a paper fermentation broth
(2020)
As an alternative renewable energy source, methane production in biogas plants is gaining more and more attention. Biomass in a bioreactor contains different types of microorganisms, which should be considered in terms of process-stability control. Metabolically inactive microorganisms within the fermentation process can lead to undesirable, time-consuming and cost-intensive interventions. Hence, monitoring of the cellular metabolism of bacterial populations in a fermentation broth is crucial to improve the biogas production, operation efficiency, and sustainability. In this work, the extracellular acidification of bacteria in a paper-fermentation broth is monitored after glucose uptake, utilizing a differential light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) system. The LAPS system is loaded with three different model microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium glutamicum, and Lactobacillus brevis) and the effect of the fermentation broth at different process stages on the metabolism of these bacteria is studied. In this way, different signal patterns related to the metabolic response of microorganisms can be identified. By means of calibration curves after glucose uptake, the overall extracellular acidification of bacterial populations within the fermentation process can be evaluated.
Monitoring the cellular metabolism of bacteria in (bio)fermentation processes is crucial to control and steer them, and to prevent undesired disturbances linked to metabolically inactive microorganisms. In this context, cell-based biosensors can play an important role to improve the quality and increase the yield of such processes. This work describes the simultaneous analysis of the metabolic behavior of three different types of bacteria by means of a differential light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) set-up. The study includes Lactobacillus brevis, Corynebacterium glutamicum, and Escherichia coli, which are often applied in fermentation processes in bioreactors. Differential measurements were carried out to compensate undesirable influences such as sensor signal drift, and pH value variation during the measurements. Furthermore, calibration curves of the cellular metabolism were established as a function of the glucose concentration or cell number variation with all three model microorganisms. In this context, simultaneous (bio)sensing with the multi-organism LAPS-based set-up can open new possibilities for a cost-effective, rapid detection of the extracellular acidification of bacteria on a single sensor chip. It can be applied to evaluate the metabolic response of bacteria populations in a (bio)fermentation process, for instance, in the biogas fermentation process.
A light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is a field-effect-based potentiometric device, which detects concentration changes of an analyte solution on the sensor surface in a spatially resolved way. It uses a light source to generate electron–hole pairs inside the semiconductor, which are separated in the depletion region due to an applied bias voltage across the sensor structure and hence, a surface-potential-dependent photocurrent can be read out. However, depending on the beam angle of the light source, scattering effects can occur, which influence the recorded signal in LAPS-based differential measurements. To solve this problem, a novel illumination unit based on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) consisting of 16 small-sized tunable infrared laser-diode modules (LDMs) is developed. Due to the improved focus of the LDMs with a beam angle of only 2 mrad, undesirable scattering effects are minimized. Escherichia coli (E. coli) K12 bacteria are used as a test microorganism to study the extracellular acidification on the sensor surface. Furthermore, a salt bridge chamber is built up and integrated with the LAPS system enabling multi-chamber differential measurements with a single Ag/AgCl reference electrode.
On-line monitoring of the metabolic activity of microorganisms involved in intermediate stages of biogas production plays an important role to avoid undesirable “down times” during the biogas production. In order to control this process, an on-chip differential measuring system based on the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) principle combined with a 3D-printed multi-chamber structure has been realized. As a test microorganism, Escherichia coli K12 (E. coli K12) were used for cell-based measurements. Multi-chamber structures were developed to determine the metabolic activity of E. coli K12 in suspension for a different number of cells, responding to the addition of a constant or variable amount of glucose concentrations, enabling differential and simultaneous measurements.
A light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is a field-effect-based potentiometric sensor with an electrolyte/insulator/semiconductor (EIS) structure, which is able to monitor analyte concentrations of (bio-)chemical species in aqueous solutions in a spatially resolved way. Therefore, it is also an appropriate tool to record 2D-chemical images of concentration variations on the sensor surface. In the present work, two differential, LAPS-based measurement principles are introduced to determine the metabolic activity of Escherichia coli (E. coli) K12 and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as test microorganisms. Hereby, we focus on i) the determination of the extracellular acidification rate (ΔpH/min) after adding glucose solutions to the cell suspensions; and ii) recording the amplitude increase of the photocurrent (Iph) related to the produced acids from E. coli K12 bacteria and CHO cells on the sensor surface by 2D-chemical imaging. For this purpose, 3D-printed multi-chamber structures were developed and mounted on the planar sensor-chip surface to define four independent compartments, enabling differential measurements with varying cell concentrations. The differential concept allows eliminating unwanted drift effects and, with the four-chamber structures, measurements on the different cell concentrations were performed simultaneously, thus reducing also the overall measuring time.
Beryllium doped low-temperature-grown MBE GaAs: material for photomixing in the THz frequency range
(2000)
The paper deals with the development of the probabilistic approach to the assessment of risk due to lightning. Sources of damage, types of damage and types of loss are defined and, accordingly, the procedure for risk analysis and the way of assessment of different risk components is proposed. The way to evaluate the influence of different protection measures (lightning protection system; shielding of structure, cables and equipment; routing of internal wiring; surge protective device) in reducing such probabilities is considered. The paper has been prepared within the framework of the activity of IEC TC81-WG9/CLC TC81-WG4 directed to prepare the draft IEC 62305-2 Risk Management, in cooperation with the Secretary of IEC/CLC TC81.
68Ga-radiopharmaceuticals are common in the field of Nuclear Medicine to visualize receptor-mediated processes. In contrast to straightforward labeling procedures for clinical applications, preclinical in vitro and in vivo applications are hampered for reasons like e.g. volume
restriction, activity concentration, molar activity and osmolality. Therefore, we developed a semiautomatic system specifically to overcome these problems. A difficulty appeared unexpectedly, as intrinsic trace metals derived from eluate (Zn, Fe and Cu) are concentrated as well in amounts that influence radiochemical yield and thus lower molar activity.
Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis are widely used for the large-scale industrial production of proteins. These strains can efficiently secrete proteins into the culture medium using the general secretion (Sec) pathway. A characteristic feature of all secreted proteins is their N-terminal signal peptides, which are recognized by the secretion machinery. Here, we have studied the production of an industrially important secreted protease, namely, subtilisin BPN′ from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. One hundred seventy-three signal peptides originating from B. subtilis and 220 signal peptides from the B. licheniformis type strain were fused to this secretion target and expressed in B. subtilis, and the resulting library was analyzed by high-throughput screening for extracellular proteolytic activity. We have identified a number of signal peptides originating from both organisms which produced significantly increased yield of the secreted protease. Interestingly, we observed that levels of extracellular protease were improved not only in B. subtilis, which was used as the screening host, but also in two different B. licheniformis strains. To date, it is impossible to predict which signal peptide will result in better secretion and thus an improved yield of a given extracellular target protein. Our data show that screening a library consisting of homologous and heterologous signal peptides fused to a target protein can identify more-effective signal peptides, resulting in improved protein export not only in the original screening host but also in different production strains.
Experimental determination of the cross sections of proton capture on radioactive nuclei is extremely difficult. Therefore, it is of substantial interest for the understanding of the production of the p-nuclei. For the first time, a direct measurement of proton-capture cross sections on stored, radioactive ions became possible in an energy range of interest for nuclear astrophysics. The experiment was performed at the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at GSI by making use of a sensitive method to measure (p,γ) and (p,n) reactions in inverse kinematics. These reaction channels are of high relevance for the nucleosyn-thesis processes in supernovae, which are among the most violent explosions in the universe and are not yet well understood. The cross section of the ¹¹⁸Te(p,γ) reaction has been measured at energies of 6 MeV/u and 7 MeV/u. The heavy ions interacted with a hydrogen gas jet target. The radiative recombination process of the fully stripped ¹¹⁸Te ions and electrons from the hydrogen target was used as a luminosity monitor. An overview of the experimental method and preliminary results from the ongoing analysis will be presented.