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Der folgende Bericht fasst Erfahrungen zusammen, die in großen Entwicklungsprojekten der Firma Ericsson über mehrere Jahre gesammelt wurden. Ziel war dabei nicht, agile Methoden und Techniken einzusetzen - Agilität war zu der Zeit noch kein Hype-Thema. Vielmehr wurden Schwächen in den eigenen Projekten identifiziert und verbessert. Der Erfahrungsbericht vergleicht Verbesserungen in diesen Projekten mit den Ansätzen der agilen Entwicklung. Als Ergebnis werden folgende Punkte festgehalten: Erstens, einige Praktiken und Werte der agilen Entwicklung lassen sich auch in Großprojekten einsetzen. Zweitens, bei der Skalierung für Großprojekte werden diese Praktiken langsamer getaktet. Drittens, agile Entwicklung ist nicht nur eine Reihe von Praktiken und Werten, agile Entwicklung ist vielmehr auch eine Frage der Entwicklungs- und Projektkultur. Diese kulturelle Änderung lässt sich in Großprojekten deutlich langsamer umsetzen.
Differential modulation of valence and arousal in high-alexithymic and low-alexithymic individuals
(2010)
High-alexithymic individuals are characterized by an impaired ability to identify and communicate emotions whereas low-alexithymic individuals have a wide-ranging ability to deal with emotions. This study examined the hypothesis that valence and arousal modifications of emotional stimuli differentially modulate cortical regions in high-alexithymic and low-alexithymic individuals. To this end, 28 high-alexithymic and 25 low-alexithymic individuals were investigated with event-related fMRI using visual emotional stimuli. We found differential neural activations in the dorsal anterior cingulate, the insula and the amygdala. We suggest that these differences may account for the impaired ability of high-alexithymic individuals to appropriately handle emotional stimuli.
Background: One of the most prominent neurobiological models of alexithymia assumes an altered function of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as the crucial neural correlate of alexithymia. So far functional imaging studies have yielded inconclusive results. Therefore, we tested this hypothesis in healthy alexithymics and nonalexithymics in an event-related fMRI study.
Methods: Thirty high- and 30 low-alexithymic right-handed male subjects (selected by the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20) were investigated with event-related fMRI using a picture viewing paradigm. The stimuli consisted of happy, fearful and neutral facial expressions (Ekman-Friesen) as well as positive, negative and neutral pictures from the International Affective Picture System.
Results: Contrasting the high-alexithymic with the low-alexithymic group we observed increased activation of the supragenual ACC for different emotional valences as well as for different emotional stimuli. Moreover, there was a positive correlation of the ACC with the individual TAS-20 scores but no correlations with the individual Beck Depression Inventory scores. Additionally, there was no difference in activity of the amygdala.
Conclusions: We demonstrated that the supragenual ACC is constantly activated more strongly in alexithymic subjects and that this activation is related to the symptoms of alexithymia and not to associated symptoms such as depression. Therefore, our findings support the hypothesis of an altered function of the ACC in alexithymia.
Following the success of PET/CT during the last decade and the recent increasing proliferation of SPECT/CT, another hybrid imaging instrument has been gaining more and more interest: MR-PET. First combined, simultaneous PET and MR studies carried out in small animals demonstrated the feasibility of the new approach. Concurrently, some prototypes of an MR-PET scanner for simultaneous human brain studies have been built, their performance is being tested and preliminary applications have already been shown. Through this pioneering work, it has become clear that advances in the detector design are necessary for further optimization.
Recently, the different issues related to the present state and future prospects of MR-PET were presented and discussed during an international 2-day workshop at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, held after, and in conjunction with, the 2008 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference in Dresden, Germany on October 27–28, 2008. The topics ranged from small animal MR-PET imaging to human MR-BrainPET imaging, new detector developments, challenges/opportunities for ultra-high field MR-PET imaging and considerations of possible future research and clinical applications. This report presents a critical summary of the contributions made to the workshop.
Design and initial performance of PlanTIS: a high-resolution positron emission tomograph for plants
(2010)
Positron emitters such as 11C, 13N and 18F and their labelled compounds are widely used in clinical diagnosis and animal studies, but can also be used to study metabolic and physiological functions in plants dynamically and in vivo. A very particular tracer molecule is 11CO2 since it can be applied to a leaf as a gas. We have developed a Plant Tomographic Imaging System (PlanTIS), a high-resolution PET scanner for plant studies. Detectors, front-end electronics and data acquisition architecture of the scanner are based on the ClearPET™ system. The detectors consist of LSO and LuYAP crystals in phoswich configuration which are coupled to position-sensitive photomultiplier tubes. Signals are continuously sampled by free running ADCs, and data are stored in a list mode format. The detectors are arranged in a horizontal plane to allow the plants to be measured in the natural upright position. Two groups of four detector modules stand face-to-face and rotate around the field-of-view. This special system geometry requires dedicated image reconstruction and normalization procedures. We present the initial performance of the detector system and first phantom and plant measurements.
Numerical avalanche dynamics models have become an essential part of snow engineering. Coupled with field observations and historical records, they are especially helpful in understanding avalanche flow in complex terrain. However, their application poses several new challenges to avalanche engineers. A detailed understanding of the avalanche phenomena is required to construct hazard scenarios which involve the careful specification of initial conditions (release zone location and dimensions) and definition of appropriate friction parameters. The interpretation of simulation results requires an understanding of the numerical solution schemes and easy to use visualization tools. We discuss these problems by presenting the computer model RAMMS, which was specially designed by the SLF as a practical tool for avalanche engineers. RAMMS solves the depth-averaged equations governing avalanche flow with accurate second-order numerical solution schemes. The model allows the specification of multiple release zones in three-dimensional terrain. Snow cover entrainment is considered. Furthermore, two different flow rheologies can be applied: the standard Voellmy–Salm (VS) approach or a random kinetic energy (RKE) model, which accounts for the random motion and inelastic interaction between snow granules. We present the governing differential equations, highlight some of the input and output features of RAMMS and then apply the models with entrainment to simulate two well-documented avalanche events recorded at the Vallée de la Sionne test site.
Two- and three-dimensional avalanche dynamics models are being increasingly used in hazard-mitigation studies. These models can provide improved and more accurate results for hazard mapping than the simple one-dimensional models presently used in practice. However, two- and three-dimensional models generate an extensive amount of output data, making the interpretation of simulation results more difficult. To perform a simulation in three-dimensional terrain, numerical models require a digital elevation model, specification of avalanche release areas (spatial extent and volume), selection of solution methods, finding an adequate calculation resolution and, finally, the choice of friction parameters. In this paper, the importance and difficulty of correctly setting up and analysing the results of a numerical avalanche dynamics simulation is discussed. We apply the two-dimensional simulation program RAMMS to the 1968 extreme avalanche event In den Arelen. We show the effect of model input variations on simulation results and the dangers and complexities in their interpretation.
Sisyphus wird Steiff
(2010)
Numerical solution of the heat equation with non-linear, time derivative-dependent source term
(2010)
The mathematical modeling of heat conduction with adsorption effects in coated metal structures yields the heat equation with piecewise smooth coefficients and a new kind of source term. This term is special, because it is non-linear and furthermore depends on a time derivative. In our approach we reformulated this as a new problem for the usual heat equation, without source term but with a new non-linear coefficient. We gave an existence and uniqueness proof for the weak solution of the reformulated problem. To obtain a numerical solution, we developed a semi-implicit and a fully implicit finite volume method. We compared these two methods theoretically as well as numerically. Finally, as practical application, we simulated the heat conduction in coated aluminum fibers with adsorption in the zeolite coating. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The CellDrum technology (The term 'CellDrum technology' includes a couple of slightly different technological setups for measuring lateral mechanical tension in various types of cell monolayers or 3D-tissue constructs) was designed to quantify the contraction rate and mechanical tension of self-exciting cardiac myocytes. Cells were grown either within flexible, circular collagen gels or as monolayer on top of respective 1-mum thin silicone membranes. Membrane and cells were bulged outwards by air pressure. This biaxial strain distribution is rather similar the beating, blood-filled heart. The setup allowed presetting the mechanical residual stress level externally by adjusting the centre deflection, thus, mimicking hypertension in vitro. Tension was measured as oscillating differential pressure change between chamber and environment. A 0.5-mm thick collagen-cardiac myocyte tissue construct induced after 2 days of culturing (initial cell density 2 x 10(4) cells/ml), a mechanical tension of 1.62 +/- 0.17 microN/mm(2). Mechanical load is an important growth regulator in the developing heart, and the orientation and alignment of cardiomyocytes is stress sensitive. Therefore, it was necessary to develop the CellDrum technology with its biaxial stress-strain distribution and defined mechanical boundary conditions. Cells were exposed to strain in two directions, radially and circumferentially, which is similar to biaxial loading in real heart tissues. Thus, from a biomechanical point of view, the system is preferable to previous setups based on uniaxial stretching.
The present article describes a standard instrument for the continuous online determination of retinal vessel diameters, the commercially available retinal vessel analyzer. This report is intended to provide informed guidelines for measuring ocular blood flow with this system. The report describes the principles underlying the method and the instruments currently available, and discusses clinical protocol and the specific parameters measured by the system. Unresolved questions and the possible limitations of the technique are also discussed.
Patients after coarctation repair still have an increased risk of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events. This has been explained by the persisting hypertension and alterations in the peripheral vessels. However, involvement of the central vessels such as the retinal arteries is virtually unknown. A total of 34 patients after coarctation repair (22 men and 12 women; 23 to 58 years old, age range 0 to 32 years at surgical repair) and 34 nonhypertensive controls underwent structural and functional retinal vessel analysis. Using structural analysis, the vessel diameters were measured. Using functional analysis, the endothelium-dependent vessel dilation in response to flicker light stimulation was assessed. In the patients after coarctation repair, the retinal arteriolar diameter was significantly reduced compared to that of the controls (median 182 μm, first to third quartile 171 to 197; vs 197 μm, first to third quartile 193 to 206; p <0.001). These findings were independent of the peripheral blood pressure and age at intervention. No differences were found for venules. The functional analysis findings were not different between the patients and controls (maximum dilation 3.5%, first to third quartile 2.1% to 4.5% vs 3.6%, first to third quartile 2.2% to 4.3%; p = 0.81), indicating preserved autoregulative mechanisms. In conclusion, the retinal artery diameter is reduced in patients after coarctation repair, independent of their current blood pressure level and age at intervention. As a structural marker of chronic vessel damage associated with past, current, or future hypertension, retinal arteriolar narrowing has been linked to stroke incidence. These results indicate an involvement of cerebral microcirculation in aortic coarctation, despite timely repair, and might contribute to explain the increased rate of cerebrovascular events in such patients.
Ein 34-jähriger männlicher Patient stellte sich zur Abklärung einer seit dem 9. Lebensjahr bestehenden und im letzten Jahr rasch progredienten Visusminderung beider Augen bei uns vor. Er beschrieb eine subjektiv zunehmende, im Spiegel für ihn selbst sichtbare, weißliche Trübung in der Pupille beidseits und eine starke Blendempfindlichkeit. Nebenbefundlich gab er rezidivierende Konjunktivitiden und morgens verklebte Lider an. Eine Allergie auf Gräserpollen und eine Unverträglichkeit auf Alkohol sowie mehrere Lebensmittel seien ebenfalls bekannt.
Zusätzlich leidet der Patient an stark ausgeprägtem atopischem Ekzem. Dieses wurde nie systemisch, sondern nur bei Bedarf mit kortisonhaltiger Salbe therapiert.
Bilaterale stromale Hornhauttrübungen sind für den Augenarzt eine differenzialdiagnostische Herausforderung. Im folgenden Beitrag werden 2 Patieninnen (30 und 36 Jahre) mit unterschiedlich stark ausgeprägter stromaler diffuser Hornhauttrübung vorgestellt. Patientin 1 war kleinwüchsig (114 cm) und Patientin 2 normal groß (172 cm). Beide Patientinnen wiesen veränderte Gelenkstrukturen an Hand und Fußgelenken sowie diffuse stromale Hornhauttrübungen auf. Des Weiteren lagen eine Mitral- und Aorteninsuffizienz (Patientin 1) bzw. eine Aorteninsuffizienz (Patientin 2) vor. Die stromalen diffusen Hornhauttrübungen ließen im Zusammenhang mit den Gelenkveränderungen ein Scheie-Syndrom vermuten. Therapeutisch ist bei Patienten mit Visusminderung eine (lamelläre) Keratoplastik sinnvoll.
Purpose: Image analysis by the retinal vessel analyzer (RVA) observes retinal vessels in their dynamic state online noninvasively along a chosen vessel segment. It has been found that high-frequency diameter changes in the retinal artery blood column along the vessel increase significantly in anamnestically healthy volunteers with increasing age and in patients with glaucoma during vascular dilation. This study was undertaken to investigate whether longitudinal sections of the retinal artery blood column are altered in systemic hypertension.
Methods: Retinal arteries of 15 untreated patients with essential arterial hypertension (age, 50.9 ± 11.9 years) and of 15 age-matched anamnestically healthy volunteers were examined by RVA. After baseline assessment, a monochromatic luminance flicker (530–600 nm; 12.5 Hz; 20 s) was applied to evoke retinal vasodilation. Differences in amplitude and frequency of spatial artery blood column diameter change along segments (longitudinal arterial profiles) of 1 mm in length were measured and analyzed using Fourier transformation.
Results: In the control group, average reduced power spectra (ARPS) of longitudinal arterial profiles did not differ when arteries changed from constriction to dilation. In the systemic hypertension group, ARPS during constriction, baseline, and restoration were identical and differed from ARPS during dilation (P < 0.05). Longitudinal arterial profiles in both groups showed significant dissimilitude at baseline and restoration (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The retinal artery blood column demonstrates microstructural alterations in systemic hypertension and is less irregular along the vessel axis during vessel dilation. These microstructural changes may be an indication of alterations in vessel wall rigidity, vascular endothelial function, and smooth muscle cells in this disease, leading to impaired perfusion and regulation.
During the development process of a complex technical product, one widely used and important technique is accelerated testing where the applied stress on a component is chosen to exceed the reference stress, i.e. the stress encountered in field operation, in order to reduce the time to failure. For that, the reference stress has to be known. Since a complex technical product may fail regarding numerous failure modes, stress in general is highly dimensional rather than scalar. In addition, customers use their products individually, i.e. field operation should be described by a distribution rather than by one scalar stress value. In this paper, a way to span the customer usage space is shown. It allows the identification of worst case reference stress profiles in significantly reduced dimensions with minimal loss of information. The application example shows that even for a complex product like a combustion engine, stress information can be compressed significantly. With low measurement effort it turned out that only three reference stress cycles were sufficient to cover a broad range of customer stress variety.
In this extended abstract we describe the robot programming and planning language READYLOG, a GOLOG dialect which was developed to support the decision making of robots acting in dynamic real-time domains like robotic soccer. The formal framework of READYLOG, which is based on the situation calculus, features imperative control structures like loops and procedures, allows for decision-theoretic planning, and accounts for a continuously changing world. We developed high-level controllers in READYLOG for our soccer robots in RoboCup’s Middle-size league, but also for service robots and for autonomous agents in interactive computer games.
Hybrid control for autonomous systems — Integrating learning, deliberation and reactive control
(2010)
Autonomous robotic systems for penetrating thick ice shells with simultaneous collecting of scientific data are very promising devices in both terrestrial (glacier, climate research) and extra-terrestrial applications. Technical challenges in development of such systems are numerous and include 3D-navigation, an appropriate energy source, motion control, etc. Not less important is the problem of forward contamination of the pristine glacial environments with microorganisms and biomolecules from the surface of the probe. This study was devoted to establishing a laboratory model for microbial contamination of a newly constructed ice-melting probe called IceMole and to analyse the viability and amount of the contaminating microorganisms as a function of distance. The used bacterial strains were Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6051) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 11775). The main objective was development of an efficient and reliable in-situ decontamination method of the melting probe. Therefore, several chemical substances were tested in respect of their efficacy to eliminate bacteria on the surface of the melting probe at low temperature (0 - 5 °C) and at continuous dilution by melted water. Our study has shown that at least 99.9% decontamination of the IceMole can be successfully achieved by the injection of 30% (v/v) hydrogen peroxide and 3% (v/v) sodium hypochlorite into the drilling site. We were able to reproduce this result in both time-dependent and depth-dependent experiments. The sufficient amount of 30% (v/v) H₂O₂ or 3% (v/v) NaClO has been found to be approximately 18 L per cm² of the probe’s surface.
The cost of solar tower power plants is dominated by the heliostat field making up roughly 50% of investment costs. Classical heliostat design is dominated by mirrors brought into position by steel structures and drives that guarantee high accuracies under wind loads and thermal stress situations. A large fraction of costs is caused by the stiffness requirements of the steel structure, typically resulting in ~ 20 kg/m² steel per mirror area. The typical cost figure of heliostats (figure mentioned by Solucar at Solar Paces Conference, Seville, 2006) is currently in the area of 150 €/m² caused by the increasing price of the necessary raw materials. An interesting option to reduce costs lies in a heliostat design where all moving parts are protected from wind loads. In this way, drives and mechanical layout may be kept less robust, thereby reducing material input and costs. In order to keep the heliostat at an appropriate size, small mirrors (around 10x10 cm²) have to be used, which are placed in a box with a transparent cover. Innovative drive systems are developed in order to obtain a cost-effective design. A 0,5x0,5 m² demonstration unit will be constructed. Tests of the unit are carried out with a high-precision artificial sun unit that imitates the sun’s path with an accuracy of less than 0.5 mrad and creates a beam of parallel light with a divergence of less than 4 mrad.
Normative Regulations
(2010)
Additive Manufacturing of metal parts by Selective Laser Melting has become a powerful tool for the direct manufacturing of complex parts mainly for the aerospace and medical industry. With the introduction of its desktop machine, Realizer targeted the dental market. The contribution describes the special features of the machine, discusses details of the process and shows manufacturing results focused on metal dental devices.
The optical study carried out on insulating polymers namely polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) and polyvinylchloride (PVC) has been described. The polymers are exposed to different radiation doses by exposing them to swift heavy ions of carbon (90 MeV), silicon (120 MeV) and nickel (100 MeV) which influence on their optical properties. The studies show that amongst the investigated polymers, PVC and PET have potential for application as dosimeter beyond a threshold dose which is strongly dependent on the nature of the material and the radiation type. The optical micrographs show a distinct change in colour of the sample with increase in radiation dose.
The chemical imaging sensor is a semiconductor-based chemical sensor that can visualize the two-dimensional distribution of specific ions or molecules in the solution. In this study, we developed a miniaturized chemical imaging sensor system with an OLED display panel as a light source that scans the sensor plate. In the proposed configuration, the display panel is placed directly below the sensor plate and illuminates the back surface. The measured area defined by illumination can be arbitrarily customized to fit the size and the shape of the sample to be measured. The waveform of the generated photocurrent, the currentvoltage characteristics and the pH sensitivity were investigated and pH imaging with this miniaturized system was demonstrated.
In this contribution, we focus on the detection of toxic gases with living eukaryotic cells. A cell-based gas sensor system, able to measure the effects of direct exposure of gases to cells in real-time, was set up. Impedance data as well as oxygen consumption of Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells (V79) were analysed upon exposure to carbon monoxide (CO). The CO (diluted in wet synthetic air) affects the cell respiration as indicated by an attenuated respiration signal after the CO exposure as well as an instant increase of the capacitive part of the impedance signal during the gas exposure.
Realization of a calorimetric gas sensor on polyimide foil for applications in aseptic food industry
(2010)
A calorimetric gas sensor is presented for the monitoring of gas-phase H2O2 at elevated temperature during sterilization processes in aseptic food industry. The sensor consists of two temperature-sensitive thin-film resistances built up on a polyimide foil with a thickness of 25 μm, which are passivated with a layer of SU-8 photo resist and catalytically activated with manganese(IV) oxide. Instead of an active heating structure, the calorimetric sensor utilizes the elevated temperature of an evaporated H2O2 aerosol. In an experimental set-up, the sensor has shown a sensitivity of 4.78 °C/(%v/v) in a H2O2 concentration range of 0 to 10% v/v at an evaporation temperature of 240 ∘C. Furthermore, the sensor possesses the same, unchanged sensor signal even at varied evaporation temperatures of the gas stream. The sensor characterization demonstrates the suitability of the calorimetric gas sensor for monitoring the efficiency of sterilization processes.
Chemical imaging systems allow the visualisation of the distribution of chemical species on the sensor surface. This work represents a new flexible approach of read out in a light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) with the help of a digital light processing (DLP) set-up. The DLP, known well for video projectors, consists of a mirror-array MEMS device which allows fast and flexible generation of light patterns. With the help of these light patterns the sensor surface of the LAPS device can be read out sequentially in a raster like scheme (scanning LAPS). The DLP approach has several advantages compared to conventional scanning LAPS set-ups, e.g., the spot size, the shape and the intensity of the light pointer can be changed easily and no mechanical movement is necessary, which reduces the size of the set-up and increases the stability and speed of measurement.
Chalcogenide glass materials as membranes for potentiometric sensors for chemical analysis in solutions have been studied since more than 20 years. In this work, an electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor structure was combined with chalcogenide glass membranes prepared by means of the pulsed laser deposition technique. Depending on the membrane composition a selectivity to different ions (Cd2+ and Pb2+) is achieved. The different sensor membranes have been physically characterised using microscopy, ellipsometry, profilometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). The electrochemical behaviour has been investigated via capacitance/voltage (C/V) and constant capacitance (ConCap) measurements and results in a Cd2+ sensitivity of 23.1 ± 0.6 mV per decade in a linear range from 7 × 10−6 to 10−2 mol/l and 24.4 ± 0.5 mV per decade in a linear range from 5 × 10−6 to 10−2 mol/l for Pb2+, respectively.
Umweltzonen und Fahrverbote, kletternde Dieselpreise und steigende Straßenbenutzungsgebühren setzen dem Transportgewerbe aktuell schwer zu. Nutzfahrzeughersteller und Partner finden auf diese Herausforderungen neue Antworten mit der Erfüllung der EEV-Grenzwerte (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle) als den gegenwärtig anspruchsvollsten europäischen Abgasstandard für Lkw und Busse.
Helle Fensterprofilmaterialien : Alterungsverhalten auf Basis von peroxidisch vernetztem EPDM
(2010)
Leon Battista Alberti, probably the most innovative architect of early Renaissance Italy, has always fascinated scholars by virtue of the striking interpenetration of theory and practice manifest in his work. As an architect, Alberti was an autodidact. Without the benefit of the formative influence of a master or design education, the roots of his conception of architecture lie in his intellectual formation through humanistic rhetoric. The present study demonstrates with reference to a specific project — the Tempietto of the Holy Sepulchre in Florence — how Alberti’s humanist approach conditioned his method of architectural design.
A new approach for a label-free electrical detection of DNA hybridization and denaturation using an array of individually addressable field-effect nanoplate SOI (silicon-on-insulator) capacitors functionalized with gold nanoparticles is presented. By using a constant-capacitance measuring setup in a differential mode, signal changes of ∼110 mV and ∼70 mV have been registered after the DNA hybridization and denaturation events, respectively.
Der BGH hat entschieden, dass ein Vermieter einen Wohnraummietvertrag nicht deshalb kündigen kann, weil der Mieter die Prozesskosten eines früheren, auf Zahlungsverzug gestützten Räumungsprozesses nicht begleicht. Der folgende Beitrag beleuchtet die Konsequenzen dieser Entscheidung für die mietvertragliche Praxis
The Newtonian regime of a recent nonlocal extension of general relativity is investigated. Nonlocality is introduced via a scalar “constitutive” kernel in a special case of the translational gauge theory of gravitation, namely, the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity. In this theory, the nonlocal aspect of gravity simulates dark matter. A nonlocal and nonlinear generalization of Poisson’s equation of Newtonian gravitation is presented. The implications of nonlocality for the gravitational physics in the solar system are briefly studied.