TY - GEN A1 - Zaiß, Felix A1 - Powell, John A1 - Haas, Michael A1 - Wahl, Johannes A1 - Diegel, Christian A1 - Schricker, Klaus A1 - Bergmann, Jean Pierre A1 - Hummel, Marc A1 - Spurk, Christoph A1 - Olowinsky, Alexander A1 - Beckmann, Felix A1 - Moosmann, Julian A1 - Hagenlocher, Christian A1 - Graf, Thomas T1 - The influence of different core-ring intensity distributions on the capillary shape and resulting weld in laser welding of steel T2 - Optics & laser technology N2 - Laser welding was carried out using a co-axial core-ring beam, with independent control of the power to the core and the ring. The welding process was observed using high-power X-rays and high-speed imaging equipment. Adjusting the relative powers of the core and the ring beams was found to have profound effects on the shape of both the capillary created and the weld melt pool. Moderate laser power densities in the ring were found to increase the top diameter of the weld pool and reduce fluctuations in the welding process. High laser power densities in the ring led to the creation of a second capillary which largely acted independently of the capillary generated by the laser power in the core. At high power densities and welding speeds the two capillaries were almost completely separated in the direction of travel. KW - Laser welding KW - Capillary KW - Weld seam KW - High-speed synchrotron KW - X-ray imaging KW - Beam shaping KW - Multi-core fiber system KW - Spatter formation KW - High-speed imaging Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.114495 SN - 0030-3992 VL - 194 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier BV CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - GEN A1 - Zaiß, Felix A1 - Powell, John A1 - Haas, Michael A1 - Diegel, Christian A1 - Schricker, Klaus A1 - Bergmann, Jean Pierre A1 - Spurk, Christoph A1 - Hummel, Marc A1 - Olowinsky, Alexander A1 - Beckmann, Felix A1 - Moosmann, Julian A1 - Hagenlocher, Christian A1 - Graf, Thomas T1 - Core-ring laser welding : the influence of ring diameter on the capillary dynamics and the formation of pores in the resulting weld T2 - Lasers in manufacturing and materials processing N2 - Double-core fibers that deliver laser beams with adjustable amounts of power to the central core and the surrounding ring component of the fiber are of major interest for optimizing laser welding processes. However, the central focussed laser spot and the ring diameters are fixed by the fiber dimensions, the focusing optics, and the laser systems involved. This work investigates the influence of different ring beam diameters, with a constant central spot diameter, on the capillary dynamics and the formation of pores in the resulting welds in 1.4301 stainless steel (X5CrNi18-10, AISI 304). The different core-ring configurations were achieved using specially designed beam-shaping optics. The generation of pores during the welding process was examined by means of synchrotron X-ray imaging. The results show that different ring diameters have a profound effect on the melt pool geometry, the capillary shape and the location of the capillary collapse which gives rise to pore formation in the weld. In the examples presented here, larger ring diameters extended the melt pool in the direction of welding without contributing directly to the capillary evaporation. In this case the narrow, deep capillaries which are created by the core beam alone can bulge and collapse, trapping vapor and gas to create large pores. If, however, the ring beam has a small enough diameter, it can help to produce a wider capillary which does not trap gas and create pores in the same way. The mechanisms by which large bubbles in the melt can result in non-spherical pores in the weld are also explained. KW - Core-ring laser welding KW - Pore formation KW - Synchrotron x-ray imaging KW - Stainless steel KW - Multicore fiber system KW - Keyhole dynamics Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40516-026-00331-1 SN - 2196-7229 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC CY - New York, NY ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kalra, Amanpreet A1 - Alvarado Chavarin, Carlos A1 - Nitsch, Paul-Gregor A1 - Tschammer, Rudi A1 - Flege, Jan Ingo A1 - Ratzke, Markus A1 - Zoellner, Marvin Hartwig A1 - Schubert, Markus Andreas A1 - Wenger, Christian A1 - Fischer, Inga Anita T1 - Deposition of CeOₓ/SnOₓ-based thin films via RF magnetron sputtering for resistive gas sensing applications T2 - Physica B, Condensed matter N2 - Cerium oxide-tin oxide (CeOx/SnOx) thin films with varying Sn content were deposited using RF magnetron sputtering and investigated for hydrogen sensing applications. Structural, compositional, and morphological properties were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Gas sensing measurements showed effective hydrogen detection at room temperature, with the sensitivity strongly influenced by Sn content and oxygen vacancy concentration. Higher Sn concentration enhanced the sensing response, which was correlated with microstructural features obtained from AFM and EDX, as well as with the presence of Ce3+ and Ce4+ oxidation states identified by XPS. This study highlights the potential of CeOx/SnOx thin films for possible back-end-of-line integration and provides proof-of-principle for room-temperature hydrogen sensing. KW - RF magnetron sputtering KW - CeOx/SnOx thin film KW - Room temperature KW - Hydrogen sensing Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2025.418098 SN - 0921-4526 VL - 723 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - Elsevier BV CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - GEN A1 - Blumenstein, Alan A1 - Pérez, Eduardo A1 - Wenger, Christian A1 - Dersch, Nadine A1 - Kloes, Alexander A1 - Iñíguez, Benjamín A1 - Schwarz, Mike T1 - Exploring variability and quantization effects in artificial neural networks using the MNIST dataset T2 - Solid-state electronics N2 - This paper investigates the impact of introducing variability to trained neural networks and examines the effects of variability and quantization on network accuracy. The study utilizes the MNIST dataset to evaluate various Multi-Layer Perceptron configurations: a baseline model with a Single-Layer Perceptron and an extended model with multiple hidden nodes. The effects of Cycle-to-Cycle variability on network accuracy are explored by varying parameters such as the standard deviation to simulate dynamic changes in network weights. In particular, the performance differences between the Single-Layer Perceptron and the Multi-Layer Perceptron with hidden layers are analyzed, highlighting the network’s robustness to stochastic perturbations. These results provide insights into the effects of quantization and network architecture on accuracy under varying levels of variability. KW - Single-Layer Perceptron KW - Multi-Layer Perceptron KW - Cycle-to-Cycle variability KW - Quantization KW - Stochastic variability KW - Simulation Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sse.2025.109296 SN - 0038-1101 VL - 232 SP - 1 EP - 4 PB - Elsevier BV CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - GEN A1 - Li, Yafei A1 - Ammann, Jeanine A1 - Helfenstein, Julian A1 - Williams, Tim G. A1 - Levers, Christian A1 - Mohr, Franziska A1 - Diogo, Vasco A1 - Zafeiriou, Rigas A1 - Rolo, Víctor A1 - Beckmann, Michael A1 - Hernik, Józef A1 - Kizos, Thanasis A1 - Herzog, Felix T1 - The potential of variable-rate technology for sustainable intensification of European arable farming T2 - European journal of agronomy N2 - Sustainable intensification of agriculture calls for reducing inputs while increasing yields. Variable-rate technology (VRT) enables the application of the right amount of resources at the right time and place to meet crop requirements. VRT remains relatively underutilized in European arable farming compared to Americas and Australia. Facilitating VRT adoption and other precision agricultural technologies in European arable farming requires understanding the pressing needs of farmers and proposing location-specific solutions to their problems. To address this gap, we conducted online surveys of experts in agricultural research, service, and primary production across seven European arable farming regions. Experts were asked to estimate the current and future adoption of VRT and to assess the role of relevant factors for adopting VRT in their regions. Furthermore, we asked about the challenges of fertilization, weed/pest control, and water management. Our results show a higher current and future VRT application for fertilization compared to weed/pest control and irrigation across all regions. The biggest barriers against VRT adoption in arable farming are cost, government regulations, and technology complexity. Moreover, our results show that VRT can more efficiently address the challenges of fertilizer application and weed/pest control, but has limited potential in addressing water management challenges, which need to be tackled by crop breeding, irrigation infrastructure, and water withdrawal rights. Our findings suggest that the low adoption of VRT in Europe is related to high cost and complexity of VRT, the substitute measures of VRT, and the limitation of VRT in addressing agroecological and policy-related challenges. Sustainable intensification thus requires a portfolio of technological, social, behavioral, and policy innovations. KW - Agricultural policy KW - Agricultural systems KW - Crop cultivation KW - Precision farming KW - Resource management KW - Sustainable agriculture Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2025.127868 SN - 1161-0301 VL - 172 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Elsevier BV CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Elser, Alexander A1 - Kopkow, Christian A1 - Schäfer, Axel ED - Petzold, Thomas ED - Böhland, Benjamin T1 - Digitale Anwendungen zur Unterstützung von Versorgungsprozessen : Virtual Reality in der Versorgungsrealität T2 - Adaptive Transformation des Gesundheitswesens : Impulse für eine zukunftsfähige Gesundheitsversorgung N2 - Das deutsche Gesundheitssystem sieht sich mit erheblichen strukturellen und personellen Herausforderungen konfrontiert, die durch den demografischen Wandel, den Fachkräftemangel und den Anstieg chronischer Erkrankungen weiter verschärft werden. In diesem Spannungsfeld bieten digitale Innovationen die Chance, Effizienz und Versorgungsqualität zu verbessern. Insbesondere Virtual Reality (VR) eröffnet durch ihre immersiven Eigenschaften neue Möglichkeiten in Diagnostik, Therapie und Ausbildung. VR ermöglicht sowohl realitätsnahe Trainingsszenarien für medizinisches Personal als auch interaktive Anwendungen zur Schmerzreduktion und psychischen Stabilisierung von Patien*innen. Trotz vielversprechender Ergebnisse ist der Einsatz in der Praxis bislang begrenzt, was auf technische, organisatorische und rechtliche Hürden zurückzuführen ist. Implementierungsstudien zeigen jedoch, dass sich Barrieren durch gezielte Strategien reduzieren und die Akzeptanz fördern lassen. Zukünftige Entwicklungen, insbesondere durch Künstliche Intelligenz und verbesserte Hardware, könnten VR zu einem integralen Bestandteil der Gesundheitsversorgung machen – vorausgesetzt, wissenschaftliche Evaluation, Datenschutz und Finanzierung werden nachhaltig sichergestellt. KW - Digitale Transformation KW - Healthcare developement Y1 - 2026 SN - 978-3-662-71627-4 SN - 978-3-662-71628-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-71628-1_15 SP - 207 EP - 218 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ; Heidelberg ER - TY - GEN A1 - Jansen, Nils A1 - Kaufman, Daniel A1 - Hozad, Ahmad Shabir A1 - Alipoursarbani, Mozhdeh A1 - Kochlamazashvili, Rati A1 - Kunchulia, Ilia A1 - Besalatpour, Aliasghar A1 - Abendroth, Christian T1 - From Waste to Wealth : Georgiens Bio-Fabrik für landwirtschaftliche Reststoffe T2 - Müll und Abfall : Fachzeitschrift für Kreislauf- und Ressourcenwirtschaft N2 - Die Landwirtschaft spielt in Georgien trotz zunehmender Urbanisierung eine zentrale wirtschaftliche Rolle, insbesondere in ländlichen und gebirgigen Regionen, wobei 16 % der Erwerbstätigen rund 6,2 % des BIP erwirtschaften. Herausforderungen wie geringe Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, unzureichende Landverteilung, fehlende moderne Technologien, geringe Abfallverwertung und Umweltbelastungen durch unsachgemäße Entsorgung von landwirtschaftlichen Rückständen erfordern innovative Ansätze. Das Waste2Wealth- Projekt (W2W), gefördert vom BMUKN, zielt darauf ab, diese Rückstände systematisch zu nutzen und Wissen, Technologie und Praxis miteinander zu verbinden. Hierzu werden Potenzialanalysen für landwirtschaftliche Reststoffe durchgeführt, Verwertungswege wie Biogasproduktion und Biokohleherstellung geprüft, und praxisnahe Instrumente wie das W2W-Whitebook, digitale Lernplattformen („Digitales LERNHAUS“), Train-of-Trainer-Module und ein mobiler Demonstrationscontainer implementiert. Das Projekt fördert Kapazitätsaufbau, Stakeholder-Engagement und den Technologietransfer zwischen Deutschland und Georgien, um eine zirkuläre Bioökonomie zu etablieren, die ökologische Nachhaltigkeit, wirtschaftliche Entwicklung und die Nutzung lokaler Ressourcen verbindet. Despite increasing urbanisation, agriculture plays a central economic role in Georgia, especially in rural and mountainous regions, with 16 % of the working population generating around 6.2 % of GDP. Challenges such as low competitiveness, inadequate land distribution, a lack of modern technologies, low waste recycling rates and environmental pollution caused by the improper disposal of agricultural residues require innovative approaches. The Waste2Wealth (W2W) project, funded by the BMUKN, aims to systematically utilise these residues and combine knowledge, technology and practice. To this end, potential analyses for agricultural residues are being carried out, recycling methods such as biogas production and biochar production are being examined, and practical tools such as the W2W White Paper, digital learning platforms (‚Digitales LERNHAUS‘), train-of-trainer modules and a mobile demonstration container are being implemented. The project promotes capacity building, stakeholder engagement and technology transfer between Germany and Georgia in order to establish a circular bioeconomy that combines ecological sustainability, economic development and the use of local resources. KW - Reststoffe KW - Landwirtschaft Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.37307/j.1863-9763.2026.01.06 SN - 1863-9763 VL - 58 IS - 1 SP - 19 EP - 24 PB - Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH & Co. KG CY - Berlin ER - TY - GEN A1 - Jung, Ernst Michael A1 - Weber, Marc-André A1 - Jung, Friedrich A1 - Stroszczynski, Christian T1 - Super-resolution contrast-enhanced ultrasound (SR-CEUS) in solid organs T1 - Superhochauflösender kontrastverstärkter Ultraschall (SR-CEUS) in festen Organen T2 - RöFo : Fortschritte auf dem Gebiet der Röntgenstrahlen und der bildgebenden Verfahren N2 - It is becoming increasingly common for multimodal radiological imaging to use contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) because of its high-resolution ultrasound techniques. CEUS has several advantages. It can be used repeatedly without affecting renal function or the thyroid gland. It is also considered to be highly accurate with regard to the diagnosis and detection of small solid liver lesions. In addition, it can be used to characterize solid lesions in other abdominal organs. With additional perfusion imaging and its (semi)quantitative analysis using wash-in and wash-out kinetics, therapies can be monitored. It is also frequently used in the assessment of solid tumors in the near field, such as thyroid tumors and lymph nodes. Super-resolution CEUS (SR-CEUS) is a novel imaging method with dynamic evaluation of microflow changes to the level of capillary structures. SR-CEUS could also open up new possibilities regarding the dynamic assessment of the micro-vascularization of solid abdominal organs and interventional procedures. KW - CEUS KW - SR-CEUS KW - Microcirculation KW - Solid internal organs Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2754-0219 SN - 1438-9029 VL - 90 IS - 2 PB - Georg Thieme Verlag KG CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - GEN A1 - Racheva, Miroslava A1 - Basalo Lourido, Javier A1 - Gurdal, Enise Ece A1 - Herbst, Martin A1 - Bayar, Seyhmus A1 - Radzik, Daniela A1 - Bähr, Elen A1 - Zwies, Constanze A1 - Neffe, Axel T. A1 - Pietzsch, Markus A1 - Lendlein, Andreas A1 - Wischke, Christian T1 - Tyrosinase cross-linked PEG hydrogels with DAT and DATT as artificial substrates : design, structure, and functions T2 - Biomacromolecules N2 - Enzymes such as oxidases are sustainable tools for hydrogel synthesis, but complex competing reactions have limited the mechanistic understanding and biomedical applications of these materials. Guided by molecular docking and MM-GBSA calculations, we identified two artificial substrates, desaminotyrosine (DAT) and desaminotyrosyltyrosine (DATT), that were experimentally more efficiently converted by mushroom tyrosinase (mTyr) than the natural substrate tyrosine. These substrates were used to synthesize hydrogels from DAT/DATT-functionalized star-shaped oligoethylene glycol (sOEG). Model reactions elucidated the chemical nature and functionality of the hydrogel netpoints. Material properties were systematically investigated depending on sOEG molecular weight (5, 10, 20 kDa), substrate type, and mTyr concentration. Functional mesh sizes and controlled release functions were investigated with fluorescent dextrans (4–500 kDa) and heparin. Cell culture studies with L929 fibroblasts and THP-1 monocytes suggested inertness of the material. These findings provide fundamental insight into mTyr-catalyzed hydrogel formation and support further exploration for in situ hydrogel synthesis. KW - Hydrogel KW - Enzymatic synthesis KW - Biomaterial Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.5c01929 SN - 1525-7797 VL - 27 IS - 2 SP - 1317 EP - 1336 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) CY - Washington, DC ER - TY - GEN A1 - Sengül, Akant A1 - Reiter, Sebastian A1 - Lotfi, Zahra A1 - Efremenko, Julia A1 - Laroussi, Arwa A1 - Corley-Wiciak, Agnieszka Anna A1 - Ratzke, Markus A1 - Mirsky, Vladimir M. A1 - Wenger, Christian A1 - Fischer, Inga Anita T1 - Titanium nitride plasmonic nanohole arrays with polymer coating : optical properties and their humidity-induced modifications T2 - Optical materials express N2 - The use of titanium nitride (TiN) for the fabrication of plasmonic structures such as nanohole arrays (NHAs) can enable their integration into optoelectronic devices on the silicon (Si) platform, for example, for the realization of on-chip chemical sensors and biosensors based on refractometric transduction. With a corresponding functionalization of the TiN nanohole arrays, these ultra-compact devices can be utilized in the development of various affinity sensors and sensor systems, such as cost-effective electronic noses for the early detection of gases in the food industry or agriculture. In this work, we focus on two types of coating for functionalization of TiN nanohole arrays: electrochemically synthesized poly-N-methylaniline and layer-by-layer deposited polyacrylic-acid/poly-allylamine (PAA/PAH). Our investigation comprises the experimental characterization of the optical properties of TiN nanhole arrays coated with polymer layers of different thicknesses as well as a comparison with simulation results. We demonstrate the potential of our setup sensing applications by measuring changes in optical properties of TiN nanohole arrays coated with PAA/PAH upon exposure to air of different humidity. Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1364/ome.578871 SN - 2159-3930 VL - 16 IS - 2 SP - 184 EP - 196 PB - Optica Publishing Group CY - Washington, DC ER - TY - GEN A1 - Alipoursarbani, Mozhdeh A1 - Tideman, Jeroen A1 - López, Mitzy A1 - Abendroth, Christian T1 - Bioaugmentation in anaerobic digesters : a systematic review T2 - Biotechnology for biofuels and bioproducts N2 - Bioaugmentation, the intentional introduction of specific microorganisms into anaerobic digestion (AD) systems, has shown promise in enhancing methane production and in mitigating stressful conditions, particularly in systems operating below optimal performance. This review presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of research on bioaugmentation in AD. This review identified and analysed studies meeting predefined eligibility criteria through a structured methodology involving research protocol, search, appraisal, synthesis, analysis, and reporting. A notable innovation of this review is its comprehensive critical comparison of different controls used in bioaugmentation studies, which has been inadequately addressed in previous literature. To facilitate the functional understanding, strains for bioaugmentation were grouped into the four phases of anaerobic digestion (hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis). A highly diverse set of microbes has been described for bioaugmentation, especially from the families Clostridiaceae, Pseudomonadaceae and Syntrophomonadaceae. Most works are related to hydrolysis. The few works that address acidogenesis are mostly related to dark fermentation. Several studies used methanogenic archaea as well as syntrophic acetate oxidising bacteria, despite the difficulties in culturing them. On the other hand, studies applying strains for acetogenesis were largely underrepresented. Especially works on syntrophic propionate and butyrate oxidation (SPO and SBO) were missing. KW - Bioaugmentation KW - Anaerobic digestion KW - Biogas plants KW - Microorganisms KW - Microbiomes KW - Defined cultures Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-026-02746-6 SN - 2731-3654 VL - 19 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 26 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC CY - London ER -