TY - GEN A1 - Abilio, André T1 - Working Group 3 (WG3) Inputs N2 - During its first two years, the [WG3 of] COST Action CA20130 (Euro-MIC)progressed the achievement of this as described below Working group 3(WG3) increased collaboration in the field of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) not only by partnering up with other CA20130 WGs to deliver MIC dedicated training sessions, but also by having regular meetings with its members on sensors and technologies for MIC monitoring. Through such online and in-person meetings, members from different countries and different technical backgrounds were brought together for an open share of knowledge and mutual benefit where gaps between microbiology and corrosion were bridged. KW - Monitoring KW - Sensor KW - Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - COST Action AN - OPUS4-64604 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Ali, Syrine T1 - Antibiotics in wastewater: Optimisation of an ELISA Assay for the Detection of Clarithromycin in Wastewater N2 - Since they were first discovered, antibiotics have been used extensively to treat diseases caused by bacteria. This increasing and uncontrollable use is causing a number of environmental problems. Unfortunately, traces of various antibiotics can be found in drinking water also in wastewater. In this study was focused on the detection of clarithromycin (CLA) in wastewater using the immunofluorescence ELISA assay which is a highly selective and sensitive technique. ELISA is a multi-type of technique and the one used in this study was the indirect competitive ELISA. For the detection of CLA, a checkerboard was performed to obtain a dilution factor until 1:1,000,000 for the antigen (CLA-BSA) with a concentration of 5 ng/mL and a dilution factor until 1:5,120,00 for the primary antibody (anti-CLA mAb) with a concentration of 1. 035 ng/mL. Standardization was performed to obtain a better profile of the 4-parameter curve A, B, C and D which determines the maximum, minimum and inflection concentration. In addition, a pure synthetic water experiment was used to determine the stability of the assay and the matrix effect due to some interactions from chemicals or components used during the assays. The detection of CLA in pure water in Germany showed that the concentration of CLA differs from province to province and differs from time of year, however, the commonly detected concentration of CLA in pure water was ng/L. KW - Immunoassay KW - Clarithromycin KW - Abwasser KW - Anthropogener Marker KW - Antibiotikum PY - 2024 SP - 1 EP - 51 PB - Berliner Hochschule für Technik CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-61027 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Asbach, C. A1 - Held, A. A1 - Kiendler-Scharr, A. A1 - Scheuch, G. A1 - Schmid, H.-J. A1 - Schmitt, S. A1 - Schumacher, S. A1 - Wehner, B. A1 - Weingartner, E. A1 - Weinzierl, B. A1 - Bresch, Harald A1 - Seeger, Stefan A1 - u.a., T1 - Position paper of the Gesellschaft für Aerosolforschung on understanding the role of aerosol particles in SARS-CoV-2 infection N2 - Many studies have already shown that viruses can spread via aerosol particles. An aerosol is a mixture of air with solid or liquid particles dispersed in it. To understand the role of aerosol particles as a transmission path of SARS-CoV-2, knowledge of the different processes in an Aerosol is therefore of particular importance. With this paper, GAeF would like to contribute to a better understanding of the term “aerosol” and the relevant aerosol processes. In the context of this paper only the essential basics will be discussed. For a deeper understanding of the partly complex processes, please refer to the literature mentioned at the end of the paper. The paper summarises a large number of studies on the formation of virus-laden aerosol particles and their spread. Based on this, it can be concluded that exhaled aerosol particles may play a prominent role in the spread of viruses in the corona pandemic. Finally, this paper discusses possible measures to reduce the spread of aerosol particles. The measures discussed are based on the current public debate including ventilation, air purifiers, HVAC systems and masks. Advice is given on the correct and sensible use of these measures. An aerosol is always dynamic, as particles are newly formed, transported in or with the air, removed from the air or change in the airborne state. Aerosol particles have sizes between approx. 0.001 and several 100 micrometres (and not < 5 μm as currently defined in many publications) and spread relatively quickly with air currents, even over longer distances. Larger aerosol particles sink to the ground, depending on their size and density, while small aerosol particles can remain in the air for a very long time (see Section 3). Every person emits liquid aerosol particles of various sizes through breathing and when speaking, coughing and sneezing (see Section 4). If a person is infected with a virus, such as SARS-CoV-2, these aerosol particles can contain viruses that can be released into the air and inhaled by other people. SARS-CoV-2 has a size of 0.06 to 0.14 micrometres, but the exhaled liquid aerosol particles are larger. The liquid aerosol particles can shrink by evaporation, depending on the ambient conditions (see Section 3.3). Particle size is relevant for particle transport and particle separation. The highest risk of infection exists in closed indoor spaces, as aerosol particles can accumulate there. Here in particular, appropriate measures must be taken to reduce the concentration of aerosol particles (see Section 5). Against the background of aerosol science, the GAeF classifies the current measures to contain the pandemic as follows: • In principle, no measure can work on its own! According to the current state of knowledge, the interaction of the most varied measures is the best way to minimise the risk of infection. • Keeping distance is important, because with increasing distance, directly exhaled viruses are diluted and the probability of infection decreases. The often prescribed minimum distance can be used as a guide, but it should be increased and supplemented by other measures (see below), especially for longer meetings and also indoors with reduced air movement. • Masks help to filter some of the exhaled particles (and viruses). This reduces the concentration of exhaled particles (and viruses) in a room and thus the risk of infection. It should be noted here that the exhaled aerosol particles are relatively large due to adhering moisture and can therefore also be efficiently retained by simple masks. However, since these particles shrink with longer dwell time in the room air, simple mouth-nose masks are less efficient for self-protection. Respiratory masks are required for this purpose, which show a high degree of separation even for fine particles, e.g. of classes FFP2, N95 or KN95. These are efficient for both self-protection and protection of others unless they have an exhalation valve. Masks with an exhalation valve, on the other hand, are only for self-protection and therefore contradict the solidarity concept that fellow human beings are protected by collective mask wearing. Face shields which are used without additional masks are largely useless with regard t• aerosol particles, as the air with particles (and viruses) flows unfiltered around the shields. In everyday clinical practice, facial shields are worn in addition to masks to prevent droplet infection via the mucous membranes of the eyes. Mobile or permanently installed Plexiglas barriers are also largely ineffective against the spread of aerosols indoors. These can only prevent the smallscale spread of an aerosol in the short term, e.g. in the checkout area of a supermarket, but offer no protection in the longer term. Face shields and Plexiglas panels essentially serve as spit and splash protection against large droplets. • Outdoors, there are practically no infections caused by aerosol transmission. However, droplet infections can still occur, especially in crowds, if minimum distances are not observed and/or masks are not worn. In closed rooms, ventilation is essential to replace the exhaled air in a room with fresh air from outside. Frequent airing and cross-ventilation is just as effective as leaving the window open all the time. From an energy point of view, however, it is more efficient to ventilate the room, especially in winter. CO2 monitors can help to monitor indoor air quality. They indicate when it is necessary to ventilate and when the air in a room has been sufficiently changed during ventilation. However, they can only be used as an indicator and even if the proposed CO2 limit concentrations are met, they do not prevent direct infection by people in the immediate vicinity. • Air purifiers can make a useful contribution to reducing the concentration of particles and viruses in a room. When procuring air purifiers, care must be taken to ensure that they are adequately dimensioned for the room and application in question in order to significantly reduce the particle and virus load. The air throughput of the unit is more important than the pure efficiency of the filter. For energy and cost reasons, the use of highly efficient filters can even be counterproductive. Permanently installed ventilation systems can also be useful, provided they filter the air to reduce the particle and virus load in a room. To avoid infections, it is advisable to operate them with 100 % fresh air if possible. From the point of view of the Gesellschaft für Aerosolforschung, there is a considerable need for research, especially at the interdisciplinary borders to research fields of epidemiology, infectiology, virology, ventilation technology and fluid mechanics. The implementation of targeted studies should be made possible at short notice with special funding and research programmes. This paper was written originally in German by members of the Gesellschaft für Aerosolforschung and is supported by a large number of international aerosol experts. Both the English and German version as well as all images in the paper are available for free download at the following link: https://www.info.gaef.de/positionspapier. The “Gesellschaft für Aerosolforschung e. V.” must be named as the source, whenever an image is used. KW - COVID KW - SARS KW - GAeF KW - Aerosol KW - Corona PY - 2021 UR - https://www.info.gaef.de/_files/ugd/fab12b_d8d88393f90240cdbea63c88c09887ef.pdf DO - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4350494 SP - 1 EP - 48 PB - Association for Aerosol Research CY - Köln AN - OPUS4-53955 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Babutzka, Martin A1 - et al., T1 - Exposure Site Catalogue - Catalogue of atmospheric corrosion field exposure sites in Europe N2 - Exposure sites and outdoor exposure have always been a part of atmospheric corrosion research providing the “final answer”, although at the cost of long exposure times. Individual exposure programs such as ISOCORRAG, MICAT and ICP Materials have resulted in collaborative networks of exposure sites. So far, however, there has been no collective effort to put together currently active sites in a comprehensive manner and across programs and nations. The information collected in the catalogue is possible thanks to the work of all individual site managers listed as contact persons, efforts of members of Working Party 25 (WP25) Atmospheric Corrosion of the European Federation of Corrosion (EFC) and financial support of the EFC. With this Catalogue you can both get a general overview of what is available and be guided if you are looking for a particular environment with certain characteristics. KW - Atmospheric Corrosion KW - Atmosphärische Korrosion KW - Corrosion KW - Korrosion KW - Exposure KW - Auslagerungsversuche PY - 2022 UR - https://efcweb.org/Scientific+Groups/WP25_+Atmospheric+Corrosion/Current+Activities/_/Exposure%20site%20catalogue%20EFC%20lores.pdf SP - 1 EP - 56 PB - European Federation of Corrosion, EFC AN - OPUS4-55284 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Beck, Uwe T1 - Multidimensional Methods for Industrial Quality Assurance N2 - The paper addresses the „Multidimensional Methods for Industrial Quality Assurance“ and the following points are discussed in more detail: thin film analysis, major trends regarding optical measuring methods. KW - optische Konstanten KW - Ellipsometrie KW - Klassifizierungssystem KW - Optical konstantyss KW - Ellipsometry KW - Classification stem PY - 2015 SP - 35 EP - 35 AN - OPUS4-37949 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Bernhardt, Y. A1 - Császár, L. A1 - Dengiz, N. A1 - Fuchs, M. A1 - Gaal, Mate A1 - Gautzsch, T. A1 - Gohlke, Dirk A1 - Hahn-Jose, T. A1 - Heckel, Thomas A1 - Hillger, W. A1 - Hufschläger, Daniel A1 - Ilse, D. A1 - Kiel, M. A1 - Kornely, M. A1 - Labud, P. A. A1 - Marhenke, T. A1 - Schubert, F. A1 - Sommerhuber, R. A1 - Steinhausen, R. A1 - Szewieczek, A. A1 - Wachter, L. A1 - Waschkies, T. T1 - Characterization and verification of air-coupled ultrasonic probes N2 - This guideline was drafted following and complementing the norm ISO 22232-2:2020(E) to include air-coupled ultrasonic transducers. This document specifies the characteristics of probes used for non-destructive air-coupled ultrasonic testing with center frequencies above 20 kHz, with focusing or without focusing means. KW - Air-coupled ultrasound KW - Ultrasonic testing KW - Guideline KW - Probe KW - Characterization PY - 2022 SN - 978-3-947971-26-8 VL - Guideline US 08 SP - 1 EP - 23 PB - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zerstörungsfreie Prüfung (DGZfP) CY - Berlin ET - Edition September 2022 AN - OPUS4-56228 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Bleeker, E. A1 - Visser, M. A1 - Groenewold, M. A1 - Blab, G. A1 - Brouwer, D. A1 - Sultan, Y. A1 - Gagnon, C. A1 - Wilkinson, K. A1 - Doa, M. A1 - Boyes, W. A1 - Kiyota, Y. A1 - Yanase, K. A1 - Holmqvist, J. A1 - Rasmussen, K. A1 - Sumrein, A. A1 - Clancy, S. A1 - Brown, S. A1 - Carlander, D. A1 - Murphy, L. A1 - Bresch, Harald A1 - Hund-Rinke, K. A1 - Igarashi, T. A1 - Riego-Sintes, J. A1 - Tentschert, J. T1 - Physical-chemical properties of nanomaterials: Evaluation of methods applied in the OECD-WPMN Testing Programme N2 - The Sponsorship Programme for the Testing of Manufactured Nanomaterials (further referred to as “the Testing Programme”) was concluded in March 2013, and the publication of the dossiers via the OECD website (www.oecd.org/science/nanosafety) started in June 2015. As indicated in the “Guidance manual for the testing of manufactured nanomaterials: OECD’s sponsorship programme”, after conclusion of the Testing Programme a next step is to consider “the status, need for, and coordination of further test development”. Parallel to concluding the final stages of the Testing Programme, a series of workshops have taken place, in which for different topics the applicability of existing OECD test guidelines for nanomaterials was discussed and the need for new ones analysed. One workshop focussed on physico-chemical methods, addressing in detail the relevance of each physico-chemical endpoint proposed in the Testing Programme for the regulation of nanomaterials. The methods were discussed in more general terms. However, as most of the proposed endpoints are new to the OECD Test Guidelines Programme, a much more detailed evaluation of the applied methods would be highly relevant. To this extent,the Netherlands volunteered to lead an initial detailed evaluation of the applicability of the test methods applied to determine the physico-chemical properties of different types of nanomaterials in the Testing Programme. This initial focus on physico-chemical properties was prompted by the essential need for an adequate and complete characterisation of nanomaterials to enable a further evaluation of their (toxicological) properties. A number of experts from several delegations volunteered to review and evaluate the methods applied to determine the physico-chemical properties of the nanomaterials in the Testing Programme. KW - Nanomaterialien KW - Nano KW - Nanopartikel KW - Charakterisierung KW - OECD KW - Nanomaterials PY - 2016 UR - http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/nanosafety/publications-series-safety-manufactured-nanomaterials.htm IS - 65 SP - 1 EP - 43 CY - Paris AN - OPUS4-38495 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Jungmittag, A. A1 - Mangelsdorf, Axel T1 - The economic benefits of standardization - An update of the study carried out by DIN in 2000 N2 - Economists have been searching for the sources of economic growth since the end of the 18th century. For Adam Smith the division of labour and the accumulation of capital were causes for the increasing wealth of nations. The Austrian-American economist Joseph Alois Schumpeter further established that innovations in products and processes are prerequisites for economic growth: »The fundamental drive that starts up the capitalist machine and keeps it running comes from the new consumer goods, the new production and transport methods, the new markets, the new forms of industrial organisation, which capitalist entrepreneurship creates.« Building on these fundamental ideas, during the 1950s American Robert M. Solow – later a Nobel prize winner – developed the first formal mathematical model of economic growth. Solow was able to use a simple model to Show that economic growth within the USA could be described by three determinants: an increase in capital (e.g. machinery and infrastructure), an increase in labour, and technical progress. Later other economists were able to further refine Solow‘s growth theory. While technical progress was accepted during the early years as a fact, it became ever easier to theoretically describe and quantify its causes. The central idea of these new models is that the state and businesses invest in research and development, thus continually stimulating economic growth through new products and production methods. KW - Standards KW - Economic growth KW - Value KW - Technical progress PY - 2011 SP - 1 EP - 20 CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-25073 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Blind, Knut A1 - Neuhäusler, Peter A1 - Schubert, Torben ED - Koch, Claudia T1 - The importance of quality infrastructure in Germany: Study on economic and non-economic effects N2 - A strong and reliable quality infrastructure (QI) is vital for supporting and improving the quality, safety, and environmental compatibility of goods, services, and processes. This empirical study is the first to quantitatively assess the economic and non-economic effects of QI. As part of this study, the economic impact dimensions of QI and its individual components were conceptualized and quantified, particularly with regard to gross value added, economic growth, foreign trade, innovation, and other aspects. Sector-specific characteristics were taken into account. This quantitative analysis is supplemented by a qualitative analysis of Germany's QI, which examines both the interactions between the various QI components and the specific characteristics of selected sectors. This report is an English summary version of the original German report. KW - Quality infrastructure KW - Econometrics KW - Gross domestic product KW - Economic growth KW - Innovation KW - Quality assurance KW - Economy PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.24406/publica-5041 SP - 1 EP - 21 CY - Karlsruhe, Berlin AN - OPUS4-63913 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Kittner, Maria A1 - Dümichen, Erik A1 - Thaxton, K. A1 - Kleine-Benne, E. A1 - Anumol, T. T1 - Accelerated Determination of Microplastics in Environmental Samples Using Thermal Extraction Desorption-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (TED-GC/MS) N2 - There is growing interest in quantifying microplastics in environmental samples. This application note presents a thermal extraction desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TED-GC/MS) method that is well suited to automation and increased sample throughput. The method is also able to detect all particle sizes in the sample as long as the limit of detection (LOD) is reached and allows analysis of larger samples of 15 to 25 mg or more. Samples were decomposed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the gaseous decomposition products were trapped on a solid-phase sorbent, followed by thermal desorption‑gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) using an Agilent 5977B GC/MSD coupled to an Agilent 7890B GC. Target microplastic particle (MP) polymers were identified in environmental samples including surface water, finished compost, house dust, and drinking water. Quantification of MP polymers in environmental samples provided LODs of 0.06 to 2.2 μg, allowing the detection of MPs in trace amounts with sample weights of up to 1 g. Method repeatability was adequate for reliable quantification with RSDs of approximately 6 to 12%. KW - Environment KW - Microplastic particles KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Mass content KW - Thermoanalytical PY - 2020 VL - 2020 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Agilent Technologies Inc. CY - USA AN - OPUS4-51672 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -