TY - JOUR A1 - Knoedler, Leonard A1 - Dean, Jillian A1 - Knoedler, Samuel A1 - Kauke-Navarro, Martin A1 - Hollmann, Katharina A1 - Alfertshofer, Michael A1 - Helm, Sabrina A1 - Prantl, Lukas A1 - Schliermann, Rainer T1 - Hard shell, soft core? Multi-disciplinary and multi-national insights into mental toughness among surgeons JF - Frontiers in Surgery N2 - Background: With the prevalence of burnout among surgeons posing a significant threat to healthcare outcomes, the mental toughness of medical professionals has come to the fore. Mental toughness is pivotal for surgical performance and patient safety, yet research into its dynamics within a global and multi-specialty context remains scarce. This study aims to elucidate the factors contributing to mental toughness among surgeons and to understand how it correlates with surgical outcomes and personal well-being. Methods: Utilizing a cross-sectional design, this study surveyed 104 surgeons from English and German-speaking countries using the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ-18) along with additional queries about their surgical practice and general life satisfaction. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were applied to investigate the variations in mental toughness across different surgical domains and its correlation with professional and personal factors. Results: The study found a statistically significant higher level of mental toughness in micro-surgeons compared to macro-surgeons and a positive correlation between mental toughness and surgeons' intent to continue their careers. A strong association was also observed between general life satisfaction and mental toughness. No significant correlations were found between the application of psychological skills and mental toughness. Conclusion: Mental toughness varies significantly among surgeons from different specialties and is influenced by professional dedication and personal life satisfaction. These findings suggest the need for targeted interventions to foster mental toughness in the surgical community, potentially enhancing surgical performance and reducing burnout. Future research should continue to explore these correlations, with an emphasis on longitudinal data and the development of resilience-building programs. KW - mental toughness KW - mental health KW - resilience KW - robustness KW - psychology KW - surgery Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2024.1361406 N1 - Correspondign author der OTH Regensburg: Rainer Schliermann (und Leonard Knoedler) VL - 11 PB - Frontiers ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schiek, Roland T1 - Nonlinear refractive index in silica glass JF - Optical Materials Expres N2 - The third-order nonlinear susceptibility of silica glass is measured via self-phase modulation in standard single mode fibers at a wavelength of 1550 nm. To minimize the influence of polarization state changes along the propagation only meter-long fibers were investigated. With pulse durations of picoseconds a quasi-instantaneous nonlinearity with ultrafast electronic and fast nuclear-vibration contributions produces under conditions of negligible dispersion a classic and clean nonlinear phase shift following exactly the shape of the pulse power. The complex pulse envelope was retrieved from frequency optical gating spectrograms. The nonlinear fiber parameter γ could be determined with an accuracy of 3.7 percent. Considering the mode field structure and the doping influence the nonlinear refractive index of silica glass as the fiber base material was found to be n 2 =2.22⋅10 −16 cm 2 W±6.0% for picosecond-long pulses. Comparing nonlinear phase shifts from linear and circular polarized light a nuclear-vibration contribution to the cubic fiber nonlinearity of 25 percent was estimated. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1364/ome.489520 N1 - Corresponding author: Roland Schiek VL - 13 IS - 6 SP - 1727 EP - 1740 PB - Optica ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rill, Georg A1 - Schuderer, Matthias T1 - A Second-Order Dynamic Friction Model Compared to Commercial Stick–Slip Models JF - Modelling N2 - Friction has long been an important issue in multibody dynamics. Static friction models apply appropriate regularization techniques to convert the stick inequality and the non-smooth stick–slip transition of Coulomb’s approach into a continuous and smooth function of the sliding velocity. However, a regularized friction force is not able to maintain long-term stick. That is why dynamic friction models were developed in recent decades. The friction force depends herein not only on the sliding velocity but also on internal states. The probably best-known representative, the LuGre friction model, is based on a fictitious bristle but realizes a too-simple approximation. The recently published second-order dynamic friction model describes the dynamics of a fictitious bristle more accurately. It is based on a regularized friction force characteristic, which is continuous and smooth but can maintain long-term stick due to an appropriate shift in the regularization. Its performance is compared here to stick–slip friction models, developed and launched not long ago by commercial multibody software packages. The results obtained by a virtual friction test-bench and by a more practical festoon cable system are very promising. Thus, the second-order dynamic friction model may serve not only as an alternative to the LuGre model but also to commercial stick–slip models. KW - commercial stick–slip friction models KW - dynamic friction model KW - long-term stick KW - multibody dynamics Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/modelling4030021 SN - 2673-3951 N1 - Corresponding author: Georg Rill VL - 4 IS - 3 SP - 366 EP - 381 PB - MDPI ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kriegl, Raphael A1 - Kravanja, Gaia A1 - Hribar, Luka A1 - Jezeršek, Matija A1 - Drevenšek-Olenik, Irena A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail T1 - Characterization of Wetting Properties of Magnetoactive Elastomer Surfaces T2 - Proceedings of the ASME Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS) - 2023, September 11–13, 2023 Austin, Texas, USA N2 - Commercially available contact angle (CA) measuring devices usually do not allow for the application of magnetic fields to the sample under test. A setup for measuring the CA of liquids on magnetosensitive surfaces has been developed specifically for investigating the surfaces of magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs). The addition of a programmable linear stage, which moves a permanent magnet, allows for fine control of the magnetic field applied to the MAE without the need for large and power-consuming electromagnets. Paired with a custom control and evaluation software, this measurement setup operates semiautomatically, limiting operator error and increasing precision, speed, as well as repeatability of static and dynamic CA measurements for different magnetoactive materials. The software is equipped with robust droplet fitting algorithms to avoid experimental challenges arising with soft magnetoactive materials, such as the curling of sample edges or diffuse non-reflective surfaces. Several application examples on MAE surfaces, both processed and unprocessed, are presented. KW - magnetoactive elastomers KW - image processing KW - droplet contour fitting KW - contact angle Y1 - 2023 SN - 978-0-7918-8752-3 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1115/SMASIS2023-110998 N1 - Corresponding author: Raphael Kriegl PB - The American Society of Mechanical Engineers CY - New York, USA ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Linner, Thomas T1 - Special issue: Implementation-Oriented Construction Robotics JF - Construction Robotics Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-023-00100-y N1 - Corresponding author: Thomas LInner VL - 7 SP - 1 EP - 2 PB - Springer Nature ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hofrichter, Andreas A1 - Rank, Daniel A1 - Heberl, Michael A1 - Sterner, Michael T1 - Determination of the optimal power ratio between electrolysis and renewable energy to investigate the effects on the hydrogen production costs JF - International Journal of Hydrogen Energy N2 - Green hydrogen via renewable powered electrolysis has a high relevance in decarbonization and supply security. Achieving economically competitive hydrogen production costs is a major challenge in times of an energy price crisis. Our objective is to show the economically optimal installed capacity of electrolysers in relation to wind and solar power so swift and credible statements can be made regarding the system design. The ratio between renewable generation and electrolysis power as well as scaling effects, operating behaviour and development of costs are considered. Hydrogen production costs are calculated for four exemplary real PV and wind sites and different ratios of electrolysis to renewable power for the year 2020. The ideal ratio for PV systems is between 14% and 73% and for wind between 3.3% and 143% for low and high full load hours. The lowest hydrogen production costs are identified at 2.53 €/kg for 50 MW wind power and 72 MW electrolysis power. The results provide plant constructors the possibility to create a cost-optimized design via an optimum ratio of electrolysis to renewable capacity. Therefore, the procedures for planning and dimensioning of selected systems can be drastically simplified. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2022.09.263 SN - 0360-3199 N1 - Corresponding author: Michael Heberl N1 - Corrigendum to “Determination of the optimal power ratio between electrolysis and renewable energy to investigate the effects on the hydrogen production costs” [Int J Hydrogen Energy 48 (5) (2023) 1651–1663] - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.03.128 VL - 48 IS - 5 SP - 1651 EP - 1663 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schloplocher, Paul Dragos A1 - Ettengruber, Stefan A1 - Steffens, Oliver T1 - Improvements for building-performance simulations by a comparative finite-element method analysis JF - Energy and Buildings N2 - This paper presents a method to improve building-performance simulations (BPS) by the comparison and analysis of different approaches based on finite-element method (FEM) models. The lumped parameter method (LPM) is used in several BPS programs and tools. It has the advantage of fast computing times and comparably good accuracy for thermal and energy loads. With the help of detailed FEM simulations, it is possible to further improve the degree of detail and accuracy while maintaining the high simulation speed. In this work, we compare time-dependent results for local temperatures in a generic reference room within a given periode of time. In a second step, the differences between the models with respect to various physical effects are analyzed and used to introduce additional equations into the LPM model in order to improve its accuracy. Thus, we discuss potentials for improvement for BPS and demonstrate a method of a practical implementation. The results show minor differences of less than 0.1 K for radiation and heat transfer, so their level of detail in BPS is appropriate. In these terms, no improvements were pursued within the work. However, the FEM simulation is capable of calculating the internal convective heat transfer and thermal bridges more accurately due to the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the geometrically precise representation of the FEM model. Here, deviations of up to 1 K in room temperature (convective heat transfer) and up to 0.5 K in wall temperatures (thermal bridges) were pointed out. By improving the LPM with equations obtained from the FEM, these deviations can be reduced to less than 0.2 K, which is a considerable improvement in accuracy. KW - Lumped parameter model KW - Finite-element method KW - Building performance simulation Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112563 N1 - Corresponding author: Dragos Paul Schoplocher VL - 278 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Thumann, Philipp A1 - Buchner, Stefan A1 - Marburg, Steffen A1 - Wagner, Marcus T1 - A comparative study of Glinka and Neuber approaches for fatigue strength assessment on 42CrMoS4-QT specimens JF - Strain N2 - In fatigue strength assessment, the methods based on ideal elastic stresses according to Basquin and the less established method based on elastic-plastic stress quantities according to Manson, Coffin and Morrow are applied. The former calculates loads using linear-elastic stresses, the latter requires elasticplastic evaluation parameters, such as stresses and strains. These can be determined by finite element analysis (FEA) with a linear-elastic constitutive law, and subsequent conversion to elastic-plastic loads, using the macro support formula by Neuber. In this contribution, an alternative approach to approximate elastic-plastic parameters proposed by Glinka is compared to the the strain-life method using Neuber's formula, as well as the stress-life method of Basquin. Several component tests on 42CrMoS4-QT specimens are investigated. To determine the input data for the fatigue strength evaluations, the entire test setup is computed by FEA. The nodal displacements from these validated full-model simulations are used as boundary conditions for a submodel simulation of a notch, whose results serve as input for the fatigue strength assessments. It is shown that all approaches provide a reliable assessment of components. Our key result is that the strain-life method using the concept by Glinka for notch stress computation, yields improved results in fatigue strength assessments. KW - 42CrMoS4-QT KW - fatigue strength KW - stress-life method KW - Glinka KW - strain-life method Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/str.12470 SN - 1475-1305 N1 - Corresponding author: Marcus Wagner VL - 2023 IS - e12470 PB - Wiley ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Huber, Lea A1 - Heindl, Melanie A1 - Schlosser, Marc A1 - Pfitzner, Arno A1 - Dawoud, Belal T1 - On the Cycle Stability and Macroscopic Structure of Iron Oxide Pellets for Thermochemical Hydrogen Storage: Influence of Water Content during the Pelletizing Process JF - Applied Sciences N2 - Hydrogen storage based on the repeated reduction and oxidation (redox) reactions of iron oxide/iron composites represents a promising technology. This work is dedicated to studying the influence of the amount of water added during the pelletizing process on the cycle stability and structure of iron oxide pellets. The storage composites were prepared from iron oxide (Fe2O3) and 10 wt.-% support material (cement) with different amounts of water (18 and 33 wt.-%) in a laboratory-scale pelletizing disk. To evaluate the cycle stability of the composites, the kinetics of the redox reactions were experimentally measured at 800 ∘ C in an atmosphere of 50% N2 and 50% H2 (reduction) or 50% steam (oxidation), respectively. Moreover, the structure of the pellets was analyzed by micro-computed tomography scans. It turned out that pellets with higher water contents attained faster kinetics and a higher cycle stability. The sample with the least water content (18 wt.-%) needed about 26 min and 19 min to reach a conversion rate of 80% during the reduction and oxidation reactions of the sixth redox cycle, respectively. In contrast, the sample with the highest water content (33 wt.-%) could achieve the same conversion rate after 18 min (reduction) and 13 min (oxidation) during the ninth redox cycle. KW - hydrogen storage KW - redox reactions KW - iron/iron oxide KW - pelletizing process KW - cycle stability KW - water content Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/app13116408 N1 - Corresponding author: Belal Dawoud VL - 13 IS - 11 PB - MDPI CY - 16 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Moser, Elisabeth A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - A sub-ppbv-level Acetone and Ethanol Quantum Cascade Laser Based Photoacoustic Sensor– Characterization and Multi-Component Spectra Recording in Synthetic Breath JF - Photoacoustics N2 - Trace gas analysis in breath is challenging due to the vast number of different components. We present a highly sensitive quantum cascade laser based photoacoustic setup for breath analysis. Scanning the range between 8263 and 8270 nm with a spectral resolution of 48 pm, we are able to quantify acetone and ethanol within a typical breath matrix containing water and CO2. We photoacoustically acquired spectra within this region of mid-infra-red light and prove that those spectra do not suffer from non-spectral interferences. The purely additive behavior of a breath sample spectrum was verified by comparing it with the independently acquired single component spectra using Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. A previously presented simulation approach is improved and an error attribution study is presented. With a 3σ detection limit of 6.5 ppbv in terms of ethanol and 250 pptv regarding acetone, our system is among the best performing presented so far. KW - Acetone KW - Breath analysis KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - Quantum cascade laser KW - Spectral simulation Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100473 SN - 2213-5979 N1 - Corresponding author: Jonas Pangerl VL - 30 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tauwald, Sandra Melina A1 - Michel, Johanna A1 - Brandt, Marie A1 - Vielsmeier, Veronika A1 - Stemmer, Christian A1 - Krenkel, Lars T1 - Experimental studies and mathematical modeling of the viscoelastic rheology of tracheobronchial mucus from respiratory healthy patients JF - Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine N2 - BACKGROUND: Tracheobronchial mucus plays a crucial role in pulmonary function by providing protection against inhaled pathogens. Due to its composition of water, mucins, and other biomolecules, it has a complex viscoelastic rheological behavior. This interplay of both viscous and elastic properties has not been fully described yet. In this study, we characterize the rheology of human mucus using oscillatory and transient tests. Based on the transient tests, we describe the material behavior of mucus under stress and strain loading by mathematical models. METHODS: Mucus samples were collected from clinically used endotracheal tubes. For rheological characterization, oscillatory amplitude-sweep and frequency-sweep tests, and transient creep-recovery and stress-relaxation tests were performed. The results of the transient test were approximated using the Burgers model, the Weibull distribution, and the six-element Maxwell model. The three-dimensional microstructure of the tracheobronchial mucus was visualized using scanning electron microscope imaging. RESULTS: Amplitude-sweep tests showed storage moduli ranging from 0.1 Pa to 10000 Pa and a median critical strain of 4 %. In frequency-sweep tests, storage and loss moduli increased with frequency, with the median of the storage modulus ranging from 10 Pa to 30 Pa, and the median of the loss modulus from 5 Pa to 14 Pa. The Burgers model approximates the viscoelastic behavior of tracheobronchial mucus during a constant load of stress appropriately (R2 of 0.99), and the Weibull distribution is suitable to predict the recovery of the sample after the removal of this stress (R2 of 0.99). The approximation of the stress-relaxation test data by a six-element Maxwell model shows a larger fit error (R2 of 0.91). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a detailed description of all process steps of characterizing the rheology of tracheobronchial mucus, including sample collection, microstructure visualization, and rheological investigation. Based on this characterization, we provide mathematical models of the rheological behavior of tracheobronchial mucus. These can now be used to simulate mucus flow in the respiratory system through numerical approaches. KW - tracheobronchial mucus KW - rheological model KW - viscoelasticity Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.4081/mrm.2023.923 SN - 2049-6958 N1 - Corresponding author: Sandra Melina Tauwald VL - 18 IS - 1 PB - PAGEPress CY - Pavia, Italy ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mikhaeil, Makram A1 - Gaderer, Matthias A1 - Dawoud, Belal T1 - Experimental Investigation of the Adsorption and Desorption Kinetics on an Open-Structured Asymmetric Plate Heat Exchanger; Matching Between Small-Scale and Full-Scale Results JF - Frontiers in Energy Research N2 - This paper introduces the results of an experimental study on the adsorption and desorption kinetics of a commercially available, open-structured asymmetric plate heat exchanger adapted to act as an adsorber/desorber for the application in adsorption heat transformation processes. In addition, a volumetric large temperature jump (V-LTJ) kinetic setup was applied to measure the adsorption and desorption kinetics of a small-scale adsorbent sample prepared dedicatedly to be representative for the adsorbent domain inside the investigated adsorber plate heat exchanger (APHE). All kinetic results of the small-scale adsorbent sample and the APHE were fitted into exponential forms with a single characteristic time constant (τ) with a coefficient of determination (R2) better than 0.9531. A very good matching between the small-scale and full-scale adsorption kinetic measurements was obtained, with an average relative deviation of 12.3% in the obtained τ-values. In addition, the kinetic data of the small-scale adsorbent sample were utilized for estimating the expected specific instantaneous and moving average powers of the evaporator/condenser heat exchanger. The average relative deviation (ARD) between the moving average specific evaporator powers obtained from the small-scale and the full-scale measurements amounts between 5.4 and 15.1%. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2022.818486 N1 - Corresponding author: Belal Dawoud VL - 10 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Frontiers ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Haug, Sonja A1 - Vetter, Miriam ED - Teti, Andrea T1 - Ältere Menschen im Wohnquartier Margaretenau in Regensburg – aktuelle Situation und zukünftiger Bedarf T2 - Wohnen und Gesundheit im Alter T2 - Vechtaer Beiträge zur Gerontologie N2 - Der Beitrag zeigt Ergebnisse einer Begleitstudie zur Restaurierung und energetischen Modernisierung des historischen genossenschaftlichen Wohnquartiers Margaretenau in Regensburg im Projekt MAGGIE. Bei der Gestaltung von Wohnungen und Gelegenheiten für die soziale Einbettung im Quartier wird eine altersgerechte Perspektive eingenommen. Die Darstellung der schriftlichen standardisierten Haushaltsbefragung (n = 195) nimmt die Lebenssituation älterer Menschen ab 65 Jahren in den Fokus. Dazu werden die Themenbereiche Haushaltsstruktur, altersgerechtes Wohnen und Gemeinschaftseinrichtungen präsentiert. Neben der aktuellen Wohnsituation wurden Pläne und Wünsche für das zukünftige Wohnen abgefragt. Im Alter schwindet die Bereitschaft für Veränderungen, was sich am Wunsch zum Altern in der bisherigen Wohnung und Verbleib im Wohnquartier zeigt. Das Interesse am barrierereduzierten Wohnen ist bei älteren Haushalten geringer als bei jüngeren. Es zeigt sich ein überdurchschnittlich hohes Maß an lokalem Sozialkapital, wobei kein signifikanter Unterschied zwischen jüngeren und älteren Haushalten besteht. Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-3-658-34385-9 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-34386-6_14 N1 - Corresponding author: Sonja Haug SP - 215 EP - 227 PB - Springer VS CY - Wiesbaden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maiwald, Frederik A1 - Roider, Clemens A1 - Schmidt, Michael A1 - Hierl, Stefan T1 - Optical Coherence Tomography for 3D Weld Seam Localization in Absorber-Free Laser Transmission Welding JF - Applied Sciences N2 - Quality and reliability are of the utmost importance for manufacturing in the optical and medical industries. Absorber-free laser transmission welding enables the precise joining of identical polymers without additives or adhesives and is well-suited to meet the demands of the aforementioned industries. To attain sufficient absorption of laser energy without absorbent additives, thulium fiber lasers, which emit in the polymers’ intrinsic absorption spectrum, are used. Focusing the laser beam with a high numerical aperture provides significant intensity gradients inside the workpiece and enables selective fusing of the internal joining zone without affecting the surface of the device. Because seam size and position are crucial, the high-quality requirements demand internal weld seam monitoring. In this work, we propose a novel method to determine weld seam location and size using optical coherence tomography. Changes in optical material properties because of melting and re-solidification during welding allow for weld seam differentiation from the injection-molded base material. Automatic processing of the optical coherence tomography data enables the identification and measurement of the weld seam geometry. The results from our technique are consistent with microscopic images of microtome sections and demonstrate that weld seam localization in polyamide 6 is possible with an accuracy better than a tenth of a millimeter. KW - image processing KW - laser transmission welding KW - optical coherence tomography KW - process monitoring KW - transparent polymers Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052718 N1 - Corresponding author: Frederik Maiwald VL - 12 IS - 5 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - MPDI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Herrmann, Frank T1 - Human Experience Versus Rule Decision at Krones AG JF - Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research N2 - Final assembly at Krones AG must make the best possible use of its production space and meeting the specified customer due dates is critical. Via a self developed simulation tool, the present scheduling procedure is compared with the one by priority rule shortest slack. As a consequence slack should have a higher importance in the planning KW - Simulation of Scheduling KW - Tardiness KW - Unused Area Y1 - 2022 UR - https://biomedres.us/pdfs/BJSTR.MS.ID.006691.pdf U6 - https://doi.org/10.26717/BJSTR.2022.42.006691 SN - 2574 -1241 N1 - Corressponding author: Frank Herrmann VL - 42 IS - 1 SP - 33255 EP - 33260 PB - Biomedical Research Network+ ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kriegl, Raphael A1 - Kravanja, Gaia A1 - Hribar, Luka A1 - Čoga, Lucija A1 - Drevenšek-Olenik, Irena A1 - Jezeršek, Matija A1 - Kalin, Mitjan A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail T1 - Microstructured Magnetoactive Elastomers for Switchable Wettability JF - Polymers N2 - We demonstrate the control of wettability of non-structured and microstructured magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) by magnetic field. The synthesized composite materials have a concentration of carbonyl iron particles of 75 wt.% (≈27 vol.%) and three different stiffnesses of the elastomer matrix. A new method of fabrication of MAE coatings on plastic substrates is presented, which allows one to enhance the response of the apparent contact angle to the magnetic field by exposing the particle-enriched side of MAEs to water. A magnetic field is not applied during crosslinking. The highest variation of the contact angle from (113 ± 1)° in zero field up to (156 ± 2)° at about 400 mT is achieved in the MAE sample with the softest matrix. Several lamellar and pillared MAE structures are fabricated by laser micromachining. The lateral dimension of surface structures is about 50 µm and the depth varies between 3 µm and 60 µm. A systematic investigation of the effects of parameters of laser processing (laser power and the number of passages of the laser beam) on the wetting behavior of these structures in the absence and presence of a magnetic field is performed. In particular, strong anisotropy of the wetting behavior of lamellar structures is observed. The results are qualitatively discussed in the framework of the Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models. Finally, directions of further research on magnetically controlled wettability of microstructured MAE surfaces are outlined. The obtained results may be useful for the development of magnetically controlled smart surfaces for droplet-based microfluidics. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14183883 N1 - Corresponding authors: Raphael Kriegl und Mikhail Shamonin VL - 14 IS - 18 SP - 1 EP - 21 PB - MDPI ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gamisch, Bernd A1 - Huber, Lea A1 - Gaderer, Matthias A1 - Dawoud, Belal T1 - On the Kinetic Mechanisms of the Reduction and Oxidation Reactions of Iron Oxide/Iron Pellets for a Hydrogen Storage Process JF - Energies N2 - This work aims at investigating the kinetic mechanisms of the reduction/oxidation (redox) reactions of iron oxide/iron pellets under different operating conditions. The reaction principle is the basis of a thermochemical hydrogen storage system. To simulate the charging phase, a single pellet consisting of iron oxide (90% Fe2O3, 10% stabilising cement) is reduced with different hydrogen (H2) concentrations at temperatures between 600 and 800 °C. The discharge phase is initiated by the oxidation of the previously reduced pellet by water vapour (H2O) at different concentrations in the same temperature range. In both reactions, nitrogen (N2) is used as a carrier gas. The redox reactions have been experimentally measured in a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) at a flow rate of 250 mL/min. An extensive literature review has been conducted on the existing reactions’ kinetic mechanisms along with their applicability to describe the obtained results. It turned out that the measured kinetic results can be excellently described with the so-called shrinking core model. Using the geometrical contracting sphere reaction mechanism model, the concentration- and temperature-dependent reduction and oxidation rates can be reproduced with a maximum deviation of less than 5%. In contrast to the reduction process, the temperature has a smaller effect on the oxidation reaction kinetics, which is attributed to 71% less activation energy (Ea,Re=56.9 kJ/mol versus Ea,Ox=16.0 kJ/mol). The concentration of the reacting gas showed, however, an opposite trend: namely, to have an almost twofold impact on the oxidation reaction rate constant compared to the reduction rate constant. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/en15218322 N1 - Corresponding author: Belal Dawoud VL - 15 IS - 21 PB - MDPI ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Glavan, Gašper A1 - Belyaeva, Inna A. A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail T1 - Multiferroic Cantilevers Containing a Magnetoactive Elastomer: Magnetoelectric Response to Low-Frequency Magnetic Fields of Triangular and Sinusoidal Waveform JF - Sensors N2 - In this work, multiferroic cantilevers comprise a layer of a magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) and a commercially available piezoelectric polymer-based vibration sensor. The structures are fixed at one end in the horizontal plane and the magnetic field is applied vertically. First, the magnetoelectric (ME) response to uniform, triangle-wave magnetic fields with five different slew rates is investigated experimentally. Time and field dependences of the generated voltage, electric charge, and observed mechanical deflection are obtained and compared for four different thicknesses of the MAE layer. The ME responses to triangular and sinusoidal wave excitations are examined in contrast. Second, the ME response at low frequencies (≤3 Hz) is studied by the standard method of harmonic magnetic field modulation. The highest ME coupling coefficient is observed in the bias magnetic field strength of ≈73 kA/m and it is estimated to be about 3.3 ns/m (ME voltage coefficient ≈ 25 V/A) at theoretically vanishing modulation frequency (f→0 Hz). Presented results demonstrate that the investigated heterostructures are promising for applications as magnetic-field sensors and energy harvesting devices. KW - magnetoactive elastomer KW - piezoelectric polymer KW - multilayer cantilever KW - direct magnetoelectric effect KW - magnetic field sensing Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/s22103791 N1 - Corresponding authors: Gašper Glavan und Mikhail Shamonin VL - 22 IS - 10 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Linner, Thomas ED - Linner, Thomas T1 - Special issue ISARC 2021 JF - Construction Robotics N2 - The research filed of construction robotics broadens increasingly in terms of complexity, approaches, technologies used, active stakeholders, and application areas. Worldwide labour and resource shortages, the need to increase circularity and resource efficiency, new materials and the increasing utilisation of digital construction tools in the planning and construction industry massively spur the uptake of robotic solutions for on-site construction. The initial boom of construction robots happened in the 1970s, driven by the Japanese construction industry. In the 1980s, a combination with parallel developments was supposed to achieve complete, integrated robotic on-site factories. From the mid-1980s onwards, the global interest in construction robots decreased gradually. Bulky and expensive systems, complex on-site navigation and logistics approaches, a narrow scope of tasks, inflexibility, incompatibility with on-site work organisation and professional qualification, low usability and insufficient inter-robot coordination capabilities revealed the immaturity of the systems. Only a few organisations predominantly situated in Asia such as Takenaka, Obayashi, Kajima Corporation, Nihon Bisho Co., Samsung, and Hitachi maintained development activities. However, since the mid-2010s, development activities are gaining traction again. On the application side, this is mainly driven by trends such as the need to upgrade the energy performance of buildings in Europe, a global necessity to remove asbestos from existing structures, and a demand for enormous quantities of high-rise buildings all over East Asia. On the system side, the renewed interest stems from major advances in physical–mechanical robot technology in other automation-driven industries such as the automotive industry. Robots became lighter, more flexible, their parts modular and interchangeable, more user friendly as well as significantly cheaper. On the digital side, the BIM-to-Robot pipeline was subject of intensive reserach and development. More and more methods and tools help to increase the usability of robots and facilitate the simulation and optimisation of robot-driven construction processes. In the last 4–5 years, the worldwide growing need and interest in construction robotics became highly evident. More than 200 robot systems are pushed by start-ups and spin-offs and their investors to the market. This is backed by an enormous number of activities and projects carried out in the academic area pushing to the boundaries of what is technologically possible. Major associations and their conferences increase significantly in popularity such as ISARC (International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction), EC3 (European Council of Computing in Construction), and Robots in Architecture. Competency in digital construction, automation and robotics becomes a key for all stakeholders in the construction industry and many universities worldwide launch dedicated interdisciplinary programs. Powerful governments (China) and major funding programs such as Horizon Europe (Europe) massively request and fund the development of robotic solutions for construction such as drones, mobile robots, 3D-printing solutions, cable-driven robots, and exoskeletons. Regulators and standardisation organisation start to develop the first certification and standardisation schemes for construction robots and large software companies make attempts to allow to simulate and program robotic construction processes efficiently and robustly based on digital building and construction data. To showcase the diversity of cutting-edge research in the area, this special issue invited eight extended versions of selected papers from the ISARC 2021 conference. As such, this issue covers digital approaches to embed fabrication and robot information in BIM and IFC and program robots directly from digital building models. New robot systems spur novel robotic production processes, and machine learning enable novel logistics approaches for building components that may ultimately lead to robotic cranes and other robotic on-site logistics and handling solutions (including autonomous construction machines). In parallel, systematic evaluation and robot development methods are developed that allow to shed light on their performance in the construction process. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-022-00079-y N1 - Corresponding author: Thomas Linner VL - Vol. 6 IS - Issue 2 SP - 58 EP - 68 PB - Springer Nature ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Saffert, Anne-Sophie A1 - Melzner, Maximilian A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - Biomechanical analysis of the right elevated glenohumeral joint in violinists during legato-playing JF - Technology and Health Care N2 - BACKGROUND: Many statistics reveal that violin players suffer most often from musculoskeletal disorders compared to musicians of other instrument groups. A common phenomenon, especially observed in violin beginners, is the tendency to elevate the right shoulder during playing the violin. This can probably lead to serious disorders in long-term practice with repetitive movements. OBJECTIVE: For this reason, this study investigated the relationship between the right shoulder elevation and the force in the right glenohumeral joint during violin playing. It was hypothesized that the forces in the right glenohumeral joint are higher during playing with the right shoulder raised compared to playing in normal posture. METHODS: Motion capture data from four experienced violinists was recorded and processed by means of musculoskeletal simulation to get the force and elevation angle while playing with raised shoulder and in normal position. RESULTS: The results indicate that the absolute values of the resulting force, as well as the forces in the mediolateral, inferosuperior, and anteroposterior directions, are higher in playing the violin with the shoulder raised than in a normal posture. CONCLUSIONS: Elevating the right shoulder while playing the violin may pose a potential problem. KW - Biomechanische Analyse KW - Schultergelenk KW - Verletzung KW - Violinspiel KW - biomechanics KW - violin KW - shoulder elevation KW - shoulder joint force KW - musculoskeletal disease Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3233/THC-219001 N1 - Corresponding author: Anne-Sophie Saffert VL - 30 IS - 1 SP - 177 EP - 186 PB - IOS Press ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mauerer, Wolfgang A1 - Joblin, Mitchell A1 - Tamburri, Damian A1 - Paradis, Carlos A1 - Kazman, Rick A1 - Apel, Sven T1 - In Search of Socio-Technical Congruence: A Large-Scale Longitudinal Study JF - IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering (TSE) N2 - This paper describes a large-scale empirical study investigating the relevance of socio-technical congruence over key basic software quality metrics, namely, bugs and churn. That is, we explore whether alignment or misalignment of social communication structures and technical dependencies in large software projects influences software quality. To this end, we have defined a quantitative and operational notion of socio-technical congruence, which we call /socio-technical motif congruence/ (STMC). STMC is a measure of the degree to which developers working on the same file or on two related files, need to communicate. As socio-technical congruence is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon, the interpretability of the results is one of our main concerns, so we have employed a careful mixed-methods statistical analysis. In particular, we provide analyses with similar techniques as employed by seminal work in the field to ensure comparability of our results with the existing body of work. The major result of our study, based on an analysis of 25 large open-source projects, is that STMC is /not/ related to project quality measures---software bugs and churn---in any temporal scenario. That is, we find no statistical relationship between the alignment of developer tasks and developer communications on one hand, and project outcomes on the other hand. We conclude that, wherefore congruence does matter as literature shows, then its measurable effect lies elsewhere. KW - Socio-Technical Congruence KW - Human Factors in Software Engineering; KW - Graph Analysis KW - Empirical Software Engineering KW - Quantitative Software Engineering KW - Mixed-Methods Research KW - Socio-Technical Analysis Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/TSE.2021.3082074 N1 - Corresponding author: Wolfgang Mauerer VL - 48 IS - 8 SP - 3159 EP - 3184 PB - IEEE ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Franz, Maja A1 - Wolf, Lucas A1 - Periyasamy, Maniraman A1 - Ufrecht, Christian A1 - Scherer, Daniel D. A1 - Plinge, Axel A1 - Mutschler, Christopher A1 - Mauerer, Wolfgang T1 - Uncovering Instabilities in Variational-Quantum Deep Q-Networks JF - Journal of the Franklin Institute N2 - Deep Reinforcement Learning (RL) has considerably advanced over the past decade. At the same time, state-of-the-art RL algorithms require a large computational budget in terms of training time to converge. Recent work has started to approach this problem through the lens of quantum computing, which promises theoretical speed-ups for several traditionally hard tasks. In this work, we examine a class of hybrid quantumclassical RL algorithms that we collectively refer to as variational quantum deep Q-networks (VQ-DQN). We show that VQ-DQN approaches are subject to instabilities that cause the learned policy to diverge, study the extent to which this afflicts reproduciblity of established results based on classical simulation, and perform systematic experiments to identify potential explanations for the observed instabilities. Additionally, and in contrast to most existing work on quantum reinforcement learning, we execute RL algorithms on an actual quantum processing unit (an IBM Quantum Device) and investigate differences in behaviour between simulated and physical quantum systems that suffer from implementation deficiencies. Our experiments show that, contrary to opposite claims in the literature, it cannot be conclusively decided if known quantum approaches, even if simulated without physical imperfections, can provide an advantage as compared to classical approaches. Finally, we provide a robust, universal and well-tested implementation of VQ-DQN as a reproducible testbed for future experiments. KW - Artificial Intelligence KW - Computer Science KW - Quantum Physics Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfranklin.2022.08.021 SN - 0016-0032 N1 - Corresponding author: Maja Franz PB - Elsevier ET - In Press, Corrected Proof ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stelzer, Vera A1 - Krenkel, Lars T1 - 2D numerical investigations derived from a 3D dragonfly wing captured with a high-resolution micro-CT JF - Technology and health care : official journal of the European Society for Engineering and Medicine N2 - BACKGROUND: Due to their corrugated profile, dragonfly wings have special aerodynamic characteristics during flying and gliding. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to create a realistic 3D model of a dragonfly wing captured with a high-resolution micro-CT. To represent geometry changes in span and chord length and their aerodynamic effects, numerical investigations are carried out at different wing positions. METHODS: The forewing of a Camacinia gigantea was captured using a micro-CT. After the wing was adapted an error-free 3D model resulted. The wing was cut every 5 mm and 2D numerical analyses were conducted in Fluent® 2020 R2 (ANSYS, Inc., Canonsburg, PA, USA). RESULTS: The highest lift coefficient, as well as the highest lift-to-drag ratio, resulted at 0 mm and an angle of attack (AOA) of 5∘. At AOAs of 10∘ or 15∘, the flow around the wing stalled and a Kármán vortex street behind the wing becomes CONCLUSIONS: The velocity is higher on the upper side of the wing compared to the lower side. The pressure acts vice versa. Due to the recirculation zones that are formed in valleys of the corrugation pattern the wing resembles the form of an airfoil. KW - aerodynamics KW - computational fluid dynamics KW - Dragonfly wing KW - gliding flight KW - insect flight Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3233/THC-219010 N1 - Corresponding author: Vera Stelzer VL - 30 IS - 1 SP - 283 EP - 289 PB - IOS Press ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Berndt, Dominik A1 - Muggli, Josef A1 - Heckel, Robert A1 - Rahiman, Mohd Fuad A1 - Lindner, Matthias A1 - Heinrich, Stephan A1 - Plöchinger, Heinz A1 - Schreiner, Rupert T1 - A Robust Miniaturized Gas Sensor for H₂ and CO₂ Detection Based on the 3ω Method JF - Sensors N2 - Gas concentration monitoring is essential in industrial or life science areas in order to address safety-relevant or process-related questions. Many of the sensors used in this context are based on the principle of thermal conductivity. The 3ω-method is a very accurate method to determine the thermal properties of materials. It has its origin in the thermal characterization of thin solid films. To date, there have been very few scientific investigations using this method to determine the thermal properties of gases and to apply it to gas measurement technology. In this article, we use two exemplary gases (H2 and CO2) for a systematical investigation of this method in the context of gas analysis. To perform our experiments, we use a robust, reliable sensing element that is already well established in vacuum measurement technology. This helix-shaped thin wire of tungsten exhibits high robustness against chemical and mechanical influences. Our setup features a compact measurement environment, where sensor operation and data acquisition are integrated into a single device. The experimental results show a good agreement with a simplified analytical model and FEM simulations. The sensor exhibits a lower detection limit of 0.62% in the case of CO2, and only 0.062% in case the of H2 at an excitation frequency of 1 Hz. This is one of the lowest values reported in literature for thermal conductivity H2 sensors. KW - 3ω-method KW - CO2 sensor KW - H2 sensor KW - thermal gas sensor Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/s22020485 N1 - Corresponding author: Dominik J. Berndt VL - 22 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steininger, Peter A1 - Gaderer, Matthias A1 - Dawoud, Belal T1 - Assessment of the Annual Transmission Heat Loss Reduction of a Refurbished Existing Building with an Advanced Solar Selective Thermal Insulation System JF - Sustainability N2 - A numerical parameter sensitivity analysis of the design parameters of the recently published solar selective thermal insulation system (SATIS) has been carried out to enhance its thermal and optical properties. It turned out that the insulation properties of SATIS can be effectively improved by reducing the length of the glass closure element. Increasing the area share of the light conducting elements (LCEs) and decreasing their length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio were identified as key parameters in order to increase the solar gain. Two SATIS variants were compared with the same wall insulation without SATIS in a yearly energetic performance assessment. The SATIS variant with 10 mm length of the closure element, 44.2% area share of LCE, as well as front and rear diameters of 12 mm/9 mm shows an 11.8% lower transmission heat loss over the heating period than the wall insulation without SATIS. A new methodology was developed to enable the implementation of the computed solar gains of SATIS in 1D simulation tools. The result is a radiant heat flow map for integration as a heat source in 1D simulation models. A comparison between the 1D and 3D models of the inside wall heat fluxes showed an integral yearly agreement of 98%. KW - effective thermal conductivity KW - parameter sensitivity analysis KW - radiant heat flow map KW - solar selective thermal insulation system (SATIS) KW - total solar energy transmittance KW - yearly energetic performance assessment Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137336 N1 - Corresponding author: Belal Dawoud VL - 13 IS - 13 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gamisch, Bernd A1 - Gaderer, Matthias A1 - Dawoud, Belal T1 - On the Development of Thermochemical Hydrogen Storage: An Experimental Study of the Kinetics of the Redox Reactions under Different Operating Conditions JF - Applied Sciences N2 - This work aims at investigating the reduction/oxidation (redox) reaction kinetics on iron oxide pellets under different operating conditions of thermochemical hydrogen storage. In order to reduce the iron oxide pellets (90% Fe2O3, 10% stabilizing cement), hydrogen (H2) is applied in different concentrations with nitrogen (N2), as a carrier gas, at temperatures between between 700 ∘C and 900 ∘C, thus simulating the charging phase. The discharge phase is triggered by the flow of a mixture out of steam (H2O) and N2 at different concentrations in the same temperature range, resulting in the oxidizing of the previously reduced pellets. All investigations were carried out in a thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA) with a flow rate of 250mL/min. To describe the obtained kinetic results, a simplified analytical model, based on the linear driving force model, was developed. The investigated iron oxide pellets showed a stable redox performance of 23.8% weight reduction/gain, which corresponds to a volumetric storage density of 2.8kWh/(L bulk), also after the 29 performed redox cycles. Recalling that there is no H2 stored during the storage phase but iron, the introduced hydrogen storage technology is deemed very promising for applications in urban areas as day-night or seasonal storage for green hydrogen. KW - hydrogen storage KW - iron/iron oxide KW - reaction kinetics KW - redox reactions Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041623 N1 - Corresponding author: Belal Dawoud VL - 11 IS - 4 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Curbach, Janina A1 - Lander, Jonas A1 - Dierks, Marie-Luise A1 - Grepmeier, Eva-Maria A1 - von Sommoggy, Julia T1 - How do health professionals translate evidence on early childhood allergy prevention into health literacy-responsive practice? BT - A protocol for a mixed-method study on the views of German health professionals JF - BMJ OPEN N2 - Introduction Paediatricians, general practitioners (GPs) and midwives in primary care are important sources of information for parents on early childhood allergy prevention (ECAP). Research has shown that preventive counselling by health professionals can be effective in improving patients' health literacy (HL) and health behaviour. Providing effective advice relies on two factors. First, health professionals need be up-to-date with research evidence on ECAP, to consider popular misconceptions and fears and to translate this knowledge into clear recommendations for parents (knowledge translation). Second, they need to know and apply counselling techniques and create a practice setting which accommodates parental HL needs (health literacy-responsive care). The objective of this study is to explore and assess how German health professionals take up and translate ECAP evidence into appropriate recommendations for parents, how they consider HL in counselling and practice organisation and what barriers and enablers they find in their performance of HL-responsive ECAP. Methods and analysis The study has a sequential mixed-method design, in two phases. In the first phase, qualitative semi-structured expert interviews will be conducted with health professionals (paediatricians, GPs and midwives) at primary care level and professional policy level. Data collection is ongoing until January 2022. In the second phase, based on the qualitative results, a standardised questionnaire will be developed, and pilot-tested in a wider population of German health professionals. The findings of both phases will be integrated. Ethics and dissemination The study has received ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of the University of Regensburg (18-1205-101). The results will be published in international peer-reviewed open access journals and via presentations at scientific conferences. The results will also be shared with German health professionals, decision-makers and potential funders of interventions. KW - FOOD ALLERGY KW - INTERVENTION KW - MINDLINES KW - PERCEPTIONS KW - PERSPECTIVES KW - PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY KW - preventive medicine KW - PRIMARY-CARE KW - public health KW - qualitative research KW - social medicine Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047733 N1 - Corresponding author: Janina Curbach VL - 11 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - BMJ ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steininger, Peter A1 - Gaderer, Matthias A1 - Steffens, Oliver A1 - Dawoud, Belal T1 - Experimental and Numerical Study on the Heat Transfer Characteristics of a Newly-Developed Solar Active Thermal Insulation System JF - Buildings N2 - A newly-developed solar active thermal insulation system (SATIS) is introduced with the main objective to accomplish a highly-dependent total solar transmittance on the irradiation angle. SATIS is also designed to obtain the maximum transmittance at a prescribed design irradiation angle and to reduce it remarkably at higher irradiation angles. A purely mineral thermal insulation plaster with micro hollow glass spheres is applied to manufacture the investigated SATIS prototype. Light-conducting elements (LCEs) have been introduced into SATIS and suitable closing elements have been applied. The SATIS prototype has been investigated both experimentally and numerically. It turned out that the contributions of conduction, radiation and convection to the effective thermal conductivity of SATIS, without the closing elements (49 mWmK), amount to 86.2%, 13.2% and 0.6%, respectively. The angle-dependent short-wave radiation exchange within the LCE has been investigated via ray tracing. At the incidence angle of 19% (design angle), 27% of the radiation within the LCE is absorbed by the absorber plate, resulting in measured and computed total solar energy transmittances of 11.2%/11.7%, respectively. For a typical summer irradiation angle of 60%, 98% of the incident radiation is absorbed by the surfaces at the entrance of the LCE. The corresponding total solar energy transmittance amounts to 2.9%. KW - angle-dependent total solar energy transmittance KW - effective thermal conductivity KW - experimental investigation KW - numerical simulation KW - ray tracing KW - solar active thermal insulation system (SATIS) Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11030123 N1 - Corresponding author: Belal Dawoud VL - 11 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 22 PB - MDPI ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Glavan, Gašper A1 - Belyaeva, Inna A. A1 - Ruwisch, Kevin A1 - Wollschlaeger, Joachim A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail T1 - Magnetoelectric Response of Laminated Cantilevers Comprising a Magnetoactive Elastomer and a Piezoelectric Polymer, in Pulsed Uniform Magnetic Fields JF - Sensors N2 - The voltage response to pulsed uniform magnetic fields and the accompanying bending deformations of laminated cantilever structures are investigated experimentally in detail. The structures comprise a magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) slab and a commercially available piezoelectric polymer multilayer. The magnetic field is applied vertically and the laminated structures are customarily fixed in the horizontal plane or, alternatively, slightly tilted upwards or downwards. Six different MAE compositions incorporating three concentrations of carbonyl iron particles (70 wt%, 75 wt% and 80 wt%) and two elastomer matrices of different stiffness are used. The dependences of the generated voltage and the cantilever's deflection on the composition of the MAE layer and its thickness are obtained. The appearance of the voltage between the electrodes of a piezoelectric material upon application of a magnetic field is considered as a manifestation of the direct magnetoelectric (ME) effect in a composite laminated structure. The ME voltage response increases with the increasing total quantity of the soft-magnetic filler in the MAE layer. The relationship between the generated voltage and the cantilever's deflection is established. The highest observed peak voltage around 5.5 V is about 8.5-fold higher than previously reported values. The quasi-static ME voltage coefficient for this type of ME heterostructures is about 50 V/A in the magnetic field of approximate to 100 kA/m, obtained for the first time. The results could be useful for the development of magnetic field sensors and energy harvesting devices relying on these novel polymer composites. KW - cantilever KW - composites KW - DEMAGNETIZING FACTORS KW - direct magnetoelectric effect KW - laminated structure KW - magnetic field sensor KW - magnetoactive elastomer KW - piezoelectric polymer Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/s21196390 N1 - Corresponding authors: Gašper Glavan, Mikhail Shamonin VL - 21 IS - 19 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - GEN A1 - Saffert, Anne-Sophia A1 - Melzner, Maximilian A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - Biomechanical Analysis of the Right Elevated Glenohumeral Joint in Violinists during Legato-Playing T2 - Biomdlore 2021: 21-23 October 2021 Vilnius/Trakai, Lithuania N2 - BACKGROUND: Many statistics reveal that violin players suffer most often from musculoskeletal disorders compared to musicians of other instrument groups. A common phenomenon, especially observed in violin beginners, is the tendency to elevate the right shoulder during playing the violin. This can probably lead to serious disorders in long-term practice with repetitive movements. OBJECTIVE: For this reason, this study investigated the relationship between the right shoulder elevation and the force in the right glenohumeral joint during violin playing. It was hypothesized that the forces in the right glenohumeral joint are higher during playing with the right shoulder raised compared to playing in normal posture. METHODS: Motion capture data from four experienced violinists was recorded and processed by means of musculoskeletal simulation to get the force and elevation angle while playing with raised shoulder and in normal position. RESULTS: The results indicate that the absolute values of the resulting force, as well as the forces in the mediolateral, inferosuperior, and anteroposterior directions, are higher in playing the violin with the shoulder raised than in a normal posture. CONCLUSIONS: Elevating the right shoulder while playing the violin may pose a potential problem. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3233/THC-219001 N1 - Veröffentlicht in: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. 1 (Selected Papers From the 13th International Conference BIOMDLORE 2021), pp. 177-186, 2022 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Melzner, Maximilian A1 - Suess, Franz A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - The impact of anatomical uncertainties on the predictions of a musculoskeletal hand model – a sensitivity study JF - Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering N2 - Outputs of musculoskeletal models should be considered probabilistic rather than deterministic as they are affected by inaccuracies and estimations associated with the development of the model. One of these uncertainties being critical for modeling arises from the determination of the muscles' line of action and the physiological cross-sectional area. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome sensitivity of model predictions from a musculoskeletal hand model in comparison to the uncertainty of these input parameters. For this purpose, the kinematics and muscle activities of different hand movements (abduction of the fingers, abduction of the thumb, and flexion of the thumb) were recorded. One thousand simulations were calculated for each movement using the Latin hypercube sampling method with a corresponding variation of the muscle origin/insertion points and the cross-sectional area. Comparing the standard hand to simulations incorporating uncertainties of input parameters shows no major deviations in on- and off-set time point of muscle activities. About 60% of simulations are located within a ± 30% interval around the standard model concerning joint reaction forces. The comparison with the variation of the input data leads to the conclusion that the standard hand model is able to provide not over-scattered outcomes and, therefore, can be considered relatively stable. These results are of practical importance to the personalization of a musculoskeletal model with subject-specific bone geometries and hence changed muscle line of action. KW - Biomechanik KW - Simulation Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/10255842.2021.1940974 SN - 1476-8259 N1 - Corresponding author: Maximilian Melzner VL - 25 IS - 2 SP - 156 EP - 164 PB - Taylor & Francis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Melzner, Maximilian A1 - Engelhardt, Lucas A1 - Simon, Ulrich A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - Electromyography-Based Validation of a Musculoskeletal Hand Model JF - Journal of Biomechanical Engineering N2 - Regarding the prevention of injuries and rehabilitation of the human hand, musculoskeletal simulations using an inverse dynamics approach allow for insights of the muscle recruitment and thus acting forces on the hand. Currently, several hand models from various research groups are in use, which are mainly validated by the comparison of numerical and anatomical moment arms. In contrast to this validation and model-building technique by cadaver studies, the aim of this study is to further validate a recently published hand model [1] by analyzing numerically calculated muscle activities in comparison to experimentally measured electromyographical signals of the muscles. Therefore, the electromyographical signals of 10 hand muscles of five test subjects performing seven different hand movements were measured. The kinematics of these tasks were used as input for the hand model, and the numerical muscle activities were computed. To analyze the relationship between simulated and measured activities, the time difference of the muscle on- and off-set points was calculated, which resulted in a mean on- and off-set time difference of 0.58 s between the experimental data and the model. The largest differences were detected for movements that mainly addressed the wrist. One major issue comparing simulated and measured muscle activities of the hand is cross-talk. Nevertheless, the results show that the hand model fits the experiment quite accurately despite some limitations and is a further step toward patient-specific modeling of the upper extremity. KW - Elektromyographie KW - Biomechanik KW - Simulation KW - Electromyography KW - Muscle KW - Musculoskeletal system KW - Signals KW - Simulation Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4052115 VL - 144 IS - 2 PB - American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Suess, Franz A1 - Melzner, Maximilian A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - Towards ergonomics working - machine learning algorithms and musculoskeletal modeling T2 - IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering N2 - Ergonomic workplaces lead to fewer work-related musculoskeletal disorders and thus fewer sick days. There are various guidelines to help avoid harmful situations. However, these recommendations are often rather crude and often neglect the complex interaction of biomechanical loading and psychological stress. This study investigates whether machine learning algorithms can be used to predict mechanical and stress-related muscle activity for a standardized motion. For this purpose, experimental data were collected for trunk movement with and without additional psychological stress. Two different algorithms (XGBoost and TensorFlow) were used to model the experimental data. XGBoost in particular predicted the results very well. By combining it with musculoskeletal models, the method shown here can be used for workplace analysis but also for the development of real-time feedback systems in real workplace environments. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1208/1/012001 SN - 1757-899X N1 - Corresponding author: Sebastian Dendorfer VL - 1208 PB - IOP Publishing ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Monkman, Gareth J. A1 - Sindersberger, Dirk A1 - Prem, Nina A1 - Diermeier, Andreas A1 - Szecsey, Tamara T1 - Dielectric behaviour of magnetic hybrid materials JF - Physical Sciences Reviews N2 - The objectives of this work include the analysis of electrical and magnetic properties of magneto-elastic hybrid materials with the intention of developing new techniques for sensor and actuator applications. This includes the investigation of dielectric properties at both low and high frequencies. The behaviour of capacitors whose dielectrics comprise magnetic hybrid materials is well known. Such interfacial magnetocapacitance can be varied according to magnetic content, magnetic flux density and the relative permittivity of the polymer matrix together with other dielectric content. The basic function of trapping electrical charges in polymers (electrets) is also established technology. However, the combination of magnetoactive polymers and electrets has led to the first electromagnetic device capable of adhering to almost any material, whether magnetically susceptible or not. During the course of this research, in addition to dielectrics, electrically conductive polymers based on (PDMS) matrices were developed in order to vary the electrical properties of the material in a targeted manner. In order to ensure repeatable results, this demanded new fabrication techniques hitherto unavailable. The 3D printing of silicones is far from being a mature technology and much pioneering work was necessary before extending the usual 3 d.o.f. to include orientation about and diffusion of particles in these three axes, thus leading to the concept of 6D printing. In 6D printing, the application of a magnetic field can be used during the curing process to control the particulate distribution and thus the spatial filler particle density as desired. Most of the devices (sensors and actuators) produced by such methods contain levels of carbonyl iron powder (CIP) embedded magnetic filler of up to 70 wt%. Contrary to this, a hitherto neglected research area, namely magnetoactive polymers (MAPs) having significantly lower magnetic particle concentrations (1 to 3 wt% CIP) were also investigated. With filler concentrations lower than 3 wt%, structures are formed which are completely absent at higher filler levels. CIP concentrations in the range of 1wt% demonstrate the formation of toroidal structures. Further development of coherent rings with a compact order results as filler concentrations increase towards 2 wt%. Above 3 wt% the structure eventually disintegrates to the usual random order found in traditional MAP with higher CIP content. Structured samples containing 1%–3 wt% CIP were investigated with the aid of X-ray tomography where solitary ring structures can be observed and eventually the formation of capillary doubles. Over wavelengths ranging from 1 to 25 µm, spectroscopic analysis of thin film MAP samples containing 2 wt% CIP revealed measurable magnetic-field-dependent changes in IR absorption at a wavenumber 2350 (λ = 4.255 µm). This was found to be due to the diamagnetic susceptibility of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Consequently, the first potential application for sparse matrix MAPs was found. KW - cappillary doublet KW - diamagnetic KW - elastomer dielectric KW - FTIR KW - interfacial magnetocapacitance KW - magnetoactive polymer KW - PDMS KW - toroid Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1515/psr-2019-0121 N1 - Corresponding author: Gareth J. Monkman VL - 7 IS - 10 SP - 1169 EP - 1185 PB - de Gruyter ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Wittmann, Elisabeth A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Effects of ambient parameters and cross-sensitivities from O2, CO2 and H2O on the photoacoustic detection of acetone in the UV region JF - Sensors Actuators B Chemical N2 - We present a sensitive UV LED photoacoustic setup for the detection of gaseous acetone and discuss its applicability towards breath analysis. We investigated the performance of the sensor for low acetone concentrations down to 0.1 parts per million (ppmV). The influences of temperature, flow, pressure, optical power and LED duty cycle on the measured signal have been examined. To gain a better understanding of the different effects on the photoacoustic signal, correlation analysis was applied and feature importance was determined using a large measured dataset. Furthermore, the cross-sensitivities towards O2, CO2 and H2O have been studied extensively. Finally, the sensor’s performance to detect acetone between 0.1–1 ppmV within gas mixtures simulating breath exhale conditions has been investigated, too. With a limit of detection (LoD) of 12.5 parts per billion (ppbV) (3σ) measured under typical breath exhale gas mixture conditions, the sensor demonstrated a high potential for the application of acetone detection in human breath analysis. KW - Acetone detection KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - High power UV LED KW - Cross-sensitivities KW - Acetone breath analysis Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2020.129001 SN - 0925-4005 N1 - Corresponding authors: Stefan Weigl, Elisabeth Wittmann, Thomas Rück, Rudolf Bierl, Frank-Michael Matysik N1 - Corrigendum to “Effects of ambient parameters and cross-sensitivities from O2, CO2 and H2O on the photoacoustic detection of acetone in the UV region” [Sens. Actuators B: Chem. 328 (February 2021) (2020) 129001]; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2020.129392 IS - 328 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lindner, Matthias A1 - Pipa, Andrei V. A1 - Karpen, Norbert A1 - Hink, Ruediger A1 - Berndt, Dominik A1 - Foest, Rüdiger A1 - Bonaccurso, Elmar A1 - Weichwald, Robert A1 - Friedberger, Alois A1 - Caspari, Ralf A1 - Brandenburg, Ronny A1 - Schreiner, Rupert T1 - Icing Mitigation by MEMS-Fabricated Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge JF - Applied Sciences N2 - Avoiding ice accumulation on aerodynamic components is of enormous importance to flight safety. Novel approaches utilizing surface dielectric barrier discharges (SDBDs) are expected to be more efficient and effective than conventional solutions for preventing ice accretion on aerodynamic components. In this work, the realization of SDBDs based on thin-film substrates by means of micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) technology is presented. The anti-icing performance of the MEMS SDBDs is presented and compared to SDBDs manufactured by printed circuit board (PCB) technology. It was observed that the 35 mu m thick electrodes of the PCB SDBDs favor surface icing with an initial accumulation of supercooled water droplets at the electrode impact edges. This effect was not observed for 0.3 mu m thick MEMS-fabricated electrodes indicating a clear advantage for MEMS-technology SDBDs for anti-icing applications. Titanium was identified as the most suitable material for MEMS electrodes. In addition, an optimization of the MEMS-SDBDs with respect to the dielectric materials as well as SDBD design is discussed. KW - aerospace engineering KW - anti-icing KW - DBD PLASMA ACTUATORS KW - EXCITATION KW - FLOW-CONTROL KW - low-temperature plasma KW - MEMS KW - SEPARATION CONTROL KW - SDBD Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311106 N1 - Corresponding author: Matthias Lindner VL - 11 IS - 23 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Saveliev, Dmitry V. A1 - Belyaeva, Inna A. A1 - Chashin, Dmitri V. A1 - Fetisov, Leonid Y. A1 - Romeis, Dirk A1 - Kettl, Wolfgang A1 - Kramarenko, Elena Yu A1 - Saphiannikova, M. A1 - Stepanov, Gennady V. A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail T1 - Giant extensional strain of magnetoactive elastomeric cylinders in uniform magnetic fields JF - Materials N2 - Elongations of magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) under ascending–descending uniform magnetic fields were studied experimentally using a laboratory apparatus specifically designed to measure large extensional strains (up to 20%) in compliant MAEs. In the literature, such a phenomenon is usually denoted as giant magnetostriction. The synthesized cylindrical MAE samples were based on polydimethylsiloxane matrices filled with micrometer-sized particles of carbonyl iron. The impact of both the macroscopic shape factor of the samples and their magneto-mechanical characteristics were evaluated. For this purpose, the aspect ratio of the MAE cylindrical samples, the concentration of magnetic particles in MAEs and the effective shear modulus were systematically varied. It was shown that the magnetically induced elongation of MAE cylinders in the maximum magnetic field of about 400 kA/m, applied along the cylinder axis, grew with the increasing aspect ratio. The effect of the sample composition is discussed in terms of magnetic filler rearrangements in magnetic fields and the observed experimental tendencies are rationalized by simple theoretical estimates. The obtained results can be used for the design of new smart materials with magnetic-field-controlled deformation properties, e.g., for soft robotics. KW - magnetostriction KW - magnetoactive elastomer KW - extensional strain KW - hysteresis KW - magnetomechanical effect KW - magnetodeformation Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13153297 SN - 1996-1944 N1 - Corresponding author: Mikhail Shamonin VL - 13 IS - 15 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wiesent, Lisa A1 - Schultheiß, Ulrich A1 - Lulla, Philipp A1 - Noster, Ulf A1 - Schratzenstaller, Thomas A1 - Schmid, Christof A1 - Nonn, Aida A1 - Spear, Ashley T1 - Computational analysis of the effects of geometric irregularities and post-processing steps on the mechanical behavior of additively manufactured 316L stainless steel stents JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Advances in additive manufacturing enable the production of tailored lattice structures and thus, in principle, coronary stents. This study investigates the effects of process-related irregularities, heat and surface treatment on the morphology, mechanical response, and expansion behavior of 316L stainless steel stents produced by laser powder bed fusion and provides a methodological approach for their numerical evaluation. A combined experimental and computational framework is used, based on both actual and computationally reconstructed laser powder bed fused stents. Process-related morphological deviations between the as-designed and actual laser powder bed fused stents were observed, resulting in a diameter increase by a factor of 2-2.6 for the stents without surface treatment and 1.3-2 for the electropolished stent compared to the as-designed stent. Thus, due to the increased geometrically induced stiffness, the laser powder bed fused stents in the as-built (7.11 ± 0.63 N) or the heat treated condition (5.87 ± 0.49 N) showed increased radial forces when compressed between two plates. After electropolishing, the heat treated stents exhibited radial forces (2.38 ± 0.23 N) comparable to conventional metallic stents. The laser powder bed fused stents were further affected by the size effect, resulting in a reduced yield strength by 41% in the as-built and by 59% in the heat treated condition compared to the bulk material obtained from tensile tests. The presented numerical approach was successful in predicting the macroscopic mechanical response of the stents under compression. During deformation, increased stiffness and local stress concentration were observed within the laser powder bed fused stents. Subsequent numerical expansion analysis of the derived stent models within a previously verified numerical model of stent expansion showed that electropolished and heat treated laser powder bed fused stents can exhibit comparable expansion behavior to conventional stents. The findings from this work motivate future experimental/numerical studies to quantify threshold values of critical geometric irregularities, which could be used to establish design guidelines for laser powder bed fused stents/lattice structures. KW - Heat treatment KW - Lasers KW - Surface treatments KW - Specimen preparation and treatment KW - Material properties KW - Stiffness KW - Deformation KW - Powders KW - Koronarendoprothese KW - Rapid prototyping KW - Numerische Methode Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244463 N1 - Corresponding author: Lisa Wiesent VL - 15 IS - 12 SP - 1 EP - 30 PB - PLOS ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Feldmeier, Florian A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Photoacoustic detection of acetone in N2 and synthetic air using a high power UV LED JF - Sensors Actuators B Chemical N2 - The performance of a photoacoustic trace gas sensor for the detection of acetone in N2 and synthetic air is reported. The sensor system utilises an amplitude modulated UV LED. The light source has an emission maximum at 278 nm and a maximum CW output power of 300 mW according to the datasheet. Three different collimating and focusing approaches have been investigated to guide the highly divergent LED light into the acoustic resonator of the photoacoustic measurement cell. A 3D printed aluminium cell was designed to optimize light coupling by simultaneously minimizing the photoacoustic background signal generation. Hence, the diameter of the resonator was set to a comparable large diameter of 10 mm and the inner walls of the resonator were mirror polished. The additive manufacturing procedure allowed for integration of a spirally formed gas channel, enabling gas heating prior to detection. The sensor performance was investigated by measuring acetone in N2 and synthetic air at different concentrations. The UV LED current was set to 86 % of the maximum value according to the datasheet of the light source in order to increase the lifetime and thermal stability. An Allan-Werle deviation analysis validates a stable sensor performance. The limit of detection (LoD) was determined at a 3σ noise level with a 10 s lock-in amplifier time constant by sampling data points over 20 s with a data acquisition rate of 5 Hz. LoDs of 80.8 ppbV and 19.6 ppbV were obtained for acetone in N2 and synthetic air, respectively. KW - Acetone detection KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - High power UV LED KW - UV LED collimation system KW - Acetone breath analysis Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2020.128109 N1 - Corresponding author at: Sensorik-Applikationszentrum (SappZ) der Ostbayerischen Technischen Hochschule Regensburg VL - 316 IS - August SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mikhaeil, Makram A1 - Gaderer, Matthias A1 - Dawoud, Belal T1 - On the development of an innovative adsorber plate heat exchanger for adsorption heat transformation processes; an experimental and numerical study JF - Energy N2 - An innovative adsorber plate heat exchanger (APHE), which is developed for application in adsorption heat pumps, chillers and thermal energy storage systems, is introduced. A test frame has been constructed as a representative segment of the introduced APHE for applying loose grains of AQSOA-Z02. Adsorption kinetic measurements have been carried out in a volumetric large-temperature-jump setup under typical operating conditions of adsorption processes. A transient 2-D model is developed for the tested sample inside the setup. The measured temporal uptake variations with time have been fed to the model, through which a micro-pore diffusion coefficient at infinite temperature of 2 E−4 [m2s−1] and an activation energy of 42.1 [kJ mol−1] have been estimated. A 3-D model is developed to simulate the combined heat and mass transfer inside the APHE and implemented in a commercial software. Comparing the obtained results with the literature values for an extruded aluminium adsorber heat exchanger coated with a 500 μm layer of the same adsorbent, the differential water uptake obtained after 300 s of adsorption (8.2 g/100 g) implies a sound enhancement of 310%. This result proves the great potential of the introduced APHE to remarkably enhance the performance of adsorption heat transformation appliances. KW - Adsorber heat exchanger KW - Plate heat exchanger KW - Adsorption kinetics KW - Dynamic simulation Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.118272 N1 - Corresponding author: Belal Dawoud VL - 207 IS - September SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maier, Johannes A1 - Weiherer, Maximilian A1 - Huber, Michaela A1 - Palm, Christoph T1 - Optically tracked and 3D printed haptic phantom hand for surgical training system JF - Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery N2 - Background: For surgical fixation of bone fractures of the human hand, so-called Kirschner-wires (K-wires) are drilled through bone fragments. Due to the minimally invasive drilling procedures without a view of risk structures like vessels and nerves, a thorough training of young surgeons is necessary. For the development of a virtual reality (VR) based training system, a three-dimensional (3D) printed phantom hand is required. To ensure an intuitive operation, this phantom hand has to be realistic in both, its position relative to the driller as well as in its haptic features. The softest 3D printing material available on the market, however, is too hard to imitate human soft tissue. Therefore, a support-material (SUP) filled metamaterial is used to soften the raw material. Realistic haptic features are important to palpate protrusions of the bone to determine the drilling starting point and angle. An optical real-time tracking is used to transfer position and rotation to the training system. Methods: A metamaterial already developed in previous work is further improved by use of a new unit cell. Thus, the amount of SUP within the volume can be increased and the tissue is softened further. In addition, the human anatomy is transferred to the entire hand model. A subcutaneous fat layer and penetration of air through pores into the volume simulate shiftability of skin layers. For optical tracking, a rotationally symmetrical marker attached to the phantom hand with corresponding reference marker is developed. In order to ensure trouble-free position transmission, various types of marker point applications are tested. Results: Several cuboid and forearm sample prints lead to a final 30 centimeter long hand model. The whole haptic phantom could be printed faultless within about 17 hours. The metamaterial consisting of the new unit cell results in an increased SUP share of 4.32%. Validated by an expert surgeon study, this allows in combination with a displacement of the uppermost skin layer a good palpability of the bones. Tracking of the hand marker in dodecahedron design works trouble-free in conjunction with a reference marker attached to the worktop of the training system. Conclusions: In this work, an optically tracked and haptically correct phantom hand was developed using dual-material 3D printing, which can be easily integrated into a surgical training system. KW - Handchirurgie KW - 3D-Druck KW - Lernprogramm KW - Zielverfolgung KW - HaptiVisT KW - Dual-material 3D printing KW - hand surgery training KW - metamaterial KW - tissue imitating phantom hand Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.21037/qims.2019.12.03 N1 - Corresponding author: Christoph Palm VL - 10 IS - 02 SP - 340 EP - 455 PB - AME Publishing Company CY - Hong Kong, China ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Monkman, Gareth J. A1 - Sindersberger, Dirk A1 - Prem, Nina A1 - Szecsey, Tamara T1 - Smart Stiction JF - Robotics & Automation Engineering Journal N2 - Soft robotics could loosely be described as the engineering science of expanded dexterity through controllable flexibility. The exploitation of controllable compliance through the judicious choice of soft flexible members, as opposed to a finite number of rigid kinematic joints, can result in greater dexterity without compromising simplicity. One example is the replacement of segmented mechanical legs with simple compliant material eruciform prolegs. To achieve this in robotics, without introducing additional mechanical joints, mobile surfaces with switchable coefficients of friction is essential. This paper explains how, using silicone based smart materials, the rapid alternation between kinematic and static friction (stiction) may be achieved. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.19080/RAEJ.2019.04.555641 N1 - Corresponding author: Gareth J. Monkman VL - 4 IS - 4 PB - Juniper Publishers ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sindersberger, Dirk A1 - Prem, Nina A1 - Monkman, Gareth J. T1 - Structure formation in low concentration magnetoactive polymers JF - AIP advances N2 - This paper concerns recent research into the autonomous formation of micro-structures in low carbonyl iron powder (CIP) concentration magneto active polymers (MAP). Higher concentrations of CIP show an isotropic distribution of magnetic filler throughout the entire sample, while autonomous structure formation is possible at mass concentrations lower than 3%. The formation of micro-toroids commences as CIP concentration approaches 1% wt. Further development of coherent rings with a defined order follow as CIP concentrations increase toward 2% wt, whilst exceeding 3% wt leads to the same isotropic distribution found in higher concentration MAP. Structured samples containing between 1% wt and 3% wt CIP were investigated using X-Ray tomography where solitary structures could clearly be observed. The ring structures represent microinductivities whose geometries can be manipulated during fabrication. In addition, these structures are magnetic field sensitive. This is not only relevant to applications in the GHz and THz areas but recent research has revealed implications for optical, thermal, acoustic and even chemical MAP sensors. (C) 2019 Author(s). Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5079997 N1 - Corresponding author: Dirk Sindersberger VL - 9 IS - 3 PB - AIP Publishing ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fetisov, Yuri K. A1 - Chashin, Dmitri V. A1 - Saveliev, Dmitri A1 - Fetisov, Leonid Y. A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail T1 - Anisotropic Magnetoelectric Effect in a Planar Heterostructure Comprising Piezoelectric Ceramics and Magnetostrictive Fibrous Composite JF - Materials N2 - The direct magnetoelectric (ME) effect is investigated in a planar structure comprising mechanically coupled layers of a magnetostrictive fibrous composite (MFC) and a piezoelectric ceramics (lead zirconate titanate, PZT). The MFC is an array of Ni-wires with a diameter of 200 mu m that are aligned parallel to each other in a single layer. The wires are separated by a distance of 250 or 500 mu m and fixed in a polyamide matrix. The structure was placed in a tangential constant field H and was excited by an alternating magnetic field h parallel to H, while the voltage generated by the PZT layer was measured. The resulting field dependences of the magnetization M(H) and the magnetostriction lambda(H) were determined by the orientation of the field H in the plane of the structure and the distance between the Ni-wires. The ME coupling coefficient of the structure decreased from 4.8 to 0.25 V/A when the orientation of H was changed from parallel to perpendicular to Ni-wires. With an increase in the excitation field amplitude h, a nonlinear ME effect in the output voltage, namely frequency doubling, was observed. The frequency and field dependences of the efficiency of the ME transduction in the MFC-piezoelectric heterostructure are well described by the existing theory. KW - composite KW - frequency doubling KW - heterostructure KW - magnetoelectric effect KW - magnetostrictive fiber KW - piezoelectric ceramic material Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12193228 N1 - Corresponding authors: Yuri Fetisov, Mikhail Shamonin VL - 12 IS - 19 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Prem, Nina A1 - Sindersberger, Dirk A1 - Monkman, Gareth J. T1 - Mini-Extruder for 3D Magnetoactive Polymer Printing JF - Advances in Materials Science and Engineering N2 - This work describes the development of a new miniature extruder, essential to cavity-free 3D printing of silicone-based smart materials. This makes the 3D printing of magnetoactive and electroactive polymer soft robotic components and devices directly from CAD data possible. The special feature of such an extruder is that it is designed for use with addition-crosslinking RTV-2 silicones, including solid particulate additives. The extruder merges the respective components automatically during extrusion which obviates the need for premixing and vacuum evacuation. Problems associated with inhomogeneities and unwanted cavity production are consequently eliminated. Rheological details necessary to the design, together with some preliminary performance results, are presented. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/8715718 N1 - Corresponding author: Gareth J. Monkman SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - HINDAWI ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haug, Sonja A1 - Lochner, Susanne A1 - Huber, Dominik T1 - Methodological Aspects of a Quantitative and Qualitative Survey of Asylum Seekers in Germany BT - A Field Report JF - mda - methods data analyses N2 - This field report presents and discusses methodological issues and challenges encountered in a mixed-methods research project on asylum seekers in Bavaria, Germany. It documents the research design of, and field experiences in, a quantitative survey based on a quota sampling procedure and a qualitative study, both of which were conducted in collective accommodation for asylum seekers at selected locations in that federal state. Standardized PAPI multiple-topic questionnaires were completed by asylum seekers from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Iraq (N = 779); most of the questionnaires were self-administered. In addition, 12 qualitative face-to-face biographical interviews were conducted in order to gain an in-depth understanding of attitudes and experiences of asylum seekers. This report focuses on the following aspects: the use of gatekeepers to facilitate participant recruitment; sampling procedures; the involvement of interpreters in the data collection process; response bias and response behaviors among asylum seekers; and the experiences gained from data collection in collective accommodation for asylum seekers. KW - asylum seekers in Germany KW - biographical research KW - gatekeeper approach KW - methodological issues KW - mixed methods KW - surveys KW - use of interpreters Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.12758/mda.2019.02 N1 - Corresponding author: Sonja Haug VL - 13 IS - 2 SP - 321 EP - 340 PB - GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Thema, Martin A1 - Weidlich, Tobias A1 - Hörl, Manuel A1 - Bellack, Annett A1 - Mörs, Friedemann A1 - Hackl, Florian A1 - Kohlmayer, Matthias A1 - Gleich, Jasmin A1 - Stabenau, Carsten A1 - Trabold, Thomas A1 - Neubert, Michael A1 - Ortloff, Felix A1 - Brotsack, Raimund A1 - Schmack, Doris A1 - Huber, Harald A1 - Hafenbradl, Doris A1 - Karl, Jürgen A1 - Sterner, Michael T1 - Biological CO2-Methanation: An Approach to Standardization JF - Energies N2 - Power-to-Methane as one part of Power-to-Gas has been recognized globally as one of the key elements for the transition towards a sustainable energy system. While plants that produce methane catalytically have been in operation for a long time, biological methanation has just reached industrial pilot scale and near-term commercial application. The growing importance of the biological method is reflected by an increasing number of scientific articles describing novel approaches to improve this technology. However, these studies are difficult to compare because they lack a coherent nomenclature. In this article, we present a comprehensive set of parameters allowing the characterization and comparison of various biological methanation processes. To identify relevant parameters needed for a proper description of this technology, we summarized existing literature and defined system boundaries for Power-to-Methane process steps. On this basis, we derive system parameters providing information on the methanation system, its performance, the biology and cost aspects. As a result, three different standards are provided as a blueprint matrix for use in academia and industry applicable to both, biological and catalytic methanation. Hence, this review attempts to set the standards for a comprehensive description of biological and chemical methanation processes. KW - Biological methanation KW - bubble column reactor KW - CO2-methanation KW - CSTR KW - membrane reactor KW - methanation KW - Power-to-Gas KW - Power-to-Methane KW - standardization KW - Trickle-bed reactor Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/en12091670 N1 - Corresponding author: Martin Thema VL - 12 IS - 9 SP - 1 EP - 32 PB - MDPI ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Glavan, Gašper A1 - Kettl, Wolfgang A1 - Brunhuber, Alexander A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail A1 - Drevenšek-Olenik, Irena T1 - Effect of Material Composition on Tunable Surface Roughness of Magnetoactive Elastomers JF - Polymers N2 - We investigated magnetic-field-induced modifications of the surface roughness of magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) with four material compositions incorporating two concentrations of ferromagnetic microparticles (70 wt% and 80 wt%) and exhibiting two shear storage moduli of the resulting composite material (about 10 kPa and 30 kPa). The analysis was primarily based on spread optical reflection measurements. The surfaces of all four materials were found to be very smooth in the absence of magnetic field (RMS roughness below 50 nm). A maximal field-induced roughness modification (approximately 1 m/T) was observed for the softer material with the lower filler concentration, and a minimal modification (less than 50 nm/T) was observed for the harder material with the higher filler concentration. All four materials showed a significant decrease in the total optical reflectivity with an increasing magnetic field as well. This effect is attributed to the existence of a distinct surface layer that is depleted of microparticles in the absence of a magnetic field but becomes filled with particles in the presence of the field. We analyzed the temporal response of the reflective properties to the switching on and off of the magnetic field and found switching-on response times of around 0.1 s and switching-off response times in the range of 0.3-0.6 s. These observations provide new insight into the magnetic-field-induced surface restructuring of MAEs and may be useful for the development of magnetically reconfigurable elastomeric optical surfaces. KW - magnetically tunable surface reflectivity KW - magnetically tunable surface roughness KW - magnetorheological elastomer KW - magnetorheological polymers KW - surface properties Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11040594 N1 - Corresponding author: Gašper Glavan VL - 11 IS - 4 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maier, Johannes A1 - Weiherer, Maximilian A1 - Huber, Michaela A1 - Palm, Christoph T1 - Imitating human soft tissue on basis of a dual-material 3D print using a support-filled metamaterial to provide bimanual haptic for a hand surgery training system JF - Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery N2 - Background: Currently, it is common practice to use three-dimensional (3D) printers not only for rapid prototyping in the industry, but also in the medical area to create medical applications for training inexperienced surgeons. In a clinical training simulator for minimally invasive bone drilling to fix hand fractures with Kirschner-wires (K-wires), a 3D-printed hand phantom must not only be geometrically but also haptically correct. Due to a limited view during an operation, surgeons need to perfectly localize underlying risk structures only by feeling of specific bony protrusions of the human hand. Methods: The goal of this experiment is to imitate human soft tissue with its haptic and elasticity for a realistic hand phantom fabrication, using only a dual-material 3D printer and support-material-filled metamaterial between skin and bone. We present our workflow to generate lattice structures between hard bone and soft skin with iterative cube edge (CE) or cube face (CF) unit cells. Cuboid and finger shaped sample prints with and without inner hard bone in different lattice thickness are constructed and 3D printed. Results: The most elastic available rubber-like material is too firm to imitate soft tissue. By reducing the amount of rubber in the inner volume through support material (SUP), objects become significantly softer. Without metamaterial, after disintegration, the SUP can be shifted through the volume and thus the body loses its original shape. Although the CE design increases the elasticity, it cannot restore the fabric form. In contrast to CE, the CF design increases not only the elasticity but also guarantees a local limitation of the SUP. Therefore, the body retains its shape and internal bones remain in its intended place. Various unit cell sizes, lattice thickening and skin thickness regulate the rubber material and SUP ratio. Test prints with higher SUP and lower rubber material percentage appear softer and vice versa. This was confirmed by an expert surgeon evaluation. Subjects adjudged pure rubber-like material as too firm and samples only filled with SUP or lattice structure in CE design as not suitable for imitating tissue. 3D-printed finger samples in CF design were rated as realistic compared to the haptic of human tissue with a good palpable bone structure. Conclusions: We developed a new dual-material 3D print technique to imitate soft tissue of the human hand with its haptic properties. Blowy SUP is trapped within a lattice structure to soften rubber-like 3D print material, which makes it possible to reproduce a realistic replica of human hand soft tissue. KW - Dual-material 3D printing KW - Hand surgery training KW - Metamaterial KW - Support material KW - Tissue-imitating hand phantom KW - Handchirurgie KW - 3D-Druck KW - Biomaterial KW - Lernprogramm Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-979 N1 - Corresponding author: Christoph Palm VL - 9 IS - 1 SP - 30 EP - 42 PB - AME Publishing Company ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maier, Johannes A1 - Perret, Jerome A1 - Simon, Martina A1 - Schmitt-Rüth, Stephanie A1 - Wittenberg, Thomas A1 - Palm, Christoph T1 - Force-feedback assisted and virtual fixtures based K-wire drilling simulation JF - Computers in Biology and Medicine N2 - One common method to fix fractures of the human hand after an accident is an osteosynthesis with Kirschner wires (K-wires) to stabilize the bone fragments. The insertion of K-wires is a delicate minimally invasive surgery, because surgeons operate almost without a sight. Since realistic training methods are time consuming, costly and insufficient, a virtual-reality (VR) based training system for the placement of K-wires was developed. As part of this, the current work deals with the real-time bone drilling simulation using a haptic force-feedback device. To simulate the drilling, we introduce a virtual fixture based force-feedback drilling approach. By decomposition of the drilling task into individual phases, each phase can be handled individually to perfectly control the drilling procedure. We report about the related finite state machine (FSM), describe the haptic feedback of each state and explain, how to avoid jerking of the haptic force-feedback during state transition. The usage of the virtual fixture approach results in a good haptic performance and a stable drilling behavior. This was confirmed by 26 expert surgeons, who evaluated the virtual drilling on the simulator and rated it as very realistic. To make the system even more convincing, we determined real drilling feed rates through experimental pig bone drilling and transferred them to our system. Due to a constant simulation thread we can guarantee a precise drilling motion. Virtual fixtures based force-feedback calculation is able to simulate force-feedback assisted bone drilling with high quality and, thus, will have a great potential in developing medical applications. KW - Handchirurgie KW - Osteosynthese KW - Operationstechnik KW - Lernprogramm KW - Virtuelle Realität KW - Medical training system KW - Virtual fixtures KW - Virtual reality KW - Force-feedback haptic KW - Minimally invasive hand surgery KW - K-wire drilling Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2019.103473 N1 - Corresponding author: Christoph Palm VL - 114 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Snarskii, Andrei A. A1 - Kalita, Viktor M. A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail T1 - Renormalization of the critical exponent for the shear modulus of magnetoactive elastomers JF - Scientific Reports N2 - It is shown that the critical exponent for the effective shear modulus of a composite medium where a compliant polymer matrix is filled with ferromagnetic particles may significantly depend on the external magnetic field. The physical consequence of this dependence is the critical behavior of the relative magnetorheological effect. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22333-6 N1 - Corresponding author: Mikhail Shamonin VL - 8 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Nature ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Frikel, Jürgen A1 - Haltmeier, Markus T1 - Efficient regularization with wavelet sparsity constraints in photoacoustic tomography JF - Inverse Problems N2 - In this paper, we consider the reconstruction problem of photoacoustic tomography (PAT) with a flat observation surface. We develop a direct reconstruction method that employs regularization with wavelet sparsity constraints. To that end, we derive a wavelet-vaguelette decomposition (WVD) for the PAT forward operator and a corresponding explicit reconstruction formula in the case of exact data. In the case of noisy data, we combine the WVD reconstruction formula with soft-thresholding, which yields a spatially adaptive estimation method. We demonstrate that our method is statistically optimal for white random noise if the unknown function is assumed to lie in any Besov-ball. We present generalizations of this approach and, in particular, we discuss the combination of PAT-vaguelette soft-thresholding with a total variation (TV) prior. We also provide an efficient implementation of the PAT-vaguelette transform that leads to fast image reconstruction algorithms supported by numerical results. KW - Image reconstruction KW - photoacoustic tomography KW - sparsity constraints KW - variational regularization KW - wavelet-vaguelette decomposition Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6420/aaa0ac N1 - Corresponding authors: Jürgen Frikel and Markus Haltmeier VL - 34 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 28 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Graßmann, Felix A1 - Mengelkamp, Judith A1 - Brandl, Caroline A1 - Harsch, Sebastian A1 - Zimmermann, Martina E. A1 - Linkohr, Birgit A1 - Peters, Annette A1 - Heid, Iris M. A1 - Palm, Christoph A1 - Weber, Bernhard H. F. T1 - A Deep Learning Algorithm for Prediction of Age-Related Eye Disease Study Severity Scale for Age-Related Macular Degeneration from Color Fundus Photography JF - Ophtalmology N2 - Purpose Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common threat to vision. While classification of disease stages is critical to understanding disease risk and progression, several systems based on color fundus photographs are known. Most of these require in-depth and time-consuming analysis of fundus images. Herein, we present an automated computer-based classification algorithm. Design Algorithm development for AMD classification based on a large collection of color fundus images. Validation is performed on a cross-sectional, population-based study. Participants. We included 120 656 manually graded color fundus images from 3654 Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) participants. AREDS participants were >55 years of age, and non-AMD sight-threatening diseases were excluded at recruitment. In addition, performance of our algorithm was evaluated in 5555 fundus images from the population-based Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg (KORA; Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg) study. Methods. We defined 13 classes (9 AREDS steps, 3 late AMD stages, and 1 for ungradable images) and trained several convolution deep learning architectures. An ensemble of network architectures improved prediction accuracy. An independent dataset was used to evaluate the performance of our algorithm in a population-based study. Main Outcome Measures. κ Statistics and accuracy to evaluate the concordance between predicted and expert human grader classification. Results. A network ensemble of 6 different neural net architectures predicted the 13 classes in the AREDS test set with a quadratic weighted κ of 92% (95% confidence interval, 89%–92%) and an overall accuracy of 63.3%. In the independent KORA dataset, images wrongly classified as AMD were mainly the result of a macular reflex observed in young individuals. By restricting the KORA analysis to individuals >55 years of age and prior exclusion of other retinopathies, the weighted and unweighted κ increased to 50% and 63%, respectively. Importantly, the algorithm detected 84.2% of all fundus images with definite signs of early or late AMD. Overall, 94.3% of healthy fundus images were classified correctly. Conclusions Our deep learning algoritm revealed a weighted κ outperforming human graders in the AREDS study and is suitable to classify AMD fundus images in other datasets using individuals >55 years of age. KW - Senile Makuladegeneration KW - Krankheitsverlauf KW - Mustererkennung KW - Maschinelles Lernen Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2018.02.037 N1 - Corresponding authors: Bernhard H. F. Weber, University of Regensburg, and Christoph Palm VL - 125 IS - 9 SP - 1410 EP - 1420 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Diermeier, Andreas A1 - Sindersberger, Dirk A1 - Krenkel, Lars A1 - Rosell, X. C. A1 - Monkman, Gareth J. T1 - Controllable Magnetoactive Polymer Conduit JF - The Open Mechanical Engineering Journal N2 - Objective: Magneto-active Polymers (MAP) are smart materials whose mechanical characteristics, such as elastic and shear moduli, may be controllable by means of an externally applied magnetic field. Methods: Various additives may be used to influence the characteristics of the polymer matrix whilst a suspension of soft and/or hard magnetic particles determine the magnetic properties of the composite. Both pre-cure and post-cure magnetization is possible. Results: A range of control strategies have been investigated for evaluation of the system using fluids of differing kinematic viscosity. Conclusion: Depending on the degree of magnetic field homogeneity, magneto-deformation and magnetostriction contribute to MAP actuation. This paper presents a novel application in the form of a peristaltic MAP tube system, applicable to flow control and pumping of hemorheological fluids in blood circulatory systems for biomedical research purposes. Y1 - 2018 UR - https://www.benthamopen.com/ABSTRACT/TOMEJ-12-192 N1 - Corresponding authro: Gareth J. Monkman VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 192 EP - 200 PB - Bentham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dechant, Eduard A1 - Fedulov, Feodor A1 - Fetisov, Leonid Y. A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail T1 - Bandwidth Widening of Piezoelectric Cantilever Beam Arrays by Mass-Tip Tuning for Low-Frequency Vibration Energy Harvesting JF - Applied Science N2 - Wireless sensor networks usually rely on internal permanent or rechargeable batteries as a power supply, causing high maintenance efforts. An alternative solution is to supply the entire system by harvesting the ambient energy, for example, by transducing ambient vibrations into electric energy by virtue of the piezoelectric effect. The purpose of this paper is to present a simple engineering approach for the bandwidth optimization of vibration energy harvesting systems comprising multiple piezoelectric cantilevers (PECs). The frequency tuning of a particular cantilever is achieved by changing the tip mass. It is shown that the bandwidth enhancement by mass tuning is limited and requires several PECs with close resonance frequencies. At a fixed frequency detuning between subsequent PECs, the achievable bandwidth shows a saturation behavior as a function of the number of cantilevers used. Since the resonance frequency of each PEC is different, the output voltages at a particular excitation frequency have different amplitudes and phases. A simple power-transfer circuit where several PECs with an individual full wave bridge rectifier are connected in parallel allows one to extract the electrical power close to the theoretical maximum excluding the diode losses. The experiments performed on two- and three-PEC arrays show reasonable agreement with simulations and demonstrate that this power-transfer circuit additionally influences the frequency dependence of the harvested electrical power. KW - array KW - BAND-PASS FILTERS KW - bandwidth KW - BIMORPH KW - Optimization KW - OUTPUT KW - PERFORMANCE KW - piezoelectric cantilever KW - POWER KW - vibration energy harvesting Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/app7121324 N1 - Corresponding Author: Mikhail Shamonin VL - 7 IS - 12 PB - MDPI ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Diamantidis, Dimitris T1 - A Critical View on Environmental and Human Risk Acceptance Criteria JF - International Journal of Environmental Science and Development N2 - Natural and technological hazards have a major impact on environmental and human safety. Risk assessment plays an essential role in the risk management of the effects of such hazards. This contribution summarizes first the general formulation of risk depending on two parameters: hazard probability and associated consequences. Problems faced in industrial applications based on the experience of the author are discussed. Risk acceptance criteria for the contributors to risk i.e. human, economic and environment are critically reviewed. Resilience based criteria are also included and conclusions for future developments are provided. KW - Environmental risk KW - human risk KW - Risk acceptance KW - Risk analysis KW - safety measures Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.18178/ijesd.2017.8.1.921 N1 - Corresponding author: Dimitris Diamantidis VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - 62 EP - 66 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altmann, Matthias A1 - Schlegl, Peter A1 - Volbert, Klaus T1 - A low-power wireless system for energy consumption analysis at mains sockets JF - EURASIP Journal on Embedded Systems N2 - Introduction: Improving energy efficiency and reducing energy wastage is an important topic of our time. But it is quite difficult to figure out how much of our total electricity bill can be mapped to which device or at what time the device used it. We believe energy efficiency of normal households can be improved, if this kind of transparency would be available. In this article, we present a system for energy measurement at mains sockets to gain a transparent view of energy consumption for each device in a household. It consists of several smart energy measuring devices (SEMDs) that use a low-power radio protocol to dynamically build and connect to a radio network to transfer power usage date to a server. At the server, the data is stored and can be accessed via web interface. Results: Our primary goal was to build a back-end system for an energy metering platform with very low energy consumption. This platform can provide data for a variety of services that enables users (the consumers) to understand and improve their energy consumption behavior and increase overall energy efficiency of their households. KW - Low power KW - Smart grid KW - Smart home KW - Smart metering KW - Wireless system Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13639-016-0041-y N1 - Corresponding author: Peter Schlegl IS - 1 PB - Springer Nature ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kreitmeier, Florian A1 - Chashin, Dmitri V. A1 - Fetisov, Yuri K. A1 - Fetisov, Leonid Y. A1 - Schulz, Irene A1 - Monkman, Gareth J. A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail T1 - Nonlinear Magnetoelectric Response of Planar Ferromagnetic-Piezoelectric Structures to Sub-Millisecond Magnetic Pulses JF - Sensors N2 - The magnetoelectric response of bi- and symmetric trilayer composite structures to pulsed magnetic fields is experimentally investigated in detail. The structures comprise layers of commercially available piezoelectric (lead zirconate titanate) and magnetostrictive (permendur or nickel) materials. The magnetic-field pulses have the form of a half-wave sine function with duration of 450 µs and amplitudes ranging from 500 Oe to 38 kOe. The time dependence of the resulting voltage is presented and explained by theoretical estimations. Appearance of voltage oscillations with frequencies much larger than the reciprocal pulse length is observed for sufficiently large amplitudes (~1-10 kOe) of the magnetic-field pulse. The origin of these oscillations is the excitation of bending and planar acoustic oscillations in the structures. Dependencies of the magnetoelectric voltage coefficient on the excitation frequency and the applied magnetic field are calculated by digital signal processing and compared with those obtained by the method of harmonic field modulation. The results are of interest for developing magnetoelectric sensors of pulsed magnetic fields as well as for rapid characterization of magnetoelectric composite structures. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/s121114821 N1 - Corresponding author: Mikhail Shamonin VL - 12 IS - 11 SP - 14821 EP - 14837 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Apelsmeier, Andreas A1 - Gleixner, Ramona A1 - Mayer, Matthias A1 - Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail A1 - Schmauss, Bernhard T1 - Intensity referencing in an extrinsic optical fiber temperature sensor JF - Procedia Engineering N2 - Optical fiber sensors based on intensity measurement require some form of intensity referencing to avoid errors arising from parasitic losses. Known techniques of referencing such as balanced bridge, divided beam systems or two-wavelength referencing are not suitable for low-cost applications since they use relatively complicated optical components such as multiple LED sources, couplers, filters etc. In this work a novel method of referencing in an extrinsic optical fiber sensor system utilizing temperature dependence of absorption edge in a semiconductor crystal is described. The sensor system comprises a single LED source and no optical fiber junctions. The emission spectrum of an LED depends on its temperature. The reference is provided by controlling the temperature of an LED source and transmission measurements with different emission spectra. The entire process is controlled by a microprocessor unit. Performance of a sensor system is investigated and it is shown that the losses in connectors may be compensated for. KW - Extrinsic optical fiber sensor KW - Intensity referencing KW - Temperature measurement KW - Absorption edge KW - Semiconductor KW - Hot-spot measurement Y1 - 2010 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2010.09.301 VL - 5 SP - 1095 EP - 1098 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schiek, Roland T1 - Nonlinear refractive index in silica glass JF - Optical Materials Express N2 - The third-order nonlinear susceptibility of silica glass is measured via self-phase modulation in standard single mode fibers at a wavelength of 1550 nm. To minimize the influence of polarization state changes along the propagation only meter-long fibers were investigated. With pulse durations of picoseconds a quasi-instantaneous nonlinearity with ultrafast electronic and fast nuclear-vibration contributions produces under conditions of negligible dispersion a classic and clean nonlinear phase shift following exactly the shape of the pulse power. The complex pulse envelope was retrieved from frequency optical gating spectrograms. The nonlinear fiber parameter γ could be determined with an accuracy of 3.7 percent. Considering the mode field structure and the doping influence the nonlinear refractive index of silica glass as the fiber base material was found to be n2 = 2.22 · 10−16 cm2 W ± 6.0 % for picosecond-long pulses. Comparing nonlinear phase shifts from linear and circular polarized light a nuclear-vibration contribution to the cubic fiber nonlinearity of 25 percent was estimated. Y1 - U6 - https://doi.org/10.1364/OME.489520 N1 - Corresponding author: Roland Schiek VL - 13 IS - 6 SP - 1727 EP - 1740 PB - Optica Publishing Group ER -