Search

Unsaturated organic compounds in aerosol particles undergo oxidative ageing via heterogeneous reactions with atmospheric oxidants. Ozonolysis of linoleic acid has been serving as a proxy for this process and the linoleic acid decay has been shown to deviate from a linear dependence on ozone concentration. We use electrodynamic balance-mass spectrometry to measure mass spectra from levitated droplets before and after exposure to specific ozone mixing ratios. We find almost identical reactive uptake coefficients for ozone mixing ratios from 1 to 10 ppm, suggesting that a limitation due to droplet surface coverage with ozone is absent in this regime. However, a strong increase of the uptake coefficient for ozone mixing ratios below approximately 0.2 ppm is observed. Based on measurements using an oxygen atmosphere without ozone, which also show a degradation of linoleic acid, we attribute the apparent increase of the uptake coefficient to the oxidation of linoleic acid with molecular oxygen. These findings are consistent with an autoxidation mechanism, as proposed previously. Our results highlight that strongly elevated oxidant concentrations can mask the impact of autoxidation, which is slow but may dominate under atmospheric conditions., Environmental Science: Atmospheres, 3 (1), ISSN:2634-3606

Intralogistics systems, while complex, are crucial for a range of industries. One of their challenges is deadlock situations that can disrupt operations and decrease efficiency. This paper presents a four-stage framework for applying reinforcement learning algorithms to manage deadlocks in such systems. The stages include Problem Formulation, Model Selection, Algorithm Selection, and System Deployment. We carefully identify the problem, select an appropriate model to represent the system, choose a suitable reinforcement learning algorithm, and finally deploy the solution. Our approach provides a structured method to tackle deadlocks, improving system resilience and responsiveness. This comprehensive guide can serve researchers and practitioners alike, offering a new avenue for enhancing intralogistics performance. Future research can explore the framework’s effectiveness and applicability across different systems.

Virus- and interferon alpha-induced transcriptomes of the “microbat” Myotis daubentonii (suborder Yangochiroptera). We stimulated M. daubentonii cells either with a strong IFN inducer virus or with type I IFN. Moreover, we measured global cellular transcription at two different time points and from three biological replicates using Illumina short-read RNA-Seq. Since no reference genome for M. daubentonii is publicly available so far, we used the genome of the closely related “microbat” M. lucifugus as a reference for RNA quantification, normalization, and differential expression analysis. Additionally, we de novo assembled the M. daubentonii transcriptomes using different assembly tools and a clustering approach.

Background: Brain biopsy of intracranial lesions is often necessary to determine specific therapy. The cost of the currently used stereotactic rigid frame and optical tracking systems for brain biopsy in dogs is often prohibitive or accuracy is not sufficient for all types of lesion. Objectives: To evaluate the application accuracy of an inexpensive magnetic resonance imaging‐based personalized, 3D printed brain biopsy device. Animals: Twenty‐two dog heads from cadavers were separated into 2 groups according to body weight (20 kg). Methods: Experimental study. Two target points in each cadaver head were used (target point 1: caudate nucleus, target point 2: piriform lobe). Comparison between groups was performed using the independent Student's t test or the nonparametric Mann‐Whitney U Test. Results: The total median target point deviation was 0.83 mm (range 0.09‐2.76 mm). The separate median target point deviations for target points 1 and 2 in all dogs were 0.57 mm (range: 0.09‐1.25 mm) and 0.85 mm (range: 0.14‐2.76 mm), respectively. Conclusion and Clinical Importance: This magnetic resonance imaging‐based 3D printed stereotactic brain biopsy device achieved an application accuracy that was better than the accuracy of most brain biopsy systems that are currently used in veterinary medicine. The device can be applied to every size and shape of skull and allows precise positioning of brain biopsy needles in dogs.

Road tolls serve various purposes, such as to refinance the road infrastructure or to regulate traffic. They are typically levied for the use of a freeway or the entire road network of a region or country. Toll charges may depend on the duration of use, the vehicle's emission class, the time of the day, the distance travelled, or the traffic volume. The primary objective of a few recent toll system deployments is to internalize externalities with respect to vehicle-caused air pollution. However, the air quality along the toll roads has so far not been considered to directly influence road usage prices. This article investigated by simulation the expected monetary expenditure for drivers and the traffic impact of applying a new distance and air pollution-based charging scheme in the metropolitan region of Berlin. The road usage charges were determined on a per-trip basis by taking the vehicle's emission class, the distance travelled, and the air pollution levels along the route into consideration. The simulation results indicate that it is beneficial for drivers to avoid areas of high air pollution in order to reduce the trip's total road usage charges. The average additional detour distance is thereby short in comparison to the route's length and the resulting additional emissions do not increase to the same extent as the number of detours, since detours are partly even shorter in terms of distance. The explorative analysis gives initial insights into the traffic effects of a charging scheme in which air pollution dictates road pricing.

Antibacterial properties of toothpastes enable chemical plaque control in limited-access tooth regions that are mechanically not sufficiently reached by toothbrushes. Therefore, this study aimed to compare different microbial methods to assess antimicrobial toothpaste properties and evaluate different toothpastes in terms of their antibacterial efficacy against different oral microorganisms in vitro. Six toothpaste suspensions with varying antibacterial supplements were applied to a multi-species biofilm model (Actinomyces oris, Candida albicans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mutans) as well as to each microorganism. A culture method was used to assess the anti-biofilm effects and two different agar diffusion assays were performed for testing the antimicrobial effect on each microorganism. The measurements of the culture and diffusion analyses were statistically normalized and compared and toothpastes were ranked according to their antimicrobial efficacy. The results of both agar diffusion assays showed a high correlation across all tested species (Spearman correlation coefficients ρs > 0.95). The results of the multi-species biofilm model, however, substantially differed in its assessment of antibacterial properties (ρs ranging from 0.22 to 0.87), compared to the results of both diffusion assays. Toothpastes with amine fluoride with and without stannous fluoride, and triclosan resulted in the highest antimicrobial efficacy, while activated carbon supplements were comparable to the negative control NaCl. The appropriate selection of a broad range of oral microorganisms seems crucial when testing the chemical impact of toothpastes and toothpaste supplements.

Im Mittelpunkt des Vorhabens InKola „Infrastrukturkopplung – Platzierung und Betrieb von Ladestationen aus Verkehrs- und Energienetzsicht“ steht die infrastrukturübergreifende Planung und der Betrieb für Verkehr- und Energiesysteme. Das Ziel ist es, zusammen der Stadt Burg ein anwendungsorientiertes Konzept zur optimalen Platzierung, Versorgung und Betrieb von Ladeinfrastruktur aus Netz- und Verkehrssicht unter Einbindung erneuerbarer Erzeugung zu entwickeln, und an ausgewählten Standorten in der Stadt Burg Ladeinfrastruktur zu installieren., Res Electricae Magdeburgenses. Magdeburger Forum zur Elektrotechnik, 87

Ehrgeizige CO2-Ziele und die Absenkung der Schadstoffemissionen in der Stadt stellen hohe Anforderungen an den Pkw-Antrieb der Zukunft. Der Dieselmotor wird dafür immer mehr in Frage gestellt. Darüber hinaus werden die Homologationsrandbedingungen weltweit weiter verschärft, sodass Verbrennungsmotoren in allen Betriebsbereichen immer kleiner werdende Grenzwerte der limitierten Schadstoffemissionen einhalten müssen. Beim Dieselmotor sind dies in erster Linie die NOX-Emissionen, die aufgrund der Charakteristik des Brennverfahrens in den Betrachtungsfokus rücken. Auf der anderen Seite zählt der Dieselmotor weiterhin als sehr CO2-sparsamer Antrieb, sodass er Potenzial hat, bestehende Technologien und Infrastrukturen weiter zu nutzen und als Ergänzung zum Elektroantrieb eine wichtige Antriebsquelle in der Fahrzeugflotte darzustellen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden hochlastige Betriebsbereiche bis zur Volllast eines Hochleistungs-Pkw-Dieselmotors betrachtet, um die Auswirkungen der Abgasrückführung (AGR) auf Emissionen, Kraftstoffverbrauch und Leistung sowie auf das Aufladesystem zu bewerten. Zur Verfügung stehen ein Motorprüfstand mit variabler Ansaug- und Abgasstrecke, ein frei programmierbares Steuergerät sowie ein Rapid-Prototyping-System zur Abbildung echtzeitfähiger Modelle und zur unabhängigen Ansteuerung der Steller und Klappen im Luftpfad. Die Anhebung der AGR-Rate im Hochlastbereich bewirkt in erster Linie in allen Kennfeldbereichen des Verbrennungsmotors eine Absenkung der NOX-Emissionen im Brennraum. Eine negative Auswirkung hoher AGR-Raten in niedrigen Drehzahlbereichen bzw. an der Volllast des Motors ist, dass die Leistung aufgrund einer definierten Rauchbegrenzung und dem maximalen Ladedruck durch das Aufladesystem begrenzt ist. Um dem entgegenzuwirken, wird zunächst unabhängig eines Aufladekonzeptes der Ladedruck mittels der Variabilität des Motorprüfstands erhöht, sodass eine AGR-Raten-Erhöhung bei einem konstanten Luftverhältnis realisiert werden kann. Die Vorteile dieser Ladedruckanhebung in Kombination mit der AGR sind niedrige NOX-Emissionen und eine konstante Leistung im stationären Betriebspunkt. Außerdem bleiben im Vergleich zu der AGR-Variation mit konstantem Ladedruck Rußemissionen und der spezifische Kraftstoffverbrauch auf einem geringen Niveau. Die Versuche zeigen Potenziale zur Betriebsoptimierung bis hin zur Motorvolllast auf. Die Auswirkungen der AGR und daraus folgenden Ladedruckanhebung auf verschiedene Aufladesysteme wird anschließend mittels einer Echtzeit-Simulation am Motorprüfstand bewertet. Als Referenz wird die zweistufige Aufladung herangezogen. Die Ladedruckerhöhung hat im isolierten Betrachtungsfeld der zweistufigen Aufladung positive Auswirkungen hinsichtlich des Betriebsverhaltens und des Wirkungsgrades der Strömungsmaschinen. Demgegenüber steht der erhöhte Kraftstoffverbrauch durch die AGR und das sich verschlechternde Spülgefälle über den Motor. Als zweites Aufladesystem wird eine Registeraufladung, also eine Parallelschaltung von zwei Abgasturboladern, modelliert und am Motorprüfstand abgebildet. Mittels der gewählten Abgasturbolader-Konfiguration zeigt sich, dass die Ladedruckanhebung eingeschränkt möglich ist. Auch im Bereich niedriger Motordrehzahlen und hoher Lasten ist mit Wirkungsgradverschlechterung der Strömungsmaschinen bei Ladedruckanhebungen zu rechnen. Als finale Variante wird die Parallelschaltung der Abgasturbolader mit einem elektrisch angetriebenen Zusatzverdichter, der wiederum in Reihe geschaltet ist, modelliert. So gelingt es, im unteren Drehzahlbereich eine zweistufige Aufladung zu realisieren und im hohen Drehzahlbereich die Vorteile des Parallelbetriebs zu nutzen. Im stationären Betriebsverhalten hat der elektrische Zusatzverdichter wesentliche Vorteile hinsichtlich der Ladedruckerhöhung. Diese erfolgt unabhängig vom Abgasmassenstrom, sodass hier hinsichtlich des Spülgefälles über den Motor ein Vorteil entsteht. Hinsichtlich der Dynamik kann nachgewiesen werden, dass der Drehmomentaufbau im Lastsprung durch den Einsatz der elektrischen Unterstützung deutlich verbessert werden kann., Ambitious CO2 targets and the reduction of pollutant emissions in the city place high demands on the car drive of the future. The diesel engine is increasingly being questioned. In addition, the homologation boundary conditions are being further tightened worldwide, so that combustion engines in all areas of operation have to comply with ever smaller limit values of limited pollutant emissions. In the case of diesel engines, these are primarily the NOX emissions due to the characteristics of the combustion process, which are the focus of attention. On the other hand, the diesel engine continues to count as a very CO2-economical drive, so that it has the potential to continue to use existing technologies and infrastructures and to represent an important source of drive in the vehicle fleet as a supplement to the electric drive. In the present work, high-load operating ranges up to the full load of a high-performance passenger car diesel engine are considered in order to evaluate the effects of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on emissions, fuel consumption and performance as well as on the charging system. An engine test bench with variable intake and exhaust section, a freely programmable control unit and a rapid prototyping system for imaging real-time capable models and for independent control of the controllers and flaps in the air path are available. The increase in the EGR rate in the high-load range primarily causes a reduction in NOX emissions in the combustion chamber in all characteristic field areas of the combustion engine. A negative effect of high EGR rates in low speed ranges or at the full load of the engine is that the power is limited due to a defined smoke limitation and the maximum boost pressure by the charging system. In order to counteract this, the boost pressure is increased independently of a charging concept by means of the variability of the engine test bench, so that an EGR rate increase can be realized at a constant air ratio. The advantages of this boost pressure increase in combination with the EGR are low NOX emissions and a constant performance in the stationary operating point. In addition, compared to the EGR variation with constant boost pressure, soot emissions and specific fuel consumption remain at a low level. The tests show potential for operational optimization up to engine full load. The effects of the EGR and the resulting boost pressure increase on various charging systems are then evaluated by means of a real-time simulation on the engine test bench. As a reference, the two-stage turbocharging is used. The boost pressure increase has positive effects in the isolated field of view of the two-stage turbocharging with regard to the operating behavior and the efficiency of the flow machines. In contrast, there is the increased fuel consumption due to the EGR and the deteriorating flushing gradient over the engine. As a second charging system, a sequential turbocharger, i.e. a parallel connection of two turbochargers, is modeled and mapped on the engine test bench. By means of the selected turbocharger configuration, it is shown that the boost pressure increase is possible to a limited extent. Even in the area of low engine speeds and high loads, efficiency deterioration of the flow machines with boost pressure increases is to be expected. As a final variant, the parallel connection of the turbochargers is modeled with an electrically driven additional compressor, which in turn is connected in series. This makes it possible to realize a two-stage charge in the lower speed range and to use the advantages of sequential turbocharging in the high speed range. In stationary operating behavior, the additional electrical compressor has significant advantages in terms of increasing the boost pressure. This takes place independently of the exhaust gas mass flow, so that here an advantage arises with regard to the flushing gradient over the engine. With regard to dynamics, it can be proven that the torque build-up in the load jump can be significantly improved by the use of electrical support., Berichte aus dem ivb, vol. 35

OBJECTIVES: Dexamethasone has become the standard of care for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but its virological impact is poorly understood. The objectives of this work were to characterize the kinetics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) concentration in the upper respiratory tract (URT) and the antibody response in patients with (D+) and without (D-) dexamethasone treatment. METHODS: Data and biosamples from hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, enrolled between 4th March and 11th December 2020 in a prospective observational study, were analysed. SARS-CoV-2 virus concentration in serial URT samples was measured using RT-PCR. SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulins A and G (IgA and IgG) were measured in serum samples using S1-ELISA. RESULTS: We compared 101 immunocompetent patients who received dexamethasone (according to the inclusion criteria and dosage determined in the RECOVERY trial) to 93 immunocompetent patients with comparable disease severity from the first months of the pandemic, who had not been treated with dexamethasone or other glucocorticoids. We found no inter-group differences in virus concentration kinetics, duration of presence of viral loads >106 viral copies/mL (D+ median 17 days (IQR 13-24), D- 19 days (IQR 13-29)), or time from symptom onset until seroconversion (IgA: D+ median 11.5 days (IQR 11-12), D- 14 days (IQR 11.5-15.75); IgG: D+ 13 days (IQR 12-14.5), D- 12 days (IQR 11-15)). CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone does not appear to lead to a change in virus clearance or a delay in antibody response in immunocompetent patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV) was detected in humans in 2012. Since then, sporadic outbreaks with primary transmission through dromedary camels to humans and outbreaks in healthcare settings have shown that MERS-CoV continues to pose a threat to human health. Several serologic assays for MERS-CoV have been developed globally. We describe a collaborative study to investigate the comparability of serologic assays for MERS-CoV and assess any benefit associated with the introduction of a standard reference reagent for MERS-CoV serology. Our study findings indicate that, when possible, laboratories should use a testing algorithm including >2 tests to ensure correct diagnosis of MERS-CoV. We also demonstrate that the use of a reference reagent greatly improves the agreement between assays, enabling more consistent and therefore more meaningful comparisons between results.

Supplementary information for our manuscript by the same title. Text with alignment and construction information. List of parts. Optical calculations summary. Microcontroller code.

This paper aim is to provide a decision support model to assist the invoice delivery for about 200 customers in a law firm in Bogotá, Colombia. Each customer has a service time and establishes the conditions for the delivery, i.e., day, place, and time window. Invoices are delivered by motorcycle. We collect and analyze real travel and service times for each day of the week. To determine an optimal plan for invoice delivery, a mathematical model was developed for dealing with customer requests. One week (5 days) was chosen as a planning period for invoice delivery. Comparing the current route planning approach against the proposed method, we obtain savings in the total operating time by 13.3 %. Results indicate that the implementation of the proposed optimization model in weekly planning decisions could decrease operating times and increase service quality significantly.

The progressing digital transformation and internationalization of business processes cause a shift towards a more collaborative nature of processes. In such collaborations, different organizations execute separate parts of the process autonomously. This fragmentation leads to uncertainty regarding the correct execution of activities, the proper workflow, and data flow. If organizations engage in business together, trust is required. Current research identified blockchain and distributed ledger technologies as promising tools to mitigate trust issues in business processes. Yet, the detailed relationship of distributed ledgers and trust is regarded ambivalently. This thesis proposes three design science artifacts for analyzing and creating trust-aware business processes using distributed ledger technologies. Firstly, TAPE is a method for trust-aware business process engineering. The TAPE method consists of three steps. The first step analyzes trust issues in business processes. Therefore, TAPE uses a business process model and a trust model for joint semantical analysis. TAPE's second step uses trust patterns to mitigate trust issues in a collaborative business process. The last step of the TAPE method implements the trust-aware process. The second artifact that this thesis proposes is Trust Studio. Trust Studio is a web application that aids process analysts and engineers in applying the TAPE method. The last artifact this thesis introduces is a set of distributed ledger trust patterns. These trust patterns are classified with a taxonomy that helps to identify their trust-enhancing capabilities. A set of different evaluation methods assesses the utility of the introduced design science artifacts. The evaluation shows that all three contributions reached the status of a minimal viable artifact. Thus, the outcomes of this thesis foster a deep understanding of trust in business processes and how distributed ledger technologies can be utilized as a tool to mitigate trust issues. Die fortschreitende digitale Transformation und die Internationalisierung von Geschäftsprozessen führen zu einer Verlagerung hin zu einer stärkeren Kollaboration von Prozessen. Bei solchen Kollaborationen führen verschiedene Organisationen separate Teile des Prozesses autonom aus. Diese Fragmentierung führt zu Unsicherheiten hinsichtlich der korrekten Ausführung von Aktivitäten, des richtigen Workflows und des Datenflusses. Wenn Organisationen gemeinsam Geschäfte machen, ist Vertrauen erforderlich. Aktuelle Forschungen haben Blockchain und Distributed Ledger Technologien als vielversprechende Ansätze identifiziert, um Vertrauensprobleme in Geschäftsprozessen zu entschärfen. Die genaue Beziehung von verteilten Ledgern und Vertrauen wird jedoch ambivalent betrachtet. In dieser Arbeit werden drei Design-Science-Artefakte für die Analyse und Erstellung vertrauenswürdiger Geschäftsprozesse unter Verwendung von Distributed Ledgers vorgeschlagen. Erstens, TAPE ist eine Methode für vertrauenswürdiges Business Process Engineering. Die TAPE-Methode besteht aus drei Schritten. Im ersten Schritt werden Vertrauensprobleme (trust issues) in Geschäftsprozessen analysiert. Dazu verwendet TAPE ein Geschäftsprozessmodell und ein Vertrauensmodell zur gemeinsamen semantischen Analyse. Der zweite Schritt von TAPE verwendet Vertrauensmuster (trust patterns), um Vertrauensprobleme in einem kollaborativen Geschäftsprozess zu entschärfen. Der letzte Schritt der TAPE-Methode implementiert den vertrauensbewussten Prozess. Das zweite Artefakt, das diese Arbeit vorschlägt, ist Trust Studio. Trust Studio ist eine Webanwendung, die Prozessanalysten und Ingenieure bei der Anwendung der TAPE-Methode unterstützt. Das letzte Artefakt, das diese Arbeit vorstellt, ist eine Sammlung von Distributed Ledger Vertrauensmuster (DLT trust patterns). Diese Vertrauensmuster werden anhand einer Taxonomie klassifiziert, die hilft, ihre vertrauensfördernden Fähigkeiten zu identifizieren. Eine Reihe von verschiedenen Evaluationsmethoden bewertet den Nutzen der eingeführten Design-Science-Artefakte. Die Evaluierung zeigt, dass alle drei Beiträge den Status eines minimal brauchbaren Artefakts erreicht haben (minimal viable artifact). Somit fördern die Ergebnisse ein tiefes Verständnis von Vertrauen in Geschäftsprozessen und wie Distributed-Ledger-Technologien als Werkzeug zur Abschwächung von Vertrauensproblemen genutzt werden können.

Clinical trials on the use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma remain inconclusive. While data on safety is increasingly available, evidence for efficacy is still sparse. Subgroup analyses hint to a dose-response relationship between convalescent plasma neutralizing antibody levels and mortality. In particular, patients with primary and secondary antibody deficiency might benefit from this approach. However, testing of neutralizing antibodies is limited to specialized biosafety level 3 laboratories and is a time- and labor-intense procedure. In this single center study of 206 COVID-19 convalescent patients, clinical data, results of commercially available ELISA testing of SARS-CoV-2 spike-IgG and -IgA, and levels of neutralizing antibodies, determined by plaque reduction neutralization testing (PRNT), were analyzed. At a medium time point of 58 days after symptom onset, only 12.6% of potential plasma donors showed high levels of neutralizing antibodies (PRNT50 >= 1:320). Multivariable proportional odds logistic regression analysis revealed need for hospitalization due to COVID-19 (odds ratio 6.87; p-value 0.0004) and fever (odds ratio 3.00; p-value 0.0001) as leading factors affecting levels of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers in convalescent plasma donors. Using penalized estimation, a predictive proportional odds logistic regression model including the most important variables hospitalization, fever, age, sex, and anosmia or dysgeusia was developed. The predictive discrimination for PRNT50 >= 1:320 was reasonably good with AUC: 0.86 (with 95% CI: 0.79-0.92). Combining clinical and ELISA-based pre-screening, assessment of neutralizing antibodies could be spared in 75% of potential donors with a maximal loss of 10% of true positives (PRNT50 >= 1:320).

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit den CO2-Emissionen eines Dezernats der TU Darmstadt im Jahr 2019. Hierzu wird das Greenhouse Gas Protocol verwendet. In die Bilanzierung fließen verschiedene Emissionsfaktoren, wie beispielsweise der Verbrauch von Strom und Wärme, der Pendelweg der Mitarbeitende sowie Dienstreisen und Verbrauch von Papier und IT-Geräten ein. Um die Emissionsfaktoren präzise zu identifizieren werden Umfragen zu der Arbeitsweise und der Mobilität innerhalb des Dezernats V an alle Mitarbeitende versendet und durchgeführt. Durch Mailkontakt mit den zuständigen Mitarbeitenden des Dezernats V und einigen Vor-Ort-Begehungen können weitere Emissionsfaktoren ermittelt werden. Fehlende Informationen werden abschließend so genau wie möglich abgeschätzt. Mit Hilfe einer Korrelationsmatrix werden aus den Umfrageergebnissen Abhängigkeiten identifiziert. Durch entsprechende Analysen können zudem Key Performance Indicator bestimmt werden. Diese können als Grundlage für die effiziente Erstellung zukünftiger CO2-Bilanzen genutzt werden. Im Jahr 2019 hat das gesamte Dezernat im Durchschnitt 195,751 kg CO2 eq ausgestoßen. Das Pendeln der Mitarbeitenden stellt mit 77,187 kg CO2 eq den anteilsmäßig größten Emissionsausstoß dar. An zweiter und dritter Stelle stehen die Emissionen aus Fernwärme mit 46,314 kg CO2 eq und Strom mit 39,513 kg CO2 eq. Der zweite Aspekt dieser Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit potenziellen Maßnahmen, um die CO2-Emissionen am Dezernat V zu senken. Die Mitarbeitenden des Dezernats V können in einer zweiten Umfrage die vorgestellten Maßnahmen bezüglich ihrer Umsetzbarkeit im Arbeitsalltag am Dezernat bewerten.

Supplemental document

Digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are spatial light modulators that employ the electro-mechanical movement of miniaturized mirrors to steer and thus modulate the light reflected off a mirror array. Their wide availability, low cost and high speed make them a popular choice both in consumer electronics such as video projectors, and scientific applications such as microscopy. High-end fluorescence microscopy systems typically employ laser light sources, which by their nature provide coherent excitation light. In super-resolution microscopy applications that use light modulation, most notably structured illumination microscopy (SIM), the coherent nature of the excitation light becomes a requirement to achieve optimal interference pattern contrast. The universal combination of DMDs and coherent light sources, especially when working with multiple different wavelengths, is unfortunately not straight forward. The substructure of the tilted micromirror array gives rise to a blazed grating, which has to be understood and which must be taken into account when designing a DMD-based illumination system. Here, we present a set of simulation frameworks that explore the use of DMDs in conjunction with coherent light sources, motivated by their application in SIM, but which are generalizable to other light patterning applications. This framework provides all the tools to explore and compute DMD-based diffraction effects and to simulate possible system alignment configurations computationally, which simplifies the system design process and provides guidance for setting up DMD-based microscopes.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting ‘Simposium (part 1)’.

Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is a fast and gentle super-resolution fluorescence imaging technique, featuring live-cell compatible excitation light levels and high imaging speeds. To achieve SIM, spatial modulation of the fluorescence excitation light is employed. This is typically achieved by interfering coherent laser beams in the sample plane, which are often created by spatial light modulators (SLMs). Digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are a form of SLMs with certain advantages, such as high speed, low cost and wide availability, which present certain hurdles in their implementation, mainly the blazed grating effect caused by the jagged surface structure of the tilted mirrors. Recent works have studied this effect through modelling, simulations and experiments, and laid out possible implementations of multi-color SIM imaging based on DMDs. Here, we present an implementation of a dual-color DMD based SIM microscope using temperature-controlled wavelength matching. By carefully controlling the output wavelength of a diode laser by temperature, we can tune two laser wavelengths in such a way that no opto-mechanical realignment of the SIM setup is necessary when switching between both wavelengths. This reduces system complexity and increases imaging speed. With measurements on nano-bead reference samples, as well as the actin skeleton and membrane of fixed U2OS cells, we demonstrate the capabilities of the setup. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

Detailed knowledge of the molecular biology of SARS-CoV-2 infection is crucial for understanding of viral replication, host responses and disease progression. Here, we report gene expression profiles of three SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infected human cell lines. SARS-CoV-2 elicited an approximately two-fold higher stimulation of the innate immune response compared to SARS-CoV in the human epithelial cell line Calu-3, including induction of miRNA-155. Single-cell RNA sequencing of infected cells showed that genes induced by virus infections were broadly upregulated, whereas interferon beta/lambda genes an pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 were expressed only in small subsets of infected cells. Temporal analysis suggested that transcriptional activities of interferon regulatory factors precede those of nuclear factor κB. Lastly, we identified heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) as a protein relevant for the infection. Inhibition of the HSP90 activity resulted in a reduction of viral replication and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in primary human airway epithelial cells., Graphical Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an ongoing global health threat with more than two million infected people since its emergence in late 2019. Detailed knowledge of the molecular biology of the infection is indispensable for understanding of the viral replication, host responses, and disease progression. We provide gene expression profiles of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infections in three human cell lines (H1299, Caco-2 and Calu-3 cells), using bulk and single-cell transcriptomics. Small RNA profiling showed strong expression of the immunity and inflammation-associated microRNA miRNA-155 upon infection with both viruses. SARS-CoV-2 elicited approximately two-fold higher stimulation of the interferon response compared to SARS-CoV in the permissive human epithelial cell line Calu-3, and induction of cytokines such as CXCL10 or IL6. Single cell RNA sequencing data showed that canonical interferon stimulated genes such as IFIT2 or OAS2 were broadly induced, whereas interferon beta (IFNB1) and lambda (IFNL1-4) were expressed only in a subset of infected cells. In addition, temporal resolution of transcriptional responses suggested interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) activities precede that of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Lastly, we identified heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) as a protein relevant for the infection. Inhibition of the HSP90 charperone activity by Tanespimycin/17-N-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) resulted in a reduction of viral replication, and of TNF and IL1B mRNA levels. In summary, our study established in vitro cell culture models to study SARS-CoV-2 infection and identified HSP90 protein as potential drug target for therapeutic intervention of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The paper shows how assigning different predefined dispatching rules for a predefined number of times at any points in time using a genetic algorithm can solve a hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with sequence-dependent setup times, using the example of a company producing printed circuit boards. The paper describes the implementation of the genetic algorithm, analyses the results for four different data sets and compares them with the results of applying standard dispatching rules. Using a genetic algorithm to assign dispatching rules achieves better solutions than simple dispatching rules often used in industrial practice. The genetic algorithm already achieves good solutions after a few seconds up to a few minutes, which means that this approach can be used for real-time decision making in a cyber-physical system in the age of Industry 4.0.

Maintaining focus during time-lapse experiments remains an important challenge in optical microscopy. In this paper we present an automated focusing system for fluorescence microscopy that can be used in time-lapse experiments. We provide software for flexibly operating the autofocus system and a complete alignment guide. The system is evaluated using a time-lapse experiment with temperature variations on Tetraspeck beads.

Preisdifferenzierung, ob räumlich, zeitlich, quantitativ oder qualitativ, gehört seit Jahrzehnten zum Alltag. Durch die zunehmende Digitalisierung und die damit einhergehende hohe Verfügbarkeit von Informationen, insbesondere von Kundendaten, eröffnen sich neue Möglichkeiten, Preisdifferenzierung dynamisch und individuell zu gestalten. Während im Onlinehandel der Preis oft dynamisch differenziert wird, ist dies im stationären Detailhandel zurzeit selten der Fall. Ein Grund dafür ist, dass die Akzeptanz einer dynamisch individualisierten Preisdifferenzierung und deren Einflussfaktoren auf die Kundenloyalität weitgehend unerforscht sind. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird diese Fragestellung mittels quantitativer Methoden untersucht. Im Rahmen der empirischen Untersuchung zeigt sich, dass Transparenz und Nachvollziehbarkeit bezüglich Preisgestaltung wichtige Parameter zur Erhöhung der Akzeptanz von dynamisch individualisierten Ansätzen sind. Allerdings wurde auch eine Intensions-Verhaltens-Lücke festgestellt: Ein beachtlicher Anteil der Kunden, die Kundenprogramme aus Gründen des Datenschutzes (Stichwort «gläserne Kunden») ablehnen, sind dennoch auf sozialen Medien aktiv. Die Ergebnisse zeigen weiter, dass Kunden zwischen 18 und 35 Jahren, die sogenannten Millennials, deutlich empfänglicher für individualisierte Preise sind als Kunden fortgeschrittenen Alters. Allerdings ist die Teilnahmerate an Kundenloyalitäts-Programmen bei Millennials deutlich tiefer als bei älteren Kunden, was die Notwendigkeit einer Anpassung traditioneller Kundenbindungsprogramme an die veränderten Kundenbedürfnisse deutlich macht. Die zunehmende Individualisierung und Dynamisierung erfordern zusätzlich eine flexible Systemarchitektur, die in der Lage ist, sowohl interne Positionssysteme als auch Batch- und Real-Time-Analysesysteme in ein Gesamtsystem zu integrieren.

Talk on the fairSIM project, given at the FOM 2019 conference in London. Slides have been converted to a "handout" style, and some unpublished data has been removed., {"references":["Gustafsson (2000) 10.1046/j.1365-2818.2000.00710.x","Gustafsson et al. (2008) 10.1529/biophysj.107.120345","Heintzmann, Cremer (1999) 10.1117/12.336833","Frohn (2000, PhD thesis) 10.1117/12.336833","Pavel Křížek et al. (2016) 10.1093/bioinformatics/btv576","Amit Lal et al. (2016) 10.1109/JSTQE.2016.2521542","K. Wicker, R. Heintzmann, Opt. Exp. (2013), doi:10.1364/OE.21.002032","K. O' Jolleran, M. Shaw, Biomed. Opt. Exp. (2014), doi:10.1364/BOE.5.002580","M. Shaw, K. O' Jolleran, Optics Letters (2012), doi: 10.1364/OL.37.004603","Hui-Wen Lu-Walther et al. (2015) 10.1088/2050-6120/3/1/014001","Dong Li et al. (2015) 10.1126/science.aab3500","Laurence J. Young et al. (2016) 10.3791/53988"]}

Super-resolved structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM) is among the fastest fluorescence microscopy techniques capable of surpassing the optical diffraction limit. Current custom-build instruments are able to deliver two-fold resolution enhancement with high acquisition speed. SR-SIM is usually a two-step process, with raw-data acquisition and subsequent, time-consuming post-processing for image reconstruction. In contrast, wide-field and (multi-spot) confocal techniques produce high-resolution images instantly. Such immediacy is also possible with SR-SIM, by tight integration of a video-rate capable SIM with fast reconstruction software. Here we present instant SR-SIM by VIGOR (Video-rate Immediate GPU-accelerated Open-Source Reconstruction). We demonstrate multi-color SR-SIM at video frame-rates, with less than 250 ms delay between measurement and reconstructed image display. This is achieved by modifying and extending high-speed SR-SIM image acquisition with a new, GPU-enhanced, network-enabled image-reconstruction software. We demonstrate high-speed surveying of biological samples in multiple colors and live imaging of moving mitochondria as an example of intracellular dynamics., Sequential acquisition and image reconstruction in super-resolved structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM) is time-consuming. Here the authors optimise both acquisition and reconstruction software to achieve multicolour SR-SIM at video frame-rates with reconstructed images displaying with only milliseconds delay during the experiment.

»100.000 slum folk must go«, so betitelte der Philippine Daily Inquirer am 15. August 2012 einen Artikel über die geplante Umsiedlung von informellen Siedlungen entlang der Wasserwege und überflutungsgefährdeten Bereichen in Manila. Ziel dieser Maßnahme sei es, die Bewohnerinnen in weniger gefährdete Gebiete umzusiedeln und die Wasserwege freihalten zu können. Mit solchen und ähnlichen Vorwänden werden oftmals Projekte der Stadtplanung hinsichtlich auf informeller Siedlungen in Manila ins Leben gerufen., südostasien – Zeitschrift für Politik • Kultur • Dialog, Bd. 29 Nr. 1 (2013): Recht auf Staat: Stadt(ver)planung – Leben und Überleben

A 29 nucleotide deletion in open reading frame 8 (ORF8) is the most obvious genetic change in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) during its emergence in humans. In spite of intense study, it remains unclear whether the deletion actually reflects adaptation to humans. Here we engineered full, partially deleted (−29 nt), and fully deleted ORF8 into a SARS-CoV infectious cDNA clone, strain Frankfurt-1. Replication of the resulting viruses was compared in primate cell cultures as well as Rhinolophus bat cells made permissive for SARS-CoV replication by lentiviral transduction of the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor. Cells from cotton rat, goat, and sheep provided control scenarios that represent host systems in which SARS-CoV is neither endemic nor epidemic. Independent of the cell system, the truncation of ORF8 (29 nt deletion) decreased replication up to 23-fold. The effect was independent of the type I interferon response. The 29 nt deletion in SARS-CoV is a deleterious mutation acquired along the initial human-to-human transmission chain. The resulting loss of fitness may be due to a founder effect, which has rarely been documented in processes of viral emergence. These results have important implications for the retrospective assessment of the threat posed by SARS.

We determined the presence of neutralizing antibodies to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in persons in Qatar with and without dromedary contact. Antibodies were only detected in those with contact, suggesting dromedary exposure as a risk factor for infection. Findings also showed evidence for substantial underestimation of the infection in populations at risk in Qatar.

Summary Background Scientific evidence suggests that dromedary camels are the intermediary host for the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). However, the actual number of infections in people who have had contact with camels is unknown and most index patients cannot recall any such contact. We aimed to do a nationwide serosurvey in Saudi Arabia to establish the prevalence of MERS-CoV antibodies, both in the general population and in populations of individuals who have maximum exposure to camels. Methods In the cross-sectional serosurvey, we tested human serum samples obtained from healthy individuals older than 15 years who attended primary health-care centres or participated in a national burden-of-disease study in all 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, we tested serum samples from shepherds and abattoir workers with occupational exposure to camels. Samples were screened by recombinant ELISA and MERS-CoV seropositivity was confirmed by recombinant immunofluorescence and plaque reduction neutralisation tests. We used two-tailed Mann Whitney U exact tests, χ 2 , and Fisher's exact tests to analyse the data. Findings Between Dec 1, 2012, and Dec 1, 2013, we obtained individual serum samples from 10 009 individuals. Anti-MERS-CoV antibodies were confirmed in 15 (0·15%; 95% CI 0·09–0·24) of 10 009 people in six of the 13 provinces. The mean age of seropositive individuals was significantly younger than that of patients with reported, laboratory-confirmed, primary Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (43·5 years [SD 17·3] vs 53·8 years [17·5]; p=0·008). Men had a higher antibody prevalence than did women (11 [0·25%] of 4341 vs two [0·05%] of 4378; p=0·028) and antibody prevalence was significantly higher in central versus coastal provinces (14 [0·26%] of 5479 vs one [0·02%] of 4529; p=0·003). Compared with the general population, seroprevalence of MERS-CoV antibodies was significantly increased by 15 times in shepherds (two [2·3%] of 87, p=0·0004) and by 23 times in slaughterhouse workers (five [3·6%] of 140; p Interpretation Seroprevalence of MERS-CoV antibodies was significantly higher in camel-exposed individuals than in the general population. By simple multiplication, a projected 44 951 (95% CI 26 971–71 922) individuals older than 15 years might be seropositive for MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia. These individuals might be the source of infection for patients with confirmed MERS who had no previous exposure to camels. Funding European Union, German Centre for Infection Research, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, German Research Council, and Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia.

Many commercial as well as custom-built fluorescence microscopes use scientific-grade cameras that represent a substantial share of the instrument’s cost. This holds particularly true for super-resolution localization microscopy where high demands are placed especially on the detector with respect to sensitivity, noise, and also image acquisition speed. Here, we present and carefully characterize an industry-grade CMOS camera as a cost-efficient alternative to commonly used scientific cameras. Direct experimental comparison of these two detector types shows widely similar performance for imaging by single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). Furthermore, high image acquisition speeds are demonstrated for the CMOS detector by ultra-fast SMLM imaging.

BACKGROUND: Strategies to contain the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) depend on knowledge of the rate of human-to-human transmission, including subclinical infections. A lack of serologic tools has hindered targeted studies of transmission. METHODS: We studied 26 index patients with MERS-CoV infection and their 280 household contacts. The median time from the onset of symptoms in index patients to the latest blood sampling in contact patients was 17.5 days (range, 5 to 216; mean, 34.4). Probable cases of secondary transmission were identified on the basis of reactivity in two reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assays with independent RNA extraction from throat swabs or reactivity on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against MERS-CoV S1 antigen, supported by reactivity on recombinant S-protein immunofluorescence and demonstration of neutralization of more than 50% of the infectious virus seed dose on plaque-reduction neutralization testing. RESULTS: Among the 280 household contacts of the 26 index patients, there were 12 probable cases of secondary transmission (4%; 95% confidence interval, 2 to 7). Of these cases, 7 were identified by means of RT-PCR, all in samples obtained within 14 days after the onset of symptoms in index patients, and 5 were identified by means of serologic analysis, all in samples obtained 13 days or more after symptom onset in index patients. Probable cases of secondary transmission occurred in 6 of 26 clusters (23%). Serologic results in contacts who were sampled 13 days or more after exposure were similar to overall study results for combined RT-PCR and serologic testing. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of secondary transmission among household contacts of patients with MERS-CoV infection has been approximately 5%. Our data provide insight into the rate of subclinical transmission of MERS-CoV in the home.