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ZusammenfassungUm den Anforderungen an eine nachhaltige Entwicklung von Unternehmen gerecht zu werden, spielt die Integration von Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten in Innovationsaktivitäten eine zunehmend wichtige Rolle. In diesem Kapitel werden geeignete Konzepte und Methoden zur praktischen Umsetzung einer solchen Integration in die einzelnen Phasen des Innovationsprozesses beschrieben.

As part of entrepreneurship education, since 2018 the “Startup Summer Camp” with a focus on “Sustainable Innovation” is offered at Pforzheim University. This Startup Summer Camp is designed to enable students to develop a sustainable oriented business model within 6 days. Hence, lectures and impulses on the goals of sustainable development are given. Methods for sustainability impact assessment are taught and the students are then guided through applying them on a specific innovation idea. These elements are part of the coaching concept developed.This chapter describes the coaching concept and presents the results of a survey regarding the effectiveness of coaching on sustainability aspects. Therefore, the following two research questions are to be answered within this study: How aware are the students of sustainability issues and can their level of knowledge regarding sustainability topics be increased with the coaching? Are the students able to design their startup idea in a more sustainable way and/or estimate the level of the impact on sustainability? The results of the survey show that within a very compact coaching session, an important and applicable understanding of the complexity and urgency of sustainable development can be created and applied to an innovation idea.

ZusammenfassungIn der Ideenphase werden Ideen als Grundlage für mögliche Innnovationen gewonnen. Dazu werden Ideen über Informationsquellen innerhalb und außerhalb des Unternehmens gesammelt und mit Hilfe von Kreativität und zu ihrer Anregung geeigneter Methoden generiert.

ZusammenfassungDie vorgestellten Konzepte und Methoden für ein ambidextres Innovationsmanagement in KMU eignen sich für exploitative und explorative Vorgehensweisen. Selbstorganisiertes Innovationsmanagement bedeutet nun, auf Basis vorhandener Parameter und Rahmenbedingungen selbstständig zu entscheiden, wann welche klassischen und/oder agilen Methoden in der Praxis am besten geeignet sind. In diesem Kapitel werden die wichtigsten Themen des Buchs zusammengefasst. In einem Ausblick werden insbesondere die Relevanz der nachhaltigen Entwicklung für das Innovationsmanagement sowie die Rolle von Führung, Unternehmenskultur und Netzwerken adressiert.

ZusammenfassungIn der Bewertungs- und Auswahlphase werden Ideen mit Hilfe geeigneter Methoden und Bewertungskriterien (wie Marktattraktivität, Umsetzbarkeit und Nachhaltigkeitswirkungen) bewertet. Attraktive/gut bewertete Ideen werden schließlich ausgewählt, um sie dann weiter zu bearbeiten.

ZusammenfassungDer Innovationsprozess im Unternehmen beginnt mit einer strategischen Orientierung und der Problemidentifizierung. In der strategischen Orientierung werden langfristige Ziele in Bezug auf Innovation gesetzt. In der Problemidentifizierung wird ermittelt, welche Probleme aus Kundensicht das Unternehmen grundsätzlich adressieren soll.

ZusammenfassungUnternehmen sind mit komplizierten und/oder komplexen Herausforderungen konfrontiert. Daraus ergibt sich die Anforderung an das Innovationsmanagement exploitativ und/oder explorativ zu sein. Zur Strukturierung des Innovationsmanagements können dabei unterschiedliche Formen der Ambidextrie genutzt werden. Diese ermöglichen verschiedene Varianten zur Nutzung klassischer, agiler oder hybrider Projektmethoden. Die Entscheidung darüber kann anhand bestimmter Kriterien getroffen werden. Relevant sind dabei Charakteristika des Projekts, aber auch Besonderheiten des Unternehmens.

In innovation management (IM), two perspectives typically come together, characterized with the term ambidexterity: a clear orientation towards the best possible use of resources (exploitation) and, at the same time, completely new ideas and novel approaches (exploration). We consider contextual ambidexterity suitable to address this dilemma in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on findings from five German SMEs, we argue that training and using ‘conventional’ IM for exploitation and ‘agile’ IM for exploration could be most feasible. We develop a generic conceptual model with high practical relevance for SMEs and their innovation projects.

ZusammenfassungKleine und mittlere Unternehmen (KMU) sind aktuell mit unterschiedlichen Veränderungen ihres Umfelds konfrontiert, auch durch die zunehmende Digitalisierung von Prozessen, Produkten und Geschäftsmodellen. KMU stehen hier vor der Herausforderung besonders innovativ zu sein, um sowohl inkrementelle als auch radikale Innovationen hervorzubringen und die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu sichern. Dies impliziert eine Weiterentwicklung des Innovationsmanagements, bezogen einerseits konkret auf den Innovationsprozess und seine Phasen und andererseits auf Rahmenbedingungen bzw. Voraussetzungen des Prozesses (prozessübergreifende Aspekte wie z. B. Strukturen, Kultur, Führung). KMU können zur Weiterentwicklung auf ein selbstorganisiertes Innovationsmanagement setzen; zentral sind hier individuelle Entscheidungskompetenzen der Mitarbeitenden für die Wahl adäquater Herangehensweisen im Innovationsmanagement – sowohl prozessbezogen als auch prozessübergreifend. Um dies zu unterstützen, wurde im Verbundprojekt InnoDiZ, bestehend aus drei Entwicklungspartnern und fünf Anwendungspartnern, eine Blended-Learning-Weiterbildung für Mitarbeitende in KMU entwickelt und erprobt, die sowohl prozessbezogene als auch prozessübergreifende Aspekte adressiert. Zentrale unterstützende Elemente bestehen in der Einbindung konkreter Innovationsprojekte der Teilnehmenden sowie der Ermöglichung eines firmenübergreifenden Austauschs. Der vorliegende Beitrag berichtet Erkenntnisse und Erfahrungen aus dem Projekt zu neuen Formen des Lernens in KMU, Austausch und Vernetzung sowie neuen Wegen für das Innovationsmanagement in KMU. Fallbeispiele der Anwendungspartner geben hierzu praxisnahe Einblicke. Schließlich werden Erfolgskriterien für die Weiterentwicklung des Innovationsmanagements aufgezeigt.

This paper elaborates an energy and material flow model for conventional lightweight packaging sorting and recycling in Germany based on literature analysis and information provided by industry experts. The model is used to determine specific energy and material demands of particular lightweight packaging fractions and their respective climate impacts. Fluorescent-based identification techniques, tracer-based-sorting in particular, are assessed as an option to increase material circularity due to improved sorting and recycling accuracy. In comparison to primary production of lightweight packaging, conventional sorting and recycling saves 565 kg CO2-eq./Mg of input sorting. A total of four implementation scenarios are considered, reflecting the percentage of mixed plastics and residuals that can be mechanically processed through improved sorting (10%, 50%, 90% and 100%). Using tracer-based-sorting, these savings increase from 578 up to 1227 kg CO2-eq/Mg depending on implementation scenario. This paper concludes that tracer-based-sorting can contribute to an environmentally benign circular economy by yielding high-quality regranulates, which are capable of substituting more carbon-intensive primary production of lightweight packaging.

Decisions on the implementation of innovative concepts and technologies into automotive pre-treatment lines are regularly marked by uncertainty regarding trade-offs between economic, ecological and technical aspects. Large amounts of water are consumed during the production in car body painting plants. It is hardly possible to avoid that certain microorganisms (MOs) proliferate in process water and pre-treatment bath tanks. If the bacterial load increases too much, the quality of the paint finish is likely to be impaired. Therefore, chemical biocides are regularly used in pre-treatment and dip coating plants. However, repeated use of the same biocides can lead to resistance of some MOs strains. In addition, stricter legislation is gradually withdrawing certain biocides from the market, making it more difficult to obtain approval for newly designed active substances. Hence, conventional decontamination methods might no longer work in the future. The Pulsed Electric Field (PEF)-Treatment is an innovative technology within the field of pre-treatment lines. By applying high voltage pulses (kV range, µs duration), a high field strength is generated in the process fluid, across the cell membrane of the MOs, which permeabilises the cell membrane. As a result, the MOs lose their cell interior (cytoplasm), and most likely die.

To improve the recycling quality of plastics packaging and achieve high recycling rates new identification and sorting technologies are required. Tracer-based-sorting (TBS) is an innovative identification technology based on fluorescent tracers and a corresponding detection unit. TBS can be considered a radical technology change towards a circular economy for plastics and to support sustainability as it has the potential to render several established sorting and/or recycling steps obsolete. This article shows which drivers and barriers are perceived by stakeholders with regard to the implementation of TBS in the market and how challenges are addressed responsibly in the early phases of the innovation process. Influencing external factors and framework conditions of TBS are identified and suitable business models for TBS in a circular economy are discussed. Further, practical recommendations on how to optimize technology and market development for TBS are provided. To obtain these results a mixed method approach of integrated innovation and sustainability analysis, external environment analysis (PESTEL analysis), and business model development approaches was chosen. The research results can be understood as a practical contribution towards a responsible and sustainable implementation of a radical technology-based innovation for a circular economy of plastics.

German packaging law demands an increase in the plastic packaging recycling quota from 36% to 63% by 2022. Application of inorganic crystalline fluorescent substances for tracer-based sorting (TBS) provides an innovative approach to meet this recycling goal. TBS is already applied in industry to separate ground polyvinylchloride (PVC) window profiles with and without fiber reinforcement with a sorting capacity of 0.5–2.5 t/h. In Germany, a TBS recycling system for post consumer packaging is being developed, starting with bottles as a model product. More than 80% of end-of-life plastic bottles from households show colors and transparency in favor of TBS. Selected trivalent lanthanide elements – erbium (Er3+), holmium (Ho3+), and thulium (Tm3+) – serve as effective tracer materials. These markers result in bright emission lines in green, red and near-infrared (NIR, at 800 nm) when excited with 980 nm laser light. This process of upconverting light – such that the energy of the emitted photons is greater than that of incident photons – is a unique anti-Stokes process. Tracer substances as a part of the printing ink used on labels or directly on the packaging were identified to be most efficient for industrial application. Mixtures of these tracer substances were applied on samples with a 100 µg/cm2 concentration. In total 15 samples were tested, and experiments demonstrated that 11 marker combinations out of the 15 can be identified, based on the ratio of the individual signals. Using tracers as additives in the ppm range renders products identifiable by optical identification regardless of the polymers’ physical or chemical properties, thus sorting for product properties becomes possible. Examples include distinguishing food from non-food packaging, or identification of hazardous goods, even if identical packaging materials are being used.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005754.].

Das wachsende Bewusstsein fur Umweltschutz und Ressourceneffizienz fuhrt dazu, dass Umwelttechnologien zunehmend an Bedeutung gewinnen. Baden-Wurttemberg ist eine der aktivsten Regionen in der Umwelttechnik, insbesondere durch sein Netzwerk von kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMU). Eine zentrale Rolle spielt hierbei die Umwelttechnik BW GmbH, die Landesagentur fur Umwelttechnik und Ressourceneffizienz Baden-Wurttemberg. Ihre Hauptaufgabe ist es ist, Unternehmen der Branche zu unterstutzen, insbesondere dadurch, dass sie Forschungseinrichtungen und Industrie zusammenfuhrt und den Informationsfluss zwischen ihnen verbessert.

Frugal innovations aim at the development of basic solutions that are affordable for pricesensitive customer groups. This article looks at the similarities and differences between two major approaches, corporate and grassroot frugal innovation, and identifies initial ideas on how the two streams can learn from each other. The three pillars of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social) provide one of the guidelines for the comparison. The research is based on an analysis of case studies from various industries, six of which are presented in this article. There's no such thing as simple. Simple is hard.

Current plastic packaging waste management practices in Europe, but also in other countries require improvement due to legal and societal requirements. To meet high recycling rates, significant changes among others in post-consumer packaging waste sorting become necessary. This waste stream is dominated by plastic packaging. Inorganic fluorescent tracer materials (oxide crystals doped with ytterbium Yb$^{3+}$ sensitizer ions and either erbium (Er$^{3+}$), holmium (Ho$^{3+}$) or thulium (Tm$^{3+}$) activator ions) enable a sorting criterion which is independent of the properties of the packaging materials. The authors propose to use up-conversion fluorescence as a unique mean for polymer marking and product identification. To this end, PE-HD film samples, with 10, 100 and 1000 ppm of marker concentration in different polymer matrix colours (semi-transparent, yellow, green, and black) were irradiated with 980 nm diode laser radiation, with an excitation intensity up to 10 W/cm$^{2}$. The performance of three different marker types with their maximum emission in green, red, and NIR was measured and assessed both with and without polymer matrix. Moreover, PE-HD sample bottles with tracers were tested, and a tracer regime for specific code generation for improved polymer identification is proposed.

Fixed (reduced) soil nitrogen plays a critical role in soil fertility and successful food growth. Much soil fertility relies on symbiotic nitrogen fixation: the bacterial partner infects the host plant roots and reduces atmospheric dinitrogen in exchange for host metabolic fuel, a process that involves complex interactions between the partners mediated by changes in gene expression in each partner. Here we test the roles of a family of 11 extracytoplasmic function (ECF) gene regulatory proteins (sigma factors [σs]) that interact with RNA polymerase to determine if they play a significant role in establishing a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis or in responding to various stresses, including cell envelope stress. We discovered that symbiotic nitrogen fixation occurs even when all 11 of these regulatory genes are deleted, that most ECF sigma factors control accessory functions, and that none of the ECF sigma factors are required to survive envelope stress., Bacteria must sense alterations in their environment and respond with changes in function and/or structure in order to cope. Extracytoplasmic function sigma factors (ECF σs) modulate transcription in response to cellular and environmental signals. The symbiotic nitrogen-fixing alphaproteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti carries genes for 11 ECF-like σs (RpoE1 to -E10 and FecI). We hypothesized that some of these play a role in mediating the interaction between the bacterium and its plant symbiotic partner. The bacterium senses changes in its immediate environment as it establishes contact with the plant root, initiates invasion of the plant as the root nodule is formed, traverses several root cell layers, and enters plant cortical cells via endocytosis. We used genetics, transcriptomics, and functionality to characterize the entire S. meliloti cohort of ECF σs. We discovered new targets for individual σs, confirmed others by overexpressing individual ECF σs, and identified or confirmed putative promoter motifs for nine of them. We constructed precise deletions of each ECF σ gene and its demonstrated or putative anti-σ gene and also a strain in which all 11 ECF σ and anti-σ genes were deleted. This all-ECF σ deletion strain showed no major defects in free-living growth, in Biolog Phenotype MicroArray assays, or in response to multiple stresses. None of the ECF σs were required for symbiosis on the host plants Medicago sativa and Medicago truncatula: the strain deleted for all ECF σ and anti-σ genes was symbiotically normal. IMPORTANCE Fixed (reduced) soil nitrogen plays a critical role in soil fertility and successful food growth. Much soil fertility relies on symbiotic nitrogen fixation: the bacterial partner infects the host plant roots and reduces atmospheric dinitrogen in exchange for host metabolic fuel, a process that involves complex interactions between the partners mediated by changes in gene expression in each partner. Here we test the roles of a family of 11 extracytoplasmic function (ECF) gene regulatory proteins (sigma factors [σs]) that interact with RNA polymerase to determine if they play a significant role in establishing a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis or in responding to various stresses, including cell envelope stress. We discovered that symbiotic nitrogen fixation occurs even when all 11 of these regulatory genes are deleted, that most ECF sigma factors control accessory functions, and that none of the ECF sigma factors are required to survive envelope stress.

The formation of nitrogen fixing root nodules by Medicago truncatula and Sinorhizobium meliloti requires communication between both organisms and coordinated differentiation of plant and bacterial cells. After an initial signal exchange, the bacteria invade the tissue of the growing nodule via plant-derived tubular structures, called infection threads. The bacteria are released from the infection threads into invasion-competent plant cells, where they differentiate into nitrogen-fixing bacteroids. Both organisms undergo dramatic transcriptional, metabolic and morphological changes during nodule development. To identify plant processes that are essential for the formation of nitrogen fixing nodules after nodule development has been initiated, large scale mutageneses have been conducted to discover underlying plant symbiosis genes. Such screens yield numerous uncharacterized plant lines with nitrogen fixation deficient nodules. In this study, we report construction of a S. meliloti strain carrying four distinct reporter constructs to reveal stages of root nodule development. The strain contains a constitutively expressed lacZ reporter construct; a PexoY-mTFP fusion that is expressed in infection threads but not in differentiated bacteroids; a PbacA-mcherry construct that is expressed in infection threads and during bacteroid differentiation; and a PnifH-uidA construct that is expressed during nitrogen fixation. We used this strain together with fluorescence microscopy to study nodule development over time in wild type nodules and to characterize eight plant mutants from a fast neutron bombardment screen. Based on the signal intensity and the localization patterns of the reporter genes, we grouped mutants with similar phenotypes and placed them in a developmental context.

The granular layer, which mainly consists of granule and Golgi cells, is the first stage of the cerebellar cortex and processes spatiotemporal information transmitted by mossy fiber inputs with a wide variety of firing patterns. To study its dynamics at multiple time scales in response to inputs approximating real spatiotemporal patterns, we constructed a large-scale 3D network model of the granular layer. Patterned mossy fiber activity induces rhythmic Golgi cell activity that is synchronized by shared parallel fiber input and by gap junctions. This leads to long distance synchrony of Golgi cells along the transverse axis, powerfully regulating granule cell firing by imposing inhibition during a specific time window. The essential network mechanisms, including tunable Golgi cell oscillations, on-beam inhibition and NMDA receptors causing first winner keeps winning of granule cells, illustrate how fundamental properties of the granule layer operate in tandem to produce (1) well timed and spatially bound output, (2) a wide dynamic range of granule cell firing and (3) transient and coherent gating oscillations. These results substantially enrich our understanding of granule cell layer processing, which seems to promote spatial group selection of granule cell activity as a function of timing of mossy fiber input., Author summary The cerebellum is an organ of peculiar geometrical properties, and has been attributed the function of applying spatiotemporal transforms to sensorimotor data since Eccles. In this work we have analyzed the spatiotemporal response properties of the first part of the cerebellar circuit, the granule layer. On the basis of a biophysically plausible and large-scale model of the cerebellum, constrained by a wealth of anatomical data, we study the network dynamics and firing properties of individual cell populations in response to 'realistic' input patterns. We make specific predictions about the spatiotemporal features of granule layer processing regarding the effects of the gap junction coupled network of Golgi cells on a spatially restricted input, in an effect we denominate first-takes-all. Furthermore, we calculate that the granule cell layer has a wide dynamic range, indicating that this is a system that can transmit large variations of input intensities.

The alphaproteobacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense biomineralizes magnetosomes, which consist of monocrystalline magnetite cores enveloped by a phospholipid bilayer containing specific proteins. Magnetosomes represent magnetic nanoparticles with unprecedented magnetic and physicochemical characteristics. These make them potentially useful in a number of biotechnological and biomedical applications. Further functionalization can be achieved by expression of foreign proteins via genetic fusion to magnetosome anchor peptides. However, the available genetic tool set for strong and controlled protein expression in magnetotactic bacteria is very limited. Here, we describe versatile vectors for either inducible or high-level constitutive expression of proteins in M. gryphiswaldense . The combination of an engineered native P mamDC promoter with a codon-optimized egfp gene (Mag- egfp ) resulted in an 8-fold increase in constitutive expression and in brighter fluorescence. We further demonstrate that the widely used P tet promoter is functional and tunable in M. gryphiswaldense . Stable and uniform expression of the EGFP and β-glucuronidase (GusA) reporters was achieved by single-copy chromosomal insertion via Tn 5 -mediated transposition. In addition, gene duplication by Mag-EGFP–EGFP fusions to MamC resulted in further increased magnetosome expression and fluorescence. Between 80 and 210 (for single MamC–Mag-EGFP) and 200 and 520 (for MamC–Mag-EGFP–EGFP) GFP copies were estimated to be expressed per individual magnetosome particle.

Neue Technologien konnen als Befahiger fur neuartige Produkte und Dienstleistungen dienen. Fur Unternehmen besteht die Herausforderung darin, in einem Technologiemonitoring die richtigen technologischen Ansatze aufzuspuren und auszuwahlen. Produkte und Dienstleistungen, die sich durch einen effizienten Umgang mit Materialien und Energie auszeichnen, konnen vielfaltige Chancen bieten. Bei ihrer Konzeption kann das sog. Lebenszyklusdenken (Life Cycle Thinking) behilflich dabei sein, ein verbessertes Verstandnis zu erhalten und Ansatzpunkte herauszuarbeiten, an denen neue Technologien ansetzen konnen. In diesem Beitrag wird beschrieben, wie ein Technologiemonitoring fur ressourceneffiziente Produkte und Dienstleistungen in der Praxis angegangen und wie dabei Life Cycle Thinking eingesetzt werden kann.

We investigated the magnetic properties of two kinds of magnetosomes (25–42 nm) produced by the magneto-tactic bacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense. At temperatures between 4.2 K and room temperature the temperature dependent magnetorelaxation (TMRX) method was used. We found three areas with magnetic signals and discuss them in this paper using the results of additional hysteresis loop measurements. The signals detected above 300 K show the lower end of a beginning energy barrier distribution. The signals between 70 and 120 K lie in the area of the Verwey transition and disappear over time due to aging processes. In addition to these signals, other signals at temperatures between 4.2 and 70 K were found and possible causes are discussed.

Biogenic magnetite nanoparticles (MNP) extracted from the magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1 have been systematically studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). Isolated single MNP and chains of MNP were obtained from diluted MNP aqueous suspension dried on mica surfaces in a homogeneous in-plane magnetic field. The size of the MNP was determined by employing AFM tip deconvolution procedures. The obtained result has been confirmed by scanning electronic microscopy. Magnetic properties of isolated single MNP and chains of MNP in remanence and in the presence of external magnetic fields were investigated by MFM. In particular, the magnetization reversal of a two-particle chain has been revealed and the dipolar interaction between the MNP is estimated. The change in the magnetic contrast on application of an external magnetic field is consistent with the hysteresis curve obtained by cantilever magnetometry.

Magnetotactic bacteria synthesize specific organelles, the magnetosomes, which are membrane-enveloped crystals of the magnetic mineral magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ). The biomineralization of magnetite involves the uptake and intracellular accumulation of large amounts of iron. However, it is not clear how iron uptake and biomineralization are regulated and balanced with the biochemical iron requirement and intracellular homeostasis. In this study, we identified and analyzed a homologue of the f erric u ptake r egulator Fur in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense , which was able to complement a fur mutant of Escherichia coli . A fur deletion mutant of M. gryphiswaldense biomineralized fewer and slightly smaller magnetite crystals than did the wild type. Although the total cellular iron accumulation of the mutant was decreased due to reduced magnetite biomineralization, it exhibited an increased level of free intracellular iron, which was bound mostly to a ferritin-like metabolite that was found significantly increased in Mössbauer spectra of the mutant. Compared to that of the wild type, growth of the fur mutant was impaired in the presence of paraquat and under aerobic conditions. Using a Fur titration assay and proteomic analysis, we identified constituents of the Fur regulon. Whereas the expression of most known magnetosome genes was unaffected in the fur mutant, we identified 14 proteins whose expression was altered between the mutant and the wild type, including five proteins whose genes constitute putative iron uptake systems. Our data demonstrate that Fur is a regulator involved in global iron homeostasis, which also affects magnetite biomineralization, probably by balancing the competing demands for biochemical iron supply and magnetite biomineralization.

Ferrite spinels, especially magnetite (Fe3O4), can be formed either by geological, biological or chemical processes leading to chemically similar phases that show different physical characteristics. We compare, for the first time, magnetite produced by these three different methods using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), a synchrotron radiation based technique able to determine the site occupancy of Fe cations in the ferrite spinels. Extracellular nanoscale magnetite produced by different Fe(Ill)reducing bacteria was shown to have different degrees of stoichiometry depending on the bacteria and the method of formation, but all were oxygen deficient due to formation under anoxic conditions. Intracellular nano-magnetite synthesized in the magnetosomes of magnetotactic bacteria was found to have a Fe cation site occupancy ratio most similar to stoichiometric magnetite, possibly due to the tight physiological controls exerted by the magnetosome membrane. Chemically-synthesised nano-magnetite and bulk magnetite produced as a result of geological processes were both found to be cation deficient with a composition between magnetite and maghemite (oxidised magnetite).

Kurzfassung Ein Umweltcontrolling unterstützt produzierende Unternehmen bei der kontinuierlichen Überwachung und Steuerung von Stoffströmen zur Erreichung einer höheren Materialeffizienz. Mit einem auf Kennzahlen basierenden Umweltcontrolling können Stoff- und Energieströme in produzierenden Unternehmen kontinuierlich kontrolliert und gesteuert werden. Dies trägt zu einer höheren Materialeffizienz und verringerten Umweltwirkungen bei. Dabei stellt die Informationsversorgung eine Herausforderung dar. Eine verursachergerechte Bebuchung von Umweltkennzahlen kann durch Informationen aus dem ERP-System erfolgen. Am Fraunhofer IAO wurde eine praxisnahe Vorgehensweise entwickelt, wie ein Umweltcontrolling in produzierenden Unternehmen aufgebaut und informationstechnisch durch ein ERP-System unterstützt werden kann.

This work investigated macrophages labeled with magnetosomes for the possible detection of inflammations by MR molecular imaging. Pure magnetosomes and macrophages containing magnetosomes were analyzed using a clinical 1.5 T MR-scanner. Relaxivities of magnetosomes and relaxation rates of cells containing magnetosomes were determined. Peritonitis was induced in two mice. T 1 , T 2 and T 2 * weighted images were acquired following injection of the probes. Pure magnetosomes and labeled cells showed slight effects on T 1 , but strong effects on T 2 and T 2 * images. Labeled macrophages were located with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the colon area, thus demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed approach.