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A recognizable division appears between students with a comprehensive knowledge of the Web and those that are less certain about its resources. This is where, the teaching innovation Web Mentoring: Peer-to-Peer has been developed to help the students to cope better with the demands of media education. Furthermore, this presents the opportunity for master’s degree students to begin mentoring undergraduate students. Mentoring sessions have already been carried out successfully in the previous two semesters and are being presented, evaluated and discussed.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy is an established therapy for heart failure patients with sinus rhythm, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and prolongation of QRS duration. The aim of the study was to evaluate ventricular desynchronization with electrical interventricular delay (IVD) to left ventricular delay (LVD) ratio in atrial fibrillation heart failure patients. IVD and LVD were measured by transesophageal posterior left ventricular ECG recording. In atrial fibrillation heart failure patients with prolonged QRS duration, the mean IVD-to-LVD-ratio was 0.84 +/- 0.42 with a range from 0.17 to 2.2 IVD-to-LVD-ratio. IVD-to-LVD-ratio correlated with QRS duration. IVD-to-LVD-ratio may be a useful parameter to evaluate electrical ventricular desynchronization in atrial fibrillation heart failure patients.
Using patent information for identification of new product features with high market potential
(2014)
HiSiMo cast irons are frequently used as material for high temperature components in engines as e.g. exhaust manifolds and turbo chargers. These components must withstand severe cyclic mechanical and thermal loads throughout their life cycle. The combination of thermal transients with mechanical load cycles results in a complex evolution of damage, leading to thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) of the material and, after a certain number of loading cycles, to failure of the component. In Part I of the paper, a fracture mechanics model for TMF life prediction was developed based on results of uniaxial tests. In this paper (Part II), the model is formulated for three-dimensional stress states, so that it can be applied in a post-processing step of a finite-element analysis. To obtain reliable stresses and (time dependent plastic) strains in the finite-element calculation, a time and temperature dependent plasticity model is applied which takes non-linear kinematic hardening into account. The material properties of the model are identified from the results of the uniaxial test. The plasticity model and the TMF life model are applied to assess the lifetime of an exhaust manifold.
HiSiMo cast irons are frequently used as material for high temperature components in engines as e.g. exhaust manifolds and turbo chargers. These components must withstand severe cyclic mechanical and thermal loads throughout their service life. The combination of thermal transients with mechanical load cycles results in a complex evolution of damage, leading to thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) of the material and, after a certain number of loading cycles, to failure of the component. In this paper (Part I), the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) and TMF properties of HiSiMo are investigated in uniaxial tests and the damage mechanisms are addressed. On the basis of the experimental results a fatigue life model is developed which is based on elastic, plastic and creep fracture mechanics results of short cracks, so that time and temperature dependent effects on damage are taken into account. The model can be used to estimate the fatigue life of components by means of finite-element calculations (Part II of the paper).
Temperature regulation is an important component for modern high performance single -core and multi-core processors. Especially high operating frequencies and architectures with an increasing number of monolithically integrated transistors result in a high power dissipation and - since processor chips convert the consumed electrical energy into thermal energy - in high operating temperatures. High operating temperatures of processors can have drastic consequences regarding chip reliability, processor performance, and leakage currents. External components like fans or heat spreaders can help to reduce the processor temperature - with the disadvantage of additional costs and reduced reliability. Therefore, software based algorithms for dynamic temperature management are an attractive alternative and well known as Dynamic Thermal Management (DTM). However, the existing approaches for DTM are not taking into account the requirements of real-time embedded computing, which is the objective in the given project. The first steps are the profiling and the thermal modeling of the system, which is reported in this paper for a Freescale i. MX6Q quad-core microprocessor. An analytical model is developed and verified by an extensive set of measurement runs.
This paper describes the new Sweaty humanoid adult size robot trying to qualify for the RoboCup 2014 adult size humanoid competition. The robot is built from scratch to eventually allow it to run. One characteristic is that to prevent the motors from overheating, water evaporation is used for cooling. The robot is literally sweating which has given it its name. Another characteristic is, that the motors are not directly connected to the frame but by means of beams. This allows a variable transmission ratio depending on the angle.
The Internet of Things (IoT), ubiquitous computing and ubiquitous connectivity, Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), ambient intelligence, Machine-to-Machine communication (M2M) or Car-to-Car (C2C)-communication, smart metering, smart grid, telematics, telecare, telehealth – there are many buzzwords around current developments related to the Internet.
This contribution gives an overview on such IoT-applications, as they are already used today to improve the availability of information, increase efficiency, push system limits and extend the value chain. At a closer look, the economic and technical development can be separated into different phases. It is interesting that we are currently at the threshold to a new phase, with decentralized and cooperative communication and control nodes as cornerstones. Thus, embedded systems and their connectivity are in the middle of the scene.
This recent development is described along with some example projects from the author’s team which are used in industrial automation, energy supply and distribution (home automation and smart metering), traffic engineering (cooperative driver assistance systems), and in telehealth and telecare.
The services sector is also called “tertiary sector” and has become increasingly important in the last few decades. The process of this occurring structural change is characterized by a significant increase in employment in the services sector. On the other hand, the former economic importance in traditional areas, such as agriculture and forestry, as well as manufacturing, is declining.
To have an overview it is important to look and to analyse the different research studies.
G.R.E.C is a adventure game, set in an dystopien industrial world, where you are a scavenger for hire. Explore the village of Vankhart Valley and grab everything valuable you can get your hands on.
Your trusty old jump boots will help you avoiding the nasty and deadly spores that changed the world of G.R.E.C forever.
Both German and French Air-Source Heat Pump (ASHP) markets have been enjoying an overall upwards trend for many years but, nevertheless, they remain merely slightly penetrated. In terms of market players and their share, the French market is aptly diversified, whereas the German one, being utterly dominated by one single manufacturer, is badly in need of some diversification. At the same time Korean ASHP manufacturers are targeting the French but not German ASHP market. The main purpose of the paper is to find out likely reasons for their one-sided engagement, primarily those associated with the ASHP technology and its system-related aspects.
This paper presents the elements and the results from the European research project inCASA (Integrated Network for Completely Assisted Senior Citizen’s Autonomy), which designed and implemented a seamless integration of heterogeneous systems and network protocols for regionally distributed telecare and telehealth applications. The integration includes a multitude of physical interface, the transcoding of data models using embedded middleware, and a backend system with open interfaces. The implementation was verified in field tests in five European countries.
A laser-operated, angle-tunable transducer was employed to excite selectively elastic waves guided along the apex of a solid wedge. The propagation of wedge waves at anisotropic monocrystalline silicon edges with different symmetry properties was studied by optical detection. The reduced symmetry in crystals, as compared to isotropic media, causes a number of new features, such as the existence of supersonic leaky wedge waves, tilted spatial pulse profiles, and other peculiarities of their localization. Experimental and theoretical results are presented for three different types of symmetry configurations: the wedge symmetric about its midplane, the wedge symmetric about the plane normal to its apex line, and the wedge symmetric about one of its faces. The experiments include accurate measurements of the phase velocity and the wave field distribution, providing information on localization and coupling of wedge waves with other waves. Theoretically, the wedge waves were treated by the Laguerre function method, extended to modes that are not localized at the tip of the wedge. This approach allowed an accurate description of the observed localized and leaky wedge waves in anisotropic wedges.
Pure component sorption isotherms of n-butane, isobutane, 1-butene and isobutene on the metal–organic framework (MOF) 3∞[Cu4(μ4-O)(μ2-OH)2(Me2trz-pba)4] at various temperatures between 283 K and 343 K and pressures up to 300 kPa are presented. The isotherms show a stepwise pore filling which is typical for structurally flexible materials with broad adsorption–desorption hysteresis loops. Gate opening pressures in their endemic characteristic depend on the used hydrocarbon gases. From all investigated gases only the isotherms of 1-butene present a second step at a relative pressure above p/p0 = 0.55. As a consequence, only 1-butene can fully open the framework resulting in a pore volume of 0.54 cm3 g−1. This result is in good agreement with the value of 0.59 cm3 g−1 calculated based on single crystal structure data. The isosteric heat of adsorption was calculated from the experimental isotherms for all C4-isomers. At low loadings the isosteric heat is in a narrow region between 41 and 49 kJ mol−1. Moreover, in situ XRD measurements at different relative hydrocarbon pressures were performed at 298 K for the C4-isomers. The differences in the pressure-depending powder diffraction patterns indicate phase transitions as a result of adsorption. Similar diffraction patterns were observed for all C4-hydrocarbons, except 1-butene, where the second step at higher relative pressure (p/p0 > 0.55) is accompanied by an additional phase transition. This powder pattern resembles that of the as-synthesized MOF material containing solvent molecules in the pore system. The resulting structural changes of the material during guest and pressure induced external stimuli are evidenced by the new coupled XRD adsorption equipment.
The process of establishing an industry standard for TRIZ has been initiated: VDI Guideline 4521 will cover TRIZ. Work is going on on the first part of the standard which will define and explain basic TRIZ vocabulary and notions. A first draft of a list of terms has been compiled by V. Souchkov and is currently being discussed at MATRIZ. The standardization committee consists of TRIZ specialists of various degrees together with TRIZ users from industry. It is working in close connection with MATRIZ. In parallel, translations for the elements of TRIZ terminology into several languages are being sought. According to schedule, work on the first part of the standard may be finished by July 2014 and may go into print by the end of the year.
The improvements in the hardware and software of communication devices have allowed running Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications on those. Nowadays, it is possible to overlay synthetic information on real images, or even to play 3D on-line games on smart phones or some other mobile devices. Hence the use of 3D data for business and specially for education purposes is ubiquitous. Due to always available at hand and always ready to use properties of mobile phones, those are considered as most potential communication devices. The total numbers of mobile phone users are increasing all over the world every day and that makes mobile phones the most suitable device to reach a huge number of end clients either for education or for business purposes. There are different standards, protocols and specifications to establish the communication among different communication devices but there is no initiative taken so far to make it sure that the send data through this communication process will be understood and used by the destination device. Since all the devices are not able to deal with all kind of 3D data formats and it is also not realistic to have different version of the same data to make it compatible with the destination device, it is necessary to have a prevalent solution. The proposed architecture in this paper describes a device and purpose independent 3D data visibility any time anywhere to the right person in suitable format. There is no solution without limitation. The architecture is implemented in a prototype to make an experimental validation of the architecture which also shows the difference between theory and practice.
Smoothie: a solution for device and content independent applications including 3D imaging as content
(2014)
Network landscape of recent time contains many different network technologies, a wide range of end-devices with a large scale of capabilities and power, and an immense quantity of information represented in different data formats. Research on 3D imaging, virtual reality and holographic techniques will result in new user interfaces (UI) for mobile devices and will increase their diversity and variety. A lot of effort is being made in order to establish open, scalable and seamless integration of various technologies and content presentation for different devices including those that are mobile, considering the individual situation of the end user. Till today the research is going on in different parts of the world but the task is not completed yet. The goal of this research work is to find a way to solve the above stated problems by investigating system architectures to provide unconstrained, continuous and personalized access to the content and interactive applications everywhere and at anytime with different devices. As a Solution of the problem considered, a new architecture named “Smoothie” is proposed.
Private households constitute a considerable share of Europe's electricity consumption. The current electricity distribution system treats them as effectively passive individual units. In the future, however, users of the electricity grid will be involved more actively in the grid operation and can become part of intelligent networked collaborations. They can then contribute the demand and supply flexibility that they dispose of and, as a result, help to better integrate renewable energy in-feed into the distribution grids.
WirelessHART protocol was specifically designed for real-time communication in the wireless sensor networks domain for industrial process automation requirements. Whereas the major purpose of WirelessHART is the read-out of sensors with moderate real-time requirements, an increasing demand for integration of actuator applications can be observed. Therefore, it must be verified that the WirelessHART protocol gives sufficient support to real-time industry requirements. As a result, the delay of especially burst and command messages from actuator and sensor nodes to the gateway and vice versa must be analyzed. In this paper, we implemented a WirelessHART network scenario in WirelessHART simulator in NS-2 [8], simulated and analyzed its time characteristics under ideal and noisy conditions. We evaluated the performance of the implementation in order to verify whether the requirements of industrial process and control can be met. This implementation offers an early alternative to expensive test beds for WirelessHART in real-time actuator applications.
Mice and rats make up 95% of all animals used in medical research and drug discovery and development. Monitoring of physiological functions such as ECG, blood pressure, and body temperature over the entire period of an experiment is often required. Restraining of the animals in order to obtain this data can cause great inconvenience. The use of telemetric systems solves this problem and provides more reliable results. However, these devices are mostly equipped with batteries, which limit the time of operation or they use passive power supplies, which affects the operating range. The semi-passive telemetric implant being presented is based on RFID technology and overcomes these obstacles. The device is inductively powered using the magnetic field of a common RFID reader device underneath the cage, but is also able to operate for several hours autonomously. Being independent from the battery capacity, it is possible to use the implant over a long period of time or to re-use the device several times in different animals, thus avoiding the disadvantages of existing systems and reducing the costs of purchase and refurbishment.
A wide range catalyst screening with noble metal and oxide catalysts for a metal–air battery with an aqueous alkaline electrolyte was carried out. Suitable catalysts reduce overpotentials during the charge and discharge process, and therefore improve the round-trip efficiency of the battery. In this case, the electrodes will be used as optimized cathodes for a future lithium–air battery with an aqueous alkaline electrolyte. Oxide catalysts were synthesized via atmospheric plasma spraying. The screening showed that IrO2, RuO2, La0.6Ca0.4Co3, Mn3O4, and Co3O4 are promising bi-functional catalysts. Considering the high price for the noble metal catalysts further investigations of the oxide catalysts were carried out to analyze their electrochemical behavior at varied temperatures, molarities, and in case of La1−x Ca x CoO3 a varying calcium content. Additionally all catalysts were tested in a longterm test to proof cyclability at varied molarities. Further investigations showed that Co3O4 seems to be the most promising bi-functional catalyst of the tested oxide catalysts. Furthermore, it was shown that a calcium content of x = 0.4 in LCCO has the best performance.
In this work a set of nonlinear coupled COM equations at interacting frequencies is derived on the basis of nonlinear electro-elasticity. The formalism is presented with the aim of describing intermodulation distortion of third-order (IMD3) and triple beat. The resulting COM equations are translated to the P-matrix formalism, where care is taken to obtain the correct frequency dependence. The scheme depends on two frequency-independent constants for an effective third-order nonlinearity. One of these two constants is negligibly small in the systems considered here. The P-matrix approach is applied to single filters and duplexers on LiTaO 3 (YXl)/42° operating in different frequency ranges. Both IMD3 and triple beat show good agreement with measurement.
Introduction: Radiofrequency ablation allows successful treatment of most supraventricular reentrant and focal tachycardias and an increasing number of ventricular tachycardias. Different catheter tips are used. While AV nodal reentrant tachycardias require catheters with a tip of 4mm length, an 8 mm tip electrodes will be used for atrial flutter. A pulmonary vein isolation will be performed using 4 mm irrigated tip electrodes to achieve larger and deeper lesions. The need of a tubing set and pump for saline transfusion is a disadvantage of this technique. Gold tip electrodes can alternatively be used to produce increases in lesion size. Aim of this study was to compare RF ablation catheters of exactly the same geometry with either platin-iridum or gold tip.
Methods: Gold provides an almost four-fold thermal conductivity compared with platinum-iridium. The Cerablate G flutter (Osypka AG, Rheinfelden-Herten) is a newly designed radiofrequency ablation catheter with an 8 mm gold tip. Its power delivery was compared with the Cerablate flutter of same geometry but platin-iridium tip. Therefore, in-vitro RF ablations were performed using pork meat in a 0.9% saline solution at 37°C temperature. A pulsed volume flow was generated using a pump to simulate the blood flow. Temperature controlled ablations of 60 seconds using 45, 55 and 65°C and a maximum of 70W RF power were performed.
Results: Using the Osypka HAT300smart ablator, cumulative power of 167, 474 and 672W was delivered with gold tip against 121, 227 and 310 W with platin-iridium tip. By the Stockert SmartAblate G4 ablator, 202, 546 and 1075W was delivered with gold tip against 117, 246 and 394W with platin-iridium using 45, 55 and 65°C temperature.
Conclusion: During in-vitro investigations, the gold tip electrodes allowed a in power delivery increase of 117 up to 173%. Thus, gold tips can be used to increase lesion depth and diameter without cooling equipment.
Todays‘ traffic support environments are distributed by nature. In many cases the monitoring, control and guidance of traffic is effected by a federation of coordinating centers, often managed by different organizations, using differing local IT technology and system architecture. Despite the federative character of such systems, maintenance of a consistent overall traffic state is indispensable for a safe operation. This project develops a new type of middleware supporting federative systems
in the domain of Air Traffic Control (ATC), using OMG‘s DDS (Data Distribution Service) standard as contributor.
Aqueous lithium–oxygen batteries are promising candidates for electric energy storage. In this paper we present and discuss a multiphase continuum model of an aqueous lithium–oxygen single cell including reactions and transport in a porous gas diffusion electrode (GDE). The model is parameterized using in-house half-cell experiments and available literature data on aqueous electrolytes. We validate our transport model with cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements over a wide range of temperatures (25, 40, 55 °C) and electrolyte concentrations (0.1–2 M). We observe very good agreement between simulations and measurements during oxygen reduction conditions. A sensitivity analysis of the validated model demonstrates the influence of the porous structure on GDE performance and gives directions for the future development of electrodes.
Pressure dynamics in metal-oxygen (metal-air) batteries: a case study on sodium superoxide cells
(2014)
Electrochemical reactions in metal–oxygen batteries come along with the consumption or release of gaseous oxygen. We present a novel methodology for investigating electrode reactions and transport phenomena in metal–oxygen batteries by measuring the pressure dynamics in an enclosed gas reservoir above the oxygen electrode. The methodology is exemplified by a room-temperature sodium–oxygen battery forming sodium superoxide (NaO2) in an electrolyte of diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (diglyme) and sodium trifluoromethanesulfonate (NaOSO2CF3, NaOTf). The experiments are supported by microkinetic simulations with a one-dimensional multiphysics continuum model. During galvanostatic cycling over 30 cycles, a constant oxygen consumption/release rate is observed upon discharge/charge. The number of transferred electrons per oxygen molecule is calculated to 1.01 ± 0.02 and 1.03 ± 0.02 for discharge and charge, respectively, confirming the nature of the oxygen reaction product as superoxide O2–. The same ratio is observed in cyclic voltammetry experiments with low scan rate (<1 mV/s). However, at higher scan rates, the ratio increases as a result of oxygen transport limitations in the electrolyte. We introduce electrochemical pressure impedance spectroscopy (EPIS) for simultaneously analyzing current, voltage, and pressure of electrochemical cells. Pressure recording significantly increases the sensitivity of impedance toward oxygen transport properties of the porous electrode systems. In addition, we report experimental data on the diffusion coefficient and solubility of oxygen in electrolyte solutions as important parameters for the microkinetic models.
Photonics meet digital art
(2014)
The paper focuses on the work of an interdisciplinary project between photonics and digital art. The result is a poster collection dedicated to the International Year of Light 2015. In addition, an internet platform was created that presents the project. It can be accessed at http://www.magic-of-light.org/iyl2015/index.htm. From the idea to the final realization, milestones with tasks and steps will be presented in the paper. As an interdisciplinary project, students from technological degree programs were involved as well as art program students. The 2015 Anniversaries: Alhazen (1015), De Caus (1615), Fresnel (1815), Maxwell (1865), Einstein (1905), Penzias Wilson, Kao (1965) and their milestone contributions in optics and photonics will be highlighted.
PET and SPECT of Neurobiological Systems combines the expertise of renowned authors whose dedication to the development of novel probes and techniques for the investigation of neurobiological systems has achieved international recognition. Various aspects of neurotransmission in the brain are discussed, such as visualization and quantification of (more than 20 different) neuroreceptors, neuroinflammatory markers, transporters, and enzymes as well as neurotransmitter synthesis, β-amyloid deposition, cerebral blood flow, and the metabolic rate of glucose. The latest results in probe development are also detailed.
Most chapters are written jointly by radiochemists and nuclear medicine specialists to ensure a multidisciplinary approach. This state of the art compendium will be valuable to anyone in the field of clinical or preclinical neuroscience, from the radiochemist and radiologist/nuclear medicine specialist to the interested neurobiologist and general practitioner. It is the second volume of a trilogy on PET and SPECT imaging in the neurosciences. Other volumes focus on PET and SPECT in psychiatry and PET and SPECT in neurology".
PET and SPECT in Psychiatry
(2014)
PET and SPECT in Psychiatry showcases the combined expertise of renowned authors whose dedication to the investigation of psychiatric disease through nuclear medicine technology has achieved international recognition. The classical psychiatric disorders as well as other subjects – such as suicide, sleep, eating disorders, and autism – are discussed and the latest results in functional neuroimaging are detailed. Most chapters are written jointly by a clinical psychiatrist and a nuclear medicine expert to ensure a multidisciplinary approach. This state of the art compendium will be valuable to all who have an interest in the field of neuroscience, from the psychiatrist and the radiologist/nuclear medicine specialist to the interested general practitioner and cognitive psychologist. It is the first volume of a trilogy on PET and SPECT imaging in the neurosciences; other volumes will focus on PET and SPECT in neurology and PET and SPECT of neurobiological systems.
PET and SPECT in Neurology
(2014)
PET and SPECT in Neurology highlights the combined expertise of renowned authors whose dedication to the investigation of neurological disorders through nuclear medicine technology has achieved international recognition. Classical neurodegenerative disorders are discussed as well as cerebrovascular disorders, brain tumors, epilepsy, head trauma, coma, sleeping disorders, and inflammatory and infectious diseases of the CNS. The latest results in nuclear brain imaging are detailed. Most chapters are written jointly by a clinical neurologist and a nuclear medicine specialist to ensure a multidisciplinary approach. This state-of-the-art compendium will be valuable to anybody in the field of neuroscience, from the neurologist and the radiologist/nuclear medicine specialist to the interested general practitioner and geriatrician. It is the second volume of a trilogy on PET and SPECT imaging in the neurosciences, the other volumes covering PET and SPECT in psychiatry and in neurobiological systems.
Packed beds serve as thermal energy storages (TES) and heat exchangers (HEX) in different technological applications. In this paper, a general heterogeneous model of heat transfer in packed beds is developed. It is implemented by lumped element formulation in object-oriented modeling language Modelica and is successful validated with data sets taken from two different experiments reported in literature.
The main advantages of the introduced model are the general, theory-based approach and the lumped element formulation in Modelica. The first point mentioned above should allow to simulate a packed bed TES/HEX without the necessity applying measured data for model calibration or to apply specific heat transfer correlations with restricted application. The second point establishes the possibility to integrate the TES/HEX model within plant models of larger scale without increasing the simulation time drastically.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy with atrioventricular and interventricular pacing delay optimized biventricular pacing is an established therapy for heart failure patients with sinus rhythm and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. The aim of the study was to evaluate atrioventricular and interventricular pacing delay optimization in cardiac resynchroniza-tion therapy by transthoracic impedance cardiography in biventricular pacing with different left ventricular electrode po-sition. In biventricular pacing heart failure patients with lateral, posterolateral and anterolateral left ventricular electrode position, the mean optimal atrioventricular sening delay was 108.6 ± 20.3 ms and the mean optimal interventricular pac-ing delay -12.3 ± 25.9 ms. Transthoracic impedance cardiography may be a useful technique to optimize atrioventricular and interventricular pacing delay in biventricular pacing with different left ventricular electrode position.
On the possibility to use leaky feeders for positioning in chirp spread spectrum technologies
(2014)
Real Time Localization Systems using electromagnetic waves have significantly evolved during the last years. They also might be used in industrial and in mining environments. Here, topologies might include tunnels, where it might be difficult to ensure the field coverage. Leaky feeder cables are a common solution in case of normal radio communication. In this paper, we study the possibilities to use leaky feeders also for Time-of-Flight based real time localization in such linear topologies, like tunnels, but possibly also for 2D-localization. Theoretical analysis is verified with real-life measurements, which were performed using Chirp Spread Spectrum Technologies.
This work describes a camera-based method for the calibration of optical See-Through Glasses (STGs). A new calibration technique is introduced for calibrating every single display pixel of the STGs in order to overcome the disadvantages of a parametric model. A non-parametric model compared to the parametric one has the advantage that it can also map arbitrary distortions. The new generation of STGs using waveguide-based displays [5] will have higher arbitrary distortions due to the characteristics of their optics. First tests show better accuracies than in previous works. By using cameras which are placed behind the displays of the STGs, no error prone user interaction is necessary. It is shown that a high accuracy tracking device is not necessary for a good calibration. A camera mounted rigidly on the STGs is used to find the relations between the system components. Furthermore, this work elaborates on the necessity of a second subsequent calibration step which adapts the STGs to a specific user. First tests prove the theory that this subsequent step is necessary.
Non-fluoroscopic Imaging with MRT/CT Image Integration - Catheter Positioning with Double Precision
(2014)
Introduction: When antiarrhythmic drug therapy has failed, different approaches of pulmonary vein isolation are considered a reasonable option in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. It will be performed predominantly by radiofrequency catheter ablation. As the individual anatomy of left atrium and the pulmonary veins differs considerably, accurate visualization of these structures is essential during catheter positioning. Using non-fluoroscopic electroanatomic mapping system with image integration, electroanatomic mapping can be combined with highly detailed anatomical MRT or CT information on complex left atrial structures. This may facilitate catheter navigation during ablation for atrial fibrillation.
Methods: The CARTO XP electroanatomic system was used in a project during biomedical engineering study to practice image integration of anonymized real patients that underwent pulmonary vein isolation by CARTO XP and a MRT/CT procedure. Using the image integration software, MRT or CT images were imported into the CARTO XP system. The next process was segmentation of the acquired images. It involves dividing the images into different regions in order to select the structures of interest. In clinical routine, this segmentation has to be performed before catheter ablation. Then, the segmented images were aligned with the reconstructed electroanatomic maps. This consists of several steps, including selection of the left atrium, scaling of the reconstructed geometry, fusion of the structures using landmarks, and optimization of the integration by adjusting the reconstructed geometry of the left atrium.
Results: In the 3 months lasting period of the project, image integration was trained in 13 patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. Within this period, time consumption for the process decreased from about 90 minutes at the beginning to about 35 minutes at the end for one patient.
Conclusion: Image integration into non-fluoroscopic electroanatomic map is a sophisticated tool in cardiac radiofrequency catheter ablation. Intensive training is necessary to control the procedure.
In addition to traditional methods in product development, the increasing availability of two new technologies, namely additive manufacturing AM (e.g. 3D-printing) and reverse engineering RE by means of 3D-scanning, offer new opportunities in product development processes today. However, to date only very few approaches exist those include these new technologies systematically in the education of students in the field of product development. This paper explores several ways in which AM and RE can productively be used in education. New to this approach is, on the one hand, that the students assemble and install the 3Dprinters themselves, and on the other hand, that they are introduced to an approach that combines 3D-scanning followed by 3D-printing. In different case studies is demonstrated that students in design education are able to autonomously research and realize technical possibilities and limitations of these technologies, as well as economic parameters and constraints.
In addition to traditional methods in product development, the increasing availability of additive manufacturing AM technologies offer new opportunities in product development processes today. This contribution explores several ways in which AM can productively be used in education. New to this approach is amongst others that the students assemble and install the 3D-printers themselves. In two case studies is demonstrated how students in design education are able to autonomously research and realize technical possibilities and limitations of AM technologies, as well as economic constraints.
Monitoring of the molecular structure of lubricant oil using a FT-Raman spectrometer prototype
(2014)
The determination of the physical state of the lubricant materials in complex mechanical systems is highly critical from different points of view: operative, economical, environmental, etc. Furthermore, there are several parameters that a lubricant oil must meet for a proper performance inside a machine. The monitoring of these lubricants can represent a serious issue depending on the analytical approach applied. The molecular change of aging lubricant oils have been analyzed using an all-standard-components and self-designed FT-Raman spectrometer. This analytical tool allows the direct and clean study of the vibrational changes in the molecular structure of the oils without having direct contact with the samples and without extracting the sample from the machine in operation. The FT-Raman spectrometer prototype used in the analysis of the oil samples consist of a Michelson interferometer and a self-designed photon counter cooled down on a Peltier element arrangement. The light coupling has been accomplished by using a conventional 62.5/125μm multi-mode fiber coupler. The FT-Raman arrangement has been able to extract high resolution and frequency precise Raman spectra, comparable to those obtained with commercial FT-Raman systems, from the lubricant oil samples analyzed. The spectral information has helped to determine certain molecular changes in the initial phases of wearing of the oil samples. The proposed instrument prototype has no additional complex hardware components or costly software modules. The mechanical and thermal irregularities influencing the FT-Raman spectrometer have been removed mathematically by accurately evaluating the optical path difference of the Michelson interferometer. This has been achieved by producing an additional interference pattern signal with a λ= 632.8 nm helium-neon laser, which differs from the conventional zero-crossing sampling (also known as Connes advantage) commonly used by FT-devices. It enables the FT-Raman system to perform reliable and clean spectral measurements from the analyzed oil samples.