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A two-dimensional single-phase model is developed for the steady-state and transient analysis of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). Based on diluted and concentrated solution theories, viscous flow is introduced into a phenomenological multi-component modeling framework in the membrane. Characteristic variables related to the water uptake are discussed. A Butler–Volmer formulation of the current-overpotential relationship is developed based on an elementary mechanism of electrochemical oxygen reduction. Validated by using published V–I experiments, the model is then used to analyze the effects of operating conditions on current output and water management, especially net water transport coefficient along the channel. For a power PEMFC, the long-channel configuration is helpful for internal humidification and anode water removal, operating in counterflow mode with proper gas flow rate and humidity. In time domain, a typical transient process with closed anode is also investigated.
The state-of-the-art electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) calculations have not yet started from fully multi-dimensional modeling. For a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with long flow channel, the impedance plot shows a multi-arc characteristic and some impedance arcs could merge. By using a step excitation/Fourier transform algorithm, an EIS simulation is implemented for the first time based on the full 2D PEMFC model presented in the first part of this work. All the dominant transient behaviors are able to be captured. A novel methodology called ‘configuration of system dynamics’, which is suitable for any electrochemical system, is then developed to resolve the physical meaning of the impedance spectra. In addition to the high-frequency arc due to charge transfer, the Nyquist plots contain additional medium/low-frequency arcs due to mass transfer in the diffusion layers and along the channel, as well as a low-frequency arc resulting from water transport in the membrane. In some case, the impedance spectra appear partly inductive due to water transport, which demonstrates the complexity of the water management of PEMFCs and the necessity of physics-based calculations.
Synthesizing voice with the help of machine learning techniques has made rapid progress over the last years [1]. Given the current increase in using conferencing tools for online teaching, we question just how easy (i.e. needed data, hardware, skill set) it would be to create a convincing voice fake. We analyse how much training data a participant (e.g. a student) would actually need to fake another participants voice (e.g. a professor). We provide an analysis of the existing state of the art in creating voice deep fakes and align the identified as well as our own optimization techniques in the context of two different voice data sets. A user study with more than 100 participants shows how difficult it is to identify real and fake voice (on avg. only 37 percent can recognize a professor’s fake voice). From a longer-term societal perspective such voice deep fakes may lead to a disbelief by default.
Synthesizing voice with the help of machine learning techniques has made rapid progress over the last years. Given the current increase in using conferencing tools for online teaching, we question just how easy (i.e. needed data, hardware, skill set) it would be to create a convincing voice fake. We analyse how much training data a participant (e.g. a student) would actually need to fake another participants voice (e.g. a professor). We provide an analysis of the existing state of the art in creating voice deep fakes and align the identified as well as our own optimization techniques in the context of two different voice data sets. A user study with more than 100 participants shows how difficult it is to identify real and fake voice (on avg. only 37% can recognize a professor’s fake voice). From a longer-term societal perspective such voice deep fakes may lead to a disbelief by default.
This work provides a series of methane adsorption isotherms and breakthrough curves on one 5A zeolite and one activated carbon. Breakthrough curves of CH4 were obtained from dynamic column measurements at different temperature and pressure conditions for concentrations of 4.4 – 17.3 mol.‐% in H2/CH4 mixtures. A simple model was developed to simulate the curves using measured and calculated data inputs. The results show that the model predictions agree very well with the experiments.
The separation of nitrogen and methane from hydrogen-rich mixtures is systematically investigated on a recently developed binder-free zeolite 5A. For this adsorbent, the present work provides a series of experimental data on adsorption isotherms and breakthrough curves of nitrogen and methane, as well as their mixtures in hydrogen. Isotherms were measured at temperatures of 283–313 K and pressures of up to 1.0 MPa. Breakthrough curves of CH4, N2, and CH4/N2 in H2 were obtained at temperatures of 300–305 K and pressures ranging from 0.1 to 6.05 MPa with different feed concentrations. An LDF-based model was developed to predict breakthrough curves using measured and calculated data as inputs. The number of parameters and the use of correlations were restricted to focus on the importance of measured values. For the given assumptions, the results show that the model predictions agree satisfactorily with the experiments under the different operating conditions applied.
Regarding the importance of adsorptive removal of carbon monoxide from hydrogen-rich mixtures for novel applications (e.g. fuel cells), this work provides a series of experimental data on adsorption isotherms and breakthrough curves of carbon monoxide. Three recently developed 5A zeolites and one commercial activated carbon were used as adsorbents. Isotherms were measured gravimetrically at temperatures of 278–313 K and pressures up to 0.85 MPa. Breakthrough curves of CO were obtained from dynamic column measurements at temperatures of 298–301 K, pressures ranging from 0.1 MPa to ca. 6 MPa and concentrations of CO in H2/CO mixtures of 5–17.5 mol%. A simple mathematical model was developed to simulate breakthrough curves on adsorbent beds using measured and calculated data as inputs. The number of parameters and the use of correlations to evaluate them were restricted in order to focus the importance of measured values. For the given assumptions and simplifications, the results show that the model predictions agree satisfactorily with the experimental data at the different operating conditions applied.
As a basis for the evaluation of hydrogen storage by physisorption, adsorption isotherms of H2 were experimentally determined for several porous materials at 77 K and 298 K at pressures up to 15 MPa. Activated carbons and MOFs were studied as the most promising materials for this purpose. A noble focus was given on how to determine whether a material is feasible for hydrogen storage or not, dealing with an assessment method and the pitfalls and problems of determining the viability. For a quantitative evaluation of the feasibility of sorptive hydrogen storage in a general analysis, it is suggested to compare the stored amount in a theoretical tank filled with adsorbents to the amount of hydrogen stored in the same tank without adsorbents. According to our results, an “ideal” sorbent for hydrogen storage at 77 K is calculated to exhibit a specific surface area of >2580 m2 g−1 and a micropore volume of >1.58 cm3 g−1.
In this TDP we describe a new tool created for testing the strategy layer of our soccer playing agents. It is a complete 2D simulator that simulates the games based on the decisions of 22 agents. With this tool, debugging the decision and strategy layer of our agents is much more efficient than before due to various interaction methods and complete control over the simulation.
In the future, the tool could also serve as a measure to run simulations of game series much faster than with the 3D simulator. This way, the impact of different play strategies could be evaluated much faster than before.
The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies across application domains has prompted our society to pay closer attention to AI’s trustworthiness, fairness, interpretability, and accountability. In order to foster trust in AI, it is important to consider the potential of interactive visualization, and how such visualizations help build trust in AI systems. This manifesto discusses the relevance of interactive visualizations and makes the following four claims: i) trust is not a technical problem, ii) trust is dynamic, iii) visualization cannot address all aspects of trust, and iv) visualization is crucial for human agency in AI.
In this paper, the J-integral is derived for temperature-dependent elastic–plastic materials described by incremental plasticity. It is implemented using the equivalent domain integral method for assessment of three-dimensional cracks based on results of finite-element calculations. The J-integral considers contributions from inhomogeneous temperature fields and temperature-dependent elastic and plastic material properties as well as from gradients in the plastic strains and the hardening variables. Different energy densities are considered, the Helmholtz free energy and the stress-working density, providing a physical meaning of the J-integral as a fracture criteria for crack growth. Results obtained for a plate with two different crack configurations each loaded by a cool-down thermal shock show domain-independence of the incremental J-integral for different energy densities even for high temperature gradients and significant temperature-dependence of the yield stress and the hardening exponent in the presence of large scale yielding. Hence, the derived J-integral is an appropriate parameter for the assessment of cracks in thermomechanically loaded components.
Background: Increasing awareness of the importance of evidence-based medicine is demonstrated not only by an increasing number of articles addressing it but also by a specialty-wide evidence-based medicine initiative. The authors critically analyzed the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials published in this Journal over a 21-year period (1990 to 2010).
Methods: A hand search was conducted, including all issues of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from January of 1990 to December of 2010. All randomized controlled trials published during this time period were identified with the Cochrane decision tree for identification of randomized controlled trials. To assess the quality of reporting, a modification of the checklist of the Consolidated Standard of Reporting Trials Statement was used.
Results: Of 7121 original articles published from 1990 to 2010 in the Journal, 159 (2.23 percent) met the Cochrane criteria. A significant increase in the absolute number of randomized controlled trials was seen over the study period (p < 0.0001). The median quality of these trials from 1990 to 2010 was "fair," with a trend toward improved quality of reporting over time (p = 0.127).
Conclusions: A favorable trend is seen with respect to an increased number of published randomized controlled trials in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Adherence to standard reporting guidelines is recommended, however, to further improve the quality of reporting. Consideration may be given to providing information regarding the quality of reporting in addition to the "level of evidence pyramid," thus facilitating critical appraisal.
It is the purpose of this paper to address ethical issues concerning the development and application of Assistive Technology at Workplaces (ATW). We shall give a concrete technical concept how such technology might be constructed and propose eight technical functions it should adopt in order to serve its purpose. Then, we discuss the normative questions why one should use ATW, and by what means. We argue that ATW is good to the extent that it ensures social inclusion and consider four normative domains in which its worth might consists in. In addition, we insist that ATW must satisfy two requirements of good workplaces, which we specify as (a) an exploitation restraint and (b) a duty of care.
Accelerated transformation of the society and industry through digi-talization, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies has intensified the need for university graduates that are capable of rapidly finding breakthrough solutions to complex problems, and can successfully implement innovation con-cepts. However, there are only few universities making significant efforts to com-prehensively incorporate creative and systematic tools of TRIZ (theory of in-ventive problem solving) and KBI (knowledge-based innovation) into their de-gree structure. Engineering curricula offer little room for enhancing creativity and inventiveness by means of discipline‐specific subjects. Moreover, many ed-ucators mistakenly believe that students are either inherently creative, or will in-evitably obtain adequate problem-solving skills as a result of their university study. This paper discusses challenges of intelligent integration of TRIZ and KBI into university curricula. It advocates the need for development of standard guidelines and best-practice recommendations in order to facilitate sustainable education of ambitious, talented, and inventive specialists. Reflections of educa-tors that teach TRIZ and KBI to students from mechanical, electrical, process engineering, and business administration are presented.
This paper presents the results of the idea generation experiment that repeats the study originally conducted at RMIT. In order to establish the influence that the experimental treatments make on the number and the breadth of solution ideas proposed by problem solvers with different knowledge levels, students from different years of study were recruited. Ninety students from the Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany were divided into three groups. All students were asked to generate ideas on cleaning lime deposits from the inside of a water pipe and were given 16 minutes to record their individual ideas. Students of two experimental groups were shown some words for two minuted each. The Su-Field group was exposed to the eight fields of MATCEMIB. The Random Word group was shown eight random words every two minutes. The Su-Field group outperformed both the Control group and the Random Word group in the number of ideas generated. It was also found that the students from the Su-Field group proposed significantly broader solutions than the students from the Control and Random Word groups. The overall results of the experiment support the conclusions made by the RMIT researchers that simple ideation techniques can significantly improve idea generation and that the systematised Substance-Field Analysis is a suitable heuristic for engineering students.
Structured Innovation with TRIZ in Science and Industry - Creating Value for Customers and Society
(2016)
The design of control systems of concentrator photovoltaic power plants will be more challenging in the future. Reasons are cost pressure, the increasing size of power plants, and new applications for operation, monitoring and maintenance required by grid operators, manufacturers and plant operators. Concepts and products for fixed-mounted photovoltaic can only partly be adapted since control systems for concentrator photovoltaic are considerable more complex due to the required high accurate sun-tracking. In order to assure reliable operation during a lifetime of more than 20 years, robustness of the control system is one crucial design criteria. This work considers common engineering technics for robustness, safety and security. Potential failures of the control system are identified and their effects are analyzed. Different attack scenarios are investigated. Outcomes are design criteria that encounter both: failures of system components and malicious attacks on the control system of future concentrator photovoltaic power plants. Such design criteria are a transparent state management through all system layers, self-tests and update capabilities for security concerns. The findings enable future research to develop a more robust and secure control system for concentrator photovoltaics when implementing new functionalities in the next generation.
The communication system of a large-scale concentrator photovoltaic power plant is very challenging. Manufacturers are building power plants having thousands of sun tracking systems equipped with communication and distributed over a wide area. Research is necessary to build a scalable communication system enabling modern control strategies. This poster abstract describes the ongoing work on the development of a simulation model of such power plants in OMNeT++. The model uses the INET Framework to build a communication network based on Ethernet. First results and problems of timing and data transmission experiments are outlined. The model enables research on new communication and control approaches to improve functionality and efficiency of power plants based on concentrator photovoltaic technology.
The design of control systems in large-scale CPV power plants will be more challenging in the future. Reasons are the increasing size of power plants, the requirements of grid operators, new functions, and new technological trends in industrial automation or communication technology. Concepts and products from fixed-mounted PV can only partly be adopted since control systems for sun-tracking installations are considerable more complex due to the higher quantity of controllable entities. The objective of this paper is to deliver design considerations for next generation control systems. Therefore, the work identifies new applications of future control systems categorized into operation, monitoring and maintenance domains. The key-requirements of the technical system and the application layer are identified. In the resulting section, new strategies such as a more decentralized architecture are proposed and design criteria are derived. The contribution of this paper should allow manufacturers and research institutes to consider the design criteria in current development and to place further research on new functions and control strategies precisely.
In the present study, in vitro toxicity as well as biopersistence and photopersistence of four artificial sweeteners (acesulfame, cyclamate, saccharine, and sucralose) and five antibiotics (levofloxacin, lincomycin, linezolid, marbofloxacin, and sarafloxacin) and of their phototransformation products (PTPs) were investigated. Furthermore, antibiotic activity was evaluated after UV irradiation and after exposure to inocula of a sewage treatment plant. The study reveals that most of the tested compounds and their PTPs were neither readily nor inherently biodegradable in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)-biodegradability tests. The study further demonstrates that PTPs are formed upon irradiation with an Hg lamp (UV light) and, to a lesser extent, upon irradiation with a Xe lamp (mimics sunlight). Comparing the nonirradiated with the corresponding irradiated solutions, a higher chronic toxicity against bacteria was found for the irradiated solutions of linezolid. Neither cytotoxicity nor genotoxicity was found in human cervical (HeLa) and liver (Hep-G2) cells for any of the investigated compounds or their PTPs. Antimicrobial activity of the tested fluoroquinolones was reduced after UV treatment, but it was not reduced after a 28-day exposure to inocula of a sewage treatment plant. This comparative study shows that PTPs can be formed as a result of UV treatment. The study further demonstrated that UV irradiation can be effective in reducing the antimicrobial activity of antibiotics, and consequently may help to reduce antimicrobial resistance in wastewaters. Nevertheless, the study also highlights that some PTPs may exhibit a higher ecotoxicity than the respective parent compounds. Consequently, UV treatment does not transform all micropollutants into harmless compounds and may not be a large-scale effluent treatment option.
The formation and analysis of ten microporous triazolyl isophthalate based MOFs, including nine isomorphous and one isostructural compound is presented. The compounds 1 M – 3 M with the general formula [ M ( R 1 - R 2 - trz - ia ) ] ∞ 3 ·x H 2 O (M 2+ = Co 2+ , Cu 2+ , Zn 2+ , Cd 2+ ; R 1 = H, Me; R 2 = 2py, 2pym, prz (2py = 2-pyridinyle; 2pym = 2-pyrimidinyle; prz = pyrazinyle)) crystallize with rtl topology. They are available as single crystals and also easily accessible in a multi-gram scale via refluxing the metal salts and the protonated ligands in a solvent. Their isomorphous structures facilitate the synthesis of heteronuclear MOFs; in case of 2 M , Co 2+ ions could be gradually substituted by Cu 2+ ions. The Co 2+ :Cu 2+ ratios were determined by ICP-OES spectroscopy, the distribution of Co 2+ and Cu 2+ in the crystalline samples are investigated by SEM-EDX analysis leading to the conclusions that Cu 2+ is more favorably incorporated into the framework compared to Co 2+ and, moreover, that the distribution of the two metal ions between the crystals and within the crystals is inhomogeneous if the crystals were grown slowly. The various compositions of the heteronuclear materials lead to different colors and the sorption properties for CO 2 and N 2 are dependent on the integrated metal ions.
The invention relates to a method and to a device for determining the state of charge (SOC) of a rechargeable battery (106) of a specified battery type or a parameter physically related thereto, in particular a remaining charge amount Q contained in the battery, the method operating by means of a voltage-controlled battery model (102), which is parameterized for the battery (106) in question or a corresponding battery type. It is merely necessary to measure the battery voltage Umess and to provide said battery voltage to the battery model (102) as an input variable. The invention further relates to a method and to a device for determining the state of health (SOH) of a battery (102), wherein the battery model (102) also used to determine the SOC provides a modeled battery current Imod. Modeled charge amounts during charging and discharging phases of the battery (106) can be determined from said modeled battery current and can be compared with measured charge amounts, which are determined from the measured battery current Imess. Because the battery model (102) does not age, the SOH of the battery can thereby be determined.
Passive hybridization refers to a parallel connection of photovoltaic and battery cells on the direct current level without any active controllers or inverters. We present the first study of a lithium-ion battery cell connected in parallel to a string of four or five serially-connected photovoltaic cells. Experimental investigations were performed using a modified commercial photovoltaic module and a lithium titanate battery pouch cell, representing an overall 41.7 W-peak (photovoltaic)/36.8 W-hour (battery) passive hybrid system. Systematic and detailed monitoring of this system over periods of several days with different load scenarios was carried out. A scaled dynamic synthetic load representing a typical profile of a single-family house was successfully supplied with 100 % self-sufficiency over a period of two days. The system shows dynamic, fully passive self-regulation without maximum power point tracking and without battery management system. The feasibility of a photovoltaic/lithium-ion battery passive hybrid system could therefore be demonstrated.
Simulation-based degradation assessment of lithium-ion batteries in a hybrid electric vehicle
(2017)
Covert and Side-Channels have been known for a long time due to their versatile forms of appearance. For nearly every technical improvement or change in technology, such channels have been (re-)created or known methods have been adapted. For example the introduction of hyperthreading technology has introduced new possibilities for covert communication between malicious processes because they can now share the arithmetic logical unit (ALU) as well as the L1 and L2 cache which enables establishing multiple covert channels. Even virtualization which is known for its isolation of multiple machines is prone to covert and side-channel attacks due to the sharing of resources. Therefore itis not surprising that cloud computing is not immune to this kind of attacks. Even more, cloud computing with multiple, possibly competing users or customers using the same shared resources may elevate the risk of unwanted communication. In such a setting the ”air gap” between physical servers and networks disappears and only the means of isolation and virtual separation serve as a barrier between adversary and victim. In the work at hand we will provide a survey on weak spots an adversary trying to exfiltrate private data from target virtual machines could exploit in a cloud environment. We will evaluate the feasibility of example attacks and point out possible mitigation solutions if they exist.
Several cloud schedulers have been proposed in the literature with different optimization goals such as reducing power consumption, reducing the overall operational costs or decreasing response times. A less common goal is to enhance the system security by applying specific scheduling decisions. The security risk of covert channels is known for quite some time, but is now back in the focus of research because of the multitenant nature of cloud computing and the co-residency of several per-tenant virtual machines on the same physical machine. Especially several cache covert channels have been identified that aim to bypass a cloud infrastructure's sandboxing mechanism. For instance, cache covert channels like the one proposed by Xu et. al. use the idealistic scenario with two alternately running colluding processes in different VMs accessing the cache to transfer bits by measuring cache access time. Therefore, in this paper we present a cascaded cloud scheduler coined C 3 -Sched aiming at mitigating the threat of a leakage of customers data via cache covert channels by preventing processes to access cache lines alternately. At the same time we aim at maintaining the cloud performance and minimizing the global scheduling overhead.
Covert channels have been known for a long time because of their versatile forms of appearance. For nearly every technical improvement or change in technology, such channels have been (re-)created or known methods have been adapted. For example, the introduction of hyperthreading technology has introduced new possibilities for covert communication between malicious processes because they can now share the arithmetic logical unit as well as the L1 and L2 caches, which enable establishing multiple covert channels. Even virtualization, which is known for its isolation of multiple machines, is prone to covert- and side-channel attacks because of the sharing of resources. Therefore, it is not surprising that cloud computing is not immune to this kind of attacks. Moreover, cloud computing with multiple, possibly competing users or customers using the same shared resources may elevate the risk of illegitimate communication. In such a setting, the “air gap” between physical servers and networks disappears, and only the means of isolation and virtual separation serve as a barrier between adversary and victim. In the work at hand, we will provide a survey on vulnerable spots that an adversary could exploit trying to exfiltrate private data from target virtual machines through covert channels in a cloud environment. We will evaluate the feasibility of example attacks and point out proposed mitigation solutions in case they exist.
Ultra-low-power passive telemetry systems for industrial and biomedical applications have gained much popularity lately. The reduction of the power consumption and size of the circuits poses critical challenges in ultra-low-power circuit design. Biotelemetry applications like leakage detection in silicone breast implants require low-power-consuming small-size electronics. In this doctoral thesis, the design, simulation, and measurement of a programmable mixed-signal System-on-Chip (SoC) called General Application Passive Sensor Integrated Circuit (GAPSIC) is presented. Owing to the low power consumption, GAPSIC is capable of completely passive operation. Such a batteryless passive system has lower maintenance complexity and is also free from battery-related health hazards. With a die area of 4.92 mm² and a maximum analog power consumption of 592 µW, GAPSIC has one of the best figure-of-merits compared to similar state-of-the-art SoCs. Regarding possible applications, GAPSIC can read out and digitally transmit the signals of resistive sensors for pressure or temperature measurements. Additionally, GAPSIC can measure electrocardiogram (ECG) signals and conductivity.
The design of GAPSIC complies with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15693/NFC (near field communication) 5 standard for radio frequency identification (RFID), corresponding to the frequency range of 13.56 MHz. A passive transponder developed with GAPSIC comprises of an external memory storage and very few other external components, like an antenna and sensors. The passive tag antenna and reader antenna use inductive coupling for communication and energy transfer, which enables passive operation. A passive tag developed with GAPSIC can communicate with an NFC compatible smart device or an ISO 15693 RFID reader. An external memory storage contains the programmable application-specific firmware.
As a mixed-signal SoC, GAPSIC includes both analog and digital circuitries. The analog block of GAPSIC includes a power management unit, an RFID/NFC communication unit, and a sensor readout unit. The digital block includes an integrated 32-bit microcontroller, developed by the Hochschule Offenburg ASIC design center, and digital peripherals. A 16-kilobyte random-access memory and a read-only 16-kilobyte memory constitute the GAPSIC internal memory. For the fabrication of GAPSIC, one poly, six-metal 0.18 µm CMOS process is used.
The design of GAPSIC includes two stages. In the first stage, a standalone RFID/NFC frontend chip with a power management unit, an RFID/NFC communication unit, a clock regenerator unit, and a field detector unit was designed. In the second stage, the rest of the functional blocks were integrated with the blocks of the RFID/NFC frontend chip for the final integration of GAPSIC. To reduce the power consumption, conventional low-power design techniques were applied extensively like multiple power supplies, and the operation of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors in the sub-threshold region of operation, as well as further innovative circuit designs.
An overvoltage protection circuit, a power rectifier, a bandgap reference circuit, and two low-dropout (LDO) voltage regulators constitute the power management unit of GAPSIC. The overvoltage protection circuit uses a novel method where three stacked transistor pairs shunt the extra voltage. In the power rectifier, four rectifier units are arranged in parallel, which is a unique approach. The four parallel rectifier units provide the optimal choice in terms of voltage drop and the area required.
The communication unit is responsible for RFID/NFC communication and incorporates demodulation and load modulation circuitry. The demodulator circuit comprises of an envelope detector, a high-pass filter, and a comparator. Following a new approach, the bandgap reference circuit itself acts as the load for the envelope detector circuit, which minimizes the circuit complexity and area. For the communication between the reader and the RFID/NFC tag, amplitude-shift keying (ASK) is used to modulate signals, where the smallest modulation index can be as low as 10%. A novel technique involving a comparator with a preset offset voltage effectively demodulates the ASK signal. With an effective die area of 0.7 mm² and power consumption of 107 µW, the standalone RFID/NFC frontend chip has the best figure-of-merits compared to the state-of-the-art frontend chips reported in the relevant literature. A passive RFID/NFC tag developed with the standalone frontend chip, as well as temperature and pressure sensors demonstrate the full passive operational capability of the frontend chip. An NFC reader device using a custom-built Android-based application software reads out the sensor data from the passive tag.
The sensor readout circuit consists of a channel selector with two differential and four single-ended inputs with a programmable-gain instrumentation amplifier. The entire sensor readout part remains deactivated when not in use. The internal memory stores the measured offset voltage of the instrumentation amplifier, where a firmware code removes the offset voltage from the measured sensor signal. A 12-bit successive approximation register (SAR) type analog-to-digital-converter (ADC) based on a charge redistribution architecture converts the measured sensor data to a digital value. The digital peripherals include a serial peripheral interface, four timers, RFID/NFC interfaces, sensor readout unit interfaces, and 12-bit SAR logic.
Two sets of studies with custom-made NFC tag antennas for biomedical applications were conducted to ascertain their compatibility with GAPSIC. The first study involved the link efficiency measurements of NFC tag antennas and an NFC reader antenna with porcine tissue. In a separate experiment, the effect of a ferrite compared to air core on the antenna-coupling factor was investigated. With the ferrite core, the coupling factor increased by four times.
Among the state-of-the-art SoCs published in recent scientific articles, GAPSIC is the only passive programmable SoC with a power management unit, an RFID/NFC communication interface, a sensor readout circuit, a 12-bit SAR ADC, and an integrated 32-bit microcontroller. This doctoral research includes the preliminary study of three passive RFID tags designed with discrete components for biomedical and industrial applications like measurements of temperature, pH, conductivity, and oxygen concentration, along with leakage detection in silicone breast implants. Besides its small size and low power consumption, GAPSIC is suitable for each of the biomedical and industrial applications mentioned above due to the integrated high-performance microcontroller, the robust programmable instrumentation amplifier, and the 12-bit analog-to-digital converter. Furthermore, the simulation and measurement data show that GAPSIC is well suited for the design of a passive tag to monitor arterial blood pressure in patients experiencing Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), which is proposed in this doctoral thesis as an exemplary application of the developed system.
A new RFID/NFC (ISO 15693 standard) based inductively powered passive SoC (System on chip) for biomedical applications is presented here. The proposed SOC consists of an integrated 32 bit microcontroller, RFID/NFC frontend, sensor interface circuit, analog to digital converter and some peripherals such as timer, SPI interface and memory devices. An energy harvesting unit supplies the power required for the entire system for complete passive operation. The complete chip is realized on CMOS 0.18 μm technology with a chip area of 1.5 mm × 3.0 mm.
In this paper, a complete passive transponder device has been discussed which is meant to monitor leakage in silicone breast implants. The passive tag operates in the HF frequency range of 13.56MHz using RFID ISO 15693 standard. The complete system consists of the transponder, reader and a PC. This paper focusses on the development of such a state of the art passive RFID transponder to monitor the wellness of the silicone breast implants periodically in order to detect leakage in the same. Keyword: RFID (Radio frequency identification device), EM (Electromagnetic) field, Passive Transponder, Silicone breast implants.
Team description papers of magmaOffenburg are incremental in the sense that each year we address a different topic of our team and the tools around our team. In this year’s team description paper we focus on the architecture of the software. It is a main factor for being able to keep the code maintainable even after 15 years of development. We also describe how we make sure that the code follows this architecture.
In the past two decades much has been published on whiplash injury, yet both the confusion regarding the condition, and the medicolegal discussion about it have increased. In this paper, functional imaging research results are summarized using MRIcroGL3D visualization software and assembled in an image comprising regions of cerebral activation and deactivation.
Die Erfindung betrifft eine Vorrichtung zur biologischen Methanisierung von CO und/oder CO2 mittels methanogener Mikroorganismen durch Umsetzung von H2 und CO und/oder CO2, die eine Begasungskolonne und eine Entgasungskolonne, jeweils mit einer Bodenseite und einer der Bodenseite gegenüberliegenden oberen Seite, ein in der Begasungskolonne und der Entgasungskolonne bereitgestelltes Medium mit methanogenen Mikroorganismen, eine Zuführeinrichtung zum Zuführen eines H2 enthaltenden Gases in das Medium der Begasungskolonne, eine Abführeinrichtung zum Abführen eines CH4 enthaltenden Gases aus der Entgasungskolonne, eine Verbindungsleitung zwischen Begasungskolonne und Entgasungskolonne im Bereich der Bodenseiten, eine Pumpe zum Überführen von Medium über die Verbindungsleitung von der Begasungskolonne in die Entgasungskolonne, und eine Rückführleitung zwischen der Begasungskolonne und der Entgasungskolonne im Bereich der oberen Seiten zum Rückführen von Medium aus der Entgasungskolonne in die Begasungskolonne aufweist. Die Erfindung betrifft auch ein Verfahren zur biologischen Methanisierung von CO und/oder CO2 in einer Vorrichtung mittels methanogener Mikroorganismen als Teil eines in der Vorrichtung bereitgestellten Mediums, wobei das Medium in einem Kreislauf über eine Begasungskolonne und eine Entgasungskolonne geführt wird, wobei die Kolonnen jeweils über eine Verbindungsleitung im Bereich ihrer Bodenseiten und über eine Rückführleitung im Bereich der den Bodenseiten gegenüberliegenden oberen Seiten miteinander verbunden sind, worin das Medium sich in der Begasungskolonne absteigend und in der Entgasungskolonne aufsteigend bewegt, worin dem Medium in der Begasungskolonne ein H2 enthaltendes Gas zugeführt wird.
The majority of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in team sports are non-contact injuries, with cutting maneuvers identified as high-risk tasks. Young female handball players have been shown to be at greater risk for ACL injuries than males. One risk factor for ACL injuries is the magnitude of the knee abduction moment (KAM). Cutting technique variables on foot placement, overall approach and knee kinematics have been shown to influence the KAM. Since injury risk is believed to increase with increasing task complexity, the purpose of the study was to test the effect of task complexity on technique variables that influence the KAM in female handball players during fake-and-cut tasks.
Landing heel first has been associated with elevated external knee abduction moments (KAM), thereby potentially increasing the risk of sustaining a non-contact ACL injury. Apart from the foot strike angle, knee valgus angle (VAL) and vertical center of mass velocity at initial ground contact (IC) have been associated with increased KAM in females across different sidestep cuts. While real-time biofeedback training has been proven effective for gait retraining [4], the highly dynamic, non-cyclical nature of cutting maneuvers makes real-time feedback unsuitable and alternative approaches necessary. This study aimed at assessing the efficacy of immediate software-aided feedback on cutting technique in reducing KAM during handball-specific cutting maneuvers.
The purpose of this study was to 1) compare knee joint kinematics and kinetics of fake-and-cut tasks of varying complexity in 51 female handball players and 2) present a case study of one athlete who ruptured her ACL three weeks post data collection. External knee joint moments and knee joint angles in all planes at the instance of the peak external knee abduction moment (KAM) as well as moment and angle time curves were analyzed. Peak KAMs and knee internal rotation moments were substantially higher than published values obtained during simple change-of-direction tasks and, along with flexion angles, differed significantly between the tasks. Introducing a ball reception and a static defender increased joint loads while they partially decreased again when anticipation was lacking. Our results suggest to use game-specific assessments of injury risk while complexity levels do not directly increase knee loading. Extreme values of several risk factors for a post-test injured athlete highlight the need and usefulness of appropriate screenings.
This chapter portrays the historical and mathematical background of dynamic and procedural content generation (PCG). We portray and compare various PCG methods and analyze which mathematical approach is suited for typical applications in game design. In the next step, a structural overview of games applying PCG as well as types of PCG is presented. As abundant PCG content can be overwhelming, we discuss context-aware adaptation as a way to adapt the challenge to individual players’ requirements. Finally, we take a brief look at the future of PCG.
HPTLC on amino plates, with simple heating of the plates for derivatization, has been used for quantification of glucosamine in nutritional supplements. On heating the plate glucosamine reacts to form a compound which strongly absorbs light between 305 and 330 nm, with weak fluorescence. The reaction product can be detected sensitively either by absorption of light or by fluorescence detection. The detection limit in absorption mode is approximately 25 ng per spot. In fluorescence mode a detection limit of 15 ng is achievable. A calibration plot for absorption detection is linear in the range 25 to 4000 ng glucosamine. The derivative formed from glucosamine by heating is stable for months, and the relative standard deviation is 1.64% for 600 ng glucosamine. The amounts of glucosamine found in nutritional supplements were in agreement with the label declarations.
In thin-layer chromatography, fiber-bundle arrays have been introduced for spectral absorption measurements in the UV-region. Using all-silica fiber bundles, the exciting light will be detected after re-emission on the plate with a fiberoptic spectrometer. In addition, fluorescence light can be detected which will be masked by the re-emitted light. Therefore, it is helpful to separate the absorption and fluorescence on the TLC-plate. A modified three-array assembly has been developed: using one array for detection, the two others are used for excitation with broadband band deuterium-light and with UV-LEDs adjusted to the substances under test. As an example, the quantification of glucosamine in nutritional supplements or spinach leaf extract will be described. Using simply heating of the amino-plate for derivation, the reaction product of Glucosamine can be detected sensitively either by light absorption or by fluorescence, using the new fiber-optic assembly. In addition, the properties of the new 3-row fiber-optic array and the commercially available UV-LEDs will be shown, in the interesting wavelength region for excitation of fluorescence, from 260 nm to 360 nm. The squint angle having an influence on coupling efficiency and spatial resolution will be measured with the inverse farfield method. Some properties of UV-LEDs for analytical applications will be described and discussed, too.
Background
To assess the in-field walking mechanics during downhill hiking of patients with total knee arthroplasty five to 14 months after surgery and an age-matched healthy control group and relate them to the knee flexor and extensor muscle strength.
Methods
Participants walked on a predetermined hiking trail at a self-selected, comfortable pace wearing an inertial sensor system for recording the whole-body 3D kinematics. Sagittal plane hip, knee, and ankle joint angles were evaluated over the gait cycle at level walking and two different negative slopes. The concentric and eccentric lower extremity muscle strength of the knee flexors and extensors isokinetically at 50 and 120°/s were measured.
Findings
Less knee flexion angles during stance have been measured in patients in the operated limb compared to healthy controls in all conditions (level walking, moderate downhill, steep downhill). The differences increased with steepness. Muscle strength was lower in patients for both muscle groups and all measured conditions. The functional hamstrings to quadriceps ratio at 120°/sec correlated with knee angle during level and downhill walking at the moderate slope in patients, showing higher ratios with lower peak knee flexion angles.
Interpretation
The study shows that even if rehabilitation has been completed successfully and complication-free, five to 14 months after surgery, the muscular condition was still insufficient to display a normal gait pattern during downhill hiking. The muscle balance between quadriceps and hamstring muscles seems related to the persistence of a stiff knee gait pattern after knee arthroplasty. LoE: III.