More Green Open Space in a Densified City

The City of Vienna is growing rapidly by a figure of around 18,000 people a year. This steady increase in population is a positive development in the light of the many urban and rural areas in Europe where the population is declining. The growing population stimulates an increased demand for housing, social services, schools, kindergardens and open spaces. While the need for parks, squares and playgrounds is generally acknowledged, financial restrictions mean that it is fulfilled only at the minimum level required by the building code. In larger-scale newly planned districts, i.e. Seestadt Aspern, Sonnwendviertel, Karree St. Marx or Eurogate, parks are part of the masterplan and are integrated into the concepts more easily. The willingness of developers to co-finance green open spaces is greater, due to the larger economic dimensions of the developments and their investment, the percentage of the cost for urban design and landscape design, is therefore lower. But even then, the main focus of investors and architects lies on the buildings and the open spaces are often underfinanced. Furthermore, the quality of the design suffers from a lack of coordination between the different developers and architects on adjacent sites, resulting in undesigned edges and borders. In comparison smaller projects, i.e. infill developments within the existing city fabric, face extreme difficulties in attempting to meet the need for open space on already constrained urban sites. Generally, the requirements of the building code are met at a minimum level by providing a playground for small children. Sometimes just a modestly landscaped communal courtyard with insufficient sunlight is provided. From an urbanistic standpoint it is wise to increase the housing supply within the city area also, and not just on the outskirts. This is especially true as large new sites suitable for affordable housing have become scarce and now more remote sites with less favourable public transport access have to be chosen for development. Currently, non-profit developers planning affordable housing projects are confronted by the challenges presented by increasing land speculation and soaring property prices. As a result, private developers with no demand for public subsidies are better able to meet the expectations of higher land prices. Cost-intensive redevelopment projects within the city boundaries have a better chance of being economically feasible – leading to a “rebuilding- and renovation boom” of the building-stock from the end of the 19th century to the present. The city planning department aims for an equal distribution of the additional housing needed by building new developments on the outskirts and also increasing density. This concentration on densification in the inner city should, ideally, be accompanied by generous open space design – but in practical terms there are no new sites for green open spaces available. The solution therefore lies in redesigning the existing spaces in-between buildings to make them into pedestrian-friendly open spaces. This strategy can only succeed by simultaneously implementing traffic calming measures resulting in a reduction of the space used by cars. Parked cars in particular require an disproportionate amount of public space on streets. By reducing car-parking and transforming side-lanes and cul-de-sacs into pocket parks, accompanied by an increase in the area of permeable surfaces, tree-planting and greening of walls, the quality of life within the city could be improved dramatically. This is a difficult undertaking due to a strong and well-organized car-lobby supported by the trade-union; currently, this conflict of interest can be observed currently in the heated discussions regarding the proposed transformation of Mariahilfer Street into a pedestrian zone. The paper will focus on the potential for creating new open spaces by transforming existing streets and will highlight areas where this could be done in the city of Vienna, i.e. along the Ringstraße, Viennas most prestigious and well-known historic boulevard, or the Wienzeile. These streets are characterized by beautiful historic buildings, many of them famous landmarks, but the design of the space in-between the buildings still largely reflects the car-dominated traffic-planning philosophy of the 1960s. Population growth and densification should become the stimulus for rethinking the planning strategy for all public spaces in general and designing a few case-study projects in particular to showcase the enormous potential for open space supply and greening the city. Potential sites and some examples of redesign will be presented

Explaining participation rates in recreational fishing across industrialised countries

On average, 10.52% of the total population was found to fish for recreation across the industrialised world (N = 27 countries), amounting to an estimated 118 million (95% confidence interval 81–154 million) people in North America, Europe and Oceania. Participation rates declined with population density and gross domestic product, indicating a negative effect of urbanisation and post-modernisation on fishing interest. Participation rates also declined with increasing median age, average household size and unemployment rate, suggesting resource limitation to constrain participation in fishing. By contrast, two indicators of the cultural importance of fish (fish landings and per capita fish consumption) and an indicator of perceived need for leisure (weekly working hours) were positively correlated with fishing participation. Based on these findings, which explained 60% of the variance in fishing participation across the industrialised world, reduced fishing interest is to be expected with post-industrialisation. Dedicated management and marketing intervention is needed to reverse the track of diminishing fishing interest in industrialised countries

Development of robust DESI imaging MS instrumentation for analysis of tissue samples

Desorption electrospray ionisation (DESI) is an ambient ionisation method that can be used for mass spectrometric imaging. Due to its ability to ionise lipids, its non-destructive nature and its minimal sample preparation, it is particularly suitable for biological tissue imaging and it can be combined directly with classical histopathological staining methods. However, despite having been one of the earliest ambient ionisation techniques, first published more than ten years ago, DESI still suffers from repeatability and reproducibility issues. The aim of this project was to identify and eliminate the primary sources of variability in DESI. One major source of variability was found to be solvent capillary positioning in the DESI sprayer. The ideal positioning of the capillary was hypothesised to be perfect centering, although this could not be achieved in practice. However, a fixed capillary position as close to the central position as possible was successfully implemented. This eliminated movement and vibration of the capillary, improving repeatability. By using a tapered, machine-cut, small inner diameter capillary the operational parameters could be optimised for improved spatial resolution. The improved sprayer was combined with a fast-scanning QToF MS for fast, high spatial resolution DESI-MS imaging. Tests on rat brain sections showed that DESI was able to distinguish between different tissue types even with a more than tenfold increase of scan speed. The improved DESI source was also used to analyse mouse and human brain tissue sections as part of a larger study on remyelination in multiple sclerosis. It was shown that DESI can be combined with Raman spectroscopy to provide complementary imaging information, although the two methods could not be performed on the same sections. An alternative, closely related ambient ionisation method, desorption electro-flow focusing ionisation (DEFFI) was tested for tissue imaging performance and repeatability. DEFFI uses a co-flowing gas stream to focus a charged solvent into a jet, making the primary spray inherently concentric. Repeatability was similar to a carefully optimised DESI sprayer and after adjustment of operational parameters, its imaging resolution was comparable. The comparison of DESI and DEFFI data suggested that the data was sufficiently similar to allow integration of DEFFI into existing DESI workflows. Finally, the impact of MS inlet capillary dimensions and heating was investigated. These experiments suggested that ion production in DESI partially occurs in the inlet capillary. A small capillary inner diameter was found to be crucial for dissociation of ion clusters. Capillary heating was shown to improve overall sensitivity and also to make DESI less sensitive to geometrical changes. This supports the hypothesis that some desolvation and ion formation occurs during droplet transfer into the MS. Overall, the work presented here brings DESIMS imaging closer to becoming a routine tool in clinical diagnostics.Open Acces

Not Easily Defined: A Continuum of Definitions of the 'Museum School'

The term ‘museum school’ suggests a seemingly straightforward concept; one in which a museum and school coexist and benefit together. While, this is true, it does not include the wider and varied definitions associated with the term. Previous research on the topic highlighted the formal educational aspects of the term, disregarding informal educational characteristics. This does a disservice to the term, relegating it to singular component of and reinforcing the formal/informal educational divide. Building on the history of and the increasingly educational roles of the museum, this thesis seeks to explore three specific types of museum schools: Historical Museum School, Informal Museum School, and Formal Museum School. Additionally, because Formal Museum Schools are currently at their highest number yet, this thesis develops a small inventory of those schools. Ultimately, this research reveals that museums, their programs, and schools are not entirely guided by strict educational boundaries.M.A

Quantifizierung verdrängter Sole aus salzwasserführenden Grundwasserleitern und mechanische Auswirkungen bei der geologischen CO2-Speicherung

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is considered as a promising measure to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Scientific assessments suggest that deep porous rock formations saturated with brine (saline aquifers) provide the largest storage potential due to their abundance in the Earth’s sedimentary basins. However, geological underground storage of CO2 (carbon dioxide) may also cause serious negative environmental and infrastructural impacts. The far-reaching pressure build-up affects regional fluid flow and may compromise mechanical rock integrity by changes in the recent stress field. Structural failure of reservoir, caprock or adjacent fault zones, accompanied by CO2 leakage or large-scale displacement of brines are among potential risks associated with CO2 injection into deeper saline formations. If brine reaches shallower aquifer complexes by upward migration through conductive pathways such as improperly sealed abandoned wells, permeable faults or erosive discontinuities in the overlying rocks, freshwater resources can be endangered by salinization. The present thesis aims at evaluating the hydraulic and mechanical impacts of industrial-scale CO2 injection and the resulting pressure increase for a potential saline onshore storage formation in the Middle Buntsandstein sequence of the Northeast German Basin. Here, the main emphasis is to assess the degree and bandwidth of potential shallow aquifer salinization by upward brine migration through permeable regional fault zones at the Beeskow-Birkholz storage site. Thereby, it is important to determine, which geological conditions promote upward brine displacement in geological CO2 storage, and whether the pressure build-up affects the mechanical integrity of fault zones and/or caprocks. Four geological 3D models with an extent between 1,765 km2 and 10,000 km2 and different layer structures serve as the basis for this research and are implemented in multi-phase flow and coupled hydro-mechanical simulations. The methodology applied for model set up and data integration varied, depended on the respective focus of investigation. For flow simulations, regional fault zones are described in the models either by real grid elements or by virtual elements that allow for a discrete fault representation without introducing specific grid refinements in the near-fault area. In the mechanical simulations, a plasto-elastic constitutive model for fault zones is applied, using embedded weak planes of corresponding dip angle and dip direction at the respective fault element locations. Multi-phase flow simulation results show that the magnitude of pressure build-up in the storage formation and pressure development over time determine the intensity and duration of brine flow into overlying aquifers. Salinity in the shallower aquifer increases only locally close to the fault zones, whereby the degree in salinization mainly depends on the lateral boundary conditions, the effective damage zone volume of fault zones, the presence of overlying reservoirs and the initial salinity distribution defined for the simulation scenario. The permeability of fault zones, however, has a comparatively minor impact on shallow aquifer salinization. Short hydraulically conductive fault segments lead to the highest local salinity increase, whereas laterally open boundaries and overlying reservoirs connected to the fault zones significantly diminish the risk of shallow aquifer salinization. Knowledge on the initial salinity distribution in the fault is essential for salinization assessments, since the displaced brine originates from the upper part of the faults only, and not from greater depths. Structural failure of fault zones as a consequence of injection-induced pressure build-up and effective stress changes can increase the risk of upward brine migration. To assess the fault slip and dilation tendencies at the respective site, one-way coupled hydro-mechanical simulations were applied in subsequent analysis. A one-way coupling procedure considers the time-dependent pore pressure development obtained from the dynamic flow simulations as input to hydro-mechanical simulations. The hydro- mechanical simulator then calculates potential rock mass failure resulting from stress changes without providing feedback to the flow simulator. In a first approach, the pressure distribution obtained from the flow simulations, was fitted by polynomial functions and integrated into the hydro-mechanical simulator for selected time steps. Simulation results demonstrate that only very few fault elements in the model are affected by shear and tensile rock failure, so that the development of a consistent slip plane along the faults, and thus fault reactivation is consequently expected not to occur at the Beeskow-Birkholz site under the given assumptions. For coupling evaluation, the applied one-way procedure was carried out for an equivalent saline onshore storage site in the Norwegian-Danish Basin close to the city of Vedsted, including a numerical modelling benchmark against the results produced by another well-established modelling group. The application of identical models for this process coupling allows an element-wise implementation of the time- dependant pore pressure distribution from the dynamic flow into the hydro- mechanical simulator. Simulation results show that mechanical impacts are mainly determined by fault conductivity and caprock permeability, which are influencing the spatial pore pressure distribution. A higher permeability of the caprock above the storage formation consequently induces higher vertical uplifts at the ground surface. In the present thesis, it is shown that the presence of hydraulically conductive faults must not necessarily lead to shallow aquifer salinization, since various factors have been proven to influence the occurrence and degree of salinization under the tested constraints at the respective storage site. The magnitude of pressure increase in the reservoir is the driving factor in upward brine migration through fault zones: larger pressures induce stronger brine displacement, and consequently result in higher salinities in shallow aquifers. The magnitude of pressure build-up in turn, depends on the chosen lateral boundary conditions, the presence of overlying reservoirs and the effective damage zone volume of faults. At Beeskow-Birkholz, shallow aquifer salinization did not occur over large areas and the faults were not affected by structural failure. However, if brine reaches groundwater bodies, the local maximum salinity increase above the salt-freshwater boundary can reach a concentration larger than the limit prescribed by the German Drinking Water Directive. In summary, numerical models can be well applied to obtain site-specific insights into the fluid flow dynamics in geological CO2 storage. At the same time, the simulations help to identify the geological conditions with the greatest impact on upward brine migration and provide an initial assessment of the anticipated risks including their extent and significance.Die Abscheidung und Speicherung von Kohlenstoff (engl. Carbon Capture and Storage, CCS) wird als eine vielversprechende Maßnahme angesehen, die anthropogen verursachten Treibhausgasemissionen in die Atmosphäre zu reduzieren. Wissenschaftliche Schätzungen gehen davon aus, dass poröse und mit Salzwasser gesättigte Gesteinsformationen (saline Aquifere), aufgrund ihrer weiten Verbreitung in den Sedimentbecken der Erde, das größte Speicherpotential bieten. Die Nutzung des Untergrunds für die Speicherung von CO2 (Kohlenstoffdioxid) kann jedoch schwerwiegende umweltschädliche und infrastrukturelle Auswirkungen haben. Durch die im Allgemeinen sehr weitreichende Druckerhöhung wird die regionale Grundwasserströmung beeinflusst und die mechanische Gesteinsintegrität durch Änderungen im rezenten Spannungsfeld gefährdet. Strukturelles Versagen von Reservoir, abdeckender Barriereschicht, oder nah gelegenen Störungszonen sowie CO2-Leckage oder großräumige Verdrängung von hoch salinaren Wässern (Sole) werden als potentielle Risiken der CO2-Speicherung in tiefen salinen Aquiferen angesehen. Erreicht die Sole über hydraulisch durchlässige Migrationspfade, wie möglicherweise unzureichend verschlossene Altbohrungen, permeable Störungen oder erosive Diskontinuitäten im Deckgebirge, flachere Grundwasserleiterkomplexe, können Süßwasserreserven durch Versalzung erheblich beeinträchtigt werden. In der vorliegenden Dissertation soll daher für eine potentielle saline Speicherformation im Mittleren Buntsandstein des Nordostdeutschen Beckens untersucht werden, welche hydraulischen und mechanischen Auswirkungen eine industriemaßstäbliche CO2-Speicherung und die damit einhergehende Porendruckerhöhung zur Folge haben kann. Der Schwerpunkt liegt hierbei darauf, den Grad und die Bandbreite einer möglichen Versalzung von überliegenden Aquiferen durch Solemigration über permeable regionale Störungszonen für den Standort Beeskow-Birkholz abzuschätzen. Des Weiteren soll untersucht werden, welche geologischen Gegebenheiten eine aufwärtsgerichtete Solemigration über Störungen begünstigen und wie sich die Druckerhöhung im Speicherhorizont auf die geomechanische Integrität von Störungszonen und/oder Abdecker auswirkt. Vier geologische 3D Modelle, mit einer Ausdehnung zwischen 1.765 km2 und 10.000 km2 und einem unterschiedlichen Schichtaufbau, bilden die Basis für Mehrphasenfluss- und gekoppelte hydromechanische Simulationen. Modellaufbau und Datenintegration erfolgten in Abhängigkeit des jeweiligen Untersuchungsschwerpunktes unter Anwendung verschiedener Methoden. In den Flusssimulationen werden die regionalen Störungszonen in den Modellen entweder über reale Gitterelemente oder über virtuelle Elemente repräsentiert, die eine diskrete Darstellung der Störungen erlauben, ohne das Gitter im Störungsnahbereich zu verfeinern. Für die mechanischen Simulationen werden die Störungszonen in die elastisch- plastischen Modelle als Versagensflächen integriert, die entsprechend der Störungen orientiert sind. Die Ergebnisse aus den Mehrphasenflusssimulationen zeigen, dass die Intensität und Dauer von Solefluss in überliegende Aquifere bestimmt wird, durch die Stärke des Druckaufbaus in der Speicherformation und der Druckentwicklung über die Zeit. Die Salinität im flachen Aquifer steigt nur lokal im Nahbereich der Störungen, wobei der Grad der Versalzung im Wesentlichen von den definierten seitlichen Modellrandbedingungen, dem durchflusswirksamen Störungsvolumen, dem Vorhandensein von überliegenden Reservoiren sowie der initialen Salinitätsverteilung abhängt. Die Permeabilität der Störungen hingegen, hat einen vergleichsweise geringen Einfluss auf die Salinität flacherer Aquifere. Kurze hydraulisch durchlässige Störungssegmente bewirken den stärksten lokalen Salinitätsanstieg, wohingegen seitlich offene Modellränder und überliegende Reservoire, die ebenfalls mit den Störungszonen verbunden sind, das Risiko einer Versalzung im flachen Aquifer erheblich mindern. Die initiale Salinitätsverteilung in der Störung ist bei der Beurteilung von Versalzungen ebenfalls von großer Bedeutung, da die verdrängte Sole lediglich aus dem oberen Teil der Störung und nicht aus großen Tiefen stammt. Strukturelles Versagen von Störungszonen, als Folge des injektionsbedingten Druckanstiegs, würde das Risiko einer Solemigration in überliegende Schichten erhöhen. Um die Tendenz einer Störungsreaktivierung am Speicherstandort zu evaluieren, wurde eine Ein-Weg-Kopplung genutzt. In einer Ein-Weg-Kopplung wird die zeitabhängige Porendruckverteilung aus den Mehrphasenflusssimulationen an den hydromechanischen Simulator übergeben. Der hydro-mechanische Simulator berechnet als Folge der Spannungsänderung daraufhin mögliches strukturelles Versagen des Gesteins, ohne dass der Mehrphasenflusssimulator Rückinformation erhält. In einem ersten Ansatz, wird die Druckverteilung aus den vorangegangenen Mehrphasenflusssimulationen über Polynomfunktionen angepasst und für ausgewählte Zeitschritte in den hydromechanischen Simulator integriert. Die Simulationsergebnisse zeigen, dass es im Modellgebiet nur sehr vereinzelt zu Scher- und Zugversagen kommt. Die Ausbildung einer konsistenten Gleitfläche entlang der Störungen und folglich eine Störungsreaktivierung, ist unter den getroffenen Annahmen am Standort Beeskow-Birkholz daher eher unwahrscheinlich. Zur Kopplungsevaluierung wurde die vorgestellte Ein-Weg-Kopplung im letzten Teil der Arbeit auch an einem salinen Aquifer einer zweiten potentiellen CO2-Speicherformation, im Norwegisch-Dänischen Becken, nahe Vedsted, angewandt. Dies schloss eine numerische Benchmark-Studie mit ein, in der die Simulationsergebnisse mit denen einer weiteren Modellierungsgruppe verglichen wurden. Die auf identischen Modellen beruhende Prozesskopplung, ermöglicht eine elementweise Übertragung des berechneten Porendrucks aus dem Mehrphasenflusssimulator an den hydromechanischen Simulator, für ausgewählte Zeitschritte. Die Simulationsergebnisse zeigen, dass eine mechanische Beeinträchtigung des Gesteins von der hydraulischen Durchlässigkeit der Störungszonen sowie der Durchlässigkeit der Deckschichten über der Speicherformation abhängt, da diese die Porendruckverteilung im Reservoir wesentlich beeinflussen. Eine höhere Durchlässigkeit der Deckschicht hat zur Folge, dass sich vertikale Hebungen an der Erdoberfläche verstärken. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird gezeigt, dass hydraulisch durchlässige Störungen nicht zwingend zu einer Versalzung oberflächennaher Aquifere führen müssen. Verschiedene Faktoren beeinflussen nachweislich das Auftreten und den Grad einer Versalzung am Untersuchungsstandort. Der Druck in der Speicherformation ist die treibende Kraft der aufwärtsgerichteten Solemigration durch Störungen: in Abhängigkeit der Druckzunahme erhöht sich die Menge der verdrängten Sole in flache Aquifere wodurch der Versalzungsgrad steigt. Die Stärke des Druckaufbaus ist wiederum abhängig von den seitlichen Modellrandbedingungen, dem Vorhandensein von überliegenden Reservoiren und dem durchflusswirksamen Störungsvolumen. Am Standort Beeskow-Birkholz wurde ein Salinitätsanstieg im flachen Aquifer nur im Nahbereich der Störungen beobachtet, strukturelles Versagen an den Störungen trat nicht auf. Simulationsergebnisse zeigen jedoch, dass die Salzkonzentrationen im Grundwasser den Grenzwert der Deutschen Trinkwasserverordnung im Bereich der Störungen lokal übersteigen können. Zusammenfassend kann festgehalten werden, dass durch die Anwendung von numerischen Modellen standortspezifische Vorhersagen zu den Auswirkungen der geologischen CO2-Speicherung getroffen werden können. Des Weiteren helfen sie dabei, die geologischen Bedingungen zu identifizieren, die eine aufwärtsgerichtete Solemigration durch Störungen begünstigen. Ferner können numerische Modelle herangezogen werden, um erste Schätzungen hinsichtlich zu erwartender Risiken, deren Ausmaß und Bedeutung vorzunehmen

In-Vitro-Studie zur Effektivität der Saugleistung mittels einer neu entwickelten Saugkanüle während der Biofilmentfernung

Entsprechend einer Stellungnahme der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Zahn-, Mund- und Kieferheilkunde (DGZMK) zu Virusinfektionen in der Zahnarztpraxis gefährden Infektionskrankheiten das gesamte zahnärztliche Personal während der Behandlung vor allem dann, wenn durch Wasserkühlung Spraynebel und Aerosole erzeugt werden. Vor allem für das in der Prophylaxe tätige Personal stellt der persönliche Infektionsschutz deshalb ein zentrales Thema dar und das Bedürfnis nach einer besseren Kontrolle des Spraynebels ist groß. In der Studie sollte mit Hilfe einer selbstentwickelten Fluoreszenz-Technik gemessen werden, wie hoch der Grad der Kontaminierung der Umgebung durch Spraynebel im Rahmen des maschinellen Scalings unter Verwendung verschiedener Absaugkanülen ist

Das Bildgeführte Präzisionsbestrahlungsgerät für Kleintiere (SAIGRT): von der Entwicklung bis zur Praxisreife

Das entwickelte Bildgeführte Präzisionsbestrahlungsgerät für Kleintiere (engl. Small Animal Image-Guided Radiation Therapy – SAIGRT) dient der schnellen, hochauflösenden Röntgenbildgebung und präzisen, konformalen Bestrahlung von Kleintieren im Rahmen präklinischer in-vivo Experimente für die translationale Krebsforschung. Speziell programmierte Softwares zur Gerätesteuerung sowie zur Bildkorrektur- und Bildrekonstruktion auf dem zentralen leistungsfähigen Arbeitsplatz-PC stellen alle Gerätefunktionen zur Verfügung und ermöglichen durch automatisierte Abläufe und intuitive grafische Nutzeroberflächen eine einfache, sichere Bedienung. Für die Bestrahlungsplanung wird eine vollwertige, aus der humanen klinischen Strahlentherapie adaptierte 3D-Bestrahlungsplanungssoftware eingesetzt, die etablierte Werkzeuge für den Transfer und die Koregistrierung multimodaler Bilddaten, die Konturierung und Segmentierung von Zielvolumina und Risikoorganen sowie die Erstellung und Validierung von Bestrahlungsplänen enthält. Die resultierende Dosisverteilung wird darin basierend auf dem individuellen CT-Datensatz des Versuchstieres und einem auf das SAIGRT angepassten Maschinenmodell mittels eines Monte-Carlo-Algorithmus exakt und realitätsnah simuliert. Durch geometrische Kalibrierungen und vielfältige Basisdatenmessungen für die Bildgebung und Bestrahlung im Rahmen der Gerätekommissionierung ist eine Zielgenauigkeit von ca. ±0,1 mm mit hoher geometrischer Abbildungstreue und guter Bildqualität bei Bildgebungsdosen vergleichbar denen klinischer Radiografie- und CT-Geräte möglich. Die Dosisverteilung zur Bestrahlung der Versuchstiere spiegelt bei der definierten Strahlungsqualität größenskaliert die humane Strahlentherapie mit hochenergetischer Photonenstrahlung von klinischen Linearbeschleunigern wider. Ein umfassendes Qualitätssicherungsprogramm bestehend aus regelmäßiger Wartung und wiederkehrenden Konstanzprüfungen der Bildgebung und Bestrahlung sichert dauerhaft den technisch einwandfreien Zustand und die ordnungsgemäße Verfügbarkeit aller Gerätefunktionen in gleichbleibender Güte. Das SAIGRT ist somit nachweislich geeignet, bildgeführte Bestrahlungen mit einem Ablauf analog dem einer modernen klinischen Strahlentherapie am Menschen in präklinischen in-vivo Experimenten präzise an Kleintieren zu applizieren. Es leistet dadurch einen essentiellen Beitrag zur translationalen Krebsforschung in Dresden, indem die klinische Situation realistischer modelliert und so potenziell die Übertragbarkeit der Ergebnisse auf Krebspatienten verbessert werden kann.The Small Animal Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (SAIGRT) platform facilitates fast, high resolution X-ray imaging and precise, conformal irradiation of small animals in preclinical in-vivo experiments for translational cancer research. Dedicated software for device control as well as image correction and reconstruction on a central high performance PC provide all device functions and allow simple and safe operation by automated procedures and intuitive graphical user interfaces. A fully 3D treatment planning software adapted from human clinical radiation therapy is used for treatment planning, containing established tools and methods for the transfer and registration of multimodality imaging data, contouring and segmentation of target volumes and organs at risk as well as creation and evaluation of treatment plans. Based on an individual CT scan of the small animal and a machine model adapted for the SAIGRT, the resulting dose distribution is simulated by a Monte-Carlo algorithm in a precise and realistic manner. Geometrical calibrations as well as manifold basic data measurements for X-ray imaging and irradiation during commissioning resulted in a targeting and imaging accuracy of about ±0.1 mm, a correct representation of imaging geometry and a good image quality with imaging doses comparable with those of clinical radiography and CT systems. Dose distribution of the defined beam quality used for irradiation of small animals reflects a downsized human radiation therapy using high energy photon beams of clinical linear accelerators. A comprehensive quality assurance program comprising regular maintenance and periodic constancy tests of X-ray imaging and irradiation ensures permanent technically perfect condition and proper availability of all implemented functions in a stable high quality. The SAIGRT platform is feasible for image-guided irradiations precisely applied to small animals in preclinical in-vivo experiments using a workflow of modern human radiation oncology. Thus, it significantly contributes to translational cancer research by more realistic modelling the clinical situation and potentially brings the results closer to their clinical implementation

Geophysical tests for habitability in ice-covered ocean worlds

Geophysical measurements can reveal the structure of icy ocean worlds and cycling of volatiles. The associated density, temperature, sound speed, and electrical conductivity of such worlds thus characterizes their habitability. To explore the variability and correlation of these parameters, and to provide tools for planning and data analyses, we develop 1-D calculations of internal structure, which use available constraints on the thermodynamics of aqueous MgSO$_4$, NaCl (as seawater), and NH$_3$, water ices, and silicate content. Limits in available thermodynamic data narrow the parameter space that can be explored: insufficient coverage in pressure, temperature, and composition for end-member salinities of MgSO$_4$ and NaCl, and for relevant water ices; and a dearth of suitable data for aqueous mixtures of Na-Mg-Cl-SO$_4$-NH$_3$. For Europa, ocean compositions that are oxidized and dominated by MgSO$_4$, vs reduced (NaCl), illustrate these gaps, but also show the potential for diagnostic and measurable combinations of geophysical parameters. The low-density rocky core of Enceladus may comprise hydrated minerals, or anydrous minerals with high porosity comparable to Earth's upper mantle. Titan's ocean must be dense, but not necessarily saline, as previously noted, and may have little or no high-pressure ice at its base. Ganymede's silicious interior is deepest among all known ocean worlds, and may contain multiple phases of high-pressure ice, which will become buoyant if the ocean is sufficiently salty. Callisto's likely near-eutectic ocean cannot be adequately modeled using available data. Callisto may also lack high-pressure ices, but this cannot be confirmed due to uncertainty in its moment of inertia

EDAF: An End-to-End Delay Analytics Framework for 5G-and-Beyond Networks

Supporting applications in emerging domains like cyber-physical systems and human-in-the-loop scenarios typically requires adherence to strict end-to-end delay guarantees. Contributions of many tandem processes unfolding layer by layer within the wireless network result in violations of delay constraints, thereby severely degrading application performance. Meeting the application's stringent requirements necessitates coordinated optimization of the end-to-end delay by fine-tuning all contributing processes. To achieve this task, we designed and implemented EDAF, a framework to decompose packets' end-to-end delays and determine each component's significance for 5G network. We showcase EDAF on OpenAirInterface 5G uplink, modified to report timestamps across the data plane. By applying the obtained insights, we optimized end-to-end uplink delay by eliminating segmentation and frame-alignment delays, decreasing average delay from 12ms to 4ms.Comment: Submitted to the 11th International Workshop on Computer and Networking Experimental Research using Testbeds (CNERT 2024

Immunostimulatory effects of dietary poly-β-hydroxybutyrate in European sea bass post-larvae

The stable production of high quality fry in marine aquaculture is still hampered by unpredictable mortality caused by infectious diseases during larval rearing. Consequently, the development of new biocontrol agents is crucial for a viable aquaculture industry. The bacterial energy storage compound poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) has been shown to exhibit beneficial properties on aquatic organisms such as enhanced survival, growth, disease resistance and a controlling effect on the gastrointestinal microbiota. However, the effect of PHB on the developing immune system of fish larvae has so far not been investigated. In the present study, the effect of feeding PHB-enriched Artemia nauplii on survival, growth and immune response in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) post-larvae was examined. Amorphous PHB was administered to 28 days old sea bass larvae over a period of 10 days. The survival and growth performance were monitored and the expression of 29 genes involved in immunity, growth, metabolism and stress-response was measured. While the expression of the insulin-like growth factor 1 (igf1), an indicator of relative growth, was upregulated in response to feeding PHB, the larval survival and growth performance remained unaffected. After 10 days of PHB treatment, the expression of the antimicrobial peptides dicentracin (dic) and hepcidin (hep) as well as mhc class IIa and mhc class IIb was elevated in the PHB fed larvae. This indicates that PHB is capable of stimulating the immune system of fish early life stages, which may be the cause of the increased resistance to diseases and robustness observed in previous studies