The road surveying system of the federal highway research institute – a performance evaluation of road segmentation algorithms

The construction of highways and federal roadways is subject to many restrictions and designing rules. The focus is on safety, comfort and smooth driving. Unfortunately, the planning information for roadways and their real constitution, course and their number of lanes and lane widths is often unsure or not available. Due to digital map databases of roads raised much interest during the last years and became one major cornerstone of innovative Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADASs), the demand for accurate and detailed road information increases considerably. Within this project a measurement system for collecting high accurate road data was developed. This paper gives an overview about the sensor configuration within the measurement vehicle, introduces the implemented algorithms and shows some applications implemented in the post processing platform. The aim is to recover the origin parametric description of the roadway and the performance of the measurement system is being evaluated against several original road construction information

The role of micro-organisms (Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans) in the pathogenesis of breast pain and infection in lactating women: study protocol

Background: The CASTLE (Candida and Staphylococcus Transmission: Longitudinal Evaluation) study will investigate the micro-organisms involved in the development of mastitis and &ldquo;breast thrush&rdquo; among breastfeeding women. To date, the organism(s) associated with the development of breast thrush have not been identified. The CASTLE study will also investigate the impact of physical health problems and breastfeeding problems on maternal psychological health in the early postpartum period.Methods/Design: The CASTLE study is a longitudinal descriptive study designed to investigate the role of Staphylococcus spp (species) and Candida spp in breast pain and infection among lactating women, and to describe the transmission dynamics of S. aureus and Candida spp between mother and infant. The relationship between breastfeeding and postpartum health problems as well as maternal psychological well-being is also being investigated. A prospective cohort of four hundred nulliparous women who are at least thirty six weeks gestation pregnant are being recruited from two hospitals in Melbourne, Australia (November 2009 to June 2011). At recruitment, nasal, nipple (both breasts) and vaginal swabs are taken and participants complete a questionnaire asking about previous known staphylococcal and candidal infections. Following the birth, participants are followed-up six times: in hospital and then at home weekly until four weeks postpartum. Participants complete a questionnaire at each time points to collect information about breastfeeding problems and postpartum health problems. Nasal and nipple swabs and breast milk samples are collected from the mother. Oral and nasal swabs are collected from the baby. A telephone interview is conducted at eight weeks postpartum to collect information about postpartum health problems and breastfeeding problems, such as mastitis and nipple and breast pain.Discussion: This study is the first longitudinal study of the role of both staphylococcal and candidal colonisation in breast infections and will help to resolve the current controversy about which is the primary organism in the condition known as breast thrush. This study will also document transmission dynamics of S. aureus and Candida spp between mother and infant. In addition, CASTLE will investigate the impact of common maternal physical health symptoms and the effect of breastfeeding problems on maternal psychological well-being.<br /

Sepsis at ICU admission does not decrease 30-day survival in very old patients: a post-hoc analysis of the VIP1 multinational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The number of intensive care patients aged ≥ 80 years (Very old Intensive Care Patients; VIPs) is growing. VIPs have high mortality and morbidity and the benefits of ICU admission are frequently questioned. Sepsis incidence has risen in recent years and identification of outcomes is of considerable public importance. We aimed to determine whether VIPs admitted for sepsis had different outcomes than those admitted for other acute reasons and identify potential prognostic factors for 30-day survival. RESULTS: This prospective study included VIPs with Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores ≥ 2 acutely admitted to 307 ICUs in 21 European countries. Of 3869 acutely admitted VIPs, 493 (12.7%) [53.8% male, median age 83 (81-86) years] were admitted for sepsis. Sepsis was defined according to clinical criteria; suspected or demonstrated focus of infection and SOFA score ≥ 2 points. Compared to VIPs admitted for other acute reasons, VIPs admitted for sepsis were younger, had a higher SOFA score (9 vs. 7, p < 0.0001), required more vasoactive drugs [82.2% vs. 55.1%, p < 0.0001] and renal replacement therapies [17.4% vs. 9.9%; p < 0.0001], and had more life-sustaining treatment limitations [37.3% vs. 32.1%; p = 0.02]. Frailty was similar in both groups. Unadjusted 30-day survival was not significantly different between the two groups. After adjustment for age, gender, frailty, and SOFA score, sepsis had no impact on 30-day survival [HR 0.99 (95% CI 0.86-1.15), p = 0.917]. Inverse-probability weight (IPW)-adjusted survival curves for the first 30 days after ICU admission were similar for acute septic and non-septic patients [HR: 1.00 (95% CI 0.87-1.17), p = 0.95]. A matched-pair analysis in which patients with sepsis were matched with two control patients of the same gender with the same age, SOFA score, and level of frailty was also performed. A Cox proportional hazard regression model stratified on the matched pairs showed that 30-day survival was similar in both groups [57.2% (95% CI 52.7-60.7) vs. 57.1% (95% CI 53.7-60.1), p = 0.85]. CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for organ dysfunction, sepsis at admission was not independently associated with decreased 30-day survival in this multinational study of 3869 VIPs. Age, frailty, and SOFA score were independently associated with survival

Modellierung der Dotantendiffusion und des Kornwachstums in polykristallinem Silicium

SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: DW 4629 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman

Design of a 2D MEMS micromirror with indirect static actuation

We present the design of a 2D MEMS micromirror with indirect static actuation based on gyroscopic effects. Additionally to the primary resonant oscillation we introduce a second one, disturbing the angular momentum of the former. This under special conditions leads to a directed torque about a third axis. This concept thus uses only resonant actuation by still enabling static deflection, potentially being more energy efficient compared to current technologies. After discussion of the used manufacturing process, the MEMS design workflow and the resulting fully functional micromirror design is shown. In first experimental results we then show a proof of concept for the manufactured micromirror devices

A Novel Indirect Quasi-Static Actuation Concept for 2D MEMS Micromirrors

We present a 2D MEMS raster scanning micromirror based on a novel actuation concept for the (quasi-)static axis. This is based on the distortion of the angular momentum generated by the primary resonant axis using a secondary oscillation. After introducing a model of the device dynamics using a rigid body approximation, several simulation studies are carried out to investigate the nonlinear dynamics of such a device. In the next step, a fully operational MEMS design is shown, that is actuated by piezoelectric as well as electromagnetic drive schemes. After manufacturing, we performed a series of experiments to obtain the characteristics of the resonant as well as the quasistatic axis, proving the viability of the proposed actuation concept

Simulation of nanostructures for sensor and circuit applications

The simulation of nanostructures for sensor and circuit applications requires new concepts, namely electronic structure calculations based on the atomic configuration of the involved materials. We give a short overview of the available concepts. Semi-empirical methods and the density functional theory are highlighted. The concepts are illustrated by several examples. Presenting results obtained from metal nanowires, CNT-metal-contacts and strained CNTs, we demonstrate that electronic structure calculations based on quantum theory are essential for an adequate simulation of nanostructures

Mobile communication and control for Smart Microfluidic Systems

This paper provides an approach for the integration of control and communication electronics for a Smart Microfluidic System by the use of a mobile phone. Aspects of the integration include pump control, power supply and user interface for an existing microfluidic platform