Darstellung und Einfluss von durchbrochener Bewölkung auf den Ertrag von Photovoltaik-Anlagen und dessen Prognose

Due to the significant increase of ’renewable energy’ to the total energy the highly fluctuating energy supply, which is due to the constitutional conditions of production among others from photovoltaic systems, becomes a growing problem. As a result, many engineering firms and companies dedicate themselves to the so-called power prediction by which it should be possible to integrate a fast changing energy supply into a necessarily continuous energy supply. The Ingenieurbüro für Last- und Energiemanagement (LEM-Software) used a neural network for this prediction of performance of photovoltaic systems. This networks learn from past knowledge a mathematical patern that can be used for forecasting. Based on this, this article deals with a new parameter for the network which characterizes the probability of broken cloud effects. The global radiation forecast in the surrounding area is analyzed for this index. It turns out that this inhomogeneous index is a better indicator than the standard deviation. A first application shows a slight improvement in the forecast result. However, the time limit for application of the neural network is too short for a final evaluation.Aufgrund des steigenden Anteils ’erneuerbarer Energie’ an der Energieversorgung wird die stark schwankende Energiezufuhr, bedingt durch die naturgegebenen Produktionsbedingungen unter anderem von Photovoltaik-Anlagen, zu einem immer größeren Problem. Infolge dessen widmen sich viele Ingenieurbüros und Firmen sogenannten Leistungsprognosen, mit deren Hilfe es gelingen soll, eine schnell wechselnde Energiebereitstellung in eine notwendigerweise kontinuierliche Energieversorgung zu streichen. Das Ingenieurbüro für Last- und Energiemanagement (LEM-Software) verwendet für diese Vorhersagen der Leistung von Photovoltaik-Anlagen ein künstliches neuronales Netzwerk (KNN). Dieses erlernt aus vergangenen Verhältnissen ein mathematisches Muster, welches für die Prognose angewendet werden kann. Aufbauend darauf befasst sich dieser Artikel mit einem Inhomogenitätsindex f¨ur das Netzwerk, welcher die Wahrscheinlichkeit für das Auftreten schnell wechselnder Bewölkung und von Broken-Cloud-Effekten charakterisiert. Für den Index wird die Globalstrahlungsvorhersage in der näheren Umgebung analysiert. Dabei stellt sich heraus, dass dieser Inhomogenitätsindex ein besserer Indikator als die Standardabweichung ist. Eine erste Anwendung zeigt eine leichte Verbesserung des Prognoseergebnisses, allerdings ist der Zeitraum für die Anwendung des KNN zu kurz für eine abschließende Bewertung

Growth of Nanocrystalline MoSe2 Monolayers on Epitaxial Graphene from Amorphous Precursors

A new approach to the growth of MoSe2 thin films on epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001) by the use of modulated elemental reactants (MER) precursors has been reported. The synthesis applies a two-step process, where first an amorphous precursor is deposited on the substrate which self-assembles upon annealing. Films with a nominal thickness of about 1ML are successfully grown on epitaxial graphene monolayer as well as buffer layer samples. Characterization of the films is performed using XPS, LEED, AFM, and Raman spectroscopy. The films are nanocrystalline and show randomly rotated domains. This approach opens up an avenue to synthesize a number of new van-der-Waals systems on epitaxial graphene and other substrates

ATR-mediated phosphorylation of DNA polymerase η is needed for efficient recovery from UV damage

DNA polymerase η (polη) belongs to the Y-family of DNA polymerases and facilitates translesion synthesis past UV damage. We show that, after UV irradiation, polη becomes phosphorylated at Ser601 by the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated and Rad3-related (ATR) kinase. DNA damage–induced phosphorylation of polη depends on its physical interaction with Rad18 but is independent of PCNA monoubiquitination. It requires the ubiquitin-binding domain of polη but not its PCNA-interacting motif. ATR-dependent phosphorylation of polη is necessary to restore normal survival and postreplication repair after ultraviolet irradiation in xeroderma pigmentosum variant fibroblasts, and is involved in the checkpoint response to UV damage. Taken together, our results provide evidence for a link between DNA damage–induced checkpoint activation and translesion synthesis in mammalian cells

Evaluation of osseointegration of titanium alloyed implants modified by plasma polymerization

By means of plasma polymerization, positively charged, nanometre-thin coatings can be applied to implant surfaces. The aim of the present study was to quantify the adhesion of human bone cells in vitro and to evaluate the bone ongrowth in vivo, on titanium surfaces modified by plasma polymer coatings. Different implant surface configurations were examined: titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) coated with plasma-polymerized allylamine (PPAAm) and plasma-polymerized ethylenediamine (PPEDA) versus uncoated. Shear stress on human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells was investigated in vitro using a spinning disc device. Furthermore, bone-to-implant contact (BIC) was evaluated in vivo. Custom-made conical titanium implants were inserted at the medial tibia of female Sprague-Dawley rats. After a follow-up of six weeks, the BIC was determined by means of histomorphometry. The quantification of cell adhesion showed a significantly higher shear stress for MG-63 cells on PPAAm and PPEDA compared to uncoated Ti6Al4V. Uncoated titanium alloyed implants showed the lowest BIC (40.4%). Implants with PPAAm coating revealed a clear but not significant increase of the BIC (58.5%) and implants with PPEDA a significantly increased BIC (63.7%). In conclusion, plasma polymer coatings demonstrate enhanced cell adhesion and bone ongrowth compared to uncoated titanium surfaces

cetuximab in combination with platinum based chemotherapy or radiotherapy in patients with recurrent and or metastatic sschn in clinical routine updated interim results of the prospective soccer study

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The first multi-wavelength campaign of AXP 4U 0142+61 from radio to hard X-rays

For the first time a quasi-simultaneous multi-wavelength campaign has been performed on an Anomalous X-ray Pulsar from the radio to the hard X-ray band. 4U 0142+61 was an INTEGRAL target for 1 Ms in July 2005. During these observations it was also observed in the X-ray band with Swift and RXTE, in the optical and NIR with Gemini North and in the radio with the WSRT. In this paper we present the source-energy distribution. The spectral results obtained in the individual wave bands do not connect smoothly; apparently components of different origin contribute to the total spectrum. Remarkable is that the INTEGRAL hard X-ray spectrum (power-law index 0.79 +/- 0.10) is now measured up to an energy of ~230 keV with no indication of a spectral break. Extrapolation of the INTEGRAL power-law spectrum to lower energies passes orders of magnitude underneath the NIR and optical fluxes, as well as the low ~30 microJy (2 sigma) upper limit in the radio band.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure. To be published in the proceedings of the conference "Isolated Neutron Stars: from the Interior to the Surface" (April 24-28, 2006, London, UK), eds. S. Zane, R. Turolla and D. Pag

Author Correction: Traps and transport resistance are the next frontiers for stable non-fullerene acceptor solar cells.

Stability is one of the most important challenges facing material research for organic solar cells (OSC) on their path to further commercialization. In the high-performance material system PM6:Y6 studied here, we investigate degradation mechanisms of inverted photovoltaic devices. We have identified two distinct degradation pathways: one requires the presence of both illumination and oxygen and features a short-circuit current reduction, the other one is induced thermally and marked by severe losses of open-circuit voltage and fill factor. We focus our investigation on the thermally accelerated degradation. Our findings show that bulk material properties and interfaces remain remarkably stable, however, aging-induced defect state formation in the active layer remains the primary cause of thermal degradation. The increased trap density leads to higher non-radiative recombination, which limits the open-circuit voltage and lowers the charge carrier mobility in the photoactive layer. Furthermore, we find the trap-induced transport resistance to be the major reason for the drop in fill factor. Our results suggest that device lifetimes could be significantly increased by marginally suppressing trap formation, leading to a bright future for OSC

Integrative inference of gene-regulatory networks in Escherichia coli using information theoretic concepts and sequence analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although <it>Escherichia coli </it>is one of the best studied model organisms, a comprehensive understanding of its gene regulation is not yet achieved. There exist many approaches to reconstruct regulatory interaction networks from gene expression experiments. Mutual information based approaches are most useful for large-scale network inference.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used a three-step approach in which we combined gene regulatory network inference based on directed information (DTI) and sequence analysis. DTI values were calculated on a set of gene expression profiles from 19 time course experiments extracted from the Many Microbes Microarray Database. Focusing on influences between pairs of genes in which one partner encodes a transcription factor (TF) we derived a network which contains 878 TF - gene interactions of which 166 are known according to RegulonDB. Afterward, we selected a subset of 109 interactions that could be confirmed by the presence of a phylogenetically conserved binding site of the respective regulator. By this second step, the fraction of known interactions increased from 19% to 60%. In the last step, we checked the 44 of the 109 interactions not yet included in RegulonDB for functional relationships between the regulator and the target and, thus, obtained ten TF - target gene interactions. Five of them concern the regulator LexA and have already been reported in the literature. The remaining five influences describe regulations by Fis (with two novel targets), PhdR, PhoP, and KdgR. For the validation of our approach, one of them, the regulation of lipoate synthase (LipA) by the pyruvate-sensing pyruvate dehydrogenate repressor (PdhR), was experimentally checked and confirmed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We predicted a set of five novel TF - target gene interactions in <it>E. coli</it>. One of them, the regulation of <it>lipA </it>by the transcriptional regulator PdhR was validated experimentally. Furthermore, we developed DTInfer, a new R-package for the inference of gene-regulatory networks from microarrays using directed information.</p

Preventive Antibacterial Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is a major risk factor of death after acute stroke. In a mouse model, preventive antibacterial therapy with moxifloxacin not only prevents the development of post-stroke infections, it also reduces mortality, and improves neurological outcome significantly. In this study we investigate whether this approach is effective in stroke patients. METHODS: Preventive ANtibacterial THERapy in acute Ischemic Stroke (PANTHERIS) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 80 patients with severe, non-lacunar, ischemic stroke (NIHSS>11) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory. Patients received either intravenous moxifloxacin (400 mg daily) or placebo for 5 days starting within 36 hours after stroke onset. Primary endpoint was infection within 11 days. Secondary endpoints included neurological outcome, survival, development of stroke-induced immunodepression, and induction of bacterial resistance. FINDINGS: On intention-to treat analysis (79 patients), the infection rate at day 11 in the moxifloxacin treated group was 15.4% compared to 32.5% in the placebo treated group (p = 0.114). On per protocol analysis (n = 66), moxifloxacin significantly reduced infection rate from 41.9% to 17.1% (p = 0.032). Stroke associated infections were associated with a lower survival rate. In this study, neurological outcome and survival were not significantly influenced by treatment with moxifloxacin. Frequency of fluoroquinolone resistance in both treatment groups did not differ. On logistic regression analysis, treatment arm as well as the interaction between treatment arm and monocytic HLA-DR expression (a marker for immunodepression) at day 1 after stroke onset was independently and highly predictive for post-stroke infections. INTERPRETATION: PANTHERIS suggests that preventive administration of moxifloxacin is superior in reducing infections after severe non-lacunar ischemic stroke compared to placebo. In addition, the results emphasize the pivotal role of immunodepression in developing post-stroke infections. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN74386719

Soziale Integration und Politische Institutionen in Modernen Gesellschaften

Im Unterschied zu zeitgenössischen Diagnosen über den Zustand moderner Gesellschaften, geht die Analyse davon aus, daß die These der Desintegration dieser Gesellschaften empirisch völlig ungeklärt ist. Zur Durchführung von systematischen und empirischen Studien sind allererst begrifflich-theoretische Vorarbeiten nötig, zu denen die Analyse beitragen will. Es werden drei Ziele verfolgt: Erstens eine genaue Bestimmung des Begriffs der sozialen Integration. Dazu werden sechs operationale Definitionen vorgeschlagen, die sich unter anderem im Grad ihres normativen Anspruchs unterscheiden. Zweitens eine genaue Bestimmung des Begriffs der politischen Institutionen und drittens die Spezifikation eines empirisch testbaren liberalen Modells der sozialen Integration. In diesem Modell spielt die Unterstützung des politischen Institutionengefüges eines Landes eine zentrale Rolle. Die Konstruktion des Modells orientiert sich an der grundlegenden Unterscheidung eines politischen Systems in drei hierarchisch angeordnete Ebenen ' der Kultur-, Struktur- und Prozeßebene ' und konkretisiert diese Ebenen in Anlehnung an die liberale Demokratietheorie durch die Spezifikation von empirisch meßbaren Konstrukten und Zusammenhängen zwischen diesen Konstrukten.In contrast to contemporary diagnoses of the state of modern societies, this analysis assumes that the thesis of the disintegration of these societies is not empirically established at all. Systematic empirical studies require preliminary conceptual work to which this analysis contributes. The analysis sets itself three goals: firstly, it proposes a precise definition of the concept of social integration in terms of six operational definitions with different normative standards. Secondly, it suggests an accurate definition of the concept of political institutions and, thirdly, it specifies an empirically testable liberal model of social integration. In this model, support of the institutional structure of a country plays a central role. The model differentiates three levels-cultural, structural, and procedural- operationalizing them in a concrete form following liberal democratic theory. Empirically testable interrelations between the constructs are specified