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Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME) is a very simple and efficient, solventless sample preparation method, invented by Pawliszyn and coworkers at the University of Waterloo (Canada) in 1989. This method has been widely used in different fields of analytical chemistry since its first applications to environmental and food analysis. SPME integrates sampling, extraction, concentration and sample introduction into a single solvent-free step. The method saves preparation time, disposal costs and can improve detection limits. It has been routinely used in combination with gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and successfully applied to a wide variety of ompounds, especially for the extraction of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds from environmental, biological and food samples.
Since the last twenty years, SPME in headspace (HS) mode is used as a valuable sample preparation technique for identifying degradation products in polymers and for determination of rest monomers and other light-boiling substances in polymeric materials. For more than ten years, our laboratory has been involved in projects focused on the application of HS-SPME-GC/MS for the characterization of polymeric materials from many branches of manufacturing and building industries. This book chapter describes the application examples of this technique for identifying volatile organic compounds (VOCs), additives and degradation products in industrial plastics, rubber, and packaging materials.
Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy. Despite all the progress made in treating multiple myeloma, it still remains an incurable disease. Patients are left with a median survival of 4-5 years. The combined treatment of multiple myeloma with histone deacetylase inhibitors and cytokine-induced killer cells provides a promising targeted treatment option for patients. This study investigated the impact of a combined treatment compared to treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitors. The experiments revealed that a treatment with histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors could reduce cell viability to 59% for KMS 18 cell line and 46% for the U-266 cell line. The combined treatment led to a decrease of cell viability to 33% for KMS 18 and 27% for the U-266 cell line, thus showing a significantly better efficacy than the single treatment.
Non-Destructive Sensor-Based Prediction of Maturity and Optimum Harvest Date of Sweet Cherry Fruit
(2017)
(1) Background: The aim of the study was to use innovative sensor technology for non-destructive determination and prediction of optimum harvest date (OHD), using sweet cherry as a model fruit, based on different ripening parameters. (2) Methods: Two cherry varieties in two growing systems viz. field and polytunnel in two years were employed. The fruit quality parameters such as fruit weight and size proved unsuitable to detect OHD alone due to their dependence on crop load, climatic conditions, cultural practices, and season. Coloration during cherry ripening was characterized by a complete decline of green chlorophyll and saturation of the red anthocyanins, and was measured with a portable sensor viz. spectrometer 3-4 weeks before expected harvest until 2 weeks after harvest. (3) Results: Expressed as green NDVI (normalized differential vegetation index) and red NAI (normalized anthocyanin index) values, NAI increased from -0.5 (unripe) to +0.7 to +0.8 in mature fruit and remained at this saturation level with overripe fruits, irrespective of variety, treatment, and year. A model was developed to predict the OHD, which coincided with when NDVI reached and exceeded zero and the first derivative of NAI asymptotically approached zero. (4) Conclusion: The use of this sensor technology appears suitable for several cherry varieties and growing systems to predict the optimum harvest date.
The design of future materials for biotechnological applications via deposition of molecules on surfaces will require not only exquisite control of the deposition procedure, but of equal importance will be our ability to predict the shapes and stability of individual molecules on various surfaces. Furthermore, one will need to be able to predict the structure patterns generated during the self-organization of whole layers of (bio)molecules on the surface. In this review, we present an overview over the current state of the art regarding the prediction and clarification of structures of biomolecules on surfaces using theoretical and computational methods.
Beta-ketothiolase deficiency, also known as mitochondrial acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (T2) deficiency, is an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the acetylCoA acetyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) gene. A German T2deficient patient that developed a severe ketoacidotic episode at the age of 11 months, was revealed to be a compound heterozygote of a previously reported null mutation, c.472A>G (p.N158D) and a novel mutation, c.949G>A (p.D317N), in ACAT1. The c.949G>A mutation was suspected to cause aberrant splicing as it is located within an exonic splicing enhancer sequence (c. 947CTGACGC) that is a potential binding site for serine/argininerich splicing factor 1. A mutation in this sequence, c.951C>T, results in exon 10 skipping. A minigene construct was synthesized that included exon 9truncated intron 9exon 10truncated intron 10exon 11, and the splicing of this minigene revealed that the c.949G>A mutant construct caused exon 10 skipping in a proportion of the transcripts. Furthermore, additional substitution of G for C at the first nucleotide of exon 10 (c.941G>C) abolished the effect of the c.949G>A mutation. Transient expression analysis of the c.949G>A mutant cDNA revealed no residual T2 activity in the mutated D317N enzyme. Therefore, c.949G>A (D317N) is a pathogenic missense mutation, and diminishes the effect of an exonic splicing enhancer and causes exon 10 skipping. The present study demonstrates that a missense mutation, or even a synonymous substitution, may disrupt enzyme function by interference with splicing.
Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. One laboratory marker for cardiovascular risk assessment is high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP).
Methods: This cross-sectional study attempted to analyze the association of hsCRP levels with insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction and macrovascular disease in 4270 non-insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes [2146 male, 2124 female; mean age ±SD, 63.9±11.1years; body mass index (BMI) 30.1±5.5kg/m2; disease duration 5.4±5.6years; hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) 6.8±1.3%]. It consisted of a single morning visit with collection of a fasting blood sample. Observational parameters included several clinical scores and laboratory biomarkers.
Results: Stratification into cardiovascular risk groups according to hsCRP levels revealed that 934 patients had low risk (hsCRP <1mg/L), 1369 patients had intermediate risk (hsCRP 1–3mg/L), 1352 patients had high risk (hsCRP >3–10mg/L), and 610 patients had unspecific hsCRP elevation (>10mg/L). Increased hsCRP levels were associated with other indicators of diabetes-related cardiovascular risk (homeostatic model assessment, intact proinsulin, insulin, BMI, β-cell dysfunction, all p<0.001), but showed no correlation with disease duration or glucose control. The majority of the patients were treated with diet (34.1%; hsCRP levels 2.85±2.39mg/L) or metformin monotherapy (21.1%; 2.95±2.50mg/L hsCRP). The highest hsCRP levels were observed in patients treated with sulfonylurea (17.0%; 3.00±2.43mg/L).
Conclusions: Our results indicate that hsCRP may be used as a cardiovascular risk marker in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and should be evaluated in further prospective studies.
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein as cardiovascular risk marker in patients with diabetes mellitus
(2006)
Improvement of Cardiovascular Risk Markers by Pioglitazone Is Independent From Glycemic Control
(2005)
Defect evolution in thermal barrier coating systems under multi-axial thermomechanical loading
(2005)
An der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg fand im September 2016 das dritte internationale Symposium für Odorologie „Faszinosum Spürhunde, Gefahren sichtbar machen – Gefahren abwenden“ statt. Die große Nachfrage bei Behörden, Hundeführern, Wissenschaft und Justiz zeigt auf, wie wichtig dieser Wissensaustausch auch weiterhin sein wird.
Die Welt der Hundenase und die Faszination, die die Zusammenarbeit mit dem „Besten Freund des Menschen“ mit sich bringt, eröffnet uns immer weitere Einsatzmöglichkeiten dieser Spürnase. Erfahrungsberichte, Fallbeispiele und Erkenntnisse aus Kynologie und Wissenschaft haben die Veranstaltung erneut zu einem Diskussionsforum gestaltet. Neue Projekte und interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit sind ins Leben gerufen worden und machen Neugierig auf zukünftige Veranstaltungen.
Introduction: After cellulose, lignin represents the most abundant biopolymer on earth that accounts for up to 18-35 % by weight of lignocellulose biomass. Today, it is a by-product of the paper and pulping industry. Although lignin is available in huge amounts, mainly in form of so called black liquor produced via Kraft-pulping, processes for the valorization of lignin are still limited [1]. Due to its hyperbranched polyphenol-like structure, lignin gained increasing interest as biobased building block for polymer synthesis [2]. The present work is focused on extraction and purification of lignin from industrial black liquor and synthesis of lignin-based polyurethanes.
Large bone defects require fabricated bone constructs that consist of three main components: an artificial extracellular matrix scaffold, stem cells with the potential to differentiate into osteoblasts, and bioactive substances, such as osteoinductive growth factors to direct the growth and differentiation of cells toward osteogenic lineage within the scaffold.
During the last 50 years, a broad range of visible light curing resin based composites (VLC RBC) was developed for restorative applications in dentistry. Correspondingly, the technologies of light curing units (LCU) have changed from UV to visible blue light, and there from quartz tungsten halogen over plasma arc to LED LCUs increasing their light intensity significantly. In this thesis, the influence of the curing conditions in terms of irradiance, exposure time and irradiance distribution of LCU on reaction kinetics as well as corresponding mechanical and viscoelastic properties were investigated.
Vor Gericht werden Einsätze geruchsdifferenzierender Hunde derzeit nur unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen als Indizien-Beweis zugelassen (dokumentierter, ausreichender Ausbildungsstand des Hundes, Bestätigung der Suche durch zweiten Hund). Oft sind Leistungsgrenzen der Hunde hinsichtlich Alter der Geruchsspur, Einfluss bestimmter Witterungsbedingungen (Temperatur, Feuchtigkeit, etc.) auf die Detektierbarkeit menschlicher Geruchsspuren unklar und umstritten. Auch ist bis heute nicht wissenschaftlich untersucht, welche Bestandteile und Einzelsubstanzen des humanen Geruchs für die Hunde tatsächlich wahrnehmbar und wichtig zur Personensuche und -identifikation sind. Daher widmet sich ein aktuelles Promotionsprojekt im Institut für Detektionstechnologien der Erforschung dieser Fragen.
Bisher ist nicht bekannt, in welchem Ausmaß Fremd- oder Störgerüche dazu geeignet sind, die allgemeine Leistungsfähigkeit eines Sprengstoffspürhundes einzuschränken oder sogar die Detektion eines Sprengkörpers zu verhindern. Ziel ist es zu untersuchen, inwieweit sich durch den gezielten Einsatz von Störsubstanzen die Sprengstoffdetektionsfähigkeit von Spürhunden beeinflussen lässt. Mit Detektionsfähigkeit ist hier sowohl die Wahrscheinlichkeit einer richtigen Detektion von Sprengstoffen in Gegenwart von starken Fremdgerüchen, als auch die ebenfalls zu erwartende Verringerung der Einsatzdauer (vorzeitige Erschöpfung) gemeint.
In der Regel werden für die Hundeausbildung lose Explosivstoffe im Grammbereich eingesetzt. Deren Umgang unterliegt jedoch aufgrund des Gefährdungspotenzials und aus rechtlichen Gründen sehr strikten Regeln. Diese können nur mit Schwierigkeiten mit den Erfordernissen der Hundeausbildung in Einklang gebracht werden. Der Umgang mit hoch-brisanten Zündstoffen und Selbstlaboraten (z.B. TATP und HMTD) stellt aufgrund der nochmals erhöhten Gefährlichkeit und zusätzlicher gesetzlicher Regelungen eine spezielle Herausforderung dar. Das Poster beschreibt die EMPK® (Echtstoff-Mikromengen-Prüfkörper), die eine sichere Alternative als Trainingshilfsmittel für Sprengstoffspürhunde darstellen.
Der Asiatische Laubholzbockkäfer (Anoplophora glabripennis, kurz: ALB) ist ein Bockkäfer, der 2001 seinen Weg nach Europa fand. Er ist als Quarantäneschaderreger eingestuft und muss in Europa bekämpft werden. Eine der Möglichkeiten zum Aufspüren befallener Bäume ist der Einsatz von Spürhunden. Die Einstufung des ALB als Quarantäneschädling bringt große Probleme bei der Verwendung von Trainingsmaterial mit sich. Da es sich zudem um biologisches Material handelt, das geruchchemisch Änderungen und Variationen unterworfen ist, und da die für den Hund relevanten Geruchsstoffe nicht bekannt sind, ist es häufig schwierig, geeignete und frische Geruchsträger als Trainingshilfsmittel zur Verfügung zu stellen.
Brentuximab vedotin (SGN-35) is an antibody–drug conjugate with a high selectivity against CD30+ cell lines and more than 300-fold less activity against antigen-negative cells. In the last years, the results of many in vitro and in vivo studies have led to the fast approval of this drug to treat lymphoma patients. Another innovative method to treat tumor cells including lymphoma cells is the use cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells, which have also been approved and proven to be a safe treatment with only minor adverse events. In this study, a possible additive effect when combining SGN-35 with CIK cells was investigated. The combinational treatment showed that it reduces the viability of CD30+ cell lines significantly in vitro. Additionally, the amount of lymphoma cells was significantly reduced when exposed to CIK cells as well as when exposed to SGN-35. A significant negative effect of SGN-35 on the function of CIK cells could be excluded. These results lead to the assumption that SGN-35 and CIK cells in combination might achieve better results in an in vitro setting compared to the single use of SGN-35 and CIK cells. Further investigations in in vivo models must be conducted to obtain a better understanding of the exact mechanisms of both treatments when applied in combination.
Temperature Dependency of Morphological Structure of Thermoplastic Polyurethane using WAXS and SAXS
(2016)
Polyurethanes achieved an exceptional position among the most important organic polymers due to their highly specific technological application areas. Polyurethanes represent a polyaddition product of isocyanate and diols. In terms of their enormous industrial importance, the chemistry of isocyanates has been extensively studied.
3D-Printing is an efficient method in the field of additive manufacturing. In order to optimize the properties of manufactured parts it is essential to adapt the curing behavior of the resin systems with respect to the requirements. Thus, effects of resin composition, e.g. due to different additives such as thickener and curing agents, on the curing behavior have to be known. As the resin transfers from a liquid to a solid glass the time dependent ion viscosity was measured using DEA with flat IDEX sensors. This allows for a sensitive measurement of resin changes as the ion viscosity changes two to four decades. The investigated resin systems are based on the monomers styrene and HEMA. To account for the effects of copolymerization in the calculation of the reaction kinetics it was assumed that the reaction can be considered as a homo-polymerization having a reaction order n?1. Then the measured ion viscosity curves are fitted with the solution of the reactions kinetics - the time dependent degree of conversion (DC-function) - for times exceeding the initiation phase representing the primary curing. The measured ion viscosity curves can nicely be fitted with the DC-function and the determined fit parameters distinguish distinctly between the investigated resin compositions.
The analysis of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolites 11-hydroxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) from blood serum is a routine task in forensic toxicology laboratories. For examination of consumption habits, the concentration of the phase I metabolite THC-COOH is used. Recommendations for interpretation of analysis values in medical-psychological assessments (regranting of driver’s licenses, Germany) include threshold values for the free, unconjugated THC-COOH. Using a fully automated two-step liquid-liquid extraction, THC, 11-OH-THC, and free, unconjugated THC-COOH were extracted from blood serum, silylated with N-methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA), and analyzed by GC/MS. The automation was carried out by an x-y-z sample robot equipped with modules for shaking, centrifugation, and solvent evaporation. This method was based on a previously developed manual sample preparation method. Validation guidelines of the Society of Toxicological and Forensic Chemistry (GTFCh) were fulfilled for both methods, at which the focus of this article is the automated one. Limits of detection and quantification for THC were 0.3 and 0.6 μg/L, for 11-OH-THC were 0.1 and 0.8 μg/L, and for THC-COOH were 0.3 and 1.1 μg/L, when extracting only 0.5 mL of blood serum. Therefore, the required limit of quantification for THC of 1 μg/L in driving under the influence of cannabis cases in Germany (and other countries) can be reached and the method can be employed in that context. Real and external control samples were analyzed, and a round robin test was passed successfully. To date, the method is employed in the Institute of Legal Medicine in Giessen, Germany, in daily routine. Automation helps in avoiding errors during sample preparation and reduces the workload of the laboratory personnel. Due to its flexibility, the analysis system can be employed for other liquid-liquid extractions as well. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first publication on a comprehensively automated classical liquid-liquid extraction workflow in the field of forensic toxicological analysis.
We examined the cytotoxic effects of chaetocin on clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cells and the possibility to combine the effects of chaetocin with the effects of cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK) assayed by MTT assay and FACS analysis. Chaetocin is a thiodioxopiperazine produced by fungi belonging to the chaetomiaceae family. In 2007, it was first reported that chaetocin shows potent and selective ex vivo anti-cancer activity by inducing reactive oxygen species. CIK cells are generated from CD3+/CD56- T lymphocytes with double negative CD4-/CD8- phenotype that are isolated from human blood. The addition of distinct interleukins and antibodies results in the generation of CIK cells that are able to specifically target and destroy renal carcinoma cells. The results of this research state that the anti-ccRCC activity of chaetocin is weak and does not show a high grade of selectivity on clear cell renal cell carcinoma cells. Although the CIK cells show a high grade of selective anti-ccRCC activity, this effect could not be improved by the addition of chaetocin. So chaetocin seems to be no suitable agent for specific targeting ccRCC cells or for the combination therapy with CIK cells in renal cancer.
One of the most common problems in Regenerative Medicine is the regeneration of damaged bone with the aim of repairing or replacing lost or damaged bone tissue by stimulating the natural regenerative process. Particularly in the fields of orthopedic, plastic, reconstructive, maxillofacial and craniofacial surgery there is need for successful methods to restore bone. From a regenerative point of view two different bone replacement problems can be distinguished: large bone defects and small bone defects. Currently, no perfect system exists for the treatment of large bone defects.
Bone regeneration and replacement is a major focus in regenerative medicine since degenerative diseases and tumor surgery as well as accidents or dangerous recreational behavior is leading to an increasing need for bone reconstruction strategies. Especially for critical size bone defects, tissue engineering with mesenchymal stem cells is extensively studied because these cells are functioning as precursors for osteoblast in vivo. Nevertheless to reproduce the complex interaction of various factors in vitro is not an easy approach and further investigations have to be done. The status quo is summarized. A variety of growth and transcription factors are known to be involved in osteogenesis with bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and the transcription factor Runx2 being the most extensively studied ones. But also PPAR γ and Osterix are generally regarded as the master regulators of osteoblast differentiation. Recently the large family of purinergic receptors has proven to be essential molecules in osteogenesis as well. In addition, scaffolding is needed to create a three-dimensional tissue. Recent developments in scaffold design are summarized, including natural and synthetic materials with or without the use of bioactive molecules constructed to mimic the natural environment. The status quo of scaffold fabrication methods such as 3D nanoprinting and their influence on cell-scaffold interactions is discussed. In this review we summarize the most interesting results and our related work focusing on two joined approaches: 1) the complex interaction of the most promising factors improving or accelerating osteogenic differentiation and ii) the development of scaffold materials with osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties.
Polyether and polyether/ester based TPU (thermoplastic polyurethanes) were investigated with wide-angle XRD (X-ray diffraction) and SAXS (small angle X-ray scattering). Furthermore, SAXS measurements were performed in the temperature range of 30 °C to 130 °C. Polyether based polymers exhibit only one broad diffraction signal in a region of 2 θ 15° to 25°. In case of polyurethanes with ether/ester modification, the broad diffraction signal arises with small sharp diffraction signals. SAXS measurements of polymers reveal the size and shape of the crystalline zones of the polymer. Between 30 °C and 130 °C the size of the crystalline zone changes significantly. The size decreases in most of investigated TPU. In the case of Desmopan 9365D an increase of the particle size was observed.
Recessive mutations in the MPV17 gene cause mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, a fatal infantile genetic liver disease in humans. Loss of function in mice leads to glomerulosclerosis and sensineural deafness accompanied with mitochondrial DNA depletion. Mutations in the yeast homolog Sym1, and in the zebra fish homolog tra cause interesting, but not obviously related phenotypes, although the human gene can complement the yeast Sym1 mutation. The MPV17 protein is a hydrophobic membrane protein of 176 amino acids and unknown function. Initially localised in murine peroxisomes, it was later reported to be a mitochondrial inner membrane protein in humans and in yeast. To resolve this contradiction we tested two new mouse monoclonal antibodies directed against the human MPV17 protein in Western blots and immunohistochemistry on human U2OS cells. One of these monoclonal antibodies showed specific reactivity to a protein of 20 kD absent in MPV17 negative mouse cells. Immunofluorescence studies revealed colocalisation with peroxisomal, endosomal and lysosomal markers, but not with mitochondria. This data reveal a novel connection between a possible peroxisomal/endosomal/lysosomal function and mitochondrial DNA depletion.
We investigated graphene structures grafted with fullerenes. The size of the graphene sheets ranges from 6400 to 640,000 atoms. The fullerenes (C60 and C240) are placed on top of the graphene sheets, using different impact velocities we could distinguish three types of impact. Furthermore, we investigated the changes of the vibrational properties. The modified graphene planes show additional features in the vibronic density of states.
Low-frequency vibrational excitations in zeolite ZSM-5 and its partially crystalline derivatives
(2004)
Molecular dynamics investigation of vibrational properties of zeolite ZSM-5-based amorphous material
(2003)
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are matrix-degrading enzymes that are over-expressed in joints of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. However, the contribution of specific MMPs for the development of arthritic joints is unknown. This study is aimed at studying the role of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in mice, using the K/BxN serum-transfer model of RA. Arthritis was induced in Balb/c mice by injecting K/BxN serum. Development of arthritis was followed in these mice by measuring ankle thickness and clinical index score. MMP-9 expression in the joints of mice killed at various time points during the disease progression was determined by gelatin zymography using ankle lysates. We found that MMP-9 expression increased with the severity of arthritis. Importantly MMP-9 deficient mice injected with K/BxN serum showed a milder form of arthritis in comparison to the control C57BL/6 mice injected with K/BxN serum. We therefore conclude that MMP-9 promotes arthritis in mice.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein neuartiges Verfahren zur Echtzeitüberwachung von Laserbohrprozessen vorgestellt. Die Untersuchungen werden an unterschiedlichen Materialien unter Einsatz eines passiv-gütegeschalteten Nd:YAG Lasers durchgeführt. Prozessbegleitend findet eine Aufzeichnung der akustischen Emissionen mit anschließender Analyse durch schnelle Fourier-Transformation statt. Hierdurch lassen sich der Durchbruch beim Bohren durch ein Material sowie der Materialübergang mehrschichtiger Systeme detektieren. Die akustischen Messungen werden durchAuswertung der Pulsfolge des Lasers mittels einer Fotodiode gestützt. Hierbei zeigt sich eine gute Übereinstimmung der im akustischen Spektrum dominanten Frequenz mit der jeweils im Laserburstauftretenden Pulsfrequenz. Das vorgestellte Verfahren ermöglicht eine Echtzeitüberwachung beim Laserbohren mittels kostengünstiger und einfacher Hardware. Zudem zeichnet es sich im Gegensatz zu bestehenden Verfahren durch eine hohe Robustheit gegen äußere Störeinflüsse aus, da eine frequenzbasierte Auswertung stattfindet.
Unkonventionelle Spreng- und Brandvorrichtungen sind Bedrohungen in den weltweiten Konfliktherden und werden bei terroristischen Aktivitäten verwendet. Der Schutz von Menschen und Material erfordert daher effektive Gegenmaßnahmen. Dazu gehört auch die Anforderung an Sicherheitskräfte oder militärisches Personal, unbekannte Substanzfunde mit geringem zeitlichem und logistischem Aufwand vor Ort als gefährdend oder unkritisch einzustufen. Um Explosivstoffe von nicht-explosiven Materialien zu unterscheiden, kann die bei Explosivstoffen initiierbare, stark exotherme Reaktion genutzt werden. Diese resultiert in Strahlungsemissionen sowie in lokaler Druck- und Temperaturerhöhung. Die Messung dieser Reaktionseffekte und die Anforderung an eine mobile, einfach zu bedienende und robuste Analytik werden durch ein System ermöglicht, das Proben im einstelligen mg-Bereich durch schnelles Erhitzen auf mikrostrukturierten Heizern zum chemischen Umsatz anregt. Die emittierte Strahlung wird mit Photodioden im Bereich des sichtbaren und nah-infraroten Lichts aufgenommen, ein Sensor registriert die Druckerhöhung in einer geschlossenen Versuchskammer. In einem zweiten Aufbau werden die gasförmigen Reaktionsprodukte über ein Sensorarray von vier kommerziellen Gassensoren geleitet und die Signalantworten der Halbleitergassensoren mittels Hauptkomponentenanalyse ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die schnelle thermische Aktivierung für die untersuchten primären Explosivstoffe, Treibladungspulver, sowie Trinitrotoluol (TNT) reproduzierbar erfolgt. Nicht-Explosivstoffe werden dabei im untersuchten Umfang sicher als unkritisch erkannt. Die Auswertung der Gassensorsignale liefert eine Unterscheidung von Nitrat- und Peroxid-basierten Sprengstoffen sowie von nicht-explosiven Substanzen.
Durch Dotierung eines nematischen Flüssigkristalles mit einer chiralen Substanz wird eine helikal strukturierte Phase induziert, die in der Lage ist, einfallendes Licht wellenlängenselektiv zu reflektieren. Bei der Reaktion des Dotiermittels mit einem gasförmigen Analyten verändern sich die Ganghöhe dieser Struktur und damit die reflektierte Wellenlänge. Liegt diese im Bereich des sichtbaren Lichts, ist eine Farbänderung mit dem menschlichen Auge zu beobachten. Es ist dabei sinnvoll den Flüssigkristall z.B. in einem Polymer einzukapseln, um ihn vor mechanischen Einflüssen und Umwelteinflüssen zu schützen. Eine Möglichkeit zur Einkapselung ist das koaxiale Elektrospinnen. Vorteile sind unter anderem die Realisierung einer großen Oberfläche und einer sehr geringen Wanddicke der schützenden Schale, die die Diffusion von Gasen durch die Wand hindurch ermöglicht. Um die Funktionsfähigkeit eines solchen Sensors zu testen, wurde ein CO2-sensitiver Flüssigkristall verwendet. Dieser wurde in eine Schale aus Polyvinylpyrrolidon (PVP) versponnen und die Reaktion mit CO2 spektroskopisch analysiert.
The analytical pyrolysis technique hyphenated to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) has extended the range of possible tools for the characterization of synthetic polymers and copolymers. Pyrolysis involves thermal fragmentation of the analytical sample at temperatures of 500–1400 °C. In the presence of an inert gas, reproducible decomposition products characteristic for the original polymer or copolymer sample are formed. The pyrolysis products are chromatographically separated using a fused-silica capillary column and are subsequently identified by interpretation of the obtained mass spectra or by using mass spectra libraries. The analytical technique eliminates the need for pretreatment by performing analyses directly on the solid or liquid polymer sample. In this article, application examples of analytical pyrolysis hyphenated to GC–MS for the identification of different polymeric materials in the plastic and automotive industry, dentistry, and occupational safety are demonstrated. For the first time, results of identification of commercial light-curing dental filling material and a car wrapping foil by pyrolysis–GC–MS are presented.
The criteria for assessing the quality of rubber materials are the polymer or copolymer composition and the additives. These additives include plasticizers, extender oils, carbon black, inorganic fillers, antioxidants, heat and light stabilizers, processing aids, cross-linking agents, accelerators, retarders, adhesives, pigments, smoke and flame retardants, and others. Determination of additives in polymers or copolymers generally requires the extraction of these substances from the matrix as a first step, which can be challenging, and the subsequent analysis of the extracted additives by gas chromatography (GC), GC–mass spectrometry (MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), HPLC–MS, capillary electrophoresis, thin-layer chromatography, and other analytical techniques. In the present work, nitrile rubber materials were studied using direct analytical flash pyrolysis hyphenated to GC and electrospray ionization MS in both scan and selected ion monitoring modes to demonstrate that this technique is a good tool to identify the organic additives in nitrile rubber.
Asymmetric threats require powerful surveillance technology which helps to preserve the security. Security checks which focus on Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) or the identification of persons carrying hazardous substances are the major task of our research within the HAMLeT+ (Hazardous Material Localization and Person Tracking) project. Further on, there is a pressing need for assisting the security personnel, either civil or military, by extending the detection capabilities and to deliver efficient and reliable, real time decision support for their task to percept threats. Military camp protection with heterogeneous net-worked sensors and comprehensive sensor data fusion could be such an element. The technology developments concentrate on the integration of different sensor types (video, tracking sensors, CBRNE sensors) in order to get a better and comprehensive understanding in a defined entry area. Data fusion is used to combine kinematic data of persons (where, when) with additional attribute information of them (what) in order to identify that single person carrying the attributes and to classify the threat. The project was initiated as a Supporting Activity funded by the EU within the PASR 2006 scheme. With regards to the specific task for military camp protection it was extended and redesigned. In HAMLeT+ several chemical sensors for hydrocarbons like fuels, alcohols or solvents were used. Such chemicals are available in bigger amounts on the free market. Using them e.g. as fire accelerants they can cause a huge damage. Therefore their detection or the detection of persons carrying such substances or having contaminations on their clothes is of great interest. Sensitive devices for the detection of these analytes are e.g. metal oxide sensors [1]. Our presentation illustrates experimental data, which were gathered with the experimental system HAMLeT+ during the NATO “Defense Against Terrorism (DAT)” campaign „COMMON SHIELDS” in August and September 2008.