The use of forensic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon signatures and Compound Ratio Analysis Techniques (CORAT) for the source characterisation of petrogenic/pyrogenic environmental releases.

This study utilised recent developments in forensic aromatic hydrocarbon fingerprint analysis to characterise and identify specific biogenic, pyrogenic and petrogenic contamination. The fingerprinting and data interpretation techniques discussed include the recognition of: The distribution patterns of hydrocarbons (alkylated naphthalene, phenanthrene, dibenzothiophene, fluorene, chrysene and phenol isomers), • Analysis of “source-specific marker” compounds (individual saturated hydrocarbons, including n-alkanes (n-C5 through 0-C40) • Selected benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers (BTEX), • The recalcitrant isoprenoids; pristane and phytane and • The determination of diagnostic ratios of specific petroleum / non-petroleum constituents, and the application of various statistical and numerical analysis tools. An unknown sample from the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for origin characterisation was subjected to analysis by gas chromatography utilising both flame ionisation and mass spectral detection techniques in comparison to known reference materials. The percentage of the individual Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAIIs) and biomarker concentrations in the unknown sample were normalised to the sum of the analytes and the results were compared with the corresponding results with a range of reference materials. In addition, to the determination of conventional diagnostic PAH and biomarker ratios, a number of “source-specific markers” isomeric PAHs within the same alkylation levels were determined, and their relative abundance ratios were computed in order to definitively identify and differentiate the various sources. Statistical logarithmic star plots were generated from both sets of data to give a pictorial representation of the comparison between the unknown sample and reference products. The study successfully characterised the unknown sample as being contaminated with a “coal tar” and clearly demonstrates the future role of compound ratio analysis (CORAT) in the identification of possible source contaminants.

Enhancing the performance of spread spectrum techniques in different applications

Spread spectrum, Automotive Radar, Indoor Positioning Systems, Ultrasonic and Microwave Imaging, super resolution technique and wavelet transform

Analysis of complex microwave structures using suitable computational electromagnetic techniques

Complex Microwave Structures Wake Field Computatation PETRA III Generalized Multipole Technique Antenna Antennen Wakefelder Berechnung

Wireless communication techniques for indoor positioning and tracking applications

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik, Diss., 2010

Disposable, micro-fluidic biosensor array for online analysis of adherent cells activity combining quartz crystal resonators and impedance measurement techniques

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik, Diss., 2011

New solutions for an old challenge : chances and limitations of optical, non-invasive acquisition and digital processing techniques for the age estimation of latent fingerprints

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Informatik, Diss., 2014

Wireless indoor positioning based on TDOA and DOA estimation techniques using IEEE 802.11 standards

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik, Diss., 2015

Multi-echo radial FLASH techniques for real-time MRI

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Naturwiss., Diss., 2015

Gonad development in females of fiddler crab Uca rapax (Crustacea, Brachyura, Ocypodidae) using macro and microscopic techniques

The morphology of the ovaries in Uca rapax (Smith, 1870) was described based on macroscopic and microscopic analysis. Females were collected in Itamambuca mangrove, Ubatuba, state of São Paulo, Brazil. In the laboratory, 18 females had their ovaries removed and prepared for histology. Each gonad developmental stage was previously determined based on external and macroscopic morphology and afterwards each stage was microscopically described. The ovaries of U. rapax showed a pronounced macroscopic differentiation in size and coloration with the maturation of the gonad, with six ovarian developmental stages: immature, rudimentary, developing, developed, advanced and spent. During the vitellogenesis, the amount of oocytes in secondary stage increases in the ovary, resulting in a change in coloration of the gonad. Oogonias, primary oocytes, secondary oocytes and follicular cells were histologically described and measured. In female’s ovaries of U. rapax the modifications observed in the oocytes during the process of gonad maturation are similar to descriptions of gonads of other females of brachyuran crustaceans. The similarities are specially found in the morphological changes in the reproductive cells, and also in the presence and arrange of follicle cells during the process of ovary maturation. When external morphological characteristics of the gonads were compared to histological descriptions, it was possible to observe modifications that characterize the process in different developmental stages throughout the ovarian cycle and, consequently, the macroscopic classification of gonad stages agree with the modifications of the reproductive cells.

Image registration techniques with multiresolution analysis in satellite oceanography

En aquest article es fa una descripció dels procediments realitzats per enregistrar dues imatges geomètricament, de forma automàtica, si es pren la primera com a imatge de referència. Es comparen els resultats obtinguts mitjançant tres mètodes. El primer mètode és el d’enregistrament clàssic en domini espacial maximitzant la correlació creuada (MCC)[1]. El segon mètode es basa en aplicar l’enregistrament MCC conjuntament amb un anàlisi multiescala a partir de transformades wavelet [2]. El tercer mètode és una variant de l’anterior que es situa a mig camí dels dos. Per cada un dels mètodes s’obté una estimació dels coeficients de la transformació que relaciona les dues imatges. A continuació es transforma per cada cas la segona imatge i es georeferencia respecte la primera. I per acabar es proposen unes mesures quantitatives que permeten discutir i comparar els resultats obtinguts amb cada mètode.

The study of insect blood-feeding behaviour: 2. Recording techniques and the use of flow charts

This paper continues a discussion of approaches and methodologies we have used in our studies of feeding in haematophagous insects. Described are techniques for directly monitoring behaviour: electrical recording of feeding behaviour via resistance changes in the food canal, optical methods for monitoring mouthpart activity, and a computer technique for behavioural event recording. Also described is the use of "flow charts" or "decision diagrams" to model interrelated sequences of behaviours.

Combining classification techniques to define topo-climatic landscapes

Landscape classification tackles issues related to the representation and analysis of continuous and variable ecological data. In this study, a methodology is created in order to define topo-climatic landscapes (TCL) in the north-west of Catalonia (north-east of the Iberian Peninsula). TCLs relate the ecological behaviour of a landscape in terms of topography, physiognomy and climate, which compound the main drivers of an ecosystem. Selected variables are derived from different sources such as remote sensing and climatic atlas. The proposed methodology combines unsupervised interative cluster classification with a supervised fuzzy classification. As a result, 28 TCLs have been found for the study area which may be differentiated in terms of vegetation physiognomy and vegetation altitudinal range type. Furthermore a hierarchy among TCLs is set, enabling the merging of clusters and allowing for changes of scale. Through the topo-climatic landscape map, managers may identify patches with similar environmental conditions and asses at the same time the uncertainty involved.