Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) is an approach for the direct catalytic conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons, which is currently being investigated at the Berlin Institute of Technology within the cluster of excellence UniCat (Unifying Concepts of Catalysis). Hereby, the conversion to ethylene is the major goal of the process. In the downstreaming process subsequent to the OCM react...

Longitudinal study of the heartbeat in small animals contributes to understanding structural and functional changes during heart development. Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) has been demonstrated to be capable of imaging small animal hearts with high spatial resolution and ultrahigh imaging speed. The high image contrast and noninvasive properties make OCM ideal for performing longitudinal s...

Background: In patients suffering from ESRD quality of life can be maintained by hemodialysis, CAPD or renal transplant. Adequate dose of hemodialysis is necessary for good quality of life. The hemodialysis adequacy is one of the most important issues influencing the survival of patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Aim: To compare Kt/V measurement by online clearance module with conventional e...

Three-dimensional high-resolution imaging methods are important for cellular-level research. Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) is a low-coherence-based interferometry technology for cellular imaging with both high axial and lateral resolution. Using a high-numerical-aperture objective, OCM normally has a shallow depth of field and requires scanning the focus through the entire region of intere...

In this article we propose a model-free diagnostic for single-peakedness (unimodality) of item responses. Presuming a unidimensional unfolding scale and a given item ordering, we approximate item response functions of all items based on ordered conditional means (OCM). The proposed OCM methodology is based on Thurstone & Chave's (1929) criterion of irrelevance, which is a graphical, exploratory...

Interactions of CNS cells lead to the establishment of complex neural systems. Specifically, oligodendrocytes form myelin sheaths around axons that enable rapid electrical conduction of impulses. Recent evidence has emerged that oligodendrocytes may also release trophic factors promoting neuronal survival. We therefore studied the effects of factors released from cells of the oligodendrocyte li...

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence microscopy (OCM) allow the acquisition of quantitative three-dimensional axial flow by estimating the Doppler shift caused by moving scatterers. Measuring the velocity of red blood cells is currently the principal application of these methods. In many biological tissues, blood flow is often perpendicular to the optical axis, creating the ...

Interest in the relationship between one-carbon metabolism (OCM) and carcinogenesis is intensifying, leading to increased use of related biomarkers as measures of exposure. Little is known, however, about the intraindividual variation in these markers and whether or not the use of a single measure is appropriate for assessing exposure-disease relationships in epidemiologic studies. We evaluated...

The availability of large reserves of methane, which is the main component of most natural gas, makes it a very important feedstock molecule for the production of base chemicals (e.g. ethylene, propylene, and aromatics) and energy carriers (i.e. transportation fuels). More recently, the shale gas bonanza—particularly in the USA—as well as the presence of vast amounts of gas methane hydrates at ...