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Nur maximal ein Fünftel aller Menschen in Deutschland, die Maschinen entwickeln, technische Innovationen vorantreiben, optimieren oder reparieren, sind weiblich. Der Anteil von Frauen in technischen Berufen liegt derzeit bei etwa 20 Prozent (1). Vergleichbar niedrig ist auch die Zahl der Journalistinnen, die sich technischen Themen verschrieben haben. Technik und auch der Technikjournalismus sind hierzulande immer noch Männerdomänen.
Sprachassistenten wie Alexa oder Google Assistant sind aus dem Alltag vieler VerbraucherInnen nicht mehr wegzudenken. Sie überzeugen insbesondere durch die sprachbasierte und somit freihändige Steuerung und mitunter auch den unterhaltsamen Charakter. Als häuslicher Lebensmittelpunkt sind die häufigsten Aufstellungsorte das Wohnzimmer und die Küche, da sich Haushaltsmitglieder dort die meiste Zeit aufhalten und das alltägliche Leben abspielt. Dies bedeutet allerdings ebenso, dass an diesen Orten potenziell viele Daten erfasst und gesammelt werden können, die nicht für den Sprachassistenten bestimmt sind. Demzufolge ist nicht auszuschließen, dass der Sprachassistent – wenn auch versehentlich – durch Gespräche oder Geräusche aktiviert wird und Aufnahmen speichert, selbst wenn eine Aktivierung unbewusst von Anwesenden bzw. von anderen Geräten (z. B. Fernseher) erfolgt oder aus anderen Räumen kommt. Im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojekts haben wir dazu NutzerInnen über Ihre Nutzungs- und Aufstellungspraktiken der Sprachassistenten befragt und zudem einen Prototyp getestet, der die gespeicherten Interaktionen mit dem Sprachassistenten sichtbar macht. Dieser Beitrag präsentiert basierend auf den Erkenntnissen aus den Interviews und abgeleiteten Leitfäden aus den darauffolgenden Nutzungstests des Prototyps eine Anwendung zur Beantragung und Visualisierung der Interaktionsdaten mit dem Sprachassistenten. Diese ermöglicht es, Interaktionen und die damit zusammenhängende Situation darzustellen, indem sie zu jeder Interaktion die Zeit, das verwendete Gerät sowie den Befehl wiedergibt und unerwartete Verhaltensweisen wie die versehentliche oder falsche Aktivierung sichtbar macht. Dadurch möchten wir VerbraucherInnen für die Fehleranfälligkeit dieser Geräte sensibilisieren und einen selbstbestimmteren und sichereren Umgang ermöglichen.
Our study shows ZP2 to be a new biomarker for diagnosis, best used in combination with other low abundant genes in colon cancer. Furthermore, ZP2 promotes cell proliferation via the ERK1/2-cyclinD1-signaling pathway. We demonstrate that ZP2 mRNA is expressed in a low-abundant manner with high specificity in subsets of cancer cell lines representing different cancer subtypes and also in a significant proportion of primary colon cancers. The potential benefit of ZP2 as a biomarker is discussed. In the second part of our study, the function of ZP2 in cancerogenesis has been analyzed. Since ZP2 shows an enhanced transcript level in colon cancer cells, siRNA experiments have been performed to verify the potential role of ZP2 in cell proliferation. Based on these data, ZP2 might serve as a new target molecule for cancer diagnosis and treatment in respective cancer types such as colon cancer.
XML Signature Wrapping (XSW) has been a relevant threat to web services for 15 years until today. Using the Personal Health Record (PHR), which is currently under development in Germany, we investigate a current SOAP-based web services system as a case study. In doing so, we highlight several deficiencies in defending against XSW. Using this real-world contemporary example as motivation, we introduce a guideline for more secure XML signature processing that provides practitioners with easier access to the effective countermeasures identified in the current state of research.
Risk-based authentication (RBA) aims to strengthen password-based authentication rather than replacing it. RBA does this by monitoring and recording additional features during the login process. If feature values at login time differ significantly from those observed before, RBA requests an additional proof of identification. Although RBA is recommended in the NIST digital identity guidelines, it has so far been used almost exclusively by major online services. This is partly due to a lack of open knowledge and implementations that would allow any service provider to roll out RBA protection to its users. To close this gap, we provide a first in-depth analysis of RBA characteristics in a practical deployment. We observed N=780 users with 247 unique features on a real-world online service for over 1.8 years. Based on our collected data set, we provide (i) a behavior analysis of two RBA implementations that were apparently used by major online services in the wild, (ii) a benchmark of the features to extract a subset that is most suitable for RBA use, (iii) a new feature that has not been used in RBA before, and (iv) factors which have a significant effect on RBA performance. Our results show that RBA needs to be carefully tailored to each online service, as even small configuration adjustments can greatly impact RBA's security and usability properties. We provide insights on the selection of features, their weightings, and the risk classification in order to benefit from RBA after a minimum number of login attempts.
Risk-based authentication (RBA) aims to strengthen password-based authentication rather than replacing it. RBA does this by monitoring and recording additional features during the login process. If feature values at login time differ significantly from those observed before, RBA requests an additional proof of identification. Although RBA is recommended in the NIST digital identity guidelines, it has so far been used almost exclusively by major online services. This is partly due to a lack of open knowledge and implementations that would allow any service provider to roll out RBA protection to its users.
To close this gap, we provide a first in-depth analysis of RBA characteristics in a practical deployment. We observed N=780 users with 247 unique features on a real-world online service for over 1.8 years. Based on our collected data set, we provide (i) a behavior analysis of two RBA implementations that were apparently used by major online services in the wild, (ii) a benchmark of the features to extract a subset that is most suitable for RBA use, (iii) a new feature that has not been used in RBA before, and (iv) factors which have a significant effect on RBA performance. Our results show that RBA needs to be carefully tailored to each online service, as even small configuration adjustments can greatly impact RBA's security and usability properties. We provide insights on the selection of features, their weightings, and the risk classification in order to benefit from RBA after a minimum number of login attempts.
The aim of this study was to investigate employees’ self-reported creativity before and after vacation and to examine the impact of recovery experiences (detachment, relaxation, mastery, meaning, autonomy, affiliation) on changes in creativity. The DRAMMA model of Newman et al. provides the theoretical background of our approach. Longitudinal data was assessed with four repeated measurements. The study encompassed data from 274 white-collar workers. Analyses showed that employees subjectively perceive their creativity to benefit not immediately after their vacation but 2 weeks later. Detachment was significantly related to lower creativity within persons, while mastery experiences explained differences in creativity between persons. This study provides a detailed picture of changes in creativity around vacations.
Risk-based authentication (RBA) is an adaptive security measure to strengthen password-based authentication against account takeover attacks. Our study on 65 participants shows that users find RBA more usable than two-factor authentication equivalents and more secure than password-only authentication. We identify pitfalls and provide guidelines for putting RBA into practice.
An der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg fand am Donnerstag, den 23.9.21 das erste Verbraucherforum für Verbraucherinformatik statt. Im Rahmen der Online-Tagesveranstaltung diskutierten mehr als 30 Teilnehmer:innen über Themen und Ideen rund um den Bereich Verbraucherdatenschutz. Dabei kamen sowohl Beiträge aus der Informatik, den Verbraucher- und Sozialwissenschaften sowie auch der regulatorischen Perspektive zur Sprache. Der folgende Beitrag stellt den Hintergrund der Veranstaltung dar und berichtet über Inhalte der Vorträge sowie Anknüpfungspunkte für die weitere Konstituierung der Verbraucherinformatik. Veranstalter waren das Institut für Verbraucherinformatik an der H-BRS in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Lehrstuhl IT-Sicherheit der Universität Siegen sowie dem Kompetenzzentrum Verbraucherforschung NRW der Verbraucherzentrale NRW e. V. mit Förderung des Bundesministeriums der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz.
An der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg fand am Donnerstag, den 23.9.21 das erste Verbraucherforum für Verbraucherinformatik statt. Im Rahmen der Online-Tagesveranstaltung diskutierten mehr als 30 Teilnehmer:innen über Themen und Ideen rund um den Bereich Verbraucherdatenschutz. Dabei kamen sowohl Beiträge aus der Informatik, den Verbraucher- und Sozialwissenschaften sowie auch der regulatorischen Perspektive zur Sprache. Der folgende Beitrag stellt den Hintergrund der Veranstaltung dar und berichtet über Inhalte der Vorträge sowie Anknüpfungspunkte für die weitere Konstituierung der Verbraucherinformatik. Veranstalter waren das Institut für Verbraucherinformatik an der H-BRS in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Lehrstuhl IT-Sicherheit der Universität Siegen sowie dem Kompetenzzentrum Verbraucherforschung NRW der Verbraucherzentrale NRW e. V. mit Förderung des Bundesministeriums der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz.
Cultivation of perennials such as Miscanthus x giganteus Greef et Deuter (Mis) combines the provision of ecosystem services and the generation of additional carbon sources for farming. The potential of Mis based fertilisers, regarding immobilisation of inorganic nitrogen (N) and build-up of soil organic matter (SOM), was tested in a field trial. Therefore, a crop rotation of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), mustard (Sinapis alba L.) as catch crop, sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was set up. The tested treatments were a mixture of Cattle Slurry (CS) and Mis, a mixture of CS and Wheat Straw (CS–WS), Cattle Manure (CM) from Mis shredded bedding, CM from WS shredded bedding, a pure CS, Urea Ammonium Nitrate (UAN) and a treatment without any N applied (NoN). When the carbon-rich fertilisers (both mixtures and manures) were applied to cereals, they led to a slight N immobilisation compared to pure CS, whereas differences were mostly not significant. Furthermore, Mis fertilisers were at least as efficient as WS-based organic fertilisers in inducing a contribution of SOM build-up and in reducing inorganic N before winter and thus preventing N losses, whereas differences were mostly not significant.
The actomyosin system generates mechanical work with the execution of the power stroke, an ATP-driven, two-step rotational swing of the myosin-neck that occurs post ATP hydrolysis during the transition from weakly to strongly actin-bound myosin states concomitant with Pi release and prior to ADP dissociation. The activating role of actin on product release and force generation is well documented; however, the communication paths associated with weak-to-strong transitions are poorly characterized. With the aid of mutant analyses based on kinetic investigations and simulations, we identified the W-helix as an important hub coupling the structural changes of switch elements during ATP hydrolysis to temporally controlled interactions with actin that are passed to the central transducer and converter. Disturbing the W-helix/transducer pathway increased actin-activated ATP turnover and reduced motor performance as a consequence of prolonged duration of the strongly actin-attached states. Actin-triggered Pi release was accelerated, while ADP release considerably decelerated, both limiting maximum ATPase, thus transforming myosin-2 into a high-duty-ratio motor. This kinetic signature of the mutant allowed us to define the fractional occupancies of intermediate states during the ATPase cycle providing evidence that myosin populates a cleft-closure state of strong actin interaction during the weak-to-strong transition with bound hydrolysis products before accomplishing the power stroke.
Universities, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in Africa – Conference Proceedings 2020
(2021)
These proceedings are the outcome of the 8th annual joint conference on "Universities Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in Africa" between the University of Cape Coast, Ghana and Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Germany, held on 19-20 February 2020 on Campus Sankt Augustin, Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences.
The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) plays a key role in salt and water homeostasis in tetrapod vertebrates. There are four ENaC subunits (α, β, γ, δ), forming heterotrimeric αβγ- or δβγ-ENaCs. While the physiology of αβγ-ENaC is well understood, for decades the field has stalled with respect to δβγ-ENaC due to the lack of mammalian model organisms. The SCNN1D gene coding for δ-ENaC was previously believed to be absent in rodents, hindering studies using standard laboratory animals. We analysed all currently available rodent genomes and discovered that SCNN1D is present in rodents but was independently lost in five rodent lineages, including the Muridae (mice and rats). The independent loss of SCNN1D in rodent lineages may be constrained by phylogeny and taxon-specific adaptation to dry habitats, however habitat aridity does not provide a selection pressure for maintenance of SCNN1D across Rodentia. A fusion of two exons coding for a structurally flexible region in the extracellular domain of δ-ENaC appeared in the Hystricognathi (a group that includes guinea pigs). This conserved pattern evolved at least 41 Ma ago and represents a new autapomorphic feature for this clade. Exon fusion does not impair functionality of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) δβγ-ENaC expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Electrophysiological characterisation at the whole-cell and single-channel level revealed conserved biophysical features and mechanisms controlling guinea pig αβγ- and δβγ-ENaC function as compared to human orthologues. Guinea pigs therefore represent commercially available mammalian model animals that will help shed light on the physiological function of δ-ENaC.
TREE Jahresbericht 2019/2020
(2021)
Der Jahresbericht soll in seiner Breite als auch in seiner Tiefe die Stärken unserer gemeinschaftlichen Anstrengungen im Forschungsfeld der nachhaltigen Technologien aufzeigen: interdisziplinär, forschungsstark, nachwuchsfördernd und gesellschaftszugewandt.
Im vergangenen Jahr war die Pandemie auch für das Insitut TREE eine Herausforderung. Wie die Mitglieder mit der Umstellung auf eine hauptsächlich online stattfindende Kommunikation umgegangen sind und wie das Hochschulleben sich dadurch verändert hat, wurde im Jahresbericht unter "See you online" festgehalten. Auch der Wechsel im Direktorium des Instituts ist Thema des diesjährigen Jahresberichts. Unter den Hauptthemen "Wissenschaftstransfer", "TREE und Wirtschaft" und "Transfer Öffentlichkeit" können sie die wichtigsten Ereignisse für das Institut in den Jahren 2019 und 2020 nachlesen.
An der H-BRS, einer Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften mit ca. 9.000 Studierenden, wurde die OER-Kultur bewusst als Teil der Strategie zur Digitalisierung der Lehre in drei Schritten etabliert: (1) Gemeinsame Strategiebildung als Teil eines partizipativ erarbeiteten Hochschulentwicklungsplans: Verankerung von OER in der Digitalisierungsstrategie. (2) Basierend auf der Vernetzung der Expertinnen und Experten erfolgreiche Einwerbung von OER-Projekten, die exemplarisch vorgestellt werden. (3) Dauerhafte strategische Verankerung, basierend auf kontinuierlicher interner und externer Netzwerkarbeit, Etablierung von digitalen Austauschplattformen für die Lehrenden, Transfer des OER-Gedankens (Kooperation, Austausch, Mehrfachnutzen) auf die Hochschuldidaktik sowie regelmäßige Ausschreibungen von Fördermaßnahmen.
The role of tourism entrepreneurship in rural development continues to be a subject of interest and debate among academia and practitioners. Theoretically, it is anticipated that tourism entrepreneurship will lead to livelihood diversification, enhancement and ultimately a revitalization of the rural economy. While tourism is posited as an accessible entrepreneurship pathway, there is a dearth of information regarding rural dwellers’ actual experiences with it, especially within the Ghanaian context. Using a case study approach and qualitative data from Wli; a rural tourism destination in Ghana, this paper delves into the opportunities and concerns associated with tourism entrepreneurship in rural areas. Data was obtained between November and December 2016 from 27 persons who were either tourism enterprise owners or employees. Findings from the study showed that entrepreneurial activities centred on the provision of accommodation, food and beverage, souvenir and guiding services. The nature of the activities enabled easy transfer of existing skills and knowledge. Further, entry into tourism entrepreneurship was perceived to be easy by the majority of study participants. These findings confirm the potential for tourism to be employed in boosting entrepreneurial activities in rural areas. Nevertheless, there were concerns regarding access to credit, institutional support, unhealthy competitions, low incomes, unguaranteed pensions, and seasonality and skewness of demand. These concerns threatened the growth and sustainability of tourism entrepreneurship within the community. From a policy perspective, there is a need for institutional recognition and support for tourism entrepreneurial intentions and activities in rural areas. Practice-wise, credit facilities need to be designed specifically for tourism-related rural enterprises. Further, periodic skills and knowledge augmentation programmes must be initiated to help expand the skill sets for the rural entrepreneurs. Finally, there is a need for the formation of traderelated networks to provide a platform for knowledge and experience sharing among the entrepreneurs.
Studies in entrepreneurship education in hospitality and tourism has indicated that further attention could be given toward helping students to develop creativity and critical thinking skills, engage in deeper self-discovery experiences, and understand tourism more fully to help prepare them for entrepreneurial roles. This study aims at evaluating Hospitality entrepreneurial modules offered in Tourism programs in Ghanaian institutions. The curriculum of Tourism in two tertiary institutions in Ghana offering Tourism is studied. The research highlights on the need to integrate hospitality technical skills into Tourism education to create a culture that will enhance the growth of entrepreneurial hospitality into Tourism as culinary Tourism is becoming common. Some of the challenges faced by tourism students and entrepreneurship educators are highlighted. Structured interview technique was used to collect data from 20 purposive sampled students of the selected institutions. The results revealed that the level of importance and attention given to hospitality skills in tourism and the perception of students on acquisition of the required competencies is minimal. It is therefore recommended that more skills and competences in hospitality operation, food and beverage production and service be introduced in tourism education in a more holistic manner with emphasis on skill acquisition in order to make the tourism graduate more creative and critical thinker in today’s global competitive environment.
The universal basic income grant (UBIG): A comparative review of the characteristics and impact
(2021)
In recent years, public debates, pilot projects and academic research have internationally boosted the prominence of the universal basic income grant (UBIG) as a policy option. Despite this prominence, the arguments and evidence of the UBIG discussion have not been systematically put forward and discussed in light of the different UBIG conceptual understandings and applications. This paper adds value to the debate by systematic presenting the social, economical and political arguments in support of and against a UBIG. It furthermore discusses the UBIG dimensions/characteristics and variations, and also pose questions about whether all the UBIG experiments can really be classified as a UBIG. Antagonist of a UBIG often raise concerns about the negative effect of the lack of conditions and targeting in a UBIG. Since evidence on the impact of UBIG is limited, this paper turns to the evidence base on unconditional cash transfers and conditional cash transfers. The results show that it is the cash transfer rather than the conditionality and targeting that produce positive outcomes in areas of personal wellbeing.
Rural Social Entrepreneurship (RSE) is considered an essential factor for achieving Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) and improving rural people's socio-economic status through increasing production, productivity, reducing unemployment, and accelerating the progress in achieving SDGs. The paper aims at examining the role of social entrepreneurship in achieving (SRD) in Sudan with reference to Wad Balal Project for investment and rural development in Gezira State, which established in 2005 in small villages in Gezira State through mobilizing of local savings and resources for creating job opportunities, sponsoring poor households, improving the infrastructures, and reducing poverty. The study depends on cross-sectional data collected through a questionnaire and focus group discussion from 100 head of households in the village under research. A questionnaire is internally consistent, and its questions are stable. Frequencies and percentages have been used for describing the basic characteristics of the respondents. Statistical t-test was adopted to test the opinions of respondents about the role of the project based on the Likert scale. The results revealed that the project has significantly increased the opportunities of job and training as well as household income, the results also confirmed that the project has improved the status of education and health services in the village. The project has extended and established many branches; the project also diversified its investment to cover more kinds of investments, the project reinvested 50% of its profits and directed the rest to charity, and social services in the village, many lessons can be learned from the project story. The research recommended that a similar social entrepreneurship project can be generalized to more villages in Sudan and other developing countries to accelerate sustainable rural development. Local communities have to support similar initiatives for developing their villages.
Background: Staurosporine-dependent single and collective cell migration patterns of breast carcinoma cells MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and SK-BR-3 were analysed to characterise the presence of drug-dependent migration promoting and inhibiting yin-yang effects. Methods: Migration patterns of various breast cancer cells after staurosporine treatment were investigated using Western blot, cell toxicity assays, single and collective cell migration assays, and video time-lapse. Statistical analyses were performed with Kruskal–Wallis and Fligner–Killeen tests. Results: Application of staurosporine induced the migration of single MCF-7 cells but inhibited collective cell migration. With the exception of low-density SK-BR-3 cells, staurosporine induced the generation of immobile flattened giant cells. Video time-lapse analysis revealed that within the borderline of cell collectives, staurosporine reduced the velocity of individual MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3, but not of MCF-7 cells. In individual MCF-7 cells, mainly the directionality of migration became disturbed, which led to an increased migration rate parallel to the borderline, and hereby to an inhibition of the migration of the cell collective as a total. Moreover, the application of staurosporine led to a transient activation of ERK1/2 in all cell lines. Conclusion: Dependent on the context (single versus collective cells), a drug may induce opposite effects in the same cell line.
The article contributes to understanding the political economy of implementation of social protection programmes at local level. Current debates are dominated by technocratic arguments, emphasizing the lack of financial resources, technology or skills as major barriers for effective implementation. Describing how chiefs, assistant-chiefs and community elders are routinely at the centre stage of core implementation processes, including targeting, enrolment, delivery, monitoring, awareness and information, data collection or grievance and redress, this study on Kenya argues for the need to look more closely into the local political economy as an important mediating arena for implementing social policies. Implementation is heavily contingent upon the local social, political and institutional context that influences and shapes its outcomes. These processes are ambivalent involving multiple forms of interactions between ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ institutional structures, which may support initial policy objectives or induce policy outcomes substantially diverging from intended policy objectives.
New communication technologies are changing the way we work and communicate with people around the world. Given this reality, students in Higher Education (HE) worldwide need to develop knowledge in their area of study as well as attitudes and values that will enable them to be responsible and ethical global citizens in the workforce they will soon enter, regardless of the degree. Different institutional and country-specific requirements are important factors when developing an international Virtual Exchange (VE) program. Digital learning environments such as ProGlobe – Promoting the Global Exchange of Ideas on Sustainable Goals, Practices, and Cultural Diversity – offer a platform for collaborating with diverse students around the world to share and reflect on ideas on sustainable practices. Students work together virtually on a joint interdisciplinary project that aims to create knowledge and foster cultural diversity. This project was successfully integrated into each country’s course syllabus through a common global theme; sustainability. The focus of this paper is to present multi-disciplinary perspectives on the opportunities and challenges in implementing a VE project in HE. Furthermore, it will present the challenges that country coordinators dealt with when planning and implementing their project. Given the disparity found in each course syllabus, project coordinators uniquely handled the project goal, approach, and assessment for their specific course and program. Not only did the students and faculty gain valuable insight into different aspects of collaboration when working in interdisciplinary HE projects, they also reflected on their own impact on the environment and learned to listen to how people in different countries deal with environmental issues. This approach provided students with meaningful intercultural experiences that helped them link ideas and concepts about a global issue through the lens of their own discipline as well as other disciplines worldwide.
The ability to discriminate between different ionic species, termed ion selectivity, is a key feature of ion channels and forms the basis for their physiological function. Members of the degenerin/epithelial sodium channel (DEG/ENaC) superfamily of trimeric ion channels are typically sodium selective, but to a surprisingly variable degree. While acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are weakly sodium selective (sodium:potassium ratio ∼10:1), ENaCs show a remarkably high preference for sodium over potassium (>500:1). This discrepancy may be expected to originate from differences in the pore-lining second transmembrane segment (M2). However, these show a relatively high degree of sequence conservation between ASICs and ENaCs, and previous functional and structural studies could not unequivocally establish that differences in M2 alone can account for the disparate degrees of ion selectivity. By contrast, surprisingly little is known about the contributions of the first transmembrane segment (M1) and the preceding pre-M1 region. In this study, we used conventional and noncanonical amino acid-based mutagenesis in combination with a variety of electrophysiological approaches to show that the pre-M1 and M1 regions of mASIC1a channels are major determinants of ion selectivity. Mutational investigations of the corresponding regions in hENaC show that these regions contribute less to ion selectivity, despite affecting ion conductance. In conclusion, our work suggests that the remarkably different degrees of sodium selectivity in ASICs and ENaCs are achieved through different mechanisms. These results further highlight how M1 and pre-M1 are likely to differentially affect pore structure in these related channels.
The future of work
(2021)
Driven by the exponential increase in the computational power of machines, data digitalization and scientific advancement in robotics and automation, the current wave of technological change is seemingly unprecedented in speed and scale. It transforms manufacturing and businesses making them more flexible, decentralized and efficient (Lasi et al. 2014). Even though technological change is nothing new, some argue that it is different this time. The new technologies have not only the potential to substitute labor (Nomaler and Verspagen 2018), they also change the way people work. The trend towards new forms of employment is no longer a marginal phenomenon.
This study investigates the effects of four multifunctional chain-extending cross-linkers (CECL) on the processability, mechanical performance, and structure of polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA) blends produced using film blowing technology. The newly developed reference compound (M·VERA® B5029) and the CECL modified blends are characterized with respect to the initial properties and the corresponding properties after aging at 50 °C for 1 and 2 months. The tensile strength, seal strength, and melt volume rate (MVR) are markedly changed after thermal aging, whereas the storage modulus, elongation at the break, and tear resistance remain constant. The degradation of the polymer chains and crosslinking with increased and decreased MVR, respectively, is examined thoroughly with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), with the results indicating that the CECL-modified blends do not generally endure thermo-oxidation over time. Further, DSC measurements of 25 µm and 100 µm films reveal that film blowing pronouncedly changes the structures of the compounds. These findings are also confirmed by dynamic mechanical analysis, with the conclusion that tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphite barely affects the glass transition temperature, while with the other changes in CECL are seen. Cross-linking is found for aromatic polycarbodiimide and poly(4,4-dicyclohexylmethanecarbodiimide) CECL after melting of granules and films, although overall the most synergetic effect of the CECL is shown by 1,3-phenylenebisoxazoline.
Advocates of autonomous driving predict that the occupation of taxi driver could be made obsolete by shared autonomous vehicles (SAV) in the long term. Conducting interviews with German taxi drivers, we investigate how they perceive the changes caused by advancing automation for the future of their business. Our study contributes insights into how the work of taxi drivers could change given the advent of autonomous driving: While the task of driving could be taken over by SAVs for standard trips, taxi drivers are certain that other areas of their work such as providing supplementary services and assistance to passengers would constitute a limit to such forms of automation, but probably involving a shifting role for the taxi drivers, one which focuses on the sociality of the work. Our findings illustrate how taxi drivers see the future of their work, suggesting design implications for tools that take various forms of assistance into account, and demonstrating how important it is to consider taxi drivers in the co-design of future taxis and SAV services.
Suitability of Current Sensors for the Measurement of Switching Currents in Power Semiconductors
(2021)
This paper investigates the impact of current sensors on the measurement of transient currents in fast-switching power semiconductors in a double pulse test (DPT environment. We review previous research that assesses the influence of current sensors on a DPT circuit through mathematical modeling. The developed selection aids can be used to identify suitable current sensors for transient current measurements of fast-switching power semiconductors and to estimate the error introduced by their insertion into the DPT circuit. Afterwards, this analysis is extended by including further elements from real DPT applications to increase the consistency of the error estimation with practical situations and setups. Both methods are compared and their individual advantages and drawbacks are discussed. Finally, a recommendation on when to use which method is derived.
In den Atmosphärenwissenschaften spielt die Strahlungsbilanz der Erde eine wichtige Rolle für unser Verständnis des Klimasystems. Hier liefern ausgereifte Satellitenprodukte dekadische Klimazeitreihen mit einer so hohen Genauigkeit, dass z.B. Änderungen im Zusammenhang mit dem Klimawandel detektiert werden können. Dies gilt insbesondere auch für die solaren Strahlungsflüsse an der Erdoberfläche. Beim Vergleich dieser Satellitenprodukte mit instantanen Beobachtungen der Strahlung am Erdboden sind jedoch oft erhebliche Abweichungen feststellbar, die hauptsächlich durch kleinskalige Variabilität in der räumlichen Struktur von Wolken und ihrer Strahlungswirkung verursacht werden. Hier ist auch zu bedenken, dass Bodenbeobachtungen fast einer Punktmessung entsprechen, während Satellitenpixel eine Fläche in der Größenordnung von Quadratkilometern abtasten.
Social transfers
(2021)
Social transfers are on the rise in the Global South but they have also been in the centre of discussion in the Global North as an attractive instrument to buffer new risks and uncertainties in a changing world. They have experienced a dramatic change since the beginning of the new century, starting off as a revolutionary programmatic intervention in countries such as Mexico and Brazil or as a fledgling pilot programme in countries such as Zambia, Kenya and Malawi. They have now become a standard intervention across the globe, a truly global social policy as Hickey and Seekings (2019, 249) coined it. This global trend has been facilitated by donors’ strive to move away from ever recurring humanitarian actions, by increased pressure on donors to show aid effectiveness with the money finally reaching the most vulnerable as well as by international concerted actions such as the United Nations initiative of a global social protection floor.
Social services
(2021)
People are usually exposed to multiple economic and social risks, including discrimination, abuse, violence and social exclusion. While material support has a positive impact on the reduction of social risks and aspects of exclusion (WHO 2019), some situations require concrete, personal and guiding support on an individual basis. This type of service is commonly referred to as social services (Trukeschitz 2006).
This study intends to contribute to the discourse on social protection and crime. The study assessed social protection as a tool for crime prevention, with bias to Owerri municipal local government area of Imo state, Nigeria as a case study. The study employed a qualitative approach which allowed the researcher to explore experiences and perspectives of selected participants. Purposive sampling was considered appropriate for the defined population. In-depth interview and focus group discussion (FGD) served as data collection instruments. A review of available literature, reports, newspaper publications, reports, and various internet sources were exhaustively utilised to gather secondary data.
The study revealed that social protection possesses the potential to prevent crime. The study informed that certain intervention programmes established by the government helped in decreasing crime incidences in the area under study. In addition, the study revealed that social protection enhances wellbeing, empowers people, promotes better living conditions, imbues a sense of belonging and inclusiveness, promotes social stability and does not lead to dependency. However, the study revealed that social protection alone is incapable of eradicating crime.
Social budgeting
(2021)
At the beginning of 2020 with the globally spreading pandemic of COVID-19 and all its social and economic consequences, the importance of having comprehensive, universal and effective social protection systems became once again – like during all the major economic and social crises before – very clear (Gentilini et al. 2020; Chapter 43 of this volume). Countries with strong social protection systems, although needing to enhance many benefit provisions and extend coverage to reach those in non-standard forms of employment, still were coping better with the pandemic and had better chances of cushioning the resulting economic downturn. However, we know from past experience that after the crisis is over, austerity measures may focus again on limiting social expenditure under all kinds of excuses.
Dental stem cells have been isolated from the medical waste of various dental tissues. They have been characterized by numerous markers, which are evaluated herein and differentiated into multiple cell types. They can also be used to generate cell lines and iPSCs for long-term in vitro research. Methods for utilizing these stem cells including cellular systems such as organoids or cell sheets, cell-free systems such as exosomes, and scaffold-based approaches with and without drug release concepts are reported in this review and presented with new pictures for clarification. These in vitro applications can be deployed in disease modeling and subsequent pharmaceutical research and also pave the way for tissue regeneration. The main focus herein is on the potential of dental stem cells for hard tissue regeneration, especially bone, by evaluating their potential for osteogenesis and angiogenesis, and the regulation of these two processes by growth factors and environmental stimulators. Current in vitro and in vivo publications show numerous benefits of using dental stem cells for research purposes and hard tissue regeneration. However, only a few clinical trials currently exist. The goal of this review is to pinpoint this imbalance and encourage scientists to pick up this research and proceed one step further to translation.
Damit nachhaltiger Konsum möglich ist, müssen Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher die Nachhaltigkeit von Produkten angemessen einschätzen können. Ausgehend von der Annahme, dass Greenwashing-Slogans solche Einschätzungen möglicherweise behindern, untersucht dieses zweiteilige quantitative Online-Experiment Schlussfolgerungen von Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern, die statische Werbeanzeigen betrachteten. Dabei wurden konkrete, d.h. quantifizierte Umweltaussagen mit vagen Botschaften (Greenwashing-Kondition) bezüglich eines fiktiven TV-Produktes bzw. TV-Herstellers verglichen. Ein Drittel der jungen und gebildeten Stichprobe (N = 163) zog nach Ansicht einer Produktanzeige, die den geringen Stromverbrauch des „Omro UHD-Fernsehers“ bewarb, den Schluss, dass weitere, in der Werbung nicht beobachtbare Umweltmerkmale eher wahrscheinlich als unwahrscheinlich sind. Unternehmensanzeigen zur Energieeffizienz der Produktion von „Nextvision“ entlockten diese Schlussfolgerung sogar 73 Prozent der Probanden. Vage und konkrete Behauptungen unterschieden sich hinsichtlich dieser sog. Halo-Effekte kaum. Dazu berechnete Indizes korrelierten signifikant positiv mit der eingeschätzten Produktqualität, was für die Wirksamkeit eines Gesamteindruckes (General Impression Halos) spricht. Dies galt insbesondere für vage Botschaften. Sie eignen sich daher besonders für Werbetreibende, weil Anzeigen in der Regel nur für kurze Zeit Aufmerksamkeit erhalten. Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern kann auf Basis der Ergebnisse geraten werden, stärker auf die theoretische Überprüfbarkeit von Werbeslogans zu achten.
Science Track FrOSCon 2018
(2021)
Since stationary self-checkout is widely introduced and well understood, previous research barely examined newer generations of smartphone-based Scan&Go. Especially from a design perspective, we know little about the factors contributing to the adoption of Scan&Go solutions and how design enables consumers to take full advantage of this development rather than being burdened with using complex and unenjoyable systems. To understand the influencing factors and the design from a consumer perspective, we conducted a mixed-methods study where we triangulated data of an online survey with 103 participants and a qualitative study with 20 participants. Based on the results, our study presents a refined and nuanced understanding of technology as well as infrastructure-related factors that influence adoption. Moreover, we present several implications for designing and implementing of Scan&Go in retail environments.
John V. Pavlik: Journalism in the Age of Virtual Reality: How Experiential Media are Transforming News
New York: Columbia UP 2019, 284 S., ISBN 9780231184496, GBP 25,-
Karen Fowler-Watt, Stephen Jukes (Hg.): New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy
London, New York: Routledge 2020, 198 S., ISBN 9781138596757, GBP 34,99
Over the last decades, different kinds of design guides have been created to maintain consistency and usability in interactive system development. However, in the case of spatial applications, practitioners from research and industry either have difficulty finding them or perceive such guides as lacking relevance, practicability, and applicability. This paper presents the current state of scientific research and industry practice by investigating currently used design recommendations for mixed reality (MR) system development. We analyzed and compared 875 design recommendations for MR applications elicited from 89 scientific papers and documentation from six industry practitioners in a literature review. In doing so, we identified differences regarding four key topics: Focus on unique MR design challenges, abstraction regarding devices and ecosystems, level of detail and abstraction of content, and covered topics. Based on that,we contribute to the MR design research by providing three factors for perceived irrelevance and six main implications for design recommendations that are applicable in scientific and industry practice.
Aim: To understand how transcriptional factors Pdr1 and Pdr3, belonging to the pleiotropic drug resistance system, are activated, and regulated after introducing chemical toxins to the cell in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Methods: Series of molecular methods were applied using different strains of S. cerevisiae over-expressing proteins of interest as a eukaryotic cell model. The chemical stress introduced to the cell is represented by menadione. Results were obtained performing protein detection and analysis. Additionally, the regulation of the DNA binding of the transcriptional activators after stimulation is quantified using chromatin immunoprecipitation, employing epitope-tagged factors and real-time qPCR.
Results: Our results indicated higher expression levels of the Pdr1 transcriptional factor, compared to its homologous Pdr3 after treatment with menadione. The yeast-cell defence system was tested against various organic solvents to exclude the possibility of their presence potentially affecting the results. The results indicate that Pdr1 is most abundant after 30 minutes from the beginning of the treatment, compared with 240 minutes after the treatment when the function of the transcription factor is faded. It appears that Pdr1 binding to the PDR5 and SNQ2 promoters, which are both activated by Pdr1, peaks around the same time, or more precisely after 40 minutes from the start of the treatment.
Conclusion: The tendency of Pdr1 reduction after its activation by menadione is detected. One possibility is that Pdr1, after recognizing the xenobiotic menadione, is removed by a degradation mechanism. Given the fact that Pdr1 directly binds the xenobiotic molecule, its destruction might help the cells to remove toxic levels of menadione. It is possible that overexpressing the part of Pdr1 which recognizes menadione alone was sufficient to detoxify and hence produce a tolerance towards menadione.
While academic research on recovery was rather segregated between occupational health psychology and management research at the beginning of the 20s century and streams of research developed independently, recent developments hint at a closing divide and better integration of recovery research across disciplines. This for example becomes evident in publications of researchers across the traditional outlets within both fields, as well as increasing close collaborations of researchers firmly rooted in one of the fields. In preparation of this special issue, the editors were interested in whether this development represents a convergence or even a true merging of research in these different disciplines. We therefore interviewed Prof. Sabine Sonnentag as expert from occupational health psychology research and Prof. Ute Stephan with expertise in management research. Both are excellent and world-famous researchers in their disciplines. We discussed the current state, the advances during the last years, and the future directions of recovery research in their respective fields. We also talked about their perspectives on integrative topics and about specific issues in both domains that might stimulate a new recovery management research agenda.
In this contribution, we perform computer simulations to expedite the development of hydrogen storages based on metal hydride. These simulations enable in-depth analysis of the processes within the systems which otherwise could not be achieved. That is, because the determination of crucial process properties require measurement instruments in the setup which are currently not available. Therefore, we investigate the reliability of reaction values that are determined by a design of experiments.
Specifically, we first explain our model setup in detail. We define the mathematical terms to obtain insights into the thermal processes and reaction kinetics. We then compare the simulated results to measurements of a 5-gram sample consisting of iron-titanium-manganese (FeTiMn) to obtain the values with the highest agreement with the experimental data. In addition, we improve the model by replacing the commonly used Van’t-Hoff equation by a mathematical expression of the pressure-composition-isotherms (PCI) to calculate the equilibrium pressure.
Finally, the parameters’ accuracy is checked in yet another with an existing metal hydride system. The simulated results demonstrate high concordance with experimental data, which advocate the usage of approximated kinetic reaction properties by a design of experiments for further design studies. Furthermore, we are able to determine process parameters like the entropy and enthalpy.
The genetic basis of brain tumor development is poorly understood. Here, leukocyte DNA of 21 patients from 15 families with ≥ 2 glioma cases each was analyzed by whole-genome or targeted sequencing. As a result, we identified two families with rare germline variants, p.(A592T) or p.(A817V), in the E-cadherin gene CDH1 that co-segregate with the tumor phenotype, consisting primarily of oligodendrogliomas, WHO grade II/III, IDH-mutant, 1p/19q-codeleted (ODs). Rare CDH1 variants, previously shown to predispose to gastric and breast cancer, were significantly overrepresented in these glioma families (13.3%) versus controls (1.7%). In 68 individuals from 28 gastric cancer families with pathogenic CDH1 germline variants, brain tumors, including a pituitary adenoma, were observed in three cases (4.4%), a significantly higher prevalence than in the general population (0.2%). Furthermore, rare CDH1 variants were identified in tumor DNA of 6/99 (6%) ODs. CDH1 expression was detected in undifferentiated and differentiating oligodendroglial cells isolated from rat brain. Functional studies using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-in or stably transfected cell models demonstrated that the identified CDH1 germline variants affect cell membrane expression, cell migration and aggregation. E-cadherin ectodomain containing variant p.(A592T) had an increased intramolecular flexibility in a molecular dynamics simulation model. E-cadherin harboring intracellular variant p.(A817V) showed reduced β-catenin binding resulting in increased cytosolic and nuclear β-catenin levels reverted by treatment with the MAPK interacting serine/threonine kinase 1 inhibitor CGP 57380. Our data provide evidence for a role of deactivating CDH1 variants in the risk and tumorigenesis of neuroepithelial and epithelial brain tumors, particularly ODs, possibly via WNT/β-catenin signaling.
Polymer fibers with liquid crystals (LCs) in the core have potential as autonomous sensors of airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with a high surface-to-volume ratio enabling fast and sensitive response and an attractive non-woven textile form factor. We demonstrate their ability to continuously and quantitatively measure the concentration of toluene, cyclohexane, and isopropanol as representative VOCs, via the impact of each VOC on the LC birefringence. The response is fully reversible and repeatable over several cycles, the response time can be as low as seconds, and high sensitivity is achieved when the operating temperature is near the LC-isotropic transition temperature. We propose that a broad operating temperature range can be realized by combining fibers with different LC mixtures, yielding autonomous VOC sensors suitable for integration in apparel or in furniture that can compete with existing consumer-grade electronic VOC sensors in terms of sensitivity and response speed.
In diesem Paper wird ein Modell eines Photovoltaik(PV)-Diesel-Hybrid-Systems aufgebaut. Dieses System besitzt neben einer PV-Anlage einen Batteriespeicher und ist an das öffentliche Stromnetz angeschlossen. Bei einem Ausfall aller drei Energiequellen stellt ein Dieselgenerator die Stromversorgung sicher. Mit Hilfe des erstellten Modells wird der Einfluss der unterschiedlichen Jahreszeiten und Wetterbedingungen auf den PV-Ertrag und das gesamte System im Zeitraum von Februar 2016 bis Februar 2017 untersucht. Die Messdaten dafür stammen von einem Krankenhaus in Akwatia, Ghana. Das Krankenhaus besitzt bereits eine PV-Anlage und einen Dieselgenerator als Backup.
Ein weiterer Aspekt der Untersuchung ist der Einfluss der Stromausfälle, die in dieser Region häufig vorkommen, auf den Einsatz des Generators.
Resultat der Untersuchung ist die Relevanz saisonaler und infrastruktureller Einflüsse auf die Betriebsweise des Systems. Mit Hilfe des erstellten Modells wurde analysiert, dass besonders während der Regenzeit im August die PV-Leistung sinkt und folglich viel Energie durch das öffentliche Stromnetz und den Generator bereitgestellt werden muss. Ein weiterer signifikanter Einbruch im PV-Ertrag ist zur Zeit des Harmattans im Januar zu verzeichnen.
Public preferences
(2021)
For reforms to be acceptable and sustainable in the long run, they should be aligned with public preferences. ‘Preferences’ is a technical term used in social sciences or humanities including for example disciplines such as economics, philosophy or psychology. Broadly speaking, preferences refer to an individual’s judgements on liking one alternative more than others. More specifically, preferences are ‘subjective comparative evaluations, in the form of “Agent prefers X to Y”’ (Hansson and Grüne-Yanoff 2018). Here, we are particularly interested in people’s policy preferences concerning social protection, an area which deserves more attention in policy debates and research.
Hintergrund: Empirische Studien zeigen, dass mehr als zwei Drittel der Beschäftigten trotz Krankheit zur Arbeit gehen. Dieser sog. Präsentismus bringt sowohl gesundheitliche und motivationale Risiken für die Mitarbeiter als auch wirtschaftliche Risiken für die Organisation mit sich.
Ziel der Arbeit: Die durchgeführten Studien fokussieren Möglichkeiten zur Verringerung der negativen gesundheitlichen Effekte und entwickeln Maßnahmen zur generellen Vermeidung von Präsentismus am spezifischen Setting Hochschule.
Methode: An einer deutschen Hochschule erfolgte eine quantitative Befragung (n = 308) zur Prävalenz von Präsentismus, dessen Zusammenhang mit körperlichen Beschwerden untersucht wurde. Weiterhin wurden potenziell moderierende Effekte der Ressourcen Erholung, Achtsamkeit und Work-Life-Balance (WLB) betrachtet. Eine qualitative Studie explorierte auf Grundlage von Interviews (n = 11, qualitative Inhaltsanalyse) Gründe für Präsentismus und potenzielle Maßnahmen, um diesem entgegenzuwirken.
Ergebnisse: Die quantitativen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Präsentismus im Hochschulkontext vertreten ist und körperliche Beschwerden begünstigt. Die Ressourcen Erholung, Achtsamkeit und WLB können bei hoher Ausprägung die negativen gesundheitlichen Effekte von Präsentismus abschwächen. Bei niedriger Ausprägung verstärken sie die Effekte. Die qualitative Analyse machte deutlich, dass quantitative Arbeitsbelastung, Pflichtgefühl sowie das Gefühl, noch leistungsfähig zu sein, zentrale Gründe für Präsentismus sind und zum Beispiel die Unterstützung eines gesundheitsförderlichen Organisationsklimas oder Vertretungsregelungen geeignete Gegenmaßnahmen darstellen.
Diskussion: Die Ergebnisse werden vor dem Hintergrund verhaltens- und verhältnispräventiver Maßnahmen diskutiert und praktische Implikationen abgeleitet.
Recent publications propose concepts of systems that integrate the various services and data sources of everyday food practices. However, this research does not go beyond the conceptualization of such systems. Therefore, there is a deficit in understanding how to combine different services and data sources and which design challenges arise from building integrated Household Information Systems. In this paper, we probed the design of an Integrated Household Information System with 13 participants. The results point towards more personalization, automatization of storage administration and enabling flexible artifact ecologies. Our paper contributes to understanding the design and usage of Integrated Household Information Systems, as a new class of information systems for HCI research.
Risk-based authentication (RBA) extends authentication mechanisms to make them more robust against account takeover attacks, such as those using stolen passwords. RBA is recommended by NIST and NCSC to strengthen password-based authentication, and is already used by major online services. Also, users consider RBA to be more usable than two-factor authentication and just as secure. However, users currently obtain RBA's high security and usability benefits at the cost of exposing potentially sensitive personal data (e.g., IP address or browser information). This conflicts with user privacy and requires to consider user rights regarding the processing of personal data. We outline potential privacy challenges regarding different attacker models and propose improvements to balance privacy in RBA systems. To estimate the properties of the privacy-preserving RBA enhancements in practical environments, we evaluated a subset of them with long-term data from 780 users of a real-world online service. Our results show the potential to increase privacy in RBA solutions. However, it is limited to certain parameters that should guide RBA design to protect privacy. We outline research directions that need to be considered to achieve a widespread adoption of privacy preserving RBA with high user acceptance.
Machine learning and neural networks are now ubiquitous in sonar perception, but it lags behind the computer vision field due to the lack of data and pre-trained models specifically for sonar images. In this paper we present the Marine Debris Turntable dataset and produce pre-trained neural networks trained on this dataset, meant to fill the gap of missing pre-trained models for sonar images. We train Resnet 20, MobileNets, DenseNet121, SqueezeNet, MiniXception, and an Autoencoder, over several input image sizes, from 32 x 32 to 96 x 96, on the Marine Debris turntable dataset. We evaluate these models using transfer learning for low-shot classification in the Marine Debris Watertank and another dataset captured using a Gemini 720i sonar. Our results show that in both datasets the pre-trained models produce good features that allow good classification accuracy with low samples (10-30 samples per class). The Gemini dataset validates that the features transfer to other kinds of sonar sensors. We expect that the community benefits from the public release of our pre-trained models and the turntable dataset.
In view of the rapid growth of solar power installations worldwide, accurate forecasts of photovoltaic (PV) power generation are becoming increasingly indispensable for the overall stability of the electricity grid. In the context of household energy storage systems, PV power forecasts contribute towards intelligent energy management and control of PV-battery systems, in particular so that self-sufficiency and battery lifetime are maximised. Typical battery control algorithms require day-ahead forecasts of PV power generation, and in most cases a combination of statistical methods and numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are employed. The latter are however often inaccurate, both due to deficiencies in model physics as well as an insufficient description of irradiance variability.
A series of reactive binaphthyl‐diimine‐based dopants is prepared and investigated with respect to their potential for the chiral induction of structural coloration in nematic liquid crystal mixture E7 and the selective photonic sensing of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Studies of the helical twisting power (HTP) in 4‐cyano‐4′‐pentylbiphenyl (5CB) reveal HTP values as high as 375 µm‐1 and the tremendous impact of structural compatibility and changes of the dihedral binaphthyl angle on the efficiency of the chiral transfer. Detailed investigation of the sensing capabilities of the systems reveals an extraordinarily high selectivity for NO2 and a response to concentrations as low as 100 ppm. The systems show a direct response to the analyte gas leading to a concentration‐dependent shift of the reflectance wavelength of up to several hundred nanometers. Incorporation of copper ions remarkably improves the sensor's properties in terms of sensitivity and selectivity, enabling the tailored tweaking of the system's properties.
Personal values and electronic waste disposal behaviours among households in Cape Coast Metropolis
(2021)
The study examined social values that accounted for electronic waste recycling and reuse behaviours. Via a crosscommunity survey of 193 of households in the Cape Coast Metropolis, a correlational design was employed in the study. Partial Least Squares-Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Results from the analysis showed the influence of altruistic values (β = 0.275, p < 0.05) on reuse behaviour. Similarly, environmental awareness (β = 0.213, p<0.05) also showed significant influence on participation in recycling, whereas psychological ownership significantly influenced both reuse (β = 0.319, p < 0.05), and participation in recycling (β = 0.339, p < 0.05), The joint significance of altruistic values, environmental awareness and psychological ownership to explaining recycling participation was 21.3% (R2 = 0.213, p < 0.05) and that of reuse was 24.6% (R2 = 0.246, p < 0.05). The results of the study showed that individuals who are knowledgeable about the state of their environment were more likely to participate in recycling. On the other hand, individuals with altruistic values preferred giving unwanted electronic equipment to others for reuse. Altruistic values are particularly true of collectivist cultural orientation. Psychological ownership was significant in predicting both behaviours, however, the effect size on reuse was moderate. Psychological ownership due to waste aversion and frugality lead consumers to keep, and subsequently give to close relatives in their social network. It was recommended that individuals should be encouraged to patronize formal recycling services. as a way to show concern for the well-being of others by reducing pollution due to improper waste treatment. Again, like in developed economies, second-hand collection systems for unwanted electronic products can be developed, and made convenient for individuals with reusable items, who may be willing to donate or even resell.
İnsanlar yeryüzünün doğal kaynaklarını onun bunları yenileyebileceğinden daha hızlı tüketmektedirler. İnsanların bu tutumlarının bedelini gelecek kuşaklar ödeyeceklerdir. Gelecek kuşaklara bu bedeli ödetmemek için artık parasal kârları ençoklamak, niceliksel olarak büyümek ve bolluk yaratmak doğrultusunda işleyen şimdiki ekonomik faaliyetleri bir başka biçime dönüştürmek kaçınılmazdır. Peren Teoremi göstermektedir ki Dünya örneğinde de olduğu gibi kapalı bir sistem doğal kaynak tüketimi eş düzeyde bir doğal kaynak üretimi ile yaşayabilir. Üretim ile tüketim arasındaki denge çok uzun bir süre bozulursa gezegen doğal bir ölüm ile karşılaşır. Bunu sağlamak üzere Dünya üzerinde yaşayan ve/veya dünya sayesinde yaşayan tüm insanların kişi başına doğal kaynak tüketimlerini artan küresel nüfusla orantılı bir biçimde azaltmak gerekir.
There is severe clinical vitamin A deficiency (VAD) prevalence among Ghanaians and many African countries. Foodbased diets has been suggested as a more sustainable approach to solving the VAD situation in Africa. In this study, A participatory action research between orange flesh sweet potato farmers, gari processors within central region and academia was adopted to develop gari containing provitamin A beta-carotene. Gari is a major staple for Ghanaians and people in the West African subregion due to its affordability and swelling capacity. It is mainly eaten raw with water, sugar, groundnut and milk as gari-soakings or with hot water to prepare gelatinized food called gari-kai in Ghana or “eba” among Nigerians. However, gari is limited in provitamin A carotenoids. Orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) is known to contain large amount of vitamin A precursor. Therefore, addition of OFSP to gari would have the potential to fight the high prevalence rate of vitamin A deficiency amongst less developed regions of Africa. To develop this, different proportions of orange fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) was used to substitute cassava mash and fermented spontaneously to produce composite gari - a gritty-crispy ready-to-eat food product. Both the amount of OFSP and the fermentation duration caused significant increases in the β-carotene content of the composite gari. OFSP addition reduced the luminance while roasting made the composite gari yellower when compared with the cake used. Addition of OFSP negatively affected the swelling capacity of the gari although not significant. The taste, texture, flavour and the overall preferences for the composite gari decreased due to the addition of the OFSP but fermentation duration (FD) improved them. The sample with 10% OFSP and FD of 1.81 days was found to produce the optimal gari. One-portion of the optimal gari would contribute to 34.75, 23.2, 23.2, 27, 17 and 16% of vitamin A requirements amongst children, adolescent, adult males, adult females, pregnant women and lactating mothers respectively. The study demonstrated that partial substitution of cassava with OFSP for gari production would have the potential to fight the high prevalence rate of vitamin A deficiency amongst less developed regions of Africa while involvement of farmers and processors prior to the design of research phase enhanced the adoption of intervention strategies.
The synthesis and characterization of a new class of 1,2,4-oxadiazolylpyridinium as a cationic scaffold for fluorinated ionic liquid crystals is herein described. A series of 12 fluorinated heterocyclic salts based on a 1,2,4-oxadiazole moiety, connected through its C(5) or C(3) to an N-alkylpyridinium unit and a perfluoroheptyl chain, differing in the length of the alkyl chain and counterions, has been synthesized. As counterions iodide, bromide and bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide have been considered. The synthesis, structure, and liquid crystalline properties of these compounds are discussed on the basis of the tuned structural variables. The thermotropic properties of this series of salts have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. The results showed the existence of an enantiotropic mesomorphic smectic liquid crystalline phase for six bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide salts.
Zur Förderung einer freien und offenen Wissenschaft fördert und unterstützt die Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg den ungehinderten Zugang zu wissenschaftlicher Arbeit. Um die wissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse der Forschenden an der H-BRS einer breiten Öffentlichkeit zugänglich zu machen, wird die Möglichkeit gefördert, wissenschaftliche Arbeiten Open Access zu publizieren. Dadurch lassen sich diese ohne Zugriffsbeschränkungen nutzen und sind international sichtbar.
Open Innovation
(2021)
Der Begriff Open Innovation steht für die Öffnung von unternehmensinternen Innovationsprozessen für sogenannte „externe Quellen“. Zu diesen externen Quellen zählen beispielsweise Lieferanten, Partner, Experten aus Forschungseinrichtungen und insbeson-dere auch Kunden. Diese werden gezielt in die Innovationsentwicklung integriert, sei es als Informations- und Ideenquelle bzw. als Impulsgeber für die Innovationsentwicklung. Daneben existieren auch tiefere Integrationsmöglichkeiten, die eine direkte Partizipation an der Innovationsentwicklung ermöglichen.
Object-Based Trace Model for Automatic Indicator Computation in the Human Learning Environments
(2021)
This paper proposes a traces model in the form of an object or class model (in the UML sense) which allows the automatic calculation of indicators of various kinds and independently of the computer environment for human learning (CEHL). The model is based on the establishment of a trace-based system that encompasses all the logic of traces collecting and indicators calculation. It is im-plemented in the form of a trace database. It is an important contribution in the field of the exploitation of the traces of apprenticeship in a CEHL because it pro-vides a general formalism for modeling the traces and allowing the calculation of several indicators at the same time. Also, with the inclusion of calculated indica-tors as potential learning traces, our model provides a formalism for classifying the various indicators in the form of inheritance relationships, which promotes the reuse of indicators already calculated. Economically, the model can allow organi-zations with different learning platforms to invest only in one traces Management System. At the social level, it can allow a better sharing of trace databases be-tween the various research institutions in the field of CEHL.
Nudging stellt eine Methode zur positiven Verhaltensbeeinflussung unserer Mitmenschen dar. Mit diesem Instrument kann das Sicherheits- und Gesundheitsverhalten von Arbeitnehmern gestärkt werden. Allerdings findet sie trotz intensiver Forschung bislang wenig Anwendung im betrieblichen Kontext. Daher lautet die Forschungsfrage dieser Arbeit: „Wie lässt sich Nudging seitens der Unternehmen als Präventionsmaßnahme während der Corona-Pandemie einsetzen?“. Mit der Übertragung von Nudging in der Arbeitswelt auf die derzeitigen Herausforderungen der aktuellen Corona-Pandemie leistet diese Arbeit einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Entwicklung neuer Präventionsmaßnahmen in Unternehmen. In der Arbeit konnte festgestellt werden, dass die Entwicklung von Nudges im Unternehmen unter Einbeziehung der Mitarbeiter in einem proaktiven und partizipativen Prozess stattfinden sollte. Mithilfe eines solchen Prozesses werden Gründe für das mögliche Fehlverhalten der Arbeitnehmer analysiert. Anschließend sollten Nudging-Techniken eingesetzt werden, die genau an diesen Punkten anknüpfen – am Fehlverhalten der Menschen. Über den partizipativen Nudging-Prozess wird die Akzeptanz der Arbeitnehmer im Hinblick auf etwaige Maßnahmen gefördert. Es wird am reflektierten Entscheidungssystem der Arbeitnehmer angesetzt. Unter Berücksichtigung der Corona-Pandemie sollte im betrieblichen Kontext zur Förderung des Sicherheitsverhaltens besonders auf den Wirkmechanismus „Norms“ gesetzt werden. Im Home-Office eignen sich aufgrund der Distanz zu den Arbeitnehmern Nudges mit technischer Natur, wie z.B. automatisierte Anmeldungen zu Maßnahmen des Gesundheitsmanagements. Hier greift der Wirkmechanismus „Defaults“. Diese Bachelorarbeit wurde als theoretische Arbeit auf Grundlage einer Literaturrecherche verfasst.
Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells are an ex vivo expanded heterogeneous cell population with an enriched NK-T phenotype (CD3+CD56+). Due to the convenient and relatively inexpensive expansion capability, together with low incidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) in allogeneic cancer patients, CIK cells are a promising candidate for immunotherapy. It is well known that natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) plays an important role in CIK cell-mediated antitumor activity; however, it remains unclear whether its engagement alone is sufficient or if it requires additional co-stimulatory signals to activate the CIK cells. Likewise, the role of 2B4 has not yet been identified in CIK cells. Herein, we investigated the individual and cumulative contribution of NKG2D and 2B4 in the activation of CIK cells. Our analysis suggests that (a) NKG2D (not 2B4) is implicated in CIK cell (especially CD3+CD56+ subset)-mediated cytotoxicity, IFN-γ secretion, E/T conjugate formation, and degranulation; (b) NKG2D alone is adequate enough to induce degranulation, IFN-γ secretion, and LFA-1 activation in CIK cells, while 2B4 only provides limited synergy with NKG2D (e.g., in LFA-1 activation); and (c) NKG2D was unable to costimulate CD3. Collectively, we conclude that NKG2D engagement alone suffices to activate CIK cells, thereby strengthening the idea that targeting the NKG2D axis is a promising approach to improve CIK cell therapy for cancer patients. Furthermore, CIK cells exhibit similarities to classical invariant natural killer (iNKT) cells with deficiencies in 2B4 stimulation and in the costimulation of CD3 with NKG2D. In addition, based on the current data, the divergence in receptor function between CIK cells and NK (or T) cells can be assumed, pointing to the possibility that molecular modifications (e.g., using chimeric antigen receptor technology) on CIK cells may need to be customized and optimized to maximize their functional potential.
Cultivation of Miscanthus x giganteus L. (Mis) with annual harvest of biomass could provide an additional C source for farmers. To test the potential of Mis-C for immobilizing inorganic N from slurry or manure and as a C source for soil organic matter build-up in comparison to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) straw (WS), a greenhouse experiment was performed. Pot experiments with ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) were set up to investigate the N dynamics of two organic fertilisers based on Mis at Campus Klein-Altendorf, Germany. The two fertilisers, a mixture of cattle slurry and Mis as well as cattle manure from Mis-bedding material resulted in a slightly higher N immobilisation. Especially at the 1st and 2nd harvest, they were partly significantly different compared with the WS treatments. The fertilisers based on Mis resulted in a slightly higher microbial biomass C and microbial biomass N and thus can be identified as an additional C source to prevent nitrogen losses and for the build-up of soil organic matter (SOM) in the long-term.
Die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit behandelt die Filtrierung von sozialen Medien durch die Content Moderatoren. Die Content Moderatoren sind Menschen, die unter schlechten Arbeitsbedingungen und hoher psychischer Belastung Plattformen wie Facebook tagtäglich von strafbaren Inhalten filtern. Durch dieses Löschregime werden zwar gewaltzeigende Inhalte gelöscht, aber auch aufklärende oder künstlerische Inhalte zensiert.
Mithilfe von durchgeführten Fokusgruppendiskussionen wurde der Einfluss der Gruppenzusammensetzung und Darbietung positiver und negativer Informationen auf die individuelle und eindimensionale Wahrnehmung der Teilnehmer bezüglich sozialer Medien, Content Moderatoren und Löschrichtlinien erforscht.
Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Darbietung der Informationen keinen Einfluss auf die mehrdimensionale Wahrnehmung der Probanden hatte und sie unabhängig von der Gruppenzusammensetzung nonkonforme Meinungen vertraten. Trotz des erweiterten Wissenstandes und der entwickelten Alternativlösungen äußerten die meisten Probanden nicht die Absicht, ihr Nutzungsverhalten künftig zu ändern. Trotz der Annahme, dass die meisten Probanden eine eindimensionale Wahrnehmung sozialer Medien haben, zeigten die Ergebnisse, dass viele Probanden eine ähnlich positive und kritische Haltung gegenüber den Plattformen hatten. Darüber hinaus wird deutlich, dass es einen starken Forschungsbedarf in Bezug auf die Langzeitfolgen der Arbeit als Content Moderator und Auswirkungen von Zensur und Filtrierung auf die Nutzer sozialer Medien gibt.
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in psychological need satisfaction and its role in promoting optimal functioning. The DRAMMA model integrates existing need and recovery models to explain why leisure is connected to optimal functioning (i.e., high well-being and low ill-being). It encompasses six psychological needs: detachment, relaxation, autonomy, mastery, meaning, and affiliation (DRAMMA). While the individual needs of the DRAMMA model have been previously shown to relate to different aspects of optimal functioning, a longitudinal study examining the entire model has not been conducted before. In this longitudinal field study covering leisure and work episodes, we tested the within-person reliability and (construct and criterion) validity of the operationalization of the DRAMMA model in a sample of 279 German employees. Participants filled out measures of DRAMMA need satisfaction and optimal functioning at five measurement times before, during, and after vacation periods in 2016 and 2017. The six-factor model showed good fit to the data. In the multilevel models, relaxation, detachment, autonomy, and mastery had the most consistent within-person effects on optimal functioning, while the relationships between optimal functioning, meaning, and affiliation were considerably weaker. In conclusion, DRAMMA need satisfaction can aid and nurture employees’ optimal functioning.
Frequently the main purpose of domestic artifacts equipped with smart sensors is to hide technology, like previous examples of a Smart Mirror show. However, current Smart Homes often fail to provide meaningful IoT applications for all residents’ needs. To design beyond efficiency and productivity, we propose to realize the potential of the traditional artifact for calm and engaging experiences. Therefore, we followed a design case study approach with 22 participants in total. After an initial focus group, we conducted a diary study to examine home routines and developed a conceptual design. The evaluation of our mid-fidelity prototype shows, that we need to study carefully the practices of the residents to leverage the physical material of the artifact to fit the routines. Our Smart Mirror, enhanced by digital qualities, supports meaningful activities and makes the bathroom more appealing. Thereby, we discuss domestic technology design beyond automation.
Hektor Haarkötter und Filiz Kalmuk, zwei Kommunikationswissenschaftler*innen der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, haben die Medienseiten der überregionalen Printausgaben der SZ, FAZ und taz sowie der Regionalzeitungen WAZ, Tagesspiegel und Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger analysiert. Insgesamt wurden über 2000 Medienartikel untersucht. In Interviews mit verantwortlichen Medienredakteur*innen wichtiger Printorgane wurden Objektivität, Ausgewogenheit und Themenvielfalt der aktuellen Medienberichterstattung diskutiert.
Der Medienjournalismus deutscher Tageszeitungen zeichnet sich durch eine überwiegend sachliche Berichterstattung aus. Festgestellt wurde ein ausgeglichener Mix von ,harten‘ medienpolitischen Themen einerseits und ,weichen‘ Unterhaltungsthemen andererseits. Politische Parteien werden im Medienjournalismus nicht verzerrt dargestellt; über die „Systemkonkurrenz“ der öffentlich-rechtlichen Medien berichten die privatwirtschaftlich organisierten Zeitungen fair und ausgewogen.
Die Studie über „Medienjournalismus in Deutschland“ identifiziert aber auch Schwachstellen. Die dringend gebotene Reflexion über die gesellschaftlichen Folgen der Medienumwälzungen kommt zu kurz. Veränderungen durch die Digitalisierung und die Europäisierung der Medien-Landschaft spielen eine untergeordnete Rolle, für Belange des Hörfunks zeigt er zu wenig Interesse.
Mebendazole Mediates Proteasomal Degradation of GLI Transcription Factors in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
(2021)
The prognosis of elderly AML patients is still poor due to chemotherapy resistance. The Hedgehog (HH) pathway is important for leukemic transformation because of aberrant activation of GLI transcription factors. MBZ is a well-tolerated anthelmintic that exhibits strong antitumor effects. Herein, we show that MBZ induced strong, dose-dependent anti-leukemic effects on AML cells, including the sensitization of AML cells to chemotherapy with cytarabine. MBZ strongly reduced intracellular protein levels of GLI1/GLI2 transcription factors. Consequently, MBZ reduced the GLI promoter activity as observed in luciferase-based reporter assays in AML cell lines. Further analysis revealed that MBZ mediates its anti-leukemic effects by promoting the proteasomal degradation of GLI transcription factors via inhibition of HSP70/90 chaperone activity. Extensive molecular dynamics simulations were performed on the MBZ-HSP90 complex, showing a stable binding interaction at the ATP binding site. Importantly, two patients with refractory AML were treated with MBZ in an off-label setting and MBZ effectively reduced the GLI signaling activity in a modified plasma inhibitory assay, resulting in a decrease in peripheral blood blast counts in one patient. Our data prove that MBZ is an effective GLI inhibitor that should be evaluated in combination to conventional chemotherapy in the clinical setting.
Kenya as a touristic destination is well known as an exotic country offering many different landscapes as well as the diversity of wildlife; this is typical for several African countries. To ensure a sustainable tourism development, different forms of tourism have to be considered. One of these forms could be eco-mountain bike cycling tours, as these tours are gaining in popularity, for example in Germany. The aim of this study was to obtain results regarding the market potential for mountain bike eco-tourism in Kenya. The up-and-coming tourism branch of mountain biking was examined in connection with the increasing demand for long-distance travel. The results of this study showed that mountain biking in exotic countries like Kenya has market potential in principle. However, it was also found that mountain biking alone is not a sufficient pull factor for tourists. The combination with other activities turned out to be promising. It was found that tourist packages that include mountain biking as an activity are perceived as attractive. Moreover, it was obtained that not only tourists who ride a mountain bike regularly are addressed as a target group. Even "regular" tourists find mountain biking an attractive (touristic) activity, especially in combination with game drives. Experts also assess the market potential for eco-mountain bike tourism as positive and find existing routes and accommodation attractive. The findings are giving indications for the possibilities to develop eco-mountain bike tourism as a touristic alternative and addition to existing touristic products.
As a low-input crop, Miscanthus offers numerous advantages that, in addition to agricultural applications, permits its exploitation for energy, fuel, and material production. Depending on the Miscanthus genotype, season, and harvest time as well as plant component (leaf versus stem), correlations between structure and properties of the corresponding isolated lignins differ. Here, a comparative study is presented between lignins isolated from M. x giganteus, M. sinensis, M. robustus and M. nagara using a catalyst-free organosolv pulping process. The lignins from different plant constituents are also compared regarding their similarities and differences regarding monolignol ratio and important linkages. Results showed that the plant genotype has the weakest influence on monolignol content and interunit linkages. In contrast, structural differences are more significant among lignins of different harvest time and/or season. Analyses were performed using fast and simple methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Data was assigned to four different linkages (A: β-O-4 linkage, B: phenylcoumaran, C: resinol, D: β-unsaturated ester). In conclusion, A content is particularly high in leaf-derived lignins at just under 70% and significantly lower in stem and mixture lignins at around 60% and almost 65%. The second most common linkage pattern is D in all isolated lignins, the proportion of which is also strongly dependent on the crop portion. Both stem and mixture lignins, have a relatively high share of approximately 20% or more (maximum is M. sinensis Sin2 with over 30%). In the leaf-derived lignins, the proportions are significantly lower on average. Stem samples should be chosen if the highest possible lignin content is desired, specifically from the M. x giganteus genotype, which revealed lignin contents up to 27%. Due to the better frost resistance and higher stem stability, M. nagara offers some advantages compared to M. x giganteus. Miscanthus crops are shown to be very attractive lignocellulose feedstock (LCF) for second generation biorefineries and lignin generation in Europe.
Less is Often More: Header Whitelisting as Semantic Gap Mitigation in HTTP-Based Software Systems
(2021)
The web is the most wide-spread digital system in the world and is used for many crucial applications. This makes web application security extremely important and, although there are already many security measures, new vulnerabilities are constantly being discovered. One reason for some of the recent discoveries lies in the presence of intermediate systems—e.g. caches, message routers, and load balancers—on the way between a client and a web application server. The implementations of such intermediaries may interpret HTTP messages differently, which leads to a semantically different understanding of the same message. This so-called semantic gap can cause weaknesses in the entire HTTP message processing chain.
In this paper we introduce the header whitelisting (HWL) approach to address the semantic gap in HTTP message processing pipelines. The basic idea is to normalize and reduce an HTTP request header to the minimum required fields using a whitelist before processing it in an intermediary or on the server, and then restore the original request for the next hop. Our results show that HWL can avoid misinterpretations of HTTP messages in the different components and thus prevent many attacks rooted in a semantic gap including request smuggling, cache poisoning, and authentication bypass.
When users in virtual reality cannot physically walk and self-motions are instead only visually simulated, spatial updating is often impaired. In this paper, we report on a study that investigated if HeadJoystick, an embodied leaning-based flying interface, could improve performance in a 3D navigational search task that relies on maintaining situational awareness and spatial updating in VR. We compared it to Gamepad, a standard flying interface. For both interfaces, participants were seated on a swivel chair and controlled simulated rotations by physically rotating. They either leaned (forward/backward, right/left, up/down) or used the Gamepad thumbsticks for simulated translation. In a gamified 3D navigational search task, participants had to find eight balls within 5 min. Those balls were hidden amongst 16 randomly positioned boxes in a dark environment devoid of any landmarks. Compared to the Gamepad, participants collected more balls using the HeadJoystick. It also minimized the distance travelled, motion sickness, and mental task demand. Moreover, the HeadJoystick was rated better in terms of ease of use, controllability, learnability, overall usability, and self-motion perception. However, participants rated HeadJoystick could be more physically fatiguing after a long use. Overall, participants felt more engaged with HeadJoystick, enjoyed it more, and preferred it. Together, this provides evidence that leaning-based interfaces like HeadJoystick can provide an affordable and effective alternative for flying in VR and potentially telepresence drones.
In times of climatic or political grievances that affect not only human life worldwide, but also the environment and the economic situation of a country, a change in the way of thinking about tourism is beginning and the sector of ecotourism is also becoming increasingly important in Germany. The applicability of this form of tourism in the East African destination Kenya in the form of a travel package that is both partly unique and can be designed individually describes the subject matter of this elaboration and is illustrated using the example of the charitable organization Mully Children's Family and the related registered tourism company, MCF Africa Safaris. The underlying research aims to determine how to transform the organisation's own tree planting initiative into a niche tourist market and how this must be geared to gain the interest of the German eco-tourist. Based on the evaluation of the research results, there is high potential, which is dedicated to the implementation of a form of travel consisting of the active support of the named charity and its initiative as well as individually selectable holiday activities in the target market Kenya. As a result, there are basic prerequisites, the consideration of which is essential for the successful integration of the so-called niche market tree planting and the branch-specific nature of ecotourism in the Kenyan travel market.
The molecular weight properties of lignins are one of the key elements that need to be analyzed for a successful industrial application of these promising biopolymers. In this study, the use of 1H NMR as well as diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY NMR), combined with multivariate regression methods, was investigated for the determination of the molecular weight (Mw and Mn) and the polydispersity of organosolv lignins (n = 53, Miscanthus x giganteus, Paulownia tomentosa, and Silphium perfoliatum). The suitability of the models was demonstrated by cross validation (CV) as well as by an independent validation set of samples from different biomass origins (beech wood and wheat straw). CV errors of ca. 7–9 and 14–16% were achieved for all parameters with the models from the 1H NMR spectra and the DOSY NMR data, respectively. The prediction errors for the validation samples were in a similar range for the partial least squares model from the 1H NMR data and for a multiple linear regression using the DOSY NMR data. The results indicate the usefulness of NMR measurements combined with multivariate regression methods as a potential alternative to more time-consuming methods such as gel permeation chromatography.
The rapid increase in solar photovoltaic (PV) installations worldwide has resulted in the electricity grid becoming increasingly dependent on atmospheric conditions, thus requiring more accurate forecasts of incoming solar irradiance. In this context, measured data from PV systems are a valuable source of information about the optical properties of the atmosphere, in particular the cloud optical depth (COD). This work reports first results from an inversion algorithm developed to infer global, direct and diffuse irradiance as well as atmospheric optical properties from PV power measurements, with the goal of assimilating this information into numerical weather prediction (NWP) models.
Photovoltaic (PV) power data are a valuable but as yet under-utilised resource that could be used to characterise global irradiance with unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution. The resulting knowledge of atmospheric conditions can then be fed back into weather models and will ultimately serve to improve forecasts of PV power itself. This provides a data-driven alternative to statistical methods that use post-processing to overcome inconsistencies between ground-based irradiance measurements and the corresponding predictions of regional weather models (see for instance Frank et al., 2018). This work reports first results from an algorithm developed to infer global horizontal irradiance as well as atmospheric optical properties such as aerosol or cloud optical depth from PV power measurements.
In this study, we investigate the thermo-mechanical relaxation and crystallization behavior of polyethylene using mesoscale molecular dynamics simulations. Our models specifically mimic constraints that occur in real-life polymer processing: After strong uniaxial stretching of the melt, we quench and release the polymer chains at different loading conditions. These conditions allow for free or hindered shrinkage, respectively. We present the shrinkage and swelling behavior as well as the crystallization kinetics over up to 600 ns simulation time. We are able to precisely evaluate how the interplay of chain length, temperature, local entanglements and orientation of chain segments influences crystallization and relaxation behavior. From our models, we determine the temperature dependent crystallization rate of polyethylene, including crystallization onset temperature.
Because the robust and rapid determination of spoilage microorganisms is becoming increasingly important in industry, the use of IR microspectroscopy, and the establishment of robust and versatile chemometric models for data processing and classification, is gaining importance. To further improve the chemometric models, bacterial stress responses were induced, to study the effect on the IR spectra and to improve the chemometric model. Thus, in this work, nine important food-relevant microorganisms were subjected to eight stress conditions, besides the regular culturing as a reference. Spectral changes compared to normal growth conditions without stressors were found in the spectral regions of 900–1500 cm−1 and 1500–1700 cm−1. These differences might stem from changes in the protein secondary structure, exopolymer production, and concentration of nucleic acids, lipids, and polysaccharides. As a result, a model for the discrimination of the studied microorganisms at the genus, species and strain level was established, with an accuracy of 96.6%. This was achieved despite the inclusion of various stress conditions and times after incubation of the bacteria. In addition, a model was developed for each individual microorganism, to separate each stress condition or regular treatment with 100% accuracy.
Designing a social protection system is of course not only a technical exercise but a very political affair. A systems approach to social protection is shaped by the political elites and the respective coalitions of change, the political institutions as well as the political system of a country. This explains why also seemingly similar countries in terms of their risk profile, poverty situation and economic situation can adopt very different social protection systems or make very different progress with respect to social protection expansion. Not only are the established welfare states of the Global North but also the nascent social protection systems in the Global South a testimony of this variety.
The changing world poses many challenges to public policies, including social policies – among them social protection policies, which are the main focus of this handbook. Here, in this part of the handbook, we take on a number of these challenges: demographic changes and their interaction with social protection policies; roles of social protection in coping with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic (both topics discussed in Chapter 39 and 43 by Woodall); the challenges of globalisation (discussed in Chapter 40 by Betz) and the limitations it imposes on state sovereignty and its ability to decide on the size of publicly funded programmes, in particular social protection; challenges to labour markets and social effective protection coverage posed by automation and digitalisation of businesses (discussed in Chapter 41 by Gassmann) and, last but not least, potential roles of social protection in facilitating population’s adjustments to climate change (discussed in Chapter 42 by Malerba).
While there is a standard set of instruments that can be used in social protection systems, this needs to be adapted and combined in different ways in order to serve different groups in society best. The needs of a young person who is just starting life and should not be trapped from birth in unfavourable socio-economic conditions are different from the social protection requirements of a retired person who has finished the active part of life and requires income and care security for an indefinite time period.
While social protection has become an important policy field in many low- and middle-income countries (LICs and MICs), 55 per cent of the world’s population are still not even covered by one social protection benefit, with 87 per cent of people uncovered in Sub-Saharan Africa and 61 per cent in Asia and the Pacific (ILO 2017). Next to undercoverage, there are other factors that lower the efficiency, effectiveness and social justice of social protection in many countries, such as the lack of a joint vision and policy strategy, fragmented social protection programmes, duplication of administrative systems and efforts and irrational prioritisation in spending. These all call for a stronger systems approach to social protection. This handbook is therefore dedicated to social protection systems, highlighting the relevance but also the challenges that are related to a harmonised and coordinated approach across different social protection instruments, institutions, actors and delivery mechanisms. It takes the reader through all possible aspects of social protection systems.
Intersectoral collaborations are an integral component of the prevention and control of diseases in a complex health system. On the one hand, One Health (OH) is promoting the establishment of intersectoral collaborations for prevention at the human-animal-environment interface. On the other hand, operationalising OH can only be realized through intersectoral collaborations.
This work contributes to broadening the knowledge of the process for operationalising OH by analysing the governance structures behind different initiatives that tackle health problems at the human-animal-environment interface. The cases taken as examples for the analysis are the control and response to rabies and avian influenza under “classical OH”, and the management of floods and droughts for insights into “extended OH”. Data from Ghana and India were collected and compared to identify the key elements that enable ISC for OH.
Despite the case studies being heterogeneous in terms of their geographic, economic, social, cultural, and historical contexts, strong similarities were identified on how intersectoral collaborations in OH were initiated, managed, and taken to scale.
The actions documented for rabies prevention and control were historically based on one sector being the leader and implementer of activities, while avian influenza management relied more on intersectoral collaborations with clearly defined sectoral responsibilities. The management of the impact of flood and droughts on health provided a good example of intersectoral collaborations achieved by sectoral integration; however, the human health component was only involved in the response stage in the case of Ghana, while for India, there were broader schemes of intersectoral collaborations for prevention, adaptation, and response concerning climate change and disaster.
The modern concept of the evolution of Mars assumes that life could potentially have originated on the planet Mars, possibly during the end of the late heavy bombardment, and could then be transferred to other planets. Since then, physical and chemical conditions on Mars changed and now strongly limit the presence of terrestrial-like life forms. These adverse conditions include scarcity of liquid water (although brine solutions may exist), low temperature and atmospheric pressure, and cosmic radiation. Ionizing radiation is very important among these life-constraining factors because it damages DNA and other cellular components, particularly in liquid conditions where radiation-induced reactive oxidants diffuse freely. Here, we investigated the impact of high doses (up to 2 kGy) of densely-ionizing (197.6 keV/µm), space-relevant iron ions (corresponding on the irradiation that reach the uppermost layer of the Mars subsurface) on the survival of an extremophilic terrestrial organism-Cryomyces antarcticus-in liquid medium and under atmospheric conditions, through different techniques. Results showed that it survived in a metabolically active state when subjected to high doses of Fe ions and was able to repair eventual DNA damages. It implies that some terrestrial life forms can withstand prolonged exposure to space-relevant ion radiation.
The solvent exchange as one of the most important steps during the manufacturing process of organic aerogels was investigated. This step is crucial as a preparatory step for the supercritical drying, since the pore solvent must be soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide to enable solvent extraction. The development and subsequent optimization of a suitable system with a peristaltic pump for automatic solvent exchange proved to be a suitable approach. In addition, the influence of zeolites on the acceleration of the process was found to be beneficial. To investigate the process, the water content in acetone was determined at different times using Karl Fischer titration. The shrinkage, densities, as well as the surface areas of the aerogels were analyzed. Based on these, the influence of various process parameters on the final structure of the obtained aerogels was investigated and evaluated. Modeling on diffusion in porous materials completes this study.
In contrast to the German power supply, the energy supply in many West African countries is very unstable. Frequent power outages are not uncommon. Especially for critical infrastructures, such as hospitals, a stable power supply is vital. To compensate for the power outages, diesel generators are often used. In the future, these systems will increasingly be supplemented by PV systems and storage, so that the generator will have to be used less or not at all when needed. For the design and operation of such systems, it is necessary to better understand the atmospheric variability of PV power generation. For example, there are large variations between rainy and dry seasons, between days with high and low dust levels - caused by sandstorms (harmattan) or urban air pollution.
West Africa has a great potential for the application of solar energy systems, as it combines high levels of solar irradiance with a lack of energy production. Southern West Africa is a region with a very high aerosol load. Urbanization, uncontrolled fires, traffic as well as power plants and oil rigs lead to increasing anthropogenic emissions. The naturally circulating north winds bring mineral dust from the Sahel and Sahara and monsoons - sea salt and other oceanic compounds from the south. The EU-funded Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa (DACCIWA) project (2014–2018), dlivered the most complete dataset of the atmosphere over the region to date. In our study, we use in-situ measured optical properties of aerosols from the airborne campaign over the Gulf of Guinea and inland, and from ground measurements in coastal cities.
Der Hochschulentwicklungsplan (HEP) 3 der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg beschreibt die strategischen Schwerpunkte der Hochschulentwicklung für die Jahre 2021 bis 2025. Er steht insbesondere unter den Leitbegriffen "Nachhaltigkeit und gesellschaftliche Verantwortung, Digitalisierung, Internationalisierung und Diversität".
Turbulent compressible flows are traditionally simulated using explicit time integrators applied to discretized versions of the Navier-Stokes equations. However, the associated Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy condition severely restricts the maximum time-step size. Exploiting the Lagrangian nature of the Boltzmann equation’s material derivative, we now introduce a feasible three-dimensional semi-Lagrangian lattice Boltzmann method (SLLBM), which circumvents this restriction. While many lattice Boltzmann methods for compressible flows were restricted to two dimensions due to the enormous number of discrete velocities in three dimensions, the SLLBM uses only 45 discrete velocities. Based on compressible Taylor-Green vortex simulations we show that the new method accurately captures shocks or shocklets as well as turbulence in 3D without utilizing additional filtering or stabilizing techniques other than the filtering introduced by the interpolation, even when the time-step sizes are up to two orders of magnitude larger compared to simulations in the literature. Our new method therefore enables researchers to study compressible turbulent flows by a fully explicit scheme, whose range of admissible time-step sizes is dictated by physics rather than spatial discretization.
Isolated methylmalonic acidaemia (MMA) and propionic acidaemia (PA) are rare inherited metabolic diseases. Six years ago, a detailed evaluation of the available evidence on diagnosis and management of these disorders has been published for the first time. The article received considerable attention, illustrating the importance of an expert panel to evaluate and compile recommendations to guide rare disease patient care. Since that time, a growing body of evidence on transplant outcomes in MMA and PA patients and use of precursor free amino acid mixtures allows for updates of the guidelines. In this article, we aim to incorporate this newly published knowledge and provide a revised version of the guidelines. The analysis was performed by a panel of multidisciplinary health care experts, who followed an updated guideline development methodology (GRADE). Hence, the full body of evidence up until autumn 2019 was re‐evaluated, analysed and graded. As a result, 21 updated recommendations were compiled in a more concise paper with a focus on the existing evidence to enable well‐informed decisions in the context of MMA and PA patient care.
In Deutschland im Allgemeinen sowie in der Region Bonn-Rhein-Sieg im Konkreten ist ein Startup-Trend sichtbar, der sich insbesondere auf den digitalen Bereich erstreckt. Dies äußert sich z.B. durch die Realisierung verschiedener Digital Hubs, unter anderem auch dem Digital Hub Bonn, sowie diversen Netzwerken und Communities, die sich mit dem Thema Unternehmensgründung befassen.
Die Studierenden der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (H-BRS) stellen dabei potenzielle Unternehmensgründer dar. Das Centrum für Entrepreneurship, Innovation und Mittelstand (CENTIM) hat als Hochschulinstitut zur Aufgabe unter anderem den Bereich Entrepreneurship zu vertreten. Um die Studierenden in ihren Gründungsaktivitäten besser unterstützen zu können, soll ein Überblick über das Gründungsverhalten sowie das Gründungsinteresse der Studierenden erstellt werden. Dabei sollen ebenfalls mögliche Optimierungsfelder der Lehr- und Beratungsangebote identifiziert werden.
Target meaning representations for semantic parsing tasks are often based on programming or query languages, such as SQL, and can be formalized by a context-free grammar. Assuming a priori knowledge of the target domain, such grammars can be exploited to enforce syntactical constraints when predicting logical forms. To that end, we assess how syntactical parsers can be integrated into modern encoder-decoder frameworks. Specifically, we implement an attentional SEQ2SEQ model that uses an LR parser to maintain syntactically valid sequences throughout the decoding procedure. Compared to other approaches to grammar-guided decoding that modify the underlying neural network architecture or attempt to derive full parse trees, our approach is conceptually simpler, adds less computational overhead during inference and integrates seamlessly with current SEQ2SEQ frameworks. We present preliminary evaluation results against a recurrent SEQ2SEQ baseline on GEOQUERY and ATIS and demonstrate improved performance while enforcing grammatical constraints.
With the debates on climate change and sustainability, a reduction of the share of cars in the modal split has become increasingly prevalent in both public and academic discourse. Besides some motivational approaches, there is a lack of ICT artifacts that successfully raise the ability of consumers to adopt sustainable mobility patterns. To further understand the requirements and the design of these artifacts within everyday mobility adopted a practice-lens. This lens is helpful to get a broader perspective on the use of ICT artifacts along consumers’ transformational journey towards sustainable mobility practices. Based on 12 retrospective interviews with car-free mobility consumers, we argue that artifacts should not be viewed as ’magic-bullet’ solutions but should accompany the complex transformation of practices in multifaceted ways. Moreover, we highlight in particular the difficulties of appropriating shared infrastructures and aligning own practices with them. This opens up a design space to provide more support for these kinds of material-interactions, to provide access to consumption infrastructures and make them usable, rather than leaving consumers alone with increased motivation.
The year 2020 was dominated by the Corona pandemic, which abruptly changed everyday life at the university. Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (H-BRS) succeeded not only in maintaining operations under these difficult circumstances, but also in enriching them with new ideas and insights. This difficult year 2020 has opened up new perspectives, especially for teaching, but also for research and administration. This annual report, to which we have given the motto "Walking - knowing the point of view, taking direction, showing attitude", tells of this. It shows which paths the H-BRS has taken in the past year. Some routes were rocky, and some slopes could only be overcome with combined efforts. Often, however, new terrain was opened up. The aim was always to find answers to the multi-layered, complex questions of our time - whether with regard to digitalisation, climate change or the social responsibility of science.
Das Jahr 2020 stand unter dem Eindruck der Corona-Pandemie, die den Hochschulalltag schlagartig verändert hat. Daraus ergaben sich für vor allem für die Lehre, die Forschung und die Verwaltung Herausforderungen, aber auch neue Perspektiven. "Wir haben dabei viel für die Hochschule der Zukunft gelernt, etwa wie Digitalisierung den Hochschulalltag verändern wird", so Hochschulpräsident Hartmut Ihne in seinem Vorwort zum Jahresbericht. "Vor allem aber haben wir gelernt, dass wir die Solidarität aller mit allen brauchen."
Der Jahresbericht stellt zahlreiche Beispiele für gelungene Gemeinschaftsleistungen heraus - ob es nun um den Umgang mit der Corona-Pandemie, Projekte zur Energiewende und zum Klimaschutz, Coaching für internationale Studierende oder den Erfolg des Hacker-Teams beim internationalen Wettbewerb "Hack-a-Sat" geht.
Auf mehr als 80 Seiten bietet die Broschüre einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Themen aus den Gebieten Forschung, Lehre, Studium und Kooperation. Abgerundet wird der Jahresbericht durch Daten, Fakten und Personalien.
Im Interview sprechen zudem Hartmut Ihne und Bonns Oberbürgermeisterin Katja Dörner über die Bewältigung des Klimawandels. Dabei geht es vor allem um die Frage, wie der durch die Corona-Pandemie intensiver gewordene Dialog zwischen Wissenschaft und Politik zu einem schnelleren Handeln beitragen kann.
In thyroid carcinoma cells, the soluble βgalactosidespecific lectin, galectin3, is extra and intracellularly expressed and plays a significant role in thyroid cancer diagnosis. The functional relevance of this molecule, particularly in its extracellular environment however, warrants further elucidation. To gain insight into this topic, the present study characterized principal functional properties of galectin3 in 3 commonly used thyroid carcinoma cell lines (BCPAP, Cal62 and FTC133) that express the molecule intra and extracellulary. Cellintrinsic galectin3 harbors a functional carbohydrate recognition domain as determined by affinity purification. Moreover, cell surface expressed galectin3 can be partially removed by treatment with lactose or asialofetuin, but not with sucrose. Thyroid carcinoma cells adhere to substratebound galectin3 in a βgalactosidespecific manner, whereby only cell adhesion, but not cell migration is promoted. Thus, thyroid tumor cells harbor functional active galectin3 that, inter alia, specifically interacts with cell surfaceexpressed molecular ligands in a βgalactosidedependent manner, whereby the molecule can at least interfere with cell adhesion. The modulation of galectin3 expression level or its ligands in such tumor cells could be of therapeutic interest and needs further experimental clarification.
New sustainable, environmentally friendly materials for thermal insulation of buildings are necessary to reduce their carbon footprints. In this study, Miscanthus fiber-reinforced geopolymer composites, foamed with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), were developed using fly ash as a geopolymer precursor. The effects of fiber content, fiber size, curing temperature, foaming agent content, fumed silica specific surface area and fumed silica content on thermal conductivity and compressive strength were evaluated using a Plackett-Burman design of experiment. Furthermore, the microstructure of geopolymer composites was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The measured characteristic values were in the following ranges: Thermal conductivity 0.057 W (m K)−1 to 0.127 W (m K)−1, compressive strength 0.007 MPa–0.719 MPa and porosity 49 vol% to 76 vol%. The results reveal an enhancement of thermal conductivity by elevated fiber size and foaming agent content. In contrast, the compressive strength is enhanced by high fiber content. Additionally, SEM images indicate a good interaction between the fibers and the geopolymer matrix, because nearly the whole fiber surface is covered by the geopolymer.
Although work events can be regarded as pivotal elements of organizational life, only a few studies have examined how positive and negative events relate to and combine to affect work engagement over time. Theory suggests that, to better understand how current events affect work engagement (WE), we have to account for recent events that have preceded these current events. We present competing theoretical views on how recent and current work events may affect employees (e.g., getting used to a high frequency of negative events or becoming more sensitive to negative events). Although the occurrence of events implies discrete changes in the experience of work, prior research has not considered whether work events actually accumulate to sustained mid-term changes in WE. To address these gaps in the literature, we conducted a week-level longitudinal study across a period of 15 consecutive weeks among 135 employees, which yielded 849 weekly observations. While positive events were associated with higher levels of WE within the same week, negative events were not. Our results support neither satiation nor sensitization processes. However, a high frequency of negative events in the preceding week amplified the beneficial effects of positive events on WE in the current week. Growth curve analyses show that the benefits of positive events accumulate to sustain high levels of WE. WE dissipates in the absence of a continuous experience of positive events. Our study adds a temporal component by highlighting that positive events affect work engagement, particularly in light of recent negative events. Our study informs research that has taken a feature-oriented perspective on the dynamic interplay of job demands and resources.
Applied privacy research has so far focused mainly on consumer relations in private life. Privacy in the context of employment relationships is less well studied, although it is subject to the same legal privacy framework in Europe. The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has strengthened employees’ right to privacy by obliging that employers provide transparency and intervention mechanisms. For such mechanisms to be effective, employees must have a sound understanding of their functions and value. We explored possible boundaries by conducting a semistructured interview study with 27 office workers in Germany and elicited mental models of the right to informational self-determination, which is the European proxy for the right to privacy. We provide insights into (1) perceptions of different categories of data, (2) familiarity with the legal framework regarding expectations for privacy controls, and (3) awareness of data processing, data flow, safeguards, and threat models. We found that legal terms often used in privacy policies used to describe categories of data are misleading. We further identified three groups of mental models that differ in their privacy control requirements and willingness to accept restrictions on their privacy rights. We also found ignorance about actual data flow, processing, and safeguard implementation. Participants’ mindsets were shaped by their faith in organizational and technical measures to protect privacy. Employers and developers may benefit from our contributions by understanding the types of privacy controls desired by office workers and the challenges to be considered when conceptualizing and designing usable privacy protections in the workplace.
Research on entrepreneurial eco-systems is evolving with exhortations for empirical studies at regional and local levels to augment national surveys. The study, therefore, sought to explore the entrepreneurial eco-system of the Central Region, which is relatively well-endowed with natural resources but lags behind in economic advancement in Ghana. Through descriptive research design, quantitative data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from a convenience sample of 44 entrepreneurs under the presidential business support programme in the Central Region of Ghana, in 2019. Data were analysed, by conducting descriptive analysis such as means (M) and percentages and by exploratory factor analysis, with the IBM SPSS Version 25. Descriptive results of 37 valid responses showed that the respondents were satisfied, in varying degrees (M = 4.19-5.65), with 11 factors within the eco-system; the top three factors were demand, security and availability of raw materials. Respondents were, however, not satisfied with access to business development services, access to finance, rent charges and access to repairers of equipment and thus, pose as challenges to their entrepreneurial pursuits. Principal component analysis revealed inter-connectedness among the factors in the eco-system with strong loadings of measures of institutions and resource endowment under the two components of the solution. Based on the findings, it is concluded that the entrepreneurs surveyed were satisfied with more factors in the EES of the Central Region while they were dissatisfied with relatively few but critical factors in the EES, thereby posing as major challenges to their entrepreneurial activities. As an exploratory study, the findings suggest that the entrepreneurial eco-system of the Central Region of Ghana is, to some extent, supportive of entrepreneurial activities but has key challenges. To achieve maximum outcomes, policy interventions should collectively address, at a time, factors that interact strongly to influence entrepreneurship within the system.
Different analyses and feasibility studies have been conducted on the plant extracts of thyme (Thymus vulgaris), European horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana), and snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii) to evaluate bio‐based alternatives to common petrol‐based stabilisers. For this purpose, in this study, plant extracts were incorporated into poly‐lactic acid films (PLA) at different concentrations. The films’ UV absorbance and migration into packed food was analysed via photometric assays (ABTS radical cation scavenging capacity assay, β‐carotene assay) and GC–MS analysis. Furthermore, the synergistic antioxidant effects of various combinations of extracts and isolated active compounds were determined. This way, antioxidant effects can be increased, allowing for a highly effective use of resources. All extracts were successfully incorporated into PLA films and showed notable photoabsorbing effects, while no migration risk was observed. Depending on extract combinations, high synergistic effects of up to 726% can be utilised to improve the effectiveness of bio‐based extracts. This applies particularly to tomato paste and Aesculus hippocastanum extracts, which overall show high synergistic and antioxidant effects in combination with each other and with isolated active compounds. The study shows that it is possible to create safe bio‐based antioxidant films which show even improved properties when using highlighted target combinations.