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Lang, bunt und schön: Multimedia-Reportagen als neuartige Darstellungsform im Online-Journalimus
(2018)
Die Multimedia- oder Web-Reportage ist vielleicht die erste wirklich genuin online-journalistische Darstellungsform. Ihre Produktion ist ohne digitale Werkzeuge nicht denkbar, ihre Rezeption ist gebunden an eine digitale Laufzeitumgebung – etwa einen Webbrowser oder eine Smartphone-App. Gleichzeitig ist sie die Erzählform, die schlagkräftig unter Beweis stellt, dass Onlinejournalismus keineswegs nur Häppchenjournalismus sein muss und aus möglichst kurzen Textbites zu bestehen hat.
This work discusses how to use OSM for robotic applications and aims at starting a discussion between the OSM and the robotics community. OSM contains much topological and semantic information that can be directly used in robotics and offers various advantages: 1) Standardized format with existing tooling. 2) The graph structure allows to compose the OSM models with domain-specific semantics by adding custom nodes, relations, and key-value pairs. 3) Information about many places is already available and can be used by robots since it is driven by a community effort.
This paper introduces a random number generator (RNG) based on the avalanche noise of two diodes. A true random number generator (TRNG) generates true random numbers with the use of the electronic noise produced by two avalanche diodes. The amplified outputs of the diodes are sampled and digitized. The difference between the two concurrently sampled and digitized outputs is calculated and used to select a seed and to drive a pseudo-random number generator (PRNG). The PRNG is an xorshift generator that generates 1024 bits in each cycle. Every sequence of 1024 bits is moderately modified and output. The TRNG delivers the next seed and the next cycle begins. The statistical behavior of the generator is analyzed and presented.
ドイツで学んだ研究の方法と働き方
(2018)
Qualität und Wirksamkeit – Gedanken zur qualitätsorientierten Steuerung in der Rehabilitation
(2018)
We present the performance of the upGREAT heterodyne array receivers on the SOFIA telescope after several years of operations. This instrument is a multi-pixel high resolution (R≳107) spectrometer for the Stratospheric Observatory for Far-Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The receivers use 7-pixel subarrays configured in a hexagonal layout around a central pixel. The low frequency array receiver (LFA) has 2×7 pixels (dual polarization), and presently covers the 1.83–2.07THz frequency range, which allows to observe the [CII] and [OI] lines at 158μm and 145μm wavelengths. The high frequency array (HFA) covers the [OI] line at 63μm and is equipped with one polarization at the moment (7 pixels, which can be upgraded in the near future with a second polarization array). The 4.7THz array has successfully flown using two separate quantum-cascade laser local oscillators from two different groups. NASA completed the development, integration and testing of a dual-channel closed-cycle cryocooler system, with two independently operable He compressors, aboard SOFIA in early 2017 and since then, both arrays can be operated in parallel using a frequency separating dichroic mirror. This configuration is now the prime GREAT configuration and has been added to SOFIA’s instrument suite since observing cycle 6.
Small Molecules Enhance Scaffold-Based Bone Grafts via Purinergic Receptor Signaling in Stem Cells
(2018)
The need for bone grafts is high, due to age-related diseases, such as tumor resections, but also accidents, risky sports, and military conflicts. The gold standard for bone grafting is the use of autografts from the iliac crest, but the limited amount of accessible material demands new sources of bone replacement. The use of mesenchymal stem cells or their descendant cells, namely osteoblast, the bone-building cells and endothelial cells for angiogenesis, combined with artificial scaffolds, is a new approach. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be obtained from the patient themselves, or from donors, as they barely cause an immune response in the recipient. However, MSCs never fully differentiate in vitro which might lead to unwanted effects in vivo. Interestingly, purinergic receptors can positively influence the differentiation of both osteoblasts and endothelial cells, using specific artificial ligands. An overview is given on purinergic receptor signaling in the most-needed cell types involved in bone metabolism-namely osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and endothelial cells. Furthermore, different types of scaffolds and their production methods will be elucidated. Finally, recent patents on scaffold materials, as wells as purinergic receptor-influencing molecules which might impact bone grafting, are discussed.
Polyurethane (PU) coatings were successfully produced using unmodified kraft lignin (KL) as an environmentally benign component in contents of up to 80 wt%. Lignin samples were precipitated from industrial black liquor in aqueous solution working at room temperature and different pH levels (pH 2 to pH 5). Lignins were characterized by UV-Vis, FTIR, pyrolysis-GC/MS, SEC and 31P-NMR. Results show a correlation between pH level, OH number and molecular weight Mw of isolated lignins. Lignin-based polyurethane coatings were prepared in an efficient one step synthesis dissolving lignin in THF and PEG425 in an ultrasonic bath followed by addition of 4,4-diphenylmethanediisocyanate (MDI) and triethylamine (TEA). Crosslinking was achieved under very mild conditions (1 hour at room temperature followed by 3 hours at 35 °C). The resulting coatings were characterized regarding their physical properties including ATR-IR, TGA, optical contact angle, light microscopy, REM-EDX and AFM data. Transparent homogeneous films of high flexibility resulted from lignins isolated at pH 4, possessing a temperature resistance up to 160 °C. Swelling tests revealed a resistance against water. Swelling in DMSO depends on index, pH of precipitation and catalyst utilization for PU preparation. According to AFM studies, surface roughness is between 10 and 28 nm.
According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) recommendation, analytical pyrolysis (Py) is defined as the characterization in an inert atmosphere of a material or a chemical process by a chemical degradation reaction(s) induced by thermal energy [1]. Thermal degradation under controlled conditions is often used as a part of an analytical procedure, either to render a sample into a suitable form for subsequent analysis by gas chromatography (GC), mass spectrometry (MS), gas chromatography coupled with the mass spectrometry (GC/MS), with the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (GC/FTIR), or by direct monitoring as an analytical technique in its own right [2].
Gas chromatography (GC) is a type of chromatography. According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) recommendation, gas chromatography is defined as a separation technique in which the mobile phase is a gas. Gas chromatography is always carried out in a column [1]. GC is a separation and detection method for sample mixtures, whose components can be volatilized without thermal decomposition.
This Business English course in entrepreneurship goes beyond communicative language instruction and offers a course designed to introduce students to innovative thinking, entrepreneurship and sustainable business practices. About 120 students in their first year are enrolled as part of the required foreign language module in Business Management (B.Sc.). Each week students learn new concepts and terminology in sustainable business practices while applying the material in a simulation task-based course using English as a lingua franca. It prepares students to work in an international context while offering online components for autonomous learning. This 12-14 week course is designed in a student-centered and blended learning format with a flipped classroom approach. Through a grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research the “work&study project” will offer additional online materials by developing new educational apps to enhance autonomous language learning and making the app content available under the Creative Commons license. The research project focuses on offering new learning environments to enhance the opportunities for non-traditional students enrolled at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences. This paper will focus on the development of the first apps and results of the first testing phase. It shows how game-based learning and elements of gamification were added for educational purposes to enhance teaching and learning processes that were already well established.
In presence of conflicting or ambiguous visual cues in complex scenes, performing 3D selection and manipulation tasks can be challenging. To improve motor planning and coordination, we explore audio-tactile cues to inform the user about the presence of objects in hand proximity, e.g., to avoid unwanted object penetrations. We do so through a novel glove-based tactile interface, enhanced by audio cues. Through two user studies, we illustrate that proximity guidance cues improve spatial awareness, hand motions, and collision avoidance behaviors, and show how proximity cues in combination with collision and friction cues can significantly improve performance.
We present a novel forearm-and-glove tactile interface that can enhance 3D interaction by guiding hand motor planning and coordination. In particular, we aim to improve hand motion and pose actions related to selection and manipulation tasks. Through our user studies, we illustrate how tactile patterns can guide the user, by triggering hand pose and motion changes, for example to grasp (select) and manipulate (move) an object. We discuss the potential and limitations of the interface, and outline future work.
Die Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA) hat im Juni dieses Jahres ihren aktuellen Forschungsbericht zum Glücksspielverhalten und zur Glücksspielsucht in Deutschland mit Datum 15.2.2018 veröffentlicht: GLÜCKSSPIELVERHALTEN UND GLÜCKSSPIELSUCHT IN DEUTSCHLAND. Ergebnisse des Surveys 2017 und Trends. BZgA-Forschungsbericht / 15.2.2018.
Differential-Algebraic Equations and Beyond: From Smooth to Nonsmooth Constrained Dynamical Systems
(2018)
The present article presents a summarizing view at differential-algebraic equations (DAEs) and analyzes how new application fields and corresponding mathematical models lead to innovations both in theory and in numerical analysis for this problem class. Recent numerical methods for nonsmooth dynamical systems subject to unilateral contact and friction illustrate the topicality of this development.
The main objective of this chapter is to give insights into how H-BRS as a German University of Applied Sciences supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in exploring African markets. The university achieves this objective by engaging its Bachelor and Master level students in applied market research. Students engage in this research as part of their final thesis writing. This chapter lays out a process for successful marketing research projects for German SMEs in nine steps.
Due to regionalization and global competition, many companies have turned their attention to other markets outside the domestic ones in anticipation of securing profitable market(s) for their products. Cormart (Nigeria) Limited is one of such companies, seeking to expand beyond its domestic borders. Cormart is a Nigerian trading company specializing in Industrial Raw Materials and Chemicals. It represents the business interests of top Multinational Companies that wish to do business in Nigeria. In line with its expansion strategy, Cormart seeks to introduce its newly developed spray starch product (RENEW) into the Ghanaian market.
This case study is based on Azuri Health Ltd, a small company in Kenya that specializes mainly in the manufacture of dried fruit and flours. The company was started in 2010 and currently has 15 employees. It buys fruits, especially mangoes from farmers, processes them and markets them in- and outside of Kenya as dried fruits. This value addition enhances the shelf life of the products which would otherwise spoil within a few days after ripening.
Internships and professional experience are becoming more and more important requisites for students and graduates and are almost taken for granted by many HR officials. In opposition to this, many newly created Bachelor and Master programmes make it difficult for students to integrate internships into their studies without having to add another semester and thereby "losing" valuable time. This becomes all the more relevant with private universities or universities generally that charge considerable tuition fees.
While Anglo-Saxon HEIs focus on a strong educational background and personal development of students, the German system, in particular Universities of Applied Sciences, emphasize employability through the transfer of job-related professional and soft skills. In this context, learning by practical application of skills has become an important instrument. Concepts for linking theory and application include research-based learning, practical internships or service learning – methods, which also maintain high standards of academic education.
Introduction
(2018)
This handbook describes the processes and success factors of marketoriented university services to the non-academic world, and the processes to integrate these services into teaching. It aims to highlight benchmark examples from Africa and Germany in order to outline motivational factors, influencing aspects, as well as drivers and barriers to applied university services in developing countries.
This Handbook of Applied Marketing and Personnel Services is part of the project "German-African University Partnership Platform for the Development of Entrepreneurship and SMEs", financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and jointly conducted by Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, University of Cape Coast in Ghana and University of Nairobi in Kenya.
In the context of the Franco-German research project Re(h)strain, this work focuses on a global system analysis integrating both safety and security analysis of international and/or urban railway stations. The Re(h)strain project focuses on terrorist attacks on high speed train systems and investigates prevention and mitigation measures to reduce the overall vulnerability and strengthen the system resilience. One main criterion regarding public transport issues is the number of passengers. For example, the railway station of Paris “Gare du Nord” deals with a bigger number of passengers than the biggest airport in the world (SNCF open Data 2014), the Atlanta airport, but in terms of passengers, it is only around the 23rd rank railway station in the world. Due to the enormous mass of people, this leads to the system approach of breaking out the station into several classes of zones, e.g. entrance, main hall, quays, trains, etc. All classes are analysed considering state-of-the-art parameters, like targets attractiveness, feasibility of attack, possible damage, possible mitigation and defences. Then, safety incidence of security defence is discussed in order to refine security requirement with regard to the considered zone. Finally, global requirements of security defence correlated to the corresponding class of zones are proposed.
Technische Innovationen verändern den Alltag enorm – auch den von Journalisten. Technik-Fachjournalisten sind daher gefragt wie nie. Was sie können müssen, wie in den Medien über Digitalisierung berichtet wird und inwiefern künstliche Intelligenz (KI) Journalisten in Zukunft überflüssig machen wird, beantwortet der Medienwissenschaftler Andreas Schümchen im Gespräch mit dem "Fachjournalist".
Gegenstand dieser Arbeit sind Untersuchungen zur Detektion von verpackten Gefahrstoffen wie beispielsweise Explosivstoffen. Hierzu wird in einem ersten Schritt die Verpackung mittels Laserbohrens durchdrungen, um anschließend den nun freiliegenden Gefahrstoff nachweisen zu können. Dies geschieht einerseits durch eine lasergestützte Probenahme und anschließende Detektion mit gängigen chemisch-analytischen Verfahren sowie direkt bei der Wechselwirkung zwischen Laser und Gefahrstoff mittels Ramanspektroskopie. Zudem werden schnelle in situ-Techniken im Hinblick auf ihre Eignung zur Überwachung des Laserbohrprozesses untersucht. Hier werden kostengünstige und kompakte Sensortechniken (Messung der Prozessgase durch Halbleitergassensoren, Messung des Luftschalls mittels Kondensatormikrofon) mit aufwendigeren und komplexeren spektroskopischen Verfahren (Plasma- und Ramanspektroskopie) bewertend verglichen. Anhand ausgewählter Modellsysteme in verkleinertem Maßstab werden die unterschiedlichen Verfahren unter Verwendung gängiger Verpackungs- und Hüllenmaterialien sowie anhand ausgewählter Explosivstoffe charakterisiert. Für das Laserverfahren kommen gepulste Nd:YAG Laser mit unterschiedlichen Emissionswellenlängen zum Einsatz.
Der globalisierte Kapitalismus, Umweltkatastrophen, Überbevölkerung sowie zunehmende politisch und religiös motivierte Konflikte fordern ein Umdenken ökonomischer Konzepte. Allein mit den herkömmlichen Sozial- und Wirtschaftssystemen lassen sich existenzbedrohende Probleme wie Armut, Hunger, Krankheit, mangelnde Bildung und Betreuung nicht lösen. Es gilt dringend, neue, zukunftsweisende unternehmerische Konzepte zu entwickeln und zu fördern. Seit geraumer Zeit hat sich unter dem Begriff „Social Entrepreneurship“ eine Bewegung etabliert, die versucht, unter Beachtung klassischer Ökonomiegrundsätze gesellschaftliche Herausforderungen nachhaltig zu lösen.
Argentina substantially contributes to the global organic agriculture and food sector due to its large areas of organically managed agricultural land. However, most of the organic production is intended for export. Overall, food supply for the domestic organic market is hardly tapped. Based on this, we investigate the current importance of organic agriculture and food production as well as consumption attitudes and behavior within the country. The novelty of the study also lies in the observation, documentation and analysis of latest stakeholder‐driven developments towards organic agriculture and food. Furthermore, the publication allows the Argentinean organic market to be significantly more visible for the international audience.
Entering the work envelope of an industrial robot can lead to severe injury from collisions with moving parts of the system. Conventional safety mechanisms therefore mostly restrict access to the robot using physical barriers such as walls and fences or non-contact protective devices including light curtains and laser scanners. As none of these mechanisms applies to human-robot-collaboration (HRC), a concept in which human and machine complement one another by working hand in hand, there is a rising need for safe and reliable detection of human body parts amidst background clutter. For this application camera-based systems are typically well suited. Still, safety concerns remain, owing to possible detection failures caused by environmental occlusion, extraneous light or other adverse imaging conditions. While ultrasonic proximity sensing can provide physical diversity to the system, it does not yet allow to reliably distinguish relevant objects from background objects.This work investigates a new approach to detecting relevant objects and human body parts based on acoustic holography. The approach is experimentally validated using a low-cost application-specific ultrasonic sensor system created from micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). The presented results show that this system far outperforms conventional proximity sensors in terms of lateral imaging resolution and thus allows for more intelligent muting processes without compromising the safety of people working close to the robot. Based upon this work, a next step could be the development of a multimodal sensor systems to safeguard workers who collaborate with robots using the described ultrasonic sensor system.
This paper documents the reversal of pension privatization and the reforms that took place in the 1990s and 2000s in Poland. The report analyses the political economy of different reform proposals, and the characteristics of the new pension system, including laws enacted, coverage, benefit adequacy, financing and contribution rates, governance and social security administration, social dialogue, positive impacts and other key issues of Poland’s pension system.
Die Freiheit in Forschung und Lehre ist zusammen mit der Wissenschaftsfreiheit eines der bürgerlichen Grundrechte in Deutschland. Aber die Forschungsfreiheit kann nicht grenzenlos sein. Industrie wie akademische Institute müssen ihre Entwicklungen dokumentieren. Nur so ist ein Stoff später für die Vermarktung zulassungsfähig und nur so lässt sich belegen, wer die Urheberrechte daran hat.
Zustandsregelung für ein Mikroflugsystem zur Ansteuerung vorgegebener Wegpunkte in Innenräumen
(2018)
In der Masterarbeit Zustandsregelung für ein Mikroflugsystem zur Ansteuerung vorgegebener Wegpunkte in Innenräumen wird die Entwicklung einer Positionsregelung für ein Mikroflugsystem vorgestellt. Damit ist es möglich, sowohl in einer bekannten als auch unbekannten Umgebung vorgegebene Wegpunkte automatisch anzusteuern. Die Lokalisation des Flugsystems findet mit interner Sensorik sowie mithilfe von zwei Laserscannern statt. Steht bereits eine Karte der Umgebung zur Verfügung, ist es möglich, einen Pfad zu einem vorgegebenen Zielpunkt zu berechnen und diesen Pfad automatisch abzufliegen.
Almost unnoticed by the e-learning community, the underlying technology of the WWW is undergoing massive technological changes on all levels these days. In this paper we draw the attention to the emerging game changer and discuss the consequences for online learning. In our e-learning project "Work & Study", funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, we have experimented with several new technological approaches such as Mobile First, Responsive Design, Mobile Apps, Web Components, Client-side Components, Progressive Web Apps, Course Apps, e-books, and web sockets for real time collaboration and report about the results and consequences for online learning practice. The modular web is emerging where e-learning units are composed from and delivered by universally embeddable web components.
Die vergangene Forschung zeigte, dass Werte und Persönlichkeitseigenschaften von (potentiellen) Arbeitnehmern die wahrgenommene Attraktivität bestimmter Arbeitgebermerkmale wie der Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) beeinflussen. Weitere Forschung wird hingegen benötigt, um die in diesem Zusammenhang relevanten Persönlichkeitsmerkmale zu identifizieren. Diese Studie zielt darauf ab, die Werte und Persönlichkeitseigenschaften zu ermitteln, welche die unterschiedliche Attraktivität von CSR und weiteren Arbeitgebermerkmalen, die sich nicht auf die CSR beziehen, erklären können. Dazu bewerteten (potentielle) Arbeitnehmer (N = 145) auf zwei eigenentwickelten Skalen sowohl CSR-basierte Faktoren der Arbeitgeberattraktivität (z.B. Wassersparen) als auch Nicht-CSR-basierte Faktoren der Arbeitgeberattraktivität (z.B. erwünschte Unternehmenslage) hinsichtlich ihrer Wichtigkeit. Für die CSR-basierte Arbeitgeberattraktivität konnten unter Kontrolle der Big-Five hypothesenkonform die Wertedimension Selbst-Überwindung, die Persönlichkeitsdimension Communion und die prosoziale Persönlichkeit als Prädiktoren identifiziert werden. Die Wertedimensionen Selbst-Erhöhung und Selbst-Überwindung sowie die Persönlichkeitsdimensionen Agency und Communion leisten – ebenfalls über die Big-Five hinaus – einen bedeutenden Beitrag zur Vorhersage der Nicht-CSR-basierten Arbeitgeberattraktivität.
Journalismus.online
(2018)
Antioxidant activity is an essential aspect of oxygen-sensitive merchandise and goods, such as food and corresponding packaging, cosmetics, and biomedicine. Technical lignin has not yet been applied as a natural antioxidant, mainly due to the complex heterogeneous structure and polydispersity of lignin. This report presents antioxidant capacity studies completed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The influence of purification on lignin structure and activity was investigated. The purification procedure showed that double-fold selective extraction is the most efficient (confirmed by ultraviolet-visible (UV/Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, and X-ray diffraction), resulting in fractions of very narrow polydispersity (3.2⁻1.6), up to four distinct absorption bands in UV/Vis spectroscopy. Due to differential scanning calorimetry measurements, the glass transition temperature increased from 123 to 185 °C for the purest fraction. Antioxidant capacity is discussed regarding the biomass source, pulping process, and degree of purification. Lignin obtained from industrial black liquor are compared with beech wood samples: antioxidant activity (DPPH inhibition) of kraft lignin fractions were 62⁻68%, whereas beech and spruce/pine-mixed lignin showed values of 42% and 64%, respectively. Total phenol content (TPC) of the isolated kraft lignin fractions varied between 26 and 35%, whereas beech and spruce/pine lignin were 33% and 34%, respectively. Storage decreased the TPC values but increased the DPPH inhibition.
Serine/threonine kinase 4 (STK4) deficiency is an autosomal recessive genetic condition that leads to primary immunodeficiency (PID) typically characterized by lymphopenia, recurrent infections and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) induced lymphoproliferation and -lymphoma. State-of-the-art treatment regimens consist of prevention or treatment of infections, immunoglobulin substitution (IVIG) and restoration of the immune system by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Here, we report on two patients from two consanguineous families of Turkish (patient P1) and Moroccan (patient P2) decent, with PID due to homozygous STK4 mutations. P1 harbored a previously reported frameshift (c.1103 delT, p.M368RfsX2) and P2 a novel splice donor site mutation (P2; c.525+2 T>G). Both patients presented in childhood with recurrent infections, CD4 lymphopenia and dysregulated immunoglobulin levels. Patient P1 developed a highly malignant B cell lymphoma at the age of 10 years and a second, independent Hodgkin lymphoma 5 years later. To our knowledge she is the first STK4 deficient case reported who developed lymphoma in the absence of detectable EBV or other common viruses. Lymphoma development may be due to the lacking tumor suppressive function of STK4 or the perturbed immune surveillance due to the lack of CD4+ T cells. Our data should raise physicians' awareness of [1] lymphoma proneness of STK4 deficient patients even in the absence of EBV infection and [2] possibly underlying STK4 deficiency in pediatric patients with a history of recurrent infections, CD4 lymphopenia and lymphoma and unknown genetic make-up. Patient P2 experienced recurrent otitis in childhood, but when she presented at the age of 14, she showed clinical and immunological characteristics similar to patients suffering from Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome (ALPS): elevated DNT cell number, non-malignant lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly, hematolytic anemia, hypergammaglobulinemia. Also patient P1 presented with ALPS-like features (lymphadenopathy, elevated DNT cell number and increased Vitamin B12 levels) and both were initially clinically diagnosed as ALPS-like. Closer examination of P2, however, revealed active EBV infection and genetic testing identified a novel STK4 mutation. None of the patients harbored typically ALPS-associated mutations of the Fas receptor mediated apoptotic pathway and Fas-mediated apoptosis was not affected. The presented case reports extend the clinical spectrum of STK4 deficiency.
Auf den Kunden fixiert
(2018)
In this paper we propose an architecture to integrate classical planning and real autonomous mobile robots. We start by providing with a high level description of all necessary components to set the goals, generate plans and execute them on real robots and monitor the outcome of their actions. At the core of our method and to deal with execution issues we code the agent actions with automatas. We prove the flexibility of the system by testing on two different domains: industrial (Basic Transportation Test) and domestic (General Purpose Service Robot) in the context of the international RoboCup competition. Additionally we benchmark the scalability of the planning system in two domains on a set of planning problems with increasing complexity. The proposed framework is open source1 and can be easily extended.
Erst mal abwarten…
(2018)
Dieser Beitrag will aufzeigen und geht der Frage nach, was der Business Case einer an Werten orientierten, verantwortungsvollen und somit einer durch Moral geprägten Führung in und von Unternehmen bedeutet. Es wird erläutert, auf welche Weise und unter Berücksichtigung welcher Aspekte eine „moralische“ Führung zur Wertschöpfung und damit zum Gewinn von Unternehmen beitragen kann. Wirtschaftliches Handeln wird oft im Konflikt zu moralischem Handeln wahrgenommen. Aus dem Zusammenhang mit dem Case des Business Case, der Instrumentalisierung von Moral im ökonomischen Sinn folgt die Begründung, dass die Moral der Ökonomie, der Utilitarismus, einer übergreifenden ethischen Reflexion bedarf, und dass das wirtschaftliche Handeln und Entscheiden der Führungskräfte aus einem umfassenderen moralischen Verständnis heraus praktiziert werden sollte. Hierzu wird ein entsprechender ethischer Begründungsansatz für eine praktische Moral der Unternehmensführung in seinen möglichen Grundzügen vorgestellt.
Umwelt: Technologien, um die Folgen des Klimawandels zu begrenzen, gibt es. Die soziale und politische Dimension ist der Hemmschuh, so dass sie teils nur zögernd zum Einsatz kommen.
Die Redaktion der VDI nachrichten betreute drei Studierende, die aktuell von jedem Vortrag einen Artikel für unser Ingenieurportal www.ingenieur.de schrieben sowie eine Meldung für die VDI-nachrichten-E-Paper-App. Dieser Artikel ist das Resümee der drei zur Ringvorlesung, aber keine inhaltlich komplette Zusammenfassung. Alle Artikel lesen Sie online unter: www.ingenieur.de/Ringvorlesung2018
Females are influenced more than males by visual cues during many spatial orientation tasks; but females rely more heavily on gravitational cues during visual-vestibular conflict. Are there gender biases in the relative contributions of vision, gravity and the internal representation of the body to the perception of upright? And might any such biases be affected by low gravity? 16 participants (8 female) viewed a highly polarized visual scene tilted ±112° while lying supine on the European Space Agency's short-arm human centrifuge. The centrifuge was rotated to simulate 24 logarithmically spaced g-levels along the long axis of the body (0.04-0.5g at ear-level). The perception of upright was measured using the Oriented Character Recognition Test (OCHART). OCHART uses the ambiguous symbol "p" shown in different orientations. Participants decided whether it was a "p" or a "d" from which the perceptual upright (PU) can be calculated for each visual/gravity combination. The relative contribution of vision, gravity and the internal representation of the body were then calculated. Experiments were repeated while upright. The relative contribution of vision on the PU was less in females compared to males (t=-18.48, p≤0.01). Females placed more emphasis on the gravity cue instead (f:28.4%, m:24.9%) while body weightings were constant (f:63.0%, m:63.2%). When upright (1g) in this and other studies (e.g., Barnett-Cowan et al. 2010, EJN, 31,1899) females placed more emphasis on vision in this task than males. The reduction in weight allocated by females to vision when in simulated low-gravity conditions compared to when upright under normal gravity may be related to similar female behaviour in response to other instances of visual-vestibular conflict. Why this is the case and at which point the perceptual change happens requires further research.
Vertrauen ist das Schmiermittel der Shareconomy. Einen zentralen Mechanismus hierfür stellen Crowd-basierte Reputationssysteme dar, bei denen Informationen und Bewertungen anderer Nutzer dazu dienen Vertrauen aufzubauen. Die Vernetzung zu teilender Gegenstände bietet hierbei neue Potentiale, um die Reputation eines Anbieters oder Nachfragers zu bewerten und einzuschätzen. In diesem Beitrag untersu-chen wir daher das Potential eines IoT-basierten Reputationssystems im Kontext von Peer-to-Peer Car-sharing, bei dem Informationen und Bewertungen mittels Sensorik während der Nutzung des Fahrzeugs erhoben und ausgewertet werden. Hierzu wurden zwei Fokusgruppen mit insgesamt 12 Personen durch-geführt. Die Ergebnisse deuten an, dass datenbasierte Reputationssysteme das Vertrauen nicht nur vor, sondern auch während der Vermietung und in der Nachkontrolle für Ver- und Entleiher steigern können. Jedoch sollten bei der Gestaltung solcher Systeme die Prinzipien der mehrseitigen Sicherheit wie Spar-samkeit, Verhältnismäßigkeit, Transparenz und Reziprozität beachtet werden.
Die im Jahre 2013 begonnene Workshop-Reihe „Usability in der betrieblichen Praxis“ auf der Mensch und Computer wird mit diesem Workshop als Aktivität des Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrums Usability des BMWi fortgesetzt. Unter dem Stichwort „Digitalisierung“ ergeben sich neue Herausforderungen der Umsetzung von Usability und positiver User Experience (UUX) in der betrieblichen Praxis kleiner und mittelständischer Unternehmen (UUX-Praxis). Diese werden in vier Schwerpunktthemen im Workshop behandelt: „UUX - Erfolgsfaktor für Innovation und Zukunft der Arbeit“, „UUX und digitale Nutzerforschung“, „UUX und Agilität“ sowie „UUX - Unterstützung mittelständischer Unternehmensnetzwerke“. Der Workshop richtet sich an Entwicklungs- und UUX-Praktiker aus Softwareentwicklungs-, Anwendungs- und UUX-Beratungsunternehmen sowie Wissenschaftler, die sich mit Umsetzung der UUX-Praxis in Unternehmen beschäftigen.
Anne Dreller shows that data sharing offers great opportunities and huge value creation potential for the business world. Despite many opportunities that data sharing promises, the business world has not fully operationalized this fact yet, due to various existing challenges. Thus, an exemplary, future-oriented, and platform-based data sharing business model is developed for the startup Quemey. This business model is also equipped with prioritized implementation advice, including measures like focusing on strong values for all platform participants, growing their business into a powerful monopolist position, and eliminating barriers of technological, contractual and legal or data privacy uncertainties.
Um das digitale Storytelling für Medienunternehmen lukrativ nutzbar zu machen, existiert eine zunehmende Zahl von Tools, Software also, die das deutlich weniger zeitaufwendige Produzieren mithilfe zur Verfügung stehender Seitenvorlagen möglich machen. Drei oftmals verwendete Tools zur Produktion als auch zur Veröffentlichung von Beiträgen im digitalen Storytelling sind Atavist, Pageflow und Shorthand. Statt eigenem Programmieren können verschiedene multimediale Elemente in der Regel mit wenigen Mausklicks integriert werden. Nicolas Kaufmann beschäftigt sich in seiner Abschlussarbeit zum Bachelor of Science mit dem Thema "Digitales Storytelling - Eine Untersuchung zu Darstellungsformen, Nutzen und Tools".
Design and Analysis of an OFDM-Based Orthogonal Chaotic Vector Shift Keying Communication System
(2018)
We propose a new non-coherent multicarrier spread-spectrum system that combines orthogonal chaotic vector shift keying (OCVSK) and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM). The system enhances OCVSK by sending multiple groups of information sequences with the same orthogonal chaotic vector reference sequences over the selected subcarriers. Each group carries M information bits and is separated from other groups by orthogonal chaotic reference signals. We derive the information rate enhancement (IRE) and the energy saving enhancement (ESE) factors as well as the bit error rate theory of OFDM-OCVSK under additive white Gaussian noise and multipath Rayleigh fading channels and compare the results with conventional OCVSK systems. For large group numbers, the results show that the IRE and ESE factors approachM×100% andM/(M+1)×100%, respectively, and thus outperform OCVSK systems. The complexity analysis of the proposed scheme as compared with OFDM-DCSK shows a significant reduction in the number of complex multiplications required.
In 2018, in the US alone, it is estimated that 268,670 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and that 41,400 will die from it. Since breast cancers often become resistant to therapies, and certain breast cancers lack therapeutic targets, new approaches are urgently required. A cell-stress response pathway, the unfolded protein response (UPR), has emerged as a promising target for the development of novel breast cancer treatments. This pathway is activated in response to a disturbance in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis but has diverse physiological and disease-specific functions. In breast cancer, UPR signalling promotes a malignant phenotype and can confer tumours with resistance to widely used therapies. Here, we review several roles for UPR signalling in breast cancer, highlighting UPR-mediated therapy resistance and the potential for targeting the UPR alone or in combination with existing therapies.
Once aberrantly activated, the Wnt/βcatenin pathway may result in uncontrolled proliferation and eventually cancer. Efforts to counter and inhibit this pathway are mainly directed against βcatenin, as it serves a role on the cytoplasm and the nucleus. In addition, speciallygenerated lymphocytes are recruited for the purpose of treating liver cancer. Peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes are expanded by the timely addition of interferon γ, interleukin (IL)1β, IL2 and anticluster of differentiation 3 antibody. The resulting cells are called cytokineinduced killer (CIK) cells. The present study utilised these cells and combine them with drugs inhibiting the Wnt pathway in order to examine whether this resulted in an improvement in the killing ability of CIK cells against liver cancer cells. Drugs including ethacrynic acid (EA) and ciclopirox olamine (CPX) were determined to be suitable candidates, as determined by previous studies. Drugs were administered on their own and combined with CIK cells and then a cell viability assay was performed. These results suggest that EAtreated cells demonstrated apoptosis and were significantly affected compared with untreated cells. Unlike EA, CPX killed normal and cancerous cells even at low concentrations. Subsequent to combining EA with CIK cells, the potency of killing was increased and a greater number of cells died, which proves a synergistic action. In summary, EA may be used as an antihepatocellular carcinoma drug, while CPX possesses a high toxicity to cancerous as well as to normal cells. It was proposed that EA should be integrated into present therapeutic methods for cancer.
In recent years, a variety of methods have been introduced to exploit the decrease in visual acuity of peripheral vision, known as foveated rendering. As more and more computationally involved shading is requested and display resolutions increase, maintaining low latencies is challenging when rendering in a virtual reality context. Here, foveated rendering is a promising approach for reducing the number of shaded samples. However, besides the reduction of the visual acuity, the eye is an optical system, filtering radiance through lenses. The lenses create depth-of-field (DoF) effects when accommodated to objects at varying distances. The central idea of this article is to exploit these effects as a filtering method to conceal rendering artifacts. To showcase the potential of such filters, we present a foveated rendering system, tightly integrated with a gaze-contingent DoF filter. Besides presenting benchmarks of the DoF and rendering pipeline, we carried out a perceptual study, showing that rendering quality is rated almost on par with full rendering when using DoF in our foveated mode, while shaded samples are reduced by more than 69%.
Antioxidant activity is an essential feature required for oxygen-sensitive merchandise and goods, such as food and corresponding packaging as well as materials used in cosmetics and biomedicine. For example, vanillin, one of the most prominent antioxidants, is fabricated from lignin, the second most abundant natural polymer in the world. Antioxidant potential is primarily related to the termination of oxidation propagation reactions through hydrogen transfer. The application of technical lignin as a natural antioxidant has not yet been implemented in the industrial sector, mainly due to the complex heterogeneous structure and polydispersity of lignin. Thus, current research focuses on various isolation and purification strategies to improve the compatibility of lignin material with substrates and enhancing its stabilizing effect.
Amino acids perform multiple essential physiological roles in humans, and accordingly, their importance to health has been the subject of extensive attention. In this special issue of the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, we focus on the various inborn errors of amino acid metabolism, their diagnostic challenges, new treatment approaches, and recent advances in patient monitoring as well as clinical outcomes.
Here, we present a miR mechanism which is active in the nucleus and is essential for the production of intron included, C-terminal truncated and biologically active proteins, like e.g. Vim3. We exemplified this mechanism by miRs, miR-15a and miR-498, which are overexpressed in clear cell renal carcinoma or oncocytoma. Both miRs directly interact with DNA in an intronic region, leading to transcriptional stop, and therefore repress the full length version of the pre-mRNA, resulting in intron included truncated proteins (Mxi-2 and Vim3). A computational survey shows that this miR:DNA interactions mechanism may be generally involved in regulating the human transcriptome, with putative interaction sites in intronic regions for over 1000 genes. In this work, an entirely new mechanism is revealed how miRs can repress full length protein translation, resulting in C-terminal truncated proteins.
3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A lyase (HMGCL, HMGCL) deficiency is a rare inborn error of ketogenesis. Even if the ketogenic enzyme is fully disrupted, an elevated signal for the ketone body acetoacetic acid is a frequent observation in the analysis of urinary organic acids, at least if derivatization is performed by methylation. We provide an explanation for this phenomenon and trace it back to degradation of the derivatized 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid and high temperature of the injector of the gas chromatograph.
TREE Jahresbericht 2017
(2018)
Knapp fünf Jahre nach Gründung als Fachbereichsinstitut und zwei Jahre nach Verankerung als zentrale wissenschaftliche Einrichtung der Hochschule präsentieren wir - nicht ganz ohne Stolz - den ersten Jahresbericht des Instituts TREE. Er 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. TREE ist weiterhin ein im Aufbruch begriffenes Institut, aber gerade das Jahr 2017 zeigt auch, dass wir uns schon in der Wissenschaftslandkarte einen Namen machen konnten: nach NaWETec konnte mit dem Themenkomplex "Effiziente Transportalternativen" ein zweiter Forschungsschwerpunkt drittmittelgefördert etabliert werden. Erste Promotionen im Rahmen des TREE konnten erfolgreich abgeschlossen und interessante Nachwuchswissenschaftler für "FHKarrierewege" gewonnen werden.
Conclusion
(2018)
There is a paradigm shift from traditional content-based education and training to competencybased and practice-oriented training. This shift has occurred because practice-oriented teaching has been found to produce a training outcome that is industry focused, generating the relevant occupational standards. Competency-based training program often comprises of modules broken into segments called learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are based on criteria set by industry and assessment is designed to ensure students become competent in their respective areas of specialization.
Course Profiles
(2018)
The curricula of all degree programs at H-BRS have many different practice-oriented activities and focus on hands-on learning. In labs and small classrooms (30–60 persons), students get a personalized learning environment which is complemented with many individual and group projects that foster collaborative work situations. There are several main areas that students learn from working with industry, local organizations or public institutions.
German African Universities Program (GAUP) is a partnership of three universities encompassing Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences in Germany, University of Nairobi in Kenya, and University of Cape Coast in Ghana. Every year, a number of students from each university are competitively selected to take part in the exchange program in a foreign country for three months in the sponsored project. I participated in the exchange program in Germany during the winter semester 2016/2017. The experience was excellent and the benefits cannot be underestimated. The objective was to integrate with the university community in Germany and learn first-hand from their teaching approaches and experiences by attending classes and interacting in- and outside the classroom. It provided an opportunity for cross-cultural learning, hence preparing us to live and work in different parts of the world. Besides the classroom experience, learning was reinforced by exposure tours in the industry including the Coal mine industrial complex in Essen (UNESCO world heritage since 2001) and Rheinbach.
The exchange program enables students to travel from their home countries to a partner university in the German-African University project. Students from the University of Nairobi in Kenya and University of Cape Coast in Ghana travel to the Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences and stay for three months attending classes and participating in academic activities together with German students. Similarly, students from Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences, travel to either West or East Africa and are hosted for three months by universities participating in the project. The program enables Kenyan students to accustom themselves to the German way of life and student-centered learning and disciplines. The program integrates fieldwork into the learning activities making education both a skill-imparting and fun process.
The nature of the program was an exchange program between Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences and the University of Cape Coast. The program was advertised and we applied. We were shortlisted for interview and we were selected as the candidates for the exchange program. The program took a period of five months. We set off from Accra, Ghana to Germany on 7th September 2015, and returned to Ghana on 25th January 2016.
The exchange program was aimed at giving students an international exposure through teaching and intercultural communication and to also enhance the existing relationship among the partner schools. The program lasted for a period of six months from September 2016 to February 2017. The main part of the program was the International Management program which comprised of four courses. The program offered us an opportunity to travel to four European countries to broaden our academic and social network.
From September 2016 to February 2017, I did an internship at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana (UCC) as part of my studies in Business Administration at Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences, Germany (H-BRS). At H-BRS, an internship of five or six months (or, alternatively, one exchange semester) is an obligatory part of the curriculum so students get hands-on experience even before they enter the job market. My internship was also part of the intercontinental partnership between UCC and H-BRS, which has resulted in many different projects.
I had an opportunity to visit Germany in 2016/2017 during which period I was on an exchange staff program between the University of Nairobi, Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. My visit took me to the city of Bonn where the University of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg is located in the suburban area in the cities of Sankt Augustin, Rheinbach, and Hennef. I was able to interact with faculty members and students. During this period, the discussion I had with faculty mainly focused on various programs offered by the university and how they have been able to interact and partner with the industry and create linkages with various firms in Germany. It emerged from our discussion that the development of the curriculum by the university depends on such partnerships.
Competency-Based Teaching Using Simulation Exercises: Evidence of the University of Cape Coast
(2018)
Tertiary institutions exist to train manpower to solve local, national, and international problems. Products from such institutions should not be a problem to countries as in the case of some Sub-Saharan African countries including Ghana which has a high level of graduate unemployment. Among the causes of the problem is the nature of teaching or the syllabus or the programs students pursue while in such institutions. The paper discusses one of the teaching strategies used to make a course relevant for a program and for the working world. In this course, students are introduced to practice-oriented learning through simulation exercises. The project activities specifically seek to assess the students’ understanding of business formation; examine students’ understanding of sustainability, creativity and innovation of business ideas; assess their understanding of the functional areas of business including marketing & sales, finance, human resource management, operations, and accounting, among others. Feedback from students who have participated indicates the exercise gave much more exposure and meaning to the concepts they learned in class. In this exercise, students build teams, develop a product, learn to set up a business, and design organogram, business vision, mission, and core values. The exercise empowers students to learn by doing. It accords students the opportunity to review their own knowledge and skills with respect to the concepts they have learned in the course. More than 3000 students have participated in this project since its inception in the academic year 2013/2014. It is estimated that 1000 students will participate in this project in the academic year 2017/2018.
The labor market is dynamic and frequently calls for new skills, knowledge, and abilities. The changing needs of industry place a higher demand on institutions of higher learning to monitor trends in labor needs, identify skill gaps, and to use industry insights for developing programs and curricula that mold human resources to create value for employers and society at large. While several institutions of higher learning are responsive to industry needs through curricula reviews and the development of new programs, little attention is given to pedagogical issues that affect the delivery of knowledge and the development of skills intended by various education programs. Consequently, teachers are entrusted with the freedom to decide the teaching methods that are appropriate under each circumstance. Despite the changing face of the labor market, not much energy has been channeled towards adjusting teaching methods for effective delivery of skills required by students. The failure to adjust teaching methods for training graduates has led to what is commonly known as ‘halfbaked graduates’. In other words, graduates who lack the skills and abilities necessary for placement in the industry. However, the success of an institution of higher learning is illustrated by its ability to train people who perfectly match the needs of the industry.
Culture is the constellation of shared believes, mores, values, and traditions that define the behavior of people and it is unique to each community at local and national levels. Culture determines the languages spoken by the people, their attitude towards others, and their behavior. While the family is the immediate point through which culture is learned by children, socialization at institutions such as religious organizations, places of worship, schools, and the society’s dispute resolution system reinforce culture. Unlike the Internet, traditional media in the forms of local and national print and audio-visual content tend to reinforce cultural beliefs, values, and practices of specific communities. The uniqueness of culture creates market penetration challenges to entrepreneurs in international markets. Therefore, intercultural communication is a necessary skill for reducing cultural liability and increasing the success of entrepreneurial ventures.
Multidisciplinary, multicultural, and multitasking has taken center stage in the global educational debate. Globalization and improvement in communication have affected the way organisations operate and hence influenced whom they hire. Today, it is common practice to work with people from diverse backgrounds and it requires competencies that go beyond general project management. Intercultural awareness, networking in different global communities, and learning to develop specific communication strategies for different stakeholders is all part of the package of skills and competencies that are required in today's interconnected world. This has indirect implication on the nature of skills and competencies institutions/universities must equip their students with to enable them to compete successfully in the working world.
Evaluation is of crucial importance and should meet professional standards in its design. In practice, organizational peculiarities and available resources characterize the search for the "right" approach. When used as a quality development tool, internal or self-evaluation should primarily be useful. It should generate information to answer organizational questions and provide results as a basis for discussion in decision-making processes.
The most prominent education reform in Europe started in Bologna, Italy, in 1999, when the European Ministers responsible for higher education met to set the foundation for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The following process to reform and unify higher education and its systems in Europe is therefore known as the Bologna Process.
Project Overview
(2018)
The project "German-African University Partnership Platform for the Development of Entrepreneurs and Small/Medium Enterprises" started in 2015 within the framework of the program "University-Business-Partnerships between Higher Education Institutions and Business Partners in Germany and in Developing Countries", funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). It is carried out by Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences in Germany (H-BRS), the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana, and the University of Nairobi (UoN) in Kenya.
Welcome to the first edition of the Handbook for Applied Teaching and Learning designed primarily for educators, administrators, and students interested in applied teaching and entrepreneurial education. This handbook documents some of the outcomes of a very fruitful German-African collaboration among higher education institutions in the field of entrepreneurial education which was funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).