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Sleep is essential to physical and mental health. However, the traditional approach to sleep analysis—polysomnography (PSG)—is intrusive and expensive. Therefore, there is great interest in the development of non-contact, non-invasive, and non-intrusive sleep monitoring systems and technologies that can reliably and accurately measure cardiorespiratory parameters with minimal impact on the patient. This has led to the development of other relevant approaches, which are characterised, for example, by the fact that they allow greater freedom of movement and do not require direct contact with the body, i.e., they are non-contact. This systematic review discusses the relevant methods and technologies for non-contact monitoring of cardiorespiratory activity during sleep. Taking into account the current state of the art in non-intrusive technologies, we can identify the methods of non-intrusive monitoring of cardiac and respiratory activity, the technologies and types of sensors used, and the possible physiological parameters available for analysis. To do this, we conducted a literature review and summarised current research on the use of non-contact technologies for non-intrusive monitoring of cardiac and respiratory activity. The inclusion and exclusion criteria for the selection of publications were established prior to the start of the search. Publications were assessed using one main question and several specific questions. We obtained 3774 unique articles from four literature databases (Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, PubMed, and Scopus) and checked them for relevance, resulting in 54 articles that were analysed in a structured way using terminology. The result was 15 different types of sensors and devices (e.g., radar, temperature sensors, motion sensors, cameras) that can be installed in hospital wards and departments or in the environment. The ability to detect heart rate, respiratory rate, and sleep disorders such as apnoea was among the characteristics examined to investigate the overall effectiveness of the systems and technologies considered for cardiorespiratory monitoring. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of the considered systems and technologies were identified by answering the identified research questions. The results obtained allow us to determine the current trends and the vector of development of medical technologies in sleep medicine for future researchers and research.
Insecurity Refactoring is a change to the internal structure of software to inject a vulnerability without changing the observable behavior in a normal use case scenario. An implementation of Insecurity Refactoring is formally explained to inject vulnerabilities in source code projects by using static code analysis. It creates learning examples with source code patterns from known vulnerabilities.
Insecurity Refactoring is achieved by creating an Adversary Controlled Input Dataflow tree based on a Code Property Graph. The tree is used to find possible injection paths. Transformation of the possible injection paths allows to inject vulnerabilities. Insertion of data flow patterns introduces different code patterns from related Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) reports. The approach is evaluated on 307 open source projects. Additionally, insecurity-refactored projects are deployed in virtual machines to be used as learning examples. Different static code analysis tools, dynamic tools and manual inspections are used with modified projects to confirm the presence of vulnerabilities.
The results show that in 8.1% of the open source projects it is possible to inject vulnerabilities. Different inspected code patterns from CVE reports can be inserted using corresponding data flow patterns. Furthermore the results reveal that the injected vulnerabilities are useful for a small sample size of attendees (n=16). Insecurity Refactoring is useful to automatically generate learning examples to improve software security training. It uses real projects as base whereas the injected vulnerabilities stem from real CVE reports. This makes the injected vulnerabilities unique and realistic.
Linear and nonlinear response functions (RF) are extracted for the climate system and the carbon cycle represented by the MPI-ESM and cGENIE models, respectively. Appropriately designed simulations are run for this purpose. Joining these RFs, we have a climate emulator with carbon emissions as the forcing and any desired observable quantity (provided the data is saved), such as the surface air temperature or precipitation, as the predictand. Like e.g. for atmospheric CO2 concentration, we also have RFs for the solar constant as a forcing — mimicking solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering. We consider two application cases. 1. One is based on the Paris 2015 agreement, determining the necessary least amount of SRM geoengineering needed to keep the global mean surface air temperature below a certain threshold, e.g. 1.5 or 2 [oC], given a certain amount of carbon emission abatement (ABA) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) geoengineering. 2. The other application considers the conservation of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS). Using a zero-dimensional simplification of a complex ice sheet model, we determine (a) if we need SRM given some ABA and CDR, and, if possible, (b) the required least amount of SRM to avoid the collapse of the GrIS. Keeping temperatures below 2 [oC] even is hardly possible without sustained SRM (1.); however, the collapse of the GrIS can be avoided applying SRM even for moderate levels of CDR and ABA, an overshoot being affordable (2.).
Der einst vorherrschende Baustoff in Deutschland war Lehm. Dieser wurde durch die erste industrielle Revolution weitgehend verdrängt und durch industrialisierte Baustoffe wie Beton ersetzt. Mit der vierten industriellen Revolution und dem steigenden Bewusstsein der Auswirkungen der Ressourcenverschwendung und Abfallproduktion auf die Umwelt, soll der traditionelle Lehmbau durch Digitalisierung und Automatisierung wieder an ökonomischem Aufschwung gewinnen. Bauen mit Lehm bietet die Chance einer systematischen Transformation der Bauindustrie in Richtung Kohlenstoffneutralität. Bisher ist die Bauindustrie für mehr als 30 % der weltweiten Treibhausgasemissionen verantwortlich. Durch die Verwendung regionaler, zirkulärer Materialien, die idealerweise aus der eigenen Baugrube gewonnen werden, könnte sich dies in Zukunft ändern. Lehm kommt in nahezu allen Teilen der Welt flächendeckend und zur Genüge vor und kann mit verschiedenen regional vorhandenen Additiven ergänzt werden. Durch Standardisierung der Produkte und technologischen Fortschritt könnte der Lehmbau in eine Massenproduktion überführt werden und in Zukunft mit dem konventionellen Stahlbetonbau oder Holzbau konkurrieren.
Diese Masterarbeit konzentriert sich auf die Modernisierung von Lehmbauweisen in Form von digitalisierten und automatisierten additiven Fertigungsverfahren wie der Stampflehmbau oder das 3D-Drucken mit Lehm für Wandbauteile. Ziel der Masterthesis ist es, einen Bauablauf für eines der genannten additiven Fertigungsverfahren zu entwickeln. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, werden die verschiedenen Fertigungsverfahren und Arten nach Stand der Technik miteinander verglichen und sich für das am besten bewertete entschieden. Als praktische Grundlage für die Wahl des Fertigungsverfahren dienen beispielhafte Untersuchungen mit einem Lehm 3D-Drucker. Dabei werden Prüfkörper mit und ohne Additive gedruckt sowie Prüfkörper mit unterschiedlichen Füllgraden erstellt und anschließend im Labor auf ihre Druckfestigkeit geprüft.
Die folgende Arbeit zeigt die vielen Potenziale des Lehmbaus als zirkuläre und moderne Bauweise auf und beleuchtet zugleich die Herausforderungen, die es noch zu lösen gilt.
Wie kann Korpuslinguistik für den Fremdsprachenunterricht genutzt werden? Wie kann Data-driven Learning initiiert werden? Wer sich mit diesen Fragen beschäftigt und sich über den Einsatz im DaF-Unterricht informieren möchte, wird kaum fündig, denn die publizierten Materialien wurden in der Regel für den Englischunterricht verfasst. In dieser Sammelrezension werden daher vier Monografien vorgestellt, in denen der Einsatz der Korpuslinguistik zur Sprachvermittlung Englisch beschrieben wird. Es sollen die Schwerpunkte und Besonderheiten der Monografien herausgearbeitet und der mögliche Nutzen für Deutsch als Fremdsprache eruiert werden.
For some years, universities in countries where the first language is not English choose English as the medium of instruction. In German universities, instruction in German is still the dominant form, which makes university study in Germany less accessible to international students. To attract international students and to improve career prospects for home students, many German universities offer programmes taught in English or in a combination of German and English. It is widely expected that the implementation of EMI-programmes leads to improvements in English language proficiency (ELP). However, it has emerged that substantial gains in ELP in EMI programmes will only occur as the result of content and language integrated learning.
Die Vermessung der Stadt
(2023)
Purpose
In order to combat climate change and safeguard a liveable future we need fundamental and rapid social change. Climate communication can play an important role to nurture the public engagement needed for this change, and higher education for sustainability can learn from climate communication.
Approach
The scientific evidence base on climate communication for effective public engagement is summarised into ten key principles, including ‘basing communication on people’s values’, ‘conscious use of framing’, and ‘turning concern into action’. Based on the author’s perspective and experience in the university context, implications are explored for sustainability in higher education.
Findings
The article provides suggestions for teaching (e.g. complement information with consistent behaviour by the lecturer, integrate local stories, and provide students with basic skills to communicate climate effectively), for research (e.g. make teaching for effective engagement the subject of applied research), for universities’ third mission to contribute to sustainable development
in the society (e.g. provide climate communication trainings to empower local stakeholders), andgreening the campus (develop a proper engagement infrastructure, e.g. by a university storytelling exchange on climate action).
Originality
The article provides an up-to-date overview of climate communication research, which is in itself original. This evidence base holds interesting learnings for institutions of higher education, and the link between climate communication and universities has so far not been explored comprehensively.
Online-Reisebewertungsplattformen sind der Treffpunkt für Touristen, um ihre Erlebnisse zu teilen und einander zu beeinflussen. Die Untersuchung des Besuchererlebnisses beim Besuch eines Museums kann sich positiv auf die Museumsentwicklung auswirken. In dieser Arbeit wurde eine qualitative Inhaltsanalyse verwendet, um die positiven und negativen Aspekte von Museumsbesuchen im indonesischen Nationalmuseum zu untersuchen. Durch die Datenanalyse von 420 TripAdvisor-Bewertungen des Nationalmuseums wurden die Aspekte ermittelt, die zur Zufriedenheit oder Unzufriedenheit der Besucher beitragen. Dadurch werden Museumsfachleute in die Lage versetzt, Museumsbesuche weiterzuentwickeln und zu verbessern.
Das Ergebnis dieser Studie zeigt, dass es 12 wichtige Themen gibt, die direkt mit der Erlebniswelt der Besucher im Museum verbunden sind, nämlich Ausstellungsdesign, Museumsidentität, First-hand Experience, Zugänglichkeit, Dienstleistungsumfeld, Architektur, Orientierung und Beschilderung, Annehmlichkeiten, Führungen, Wartungsarbeiten, Geschenkladen und Café, Mitarbeiter. Zu den positiven Aspekten der 12 Themen gehören die umfassenden Sammlungen, die Ausstellungsgestaltung, die Möglichkeit, Neues zu lernen, die günstigen Eintrittspreise, die strategische Lage des Museums, die informativen Museumsführer und die Dienstleistungen für eine Vielzahl von Museumsbesuchern. Bei den negativen Aspekten des Museums konzentrierten sich die Klagen der Besucher im Allgemeinen auf den Mangel an Interaktivität, Beschreibung, Kontext und Beleuchtung der Exponate. Darüber hinaus beklagten sich die Besucher über die Überfüllung an den Wochenenden, die ungepflegten Toiletten, das Verhalten des Personals und die Renovierungsarbeiten, die während der Öffnungszeiten des Museums durchgeführt wurden. Zur Verbesserung der Besuchsqualität sollte das Museum die Interaktivität und die Pflege der Sammlungen intensivieren, eine bessere Beleuchtung installieren, ausführliche Informationen über die Exponate bereitstellen, den Kundenservice und Mitarbeiterschulungen verbessern, Führungen für Kinder anbieten und einen offiziellen Museumsladen eröffnen.
Digitalisierung im Bauwesen
(2023)
Der Prozess der Optimierung ist in Bereichen wie der Mathematik, Wirtschaft sowie sämtlichen Ingenieurswissenschaften ein zentrales und nicht mehr wegzudenkendes Werkzeug. Mit der Motivation der Nachhaltigkeit, Effizienz und Kosteneinsparung wird im Bauwesen ein optimaler Einsatz der Materialien gefordert unter Einhaltung der geforderten statischen Nachweise.
Die Methode der Verformungsreduzierung durch Materialumverteilung (kurz: MVM) greift die Anforderung auf, Material möglichst effizient einzusetzen. Diese Methode basiert darauf, die Steifigkeiten innerhalb eines geometrisch festgelegten und bereits vordimensionierten Tragwerkes durch Materialumverteilung in einem iterativen Prozess neu zu positionieren, wodurch die Verformung an einem vorab definierten kritischen Punkt reduziert wird und gleichzeitig die Verteilung der Ausnutzung vergleichmäßigt wird.
Ziel dieser Bachelorarbeit ist es, das in einer vorherigen Abschlussarbeit bereits entwickelte Grasshopper-Skript für eine praxisbezogene Anwendung zu optimieren und zu erweitern. Dieses Grasshopperskript soll neu strukturiert und auf Fehler untersucht werden. Ebenso soll ein Abbruchkriterium implementiert werden, das die Optimierung automatisch abbricht, sobald keine nennenswerte Reduzierung der Verformung infolge der Materialumverteilung mehr erfolgt. Dabei soll stetig die Tragfähigkeit aller Stäbe eingehalten sein.
Das optimierte Tool soll abschließend anhand geeigneter praxisorientierter Beispiele angewandt und validiert werden.
Sleep disorders can impact daily life, affecting physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being. Due to the time-consuming, highly obtrusive, and expensive nature of using the standard approaches such as polysomnography, it is of great interest to develop a noninvasive and unobtrusive in-home sleep monitoring system that can reliably and accurately measure cardiorespiratory parameters while causing minimal discomfort to the user’s sleep. We developed a low-cost Out of Center Sleep Testing (OCST) system with low complexity to measure cardiorespiratory parameters. We tested and validated two force-sensitive resistor strip sensors under the bed mattress covering the thoracic and abdominal regions. Twenty subjects were recruited, including 12 males and 8 females. The ballistocardiogram signal was processed using the 4th smooth level of the discrete wavelet transform and the 2nd order of the Butterworth bandpass filter to measure the heart rate and respiration rate, respectively. We reached a total error (concerning the reference sensors) of 3.24 beats per minute and 2.32 rates for heart rate and respiration rate, respectively. For males and females, heart rate errors were 3.47 and 2.68, and respiration rate errors were 2.32 and 2.33, respectively. We developed and verified the reliability and applicability of the system. It showed a minor dependency on sleeping positions, one of the major cumbersome sleep measurements. We identified the sensor under the thoracic region as the optimal configuration for cardiorespiratory measurement. Although testing the system with healthy subjects and regular patterns of cardiorespiratory parameters showed promising results, further investigation is required with the bandwidth frequency and validation of the system with larger groups of subjects, including patients.
Short-Term Density Forecasting of Low-Voltage Load using Bernstein-Polynomial Normalizing Flows
(2023)
The transition to a fully renewable energy grid requires better forecasting of demand at the low-voltage level to increase efficiency and ensure reliable control. However, high fluctuations and increasing electrification cause huge forecast variability, not reflected in traditional point estimates. Probabilistic load forecasts take uncertainties into account and thus allow more informed decision-making for the planning and operation of low-carbon energy systems. We propose an approach for flexible conditional density forecasting of short-term load based on Bernstein polynomial normalizing flows, where a neural network controls the parameters of the flow. In an empirical study with 3639 smart meter customers, our density predictions for 24h-ahead load forecasting compare favorably against Gaussian and Gaussian mixture densities. Furthermore, they outperform a non-parametric approach based on the pinball loss, especially in low-data scenarios.
Background
This is a systematic review protocol to identify automated features, applied technologies, and algorithms in the electronic early warning/track and triage system (EW/TTS) developed to predict clinical deterioration (CD).
Methodology
This study will be conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases to evaluate the features of EW/TTS in terms of their automated features, technologies, and algorithms. To this end, we will include any English articles reporting an EW/TTS without time limitation. Retrieved records will be independently screened by two authors and relevant data will be extracted from studies and abstracted for further analysis. The included articles will be evaluated independently using the JBI critical appraisal checklist by two researchers.
Discussion
This study is an effort to address the available automated features in the electronic version of the EW/TTS to shed light on the applied technologies, automated level of systems, and utilized algorithms in order to smooth the road toward the fully automated EW/TTS as one of the potential solutions of prevention CD and its adverse consequences.
Im Sommersemester 2022 habe ich laufende und neue Forschungsprojekte sowohl national wie auch international vorangetrieben. Schwerpunktmäßig wurde die international etablierte Global Sanctions Data Base (GSDB) in Kooperation mit Forschern aus den USA und Österreich aktualisiert und in Form einer Forschungsarbeit der Forschungsgemeinschaft bekannt gemacht. Aufgrund der erarbeiteten Expertise habe ich zahlreiche Vorträge und Interviews in Medien zu Sanktionen und deren ökonomische Wirkung gegeben. Darüber hinaus wurde ein Buchkapitel zu Sanktionen in Kooperation mit internationalen Wissenschaftlern verfasst. Ferner wurde ein neues Forschungsprojekt in Kooperation mit einem regionalen Unternehmen zur Entwicklung eines Prozesses für die THG-Bilanzierung initiiert. Zwei wissenschaftliche Publikationen (peer-reviewed) wurden finalisiert. Ferner wurden 2 neue wissenschaftliche Forschungsprojekte mit internationalen Wissenschaftlern initiiert und die Ergebnisse in Arbeitspapieren veröffentlicht. Die zugrundeliegenden Manuskripte wurden in peer-reviewed Zeitschriften eingereicht. In Kooperation mit der Universität Konstanz wurde ein Schülertag für Gymnasiasten organisiert, um die Bedeutung von Wirtschaftspolitik den Schülern näher zu bringen.
ABCdarium of a journey
(2017)
Recognizing Human Activity of Daily Living Using a Flexible Wearable for 3D Spine Pose Tracking
(2023)
The World Health Organization recognizes physical activity as an influencing domain on quality of life. Monitoring, evaluating, and supervising it by wearable devices can contribute to the early detection and progress assessment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, rehabilitation, and exercises in telehealth, as well as abrupt events such as a fall. In this work, we use a non-invasive and non-intrusive flexible wearable device for 3D spine pose measurement to monitor and classify physical activity. We develop a comprehensive protocol that consists of 10 indoor, 4 outdoor, and 8 transition states activities in three categories of static, dynamic, and transition in order to evaluate the applicability of the flexible wearable device in human activity recognition. We implement and compare the performance of three neural networks: long short-term memory (LSTM), convolutional neural network (CNN), and a hybrid model (CNN-LSTM). For ground truth, we use an accelerometer and strips data. LSTM reached an overall classification accuracy of 98% for all activities. The CNN model with accelerometer data delivered better performance in lying down (100%), static (standing = 82%, sitting = 75%), and dynamic (walking = 100%, running = 100%) positions. Data fusion improved the outputs in standing (92%) and sitting (94%), while LSTM with the strips data yielded a better performance in bending-related activities (bending forward = 49%, bending backward = 88%, bending right = 92%, and bending left = 100%), the combination of data fusion and principle components analysis further strengthened the output (bending forward = 100%, bending backward = 89%, bending right = 100%, and bending left = 100%). Moreover, the LSTM model detected the first transition state that is similar to fall with the accuracy of 84%. The results show that the wearable device can be used in a daily routine for activity monitoring, recognition, and exercise supervision, but still needs further improvement for fall detection.
Leveraging differences
(2022)
Multi-faceted stresses of social, environmental, and economic nature are increasingly challenging the existence and sustainability of our societies. Cities in particular are disproportionately threatened by global issues such as climate change, urbanization, population growth, air pollution, etc. In addition, urban space is often too limited to effectively develop sustainable, nature-based solutions while accommodating growing populations. This research aims to provide new methodologies by proposing lightweight green bridges in inner-city areas as an effective land value capture mechanism. Geometry analysis was performed using geospatial and remote sensing data to provide geometrically feasible locations of green bridges. A multi-criteria decision analysis was applied to identify suitable locations for green bridges investigating Central European urban centers with a focus on German cities as representative examples. A cost-benefit analysis was performed to assess the economic feasibility using a case study. The results of the geometry analysis identified 3249 locations that were geometrically feasible to implement a green bridge in German cities. The sample locations from the geometry analysis were proved to be validated for their implementation potential. Multi-criteria decision analysis was used to select 287 sites that fall under the highest suitable class based on several criteria. The cost-benefit analysis of the case study showed that the market value of the property alone can easily outweigh the capital and maintenance costs of a green bridge, while the indirect (monetary) benefits of the green space continue to increase the overall value of the green bridge property including its neighborhood over time. Hence, we strongly recommend light green bridges as financially sustainable and nature-based solutions in cities worldwide.
Digital federated platforms and data cooperatives for secure, trusted and sovereign data exchange will play a central role in the construction industry of the future. With the help of platforms, cooperatives and their novel value creation, the digital transformation and the degree of organization of the construction value chain can be taken to a new level of collaboration. The goal of this research project was to develop an experimental prototype for a federated innovation data platform along with a suitable exemplary use case. The prototype is to serve the construction industry as a demonstrator for further developments and form the basis for an innovation platform. It exemplifies how an overall concept is concretely implemented along one or more use cases that address high-priority industry pain points. This concept will create a blueprint and a framework for further developments, which will then be further established in the market. The research project illuminates the perspective of various governance innovations to increase industry collaboration, productivity and capital project performance and transparency as well as the overall potential of possible platform business models. However, a comprehensive expert survey revealed that there are considerable obstacles to trust-based data exchange between the key stakeholders in the industry value network. The obstacles to cooperation are predominantly not of a technical nature but rather of a competitive, predominantly trust-related nature. To overcome these obstacles and create a pre-competitive space of trust, the authors therefore propose the governance structure of a data cooperative model, which is discussed in detail in this paper.
Design of tension components
(2017)
The paper gives an introduction as well as background information on proposed changes and amendments in EN 1993-1-11 “Design of structures with tension components”, implemented during the ongoing revision. Due to some deficits in the currently applicable standard this revision is not only limited to some restructuring and editorial changes, but includes also major technical changes in the following fields: safety concept and structural analysis, actions and loads, robustness and rep-arability, design of tension components and design of clamps and saddles.
Due to their structure of crossed yarns embedded in coating, woven fabric membranes are characterised by a highly nonlinear stress-strain behaviour. In order to determine an accurate structural response of membrane structures, a suitable description of the material behaviour is required. Typical phenomenological material models like linear-elastic orthotropic models only allow a limited determination of the real material behaviour. A more accurate approach becomes evident by focusing on the meso-scale, which reveals an inhomogeneous however periodic structure of woven fabrics. The present work focuses on an established meso-scale model. The novelty of this work is an enhancement of this model with regard to the coating stiffness. By performing an inverse process of parameter identification using a state-of-the-art Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, a close fit w.r.t. measured data from a common biaxial test is shown and compared to results applying established models. Subsequently, the enhanced meso-scale model is processed into a multi-scale model and is implemented as a material law into a finite element program. Within finite element analyses of an exemplary full scale membrane structure by using the implemented material model as well as by using established material models, the results are compared and discussed.
Advanced approaches for analysis and form finding of membrane structures with finite elements
(2018)
Part I deals with material modelling of woven fabric membranes. Due to their structure of crossed yarns embedded in coating, woven fabric membranes are characterised by a highly nonlinear stress-strain behaviour. In order to determine an accurate structural response of membrane structures, a suitable description of the material behaviour is required. A linear elastic orthotropic model approach, which is current practice, only allows a relative coarse approximation of the material behaviour. The present work focuses on two different material approaches: A first approach becomes evident by focusing on the meso-scale. The inhomogeneous, however periodic structure of woven fabrics motivates for microstructural modelling. An established microstructural model is considered and enhanced with regard to the coating stiffness. Secondly, an anisotropic hyperelastic material model for woven fabric membranes is considered. By performing inverse processes of parameter identification, fits of the two different material models w.r.t. measured data from a common biaxial test are shown. The results of the inversely parametrised material models are compared and discussed.
Part II presents an extended approach for a simultaneous form finding and cutting patterning computation of membrane structures. The approach is formulated as an optimisation problem in which both the geometries of the equilibrium and cutting patterning configuration are initially unknown. The design objectives are minimum deviations from prescribed stresses in warp and fill direction along with minimum shear deformation. The equilibrium equations are introduced into the optimisation problem as constraints. Additional design criteria can be formulated (for the geometry of seam lines etc.). Similar to the motivation for the Updated Reference Strategy [4] the described problem is singular in the tangent plane. In both the equilibrium and the cutting patterning configuration finite element nodes can move without changing stresses. Therefore, several approaches are presented to stabilise the algorithm. The overall result of the computation is a stressed equilibrium and an unstressed cutting patterning geometry. The interaction of both configurations is described in Total Lagrangian formulation.
The microstructural model, which is focused in Part I, is applied. Based on this approach, information about fibre orientation as well as the ending of fibres at cutting edges are available. As a result, more accurate results can be computed compared to simpler approaches commonly used in practice.
Nowadays, information technology (IT) is a strategic asset for organizations. As a result, the IT costs are rising and there is a need for transparency about their root causes. Cost drivers as an instrument in IT cost management enable a better transparency and understanding of costs. However, there is a lack of IT cost driver research with a focus on the strategic position of IT within organizations. The goal of this paper is to develop a comprehensive overview of strategic drivers of IT costs. The Delphi study leads to the identification and validation of 17 strategic drivers. Hence, this paper builds a base for cost driver analysis and contributes to a better understanding of the causes of costs. It facilitates future research regarding cost behavior and the business value of IT. Additionally, practitioners gain awareness of levers to influence IT costs and consequences of managerial decisions on their IT spend.
The digital transformation of business processes and the integration of IT systems leads to opportunities and risks for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Risks that can result in a lack of IT Governance, Risk and Compliance (IT-GRC). The purpose of this paper is to present the current state of the research project. With this, the Design Science Research approach based on Hevner is using. Based on the phase of Problem Identification and Objectives, this paper will deal with the development of an artefact and thus present the draft of the Design phase. The artefact will be developed by selecting relevant existing frameworks and standards and the identification of SME-specific conditions.
Einsatz von Bankettbeton bei schmalen und stark beanspruchten Ortsverbindungs- und Kreisstraßen
(2021)
Driver assistance systems are increasingly becoming part of the standard equipment of vehicles and thus contribute to road safety. However, as they become more widespread, the requirements for cost efficiency are also increasing, and so few and inexpensive sensors are used in these systems. Especially in challenging situations, this leads to the fact that target discrimination cannot be ensured which may lead to false reactions of the driver assistance system. In this paper, the Boids flocking algorithm is used to generate semantic neighborhood information between tracked objects which in turn can significantly improve the overall performance. Two different variants were developed: First, a free-moving flock whereby a separate flock is generated per tracked object and second, a formation-controlled flock where boids of a single flock move along the future road course in a pre-defined formation. In the first approach, the interaction between the flocks as well as the interaction between the boids within a flock is used to generate additional information, which in turn can be used to improve, for example, lane change detection. For the latter approach, new behavioral rules have been developed, so that the boids can reliably identify control-relevant objects to a driver assistance system. Finally, the performance of the presented methods is verified through extensive simulations.
Noteninflation
(2014)
Per-capita greenhouse gas emissions in cities like Bangkok or Shanghai have already reached emission levels of cities like London or Toronto. Large parts of the building stock and service infrastructure in cities in rapidly developing countries will be built in the coming decades—and may lock in high emissions pathways. A survey of projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol shows that only about 1% of projects have been submitted by municipalities, mostly in the waste management and more recently in the transport sector. This is probably due to a lack of technical know-how, legal barriers, methodological challenges, long project cycles and limited “visibility” of projects for the electorate. A case study of city network ICLEI’s experience with the CDM adds practical insights. We conclude that while the new market mechanisms under Article 6 may make it easier for municipalities to engage in international market mechanisms, new forms of cooperation between actors on multiple levels, potentially facilitated by ICLEI, are required to help to realize the urban potential in international market mechanisms.
The development of a new product can be accelerated by using an approach called crowdsourcing. The engineers compete and try their best to provide the related solution based on the given product requirement submitted in the online crowdsourcing platform. The one who has submitted the best solution get a financial reward. This approach is proven to be three time faster than the conventional one. However, the crowdsourcing process is usually not transparent to a new user. The risk for the execution of a new project for developing a new product is not easy to be calculated [1, 2]. We developed a method InnoCrowd to handle this problem and the new user could use during the planning of a new product development project. This system uses AI concepts to generate a knowledgebase representing histories of successful product development projects. The system uses the knowledge to determine qualitative and quantitative risks of a new project. This paper describes the new method, the InnoCrowd design, and results of a validation experiment based on data from a current crowdsourcing platform. Finally, we compare InnoCrowd to related methods and systems in terms of design and benefits.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable trend towards a general contractor strategy for plant engineering companies. Multiple disciplines and departments must be administered in a joint project. In the process, different work results are often managed in various systems without any associative relationship. A possible way to address this complexity is to implement a specifically tailored PLM strategy to gain a competitive advantage. Maturity models as well as methods to evaluate possible benefits constitute increasingly applied tools during this journey. Both methods have been theoretically described in previous publications. However, this paper should provide insights in the practical application within machinery industry. Therefore, a medium-sized German plant engineering company serves as an example for determining the scope and value of a multi-national overarching Product Lifecycle Management architecture as the central piece of a future digitalization strategy. The company’s current maturity levels for several digitalization capabilities are evaluated, prioritized and benchmarked against a set of similar companies. This allows to derive suitable target states in terms of maturity levels as well as the technical specification of digitalization use cases. In order to provide profound data for cost justification the resulting benefits are quantified.
Digitization extends to all areas of people's lives and processes, including public administration and government technology (GovTech for short). However, there are various problems here, such as the inappropriate development of new application systems, that are to be solved efficiently by combining two aspects: methodical digitization according to the process-driven approach and the idea of an app store for processes. This simultaneously fuels a process competition to advance methodical process digitization in the EU. Furthermore, this study explains the target-oriented use of this “firing” within the EU and concludes with a proposal of a new 3-schema architecture standard for successful process digitization within the EU.
An IT-GRC approach in SME
(2022)
The digital transformation of business processes and the integration of IT systems leads to opportunities and risks for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Risks that can result in a lack of IT compliance. The purpose of this research-in-progress paper is to present the current state of a IT-Governance-Risk-Compliance (IT-GRC) research-project. First, the results of an already conducted literature research will be discussed, combined with qualitative interviews (expert survey) of persons close to IT compliance. In the context of this paper, a first design approach will be developed by selecting relevant existing frameworks and standards and the identification of SME-specific conditions. The first design is intended to contribute a further artefact conception of tailoring approaches and standards and the creation of a guidance.
Dynamic Real-Time Range Queries (DRRQ) are a common means to handle mobile clients in high-density areas where both, clients requested by the query and the inquirers, are mobile. In contrast to the very well-known continuous range queries, only a few approaches, such as Adaptive Quad Streaming (AQS), address the mandatory scalability and real-time requirements of these so-called ad-hoc mobility challenges. In this paper we present the highly decentralized solution Adaptive Quad Streaming Flexible (AQSflex) as an extension of the already existing more theoretical AQS approach. Beside a highly distributed cell structure without data structures and a lightweight streaming communication, we use a multi-cell-assignment on limited pool resources instead of an idealistic unlimited cell-per-server assignment. The described experimental results show the potential of our local capacity balancing scheme for cell handover in a strongly decentralized setting. Leafs of a cell hierarchy define a kind of self-optimizing fuzzy edge for the processing resources in high-density systems without any centralized controlling or cloud component.
Dissipation of heat can be a major challenge when applying sensor systems outdoors under varying environmental conditions. Typically, complex software and knowledge is needed to optimize thermal management. In this paper it is shown how the thermal optimization of a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensor can be performed efficiently. This approach uses standard CAD (computer aided design) software, which is readily available, and saves time and cost as the thermal design can be optimized before experimental realisation. A four-step process was developed and realized: (i) Measurement of the thermal energy distribution of the current sensor design; (ii) Simulation of the time-dependant thermal behaviour using standard CAD software; (iii) Simulation of a thermally optimized design. This was compared quantitatively with the original design and was also used for verification of sufficient increase in heat dissipation; (iv) Experimental realisation and verification of the optimized design. It could be shown that the optimized prototype shows significantly improved thermal behaviour in accordance with the predictions from the simulations. The new LiDAR sensor shows lower heat generation and optimized dissipation of thermal energy which proofs the applicability of the approach to complex sensors.
Ignorantia doctorum
(2022)
Since the turn of the millennium, many writing centers have been established at universities in the German-speaking world, in order to support students in academic writing. This essay argues for offering subject-anchored directive guidance and using scientific texts as a basis for model learning. It states that the rhetorical tradition is hardly taken into account in the writing centers. Five arguments for this ignorance are discussed and, if possible, dispelled: the antiquity argument, which considers rhetoric outdated; the orality argument, which understands rhetoric as irrelevant to writing; the moral argument, which condemns rhetoric as a tool for demagogues; the positivist argument, which criticizes rhetoric as unempirical; and the didactic argument, which rejects rhetoric as a rigid doctrine. The discussion shows, however, that the rhetorical tradition, with its normative power and centuries of teaching practice, is a treasure trove of writing didactics that holds many resources, such as well-founded assessment criteria for the quality, appropriateness, and usefulness of texts.
Die GIGA-Adaptionsmethode
(2022)
Der Aufsatz stellt eine schreibdidaktische Lehrmethode vor, die auf einem Cicero-Zitat über das Aptum, die Angemessenheit des Stils, basiert. Nach einigen psychologischen Vorüberlegungen zur Differenz von Sprech- und Schreibsituation wird das Zitat im Hochschulschreibunterricht in Hinblick auf die darin genannten Stilfaktoren analysiert. Die Ergebnisliste dient als Grundlage einer Methode, mit der sich die stilistische Passgenauigkeit von Texten aller Art stark verbessern lässt. Ziel ist es, eine möglicherweise schreibferne Klientel dazu zu motivieren, zu einem musterhaften, zweckdienlichen, sachgerechten und zielgruppenorientierten Schreiben zu finden.
In tomato drying, degradation in final quality may occur based on the drying method used and predrying preparation. Hence, this research was conducted to evaluate the effect of different predrying treatments on physicochemical quality and drying kinetics of twin-layer-solar-tunnel-dried tomato slices. During the experimental work, tomato slices of var. Galilea were used. As predrying treatments, 0.5% calcium chloride (CaCl2), 0.5% ascorbic acid (C6H8O6), 0.5% citric acid (C6H8O7), and 0.5% sodium chloride (NaCl) were used. The tomato samples were sliced to 5 mm thickness, socked in the pretreatments for ten minutes, and dried in a twin layer solar tunnel dryer under the weather conditions of Jimma, Ethiopia. Untreated samples were used as control. The moisture losses from the samples were monitored by weighing samples at 2 h interval from each treatment. SAS statistical software version 9.2 was used for analyzing data on the physicochemical quality of tomato slices in CRD with three replications. From the experimental result, it was observed that dried tomato slices pretreated with 0.5% ascorbic acid gave the best retention of vitamin C and total phenolic content with a high sugar/acid ratio. Better retention of lycopene and fast drying were observed in dried tomato slices pretreated with 0.5% sodium chloride, and pretreating tomatoes with 0.5% citric acid resulted in better color values than the other treatments. Compared to the control, pretreating significantly preserved the overall quality of dried tomato slices and increased the moisture removal rate in the twin layer solar tunnel dryer.
As interest in the investigation of possible sources and environmental sinks of technology-critical elements (TCEs) continues to grow, the demand for reliable background level information of these elements in environmental matrices increases. In this study, a time series of ten years of sediment samples from two different regions of the German North Sea were analyzed for their mass fractions of Ga, Ge, Nb, In, REEs, and Ta (grain size fraction < 20 µm). Possible regional differences were investigated in order to determine preliminary reference values for these regions. Throughout the investigated time period, only minor variations in the mass fractions were observed and both regions did not show significant differences. Calculated local enrichment factors ranging from 0.6 to 2.3 for all TCEs indicate no or little pollution in the investigated areas. Consequently, reference values were calculated using two different approaches (Median + 2 median absolute deviation (M2MAD) and Tukey inner fence (TIF)). Both approaches resulted in consistent threshold values for the respective regions ranging from 158 µg kg−1 for In to 114 mg kg−1 for Ce. As none of the threshold values exceed the observed natural variation of TCEs in marine and freshwater sediments, they may be considered baseline values of the German Bight for future studies.
The present contribution proposes a novel method for the indirect measurement of the ground reaction forces (GRF) induced by a pedestrian during walking on a vibrating structure. Its main idea is to formulate and solve an inverse problem in the time domain with the aim of finding the optimal time dependent moving point force describing the GRF of a pedestrian (input data), which minimizes the difference between a set of computed and a set of measured structural responses (output data). The solution of the inverse problem is addressed by means of the gradient-based trust region optimization strategy. The moving force identification process uses output data from a set of acceleration and displacement time histories recorded at different locations on the structure. The practicability and the accuracy of the proposed GRF identification method is firstly evaluated using simulated measurements, which revealed a high accuracy, robustness and stability of the results in relation to high noise levels. Subsequently, a comprehensive experimental validation process using real measurement data recorded on the HUMVIB experimental footbridge on the campus of the Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany) was carried out. Besides the conventional sensors for the acquisition of structural responses, an array of biomechanical force plates as well as classical load cells at the supports were used for measurement reference GRFs needed in the experimental validation process. The results show that the proposed method delivers a very accurate estimation of the GRF induced by a subject during walking on the experimental structure.
Mechanical properties after stretching testings were calcu-lated and experimentally determined via Tempcore method for bar core, bar surface and whole bar cross section. It was displayed on the base of experiments and imitating simulation that deformation in core and surface areas of a bar are equal and therefore influence of structural parameters in the core area is principally decisive for initiating of neck forming in the surface area. The results showed that resistance to destruction of martensite surface layer has rather less effect on bar properties in general in comparison with previous investigations. It is concluded that improvement of core structure quality can help to lower brittleness of the whole bar. It was also proved that used techniques provide good concordance between the obtained results and experimental data. Therefore, the additivity rule for structural components can be used successfully for determination of whole bar parameters, taking into account thickness of surface layer that can be measured easily using hardness sensor. It will simplify practically quality control of products.
Botenstoffe für Innovationen
(2022)
Durch eine Aufweitung des Kristallgitters mittels Niedertemperatur-Eindiffusion von Kohlenstoff und/oder Stickstoffatomen können in der Randzone von nichtrostenden Stählen eine hohe Härte und eine hohe Verschleißbeständigkeit erzeugt werden, ohne dass zusätzliche Legierungselemente verwendet werden müssen. Die metallkundlichen Hintergründe für die Härtung, die Wirkung auf Verschleißvorgänge und mögliche Anwendungsbereiche werden geschildert. Anhand von Reibwerten wird gezeigt, in welcher Weise das Reibungsverhalten bei Schraubverbindungen durch die Behandlung verändert wird. Über Migrationsversuche wird nachgewiesen, dass die Ionenabgabe durch die Oberflächenhärtung nicht erhöht, sondern sogar abgesenkt wird. Neben dem besseren Verschleißschutz und einer höheren Dauerfestigkeit sichert diese Oberflächenbehandlung am nichtrostenden Stahl den Schutz gegen die Kontamination von Pharmaprodukten durch Metallabrieb/-ionen. Tests an oberflächengehärteten Edelstahlproben ergaben weiterhin, dass durch die Oberflächenhärtung die Biokompatibilität des nichtrostenden Edelstahls nicht beeinträchtigt wird.
Die Beständigkeit von hochlegierten korrosions- und säurebeständigen Stählen wird primär durch den Chromgehalt bestimmt. Allerdings gibt es entlang der Wertschöpfungskette von der Stahlerschmelzung bis zum fertigen Produkt eine Vielzahl weiterer Einflussfaktoren. Dem Schleifen kommt hier eine besondere Bedeutung zu, da es je nach Wahl der Prozessparameter sowohl zu einer signifikanten Verschlechterung als auch zu einer Verbesserung der Korrosionsbeständigkeit führen kann. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird aufgezeigt, dass die erzeugte Rauheit nur eine begrenzte Aussagekraft bietet. Vielmehr erhöhen lokale Mikrodefekte die Anfälligkeit gegen Lochfraß – je nach Ausprägung und Anzahl. Die Automatisierung für die Innenbearbeitung von Behältern im pharmazeutischen Apparatebau kann dabei zu einer signifikanten Verbesserung der Oberfläche und einem homogeneren Erscheinungsbild führen.
As fish farming is becoming more and more important worldwide, this ongoing project aims at the simulation and test-based analysis of highly stressed wire contacts, as they are found in off-shore fish farm cages in order to make them more reliable. The quasi-static tensile test of a wire mesh provides data for the construction of a finite element model to get a better understanding of the behavior of high-strength stainless steel from which the cages are made. Fatigue tests provide new insights that are used for an adjustment of the finite element model in order to predict the probability of possible damage caused by heavy mechanical loads (waves, storms, predators (sharks)).
Haarstylingutensil
(2022)
Adjusting the friction response of the wheel-rail interface is a key factor in the mitigation of wear and rollingcontact fatigue (RCF) in rails. The use of top-of-rail (TOR) friction conditioners has the potential to reduce maintenance costs significantly. Unfortunately, conflicting results on the use of commercial TOR conditioners have been presented in the literature. In this work, the performance of commercial TOR conditioners and a laboratory-made formulation were tested, both on the lab scale and in field measurements. Friction results are discussed together with the structural and chemical analysis of the tested materials.
A novel implant system for bone elongation will be presented. With this technique, the body's own bone material, so-called callus, can be formed by gradual distraction of the tubular bones, thus achieving an extension of femur and tibia bones. The driving principle of this fully implantable bone lengthening system is based on a shape memory element. During the surgical treatment, the intramedullary nail serves to stabilize the severed bone and enables the formation of new, endogenous bone material to lengthen the limbs or to bridge bone defects. The intramedullary nail is implanted into the medullary cavity and fixed at both ends with locking bolts. A receiver coil implanted under the skin receives the necessary energy twice a day through high-frequency energy transport to activate the thermal phase transformation of the shape memory element. This gradually increases the bone gap by 0.5 mm each time and stimulates callus formation. Consequently, osteoblasts or osteocytes are formed in the area of the desired bone extension and load-bearing bone material is formed. Three nail prototypes have already been tested for their functionality in a cadaver study in a German clinic. Currently a redesign of this intelligent implant system is underway, focusing on a novel coil geometry, a monitoring sensor system and control technology and a novel connection technology for the drive components. With this intelligent implant system, it will be possible for the first time to lengthen the bones in a patient-friendly manner and to continuously monitor, document and evaluate the entire lengthening process.
Improving the tribological properties of Stainless Steels by low-temperature surface hardening
(2022)
In this paper, we propose a novel method for real-time control of electric distribution grids with a limited number of measurements. The method copes with the changing grid behaviour caused by the increasing number of renewable energies and electric vehicles. Three AI based models are used. Firstly, a probabilistic forecasting estimates possible scenarios at unobserved grid nodes. Secondly, a state estimation is used to detect grid congestion. Finally, a grid control suggests multiple possible solutions for the detected problem. The best countermeasures are then detected by evaluating the systems stability for the next time-step.
The influence of sleep on human life, including physiological, psychological, and mental aspects, is remarkable. Therefore, it is essential to apply appropriate therapy in the case of sleep disorders. For this, however, the irregularities must first be recognised, preferably conveniently for the person concerned. This dissertation, structured as a composition of research articles, presents the development of mathematically based algorithmic principles for a sleep analysis system. The particular focus is on the classification of sleep stages with a minimal set of physiological parameters. In addition, the aspects of using the sleep analysis system as part of the more complex healthcare systems are explored. Design of hardware for non-obtrusive measurement of relevant physiological parameters and the use of such systems to detect other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnoea, are also referred to. Multinomial logistic regression was selected as the basis for development resulting from the investigations carried out. By following a methodical procedure, the number of physiological parameters necessary for the classification of sleep stages was successively reduced to two: Respiratory and Movement signals. These signals might be measured in a contactless way. A prototype implementation of the developed algorithms was performed to validate the proposed method, and the evaluation of 19324 sleep epochs was carried out. The results, with the achieved accuracy of 73% in the classification of Wake/NREM/REM stages and Cohen's kappa of 0.44, outperform the state of the art and demonstrate the appropriateness of the selected approach. In the future, this method could enable convenient, cost-effective, and accurate sleep analysis, leading to the detection of sleep disorders at an early stage so that therapy can be initiated as soon as possible, thus improving the general population's health status and quality of life.
Uzbekistan is an emerging tourism destination that has experienced a strong increase in tourists since 2017. However, little research on tourism development in Uzbekistan exists to date. This study therefore analyzes possible research topics and proposes a tourism research agenda for Uzbekistan. A mix of methods was used consisting of participant observation, semi-structured qualitative expert interviews and qualitative content anal- ysis. The results revealed a variety of research deficits in different areas, which could be synthesized into a total of ten research fields, which were clustered into three overarching areas, namely market research, management, and culture & environment. The subordi- nate research fields identified are Demand, Statistics, Potentials, Governance, Products, Infrastructure & Development, Marketing, Heritage & Nation-building, Sustainability as well as Peace & Conflict Prevention. A strategic research plan based on this tourism research agenda could help to foster a purposeful scientific debate. Tourism research in these fields has both the potential to investigate and compare theoretical issues in an unique context and to produce applied research results that can make a relevant contri- bution to tourism development in Uzbekistan.
Dieser Beitrag untersucht, ob externe Interventionen, in Form von Forschung und/oder Wissenschaftskommunikation, als Mediator für Innovationen in Krisenzeiten in der Tourismusbranche fungieren können. Dabei wird anhand dreier Case Studies diskutiert, inwiefern die Corona-Krise ein Window-
of-opportunity für innovative Geschäftsmodelle im Tourismus darstellen konnte. Die Projektergebnisse geben Hinweise darauf, dass Krisen im Allgemeinen und Wissenschaftskommunikation im Speziellen als Push-Faktoren Innovationen befördern können. Zwar kam es bei den Projektpartnern zu einer Entwicklung von Innovationen im Projektzeitraum, jedoch wurde die Implementierung vermehrt in eine unbestimmte Zukunft verschoben. Durch die damit verbundene Rückkehr zum Status-Quo blieben die angestoßenen Innovationen zu einem Großteil auf einer konzeptionellen Ebene. Dies deutet auf eine Attitude-behavior-gap in Bezug auf die Schaffung und Umsetzung von Innovationen in Krisenzeiten.
In diesem Beitrag wird der finnische Tangotanztourismus
unter Berücksichtigung des Konzeptes des verkörperten Raumes (Low 2003) und des Raumverständnisses von Lefebvre (1991) auf den vielschichtig miteinander verbundenen Ebenen von Körper, Kultur und Raum analysiert. Die finnische „Kultur der Schweigsamkeit“ wird in diesem Zusammenhang im Besonderen
betrachtet. Methodisch werden hierbei sowohl Interviews mit Expertinnen und Experten, teilnehmende Beobachtung als auch die Auswertung von Filmmaterial herangezogen. Im Ergebnis zeigen sich vielfältige Wechselwirkungen von Körper, Kultur und Raum, die zusätzlich Potenziale für den finnischen Tangotanztourismus
aufzeigen.
Wie gehen mittelständische Unternehmen mit internationaler Geschäftstätigkeit mit Compliance-Risiken um? Wie gelingt das Risikomanagement spezifischer Herausforderungen der Regelkonformität in Wachstumsländern, die aus Compliance-Gesichtspunkten als Hochrisikoländer eingestuft werden? Und was beschäftigt dabei Compliance-Officer im Mittelstand?
Diesen Fragen widmete sich ein anwendungsorientiertes Forschungsprojekt am Konstanz Institut für Corporate Governance.
Die nachfolgende Publikation stellt die zentralen Studienergebnisse vor und fokussiert dabei auf Herausforderungen und Lösungen für das Compliance- und Integrity Management.
Wie gehen mittelständische Unternehmen mit internationaler Geschäftstätigkeit mit Compliance-Risiken um? Wie gelingt das Risikomanagement spezifischer Herausforderungen der Regelkonformität in Wachstumsländern, die aus Compliance-Gesichtspunkten als Hochrisikoländer eingestuft werden? Und was beschäftigt dabei Compliance-Officer im Mittelstand? Diesen Fragen widmete sich ein anwendungsorientiertes Forschungsprojekt am Konstanz Institut für Corporate Governance.
Welche Kompetenzen brauchen Führungskräfte, damit der Ansatz Compliance und Integrity als Führungsaufgabe in Organisationen verfängt? Und wie lassen sich diese systematisch nutzen und trainieren? Der Beitrag stellt den ersten Baustein eines am Konstanz Institut für Corporate Governance angesiedelten Forschungsprojekts vor, das darauf abzielt, bestehende Compliance-Systeme in Unternehmen praxistauglicher zu machen und die Wirksamkeit der Maßnahmen eines Compliance-Management-Systems (CMS) zu steigern.
Unternehmen stehen heute vor der Herausforderung, dass eine klare Trennung von verpflichtenden Anforderungen und freiwilliger Verantwortungsübernahme nur noch schwer möglich ist. Haftungsvermeidung, Reputationsschutz sowie der Aufbau und die Sicherung von Vertrauenskapital in Kooperationsbeziehungen gehen Hand in Hand. Der Beitrag beleuchtet Corporate Compliance und Integrity Management als Gestaltungsansätze eines gezielten und integrierten Managements der Unternehmensverantwortung. Compliance ist dabei das Rückgrat, Integrity ihr Herz.
Wirtschaftsprüfung
(2022)
Vertrauen durch Integrität
(2022)
Die vorliegende Studie analysiert die Barrierefreiheit der
Stadt Konstanz im Hinblick auf Angebote für und Nachfrage von Touristinnen und Touristen. Die Datenerhebung basierte auf einem Methodenmix aus Interviews und Umfragen von Probanden und Probandinnen mit Behinderungen und zuständigen Akteurinnen und Akteuren in der Stadtplanung sowie Begehungen vor Ort. Als theoretische Grundlage wird das Modell der Unabhängigkeit nach
Nosek and Fuhrer (1992) verwendet. Die Untersuchung zeigt, dass der Bedarf an barrierefreien Angeboten sehr divers ist und die Umsetzung im Sinne eines Universal Design durch die zunehmende Nachfrage zentral. Die Analyse des Tourismusraum Konstanz zeigt Schwachpunkte und Stärken, mit denen sich Implikationen für andere Tourismusregionen ableiten lassen.
The Black Forest offers renewable energy as a specific tourist destination in the form of bioenergy villages (BEV). Particularly expert tourists tend to visit them. The results of two quantitative surveys on the supply and demand side show that there is, up to now, an untapped potential among experienceoriented
tourists for this type of niche tourism.
The trajectory tracking problem for a fully-actuated real-scaled surface vessel is addressed in this paper by designing a backstepping controller with a multivariable integral action, considering the thruster allocation problem. The performance and robustness of this controller are evaluated in simulation, taking into account environmental disturbance forces and modeling mismatch, using a docking maneuver as a reference trajectory. Furthermore, a comparison between the backstepping controller and a nonlinear position PID-Control with flatness based-feedforward is also analyzed.
The code-based McEliece cryptosystem is a promising candidate for post-quantum cryptography. The sender encodes a message, using a public scrambled generator matrix, and adds a random error vector. In this work, we consider q-ary codes and restrict the Lee weight of the added error symbols. This leads to an increased error correction capability and a larger work factor for information-set decoding attacks. In particular, we consider codes over an extension field and use the one-Lee error channel, which restricts the error values to Lee weight one. For this channel model, generalized concatenated codes can achieve high error correction capabilities. We discuss the decoding of those codes and the possible gain for decoding beyond the guaranteed error correction capability.
In this letter, we present an approach to building a new generalized multistream spatial modulation system (GMSM), where the information is conveyed by the two active antennas with signal indices and using all possible active antenna combinations. The signal constellations associated with these antennas may have different sizes. In addition, four-dimensional hybrid frequency-phase modulated signals are utilized in GMSM. Examples of GMSM systems are given and computer simulation results are presented for transmission over Rayleigh and deep Nakagami- m flat-fading channels when maximum-likelihood detection is used. The presented results indicate a significant improvement of characteristics compared to the best-known similar systems.
Reed-Muller (RM) codes have recently regained some interest in the context of low latency communications and due to their relation to polar codes. RM codes can be constructed based on the Plotkin construction. In this work, we consider concatenated codes based on the Plotkin construction, where extended Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes are used as component codes. This leads to improved code parameters compared to RM codes. Moreover, this construction is more flexible concerning the attainable code rates. Additionally, new soft-input decoding algorithms are proposed that exploit the recursive structure of the concatenation and the cyclic structure of the component codes. First, we consider the decoding of the cyclic component codes and propose a low complexity hybrid ordered statistics decoding algorithm. Next, this algorithm is applied to list decoding of the Plotkin construction. The proposed list decoding approach achieves near-maximum-likelihood performance for codes with medium lengths. The performance is comparable to state-of-the-art decoders, whereas the complexity is reduced.
Large-scale quantum computers threaten the security of today's public-key cryptography. The McEliece cryptosystem is one of the most promising candidates for post-quantum cryptography. However, the McEliece system has the drawback of large key sizes for the public key. Similar to other public-key cryptosystems, the McEliece system has a comparably high computational complexity. Embedded devices often lack the required computational resources to compute those systems with sufficiently low latency. Hence, those systems require hardware acceleration. Lately, a generalized concatenated code construction was proposed together with a restrictive channel model, which allows for much smaller public keys for comparable security levels. In this work, we propose a hardware decoder suitable for a McEliece system based on these generalized concatenated codes. The results show that those systems are suitable for resource-constrained embedded devices.
Automotive computing applications like AI databases, ADAS, and advanced infotainment systems have a huge need for persistent memory. This trend requires NAND flash memories designed for extreme automotive environments. However, the error probability of NAND flash memories has increased in recent years due to higher memory density and production tolerances. Hence, strong error correction coding is needed to meet automotive storage requirements. Many errors can be corrected by soft decoding algorithms. However, soft decoding is very resource-intensive and should be avoided when possible. NAND flash memories are organized in pages, and the error correction codes are usually encoded page-wise to reduce the latency of random reads. This page-wise encoding does not reach the maximum achievable capacity. Reading soft information increases the channel capacity but at the cost of higher latency and power consumption. In this work, we consider cell-wise encoding, which also increases the capacity compared to page-wise encoding. We analyze the cell-wise processing of data in triple-level cell (TLC) NAND flash and show the performance gain when using Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes. In addition, we investigate a coding approach with page-wise encoding and cell-wise reading.
Large persistent memory is crucial for many applications in embedded systems and automotive computing like AI databases, ADAS, and cutting-edge infotainment systems. Such applications require reliable NAND flash memories made for harsh automotive conditions. However, due to high memory densities and production tolerances, the error probability of NAND flash memories has risen. As the number of program/erase cycles and the data retention times increase, non-volatile NAND flash memories' performance and dependability suffer. The read reference voltages of the flash cells vary due to these aging processes. In this work, we consider the issue of reference voltage adaption. The considered estimation procedure uses shallow neural networks to estimate the read reference voltages for different life-cycle conditions with the help of histogram measurements. We demonstrate that the training data for the neural networks can be enhanced by using shifted histograms, i.e., a training of the neural networks is possible based on a few measurements of some extreme points used as training data. The trained neural networks generalize well for other life-cycle conditions.
In diesem Beitrag stellen wir Inhalte und Methoden des Kurses »How to communicate successfully in international teams« vor. Wir zeigen auf, wie einzelne Kurselemente mittels unseres methodisch-didaktischen Ansatzes get_connected vermittelt werden. Die Darstellung basiert auf der Dokumentation eines im Sommersemester 2021 in Kooperation zwischen der HTWG Konstanz und dem Beijing Institute of Technology (online) durchgeführten Kurses. Die im Rahmen der Lehrveranstaltung dokumentierten Reflexionen, Einsichten und Evaluationen der Kursteilnehmenden weisen auf einen Kompetenzaufbau im Hinblick auf die Fähigkeit zu Perspektivenwechsel, Selbstreflexion, Frustrationstoleranz, Flexibilität und empathische Kommunikation hin.
Der Artikel stellt den methodisch-didaktischen Ansatz get_connected zur Förderung der Zusammenarbeit in kulturell gemischten Teams vor. Mit diesem Ansatz reagiert die HTWG Konstanz auf die langjährige Erfahrung, dass sich trotz grundsätzlich optimaler struktureller Bedingungen für interkulturelles Lernen – mit regelmäßiger Teilnahme chinesischer Studierender im
Fachstudium an der deutschen Hochschule – beiderseitige Vorurteile über »die anderen« nicht automatisch auflösen, sondern sich sogar verstärken können. In der konkreten Zusammenarbeit zeigt sich, dass das eigene Handeln oftmals hinter dem für sich selbst formulierten Anspruch an kulturell adäquates Verhalten zurückbleibt. Mit Methoden des erfahrungsbasierten interkulturellen Lernens
und insbesondere durch die von den Lehrenden als Coachinnen bzw. Coaches begleitete Arbeit mit Emotionen in kulturell gemischten (deutsch-chinesischen) Gruppen werden die Studierenden darin unterstützt, als Vorbereitung auf eine zukünftige Tätigkeit in international vernetzten Teams ihr
Kommunikationsverhalten zu reflektieren, den Perspektivenwechsel sowie neue emotionale bzw. kommunikative Strategien einzuüben und damit ihre interkulturelle Handlungskompetenz – auch im deutsch-chinesischen Dialog – zu verbessern. Der Beitrag stellt den im Rahmen von designbased research über mehrere Semester hinweg (weiter-)entwickelten Ansatz get_connected und
seine Umsetzung in einem Kursformat zum Erwerb interkultureller (China-)Kompetenz für Studierende aller Fachrichtungen vor. Die konkreten Erfahrungen bei der (Online-)Durchführung des Kurskonzepts im Sommersemester 2021 an der HTWG Konstanz unter Einbeziehung chinesischer (und internationaler) Studierender der Partnerhochschule Beijing Institute of Technology werden
im Folgekapitel (Beitrag von Thelen, Bai und Obendiek) dargestellt.
Chinesische Studierende in der wissenschaftlichen Auseinandersetzungskultur an deutschen Hochschulen
(2022)
Die zunehmende internationale Vernetzung der akademischen Welt, die sich in den
aktuellen Internationalisierungsbemühungen deutscher Hochschulen widerspiegelt, erfordert eine Auseinandersetzung mit interkulturellen Aspekten der Hochschuldidaktik. Unterschiedliche Lernstile und Rollenerwartungen an Lehrende und Studierende beeinflussen die gegenseitige Wahrnehmung und den Studienerfolg. Der Beitrag reflektiert Erfahrungen deutscher/westlicher Lehrender und chinesischer Studierender: Aus verschiedenen Perspektiven und auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen werden Diskrepanzen zwischen Erwartungen und tatsächlichen Gegebenheiten aufgezeigt und im Kontext unterschiedlicher Lerntraditionen erklärt. Dabei stehen die Anforderungen an die Lehrenden als den zentralen Akteur*innen einer erfolgreichen Wissensvermittlung im Vordergrund. Im internationalen Kontext sind ihre interkulturellen Kompetenzen ähnlich wichtig wie ihre Fachkompetenzen. Die chinesische Lerntradition erschwert chinesischen Studierenden einen direkten Anschluss an die Studienkultur im deutschen Hochschulsystem. Zu dem Hemmnis, in einer Fremdsprache zu studieren, kommt die Schwierigkeit, Debattenkultur und Wissenschaftsstreit als angemessene Auseinandersetzungsformen zu verstehen. Der direkte, offene und häufig nur aus westlicher Sicht als objektiv empfundene Umgang mit Themen kann aufgrund unterschiedlicher kultureller Prägung dazu beitragen, dass das Studium in Deutschland als anstrengend und befremdlich empfunden wird. In diesem Beitrag werden erfahrungsbasierte Überlegungen geteilt, wie chinesische Studierende an die Debattenkultur an deutschen Hochschulen herangeführt werden können. Der Beitrag endet mit Hinweisen und guidelines für deutsche Lehrende im Umgang mit chinesischen Studierenden.
Der Beitrag beschreibt beispielhaft die administrativen, organisatorischen und sozialen Voraussetzungen gelungener Austauschprogramme mit chinesischen Partnerhochschulen. Hierzu gehört neben einer intensiven Beziehungspflege mit diesen Partnerinstitutionen eine gelebte Willkommenskultur für chinesische Studierende an der deutschen Hochschule. Letztere beinhaltet eine über die notwendigen administrativen Prozesse hinausgehende Betreuung, besondere Kursangebote sowie eine kontinuierliche Vernetzung und Einbindung der chinesischen Studierenden durch verschiedene extracurriculare Aktivitäten zur Integration in den Studienalltag und in das Alltagsleben über verschiedene Phasen hinweg (vor der Ausreise, bei der Ankunft, im Verlauf des Studiums, bei der Gestaltung von Praxisphasen sowie beim Übergang ins Berufsleben). Als Teil
dieses Maßnahmenplans fördern interkulturelle Kursangebote in kulturell gemischten Gruppen nicht nur die Integration der chinesischen Studierenden. Sie leisten auch einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Stärkung der internationalen Ausbildung deutscher Studierender im Sinne einer internationalization@home. Entsprechende Angebote erhöhen damit die Wertschätzung von Internationalisierung als Mehrwert für die gesamte Hochschule. Gleichzeitig unterstützen sie den Ausbau interkultureller Sensibilität als wichtiger Qualifikation für das zukünftige Berufsleben für die Studierenden beider Seiten. Um all diese Maßnahmen zu verwalten und umzusetzen, sind personelle Ressourcen zur Betreuung und Evaluation der Programme erforderlich. Darüber hinaus bedarf es einer konstruktiven Kommunikationskultur zwischen verschiedenen Abteilungen der Hochschule sowie hinreichend mit China-Kompetenz ausgestatteter Akteur*innen (Mitarbeiter*innen im Akademischen Auslandsamt, Professor*innen, Auslands- und Regionalbeauftragte etc.).