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It has been shown that muscle fascicle curvature increases with increasing contraction level and decreasing muscle–tendon complex length. The analyses were done with limited examination windows concerning contraction level, muscle–tendon complex length, and/or intramuscular position of ultrasound imaging. With this study we aimed to investigate the correlation between fascicle arching and contraction, muscle–tendon complex length and their associated architectural parameters in gastrocnemius muscles to develop hypotheses concerning the fundamental mechanism of fascicle curving. Twelve participants were tested in five different positions (90°/105°*, 90°/90°*, 135°/90°*, 170°/90°*, and 170°/75°*; *knee/ankle angle). They performed isometric contractions at four different contraction levels (5%, 25%, 50%, and 75% of maximum voluntary contraction) in each position. Panoramic ultrasound images of gastrocnemius muscles were collected at rest and during constant contraction. Aponeuroses and fascicles were tracked in all ultrasound images and the parameters fascicle curvature, muscle–tendon complex strain, contraction level, pennation angle, fascicle length, fascicle strain, intramuscular position, sex and age group were analyzed by linear mixed effect models. Mean fascicle curvature of the medial gastrocnemius increased with contraction level (+5 m−1 from 0% to 100%; p = 0.006). Muscle–tendon complex length had no significant impact on mean fascicle curvature. Mean pennation angle (2.2 m−1 per 10°; p < 0.001), inverse mean fascicle length (20 m−1 per cm−1; p = 0.003), and mean fascicle strain (−0.07 m−1 per +10%; p = 0.004) correlated with mean fascicle curvature. Evidence has also been found for intermuscular, intramuscular, and sex-specific intramuscular differences of fascicle curving. Pennation angle and the inverse fascicle length show the highest predictive capacities for fascicle curving. Due to the strong correlations between pennation angle and fascicle curvature and the intramuscular pattern of curving we suggest for future studies to examine correlations between fascicle curvature and intramuscular fluid pressure.
Quantitative evaluation of health management designs for fuel cell systems in transport vehicles
(2022)
Focusing on transport vehicles, mainly with regard to aviation applications, this paper presents compilation and subsequent quantitative evaluation of methods aimed at building an optimum integrated health management solution for fuel cell systems. The methods are divided into two different main types and compiled in a related scheme. Furthermore, different methods are analysed and evaluated based on parameters specific to the aviation context of this study. Finally, the most suitable method for use in fuel cell health management systems is identified and its performance and suitability is quantified.
In addition to electromobility and alternative drive systems, a focus is set on electrically driven compressors (EDC), with a high potential for increasing the efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICE) and fuel cells [01]. The primary objective is to increase the ICE torque, provided independently of the ICE speed by compressing the intake air and consequently the ICE filling level supported by the compressor. For operation independent from the ICE speed, the EDC compressor is decoupled from the turbine by using an electric compressor motor (CM) instead of the turbine. ICE performances can be increased by the use of EDC where individual compressor parameters are adapted to the respective application area [02] [03]. This task contains great challenges, increased by demands with regard to pollutant reduction while maintaining constant performance and reduced fuel consumption. The FH-Aachen is equipped with an EDC test bench which enables EDC-investigations in various configurations and operating modes. Characteristic properties of different compressors can be determined, which build the basis for a comparison methodology. Subject of this project is the development of a comparison methodology for EDC with an associated evaluation method and a defined overall evaluation method. For the application of this comparison methodology, corresponding series of measurements are carried out on the EDC test bench using an appropriate test device.
Having well-defined control strategies for fuel cells, that can efficiently detect errors and take corrective action is critically important for safety in all applications, and especially so in aviation. The algorithms not only ensure operator safety by monitoring the fuel cell and connected components, but also contribute to extending the health of the fuel cell, its durability and safe operation over its lifetime. While sensors are used to provide peripheral data surrounding the fuel cell, the internal states of the fuel cell cannot be directly measured. To overcome this restriction, Kalman Filter has been implemented as an internal state observer.
Other safety conditions are evaluated using real-time data from every connected sensor and corrective actions automatically take place to ensure safety. The algorithms discussed in this paper have been validated thorough Model-in-the-Loop (MiL) tests as well as practical validation at a dedicated test bench.
The industrial revolution IR4.0 era have driven many states of the art technologies to be introduced especially in the automotive industry. The rapid development of automotive industries in Europe have created wide industry gap between European Union (EU) and developing countries such as in South-East Asia (SEA). Indulging this situation, FH Joanneum, Austria together with European partners from FH Aachen, Germany and Politecnico Di Torino, Italy is taking initiative to close the gap utilizing the Erasmus+ United grant from EU. A consortium was founded to engage with automotive technology transfer using the European ramework to Malaysian, Indonesian and Thailand Higher Education Institutions (HEI) as well as automotive industries. This could be achieved by establishing Engineering Knowledge Transfer Unit (EKTU) in respective SEA institutions guided by the industry partners in their respective countries. This EKTU could offer updated, innovative, and high-quality training courses to increase graduate’s employability in higher education institutions and strengthen relations between HEI and the wider economic and social environment by addressing Universityindustry cooperation which is the regional priority for Asia. It is expected that, the Capacity Building Initiative would improve the quality of higher education and enhancing its relevance for the labor market and society in the SEA partners. The outcome of this project would greatly benefit the partners in strong and complementary partnership targeting the automotive industry and enhanced larger scale international cooperation between the European and SEA partners. It would also prepare the SEA HEI in sustainable partnership with Automotive industry in the region as a mean of income generation in the future.
The industrial revolution especially in the IR4.0 era have driven many states of the art technologies to be introduced.
The automotive industry as well as many other key industries have also been greatly influenced. The rapid development of automotive industries in Europe have created wide industry gap between European Union (EU) and developing countries such as in South East Asia (SEA). Indulging this situation, FH JOANNEUM, Austria together with European partners from FH Aachen, Germany and Politecnico di Torino, Italy are taking initiative to close down the gap utilizing the Erasmus+ United Capacity Building in Higher Education grant from EU. A consortium was founded to engage with automotive technology transfer using the European framework to Malaysian, Indonesian and Thailand Higher Education Institutions (HEI) as well as automotive industries in respective countries. This could be achieved by establishing Engineering Knowledge Transfer Unit (EKTU) in respective SEA institutions guided by the industry partners in their respective countries. This EKTU could offer updated, innovative and high-quality training courses to increase graduate’s employability in higher education institutions and strengthen relations between HEI and the wider economic and social environment by addressing University-industry cooperation which is the regional priority for Asia. It is expected that, the Capacity Building Initiative would improve the quality of higher education and enhancing its relevance for the labor market and society in the SEA partners. The outcome of this project would greatly benefit the partners in strong and complementary partnership targeting the automotive industry and enhanced larger scale international cooperation between the European and SEA partners. It would also prepare the SEA HEI in sustainable partnership with Automotive industry in the region as a mean of income generation in the future.
Scientific questions
- How can a non-stationary heat offering in the commercial vehicle be used to reduce fuel consumption?
- Which potentials offer route and environmental information among with predicted speed and load trajectories to increase the efficiency of a ORC-System?
Methods
- Desktop bound holistic simulation model for a heavy duty truck incl. an ORC System
- Prediction of massflows, temperatures and mixture quality (AFR) of exhaust gas
Biofuels potentially interesting also for aviation purposes are predominantly liquid fuels produced from biomass. The most common biofuels today are biodiesel and bioethanol. Since diesel engines are rather rare in aviation this survey is focusing on ethanol admixed to gasoline products.
The Directive 2003/30/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of May 8th 2003 on the promotion of the use of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport encourage a growing admixture of biogenic fuel components to fossil automotive gasoline. Some aircraft models equipped with spark ignited piston engines are approved for operation with automotive gasoline, frequently called “MOGAS” (motor gasoline). The majority of those approvals is limited to MOGAS compositions that do not contain methanol or ethanol beyond negligible amounts. In the past years (bio-)MTBE or (bio-)ETBE have been widely used as blending component of automotive gasoline whilst the usage of low-molecular alcohols like methanol or ethanol has been avoided due to the handling problems especially with regard to the strong affinity for water. With rising mandatory bio-admixtures the conversion of the basic biogenic ethanol to ETBE, causing a reduction of energetic payoff, becomes more and more unattractive. Therefore the direct ethanol admixture is accordingly favoured.
Due to the national enforcements of the directive 2003/30/EC more oxygenates produced from organic materials like bioethanol have started to appear in automotive gasolines already. The current fuel specification EN 228 already allows up to 3 % volume per volume (v/v) (bio-)methanol or up to 5 % v/v (bio-)ethanol as fuel components. This is also roughly the amount of biogenic components to comply with the legal requirements to avoid monetary penalties for producers and distributors of fuels.
Since automotive fuel is cheaper than the common aviation gasoline (AVGAS), creates less problems with lead deposits in the engine, and in general produces less pollutants it is strongly favoured by pilots. But being designed for a different set of usage scenarios the use of automotive fuel with low molecular alcohols for aircraft operation may have adverse effects in aviation operation. Increasing amounts of ethanol admixtures impose various changes in the gasoline’s chemical and physical properties, some of them rather unexpected and not within the range of flight experiences even of long-term pilots.
Low emission zones and truck bans, the rising price of diesel and increases in road tolls: all of these factors are putting serious pressure on the transport industry. Commercial vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers are in the process of identifying new solutions to these challenges as part of their efforts to meet the EEV (enhanced environmentally friendly vehicle) limits, which are currently the most robust European exhaust and emissions standards for trucks and buses.
The downsizing of spark ignition engines in conjunction with turbocharging is considered to be a promising method for reducing CO₂ emissions. Using this concept, FEV has developed a new, highly efficient drivetrain to demonstrate fuel consumption reduction and drivability in a vehicle based on the Ford Focus ST. The newly designed 1.8L turbocharged gasoline engine incorporates infinitely variable intake and outlet control timing and direct fuel injection utilizing piezo injectors centrally located. In addition, this engine uses a prototype FEV engine control system, with software that was developed and adapted entirely by FEV. The vehicle features a 160 kW engine with a maximum mean effective pressure of 22.4 bar and 34 % savings in simulated fuel consumption. During the first stage, a new electrohydraulically actuated hybrid transmission with seven forward gears and one reverse gear and a single dry starting clutch will be integrated. The electric motor of the hybrid is directly connected to the gear set of the transmission. Utilizing the special gear set layout, the electric motor can provide boost during a change of gears, so that there is no interruption in traction. Therefore, the transmission system combines the advantages of a double clutch controlled gear change (gear change without an interruption in traction) with the efficient, cost-effective design of an automated manual transmission system. Additionally, the transmission provides a purely electric drive system and the operation of an air-conditioning compressor during the engine stop phases. One other alternative is through the use of CAI (Controlled Auto Ignition), which incorporates a process developed by FEV for controlled compression ignition.
The utilisation of vehicle-oriented gasoline in general aviation is very desirable for both ecological and economical reasons, as well as for general considerations of availability. As of today vehicle fuels may be used if the respective engine and cell are certified for such an operation. For older planes a supplementary technical certificate is provided for gasoline mixtures with less than 1 % v/v ethanol only, though. Larger admixtures of ethanol may lead to sudden engine malfunction and should be considered as considerable security risks. Major problems are caused by the partially ethanol non-withstanding materials, a necessarily changed stochiometric adjustment of the engine for varying ethanol shares and the tendency for phase separation in the presence of absorbed water. The concepts of the flexible fuel vehicles are only partially applicable in the view of air security.
Flow separation is a phenomenon that occurs in all kinds of supersonic nozzles sometimes during run-up and shut-down operations. Especially in expansion nozzles of rocket engines with large area ratio, flow separation can trigger strong side loads that can damage the structure of the nozzle. The investigation presented in this paper seeks to establish measures that may be applied to alter the point of flow separation. In order to achieve this, a supersonic nozzle was placed at the exit plane of the conical nozzle. This resulted in the generation of cross flow surrounding the core jet flow from the conical nozzle. Due to the entrainment of the gas stream from the conical nozzle the pressure in its exit plane was found to be lower than that of the ambient. A Cold gas instead of hot combustion gases was used as the working fluid. A mathematical simulation of the concept was validated by experiment. Measurements confirmed the simulation results that due to the introduction of a second nozzle the pressure in the separated region of the conical nozzle was significantly reduced. It was also established that the boundary layer separation inside the conical nozzle was delayed thus allowing an increased degree of overexpansion. The condition established by the pressure measurements was also demonstrated qualitatively using transparent nozzle configurations.
In this paper the way to a 5-day-car with respect to a modular valve train systems for spark ignited combustion engines is shown. The necessary product diversity is shift from mechanical or physical components to software components. Therefore, significant improvements of logistic indicators are expected and shown. The working principle of a camless cylinder head with respect to an electromagnetical valve train (EMVT) is explained and it is demonstrated that shifting physical diversity to software is feasible. The future design of combustion engine systems including customisation can be supported by a set of assistance tools which is shown exemplary.
Germany is a frontrunner in setting frameworks for the transition to a low-carbon system. The mobility sector plays a significant role in this shift, affecting different people and groups on multiple levels. Without acceptance from these stakeholders, emission targets are out of reach. This research analyzes how the heterogeneous preferences of various stakeholders align with the transformation of the mobility sector, looking at the extent to which the German transformation paths are supported and where stakeholders are located.
Under the research objective of comparing stakeholders' preferences to identify which car segments require additional support for a successful climate transition, a status quo of stakeholders and car performance criteria is the foundation for the analysis. Stakeholders' hidden preferences hinder the derivation of criteria weightings from stakeholders; therefore, a ranking from observed preferences is used. This study's inverse multi-criteria decision analysis means that weightings can be predicted and used together with a recalibrated performance matrix to explore future preferences toward car segments.
Results show that stakeholders prefer medium-sized cars, with the trend pointing towards the increased potential for alternative propulsion technologies and electrified vehicles. These insights can guide the improved targeting of policy supporting the energy and mobility transformation. Additionally, the method proposed in this work can fully handle subjective approaches while incorporating a priori information. A software implementation of the proposed method completes this work and is made publicly available.
Die Erfindung betrifft einen elektromagnetischen Aktuator zur Betätigung eines Stellgliedes (7) mit wenigstens einem gesteuert bestrombaren Elektromagneten (1, 2) und einem mit dem Stellglied (7) in Wirkverbindung stehenden Anker (5), der bei Bestromung des Elektromagneten (1, 2) gegen die Kraft wenigstens einer an einem Gehäuse (12) abgestützten Rückstellfeder (10) an der Polfläche (3, 4) des Elektromagneten (1, 2) zur Anlage kommt, und daß zumindest der Anker (5) über eine sphärische Gelenkanordnung (11) auf der Rückstellfeder (10) abgestützt ist.
Stand 01.01.2022 sind in Deutschland 618.460 elektrisch angetriebene KFZ zugelassen. Insgesamt sind derzeit 48.540.878 KFZ zugelassen, was einer Elektromobilitätsquote von ca. 1,2 % entspricht. Derzeit werden Elektromobile über Ladestationen oder Steckdosen mit dem Stromnetz verbunden und üblicherweise mit der vollen Ladekapazität des Anschlusses aufgeladen, bis das Batteriemanagementsystem des Fahrzeugs abhängig vom Ladezustand der Batterie die Ladeleistung reduziert.
Up in the clouds and above fuels and construction materials must be very carefully selected to ensure a smooth flight and touchdown. Out of around 38,000 single and dual-engined propeller aeroplanes, roughly a third are affected by a new trend in the fuel sector that may lead to operating troubles or even emergency landings: The admixture of bio-ethanol to conventional gasoline. Experiences with these fuels may be projected to alternative mixtures containing new components.
"Das Editorial greift die Thematik der aktuellen Klimakrise auf und beleuchtet diese im Bereich des nachhaltigen Bauens. Denn durch das stetige Wachstum der menschlichen Bevölkerung in Kombination mit dem Anstieg des Pro-Kopf-Verbrauchs werden globale Ressourcen immer stärker belastet. Ziel der Arbeit ist es, die aktuelle Situation des Klimawandels aus einer Perspektive zu betrachten, der sich die meisten nicht bewusst sind. Denn besonders das Bauwesen trägt einen erheblichen Anteil zum Klimawandel bei. In der Publikation werden Texte zum Thema Klimawandel und nachhaltiges Bauen behandelt sowie fotografische Anwendungsbeispiele im Bereich der Bambus-Architektur gezeigt. Das Projekt präsentiert Lösungsansätze, wie herkömmliche Rohstoffe durch verarbeiteten Bambus ergänzt bzw. ersetzt werden können. Dadurch kann ein entscheidender Beitrag zur Bekämpfung des Klimawandels geleistet werden. Bambus bietet dahingehend viele Möglichkeiten. Bei richtiger Verarbeitung vereint er viele der geforderten Ansprüche nachhaltigen Bauens. Der Rohstoff ist stark und flexibel zugleich. Er bindet Kohlenstoff, reinigt kontaminierte Böden, beugt Erosionen vor und weist eine nahezu negative CO2-Bilanz auf. Wie kann es gelingen, diesen Rohstoff in westlichen Ländern als Baumaterial zu integrieren?"
Die Staatliche Antikensammlung in München ist eine antike Kunstsammlung, bestehend aus zwei Kunsthäusern. Das Haus der Glyptothek befindet sich auf der Nordseite und die Antikensammlung auf der Südseite des Königsplatzes. Während die Glyptothek Skulpturen ausstellt, zeigt die Antikensammlung Gebrauchsgegenstände und Objekte aus der etruskischen, griechischen und römischen Epoche. Sie gehört mit ihrer Kunstsammlung zu den weltweit führenden ihrer Art. In seinem Vorhaben, das Kulturerbe zu wahren, legt das Museum besonders hohen Wert auf Bildung und Vermittlung. Um dies langfristig zu gewährleisten, ist ein ausgeglichenes Erscheinungsbild zwischen Klassik und Modernität unentbehrlich. Die griechische Stilepoche zeichnet sich in ihrer abstrakten Nutzung von geometrischen Grundformen aus. Im Zusammenspiel von geometrischen Formen und Abstrahierungen entsteht ein neues Erscheinungsbild.
Im Rahmen dieser Masterarbeit wird die komplexe CPQ-Branchenlösung INKAS der it-motive AG konzeptionell und gestalterisch überarbeitet. Die mehrjährige Entwicklung von INKAS und etlicher separater Komponenten hat zu einer zum Teil inkonsistenten Oberfläche geführt, die Schwierigkeiten bei der Benutzung aufweist. Das neue User Interface, welches diese Masterarbeit entwickelt, soll durch einheitliche Interaktionsprinzipien zum einen die Usability und bestehende Funktionalitäten verbessern und zum anderen neue Funktionen leichter integrierbar machen. Diese Masterarbeit demonstriert somit ein Vorgehensmodell, durch welches komplexe existierende Branchenlösungen mithilfe eines nutzerzentrierten Redesigns eine nachhaltig verbesserte Produktqualität erreichen und die Integration neuer Technologien ermöglicht. In diesem Zusammenhang wird auch exemplarisch aufgezeigt, wie Designleistungen methodisch in bestehende agile Softwareentwicklungsprozesse integriert werden können.
Das „X Plore“ ist ein human hybrid angetriebenes Tauchboot, welches sowohl für den touristischen als auch privaten Gebrauch konzipiert ist. Das immersive Design des „X Plore" sorgt für ein eindrucksvolles Taucherlebnis. Das Konzept soll die Menschen über die aktuelle Not der Meere und ihrer Lebewesen aufklären und ihnen gleichzeitig die Möglichkeit geben, der Unterwasserwelt näher zukommen. Zudem soll es diese erhalten und ihre Bewohner:innen schützen. Des Weiteren thematisiert die Arbeit zukunftsorientierte Antriebs- und Batterietechniken und setzt sich mit der sinnvollen Integrierung dieser auseinander.
Blind – invisible connection : ein Spiel zur kritischen
Auseinandersetzung mit den sozialen Medien.
(2022)
Im Computerspiel „blind – invisible connection“ taucht der Spieler in eine Fantasiewelt ein, die die sozialen Medien widerspiegelt und von einer Maschine beherrscht wird. Um zu erfahren, was in dieser Welt geschehen ist, muss die Geschichte Schritt für Schritt erspielt und wie ein Puzzle zusammengesetzt werden. Dabei interagieren die Spieler:innen mittels Dialogen mit den Bewohner:innen der Fantasiewelt und lösen Rätsel, die die Geschichte enthüllen. Durch Analogien zwischen der Fantasiewelt und den sozialen Medien wird die Funktionsweise und der Einfluss der Plattformen auf die Menschen und die Gesellschaft verdeutlicht. So wird eine Reflexion des eigenen Umgangs mit den sozialen Medien angeregt und Gesprächsstoff für Diskussionen unter den Spieler:innen und Mitmenschen geliefert.
Breathe
(2023)
Ein nachhaltiges, autonomes Fahrzeug, das in einer extrem schnellen und hektischen Welt, geprägt durch Digitalisierung und Urbanisierung, einen Moment der Ruhe bieten soll; eine Pause von der ständigen Flut von Eindrücken und Informationen. Ein immersives Design, das meditative und kreative Prozesse unterstützt und Mensch-Mensch sowie Mensch-Natur Begegnungen fördert.
Damit Sie als Moderator effektiv und professionell moderieren können, sollten Sie die entsprechenden Methoden kennen.
Mit den richtigen Methoden können Sie Diskussionen leiten, Konflikte lösen, die Teilnehmer motivieren und dafür sorgen, dass die Ziele der Veranstaltung erreicht werden. Außerdem helfen sie Ihnen, eine positive Atmosphäre zu schaffen und das Interesse der Teilnehmer zu halten.
In diesem zweiten Beitrag der mehrteiligen Serie lernen Sie die grundsätzlichen Methoden kennen, um erfolgreiche Teamsitzungen, Arbeitsgruppentreffen, Kick-offs und Meetings durchzuführen.
Using optimization to design a renewable energy system has become a computationally demanding task as the high temporal fluctuations of demand and supply arise within the considered time series. The aggregation of typical operation periods has become a popular method to reduce effort. These operation periods are modelled independently and cannot interact in most cases. Consequently, seasonal storage is not reproducible. This inability can lead to a significant error, especially for energy systems with a high share of fluctuating renewable energy. The previous paper, “Time series aggregation for energy system design: Modeling seasonal storage”, has developed a seasonal storage model to address this issue. Simultaneously, the paper “Optimal design of multi-energy systems with seasonal storage” has developed a different approach. This paper aims to review these models and extend the first model. The extension is a mathematical reformulation to decrease the number of variables and constraints. Furthermore, it aims to reduce the calculation time while achieving the same results.
GHEtool is a Python package that contains all the functionalities needed to deal with borefield design. It is developed for both researchers and practitioners. The core of this package is the automated sizing of borefield under different conditions. The sizing of a borefield is typically slow due to the high complexity of the mathematical background. Because this tool has a lot of precalculated data, GHEtool can size a borefield in the order of tenths of milliseconds. This sizing typically takes the order of minutes. Therefore, this tool is suited for being implemented in typical workflows where iterations are required.
GHEtool also comes with a graphical user interface (GUI). This GUI is prebuilt as an exe-file because this provides access to all the functionalities without coding. A setup to install the GUI at the user-defined place is also implemented and available at: https://www.mech.kuleuven.be/en/tme/research/thermal_systems/tools/ghetool.
In general aviation, too, it is desirable to be able to operate existing internal combustion engines with fuels that produce less CO₂ than Avgas 100LL being widely used today It can be assumed that, in comparison, the fuels CNG, LPG or LNG, which are gaseous under normal conditions, produce significantly lower emissions. Necessary propulsion system adaptations were investigated as part of a research project at Aachen University of Applied Sciences.
Auch in der allgemeinen Luftfahrt wäre es wünschenswert, die bereits vorhandenen Verbrennungsmotoren mit weniger CO₂-trächtigen Kraftstoffen als dem heute weit verbreiteten Avgas 100LL betreiben zu können. Es ist anzunehmen, dass im Vergleich die unter Normalbedingungen gasförmigen Kraftstoffe CNG, LPG oder LNG deutlich weniger Emissionen produzieren. Erforderliche Antriebssystemanpassungen wurden im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojekts an der FH Aachen untersucht.
Im Projekt „Fensterleben” werden Alltagsgeschichten, die sich vor und in einer Erdgeschosswohnung abspielen, graphisch als Videos aufbereitet. In einer mehrteiligen Serie werden die Eindrücke und Perspektiven auf „Bürgersteig-Geschehnisse” und was hinter den Fenstern passiert, veranschaulicht. Besonderes Interesse gilt dem Zusammenspiel von privatem und öffentlichem Raum: was wurde zwischen Fensterbank und Bürgersteig ausgetauscht und weitergegeben.
RƎURB (Reurbanization & Renewable Energy) ist ein Konzept zur Integration von erneuerbaren Energien in einen urbanen Begegnungsraum. Es beinhaltet das Design eines skulpturalen Kleinwindkraftwerks und eines Solar-Pavillons mit einer Sitzlandschaft für einen energieautarken, öffentlichen Platz. Durch die Integration eines W-LAN Hotspots und Lademöglichkeiten in der Sitzlandschaft bringt RƎURB nicht nur grünen Strom in die Stadt, sondern gewährleistet der Bevölkerung auch Zugang zur Digitalisierung und einen kostenlosen Arbeitsraum. Windturbine: Herkömmliche Windräder können in der Stadt nicht genutzt werden. Die RƎURB-Windsäule ist darauf spezialisiert, die urbanen Winde aus allen Richtungen aufzunehmen und funktioniert schon bei einem leichten Windstoß. Durch das elegante Design lassen sich die Technologien als ästhetischen Blickfang in das moderne Stadtbild integrieren.
Die „Commuter Zone“ setzt sich mit dem Zeitverlust Pendelnder auseinander. Berufliche Ziele treiben immer mehr Menschen an, längere Strecken zurückzulegen. Dabei büßen sie den Zeitaufwand an privater Stelle ein. Als Rückzugsort für Alleinreisende schafft die „Commuter Zone“ ein effektiv nutzbares Zeitfenster. Dazu wird die Rücksichtnahme der Routinierten zueinander genutzt und gefördert. Sitz- und Arbeitsflächen lassen sich zurückklappen und erleichtern das Aussteigen. Der begrenzte Raum wird intensiv genutzt. So entsteht Komfort durch die Zuversicht, einen Sitzplatz zu erhalten. Und dank der Zusammensetzung der Sitzkonstellation bleibt das Arbeitsgeschehen privat. Letztlich bietet die „Commuter Zone“ den zunehmend selbstbestimmenden Beschäftigten neue Möglichkeiten zur Arbeitseinteilung und schafft Qualitätszeit im Privaten.
Im Zentrum von Wien befindet sich in einem ehemaligen Flakturm aus dem 2. Weltkrieg, das Haus des Meeres. Auf ca 5000m2 beherbergen sie ca. 10.000 Tiere. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf die Unterwasserwelt und bietet einen ausgiebigen Einblick in die Welt der Meere. Das neue Erscheinungsbild positioniert die private und gemeinnützige Einrichtung sowohl als Ort des Zusammenkommens als auch der Wissensvermittlung. Dabei soll das Designkonzept vor dem Betreten des Zoos seine besondere Baukonstruktion aufzeigen und von Anfang an die Tiefe sowie Tiefenzonen der Meere einbeziehen. Damit distanzieren sie sich entscheidend von ähnlichen Institutionen. Inspiriert von der Teilung zwischen der Oberfläche und dem Meer, entstand eine feine abstrakte Skala. Diese visualisiert den Meeresspiegel mit seiner Tiefe und dient medienübergreifend als Orientierungshilfe.
Die Kultur der Tana Toraja haben einen ganz besonderen Umgang mit dem Tod. Verstorbene werden bis zu der eigentlichen Bestattung als „krank“ angesehen und solange im Alltag mit eingebunden, ganz so als ob es sich um eine noch lebende Person handelt. Der Totenritus kann mehrere Tage andauern und Familie und Freund reisen aus dem ganzen Land herbei, um dem Fest beizuwohnen. Hier geht niemand einsam und das Sterben ist sogar ein wichtiger Bestandteil des Lebens. Studien aus Deutschland hingegen zeigen, dass zunehmend einsamer gestorben wird. Außerdem ist der Tod weiterhin ein Tabuthema. Genau dort setzt die Ausstellung und die entstandene Publikation über die Toraja-Kultur an. Einblicke in den Umgang mit dem Tod anderer Länder regen zu Reflexion und Diskurs an. Gestalterisch gibt es immer wieder Kontaktpunkte, die das Zusammenspiel der Lebenden und dem Jenseits widerspiegeln.
This paper addresses the pixel based recognition of 3D objects with bidirectional associative memories. Computational power and memory requirements for this approach are identified and compared to the performance of current computer architectures by benchmarking different processors. It is shown, that the performance of special purpose hardware, like neurocomputers, is between one and two orders of magnitude higher than the performance of mainstream hardware. On the other hand, the calculation of small neural networks is performed more efficiently on mainstream processors. Based on these results a novel concept is developed, which is tailored for the efficient calculation of bidirectional associative memories. The computational efficiency is further enhanced by the application of algorithms and storage techniques which are matched to characteristics of the application at hand.
This paper addresses the pixel based classification of three dimensional objects from arbitrary views. To perform this task a coding strategy, inspired by the biological model of human vision, for pixel data is described. The coding strategy ensures that the input data is invariant against shift, scale and rotation of the object in the input domain. The image data is used as input to a class of self organizing neural networks, the Kohonen-maps or self-organizing feature maps (SOFM). To verify this approach two test sets have been generated: the first set, consisting of artificially generated images, is used to examine the classification properties of the SOFMs; the second test set examines the clustering capabilities of the SOFM when real world image data is applied to the network after it has been preprocessed to be invariant against shift, scale and rotation. It is shown that the clustering capability of the SOFM is strongly dependant on the invariance coding of the images.
This paper describes the realization of a novel neurocomputer which is based on the concepts of a coprocessor. In contrast to existing neurocomputers the main interest was the realization of a scalable, flexible system, which is capable of computing neural networks of arbitrary topology and scale, with full independence of special hardware from the software's point of view. On the other hand, computational power should be added, whenever needed and flexibly adapted to the requirements of the application. Hardware independence is achieved by a run time system which is capable of using all available computing power, including multiple host CPUs and an arbitrary number of neural coprocessors autonomously. The realization of arbitrary neural topologies is provided through the implementation of the elementary operations which can be found in most neural topologies.
Aim of the AXON2 project (Adaptive Expert System for Object Recogniton using Neuml Networks) is the development of an object recognition system (ORS) capable of recognizing isolated 3d objects from arbitrary views. Commonly, classification is based on a single feature extracted from the original image. Here we present an architecture adapted from the Mixtures of Eaqerts algorithm which uses multiple neuml networks to integmte different features. During tmining each neural network specializes in a subset of objects or object views appropriate to the properties of the corresponding feature space. In recognition mode the system dynamically chooses the most relevant features and combines them with maximum eficiency. The remaining less relevant features arz not computed and do therefore not decelerate the-recognition process. Thus, the algorithm is well suited for ml-time applications.
Environmental emissions, global warming, and energy-related concerns have accelerated the advancements in conventional vehicles that primarily use internal combustion engines. Among the existing technologies, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles may have minimal contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and thus are the prime choices for environmental concerns. However, energy management in fuel cell electric vehicles and fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles is a major challenge. Appropriate control strategies should be used for effective energy management in these vehicles. On the other hand, there has been significant progress in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and designing data-driven intelligent controllers. These techniques have found much attention within the community, and state-of-the-art energy management technologies have been developed based on them. This manuscript reviews the application of machine learning and intelligent controllers for prediction, control, energy management, and vehicle to everything (V2X) in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The effectiveness of data-driven control and optimization systems are investigated to evolve, classify, and compare, and future trends and directions for sustainability are discussed.
In der Vergangenheit basierten große Systemintegrationsprojekte in der Regel auf Individualentwicklungen für einzelne Kunden. Getrieben durch Kostendruck steigt aber der Bedarf nach standardisierten Lösungen, die gleichzeitig die individuellen Anforderungen des jeweiligen Umfelds berücksichtigen. T-Systems GEI GmbH wird beiden Anforderungen mit Produktkerneln gerecht. Neben den technischen Aspekten der Kernelentwicklung spielen besonders organisatorische Aspekte eine Rolle, um Kernel effizient und qualitativ hochwertig zu entwickeln, ohne deren Funktionalitäten ins Uferlose wachsen zu lassen. Umgesetzt hat T-Systems dieses Konzept für Flughafeninformationssysteme. Damit kann dem wachsenden Bedarf der Flughafenbetreiber nach einer effizienten und kostengünstigen Softwarelösung zur Unterstützung Ihrer Geschäftsprozesse entsprochen werden.
Der Erfolg eines Softwarenentwicklungsprojektes insbesondere eines Systemintegrationsprojektes wird mit der Erfüllung des „Teufelsdreiecks“, „In-Time“, „In-Budget“, „In-Quality“ gemessen. Hierzu ist die Kenntnis der Software- und Prozessqualität essenziell, um die Einhaltung der Qualitätskriterien festzustellen, aber auch, um eine Vorhersage hinsichtlich Termin- und Budgettreue zu treffen. Zu diesem Zweck wurde in der T-Systems Systems Integration ein System aus verschiedenen Key Performance Indikatoren entworfen und in der Organisation implementiert, das genau das leistet und die Kriterien für CMMI Level 3 erfüllt.
In this paper we report on CO2 Meter, a do-it-yourself carbon dioxide measuring device for the classroom. Part of the current measures for dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is proper ventilation in indoor settings. This is especially important in schools with students coming back to the classroom even with high incidents rates. Static ventilation patterns do not consider the individual situation for a particular class. Influencing factors like the type of activity, the physical structure or the room occupancy are not incorporated. Also, existing devices are rather expensive and often provide only limited information and only locally without any networking. This leaves the potential of analysing the situation across different settings untapped. Carbon dioxide level can be used as an indicator of air quality, in general, and of aerosol load in particular. Since, according to the latest findings, SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted primarily in the form of aerosols, carbon dioxide may be used as a proxy for the risk of a virus infection. Hence, schools could improve the indoor air quality and potentially reduce the infection risk if they actually had measuring devices available in the classroom. Our device supports schools in ventilation and it allows for collecting data over the Internet to enable a detailed data analysis and model generation. First deployments in schools at different levels were received very positively. A pilot installation with a larger data collection and analysis is underway.
Useful market simulations are key to the evaluation of diferent market designs existing of multiple market mechanisms or rules. Yet a simulation framework which has a comparison of diferent market mechanisms in mind was not found. The need to create an objective view on different sets of market rules while investigating meaningful agent strategies concludes that such a simulation framework is needed to advance the research on this subject. An overview of diferent existing market simulation models is given which also shows the research gap and the missing capabilities of those systems. Finally, a methodology is outlined how a novel market simulation which can answer the research questions can be developed.
Existing residential buildings have an average lifetime of 100 years. Many of these buildings will exist for at least another 50 years. To increase the efficiency of these buildings while keeping costs at reasonable rates, they can be retrofitted with sensors that deliver information to central control units for heating, ventilation and electricity. This retrofitting process should happen with minimal intervention into existing infrastructure and requires new approaches for sensor design and data transmission. At FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, students of different disciplines work together to learn how to design, build, deploy and operate such sensors. The presented teaching project already created a low power design for a combined CO2, temperature and humidity measurement device that can be easily integrated into most home automation systems
Blind Shopping
(2023)
Das Einkaufen in Einkaufszentren oder Ladenstraßen ist für Menschen ohne Sehbehinderung eine selbstverständliche Tätigkeit. Für Menschen mit Sehbehinderung gibt es bis heute keine Möglichkeit, sich ohne Hilfe von Familienmitgliedern, Freund:innen oder Pflegepersonal in einem Einkaufszentrum zurechtzufinden. Genau dieses Problem löst "NAVON.". Er ist ein intelligenter und smarter Blindenstock, welcher durch Ultraschalldistanzsensoren frühzeitig Hindernisse erkennt und die Möglichkeit bietet, den Betroffenen durch das Einkaufszentrum zu lotsen. Die Logik des Systems liegt innerhalb des Handgriffs, welcher die wichtigsten Einstellungen bzgl. Sprache und haptischer Bedienelemente steuert. Ebenfalls gibt er dem Betroffenen auch ein haptisches Feedback, um Hindernisse frühzeitig umgehen zu können. "NAVON." ist ein wichtiger Ansatz für eine neue Kategorie von Produkten und Blindenstöcken. Darüber hinaus birgt das Konzept auch weitere Potenziale für öffentliche Gebäude (Ämter, Krankenhäuser, etc..).
With the growing interest in small distributed sensors for the “Internet of Things”, more attention is being paid to energy harvesting techologies. Reducing or eliminating the need for external power sources or batteries make devices more self-sufficient, more reliable, and reduces maintenance requirements. The Wiegand effect is a proven technology for harvesting small amounts of electrical power from mechanical motion.
On the applicability of several tests to models with not identically distributed random effects
(2023)
We consider Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Cramér–von-Mises type tests for testing central symmetry, exchangeability, and independence. In the standard case, the tests are intended for the application to independent and identically distributed data with unknown distribution. The tests are available for multivariate data and bootstrap procedures are suitable to obtain critical values. We discuss the applicability of the tests to random effects models, where the random effects are independent but not necessarily identically distributed and with possibly unknown distributions. Theoretical results show the adequacy of the tests in this situation. The quality of the tests in models with random effects is investigated by simulations. Empirical results obtained confirm the theoretical findings. A real data example illustrates the application.
Direct methods comprising limit and shakedown analysis is a branch of computational mechanics. It plays a significant role in mechanical and civil engineering design. The concept of direct method aims to determinate the ultimate load bearing capacity of structures beyond the elastic range. For practical problems, the direct methods lead to nonlinear convex optimization problems with a large number of variables and onstraints. If strength and loading are random quantities, the problem of shakedown analysis is considered as stochastic programming. This paper presents a method so called chance constrained programming, an effective method of stochastic programming, to solve shakedown analysis problem under random condition of strength. In this our investigation, the loading is deterministic, the strength is distributed as normal or lognormal variables.
We consider time-dependent portfolios and discuss the allocation of changes in the risk of a portfolio to changes in the portfolio’s components. For this purpose we adopt established allocation principles. We also use our approach to obtain forecasts for changes in the risk of the portfolio’s components. To put the approach into practice we present an implementation based on the output of a simulation. Allocation is illustrated with an example portfolio in the context of Solvency II. The quality of the forecasts is investigated with an empirical study.
Wir werden alle eines Tages sterben. Obwohl – oder gerade weil – der Tod ein unausweichlicher Teil unseres Lebens ist, schreckt uns die Konversation über ihn und all seine Facetten ab, und die Furcht vor unserem eventuellen Ende bleibt bestehen. Jene Ehrfurcht hindert uns daran, das Ableben als mehr als nur den deprimierenden finalen Abschnitt unseres Seins zu betrachten. In ""Death & Decay"" wird sich mit den weniger bekannten Seiten des Todes auseinandergesetzt, denn das Ende unserer Existenz ist nicht gleich das Ende unserer Geschichte. Von kultureller Symbolik bis zu Tod unter unüblichen Umständen – ""Death & Decay"" nimmt Sie mit die Seiten des Todes kennenzulernen, die den meisten verborgen bleiben oder mit denen wir nie rechnen würden.
Film ab! Das Internationale Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart ist seit 30 Jahren ein fester Bestandteil der internationalen Film- und Animations-Branche und zählt zu einer der renommiertesten Veranstaltungen. Das Festival ist ein Ort der Inspiration und des Austausches – die neusten Animationsfilme werden hier präsentiert, junge Talente entdeckt und gefördert. Im Fokus des neugestalteten Corporate Design steht die eigens entwickelte Schrift, welche den einzigartigen Charakter des Festivals widerspiegelt und so zum Trickfilm der Typografie wird. Das medienübergreifende Erscheinungsbild, in animierter oder statischer Form, kommuniziert so die qualitativ hochwertigen Inhalte des Festivals. Durch die dynamische und plakative Gestaltung wird das Festival zu einem unvergesslichen Erlebnis für alle Besucher:innen.
Das Multimar Wattforum ist das größte Informationszentrum zum Thema Wattenmeer in Deutschland. Auf über 3000 Quadratmetern können große und kleine Besucher:innen eine interaktive Ausstellung über Wale, Watt und Weltnaturerbe bestaunen. Das Wattenmeer ist ein ganz besonderer Lebensraum und bietet vielen Lebewesen Zuflucht. Es wird durch die Gezeiten geprägt, bei Ebbe trocken und der Sonne ausgesetzt, bei Flut nass und salzig. Das neue Erscheinungsbild für das Multimar Wattforum soll die zentralen Werte und Alleinstellungsmerkmale hervorheben und dem Informationszentrum helfen, seiner Aufgabe als bildende, wissenschaftliche und schützende Einrichtung gerecht zu werden. So wurde ein einheitliches und skalierbares Erscheinungsbild und eine flexible Bild- und Wortmarke entwickel
Den aktuellen Zustand unserer Welt positiv zu beeinflussen, ist ein übergeordnetes Ziel, welches nur kollektiv als Gesellschaft erreicht werden kann. Das Einsparen von Ressourcen ist ein leichter Weg für jede einzelne Person, um ihren Beitrag für dieses Ziel zu leisten. Doch wie bewegt man die Bevölkerung zum Sparen? Und was soll eingespart werden? Die Kampagne "Viva sin Agua” sensibilisiert für die Ressource Wasser und nutzt dabei den öffentlichen Raum. Aufgeklärt wird über das sogenannte virtuelle Wasser. Dieses fällt in teilweise extremen Mengen für die Produktion jeglicher Konsumwaren an. Das Ziel der Kampagne ist das Kennzeichnen dieses Wasserverbrauchs direkt am Produkt über eigene Labels. Dadurch soll ein Bewusstsein für den kritischen Kontext geschaffen und das allgemeine Konsumverhalten nachhaltig verändert werden.
Wetterbedingte Extremereignisse nehmen mit dem Klimawandel in vielen Regionen der Welt an Intensität und Häufigkeit zu. Immer wieder unterstreichen tragische Krisenvorfälle die Notwendigkeit der Aufklärung im Nachgang. Doch ausgerechnet wenn sich Leute über eins der aktuellsten und schwerwiegendsten Themen unserer heutigen Zeit informieren wollen, wird es dafür keinen konsistenten Kanal in Deutschland geben. Kassandra bietet die Möglichkeit, sich verständlich mit den Ereignissen und Missständen sachlich im Krisenbereich auseinanderzusetzen. Transparenz und Seriosität sind Schwerpunkte im qualitativ hochwertigen Bereich, die dabei von Wichtigkeit sind. Mit den Prinzipien des investigativen Journalismus schafft Kassandra als Onlineformat einen Denkanstoß, wie im Bereich der Krisenkommunikation eine Verbesserung stattfinden kann.
Die Benin-Objekte wurden vor 126 Jahren durch britische Kolonialmächte aus ihrer Heimat geraubt. Sie wurden über die ganze Welt verstreut und ca. 1500 Stücke landeten auch in deutschen Museen. Bei den Objekten handelt es sich um das kulturelle Erbe und das Nationalarchiv eines Volkes. In „Raubgut“ finden die Leser:innen eine Zusammenführung aller Objekte, die sich in deutschen Museen befinden. „Raubgut“ ist das Ergebnis einer umfangreichen Recherche, in der die erste Zusammenführung auf bildlicher Ebene in einem Bildarchiv, auf textlicher Ebene u. a. in einer einzigartigen Inventarliste sowie in Texten zum ehemaligen Königreich, dem Kolonialismus und weiteren Themen gegeben ist. Nach all den Jahren wurde am 01. Juli 2022 die vollständige Eigentumsübertragung an Nigeria beschlossen. Ob das nun der Grundstein für die Entwicklung der Restitutionsdebatte war, wird sich in Zukunft zeigen.
Academia ist eine berufsbegleitende Bildungsplattform für Designer:innen. Die Mission der Plattform ist es, Designer:innen während ihres kreativen Ausbildungsweges und auch lange nach ihrem Berufseinstieg zu begleiten und zu unterstützen. Durch Videokurse, Online-Lehrveranstaltungen, etwa Gruppenseminare, Design Talks und Challenges sollen Nutzer:innen passend auf ihre Interessen und ihrem Niveau entsprechend gefördert werden. Academias Fokus liegt auf eine nachhaltige Weiterentwicklung der Fähigkeiten und der fachlichen Expertise.
Die Bachelorarbeit „Gemüsevolle Aussichten“ / „Eine bunte Sammlung essbarer Pflanzenteile“ umfasst eine illustrative Auseinandersetzung, bunte Sammlung essbarer Pflanzenteile (Gemüse). Mit ihr entsteht ein visueller Anreiz, sich mehr mit dem gesunden Nahrungsmittel auseinanderzusetzen. Viele Kinder sowie Erwachsene kennen viele Gemüsesorten überhaupt nicht, Gemüse wie z. B. Schwarzwurzeln, Pastinaken oder gar Fenchel ist oftmals wenig bekannt. Mit der Arbeit wird ein informeller, illustrativer Überblick über Gemüse geschaffen, um zum Beispiel auch über die Inhaltsstoffe zu informieren. Denn viele wissen gar nicht, was eigentlich in dem wertvollen Nahrungsmitteln steckt, wie gut ein regelmäßiger Konsum von Gemüse eigentlich für uns ist. Dabei hat der tägliche Konsum von verschiedenen Gemüsesorten nicht nur eine Auswirkung auf die körperliche sondern auch auf die mentale Gesundheit. Viele Gemüsesorten beinhalten bestimmte Vitamine oder weitere Inhaltsstoffe, die sich positiv auf unsere Psyche auswirken und dazu beitragen, zum Bespiel einen depressiven Zustand zu verbessern. Auch die Umwelt kann von einem häufigeren Konsum von Gemüse anstatt Fleisch profitieren. Denn bei der Produktion von Fleisch entsteht viel mehr Kohlenstoffdioxid als bei der Produktion von Gemüse. Auch der Anteil des virtuellen Wassers ist bei der Produktion von Fleisch viel höher. Das Projekt besteht aus einem fadengebundenen Hardcover-Buch und einer Poster-Serie. Zu Beginn der Arbeit wird eine allgemeine Einleitung in das Thema Gemüse gegeben. Im folgenden Hauptteil werden verschiedene Gemüsegruppen und einige der zugehörigen Sorten visuell und informativ erklärt. Bei der Poster-Serie wurden die sechs Hauptfarben, die jeweiligen Gemüseillustrationen separiert und im Stil der Arbeit nummeriert benannt. Mit dem Projekt soll die Unwissenheit über viele Gemüsesorten gesenkt und der Konsum von weniger Fleisch und mehr Gemüse angeregt werden.
Unsere Welt funktioniert seit jeher völlig rechtsorientiert. Rechtshändigkeit stellt die Norm dar, während Linkshändigkeit eine Besonderheit ist – ein Phänomen, oder gar eine Kuriosität, welche im Laufe der Menschheitsgeschichte bei Weitem nicht so akzeptiert wurde wie in der Gegenwart. Das Buch „Auf links gedreht“ thematisiert die Wahrnehmung der linken Seite in der Vergangenheit und sensibilisiert für die Probleme von Linkshänder:innen in der heutigen Zeit. Ein Buch, fernab der Norm, mit einer Gestaltung ausgelegt auf die Linkshändigkeit. Es führt Rechtshänder:innen die Problematik vor Augen. So wird sich nicht nur inhaltlich für eine händigkeitsneutrale Gestaltung eingesetzt. Ein Buch über die linke Hand, gestaltet für die linke Hand.
Familienbezogene Sozialleistungen sind wichtige Bestandteile eines Sozialstaats: Nicht nur helfen sie Kindern und Familien bei der Bewältigung ihres Alltags, vielmehr sichern sie ein ̈würdevolles Zusammenleben, gleichen in Teilen soziale Unterschiede aus und korrigieren ungleiche Startchancen. Chancengleichheit ist kein triviales Thema: Eine Gesellschaft, die auf sozialen Grundpfeilern aufbaut, muss ständig die Umsetzung dieses eigenen Anspruchs bewerten. Finanzielle Mittel, die deswegen angeboten werden, sind nur dann wirksam, wenn sie Betroffene erreichen.
Die Nicht-Inanspruchnahme von Sozialleistungen ist ein komplexes Problem. Als Ursache wird gemeinhin die Attraktivität der Leistungen genannt. Vielfach sind aber die Kommunikation und die Informationsbeschaffung entscheidende Faktoren, warum Hilfe ungenutzt bleibt. In dem Projekt ist demgemäß zu erörtern, wie über zeitgemäße digitale Instrumente das Angebot und die Leistungen der Familienkasse zugänglich, barrierearm und intuitiv gestaltet werden können.
What does the word 'home' means and at what age do we give it meaning? Many of us grew up in one, in a home that our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and relatives shaped. Who, as we grew up, taught us about the world from their perspective as we interpreted and saw it for the first time and with it, its colors, its smells, its tastes, its sounds, its dances, and its languages.
When we migrate, we take all that with us, like a piece of luggage that was stored in some corner inside a lung, or inside the memory in a heart’s artery. And then you arrive in this new world, which we were told was the Old World, with other colors, other flavors, other words, in which yours no longer make sense. And you try to connect with all your senses, but, above all, we try to belong, because we belonged all our lives to something, to someone, to some place where we learned to be.
When we migrate, without saying, we go through the grieve that comes with the beautiful discomfort of leaving everything we once knew. We mourn, because we can’t go to lunch at our grandmas on Sundays, or have mom bring us soup when we are sick, or the Christmas meals and celebrations that we like so much, or that special dish that was made for us on our birthdays or on a family BBQ on a Sunday or a holiday.
I wonder if emotions come inside us through the taste and respiratory track, if it is that we breathe life, and with that what we love finds its ways inside and finds its corner somewhere in the body.
If what we have loved and what we have lived hides somewhere in our body, I doubtlessly think it came in through one of our senses, and in this attempt at my first illustrated book I’ll share which, I think, are the senses through which at first instance part of what we perceive as cultural identity enters.
Shiba Moments ist ein 2D-Top-Down-Abenteuer Story-Spiel über die Wertschätzung der Zeit, die wir mit unseren Haustieren verbringen. Als Hundebesitzerin Conny wandert der / die Spieler:in durch eine Shiba-Traumwelt, die vergangene Momente mit ihrem Hund assoziieren und sich mit eigenen seltsamen Träumen vermischen. Die Spieler:innen erwartet eine Geschichte voller Emotionen, dunklem Humor und verrückter Ereignisse!
This work proposes a hybrid algorithm combining an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with a conventional local path planner to navigate UAVs efficiently in various unknown urban environments. The proposed method of a Hybrid Artificial Neural Network Avoidance System is called HANNAS. The ANN analyses a video stream and classifies the current environment. This information about the current Environment is used to set several control parameters of a conventional local path planner, the 3DVFH*. The local path planner then plans the path toward a specific goal point based on distance data from a depth camera. We trained and tested a state-of-the-art image segmentation algorithm, PP-LiteSeg. The proposed HANNAS method reaches a failure probability of 17%, which is less than half the failure probability of the baseline and around half the failure probability of an improved, bio-inspired version of the 3DVFH*. The proposed HANNAS method does not show any disadvantages regarding flight time or flight distance.
Zeit spielt in unser aller Leben eine allgegenwärtige Rolle. Sie ist immer da, war schon immer da und nimmt ihren Lauf, ganz egal was wir tun. Aber was macht die Zeit und was hat sie für einen Einfluss auf uns? Ist sie unsere ständige Begleiterin oder unsere »Gegnerin«? Wie unterschiedlich wir auf Zeit blicken können, was sie bewirkt und wie unser Umgang mit ihr das Leben beeinflusst, zeigt die Reihe an monothematischen Magazinen »about time«. Das Thema wird aus unterschiedlichsten Blickwinkeln beleuchtet und soll so eine gewisse Sensibilität für den Umgang mit der eigenen Zeit schaffen — denn sie ist am Ende das Wertvollste, das bleibt.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (KHI), Aachen University of Applied Sciences, and B&B-AGEMA GmbH have investigated the potential of low NOx micro-mix (MMX) hydrogen combustion and its application to an industrial gas turbine combustor. Engine demonstration tests of a MMX combustor for the M1A-17 gas turbine with a co-generation system were conducted in the hydrogen-fueled power generation plant in Kobe City, Japan.
This paper presents the results of the commissioning test and the combined heat and power (CHP) supply demonstration. In the commissioning test, grid interconnection, loading tests and load cut-off tests were successfully conducted. All measurement results satisfied the Japanese environmental regulation values. Dust and soot as well as SOx were not detected. The NOx emissions were below 84 ppmv at 15 % O2. The noise level at the site boundary was below 60 dB. The vibration at the site boundary was below 45 dB.
During the combined heat and power supply demonstration, heat and power were supplied to neighboring public facilities with the MMX combustion technology and 100 % hydrogen fuel. The electric power output reached 1800 kW at which the NOx emissions were 72 ppmv at 15 % O2, and 60 %RH. Combustion instabilities were not observed. The gas turbine efficiency was improved by about 1 % compared to a non-premixed type combustor with water injection as NOx reduction method. During a total equivalent operation time of 1040 hours, all combustor parts, the M1A-17 gas turbine as such, and the co-generation system were without any issues.
Dynamic loads significantly impact the structural design of propeller blades due to fatigue and static strength. Since propellers are elastic structures, deformations and aerodynamic loads are coupled. In the past, propeller manufacturers established procedures to determine unsteady aerodynamic loads and the structural response with analytical steady-state calculations. According to the approach, aeroelastic coupling primarily consists of torsional deformations. They neglect bending deformations, deformation velocities, and inertia terms. This paper validates the assumptions above for a General Aviation propeller and a lift propeller for urban air mobility or large cargo drones. Fully coupled reduced-order simulations determine the dynamic loads in the time domain. A quasi-steady blade element momentum approach transfers loads to one-dimensional finite beam elements. The simulation results are in relatively good agreement with the analytical method for the General Aviation propeller but show increasing errors for the slender lift propeller. The analytical approach is modified to consider the induced velocities. Still, inertia and velocity proportional terms play a significant role for the lift propeller due to increased elasticity. The assumption that only torsional deformations significantly impact the dynamic loads of propellers is not valid. Adequate determination of dynamic loads of such designs requires coupled aeroelastic simulations or advanced analytical procedures.
This paper presents an approach to predicting the sound exposure on the ground caused by a landing aircraft with recuperating propellers. The noise source along the trajectory of a flight specified for a steeper approach is simulated based on measurements of sound power levels and additional parameters of a single propeller placed in a wind tunnel. To validate the measured data/measurement results, these simulations are also supported by overflight measurements of a test aircraft. It is shown that the simple source models of propellers do not provide fully satisfactory results since the sound levels are estimated too low. Nevertheless, with a further reference comparison, margins for an acceptable increase in the sound power level of the aircraft on its now steeper approach path could be estimated. Thus, in this case, a +7 dB increase in SWL would not increase the SEL compared to the conventional approach within only 2 km ahead of the airfield.
Motile cilia are hair-like cell extensions that beat periodically to generate fluid flow along various epithelial tissues within the body. In dense multiciliated carpets, cilia were shown to exhibit a remarkable coordination of their beat in the form of traveling metachronal waves, a phenomenon which supposedly enhances fluid transport. Yet, how cilia coordinate their regular beat in multiciliated epithelia to move fluids remains insufficiently understood, particularly due to lack of rigorous quantification. We combine experiments, novel analysis tools, and theory to address this knowledge gap. To investigate collective dynamics of cilia, we studied zebrafish multiciliated epithelia in the nose and the brain. We focused mainly on the zebrafish nose, due to its conserved properties with other ciliated tissues and its superior accessibility for non-invasive imaging. We revealed that cilia are synchronized only locally and that the size of local synchronization domains increases with the viscosity of the surrounding medium. Even though synchronization is local only, we observed global patterns of traveling metachronal waves across the zebrafish multiciliated epithelium. Intriguingly, these global wave direction patterns are conserved across individual fish, but different for left and right noses, unveiling a chiral asymmetry of metachronal coordination. To understand the implications of synchronization for fluid pumping, we used a computational model of a regular array of cilia. We found that local metachronal synchronization prevents steric collisions, i.e., cilia colliding with each other, and improves fluid pumping in dense cilia carpets, but hardly affects the direction of fluid flow. In conclusion, we show that local synchronization together with tissue-scale cilia alignment coincide and generate metachronal wave patterns in multiciliated epithelia, which enhance their physiological function of fluid pumping.
Assistance systems have been widely adopted in the manufacturing sector to facilitate various processes and tasks in production environments. However, existing systems are mostly equipped with rigid functional logic and do not provide individual user experiences or adapt to their capabilities. This work integrates human factors in assistance systems by adjusting the hardware and instruction presented to the workers’ cognitive and physical demands. A modular system architecture is designed accordingly, which allows a flexible component exchange according to the user and the work task. Gamification, the use of game elements in non-gaming contexts, has been further adopted in this work to provide level-based instructions and personalised feedback. The developed framework is validated by applying it to a manual workstation for industrial assembly routines.
High aerodynamic efficiency requires propellers with high aspect ratios, while propeller sweep potentially reduces noise. Propeller sweep and high aspect ratios increase elasticity and coupling of structural mechanics and aerodynamics, affecting the propeller performance and noise. Therefore, this paper analyzes the influence of elasticity on forward-swept, backward-swept, and unswept propellers in hover conditions. A reduced-order blade element momentum approach is coupled with a one-dimensional Timoshenko beam theory and Farassat's formulation 1A. The results of the aeroelastic simulation are used as input for the aeroacoustic calculation. The analysis shows that elasticity influences noise radiation because thickness and loading noise respond differently to deformations. In the case of the backward-swept propeller, the location of the maximum sound pressure level shifts forward by 0.5 °, while in the case of the forward-swept propeller, it shifts backward by 0.5 °. Therefore, aeroacoustic optimization requires the consideration of propeller deformation.
Next-generation aircraft designs often incorporate multiple large propellers attached along the wingspan. These highly flexible dynamic systems can exhibit uncommon aeroelastic instabilities, which should be carefully investigated to ensure safe operation. The interaction between the propeller and the wing is of particular importance. It is known that whirl flutter is stabilized by wing motion and wing aerodynamics. This paper investigates the effect of a propeller onto wing flutter as a function of span position and mounting stiffness between the propeller and wing. The analysis of a comparison between a tractor and pusher configuration has shown that the coupled system is more stable than the standalone wing for propeller positions near the wing tip for both configurations. The wing fluttermechanism is mostly affected by the mass of the propeller and the resulting change in eigenfrequencies of the wing. For very weak mounting stiffnesses, whirl flutter occurs, which was shown to be stabilized compared to a standalone propeller due to wing motion. On the other hand, the pusher configuration is, as to be expected, the more critical configuration due to the attached mass behind the elastic axis.
Based on the European Space Agency (ESA) Science in Space Environment (SciSpacE) community White Paper “Human Physiology – Musculoskeletal system”, this perspective highlights unmet needs and suggests new avenues for future studies in musculoskeletal research to enable crewed exploration missions. The musculoskeletal system is essential for sustaining physical function and energy metabolism, and the maintenance of health during exploration missions, and consequently mission success, will be tightly linked to musculoskeletal function. Data collection from current space missions from pre-, during-, and post-flight periods would provide important information to understand and ultimately offset musculoskeletal alterations during long-term spaceflight. In addition, understanding the kinetics of the different components of the musculoskeletal system in parallel with a detailed description of the molecular mechanisms driving these alterations appears to be the best approach to address potential musculoskeletal problems that future exploratory-mission crew will face. These research efforts should be accompanied by technical advances in molecular and phenotypic monitoring tools to provide in-flight real-time feedback.
Flexible fuel operation of a Dry-Low-NOx Micromix Combustor with Variable Hydrogen Methane Mixture
(2022)
The role of hydrogen (H2) as a carbon-free energy carrier is discussed since decades for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As bridge technology towards a hydrogen-based energy supply, fuel mixtures of natural gas or methane (CH4) and hydrogen are possible.
The paper presents the first test results of a low-emission Micromix combustor designed for flexible-fuel operation with variable H2/CH4 mixtures. The numerical and experimental approach for considering variable fuel mixtures instead of recently investigated pure hydrogen is described.
In the experimental studies, a first generation FuelFlex Micromix combustor geometry is tested at atmospheric pressure at gas turbine operating conditions corresponding to part- and full-load. The H2/CH4 fuel mixture composition is varied between 57 and 100 vol.% hydrogen content.
Despite the challenges flexible-fuel operation poses onto the design of a combustion system, the evaluated FuelFlex Micromix prototype shows a significant low NOx performance
The Cramér-von-Mises distance is applied to the distribution of the excess over a confidence level. Asymptotics of related statistics are investigated, and it is seen that the obtained limit distributions differ from the classical ones. For that reason, quantiles of the new limit distributions are given and new bootstrap techniques for approximation purposes are introduced and justified. The results motivate new one-sample goodness-of-fit tests for the distribution of the excess over a confidence level and a new confidence interval for the related fitting error. Simulation studies investigate size and power of the tests as well as coverage probabilities of the confidence interval in the finite sample case. A practice-oriented application of the Cramér-von-Mises tests is the determination of an appropriate confidence level for the fitting approach. The adoption of the idea to the well-known problem of threshold detection in the context of peaks over threshold modelling is sketched and illustrated by data examples.
In this paper, we provide an analytical study of the transmission eigenvalue problem with two conductivity parameters. We will assume that the underlying physical model is given by the scattering of a plane wave for an isotropic scatterer. In previous studies, this eigenvalue problem was analyzed with one conductive boundary parameter whereas we will consider the case of two parameters. We prove the existence and discreteness of the transmission eigenvalues as well as study the dependence on the physical parameters. We are able to prove monotonicity of the first transmission eigenvalue with respect to the parameters and consider the limiting procedure as the second boundary parameter vanishes. Lastly, we provide extensive numerical experiments to validate the theoretical work.
Fan sein bedeutet für viele Menschen unterschiedliche Dinge. Viele würden sich selber vielleicht nicht mal als Solche bezeichnen. Nichtsdestotrotz gibt es etwas, das diese Gruppe von Menschen verbindet: Die gemeinsame Leidenschaft für eine bestimmte Sache, die sie im Alltag nicht missen wollen. In Deutschland alleine würden sich 47.900.000 Menschen selber als Fußball-Fan bezeichnen. Und natürlich lässt sich nicht jeder dieser Menschen in den selben Topf werfen. Die Publikation „59 von 47.900.00 Fußball-Fans“ beschäftigt sich mit 59 dieser Fans, verschiedenen Wissenschaftler*innen und Psycholog*innen, um dem Fan-Sein auf den Grund zu gehen. Warum sind Menschen überhaupt Fußball-Fans? Was macht Fan-Sein aus? Und wer sind diese Ultras?
Roverandom : eine illustrative Aufarbeitung und Neuinterpretation des Kinderbuches von J.R.R Tolkien
(2023)
Die Geschichte „Roverandom“ von J.R.R Tolkien lädt auf eine spannende Reise an der Seite des kleinen Hundes Rover ein, welche zum Mond und in die Tiefsee, vorbei an Zauberern und Drachen führt. Um das Abenteuer Tolkiens neu aufleben zu lassen, befasst sich dieses Projekt mit der illustrativen Aufarbeitung der Geschichte. Auf Grundlage der Betrachtung von Inspirationen und eigenen Illustrationen des englischen Schriftstellers entwickelte sich eine einheitliche Gestaltung innerhalb des Projekts. Durch die Kombination analoger und digitaler Medien entstanden über 40 Illustrationen, welche verschiedenste Szenen visualisieren und so die Welt des kleinen Hundes Rover auf eine anschauliche Art und Weise darstellen. Die Geschichte „Roverandom“ wird so durch eine ganz eigene Bildsprache visuell begleitet und für interessierte Leser:innen neu geöffnet.
Gestaltung und Programmierung dynamischer Motion-Design Plakate zwecks Kommunikation der Theaterstücke des Düsseldorfer Schauspielhauses. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf der Typografie und ihrer intrinsischen Bewegung. Der technische Fortschritt bietet viele neue Möglichkeiten im Umgang mit Schrift. Diese Arbeit dient dazu, mithilfe von aktuellen Techniken einen neuen Ansatz im Bereich Gestaltung mit Schrift, sowie Variable Fonts, in Kombination mit Motion-Design aufzuzeigen. Dies wird anhand von Eigenschaften der Schrift und der inhaltlichen Ebene, ohne die Buchstaben dabei zu dekonstruieren, umgesetzt. Die Bewegungen werden dann in das Format Plakat übertragen und dargestellt.
Narzissmus ist ein vielgenutzter Begriff. Häufig wird er im Kontext toxischer Beziehungen verwendet. Nur selten wird das Leben von Frauen thematisiert, deren Mutter narzisstisch ist. Die Graphic Novel „Niemals gut genug“ leistet einen Beitrag zu diesem wenig beachteten Thema. „Niemals gut genug“ schildert anhand von illustrierten Kurzgeschichten alltägliche Situationen von Töchtern narzisstischer Mütter. Die Kurzgeschichten berücksichtigen die Vielfalt narzisstischer Persönlichkeitsstörungen und werfen ein Schlaglicht auf die Vergangenheit narzisstischer Mütter. Dadurch rückt auch die transgenerationale Weitergabe von Narzissmus in den Fokus. „Niemals gut genug“ stellt einen einfühlsamen Zugang zu diesem sensiblen Thema dar und hilft dadurch Betroffenen beim Verstehen und Genesen.
Der experimentelle Tanzfilm „Farfilia“ behandelt die Beziehung einer Tochter zu ihrem Vater. Beide Parteien funktionieren sehr unterschiedlich, denken, kommunizieren und leben in völlig verschiedenen Welten. Es findet ein Konflikt zwischen den Generationen statt, zwischen zwei sehr gegensätzlichen Prägungen und Charakteren. Die zwei Welten unterscheiden sich nicht nur in ihrer Visualität, sondern durch die in ihr lebenden und handelnden zwei Hauptprotagonist*innen, welches bildgestalterisch durch ein Zusammenspiel von Cinematographie, Choreographie und Setting ausgearbeitet und dargestellt wird. Durch die gemeinsame Wirkung vieler unterschiedlicher Gestaltungsmittel soll eine Geschichte erzählt werden, in der sich beide Welten aufeinander zu bewegen und am Ende Elemente der jeweils anderen Welt in sich aufnehmen und für die eigene Empfindung in der jeweiligen Umgebung adaptieren.
Field-effect EIS (electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor) sensors modified with a positively charged weak polyelectrolyte layer have been applied for the electrical detection of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) immobilization and hybridization by the intrinsic molecular charge. The EIS sensors are able to detect the existence of target DNA amplicons in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) samples and thus, can be used as tool for a quick verification of DNA amplification and the successful PCR process. Due to their miniaturized setup, compatibility with advanced micro- and nanotechnologies, and ability to detect biomolecules by their intrinsic molecular charge, those sensors can serve as possible platform for the development of label-free DNA chips. Possible application fields as well as challenges and limitations will be discussed.
Past earthquakes demonstrated the high vulnerability of industrial facilities equipped with complex process technologies leading to serious damage of the process equipment and multiple and simultaneous release of hazardous substances in industrial facilities. Nevertheless, the design of industrial plants is inadequately described in recent codes and guidelines, as they do not consider the dynamic interaction between the structure and the installations and thus the effect of seismic response of the installations on the response of the structure and vice versa. The current code-based approach for the seismic design of industrial facilities is considered not enough for ensure proper safety conditions against exceptional event entailing loss of content and related consequences. Accordingly, SPIF project (Seismic Performance of Multi- Component Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities) was proposed within the framework of the European H2020 - SERA funding scheme (Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research Infrastructure Alliance for Europe). The objective of the SPIF project is the investigation of the seismic behavior of a representative industrial structure equipped with complex process technology by means of shaking table tests. The test structure is a three-story moment resisting steel frame with vertical and horizontal vessels and cabinets, arranged on the three levels and connected by pipes. The dynamic behavior of the test structure and installations is investigated with and without base isolation. Furthermore, both firmly anchored and isolated components are taken into account to compare their dynamic behavior and interactions with each other. Artificial and synthetic ground motions are applied to study the seismic response at different PGA levels. After each test, dynamic identification measurements are carried out to characterize the system condition. The contribution presents the numerical simulations to calibrate the tests on the prototype, the experimental setup of the investigated structure and installations, selected measurement data and finally describes preliminary experimental results.
The feasibility of light-addressed detection and manipulation of pH gradients inside an electrochemical microfluidic cell was studied. Local pH changes, induced by a light-addressable electrode (LAE), were detected using a light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) with different measurement modes representing an actuator-sensor system. Biosensor functionality was examined depending on locally induced pH gradients with the help of the model enzyme penicillinase, which had been immobilized in the microfluidic channel. The surface morphology of the LAE and enzyme-functionalized LAPS was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the penicillin sensitivity of the LAPS inside the microfluidic channel was determined with regard to the analyte’s pH influence on the enzymatic reaction rate. In a final experiment, the LAE-controlled pH inhibition of the enzyme activity was monitored by the LAPS.
Utilizing an appropriate enzyme immobilization strategy is crucial for designing enzyme-based biosensors. Plant virus-like particles represent ideal nanoscaffolds for an extremely dense and precise immobilization of enzymes, due to their regular shape, high surface-to-volume ratio and high density of surface binding sites. In the present work, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles were applied for the co-immobilization of penicillinase and urease onto the gate surface of a field-effect electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitor (EISCAP) with a p-Si-SiO₂-Ta₂O₅ layer structure for the sequential detection of penicillin and urea. The TMV-assisted bi-enzyme EISCAP biosensor exhibited a high urea and penicillin sensitivity of 54 and 85 mV/dec, respectively, in the concentration range of 0.1–3 mM. For comparison, the characteristics of single-enzyme EISCAP biosensors modified with TMV particles immobilized with either penicillinase or urease were also investigated. The surface morphology of the TMV-modified Ta₂O₅-gate was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, the bi-enzyme EISCAP was applied to mimic an XOR (Exclusive OR) enzyme logic gate.
Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer produced by different microorganisms, but in biotechnological practice, Komagataeibacter xylinus is used. The micro- and nanofibrillar structure of BC, which forms many different-sized pores, creates prerequisites for the introduction of other polymers into it, including those synthesized by other microorganisms. The study aims to develop a cocultivation system of BC and prebiotic producers to obtain BC-based composite material with prebiotic activity. In this study, pullulan (PUL) was found to stimulate the growth of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG better than the other microbial polysaccharides gellan and xanthan. BC/PUL biocomposite with prebiotic properties was obtained by cocultivation of Komagataeibacter xylinus and Aureobasidium pullulans, BC and PUL producers respectively, on molasses medium. The inclusion of PUL in BC is proved gravimetrically by scanning electron microscopy and by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. Cocultivation demonstrated a composite effect on the aggregation and binding of BC fibers, which led to a significant improvement in mechanical properties. The developed approach for “grafting” of prebiotic activity on BC allows preparation of environmentally friendly composites of better quality.
We present a concise mini overview on the approaches to the disposal of nuclear waste currently used or deployed. The disposal of nuclear waste is the end point of nuclear waste management (NWM) activities and is the emplacement of waste in an appropriate facility without the intention to retrieve it. The IAEA has developed an internationally accepted classification scheme based on the end points of NWM, which is used as guidance. Retention times needed for safe isolation of waste radionuclides are estimated based on the radiotoxicity of nuclear waste. Disposal facilities usually rely on a multi-barrier defence system to isolate the waste from the biosphere, which comprises the natural geological barrier and the engineered barrier system. Disposal facilities could be of a trench type, vaults, tunnels, shafts, boreholes, or mined repositories. A graded approach relates the depth of the disposal facilities’ location with the level of hazard. Disposal practices demonstrate the reliability of nuclear waste disposal with minimal expected impacts on the environment and humans.
A capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EISCAP) biosensor modified with Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles for the detection of acetoin is presented. The enzyme acetoin reductase (AR) was immobilized on the surface of the EISCAP using TMV particles as nanoscaffolds. The study focused on the optimization of the TMV-assisted AR immobilization on the Ta 2 O 5 -gate EISCAP surface. The TMV-assisted acetoin EISCAPs were electrochemically characterized by means of leakage-current, capacitance-voltage, and constant-capacitance measurements. The TMV-modified transducer surface was studied via scanning electron microscopy.
Acetoin and diacetyl have a major impact on the flavor of alcoholic beverages such as wine or beer. Therefore, their measurement is important during the fermentation process. Until now, gas chromatographic techniques have typically been applied; however, these require expensive laboratory equipment and trained staff, and do not allow for online monitoring. In this work, a capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor sensor modified with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles as enzyme nanocarriers for the detection of acetoin and diacetyl is presented. The enzyme acetoin reductase from Alkalihalobacillus clausii DSM 8716ᵀ is immobilized via biotin–streptavidin affinity, binding to the surface of the TMV particles. The TMV-assisted biosensor is electrochemically characterized by means of leakage–current, capacitance–voltage, and constant capacitance measurements. In this paper, the novel biosensor is studied regarding its sensitivity and long-term stability in buffer solution. Moreover, the TMV-assisted capacitive field-effect sensor is applied for the detection of diacetyl for the first time. The measurement of acetoin and diacetyl with the same sensor setup is demonstrated. Finally, the successive detection of acetoin and diacetyl in buffer and in diluted beer is studied by tuning the sensitivity of the biosensor using the pH value of the measurement solution.
An improved and convenient ninhydrin assay for aminoacylase activity measurements was developed using the commercial EZ Nin™ reagent. Alternative reagents from literature were also evaluated and compared. The addition of DMSO to the reagent enhanced the solubility of Ruhemann's purple (RP). Furthermore, we found that the use of a basic, aqueous buffer enhances stability of RP. An acidic protocol for the quantification of lysine was developed by addition of glacial acetic acid. The assay allows for parallel processing in a 96-well format with measurements microtiter plates.
The subtilase family (S8), a member of the clan SB of serine proteases are ubiquitous in all kingdoms of life and fulfil different physiological functions. Subtilases are divided in several groups and especially subtilisins are of interest as they are used in various industrial sectors. Therefore, we searched for new subtilisin sequences of the family Bacillaceae using a data mining approach. The obtained 1,400 sequences were phylogenetically classified in the context of the subtilase family. This required an updated comprehensive overview of the different groups within this family. To fill this gap, we conducted a phylogenetic survey of the S8 family with characterised holotypes derived from the MEROPS database. The analysis revealed the presence of eight previously uncharacterised groups and 13 subgroups within the S8 family. The sequences that emerged from the data mining with the set filter parameters were mainly assigned to the subtilisin subgroups of true subtilisins, high-alkaline subtilisins, and phylogenetically intermediate subtilisins and represent an excellent source for new subtilisin candidates.