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Institute
Units of measure with prefixes and conversion rules are given a formal semantic model in terms of categorial group theory. Basic structures and both natural and contingent semantic operations are defined. Conversion rules are represented as a class of ternary relations with both group-like and category-like properties. A hierarchy of subclasses is explored, each satisfying stronger useful algebraic properties than the preceding, culminating in a direct efficient conversion-by-rewriting algorithm.
SMath with Maxima
(2023)
This research paper examines the potential consequences of AI technology on democratic systems. The study focuses on two main areas: the weakening of the media and the emergence of "smart dictatorship." The paper examines the ways in which AI can be used to supervise, manipulate, and frustrate the media, thereby weakening its role as a check on government and corporate power. The study also explores how AI technology can be used to create an "omnidirectional monitoring" society, where individuals are constantly monitored and controlled through the use of "panopticon" techniques and "social bots". This can lead to the emergence of a "postdemocratic" society, characterized by growing inequality, dehumanization, and the
manipulation of information on online media platforms. The research methodology adopted in the study is qualitative, using expert interviews with three experts who
discussed the overall use of AI and its disruptive effects on democracy, such as the creation of fake news, filter bubbles, and algorithm bias. In conclusion, this research highlights the need for increased awareness and regulation of AI technology to ensure its responsible use and to protect democratic values.
Education lies at the foot of economic growth and human development. However, an increase in population tends to put a strain on existing education systems, especially in Africa where most countries are characterized by slow economic development, rapid population growth rates and a median age just shy of 20 years. Due to the slow rate of economic growth, many African countries lack the financial capability to provide proper education for their ever-growing populations or even already overpopulated regions, many of which have people who have reached the appropriate school-going age. This leads to a series of disruptive impacts on the education systems resulting in a people who are poorly or improperly educated, and thus are not equipped with the necessary skills required for the vast technical, professional and ever modernizing high-skill job markets such as construction, economic and technical professions, teaching occupations and so on, all of which drive economic growth and development. Therefore, we can see that rapid population growth, if left unchecked, may lead to overpopulation scenarios which could have a negative disruptive impact on education and human development, both of which are important factors necessary for economic growth.
Key words: Population, education, Africa, poverty, economy, development.
The Great Shutdown
(2023)
This research aims to examine the potential impact of a military escalation of the China-Taiwan conflict on global economies, with a particular focus on the microchip production industry in Taiwan. The academic paper will analyze the current economic ties between Taiwan and other countries, as well as the potential consequences of a disruption in trade and production caused by a military conflict. The research will also examine the role of Taiwan's microchip industry in the global supply chain and its potential vulnerability to a disruption in the event of a military escalation. Additionally, this scientific paper will explore the possible economic responses of other countries and the international community to a military escalation of the China-Taiwan conflict. The research will use a combination of the systematic literature review and the scenario technique to demonstrate potential impact of a military escalation of the China-Taiwan conflict on global economies, with a specific focus on the microchip production industry in Taiwan.
The Quantum Threat looms over cryptography: Once strong quantum computers become available, its game over for encryption and privacy. This widespread understanding of the how cryptography will be impacted by quantum computing is challenged in this thesis to achieve a more nuanced understanding of both the ramifications of the Quantum Threat and potential countermeasures to it.
In recent years, the messaging application has been Indonesia’s most widely used mobile app. The number of users of these instant messaging (IM) applications has also been increasing constantly. Unfortunately, research has mentioned that older users often face challenges in using them. Although some papers have created guidelines for designing interfaces for the elderly, these applications are still focused on developing according to the need of young people. In addition, the aging of adults increases their chances of facing some difficulties. Therefore, this thesis aims to give a better understanding of the interface of the mobile instant messaging (MIM) application preferred by its users, specifically Indonesian users. By distributing an online-based survey to 150 Indonesian users of the MIM application, the preferences of several features in the message list and messaging interface of this application are collected. Then, the statistical analysis of the results found that the preferences of both users’ age groups differ. Among them are the button or icon each age group finds more suitable, the bottom bar in the messaging interface, and the placement of action options to be performed to the message they prefer most. Thus, this research also presents design recommendations that both younger and older users prefer.
Diese Arbeit gibt einen Einblick sowie eine Einschätzung eines Code-basierten
Werkzeuges zur Datenvisualierung, der d3js bibliothek für JavaScript. Es
werden nicht nur das Potential, sondern auch die Vor- und Nachteile evaluiert.
Weiterhin wird eine Einschätzung gegeben, wann der Einsatz dieses Werkzeuges
sinnvoll ist. Um diese Einschätzungen treffen zu können, werden einige Di-
agramme, bezüglich der aktuellen Flüchtlichgssituation, die aufgrund des
bewaffneten Ukrainekonfilktes besteht, erstellt. Dafür werden zunächst die
nötigen Grundlagen erklärt. Dies umfasst sowohl Daten und Datentypen,
als auch Diagramme und deren Aufbau. Abschließend werden die erstellten
Diagramme, sowie d3js im Diskussionsteil ausgewertet.
Da d3js in reinem JavaScript implementiert ist, lässt es sich problem-
los mit anderen Frameworks kombinieren. Der Fokus von d3js liegt auf der
schnellen und einfachen Manipulation von Elementen im Document Object
Model. d3js ist jedoch kein Werkzeug, mit dem in wenigen Zeilen Quell-
code ganze Diagramme erstellt werden können. Vielmehr müssen sowohl die
einzelnen Elemente eines Diagrammes, wie auch deren Position und Ausse-
hen händisch definiert werden. Das ermöglicht ein Höchstmaß an Kontrolle
über das Aussehen und Verhalten der Diagramme. Es ist jedoch auch zeitin-
tensiv und führt eventuell zur Implementation unübersichtlicher Diagramme.
Gepaart mit der hohen initialen Lernkurve kann die Nutzung von d3js nur
in speziellen Fällen, welche die volle Kontrolle über Aussehen und Verhalten
von Diagrammen benötigen, empfohlen werden.
Towards Practice-oriented Higher Education for Sustainable Rural Development in Western Kenya
(2021)
The workshop proceedings contain the written versions of the presentations of the Kenyan participants of the final workshop of the DAAD-funded cooperation project "Practice-oriented Higher Education in Western Kenya" (ProUniEdu-WeK) in August 2021 at the Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences (THB).
The contributions give an impression of what has been achieved in the last years on the way to practice-oriented higher education in the participating departments of the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) in cooperation with its partners from the THB and what is planned to be done in the years to come.
The purpose of this work is to demonstrate how International Transport of Nuclear Material in Brazil is organized, coordinated and executed according to the National Nuclear Security Regime. The country has created a Nuclear Security governance in the Presidency of the Republic Institutional Security Cabinet, which holds a central role in the System for the Protection of the Brazilian Nuclear Program (Sipron, as the acronym in Portuguese), which has recently established the Nuclear Security Coordination in its structure. This new organization enabled the coordination of all national assets involved in the security of nuclear material during transport. Brazil has extensive dimensions; it occupies roughly half of South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and all the subcontinent countries except Ecuador and Chile. This continental country presents huge challenges to the ground transportation of any kind in order to reach neighboring countries. Nevertheless, in 2018, a successful nuclear material transport operation to Argentina was coordinated by Sipron within a length of more than 2.000 Km. Nuclear material was delivered from Resende in the State of Rio de Janeiro to Uruguaiana in the State of Rio Grande do Sul in the border with Argentina. This represents an itinerary farther then the distance between Vienna and Moscow. Various security coordination arrangements were necessary before and during the operation. First of all these arrangements were concerned to the identification of all stakeholders roles and responsibilities with the purpose to achieve the necessary synergy in order to perform the operation jointly. The Design and Evaluation Process Outline (DEPO) methodology was applied and the following tasks were accomplished: transportation conveyance characterization; risk and threat assessment with the support of the national intelligence agency; physical protection design according to a defined threat; law enforcement coordination (Federal Police and State Polices); contingency planning; information security measures; personnel clearances; coordination with highway operators; regulatory compliance; activation of the National Command and Control Joint Center and the State Command and Control Joint Centers; synchronization matrix implementation. The operation proved the importance of liaison in all levels, information sharing and cooperation among the responders. However, the principle of confidentiality application became crucial to restrict access to sensitive information to the minimum necessary. Deterrence was largely employed during the operation to minimize risks. The operation has turned into a successful interagency Case Study with many Best Practices and Lessons Learned.
Goal of the thesis is to research enhancement of the legislative robustness and its possibilities regarding nuclear security of mobile Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in The Netherlands to improve the licensing process. SMRs are small Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) with an electrical power output lower than 300 MWe with specific attributes like modularity and mobility, which is beneficial in serial manufacturing, like simplified design features, so fewer components allows for a higher reliability, like passive safety features, which connotes the behavior of components according to known laws of physics, for instance gravity, and like inherent safety features which are defined by reactor characteristics.
Chapter 2 reviews the inherent safety and security features of SMRs and its implications on nuclear safety and nuclear security. Chapter 3 deals with the international nuclear regulatory framework and its applicability towards licensing SMRs. Some IAEA Member States have revisioned their legal structure to optimize an SMR licensing process by applying a graded approach towards nuclear security and safety requirements. In Chapter 4 the Dutch nuclear regulatory framework and its impact on SMR developments related to nuclear safety and security are discussed. Suggestions and recommendations for possible legal adjustments are made. Chapter 5 approaches the harmonization of licensing requirements by proposing a more efficient alternative to the Dutch licensing process for all types of NPPs, including SMRs, as presented in international recommendations. Chapter 6 considers the need for SMRs and an alternative approach to the stakeholder involvement in the Dutch NPP licensing process.
Generally nuclear regulatory frameworks mainly focus on licensing conventional NPPs and the corresponding nuclear safety and security requirements and therefore prescribing overshooting regulations. Legal options to gradually approach safety and security requirements are deeply embedded in the Dutch Nuclear Energy Act and corresponding legislation. Combined with legal adjustments as denoted in the conclusions and recommendations, the adjustmenst are not only permittable and justifiable but also legally possible. Therefore, the licensing process of SMRs can be streamlined, establishing a harmonized and robust nuclear regulatory framework creating great opportunities for enriching the energy mix in The Netherlands with SMRs.
Kurzdarstellung
Kolumbien ist ein agrarwirtschaftlich geprägtes Land, indem eine Vielzahl verschiedener
landwirtschaftlicher Produkte, wie zum Beispiel Zuckerrohr, Kaffee oder Reis, angebaut
werden. Durch die jährlich anwachsende Menge an produzierten Gütern steigt auch die jährlich
produzierte Menge an landwirtschaftlichen Abfällen, welche Anwendung als erneuerbare
Energieträger finden können. Aufgrund der Tatsache, dass es in weiten Teilen Kolumbiens,
gerade in den ländlichen agrarwirtschaftlich geprägten Gebieten, Probleme mit der
Energieversorgung gibt, könnten die landwirtschaftlichen Abfälle genutzt werden, um vor Ort
Energie zu erzeugen und die Entwicklung dieser Regionen zu fördern.
Die Forschungsgruppe „Biomass and Optimization of Thermal Systems” (BIOT) der „National
University of Colombia“ beschäftigt sich mit genau diesem Thema. In dem Projekt „Efficient
Use of Alternative Carbonaceous Fuels in the Power Generation in Colombia by
Implementation of Fluidized Bed Reactors” ist geplant, eine zirkulierende Wirbelschichtanlage
zur Vergasung von Biomassepartikeln zu konstruieren. Wirbelschichtreaktoren besitzen
hervorragende Wärmetransporteigenschaften, sowie gute Partikelkontaktraten, welche
notwendig für einen thermochemischen Wandlungsprozess sind [1]. Das Ziel des Projektes ist
es zu untersuchen, welche der vor Ort anfallenden landwirtschaftlichen Abfälle effizient genutzt
werden können, um Energie durch Vergasungsprozesse unter Anwendung einer
Wirbelschichtanlage zu produzieren.
Die Auslegung des Wirbelschichtreaktors und die Modellierung des thermochemischen
Wandlungsprozesses hängt stark von den physischen und fluiddynamischen Eigenschaften der
verwendeten Biomassepartikel ab. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der
experimentellen Bestimmung der wesentlichen Eigenschaften der Biomassepartikel. Dazu
gehören: die Partikelgrößenverteilung, der mittlere Partikeldurchmesser, die Schütt- und
Partikeldichte und der Feuchtigkeitsgehalt. Im Weiteren werden Fluidisierungsversuche mit
Mischungen aus Quarzsand, welcher als Bettmaterial dient, und verschiedenen zugeführten
Mengen an Biomassepartikeln durchgeführt. Dabei werden die charakteristischen Kenngrößen,
wie die Lockerungsgeschwindigkeit, und die Art der Fluidisierung bzw. die Art der sich
ausbildenden Schicht experimentell ermittelt, um Erkenntnisse darüber zu erlangen, ob die
verschiedenen landwirtschaftlichen Abfälle erfolgreich fluidisiert werden können.
Debt-overhang and ways out
(2014)
The focus of this paper is legacy debt and ways out of it. It introduces credit, debt and financial stress as a basis for understanding the ongoing financial crisis as well as solutions discussed in politics and media. We clarify why and when debt is too much, and discuss ways of avoiding outright default.
The main questions are
• What are the basics of debt and related financial problems?
• How much debt is too much?
• Why and when is default a problem to all of us?
• Is there a way out of the current debt crisis?
While debt and looming bankruptcy of governments is the focus of media attention, we will not neglect the fact, that households, banks and companies in many countries acquired too much debt as well and are therefore a source of problems of their own right.
The present work researches the existing publications on security management, assesses the relevance of selected literature in relation to corporate security and its subdisciplines and gives some recommendations for the elaboration of prospective security publications. The addressed publications are specialist books, academic journals and specialist magazines. The first part of the work defines the term security management from the perspective of this study in order to find a homogenous scheme, on which the literature research and analysis will be based. The central part of the work assesses the collected publications and determines their relevance with the security management outline defined in this work. The closing part gathers the results of the research and analysis, in order to determine characteristics and shortcomings of the existing literature, and proposes structural improvements for future publications.
Rolling contact fatigue generates cracks on the running surface of high strength railway rails which grow under a small angle into the rail head. These cracks can cause in its last stage the fracturing of the rail. The crack extension behaviour is – as the origin of these cracks too – influenced by the cold working of the rail steel. The crack growth in the first stage is fracture mechanically analyzed by means of two-dimensional modelling. The simulation results are assessed for the use of rail grinding. A criterion for the change of the crack growth direction could not be derived, but the following stages of the crack growth in the transverse direction and the final fracture and the conditions for secondary fractures are considered. Rolling contact fatigue generates cracks on the running surface of high strength railway rails which grow under a small angle into the rail head. These cracks can cause in its last stage the fracturing of the rail. The crack extension behaviour is – as the origin of these cracks too – influenced by the cold working of the rail steel. The crack growth in the first stage is fracture mechanically analyzed by means of two-dimensional modelling. The simulation results are assessed for the use of rail grinding. A criterion for the change of the crack growth direction could not be derived, but the following stages of the crack growth in the transverse direction and the final fracture and the conditions for secondary fractures are considered.