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The QUILT-1M dataset is the first openly available dataset containing images harvested from various online sources. While it provides a huge data variety, the image quality and composition is highly heterogeneous, impacting its utility for text-conditional image synthesis. We propose an automatic pipeline that provides predictions of the most common impurities within the images, e.g., visibility of narrators, desktop environment and pathology software, or text within the image. Additionally, we propose to use semantic alignment filtering of the image-text pairs. Our findings demonstrate that by rigorously filtering the dataset, there is a substantial enhancement of image fidelity in text-to-image tasks.
For the use of the CSS model, workflows are needed to describe, assign and derive capabilities. This contribution provides a Capability Determining method that encompasses the three underlying technology-independent methods to guide stakeholders in describing, assigning and deriving capabilities for manufacturing. The first underlying method, Describing Capabilities, describes a workflow for the formal semantic description of capabilities. The workflow for assigning capabilities to a production resource is explained using the second method Assigning Capability. In the last workflow, capabilities are derived from production specification or a process description using the method Deriving Capability.
We examine the impact of water (160 ± 41 ppm of reference) on the anode, cathode, separator and electrolyte in two aging scenarios: calendric aging (60 °C, 80 days, charged state), resulting in a triggered current interrupt device (CID), and cycling 1680 times (charge/discharge with 1C, 2.75–4.2 V, 20 ± 2 °C), resulting in 24.5% residual capacity. We applied computer tomography (CT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to understand the capacity loss. The aged NMC/LCO–graphite cells were compared to a reference cell in pristine state. Both aging scenarios showed (a) thick depositions on the anode and cathode consisting mainly of oxygen, fluorine and phosphorous, (b) reduced separator pore sizes, (c) the deposition of Mn, Co and Ni on top of the anode and (d) the decomposition of the conductive salt LiPF6 accompanied by HF formation and a loss of active lithium. Calendric aging consumes the water content and additionally leads to (e) the decomposition of the organic solvent followed by CO2 gas formation. Cyclic aging increases the water content and additionally results in (f) the consumption of the additive fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC). These findings show how water affects aging phenomena and results in a capacity decrease in the cell.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a well-established manufacturing method for producing both prototype and functional components. This study investigates the mechanical properties of FDM components by material and process-related influencing variables. Tensile tests were conducted on seven different materials in their raw filament form, two of which were fiber-reinforced, to analyze their material-related influence. To cover a wide range from standard to advanced materials relevant for load-carrying components as well as their respective variations, polylactic acid (PLA), 30% wood-fiber-reinforced PLA, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), a blend of ABS and PC, Nylon, and 30% glass-fiber-reinforced Nylon were selected. The process-related influencing variables were studied using the following process parameters: layer thickness, nozzle diameter, build orientation, nozzle temperature, infill density and pattern, and raster angle. The first test series revealed that the addition of wood fibers significantly worsened the mechanical behavior of PLA due to the lack of fiber bonding to the matrix and significant pore formation. The polymer blend of ABS and PC only showed improvements in stiffness. Significant strength and stiffness improvements were found by embedding glass fibers in Nylon, despite partially poor fiber–matrix bonding. The materials with the best properties were selected for the process parameter analysis. When examining the impact of layer thickness on part strength, a clear correlation was evident. Smaller layer thicknesses resulted in higher strength, while stiffness did not appear to be affected. Conversely, larger nozzle diameters and lower nozzle temperatures only positively impacted stiffness, with little effect on strength. The part orientation did alter the fracture behavior of the test specimens. Although an on-edge orientation resulted in higher stiffness, it failed at lower stresses. Higher infill densities and infill patterns aligned with the load direction led to the best mechanical results. The raster angle had a significant impact on the behavior of the printed bodies. An alternating raster angle resulted in lower strengths and stiffness compared to a unidirectional raster angle. However, it also caused significant stretching due to the rotation of the beads.
Market availability of aluminum alloys for laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is still highly limited in comparison to conventional manufacturing processes. The demand for high-strength but inexpensive alloys specifically designed for L-PBF is high. This demand has led to research on a variety of adapted conventional alloys which are still limited to utilize the full potential of L-PBF. Scalmalloy® (Al–Mg–Sc–Zr) satisfies the demand for high-strength L-PBF-alloys but needs a high energy input and has troubles with evaporation of Mg. Scancromal® (Al–Cr–Sc–Zr) is a novel alloying system for L-PBF and was first introduced in 2019 with the possibility of higher build rates and comparable strengths to Scalmalloy®. In this paper, a more economic low Sc-containing version of Scancromal® is presented. A parameter study was performed for 100 μm layer thickness reaching high build rates of about 47 cm3 h−1 . Hardness tests for different parameters were carried out and showed a stable process window with a hardness comparable to AlSi10Mg. Additionally, two-dimensional multilayer process simulations showed a potential for increasing the layer thickness to 150 μm and therefore a significant increase in build rate of up to 70 cm3 h−1 highlighting the high productivity potential of Al–Cr alloys for L-PBF.
Enhancing traffic signal optimisation has the potential to improve urban traffic flow without the need for expensive infrastructure modifications. While reinforcement learning (RL) techniques have demonstrated their effectiveness in simulations, their real-world implementation is still a challenge. Real-world systems need to be developed that guarantee a deployable action definition for real traffic systems while prioritising safety constraints and robust policies. This paper introduces a method to overcome this challenge by introducing a novel action definition that optimises parameter-level control programmes designed by traffic engineers. The complete proposed framework consists of a traffic situation estimation, a feature extractor, and a system that enables training on estimates of real-world traffic situations. Further multimodal optimisation, scalability, and continuous training after deployment could be achieved. The first simulative tests using this action definition show an average improvement of more than 20% in traffic flow compared to the baseline – the corresponding pre-optimised real-world control.
Among the possible traffic members on a Vehicle-to-Everything network, the term Vulnerable Road User (VRU) is assigned e.g. to pedestrians and cyclists. The VRU Awareness Message (VAM) is used by VRUs to inform other users of their presence and ensure they are perceived in a traffic system. Since the number of VRUs in crowded areas might be very high, the over-the-air traffic might be overloaded. To reduce channel overload, VAMs offer a clustering feature in which VRUs with similar kinematics and positions can group themselves so that only one device transmits messages. The VRU Basic Service specification describes the cluster as a bounding box that must cover all its members using a geometric shape so that other vehicles in the vicinity can avoid colliding with the contained VRUs. This paper contributes to the standardization effort by introducing a data structure, the Cluster Map, for the clustering in the VRU Basic Service. Furthermore, this work is the first to suggest strategies for forming bounding box shapes. Simulation results show that each of the geometry types is useful in different situations, thus further research on the topic is advised.
We consider a small helicopter structure that is maneuvered through the control of moving masses. It is referred to as a swash mass helicopter (SMH). This paper addresses the trajectory tracking control problem for the SMH, with a specific focus on the decoupling change of coordinates of both rotational and translational dynamics. We propose a control scheme in which position tracking is the primary objective, while the attitude tracking task is considered as a secondary objective. The intermediate control signals related to the attitude dynamics exploit the structural properties of the SMH and are enhanced with terms that grant a more accurate tracking of the target trajectory. The closed-loop system stability under the trajectory tracking objective is obtained following the Interconnection and Damping Assignment Passivity-Based Control (IDA-PBC) approach. In addition, the presence of external disturbances can diminish the trajectory tracking performance. For this reason, a nonlinear outer loop controller is added to the IDA-PBC to compensate the disturbances. Finally, the results of several simulations are reported to evaluate the performance of the control strategy.
A novel structure learning algorithm for Bayesian Networks based on a Physarum Learner is presented. The length of the connections within an initially fully connected Physarum-Maze is taken as the inverse Pearson correlation coefficient between the connected nodes. The Physarum Learner then estimates the shortest indirect paths between each pair of nodes. In each iteration, a score of the surviving edges is incremented. Finally, the highest scored connections are combined to form a Bayesian Network. The novel Physarum Learner method is evaluated with different configurations and compared to the LAGD Hill Climber showing comparable performance with respect to quality of training results and increased time efficiency for large data sets.
NoiSLU: a Noisy speech corpus for Spoken Language Understanding in the Public Transport Domain
(2024)
Abstract
In the early stages, entrepreneurs encounter significant challenges and extreme uncertainty when founding a young innovative venture. In response to this, a spectrum of wide support mechanisms are available. Typically facilitated not in isolation, but rather through collaborative efforts involving multiple institutions within a startup ecosystem. An exemplary theoretical framework delineating auspicious collaborative efforts among multiple institutions to foster innovation, is the Triple Helix model. The primary objective of this thesis is therefore to analyze the positioning of European top incubator landscape within the Triple Helix Model and the support offers for startups resulting from the cooperation between incubator and a subsystem. Ultimately, implications for the local German incubator brigk should be described. In doing so, the conducted study employed a qualitative data analysis, leveraging 100 datasets within the data analysis software ATLAS.ti. By crawling the "About us" pages on incubators' websites, the methodology involved first-level paragraph coding based on the Triple Helix Model's subsystems. Subsequently, second-level codes were assigned following a consistent schema that highlighted the kind of collaboration. The final step involved the clustering of similar second-level codes, providing a nuanced understanding of the dimensional interaction between incubators and other institutions. The results show that cooperation’s between the analyzed incubators and the three subsystems of the Triple Helix Model do exist. Besides the pronounced frequency of cooperation with the Economic Subsystem, the role reversal revealed by the analysis is a particularly interesting finding in this thesis. It shows that incubators themselves often take on the role of a subsystem to drive innovation. Looking at the results of this work in a broader context, it could represent a benchmark for individual institutions within Europe, improving their cooperation’s with the players of the three subsystems. And in the long run, enhancing their offering and support to young innovative companies.
Feedback kann eine sehr wichtige Rolle für den Lernerfolg spielen. Beim Peer Review Verfahren beurteilen die Studierenden selbst gegenseitig ihre Arbeitsergebnisse, geben also einander Feedback. In diesem Beitrag werden das Peer Review Verfahren mit Gruppenarbeit verknüpft und dabei zwei mögliche Strukturierungsvarianten differenziert. Für die Umsetzung dieser beiden Varianten wird die Moodle-Aktivität „Gegenseitige Beurteilung“ herangezogen, die in der hier verwendeten Moodle-Version aber nicht vollumfänglich auf das Arbeiten mit Gruppen ausgelegt ist. Daher wird in diesem Beitrag aufgezeigt, welche Gestaltungen und manuellen Schritte seitens der Lehrperson zweckmäßig sind, um die Aktivität „Gegenseitige Beurteilung“ auch in Kombination mit Gruppenarbeit in geeigneter Weise einsetzen zu können.
Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems have achieved a mature technology stage and are in an early phase of mass deployment in Europe. Relying on Vehicle-to-X communication, these systems were primarily developed to improve traffic safety, efficiency, and driving comfort. However, they also offer great opportunities for other use cases. One of them is forensic accident analysis, where the received data provide details about the status of other traffic participants, give insights into the accident scenario, and therefore help in understanding accident causes. A high accuracy of the sent information is essential: For safety use cases, such as traffic jam warning, a poor accuracy of the data may result in wrong driver information, undermine the usability of the system and even create new safety risks. For accident analysis, a low accuracy may prevent the correct reconstruction of an accident. This paper presents an experimental study of the first generation of Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems in Europe. The results indicate a high accuracy for most of the data fields in the Vehicle-to-X messages, namely speed, acceleration, heading and yaw rate information, which meet the accuracy requirements for safety use cases and accident analysis. In contrast, the position data, which are also carried in the messages, have larger errors. Specifically, we observed that the lateral position still has an acceptable accuracy. The error of the longitudinal position is larger and may compromise safety use cases with high accuracy requirements. Even with limited accuracy, the data provide a high value for the accident analysis. Since we also found that the accuracy of the data increases for newer vehicle models, we presume that Vehicle-to-X data have the potential for exact accident reconstruction.
In dieser Bachelorarbeit steht das Thema Merchandising im deutschen Profifußball im Fokus. Die wissenschaftliche Untersuchung wurde auf die 1. und 2. Fußball-Bundesliga beschränkt. Mit dem großen Ziel, die Forschungsfrage „auf welchen aktuellen Trend die Vereine das größte Augenmerk legen müssen“ zu beantworten. Um einen weitreichenden Blick über diesen Wirtschaftszweig zu erhalten wurden ebenfalls auch weitere Kriterien, wie Ziele, Chancen und Risiken begutachtet. Als Grundlage diente die Literaturrecherche mittels Fachbücher, Zeitungsartikel sowie Studien. Bei den Zielen konnte ausfindig gemacht werden, dass es sich beim Merchandising um eine sehr wichtige Einnahmequelle handelt. Interessanterweise ließ sich feststellen, dass der Merchandisingkonsum vom Fanverhalten beeinflusst wird. Je stärker die Bindung von Vereinsanhänger zum Fußballclub ist, desto wichtiger ist dieser für den Merchandisingumsatz. Deswegen fokussieren sich die Fußballvereine bereits auf die jüngsten Mitglieder. In sogenannten Kids-Clubs. In der Hoffnung die Verbindung zum Verein zu kräftigen und lebenslang aufrecht zu erhalten. Des Weiteren wird mittels Merchandisingprodukten ein wichtiges Marketingziel verfolgt. Die mit dem Vereinswappen versehenen Artikel repräsentieren den Verein als Marke. Eine durchgeführte Studie des Unternehmens FanQ bekräftigt die Wichtigkeit der Fanartikel für die Anhänger. Auf welche in dieser Bachelorarbeit Bezug genommen wird. Zusätzlich wurden die Chancen mit dem Ergebnis, dass der ausländische Markt noch Potenzial aufweist und Risiken, dass ein Zusammenhang zwischen Merchandising-Artikel und Gewalttaten besteht, untersucht. Hervorzuheben ist die wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema der Produkttrends. Hier sind mehrere Entwicklungen erkennbar. Bewahrheitet hat sich unter anderem der Erfolg mit den sogenannten „Sondertrikots“. Diesem Erfolgsfaktor bedient sich fast jeder Profifußballverein der ersten Bundesliga. Außerdem ist das Thema der „Nachhaltigkeit“ der stärkste Trend. Eine Auseinandersetzung mit dem ökologischen Fußabdruck der Artikelherstellung wird nicht nur seitens der Vereine durchgeführt, sondern auch vom Bundesministerium sowie von den Produktkäufern gefordert. Auf dieser Grundlage ist es empfehlenswert das sich die Fußballvereine in Zukunft vermehrt auf dieses Thema konzentrieren sollten.
It is well known that lithium-ion batteries pose a certain safety risk. The thermal runaway of a cell and the subsequent thermal propagation through the battery are considered particularly dangerous. Effective solutions for their mitigation are therefore of great interest. Previous studies have shown the significant influence
of a cell’s state of charge (SOC) on its behavior during thermal runaway. This relation may be exploitable in a battery pack to improve its safety. This study aims to assess the leverage of active SOC reduction in the imminent threat of thermal runaway. Implementing such a technique could become feasible with the emergence of reconfigurable battery systems. Four experiments were conducted, each with a module of three fresh 63 Ah high energy pouch cells in a spring-loaded bracing. The experiments studied different stationary SOC configurations, uniform (100% and 60%) and non-uniform (100%–60%–100% and 100%–20%–100%). The results indicate that thermal propagation is substantially delay (87 s) by discharging a cell in its path. The SOC reduction primarily decreases the maximum temperature of the respective cell. Further effects are a calmer thermal runaway and prolonged propagation time within the cell as well as to the next cell. In comparison, the SOC reduction has little impact on the cell’s own triggering time, as the triggering time is mainly determined by the thermal energy transferred from the preceding cell and hence by its SOC. Furthermore, the analysis of the experimental data (temperature, voltage, pressure, video) gives insights into the propagation of thermal runaway through the individual layers of a cell. With reference to the position of a cell relative to the origin of the thermal propagation, a decrease of its mass loss and an increase of its internal propagation time is observed. This effect is attributed to the decreasing module pressure due to progressive loss of material. The assessment shows that active SOC reduction techniques have great leverage for mitigating or even stopping thermal propagation in a battery pack.
In 2020 the new COVID-19-virus brought an external shock to the stock markets. In this situation effective leadership was essential to bring companies through the crisis.
Political observation showed that countries led by women managed the pandemic situation more effectively than those led by men. Therefore, the research objective of this article is to examine whether female leaders were also more successful to guide companies through the pandemic. Success in this study is defined as financial performance based on stock prices.
To find out whether female managers showed a better financial performance during this crisis, this study examined all companies listed on the German Stock Exchange, which have at least 50 % women in the board. To compare this female managed companies to firms managed mainly by male managers, a market value weighted index for the female managed companies was conducted and compared to the German Stock Index DAX by looking at several financial key figures.
The analysis of these key figures shows that female managed companies outperformed male managed companies in terms of return as well as risk in the year of the COVID-pandemic but were not able to keep their overperformance in the subsequent years. This may be an indicator that women are superior in leading a company through a crisis but suffer in terms of performance when times have calmed down.
Automatizované řízení
(2022)
Sustainable UX zielt darauf ab, ökologische und soziale Überlegungen in das Design digitaler Produkte zu integrieren. Die Implementierung von Sustainable UX stellt jedoch Designer, Entwickler sowie Unternehmen vor große Herausforderungen, da etablierte UX-Methoden oft nur bedingt kompatible Ansätze für Nachhaltigkeit bieten. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, wie Sustainable UX in traditionelle UX-Designprinzipien integriert werden kann und welche Herausforderungen dabei entstehen. Ein Hauptproblem besteht im deutlichen Mangel an spezialisierten Werkzeugen und klaren Methodiken, was die effektive Implementierung von Sustainable UX erschwert.
Zur Unterstützung dieser Untersuchung wurde eine qualitative Nutzerstudie durchgeführt, die die Wirkung der Sensibilisierung für ökologische Themen auf die Akzeptanz nachhaltiger Optionen bei den Nutzern erfasst. Die Studie ergänzt die Diskussion um praktische Anwendungen und zeigt, wie durch gezieltes Design und transparente Kommunikation die Akzeptanz und Motivation für umweltfreundlichere Entscheidungen erhöht werden kann.
Die Untersuchungen zeigen, dass die Integration von nachhaltigen Praktiken in bestehende UX-Methoden auf umfangreiche Herausforderungen stoßen. Diese umfassen nicht nur die technische und praktische Umsetzung, sondern auch ethische Überlegungen und die Notwendigkeit, zwischen Nutzerbedürfnissen und ökologischer, sowie sozialer Verantwortung abzuwägen. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen die Notwendigkeit, einen ausgewogenen Ansatz zu finden, der die menschlichen Bedürfnisse berücksichtigt und gleichzeitig die ökologischen und sozialen Auswirkungen der Nutzererfahrung miteinbezieht.
In a world that suffers with waste and pollution and clothing industry being one of the most polluting industries given the short lifespan of fast fashion, the need for sustainable consumption is an appraising study area. This study ascertains the need to identify what are the factor that affects sustainability of clothing consumption in Germany. For the purpose, the researcher has utilized a quantitative, deductive approach by a survey method, where 402 surveys were filled via the online platforms namely Limesurvey, Microsoft survey, and Google forms in which a German consumer sample was recruited through a convenience sampling considering the ease and time effectiveness in data collection. This research continues to explain the understanding of motivating factors, ability, incentives triggers, and social motivation as the independent variables of the study and see how it impact on sustainable consumption. Effects of keys results show that the motivating interest (0.561; 0.000), ability (0.523; 0.000); incentives for triggers (0.401; 0.000), and social motivation (0.409; 0.000) is explaining 43.7% amount of variance found in sustainable consumption. As per the Pearson Correlation all predictor variables had a moderate impact on the dependent variable. ANOVA reveals the model is statistically significant (ANOVA p=0.000) which means that it explains the data pattern sufficiently. Practical implications in conjunction point at the usefulness of Fogg Behavior Model and Theory of Planned Behavior in disclosing the explanation behind sustainable consumption behaviors. The strategic considerations emphasize the relevance of awareness campaigns, improving availability of green alternatives, using incentives as a trigger leverage, and using social favorable as a mediator of the sustainable practices. In general, this research narrows down the practice of green consumption and also helps business firms, policymakers and marketing personnel to promote eco-friendly behavior according to the situation.
This master's thesis investigates a concept study for developing a 100 kW PEM fuel cell, focusing on the layout of the balance of plant. The procedure began with the realization of the system, involving an intense study of the components and market analysis to acquire corresponding data for modeling purposes using CATIA V5. It concludes with an analysis of the energy distribution of the system, along with the presentation of the finalized package.
The strain induced martensitic transformation in austempered ductile iron (ADI) has been investigated using high resolution neutron diffraction on samples compressed ex-situ to different plastic strains. In addition bulk texture measurements using neutron diffraction have been performed to calculate the orientation distribution of ferrite and austenite phases for different strain levels. Combing the detailed texture information with neutron diffraction pattern proved to be essential for quantitative phase analysis and extraction of martensite phase fractions. The martensite content induced by strain in ADI depends on austempering temperature and degree of deformation.
A modified quenching and deformation dilatometer (TA instruments DIL 805A/D/T) is now in operation at the Heinz Maier‐Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ, Germany) neutron center. It is customized for running neutron scattering measurements during the temperature/deformation treatment of the sample, in particular neutron diffraction (phase, texture, and lattice strain) and neutron small angle scattering. The bulk length change of dilatometer specimens is successfully combined with in situ neutron diffraction patterns for analyzing dynamic processes in metallic materials. A detailed introduction to the unique dilatometer is given and examples of recent experiments highlight the use of the added insight provided by combining diffraction and dilatometry.
In-situ synchrotron diffraction and atom probe tomography (APT) have been used to study the carbon diffusion and redistribution process in austempered ductile iron (ADI) during austempering. The process of carbon content change in bainitic ferrite during different austempering temperatures has been determined quantitatively. The transformation in ADI is controlled by decarburization of supersaturated ferrite and carbide precipitation and has been found to be divided into three stages based on a model developed for bainitic steels by Takahashi and Bhadeshia. The formation, morphology and composition of carbides and carbon clusters in ferrite after austempering have been identified unequivocally by APT. Finally, the relationships of carbon content in ferrite, carbon gap values, and austempering temperatures in the ADI alloy were expressed using empirical equations.
The phase transformation to ausferrite during austempered ductile iron (ADI) heat treatment can be significantly influenced by the alloying element Mo. Utilizing neutron diffraction, the phase transformation from austenite to ausferrite was monitored in-situ during the heat treatment. In addition to the phase volume fractions, the carbon enrichment of retained austenite was investigated. The results from neutron diffraction were compared to the macroscopic length change from dilatometer measurements. They show that the dilatometer data are only of limited use for the investigation of ausferrite formation. However, they allow deriving the time of maximum carbon accumulation in the retained austenite. In addition, the transformation of austenite during ausferritization was investigated using metallographic methods. Finally, the distribution of the alloying elements in the vicinity of the austenite/ferrite interface zone was shown by atom probe tomography (APT) measurements. C and Mn were enriched within the interface, while Si concentration was reduced. The Mo concentration in ferrite, interface and austentite stayed at the same level. The delay of austenite decay during Stage II reaction caused by Mo was studied in detail at 400 °C for the initial material as well as for 0.25 mass % and 0.50 mass % Mo additions.
Phase transition and microstructure investigation of perferritic isothermed ductile iron (IDI)
(2020)
Hierarchical Multi-task Learning with Articulatory Attributes for Cross-Lingual Phoneme Recognition
(2023)
The global population is anticipated to experience a significant surge by 2050, posing profound challenges in ensuring food and energy security. Concurrently, the prevalence of hunger, exacerbated by pandemics, climate shocks, and conflicts, underscores the urgency to enhance agricultural productivity and energy efficiency. Agriculture currently accounts for 70% of freshwater consumption and 30% of global energy usage, requiring innovative solutions to meet increasing demands. In this context, Agri-Photovoltaic (Agri-PV) systems emerge as a promising approach, integrating agricultural practices with solar technology to enhance food production and energy generation simultaneously. These systems not only address the pressing need for sustainable food and energy sources but also offer benefits such as resilience against extreme weather events and income diversification for farmers.
This study investigates the potential of Agri-PV systems to address power outages in rural areas of Kissane in Morocco, as well as Bouda in Algeria. These areas are characterized by weak grid networks. After developing the load profiles of farms and households in the case study areas based on real data and literature, the PV-SOL software is utilized to estimate the size of the photovoltaic system. After simulation in the software and considering the type of Agri-PV substructure, three different scenarios for sizing the system are taken into account. The first scenario aims to cover all energy demands for both farms and households, the second focuses solely on farms, and the third focuses only on household energy requirements.
The results reveal that with six hours of power outage in a day, Kissane requires a 39 kWp Agri-PV system with an 85.31 kWh battery to fulfill its total energy demands. For farms alone, a 38 kWp system with an 82.04 kWh battery is necessary, while households, due to cooperative arrangements and few houses, need only a 1 kWp system with a 3.27 kWh battery. In Bouda, facing six power outages in a day, a 46 kWp system with a 144.34 kWh battery is required for total energy, 41 kWp with a 125.78 kWh battery for farms, and 5 kWp with an 18.56 kWh battery for households. Economic analysis favors Morocco due to higher electricity prices, yielding Kissane a positive 8.69% internal rate of return (IRR) and a competitive 10.95 cent/kWh levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). In contrast, Bouda faces economic challenges with a -2.93% IRR and a 13.77 cent/kWh LCOE, necessitating financial incentives for viability.
Keywords: Agri-Photovoltaic (Agri-PV), power outage, load profile, grid network, rural energy security, Morocco, Algeria
Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit der Thematik der Nachhaltigkeit und der Lieferkette in der Modeindustrie aus der Sichtweise der Konsumenten. Das Ziel ist eine mobile Anwendung, welche den Verbrauchern transparent Informationen zu einem Kleidungsstück liefert und ihm bei seiner Kaufentscheidung unterstützt. Betrachtet werden dabei die Fragen, wie sich die Lieferkette darstellen lässt, welche Informationen interessant und relevant für Kunden sind und wie diese transparent dargestellt werden können. Basierend auf einer Benchmark Analyse und Interviews mit potenziellen Kunden, Verkäufern und Experten in der Branche wurden Anforderungen aufgestellt und ein Konzept erarbeitet, welches anschließend mithilfe von User Tests bewertet und weiterentwickelt wurde. Eine wichtige Erkenntnis war dabei, dass jeder Verbraucher andere Bedürfnisse hat, was sich im Konzept widerspiegeln muss. Deswegen werden mehrere Informationsebenen angeboten, sodass jeder Nutzer selbst entscheiden kann, wie viele Daten angezeigt werden sollen. Die Arbeit schließt mit einem Ausblick auf die zukünftige Entwicklung des Designs und der Funktionalitäten der Anwendung sowie der wachsenden Bedeutung von Transparenz und Nachhaltigkeit in der Modeindustrie.
Am 6. Juli 2022 trat die EU-Verordnung in Kraft, welche besagt, dass ab dem Jahr 2024 alle neu zugelassenen Fahrzeuge mit bestimmten Fahrerassistenzsystemen verpflichtend ausgestattet sein müssen. Hierzu zählt unter anderem die Verkehrszeichenerkennung, die zuverlässig agieren sollte, um die Sicherheit des Fahrers zu gewährleisten und den Fahrkomfort zu erhöhen. Da jedoch die Zuverlässigkeit dieser Systeme schwer messbar ist, ist das Ziel in der vorliegenden Arbeit, geeignete Metriken zu entwickeln und miteinander zu vergleichen, die die Verkehrszeichenerkennung in Kombination mit einer intelligenten adaptiven Geschwindigkeitsregelanlage berücksichtigen und die Performance dieser Systeme bewerten. Am Ende dieser Arbeit wird die geeignetste Metrik ausgewählt, die diese Systeme am besten bewertet. Um das Thema zielgerichtet beantworten zu können, wurden drei Versuchsfahrzeuge von verschiedenen Automobilherstellern ausgewählt und jeweils drei Tag- und Nachtfahrten durchgeführt, die mittels einer mobilen Kamera (GoPro) aufgezeichnet worden sind. Da die Performance aus einem zeitlich und örtlich beobachteten Systemverhalten resultiert, wurden anschließend drei Metriken entwickelt, um aussagekräftige Ergebnisse zu erhalten. Die erste Metrik ist eine qualitative Metrik, welche eine Kategorisierung von 0 bis 7 beinhaltet. Die zweite Metrik ist quantitativ, bei der die beiden Systeme zuerst einzeln bewertet und anschließend zusammengeführt werden. Die dritte Metrik ist eine True-False-Formel, bei der das Ergebnis durch einen KPI dargestellt wird. Diese Metriken sind im nächsten Schritt auf das Videomaterial angewendet worden, um anschließend einen Vergleich zu schaffen. Nachdem die Metriken hinsichtlich ihrer Eigenschaften und Kriterien bewertet wurden, wurde die geeignetste Metrik ausgewählt. Der Vergleich und die anschließende Bewertung der verschiedenen Metriken zeigen, dass die Metrik 1, welche eine Kategorisierung ist, die Performance hinsichtlich der Verkehrszeichenerkennung in Kombination mit einer intelligenten adaptiven Geschwindigkeitsregelanlage am besten bewerten lässt. Mit Hilfe der zum Schluss ausgewählten Metrik können weitere Untersuchungen für Forschungszwecke durchgeführt werden, um in Zukunft das automatisierte Fahren sicherer zu gestalten und die Anzahl der bisher stetig steigenden Verkehrsunfälle auf ein Minimum zu reduzieren.
Previous research found that men conspicuously consume luxury products to attract a mate and to signal their mate value. However, these studies have yet neglected to investigate the function of male conspicuous consumption in same-sex competition. Given that intersexual selection and intrasexual selection are closely related processes, it stands to reason that a further function of male conspicuous consumption could be to impress and deter same-sex rivals. An 2 (intrasexual competition context vs. control) × 2 (conspicuous luxury vs. inconspicuous nonluxury) between-subjects experimental study conducted with an Amazon Mechanical Turk sample ( N = 160) revealed that men reported both higher liking of and an intent to purchase a conspicuous luxury car compared to an inconspicuous nonluxury car due to increased feelings of social status. This effect was stronger in the intrasexual competition than in the control context. An additional perception study using a single-factor between-subjects design (conspicuous luxury vs. inconspicuous nonluxury car) among German men ( N = 405) indicated that male participants rated a man who displayed a conspicuous luxury car more as a rival and mate poacher and less as a friend. They further perceived him to be superior on various mate value characteristics (i.e., attractiveness, intelligence, ambition, and status) and rated him as more oriented toward short-term mating. In sum, our findings add to previous research in the field of evolutionary consumer psychology by suggesting that male conspicuous consumption of luxuries may also serve a function in male–male competition.
Evolution of Emotion
(2016)
This thesis aims to provide an improved MRI sequence for substantia nigra imaging at the Klinikum Ingolstadt. The substantia nigra is a biomarker for the neurodegenerative disease Parkinson's disease (PD). To get a comprehensive understanding of the topic, the following areas are described in this work: the human brain structure and functional regions of the brain stem, the origin of magnetism and the different properties of brain tissue when exposed to a magnetic field, the fundamental mode of operation of MRI and different sequences, and finally the applied techniques for image quality evaluation.
Using this gained understanding, the SWI is systematically altered to test different parameter settings. The data of a total of six PD patients and 20 volunteer subjects is collected and analysed regarding their image quality.
Based on the results found from these, the predictable changes caused by parameter changes are stated and an improved sequence is proposed.
Organisationen und Einrichtungen in der Pflege- & Sozialbranche sehen sich zunehmend mit Herausforderungen konfrontiert, wenn es darum geht, wirksame Personalmarketingstrategien zu entwickeln und sinnvoll einzusetzen, um Fachkräfte zu gewinnen und langfristig zu binden. Angesichts des aktuellen Fachkräftemangels ist es unerlässlich, Hindernisse zu analysieren, neue Denkweisen zu entwickeln und innovative Lösungen zu finden. Häufig stehen Klischees wie schlechte Bezahlung, ungünstige Arbeitszeiten oder ein eingeschränktes Tätigkeitsspektrum im Vordergrund. Dabei bieten soziale Berufe ein vielfältiges, sinnstiftendes Aufgabenfeld.
Das Ziel der vorliegenden Masterarbeit ist es, effektive Personalmarketingstrategien zu identifizieren und zu entwickeln, die dazu beitragen, dem Fachkräftemangel in der Pflege entgegenzuwirken und qualifiziertes Personal langfristig zu gewinnen sowie zu binden. Dabei sollen Klischees entkräftet und durch eine zielgruppengerechte Ansprache potenzieller Arbeitnehmer ersetzt werden. Eine effektive Wahl der Marketingkanäle und die Entwicklung kreativer Content-Strategien sind hierbei von essenzieller Bedeutung.
Als Anwendungsbeispiel dient das Recruiting-Konzept der Stiftung Sankt Johannes, einer Einrichtung für Menschen mit Behinderung.
AI has recently become a huge topic in many domains, including the healthcare environment. In radiology physicians have to make many decisions every day, analyzing medical images and choosing the right treatments for each individual patient. In order to help them with this workload there has been a lot of development to create AI based recommender systems that will assist the medical professionals. But with promising advancements also comes great responsibility and new challenges. In the following I try to assess how the use of AI in medical decision making might impact the trust of the physicians in such tools. My central research question is in how far AI-based medical decision support systems impact physicians, if for example certain factors make them more or less likely to trust the AI and heed its advice. Responsibly and properly integrating AI in medical processes is a task that needs to be taken seriously. Moral and ethical aspects of developments in this area should be taken into consideration to ensure the safe use of AI.
The aim of this thesis will be to identify and assess factors that might influence physicians’ trust when using AI-based decision support systems. Since AI is rather new in this area it is not clear yet which factors of using AI decision support systems might change the trust that physicians have in these systems. But we can only work with these changes and influences if we are aware of them. Upon identifying them there is a need to investigate in what way they influence physicians. Once this is clear the next step will be to find out how these influences can be avoided or mitigated in order to ensure a beneficial use of AI in medical decision making.
This thesis will be based on already published academic papers. The combined knowledge and insights of these papers will be compared, critically reviewed and combined to come to new conclusions.
This bachelor’s thesis explores the integration of visual and text-based models for predicting American football plays based on National Football League (NFL) games. The study focuses on automatically extracting visual features from pre-snap images of NFL plays and combining them with a text-based model trained on historical play-by-play data. The visual features are extracted using computer vision techniques and YOLOv8 model architecture, while the text-based model utilizes an XGBoost model to analyze historical play-by-play data.
The research methodology involves preprocessing and analyzing a dataset of NFL pre-snap images and historical play-by-play data. Computer vision algorithms, such as Optical Character Recognition or Line Extraction are employed to extract relevant visual features, such as player positions, formations, and field dynamics, from the images. Simultaneously, an XGBoost model is trained on historical play-by-play descriptions to capture textual patterns associated with different play outcomes, such as pass or run.
The extracted visual features and text-based predictions are then integrated into a unified prediction pipeline. The effectiveness of the integrated model is evaluated through extensive experimentation and performance analysis. Various metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score, are used to assess the predictive capabilities of the model.
The results demonstrate the potential of combining visual and text-based information for accurate prediction of NFL plays. The integrated model achieves promising performance in predicting pass or run plays with a test accuracy of 74.13% and validation accuracy of 73.78%. The findings of this research contribute to the advancement of predictive analytics in sports and provide valuable insights for coaches, analysts, and the football and data science community.
On the influence of explainable AI and time pressure on confirmation bias in digital pathology
(2024)
The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years has opened the door to its employment for life-saving applications in the medical field. In particular, the increasing prevalence of AI in diagnostic pathology holds the potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy and provide more efficient patient care. While explainability is often identified as a crucial component in terms of safety and AI acceptance for future clinical use, it may also introduce or strengthen human cognitive biases such as the confirmation bias.
Confirmation Bias describes the selective search for and intake of information to strengthen prior existing beliefs, which could be further amplified by the time pressure ubiquitously present in everyday pathology. To date, very few user-centric studies have been carried out in this domain, thus this thesis seeks to empirically examine the effects of explainable AI and time pressure on confirmation bias during the interaction with clinical decision support systems in a mixed-method study and aims to contribute to the safe and efficient development and design of intelligent support systems in the medical sector.
Die Messung von Körperschall an Fahrzeugen zählt aufgrund der komplexen
Fahrzeuggeometrie und der physikalischen Eigenschaften von Körperschall zu den
herausfordernden Messungen an einem PKW. Dieses Arbeitspapier soll ein
umfangreiches Konzept zum Aufbau eines mikrocontrollerbasierten Teststands zur
Messung von Körperschall, mittels piezoelektrischer Tonabnehmer bereitstellen. Um
ein zufriedenstellendes Messergebnis zu erhalten, ist es notwendig, die Signale der
piezoelektrischen Tonabnehmer durch die Verwendung eines Ladungsverstärkers und
darauffolgendem Spannungsverstärker aufzubereiten und danach zu digitalisieren.
Zur Erhöhung der Aussagekraft der Messergebnisse, werden diese in dBFS- und
Beschleunigungspegel ausgegeben. Der entwickelte Teststand stellt einen
vollfunktionierenden Messaufbau zur Körperschallmessung am System
Gesamtfahrzeug im Außenbereich dar und beinhaltet eine Vorbereitung zur
Einzelkomponentenmessung. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit können dazu dienen, die
Messung von Körperschall an Fahrzeugen zu verbessern, oder die Etablierung von
Körperschallmessungen in anderen Bereichen voranzutreiben.
Einsamkeit und psychische Probleme stellen weltweit zunehmend ernstzunehmende Herausforderungen für Jugendliche dar. Die regelmäßige Teilnahme an Freizeitangeboten, sei es privat oder institutionalisiert, kann dazu beitragen, Einsamkeit zu reduzieren. Um dieses Potenzial optimal zu nutzen, ist es entscheidend, die Lebenswelt und Wahrnehmung der Jugendlichen zu verstehen, da diese ihre intrinsische Verbindlichkeit beeinflussen.
Die vorhandene Literatur beleuchtet weitgehend die Probleme und aktuellen Lebenswelten von Jugendlichen, doch gibt es nur wenige Untersuchungen zur Verbindlichkeit von Jugendlichen. Vorhandene Studien befassen sich hauptsächlich mit den Problemen, bieten nur wenige Lösungsansätze zur Behebung des Einsamkeitsproblems und nach der Recherche gar keine Lösungen, wie man Verbindlichkeit positiv fördern könnte.
Aus diesem Grund konzentriert sich diese Arbeit darauf, die Faktoren, die die Verbindlichkeit von Jugendlichen beeinflussen, auf vorerst regionaler Ebene zu identifizieren und konkrete Lösungsansätze für die lokale Jugendarbeit vorzuschlagen. Dazu werden folgende Forschungsfragen gestellt: „Welche Faktoren beeinflussen die Ausprägung von Verbindlichkeit zu außerschulischen Aktivitäten bei Jugendlichen in Ingolstadt?“ und „Wie kann Verbindlichkeit konkret im Rahmen der lokalen Jugendarbeit gefördert werden?“
Um diese Fragen zu beantworten, wird die Grounded Theory als theoretischer Rahmen verwendet. Die Datenerhebung erfolgt mittels qualitativer und quantitativer Fragebögen, Interviews sowie Workshops, einschließlich der Co-Design Methode und dem Testen durch eine Fokusgruppe. Alle Teilnehmenden sind Jugendliche im Alter von 13 bis 19 Jahren.
Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass insbesondere die Befriedigung psychischer Grundbedürfnisse, insbesondere das Bindungsbedürfnis und die Unlustvermeidung gemäß der Theorie von Klaus Grawe, die Ausprägung der Verbindlichkeit beeinflussen. Es besteht ein deutlicher Wunsch nach Angeboten, die das Vertiefen und Knüpfen von Freundschaften ermöglichen. Basierend auf diesen Erkenntnissen wurde ein Konzept für eine kontextuell anpassbare Plattform entwickelt, in Zusammenarbeit mit Jugendlichen im Rahmen eines Co-Design Workshops.
Smart Kiosks are becoming increasingly popular due to their ease of use, accessibility, and cashless payment options. With this technology, User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design is taken into account to enhance optimal user satisfaction.
This thesis addresses usability issues arising from unclear information and cluttered interfaces in existing webapp of Livello Kiosk’s Webapp. Through user research, competitor analysis, iterative redesign and AB Testing, the aim of this study is improving the User Experience of the entire purchasing process for Livello's Smart Kiosk system.
By understanding user needs and learning from competitor successes and failures, interviews, and surveys from real users, drawing insights from their feedback, the redesigned interface will prioritize clarity, ease of use, and intuitive navigation.
This research has the potential to contribute valuable insights for the development of user-centered and intuitive interfaces for Kiosk Webapp (KWA). Ultimately, it will be enhancing customer satisfaction, reduce frustration and increase task completion rates.
PV-Optimized Heat Pump Control in Multi-Family Buildings Using a Reinforcement Learning Approach
(2024)
For the energy transition in the residential sector, heat pumps are a core technology for decarbonizing thermal energy production for space heating and domestic hot water. Electricity generation from on-site photovoltaic (PV) systems can also contribute to a carbon-neutral building stock. However, both will increase the stress on the electricity grid. This can be reduced by using appropriate control strategies to match electricity consumption and production. In recent years, artificial intelligence-based approaches such as reinforcement learning (RL) have become increasingly popular for energy-system management. However, the literature shows a lack of investigation of RL-based controllers for multi-family building energy systems, including an air source heat pump, thermal storage, and a PV system, although this is a common system configuration. Therefore, in this study, a model of such an energy system and RL-based controllers were developed and simulated with physical models and compared with conventional rule-based approaches. Four RL algorithms were investigated for two objectives, and finally, the soft actor–critic algorithm was selected for the annual simulations. The first objective, to maintain only the required temperatures in the thermal storage, could be achieved by the developed RL agent. However, the second objective, to additionally improve the PV self-consumption, was better achieved by the rule-based controller. Therefore, further research on the reward function, hyperparameters, and advanced methods, including long short-term memory layers, as well as a training for longer time periods than six days are suggested.
Recent evolutionary experimental psychological research found that high verbal proficiency (VP) increased the perceived attractiveness of individuals (more so for males than females), especially in the context of a long-term relationship. Our study had the objective of replicating and extending this research. Similar to previous studies, audio files in which speakers performed scripted self-presentations that had equal content but varied on VP were used as stimuli for opposite-sex participants. VP was found to increase attractiveness ratings. The effects were mostly small for numerous variables relating to short-term mating, whereas they were moderate to large for long-term mating. Our participants attributed more future income, but not more total number of mates to speakers with higher VP. Female menstrual cycle effects on attractiveness ratings were not found. Contrary to former research, being more verbally proficient was not found to be more beneficial for one sex over the other.
We provide a literature overview of 30 years of research on the amount of invested mental effort (AIME, Salomon, 1984), illuminating relevant literature in this field. Since the introduction of AIME, this concept appears to have vanished. To obtain a clearer picture of where the theory of AIME has diffused, we conducted a literature search focusing on the period 1985–2015. We examined scientific articles (N = 244) that cite Salomon (1984) and content-analyzed their keywords. Based on these keywords, we identified seven content clusters: affect and motivation, application fields, cognition and learning, education and teaching, media technology, learning with media technology, and methods. We present selected works of each content cluster and describe in which research field the articles had been published. Results indicate that AIME was most commonly (but not exclusively) referred to in the area of educational psychology indicating its importance regarding learning and education, thereby investigating print and TV, as well as new media. From a methodological perspective, research applied various research methods (e.g., longitudinal studies, experimental designs, theoretical analysis) and samples (e.g., children, college students, low income families). From these findings, the importance of AIME for further research is discussed.
Strategy design innovation
(2024)