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Background: The development of mobile interventions for noncommunicable diseases has increased in recent years. However, there is a dearth of apps for patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), who frequently have an impaired ability to walk.
Objective: Using a patient-centered approach for the development of mobile interventions, we aim to describe the needs and requirements of patients with PAD regarding the overall care situation and the use of mobile interventions to perform supervised exercise therapy (SET).
Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted in addition to a clinical examination at the vascular outpatient clinic of the West-German Heart and Vascular Center of the University Clinic Essen in Germany. Patients with diagnosed PAD were asked to answer questions on sociodemographic characteristics, PAD-related need for support, satisfaction with their health care situation, smartphone and app use, and requirements for the design of mobile interventions to support SET.
Results: Overall, a need for better support of patients with diagnosed PAD was identified. In total, 59.2% (n=180) expressed their desire for more support for their disease. Patients (n=304) had a mean age of 67 years and half of them (n=157, 51.6%) were smartphone users. We noted an interest in smartphone-supported SET, even for people who did not currently use a smartphone. “Information,” “feedback,” “choosing goals,” and “interaction with physicians and therapists” were rated the most relevant components of a potential app.
Conclusions: A need for the support of patients with PAD was determined. This was particularly evident with regard to disease literacy and the performance of SET. Based on a detailed description of patient characteristics, proposals for the design of mobile interventions adapted to the needs and requirements of patients can be derived.
The classification of waste with neural networks is already a topic in some scientific papers. An application in the embedded systems area with current AI processors to accelerate the inference has not yet been discussed. In this master work a prototype is created which classifies waste objects and automatically opens the appropriate container for the object. The area of application is in the public space.
For the classification a dataset with 25,681 images and 11 classes is created to re-train the Convolution Neuronal Networks EfficientNet-B0, MobileNet-v2 and NASNet-mobile. These Convolution Neuronal Networks run on the current Edge \acrshort{ai} processors from Google, Intel and Nvidia and are compared for performance, consumption and accuracy.
The master thesis evaluates the result of these comparisons and shows the advantages and disadvantages of the respective processors and the CNNs. For the prototype, the most suitable combination of hardware and AI architecture is used and exhibited at the university fair KasetFair2020. An opinion survey on the application of the machine is conducted.
Integration of an industrial robot manipulator in ROS to enhance its spatial perception capabilities
(2020)
Robots without any external sensors are not capable of sensing their environment, often leading to damaging collisions. These collisions could potentially be avoided if the robot had a way to sense its environment in the first place. This thesis attempts to tackle this problem by equipping such a robot with extra sensor hardware for perceiving environmental objects. The robot used within this thesis is a KUKA LBR iiwa 7 R800. The goal is a robot capable of moving in an unseen environment without colliding with obstacles nearby.
The research covers different sensor options, robots in cramped areas as well as algorithms and simulation topics. Software platforms and libraries used for the implementation are briefly introduced.
Multiple infrared sensors are directly installed onto the robot manipulator. The extra sensors and the robot are integrated into the ROS middleware to create an application capable of sensing the robots’ environment and plan collision-free paths accordingly.
The experiments show, that the low amount of available sensor data can not map the robots’ environment with enough detail. Additional problems, such as sensor noise corrupting parts of the generated map or the robot recognizing itself as an obstacle, lead to a negative result in total. In future work, the choice of sensors shall be reconsidered and tested upfront via simulation software.
An implementation approach of the gap navigation tree using the TurtleBot 3 Burger and ROS Kinetic
(2020)
The creation of a spatial model of the environment is an important task to allow the planning of routes through the environment. Depending on the number of sensor inputs different ways of creating a spatial environment model are possible. This thesis introduces an implementation approach of the Gap Navigation Tree which is aimed for usage with robots that have a limited amount of sensors. The Gap Navigation Tree is a tree structure based on depth discontinuities constructed from the data of a laser scanner. Using the simulated TurtleBot 3 Burger and ROS kinetic a framework is created that implements the theory of the Gap Navigation Tree. The framework is structured in a way that allows using different robots with different sensor types by separating the detection of depth discontinuities from the building and updating of the Gap Navigation Tree.
The humidification dehumidification (HDH) cycle is a process for thermal water treatment. Many studies were carried out investigating operation of an HDH cycle with water and seawater as working liquid. Currently research into other areas of application is limited. Exchanging the working liquid in the humidifier from seawater to a water oil emulsion and investigating its behavioural changes is the basis for the expansion into applications such as bilge water treatment. This master’s thesis covers analysis of the behaviour of an HDH cycle operated with a water oil emulsion. The main elements are (1) proof of concept for operation of the HDH cycle with a water oil emulsion, (2) comparison of measurements and thermodynamic calculations, (3) investigation of the impact of operating parameters and (4) optical analysis of the bubbly flow in water and oil.
Operation of the HDH cycle using water oil emulsion was shown to be feasible with a small change to the setup previously used for investigations with seawater as working liquid. To keep the emulsion from separating into its individual parts, constant movement of the working liquid needs to be ensured. For this a magnetic stirrer was introduced into the bubble column humidifier (BCH) used. In a batch process an oil concentration of >97 % was reached without visible traces of oil in the produced condensate.
Comparison of the measured and thermodynamically evaluated productivity shows that measured productivity is higher. The proposed explanation for this is supersaturation of air at the BCH exit. Further investigation into this phenomenon is needed to confirm this hypothesis.
Influential parameters investigated are (1) liquid temperature, (2) superficial air velocity and (3) sieve plate orifice diameter. Increase of liquid temperature results in an exponential increase in productivity. At superficial air velocities up to 3 cm/s productivity increases with superficial air velocity. For superficial air velocities higher than 3 cm/s productivity plateaus. At low superficial air velocity, an increase of sieve plate orifice diameter results in increasing productivity. Further increase of the sieve plate orifice diameter inverses this phenomenon.
Bubbly flow in water and oil is influenced by the different viscosities of the liquids. Water creates small bubbles of similar size at low superficial air velocities. At superficial air velocities >2 cm/s turbulences start to increase and finely dispersed bubbles are present in the water. Bubbly flow in oil creates larger bubbles at all superficial air velocities. The airflow transitions to plug flow at velocities of 3 cm/s and above.
Result from this master’s thesis can be used for as a basis to broaden the understanding of the HDH cycle and find new areas of applications.
Moving from one country to another, from one cultural context to a different one comes with many challenges and problems. The expatriate adjustment process, in general, has been evaluated extensively in the literature. Little is known if the knowledge in the literature is also valid for the situation of expatriates in rural Vorarlberg. In this paper was examined, which are the most common problems for highly skilled immigrants that are moving to Vorarlberg. In a mixed-method approach, information was gathered with an online questionnaire whose results served as a basis for a series of semi-structured interviews. In addition, an expert talk with a local relocation consultant was conducted. It was found that by far, the most severe difficulty is based on the domestic language situation. An expatriate needs to talk and understand German, but the local language is an Alemannic subsection of the German language that is not easy to understand. Additional difficulties that cause culture shock are limited opening hours, mobility troubles, and several others. The awareness about the composing of these problems might help to find the appropriate measures to support expatriates to come in the future.
Although pilot projects are an accepted means of entry into prospects, research on the object of startups selling SaaS and use pilots to enter and to further scale within their prospect’s organization is limited. The reader can expect a collection of key practices of SaaS startups in the field of Decision Support Software. These combine the main sales-oriented elements within pilot projects that are reflected on by Customer Success Management, Change Management as well as cultural dimensions. Explorative interviews, mainly with stakeholders in Decision Support Software startups, were conducted to further gain an understanding of the research object. Results indicate that pilots are strategically used in the sales of such startups to simultaneously deal with their customer’s uncertainties and as a means for the startups to get commitment and increase their value proposition through the additional service that they offer in order to acquire an internal support basis. Customer Success Management as well as Change Management are furthermore advantageous in quickly achieving measurable results that leverage buyers and seller’s justification for further sales.
The purpose of this work is to explore implicit schemes underlying the market segmentation analysis process. Boosting transparency for and in the new discipline of healthcare marketing, the work offers a toolbox of both primary and secondary methods to identify the accurate target market. This is crucial, since resource allocation in B2C segmentation and targeting is still often misleading. An Austrian, internationally present niche player serves as a research object to turn theoretical insights into practical verification. Data for the thesis are collected through company-internal data analysis and desk research, grounded in a multi-method approach with primary and secondary research. On the one hand, the work assesses the most effective segmentation and attractiveness/knock-out criteria according to scientific sources. Delving into the topic of a priori and a posteriori segmentation, an overview of suitable techniques is going to be offered. On the other hand, the thesis illustrates how the accurate target segment in the healthcare industry can be evaluated and determined through companyinternal consumer and market data.
Primary research on demographics (age, gender), psychographics (preferred channels), behavioral criteria (new/existing, CLC) and product categories is found to be particularly meaningful for the healthcare player. Results vary between countries, which is why an international-marketing strategy instead of a domestic-marketing approach is advisable.
Secondary research shows that socio-demographic and behavioral criteria are most used as a priori criteria, whereas a posteriori segmentation is promising to reveal psychographic clusters. One of the author’s recommendations is to niche down accurate market segments such as LOHAS or “best agers” by refining psychographics/socio-demographics with behavioral segmentation through “occasions” (e.g. back pain, depression, injuries). Novel approaches such as outcome-based segmentation or emphasizing “promoters” are discussed too.
The findings pave marketing managers the way for identifying the accurate target segments in the B2C health industry, selecting accurate methods grounded in profound scientific research and with concepts suitable for SMEs. The thesis proves that marketing segmentation is no longer a “nice-to-have” but a “must” in the health(care) industry.
Towards a strategic management framework for engineering of organizational robustness and resilience
(2020)
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a human rights framework in the context of multi-level governance child protection policies central to social work education and practice (United Nations, 1989). In line with this statement, children’s rights-based education introduces undergraduate social work students to the principles of the CRC, namely participation, protection, harm prevention and provision, to facilitate knowledge acquisition by building core competencies for critical practice (IFSW, 2002). It equips social workers with analytical and advocacy skills that foster critical thinking and creativity in the juxtaposition between child protection, autonomy and self-determination.
This chapter provides insights for social work education to locate and analyse the underlying casualties of social problems using a problem and resource framework, the w-questions (Geiser, 2015). The framework is used to develop theory driven social work interventions as illustrated against the backdrop the anonymised case study, Amira, an accompanied child asylum seeker in Austria (Fritsche, Glawischnig, & Wolfsegg, 2019). Correspondingly, CRC is addressed along a continuum between human needs fulfilment and human right entitlements (Obrecht, 2009; IFSW, 2002; Ife, 2012). The concept of need is understood as tension in our concrete biological and psychological bio-values and states (Obrecht, 2009, p. 27). The assertion is that when children lack support or are obstructed from achieving their equal right to education due to social, cultural or economic barriers, this exacerbates social marginalisation because it deprives them of membership in the school social system. Social marginalisation thwarts the fulfilment of needs and weakens social cohesion by causing alienation and anomie (Mayrhofer, 2015). The tentative conclusion is that knowledge and practice models that link human needs and children’s rights equip social workers with the expertise to reduce children’s vulnerability whilst strengthening their protection, autonomy and self-determination.
This chapter is about school suspension through a social work lens. Young people like Martin require the collective to belong, to be a member of a group, to realise their social needs. This is the basic requirement of human mental and social stability. Suspension stands in opposition because it legitimises social exclusion and disregards the linkage between the individual and collective (Bunge 2003). This chapter advocates for a whole systems approach to tackle social problems and develop sustainable interventions that facilitate young peoples’ needs realisation at school.
For a given set of banks, how big can losses in bad economic or financial scenarios possibly get, and what are these bad scenarios? These are the two central questions of stress tests for banks and the banking system. Current stress tests select stress scenarios in a way which might leave aside many dangerous scenarios and thus create an illusion of safety; and which might consider highly implausible scenarios and thus trigger a false alarm. We show how to select scenarios systematically for a banking system in a context of multiple credit exposures. We demonstrate the application of our method in an example on the Spanish and Italian residential real estate exposures of European banks. Compared to the EBA 2016 stress test our method produces scenarios which are equally plausible as the EBA stress scenario but yield considerably worse system wide losses.
This is Intellectual Output 2 (IO2) of the project “Developing a culturally competent and compassionate LGBT+ curriculum in health and social care education“ IENE9. The aim of the project is to enable teacher/trainers of theory and practice to enhance their skills regarding LGBT+ issues and develop teaching tools to support the inclusion of LGBT+ issues within health and social care curricula. The newly culturally competent and compassionate LGBT+ curriculum will be delivered through a MOOC which is aimed at health and social care teachers/trainers, workers, professionals, and learners across Europe and worldwide. The IO2 of this project, Internet Mapping and Systematic documentation of educational policies and guidelines as well as legislation at European and national level for LGBT+ inclusive education, aims to create an easy to navigate resource with information about European and national legislation/guidance/policies. Visit www.iene-lgbt.com for more information.
Issues with professional conduct and discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT+) people in health and social care, continue to exist in most EU countries and worldwide.
The project IENE9 titled: “Developing a culturally competent and compassionate LGBT+ curriculum in health and social care education” aims to enable teacher/trainers of theory and practice to enhance their skills regarding LGBT+ issues and develop teaching tools to support the inclusion of LGBT+ issues within health and social care curricula. The newly culturally competent and compassionate LGBT+ curriculum will be delivered though a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) which is aimed at health and social care workers, professionals and learners across Europe and worldwide.
We have identified educational policies and guidelines at institutions teaching in health and social care, taken into account for developing the learning/teaching resources. The MOOC will be an innovative training model based on the Papadopoulos (2014) model for “Culturally Competent Compassion”. The module provides a logical and easy to follow structure based on its four constructs 'Culturally Aware and Compassionate Learning', 'Culturally Knowledgeable and Compassionate Learning', 'Culturally Sensitive and Compassionate Learning', 'Culturally Competent and Compassionate Learning'.
Specific training may result in better knowledge and skills of the health and social care workforce, which helps to reduce inequalities and communication with LGBT+ people, as well as diminishing the feelings of stigma or discrimination experienced.
Electric cell-substrate impedance spectroscopy (ECIS) enables non-invasive and continuous read-out of electrical parameters of living tissue. The aim of the current study was to investigate the performance of interdigitated sensors with 50 μm electrode width and 50 μm inter-electrode distance made of gold, aluminium, and titanium for monitoring the barrier properties of epithelial cells in tissue culture. At first, the measurement performance of the photolithographic fabricated sensors was characterized by defined reference electrolytes. The sensors were used to monitor the electrical properties of two adherent epithelial barrier tissue models: renal proximal tubular LLC-PK1 cells, representing a normal functional transporting epithelium, and human cervical cancer-derived HeLa cells, forming non-transporting cancerous epithelial tissue. Then, the impedance spectra obtained were analysed by numerically fitting the parameters of the two different models to the measured impedance spectrum. Aluminium sensors proved to be as sensitive and consistent in repeated online-recordings for continuous cell growth and differentiation monitoring assensors made of gold, the standard electrode material. Titanium electrodes exhibited an elevated intrinsic ohmic resistance incomparison to gold reflecting its lower electric conductivity. Analysis of impedance spectra through applying models and numerical data fitting enabled the detailed investigation of the development and properties of a functional transporting epithelial tissue using either gold or aluminium sensors. The result of the data obtained, supports the consideration of aluminium and titanium sensor materials as potential alternatives to gold sensors for advanced application of ECIS spectroscopy.
An electrochemical study with three redox substances on a carbon based nanogap electrode array
(2020)
Over the last years, polymers have gained great attention as substrate material, because of the possibility to produce low-cost sensors in a high-throughput manner or for rapid prototyping and the wide variety of polymeric materials available with different features (like transparency, flexibility, stretchability, etc.). For almost all biosensing applications, the interaction between biomolecules (for example, antibodies, proteins or enzymes) and the employed substrate surface is highly important. In order to realize an effective biomolecule immobilization on polymers, different surface activation techniques, including chemical and physical methods, exist. Among them, plasma treatment offers an easy, fast and effective activation of the surfaces by micro/nanotexturing and generating functional groups (including carboxylic acids, amines, esters, aldehydes or hydroxyl groups). Hence, here we present a systematic and comprehensive plasma activation study of various polymeric surfaces by optimizing different parameters, including power, time, substrate temperature and gas composition. Thereby, the highest immobilization efficiency along with a homogenous biomolecule distribution is achieved with a 5-min plasma treatment under a gas composition of 50% oxygen and nitrogen, at a power of 1000 W and a substrate temperature of 80 C. These results are also confirmed by different surface characterization methods, including SEM, XPS and contact angle measurements.
Blood flow and ventilatory flow strongly influence the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath. The physicochemical properties of a compound (e.g., water solubility) additionally determine if the concentration of the compound in breath reflects the alveolar concentration, the concentration in the upper airways, or a mixture of both. Mathematical modeling based on mass balance equations helps to understand how measured breath concentrations are related to their corresponding blood concentrations and physiological parameters, such as metabolic rates and endogenous production rates. In addition, the influence of inhaled compounds on their exhaled concentrations can be quantified and appropriate correction formulas can be derived. Isoprene and acetone, two endogenous VOCs with very different water solubility, have been modeled to explain the essential features of their behavior in breath. This chapter introduces the theory of physiological modeling of exhaled VOCs, with examples of isoprene and acetone.
Design and optimization of 1x2N Y-branch optical splitters for telecommunication applications
(2020)
This paper presents the design and optimization of 1x2N Y-branch optical splitters for telecom applications. A waveguide channel profile, used in the splitter design, is based on a standard silica-on-silicon material platform. Except for the lengths of the used Y-branches, design parameters such as port pitch between the waveguides and simulation parameters for all splitters were considered fixed. For every Y-branch splitter, insertion loss, non-uniformity, and background crosstalk are calculated. According to the minimum insertion loss and minimum non-uniformity, the optimum length for each Y-branch is determined. Finally, the individual Y-branches are cascade joined to design various Y-branch optical splitters, from 1x2 to 1x64.
Graphite substrates underwent two methods of creating doped silicon carbide films via carbothermal reduction; the first method being liquid-phase processing, or dip-coating, and the second gas-phase processing, otherwise referred to as the solid-vapour reaction. The dip-coating procedure resulted in flaky coatings, while the solid-vapour reaction resulted in polycrystalline films with columnar growth that displayed promising morphological and electrical properties. The films were tested on their performance as semiconductor diodes, and proved that carbothermal reduction in the gas phase is a promising technique for creating polycrystalline silicon carbide films for the application of light-emitting diodes.
Many test drives are carried out in the automotive environment. During these test drives many signals are recorded. The task of the test engineers is to find certain patterns (e.g. an emergency stop) in these long time series. Finding these interesting patterns is currently done with rule based processing. This procedure is very time consuming and requires a test engineer with expertise. In this thesis it is examined if the emerging field of machine learning can be used to support the engineers in this task. Active Learning, a subarea of machine learning, is used to train a classifier during the labeling process. Thereby it proposes similar windows to the already labeled ones. This saves the annotator time for searching or formulating rules for the problem. A data generator is worked out to replace the missing labeled data for tests. The custom performance measure “proportion of seen samples” is developed to make the success measurable. A modular software architecture is designed. With that, several combinations of Time Series Classification algorithms and query strategies are compared on artificial data. The results are verified on real datasets, which are open source available. The best performing, but computational intensive solution is an adapted RandOm Convolutional KErnel Transform (ROCKET). The custom query strategy “certainty sampling” shows the best results for highly imbalanced datasets.
This master thesis investigates a Computational Intelligence-based method for solving PDEs. The proposed strategy formulates the residual of a PDE as a fitness function. The solution is approximated by a finite sum of Gauss kernels. An appropriate optimisation technique, in this case JADE, is deployed that searches for the best fitting parameters for these kernels. This field is fairly young, a comprehensive literature research reveals several past papers that investigate similar techniques.
To evaluate the performance of the solver, a comprehensive testbed is defined. It consists of 11 different Poisson equations. The solving time, the memory consumption and the approximation quality are compared to the state of the art open-source Finite Element solver NGSolve. The first experiment tests a serial JADE. The results are not as good as comparable work in the literature. Further, a strange behaviour is observed, where the fitness and the quality do not match. The second experiment implements a parallel JADE, which allows to make use of parallel hardware. This significantly speeds up the solving time. The third experiment implements a parallel JADE with adaptive kernels. It starts with one kernel and introduce more kernels along the solving process. A significant improvement is observed on one PDE, that is purposely built to be solvable. On all other testbed PDEs the quality-difference is not conclusive. The last experiment investigates the discrepancy between the fitness and the quality. Therefore, a new kernel is defined. This kernel inherits all features of the Gauss kernel and extends it with a sine function. As a result, the observed inconsistency between fitness and quality is mitigated.
The thesis closes with a proposal for further investigations. The concepts here should be reconsidered by using better performing optimisation algorithms from the literature, like CMA-ES. Beyond that, an adaptive scheme for the collocation points could be tested. Finally, the fitness function should be further examined.
In recent years, much research has been done on medical laser applications inside the human body, as they are minimally invasive and therefore have fewer side effects and are less expensive than conventional therapies. In order to bring the laser light into the human body, a glass fibre with a diffuser is needed. The goal of this master thesis is the characterization and production of fibre optic diffusers that can be used for the three therapeutic applications: photodynamic therapy, laser-induced thermotherapy and endovenous laser therapy. For this purpose the following goals have to be achieved:
- Optimization of the efficiency and homogeneity of internally structured diffusers
- Examine damage thresholds of the diffusers in the tissue using a crash test
- Achieving a better understanding of the decouple mechanism with a simulation
Using an ultra-short pulse laser, modifications could be introduced into the fibre in this way that the radiation profile is homogeneous and the decoupling efficiency is 68.3 %. It was discovered that the radiation profile depends on the wavelength. Attempts have been made to improve the decoupling efficiency by mirroring the distal end of the fibre. The mirror reflects the remaining light back into the fibre, so that it is also decoupled lateral on the modifications. Vapor-deposited aluminum with physical vapor deposition is a promising approach. However, the adhesion of the coating must be improved or the coating must be protected by a mechanical cover, otherwise it will flake off too quickly.
In a crash test, it was shown that the glass fibre diffusers can withstand 20 W laser power for 300 s without visible change. In an ex vivo test, the coagulation zone in the tissue was examined and it was showed that the diffusers radiate radially homogeneously. Using a ray trace simulation, the course of the light rays in the fibre was examined and the correlation of modification width and length with the decoupling efficiency was investigated. It was discovered that there are helical light rays in the fibre, which cannot be decoupled by modifications in the fibre centre.
Clathrate hydrates, or hydrates for short, are inclusion compounds in which water molecules form a hydrogen-bonded host lattice that accommodates the guest molecules. While vast amounts of hydrates are known to exist in seafloor sediments and in the permafrost on Earth, these occurrences might be dwarfed by the amounts of hydrates occurring in space and on celestial bodies. Since methane is the primary guest molecule in most of the natural occurrences on Earth, hydrates are considered a promising source of energy. Moreover, the ability of one volume of hydrate to store about 170 volumes of gas, make hydrates a promising functional material for various industrial applications. While the static properties of hydrates are reasonably well known, the dynamics of hydrate formation and decomposition are insufficiently understood. For instance, the stochastic period of hydrate nucleation, the memory effect, and the self-preservation phenomenon complicate the development of predictive models of hydrate dynamics. Additionally, the influence of meso- and macroscopic defects as well as the roles of mass and heat transport on different length scales remain to be clarified.
Due to its non-invasive and non-destructive nature and the high spatial resolution of approx. 1µm or even less, micro-computed X-ray attenuation tomography ( µCT ) seems to be the perfect method for the study of the evolving structures of forming or decomposing hydrates on the meso- and macroscopic length scale. However, for the naturally occurring hydrates of low atomic number guests the contrast between hydrate, ice, and liquid water is typically very weak because of similar X-ray attenuation coefficients. So far, good contrast was only restricted to synchrotron beamline experiments which utilize the phase information of monochromatic X-rays.
In this thesis it is shown that with the help of a newly developed sample cell, a contrast between the hydrate and the ice phase sufficiently good for the reliable segmentation of the materials can also be achieved in conventional tube-based µCT. An accurate pressure and temperature management, i.e., the added functionality of the cell, further allows for cross-correlation of structural and thermodynamic data. The capability of this µCT setup is demonstrated in a series of studies on the formation and decomposition of hydrates which yield new insights for the development of a novel route to hydrate synthesis. At last, this thesis points towards possibilities how better models of hydrate formation and decomposition can be developed with the aid of µCT and computer simulations.
Post-operative isoflurane has been observed to be present in the end-tidal breath of patients who have undergone major surgery, for several weeks after the surgical procedures. A major new noncontrolled, non-randomized, and open-label approved study will recruit patients undergoing various surgeries under different inhalation anaesthetics, with two key objectives, namely to record the washout characteristics following surgery, and to investigate the influence of a patient’s health and the duration and type of surgery on elimination. In preparation for this breath study using proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS), it is important to identify first the analytical product ions that need to be monitored and under what operating conditions. In this first paper of this new research programme, we present extensive PTR-TOF-MS studies of three major
anaesthetics used worldwide, desflurane (CF3CHFOCHF2), sevoflurane ((CF3)2CHOCH2F), and isoflurane (CF3CHClOCHF2) and a fourth one, which is used less extensively, enflurane (CHF2OCF2CHFCl), but is of interest because it is an isomer of isoflurane. Product ions are identified as a function of reduced electric field (E/N) over the range of approximately 80 Td to 210 Td, and the effects of operating the drift tube under ‘normal’ or ‘humid’ conditions on the intensities of the product ions are presented. To aid in the analyses, density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the proton affinities and the gas-phase basicities of the anaesthetics have been determined. Calculated energies for the ion-molecule reaction pathways leading to key product ions, identified as ideal for monitoring the inhalation anaesthetics in breath with a high sensitivity and selectivity, are also presented.
With the emergence of the recent Industry 4.0 movement, data integration is now also being driven along the production line, made possible primarily by the use of established concepts of intelligent supply chains, such as the digital avatars. Digital avatars – sometimes also called Digital Twins or more broadly Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) – are already successfully used in holistic systems for intelligent transport ecosystems, similar to the use of Big Data and artificial intelligence technologies interwoven with modern production and supply chains. The goal of this paper is to describe how data from interwoven, autonomous and intelligent supply chains can be integrated into the diverse data ecosystems of the Industry 4.0, influenced by a multitude of data exchange formats and varied data schemas. In this paper, we describe how a framework for supporting SMEs was established in the Lake Constance region and describe a demonstrator sprung from the framework. The demonstrator project’s goal is to exhibit and compare two different approaches towards optimisation of manufacturing lines. The first approach is based upon static optimisation of production demand, i.e. exact or heuristic algorithms are used to plan and optimise the assignment of orders to individual machines. In the second scenario, we use real-time situational awareness – implemented as digital avatar – to assign local intelligence to jobs and raw materials in order to compare the results to the traditional planning methods of scenario one. The results are generated using event-discrete simulation and are compared to common (heuristic) job scheduling algorithms.
Complementarities and synergies of quadruple helix innovation design in smart city development
(2020)
Increased urbanization trends are stimulating regional needs to support transitions from urban environments to smart cities, using its holistic perspective as a source to innovation. Strong relations between smart cities, urban and regional development, are getting increased attention both at policy and implementation level, providing fertile ground for execution of the new European policy frameworks that supports quadruple helix approaches to innovation. Smart specialization strategies (RIS3) encompass such initiatives, placing ICT and collaboration between academia, industry, government, and citizen at the center of urban innovation. However, there is still lack of research on effects of such approaches to innovation, involving both quadruple helix clusters and ICT in utilizing innovation potentials for developing smart cities. This study aims to increase the understanding on how quadruple helix urban innovation strengthens competitiveness of regions by improving its local smart areas – RIS3. We identified smart specialization patterns and applied comparative benchmark between nine smallmedium sized urban regions in Central Europe. Building on these results, the study provides an overview of the effects of RIS3 strategies implemented through quadruple helix innovation clusters on competitiveness of regions and Smart City development.
A modified matrix adaptation evolution strategy with restarts for constrained real-world problems
(2020)
In combination with successful constraint handling techniques, a Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (MA-ES) variant (the εMAg-ES) turned out to be a competitive algorithm on the constrained optimization problems proposed for the CEC 2018 competition on constrained single objective real-parameter optimization. A subsequent analysis points to additional potential in terms of robustness and solution quality. The consideration of a restart scheme and adjustments in the constraint handling techniques put this into effect and simplify the configuration. The resulting BP-εMAg-ES algorithm is applied to the constrained problems proposed for the IEEE CEC 2020 competition on Real-World Single-Objective Constrained optimization. The novel MA-ES variant realizes improvements over the original εMAg-ES in terms of feasibility and effectiveness on many of the real-world benchmarks. The BP-εMAg-ES realizes a feasibility rate of 100% on 44 out of 57 real-world problems and improves the best-known solution in 5 cases.
The importance of Agent-Based Simulation (ABS) as scientific method to generate data for scientific models in general and for informed policy decisions in particular has been widely recognised. However, the important technique of code testing of implementations like unit testing has not generated much research interested so far. As a possible solution, in previous work we have explored the conceptual use of property-based testing. In this code testing method, model specifications and invariants are expressed directly in code and tested through automated and randomised test data generation. This paper expands on our previous work and explores how to use property-based testing on a technical level to encode and test specifications of ABS. As use case the simple agent-based SIR model is used, where it is shown how to test agent behaviour, transition probabilities and model invariants. The outcome are specifications expressed directly in code, which relate whole classes of random input to expected classes of output. During test execution, random test data is generated automatically, potentially covering the equivalent of thousands of unit tests, run within seconds on modern hardware. This makes property-based testing in the context of ABS strictly more powerful than unit testing, as it is a much more natural fit due to its stochastic nature.
Real-time measurements of the differences in inhaled and exhaled, unlabeled and fully deuterated acetone concentration levels, at rest and during exercise, have been conducted using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. A novel approach to continuously differentiate between the inhaled and exhaled breath acetone concentration signals is used. This leads to unprecedented fine grained data of inhaled and exhaled concentrations. The experimental results obtained are compared with those predicted using a simple three compartment model that theoretically describes the influence of inhaled concentrations on exhaled breath concentrations for volatile organic compounds with high blood:air partition coefficients, and hence is appropriate for acetone. An agreement between the predicted and observed concentrations is obtained. Our results highlight that the influence of the upper airways cannot be neglected for volatiles with high blood:air partition coefficients, i.e. highly water soluble volatiles.
This thesis aims to support the product development process. Therefore, an approach is developed, implemented as a prototype and evaluated, for automated solution space exploration of formally predefined design automation tasks holding the product knowledge of engineers. For this reason, a classification of product development tasks related to the representation of the mathematical model is evaluated based on the parameters defined in this thesis. In a second step, the mathematical model should be solved. A Solver is identified able to handle the given problem class.
Due to the context of this work, System Modelling Language (SysML) is chosen for the product knowledge formalisation. In the next step the given SysML model has to be translated into an object-oriented model. This translation is implemented by extracting information of a ".xml"-file using the XML Metadata Interchanging (XMI) standard. The information contained in the file is structured using the Unified Modelling Language (UML) profile for SysML. Afterwards a mathematical model in MiniZinc language is generated. MiniZinc is a mathematical modelling language interpretable by many different Solvers. The generated mathematical model is classified related to the Variable Type and Linearity of the Constraints and Objective of the generated mathematical model. The output is stored in a ".txt"-file.
To evaluate the functionality of the prototype, time consumption of the different performed procedures is measured. This data shows that models containing Continuous Variables need a longer time to be classified and optimised. Another observation shows that the transformation into an object-oriented model and the translation of this model into a mathematical representation are dependent on the number of SysML model elements. Using MiniZinc resulted in the restriction that models which use non-linear functions and Boolean Expressions cannot be solved. This is because the implementation of non-linear Solvers at MiniZinc is still in the development phase. An investigation of the optimally of the results, provided by the Solvers, was left for further work.
Zeros can cause many issues in data analysis and dealing with them requires specialized procedures. We differentiate between rounded zeros, structural zeros and missing values. Rounded zeros occur when the true value of a variable is hidden because of a detection limit in whatever mechanism was used to acquire the data. Structural zeros are values which are truly zero, often coming about due to a hidden mechanism separate from the one which generates values greater than 0. Missing values are values that are completely missing for unknown or known reasons. This thesis outlines various methods for dealing with different kinds of zeros in different contexts. Many of these methods are very specific in their ideal usecase. They are separated based on which kind of zero they are intended for and if they are better suited for compositional or for standard data.
For rounded zeros we impute the zeros with an estimated value below the detection limit. The author describes multiplicative replacement, a simple procedure that imputes values at a fixed fraction of the detection limit. As a more advanced technique, the author describes Kaplan Meier smoothing spline replacement, which interpolates a spline on a Kaplan Meier curve and uses the spline below the detection limit to impute values in a more natural distribution. Rounded zeros cannot be imputed with the same techniques that would be used for regular missing values, since there is more information available on the true value of a rounded zero than there would be for a regular missing value.
Structural zeros cannot be imputed since they are a true zero. Imputing them would falsify their values and produce a value where there should be none. Because of this, we apply modelling techniques that can work around structural zeros and incorporate them. For standard data, the zero inflated Poisson model is presented. This model utilizes a mixture of a logistic and a Poisson distribution to accurately model data with a large amount of structural zeros. While the Poisson distribution is only applicable to count data, the zero inflation concept can be applied to different kinds of distributions. For compositional data, the zero adjusted Dirichlet model is introduced. This model mixes Dirichlet distributions for every pattern of zeros found within the data. Non-algorithmic techniques to reduce the amount of structural zeros present are also shown. These techniques being amalgamation, which combines columns with structural zeros into more broad descriptors and classification, which changes columns into categorical values based on a structural zero being present or not.
Missing values are values that are completely missing for various known or unknown reasons. Different imputation techniques are introduced. For standard data, MissForest imputation is introduced, which utilizes a RandomForest regression to impute mixed type missing values. Another imputation technique shown utilizes both a genetic algorithm and a neural network to impute values based on the genetic algorithm minimizing the error of an autoencoder neural network. In the case of compositional data, knn imputation is presented, which utilizes the knn concept also found in knn clustering to impute the values based on the closest samples with a value available.
All of these methods are explained and demonstrated to give readers a guide to finding the suitable methods to use in different scenarios.
The thesis also provides a general guide on dealing with zeros in data, with decision flowcharts and more detailed descriptions for both compositional and standard data being presented. General tips on getting better results when zeros are involved are also given and explained. This general guide was then applied to a dataset to show it in action.
The boom of information technology development created high demand for skilled labour force in IT occupations. IT professionals install, test, build, repair or maintain hardware and software and can do the job from any location in the world.
Demand for the workforce significantly outstrips the global supply. In a situation of staff shortage employers have to compete on local and global labour markets. The ability of a firm to attract and retain the best talent would become a source of its sustainable competitive advantage.
Aim of the study is to understand what influences perception of employment attractiveness by IT professionals the most. This study intends to expend the existing knowledge about employees´ needs and “psychological contract” concept.
The research was conducted with the participation of 4 IT and 4 HR English-speaking experts who live and work in Austria. In the study the grounded theory approach and the descriptive qualitative methods were applied.
The research findings explain which factors influence the decision of IT professionals to join, stay or leave an employer. The results are discussed in relation to talent attraction and retention practices of Austrian employers.
How people perceive stigmatization at work in connection with mental health problems and what role this stigmatization fulfils in the DACH-Region, means Germany-Austria-Switzerland, has so far received no greater attention from scientists. Although the stigma of mental illness has been extensively researched among the general population, little is known about its consequences of the stigma of mental health in the workplace.
This study seeks to bridge the gap in this area. As the purpose of this thesis is to illustrate the dynamics of stigmatization rather than to explain its mere quantitative relevance, I have chosen to investigate how the complex systemic interdependencies according to Forrester (1968) manifest in the reflection of the subjects.
On the background of socio-cultural aspects in the DACH-Region regarding mental health problems and forms and natures of stigma while following the question what role stigmatization plays in this German-speaking area DACH, I conducted a qualitative social research study with affected persons (employees from various German companies) to investigate this issue. Hereby I focus on people working in the industry sector.
The present thesis begins by exploring the question of intercultural and sociocultural differences in the DACH region according to Hofstede’s Dimensions, as well as their possible relevance for answering the research question. Definitions and theoretical interpretations regarding the backgrounds about mental health, mental health problems and their appearance will be mentioned. Based on Goffman’s (1963) research on stigma, I investigate why mental health issues have the potential to stigmatize especially at the workplace. Goffman’s ideas on stigma illustrate how by providing important insights into understanding the situation of affected persons. The connection between stereotypes, stigmatization, and discriminatory behaviour according to Major & O’Brien (2005) is hereby necessary to be noticed.
Through personal interviews I explore how, what way, people at work perceive stigmatization surrounding mental health problems and how stigmas interact. The findings conducted in this study give a cue towards the systemic approach of stigmatization. That is why a new hypothesis on the ways of stigmatization in German-speaking countries is drawn up. Stigmatization is under investigation as a systemic instrument for maintaining management and group power to affect single employees and restore group identity, consciously or unconsciously. I discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for management behaviour and leadership development in organizations.
The workplaces are changing with the increase in the use of technology, digital communication, the shift towards multicultural teams, and remote work due to COVID-19. Leaders need more collaboration and acceptance of digital communication tools such as Teams, Slack. This study aims to determine the influence of culture in the acceptance of digital tools in leadership communication. In the literature review, 3 cultures (organizational, national, Individual) were assumed. And Individual culture was tested using Schwartz (openness to change) value survey along with other qualitative questions in 1-1 interviews of Austrians and multinationals living in Austria. Analysis from findings suggests that culture plays an important role in technology acceptance of digital tools in leadership communication. This was confirmed by the Schein model and Schwartz value ratings. The culture comprises of organizational, national, regional, and individual culture. Individual culture plays an important role, but other cultural factors cannot be avoided. Key factors affecting the technology acceptance in Vorarlberg (Austria) are listed along with recommendations to leaders.
For centuries, companies and institutions are working on the development of organisational project maturity models. The purpose of these models is to develop a path for improving an organisation’s capability of managing projects. Projects are the means by which companies implement their strategic objectives. Trends like globalisation and advances in IT lead to more geographically distributed teamwork. Therefore, this thesis gives a comprehensive answer to how project management maturity models address transnational project management.
For accomplishing the research objective, this thesis follows an integrated, qualitative literature review approach. Theoretical frameworks and applied research on project management maturity assessments were systematically collected and analysed. The results extracted from these two sources were synthesised to extract findings.
The main research result shows that models continuously adapt to transnational project management. They are doing this by aligning the organisational culture and values, focusing on organisational wide learning and gradually embedding behavioural and intercultural competencies. Maturity assessments need to follow this trend.
Furthermore, transnational convergence of the models’ dimensions was observed. This development leads to growth in size and complexity. To apply them internationally, the models should be simplified or easily adapted to specific countries and cultures.
This research seeks to explore the cultural impact in the development of a new product, and if operational CRM (CRM technologies) can bring these two concepts together. As an industrial designer, the researcher finds it fascinating to explore how the abilities that a designer uses can help to solve users' problems could be implemented into structural or strategic decision-making of a company. Therefore, the researcher believes that the results might bring value to the head of international teams in charge of Product Development, by bringing some ideas for what is essential to consider in these processes and how CRM could become a relevant tool to satisfy customers and users.
This research generates value to international management and leadership studies because it brings the management of new product development from an organizational point of view within an international context to the forefront. It also builds an understanding of what to consider when the value chain is decentralized and involves international collaboration in product development processes. And positive elements and/or problems that may arise concerning culture and the role of the CRM within this process.
This master thesis investigates effective leadership behaviour of multicultural teams during change management. Multicultural teams can be highly effective in dealing with complex change processes and can represent a key player to tackle today’s VUCA-world challenges.
Effectiveness of multicultural teams during change depends critically on leadership with a range of specific behaviours. Involvement and support of the employees in a coaching role is key. Leaders need to display behaviours such as continuous development of cultural and emotional intelligence, critical self-reflection, open-mindedness, and readiness to serve as authentic role models. Furthermore, the creation of a sense of unity based on good communication and common sense is essential to build multicultural teams, and to enable them to embrace their differences as opportunity. Trust, transparency and a holistic change process are vital. Effectiveness essentially depends on the following factors: the organization’s culture, the characteristics of the employees and of their leader, and on the external environment. Leaders should take these factors into consideration at all times.
Increasing international competition and accelerated technological change characterize the environment in which companies must maintain and, if possible, expand their competitive advantage. In this context, the new, popular keyword innovation management is often mentioned. Many corporations propagate and use it for marketing purposes. As a result, the companies have to evaluate, develop and launch innovations increasingly faster, which poses great challenges for many and requires a high degree of adaptability.
This master thesis analyzes innovation management (IM) in the automotive industry and in other industries (material manufacturers, service providers, medicine, ...) depending on the number of employees and turnover. In addition, the maturity levels of the IMs and the innovation management systems (IMS) are examined. It also tries to determine which design or "building blocks" are necessary for a successful innovation management. Furthermore, factual and monetary guidelines by the management are evaluated. The thesis also aims to find out how the success of IM is measured. Therefore, guideline-based expert interviews were conducted with responsible people from the innovation departments and then systematically analyzed.
In the literature, expenses for innovations are often wrongly equated with the R&D rate. In this master thesis, it could be shown that this ratio is highest in the automotive industry. However, it does not correlate with the number of employees, turnover, maturity level, success or design of the IM. Furthermore, it could be shown that larger companies have a higher degree of maturity. The reason for this is that more people are usually involved in innovation and that a holistic understanding of innovation is better anchored in large corporations. When designing the IM or the roles of the innovation department, large companies use several different types. While the IM departments in small and medium-sized companies are usually incubators and accelerators, large companies also use corporate venture capital to support start-ups and develop new business models. In this thesis, the success of IM was determined by the number of innovations implemented in customer projects. It was found that, regardless of the size of the company, a higher degree of maturity of the IM and the accelerator role seem to have a positive influence.
Unfortunately, there are rarely concrete goals and targets set by the management although these, along with a holistic understanding of innovation in the company, are without doubt the most important part of a successful innovation management.
Influencer Marketing has been discussed by various marketing experts for years and is already a fixed component of the marketing strategy in many companies. These are mainly companies from the B2C sector. Recently, more and more companies are asking themselves about possible areas of application within the B2B structure. This phenomenon is influenced by the increase in digitalization and the ever-higher hurdles in reaching target groups using traditional marketing tools.
The topic of this master’s thesis was the result of professional and personal development. Various modules attended during the study inspired a deeper interest in the subject. Furthermore, the topic was always a point of discussion in the professional environment, resulting in the realisation that there is currently very little knowledge in B2B companies regarding Influencer Marketing.
The aim of the research was to discover how to systematically find end users for the use of Influencer Marketing in B2B companies in the tool and hardware industry. Furthermore, the success factors for a long-term cooperation between influencers and companies from this industry will be identified and presented.
Research questions were created in order to realise the above-mentioned objectives. Therefore, the primary research question and three sub-research questions were created for both the theoretical and empirical part of the work. To answer these questions, eight experts from B2B companies in the tool and hardware industry were interviewed. The evaluation was based on the qualitative content analysis according to Mayring.
From the research results, a possible selection procedure could be identified, which would enable companies to systematically select influencers for marketing purposes. Furthermore, success criteria for a long-term cooperation between influencers and companies were also identified.
Digitalisation poses great challenges for regional tourism management. However, many organisations are currently undergoing a transformation from a marketing to a destination management organisation (DMO), which is why only a few have managed to adopt new digital approaches and to assert themselves as DMOs within the destination and against ever growing global platforms.
The presented master thesis therefore deals with this issue and aims to pave the way for DMOs to develop and use digital business models themselves.
The objective of the thesis is to develop a systematic process for the development of own DMO business models and to evaluate whether the establishment of a multi-sided platform as the recipe for the success of global platform providers is also suitable for DMOs. For this purpose, an extensive literature research was conducted and semi-structured expert interviews were evaluated. In addition, the Anchor Point Canvas was developed as a supporting framework for the modelling of business models for companies with historically grown structures and constraints.
Throughout history, a variety of influences have changed the way we sell our products. Starting with the Industrial Revolution up to the first saturation phase in the 1970s. The question now arises as to whether the heating industry is currently back on an evolutionary development path with the increasing digitalisation of distribution. How the sales process in the B2B sector will change with increasing digitalisation and what effects this will have on sales personnel is only documented by a few sources which do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the craft or even the heating industry. This results in a research gap which is to be closed in the context of this thesis. The aim of this research project is to find out the effects of a further digitalisation of the sales process on the sales force in the defined environment of the heating industry in Central Europe. For this purpose the following research questions are asked: Which steps in the sales process in the heating industry in Central Europe should be digitalised? How will the digitalisation of the sales process affect the sales force in the heating industry in Central Europe? A case study, according to Yin was chosen as the research method. The data were collected by means of in-depth interviews and analysed qualitatively, according to Mayring. The increasing digitalisation will have a large effect on the sales force, tasks will disappear, new tasks will be added and new ones will replace conventional working methods. In summary, automation will simply make tasks superfluous, software tools will improve quality and increase efficiency, and personal selling will become a premium skill. Companies will try to automate as many backoffice activities as possible and reduce the number of office staff if necessary.
Companies develop and implement strategies with the aim to address the needs of their customers. Acquisition is one market expansion strategy that companies can use to acquire new market access, technologies and/or to grow organically. In recent years, Chinese companies have been active in acquiring companies all over the globe to develop their strategic position. This caused certain contra reaction in Europe and as well in the Swiss media against cross-border acquisitions of Swiss companies.
Swiss companies and particularly the Swiss-MEM (Machinery, Electrical and Mechanical) industry is highly export oriented and their value proposition builds on attributes like knowledge, technology, and differentiating products. Among them are many “hidden champions” and niche players who successfully dominate the market segment.
As observed with Chinese companies, Indian companies also started to become more active outside of their domestic markets by increasing their foreign direct investments into Europe, Asia and North America, over the last decades. The lasting and good relationship of India and Switzerland might trigger the wish for Indian companies to acquire Swiss and particularly Swiss-MEM companies for acquisitions.
This Master’s Thesis assesses how often Indian investments into public and privately owned Swiss-MEM companies by acquisition happen, how are the attempts of acquisitions perceived by the stakeholders and what measures Swiss and Swiss-MEM companies can take, to protect themselves from being acquired. To access the research topic, several sub-questions will be analysed with the aid of primary and secondary research to assess the situation.
The research topic is of particular interested to the author since he spent over 20 years working in the Swiss-MEM industry, involved in international affairs and in recent years specifically with India. The observation of Chinese acquisition activities and insight into the size and potential of India were the drivers for researching whether India might follow China’s example.
In conclusion, Indian companies are not explicitly targeting Swiss and Swiss-MEM companies, but there are reasons to believe that it would make sense for Indian companies to look into the acquisition of Swiss and Swiss-MEM companies. The perception of such acquisitions varies, but there are arguments for and against them. Companies must take strategic and organisational measures in order to prevent themselves from becoming the target of an acquisition. However, it is known that the state should not interfere in the market and a discussion at a political level, planning how to deal with cross-border acquisition, is needed.
Further areas for research based on this Master’s Thesis could be the review of how the targeting of Swiss and Swiss-MEM companies by Indian companies would look, and also the topic of the succession planning in Swiss secondary sector in conjunction with Indian targeting for acquisitions. A third area to research might be investigating the political aspects involved in the research questions.
Cultural Due Diligence
(2020)
Much research has been conducted in recent years to discover the reasons for the high failure rate of M&As, whereas one frequently cited reason is the incompatibility of the corporate cultures. In order to minimize this risk and to be able to react to these differences already at an early stage, Cultural Due Diligence offers itself as part of the due diligence process. Unlike existing, more general research, I emphasize the cultural challenges companies face when investing transnationally with this thesis. Using the results of a single case study with inductive character, I answer the question how to conduct Cultural Due Diligence in cross-border M&As and propose an appropriate model. The findings reveal that especially in cross-border M&As, cultural incompatibility poses a risk for failure. I was able to find out that companies that seek to grow internationally with M&As deal with similar issues in terms of corporate culture as pointed out in existing Cultural Due Diligence methods. The present study, however, shows that national culture has a great influence on corporate culture, which is why it is essential to include it in the cultural assessment in cross-border acquisitions. This provides information about why there are differences, besides the fact that they exist. Only this understanding puts a company in the appropriate starting position to recognize differences, understand them, assess whether these differ-ences are acceptable, as well as to develop appropriate strategies to address them in the integration phase.
Sustainable distribution
(2020)
This master thesis gives an insight into the topic of sustainability in the banking industry and focuses on distribution. In the first part of the thesis, the terms and concepts of sustainability and sustainable distribution are being explained and existing methods for measuring sustainability are presented on the basis of an extensive literature research.
Subsequently, the banking industry is introduced, the distribution of financial services is explained, and the specifics of sustainable distribution in the banking industry are elaborated.
An empirical study in form of expert interviews was used to show to what extent sustainability currently plays or will play a role in the banking sector. For this purpose, experts from six banks were interviewed.
In the final part of the paper, the hypotheses formulated at the beginning of the paper as well as additional questions are examined or answered and a model for evaluating the effects of selected distribution channels on ecological and social sustainability is being presented.
Nowadays, the area of customer management strives for omni-channel and state-of-the-art CRM concepts including Artificial Intelligence and the approach of Customer Experience. As a result, modern CRM solutions are essential tools for supporting customer processes in Marketing, Sales and Service. AI-driven CRM accelerates sales cycles, improves lead generation and qualification, and enables highly personalized marketing. The focus of this thesis is to present the basics of Customer Relationship Management, to show the latest Gartner insights about CRM and CX, and to demonstrate an AI Business Framework, which introduces AI use cases that are used as a basis for the expert interviews conducted in an international B2B company. AI will transform CX through a better understanding of customer behavior. The following research questions are answered in this thesis: In which AI use cases can Sales and CRM be improved? How can Customer Experience be improved with AI-driven CRM?
The present research had compared how Uppsala and Bartlett & Ghoshal (B&G) models explain the internationalization process of the Brazilian pulp producer Fibria.
The Uppsala model describes the developments of capabilities that enable the firm to move towards higher commitments abroad. Despite its sine-qua-non dependence on foreign markets, it is unlikely that Fibria will internationalize its production to another country, given the country-specific advantages that the company has in Brazil. Nevertheless, Fibria set its structure abroad even when the direct exports would suffice to reach the markets without any foreign direct investment.
B&G deals with the aspects of the organizational structure and described the Transnational type as the evolution of the international firm. In their typology, Fibria was a Global and Ethnocentric type, but interestingly, elements of Transnational and Geocentric models were also observed in the company.
Both theories overlap or complement each other in many aspects. However, they could not explain the peculiarities of the internationalization of Fibria. One reason is the lack of country-related elements in these models.
Eventually, comparisons between theories such as those presented enable decision-makers to align the corporate strategy using suitable models, bearing in mind the limitations that each method entails.
Gas hydrates are usually synthesized by bringing together a pressurized gas and liquid or solid water. In both cases, the transport of gas or water to the hydrate growth site is hindered once an initial film of hydrate has grown at the water–gas interface. A seemingly forgotten gas-phase technique overcomes this problem by slowly depositing water vapor on a cold surface in the presence of the pressurized guest gas. Despite being used for the synthesis of low-formation-pressure hydrates, it has not yet been tested for hydrates of CO 2 and CH 4 . Moreover, the potential of the technique for the study of hydrate decomposition has not been recognized yet. We employ two advanced implementations of the condensation technique to form hydrates of CO 2 and CH 4 and demonstrate the applicability of the process for the study of hydrate decomposition and the phenomenon of self-preservation. Our results show that CO 2 and CH 4 hydrate samples deposited on graphite at 261–265 K are almost pure hydrates with an ice fraction of less than 8%. Rapid depressurization experiments with thin deposits (approx. 330 mm thickness) of CO 2 hydrate on an aluminum surface at 265 K yield identical dissociation curves when the deposition is done at identical pressure. However, hydrates deposited at 1 MPa almost completely withstand decomposition after rapid depressurization to 0.1 MPa, while samples deposited at 2 MPa decompose 7 times faster. Therefore, this synthesis technique is not only applicable for the study of hydrate decomposition but can also be used for the controlled deposition of a super-preserved hydrate.
Greater specific energy densities in lithium-ion batteries can be achieved by using three-dimensional (3D) porous current collectors, which allow for greater areal mass loadings of the electroactive material. In this paper, we present the use of embroidered current collectors for the preparation of thick, pouch-type Li-ion batteries. Experiments were performed on LiFePO 4 (LFP) water-based slurries using styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) as binder and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as thickener, and formulations of different rheological characteristics were investigated. The electrochemical performance (cyclic voltammetry, rate capability) and morphological characteristics of the LFP half-pouch cells (X-ray micro computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy) were compared between the formulations. An optimum electrode formulation was identified, and a mechanism is proposed to explain differences between the formulations. With the optimum electrode formulation, 350 µm casted electrodes with high mechanical stability were achieved. Electrodes exhibited 4–6 times greater areal mass loadings (4–6 mAh cm −2 ) and 50% greater electroactive material weight than with foils. In tests of half- and full-pouch embroidered cells, a 50% capacity utilization at 1C-rate and 11% at 2C-rate were observed, with a full recovery at C/5-rate. The cycling stability was also maintained over 55 cycles.
A novel calorimetric technique for the analysis of gas-releasing endothermic dissociation reactions
(2020)
The humidification-dehumidification process (HDH) for desalination is a promising technology to address water scarcity issues in rural regions. However, a low humidifier efficiency is a weakness of the process. Bubble column humidifiers (BCH) are promising for HDH, as they provide enhanced heat and mass transfer and have low maintenance requirements. Previous studies of HDH-systems with BCHs draw different conclusions regarding the impact of superficial air velocity and liquid height on the humidification. Furthermore, the impact of flow characteristics has never been investigated systematically at all. In this study, an optimized BCH test setup that allows for optical analysis of the humidifier is used and evaluated. Our test setup is validated, since the influence of water temperature on the humidification, which is exponential, is reproduced. Measurements with seawater show that the normalised system productivity is increased by about 56 % with an increase in superficial air velocity from 0.5 to 5 cm/s. Furthermore, the system productivity is increased by around 29 % with an increase in liquid height from 60 to 378 mm. While the impact of superficial air velocity can be traced back to temperature changes at the humidifier and dehumidifier outlets, the impact of liquid height is shown to be caused by a smaller heat loss surface in the humidifier with an increase in liquid height. For the impact of sieve plate orifice diameter, a clear influence on the humidification is not apparent, this parameter needs to be investigated further. Finally, our new test setup allows for analysing the humidification of air (1) in a systematic way, (2) in relevant measurement ranges and (3) in comparison with optical analyses of the flow characteristics.
Investigation of non-uniformly emitting optical fiber diffusers on the light distribution in tissue
(2020)
The Digital Factory Vorarlberg is the youngest Research Center of Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences. In the lab of the research center a research and learning factory has been established for educating students and employees of industrial partners. Showcases and best practice scenarios for various topics of digitalization in the manufacturing industry are demonstrated. In addition, novel methods and technologies for digital production, cloud-based manufacturing, data analytics, IT- and OT-security or digital twins are being developed. The factory comprises only a minimum core of logistics and fabrication processes to guarantee manageability within an academic setup. As a product, fidget spinners are being fabricated. A webshop allows customers to individually design their products and directly place orders in the factory. A centralized SCADA-System is the core data hub for the factory. Various data analytic tools and methods and a novel database for IoT-applications are connected to the SCADA-System. As an alternative to on premise manufacturing, orders can be pushed into a cloud-based manufacturing platform, which has been developed at the Digital Factory. A broker system allows fabrication in distributed facilities and offers various optimization services. Concepts, such as outsourcing product configuration to customers or new types of engineering services in cloud-based manufacturing can be explored and demonstrated. In this paper, we present the basic concept of the Digital Factory Vorarlberg, as well as some of the newly developed topics.