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Geometrie und Funktionen
(2024)
Im Band 2 werden die Themen aus dem "Core Curriculum" der Europäischen Gesellschaft für Ingenieurausbildung (SEFI) fortgesetzt, in dem die wesentlichen Inhalte und Ziele der Mathematikausbildung für Ingenieure berücksichtigt werden:
- Differentialrechnung,
- Integralrechnung,
- Differentialgleichungen,
- Geometrie und Trigonometrie,
- Diskrete Mathematik,
- Vektoren,
- Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung und Statistik.
Jedes Kapitel führt in das Thema kurz ein, die verwendeten Begriffe werden definiert. Viele einfache Abbildungen tragen zur Veranschaulichung bei. Ausformulierte Lernziele, die jeweils mit "Ich kann ..." beginnen, helfen, sich die benötigte Mathematik zu erschließen. Das Arbeiten mit Kann-Listen macht den eigenen Lernerfolg für Studierende sichtbar: einfach Abhaken! Darüber hinaus verbindet es das zu Lernende mit der Meta-Ebene des Stoffs, was für nachhaltiges Erinnern entscheidend ist. Der innovative didaktische Ansatz hat sich in der Praxis bewährt.
Jedes Kapitel bietet zusätzlich eine Vielzahl an Aufgaben und schließlich ausführlichen Lösungen. Zu jeder Aufgabe gibt es eine Zeitangabe, die den Studierenden bei der Auswahl zum Anfang hilft. Die Aufgaben selbst sind unterschiedlich, teils auf Anwendung bezogen, teils zum Rechnen, teils zur Klärung der Begrifflichkeiten.
While the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) in multinational enterprises has been receiving attention for some time, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have recently begun to recognize the potential of this new technology. However, the focus of previous research and AI applications has therefore mostly been on large enterprises. This poses a particular issue, as the vastly different starting conditions of various company sizes, such as data availability, play a central role in the context of AI. For this reason, our systematic literature review, based on the PRISMA protocol, consolidates the state of the art of AI with an explicit focus on SMEs and highlights the perceived challenges regarding implementation in this company size. This allowed us to identify various business activities that have been scarcely considered. Simultaneously, it led to the discovery of a total of 27 different challenges perceived by SMEs in the adoption of AI. This enables SMEs to apply the identified challenges to their own AI projects in advance, preventing the oversight of any potential obstacles or risks. The lack of knowledge, costs, and inadequate infrastructure are perceived as the most common barriers to implementation, addressing social, economic, and technological aspects in particular. This illustrates the need for a wide range of support for SMEs regarding an AI introduction, which covers various subject areas, like funding and advice, and differentiates between company sizes.
Purpose
This study operationalizes risks in stakeholder dialog (SD). It conceptualizes SD as co-produced organizational discourse and examines the capacities of organizers' and stakeholders' practices to create a shared understanding of an organization’s risks to their mutual benefit. The meetings and online forum of a German public service media (PSM) organization were used as a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors applied corpus-driven linguistic discourse analysis (topic modeling) to analyze citizens' (n = 2,452) forum posts (n = 14,744). Conversation analysis was used to examine video-recorded online meetings.
Findings
Organizers suspended actors' reciprocity in meetings. In the forums, topics emerged autonomously. Citizens' articulation of their identities was more diverse than the categories the organizer provided, and organizers did not respond to the autonomous emergence of contextualizations of citizens' perceptions of PSM performance in relation to their identities. The results suggest that risks arise from interactionally achieved occasions that prevent reasoned agreement and from actors' practices, which constituted autonomous discursive formations of topics and identities in the forums.
Originality/value
This study disentangles actors' practices, mutuality orientation and risk enactment during SD. It advances the methodological knowledge of strategic communication research on SD, utilizing social constructivist research methods to examine the contingencies of organization-stakeholder interaction in SD.
Innovationen sind die stärksten Gestaltungsfaktoren für eine neue vielversprechende Zukunft, da sie die wichtigsten Treiber für Wachstum und Ertrag in unserer Wirtschaft sind. Die aktuelle Zeitenwende zeigt uns sehr deutlich, dass wir ohne Innovationen bzw. Veränderungen und Anpassungen kaum noch wettbewerbsfähig bleiben, sowohl als Nation bzw. als Gesellschaft und insbesondere als Unternehmen.
Die hohe Dynamik und Komplexität der wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Prozesse setzt neue Maßstäbe an die Innovationsstrategien von Institutionen und Unternehmen.
Neue Technologien, neue Märkte, neues Kundenverhalten und der stetige Wandel sowohl in der Arbeitswelt als auch in unserem gesellschaftlichen Umfeld, wie z.B. die Digitalisierung, zeigen uns, dass allein eine Produktinnovation als solche heute nicht mehr ausreicht. Unter den genannten Randbedingungen müssen Innovationen auch in der Gestaltung von Geschäftsprozessen und Realisierung der "Work-Life-Balance" neu erdacht bzw. überprüft werden.
Der Vorsprung innovativer Produkte im viralen Wettbewerb ist oft nur kurz. Ein ganzheitliches Innovationsmanagement hat alle Bereiche des Unternehmens einzubeziehen und führt zu neuen Geschäftsmodellen, die etablierte Geschäftspraktiken verdrängen, ebenso tauchen durch neue Technologien in immer stärkerem Maße neue Anbieter auf, die die Spielregeln in den Märkten verändern.
Der 1. Deutsche Innovations-Kongress will Impulse setzen, Best-Practice-Modelle als Vorbilder anbieten und im Austausch zwischen den Referent*innen und den Teilnehmer*innen neue Wege bzw. Perspektiven eröffnen.
Wir freuen uns auf alle Teilnehmer*innen und den Erfahrungsaustausch, um aktuelle und nachhaltige Innovations-Impulse zu setzen und neue Wege erfolgversprechende Wege zu beschreiben, womit die bereits fruchtbaren Kooperationen zwischen Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft im Großraum Osnabrück noch weiter belebt werden soll.
Aktuell tragen auch 8 Studierendengruppen des Masterstudiengangs "Entwicklung und Produktion" der Hochschule Osnabrück in der Fakultät I u. I im Rahmen des Moduls "Innovationsmanagement" in Kooperation mit Unternehmen aus der Region durch die Entwicklung neuer innovativer Produkte zum Erfolg des Kongresses bei. Die Zwischenergebnisse dazu werden in einer Poster-Ausstellung präsentiert. Die Innovationsprojekte werden unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Jens Schäfer durchgeführt.
In der Schriftenreihe „Voneinander Lehren lernen“ publiziert das LearningCenter der Hochschule Osnabrück anwendungsbezogene Beiträge zur Qualitätsentwicklung in Studium und Lehre. Die Schriftenreihe ist an das Konzept des „Scholarship of Teaching and Learning“ (SoTL) angelehnt. Demnach soll sie insbesondere den Fachlehrenden verschiedener Studiengänge als Plattform dienen, um ihre eigenen Erfahrungen, Ideen und Konzepte zur Lehr- und Studiengangentwicklung systematisch zu reflektieren und entsprechende Erkenntnisse für andere nutzbar zu machen. Ziel ist es, den Diskurs über hochschuldidaktische Themen in die Fächer zu tragen und so die Qualität der Lehr-Lernprozesse in den Studiengängen zu fördern. In diesem fünften Band der Schriftenreihe werden Projekte der Hochschule Osnabrück beschrieben, deren Umsetzung durch verschiedene Förderlinien oder durch Studienqualitätsmittel unterstützt wurde. Die Textbeiträge sind sowohl inhaltlich als auch didaktisch-methodisch sehr vielschichtig. Eine Gemeinsamkeit liegt jedoch darin, dass sie jeweils eine konstruktive hochschuldidaktische Reaktion auf zukunftsbezogene Trends und daraus resultierende Kompetenz-Anforderungen an Hochschulabsolvent*innen widerspiegeln. Der Terminologie des Zukunftsinstituts folgend sind es primär die Megatrends „Konnektivität“, „New Work“, „Gesundheit“, „Wissenskultur“ und „Globalisierung“, die in den Beiträgen implizit oder explizit thematisiert werden.
While recent studies have demonstrated that events are fundamentally climate sensitive, this seems to not be fully considered in event research or corporate event practice. Thus, this study aims to identify the influencing factors that affect the acceptance of climate adaptation measures among decision-makers in the event industry. The analysis was divided into three main parts. First, the existing literature related to climate change in an events context was reviewed. Using 15 semi structured interviews, the findings from this review were then critically discussed with stakeholders in Germany involved in event planning. Finally, explicit climate adaptation measures were proposed and discussed. Based on all findings, there appears to be a low level of awareness of and interest in climate adaptation amongst German event industry players. There is an imminent need for further research on climate adaptation and for decision-makers to better prepare for climate change in order to counteract resulting negative impacts.
Artificial intelligence (AI) promises transformative impacts on society, industry, and agriculture, while being heavily reliant on diverse, quality data. The resource-intensive "data
problem" has initialized a shift to synthetic data. One downside of synthetic data is known as the "reality gap", a lack of realism. Hybrid data, combining synthetic and real data, addresses this. The paper examines terminological inconsistencies and proposes a unified taxonomy for real, synthetic, augmented, and hybrid data. It aims to enhance AI training datasets in smart agriculture, addressing the challenges in the agricultural data landscape. Utilizing hybrid data in AI models offers improved prediction performance and adaptability.
Die Maschine ist in der Lage faserverstärkte thermoplastische Kunststoffrohre herzustellen. Entwickelt und konstruiert wurde die Maschine als Open Source Hardware Projekt. Das bedeutet die Baupläne und Zeichnungen werden frei zur Verfügung gestellt. Heimwerker und andere Interessierte sollen dadurch die Möglichkeit bekommen faserverstärkte Rohre eigenständig und günstig herzustellen. Die Entwicklung und Konstruktion der Wickelmaschine ist das Ergebnis einer Masterarbeit an der Hochschule Osnabrück.
In Deutschland werden 80% der auf Pflege angewiesenen Menschen im häuslichen Umfeld versorgt, 56 % davon aufgrund sozialer Beziehungen ausschließlich von informell pflegenden Personen. Die Anzahl häuslicher Pflegearrangements steigt seit Jahren kontinuierlich bei bereits erreichter Kapazitätsgrenze existierender ambulanter Dienste. Um einen Beitrag zum wissenschaftlichen Verständnis pflegerischer Versorgung im häuslichen Setting zu leisten, wurden insgesamt 18 narrative Interviews zu Wunsch und Wirklichkeit häuslicher Pflege mit pflegebedürftigen und pflegenden Personen sowie zwei Expert*innen geführt und nach den Prinzipien der Grounded Theory ausgewertet. Die entwickelte Akzeptanztheorie bietet einen grundsätzlichen Erklärungsansatz informeller Pflege und verweist auf die dringliche und unabdingbar notwendige Weiterentwicklung ambulanter Versorgungsstrukturen, sollen Pflegearrangements in großer Anzahl weiterhin Bestand haben.
Compliance of agricultural AI systems – app-based legal verification throughout the development
(2024)
Significant advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have been achieved; however, practical implementation in agriculture remains limited. Compliance with emerging regulations, such as the EU AI Act and GDPR, is now vital, even for non-critical AI systems. Developers need tools to assess legal compliance, which is complex, often requiring full legal advice. To address this issue, we are developing a support app that simplifies the legal aspects of AI system development, covering the entire lifecycle, from conception to distribution. The current app, which covers the key legal area of copyright and will soon include GDPR and the AI Act, aims to bridge the gap between AI research and agriculture. An evaluation of our app by experts from both the legal and the IT domains shows that the app assists the developers so that they make legally correct statements. Consequently, it promotes legal compliance and awareness among developers, contributing to the seamless integration of AI into agriculture. The need for compliant AI systems in various industries, including agriculture, will only increase as regulations evolve.
Anwendungen wie ChatGPT oder WOMBO Dream machen es leicht, Studierende ohne Programmierkenntnisse für die Anwendung von künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) zu begeistern. Deshalb sind angesichts der zunehmenden Bedeutung von KI in allen Disziplinen innovative Strategien erforderlich, um Studierende ohne Programmierkenntnisse so auszubilden, dass die Anwendung von KI als Future Skill in die Studienmodule integriert werden kann. In diesem Artikel wird ein didaktisches Planungsraster für angewandte KI vorgestellt. Es orientiert sich am Prozess der KI-Programmierung (KI-Anwendungspipeline) und verknüpft KI-Konzepte mit studienrelevanten Themen. Diese Verknüpfung eröffnet einen neuen Lösungsraum und fördert das Interesse und das Verständnis für die Potenziale und Risiken von KI bei den Studierenden. Anhand einer Beispielvorlesungsreihe für Studierende der Energiewirtschaft wird gezeigt, wie KI nahtlos in den Unterricht integriert werden kann. Dafür wird das Planungsraster für angewandte KI an die Fachvorlesung angepasst. Dadurch können die Studierenden eine fachspezifische Aufgabenstellung Schritt für Schritt mit der KI-Anwendungspipeline lösen. So zeigt die Anwendung des didaktischen Planungsrasters für angewandte KI die praktische Umsetzung der theoretischen Konzepte der KI. Darüber hinaus wird eine Checkliste vorgestellt, anhand derer beurteilt werden kann, ob KI in der entsprechenden Vorlesung eingesetzt werden kann. KI als Future Skill muss von den Studierenden anhand von Anwendungsfällen erlernt werden, die für das Studienfach relevant sind. Aus diesem Grund sollte sich die KI-Ausbildung nahtlos in verschiedene Curricula einfügen lassen, auch wenn die Studierenden aufgrund ihres Studienfachs keinen Programmierhintergrund haben.
Schlampige Reiteration
(2024)
Der Umgang mit Veränderungsprozessen ist zum festen Bestandteil des Arbeitsalltags geworden. Irgendetwas wird immer verändert, seien es Arbeitsaufgaben, Technologien, Geschäftsprozesse, Strukturen oder auch die Kultur einer Organisation. Man möchte hierdurch die Produktivität steigern, Bürokratie abbauen, die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit verbessern, Qualität bzw. Innovationen fördern und vieles mehr. Inwieweit man diese Ziele auch erreicht, hängt sehr stark davon ab, ob der Wandel auf breiter Basis akzeptiert und unterstützt wird. Führungskräfte und Verantwortliche für Change-Projekte, Organisations- oder Führungskräfteentwicklung können als „Change Leader“ durch die Art, wie sie führen, entscheidend zum Gelingen beitragen. Das Führen in Veränderungsprozessen wird in diesem Ratgeber entlang von sechs Handlungsfeldern strukturiert: (1) Individuelle Reaktionen Change-Betroffener verstehen, (2) Potenziale von Achtsamkeit in Veränderungsprozessen nutzen, (3) den Wandel klug organisieren, (4) wertschätzend handeln, (5) Verhaltensänderung unterstützen und (6) Kreativität fördern. Die Kapitel sind handlungsorientiert strukturiert und berücksichtigen Erkenntnisse aus der psychologischen Forschung. Reflexionsfragen, Checklisten, Arbeitsblätter und Übungen am Ende jedes Kapitels regen zur Reflexion der Inhalte an und unterstützen den Transfer in die Praxis.
Warum sind Erziehungshilfen ein verbreiteter Teil der Schulorganisation? Was unterscheidet, verbindet aber auch die schulische und außerschulische Erziehungshilfe? Und wie könnte eine bedarfsgerechte, die individuelle Förderung der jungen Menschen unterstützende, Familien stärkende und die sozialräumliche Vernetzung voranbringende Kooperation zwischen Schulen und Erziehungshilfe aussehen? Diesen Fragen widmet sich dieses Buch ausgehend von lebensweltlichen Perspektiven junger Menschen in einer sehr grundlegenden Weise. Dabei werden nicht nur die Anlässe, Erscheinungsformen und Bedingungen der Arbeitsbündnisse von Schule und Erziehungshilfe erörtert, sondern auch ein neu gewichtetes und innovative Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten eröffnendes Verständnis von Schule und Erziehungshilfe.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and human-machine interaction (HMI) are two keywords that usually do not fit embedded applications. Within the steps needed before applying AI to solve a specific task, HMI is usually missing during the AI architecture design and the training of an AI model. The human-in-the-loop concept is prevalent in all other steps of developing AI, from data analysis via data selection and cleaning to performance evaluation. During AI architecture design, HMI can immediately highlight unproductive layers of the architecture so that lightweight network architecture for embedded applications can be created easily. We show that by using this HMI, users can instantly distinguish which AI architecture should be trained and evaluated first since a high accuracy on the task could be expected. This approach reduces the resources needed for AI development by avoiding training and evaluating AI architectures with unproductive layers and leads to lightweight AI architectures. These resulting lightweight AI architectures will enable HMI while running the AI on an edge device. By enabling HMI during an AI uses inference, we will introduce the AI-in-the-loop concept that combines AI's and humans' strengths. In our AI-in-the-loop approach, the AI remains the working horse and primarily solves the task. If the AI is unsure whether its inference solves the task correctly, it asks the user to use an appropriate HMI. Consequently, AI will become available in many applications soon since HMI will make AI more reliable and explainable.
Zukünftige Nonprofit-Manager*innen sind mit komplexen Herausforderungen in einem sich stetig wandelnden Umfeld konfrontiert. Themen wie Klimaschutz, soziale Ungleichheit oder auch Demokratieförderung haben einen starken Einfluss auf die Arbeitsfelder der Nonprofit-Organisationen. Eine zentrale Aufgabe der Führungskräfte ist daher in dieser Komplexität konstruktiv agieren zu können. Dafür sind Kompetenzen erforderlich: Ganz zentral ist die Fähigkeit, sich initiativ und eigenverantwortlich mit den Herausforderungen unserer Zeit auseinanderzusetzen und im besten Fall geeignete Lösungen dafür zu finden sowie diese zielführend kommunizieren zu können. Aus diesem Grund wird genau diese Fähigkeit bei Studierenden aus den Masterstudiengängen Management in Nonprofit-Organisationen und Soziale Arbeit der Hochschule Osnabrück gefördert. Im Rahmen des Moduls Handlungsfelder II entwickelten rund 30 Studierende im Wintersemester 2022/2023 in einer Denkwerkstatt Forschungsergebnisse und Lösungsideen zum Thema „Osnabrück 2030 – Demokratie leben“. Die Studierenden wählten in einem partizipativen Prozess ihre eigenen Schwerpunktthemen wie zum Beispiel Mobilität oder Bildung aus und arbeiteten dann ein Semester lang an den Inhalten. Bei der Erarbeitung wurden sie durch Marlene Eimterbäumer begleitet, die Modelle, Methoden und Coaching zur Unterstützung bereit stellte. Die Modelle und Methoden finden sich teilweise in den Beiträgen der Studierenden wieder (unter anderem das Social Ecological Model und der Business Model Canvas). Am Ende des Semesters stand eine Präsentation vor den Kommiliton*innen, der Lehrenden und auch vor externen Gästen, die aus unterschiedlichen Expertisegebieten im Themenbereich „Demokratie“ kamen und dementsprechend Feedback aus der Praxis geben konnten. Das Modul selbst wurde von der Hochschule im Rahmen der Innovativen Lehre an der Fakultät Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften gefördert. Für die Studierenden stellte das Modul durchaus eine Herausforderung dar, denn in der Denkwerkstatt musste unter hoher Komplexität stark prozessbezogen gearbeitet werden im Gegensatz zu der sonstigen hohen Ergebnisorientierung. Die durchweg sehr guten Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der Einsatz und die kontinuierliche Kommunikation und Zusammenarbeit sich gelohnt haben. Aufgeteilt ist das vorliegende Buch in die fünf Themen: Wahlen, Partizipation, Partizipative Raumentwicklung, Politische Bildung und Medienkompetenz. Zu diesen Themen finden Sie jeweils erst einen Beitrag der Forscher*innen und darauffolgend einen Beitrag zur Darstellung einer Lösungsidee.
Besides yield reduction weeds have positive effects, like enhancing biodiversity or reducing soil erosion. The aim of the work is to enhance biodiversity without yield losses. In growing season 2021/22 a field experiment with winter triticale was conducted to experience the impact of mechanical weed control, sowing date and sowing rate. Especially hoeing had a positive impact on vegetative growth and grain yield while weed growth was inhibited but weed biodiversity stayed equal or increased. A lower seed rate or an earlier sowing date made in general no difference at flowering or harvesting stage.
Um die Ausgaben der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung in Deutschland zu senken, wurde mit dem GKV-Finanzstabilisierungsgesetz neben anderen Maßnahmen die Aufhebung der Neupatientenregelung zum Jahresbeginn 2023 durchgesetzt. In politischen Kreisen wurde die Aufhebung der Regelung unter Verweis auf einen erschwerten Patientenzugang im ambulanten Sektor teils deutlich kritisiert. Um zu überprüfen, wie es um die Bereitschaft zur Aufnahme von Neupatienten nach Aufhebung der Neupatientenregelung bestellt ist, wurden im Rahmen einer randomisierten empirischen Feldstudie im Zeitraum von März bis April 2023 insgesamt 180 niedersächsische Hausärzte angerufen. Dabei gab sich der Studienautor als zugezogener Neupatient aus, der auf der Suche nach einem neuen Hausarzt sei. Da im Vorfeld eine schlechte telefonische Erreichbarkeit erwartet worden war, wurden jeder Arztpraxis bis zu drei Anrufversuche gewährt. Es zeigte sich, dass gut zwei Drittel der erreichten Praxen zur Aufnahme eines Neupatienten bereit sind. Außerdem konnte festgestellt werden, dass ein hoher regionaler Versorgungsgrad mit einer schlechten telefonischen Erreichbarkeit der Arztpraxen in Verbindung steht. Bezüglich der Organisationsformen und der Anzahl an Ärzten je Praxis konnten keine signifikanten Korrelationen festgestellt werden. Montags war die telefonische Erreichbarkeit der Praxen deutlich geringer als mittwochs und freitags. Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit beschreibt die für die Studiendurchführung relevanten Grundlagen der hausärztlichen Versorgung in Deutschland, begründet die verwendete Methodik und diskutiert die Studienergebnisse.
Bamboo is an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional materials in mechanical engineering such as steel or aluminium. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world. Instead of releasing CO2 during the manufacturing process, bamboo absorbs CO2 as it grows.
In addition to the sustainability aspect, bamboo tubes also offer excellent properties as a lightweight construction material, which have been optimised through evolution. Bamboo tubes have high strength and stiffness at low weight when used as tension-compression bars or bending beams. Bamboo has strong, high-density fibres at the boundary area, where bending stresses are greatest. Towards the inside, where the stresses are lower, the bamboo becomes porous to optimise weight. This, together with knots arranged in regular intervals, counteracts buckling.
In mobile applications such as cars and bicycles, lightweight construction is sought for energy efficiency reasons. Because of its excellent lightweight properties, the project investigated whether bamboo could be used in mobile, automotive or agricultural engineering. For example, a bamboo bicycle frame has been developed with the aim to be as light as possible. There are bamboo bicycles on the market, but they can only be made one at a time by hand. The bamboo tubes are joined together and functional elements such as the bottom bracket and headset are integrated by wrapping them in resin-impregnated natural or carbon fibres. This makes the joints very heavy. A different approach is taken here: the bamboo tubes are drilled out slightly to achieve a defined internal diameter, and then short aluminium tubes are glued into the bamboo canes from the inside. To prevent the cane from breaking in the circumferential direction, i.e. perpendicular to the fibre direction, the bamboo tubes are wrapped in a thin layer of natural or carbon fibre impregnated with synthetic resin. The aluminium tubes and functional elements are welded or soldered together beforehand.
The design of the bicycle frame, i.e. the dimensioning of the bamboo tubes and joints, was based on extensive bending and tensile tests to determine the strength properties of the natural material bamboo. The bonding between the bamboo cane and the aluminium tube was also investigated experimentally. Finally, several prototype bicycle frames were made and tested for durability according to DIN-EN-14764. The frames passed the tests.
The result is a bamboo bicycle that is manufactured with standardised connectors and joints. The assembly concept developed allows both fully automated and semi-automated series production of bamboo bicycles.
Biomechanical analyses are capable of capturing and evaluating human motions. In addition to the major biomechanical fields of kinetics and kinematics, electromyography (EMG) provides a reliable way to analyse neuromuscular activities, e.g. inter- and intramuscular coordination or fatigue behavior. Based on these parameters it is possible to conclude to clinically relevant parameters such as motor control, muscular coordination or compensation strategies with different loads. In addition to this, EMG can be used in treatment itself, e.g. biofeedback-training with an EMG is an effective and evidenced based tool to improve neuromuscular control. The purpose of this workshop is to show the advantages of implementing EMG in performing artists´ health and to demonstrate additional therapy and diagnostic options.
This workshop briefly introduces the theoretical principles of EMG and the clinical applications in the context of performing artists´ health. It explains why EMG provides an additional value in the clinical reasoning process and supports the therapist, but decision making in the clinical reasoning process should never be based on EMG solely.
In the further course of the workshop the use of EMG in diagnostics and therapy (biofeedback) with performing artists is practically demonstrated and discussed with the participants.
Approach of Presentation:
1. Short presentation: introduction and understanding of EMG (educational objective 1)
2. Short case presentation of a performing artist to introduce EMG in the field of performing artists´ health and clinical reasoning (educational objective 2)
3. Interactive practical demonstration (diagnosis and biofeedback-training) as the central part of the workshop. Questions and comments will be discussed directly throughout the group (educational objective 3)
Clinical Significance:
EMG based functional neuromuscular diagnostics and biofeedback-training provides both the therapist as well as the performing artist with additional value in their clinical work.
Educational Objectives:
At the end of the workshop, the participants will be able to…
1. understand and describe the basic principles of EMG
2. understand and describe the importance of EMG in the context of performing artists´ health, physical therapy and clinical reasoning
3. use EMG on performing artists in the performance process
Unter Enclothed Cognition versteht die Wissenschaft den Einfluss der Kleidung einer Person auf ihre eigenen kognitiven Prozesse. In vergangenen Studien erzielten etwa Pro-band:innen in Arztkitteln höhere Werte bei Konzentrationstests und formell gekleidete Personen beschrieben ihren Charakter mit anderen Adjektiven als Menschen in neutraler Kleidung. Sofern solche intrapersonellen Effekte der eigenen Kleidung auf die mensch-liche Kognition konstant und in verschiedenen Kontexten auftreten sollten, sind sie von Interesse, wann immer Fähigkeiten und Persönlichkeit eines Menschen valide einge-schätzt werden sollen. Dies ist etwa in Personalauswahlverfahren der Fall, weil dort von den Ergebnissen der verwendeten Tests und Fragebögen oft wichtige Personalentschei-dungen abhängen. Um zu untersuchen, inwiefern die Kleidung eines Bewerbers oder ei-ner Bewerberin durch intrapersonelle Effekte die Ergebnisse von Auswahlverfahren be-einflusst, wurde von Mai bis November 2021 ein Laborexperiment mit studentischen 100 Proband:innen im nordwestdeutschen Osnabrück durchgeführt. Dabei wurden die Ver-suchspersonen unter Verhüllung des eigentlichen Studienzwecks entweder einer formel-len (Sakko/Blazer und Hemd/Bluse) oder einer zwanglosen Kleidungskondition (Kapu-zenpullover und Jeans) zugewiesen, in der sie zum Experiment erscheinen sollten. Dort wurden sie verschiedenen Fragebögen und Tests unterzogen. Es zeigte sich weder in der allgemeinen und situationsspezifischen Selbstwirksamkeit noch in Leistungsmotivation, Konzentration und kognitiver Leistung ein Unterschied zwischen formeller und zwang-loser Kleidung. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt den theoretischen Hintergrund und die Methoden der Studie und diskutiert ihre Ergebnisse.
Der häufig vertretenen Meinung, die praktische Wirtschaftspolitik benötige keine theoretische Basis, wird mit dem vorliegenden Werk Theorie der Wirtschaftspolitik entgegnet. Ohne eine theoretische Basis, die Ziele, Instrumente, Maßnahmen und Leitsätze vorgibt, sowie die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Wirtschaftspolitik aufzeigt, bliebe die praktische Wirtschaftspolitik ohne Orientierung. Der Zielerfolg wäre nicht zu überprüfen. Um erfolgreich zu sein, muss die Wirtschaftspolitik Ziele anstreben und Maßnahmen treffen, die die Bürger akzeptieren. Der Erfolg der praktischen Wirtschaftspolitik ist nicht unabhängig von der Art des Wirtschaftssystems, in dem sie zum Tragen kommt.
Nostalgia is a construct that, even when rooted in lived experiences, serves the ultimate purpose of creating a desired sense of world. Fundamental cognitive competencies, including memory and imagination, are utilized by the nostalgic subject to fulfill a need for narrative coherence. A temporal or spatial distance is necessary for the occurrence of a nostalgic episode, which can be conceptualized as a “had been” state of being, as direct access to the experience is often impossible. Nostalgia may thus be viewed as a tool for sense-making rather than solely as a yearning for the past. The nostalgic narrative form is a construct that permits human subjects to comprehend their existence in the world while drawing upon their roots. These tools for sense-making serve as bridges between past experiences and current conditions. Ultimately, nostalgic identity is not just about longing for the past but also about utilizing the past as a resource for navigating the labyrinths of the present. Analyses are conducted to examine the medium of music video at three levels - auditory, visual, and linguistic - in order to investigate the strategies and techniques employed by the Iranian diaspora to create nostalgic narratives. Samples of original pieces and renditions are contrasted in order to identify elements of nostalgic narrativity. Drawing on empirical research, it is argued that the unity of a music video arises from the integration of separate layers of sensory and conceptual inputs that have been composed towards an affective resonance and narrative coherence.
Körperhaltung und Muskelspannung beeinflussen den Klang der Stimme. Aber gibt es auch einen Zusammenhang zwischen der motorischen Kontrolle der Nacken-, Gesichts- und Kieferregion und der Stimme? Die Pilotstudie mit 12 Sängerinnen ging dieser Frage nach und zeigt: Es ist sinnvoll, die motorische Kontrolle zu testen, wenn Patient*innen mit Stimmproblemen zur Physiotherapie kommen.
In modern times, closed-loop control systems (CLCSs) play a prominent role in a wide application range, from production machinery via automated vehicles to robots. CLCSs actively manipulate the actual values of a process to match predetermined setpoints, typically in real time and with remarkable precision. However, the development, modeling, tuning, and optimization of CLCSs barely exploit the potential of artificial intelligence (AI). This paper explores novel opportunities and research directions in CLCS engineering, presenting potential designs and methodologies incorporating AI. Combining these opportunities and directions makes it evident that employing AI in developing and implementing CLCSs is indeed feasible. Integrating AI into CLCS development or AI directly within CLCSs can lead to a significant improvement in stakeholder confidence. Integrating AI in CLCSs raises the question: How can AI in CLCSs be trusted so that its promising capabilities can be used safely? One does not trust AI in CLCSs due to its unknowable nature caused by its extensive set of parameters that defy complete testing. Consequently, developers working on AI-based CLCSs must be able to rate the impact of the trainable parameters on the system accurately. By following this path, this paper highlights two key aspects as essential research directions towards safe AI-based CLCSs: (I) the identification and elimination of unproductive layers in artificial neural networks (ANNs) for reducing the number of trainable parameters without influencing the overall outcome, and (II) the utilization of the solution space of an ANN to define the safety-critical scenarios of an AI-based CLCS.
Background: Multilingual children with suspected SLCN are often overlooked or their needs not accurately differentiated regarding the necessity of language support or therapy. The purpose of the study was to conceptualize, carry out and evaluate a local language support (LS) project within linguistically and culturally diverse (LCD) families and its effects on all collaborating participants.
Methods: Eight SLT students and one lecturer took part in the LS-project, alongside equivalent numbers of family liaison personnel. Students visited more than 10 young children aged between 2-6 years, and for each child 10 weekly home visits were carried out. Language enhancement was documented, several case studies with children and interviews with five liaison personnel conducted.
Results: All SLT students perceived changes in the behaviour and communication of participating children. Children in the case studies developed from pre-verbal to verbal means of communication and family liaison personnel reported positive changes alongside parental wishes to continue the support.
Conclusion: Local language support projects with LCD families can lead to positive differences regarding their children's communication development and better inclusion in mainstream society. SLT students benefit from working with LCD families and their collaborative support together with family liaison personnel, and vice versa.
Learning Outcomes: To differentiate the influence of language enhancement vs. formalized SLT therapy. To enhance the relationship with LCD clientele and collaboration with liaison personnel in SLCN settings. To incorporate life-long learning and intercultural sensitization.
Purpose
Sedentary behaviour (SED) and low level of physical activity (PA) might be associated with the development or worsening of pain. Still, studies assessing physical behaviours by accelerometry in individuals with orofacial pain are limited. This study aims to assess whether women with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) present different patterns of physical behaviours in days with (DWP) or without pain (DWoP).
Methods
Twenty-nine out of forty-four women (mean age 29.21 sd 7.96) were diagnosed with TMD and monitored over seven days using a thigh-worn accelerometer. DWP was determined when subjects presented pain in one of the craniocervical regions (head, jaw and neck) with intensity of at least 3 in the numerical rating scale. To be considered a DWoP, the individual presented less than 3 points in the three regions. Daily time-use compositions were described in terms of SED in short (<30 min) and long (≥30 min) bouts, light PA (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and time-in-bed. Isometric log-ratios (ilr) were calculated to express the ratio of time-in-bed to time spent awake, SED relative to LPA and MVPA, SED in short relative to long bouts, and LPA relative to MVPA. Differences between DWP and DWoP were examined using MANOVA, followed by univariate post-hoc tests of pairwise differences.
Results
During DWP, women with TMD spent more time in SED in short (239 min) and long bouts (419 min), less time in LPA (245 min), MVPA (68 min), and in bed (468 min) compared with DWoP (235, 378, 263, 70 and 493 min, respectively). The MANOVA showed that all sets of ilrs did not differ statistically (ηp2 = 0.19, p = 0.25). Still, the post-hoc tests showed a trend that time spent SED relative to LPA and MVPA was larger in DWP than in DWoP (Cohen’s d = 0.36, p = 0.05).
Conclusions
Women with TMD did not show different patterns of physical behaviours in DWP or DWoP. However, there is a trend of more sedentary behaviour and less physical activity in DWP compared to DWoP. Future studies should consider other pain intensity cut-offs, isolated pain locations, and larger sample sizes to confirm these results.
The aim of this European interprofessional Health Informatics (HI) Summer School was (i) to make advanced healthcare students familiar with what HI can offer in terms of knowledge development for patient care and (ii) to give them an idea about the underlying technical and legal mechanisms. According to the students’ evaluation, interprofessional education was very well received, problem-based learning focussing on cases was rated positively and the learning goals were met. However, it was criticised that the online material provided was rather detailed and comprehensive and could have been a bit overcharging for beginners. These drawbacks were obviously compensated by the positive experience of working in international and interprofessional groups and a generally welcoming environment.
Background and Aims
Early identification of nerve lesions and associated neuropathic pain in spine-related pain disorders is important for tailored treatment. Management may consist of surgical intervention for compressive neural lesions.
With a growing waitlist for public surgical outpatient clinics in Western Australia and wait times exceeding the recommended wait time for initial assessment (Category 1 – assessment within 1 months, Category 2 within 3 months, category 3 within 12 months), a call to support new models of care has been made1, including the evaluation and expansion of workforce models supporting advanced skills in allied health.1
An Advanced Scope Physiotherapy (ASP) led Neurosurgery Spinal Clinic operates at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Western Australia. The ASPs (2FTE) examine patients from the neurosurgery waitlist for their suitability for spinal surgery. Recommendation of either further investigation and possible assessment by a neurosurgeon or appropriate non-surgical management of the patients’ pain condition is suggested. Patient assessment is conducted either ‘in person’ at the hospital or via telehealth due to the remoteness of some rural patients. Patient cases are discussed with a neurosurgery consultant on a weekly basis. The aim of this project is to evaluate the ASP service in the year 2022.
Method
A retrospective descriptive analysis of patient data captured in 2022 was performed.
Results
In 2022, 1337 new patient referrals were managed plus 267 follow-ups from the previous year. Category 1 patients (n=81) waited on average 31 days for their first appointment, Category 2 patients (n=394) waited 76 days and Category 3 patients (n=854) waited 376 days.
287 (18%) referrals were discharged without physical assessment of the patient (DNA, cancellations, declined). Of the 1317 patients physically assessed by the ASPs (57%) were discharged directly after assessment, for 290 patients (22%) their outcome was still pending at time of analysis (March 2023) and 281 (22%) patients were referred for review with a neurosurgeon. Of the 229 patients assessed by a neurosurgeon (including patients from 2022), 103 patients (45%) were offered surgery, 52 (23%) were not offered surgery, 46 ( 20%) patients had to be reviewed, and for the remaining (n=18) their outcome was unknown.
Conclusion
Of the 1604 patients managed in the Neurosurgery Spinal Clinic, only 17% needed to see a neurosurgeon. The conversion rate to surgery of 45% is higher compared to an estimated 5%-10% in a non-triaged clinic.
The ASP model of care has proved invaluable to (i) provide access of patient care within the recommended wait times (ii) optimize neurosurgeons’ time, (iii) educate patients and, in case of non-suitability for surgery, advise and refer them for alternative appropriate management.
Relevance for Patient Care
The Advanced Scope Physiotherapy model of care at the Neurosurgery Spinal Clinic allows timely assessment of patients with spine-related disorders and supports targeted management of their condition.
Ethical Permissions
This project is registered as a Quality Improvement Project at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (QI35728) and as per the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research was exempt from review by the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Human Research and Ethics Committee
References
1Sustainable Health Review (2019). Sustainable Health Review: Final report to the Western Australian Government of Health, Western Australia
Workshop: “‘Sciatica’: neuropathic or not and does it matter? Outcomes from a NeuPSIG working group”
(2023)
The identification of neuropathic pain in persons with spine-related leg pain is important as this information guides treatment and management, including self-management. The NeuPSIG neuropathic pain grading system was developed to assist clinicians and researchers in determining whether patients have neuropathic pain and the level of confidence associated with that decision. Based on clinical and laboratory examination findings, patients are classified as having no neuropathic pain, possible, probable or definite neuropathic pain. Whereas this grading system works nicely in people with systemic neuropathies where sensory findings and diagnostic tests are mostly present, its application in patients with spine-related leg pain, particular in radicular pain, can be challenging. For example, in the absence of sensory changes and MRI findings, patients with radicular pain would at best reach a classification of possible neuropathic pain according to the current neuropathic pain grading system.
In this presentation I will explain the adaptations to the neuropathic pain grading system for spine-related leg pain recommended by the NeuPSIG working group. I will demonstrate its application in clinical practice using case studies and provide clarity for how the system can be incorporated in clinical trials. This will be an interactive session with audience participation.
Übergewicht wird immer mehr zu einem gesellschaftlichen Problem. Auch die Covid-19-Pandemie, die durch Homeoffice und social distancing geprägt war, verhalf nicht zur Besserung. Doch wie kann der Übergewichtigkeit entgegengewirkt werden? Diese Arbeit zeigt das Potential des Nudging- und Boosting-Ansatzes, wodurch die Menschen zu einer gesünderen Ernährung bewegt werden können. Darüber hinaus wird der Akzeptanz solcher sogenannten Nudge- und Boost-Maßnahmen nachgegangen.
Methods: Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCT). Searches were conducted in five electronic databases. Studies were selected if they included patients with NP over 18 years old treated with aerobic exercise (AE) (e.g., cycling, running, hiking, and walking). The main outcome of interest was pain intensity. Qualitative and quantitative data were extracted. The risk of bias (RoB) was determined using the Cochrane RoB Tool-2 and the overall certainty of the evidence with the GRADE recommendations.
Results: Out of 21,585 initial records screened, a total of six individual studies published in ten manuscripts were included. There was a great heterogeneity between protocols, comparisons, and studies’ results (different magnitudes and directions). When looking at the effect of aerobic exercise versus control groups or other interventions on pain intensity measured with the VAS, not statistically (nor clinical) significant differences between aerobic exercise and control groups (MD [95%CI] 5.16 mm [-6.38, 16.70]) were identified. The combined effect of AE plus other interventions seems to be effective. Strength exercise obtained better effects than aerobic exercises (MD [95%CI]: -11.34 mm [-21.6, -1.09]).
Conclusions: Aerobic exercise presented positive results to reduce pain intensity, and improving disability, and physical and emotional functioning. However, the evidence is restricted, low quality, and heterogeneous.
Methods: The searches were conducted on five electronic databases. RCTs or CTs with patients over 18 years old of both sexes with OFP diagnoses were targeted. The intervention of interest was AE (i.e., walking, cycling, and running), compared to any other conservative and non-conservative therapy. The primary outcome was pain intensity. Risk of bias (RoB) was done with the Cochrane RoB tool (RoB 2). The overall certainty of the evidence was evaluated with GRADE.
Results: Out of 21,585 initial records found in the initial database search, only one study (reported on three manuscripts) was included. The diagnosis of interest was headache plus temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Three treatment groups (strengthening (Str) exercise + manual therapy (MT) (G1); AE + MT + Str exercises (G2); AE (G3)) were compared. The main outcome was pain; the secondary outcomes included disability, strength, anxiety, and quality of life. The combined treatment (AE+MT+Str exercises) had the strongest effect to decrease pain and headache intensity in patients with OFP (SMD: 9.99 [95%CI: 7.19, 12.80].
Conclusions: a multimodal treatment strategy achieved the greatest positive effects on pain and other outcomes in the short/medium term. AE seems to be an important component of this strategy. However, the scientific evidence supporting AE’s isolated effect is limited, indicating a research gap in this scientific field.
The excitement sparked by the emergence of AI open platforms has encountered significant scrutiny from educators and educational planners, who have raised valid concerns about issues such as plagiarism, testing protocols, and the authenticity of content submitted by students. While these concerns are timely and crucial, it's essential not to overlook other pressing issues that often go unnoticed in the lived educational experience of learners, particularly within the field of social sciences. This paper aims to advocate for a humanistic approach with a focus on education in the generative AI Era.
Einleitung
Die Prävalenz der über 80-jährigen bei Ulcus cruris venosum (VLU) beträgt 4-5 %, obwohl diese Altersgruppe nur 1 % der Gesamtbevölkerung ausmacht. Zusätzlich wird bei VLU-Patienten häufig eine Mangelernährung beobachtet. Insbesondere geriatrische Patienten leiden darunter. Dabei ist bekannt, dass Mangelernährung Einfluss auf die Wundheilung und somit auf die Lebensqualität der Patienten hat. Diverse Studien beschreiben erste erfolgreiche ernährungstherapeutische Ansätze für einen beschleunigten Wundheilungsprozess. Allerdings ist die Ernährungstherapie bei VLU-Patienten wenig erforscht. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es einen Überblick über den ernährungsphysiologischen Einfluss zur VLU zu schaffen, um mögliche Ernährungsinterventionen für geriatrische Patienten zu erhalten.
Recording of Low-Oxygen Stress Response Using Chlorophyll Fluorescence Kinetics in Apple Fruit
(2023)
Long-term storage of apples (Malus x domestica, Borkh.) is increasingly taking place under Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA). The oxygen level is lowered to ≤ 1 kPa O2 and the apples are stored just above the Lower Oxygen Limit (LOL). Low oxygen stress during controlled atmosphere storage can lead to fermentation in apples if oxygen levels are too low. Chlorophyll fluorescence can be used to detect low-oxygen stress at an early stage during storage. The currently available non-imaging fluorescence systems often use the minimal fluorescence (Fo) parameter. In contrast, the use of chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics is insufficiently described. Therefore, this study aimed to gain more knowledge about the response of chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics to low oxygen stress in apples using a fluorescence imaging system. The results show that the kinetic fluorescence curves differ under aerobic and fermentation conditions. The fermentative conditions initiated a decrease in fluorescence intensity upon application of the saturation pulses during exposure to actinic light. This result was made at 18 °C and 2 °C ambient temperatures. Interestingly, the kinetic curve changed at 2 °C before fermentation products accumulated in the apples. Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) decreased under fermentation conditions in the dark phase after relaxation. Upon entering the dark relaxation phase after Kautsky induction, ɸPSII began to increase. Under atmospheric oxygen conditions, ɸPSII reached values of 0.81 to 0.76, while under fermentation, ɸPSII values ranged from 0.57 to 0.44.
Hyperhydricity (HH) is one of the most important physiological disorders that negatively affects various plant tissue culture techniques. The objective of this study was to characterize optical features to allow an automated detection of HH. For this purpose, HH was induced in two plant species, apple and Arabidopsis thaliana, and the severity was quantified based on visual scoring and determination of apoplastic liquid volume. The comparison between the HH score and the apoplastic liquid volume revealed a significant correlation, but different response dynamics. Corresponding leaf reflectance spectra were collected and different approaches of spectral analyses were evaluated for their ability to identify HH-specific wavelengths. Statistical analysis of raw spectra showed significantly lower reflection of hyperhydric leaves in the VIS, NIR and SWIR region. Application of the continuum removal hull method to raw spectra identified HH-specific absorption features over time and major absorption peaks at 980 nm, 1150 nm, 1400 nm, 1520 nm, 1780 nm and 1930 nm for the various conducted experiments. Machine learning (ML) model spot checking specified the support vector machine to be most suited for classification of hyperhydric explants, with a test accuracy of 85% outperforming traditional classification via vegetation index with 63% test accuracy and the other ML models tested. Investigations on the predictor importance revealed 1950 nm, 1445 nm in SWIR region and 415 nm in the VIS region to be most important for classification. The validity of the developed spectral classifier was tested on an available hyperspectral image acquisition in the SWIR-region.
In dieser Studie wird die Umsetzbarkeit von solarthermischen Großanlagen in der südafrikanischen Getränkeindustrie mit üblicherweise großen Produktionsanlagen in den Provinzen Gauteng und Western Cape untersucht. Für die technischökonomische Bewertung werden verschiedene kommerziell verfügbare Kollektortypen gegenübergestellt, charakteristische Energiebedarfsprofile für „ready-to-drink“ Getränke definiert und Simulationen in Polysun für verschiedene Konfigurationen, mit und ohne Speicher, durchgeführt. Es zeigt sich, dass Parabolrinnenkollektoren in den wichtigsten Wirtschaftszentren Südafrikas rentabel sein können, um Gas, Schweröl, Diesel und sogar Kohle zu ersetzen, Dieser Ansatz könnte breiter auf den Lebensmittel- und Getränkesektor angewendet werden, wo die meisten Dampfheizsysteme zu finden sind.
Dairy farming has been the subject of public debate on animal welfare for a number of years now. Animal welfare discussions on dairy farming often include the demand for more nature connectedness in this area. This study focuses on the divergent perspectives of consumers and scientists on the importance of more nature connectedness for animal welfare strategies in German dairy farming. Within Europe, Germany is the main producer of cow’s milk and an important industry in many rural areas in Germany is dairy farming. The insights presented are based on qualitative interviews with dairy farming and livestock researchers from Germany and Austria. A key finding of this study is that we need to look more closely at the actual content of nature claims in animal welfare debates. The scientists interviewed tend to see idealized conditions in animal welfare discussions with images of nature which in fact seldom lead to improved conditions in dairy farming and, even then, only to a limited extent. The scientists interviewed rate calls for more nature connectedness in dairy farming from the nonagricultural public as anti-modern, complexity-reducing, and normative. Nevertheless, some of the scientists interviewed did have valuable insights into the nonagricultural public’s criticism of dairy farming practices. These scientists argued, however, that animal welfare needs to differentiate between nature connectedness and the innate needs of cattle when it comes to animal welfare strategies. An important conclusion of the study is that more discussion formats are needed to promote the exchange of ideas between different social groups attempting to understand animal welfare in dairy farming.
Iron deficiency is still widespread as a major health problem even in countries with adequate food supply. It mainly affects women but also vegans, vegetarians, and athletes and can lead to various clinical pictures. Biofortification of vitamin C-rich vegetables with iron may be one new approach to face this nutritional challenge. However, so far, little is known about the consumer acceptance of iron-biofortified vegetables, particularly in developed countries. To address this issue, a quantitative survey of 1000 consumers in Germany was conducted. The results showed that depending on the type of vegetable, between 54% and 79% of the respondents were interested in iron-biofortified vegetables. Regression analysis showed a relationship between product acceptance, gender, and area of residence. In addition, relationships were found between consumer preferences for enjoyment, sustainability, and naturalness. Compared to functional food and dietary supplements, 77% of respondents would prefer fresh iron-rich vegetables to improve their iron intake. For a market launch, those iron-rich vegetables appear especially promising, which can additionally be advertised with claims for being rich in vitamin C and cultivated in an environmentally friendly way. Consumers were willing to pay EUR 0.10 to EUR 0.20 more for the iron-biofortified vegetables.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the enabler for new innovations in several domains. It allows the connection of digital services with physical entities in the real world. These entities are devices of different categories and sizes range from large machinery to tiny sensors. In the latter case, devices are typically characterized by limited resources in terms of computational power, available memory and sometimes limited power supply. As a consequence, the use of security algorithms requires of them to work within the limited resources. This means to find a suitable implementation and configuration for a security algorithm, that performs properly on the device, which may become a challenging task. On the other side, there is the desire to protect valuable assets as strong as possible. Usually, security goals are recorded in security policies, but they do not consider resource availability on the involved device and its power consumption while executing security algorithms. This paper presents an IoT security configuration tool that helps the designer of an IoT environment to experiment with the trade-off between maximizing security and extending the lifetime of a resource constrained IoT device. The tool is controlled with high-level description of security goals in the form of policies. It allows the designer to validate various (security) configurations for a single IoT device up to a large sensor network.
Background
The current development of sensor technologies towards ever more cost-effective and powerful systems is steadily increasing the application of low-cost sensors in different horticultural sectors. In plant in vitro culture, as a fundamental technique for plant breeding and plant propagation, the majority of evaluation methods to describe the performance of these cultures are based on destructive approaches, limiting data to unique endpoint measurements. Therefore, a non-destructive phenotyping system capable of automated, continuous and objective quantification of in vitro plant traits is desirable.
Results
An automated low-cost multi-sensor system acquiring phenotypic data of plant in vitro cultures was developed and evaluated. Unique hardware and software components were selected to construct a xyz-scanning system with an adequate accuracy for consistent data acquisition. Relevant plant growth predictors, such as projected area of explants and average canopy height were determined employing multi-sensory imaging and various developmental processes could be monitored and documented. The validation of the RGB image segmentation pipeline using a random forest classifier revealed very strong correlation with manual pixel annotation. Depth imaging by a laser distance sensor of plant in vitro cultures enabled the description of the dynamic behavior of the average canopy height, the maximum plant height, but also the culture media height and volume. Projected plant area in depth data by RANSAC (random sample consensus) segmentation approach well matched the projected plant area by RGB image processing pipeline. In addition, a successful proof of concept for in situ spectral fluorescence monitoring was achieved and challenges of thermal imaging were documented. Potential use cases for the digital quantification of key performance parameters in research and commercial application are discussed.
Conclusion
The technical realization of “Phenomenon” allows phenotyping of plant in vitro cultures under highly challenging conditions and enables multi-sensory monitoring through closed vessels, ensuring the aseptic status of the cultures. Automated sensor application in plant tissue culture promises great potential for a non-destructive growth analysis enhancing commercial propagation as well as enabling research with novel digital parameters recorded over time.