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The effect of Hofmeister anions on the surface properties of polyelectrolyte multilayers built from hyaluronan and chitosan by layer-by-layer deposition is studied by ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy. The thickness, roughness and morphology of the resulting coatings were found to depend on the type of the anion. Relationship between the surface properties and the biological response of the polyelectrolyte multilayers is established by assessing the degree of protein (albumin) adsorption.
Herein the optimization of the physicochemical properties and surface biocompatibility of polyelectrolyte multilayers of the natural, biocompatible and biodegradable, linear polysaccharides hyaluronan and chitosan by Hofmeister anions was systematically investigated. We demonstrated that there is an interconnection between the bulk and surface properties of HA/Chi multilayers both varying in accordance with the arrangement of the anions in the Hofmeister series. Kosmotropic anions increased the hydration, thickness, micro- and macro-roughness, and hydrophilicity and improved the biocompatibility of the films by reduction (2 orders of magnitude) of the films stiffness and complete anti-thrombogenicity.
This paper is concerned with the study, optimization and control of the moisture sorption kinetics of agricultural products at temperatures typically found in processing and storage. A nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous inputs (NARX) neural network was developed to predict moisture sorption kinetics and consequently equilibrium moisture contents of shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler) over a wide range of relative humidity and different temperatures. Sorption kinetic data of mushroom caps was separately generated using a continuous, gravimetric dynamic vapour sorption analyser at emperatures of 25-40 °C over a stepwise variation of relative humidity ranging from 0 to 85%. The predictive power of the neural network was based on physical data, namely relative humidity and temperature. The model was fed with a total of 4500 data points by dividing them into three subsets, namely, 70% of the data was used for training, 15% of the data for testing and 15% of the data for validation, randomly selected from the whole dataset. The NARX neural network was capable of precisely simulating equilibrium moisture contents of mushrooms derived from the dynamic vapour sorption kinetic data throughout the entire range of relative humidity.
Knee osteoarthritis is a common complication and can lead to total loss of joint function in patients. Treatment by either partial or total knee replacement with appropriate UHMWPE based implantsis highly invasive, may cause complications and may show unsatisfying results. Alternatively, treatment may be done by insertion of an elastic interpositional knee spacer with optimized material characteristics.
We report the development of high performance polyurethane-based polymers modified with bioactive molecules for fabrication of such knee spacers. In order to tailor mechanical and tribological properties and to improve resist to enzymatic degradation we propose a core-shell model for the spacer with specifically adapted properties.
Organisationen sind immer mehr gefragt, auch digitale Arbeitsumgebungen bewusst zu formen. Neue Technologien und digitale Arbeitspraktiken verlagern den Ort, an dem eine gemeinsame Identität gebildet wird, zunehmend in virtuelle Räume. Bislang fokussieren sich Führungskräfte und Change Manager jedoch zu sehr auf Dinge, die sie anfassen und plastisch gestalten können. Die Autoren erörtern daher, wie Unternehmen auch in virtuellen Arbeitswelten die organisationale Identität gestalten und aufrechterhalten können, um auf diese Weise das Change Management zu unterstützen.
Analog-/Mixed-Signal (AMS) design verification is one of the most challenging and time consuming tasks of todays complex system on chip (SoC) designs. In contrast to digital system design, AMS designers have to deal with a continuous state space of conservative quantities, highly nonlinear relationships, non-functional influences, etc. enlarging the number of possibly critical scenarios to infinity. In this special session we demonstrate the verification of functional properties using simulative and formal methods. We combine different approaches including automated abstraction and refinement of mixed-level models, state-space discretization as well as affine arithmetic. To reach sufficient verification coverage with reasonable time and effort, we use enhanced simulation schemes to avoid conventional simulation drawbacks.
Die vorliegende Erfindung betrifft ein Verfahren zur Regelung einer Totzeit in einem Synchronwandler (100), in welchem ein zyklisches Schalten eines Steuerschalters (2) und eines Synchronschalters (3) erfolgen, wobei der Steuerschalter (2) mittels eines ersten Schaltsignals (S1) und der Synchronschalter (3) mittels eines zweiten Schaltsignals (S2) geschaltet werden. Das Verfahren umfasst ein Erfassen und Vorhalten eines Spannungswertes, welcher eine Spannung (VSW) über den Synchronschalter (3) zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt beschreibt, und ein Anpassen des ersten und/oder zweiten Schaltsignals (S1, S2) für einen folgenden Zyklus basierend auf dem vorgehaltenen Spannungswert.
An integrated synchronous buck converter with a high resolution dead time control for input voltages up to 48V and 10MHz switching frequency is presented. The benefit of an enhanced dead time control at light loads to enable zero voltage switching at both the high-side and low-side switch at low output load is studied. This way, compact multi-MHz DCDC converters can be implemented at high efficiency over a wide load current range. The concept also eliminates body diode forward conduction losses and minimizes reverse recovery losses. A dead time resolution of 125 ps is realized by an 8-bit differential delay chain. A further efficiency enhancement by soft switching at the high-side switch at light load is achieved with a voltage boost of the switching node by dead time control in forced continuous conduction mode. The monolithic converter is implemented in an 180nm high-voltage BiCMOS technology. At V IN = 48V, V OUT = 5V, 50mA load, 10MHz switching frequency and 500 nH output inductance, the efficiency is measured to be increased by 14.4% compared to a conventional predictive dead time control. A peak efficiency of 80.9% is achieved at 12V input.
Different sensor types using chemical and biochemical principles are described. The former are mainly gas sensors, the latter are applied especially to liquids. Those label-free direct detection methods are compared with applications where assays take advantage of labeled receptors.
Furthermore, selected applications in the area of gas sensors are discussed, and sensors for process control, point-of-care diagnostics, environmental analytics, and food analytics are reviewed. In addition, multiplexing approaches used in microplates and microarrays are described.
On account of the huge number of sensor types and the wide range of possible applications, only the most important ones are selected here.
Verlängerte Werkbank, Global Sourcing, Low-Cost-Country-Potenziale, Outsourcing: Seit Jahren herrscht eine inflationäre Verwendung dieser Schlagworte in den Vorstandsetagen. Der Markt für professionelle Dienstleistungen ist schon lange nicht mehr auf die Strategieberatungsbranche beschränkt. Mittlerweile gibt es fast keinen Unternehmensprozess in einem produzierenden Unternehmen mehr, der nicht hinsichtlich seiner Auslagerbarkeit an Berater oder Dienstleister geprüft wurde. Die Autorin beschreibt, warum professionelle Dienstleister zunehmend beauftragt werden und zeigt am Beispiel einer Service-Performance-Studie die Erfolgsfaktoren für die Zusammenarbeit auf. Anhand einer Collaboration Check List legt sie dar, was im täglichen Doing wichtig ist. Abschließend werden die Risiken und Chancen der Inanspruchnahme von Dienstleistungen aus Kunden- und Lieferantenperspektive beleuchtet.
In thermopervaporation the same economically favorable driving force as in membrane distillation, i.e., a temperature difference between feed and permeate for the transport, is used but with non-porous thin-film composite membranes. Membrane pores cannot be wetted and long-term operational stability can be achieved with the appropriate coating layer, but normally with a decrease of the flux compared to membrane distillation with porous hydrophobic membranes.
Porous asymmetric PVDF membranes were made to achieve low permeation resistance and pores which could be overcoated with polyelectrolyte polymers. This coating prohibits pore wetting and strongly reduces adsorption of organic substances.
Those membranes showed a high permeation rate for water due to a structure of phase-separated hydrophilic and hydrophobic three-dimensional domains. The permeation rates of these composite membranes for water is between 6 and 12 l/(h m²) at a feed temperature of 60 °C and permeate at a temperature of 40 °C of a 2% saline solution feed depending on the operational parameters. This is only a slight reduction of 10–15% in permeation rate compared to membrane distillation with porous hydrophobic membranes.
In whey dewatering experiment this membrane showed a constant performance over 4 days in intermittent operation mode and stability in cleaning with strong alkaline solution.
Long-term stability of membranes in membrane distillation operation is a problem nowadays which prevents the industrial breakthrough of this separation process. Fouling or slow pore wetting are the basic reasons for this.
Membrane distillation membranes were made by NIPS process rendering the membrane asymmetrically to achieve low permeation resistance and pores which can be over coated with polyelectrolyte polymers thus leading to thermopervaporation membranes. Those membranes prohibit pore wetting and may strongly reduce resorption of organic substances on for membrane distillation typically used hydrophobic surfaces thus leading to longterm operation stability in dewatering including stable membrane cleaning.
Asymmetric PVDF membranes have been coated with cation exchange polyelectrolyte leading to a very thin, defect-free layer which has a high permeation rate for water due to the domain structure of phase-separated hydrophilic and hydrophobic three-dimensional structures.
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the interconnectedness of physical objects, and works by equipping the latter with sensors and actuators as a means to connect to the internet. The number of connected things has increased threefold over the past five years. Consequently, firms expect the IoT to become a source of new business models driven by technology. However, only a few early adopters have started to install and use IoT appliances on a frequent basis. So it is still unclear which factors drive technological acceptance of IoT appliances. Confronting this gap in current research, the present paper explores how IoT appliances are conceptually defined, which factors drive technological acceptance of IoT appliances, and how firms can use results in order to improve value propositions in corresponding business models. lt is discovered that IoT appliance vendors need to support a broad focus as the potential buyers expose a large variety. As conclusions from this insight, the paper illustrates some flexible marketing strategies.
Kennzahlen zur Liquidität
(2016)
Wer mit Argumenten Veränderungen bewirken will, muss seine Ansprechpartner für seine Lösungsansätze gewinnen. Ob dies gelingt, ist heutzutage keine Frage von rhetorischem Talent und Charisma mehr. Denn Techniken des Storylinings und Storytellings machen eine Professionalisierung betriebswirtschaftlicher Argumentation und Gedankenführung für jedermann möglich.
This article reviews the literature on Christmas economics. First, we present an overall picture of the debate on the potential welfare loss of gift-giving and we show strategies that reduce the potential welfare loss and might increase the number of presents received. Second, we discuss the effect of Christmas on prices and the business cycle. We provide evidence that at Christmas stock prices and airfares increase, while food prices decrease.
Business process management and IT supported processes are an actual topic. The procedure of finding a business process system that implements your processes the best way is not easy and takes a lot of time. In this article you will find a recommendation for an open source system. Four selected open source workflow management systems are tested and analyzed. Mean criteria for the evaluation are listed in a criteria catalogue and rated by experts by their importance. Finally, the systems are evaluated by the criteria and the best evaluated system can be recommended.
IT environments that consist of a very large number of rather small structures like microservices, Internet of Things (IoT) components, or mobility systems are emerging to support flexible and agile products and services in the age of digital transformation. Biological metaphors of living and adaptable ecosystems with service-oriented enterprise architectures provide the foundation for self-optimizing, resilient run-time environments and distributed information systems. We are extending Enterprise Architecture (EA) methodologies and models that cover a high degree of heterogeneity and distribution to support the digital transformation and related information systems with micro-granular architectures. Our aim is to support flexibility and agile transformation for both IT and business capabilities within adaptable digital enterprise architectures. The present research paper investigates mechanisms for integrating Microservice Architectures (MSA) by extending original enterprise architecture reference models with elements for more flexible architectural metamodels and EA-mini-descriptions.
The fast moving process of digitization1 demands flexibility in order to adapt to rapidly changing business requirements and newly emerging business opportunities. New features have to be developed and deployed to the production environment a lot faster. To be able to cope with this increased velocity and pressure, a lot of software developing companies have switched to a Microservice Architecture (MSA) approach. Applications built this way consist of several fine-grained and heterogeneous services that are independently scalable and deployable. However, the technological and business architectural impacts of microservices based applications directly affect their integration into the digital enterprise architecture. As a consequence, traditional Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) approaches are not able to handle the extreme distribution, diversity, and volatility of micro-granular systems and services. We are therefore researching mechanisms for dynamically integrating large amounts of microservices into an adaptable digital enterprise architecture.
The paper focuses on a recently introduced paradigm for the logistic process of picking, with respect to the man-to-goods and goods-to-man concept: the robot to-goods. First the task and system architecture of the fast deployable autonomous commissioning system are described, then the economic efficiency of the system is analysed in a real business case scenario using a simplified method, which is explained and discussed. The clearly positive net present value of the investment and the short payback period obtained in the business case prove how the robot-to-goods paradigm for the commissioning process, implemented through the automation of the forklift platform, is economically attractive for small and medium size enterprises.
Methods for increasing the energy efficiency of induction motors by an appropriate control strategy have been a subject of research during the last years. Several methods for loss minimization have been developed for induction motors operated in a steady state. In recent years, some solutions for the dynamic case have been given as well either using an online or offline optimization approach, implying a certain computational burden, which is undesired in practice. This paper shows that the appropriate application of steady state techniques during transients due to a changing motor torque is a suboptimal strategy with an acceptable performance for efficiency optimization given an induction machine where saturation effects of the main inductance must be considered. The optimization problem is simplified such that a simple suboptimal solution is possible and the quality of the suboptimal solution is investigated by simulations and measurements. The proposed solution is simple, easy to implement, and does not require an online optimization. In addition, the influence of magnetizing induction saturation is considered.
Converting users into customers : the role of user profile information and customer journey analysis
(2016)
Due to the digital transformation, the importance of web analysis and user profiling for enterprises is increasing rapidly as customers focus on digital channels to obtain information about products and brands. While there exists a lot research on these topics, only a minority of firms use them to their advantage. This study aims to tighten the link between research and business such that experimental methods can be used for the improvement of communication strategies in practice. Therefore, a systematic literature analysis is conducted, workshops are observed and documented and an empirical study is used to integrate single steps into a framework for the
practical usage of user profiling and customer journey analysis.
In dieser Arbeit wird ein Modell vorgestellt, das die Planung der direkten Wiederverwendung bei der Vermietung mobiler und langlebiger Investitionsgüter in Closed-Loop Supply Chains optimiert. Insbesondere die Entwicklung von Planungsalgorithmen zur Verbesserung der Vorhersagewahrscheinlichkeit zukünftiger Rücklieferungen und deren betriebswirtschaftliche Auswirkungen für Unternehmen stehen im Vordergrund. Das Optimierungsmodell betrachtet dabei sowohl die Positionierung des Unternehmens im Innen- als auch im Außenverhältnis und liefert die Entscheidungsgrundlage für entsprechende strategische Initiativen.
Reliable and accurate car driver head pose estimation is an important function for the next generation of advanced driver assistance systems that need to consider the driver state in their analysis. For optimal performance, head pose estimation needs to be non-invasive, calibration-free and accurate for varying driving and illumination conditions. In this pilot study we investigate a 3D head pose estimation system that automatically fits a statistical 3D face model to measurements of a driver’s face, acquired with a low-cost depth sensor on challenging real-world data. We evaluate the results of our sensor-independent, driver-adaptive approach to those of a state-of-the-art camera-based 2D face tracking system as well as a non-adaptive 3D model relative to own ground-truth data, and compare to other 3D benchmarks. We find large accuracy benefits of the adaptive 3D approach.
A seamless convergence of the digital and physical factory aiming in personalized Product Emergence Process (PPEP) for smart products within ESB Logistics Learning Factory at Reutlingen University.
A completely new business model with reference to Industrie4.0 and facilitated by 3D experience software in today's networked society in which customers expect immediate responses, delightful experience and simple solutions is one of the mission scenarios in the ESB Logistics Learning Factory at ESB Business School (Reutlingen University).
The business experience platform provides software solutions for every organization in the company respectively in the factory. An interface with dashboards, project management apps, 3D - design and construction apps with high end visualization, manufacturing and simulation apps as well as intelligence and social network apps in a collaborative interactive environment help the user to learn the creation of a value end to end process for a personalized virtual and later real produced product.
Instead of traditional ways of working and a conventional operating factory real workers and robots work semi-intuitive together. Centerpiece in the self-planned interim factory is the smart personalized product, uniquely identifiable and locatable at all times during the production process – a scooter with an individual colored mobile phone – holder for any smart phone produced with a 3D printer in lot size one. Smart products have in the future solutions incorporated internet based services – designed and manufactured - at the costs of mass products. Additionally the scooter is equipped with a retrievable declarative product memory. Monitoring and control is handled by sensor tags and a raspberry positioned on the product. The engineering design and implementation of a changeable production system is guided by a self-execution system that independently find amongst others esplanade workplaces.
The imparted competences to students and professionals are project management method SCRUM, customization of workflows by Industrie4.0 principles, the enhancements of products with new personalized intelligent parts, electrical and electronic selfprogrammed components and the control of access of the product memory information, to plan in a digital engineering environment and set up of the physical factory to produce customer orders. The gained action-orientated experience refers to the chances and requirements for holistic digital and physical systems.
As long as there have been professional sports, there have been relationships on different levels. For example, sponsorship (or patronage as it was called in the early days) was mostly based on personal relations between the local benefactors and their favourite sports club. Regarding media, clubs always maintained special relationships with selected journalists. The bond between fans and their clubs was always a close and mutually beneficial one. All these relationships existed from the start of the sports business. Therefore, relationship marketing is nothing new in the context of sports. Many sporting organisations always knew to value a deep and good relationship with their stakeholders and practised relationship marketing without being aware of it. Successful sports managers, however, take the old wisdom and turn it into a modern relationship marketing approach by structuring the various relationships in order to make them more effective and profitable for the own sporting organisation and the various stakeholders. This chapter ... illustrates the many facets of relationship marketing and the possibilities it offers in the context of the sports business.
Dieser Beitrag beschreibt das Markenmanagement von Profifußballvereinen durch den Einsatz von Social Media. Um sich ein stückweit vom nichtplanbaren sportlichen Erfolg unabhängig zu machen, sollten sich Fußballvereine als Marke positionieren. Dazu steht ihnen allerdings traditionellerweise ein geringes Marketingbudget zur Verfügung. Social Media bietet Fußballvereinen die Möglichkeit, relativ kostengünstig und effektiv die eigene Marke aufzubauen und zu pflegen. Der Beitrag erläutert diesbezüglich die Notwendigkeit eines systematischen Markenmanagements, geht auf die Besonderheiten der Vermarktung eines Profifußballvereins ein und zeigt anhand von Beispielen, wie Social Media zum Markenaufbau respektive zur Markenpflege genutzt werden kann.
This paper addresses the turn-on switching process of insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules with anti-parallel free-wheeling diodes (FWD) used in inductive load switching power applications. An increase in efficiency, i.e. decrease in switching losses, calls for a fast switching process of the IGBT, but this commonly implies high values of the reverse-recovery current overshoot. To overcome this undesired behaviour, a solution was proposed which achieves an independent control of the collector current slope and peak reverse recovery current by applying a gate current that is briefly turned negative during the turn-on process. The feasibility of this approach has already been shown, however, a sophisticated control method is required for applying it in applications with varying currents, temperature and device parameters. In this paper a solution based on an adaptive, iterative closed-loop ontrol is proposed. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by experimental results from a 1200 V/200A IGBT power module for different load currents and reverse-recovery current overshoots.
Die Erfindung betrifft einen Energieübertrager (100) zur induktiven Energieübertragung von einem primären Schaltkreis (10) des Energieübertragers (100) an eine erste (5) und eine zweite (15) Spannungsdomäne eines sekundären Schaltkreises (20) des Energieübertragers (100) und zur Informationsübertragung vom sekundären Schaltkreis (20) zum primären Schaltkreis (10). Dabei umfasst der Energieübertrager (100): – einen Transformator (30), über den der primäre Schaltkreis (10) und der sekundäre Schaltkreis (20) induktiv miteinander gekoppelt sind und über den sowohl die Energieübertragung als auch die Informationsübertragung erfolgt; und – ein Amplitudenmodulationsmodul (50) zum Modulieren der Strom- und/oder Spannungsamplitude im sekundären Schaltkreis (20) mit Hilfe eines Amplitudenmodulationsschalters (55), wobei der Amplitudenmodulationsschalter (55) zwischen der ersten (5) und zweiten (15) Spannungsdomäne des sekundären Schaltkreises (20) angeordnet ist und ausgelegt ist, durch Öffnen und Schließen des Amplitudenmodulationsschalters (55) die Strom- und/oder Spannungsamplitude im primären Schaltkreis (10) zu ändern, um somit Information vom sekundären Schaltkreis (20) zum primären Schaltkreis (10) zu übertragen. Die vorliegende Erfindung betrifft ferner einen Gate-Treiber zum Schalten eines Leistungsschalters (500) und ein Verfahren zur induktiven Übertragung von Energie und zur kombinierten Informationsübertragung.
Sleep is an important aspect in life of every human being. The average sleep duration for an adult is approximately 7 h per day. Sleep is necessary to regenerate physical and psychological state of a human. A bad sleep quality has a major impact on the health status and can lead to different diseases. In this paper an approach will be presented, which uses a long-term monitoring of vital data gathered by a body sensor during the day and the night supported by mobile application connected to an analyzing system, to estimate sleep quality of its user as well as give recommendations to improve it in real-time. Actimetry and historical data will be used to improve the individual recommendations, based on common techniques used in the area of machine learning and big data analysis.
Stress is becoming an important topic in modern life. The influence of stress results in a higher rate of health disorders such as burnout, heart problems, obesity, asthma, diabetes, depressions and many others. Furthermore individual’s behavior and capabilities could be directly affected leading to altered cognition, inappropriate decision making and problem solving skills. In a dynamic and unpredictable environment, such as automotive, this can result in a higher risk for accidents. Different papers faced the estimation as well as prediction of drivers’ stress level during driving. Another important question is not only the stress level of the driver himself, but also the influence on and of a group of other drivers in the near area. This paper proposes a system, which determines a group of drivers in a near area as clusters and it derives the individual stress level. This information will be analyzed to generate a stress map, which represents a graphical view about road section with a higher stress influence. Aggregated data can be used to generate navigation routes with a lower stress influence to decrease stress influenced driving as well as improve road safety.
Die vorliegende Arbeit thematisiert die Identifizierung und Darstellung von Ansätzen, wie man Menschen zu einem besseren Entscheidungsverhalten bei Finanzprodukten und -dienstleistungen bewegen kann. Hierfür werden sogenannte Nudges bei Krediten, Kreditkarten, Hypotheken, der Altersvorsorge und Aktien/Anleihen erläutert. Die Arbeit beginnt mit einer knappen Einführung in die Entscheidungstheorie. Danach wird die seit Jahrzehnten dominierende neoklassische Kapitalmarktheorie kurz erläutert und der Bogen zur jungen Disziplin der Behavioral Finance gespannt. Im Anschluss daran werden Verzerrungen und Heuristiken entlang des Entscheidungsprozesses aufgezeigt und erklärt. Das nächste Kapitel, „Libertärer Paternalismus“, bildet den theoretischen Rahmen für Nudging. Im letzten Kapitel werden Nudgingansätze bei Krediten, Kreditkarten, Hypotheken, der Altersvorsorge und Aktien/Anleihen dargestellt.
In a recent publication Novy-Marx (2013) finds evidence that the variable gross profitability has a strong statistical influence on the common variation of stock returns. He also points out that there is common variation in stock returns related to firm profitability that is not captured by the three-factor model of Fama and French (1993). Thus, this thesis augments the three-factor model by the factor gross profitability and examines whether a profitability-based four-factor model is able to better explain monthly portfolio excess returns on the German stock market compared to the three-factor model of Fama and French (1993) and the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). Based on monthly stock returns of the CDAX over the period July 2008 to June 2014 this thesis documents four main findings. First, a significant positive market risk premium and a significant positive value premium can be identified. No evidence is found for a size or a profitability effect. Second, all included factors have a strong significant effect on monthly portfolio excess returns. Third, the four-factor model clearly outperforms both the three-factor model of Fama and French (1993) and the CAPM in capturing the common variation in monthly portfolio excess returns. The CAPM performs worst. Finally, the results indicate that the three-factor model of Fama and French (1993) is somewhat better in explaining the cross-section of portfolio excess returns than the four-factor model. Again, the CAPM performs worst. Nevertheless, the four-factor model is considered to be an improvement over the three-factor model of Fama and French (1993) and the CAPM in determining stock returns on the German stock market.
Die Alterungsbeständigkeit von geschirmten Kabeln und Kontaktpaaren gewinnt angesichts des zunehmenden Einsatzes elektronischer softwarebasierter Steuerungen in Transportmitteln an Relevanz. Elektro- und Hybridantriebe sowie die Implementierung von Fahrassistenzsystemen bis hin zu autonom fahrenden Fahrzeugen führen zu komplexen Kabelbäumen mit einer großen Zahl von geschirmten Kabeln und Steckverbindern.
Um die Stabilität von Kontaktsystemen hinsichtlich ihrer Stabilität zu prüfen, werden Hochspannungskabel unterschiedlicher Hersteller und Dimensionierung für den Einsatz in Hybridfahrzeugen untersucht. Diese wurden mit Modellsteckern versehen, die die Schimung kontaktierten und hinreichend gewährleisteten.
Impedanz und Schirmwirkungsdämpfung wurden an thermisch belasteten Kabeln und Kontaktpaaren vergleichend zu Neuteilen untersucht. Der Einfluss der in Anlehnung an die LV 214 induzierten thermischen Alterung auf das frequenzabhängige Übertragungsprofil sowie den Gesamtstreuverlust wurde messtechnisch ermittelt. Zusätzlich wurden die Alterungseffekte an den Leitungsmaterialien mittels moderner bildgebender Analytik dokumentiert.
The loss contribution of a 2.3kW synchronous GaN-HEMT boost converter for an input voltage of 250V and an output voltage of 500V was analyzed. A simulation model which consists of two parts is introduced. First, a physics-based model is used to determine the switching losses. Then, a system simulation is applied to calculate the losses of the specific elements. This approach allows a fast and accurate system evaluation as required for further system optimization.
In this work, a hard- and a zero-voltage turn-on switching converter are compared. Measurements were performed to verify the simulation model, showing a good agreement. A peak efficiency of 99% was achieved for an output power of 1.4kW. Even with an output power above 400W, it was possible to obtain a system efficiency exceeding 98 %.
This paper presents a compact 3 kW bidirectional GaN-HEMT DC/DC converter for 360V to 400-500 V. A very high efficiency has been reached by applying a zero voltage turn-on in conjunction with a negative gate-source voltage, even though normally-off HEMTs are used. Further improvements were achieved by adapting the switching frequency to the load current and output voltage, as will be explained by means of the loss contribution of the specific elements for a constant and an adaptive switching frequency. Measurements have shown a high converter efficiency exceeding 99% over a wide output power range of up to 3 kW.
Über mehrere Monate porträtierten sich Masterstudierende von drei Kontinenten gegenseitig über Skype. Mittels einer besonderen Zeichentechnik, der Blindzeichnung, sind zahlreiche Porträts entstanden, deren Wirkung im öffentlichen Raum und in sozialen Netzwerken untersucht wurden. Diese Porträts sind die Basis für künstlerische Arbeiten in allen Bereichen und Medien der Bildenden Kunst. Das Forschungsprojekt SkypeLab schafft so eine Verbindung der traditionellen künstlerischen Techniken mit aktuellen digitalen Technologien.
Like many others, fashion companies have to deal with a global and very competitive environment. Thus companies rely on accurate sales forecasts - as key success factor of an efficient supply chain management. However, forecasters have to take into account some specificities of the fashion industry. To respond to these constraints, a variety of different forecasting methods exists, including new, computer-based predictive analytics. After the evaluation of different methods, their application to the fashion industry is investigated through semi structured expert interviews. Despite several benefits predictive analytics is not yet frequently used in practice. This research does not only reflect an industry profile, but also gives important insights about the future potential and obstacles of predictive analytics.
Im Zuge des Lean Managements die Prozesse nach ökonomischen Aspekten zu optimieren, gehört für die meisten Unternehmen heute zum Standard. Die wenigsten beziehen bislang allerdings ökologische Aspekte mit ein - obwohl auch das zur Wirtschaftlichkeit beiträgt. Voraussetzung für eine stetige Reduzierung von Energieverbrauch und Emissionen ist erstens ein systematisches Vorgehen. Zweitens bedarf es exakter Kennzahlen, die in Echtzeit verfügbar sind.
In this article an energy harvesting system for measuring the wind speed starting from 2 m/s (about 2 Bft) is presented, which uses the same source for measuring and supplying power (energy autarkic). The use of the same source for measurement and power supply increases the number of potential applications since needed power is present with the measuring signal. For the case of measuring the wind velocity, one might consider applications in tunnels, tubes, pipelines, air conditioning or for controlling clogging of filters. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is chosen as radio technology, since it provides the possibility to realize a unidirectional communication; requiring only a single telegram (advertising telegram) for sending the measured value. A more complex establishment of communication required by WLAN or 6LoWPAN could therefore be avoided to significantly reduce the overall energy consumption. Since the advertisement telegram does not make any provision for security or against hacking in general, a security concept is presented which includes encryption and resilience against replay attacks in a unidirectional communication system.
To facilitate the presented concepts beyond wind sensors, the system is divided into three major modules namely the generator-sensor module, the radio module and the energy management module. Whereas the first two might be changed in different applications the energy management module could be reused in many different applications. It supplies and stores the needed energy and switches power on and off in a deterministic way to ensure the radio module can operate correctly.
Systemic Constellation describes an approach that enables practitioners to examine and address typical issues in diversity management from a different, relational perspective. Systemic Constellation utilizes the human ability to recognize the qualities of relationships between two or more people from their spatial alignment to each other (transverbal language) and the capability to illustrate inner pictures by placing humans or objects in a room as representatives (representative perception). Systemic Constellation originated in the field of family therapy and counseling, but through research, guidance work, and teaching activities over the last two decades, it has developed into a generic, structural, constellation logic with multiple methods of application. It has been adapted to a variety of topics and issues, and a number of constellation formats. This article serves as a starting point for the transfer of Systemic Constellation into diversity management. It appears that conventional approaches taught in traditional management classes (such as focusing on tools, setting targets, planning measures, and offering incentives) are of limited use when trying to deal with problematic situations in diversity management. Preliminary trials show that new solutions and insights into deeper underlying dynamics can be gained on personal and institutional levels when applying Systemic Constellation. Participants find the application of the model as very beneficial. Systemic Constellation is grounded in personal experience and particularly in a person’s own experience of the consistency of representative perception. This viewpoint can only be conveyed rudimentarily in a scientific article. Readers should feel encouraged to apply Systemic Constellations themselves and use it in their work, experimentally and professionally. To harness the full potential of Systemic Constellations in diversity management, further research needs to be done.
Recent MIT CISR research found that an obsessive focus on innovation is a characteristic of CIOs of top-performing firms. There are now more ways than ever that a firm can be disrupted by and disruptive with digital innovations. Indeed, a growing number of firms and individuals are using increasingly powerful digital technologies and figuring out ways to develop better products and services, better customer and employee experiences, and new business models. The new digital imperative is to compete with more types of digital innovations - and IT units must refine approaches to producing them. Based on an in-depth caste study, this briefing takes a look at how German car manufacturer AUDI AG has expanded its portfolio of digital innovations.
In 2016, German car manufacturer the Audi Group (AUDI AG) was working on an expanding array of digital innovations. The goals of these innovations varied, and included strengthening customer- and employee-facing processes, digitally enhancing existing products, and developing new, potentially disruptive business models. Audi's IT unit was critical to each of these efforts. This case examines the different ways in which digitization can help to enhance and transform an organization's processes, products, and business models. The case also highlights the challenges that may arise as organizations attempt to expand and diversify their portfolio of digital innovations.
Diese Ausarbeitung befasst sich mit der Fragestellung, inwiefern interaktive Systeme innerhalb eines historischen Ausstellungskontextes herangezogen werden können, um die methodische Vermittlung von Informationen zu fördern und zu unterstützen. Als Anwendungsfall wird hierbei auf das Schloss Aulendorf zurückgegriffen.
Um einen reibungslosen Produktionsablauf zu gewährleisten und Produktionsstillstände zu vermeiden, ist eine kontinuierliche Materialverfügbarkeit erforderlich. Bei der Auswahl von Materialbereitstellungsprinzipien gilt es, unternehmensspezifische Gegebenheiten zu berücksichtigen. Der vorliegende Beitrag zeigt am Beispiel der ERBE Elektromedizin GmbH, Tübingen, ein mögliches Vorgehen.
Reality mining refers to an application of data mining, using sensor data to drive behavioral patterns in the real world. However, research in this field started a decade ago when technology was far behind today's state of the art. This paper discusses which requirements are now posed to applications in the context of reality mining. A survey has shown which sensors are available in state-of-the-art smartphones and usable to gather data for reality mining. As another contribution of this paper, a reality mining application architecture is proposed to facilitate the implementation of such applications. A proof of concept verifies the assumptions made on reality mining and the presented architecture.
The acquisition of data for reality mining applications is a critical factor, since many mobile devices, e.g. smartphones, must be capable of capturing the required data. Otherwise, only a small target group would be able to use the reality mining application. In the course of a survey, we have identified smartphone features which might be relevant for various reality mining applications. The survey classifies these features and shows how the support of each feature has changed over the years by analyzing 143 smartphones released between 2004 and 2015. All analyzed devices can be ranked by their number of provided features. Furthermore, this paper deals with quality issues which have occurred during carrying out the survey.
Broad acceptance of finite-element-based analysis of structural problems and the increased availability of CAD-systems for structural tasks, which help to generate meshes of non-trivial geometries, have been setting a standard for the evaluation of designs in mechanical engineering in the last few decades. The development of automated or semi-automated optimizers, integrated into the Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE)-packages or working as outer loop machines, requiring the solver to do the analysis of the specific designs, has been accepted by most advanced users of the simulation community as well. The availability and inexpensive processing power of computers is increasing without any limitations foreseen in the coming years. There is little doubt that virtual product development will continue using the tools that have proved to be so successful and so easy to handle.
Primäres Ziel und Aufgabe dieser Arbeit ist ... die Entwicklung einer neuen Recyclingmethode für PET, die die Nachteile der bisherigen Verwertungsmethoden vermeidet und unter weitgehendem Erhalt der bereits erbrachten Syntheseleistung definierte Oligomere liefert. Aus diesen können in Folge hochwertige Produkte hergestellt werden.
Recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is of crucial importance, since worldwide amounts of PETwaste increase rapidly due to its widespread applications. Hence, several methods have been developed, like energetic, material, thermo-mechanical and chemical recycling of PET. Most frequently, PET-waste is incinerated for energy recovery, used as additive in concrete composites or glycolysed to yield mixtures of monomers and undefined oligomers. While energetic and thermo-mechanical recycling entail downcycling of the material, chemical recycling requires considerable amounts of chemicals and demanding processing steps entailing toxic and ecological issues. This review provides a thorough survey of PET-recycling including energetic, material, thermo-mechanical and chemical methods. It focuses on chemical methods describing important reaction parameters and yields of obtained reaction products. While most methods yield monomers, only a few yield undefined low molecular weight oligomers for impaired applications (dispersants or plasticizers). Further, the present work presents an alternative chemical recycling method of PET in comparison to existing chemical methods.
Adapting characteristics of biomaterials specifically for in vitro and in vivo applications is becoming increasingly important in order to control interactions between material and biological systems. These complex interactions are influenced by surface properties like chemical composition, charge, mechanical and topographic attributes. In many cases it is not useful or even not possible to alter the base material but changing surface, to improve biocompatibility or to make surfaces bioactive, may be achieved by thin coatings. An already established method is the coating with polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM). To adjust adhesion, proliferation and improve vitality of certain cell types, we modified the roughness of PEM coatings. We included different types nanoparticles (NP’s) in different concentrations into PEM coatings for controlling surface roughness. Surface properties were characterized and the reaction of 3 different cell types on these coatings was tested.
Virtual prototyping of integrated mixed-signal smart sensor systems requires high-performance co-simulation of analog frontend circuitry with complex digital controller hardware and embedded real-time software. We use SystemC/TLM 2.0 in conjunction with a cycle-count accurate temporal decoupling approach (TD) to simulate digital components and firmware code execution at high speed while preserving clock-cycle accuracy and, thus, real-time behavior at time quantum boundaries. Optimal time quanta ensuring real-time capability can be calculated and set automatically during simulation if the simulation engine has access to exact timing information about upcoming inter-process communication events. These methods fail in the case of non-deterministic, asynchronous events, resulting in potentially invalid simulation results. In this paper, we propose an extension to the case of asynchronous events generated by blackbox sources from which a priori event timing information is not available, such as coupled analog simulators or hardware in the loop. Additional event processing latency or rollback effort caused by temporal decoupling is minimized by calculating optimal time quanta dynamically in a SystemC model using a linear prediction scheme. We analyze the theoretical performance of the presented predictive temporal decoupling approach (PTD) by deriving a cost model that expresses the expected simulation effort in terms of key parameters such as time quantum size and CPU time per simulation cycle. For an exemplary smart-sensor system model, we show that quasi-periodic events that trigger activities in TD processes are handled accurately after the predictor has settled.
Optimization-based design automation for analog ICs still remains behind the demands. A promising alternative is given by procedural approaches such as parameterized generators, also known as PCells. We are working on a complete analog design flow based on parameterized generators for entire circuits and corresponding layout modules. Because the conventional programming of such enhanced generators is far too complicated and costly, new methods are needed to ease their development. This paper presents gPCDS (graphical PCDS), a novel tool for a designer-oriented development of schematic module generators, integrated into a common schematic entry environment. The tool is based on PCDS (Parameterized Circuit Description Scheme), a meta-language for the creation of parametrized analog circuits. Schematic module generators are a very desirable complement to layout module generators in order to achieve a seamless schematic- driven layout design flow on module level. By facilitating a way of generator development that matches a design expert’s mentality, gPCDS contributes to close this gap in the analog design flow.
The extracellular environment of vascular cells in vivo is complex in its chemical composition, physical properties, and architecture. Consequently, it has been a great challenge to study vascular cell responses in vitro, either to understand their interaction with their native environment or to investigate their interaction with artificial structures such as implant surfaces. New procedures and techniques from materials science to fabricate bio-scaffolds and surfaces have enabled novel studies of vascular cell responses under well-defined, controllable culture conditions. These advancements are paving the way for a deeper understanding of vascular cell biology and materials–cell interaction. Here, we review previous work focusing on the interaction of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) with materials having micro- and nanostructured surfaces. We summarize fabrication techniques for surface topographies, materials, geometries, biochemical functionalization, and mechanical properties of such materials. Furthermore, various studies on vascular cell behavior and their biological responses to micro- and nanostructured surfaces are reviewed. Emphasis is given to studies of cell morphology and motility, cell proliferation, the cytoskeleton and cell-matrix adhesions, and signal transduction pathways of vascular cells. We finalize with a short outlook on potential interesting future studies.
Based on well-established robotic concepts of autonomous localization and navigation we present a system prototype to assist camera-based indoor navigation for human utilization implemented in the Robot Operating System (ROS). Our prototype takes advantage of state-of-the-art computer vision and robotic methods. Our system is designed for assistive indoor guidance. We employ a vibro tactile belt to serve as a guiding device to render derived motion suggestions to the user via vibration patterns. We evaluated the effectiveness of a variety of vibro-tactile feedback patterns for guidance of blindfolded users. Our prototype demonstrates that a vision-based system can support human navigation, and may also assist the visually impaired in a human-centered way.
Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a widely used modification for drug delivery systems. It reduces undesired interaction with biological components, aggregation of complexes and serves as a hydrophilic linker of ligands for targeted drug delivery. However, PEGylation can also lead to undesired changes in physicochemical characteristics of chitosan/siRNA nanoplexes and hamper gene silencing.
To address this conflicting issue, PEG-chitosan copolymers were synthesized with stepwise increasing degrees of PEG substitution (1.5% to 8.0%). Subsequently formed PEG-chitosan/siRNA nanoplexes were characterized physicochemically and biologically. The results showed that small ratios of chitosan PEGylation did not affect nanoplex stability and density. However, higher PEGylation ratios reduced nanoplex size and charge, as well as cell uptake and final siRNA knockdown efficiency.
Therefore, we recommend fine-tuning of PEGylation ratios to generate PEG-chitosan/siRNA delivery systems with maximum bioactivity. The degree of PEGylation for chitosan/siRNA nanoplexes should be kept low in order to maintain optimal nanoplex efficiency.
Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, den Zusammenhang zwischen der Implementierung von CRM-Prozessen und der Kundenzufriedenheit zu analysieren. Unsere Untersuchung ist einigen grundsätzlichen Beschränkunfen unterworfen. CRM ist immer noch ein relativ junges Forschungsgebiet, dessen Prozesse sich im Zeitablauf mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit noch weiterentwickeln werden. Manche Praktiken werden als ineffektiv identifiziert und verworfen werden; andere existierende Prozesse werden eine Verbesserung erfahren. Es ist zudem zu erwarten, dass neue Prozesse und Aktivitäten entwickelt und eingeführt werden. Als Folge dieser Entwicklungen ist es möglich, dass die hier berichtete Wirkung auf die Kundenzufriedenheit durch die Implementierung von CRM-Prozessen sich im Laufe der Zeit ebenfalls ändern wird. Ein interessanter Forschungsansatz wäre daher die Beobachtung dieser Evolution im Zeitablauf.
Darüber hinaus muss in dieser Studie beachtet werden, dass die Kundenzufriedenzeit lediglich ein vorökonomisches Ziel des CRM ist. Einzelne Investitionen in eine bestehende Geschäftsbeziehung müssen anhand der Wertigkeit des Kunden für das Unvernehmen vorgenommen werden.Bestehen ferner keine Alternativen zum bisherigen Anbieter, so ist es ökonomisch nicht sinnvoll, Ressourcen zur Steigerung der Kundenzufriedenheit einzusetzen, da ein Wechsel des Anbieters unwahrscheinlich ist.
Schließlich nutzten wir für die vorliegende Studie Skalen zur Einschätzung der Einstellungen der Kunden durch die Unternehmen. Da dieses Vorgehen möglichst genaue Beurteilungen erfordert, kann es sein, dass die Daten gewisse Verzerrungen aufweisen. Zukünftige Forschungsansätze könnten die Studie durch eine ergänzende Einschätzung der Kunden zur Kreuzvalidierung sinnvoll erweitern.
Willingness-to-pay for alternative fuel vehicle characteristics : a stated choice study for Germany
(2016)
In the light of European energy efficiency and clean air regulations, as well as an ambitious electric mobility goal of the German government, we examine consumer preferences for alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) based on a Germany-wide discrete choice experiment among 711 potential car buyers. We estimate consumers’ willingness to-pay and compensating variation (CV) for improvements in vehicle attributes, also taking taste differences in the population into account by applying a latent class model with 6 distinct consumer segments. Our results indicate that about 1/3 of the consumers are oriented towards at least one AFV option, with almost half of them being AFV-affine, showing a high probability of choosing AFVs despite their current shortcomings. Our results suggest that German car buyers’ willingness-to-pay for improvements of the various vehicle attributes varies considerably across consumer groups and that the vehicle features have to meet some minimum requirements for considering AFVs. The CV values show that decision-makers in the administration and industry should focus on the most promising consumer group of ‘AFV aficionados’ and their needs. It also shows that some vehicle attribute improvements could increase the demand for AFVs cost-effectively, and that consumers would accept surcharges for some vehicle attributes at a level which could enable their private provision and economic operation (e.g. fast-charging infrastructure). Improvement of other attributes will need governmental subsidies to compensate for insufficient consumer valuation (e.g. battery capacity).
The increasing slew rate of modern power switches can increase the efficiency and reduce the size of power electronic applications. This requires a fast and robust signal transmission to the gate driver of the high-side switch. This work proposes a galvanically isolated capacitive signal transmission circuit to increase common mode transient immunity (CMTI). An additional signal path is introduced to significantly improve the transmission robustness for small duty cycles to assure a safe turn-off of the power switch. To limit the input voltage range at the comparator on the secondary side during fast high-side transitions, a clamping structure is implemented. A comparison between a conventional and the proposed signal transmission is performed using transistor level simulations. A propagation delay of about 2 ns over a wide range of voltage transients of up to 300V/ns at input voltages up to 600V is achieved.
In contrast to IC design, MEMS design still lacks sophisticated component libraries. Therefore, the physical design of MEMS sensors is mostly done by simply drawing polygons. Hence, the sensor structure is only given as plain graphic data which hinders the identification and investigation of topology elements such as spring, anchor, mass and electrodes. In order to solve this problem, we present a rule-based recognition algorithm which identifies the architecture and the topology elements of a MEMS sensor. In addition to graphic data, the algorithm makes use of only a few marking layers, as well as net and technology information. Our approach enables RC-extraction with commercial field solvers and a subsequent synthesis of the sensor circuit. The mapping of the extracted RC-values to the topology elements of the sensor enables a detailed analysis and optimization of actual MEMS sensors.
In this paper we present our work in progress on revisiting traditional DBMS mechanisms to manage space on native Flash and how it is administered by the DBA. Our observations and initial results show that: the standard logical database structures can be used for physical organization of data on native Flash; at the same time higher DBMS performance is achieved without incurring extra DBA overhead. Initial experimental evaluation indicates a 20% increase in transactional throughput under TPC-C, by performing intelligent data placement on Flash, less erase operations and thus better Flash longevity.
Dezentrale Stromerzeugungsanlagen, Energiespeicher und Steuerungseinrichtungen für Erzeuger und Verbraucher sind die Grundbausteine eines virtuellen Kraftwerks, welches im Stromnetz der Zukunft, dem Smart Grid, eine wichtige Rolle spielt. Im Rahmen des Demonstrationsprojekts Virtuelles Kraftwerk Neckar-Alb soll an der Hochschule Reutlingen eine Demonstrationsanlage aufgebaut werden, die diese Grundbausteine vernetzt und funktional integriert. Damit entsteht eine flexible Testumgebung für Forschung und Lehre, in der sich das Zusammenspiel der Komponenten untersuchen lässt. Zudem wird eine Besichtigungsmöglichkeit für interessierte Unternehmen geschaffen. Damit sollen Akzeptanz und Verständnis für die Thematik gefördert werden.
In times of e-commerce and digitalization, new markets are opening, young companies have the possibility to grow and new perspectives arise in terms of customer relationship. Customers require more possibilities of personalization. In the same time, companies have access to new and especially more information about the customer. Seems like it was a correlation that could evolve greatly if there weren't privacy issues. Vast amount of data about consumers are collected in Big Data warehouses. These shall be analyzed via predictive analytics and customers shall be classified by algorithms like clustering models, propensity models or collaborative filtering. All these subjects are growing in importance, as they are shaping the global marketing landscape. Marketers develop together with IT scientists new ways of analyzing customer databases and benefit from more accurate segmentation methods as that have been used until now. The following paper shall provide a literature review on new methods of consumer segmentation regarding the high inflow of new information via e-commerce. It will introduce readers in the subject of predictive analytics and will discuss several predictive models. The writing of the paper is not based on own empirical researches, but shall serve as a reference text for further researches. A conclusion will complete the paper.
Bei der Bayer AG wird als Lösung für das Enterprise Social Network IBM Connections eingesetzt. Bayer verfolgt das Ziel, die Mitarbeiter/innen weltweit zu vernetzen, die Kommunikation über Bereichsgrenzen hinweg zu unterstützen und um einen Wissens- und Expertenpool bereitzustellen. Im Rahmen eines Relaunches wurde 2012 Connections@Bayer, das vorher nur in Teilkonzernen verfügbar war, auf das gesamte Unternehmen ausgerollt. In einem weiteren Relaunch 2014 führte das Unternehmen ein Update auf die Version 4.5 und eine umfangreiche Kommunikationskampagne durch, die unter den Mitarbeiter/innen Aufmerksamkeit für die Kommunikationsplattform schuf und Neugier weckte. Darin wurde eine Analyse der Schlüsselvorteile der Nutzung von Connections durchgeführt, acht Kernnachrichten erarbeitet und diese auf diversen Kommunikationskanälen im Unternehmen verbreitet. Zudem ließen sich durch die Verwendung von Testimonials die Vorteile für alle Mitarbeitergruppen darstellen. Dieser Relaunch war erfolgreich: Die Nutzerzahlen konnten erweitert werden, die Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit stieg an. Die vorliegende Fallstudie stellt anschaulich dar, dass ein von einer effektiven Kommunikationskampagne begleiteter Relaunch eines Enterprise Social Networks einen nachhaltigen Erfolg herbeiführen kann.
Die Krise des Euro hat gezeigt, dass die Währungsunion ohne gemeinsame Wirtschaftsunion unvollständig ist. Diese ist auch heute unrealistisch. Umso wichtiger ist es, die Solidität des Euro auf eine funktionsfähige Regelbindung zu gründen und aus der Wirtschafts- und Fiskalpolitik der Eurostaaten eine gemeinsame Stabilitätskultur zu entwickeln. Bodo Herzog entwirft dafür einen Weg in der Tradition der deutschen Ordnungspolitik: Eine regelgebundene Währungsunion, die auf einem besseren Regelwerk beruht, dessen Einhaltung gemeinsam, einheitlich und strikt beachtet wird.
The paper studies liquidity management in the banking sector at the zero lower bound implemented by central banks. The new era of monetary policy with interest rates at zero and quantitative easing programs raise questions about the effectiveness of central banking policy and their impact on the banking sector. I find that the zero lower bound reduces liquidity reserves of banks and thus creates less credit supply. The T-LTRO program, developed by the European Central Bank, has helped to tackle this problem. However, the recently expanded asset purchase program reveals the opposite effect. Hence, the recent liquidity provisions by central banks have put incentives rather on de-leveraging than bank lending.
This article analyses and compares the performance of regulators in the fields of finance and sport, especially cycling. I hypothesize that the courses of crises or scandals is the best time to study the lessons of regulatory response. First, I take into account the differences in both finance and cycling by looking at the nature of the rules and institutions governing the field. Second, I estimate the attention effect on new regulation in response to crises or scandals. The interest of the paper is in the alignment of incentives to prevent regulatory capture and to ensure accountability and enforceability. The paper concludes that the differences hold important lessons that call for the reform of rules and institutions governing finance and cycling alike.
This paper analyzes different government debt relief programs in the European Monetary Union. I build a model and study different options ranging from debt relief to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). The analysis reveals the following: First, patient countries repay debt, while impatient countries more likely consume and default. Second, without ESM loans, indebted countries default anyway. Third, if the probability to be an impatient government is high, then the supply of loans is constrained. In general, sustainable and unsustainable governments should be incentivized differently especially in a supranational monetary union. Finally, I develop policy recommendations for the ongoing debate in the Eurozone.
This paper is a commentary on the book ‘Probability and stochastic processes’ from Ionut Florescu. The book is an excellent introduction to both probability theory and stochastic processes. It provides a comprehensive discussion of the main statistical concepts including the theorems and proofs. The introduction to probability theory is easy accessible and a perfect starting point for undergraduate students even with majors in other subjects than science, such as business or engineering. The book is also up-to-date because it includes programming code for simulations. However, the book has some weaknesses. It is less convincing in more advanced topics of stochastic theory and it does not include solutions to excises and recent research trends.
This article studies the development of e-governance over time and across countries. We use a large data sample consisting of 99 developing and 34 OECD countries to study this notion. Firstly, we study the development of e-governance. Secondly, we estimate models to check the determining factors of e-governance over time and across countries. The study reveals that the level of e-governance is determined by the degree of e-participation, online access as well as GDP per capita.
This article is a review of the book "Brain computation as hierarchical abstraction" by Dana H. Ballard published by MIT press in 2015. The book series computational neuroscience familiarizes the reader with the computational aspects of brain functions based on neuroscientific evidence. It provides an excellent introduction of the functioning, i.e. the structure, the network and the routines of the brain in our daily life. The final chapters even discuss behavioral elements such as decision-making, emotions and consciousness. These topics are of high relevance in other sciences such as economics and philosophy. Overall, Ballard’s book stimulates a scientifically well-founded debate and, more importantly, reveals the need of an interdisciplinary dialogue towards social sciences.
Clinical development is historically the phase in which a potential new medicine is being tested in phase 2 and phase 3 patient trials to demonstrate the new molecules' efficacy and safety to support the regulatory approval of drugs by health authorities. This relatively focused approach has been considerably expanded by a number of forces from within the pharmaceutical industry and equally important by changes in the healthcare systems. The need to identify the optimal patient population, showstoppers leading to discontinuation of clinical programs, the silent but constant removal of surrogate endpoints for registration, and the increased demand for real-life data which are used to demonstrate the patients' benefit and which have an ever-increasing role for pricing and reimbursement negotiations are today an integral part of this phase.
This chapter will review both the nuts and bolts of clinical development but also recent developments in this area which shape the environment and how the different players have reacted and what options might need to be explored in the future.
Context: The current transformation of automotive development towards innovation, permanent learning and adapting to changes are directing various foci on the integration of agile methods. Although, there have been efforts to apply agile methods in the automotive domain for many years, a wide-spread adoption has not yet taken place.
Goal: This study aims to gain a better understanding of the forces that prevent the adoption of agile methods.
Method: Survey based on 16 semi-structured interviews from the automotive domain. The results are analyzed by means of thematic coding.
Results: Forces that prevent agile adoption are mainly of organizational, technical and social nature and address inertia, anxiety and context factors. Key challenges in agile adoption are related to transforming organizational structures and culture, achieving faster software release cycles without loss of quality, the importance of software reuse in combination with agile practices, appropriate quality assurance measures, and the collaboration with suppliers and other disciplines such as mechanics.
Conclusion: Significant challenges are imposed by specific characteristics of the automotive domain such as high quality requirements and many interfaces to surrounding rigid and inflexible processes. Several means are identified that promise to overcome these challenges.
Die Kombination von Softwareproduktlinien und agiler Softwareentwicklung in der Automobilbranche ist vielversprechend. Das Ziel ist hierbei, sowohl die Vorteile agiler Methoden wie kurze Entwicklungszyklen als auch die Vorteile systematischer Wiederverwendung wie beispielsweise das effektive Management von Varianten zu erzielen. Allerdings ist die Kombination auch mit Herausforderungen verbunden und erfordert eine geeignete Einführungs- oder Transformationsstrategie. Basierend auf Erkenntnissen einer Interviewstudie und existierenden Produktlinienentwicklungen werden Herausforderungen und Lösungsideen aufgezeigt.
Due to the complexity of assembly processes, a high ratio of tasks is still performed by human workers. Short-cyclically changing work contents due to smaller lot sizes, especially the varied series assesmbly, increases both the need for information support as well as the risk of rising physical and psychological stress. The use of technical and digital assistance systems can counter these challenges. Through the integration of information and communication technology as well as collaborative assembly technologies, hybrid cyber-physical assembly systems will emerge. Widely established assembly planning approaches for digital and technical support systems in cyber physical assembly systems will be outlined and discussed with regard to synergies and delimitations of planning perspectives.
Bei weitgehend gleicher Ausstattung und neuen Anforderungen an die Hochschulrechenzentren rücken Kooperationen zunehmend in den Mittelpunkt. Für diese,
auch hochschulartenübergreifende, Kooperationen genügt der klassische informelle Rahmen vielfach nicht mehr. Für eine erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit sind einige Voraussetzungen zu erfüllen. Rechenzentren treten in neuer Rolle als Provider von Dienstleistungen für Nutzer auch außerhalb ihrer eigenen Hochschule auf. Ebenso
könnten sie sich zukünftig verstärkt in der Nutzerperspektive wiederfinden. IT-Service-Einrichtungen müssen sich ihrer neuen Rolle als Diensteanbieter und Nutzer von Diensten Dritter bewusst werden und diese in ihre Überlegungen für die Ausgestaltung neuer Dienste einfließen lassen.
Methacrylated gelatin and mature adipocytes are promising components for adipose tissue engineering
(2016)
In vitro engineering of autologous fatty tissue constructs is still a major challenge for the treatment of congenital deformities, tumor resections or high-graded burns. In this study, we evaluated the suitability of photo-crosslinkable methacrylated gelatin (GM) and mature adipocytes as components for the composition of three-dimensional fatty tissue constructs. Cytocompatibility evaluations of the GM and the photoinitiator Lithium phenyl-2,4,6 trimethylbenzoylphosphinate (LAP) showed no cytotoxicity in the relevant range of concentrations. Matrix stiffness of cell-laden hydrogels was adjusted to native fatty tissue by tuning the degree of crosslinking and was shown to be comparable to that of native fatty tissue. Mature adipocytes were then cultured for 14 days within the GM resulting in a fatty tissue construct loaded with viable cells expressing cell markers perilipin A and laminin. This work demonstrates that mature adipocytes are a highly valuable cell source for the composition of fatty tissue equivalents in vitro. Photo-crosslinkable methacrylated gelatin is an excellent tissue scaffold and a promising bioink for new printing techniques due to its biocompatibility and tunable properties.
The composition of vascularized adipose tissue is still an ongoing challenge as no culture medium is available to supply adipocytes and endothelial cells appropriately. Endothelial cell medium is typically supplemented with epidermal growth factor (EGF) as well as hydrocortisone (HC). The effect of EGF on adipocytes is discussed controversially. Some studies say it inhibits adipocyte differentiation while others reported of improved adipocyte lipogenesis. HC is known to have lipolytic activities, which might result in mature adipocyte dedifferentiation. In this study, we evaluated the influence of EGF and HC on the co-culture of endothelial cells and mature adipocytes regarding their cell morphology and functionality. We showed in mono-culture that high levels of HC promoted dedifferentiation and proliferation of mature adipocytes, whereas EGF seemed to have no negative influence. Endothelial cells kept their typical cobblestone morphology and showed a proliferation rate comparable to the control independent of EGF and HC concentration. In co-culture, HC promoted dedifferentiation of mature adipocytes, which was shown by a higher glycerol release. EGF had no negative impact on adipocyte morphology. No negative impact on endothelial cell morphology and functionality could be seen with reduced EGF and HC supplementation in co-culture with mature adipocytes. Taken together, our results demonstrate that reduced levels of HC are needed for co-culturing mature adipocytes and endothelial cells. In co-culture, EGF had no influence on mature adipocytes. Therefore, for the composition of vascularized adipose tissue constructs, the media with low levels of HC and high or low levels of EGF can be used.
Blood vessel reconstruction is still an elusive goal for the development of in vitro models as well as artificial vascular grafts. In this study, we used a novel photo curable cytocompatible polyacrylate material (PA) for freeform generation of synthetic vessels. We applied stereolithography for the fabrication of arbitrary 3D tubular structures with total dimensions in the centimeter range, 300 µm wall thickness, inner diameters of 1 to 2 mm and defined pores with a constant diameter of approximately 100 µm or 200 µm. We established a rinsing protocol to remove remaining cytotoxic substances from the photo-cured PA and applied thio-modified heparin and RGDC-peptides to functionalize the PA surface for enhanced endothelial cell adhesion. A rotating seeding procedure was introduced to ensure homogenous endothelial monolayer formation at the inner luminal tube wall. We showed that endothelial cells stayed viable and adherent and aligned along the medium flow under fluid-flow conditions comparable to native capillaries. The combined technology approach comprising of freeform additive manufacturing (AM), biomimetic design, cytocompatible materials which are applicable to AM, and biofunctionalization of AM constructs has been introduced as BioRap® technology by the authors.
Large, deep full-thickness skin wounds from high-graded burns or trauma are not able to reepithelialize sufficiently, resulting in scar formation, mobility limitations, and cosmetic deformities. In this study, in vitro-constructed tissue replacements are needed. Furthermore, such full-skin equivalents would be helpful as in vivo-like test systems for toxicity, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical testing. Up to date, no skin equivalent is available containing the underlying subcutaneous fatty tissue. In this study, we composed a full-skin equivalent and evaluated three different media for the coculture of mature adipocytes, fibroblasts, and keratinocytes. Therefore, adipocyte medium was supplemented with ascorbyl-2-phosphate and calcium chloride, which are important for successful epidermal stratification (Air medium). This medium was further supplemented with two commercially available factor combinations often used for the in vitro culture of keratinocytes (Air-HKGS and Air- KGM medium). We showed that in all media, keratinocytes differentiated successfully to build a stratified epidermal layer and expressed cytokeratin 10 and 14. Perilipin A-positive adipocytes could be found in all tissue models for up to 14 days, whereas adipocytes in the Air-HKGS and Air-KGM medium seemed to be smaller. Adipocytes in all tissue models were able to release adipocyte-specific factors, whereas the supplementation of keratinocyte-specific factors had a slightly negative effect on adipocyte functionality. The permeability of the epidermis of all models was comparable since they were able to withstand a deep penetration of cytotoxic Triton X in the same manner. Taken together, we were able to compose functional three-layered fullskin equivalents by using the Air medium.
We present a fully automatic approach to real-time 3D face reconstruction from monocular in-the-wild videos. We use a 3D morphable face model to obtain a semi-dense shape and combine it with a fast median-based super-resolution technique to obtain a high-fidelity textured 3D face model. Our system does not need prior training and is designed to work in uncontrolled scenarios.
3D morphable face models are a powerful tool in computer vision. They consist of a PCA model of face shape and colour information and allow to reconstruct a 3D face from a single 2D image. 3D morphable face models are used for 3D head pose estimation, face analysis, face recognition, and, more recently, facial landmark detection and tracking. However, they are not as widely used as 2D methods - the process of building and using a 3D model is much more involved.
In this paper, we present the Surrey Face Model, a multi resolution 3D morphable model that we make available to the public for non-commercial purposes. The model contains different mesh resolution levels and landmark point annotations as well as metadata for texture remapping. Accompanying the model is a lightweight open-source C++ library designed with simplicity and ease of integration as its foremost goals. In addition to basic functionality, it contains pose estimation and face frontalisation algorithms. With the tools presented in this paper, we aim to close two gaps. First, by offering different model resolution levels and fast fitting functionality, we enable the use of a 3D Morphable Model in time-critical applications like tracking. Second, the software library makes it easy for the community to adopt the 3D morphable face model in their research, and it offers a public place for collaboration.
Increasingly volatile market conditions and manufacturing environments combined with a rising demand for highly personalized products, the emergence of new technologies like cyber-physical systems and additive manufacturing as well as an increasing cross-linking of different entities (Industrie 4.0) will result in fundamental changes of future work and logistics systems. The place of production, the logistical network and the respective production system will underlie the requirements of constant changes and therefore sources and sinks of logistical networks have to obey the versatility of (cyber-physical) production systems. To cope with the arising complexity to control and monitor changeable production and logistics systems, decentralized control systems are the mean of choice since centralized systems are pushed to their limits in this regard. This paradigm shift will affect the overall concept under which production and logistics is planned, managed and controlled and how companies interact and collaborate within the emerging value chains by using dynamic methods to generate and execute the created network and to allocate available resources to fulfill the demand for customized products. In this field of research learning factories, like the ESB Logistics Learning Factory at ESB Business School (Reutlingen University), provide a great potential as a risk free test bed to develop new methods and technical solutions, to investigate new technologies regarding their practical use and to transfer the latest state of knowledge and specific competences into the training of students and professionals. Keeping with these guiding principles ESB Business School is transferring its existing production system into a cyber-physical production system to investigate innovative solutions for the design of human-machine collaboration and technical assistance systems as wells as to develop decentralized control methods for intralogistics systems following the requirements of changeable work systems including the respective design of dynamic inbound and outbound logistic networks.
Dieser Artikel zeigt, dass und wie die Ideen, Werkzeuge und Lösungsansätze von Lean Management im Sales-Umfeld genutzt werden können. Es wird verdeutlicht, wie der Wertschöpfungsanteil eigener Vertriebsprozesse gesteigert und gleichzeitig die Verschwendung aus Kundensicht minimiert werden kann. Ein wesentliches Werkzeug stellt hierfür die Methode des Wertstromdesigns dar, die vom Autor und seinen Partnern speziell auf die Besonderheiten von Vertriebsprozessen adaptiert wurde. Fokus ist hierbei das Hervorheben der unterschiedlichsten Arten der Verschwendung innerhalb von Prozessen dieser Art, um so einen Lösungsfindungsprozess zu initiieren. Es wird das Potenzial dieser Methodik verdeutlicht und die Anwendung erläutert. Abschließend wird diskutiert, wie eine Kultur der Veränderung auch innerhalb von Sales-Organisationen realisiert und eine Nachhaltigkeit von Veränderungen gefördert werden kann.
Dieser Beitrag leistet einen Beitrag zur Marketingforschung, da er den jungen aber von zunehmender Relevanz geprägten Forschungsstrang zum Themenkomplex CEM grundlegend entwickelt. Zum einen zeigt das identifizierte Rahmenkonzept auf, dass CEM über einzelne unternehmerische Fähigkeiten wie dem Design von Serviceerlebnissen, das die bisherige CEM-Forschung bestimmt hat, hinausgeht. Zum anderen leistet das Konzept einen Beitrag zur Synthese fragmentierter, aber miteinander zusammenhängender Literaturströmungen in der Marketingforschung ...
Die Entwicklung dynamischer Balanced Scorecards in enger Zusammenarbeit mit Kunden zählt zum Beratungsgebiet der PA Consulting Group. Das Anwendungsbeispiel beschreibt eine dynamische Balanced Scorecard eines europäischen Automobilherstellers. Dieser verfolgt von jeher das Ziel, internationale Standards bei Technologie, Stil, Design und Leistung zu setzen. Das Unternehmen sah sich allerdings einem zunehmenden asiatischen Wettbeweb ausgesetzt, dem es mit neu entwickelten Fahrzeugen begegnen wollte. Um diese vor der Konkurrenz in den Markt einzuführen, sollten die Entwicklungsprozesse beträchtlich gestrafft werden. Zugleich sollten die Fahrzeuge zu attraktiven Preisen mit wettbewerbsfähiger und qualitativ hochwertier Ausstattung angeboten und die unternehmensweiten Profitabilitätsziele erreicht werden.
Wasted paradise – imagining the Maldives without the garbage island of Thilafushi : Version 1.2
(2016)
To address the high level of waste production in the Maldives, the local government decided to transform the coral island of Thilafushi into an immense waste dumb in 1992. Meanwhile, each day, 330 tons of waste is ferried to Thilafushi. The policy had the positive consequence of relieving the garbage burden in Malé, the main island, and surrounding tourist atolls. However, it can also lead to serious environmental and economic damage in the long range. First, the garbage is in visual range of one of the most prominent tourist destinations. Second, if the wind blows a certain way, unfiltered fumes from burning waste travels to tourist atolls. Third, water quality can erode as hazardous waste from batteries and other toxic waste is floating in the ocean. Over time, these effects can accumulate to significantly hamper the number of tourists that travel to the Maldives – one of the state’s main sources of financial income. In our paper, we lay out the situation in more detail and translate it into a simulation model. We test different policies to propose the Maldives government how to better solve the waste problem.
It is assumed that more education leads to better understanding of complex systems. Some researchers claim, however, find indications that simple mechanisms like stocks and flows are not well understood even by people who have passed higher education. In this paper, we test people’s understanding of complex systems with the widely studied stock-and-flow (SF) tasks (Booth Sweeney and Sterman 2000). SF tasks assess people’s understanding of the interplay between stocks and flows. We investigate SF failure of domain experts and novices in different knowledge domains. In particular, we compare performance on the original study’s Bathtub task with the square wave pattern (Booth Sweeney and Sterman 2000) with two alternative cover stories from the engineering and business domains on different groups of business and engineering students from different semesters. Further, we show that, while engineering students perform better than business students, with progressing in higher education, students seem to lose the capability of dealing with simple SF tasks from domains other than their field. We thus find hints on déformation professionelle in higher education.
The sol-gel approach offers a new class of flame retardants with a high potential for textile applications. Pure inorganic sol-gel systems do, however, typically not provide an effect sufficient for a sel-fextinguishing behavior on its own. We therefore employed compounds with nitrogen and phosphorous containing groups. Especially the combination of compounds with both elements, using the synergism, is promising for the aim to find well-applicable, environmental friendly, halogen-free flame retardants. In our approach, the sol-gel network ensured on the one hand the link to the textile as nonflammable binder. On the other hand, the sol-gel-based networks modified with functional groups containing nitrogen groups provided flame retardancy. In this way, a flame retardant finishing for textiles could be obtained by simple finishing techniques as, e.g., padding. Besides a characterization with various flame tests (e.g., according to EN ISO 15025 e protective clothing), we used a combination of cone calorimetry, thermogravimetry coupled with infrared spectroscopy analysis and scanning electron microscopy to analyze the mechanism of flame retardancy. Thus, we could show that the main mechanism is based on the formation of a protection layer. This work provides a model system for sol-gel-based flame retardants and has the potential to show the principle feasibility of the sol-gel approach in flame retardancy of textiles. It therefore lays the groundwork for tailoring sol-gel layers from newly synthesized sol-gel precursors containing nitrogen and phosphorous groups.
Background and purpose: Transapical aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a recent minimally invasive surgical treatment technique for elderly and high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. In this paper,a simple and accurate image-based method is introduced to aid the intra-operative guidance of TAVR procedure under 2-D X-ray fluoroscopy.
Methods: The proposed method fuses a 3-D aortic mesh model and anatomical valve landmarks with live 2-D fluoroscopic images. The 3-D aortic mesh model and landmarks are reconstructed from interventional X-ray C-arm CT system, and a target area for valve implantation is automatically estimated using these aortic mesh models.Based on template-based tracking approach, the overlay of visualized 3-D aortic mesh model, land-marks and target area of implantation is updated onto fluoroscopic images by approximating the aortic root motion from a pigtail catheter motion without contrast agent. Also, a rigid intensity-based registration algorithm is used to track continuously the aortic root motion in the presence of contrast agent.Furthermore, a sensorless tracking of the aortic valve prosthesis is provided to guide the physician to perform the appropriate placement of prosthesis into the estimated target area of implantation.
Results: Retrospective experiments were carried out on fifteen patient datasets from the clinical routine of the TAVR. The maximum displacement errors were less than 2.0 mm for both the dynamic overlay of aortic mesh models and image-based tracking of the prosthesis, and within the clinically accepted ranges. Moreover, high success rates of the proposed method were obtained above 91.0% for all tested patient datasets.
Conclusion: The results showed that the proposed method for computer-aided TAVR is potentially a helpful tool for physicians by automatically defining the accurate placement position of the prosthesis during the surgical procedure.
Many organizations identified the opportunities of big data analytics to support the business with problem-specific insights through the exploitation of generated data. Socio-technical solutions are developed in big data projects to reach competitive advantage. Although these projects are aligned to specific business needs, common architectural challenges are not addressed in a comprehensive manner. Enterprise architecture management is a holistic approach to tackle the complex business and IT architecture. The transformation of an organization's EA is influenced by big data projects and their data-driven approach on all layers. To enable strategy oriented development of the EA it is essential to synchronize these projects supported by EA management. In
this paper, we conduct a systematic review of big data literature to analyze which requirements for the EA management discipline are proposed. Thereby, a broad overview about existing research is presented to facilitate a more detailed exploration and to foster the evolution o the EA management discipline.
Organizations identified the opportunities of big data analytics to support the business with problem-specific insights through the exploitation of generated data. Sociotechnical solutions are developed in big data projects to reach competitive advantage. Although these projects are aligned to specific business needs, common architectural challenges are not addressed in a comprehensive manner. Enterprise architecture management is a holistic approach to tackle complex business and IT architectures. The transformation of an organization’s EA is influenced by big data transformation processes and their data-driven approach on all layers. In this paper, we review big data literature to analyze which requirements for the EA management discipline are proposed. Based on a systematic literature identification, conceptual categories of requirements for EA management are elicited utilizing an inductive category formation. These conceptual categories of requirements constitute a category system that facilitates a new perspective on EA management and fosters the innovation-driven evolution of the EA management.
discipline.
Tumorzellen on the move : mikrosystem-basierter Assay zur Untersuchung der Tumorzellen-Migration
(2016)
Die Invasion von Tumorzellen in umliegendes Gewebe und die Bildung von Metastasen transformieren einen lokal wachsenden Tumor in eine systemische und lebensbedrohliche Krankheit mit schlechter Prognose. Dabei spielt die aktive Migration der Tumorzellen eine entscheidende Rolle. Tumorzellen gelangen durch die aktive Zellbewegung in das Lymph- oder Blutsystem und breiten sich im Körper aus. Bei der Invasion in ein neues Organ migrieren die Zellen ebenfalls wieder in komplexer Weise durch das Gewebe und können schließlich dort Metastasen bilden. Auf Grund der enormen medizinischen Relevanz der Tumorzell-Invasion, wird die Bewegung von Tumorzellen seit Jahrzehnten unter Laborbedingungen umfassend untersucht und ist ein wichtiger Marker für die Aggressivität der Tumorzellen. Zur Bewegungsanalyse gibt es mehrere experimentelle und auch kommerziell erhältliche in-vitro Untersuchungsmethoden. Ziel des interdisziplinären Projektes „MigChip“ ist die Entwicklung, Herstellung und experimentelle Validierung eines Mikrofludik-Chips zur verbesserten, detailgenauen in-vitro Untersuchung der Tumorzellen-Migration.
This case study of Breuninger aims to analyze how Breuninger adapts to the emerging omnichannel environment in fashion business. From a consumer’s perspective Breuninger and the general omnichannel strategy of Breuninger is explained, before the loyalty program of Breuninger is analyzed in detail. Key factors as the mobile app and the mobile Breuninger card, social media, direct mail and in-store capabilities are described. A discussion chapter finalizes the case.
Loyalty programs become more important in an omnichannel environment of fashion retail business. After the definition of customer loyalty and loyalty programs the main characteristics of omnichannel loyalty programs are described. As touchpoints of omnichannel loyalty programs mobile, social media, direct mail and in-store capabilities are detailed. A discussion chapter closes with recommendations for fashion retailers.
This case study describes the emerging customized omnichannel loyalty solution of Marc O’Polo from a customer’s perspective. After the introduction of Marc O’Polo and their general omnichannel strategy, the loyalty program is described in detail, like Marc O’Polo for members and the mobile app, social media, direct mail and in-store capabilities. A discussion chapter closes the case study with research implications and open questions for Marc O’Polo.