Open Access

Die Erfindung betrifft eine Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur Analyse eines Materialstroms S mit einem Einlassbereich E, einem Messbereich M und einen Auslassbereich A sowie mit einer ersten Weiche W1 und einer zweiten Weiche W2 und einem Umlenkbereich U, wobei die beiden Weichen W1, W2 in einem ersten Schaltzustand Z1 einen durchgängigen ersten Materialdurchströmungsraum vom Einlassbereich E über die erste Weiche W1 durch den Messbereich M über die zweite Weiche W2 bis zum Auslassbereich A ausbilden und in einem zweiten Schaltzustand einen durchgängigen zweiten Materialdurchströmungsraum vom Einlassbereich E über die erste Weiche W1 durch den Umkenkbereich U über die zweite Weiche W2 bis zum Auslassbereich A ausbilden.

In the last 20 years there have been major advances in autonomous robotics. In IoT (Industry 4.0), mobile robots require more intuitive interaction possibilities with humans in order to expand its field of applications. This paper describes a user-friendly setup, which enables a person to lead the robot in an unknown environment. The environment has to be perceived by means of sensory input. For realizing a cost and resource efficient Follow Me application we use a single monocular camera as low-cost sensor. For efficient scaling of our Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm, we integrate an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor. With the camera input we detect and track a person. We propose combining state of the art deep learning with Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and SLAM algorithms functionality on the same input camera image. Based on the output robot navigation is possible. This work presents the specification, workflow for an efficient development of the Follow Me application. Our application’s delivered point clouds are also used for surface construction. For demonstration, we use our platform SCITOS G5 equipped with the afore mentioned sensors. Preliminary tests show the system works robustly in the wild.

We present a new method for detecting gait disorders according to their stadium using cluster methods for sensor data. 21 healthy and 18 Parkinson subjects performed the time up and go test. The time series were segmented into separate steps. For the analysis the horizontal acceleration measured by a mobile sensor system was considered. We used dynamic time warping and hierarchical custering to distinguish the stadiums. A specificity of 92% was achieved.

Research and Development (R&D) is crucial for the growth and future success of research-based pharma companies. To maintain their R&D organisations efficient, pharmaceutical companies started to hedge the potential of open innovation to cut R&D costs and to access external knowledge. These new strategies could be divided into several categories: open source, innovation centres, crowd sourcing and virtual R&D.

Die Auswirkungen der digitalen Revolution sind vielfältig. So gibt es inzwischen immer ausgefeiltere Möglichkeiten, um mit Kunden in den Dialog zu treten. Unternehmen stehen deshalb vor der Herausforderung, die verschiedenen Kanäle und Kontaktpunkte mit ihren Kunden systematisch zu managen. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei der Informations- und Entscheidungsprozess des Kunden - die Customer Journey. Sie gilt im Marketing als Königsdisziplin, bei der es darum geht, wie man am besten die "Reise des Kunden" erfasst, um Zielgruppen genau an der richtigen Stelle anzusprechen und Budgets gezielt in bestimmte Kanäle zu steuern. Marketing- und Vertriebsverantwortliche müssen sich daher Folgendes fragen: Was erwartet der Endkunde an den verschiedenen Touchpoints und wie sieht seine Customer Journey aus? Wie werden Unternehmen diesen Anforderungen gerecht?

For the widespread establishment of a circular economy, the acceptance of used products among consumers is a prerequisite. This paper investigates the customer experience of product service systems related to used products (PSSuP), such as renting, remanufacturing, and second-hand models, and aims to point out the offering characteristics that effect customer response and customer engagement. This study was conducted by means of a content analysis-based literature review of 69 empirical PSSuP studies. A frequency analysis of the categories that determine customer experience creation was conducted, as well as a contingency analysis to reveal the interrelationship between these categories. On this basis, the different PSSuP types were compared, and four strategic orientations of customer experience creation in PSSuP are pointed out: price, confidence, convenience, and delight orientation. For each of these strategic orientations, supportive PSSuP offering characteristics are specified. Building on the findings of this study, theoretical and managerial implications for product–service systems marketing are pointed out, and the need for research on the role of information and communication technology as an enabler of customer experience creation in PSSuP is highlighted.

Early reduction of risks in a startup or an innovation project is highly important. Appropriate means for risk reduction, such as testing business models with different kinds of experiments exist. However, deciding what to test and how to select the right test, is challenging for many startups and innovation projects. This article presents the so-called Business Experiments Navigator (BEN), a toolkit to assist startup and innovation processes. It compliments other tools such as the Business Model Canvas or the Lean Startup process. The main contribution of BEN is to bridge the gap between the riskiest assumptions of a business model and the multitude of available testing techniques by providing assumption templates. The Business Experiments Navigator has been validated in several workshops. Results show that it creates awareness among the workshop participants that a business model is based on assumptions which impose risks and need to be validated. Further, users of BEN were able to identify relevant assumptions and map different kinds of assumptions to appropriate testing techniques. The process applied in the workshops, as well as the assumption templates, helped the participants understand the main concepts and transfer their learnings, to their own business ideas.

This paper investigates the evaluation of dense 3D face reconstruction from a single 2D image in the wild. To this end, we organise a competition that provides a new benchmark dataset that contains 2000 2D facial images of 135 subjects as well as their 3D ground truth face scans. In contrast to previous competitions or challenges, the aim of this new benchmark dataset is to evaluate the accuracy of a 3D dense face reconstruction algorithm using real, accurate and high-resolution 3D ground truth face scans. In addition to the dataset, we provide a standard protocol as well as a Python script for the evaluation. Last, we report the results obtained by three state-of-the-art 3D face reconstruction systems on the new benchmark dataset. The competition is organised along with the 2018 13th IEEE Conference on Automatic Face & Gesture Recognition.

An interactive clothing design and a personalized virtual display with user’s own face are presented in this paper to meet the requirement of personalized clothing customization. A customer interactive clothing design approach based on genetic engineering ideas is analyzed by taking suit as an example. Thus, customers could rearrange the clothing style elements, chose available color, fabric and come up with their own personalized suit style. A web 3D customization prototype system of personalized clothing is developed based on the Unity3D and VR technology. The layout of the structure and functions combined with the flow of the system are given. Practical issues such as 3D face scanning, suit style design, fabric selection, and accessory choices are addressed also. Tests to the prototype system indicate that it could show realistic clothing and fabric effect and offer effective visual and customization experience to users.

Jeder weiß, dass die Textil- und Bekleidungsindustrie ein Nachhaltigkeitsproblem hat und es neuer Lösungsansätze bedarf. Auch Konsumenten und deren Verhalten haben einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf die Erfolgsaussichten einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung. Welche Rolle und Bedeutung obliegt jedoch dem einzelnen Mitarbeiter in diesem Prozess? Und welche Handlungsmaßnahmen können daraus abgeleitet werden? Eine empirische Analyse von über 100 internationalen Bekleidungsunternehmen gibt Aufschluss.

To date, special interest has been paid to composite scaffolds based on polymers enriched with hydroxyapatite (HA). However, the role of HA containing different trace elements such as silicate in the structure of a polymer scaffold has not yet been fully explored. Here, we report the potential use of silicate-containing hydroxyapatite (SiHA) microparticles and microparticle aggregates in the predominant range from 2.23 to 12.40 μm in combination with polycaprolactone (PCL) as a hybrid scaffold with randomly oriented and well-aligned microfibers for regeneration of bone tissue. Chemical and mechanical properties of the developed 3D scaffolds were investigated with XRD, FTIR, EDX and tensile testing. Furthermore, the internal structure and surface morphology of the scaffolds were analyzed using synchrotron X-ray μCT and SEM. Upon culturing human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) on PCL-SiHA scaffolds, we found that both SiHA inclusion and microfiber orientation affected cell adhesion. The best hMSCs viability was revealed at 10 day for the PCL-SiHA scaffolds with well-aligned structure (~82%). It is expected that novel hybrid scaffolds of PCL will improve tissue ingrowth in vivo due to hydrophilic SiHA microparticles in combination with randomly oriented and well-aligned PCL microfibers, which mimic the structure of extracellular matrix of bone tissue.

Background aims: In vitro engineered adipose tissue is in great demand to treat lost or damaged soft tissue or to screen for new drugs, among other applications.However, today most attempts depend on the use of animal-derived sera. To pave the way for the application of adipose tissue-engineered products in clinical trials or as reliable and robust in vitro test systems, sera should be completely excluded from the production process. In this study, we aimed to develop an in vitro adipose tissue model in the absence of sera and maintain its function long-term. Methods: Human adipose tissue-derived stem cells were expanded and characterized in a xeno- and serum-free environment. Adipogenic differentiation was induced using a completely defined medium. Developed adipocytes were maintained in a completely defined maturation medium for additional 28 days. In addition to cell-viability and adherence, adipocyte-specific markers such as perilipin A expression of leptin release were evaluated. Results: The defined differentiation medium enhanced cell adherence and lipid accumulation at a significant level compared with the corresponding negative control. The defined maturation medium also significantly supported cell adherence and functional adipocyte maturation during the long-term culture period. Conclusions: The process described here enables functional adipocyte generation and maintenance without the addition fo unknown or unimal-derived constituents, achieving an important milestone in the introduction of adipose tissue engineered products into clinical trials or in vitro screening.

The surveyed companies applied hybrid development approaches to specific projects even when company-wide policies for process usage existed. These approaches emerged from the evolution of different work practices and were consistently used regardless of company size or industry sector.

Annotations of subject IDs in images are very important as ground truth for face recognition applications and news retrieval systems. Face naming is becoming a significant research topic in news image indexing applications. By exploiting the uniqueness of name, face naming is transformed to the problem of multiple instance learning (MIL) with exclusive constraint, namely the eMIL problem. First, the positive bags and the negative bags are automatically annotated by a hybrid recurrent convolutional neural network and a distributed affinity propagation cluster. Next, positive instance selection and updating are used to reduce the influence of false-positive bag and to improve the performance. Finally, max exclusive density and iterative Max-ED algorithms are proposed to solve the eMIL problem. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithms achieve a significant improvement over other algorithms.

We present a compact battery charger topology for weight and cost sensitive applications with an average output current of 9A targeted for 36V batteries commonly found in electric bicycles. Instead of using a conventional boost converter with large DC-link capacitors, we accomplish PFC-functionality by shaping the charging current into a sin²-shape. In addition, a novel control scheme without input-current sensing is introduced. A-priori knowledge is used to implement a feed-forward control in combination with a closed-loop output current control to maintain the target current. The use of a full-bridge/half bridge LLC converter enables operation in a wide input-voltage range. A fully featured prototype has been built with a peak output power of 1050W. An average output power of 400W was measured, resulting in a power density of 1.8 kW/dm³. At 9A charging current, a power factor of 0.96 was measured and the efficiency exceeds 93% on average with passive rectification. The impact of pulse charging has been evaluated on a 400Wh battery which was charged with the proposed converter as well as CC-CV-charging for reference. Both charging schemes show similar battery surface temperatures.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework of experience co-creation that captures the multi-dimensionality of this construct, as well as a research process for defining of the antecedents of experience co-creation. Design/methodology/approach – The framework of experience co-creation was conceptualized by means of a literature review. Subsequently, this framework was used as the conceptual basis for a qualitative content analysis of 66 empirical papers investigating alternative consumption models (ACMs), such as renting, remanufacturing, and second-hand models. Findings – The qualitative content analysis resulted in 12 categories related to the consumer and 9 related to the ACM offerings that represent the antecedents of experience co-creation. These categories provide evidence that, to a large extent, the developed conceptual framework allows one to capture the multi-dimensionality of the experience co-creation construct. Research limitations/implications – This study underscores the understanding of experience co-creation as a function of the characteristics of the offering – which are, in turn, a function of the consumers’ motives as determined by their lifeworlds – as well as to service design as an iterative approach to finding, creating and refining service offerings. Practical implications – The investigation of the antecedents of experience co-creation can enable service providers to determine significant consumer market conditions for forecasting the suitability and viability of their offerings and to adjust their service designs accordingly. Originality/value – This paper provides a step toward the operationalization of the dimension-related experience co creation construct and presents an approach to defining the antecedents of experience co-creation by considering different research perspectives that can enhance service design research.

Neben den Reflexionsansätzen der Ethik für Dilemma-Situationen liegt der Schwerpunkt dieses Studienhefts auf der Darstellung verschiedener Ansatzpunkte zur Umsetzung einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung in öffentlichen Verwaltungen. Wir verstehen Nachhaltigkeit als einen Bereich angewandter Ethik.

Die Mesago Messe Frankfurt als Veranstalter der Formnext 2018 haben von Prof. Dr.-Ing. Steffen Ritter von der Hochschule Reutlingen eine anschauliche Übersicht erstellen lassen, welche die Vielfalt der unterschiedlichen Verfahren zur additiven Fertigung verständlich erklärt. Die kleine, zweisprachige Broschüre mit dem Titel „AM Field Guide“ bietet auf 12 Seiten strukturierte Vergleichsdarstellungen von insgesamt 19 gängigen 3-D-Druck Technologien für Kunststoffe, Metalle sowie andere Werkstoffe und dazu noch einen Überblick über die Phasen und Prozessschritte in Projekten für Bauteile, die additiv hergestellt werden.

Lithographical hotspot (LH) detection using deep learning (DL) has received much attention in the recent years. It happens mainly due to the facts the DL approach leads to a better accuracy over the traditional, state-of-the-art programming approaches. The purpose of ths study is to compare existing data augmentation (DA) techniques for the integrated circuit (IC) mask data using DL methods. DA is a method which refers to the process of creating new samples similar to the training set, thereby helping to reduce the gap between classes as well as improving the performance of the DL system. Experimental results suggest that the DA methods increase overall DL models performance for the hotspot detection tasks.

Hauptziel des Projektes war zum einen die Entwicklung einer validen Testmethode auf Grundlage vorliegender Normen, welche die in der betrieblichen Praxis auftretende Degradation abreinigbarer Filtermedien (hohe Temperaturen, aggressive chemische Atmosphären) praxisnah abbilden kann. Die Methode sollte auch die mechanische Alterung der Medien durch Staubbeaufschlagung sowie Abreinigungs Druckstöße berücksichtigen (DIN ISO 11057). Innerhalb des Projektes konnten umfangreiche Praxiserfahrungen mit der Inbetriebnahme und dem Betrieb einer schadgasbeaufschlagten, temperierbaren Testkammer zur chemischen Alterung von Filtermedien auf Grundlage der Vorgaben der DIN EN ISO 16891 gewonnen werden. Sollen vergleichbare Prüfdaten für mehrere Proben verlässlich ermittelt werden, sind bei den Untersuchungen demnach umfangreiche Randbedingungen zu beachten. Insbesondere zeigten die Untersuchungen den hohen technischen Aufwand zur Durchführung der Filtertests auf, welche nicht zuletzt auch aufgrund der erforderlichen Sicherheitstechnik und langen Untersuchungsdauer eine Umsetzung insbesondere bei KMU aus wirtschaftlichen Gründen erschwert ist. Es konnte weiter dargestellt werden, dass die Kombination von chemisch-thermischer und mechanisch(-thermischer) Alterung durch den Einsatz verschiedener Prüfeinrichtungen grundsätzlich umsetzbar ist. Die im Rahmen des Vorhabens entwickelte Testmethode einer chemischen Alterung der Filtermatrices durch Gasphasenexposition in einer Druckkammer ermöglicht kürzere Beanspruchungszeiträume bei reduziertem zu behandelnden Schadgasanfall und kann damit den wirtschaftlichen Betrieb eines entsprechenden Prüfstandes ermöglichen. Kombiniert mit der externen mechanischen Alterung durch Staubbeaufschlagung und Möglichkeit der parallelen Temperaturaufprägung gem. EN ISO 16891 auf mehrere Filtermedien-Proben lässt sich das thermisch, chemisch und mechanisch induzierte Degradationsverhalten von Filtermedien ggf. realitätsnah und mit wirtschaftlich vertretbarem Aufwand in eine Prüfvorschrift überführen. Entsprechende Validierungsarbeiten sind Bestandteil eines aktuell gestarteten Folgeprojektes. Das zweite Hauptziel des Projektes war es Ausrüstungen zu entwickeln, die zu einer verbesserten Beständigkeit gegenüber aggressiven Komponenten führen. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass mit dem Sol-Gelverfahren mechanisch stabile Beschichtungen auf Faservlies dauerhaft aufgetragen werden konnten, welche insbesondere die chemisch induzierte Degradation von Aramiden reduzieren können. Bei Aramiden handelt es sich um relativ teure Hochleistungsmaterialien, von welchen bekannt ist, dass ihre Beständigkeit sowohl gegen über UV-Strahlung als auch unterschiedlichen Schadgasen gering ist. Daher stellen die Beständigkeit der Materialien verbessernde Ausrüstungen eine wichtige Entwicklung für Unternehmen dar, um auf diese Weise beständigere Aramid-basierte Produkte zu erhalten. Als besonders geeignet stellten sich dabei Fluorcarbonausrüstungen, organisch-anorganische Hybride auf Basis von GPTMS und Zirkonium-haltige Ausrüstungen heraus.

In brief, Active Storage refers to an architectural hardware and software paradigm, based on collocation storage and compute units. Ideally, it will allow to execute application-defined data ... within the physical data storage. Thus Active Storage seeks to minimize expensive data movement, improving performance, scalability, and resource efficiency. The effective use of Active Storage mandates new architectures, algorithms, interfaces, and development toolchains.

Modern persistent Key/Value stores are designed to meet the demand for high transactional throughput and high data ingestion rates. Still, they rely on backwards-compatible storage stack and abstractions to ease space management, foster seamless proliferation and system integration. Their dependence on the traditional I/O stack has negative impact on performance, causes unacceptably high write-amplification, and limits the storage longevity. In the present paper we present NoFTL KV, an approach that results in a lean I/O stack, integrating physical storage management natively in the Key/Value store. NoFTL-KV eliminates backwards compatibility, allowing the Key/Value store to directly consume the characteristics of modern storage technologies. NoFTLKV is implemented under RocksDB. The performance evaluation under LinkBench shows that NoFTL-KV improves transactional throughput by 33%, while response times improve up to 2.3x. Furthermore, NoFTL KV reduces write-amplification 19x and improves storage longevity by imately the same factor.

We present an approach for segmenting individual cells and lamellipodia in epithelial cell clusters using fully convolutional neural networks. The method will set the basis for measuring cell cluster dynamics and expansion to improve the investigation of collective cell migration phenomena. The fully learning-based front-end avoids classical feature engineering, yet the network architecture needs to be designed carefully. Our network predicts how likely each pixel belongs to one of the classes and, thus, is able to segment the image. Besides characterizing segmentation performance, we discuss how the network will be further employed.

The core of decorative laminates is generally made of stacked Kraft paper sheets impregnated with a phenolic resin. As the impregnation process in industry is relatively fast, new methods need to be developed to characterize it for different paper-resin systems. Several phenolic resins were synthesized with the same Phenol:Formaldehyde ratio of 1:1.8 and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) as well as Size-Exclusion Chromatography (SEC). In addition, their viscosities and surface tensions when diluted in methanol to 45% of solid content were measured. The capacity of each resin to penetrate a Kraft paper sheet was characterized using a new method, which measures the conductivities induced by the liquid resin crossing the paper substrate. With this method, crossing times could be measured with a good accuracy. Surprisingly, the results showed that the penetration time of the resin samples is not correlated to the viscosity values, but rather to the surface tension characteristics and the chemical characteristics of paper. Furthermore, some resins had a higher swelling effect on the fibers that delayed the crossing of the liquid through the paper.