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In the last decade, numerous learning factories for education, training, and research have been built up in industry and academia. In recent years learning factory initiatives were elevated from a local to a European and then to a worldwide level. In 2014 the CIRP Collaborative Working Group (CWG) on Learning Factories enables a lively exchange on the topic "Learning Factories for future oriented research and education in manufacturing". In this paper results of discussions inside the CWG are presented. First, what is meant by the term Learning Factory is outlined. Second, based on the definition a description model (morphology) for learning factories is presented. The morphology covers the most relevant characteristics and features of learning factories in seven dimensions. Third, following the morphology the actual variance of learning factory manifestations is shown in six learning factory application scenarios from industrial training over education to research. Finally, future prospects of the learning factory concept are presented.
Venture capital and the innovative power of a state : econometric study including Google data
(2015)
This article focuses on venture capital investments and the innovative power of a state defined by its public infrastructure. The economic implications are evaluated by estimating several panel regression models. The novelty is twofold: on the one hand the research approach and on the other hand the new data set. The data ranges from 1995 to 2014 and consists of 10 European countries plus the US and Canada. For the first time we include Google search data on Venture Capital. The results show a significant increase in Venture Capital is mainly determined by economic conditions such as real GDP growth. The impact of the innovative power of a state is not significant. We find that Google data is positively related and significant in respect to Venture Capital investments too. Consequently, we confirm that private business investments cannot be created by government policy alone rather via solid macroeconomic conditions.
Influence of the respirator on volatile organic compounds : an animal study in rats over 24 hours
(2015)
Long-term animal studies are needed to accomplish measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for medical diagnostics. In order to analyze the time course of VOCs, it is necessary to ventilate these animals. Therefore, a total of 10 male Sprague–Dawley rats were anaesthetized and ventilated with synthetic air via tracheotomy for 24 h. An ion mobility spectrometry coupled to multi-capillary columns (MCC–IMS) was used to analyze the expired air. To identify background contaminations produced by the respirator itself, six comparative measurements were conducted with ventilators only. Overall, a number of 37 peaks could be detected within the positive mode. According to the ratio peak intensity rat/ peak intensity ventilator blank, 22 peaks with a ratio >1.5 were defined as expired VOCs, 12 peaks with a ratio between 0.5 and 1.5 as unaffected VOCs, and three peaks with a ratio <0.5 as resorbed VOCs. The peak intensity of 12 expired VOCs changed significantly during the 24 h measurement. These results represent the basis for future intervention studies. Notably, online VOC analysis with MCC–IMS is possible over 24 h in ventilated rats and allows different experimental approaches.
Background
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is diagnosed based upon medical history, neuropsychiatric examination, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, extensive laboratory analyses and cerebral imaging. Diagnosis is time consuming and labour intensive. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is mainly diagnosed on clinical grounds.
Objective
The primary aim of this study was to differentiate patients suffering from AD, PD and healthy controls by investigating exhaled air with the electronic nose technique. After demonstrating a difference between the three groups the secondary aim was the identification of specific substances responsible for the difference(s) using ion mobility spectroscopy. Thirdly we analysed whether amyloid beta (Aβ) in exhaled breath was causative for the observed differences between patients suffering from AD and healthy controls.
Methods
We employed novel pulmonary diagnostic tools (electronic nose device/ion-mobility spectrometry) for the identification of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, we analysed breath pattern differences in exhaled air of patients with AD, those with PD and healthy controls using the electronic nose device (eNose). Using ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), we identified the compounds responsible for the observed differences in breath patterns. We applied ELISA technique to measure Aβ in exhaled breath condensates.
Results
The eNose was able to differentiate between AD, PD and HC correctly. Using IMS, we identified markers that could be used to differentiate healthy controls from patients with AD and PD with an accuracy of 94%. In addition, patients suffering from PD were identified with sensitivity and specificity of 100%. Altogether, 3 AD patients out of 53 participants were misclassified. Although we found Aβ in exhaled breath condensate from both AD and healthy controls, no significant differences between groups were detected.
Conclusion
These data may open a new field in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Further research is required to evaluate the significance of these pulmonary findings with respect to the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic airway inflammatory disease characterized by incompletely reversible airway obstruction. This clinically heterogeneous group of patients is characterized by different phenotypes. Spirometry and clinical parameters, such as severity of dyspnea and exacerbation frequency, are used to diagnose and assess the severity of COPD. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could be detected in the exhaled breath of patients with COPD and whether these VOCs could distinguish COPD patients from healthy subjects. Moreover, we aimed to investigate whether VOCs could be used as biomarkers for classifying patients into different subgroups of the disease. Ion mobility spectrometry was used to detect VOCs in the exhaled breath of COPD patients. One hundred and thirty-seven peaks were found to have a statistically significant difference between the COPD group and the combined healthy smokers and nonsmoker group. Six of these VOCs were found to correctly discriminate COPD patients from healthy controls with an accuracy of 70%. Only 15 peaks were found to be statistically different between healthy smokers and healthy nonsmokers. Furthermore, by determining the cutoff levels for each VOC peak, it was possible to classify the COPD patients into breathprint subgroups. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second, body mass index, and C-reactive protein seem to play a role in the discrepancies observed in the different breathprint subgroups.
In this article feedback linearization for control-affine nonlinear systems is extended to systems where linearization is not feasible in the complete state space by combining state feedback linearization and homotopy numerical continuation in subspaces of the phase space where feedback linearization fails. Starting from the conceptual simplicity of feedback linearization, this new method expands the scope of their applicability to irregular systems with poorly expressed relative degree. The method is illustrated on a simple SISO–system and by controlling the speed and the rotor flux linkage in a three phase induction machine.
Few unfocused factories outperform competitors, but Focus is elusive because the environment is constantly evolving and this requires changes to a factory’s key tasks. So how can focus be achieved and sustained? We present insights derived from an historical analysis of the German Hewlett-Packard server plant which went through a series of Focus changes over the years. Using this example, we provide clues for the right timing of Focus changes and discuss critical structural and infrastructural changes required during the Focus transitions, as well as cross-functional coordination and leadership challenges. Our assertion is that production operations constitute a system that can adapt to disruptive Change by using the levers of manufacturing policies to stay focused on a limited but absolutely essential task which creates a strategic advantage.
Bekanntlich spielen betriebswirtschaftliche Inhalte in der pharmazeutischen Ausbildung so gut wie keine Rolle, schließlich arbeiten die meisten Absolventen/innen dieses Studiengangs später in einer Offizin-Apotheke. Doch gerade in dieser Funktion werden sie zunehmend auch mit wirtschaftlichen Herausforderungen konfrontiert. Nicht nur als Apothekeninhaber. Welche sind dies?
Vertrieb geht heute anders
(2015)
Welche Kompetenzen befähigen der Vertrieb an sich und den einzelnen Vertriebsmitarbeiter, den internetaffinen, hochinformierten, kritischen und anspruchsvollen "Kunden 3.0" zu erreichen und zu überzeugen? Die Antworten auf diese Frage fußen auf den Ergebnissen einer Studie, die wir an der ESB Business School Reutlingen durchgeführt haben.
IOS 2.0 : new aspects on inter-organizational integration through enterprise 2.0 technologies
(2015)
This special theme of „Electronic Markets“ focuses on research concerned with the use of social technologies and "2.0" principles in the interaction between organization (i.e., with "inter-organizational systems (IOS) 2.0"). This theme falls within the larger space of Enterprise 2.0 research, but focuses in particular on inter-organizational use (between enterprises), not intra-organizational use (in a single enterprise). While there is great interest in practice regarding the use of 2.0 technologies to support intra-organizational communication, collaboration and interaction, information systems (IS) research has largely been oblivious to this important use of social technologies.