Human-Robot Interaction in Urban Areas – Development and Validation of Acceptance Proto-model in the Scope of Proximity Theory

It is envisioned that autonomous logistic robots share road system space with humans in the future. For pedestrians to accept and interact with such robots, it is essential to research how pedestrians behave in relation to such logistic robots in real-life environments. This allows the derivation of rules for logistic robots’ spatial behaviour. In this study, a sensor-equipped logistic robot was controlled in a wizard-of-oz design and appeared to move autonomously through a pedestrian-shared space. Through the controlled variation of road infrastructure factors such as path width along a pre-defined route and the structured quasi-experimental analysis of varying environmental factors such as pedestrian encounters and initial distance and trajectories, we derive factors that relate to pedestrians’ proximal behaviour towards logistic robots in real-life environments. In addition to the robot-sensor-based analyses, human-robot encounters are classified by an accompanying human observer, who marks critical interactions such as the robot blocking the way for a pedestrian or robot-related pedestrian trajectory changes. Effects that are known from laboratory studies are found, e.g. smaller proximal margins of lateral encounters with the robot compared to longitudinal approaches. Basic critical scenarios are identified. A correlation between environmental conditions, pedestrian density, and minimal avoiding distance is observed

Entwicklung und Kombination neuartiger Sensorik zum Sehen und Fühlen für den ReBel Cobot

Das Projekt zur Mensch-Roboter-Kollaboration an der Hochschule Bochum hatte das Ziel, einen sicheren Übergabeprozess eines Werkstücks von einem Roboterarm (igus® ReBel Cobot) in die Hand eines Menschen zu entwickeln. Dabei wurden drei Teilprojekte bearbeitet, die sich jeweils mit unterschiedlichen sensorischen Ansätzen zur Erkennung der Hand und der Kollisionsvermeidung befassten. Im ersten Teilprojekt wurde eine kameragestützte Objekterkennung implementiert, die mithilfe von maschinellem Lernen die Position der Hand und des Werkstücks bestimmt. Das zweite Teilprojekt befasste sich mit der Entwicklung eines kapazitiven Frontsensors, der die Position der Hand unter dem Werkstück erkennt. Beide Systeme nutzen unterschiedliche Technologien, um die Sicherheit der Übergabe zu gewährleisten. Im dritten Teilprojekt wurde ein kapazitiver Kollisionssensor entwickelt, der den Roboter vor Hindernissen, wie menschliche Körperteile, stoppen lässt. Alle Sensorkonzepte arbeiten redundant, um die Zuverlässigkeit zu erhöhen. Das Projekt bot den Studierenden neben den technischen Herausforderungen auch die Möglichkeit verschiedene Ansätze zu diskutieren, zu realisieren und die Zusammenarbeit in interdisziplinären Teams zu stärken

Predictive Maintenance am Beispiel einer Lehr- und Trainingsanlage

Im Kontext der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung und Automatisierung hat die vorausschauende Wartung, auch Predictive Maintenance (PdM) genannt, insbesondere in industriellen Produktionslinien an Bedeutung gewonnen [1]. Wirtschaftliche Faktoren wie steigende Energiekosten, geringe Stillstand- und Instandhaltungszeiten aber auch die Möglichkeit des Monitorings unterstützen diesen Trend [2]. Diese erfordern im Umkehrschluss neben der technischen Expertise auch eine bedarfsorientierte Qualifizierung sowie ein systemübergreifendes Verständnis. Um diesen Bedarf gerecht zu werden, kann das Thema theoretisch sowie praxisnah behandelt werden. Da nicht für jeden Bildungsbetrieb entsprechende Produktionslinien zur Qualifizierung und Erprobung von (neuen) Ansätzen im Bereich des PdM zur Verfügung stehen, benötigt es Lehr- und Trainingsanlagen, die der Ausbildung von Fachkräften dienen. Solche Anlagen ermöglichen es, Produktionsprozesse abstrakt aber trotzdem in einem realitätsnahen Umfeld zu simulieren, wodurch sich Instandhaltungsstrategien wie PdM praxisnah anhand von Kennzahlen erlernen und erproben lassen. Der vorliegende Beitrag erläutert den Aufbau einer Lehr- und Trainingsanlage zur Simulation von PdM Anwendungen für die Qualifizierung von Auszubildende und Ingenieure und die dabei zu beachtenden Herausforderungen

Wegweiser für werdende Eltern

Das Familienbegleitheft 1 des Jugendamtes des Landkreises Zwickau ist für Schwangere, Paare mit Kinderwunsch sowie Schwangere und werdende Väter in Not gedacht

Victor’s Justice? Cultural Transfer and Public Imagery from Nuremberg to The Hague

At the heart of this paper lies the perennial problem of the legitimacy of tribunals judging war criminals and the role of public imagery in countering Victor’s Justice challenges. The paper follows along the paths of components of the cultural transfer from Nuremberg and Tokyo international tribunals (1946– 1948) for the prosecution of war criminals post World War II through the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem (1961) to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague (1993), focusing on two specific ‘carriers’ of this cultural transfer: “Law” and “Architecture.” By Law, I mean the copying and re-application of similar legal procedures, the active participation of certain people within two of the three instances, and even the carrying forward of physical pieces of evidence from one trial to another. By Architecture, I mean the actual construction of the trial chamber in all three places. The location of the judges’ bench, the defendants’ dock, the witnesses stand, and the interrelational architectural flow which became characteristic of each of these Lieux de Justice. In terms of public imagery, important counter measures to Victor’s- Justice claims also included the ample facilitation of journalist coverage, the provision of full translation services for the defendants (countering claims of linguistic non-misunderstanding), and the holding of the defendants in humane conditions of incarceration, in a somewhat deliberate juxtaposing countenance to their own crimes which habitually included concentration camps and harshly inhumane incarceration facilities. The paper concludes with a recalibration of Hannah Arendt’s mistaken claim vis-à-vis Eichmann, in contrast to her important understandings concerning the banality of evil

Repeat turnover meets stable chromosomes: repetitive DNA sequences mark speciation and gene pool boundaries in sugar beet and wild beets

Sugar beet and its wild relatives share a base chromosome number of nine and similar chromosome morphologies. Yet, interspecific breeding is impeded by chromosome and sequence divergence that is still not fully understood. Since repetitive DNAs are among the fastest evolving parts of the genome, we investigated, if repeatome innovations and losses are linked to chromosomal differentiation and speciation. We traced genome and chromosome-wide evolution across 13 beet species comprising all sections of the genera Beta and Patellifolia. For this, we combined short and long read sequencing, flow cytometry, and cytogenetics to build a comprehensive framework that spans the complete scale from DNA to chromosome to genome. Genome sizes and repeat profiles reflect the separation into three gene pools with contrasting evolutionary patterns. Among all repeats, satellite DNAs harbor most genomic variability, leading to fundamentally different centromere architectures, ranging from chromosomal uniformity in Beta and Patellifolia to the formation of patchwork chromosomes in Corollinae/Nanae. We show that repetitive DNAs are causal for the genome expansions and contractions across the beet genera, providing insights into the genomic underpinnings of beet speciation. Satellite DNAs in particular vary considerably between beet genomes, leading to the evolution of distinct chromosomal setups in the three gene pools, likely contributing to the barriers in beet breeding. Thus, with their isokaryotypic chromosome sets, beet genomes present an ideal system for studying the link between repeats, genomic variability, and chromosomal differentiation and provide a theoretical fundament for understanding barriers in any crop breeding effort

Cloud ice heterogenity, its parameterization in a climate model and its impact on microphysical processes

A correct representation of clouds and their microphysical processes in global climate models is still one of the biggest challenge. Especially the representation of the ice phase in clouds is crucial, since most of the global precipitation is formed via ice related processes. Since global climate models run on a very coarse resolution, the processes can not be resolved explicitly. The representation of cloud-ice related processes are parametrized based on the grid-box averaged cloud ice. Some of these parametrization are non linear, which causes biases. Given that cloud ice is distributed within such a large grid box (subgrid-scale variability), accounting for this variability helps reduce the bias in these non-linear processes. The only non-linear cloud-ice related process in the ICOsahedral Nonhydro-static Atmospheric general circulation model (ICON-AES) is the aggregation process, which describes the initial snow formation process in the model. A stochastic approach for taking subgrid-scale variability of cloud ice into account is implemented in the ag- gregation parametrization based on the cloud cover scheme, which is used in the ICON-AES. This stochastic approach describes a specific cloud ice mass randomly chosen from the derived distribution. Compared to a full numerical integration, this method does not need additional computational time. To get an idea on how aggregation changes effect the models microphysics a sensitivity study around some tunable parameters of the aggregation is created. A higher aggregation rate results in an overall cloud ice loss. Another process, which is strongly linked to the aggregation is the accretion of cloud ice, which describes the collection of cloud ice from snow. This process shows a reduction to an increase of aggregation. In order to evaluate the model simulations the derived cloud ice results are compared to satellite products. The chosen cloud ice distribution is evaluated by calculating the cloud ice variance in the model and with the help of the DARDAR (raDAR/liDAR) satellite data set, which combines measurements from the satellite cloud radar CloudSat and the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Observations (CALIPSO). Since the most of the global climate models distinguish between cloud ice and snow and provide an output for only stratiform clouds, the observations are adjusted to create comparable cloud ice masses. Additionally, the satellite simulator COSP is implemented in the ICON-AES to provide an alternative method for observations and simulations compar- isons. A passive instrument out form the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite is taken to compare the simulated ice water path (IWP) results derived from the COSP-MODIS simulator. The overall comparison of DARDAR, MODIS, ICON-COSP-MODIS and ICON-AES IWP comparison show, an overestimation of the simulated cloud ice compared to observations, but also a difference depending on the used method for calculation. The comparison of the calculated cloud ice variance from ICON-AES and observations show a good agreement of the general pattern, but with some regional differences. The stochastic aggregation approach results in an aggregation rate increase and in a cloud ice loss, which allows a improvement of the simulated cloud ice in comparison to the satellites. The strong interaction between aggregation and accretion, however, reduces the impact of cloud ice loss. With the help of this stochastic approach, a decrease in the bias of the process rate is demonstrated. The warm rain fraction, which measures the amount of rain produced through the ice phase, is calculated using the radar simulator output from the COSP simulator. Models tend to underestimate the amount of rain generated via the ice phase. the new stochastic aggregation scheme in combination with the sensitivity studies show the model show a even larger underestimation, if the aggregation is increased. This result contradicts the previous assumption that increased snow production leads to a lower warm rain fraction. The derived cloud ice distribution is additional implemented in the subcolumn system of COSP. This distribution is used for snow and cloud ice for each cloudy subcolumn. It shows a reduction of the subcolumn averaged radar reflectivity, with a stronger change for distributed snow. For both experiments, the warm rain fraction increases. The MODIS simulator results does not show any significant changes

Development of a Golden Gate Assembly-Based Toolbox and Its Application for Engineering Lactiplantibacillus Plantarum as Monoterpenoid Producer

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (früher Lactobacillus plantarum) und andere Milchsäurebakterien werden aufgrund ihres allgemein als sicher anerkannten Status (GRAS) ausgiebig in der Lebensmittelindustrie eingesetzt. Im Bereich der Getränkeproduktion spielt L. plantarum eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Fermentation von Sauerbier. Frühere Studien identifizierten Linalool und Geraniol, zwei in Hopfen vorkommende Monoterpenoide, als entscheidende Bestandteile des Bieraromas. Deswegen war es ein Ziel dieser Arbeit, die Produktion dieser beiden Stoffe in L. plantarum durch Stoffwechselmanipulation zu verbessern. Dies ermöglicht die Produktion eines aromatischeren und hopfenbetonteren Sauerbiers. Zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt ist der nicht Modellorganismus L. plantarum nur wenig erforscht und besitzt deswegen noch kein etabliertes genetisches System. Daher wurde in dieser Arbeit zunächst eine modulare und standardisierte Toolbox basierend auf dem Golden Gate Assembly erzeugt. Hierfür wurde die de novo-Assemblierung der Shuttle-Vektoren von E. coli für L. plantarum weiterentwickelt. Die Toolbox ermöglicht es Anwendern, genetische Elemente von Interesse, in einem Schritt, frei zu kombinieren und bis zu fünf Transkriptionseinheiten in einem Plasmid zu assemblieren. Eine Sammlung der relevantesten genetischen Bausteine, darunter verschiedene Replikationsursprünge, Fluoreszenzreporter sowie induzierbare und konstitutive Promotoren, wurden in unsere Toolbox integriert und genetisch standardisiert und charakterisiert. Die Expressionsvektoren zeigten eine vergleichbare Leistung wie die Benchmark-pSIP-Plasmide in diesem Forschungsbereich, boten jedoch eine höhere Flexibilität und Anpassungsfähigkeit. Im Hinblick auf die mikrobielle Monoterpenoidproduktion wurden mit dieser praktischen Toolbox mehrere pflanzliche Linalool- und Geraniolsynthasen sowie Schlüsselenzyme im vorgelagerten Biosyntheseweg untersucht. Darüber hinaus wurden Protein-Engineering von endogenen Enzymen von L. plantarum und die Optimierung der physiologischen pH-Bedingungen angewandt, um die Monoterpenoidproduktion zu steigern. Es wurden bis zu 1.535 µg L⁻¹ Linalool und 152 µg L⁻¹ Geraniol in L. plantarum produziert, wobei der Linalool-Titer deutlich über dessen Geruchsschwelle lag. Dies stellt auch den höchsten bisher in Milchsäurebakterien erzielten Monoterpenoid-Titer dar. Insgesamt wurde eine hocheffiziente und flexible Klonierungs-Toolbox für das zunehmend erforschte Milchsäurebakterium L. plantarum entwickelt. Sein Monoterpenoid-produzierender Stoffwechselweg wurde dahingehend manipuliert, dass eine fermentative Produktion von Aromazusätzen in diesem lebensmitteltauglichen Wirt möglich wurde. Zusammen mit den in dieser Studie evaluierten vielseitigen genetischen Bausteinen, trägt diese Forschung zur Erweiterung der genetischen Programmierbarkeit von L. plantarum und seines Potenzials als Probiotikum und als Biofabrik in der Pharmazie und Lebensmitteltechnik bei.Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (formerly Lactobacillus plantarum) and other lactic acid bacteria have been extensively utilized in the food industry due to their generally recognized as safe status. In the realm of beverage production, L. plantarum plays a key role in sour beer fermentation. Previous studies pinpointed linalool and geraniol, two monoterpenoids found in hops, as crucial contributors to beer flavor. Leveraging this knowledge, this work aimed at metabolically engineering L. plantarum to produce these two aroma compounds, paving the way for a more fragrant and hoppy sour beer. To date, scant knowledge and few genetic tools are available for the non-model microorganism L. plantarum. Therefore, this work first developed a modular and standardized Golden Gate Assembly-based toolbox for the de novo assembly of shuttle vectors from Escherichia coli to L. plantarum. The toolbox allows users to combine genetic elements of interest freely in a single step and assemble up to five transcriptional units within one plasmid. A collection of the most relevant genetic parts, including different origins of replication, fluorescence reporters, as well as inducible and constitutive promoters, were incorporated into our toolbox and characterized in a genetically standardized manner. The expression vectors displayed comparable performance with the benchmark pSIP plasmids in this research field, but provide higher flexibility and adaptability. Towards microbial monoterpenoid production, we screened several plant-derived linalool, geraniol synthases and key enzymes in the upstream biosynthesis pathway with this convenient toolbox. Further, protein engineering of L. plantarum endogenous enzymes and optimization of physiological pH conditions were also applied to boost monoterpenoid production. Up to 1,535 µg L-1 of linalool and 152 µg L-1 of geraniol were produced in L. plantarum with the linalool titer well above its odor threshold, which also represent the highest titer of aroma monoterpenoids ever achieved in lactic acid bacteria. Overall, a highly efficient and flexible cloning toolbox was developed for the increasingly studied lactic acid bacterium L. plantarum. Its monoterpenoid-producing pathway was manipulated towards a fermentative production of aroma additives in this food-grade host. Together with versatile genetic parts evaluated in this study, this research will contribute to expanding the genetic programmability of L. plantarum and its potential as a probiotic and biofactory for pharmaceutical and food applications

Programming a synthetic out-of- equilibrium reaction network within proteinosomes

Life's persistence is underpinned by dynamic biological systems operating across a variety of scales and complexities. Central to these systems is the ability of cells to dynamically adapt to external stimuli, fostering complex and coordinated behavior within cellular communities. Such complex behaviors emerge from networks of biochemical reactions that govern information processing both within individual cells and across cell populations. This is a universal trait, manifesting from bacterial quorum sensing to the signalling pathways integral to embryonic development. Unravelling the intricate structure of network-driven population behaviors necessitates an understanding of how the interaction of compartmentalized information processing and intercellular communication influences dynamic systems. In studying dynamic biological systems, methodologies vary widely, encompassing animal models, organoids, cell cultures, and extending to synthetic biology, each representing a step toward less biological complexity and providing unique insights while presenting their own sets of challenges. Synthetic biology, in particular, offers a focused approach to dissecting these complex systems. Initial research in this field has replicated complex cellular behaviours with compartmentalized, non-enzymatic reactions. Yet, there remains an essential goal to develop enzyme-driven dynamic systems that more accurately mirror the cyclical processes of degradation and synthesis seen in living organisms. This study aims to fill this gap by reconstructing a minimal dynamic system to investigate emergent behaviours through enzyme-based reactions. Specifically, it focuses on the compartmentalized processing of chemical information, activated by diffusible small molecules, and examines its influence on complex intercellular network formation. Employing synthetic biology, the study utilizes microfluidic-assembled droplets—termed proteinosomes—to create populations of engineered synthetic cells. DNA reactions are encapsulated within these proteinosomes populations to enable specific biochemical reactions via controlled diffusion of molecules, allowing the creation of interconnected networks of reactions. In this work, these reactions within proteinosomes are primers activated and enzyme-driven isothermal DNA reaction, known as PEN-DNA reactions. This process involves a short oligonucleotide primer initiating replication from a longer DNA template, producing two shorter oligonucleotides that can diffuse in solution or, as in this case, through the proteinosome’s membrane. The compartmentalization of the reactions leads to kinetic behaviors that are not present in buffer solutions. For instance, autocatalytic reactions within the proteinosomes occurred at rates comparable to those in buffer solutions but with significantly less DNA template. Reaction rates were found to be markedly higher in relation to template concentration than those in buffer solution. This can be linked to the proteinosomes' selective containment of template DNA while allowing primer DNA to diffuse away from the reaction site. Thus, the system is well-suited for creating reaction networks that leverage compartmentalized information processing with communication between compartments. The effectiveness of this platform was demonstrated by first establishing a linear communication between two proteinosome populations, each containing distinct DNA reactions. The network's complexity was then enhanced by incorporating a negative feedback loop, resulting in oscillatory behavior between DNA reactions within the proteinosome populations. This work not only presents a reliable method for constructing compartmentalized reaction networks but also allows for the examination of how spatial localization and passive diffusion affect reaction rates. These synthetic cells facilitate the examination of reaction dynamics within compartments, including the establishment of an oscillatory communication network displaying emergent behaviours. The findings suggest that bottom-up methods can be employed to develop synthetic systems that mimic reaction-diffusion across networks, driven by selective compartmentalization and cellular communication.:Contents 1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ 3 2. ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. 5 3. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG ............................................................................................... 7 4. RELATED PUBLICATIONS ....................................................................................... 14 5. ABBREVIATION LIST ................................................................................................ 16 7. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 8. CHAPTER 2: PREPARATION OF PEN-DNA REACTION IN PROTEINOSOMES .. 47 9. CHAPTER 3: LINEAR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN DNA TEMPLATES VIA PEN- DNA REACTION IN PROTEINOSOMES ....................................................................... 80 10. CHAPTER 4: PREDATOR-PREY PEN-DNA REACTION WITHIN PROTEINOSOMES POPULATION ............................................................................... 90 11. CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ................................................................................. 108 12. CHAPTER 6: ........................................................................................................ 116 13. BIBLIOGRAFY ..................................................................................................... 13