Empowering master students to solve real-world engineering problems

In engineering, the importance of multi-disciplinarity and the need to “think outside the box” are obvious. However, subjects in engineering education are often treated in an isolated fashion. The kind of problems solved in these subjects are often just simplified artificial exercises. To ensure employability of new engineers, students need to practice how to “convert a mess into a problem”, and then use the scientific method in context to solve it. Good data skills (including data collection, exploration, and modeling) are essential to solve problems. These data skills are the “backbone” of the scientific method. The use of real data (coming, for example, from real applications in industry) can be motivating in teaching and stimulating to connect engineering topics. This paper explores possible reasons why many subjects in engineering are still taught in a way disconnected from real life. It also suggests solutions, and shares teaching tools and resources to improve student employability

Microembossing of ultrafine grained Al: microstructural analysis and finite element modelling

Ultra fine grained (UFG) Al-1050 processed by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and UFG Al-Mg-Cu-Mn processed by high pressure torsion (HPT) were embossed at both room temperature and 300 °C, with the aim of producing micro-channels. The behaviour of Al alloys during the embossing process was analysed using finite element (FE) modelling. The cold embossing of both Al alloys is characterised by a partial pattern transfer, a large embossing force, channels with oblique sidewalls and a large failure rate of the mould. The hot embossing is characterised by straight channel sidewalls, fully transferred patterns and reduced loads which decrease the failure rate of the mould. Hot embossing of UFG Al-Mg-Cu-Mn produced by HPT shows a potential of fabrication of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) components with micro channels

Genuine correlated coherence

We introduce a notion of genuine correlated coherence. Such a notion is based on the possibility of concentrating on individual systems the coherence present in a distributed system, by making use of incoherent unitary transformations. We define an entropic quantifier of genuine correlated multipartite coherence for generic mixed states, and we focus on the bipartite pure-state case. In the latter case we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the possibility of fully localizing the coherence, hence identifying the conditions for genuine correlated bipartite coherence. We analyze in detail the quantitative problem for the case of two-qubit pure states, identifying the states with the largest amount of genuine correlated coherence. Interestingly, such states do not have maximal global coherence nor maximal coherence rank

Implications of the Heat Generation of LMR-NCM on the Thermal Behavior of Large-Format Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium- and manganese-rich NCM (LMR-NCM) cathode active materials exhibit a pronounced energy inefficiency during charge and discharge that results in a strong heat generation during operation. The implications of such a heat generation are investigated for large-format lithium-ion batteries. Small laboratory cells are generally considered isothermal, but for larger cell formats this heat cannot be neglected. Therefore, the heat generation of LMR-NCM/graphite coin cells and NCA/graphite coin cells as a reference is measured for varying charge/discharge rates in an isothermal heat flow calorimeter and scaled to larger standardized cell formats. With the aid of thermal 3D models, the temperature evolution within these cell formats under different charge/discharge operations and cooling conditions is analyzed. Without an additional heat sink and any active cooling of larger LMR-NCM/graphite cells, discharge C-rates lower than C/2 are advisable to keep the cell temperature below a critical threshold. If the loads are increased, the cooling strategy has to be adapted to the specific cell format, otherwise critical temperatures above 60 °C are easily reached. For the investigated convective surface cooling and base plate cooling scenarios, thick prismatic cell formats with LMR-NCM are generally unfavorable, as the large amount of heat cannot be adequately dissipated

The information procurement and publishing behaviour of researchers in the natural sciences and engineering : Evaluation of a survey focusing on non-textual material

[no abstract available

GWAS for male-pattern baldness identifies 71 susceptibility loci explaining 38% of the risk

Male pattern baldness (MPB) or androgenetic alopecia is one of the most common conditions affecting men, reaching a prevalence of similar to 50% by the age of 50; however, the known genes explain little of the heritability. Here, we present the results of a genome-wide association study including more than 70,000 men, identifying 71 independently replicated loci, of which 30 are novel. These loci explain 38% of the risk, suggesting that MPB is less genetically complex than other complex traits. We show that many of these loci contain genes that are relevant to the pathology and highlight pathways and functions underlying baldness. Finally, despite only showing genome-wide genetic correlation with height, pathway-specific genetic correlations are significant for traits including lifespan and cancer. Our study not only greatly increases the number of MPB loci, illuminating the genetic architecture, but also provides a new approach to disentangling the shared biological pathways underlying complex diseases

Dosimetric precision of an ion beam tracking system

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Scanned ion beam therapy of intra-fractionally moving tumors requires motion mitigation. GSI proposed beam tracking and performed several experimental studies to analyse the dosimetric precision of the system for scanned carbon beams.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A beam tracking system has been developed and integrated in the scanned carbon ion beam therapy unit at GSI. The system adapts pencil beam positions and beam energy according to target motion.</p> <p>Motion compensation performance of the beam tracking system was assessed by measurements with radiographic films, a range telescope, a 3D array of 24 ionization chambers, and cell samples for biological dosimetry. Measurements were performed for stationary detectors and moving detectors using the beam tracking system.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All detector systems showed comparable data for a moving setup when using beam tracking and the corresponding stationary setup. Within the target volume the mean relative differences of ionization chamber measurements were 0.3% (1.5% standard deviation, 3.7% maximum). Film responses demonstrated preserved lateral dose gradients. Measurements with the range telescope showed agreement of Bragg peak depth under motion induced range variations. Cell survival experiments showed a mean relative difference of -5% (-3%) between measurements and calculations within the target volume for beam tracking (stationary) measurements.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The beam tracking system has been successfully integrated. Full functionality has been validated dosimetrically in experiments with several detector types including biological cell systems.</p