Information Centric Networking in the IoT: Experiments with NDN in the Wild

This paper explores the feasibility, advantages, and challenges of an ICN-based approach in the Internet of Things. We report on the first NDN experiments in a life-size IoT deployment, spread over tens of rooms on several floors of a building. Based on the insights gained with these experiments, the paper analyses the shortcomings of CCN applied to IoT. Several interoperable CCN enhancements are then proposed and evaluated. We significantly decreased control traffic (i.e., interest messages) and leverage data path and caching to match IoT requirements in terms of energy and bandwidth constraints. Our optimizations increase content availability in case of IoT nodes with intermittent activity. This paper also provides the first experimental comparison of CCN with the common IoT standards 6LoWPAN/RPL/UDP.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures and tables, ACM ICN-2014 conferenc

Shuttle synthetic aperture radar implementation study, volume 1

Results of an implementation study for a synthetic aperture radar for the space shuttle orbiter are described. The overall effort was directed toward the determination of the feasibility and usefulness of a multifrequency, multipolarization imaging radar for the shuttle orbiter. The radar is intended for earth resource monitoring as well as oceanographic and marine studies

Male reproductive traits of full-sibs of different age classes in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

The process of ageing is associated with negative effects of mutations acting late in life, which range from those affecting cells to those affecting the whole organism. In many animal taxa, the deterioration of the phenotype with age also affects traits such as males’ primary and secondary sexual characteristics. In three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), males usually reproduce at one or two years of age. To see whether sexual selection has the potential to differ between young and old males, full-sib brothers of different age classes were compared, which were bred and raised under standardised laboratory conditions. During two simulated, successive breeding seasons males were allowed to build their nest in single tanks either in the first (“young males”) or in the second (“old males”) breeding season. A comparison of reproductively active brothers of the first and second breeding season showed that older males produce more but smaller sperm, which might be of lower quality. The fact that older males stored more sperm is size dependent as the results show that larger males possess a greater absolute testis mass, which is inextricably linked to sperm number. However, independent of body size, old males had a lower intensity of red/orange and UV breeding coloration as well as a reduced testis melanisation, which might have consequences in female mate choice and sperm competition

Vom kreativen Chaos zur effizienten Organisation: Gestaltung und Regulierung hochqualifizierter Arbeit in IT- und Biotechnologieunternehmen

"Die zunehmende Bedeutung von Wissensarbeit und die wachsenden Ansprüche an die (zeitliche) Flexibilität werden mehr und mehr zu zentralen Gestaltungsmerkmalen von Arbeit und ihrer Regulierung. Ausgehend von einem umfassenden theoretischen Diskurs werden in der vorliegenden Publikation am Beispiel von Software- und Dienstleistungsunternehmen der IT-Branche und Unternehmen der Biotechnologiebranche die Gestaltung hochqualifizierter Arbeit sowie der Wandel von betrieblichen Arbeitsbeziehungen und die Herausbildung neuer Formen der Regulierung von Arbeit empirisch erfasst und analysiert. In diesem Buch werden die Auswirkungen verschärften Wettbewerbs, wirtschaftlicher Krisen aber auch zunehmender Größe und Komplexität der untersuchten Unternehmen auf Anforderungen und Organisation der Arbeit sowie die Arbeitsbeziehungen thematisiert. Es wird die Funktionalität einvernehmlicher, individueller und informeller Kommunikations- und Beteiligungsstrukturen überprüft sowie die (zukünftige) Bedeutung und Rolle kollektiver, institutioneller Interessenvertretungen im Segment hochqualifizierter Erwerbsarbeit ausgelotet." (Autorenreferat

Male Red Ornamentation Is Associated with Female Red Sensitivity in Sticklebacks

Sexual selection theory proposes correlated evolutionary changes in mating preferences and secondary sexual characters based on a positive genetic correlation between preference and the preferred trait. Empirical work has provided support for a genetic covariation between female preference and male attractiveness in several taxa. Here, we study parent and offspring visual traits in threespine sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus. While focusing on the proximate basis of mating preferences, we compare the red breeding coloration of males, which strongly contributes to female choice, with their daughters' red sensitivity measured by optomotor response thresholds. We show that the red color expression of fathers correlates well with their daughters' red sensitivity. Given that a within-population genetic correlation between signal and preference was experimentally confirmed for the red coloration in sticklebacks, our results indicate a proximate mechanism in terms of perceptual sensitivity being involved in the co-evolution of female preferences and male mating signals

Siedlungsflächenmanagement

Der Artikel stellt die Veröffentlichung der Arbeitsgruppe „Flächenmanagement“ der LAG Baden-Württemberg der ARL vor, welche den aktuellen Diskussionsstand zum Thema Siedlungsflächenmanagement reflektiert. Er zeigt für Wissenschaftler und Praktiker in kompakter Form, wie eine nachhaltige Siedlungsflächenentwicklung planerisch und systematisch betrieben werden kann. Hierzu werden die Definition, die Merkmale und die Bausteine eines nachhaltigen Siedlungsflächenmanagement abgeleitet und dargestellt. Es wird herausgearbeitet, wie eine fachlich fundierte Bearbeitung mit vertretbarem Aufwand umsetzbar ist

Koordination und Integration von Umweltfachplanungen und ihr Verhältnis zur Stadtplanung

KOORDINATION UND INTEGRATION VON UMWELTFACHPLANUNGEN UND IHR VERHÄLTNIS ZUR STADTPLANUNG Koordination und Integration von Umweltfachplanungen und ihr Verhältnis zur Stadtplanung / Degreif, Stefanie (Rights reserved) ( -

Development and Evaluation of an Ethical Guideline for Decisions to Limit Life-Prolonging Treatment in Advanced Cancer: Protocol for a Monocentric Mixed-Method Interventional Study

Background: Many patients with advanced cancer receive chemotherapy close to death and are referred too late to palliative or hospice care, and therefore die under therapy or in intensive care units. Oncologists still have difficulties in involving patients appropriately in decisions about limiting tumor-specific or life-prolonging treatment. Objective: The aim of this Ethics Policy for Advanced Care Planning and Limiting Treatment Study is to develop an ethical guideline for end-of-life decisions and to evaluate the impact of this guideline on clinical practice regarding the following target goals: reduction of decisional conflicts, improvement of documentation transparency and traceability, reduction of distress of the caregiver team, and better knowledge and consideration of patients' preferences. Methods: This is a protocol for a pre-post interventional study that analyzes the clinical practice on treatment limitation before and after the guideline implementation. An embedded researcher design with a mixed-method approach encompassing both qualitative and quantitative methods is used. The study consists of three stages: (1) the preinterventional phase, (2) the intervention (development and implementation of the guideline), and 3) the postinterventional phase (evaluation of the guideline's impact on clinical practice). We evaluate the process of decision-making related to limiting treatment from different perspectives of oncologists, nurses, and patients;comparing them to each other will allow us to develop the guideline based on the interests of all parties. Results: The first preintervention data of the project have already been published, which detailed a qualitative study with oncologists and oncology nurses (n=29), where different approaches to initiation of end-of-life discussions were ethically weighted. A framework for oncologists was elaborated, and the study favored an anticipatory approach of preparing patients for forgoing therapy throughout the course of disease. Another preimplementational study of current decision-making practice (n=567 patients documented) demonstrated that decisions to limit treatment preceded the death of many cancer patients (62/76, 82% of deceased patients). However, such decisions were usually made in the last week of life, which was relatively late. Conclusions: The intervention will be evaluated with respect to the following endpoints: better knowledge and consideration of patients' treatment wishes;reduction of decisional conflicts;improvement of documentation transparency and traceability;and reduction of the psychological and moral distress of a caregiver team