Toward an Aesthetics of Adaptation in Empirical Research

In their article Toward an Aesthetics of Adaptation in Empirical Research Marion Behrens, Christian Kell, and Pascal Nicklas discuss the requirements and potential of empirical research into the reception of adaptations: adaptation is one key strategy in the creation of literature and art in general. The creative process and product of adaptation has its counter-part on the side of reception. Empirical research into the aesthetics of adaptation aims at the experimental elucidation of the physiological background and the establishment of a model describing the perceptual underpinnings of the act of seeing an adaptation as adaptation. This implies evolutionary biological reasoning concerning the memory tasks required for this kind of perception and experimental work showing neuronal, psychological and perceptual specificities contrasting acts of reception of artistic and non-artistic stimuli. A particularly promising arena for model building research lies in poetic language and rhetorical structures of repetition

In situ sounding of radiative flux profiles through the Arctic lower troposphere

In situ profiles and fixed-altitude time series of all four components of net radiation were obtained at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (78.9° N, 11.9° E), in the period May 04–21, 2015. Measurements were performed using adapted high-quality instrumentation classified as “secondary standard” carried by a tethered balloon system. Balloon-lifted measurements of albedo under clear-sky conditions demonstrate the local dependence on altitude and on the surface inhomogeneity of this parameter over coastal terrain of Ny-Ålesund. Depending on the surface composition within the sensor’s footprint near the coastline, the albedo over predominantly snow-covered surfaces was found to decrease to 0.548 and 0.452 at 494 m and 881 m altitude compared with 0.731 and 0.788 measured with near-surface references, respectively. Albedo profiles show an all-sky maximum at 150 m above surface level due to local surface inhomogeneity, and an averaged vertical change rate of − 0.040/100 up to 750 m aboveground level (clear sky) and − 0.034/100 m (overcast). Profiling of arctic low-level clouds reveals distinct vertical gradients in all radiative fluxes but longwave upward at the cloud top. Observed radiative cooling at the top of a partly dissolving stratus cloud with heating rates of − 40.4 to − 62.1 Kd−1 in subsequent observations is exemplified

Why resilience in health care systems is more than coping with disasters: implications for health care policy

Health care systems need to be resilient to deal with disasters like the global spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on top of serving the changing needs of a multi-morbid, ageing and often dispersed population. This paper identifies, discusses and augments critical dimensions of resilience retrieved from the academic literature. It pulls together an integrated concept of resilience characterised by organisational capabilities. Our concept does not focus on the micro-level like most resilience literature in health care but addresses the system level with many stakeholders involved. Distinguishing exogenous shocks to the health care system into adverse events and planned innovations provides the basis for our conclusions and insights. It becomes apparent only when dealing with planned interventions that transformative capabilities are indispensable to cope with sudden increases in health care pressures. Due to the current focus on absorptive and adaptive resilience, organisations over-rely on management capabilities that cannot generate a lasting increase in functionality. Therefore, reducing the resilience discussion to bouncing back from adverse events could deceive organisations into cultivating a suboptimal mix of organisational capabilities lacking transformative capabilities, which pave the way for a structural change that aims at a sustainably higher functionality

Numerical analyses of the influence of a counter punch during deep drawing

In the automotive sector, the demand for high crash safety and lightweight construction has led to an increased use of steels with higher strengths. However, the rising number of varying materials with different strengths and ductilities lead to an increasing complexity in productionmaking it more challenging to ensure robust processes. Therefore, the focus of current researches still lays on the further development and extension of forming processes to enable high productivity and reliable production. A powerful tool for an efficient optimisation and extension of forming processes is the Finite Element Method (FEM), which offers time-and cost saving potentials in the design phase. In deep drawing, the use of a counter punch offers the possibility oextending the process limits. By superimposing compressive stresses on the workpiece, the initiation of cracks can be delayed, thus higher drawing ratios can be achieved. The aim of this research is therefore the numerical investigation of a deep drawing process with a counter punch to analyse the influence on the crack initiation and identify optimisation potentials for the processFor this cause, the applied force as well as the position and geometry of the counter punch are varied and the influence on fracture initiation is evaluated. It is found that the applied force on the counter punch is the major influencing factor for crack initiation. Furthermore, it was concluded that the contact between the counter punch and the workpiece should be applied as soon as the bottom of the cup is shaped. A further improvement can be achieved if the counter punch is geometrically adapted to the bottom of the workpiece

Evaluating material failure of AHSS using acoustic emission analysis

Driven by high energy prices and strict legal requirements on CO2 emissions, high-strength sheet steel materials are increasingly gaining importance in the automotive industry regarding electric vehicles and their battery range. Simulation-based design of forming processes can contribute to exploiting their high potential for lightweight design. However, previous studies show that numerical simulation with conventional forming limit curves does not always provide adequate prediction quality. Failure models that take the stress state into account represent an alternative prediction method for the shear-dominated failure, that frequently occur in high-strength steels during forming. The failure behaviour of the sheet materials can be determined by different specimen geometries for a wide range of stress states and by using an optical measurement system to record the local strain on the surface of the specimen at the location of failure. However, for many high-strength steels, critical damage or failure initiation already occurs inside the specimen. Therefore, a method is needed that allows detection of failure initiation at an early stage before the crack becomes visible on the surface of the specimen. One possible method is the use of acoustic emission analysis. By coupling it with an imaging technique, the critical strains leading to failure initiation inside the specimen can be determined. In the presented paper, butterfly tests are performed for a wide range of stress states and measured with an optical as well as an acoustical measurement system. The tests are analysed regarding the failure initiation using a mechanical, optical as well as acoustical evaluation method and compared with each other

Development of polygon forming processes for aerospace engineering

The focus of this research lays on the further development of the Polygon Forming Technology, which is already successfully used for cold forming components in the aerospace industry. One example is the fuselage shell of the Airbus Beluga XL. According to the current state of the art it is possible to incrementally form large cylindrical or conical fuselage components by Polygon Forming. With the use of so-called infills, the Polygon Forming process can also be used to form components with pockets milled in the initial plane state. The limits of this technology exclude the creation of spherical geometries, such as those used in the front or rear fuselage sections of aircrafts. Presently, such components are produced by more complex stretch forming processes, which result in a considerable amount of scrap. In this work, a tool is developed to replicate the Polygon Forming process on experimental scale at the Institute of Forming Technology and Machines (IFUM) for materials commonly used in aerospace engineering. In addition, a downscaled pre-test tool is developed to investigate different tool geometries for incremental spherical forming inexpensive and easy according to the method of rapid prototyping

German translation of the Alberta context tool and two measures of research use: methods, challenges and lessons learned

Background: Understanding the relationship between organizational context and research utilization is key to reducing the research-practice gap in health care. This is particularly true in the residential long term care (LTC) setting where relatively little work has examined the influence of context on research implementation. Reliable, valid measures and tools are a prerequisite for studying organizational context and research utilization. Few such tools exist in German. We thus translated three such tools (the Alberta Context Tool and two measures of research use) into German for use in German residential LTC. We point out challenges and strategies for their solution unique to German residential LTC, and demonstrate how resolving specific challenges in the translation of the health care aide instrument version streamlined the translation process of versions for registered nurses, allied health providers, practice specialists, and managers. Methods: Our translation methods were based on best practices and included two independent forward translations, reconciliation of the forward translations, expert panel discussions, two independent back translations, reconciliation of the back translations, back translation review, and cognitive debriefing. Results: We categorized the challenges in this translation process into seven categories: (1) differing professional education of Canadian and German care providers, (2) risk that German translations would become grammatically complex, (3) wordings at risk of being misunderstood, (4) phrases/idioms non-existent in German, (5) lack of corresponding German words, (6) limited comprehensibility of corresponding German words, and (7) target persons’ unfamiliarity with activities detailed in survey items. Examples of each challenge are described with strategies that we used to manage the challenge. Conclusion: Translating an existing instrument is complex and time-consuming, but a rigorous approach is necessary to obtain instrument equivalence. Essential components were (1) involvement of and co-operation with the instrument developers and (2) expert panel discussions, including both target group and content experts. Equivalent translated instruments help researchers from different cultures to find a common language and undertake comparative research. As acceptable psychometric properties are a prerequisite for that, we are currently carrying out a study with that focus

Control of Mesquite on Grazing Lands.

24 p

Fringe Projection Profilometry in Production Metrology: A Multi-Scale Comparison in Sheet-Bulk Metal Forming

Fringe projection profilometry in combination with other optical measuring technologies has established itself over the last decades as an essential complement to conventional, tactile measuring devices. The non-contact, holistic reconstruction of complex geometries within fractions of a second in conjunction with the lightweight and transportable sensor design open up many fields of application in production metrology. Furthermore, triangulation-based measuring principles feature good scalability, which has led to 3D scanners for various scale ranges. Innovative and modern production processes, such as sheet-bulk metal forming, thus, utilize fringe projection profilometry in many respects to monitor the process, quantify possible wear and improve production technology. Therefore, it is essential to identify the appropriate 3D scanner for each application and to properly evaluate the acquired data. Through precise knowledge of the measurement volume and the relative uncertainty with respect to the specimen and scanner position, adapted measurement strategies and integrated production concepts can be realized. Although there are extensive industrial standards and guidelines for the quantification of sensor performance, evaluation and tolerancing is mainly global and can, therefore, neither provide assistance in the correct, application-specific positioning and alignment of the sensor nor reflect the local characteristics within the measuring volume. Therefore, this article compares fringe projection systems across various scale ranges by positioning and scanning a calibrated sphere in a high resolution grid

The Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway Tips the Balance Between Apoptosis and Reprograming of Cell Fusion Hybrids

Cell-cell fusion contributes to cell differentiation and developmental processes. We have previously showed that activation of Wnt/β-catenin enhances somatic cell reprograming after polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated fusion. Here, we show that neural stem cells and ESCs can fuse spontaneously in cocultures, although with very low efficiency (about 2%), as the hybrids undergo apoptosis. In contrast, when Wnt/β-catenin signaling is activated in ESCs and leads to accumulation of low amounts of β-catenin in the nucleus, activated ESCs can reprogram somatic cells with very high efficiency after spontaneous fusion. Furthermore, we also show that different levels of β-catenin accumulation in the ESC nuclei can modulate cell proliferation, although in our experimental setting, cell proliferation does not modulate the reprograming efficiency per se. Overall, the present study provides evidence that spontaneous fusion occurs, while the survival of the reprogramed clones is strictly dependent on induction of a Wnt-mediated reprograming pathway. STEM CELLS 2010;28:1940–194