An investigation into the alkene hydroformylation reaction using platinum complexes

Includes bibliographical references.Hydroformylation is the most widely applied homogeneous catalysis reaction used in industry. The aldehyde product is an important commodity in both the bulk and specialty chemical industry. Platinum catalysts have shown significant chemo- and regioselectivities in alkene hydroformylation. This thesis investigates the activity as well as selectivity of platinum complexes containing bidentate ligands in the hydroformylation reaction

Entwicklung einer mobilen autarken Treppensteighilfe

Für viele ältere geheingeschränkte Menschen sind Treppenstufen im privaten Umfeld ein Hinderungsgrund am öffentlichen Leben teilnehmen zu können. Viele dieser wohnen in Mehrfamilienhäuser, in denen z. B. die Größe des Treppenhauses oder auch andere Randbedingungen es nicht möglich machen, Treppenlifte einzubauen. Im Logistikbereich spielen autarke Transportsysteme eine immer größere Rolle. Die Idee besteht darin, ein vergleichbar autarkes System für den Transport von Personen zu entwickeln, welches in der Lage ist, Treppenstufen mit einer kontinuierlichen Bewegung zu überwinden. Die i. d. R. älteren Personen sollen in die Lage versetzt werden, ohne fremde Hilfe die Treppen zu bewältigen. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, ausgehend von einer Literatur- und Patentrecherche in einem ersten Schritt Anforderungen zusammenzutragen (z. B. typische Anordnung von Treppenstufen, erforderliche Beschleunigung, Geschwindigkeit, Traglast etc.). um anhand dieser Grundlage in einem zweiten Schritt mögliche Konzepte auszuarbeiten. Diese Konzepte sollen sowohl den mechanischen Aufbau als auch die Antriebsstruktur mit Energieversorgung (akkubetrieben) berücksichtigen

An Ontology for Supporting Knowledge Discovery and Evolution

Knowledge Discovery and Evolution (KDE) is of interest to a broad array of researchers from both Philosophy of Science (PoS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), in particular, Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KR), Machine Learning and Data Mining (ML-DM) and the Agent Based Systems (ABS) communities. In PoS, Haig recently pro- posed a so-called broad theory of scientific method that uses abduction for generating theories to explain phenomena. He refers to this method of scientific inquiry as the Abductive Theory of Method (ATOM). In this paper, we analyse ATOM, align it with KR and ML-DM perspec- tives and propose an algorithm and an ontology for supporting agent based knowledge discovery and evolution based on ATOM. We illustrate the use of the algorithm and the ontology on a use case application for electricity consumption behaviour in residential households

Implementing electronic medical record systems in developing countries

The developing world faces a series of health crises including HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis that threaten the lives of millions of people. Lack of infrastructure and trained, experienced staff are considered important barriers to scaling up treatment for these diseases. In this paper we explain why information systems are important in many healthcare projects in the developing world. We discuss pilot projects demonstrating that such systems are possible and can expand to manage hundreds of thousands of patients. We also pass on the most important practical lessons in design and implementation from our experience in doing this work. Finally, we discuss the importance of collaboration between projects in the development of electronic medical record systems rather than reinventing systems in isolation, and the use of open standards and open source software

The Experiment That did not Fail: Image and Reality in the Israeli Kibbutz

The kibbutzim of Israel show the world that communal living can be successful, and many observers have asked the questions: Can this success be repeated elsewhere? What are its lessons for other societies? In sociology, the validity and importance of comparative study and the intrinsic interest of the kibbutz way of life cannot be denied

Collective intelligence is needed to ensure beneficial Artificial Intelligence

The fourth Intercontinental Academia (ICA4) “Intelligence and artificial intelligence” (2020-2021) identified four thematic priorities for future AI research: (1) developing an ontology of AI systems to assess their agency in performing cognitive and behavioural tasks; (2) addressing the challenges of human-artificial agent interaction (H2AI); (3) clarifying the values used by artificial agents and determine their legal status in society; and (4) regulating artificial intelligent agents (AIAs) with appropriate certifications to safeguard human agency and well-being. These priorities require research programmes and funding schemes that involve scientists with complementary perspectives and methodological approaches (neuroscience, computer science, mathematics, engineering, humanities and social sciences)

Delineating the molecular landscape of different histopathological growth patterns in colorectal cancer liver metastases

BackgroundHistopathological growth patterns (HGPs) have shown important prognostic values for patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases, but the potential molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown.MethodsWe performed an exploratory analysis by conducting the RNA sequencing of primary colorectal lesions, colorectal liver metastatic lesions and normal liver tissues.FindingsWe found that desmoplastic HGPs of the metastatic lesions were significantly enriched in EMT, angiogenesis, stroma, and immune signaling pathways, while replacement HGPs were enriched in metabolism, cell cycle, and DNA damage repair pathways. With the exception of immune-related genes, the differentially expressed genes of the two HGPs from colorectal liver metastases were mostly inherited from the primary tumor. Moreover, normal liver tissue in the desmoplastic HGP subgroup was markedly enriched in the fibrinous inflammation pathway.ConclusionsWe surmised that HGPs are observable morphological changes resulting from the regulation of molecular expressions, which is the combined effect of the heterogeneity and remodeling of primary tumors seeds and liver soils

Sacred Rhythms and Political Frequencies: Reading Lefebvre in an Urban House of Prayer

In recent years, Lefebvre’s concept of rhythm analysis has been implied in various ways to critically examine how rhythms are formed, disrupted, and reformed through different urban venues. One theme that this body of knowledge has yet to comprehensively examine, however, is how changes in the urban sphere impact the spatial rhythms of religious institutions in cities, which can be pivotal for understanding how religious institutions are formed as urban public spaces. This article addresses this issue with a rhythm analysis of a particular religious urban locus: a synagogue in the mixed Palestinian and Jewish city of Acre in northern Israel. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and an urban survey, the article discusses how different forms of rhythm making undergo a process of contested synchronization with linear and cyclical rhythms of the city. More specifically, how the ability to forge a space hinges on the ability to maintain a rhythmic cycle of attendance, which, in turn, is not only dependent on the ability to achieve synchronization amongst the needs of the different participants but is also intertwined with the larger linear cycle of urban life as a rhythmic equation that fuses the personal with the political, the linear with the cyclical, and the religious with the urban