Research Database: Projects

As part of her research work at the Rhine Ruhr Centre for Science Communication Research (RRC), ALEKSANDRA VUJADINOVIC examines what the humanities and social sciences understand by the term ‘theory’. To this end, she investigates concepts, ideas and materialities that revolve around this discourse and which continue to shape the corresponding research and publication culture to this day. Drawing on selected contemporary examples and discourses, she asks how theory is given form and takes shape: as a paperback in the publication series of academic and general-interest publishers? As a theory podcast? As a theory blog? As a theory meme? The aim of this work is to illustrate the role of aesthetics in the process of communicating theory.

The potential of handheld, non-destructive devices to detect ivory from Proboscidea is developing rapidly, but many research gaps remain. The elemental and structural composition of ivory provides insights into the animals' environments and living conditions, as well as their origin, all of which are highly relevant to forensic science, conservation, and provenance research. The aim of the research project is to use handheld XRF, Raman spectroscopy, and LIBS to generate new knowledge about the correlation between the origin of samples and the material composition of ivory, thereby validating the possibility of widespread use of the method by relevant authorities or museums. For this purpose, literature from the last decade was reviewed, with particular emphasis on X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Raman spectroscopy was reviewed. Research conducted with handheld Raman spectroscopy relies on spectral bonds and focuses on species identification and age determination, whereas studies using handheld XRF analyze elemental composition and cover a broader range of topics, including distinguishing ivory from fake ivory, identifying carved ivory, detecting elemental differences in length and in cross-section, and assessing sexual dimorphism. Despite the use of XRF and Raman spectroscopy, a complementary method, LIBS, is increasingly used to link information, verify validity, and make clear statements about a sample's authenticity. NINA SCHEFFEL is conducting research on the topic.

The DINGOL research project develops a generic framework for Digital Supply Chain Twins. These twins dynamically represent real supply chains, process current operational data, and support the simulation and optimization of production, warehousing, transportation, and distribution processes. The project aims to help companies design more sustainable and resilient supply chains. The framework includes interfaces to enterprise resource planning systems, a model library, simulation and optimization modules, machine-learning methods, and a web-based cockpit for visualization and decision support.

The project “ESD – Am I already doing it!?” investigates how Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is understood and implemented in teaching at higher education institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia. Its aim is to systematically capture the perspective of Universities of Applied Sciences for the first time and to expand the existing data basis from universities. The project supports the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into higher education teaching and learning and promotes exchange across higher education institutions.

Project management at the H-BRS

The EMV-Wind project is developing open-source software that analyses and predicts the high-frequency effects resulting from modern, high-speed-switching converters and the associated EMC effects in the drive train of wind turbines. To this end, converters, supply cables and generators are being thoroughly investigated, whilst calculation and simulation models are being developed and tested on test benches. The software is intended to help address EMC-related issues as early as the initial development phase, with a view to improving the operational reliability and service life of the turbines.

Project management at the H-BRS

The German Research Foundation funded research cluster "CytoTransport" combines expertise in biomedicine, computational modelling, structural biology, chemistry and materials science to investigate cellular transport mechanisms in health and disease. To this end, 9 working groups from two university research focuses are working together, represented by the two research institutes IFGA and TREE. An overarching goal is to bundle the institutes' overlapping interests and expertise in the long term.

Project management at the H-BRS

The participation of people with disabilities is an important societal concern; however, in the regular labour market their labour-force participation and employment rates are comparatively low. There appear to be multi-layered barriers that impede the realisation of an inclusive labour market. The role and significance that employer advisory structures - particularly the Einheitliche Ansprechstellen für Arbeitgeber (EAA; Single Points of Contact for Employers) - can play in promoting a more inclusive labour market are being examined within the framework of a project funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS).

Project management at the H-BRS

MARIA LUISA ESPINEL RAMOS's doctoral thesis focuses on the transmission of infectious diseases from animals to humans. This is facilitated by natural evolutionary processes of pathogens, which adapt to environmental conditions altered by humans, such as land use, intensive animal husbandry, climate change and biodiversity loss. In urban areas in particular, high densities of humans and animals interact frequently, increasing the risk of spillover events. The nature and frequency of these contacts, as well as human behaviour, which is influenced by social and economic factors, have a significant impact on exposure. As these complex relationships are not yet fully understood, the prediction and prevention of emerging zoonoses requires an integrative "One Health" approach that considers environmental, animal and health aspects together.

Autonomous systems and robots operate in dynamic environments that change gradually or radically over time. To perform tasks in such ever-changing environments, the robot should continuously learn and adapt its capabilities. Continual learning (CL) is a machine learning method that learns from continuous streams of data. CL aims to balance the trade-off between the capabilities to be maintained and those to be enhanced, a characteristic that current machine learning struggles with. The PhD thesis of MOHAMMAD WASIL focuses on using the physical interaction of a robot, such as exploiting spatio-temporal information about the environment, to obtain more robust data for addressing the continual learning problem.

Dynamic pricing models have long been commonplace in some industries, particularly in travel and flight bookings. Prices for identical products are adjusted dynamically and now in real time due to changing market conditions over time. Doctoral student LENA RECKI's research focuses on the effects of this pricing policy on consumer behaviour. With her findings, she aims to show the extent to which customers perceive and accept dynamic prices and the potential this model offers in industries such as food retail.