Application-oriented Research Research Articles

Achievements of DFT for the investigation of graphene-related nanostructures.

CONSPECTUS: Graphene-related nanostructures stand out as exceptional materials due to both their wide range of properties and their expanse of interest in both applied and fundamental research. They are good examples of nanoscale materials for which the properties do not necessarily replicate those of the bulk. For the description and the understanding of their properties, it is clear that a general quantum-mechanical approach is mandatory. The remarkable result of density functional theory (DFT) is that the quantum-mechanical description of materials at the ground state is made amenable to simulations at a relatively low computational cost. The knowledge of materials has undergone a revolution after the introduction of DFT as an unrivaled instrument for the investigation of materials properties through computer experiments. Their deeper understanding comes from a variety of tools developed from concepts intrinsically present in DFT, notably the total energy and the charge density. Such tools allow the prediction of a diverse set of physicochemical properties relevant for material scientists. This Account lays out an example-driven tour through the achievements of ground-state DFT applied to the description of graphene-related nanostructures and to the deep understanding of their outstanding properties. After a brief introduction to DFT, the survey starts with the determination of the most basic properties that can be obtained from DFT, that is, band structures, lattice parameters, and spin ground state. Next follows an exploration of how total energies of different systems can give information about relative stability, formation energies, and reaction paths. Exploiting the derivatives of the energy with respect to displacements leads the way toward the extraction of vibrational and mechanical properties. In addition, a close examination of the charge density gives information about charge transfer mechanisms, which can be linked to chemical reactivity. The ground state density and Hamiltonian finally connect to the concepts behind transport phenomena, which drive much of the application-oriented research on graphene and graphene-related nanostructures. In each section, a selection of cases that are of current importance are used to illustrate the use and relevance of DFT-based techniques. In summary, this Account presents an introductory landscape of the possibilities of ground-state DFT for the study of graphene-related nanostructures. The prospect is rich, and the use of DFT for the study of graphene-related nanostructures will continue to be fruitful for the advancement of these and other materials.

Conductance control in VO2 nanowires by surface doping with gold nanoparticles.

The material properties of semiconductor nanowires are greatly affected by electrical, optical, and chemical processes occurring at their surfaces because of the very large surface-to-volume ratio. Precise control over doping as well as the surface charge properties has been demonstrated in thin films and nanowires for fundamental physics and application-oriented research. However, surface doping behavior is expected to differ markedly from bulk doping in conventional semiconductor materials. Here, we show that placing gold nanoparticles, in controlled manner, on the surface of an insulating vanadium dioxide nanowire introduces local charge carriers in the nanowire, and one could, in principle, completely and continuously alter the material properties of the nanowire and obtain any intermediate level of conductivity. The current in the nanowire increased by nearly 3 times when gold nanoparticles of 10(11) cm(-2) order of density were controllably placed on the nanowire surface. A strong quadratic space-charge limited (SCL) transport behavior was also observed from the conductance curve suggesting the formation of two-dimensional (2D) electron-gas-like confined layer in the nanowire with adsorbed Au NPs. In addition to stimulating scientific interest, such unusual surface doping phenomena may lead to new applications of vanadium dioxide-based electronic, optical, and chemical sensing nanodevices.

Designing dependable and sustainable Smart Grids – How to apply Algorithm Engineering to distributed control in power systems

In this work, we present the Smart Grid Algorithm Engineering (SGAE) process model for application-oriented research and development in information and communication technology (ICT) for power systems. The SGAE process model is motivated by the main objective of contributing application-oriented research results for distributed control concepts on a sound methodological background. With this process model, we strive for an engineering aspiration within the domain of Smart Grids. The process model is set up with an initial conceptualisation phase followed by an iterable cycle of five phases with both analytical and experimental parts, giving detailed information on inputs and results for each phase and identifying the needed actors for each phase. Simulation of large-scale Smart Grid scenarios is a core component of SGAE. We therefore elaborate on tooling and techniques needed in that context and illustrate the whole process model using an application example from a finished research and development project.

Extrusion of Profiles with Variable Wall Thickness

The paper describes new developments in extrusion processes for the reduction of process chains and the improvement of the flexibility of the extrusion process itself. Hereby, the presented and discussed technology is the extrusion of profile with variable cross-sections. Besides the process principle and advantages, several results of exper mental investigations are given in order to show the motivation for fundamental and application-oriented research in the field of extrusion technology. First results on the extrusion of profiles with variable cross-section are shown in this paper. Here, the focus was placed on the development of dies for the extrusion of open and hollow profiles with variable wall thickness.

Hybrid Materials – Past, Present and Future.

AbstractHybrid materials represent one of the most growing new material classes at the edge of technological innovations. Unique possibilities to create novel material properties by synergetic combination of inorganic and organic components on the molecular scale makes this materials class interesting for application-oriented research of chemists, physicists, and materials scientists. The modular approach for combination of properties by the selection of the best suited components opens new options for the generation of materials that are able to solve many technological problems. This review will show in selected examples how science and technological driven approaches can help to design better materials for future applications.

Prediction in context: On the comparative epistemic merit of predictive success

The considerations set out in the paper are intended to suggest that in practical contexts predictive power does not play the outstanding roles sometimes accredited to it in an epistemic framework. Rather, predictive power is part of a network of other merits and achievements. Predictive power needs to be judged differently according to the specific conditions that apply. First, predictions need to be part of an explanatory framework if they are supposed to guide actions reliably. Second, in scientific expertise, the demand for accurate predictions is replaced with the objective of specifying a robust corridor of estimates. Finally, it is highly uncertain to predict the success of research projects. The overall purpose of the paper is to enlarge the debate about predictions by addressing specifically the roles of predictions in application-oriented research.

Historical Geography in Germany in the tension between basic research and practical orientation

Until the 1960s the historical-genetic approach formed the core of geographical research in Germany. In the aftermath of a scientistic turning point of Geography in the 1970s some of its research questions were regarded as to less problem-oriented and socially irrelevant. In order to maintain the historical-genetic approach two strategies were pursued in Germany: An interdisciplinary strategy and a strategy oriented towards Geography.The former implied a certain independence of the historical-geographic working scholars from German Geography concerning their approach, field of work and organisation of research. This is epitomized by the foundation of the Working Group for Historical Cultural Landscape Research (ARKUM e.V.) in 1974 where the term ‘cultural landscape’, which was strongly questioned within Geography, still embraced space-oriented approaches from archaeology, history and historically oriented Geography. Since 1983, the results of this collaboration are published in the journal Siedlungsforschung – Archäologie – Geschichte – Geographie (‘Settlement Research – Archaeology – History – Geography’).The latter, towards Geography oriented strategy, aimed and still aims to maintain especially the historical-genetic approach within Geography. Unlike the Anglo-American Geography, German Historical Geography did not invoke Social Geography. It rather upheld an understanding oriented towards the materiality of cultural landscapes which was evolutionarily connected to classic research approaches. This formed also the basis for the constitution of Applied Historical Geography, conducted particularly in conjunction with heritage preservation. In that respect, issues of environmental education play a central role.Nowadays, this tension between basic research and application-oriented research is prevalent for the work of Historical Geography in Germany.

Spine function: a concert of many different players

The functional anatomy of the human spine and its supporting tissue structures is often not well understood, especially when the interactions of the various fundamentally different players in the team have to be taken into account. The cooperation of different tissues at a microscopic and macroscopic level has enabled the human spine to provide a complicated biomechanical function which has to be maintained over a long period. It is still a significant challenge to therapeutically restore a loss of that function. Spinal intervention and spinal implant development therefore are increasingly important issues in modern medicine. Yet less than satisfactory results are often reported, and there seems to be a need for a more basic science-driven summary to enable application-oriented medical research in finding better solutions for clinical problems. This issue of the Journal aims to provide current knowledge surveys on aspects of functional spine anatomy at cell, tissue and macroscopic levels and also presents research manuscripts which cover related subjects of anatomy. The current symposium issue provides selected reviews on special fields of spine and spine-related topics which should be of interest to a wider audience. Topics include reviews on biology of intervertebral disc cells and intervertebral disc degeneration. There is an extended review on sacroiliac joint function which is still somewhat conversely discussed in the literature. A topographically and functionally related structure is the thoracolumbar fascia which gets increasingly more clinical attention and needs to be addressed in a review.

Design in Mainland China

Design in Mainland China

Values and Objectivity in Science: Value-Ladenness, Pluralism and the Epistemic Attitude

My intention is to cast light on the characteristics of epistemic or fundamental research (in contrast to application-oriented research). I contrast a Baconian notion of objectivity, expressing a correspondence of the views of scientists to the facts, with a pluralist notion, involving a critical debate between conflicting approaches. These conflicts include substantive hypotheses or theories but extend to values as well. I claim that a plurality of epistemic values serves to accomplish a non-Baconian form of objectivity that is apt to preserve most of the intuitions tied to the objectivity of science. For instance, pluralism is the only way to cope with the challenge of preference bias. Furthermore, the plurality of epistemic values cannot be substantially reduced by exploring the empirical success of scientific theories distinguished in light of particular such values. However, in addition to pluralism at the level of theories and value-commitments alike, scientific research is also characterized by a joint striving for consensus which I trace back to a shared epistemic attitude. This attitude manifests itself, e.g., in the willingness of scientists to subject their claims to empirical scrutiny and to respect rational argument. This shared epistemic attitude is embodied in rules adopted by the scientific community concerning general principles of dealing with knowledge claims. My contention is that pluralism and consensus formation can be brought into harmony by placing them at different levels of consideration: at the level of scientific reasoning and at the level of social conventions regarding how to deal with claims put forward within the scientific community.

Special Issue: Contemporary development of neural computation and applications

The aim of this Special Issue is to solicit theoretical and application-oriented research in the field of neural computing and to present examples of experimental and real-world investigations that demonstrate the advances, successes, and state-of-the-art of the developments in the neural computing area. We believe it provides a good opportunity for reflection on current developments in neural network research and its applications and gives an impression of where the research in the included topics is headed.

Herniamed: an Internet-based registry for outcome research in hernia surgery

Despite the high frequency of hernia surgery procedures and continuous improvements, thanks to new hernia meshes and fixation techniques, in Germany, for example, the recurrence rate and rate of chronic inguinal pain after inguinal surgery are more than 10% far too high. Introduction of a hernia register in Denmark led to a significant reduction in the recurrence rate. The aim of a hernia registry as an application-oriented outcome research tool is to monitor and evaluate (concomitant research) how the knowledge gleaned from evidence-based science is implemented in the everyday clinical setting and, ultimately, investigate its effectiveness (outcome research). The new Internet-based English- and German-language registry for the entire spectrum of inpatient and outpatient hernia surgery is designed to improve the quality of patient care and provide valid data on outcome research. Via the Internet, all relevant patient data (comorbidities, previous operations, staging, specific surgical technique, medical devices used, perioperative complications and follow-up data) can be entered into the registry database. The participating hospitals and surgeons can at any time view their own data by means of an evaluation statistics tool. The outcome research project Herniamed focuses on inguinal hernias, umbilical hernias, incisional hernias, epigastric hernias, parastomal hernias and hiatus hernias. The online-based outcome research registry meets the most stringent data protection criteria. With the Internet-based English- and German-language hernia register, a new instrument is now available for outcome research in hernia surgery.

A Contextual Comparison of Risk Behaviors Among Older Adult Drug Users and Harm Reduction in Suburban Versus Inner-City Social Environments.

Recent epidemiological data show that older adults comprise a growing age group of drug users and new AIDS cases in the United States. Prevention and intervention studies show that risk behaviors leading to HIV infection are increasing among older users, particularly among the socially vulnerable. Yet older adults remain an under-researched population of drug users and little is known about their risk behaviors. Our aim is to address this gap in knowledge on older users by comparing contextual factors that influence risk behaviors and harm reduction strategies practiced by older drug users living in different communities. This study is based on ethnographic fieldwork in suburban and inner-city neighborhoods in a large metropolitan area in the southeastern USA. Interviewers conducted face-to-face, in-depth, life-history interviews with 69 older adults (age 45 and older) who used heroin, cocaine, and/or methamphetamine. Findings show that while risk behaviors were similar among older adult drug users living in suburban and inner-city environments, the provision of harm reduction education and paraphernalia varied widely. The results show the need for the expansion of harm reduction services focused on older adult drug users who are homeless, uninsured, or socially isolated. This application-oriented research will inform healthcare and treatment providers and generate new directions for future collaborative harm reduction services aimed to decrease the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases associated with drug use.

An overview of case-based reasoning applications in drilling engineering

Application-oriented research in the area of case-based reasoning has moved mature research results into practical applications. This paper presents an overview of different applications of case-based reasoning (CBR) in petroleum engineering, with focus on the drilling process, based on a survey and comparative evaluation of different applications. The numbers of papers, research groups, and experimental systems are indicative of the importance, need, and growth of CBR in different industries. A clear growing trend has been seen in the oil and gas industry over the last 5---10 years. In this paper we present the evolving story of CBR applied to problems in drilling engineering. We show that drilling engineering is an application domain in which the systematic storage and situation-triggered reuse of past concrete experiences provide significant support to drilling personnel at various levels. Some CBR systems have been successfully deployed in operational settings. With increased understanding of the complexity of drilling operations and continuous development of CBR and combined methods, the future potential is significantly higher.

Practical Applications as a Source of Credibility: A Comparison of Three Fields of Dutch Academic Chemistry

In many Western science systems, funding structures increasingly stimulate academic research to contribute to practical applications, but at the same time the rise of bibliometric performance assessments have strengthened the pressure on academics to conduct excellent basic research that can be published in scholarly literature. We analyze the interplay between these two developments in a set of three case studies of fields of chemistry in the Netherlands. First, we describe how the conditions under which academic chemists work have changed since 1975. Second, we investigate whether practical applications have become a source of credibility for individual researchers. Indeed, this turns out to be the case in catalysis, where connecting with industrial applications helps in many steps of the credibility cycle. Practical applications yield much less credibility in environmental chemistry, where application-oriented research agendas help to acquire funding, but not to publish prestigious papers or to earn peer recognition. In biochemistry practical applications hardly help in gaining credibility, as this field is still strongly oriented at fundamental questions. The differences between the fields can be explained by the presence or absence of powerful upstream end-users, who can afford to invest in academic research with promising long term benefits.

Electromagnetic forming—A review

Electromagnetic forming is an impulse or high-speed forming technology using pulsed magnetic field to apply Lorentz’ forces to workpieces preferably made of a highly electrically conductive material without mechanical contact and without a working medium. Thus hollow profiles can be compressed or expanded and flat or three-dimensionally preformed sheet metal can be shaped and joined as well as cutting operations can be performed. Due to extremely high velocities and strain rates in comparison to conventional quasistatic processes, forming limits can be extended for several materials. In this article, the state of the art of electromagnetic forming is reviewed considering: • basic research work regarding the process principle, significant parameters on the acting loads, the resulting workpiece deformation, and their interactions, and the energy transfer during the process; • application-oriented research work and applications in the field of forming, joining, cutting, and process combinations including electromagnetic forming incorporated into conventional forming technologies. Moreover, research on the material behavior at the process specific high strain rates and on the equipment applied for electromagnetic forming is regarded. On the basis of this survey it is described why electromagnetic forming has not been widely initiated in industrial manufacturing processes up to now. Fields and topics where further research is required are identified and prospects for future industrial implementation of the process are given.

Body Schema in Robotics: A Review

How is our body imprinted in our brain? This seemingly simple question is a subject of investigations of diverse disciplines, psychology, and philosophy originally complemented by neurosciences more recently. Despite substantial efforts, the mysteries of body representations are far from uncovered. The most widely used notions-body image and body schema-are still waiting to be clearly defined. The mechanisms that underlie body representations are coresponsible for the admiring capabilities that humans or many mammals can display: combining information from multiple sensory modalities, controlling their complex bodies, adapting to growth, failures, or using tools. These features are also desirable in robots. This paper surveys the body representations in biology from a functional or computational perspective to set ground for a review of the concept of body schema in robotics. First, we examine application-oriented research: how a robot can improve its capabilities by being able to automatically synthesize, extend, or adapt a model of its body. Second, we summarize the research area in which robots are used as tools to verify hypotheses on the mechanisms underlying biological body representations. We identify trends in these research areas and propose future research directions.

Moving Toward Application-Oriented Research System

As the head of Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Centre and a member of the Editorial Board, I am delighted to preface this edition of IJPR, with appreciation of all the efforts behind it. Health research should be considered as a tool to help policy makers, industries and others to tackle problems, improve the quality of life and build healthy communities. So, besides basic research, that has its own importance and is a necessity for high quality scientific research and nurturing good scientists, a part of research should be devoted to solve national health problems, especially when the resources are limited. I believe that even basic research should mainly be a foundation to deal with professional, industrial and commercial issues. During past several years, due to lack of application-oriented research system, lots of research findings have been rendered useless and at most has been ended in a few publications at national or international levels without further benefit to the society. Publication is a necessity and is the most important way of communication and exchange of ideas among the scientists and plays an important role in development of science. However, publication should not be considered as the main goal and end-point of research. In my opinion, a good research system should be mainly application-oriented, with publication only as a tool for dissemination of its findings or only as a by-product of research. In Western educational and research institutions, the quality of research is considered more important than the number of scientific publications. The Nobel Prize winning scientists are not usually those who have published more papers than their contemporaries. Unfortunately, our research system is still somehow publication-oriented. For example, for years, the so-called 'top researchers of the year' have been chosen mainly based on the number of publications of individuals and even the location of their name in the list of authors. Another main problem in our research system has been lack of considerable demand for research and research results by pharmaceutical companies and health system planners; we suffer from lack of a strong and continuous industry-university relationship. At least in the field of pharmacy and as I mentioned years ago (1997) at 'The 5th Iranian Conference of Pharmaceutical Sciences', of the best ways to increase the demand for the research by the manufacturers, would be competition among them, which has its own way and I am not going to talk about this issue here. A demand-oriented research system could result in development. In such a system, putting money in the research system and fulfilling the needs of the researchers (including both basic and applied) would be a beneficial investment. This should be one of the main policies of any research centre if the development of the country is the main aim. In addition, the grantee institutions are better to decide not to wait for the projects to come. Instead, they should work actively, try to find necessities and define their priorities of research and seek active collaboration with industries and competent researchers. The research centers can also attempt to solve this problem by diverting some of their researches toward problem-based fields. I think we should change our way of thinking and move towards a system of research that fulfills the health care needs of human beings at national and international levels (application-oriented system). National level should be the top priority, especially when the resources are limited. I am glad to hear that, after our suggestions, an application-oriented research system has been considered into the strategic planning and mission of the Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. We are now trying to design different courses, collaborative projects and proposing them to pharmaceutical industries in accordance to the above mentioned points of view. Finally I do hope you enjoy reading this edition of IJPR. I also would like to use this opportunity to say Happy New Year to all Iranians around the world and wish all the best for them.

Relation Modelling within Multiple Representation Databases and Generalisation Services

title/>The process of topographic map production at the national mapping agencies is undergoing steady change. The pressure to reduce production cost in particular hassled to the development and use of new approaches. Traditionally, separate datasets and models have been used to produce topographic maps of different scales and even the sources of data often differ. As a consequence, the derived datasets on different scales are usually inconsistent and thus cannot be updated in a common process. With the transition to GIS-based cartography, these disadvantages will be overcome. The research and development presented here have been carried out within an application-oriented research project of the University of Zurich in cooperation with the company Axes Systems. The focus has been on improving automated generalisation for topographic map production. A multiple representation database with extended linkage information was first implemented. These so-called vertical relations enable the storage of meta-information, which is needed to make the generalisations used during incremental updates. Second, a data model of horizontal relations was developed, to model contextual information explicitly. Examples of applications are the subdivision and partition of datasets, and the modelling of feature groups. Third, a service-oriented architecture was established, enabling a platform-independent development and the provision of generalisation functionality. In addition, an embedded workflow management system was introduced, consisting of a workflow editor and workflow engine, to support the interactive configuration of the generalisation process and the automated execution of generalisation services.

Intelligent Industrial Data Acquisition and Energy Monitoring using Wireless Sensor Networks

Most of the application-oriented research in the field of Wireless Sensor Networks has been in remote monitoring, including environmental, building automation, and security. However, this paper presents the methodology followed for implementation of a Wireless Sensor Network based solution in a process plant for energy management and leak detection. The sensor network acquires data pertaining to detection of leakage in a plant. The network further serves effectively as a maintenance and diagnostic system that is used to manage the plant and conserve energy in a process plant. The critical design issues, testing methodologies and implementation problems pertaining to the system are also presented. Additionally, special focus has been placed on the calculations pertaining to the network life time.