Exemplary Development Research Articles

Challenges in Implementing the Local Node Infrastructure for a National Federated Machine Learning Network in Radiology.

Data-driven machine learning in medical research and diagnostics needs large-scale datasets curated by clinical experts. The generation of large datasets can be challenging in terms of resource consumption and time effort, while generalizability and validation of the developed models significantly benefit from variety in data sources. Training algorithms on smaller decentralized datasets through federated learning can reduce effort, but require the implementation of a specific and ambitious infrastructure to share data, algorithms and computing time. Additionally, it offers the opportunity of maintaining and keeping the data locally. Thus, data safety issues can be avoided because patient data must not be shared. Machine learning models are trained on local data by sharing the model and through an established network. In addition to commercial applications, there are also numerous academic and customized implementations of network infrastructures available. The configuration of these networks primarily differs, yet adheres to a standard framework composed of fundamental components. In this technical note, we propose basic infrastructure requirements for data governance, data science workflows, and local node set-up, and report on the advantages and experienced pitfalls in implementing the local infrastructure with the German Radiological Cooperative Network initiative as the use case example. We show how the infrastructure can be built upon some base components to reflect the needs of a federated learning network and how they can be implemented considering both local and global network requirements. After analyzing the deployment process in different settings and scenarios, we recommend integrating the local node into an existing clinical IT infrastructure. This approach offers benefits in terms of maintenance and deployment effort compared to external integration in a separate environment (e.g., the radiology department). This proposed groundwork can be taken as an exemplary development guideline for future applications of federated learning networks in clinical and scientific environments.

The Role of Competence Profiles in Industry 5.0-Related Vocational Education and Training: Exemplary Development of a Competence Profile for Industrial Logistics Engineering Education

Industry 5.0 and the associated transformation into Society 5.0 require a complete realignment of the skills required of the engineers of tomorrow. Thereby, the pre-dominant and policy-driven drivers of digitalization, and sustainability in particular, demand a complex variety of enhanced special competencies (e.g., lean thinking, data science skills) and transversal competencies from engineers working in manufacturing companies which must be systematically developed and continuously expanded. Since methodical approaches to systematic competence development in the environment of Industry 5.0-related engineering education are scarce, this article develops a competence profile for industrial logistics engineering education as an example of Industry 5.0-related vocational education and training initiatives. After elaborating on the relevant theoretical aspects of systematic competence development in adult education, an exemplary competence profile for industrial logistics engineering education is developed. Moreover, this paper presents a preliminary investigation of the impact of competencies on job performance and job satisfaction. The research results serve as a basis for the development of new teaching and learning concepts as well as for the investigation of causal relationships between competence-orientation and individual performance for industrial engineers in manufacturing enterprises.

Systemic risks in electricity systems: A perspective on the potential of digital technologies

In the last decades, several developments have transformed electricity systems in Europe towards liberalized and decentralized systems that are coupled inter-sectorally and inter-regionally. These developments have yielded various significant benefits, such as increased efficiency and robustness. However, we argue that they have also caused new interdependencies and complexity with a corresponding increase in associated systemic risks, e.g., local failures may spread faster and more extensively throughout the system. In this paper, we illustrate how systemic risks may arise in European electricity systems by discussing three exemplary developments. We also discuss the decisive role of the digital transformation that, on the one hand, speeds up the transition of electricity systems and challenges electricity systems’ stability through rapid change, but on the other hand may also provide solutions to tackle systemic risks. We argue that, especially in a strongly interconnected world, policymakers must implement a global perspective on these critical and increasingly complex systems, requiring adequate cooperation with respect to data. Using an exemplary case from Germany, we finally illustrate how an intensified data exchange may help to address systemic risks. In this context, we draw a perspective on the potential of emerging digital technologies, like self-sovereign identities, blockchains, and privacy-enhancing technologies.

Numerical investigation to assess the techno-economic feasibility of solar central receiver system for off-grid power in Saint Martin's Island, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a small country, located in south-east Asia having a fast-progressing economy and exemplary development in industry, architecture and engineering sectors. With such developments, demand of power is also on the rise exponentially. Although the generation capacity of the country has seen a major boost, lack of proper distribution, negligence towards renewable energy resources and dependance on perishable fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, mineral oil etc.) pose a major risk of a significant power crisis in future. The only tourist favorite island of the country, known as Saint Martin's Island lacks national grid connection and stable source of power to mitigate the inhabitants' electricity need. This study intends to analyze the technical and economic feasibility of solar powered central receiver system to provide steady and cheap means of power generation at the island in an environment friendly manner. A detailed and optimized model has been designed for simulating a 1 MW solar powered central receiver plant using SolarPILOT and System Advisor Model (SAM) software. Modelled power plant can generate 3304 MWh electricity yearly with a gross efficiency and capacity factor 12.29% and 41.9% respectively at 38.61 Cents/kWh levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) which is much cheaper than the current rate at Saint Martin's Island. The promising performance of the powerplant designed in this study would encourage future research and innovations in case of off-grid electricity generation employing solar thermal energy in Bangladesh to ensure sustainable development.

An exemplary definition of a vertidrome's airside concept of operations

In many cities the (public) transportation system already faces challenges to adjust appropriately to the growing population. Lifting the transportation offer into the third dimension by introducing Urban Air Mobility (UAM) may be a promising step towards an improvement. But what characteristics does UAM need to offer in order to represent successfully an extension to our traditional (public) transportation system and to fit into the concept of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) where various modes of transportation are bundled and accessible on demand? On the one hand, the supporting ground infrastructure specialized in accommodating UAM and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) operations, in this research named vertidrome, and on the other hand a consortium of stakeholders (vehicle operator, vertidrome operator, air traffic management, passenger, city councils, etc.) will determine a considerable portion of these requirements. The vertidrome is a UAM traffic junction, which merges airside and landside operations and interactions between the vertidrome infrastructure components, the vehicles and the passengers. This research work focuses on the exemplary development of a vertidromes airside operation considering a UAM application at the Munich trade fair (Germany). Following this objective, we analyze the unique characteristics of UAM, review the current state of the art regarding UAM ground infrastructure designs and introduce a new and VTOL-specific terminology vertidrome. In addition, we define an exemplary vertidrome concept of operations: a linear and expandable drive-through (LIEDT) topology, distinct approach and departure mission profiles based on the VTOL vehicle Volocopter 2X, as well as operating (airside air) and traffic (airside ground) rules for arriving and departing vehicles. The results will contribute to the development of a corresponding discrete event-based simulation (DES) depicting the elaborated vertidrome's airside structure and operations followed by the development of a performance assessment method evaluating a vertidrome's airside traffic flow (Vertidrome Airside Level of Service - VALoS).

Automation technology as a key component of the Industry 4.0 production development path

Since 2011, the Industry 4.0 initiative is a key research and development direction towards flexible production systems in Germany. The objective of the initiative is to deal with the challenge of an increased production complexity caused by various factors such as increasing global competition between companies, product variety, and individualization to meet customer needs. For this, Industry 4.0 envisions an overarching connection of information technologies with the production process, enabling smart manufacturing. Bringing current production systems to this objective will be a long transformation process, which requires a coherent migration path. The aim of this paper is to represent an exemplary production development way towards Industry 4.0 using eminent formalization approaches and standardized automation technologies.

A case for increasing exemplary followership in organizations

Purpose In today’s rapidly changing workforce environment, organizations seek ways to increase productivity to remain competitive. The central human capital strategy is to attract the best talent and increase individual and team productivity to reach its strategic goals. Human Resources (HR) Professionals are required to attract, retain, train and develop employees to exhibit critical citizenship behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to present organizational-based research on why exemplary followers are considered valuable, as well as contribute to the understanding and discourse of the important role “exemplary followers” have for organizations. Extant followership constructs will be linked to key HR processes to illustrate how organizations can select, develop and retain “exemplary followership” to safeguard organizational sustainability. Design/methodology/approach A brief overview of HR systems and processes to enhance exemplary followership in employees is presented for training and development purposes. A range of research and practitioner papers are reviewed with the aim of illustrating the importance of and the key constructs for exemplary followership and to suggest practical applications for its development within organizations’ HR processes. Findings By understanding the importance and implications of exemplary followership development, the author will suggest practical HR tools that may be adopted, whole or in part, thus improving organizational sustainability. Practical implications Providing ways for HR to increase exemplary followership through learning and growth might help to expand practical followership development programmes in organizations at all levels. Originality/value This paper has drawn on limited followership organizational performance research done in the USA and Ghana and overall research in this area. It has discussed the Followership Continuum Model as a prescriptive tool for organizations to use. All Followership research has simply provided foundational constructs to be used in the original work the author developed for increasing exemplary followership in organizations through HR processes. There is no research like this to the author’s knowledge.

Creating Content and Use Cases for Testing Semantic Correlation Rules in Content Delivery

Information retrieval (IR) systems like content delivery portals (CDP) help users to complete processes like searching tasks. However, these systems are facing difficulties like a lack of context or an abundance of content within the required information. An approach to solve this problem is the creation of microDocs with semantic correlation rules (SCR). The objective of this paper is to examine the realization of SCR in CDP according to use cases by focusing on the impact SCR have on the effectiveness of CDP for IR. SCR can be implemented in various creation systems. Furthermore, the paper focuses on the exemplary development of SCR in a component content management system (CCMS). Therefore, a system-based evaluation was conducted. In addition a test collection, following an ontology and a corresponding metadata architecture was created to evaluate the impact of SCR on CDP. The evaluation includes three systems, representing the different types of CDP. It uses methodology precision and recall, as well-fitting methods for the intended purpose. To conclude and finalize, testing results will be summed up, interpreted and the findings will be provided with an outlook.

Comparative Case Studies of Parking Reduction at Transit-Oriented Developments in the U.S.A.

This study addresses the question of parking supply and demand at transit-oriented developments (TODs) through comparative case studies of seven TODs in the U.S.A. As far as the authors can determine, this is one of the first studies to estimate peak parking generation rates for TODs. Developments are often characterized in relation to “D” variables—development density, land use diversity, urban design, destination accessibility and distance to transit. The seven TODs studied in this project are exemplary when it comes to the Ds. At the overall peak hour, just 51.2%–84.0% of parking spaces are filled. Because of limited use of shared parking, even these exemplary developments do not achieve their full potential. At the overall peak hour, parked cars would fill just 19.5%–69.4% of parking spaces if the developments were built to Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) standards. With one exception, peak parking demand is less than 60% of the parking supply guideline in the ITE Parking Generation manual. A sixth D, demand management (parking management), is mixed at the TODs studied. For one thing, there is a dearth of shared parking, though opportunities abound. Another area in which parking policies are not always smart is in bundled residential parking. At some TODs, a parking space/permit comes with each apartment whether the renters want it and use it or not. Such parking is effectively free. A third area in which parking policies are not always smart is in free commercial parking, the counterpart of bundled residential parking.

The LNG trade between Qatar and East Asia: Potential impacts of unconventional energy resources on the LNG sector and Qatar's economic development goals

The successful emergence of Qatar into the LNG market is one of the most interesting cases in developmental studies, because of its strategy, planning, and implementation to take advantage of a fossil resource: The North Gas Field. Since the 1990s, the natural gas production enabled an exemplary development in Qatar based on the LNG trade to reach remote markets such as the East Asian basin, a region of the largest LNG importers. However, the technological and commercial disruption emerging from new and unconventional gas resources has started changing the market conditions globally, which could affect the well-established energy trade between Qatar and its East Asian customers, hence its economic development prospects. This paper analyses the market changes on power and position from different players in that trade, with relation to Qatar. The analysis on the demand and supply sides indicates how deep the new resources act as market game-changers such as shale gas did in the US in the past decade, shifting the power balance towards a buyer's market approach. The new balance creates new market conditions towards the flexibilization/globalization of the LNG as a commodity and the evolution of the market, forcing Qatar to design and implement necessary adaptations to maintain its position and importance as a reliable LNG supplier in different levels. The strategic considerations of Qatar are crucial to avoid negative impacts, in an increasingly complex and dynamic market, under heightened conditions of competition never seen on the LNG trade, in addition to the unforeseeable changes brought by climate change, trade barriers and global outbreaks. Such changes call for smart, progressive, and adaptive transitionary energy policies and strategies for Qatar and similar exporters.

Semiotic Analysis of Media and Visual Jihad of ISIS Group in Photos Released by Them

Jihad is a central but variable concept in the Islamic fundamentalism discourse. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as the latest product of this discourse defined media jihad as an important aspect of this obligation by conceptual and exemplary development of jihad. In this research, by applying social semiotics method, a semiotic analysis of media jihad was conducted by emphasizing their photographic activities on some published photos of ISIS and also efforts were made to discover the intrinsic meaning of ISIS on this concept. By committing themselves to social semiotics presumptions, the authors tried to explore underlying layers of photos and reveal the social and cultural contexts, as well as power relations as the background of this semiotics. In this study, some codes such as companionship of ISIS soldiers with visual and media tools, companionship of media and visual tools with military and violent weapons and active participation of women in the jihad media, which consists of a system of signs were analyzed and such analyses were discussed in social and cultural contexts such as power, dual space, and switch from writing to image. Finally, the meaning that is generally understood of media jihad was quite different from what exists in Islam about jihad.

Building physics design of urban surfaces

Structural-spatial form and urban land use are among the main transformative fields of action of cities. Quality of life and environment, identity and individuality as well as participation in local society are significantly influenced by urban surfaces. Most urban surfaces have so far been designed for the long-term fulfilment of individual purposes, but offer greater scope for design in terms of functionality and adaptability, quality and efficiency. It therefore makes sense to develop, evaluate, technologically expand and test the potential of urban surfaces in terms of building physics as a whole. In view of growing stress on urban structures due to climate-induced influences, such as flooding, extreme weather conditions or heat islands, new possibilities, processes, systems or materials are needed to improve resilience. The article presents exemplary developments that can be supplemented and combined. Hydroactive surfaces can buffer rainwater and release it with a time delay to reduce heat and flooding equally. Green façades improve city climate and air quality. Sound-absorbing façades reduce inner-city noise. Innovative transparent foil enclosures provide equally visibility and an optimum weather protection of objects to be protected throughout the year.

English

Active participation and effective leadership are two accepted substantial objects of a well-functioning local government, without those ingredients, governance of local government intuitions cannot be contented to its founding purpose. Bangladesh, an emerging South Asian economic tiger, has achieved some exemplary development within short time in many fields, is still struggling to establish a strong and vibrant local government. There are several barriers identified beyond this such as colonial legacy in the governance, extreme controlling by the central government, weak participatory mechanism, poor finance etc. With the study of union parishad, the lowest tier of rural local government, this paper aims to illustrate the actual pattern of elected representative’s participation and the nature of leadership in the local government institution in Bangladesh. This is an exploratory study where multiple data collection tools are applied for collecting data from 77 elected members of 11 UPs of Kishoreganj Sadar Upazila. Major findings revealed that a significant amount of elected member does not have minimum knowledge about the laws and they do not have the proper understanding on management before entering their role. Moreover, patriarchy attitude is found as obstruction in the case of women’s active participation as body member. Finally, this paper provided some policy suggestions how this problems can be resolved. Key words: Participation, leadership, strengthening local government, union parishad,

Raising the standard: Developing a benchmark for green infrastructure

Green infrastructure (GI) is globally recognised as an essential component of liveable and sustainable places. It is valued for its multifunctionality and the connectedness of the individual features to each other, the surrounding countryside and urban populations. It brings together many land uses (e.g. parks, gardens, cemeteries, allotments, nature reserves, surface water), urban design (e.g. street trees, landscaping) and functional features (e.g. sustainable urban drainage systems, green roofs) operating at differing spatial scales. It is widely acknowledged that GI is the primary mechanism for delivering ecosystem services in towns and cities, and there is a substantial body of research demonstrating the multiple benefits of GI to urban populations. Despite this evidence base, there is still considerable uncertainty about the best way to design, deliver and maintain GI. This paper presents an emerging benchmark that has been developed through a combination of literature review and engagement with key stakeholders. It provides a suite of standards that are flexible enough to be used across different spatial scales depending on the specific needs of the location, covering the form and function of GI including nature conservation, water management, health and well-being, environmental and design quality. It allows an assessment of GI policy, and the planning, design, delivery and long-term management of GI in new and existing places, ensuring that current good practice is adopted at all stages. The development of the benchmark to date is summarised along with the outcome of preliminary testing using the outline planning applications for two contrasting mixed-use developments. This found that the benchmark performed well, with standards set at a level to ensure that high-quality GI is rewarded but without requiring a level of GI provision and quality that would only be expected on truly exemplary developments. Plans for the future development and testing of the benchmark are provided.

How Building with Wood Can Be Linked to Sales of Building Plots: Results from an Exemplary Site Development in Munich, Germany

Cities today seek ways to comply with national climate targets. The urban authorities responsible for city planning are therefore responsible for defining the eco-efficiency of cities for decades to come. They need clear guidelines on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the building stock in a specific area. The use of sustainably sourced wood in construction plays an increasingly vital part in the transition towards eco-cities. Drawing on an exemplary development site in Munich, this paper describes how the sale of building plots can be connected to an agreement to build with wood. Based on an actual research project, site-specific target values regarding greenhouse gas emissions and the amount of renewable material for specific building plots were developed by studying life cycle assessments for different buildings. Wood is introduced as a building material to achieve a minimal environmental footprint. The focus is set on linking the sale of building plots to an agreement to build primarily with wood. Target values for the buildings were developed in close cooperation with the city and were linked to the tendering of the plots. The proceedings and its implementation are shown in this paper.

Raumordnerische Risikovorsorge am Beispiel der Planungsregion Köln


 With the demonstration project “Preventive Risk Management and Regional Planning” the exemplary development, implementation and documentation of an integrated concept for risk prevention embedded within regional planning was elaborated. The project was based on the concept of risk governance. It was implemented in the case study region of the District of Cologne, which was represented by its departments for regional development, immission control and water management. Within a broader scope of analysis, special attention was paid to critical infrastructures.
 For regional planning those risks and hazards are most important that require a cross-sectoral, regional response (see Art. 1 § 1 and Art. 8 § 6 Federal Regional Planning Act), as their impacts or related response strategies are of regional character. Therefore, the following four hazards were selected: river flooding, earthquakes, major accident hazards and heat.
 For these four potential dangers hazard and susceptibility classes were defined in accordance with a concept of risk analysis developed by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Crisis Prevention. Hazard and susceptibility were merged into an integrated risk index. The categorization into hazard classes was the result of a consensus-building process among the project team and the participating experts of the District of Cologne. Furthermore, the team collaboratively defined specific susceptibilities for each land-use function (e. g. residential areas, transport infrastructure etc.) regarding each of the four selected types of hazards.
 On this conceptual basis, a GIS-based analysis of the risks that are caused by the selected hazards was conducted. Main results are hazard, susceptibility and risk maps for river floods, earthquakes and major accident hazards—both for the entire region and (with a finer resolution) for selected hot spots. Moreover, the project developed recommendations for regulations on risk management as a basis for the necessary weighting up of risk prevention against other planning concerns. Finally, a roadmap for spatial risk management as an integrated part of a comprehensive regional plan was derived.
 The District of Cologne will use the project’s results as an evidence basis for the forthcoming update of the regional plan. This is of particular importance in view of the recent amendment of the EU Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (2014/52/EU) that widened the scope of this assessment to climate change and catastrophic risks.

Leadership Training at First Bank of Nigeria: A Case Study

<p>The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to identify components of an exemplary leadership development program that might serve as a framework for training leaders for banking organizations in Nigeria. We recruited 30 managers, supervisors, and officers with at least 10 years of banking experience to explore leadership development at First Bank of Nigeria’s headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. Face-to-face interviews focused on exploring what type of corporate leadership training strategies worked for First Bank of Nigeria. Four major leadership development strategies that worked best for First Bank emerged from analysis of the qualitative data obtained: (a) classroom, online, and on-the-job training; (b) mentoring; (c) coaching by a shadow manager; and (d) personal development and work-life balance. First Academy, the training arm at First Bank of Nigeria, has made valuable contributions to developing leaders in the fast-paced Nigerian banking industry. Other banking organizations in Nigeria may want to incorporate leadership training strategies used by First Bank of Nigeria.</p>

A Structured Methodology for Measurement Development

A conceptual framework is proposed in which measurement development is envisioned as a three-level hierarchically structured process constituted of stages, each one composed of activities performed through multiple tasks. The underlying assumptions are that the measurement is a designed-on-purpose process and the resources it requires should be justified on a pragmatic basis. The usefulness of the proposed methodology is then illustrated by applying it to an exemplary development of the measurement of the input–output transfer characteristic of an analog-to-digital converter and in the case of a research quality assessment. In this second case, the framework is also used to identify similarities and differences between this information gathering process and measurement.

Statistical Analysis at the Birth of Close Reading

What is the actual relation between close reading and non-close methods of textual analysis? Connecting Edward Lee Thorndike’s The Teacher’s Word Book (1921), C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards’s universal language (Basic English), and Richards’s inaugural theories of close reading, the essay demonstrates that the inception of close reading was shaped by its era’s statistical analyses or “distant reading,” particularly the genre of the word list. The second part of the essay tracks the subsequent divergence of close reading and statistical analysis by considering two exemplary developments: research into the measurement of “readability,” and Cleanth Brooks’s notion of “the heresy of paraphrase.” Ultimately, the essay aims to fine-tune discussions of close and distant reading that have been occasioned by the digital humanities and suggests that literary studies can once again learn from, and contribute to, the field of reading research.

Researching the impact of teacher professional development programmes based on action research, constructivism, and systems theory

This paper deals with the topic of professional development programmes’ impact. Concepts and ideas of action research, constructivism, and systems theory are used as a theoretical framework and are combined to describe and analyse an exemplary professional development programme in Austria. Empirical findings from both quantitative and qualitative studies regarding the programme’s impact are provided and discussed. Moreover, implications for future programmes’ planning and implementation are provided.