IRF: Institutional Repository FHNW (Hochschule für Wirtschaft FHNW)
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Digital Twin of a Carbon Capture Pilot Plant
No full textA sophisticated model of a carbon capture pilot plant has been developed in MATLAB. The pilot plant is based on the amine scrubbing process and uses the benchmark 30 wt% aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent to remove the CO2 out of an Energy-from-Waste flue gas slip stream. Mass transfer is described based on the film theory including enhancement due to chemical reactions in the separation layer. Chemical kinetics in the bulk liquid phase are also considered. The model predicts the CO2 capture rate and its concentration in the cleaned flue gas well even for degraded solvent. Validation against AspenHYSYS® found good agreement regarding capture rates. The column profiles show some slight differences between the models
Digitale Medien – (k)ein Thema in Kindertagesstätten der Schweiz
No full textDie Studie ‚MEKiSmini – Digitale Medien in Kindertagesstätten der Schweiz‘ liefert erstmals empirische Einblicke, wie Schweizer Kitas digitale Medien einsetzen. Laut den Ergebnissen existiert in der Schweiz eine Barriere für die Medienbildung in Kitas.
Fachkräfte und Erziehungsberechtigte sind der Meinung, dass Kindertagesstätten möglichst frei von Bildschirmmedien sein sollten. Dabei könnte Medienbildung Kinder besser auf das Leben in einer digitalisierten Welt vorbereiten
Bufadienolides from Helleborus foetidus and their cytotoxic properties on MCF-7 breast cancer cells
No full textTwelve bufadienolides and six 19-norbufadienolides were isolated from the aerial parts of Helleborus foetidus. They consist of aglycons and glucosides and include nine previously undescribed compounds and a compound reported for the first time as a genuine natural product. Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic analysis and the structure and absolute configuration of two previously unreported 3,4-epoxy derivatives were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. They show differential cytotoxic activity with IC50 values in the range of 2.4 nM - >10 μM. The potency of the activity strongly correlates with the presence of a C-19 aldehyde group. The data complement the scientific basis underpinning the use of H. foetidus in anthroposophic medicine for the integrative treatment of cancer
The Impact of Digital Technology on Customer Loyalty and Experience
No full textThis Case Study investigates how Digital technology impacts customer loyalty and experience as predicted by the Net promoter score against different Digital Maturity metrics in the context of Building Material Suisse (BMS), a leading interior design and
building materials provider. The primary objective of this study is to assess if higher Digital Maturity as per the Digital Maturity Performance Index will translate into higher Net Promoter scores resulting in better customer satisfaction and experience across the company’s nine showrooms in German-speaking Switzerland
Guiding excipient selection for physically stable amorphous solid dispersions: A combined in-vitro in-silico approach
No full textFast screening of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) is a need in the pharmaceutical industry. To support this, several emerging technologies have been developed ranging from in-silico prediction to miniaturized high-throughput experimentation. However, a notable challenge lies in the absence of comparative data. In the present work, a combination of a miniaturized screening of ASDs with calculation of activity coefficients using the conductor like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) was proposed. First, the physical stability of ASDs comprising drugs of different glass forming ability (GFA) each with ten pharmaceutically relevant polymers was evaluated under accelerated stress conditions at two drug:polymer ratios. The miniaturized high-throughput screening method was based on the instability onset time that was monitored by polarized light microscopy (PLM). Furthermore, COSMO-RS was used to assess the interaction strength between the drugs and polymers by calculating activity coefficients, which was combined with estimations of the wet glass transition temperature (Tg), to account for molecular mobility. The computational calculations showed an overall alignment of 87 % with the instability of the ASDs observed experimentally for comparable drug:polymer ratios and humidity conditions. This positive result supports the current understanding of stable ASD formulation where at given ambient conditions, a low molecular mobility as well as the strength of interaction between drug and polymer has a main impact on the physical stability of ASDs. The current results are further encouraging to implement such a combined in-vitro/high-throughput (HTS) and in-silico strategy in early industrial screening of ASDs
Optimierung der Neukundenerfassung
No full textDie Bio Partner Schweiz AG nutzte für die Neukundenerfassung das ERP-System Infor M3, stand dabei jedoch vor Herausforderungen. Daten mussten mehrfach in verschiedene Programme eingegeben werden, was zeitaufwendig und fehleranfällig war. Zudem erschwerte die Nutzung mehrerer Infor-Programme die Orientierung, da oft unklar war, wo Informationen gespeichert waren. Dies führte zu Verzögerungen und Unzufriedenheit im Team. Ein vereinfachter und effizienterer Prozess war dringend erforderlich, um diese Probleme zu lösen und die Arbeitsabläufe zu verbessern
Schulsozialarbeit und Bildungsungleichheit. Die Rolle der Schulsozialarbeit im Umgang mit sozialen Bildungsungleichheiten im Schweizer Schulsystem
No full textContractual pathways to collaboration: A Swiss case study comparing transactional and relational models with implications for global IPD practice
No full textIntegrated Project Delivery (IPD), also referred to as Project Alliancing, promotes collaboration through the integration of people, systems, and practices to optimize construction project outcomes. This study explores how IPD is implemented in the Swiss context by comparing traditional transactional contracts with relational contracts that align with IPD principles. Using qualitative content analysis in MAXQDA, twelve contracts - eight relational and four transactional - were systematically analyzed to identify 61 regulatory themes, which were assigned 2,490 times across 463 paragraphs. The findings show that relational contracts regulate nearly twice as many topics as transactional ones, particularly in areas such as joint decision-making, shared responsibilities, collaborative methods, incentive-based remuneration, and active client involvement. These relational features align with IPD’s emphasis on partnership, risk-sharing, and value creation, and suggest a reduced potential for conflict and smoother project execution. The study provides a comprehensive checklist of regulatory considerations, aiding the drafting of future IPD contracts. Although rooted in Swiss practice, the results offer transferable insights for international application, especially in regions adopting or refining collaborative construction models. This research contributes to both academic discourse and professional practice by highlighting the contractual mechanisms necessary to foster integrated, performance-oriented project environments
Discovery of cilnidipine cocrystals with enhanced dissolution by the use of computational tools and semiautomatic high-throughput screening
No full textCocrystals are an attractive option for overcoming drug limitations, such as a low dissolution rate and absorption of poorly water-soluble compounds. Nevertheless, the discovery of new cocrystals remains a trial-and-error approach in which hundreds of coformers and several experimental methods are often tested. To streamline the cocrystal screening, computational methods can be used to select the coformers most likely to form a cocrystal, while high-throughput screening (HTS) approaches can rapidly screen them experimentally. In this manuscript, a new cocrystal of the extremely poorly soluble drug cilnidipine (solubility ≈30 ng/mL, 0.06 μM) was successfully discovered by applying HTS approaches. Only one cocrystal resulted from the screening with a total of 52 coformers, whereby the computational approach molecular complementarity successfully ranked this coformer (p-toluenesulfonamide) at the third position of the screening list. Dissolution studies conducted on the cocrystal in blank FaSSIF (fasted-state simulated intestinal fluid) and FaSSIF pH 6.5 revealed enhanced drug dissolution with a maximum achieved supersaturation equal to seven times the solubility of the crystalline drug. Dissolution rates of drug and coformer were compared for better mechanistic understanding of the cocrystal dissolution–supersaturation–precipitation behavior. The case of cilnidipine with a rare occurrence of cocrystals emphasized the importance of using joint computational and HTS approaches to enable successful cocrystal identification for pharmaceutical development
Exploring levels of visual realism of digital twins to support user guidance in augmented reality
No full textVisual realism is a key consideration in augmented reality (AR), especially when it comes to guiding tasks employing digital twins. This poster presents the findings of a qualitative user study that explored user comprehension and interaction in a step-by-step AR guidance scenario with different levels of visual realism in digital twins. We developed an AR prototype for the Apple Vision Pro using SwiftUI and Unity to simulate a radiopharmaceutical mixing procedure. Participants (N = 9) performed the task under two distinct scenarios: 1) with visual cues using high visual realism and 2) with visual cues using low visual realism and abstract elements for guidance.
The results show that, while high visual realism helps with spatial orientation and understanding of the system, it can also cause confusion when there are mismatches between the digital and physical elements. In contrast, cues with low visual realism were quickly and consistently understood by our participants. These findings suggest that combining a realistic environmental context with abstract visual cues could improve the clarity of AR guidance. This work provides early-stage design considerations for digital twin design in AR