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Social and ecological responsibility within engineering education. A modular student-driven course design that is implemented at seven German universities
No full textThe Blue Engineering Course is a student-initiated course design that addresses the social and ecological responsibility of engineering. Its student-driven character is achieved through a set of over 150 building blocks, these are well-documented teaching/learning units which are freely available online. The course consists of three parts so that the students gradually acquire the competences to co-conduct and co-develop the course: 1) Students get to know high quality building blocks conducted by a lecturer/student tutors; 2) Students conduct existing building blocks; 3) Students develop new building blocks, conduct them and document them for future use.The design of the Blue Engineering Course has been implemented at Technische Universität Berlin since 2011. Here, over 100 students participated in 18 consecutive semesters. The course design is also successfully adapted and implemented at six other universities in Germany. In total, four exemplary implementations are presented and than analyzed with regard to the transferability and success factors of its implementation
An investigation of the variation of dielectric properties of ovine lung tissue with temperature
No full textPresently, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Microwave thermal ablation is commonly used for the treatment of lung cancer. During microwave ablation treatment, changing temperatures (up to 100 °C) cause variations in the dielectric properties of the tissue under treatment. This study investigates the temperature dependence of dielectric properties of ex-vivo ovine lung tissue. The frequency spectrum investigated was from 0.5 GHz to 8 GHz over a total of 201 points. In this study, a microwave ablator (MWA) and a microwave oven (MWO) were used to warm up the samples under investigation. Initially, the spectral variation of the dielectric properties with temperature are presented. The results show that both the real part of the permittivity and the conductivity decrease with temperature for both heating methodologies. The study also investigates the effect of the heating methodology on the measurements. In this case, MWA heating results in a wider range in the measured dielectric parameters compared to MWO. However, the average values for both methodologies are within experimental uncertainty. Finally, the study also presents the temperature coefficients for both the MWA and the MWO tissue heating methods. These results are useful in treatment planning of thermal ablation procedures in order to minimise thermal damage to peripheral tissue.This work has received funding from the European
Research Council under the European Union\u27s Horizon 2020
Programme/ERC Grant Agreement BioElecPro n. 637780,
and has been developed within the framework of COST
Action MiMed (TD1301)
The complex roles of efferocytosis in cancer development, metastasis, and treatment
No full textWhen tumor cells are killed by targeted therapy, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy, they trigger their primary tumor by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. Microenvironmental interactions can also promote tumor heterogeneity and development. In this line, several immune cells within the tumor microenvironment, including macrophages, dendritic cells, regulatory T-cells, and CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, are involved in the clearance of apoptotic tumor cells through a process called efferocytosis. Although the efficiency of apoptotic tumor cell efferocytosis is positive under physiological conditions, there are controversies regarding its usefulness in treatment-induced apoptotic tumor cells (ATCs). Efferocytosis can show the limitation of cytotoxic treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Since cytotoxic treatments lead to extensive cell mortality, efferocytosis, and macrophage polarization toward an M2 phenotype, the immune response may get involved in
tumor recurrence and metastasis. Tumor cells can use the anti-inflammatory effect of apoptotic tumor cell efferocytosis to induce an immunosuppressive condition that is tumor-tolerant. Since M2 polarization and efferocytosis are tumor-promoting processes, the receptors on macrophages act as potential targets for cancer therapy. Moreover, researchers have shown that efferocytosis-related molecules/pathways are potential targets for cancer therapy. These include phosphatidylserine and calreticulin, Tyro3, Axl, and Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK), receptors of tyrosine kinase, indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1, annexin V, CD47, TGF-β, IL-10, and macrophage phenotype switch are combined with conventional therapy, which can be more effective in cancer treatment. Thus, we set out to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of efferocytosis in treatment-induced apoptotic tumor cells
Evaluation of the n-alkane technique for estimating the individual intake of dairy cows consuming diets containing herbage and a partial mixed ration
No full textEstimation of dry matter intake (DMI) using the n-alkane technique was evaluated in lactating dairy cows fed fresh herbage and a partial mixed ration (PMR). Four dietary treatments were investigated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment using 16 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. Dietary treatments were combinations of low and high amounts of fresh herbage (8 or 14 kg DM/cow per day) and PMR supplement (6 or 12 kg DM/cow per day). The pre-experimental period was 14 days followed by a 10-day experimental period. Cows were housed in individual metabolism stalls to allow for accurate measurement of DMI and total fecal output. Fecal n-alkane recovery rates were calculated to determine the most accurate corrections for incomplete fecal n-alkane recovery. The n-alkane technique accurately estimated DMI when corrected for incomplete fecal recovery using both published recovery rates and recovery rates calculated in this experiment. The most accurate application of recovery rates was with those calculated for each combination of dietary treatments, compared with using an average recovery rate. This research has important implications for the future use of the n-alkane technique, especially in PMR feeding systems. The discrepancy between estimated (when treatment recovery rates were applied) and measured herbage DMI increased with the amount of herbage offered but was not affected by amount of PMR. It was also found that the recovery rates of all natural n-alkanes increased as the amount of herbage increased. This research demonstrates that the n-alkane technique can be used to accurately estimate individual cow intake when fresh herbage and PMR are offered separately, evidenced by strong Lin’s concordance estimates
Discrimination of five Greek red grape varieties according to the anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin profiles of their skins and seeds
No full textThe knowledge of grapes phenolic content is proven to be critical for the vinification process and the improvement of wine quality. This study was undertaken to determine the phenolic composition and to employ the phenolic profile as a varietal discrimination tool in five Greek red grape varieties. Ninety grape samples from two seasons (2017 and 2018) were analyzed after extraction with organic solvents. Their proanthocyanidin profile, expressed as percentages of flavan-3-ols, was determined in both skins and seeds by employing phloroglucinolysis followed by HPLC-UV and MS detection, and anthocyanin profile was identified only in the skin extracts by HPLC-UV. Significant differences were observed in proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin profiles of skin extracts between the samples of different varieties, but not in seeds. (-)-Epicatechin was the main subunit in Mandilaria, Kotsifali, Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro grapes while (-)-epigallocatechin gallate in Mavrotragano. Malvidin-3-O-glucoside was the predominant pigment in all grape samples analyzed with the exception of Kotsifali skin extracts, where peonidin-3-O-glucoside was the most abundant anthocyanin. In addition, Mavrotragano skin extracts were the richest in delphinidin and petunidin-3-O-glucosides, while Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro contained the highest amount of malvidin-3-O-glucoside. The results underline the significance of the skin phenolic composition as a tool for the discrimination of the Greek red grape varieties.State Scholarships Foundation of Greec
Questioning current attitudes towards “keeping” and their implications on longer product lifetimes
No full textTo prolong product lifetimes, consumer behaviour in relation to everyday possessions is likely
to evolve. Consumers are progressively expected to take part in efforts to prevent waste and keep
everyday goods in conditions that permit reuse, repair and repurposing. This implies a variety of forms
of shorter and longer term keeping not yet sufficiently represented in existing product consumption
phase models. While periods of passivity or transition where products are kept awaiting repair, second
lives or divestment are inherent in todays’ product relations, attitudes to keeping things are ambiguous.
This article aims to contribute to better understanding of behavioural aspects of the passive phases of
thing-relations and what may influence attitudes to keeping stuff. We discuss keeping and related
constructs such as clutter, product hibernation, abandonment and sedimentation to better understand
the diversity of passive object relations and the issues they raise.
Design-oriented ethnographic research into different attitudes towards keeping in the context of
everyday product relations highlights the ambiguity around the way we keep things. Six main emerging
themes are identified: oppression, coping/questioning, projection, conscious use, reassurance and
managing visibility. These diverse, co-existing themes illustrate the need to better understand the fluid,
unstable and personal nature of passive product relations
Quantifying the conservation value of independent, place-based repair: a case study of an electronics repair cluster in Lima, Peru
No full textRepair and maintenance of consumer electronics can conserve the materials and energy
they embody. Independent or third-party businesses are important sites of such repair and maintenance
activity. While the value of such businesses is sometimes captured in official socioeconomic statistics
(e.g., employment; tax revenues; contribution to GDP), little attention has been paid to their role in the
conservation of resources. In this paper we examine the conservation value of a cluster of independent
third-party electronics repair businesses in Lima, Peru. Using life cycle assessment (LCA) of phones
and tablets we quantify the conservation value of this cluster in terms of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) and
water consumption relative to new manufactures of the same categories of electronics. We then discuss
the politics of attributing the conservation value achieved by the third-party repair cluster in Lima to
either domestic (that is, Peruvian) or foreign CO2e . Whose conservation of CO2e is this? How do the
answers to that question shape understandings of the relevance of location for industrial ecology? Our
work contributes to the broader field of spatially explicit LCAs and their incorporation into the emerging
subfield of political industrial ecology
“When we got divorced, I left all my things behind”. How the lifespan of household goods is linked to the biographical trajectory of their owners
No full textSocial science research suggests that in our current affluent society, most individuals are
accustomed to replacing their objects rather than keeping them at all costs. However, in this society,
some individuals still try to keep their objects for a long time. How do they come to be concerned about
products’ lifespan? The literature has proposed a whole series of explanatory factors, mainly in terms
of resources (psychological, economic, social), but has never used a diachronic approach that takes
into account the evolution of individual practices in the life course. In this paper, analyzing interviews
conducted with sixty individuals seeking to make their objects last, I adopt a biographical approach to
understand two things. First, I study how the practice of extending the life span of objects takes root: I
show that the tendency to keep objects for a long time can come from the familial milieu, just as it can
happen later, in connection with significant experiences with objects, with the reception of messages
disseminated by the media and/or with personal events. Then, I wonder how biographical events affects
products’ career in the households. I focus no longer on the general relationship of the individual to
objects\u27 lifespan, but on the career of the objects themselves. I emphasize that professional, residential,
family or more global events (such as the COVID-19 crisis), which punctuate the life course of
individuals, determine the fate of objects in the home
Recycle or reuse? A life-cycle-assessment-based model to evaluate end-of-life decisions for photovoltaic panels
No full textThis paper aims to assess the environmental and economic impact when it comes to the presumed end of life for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. A recycling option is compared to the reuse of the PV panels in the two impact categories: costs for the consideration of economic feasibility and global warming potential (GWP 100) for the consideration of the environmental impact. The evaluation is carried out with a parametric life-cycle-assessment-based model that was designed to be adaptable for evaluating different scenarios by changing the parameters to fit the given cost structure or climate zone in which the panels are being used. The recycling option involves market-established methods for recycling the old panels and replacing them with new ones. The reuse case involves testing and reusing the old panels, taking a certain rejection rate into account. The most significant parameters for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are the rejection rate, the solar radiation and thus the capacity utilization as well as the expected lifetime of the newly manufactured panels and their greenhouse gas emissions during production. The results indicate that in most cases greenhouse gas emissions can be saved compared to the recycling option. The costs for reuse compared to recycling depend on the rejection rate and the expected lifetime for both the panels, that can be reused and the new panels. The comparison of the costs for reuse and recycling contains some uncertainties since the testing of panels has yet to be commercially established and automized. The model developed in this paper allows for the holistic evaluation of individual reuse and recycling scenarios. The results can thus be used to determine decision-making for better economic and environmental outcomes
Is design thinking an effective method to generate circular economy based solutions in a socially distanced world? Experiences from an online design thinking workshop
No full textCircular Economy (CE) is commonly proposed as a means to advance towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Design thinking (DT) has been identified as an innovative problem-solving approach, capable of addressing complex challenges, such as the CE, through multidisciplinary collaboration. Currently, the spaces for multi-stakeholder collaboration have been affected by Covid-19 restrictions, forcing organizations to develop online collaboration capabilities. Accordingly, this study aims to assess the effectiveness of the application of DT to generate CE-based solutions to address a sustainability challenge in an online setting. The assessment particularly addresses the extent to which a purposefully adapted DT process allows to conceptualize sustainability solutions, and, the user experiences in a digital collaboration environment. This research presents the findings obtained from an online DT workshop focused on proposing circular business models to improve the sustainability impacts of urban mobility in the city of Graz, Austria. The event involved 39 sustainability experts from academia, industry, public sector and NGOs, participating in five teams, each led by a workshop facilitator. Three specific activities have been elaborated to embed a focus on sustainability, which are combined with traditional DT exercises, and adapted to a digital environment. We report the outcomes of the online workshop and reflect on the adapted method strengths and weaknesses. DT is supported as a plausible method to conceptualize CE-based solutions, however, sustainability aspects need to be embedded throughout the problem-solving process