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Zusammenfassung Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt Zukunftsbilder Öffentlicher Bibliotheken in Deutschland im Jahr 2040 in Form von explorativen Szenarien vor. Diese werfen den Blick in mögliche Zukünfte. Szenarien dienen als Denkwerkzeuge, die helfen, in Alternativen zu denken. Sie sind aber weder Vorhersagen noch Prognosen, sondern bestehen aus plausiblen Annahmen und Trends, die kombiniert werden. Die Entwicklung der vier Szenarien folgt einem mehrstufigen methodischen Vorgehen, das auf einer qualitativen Erhebung von Trends unter den Leitungspersonen deutscher Bibliotheken basiert. Ziel der hier vorgestellten Szenarien ist es, zur Diskussion anzuregen und dazu einzuladen, die eigene Perspektive durch das Denken in Alternativen zu erweitern.

Die aktuelle Situation, in der sich die Welt einer Pandemie ausgesetzt sieht, zeig einmal mehr, dass sich die Zukunft nicht vorhersagen lässt. Zukunftsforschung bietet Bibliotheken jedoch die Chance, zukünftige Folgen der Pandemie besser einzuschätzen, sich auf möglicherweise eintretende Ereignisse vorzubereiten und bereits heute Strategien für morgen zu entwickeln. Der folgende Beitrag präsentiert verschiedene Methoden der Zukunftsforschung und gibt Antwort darauf, was Zukunftsforschung für Bibliotheken leisten kann. Zudem werden Trends aus Zukunftsreports vorgestellt, die sich momentan am Horizont der Bibliothekswelt andeuten. The current situation in which the world is facing a pandemic shows once again that the future is unpredictable. Futurology offers libraries the opportunity to better assess the future consequences of the pandemic, to prepare for possible events and to develop strategies for tomorrow today. The following article presents various methods of futurology and provides answers to what futurology can do for libraries. It also presents various trends from futures reports that are currently emerging in the library world.

Flying insects employ elegant optical-flow-based strategies to solve complex tasks such as landing or obstacle avoidance. Roboticists have mimicked these strategies on flying robots with only limited success, because optical flow (1) cannot disentangle distance from velocity and (2) is less informative in the highly important flight direction. Here, we propose a solution to these fundamental shortcomings by having robots learn to estimate distances to objects by their visual appearance. The learning process obtains supervised targets from a stability-based distance estimation approach. We have successfully implemented the process on a small flying robot. For the task of landing, it results in faster, smooth landings. For the task of obstacle avoidance, it results in higher success rates at higher flight speeds. Our results yield improved robotic visual navigation capabilities and lead to a novel hypothesis on insect intelligence: behaviours that were described as optical-flow-based and hardwired actually benefit from learning processes. Autonomous flight is challenging for small flying robots, given the limited space for sensors and on-board processing capabilities, but a promising approach is to mimic optical-flow-based strategies of flying insects. A new development improves this technique, enabling smoother landings and better obstacle avoidance, by giving robots the ability to learn to estimate distances to objects by their visual appearance.

We investigated the formation of Artemia franciscana swarms of freshly hatched instar I nauplii larvae. Nauplii were released into light gradients but then interrupted by light-direction changes, small obstacles, or long barriers. All experiments were carried out horizontally. Each experiment used independent replicates. Freshly produced Artemia broods were harvested from independent incubators thus providing true replicate cohorts of Artemia subjected as replicates to the experimental treatments. We discovered that Artemia nauplii swarms can: 1. repeatedly react to non-obstructed light gradients that undergo repeated direction-changes and do so in a consistent way, 2. find their way to a light source within maze-like arrangements made from small transparent obstacles, 3. move as a swarm around extended transparent barriers, following a light gradient. This paper focuses on the recognition of whole-swarm behaviors, the description thereof and the recognition of differences in whole-swarm movements comparing non-obstructed swarming with swarms encountering obstacles. Investigations of the within-swarm behaviors of individual Artemia nauplii and their interactions with neighboring nauplii are in progress, e.g. in order to discover the underlying swarming algorithms and differences thereof comparing non-obstructed vs. obstructed pathways.

ZusammenfassungDer mit der Digitalisierung verbundene gesellschaftliche Transformationsprozess wirkt sich auch auf die Gestaltung von Studiengängen aus. Basierend auf Erkenntnissen der Ad-Hoc-AG „Curriculum 4.0“ des Hochschulforums Digitalisierung sowie ihrer Curriculumentwicklungsprojekte im Rahmen der Förderlinie „Curriculum 4.0“ des Stifterverbands für die Deutsche Wissenschaft diskutieren die Autorin und der Autor dieses Beitrags drei Herausforderungen für die Weiterentwicklung von Curricula: den Stellenwert der Digitalisierung als kompetenzorientierter Lerninhalt (2), die Flexibilisierung von Curricula innerhalb von Akkreditierungszyklen zur Integration von digitalkompetenzorientierten Lernzielen und Lehr-Lern-Formen (3) sowie die digitale Kompetenzentwicklung der Lehrenden (4). Der Beitrag bietet einen fachlichen Überblick sowie Reflexionsimpulse für die praktische (Weiter-)Entwicklung von Studiengängen.

Teamwork and cooperation are important 21st century skills and therefore important parts of the higher education curriculum. Following Kolb's ‘experiential learning cycle' model a combination of project work and moderated reflection can help students to acquire these skills. This article elaborates how LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) an be used to stimulate and moderate student's reflection on their teamwork skills in the setting of a university course. A focus is placed on the process and goals of the LSP method, the implementation in the workshop and the benefits of using LSP for this reason.

The conventional quantitative method for the analysis of inorganic elements in polymer matrices is a complex and time consuming process that presents a significant risk for error. Typically, polymers are digested in a microwave oven or other devices under high temperature and pressure for several hours while employing different mixtures of high purity acids. In many cases, particularly when high concentrations of doped elements are present, the digestion is often incomplete and therefore the reproducibility depends strongly on the type of polymer and additives used. A promising alternative technology that allows for the direct analysis of these polymers without digestion is laser ablation ICP-MS. Due to a lack of available reference materials and the presence of matrix dependent effects, a precise calibration cannot be obtained. In order to compensate for the matrix dependent effects the use of internal standardization is necessary. In this study the correlation between the carbon released during the ablation process and the 13C signal detected by ICP-MS and its use as an internal standard are investigated. For this purpose, twenty-one virgin polymer materials are ablated; the released carbon is determined and correlated with the corresponding integrated 13C signal. The correlation resulted in a direct relationship between the ablated carbon and 13C signal demonstrating the potential ability to neglect at least some of the matrix dependent and transport effects which occur during the laser ablation of virgin polymers.

Der Begriff der Kompetenz umfasst eine Reihe an Dimensionen: komplexes Wissen, Fertigkeiten, Fähigkeiten sowie motivationale Orientierungen und (Wert-)Haltung. Während die ersten drei genannten Dimensionen stets Teil des Diskurses über Kompetenzen sind, werden Motivation und (Wert-)Haltung allzu häufig übersehen. Gerade mit Blick auf sich verändernde Kompetenzprofile im Zuge des digitalen Wandels erhält diese Dimension allerdings einen zentralen Stellenwert.

Im Text wird beschrieben, wie die Nutzung der Historischen Methode Studierende aller Fächer beim kompetenten Umgang mit nicht genuin wissenschaftlichen Quellen aus dem WWW unterstützen kann.

Desert ants Cataglyphis fortis have been shown to be able to employ two mechanisms of dis- tance estimation: exploiting both optic Xow and propri- oceptive information. This study aims at understanding possible interactions between the two possibly redun- dant mechanisms of distance estimation. We ask whether in Cataglyphis the obviously minor contribu- tion of optic Xow would increase or even take over completely if the ants were deprived of reliable propri- oceptive information. In various experimental para- digms ants were subjected to passive horizontal displacements during which they perceived optic Xow, but were prohibited from active locomotion. The results show that in desert ants active locomotion is essential for providing the ants' odometer and hence its path integrator with the necessary information.

In the space environment the absence of gravity calls for constant safe attachment of any loose object, but the low-pressure conditions prohibit the use of glue-type adhesives. The attachment system of freely hunting spiders, e.g. Evarcha arcuata, employs van der Waals forces and mechanical interlocking. Furthermore, detachment is achieved passively and requires little force. Hence, the spider serves as a model for a versatile legged robot for space applications, e.g. on the outer surface of a space station. In this paper, we analyse the dry attachment systems ofE. arcuataand geckos as well as the kinematics of freely hunting spiders. We generalise the results of biological studies on spider locomotion and mobility, including the major movement and the position constraints set by the dry adhesion system. From these results, we define a simplified spider model and study the overall kinematics of the legs both in flight and in contact with the surface. The kinematic model, the data on spider gait characteristics and the adhesion constraints are implemented in a kinematic simulator. The simulator results confirm the principal functionality of our concept.

Robots for space applications require a level of autonomy while operating in highly unstructured environments that current control architectures cannot manage successfully. We investigated including pre-developed insect brain tissue into the control architecture of space exploratory vehicles. A doubly hybrid controller is proposed that hinges around the 'insect-in-a-cockpit' concept towards an evolution of the classical deliberative/reactive paradigm, featuring a biological (insect brain) high-level deliberative module coupled with low-level reactive behaviors embedded in a robot. The proposed concept, its design methodology and functional description of the submodules are presented, along with a preliminary feasibility assessment mainly derived from an in-depth review of the state of the art.

SUMMARY Place defining landmarks that have been studied intensively in insect navigation are large, voluminous objects visible to the insect from quite some distance. Here, we show that in desert ants, Cataglyphis fortis,local variations in ground properties can also serve as landmarks. The ants were trained to forage within a linear channel, in which the floor adjacent to the nest entrance was altered in optical and tactile properties. When ants were later tested within a test channel that ran parallel to the training channel, they recognized this landmark and centred their search on the part of the ground structure during training that was closest to the nest entrance. Hence, physical properties of the ground can be learnt and used as cues defining, for example, the position of the nest. In a second series of experiments the ants were presented with ground structures that differed in their visual and tactile properties from the training structure. We show that the absence of either the correct tactile properties or the correct optical properties of the ground structure make the ants reject the previously accepted structure. Hence small ground structures are recognized by the ants as familiar landmarks only if both visual and tactile information coincides with what the ants have experienced during training.

Here we report on a validation study on brain–machine interfaces (BMIs) performed during the December 2007 ESA parabolic flight campaign. We investigated the feasibility of using BMIs for space applications by performing tests in microgravity. Brain signals were recorded with noninvasive electroencephalography before (calibration sessions) and during the parabolic flights on two subjects with prior BMI experience. The results of our experiments show that an experienced BMI user can achieve stable performance in all gravity conditions examined and, hence, demonstrate the feasibility of operating noninvasive BMIs in space.

Background During long-distance foraging in almost featureless habitats desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis employ path-integrating mechanisms (vector navigation). This navigational strategy requires an egocentric monitoring of the foraging path by incrementally integrating direction, distance, and inclination of the path. Monitoring the latter two parameters involves idiothetic cues and hence is tightly coupled to the ant's locomotor behavior. Results In a kinematic study of desert ant locomotion performed on differently inclined surfaces we aimed at pinpointing the relevant mechanisms of estimating step length and inclination. In a behavioral experiment with ants foraging on slippery surfaces we broke the otherwise tightly coupled relationship between stepping frequency and step length and examined the animals' ability to monitor distances covered even under those adverse conditions. We show that the ants' locomotor system is not influenced by inclined paths. After removing the effect of speed, slope had only marginal influence on kinematic parameters. Conclusion From the obtained data we infer that the previously proposed monitoring of angles of the thorax-coxa joint is not involved in inclinometry. Due to the tiny variations in cycle period, we also argue that an efference copy of the central pattern generator coding the step length in its output frequency will most likely not suffice for estimating step length and complementing the pedometer. Finally we propose that sensing forces acting on the ant's legs could provide the desired neuronal correlate employed in monitoring inclination and step length.

SUMMARYThe feet of the jumping spider Evarcha arcuata attach to rough substrates using tarsal claws. On smooth surfaces, however, attachment is achieved by means of a claw tuft, the scopula. All eight feet bear a tarsal scopula, which is equipped with setae, these again being covered by numerous setules. In E. arcuata, an estimated 624 000 setules, with a mean contact area of 1.7×105 nm2, are present. The spider's entire contact area thus totals 1.06×1011nm2. Adhesion to the substrate does not depend on the secretion of an adhesive fluid. Analysis via atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows that a single setule can produce an adhesive force (Fa) of 38.12 nN perpendicular to a surface. Consequently, at a total Fa of 2.38×10–2 N and a mean body mass of 15.1 mg, a safety factor (SF; Fa/Fm, where Fm is weight) of 160 is achieved. Tenacity (τn; Fa/A, where A is area of contact) amounts to 2.24×105 N m-2.

This study investigates the adhesion capacity of a polyglycolic acid- (PGA-) hyaluronan scaffold with a structural modification based on a planar polymer (PM) surface in a cadaver cartilage defect model. Two cadaver specimens were used to serially test multiple chondral matrices. In a cadaver hip model, cell free polymer-based cartilage implants with a planar bioinspired PM surface (PGA-PM-scaffolds) were implanted arthroscopically on 10 mm × 15 mm full-thickness femoral hip cartilage lesions. Unprocessed cartilage implants without a bioinspired PM surface were used as control group. The cartilage implants were fixed without and with the use of fibrin glue on femoral hip cartilage defects. After 50 movement cycles and removal of the distraction, a rearthroscopy was performed to assess the outline attachment and integrity of the scaffold. The fixation techniques without and with fibrin fixation showed marginal differences for outline attachment, area coverage, scaffold integrity, and endpoint fixation after 50 cycles. The PGA-PM-scaffolds with fibrin fixation achieved a higher score in terms of the attachment, integrity, and endpoint fixation than the PGA-scaffold on the cartilage defect. Relating to the outline attachment, area coverage, scaffold integrity, and endpoint fixation, the fixation with PGA-PM-scaffolds accomplished significantly better results compared to the PGA-scaffolds (P = 0.03752, P = 0.03078, P = 0.00512, P = 0.00512). PGA-PM-scaffolds demonstrate increased observed initial fixation strength in cadaver femoral head defects relative to PGA-scaffold, particularly when fibrin glue is used for fixation.