Sennheiser (Germany)

With factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization and climate change, hybrid work and education models with in-person and remote participation have gained popularity. According to existing studies, the hybrid format comes with a set of challenges in comparison to pure online or in-person lectures. Using a small setup with products from Sennheiser electronic SE & Co. KG as an example, the influence of hybrid lectures on the student experience was measured. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate the influence of the format, while the difference between online and in person participation was evaluated using t- and U- tests. In addition, qualitative data was collected in the form of interviews, observations, and brief feedback integrated into the surveys. The data showed that to avoid a disadvantage of the hybrid format, careful preparations with a focus on sound quality of the lecturer is necessary. The experience of online and in-person participants only differed in comprehensibility of the used technology.

Context: Agile IT organizations, which are characterized by self-organization and collaborative social interactions, require motivating, efficient and flexible work environments to maximize value creation. Compressed work schedules such as the four-day workweek have evolved into multiple facets over the last decades and are associated with various benefits for organizations and their employees. Objective: Our objective in this study is to deepen our comprehension of the impact of compressed work schedules on the operational efficacy of IT enterprises, while concurrently developing a comprehensive framework delineating the intricacies of compressed work schedules. Method: We conducted a systematic review of available conceptualizations related to four-day workweek schedules and elaborate on their organizational and social effects. To cover scientific and practice-oriented literature, our review combined a systematic literature review and a web content analysis. Results: Based on the generated insights, we derive a meta-framework that matches conceptualizations and effects, finally guiding the adoption of compressed work schedules based on individual managerial prerequisites and circumstances.

Bioterrorism presents a real and omnipresent risk to public health throughout the world. More than 30 biological agents have been identified as possessing the potential to be deployed in a bioterrorist attack. Those that have been determined to be of the greatest concern and possess the greatest potential of use in this arena are known as the Category A agents: Bacillus anthracis (anthrax); Variola major (smallpox); Yersinia pestis (plague); Francisella tularensis (tularemia); viral hemorrhagic fevers; and Clostridium botulinum toxin (botulism toxin). Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention utilizes surveillance systems to identify illnesses, the weight of diagnosing, effectively treating, and notifying the appropriate public health officials lies squarely on the shoulders of emergency care personnel. Part I of this two-part review will focus on the clinical presentation and treatment of anthrax, plague, and tularemia. The subsequent Part II of this review will discuss smallpox, viral hemorrhagic fevers, botulism toxin, and the provision of mass prophylaxis.

Noise can be disturbing, stressful or even harmful. Headphones with active noise cancellation (ANC) can enhance the user’s comfort, especially when travelling. On a plane or a train, in the street or at work, these headphones give the possibility to reduce unwanted noise. The range of ANC headphones on the market is constantly increasing. Circumaural and supra-aural headphones with different control strategies have been available for a long time; over the last few years the product lines have been expanded to in-ear headphones. These headphones already have quite a good passive attenuation and are equipped with feedforward control for active noise cancellation. The best results in attenuation are achieved by semi-adaptive digital controls, which choose the best filter depending on the noise spectrum and can be manually adapted to the user. A fully adaptive control has already been proven to be very effective in aviation headsets and other ANC applications. Besides the market analysis of ANC headphones we would like to present an adaptive feedforward control for in-ear headphones and highlight the advantages compared to a static feedforward control.

A large Midwestern city, having previously experienced various forms of corrosion within their collection and treatment system, prudently elected to embrace the concept of comprehensive corrosion protection for two newly constructed segmented tunnels. The corrosion protection requirements specified in the tunnel contract documents was a “co-lining system”. The cost to install the corrosion protection in both tunnels, including essential support staff and equipment, exceeded 40 Million Dollars. Installation of the “co-lining system” commenced on the larger 14’ diameter tunnel in early Spring 2007 and continued until late Fall 2007 at which time the owner evaluated the installation and progress, and eventually elected to abandon the “co-lining system” and explore alternative corrosion protection methods. This paper will discuss; the pros and cons of the alternative corrosion protection methods which were considered; the rationale for the system(s) selected; and the challenges overcome during the ten month installation period.

Active electroacoustic systems are commonly employed to transmit sound from one location to another. For example, consider the following configuration: a person talks into a microphone, which produces an electrically amplified signal for driving a loudspeaker, and the loudspeaker induces an output acoustic signal allowing someone else at a more distant location to hear the person talking. Unfortunately, such system designs typically do not consider acoustic feedback, which can destabilize the system and result in “howling.” In contrast, a feedback control system can transmit sound from one location to another using collocated microphone/loudspeaker transducers without the risk of howling. We design feedback controllers that model positive real (i.e., passive) systems, such as a spring and a gyrator. The spring controller essentially binds the diaphragms of the two transducers together. We relate the spring controller to the string connecting two tin cans together in the classical tin can telephone. Measurements are performed on a real feedback control system with two transducers. Because the feedback controller models a passive system, it is stable in any (passive) acoustic environment. [Sennheiser Electronic Corporation helped support this work.]

Die Notwendigkeit der Integration oder zumindest fruhzeitiger gegenseitiger Abstimmung von strategischer Geschaftsfeldplanung und Technologieplanung im Unternehmen ist dadurch gegeben, dass die Produkte eines Geschaftsfeldes auf Technologien basieren, die im Unternehmen angewendet werden. Die Technologien, die im Unternehmen erforscht und entwickelt werden, mussen zwangslaufig fruher oder spater in Produkte oder Produktionsprozesse einmunden, wenn nicht die Forschung und Entwicklung (FuE) vergebens sein soll. Haufige Handhabe in der Praxis ist jedoch eine Trennung von Geschaftsfeldplanung und Technologieplanung. Die Geschaftsfeldplanung wird vom Management bzw. den dazu installierten Stabsabteilungen aus betriebswirtschaftlicher und finanzorientierter Sichtweise durchgefuhrt. Technologieplanung wird oft in FuE-Abteilungen von Naturwissenschaftlern und Ingenieuren unter den Gesichtspunkten „Entwicklungspotenzial“ oder „technische Herausforderung“ durchgefuhrt. Das Roadmapping kann eine fruhzeitige Integration der beiden Teilbereiche ermoglichen.

A comparison of recently acquired seismic data in the Bowen Basin has highlighted inherent differences in signal content between dynamite and Vibroseis sources. This work was undertaken to assist selection of the source for proposed 2D and 3D seismic surveys in the Bowen Basin where recent drilling successes have revived interest in the hydrocarbon potential of the Permian sequence. Although comparisons between dynamite and Vibroseis sources have been made previously, the topic remains relevant because of developments in acquisition technology, the use of seismic source modelling and the area-dependency of seismic data quality. The motivation for acquisition of further 2D and 3D seismic data in the Surat-Bowen Basin are petroleum discoveries in the Permian Tinowon Sandstone along the western flank of the Taroom Trough at Myall Creek, Churchie, Overston and Waggamba. Variable reservoir quality and extent make identification of Tinowon sands difficult and good quality, high resolution data are essential for exploration and development mapping of the prospective reservoir units. For this study, a pair of overlapping 2D seismic lines was selected, one recorded with a Vibroseis source in 1996 and the other with dynamite in 2000. Care was taken to select two modern lines with acquisition parameters that would minimise the attenuation of frequencies in the higher end of the signal spectrum, thus providing input data sets that would result in a valid Vibroseis-dynamite comparison. Data processing was closely monitored to determine the effects of specific algorithms on signal content. Dynamite proved to have the greatest resolution in the Tinowon zone of interest, that is, around 1400 ms. Indeed, inspection of the signal spectra and particularly the bandpass filter panels on raw field records clearly showed that dynamite data contained higher frequencies and exhibited increased resolution relative to the Vibroseis data in the study area. Bandpass filtering is an effective means of evaluating seismic source characteristics. Predictably, results showed that resolution of the dynamite and Vibroseis data converged with depth due to the natural frequency filter effect of the earth. Synthetic data produced from wavelets matching the Vibroseis and dynamite data demonstrated that the improved resolution expected from the dynamite source would improve imaging of the Permian section. Based on the results of this trial and other modelling, Origin Energy selected a dynamite source for their Myall Creek 3D survey. Mosaic Oil selected dynamite for both their 2003 2D and their 2004 3D seismic survey.

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