University of Design Schwäbisch Gmünd

The article begins with an examination of the strategies for a transformation to sustainability. First, the term “resilience” is introduced and differentiated from the following strategies. It describes the ability of systems and individuals to withstand crises. The focus is then placed on three key strategies for sustainability: Efficiency, Consistency and Sufficiency. The efficiency strategy is predicated on the principle of optimizing resource utilization to fulfill global demands. This chapter provides a critical assessment of sustainability strategies, first highlighting Resilience. It then focuses on three key approaches: Efficiency, Consistency, and Sufficiency. The Efficiency strategy emphasizes optimizing resource use to meet global demands.The discussion progresses to the consistency strategy, which advocates for the utilization of environmentally benign materials and the establishment of closed material cycles. An important contribution to addressing this issue is the introduction of the stage model of the geosphere, a framework that illustrates the cycles of material and energy use in the geosphere, encompassing both the biosphere and the technosphere. This model emphasizes the importance of minimizing resource loss and maximizing product use. It advocates strategies such as sharing, repairing and reusing products to extend their useful life and emphasizes the need for product design that supports longevity, ease of maintenance and recyclability. The model serves as a guide for assessing existing products and services, identifying potential improvements and evaluating design alternatives. Finally, the sufficiency strategy, which is often misunderstood as a call for asceticism, is presented as an effort to change consumer behavior in the direction of satisfying needs without excessive consumption. The discussion underscores the significance of design education and their practical application in real-world projects. Examples from the Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd are utilized to exemplify the potential of design in the development of sustainable products and services, as well as the importance of design education in preparing students to act as change agents for a sustainable future. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the applicability of these strategies across various disciplines and the crucial role of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing complex sustainability challenges.

Background: Various countries have instituted risk governance measures to control and minimize the risks of chemicals at the national and international levels. Activities typically include risk assessment based on a) hazard and exposure assessments; b) setting limits on the production, use, and emissions of chemicals; c) enforcement of regulations; and d) monitoring the effectiveness of the measures taken. These steps largely depend on chemical analysis and access to pure chemical reference standards. However, except for specific highly regulated categories of chemicals, such reference standards often are not commercially available. This raises a critical question: Given the widespread lack of reference standards, is the current approach to governing chemicals adequate to protect humans and the environment from harm? If not, what measures could be taken to improve the situation? Objective: We outline how current chemical risk governance is hampered by the widespread lack of reference standards to produce the required scientific evidence. We also provide a list of recommendations for controlling chemical risks in the absence of reference standards. Discussion: We use per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), specifically the chemical C6O4 [perfluoro ([5-methoxy-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl]oxy) acetic acid], to illustrate how companies that produce chemicals can prevent access to reference standards. We argue that the very limited availability of reference standards undermines the ability of scientists to produce independent scientific evidence needed for chemical risk governance and, thereby, prevents society from protecting people and the environment against chemical pollution and its harms. Possible ways to improve the situation include a) guaranteeing access to chemical reference standards by creating a reference standards repository, b) redefining the level of confidence sufficient for regulatory action, c) providing alternative options for chemical identification and quantification when reference standards are not available, and d) considering, when no reference standards are available, regulation of chemicals by class rather than individually.

Die Schallgeschwindigkeit in Luft lässt sich nicht nur beim Entkorken einer Weinflasche bestimmen, wie kürzlich hier gezeigt. Es geht auch in einem Rotweinglas und einer bereits offenen Weinflasche.

As the world's population continues to surge, the earth's ecological limits are being stretched. Some of the major threats to habitability stem from the pursuit of perpetual economic growth, and power struggles among nations, leading to ecological and social destruction and ongoing crises. A shift toward wiser earth management could enhance habitability through collective strategies within a global political framework. Key components include adopting renewable energy, limiting ecological footprints, fostering clean prosperity, and promoting peaceful coexistence among nations. Our survival hinges on embracing cooperative security and transitioning toward a collective approach to governance, redirecting resources from militarization toward protection of the global commons. This necessitates international collaboration and democratic participation across temporal and spatial scales, facilitated by a UN-led framework. We believe science should play a crucial role in developing common strategies for a viable world, contingent upon decision-makers prioritizing global cooperation over narrow short-term self-interest. Scientists and policymakers can work together, creating more viable futures through international cooperation and a move away from violence. Moreover, citizens have an important role to play by changing their lifestyles and supporting measures mentioned in this paper.

As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies become increasingly important for designing human-computer interactions and user experiences, designers must prepare for the challenge of developing meaningful, creative, and technically feasible AI-based systems. We present a teaching format that we implemented to equip design students with the necessary intuition for AI technologies to develop sensor-based AI-driven interactions. The format consisted of two parts: a role play, which provided a playful, low-threshold introduction to the basics of machine learning for classifying sensor data; and an exploratory part, supported by readymade hardware and software modules, which enabled active engagement with the technology to support creative ideation processes. With this teaching format, we met our teaching objectives of increasing students’ technical literacy, teaching the technical language, and providing the necessary tools and knowledge for working with technology as creative material.

Grüne Infrastruktur ist ein neuartiger Ansatz für die Landschaftsplanung. Seine Innovationspotenziale bestehen in der umfassenden Sicht auf Natur und Landschaft, die ökologische, sozio-kulturelle, ästhetische und ökonomische Aspekte beinhaltet und vielfältige gesellschaftspolitische Ziele wie den Klimawandel oder sozialen Zusammenhalt aufgreift. Das breit aufgestellte und in Teilen vage Konzept bietet gerade aufgrund der Interpretationsmöglichkeiten Chancen, um die Entwicklung von Landschaften aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven zu diskutieren und zu integrieren. Die Planung und Umsetzung von grüner Infrastruktur erfordert daher partizipative Ansätze, die sowohl verschiedene Disziplinen und Interessensgruppen einbeziehen, als auch zivilgesellschaftliches Engagement berücksichtigen und fördern.

Die hier vorgestellte Variante des Flaschenöffnens ist spektakulär und insbesondere für Ballsportler geeignet. Zum Einsatz kommt nämlich eine Fahrradpumpe mit Ballnadel, wie sie etwa zum Aufpumpen von Hand‐ und Volleybällen benötigt wird.

Die Schallanalyse‐App Spektroskop erlaubt, Frequenzspektren in hoher Qualität darzustellen und quantitativ auszuwerten. Wesentliche Vorteile gegenüber vergleichbaren Apps sind ihre einfache Bedienung sowie die Möglichkeit, mehrere Frequenzspektren gleichzeitig darzustellen. Das demonstriert hier die Analyse des sogenannten Residualtonhörens.

Zusammenfassung In einer Delphi-Studie wurden Expert*innen aus Wissenschaft und Praxis gebeten, sechs Kriterien für die Definition einer Public Health-Intervention (PHI) zu bewerten und zu konsentieren. Als relevant erweisen sich die Intention der Intervention, mögliche Interessenskonflikte von Initiator*innen der Intervention, ob es sich um eine Primär- versus Sekundär-/Tertiärprävention handelt und die Reichweite der Intervention. Im Dissens bleiben die Kriterien zur Relevanz der Kosten und Zielgenauigkeit der Intervention.

Objective: This Phase IV placebo-controlled clinical trial was designed to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the product Neurodoron (Kalium phosporicum comp., KPC) in patients with neurasthenia. Methods: This monocenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial (registration number: DRKS00003261) was conducted in an outpatient German trial site. Women and men aged 18 and above were randomized to receive either KPC or placebo if they reported typical symptoms of neurasthenia and a severe psychiatric disorder could be excluded. The primary objectives were a reduction in characteristic symptoms of nervous exhaustion and perceived stress as well as improvement in general health status after 6 weeks of treatment. Results: In total, 204 patients underwent screening, 78 were randomized in each treatment group, and 77 patients each received treatment (intention-to-treat (ITT) population = 154 patients). For none of the primary efficacy variables, an advantage in favor of KPC could be demonstrated in the pre-specified analysis (p-values between 0.505-0.773, Student's t-test). In a post-hoc analysis of intra-individual differences after 6 weeks treatment, a significant advantage of KPC vs. placebo was shown for characteristic symptoms of nervous exhaustion (irritability (p = 0.020); nervousness (p = 0.045), Student's t-test). Adverse event (AE) rates were similar between treatment groups, in both groups six AEs were assessed as causally related to treatment (severity mild or moderate). No AE resulted in discontinuation of treatment. Conclusions: Trial treatment was well tolerated with only a few and minor AEs reported, confirming the markedly good safety of KPC. A significant improvement of neurasthenia was seen for the total study population at the end of the treatment period. Superiority of KPC vs. placebo could not be demonstrated with the pre-specified analysis with regards to a sum score of 12 typical symptoms, perceived stress, or general health status. However, the explorative post-hoc analysis revealed that KPC is superior to placebo in the characteristic symptoms irritability and nervousness. KPC could therefore be a beneficial treatment option for symptomatic relief of neurasthenia.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are widely produced chemicals, with certain CP subgroups facing global restrictions due to their environmental dispersion, persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. To evaluate the effectiveness of these international restrictions, we assessed the homologue group contribution and the mass fraction of short-chain CPs (SCCPs: C10-C13), medium-chain CPs (MCCPs: C14-C17), and long-chain CPs (LCCPs: ≥C18) in 36 technical CP mixtures used worldwide over the last 50 years. Using low-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS), we quantified 74 CP homologue groups (C10Cl4-C20Cl10). Additionally, high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS) screening was employed to identify unresolved CP contents, covering 375 CP homologue groups (C6Cl4-C30Cl30). Overall, 1 sample was mainly composed of <C10-CPs, 10 of SCCPs, 13 of MCCPs, and 12 of LCCPs. Specific homologue group contributions and mass fractions of CP subgroups varied considerably. However, the predominance of C11Cl6- and C14Cl6-CP homologue groups was in good agreement with that of the dominant homologue groups in environmental matrices and manufactured products. SCCP yields are still high in some technical CP mixtures, and three technical CP mixtures currently produced failed the Stockholm Convention restrictions on SCCPs. This study sheds light on significant challenges in implementing international CP restrictions effectively.